Errant

A Fantasy Role Playing Game

Graphic: Scenes of chaos in a broken city, inhabited by a victorious army of skel-
etons. Three of them surround an elderly human on their knees, swinging weap-
ons. A lone woman wielding a spiked club and a hatchet leaps down upon this
group. Nearby another skeleton rests on a crate and pours a jug of wine through
his jaw. Another skeleton looks on casually while riding past on a horse-drawn
cart. Another hangs playfully from a tree branch, reaching down towards the hilt
of a huge sword embedded into a massive skull. In the background are broken
buildings, and several structure-sized faces or heads among them. The scene
extends onto the back cover of the book.

1
 Core Quick Reference
Check = D20 > DV and < Attribute.

Saving Throw DV = Threat/Renown.

• Phys - power, toughness, and endurance.

• Skill - quickness, precision, and perception.
• Mind - knowledge, focus, and reason.
• Pres - charm, confidence, and willpower.

Position determines the outcome of failure. The default Position is risky.

• Shaky- not as bad as it could have been.

• Risky - about what you expected.
• Dire - worse than you even imagined.

Impact determines the outcome of success. The default Impact is fair.

• Strong- this went better than expected.

• Fair - you got what you wanted.
• Weak - not exactly what you hoped.

Check Procedure

1. Errant describes action with potential for meaningful failure.

2. Guide sets Attribute for Check.
3. Guide sets DV for Check.
• If DV < 0, Check automatically succeeds.
4. Guide sets Position and Impact for Check.
5. Errant rolls D20, attempting to roll > DV and < Attribute.
6. Guide describes outcome of Check.

Reaction Rolls
2 3-5 6-8 9-11 12
DV +8 DV +4 - DV -2 DV -4

2
 Negotiations
Reaction Roll result = disposition.

Initial Disposition = # of exchanges.

Banal exchanges require no Check.

Giving exchange
• Failure or success with weak Impact: NPC is unimpressed.
• Success: disposition +1.
• Success with strong Impact: disposition +3.

Taking exchange
• Failure at dire Position: disposition -3.
• Failure: NPC refuses, disposition -1.
• Failure at shaky Position or success with weak Impact: NPC agrees to a compro-
mise.
• Success: the NPC agrees to what you want.
• Success with strong Impact: NPC agrees, and offers to do more than asked for!

Convincing exchange
• Failure at dire Position: disposition -3.
• Failure: disposition -1.
• Failure at shaky Position or success with weak Impact: NPC is unconvinced, but
not insulted.
• Success: NPC is receptive, but requires proof.
• Success with strong Impact: NPC accepts what you said wholeheartedly.

Bribe exchanges require no Checks.

Items Quick Reference

• Item Slots = phys.
• 1 Exhaustion = 1 Item Slot
• 1 Encumbrance per 25% of slots filled, up to 4. After 100%, each Item Slot = 1
Encumbrance.
• Depletion = quantity or duration of items, Sorceries, Miracles (Burn = Depletion
for light sources).
• Supply restores Depletion of items. 1 Supply = ¼ Item Slot. Restoring Depletion
takes 4 Supply per Item Slot an item takes up. If not restored when Depletion =
0, item removed from inventory.

3
 Supply Available per Downtime Turn
2 × 4 × 6 × 8 × 10 × 12 ×
Hamlet 10 20 - - - -
Village 20 40 80 - - -
Town 40 80 160 320 - -
City 80 160 320 640 1,280 -
Metropolis 160 320 640 1,280 2,560 5,120

4
 Travel Turn Quick Reference
1. Encounter
2. Rest (+1 negative Event Die) or gain 1 Exhaustion
3. Deplete all rations or lower all Supply by 1
4. Local effect
5. Encounter sign
6. Free

Travel Turn Actions

• Peregrinate - Pathfinder makes navigation Check to avoid getting lost.
• Explore – Company finds points of interest. If searching for specific location,
pathfinder makes navigation Check.
• Orient - DV of next navigation Check is -4.
• Forage - Each Errant makes navigation Check; on success, +2 Supply.
• Make camp - Pathfinder makes navigation Check to find suitable campsite.
• Take watch - 2 characters keep watch = no Exhaustion. No characters keep
watch = Event Die rolls of 5 are rolls of 1.
• Sleep – 2 Travel Turns sleeping = night’s Rest.

Travel Turn Procedure

1. Guide declares start of Travel Turn; timekeeper notes which # Travel Turn.
• Check for night-time.
2. Caller relays Company’s action to Guide.
• If peregrinating, determine Pace; then pathfinder makes navigation Check.
3. Timekeeper rolls Event Die.
4. Event Die and Company’s actions resolved.

5
 Pace
Condition Pace Other Effects
Appropriate mount/vehicle +1/x
Road +1/x Can’t get lost
Moving slowly x/+1 +1 positive Event Die.
Moving quickly +1/x +1 negative Event Die.
Deserts, forests, hills, broken land x/+1 Navigation DV +2
Jungle, mountain, swamps x/+2 Navigation DV +4
Night-time/Darkness x/+1 Navigation DV +4
Inclement weather x/+1 Navigation DV +2
Navigation DV +4, Exhaustion if not
Severe weather x/+2
camping
Detailed map Navigation DV -4
General map or specific directions Navigation DV -2
Misleading map or directions Navigation DV +2 to +4

Weather
2D6 Spring Summer Autumn Winter
Inclement Severe weather
Severe weather Severe weather
2 weather (e.g. (e.g. thunder-
(e.g. hurricane) (e.g. blizzard)
downpour) storm)
Inclement
Cosmetic change Inclement Severe weather
3-5 weather (e.g.
(e.g. drizzle) weather (e.g. fog) (e.g. hail storm)
heat wave)
Inclement
Overcast (-2 to
6-8 Cloudy Sunny weather (e.g.
next weather roll)
sleet)
Clear skies (+2 to Clear skies (+2 to Overcast (-2 to
9-11 Cloudy
next weather roll) next weather roll) next weather roll)
Beautiful day Beautiful day
(only need to (only need to Clear skies (+2 to Clear skies (+2 to
12
spend one Travel spend one Travel next weather roll) next weather roll)
Turn sleeping) Turn sleeping)

6
 Exploration Turn Quick Reference
1. Encounter
2. Rest (+1 negative Event Die) or gain 1 Exhaustion
3. Burn all light sources or lower all Supply by 1. Deplete active Sorceries and
Miracles by 1
4. Local effect
5. Encounter sign
6. Free

Pace
Condition Pace Other effects
Moving slowly x/+1 +1 positive Event Die.
Moving quickly +2/x +1 negative Event Die.
Large areas x/+1
Huge areas x/+2
Explored areas +3/x

Stealth
• Skill Check, DV = Encumbrance.
• Group stealth: one person rolls, DV = group Encumbrance/2.

Illumination
• 1 Burn = light for 1 person.
• Burn > # of Company members = bright light.
• Burn < ½ # of Company members = dim light.

Harvesting Materials
• Skill Check.
• Each Errant harvests 1 Item Slot components/Exploration Turn.
• Components from a creature: Item Slots & harvest DV = Threat/2.

Doors
• Opening stuck door = DV 4 phys Check for normal doors.
• Each additional Errant forcing door = DV -2, if their phys > door DV × 2.
• Breaking down wooden door = 2 Exploration Turns, +1 negative Event Die.

7
 Locks
D12 Type Actions Modifier
1 Strange Twist, Tap, Twist Spiked
2 Adamantine Twist, Tap, Turn Spiked
3 Mythril Twist, Turn, Twist Secured
4 Diamond Twist, Turn, Tap Secured
5 Dwarven Tap, Twist, Tap Weathered
6 Elvish Tap, Twist, Turn Weathered
7 Steel Tap, Turn, Twist Cracked
8 Iron Tap, Turn, Tap Cracked
9 Brass Turn, Twist, Tap Normal
10 Copper Turn, Twist, Turn Normal
11 Tin Turn, Tap, Twist Normal
12 Crude Turn, Tap, Turn Normal

Exploration Turn Procedure

1. Guide declares start of Exploration Turn; timekeeper notes which # Exploration

Turn.
2. Caller relays Company’s action to Guide.
• If moving, determine Pace.
3. Timekeeper rolls Event Die.
4. Event Die and Company’s actions resolved.

8
 Errant
Writing: Ava Islam

Cover Art: Ian Hagan

Layout: Nick LS Whelan

Editing: Joseph H. Vilas

Interior Art: Morrie B, Emiel Boven, Katrin Dirim, Madeleine Ember, José Eduardo
“Jegs” González, Alain Gruetter, Ian Hagan, Alexey Ivanov, David Lewis Johnson,
Łukasz Kowalczuk, Gus L, Lazy Litch, Meatborg, Penny Melgarejo, L.F. OSR,
T.S. Pendlebury, Brooke Penrose, Connor Ricks, Hodag RPG, Perplexing Ruins,
SVARMAN, Jae Tanaka, Tony Tran, Daniel Vega, Peter Violini

Also: illustrations from Evlyn Moreau’s Patreon (p. 24, 162, 189), art from
Thomas Novosel’s Patreon (p. 193), Spears of the Dawn Art Pack (Andrew Krahnke
p. 49, Luigi Castellani p. 143), Scarlet Heroes Art Pack (David Lewis Johnson p.
48, Joyce Maureira p. 139, Miguel Santos p. 168, Earl Geier p. 173). Artwork
used with permission by Charles Ferguson-Avery of Feral Indie Studio (p. 21,
30, 32, 46, 57, 81, 107, 118, 134, 134)

The text of Errant (not the art) is offered under a CC BY SA 4.0 license, meaning
that you are free to distribute the text and to adapt it within the scope of the
license, which requires that you give us credit and that you share your adapta-
tions under similar terms. Please credit the author, Ava Islam, and the publisher,
Kill Jester Publishing, LLP. The text of Errant is additionally offered under a license
having the terms of CC BY SA 4.0, except: (1) if the Adapted Material is a literary
work (such as an RPG book), then the Adapter’s License need only be applied to the
text (not, for instance, illustrations) and (2) you must include this and the following
sentence in your licensing terms. The CC BY SA 4.0 license is available at creative-
[Link]/licenses/by-sa/4.0/. For works compatible with Errant, a “Waylaid by
Errant” logo and its license to use is available at [Link].

9
Cover illustration © Ian Hagan 2021. Illustrations on p. 112 © Suarman Agustian
2021; on p. 156, 156, 157, 200 © Morrie B 2021; on p. 27, 175 CC BY
4.0 Emiel Boven 2021; on p. 28, 79, 121, 133 © Katrin Dirim 2021-2022;
on p. 130, 158, 161, 166, 179, 196, 218 © Madeleine Ember 2021-2022;
on p. 128, 141 © Jiro Enami 2021; on p. 82, 84, 87, 88, 89, 90,
94, 97, 98, 98, 99, 102, 103 © José Eduardo González 2021; on p.
54, 117 © Alain Gruetter 2021; on p. 37, 159, 182 © Ian Hagan 2021;
on p. 65, 66 © Alexey Ivanov 2021; on p. 123 © David Lewis Johnson 2021;
on p. 190, 191 © Łukasz Kowalczuk 2021; on p. 19, 40, 157, 158 © Gus
L 2021; on p. 77, 160 © Lazy Litch; on p. 150 © Penny Melgarejo 2021; on
p. 39, 200 © L.F. OSR 2022; on p. 203 © T.S. Pendlebury 2022; on p. 135,
204 © Brooke Penrose 2022; on p. 15, 26, 105, 148 © Connor Ricks
2021-2022; on cover & p. 14, 26, 36, 38, 42, 43, 44, 46, 47,
48, 53, 58, 62, 79, 108, 132, 144, 154, 155, 163, 171, 176,
178, 181, 185, 187, 207, 216 © Hodag RPG 2021; on p. 114, 168, 183
© Perplexing Ruins 2021; on p. 34 © Jae Tanaka 2021; on p. 67, 69, 73,
75 © Tony Tran 2022; on p. 106 © Daniel Vega 2021; on p. 136 © Peter
Violini 2021.

Screen reader testing performed with NVDA.

Graphic: Stylized silhouette of a laughing jester holding a knife with the words
“Kill Jester” beneath.

10
 Table of Contents

Core Quick Reference, page 2 Converting Difficulty Values, page 18

Check Procedure, page 2 Position & Impact, page 19
Reaction Rolls, page 2 The Die of Fate, page 20
Negotiations, page 3 Rounding, page 20
Items Quick Reference, page 3 Check Procedure, page 20
Supply Available per Downtime Turn,
Core Procedures, page 21
page 4
Turns, page 21
Travel Turn Quick Reference, page 5 Event Die, page 22
Travel Turn Actions, page 5 Event Die – Travel Turns, page 23
Travel Turn Procedure, page 5 Event Die – Exploration Turns, page
Pace, page 6 25
Weather, page 6 Event Die – Downtime Turns, page 26
Player Roles, page 27
Exploration Turn Quick Reference,
Reaction Rolls, page 27
page 7
Negotiations, page 28
Pace, page 7
Stealth, page 7 Items & Equipment, page 31
Illumination, page 7 Item Slots, page 31
Harvesting Materials, page 7 Hand, Handy & Worn, page 31
Doors, page 7 Containers, page 32
Locks, page 8 Exhaustion, page 32
Exploration Turn Procedure, page 8 Encumbrance, page 33
Depletion, page 34
You Are A Failure, page 15
Burn , page 34
Introduction, page 16 Supply, page 35
Why Errant?, page 16 Armour, page 35
Weapons, page 36
Core Rules, page 17
Magic Weapons & Armour, page 37
Checks, page 17
Settlement Types, page 37
Attributes, page 17
Rarity, page 38
Opposed Checks, page 17
Quality & Breakage, page 39
Saving Throws, page 17
Currency, page 39
Setting a Difficulty Value, page 18
11
 Inflation, page 40 Travel Turns, page 114
Travel Turn Actions, page 114
Goods & Services, page 41
Day & Night, page 115
Price Tables, page 41
Navigation & Getting Lost, page 116
Retainers, page 52
Pace, page 116
Specialists, page 53
Marching Order, page 118
Errants, page 56 Resting, page 118
Creating an Errant, page 56 Unsuitable Campsites, page 118
Select Starting Equipment, page 58 Eating & Drinking, page 119
Note Languages Known , page 58 Disease & Infection, page 119
Record Other Information, page 59 Mounts & Vehicles, page 120
Keepsakes, page 59 Weather, page 122
Failed Professions, page 63 Eating Monsters, page 123
Renown, page 64 Voyages, page 124
Adjutants , page 65 Marine Travel, page 125
Rosters, page 66 Travel Turn Procedure, page 127
The Violent, page 67
Exploration Turns, page 128
The Deviant, page 69
Exploration Turn Actions, page 128
The Occult, page 72
Pace, page 129
The Zealot, page 74
Mapping, page 129
Grimoires & Sorceries, page 76 Marching Order, page 130
Creating Sorceries, page 76 Resting, page 130
Converting Spell Scrolls & Spellbooks, Illumination, page 131
page 81 Doors, page 132
Grimoires, page 82 Lockpicking, page 133
Stealth, page 134
Covenants & Miracles, page 104
Traps, page 134
Performing Miracles, page 104
Harvesting Materials, page 135
Testament of The Blessèd Mother,
Collapsed Structures, page 136
page 105
Exploration Turn Procedure, page 137
Table of Woe, page 110

12
Initiative Turns, page 138 Conspicuous Consumption, page 168
Combat Distance, page 138 Debts, page 171
Surprise, page 138 Lifestyle, page 172
Determining Initiative Turn Order, Trades, page 172
page 139 Improving Attributes, page 174
Initiative Turn Actions, page 139 Talents, page 174
Speed & Movement, page 140 Animals, page 176
Attacking, page 141 Tinkering, page 177
Gambits, page 142 Crafting, page 178
Enhance & Impair, page 142 Alchemy, page 179
Statuses, page 143 Wondrous Items, page 180
Mounted Combat, page 143 Magic Items, page 181
Hit Protection & Damage, page 144 Clearing Pacts, page 181
Drowning, Falling, Burning, page 144 Solving Grimoires, page 182
Death & Dying, page 145 Creating New Sorceries & Grimoires,
Warbands, page 148 page 182
Duels, page 149 Rituals, page 183
Mass Combat, page 151 Alignment, page 184
Chases, page 152 Legal Trials, page 185
Morale, page 154 Investigations, page 186
Hit Protection for NPCs, page 154 Proclamations, page 187
NPC Attributes, page 155 Bonds, page 188
Bestiary, page 156 Reputation, page 189
Converting NPCs, page 162 Expeditions, page 190
Initiative Turn Procedure, page 162 Infrastructure, page 192
Institutions, page 194
Downtime Turns, page 163
Estates, page 197
Downtime Turn Actions, page 163
Domains, page 198
Passing Time, page 164
Faction Turns, page 201
Setbacks, page 165
Rivals, page 202
Recovery, page 165
Scourges, page 204
Rumours, page 166
Downtime Complications, page 206
Shopping & Socialising, page 166
Downtime Trends, page 206
Hiring Retainers , page 166
Downtime Turn Procedure, page 207
Funerals, page 168
13
Glossary & Index, page 208 Initiative Turn Quick Reference, page
222
Gratitudes, page 217
Combat Distance & Surprise, page 222
Downtime Turn Quick Reference, Initiative, page 222
page 219 Movement, page 222
Downtime Complications, page 219 Attacking, page 223
Downtime Trends, page 219 Death & Dying, page 224
Downtime Turn Actions, page 220 Chases, page 224
Downtime Turn Procedure, page 221 Fall Damage, page 225
Initiative Turn Procedure, page 225

Graphic: A creature with arms and legs growing directly from an oversize head.
It runs with a sword held high, and a mischevious look on its face.

14
 You Are A Failure
You have no home.

You have no job.

You have no friends.

You have no family.

You have no prospects.

Graphic: A woman in tattered jester’s garb kneels on the ground, holding an

arm in front of her face and glaring at someone out of frame. Black tar and white
feathers cling to her back, and an arrow shoft protrudes from her thigh. Her free
hand reaches towards a dagger lying on the ground in front of her.

What you do have are a particular set of skills — the kind that make respectable
folks avoid you — a handful of pennies, and a suitably blithe disregard for your own
life.

Out there, beyond civilization, lies danger: monsters and magic and ancient ruins
pregnant with treasure. Death is likely, but what did you have to live for anyway?
At least out there is the chance to make something of yourself, and maybe even get
back at those who wronged you.

Surely, this is no life for decent folk. But you are not decent folk. You are an Errant.

15
 Introduction
Errant is a fantasy role playing game about playing outcasts from the fringes of
society who go on adventures in a world of danger and intrigue. To play, you’ll need
some stuff to write on, a way to simulate random numbers (traditionally, dice), and
a group of friends.

One of these friends will take on the role of the Guide [1], while the rest take on
the role of a Company of Errants. The game is a conversation between the Guide,
the Errants, and the rules. The Guide describes the world, the Errants describe what
they wish to do within that world, and the Guide describes the outcomes of those
actions; the rules are there to help make judgements about what happens easier.

By playing, you and your friends will create unique stories of adventure that are
sure to shock and delight. No one person is in charge of the story. We play to find
out what the story will be.

Why Errant?
Errant is similar to many other old-school role playing games, so why should you
play this over any other game? What makes Errant unique?

Errant is rules light, procedure heavy.

What does that mean? It means that the rules you need to play Errant are minimal
and simple to understand. At its core, the basic rule is simply roll a twenty-sided
die and try to get a result that is between two numbers.

However, Errant has a number of procedures that are designed to help you navigate
different play situations in fair and interesting ways. Want to know how to run an
exciting chase scene, or create a fried cockatrice restaurant, or sue a demon for
emotional negligence? Errant has procedures that can help you do that!

Procedures are not rules, but neither are they vague, general guidance. They
provide a framework to structure the game, and can be adjusted, deviated from,
ignored, hacked, mangled, stolen, or seasoned to taste.

[1] This simplified presentation of Errant’s text does not include the small caps and
italicized formatting of the stylized document. Instead, wherever a game mechanic
or procedure is named, its first letter is capitalized. Related terms are not formatted
in any special way in this edition. A full glossary and index of all these terms can be
found at p. 208.

16
 Core Rules
Checks
When an Errant attempts to do something of which the result is uncertain and
failure has consequences, they roll a twenty-sided die (D20) and attempt to roll
lower or equal to a relevant Attribute and above a difficulty value (DV). This is
called a Check.

Attributes
Errants have four attributes, each of which is relevant for different types of Checks.
The ultimate decision of which Attribute is relevant for the purposes of a specific
Check lies with the Guide, though Errants are free to plead their case.

• Physique (phys) - used for Checks relating to power, toughness, and endurance.
• Skill (skill) - used for Checks relating to quickness, precision, and perception.
• Mind (mind) - used for Checks relating to knowledge, focus, and reason.
• Presence (pres) - used for Checks relating to charm, confidence, and willpower.

Opposed Checks
If two characters, whether they be Errants or an Errant and a non-player character
(NPC), are competing at the same task, they make an opposed Check.

Both make a Check and whoever rolls higher while still succeeding at the Check
wins. If both parties fail the Check, the situation gets worse and more compli-
cated for both of them. If the roll is tied, the Guide may declare a draw, or ask for
another opposed Check.

Saving Throws
A Saving Throw is a special type of Check that is made reactively to try to avoid
or mitigate a negative effect, whether that be dodging from a dragon’s breath,
avoiding falling into a spike pit, or ducking out of view of the guard who just
rounded the corner.

When an Errant or NPC makes a Saving Throw against an effect caused by another
Errant or NPC the base DV, unless otherwise stated, is the Renown or Threat of the
Errant or NPC who caused the effect. In all other ways, a Saving Throw functions as
a regular Check.

17
 Setting a Difficulty Value
A DV of 0 is an easy Check, a DV of 4 is a difficult Check, and a DV of 8 is almost
impossible for a regular person.

As a baseline, for any Check, start with a DV of 0, then consider the circumstances,
first increasing the DV for any factors that would make the task more difficult
(treacherous environment, character impairment, ineffective gear, etc.) and reduce
it for any factors that would make it easier (appropriate equipment, relevant
training or ability, correct method, etc.).

Generally, adjust DV in increments of 2 or 4. If a DV would be reduced below 0, the

Check automatically succeeds.

If an Errant is assisting another Errant with a task, the Guide may reduce the DV
of the Check by an appropriate amount. It is up to the Guide to determine whether
assistance from multiple Errants will warrant further reduction; in the case of a task
such as trying to push a great boulder, each additional pair of hands will make the
task easier; but for an ordeal such as trying to decode an ancient cipher, only the
expertise of the most skilled assistant would be relevant.

Converting Difficulty Values

For reference, a DV of 0 is equivalent to a Difficulty Class of 10 in games that use
the D20 system. To convert a Difficulty Class to DV, subtract 10. If converting from
games that use it, Advantage is equal to DV -4 and Disadvantage is DV +4.

If converting from a game that uses an x-in-6 chance skill system (e.g. a 1-in-6
chance of detecting a secret door), treat a probability of 1-in-6 as being equal to
DV 8, 2-in-6 as being DV 6, etc. For x-in-6 Saving Throws (e.g. a 4-in-6 chance of
falling into a concealed spike pit), invert the probabilities: a 5-in-6 is equal to DV 8,
while a 1-in-6 is equal to DV 0.

18
 Position & Impact
Aside from setting the DV of a Check, the Guide can also determine what the
Position and Impact of a Check may be based on the circumstances. Position and
Impact do not change how difficult a Check is; rather, they set the stakes for the
outcomes of a Check.

Position determines the outcome of failure. The default Position is risky.

• Shaky - not as bad as it could have been.

• Risky - about what you expected.
• Dire - worse than you even imagined.

For example, if an Errant is attempting to infiltrate the manor of the Peacock King
dressed as a servant and they fail a Check. If their Position was risky, a guard
might have seen through their disguise and sounded the alarm; if their Position
was shaky, they might simply be shooed away from where they are and escorted
to the kitchen to clean dishes under the watchful eye of the head chef; if their
Position was dire, their disguise might not only be seen through, but they would be
recognised and a bounty placed on their head by the Peacock King.

Impact determines the outcome of success. The default Impact is fair.

• Strong - this went better than expected.

• Fair - you got what you wanted.
• Weak - not exactly what you hoped.

For example, if an Errant was attempting to seek an audience with the Goose King
to parlay his influence in removing the bounty on their head and they succeeded
on a Check. If their Impact was fair, the Goose King may agree to do so, perhaps
in exchange for a small favour to be repaid later; if their Impact was weak, the
Goose King may only be able to lower the price of the bounty rather than removing
it completely; if their Impact was strong, the Goose King may not only use his
influence to remove the bounty on the Errant’s head, but also invite them into a
plot to depose the Peacock King once and for all.

Graphic: A humanoid goose, The Goose King, stands with an intense, open-
mouthed, bulging-eyed look on his face. His body is hunched, but muscled.
A glowing crown floats above his head, and his coif of mail armor cascades
down his shoulders. He is dressed in royal attire, with gold chains clasping a
fur cape, a decorated short-sleeved gambeson, rings and bracelets up his arms,
and curly-toed, knee-high boots. One hand grips an ornameted sphere--a Glo-
bus cruciger topped with a goose instead of a cross. The other hand pulls at the
hilt of a greatsword with a wavy blade--a flame-bladed zweihander.

19
An Errant may argue their case for a particular Position or Impact, even trading
Position for Impact. For example, an Errant may not be able to sneak all the way
across a courtyard without being seen by a patrolling guard, they could attempt to
get about halfway through, a Check with a risky Position but weak Impact.

However, they could attempt to simply stroll by nonchalantly, hoping to seem like
someone who is allowed within the courtyard; if they are caught, it will be much
more difficult to escape, but if they go unnoticed, they will be able to clear the
entire length of the courtyard. In this case, they are trading a dire Position for fair
Impact. As always, however, final rulings on Position and Impact lay with the Guide.

The Die of Fate

Sometimes an Errant finds themselves in a situation completely out of their control.
Left with no other escape, they might jump off a cliff and, while falling, ask “Is
there a river below me?” Or, more mundanely, they may simply be in a town and
inquire “Is there anywhere I could get some funnel cakes?” In cases such as these
where the Guide has no answer, simply roll the Die Of Fate: roll a D6; the higher
the result, the better the situation is for the Errant.

Rounding
If a number needs to be divided, always round down, except in cases where a
half die roll is called for (e.g. a D3, being a D6 divided by 2, or a D5, being a D10
divided by 2) in which case, round up.

Check Procedure

1. The Errant describes what they are doing. If the Guide feels that the Errant’s
described action carries the potential for failure, and that failure or success
would change the situation the Errant is in, they can call for a Check.
2. The Guide sets the Attribute for a Check.
3. The Guide sets the DV for the Check, adjusting for circumstantial advantages
and disadvantages.
• If the DV is reduced below 0, the Check automatically succeeds.
4. The Guide, based on the situation and the Errant’s approach, may adjust the
Position and Impact for the Check.
5. The Errant rolls a D20, attempting to roll above the DV and lower than or equal
to their Attribute.
6. The Guide describes the outcome of the Check.

20
 Core Procedures
Turns
There are four types of tracked time, known as Turns, in Errant. The kinds of
actions Errants may take in each type of Turn and other relevant procedures are
each detailed in their own chapter.

• Travel Turns - about four hours; used when travelling through the wilderness or
other large distances. Errants generally take actions as a Company.
• Exploration Turns - about 10 minutes; used when exploring dungeons or other
sites of adventure. Errants generally take actions as a Company.
• Initiative Turns - about 10 seconds; used during combat or other moments of
intense action. Errants generally take actions as individuals.
• Downtime Turns - about one month; used in-between adventures when recov-
ering at Settlements, or other long stretches of relative inactivity. Errants
generally take actions as individuals.
• Turn length is elastic; Turns are less a measure of time and more a measure
of meaningful activity at a particular scale. For example, if the Company is
exploring a city or an outdoor area instead of a dungeon, you can use Explora-
tion Turns and treat them as lasting about an hour instead of 10 minutes.

Turn types can be nested inside each other. For example, if the Company is
spending a Travel Turn to Initiative Turnmove from one hex on the map to another,
and in the course of their travels encounter an abandoned cathedral of the Great
Slime God Quazark that they wished to explore, the Turn type would “zoom in” to
Exploration Turns. If, while searching a room in that cathedral they encountered an
aggressive slime angel, the Turn type would “zoom in” to Initiative Turns.

When you “zoom out” of a Turn type, resolve any incomplete actions for that Turn
before starting a new Turn: for example, after the Company defeats the slime
angel, the Guide would resolve and describe any remaining outcomes of their
search action before starting a new Exploration Turn.

Graphic: An Errant descends into a collapsed structure. They hold a lantern in

one hand, and grip the with their other hand and between their legs. All around
them are tilted and cracked statues built ten times life size. The scene is oppres-
sively dark, the lantern providing a single bit of light in the center of the frame
which fades back into complete darkness both above and below the hanging
figure.

21
 Event Die
The Event Die is a special type of die that is rolled each travel, exploration, and
Downtime Turn. After the Errants declare their action(s) for a Turn, the Event Die,
which is a D6, is rolled to determine what events or complications occur during that
Turn (excepting Downtime Turns, where the Event Die is rolled before the Errants
declare their actions). This ensures that every decision made by the Errants has
meaningful consequences.

The results for the Event Die are specific for each Turn type, and are detailed on the
following pages, but the general structure is shown below.

1. Encounter
2. Delay
3. Resource use
4. Local effect
5. Clue
6. Free from effect

It is up to the Guide to determine when during a Turn the result indicated by the
Event Die will occur. If the Company declares that they are moving to a new room
in the dungeon for an Exploration Turn and the Event Die indicates an encounter,
perhaps that encounter occurs while they are en route to the new location (there
was a Gravity Rat under the floorboards!), or just as the Company leaves the first
room, or perhaps just as they arrive at the new location. Regardless, the Guide
should make sure to resolve the outcomes of any player actions before moving on
to the next Turn.

Certain conditions may add positive or negative Event Dice. For positive Event Dice,
roll all the Event Dice and take the highest result; for negative Event Dice, take
the lowest. Positive and negative Event Dice cancel each other out on a one to one
basis.

Use the Event Die only as it makes sense to do so. If a result occurs that does not
make sense for the circumstances, feel free to ignore it. If the Company is in a
situation where they are safe from the possibility of threats, the Event Die may not
need to be rolled (though the Guide may have the Company mark off resources at
set Turn intervals).

22
 Event Die – Travel Turns

1. Encounter
2. Rest (+1 negative Event Die) or gain 1 Exhaustion
3. Deplete all rations or lower all Supply by 1
4. Local effect
5. Encounter sign
6. Free

For each Company member who has an Encumbrance greater than 4, add +1
negative Event Die.

• Encounter - the Company encounters an NPC(s). The Guide may wish to have a
list of random encounters prepared.
• Rest - the Company must spend the Turn Resting, forgoing their declared action
and incurring an additional Event Die on the next Turn, or else each gain 1 point
of Exhaustion.
• Deplete - the Company must Deplete rations (and animal feed) by 1 for every
member of the Company; if there are no rations to be Depleted (or if food
sources are plentiful), instead reduce Supply by 1 for every member of the
Company. Any ongoing effects or conditions end, and perhaps other intangible
resources, such as an NPC’s patience, dwindle.
• Local effect - an effect occurs that is particular to the region the Company is in.
Perhaps they meet the witch who inhabits the swamp they are trekking through,
or discover the ancient catacomb nestled at the foot of the mountain, or find
themselves caught in a field of anti-gravity mushrooms. This result could also
be used to advance any region-specific timers: the bounty hunters tracking you
grow nearer, the maddening curse of the woods creeps deeper into your mind.
Or perhaps, simply, the weather changes. The Guide may wish to have a table
of local effects prepared.
• Encounter sign - the Company receives some clue as to what their next
encounter might be: some footprints, the sound of beating wings, a figure
spotted on the horizon. The Company may wish to track down whatever NPC(s)
they have caught wind of here; otherwise the next time an encounter or
encounter sign is rolled, it will be the one presaged by this sign.
• Free - nothing happens! The Company gains a much needed reprieve and are
allowed to complete their actions in peace.

23
 Graphic: Map drawn in a cute and simple style, depicting a variety of regions
and biomes. Roads, pathways, and rivers cross the map at every angle, and little
drawings of structures and animals are dotted throughout. There are mountains
with faces, a great beast sleeping in the middle of a roadway, a skeleton fish-
ing across the river from some stone ruins. Poking out from above the treetops
of the forests are an observatory, a watchtower, a brick kiln, and a unicorn-gi-
raffe. One region is filled with pineapples, square-corner structures, and happy
beasts. Another shows a naked woman of titanic size sleeping among the hills.

24
 Event Die – Exploration Turns

1. Encounter
2. Rest (+1 negative Event Die) or gain 1 Exhaustion
3. Burn all light sources or lower all Supply by 1. Deplete active Sorceries and
Miracles by 1
4. Local effect
5. Encounter sign
6. Free

For each Company member who has an Encumbrance greater than 4, add +1
negative Event Die.

• Encounter - the Company encounters an NPC(s). The Guide may wish to have a
list of random encounters prepared.
• Rest - the Company must spend the Turn, Resting, forgoing their declared
action, and incurring an additional Event Die on the next Turn, or else each gain
1 point of Exhaustion.
• Burn - the Company must reduce the Burn on all lit light sources by 1; if
there are no lit light sources, instead reduce Supply by 1 for every member
of the Company. Lower the Depletion of all active Sorceries and Miracles by
1. Any other ongoing effects or conditions end , and perhaps other intangible
resources, such as an NPC’s patience, dwindle.
• Local effect - an effect occurs that is particular to the area the Company is in.
Perhaps a trap ahead activates, or a door swings open or shut, or the Company
stumbles upon a mural depicting the history of the forgotten Eelfolk. Something
dangerous might happen: a faulty mechanism or a burst pipe. This result could
also be used to advance any site-specific timers: the water level in the treasure
room rises higher, the guardian basilisk draws nearer, the torturer hidden at the
centre of the maze removes another limb from his victim. Or perhaps, simply, a
bit of atmosphere: some billowing fog or an eerie vision. The Guide may wish to
have a table of local effects prepared.
• Encounter sign - the Company receives some clue as to what their next
encounter might be; some footprints, the sound of beating wings, a figure
spotted on the horizon. The Company may wish to track down whatever NPC(s)
they have caught wind of here; otherwise the next time an encounter or
encounter sign is rolled, it will be the one presaged by this sign.
• Free - nothing happens! The Company gains a much needed reprieve and are
allowed to complete their actions in peace.

25
 Graphic: A court jester cut in half at the waist. The two halves ‘stand’ next to one
another, neither appearing distressed by their separation. The legs stand strong
and proud, while the upper half’s arms hold on to it for support. The jester’s face
is shadowed by their hair, and a grumpy crescent moon looks on from the sky
above.

Event Die – Downtime Turns

1. Encounter
2. Complication
3. Expiration
4. Trend
5. Intimation
6. Free

• Encounter - the Company encounters an NPC(s). The Guide may wish to have a
list of random encounters prepared.
• Complication - a negative issue affects the region; roll on the Downtime Compli-
cations table (p. 219).
• Expiration - any ongoing complications end. Any other temporary situations,
arrangements, or benefits end.
• Trend - a positive or novel issue affects the region; roll on the Downtime Trends
table (p. 219).
• Intimation - the Company receives some clue, perhaps relating to their next
adventure, or to what the next encounter, complication, or trend may be.
• Free - nothing happens! The Company gains a much needed reprieve and are
allowed to complete their actions in peace.

Graphic: A raucous tavern scene. An Errant with flailing pigtails and a whole
roast chicken impaled on her sword is standing on a table, clinking mugs with a
fellow who has a treasure map tattooed on their bald head. Another fellow falls
backwards in their stool, tearing a leg off the sword-impaled chicken as they fall.
A fourth figure lies unconscious on the ground, one leg up against the table as
if they’ve just fallen off of it. Their hand is shackled to a locked chest, and a cut-
open bag of treasure on the table is spilling onto their torso.

26
 Player Roles
To ensure even distribution of labour, facilitate ease of play, and simply as a boon to
the munificent Guide, whose tireless labour makes the game possible for the benefit
of the roustabout players, certain responsibilities are entrusted to said wretches in
the form of Player Roles.

• Caller - the caller mediates within the Company during decision making, and
relays the final decision regarding Company actions taken to the Guide.
• Mapper - the mapper notes world details, making diagrams of locations as
necessary.
• Note taker - the note taker records the events of a game session, noting what
transpires, the names of important characters and locations, and so on.
• Quartermaster - the quartermaster is responsible for managing shared Company
equipment and consumables (light, rations, and so on), as well as ensuring that
everyone’s Item Slots are in order and Encumbrance is accurate.
• Timekeeper - the timekeeper keeps track of elapsed Turns and rolls the Event
Die.

Graphic: Four figures sit around a table strewn with snacks, graph paper, dice,
and miniatures. Two of the participants have their arms raised in excitement as
they describe their actions. A third takes notes on graph paper, and the fourth
references information on a tablet computer.

Reaction Rolls
If the Company encounters an NPC(s) whose reaction to the Company is uncertain
or not obvious, the Guide may make a Reaction Roll to determine their disposition
by rolling 2D6 and consulting the following table.

2 3-5 6-8 9-11 12

Hostile Unfriendly Unsure Amicable Friendly
DV +8 DV +4 - DV -2 DV -4

An NPC’s disposition adjusts the DV of any social Checks involving them (a pres
Check to convince an unfriendly guard to look the other way would have its DV
increased by 4, for example, while the same Check on an amicable guard would
have its DV reduced by 2).

The Guide should feel free to add modifiers to Reaction Rolls based on the circum-
stances, but these should generally not exceed -3 or +3. Reaction Rolls can also be
modified by an Errant’s Alignment.

27
 Negotiations
Normally social encounters can be adjudicated through simple conversation, with
reference to an NPC’s disposition, and calling for any pres Checks as necessary.
For more involved conversations that explicitly involve two or more parties with
conflicting wants or needs, such as legal trials, bartering, or Negotiating a treaty,
the Guide may wish to run the encounter as a Negotiation.

To begin a Negotiation, the Guide makes a Reaction Roll to determine the disposi-
tion of an NPC. If a Reaction Roll was already made, the Guide can use the results
of the previous roll.

An NPC’s disposition determines how many exchanges the NPC will tolerate before
it tries to end the Negotiation (e.g. if an NPC’s disposition is 7, the NPC will tolerate
seven exchanges). An exchange is roughly the amount of back-and-forth discussion
needed to conclude a single, small topic of conversation (i.e. “How are you?” “I’m
well, and you?” “Fine, thank you for asking.” is a single exchange).

If an NPC is forced to remain in conversation beyond this, their disposition will

lower by 2 each exchange until it reaches 2 and they end the Negotiation in
annoyance, hostility, or an outright assault. Note that changes in disposition do not
affect the number of exchanges an NPC tolerates.

During a Negotiation, exchanges are classified into five categories: banal, giving,
taking, convincing, and bribe. When an Errant says something, the Guide considers
which category that exchange most aligns with.

Different NPCs will react differently to these exchanges. A vain and haughty
princess, for example, may be receptive to compliments but easily offended, and so
the Guide sets the base DV of giving exchanges at 4 with dire Position and strong
Impact.

Graphic: Two companies of Errants depicted in a flat style, reminiscent of medi-

eval iconography. They stand beneath a flowering vine, and the rays of a calm-
faced sun. To the left is a heavily armored tusk-toothed figure wielding a long
mace, a short person wearing fanciful jester’s clothing and a wide brimmed
feathered hat while wielding a heavy crossbow, and a long-bearded wizard with
a tome in one hand, extending a pouch with the other. To the right, a rabbit
wielding a shield accepts the pouch from the wizard. Behind the rabbit stands
an octopus in a globe of water, operating a robotic body that wields a long staff.
Behind the octopus is an amorphous creature with many sharp mouths, bulging
eyes, and grasping tentacles.

28
A banal exchange is simple, trivial conversation, small talk, and other such minutia.
It requires no Check, but launching into another type of exchange without first
indulging in banalities is, depending on the context, likely to raise eyebrows, and
may alter the DV, Position, or Impact of later Checks.

A giving exchange involves ingratiating oneself with an NPC, whether by giving

gifts, paying compliments, or simply laughing at a joke. It requires a Check.

• On a failure, or success with weak Impact, the NPC is unimpressed by the

effort.
• On a success, the NPC enjoys what was given, and their disposition increases by
1.
• On a success with strong Impact, the NPC is touched, and their disposition
increases by 3.

A taking exchange involves attempting to get something from an NPC, generally

something they may not want to give. This includes requesting aid, asking a
personal question, intimidation, and so on. These exchanges are often difficult and
risky. It requires a Check.

• On a failure at dire Position, you have upset the NPC, and their disposition
decreases by 3.
• On a failure, the NPC refuses and their disposition decreases by 1.
• On a failure at risky Position or success with weak Impact, the NPC agrees to a
compromise.
• On a success, the NPC agrees to what you want.
• On a success with strong Impact, the NPC agrees, and offers to do more than
asked for!

29
A convincing exchange involves attempting to get an NPC to agree to a viewpoint
that is different from the one that they currently hold, such as making an argument
or telling a lie. These exchanges are often difficult and risky. It requires a Check.

• On a failure at dire Position, you have offended the NPC, and their disposition
decreases by 3.
• On a failure, the NPC is insulted, and their disposition decreases by 1.
• On a failure at risky Position or success with weak Impact, the NPC is uncon-
vinced, but not insulted.
• On a success, the NPC is receptive, but requires proof.
• On a success with strong Impact, the NPC accepts what you said wholeheart-
edly.

A bribe exchange involves attempting to give an NPC something of value, usually

money, in an attempt to change their disposition. Whether or not an NPC will
accept a bribe, how they will react to it, how large of a bribe is appropriate, to
what degree it will affect disposition, and so on is the purview of the Guide, though
they should give some indication of an NPC’s inclinations to the Company, perhaps
pending a successful Check.

Graphic: An Errant in the center of the image, facing away, walks towards an
expansive forest. They have a walking staff and a sword at their hip. In the
foreground pine tree branches frame the adventurer, and they walk between
two large stones, the shape of them rough and conical. Ahead of them sprawls
the darkness of the forest they walk towards. The treetops indicate a massive
stretch of woods, and a hill rises in the far background.

30
 Items & Equipment
Item Slots
What an Errant carries with them can be the difference between life and death.
There must therefore be strict limitations on exactly how much they can carry, so
as to even the odds for death somewhat.

An Errant has a number of Item Slots equal to their phys. These Item Slots
represent how many items an Errant can carry.

Most items take up 1 Item Slot, but some may take up 2 or more Item Slots, or
only take up ½ or ¼ of an Item Slot.

Item Slots abstractly represent both the weight of an item and how cumbersome it
is (therefore, even light but unwieldy items may take up more than 1 Item Slot),
but as a general Guideline, 1 slot is about five pounds and/or the size of a human
head.

Items such as a normal set of clothes, a few cheap rings, a handful of pebbles, or
other such insignificancia do not fill an Item Slot.

100 coins can fit in an Item Slot.

Hand, Handy & Worn

On an Errant’s character sheet, 6 Item Slots are marked differently from the rest.

2 Item Slots are marked for hands, to represent what an Errant is carrying in
their hands. This does not need to be painstakingly and laboriously updated every
time an Errant picks something up or puts something down, but merely helps to
orient the players and the Guide in the fiction by giving a general idea of, say,
who is carrying the torch and who is dragging the decapitated head of Dread King
Draemon.

Up to 4 Item Slots may be marked as handy. These represent the items an Errant
has stowed on easily accessible locations on their body and can access instanta-
neously as a free action.

31
Attempting to retrieve items in non-hand or handy Item Slots in time-sensi-
tive scenarios such as Initiative Turns takes an action and has a 1-in-4 chance of
successfully retrieving the correct item, with the chance increasing by one for each
subsequent attempt (so, on the second attempt, 2-in-4, etc. By the fourth attempt,
they have retrieved the item they wanted, though they may have emptied out the
contents of their backpack doing so).

Finally, any items taking up slots that an Errant is wearing, such as armour,
jewellery, or other vanities, may be marked as worn slots.

Containers
Implicit in the idea of Item Slots is that Errants have an appropriate place to store
all this junk. All Errants start with a backpack, so it is safe to assume that is where
most items that are not placed in worn, hand, and handy slots are being stowed.

If an Errant, however, has no suitable container to carry all their items, they are
limited only to their worn, hand, and handy slots.

Also, as common sense should dictate, containers can only fit items of appropriate
size: an entire suit of plate armour a backpack cannot contain.

Backpacks, sacks, pouches, and other such containers do not fill Item Slots them-
selves, though larger containers such as barrels and treasure chests do; these
larger containers, however, can be used to carry items too large to fit in a standard
backpack.

Exhaustion
Fatiguing actions such as forgoing Rest or being deprived of food and drink will
cause characters to accrue points of Exhaustion.

1 point of Exhaustion fills an Item Slot.

If an Errant accrues Exhaustion equal to their phys, they die immediately.

Graphic: A soldier kneels exhausted in the dirt, supporting themselves by grip-

ping the hilt of a longsword they’ve plunged into the ground in front of them.
They hang off it as if unable to support themselves without it. They’re clad in a
visored helm, and a breastplate over a chain undershirt.

32
 Encumbrance
Greed is a slow and insidious killer. The more Item Slots an Errant has filled, the
more Encumbrance they have.

An Errant gains 1 Encumbrance for every 25% of their Item Slots they have filled.

For example, when an Errant with 12 phys has less than 3 Item Slots filled, they
have 0 Encumbrance; once 3 Item Slots are filled they will have 1 Encumbrance, 2
when 6 are filled, 3 when 9 are filled, and 4 when all their Item Slots are filled.

In the case that an Errant’s phys is not divisible by four, Encumbrance thresholds
can be counted with ¼ Item Slots.

For example, an Errant with 13 phys gains 1 Encumbrance when 3 and ¼ Item Slots
are filled, 2 Encumbrance when 6 and ½ Item Slots are filled, 3 Encumbrance when
9 and ¾ Item Slots are filled, and 4 Encumbrance when 13 Item Slots are filled.

Beyond this point, each additional Item Slot that is filled increases Encumbrance by
1.

An Errant with an Encumbrance of 8 or greater is incapable of doing anything.

Each point of Encumbrance increases the DV of Checks for physical activities such
as climbing, sneaking, or swimming, as well as stabilise Checks by 1.

Encumbrance also reduces an Errant’s speed (SPD).

It is advisable for an Errant to record what their Encumbrance is both with their
backpack on and off (in which case only items that are in worn, hand, and handy
slots count towards Encumbrance) in case a situation warrants expeditious jetti-
soning of unnecessary weight.

33
 Depletion
Consumable items such as rations and ammunition have a value called Depletion,
which tracks how many uses those items have remaining.

When an item is used, or when the Event Die calls for it, lower its Depletion value
by 1.

Sorceries, Miracles and other effects also have a Depletion value, which tracks how
long the effect will last.

When the Event Die calls for it, lower the Depletion of any ongoing effects,
Sorceries, and Miracles by 1.

Burn
Light sources such as candles, torches, and lanterns have a special form of
Depletion called Burn.

Burn not only tracks the duration of a light source, but also its level of illumination.

Each point of Burn represents enough illumination for one person.

If exact measurements are required, perhaps in combat, each point of Burn illumi-
nates an area 10 feet in diameter, centred on whomever is holding the light source.

Burn is reduced via the Event Die or other factors that may cause light sources to
dim or go out. If a torch or candle is deliberately snuffed, its Burn becomes 0, and
it cannot be relit. A lantern can be snuffed and relit at will.

Graphic: A dark dungeon scene in which two figures stand at a fountain em-
bossed with images of sex and violence, while two others explore in the back-
ground. One of those at the fountain is lifting a goblet of thick dark liquid from
the basin, while both turn to look back at what one of their companions has
uncovered. A cleric holding a spell of light has illuminated a tangled mass of
unnaturally long arms reaching towards them.

34
 Supply
Supply represents how many torches, rations, healing kits, and so forth an Errant
has brought on an adventure. Each point of Supply costs one copper penny and
takes up a ¼ of an Item Slot.

When an item’s Depletion value reaches 0, an Errant may spend Supply equal to
how many ¼ of an Item Slot the item takes up to restore that item’s Depletion
value up to its maximum. For example, an item which fills ¼ of an Item Slot takes
1 Supply to replenish; an item that takes up ½ an Item Slot takes 2 Supply to
replenish; an item that takes up 1 Item Slot requires 4 Supply to replenish. If
they do not have the requisite Supply, that item is used up and removed from the
Errant’s inventory.

Supply can only be used to replenish an item already in an Errant’s inventory; it

cannot be used to create new items.

At the start of the next Downtime Turn, any remaining Supply in an Errant’s
inventory is removed.

Armour
Each armour piece an Errant wears grants them a certain number of Blocks. When
an Errant takes damage, if it makes sense to do so, they may choose an armour
piece with which to Block that damage. Each Block they use from that piece of
armour impairs the damage by 1 step, and is then removed.

An Errant can only use one armour piece to Block at a time (e.g. if an Errant had
both a helmet and a small shield, they could choose to Block the damage from a
rock falling on their head with either their helmet, which has 4 Blocks, or their large
shield, which has 6 Blocks. If an Errant chooses to use 2 Blocks from their shield,
impairing the damage by 2 steps, the shield then has 4 Blocks left).

Blocks can also be used to negate non-damaging harmful events if appropriate. For
example, an Errant pricked with a poison needle from a trapped lock may use a
Block from a glove to save themselves. If taking damage would incur an additional
negative effect such as a spider’s poisoned bite or a ghoul’s paralysing claws, using
a Block negates that effect in addition to impairing damage.

When an Errant Rests, they may use an armour repair kit to restore all their Blocks.

35
 Weapons
Weapons fit into one of three categories.

• Heavy weapons are melee weapons that require the use of two hands, such
as polearms and longswords, or missile weapons such as longbows or heavy
crossbows. They fill 2 Item Slots and do 1 extra damage.
• Medium weapons are standard sized melee weapons, such as an arming sword
or a hand axe, or missile weapons such as composite bows or light crossbows.
They fill 1 Item Slot and receive no bonuses or penalties to damage.
• Light weapons are small melee weapons such as daggers or hatchets, or missile
weapons such as darts, blowguns, or hand crossbows. They fill ½ an Item Slot
and reduce damage by 1 (to a minimum of 1).

An Errant may wield a melee weapon in each hand so long as one weapon is
medium or light and the other is light. When doing so, light weapons do not receive
the normal 1 point damage reduction.

Missile weapons can be fired at the following ranges, measured in either feet or
yards depending on whether combat is occurring in a confined area or an open one.
The first number gives a weapon’s normal firing range, and the second gives its
extended firing range. Targeting something within a weapon’s extended firing range
causes the damage to be impaired 1 step.

Graphic: A dragon sleeps curled up like a cat. Three swords protrude from its
body.

• Thrown - 20/40
• Light - 30/60
• Medium - 80/160
• Heavy – 150/300

When a missile weapon rolls a maximum damage on a damage die as part of an

Attack Roll, lower the Depletion of its ammunition by 1. This may only happen once
per Attack Roll.

Though no mechanical distinction is made between different types of weapons

other than which category they fall into, the Guide should consider the benefits and
drawbacks of weapons in different circumstances. For example, polearms and whips
have extended range; thrusting weapons are effective in tight quarters; daggers
are easy to smuggle; firearms are loud; spears and whips are effective at tripping.
At the Guide’s discretion they may rule that, based on the weapon and the circum-
stance, damage may be enhanced or impaired, a Status may be inflicted, or the
Position or Impact of a gambit may be changed.

36
 Graphic: A trio of skeletons stand around the frame. Two are holding fancy glow-
ing weapons in triumphant posture, while the third rests with hands on knees as
if exhausted. A horned woman stands behind the central skeleton, sword held
over her head ready to strike at it from behind.

Magic Weapons & Armour

While all arcane arms and armaments will bear unique effects, there are some
commonalities to be found amongst them.

All magic items are masterwork Quality.

Weapons that confer a plus bonus (e.g. +1 to +3) have that many True Strikes,
which can be used to deal maximum damage across all damage dice. A True Strike
can be used after damage has been rolled. True Strikes replenish after a Downtime
Turn. Using a True Strike does not lower the Depletion of ammunition.

Armour pieces that confer a plus bonus (e.g. +1 to +3) have, in addition to
their normal amount of Blocks, that many Deflects. One Deflect can be used to
completely negate any incoming damage or other harmful negative effect. A Deflect
can be used after damage has been rolled. Deflects replenish at the start of a
Downtime Turn.

Settlement Types
The scope of truck and barter that can occur is dependent on the size of a given
area’s economy, which is indicated by its Settlement Type. The criteria for deter-
mining Settlement Type is dependent on your campaign world and its relative level
of population, but the following may serve as a general rubric:

• Tier 1 (Hamlet) - 10 or so souls.

• Tier 2 (Village) - 100 or so souls.
• Tier 3 (Town) - 500 or so souls.
• Tier 4 (City) - 1,000 or so souls.
• Tier 5 (Metropolis) - 10,000 or so souls.

37
 Rarity
Items and Retainers have a Rarity rating between 1 and 5, corresponding to Settle-
ment Types; 1 is hamlets, 2 is villages, 3 is cities, 4 is towns, and 5 is metropolises.

Items and Retainers of a certain Rarity can be freely bought and sold in the Settle-
ment Type they correspond to and all larger Settlements (e.g. Rarity 3 items can be
found in towns, cities, and metropolises). Rarity also determines the resale value
of used or previously owned mundane goods: a Rarity 1 item carries 10% of its
original worth, while a Rarity 5 item carries 50% of its original worth.

Rarity can also be used to determine the availability of a given item. Even in a
Settlement where items of a given Rarity are available, not all items will be equally
available, nor present in unlimited quantities. If the Guide feels it appropriate, they
may have an Errant test the availability of an item when they attempt to purchase
it. To test the availability of an item, roll a D100: a Rarity 1 item has a 90% chance
of being available, whereas a Rarity 5 item has a 50% chance of being available.
If an item is unavailable, its availability cannot be tested for again until the next
Downtime Turn.

Items and Retainers of a higher Rarity than the Settlement Type one is in or that
are otherwise unavailable may potentially still be bought, sold, or hired, though it
will take effort, time, and money on the part of the Errants. Items will likely have to
be commissioned, bartered, or haggled for, and skilled Retainers specifically sought
after.

Graphic: A solitary hand holds an eyeball between thumb and forefinger. Lines
of magic radiate in the direction the eye is looking.

38
 Quality & Breakage
The measure of a weapon or armour piece’s durability is known as Quality. Buying
items at the listed prices assumes that items are of average Quality. For weapons
and armour, an Errant can choose to pay either half the price to purchase an item
of shoddy Quality, or double the price to receive an item of masterwork Quality.

A shoddy item has 1 Quality, an average item has 2 Quality, and a masterwork item
has 3 Quality. Shoddy items have 1 fewer Rarity, and masterwork items have 1
additional Rarity.

When an Errant rolls a 1 on their damage die as part of an Attack Roll, the weapon
used has its Quality reduced by 1. If the Attack Roll involves multiple dice, reduce
the Quality by 1 for every 1 rolled. Note that if the damage die is impaired to 1,
this still counts as rolling a 1.

When damage is rolled against an Errant and the highest number on the die is
rolled, reduce the Quality of an armour piece by 1 (if an Errant uses an armour
piece to Block, reduce the Quality of that armour piece, else determine as makes
the most sense). If the damage being rolled against an Errant consists of multiple
dice, reduce the Quality of an armour piece (or pieces) for each die that rolls its
highest result. Note that if the damage is impaired to 1, this still counts as rolling
maximum damage.

When an item reaches 0 Quality, it is destroyed. The Quality of an undestroyed

weapon or armour piece can be restored by hiring an armourer during a Downtime
Turn.

All other items can be assigned a Breakage value, represented as a chance in six,
to measure how likely they are to break when damaged or subject to situations
where they are liable to break (say, if a lamp is dropped on the ground, a flask
falls out of one’s backpack, a backpack is crushed against a wall, and so on). For
example, delicate items might have a Breakage of 5-in-6, hardy items a Breakage
of 1-in-6, and normal items a Breakage of 3-in-6.

Currency
The standard trade coin is the copper penny. The prices for all items listed below
are given in pennies. 10 copper pennies makes a silver shilling, and 10 silver
shillings makes a guilder. The average peasant household earns about a hundred
shillings a year. Large transactions are often paid for with bonds, issuances of
credit, assets, oaths of fealty, or favours.

Graphic: A purse of coins full to overflowing. They spill out the top into a heap.

39
 Inflation
Accounting for the intricacies of a fantasy economy involves far too many variables
to model with a simple set of rules. The Guide is encouraged to be aware of the
resources, productive capabilities, and trade relationships of any given Settlement
should it become important to game play.

The following rules, however, provide a framework for modelling the kind of
inflation that occurs when a rabble of roustabouts descends upon a Settlement and
consumes all the torches, rations, and other essential supplies they can get their
dirty paws on. How this changes a Settlement’s trade relationships and opinion of
the Company is left for the Guide to judge.

Each Settlement has a set amount of Supply that can be purchased in between
Downtime Turns, based on its Settlement Type. When this amount has been
reached, no further Supply nor any item requiring Supply to replenish can be
bought.

When Errants buy a certain amount of Supply, inflation occurs; first prices double,
then they quadruple, then sextuple, and so on.

Supply Available per Downtime Turn

2 × 4 × 6 × 8 × 10 × 12 ×
Hamlet 10 20 - - - -
Village 20 40 80 - - -
Town 40 80 160 320 - -
City 80 160 320 640 1,280 -
Metropolis 160 320 640 1,280 2,560 5,120

Inflation affects adjacent areas; areas one hex adjacent to the source of inflation
have prices one level lower, and hexes adjacent to those have prices one level lower
still. So if a city had prices sextupled, then in all the hexes adjacent to that city,
prices would quadruple, and in the hexes adjacent to those doubled; beyond that,
prices would be normal.

So long as Errants do not increase the inflation level, it drops by 1 level per
Downtime Turn.

Graphic: Two armored figures locked in battle as the sun sets between them. A
skeleton in mail armor is thrusting a lance into its foe, penetrating their armor
and coming out the other side of their torso. The impaled figure, a goose person
in plate, holds a longsword above their head with one hand, and grips the base
of the lance that impales them with the other.

40
 Goods & Services
Price Tables

Armour, head

Item Price Slots Blocks Rarity

Cowl 10 ½ 1 2
Coif 150 1 2 3
Helmet 300 2 4 4

Armour, hand

Item Price Slots Blocks Rarity

Gloves 10 ½ 1 2
Gauntlets 150 1 2 3

Armour, feet

Item Price Slots Blocks Rarity

Jackboots 10 ½ 1 2
Greaves 150 1 2 3

Armour, shoulder

Item Price Slots Blocks Rarity

Spaulders 10 ½ 1 2
Pauldrons 150 1 2 3

Armour, torso

Item Price Slots Blocks Rarity

Gambeson 150 1 2 2
Scale 300 2 4 3
Brigandine 1,000 3 6 3
Mail 2,000 4 8 3
Plate 4,000 5 10 4
Barding ×4 ×4 As type As type +1

41
 Armour, shields

Item Price Slots Blocks Rarity

Shield, small 50 1 4 2
Shield, large† 250 2 6 3

†When wielded, a large shield takes up 1 hand slot and 1 handy slot.

Weapons

Item Price Depletion Slots Damage† Rarity

Weapon,
100 2 1 3
heavy
Weapon,
50 1 - 2
medium
Weapon,
25 ½ -1 1
light
Silvered ×4 As type As type As type
Ammunition
10 2 1 1
and quiver

†Minimum of 1.

Graphic: Tools of war in a row: a flanged mace, a small round buckler, a pair of
daggers and metal scabbard, a kite shield adorned with sun and moon, and a
double bladed battleaxe.

Containers

Item Price Slots Rarity

Backpack 5 - 1
Barrel 10 10 1
Basket 1 - 1
Chest 100 5 2
Pouch 1 - 1
Sack 1 - 1
Sack, oilskin 10 - 2

42
 Light

Item Price Burn Slots Rarity

Candle 1 1 ¼ 1
Lantern† 30 1 3
Flask of lantern oil 15 4 1 2
Tinderbox 10 ¼ 1
Torch 5 2 ½ 2

†A lantern may be attached to a handy slot while still providing illumination.

Supply

Item Price Depletion Slots Rarity

Supply 1 ¼ 1

Graphic: An open back pack, surrounded by a scattering of coins, a candle, a

dagger, and a purse.

Adventuring Gear

Item Price Depletion Slots Rarity

Air bladder 5 1 2
Acid, vial 500 1 ½ 3
Alchemist’s fire 1,000 1 1 4
Antitoxin 1,000 1 ½ 3
Bear trap 20 1 2
Bedroll 10 ½ 1
Belladonna 10 ¼ 2
Bomb, dragon’s breath 1,500 1 2 5
Bottle/vial 1 ½ 1
Bucket 5 1 1
Caltrops 10 2 ¼ 2
Chain, per foot 5 1 2
Chalk 1 ¼ 1
Crampons 25 1 3
File, metal 5 ¼ 1
Fishing gear 10 1 1
Gear, climbing 50 1 2
Glue 1 1 ¼ 1
Grappling hook 15 1 2
Grease, black 1 1 ¼ 1

43
 Item Price Depletion Slots Rarity
Horn, hunting 20 1 1
Holy water 250 1 1 3
Incense 10 ¼ 1
Jug/pitcher 1 1 1
Ladder, 10’ 30 2 2
Collapsed: 1
Ladder, 10’, collapsible 150 3
Retracted: 2
Magnifying glass 250 ¼ 3
Manacles 10 1 1
Marbles 5 2 ¼ 2
Net 10 1 1
Padlock with key 20 1 2
Poison, weak 500 1 ½ 3
Poison, strong 1,000 1 ½ 4
Collapsed: 1
Pole, 10’, collapsible 10 3
Retracted: 2
Pole, vault 10 2 1
Potion, weak 500 1 1 4
Potion, strong 1,000 1 1 5
Quicksilver 200 ¼ 3
Rope, 50’ 15 ½ 1
Soap 1 ¼ 1
Sponge, large 10 ½ 1
Spyglass 1,000 ½ 4
Tar 1 1 ¼ 1
Tent, grand 1,000 2 3
Tent, pavilion 2,500 3 4
Tent, personal 50 1 2
Twine, 300’ 5 1 1
Waterskin 5 ¼ 1
Whistle 5 ¼ 1
Wolfsbane 10 ¼ 2

Graphic: A hand axe.

44
 Food & Cooking

Item Price Depletion Slots Rarity

Bacon, side 10 1 2
Beer, pint 1 1 1
Bread, 1 loaf 1 1 1
Cheese, wheel 5 2 2
Cider, 4 gallons 10 1 2
Cod, whole 20 1 2
Cookpots 10 1 1
Eggs, dozen 5 1 1
Feed, animal 10 4 1 1
Flour, 5 lbs 1 1 1
Fruit, dried per lb 5 1 2
Garlic, bunch 5 ¼ 2
Grain, 1 gallon 1 1 1
Herbs, common 5 ¼ 1
Kit, mess 5 ½ 1
Lard, 5 lbs 1 1 1
Meal, standard 5 1 2
Meal, horrid 1 1 1
Meal, fancy 30 1 3
Meal, rich 0 1 4
Onions, rope 5 1 1
Rations 10 1 ¼ 1
Salt, gallon 5 1 1
Spices, quart 100 ¼ 3
Sugar, quart 15 ¼ 2

45
 Tools & Kits

Item Price Depletion Slots Rarity

Anvil 50 5 2
Axe 5 1 1
Bellows 10 1 2
Block & tackle 5 1 1
Chisel 5 ½ 1
Drill 10 1 2
Hammer 1 1 1
Hoe 5 2 1
Kit, alchemist’s 200 1 3
Kit, armour repair 200 1 1 3
Kit, healer’s 200 1 1 3
Mallet 5 1 1
Nails 1 ¼ 1
Pick, heavy 10 2 1
Plough, iron 150 5 2
Pick, medium 5 1 1
Pry bar 5 1 1
Saw 5 1 1
Scales, merchant’s 25 ½ 3
Spikes 1 4 ¼ 1
Tack, exotic 1,000 8 4
Tack, military 500 6 3
Tack, pack 50 3 1
Tack, riding 250 5 2
Tongs, iron 10 1 2
Tools, burglar’s 200 1 3
Tools, professional’s 200 1 3
Shovel 1 1 1

Graphic: An assortment of adventuring gear. From left to right there is a long

necked bottle of some elixer, a kite shield, a lantern, a bedroll, an empty quiver,
a hatchet, and a crude metal helm.

Graphic: A porter carries gear on his back as he travels across the land. He sup-
ports himself with a wooden staff, but the burden of his pack still causes him to
hunch forward to maintain his balance. Despite this adversity, the porter carries
on.

46
 Animals

Item Price Rarity

Cattle 100 2
Chicken 1 1
Hound 250 3
Horse, draft 500 2
Horse, riding 1,000 3
Horse, war 7,500 4
Hawk 250 3
Hog 50 2
Mule 30 1
Ox 300 2
Goat 5 1
Sheep 15 1

Clothing

Item Price Rarity

Furs 5,000 4
General 50 2
Noble 3,000 3
Poor 10 1
Winter 100 2

Graphic: A small vanity mirror, completely normal apart from the two human
ears attached to its sides.

Vehicles

Item Price Rarity

Cart 50 2
Chariot 250 3
Coach 500 3
Wagon 150 2
Canoe 50 2
Galley 30,000 4
Longship 25,000 4
Raft 250 2
Riverboat 4,000 3
Sailing ship 7,500 4
Warship 50,000 5

47
 Graphic: An Errant resting atop a grassy windswept hill with his horse. Both are
outfitted for battle, strapped with leather, plate metal, and furs that billow in the
wind. The Errant sits full on the ground using both feet to brace his crossbow
while he pulls the cord back with his hands. The clouds above rush by with the
wind.

Books & Vain Items

Item Price Depletion Slots Rarity

Abacus 25 ½ 3
Bell 20 ½ 2
Book, blank 300 1 3
Book, reading 600 1 3
Book, occult 3,000 1 4
Case, scroll 20 ½ 2
Dice, loaded 5 ¼ 1
Face paint/makeup 10 ½ 1
Gem >100 ¼ 3
Hourglass 300 1 3
Ink 1 2
Instrument >10 1 2
Jewellery >100 ¼ 3
Jewels, fake 50 ¼ 3
Map, kingdom 1,000 - 3
Map, local 500 - 2
Mirror, hand, glass 15 1 3
Mirror, hand, silver 75 1 3
Mirror, hand, steel 5 1 2
Paper, stack 1 - 2
Perfume, cheap 25 ½ 2
Perfume, fancy 500 ½ 3
Pipe 1 ½ 1
Playing cards, extra ace 5 - 2
Stylus 1 - 2
Tobacco 1 ½ 1
Wax 1 1 ¼ 1

Graphic: A closed tome with a clasp keeping it shut beside an ink jar and feath-
ered quill. The design on the front of the book is a skull in a jester’s hood.

48
 Services

Item Price Rarity

Post, local 10 2
Post, municipal 50 3
Post, kingdom 150 4
Post, outrealm 250 4
Coach, local 10 3
Coach, travel 0 3
Coach, charter 0 3
Freight, per lb 5/day 3
Ship, passage 0 3
Ship, charter 0 3

Lodging

Item Price Rarity

Inn, poor 1/night 1
Inn, average 5/night 2
Inn, secure 0 3
Inn, fancy >25/night 4
Inn, extravagant 0 5

Graphic: A busy city market. Blocky buildings are capped by domed roofs. A
fruit vendor leans over his crates of produce to hold out one piece enticing-
ly towards a woman and her daughter. A woman in a stand filled with stacked
and hanging pottery looms near a customer inspecting one of her pieces. Many
stalls and customers populate the space, their specific activities indistinct, their
structures made of makeshift materials and easily disassembled.

49
 Buildings

Item Price Rarity

Hovel 120 1
Row house 1,200 2
Craftsman’s house 2,400 3
Merchant’s house 7,200 3
Villa 21,600 3
Guildhall 32,600 4
Stone tower 48,000 4
Temple 75,000 4
Stronghold 100,000 4
Cathedral 250,000 5
Imperial palace 750,000 5
Road 1,000/mile -
Wall 4,000/mile -

Prices for buildings are the costs of construction. Prices to buy or rent may be more
or less. Rarity for buildings is the Settlement Type in which they may be bought or
rented; buildings can otherwise be built in any Settlement Type, provided land and
labour is available. Buildings always carry their original worth for resale.

50
 Retainers

Item Price (Monthly) Rarity

Accountant 50 per 1,000 handled 4
Animal handler 400 3
Architect 1,000 4
Armourer 250 3
Bard 200 2
Craftsman 250 3
Explorer 300 2
Factor 100 per 1,000 handled 3
Henchman Special -
Jurist 750 3
Labourer† 100 1
Mercenary 200 3
Mercenary, lieutenant 400 3
Mercenary, captain 800 3
Philosopher 500 4
Physician 750 3
Porter† 150 1
Sailor 125 2
Sailor, captain 500 2
Sailor, navigator 200 2
Sage 1,000 4
Scholar 200 3
Spy 400 3
Surveyor 500 2
Teamster† 200 2

Retainers marked with an † can be hired daily at 1/10 of monthly wage per day.

Henchmen are classed characters and do not receive a wage; rather, they will
receive a portion of Company treasure as agreed upon between them and their
employers.

Prices do not include room, board, supplies, etc.

51
 Retainers
Difficult as it is to imagine anyone willingly subjecting themselves to be under
the employ of an Errant, such strange occurrences do happen, and with alarming
frequency too! A good thing, then, for without the exploitation of human capital no
Errant could ever hope for even a modicum of success.

There are four different categories of Retainers.

Hirelings

Hirelings will go on adventures with an Errant, but will not participate in combat. An
Errant can have a number of hirelings in their employ equal to their pres.

Hirelings, unless otherwise noted, have an 8 in all their attributes.

Hirelings are listed in order of Rarity, in order to facilitate random determination by

the Guide when necessary.

1. Porter: Will bear torches, shields, and any other equipment or luggage an
Errant chooses to saddle them with. They have 4 more Item Slots than a normal
hireling (this does not affect their phys or HP).
2. Teamster: Drives vehicles in the wilderness and secures the load of pack
animals. Pack animals that are not being ridden have their Item Slots increased
by 20, and vehicles have their Breakage reduced by 1.
3. Explorer: When travelling with the Company in an area with which they are
familiar, they reduce the DV of all navigation Checks by 4. They will also note
any points of interest and answer questions about the area.

52
 Specialists
Specialists do not go on adventures, instead remaining in a Settlement and
performing specific functions. An Errant can have a number of specialists in their
employ equal to their pres.

Specialists are listed in order of Rarity, in order to facilitate random determination

by the Guide when necessary.

1. Labourer: Perform manual labour, such as building structures, harvesting

resources, clearing obstructions, etc.
2. Bard: Each bard employed provides one rumour per Downtime Turn. Each bard
employed also adds +1 to a Proclamation roll, to a max of +3.
3. Sailor: Needed to crew marine vessels for sailing. Each crew needs a captain.
4. Surveyor: Needed to survey an area during Expeditions.
5. Animal handler: Can train animals.
6. Armourer: Can make crafting rolls for weapons and armour. Restores Quality of
all weapons and armour for the Company at the end of a Downtime Turn.
7. Craftsman: Can make crafting rolls for their profession.
8. Factor: Buys and sells items for you. Can buy and sell items of a Rarity value 1
higher than the current Settlement, given a Downtime Turn, using normal Rarity
rates. Can also find a buyer for treasure. Payment is based on money handled
per transaction.
9. Jurist: Necessary to bring a legal trial to action or to mount a defence. Each
additional jurist adds +1 to the roll, to a max of 3.
10. Physician: Can treat one disease or wound per Downtime Turn.

Graphic: A tooth. Specifically, a molar.

11. Scholar: Can conduct Investigations.

12. Spy: Allows for the target on whom they are spying to become a source for
Investigations. Each additional spy that is engaged to spy on the same target
adds +1 to the roll for Investigation attempts, to a max of +3.
13. Accountant: Keeps track of an Errant’s expenses, reducing the amount of
money lost due to lifestyle from half to a quarter. Payment is based on the
amount of money left at the end of a Downtime Turn before it is reduced due to
lifestyle.
14. Architect: Doubles rate of construction for buildings.
15. Philosopher: Can create alchemical items.
16. Sage: Can be a source for Investigations for their area of expertise. Each
additional sage with relevant expertise for an Investigation adds +1 to the roll
for Investigation attempts, to a max of +3.
53
 Mercenaries

Mercenaries are hired soldiers who will not go into dungeons, but will form
Warbands, go to battle, and serve in Expeditions. When directly commanding
mercenaries in a Warband, an Errant can command a number of mercenaries equal
to their pres.

• 20 mercenaries make a squad; of these, one must be a lieutenant.

• 80 mercenaries make a platoon; of these, four must be lieutenants and one a
captain.
• Battle prices are double the normal rate listed.

Graphic: Three people sitting on steps. A man on the left, smiling with his left
foot on the step above his right foot, is holding a small bag of money to the Er-
rants on the right. One moustached Errant wields an oval shield and an ornate
polearm with two small blades poking out from underneath the tip; he wears a
crown with a cross on top, and has regal-looking attire. Sitting behind him is the
other Errant wearing a breastplate and a hairband around her short hair; her left
arm is wrapped around a large sheathed sword, and to her right is a small glass
bottle.

54
 Henchmen

Henchmen are NPCs who will delve into dungeons to adventure and engage in
combat; they receive at least half a share of treasure, half of which they gain as XP.
If a henchman’s Renown ever exceeds that of the Errant who hired them, they will
depart the Company. An Errant can have a number of henchmen equal to their pres
divided by four.

Henchmen have randomly determined attributes in the same manner as Errants,

and use simplified versions of Errant Archetypes, in order to facilitate ease of play.
They come in three varieties.

• Warriors have a D8 damage die. They have a number of combat dice equal to
their Renown, and know the smite, grit, and dash Feats. Combat dice replenish
after a night’s Rest.
• Professionals have a D6 damage die and can sneak attack. They have a number
of proficiencies equal to their Renown; they cannot gain in any of these profi-
ciencies. Once between Downtime Turns, they may choose to automatically
succeed on a Check related to one of their proficiencies a number of times equal
to their Renown.
• Magic users have a D4 damage die. Each magic user has a particular specialty,
such as illusions, pyromancy, necromancy, and so on. A magic user has a
number of powers related to their specialty equal to their Renown; these are
simple abilities with one or two sentence effects such as “creates a wall of
hypnotic lights”, “hurls a great ball of fire”, “raises a number of corpses from
the dead”, and so on. Each of their powers must be distinct. Each day, they
may use each of their powers once if they have had a night’s Rest. In terms of
damage, healing, creatures affected, range, and so on, powers scale the same
as Sorceries.

55
 Errants
Creating an Errant

Determine Attributes

To generate an Errant’s attributes, roll four four-sided dice (4D4) and record the
scores for each Attribute in this order: phys, skill, mind, pres. Afterwards, you may
choose to swap the scores of two attributes (e.g. if you rolled a 9 for phys and a 13
for mind you may wish to swap them, instead having 13 phys and 9 mind).

Choose Ancestry

Choose what type of creature your Errant is. This could be a more traditional
fantasy creature like a dwarf or an elf or a halfling, or perhaps a slime or a Humpty
Dumpty or the sentient manifestation of a bad breakup. Aside from the abilities
listed below, the Guide may consider the situational benefits and drawbacks of your
Ancestry, when appropriate.

Tough

(Dwarves, orcs, etc.) Once per session, when you would be reduced to 0 HP, you
may choose to be reduced to 1 HP instead. Minimum starting age: 2D20+10.

Arcane

(Elves, demons, etc.) Once per session, you can attempt to perform a minor magic
related to your Ancestry: roll 2D6 and add your Renown, on a 10+ you succeed,
on a 7-9 a complication occurs, on a 6 or lower, failure. Minimum starting age:
3D20+10.

Cunning

(Halflings, goblins, etc.) Once per session, you may reroll any D20 roll. Minimum
starting age: D20+10.

Adaptable

(Humans, half-humans, etc.) Once per session, you may choose to use one
Attribute for a Check in lieu of another. Minimum starting age: D10+10.

56
 Keepsake & Failed Profession

Roll on the Keepsakes table (p. 59) to determine a unique random starting item,
which does not fill an Item Slot (consider this item an extension of the Errant them-
selves, if you need a reason why this is so).

Roll on the Failed Professions table (p. 63) or choose a background for what your
Errant did before they became an adventurer. Your Failed Profession may alter the
DV, Position, and/or Impact of Checks relating to it, at the Guide’s discretion.

Choose Archetype

Choose one of the four Archetypes to play as.

The Violent

Capable of great Feats in combat.

The Deviant

Unsurpassed in their proficiencies.

The Occult

Casters of Sorceries and creators of Grimoires.

The Zealot

Agents of their Covenants empowered to perform Miracles.

Graphic: Three nervous Errants ascend a staircase. The one in front has pointy
ears poking out between their bandana and their pointed cap. They’re wearing a
gambeson, holding a longsword, and looking straight ahead. The second Errant,
carrying a massive backpack, grips the railing and looks around them nervous-
ly. The last Errant in line is shorter than the rest. They hold a dagger at the ready,
and are looking up with their one good eye—the other covered by a bandana.
The staircase is adorned with railing posts carved into Hellenistic scupltures of
nude women. The wall behind and above the adventurers is dense with framed
paintings: a glaring gremlin, an evilly grinning fop, the grim reaper with scythe,
several landscapes, and one frolicking nude.

57
 Select Starting Equipment
All Errants start with:

• A backpack.
• A medium weapon of their choice (1 Item Slot).
• A quiver of ammunition, if needed (1 Item Slot, Depletion 2).
• A bedroll (1 Item Slot).
• A torch (½ Item Slot, Burn 2).
• 50’ of rope (½ Item Slot).
• A mess kit (¼ Item Slot).
• A tinderbox (¼ Item Slot).
• Rations (¼ Item Slot, Depletion 1)
• A waterskin (¼ Item Slot).
• 4 Supply (¼ Item Slot each).

Graphic: A smiling Errant with wooden club gripped in both hands, ready to
swing.

In addition to equipment based on your Archetype.

• The Violent starts with either a heavy weapon (2 Item Slots) or a small (1 Item
Slot, 4 Blocks) or large shield (2 Item Slots,
• 6 Blocks).
• The Deviant starts with either burglar’s tools (1 Item Slot) or an alchemist’s kit
(1 Item Slot).
• The Occult starts with the four Grimoires of their starting Sorceries (1/4 Item
Slot each).
• The Zealot starts with one of their Relics (1 Item Slot).

Note Languages Known

All Errants can speak whatever the common language of their region is, as well as
any language related to their Ancestry. In addition, for every point of mind above
10, an Errant may specify another language known. This may be anything they
wish. It could be “goblin”, or “doors”, or “the bitter sexual tension between foes”, or
“the flowers that grow in my mother’s garden”. The more specific the language is,
the better an Errant is at communicating with that thing.

Conversely, communication may be attempted with a character whose language

is not quite the same but similar to another language one knows, but the greater
the difference, the less effective communication is. One may speak to wolves in
a general, if offensive manner, if one speaks “dog”, but any wolf worth their salt
would take dire offence at being spoken to in “chihuahua”.

58
 Record Other Information
Finally, note any other important information an Errant may need to know.

• Their HP is equal to their phys.

• How many Item Slots they have, which is equal to their phys.
• Their SPD (both backpack on and off), which is equal to their skill minus Encum-
brance.
• Their Alignment, which starts at N, except for Errants of The Zealot Archetype
who belong to Lawful or Chaotic Covenants, who start at either L1 or C1 respec-
tively.
• Their damage die and any other abilities granted to them by their Archetype.
• The Deviant should spend their Proficiency points.
• The Occult should generate their four starting Sorceries with the Guide.
• The Zealot should devise their Covenant with the Guide.

Keepsakes

1. The sword of the hero Black Mask. Useless, but looks really cool.
2. Big, floppy cork hat. Waterproof.
3. Strange pair of boots, with four wheels attached to each sole.
4. Jar of pungent pickled eggs, given to you by a stranger on a carriage.
5. Pair of cosy, woollen socks.
6. Bucket filled with crabs.
7. Goblin child: it is convinced you are its mother.
8. Case of costume jewellery. Worthless, but convincing from a distance.
9. Deck of cards with an extra ace.
10. Banned edition of the major holy text of the land, filled with heretical dogma
and apocryphal stories.
11. Large hoop skirt, big enough to hide a small child in.
12. Bagpipes.
13. Black leather boots, knee-high. Black leather gloves, elbow-length. A riding
crop. A gag.
14. Just two guys, ready to help you out. They’re burly, they’re brawny, they’re
best friends.
15. Coat you stole from a disgraced magician. Full of kerchiefs, dead doves, and
other miscellanea.
16. The signet ring of an unknown king.
17. Dwarven treasure dog, loyal but cowardly.
18. Pouch of firecrackers.
19. A dolorous cow.
59
20. String of 12 hard sausage links.
21. Bottle of incredibly fine whiskey, which you clearly stole.
22. 10’ spool of thin, copper wire.
23. Pincushion, filled with pins.
24. The finest ham in all the land, smoked by the man, Pitmaster Sam!
25. Long, strong elastic cord.
26. Bowling ball.
27. Small vial of acid. Very corrosive.
28. Bag of chilli powder.
29. Needle and thread.
30. Wig of beautiful golden hair. Reaches down to your ankles.
31. Bag of beloved marbles that you won from a child.
32. Several small jars of bright acrylic paints.
33. Unnerving and upsettingly lifelike puppet.
34. Incredibly avant-garde and impractical clothes that no sane person would be
willing to purchase.
35. Small bag of incredibly pungent and heady herbs. When burned, even
smelling the smoke is enough to intoxicate someone.
36. Package, addressed to someone you don’t know, in some place you’ve never
heard.
37. Rake.
38. Bottle of lubricant, suitable for internal, external, and industrial use.
39. Extremely springy spring.
40. Mechanically articulated hand attached to a stick. All of the fingers can be
controlled independently, though it is quite confusing to operate.
41. Lump of clay.
42. Wind-up music box.
43. Tube of fast-drying, industrial-strength glue.
44. Pair of stilts.
45. Book of fiery, righteous, political polemic.
46. Pair of tinted spectacles.
47. Very fine squash.
48. Vial of medicine, syrupy and sweet. Makes one quite drowsy.
49. Bag of flour.
50. Plague doctor’s mask, stuffed with fragrant herbs.
51. Wheel of aged Grey Matter, the mouldiest cheese in the world. Causes intense
hallucinations.
52. Pouch of laxative powder.
53. Snorkel.
60
54. Worn, dog-eared copy of the novel Lust & Larceny: The Trysts of the Amorous
Elven Thief, Vol 1. While lowbrow, the book is incredibly engrossing; it’s hard to
pull yourself away from it.
55. Glitter.
56. Jug of genuine wolf piss.
57. Fire-squirt.
58. Bottle of rat poison.
59. Pouch of beans.
60. Snake.
61. A few pamphlets of surprisingly convincing conspiracy theories.
62. Pot labelled ‘rice pudding’ that is actually filled with liquid cement.
63. Glass case of pinned butterflies.
64. Two magnetic spoons.
65. Collapsible walking cane.
66. Priest’s vestments.
67. Game with stone pieces and a cloth board. The accompanying instruction
booklet is full of poorly worded, incomprehensible, and contradictory rules.
68. A trio of newborn puppies.
69. Small glass cylinder, rounded at the tips. Quite phallic.
70. Sachet of dried cooking herbs.
71. Packets of various coloured dye powders.
72. Thick, heavy blanket you’ve carried with you since childhood.
73. Hand-bound notebook, containing six quite touching love poems. The names
of the beloved in each poem have been crossed out and rewritten multiple
times.
74. Set of clothes lined with fleece. Very warm.
75. Dismembered pinky finger with a long painted red fingernail.
76. The flu.
77. Small sundial attached to a wrist strap.
78. Booklet of various fashionable hair, beard, and moustache styles.
79. Crystal monocle, also useful as a lens.
80. Polished metal hand mirror.
81. Delicious cake, baked for you by your sweetheart.
82. An incredibly belligerent goose.
83. A four-leaf clover.
84. Packet of saccharinely sweet lollipops.
85. Large bar of hard soap, floral scented.
86. Bag of small ceramic balls, which explode in a blinding flash of light when
thrown.

61
87. Small tube of pale pink face paint.
88. Umbrella.
89. Tub of styling gel.
90. Rapidly decomposing fish.
91. Bottle of incredibly pungent perfume.
92. Trained messenger pigeon.
93. Fine-mesh net.
94. Pouch of itching powder.
95. Hand drum.
96. A dozen angry hornets in a jar.
97. Wind-up clockwork toy.
98. Your dad. Capable of criticizing anyone till they feel incompetent and
worthless.
99. Jar of sweet, sticky honey.
100. Set of loaded dice.

Graphic: An Errant turned away from the frame, so we see only their heavily lad-
en backpack.

62
 Failed Professions 37. Flatulist.
38. Fletcher.
1. Acrobat. 39. Florist.
2. Alewife. 40. Flyter.
3. Antiquarian. 41. Fortune teller.
4. Apothecary. 42. Funeral clown.
5. Armpit-hair plucker. 43. Galley rower.
6. Baker. 44. Gambler.
7. Ball-fetcher. 45. Glove maker.
8. Barber. 46. Gongfarmer.
9. Barrel maker. 47. Grave digger.
10. Beadle. 48. Gymnasiarch.
11. Bee exterminator. 49. Haberdasher.
12. Beekeeper. 50. Hoof trimmer.
13. Beggar. 51. Hunter.
14. Belt maker. 52. Ice cutter.
15. Busker. 53. Jester.
16. Carcass collector. 54. Jongleur.
17. Chandler. 55. Knock-knobber.
18. Cheesemaker. 56. Knocker-upper.
19. Cherry picker. 57. Leech collector.
20. Chimney sweep. 58. Market guard.
21. Clockwinder. 59. Messenger.
22. Cobbler. 60. Mountebank.
23. Confectioner. 61. Mushroom farmer.
24. Cooper. 62. Nanny.
25. Cordwainer. 63. Orgy planner.
26. Costermonger. 64. Ostrich wrangler.
27. Cup bearer. 65. Owl vomit collector.
28. Cutlery vendor. 66. Palanquin bearer.
29. Cutpurse. 67. Peddler.
30. Ditch digger. 68. Pickpocket.
31. Dog walker. 69. Poet.
32. Dog whipper. 70. Portraitist.
33. Dollmaker. 71. Powder monkey.
34. Ewerer. 72. Purefinder.
35. Executioner. 73. Rat catcher.
36. Fish gutter. 74. Resurrectionist.

63
 75. Roofer. 88. Taster.
76. Sailor. 89. Taxidermist.
77. Scribe. 90. Tinker.
78. Scullion. 91. Toad doctor.
79. Seed counter. 92. Tosher.
80. Snake milker. 93. Town crier.
81. Smuggler. 94. Urinatores.
82. Sophist. 95. Usurer.
83. Stablehand. 96. Water carrier.
84. Stevedore. 97. Wheelwright.
85. Stone eater. 98. Whipping boy.
86. Sycophant. 99. Whiffler.
87. Tanner. 100. Worm rancher.

Renown
The measure of an Errant’s fame, notoriety, and power is their Renown. An Errant
begins at Renown 1. If an Errant ever wishes to see if someone has heard of them
(if it is not already obvious), they may roll a D10 and attempt to roll equal or under
their Renown; if they are successful, their reputation precedes them.

An Errant increases their Renown by gaining experience (XP), as shown on the table
below.

When an Errant’s Renown increases, two of their attributes increase by 1. The rest
of the Company decides the first Attribute that increases, based on their recent
performance. After this, the Errant may themselves decide the second Attribute
that increases; they may not select the same Attribute the Company selected.

An Errant gains 1 XP per penny they waste.

Wasting is any monetary transaction which is not an investment, something which

will give a return on value, either financially or through use, or a necessity. A meal,
for example, is not waste, but a lavish banquet is.

In addition, Errants also gain XP when anything in which they have invested is unin-
tentionally destroyed or becomes unusable, even temporarily. If a sword or piece of
armour breaks, they gain XP. If a ship they bought is reefed, they gain XP. If their
burgeoning blink dog walking business comes under threat, they gain XP.

64
 Renown XP Needed
1 0
2 2,000
3 6,000
4 14,000
5 30,000
6 62,000
7 126,000
8 254,000
9 510,000

Adjutants
When an Errant reaches Renown 2, they become notable enough that they may,
if they wish, attract an adjutant. This essentially turns one Errant into two, as a
player may control both their Errant and their adjutant.

The adjutant always starts at Renown 1, and can never be the same Renown as the
Errant to whom they are attached. An Errant and their adjutant divide XP among
themselves, with the Errant receiving ¾ of the XP, and the adjutant receiving the
remaining ¼.

If the Errant an adjutant is attached to dies, the adjutant may assume their
Position, and may in turn attract an adjutant of their own.

An Errant may only ever have one adjutant in their lifetime, and should they perish,
they cannot be replaced.

Graphic: Four Errants stand in a small crowd. A horned and heavily armored
creature, nearly as broad as they are tall and wielding a battleaxe half again as
tall as they are. A diminutive woman wearing an apron, triumphantly holding a
waterskin aloft as smoke billows voluminously from it. A lean figure in robes
examining a smoking orb with interest. Their small brow, wide eyes, gaunt fea-
tures and two prominent fangs are reminiscent of nosferatu. An older man with
a scraggly mustache and thick glasses. He wears a side-button jacket of severe
cut, and carries barber’s tools. The lower half of his body is spattered with
mud...or blood. The crowd continues onto the next page.

65
 Rosters
Players are encouraged to maintain a roster of several Errants that they can choose
to play. Errants of high Renown may often find themselves occupied for multiple
Downtime Turns in important matters, and during these periods a player can send
their lower Renown Errants off on adventures in their stead.

Players can pass items and information freely among the Errants in their roster,
provided they are in the same place in the game world.

Players may only swap control among Errants in their roster when it makes sense
to do so (e.g. generally not in the middle of an adventure), and can only do so once
per game session.

Graphic: A small crowd of four Errants, continuing from the previous page. A
short figure wearing muddy rags, their face obscured in a dark hood save for
a pair of brightly glowing eyes. They stand with arms folded, and a weapon
as large as they are strapped to their back. An aristocratically dressed woman
looks down at the small figure with disinterest. Her hair is gathered into a dec-
orative net, and two large horns bedecked with rings sprout from her forehead.
She carries an easel and canvas under one arm, with several large rolls of paper
behind her. A freestanding slime creature, with four eyes and a grinning mouth
that drift only vaguely near their expected positions. The slime is filled with all
manner of detritus: a ring, a crowbar, an arrow, two flasks of liquid, a shield,
and a spear with a star of sharp spikes just beneath its tip. The slime is being
touched by a young woman with a thick braid that drops down below her knees.
She’s looking at the strands of goo dangling between her hand and the slime
creature with an expression of mild distress. In her other hand she clutches a
pot, from which ferns and flowers grow.

66
 The Violent
Renown Attacks Feats Combat Dice
1 1 3 2
2 1 4 3
3 2 4 4
4 2 5 5
5 2 5 6
6 3 6 7
7 3 6 8
8 3 7 9
9 4 7 10

Graphic: A heavily plated figure, dark with shadow. The violent rests her great
heavy sword across one shoulder, and holds a circular shield with a striking
serpent crest in the other. A cloak of chainmail hangs from beneath her armored
plates, and if her face is uncovered beneath her helm it is not visibe in the shad-
ows.

Damage Die - D8

Extra Attacks - When you reach Renown 3, and every third time your Renown
increases thereafter, the number of Attack Rolls you can make when you take an
action to attack increases by one.

Feats - You have a number of combat dice, which are the same size as your
damage die. These combat dice can be expended to perform Feats.

The number of Feats you can use in one Initiative Turn is equal to the number of
Attack Rolls you can make.

At Renown 1 you have 2 combat dice. You gain an additional combat die each time
your Renown increases. Combat dice replenish after a night’s Rest.

At Renown 1, you know these 3 Feats.

• Smite - when you make an Attack Roll, you may roll a combat die and add it to
your damage.
• Grit - when you take damage, you may roll a combat die and reduce the
incoming damage by the amount rolled.
• Dash - when you move, you may roll a combat die and add the result to your
movement roll.

67
At every even Renown level, you can learn a new Feat from the list below, or devise
your own with approval from the Guide:

• Avenge - when an ally takes damage, you may expend a combat die and imme-
diately make an Attack Roll against the enemy that targeted them.
• Cleave - expend a combat die. This Initiative Turn, whenever you reduce an
enemy to 0 HP, you may make another Attack Roll.
• Command - roll a combat die. In place of one of your Attack Rolls, you allow
one of your allies to make an Attack Roll, with a bonus to damage equal to the
number rolled on your combat die.
• Exert - expend a combat die. This Initiative Turn, you may make as many Attack
Rolls as you wish, but each Attack Roll you make past your normal amount deals
equal damage to you.
• Goad - expend a combat die. This Initiative Turn, all enemies must target you.
• ntimidate – roll a combat die. Your next Attack Roll causes enemies to make a
Morale roll with a penalty equal to the number rolled on your combat die.
• Protect - when an ally takes damage, you may roll a combat die and reduce the
damage taken by the number rolled.
• Resist - when you fail a Saving Throw, you may expend a combat die and re-roll
it.
• Strategise - roll a combat die. The next time you perform a gambit, the DV of
the enemy’s Saving Throw is increased by the amount rolled on your combat
die, and is made at dire Position and weak Impact.
• Surge - expend a combat die. This Initiative Turn, you gain an additional action,
which cannot be used to make an Attack Roll.

68
 The Deviant
Renown Proficiency Points Jettons
1 2 Skill+2
2 1 Skill+4
3 1 Skill+6
4 1 Skill+8
5 1 Skill+10
6 1 Skill+12
7 1 Skill+14
8 1 Skill+16
9 1 Skill+18

Graphic: The deviant slouches with an arm raised and round bells balanced
between their fingers. They are dressed in a puffy costume sewn from multiple
patterned fabrics and carry a pouch strung across their shoulder. Their sunken
eyes are visible behind a veil and bird’s beak mask.

Damage Die - D6

Sneak Attack - When you make an Attack Roll against someone unaware of your
presence, you make a sneak attack, rolling two damage dice, in addition to any
enhancement the attack may receive.

Proficiencies - You start with 2 Proficiency points at Renown 1, and gain 1 Profi-
ciency point each time your Renown increases.

A Proficiency point may be spent to gain expertise in any of the following proficien-
cies, or a Proficiency of your own devising with approval from the Guide. Expertise
reduces the DV of all Checks (but not Saving Throws) relating to that Proficiency by
2.

Spending an additional Proficiency point on a Proficiency grants you mastery. This

confers special abilities, and changes the Position of all Checks relating to that
Proficiency to shaky, and the Impact of all Checks relating to that Proficiency to
strong.

69
 • Anatomy - Expertise: (Alchemy, barber-surgery, cooking, autopsies, etc.)
• Mastery: Chemist – when you use an alchemist’s kit, you can store six
alchemical components rather than four.
• Awareness - Expertise: (investigating a room, checking for traps, detecting
hidden characters, appraisal, etc.)
• Mastery: Alert – you may still act in an Initiative Turn even when surprised.
• Engineering - Expertise: (disarming traps, mechanics, architecture and
dungeoncraft, demolitions, etc.)
• Mastery: Locksmith – when Lockpicking, you may ignore the first jam.
• Fitness - Expertise: (climbing, running, jumping, acrobatics, etc.)
• Mastery: Fleet-footed – as long as your Encumbrance is not greater than 4, it
does not reduce your SPD.
• Lore - Expertise: (history, religion, philosophy, arcane knowledge, etc.)
• Mastery: – you can cast Sorceries from Grimoires and can use any magic
item, regardless of restriction; your Sorcery Depletion is 1 and your Renown
is halved for the purposes of determining Sorcery effects such as damage and
range.
• Sleight of hand - Expertise: (pickpocketing, legerdemain, misdirection, playing
musical instruments, etc.)
• Mastery: Pack Rat – you can retrieve any item in any Item Slot as if it were a
handy slot.
• Speechcraft - Expertise: (bartering, haggling, deceiving, persuading, intimi-
dating, performing, etc.)
• Mastery: – all Reaction Rolls for NPCs interacting with you are rolled with
3D6.
• Stealth - Expertise: (hiding, moving silently and unseen, blending in with a
crowd, masking your presence, etc.)
• Mastery: Assassin – you roll three damage dice when making a sneak attack.
• Survival - Expertise: (tracking, navigating, foraging and hunting, animal
handling, etc.)
• Mastery: Beast Master – you gain an animal companion. It takes its own
actions during Initiative Turns, though it obeys all your commands. All Checks
made by your animal companion are resolved using your skill. It has HP and
SPD equal to your skill, a damage die of D6, and can perform sneak attacks.
It also receives the benefits of any of your proficiencies, if applicable. If your
animal companion dies, you gain a new one at the start of the next Downtime
Turn.

70
Jettons - You have a stack of Jettons (best represented by poker chips), which you
can use in two ways.

You can spend Jettons to reduce the DV of Checks (including Saving Throws)
related to your proficiencies; each jetton reduces the DV of the Check by 1.

You can spend Jettons to make a wager. When you make a wager, make a claim
relating to one of your proficiencies, such as “I can climb that sheer cliff”; “I know
how to disarm this trap”; “I’ve packed just the thing we need”; “I’ve already stolen
their weapon”; or “I bribed that guard yesterday”.

You can make any claim so long as it at least flirts with the realm of possibility,
though one with mastery in their Proficiency may make even more outlandish
claims.

Roll a D10, with your chance to succeed being the number of Jettons you spent
(e.g. if you spent 5 Jettons, you would have a 5-in-10 chance of success).

If you succeed on the roll, your claim is true; if you fail, you suffer the conse-
quences decided upon by the Guide, which will usually take the form of a counter-
claim.

When you make a wager, you may ask the Guide for a devil’s bargain: they will also
roll a D10, though they will keep the result hidden from you. When you roll for your
wager, you may choose to take either the die you rolled or the die the Guide rolled
to determine if you are successful.

If you choose the die the Guide rolled and are successful, you regain a number of
Jettons equal to the difference between your roll and the Guide’s. However, if you
choose the Guide’s die and fail, the consequences will be far worse.

You regain all your Jettons at the start of a Downtime Turn.

Graphic: A heap of tools strewn against the wall. A keyring full of keys, a pair of
heavy tongs, a bullseye lantern, a scattering of torches, an iron-tipped club, a
bolas, a satchel, a small dagger, and a plain mask that covers from forehead to
upper lip.

71
 The Occult
Prepared Sorcery
Renown Stabilise Maleficence Retorts
Sorceries Depletion
1 2 1 8 2D6/1D6 1
2 3 1 7 2D6/1D6 1
3 4 1 6 4D6/2D6 2
4 5 2 5 4D6/2D6 2
5 6 2 4 4D6/2D6 2
6 7 2 3 6D6/3D6 3
7 8 3 2 6D6/3D6 3
8 9 3 1 6D6/3D6 3
9 10 3 0 8D6/4D6 4

Damage Die - D4

Sorcery - You can cast Sorceries. You begin play with the four Grimoires in your
possession, whose Sorceries you have already learned.

A Sorcery may be cast by directly reading it from a Grimoire, once per day. Doing
so takes two actions during an Initiative Turn.

Each day, if you have had a night’s Rest, you may also prepare a certain number of
Sorceries, which allows you to cast them without referencing a Grimoire. Casting a
prepared Sorcery takes one action during an Initiative Turn. You may prepare the
same Sorcery multiple times.

If a Sorcery has an ongoing effect, its duration is determined by your Sorcery

Depletion.

When you cast a prepared Sorcery, you may make a mind Check with a DV equal
to your stabilise value plus your Encumbrance. If you succeed, you may safely cast
that Sorcery again.

If you fail, that prepared Sorcery has become unstable, and casting it again risks
miscasting.

To avoid miscasting, you must succeed on a mind Check with a DV equal to

D20+the number of times that Sorcery has been cast since becoming unstable.

72
Maleficence - You can invoke maleficence. Any number of prepared Sorceries
can be made unstable in order to deal damage to all within an area, with a Saving
Throw allowed for half damage.

The range and area of effect of your maleficence is the same as that of a Sorcery.

Your maleficence deals 2D6 damage for the first prepared Sorcery made unstable,
plus an additional D6 damage for each additional prepared Sorcery that is made
unstable. When you reach Renown 3, and every third time your Renown increases
thereafter, the damage of your maleficence increases.

Your maleficence is unique and the manner in which it deals damage should be
defined by a one word descriptor (e.g. lightning, fire, necrosis). The Guide may
consider the circumstantial bonuses of your maleficence and apply bonuses and
penalties as they see fit, including enhancing or impairing the damage.

Retort - When an enemy casts a Sorcery or some other magical effect, you may
use a retort to cast a prepared Sorcery in response; a prepared Sorcery cast this
way is automatically made unstable.

You can use one retort per Initiative Turn.

When you reach Renown 3, and every third time your Renown increases thereafter,
the amount of retorts you can use in an Initiative Turn increases.

Graphic: The occult steps forward from a row of lit candles. Their entire body is
covered from the peak of their steeply arched hood, to their bandage-wrapped
hands, to hem of their floor-length robe. Even their face is covered by a paper
talisman. In one hand they carry a long gnarled staff, in the other they’ve raised
a small bowl to chest height.

73
 The Zealot
Renown Favour Relics Miracle Depletion
1 pres-8 1 1
2 pres-7 1 1
3 pres-6 2 1
4 pres-5 2 1
5 pres-4 2 2
6 pres-3 3 2
7 pres-2 3 2
8 pres-1 3 2
9 pres 4 3

Damage Die - D6

Covenant - You pledge yourself to a Covenant, which grants you blessings and
the power to perform Miracles; these abilities are described in greater detail in the
Covenants & Miracles chapter on p. 104.

Favour - Your standing with your Covenant is represented by your Favour, which
you can spend to power your Relics and empower your Miracles.

Any spent Favour is regained at the start of a Downtime Turn.

The amount of Favour you have increases with your Renown, and can be further
increased by performing actions that please your Covenant.

Relics - You can attune to Relics, mystical tools consecrated in the name of your
Covenant. At Renown 1, you may attune to one Relic.

When you reach Renown 3, and every third time your Renown increases thereafter,
the number of Relics you can attune to increases by 1.

Any item can be consecrated as a Relic, provided it meets the following require-
ments: a blade must have at least an edge or a sharpened point, and a wand must
have neither; a talisman must offer some form of protection and a chalice must be
able to hold liquid.

It costs 200 pennies and takes one Travel Turn to consecrate an item as a Relic.
You may un-attune from a Relic, but doing so requires it be consecrated again to
re-attune.

Each Relic also grants a special ability.

74
• Blade - when you deal damage, you can spend Favour to inflict a Status on
your opponent. This Status is chosen when the Errant attunes to the Relic. The
Status lasts for a number of Initiative Turns equal to Favour spent.
• Wand – when a character makes a Check, you can spend Favour to reduce the
DV of that Check by an amount equal to Favour spent.
• Talisman – when you or an ally takes damage, you can spend Favour to impair
that damage a number of steps equal to the Favour spent.
• Chalice - you can spend Favour to grant a number of allies, equal to the amount
of Favour spent, immunity to a Status. This immunity lasts for a number of
Exploration Turns equal to your Renown.

Graphic: The zealot is a stern-faced figure crowned with a headdress covered

in needles. They wear in a cloak and gown that falls from their elbows and is
adorned by many drooping chains. They carry a heavy sword over their shoul-
der. Their right hand bears an illuminated staff, and their left is raised to their
torso with an open palm.

75
 Grimoires & Sorceries
Creating Sorceries
Magic is a force that exists wholly outside the material plane, so in order to be
harnessed by those who are indelibly tethered to that plane, it must be filtered
through objects which can act as conduits for such arcane energies. Such conduits
are called Grimoires.

Grimoires are not simply passive receptacles for occult forces, however. The nature
and shape of the Grimoires is what gives form to the magical energies contained
within, converting them into usable forms known as Sorceries. And since Grimoires
are objects painstakingly created and jealously guarded, each of them possess
a requirement that must be met before the secrets of the Sorcery within can be
revealed.

When an Errant discovers a Grimoire, they roll a D100 to determine which they find
(p. 82).

After they have met the requirement to learn the Sorcery, roll a D50 for the
essence (p. 77), which describes the function the Sorcery performs, and a D12
for the sphere (p. 78), which describes the subjects a Sorcery affects.

The Errant may then devise a Sorcery that aligns with the essence and sphere
rolled, and is related in some way to the themes of Grimoire containing the Sorcery.

As a basic example, the Errant could have rolled a 19 (a melted candle stump,
whose dripping wax reveals dark secrets; themes: fire, extinguish, forbiddance) for
the Grimoire; a 3 (control) for the essence; and a 7 (elements) for the sphere. They
decide that the Sorcery is one which allows them to control the flame of a candle,
either causing it ignite, extinguish, dim, brighten, or erupt in a fiery conflagration.

If a Sorcery is learned during a session, it suffices to describe the Sorcery in a

general way. The particulars of the Sorcery can be decided upon by the player and
the Guide between sessions and written down then.

As a general rubric, a Sorcery can

• Deal 1D6 damage per Renown of the caster

• Heal 1D6 damage per every 2 Renown of the caster
• Can affect an area 10 feet or yards in diameter per Renown of the caster.
• Has a range of 20 feet or yards per Renown of the caster.

If the Sorcery affects multiple creatures, it can affect a number of friendly Errants

76
or NPCs equal to the caster’s Renown, or a number of hostile NPCs whose total
Threat is equal to the caster’s Renown.

It is left to the discretion of the Guide when and if a particular Sorcery requires
a Saving Throw from its target to avoid or mitigate its effects. As a general rule,
if the caster targets an NPC with a Sorcery whose Threat is greater than their
Renown, that NPC is allowed a Saving Throw.

The duration of the Sorcery is determined by the caster’s Sorcery Depletion value.

For each Grimoire, a list of three miscasts is provided. If a Sorcery is miscast, roll a
D3 on the miscast table, or the Guide can decide an appropriate effect based on the
Sorcery and the situation. The precise effect, duration, and method of reversing the
miscast, if any, are left to the Guide’s discretion.

Graphic: A slender spellcaster squats low and raises a thorny, umbrella-shaped

branch above her head. She has a circular symbol inscribed on her forehead,
and vertical lines intersecting the bottom edge of the circle as well as beneath
each eye. Her eyes are milky white. She wears heavy tattered robes that cover
her from neck to toe, and a sash at her waist that trails on the ground.

Essence 19. Hide

20. Restrict
1. Protect 21. Liberate
2. Summon 22. Reflect
3. Control 23. Seal
4. Quicken 24. Request
5. Slow 25. Grow
6. Comprehend 26. Shrink
7. Move 27. Open
8. Animate 28. Close
9. Link 29. Transform
10. Command 30. Communicate
11. Curse 31. Improve
12. Destroy 32. Diminish
13. Create 33. Incapacitate
14. Bless 34. Return
15. Take 35. Send
16. Transfer 36. Enter
17. Switch 37. Become
18. Reveal 38. Replace

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 39. Convert Sphere
40. Complete
41. Attract 1. Magic
42. Repulse 2. Space
43. Absorb 3. Time
44. Increase 4. Mind
45. Reduce 5. Spirit
46. Receive 6. Body
47. Aid 7. Elements
48. Hinder 8. Dimensions
49. Interrupt 9. Life
50. Harm 10. Death
11. Objects
12. Biota

Example Sorceries

Eyes of Marut

Essence: Shrink
Sphere: Magic
Grimoire: 30. Pair of marble snake eyes, whose pupils move of their own accord. To
learn this Sorcery, you must convince one who hates you that you should be loved
by them above all else.
Themes: persuasion, manipulation, contempt

The caster’s pupils begin swirling in dizzying, hypnotic patterns around their
eyeballs. While they continue to do this, any Sorcery or magical ability cast within
range does not take effect, but rather has its effects compressed and stored into a
small translucent orb, the size of a marble. The caster may also draw out and store
into such orbs the magic of enchantments, wards, runes, and other such ensorcell-
ments by looking upon them. The caster may have a number of these orbs equal to
their Renown.

Such orbs are easily broken. A shattered orb releases its magical effect immedi-
ately, as if the magic had been cast or triggered.

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 Graphic: A face, decorated with arabesque patterns, and surrounded by 12 shin-
ing orbs. The face’s expression is neutral, and distant. Its eyes open wide and
filled with interlaced patterns. Tight braids frame the face, without a single hair
out of place. The face is adorned with jewelry of every type: dangling earrings,
rings in nose and lips, chains artfully drooping between piercings, a tiara of two
coiled serpents, which themselves dangle strings of pearls and jewels across
the forehead and down the nose.

Principia Mechanica

Essence: Grow
Sphere: Mind
Grimoire: 57. Toolkit with a single iron nail inside. To learn this Sorcery, solve a
problem, but be the nail, not the hammer.
Themes: fortification, repair, construction

The caster, by utterance of a series of ritual formulae and calculations, stimulates

the temporary hypertrophy of the glands in the brain attenuated to the sacred
geometry.

While the Sorcery is in effect, the caster can see the laws of natural motion as
clearly as one might see colour: angles, trajectories, acceleration, force, distance,
time, and other such functions can all be noted with perfect accuracy. Functioning
of mechanisms, discernment of their design, function of individual components,
and defects in their design — all are as easy to distinguish as the individual glyphs
which comprise a word.

Graphic: The head of a devil, with no torso or legs, supports itself by its clawed
hands. A spade-tipped tail helps it balance.

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Transposer’s Fancy

Essence: Transfer
Sphere: Space
Grimoire: 96. Elaborate and ornate doublet which greatly restricts one’s movement,
adorned with the feathers of a peacock. To learn this Sorcery, you must convince
someone of humble nature to deem himself superior to all.
Themes: pride, humility, hubris

The caster marks a space, 10 yards square per Renown, through an intricate rococo
dance, which involves much strutting and rhythmic shaking of hands. The marked
space folds in on itself till only a single element, such as a floor tile, remains.
Where the space once was is marked only by a gaping hole in reality; anything that
enters it finds itself immediately and forcefully ejected.

The caster may place the remnant of the marked space wherever they wish. There,
it will unfurl like the tail of a peacock, replacing whatever was once there. The area
replaced then fills the lacuna left where the Sorcery was first cast.

Flagellant’s Freedom

Essence: Protect
Sphere: Spirit
Grimoire: 28. Onyx pendant wrought in the shape of a weeping face. To learn this
Sorcery, you must make the happiness of another your own.
Themes: egocentrism, trinket, expression

The caster debases themselves pathetically: weeping and wailing, begging, pros-
trating themselves in supplication, gnashing their teeth, and tearing at their clothes
and hair. So long as the caster continues this display, they and a number of other
Errants or NPCs equal to their Renown are immune to supernatural influence or
possession.

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 Converting Spell Scrolls & Spellbooks
If running material for a game with a more traditional Vancian casting system, here
are some suggestions for how to convert spell scrolls and spell books.

Treat spell scrolls as consumable, one-time use items and use the spell as normal
from the original system, making any conversions for Checks, Saving Throws,
and other matters as normal. To cast them successfully, the caster must make a
successful mind or pres Check (depending on if the spell is arcane or divine) with a
DV equal to the spell level, minus the Renown of the caster if they are of the appro-
priate Archetype.

Treat spell books as instead being a number of Grimoires equal to the highest
level spell in the spell book (e.g. a spell book containing a 4th level spell would be
treated as if the Errant had found four Grimoires).

Graphic: A book with a comical number of pages. So many that the closed book
appears to stand 3 feet tall or more. Bookmarks and torn pages poke out at ev-
ery angle, and there is a spoked symbol on the cover.

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 Grimoires

1. Silvered hand-mirror, inlaid with runes. To learn this Sorcery, you must see
yourself blink.
Themes: reflection, mirror, prediction
1. All surfaces appear reflective to the caster.
2. The caster and all nearby are pulled into the mirror dimension.
3. All predictions the caster makes invariably end up being wrong.
2. Tuning fork, which makes no sound when struck. To learn this Sorcery, create
sound with the fork.
Themes: sound, music, resonance
1. The caster is deafened.
2. The caster can only speak in song, and only move in dance.
3. The caster vibrates intensely.
3. Length of unnaturally cold iron chain, upon which tiny etchings are visible.
To learn this Sorcery, you must survive with your arms or legs bound among
enemies.
Themes: metal, restraint, imprisonment
1. All inorganic matter around the caster turns into metal.
2. The caster becomes unable to move their limbs.
3. The caster becomes wanted for heinous crimes in all nearby Settlements.
4. Large, watchful, and odious toad, with strange, shifting markings. To learn this
Sorcery, the toad must be fed pieces of a loved one once a day for a month,
without the loved one realising.
Themes: possession, betrayal, parasitism
1. The caster becomes possessed by a spirit, demon, or other entity.
2. The caster’s allies become hostile towards them and attack.
3. The caster can only derive sustenance from food stolen from others.
5. Ancient tome, bound in human skin. To learn this Sorcery, the true name of an
extradimensional being must be learned, and engraved into one’s flesh.
Themes: flesh, secrets, extortion
1. The caster loses all skin.
2. The caster becomes unable to lie or keep secrets.
3. A powerful creature descends upon the caster, demanding regular payment
lest they face the creature’s wrath.

Graphic: A wild-eyed woman with bleeding runes carved into her forehead holds
a book in front of her face. The book is thick, and bound in strange uneven
leather. The woman’s rags are soaked in blood.

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6. Scroll, upon which is written a contract in an infernal tongue. To learn this
Sorcery, the contract must be notarised by an official of heaven, or hell.
Themes: oath, trust, witness
1. The caster becomes pathologically unable to keep their word, and will betray
any promises made.
2. The caster trusts absolutely everyone, categorically and wholeheartedly.
3. The caster inadvertently becomes the sole witness to a heinous crime
committed by very dangerous people.
7. Bounty poster, with the name and portrait blank, and the reward set at the soul
of the slain. To learn this Sorcery, your own name and portrait must be entered
in the bounty.
Themes: assassination, retribution, target
1. The caster is tasked with assassinating the ruler of the land by powerful
forces, lest their head be next on the chopping block.
2. The caster will never win an argument, and all witnesses to it will side
against the caster.
3. All enemies will single-mindedly aim to attack the caster, with intent to kill.
8. Wrought iron lamp embossed with dancing figures, the wick of which cannot be
lit. To learn this Sorcery, light the lamp.
Themes: illumination, shadow, flicker
1. The caster radiates blinding light from every pore of their body.
2. The caster is banished to the shadow realm.
3. Every other turn, the caster vanishes from existence.
9. Obsidian decanter filled with a swirling, noxious gas. To learn this Sorcery,
spend one day without breathing.
Themes: miasma, contagion, breath
1. The area immediately surrounding the caster is filled with noxious, poisonous
gas.
2. The caster is unable to resist contracting any diseases or infections.
3. The caster’s breath becomes unbelievably odious.
10. Crystal ball set upon a base of carved ebony. To learn this Sorcery, you must
learn of the way you will die.
Themes: clairvoyance, truth, fortune
1. The caster foresees the inevitable, near-future death of all other Company
members.
2. The caster becomes a pathological liar, unable to tell even the most banal of
truths.
3. The caster believes resolutely in their ability to foresee the future.

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11. Crystalline prism, criss-crossed with veins of translucent code, half-glimpsed
in light. To learn this Sorcery, fold a sunbeam.
Themes: refraction, vision, geometry
1. The caster sees what is behind them, in front, and what is in front of them,
behind.
2. The caster is blinded.
3. The caster loses all sense of balance.
12. Model ship in a bottle with full crew, rendered in microscopic detail. To learn
this Sorcery, the ship must sail around the world and return to you.
Themes: microcosm, voyage, homecoming
1. The caster becomes obsessed with creating a perfect replica of the nearest
city.
2. The caster is teleported to the opposite side of the world.
3. Everyone in the caster’s hometown loses all memory of them.
13. Engraved wooden talisman, with a concave indentation in the centre. To learn
this Sorcery, sacrifice one of your eyes and place it in the talisman.
Themes: sacrifice, wisdom, prophecy
1. An angel appears and demands the caster sacrifice the soul of their most
beloved to them.
2. Whenever the caster is faced with a decision, they will bring forth a litany of
all the ways any given course of action could go horribly wrong.
3. The caster is granted a vision of the end of the world, which will occur
exactly a year from now.

Graphic: A scarred and roguish man smiles, his lips gone and the entirety of his
teeth showing. His left eye has been removed, replaced with a wooden one that
radiates strong lines of magic out from it.

14. Silver disc, covered in a series of raised dots. To learn this Sorcery, throw the
disc straight forward and have it return to you unaided.
Themes: return, arc, gravity
1. Anything the caster tries to rid themselves of always returns.
2. The caster becomes unable to throw, fire, or otherwise project any object or
Sorcery; it simply falls straight down.
3. The caster is no longer affected by gravity.

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15. Black silk blindfold, with inky black runes of velvet stitched onto the fabric. To
learn this Sorcery, walk into an unfamiliar room blindfolded and describe accu-
rately what is within.
Themes: perception, foresight, awareness
1. The caster’s perception of reality depends entirely on what others tell them.
2. The caster becomes unable to conceptualise or otherwise conceive of the
future.
3. The caster loses their peripheral vision.
16. Paper Möbius strip. To learn this Sorcery, find its second side without splitting
it.
Themes: perspective, containment, curvature
1. The caster and a random target’s sight are swapped; the caster sees only
what the target sees, and vice versa.
2. The caster will endeavour to spend as little time in any single room as
possible.
3. The caster becomes unable to comprehend straight lines.
17. Set of wind chimes that always produces the same melody. To learn this
Sorcery, the chimes must be kept in motion for a day in a place without wind.
Themes: tone, air, catalyst
1. The caster continually emits an incessant high-pitched whine.
2. The caster becomes unable to jump or climb of their own power.
3. The caster feels compelled to intervene in situations that don’t concern them.
18. Sphere of glass filled with an ever-whirling snowstorm. To learn this Sorcery,
you must move while frozen solid.
Themes: ice, cessation, continuation
1. The caster immediately freezes any liquid they come into contact with.
2. The caster is unable to stop doing any activity they start doing.
3. The caster becomes unable to complete any task.
19. Melted candle stump, whose dripping wax reveals dark secrets. To learn this
Sorcery, self-immolate, but be the wax, not the wick.
Themes: fire, extinguish, forbiddance
1. Anything flammable near the caster immediately ignites.
2. Any light sources near the caster will go out at the most inopportune
moment.
3. The caster becomes unable to say no.
20. Tarnished bronze cup inlaid with sinuous petroglyphs. To learn this Sorcery,
the cup must be filled with water from the bottom of the sea.
Themes: water, treachery, pressure
1. The caster becomes permanently moistened.
2. The allegiances of every creature near the caster change.
3. Random objects explode around the caster at regular intervals.
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21. Ornate hand shovel, its inscriptions still glowing red hot. To learn this Sorcery,
you must be buried alive for three days and three nights.
Themes: earth, openings, weight
1. The caster is followed by a perpetual earthquake.
2. Any openings near the caster seal shut.
3. All objects become incredibly heavy to the caster.
22. Weather vane, bearing the icon of the simurgh, that indicates no direction and
is not moved by the wind or mortal force. To learn this Sorcery, the arrow of the
vane must be moved till it faces due east.
Themes: storms, navigation, flight
1. A personal rain cloud hangs over the caster’s head.
2. The caster loses all sense of direction.
3. Flight becomes impossible around the caster; birds drop from the sky.
23. Long copper lightning rod, which always faintly hums with static charge. To
learn this Sorcery, you must let lightning pass through you and into another,
and have both of you emerge unscathed.
Themes: lightning, conductivity, thunder
1. All nearby lightning arcs unerringly towards the caster.
2. The caster becomes upsettingly rude.
3. Every step the caster takes booms with the sound of thunder.
24. The animated skull of a dead Sorcerer-king, the markings left on his skull the
evidence of arcane leaching. To learn this Sorcery, you must read the markings
upon the skull, which is impossible so long as the skull keeps talking, inter-
rupting you and telling you that you’re doing it wrong and that back in his day
people knew how to cast real magic.
Themes: undeath, oppression, hierarchy
1. Any creature slain by the caster immediately rises as a zombie or other form
of undead.
2. The caster will find themselves harassed and denied by all authority figures.
3. The caster is considered by all to be wretched and lowly.
25. Plain, worn, sackcloth doll to which you find yourself inextricably drawn.
You will remember owning this doll as a child, loving it, cherishing it, doing
anything, absolutely anything to protect it. To learn this Sorcery, do not
question the truth of this memory.
Themes: nostalgia, haunting, denial
1. The caster becomes unable to remember anything beyond the events of
yesterday.
2. The souls of those slain by the caster follow and torment them.
3. The caster refuses to acknowledge anything dangerous, malign, or otherwise
negative.

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26. Wooden mask, which always seems to display a different emotion. To learn
this Sorcery, you must assume the identity of another.
Themes: identity, disguise, personality
1. The caster loses all sense of self, and believes themselves to be the last
person they talked to.
2. The caster refuses to show their face to anyone.
3. The caster suffers constant mood swings.
27. Planchette board carved of bone. To learn this Sorcery, the board will query
you with an unsolvable riddle, which you must solve.
Themes: puzzle, solution, contradiction
1. The caster believes that everything which is said to them is, in fact, an
inscrutable riddle with some deeply obscured hidden meaning.
2. The caster believes themselves to have the solution to any problem
presented to them.
3. The caster does the opposite of whatever they say they will do.
28. Onyx pendant wrought in the shape of a weeping face. To learn this Sorcery,
you must make the happiness of another your own.
Themes: egocentrism, trinket, expression
1. The caster becomes obsessed with making everyone they meet cry, and
tasting their tears.
2. The caster insists on carrying any and all valuables.
3. The caster’s tone conveys the opposite emotion to what they truly feel.

Graphic: A pendant made from onyx, with a small cord at the top. The pendant
has been engraved to look like a weeping face.

29. Long dead heart, withered and blackened. To learn this Sorcery, the heart
must be made to beat again.
Themes: revival, rejuvenation, animation
1. The caster plays dead at the faintest sign of hostility.
2. All corpses around the caster return to life.
3. All objects carried on the caster’s person animate and spring to life with a
will of their own.
30. Pair of marble snake eyes whose pupils move of their own accord. To learn
this Sorcery, you must convince one who hates you that you should be loved by
them above all else.
Themes: persuasion, manipulation, contempt
1. Everyone the caster meets will attempt to up-sell them.
2. All serpents immediately attack the caster on sight.
3. Any suggestions or ideas of the caster are dismissed out of hand.

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31. Old, plain music box that produces no sound. To learn this Sorcery, hear the
song it plays.
Themes: silence, melody, listening
1. No sound can be produced around the caster.
2. The caster is only able to comprehend language in the form of music.
3. The caster’s hearing becomes superhumanly attenuated; any but the most
minute of sounds overwhelms their senses.
32. Marionette doll, painted in intricate, lifelike detail. To learn this Sorcery, you
must convince someone, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that all they know to be
true is false, and all they know to be false is true.
Themes: replication, subversion, belief
1. An evil twin of the caster is summoned.
2. Strings emerge from the caster’s limbs, torso, and head. They cannot move
except by being puppeted through these strings.
3. The caster will stubbornly reject all commonly held beliefs, fabricating
elaborate conspiracies to explain otherwise simple occurrences.

Graphic: A marionette doll sits casually, strings coming from its hands and feet,
its eyes staring forward blankly, a jester hat on its head.

33. Card with blotches of ink that seem to be ever morphing. To learn this
Sorcery, you must convince someone that a thing which ought to be trusted by
them should rightfully be feared.
Themes: fluidity, doubt, cowardice
1. The caster dissolves into a puddle; they are still alive, and still able to speak,
but must be held in a container of some sort.
2. Any accusations brought against the caster are immediately believed, regard-
less of any evidence to the contrary.
3. The caster is filled with a heady bravado, and will charge headlong into any
danger without hesitation.
34. Brown sack stuffed with iridescent, gossamer wool. To learn this Sorcery,
awake without sleeping.
Themes: slumber, consciousness, meditation
1. The caster falls asleep at the most inopportune moments.
2. The caster believes themselves to have transcended mortal ego conscious-
ness, and become one with the cosmos.
3. The caster becomes unable to stand still.

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35. Silver stopwatch inscribed with swirling, fractal patterns, hanging on a chain.
To learn this Sorcery, you must kill a person in sight of their loved one, and not
have them notice.
Themes: ambiguity, confusion, hypnosis
1. The caster becomes unable to give a clear yes or no response to anything.
2. All in the vicinity of the caster who attempt to harm another end up instead
harming themselves.
3. The caster must obey any command given to them.

Graphic: A strange stopwatch, with a small chain attached to the top. Instead
of numbers, it has four runes, one each at the position where the 12, 3, 6, and 9
ought to be.

36. Iron bell carved with graven images and a stone hammer. To learn this
Sorcery, you must convince someone to do something they do not wish to do,
and have them believe that they did it of their own volition.
Themes: intent, purpose, narrative,
1. The caster refuses to take responsibility for any of their actions.
2. The caster becomes singularly obsessed with furthering a particular creed or
ethos.
3. The caster believes themselves to be the subject of any story told.
37. An old journal, written in your hand, which you do not remember writing,
describing events you don’t remember transpiring. To learn this Sorcery, you
must write your own name and not recognise it.
Themes: memory, archive, history,
1. Each morning after waking, the caster loses all memories of anything that
occurred after this Sorcery was cast.
2. The caster obsessively catalogues their every thought and action within a
journal.
3. The caster constantly invents ever changing, increasingly elaborate tragic
backstories for themselves, which they will recount to anyone they meet.
38. Small lotus wrought in gold, etched with ornate, microscopic calligraphy. To
learn this Sorcery, you must pass through a threshold while your body remains
in place.
Themes: threshold, passivity, motion,
1. The caster insists on being the first person to pass through all doors or
portals.
2. The caster never makes the first move; they will speak only when spoken to,
attack only when attacked.
3. The caster will only move when specifically told to.

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39. Hollow cylinder of clay, the inside of which is always blacker than night. To
learn this Sorcery, you must find that with which you have nothing in common.
Themes: emptiness, disparity, difference,
1. The caster refuses to carry anything other than the clothes on their back.
2. The caster encounters their doppelganger; everything the caster does is
scorned, while the same actions from their doppelganger receive adulation.
3. The caster becomes unable to agree with anyone.
40. Shimmering silken veil, through which kaleidoscopic patterns can be glimpsed.
To learn this Sorcery, you must find where nothing comes from.
Themes: void, origin, periphery
1. Anyone encountering the caster for the first time forgets the sequence of
events that led to them meeting the caster.
2. The caster’s face is replaced by a sphere of deep, unfathomable darkness.
3. Something begins stalking the caster, which can only be vaguely glimpsed
out of the corner of their eye; they don’t know what it is, but they do know
that it should absolutely not be looked at directly.
41. Ceremonial tea set, painted with the script of a foreign land. To learn this
Sorcery, tea must flow from the kettle to the cup, but the latter must remain
empty and the former full.
Themes: culture, tradition, artefact
1. The caster is unable to physically receive anything; whatever is handed to
them just ends up returning to where it came from.
2. The caster forgets all the languages they currently know, each of them being
replaced by new, random, exotic tongues.
3. The caster becomes paralyzed with awe at the sight of fine paintings, sculp-
tures, and other significant cultural works.
42. Heavy, wrought iron key-ring, though none of the keys on it have a bit. To
learn this Sorcery, you must open a door that no key can open.
Themes: entrance, forbiddance, security
1. Any door the caster passes through closes and locks itself shut.
2. The caster denies any request made of them.
3. The caster insists on giving anyone they meet an ocular patdown in order to
assess their danger level to the Company.

Graphic: An old iron keyring, covered in rust, with five keys attached to it. All of
the keys are broken off at the stem. None of them have any teeth.

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43. Simple spinning top, upon which dancing figures appear when spun. To learn
this Sorcery, for one day and one night, the top must always be spinning when
you look at it.
Themes: rotation, perpetuation, cycle
1. The caster ends every sentence by performing a pirouette.
2. Any Sorcery cast by the caster is cast again at the same time every day
thereafter.
3. The caster becomes unable to sleep at night, and unable to stay awake
during the day.
44. Pair of old spectacles with rusted rims and thick lenses. To learn this Sorcery,
you must see yourself as others see you.
Themes: clarification, association, relativism
1. The caster’s eyes fall out of their head; they can still see through them,
though they are incredibly sensitive, having no protection from the elements.
2. The caster insists on conducting extensive background checks on anyone
of whom they make acquaintance, interrogating them for any hint of past
wrongdoing, lest their character be tainted by association.
3. The caster loses all ability to make ethical judgements.
45. Plain golden ring, which yet compels anyone who sees it to wish to wear it.
To learn this Sorcery, you must hold in your hands the one thing that cannot be
stolen.
Themes: heist, hold, prize
1. Anyone who the caster has ever wronged immediately becomes aware of the
caster’s location.
2. The caster refuses to have their hands full.
3. The caster will never freely give another anything, insisting they must
succeed in some challenge of the caster’s devising in order to earn it.
46. Blood-stained, studded training muzzle. To learn this Sorcery, you must tear
into your own flesh and not draw blood.
Themes: potential, domestication, savagery
1. The caster refuses to eat any plant matter.
2. The caster will disobey any order given to them.
3. The caster ends every sentence by barking loudly.
47. Chained metal censer filled with heady, soporific incense. To learn this
Sorcery, you must sleep for a week without waking, and dream no dreams.
Themes: odour, intoxication, unconsciousness
1. The caster emits unbearably foul odours.
2. The caster will endeavour never to be sober.
3. The caster is beset by horrible nightmares each night, preventing restful
sleep.

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48. Cruelly thorned whip. To learn this Sorcery, you must remain awake for a
week, yet feel no exhaustion.
Themes: torture, resilience, limit
1. The caster feels unbearably sinful, and seeks always to find new arbiters of
their punishment.
2. The caster refuses to receive any healing or medical attention.
3. The caster firmly believes that “just one more can’t hurt”.
49. The small taxidermied corpse of several animals, stitched variously together
into a grotesque chimaera. To learn this Sorcery, you must hunt yourself, and
be both predator and prey.
Themes: survival, adaptation, predation
1. The caster becomes violently, uncontrollably angry upon viewing their own
reflection.
2. The caster hoards all their food, refusing to share it with others.
3. The caster becomes obsessed with surpassing the limitations of their mortal
form.
50. Clay effigy, featureless, yet still bearing an uncanny resemblance to you. To
learn this Sorcery, stop the beating of your heart while you yet live.
Themes: representation, fortitude, vitality
1. The next time the caster sleeps, a clone of the caster is created. Both insist
that they are the original.
2. The caster loses the ability to feel pain.
3. The caster believes resolutely that they are immune to illness and disease.
51. Gavel, once belonging to an esteemed judge. To learn this Sorcery, you must
commit a crime yet break no law.
Themes: authority, judgement, corruption
1. The caster believes utterly in absolute notions of right and wrong.
2. The caster will dole out punishment to anyone they judge guilty of wrong-
doing.
3. The caster will always accept a bribe, no matter how small.
52. Broken noose soaked with blood and sweat. To learn this Sorcery, certain
doom must be averted without your knowledge.
Themes: escape, fate, crime
1. A metal box forms around the caster. There are air holes, but no opening.
2. The caster receives a vision of their own death.
3. The caster believes that all they find unpleasant is in abrogation of the law;
they will cite obscure, impossible, or fictitious legal clauses to justify their
case, and will pursue legal action whenever possible.

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53. Pair of pristine boots, fashioned with the insignia of a wing. To learn this
Sorcery, deliver a message from one world to another.
Themes: celerity, delivery, contact
1. The caster’s presence bodes ill for travel; at sea the winds are always against
them, on land wagon wheels and mount’s legs often break.
2. The caster receives mysterious and unpleasant deliveries at unpleasant
times: boxes of manure at a royal banquet, evidence of guilt while standing
trial, and so on.
3. The caster’s thoughts become entangled with a random person’s somewhere
else in the world; neither of them are aware of what is happening.
54. Pouch of medicinal herbs, pungent beyond belief. To learn this Sorcery, you
must cure an incurable disease.
Themes: benevolence, medicine, dosage
1. The caster is unable to refuse a request for aid, no matter how extravagant
or inconvenient.
2. The caster develops an allergy to all but the most exotic of medicines.
3. The caster becomes unable to distinguish between different measurements
and volumes; a quart and a gallon may as well be the same.
55. Diary which records your desires and temptations as they arise. To learn this
Sorcery, give in to your deepest, most heinous desire.
Themes: record, temptation, repugnance
1. Anyone in the vicinity of the caster can hear their inner monologue.
2. The caster becomes unable to resist the temptations of their appetites.
3. The caster’s visage becomes unbearably repulsive to those they admire, and
impossibly beautiful to those they disdain.
56. Bronze shield, chipped, worn, and scratched. To learn this Sorcery, you must
protect another from harm while suffering none yourself.
Themes: armour, protection, integrity
1. The caster refuses to wear any armour or other protective gear of any sort.
2. The caster will always place themselves between their allies and harm’s way.
3. The caster will always sell someone out or go back on their word at the first
available opportunity.
57. Toolkit with a single iron nail inside. To learn this Sorcery, solve a problem,
but be the nail, not the hammer.
Themes: fortification, repair, construction
1. The caster believes that any mechanical malfunction can be resolved with
percussive maintenance.
2. The caster refuses to use any items which they did not hand-craft them-
selves.
3. The caster will always outfit themselves in the heaviest armour available to
them.

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 Graphic: A small shallow chest, the lid open, empty of contents. Above it a sin-
gle iron nail hovers in the air, lines of magic radiating out from the head.

58. Abacus missing half its beads. To learn this Sorcery, you must split something
in two while keeping it intact.
Themes: reduction, multiplication, calculation
1. The caster insists on carrying coinage only in the lowest denominations
possible.
2. The caster becomes obsessed with growing their financial portfolio, and
will readily agree to any investment opportunities or other get-rich quick
schemes.
3. Any calculation the caster performs results in wrong answers; they are,
however, entirely convinced of their accuracy.
59. An autograph on a card, ripped in half. To learn this Sorcery, you must meet
the person whom you admire most and see them as they truly are.
Themes: signature, disappointment, division
1. The caster becomes unceasingly cruel to any who admire them.
2. The caster refuses to speak to anyone they deem to be of a lower social
status.
3. The caster seeks to rupture the bonds of close friends and lovers.
60. Crumpled paper crown. To learn this Sorcery, force someone into another
world.
Themes: banishment, position, expulsion
1. The caster becomes convinced they are the rightful monarch of the land,
wrongly deposed, and desires their crown back at all costs.
2. The caster insists on being at the front of the Company at all times.
3. The caster receives a letter from wherever they learned the Sorcerous arts,
which disavows them as an illiterate fool and a turner of cheap tricks, and
forthwith strips them of any ranks, honours, or titles they may hold.
61. Exquisitely preserved finger, sliced cleanly. To learn this Sorcery, subvert the
terms of an unbreakable oath.
Themes: pact, willpower, malice
1. The caster’s fingers all fall off.
2. The caster must swear themselves to the service of the next person they
meet.
3. The caster swears undying vengeance on any who show them kindness.

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62. Surgical scalpel with a handle of white bone, upon which is engraved a horse
with open sores. To learn this Sorcery, the healthy must be made sick.
Themes: pestilence, desperation, frailty
1. The caster becomes the carrier of an incredibly dangerous disease, which
does not affect them at all, but is incredibly contagious.
2. The caster’s skin becomes paper, their bones glass.
3. The First Horseman is loosed upon the world.
63. Broken off piece of a mural, its origins unknown. To learn this Sorcery, return
what was lost to its rightful place.
Themes: completion, separation, origin
1. The next image the caster sees comes to life, its subjects emerging into the
real world.
2. The caster splits down the middle into two halves; they are unharmed, but
the halves must be controlled separately.
3. The next person the caster encounters claims they were grievously wronged
by the caster, and demands restitution to be made whole.
64. Unfertilised phoenix egg. To learn this Sorcery, create life from death.
Themes: fertility, reincarnation, gestation
1. A newborn infant is summoned and the caster charged with its care; if the
baby dies, the caster dies.
2. The caster’s head splits open, out of which emerges the caster reborn again
as an infant; it retains all its knowledge and is able to speak, but in all other
ways has the capabilities of a newborn.
3. An angry Phoenix descends from the sky, seeking the return of its egg.
65. Vial of perfume in the shape of a goat’s head. To learn this Sorcery, you must
convince one who is chaste to indulge in the pleasures of the flesh.
Themes: lust, chastity, obscenity
1. The caster will attempt relentlessly to court an enemy’s hand in marriage.
2. The caster becomes mortified at the prospect of wearing clothing that reveals
any amount of skin.
3. The caster’s diction becomes unspeakably obscene.
66. Wineskin, upon which is stitched the image of a swine. To learn this Sorcery,
you must induce one who is moderate to excess.
Themes: gluttony, temperance, inebriation
1. The caster refuses all food and drink.
2. The caster becomes unable to use or consume just ‘one’ of anything.
3. Any future Sorceries cast by the caster, in addition to their other effects,
summon a swine of random size and temperament.

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67. Blood-red wax seal stamp depicting a galloping horse amid a battlefield. To
learn this Sorcery, the friendly must be made to war.
Themes: war, provocation, injury
1. The caster becomes a committed pacifist, averse to any and all forms of
violence.
2. The caster refuses to acknowledge the severity of any injury they may
receive.
3. The Second Horseman is loosed upon the world.
68. Small porcelain figurine, broken in two and clumsily repaired. To learn this
Sorcery, make right the earliest wrong you ever committed.
Themes: youth, redemption, forgiveness
1. The caster believes themselves to be the oldest being in existence, and will
claim to have first-hand memory of any and all historic events.
2. No apology of the caster’s is ever accepted.
3. The caster believes themselves to have been gravely wronged by a random
Company member.
69. Set of dice carved from the bones of a once infamous gambler. To learn this
Sorcery, roll the dice and have the same number come up six times in a row.
Themes: luck, probability, gamble
1. The caster is ever doomed to ultimately lose at games of chance; if money
is on the line, they will often start strong before falling into a string of disas-
trous losses.
2. The caster’s estimation of how likely something is to occur is inversely
proportional to its actual probability.
3. The caster is unable to turn down any opportunity to gamble.
70. Bracelet in the shape of a snake devouring its tail. To learn this Sorcery, effect
must precede cause.
Themes: causality, consequence, inevitability
1. Upon completing a task, the caster loses all recollection of their motivation
for doing so.
2. Anyone who finds themselves telling the caster of their woes will find them-
selves receiving a sanctimonious lecture about how “you have no one to
blame for your problems but yourself!”
3. The caster becomes convinced that their death is imminent, and becomes
utterly resigned to this fate.

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71. Small portrait of a woman who you recognise as your mother, who died in
your birth. To learn this Sorcery, you must give your life to another.
Themes: birth, shame, guilt
1. A child appears, who follows the caster wherever they go; it does not speak,
nor do anything but simply watch the caster. If it dies, it reappears the
following morning. It appears to all who witness it as a child version of them-
selves.
2. The caster apologises at every possible moment, constantly and profusely.
3. The ghosts of those the caster has killed haunt them, following them around
and generally making life as inconvenient as possible.
72. Blackened cook pot with an etching of a horse amid a field of withered crops.
To learn this Sorcery, the full must be made to starve.
Themes: famine, cruelty, deprivation
1. All food the caster consumes turns to ash in their mouth.
2. The caster enjoys the suffering of others much too obviously.
3. The Third Horseman is loosed upon the world.
73. Jade figurine of a gaunt, skeletal horse. To learn this Sorcery, that which is
dead must be made to die.
Themes: death, overthrow, mortality
1. The caster begins to decompose while still alive.
2. The caster seeks to incite violent revolution wherever they go.
3. The Fourth Horseman is loosed upon the world.

Graphic: A figurine of a gaunt skeletal horse, mounted on a stand, lifting one

forehoof as if cantering forward.

74. Yellow arrow with blood-flecked, ragged fletching. To learn this Sorcery, you
must stand in an arrow’s path and not be struck.
Themes: hostility, recklessness, dedication
1. The caster’s worst enemy falls madly in love with them.
2. The caster feels compelled to perform increasingly dangerous stunts.
3. A nearby person or animal becomes completely codependent on the caster,
refusing ever to leave them alone, constantly asking them how they feel, etc.
75. Plush, velvet pillow, embroidered with the sigil of a snail. To learn this
Sorcery, you must convince one who is diligent to shirk their duties and obliga-
tions.
Themes: sloth, diligence, rest
1. The caster will procrastinate doing any task till the last possible moment.
2. The caster becomes unable to sleep.
3. The caster refuses to accept aid from anyone, insisting on doing everything
all by themselves.

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 Graphic: A comfortable looking pillow made from velvet with tassels hanging
from each of the four corners. Embroidered in the center of the pillow is a snail,
its body stark white against the pillow’s black.

76. Deck of well-worn cards, whose backs are decorated with unusual patterns. To
learn this Sorcery, lightning must strike twice.
Themes: chance, play, serendipity
1. Probability is reversed around the caster.
2. The caster becomes unable to win any games or contests.
3. The caster is beset by constant, small, unfortunate coincidences.
77. Glittering golden coin, embossed with the figure of a toad. To learn this
Sorcery, you must convince a person of charitable heart to hoard their wealth.
Themes: greed, charity, property
1. Everyone in the vicinity of the caster refuses to give money to anyone else.
2. Everyone in the vicinity of the caster refuses to take money from anyone
else.
3. The caster becomes unable to have any worldly possessions.

Graphic: A roughly shaped coin stamped with the head of a toad. Its eyes are
half-lidded and it has a small crown on its head. Its lips are parted to reveal hu-
man teeth, clutching a cirgar stub at the side of its mouth. Underneath the head
are the words “greed”.

78. Simple wood plane with an oddly rough and bumpy finish. To learn this
Sorcery, you must undo the creation of which you are proudest.
Themes: creation, texture, destruction
1. The caster is compelled to destroy any intricate, delicate, precarious
constructions: houses of cards, sand castles, and other such.
2. The caster loses all sense of touch.
3. The caster will attempt to fix any broken object they come across, not
stopping until the item is repaired.
79. Set of undergarments of an erotic and exotic cast. To learn this Sorcery, you
must create desire between those who feel for each other only loathing.
Themes: passion, diplomacy, power
1. The caster falls madly in love with a new soulmate every month.
2. The caster will attempt to stoke the enmities of any who seem as though
they are making inroads to peace.
3. The caster hoards incriminating evidence with which to blackmail people.

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80. Red brick clung to by ancient mortar. To learn this Sorcery, you must replace
the foundation without collapsing the structure.
Themes: architecture, support, decay
1. The caster refuses to enter any non-ruined building.
2. The caster cannot stand still without falling over.
3. The caster ages one year each day.
81. Writ of recall for a long exiled scholar. To learn this Sorcery, you must
abandon the one dearest to you.
Themes: learning, loss, irony
1. Any mail or messages intended for the caster are forever waylaid, never to
be received.
2. Any object set down or dropped out of sight of the caster is immediately and
irrevocably lost, seemingly vanishing from existence.
3. The caster takes everything that is said literally.
82. Brittle bird’s nest, filled with broken, bloodstained eggs. To learn this Sorcery,
you must nurse a living creature from infancy to maturity, and then consume it.
Themes: home, empathy, hunger
1. All children near the caster turn on and consume their parents.
2. The caster feels the pain of all nearby creatures as their own.
3. The caster becomes insatiably hungry; the more they consume, the more
emaciated they become.
83. Mummified cat’s paw, which when held seems to emit a low, contended purr.
To learn this Sorcery, one must poison themselves, in order to witness the vast
unseen oneiric vistas that lay unexplored within one’s own mind.
Themes: toxin, psyche, affection
1. All cats immediately attack the caster on sight.
2. The caster reverts to the mindset of a toddler.
3. The caster becomes unable to be loved.

Graphic: A hooded figure, their mouth covered with a scarf, holding up a mum-
mified cat’s paw in a tight grip. Their eyes are wide and locked on the paw.
Scratches cover their exposed skin.

84. Fragmented pane of a stained glass window. To learn this Sorcery, you must
see the truth unmediated.
Themes: shatter, sight, distortion
1. Any piece of glass near the caster shatters into tiny pieces.
2. The caster sees everything in delirious, disorienting, microscopic detail.
3. Everything close to the caster appears incredibly small, and everything far
away incredibly large.

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85. Old and heavy chisel; its weight fills you with grave responsibility. To learn
this Sorcery, you must free someone who did not know they were shackled.
Themes: leverage, rebellion, resistance
1. The caster always trips when attempting to walk.
2. No one will ever take orders or instructions from the caster.
3. The character becomes the most publicly hated person; their conduct is
blamed for all manner of social ills.
86. Time-worn painted scroll depicting an unknown mountain range. To learn this
Sorcery, you must return home to a place you have never been.
Themes: exploration, discovery, Alignment
1. The caster will always wander away if left unattended.
2. The caster insists that everything they encounter has been discovered by
them, regardless if someone else found it first.
3. The caster’s Alignment inverts.
87. Ancient and moth-worn burial shroud. To learn this Sorcery, you must mourn
one who no one knows is lost.
Themes: ritual, compassion, community
1. The caster throws themselves into any ditch or hole they encounter.
2. The caster becomes incredibly self-interested.
3. The caster insists, at every opportunity, on splitting the Company.
88. Slimy, stinking ooze of unknown origin. To learn this Sorcery, you must cure
the rot at the head of the fish.
Themes: correction, purification, mystery
1. The caster is compelled to explain and demonstrate to everyone the proper
way something ought to be done, even if that person is performing the action
correctly.
2. All food and water near the caster rots.
3. The caster refuses to answer any questions, instead giving only a knowing
smirk.
89. Crown of dirty, woven grass. To learn this Sorcery, you must save the life of
another without them ever knowing.
Themes: recognition, honour, resourcefulness
1. The caster will attempt to take credit for anything whenever possible.
2. The caster becomes prone to offence, and will challenge those who have
caused them offence to a face-off, given the chance.
3. The caster compulsively maintains a list of everyone they believe owes them
a favour of some sort.

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90. Ancient misogynistic screed written on flaking parchment. To learn this
Sorcery, find someone who, upon reading it, heartily agrees with the sentiments
expressed. Then kill them.
Themes: foolishness, reprisal, gender
1. The caster’s every action is accompanied by comedic sound effects, though
the source can never be found.
2. Whenever the caster has been attacked in any way (verbally, physically,
magically), they must respond in kind via the same means.
3. Everyone perceives the caster to be a gender they are not.
91. The sun-baked, shed skin of a great serpent. To learn this Sorcery, Ouroboros
must eat its head.
Themes: secrets, growth, heat
1. The caster becomes incapable of revealing any information about themselves.
2. The caster grows one foot each Downtime Turn.
3. The caster is only ever too hot or too cold, never just right.
92. Pouch of powdery, rose red soil, taken from a grave that was disturbed from
below. To learn this Sorcery, you must carry a grain of sand on your fingertip
for a week entire.
Themes: dirt, focus, rebirth
1. The caster becomes anxious unless they are buried at least waist deep, pref-
erably neck deep.
2. The caster loses the ability to concentrate on something for more than a few
minutes at a time.
3. The caster begins ageing in reverse.
93. Sweat-stained rags of an impoverished giant. To learn this Sorcery, one must
dull themselves to the beauties of the world, and feel no joy or pleasure for a
cycle of the moon.
Themes: denial, filth, depression
1. Any recreation the caster engages in brings them only irritation and misery.
2. The caster will ever after refuse to bathe.
3. The caster becomes irritatingly chipper at all times, especially those in whom
it is most inappropriate.
94. Broken sword whose pommel is fashioned in the shape of a lion’s head. To
learn this Sorcery, you must convince someone with no hate in their heart to kill
one whom they despise.
Themes: wrath, patience, violence
1. The caster is surrounded by a whirling typhoon of blades.
2. The caster becomes overly patient, drifting into apathy, frequently forgetting
to pursue their desires at all.
3. The caster develops a strong preference to solve every problem they
encounter with a bare knuckle brawl if at all feasible.

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 Graphic: A broken sword, the blade snapped off to a quarter of its regular length,
the blade pocked and chipped. The hilt is a lion’s head, the blade emerging from
its open maw. Two long horns, one from the top of the lion’s head and the other
from the bottom, form the crossguard. The hilt is gripped by a thick spiraling
coil.

95. Book of epic poetry whose every line was plagiarised, the spine of which
depicts a sinuous snake. To learn this Sorcery, you must convince one who is
content with their lot in life to take what rightfully belongs to another.
Themes: envy, gratitude, theft
1. The caster turns a sickly shade of neon green; this colouration extends to
anything they wear or hold.
2. The caster is compelled to give gifts of great value to anyone who is kind to
them.
3. The caster is compelled to steal small items of great sentimental value.
96. Elaborate and ornate doublet, which greatly restricts one’s movement,
adorned with the feathers of a peacock. To learn this Sorcery, you must
convince someone of humble nature to deem themselves superior to all.
Themes: pride, humility, hubris
1. Whenever the caster speaks they must find some way to boast.
2. The caster must have their companion’s unanimous approval for any action
they take.
3. The caster goes out of their way to make a foe out of priests, holy persons,
angels, or gods they encounter.
97. Ancient scroll, yellowed and flaking. To learn this Sorcery, you must know
what it is you must never know.
Themes: prudence, reason, discernment
1. The caster’s judgement of the danger of a situation is inversely proportional
to how dangerous the situation actually is.
2. The caster will accuse anyone who disagrees with them of being over-emo-
tional, as opposed to the caster, who argues only with perfect “facts and
logic”.
3. The caster insists on making all the decisions for the Company, down to
exacting, micromanaging detail.

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98. Battered and oft-repaired wheel. To learn this Sorcery, you must resist that
which is irresistible.
Themes: temperance, appetites, production
1. The caster refuses to consume any alcohol or other intoxicants, and will
make a great show of their denial.
2. The caster becomes incredibly snobbish regarding what items are fit for their
consumption.
3. The caster becomes incapable of abandoning any long term goal until it is
completed, even those which seem destined for failure.
99. Ancient and primitive club. To learn this Sorcery, you must endure that which
is unendurable.
Themes: fortitude, courage, defence
1. The caster develops an uncontrollable craving for consuming poisons.
2. Creatures that meet the caster have an intense desire to try and frighten
them.
3. The caster turns into a solid cast iron statue whenever they are threatened.

Graphic: A cloaked and hooded figure cast in iron, their face locked in an ex-
pression of profound, close-eyed exhaustion. They grip a wood club in both
hands. The club is unsanded and raw, appearing fresh cut from the tree.

100. Copper balance and scales, burnished to a brilliant gleam. To learn this
Sorcery, you must find what is fair in that which is unfair.
Themes: justice, proportionality, impartiality
1. The caster believes altruism to be fundamentally unjust, and that the inflic-
tion of suffering on others is the only way to beget true fairness in the world.
2. The caster’s head grows three times larger.
3. The caster’s solution to any disagreement is to cut the baby in half, so to
speak.

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 Covenants & Miracles
Performing Miracles
The Zealot does not have a set list of spells they can perform, as in some other
games. Rather, they pledge themselves to a Covenant, which may be the cult of a
deity or even a philosophy or ideology to which they are entirely devoted.

Every Covenant has three or four eminences: subjects or concepts with which they
are associated and over which they hold power. The Covenant of a sun god, for
example, may have eminences in light, fire, and growth.

The Zealot can at any time attempt to perform a Miracle, a supernatural acts that
is related to their Covenant’s eminences. They may, for example, make the light of
their lantern shine brightly enough to blind an enemy, or a tree to grow taller so
they can climb to a high spot.

To perform a Miracle, The Zealot rolls a D6 plus an additional D6 for each Relic to
which they are attuned, and sum the result. High rolls indicate success, while low
rolls presage failure, doom, or even death.

Miracles are broken down into five power levels known as doctrines. The more
powerful the Miracle, the higher the doctrine, the higher the roll needed for
success.

When The Zealot describes a Miracle they wish to perform, the Guide will determine
what doctrine under which it falls. Each doctrine lists examples of Miracles that fit
into their power level.

Favour can be used to increase the result of a Miracle roll. By performing actions
that please their Covenant, The Zealot may permanently increase their amount of
Favour. The Zealot is free to argue their case around whether an action ought to
award increased Favour, but the final decision, as always, rests with the Guide.

The Zealot can also attempt to heal their allies by performing beneficence, a
specific kind of Miracle that allows them to heal their allies.

The Zealot also receives two blessings specific to their Covenant — special abilities
which they can use at will.

The full extent of these blessings, as well as the full rules for performing Miracles
and beneficence, are delineated in the testament of their Covenant. One such
testament follows.

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The Guide may wish to have some Covenants prepared for their players to select
from, or they may allow players to create their own Covenants. For the latter
option, there is no need to do this before a session and to have a full testament
created; simply have the player list the eminences of their Covenant, which should
suffice for a session of play, and write up the testament afterwards between
sessions.

Graphic: A kneeling zealot grins with unrestrained glee even as they undergo
a horrific transformation. They hold their hand aloft as it becomes a cluster of
snakes. Snakes emerge also from their pants, and one of their eye sockets. The
zealot wears tattered, patched clothing, and three holy symbols hang around
their neck: a chicken, a snake, and a bolt of lightning. Their other hand holds
a dead chicken, still bleeding. Broken eggs are scattered at the zealot’s feet. A
happy little frog leaps through the scene.

Testament of The Blessèd Mother

You have made Covenant with the Blessèd Mother, She Whose Body Was Stolen,
Goddess Eminent of Generation, Vision, Time, and Sorrow.

Blessings

The blessings of the Blessèd Mother grant you special abilities, which you can
perform at will.

• Unceasing Sorrow - you connect empathically with an ally, sharing their pain.
When either of you take damage, you may divide it between the two of you in
any way you wish.
• Eremitic Eyes - upon observing a subject for a few minutes you can determine,
in a general fashion, the cause of their suffering.

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 Doctrines

Your Covenant grants you the power to perform Miracles, supernatural acts related
to the eminences of your Covenant.

When you wish to do so, roll a D6, plus an additional D6 for each Relic to which you
are attuned. The amount you must roll depends on which doctrine under which the
Miracle falls.

A doctrine is a heuristic for the strength of a Miracle; each lists examples of

Miracles that fall under their purview. The higher the doctrine a Miracle falls under,
the higher the amount you must roll.

Before rolling, you may choose to offer any amount of Favour and increase your roll
by that amount.

Graphic: A four-armed humanoid deity—at once skeletal, insectoid, and arbore-

al—stands hip-deep in the sea and wreathed by a glowing halo against a twilight
sky. Her mask-like face is frozen in an imperious gaze: head tilted downward and
over the right shoulder as if to address a wayward child; lips curved in a delicate
frown; two white eyes without iris or pupil joined by a third oriented vertically in
the center of the forehead, its lids peeled back in a gaping stare. Spiky branch-
like growths shoot up from her neck and upper back in sharp curves and angles,
while a pair of bony arms sprouts from each shoulder socket, the innermost set
bearing wicked spikes at the elbow. Herr chest has no skin, revealing a cavity
filled with tangled veins or vines which gradually recede behind a trunk-like ab-
domen half-hidden in shadow.

There are four possible results of a Miracle roll:

• Boon - your Miracle is successful.

• Pact - you must agree to form a pact with your Covenant in order for the Miracle
to be successful. This may require a sacrifice, offerings, completion of a task, or
some other undertaking commensurate to the power of the Miracle performed.
While you are bound to a pact with your Covenant, you may not form another
pact.
• Woe - your Miracle is unsuccessful. Something has gone awry. Very awry. The
Guide will roll upon the table of woe.
• Apotheosis - your Miracle is unsuccessful. Your body erupts, giving birth to a
physical manifestation of your Covenant; an avatar of a deity or belief otherwise
made manifest. You are dead.

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 Graphic: A smiling cultist in a hooded robe holds a burning skull aloft in one
hand, and a match in the other. The match, the cultist’s own head, and the skull
form a vertical line in what is presumably a ritual posture. The cultist wears a
toque around their neck, a chain at their wrist, and a tattered stole marked with
strange runes.

The First Doctrine

D6+D6 Per Relic Miracle

10+ Boon
7-9 Pact
4-6 Woe
1-3 Apotheosis

Miracles in the manner of communication with flora and herbivores, the seeing of
great distances, and sympathy.

The Second Doctrine

D6+D6 Per Relic Miracle

11+ Boon
8-10 Pact
4-7 Woe
1-3 Apotheosis

Miracles in the manner of fertility and fecundity, growth and decay, the evocation of
sorrow, and invoking minor aspects of the Blessèd Mother.

The Third Doctrine

D6+D6 Per Relic Miracle

16+ Boon
12-15 Pact
5-11 Woe
1-4 Apotheosis

Miracles in the manner of the resurrection of those recently fallen, true sight, and
the bestowal of a major aspect of Blessèd Mother.

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 The Fourth Doctrine

D6+D6 Per Relic Miracle

17+ Boon
13-16 Pact
5-12 Woe
1-4 Apotheosis

Miracles in the manner of true resurrection, manipulation of time, and the complete
alteration of personality.

The Fifth Doctrine

D6+D6 Per Relic Miracle

20+ Boon
15-19 Pact
6-14 Woe
1-5 Apotheosis

Miracles in the manner of summoning a divine agent of the Blessèd Mother, time
travel.

Graphic: A topless woman wearing a crown and a grimace plays an instrument

very similar to a violin. Her hands appear to have fused with the instrument. The
bow sprouts directly from the wrist of one arm, while the strings of the instru-
ment are attached to the remains of fingers on her other hand.

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Beneficence - Your Covenant blesses you with the power of beneficence, allowing
you to heal injuries and cure ailments. When you wish to do so, roll a D6 plus an
additional D6 for each Relic to which you are attuned.

Before rolling, you may choose to offer any amount of Favour and increase your roll
by that amount.

There are four possible results of a beneficence roll:

• Boon - your beneficence is successful.

• Mark - your Covenant’s influence manifests as a mutation or phantasm attached
to the target. The mark lasts until the end of the next Downtime Turn. If you
used Favour for the roll the mark is permanent. You cannot perform beneficence
on one marked by your Covenant.
• Woe - something has gone awry. Very awry. The Guide will roll upon the table of
woe.
• Apotheosis - the target’s body erupts, giving birth to a physical manifestation
of your Covenant; an avatar of a deity, or belief otherwise made manifest. They
are dead.

You heal a number of HP equal to the amount rolled, regardless of the result of the
roll.

You may reduce the amount healed by 10 in order to cure a Status. You may reduce
the amount healed by 20 in order to cure a wound.

Those who are enemies of your Covenant ought not to receive beneficence, for fear
of retribution.

D6+D6 Per Relic Beneficence

10+ Boon
7-9 Mark
4-6 Woe
1-3 Apotheosis

109
 Gaining favour

By performing tasks that please your Covenant or further their goals, you may
permanently increase your amount of Favour. Your Favour only increases the first
time a given task is performed. The completion of a pact cannot increase Favour.
Some examples follow:

1 Favour

• Convert, through your word directly, a follower to your cult.

• Make pilgrimage to the Beach of the Blessèd Mother.
• Solve the plight of a stranger.

5 Favour

• Give birth to new life.

• The founding of a new temple or place of worship
• Uncover great deception for all to see.

15 Favour

• Alter the course of history.

• Bring endless misery upon the Carrion Queen.

Favour eternal

• Restore the Blessèd Mother’s body to her.

Table of Woe
If the result of a Miracle roll is woe, the Guide will roll on the table of woe for the
Covenant. Tables of woe should not be included in the testament for a Covenant,
but the Guide should have them on hand.

The target of a woe is The Zealot if the woe was the result of a regular Miracle, or
the recipient of beneficence if the woe was the result of a beneficence.

If no stated duration is given, a woe lasts until the end of the next Downtime Turn.
If Favour was used for the roll the effect is permanent.

An example table of woe for the Blessèd Mother follows, as well as a template table
of woe; if the Guide does not wish to devise individualised tables of woe for each
Covenant, they may simply use the template table and decide on the specifics as
needed.

110
 Table of Woe – The Blessèd Mother

1. Small thorns grow out of the target’s skin, inflicting D4 damage.

2. Target begins weeping uncontrollably
3. Vines begin to grow from the injury, and the target cannot recover HP until
the vines flower in 2D8 hours or are destroyed. If the vines flower, they will
naturally fall away, the target will be healed of all ailments, and may make a
one-time appeal to the Blessèd Mother. If they are intentionally destroyed, the
vines will attack whomever is responsible.
4. An eye opens on target’s forehead. It is able to see the presence of magic.
5. For the next day, target experiences every moment twice. All damage dealt and
received is doubled.
6. Target becomes unable to tell lies but can also sense when others are lying.
7. Incisions appear all over target’s body, and pieces of their flesh are cut away.
They take D6 damage.
8. Every month, target will be afflicted with a painful rash. To rid themselves of it,
they must lay and cover themselves in soil, as flowers grow and blossom from
their skin.
9. The target ages D6 years.
10. The skin and flesh of target’s random limb sloughs off, leaving only bone
behind.
11. Target is blinded for the next hour but becomes able to sense the emotions of
others.
12. Target becomes unable to speak until they listen to the plight of D20
strangers.
13. Half of the flesh on target’s body falls away. Target must make a phys Saving
Throw or have their phys halved permanently.
14. Target’s bones permanently turn into roots, their flesh into tendrils of vine,
creepers, and variegated flora sprouting from their body.
15. Target grows a single horn from the middle of their forehead. Anyone who
grasps onto it can commune telepathically with target.

111
16. Target’s left eye sees 10 seconds into the future, and target’s right eye sees
10 seconds into the past.
17. All within 30 feet of the target must make a pres Saving Throw or be
assaulted with the weight of all the world’s sorrow, permanently losing 1D4
points of pres.
18. Target begins to grow musty hair in patches over their body, and two bony
nubs can be felt on their skull. Each day after the beneficence, target must
make a phys Saving Throw. If the target successfully makes three Saving
Throws in a row, the effect ends. If they fail three times in a row, they are
turned into a black goat with a third eye upon their forehead.
19. The next time the target sleeps they must make a pres Saving Throw. If they
fail, as they sleep, crows will gather around their body and pick at their flesh till
only a skeleton remains, killing them instantly.
20. Target feels something writhing under their flesh. They must make a pres
Saving Throw. If they fail, their body is consumed by wriggling maggots that
burst from their skin, killing them instantly.

Graphic: A humanoid figure with a bird’s skull head stands in front of a full moon,
resting a flaming long sword over their shoulder. With their other hand they ca-
ress the neck of a nondescript figure sitting on their knees and leaning against
the standing person’s thigh. There is a mask on the ground between them. The
night sky is very starry. The surrounding terrain is a mountainous desert.

112
 Table of Woe – Template

1. Target takes damage.

2. Target is subject to an ongoing debilitation.
3. Target is subject to an ongoing effect or alteration.
4. Target is subject to a permanent effect or alteration.
5. Target is subject to an ongoing debilitation.
6. Target is subject to a permanent effect or alteration.
7. Target takes damage.
8. Target is subject to a permanent effect or alteration.
9. Target takes damage.
10. Target is subject to a permanent effect or alteration.
11. Target is subject to an ongoing effect or alteration.
12. Target is subject to a permanent effect or alteration until they perform a task
to remove it.
13. Target is subject to detrimental alteration, such as loss of HP or attributes.
14. Target is subject to a major permanent effect or alteration.
15. Target is subject to a permanent effect or alteration.
16. Target is subject to a permanent effect or alteration.
17. Effect that everyone within 30 feet of the target must make a Saving Throw
against.
18. Target is subject to a progressing condition.
19. Target will die later unless specific action is taken or pres Saving Throw is
successful.
20. Target must make a pres Saving Throw or die.

113
 Travel Turns
Travel Turn Actions
During Travel Turns, the Company generally acts as a group, and can take one
action per Travel Turn. Some common actions and their procedures follow.

Graphic: The silhouette of a boot with the heel coming up off the ground sur-
rounded by a hexagonal border.

• Peregrinate - the Company moves from one location on the map (e.g. a hex or
a point) to another. The pathfinder makes a navigation Check to avoid getting
lost.

Graphic: The silhouette of three pine trees surrounded by a hexagonal border.

• Explore - the Company reconnoiters the location they are in, finding any
relevant points of interest. If they are searching for a specific location that they
have not visited before, the pathfinder makes a navigation Check to determine
whether or not they find it.

Graphic: A stylized compass rose surrounded by a hexagonal border.

• Orient - the DV of the next navigation Check is reduced by 4.

Graphic: The silhouette of a hand reaching down to pick a plant from the ground
surrounded by a hexagonal border.

• Forage - each Errant may make a navigation Check. If they are successful, they
gain 2 Supply.

114
 Graphic: A pitched tent next to a small fire surrounded by a hexagonal border.

• Make camp - the pathfinder makes a navigation Check to find a suitable

campsite or resting point. On the Turn when the Company makes camp, indi-
vidual Errants may also choose to either take watch or sleep.

Graphic: The silhouette of a cloaked figure standing watching surrounded by a

hexagonal border.

• Take watch - characters may keep lookout if others sleep. If one character keeps
watch for an entire Travel Turn, they gain a point of Exhaustion. However, if two
characters keep watch, no Exhaustion is incurred. If no characters keep watch,
then all Event Die rolls of 5 (encounter sign) are instead treated as rolls of 1
(encounter).

Graphic: A figure in the dark laying down asleep surrounded by a hex border.

• Sleep - Errants who spend two full Travel Turns sleeping gain the effects of a full
night’s Rest.

Day & Night

If using the standard scale for Travel Turns, there are six Travel Turns in a full,
twenty-four hour day. Errants can generally only peregrinate for four Travel Turns a
day before night falls and they need to make camp (though the Guide may wish to
adjust this depending on the season). Peregrinating for more than four Travel Turns
a day causes each character in the Company to gain 1 point of Exhaustion per extra
Travel Turn.

The Guide should note the effect of night-time for the purposes of making naviga-
tion Checks (see the Pace table on p. 117) and also for what sorts of encounters
the Errants are likely to run into; different, perhaps more dangerous creatures are
more at home in the moonlight than the safe, revealing light of day.

115
 Navigation & Getting Lost
To find oneself oft astray is the lot of an Errant. Most actions during Travel Turns
that involve orienteering or pathfinding of some kind require a navigation Check.
A navigation Check is generally a skill Check, though some other Attribute may be
used if the Guide deems it appropriate.

Unlike other Checks, the DV of a navigation Check made to determine whether the
Company gets lost is kept secret from the Errant making the Check, and the Guide
will not inform them whether they succeed or fail: though they may sometimes
know they have lost their way, other times they will be ignorant of their wayward-
ness.

When peregrinating, if the Company fails a navigation Check, they are lost. The
Guide may roll a D6 to determine what direction they end up moving instead of
their intended direction, a roll of 1 means they move north, a roll of 2 indicates
north-east, 3 indicates south-east, and so on (corresponding to the faces of a hex).

The DV of a navigation Check is modified based on the terrain type, weather, visi-
bility, whether or not the Company has maps or directions, and so on. The specific
DV value adjustments of the most common of these conditions are noted on the
Pace table (p. 117).

If the Errants are on a road or navigating by an obvious landmark (following along

a river, the edge of a forest, the looming obelisk on the horizon, etc.), there is no
need to make a navigation Check.

Pace
The rate of movement in Travel Turns is expressed by Pace, which is represented as
a fraction. The numerator being how many significant locations are moved through
(e.g. a hex), and the denominator representing how many Turns that takes. The
standard Pace, therefore, is 1/1. Any modifiers to Pace are added to the standard
Pace fraction (e.g. if an effect modifies Pace by +1/x, the Company’s Pace is then
2/1).

Pace is modified by how fast or slow the Company wishes to move, the terrain,
weather, visibility, and so on. The specific Pace adjustments are noted on the Pace
table below. Effects that modify Pace are additive.

An Errant’s SPD does not affect Pace. The risk of travelling while encumbered is
represented by the rolling of negative Event Dice.

116
Graphic: An exasperated man in the wilderness fights with his laden pack mule.
The man pulls the mule forward, both hands on the creature’s reins, a word bub-
ble filled with curses above his head. The mule’s hooves are planted firmly in the
dirt road, teeth bared in refusal. Behind the pair the road stretches away into the
distance across great rolling hills.

Pace
Condition Other Effects
Change
Appropriate mount/vehicle +1/x
Road +1/x Cannot get lost
+1 positive Event Die. Automati-
Moving slowly x/+1 cally detect any points of interests
or hazards.
+1 negative Event Die. Overlook
Moving quickly +1/x
any points of interests or hazards.
Deserts, forests, hills, broken land x/+1 Navigation DV +2
Jungle, mountain, swamps x/+2 Navigation DV +4
Night-time/Darkness x/+1 Navigation DV +4
Inclement weather x/+1 Navigation DV +2
Navigation DV +4, Exhaustion every
Severe weather x/+2
Travel Turn not spent camping
Detailed map Navigation DV -4
General map or specific directions Navigation DV -2
Vague, confusing, misleading map
Navigation DV +2 to +4
or directions

117
 Marching Order
Unlike during Exploration Turns, where the Company will often be moving through
a defined space, Travel Turns will generally have a more abstracted sense of space.
Therefore, a strict marching order is not necessary. Instead, the Errants should
specify which of these three positions they are occupying

• Scout - Errants who are scouting are exploring about 120 yards ahead of the
rest of the Company; any encounters and encounter signs are found by the
scouts first, and they make any necessary Reaction Rolls. If encountered by
NPCs, scouting Errants are allowed to make a Check to hide.
• Pathfinder - the pathfinder makes all relevant navigation Checks. If no Errants
are scouting, consider the pathfinder to be at the front of the Company for the
purposes of encounters, Reaction Rolls, and so on.
• Company - all the other worthless fools, who have naught to do but twiddle
their thumbs.

Resting
Beggars and gods alike from time to time need to put up their feet.

If the Company chooses or is compelled to Rest for a Travel Turn, an Errant may
use an armour repair kit to replenish their Blocks.

If an Errant spends two Travel Turns sleeping, they gain the effects of a full night’s
Rest: they may remove a point of Exhaustion and replenish any other resources
which recover with a night’s Rest. They may also use a healer’s kit to recover HP
equal to a roll of their damage die.

If sleeping in a warm, safe bed within a Settlement, they may recover HP equal to a
roll of their damage die without the use of a healer’s kit.

Graphic: An Errant sitting with their back against a tree, smoking a pipe and
looking up at the sky. They look exhausted. Their helm rests beside them, and
their hand has been bandaged.

118
 Unsuitable Campsites
If the Company fails to find a suitable campsite, the Guide can offer them the
choice between two or more unsuitable campsites. The Guide may devise specific
effects of unsuitable campsites, but in general the two following can always be
provided.

• Uncomfortable - no Exhaustion can be removed or HP recovered while sleeping

here.
• Open - all rolls of 5 on the Event Die (encounter sign) are treated as rolls of 1
(encounter), even if a watch has been posted.

Eating & Drinking

So long as an Errant has rations and a waterskin, they are presumed to be eating
and drinking throughout the day, even if the Event Die does not call for rations to
be Depleted. It is assumed that, while travelling in the wilderness, sources of water
are easy to come by and that waterskins can be continually topped up. A Guide
should inform the Company if they are venturing into an area where this is not the
case, so they may provision themselves accordingly.

If the Event Die calls for rations to be Depleted and a character has neither rations
to Deplete nor Supply to reduce, they will begin to starve. They accrue 1 point
of Exhaustion, and will accrue another point of Exhaustion for each day they go
without food and each time the Event Die calls for rations to be Depleted.

Disease & Infection

If an Errant finds themselves at risk of disease or infection, the Guide may have
that Errant make a phys Check with a DV equal to the difference between their
current and maximum HP. If they fail, they have contracted a disease or infection.

The Guide is encouraged to devise the delectable depredations such a malady

will inflict themselves, though in lieu of that, a generic ruling is that a disease or
infection reduces an Errant’s phys by 1 for each day it is left untreated. Once it has
been treated, the Errant’s phys returns to its original value less one, unless it was
treated the same day it was contracted.

119
 Mounts & Vehicles
If all characters in the Company are appropriately mounted or envehicled for the
terrain being travelled through, their Pace is modified by +1/x.

A mount or vehicle’s SPD has no bearing on Pace; it is only relevant if movement is

being tracked in Initiative Turns. Their SPD is not affected by Encumbrance. Mounts
and vehicles do not have Encumbrance, but if they are carrying more items than
they have slots for, treat their SPD as 0 and ignore any bonuses to Pace.

A rider or passenger counts for 20 Item Slots on the mount or vehicle, plus the
number of Item Slots they have filled (e.g. an Errant with 10 Item Slots filled
counts for 30 Item Slots on its mount).

Mounts take 10 times as much Exhaustion as people (e.g. if a mount would suffer 1
point of Exhaustion, they instead take 10 Exhaustion).

Appropriate
Mount Slots SPD Other Notes
Terrain
Can only be used for carrying
Cattle 100 4 None
packs or pulling vehicles.
Flat lands, No SPD reduction when pulling
Horse, draft 100 8
forests, roads. vehicles.
Flat lands,
Horse, riding 80 12
forests, roads.
Flat lands,
Horse, war 60 16
forests, roads.
Flat lands,
Mule 80 1
forests, roads.

A mount’s slots or carrying capabilities are modified based on the type of tack it is
wearing or the vehicle to which it is hitched.

120
A vehicle may be hitched to multiple mounts. For the purposes of slots, add the
slots of all the mounts together before applying the modifier. For the purposes of
SPD, subtract the modifier from the mount with the highest SPD.

Appropriate
Vehicle Slots SPD Other Notes
Terrain
No tack 0 None
Tack, pack Cannot be ridden.
Tack, riding
Barding does not count against
Tack, military
mount’s Item Slots.
Tack, exotic Necessary for non-standard mounts.
Breakage chance equal to navigation
Cart × 2 -8 Roads DV when off road; test every Travel
Turn. Can be hitched to two mounts.
Breakage chance equal to navigation
Flat land,
Chariot DV when off road; test every Travel
roads.
Turn. Can be hitched to two mounts.
Breakage chance equal to navigation
Coach Roads DV when off road; test every Travel
Turn. Can be hitched to four mounts.
Breakage chance equal to navigation
Wagon × 4 -8 Roads DV when off road; test every Travel
Turn. Can be hitched to four mounts.

Graphic: Two mounts facing each other. One is a horse in trotting posture, wear-
ing regal barding and decoration. Its saddle cloths have heraldry of lions claw-
ing up at the air, and a unicorn’s horn protrudes from its metal face plate. The
other is a wooly yak adorned with bells and tassles. Its horns are capped with
metal orbs, and its saddle is draped in layers of blankets patterend with geom-
etry and flowers.

121
 Graphic: Rays of light breaking through a cloudy sky. A flock of birds descends
from the clouds.

Weather
Weather conditions begin in the middle range (6-8) for each season.

A roll of local effect (4) on the Event Die during Travel Turns may prompt the Guide
to change the weather.

2D6 Spring Summer Autumn Winter

Inclement Severe weather
Severe weather Severe weather
2 weather (e.g. (e.g. thunder-
(e.g. hurricane) (e.g. blizzard)
downpour) storm)
Inclement
Cosmetic change Inclement Severe weather
3-5 weather (e.g.
(e.g. drizzle) weather (e.g. fog) (e.g. hail storm)
heat wave)
Inclement
Overcast (-2 to
6-8 Cloudy Sunny weather (e.g.
next weather roll)
sleet)
Clear skies (+2 to Clear skies (+2 to Overcast (-2 to
9-11 Cloudy
next weather roll) next weather roll) next weather roll)
Beautiful day Beautiful day
(only need to (only need to Clear skies (+2 to Clear skies (+2 to
12
spend one Travel spend one Travel next weather roll) next weather roll)
Turn sleeping) Turn sleeping)

The rolled weather persists until a Deplete (3) is rolled on the Event Die during
Travel Turns, in which case the weather returns to a state of normalcy, or until
another weather effect is rolled. Most weather will return to normal at the start of
a new day, though at the Guide’s discretion, a weather condition may persist for
multiple days.

Inclement weather increases the DV of navigation Checks by 2. As well, each Travel

Turn not spent resting at a suitable campsite or other form of shelter will require
every member of the Company to make a DV 2 phys Saving Throw, or else incur a
point of Exhaustion.

While inclement weather makes travel more difficult, severe weather such as
blizzards, hurricanes, and thunderstorms makes it all but impossible. The DV of
navigation Checks increases by 4; each Travel Turn not spent Resting at a suitable
campsite or other form of shelter will cause every member of the Company to auto-
matically incur a point of Exhaustion.

122
Travelling in climes of either extreme heat or cold causes 1 point of Exhaustion per
Travel Turn if a character is not appropriately outfitted.

Other effects of weather can be applied as the Guide deems appropriate. For
example, rain may affect metal weapons and armours, bowstrings, and paper
(causing a loss in Quality or triggering Breakage rolls), and cause the ground to
become muddy difficult terrain.

Graphic: An Errant stirs a bubbling cauldron. He has a wide brimmed hat on

his head, a pointy beard, and a long mustache made for twirling. A clawed hand
sticks up out of the cauldron. Beside it, a meat cleaver rests embeded in the
head of a fang-toothed monster who is unsettlingly close to being human.

Eating Monsters
Errants with strong stomachs and daring palates may turn to slain monsters as a
source of food.

Turning monsters into victuals takes a Travel Turn and is a skill Check with a DV
equal to the Threat of the monster, adjusted according to the following modifiers

• -1 if clean water is available.

• -1 if cooking equipment is available (a mess kit is insufficient).
• -1 if a fire is available.
• -1 if salt or other spices are available.
• +4 if you cannot spend a full Travel Turn cooking.

A success produces rations. If the monster is larger than average, the Depletion
of the rations may be increased by 1 or more. Failure indicates that the food is
spoiled; it may still be eaten, but a phys Check will be required to avoid contracting
an infection.

Note that eating some monsters, especially highly magical ones, may have potential
side effects. In such cases, the Errant makes a Saving Throw. If they succeed,
the Errant gains a one-time use of a monster’s ability (e.g. a dragon’s breath, a
vampire’s hypnosis, a slime’s corrosive touch). On a failure, the Errant suffers the
effects of that ability as if they had been subjected to it, though perhaps in a dimin-
ished form (e.g. eating dragon meat may cause you to take fire damage, though
perhaps not to the full extent of a dragon’s breath ability).

123
 Voyages
The standard scale of Travel Turns works for traversal of areas in the scale of tens
or hundreds of miles. However, if the Company wishes to undertake a truly signifi-
cant journey, spanning the length of a country or continent, the Company may wish
to initiate a voyage.

To do so, they must first secure a suitable mode of travel, whether it be ship,
camel, or caravan, and pay any necessary expenditures for such transport and
any requisite crew. Then, they must secure provisions for the trip. Provisions cost
10 pennies for a day’s worth of food, water, and other sundries. Each provision
purchased reduces a Settlement’s available Supply by 4 for the purposes of deter-
mining inflation. If it becomes necessary to track, a day’s worth of provisions takes
up an Item Slot.

The Company rolls 2D6 for their voyage. The Guide may impose situational
modifiers to the roll based on the context, either negative or positive, though the
total should not exceed either -3 or +3.

On a roll of 10 or higher, the Company makes it to their destination without any

complications.

On a roll of 7 to 9, a complication occurs en route that the Company will have to

resolve before the voyage can be resumed and completed.

D4 Complication
1 Out of provisions.
2 Treacherous weather (including becalmed seas if at sea).
3 Mutiny.
Route impassable (map wrong, geographical change like landslide or
4
earthquake, political turmoil in region, monster barring the way, etc.).

On a roll 6 or below, the voyage is a failure. The Company’s mode of transportation

has failed (ship sank, caravan ransacked, etc.), their provisions lost, and they are
stranded. Roll D% to see how close to their destination they got, treating a roll of
100 as a 99.

124
 Marine Travel

Crew Crew Pace Pace Appropriate

Vehicle
(Oarsmen) (Sailors) (Rowing) (Sailing) Terrain

Shallow
Canoe 1 - 1/1 -
water.
Shallow
Galley 60 20 2/1 3/1
water.
Shallow
Longship 0 0 1/1 4/1 water, deep
water.
Shallow
Raft 1 - 1/2 -
water.
Shallow
Riverboat 10 1 2/1 3/1
water.
Sailing ship - 20 - 4/1 Deep water.
Warship - 40 - 3/1 Deep water.

Of any given crew of sailors, at least one must be a captain. Anyone can serve as
an oarsman, including sailors, Errants, and passengers, though the latter are none
too likely to be pleased. Regular mercenaries pressed into rowing duty make Morale
rolls every day.

• Canoe - can transport two people. Can be carried, taking up 2 hand slots and 2
handy slots.
• Galley - can transport 240 people. Has a ram.
• Longship - must be crewed by a special mercenary squad who act as sailors &
oarsmen.
• Raft - can transport 10 people.
• Riverboat - can transport 25 people.
• Sailing ship - can transport 100 people. Has a ram and one catapult.
• Warship - can transport 360 people. Has a ram and two catapults.

Passenger capacity is inclusive of crew members. Each mercenary (infantry) counts

as two passengers, and each mercenary (cavalry) counts as 4, to represent the
transport of their gear & mounts.

Carrying capacity is not given for marine vessels, as their capacity in slots would be
far too high to be of any practical use. Instead, the Guide should use their discre-
tion when determining when a marine vessel has been overburdened with cargo.

When peregrinating on water, navigation Checks are made as normal. A navigator

on the crew reduces the DV of navigation Checks by 4.

125
At the start of each day, roll to see wind conditions.

Pace
Condition Other Effects
Change
Upriver x/+1
Downriver +1/x
Becalmed - No sailing possible.
Weak winds x/+1
Fair winds +1/x
Strong winds +2/x
Inclement weather (gales) +2/x Chance to become water damaged.
Severe weather (storms) +3/x Chance for sinking or shipwreck.

If a weather effect is rolled while waterborne, it replaces the previously rolled wind
conditions until it subsides.

During gales, shallow water vessels have a 2-in-6 chance of becoming water
damaged, and deep water vessels have a 1-in-6 (a longship counts as a shallow
water boat for these purposes).

If a vessel is water damaged, its Pace is reduced by x/+1 till it is repaired at a port.
Repairs cost 1/4 the price of the vessel.

During a storm, any vessels being rowed have a 4-in-6 chance of sinking. If there
is land at least one hex adjacent when the vessel sinks, Errants may make a skill
Saving Throw with a DV equal to their Encumbrance. If they succeed, they wash
ashore at the start of the next Travel Turn, though any items not placed in worn,
hand, or handy slots are lost. If they fail the Saving Throw or there is no land
adjacent, they drown and die. Crew and cargo are lost when a vessel sinks.

126
During a storm, any vessels moving under sail cannot control their movement. Each
Travel Turn they move in a randomly determined direction. If they move into land,
there is a 4-in-6 chance of a shipwreck. During a shipwreck, Errants may make a
skill Saving Throw with a DV equal to their Encumbrance. On a failure, they take
4D6 damage, halving this damage on a success. Any Errants who go out of action
from this damage drown and die. Crew and cargo are lost in a shipwreck.

2D6 Wind
2 Becalmed.
3-5 Weak winds.
6-8 Normal winds.
9-11 Fair winds.
12 Strong winds.

Travel Turn Procedure

1. The Guide declares the start of a Travel Turn; the timekeeper notes down which
number Travel Turn this is.
• The Guide Checks how many Travel Turns have elapsed; if it is the fourth
Travel Turn in a day, the Guide announces that it is night-time, and makes any
adjustments as necessary.
2. The caller relays the Company’s action for the Travel Turn to the Guide.
• If the Company is peregrinating, first determine Pace; then, the pathfinder
makes a navigation Check, with the Guide noting if the Company gets lost.
3. The timekeeper rolls the Event Die.
4. The result of the Event Die and the Company’s actions are resolved.

127
 Exploration Turns
Exploration Turn Actions
During an Exploration Turn, the Company may perform one significant action, such
as moving from one room to another, searching or exploring a room, attempting to
force a door open, and so on.

The Company usually acts as a group, but a larger group action can be broken
down into separate individual actions, such as each Errant examining a different
part of the room.

Alternatively, smaller individual actions can be ‘bundled together’ to create a signif-

icant action of the Turn (e.g. one Errant explores a side passage, one talks to the
floating donkey on top of the bookshelf, while the third sits in a corner and ingests
copious amounts of divine placenta).

If in doubt, the caller is always free to ask the Guide if a given action will take an
Exploration Turn, or for the Guide to inform the Company if their desired activity
counts as their action for the Exploration Turn.

Graphic: Three Errants in a dark dungeon marching towards the frame. There is
a robe-wearing, staff-wielding occult; a gruff violent carrying an axe, and a short
deviant with her hair and a tight bun and two daggers held in reversed grips.
They glance around cautiously, but do not see the glinting eyes and sharp teeth
leering at them from a nearby doorway.

128
 Pace
The rate of movement in Exploration Turns is expressed by Pace, which is repre-
sented as a fraction.

The numerator determines how many significant locations (e.g. a room) can be
travelled, while the denominator represents how many Turns that takes. The
standard Pace is 1/1, representing one significant location travelled per Exploration
Turn.

Pace is modified by the tempo at which the Company chooses to travel, as well as
factors such as the size of areas and whether they have been previously explored.

Pace
Condition Other Effects
Change
+1 positive Event Die. Any hazards or points of interest
Moving slowly x/+1
are automatically detected.
+1 negative Event Die. No mapping can occur. Hazards
Moving quickly +2/x
or points of interest are overlooked.
Large areas x/+1
Huge areas x/+2
Explored areas +3/x

Mapping
When the Company is exploring a dungeon or other location, the Guide should give
them reasonably exact descriptions of the areas in which they find themselves,
including details such as the width, breadth, and height of rooms and such; the
standard Pace assumed in an Exploration Turn assumes careful mapping and noting
of such information.

However, the Guide is under no obligation to correct any but the most egregious of
errors in the map the players create for themselves, unless failing to do so would
hinder play. The Errants should be left to suffer the consequences of their own
actions.

129
 Marching Order
In enclosed sites of adventure such as dungeons, the Company would be wise to
decide upon their marching order judiciously.

Generally in a 10’ hallway, Errants can stand two abreast.

• Scout - Errants who are scouting are exploring ahead of the Company before
signalling them to continue. If the Company declares that they are moving from
one room to a room on the other end of a hallway, for example, the scout would
generally first traverse that hallway and enter the room, while the rest of the
Company stays behind in that first room, till the scout gives the all clear. Any
encounters and encounter signs are found by the scout first, and they make any
necessary Reaction Rolls. If encountered by NPCs, scouting Errants are allowed
to make a Check to hide.
• Van - Errants in the front line of the Company generally end up in closest
engagement during combat. They are the first to encounter or spot any hazards
or details ahead of the Company, such as traps, characters, hidden treasures,
and so on, and make any Checks pertaining to those, if necessary. They also will
generally make Reaction Rolls for any NPC encountered, assuming that those
NPC are encountered from the front.
• Main - the middle rank of the Company will often find themselves stuck behind
the front row in an engagement, and so longer weapons such as spears are
recommended (as is placing shorter Company members in the front). Any
hazards or details that might emerge within the Company’s midst, say from the
floor, ceiling, or walls, are within the purview of the characters in the middle
rank, and they make any relevant Checks or Reaction Rolls that deal with such.
• Rear - in an engagement, those in the back row will often have to resort to
missile weapons, Sorceries, and Miracles, though they should take care not
to catch their comrades in the crossfire (placing the tallest members of the
Company in the back is generally a good idea). Any hazards or details that
encroach from behind the Company are the responsibility of the back row, as
well as any Checks or Reaction Rolls thereof.

Resting
An Errant who spends an Exploration Turn Resting may use an armour repair kit to
replenish their Blocks.

Graphic: A man slumped against a low wooden fence, mopping his brow with a
hankerchief. He is dressed for the road, and surrounded by the accoutrements
of an Errant: sword, shield, pack, and satchel.

130
 Illumination
Darkness is not a static, passive thing to be easily banished by candle or torch.
Darkness is a giant beast that laps greedily at the pool of light, always encroaching.

Most adventure sites will be dark, and thus characters require illumination to see.

Bright light, however, obviates the possibility for surprising foes, and alerts the
denizens of deep and dark places, for whom the shadows hold no secrets, to the
Company’s presence. Generally, if the total amount of Burn from light sources is
equal to or greater than the number of Company members, the Company is consid-
ered to be in bright light.

If the total amount of Burn from light sources is less than half the number of
Company members, the Company is considered to be in dim light. A single Errant
moving with a deliberately discreet form of illumination, such as a hooded lantern
or candle, is also considered to be in dim light.

131
 Doors
Graphic: A crenelated stone tower with fleshy arms, legs, and face. It squats,
massive mouth open wide and dongue draped out across the ground. It looks
out from the picture as if annoyed that the viewer hasn’t already walked into its
toothy maw.

Doors are the natural enemies of all Errants, jealous guardians of the treasure that
prying hands seek to make their own.

Opening a stuck door is DV 4 phys Check by base, though this may be increased if
the door is heavy, large, and/or barred or otherwise obstructed.

Each additional Errant assisting in forcing the door open reduces the DV of the
Check by 2, provided their phys is at least twice the DV to open the door. The
number of Errants that can try to force open the door at once is limited by the
door’s width: one Errant per five feet. Using a prybar reduces the DV by 4, but
limits the Errant using it to only receiving assistance from one other Errant also
using a prybar, who will reduce the DV of the Check by 2. Trying to force a stuck
door open takes one Exploration Turn.

If a door cannot be forced open, the Errants may choose to try to break it down. A
wooden door takes two Exploration Turns to break down; a door made of stone or
metal would take considerably longer. Using inappropriate items to break down a
door, such as weapons, causes them to lose 1 point of Quality or make a Breakage
roll per Exploration Turn. Breaking open a door causes a great deal of noise, and
will doubtless alert all and sundry nearby to the Company’s presence, and causing
+1 negative Event Die to be rolled.

A locked door may be forced open, or an Errant may attempt to Lockpick it.
Successfully picking a locked door does not take an Exploration Turn, but failing to
pick the lock will cause an Exploration Turn to elapse.

Stuck doors may swing shut behind Errants who pass through them, becoming
stuck once more, unless they are wedged open with spikes.

Doors will happily and freely admit all NPCs not allied with the Company to pass
through.

132
 Lockpicking
Picking a lock requires burglar’s tools, and selecting the correct Lockpicking actions
in the correct order. These actions are twist, tap, and turn. Every lock requires
three actions to unlock; no action is ever used in a row. Upon selecting the wrong
action, the lock will become stiff. Once a lock becomes stiff, it remains so until it is
unlocked. If the wrong action is chosen while the lock is stiff, the lock is jammed
and becomes unable to be unlocked.

If a character is trying to open a lock during Initiative Turns, each Lockpicking

action counts as one action.

Locks of the same type are all opened the same way (e.g. if the pattern for a tin
lock is twist, tap, and turn, all tin locks are opened by twist, tap, and turn).

Modifiers can increase the diversity of lock types without increasing the complexity
of solutions. For example:

• Cracked - for the first action, any action taken will be correct.
• Weathered - ignore the first time a lock would become jammed.
• Secured - the first wrong action causes the lock to become jammed.
• Spiked - each wrong action deals D4 damage to the lock picker.

Graphic: A fancy lock, with little curls of metal spreading out from either side of
the keyhole.

To generate a lock, roll a D12 for each column.

D12 Lock Type Actions Modifier

1 Strange Twist, Tap, Twist Spiked
2 Adamantine Twist, Tap, Turn Spiked
3 Mythril Twist, Turn, Twist Secured
4 Diamond Twist, Turn, Tap Secured
5 Dwarven Tap, Twist, Tap Weathered
6 Elvish Tap, Twist, Turn Weathered
7 Steel Tap, Turn, Twist Cracked
8 Iron Tap, Turn, Tap Cracked
9 Brass Turn, Twist, Tap Normal
10 Copper Turn, Twist, Turn Normal
11 Tin Turn, Tap, Twist Normal
12 Crude Turn, Tap, Turn Normal

Strange locks are anything out of the ordinary: crystal, organic, magical, clockwork,
etc.
133
 Graphic: A round-topped wooden door set in a stone wall. A knocker hangs from
a menacing face: fanged mouth, glaring eyes, and horns splayed out around it
like the rays of the sun. The flagstone in front of the door is large and raised
above the rest. Almost as if it’s a welcome mat...or a pressure plate.

Stealth
Moving silently and unseen is a skill Check with a DV equal to the Errant’s Encum-
brance.

Scouting characters are allowed to make a Check to hide reactively when an NPC is
encountered.

When attempting to move stealthily as a group, one member of the group rolls the
Check. The DV is equal to the total Encumbrance of the group, divided by two.

Factors such as visibility, scent, noisiness of terrain, etc. should be considered when
determining Position and Impact.

Graphic: A lone Errant steps carefully over uneven stone ruins, hand resting on
a precarious column for support. They wear a tunic over a chain shirt and coif,
and hold a longsword at the ready. Atop the precarious column, not visible to the
Errant, a menacing face is depicted.

Traps
An Errant who triggers a trap may make a Saving Throw to avoid its effects. The
base DV for avoiding a trap is equal to the level of the dungeon the trap is located
on; if this is not applicable, the Guide may set whatever DV they feel is appro-
priate.

Some old traps may have a chance not to trigger; in this case the Guide may roll
the Die Of Fate.

Disarming or re-arming a trap takes an Exploration Turn. If the method the Errants
have described for doing so is risky or uncertain, they make a Check to see if they
are successful.

134
 Harvesting Materials
Harvesting inert materials from flora and fauna, such as fur, teeth, leaves, etc., is a
generally trivial matter. Each Errant can harvest about 1 Item Slot’s worth of such
components per Exploration Turn.

However, harvesting active alchemical components, such as a spider’s poison sac

or a psychedelic mushroom, in a manner that preserves their properties is a more
delicate task. Doing so requires a skill Check which takes an Exploration Turn, and
an alchemist’s kit with space to store the items.

A Check to harvest alchemical components from a creature has a DV equal to half

their Threat.

An alchemist’s kit can hold four alchemical components. Most plant matter counts
as a single alchemical component. An alchemical component harvested from a
creature counts as a number of alchemical components equal to half their Threat.

Graphic: A bearded man in an iron helm lingers over a dead spider. The beast
is easily half his own size. He holds the creature’s freshly-removed guts in his
gloved hands.

135
 Collapsed Structures
Oft has an Errant, in their folly, disturbed the structural integrity of whatever dank
cave or dusty hallway in which they have found themselves, leaving them trapped
in a tomb of their own making. If the Company finds themselves facing a collapsed
tunnel or other structure, all hope of progress is not lost.

Without any tools, an Errant can manage to dig out about one cubic foot of rubble
per Exploration Turn.

An Errant properly equipped with, say, a pickaxe or a shovel can dig out about five
cubic feet of rubble per Exploration Turn.

Basically: a hole just big enough to crawl through.

Crawling through such a hole does not affect Pace; careful movement and mapping
proceeds at about the same rate of movement as a crawl (though they obviously
will not be able to map or notice relevant features of the environment while doing
so).

To fully clear a collapsed structure takes significantly longer, and will depend on
the specifics of what is being excavated; a general rule of thumb is that one person
with proper tools can dig out about 150 cubic feet per day (such an excavation is a
good job for an Expedition).

Graphic: Three Errants work to dig out some rubble, their work illuminated by
lantern light. One figure squats down on a pile of loose refuse and stone, strug-
gling to lift a large rock. Another figure, shirtless, uses a shovel to dig at gravel
and dirt, throwing it over his shoulder. The last figure takes cover as the flying
dirt and gravel goes over their head. The room they work in has half-collapsed
with one of the pillars tilted to one side, covered with treasure and refuse alike,
ranging from swords to music boxes to lanterns.

136
 Exploration Turn Procedure

1. The Guide declares the start of an Exploration Turn; the timekeeper notes down
which number Exploration Turn this is.
2. The caller relays the Company’s action for the Exploration Turn to the Guide.
• If they are moving, the caller declares the Pace they are moving at, and the
Guide makes any other necessary adjustments to their Pace.
3. The timekeeper rolls the Event Die.
4. The result of the Event Die and the Company’s action are resolved.

137
 Initiative Turns
Combat Distance
If it is not already known, to determine how far apart the combatants are at the
beginning of combat, roll a D6 and multiply by 10; the two sides are that many feet
or yards apart.

Surprise
Whether by chance or design, Errants and their foes will oftentimes get the drop on
one another. If one side surprises the other, they get a free Initiative Turn in which
the other side is unable to act.

Characters who are aware of their enemy’s position cannot be surprised. This
generally means Errants who are not deliberately setting an ambush will be unable
to surprise enemies unless they are in darkness, dim light, or opening a door. Bright
light, therefore, usually negates the possibility of surprise.

If there is a chance for surprise, roll a D6.

1D6 Surprise
1 NPCs surprise
2 NPCs surprise
3 -
4 -
5 Company surprises
6 Company surprises

138
 Determining Initiative Turn Order
At the start of each Initiative Turn, one Errant is called upon to select either odd
or even. That player and the Guide will each roll a D6, add them together, and see
whether the result is odd or even. If the player called odd or even correctly, the
Company may act first, otherwise the other side acts first.

An Initiative Turn proceeds in the following order:

1. Characters on the winning side act quickly.

2. Characters on the losing side act quickly.
3. Characters on the winning side act slowly.
4. Characters on the losing side act slowly.

Any ongoing effects expire at the end of an Initiative Turn.

Graphic: An Errant faces a monstrous spider on a circular staircase. The spider

is as large as a man, and has the high ground. The Errant is armored, his face
determined, holding a long curved sword in one hand, the tip of it already coated
in blood. Both spider and man look ready to strike at the other.

Initiative Turn Actions

Each Initiative Turn, a character may choose to either act quickly or act slowly.
Acting quickly allows a character to make one action, whereas acting slowly allows
a character to take up to two actions.

These actions may be casting a Sorcery or Miracle, moving, making an Attack Roll,
using an item, readying oneself to strike or defend, or any other significant action
deemed reasonable by the Guide. However, a character may only either exclusively
make an Attack Roll, cast a Sorcery, or cast a Miracle once per Initiative Turn.

Insignificant actions, such as talking and picking up or dropping something, are free
actions and do not count as a full action, though a character can generally do only
one or two of these things in an Initiative Turn.

139
 Speed & Movement
An Errant’s speed (SPD) is equal to their skill minus their Encumbrance. For every 4
SPD an Errant has, they have 1 movement die, which is a D4.

To make a movement roll, a character rolls their movement dice and multiplies the
result by 10 to determine how many feet (if indoors or other enclosed spaces) or
yards (if outdoors or other open spaces) they may move (e.g. if an Errant rolled a
4, they may move up to 40’ in that Initiative Turn). This takes an action.

SPD Movement dice

0-3 0
4-7 1
8-11 2
12-15 3
16-19 4
20 5

A character can move more than once per Initiative Turn, so long as they have
available actions.

A character’s movement in an Initiative Turn need not be continuous (e.g. if an

Errant can move 40’ in one Initiative Turn, they may run 10’ up to a foe and shove
them to the ground, move a further 10’ to pick up a cursed amulet on the ground,
and then run 20’ back to rejoin their comrades).

A character may also choose to make a shift, moving a distance equal to their
number of movement dice multiplied by 10 in feet or yards (e.g. if an Errant has
2 movement dice, they could shift a distance of 20’). This does not take an action,
but a character can only shift once per Initiative Turn, and may not shift in the
same Initiative Turn they make a movement roll and vice versa.

A character with no movement dice cannot shift, and as an action can move 10 feet
or yards.

140
Difficult terrain reduces the distance of any movement by an amount equal to its
rating multiplied by 10 (e.g. any movement on an area of difficult terrain with
a rating of 2 would be reduced by 20’), unless that character has a method of
movement that obviates that particular terrain’s impediment.

Difficult Terrain Rating

Muddy 1
Loose rocks 2
Stepping stones 3
Water (waist deep) 4
Water (swimming) 5
Molasses 6

Attacking
To make an Attack Roll, an Errant chooses a target within range and rolls their
damage die. They deal that much damage to the target.

An Errant of The Violent Archetype can make multiple Attack Rolls as part of the
same action as their Renown increases.

Attack Rolls with a ranged weapon are impaired 1 step if a foe is within melee
range.

Whenever any die in an Attack Roll shows a result of 1, the target may immedi-
ately make an action; if this action is used to make an Attack Roll, only one Attack
Roll may be made even if the target is capable of making more as part of a single
action.

Graphic: Two Errants fighting two demons. The demons are cloven hoofed, with
heads that are nothing but horned black silhouettes. The Errant on the left has
their demon foe held fully above their head, and are about to slam them to the
ground in a brutal wrestling maneuver. The Errant on the right has just bisected
her demon foe shoulder-to-hip with a devestating slash of her sword.

141
 Gambits
When a character makes an Attack Roll, they may also attempt a gambit. A gambit
is any combat manoeuvre that exceeds the purview of a basic attack, such as
stunning, shoving, disarming, tripping, and so on. To do so, they reduce their rolled
damage by a given amount (including 0). Their target then makes a Saving Throw
with a DV equal to the amount their attacker’s damage was reduced by. If they fail,
the gambit is successful; if they succeed, they may immediately make an action
(unless the Saving Throw was made at dire Position).

Enhance & Impair

In ideal situations when an attack is more effective, it may be enhanced: for
example, attacking a flanked or prone character, or using the ideal weapon against
an enemy, such as striking a skeleton with a mace.

Conversely, in situations where an attack would be less effective, such as trying

to swing a greatsword in a sewer or stabbing a skeleton with a dagger, it may be
impaired.

When an Attack Roll is enhanced, the attacker rolls a larger damage die, indicated
by how many steps it is enhanced. If an Attack Roll is enhanced 1 step, the attacker
rolls a damage die one size larger (for example, a D8 would become a D10), if it is
enhanced 2 steps, two sizes larger (D8 to D12).

If an Attack Roll is impaired, the attacker rolls a smaller damage die, also indicated
by how many steps it is impaired (i.e., impaired 1 step, D8 to D6; impaired 2 steps,
D8 to D4). Damage dice are enhanced or impaired along this scale:

1 - D4 - D6 - D8 - D10 - D12 - D20

Enhanced and impaired cancel each other out on a one-to-one basis. If multiple
instances of enhanced or impaired would occur, add them together: two instances
of enhanced 2 steps equals enhanced by 4 steps, and two instances of impaired 2
steps equals impaired by 4 steps, and so on.

An Errant using an improvised or makeshift weapon (a chair or a shovel) has their

damage die impaired 1 step. An Errant fighting unarmed has their damage die
impaired 2 steps.

Damage dice rolled as part of a Sorcery, Miracle, or other effect may also be
enhanced or impaired, though these do not otherwise count as Attack Rolls.

142
If multiple damage dice would be rolled, for example from using poison, a Feat,
maleficence, or sneak attack, enhance all damage dice.

Any damage dice impaired down to 1 is considered to have rolled a 1, for the
purposes of Attack Rolls, reducing weapon Quality, and granting actions, and to
have rolled maximum damage, for the purposes of reducing armour Quality.

Statuses
Over the course of play, various effects will inflict Statuses such as being fright-
ened, blinded, or poisoned upon a character. Statuses alter a character’s capabili-
ties in a variety of ways and can arise as a result of magic, a monster’s attack, or
other effect.

A Status lasts either until it is countered (e.g. being poisoned is cured by taking the
antidote) or for a duration specified by the effect that imposed the Status.

The effects of a Status are at the Guide’s discretion. In combat, Statuses may
impair the afflicted’s Attack Rolls and enhance Attack Rolls made against them.

Mounted Combat
A character on a mount uses their mount’s SPD to move. They may make a free
movement roll once per Initiative Turn.

Attack Rolls with an appropriate weapon made while mounted are enhanced 1 step,
though they may be enhanced more if the mount is particularly large or ferocious.

Attack Rolls against mounted opponents are impaired 1 step, though they may be
impaired more if the mount is particularly large or sturdy.

Attack Rolls made with heavy weapons against mounted opponents are enhanced
1 step (cancelling out the 1 step of impaired from attacking a mounted opponent),
though they may be enhanced more if the weapon is particularly effective against
mounted opponents.

Graphic: An armored knight wearing a conical feathered helm and riding a

war-zebra charges towards the frame. Their sword is raised to strike an unar-
mored warrior on the ground, who holds their hand up in a defensive gesture.
The unarmored warrior wears a leapord skin around their shoulders, and their
Nguni cowhide shield is being trampled beneath the Zebra’s charging hooves.

143
 Graphic: A naked woman kneels, supporting herself by leaning against a shovel
with its spade in the air. She appears dirty, scuffed, and exhausted.

Hit Protection & Damage

As one finds themselves getting battered, bruised, bloodied, and broken, it is only
natural to wonder just how much punishment one can withstand. For an Errant,
this capacity to resist injury is represented by their hit protection, or HP. When an
Errant takes damage, be it from a monster, the environment, or otherwise, that
damage is subtracted from their HP.

HP is not merely a measure of physical toughness, though that plays a part, but
also of all the other factors that come into play when avoiding grievous injury:
skill, luck, stamina, mental fortitude, and so on. Damage dealt to HP then does not
necessarily reflect severe injuries, but rather near misses, grazes, bruises, scrapes,
and glancing blows. As an Errant’s HP is whittled lower, these may become gashes,
sprains, and other non-debilitating injuries (below 6 HP is a good threshold for
this).

When an Errant reaches 0 HP, however, they have lost the ability to properly defend
themselves. Any damage taken while at 0 HP causes wounds.

Drowning, Falling, Burning

The laws of nature themselves conspire to ensure an Errant’s demise.

If a character falls a distance of 10 feet or greater, they take damage according to

the table opposite.

Attempting to break someone’s fall results in the faller and the catcher(s) distrib-
uting damage amongst themselves equally.

A character on fire takes 1D6 damage per Initiative Turn they have been on fire
(i.e. the first Initiative Turn they take 1D6, the second 2D6, and so on). Taking an
action to put out the fire removes 1D6 from the damage they will take.

An Errant can hold their breath for a number of Initiative Turns equal to their
phys minus 10. After this, they take 1D6 damage per Initiative Turn until they can
breathe again.

144
 Distance Damage
10’ 1D6
20’ 1D6 × 1D4
30’ 1D6 × 1D6
40’ 1D6 × 1D8
50’ 1D6 × 1D10
60’ 1D6 × 1D12
70’+ 1D6 × 1D20

Death & Dying

When an Errant is reduced to 0 HP, they must make a phys Saving Throw, with the
DV being the damage taken. If they fail, they are out of action.

An Errant who is out of action is unconscious or otherwise incapacitated; they

cannot take any actions until the combat is over or their HP is brought above 0.
After combat is resolved, they may act normally again, though their HP remains at
0 unless they were otherwise healed.

Any further damage taken while at 0 HP triggers further phys Saving Throws to
avoid being put out of action.

Damage that would bring an Errant’s HP below 0 causes wounds. Consult the
wounds table on the following pages for the amount of damage taken. If an Errant’s
HP is higher than 0 when they receive a wound, only the damage in excess of what
is needed to bring them to 0 is counted for determining what wound they receive
(e.g. an Errant at 4 HP taking 7 damage only receives a 3 damage wound).

If an Errant would receive a wound they have already received or cannot physically
take (e.g. losing a leg when both legs have been lost), take the next available lower
wound.

Wounds without a stated duration are permanent unless seen to by a physician,

though they cannot restore lost body parts.

An Errant on death’s door will die in a number of Initiative Turns equal to their
Renown, unless a healer’s kit is used on them or their HP is brought above 0. Using
a healer’s kit on an Errant on death’s door does not restore any HP.

An Errant who is consigned to the reaper will die in a number of Initiative Turns
equal to their Renown. There is no way to save them.

If any of an Errant’s attributes are reduced to 0, they immediately die.

145
Damage Physical (Stabbing, Ripping, Shocking (Electricity, Cold, Psychic,
Taken Crushing, Etc.) Etc.)
Slow internal bleeding. On death’s Zapped. Stunned for an Initiative
1
door, but in Exploration Turns. Turn.
Leg mangled. Can’t run. If both Knocked out. Unconscious
2
legs go, you can’t walk. (Depletion 1).
Concussed. Knocked out for D12
Arm wrecked. If both arms go, you
3 Initiative Turns and 1 point of
can’t hold anything.
Exhaustion.
Cardiac arrest. On death’s door and
4 On death’s door.
1 point of Exhaustion.
Leg destroyed (severed or hanging
by sinews). Can’t run. If both legs Scrambled. Major brain trauma and
5
go, you can’t walk. Also on death’s on death’s door.
door.
Arm destroyed (severed or hanging
Deep fried. Unconscious (Depletion
by sinews). If both arms go, you
6 1), major brain trauma, and on
can’t hold anything. Also on death’s
death’s door.
door.
Internal damage. Coughing up
Head shot. on death’s door and
7 blood or bleeding from eyes and
major brain trauma.
mouth. Consigned to the reaper.
Throat or lung torn open. Respiratory system failure.
8
Consigned to the reaper. Consigned to the reaper.
Guts hanging out. Consigned to the Brain dead. Consigned to the
9
reaper and out of action. reaper and out of action.
10-15 Dead. Dead.
Deader than Dead (unable to be Deader than Dead (unable to be
15+
revived or properly buried.) revived or properly buried.)

146
Damage Burning (Fire, Acid, Lava, Digestive Toxic (Poison, Blight, Radiation,
Taken Enzymes, Etc.) Disease, Etc.)
Eye destroyed. If both eyes go,
1 Nauseous. 1 point of Exhaustion.
you’re blind.
Mouth melted. Can’t speak, only
Immune system compromised. HP
2 grunt and moan (unable to cast
halved.
Sorceries or Miracles.)
3 Face melted. Blood tainted. Can’t recover HP.
Bleeding from nose and eyes. On
4 Fingers burnt off. death’s door, but in Exploration
Turns.
Excreting blood from pores. On
Suffocating. On death’s door and 1
5 death’s door, but in Exploration
point of Exhaustion.
Turns, and 1 point of Exhaustion.
Nose is burnt off, inner ears ruined.
Rupture. You’re throwing up black
6 Deaf and can no longer smell or
acrid blood. On death’s door.
taste. Also on death’s door.
Your lungs and face are burnt off.
Nervous system shutdown. Can’t
7 Also on death’s door and 1 point of
move and on death’s door.
Exhaustion.
Skin burned off. Consigned to the Immune system shutdown.
8
reaper. Consigned to the reaper.
Burnt to a crisp. Consigned to the Total organ failure. Consigned to
9
reaper and out of action. the reaper and out of action.
10-15 Dead. Dead.
Deader than Dead (unable to be Deader than Dead (unable to be
15+
revived or properly buried.) revived or properly buried.)

147
An Errant can also die of natural causes. To determine your lifespan, take the
average lifespan of your Ancestry, add your phys, and subtract one year for every
time you have reached 0 HP. When an Errant reaches the end of their lifespan,
make a phys Check. If they succeed, they live for another year, at which point
they make another phys Check, with a DV equal to the number of years past their
lifespan they have survived.

Tough Arcane Cunning Adaptable

150 200 100 50

An Errant’s child (biological, adopted, or otherwise), should they choose to become

an Errant themselves, may inherit one of their parent’s attributes.

Graphic: An Errant at the moment of death. What killed him is not visible, but
the effects are comically brutal: his sword shattered, his arm sliced into multiple
segments, his posessions flung every which way, and his chest bursting open
with such violence that blood and ribs are sent flying. His ghost is leaping out
of his body, spiraling out from eyes, nose, and mouth. This grisly doom may or
may not have been the result of the “Kick Me” sign taped to the Errant’s back.

Warbands
While mercenaries and men-at-arms are trained to fight on the field of war, they
are less adept in the chaos-blasted wilds fighting against dread beasts of lore. As
such, they do not take their own actions in combat, but rather increase the combat
effectiveness of their leader by forming a Warband.

Warbands come in three categories, based on the number of combatants they

contain (excluding the leader).

• A Warband containing one to five combatants is a small Warband.

• A Warband containing six to 10 combatants is a medium Warband.
• A Warband containing 11 to 20 combatants is a large Warband.

For battles involving larger numbers of combatants, see mass combat.

Warbands have 2 HP per combatant. Damage is dealt to the Warband before it is

dealt to the leader. As damage is dealt to the Warband, it may change categories
(e.g. a large Warband would become a medium Warband once it reaches 20 HP or
lower).

If all members of your Warband are wearing mail, increase the HP of each
combatant by 1. If they are all wearing plate, increase the HP of each combatant by
2.

148
Attack Rolls by individuals against a Warband are impaired 1 step per category
of the Warband, unless that individual has a means of damaging all combatants
in an area. Attack Rolls by Warbands against individuals are enhanced 1 step per
category.

Attack Rolls by Warbands against smaller Warbands are enhanced 1 step per
category of difference. Attack Rolls by smaller Warbands against larger ones are
impaired 1 step per category of difference.

Individual Small Medium Large

Individual - Impaired 1 Impaired 2 Impaired 3
Small Enhanced 1 - Impaired 1 Impaired 2
Medium Enhanced 2 Enhanced 1 - Impaired 1
Large Enhanced 3 Enhanced 2 Enhanced 1 -

Duels
A duel is a much more refined affair than a barbarous skirmish, and as such follows
different rules.

First, of course, is that a challenge for a duel must be issued, and that challenge
accepted. The etiquette around the issuance of duels in a given culture is left to the
discretion of a Guide.

Second, the terms of the duel must be agreed upon; norms of conduct, weapons,
starting distance, and ending condition (e.g. to the death, to first blood, to yield,
etc.).

During a duel, a character may take actions as normal, though only one Attack Roll
may be made, even if a character has abilities that would let them make more.

The order of an Initiative Turn, however, proceeds differently in a duel. Each partici-
pant in the duel is given three playing cards: a King, a Queen, and a Jack. They will
place these cards face down in front of them in any order.

The character who issued the challenge for the duel will then attempt to guess
what their opponent’s left-most card is; this card is then revealed. If they guessed
correctly, they may immediately make an action, after which they may then attempt
to guess what the next card in the line is.

If they guess incorrectly, their opponent may immediately make an action and then
make a guess.

149
Once all three of any participant’s cards have been revealed, each will then pick up
their cards, and then place them face down in front of them again. The participant
who had the fewest cards revealed in the previous Initiative Turn begins guessing.

Each card also has an effect when it is flipped. If a King is revealed, the participant
who acts has their next Attack Roll enhanced 1 step. If a Queen is revealed, the
participant who acts impairs the next Attack Roll made against them by 1 step. If a
Jack is revealed, the participant who acts can have the DV of the next gambit they
perform increased by 2.

The effects of these cards can be modified depending on the type of duel; a joust or
a wizard’s duel might have different effects. The basic template is that a King has
an offensive effect, a Queen has a defensive effect, and a Jack has a tactical effect.
The cards themselves, of course, can be replaced by anything else that achieves the
same effect.

Graphic: Two figures duel with spears, depicted in a flat style reminiscent of
medival iconography. Both are dressed colorfully, with the figure on the right
wearing open faced helm with horse mane plume, chain mail armor, puffy pants
patterned with flowers, and long toed shoes. Their shield has been knocked
aside, and their opponent’s spear plunges into their chest. Their victorious foe
wears a star-pattern robe over a tunic of scale armor which goes down below
their knees. They have tattoos on their hands, eyeliner around their eyes, and
long flowing hair. They wear an armored skullcap atop their head, with a flowing
twist of hair dangling from its single spire. Their shield remains in proper defen-
sive position.

Graphic: A chaotic scene of battle. Bodies encased in spiky plate armor press
one another. Weapons and tattered banners rise up out of the mass of struggling
bodies to mingle with smoke. In the background, archers stand atop a castle
wall. It is uncear who is winning, or even which side fights to defend the castle
and which to attack it.

150
 Mass Combat
For dealing with large scale combat encounters or combat between ships, vehicles,
or anything else where individual units are hard to quantify, a simplified mass
combat system may be used.

In such an engagement, each side rolls 1D6, and adds the following modifiers.

• +1 if they outnumber the enemy at all; +2 if they outnumber the enemy 2 to

one; +3 if they outnumber the enemy 3 to one, and so on.
• Add the Renown of the highest Renown Errant on that side, or the Threat of the
highest Threat NPC.
• +1 for each significant tactical advantage, such as: cover, high ground,
unbreakable formation, ambush, superior armaments, relevant Sorceries,
Miracles, or other magic, traps, superior training or Morale, and so on.

The side that rolls the highest wins the engagement. Ties are treated as a draw.

Unless it does not make sense, the difference between the result of each side’s
roll multiplied by 10 represents the percentage of casualties, losses, or severity of
damage to the losing side of the engagement.

The number rolled by the losing side represents the percentage of casualties,
losses, or severity of destruction to the winning side of the engagement.

Any Errants involved in the engagement make a Check with their best Attribute
if they win or draw. If they succeed, they are unharmed; if they fail, they take
damage equal to the amount they failed by.

If they lost, Errants use their worst Attribute for the Check. If they pass, they take
damage equal to the difference between the result of each side’s roll; if they fail,
they die.

Optionally, when an engagement is rolled, the Guide may choose to zoom into a
flashpoint, a specific encounter on the battlefield where the actions of the Errants
can make a difference. This is a run as a normal combat scenario, though it likely
has a specific objective, such as capturing an enemy base or disabling a powerful
siege weapon. If the Errants win the flashpoint, add a D6 to their side’s roll. If the
Errants lose, add a D6 to the opposing side’s roll.

151
 Chases
In the case where they are being chased through a dungeon or similarly defined
area, or for a short pursuit, the hunt can play out using standard Initiative Turn
rules. However, for longer pursuits, and ones that may take place in broadly
abstracted spaces like the wilderness or in cities, the following Chase procedure can
be used.

In a Chase, generally, the participants can be tracked in terms of what side they’re
on (i.e. pursuers and fugitives), but some Chases may involve multiple parties or
characters that need to be tracked separately.

Each Initiative Turn, the character with the lowest SPD or MV on each side makes
a movement roll. If the characters are on mounts or vehicles, use the SPD of the
mount or vehicle.

If the fugitives roll two 4’s, then they escape and the Chase ends. If the pursuers
roll two 4’s, they have caught the fugitives. In case of a tie, both sides make a
movement roll as a tiebreaker.

If either side rolls doubles that are not 4’s, then characters on that side may make
melee Attack Roll, perform a Sorcery or Miracle, or any other actions they wish.

If any of the results on both side’s movement dice match each other, characters
may make ranged Attack Rolls against the other side. So if the fugitives rolled a 3
and a 4, and the pursuers rolled a 2 and a 3, the 3’s match, and so characters on
each side may make ranged Attack Rolls against characters on the other side.

Dropping items during a Chase is a free action. Dropping something the pursuers
are interested in (food, money, etc.) may force a Morale roll to see if they continue
the Chase.

Characters on either side may choose to sprint, rolling double their normal amount
of movement dice, but they must make a phys Check with a DV equal to their
Encumbrance to do so. If they fail, they may not make a movement roll this Initia-
tive Turn.

Characters on either side can choose to split off from their group; they will make
movement rolls separately.

At the end of the Initiative Turn, if the Chase has not yet ended, the side that rolled
the lowest on their movement roll rolls a D10 for a Chase development that affects
them.

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 Chase Developments

1. Hiding Spot - neither side has line of sight on the other. The character with the
lowest SPD makes a Check to hide. If they succeed, they can’t be found and the
Chase ends; if they fail, the pursuers immediately make a movement roll.
2. Throng - a crowd of people, a flock of animals, or some other group impedes
progress. The characters on that side may attempt to convince the throng to
assist them if possible, or else someone must make a Check to clear a path. On
a failed Check, the opposing side immediately makes a movement roll.
3. Dilemma - the characters face a decision between two unfavourable options,
such as having to choose to divert to a more difficult path or plough through a
crowd.
4. Hazard – something threatens the side that rolled this result; they must make
a Check to avoid damage, or some other unfavourable situation such as being
knocked prone.
5. Obstacle - something impedes progress on the path; the character with the
highest SPD must make a Check to bypass the obstacle, else the opposing side
immediately makes a movement roll.
6. Opportunity - a character on the side who rolled this result can immediately
take an extra action, though they must decide what to do quickly.
7. Paths Converge - a character on the side that rolled this result and a character
on the opposing side cross paths momentarily, coming within a hair’s breadth of
each other; they may each make an action before the trail separates them once
more.
8. Risky Shortcut - a risky shortcut presents itself. Characters on this side may
take this shortcut, but must make a Check to do so. If they succeed, they
immediately sprint. If they fail, they are separated from the others on their side
and taken out of the Chase.
9. Separated - a character on the side which rolled this result is separated from
the rest of their side, and is tracked separately till they can reunite with their
group. If the character was on the pursuing side, they must make a Check or be
taken out of the Chase.
10. Twist - the situation changes in some way; perhaps a new group joins the
Chase, or the side that is pursuing and the side that is being pursued switch;
the environment might change, as might the conditions that end the Chase.

153
 Morale
Only fools fight to the death. NPCs have a Morale score between 2 and 12. When
an NPC ends up facing more danger than they were expecting, the Guide may roll
2D6; if they roll higher than the NPC’s Morale, that NPC will attempt to flee, retreat,
surrender, or parley when next they act.

A Morale roll may be triggered if more than half of an NPC’s allies or their leader
have been defeated, or if they are reduced to less than half their total HP, among
other circumstances.

Allied NPCs, such as Retainers, may also make Morale rolls in unfavourable situ-
ations, such as when they aren’t compensated fairly, their employer dies, or they
face extraordinary danger. A demoralised ally may flee immediately, or they may
perhaps simply become disgruntled, afraid, or mutinous, seeking to betray their
employer at an opportune moment.

Hit Protection for NPCs

HP represents something different for NPC than it does Errants. Since NPC die
outright at zero HP rather than beginning to take wounds, HP is more or less reflec-
tive of actual damage being done to their body, especially since many monstrous
creatures are much more capable of resisting and sustaining injury than humans
are. Armour, evasiveness, or other forms of protection an NPC may have are
reflected in their HP totals as well.

In the case of enemies that are more similar to humans than not, Guides may wish
to apply the same principles when describing damage as the ones they use for
Errants. It is up to the Guide to decide which method is most appropriate, dramatic,
and engaging.

Graphic: Two figures depicted as busts side-by-side. The one on the left is a
seasoned violent, armored in steel helm and chainmail. His face is scruffy with
beard, and his eyes look off into the distance. On the right is a long haired Oc-
cult, with bags beneath her eyes. She holds a staff in hand, and wear a conical
star-and-moon hat atop her head, with robes to match.

154
 NPC Attributes
Since the Guide will have to keep track of several different NPC, the attributes an
NPC has are far simpler than those of an Errant.

• Threat - an NPC’s Threat is a measure of how powerful they are, from 1 to

10; when an Errant makes a Saving Throw against an effect from an NPC, the
Threat of the NPC is the DV for that Saving Throw. When an NPC needs to make
a Saving Throw or some other Check, use their Threat + 8 as the value to roll
equal to or below.
• Hit protection (HP) - an NPC’s HP is a measure of how much damage an NPC can
take before being killed, subdued, or otherwise defeated.
• Attacks (ATT) - the Attack Roll(s) an NPC can make as an action and how much
damage they deal.
• MV - determines an NPC’s movement dice. Two values separated by a ‘/’ indicate
two different movement types (e.g. 2/4 walking/flying). When controlling
multiple of the same NPC type, the Guide may find it expedient to roll for
their movement as a group (e.g. there are six goblins, so the Guide rolls D4,
which comes up as a 3; all six goblins may move up to 30’ this Initiative Turn),
excepting any members of that group whose movement may differ from the
rest.
• Morale (ML) - how likely an NPC is to stay in a dangerous situation.
• Alignment (AL) - Whether the NPC is aligned with the forces of Law or Chaos, or
if they are Neutral.
• Special - any other effects or abilities an NPC might have.

Graphic: Two figures depicted as busts side-by-side. The one on the left is a
hooded zealot, with a sigil on their tunic. The one on the right is a short and
grubby deviant. He wears a skullcap that doesn’t cover his ears, and a sneer on
his stubbled face.

155
 Bestiary

Goblin

Threat 1, HP 6, ATT 1 × weapon (D6), MV 1, ML 7, AL Chaotic

Fight Dirty - any gambits made by a goblin have their DV increased by 2, and any
Saving Throws made by the goblin against gambits have their DV decreased by 2.

It Burns! - if the goblin is in full daylight, all its Attack Rolls are impaired 1 step
and all Attack Rolls against it are enhanced 1 step.

Graphic: A well dressed, middle-aged woman gasps, hand to her breast, as the
dinner table she’s sitting at tips over. Four goblins—depicted as naked tod-
dlers—are wreaking havoc. One stumbles drunkenly with a bottle of wine held
above their head, one rides down the sloping tabletop in a bowl of soup. Another
goblin reaches up to catch a chain of sausage links sent flying by the tipping
table, while the fourth, wearing a tiny antlered skull on its head, is creeping up
on a tasty slice of cake.

Gnoll

Threat 2, HP 14, ATT 1 × claws (2D4) or bite (2D6), MV 1, ML 8, AL Chaotic

Rabid - if the gnoll deals unblocked damage with its bite, it must make a Morale
roll with a penalty equal to the amount of damage dealt. If they fail, they go rabid:
they roll an extra die on all their Attack Rolls, and will attack the nearest target
indiscriminately.

Graphic: An anthropomorphized hyena person wearing a loin cloth. They squat

on the ground, counting coins into a small satchel.

156
 Graphic: A scarred veteran sits resting on a rock. Aside from her top-knotted
head, her entire body is plated in heavy studed armor. A massive two-handed
zweihander sword is thrust into the ground in front of her, in easy reach if it is
needed.

Veteran

Threat 3, HP 24, ATT 2 × weapon (D8), MV 1, ML 9, AL Any

Battle-wise - veterans have a randomly determined Feat (smite, grit, and dash are
excluded from the possibilities) and 1 combat die.

Gelatinous Cube

Threat 4, HP 20, ATT 1 × touch (2D4 + paralysis), MV 1, ML 12, AL Neutral

Translucent - surprises on a roll of 1-4.

Paralysis - if the gelatinous cube deals unblocked damage, the target is paralysed
for 2D4 Initiative Turns.

Gelatinous - takes no damage from cold or lightning.

Graphic: In a grey, dead-end corridor, two Errants are trapped by the advance of
a gelatinous cube. One kneels in prayer while the other, who wears a robe and
clutches a cross, holds out their hand in blessing over their companion. Within
the mass of the gelatinous cube is the skeleton of an already digested victim. Its
finger points mockingly at the cornered Errants.

Graphic: A cockatrice—looking much like an oversized chicken—moves with an

unsteady wobbling walk. Its serpentine neck curls and weaves as if the creature
is perpetually off-balance. Its beak is open, tongue extended mid-squawk.

Cockatrice

Threat 5, HP 30, ATT 1 × beak (D6 + petrification), MV 1/3 (flying), ML 7,

AL Neutral

Petrification - if the cockatrice deals unblocked damage, the target is turned to

stone.

157
 Gosbear

Threat 6, HP 42, ATT 2 × claw (D8) and either 1 × bite (D8) or honk, MV 2,
ML 10, AL Chaotic

Bear Hug - if the gosbear deals unblocked damage with two claw Attack Rolls
against the same target in one Initiative Turn, the target is grappled in a bear hug
and takes an extra 2D8 damage.

Honk - all within earshot must make a pres Saving Throw or become terrified of
the gosbear; a terrified target’s Attack Rolls are impaired 2 steps when attacking
the source of its fear.

Graphic: The body of a bear and the head of a goose. Its long, heavy neck rests
on the ground, slithering serpent-like towards the frame. Its beak is filled with
sharp little teeth.

Remorhaz

Threat 7, HP 56, ATT 1 × bite (6D6), MV 2, ML 10, AL Neutral

Swallow - if the remorhaz rolls a 6+ on any of its dice as part of an Attack Roll,
the target is swallowed whole, causing them to be incinerated instantly within the
creature’s stomach.

Living Furnace - when attacking the remorhaz, rolls of 1 cause that weapon to
lose 2 points of Quality instead of 1.

Graphic: A massive monster whose head is like that of an insect with moose’s
antlers, but whose body is like a long sea serpent with fins pointed upward. It
is standing threateningly with its lower body on the ground, like a snake, and
with its upper body upright. It has two sets of six legs on its upper body. One set
supports the creature’s weight, while the other set are held up in a threatening
posture. Its radial mouth is full of teeth and little appendiges.

158
 Graphic: The Brainsquatter appears to be a human wearing elaborate clothing
with an octahedral motif. The human’s head is enclosed within a transparent oc-
tahedron, and narrow tendrils writhe out from their mouth, nose, ears, and eyes.
Their face appears to be in great distress, while their body is placid. The Brain-
squatter’s feet, clad in curly-toed shoes, float several inches off the ground. Its
hands reach out to each side, one of which is manipulating a small floating disk
which appears to be melting beneath its hand. The edges of the frame fade into
haze on every side of the Brainsquatter.

Brainsquatter

Threat 8, HP 56, ATT 4 × tentacles (D4 + brainsquat) or brain beam or

brainwash, MV 2 (levitation), ML 11, AL Neutral

Brainsquat - if the brainsquatter deals unblocked damage with its tentacle, the
tentacle will attach to its target’s face, penetrate into its brain, and begin pumping
it with protoplasmic fluid. After D4 Initiative Turns, it will complete its injection, and
the Initiative Turn thereafter, the fluid will coalesce into a parasite that devours that
target’s brain, turning it into another brainsquatter. If the tentacle is removed from
the target before the brainsquatter has completed its injection, the fluid will drip
harmlessly from the target’s nose. While a brainsquatter is attached to a target,
it may not move or use brain-beam or brainwash, but it may still make tentacle
attacks. A brainsquatter can be attached to multiple targets at once.

Brain-beam - all within a 30’ radius of the brainsquatter must make a mind Saving
Throw or be stunned for 2D4 Initiative Turns and unable to take any action.

Brainwash - the brainsquatter targets a creature within 60’, which must make a
mind Saving Throw or be brainwashed by the brainsquatter. This effect lasts until
the brainwashed target takes damage.
Telepathic - the brainsquatter communicates telepathically, and can read the
thoughts of any creatures nearby.

159
 Hell Knight

Threat 9, HP 72, ATT 4 × weapon (D10) or magic, MV 2, ML 12, AL Chaotic

Undead - not affected by anything that affects living creatures; immune to mind
control.

Evil Presence - any creature within 10’ of the hell knight must make a pres Saving
Throw or flee in terror.

Not of This Earth - the hell knight can see the souls of creatures, and its attacks
count as magical damage.

General of Hell - all Chaotic creatures within 60’ of the hell knight have their
Attack Rolls enhanced 1 step.

Spellshield - any Sorcery or Miracle targeting the hell knight has a 2-in-10 chance
of failing, and a 1-in-10 chance of being reflected back onto the caster.

Abjure Magic (magic) - once per day, the hell knight can designate an area 20’
in diameter where no magic can be performed; this effect lasts until the hell knight
chooses to end it or is killed. Any existing magical effects in the area are ended,
and magical items will not function.

Hellfire (magic) - once per day, the hell knight hurls hellfire at a point within 240’.
All within a 20’ radius of that point suffer 8D6 damage unless they successfully
make a skill Saving Throw, which will reduce the damage by half.

Lake of Ice (magic) - once per day, the hell knight freezes the ground in a 150’
radius from itself. All non-Chaotic creatures caught in this area must make a phys
Saving Throw or be frozen to the ground, unable to move, as well as taking D6
damage; if successful, they only take damage and are not frozen. A creature frozen
to the ground may attempt to break out by using an action to make a DV 6 phys
Check; if they are successful they break free but suffer a further D6 damage. The
frozen ground counts as difficult terrain 3 for all non-Chaotic creatures.

Graphic: The Hell Knight looms, moving towards the viewer out of the frame. It
is a heavily armored figure wearing the tattered remains of a robe over heavy
plate. White hair flows through the sharp spires of a crown atop its skeletal face.
In one hand it holds a long sword adorned with spikes and runes, in the other
hand it carries a shield which twists and curls like fire around its edges, as if the
shield is warping reality around itself.

160
 Dragon

Threat 10, HP 100 (body)/20 (per limb, wing, and tail), ATT 2 × claw (D8)
and 1 × bite (4D8) or tail (3D8), or breath (HP), or wing (2D6 + prone), MV
1/4 (flying), ML 10, AL Chaotic

Colossal - treat as a large Warband. Damage dealt to limbs, wings, or tail cripples.

Underbelly - damage dealt to the dragon’s soft underbelly is treated as damage to

an individual.
Breath - the dragon deals its current body HP in damage to all within a 90’ cone. A
Saving Throw is allowed for half damage.

Wing - all creatures within 20’ of the dragon must make a skill Saving Throw or be
knocked prone and take 2D6 damage. The dragon may then move at its flying SPD.
Arcane - the dragon knows 9 Sorceries, each of which it can cast once per day as
if it were a Renown 10 Errant of The Occult Archetype. Roll for essence and sphere
only when creating Sorceries.

Graphic: A large dragon spans two pages, breathing fire onto the text that de-
scribes it. The dragon has a long serpentine neck, broad bat’s wings, and mus-
cular humanoid arms and legs. It is striped like a tiger, and many spikes pro-
trude dangerously from shoulders, elbows, and spine.

161
 Converting NPCs
NPCs from other old-school role playing games may be used as is with little modifi-
cation.

To convert HP, take half an NPC’s ascending armour class and multiply it by their hit
dice.

To determine their Threat, use their hit die value. If their hit die is higher than 10,
take their converted HP total and divide it by 12 to get their Threat; if this value is
still higher than 10, simply treat their Threat as 10.

To determine movement dice, treat every 20’ of encounter movement rate as

granting 1 movement die.

Graphic: A humanoid figure with butterfly wings and no head. Its lack of head
doesn’t seem to be the result of violence, but simply its natural state. The fig-
ure holds its arms out, palms up, revealing an eye looking out from each palm.
There are also eyes at the creature’s ankles, and what appear to be several eyes
on its wings.

Initiative Turn Procedure

1. If combat distance is not known, determine distance.

2. If surprise is possible, determine surprise.
3. Determine Initiative Turn order.
4. Winning side acts quickly.
5. Losing side acts quickly.
6. Winning side acts slowly.
7. Losing side acts slowly.
8. Effects or conditions expire.
9. Repeat steps 3-8 until combat is resolved.

162
 Downtime Turns
Downtime Turn Actions
During a Downtime Turn, Errants specify what action they are taking in the period
of time between adventures, in addition to regular activities.

Most activities that require progress to be tracked in some way during Downtime
Turns use the following procedure.

First, set a tracker for the number of successes an activity requires.

An Errant may use their action during Downtime Turns to attempt to make progress
on this activity. Note that they must describe an adequate method of accom-
plishing this activity. If the Errant does not have the necessary resources required
to engage in such an activity, whether it be money or some other such resource (for
example, if attempting to set up a drug trade, they would need prior access to a
reliable source of drugs), they cannot attempt the action.

When an Errant attempts to make progress on an activity during Downtime Turns,

they roll 2D6, plus any appropriate situational modifiers, whether they be positive
(expenditure of extra resources, clever method or approach, character skill) or
negative (unreliable resources or otherwise poor fictional positioning). Situational
modifiers should not exceed in total +/-3.

• A roll of 10+ means that the Errant is successful in their activity, and may mark
one success on the tracker.
• A roll of 7-9 indicates that either a complication or setback has occurred, which
must be dealt with before further progress can be made, or that partial progress
has been made; in the case of partial progress, a success is not marked on the
tracker, but the next time the Errant attempts this activity, it will automatically
succeed.
• A roll of 6 or lower indicates that the Errant was unsuccessful in their
endeavour, and no progress is made.

Graphic: A strange bipedal creature, both of its legs muscular and similar to a
human’s, with a tail protruding from its back. Its abdomen suggests a melan-
cholic face, but perhaps that’s just the creature’s peculiar bone structure. It has
no visible mouth or arms. From the top of its abdomen sprout a waving cluster
of stalks, each containing a single eye at the tip.

An Errant may choose to forgo their Downtime Turn action to assist another Errant
in their endeavours; this allows the Errant being aided to add +1 to their roll.

163
Many procedures for specific actions follow, but you can use this basic framework
to accommodate anything an Errant may wish to do during Downtime Turns, be
it learning a new language, being sworn into a secret order, changing Alignment
score, engaging in spiritual struggle with a cursed blade, etc.

Use the following as a rubric for the number of successes required on a tracker for
an activity to be successful:

• 1 – Minor Advantage
• 3 – Significant Advantage
• 5 – Campaign Defining Goal
• 7 – Major Campaign Defining Goal

An Errant may forgo their action to assist another Errant with their Downtime Turn
action. If they do, they give the Errant they are assisting +1 to their roll, though as
usual this cannot cause the bonus to exceed +3.

Passing Time
Many downtime activities presuppose an Errant having access to some resources,
whether they be money, an opportunity to capitalise upon, or both. Wretched louts
that they are, they will often have neither of these, or simply lack the inclination
towards applying themselves towards decent, fruitful business.

In such cases, they may simply narrate as their Downtime Turn action how they are
passing time.

The Guide is encouraged to give a small bonus to the Errant, perhaps pending a
Check, based on the activity they describe.

For example, an Errant who spends a Downtime Turn engaging in foot races may
gain the ability to roll an extra movement die once in between Downtime Turns;
an Errant who spends their Downtime Turn studying the signs of local wildlife may
choose to treat a roll of encounter on the Event Die as an encounter sign instead
once in-between Downtime Turns, and so on.

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 Setbacks
A setback indicates that some complication has arisen which is stymieing an
Errant’s progress on their goal or renders an Errant’s asset unusable. For example,
if an Errant’s Estate is suffering a setback, some problem is rendering it uninhabit-
able till dealt with.

When an Errant’s Estate, Institution, infrastructure project, or Domain suffers a

setback, they gain XP equal to its current base investment cost (e.g. if an Errant
is attempting to advance their tier 3 Institution to tier 4 and they suffer a setback,
they gain XP equal to the base investment cost of a tier 3 Institution: 2,500); if
multiple Errants are invested, they divide the XP equally amongst themselves.

A setback can be cleared by dealing with it directly in play. If a setback is rolled

at the beginning of a Downtime Turn, the Company may choose to suspend taking
their Downtime Turn actions to deal with said setback; when they return, the Event
Die should not be rolled again.

A setback may also be dealt with by spending a Downtime Turn action. It is up

to the Guide’s discretion depending on the specific nature of the setback whether
simply taking the action will suffice to deal with it, if a Check is required, or
whether expenditures of resources are necessary; a Guide may also rule that due
to the nature of the setback, it cannot be dealt with abstractly through a Downtime
Turn action and must be handled by the Errant directly.

As a general procedure, if an Institution, infrastructure project, or Domain suffers a

setback, it can be cleared with a Downtime Turn action and paying half the current
base investment cost.

Recovery
When a Downtime Turn begins, before the Event Die is rolled, all Company
members restore HP up to their maximum, any Archetype based resources such
as Jettons or Favour are fully restored, as well as any charges of True Strikes and
Deflects.

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 Rumours
Gathering specific information involves concerted effort, listening in the right
places, and asking the right people. However, in the course of spending time in any
Settlement, the natural dross that drips from wagging tongues will be overheard.
Though such knowledge is likely nonsense and best disregarded, it may contain a
kernel of truth; regardless, such rumours provide excitable Errants with leads to
follow for questing and adventure.

At the start of a Downtime Turn, the Company hears a rumour.

Shopping & Socialising

During a Downtime Turn, an Errant is free to make any purchases of generally
available items, as well as make any minor social calls that they wish without
spending their action.

Purchases more involved, such as hunting down a specialty item, or interactions

more intensive, such as attempting to advance one’s relationship or gather informa-
tion, will generally take an action.

Graphic: An elderly woman displays a variety of wares on a table and a hand cart.
She wears patched but tidy clothing, a head scarf, and a kind smile. Her goods
include a sword, stoppered potion bottles, jewelry hanging across the top of the
hand cart’s canopy, a dagger, a small chest, rings laid out, and a mirror. There is
a cat sitting on the counter. A note on the cart reads “cat not for sale”.

Hiring Retainers
The number of Retainers available each Downtime Turn is determined by Settlement
Type.

• A hamlet has D4 hirelings and D4 specialists available each Downtime Turn.

• A village has D6 hirelings and D6 specialists available.
• A town has D8 hirelings, D8 specialists, and D8 × 10 mercenaries available, of
whom 10% will be lieutenants and 5% will be captains.
• A city has D10 hirelings, D10 specialists, and D10 × 10 mercenaries available,
of whom 10% will be lieutenants and 5% will be captains.
• A metropolis will have D12 hirelings, D12 specialists, and D12 × 10 mercenaries
available, of whom 10% will be lieutenants and 5% will be captains.

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An Errant can choose to spend money advertising for available positions during a
Downtime Turn. For each 100p spent, add +1 to a roll for a given Retainer type, or
attract one interested henchman, up to the maximum for the Settlement’s die size
used to determine Retainer availability (e.g. in a village an Errant could spend up to
600p advertising for a bonus of +6). Advertising for Retainers does not use up an
Errant’s action for their Downtime Turn. The types of Retainers available are deter-
mined by their Rarity.

The Renown of interested henchmen is determined by Settlement Type.

• Henchmen in hamlets are always Renown 1.

• Henchmen in villages are Renown D2
• Henchmen in towns are Renown D3
• Henchmen in cities are Renown D4
• Henchmen in metropolises are Renown D5

Unlike other Retainers, henchmen do not automatically accept an offer of employ-

ment. Instead, the Errants must engage in a Negotiation with the henchmen,
offering them a share of the treasure (a half share is considered the standard
amount). A botched Negotiation may lead to that henchman bad-mouthing the
Errants to other potential recruits.

To determine the Archetype of a henchman, roll below.

D10 Henchmen Archetype

1-5 Warrior
6-8 Professional
9-10 Magic user

Retainer Morale is determined by the pres of the employer, as well as a variable

modifier determined by rolling 2D6. For each 25% increase in salary offered or
equivalent bonus or benefit, add +1 to the 2D6 roll, up to max of +3.

Morale Base Variable

Pres Morale 2D6 Modifier
3-4 5 2 -2
5-8 6 3-5 -1
9-13 7 6-8 0
14-16 8 9-11 1
17-18 9 12 2
19-20 10 - -

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 Graphic: The scene of a bustling tavern lit by paper lanterns. A shirtless man
wearing a helmet flexes his arms impressively. A woman wearing a patterned
dress with her hair in a long braid smiles and squeezes one of the man’s biceps.
Elsewhere in the tavern patrons sit and drink, one man drowning his sorrows in
his cup while his companion reassures him with a hand on his shoulder. A thief
moves through the crowd, her head completely shaved, and she nimbly plucks
the sorrowful man’s purse from his belt.

Graphic: A funeral occurs in the rain. Four Errants have just finished burying
their friend. One holds a long stiletto blade in one hand, a full pack of supplies
in the other. They look back towards the gloomy woods in the distance. One of
of the company is a spellcaster, looking over the grave and casting a bright spell
with her hands. One of them is a smaller figure, holding their cloak above their
head to block the rain, a hand crossbow held loosely in their other hand. The
last figure leans against a shovel stuck in the ground, one foot propped up on it.
Their features are hidden by a long ragged cloak.

Funerals
Death is inevitable, and therefore provides the perfect excuse for the throwing of
parties.

During a Downtime Turn, Errants are able to throw a funeral for their fallen
comrades, provided that a body is available to bury. This does not take an action.

For every 1p an Errant spends commemorating a fallen comrade’s life, whether that
be through funding their funeral service, erecting statues of the deceased, commis-
sioning poems or artworks in their honour, or otherwise, they can ‘purchase’ 1 XP
from the dearly departed.

Conspicuous Consumption
Errants as a rule are not known for their keen financial acumen, else they would
not be Errants. As such, whenever they come into possession of any sum of money,
they are just as quickly rid of it.

After they have taken their action for a Downtime Turn, an Errant can choose to
engage in Conspicuous Consumption.

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There are four types of Conspicuous Consumption that an Errant may partake in:

• Carousing (phys) - partying, substance abuse, orgies, and rodomontade

• Frippery (skill) - haute adornments and fashions, sumptuous epicureanism and
gourmandizing, fads and trends
• Obscurantism (mind) - sophistry, obsessive and trivial research, supreme
pretension
• Do-goodery (pres) - needless philanthropy, moral pomposity and outrage,
doomed, futile, or otherwise ineffectual causes

An Errant describes how they are engaging in Conspicuous Consumption, and then
rolls a die, which is multiplied by a set amount, to see how much money they waste
in that endeavour (and consequently, how much XP they gain).

An Errant can invoke a relevant Institution to increase their roll amount by the
Institution’s tier (e.g. if an Errant is gambling, and they or a Company member own
a tier 3 gambling house, they may elect to gain a +3 bonus to their Conspicuous
Consumption roll).

The die size and multiplier is determined by the Settlement Type

• Hamlet – D4 × 200
• Village – D6 × 400
• Town – D8 × 600
• Cities – D10 × 800
• Metropolis – D12 × 1,000

If the result of their roll indicates that an Errant spends more money than they
currently possess, they are indebted to a creditor for the surplus, and must make
a Saving Throw based on the type of Conspicuous Consumption engaged in, with a
DV equal to the result of the die roll. If they fail the Saving Throw, roll on the table
below to see what happens.

1. Something gets burned down or destroyed; roll a D6 to see how bad it was:
on a 1, confined to a single building; on a 6, a big part of town has gone up.
Future Conspicuous Consumption rolls receive a penalty equal to the D6 roll
till it’s repaired. Roll another D6 to see who knows: on a 4 or lower, just the
Company knows; on a 5, a blackmailer knows; on a 6, EVERYBODY knows.
2. Beaten and robbed: lose half HP and all items in inventory.
3. Magical affliction: someone or something has put a curse on you, or trans-
formed you into an animal.
4. You’ve gotten into legal trouble. You’re due to appear in court. Roll a D6 to see
how bad the charges are.
5. You’ve contracted a disease or infection.

169
6. You’ve made an enemy; a random NPC now hates you. Roll a D6 to see how bad
it is: on a 1, they can’t stand your presence, on a 6, they’re after your head.
7. You’ve insulted a local person or organisation of import. Lose D4 Faction reputa-
tion.
8. You wake up in a random adjacent hex, stark naked, in someone or something’s
house/lair. Your friends have all your stuff. Roll a Reaction Roll for your host.
9. You get into a brawl. Lose D6 HP.
10. You’ve got a hangover. All Checks for the next two Travel Turns have DV +2.
11. You’ve made a pact with a god, devil, or some other supernatural power, and
have to do some quest or task for them.
12. You’re betrothed. Calling off the marriage will incur the wrath of the family or
your scorned lover. If you’re already married, this could get messy.
13. You’ve earned notoriety as a gadabout. Your next Conspicuous Consumption
roll will be doubled.
14. You’ve gotten a new tattoo or some other bodily alteration. Roll a D6 to see
how bad it is: on a 1, it’s offensive to EVERYONE (-2 to all Reaction Rolls while
it’s visible); on a 6, it’s actually pretty cool.
15. You’ve made an ass of yourself in town. No one will take you seriously for the
next D4 Downtime Turns.
16. You’ve been initiated into a cult, secret society, or some other organisation.
17. You’ve impressed someone, made an ally, or attracted a new Retainer.
18. You get a windfall. Receive half money spent on Conspicuous Consumption
back.
19. You make a discovery or hear a rumour of some sort.
20. You make an advancement. Increase rolled Attribute by 1.

170
 Debts
Given that Errants have one of the shortest expected lifespans in the natural world,
no creditor will guarantee a debt to any individual Errant. Instead, the debt of the
entire Company is held cumulatively.

At the start of every Downtime Turn, the remaining amount owed by the Company
doubles.

Creditors are nasty, unscrupulous sorts, and there are sure to be ramifications for
failing to honour one’s debts. While the Company owes a debt, no Errants may
engage in Conspicuous Consumption.

If there is no obvious figure in a Settlement who would loan money to the

Company, the table below may be used as inspiration.

D6 D6
unctuous eunuch
sententious merchant
truculent clergyman
supercilious madam
fulsome officer
vainglorious intellectual

Graphic: A muscular man from the torso up, holding a large mallet you’d use to
strike a gong behind his back, ready to swing it.

171
 Lifestyle
Errants are a universally hedonistic lot, and will live as sumptuous a lifestyle as
possible within their means, and often beyond it, without exception.

Rather than account for every expenditure and income an Errant accrues during
downtime, a simplified method is used to avoid such tedious book-keeping.

When a Downtime Turn ends, whatever remaining money an Errant has is halved to
pay for lifestyle expenses. If the Company is taking multiple Downtime Turns in a
row, they only pay for lifestyle expenses on the last Downtime Turn they take.

This sum may seem large, but it represents Errants living at the very edge of their
means, as well as all other expenditures such as taxes or managing any Institu-
tions, Estates, or Domains that they may have.

If an Errant has an accountant employed, they only pay a quarter of their current
liquid wealth for lifestyle expenditures.

Trades
On rare occasion, an Errant will act against their baser nature and apply themselves
towards practical education for a vocation, such as smithing, fletching, or cooking.

An Errant begins as a layman in any given Trade.

To attempt to learn a Trade, an Errant pays the requisite fee and rolls 2D6 plus
any applicable bonuses for extra expenditures (each extra 25% of the learning
cost adds +1) or situational bonuses, to a maximum of +3. Each attempt takes a
Downtime Turn.

2D6 Result
10+ Training attempt is successful.
7-9 Treat the next training attempt as an automatic success.
2-6 No progress is made.

To become an apprentice in a given Trade, an Errant must find a trainer who is

of apprentice level or higher in their chosen Trade. Acquiring certification as an
apprentice in a Trade requires one successful training attempt. Training to become
an apprentice costs 2,000p per training attempt. An Errant who is certified as
an apprentice may make crafting rolls for items related to their Trade. Any items
produced are of shoddy Quality.

172
To become a journeyman in a given Trade, they must find a trainer who is of jour-
neyman level or higher in their chosen Trade. Acquiring certification as a jour-
neyman in a Trade requires two successful training attempts. Training to become
a journeyman costs 4,000p per training attempt. An Errant who is certified as a
journeyman may make crafting rolls for items related to their Trade with +1 to their
roll. Any items produced are of average Quality.

To become a master in a given Trade, they must find a trainer who is of master
level or higher in their chosen Trade. Acquiring certification as a master in a
Trade requires three successful training attempts. Training to become a master
costs 8,000p per training attempt. An Errant who is certified as a master may
make crafting rolls for items related to their Trade with +2 to their roll. Any items
produced are of Quality.

To become a legendary artisan in a given Trade, they must find a legendary artisan
who is willing to pass their mantle on. The Errant will be tasked with completing
three significant quests, each to recover a specific item component, which they will
craft into a Wondrous Item.

Once this has been done, the Errant receives the title of legendary artisan. They
make crafting rolls at +3, and are capable of crafting further Wondrous Items.

Graphic: A woman works steadily in her forge. She wears an apron and head-
band, every muscle of her body bulging and huge. She grips a hammer in one
hand, swinging down on the blade of a sword which she holds in place with
tongs. Behind her is a bellows and oven, the light of it so bright that the fire
cannot even be seen.

173
 Improving Attributes
Directed training, under the supervised tutelage of a trainer, can confer permanent
bonuses to an Errant’s capabilities. If there is a suitable trainer in the Settlement
where the Errant is taking a Downtime Turn, and they have agreed to train the
Errant, they may attempt to improve one of their Attributes.

To improve an Attribute, 5D4 are rolled and the lowest die result is dropped from
the total. If the total is higher than the current Attribute being trained, it improves
by 1.

An Attribute cannot be trained higher than the trainer’s Attribute (e.g. if the trainer
had a skill of 15, an Errant training under them could only improve their skill up to
15).

The first attempt to improve an Attribute costs 1,000 pennies. Every additional
training attempt doubles the cost; so 2,000, then 4,000, then 8,000, and so on.
This amount is cumulative across all Attributes (e.g. if an Errant’s first attempt
at training was to improve their skill, they would pay 1,000p; if during the next
Downtime Turn they attempted to improve their phys, they would pay 2,000p).

Talents
Certain people in the world know special techniques and abilities, known as Talents,
which can be taught. These people are rare, and often tied to particular Factions or
special individuals, who will agree to teach them only to those who have the highest
reputation or bond with them.

To attempt to learn a Talent, an Errant rolls 2D6 plus any applicable bonuses the
Guide deems appropriate (if an Errant’s Archetype is relevant to the Talent being
learned, they may add their Renown divided by three to the roll), to a maximum of
+3. Each attempt takes a Downtime Turn.

2D6 Result
10+ Training attempt is successful.
7-9 Treat the next training attempt as an automatic success.
2-6 No progress is made.

A Talent requires three successes to learn. An Errant who fails a total of three times
while attempting to learn a Talent is refused further training by their trainer.

174
 Example Talents

Wrath of the Boar - when you reach 0 HP the first time between Downtime Turns,
instead go to 1 HP. You cannot be reduced below 1 HP for the rest of combat. When
combat ends, you immediately take all the damage that would have been dealt to
you after this Talent activated.

Always Prepared - if you are in a Settlement of some kind, you may set aside
any number of Item Slots and money as your load out. These Item Slots count for
Encumbrance as normal. At any point, you may retrieve any mundane item from
your load out, so long as you have sufficient Item Slots set aside and money set
aside to carry and pay for that item. That item then fills those Item Slots and its
price is deducted from the money set aside. You may retrieve items until you have
filled all your set aside Item Slots and/or money.

Blood Magic - before casting a Sorcery or Miracle, you may perform blood magic,
lowering your phys or skill to empower your magic. For each Attribute point
lowered, you may choose from among the following:

• Increase your Miracle roll by 1.

• Treat your Renown as 1 higher for the purpose of Sorcery effects.
• Increase your Miracle or Sorcery Depletion by 1.
• Lower your stabilise value by 1.

Graphic: An elder wizard rests a reassuring hand on an apprentice’s shoulder.

Electric power arcs between the apprentice’s hands, and they look down at the
effect they’re producing with a determined expression. Both wear conical hats,
but the older wizard’s is much more impressive.

175
 Animals
Animals can be sorted into three categories.

Graphic: The head of a ram, its eyes open wide, its long horns curving upwards.

• Feral - wild members of domestic animal species. Training attempts cost 250p
each.
• Wild - non-domesticated animal species. Training attempts cost 500p each.
• Exotic - monstrous or supernatural animal species. Training attempts cost
1,000p each.

Training an animal takes a Downtime Turn. To attempt to train an animal, the Errant
rolls 2D6 plus any applicable bonuses the Guide applies depending on their method,
to a maximum of +3. Expertise in survival adds +2 to the roll, while mastery adds
+3. Improper training methods may penalise the roll, to a maximum of -3.

2D6 Result
10+ Training attempt is successful.
7-9 Treat the next training attempt as an automatic success.
2-6 No progress is made.

An untamed animal must first be tamed before it can be taught any commands.
Taming a feral animal takes one successful training attempt, a wild animal takes
two, and an exotic animal takes three. If an Errant fails a total of three times while
attempting to tame an animal, it cannot be tamed.

Once an animal has been tamed, determine an animal’s Morale as you would a
Retainer’s; an Errant of The Deviant Archetype with Proficiency in survival may base
Morale determination off of their skill rather than their pres.

Tamed animals will obey basic commands, and if they have any special actions
according to their species, can perform those.

If an animal has attack options it can perform, treat it as a henchman for the
purposes of Retainer limits.

An animal can be taught to obey specific commands or new actions and abilities. To
do so the Errant describes what they wish to teach the animal, and the Guide will
set an appropriate tracker for the number of successes. If an Errant fails a total of
three times while attempting to teach an animal a new command, it cannot learn
that command.

176
 Tinkering
Any Errant can use their action during a Downtime Turn to attempt to customise
or personalise items. To do so, they pay half the cost of the item for materials,
and roll 2D6. Specific customizations may require the Errant to have found specific
materials during play. Bonuses for being trained in a relevant Trade or for extra
expenditures may apply.

When Tinkering, the Errant chooses which category their stated modifications fall
under.

• Durable - the item is made stronger or more resistant to damage.

• Sophisticated - the item is made more aesthetically pleasing, more complex, or
gains additional functions.
• Efficient - the item is made quicker to use, deploy, or recover.
• Potent - the item is made stronger or more effective at its primary function.

However, customising an item this way causes the item to also receive an attendant
drawback.

2D6 Result
10+ Errant chooses the drawback.
7-9 Guide chooses the drawback.
2-6 Item receives a drawback but no modification.

The drawback cannot be the inverse of the modification (e.g. an item modified to be
durable cannot be frail).

• Frail - the item becomes more delicate, fragile, or high maintenance.

• Crude - the item becomes less aesthetically pleasing, simpler, or worse at tasks
that aren’t its primary function.
• Unwieldy - the item becomes cumbersome, slow, or laborious to use.
• Ineffective - the item becomes weaker or less effective at its primary function.

177
 Crafting
Graphic: A bladder, like a whoopie cushion or a deflated balloon. An eye peers
out from its body.

An Errant who is at least an apprentice in a given Trade can make items related to
their Trade.

To do so, they initially pay half the price of the item they are attempting to craft,
representing the cost of materials, hired help, and so on.

They then roll 2D6, plus any bonuses from their Trade. Each attempt takes a
downtime action.

2D6 Result
10+ Crafting attempt is successful.
7-9 Treat next crafting attempt as an automatic success.
2-6 No progress is made.

For each 2,000p of the base cost of the item, one success is needed when crafting
(e.g. plate armour, costing 4,000p, would require two successes).

178
 Alchemy
During a Downtime Turn, as an action, an Errant can attempt to turn an alchemist’s
kit and all the alchemical components within it into an alchemical item.

Doing so requires an Alchemy Check which is a skill Check. Each alchemical

component within the alchemist’s kit increases the DV of the Check by 1.

An alchemical item can be created in a variety of media, such as:

• Incense - inhalable. DV+2 to create.

• Oil - topical. Can be used to coat a weapon (lasts for 10 Attack Rolls) or a
quiver of ammunition.
• Pill - ingestible. Does not take up any Item Slots. DV+4 to create.
• Potion - ingestible.
• Powder - ingestible (water soluble) or inhalable (if blown; fills an area five feet
square, dissipates in one Initiative Turn).
• Wafer - ingestible. Consuming counts as eating a ration. DV+1 to create.

A created alchemical item takes up ¼ of an Item Slot per alchemical component

used to create it. It has a Depletion of 1.

Each alchemical component used to create an alchemical item contributes its effect
to that item. For example, the nails of a ghoul have a paralysing effect. The gills of
an ambrosia mushroom have a healing effect. An alchemical item made with both
alchemical components would have a paralysing and healing effect.

If an effect would deal damage, it deals D4 damage; if an effect would heal, it heals
D4 HP; if the effect would require a Saving Throw to avoid, the DV for the Saving
Throw is 2; if the effect is ongoing, the Depletion for its duration is 1.

For each additional alchemical component beyond the first in an alchemical item
that contributes the same effect, increase the damage or healing by 1 die step, the
DV of a Saving Throw by 2, and the Depletion by 1.

Philosophers can be hired to make alchemical items in lieu of an Errant. A philoso-

pher has a skill of 14 for the purposes of Alchemy Checks. Additional philosophers
hired to aid in the creation of alchemical items reduce the DV of Alchemy Checks by
2 per additional philosopher.

Graphic: The tools of many trades. A basket of sewing supplies, a bolt of pat-
terned cloth, a bubbling round-bottom flask, a pair of pliers, a belt, an anvil, a
sword, a quiver of arrows, boards with hinges and nails, a saw. Above it all is a
craftperson’s crest depicting a crossed hammer and tongs above a horseshoe.

179
 Wondrous Items
A Wondrous Item is a unique piece of craftsmanship, specifically commissioned
for its bearer, forged from remarkable materials, and wrought by the hand of a
legendary artisan. They count as masterwork Quality in addition to their other
effects.

To commission a Wondrous Item, a legendary artisan must be found and convinced

to accept a commission. Doing so is an adventure in and of itself.

Next, remarkable materials must be furnished. These are rare items with history
behind them, whether it be the scales of a great wyrm, or the wood of an ancient
tree struck by lightning. one to three remarkable materials can be given to a
legendary artisan to construct a Wondrous Item.

The base cost of a Wondrous Item is four times that of a masterwork item of the
same type (e.g. a suit of plate mail would cost 32,000p). The legendary artisan
must be paid this amount as a commission fee.

After these steps have been taken, the Wondrous Item will be ready after one to
three Downtime Turns, depending on how many remarkable materials were used in
its creation.

Once the Wondrous Item has been received, its bearer must name and describe the
item.

Wondrous Items confer benefits to the wielder, though not fully at the level of a
true magical item. Treat it as though the item had received one to three Tinkering
modifications (depending on the amount of remarkable materials furnished), but
with no drawbacks.

If an Errant has reached the level of legendary artisan themselves, they may craft
Wondrous Items of their own accord; they must still find remarkable materials to
craft it with. Otherwise, it follows the same procedure for crafting regular items.

A Wondrous Item, though not magical, contains the spark of magic within it. It
counts as magical for the purposes of damage resistances, and may in time become
a magic item or Grimoire.

180
 Magic Items
When a Wondrous Item is used in the enacting of some great deed, whether it be
the slaying of a great beast, a daring heist, or a contest of skill & wit, its magic is
kindled. The Guide has the final say on whether an event is worthy of kindling the
magic of a Wondrous Item.

When such magic is kindled, the Errant and the Guide may both propose what
the magic of such an item is. The magical effects are influenced by the remark-
able materials used to craft the item, the personality and intentions of both the
legendary artisan and the wielder of the item, as well as, most significantly, the
deed that kindled its magic.

As a general Guideline:

• If the item is a weapon or piece of armour, it receives True Strikes or Deflects

equal to the number of remarkable materials used to craft it.
• The magic item receives a number of powers equal to the number of remarkable
materials used to craft it.
• The magic item receives between one to three additional powers based on the
greatness of the deed that kindled its magic.

Clearing Pacts
In lieu of completing a pact directly during normal play, an Errant can spend their
Downtime Turn action attempting to resolve the pact.

Resolving a pact requires a pres Check, with a DV of 2 per doctrinal level of the
Miracle that caused the pact to be formed (e.g. a pact resulting from a third
doctrine Miracle would have a DV of 6).

The Guide may lower the DV for the Check depending on the resources or method
of the Errant.

Graphic: A demonic figure kneeling close to the ground, its skin leathery and
batlike, with wings extended behind it, sticking out a long forked tongue that
comes down to its abdomen.

181
 Solving Grimoires
If an adequate solution to a Grimoire’s learning condition cannot be found during
normal play, an Errant can spend their Downtime Turn action attempting to solve
the Grimoire.

To do so, they make a mind Check with a DV of 8 minus their Renown. If they are
successful, they have solved the Grimoire and learned the Sorcery within; on a
failure, the DV for attempting to solve the Grimoire increases by 1.

The Guide may lower the DV for the Check depending on the resources or method
of the Errant.

Graphic: A woman stares in amazement at an obsidian pyramaid in her palm. A

dozen tiny needles are erupting out of the hand from beneath her skin. She has
a third eye, vertical-lidded with a cross shaped pupil, opening on her forehead.
Her right eye is also strange. The socket has reformed into a large circle, and the
surrounding skin puffy and veined.

Creating New Sorceries & Grimoires

As a Downtime Turn action, an Errant who has the ability to cast Sorceries can
change the nature of the Sorceries stored within their Grimoires.

To do so, they select two Grimoires in their possession. They may then swap the
essence and sphere between the selected Grimoires, and devise a new Sorcery to
be contained within each Grimoire.

A Wondrous Item made with at least two remarkable materials can be turned into
a Grimoire. In this case, the Errant may choose among any of the essences and
spheres contained within Grimoires of their possession, and apply them to the
newly created Grimoire; this does not affect the existing Grimoires in any way.
Doing so still takes a Downtime Turn action.

182
 Rituals
Graphic: Looming behind the text on this page is the shadow of a robed figure
raising a knife to strike. Blood spatters the bottom of the page.

Rituals encompass everything from brewing homunculi in vats to setting a magical

ward on one’s domicile to cursing a region with pestilence.

A Ritual must be performed by an Errant with the ability to either cast Sorceries or
perform Miracles.

To begin a Ritual, Grimoires must be offered, which will be consumed and

destroyed. Favour may also be offered, which will be removed permanently from
the Errant who offered them.

The Errant defines the nature of the Ritual: its effects, location, and duration. The
parameters of the Ritual are defined by the Grimoires and Favour offered. Its effect
can incorporate any of the essences, spheres, or themes of any of the Grimoires
offered to perform the Ritual. For each Favour offered, it can also incorporate one
interpretation of an eminence of the Covenant to which the Errant who offered
Favour belongs.

Based on the effect, location, and duration of the Ritual described, the Guide sets a
tracker for how many successes will be required for the Ritual to be completed.

To attempt to enact the Ritual, an Errant spends their action during a Downtime
Turn and rolls 2D6. They may add their Renown divided by three to the roll if they
are of The Zealot or The Occult Archetypes.

2D6 Result
10+ Ritual attempt is successful.
The Ritual requires some new offering, or the completion of a task, before
7-9
it can be continued.
2-6 No progress is made.

If an Errant fails a total of three times while attempting to enact a Ritual, it fails.

183
 Alignment
Alignment does not describe personality, psychology, or behaviour. It has nothing to
do with morality as such.

Law and Chaos are metaphysical forces in the multiverse, endlessly in conflict.
One’s Alignment represents which side of this conflict you have chosen. This is a
metaphysical choice, and changes the very nature of your soul.

Law is order, structure, civilization, sacrifice, and the collective. Chaos is disorder,
entropy, possibility, self-interest, and the individual. Neutrality is either to under-
stand the Balance necessary between Law and Chaos, or to have no stake in the
conflict.

Your Alignment is represented by a position along this continuum

L3 – L2 – L1 – N – C1 – C2 – C3

L3 being the extremity of Lawful and C3 being the extremity of Chaos. Errants start
the game at Alignment N, except for Errants of The Zealot Archetype, who may
start at Alignment L1 or C1, depending on the Alignment of their Covenant.

Your actions can shift your Alignment score, depending on the Guide’s ruling. Note
that the closer a character gets to either extreme of the Alignment scale, the more
significant an action must be to change their Alignment further towards Law or
Chaos.

If your Alignment is C1 or higher, your soul registers as Chaotic for the purposes of
magical effects. You can speak the language of Chaos, and the Reaction Rolls of all
Chaotic characters increase by 1 for each point of Chaotic Alignment; Reaction Rolls
of all Lawful characters decrease by 1 for each point of Chaotic Alignment.

If your Alignment is L1 or higher, your soul registers as Lawful for the purposes of
magical effects. You can speak the language of Law, and the Reaction Rolls of all
Lawful characters increase by 1 for each point of Lawful Alignment; Reaction Rolls
of all Chaotic characters decrease by 1 for each point of Lawful Alignment.

184
Only one Company member’s Alignment can affect a Reaction Roll; modify the
Reaction Roll by the Alignment of the most extremely aligned character. In the case
of ties, modify the Reaction Roll by the Alignment that would Impact the Reaction
Roll most negatively.

Certain Factions will require you to be of a certain Alignment to ally with them or to
increase your reputation with them past a certain point.

If a Zealot is no longer in Alignment with their Covenant, they cannot perform

Miracles until they realign themselves with their Covenant.

Characters of extreme Alignment either way may be contacted by or truck with

the forces of Law or Chaos. Characters of Alignment L3 or C3 may be appointed as
champions of Law or Chaos.

Legal Trials
Graphic: A crouching fellow who either has no arms, or is wearing a tube-like
tunic from which only his legs and face protrude.

In the case that legal disputes are resolved via trial before a judge, jury, or
similar, rather than some other method such as by combat or ordeal, the following
procedure may be used.

When a case is brought before the Company, make a Reaction Roll (or, if the
offended party is a Faction the Company has a reputation with, the reputation is
used), modified based on available evidence, severity of the crime, bribes made to
the court, jurists employed and so on. The sum total of these modifiers should not
exceed +/-3.

From this point, run the legal trial as a Negotiation.

If an Errant wishes to bring a legal case to bear on someone else, they may do so
as an action during a Downtime Turn. To do so, they roll 2D6 plus the number of
jurists employed, and any other relevant modifiers, though not exceeding +/-3 in
total.

2D6 Result
10+ Case is successful.
Further evidence or action, or some other form of direct intervention by
7-9
the Errant, is necessary before the case can proceed any further.
2-6 Case fails.

185
 Investigations
The long-term gathering of information, whether that be researching esoteric
tomes, gathering rumours from a whisper network, or spying on a duke, is handled
via Investigations.

To start an Investigation, an Errant requires a trove of information, whether it

be access to a vast library, a coalition of friendly street urchins, a sage, or a spy
disguised at court.

The Errant then formulates a query, which an Investigation into the trove can
answer.

The Guide sets a tracker for how many successful attempts will be required to
answer the query completely. Each successful attempt reveals a portion of informa-
tion that answers the query, with each success revealing deeper information, until
the final success reveals the ultimate answer.

An Investigation attempt can be made as an action during a Downtime Turn. To

do so, an Errant rolls 2D6. Having additional corroboratory troves of information,
as well as sages and spies employed (beyond the ones acting as troves) if their
expertise is applicable, will add +1 to the roll, to a maximum of +3. Poor troves of
information can impose a penalty to the roll, to a maximum of -3.

2D6 Result
10+ Investigation attempt is successful, and a piece of information is revealed.
An obstacle impedes further progress in the Investigation. A new trove
7-9 of information is required, or a specific task or undertaking must be
completed, to continue the Investigation.
2-6 Investigation attempt fails.

A scholar with relevant training in researching the subject of your query can be
hired to conduct Investigations, making Investigation attempts on behalf of an
Errant.

186
 Proclamations
If an Errant wishes to spread information of some sort, whether it be disseminating
false rumours or championing their glorious deeds, it can be handled by making a
Proclamation.

Two components must be specified: the proposition of the Proclamation, and its
intended audience.

Based on the difficulty of transmitting the Proclamation to the audience, the Guide
sets a tracker for how long the Proclamation will take to reach them. Having a
Proclamation reach almost everyone in a city (a tier 4 Settlement) would take four
successes. Having a Proclamation reach the ear of the monarch of the nation may
take six successes if the Errant is a lowly gutterborn thief, or one success if they
are an exultant with the ear of the court. Each success means the Proclamation
spreads closer to your audience, with intermediaries on the information chain being
made aware of it.

A Proclamation attempt can be made as an action during a Downtime Turn. To do

so, an Errant rolls 2D6. Each definite article of proof substantiating the Proclama-
tion adds +1 to the roll, as does each bard employed, to a maximum of +3. Unsub-
stantiated, exaggerated, or false claims may impose penalties on the roll, to a
maximum of -3.

Graphic: A shield showing two patterns: one blank, the other checkered. A living
face protrudes from the center of the shield, waring a smug, side-eyed expres-
sion and sticking out its tongue.

2D6 Result
10+ Proclamation attempt is successful.
Proclamation is met with scepticism, is distorted in some way, or reaches
unintended targets. Directed efforts at setting the record straight or
7-9
substantiating the claims must be made before the Proclamation can
continue.
2-6 Proclamation attempt fails.

187
 Bonds
An Errant’s relationship with an NPC is described by their bond. This score can be
adjusted freely by the Guide at any time based on the interactions between the
Errant and the NPC.

Once a bond value has been determined, the disposition of that NPC will be equal
to the bond between them and the Errant in the Company with whom their bond is
either highest or lowest, at the Guide’s discretion.

Bond Description Effects

2 Bitter foes -
3-5 Enemies -
6-8 Strangers -
Acquain-
9 Will perform small and costless courtesies.
tances
10 Associates Will perform minor favours, at a cost.
Will perform major favours, at a cost; if the NPC belongs to
11 Friends a Faction, and they have enough pull, the Errant gains +1
reputation with that Faction.
Will undertake great sacrifice, at a cost; if the NPC belongs
12 Confidantes to a Faction, and they have enough pull, the Errant gains +2
reputation with that Faction.

If using the bond for a favour comes at a cost, the NPC will perform that favour, but
it will either lower their bond with that Errant by 1 or the Errant must provide some
commensurate service to the NPC. An NPC will do any favours below the type which
comes at a cost freely (e.g. an NPC whom an Errant is friends with will do minor
favours freely, within reason).

An Errant can also attempt to change their bond with an NPC as an action during a
Downtime Turn. To do so, they must specify whether they wish to move their score
up or down, and how they are doing so. To progress to either extreme of a relation-
ship will require progressively more significant actions.

They then roll 2D6, with the Guide applying any relevant modifiers based on the
situation, though not exceeding +/-3 in total.

2D6 Result
10+ Bond changes by 1 in the direction specified.
The Errant must complete a task for (or against) the NPC to change their
7-9
bond.
2-6 Bond remains unchanged.

188
 Graphic: A group of figures standing together facing forward. The figure on the
right is a tall slender humanoid bird creature, its head towering over the rest
with a long curved beak. Beside it is an older shaman, holding a dead snake in
her hands, her eyes covered with a blindfold. In the center is a graceful woman,
wearing a beautifully patterned gown, holding one hand out in gesture to the
dead snake. To the right of her is a muscular man with flowing hair and beard,
holding a long black cloth, using a piece of chalk to mark it with rows of irreg-
ular shapes. The last figure is a small reptilian creature, half the height of all
the rest, with a long tail. She holds a small covered tray in her hands, a pattern
drawn on the lid.

Reputation
The Company’s relationship with a Faction is described by their reputation. This
score can be adjusted freely by the Guide at any time based on the interactions
between the Errant and the Faction.

Once a reputation value has been determined, the disposition of an NPC within that
Faction will be equal to the reputation between them and the Company.

Reputation Description Effects

2 Hated -
3-5 Disliked -
6-8 Neutral -
9 Accepted Will perform small and costless courtesies.
Will perform minor favours, at a cost. The Company
10 Liked gains access to any Faction-specific items available for
sale.
Will perform major favours, at a cost. The Company
11 Respected
gains access to any Faction-specific trainers.
Will undertake great sacrifice, at a cost. The Company
12 Loved
gains access to any Faction-specific Talents.

If utilising reputation for a favour comes at a cost, the Faction will perform that
favour, but it will either lower the Company’s reputation by 1, or the Company must
provide some commensurate service for the Faction. A Faction will do any favours
below the type which comes at a cost freely (e.g. a Faction that respects the
Company will do minor favours freely, within reason).

189
An Errant can also attempt to change their Company’s reputation with a Faction as
a downtime action. To do so, they must specify whether they wish to move their
score up or down, and how they are doing so. To progress to either extreme of a
relationship will require progressively more significant actions.

They then roll 2D6, with the Guide applying any relevant modifiers based on the
situation, though not exceeding +/-3 in total.

2D6 Result
10+ Reputation changes by 1 in the direction specified.
The Errant must complete a task for (or against) the Faction to change
7-9
their reputation.
2-6 Reputation remains unchanged.

Graphic: An elf swings open the door to a tavern, feathered hat in hand, a glee-
ful smile on his face, and a friendly finger gun pointing at a table of seated
figures. The serving woman rolls her eyes in exhasperation. The figures at the
table are a rough-and tumble pair, covered in thick muscles and spider tattoos.
One grimaces as his hand is stabbed by his compatriot, and the stabber glares
bulge-eyed and angry at the elf. In the background, the swinging door has struck
another patron, sending their drink flying and blood spurting out of their face.

Expeditions
An Expedition is used to extract resources from or settle an area. Mounting an
Expedition can be performed as an action during a Downtime Turn.

Before an Expedition can be mounted, the area must be cleared by the Company,
whether this is emptying all of the monster lairs within a hex, Negotiating a treaty
with the inhabitants of that area, or obtaining title from a ruler to settle lands.

Once the area has been cleared, an Expedition can be sent to secure it via patrols.
Attempting to secure one area, whether that is a hex or a dungeon level, takes one
Downtime Turn.

Mounting an Expedition to secure an area requires at least one mercenary squad to

be deployed.

190
Once an Expedition has been deployed, roll 2D6. Each additional mercenary squad
deployed adds +1 to the roll, up to a maximum of +3 for fielding a full platoon.

2D6 Result
10+ The area is secured.
The Expedition runs into a complication that must be dealt with before the
7-9 area can be secured, such as encountering a monster lair, dispute with the
locals, or Supply route collapse.
2-6 The Expedition fails to secure the area.

When securing an area, mercenaries are paid battle wages. In addition, each squad
needs 80 provisions a month, as well as a reliable Supply route to transport said
provisions.

Provisions cost 10 pennies for a day’s worth of food, water, and other sundries, and
when purchased reduces a Settlement’s available Supply by 4 for the purposes of
determining inflation. 1 provision takes up an Item Slot.

Once an area is secured, mercenaries can set up and hold a base camp. While
holding a base camp, mercenaries are paid regular wages, and only need 40 provi-
sions per squad a month. A base camp can be held for six Downtime Turns, after
which the mercenaries will begin making Morale rolls each Downtime Turn to
determine if they continue to hold the area.

Once a base camp has been established, the area can be surveyed, which requires
a surveyor. Surveying an area takes one Downtime Turn and will reveal all the
resources in an area, as well as any hidden features.

Once an area has been surveyed, labour efforts such as extracting resources or
building Estates can occur, so long as the base camp continues to hold.

One labourer can extract 250p value of resources per Downtime Turn. They can
construct buildings at the normal rate.

Each surveyor, labourer, architect, and other Retainers in a base camp need 6 provi-
sions a month.

Graphic: Three figures in heavy spike-and-skull style armor march forward in a

line. Each surveys the terrain in a different way. One holds the leash of a demon-
ic pig creature. Another lifts a stone with their spear to look under it. The third
holds a strange device that strongly resembles a metal detector decorated with
skulls. The helm of the metal-detector wielder has a peculiar device atop it: like
a laval lamp projecting arcs of power across the horizon. In the background are
many more groups like this one, scattered densely across the landscape.

191
 Infrastructure
Errants can found Settlements or increase the size of existing Settlements by
making investments into infrastructure.

To found a hamlet, the area it is to be built in must be secured and surveyed,

and an Estate of at least 2,000p in value built, around which the hamlet can be
organised.

Founding a hamlet requires it to be constructed using the same process as

constructing an Estate. The cost of construction for a hamlet is 5,000p.

To change the Settlement Type of an existing Settlement, no labourers are required.

However, the Settlement in question must have a route, either by land, water, or
some other method, between it and a given number of other Settlements .

A tracker is set for the number of successes needed to advance a Settlement to

the next tier. The number of successes is equal to the tier being advanced to (e.g.
expanding a hamlet to a village requires three successes).

Attempting to improve infrastructure can be performed as an action during a

Downtime Turn. To do so, an Errant pays the base investment cost for the Settle-
ment Type they are attempting to advance to and rolls 2D6, with bonuses applying
for extra expenditures and established Institutions within the Settlement. These
bonuses cannot cumulatively exceed +3.

An Errant only needs to pay the base investment cost (plus any bonus expendi-
tures) during the first attempt they make. Successive attempts do not require
payment.

2D6 Result
10+ Success is marked on the tracker.
A setback occurs, which prevents further infrastructure progress until it
is dealt with. This may be that the Settlement may not have adequate
7-9 resources, such as food or water, to expand, or the Settlement’s expansion
infringes on settled territory, or the lair of a monster or a dungeon is
uncovered.
2-6 No progress is made.

192
The base investment costs for each Settlement Type are listed below, as well as any
prerequisites.

Base
Settlement
Investment Bonuses Prerequisites
Type
Cost
Area cleared and secured
Tier 1
5,000p No roll necessary. and an Estate worth at
(hamlet)
least 2,000p.
+1 for each additional
5,000p spent. +1 to
Tier 2 the roll for each tier 1 Must be connected to 2
20,000p
(village) Institution owned by hamlets.
the Company in the
Settlement.
+1 for each additional
20,000p spent. +1 to
the roll for each tier 2 Must be connected to 2
Tier 3 (town) 80,000p
Institution owned by villages.
the Company in the
Settlement.
+1 for each additional
80,000p spent. +1 to
the roll for each tier 4 Must be connected to 2
Tier 4 (city) 320,000p
Institution owned by towns.
the Company in the
Settlement.
+1 for each additional
320,000p spent. +1 to
Tier 5 the roll for each tier 6 Must be connected to 2
1,280,000p
(metropolis) Institution owned by cities.
the Company in the
Settlement.

Graphic: Vista of a sprawling, lopsided town. The buildings are mostly tall tow-
ers, each leaning leaning crookedly in different directions. Bridges and shafts
connect the towers in a confusing mess that would be hard to navigate. Win-
dows, doors, and arches are spread through the towers. In the distance are even
more of the strange buildings silhouetted in black.

193
 Institutions
An Institution is any kind of organisation or long term enterprise. Examples would
include a bar, teahouse, shop, theatre troupe, garrison, mercenary outfit, gang,
guild, orphanage, and so on.

Institutions offer specific benefits to the Errants who have invested in them. These
are customised for each given Institution. For example, investing in a stagecoach
network might allow for more Retainers to be available for hire, and for henchmen
of higher levels to appear in that Settlement.

Institutions can be categorised into seven different tiers. To found a tier 1 Institu-
tion, an Errant must have some kind of resource available that would allow them
to begin operations. For example, if they wish to found a cult, they should already
have a few followers committed to the cause. As an action during a Downtime Turn,
they can then spend 500p to establish that Institution in the Settlement they are in.

Errants can also invest, partner in, or assume ownership of pre-existing Institu-
tions.

To advance an Institution up a tier, if the prerequisites for Settlement Type are met,
an Errant must describe their method for growing the Institution. They then pay the
base investment cost of the tier to which they are attempting to advance the Insti-
tution, and roll 2D6, with bonuses applying for extra expenditures, to a max of +3.

2D6 Result
10+ Institution advances to next tier.
A setback occurs, which prevents further growth until it is dealt with; no
7-9
benefits can be received until setback is dealt with.
2-6 No progress is made.

The base investment costs for each Institution tier are listed below, as well as any
prerequisites.

194
 Base
Institution
Investment Bonuses Prerequisites
Tier
Cost
Tier 1
Must be located in a hamlet
(inconse- 500p No roll necessary.
or larger.
quential)
Tier 2 +1 for each additional 500p Must be located in a village
1,000p
(petty) spent. or larger.
Tier 3 +1 for each additional Must be located in a village
2,500p
(middling) 1,250p spent. or larger.
Tier 4 +1 for each additional Must be located in a town
5,000p
(notable) 2,500p spent. or larger.
Tier 5 +1 for each additional Must be located in a town
10,000p
(influential) 5,000p spent. or larger.
Tier 6 ((in) +1 for each additional Must be located in a city or
20,000p
famous) 10,000p spent. larger.
Tier 7 +1 for each additional Must be located in a
40,000p
(iconic) 20,000p spent. metropolis or larger.

To relocate an Institution to another Settlement, treat it the same as attempting

to advance the Institution a tier. If the roll is successful, the Institution is now
headquartered in the new location. The Errant and Guide can determine if it has
relocated entirely, or left some auxiliary or franchise branch behind in the old
Settlement.

If an Institution suffers a setback, the Guide may choose to roll on the following
table for inspiration:

D8 Setback
1 Vicious rumours begin circulating about the Institution.
Rivals ramp up the competition, lowering prices or offering better services in
2
an attempt to undercut the Institution.
3 The Institution is sabotaged by a rival.
The Institution’s methods, aesthetics, or products become widely imitated
4
and emulated, to the point of oversaturation.
The Institution attracts unwanted legal attention or suspicion from the
5
authorities.
The Institution attracts attention from a criminal outfit, who attempt to
6
muscle in or shake it down.
7 The Institution faces a shortage of some resource it requires to operate.
The Institution has drawn the outrage or condemnation of the public, or at
8
least a very vocal portion of it.

195
 Example Institution - The Murderwheel

A rolling, spiked wheel that is a mobile vendor of weapons and armour. Converts
into a discomfitingly small arena where customers can test their mettle.

Tier Benefit
D6 shoddy weapons or armour pieces of Rarity 3 or lower can be taken
from The Murderwheel, once per Downtime Turn. They have no resale
1
value, as no respectable vendor would ever purchase items from The
Murderwheel.
Once per Downtime Turn, D4 survivors of The Murderwheel can be
2
recruited as henchmen of Renown 2.
D8 average weapons or armour pieces of Rarity 3 or lower can be taken
3 from The Murderwheel, once per Downtime Turn. They have no resale
value.
Once per Downtime Turn, D6 survivors of The Murderwheel can be
4
recruited as henchmen of Renown 3.
D10 masterwork weapons or armour pieces of Rarity 4 or lower can be
5 taken from The Murderwheel, once per Downtime Turn. They have no
resale value.
Once per Downtime Turn, D8 survivors of The Murderwheel can be
6
recruited as henchmen of Renown 4.
Once every year, one weapon or armour piece taken from The Murderwheel
7
will be a Wondrous Item.

Graphic: The Murderwheel. A circular arena surrounded by a low wall, topped

by spikes that curve inward. A variety of weapons and armor hang along the in-
side edge of the wall, and two fighters face off against one another within it. On
one side a small figure wearing a fearful expression. He is scarred, and holds a
shield in front of himself as he advances with his short sword. On the other side
is a much larger figure, powerfully built and wielding a longsword. He appears
confident, pointing at his foe with a mocking expression on his face and com-
placently resting his weapon on his shoulder.

196
 Estates
To build personal Estates, the Errant must acquire the land (via Expedition or some
other means), hire labourers, and pay for the construction of any buildings.

Construction time is determined by the costs of construction. Each labourer can

construct up to 250p of value per Downtime Turn. Having an architect attached to a
construction project doubles the rate of construction.

One labourer, therefore, could build a hovel (120p) in less than one Downtime Turn
(about half a month). Building a row house (1,200p) however, would take them five
Downtime Turns. Two labourers could build a row house in about three Downtime
Turns, and two labourers and an architect could build it in one.

Each building comes with furnishings of appropriate value relative to the structure.
If the Errant wishes to improve the standard of construction and furnishings, they
may pay double the cost of the building. They may do this as many times as they
wish, each time doubling the cost further.

The basic level of furnishing for a hovel, for example, would barely be furnished
apart from the bare essentials, and those would be of a poor standard. The basic
level of furnishing for a merchant’s house would be quite comfortable, and for
an imperial palace would be incredibly luxurious. An Errant could pay double the
cost of the palace, 5,000,000 pennies, to improve it, or pay double that value,
10,000,000, to improve it even further.

If the Errant wants to add anything into the structure that requires special crafts-
manship, such as traps, secret doors or passageways, ornate decorations, etc. it
adds 1,000 pennies to the cost of the structure per specific object.

Building special rooms, such as a library, laboratory, or shrine, each costs 5% of the
base cost of the building, and are of a standard of appropriate value relative to the
structure (e.g. a library in a merchant’s house is rather basic, whereas one in an
imperial palace would be a famed repository of knowledge).

197
 Domains
Having accrued enough power, some rarefied few worthy Errants may find them-
selves rulers of a Domain.

This Domain functions as any other polity in the game world, except for the
important detail that the Errants have direct control of it at the macro-level, being
able to set the code of laws, appoint NPCs to positions of power, and more.

Domains can be categorised into 10 tiers. A tier 1 Domain is immediately founded

once an Errant has founded a hamlet.

Once a Domain has been founded, it can be improved by investing money into it, so
long as certain prerequisites are met.

A tracker is set for the number of successes needed to advance a Domain to the
next tier. The number of successes is equal to the tier being advanced to (e.g.
expanding a tier 2 Domain to a tier 3 Domain requires three successes).

An Errant can attempt to improve a Domain as an action during a Downtime Turn.

To do so, an Errant pays the base investment cost for the Domain tier they are
attempting to advance to and rolls 2D6, with bonuses applying for extra expendi-
tures. These bonuses cannot cumulatively exceed +3.

An Errant only needs to pay the base investment cost (plus any bonus expendi-
tures) during the first attempt they make. Successive attempts do not require
payment.

2D6 Result
10+ Success is marked on the tracker.
A setback occurs, which prevents further Domain progress until it is dealt
7-9 with. This may be civil unrest, the looming threat of foreign invasion, or a
powerful beast that has begun to terrorise the land.
2-6 No progress is made.

The base investment costs for each Domain tier are listed below, as well as any
prerequisites.

Base
Domain
Investment Bonuses Prerequisites Benefits
Tier
Cost
Automatically Has a 1-in-6 chance of
No roll
Tier 1 0p achieved when first providing any mundane
necessary.
hamlet is founded. items & services.

198
 Base
Domain
Investment Bonuses Prerequisites Benefits
Tier
Cost
+1 for each Domain must Cleared hexes or areas
additional contain a ruler’s up to 1 hex/6 miles
Tier 2 10,000p
2,500p Estate worth at adjacent can be made
spent. least 5,000p. part of your Domain.
Has a 2-in-6 chance of
+1 for each
Domain must providing any mundane
additional
Tier 3 20,000p contain at least 1 items & services. Able to
5,000p
village. field an army of D4 × 50
spent.
men at arms.
+1 for each Domain must Cleared hexes or areas
additional contain a ruler’s up to 2 hexes/12 miles
Tier 4 40,000p
10,00p Estate worth at adjacent can be made
spent. least 20,000p. part of your Domain.
Has a 3-in-6 chance of
+1 for each
Domain must providing any mundane
additional
Tier 5 80,000p contain at least 1 items & services. Able to
20,000p
town. field an army of 2D4 ×
spent.
100 men at arms.
+1 for each Domain must Cleared hexes or areas
additional contain a ruler’s up to 3 hexes/18 miles
Tier 6 160,000p
40,000p Estate worth at adjacent can be made
spent. least 80,000p. part of your Domain.
Has a 4-in-6 chance of
+1 for each
Domain must providing any mundane
additional
Tier 7 320,000p contain at least 1 items & services. Able to
80,000p
city. field an army of 2D4 ×
spent.
500 men at arms.
+1 for each Domain must Cleared hexes or areas
additional contain a ruler’s up to 4 hexes/24 miles
Tier 8 640,000p
160,000p Estate worth at adjacent can be made
spent. least 320,000p. part of your Domain.
Has a 5-in-6 chance of
+1 for each
Domain must providing any mundane
additional
Tier 9 1,280,000p contain at least 1 items & services. Able to
320,000p
metropolis. field an army of 2D4 ×
spent.
2,000 men at arms.
+1 for each Domain must Cleared hexes or areas
additional contain a ruler’s up to 5 hexes/30 miles
Tier 10 2,560,000p
640,000p Estate worth at adjacent can be made
spent. least 1,280,000p. part of your Domain.

199
 Graphic: A wide landscape which moves from undeveloped wilderness on the
left side, through gradually larger and more densely positioned structures, until
it reaches a walled city of towering cyclopean structures on the right.

Mundane items & services refers to the chance that the Domain can furnish specific
goods and services. Basic goods & services, like food or simple blacksmithing, can
be assumed since these are necessities, but specialty items such as, say, siege
weaponry or spices will require a roll.

If the roll is successful, the Domain will always be able to provide that item or
service. If the roll is unsuccessful, then that item or service cannot be obtained
until either the direct action is taken to make it available (e.g. by recruiting a
skilled engineer, or establishing a trading route for spices), or until the Domain
increases in tier, whereupon it may be tested for again.

Domain armies are made up of citizens who will take up arms to protect their home,
not career soldiers. They can be kept out in the field for a number of months equal
to the Domain’s tier plus two.

Being rulers of a Domain provides Errants with the status of dignitaries in lands
where their Domain’s sovereignty is respected.

If an Errant has left the immediate territories where their Domain is known, test the
Domain’s Renown as you would an Errant’s, treating its tier as its Renown.

Graphic: A hunched humanoid figure with a vulture’s head rides a horse with tal-
oned bird’s feet instead of hooves. Large portions of anatomy are not depicted:
the horse is only its head, mane, and legs. The figure riding it is only suggested
by the position of arm and head. The two may be emerging ghost-like out of no-
where, obscured by the wild swirling of the vulture-headed figure’s robes. From
those robes many wide-eyed bird’s heads protrude, looking every which way.

200
 Faction Turns
The Guide can use this procedure to simulate the attempts of various Factions in
the world to gain and maintain power.

Each Faction has a number of assets, such as “skilled artisans”, “spy network”, or
“well-trained troops”.

A Faction may set any number of agendas, which are long-term goals. This may be
something like “build a new road”, “recruit new troops from among the villages”,
or “discover incriminating secrets about the ruler of an enemy nation”. For each
agenda, create a tracker, which indicates how many successes will be needed to
achieve that agenda.

Each Downtime Turn (though this is best done by the Guide between sessions),
Factions can take actions to advance their agendas.

First, they allocate any relevant assets to the advancement of their agendas. Next,
they may also allocate any relevant assets to oppose or aid the agendas of any
other Factions.

A Faction rolls a D6 plus the number of relevant assets and minus the number of
assets opposing them.

If they roll a 6 or higher, they mark a success on the agenda tracker. If they roll a
12 or higher, they mark two successes, and so on.

If they roll a 0, they lose an asset. If they roll -6, they lose two assets, and so on.

Lost assets are destroyed or captured by opposing Factions, depending on the

circumstances.

A Faction that fulfils an agenda gains a new asset.

Factions can gain and lose assets through the actions of Errants during play.

201
 Rivals
When a rival Company arrives in a Settlement, the Guide may make a Reaction
Roll to determine what their overall opinion of the player Company is. So long as
the rival Company is based in the Settlement, they will also adventure in the area,
whether that means making forays into the local dungeon, or taking the jobs the
player Company turns down.

If the Event Die calls for a rival Company to arrive in a Settlement, and there is
already a rival Company there, the current rival Company leaves the Settlement for
greener pastures, and the newly rolled one settles in.

An easy way to track the exploits of a rival Company is to put two entries in the
local effects table for nearby wilderness and dungeon areas. One entry indicates
that the rival Company has passed through and taken all or most of anything of
value; the second entry indicates that the rival Company is currently in the area
and the player Company encounters them.

A second, more involved way may be used between game sessions to track a rival
Company’s progress through a dungeon or on a quest more closely.

Add the total Renown of each member of the rival Company together; increase
this number by 1 for each significant magical item in their possession. This is their
challenge level.

Plot their course through the dungeon or adventure area. Assign each room or area
a challenge level equal to the combined Threat of all the NPCs and traps located
there; assign traps a Threat value equal to their base DV.

202
For each room or area the rival Company arrives at, roll 2D6 plus the difference
between their challenge level and the challenge level of the room or area.

2D6 Result
The rival Company overcomes the challenges of the area easily, and take
10+
everything of value
The rival Company overcomes the challenges of the area, but at a cost.
7-9 Reduce their challenge level by 1. They take everything of value that is not
hidden.
The rival Company overcomes the challenges of the area, but at a great
5-6 cost. Reduce their challenge level by 2. They take 50% of the valuables in
the area.
The rival Company overcomes the challenges of the area, but a Company
2-4 member dies. Reduce their challenge level by the Renown of that Company
member. They take 25% of the valuables in that area.

If a rival Company’s challenge level is reduced to 0, they flee. A rival Company can
withdraw from the adventure area at any time before that.

Graphic: Two rival adventuring parties stand in opposition to one another, each
member a mirrored version of their counterpart. At the top of the line are two
knights, dressed in completely concealing plate mail, one holding a halberd and
the other a sword. Below them a pair of pointy-eared folk glare at one anoth-
er nose-to-nose: one with an eyepatch and steel skullcap, the other with stark
white hair and jewelry. The next group down are pointy-hatted spellcasters glar-
ing side-eyed at one another: one a witch smoking a pipe, the other bearded and
holding a crystal staff. At the bottom are two rival thieves, each covering hoods
and masks to cover their faces: in their hands they each grip one side of a piece
of parchment that is tearing down the middle from the force of their struggle.

203
 Scourges
While the Event Die creates threats and events in the world, these are of a fairly
random and temporary nature. Scourges simulate an active long-term danger to
a region. This could be the presence of a bandit lord, a dragon, a lich, or even the
spread of an evil cult or devastating plague.

A newly active Scourge begins with peril 1. Each Downtime Turn, when you roll the
Event Die, interpret it as normal, but in addition, if the roll is equal to or lower than
the peril of an active Scourge in that region, roll on that Scourge’s malice table.
If multiple Scourges are active, roll on the malice table of each Scourge that was
triggered by the Event Die.

The malice table is a D6 table; each should be tailored to each Scourge, but in
general, a result of 1-5 indicates that the Scourge does something to affect the
region negatively, such as conducting a raid, eating the livestock, or raising those
interred at the local cemetery as undead servants. A roll of 6 indicates that the
Scourge’s peril increases by 1.

For each peril a Scourge has above 1, place a corresponding locus in the region
that represents the power and influence of the Scourge spreading. This could be a
bandit’s camp, a clutch of dragon eggs, or a phylactery. If that locus is dealt with,
reduce the peril of that Scourge by 1.

If the source of a Scourge is dealt while it has active loci, roll a D4 and remove
that many loci; this cannot reduce the number of loci below one. Then, the Scourge
re-emerges at one of the remaining loci; a newcomer takes up the mantle of the
bandit lord, an egg hatches and reaches maturity, and the lich reincarnates.

If a Scourge ever reaches peril 7, it ceases to be a Scourge and becomes a

calamity, something that has totally altered the nature of the game world. That
Scourge is no longer active and triggered by the Event Die, as the calamity is now
the new status quo.

Graphic: A mushroom as tall as an oak tree with two arms raised in threatening
posture, and two angry eyes looking down at an armored knight. The knight
stands in a field of smaller mushrooms. They hold spear and shield to ready
themselves against the threat of the giant mushroom.

204
 Example Scourge - The Creeping Rot

An ancient fungal god. Its spores spread and blanket the land. Mycelium branches
through the ground. Colonies expand endlessly. Nothing escapes them.

D6 Malice
The ground loathes interlopers. Any fungi encountered in this area has a
1
75% chance of being poisonous, in addition to its other effects.
Putrefaction spreads in the air. Each night in the area, D4 rations spoil and
2
become unusable.
Crops wither and die. Choose a local Settlement and increase its inflation by
3
one level.
Malevolent fungal creatures roam. Each encounter rolled in this area has a
4
50% chance of including additional fungoid enemies.
Parasitic spores waft through the air. Choose a local Settlement; D10% of
5 its population becomes infected with parasitic mind-controlling spores, and
leaves to tend and protect nearby groves of The Creeping Rot.
Increase The Creeping Rot’s peril by 1. Add a new locus in the area: a grove
6
of mushrooms tended to by brainwashed creatures and sentient fungus.

205
 Downtime Complications
Roll 2D6.

2. Natural disaster (e.g. a fire, a tornado, a meteor).

3. Ongoing disaster (e.g. a famine, a plague, a drought).
4. Major figure assassinated.
5. Series of murders begins.
6. A Scourge arises in the region.
7. An Errant’s Estate, Institution, infrastructure project, Domain, or other goal
suffers a setback.
8. Legal claims are brought against the Company or they are publicly slandered.
9. An ally of the Company loses trust in or cuts ties with them.
10. An insurrection or a siege occurs. If not dealt with in D4 Downtime Turns it
will be successful.
11. Two or more Factions begin to oppose each other or actively go to war.
12. An ally of the Company dies.

Downtime Trends
Roll 2D4.

2. Two or more Factions announce an alliance.

3. A religious event occurs (e.g. an omen or apparition).
4. A scandal is revealed.
5. New NPC arrives in the area.
6. A rival Company arrives in the area
7. A discovery is made (e.g. new technology, new lands).
8. A new Faction emerges.

206
 Downtime Turn Procedure

1. The Guide declares the start of a Downtime Turn; the timekeeper notes down
which number Downtime Turn this is.
2. Company members restore HP and Archetype resources, and any charges of
True Strikes and Deflects. Remove any remaining Supply from inventory.
3. The timekeeper rolls the Event Die.
• If there are any active Scourges, the Guide Checks if any of them have been
triggered by the Event Die.
• If any setbacks are rolled, the Company decides if they wish to postpone
taking a Downtime Turn to resolve that setback.
4. The result of the Event Die is resolved.
5. Company debt doubles.
6. The Company hears a rumour.
7. Free actions, such as shopping, socialising, hiring Retainers, and funerals are
resolved.
8. Each Errant declares what they are doing with their action this Downtime Turn,
and their actions are resolved.
9. Each Errant declares if they are engaging in Conspicuous Consumption, and of
what sort, which is then resolved.
10. Guide resolves any Faction turn actions.
11. Guide advances the in-game calendar by one month (or appropriate amount).
12. Repeat steps 1-11 until the Company no longer wishes to take Downtime
Turns.
13. Lifestyle expenses are paid.

Graphic: A bat-headed figure obscures its face behind a powerfully muscled

wing-arm, ending in a clawed hand.

207
 Glossary & Index
Alchemy (p. 179) – The creation of items such as potions, pills, and powders
during Downtime Turns (p. 163). alchemical components (p. 135) harvested and
stored in an alchemist’s kit can be turned into alchemical items with a successful
Alchemy Check.

Alignment [AL] (p. 184) – A value which describes whether a character is aligned
with the metaphysical forces of Law, Chaos, or whether they have taken the
position of Neutrality; for Errants this is given as a value of L or C 1-3 for either
Law or Chaos, or simply as N for Neutrality. For NPCs, this is listed as AL.

Ancestry (p. 56) – What type of creature an Errant is. Broken down into four
templates, each of which provide a minor ability: tough, arcane, cunning, and
adaptable.

Archetype (p. 57) – What category of adventurer an Errant is: The Violent, who
excels in combat; The Deviant , who is skilled in a variety of disciplines; The Occult,
who casts arcane magic; and The Zealot, who performs magic based in faith.

Attack Roll/ATT (p. 141) – When a creature attacks another creature, they roll
their specified amount of damage dice and deal that much damage (p. 144) to
their target. An Attack Roll may be enhanced (p. 142), increasing the size of
the dice used as part of that Attack Roll in favourable situations, or impaired,
decreasing them in unfavourable situations. Characters can attempt gambits,
reducing the amount of damage dealt on an Attack Roll to force their target to
make a Saving Throw (p. 17) to avoid a negative effect. The Deviant (p. 69)
is capable of performing sneak attacks against unsuspecting foes, allowing them to
roll an additional damage die as part of their Attack Roll.

Attribute (p. 17) – Values which represent an Errant’s capabilities; their

physique, skill, mind, and presence.

Block (p. 35) – A value attached to pieces of armour. When an Errant is the
target of an Attack Roll (p. 141) or is otherwise subject to a negative effect, they
may use up any number of blocks from an armour piece to impair (p. 142) the
Attack Roll by 1 step per Block or obviate the negative effect.

Breakage (p. 39) – A value between 1 and 6 assigned to non-weapon & armour
items which measures their chance to Break when damaged.

208
Burn (p. 34) – A special type of Depletion (p. 34) used to measure the
remaining duration, as well illumination level, of light sources. Each point of Burn
represents enough illumination for one creature. If the total amount of Burn is
equal to or greater than the number of Company members, the Company is consid-
ered to be in bright light (p. 131); if it is less than half the number of Company
members, or if discreet light sources are being used, it is considered dim light.

Chase (p. 152) – A variant of the Initiative Turn (p. 138) procedure used to adju-
dicate long pursuits or those that take place in abstract locations. Each Initiative
Turn, the character on each side with the lowest SPD (p. 140) or MV (p. 155)
make a movement roll to determine whether they escape or catch their quarry; a
character may choose to sprint, rolling double their normal amount of movement
dice, but must make a phys Check (p. 17) to do so successfully. At the end of the
Initiative Turn, the side that rolled the lowest result on their movement roll rolls for
a Chase development (p. 153), which affects them.

Check (p. 17) – The core resolution mechanic of the game, which involves rolling
a D20 above a given value (DV, p. 18) and equal to or below a second value
(Attribute, p. 17). When two characters are competing at the same task, they
make an opposed Check. A frequently made Check is a navigation Check (p. 116),
which is generally a skill Check, made during Travel Turns (p. 114).

Company – The collective of Errants, as well as their Retainers (p. 52), animals,
and other animals who adventure with them. Also used to describe analogous
collectives of NPCs who are rivals (p. 202) to the Errants; rival companies have a
challenge level used in a procedure to model their adventures.

Conspicuous Consumption (p. 168) - After an Errant has taken their action for a
Downtime Turn (p. 163), they may choose to engage in Conspicuous Consumption
in order to waste money for the purposes of gaining XP (p. 64). The four types of
Conspicuous Consumption are carousing, frippery, obscurantism, and do-goodery.

Covenant (p. 104) – The religion, order, or ideology The Zealot (p. 74) has
pledged themselves to. Each Covenant has three or four eminences, subjects or
concepts with which they are associated. The Zealot may perform Miracles that are
associated with the eminences of their Covenant. Their Covenant also grants them
blessings, abilities that they may always use. These blessings and eminences, as
well as the rules for casting Miracles, are presented in a testament of the Covenant
that is given to The Zealot.

D(x) – refers to a die of a given shape, e.g. D6 is a six-sided die. If a number

precedes the “D” it refers to the number of such dice that should be rolled, e.g. 4D4
is four four-sided dice.

209
Deflects (p. 37) - A value of magical armour pieces that have a plus value (e.g.
+1). Each point represents a charge that can be expended to negate anything that
would incur HP (p. 144) loss or other harmful effect.

Depletion (p. 34) – A value that measures the remaining quantity or duration of
an item, Sorcery (p. 72), or Miracle (p. 104).

Die Of Fate (p. 20) – A D6 that is rolled when the Guide is uncertain of some
aspect of the game world, unrelated to an Errant’s capabilities; higher rolls denote
better outcomes.

Domain (p. 198) – Kingdoms and polities which are ruled by Errants. Based on
their tier, they have a chance to provide the Errant with mundane items & services
as well as deploy an army (p. 198).

Downtime Turn (p. 21) - One of the four types of tracked time, used during
periods in between adventures. By default, assumed to take about a month. Actions
are taken as individuals. Several activities that occur during Downtime Turns utilise
a tracker (p. 163), which records the number of successful Downtime Turn actions
that must be taken for the activity to be completed. If the Event Die (p. 22) rolls
a setback (p. 165), the Company may choose to suspend taking their Downtime
Turn to deal with it; if a setback affects an Errant’s Estate (p. 197), Institution
(p. 194), infrastructure (p. 192) project, or Domain (p. 198) they gain XP (p.
64). During a Downtime Turn, Errants may hold funerals (p. 168) for deceased
Errants, allowing surviving Company members to purchase their fallen comrade’s
XP. When the Company chooses to stop taking Downtime Turns, they pay lifestyle
(p. 172) expenses.

DV (p. 18) – Difficulty value. This is the value that must be rolled above on a
D20 during a Check (p. 17); for any given Check, the DV is determined by the
Guide.

Encumbrance (p. 33) – A value that increases the more Item Slots (p. 31) an
Errant has filled. For every 25% of their available Item Slots that are filled, their
Encumbrance value increases by 1, until all slots are filled. Any additional filled
slots thereafter increases Encumbrance by 1.

Errant – The characters of the players who explore the game space. A player may
make a secondary Errant, known as an adjutant (p. 65), at Renown 2 (p. 64).

Estate (p. 197) – The domiciles and demesnes of Errants.

210
Event Die (p. 22) – A die that is rolled every Travel (p. 114), Exploration (p.
128), and Downtime Turn (p. 163) which determines what events or compli-
cations occur during that turn; results during travel and Exploration Turns are
encounter, Rest, Deplete/Burn, local effect, and free. During a Downtime Turn, and
the results are encounter, complication, expiration, trend, intimation, and free.
Certain conditions may result in multiple Event Dice, either positive or negative, to
be rolled.

Exhaustion (p. 32) – A negative condition incurred when a character undergoes

experiences which strain them physically. A point of Exhaustion fills an Item Slot (p.
31).

Expedition (p. 190) – Sorties conducted by hired mercenaries (p. 54) to secure
an area for the purposes of occupation or extraction during Downtime Turns (p.
163). Once an area has been secured, a base camp can be established, allowing
for the area to be surveyed and other efforts, such as construction of an Estate (p.
197) to begin.

Exploration Turn (p. 21) - One of the four types of tracked time, used when
exploring dungeons or other sites of adventure. By default, assumed to take about
ten minutes. Actions are taken as a Company. The Company decides on a marching
order (p. 118), deciding who are in the van, main, and rear positions and if a
scout is posted.

Faction (p. 201) – Organizations and groups that are able to leverage power to
influence the campaign world. During Downtime Turns (p. 163), Factions can
utilize their assets to advance their agendas as well as stymie or aid the agendas of
other Factions. An Errant’s relationship with a Faction is measured by their reputa-
tion (p. 189) score.

Favour (p. 74) – A resource used by The Zealot to increase the result of their
Miracle (p. 104) rolls, or to utilise their Relics.

Feat (p. 67) – Abilities usable in combat by The Violent, which are activated by
using a resource known as combat dice. The Violent begins play knowing the smite,
grit, and dash Feats and when they increase their Renown (p. 64) may choose to
learn additional Feats among the options of avenge, cleave, command, exert, goad,
intimidate, protect, resist, strategise, and surge.

Grimoire (p. 76) – Arcane objects which contain Sorceries (p. 72). The nature
of the Sorcery is shaped by the Grimoire it resides in; the essence of a Grimoire
determines the function of a Sorcery, while the sphere determines its subjects.
Finally, the themes of the Grimoire influence the specific nature of the Sorcery.

Guide – The player who adjudicates the game.

211
HP (p. 144) – The measure of how much damage an Errant or NPC can take. When
an Errant receives damage while they are at 0 HP, they receive a wound (p. 145)
and must make a phys Saving Throw (p. 17) to avoid going out of action. Some
wounds cause an Errant to be on death’s door, which means they will soon perish
if not treated; more grievous wounds will cause them to become consigned to the
reaper, meaning their demise is imminent and unavoidable.

Impact (p. 19) - Describes the outcome of succeeding on a Check (p. 17). The
default Impact is fair; strong describes a situation where the outcome of success is
more beneficial, while weak is less so.

Initiative Turn (p. 21) - One of the four types of tracked time, used during
moments of intense action. By default, assumed to take about 10 seconds. Actions
are taken as individuals. If one group is surprised (p. 138), they are unable to
take actions for the first Initiative Turn. During Initiative Turns, characters may
either act quickly, taking one action, or act slowly, taking two actions, which, along
with a dice roll to see which side acts first, will determine their place in the Initia-
tive Turn order. Duels (p. 149) and mass combat (p. 151) are variations of the
normal Initiative Turn procedure used for one-on-one and large-scale combats,
respectively.

Institution (p. 194) – Organizations and businesses which an Errant owns or is

invested in; categorized into seven tiers: inconsequential, petty, middling, notable,
influential, (in)famous, and iconic (p. 195). Institutions provide different benefits
to Errants at each tier.

Investigation (p. 186) – Knowledge gathering performed during Downtime Turns

(p. 163). Conducting an Investigation requires a trove of information, to which a
query can be posed.

Item Slot (p. 31) – An abstract representation of an Errant’s ability to carry

items, with one significant item taking up one Item Slot (roughly either five pounds
and/or the size of a human head). An Errant has Item Slots equal to their phys
(p. 17). Three types of Item Slots are distinguished from the rest; those that
represent items a character has in their hand, items they have handy, and items
that are worn.

Jettons (p. 71) – A resource available to The Deviant (p. 69). which they can
spend to reduce the DV (p. 18) of Checks (p. 17) relating to one of their profi-
ciencies (p. 69). Jettons can also be spent to make wagers, narrative claims that
are related to their proficiencies; when a wager is made, The Deviant may opt to
make a devil’s bargain, allowing the Guide to also secretly roll a die for the wager,
which the player may opt to choose instead of their own.

212
Lockpicking (p. 133) – The specific procedure used to open a lock with burglar’s
tools. Each lock requires three actions to be selected in the correct order; these are
twist, tap, and turn. Selecting the wrong action will cause the lock to become stiff;
once a lock has become stiff, any further incorrect action will make the lock become
jammed, rendering it unable to be unlocked.

Miracle (p. 104) – Magic performed by The Zealot (p. 74) powered by their
faith. Based on the strength of the Miracle to be performed, it will be categorized
into one of five doctrines, which determines the amount required to be rolled in
order for the Miracle to be successful. The possible results for a Miracle roll are
boon, pact, woe, and apotheosis (p. 106). A special type of Miracle roll, called
a beneficence, can be used to restore HP (p. 144) and wounds (p. 145); the
possible results for a beneficence are boon, mark (p. 109), woe, and apotheosis.

Morale [ML] roll (p. 154) – A value between 1 and 12 that measures an NPC’s will-
ingness to fight or remain in dangerous situations.

Negotiation (p. 28) - A procedure used to adjudicate high stakes social encoun-
ters. The Company is allowed a number of exchanges based on the NPC’s disposi-
tion; the five types of exchanges are banal, giving, taking (p. 29), convincing,
and bribe (p. 30).

NPC – All the characters who are not Errants, e.g. the characters of the Guide. An
Errant’s relationship with an NPC is measured by their bond (p. 188) score.

Pace – The rate of movement of the Company during Travel (p. 116) and Explo-
ration (p. 129) Turns, expressed as a fraction; the numerator indicates how many
significant areas are traversed, while the denominator indicates how many Turns it
takes to do so.

Player Role (p. 27) – Duties that the players of the game who are not the Guide
assume to facilitate the game running smoothly. These are the caller, mapper, note
taker, quartermaster, and timekeeper.

Position (p. 19) – Describes the outcome of failing a Check (p. 17). The default
Position is risky; shaky describes a Position where the outcome of failure is less
severe than default, while dire is more severe.

Proclamations (p. 187) – Dispensation and dissemination of information performed

during Downtime Turns (p. 163). Conducting a Proclamation requires a proposition
which specifies the message being spread, as well as its intended audience.

213
Proficiency (p. 69) – Domains of aptitudes for The Deviant. They may spend
Proficiency points to gain expertise in a Proficiency (Anatomy, Awareness, Engi-
neering, Fitness, Lore, Sleight-of-hand, Speechcraft, Stealth, Survival), reducing
the DV (p. 18) of all Checks (p. 17) related to that Proficiency by 2. Spending
a Proficiency point on a Proficiency they already have expertise in grants them the
associated mastery (Chemist, Alert, Locksmith, Fleet-footed, Arcanist, Pack Rat,
Socialite, Assassin, Beast Master) and its unique ability.

Quality (p. 39) – A value that measures a weapon or armour piece’s durability.

Rarity (p. 38) – A value between 1 and 5 which indexes the availability of an item
to Settlement Type.

Reaction Roll (p. 27) - A roll that is made when the Company encounters an NPC
that determines their disposition.

Relic (p. 74) – Sacred objects The Zealot may attune to, which determines how
many dice they roll when they attempt to perform a Miracle. Relics are classed as
being a blade, chalice, talisman, or wand, each type of which has an additional
special ability that can be utilized by spending Favour.

Renown (p. 64) – An Errant’s fame, notoriety, and power.

Rest – Any Travel (p. 118) or Exploration (p. 130) Turn where the Company
chooses to forgo their action. During a Rest, an Errant may use an armour repair kit
to restore all their Blocks (p. 35). If an Errant spends two Travel Turns sleeping
(p. 115) at a suitable campsite (p. 115), they gain the benefit of a night’s Rest,
during which they remove a point of Exhaustion (p. 32) and may use a healer’s
kit to restore HP (p. 144) equal to a roll of their damage die (p. 141). If no
suitable campsite is found, the Guide may offer the choice of a few unsuitable
campsites, such as one that is uncomfortable or open (p. 119).

Retainer (p. 52) – NPCs hired by Errants. These are broken down into four cate-
gories: hirelings (such as explorers, porters, and teamsters), who will adventure
but not engage in combat; specialists (such as accountants, animal handlers,
architects, armourers, bards, craftsmen, factors, jurists, labourers, philosopher,
physicians, and sailors), who do not go on adventures but provide assistance in
other ways; mercenaries (p. 54) who will go on Expeditions (p. 190) or form
Warbands (p. 148); and henchmen (p. 55) (warriors, professionals, and magic
users), who are adventurers that receive a share of treasure and XP (p. 64).

Ritual (p. 183) – Long term magic performed during Downtime Turns (p. 163).
Requires the permanent sacrifice of Grimoires (p. 76) or Favour (p. 74)

214
Saving Throw (p. 17) – A Check that is made reactively to avoid a negative
effect.

Scourge (p. 204) – Active threats and dangers which grow in power long-term.
Scourges have a peril rating; if the result of the Event Die (p. 22) for a Downtime
Turn (p. 163) is less than that of a Scourge’s peril, then a roll is triggered on that
Scourge’s malice table. For each peril a Scourge has above 1, a corresponding locus
is placed on the map; neutralizing a locus reduces the peril of a Scourge by 1. If a
Scourge ever reaches peril 7, it becomes a calamity.

Settlement Type (p. 37) – The measure of the size of a Settlement, broken down
into five tiers: hamlet, village, town, city, and metropolis. The Settlement Type
determines how much Supply (p. 35) is available for purchase each Downtime
Turn (p. 163), and the thresholds for how much Supply can be purchased before
triggering inflation (p. 40). Settlements can have their tier increased by investing
in infrastructure (p. 192) projects during Downtime Turns.

Sorcery (p. 72) - Magic performed by The Occult learned from Grimoires (p.
76). Sorceries can be prepared after a night’s Rest (p. 115); when a prepared
Sorcery is cast, a mind Check (p. 17) is made with a DV (p. 18) equal to the
sum of the Errant’s stabilise and Encumbrance (p. 33) values. If this Check is
failed, that prepared Sorcery is now unstable, and casting it again risks miscasting.
Prepared Sorceries can deliberately be made unstable in order to perform malefi-
cence or retorts (p. 73).

SPD [MV] (p. 140, p. 155) – The measure of how fast an Errant can move in
Initiative Turns (p. 138). This value defines how many movement dice an Errant
rolls when making a movement roll or shifting; difficult terrain reduces the distance
moved when making a movement roll or shifting. For NPCs, this value is given as
MV, which indicates their amount of movement dice directly.

Status (p. 143) – Any condition afflicted on an a character, such as being

poisoned, blinded, or frightened.

Supply (p. 35) – An abstract resource that is used to replenish an item’s

Depletion (p. 34) value to its maximum after it has reached 0. For the purposes
of voyages (p. 124) and Expeditions (p. 190), a special type of Supply called
provisions are used.

Talent (p. 174) – A unique ability an Errant may learn from a trainer during a
Downtime Turn (p. 163).

Threat (p. 155) – The measure of an NPC’s power.

215
Tinkering (p. 177) – The process of customizing items during Downtime Turns (p.
163). An item may be modified to be more durable, sophisticated, efficient, or
potent but will also receive an attendant drawback in the process, such as becoming
frail, crude, unwieldy, or ineffective.

Trade (p. 172) – A vocation or profession an Errant can learn, allowing them to
craft items related to it. There are five stages of knowledge in a Trade, which can
be progressed through during Downtime Turns (p. 163): layman, apprentice, jour-
neyman, master, and legendary artisan.

Travel Turn (p. 21) – One of the four types of tracked time, used when exploring
wilderness or other large distances. By default, assumed to take about four hours.
Actions are taken as a Company; actions include peregrinate, explore, orient,
forage, make camp, take watch, and sleep (p. 114). The Company decides on
a marching order (p. 118), posting a pathfinder and perhaps a scout. Travel is
impeded by inclement and severe weather (p. 122). Such weather when travel-
ling on water vessels risks such vessels becoming water damaged, sinking, or ship-
wrecked (p. 126).

True Strikes (p. 37) – A value of magical weapons that have a plus value (e.g.
+1). Each point represents a charge that can be expended to maximize the results
of an Attack Roll (p. 141).

Warband (p. 148) – A group of mercenaries (p. 54) led by an Errant, who
enhance their leader’s combat effectiveness; classified as either small, medium, or
large based on the number of combatants (excluding the leader).

Wondrous Item (p. 180) – A bespoke artefact wrought by the hand of a legendary
artisan (p. 173) and fashioned from remarkable materials (p. 180). Contains the
seed of magic within, allowing it to become a Grimoire (p. 76) or a magic item
when awakened by a remarkable deed.

XP (p. 64) – Experience points. 1 XP is gained for each penny wasted by an

Errant, or for when an item or investment becomes unintentionally destroyed or
unusable. At given thresholds of XP, an Errant increases their Renown (p. 64).

Graphic: A human skull laying on the floor. A glint of light sparkles from one of
its empty eye sockets.

216
 Gratitudes
This game would not exist today were it not for the multitudes of people who have
been gracious enough to play it with me over the last seven years. These folks
are too numerous to list, but I’d like to thank Jon, Luna, Markant, and Steve for
providing some of the most fun and memorable gaming experiences I’ve ever had.

Also invaluable in the creation of this game are the MAMR crew. Without their
friendship and support, Errant would not have seen the light of day, and I would be
a much lesser person in toto.

Errant is unashamedly a pastiche and bricolage of various ideas, mechanics,

and philosophies liberally borrowed (or, uncharitably, stolen) and adapted from
members of the online old-school RPG community (or adjacent thereof). A ludog-
raphy of those influences follows, but it is by nature incomplete; there have been
so many blogs, adventures, and systems I have read over the years that have
doubtless soaked into my brain, while any attributionary information has oozed out
as if trepanned. I have also limited the list to works which had a direct influence
in shaping the mechanics of Errant, which discounts the much greater body of
work that served to shape the ethos and philosophy of the game, in the interest of
brevity. Any absences in the following list are due to ignorance, not malice.

• Allen, Emmy. “Duels in OSR”, “Horrible Wounds in OSR games”, and “One roll
fights”, Cavegirl’s Game Stuff.
• Bacon, Michael. Village Folk.
• Bell, John. “An Updated Version of My Chase Rules” and “Roles and Tasks for PC
Groups”, The Retired Adventurer.
• Black, David. The Black Hack, 1st Edition.
• Chin, Kazumi. Rogue 2e.
• Cocking, John and Peter S. Williams. Beyond The Wall and Other Adventures:
Further Afield.
• Crawford, Kevin. An Echo Resounding and Stars Without Number.
• Dean, Daniel. 666th Edition.
• Doebler, Sam. “Advantage and Impact”, Dreaming Dragonslayer.
• Dutter, Ben and Jessica. Five Torches Deep.
• Goodman, Joseph. Dungeon Crawl Classics.
• Greco, Paolo. Mageblade! Zero.
• Gundobad. The “Simpler Domains & Warbands” series, Gundobad Games.
• Harper, John. Blades in the Dark.
• Infante-Levy, Aaron. “Making Chase Rules… that actually do what they’re
supposed to!”, EN World.
• Jacinto. “playing cute”, Hex Culture.
• John. “Five Torches Deep Review, Part 3: Supply and Equipment”, The
Wandering Gamist.
• Kemp, Arnold. “Bardic Services”, Goblin Punch and The GLOG, Version -1.0.
217
 • Knight, Logan. “Religion Is A Nest Of Serpents”, Last Gasp Grimoire.
• Kowolski, Zzarchov. Neoclassical Geek Revival.
• Kutalik, Chris. “Adding Pendragon Epic-Time to D&D”, The Hill Cantons.
• Laurence, Ben. The “Downtime Activities” series and “Using Landmarks in
Wilderness Travel”, Mazirian’s Garden.
• Leback, Todd. Into the Wild.
• Manola, Joseph. “When all you have is a hammer: item-based problem-solving
in OSR D&D”, Against The Wicked City.
• McDowall, Chris. Into the Odd.
• McNamee, Jack. “Matt Rundle’s Anti-Hammerspace Item Tracker”, Rotten Pulp.
• Mehrstam, Christian. Whitehack Second Edition.
• Metzger, Johnstone. The Nightmares Underneath.
• Milton, Ben. Knave.
• Nieudan, Eric. Macchiato Monsters.
• Nogueira, Diogo. Sharp Swords & Sinister Spells.
• Riverhouse Games. The Treasure At The End Of This Dungeon Is An Escape
From This Dungeon And We Will Never Escape From This Dungeon.
• Roverato, Giuliano. Shortsword.
• S., Brendan. “Hazard System v0.3”, Necropraxis and Wonder & Wickedness.
• Schroeder, Alex. Swiss Referee Style Manual.
• Stuart, Patrick and Scrap Princess. Veins of the Earth.
• Stump, Rick. “If Your Torches Burn for only One Hour your NPCs will be More
Important,” Don’t Split the Party.
• Telecanter. “Choose-Your-Own-Rogue” and “Procedural Lockpicking Revisited”,
Telecanter’s Receding Rules.
• Whelan, Nick LS. “A Second Look at Hacking, Clerics, & Socializing” and “Invest-
ments, Citadels, and Domains”, Papers and Pencils.
• Williams, Isaac. Mausritter.
• Young, James. Ten Foot Polemic Unified House Rule Document.
• The various editions of the original fantasy role playing game, particularly those
co-authored by Mssrs. Arneson and Gygax in 1974 and Mssrs. Moldvay, Cook &
Marsh in 1981.

Graphic: A flying dragon in an upright posture. Its neck is as long as its torso,
and curls around so its toothy maw is level with its chest. Spines protrude from
its scales, covering the back of its neck, arms, and head. The long tail splits
into three segments, each curling in a different direction, and ending in wicked
barbs.

218
 Downtime Turn Quick Reference
1. Encounter
2. Complication
3. Expiration
4. Trend
5. Intimation
6. Free

Downtime Complications

2. Natural disaster (e.g. a fire, a tornado, a meteor).

3. Ongoing disaster (e.g. a famine, a plague, a drought).
4. Major figure assassinated.
5. Series of murders begins.
6. A Scourge arises in the region.
7. An Errant’s Estate, Institution, infrastructure project, Domain, or other goal
suffers a setback.
8. Legal claims are brought against the Company or they are publicly slandered.
9. An ally of the Company loses trust in or cuts ties with them.
10. An insurrection or a siege occurs. If not dealt with in D4 Downtime Turns it
will be successful.
11. Two or more Factions begin to oppose each other or actively go to war.
12. An ally of the Company dies.

Downtime Trends

2. Two or more Factions announce an alliance.

3. A religious event occurs (e.g. an omen or apparition).
4. A scandal is revealed.
5. New NPC arrives in the area.
6. A rival Company arrives in the area
7. A discovery is made (e.g. new technology, new lands).
8. A new Faction emerges.

219
 Downtime Turn Actions
2D6 + modifiers (not exceeding +/- 3).

• 10+ = success, mark progress on tracker.

• 7-9 = setback, partial success, or progress.
• 6 or lower = failure.

Setting trackers for activities

• 1 – Minor Advantage
• 3 – Significant Advantage
• 5 – Campaign Defining Goal
• 7 – Major Campaign Defining Goal

Conspicuous Consumption

• Carousing (phys)
• Frippery (skill)
• Obscurantism (mind)
• Do-goodery (pres)

Amount wasted by Settlement Type.

• Hamlet – D4 × 200
• Village – D6 × 400
• Town – D8 × 600
• Cities – D10 × 800
• Metropolis – D12 × 1000

Invoke Institution for + to roll = Institution tier.

If an Errant would waste more money than they have, they are in debt for the
remainder & make a Saving Throw with DV = roll result. If they fail, roll on the
table at p. 169.

220
 Downtime Turn Procedure

1. Guide declares start of Downtime Turn; timekeeper notes which # Downtime

Turn.
2. Company members restore HP, Archetype resources, True Strikes & Deflects.
Remove any remaining Supply from inventory.
3. Timekeeper rolls Event Die.
• Guide Checks if any Scourges triggered.
• If setbacks rolled, Company decides if they wish to postpone Downtime Turn
to resolve setback.
4. Event Die resolved.
5. Company debt doubles.
6. The Company hears a rumour.
7. Free actions resolved.
8. Each Errant declares their action this Downtime Turn; actions resolved.
9. Conspicuous Consumption occurs.
10. Guide resolves Faction turn actions.
11. Guide advances in-game calendar.
12. Repeat steps 1-11 until Company ends Downtime Turns.
13. Lifestyle expenses are paid.

221
 Initiative Turn Quick Reference
Combat Distance & Surprise
Combat distance = D6 × 10 feet/yards

Surprise = 1,2 NPCs; 5,6 Company.

Initiative
Errant calls odds or even. Both Errant and Guide roll D6 and sum. If Errant called
correctly, Company acts first.

1. Winning side acts quickly.

2. Losing side acts quickly.
3. Winning side acts slowly.
4. Losing side acts slowly.

Act quickly = 1 action; act slowly = 2 actions.

1 per Initiative Turn: Attack Roll, Sorcery, Miracle.

Movement
• SPD = skill-Encumbrance.
• Movement roll: roll movement dice (D4s) & move result × 10 feet/yards.
• Shift: free action; move # of movement dice × 10 feet/yards.
• Can’t shift if you make a movement roll & vice versa.

SPD Movement dice

0-3 0
4-7 1
8-11 2
12-15 3
16-19 4
20 5

222
 Attacking
• Attack Roll damage die vs target.
• Gambit: reduce damage from Attack Roll, target makes Saving Throw vs
effect.
• Rolling 1 on damage die = target makes action and weapon Quality -1.
• Missile weapon rolls max damage = Deplete ammunition.
• Enhance & Impair: 1 - D4 - D6 - D8 - D10 - D12 - D20
• 1 Block = impair 1 step.
• Taking max damage on a Block = armour Quality -1.
• Damage dice impaired down to 1 = rolling max damage & rolling 1.

Dmg Physical Shocking Burning Toxic

Slow internal
bleeding. On Zapped. Stunned Eye destroyed.
Nauseous. 1 point
1 death’s door, but for an Initiative If both eyes go,
of Exhaustion.
in Exploration Turn. you’re blind.
Turns.
Mouth melted.
Leg mangled. Can’t speak,
Knocked out. Immune system
Can’t run. If both only grunt and
2 Unconscious compromised. HP
legs go, you can’t moan (unable to
(Depletion 1). halved.
walk. cast Sorceries or
Miracles.)
Concussed.
Arm wrecked. If
Knocked out for
both arms go, Blood tainted.
3 D12 Initiative Face melted.
you can’t hold Can’t recover HP.
Turns and 1 point
anything.
of Exhaustion.
Bleeding from
Cardiac arrest.
nose and eyes.
On death’s door
4 On death’s door. Fingers burnt off. On death’s door,
and 1 point of
but in Exploration
Exhaustion.
Turns.
Excreting blood
Leg destroyed.
Suffocating. On from pores. On
Can’t run. If both Scrambled. Major
death’s door death’s door, but
5 legs go, you can’t brain trauma and
and 1 point of in Exploration
walk. Also on on death’s door.
Exhaustion. Turns, and 1 point
death’s door.
of Exhaustion.

223
 Dmg Physical Shocking Burning Toxic
Deep fried. Nose is burnt off,
Arm destroyed.
Unconscious inner ears ruined. Rupture. You’re
If both arms go,
(Depletion 1), Deaf and can no throwing up black
6 you can’t hold
major brain longer smell or acrid blood. On
anything. Also on
trauma, and on taste. Also on death’s door.
death’s door.
death’s door. death’s door.
Internal damage.
Your lungs and
Head shot. On Coughing up Nervous system
face are burnt off.
death’s door blood or bleeding shutdown. Can’t
7 Also on death’s
and major brain from eyes and move and on
door and 1 point
trauma. mouth. Consigned death’s door.
of Exhaustion.
to the reaper.
Throat or lung Respiratory Immune system
Skin burned off.
torn open. system failure. shutdown.
8 Consigned to the
Consigned to the Consigned to the Consigned to the
reaper.
reaper. reaper. reaper.
Guts hanging out. Brain dead. Burnt to a crisp. Total organ
Consigned to the Consigned to the Consigned to the failure. consigned
9
reaper and out of reaper and out of reaper and out of to the reaper and
action. action. action. out of action.
10-15 Dead. Dead. Dead. Dead.
Deader than Deader than Deader than Deader than
15+
Dead. Dead. Dead. Dead.

Death & Dying

• At 0 HP, phys Saving Throw with DV = damage taken to avoid going out of
action.
• Damage past 0 causes wounds.
• On death’s door = dead in Renown # of Initiative Turns unless stabilised with
healer’s kit or HP brought above 0.
• Consigned to the reaper = dead in Renown # of Initiative Turns.

Chases
• Character with lowest SPD/MV on each side makes movement roll.
• If two 4’s are rolled, that side escapes/catches quarry.
• If character rolls doubles, that side makes Attack Rolls or other actions.
• If any dice across sides match, characters make ranged Attack Rolls.
• Sprint = double # movement dice with successful phys Check (DV = Encum-
brance). If fail, no movement roll.
• Side that rolled lowest each Turn rolls for a Chase development, p. 153.

224
 Fall Damage
Distance Damage
10’ 1D6
20’ 1D6 × 1D4
30’ 1D6 × 1D6
40’ 1D6 × 1D8
50’ 1D6 × 1D10
60’ 1D6 × 1D12
70’+ 1D6 × 1D20

Burning = 1D6 damage / Initiative Turn on fire.

Hold breath # Initiative Turns = phys - 10. After, 1D6 damage per Initiative Turn.

Initiative Turn Procedure

1. Determine combat distance.

2. Determine surprise.
3. Determine Initiative Turn order.
4. Winning side acts quickly.
5. Losing side acts quickly.
6. Winning side acts slowly.
7. Losing side acts slowly.
8. Effects or conditions expire.
9. Repeat steps 3-8 until combat is resolved.

225
 Graphic: Continuing from the front cover of the book are more scenes of cha-
os in a broken city, inhabited by a victorious army of skeletons. A heavily ar-
mored and much-decorated skeleton, with tiny horns growing from his brow
and a cluster of lit candles upon its head, rides on a great warhorse whose face
has been gorily torn open. The knight contemptuously points a spear at a kneel-
ing human, who impotently holds a mace up in defense. Nearby a skeleton lies
sprawled on the ground with a jug of wine in hand, apparently drunk. Another
Skeleton leans over it, as if concerned for a friend. A tower leans precariously
in the background, with a massive skull-faced moth clinging to its side. A ton-
sured monk bleeds from their bare scalp, and hangs from their wrists bound to a
wheel. A naked, red-skinned devil kneels before the monk, cat-o-9-tails in hand.
A tree grows from an oversize spinal column. It has no leaves, but skulls hang
from its branches like fruit, and a skull-headed raven wearing a floating crown
is perched in its branches. In the background are broken buildings, a tree-sized
formation of crystals, and a massive hand carved in marble with a sapling grow-
ing out from between its fingers.

226