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Novice Paths
After you complete your starting adventure and
advance to level 1, you choose a novice path. You can
choose any novice path that appeals to you, though
let the story inform your decision. If, for example,
you fought in hand-to-hand combat many times in
the first adventure, you might become a warrior to
reflect the experiences you gained. Similarly, if you
found magic or interacted with it, you might go on
to become a mage.
The game presents four novice paths, one for
each basic aspect of play. The mage path focuses on
teaching you magic of a kind that interests you. You
could learn elemental magic, such as Pyromancy, to
wield fire as your weapon, or opt for Enchantment
to turn your enemies into your servants.
Next comes the priest, a path that sees you
gaining some magical power to serve one or more
gods. Whether you want to serve the High One or
Lord Death or some other deity, your road begins
here.
The rogue and warrior paths let you develop the
skills you need to overcome the obstacles that stand
in the way of completing your quests. Rogues rely
on trickery and luck, while warriors develop and
perfect various fighting styles to defeat their
enemies.

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Group Identity Health
Your path increases your Health score. The increase
Your character belongs to a group. You and the other
players should consider the events of your starting applies to your maximum Health score and your
adventure and come up with a reason for why you current Health score.
remain together. You can use the following table to
inspire your choice. Attack Dice
Your path might increase your pool of Attack Dice.
GROUP IDENTITIES If so, increase your number of Attack Dice by the
d20 Identity
indicated amount.
1 We are bold explorers and seek to discover the
world’s secrets.
2 We all share stakes in a business and we adventure Traditions
to make contacts and find new markets for our Your path might reveal one or more traditions,
wares. either specific traditions or ones of your choosing.
3 We crave adventure and find ourselves in dangerous
situations all the time.
Each time you gain a tradition, you automatically
4 We fight against tyranny and corruption. We aim to learn one level 1/2 spell from that tradition.
overthrow an evil ruler.
5 We are trouble-makers and get into mischief Spells
wherever we go.
Some paths let you learn spells. You can learn a
6 We share the same religion and work to advance
causes important to our faith.
spell from any tradition you have discovered, but
7 We hope to secure peace and security for the people the spell must be equal to or lower than your
fleeing the wars of the Old Country. current level. You can learn a particular spell just
8 We all survived some hardship and come together to once. And, unless the spell says otherwise, you can
overcome the trauma of that experience. cast it just once and regain the expended casting
9 We are heroes and champion good causes. when you finish an 8-hour rest.
10 We are a troupe of entertainers and performers.
11 We take on dangerous jobs for gold.
12 We are agents for a regent. Languages
13 We swore vows to root out corruption and to defeat Some paths grant you knowledge of a language,
the wicked. which give you the ability speak it and understand
14 We investigate occult matters and dare to look into when it is spoken, as well as to read and write in this
fearful places.
15 We are exiles and band together for mutual survival.
language. If you would learn a language you know
16 We swore oaths to avenge the death of a mutual already, choose a different language to learn in its
friend. place.
17 A powerful magician employs us to recover magical

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relics and investigate magical phenomena.
We have dark pasts and come together to find
Talents
redemption.
The path table might also indicate that you gain one
19 A mutual desire to solve a great mystery keeps us or more talents. Simply record the talent on your
working together to accomplish our goals. character sheet.
20 We have a vision of the future and work to found a
new nation in these dark lands. Activities
Some talents let you perform special activities. Such
Path Benefits activities are explained in their own section and
follow the same format as those shown in Chapter 1.
The path you choose here gives you several benefits Most activities have a limited number of uses as
as shown in their descriptions. You gain similar noted in the talent that enables the performance of
benefits from the paths you choose at higher levels. the activity. You regain expended uses from all of
A summary of these benefits follows. your granted activities when you finish an 8-hour
rest.
Attributes Some activities are magical or supernatural. A
Your path lets you increase two or more attributes magical activity functions as a spell and can be
by 1. For each increase, choose an attribute and affected by effects that interact with spells.
increase its score by 1, which also increases the Supernatural activities come from the gods or other
associated modifier. powers and function as minor miracles unaffected
by effects that interact with spells.

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Mage
LEVEL 1
Attributes +1 to two; Health +2; Traditions +2; Spells +4;
Languages Arcane
Becoming a mage teaches you real magic, the ability Mage Training You can perform the mage sense magical
to conjure flames from your hands, to cross vast activity a number of times equal to your level.
distances in an instant, to conjure up monsters to In addition, when you discover a tradition, increase
fight on your behalf, or dabble with the darkest the number of level 1/2 spells you learn from
forces in reality. Learning magic requires a great discovering that tradition by 1.
deal of time and energy, forcing you to neglect other
areas of your development. But then, who needs to MAGE SENSE LEVEL 1
be good with a sword when you can simply blast Target Your zone
your enemies apart by speaking a few magic words? Effect You pinpoint the location of each magical effects in
Much of your development comes from the the target zone.
traditions you discover and the spells you learn
from them. You could study War magic and learn LEVEL 2
Health +2; Tradition +1; Spells +2
spells to transform you into a cunning combatant or
Spell Recovery You can perform the spell recovery
pick up Necromancy to make undead servants to activity once.
fight on your behalf. Illusions confound your foes,
while Enchantment plays with others’ emotions.
Traditions let you tailor your path to fit almost any
SPELL RECOVERY
Effect Heal all damage and regain all expended castings
kind of character concept and create the foundation of your spells of level 2 and lower.
for your further development.
LEVEL 5
Source of Magic Health +2; Spells +2
The ability to wield magic, to cast spells, and sense Spell Expertise You make rolls from casting a spell with 1
it around you comes from somewhere. You can use boon and you impose 1 bane on rolls made to resist
the following table to randomly determine your spells you cast.
source, choose the one you like most, or make <INSERT ART @; MAGE; 1/4 PAGE>
something up.
SOURCES OF MAGIC
d20 Source
1 You were buried alive.
2 A banded serpent bit you and injected you with its
venom.
3 You have mystical runes branded in your skin.
4 The blood of a magic-using ancestor flows through
your veins.
5 You served an apprenticeship under another mage.
6 You are the seventh child of a seventh child.
7 A spirit possessed and merged with your soul.
8 You made a bargain with a faerie, infernal, or
something else.
9 You found an old book filled with arcane lore.
10 One of your parents was an otherworldly being.
11 You ate or drank something that was forbidden to
you.
12 You were born with the gift.
13 You don’t know since you can remember any details
about your life.
14 You broke something magical and got some on you.
15 You learned from a talking trout you found in a lake.
16 You made a wish from a spirit you released from a
bottle.
17 You are an ardent follower of the god of magic.
18 You were struck by lightning.
19 You were held prisoner by fox-headed faeries and
figured out how to cast a spell that allowed your
escape.
20 You died, but somehow came back to life.

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Level 5 A target heals an extra 1d6 damage.
Priest LEVEL 2
Maybe the gods chose you. Maybe you chose the Health +4; Attack Dice +1; Spells +1
god. Either way, you enjoy a special connection with Shared Recovery You can perform the shared recovery
one or more deities, a connection that lets you call supernatural activity once.
upon the divine to aid you in your times of need.
The gods answer your prayers and give you the SHARED RECOVERY LEVEL 2
ability to perform miracles, such as healing the sick, Target You and one creature in your zone
smiting unbelievers, and shielding others from Effect Each target heals all damage.
harm. Your gifts could elevate you in the eyes of the
religious institution or could make you a pariah, LEVEL 5
believing you to work blasphemy with your magical Health +4; Spells +1
arts. Prayer You can perform the prayer supernatural activity
As a priest, magic supplements your other at-will
capabilities. While you might come close to the
capabilities of a mage, you might also develop your PRAYER LEVEL 5
combat capabilities or focus on supporting your Special You can use a reaction to perform this activity
companions. when a creature in your zone would roll luck.
Target One creature in your zone
DIVINE CALLING Effect You grant 1 boon or impose 1 bane on the next luck
d20 Calling roll the creature makes before the end of its next turn.
1 An angel visited you and announced your service.
2 You fasted and prayed until your patron took notice. <INSERT ART @; PRIEST; 1/4 PAGE>
3 Lightning struck and blinded you for a few days.
4 A voice spoke to you from a roaring fire.
5 Your patron deity visited you in a dream.
6 You died and returned to life with a new purpose.
7 You hear voices and see things others cannot see.
8 A sect, after generations of selective breeding,
produced you to become a vessel for your god.
9 You climbed a mountain and saw the face of the
divine.
10 You are an immortal entity who claimed this body
and now use it to serve your divine masters.
11 You are the product of an immaculate conception.
12 You committed a crime against your god and now
must spent your days righting the wrong.
13 You have amnesia. You cannot remember anything
that happened in the last year.
14 You read from a sacred scroll or holy book.
15 You performed a heroic deed that won divine
attention.
16 A whirlwind lifted you into the heavens where you
received your gifts.
17 Another priest passed their gift to you.
18 You consumed the blood of an angel.
19 You lost everything you had and everyone you loved.
20 You underwent a sacred ritual that set your feet on
the path of divine service.

LEVEL 1
Attributes +1 to two; Health +4; Tradition Theurgy + 1;
Spells +2
Divine Power You can perform the divine power
supernatural activity a number of times equal to your
level.

DIVINE POWER LEVEL 1


Target You or one creature or object in reach
Effect You either make one attack, dealing an extra 1d6
damage or you touch the target and cause it to heal 2d6
damage.

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Signature Talent You develop a signature technique to
Rogue carry out your trickery. Gain one Rogue Talent of your
choice.
You could have been anything. You have the mind, LEVEL 2
the drive, and the talent to excel at any task you set Health +4
for yourself. You might have studied magic, learned Dastardly Strike Once per round when you succeed on a
how to fight, or embraced the mysticism of a church, roll to attack and you made the roll with at least 1 boon,
but you chose a different road, a crooked path to you can use a reaction to deal an extra 1d6 damage.
reach your destiny. Good or bad, you employ Starting at level 5, the extra damage increases to 2d6.
techniques others might deem underhanded to get Swift Recovery You can perform the swift recovery
what you want because your success and yours activity once.
alone is what matters most. What obligations you
feel toward others stand only so long as it serves to SWIFT RECOVERY LEVEL 2
advance your interests. Your life, your dreams, your Special You can use a reaction to perform this activity
goals are the only things that matters and to hell when you take damage.
Effect Retreat and heal all damage.
with anything else.
CROOKED PATHS LEVEL 5
d20 Source Health +4; Attack Dice +1
1 You joined a criminal organization such as a thieves’ Cunning Evasion When you take damage from one
guild and advance through the group’s ranks. source, you can use a reaction to reduce the damage to
2 You do what you have to do to get by. 0. Once you use this talent, you must wait at least one
3 You stole something from a shrine or temple and hour before you can use it again.
developed your talents from the object you took. Exploit Opportunity Once per round, when you roll a 20
4 You botched an apprenticeship and had to find some or higher for a roll made from using an action, you
other way to make ends meet. either cause one creature in your zone to take 1d6
5 You are a bon vivant and you aim to keep yourself in damage or you move.
manner to which you have become accustomed.
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7
You were a scout, guerilla, or commando.
You made the wrong enemies and have to stay on Rogue Talents
the move. You can choose from any of the following talents to
8 You studied crime techniques to bring lawbreakers fill your signature talent.
to justice.
9 You have blood on your hands. Backstab Whenever you deal damage on a weapon attack
10 You fought for money and cut your teeth battling and you rolled a 4 or higher on at least 1 boon, your
foes in the fighting pits. attack deals 1d6 extra damage or 2d6 extra damage at
11 You belong to a sect, cult, or congregation devoted level 5.
to Revel. Beloved of the Gods You make luck rolls with 1 boon.
12 You made an enemy of a magician and you know this
Also, if you roll a 1 on the die for an attribute roll, you
person hunts you.
roll luck and use the result of the luck roll in place of
13 You are an heir to a crime family.
your attribute roll.
14 You crave adventure and excitement. You can’t stay
Magic-Use You learn the Arcane language, discover one
in one place very long.
tradition, and learn two spells. You learn an additional
15 You are a raconteur and are considered a character
by locals in your community.
spell at level 2 and level 5.
16 Someone wronged you and you will have your Mockery When you hinder an enemy, the target must
revenge, even if it means spending your whole life in succeed on a Will roll with 1 bane or become enraged
pursuit of it. (luck ends). While enraged, the target makes rolls to
17 You spent time in the wilderness as a guide, explorer, attack targets other than you with 1 bane and grants
or a bandit. creatures other that you 1 boon on rolls made to attack
18 You deserted from a military unit and now lay low. it. On a failure, the target becomes immune to your
19 You made a living robbing graves and tombs. Mockery for 24 hours.
20 You learned a few tricks from the faeries. Skirmisher When you attack, you gain a move and can
use it before or after the attack to retreat.
LEVEL 1 Subterfuge When you hinder an enemy, the target must
Attributes +1 to two; Health +4 succeed on an Intellect roll or become weakened (luck
Trickery Once per round, you can grant yourself 1 boon ends). On a failure, the target becomes immune to your
on an attribute roll you make or impose 1 bane on a roll Subterfuge for 24 hours.
made against you. Starting at level 5, you can use
Trickery twice per round.
Uncanny Reflexes You can use two reactions each round,
but you must use each reaction to perform a different
activity.

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Warrior BATTLE RECOVERY LEVEL 2
Special You can use a reaction to perform this activity
when you take damage.
A life of violence finds your embroiled in a state of
Effect You heal all damage and impose 1 bane on rolls
near constant conflict. Mastering the fighting made against your Defense and attributes until the end
techniques give you an edge over your untrained of your next turn.
foes, but helps you take a stand against veteran
combatants too. You might favor a certain fighting LEVEL 5
style or set of weapons, but you could just choose to Health +6; Attack Dice +1
fight with whatever happens to be at hand. Power Strike Once per round, when you deal damage to a
Whatever you choose, you know how to conduct target, you can deal extra damage equal to your level.
yourself on the battlefield, to power through the Warrior Talent You gain one warrior talent of your choice
pain and overcome the setbacks to come through from the ones presented below.
conflict victorious.
BATTLE SCARS AND MEMENTOS Warrior Talents
d20 Scar The following talents help you develop the fighting
1 A jagged line running from your hairline down your style you use most in battle.
cheek.
2 A puckered mark where you took an arrow. Brawl You make rolls for unarmed attacks with 1 boon
3 A missing tip of one or more fingers. and your unarmed attacks that deal damage deal an
4 A notch in your ear. extra 1d6 damage.
5 A line across the bridge of your nose.
Combat Expert When you would perform an attack
6 A split lip.
maneuver, you can choose two maneuvers instead of
7 A grisly gash on your arm.
one by spending a single Attack Die for both.
8 A few missing toes.
Cleave When you attack causes a target to become
9 A white line on your scalp.
incapacitated, you can make a free attack.
10 A crooked nose.
11 Markings for each enemy you have killed.
Lockdown When your attack deals damage to a target,
12 Several body piercings. you can prevent the target from retreating until the end
13 A pronounced limp. of your next turn.
14 A persistent cough. Mass Attack When you attack, you can spend all of your
15 Cauliflower ears. Attack Dice to make a mass attack. The target and each
16 Bad burn scars. creature and object within your weapon’s range takes
17 An odd depression. 1d6 damage per two Attack Dice you spent. A creature
18 A missing eye or ear. can roll Agility and takes half the damage on a success
19 A tattoo of your squadron’s numerals. or no damage on a roll of 20 or higher.
20 Tremors, twitches, or a tic. Rising Fury When you take damage, you gain one fury
token, which you keep until the end of your next turn.
LEVEL 1 While you have a fury token, you roll an additional d20
Attributes +1 to two; Health +6; Attack Dice +1 for rolls you make to attack and you can use the highest
Combat Training You make rolls for attack and unarmed roll.
attacks with 1 boon. When the total of your roll for an Swift Shot When you attack with a projectile or thrown
attack is 20 or higher and succeeds, the attack deals an weapon, you can use a reaction to make an additional
extra 1d6 damage. attack with the weapon, but you cannot spend Attack
Engage the Enemy You can perform the engage the Dice for this attack.
enemy activity at-will. Two-Weapon Striker While you wield two weapons, one
in each hand, you have a +1 bonus to Defense and when
you use a reaction to attack with one of the weapons
ENGAGE THE ENEMY LEVEL 1 you wield, you make the roll with 1 boon.
Special You can use a reaction to perform this activity Weapon Focused Choose one weapon for which you
when an enemy moves into your zone or moves in your meet the requirements. You make rolls to attack with
zone without retreating. this weapon with 1 boon. You can swap out the weapon
Effect Move to engage the enemy and make a free attack you chose for a different one as a downtime activity.
against it.

LEVEL 2
Health +6; Attack Dice +1
Warrior Talent You gain one warrior talent of your choice
from the ones presented below.
Battle Recovery You can perform the battle recovery
activity once.

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