Who Are You?
Taking Damage
d6, d6 d6, d6
Names I. Roll 3d6 (three six-sided dice) on the table below for your ancestry, goal, Guard and Health. When you take damage, you lose that much Guard. NPCs: Guard
and starting skill. If you dislike what you get, you can choose something else. When you run out of Guard, any remaining damage reduces your Health. If
1. Dwarf 1. People
you lose half or more than half of your remaining Health in one blow, you are
Duff d6 Ancestry Goal Skill Peasant: 1
knocked unconscious for one minute. When you run out of Health, you die.
Grubb 1 dwarf win fame and glory strong arms Soldier: 2
Lott 2 elf learn about the world steady hands Recovery. A moment’s rest restores you to your max Guard. Reaching a new Merchant: 3
Snell 3 halfling spread my faith nimble legs level restores you to your max Health. Note: NPCs always start with 1 Health. Assassin: 4
Thekk 4 city human grow my business quiet feet Knight: 6
Boss monsters only take damage once per combat round from the single
Vigg 5 country human preserve nature hunt and forage Wizard: 8
best attack against them. For example, a knight attacked twice in one round
6 barbarian help the oppressed song and dance
2. Elf might take 2 and 3 damage, but a boss knight would only take 3 damage. 2. Wilds
Gossamer II. You start with a lantern, a sword, a bow, three arrows, and one item from Fairy: 2
Halcyon each column below. (You regain lost arrows when you reach a new level.) Wolf: 4
Nocturne
Reactions and Morale Hag: 6
d6 Just for fun… Might be useful… Just in case…
Petrichor When the PCs encounter an NPC for the first time, the GM rolls a d6; the Tiger: 6
1 art supplies bundle of coal garlic
Thistledown higher the result, the friendlier the NPC. If an NPC is losing a fight, the GM Bear: 8
2 cartography kit collapsible pole (10’) hand mirror
Vespertine rolls a d6; the higher the result, the greater the NPC’s will to keep fighting. Troll: 8
3 climbing gear flask of strong ale holy water
3. Halfling 4 cooking tools manacles and key mallet and stakes In either case, if the result seems unlikely, the GM may roll a second d6 and 3. Classic
Bailey 5 game pieces pickaxe and shovel silver dagger take the new result if it seems more likely. The GM cannot roll a third d6. Goblin: 1
Cass 6 stage props tinker’s tools wolfsbane Skeleton: 2
Nat Ladylob: 6
Ollie
III. Roll for a name on the lefthand table or make up a name. You start with Making Progress Ooze: 8
2 max Guard and 6 max Health. Optional rule: You may start with either (1)
Piper At the end of each session of play or whenever the GM says to do so, award Lich: 12
1 max Guard and an extra skill or (2) 0 max Guard and a magic spell.
Tate yourself 1, 2, or 3 Experience Points (XP) based on the criteria below. Dragon: 16
4. City 1. You showed up to the session: 1 XP 4. Gothic
How to Play
Adrian 2. You made steady progress toward your goal: 2 XP Zombie: 3
Blaine First, the Game Master (GM) describes your situation; second, you describe 3. You made a surprising amount of progress toward your goal: 3 XP Ghost: 4
Harlow what action you take; and third, the GM describes what happens. Repeat. Mummy: 6
You start at Level 1. You reach Level 2 when you have 2 XP, Level 3 when you
Paisley Ogre: 6
If the action you want to take is risky and uncertain, the GM establishes the have 6 XP, and Level 4 when you have 12 XP. Each time you reach a new
Quinn Werewolf: 8
stakes and sets a target number: 6 (easy), 8 (normal), or 10 (hard). level, you can either (1) increase your max Guard by 2, (2) learn a new skill
Sterling Vampire: 12
and increase your max Guard by 1, or (3) learn a new magic spell.
To commit to your action, roll 2d6. Sum the results and, if you have a relevant
5. Country 5. Mythic
skill, add 2. If the total result is greater than or equal to the target number,
Finley Medusa: 6
Hollis
you get what you want from the action; otherwise, it somehow goes wrong. Spells and Spellcasting Manticore: 8
Palmer To cast a spell, roll 2d6. The GM uses common sense to determine a spell’s Minotaur: 8
Rowan How to Fight effects and how high you roll to determine its potency. On a 2 (“snake eyes”), Cyclops: 12
Shelby something goes horribly wrong; on a 12, you do something amazing! On a Genie: 12
In each round of combat, first every non-player-character (NPC) gets a turn,
Tanner 7 or more, you cannot cast the spell again until you reach a new level. Sphinx: 16
then every player-character (PC) gets a turn. On your turn, you can move up
6. Barbarian to ~30 feet and take one action. To attack, roll 2d6 and ignore results of 4 or d6 Wizard Spells Illusionist Spells Druid Spells 6. Iconic
Antenor more; the sum of the remaining results is the damage you deal to your target. 1 Control [Element] Disguise Face & Hair Create [Weather] Mock Chest: 6
Kaenis 2 Glue or Grease Invisibility (imperfect) Hold Breath Long Growlyhoot: 8
Exceptions: Surprised NPCs do not go first. If your target is weak to your
Lykon 3 Impose [Emotion] Flash of Light or Dark Move Like [Animal] Rust Horror: 8
attack, roll 4d6; if they are resistant, roll 1d6; if they are immune, roll 0d6.
Odilon 4 Intangible Projection Minor Scent Illusion Speak to Nature Shifter Beast: 8
Verres Monster attacks: Small or weak monsters attack with -1 die; big or powerful 5 Levitate (vertical-only) Minor Sight Illusion Tangle of Vines Eye Tyrant: 12
Zara monsters attack with +1 die. Boss monsters can attack twice with one action. 6 Interrogate Corpse Minor Sound Illusion Track Prey’s Scent Mindguzzler: 12
&
Designing Your First Ruin Designing a Great Ruin
Start Here
1. What was the ruin’s purpose? Examples: To
honor a hero, to keep watch on the frontier.
A great monster or group of monsters…
1. Either wants something from the PCs or has
something the PCs want (or both). RUINS &
ROGUES
2. Who lives there now? Examples: A gang of 2. Is exactly two of these three things: strong,
goblin raiders, the cult of an ancient god. smart, and mobile (that is, able to pursue).
3. How has nature crept in? Examples: Worn 3. Could either be a useful ally of the PCs or
down by a river, rotten by a fungus. at least do the PCs a good favor.
Draw the Map
4. Is surrounded by things that are fun to blow
up, break open, or knock down. FANTASY ROLE-PLAYING
1. Rooms. Roll 6d6 onto a sheet of paper,
nudge them into a neat arrangement, and A great treasure or magic item...
trace their outlines onto the page. 1. Can be leveraged toward the PCs' goals,
2. Corridors. Draw six lines. Connect three, whether directly (through magical properties)
four, or five of the rooms with a loop and or indirectly (through trade with an NPC).
the other rooms with branches off the loop. 2. Tells a story about the setting’s history.
3. Key. Number the rooms 1 through 6 and
write a corresponding key (that is, a list of A great hazard or trap...
room descriptions numbered 1 through 6). 1. Is either easy to avoid but punishing (like a
pool of lava) or hard to avoid but forgiving
(like a hidden patch of quicksand).
2. Is like a good joke: it has a straightforward
setup and a surprising punchline.
Advice for the Game Master
Roles of the Game Master
1. Describe what the PCs experience. You are
your players’ eyes and ears. Don’t just say
“the goblin attacks you,” describe it!
2. Portray NPCs. Some players enjoy acting
out conversations between PCs and NPCs.
Key the Rooms 3. Make rulings. It is up to you to interpret the
1. Key three rooms with evocative details that rules and decide when and how they apply.
hint at the ruin’s dangers and secrets. Don’t worry about the designer’s intent!
2. Key two rooms with monsters. 4. Keep secrets. Don’t reveal your maps of the
3. Key one room with something or someone setting and its ruins right away! Gradually
designed to disorient players, permanently reveal them as the PCs discover them.
transform the PCs, or otherwise defy logic.
How to Describe a Room
Finish Up 1. First, describe the surface-level details of
1. Add one entrance and one treasure. the room in the order that you would most
2. Optional: Add an extra entrance and/or an likely notice them if you were really there.
extra treasure that is hidden or hazardous. 2. Second, describe any exits from the room
3. Optional: Mark two corridors as hazardous with compass directions (for example, “you
with the letter X and one corridor as hidden
with the letter S. Detail them in your key.
see a open doorway to the northwest”).
3. Third, ask the players, “What do you do?”
NSR Tim B., 2024, CC-BY 4.0
