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THE

WILDSEA
by Felix Isaacs FREE BASIC RULES
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Contents
Chapter One: Setting 4 Chapter Four: Character Elements 48 Chapter Six: Ships & Shipbuilding 100
Core Concepts 5 Background 49 Stakes 101
The Rustling Waves 6 Edges 50 Creating Your Own Ship 102
The Layers of the Sea 7 Skills 52 Design 104
The Core Four 9 Languages 54 + Size, Frame, Hull, Bite & Engine
Wildsailors 9 Aspects 56 Fittings 109
Travel 10 Resources 60 + Motifs, Additions, Rooms
Danger at Sea 11 Mires 62 + Armaments
Civilization 12 Drives 63 Undercrew 112
+ Technology Milestones 64 + Ocers, Gangs, Packs
+ Spirituality Personal Tracks 65
Chapter Seven: Firefy's Guide 114
+ Arconautics
Chapter Five: Character Creation 66 The Firey's Roles 115
Chapter Two: Mechanics 14 Quickstart vs Freeform 67 Session Zero 116
The Wild Words Engine 15 + Bloodlines, Origins & Posts on Oer + Unsetting Questions, Planning, Tone
Character & Crew Sheet 16 Ardent Bloodline 70 The Toolbox 118
Structure 18 Ektus Bloodline 72 Rewards + Consequences 124
+ Focus Gau Bloodline 74
Chapter Eight: Hazards 126
Tracks 20 Tzelicrae Bloodline 76
Hazard Entries 127
+ Mark, Clear and Burn Ridgeback Origin 78
Using Hazards 128
Actions 22 Rootless Origin 80
Pinwolves 130
+ Building a Dice Pool Shankling Origin 82
Manticrows 133
+ Action Roll Results Spit-Born Origin 84
The Lion's Mane 134
+ Twists, Cut & Impact Char Post 86
The Kjartiko 139
Corsair Post 88
Chapter Three: Playing the Game 26 Old Ornail 140
Dredger Post 90
Scenes 27
Hacker Post 92 The Foxloft 142
+ Exploration, Interaction & Combat
Hunter Post 94 + Territories, Ports & Factions
+ Damage Types
Rattlehand Post 96
+ Attack and Defence Roll Results
Tempest Post 98
Montages 34
+ Tasks
+ Exploration, Acquisition
+ Recovery & Creation
+ Projects
Journeys 40
+ Departure
+ Progress
+ Encounters
+ Arrival

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Overview
This document, the Free Basic Rules, is a far deeper
The Game
Your character is awildsailor, part of a crew cutting their way across the island-studded wilderness of the treetop sea
look into the world of the Wildsea than the previous on a vessel of your very own. You’ll clash with survivor cultures and wild beasts, scavenge and salvage for wreckage and
free iterations of the game - it's not a playtest, it's not tradegoods, chase rumours and uncover secrets. The focus of this game is on exploration, progress and change - you’ll
missing art assets, and it has everything you need to get dene the world of the Wildsea as you sail it.
a feel of the basics of the setting and rules. read it, play
Adventures on the Wildsea start as hooks, elements of the setting or of a character’s history with the potential to
a few games and, if you like it, there's twice the content
blossom into an arc - a story for you and your crew to experience. While playing through an arc you roleplay scenes,
waiting for you in the full release.
montages and journeys to make decisions, take actions and resist your baser impulses. Completed arcs, and the
For questions and comments you can get in touch in a triumphs and disasters within them, will allow you to develop your character as you play.
few dierent ways…
Decisions are made through the conversation, a collaborative process that keeps all players at the table involved in the
◊ Website: thewildsea.co.uk outcome of an event. The Wildsea’s GM gure,the Firey, is there to ask the right questions to keep the conversation
◊ Twitter: @isaacs_felix owing, as well as to bring the rules into play when necessary.
◊ Reddit: r/thewildsea
◊ E-Mail: felixisaacs@thewildsea.co.uk The Rules
Rolls are made using d6 dice pools, quickly assembled from the information you have on your character sheet and the
The Setting situations your characters nd themselves in. Dice rolled in this way help to direct the conversation toward outcomes of
Some three hundred years ago the empires of the world triumph, conict or disaster.Whatever the result, the story moves forwards.
were toppled by a wave of fast-growing greenery, a tide
Tracks are used as a visual reference for many aspects of your character, their relationships with various factions and
of rampant growth spilling from the West. This event,
developments in the wider story. Their boxes are marked or cleared by your actions.
the Verdancy, gave rise to the world you’ll explore as
you play - a titanic expanse of rustling waves and sturdy You’ll also collect resources, anything from salvage and charts to living secrets and forbidden spices. These resources
boughs known as the Wildsea. are tracked on your character sheet, and can be combined or sacriced for various eects. Their precise uses and
qualities are drawn out as your group’s own unique version of the Wildsea develops.
Now chainsaw-driven ships cut their way across
dense treetop waves, their engines powered by oilfruit,
ropegolems, honey and pride. Their crews are a motley,
humanity’s weathered descendants rubbing shoulders
What's Not In This Document?
A whole lot, to be honest! While pretty big, this Free Basic Rules edition of the Wildsea only covers about half of the
with cactoid gunslingers, animated wrecks and
content from the core book. You'll nd more bloodlines, origins, and posts, more pre-made hazards and locations
silkclothed spider-colonies, humanesque slugs with
to use them in, a deeper look at the rules and how the Firey can tailor them to their table, and a slew of extra art and
driftwood bones and other, stranger things. Each has a
setting information.
role and a reason to be out on the Wildsea, and it’s their
stories - your stories - that this game is designed to tell. What you have here are the basics, the keys to an overgrown and mysterious kingdom. And if you like what you see,
there's so much more where that came from.
The Wildsea hungers and grows, roots still questing
down into the world’s depths as its waves ripple with Sail safe, people. Enjoy.
life. Spits of ancient earth and the heights of old-world
- Felix
monuments now serve as ports, cities, farms and jails,
each with their own laws and ways. The years after the
Wildsea’s arrival were harsh, and by the time the art of
sailing was rediscovered most old cultures had splintered
into new, often unrecognisable forms. The economies of
the verdant world are unpredictable and ever-changing,
but there’s always value to be found for those willing to
brave the perils of the wild.
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The Waves of Jatter's Hand

CHAPTER 1
SETTING
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It was a stupid idea. Core Concepts

This page highlights the most important aspects of the world - the core concepts of the Wildsea. If you have a little more
Tarak knew it, & her grandfather time, the rest of the chapter delves into more detail.
knew it. The leaves were so full The Treetops are a Sea
of life they scorched the skin Though made up of branches and leaves rather than water the treetops still act as a traditional sea in many ways; there
are waves (formed by the natural contours of the canopy), ports (built onto what little solid ground remains), and a vast
with a touch. Beasts the size of number of ships (their hulls supported by branches). While it’s possible to move through the canopy without a vessel of
mountaintops wound their way some kind, to do so for any length of time is a huge risk.

through the shade of the lower Land is Scarce and Valuable

Mountaintops and large chunks of earth or debris caught up in the canopy act as islands and archipelagos, ercely
trunks. Rootquakes shook the guarded by their inhabitants. The settlements built on these outcroppings of remaining land are constructed with
safety more in mind than comfort, leading to ramshackle appearances and multiple layers of defence against the ever-
treetops, reconguring them, threatening waves.
pushing remnants of a world long Plant Growth is Rampant
dead up to the surface. The plants of the sea grow at a dramatically accelerated pace, but only when connected to the ironroots (the huge mile-
high trees that act as the foundation for thecanopy you'll sail). A cut branch will stay inert, but another will have grown
It was a stupid idea to look at the in its place within hours. Though the upper limits of the sea may have settled the topography is constantly changing,
rusting, dented hull pushed up and every now and then an unexpected spurt of growth claims a ship or colony.

between the leaves before them, Open Flames are Forbidden

Almost all cultures have prohibitions against the use of re while at sea, and for good reason. Flame burns hot and long
a stone’s throw away, & think it on Wildsea wood, and spreads at a terrifying pace. If a re does break out even the most bitter enemies will likely put
would ever sail again. The seas their dierences aside to ght it together.

her grandfather once charted had Crezzerin Corrupts on Contact

Secreted by some of the Wildsea’s more dangerous vegetation, crezzerin is a potent toxin. Brief contact does little more
long been emptied. There were no than sear skin, but long-term exposure warps both body and mind in terrifying ways. This, along with the threat of
waves to crest, no currents to ride. predators and falling, keeps most sailors on their ships during long voyages.
The Economy is Barter-Based
It was a stupid idea. Obviously. With much of the pre-verdant world’s technology and resources lost in the murky depths around the roots, salvage and
recycling are particularly important. The economy is based on barter, usually of food or materials but sometimes acts
But still... of service (bounty boards are a common xture in most settlements, allowing locals to farm out tasks and have others
solve problems they can’t deal with themselves).
It’s a Weird, Weird World
The Wildsea setting is designed to be low-magic, high-weirdness. It’s a world of unusual creatures, woken spirits
and unbelievable abilities, but they’re mostly tangibly connected to the waves themselves - there’s very little in the
way of wands and spellbooks, or magical study. The practice of twisting the world in mysterious ways is referred to as
arconautics, literally a delving into the unknown and uncanny.

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The Rustling Waves

Capricious. Beautiful. Dangerous.
Rough Timeline
300 years ago: An explosion of fast-growing greenery
known as the Verdancy unrolls across the land. Within
There are many ways to describe the branch-and-leaf waves of the wildsea, but no single word could ever do them
days the known world is covered with forest, mile-high
justice. They’re a sprawl of life, or of many lives; nature at war with civilization and itself, a churn of growth and wind
trees whose roots churn entire civilizations to mulch.
and trade and blood.
Those with foresight move to higher ground. They are, as
The rst thing most notice is the movement. Whether through the kiss of high-altitude winds or the constant motion far as they can tell, the only survivors.
of beasts and insects, the canopy of the wildsea is never at rest - in fact, the eect is similar to that of the waves of the
Pocketfuls of these survivors are hit by their rst high-
old salt sea, swells and tides and all. Even a ship at anchor still sways gently from side to side, moving with the rise and
altitude winter. Entire cultures are lost to biting cold, lack
fall of the branches beneath its hull.
of water and virulent new diseases.
The second thing is the sound, another constant in a changeable world. Leaf on leaf, branch on branch, the rattle and
300-280 years ago: More die. Few thrive. Though there
buzz of uncountable insects, the calls of birds and lemurs and sailors at the rail. Tree-shanties are sung and secrets
is an abundance of food and wood, fresh water is scarce
shouted, and ship's hearts roar deep within their hulls.
and crezzerin-contaminated rainwater burns. Most
Life makes noise, and the wildsea is nothing if not full of life. believe the world has ended.
The third thing, which should have been the rst, is the danger. It's not that everything out on the waves wants to kill 280-240 years ago: A new generation is born - few,
you, it's that enough of it does that it makes no dierence. There are beasts that hunt ships, eager to feed on the scraps but strong. They don’t fear the surrounding treetops as
in their wake or the wreckage they leave at the end of their usage. Insects build hives in timber and esh, more than their parents do, striking out in rags to hunt and explore,
mindless in inscrutable ways. Even spirits hunt, and are hunted in return. And, a deeper presence beneath the layers of searing themselves terribly on the chemical coating of
prey and predation, leviathans lurk... and bide their time. the leaves.

Important Terminology Island 240 years ago: Tarak Tar works with her grandfather, a
sailor of the now-buried seas, to build a ship capable of
Though much of the setting is designed to be uncovered A larger landmass in no danger of being swallowed
crossing the treetops. A hull of old iron reinforced with
and dened through play, there are a few terms you by the sea. Most islands are the tips of mesas and
wildsea wood, an engine fuelled with honey and rotting
should know before diving in. mountaintops, or the upper-reaches of still-standing
fruit, a rudimentary chainsaw running the height of the
monuments.
Pre-Verdant prow to cut them a path. Against all odds, they succeed.
Commonly abbreviated to Pre-V, this describes anything Reef 240-20 years ago: Thousands of ships are built, bridging
that has survived from the old world without being A collection of junk, usually mechanical in nature,
the gaps between cultures and bloodlines. The old world
corrupted by the oddities of the wildsea. . either on top of or just below the leafy waves. Reefs
is mostly forgotten as new generations are born, raised
are hazardous to ship hulls but extremely sought after
Ironroot regardless, often hotspots for salvage operations.
to view the canopy surrounding them as a sea to be
The foundation of the wildsea, the ironroots are the tamed. A short-lived and foolish war scars the north,
titanic trees whose sprawling branches make up the Rift setting it ablaze. Entire cultures dedicate themselves to
majority of the wavetops. A gaping hole in the sea that leads down to the darkened keeping that re from engulng the rest of the world,
roots far below, the kind of place a sensible sailor steers yet it burns still - a constant reminder of the apocalyptic
Tallshank clear of at all costs. danger that untamed ame represents.
A massive tree that dwarfs even the ironroots,
sometimes spearing miles above the rest of the canopy. Crezzerin The Present Day: The ideas of a saltwater sea or of land
A mutative chemical substance found all across the larger than a mesa seem absurd to most, fairytales.
Spit wildsea, often particularly concentrated in leaves and Blood, salvage and exploration drive the economy. The
A temporary landmass resting on the surface of the
tree-sap. It's crezzerin that drives both the rampant world is dierent, but it thrives once more.
canopy, impermanent but sturdy enough to colonize.
growth of wildsea plants and the hyper-accelerated (and
Spits take many forms, from the picked-clean bones of a
increasingly uncanny) evolution of its creatures.
leviathan to chunks of old world material.
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The Layers of the Sea

There are six distinct layers to the forest that ate the world, with only the upper three
considered safe enough for travel and habitation. They are…

The Skies
A broad blue expanse above, the skies are home to insects, birds and the occasional
airship (though strong winds and frequent storms make reliable air travel impossible).
Most that settle the skies base themselves on mesas, mountainsides or oating cities,
often suspended by arcomagnetism or alchemical ingenuity.

The Thrash
The topmost layer of the great iron-rooted trees that make up the Wildsea, the thrash is
a place of life and trade, a forest canopy studded with mountaintops, reefs of wreckage
and ramshackle cities. What remains of civilization is mostly centred on these last spits
of land, and ships sail the leafy seas surrounding them.

The Tangle
Though the thrash is thick enough to sail it’s the tangle that most large ships rest their
hulls on, where the branches of the sea begin to thickly intertwine. Insect and animal life
thrives in the half-dark heat, and it can be moved through in relative safety with enough
preparation and skill.

The Sink
A layer lower than the tangle lies the sink, where wrecks often lodge themselves and the
largest creatures of the Wildsea rule. As thick as the tangle but far more dangerous, the
sink is named for the treacherous properties of its branches - whether through natural
or unnatural means, most vessels that make their way down to the sink nd it almost
impossible to reclaim the surface.

The Drown
The point of no return, the drown is where branches thin and light dies. The trunks of
the ironroots loom in the darkness, some hundreds of feet across. There are huge areas
of the drown that have never seen the sun, and others where the gulf between ironroot
trunks dees mere distance.

The Darkness-Under-Eaves
The roots of the wildsea and the bones of the old world.
The less said about this place the better.

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The Core Four Wildsailors

The four species represented here are those most What makes a wildsailor?
commonly found building communities across the
Heading out onto the waves as part of a ship's crew is the rst step, but that alone does not a wildsailor make. It’s a
waves; the Ardent, the Ektus, the Gau, and the Tzelicrae.
willingness to explore, to engage, to cut and bite and tread where sense or logic drive others back to safety.
Each have their own strengths and weaknesses, and are
uniquely adapted to life on the treetop seas. There are Some wildsailors love the sea. Others respect it, or fear it (the healthiest approach, in all probability). But whatever their
others... But for this free edition, we'll focus on these. attitude every wildsailor is drawn, inexorably, to the rustling waves.
The Ardent Crews & Goals
The post-verdancy descendants of ancient humanity,
Few wildsailors make it alone, or at least not for very long. Most band together into crews with others who share similar
forged by hardship and disaster. The ardent vary in
goals. Though these are manifold and often unexpected, the most common are…
terms of culture, traditions and appearance, just as
their human ancestors did, but they share a common To Explore
trait in perseverance. They are a race of survivors; Some crews sail just to nd out what’s over the next wave-peak, forever chasing the unknown - there's an endless
tough, weathered and naturally attuned to the spiritual variety of cultures and creatures on the waves of the wildsea, and even the most dedicated explorers will never exhaust
elements of the rustling waves. the possibility of new and unexpected encounters.
The Ektus To Salvage
Fibrous cactoids from the Icterine east, the world-forest Be it wrecks, reefs, or ruins, there’s always something of value to be found. Salvagers seek to root out and utilize the
robbed the ektus of the dunes and waterfalls of their scraps that others leave behind, often delving deep beneath the thrash and into eerie, long-forgotten places to do so.
ancestral home. Most now travel the seas, determined
to prove themselves in a world that tried to snu them
To Hunt
Whether for the thrill of the chase or the rewards it brings, a large number of wildsailors spend their time hunting -
out. Though ektus bodies come in a variety of shapes and
sometimes beasts, sometimes bounties, and sometimes much stranger marks. But a hunter is a hunter, whatever form
sizes, they typically stand head and shoulders above the
their prey takes.
next largest person in any given room.
The Gau To Trade
Though the economies of the wilds are unstable, merchant crews quickly learn how to identify what a customer needs
The gau are grown rather than born, cultivated within
and get it to them for the right price. These crews tend to focus on diplomacy, politics, and the intricacies of import and
the warm darkness of fungal colonies before being sent
export.
out into the world when they come of age. Though each
surviving colony has its own traditions and biological To Adventure
quirks, natural curiosity and a sense of adventure are Some would say that any trip out onto the waves is an adventure in itself, but that doesn't stop certain crews from
common traits among all but the most conservative gau. embracing a more thrill-seeking lifestyle. Adventurous crews are as likely to nd themselves in a pitched battle against
marauders as a friendly wavetop race, as likely to end up scaling clisides as brawling in a dockside bar-room.
The Tzelicrae
Each tzelicrae is a hive-mind of spiders, thousands To Escape
of them, which has shaped, bargained for or stolen a Not every spit or island is a pleasant place to live, either due to the ravages of the nearby waves or the culture of the place
humanesque form. Many tzelicrae spin themselves itself. Sometimes the dangers you don't know are preferable to the dangers you do.
silken exterior, or inhabit discarded clothes and armour
much like a hermit crab huddling within a shell. A rare
few win the lottery of skin, passing unnoticed among the
communities of other bloodlines.

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Travel Sailing
Even the shortest journey across the seas is a dangerous A curious term for a world with few sails, where most ships are powered by hulking engines and cut through waterless
prospect, but trade, mapping and exploration promise waves with brute strength, but the old sea-going term ‘sailing’ has stuck around nonetheless.
bountyenough to oset the risk. Though the waves are
Sailing the rustling waves is not the easiest thing to do, but it's safer (and usually faster) than the alternatives. You have
vast they’re also crowded, and it’s rare that a journey
a crew to watch your back and help you out, you have a (hopefully) strong hull and a good set of seals between you and
between even the closest ports ends without crews
the waves themselves, and you have the ability to stop the ship, drop anchor and wait out any adverse weather or quake
sighting, greeting and, occasionally, skirmishing with
that threatens to capsize you.
each other.
Charts & Mapping Ships
Wildsea ships come in a dizzying array of shapes, sizes and designs, some of which seem wholly impractical (and some
Current charts are a highly valuable resource when away
of which most denitely are).
from port. As the roots of the Wildsea writhe and quest
for ever-deeper sources of nourishment the topography Most ships have a few things in common - a hull, an outer deck and inner compartments, a bridge with some kind of
of the rustling waves above shifts and changes in kind. steering column (usually isolated from the waves in case the ship has to dive down below the thrash) and a method of
Trade routes alter, animal migrations change and entire propulsion, a combination of engine and bite. The bite is particularly important - an arrangement that cuts or drags or
spits of land are dredged up from below or abruptly pulls the rest of the vessel through the branches of the sea. Ships are also large enough for a complement of both crew
returned to the depths. (experienced sailors who take charge and make decisions) and undercrew (less experienced, still learning the ropes).
An exchange of charts is a mark of respect
among ships meeting peacefully at sea, even
if the exchange isn't physical - sometimes all
it takes is an update to an existing map to mark
out a new spit or recently-emerged threat to
make such a meeting worthwhile.

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Danger at Sea Cults & Cultures Flora & Fauna

The life of the wildsailor isn’t for everyone. It takes a Though there exist treaties and agreements between Perhaps the most dangerous aspect of the Wildsea is
special breed of brave (or a healthy dash of stupid) to the majority of settlements ensuring a degree of safety, the fact that you’ll never be sailing it unnoticed. Strange
want to face the seemingly endless dangers of the sea. a meeting at sea or landfall at a new island always forces sped the adaptation of numerous old-world
comes with the potential of danger. Cannibals, cultists species, which have carved out their own unique niches
It’s a weird world out there.
and pirates are always looking for the opportunity to and territories. When you leave the relative safety of land
Crezzerin strike, and some salvagers take a rather more proactive
approach than is strictly necessary.
it’s their world you’re stepping into.
The trees of the Wildsea grow with astonishing Insects are the most numerous denizen of the waves,
speed, broken branches sprouting new shoots within
minutes. Crezzerin is the eldritch chemical that causes
Weather & Waves hives and colonies grown huge o of the crezzerin’d
bounty of the sea. Smaller specimens tend to gather in
The wildsea is a world of extremes, and nowhere is that
this rampant regrowth, suusing the sap, fruit and swarms, moving from food source to food source, but
more apparent than in its weather.
leaves of the iron-roots and the smaller trees that feed smaller is an imprecise term in the verdant world - an
parasitically from them. The high altitude means that driving winds are a part of insect might be the size of a thumbnail, of a hand, of a
life wherever you are. Storms are common and varied, house or ship or city.
Caustic to the touch and dangerously corrupting, skin
coming with anything from lashings of lightning to rains
that comes into contact with crezzerin is left seared and After them comes beasts and birds, the descendants of
of teeth and sizzling fat. Even clear days come with their
blackened. Prolonged contact lets the chemical seep into those that managed to adapt quickly enough to their new
own dangers, the heat of the sun bringing creatures of
both body and mind, though its eects can be countered environments to ourish. Of these, foxes and wolves
the lower depths up to bask and leaving sailors slick with
with the liberal application of certain salves and spices. both deserve a special mention - each area has its own
sweat - an enticing scent for many of the more predatory
variations, some far stranger than you might expect.
A good alchemist can use crezzerin as the base for beasts.
Similarly strange are the more predatory plants, often as
numerous body-altering concoctions, and mystics burn
The waves below are as capricious as the skies. beautiful as they are deadly.
and inhale the vapours to commune with the secret heart
Bloomtides can catch ships and push them for miles on
of the sea. Finally there’s the bizarre, the unworldly sorts shaken
a wave-crest of blossom. Rootquakes reform the treetop
into existence by the movement of the roots. Forgotten
Spores topography as the great trunks that support the sea shift
and settle. Semi-sentient rifts roam, maws of threshing
gods, ossied titans and the ghosts of lost ships all have
Disturbances below the tangle often throw clouds of their place in the order of the sea.
branches. Roach-rivers spill through the leaves.
spores into the air, their eects varied and unpredictable.
Some are mere obstacles, choking clouds that block
out the sun until dispersed by the winds. Others
Mire
Not all of the wildsea’s dangers come from without. Mire
are infectious, worming into skin and wood before
is insidious, the slow degradation of thought and morals
bursting forth with terrifying speed. Still others are
and reason that creeps up on you in the untamed places
hallucinogenic, bringing with them dreams and visions
between ports. Most manage it as best they can - by
of the under-eaves or other, stranger places.
seeking out wonders to match the horrors they witness,
or by indulging in drink, drugs and relaxation in the
quieter moments. Those that fail to manage their mire
sink further and further into their own cruellest natures,
eventually reduced to little more than a beast of the
waves themselves.

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"Watch your heads!" Technology Spirituality

The wildsea sits in an awkward technological niche, with There's a strong spiritual presence to the rustling waves,
Etzico's workship was a confusion chainsaw-prowed ships rubbing hulls with sailboats, as one might expect of a world where the vast majority of
of leaf-rubber cables and bubbling gas-bloated dirigibles oating above beast-drawn
chariots. You're as likely to be hit with a crossbow bolt as
civilization was swallowed by an apocalyptic catastrophe.
The precise nature of this spirituality diers from
vats, amberware vials spread out a bullet, and far more likely to fall to the serrated edge of region to region, but as a general guide the following
across their workbenches like a squirrel-jaw blade. information will stand you in good stead.

scattered stars. But why? In a world with access to ancient technology, Spirits and Spectres
modern innovation and a surfeit of smart, driven The denizens of the rustling waves have no doubt about
"It's beautiful," one of the children engineers to develop new techniques, why are blades and
sails still common?
the existence of the soul. Ardent ancestors whisper and
advise, tzelicrae husk-drifts sift the memories of long-
whispered, just loud enough to be Industry. Or rather, the lack of it.
dead swarms and any wildsailor lost at sea might walk
heard over the din. Etzico turned The wildsea has no widespread industrial movement, no
back into port as an anchored spirit, their bodies still
warm but leeched of essential physicality.
with an expansive gesture. centralized or standardized push toward technological
But there's still debate over what the soul is - what it
innovation. People use what they have available nearby,
"Ah, what do I hear there? A young what works in a pinch and whatever they can cobble
encompasses, how closely it relates to the person that
existed before, even if it ever needed a person there to
rattlehand-in-the-making?" The together from driftwood and salvaged metal. The few
places solid enough to have factories have to rely on
begin with. Perhaps the soul is a memory, or bundle of
child shrugged, suddenly self- tenuous supply-chains, and most materials used for
memories, left to linger after death? Perhaps an artefact
of thought itself? A gift from the absent divine?
conscious. "Never be afraid building and development are second or third-hand, at

to follow a dream, young one.

best. Wood is common, but anything beyond that is hard
to collect and even harder to reshape.
Arconautics
Arconautics represents concetrated weirdness in an
Especially a dream of making And then there's the restriction on re. Without internal already weird world, the art of delving into the mysteries
something bigger than yourself." combustion, heat-exchanges and steam-power
machines have to rely on low-grade chemical batteries
of the uncanny and turning the inherent strangenesses
of the wildsea to your benet. It's not quite magic, not
He slapped a switch on a nearby (if they're lucky) or hand-cranks and sweat (far more
common). Without re there's no smelting, and without
quite science, but something that sits between the two -
a bundle of abnatural laws and consequences controlled.
worktop and the children jumped as smelting the metal available is scarred and battered.
Basic Principles
one, startled by the sudden hiss as Common Technology The rst step to harnessing arconautic power is to nd
a chemical vat boiled over. There are some technologies that the setting treats as
standard, either as things that might be salvaged from
an element of the natural world with some strangeness
to it. Once you've found that element you need to obtain
"Now," he said, his voice dropping the average wreck or created in large, solid settlements.
Of these the most ubiquitous are...
it, or at least a fragment of it, and learn how to tap that
power for yourself. One person might keep a chameleon
to a stage-whisper, "Who wants to ◊ Ship-Mounted Chainsaws
that can alter their colouring as well as its own, another
take a look at the acid maw?" ◊ Chemical Engines
might forge a hammer out of supramagnetic ore, or a
grppling hook out of still-moving leviathan bones.
◊ Salvage-Made Clockwork
Turns out they all did. ◊ Chains, Ropes and Pulleys
◊ Bone-Carved Blades
◊ Crossbows and other String-Tension Weapons
◊ Chemical-Propulsion Firearms

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Civilization
Islands on the wildsea stand out like stars in a hungry
Ports and Harbours
What denes a port? A place to rest and a place to repair -
Non-Essential Services
Though every port has its own cultures and traditions the
cosmos, fragile constellations of civility and law amid the those are the essentials that every wildsea port strives to prevalence of wildsailors has ensured that most oer at
vast expanse of the wilds. oer, the minimum they can do to attract passing ships least a few extra luxuries.
and increase their chance of trade and bounty. While
But civility (and, by the same token, law) are relative
it's true that not every port oers these two particular
Smokehouses
terms - with the massive split of culture and the Open ame on the Wildsea is a dangerous proposition,
services in an ocial capacity, you'll rarely ever go
harsh conditions that followed the verdancy, even the but tobacco (and other narcotic burnables) remain
wrong when looking for...
comparative safety of solid ground can be a dangerous popular. Smokehouses are typically sturdy stone
and unpredictable place. Junctions buildings that allow patrons to indulge in such vices
Junctions are meeting and sleeping places for all who without fear.
Most permanent settlements take the form of port-
need them, but they mostly cater toward wildsailor
towns, trade hubs ringed with docks and jetties that rely
crews. A junction oers private rooms, repairs, medical
Shadow-Springs
on passing ships to bring them building materials and These are hot springs (natural or articial) surrounded
treatment, beds, food, drink and entertainment, and
supplies. Many of these hubs have smaller, articial by layers of tar-sealed canvas and reinforced walls,
usually has a series of boards for bounties and crew
islands surrounding them, well-defended buildings that used as a combination of clothes-washing, bathing and
requests. Junctions also often have separate counters for
tend to sprawling farm complexes of parasitic fruit- decontamination facilities.
sending and receiving mail.
trees, breeding pens and apiaries.
Shipyards Cartoika
Spits are likely the second most common type of Small libraries of ever-changing maps and charts
Anything from a jetty and a toolbox to a full warehouse-
civilization - rougher than ports, and even more reliant watched over by keen eyed cartographers, these places
style workshop with space for multiple vessels, shipyards
on trade and barter to survive. A spit might consist of serve the dual purpose of allowing crews to mingle and
may not always be able to make their own ships but their
a piece of old stone, a leviathan bone or a wrecked ship having them familiarize themselves with the current
workers will always have a crack at repairing yours if you
with decks divided into streets and apartments built topography of the nearby waves.
provide payment (and occasionally your own materials).
into long-cold smokestacks. Spits tend to be far more
crowded thanks to the limited building space available, Most ports will also oer a complement of other services,
Chop Stations
Extracting the most nutrition from the strange beasts
or spread drunkenly out onto the waves with wooden non-essential but extremely useful, which we've collected in
of the wildsea is an art form in itself. Chop Stations are
platforms and stationary barges to give more space. the box to the right.
meat preparation and grill-houses where the workers
The rest of the civilized world is a mess of roving ship-
colonies, rolling mycosanctums, oating skyports and
Scratch will render a creature down into every edible cut and
prepare it for cooking or long storage. This service is
The lowest form of barter, scratch is a catch-all term for
tallshank branch-towns. Each of these places has their performed free of charge on the understanding that the
the mushroom-stems, rusted bolts and chips of amber
own ways of living, their own festivals and conventions, chop station takes roughly a quarter of every specimen
that end up lling a wildsailor's pockets after a journey.
and most denitely their own laws - it might be illegal for themselves.
Most places will happily trade a drink or a meal for a
to throw objects o of the side of a high-port, for
handful of scratch, but it can't be used to buy anything
example, or not to duel when challenged in a particularly
substantial.
overcrowded spit, or to leave your fruit to spoil in a place
ravaged by seasonal hunger.

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CHAPTER 2
MECHANICS
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The storyteller sat straight-backed The Wild Words Engine

and still. She had no eyes but, if she The framework of rules for the Wildsea is provided by the Wild Words engine. It’s low on crunch, focused instead on
letting narrative, character and setting develop during play, but there are a few important rules. That’s what this chapter
had, they'd surely have been closed is for - as a player, almost everything you need to know before sitting down to play can be found here.
in reverence. Before you play you’re also going to need a couple of things for your table.

"No gods, then," she signed, the A Firey

One of your group needs to take on the role of GM, to describe situations, play NPCs, threaten the crew with monsters
light from the reies playing and marauders and keep the story you're all pushing for running along smoothly. In the Wildsea, the GM is referred to
across her spined hands as she as the Firey - a guide to the world for the rest of the crew, just as reies lead ships to safety on the waves. If your group
spun her tale. "No gods and no would prefer a more collaborative experience, the appendix to this book has a section on Dragony Rules - a way of playing the
game where the duties of the GM are split between everyone at the table rather than given to a single player.
sand, no hint of the world left save
the clothes they shivered in". A Set of Dice
The Wildsea uses ordinary six-sided dice, referred to throughout these rules as d6s. You’ll never be rolling more than six
The children around her exchanged dice at a time, and if you're the Firey you'll hardly ever (though may occasionally) need more than one. A digital dice
roller works just as well for this too.
glances, reassuring. This was a
story they know, but not one they'd A Character Sheet
Each player at the table needs a character sheet, or at least a piece of paper or laptop that you’ll use to record and
ever seen told like this. reference information about your character. You’ll nd a printable sheet at the end of this document, and there’s a
reference page in this chapter that gives a brief run-down of everything you’ll see on the sheet.
"They spent that night caressed
by clouds, cold on their high mesa, A Crew Sheet
Chapter 6 of this document holds the information necessary to build a ship, a roving home on the waves owned by the
bees quiet. The leaves around them entire crew. The information for your ship is recorded on the Crew sheet, shared between all players at the table. There’s
rustled, spoke like fresh ghosts." also a reference page for the crew sheet in this chapter that gives a brief run-down of everything ship-related.

A sharp intake of breath from one A Running Example

of the young, though none turned Learning rules can be hard, especially when you’ve only got some text to draw from. To hopefully make things a little
easier the rest of this document will contain a running example of play, which you’ll nd in boxes on the right hand side
to scold them. Sound was less of some pages. This example follows Todd (an ardent corsair), Laura (an ardent hacker), Freya (a gau rattlehand) and
important here, in this circle. Kyllian (an ektus alchemist) as their Firey runs them through a short arc.

"But nights never last, and though

the sun was tired she pulled herself
up over the horizon again. The
world was different... but the light
was the same."
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The Character Sheet 9. Drives 11. Temporary Tracks

This page gives an overview of the dierent parts of the A character’s drives represent their immediate and long- A space to record temporary conditions, suchas benets
character sheet, in brief. You’ll nd this information term goals. and injuries, that allow (or force) your character to act
useful as you read through the rules. in a dierent way. These conditions usually fade after
10. Mires aecting your character a number of times. This space
1. Quick Reference A character’s mires are the vices and curses that
can also be used for personal progress tracks.
A handy guide to constructing the most common dice drag them down. The eects of these are mostly
pool for a variety of actions, and a table of related results. roleplay-based.
2. Background
This details a character’s bloodline, origin and post,
as well as their name and a little bit of descriptive text.
These choices dene the core of your character and may
also have an impact on social situations.
3. Edges 3 6
General areas in which a character excels. When you take
actions that line up with one of your edges, you gain an
extra d6 on your roll.
1 4
4. Skills
More specic areas a character excels in. Skills are ranked
from one to three, and give dice in relevant situations.
5. Languages 2 5
The languages a character can speak and understand.
Like skills, these are ranked from one to three. The
higher the rank, the greater your grasp of the language.
6. Aspects 8 7
These are the few traits, gear pieces, or companions that
make you unique. Far more permanent than resources,
these give your character special abilities and act as a
measure of their health. Aspects can add advantage dice 9
to certain rolls.
11
7. Resources
The temporary things that your character has scavenged
from the seas; old clothing, battered weapons, wreckage
10
and food, charts and secrets. These can be used to craft,
trade, or add advantage dice.
8. Milestones
A place to keep track of major and minor milestones,
used for advancing your character.

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The Crew Sheet 8. Reputation 10. Notes

A sheet shared by everyone at the table, with information A set of short tracks used to mark the opinions that A space for miscellaneous notes, useful for recording
on your ship, undercrew, passengers, cargo, and the way certain important factions within the wildsea have of you details on possible story hooks and important
various factions see you. as a crew. Each Reputation track contains three distinct information that has
havethe
thepotential
potentialtotoaect
aectthe
theentire
entire
boxes - respect, fear and favour. crew. Can also be used for a quick sketch of your ship!
1. Name
A place to record the name of your vessel. 9. Cargo & Passengers
A section dedicated to the contents of your cargo hold
2. Ratings and passenger compartments.
A set of six named tracks representing the strengths
and weaknesses of your ship. Each rating starts with a
single box, and additional boxes are added to the tracks
depending on your design, ttings, and undercrew
choices.
3. Design 5 7
An overview of the main structure of your ship,
comprised of size, frame, hull, bite, and engine. Each of
the choices you make here directly impacts the ship’s
1 4 6
ratings, but can also have narrative eects.
4. Fittings 2
Additional modications made to your ship over time to
better suit your crew’s activities as you cross the rustling
waves. Fittings are split into ve categories: motifs,
additions, rooms, armaments, and outriders. Some
ttings may also add to your ratings.
5. Conditions 3
A place to note down any structural damage the ship
has taken, or any short or long-term eects that might
change the way it handles.
6. Undercrew
A space for recording the details of the undercrew, the 10
NPC ocers, gangs and animal packs that help keep
your ship running smoothly. Each undercrew entry has a
track of its own and works similarly to a character aspect.
Some undercrew choices may also add to your ratings.
7. Stakes
Used to purchase parts for your ship, stakes are a unique
resource shared by the crew.

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Structure
The game follows a particular structure to help the story
The Conversation
This is the natural back-and-forth between players and Firey:
The Conversation in Play
You’re passing under a crooked tallshank
ow, a mix of scenes, montages and journeys to suit Firey that drives a story forward, the exchange of ideas, when there’s a long, grinding crunch from
the various situations you’ll nd yourselves in. There's intentions and actions. The rest of the rules come into somewhere below, and the ship lurches
a quick rundown of them here for reference, but you’ll play as a reaction to this conversation, not to halt it but to awkwardly to a halt. The engines are running,
learn more about them over the next few chapters. focus it in a particular direction when necessary. Keeping but the leading edge is still - an eerie silence
the conversation owing is one of the keys to a good descends.
Scenes session of the Wildsea.
Todd: This tallshank we’re under, any signs of
Most of your time playing will be spent in scenes, short
The Firey has a role to play in this, but there are some habitation?
bursts of action, exploration and discovery that give
ways you can help out as a player too.
you a chance to develop the narrative and roleplay your Firey: Not that you can see, though you’d have to
character. Make Decisions head up into the branches to make sure.
On the wildsea, indecisiveness gets you killed. Of course,
Scenes are treated as a conversation between every Kyllian: Not good. I’m going to head over to the prow,
decisiveness may also get you killed (or perhaps horribly
player at the table, with the Firey breaking in to ask take a look over the side and see if I can make
maimed) but at least there’ll be a purpose to it.
questions and enforce rules where necessary. When that out anything through the leaves that we might
conversation leads to moments of uncertainty or drama, Ask (& Answer) Questions have run up against. And someone kill the
action rolls are used to determine the outcome. Don’t be afraid to ask questions, in or out of character - damn engine, we’re wasting fuel!
an answer could suggest an action you might not have
Montages otherwise considered. That answer doesn’t have to come
Freya: I’m on that. I was tinkering with some salvage
on the deck when we stopped, which is
Periods of rest, unhurried exploration and training are from the Firey, either; oering your own thoughts and
probably scattered all over the place now. I’ll
usually treated as montages, condensing the mundane opinions is a great way to keep the conversation owing.
sigh, leave the clean-up for later and sprint
but necessary parts of an adventure into the shortest
time possible. They let each character undertake a task,
Take Action toward the engine block.
When the time comes to act, be bold and take the plunge.
a long action that benets the crew in some way or Firey: Okay then Freya, you turn o the engine
Don’t think about the rules, or how you can get the most
uncovers something about your location. without any trouble. Kyllian, you can’t see
benet from the mechanical side of the game - think
anything through the leaves - if you want to
Montages are the most common way to explore new about what your character would do and how they’d do
know what stopped you you’re going to have
ports, allowing characters to split up to nd information it, and stay true to that.
to head down there for a closer look.
and resources before meeting up as a group again for the
start of the next scene.
Mute Topics if Necessary Kyllian: Count me out of that one, that’s really not my
The rustling waves are harsh and unforgiving by nature,
scene. I am, however, going to head down to
Journeys but that doesn’t mean your conversation has to be. It’s
often worth taking a few minutes to discuss the tone
the front cargo space and check the interior,
Journeys allow your crew to take to the waves in your make sure we haven’t got any serious damage.
you’re aiming for before you start to play, or to mute
ship, cutting your way to a new destination. While you I’ll grab Laura on the way, she’s more the
any topics that you don’t want to be a part of your crew’s
travel you’ll take turns at the helm and on watch (or at climbing type. Laura, fancy a quick trip into
ongoing story.
other stations around the ship), making decisions and the tangle?
facing challenges as you make progress across the waves.
Journeys should never be taken lightly. The wildsea is a
hostile place, and the longer you sail the more risk your
ship, crew and characters face.

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Focus
Focus is a kind of ‘narrative spotlight’, which will move from character to character
during the game. It shifts naturally in response to the conversation - whenever your
character is doing something interesting, the focus is on you. When you nish,
another player will take it for a question, comment or action of their own.
Shifting Focus
Ideally, every character (and thus every player) will have some
time in the spotlight throughout the course of a game. The wildsea
works best when the whole crew are involved in a situation,
reacting to eachother's ideas and decisions.
If you feel like you’ve had the focus for too long, try to pass it o
to one of the other characters. You can do this within the ction
of the game by asking another member of the crew a question, or
by involving them in an action you’re taking.
The Firey will also be keeping track of focus. If a member of the crew hasn’t
had the chance to contribute for a while the Firey will likely shift focus back
onto them with a reaction, prompt or question.
Hijacking Focus
Some crew members may have the
ability to hijack focus, taking it from
an opponent, ally or element of the
world before they can act. There are
two simple rules to follow here...
◊ If you’re hijacking from another
player they have to agree - it was
their time to shine, after all!
◊ The focus always returns to whatever it
was hijacked from when your time in the
spotlight is done.

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Tracks
A track is a named string of boxes or circles that are
The Basics
Here's an example of the kind of track you'll run into a
Naming Tracks
Most of the tracks you'll come across will already have
lled, or ‘marked’, to measure progress towards an lot, one set by the Firey to measure progress toward a names, either taken from the pages of this book or made
event, accomplishment, or danger. They're used pretty particular event. up by the Firey as they reveal a new track to the table.
often during play, for everything from the condition of
The Festival of Hives If you get the chance to name a track, try to go for
your character's gear to your progress on a jaunt across
something that makes sense at a glance. The easier it is to
the waves. Even though the track hasn't been marked yet, it's
understand, the better it is at conveying information!
already giving you information. The name of the track,
But tracks do more than measure progress - they're an
excellent visual reminder as to what your character could
The Festival of Hives, clues you into what it's counting
up to and what's likely to happen when that nal box is
Marking Tracks
(or should) be doing in a particular scene or situation. When something advances a track, (for good or ill) you
marked. The length of the track (3 boxes) lets you know
Marks on a track leading up to something negative? mark it, putting a single line through one of the boxes.
how many marks it'll take for something to happen.
Maybe you should try to clear those o. Empty boxes on There's a whole host of actions and events that might
a track you want to ll? Might be worth nding out how Imagine you and your crewmates are spending time in mark a track, including but not limited to...
to ll them. port. When the sun goes down, the Firey marks o the
◊ A crewmember's actions
rst box on the track, like so...
◊ The passage of time
The Festival of Hives ◊ The results of a die roll
◊ A decision made
Now you have your next bit of important information.
◊ The use of a resource
When the sun goes down, the track gets marked - you
◊ Events in the wider world
most likely have two days left until the festival begins.
◊ An advancing story or plotline
And, sure enough, when the sun goes down on your third
day in port... The specics of marking a track are very much down
to the situation. For some, the conditions are strict - a
The Festival of Hives
character's aspect tracks (measuring the condition of
... the Firey marks the last box, lling the track their traits, gear and companions) are marked by damage
completely. Bees swarm the rooftops and the streets or the use of certain abilities, and very little outside of
run with honey and laughter. The Festival of Hives that. In contrast, a track made to earn the trust of a local
has begun! merchant NPC might be marked by doing favours for
them, supplying them with useful resources, buying
their wares, or even telling the right kind of joke.
Some tracks might be marked normally in one way, but
accelerated in others. The Festival of Hives on the left
might start early if an enterprising crew brings extra
supplies, for example. The reverse is possible too - a
particular event or environmental eect may make
marking a track impossible (in the case of The Festival
of Hives this could be a problem with the supplies or a
serious sporestorm rolling in that halts preparations).
If you ever need extra information on how you might
mark a track, ask your Firey - they'll likely drop a few
hints as to how you could proceed.

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Clearing Tracks Open, Hidden & Secret Tracks Tracks in Play

Marks aren’t always permanent. Sometimes an event or Most tracks are open - everyone at the table can see how Firey: Laura, you were down below decks when the
ability will clear a box on a track, removing a mark rather many boxes they have and when they’re being marked ship lurched to a stop, am I right?
than making one. Healing an aspect, for example, will or cleared. This usually gives a good sense of how much
Laura: Yeah. I hear Kyllian calling out to me and
clear marks that represent damage, and buying from progress it will take to trigger an event.
head up. So, we’ve hit a snag, yeah?
a merchant's direct competitor would likely set your
Some tracks are hidden - you know they exist, but
friendship with that merchant back a step. Kyllian: Could say that. Something under the waves.
not how long they are or how much you’ve marked
Burn them. With these tracks, the Firey may give you some
in-game hints when you’re getting close to marking the
Laura: Right, I’ll grab one of the guide ropes
and take a look. Do I need to roll to get
A burn is a special kind of mark that can’t be cleared
nal box. down there?
without expending considerable extra eort. Represent
it by putting a cross through whichever box is burned, Finally, some tracks are secret - they’re created to Firey: No, you’re close enough to the ship for the
rather than the usual line, like so... track your progress toward something without your guide rope to keep you reasonably safe.
knowledge. Perhaps a particular course of action you take Might be a dierent story if there was more
The Festival of Hives
has unintended side eects, or a trusted friend is slowly pressure on you though.
Burn is usually the result of a serious event or working up the courage to stab you in the back. Whatever
Laura: Got it. So I lower myself down into the tangle
complication with lasting consequences. A bite from a they’re counting toward, you’ll only become aware of
and take a look around. What do I see?
leviathan might burn boxes on a ship's Armour track secret tracks when you unwittingly mark the nal box
rather than mark them, showing structural damage and the Firey reveals their secret. Firey: You feel the temperature rise as you descend
that's dicult to repair. If you need to remove a burn, ask into the leaves. You’re surrounded by
your Firey - there will always be a way, but it might not swarming insects, but if I remember right,
be easy. Track Breaks you don’t have to mark damage for that?
Imagine there's a rootquake on the way: the Firey sets
Impact three tracks, each describing part of the experience...
Laura: Not unless they’re particularly big, no - my
Wilds Explorer aspect lets me reduce impact
In situations where something has a serious impact
The Rumbling Begins on bites and stings.
on a track, you'll be able to mark more than one box.
Perhaps your crew has a track running to investigate the The Rootquake Proper Firey: So it does. Well, the insects are an annoyance,
circumstances of a portside murder. Finding evidence but nothing you haven’t handled before. You
Shifting and Settling
or a successful witness interview would likely mark one make your way around to the leading edge
box, but having a spiritually inclined crewmate summon This is just ne, but there's an easier way to represent and nd the problem - there’s a rusted iron
the spirit of the deceased for direct questioning would the growing and waning intensity of the rootquake by chain tangled in it, leading o to the east.
have a lot more of an impact, marking more boxes than using track breaks. These are extra lines on a track that
Todd: In the direction of the tallshank?
usual and shortening the investigation considerably. show when something major is about to change (and if
the track is open, how long that'll last in terms Firey: That’s right. Looks to be some kind of ship-
You'll nd out more about impact (and how to increase
of marks). Here's an example... snare. I’m setting a track, Called By The
it) over the next few pages, but for now, all you need to
Snare. I’m marking the rst box too, for the
know is... The Growing Rootquake
jolt the ship made when it got tangled up.
◊ With normal impact: Mark one box Track breaks aren't just a great way to save space,
Freya: Hmm… I’m guessing we don’t want to be
◊ With high impact: Mark two boxes they're a reminder that certain events should shift and
here when that lls up. How long do we have?
◊ With massive impact: Mark all boxes change as they progress; evolving situations help keep
the narrative moving and prevent longer scenes and Firey: It’s a hidden track, so you don’t know
journeys from getting stale. exactly... But it’s safe to assume 'not long'.

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Kedrik had seen a lot of pirate Actions 1. Building a Dice Pool

bands in her time on the waves, When your character does something during the game,
it’s referred to as an action. Usually, performing an
Actions are rolled with between one and six d6s, by
making a pool and looking for the highest result. To
and these were hardly the most action is as easy as stating your intention out loud. “I create a dice pool for your action, you can draw from…
impressive - a ragtag group of want to open that door”, “I draw my pistol”, or “let’s
see what this bastard has to say for himself” all let your
Edge (1d6)
ardent, their clothes branch-torn group know you’re performing an action.
+
Skill or Language (up to 3d6)
and stained with sap. Most actions are entirely freeform - if it feels right for +
the situation and you think your character has a chance Advantage (up to 2d6)
That said, the crossbow they had of pulling it o, you should go for it.
Edges, skills, and languages are found on your character
aimed her way looked to be in Action Rolls sheet, representing the ways you most eectively tackle
perfect working order. Sometimes the action you want to attempt will be
problems. If one of your edges is appropriate for the
action, it adds 1d6, and if one of your skills or languages
dicult, dangerous, or dramatic. In these cases, the
"We can do this the easy way," a Firey may ask for an action roll - a roll of the dice to
is appropriate, it adds d6s equal to its rank. You can only
gain the benet of one edge and one skill or language
determine whether your action results in triumph,
voice oated out from the back of conict or disaster, and whether there were any
per action roll.

their group, "or the hard way". The unexpected narrative twists. The specics of these An advantage is anything you can use from your
one with the crossbow gestured outcomes are on the next page, while the rest of this
section details how to roll and read your dice.
possessions or situation that works in your favour. This
might be a piece of the environment, a resource, an
with an appreciable attempt There are four stages to any action roll...
aspect of your character (such as a trait or piece of gear),

at menace. 1. Building a Dice Pool

or even a helpful crewmate. If you have an advantage
that helps with your action, it usually adds 1d6, but if you
2. Describing Your Action
have many dierent sources of advantage, the Firey
Kedrik sighed, exing thousands 3. Rolling and Reading the Dice
might raise this to 2d6.
of tiny arachnid muscles under her 4. Playing the Outcome
If you’re attempting an action roll but have nothing to draw
jacket. About as inventive as they There are also some situations where the way you make a from to make your pool, roll 1d6 andcount triumph results as
were impressive, it seemed. dice pool or read the results are a little dierent; these are
covered during the next few chapters.
conicts instead.

"Would you mind terribly if I chose

option three?"
The crossbow bolt pierced the
unexpectedly empty jacket as it
fell, its wielder having a fraction of
a second to consider his mistake
before being overwhelmed by a
wave of spiders.
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2. Describing Your Action 4. Playing the Outcome Actions in Play

As you build your dice pool, you should also be describing Reading o your result kick-starts the conversation Todd: Well, I suggest we make ourselves scarce
your intentions and approach - how is your character again, usually with a description of what the outcome of before whoever set that snare up arrives!
performing this action? What methods are they using your action looks like in-game.
Laura: Agreed. I’m going to try to untangle this
and what are they trying to achieve? This helps other
In some cases you’ll be describing the eects yourself, chain from the sawprow then, that should
players visualize what you’re doing and aids the Firey
in others, the Firey will take the reins. If there’s a twist get us going again. You killed the engine,
as they consider possible outcomes.
involved, the description might be a group eort, as right? I don't want this thing starting up
The way you phrase your actions will often have other players suggest possible unexpected outcomes. again as soon as the chain's free...
narrative eects. For example, saying “I open the door as
Freya: Yep, it's o. Be careful though - that's still a
softly as possible” will give you a very dierent outcome
than “I kick open the door and leap into the room,” or “I Action Roll Results ship-sized chainsaw you're messing with.
pull the door out of its frame with my grappling hook”. Firey: Freya's right - however you approach this,
Triumph it's likely to be pretty dangerous, so I'm going
3. Rolling and Reading the Dice 6
A complete success with no drawbacks. If
you’re aecting a track, this lets you mark or
to ask you to get a roll ready. Focus is on you!
When your dice pool is ready, you roll all the dice in it at
clear a box. Laura: And I'm ready for it! I think I'll try something
once, then read o the highest number as your result.
simple rst, just yanking the chain free. I can
Conict
You should also read o whether you got anydoubles. use my legs to push against the hull, and I've
The number shown on the doubles doesn’t matter, just 5 Still a success, but with a drawback of some
got the guide-ropes to keep me stable...
whether two (or more) dice came up the same (managing 4 kind (such as taking damage or losing a
resource). If you’re aecting a track, this Firey: Sounds like a d6 of advantage. What else have
a triple or higher still counts as a double, so there's no
usually still lets you mark or clear a box. you got?
mechanical dierence to the outcome of the roll).
Example: A roll of 2, 3, 5 would give a result of 5. A roll of 1, 2,
Disaster Laura: My Iron edge feels like it's going to
2, 3 would give a result of 3 with doubles.
3 A failure that also introduces a narrative work here, and I've got the Brace skill at
2 complication or drawback of some kind. If rank 2, which seems tting. That's 4d6 in
1 you’re aecting a track, this usually doesn’t let total, so it could be a lot worse. Well, here
you mark or clear at all. goes nothing...
Twist Laura rolls her dice pool, getting a 1, 2, 4 and 5.
s An unexpected outcome in addition to the
e
l
Laura: Five's my highest, that's a conict!
b
usual result, often something small but
u potentially useful. This twist can be suggested Firey: Well, the good news is that you've pulled
o
D by any player at the table, but the Firey has that chain free of the leading edge, but you
the nal say. weren't exactly quiet about it... The ship is
free, but you hear more bells ringing in the
distance - I'm marking that track again.

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Twists
Twists occur whenever a roll of the dice comes up with
a double - they don't replace the usual result, but instead
signify that something extra and unexpected has happened (usually
related to the action or situation that caused the roll). Twists are often
something benecial, though they don't technically have to be.
Twists aren't decided by the player that rolled the dice. Instead, they're
thrown over to anyone else at the table, including the Firey - if anybody
has an idea for the eect of a twist, they can put it forward in the moment.
Here's an example...
Reya rolls to convince a surly engineer to work on her crew's damaged ship, getting a triumph
with a twist. Leo, one of the other players, suggests the twist could aect the engineer's stock - he
has a surplus of the materials needed, which might lower the price of the repairs.
If there are multiple ideas put forward for a twist, it's up to the Firey to choose which
one best ts the situation at hand, but they might defer to the player that rolled instead
(especially if it's something that aects their character's backstory). Here's a
continuation of the previous example...
Cody, playing another one of Reya's
crewmates, suggests that the engineer
might recognize a family resemblance in
Reya's character to a previous customer.
After all, Reya's grandfather was pretty
famous around these parts. The Firey
loves this idea, but checks with Reya rst,
as it directly aects her character's history. She's
completely in favour, and the conversation continues
with that extra detail thrown in.
The Limits of a Twist
It's easier to set out what a twist can't do than what it can; though some twists
have explicit mechanical benets (such as a twist rolled while defending allowing a counterattack), most are
a purely narrative experience. They allow players to step into the Firey role for a moment and contribute their
ideas to the wider story. Because of the exibility they oer, it's really up to your table to determine whether
a twist would be 'too powerful' in a given situation, but there are a few hard rules you should stick to. Twists
should never...

◊ Invalidate or override the result of the roll that caused them (a disaster with a twist is still a disaster, just one
with an unexpected narrative extra)
◊ Force a player to accept something about their own character that they hadn't planned themselves (so in the
example above, creating a grandfather for Reya's character in the moment would have been a step too far)
You'll nd more examples of, guidance on, and alternate rules for using twists in the Firey chapter of this book.

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Cut Impact Actions in Play, Alternate

‘Cutting’ a dice roll is represented by removing a number Impact is a measure of the eect your action has on the Todd: Well, I suggest we make ourselves scarce
of results after the roll is made, starting with the highest. world, usually determined by the approach you’re taking before whoever set that snare up arrives!
The larger the cut, the less likely you’ll get a straight and how eective it is. There are four levels: low, normal,
Laura: Agreed. I’m going to try to get this chain o
success or doubles. high, and massive.
of the sawprow. Do I have to roll for that?
Example: A roll of 1, 5, 5 and 6 would usually give a result of 6 Example: Karabet picks up a chair and swings it full-force
Firey: Denitely, and since you’re doing it while
with doubles. If you had to cut two results, you’d remove a 6 at the marauder squaring up to him in a dockside junction,
dangling o a rope in the middle of the
and a 5, giving a new result of 5. an action with normal impact. If the marauder had been
thrash, I’m giving you a cut of one.
completely unaware and unable to defend themselves, the
Cutting for Difculty
Firey might have bumped the impact up to high, and if Laura: That’s fair… Now, how am I going to do this?
If the action you’re attempting is particularly unlikely
the marauder had been holding onto the chair as well to
to succeed, the Firey will ask you to cut for diculty. Freya: Ooh! Don’t you still have some of those rust-
diminish the force of the blow, the impact would likely have
Sometimes it means you’re attempting a harder-than- beetles we picked up back at Myrin? Would
been low.
average action (such as climbing onto the back of a they be interested in the chain?
rampaging beast versus climbing a wall), sometimes If your action will have higher or lower impact than
Firey: Denitely! They’re voracious little things, so
that you’re approaching a task in a way that makes it less usual, the Firey will let you know, though sometimes
I’m actually going to increase your impact.
likely you’ll succeed (such as trying to pick a lock with a not until the action is in full swing.
splinter of bone rather than a normal lockpick). Laura: Great, that works for me! Time to build that
Low Impact dice pool. I’m hanging awkwardly but my
The Firey will usually warn you of cut as you describe Your action is weaker, having less eect on the world.
grace edge helps with that, so that’s 1d6
your approach. This gives you a chance to reconsider This might reduce the number of boxes you mark or clear
already. I’m going to use my break skill here
your methods, try to get the most out of your dice pool, when aecting a track, or downgrade the raw power of
too - I don’t care about keeping the chain
or at least ready yourself for a higher chance of disaster. whatever you’re attempting (such as only letting you
intact as long as the ship gets free.
kick a panel out of a door rather than kick the door
Cutting for Precision fully open). Firey: Your beetles will give you an extra d6 of
When in combat with a creature, you can cut 1 result to
advantage too, but you’ll risk losing them if
aim at a particular part with precision. This often allows Normal Impact something goes wrong.
you to deny the creature access to some of its special Most actions you take throughout the game will have
abilities, or to deal extra damage by hitting a weak point. normal impact, with no special rules to follow at all. Laura: Sounds like 1d6 from my edge, 2d6 from
Cutting for precision is voluntary, but must be requested my skill, and 1d6 from risking those beetles.
before you roll.
High Impact 4d6 in total. Not great with the cut, but it’ll
Your action is stronger and has more eect on the world.
have to do. That’s… 1, 1, 5 and 6. Cut the 6 and
Cutting for Impact This normally lets you mark or clear an additional box
that’s a conict with a twist.
If you want to achieve more than you’d usually be able when aecting a track, but in some circumstances might
to, you can cut 1 result for extra impact (you’ll nd more upgrade the raw power of whatever you’re attempting Firey: The chain falls free after a few seconds,
information on impact in the next column). Cutting (such as letting you kick a door o of its hinges rather your beetles making short work of it with
for extra impact is voluntary, but you have to request it than just kick it open). their increased impact. They’re a little over-
before you roll your dice. zealous though, so you take two marks of
Massive Impact Spike damage as they search for more food.
From the Jaws of Victory Usually reserved for damage from ship-mounted
Anyone got an idea for a twist?
Cutting often leads to unexpected conicts and failures, armaments, an action with massive impact is terrifyingly
so play into that as the conversation continues! You were potent. If you’re marking a track, mark every box (and Todd: She could grab a length of chain before it
so close - what went wrong? Or, if you managed a decent if you're kicking a door open you might take part of the falls, getting a new resource?
success even with the cut, how did your character pull wall with it as well, even if you didn't mean to).
Laura: Nice! I’ll add ‘Rusted Chain’ to my salvage.
that o against the odds?

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CHAPTER 3
PLAYING
THE GAME
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Saprekk was not an easy language SCENES

to learn, or so the common wisdom Most scenes focus on exploration, interaction or combat (often a mix of the three). As a player you’ll be choosing which
actions to take, rolling dice for them if they’re dicult, dangerous or dramatic, and engaging the Firey and the rest of
went. With its complex forms of the crew with questions and in-character dialogue.
address, low rolling tonalities and Scene Basics
pause-based punctuation it had a To run a scene you need to know who's in it, where they are and why they're there - the conversation can take over from
decent number of barriers to the that point.

non-cactoid tongue, and even more The whois easy, as scenes typically involve the entire crew. This gives every player at the table (including the Firey)
a good chance to get some time in the spotlight and contribute to whatever is going on. While you can run scenes with
to those without a tongue at all. only a fraction of the crew (or even a single character if it makes sense for the story), those kinds of situations are usually
better handled with a montage. You'll learn more about montages in the next chapter.
Argan was, unfortunately, a The where is usually pretty easy as well, as the Firey will make clear the kind of location you're in at the beginning of
member of that last group. Ghost- a scene. Usually this'll be obvious, as scenes will be happening in chronological order - if you were walking up the stairs
driven and rusting, the old ship's to the deck of your ship in the last scene, you'll probably be on deck in the next one. If this isn't the case (for example, if
there's a signicant amount of time or a location change in between scenes) the Firey should make that clear.
horn that acted as his voice-box The why is the most important part, so if you're not sure you shouldn't be afraid to ask questions. Every scene should
was hardly the most precise of have a purpose of some kind - it might not be a grand one, and it might not even be one that moves the main narrative
instruments. of your adventure forward, but it should be there.

But three years on an ektus Scene Examples

The rest of this chapter deals with the archetypal scene types you'll nd yourself in, moments of exploration,
dredging-crew had given him the interaction and combat. But before you leap into the specics, here are a few examples of what a crew of wildsailors

time he needed to learn the basics, might nd themselves doing during a scene out on the rustling waves of the wildsea...

and it was moments like these ◊

◊
Exploring an ancient ruin, brought up to the surface by a recent rootquake.
Haggling with a merchant over the exchange rate of salvaged copper bolts to fresh wormapples.
where those basics could pay off. ◊ Clambering between the whiplike branches of the the thrash in pursuit of a glistening beetle.
He stepped forward, clearing his ◊
◊
Chatting idly with your crewmates as you cruise across the leafy waves.
Fending o a horde of hungry squirrels as they zero in on your galley.
throat with a metallic groan, and ◊ Chasing the broken-branch wake of a leviathan moving through the tangle beneath you, harpoons at the ready.
put his hand on the spined shoulder ◊
◊
Sawing and blasting your way through a gnarled branch blocking your ship's progress into a hidden grove.
Listening to tall tales in a junction, ale in hand, waiting for that snippet of information that will expose a spy.
of the mercenary in front of him. ◊ Climbing the rigging of a beached soilship, seeing plumes of woodsmoke racing closer and closer.
◊ Docking at a spit as a festival roars with life around you, coconut shells on strings hanging between the rooftops.
"Hey there, friend," he intoned, the ◊ Picking your way silently through a nest of sleeping pinwolves toward an ancient artefact.
saprekk quite literally rusty but ◊
◊
Tuning your trisketar before a battle of the bands, one crew of troubadors against another.
Fishing for eel-snouted foxes as your crew scrape recent catches free of their valuable oils.
passable. "I hear you've got some ◊ Tangling toe-to-toe with tzelicrae marauders, their ship's bite gnawing at your own hull.
knowing 'bout a certain captain , ◊
◊
Battling the eects of a personal mire as you negotiate with a black market trader for medicines.
Sharpening your blades and discussing your plan of attack as you draw close to a protoleviathan's nest.
fellow by the name of Karabet..." ◊ Standing atop a mountain, surveying the path you walked to get there, your crewmates smiling at your side.

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Exploration
Exploration is important, especially when you’re
Collecting Resources
While exploring a scene you should be on the look-out for opportunities to scavenge resources that might come in
entering a new area. Who knows what secrets are hidden useful on your travels. These can come from a variety of sources - picking over wrecks or corpses, clearing the vaults of
down side-streets, cosseted by the waves or buried in the forgotten ruins, taking down and butchering animals or even plucking produce straight from the waves. As a general
risen ruins of the pre-verdant world? rule if something isn’t nailed down, you can take it.

Points of Interest When you gain a resource you should note it down on your character sheet. Larger resources (such as full crates, weighty
machines or animal carcasses) might be taken back to your ship as cargo and noted on the ship sheet instead.
When you start a scene or enter a new area the Firey will
describe the most important features of your location. When rolling to acquire a resource, certain results can give it atag, a descriptor that changes how it might be used. Some
This description will usually cover at least one point of characters may also have aspects that let them acquire resources with special tags, or multiple dierent resources from
interest, something intriguing or possibly useful that the same roll. You'll learn more about resources and possible tags on page 64.
your characters could interact with.
While trying to ferret out resources from the environment the Hunt, Tend, Sense and Scavenge skills will often be
This is a good time to ask questions like “what can I see useful. In more civilized areas, social skills like Flourish, Outwit or Sway will likely garner better results.
by the ______?” or “what else do I notice about the
The results table below is specically tailored forrolls made to acquire resources.
______?”, making sure that every player is imagining
the same kind of scene in their mind.
In response to your questions the Firey might simply Triumph
give an answer or require you to do something (like get You gain a solid example of whatever resource
closer or roll an action) before you can learn more.
6 you were looking for, untainted by waves or use
or time.
Different People, Different Interests
You can even angle your questions around creating new Conict
points of interest that can help out your crew, or even
your specic character. Asking “is there anything we
5 You gain a resource with a negative tag - it
can still be useful, but it won’t exactly impress
can take cover behind?” might prompt the Firey to add 4 anyone.
another point of interest to the scene that can be used
in just that way. This gives you more to interact with
Disaster
as you play, and also clues the Firey into what your
3 You either fail to nd what you’re looking for or
possible intentions might be (allowing them to tailor the
2 ruin the resource in the process of collecting it.
narrative accordingly).
1 Twist
The resource you gain has a unique or positive
Below are a few example questions, ones that both gain s
e
l tag, provided by you or another player at the
you information and suggest possible points of interest b
u table. Unusual resources are more valuable and
to the Firey. o
D
often have a wider variety of uses.
◊ "Where's the light coming from in this ruin? Is there
a hole in the roof?"
◊ "I imagine they'd have to store their whisky
somewhere - are there any barrels around?"
◊ "What kind of tool is the rattlehand using as she
works on the ketra's outrider?"

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Interaction
Scenes are where you’re most likely to encounter NPCs,
Knowledge
What exactly does a character know about the world of Firey:
Interaction in Play
The door to the cabin bursts open and a gure
either as free agents or representatives of the various the wildsea? That's a question that's ultimately up to the stumbles out - an ektus, chin thick with
major factions active on the Wildsea. players, the Firey and the needs of the situation, but beard-like spines. As soon as he sees you he
there are a few guidelines. starts ranting in saprekk, cringing away from
Interacting with NPCs can be a great source of
you with his hands outstretched as if to ward
information, as they’re likely to have access to some Implicit Information you o.
knowledge that your characters lack. Some NPCs, such The sea is made of trees. The coming winter is going to be
as merchants, may also have resources you can purchase hard. Pinwolves probably won't make great pets. These are Laura: Oh damn… Does anyone here actually speak
or barter for. Others might even be persuaded to join you the kind of facts that every character should have access saprekk? Can we understand him?
temporarily as a passenger, or even permanently as a to without the need to roll - they might come out as an
Todd: I’ve got a smattering…
new member of the undercrew. answer to a question posed to the Firey or, for more
condent tables, simply be said and assumed to be true. Firey: Todd, you can get the edge of it. He’s talking
Approach Your character will also have implicit information about
about some kind of terrible event, and his
When trying to get information or favours out of an NPC comrades belowdecks. That’s all you get.
their past, their family and the elements that make up
you’ll likely have to make an action roll. Be sure to match
their own background; a ridgeback will know the names Laura: We need information. I’m going to roll, uh,
your approach to the kind of NPC you’re talking to. A wily
of the most famous mountaintop islands, a hacker will try to get him to give us more. Grab him by the
trader should be approached dierently to a frightened
be able to identify a good number of plants and trees shoulders and shake him?
child, for example, or a straight-talking engineer, or a
without issue. If it's something you feel your character
mystic sage. The Flourish, Outwit, and Sway skills come Kyllian: Wow, I’m glad you’ve never tried to calm me
should know, something they'd have likely picked up
in particularly useful here. down in a crisis.
over their time at sea or something that they'll call upon
Language often to fulll their role on the crew, you should never
have to roll for it.
Laura: Well, has anyone else got a better idea?
Being able to communicate with someone in their Todd: Than that? Yeah, several!
native or favoured language can be a real boon as far as Possible Information Laura: Okay then, you go for it!
conversation goes, even if you only know a smattering What are the exact properties of these leaves when they're
of it - it shows respect, dedication and a willingness to stewed? Which of a pinwolf's glands contribute to their Todd: Right, I’ve only got a smattering of saprekk but
learn. stilting, staccato movement? What trade routes do writling I think I’ll be able to get this across. I’m going
ships take as autumn rolls on and they nish their voyages to use sway and iron, try to communicate that
Languages can also stand in for other social skills you
for the year? These are more specialized questions that we’re friends and that we mean him no harm.
might be lacking in a pinch, though the Firey will likely
require specialist knowledge. A steep, alchemist or Can I get an advantage if I make a show of
impose cut or reduce impact in these situations.
navigator would have a chance to know these answers, putting my weapon down as I do that? I want
Finally, languages oer a huge amount in terms of but a corsair or screw would likely be completely in the to be as reassuring as I can.
cultural information. Learning to speak saprekk will dark. Roll for information like this, either to recall it or to
Firey: Denitely, but you’ll still be cutting one.
naturally expose you to ektus culture, history and study materials you have on hand.
legends, and while you might not be as familiar with Todd: No problem. That’s a six - nope, that’s cut - a
them as someone raised in an ektus colony you should be
Impossible Information ve. Not too bad.
There are some mysteries that are simply beyond the
able to call on simple facts and roll for deeper concepts.
knowledge of anyone you could care to name, some Firey: Nice job! The ektus grabs your hammer once
things only understood by an extremely select few. The its discarded, holds it as if he’s ready to attack
history of the pre-verdant world, the precise nature you, but when you don’t make an aggressive
of the Under-Eaves... these are things that a character move his ranting slows and he visibly calms.
might guess at, but will likely never have a concrete
Laura: Alright, that probably was a better plan.
answer for.

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Combat
Whether a bar-room brawl or an ambush at sea, combat
on the wildsea is usually a quick and brutal aair - blades
are drawn, pistols primed, and blood (or some equivalent)
almost inevitably spilled.
Whatever the specics, combat has an element of tension -
you’ll have to act and react quickly, and others might live or
die due to your decisions.

The Golden Rules of Combat

When teeth are bared and notched blades drawn, there are a couple
of things you should keep in mind to have the best
experience possible. These are...
◊ You don't need a weapon to enter the fray. Use your
sts, your resources, the environment around
you - anything's a weapon if you try hard enough,
and the damage rules reect that.
◊ You don't need combat skills to help out your crew. Ingenuity can make up
for a lack of training, as can a willingness to take some risks. Combat-related
skills like Hack, Hunt or Break give you a broad range of options, but other skills
can stand in when you're in the right situation.
◊ Focus is uid, and still determined by the narrative. Just like any other scene, the
spotlight will pass from character to character to elements of the world as it best ts
the story. The Firey will be tracking focus to make sure nobody gets left out, but if you
have a burning desire to do something you should take the plunge and do it!
◊ Focus gives you the opportunity to do more than just attack. When the spotlight is on
you, it's your time to shine - plan, position, question, discover, do whatever it is that
makes your character special.
◊ You'll never die before you're ready. Damage may mount up, injuries may compound,
but death on the wildsea is a narrative event, not a mechanical one - if it's not your time
yet, you'll always pull through.
◊ A foe undefeated is not a combat failed. Outsmarting, escaping, or driving o an opponent is
just as valuable as cutting them down, and will often have more interesting
narrative consequences.
Is Combat an Essential Part of the Game?
The wildsea is a bright, beautiful, dark, dangerous place. Most crews that head out onto the rustling waves
will nd themselves in dangerous situations before too long, either at the hands of bandits or the jaws of a
relentless predator... But most does not mean all.
If your group wants to run a game or campaign of the Wildsea without explicitly delving into combat and
bloodshed, it's entirely possible. Diplomacy, trickery, and bargaining can be just as eective as a blade
when wielded with conviction.

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Focus in Combat Combat Terms

There's no initiative or standard turn order to follow Though combat scenes tend to play out just like any other scenes, they do have a few more terms you might want to be
once blades are drawn; the spotlight moves from aware of (especially if you're in a combat-focused crew).
character to character just as it does during any other
part of the game, giving a member of the crew the chance
Range
An attack is either classed as Close Quarters (CQ) or Long Range (LR). Close quarter attacks can hit nearby opponents,
to take some kind of action before swinging to something
and long range attacks (unsurprisingly) can hit opponents farther away.
else. There are a couple of extra things to keep in mind
◊ When using an LR weapon to attack a nearby foe, you take a cut of one on your action.
though...
◊ When attacking a distant foe with a CQ weapon (by throwing it, for example) you take a cut of one on your action.
Actions and Reactions Damage
Combat is usually a lot choppier than a scene based on The creatures and pirates you’ll likely be ghting have aspects and tracks of their own, which can be damaged just as
exploration or interaction, with more shifts in focus yours can. A successful attack usually marks a single box on one of these tracks - an attack with increased impact, or
for dramatic happenings and death-defying escapes. using a damage type that’s more eective (such as a serrated weapon against a brous foe) marks an additional box.
Characters will likely be reacting to events (such as The more enemy tracks you ll, the likelier they are to surrender, ee or die.
incoming attacks or changes in positoning) as often as
When you're attacked, enemies will deal various amounts of damage. A weak hit may only deal one or two marks against you,
they're taking actions themselves.
whereas a powerful blow could deal anywhere up to six. If you'd ever take damage to an aspect that would exceed its track, either
Example: A chameleocuda lashes its tail like a whip, aiming take an injury with a track equal to the remaining amount or deal burn to that aspect equal to the remaining amount.
at Kerend, an ironbound dredger. The Firey prompts
Kerend's player for a reaction in response to the attack -
Effects
When attacking you may have the chance to inict an eect as well as your damage, such as staggering your target or
probably to get out of the way or somehow mitigate the
setting them on re. Eects often give advantage on future attacks against a creature, or negate some of their inherent
incoming damage.
strengths or abilities.
How Long is an Action? A list of damage types and suggested related eects are found on the next page.
As long as it needs to be to achieve something important.
It's not the length of an action that matters in combat, Positioning
it's whether you got to do something you enjoyed. The ctional positioning between a character and their opponent can be extremely important - it helsp determine
range, may give an advantage related to the environment and can even activate the benets of certain aspects.
The Focus Tracker Loss
Because of the increased number of reactions the Firey
Relating directly to a character's resources, some actions you decide to take (or damage you suer) might cause you to
might use a focus tracker, aquick set of tracks to show
lose a specic resource (either temporarily or permanently). Attacking with a glass bottle may smash it, for example
how many times dierent characters have acted (A) and
- you'd lose the resource, but might be able to pick up a new resources 'shards of bloody glass' at the end of the ght.
reacted (R) over the course of a combat.
Sometimes a resource is lost without being destroyed - plucked out of your hand or pack or knocked over the edge of a
◊ Kerend: ARAA ship, for example.
◊ Simica: RAAR
◊ Marcus: AAR
Injuries
Most often caused by unique or powerful attacks, catching a disease or taking a large amount of damage that can’t be
In the above example Kerend has had the majority of the absorbed by an aspect. While you’re aected, an injury might…
focus, with three actions and a reaction. Simica has also ◊ Force you to cut on some actions
had the focus four times, but hasn't acted as much - they're ◊ Take away a skill or sense
proably due some time in the spotlight soon. And Marcus is ◊ Add negative eects to some actions
lagging behind a little having only acted twice and reacted
Injuries are represented by temporary tracks on your character sheet.
once - maybe the Firey will have him react to something
next time the focus changes.

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Damage Types Resistance

A list of the Wildsea’s twelve damage types, and the sorts of eect they might cause in the right situation. Some aspects or situations may give your character
resistance against a particular source of damage, damage
Blunt Blast type or eect. In these cases, reduce the amount of
Crushing damage, good at stunning and breaking. This Explosive damage, good at stunning and shattering. damage you mark by one box. Resistance to an eect or
might come from a club, hammer or tail swipe, or impact This might come from gunshots, massive sounds or the injury (like being thrown or poisoned) reduces its impact
with an object or the ground at high speed. It could cause impact of nearby detonation, such as from cannonre. - a powerful detrimental eect will be reduced in scope,
bruising or leave a target with broken bones. Likely to leave a suerer dazed, confused, deafened and and a weaker one can be shrugged o entirely.
staggering, and can denitely break bones.
Keen Weakness
Cutting damage, good at slicing and bleeding. This might Volt Some aspects or situations may give your character a
come from a cutlass, claw or sharp-edged leaf, and will Electrical damage, good at shocking and paralysing.
weakness against a particular source of damage, damage
likely leave wounds that need bandaging to prevent This might come from lightning strikes or electrically-
type or eect. In these cases, increase the amount of
heavy blood loss. charged weapons, and is likely to temporarily knock an
damage you mark by one box. Weakness to an eect or
individual out as well as leaving burns.
Spike injury increases its impact - even the weakest eects will
Piercing damage, good at penetrating and impaling. This Frost be able to bowl you over, and injuries will last longer and
might come from a spearhead, arrow or bite, or high- Cold damage, good at slowing and freezing. This is most have more detrimental eects.
speed impact with a sturdy branch at the wrong angle. likely to be an environmental threat, caused by winter
Lasting damage to internal organs is a real possibility. winds and exposure, but some creatures can manipulate Immunity
cryonic glands as a weapon. Causes shivering, numbness Being immune to a source of damage, damage type or
Hewing and invites future illnesses. eect is exactly what it sounds like - you take no damage
Chopping damage, good at splitting and breaking. This
at all. Eects and injuries are ignored too.
might come from an axe or the claws of a particularly Salt
powerful creature, and hewing injuries are likely to come Crystalline damage, good at drying and banishing. This Stacking & Cancelling-Out
in the form of lost limbs and bone breaks. might come from spirits or dessicants, and can leave Think of Weakness - Immunity - Resistance as a ladder
weird and arcane complications or rough, tender skin. for each damage type, and an instance of these words
Serrated appearing on your character sheet as a step up or down a
Sawing damage, good at ripping and tearing. This might Flame rung. If you have two resistances to a certain type of damage,
come from a jagserry, sawtooth prow or any other kid of Forbidden damage that burns, melts and inspires fear.
count that as an immunity. If you have an immunity and a
serrated edge, and will leave ragged-edged wounds that Comes from re, or occasionally searing liquids - not
weakness, treat it as a resistance. If you have a weakness and
scar prominently. something you'll run into very often, unless you're
a resistance, they cancel each other out.
extremely unlucky.
Toxin
Poison damage, good at sickening and confusing. This
might come from tainted food or plant venom, and will The Threat of Death
usually cause illnesses and short-term loss of senses. Death on the wildsea is a narrative event, not a mechanical one. It's an option always open to you - an ending for your
character, when the time feels right. Whenever you take a serious enough injury, run out of space to mark damage on
Acid any of your tracks or are put into a position you can't escape without stretching narrative plausibility, death is there as a
Corrosive damage, good at melting and searing. This
nal option.
might come from... well, acid (and other caustic or
corrosive substances). It's likely to disgure or blind,
even if only temporarily, or dull and damage nerves.

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Combat Results Combat in Play

The mechanics behind actions and reactions in combat are the same as for any other situation - you state your intent, Firey: It’s the old ektus’ shout that gives it away, a
build your dice pool, roll it and play out the results. The only dierence during combat is with reading results: attacking wordless cry of warning as he points to the sky.
and defending have their own special results spread.
Freya: Oh damn, I knew this was going too smoothly.
Attacking Defending What can we see?
An attack could take the form of a strike or shot with Your opponents don’t roll for their attacks. Instead Firey: Three dark shapes descending fast on dust-
one of your weapons, an unarmed lunge or grapple, or the Firey declares what they’re doing (or attempting coloured wings -
even a clever use of the environment. When attacking to do) and you roll for your reactions to those attacks,
Kyllian: Oh god damn it, it’s those mothryn assassins
you’ll have a choice of inicting damage or an eect (and mitigating or avoiding the damage in a way that best
from Kyther! I knew we should have nished
sometimes you’ll get to deal both!). suits your character - this might be by dodging out of the
o those bastards when had the chance.
way, attempting to knock a blade or charging foe aside,
Having a weapon makes attacking a little easier - you get
or simply leaping under the nearest table. Firey: Perhaps you should have… before you have the
to use it for advantage dice and it reliably lets you deal a
chance to scatter for cover their leader dives,
specic damage type. If you don’t have a weapon to hand Like your own attacks, enemy attacks can deal damage or
knife outstretched. Give me a reaction, Todd -
that doesn’t mean you’re out of options though - it just hit you with eects. The better your roll, the more likely
how are you defending yourself?
means you need to get creative! you are to escape unharmed.
Todd: I’m meeting this head-on. I’m going to leap
Attack Roll Results Defence Roll Results at him as soon as he gets close enough, try to
avoid the knife and bring him out of the sky at
Triumph Triumph the same time.
Your attack lands on its target, a powerful blow. You completely avoid whatever threat was
Firey: Sounds dangerous, but possible if you manage
6 You'll likely deal some damage, and might
inict an eect associated with the damage type
6 incoming - you take usually take no damage,
eects or loss of position (though some
a double for that counter-attack - roll with a
cut of 1.
if it suits the situation. powerful opponents may have aspects that
make even a triumph dangerous). Todd: That’s Teeth, my hammer… Looks like 4d6.
Conict
Okay… Yes! That’s a conict with doubles,
Your attack lands on its target but something Conict
5 goes wrong - you still deal damage and maybe 5 You avoid the worst of the situation, but
even after the cut! I’ll use them for a counter.

4 an associated eect, but you might also take

some damage, suer an eect yourself, lose a
4 something goes wrong - you'll take either
damage, an associated eect, a negative change
Firey: You don’t manage to avoid the knife entirely -
take two marks of keen damage as it slashes at
resource or be put into a less favourable position. in position or the destruction (or temporary you. But you do manage to tangle yourself up
denial) of a resource. with it, and you both hit the deck hard. Focus is
Disaster open, people.
3 Your attack either misses its target, or lands and 3 Disaster
2 does no damage. You'll denitely take some 2 You're hit square-on, and everything goes Laura: And I’m taking it! An attack on the one Todd’s
1 damage or an eect yourself, and might lose a 1 horribly wrong. You'll denitely take damage, got down, do I get advantage for that?
resource or be put into a less favourable position and likely an associated eect and loss of
Firey: You do indeed, it came down hard.
as well. resouce or position as well.
Laura: Right, so I’m going to try and sink my grapple
s Twist... or Critical s Twist... or Counter into it and then yank it away from Todd,
e e
l An unexpected narrative eect or, if you're in l An unexpected narrative eect or, if you're eager
b b maybe even o the side of the ship. I think
u a particularly bloodthirsty mood, a critical hit u to punish your attacker, a counter that deals a
o o Iron’s going to work for this…
D which increases your impact. D mark of damage against them (if in range).

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“Landfall!” MONTAGES
Montages allow your crew to benet from one of the most useful tropes of the big screen, the condensing of long
The exodus began before the ship periods of time into short but narratively-useful snapshots. During a montage every member of the crew gets a moment
was even tied, crew and undercrew of focus to get one thing done, allowing the crew to split and pursue their own stories and wants without fear of slowing
the game down too much or being caught o guard.
alike leaping the last few feet Though montages can be a good source or relaxation, try not think of them exclusively as ‘downtime’. They can be just
over the rustling waves to land on as useful a tool in driving the plot and the action along as a scene!
Kyther’s junk-strewn docks. As a crew of wildsailors, the most likely times your Firey will oer you the chance at a montage will be...
◊ When reaching a new port, and wanting to explore various areas quickly
After weeks at sea, shore leave is a ◊ When stopping for the night on a journey or expedition
hard thing to say no to. ◊ When tooling up or preparing for a potentially dangerous encounter
◊ When sharing a song, a story or a meal that gives everyone some time to rest
◊ When th splitting up to gather information or supplies
The char was the rst to go, haring ◊ When pursuing your own interests and projects after long periods of socializing
off toward the open-air bazaar to
trade in delicacies. A gallant set of Tasks
A montage isn’t there to track the individual actions you take - that’s handled with scenes. A montage instead allows
deck-gunners were next, shouting you to condense larger periods of time into brief but useful moments, known as Tasks.
and laughing as they made their As a player, your role is to decide what task you’re working towards and then use your moment of focus to describe
way to the nearest smoke-house, how you accomplish it. This can sometimes involve a roll, a loss or exchange of resources, or even just engaging in the
conversation with the Firey and the other players. There’s a list of general tasks you can attempt over the next few
tobacco and pipes already in hand. pages (exploration, acquisition, recovery and creation), but don’t be afraid to request something outside the box.
One waved over her shoulder - Requirements
they’d be gone for some time. Some tasks may require you to have access to a specic place or resource before they can be performed. A character
wouldn’t be able to gather specimens in an area with no plants or wildlife, for example, or go shing without something
The ship’s alchemist was slower to to be used as a rod, bait or net.

disembark, but no less eager. With Rolls & Advantage

Most tasks work in the same way as any other action, only requiring a roll if they’re dicult, dangerous or dramatic.
injuries beyond even his arcane Even though a task might be complex, you don’t need to roll multiple times - one roll is enough to carry you through to
knowledge he dragged himself in the end. You can apply advantages to these rolls from having a favourable environment, useful aspects or appropriate
resources as usual. Even if you need to use a resource to achieve a task (such as using a specimen to heal, or salvage to
the direction of Jeritzo’s Lot, an repair) that still counts as an advantage, just as it does with a normal action.
expansive and well-renowned You can also add advantage to a task roll by working together with a crewmate (or other friendly NPC). That said, you
hospital-tent. Treatment would be can’t be everywhere at once - if your montage involves you being in one particular place you may not be able to help a
crewmate in another.
expensive, but essential. Fiction First
And for the rest of them? Don’t worry too much about anticipating the possible requirements for your tasks. Often the way you describe
something will make it clear exactly how you’re trying to accomplish it, and if there’s any doubt the Firey will jump in
Malligan’s. Honey-mead. Home. and ask you to clarify.

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Exploration
A common piece of advice for adventure-based tabletop
Acquisition
Scrabbling around for bits of old stone and rusted
Specic Acquisition Tasks
Though you can likely trade for salvage or specimens if
games is that you should avoid splitting the party machinery is hardly the most elegant way to spend your you’re in a settlement, one of the easiest ways to acquire
whenever possible - it often leads to characters being left downtime, but it can be one of the most productive. new resources during a montage is to fall back on your
out of plot developments and important moments. Using a montage to focus on acquisition might take the own skills. The following specic tasks are useful for
form of... acquiring certain types of resource, especially if the
But when it comes to montages you can safely turn this
accompanying roll is bolstered with an appropriate skill,
thinking on its head. Especially when there’s a new ◊ Trading your cargo or resources with an NPC
edge or aspect.
location to explore, there’s great benet in splitting the merchant (or another wildsailor)
crew up to cover more ground. You might use a task to... ◊ Combing the locale for interesting or unique things Scavenging
that might not be missed Requirement: An area with potential for salvage.
◊ Track down a particular individual or service
◊ Fishing, hunting or herb-gathering For sorting through detritus for useful pieces of scrap or
◊ Chase a lead that relates to your character’s drives or
◊ Petty theft and pickpocketing machinery, allowing you to gain salvage. The scavenge
personal backstory
◊ Gathering rumours from a local tavern skill will always be useful here, but rattle, study or delve
◊ Indulge your curiosity in a particular aspect of a
◊ Collating information into a fresh chart might also come in handy in a pinch.
place’s architecture or culture
◊ Talk to NPCs to gain some local knowledge Acquisition Results Hunting
◊ Discover routes or options for further exploration When rolling for these kinds of tasks you’ll usually be Requirement: An area with the potential for beasts.
that you can tackle later as part of a scene using the same results table you would for a resource- For tracking and bringing down animals and insects
gathering action during a scene. It’s printed on page 32, (or rendering and carving bodies) to use as specimens.
Setting Up the Next Scene but we’ve included it here as well for ease of reference. Unsurprisingly the hunt skill comes in useful here, but hack
Sometimes your exploration will lead you into a situation
and break could be useful in the right situation.
that demands the attention of the entire crew. If this
happens, make it clear to the Firey - “Can we wait to
Triumph Gathering
do this bit until everyone meets up again?” is a perfectly
acceptable sentence to throw into the conversation. That
6 You gain a solid example of whatever resource
Requirement: An area with the potential for vegetation.
For identifying and collecting useful plantlife and
you were looking for, untainted by waves or use
way you get the benets of your task, nding something produce as specimens, anything from fruit to
or time.
that moves the plot forward, but everyone at the table mushrooms to predatory orchids.The tend skill is an easy
Conict
gets to share in the experience as soon as possible by
turning it into a scene.
5 You gain a resource with a negative tag - it
go-to, but sense, hunt or cook might help you spot and
collect rare ingredients.
Rolling to Explore 4 can still be useful, but it won’t exactly impress
anyone.
A huge variety of skills can come into play as you’re
exploring a location (though in many cases you won’t 3 Disaster
have to roll at all). Movement skills like vault and 2 You either fail to nd what you’re looking for or
wavewalk can help with the physical traversal of the 1 ruin the resource in the process of collecting it.
environment, social skills like sway can let you glean
information from others, and language skills can clue
Twist
s The resource you gain has a unique or positive
you into cultural details and unexpected conversations e
l
b tag, provided by you or another player at the
that other crew members would miss. u
o table. Unusual resources are more valuable and
D often have a wider variety of uses.

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Ikra could barely remember the Recovery Specic Recovery Tasks

time before he took to the sea. He’d It’s part and parcel of a wildsailor’s life to suer a few
scrapes from time to time, or a horrendous infection,
The resources listed as a requirement in the tasks below
assume your character is healing or reparing with little
travelled reaches, seen leviathans or the loss of a limb or two - the rustling waves are outside help. If you’re in a port or settlement being
push their bulk up through the leafy vast, harsh and hungry, and constant contact with their
creatures and weirdnesses takes its toll.
tended to by or working with others, substitutions and
alternative methods of payment will likely be possible.
waves like living monoliths, tasted Using a task to recover can help you deal with lasting
Clever use of your skills, edges and aspects can make
the vicious, viscous mingling of injuries, marked aspects and mounting mire, as well as
healing far more eective and less resource-intensive.

blood & sap... general maintenance of your ship. This might take the Healing
form of... Requirement: An appropriate specimen.
But he’d never smelled anything ◊ Spending time healing yourself with specimens or
For tending to your own wounds or giving medical
aid, allowing you to clear marks from a trait or animal
quite like the meal in front of him. using salvage to repair your gear
◊ Letting a ship’s surgeon tend to your wounds
companion. The tend skill lets you work on yourself and
others, and the cook skill can be useful too. The specimen
Canteray (more of a artist than a ◊ Visiting a portside hospital or treatment centre
◊ Drinking and laughing your mire away at a
used should t the kind of damage that’s being healed -
cook, as he often said) looked at junction-house
curative herbs and such will always be appropriate, but even
something as simple as a branch could help x a broken leg
him expectantly. ◊ Using salvage and cargo items to repair damage to
your own vessel
by acting as a splint, for example.

“What... Is it?” Ikra asked, keeping ◊ Putting your ship into drydock for repairs Repairing
Requirement: An appropriate piece of salvage.
his voice as neutral as possible. Recovery Results For refurbishing broken mechanisms and armour,
Removing damage during a montage has its own results
allowing you to clear marks from gear or mechanical
“Wolf meat & cactus oysters table below, which can be used for healing and repair in
other situations just as easily.
companions. The rattle skill is reliable, but scavenge or even
cooked in a reduction of spider-silk cook might work in the right situations. Repairing damage to
a ship’s ratings or structure will usually cost several pieces of
wine & peppering spice.” Recovery Roll Results salvage, or an appropriate piece of cargo.

Ikra stared at the bowl in front of Triumph Relaxing

him. 6 Heal two marks of damage to an aspect, ship
rating, injury track or mire.
Requirement: An appropriate whisper.
For time away from the savagery of the sea, relaxing
allows you to clear marks from your mires. A whole host
Conict
“With rice.” 5 Heal one mark of damage to an aspect, ship
of skills can help here, depending on what you think best
4 rating, injury track or mire.
suits your character’s recovery. Social skills might help them
laugh their troubles away, sway could help them relax in a
3 Disaster smokehouse or shadow-spring, hunt could aid on a relaxing
2 Add an extra mark of damage to an aspect, ship shing trip - the cost of a whisper is steep, but you can
1 rating, injury track or mire. approach the task however you see t.
s
e
l
Twist
b You don’t consume the resource used to carry
u
o out your recovery.
D

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Creation Specic Creation Tasks

In a world where salvage and specimens come fast and loose, learning to throw them together in a pinch is an incredibly When creating something you’ll usually be combining
useful skill for your arsenal. at least two resources of some kind. Clever use of your
skills, edges and aspects can make creating far more
Using a task to create allows you to combine resources, granting temporary aspects for yourself or your crewmates. This
eective and less resource-intensive.
might come in the form of...
◊ Lashing together some salvage to create a weapon or tool useful for the situation
Cooking
Requirement: Two specimens.
◊ Mixing alchemically useful specimens to create a potent but potentially dangerous concoction
For gaining some delicious fortication against the
◊ Cooking a meal for yourself or your crewmates, to fortify them against hunger, cold or sickness
dangers of the waves, with eects based on the avours
Temporary Aspects of the specimens used. The cook skill lets you make
traditional dishes with ease, but the tend skill would work
These temporary aspects come with a name, a track and some kind of useful ability related to the resources used.
just as well for soups, broths andherbal teas. Flavour is
Whenever you benet from the ability, you mark the track.When a temporary aspect’s track is fully marked the eects
important here for determining the eects of a creation.
wear o and it’s gone forever.
Normally a temporary aspect created using the cook or rattle skills only applies to a single crewmember, but certain
Concocting
Requirement: Two resources (specimens or salvage).
character choices relax this restriction.
For concocting potions that allow you to transfer the
Creation Results properties of the resources used and have them alter the
The precise nature of a new creation is a little more uid than the results of others tasks, relying on Firey input and drinker’s form or abilities for a short time, with eects
more of a conversational back-and-forth. As well as the usual results table below we’ve oered some examples as based on the properties of the resources used. The cook
guidance. skill is an easy go-to, but break, tend or even hack could also
work for extremely simple mixtures.
Creation Outcomes Creation Roll Results
The benets you create while cooking and crafting are Crafting
freeform, meaning you should work together with your Triumph Requirement: Two pieces of salvage.
Firey to determine exactly what you can achieve before
you roll.
6 The recipient of your creation gains a temporary
benet related to the resources used.
For allowing you to repurpose salvage into useful gear;
it won’t last too long but should get the job done. The
eects are based on the qualities of the salvage used.
This could be something mechanical, narrative or both; a Conict
The rattle skill can be used for a wide array of gear, but
measure of damage resistance, a new weapon, access to The recipient of your work gains a temporary
an ability you wouldn’t normally have or even a number 5 2-track aspect, but there are downsides inherent
some characters might use other skills to create specialized
equipment (such as break to create a rough-and-ready
of extra ranks in a skill or language. You’ll nd more
information on temporary benets in the Characters
4 in using it. Alternatively it might grant an aspect
without a downside, but that doesn’t quite oer
ranged weapon, or salvage to make a tool or piece of
armour).
Chapter. the intended benets.
Example: Kyllian is attempting to create a meal that will oer
3 Disaster
whoever consumes it protection against cold temperatures. You’ve created something that might work as a
He suggests using steaming rice as a base and then seeds
2 bizarre ornament or culinary curiosity, but little
from a scorpion pepper, and the Firey agrees. Kyllian’s
1 else. It gives no benets whatsoever.
result is a 5, a conict. The Firey rules that whoever eats the
meal will have their core temperature raised, giving them
s
e
Twist
l
b Your creation gives an unexpected benet in
resistance to frost damage and cold environments, but will u
o addition to the usual result, something small but
also sweat and cough constantly. D useful.

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Projects
There are some activities that fall outside of the timescale
Working on Projects
There are multiple ways to mark o the boxes of a project Firey:
Projects in Play
Well you won’t be moving into the ruin until
of both actions and tasks, such as writing a book, track - you'll likely use a mixture when working on your the sun goes down, so this seems like a good
assembling a complex machine or learning a language. own projects, depending on the situation. time to give you a montage. Are there any
These are projects, multi-stage tasks that are completed tasks you want to attempt as you wait?
Time
over the course of several montages. Whenever you have
You can often mark o a box just by spending some Todd: Not for me, I think I’m just going to relax. I’m
the chance to perform a task, you can choose to work on
time working on a project, even without rolling; study, pretty sure I’ve earned it after our run-in with
a project instead.
practice and hard graft all have their place. Not all project those smugglers.
Starting a Project tracks can be marked in this way, however.
Firey: Yeah, I think you have. I’d love to relax but I’m
Like actions and tasks, projects are mostly freeform. You Example: Freya draws up some plans and schematics for the pretty conscious of this arm wound, so I’m
might start a project to earn the trust of a recalcitrant goggles, making sure they'll work for the various bloodlines going to choose clean it and bandage it as best
passenger, to study an ancient artefact or even to build that are part of her crew. I can.
an outrider ship from scratch. Once you’ve decided on
Rolls Kyllian: Probably a wise choice. Relaxing will clear a
the scope of your project the Firey will set you a project
A quicker but riskier way to make progress on a project is point of mire for you Laura, and Todd that
track to ll, which you can note down on your character
to roll for it, just like you’d roll for a normal action. sounds like a Heal. You know how that works?
sheet.
Example: Freya rolls with Sharps and her Rattle skill, using Freya: Yep.
Example: Freya wants to create a set of goggles for each crew
the ship's workshop to give herself an advantage.
member that will protect their eyes from the radiance of the Firey: Great. Anyone else?
Icteric sun. She tells the Firey of her intentions - a crafting Resources
Kyllian: Well, the deck’s covered in mothryn dust-
task would be able to make a single pair, but making so Sometimes the best way to get a project moving along
motes now, and I think I might be able to use
many denitely suits a project.The Firey sets a six-track for nicely is to spend one of your resources on it. Some
those as a component. I’ll collect some up,
her to ll to represent the scale of the task at hand. She notes projects, such as crafting, might require specic
then head down to my lab alcove and see if I
it down on her character sheet, and will work on it in her resources to be used before they’re completed.
can concoct anything exciting. A salve, maybe?
spare time as the crew draws closer to their destination.
Example: Freya chips down some salvaged amber plating
Freya: Well while they do that I’m going to keep an
from a recent wreck to act as lenses, and one of her
eye out for anything interesting we might
crewmates supplies pinwolf-leather to work as straps and
pass. I don’t think there’s really a task for
housing .
that... Can I just roll for it instead?
Aid
Firey: Yes, that would work. Kyllian, I’m setting out
Just because you started a project yourself doesn't mean
a three-track for you, ‘possible salve’, and
you have to nish it alone - others may oer you their
I’ll mark the rst box now. Right then! The
aid, giving their skills and expertise as a reward or favour.
engines growl pleasantly as you cut through
Example: A trader they meet along the way has some the treetops. By sundown, you’ve...
impressive onyx spectacles of his own, and Freya gets friendly
enough with him to study their design and ask about the
process of making them.

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Longer Montages
In most montage situations a single
task is enough to do whatever you need
to do, an important or useful thing that
passes the time until the next scene comes
or the journey continues.
There are exceptions, though not many. When
the crew are waiting for a particular event and have
little else to do, taking multiple tasks to represent time
spent idling could be appropriate. This is particularly usaeful
in longer campaigns where the seasons change, as it's natural for
wildsailors to hunker down in a settlement and work on their own projects
(and basic survival) during the leaess months of the year.
In these situations it might be worth taking two, or even three tasks as part of an
extended montage.
Timing Extended Montages
In terms of real-world time they're best used at the very end of a session. Montages have a way of dovetailing into
new scenes based on the information characters acquire - with multiple tasks this information runs the risk of being
overwhelming, so leaving a follow-up scene until the beginning of the next session gives the Firey time to plan
ahead a little and focus on the most important possibilities presented.

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It took a few seconds for the engine JOURNEYS

to kick into gear, but when it did the Journeys move you from one place to another, usually by means of a ship. They also allow you to discover new locations
and opportunities as you travel, and to dene some truths about the Wildsea itself.
entire village knew it; a lion-like It Starts With a Ship
roar of combusting chemicals and The game tends to assume that you own a ship of your own in some form, but just in case you don't (or if attaining one
steam-driven pistons drowning out is part of your personal story) we've added some information on how you might do that over the next few pages, as
well as a quick primer on some of the elements of your ship that will naturally come up during a journey. For a deeper
the rustle of the waves. explanation of the ship's features and mechanics, as well as the rules on how to create your own, head to page 126.

Locals shouted back and forth Sequence of Play

as they loaded crates, struggling Journeys tend to follow a particular sequence of events, laid out below and explained in more detail throughout the rest
of this chapter.
to be heard over the noise. Gau Departure
sporelings skipped stones off the Readying your ship to set sail as the Firey creates journey tracks for you to ll. This is a time for your crew to pick
side of the dock, trying to bounce up cargo and passengers, hire undercrew to work for you and choose where on the ship you'll station yourself for the
duration of the journey.
them off of branches and up onto Progress & Encounters
the deck. Ships were a rarity here The choices you make as you travel allow your ship to progress through a journey, and may end up in you coming across
- the crew pretended not to notice encounters too - moments of tension or oddity that might require something as simple as a choice or as complex as a
scene to deal with. This sequence of making progress and dealing with encounters repeats as your journey track lls.
the clattering as they checked their Arrival
charts and marked out routes. Once the journey track is full you sight your destination, then decide how to approach and what to do when you arrive.
Ports are usually well-equipped to deal with a wildsailor's troubles, and arriving at one is a great opportunity to deal
The territory wasn't a particularly with any damage your ship (or crew) might have taken out on the waves.
harsh one, but that wasn't the Journey Examples
point - every trip across the waves Before we delve into the specics of crossing the sea here are a few narrative examples of what you might nd yourself
was a journey into the unknown, a doing out on the waves...
◊ Racing to make a trade meeting with the impatient captain of a merchant vessel.
irtation with danger. ◊ Cutting your way through a particularly thorny patch of the tangle, beady-eyed squirrels watching as you struggle.
Elders looked on, silent, from their ◊
◊
Hunting the famed Whitecollar Snare, a leviathan fox too beautiful to live.
Exchanging re with a maraduer submersible, unexpectedly risen next to you as you rested at anchor.
porches. The ship would return, ◊ Churning and listing as ironspine cactus-spikes gouge at your hull.
those crates full of fresh herbs and ◊
◊
Competing in a race against other ships, your hull and engines screaming at the strain.
Dredging up the wreckage of a pre-verdant vessel, pushed into the thrash by a recent rootquake.
foreign medicines. ◊ Searching for a particular bounty-head, the eyes of your crew straining for a glimpse of their distinctive airship.
◊ Smashing through a poorly-erected pirate barricade, deck guns ring and chainsaw prow roaring.
... Or it wouldn't. ◊ Resting at anchor in the shade of a tallshank's crown, waiting for a storm to pass.

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Departure
The departures phase allows both players and Firey to
Preparations
There are a few other things you might want to consider
Stations
For optimal operation of a ship certain stations have to be
prepare for the journey ahead. before leaving port. Some groups may want to treat this manned, but there are other positions a crewmember can
stage of departure as a montage, others as a scene, others keep that allow them particular options or opportunities
When getting ready to depart on a journey you should
as a simple checklist. during a journey. We'll keep the details brief here and
set your Destination, make any Preparationsyou might
◊ Hiring extra gangs or ocers for your undercrew. delve into them when relevant over the next few pages,
need and have each member of the crew choose their
◊ Taking on passengers. but before the ship leaves port your crew should decide if
Station. While you do this, the Firey will create a set of
◊ Picking up some cargo. anyone is...
Journey Tracks.
◊ Picking up extra information on the surrounding
At the Helm Essential
Destination waves, often from junctions, cartoikas,
smokehouses, and shadow-springs.
When at the helm you control the ship's speed and
Nobody heads out onto the Wildsea without a very direction.
◊ Planning a route, usually to include or exclude
good reason. Your rst point or order should be
to set a destination that will mark the end of your
certain areas. On Watch Essential
When on watch you roll to see what the ship is about to
journey, usually a port or settlement of some kind but Undercrew & Passengers encounter as the journey progresses.
occasionally a creature you're hunting or a ship you're Most ports will give you the opportunity to hire on new
aiming to meet. undercrew (usually at the cost of an initial payment of Tending the Engine Optional
salvage and a nominal share of future earnings) or pick When tending the engine you have the option of
Setting a destination is as easy as stating your intentions
up a passenger or two (who will often pay their fare half overloading it with fuel for a burst of speed if necessary.
out loud and agreeing on them as a group. For example...
up-front, half on delivery). Junctions and noticeboards
◊ "We're heading to Kyther, up North - there's an old steep are good places to pick up both.
Cartographizing Optional
When cartographizing you keep a look out for landmarks
there that owes us a favour."
◊ "We need pinwolf staccatomygdala to help Tzal cure the
Cargo & Information and distinctive places, using them to sketch out a new
Both usually cost, but can be invaluable in the right chart.
slowsight plague, probably a decent number of them.
circumstances. Larger trade goods should be bought
Time to nd a pack of the bastards."
cheap for export and sold to places willing to pay top
Watching the Weather Optional
◊ "The priest-captain of the Dated Summit wants to meet When watching the weather you gain some idea of what
scratch. Information comes at a premium, but may
us somewhere in Jawbone Straight, says we'll know the future weather conditions will be like based on your
translate into useful knowledge on hazards that might be
place when we see it." meteorological and environmental assessments.
faced or areas to avoid.
Changing Destinations Route Planning Crew members not at a particular station are assumed to be
Not every journey goes as planned. Some would say that busying themselves with other small tasks around the ship.
Only available if you have local knowledge at hand (such
very few journeys go as planned, in fact. If your crew
decide to change their destination for any reason, tell the
as from a local captain or a cartoika) and a chart to
consume, planning your route in advance will give you a
Journey Tracks
Firey so that they can make a new set of Journey tracks As you prepare to depart the Firey will set a hidden
shorter, safer journey with a number of options (supplied
for you (more on those on the right). progress track for your journey.
by the Firey) of where you might avoid or drop by. For
example... Progress
The essential journey-related track, marked every time
The crew of the Sokoliov nd a cartoika, a map-house full
the ship makes progress toward their goal. Once the last
of information on the local waves. By consuming a chart of
box on the progress track is marked, you’ve reached your
their own they plan their route, the Firey informing them of
destination. The length of a progress track is decided by
a wondrous tallshank, the common routes of some mothryn
the Firey based on your proposed route - taking a direct
assassins, a oating bazaar-port, and a roach-river. They
path will make it shorter, swinging out of your way to
can choose to encounter or avoid these for sure.
avoid dangers or make extra stops will make it longer.

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Progress
Once you’re out on the waves the narrative relies on your choices and dice rolls to
progress. Each member of the crew will take turns at the helm and on watch (you can
determine the order yourself).

At the Helm
When you take the helm you have direct control over the ship, and can choose one of the
following three options - Cut a Path, Forge Ahead or Drop Anchor. Each choice has both
narrative and mechanical consequences.
CUT A PATH
◊ Narrative: You travel at a decent speed while keeping the ship and crew as safe as
possible, and give whoever is on watch a good chance of spotting oddities early.
◊ Mechanical: You mark a single box on your progress track. When the watch roll is
made you can usually choose to encounter whatever is sighted or steer clear of it.
Without any problems.
FORGE AHEAD
◊ Narrative: Your passage across the waves is rough but swift, the roar of engines
and cracking of branches heralding your arrival. Watch is almost a formality - you
have little chance of coming within visual range of anything without being spotted
yourself.
◊ Mechanical: You can mark two boxes on your progress track. When a watch roll is
made you’ll usually blunder straight into whatever encounter is rolled, or damage
your ship trying to avoid it.
DROP ANCHOR
◊ Narrative: The ship stops so everyone on board can rest with minimal fear of
interruption. The undercrew take over watch duties, keeping their eyes out for
dangers to the ship. This is the safest way to spend the night-time hours, and a great
opportunity to work on personal projects and ship repairs.
◊ Mechanical: You and your crew have time to take a montage while the ship is at rest.
The undercrew keep watch for danger, and no other watch is rolled.
Challenging Terrain
Some areas of the wildsea are more dicult to traverse than others, especially for
certain types of ship. A vessel that relies on a chainsaw-type prow might nd a thicket of
iron-hard vines almost impossible to traverse, whereas one with centipedal legs could
pick its way across with no problem at all, for example.
When cutting a path or forging ahead in challenging terrain the character at the helm
may have to make an additional ratings roll to determine whether they manage to make
any progress. More information on these rolls can be found in the encounters section of
this chapter.

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On Watch Progress in Play

As one player is deciding which option to pick at the helm, another should be putting their characteron watch. When it’s Firey: You pull out of the port, squirrel-gulls and
your watch you decide whether you’re going to spend some of your resources to make a Discovery, or to leave things up dragonies scattering in your path. Who’s at
to chance and make a Watch Roll. the helm and who’s on watch?
Watch Rolls & Threat Todd: I’ll take the helm rst, I think. And Kyllian…?
If you decide to make a watch roll, roll a single d6 and check the result against the table below to determine what
Kyllian: Yep, I’ll take watch. We want to make the
your character has spotted. The result of your roll is open for everyone to see, but you won’t know the specics of the
best time possible, right? At least until we’ve
encounter until it’s introduced by the Firey (check the table below for the result of this roll).
reached that fungal stretch.
While the player on watch explains their discovery or rolls to determine what the crew encounter, the Firey also
Todd: Yeah, but we don’t know these waves like the
rolls 1d6 to determine the level of potential threat. A result of 6 represents a danger-free opportunity, a 5 or 4 gives a
one back home. We’ll Cut a Path for now.
hazardous encounter with a useful pay-o, and a 3, 2 or 1 indicates that there’s an immediate danger to the crew with
little pay-o. The result of the Firey’s threat roll is hidden, but owning a chart of the area you’re travelling through Firey: Got it! The engine roars and the sawprow
makes travel a little safer -in these circumstances the Firey rolls 2d6 and takes the higher result. kicks up a spray of broken branches and torn
leaves around you. I’m marking a box on your
Watch Roll Results progress track.
Kyllian: Okay, and for my watch roll I get… a 3. That’s
Peace nature, right?
An entire watch passing without a sighting of anything out of the ordinary. You might experience…
◊ A watch so uneventful you have time to take a montage. Useful for healing and repairing. Firey: It is indeed. And let me roll the threat… Okay,
◊ A meeting called by one of the crew or undercrew, a time to exchange information and make plans. gotcha.
6 ◊ A chance for one of the crew to tell a tall tale, allowing another crewmate to gain a whisper.
Laura: You don’t tell us that, right?
◊ A stretch of calm ripe for the breaking - create a tree-shanty to lift spirits and learn about the world.
◊ A problem or event concerning the undercrew, such as a ght, a sickness or a personal discovery. Firey: That’s right. What I can tell you is that after a
◊ A time for reection, confronting and coming to terms with your actions. Usually heals mire. few hours of swift progress, Kyllian, you spot
something - a dash of red among the waves
Order ahead. You’re moving fast, but not so fast that
An encounter with one of the various cultures living across the wildsea. You might experience…
you can’t warn Todd.
◊ A ship passing within hailing distance, anything from a trading ship to bug-shers to pirates.
5 ◊ The discovery of an outpost, usually supplying a nearby port (such as a drilling rig, farm or renery).
◊ A survivor of some terrible disaster, stranded and waiting to be rescued.
Kyllian: Yep, I raise a hand and let him know there’s
something close by. What is it?
4 ◊ A wreck or ruin, a remnant of past expansion now abandoned and ripe for salvaging.
Firey: It’s a pitcher plant, a huge one… You can only
◊ A cache of cargo or supplies, left by those trying to make the sea a little safer… or by smugglers.
see the curling lips of its mouth, but from the
◊ A sign of conspiracy, perhaps pointing to an impressive secret or shadowed truth.
size of it you reckon the chamber it leads to
Nature could hold your ship several times over.
An encounter with something born of the wild unknown, or a feature of the sea. You might experience…
◊ A change in the weather, aecting the sky above, the branches below or both.
3 ◊ A natural feature of the rustling waves. Useful for orientation when pathnding and mapmaking.
2 ◊ A wonderof the waves, a sight that lls the crew with hope. Heals mire.
1 ◊ A horror of the wilds, an experience that leaves a lasting scar. Marks mire.
◊ An unsettled place sturdy enough to moor your ship -landfall. Useful for nding resources.
◊ A sighting of (or tussle with) thetrue wilds, in the form of a plant, creature or force of nature.

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Discoveries
Choosing to make a discovery while on watch allows you some creative input into a
newly discovered location. As long as the location is something that might be
recorded on a map or chart, it’s viable as a discovery.
When you make a discovery the Firey still makes a threat roll. You
may have narrative agency over what the location contains, but you still
don’t know what condition you’ll nd it in.
Making a Discovery
To make a discovery rst choose one of your charts. This will give you
some information about the locale, and possibly the kinds of resources
you’ll nd there (using a ‘Salt-Stained Chart’, for example, might imply the
discovery is near a salt-water waterfall).
Once you’ve chosen a chart the next step is to add one of your whispers. It’s these wild
words that breathe life into the discovery - they allow you to describe an event, a cultural
facet or a happening in the location you’ve discovered. The whisper ‘A Welcoming Fleet’,
for example, might imply there’s a rootless family moored in the area, or a naval battle
in progress with one side looking for help).
Both the chart and whisper are lost during this process.
Discovery Examples
A Bronze Inscription + Toothstorm might lead to...
◊ An ancient metal temple with a rowdy tooth-selling bazaar
◊ A huge copper-coloured plant with a ravenous maw
◊ A living storm chained to an ancient obelisk

A Tattered Map + Howls on the Wind might lead to...

◊ A pinwolf graveyard
◊ A pre-verdant library settled by a strange cult
◊ A trade channel with a constant noisy gale

A Hasty Starchart + Never Alone Again might lead to...

◊ An abandoned mountaintop island with an eerily silent
monastery
◊ A rift lled with phosphorescent fungal
constellations
◊ A oating city-port with a warm,
welcoming atmosphere

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And, While You Make Progress... Weather-Watching Results

Taking the Helm and going On Watch are essential, but there are other stations that crewmembers might ll - they're
not strictly necessary to the running of the ship, but they can make a journey much easier than it would otherwise be.
Clear Skies
Whatever the weather was doing before, it
Tending the Engine clears. For the next part of your journey you
might have…
When you're stationed at the engine you have three choices that you can make, usually in conjunction with whoever is
◊ A period of comfortable sunshine that brings
6
at the helm. The rst is to make minor adjustments in the engine room, the second to give your ship a burst of speed and
easy-to-hunt creatures to the surface.
the third to run more quietly than usual.
◊ A light rain followed by a blossoming of
TEND TO THE ENGINE owers and ripening of fruits.
◊ Narrative: A quick x here, an adjustment of valves there. You're not really doing much, but you're poised to act in ◊ A strong but pleasant wind that clears
case anything goes wrong. away sporeclouds and mists and increases
◊ Mechanical: Doesn't use a resource or give any additional benets as you travel, but allows you to immediately distance visibility.
hijack focus if there are any problems or issues relating to the engine to attempt an instant x or bypass.
Continuation
OVERLOAD THE ENGINE 5 The weather continues as it is, for good or ill -
◊ Narrative: You shovel extra fuel into the engine, probably much past its technical capacity. The burst of power it storms rage, periods of uncomfortable warmth
gives you is impressive, but unsustainable. 4 drag on or, if you're lucky, perfect sailing
◊ Mechanical: Uses a resource suitable for fuel. Either increase impact on a roll made to take advantage of the ship's conditions persist.
temporary power or speed, or mark an additional box on the journey track while moving.
A Change for the Worse
MUFFLE THE ENGINE The weather is about to turn against you. For the
◊ Narrative: You surround the engine with bedding and whatever else is to hand - it's not perfect, and it doesn't next part of your journey you might have…
reduce the noise of the bite, but it means you'll be able to travel quieter than your usual. ◊ Driving rain or hail that lowers visibility and
◊ Mechanical: Uses a soft, muing resource. Either increase impact on a roll made to take advantage on the ship's makes it harder to perform actions out on
new quieter prole or stealthily leave an area without making a roll (only if you haven't yet been spotted). deck.
◊ Blazing sunshine that threatens heatstroke,
Cartographizing 3 evaporates liquids and brings out hordes of
Cartographizing allows you to slowly create a chart of the area you're travelling though - the Firey sets a pathnding
2 stinging insects.
track, and every time you nd a particularly important landmark (such as an island, a spit, a horror, or a wonder) that
1 ◊ A living storm or other bizarre weather
track gets marked. When the track is fully marked you gain a chart - add it to your resources and name it after the area phenomenon bearing down on you, hateful
you're passing through, or somethingrelated to one of the landmarks (a Chart of the Rustling Wastes, for example, or and hankering.
Map of the Reften Surrounds).

Watching the Weather

Just as important as watching the waves, watching the skies clues you in to weather changes before they happen,
allowing you to plan for or avoid dangerous weather. When you're watching the weather, roll 1d6 just as if you were on a
normal watch, but use table on the right to read your results...

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Encounters Choice Encounters Encounters in Play

Once your watch roll is made the Firey will describe a Brief and simple, the outcome of the encounter will Firey: The pitcher’s maw quivers as you draw closer.
potential encounter. It’s up to you as a crew to decide depend on your choice. The Firey will provide you with What are you intending to do?
whether you engage with the encounter or not. options, and it’s up to you as a crew to pick your course.
Laura: I mean, on the one hand there’s bound to be
Avoiding an Encounter Example: Your travels are interrupted by a are on the
horizon, illuminating the evening sky. Do you investigate,
some kind of treasure in there. On the other
hand it’ll be from the wrecks of ships just like
If you don’t like the look of what your watcher spotted,
and risk an ambush or trick, or do you sail on by and risk ours.
or have more pressing matters to attend to, you can try
mire, or the ire of your undercrew, as you ignore a potential
to avoid the encounter. In some cases this is as easy as Freya: Right… And it’s not like we don’t have cargo
distress call?
steering well clear of whatever it is - giving a newly- already, and places to be.
discovered island a wide berth, for example. Your journey Challenge Encounters Laura: Still, though…
continues and you choose a new pilot and watcher, no Usually used when there’s a threat of some kind to your
harm done. ship. The Firey will ask the player at the helm to make a Freya: You want to do it, don’t you? You want to
ratings roll that best ts the situation, and the outcome investigate the giant ship-eating plant.
In others you might have more trouble. You may need to
will depend on the result of the roll.
make a ratings roll to escape a pursuing ship, or sacrice Laura: I heft my jagserry up, testing the edge of the
a specimen to distract a predator. Avoiding an encounter Example: A nearby ship launches a salvo at you from their blade with my thumb and smile at Freya. Yeah,
is far harder when Forging Ahead. shrapnel cannons. The Firey asks for a ratings roll to see if I denitely do.
it can be avoided, or how badly the ship will be damaged -
Engaging with an Encounter maybe Speed to avoid the worst of it, or Armour to tank the
Kyllian: If this goes wrong, you’re going to have to
make it up to us somehow.
Engaging with encounters can be both lucrative and incoming damage, or Tilt to dive quickly beneath the thrash
dangerous. The Firey will likely give clues as to the to avoid the shot. Laura: Only if we survive!
relative threat of an encounter as they introduce it, but
you’ll never know for sure until you engage. If you do
Scene Encounters Freya: That… doesn’t reassure me. But okay, I’m in.
Used most often when an encounter involves leaving
decide to engage with the encounter it’ll usually take the Todd: Me too. Let’s head as close to this thing as we
your ship, in these cases you’ll be plunged into a new
form of a choice, a challenge or a scene. can without putting ourselves in danger.
scene entirely. Make the most of your time during these
scene encounters, as it may be dicult to return once the Firey: Okay, well I’m going to ask a ratings roll for
journey is done. that. Stealth, if you could.
Example: The wildsailor on watch spies a broken-down Todd: We are not the stealthiest ship, but… Okay,
tower o to the east, silhouetted drunkenly against the that’s a 2, a 3 and a 5. Conict.
horizon. Drawing closer you can see signs of habitation
Firey: Ha, okay. Well you manage to quiet your
there, colourful tents and ropeways fastened to the sloping
engine enough to get alongside the pitcher
structure, and a port at thrash-level with a few ships docked.
without being dragged in and you were right
This might be a good place to pick up cargo or information, if
- there are ship hulls down there. But… you
you have the time to dock...
don’t entirely escape notice. You catch a
glimpse of something large a spiderlike in the
darkness of the pitcher’s gut, which hisses
before withdrawing into a sizeable wreck. It
knows you’re there, and it’s waiting.
Laura: Fighting spider monsters in the belly of a giant
pitcher plant? This is my kind of encounter.

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Arrival
When your progress track is lled you’ve reached your
Relaxation
Mire tends to accrue faster out on the open waves,
Ship Security
Having your ship stolen every time you leave it
destination, and the journey ends. The Firey will those dark thoughts sloshing around inside your unattended to engage in portside scenes and exploration
describe the port you’ve arrived at, and you’ll be able to brainpan churned up by the constant danger and lack of would be terribly, terribly dull. In all but the most
disembark safely (hopefully). Whether you pull into port, civilization. Dealing with it in ports is usually a lot easier piratical and morally bankrupt ports, assume that
drop anchor, signal for a ferry-vessel or clamber through than dealing with it out on the waves, by seeking out a leaving some of your undercrew behind will keep your
the branches toward your destination is up to you. junction to drink in, a smoke-house to indulge vices or a ship safe from harm. Alternatively, assure your ship
shadow-spring for a long, hot bath. is taken care of by the dockworkers by buying their
Portside Drydock attention with a resource or favour.
Once you're portside you should tend to your needs,
Repairs, alterations and additions can be made to your
unless you have other pressing story-based concerns.
ship at a drydock, though they come at a price. Most
Healing drydocks will have certain services or parts they oer in
Few journeys end without the crew suering some kind exchange for resources or cargo.
of damage. While a ship's surgeon can patch up most
injuries and rid your aspects of marks, a portside surgeon
(when paid with resources) will likely do a
more thorough job, with cleaner facilities.

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CHAPTER 4
CHARACTER ELEMENTS
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“You’re far from perfect.” Character Background

All characters in the Wildsea are a combination of three main elements - a Bloodline, an Origin and a Post.
Kallyridge looked from the spore- A Bloodline sets your character’s species, letting the rest of the table know what you are in the most basic sense
streaked paperwork in her hands (especially physically).
to the crestfallen applicant on An Origin determines how your character lived their early life, letting the rest of table get a handle on the kind of culture
the dock below her. The few feet you’re most used to.

between them may as well have A Post describes the kind of niche your character lls within the crew, the particular set of skills that make them
valuable as a wildsailor.
been miles - the gulf between The combination of your bloodline, origin and post is referred to as your character’s Background. You background can
employment and yet more wasted have a big inuence on how your character can interact with the world, and how the world will treat them in turn. Some
time. settlements may be easier to explore for characters of a particular bloodline (such as the high hanging buildings of
tzelicrae cities), or the citizens wowed by someone with the talent to take a particular post (such as the innate respect a
“You were the navigator on the frontier town might pay to a hacker). Each choice you make carries with it a narrative risk and reward.

Red Sparrow, and again on the The Rest of this Chapter

The bloodlines, origins and posts on oer, as well as the process of character creation, are covered in detail in the next
Calumnist, and then a third time on chapter. The rest of this chapter is devoted to running over the elements that all characters share: the information on a
the Southern Dawn.” The applicant character sheet.

nodded. “Three ships. One torn

apart by lackey-thorn, one lost
after cutting through the midst of
a pirate war, and one sent to the
under-eaves with all hands on
board… except you.”
The applicant nodded again.
Kallyridge groaned.
“You don’t see a pattern there?”
The applicant shrugged.
“At the very least, I’m tenacious.”

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Edges
Edges represent the way your character is most used to solving problems and tackling challenges, the approaches
Using Edges
While the primary eects of your edges are easy to grasp
they’re usually the most eective with. When you attempt something using an edge you’re in your element - when (mechanically to add 1d6 to your dice pool, narratively to
rolling, you can add 1d6 to your dice pool. avour an action you're taking), they serve a few other
functions as well. Your edges are...
Edges also add a lot of narrative avour to the rest of an action roll, changing the way a skill or aspect gets used in play.
Rolling to gather specimens using the Tides edge might mean you’re focusing on quality, whereas rolling with Veils Flexible
might let you gather those specimens without letting anyone else know, or without disturbing local wildlife. Don't fall into the trap of thinking that certain edges are
required for certain things - that's not how they work.
The edges on oer are Grace, Iron, Instinct, Sharps, Teeth, Tides, and Veils.
You can easily swing Iron, Grace, or Teeth to add to a roll
Grace Teeth made to attack, but Tides might apply if you have some
knowledge of the target you're exploiting, or Sharps if
An edge of elegance, precision, & agility An edge of savagery, passion, & destruction
you're using some pre-planned tactic, or Veils if you're
You’re at your best when you’re free to move, using You’re at your best when letting loose, exposing
lining up a backstab, or even Instinct if you're just
superior mobility and unexpected speed to run rings the wilder parts of your nature, and damning the
launching yourself into a dangerous situation without
around a problem. Grace gives you the edge when consequences. Teeth is often used to inict fear on
any idea of how it'll turn out!
dodging and balancing, performing acrobatic feats, and others, to destroy objects and relationships, to
attacking with lighter weapons. disregard convention, and to make brutal,
uncompromising attacks.
Iron
An edge of force, determination, & willpower Tides
You’re at your best when relying on direct action, using An edge of exploration, learning, & lore
sheer grit to carry you through. Iron is often used for You’re at your best when relying on your knowledge
weathering incoming damage, keeping your cool in tense of the waves, the quirks and secrets of the wildsea that
situations, imposing your will on others, and attacking others might write o as mere folktales. Tides is often
with heavier weapons. used for unearthing secrets and mysteries, spinning
engaging tales, charting new courses, and steering ships.
Instinct
An edge of sense, intuition, & reaction Veils
You’re at your best when going with the ow, acting An edge of shadows, ciphers, & secrecy
without a plan, and trusting either your gut or your You’re at your best when your inuence is near-
body’s natural senses. Instinct is often used to react impossible to detect, managing situations from behind
to unexpected events and hazards, learn more about the scenes. Veils is often used to go undetected or cover
the world around you, and connect with the weirder your tracks, to backstab and betray, and to manipulate
elements of the waves. others in both social and combat situations.

Sharps
An edge of logic, wit, & planning
You’re at your best when you can bring intelligence and
preparation to bear, relying on the knowledge that your
mind (or tongue) are sharper than any blade. Sharps is
often used to solve problems, untangle complexities,
design or create new objects, and outmanoeuvre others
in verbal conicts.

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Informative Edges in Play

If you're ever at a loss for what to do in an Firey: The councillor leans back in his chair, multi-
unfamiliar situation, look to your edges for jointed ngers steepled. It can be hard to read
a hint. Even if you don't have a skill that's the expression on an ironbound's face, but he
appropriate, if one of your edges can come looks pretty unimpressed by your arguments.
into play that gives you the single d6, you
Kyllian: Well, unimpressed or not, we need access to
need to start putting together an action roll.
that tower. We could beg, but...
Reliable Laura: Screw that - we might not be the most
Edges are broad and permissive by design,
convincing crew when it comes to fancy
intended to encapsulate a wide variety of
words, but we have Todd. You want to talk
behaviours and situations. If you're attempting
some sense into him?
something, you'll almost always be using an
edge to help you out unless it's completely out Todd: With pleasure!
of your wheelhouse.
Firey: Alright Todd, I know you're usually more the
hammer-rst type, but are you treating this
as a social roll?
Todd: That I am. I was thinking of using Iron - just
trying to convince the guy through sheer
force of will... but he's an ironbound, and
a city councillor. He's probably sat there
through thousands of angry tirades.
Firey: Yeah, you're onto something there. If you
just tried to convince him straight-out, you'd
be taking cut - maybe even lowered impact.
Laura: Oh, Teeth then? Are we going to try to
threaten this guy into submission?
Todd: Not exactly. Tides.
Firey: Tides?
Todd: That's right. Tides and Break, to be more
precise. I'm not going to try to convince this
guy that he should let us in because we're
angry, or desperate. I'm just going to point
out that I know councillors are elected by
popular vote here, and I also know how long
it'll take until that tower falls... and I know
how to whisper words in the right ears about
the councillor that could have stopped it.
Firey: ... Damn. No cut, Todd. Make your pool.

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Malligan’s was the kind of place Skills

Skills are areas in which your character has training or
BRACE
A skill of defence, hard-headedness and immobility. Use
you went to nd people with many a natural advantage, making it more likely for you to brace to weather the ravages of weather, exhaustion and
blades & few scruples, somewhere succeed when taking related actions. The skills on oer those that want to see you fall. This might take the form of...
between training ground, alehouse are Brace, Break, Cook, Delve, Flourish, Hack, Hunt,
Outwit, Rattle, Scavenge, Sense, Study, Sway, Tend,
◊ Clinging to life in the toughest situations
◊ Shrugging o attempts to manipulate or confuse you
& butchery. The smell hit her like a Vault and Wavewalk. ◊ Blocking or parrying an incoming attack
hammer, sweat & spice. A familiar Skill Ranks
◊ Keeping your footing through a storm or rootquake
◊ Shouldering your way through a crowd
bouquet. Each of your character’s skills has a rank, starting at one
BREAK
and topping out at three. When used as part of an action,
The clientele were a rough sort, skills add a number of d6s to your dice pool equal to
A skill of fragments, shockwaves and hammer-blows.
Use break to smash through stone, metal and machinery,
but honest in their own way - they their rank.
working against the eorts of civilization. This might take
dealt in blood & salvage, & they Example: Jevin is attempting to climb up a crumbling wall.
They have the Grace edge, which gives them 1d6, but that's
the form of...
◊ Reducing a building or obstacle to rubble
were comfortable with it. Junkers not exactly great odds. Luckily they also have the Vault skill, ◊ Charting a course through ruins and wreckage
played cards with dissident at rank 2. That gives them an additional 2d6 on their roll,
making their pool 3d6 (for edge + skill) before they've even
◊ Relying on hammers and sts in a skirmish
◊ Assessing a structure's stability and weakpoints
cultists, pirates drank alongside factored in any benets from their aspects or environment. ◊ Setting and disarming explosives
pirate-hunters. Malligan brooked Skill Flexibility COOK
no bloodshed within her walls, less Skills on the Wildsea aren't quite as broadly applied as
Edges, but many can still be used in a wide variety of
A skill of spices and speculation, meats and fruits and
heat. Use cook to prepare meals, brew herbal drinks or
there was money riding on it. situations. Each of the skill write-ups gives you bullet- alcohol and concoct unusual chemical solutions. This
pointed examples of what they can be used for in-game, might take the form of...
Freya nodded to one scarred but these are by no means your limits - if you can ◊ Using specimens to create meals and beverages
marauder, gave a half-mocking think of a clever use of a skill that ts the situation, we
encourage you to attempt it!
◊ Developing bolstering dishes to prepare for danger
◊ Concocting and catalyzing unstable chemicals
salute to a retired captain in one of Example: Jevin doesn't have the Vault skill, but they do have
◊ Handling heat sources safely in tense situations
◊ Butchering, rendering and storing specimens
the corners. This place t her crew Break at rank 3. They tell the Firey they're going to take
like a glove. advantage of the wall's ruined state, smashing handholds DELVE
into the sturdier parts and using their knowledge of A skill of dust, remnants and forgotten ways. Use delve to
destruction to avoid the weakest ones. explore the ruins of the old world, traversing barriers and
unearthing secrets. This might take the form of...
Do I Have the Right Skill to...? ◊ Abseiling down a collapsing passageway
It doesn't matter, at least not to the greater story - you
◊ Squeezing through narrow spaces and collapses
can run across the waves without wavewalk, you can
◊ Cracking locks and disarming ancient traps
steal through the shadows without slink, you can nd
◊ Scrambling through wreckage and detritus at speed
important salvage without scavenge. Having a skill
◊ Interpreting pre-verdant art and artefacts
means you're better at doing something, not that you're
allowed to do something. You're allowed to do anything...
or rather, you're allowed to try anything (results may
vary catastrophically).

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FLOURISH RATTLE SWAY

A skill of showmanship, rhythm and performance. Use A skill of mending, maintenance and adaptation. Use A skill of convincing, arguing and capitulating with
ourish to enchant or dazzle those around you, worming rattle to weave oddments and salvage into workable aplomb. Use sway to convince others to act or hold back
your way into their heart with blade or a word. This might equipment in a pinch, or to tinker with gear and objects. from acting, or to change hearts and minds to suit your
take the form of... This might take the form of... purposes. This might take the form of...
◊ Telling stories with dramatic air ◊ Using salvage to repair damaged gear ◊ Convincing others to change their minds on a topic
◊ Dressing or acting to stand out and be noticed ◊ Understanding schematics and blueprints ◊ Making friends and inuencing people
◊ Fighting with poise, ow and balance ◊ Spewing confusing jargon or incisive questions ◊ Taking the reins of a crowd's emotion
◊ Creating art and music that stirs the soul ◊ Crafting temporary gear with odds and ends ◊ Bandying words while absorbing information
◊ Inking skin with memories of triumph and loss ◊ Patching up a ship to keep it running 'til next port ◊ Threatening through inference
HACK SCAVENGE TEND
A skill of sweat, sap and serrated blades. Use hack to A skill of searching, spit and polish. Use scavenge to root A skill of healing, sustenance and recovery. Use tend
carve a path through the rustling waves, imposing order out valuable salvage from dross, to pick treasure from to heal injuries to the crew, nurture plants and soothe
on chaotic growth. This might take the form of... trash. This might take the form of... minds. This might take the form of...
◊ Chopping or slicing your way through the wilds ◊ Locating and collecting useful salvage ◊ Using specimens to heal an injured crewmate
◊ Charting a course through snarled, confusing waves ◊ Weighing the worth of an object or trade ◊ Growing and harvesting fruits, herbs and spices
◊ Rushing into combat with axes, saws and blades ◊ Using damaged mechaisms eectively ◊ Calming and understanding the emotions of others
◊ Identifying the hazards of an unknown plant ◊ Turning the environment to your benet in a brawl ◊ Devising and discussing new medical treatments
◊ Spinning tales of petalled leviathans and living rifts ◊ Identifying the properties of refuse and oddities ◊ Concocting weird or restorative potions and salves
HUNT SENSE VAULT
A skill of observation, marksmanship and precise action. A skill of glances, insight and intuition. Use sense to A skill of dizzying heights and impressive acrobatics.
Use hunt to turn the tables on the sea's many predators, push your awareness of the world past its usual limits, Use vault to climb, leap and tumble your way through an
and pick the best of their trophies. This might take the both in terms of enviornmental awareness and social environment at speed. This might take the form of...
form of... understanding. This might take the form of... ◊ Scaling rigging, walls or leviathan-hides
◊ Tracking eectively across hostile terrain ◊ Honing one of your senses to gather information ◊ Landing safely after falling from a great height
◊ Lining up shots from afar in a ght ◊ Reacting to an unseen or unexpected attack ◊ Dodging away from incoming damage
◊ Reeling o information about beasts you've bested ◊ Detecting and dening nascent whispers ◊ Leaping from rooftop to rooftop during a chase
◊ Rendering kills into useful specimens ◊ Becoming aware of attention focused your way ◊ Controlling a glider as you soar through the skies
◊ Showing o trophies and hard-won scars ◊ Empathizing eectively with others
WAVEWALK
OUTWIT STUDY A skill of seared soles, brachiation and animalistic
A skill of shadows and secrets well-kept. Use outwit to A skill of meticulous recording and focused investigation. elegance. Use wavewalk to personally navigate the wilds
avoid threats, or to move them right to where you want Use study to learn the import of details others would without the use of a ship, despite the danger. This might
them. This might take the form of... miss, make connections and sort information. This might take the form of...
◊ Moving silently, quietly and quickly take the form of... ◊ Leaping from branch to branch as they sway
◊ Surprising opponents before melting away again ◊ Creating a chart as you travel a new area ◊ Swinging on vines or grappling-ropes
◊ Inltrating spaces that are denitely o limits ◊ Discovering evidence in the aftermath of an event ◊ Passing through foliage without fear of crezzerin
◊ Disguising your voice, scent or even your whole self ◊ Slowly improving your knowledge of a language ◊ Brachiating as fast as others can sprint
◊ Talking smoothly and lying disarmingly ◊ Determining a pattern, aw or weakness ◊ Discovering the secrets of the surrounding waves
◊ Gleaning information from cryptic notes

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Translation was something Garrun Languages Using Your Languages

had gotten used to over the years. Like skills, languages you know are given ranks (from 1
to 3). Unlike skills, these ranks are named: Smattering,
Learning a language has a way of immersing you in the
lore and culture surrounding it, a bundle of references,
Indenya did alright with a Knowledge and Fluency. historical facts and turns of phrase.

smattering of the more common You don't usually need to roll the dice to benet from
your language ranks - if you have a smattering of
This is what you'll likely roll your languages for most
of the time - to draw on cultural knowledge and gain
blood-langs, but Carrington was Saprekk, you'll be able to converse with others that speak information.
a slow learner. Then there was it... to a degree.
Example: Freya speaks a smattering of Saprekk. She can

Kovir’s mumbled raka spit (already Here's a rough guide to what each rank means in terms
of your overall ability.
understand a little of conversation happening at the bar of the
Junction they're visiting, but what's more important arethe
hard enough to understand coming tar-scrawl tattoos on one of the speakers - they mark him as
through that damn beard), and even Smattering an outcast and a dissident, exactly the kind of ektus her crew
needs to make contact with.
Having a smattering of a language allows you to use
Zaritze’s cursing had to be uttered and understand simple words and sentences without a Each language entry on the page to the right also comes
from knock into old hand for the problem. You can order food, chat about a few common with suggestions of the kind of lore a learner might have
wilds-related topics and pronounce names with access to.
benet of their lemurs. reasonable accuracy.
You might also use languages to...
Still, nowhere near as bad as his Knowledge Make Friends
Having knowledge of a language allows you to engage
rst crew. All saprekk, all the time, in normal conversation without a problem; you can
Being able to communicate with an NPC in their own
no matter who they were talking discuss a wide range of topics, give opinions and precise
natural language (rather than the catch-all common
tongue of Low Sour) is a great way of building rapport,
to. You could only watch the ship’s directions and easily follow conversations at the speed of
a native speaker (even if you miss a word here or there).
putting others at ease.
char shout and point at ingredients Fluency Impress Others
for so long before it became Being uent in a language shows you have complete
Particularly appropriate when using the less common or
more dicult to learn languages, such as brasstongue,
embarrassing. mastery of it - you can read, write, listen and speak
without the fear of misunderstanding or being
which have a limited number of speakers often with
highly specialized knowledge.
And every now and then - rare, misunderstood.
Gain Extra Information
yeah, but sometimes - he got a Dialects People love to be a part of the in-group, in general, and
genuine burst of pride. And here, One of the only times your Firey will ever ask for
showing an NPC that you can slip into their language as
needed may encourage them to share information with
in this crowded bar in an Icterine an action roll to check your understanding is when
you come across a dialect that deviates far from the
you that wouldn’t normally be shared with ‘outsiders’.
junction, thorns and bre wall-to- lanaguage you know. Even uent speakers can be
wall, hearing Carrington order in confused by the intricacies of a dialect grown in isolation,
and the Wildsea is full of little enclaves and oddities
halting saprekk made him smile. where they might spring up.

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Low Sour Brasstongue Highvin

All characters start with a free uency in Low Sour. A clipped and precise language used by experienced Exceedingly dicult to master, Highvin is a primarily
traders, adapted from the punch-cards of ancient written language often found on old pre-verdant ruins.
A mongrel language that has developed in the years since
ordinators. Knowledge of Brasstongue is likely to garner Usually understood by scholars, antiquarians, and
the shattered post-Verdancy cultures started making
respect among merchants and grifters. Lore might include treasure-hunters. Lore might include details of the pre-
contact with each other. Low Sour is the closest thing to a
cargo routes and tales of great sales or negotiation tactics. verdant times, though always fragmentary.
‘common tongue’ on the waves, and doesn't come with any
particular lore or cultural knowledge besides what every Raka Spit
wildsailor would know about the world they live in. The rapid patter of hunting-families and leviathaneers,
known for its incredible depth of descriptive words.
Lore might include facts about the beasts and
Chthonic birds of the waves, and great conquests of
An ancient human language, once split into thousands
hunters across the wilds.
of unique dialects spoken by dierent groups of ardent
survivors and now slowly merging into one true tongue Lyre-Bite
again. Lore might include the details of ancient human The lilting tongue of poets
rituals and spirit-knowledge, as well as cultural information and songwriters across the
on the ardent. wild waves, well-suited to
performances and long-form
Saprekk poetry. Lore might include
The thick, rolling tongue of the ektus, almost entirely
ancient pre-verdant songs and
unchanged despite hundreds of years of development
a deeper understanding
on the wild waves. For non-ektus to have learned even
of whispers.
a smattering of Saprekk is often seen as a great mark of
respect. Lore might include tales of deserts, heat, and winds, Old Hand
as well as cultural information on the ektus. An entirely gesture-based
language with no spoken
Gaudimm component, perfect for those
A chemical language of subtle twitches and soft clicks
naturally quiet types. Old Hand has
used by the gau. Though the structure and grammar
existed since before the Verdancy,
are surprisingly easy to learn, pheromonal bursts are
and has changed remarkably little despite the
required to communicate complex concepts. Lore might
passage of years. Lore might include expansive
include detailed knowledge of caves, tunnels, and the
descriptions of long-lost relics.
progression of rot, as well as cultural information on the gau.
Knock Signalling
An unspoken code broadcast with ags, ares,
The hissing, chittering voice of the tzelicrae hive-minds.
or signal-lamps, often known by experienced
Many of the sounds are impossible for a single mouth
travellers, military types and smugglers. Relies
to form, so most outsiders that learn Knock speak a
partly on colour. Lore might include information
simplied form, relying partly on gesture. Lore might
on various ships, weather types, and
include a deeper understanding of insects and arachnid
seagoing hazards.
habits, as well as cultural information on the tzelicrae.

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“She’s doing that thing again. With Aspects

the bugs.” Your aspects are the things that make your character distinct, giving them new abilities and unique ways to tackle
challenges on the wildsea. You can have eight aspects in total (though most characters will begin play with 4 or 6,
It was an uncharitable tone. Kepra additional aspects are gained through character progression).

looked over at their navigator, sat There are three types of aspect - Traits, Gear and Companions.

cross-legged at her platform by the ◊ Traits represent the benets of training and experience, or the innate functions of your biology.
◊ Gear acts as a catch-all term for the weapons, armour and tools that your character relies on.
prow, then back to the grimacing ◊ Companions can be anything from a trained animal to a construct, a living spell to a captured spirit; something that
wildsailor that had spoken up. ghts alongside you, acts as a mount or scouts out places you wouldn’t normally be able to access.

“Unsettling, isn’t it? Twists you up Reading an Aspect Aspect Examples

inside, that feeling of weirdness. Each of the bloodlines, origins and posts you’ll nd in
the next chapter has a set of aspects for you to choose
There are hundreds of pre-made aspects available
throughout this book to suit dierent types of characters
That power.” The sailor nodded. from, but before you get there you’ll need to know what and styles of play. Here are a few examples taken from
information to look out for. All aspects have the same the next few chapters...
Fireies danced in the night air. three components; a name, a track and a rule.
Towering 5-Track Trait
“Yeah, it is for me too. Tell you Name You stand head and shoulders above most others.
what though,” Kepra continued, The name of an aspect doesn’t just give it avour, it gives
it narrative power. Whenever you roll for an action, you
Shank Worker 4-Track Trait
laying a massive thorny hand can add 1d6 if one of your aspects would help, based on
Increase impact when working on a project using wood,
sap or blossoms.
casually across the sailor’s their name (a dagger would give you an extra d6 when
attacking, obviously, but perhaps also when prying open Nothing Stays Buried 4-Track Trait
shoulders, “You ain’t never going to a chest or threatening someone secretly in a crowd). Mark to identify a hidden or forgotten space in your
hear a complaint about it out of me. Track vicinity by gut feeling alone.

Know why?” When your character takes damage you have a choice - Jagserry 3-Track Gear
take an injury, or mark it o an appropriate track. The The archetypal hacker weapon, a sawtooth sabre that
The sailor met Kepra’s petaled gaze longer your aspect’s tracks are, the more punishment
you can take before suering a serious injury.
deals CQ hewing or serrated damage.

with deance, but it couldn’t last. Hexed Tooth 3-Track Gear

Some aspects also let you mark their track to access Mark to levitate and control exposed bone.
There were reies on his shirt, on special benets. If an aspect’s track is ever fully marked
Iron-Ring Jacket 3-Track Gear
the deck, a constellation of them you lose access to any advantage dice, rules or other
benets it would usually oer.
You’re resistant to three damage types, chosen from the
around the navigator’s post. She Rule
following list: Blunt, Spike, Serrated, Toxin, Volt.

clapped, dreamily, and they rose as The main meat of an aspect is how it lets you add to,
Swarm-Scout 3-Track Companion
A single spider you can send ahead as a scout, allowing
one and scattered to the north-east. change or break the usual rules of the game. An aspect
might let you do something impossible for other
you to see and hear at a distance.

“’Cause she just found our next characters, deal a certain damage type, resist harm from Prow-Nose Porcupine 2-Track Companion
a variety or sources, gain extra information from the Not the easiest creature to pet, but you learn to live with
port.” rey or even change the way you read dice results. it. Ignore cut caused by pain or discomfort.

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Beyond the Name

Some aspects also come with a line or two or descriptive text,
especially aspects where the name might not be quite
enough to clue you in on how they look or function within
the ction of the game. These descriptions can help you
gain advantage dice from an aspect, just like their name can.
Example: One of the crew wants to grab the attention of a group of
hackers drinking at the local junction, so she slams her own jagserry
hard enough to bite down into the wood of the table. If this had been
another type of weapon it might have angered the drinkers, but the
jagserry's description points out that it's the 'archetypal hacker weapon' -
they're more likely to be impressed, see her as one of their own or forgive
the interruption.

Aspect Damage
When your character takes damage, it'll likely be directed to one of your aspects and
taken in the form of marks on that aspect's track. You choose which aspect the damage
is dealt to, but it should be one that narratively ts the damage being taken - a piece of
gear might work well to absorb damage from an incoming shot, a trait maybe damage
dealt straight to your body.
Example: A marauder's cannonball smashes through the deck next to Hegvin, showering him
with splinters and dealing two marks of spike damage. Hegvin's player chooses to mark that
damage to the character's Ragged Longcoat aspect, judging that the coat would be most likely
damaged by such as event.
Abstract Damage & Injuries
Some traits might seem too abstract to absorb damage in this way at rst - Nothing
Stays Buried, an example on the opposite page, is a unique action that a character knows
how to perform - how can that be damaged? By a blow to the head, a ringing in the ears,
a distracting, painful slice. You can aord to be a little abstract in the way you mark
damage, to traits especially.
And if you really don't have an aspect that can take the damage for you (or if you
choose not to use an aspect, or if all of your aspect tracks are full), you should probably
take an injury instead (see page 69 for more detail on injuries).

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Developing Aspects Remove One Box

As your character grows in strength and experience, you'll have the chance todevelop your aspects. This might come ◊ Result Upgrade: Turn a conict into a triumph (in a
in the form of adding new rules to them, removing or altering rules that act as a hindrance or drawback, or even just niche situation).
changing the name or descriptive text to give you advantage dice in dierent situations. This development takestime ◊ Add Damage: Gives the aspect a new damage type
(usually the length of a project), costs milestones (signiers of progress and experience which are explained a little later (either Blunt, Keen, Spike, Hewing, Serrated, Toxin,
in this chapter), and will usually change the length of the aspect's track (removing boxes if the aspect is getting stronger Acid, Blast, Volt, Frost, Salt, or Flame) and a range
or more complex, adding them if you're introducing new limitations or complications). (either CQ or LR).
◊ Useful Utility: Such as creating light or heat in a
To develop an aspect, choose one of the options from the box on the right and alter the aspect's track accordingly. For
limited area - small but helpful things.
example, if you wanted to add an extra damage type to one of your weapons, you'd choose the type and then remove one
box from the aspect's track. Remove Two Boxes
◊ New Sense: Gain a new way of sensing the world, or
expand an existing sense. If a new sense is particularly
potent, remove 3 boxes rather than 2.
◊ Resist (General): Reduce damage by 2 marks and
impact on all eects from a particular element of
the wildsea, such as spirits or beasts.
◊ Increase Impact: Have a higher impact on your
actions (in a niche situation or on a specic action).
◊ Resist (Damage): Reduce damage taken by 2 marks
on three incoming damage types (chosen from
Blunt, Keen, Spike, Hewing, Serrated, Toxin, Acid,
Blast, Volt, Frost, Salt, or Flame).
◊ Learn a Secret: Ask the Firey for some
information. If the circumstances you can use this in
are particularly broad, remove 3 boxes rather than 2.
◊ Repair: Clear a mark of damage from a track in a
particular situation.
◊ Create a Resource: Create a particular rare resource.
If you want to be able to create a resource from a pool of
three options, remove 3 boxes rather than 2.
Gain One Box
◊ Limit: Attach this to an existing rule. That ability
can be used either as a task, once per scene, or must
be marked to use (if using burn, add another box).
◊ Consume: Attach this to an existing rule. That rule
can only be used if you consume a resource.
Don't Add or Remove Any Boxes
◊ Name or Description Change: Change an aspect's
name, or add/change an aspect's descriptive text.
This may change the way it oers advantage dice.

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Combining Aspects Creating Unique Aspects Unique Aspect Examples

Instead of developing a single aspect as your character If none of the existing aspects quite t your character Here are a few unique aspects made with the rules on
evolves, you might want to take two existing aspects and concept, you can create a completely new aspect instead. the left. Each one also lists the type and rules used to
smash them together. This can give some unusual results To create a new aspect, you'll need to... create it.
depending on the aspects you choose, but also serves the
triple purpose of saving space on the character sheet,
◊ Choose the aspect's type (trait, gear or companion) Silver Carp Style 3-Track Trait
◊ Start with a track (a ve-track for traits and gear, A ghting style practiced by those of your family eet,
keeping your number of aspects under the maximum
a four-track for a companion to represent the developed to turn away blades. You’re resistant to Keen,
seven allowed, and giving you some beeer tracks to
exibility of having a semi-independent ally) Spike and Hewing damage. Trait + Resist Damage
absorb large amounts of damage. Just like developing an
◊ Add one or more rules from the box on the left
aspect, this process takes time and milestones.
(changing the track length as detailed, minimum one
Spinning Rabir 4-Track Gear
A metal instrument that resembles a spinning-top.
Creative License box and maximum eight boxes)
Produces a calming drone that repels insects when
When you combine two of your existing aspects, you’ll... ◊ Give the resulting aspect a name and, if you wish,
spun. Gear + Useful Utility
some descriptive text
◊ Give the new aspect a name
◊ Give the new aspect a type (trait, gear, or companion) Creating an aspect from scratch should be done with
Plasm Gauntlets 3-Track Gear
Viscous slime-like gauntlets that deal CQ Acid damage.
◊ Give the new aspect a track (length equal to the sum the help (or at least the approval) of the Firey. Just like
Consume a specimen to immediately clear a mark of
of the two combined tracks, maximum eight boxes) developing or combining aspects, this process takes time
damage from this gear. Gear + Add Damage + Repair
◊ Add all of the rules from both combined aspects and milestones.
+ Consume
This is a great time to get creative, as long as you can The Truly Unique Dream Spider 3-Track Companion
justify the change in your character's aspects from a If you have an idea for something that isn’t covered by
A tiny arachnid that catches dreams in its spectral web.
narrative viewpoint. Here are a couple of examples (one the options to the left, talk it over with your Firey and
Use a task to pluck a secretive dream from a nearby
straightforward, one a lot stranger) of how you might give it a try. If it needs adjusting, do it after playing a
individual (details supplied by the Firey). Companion +
combine two of the aspects mentioned on page 88, the session. Keep doing that until it feels right. If you’re not
Learn a Secret + Limit
Jagserry and Hexed Tooth... sure how many boxes should be on the track, go with
three and adjust it up or down depending on how it feels
during play.
Squirreltooth Jagserry 6-Track Gear
A serrated sabre hewn from the jaw of a protoleviathan
squirrel. Deals CQ Hewing or Serrated damage, and can
be marked to levitate and control exposed bone.
Sawtooth Tattoos 6-Track Trait
Jagged tattoos of hexed ink run the length of your arms,
shifting and hungry. They deal CQ Hewing or Serrated
damage, and can be marked to levitate and control
exposed bone.

Though the resulting track length and rules are the same
in both of the combined aspects above, the avour for
each is very dierent, and they'll oer advantage dice in
dierent situations.

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Resources
The wildsea is a scavenger’s paradise. Wrecks are taken
Risking Resources
As well as the listed uses for each resource type on
Salvage
Salvage describes inorganic material plucked from
apart for iron and machine parts, beasts provide meat the right, all resources can be used to gain advantage wrecks, ruins, and corpses. It might take the form of torn
and bone, and the waves themselves oer a bounty of on your action rolls. This only applies if they t the canvas, shards of metal, curious artefacts, or poorly-
fruits, fungi, and living secrets eager to burrow into situation; throwing a handful of cogs as a distraction made weaponry.
active minds. before an attack makes sense, but those cogs would likely
Salvage is most often acquired by using the Scavenge
be no help with picking a lock.
These are your resources - the useful oddities that skill, by looting stores, combing through engine
your crew will collect during their travels. There are There’s a catch, though - using your resources in this rooms, or taking apart machines and mechanisms. The
four broad categories - salvage, specimens, way puts them at risk. If your roll is disaster, or if you Scrutinize skill may also help you identify particularly
whispers, and charts. take damage as part of the action, there’s a good chance useful or valuable items when looking through a shop's
the resource will be damaged (in the form of gaining a inventory or a corpse's pockets.
negative tag) or outright destroyed.
You can use salvage to…
Tags ◊ Repair damaged gear (usually by using a task)
◊ Craft new temporary gear (by using a task, though
Some resources will have one or more tags attached,
more complex creations might be a full project)
descriptors that mark a resource as being unique. Tags
◊ Attack your foes if you don't have a dedicated weapon
often change how a resource can be used during play - a
Rotten Lemon might be useless for cooking but still useful Possible Tags
to trade, whereas a Pure or Medicinal Lemon might serve ◊ Sturdy: Clears an extra mark when used to repair
as the base of a healing tonic. damage to an aspect track, or an injury.
◊ Ornate: Has far more worth than usual.
Developing & Discovering Tags ◊ Broken: Almost useless for its intended purpose.
When your crew comes across a particularly interesting
resource you might have the chance to develop a new Salvage Examples
tag, giving it a property that might help (or hinder) the Broken Ship's Wheel, Moth Lantern, Bronze Rings,
narrative. This tag, once developed, becomes a part of Cat's-Eye Topaz, Ancient Sawn-O, Mouldering Tome,
your world. You might also be able to discover new tags Inscribed Hatchet, Stone Cube, Ancestor's Ceramic Mug.
by researching or experimenting with your resources.

Scratch
While most barter on the wildsea is done using
resources, smaller things (such as a low-quality beer
or a storyteller's musings) are often paid for with
scratch, the odds and ends left behind by more valuable
resources that have passed through your hands.
Scratch is too small to bother keeping track of - usually
consisting of old fruit seeds, amber fragments, insect
wings, and splinters - but is enough that your character
should always be able to grab a cheap drink in port.
Mechanically, this means you don't have to go about
adding and removing resources every time you want a
basic amenity.

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Specimens Whispers Charts

Specimens are the organic bounty of the wildsea, usually Whispers are wild secrets that leap from mind to mind, Charts are the lifeblood of travel, documents that record
taken from insects, beasts, or the waves themselves. parasitic words with a will of their own. They can be a the location of spits, islands, hazards, and trade routes.
They might take the form of meats and organs, chitinous single word or a short phrase, but they can only exist in They’re often kept in locked navigator cabinets on ships,
shells, spices, fruits, fungus, or bones. one mind at a time - when spoken, a whisper is lost. or in specially made libraries (known as ‘cartoikas’) in
port. A chart can be anything from a traditional map to a
The Hunt skill is useful for taking down beasts and Whispers often worm their way into your head as you
journal of trading routes, a star chart to a pre-V carving.
carving their corpses for useful parts, as well as for witness the horrors and wonders of the wildsea, or they
shing with a rod or spear. The Harvest skill is used to can be traded-for in the weirder bazaars, but a canny Like whispers, charts are dicult to acquire outside of
collect leaves, roots, and spices; anything that grows out wildsailor might seek them out in other, stranger ways… ideal circumstances. They can be traded for in port or
in the wild that might come in useful. when you meet another friendly ship, or plucked from
You can use whispers to…
the strongboxes of old wrecks. Some characters are also
You can use specimens to… ◊ Discover secret information related to their wording
able to scribe charts as they travel.
◊ Heal damaged traits (usually by using a task) (by whispering them under your breath)
◊ Cook fortifying meals that oer temporary traits ◊ Twist the narrative of the world in your favour (by You can use charts to…
when consumed (by using a task, though a grand speaking them aloud, which allows you to create a ◊ Discover new locations out at sea (usually by
feast would likely be a full project) twist related to the whisper) combining them with other information you know)
◊ Attack your foes if you don't have a dedicated weapon ◊ Force a change (by shouting them, creating a high- ◊ Record safe routes between certain locations (usually
impact twist that's completely out of your control) after a successful journey, which makes subsequent
Specimen Tags journeys easier as long as you have the chart)
◊ Pure/Medicinal: Clears an extra mark when used to Whisper Tags
heal damage to an aspect track, or an injury. ◊ Echoing: Can be used twice before fading. Chart Tags
◊ Heirloom: Has far more worth than usual. ◊ Hungry: Twists made with a hungry whisper remove ◊ Faded: Almost impossible to read.
◊ Rotten: Makes you sick if you eat it. an element of the world, rather than add one. ◊ Detailed: Shows far more information than normal.
Specimen Examples Whisper Examples Chart Examples
Springfox Ru, Scorpion Stinger, Nasturtium Peppers, Ravenous, All's Well that Ends, Tree of Souls, Damned by Red-Ink Trademap, Journal of Old Routes, Channeler's
Green Strawberries, Pouch of Salt, Beast-Blood, Fate, Cut to the Quick, Soft Melodies, Sped and Bundled, Song-Sheet, Dredge Record, Silken Chart, Promise-
Snowspice, Curving Bones, Tiger Limes. Sparks on the Breeze, New Wave Carriageway, Forgotten. Tattooed Hand, Route-Inscribed Plating, Low Star Chart.

Cargo Cargo Tags

Sometimes your crew will happen upon resources that are so large, or present in such high amounts, that they can't Cargo rarely has tags of its own, but if it does, they're
just be picked up and carried around (usually salvage or specimens). Finds like these should be treated as cargo instead likely to be unique to it. A barrel full of delicately spiced
of regular resources, recorded on your ship sheet instead of your character sheet. Note that most pieces of cargo meat might have the Time-Sensitive tag, for example,
yound will need to be transported back to your ship, which might require a dedicated scene or a montage task to to make clear that it will go o and lose its value before
accomplish unless you have NPCs around that can help with such tasks. too long, and a living animal transported in the hold
might be Dangerous or Ornery.
Cargo isn't as easy to obtain as normal resources, but you can use the same skills to attempt it in the right situations.
You can use cargo to…
Cargo Examples
Free-Standing Clock, Crate of Spike-Wine, Makadrill
◊ Barter for upgrades to your ship, in which case a single piece of cargo acts like a new stake (though not every
Carcass, Collection of Statues, Fruiting Lemon Tree,
shipyard will have exactly what you want)
Tamed Springfox, Chest of Icterine Tobacco, Canting
◊ Disassemble, breaking it into three or four smaller pieces that are then recorded as regular resources
Spore Colony, Barrel of Ancient Whisky.
◊ Repair large amounts of structural damage to your ship even without the aid of a shipyard or repair crew

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“You didn’t have to do that.” Mires

The wildsea takes its toll on those that sail it, bringing
The Effects of Mire
As soon as one of your mire boxes is marked, it'll start
Veris sighed, turning her back on out more of their insecurities, phobias, and savage having an eect on your character. Some of these are
the cabin as it began to smoulder. tendencies the longer they stray from port. These are
your mires, the things that drag you down.
mechanical, tangible, dened - some of them are left
more up to your interpretation.
“Yes.” Her expression was Mire Tracks Narrative Effects
unreadable. “I did.” Every character has a set of three mires, chosen during
If one box of a mire is marked, let hints of the condition
bleed through into your roleplay. Perhaps you shy away
character creation, and each of these mires has a special
Romanoska watched her as she two-box track. Here’s an example…
from choices that would usually be easy, or bring the
eects of the mire into a description of a related action.
trudged back to the ship. Clenched Your trigger nger itches uncontrollably
Metal around you sparks and crackles If both boxes of a mire are marked, the mire should be at
sts, deliberate steps. He’d seen The sky is too distant - it calls to you the forefront of your roleplay when possible, informing
their corsair cut down pirates When to Mark Mire your choice of words and actions. Things you'd usually
be able to do might be impossible, you may not be able
by the dozen, laugh as mothryn Your Firey will usually tell you to mark mire in response
to an event you're caught up in, something you're forced
to quell fears or vices, and the way you describe your
harpoons rained down on the deck to do against your better judgement or as a consequence
actions to the other players should make it clear that your
character is suering.
around her, tear the jaws of a of discovering or witnessing something truly disturbing.
Here are a few examples... Mechanical Effects
snapperpillar from her own leg with ◊ You witness the death of a member of the undercrew
The eects of mire aren’t merely narrative either.
nothing more than a grunt of effort ◊ You're forced to eat or drink something beyond
Whenever you try to act in a way thatcontradicts a mire,
you automatically cut a number of dice equal to the
& a wild smile. description to survive
◊ You see one of the horrors of the waves
amount of marks on that mire track (such as trying to
balance on a high branch with a mire marked that relates
But that shack, outwardly no ◊ You step foot in a place not intended for visitors, a
place that you know doesn't want you there
to instability or vertigo).
different from any of the others? ◊ Your journey extends past its expected length due to
Clearing Mire
Whatever she’d seen in there, to damage or delays
◊ You're betrayed by an individual you'd come to trust
While the easiest way to remove a mark of mire is by
playing to your drives (see the page on the right for
drive her to ame as a recourse... ◊ You suer a particularly savage attack from a beast,
details), it’s not the only way. You will also be able to
especially unexpectedly
Romanoska shivered despite the ◊ You turn to cannibalism without prior agreement
clear mire by...
◊ Encountering an unexpected wonder while travelling
heat of the growing blaze. ◊ A choice you make leads directly to the death or
injury of a passenger or friend
the rustling waves (will clear one or two marks
depending on whether you merely see the wonder or
Whatever she’d seen in there, Essentially, whenever your character experiences the have a chance to interact with it)
maybe it was better that it burned. horrors of the sea or turns to savagery where civility
would do, you mark a box of mire.
◊ Setting time aside at port for rest or relaxation
(though it’ll likely cost you some resources)
◊ If your ship has a surgeon, they may also be able to
help in more extreme cases, through the application
of soporic drugs or amateur psychotherapy

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Drives
Everyone at sea has goals they want to achieve, dreams to chase, and secrets to uncover.
These are your drives, the goals that keep your character going - and making progress
on these drives can pull your character out of even their darkest moods. Here are a
few examples…
◊ Find my lost family
◊ Rid myself of the Karka parasite
◊ Discover and loot unexplored pre-verdant ruins
◊ Hunt and capture the Great White Wolf
◊ Decimate the Ripsong Marauders

Using Your Drives

Whenever you achieve something that advances or satises one of your drives, you have
a couple of options to choose from…
Gain a Whisper
You gain a whisper that relates to the drive in some way, making it easier to tie that drive
in to the narrative in the future.
Clear a Mark of Mire
Immediately clear any one of the marked boxes on any of your mire tracks.
Gain a Minor Milestone
Once per session you can add a minor milestone to your character sheet as the result
of advancing one of your drives. Name the milestone something related to the drive
in question.
Gain a Major Milestone
Completely satisfying a drive can give a major milestone if you wish, but if it does you'll
need to wipe that drive o of your sheet and choose a new one to replace it. When
you gain a major milestone in this way, name it based on the drive that was
satised. You can only do this once per session at most.

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There was a turtle by the door, red Milestones Milestone Projects

clay shell covered in towers; a Milestones are narrative achievements that you can
record on your character sheet to use as fuel for various
Once you have a milestone under your belt, you can
consume it to start advancing your character, improving
leviathan writ in miniature, product advancements; extending the length of an aspect’s track, their tracks, skills, and aspects. To do this, you start a
of some youthful artistic urge. adding a rank in a skill or language, or even gaining a
new aspect entirely. They’re split into two types, minor
special project (a montage action discussed on page 64)
which can only be lled through the use of appropriate
The door was amber-glass, a and major. milestones. Using a task with a minor milestone marks 1
box, and using a task with a major milestone marks
smoky sliver of the stuff. She tried Milestones represent things that are important for
your character - whether an event is worth recording a
3 boxes.

not to meet her reection's eyes as milestone over is entirely your decision. You don’t need to roll while taking these tasks - instead
describe what your character does to improve themselves
her prosthetic exed, iron ngers Minor with a narrativelyappropriate milestone (representing
You can record a minor milestone once per session,
snapping shut reexively. usually immediately after an event that you want to have
your character growing from their experience). You
can also spend up to three minor milestones at once,
She knocked again. Glanced up, a small but lasting eect on your character. You might
do it after accomplishing a personal goal, taking part in
marking multiple boxes, as long as they're all
took in a mane of spore-streaked a particularly memorable NPC encounter, or surviving a
narratively appropriate.

hair and an encyclopedia of scars. hard-won ght. Here’s a quick breakdown of the tracks you can create,
and how many boxes you’ll have to ll to reap
Minor milestones come in the form of short memorable
Gods, she looked so old. sentences related to the situation that caused them,
the rewards.
much like a whisper. You write the sentence yourself, Add a box to an aspect’s track . . . . . . . 3-Track Project
The turtle's face was angled so you can tailor it to how you want your character to Develop an aspect . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-Track Project

upwards. She was in the process advance. ‘De-fanged a Giant Snake’, ‘Showed Barton He
Was Wrong’, and ‘Escaped the Cave-In’ are examples of
Gain a new skill rank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-Track Project
Gain a new language rank . . . . . . . . . . 3-Track Project
of nudging it gently with her foot minor milestones. Gain a new aspect . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-Track Project

when the door opened, suddenly Major Combine two aspects . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . 6-Track Project

enough that she went for her sabre These work in the same way as minor milestones, but
should only be recorded once per narrative arc. They have
When you make the track, title it something that
makes it obvious what you’re working towards -
on instinct - a telltale sign of years a larger, long-lasting eect on your character, so choose Improving my Wavewalking, for example. Once the track
on the rustling waves. your memorable sentence carefully! is full, update your character sheet and start your next
Milestone Project!
‘Solved the Mystery of Taurobol Tower’, ‘Took Down the
The man at the door looked her up Mawship Dawntongue’, and ‘Visited the Under-Eaves’
and down before the realisation hit. are examples of major milestones.
Extra Milestones
"Sammy?" The Firey may also give out an additional minor
milestone to the entire crew after a particularly
And then she was in her father's impressive shared achievement, or a major milestone
arms, and twelve again, hot tears as a reward for completing a narrative arc. These don’t
count towards your normal limits, but it’s the Firey that
on turtleshell. She was home. chooses when to oer and what to name them.

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Personal Tracks
The nal section of the character sheet is reserved for any personal tracks you might need to keep an eye on (such as
project tracks, or tracks for temporary gear), but will likely be most used for benets and injuries. Personal tracks are
usually constructed like aspects - some might have special rules, but most are purposefully broad in terms of scope.

Benets Injuries
Benets are temporary bonuses that your character An injury is like a ‘negative benet’ - something you
is subject to. Think of them like limited-use aspects, have to suer the eects of until you fully mark its
if that helps. Essentially, the wording of a benet tells track. They’re most often caused by special monster
you narratively what you're able to do with it, but the attacks, catching a disease or taking a large amount of
mechanical implications of that are left until the benet damage that can’t be absorbed by an aspect.
is used. They might give you the chance to…
While you’re aected, an injurymight…
◊ Absorb incoming damage or detrimental eects
◊ Force you to cut on some actions
◊ Increase impact on an action without cutting
◊ Reduce the impact of some actions
◊ Gain bonus dice on certain actions
◊ Take away a skill or sense
◊ Gain an ability you wouldn’t usually have access to
◊ Add negative eects to some actions, no
◊ Gain temporary ranks in a skill or language
matter the roll
When you gain a benet, the Firey will set a track for it.
Injury tracks can be marked by bed rest,
Every time you use it you mark its track; when the nal
medicinal treatments, and some
box on the track is marked, you lose the benet entirely.
surgeon abilities. When the
A benet might also be lost if you go too long without track is fully marked, the
using it. The ‘Well-Fed’ benet, for example, probably injury is healed.
wouldn’t last more than a few scenes.
Walking it Off
Something for the Future Serious injuries, like a broken bone or lasting
If you found a benet particularly fun or useful, you sickness, will have to be treated medically for
might not want to wipe it o your character sheet your character to recover. Lesser ones can be
entirely when it’s used up - feel free to keep it around and ‘walked o’, allowing you to mark their track every
make it a personal mission to try and get a permanent time they negatively aect you (so continuing to ght
version as your character travels (such as by making a while dazed would shake the eect o after a couple of
unique aspect with the rules on page 91). aected actions, for example).

Benet Examples Injury Examples

Spicy Meal 5-Track Benet Sporelung 4-Track Injury
A warming presence in your belly. Cut on rolls for physical exertion and stealth.
Icterine Spike-Wine 4-Track Benet Karka Parasite 8-Track Injury
Tears at the throat but seriously insulates the stomach. Tightens around your heart whenever you laugh.
Paralyzing Net 3-Track Benet Acid-Splashed 2-Track Injury
Mark to stun or tangle a nearby target. Your jacket sizzles and smokes from time to time.

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CHAPTER 5
CHARACTER CREATION
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The crew cut an odd silhouette as Quickstart Characters

they waited, framed against the Created by choosing one Bloodline, one Origin and one Post from the lists on the next page, and then following the
quickstart instructions for each choice through the rest of this chapter. This gives you a character with skills, aspects
setting sun through the junction's and other elements split evenly between the three parts of your background - perfect for new players and those taking
amber-glass window. part in a one-shot.
Example: Vic wants to get into a game as soon as possible, and doesn’t have the time to browse through all of the options
An ironbound, body made out of available. They decide to create a quickstart character, and look at the bloodline, origin and post descriptions on this and the next
pottery shards and old rig-roping. page. Ektus, Shankling and Corsair all stand out to them, so they note down the page numbers and work through the quickstart
kits on each of those pages. With all choices made, they’ve got a character ready to go!
A mothryn with broken wings, When picking skills and languages from a quickstart kit, you can pick the same one multiple times (so you might take
leaning back in her chair and the Chthonic language three times when creating an ardent character, for example). As long as you don’t raise the rank
absentmindedly sharpening the of any individual skill or language above three, you’re in the clear.

teeth of her jagserry. An ardent Personalisation

Never be afraid to make one-to-one switches as you put together your character - one skill for another, a suggested
with three prosthetic limbs and a aspect for another that catches your eye. Perhaps none of the resources oered by a kit suit you - in that case, make up a
few of your own, or take one from the example lists on pages 64 and 65.
glint of ame behind their eyes, and
an ektus sat too close to them that If you nd yourself making multiple substitutions, you might nd a freeform character is more your speed!

anyone would mistake it as mere

friendship. Freeform Characters
Freeform character creation gives you maximum freedom. You pick or create every facet of your character, allowing you
The crew of the Harkened Hawk to make something unique - hopefully exactly what you want to play. It’ll take more time than a quickstart character,
but also oers far more exibility. You’ll also benet massively from creating your character with the other players in
had only been together for a few your group, which can be a great session zero activity.
years, but they had a bond that When creating a freeform character you have the choice of starting as aYoung Gun or an Old Dog. Young guns have
would last a lifetime. limited choices, forcing you to focus on exactly what you want, and give huge scope for growth and development
through a campaign. Old dogs are on par with a quickstart character in terms of power, better for one-shots.
A Unique Background
A freeform character should still have a bloodline, an origin and a post), but they doesn’t have to be pulled from the
options presented in this chapter. This is your chance to dene yourself entirely as you like - make a gau-ektus hybrid
with aspects from both, write your origin as ‘sky city’ or your post as ‘rancher’ - as long as it ts the tone of your game,
you should feel free to go for it (or stick with the ocial ones, it’s entirely up to you).
A Young Gun begins with… An Old Dog begins with…
◊ 3 Edges ◊ 3 Edges
◊ 8 Skill or Language ranks (maximum starting rank 2) ◊ 15 Skill / Language ranks (maximum starting rank 3)
◊ 4 Aspects taken from any bloodlines, origins or posts ◊ 6 Aspects taken from any bloodlines, origins or posts
◊ 4 Resources ◊ 6 Resources
◊ 3 Drives and 3 Mires ◊ 3 Drives and 3 Mires

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The quartermaster looked the new Bloodlines on Offer Origins on Offer

recruit up and down. it wasn't a Your bloodline describes what you are, a truth written in
blood or sap or chitin. You’ll be instantly recognizable as
Your origin denotes the kind of environment you lived
in before you became a wildsailor. It doesn’t need to be
quick process - not only was the a member of your bloodline, unless you go to impressive where you grew up, though it can be - it could also be a
man something approaching eight lengths to hide it. place or culture that left a lasting impact on you.

feet tall, he had muscles the sailor The bloodlines on oer are Ardent, Ektus, Gau, and
Tzelicrae.
The origins on oer are Ridgeback, Rootless, Shankling,
and Spit-Born.
didn't even know an ardent's body Ardent [Pg 70] Ridgeback [Pg 78]
could hold. The descendants of those humans that survived the Raised on mountaintop islands, battered and hardened
explosive growth of the wildsea. The ardent are natural by the elements. Ridgebacks are larger and much tougher
"I'm guessing you were born on survivors watched over by ancestral spirits. than the average wildsea denizen.
on the old mountaintops, yeah? A Ektus [Pg 72] Rootless [Pg 80]
ridgeback?" Towering, spine-studded cactoids whose deserts were
eaten by the verdancy. The ektus are strong, resilient and
Those born to the seafaring life, on a ship cutting
through the rustling waves. The rootless learn how to
"How did you know?" the recruit in tune with their natural surroundings. handle the dangers of the sea from a young age.

intoned, every word falling like Gau [Pg 74] Shankling [Pg 82]
Fungal humanoids set free from their old homes by this Those that spent their early lives in cities hanging from
a stone slab as they reached up new world of rot and growth. The gau are swift and spry, the boughs of tallshanks, the wildsea’s largest trees.
to adjust the ram-skull mask that making the best of their freedom. Shanklings usually have devil-may-care attitude and a
great head for heights.
covered their face. Tzelicrae [Pg 76]
Secretive spider-colonies wearing humanesque skins. Spit-Born [Pg 84]
"Just a hunch. Ever, uh... Ever The tzelicrae are mysterious and unsettling, masters of
movement and mimicry.
Raised in the relative safety of an island or ruin caught up
in the wildsea’s growth. Most spit-born value trade, trust
worked on a ship before?" and hospitality to strangers.

"No. But I learn quickly."

The quartermaster looked around
the bustling docks around them, at
the complete absence of mountain.
"You're... Pretty far from home,"
was all he could think to say.
The recruit regarded him,
expression hidden by his mask.
"Not far enough."
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Posts on Offer Hunter [Pg 94]

Your post denotes your position on the ship, or at least Patient trackers who bring in food and supplies for
the kind of activities you’ve trained for while travelling their crews. Many hunters specialize in bringing down a
the rustling waves. particular type of quarry.
The posts on oer are Char, Corsair, Dredger, Hacker, Rattlehand [Pg 96]
Hunter, Rattlehand, and Tempest. Wilds engineers with a passion for salvage. The average
rattlehand is at their best when repairing ships or
Char [Pg 86] crafting new, unusual gear.
Culinary masterminds who use meats and spices to
imbue their dishes with lasting positive eects. Tempest [Pg 98]
Those that have tasted the storm, and come back
Corsair [Pg 88] changed - destructive dervishes of thunder and
Dextrous masters of close quarter combat, ready to take
lightning.
on anything that threatens their ship.
Dredger [Pg 90]
Scavengers who trawl wrecks and ruins for loot and
treasures. Most dredgers can gain entry to closed-o
areas and pick out valuable trinkets at a glance.
Hacker [Pg 92]
Brave souls who take blade and acid to the verdant sea,
carving paths for their companions. Hackers thrive when
armed with hewing and serrated weapons.

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ARDENT BLOODLINE
The weathered decendants of the ancient human race.
The ardent are the Wildsea form of the human race, the descendants of those humans
that survived the verdancy and lived through the harsh years that came after. They are
ethnically and culturally diverse, although in recent years have begun banding together
to form trade partnerships, military alliances and edgling nations.
The ardent are human in appearance, but with a genetic tendency toward looking and
being rough, sinewy and weathered. Even the weakest of the ardent are still far better
suited to the world of the Wildsea than their human ancestors.
Carved by the Waves
Though the changes from their ancestral human stock may be minimal in terms of
appearance, they run far deeper than the surface - the ardent excel in sheer survivability,
with even their souls clinging tenaciously to the material realm after death. The poisons
and plagues of the rustling waves seem to pass them by, and even simpler hazards like
spoiled food are easily ignored.
Ancestral Echoes
The ardent are far from the only creatures on the rustling waves to have a connection
to the more spiritual side of existence, but theirs might be the most curious - spirits
bonded to family lines, oering wisdom and aid to those that listen. Dierent ardent
cultures and groups interact with these spirits to varying degrees, but it's rare to nd one
that ignores or denies their existence completely.
Questions to Consider
When you incorporate elements of the ardent into your character, consider the following
questions...
◊ How far back can you trace your ancestry? Do your family still tell tales of those that
ed to the mountains, or were trapped in broken architecture as it rose on branch
and wave?
◊ To what extent does the spiritual side of your bloodline aect your life? When your
ancestors contact you, what form does it take?
◊ What pushed you toward the life of a wildsailor? Was it something you felt born to
be, or a choice that became clear due to some happening or event?
Alternate Presentations
Perhaps the most obvious alternate interpretation of the ardent would be to cast them
as true humans, clinging on to existence in the wake of the verdancy without having
undergone the adaptations noted in their ction. The aspects presented could also work
very well to represent a more bestial character, a humanesque individual that draws
from other mammalian concepts.

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ASPECTS QUICKSTART KIT

Your aspects help make your character unique, giving them ways to break the normal rules of the Wildsea. They also When you’re making a quickstart character
act as ctional permissions, to an extent - choose ones that speak to you, that you think you can weave into your story. and choose ardent as your post, you gain
During Quickstart creation, choose 2 aspects from the list below. the following bonuses...
Tough as Nails 4-Track Trait Scimitar 4-Track Gear Edge (Choose 1)
You’re a natural survivor. Rolls made to treat or heal an A curved blade that deals CQ keen damage. Iron, Teeth, Tides
injury you're suering from treat conicts as triumphs.
Machete 2-Track Gear Skills & Languages (Choose 5)
Ghostsight 3-Track Trait A trusty blade used as a tool as often as it is a weapon. Skills: Sense, Sway, Tend, Vault, Wavewalk
You can clearly see spirits and the spectral realm. Deals CQ hewing damage. Increase impact when clearing Languages: Chthonic, Old Hand
vegetation with this gear.
Strong Stomach 3-Track Trait Resources (Choose 2)
Reduce the impact of poisons, diseases and sickness. Hand Crossbow 4-Track Gear Salvage: Stone Fragments, Highwood Planks
A compact crossbow. Deals LR spike damage. Specimens: Caged Bird, Milkweed
Ironclad Mind 4-Track Trait Whispers: Grove of Twisted Trees
You are immune to hallucinations, mesmerics and Ragged Longcoat 3-Track Gear Charts: A Copper-Coloured Chart
mental compulsions. You’re resistant to three damage types, chosen from the
Guide My Hands 3-Track Trait following list: Blunt, Keen, Spike, Hewing, Serrated. Drive (Choose 1)
Solve problems in ardent settlements
Burn to borrow a measure of an ancestor’s competency, Ancestral Spirit 3-Track Companion Make amends for an ancestor’s wrongs
gaining two ranks in any skill for the duration of a scene. You’re haunted by a benevolent spirit. Mark to learn a
Sporescarf 4-Track Gear secret from the spectral realm (once per scene). Mire (Choose 1)
The call of the under-eaves grows strong
Thickly-woven bres sealed with tar. Resist the eects of Watch-Wolf 3-Track Companion Your ancestors whisper of their disappointment
bad air and airborne spores. A loyal lupine companion that will defend you to the
death. Deals CQ spike damage.
Pre-Verdant Heirloom 3-Track Gear
A vestige of the long-buried past. When you would mark Grizzled Ratter 3-Track Companion
mire you can choose to mark this instead. A sly ship-born feline, adept at pursuing tiny creatures.
Mark to create a resource, Hunter’sOering.
Segmented Torc 2-Track Gear
Crafted from reclaimed wreckage, said to hold the luck
that others lack. Whenever you gain a temporary benet,
increase that benet’s track by one box.
Ajna 4-Track Gear
A stringed instrument designed to be played by a duo,
one using a bow and one plucking with spectral ngers.
Mark to allow all present to see spirits and the spectral
realm for the duration of a song.

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EKTUS BLOODLINE
Proud cactoid wanderers from the Eaten East.
Fibrous and towering, the ektus embody pride and stability in the face of hardship.
Though their ancestral deserts were lost to the hunger of the verdancy’s roots they
survived, and some of their oldest kings still remember the days of sand and soil.
The typical ektus is cactoid, long-limbed and weighty, their brous skin decorated with
spines, blooms and rough-healed scars. Though they lack identiable facial features
each ektus is set apart from their fellows by size, posture, bloom-scatter and head-
shape. Despite this the owers growing on an ektus are far from decorative, and many
double as sensory organs.
Ancient Culture Preserved
The ektus are the longest-lived of the bloodlines (save perhaps for those that exist in a
permanent state of un-life), and many of the oldest specimens claim to remember, if
a little vaguely, the time before the wildsea's arrival. While this sheds little light on the
specics of the wider pre-verdant world, it has had the eect of keeping various ektus
enclaves (which were as split as those of any other bloodline during the verdancy's
apocalyptic arrival) culturally homogenous, at least for the most part.
The Eaten Desert
Many ektus still hold a strong connection to the Icterine, a blazing hot reach of ironspine
cacti far to the west. It's not the current state of the reach that intrigues and pulls them
back, but its history - in the pre-verdant era the desert played host to a huge empire of
red and white stone, the greatest achievement of this now-scattered civilization.
Questions to Consider
When you incorporate elements of the ektus into your character, consider the following
questions...
◊ What is your connection to ektus history, or the eaten desert? Is it a legend you hold
in your heart, or a ghost of the past you're trying to move on from?
◊ Do you trim your spines for the benet of those around you, or leave them long to
scratch and catch on your fellows?
◊ Though lacking a mouth, ektus still eat (usually by crushing food in their hands and
absorbing the juices). What delicacies have you discovered on your travels that keep
you coming back for more?
Alternate Presentations
Ektus are treated as singular cactoid entities by the rules, but their cultural focus on
grafting might be played up into creating an individual composed of many cactus
specimens grown together, working in harmony. Alternatively the spined element could
be downplayed to make a more traditional plant-based bloodline - an ektus based on
intertwined bromeliads perhaps, or lilies, or roses.

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ASPECTS QUICKSTART KIT

Your aspects help make your character unique, giving them ways to break the normal rules of the Wildsea. They also When you’re making a quickstart character
act as ctional permissions, to an extent - choose ones that speak to you, that you think you can weave into your story. and choose ektus as your bloodline, you gain
During Quickstart creation, choose 2 aspects from the list below. the following bonuses...
Towering 5-Track Trait Zephyrskin Drums 4-Track Gear Edge (Choose 1)
You stand head and shoulders above most others. A set of hip-drums decorated with saprekk-inuenced Iron, Sharps, Tides
patterns. Zephyrskin drums heat the air around them
1000 Needles 3-Track Trait when played.
Skills & Languages (Choose 5)
Deal spike damage to any creature that attacks you with Skills: Brace, Break, Hack, Sense, Tend
their own body in close quarters (such as with tail or bite Tower Shield 5-Track Gear Languages: Saprekk, Brasstongue, Highvin
attacks). An immense shield of wood and iron, built to last.
Resources (Choose 2)
Iris Blossom 2-Track Trait Wedge-Axe 4-Track Trait Salvage: Porous Stone, Bronze Locket
You can see heat the way others see colour. A long-handled axe that deals CQ hewing damage. Specimens: Scarab Shell, Iron-Hard Needles
Whispers: A Desert Lost to Time
Heliovore 3-Track Trait Heavy Chakram 3-Track Gear Charts: A Dusty Chart
Heal a mark of damage on any one of your traits after A set of weighty throwing blades, dealing LR keen or
spending a day in strong sunlight. hewing damage. Drive (Choose 1)
Solve problems in ektus settlements
Cactus-Flesh Filtration 3-Track Trait Desert Harness 3-Track Gear Seek out relics of the eaten desert
Use a task to give any liquid resource the ‘Pure’ tag. You’re resistant to three damage types, chosen from the
Longspine 4-Track Trait following list: Spike, Hewing, Serrated, Frost, Flame. Mire (Choose 1)
Your thorns cut, scratch and catch
Your body is covered in iron-hard spines that deal CQ Catekora 3-Track Companion Your vision dims, your blooms wilting
spike damage. A quilled, brous feline with a penchant for ring spines
when provoked. Deals LR spike damage.
Tar-Scrawl Tattoos 3-Track Trait
Resist the eects of bad air and airborne spores. Burrowing Bees 2-Track Companion
Flightless desert bees that crawl across your body. You
Solid Footing 4-Track Trait are immune to damage and eects caused by swarms.
Treat conicts as triumphs when attempting to avoid
being tripped, pushed or forcefully moved.
Grafted Limb 3-Track Trait
An ancient seal of a trade and fealty. Burn to call attention
to this trophy and request a favour from another non-
hostile ektus - it should not be refused.
Stone-Bound Histories 3-Track Gear
A tattered tome of ancient stories handed down by the
eldest ektus survivors of the pre-verdant days. Use a task
to gain a sliver of Pre-V information.

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GAU BLOODLINE
Fungal explorers gifted freedom by the rustling waves.
The verdancy was a death knell for many cultures, but for the gau it was a ourishing -
an opportunity to leave the warm, safe darkness of their mycosanctums and explore a
new world of rot and growth.
Most gau have exible limbs and mottled fungal esh, but the dierences between
various families are vast. Some gau lack eyes while others have many, some sprout
tendrils, others spore-sacs, while yet others are sculpted remarkably close to an eln
visage of humanity lost.
Mycosanctums
Somewhere between a ship, a spawning-ground and a fortress, a mycosanctum is a
living construction of protective fungus (sometimes miles across). In the pre-verdant
times they were usually located in shadowed marshes and mountain caverns, but much
like their inhabitants they've gained a lot more mobility since the world-forest came.
Living within a mycosanctum for an extended period as any other bloodline than gau is
often a less than pleasant experience. Those that try nd their clothes and hair thick with
spores, their noses (if they have one) clogged or streaming depending on the chemical
breezes of the day, and the food... Well, best not talk about the food.
Yearning Growth
Gau biology is something of a puzzle, even to the most learned scholars and surgeons.
While each family has certain traits that are passed on over the generations, an
individual gau also seems to change and adapt to t their environment at an impressive
pace. In a world of mutative crezzerin this may not seem unusual on the surface, but
it's the process that makes it unique - an ironbound might build their own body, or
a tzelicrae craft their preferred skin, but the fungal form of a gau adapts to what the
individual wants it to be, without training or conscious eort.
Questions to Consider
When you incorporate elements of the gau into your character, consider the following
questions...
◊ How many of your family traits show in your form, and how much of you is a
response to the yearning growth?
◊ Did you grow within the connes of a mycosanctum and, if so, what was from the
outside world that tugged at you to leave?
◊ How much kinship do you feel with other gau out on the waves, especially those with
vastly dierent lives to your own?
Alternate Presentations
Gau physiology is already extremely exible. A gau colony or character could be based
not so much around mushrooms but instead mold, or lichen, or even something far less
common on the wildsea like seaweed or coral.

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ASPECTS QUICKSTART KIT

Your aspects help make your character unique, giving them ways to break the normal rules of the Wildsea. They also When you’re making a quickstart character
act as ctional permissions, to an extent - choose ones that speak to you, that you think you can weave into your story. and choose gau as your post, you gain
During Quickstart creation, choose 2 aspects from the list below. the following bonuses...
Luminous Patches 4-Track Trait Medicine Pouch 3-Track Gear Edge (Choose 1)
You can shed light at will. Others rarely ask where the medicines are collected. Use a Grace, Instinct, Veils
task to create a rare resource, Medicinal Herbs.
Unfurling Flare 4-Track Trait Skills & Languages (Choose 5)
A exing mantle of myconic eshthat unfurls to increase Nurturing Pitch-Jar 2-Track Gear Skills: Delve, Hunt, Outwit, Vault, Wavewalk
your physicl size. Treat conicts as triumphs when A blackened glass jar that holds an eager colony of Languages: Gaudimm, Raka Spit
intimidating smaller targets. ironroot mold. Use a task to create a specimen copy of
any piece of salvage you own, with the ‘fungal’ tag.
Resources (Choose 2)
Camouage Mottle 3-Track Trait Salvage: Fluted Stone, Fossilized Fungus
Increase impact when using hiding or moving stealthily Jag-Lash 4-Track Gear Specimens: Fat-Bodied Beetle, Sourvine Extract
in either a natural or urban environment (choose which A leather cord studded with teeth or salvaged metal. Whispers: Mycosanctum Rumblings
environment when you take this trait). Deals CQ serrated damage. Charts: A Chart of Many Colours
Fungal Tendril 3-Track Trait Spore-Slinger 3-Track Gear Drive (Choose 1)
You have an additional tendril-like limb, allowing you to A sling-like contraption for lobbing spore-bombs, Solve problems in gau settlements
hold and manipulate more objects than usual. dealing LR toxin or blast damage. Help other gau explore the wider waves
Mycoltration 2-Track Trait Pangoshroom 4-Track Companion Mire (Choose 1)
You can see perfectly within sporeclouds, and you resist A slow-moving but well-armoured fungal companion Your esh turns brittle, making it harder to move
the eects of bad air and airborne spores. that wants nothing more than to keep you safe. You leave a trail of spores as you move
Spore-Sacs 4-Track Trait Sporehund 3-Track Companion
Mark to obscure your current area with a dense cloud of A loyal companion that deals CQ toxin damage.
spores.
Cordysect 3-Track Companion
Naturally Hallucinogenic 3-Track Trait A slow-ying beetle riddled with fungal growths. Mark
Your sheddings have mild psychotropic properties. Mark to gain a burst of dense sensory information from its
to create a rare resource, HallucinogenicSpores. surroundings, revealing oddities and secrets.
Fungal Fortress 3-Track Trait
You’re resistant to three damage types, chosen from the
following list: Keen, Hewing, Toxin, Acid, Frost.
Proliferation 3-Track Trait
Burn to grant an ally a copy of any one of your aspects
(other than this one) as a temporary benet. The
benet’s track is equal to the original aspect’s track.

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TZELICRAE BLOODLINE
Spider-colonies wrapped in humanesque skins; thousands of tiny arachnid minds threaded
like beads on a string to produce a full, rich sentience.

Becoming a more common sight across the Wildsea by the year, the tzelicrae are spider
colonies raised to sentience through an unknown and mysterious process. Though
technically thousands of individual minds and bodies working together, most tzelicrae
think of themselves as a singular being. Though no more or less likely to be dangerous
as any other denizens of the Wildsea, fear and distrust of them runs deep in many
communities due to their unsettling attempts at mimicry.
Self-Made Swarms
In their earliest form the tzelicrae are a coherent swarm, arachnid masses with little in
the way of a dened shape. As their minds develop with age they naturally incorporate
parts of their surroundings into the swarm, most often rags, canvas and pieces of
salvage. These, combined with spidersilk, serve as the foundation of the adult tzelicrae’s
body - a shell to protect the swarm within.
From this point a tzelicrae is considered mature, but self-improvement is a constant
process. Some test the limits of their control by adding additional limbs or unusual
materials, others by adopting additional spiders into their colony to increase their
mass and weight. Many adopt the shapes and mannerisms of other Wildsea creatures,
particularly of the other common bloodlines - a very lucky few of these win the Lottery
of Skin, obtaining and inhabiting a cast-o body to puppeteer.
Hive-Mind Perspective
The level of individuality a colony settles at varies from tzelicrae to tzelicrae. Some refer
to themselves as a collective ‘we’, organizing and compartmentalizing their minds to
allow dierent areas to consider alternate viewpoints at the same time. Others revel in
the singular ‘I’, with every component spider working and thinking in perfect harmony.
Questions to Consider
When you incorporate elements of the tzelicrae into your character, consider the
following questions...
◊ What are you made of, in terms of outer layer Bone and silk, canvas and brass,
stolen skin or something else entirely?
◊ Have you ever had a true disagreement with yourself, a topic or opinion on which
your colony is split?
◊ Have you incorporated spiders from other tzelicrae throughout your life, or adopted
foundlings? What memories have such additions gifted you?
Alternate Presentations
Though tzelicrae are arachnid by default, there’s no reason yours has to be. A hive-mind
colony of termites or bees would work just as well, or perhaps even of something even
more bizarre - squirrels, maybe, or miniature machines?

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ASPECTS QUICKSTART KIT

Your aspects help make your character unique, giving them ways to break the normal rules of the Wildsea. They also When you’re making a quickstart character
act as ctional permissions, to an extent - choose ones that speak to you, that you think you can weave into your story. and choose tzelicrae as your bloodline, you gain
During Quickstart creation, choose 2 aspects from the list below. the following bonuses...

Arachnid Mobility 2-Track Trait Motley Carapace 5-Track Gear Edge (Choose 1)
You never cutfor diculty when climbing. You’ve incorporated an assortment of discarded armour Grace, Teeth, Veils
pieces into your skin.
The Lottery of Skin 4-Track Trait Skills & Languages (Choose 5)
Choose either Ardent, Ektus or Gau. You can pass as a Hush-Silk Garments 4-Track Gear Skills: Outwit, Sense, Study, Vault, Wavewalk
member of this species under casual inspection. Your clothes are woven of ne silk that naturally Languages: Knock, Chthonic, Saprekk, Gaudimm
dampens sound, making even your dramatic movements
Ersatz Limbs 4-Track Trait almost entirely silent.
Resources (Choose 2)
You have one or more additional arms, allowing you to Salvage: Frayed Ropes, Patterned Canvas
hold and manipulate many objects at once. Iron Satchel 4-Track Gear Specimens: Spider Husks, Venom Extract
A secure, wearable lockbox that can only be opened by a Whispers: A Prison of Skin
Tremorsense 2-Track Trait single specic spider within you. Charts: A Port Manifest in Knock
You can feel even the smallest vibrations in the air and
ground around you. Blade of Husks 3-Track Gear Drive (Choose 1)
A ritual weapon made from the chitin of lost colony- Solve problems in tzelicrae settlements
Gossamercraft 3-Track Trait members. Deals CQ keen or salt damage. Show others they are wrong to fear your kind
Mark to produce a resource, Silk-Like Web (either dry or
sticky). Swarm-Scout 3-Track Companion Mire (Choose 1)
A single spider you can send ahead as a scout, allowing Spiders escape your skin, striving for individuality
Manifold Linguist 3-Track Trait you to see and hear at a distance. Your movements are staccato, disturbing
You count as uent when communicating with
intelligent insects, hive-minds and other tzelicrae, Rogue Doomsayer 3-Track Companion
regardless of languages used. An unsettled fragment of personality. Mark to request a
dark and unbidden (but likely pertinent) thought from
Spiderbite 4-Track Trait the Firey.
You have a set of fangs that can deal CQ toxin damage.
Shirk the Skin 5-Track Trait
Burn to leave your skin for a short period. When outside
your skin you are a mass of moving spiders, and can
easily move through small spaces and climb any surface.
Shroom Hookah 3-Track Gear
You’re resistant to three damage types, chosen from the
following list: Keen, Spike, Serrated, Hewing, Toxin.

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RIDGEBACK ORIGIN
Raised on a mesa or mountaintop island. Solid ground, but far from safe.
In the earliest days of the verdancy many mountain-dwelling folk considered
themselves divinely spared from the forest that ate the world. Unfortunately, their
sanctuaries quickly turned to graveyards; the harsher weather and lack of food meant
that many died from exposure and disease, and those that clung on too often found dark
solace in cults or cannibalism.
Those days are over now, for the most part, but their inuence still shows. Those raised
on the ridgebacks are built larger and stronger than their kin, and often worship strange,
tenuous godlings.
Sturdy Ground
Unlike most on the wildsea, children growing up in ridgeback communities did so
with solid ground under their feet and interaction with the waves around them as
an option rather than a necessity. Despite their colonies being larger than most they
produce comparatively few sailors, with most drawn to tasks making use of their unique
environment - mining, stoneworking, smithing and cattle-herding.
Gods for the Godless
While many small settlements (and even some larger cultures) have deities and godlings
that they worship or sacrice to, organised religion is a rarity on the rustling waves.
Ridgeback communities are more likely than most to have preserved the pre-verdant
idea of warring higher powers and omnipotent watchers, but even these ideas become
corrupt or debase over time. Bestial iconography is common, as are stories of divine
punishment.
Questions to Consider
When you incorporate elements of the ridgeback into your character, consider the
following questions...
◊ Did you settle a mountaintop island post-verdancy, or did your ancestors ee to one
in the chaos of the event itself?
◊ The ridgeback life often tough and uncompromising. What lasting scar do you have
from what you thought would be a harmless task?
◊ What animals are tended to on your safe-stone home, and why? For milk, meat,
wool or something else entirely?
Alternate Presentations
To keep the 'stable ground' feeling of the ridgeback while divorcing it from the
mountains, consider the hide or carapace of a slow moving leviathan as foundation for
a community. On the other hand, running with the concept of life being a superstitious
struggle, a ridgeback community could easily exist on a spire of rock trapped at the edge
of a rift or shankfall, a great empty darkness perpetually beneath them.

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ASPECTS QUICKSTART KIT

Your aspects help make your character unique, giving them ways to break the normal rules of the Wildsea. They also When you’re making a quickstart character
act as ctional permissions, to an extent - choose ones that speak to you, that you think you can weave into your story. and choose ridgeback as your origin, you gain
During Quickstart creation, choose 2 aspects from the list below. the following bonuses...

Barrel-Chested 5-Track Trait Whispering Charm 3-Track Gear Edge (Choose 1)

You may not be built fancy, but you are built sturdy. Consume a whisper to learn a secret about a nearby Grace, Iron, Teeth
individual (supplied by the Firey).
Stone Hearted 4-Track Trait Skills & Languages (Choose 5)
Once per scene, increase impact on any successful action Hexed Tooth 3-Track Gear Skills: Brace, Break, Cook, Hunt, Tend
taken whilst on ancient ground. Mark to levitate and control exposed bone. Languages: Chthonic, Brasstongue, Old Hand
Search for Omens 3-Track Trait Great Beast Horns 3-Track Gear Resources (Choose 2)
Mark to ask a question and receive an omen to interpret These might have deep ceremonial meaning, or just cut Salvage: Knucklebone Dice, Sharpened Stones
in return (supplied by the Firey). an impressive silhouette - either way these horns deal Specimens: Giant Wolf Jaw, Gorse Root
CQ spike damage, and you ignore cut when defending Whispers: Caves Beneath
Thick Skin 3-Track Trait yourself against charging opponents. Charts: A Faded Almanac
You’re resistant to three damage types, chosen from the
following list: Blunt, Toxin, Cold, Salt, Volt. Shamanic Idol 4-Track Gear Drive (Choose 1)
Holds a sliver of power from a not-quite-god. Deals LR Climb the highest peaks
Crushing Blows 4-Track Trait salt damage. Discover and claim an unknown mountain-top
Your sts and feet are the only weapons you need. They
deal CQ blunt damage. Swift Hawk 2-Track Companion Mire (Choose 1)
A surly, vicious bird that can deal LR keen damage. Once The roll of the waves sickens you
Fragments Like Gods 3-Track Trait per scene, hijack to temporarily blind or distract an Your mind turns to sacrice in times of trouble
Whenever you gain a stone-based resource, give it the
attacking opponent.
Sacred tag.
Archaeodermis 2-Track Trait Mountain Snouter 3-Track Companion
An ill-tempered boar with cruel tusks. Deals CQ spike
Your skin (or whatever you have as an outer covering)
damage, and is large enough to ride.
mimics the mountain you were raised on. You're
immune to keen damage, as well as bites and stings from
small creatures.
Chipping Tools 3-Track Gear
Treat conicts as triumphs when altering or working
with stone or bone.
Leviathan Furs 4-Track Gear
You never mark mire when confronted with an unknown
or terrifying beast, no matter the size.
Ritual Mask 3-Track Gear
You can clearly see spirits and the spectral realm.

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ROOTLESS ORIGIN
Born into the wildsailor’s life, on a ship of oating colony.
In a world where solid ground is hard-won and reliable clean water scarce, nomads are
common. The rootless are those that have fully embraced the nomadic lifestyle, drifting
from place to place on family-owned ships handed down from one generation to the
next. For many rootless, family ties are forever… but the call of the horizon is strong.
Rootless tend to be hardy sorts, raised among the perils of the open sea - they have no
illusions about the waves, understanding their danger and their beauty in equal parts.
Fleetfamilies
Rootless families aren't decided by who shares blood, but rather who shares a ship
- serve on a vessel for long enough and you become more than just crew. There are
no distinctions between bloodline, no tests to pass or arduous examinations. All a
eetfamily is, at its heart, is a group of people who have sailed the same waves and
come to both respect and rely on each other. Large galleys, shared sleeping spaces and
communcal eating areas are all entirely normal.
A Roving Lifestyle
You go where the waves take you - it's a common adage among the rootless, but life is
rarely as simple as that. Rootless ships choose their destinations based on need; perhaps
for medical supplies, or a certain foodstu, a trade opportunity or a bout of nostalgia.
Questions to Consider
When you incorporate elements of the rootless into your character, consider the
following questions...
◊ Were you born on your eetfamily's ship, destined for inclusion?
◊ What port have you visited that left a mark on you, for good or ill? Were you ever
tempted to stay behind as your ship left?
◊ Have you ever oered a place in the family to an orphan, an unfortunate or a
runaway? If so, do you still see them now?
Alternate Presentations
Rather than focus on a roving lifestyle rootless colonies could take on elements of the
trade-ships of old, cutting precise paths between multiple settlements repeated year
after year. You could even remove the concept of movement altogether but keep the
proximity to the sea, treating the rootless as wreck- or reef-dwellers.

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ASPECTS QUICKSTART KIT

Your aspects help make your character unique, giving them ways to break the normal rules of the Wildsea. They also When you’re making a quickstart character
act as ctional permissions, to an extent - choose ones that speak to you, that you think you can weave into your story. and choose rootless as your origin, you gain
During Quickstart creation, choose 2 aspects from the list below. the following bonuses...

Family Ties 3-Track Trait Fishing Lure 3-Track Gear Edge (Choose 1)
When you make a discovery during a journey, mark to tie Add a positive tag to any living specimen you acquire Grace, Instinct, Tides
it to your family in some way (such as a blood relative, while shing.
eetfamily member or family friend).
Skills & Languages (Choose 5)
Patterned Sash 3-Track Gear Skills: Cook, Flourish, Hack, Sway, Rattle
Hull Hearted 3-Track Trait Treat conicts as triumphs when using social skills to Languages: Brasstongue, Raka Spit, Signalling
Once per scene, increase impact on any successful action aect animals.
taken whilst aboard a ship you own or crew.
Resources (Choose 2)
Shortspear 4-Track Gear Salvage: Rusted Cogs, Sailcloth
Wild Words 3-Track Trait Traditionally used for deckside defence. Deals CQ spike Specimens: Wormapple, Firey Bulbs
Mark to remember a rumour or folktale pertinent to your damage. Whispers: A Welcoming Fleet
situation (supplied by the Firey). Charts: A Many-Folded Chart
Slingshot 3-Track Gear
Needs Must 4-Track Trait A simple slingshot, loaded with anything from stones to Drive (Choose 1)
You never mark mire for consuming food or drink, no scrap to seeds. Deals LR blunt or blast damage. Aid rootless ships and colonies
matter the source or condition. Solve the problems of your family members
Tarscale Armour 4-Track Gear
Born to Sail 4-Track Trait Resist the hazardous eects of crezzerin exposure Mire (Choose 1)
You always know true North, and ignore cut on (searing, hallucinations, mutation). The open sky is wide, oppressive
movement-related actions caused by adverse seas or Outsiders are dicult to trust
damage to your ship.
Springfox 3-Track Companion
A nimble wildsea vulpine known to dance in the wake of
Sundew Senses 3-Track Trait larger ships. Once per journey you may treat the outcome
You can instantly identify the presence and potential of a watch roll as Peace, no matter the result.
dangers of nearby predatory plants, no matter how well
they're camouaged.
Ring-Tailed Rabble-Rouser 4-Track Companion
A pugnacious lemur companion with a natural curiosity
Fleetfamily Scarf 3-Track Gear when it comes to the running of a wildsea vessel.
A beautifully made sporescarf passed from traveller to
seasoned traveller. You're immune to the eects of bad
air and airborne spores.
Nomad's Phrasebook 2-Track Gear
Whenever you take a montage you can study your
phrasebook (in addition to your usual task), gaining a
smattering of any one language until your next montage.
Mechanical Limb 5-Track Gear
A rusting prosthetic that feels no pain.

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SHANKLING ORIGIN
A youth spent leaping branch to branch, high above the rustling waves.
Tallshanks are trees titanic even by the standards of the Wildsea, their trunks spearing
up through the waves, their crowns rarely less than half a mile wide.
The shanklings saw potential in the lofty reaches of these crowns, a separation from the
predators of the wider waves below. Their cities and airship high-ports sprawl across the
branches, old ruins dredged from the depths now hanging from sturdy chains and linked
by ropes and bridges. Shankling citizens tend to be elegant, decisive and entirely unfazed
by heights, typically dressed in clothes styled to resemble the birds and feathered lizards
of their towering homes.
It's a Long Way Down
There are dangers inherent to living at such a height, and it's not uncommon to nd
visitors to shankling settlements clinging to guard-rails and guide-ropes for dear life.
For the inhabitants it's a dierent story; growing up aware of the risks (and with the
occasional plummeting-related death as a reminder) few are daredevils, but most move
with a simple condence around dizzying drops that a wave-level citizen never could.
High Fashion
Perhaps inspired by the birds they share their homes with, shanklings have a reputation
for using bright, vibrant colours for everything from shop-fronts to clothing, bridge-
ropes to hull plating. Aesthetic is important in most shankling communities, and
fashions grow and wither with the seasons.
Questions to Consider
When you incorporate elements of the mothryn into your character, consider the
following questions...
◊ Why y the nest? What was it about the waves that brought you down from your
perch to explore among the thrash?
◊ What's your personal aesthetic, and how (if at all) do your clothes call to mind the
realities of your home environment?
◊ Did you ever fall from the boughs of your tallshank home? Ff so, what saved you?
Alternate Presentations
While most shanklings present as colourful, elegant and bird-inspired, the aspects
and general theme of the origin would work just as well with shanklings mimicking
mammalian tree dwellers like raccoons or squirrels. You could also replace the theme
of branch-based living with one of trunk-based living, having shankling communities
burrow their way into tallshank interiors and take cultural inspiration from beetles.

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ASPECTS QUICKSTART KIT

Your aspects help make your character unique, giving them ways to break the normal rules of the Wildsea. They also When you’re making a quickstart character
act as ctional permissions, to an extent - choose ones that speak to you, that you think you can weave into your story. and choose shankling as your origin, you gain
During Quickstart creation, choose 2 aspects from the list below. the following bonuses...

Head for Heights 4-Track Trait Raptor's Claw 3-Track Gear Edge (Choose 1)
You’re immune to vertigo, nausea and mire caused by A talon-like gauntlet inspired by the hunting patterns Grace, Tides, Veils
heights and precarious positions. of wingless birds. Deals CQ hewing damage, and can be
used to make controlled descents down vertical surfaces.
Skills & Languages (Choose 5)
Skybridge Step 5-Track Trait Skills: Flourish, Hack, Tend, Vault, Wavewalk
An elegant defensive dance that keeps you out of harm’s Broadwood Bow 3-Track Gear Languages: Knock, Signalling
way. Exquisitely crafted. Deals LR spike or toxin damage.
Resources (Choose 2)
High Ground 3-Track Trait Feathered Mantle 3-Track Gear Salvage: Ancient Stone, Length of Chain
Once per scene, increase impact on any successful action You’re resistant to three damage types, chosen from the Specimens: Broadwood Branch, Crowning Leaf
taken whilst you have the high ground. following list: Blunt, Serrated, Toxin, Frost, Salt. Whispers: Sunset Through Branches
Charts: An Etched Branch-Map
Rising Meteor 4-Track Trait Sentinel Skywing 2-Track Companion
Mark to sprint up a surface that would usually require A watchful bird, often used for scouting remote areas. Drive (Choose 1)
you to climb it, even if it’s unstable. Mark to learn a secret of the surrounding waves. Climb the highest shanks
Establish a high-port
From Bough to Brain 5-Track Trait Bark-Peeling Ferret 4-Track Companion
Use a task to study a tree (of any size) and learn its Expert at routing hidden bugs, even from the mighty Mire (Choose 1)
secrets, age and condition (supplied by the Firey). ironroots. Mark or use a task to gain an insect specimen Branches break and bend beneath you
from a nearby branch or tree trunk. The opposite of vertigo, a deck-level queasiness
Hawksight 4-Track Trait
You can see much further and in greater clarity than the Feathered Raptor 3-Track Companion
typical wildsailor. A beautifully-feathered lizard, the result of generations
of careful breeding to engender a modicum of sociability
Grappling Hook 2-Track Gear (still not quite there yet). Deals CQ hewing damage, and is
When the hook is thrown and anchored it allows you
large enough to ride.
to swing over chasms and climb sheer surfaces. Treat
conicts as triumphs when climbing or swinging.
Glider’s Cloak 3-Track Gear
You can land safely after any prepared fall.
Balancing Staff 4-Track Gear
Both a weapon and an acrobatic aid. Deals CQ blunt
damage.

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SPIT-BORN ORIGIN
Born on a spit of land dragged to the surface by the ever-growing boughs of the sea.
Your home is a spit, a port-colony built up around a ruin of the old world. You’ve lived a
life of struggle and trade, suspicion and tenacity - strangers bringing both opportunity
and danger.
Spits rarely last a lifetime, and a healthy knowledge that their entire home could be
swallowed by the waves at any point encourages most spit-born to live without many
possessions and to travel light.
Hubs of Corruption
The cramped conditions and lack of renewable resources that typify most spits mean
their residents grow up with few illusions about what a struggle life can be. Street
gangs are common among the youth, and those that don't nd something prodcutive
to move onto often graduate to low-level mob activity and black-marketeering. The
most successful of these groups often gain a healthy level of fear from a spit's other
inhabitants, but some win their respect too - a cut-throat attitude can do wonders when
it comes to securing important trade deals and smuggling opportunities.
Time to Move On
There are many signs that a spit might be on the verge of being reclaimed by the sea's
deeper layers, ranging from changes in local animal behaviour to sudden cracks in
architecture. When a spit is on the verge of collapse each of the residents has a choice to
make - reinforce and prolong the fall or trade for passage on a ship to get out as fast as
possible. Both have their benets, but the rst is almost always the safer option.
Questions to Consider
When you incorporate elements of the spit-born into your character, consider the
following questions...
◊ What was the main material that made up your spit? Temple-stone, ancient
architecture, ship-wreckage or something else entirely?
◊ How was your youth on the streets of a spit? Were you part of a gang and, if so, did
your inevitable rowdiness progress to genuine criminal activity?
◊ Does your home spit still stand above the waves? Do you even know?
Alternate Presentations
'Spit' is a broad term on the wildsea, which can cover anything from a shard of stone to
a raised ruin or a levithan's skull. The spit-born presented here are assumed to have a
reasonably dirty, cramped and urban life, representing the general overcrowding most
spits face, but this needn't be the case - consider a more monastic or aesthetic existence
as a possibility, or dive deeper into grit, gutters and gang warfare.

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ASPECTS QUICKSTART KIT

Your aspects help make your character unique, giving them ways to break the normal rules of the Wildsea. They also When you’re making a quickstart character
act as ctional permissions, to an extent - choose ones that speak to you, that you think you can weave into your story. and choose spit-born as your origin, you gain
During Quickstart creation, choose 2 aspects from the list below. the following bonuses...

Pit-Fight Survivor 5-Track Trait Docker Threads 3-Track Gear Edge (Choose 1)
You learnt how to take a beating and stay standing. Resist the hazardous eects of crezzerin exposure Iron, Sharps, Veils
(searing, hallucinations, mutation).
Urban Exploration 3-Track Trait Skills & Languages (Choose 5)
Mark to discover a friendly lead on services or Brass Knuckle 4-Track Gear Skills: Break, Delve, Outwit, Scavenge, Study
information when in a port or city. A brute but reliable weapon for street ghts. Deals CQ Languages: Brasstongue, Highvin
blunt damage.
Cobble Hearted 3-Track Trait Resources (Choose 2)
Once per scene, increase impact on any successful action Black-Market Pistol 4-Track Gear Salvage: Engine Piping, Ancient Glass
taken whilst in a port or city. A rearm sourced from unsavoury types. Deals LR blast Specimens: Hog Bones, Chicken Feathers
damage. Whispers: A Newly-Risen Spit
Every Street Tells a Story 3-Track Trait Charts: A Cryptic Map
Mark to learn a secret of a port or city you’re docked at. Trained Ratroach 1-Track Companion
Through the Throng 3-Track Trait A gutter-scavenger by nature, now working on your Drive (Choose 1)
behalf. Once per montage gain a small salvage or Supply spit-born colonies with food and fresh water
Treat conicts as successes when moving through
specimen resource with a negative tag (in addition to Deal harshly with gangs and grifters
crowds, herds and swarms.
your usual task).
Shrewd Marketeer 3-Track Trait Mire (Choose 1)
Treat conict as triumphs when haggling over an
Calico Slink 3-Track Companion A keen fear of shakes and quakes
A semi-spectral cat winds its way around your legs. You A ravenous hunger for novel and exotic foodstus
exchange of cargo or resources.
have the ability to see clearly without light.
Spit & Polish 3-Track Trait Pangopod 4-Track Companion
Use a task to remove a negative tag (such as rusted or
Half pangolin, half squid. Surprisingly cute.
broken) from any piece of salvage.
Life of Scraps 3-Track Trait
When gaining a benet from a meal or alchemical
concoction, ignore any associated negative eects.
Scrutineer Eyepiece 4-Track Gear
You can tell a fake, forgery or counterfeit item at a glance.
Acrid Long-Stem 4-Track Gear
A spice-lled pipe made to burn its contents with acid
rather than ame. Injury tracks you become subject to
are one box shorter than normal.

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CHAR POST
For you the wildsea is an endless new frontier of excitement and discovery… in culinary terms,
at least.
Whenever you smell something delectable there’s a good chance that a char is behind
it. Chars are somewhere between chef and survivalist, with a dash of healer and vintner
thrown in for good measure.
Many chars lack formal training, instead putting in years of trial and error until they
come up with a set of avour combinations that suit their unique tastes. A precious
few do manage to study under one of the old culinary masters, spreading their unique
recipes across the sea.
The Value of Preparation
Some would argue that the wildsea provides enough edible material, and in enough
variety, that a skilled chef would be little more than an afterthought when a ship takes
on crew. Not so - apart from the obvious benets to taste and presentation that a char
brings, their most basic techniques and seasoning blends work to counteract the low
levels of crezzerin found in most wildsea meat and produce. This leads to better health,
better sleep, happier crews and more productive ships.
Food Without Flame
Cookres are, as you might expect, a rarity on the rustling waves... But meat needs to
fry and tea needs to brew, so chars have found various ways around this limitation.
Some eschew heat altogether, focusing on salts and pickling, spice-rubs and sun-
drying. Others treat the engine room as an extension of the galley, using engine heat
and pressure in place of actual ame. The most adventurous experiment with trained
glowbugs, chemical hot-plates and distilled sunlight.
Questions to Consider
When you incorporate elements of the char into your character, consider the following
questions...
◊ Do you have a signature dish and, if so, how is it prepared?
◊ No galley runs smoothly 100% of the time - what happened the last time you made
the wrong culinary decision?
◊ Have you ever had the luxury of cooking over an open re? If so, how did it feel? Did
the resulting taste outweigh the danger?
Alternate Presentations
There are a lot of paths a char might walk that diverge signicantly from 'ship's cook'. A
char might be a obsessive gourmet, a travelling butcher or chop-station worker or even
some sort of wildsea confectioner, focusing more on the taste and presentation than the
utility of their creations.

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ASPECTS QUICKSTART KIT

Your aspects help make your character unique, giving them ways to break the normal rules of the Wildsea. They also When you’re making a quickstart character
act as ctional permissions, to an extent - choose ones that speak to you, that you think you can weave into your story. and choose char as your post, you gain
During Quickstart creation, choose 2 aspects from the list below. the following bonuses...

Only the Best 2-Track Trait Spice Bandoleer 3-Track Gear Edge (Choose 1)
Mark when gathering a specimen to give it the ‘Pure’ tag. A bandoleer containing your own secret blend of Instinct, Teeth, Tides
spices that never seems to run dry. Mark to create a
Ingredient Scrounger 3-Track Trait rare resource, either Wilds Pepper, Hangman's Blend or
Skills & Languages (Choose 5)
When one of your crewmates acquires a potentially Skills: Cook, Flourish, Hunt, Sway, Tend
Smouldergrit.
delicious specimen, gain a copy of that specimen for Languages: Brasstongue, Raka Spit
yourself (once per scene). Trademark Herbs 4-Track Trait Resources (Choose 2)
The right seasoning can make anything taste good. Mark
Golden Nose 4-Track Trait to treat conict results as triumphs while cooking..
Salvage: Boiling Casks, Heating Element
Mark to identify a rare ingredient in your vicinity by scent Specimens: Medicinal Herbs, Distant Sea-Spices
alone. Seasoned Cleaver 2-Track Gear Whispers: That Delicate Taste, Forbidden Food
As useful on the battleeld as it is in the galley. Deals Charts: An Annotated Cookbook, A Spice-Stained
Bountiful Discovery 3-Track Trait CQ hewing damage. Increase impact when acquiring Map
Whenever you discover a new location, choose a single
dangerous or disruptive specimens.
specimen type to be easily found there. Drive (Choose 1)
Deep in the Barrel 3-Track Trait Reef-Iron Pan 4-Track Gear Prepare a banquet for the worthy
A colossal implement. Deals CQ blunt damage. Harvest a truly unique ingredient
Increase impact when cooking with rotten or otherwise
tainted ingredients. Meals made with these ingredients Husk-Leather Apron 3-Track Gear Mire (Choose 1)
won’t sicken your crew. You’re resistant to three damage types, chosen from the Fruits you collect rot and sour in their jars
following list: Toxin, Acid, Blast, Salt, Flame. Your sense of taste becomes unworthy
Enough for Everybody 2-Track Trait
When you create a lasting meal the entire crew can gain Sous Squirrel 2-Track Companion
the benet it oers as a one-track temporary aspect. A red-furred bundle of activity. Once per montage gain
a common insect specimen appropriate to the region (in
Taste Test 4-Track Trait addition to your usual task).
You're immune to poisons, and can determine their
presence and characteristics by taste alone.
Acid-Etched Cookpot 5-Track Gear
A hefty pot of near-unbreakable construction, used to
prepare and store food or hide under in a tense situation.
Mechanical Grinder 3-Track Gear
Consume an additional specimen to create a lasting meal
as an action (rather than the usual task).
Flavour Engineer 3-Track Gear
You can treat salvage as specimens when creating meals.
The results are still oddly edible.

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CORSAIR POST
Fighters tasked with protecting their ships from the myriad dangers of the sea.
Every wildsailor is expected to be able to take up arms in a crisis, but the corsair elevates
combat to an art form. Tasked with protecting their ship in close combat they often focus
their training on blades, hammers and axes.
Most corsairs follow the ancient wisdom that the best defence is a strong and punishing
oence. It’s not unusual for corsairs to switch between a mixture of esoteric ghting
styles and acrobatic feats to keep their foes o balance.
Pragmatic Elegance
Whether it’s across thrashing branches, crumbling ruins or the rolling deck of a ship
mid-combat, most corsairs are constantly on the move. While there are those that weigh
themselves down with salvage-hammered armour and heavier weapons these are in
the extreme minority - the constant threat of an unexpected tumble into the waves is a
strong motivator for staying nimble.
The Tools of the Trade
Given that corsairs tend to earn their place on a crew through the willingness and
capacity to do violence, the weapons they carry are of paramount importance. Devoted,
reliable weaponsmiths are uncommon across the waves, so for many corsairs their rst
‘rite of passage’ is the creation of a tool that suits their purposes, or an array of them.
Sabres and cutlasses are the obvious choice when it comes to blades, picked for ease of
use and (sometimes) a sense of carrying on the old salt-sea legacies whispered about
by the oldest ektus. Hammers and axes are another good choice, useful for breaking
through doors and defences. Spears are rarely used, seen more as a hunter’s weapon,
and daggers (though useful in a bar-brawl) have limited eect on many of te sea’s wilder
creatures.
Questions to Consider
When you incorporate elements of the corsair into your character, consider the following
questions...
◊ Where did your weapons come from? Trade, inheritance or long hours of toil?
◊ What do you do in your spare time to keep yourself sharp, or to train the rest of your
crewmates to defend themselves more eectively?
◊ What enemies have you made in your clashes with other ships - do they remember
you and, if so, for what?
Alternate Presentations
Given the shifting nature of wildsea alliances and fortunes, a corsair could just as easily
be a reformed pirate or marauder as they could someone trained to defend against them.
For a more classic fantasy take, pairing the corsair’s abilities with a dose of heavier
armour could lead to an eectve knight or paladin-style character.

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ASPECTS QUICKSTART KIT

Your aspects help make your character unique, giving them ways to break the normal rules of the Wildsea. They also When you’re making a quickstart character
act as ctional permissions, to an extent - choose ones that speak to you, that you think you can weave into your story. and choose corsair as your post, you gain
During Quickstart creation, choose 2 aspects from the list below. the following bonuses...

Steel-Step Dance 5-Track Trait Flashpowder Pouches 4-Track Gear Edge (Choose 1)
The key to survival is mobility. They can’t hurt you if they Shake gently to produce temporary torchlight, or mark to Grace, Iron, Teeth
can’t hit you. produce a blinding ash.
Skills & Languages (Choose 5)
Stamp-Down Samba 5-Track Trait Corsair’s Sabre 4-Track Gear Skills: Brace, Break, Flourish, Hack, Vault
The key to survival is solidity. You can take whatever they A classic wildsea blade. Deals CQ keen damage. Languages: Old Hand, Signalling
throw your way and stay standing.
Boarding Axe 2-Track Gear Resources (Choose 2)
Dirty Fighter 3-Track Trait A savage weapon used to chop through foes. Deals CQ Salvage: Armour Shards, Blackpowder Pouch
Treat conicts as triumphs when attempting to trip, hewing damage. Increase impact when attacking ships, Specimens: Suspicious Finger, Beast Bones
knock down, blind or stun opponents. objects and structures. Whispers: A Sobbing Mawship
Charts: A Stolen Starchart
Surgical Strike 3-Track Trait Slinghammer 3-Track Gear
You can target attacks precisely (such as when aiming for A versatile weighted hammer with a fabric tether. Deals Drive (Choose 1)
a weak point) without cutting for diculty. blunt damage at CQ or LR. Protect the crew from terrifying entities
Make a name for yourself among bandits and raiders
Prowess 4-Track Trait Throwing Knives 3-Track Gear
Mark to increase impact when attacking at close Perfectly weighted. Deals LR keen or spike damage. Mire (Choose 1)
quarters. You cause more pain than necessary
Dragony Mantle 3-Track Gear
Your weapons dull and rust, even when maintained
Dangersense 4-Track Trait You’re resistant to three damage types, chosen from the
Mark to hijack focus from a trap or ambush as it triggers. following list: Blunt, Keen, Spike, Hewing, Blast.
Chain Attack 4-Track Trait Hooded Crow 3-Track Companion
You can deal damage to multiple nearby opponents with A loyal bird trained to distract opponents in close-range
a successful CQ attack. combat. Mark to hijack focus from a nearby enemy as
they attempt to attack, once per scene.
Scars That Tell Stories 4-Track Trait
Mark to gain a whisper based on damage or an injury
you’ve just taken, supplied by the Firey.
Protective Beacon 5-Track Gear
Treat conicts as triumphs when attempting to prevent
harm being done to a member of the undercrew.
Berserker 4-Track Trait
You’re immune to mire while in combat, or any mire that
would be caused by witnessing violence.

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DREDGER POST
Brave explorers with an eye for value.
The art of dredging is a dicult and painful one to learn, but the benets are well worth
the struggle. Dredgers make their living by diving into the waves of the Wildsea in search
of valuable specimens and salvage, sifting through dangerous wrecks and exploring
ancient ruins.
Dredgers traditionally dress as lightly as they can, leaving as much space as possible
free to carry their nds back to their ships. Most dredgers are easily distinguished by the
stained, seared skin of their hands and feet - the eects of long-term crezzerin exposure
are hard to hide.
Ancient Dangers
The truth of the pre-verdant era is a mystery to vast majority, but slightly less to the
dredger. Even the most inexperienced of their profession run across artefacts and
oddities of those old days from time to time, snagging them for trophy-cases, bragging
rights or the ministrations of a ship's rattlehand.
What is Treasure, Anyway?
Dierent folks specialize in the retrieval of dierent things when they head below the
surface. Some search exclusively for the massively valuable, the ruins of the old world
and the mysteries they contain. Others, no less important, set their sights a little lower
- on salvage pieces and wrecked hull-plating, a captain's old cutlass or a cupboard
brimming with charts. The sea is loath to let such items go, or at least that's how it feels,
but salvage - as it's often said - is the lifeblood of civilization.
Questions to Consider
When you incorporate elements of the dredger into your character, consider the
following questions...
◊ What's the most valuable thing you've ever found, and what did you end up doing
with it once you reached the surface?
◊ There are sights below the canopy that few see, and fewer talk about. How have they
shaped you?
◊ Nobody gets through a career in such hostile territory without making a mistake
now and then - what scars has your profession left on you? What great treasure did
you glimpse but fail to acquire?
Alternate Presentations
Dredgers can work well as more general looters and scavengers, but you can also twist
the concept into a far stealtheir direction by making them into some combination of cat-
burglar and classic dungeoneer (relying on their aspects for working in dark conditions
and gaining entry to places they shouldn't).

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ASPECTS QUICKSTART KIT

Your aspects help make your character unique, giving them ways to break the normal rules of the Wildsea. They also When you’re making a quickstart character
act as ctional permissions, to an extent - choose ones that speak to you, that you think you can weave into your story. and choose dredger as your post, you gain
During Quickstart creation, choose 2 aspects from the list below. the following bonuses...

Seared Skin 3-Track Trait Amber Lenses 4-Track Gear Edge (Choose 1)
Resist the hazardous eects of crezzerin exposure Goggles that allow you to see perfectly through smoke, Sharps, Tides, Veils
(searing, hallucinations, mutation). mists and sporeclouds.
Skills & Languages (Choose 5)
Master Salvager 1-Track Trait Moth Lantern 4-Track Gear Skills: Break, Delve, Rattle, Scavenge, Study
Add a positive tag of your choice to any salvage you Uses luminous moths to illuminate a small area around Languages: Brasstongue, Highvin
acquire from wrecks, reefs and ruins. you.
Resources (Choose 2)
Mental Catalogue 4-Track Trait Springheel Boots 4-Track Gear Salvage: Copper Rings, Ancient Engine
Mark to discern the use or history of something ancient. Mark to make a prodigious leap and land safely without Specimens: Soporic Sap, Leviathan Claw
having to roll. Whispers: A Risen Wreck
Lurid Cartography 3-Track Trait Charts: An Ancient Shipping Manifest
You can use charts to nd shipwrecks and disasters as Tomb Hammer 2-Track Gear
well as the usual islands and oddities. As much a tool as it is a weapon. Deals CQ blunt damage. Drive (Choose 1)
Increase impact when smashing stonework and Discover an untouched pre-verdant ruin
Devil May Care 3-Track Trait structures. Salvage a working machine from an ancient wreck
Treat conicts as triumphs when avoiding traps and
environmental hazards. Key-Tail Scorpion 2-Track Companion Mire (Choose 1)
A curious little beast with a skeleton-key stinger. Once Doors and seals stay stubbornly closed to you
Arborofathometer 3-Track Gear per scene you may open any mundane lock. Your movements cause wrecks to shift and creak
A complex depth-gauge for measuring your precise
distance from the Darkness-Under-Eaves. Increase your Sanctipede 3-Track Companion
ship's Tilt rating by one when you're aboard. Drawn to history and forgotten things. Consume a chart
to identify and retrieve a piece of ancient and valuable
Scrounge 3-Track Trait salvage in your vicinity if possible.
Whenever your crew gains a piece of cargo, gain a
resource (likely salvage, but perhaps a specimen or Tickerclick 4-Track Companion
whisper) related to that cargo for yourself. A punchcard intelligence in a noisy construct body, the
whirring and clanking of this mouse-like companion is
Cramped Conditioning 3-Track Trait useful for drawing attention away from your position.
Ignore cut that would be imposed for taking actions in
enclosed or architecturally unstable spaces.
Silkwire Coil 5-Track Gear
A near-unbreakable coil of thick wire that is somehow
soft to the touch. Can be re-coiled with a simple ick
after being unwound.

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HACKER POST
The marks and scars of your profession are writ large on your skin.
Your job is to clear the way for settlements, ships and exploration, plunging into the
Wildsea to tear open paths and clearings.
The earliest hackers used re, before quickly realizing that the ironwood boughs
re-grew faster than they burned. You know, like every other survivor, that re is more
trouble than it’s worth. Now sharpened metal, chemicals and honest sweat reign
supreme; your worth is measured in snapped branches and rough-cut routes
Axe-Heads and Sawteeth
A hacker's work is some of the most dangerous on the wildsea, the very nature of their
job calling on them to plunge into the waves at a moment's notice. And, though the core
of their work is checking for safe paths, soft-spots and the kinds of hazard that don't
show up on a map, they're also called upon to defend their ships from more mobile
dangers when necessary.
Luckily for a hacker, their wilds-clearing arsenal doubles as a retty eective set of
weapons. No other post can deal with plant-based threats with the same level of
competence, and those skills allow them to put up a sturdy defence against insect and
mammalian aggressors as well.
Crezzerin
A danger for the average sailor, but a constant threat for a hacker. Crezzerin's searing,
mutative liquidity isn't omnipresent, but it might be in any leaf or branch-tip they aim
to cut. Even with their protective gear kept in peak condition, they'll suer the eects
befofre too long - crews with a dedicated hacker almost always nd themsevles in need
of a dedicated surgeon as well before too long.
Questions to Consider
When you incorporate elements of the hacker into your character, consider the following
questions...
◊ Where do you watch the waves from on your ship? The prow, ready to spring into
action, or somewhere higher for a more commanding view?
◊ What's the biggest predatory plant you've ever bested, and what marks did it leave
on you in return?
◊ Not every path can be cleared - what was your greatest failure, and how did you
make up for it once the sting had faded?
Alternate Presentations
Though a hacker's usual presentation is one of pathnding and threat detection, a less
martial approach can also work - hackers make excellent harvesters and gardeners, able
to withstand the waves long enough to bring in choice specimens of plantlife to supply a
surgeon, alchemist or char.

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ASPECTS QUICKSTART KIT

Your aspects help make your character unique, giving them ways to break the normal rules of the Wildsea. They also When you’re making a quickstart character
act as ctional permissions, to an extent - choose ones that speak to you, that you think you can weave into your story. and choose hacker as your post, you gain
During Quickstart creation, choose 2 aspects from the list below. the following bonuses...

Scars Remember 5-Track Trait Chemical Censer 3-Track Gear Edge (Choose 1)
The wildsea teaches harsh, but useful, lessons. Mark to create a small area of smoke that repels insects Iron, Instinct, Teeth
and lowers visibility.
Trailblazer 3-Track Trait Skills & Languages (Choose 5)
Increase impact when nding routes and clearing paths Wavestrider Jacket 2-Track Gear Skills: Hack, Hunt, Sense, Vault, Wavewalk
through vegetation. Resist the hazardous eects of crezzerin exposure, insect Languages: Knock, Signalling
bites and poisons.
Living Antidote 3-Track Trait Resources (Choose 2)
Use a task to create a rare resource, Pure Spit or Pure Jagserry 3-Track Gear Salvage: Wreck-Iron Plating, Abandoned Scrap
Sweat. The archetypal hacker weapon, a sawtooth sabre that Specimens: Wild Apricots, Scorpions in a Jar
deals CQ hewing or serrated damage. Whispers: An Ironroot Fallen
Wild Harvest 3-Track Trait Charts: An Arboreal Diagram
Treat conicts as triumphs when attacking or defending Sawtooth Chakram 3-Track Gear
against plant-type hazards. A set of sharpened circular blades made for throwing, Drive (Choose 1)
dealing LR keen or serrated damage. Lay a mawsip to rest
Crezzercamo 3-Track Trait Survive a leviathan plant encounter
Mark to become undetectable to plant-type hazards and Defoliant Grenades 3-Track Gear
creatures for the duration of a scene. Explosive packets that burst when lobbed with force. Mire (Choose 1)
Deals LR acid or salt damage. Insects seek your skin
Hard-Won Instincts 2-Track Trait The waves call for you to travel deeper than necessary
You can tell which branches will break and which will Gyrewing Moths 5-Track Companion
hold at a glance. Increase your ship's Saws rating by one A trained swarm of ragged insects. Burn to neutralize the
when you're aboard. eects of bad air and airborne spores for your crew for
the rest of a scene.
Petalcrusher 3-Track Trait
You ignore mire caused by plant-based hazards Prow-Nose Porcupine 2-Track Companion
and horrors, and are resistant to acids, toxins and Not the easiest creature to pet, but you learn to live with
hallucinatory eects caused by predatory plants. it. Ignore cut caused by pain or discomfort.
Rusting-Leaf Ale 2-Track Gear
Becomes more avourful the more it gets jostled and
shaken. Whenever you gain a benet from a concoction
or meal, increase its track by two boxes.
Grappling Chain 2-Track Gear
Designed to nd quick purchase in bark and boughs. treat
conicts as triumphs when traversing the sea.

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HUNTER POST
Some hunt for food, others challenge. Yet others to reassure themselves that they are not the
hunted.
As a hunter your role is to provide food and materials for the crew, usually in the form of
animals parts. Some hunters prefer more complex prey, styling themselves as bounty
hunters and roving the waves looking to bring down bounties for payment. Either way,
stealthy movement and hidden snares often pay dividends.
Hunts and Honour
Several well-recognised groups in the wildsea base their culture and philosophies
around hunting, and almost every settlement has citizens engaged in the practice.
There's an undeniable thrill to the activity, the snapping-shut of a trap or the spray
of blood from a piercing arrow, but despite this hunters are typically characterised as
reclusive, sombre folk.
It might be that the waves demand a certain level of respect - when you're in among
the branches, in a world designed to aid your quarry and stymie you at every turn you
quickly learn your place in the grand scheme of things.
Bounties and Payment
When you've got the skills to track down something that doesn't want to be found, it's
natural that at some point you'll be asked to track down someone that doesn't want to be
found. Not all hunters are willing to take the moral step required to target members of
other bloodlines, partly due to the extra risk involved and partly the lax attitude toward
law that pervades across the wider waves.
Questions to Consider
When you incorporate elements of the hunter into your character, consider the following
questions...
◊ What's the most dangerous creature you've brought down without it ever knowing
you were there?
◊ Have you ever had to call o a hunt and, if so, why? Injury, exhaustion, or were you
simply outclassed by your prey?
◊ Have you ever been tempted by bounty hunting, and if so did you ever actively
engage in it?
Alternate Presentations
While certain elements of a hunter's ction point toward the possibility of bounty
hunting, these can be taken to another level by using the post's long-range weapons
and skill at concealment to create an assassin. Alternatively, a more classic rogue-type
character could easily t the hunter's archetype without too much trouble.

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ASPECTS QUICKSTART KIT

Your aspects help make your character unique, giving them ways to break the normal rules of the Wildsea. They also When you’re making a quickstart character
act as ctional permissions, to an extent - choose ones that speak to you, that you think you can weave into your story. and choose hunter as your post, you gain
During Quickstart creation, choose 2 aspects from the list below. the following bonuses...

Ghost of the Wilds 3-Track Trait Snare Set 3-Track Gear Edge (Choose 1)
Choose either wild or urban areas. You leave barely any Count conicts as triumphs when readying traps, snares Grace, instinct, Teeth
trace, and are almost impossible to track, when moving or ambushes.
through your chosen area.
Skills & Languages (Choose 5)
Venomous Trophy 3-Track Gear Skills: Hack, Hunt, Outwit, Sense, Wavewalk
From Nowhere 3-Track Trait Use a task to create a resource, Paralyzing Venom. Languages: Raka Spit, Signalling
Increase impact when attacking from a hidden position,
or attacking an unaware target.
Masterwork Leathers 2-Track Gear Resources (Choose 2)
When you take this trait choose either beasts, plants or Salvage: Leather Cord, Rusted Mantrap
Whisper on the Wind 3-Track Trait insects. You're resistant to all damage from your chosen Specimens: Scorpion Carapace, Bait Worms
Consume a whisper to gain cryptic information on a source. Whispers: Leviathan Breeding Grounds
target’s whereabouts and actions. Charts: A Chart of Old Hollows
Boot-Knife 3-Track Trait
Bloodhound 3-Track Trait Deal keen damage to any creature that attacks you with Drive (Choose 1)
Your sense of smell is highly developed, allowing you to their own body in close quarters (such as with tail or bite Bring down a leviathan
hunt and track by scent alone. attacks). Provide meat for a grand feast
Running Quiet 3-Track Trait Jawspear 4-Track Gear Mire (Choose 1)
Your guidance allows your vessel to keep a lower prole, A long-bladed spear with cruelly curving teeth. Deals CQ Crezzersear pushes you to the brink of madness
disturbing fewer creatures and leaving less of a tell-tale serrated damage. Something is hunting you -you’re sure of it
trail. Increase your ship's Stealth rating by one when
you're aboard.
Manifold Bow 2-Track Gear
A nely-crafted bow paired with an expansive quiver.
Rare Musk 4-Track Gear Can deal LR damage of three types chosen from the
Collected from sleeping leviathans, apparently. Burn following list: Spike, Toxin, Blast, Volt, Salt.
to drive a beast or insect of the waves into an intense
Target Dragony 3-Track Companion
instictual behaviour (such as fear, hunger or frenzy).
Every moment of its life is a hunt. Mark to identify a weak
Slacker's Line 2-Track Gear point or weakness of a creature you can see.
A shing rod designed to be left unattended. Once per
journey gain a live specimen appropriate to the area
you're travelling through.
Butchery Kit 3-Track Gear
You can butcher dangerous specimens without risk
or cutting for diculty, and increase impact when
gathering resources from a creature you’ve hunted.

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RATTLEHAND POST
Everything breaks eventually, but most of it can be repaired.
Hull-iron rusts. Sawteeth blunt. Engines cough and struggle. In a world of salvage and
barter, nothing lasts forever… unless you have a good rattlehand on your side.
A rattlehand is somewhere between an engineer, a blacksmith and an artist, able to use
the scrap of the seas to repair, reinforce and create. Many rattlehands excel in crafting
new and unique gear for their crewmates, perfectly suited to the troubles they face.
A Second-Hand World
The rst thing almost every rattlehand learns is how to make the best of a bad situation;
relying on imprecise tools, twisted salvage and broken machinery to ply their trade. The
lack of wide-scale mining and ore processing makes metal shortage an unfortunate
reality, so those that balk at the idea of repurposing the same wreckage for the twentieth
time often turn to wood or bone as a stand-in.
Salvage or Specimens?
Salvage is by far the easiest material for a rattlehand to work with, tried and true pieces
of wood or metal that stood the test of time (at least for a while). As most materials on
the wildsea are second-hand, using fragments of old machines and discarded pieces of
ship-stu is a natural part of the job.
But some rattlehands like a challenge, particularly those that spend a lot of time around
the unusual creatures of the wider waves. These engineers combine the coldly articial
with the unpalatably organic, using plant and animal specimens alongside more
traditional materials to create eective (but occassionally unsettling) products.
Questions to Consider
When you incorporate elements of the rattlehand into your character, consider the
following questions...
◊ Most rattlehands have a favoured material to work with - what's yours?
◊ Whaich experiment or repair job of yours failed spectacularly at just the wrong
moment?
◊ What was your crowning glory, technologically speaking? The development of a new
technique, the completion of a grand machine or the unlocking of a pre-verdant
industrial secret?
Alternate Presentations
Alternate rattlehand presentations are as diverse as rattlehands themselves; you might
want to aim for a dockside engineer or ship-builder called to the waves, a blacksmith
struggling in a world without forges, a technology-focused scientist or even an artist or
sculptor that works in salvage.

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ASPECTS QUICKSTART KIT

Your aspects help make your character unique, giving them ways to break the normal rules of the Wildsea. They also When you’re making a quickstart character
act as ctional permissions, to an extent - choose ones that speak to you, that you think you can weave into your story. and choose rattlehand as your post, you gain
During Quickstart creation, choose 2 aspects from the list below. the following bonuses...

Mastercraft 2-Track Trait Multi-Lens Goggles 3-Track Gear Edge (Choose 1)

Choose wood, metal or bone. Increase impact when You gain ferrosight, the ability to see electric and Iron, Sharps, Tides
crafting or repairing with your chosen material. magnetic elds.
Skills & Languages (Choose 5)
Made to Last 3-Track Trait Wolf-Skin Gloves 4-Track Gear Skills: Break, Delve, Rattle, Scavenge, Study
When you craft, the resulting creation’s track is three You never cutfor diculty when including specimens Languages: Brasstongue, Highvin
boxes longer than usual. in your crafting, no matter how grisly or unpalatable the
process is.
Resources (Choose 2)
Multitasker 3-Track Trait Salvage: Ancient Wiring, Ceramic Battery
You can use a task to work on repairing up to three pieces Volt-Rail 2-Track Gear Specimens: Crushed Beetle, Giant Insect Mandible
of gear or mechanical companions at a time. An insulated grip around a crackling, rudimentary Whispers: Locomotive Power
cattleprod. Deals CQ volt damage, and you're immune to Charts: An Indecipherable Blueprint
Surere Smith 3-Track Trait
volt damage yourself.
Count conicts as triumphs when repairing gear and Drive (Choose 1)
mechanical companions. Hazard Suit 3-Track Gear Repurpose a Pre-Verdant machine
You’re resistant to three damage types, chosen from the Craft a Weapon that can take down a leviathan
Deckside Engineer 3-Track Trait following list: Spike, Acid, Blast, Volt, Flame.
Tiny, incremental adjustments that you make without Mire (Choose 1)
thinking keep your vessel's hull and superstructure in Artillery Spider 3-Track Companion The monomania of scavenging takes you
remarkable shape. Increase your ship's Armour rating by A self-made automaton designed to oer re support. Machines jump and backre in your presence
one when you're aboard. Deals LR blast damage.
Breakdown Specialist 3-Track Gear Autocrawler 2-Track Companion
When a crafted benet's track is fully marked, gain a A nimble little scavenging construct. Once per scene, add
piece of salvage related to it before removing the benet. a positive tag of your choice onto any piece of salvage you
acquire.
Inkstamp Mechanism 2-Track Gear
Consume a chart to quickly create a set of schematics for Steam-Scarab 4-Track Companion
a machine or mechanism you can see (represented by A self-made automaton, large enough to ride.
new chart). All actions to create such a machine yourself
gain increased impact while you have this new chart.
Toolbelt 2-Track Gear
Once per scene, swiftly craft a one-track creation without
needing to roll.
Salvage Kit 3-Track Gear
Contains salvage useful for crafting. Mark to use the
contents in place of a resource when crafting.

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TEMPEST POST
Your blood crackles with sparks, your heart beats with thunder.
Internalising the wild power of a storm is no small feat, but it's not impossible - either
through technological application or obscure arconautic methods, tempests have
managed to embed the essence of lightning within themselves.
Holding onto such raw power is dicult even for the most disciplined, and many nd
themselves the subject of wild moods and sleepless nights as thunder roams their minds.
Only the most dedicated tempests manage to typify that dangerous, deadly calm of
thunderheads massing on the horizon.
A Fragment of Storm
The most common road to becoming a tempest is to hunt down a living storm and
capture some of its lightning for yourself, but it's far from the only way. Some tempests
pierce themselves with the spines of an ironjaw ray, or cultivate colonies of voltaic moss
along their arms, or befriend a potently electric wildsea creature in order to borrow its
puissance. Whatever the precise method, one fact holds true in all cases - a tempest's
own body is the host of their power.
Lightning Without Thunder
... Well, almost all cases. It's extremely rare, but there are tempests out on the waves
whose mastery of electricity comes from purely technological means (as a result of
accident, endeavour or self-experimentation). These articial tempests are often more
akin to rattlehands in their approach to the art, treating voltage as a resource for crafting
and repair rather than a source of combat prowess, but they're no less powerful than
their storm-blooded kin.
Questions to Consider
When you incorporate elements of the tempest into your character, consider the
following questions...
◊ How did you attain the power of storms? Through theft, alchemy, injury or some
other wildsea weirdness?
◊ To what extent are you in control of the lightning within you? In what ways, if any,
have you unintentionally released it?
◊ Do you resonate with the world around you, and if so how does this manifest?
Crawling sparks, misring engines, gathering striations of cloud far above?
Alternate Presentations
The easiest non-standard interpretation of the tempest is as some kind of elemental
magic user, a mage-type with power over lightning drawn from nothing but training.
Altenratively, the mesmer aspects can be adapted mechanically to represent other
wildsea damage types - an arconautic user of frost, for example, or even (and this is
denitely not recommended) ame.

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ASPECTS QUICKSTART KIT

Your aspects help make your character unique, giving them ways to break the normal rules of the Wildsea. They also When you’re making a quickstart character
act as ctional permissions, to an extent - choose ones that speak to you, that you think you can weave into your story. and choose tempest as your post, you gain
During Quickstart creation, choose 2 aspects from the list below. the following bonuses...

Storm-Stride 4-Track Trait Mesh Relay 3-Track Gear Edge (Choose 1)

Mark to oat for a brief time, electricity crackling around Deal volt damage to any creature that attacks you with Grace, Sharps, Teeth
you as you do so. their own body in close quarters (such as with tail or bite
attacks).
Skills & Languages (Choose 5)
The Pulse 3-Track Trait Skills: Brace, Delve, Flourish, Scavenge, Vault
You can sense nearby electrical elds, such as those Voltomotive Interfacing 2-Track Gear Languages: Old Hand, Signalling
produced by living organisms. You can act as an additional (or main) engine for your
ship, powering its bite with your mere presence. Increase
Resources (Choose 2)
Bolt-Switch 3-Track Trait your ship's Speed rating by one when you're aboard.
Salvage: Ceramic Battery
Mark to instantly switch places with a willing crewmate Specimens: Phosphorescent Beetle
within sight, or burn to switch with them and hijack Voltaic Lantern 3-Track Gear Whispers: The Calm Before, In the Blood
focus at the same time. A simple light source that runs o of your own internal Charts: A Sketched Lightning-Strike
charge. Mark to deplete a nearby source of electricity,
Old Accord 3-Track Trait absorbing it into the lantern for a brighter glow.
Drive (Choose 1)
Use a task and mark to quiet or banish a storm, or use a Communicate with a living storm on equal terms
task and burn to summon one. Singed Coat 3-Track Gear Avert a disaster by causing another disaster
You’re resistant to three damage types, chosen from the
The Skies Agree 4-Track Trait following list: Frost, Flame, Salt, Blast, Volt.
Mire (Choose 1)
Increase impact when dealing volt or blast damage Sparks pinwheel from you as you move
during an electrical storm or heavy rainfall. Internal Battery 4-Track Gear Your voice is thunder, impossible to lower from a shout
Mark to kickstart a machine, charge a depleted power
Thunder’s Tone 3-Track Trait source or temporarily increase the eectiveness of an
You can raise your voice to an ear-splitting shout,
engine.
dealing CQ blast damage and being easily heard over long
distances. Squallkitten 2-Track Companion
A small, playful feline made of roiling stormclouds. Gives
Lightning’s Call 3-Track Trait your entire crew resistance to volt damage.
You can direct bursts of voltaic energy through your
palms or ngers, dealing LR volt damage. Sparking-Eel 4-Track Companion
Winds around limbs and under clothes, always moving.
Ground Zero Overload 1-Track Trait Mark to identify the nearest source of potent electricity,
Mark to deal volt damage to all nearby foes, or burn to
no matter the distance.
increase it to massive volt damage.
Ironjaw Seven-String 5-Track Gear
A guitar-like instrument carved from the bones of an
ironjaw ray. Produces a harsh, buzzing tone when played
that seems to awaken the spirit of rebellion in some.

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CHAPTER 6
SHIPS & SHIPBUILDING
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"Well, it's going to need a complete Take to the Waves!

What’s a wildsailor without a ship? Stranded, most probably.
ret." The rattlehand stood at the
end of the dock, checking over One of the core ideas behind the Wildsea is that you’ll have a ship to explore the rustling waves with, but you might
not start with one - depending on how your game begins you could be ashore somewhere, crewing a ship on behalf of
a scrap-metal clipboard. She another captain or (if you’re lucky) in charge of your own vessel.
could tell from the looks on their If you do have a ship of your own, or if you get the chance to commission or construct one, this chapter is for you.
faces that it was exactly what Stakes
the Moritania's crew had been To create your ship you’ll need to spend stakes, a special resource used exclusively for ship-building.
dreading. Six to Share, Then Three Per Sailor
You get six stakes as standard to create your ship, plus another three stakes for every player with a character on the
"Well, I'm not saying it won't crew. That way, every player at the table has a (literal) stake in creating the vessel they'll be travelling on. These stakes
sail as it is." She patted the hull. are spent on making choices about the ship’s design, ttings and any extra NPC crew-members sailing with you.

affectionately. "You've got yourself Having your own stakes to spend allows you to ensure that if there’s an option you can’t live without you can aord
it on your own, or lets you contribute something toward the basic functionality of the ship and keep a little back for
a goodly frame here. But," she personalized choices that better suit your own character.
counted off on brous ngers, Most choices cost a single stake, but more powerful or advanced options can cost two or even three.
"the broadwood's starting to rot, Personal Touches
which shouldn't even be possible. There's more to creating a ship than the rules could possibly encompass, a whole host of minor narrative-focused
choices that may or may not impact the game, but will certainly go the distance toward making your ship feel more like
The rey lanterns on the aft side a safe, reliable home. When creating a ship, you might want to consider the following non-mechanical choices...
are all cracked, as are most of the ◊ Colour and style. What kind of patterns or artwork adorn your hull, and who painted or inscribed them there?
portholes. The steering column ◊ Shape and construction. There are no hard rules on what shape your ship has to be, but having everyone at the table
be on board with a rough layout can help in both roleplay and combat scenarios.
hangs left, which is ne if you don't ◊ Quarters decoration. Do you have your own little place on the ship, or do the crew sleep in a single room? What kind
mind drifting off course for the of personal eects do you keep in your quarters, and what do they mean to you?
rest of your life. And the engine's ◊ Quirks. There isn't a ship on the rustling waves that hasn't developed some sort of non-threatening fault or
peculiarity that refuses to go away no matter how many times the crew tries to x it.
clogged with... what was it, chitin? ◊ History. Where did you ship come from, and who crewed it before you? If it's a completely new vessel, how di you
No idea how you managed that one. scrape together the resources needed to pay a dockyard to put it together? Or perhaps you made it yourself - if so,
where did you get the materials, and what was the process like?
And that's not to mention-" None of the above are essential to the game, but they can all add avour, depth and character to something that (for a
One of the crew, an alchemist with typical wildsea crew) you're going to be spending a lot of time with.

his arm in a makeshift sling, held up

his good hand in acceptance.
"Gotcha. It's been... a rough week."
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Creating Your Ship

There are three stages to ship creation: deciding the design, adding ttings, and hiring the undercrew. When choosing
The Falcon's Flight
An example ship made for a four-person crew, giving it
these, keep in mind that every character should have a place on the ship to call their own. eighteen stakes for construction (the Falcon's Flight is
pictured on the opposite page).
Design Design (8 stakes)
When spending your stakes, your group rst needs to cover the basics of the ship’s design. Every ship needs to haveat
Standard Size (1 Stake, Armour +1)
least one option chosen from the following sections…
Sleek Frame (1 Stake, Stealth +1)
◊ Size: A measure of how many crew and passengers a ship can comfortably hold.
Broadwood Hull (1 Stake, Tilt +1)
◊ Frame: A ship’s basic prole and appearance.
Reef-Iron Hull (1 Stake, Armour +1)
◊ Hull: The main material used in a ship’s construction.
Sawprow Bite (1 Stake, Saws+1)
◊ Bite: The mechanism that lets a ship cut through (or otherwise traverse) the tangled waves of the Wildsea.
Chemical Compressor Engine (1 Stake, Speed +1)
◊ Engine: The motive force behind the ship’s bite.
Ceramic Batteries Engine (2 Stakes, Saws +1, Seals +1)
Fittings Fittings (7 stakes)
Once the design is covered, you can add more specialized options to your ship in the form of ttings.Fittings choices are Signal Flares (1 Stake)
all optional, and come in the form of… Steam-Whistle (1 Stake)
◊ Motifs: General themes you can choose for the ship, giving you basic equipment and alterations useful for certain Workshop (1 Stake)
common activities. Cargo Bay Extension (1 Stake)
◊ Additions: Useful parts, resource-gathering options, and other oddities. Galley (1 Stake)
◊ Rooms: Quarters and workrooms for the crew. Luxury Quarters (1 Stake)
◊ Armaments: Deck weapons used for defence against the hazards of the wild. Spearing Prow (1 Stakes)
◊ Outriders: Smaller vessels with limited range that can be launched from the main ship.
Undercrew (3 stakes)
Undercrew Cartographers (2 Stakes)
Lemur Pack (1 Stake)
The undercrew are NPC crewmembers loyal to the ship (or at least loyal to the percentage of spoils and prots they
garner). Undercrew choices are entirely optional, and come in the form of… Final Ratings
◊ Ocers: Named NPCs specializing in certain skills, languages, or aspects. Armour 3, Seals 2, Speed 2, Saws 3, Stealth 2, Tilt 2
◊ Gangs: Small groups of unnamed NPCs that perform basic tasks during journeys.
◊ Packs: Creatures trained to aid, defend, or otherwise benet the ship in some way.

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Ratings Speed Tilt

Every ship has a set of ratings, tracks representing the The speed of your ship when the engines are running A measure of manoeuvrability, and how well your ship
ship’s condition and construction. Each of these ratings smoothly. You’ll likely roll your speed rating when can tackle the sharper dips and rises of the waves. You’ll
starts as a 1-track, but will gain more boxes as you spend attempting to outrun a pursuer or weather pattern, or if likely roll your tilt rating when tackling one of the larger
your stakes on design, ttings, and undercrew choices. you somehow nd yourself in a race. treetop waves, when diving down into the tangle to
evade a pursuer, or when trying to keep steady during a
We'll give the rest of this page over to a description of Saws rootquake or storm.
each of the ratings, as well as a cut-away diagram of the How good your ship is at cutting through the denser
Falcon's Flight example on the left-hand page. parts of the sea. You’ll likely roll your saws rating when
cutting through thicker areas of the sea or trying to ram
Armour other ships.
A measure of your ship’s resistance to damage. You’ll
likely roll your armour rating when a larger creature Stealth
attacks your ship, when you’re red on by pirates, or Your ship’s ability to run low, sleek, and undetected.
when you brute-force the ship through a hazardous area You’ll likely roll your stealth rating when trying to
of the sea. minimize the noise of your engine or the trail you leave, Hull
or when trying to avoid the notice of distant threats.
Seals
A measure of how well your ship keeps the wildsea out
while travelling. You’ll likely roll your seals rating when
there’s a sporestorm, insect swarm, or other potentially
invasive presence.

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The city of Kyther (or Kynner) had Step One - Design

many bells, each rung with their Your ship's design covers most of the main components that make it... well, a ship. These are the essentials - the
material that makes up the hull, the method you use to get from port to port. In many ways these are the most
own purpose. Most warned of important choices you'll make as a crew, as the ship is your shared possession.
danger, as one might expect of a We recommend spending stakes by committee for this step of the shipbuilding process, talking to everyone at the
reefback settlement in the middle table about what catches your eye and how it might benet you. The choices you make here do have a mechanical
component, in that they're the main way of raising your ship's ratings, but they have a lot of ctional weight to them
of a dangerous territory. Some rang as well (a crew turning up to a new port in a wheezing scrap-hulled junker may well be regarded and treated very
to signify general meetings, or the dierently to one showing up in an elegant bone-plated sailship, for example).

handing-out of newly acquired Make sure you pick up at least one option from each of the design sections (size, frame, hull, bite, and engine).

foodstuffs, or funeral rites.

But the bell that summoned Rolgis Size [Required] Available Sizes
that morning wasn't any of those. A ship’s size determines its prole on the waves and the
amount of crew and passengers that can coexist aboard
There may well exist ships that are smaller, and there are
certainly ships far more vast. Your choice determines the
It was a bell rang so rarely that he it before things start getting crowded and tempers begin amount of crew and passengers your ship can comfortably
almost didn't recognise it, which to fray. hold, as well as actual physical size.

would have been particularly When you spend stakes on a size, note it down on your Nano 1 Stake
ship sheet, as well as any rating ranks it gives. You can Suited for a single sailor and maybe a passenger or
embarrassing as it was a bell only pick one size for your ship - choose wisely. two. Perfect for the lone wildsailor, possessed of excess
meant purely for him. Issues of Space bravery (or a deathwish).
◊ Stealth +1
While a larger ship may ctionally have more cargo space
Master shipwright needed urgently. available, we haven't set any hard limits on the amount a Small 1 Stake
ship can carry based on size. Suited for 2-4 people, cramped but serviceable for double
By the time he reached the By the same token, we haven't limited the amount of
that. Ideal for a rst ship.
dockyards he was starting to doubt internal rooms or additional ttings you might want
◊ Speed +1

himself - the bay was overowing to kit your vessel out with later on in the shipbuilding Standard 1 Stake
process. Your ship should be a product of imagination Comfortable for 5-10 people, but can hold double that
with fur and chains and viscera, and creativity rather than number-crunching, if possible. number if necessary. The majority of ships out on the
chop-station workers crawling Weighing Your Options Wildsea are of standard size, hence the name.
◊ Armour +1
over the corpse as they worked. There's more to successful survival on the rustling
waves than simply being the owner of the biggest ship. Large 1 Stake
But the crowd opened up around Larger ships are inherently sturdier, true, but they
often have diculty going unnoticed or even docking
Can house 10-20 crew with room to spare, many more
if necessary, depending on the internal designs and
him, and the choppers gestured at certain ports. Smaller ships are often more swift or additional ttings. Large ships are most often used to
hopefully to the bones. manoeuvrable, able to play cat and mouse with pursuers
or slip unnoticed beneath the waves at a tactically
patrol trade-routes around more lawful areas, or to
transport settlers and research teams for large factions.
They were right. He was needed. opportune moment. ◊ Armour +1
◊ Stealth -1

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Frame [Required]
Beneath the weapons, ttings, and hull plating of every Available Frames
ship is a solid frame, a superstructural skeleton built The bare bones of a ship, a staging ground for every
to withstand the constant jostling roughness of travel future choice. The frame you choose may have an eect on
across a wavescape of chemical-coated leaves and thick how your vessel is perceived by others.
Scything 1 Stake
Often wedge or blade-shaped, scything frames are
wooden branches.
Sturdy 1 Stake constructed specically to cut as eciently as possible
When you spend stakes on a frame, note it down on Built to last in a place of temporary things, a sturdy frame through the waves.
your ship sheet, as well as any rating ranks it gives. You helps weather the strongest assaults. ◊ Saws +1
can only pick one frame for your ship - choose wisely. ◊ Armour +1
Sleek 1 Stake
Attitude Moulded 1 Stake Quiet is hard to come by on the wildsea, but a sleek frame
Your frame choice says a little about the overall shape of A single unbroken structure running through the ship - ensures that no matter how noisy your bite and engine
your ship, but not too much - it's really up to your crew quite a feat of safety-conscious engineering. might be, you’ll always be low to the waves.
to decide how you ultimately want the ship to appear. ◊ Seals +1 ◊ Stealth +1
What your frame choice does determine is a certain Light 1 Stake Flexible 1 Stake
attitude - though hidden by hull and accoutrements, Made with the lightest possible materials in the smallest Built for adjustability and responsiveness, exible frames
your frame will inuence howother sailors think of your possible amounts. are often multi-segmented or jointed in some way.
vessel when it rst appears. ◊ Speed +1 ◊ Tilt +1

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Hull [Required]
Though the vast majority of ships are constructed of a few common materials (wood
from the ironroots, salvaged metal, and sturdy bones), they're far from the only ones on
oer. With the sea such a dominating presence, there are few things that people haven't
tried to turn into a ship at some point.
A hull keeps the wildsea out and the cargo and crew in. It might well be the most
important part of the ship (and if it's not, it'll certainly feel that way once the shrapnel-
cannons start ring).
When you spend stakes on a hull note it down on your ship sheet, as well as any rating
ranks it gives. You can purchase multiple hulls if you wish, but must take at least one.

Common Hulls
Most common hulls are distinguished not by the relative abundance of the materials
used, but the ways in which those materials are shaped and hardened to withstand the
constant grinding ebb of the waves. Your hull choice is at once cosmetic and uncomplicated -
choose one that suits the feel of your crew, that embodies why you're out on the waves.
Reef-Iron 1 Stake
Metal plating from decommissioned ships, reshaped for your frame. Durable and
rust-resistant.
◊ Armour +1
Leviathan Bone 1 Stake
A hull crafted from one or more pieces of leviathan skeleton. Solid, if a little morbid.
◊ Seals +1
Broadwood 1 Stake
Wooden planks cut from the more reliable trees of the wildsea. Strong and exible.
◊ Tilt +1
Chitinous 1 Stake
Made from the collected shells of the wildsea’s larger insects. Smooth, oering little in
the way of friction
or snags.
◊ Speed +1
Razorscale 1 Stake
An exterior of interlocking scales sloughed or harvested from a wildsea beast, sharpened
for eectiveness.
◊ Saws +1

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Bite [Required] Underscales 1 Stake Navapede Limbs 2 Stakes

A ship’s bite determines its motive force, how it cuts Thousands of exing scales that worm the ship forward Centipedal limbs lining the hull, letting a ship scuttle
through (or otherwise traverses) the vast canopy of with a sly, sinuous motion. through the thrash. If such a vessel could truly now be
the rustling waves. In most cases your bite is directly ◊ Stealth +1 called a ship, of course.
connected to your ship’s engine - the next choice you’ll ◊ Deals massive CQ Keen damage ◊ Tilt +1
make in the shipbuilding process - and as long as the ◊ Stealth +1
engine is running you’ll have control of the speed and
Jag-Tracks 1 Stake ◊ Deals massive CQ Spike damage
Motorised grapple tracks along the keel and hull-sides; a
direction of your ship.
slow, solid and reliable choice. Voltaic Runners 2 Stakes
When you spend stakes on a bite note it down on your ◊ Armour +1 Crackling with barely contained lightning, these
ship sheet, as well as any rating ranks it gives. ◊ Deals massive CQ Hewing damage outboard contraptions let a ship oat just above the
churning branches of the sea.
Sluicejets 1 Stake
Common Bites Pressurised sluice systems lled with phytophobic
◊ Seals +2
◊ Deals massive CQ Volt damage
Found on salvaging craft and trading vessels from the chemicals, for coating the hull and pushing the ship.
fractured West to the eaten East. Each of these bites also ◊ Seals +1 Mulcher 2 Stakes
allows your ship to deal a particular type of damage when ◊ Deals massive CQ Acid damage Grinding teeth in a lamprey-style mouth. Terribly noisy
ramming another vessel. but dreadfully eective.
Longjaw 2 Stakes ◊ Saws +2
Sawprow 1 Stake An underslung chainsaw arrangement that extends from
◊ Armour +1
A wildsea favourite, the sawprow is a chainsaw edge the front of the ship, chewing and pulling forward.
◊ Stealth -1
that runs down the curve of the prow. Capable of cutting ◊ Saws +1
◊ Deals massive CQ Serrated damage
through most obstructions with ease. ◊ Speed +1
◊ Saws +1 ◊ Deals massive CQ Serrated damage
◊ Deals massive CQ Serrated damage
Propeller-Cage 2 Stakes
Impellers 1 Stake A cage-like housing that holds large airboat-style
Large jet-like outboard engines that push the ship propellers used to push the ship forward.
through the waves with brute force. ◊ Speed +1
◊ Speed +1 ◊ Armour +1
◊ Deals massive CQ Blast damage ◊ Deals massive CQ Blunt damage
Crawler 1 Stake
Large nger-like mechanisms spread out around the
front of the ship, allowing it to move through the waves
with a crawling motion.
◊ Tilt +1
◊ Deals massive CQ Blunt damage

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"And this," the friendly shout was Engine [Required]

punctuated by the slamming open The heart of most seafaring vessels, engines exist primarily to give power directly to a ship's bite. Dierent engines take
dierent types of fuel, but whatever they require can surely be found among the waves with a little searching.
of a heavy, iron-edged door, "is the When you spend stakes on an engine note it down on your ship sheet, as well as any rating ranks it gives.
engine room!" More than Motive
Axa had seen the guts of a lot In some ships, especially those with more complex equipment, the engine may well be used for a lot more than running
a chainsaw prow or impeller. Clever use of an engine might...
of ships in his day; some neatly ◊ Power ship-wide systems, pre-verdant artefacts or technologically advanced equipment
organized, some on the chaotic ◊ Turn it into a ship defence weapon (by venting steam or scalding fuel)
◊ Allow it to act as a defensive bastion or hiding place when the ship is under attack
side, some a confusion of piping ◊ Let it provide salvage or specimens, such as engine oil (though usually at the risk of damaging the engine itself)
and valves and interchanges that
would have taken an amateur Common Engines Ratwheel Exchange 1 Stake
Assembled by artisans, ripped from wrecks or plucked Exactly what you might imagine, a pure transfer of
weeks to untangle. from the waves themselves. Each of these engines runs kinetic energy from restless rats to wheel to bite. Ethical
smoothly under normal circumstances, but might require a engineers tend to give their rats the run of the ship.
But the Salavida's engine room was particular type of fuel in a crisis. ◊ Tilt +1
something else. Chemical Compressor 1 Stake ◊ The rats need feeding every now and then, but
they're not fussy
The most common engine on the rustling waves, reliably
"It's... bees." A fat drop of honey unreliable but extremely easy to fuel. Pulsing Cocoon 1 Stake
trickled down his shoulder as he ◊ Speed +1
◊ Fuelled with crushed fruit and insect husks
An unknown insect shifts inside, glutting on dreams and
spinning them into an ebb of arconautic force. Crews
spoke, words almost lost in the Springwork 1 Stake report intensely vivid dreams.
◊ Armour +1
bass drone that lled the room. Wound exhaustively by hand, springwork engines store
◊ Fuelled with the dreams of the crew
"It's all bees." and release kinetic energy with surprising eciency.
◊ Saws +1 Jawbox 1 Stake
"Well, not quite!" The Salavida's ◊ Fuelled with sweat, labour and time spent winding Noisy, wood-fuelled engines that create huge clouds of
smoke and dust but with minimum chance of ame.
rattlehand reached out to smudge Parasite Pitcher 1 Stake ◊ Saws +1
A large pitcher plant coaxed into taking root in an engine
at the drop with the end of their housing, vines intermingling with the ship's systems.
◊ Speed +1
◊ Stealth -1
◊ Stealth +1
sporescarf. "There are the ower ◊ Fuelled with organic material (preferably living)
◊ Fuelled with wildsea wood
vats, the melliferous exchange Steam Piping 1 Stake
relays, the queen's den and Hellish contraptions of tangled piping, rare chemicals
honeycomb frames..." He caught and scalding steam.
◊ Seals +1
Axa's sceptical look. "... Yeah, it's ◊ Fuelled with water (the cleaner the better)
pretty much bees all the way."

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Step Two - Fittings

Once your ship's design is decided, it's time to move onto the ttings. These represent
Available Motifs
There's a lot to be said for dressing for success - a motif allows you to extend that
the more niche aspects of your ship, the useful extras and personal touches that turn it principle to your entire vessel. A motif choice allows the kind of work your crew routinely
from a simple vessel to an enduring home. Specically the ttings section covers motifs, engages in to be identied by others at a glance.
armaments and rooms.
Transport 2 Stakes
While you can still pool your stakes together here, many of the ttings will suit certain No matter what is happening on the waves, no atter the problems or curiosities its
choices of bloodline, post or origin more than others. Son't be afraid to make choices denizens face, there will always be a space for those willing to move passengers from
that benet you diectly, spending your stakes on something that catches your eye. point A to point B. Ships themed around transport will likely have...
◊ A clean and professional paint job to attract potential passengers
No ttings are essential for a ship, but a lot of them can make life out on the waves
◊ Built-in passenger quarters with varying levels of comfort
(especially on longer journeys) substantially easier. Spending your stakes on ttings is
◊ A sturdily-constructed panic room, suitable for holding passengers unwilling to
entirely optional.
ght in the event the ship is attacked or boarded
Hauling 2 Stakes
Motif [Optional] Just as essential as transporting passengers, the movement and trading of cargo is a
reliable path to success for dependable types. These ships will likely have...
A ttings choice that aects your entire vessel, choosing a motif allows you to 'theme'
◊ Gangplanks, winches and bay doors for swift loading and unloading at port
your ship towards a certain activity (such as salvaging or exploring).
◊ An expanded cargo area with extra security and webbing for odd-shaped packages
Mechanically a motif doesn't just give you a set of useful equipment and oddities to add ◊ A reliable cargo crane built into the ship's structure for holding and transporting
to your ship, it also aects how others perceive you - ships with a chosen motif will be particularly heavy crates and objects
easily recognized as a particular kind of vessel to even the most inexperienced sailors.
Hunting 2 Stakes
When you spend stakes on a motif note down the benets it confers. You can only pick The oldest wildsea profession, a ship kitted out with a hunting motif will likely have...
one motif for your ship - choose wisely if you're spending stakes here. ◊ Trophies of bone, fur or chitin prominently displayed on the outer hull
◊ A modied cargo area complete with animal pens
Shared Headspace ◊ An array of hunting and butchery tools, allowing crew ghting on or below decks
Purchasing a motif for your ship can also help every player at the table get into the right
easy access to CQ keen or spike damage
kind of headsapce in terms of how the ship might appear, even without discussing lots of
ner details. That said, it's still worth describing the look and feel of some of the ship as a Salvaging 2 Stakes
whole - a motif gives a general theme, but few specics. Useful for scrappers, dredgers and wreck-wranglers, salvaging ships will likely have...
◊ A scratched and dented appearance, making you look almost like a wreck yourself
Rustling Up Resources ◊ A modied cargo area with work benches and tools for disassembly
One of the most important things a motif gives you as a crew is a set of ctional
◊ A grappling crane built into the ship's structure for attaching to large wreckage,
permissions, the knowledge that your ship probably has certain things on it even if
allowing it to be hauled onto the deck or towed behind the ship
you haven't spelled them out exactly. This can let you search your own ship for low-
quality resources while out at sea, rooting through cupboards and lockers for salvage
and specimens that t the theme of your vessel. Searching a ship with the hunting motif
might turn up a rusted mantrap, old bowstrings and spearheads or the bones of past
kills, for example.

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Additions [Optional] Rooms [Optional]

A broad category of ttings covering the type of things Subdivisions of the ship outtted for specialist tasks. Though more niche than a motif, rooms serve the same purpose -
that tend to make life on the waves just a little bit easier they skew the operations and capabilities of your ship toward being useful in various situations or to various bloodlines,
for everyone. origins or posts. Rooms don’t make your ship any bigger, so adding a lot of rooms onto a small- or nano-sized vessel is going
to leave it pretty cramped.
General Additions The Basic Layout
With no more a unifying theme than 'usefulness'.
Even if you decide not to spend your stakes on any of the specic rooms available in this section, your ship will hardly be
These additions grant ctional permissions in a variety
a hollow shell (unless that's what you're going for). All wildsea vessels are assumed to come with a basic layout of rooms
of situations, usually giving you more options in terms of
as standard, usually consisting of...
interacting with your own ship and the surrounding waves.
◊ A Pilot's Cabin
Anchor System Free ◊ A Main Deck
Lengths of chain with heavy curved hooks, used to ◊ Crew Quarters
anchor ships to the branches of the Wildsea. Almost every ◊ An Engine Room
ship comes with this as standard. ◊ A Cargo Bay
Rig-Ropes 1 Stake Common Rooms Panic Room 1 Stake
Ropes strung up above the deck for various purposes,
Found on many ships, but denitely not on all. These A small room stocked with salted supplies and bedrolls,
often climbed, used as safety lines for trips over the edge
rooms particularly suit crews who treat their vessel as a home able to be triple-locked from the inside and extremely
of the ship or hung with drying washing.
rather than just a mode of transport. hard to break into.
Firey Lanterns 1 Stake
A network of lanterns, their glowing inhabitants
Galley 1 Stake Cooling Facility 1 Stake
A space for gathering, cooking and eating, lled with An insulated room where breath mists in the air, perfect
woken or sent to sleep with a tap on the glass, ready to
pans, cookware and usually a chemical stove. for storing perishables and escaping the sun's glare.
illuminate any part of the ship.
Cargo Crane 1 Stake Medical Bay 1 Stake Luxury Quarters 1 Stake
A clean space with tables and soft beds for the wounded Individual spaces for each crew member to sleep,
A sturdy crane for loading and unloading cargo,
and their carers. complete with soft furnishings and tasteful decoration.
capable of carrying extremely heavy objects without
overbalancing the ship. Workshop 1 Stake Lens Room 1 Stake
A (probably cluttered) room with smithing and repair A room of telescopes and ocular magniers oering
Wrecker's Magnet 1 Stake tools, as well as a mechanical workbench. a commanding view, a good interior alternative to an
A curious electromagnetic crane, often used by salvagers.
observation platform.
Controls on the crane can increase, decrease or cut the Navigational Suite 1 Stake
magnetism entirely. A room devoted to the storage and usage of maps, charts Brig 1 Stake
and navigational equipment. A hammock. A bucket. A lockable door and a set of iron
Signal Flares 1 Stake bars. The cramped conditions of most ships rarely allow
Colour-coded ares meant to be red up into the Butchery 1 Stake for much more.
heavens to communicate ndings, threats and A clean space for rendering and preserving specimens.
positioning. At least a smattering of the signalling language
is required to use or understand them eectively.
Tap-Room 1 Stake
For the creation, storage and consumption of ales, mead
Vox-Horn 1 Stake and spirits (the alcoholic kind). Usually furnished with
A deep, blaring horn that can also be used as a voice some kind of comfortable seating, and maybe card tables.
amplier.

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Armaments [Optional] Deck Weapons Hull Weapons

The nal set of tting options for your ship, but by The Wildsea, it’s often said, is a dangerous place. Having These weapons are axed to (or part of, or poking
no means the least important. Armaments are deck one of these weapons bolted to your decks doesn’t make through) the hull of the ship. Hull weapons are cheaper
weapons that deal huge amounts of damage, scaled for it any less dangerous in general, but might make it a little to purchase than deck weapons in terms of stakes, but may
ship-on-ship combat or combat with large predators less dangerous for you in particular. Deck weapons can require more careful manouevring to be eective in a high-
(perhaps even leviathans, if a crew feels like pushing be angled independently from the ship, allowing for easy stakes situation.
their luck). tracking of moving targets. They're also assumed to come
with a limiter, preventing you from turning them far enough
Winch-Claws 1 Stake
When you spend stakes on an armament note itdown A bank of short-range grappling claws on the sides of
that you'd catch your own ship as you re.
on your ship sheet, as well as the damage type it deals. your ship, used to draw enemy vessels close for boarding.
Massive Damage on Massive Targets Trebuchet 2 Stakes ◊ A tool to aid in close-range encounters rather than a
Lobs stones, chunks of wood or salvage clusters. weapon in its own right
Deck weapons deal massive damage as a matter of
◊ Deals massive LR Blunt damage
course, the kind of damage that doesn't just mark boxes Broadside Cannons 1 Stake
but entire tracks when red against something person- Harpoon Turret 2 Stakes A blast from the half-forgotten past, these banks of
sized. That said, ring your ship's armaments at person- Fires barbed spears for piercing the hulls of ships and the cannons can only re at targets to either side of you.
sized things would feel not only cruel, but rather wasteful hides of larger creatures. ◊ Deals massive LR Blunt or Blast damage
- especially when there are so many inviting larger ◊ Deals massive LR Spike damage
targets out on the rustling waves.
Ramming Prow 1 Stake
Shrapnel Cannon 2 Stakes Allows you to ram creatures (and ships) without danger
When a ship or leviathan takes massive damage it treats Fires clouds of tearing metal, usually just armfuls of to your own hull.
it as a matter of course, due to its inherent size scrap ocuts tossed into the barrel. ◊ Deals massive CQ Blunt damage
◊ Deals massive LR Serrated damage
Spearing Prow 1 Stake
Viper's Tooth 2 Stakes A set of reinforced spikes jutting from the front of your
An unstable weapon that res corrosive liquid. shop, for ramming others without danger to your own
◊ Deals massive LR Acid damage hull.
◊ Deals massive CQ Spike damage
Grand Blastbow 2 Stakes
A crossbow-like emplacement that res explosive bolts. Bladed Prow 1 Stake
◊ Deals massive LR Blast damage A wedge-like cutting edge for slicing into enemy ships
without danger to your own hull.
Storm-Rail 2 Stakes ◊ Deals massive CQ Hewing damage
Two huge brass rods wrapped with poorly-shielded
cables, attahced to a voltaic generator. Ripsaw Prow 1 Stake
◊ Deals massive LR Volt damage A serrated leading edge for cutting through enemy ships
without danger to your own hull.
Draketongue 4 Stakes ◊ Deals massive CQ Serrated damage
Have you ever wanted to be hated and feared by
everyone and everything around you? The draketongue
is a pressurized amethrower that breaks so many
conventions of logic, decency and common sense that
you'd be lucky to nd an engineer to t it to your ship.
◊ Deals massive LR Flame damage
◊ Treat Triumphs as Conicts when ring - this will
cause more problems than it solves

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The galley was a mess, tables piled Step Three - Undercrew

high with the spoils of their most For some wildsailors, the tight bond of friendship (or at least mutual respect) between a small core of cohorts is enough
to see them through on their expeditions out into the wilds. But ships can be roomy places, with a lot of moving parts to
recent salvaging run. Rusted metal, watch, to tend, to maintain; that's where the undercrew comes in.
rotten ropes, shards of glass worn Spending stakes on an undercrew option gives you an additional NPC based on your ship, a loyal crewmate that will
smooth by the years. work in your best interests. They're notquite crew - they're unlikely to head into port with you unless you specically
need them, and in narrative terms they'll likely have little impact on the overall story. But they're useful, reliable and
A pauper’s haul... to the untrained often eager. They'll have their own opinions, their own hopes, and - most importantly - their own mechanical benets.

eye, at least, but she knew better Undercrew choices act just like aspects - they have names, descriptions, tracks and abilities. Many of these abilities only
work during a journey or when the action of the game is focused on the ship, but some can be useful on a jaunt into port.
than to write it off just yet. Adding undercrew choices your ship is entirely optional - if you'd rather every person aboard be a player character,
“How’s it going down here, that's entirely ne.

Tamen?”
Ofcers [Optional] Available Ofcers
The wiry little gau surfaced, his Seasoned sailors, essentially NPC crewmembers. Ocers Single individuals hired for a particular skill, language
head jerking up from the pottery don’t aect the running of the ship, but instead ll in
potential gaps in the crew’s skills or aspects.
or aspect they possess. Remember to give ocers a name
when you spend stakes on them - it'll help to develop their
he’d been investigating. When you purchase an ocer give them a name and a
personality through play.
Skillful Ofcer [3-Track] 1 Stake
“I think you’re going to like this, short description, then note this (along with their track
and any benets they give) on your ship sheet. An eager contributor seasoned wildsailor, likely on the
captain. The info was good.” Rolling for Ofcers
verge of leaving the undercrew and setting out to nd
a main crew position of their own. Skillful ocers have
Tamen waved her over to the rear Some ocers come with skills and languages that might
help your crew out in a pinch. when you want to make
access to...
of the galley where a pot was use of these skills, simply allow an ocer's skill or
◊ 2 ranks in any skill
◊ 1 rank in any other skill
bubbling gently over one of their language ranks to supersede your own. You can also gain
an additional d6 on most rolls by treating the ocer as Well-Travelled Ofcer [3-Track] 1 Stake
old chemical burners. It was hard an environmental advantage. An eager contributor to discussions and font of lore, wise
to see through the steam, but she Damage and Death in the ways of the wider waves. Well-travelled ocers
have access to...
could just about make out a set of Ocers come with a track which can get marked (or be
healed) like that of any other companion-type aspect.
◊ 2 ranks in any languages
jars sitting beneath the surface. The dierence here is that when an ocer's track is fully
◊ 1 rank in any other language
marked, they have a very real risk of dying - they may be Experienced Ofcer [X-Track] 1 Stake
“Intact?” She asked. Tamen wildsailors, but they're not as hardy as the true crew. A seasoned wildsailor, likely on the verge of leaving the
shot her a smile, nodded Advancing Ofcers
undercrew and setting out to nd a full crew position of
their own. Experienced ocers have access to...
enthusiastically. Ocers have the chance to grow and develop, just like a
player character. To advance an ocer by giving them a
◊ Any one aspect
◊ An experienced ocer's track is equal to the track of
“Not just intact, boss... Pre-V.” new skill rank, language rank or aspect spend stakes as if
they were major milestones.
the aspect they have access to

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Gangs [Optional] Stargazers [3-Track] 2 Stakes Packs [Optional]

Small crews of fresh wildsailors, usually amateurs out Sky-watching tale-spinners. Think of a pack as an extremely wild version of a gang,
learning the ways of the rustling waves. Gangs give ◊ Automatically acquire one normal whisper when you beasts or insects tamed and trained to work together for
unique benets but often only during journeys or ship- drop anchor the benet of a ship and it's crew. Packs are less capable
based scenes. than gangs, and more prone to unexpected behaviour.
Cartographers [3-Track] 2 Stakes
When you choose a gang, give them a few Navigator-adjuncts tasked with keeping a record of the When you purchase a pack note their name (along with
distinguishing features - a descriptor based on their ship’s journeys and surroundings. their track and any benets they give) on your ship
appearance, for example, or a catchy name for their ◊ Automatically acquire one normal chart when you sheet.
little troupe. drop anchor
The Illusion of Control
Rolling for Gangs Deck Engineers [3-Track] 2 Stakes Having a pack on your ship isn't the same as having a
If a gang needs to act in any cpaacity outside of their Tasked with keeping the ship in working condition. companion. While they will likely feel aection to at least
unique ability, a single d6 roll is usually enough. It's ◊ Automatically clear one mark from any damaged some of the crewmembers they're far harder to directly
often far more useful to treat a gang as an environmental ship’s rating when you drop anchor control, usually lacking the training to take complex
advantage while rolling yourself than trying to direct orders that go outside of their usual behaviour. Packs
them into action they're unfamiliar with.
Bonesaw Troupe [3-Track] 2 Stakes act on instinct, for the most part - in certain situations
Amateur surgeons eager to keep the crew in some
they're as likely to be a hindrance as a help.
And Then There Was One semblance of good health.
A gang is only as strong as it's members, and the wildsea ◊ A single crewmember can heal a mark from any A Brace of Hounds [3-Track] 1 Stake
is a place of endless hunger, danger and predation. damaged trait or injury when you drop anchor Perhaps not best friend material, these dogs are at least
When a gang's track is marked that usually represents ercely protective of their ship (despite having few
the death of one of the sailors within it. The only way to
Tinker Troupe [3-Track] 2 Stakes others uses than comfort and the ability to play a great
Amateur metalworkers and clothiers, maintaining the
heal a loss like this is to hire a new gang member at port, game of fetch).
crew's possessions as best they can.
usually at the cost of a piece of cargo bequeathed to them.
For a friendlier, brighter game assume that a marked box on
◊ A single crewmember can heal a mark from any Rig-Ferrets [3-Track] 1 Stake
damaged gear when you drop anchor Used to tie and untie knots far above deck on ships that
a gang's track implies an injury or experience that prompts
evoke the feeling of the old salt sea.
the member to take some time o, to be renewed and Scholars [3-Track] 2 Stakes
reinvigourated by a treat of cargo when next at port. Research students working on unlocking the mysteries Whirling Bats [3-Track] 1 Stake
of the sea. Lend an appreciably gothic look to your ship from a
Available Gangs ◊ You learn a secret of the surrounding waves distance, but are unexpectedly friendly up close.
Rough, ready and with a worryingly high mortality rate. whenever youdrop anchor, supplied by the Firey
Gangs rarely leave the ship, but are adept at protecting it in
Frenzy-Parrot [3-Track] 1 Stake
the absence of any other crew members.
Marauders [3-Track] 2 Stakes Possessed of a shrill and annoying squawk, but tolerated
Rough sorts that take the protection of the ship (and the as an early warning system for dangerous predators
Spear-Fishers [3-Track] 2 Stakes celebrations after a ght) extremely seriously. roaming nearby.
Tasked with plucking insects and small mammals from ◊ They ght in close combat to defend the ship,
the sea as they travel. gaining focus every now and then to deal CQ blunt,
Medical Mosquitoes [3-Track] 2 Stakes
An annoyance for usre, but a useful one - carry a
◊ Automatically acquire one normal specimen when keen or spike damage
symptomless infection that increases a crew's resistance
you drop anchor
Picaros [3-Track] 2 Stakes to other infections
Magnet-Fishers [3-Track] 2 Stakes Adventurous slingers armed with crossbows, pistols and ◊ Infections and viruses don't naturally transfer from
Laconic scavengers that prefer the comfort of the blunderbusses. crewmember to crewmember
deckside to the embrace of the waves. ◊ They ght at range to defend the ship, gaining focus
◊ Automatically acquire one normal piece of salvage every now and then to deal LR blunt, keen or spike
when you drop anchor damage
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CHAPTER 7
THE FIREFLY’S GUIDE 114

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The rustling of the waves is The Firey’s Roles

ceaseless, but even an eternity has If you’ve been the GM, Keeper or Storyteller for other roleplaying games you’ll likely have a good idea of what’s
expected of you. But, just in case you’re new, here’s a quick list of the jobs you’ll have at the table...
lulls. A drop in the wind, a quieting Narrator
of beasts, a pause in the drone of You bring focus and cohesion to the story as it progresses, spinning a tale in reaction to events and actions. What eect
mantras and mantis-wings. are the characters having on the world? What’s going on around them, or might aect them in the future? Immersion is
key here.
It’s at times like those that you Guide
can hear the heartbeat of the sea. ... In the loosest sense. Your descriptions and the information you share should always oer options to the players rather
than forcing them down pre-dened paths. Draw from character quirks and backgrounds where you can, relating your
A creaking, not of branches or descriptions to aspects of a particular character’s emotion, history or experiences.
ship-hulls, but of the ironroots Threat
themselves. Thrumming with near- The sea is hungry. Beasts howl on the hunt. Spores take root & insects burrow. Pirates, wreckers and scavengers haunt
the waves... and you’re the one that has to throw these challenges in the path of the characters. But remember, threats
silent life. Sap and crezzerin. don’t always have to be immediate, or physical. Trying to reinforce a ship in the face of a looming storm can be just as
tense as an all-out battle, especially if there’s a time limit involved.
And, if you sit up late often enough, Voice
on deserted decks and empty Of the world in general, but also specically of the NPCs; antagonists, allies, the general crew. Try to develop distinct
jetties, often enough that you learn voices, personalities and mannerisms to help the players tell your NPCs apart. You don’t need a detailed biography for
everyone who shows up, just start with one or two simple facts and build from there if the players take an interest.They
to tune out even that creaking might not remember ‘Kasndrad’, but they’ll remember ‘the grumpy ektus with the scarf’.
heartbeat, there’s something else Teacher
beneath it. A deeper layer. Not As the Firey, you’ll likely be introducing the game to the rest of your group. Try to do this during play, as situations
come up. Start slow - don’t feel the need to explain all the particularities or variations of a rule right away, just how it
topographical, not quite spiritual. applies in the current circumstances. A lot of the engine’s rules build o of a few simple concepts: tracks, dice pools, cut
and tags. Establish these basics rst and players should pick up the rest with ease.
Something wild. Judge
Untamed. Whenever there’s a rules dispute, or a mechanic in need of clarication, you have the nal say. This means dierent
things for dierent groups - always be aware of how your group is most comfortable addressing these moments;
Narrative in nature. remember, it’s a game rather than a contest.
Designer
It’s a sea of leaves, and blood Due to the reactive nature of your role you’ll often nd yourself designing scenes and encounters on the y. While this
and salvage. But it’s also a sea of can be a challenge in terms of the ction, it’s also important mechanically. You need to be able to quickly identify the
most useful or eective rules and systems to use for a particular chain of events. The key here is not to overcomplicate
stories. any given moment. While the other players are learning the system you need to make sure you clearly set out which
rules are being used and, if necessary, how they work in this particular case.

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Session Zero
While not strictly necessary, running a quick session zero before a longer campaign can be a real boon to both the crew
Safety Tools
The waves can be a dark place, and even a good
and to you as a Firey. discussion and group understanding of the tone you
want to achieve doesn’t mean you won’t fall foul of the
If you have the time to run a session zero, focus on…
occasional slip-up or uncomfortable reference.
◊ Setting Goals. Each of the players will likely have goals for their characters, some described by their drives and some
The Wildsea comes pre-loaded with some basic safety
born of what kind of things they want to engage with or experience. Make a note of some of the party’s goals and try
tools, adapted from what has thankfully become
to incorporate those as the story progresses.
standard for the industry. Below is a list of common
◊ Discussing Tone. The clearer everybody is on the tone, the smoother the game will run. This discussion should lines and veils that cover many of the thematic areas of
include muted topics and hard limits, but also what kind of general slant the players are expecting from the conversation that may be uncomfortable, or that some
narrative (dark, light, witty, serious, etc). we recommend looking over the basic safety tools in the next column for players may wish to avoid in order to have the safest
more information on making your table (physical or virtual) a safe and productive place for all involved. and most enjoyable experience at the table.
◊ Core Rules. As long as you know what you’re doing as the Firey, the players don’t need to know the intricacies of Talk is a Tool
the full rules. What they should have a grasp on is the core rules - how to roll for an action, how tracks work, what ... So don’t undervalue it as a solution to potential
the dierent parts of their character sheet mean. Run through these if you have time to ensure that everyone is on problems. A slip-up probably doesn’t mean the end
the same page. of a game, but it might require a break in the narrative
and a frank conversation to address. The relationships
And, If You Have More Time... between everyone at the table as players, and between
them as a crew and you as a Firey, are valuable
◊ Make a Ship. Nothing ties a new crew together quite like making their rst ship. The process of spending stakes is
ones. Real life, and real feelings, should always take
written to be a mixture of collaborative endeavour and personal expression - encourage players to pool their stakes
precedence over fantasy, no matter how engaging the
together when necessary, but not to forget they can add some things to the ship that are just for their own personal
story might be.
enjoyment (or to make their character’s life easier).
“When you stop having fun, it stops being a game.”
◊ Discuss Themes. Just as the players are likely to have some personal drives or moments, the group as a whole
- Ric Heise
probably settles quite naturally onto some themes that they want to explore. These don’t have to resonate with
every player all the time, but nding some the crew want to generally work with can help you in directing and Common Lines and Veils
shaping the narrative, and the world’s reaction to player-caused events. A line is a topic that shouldn’t appear in your game, a
hard line your group has decided they won’t cross. A veil
◊ Lay Some Groundwork. Talk about some things that are true for your own version of the wildsea, maybe things
is something potentially unsettling that can usually be
that the players felt themselves particularly drawn to even if they’re not immediately relevant for their character.
mentioned, but not focused on.
Unsetting and Framing Questions (the details of which are found on the next page) can actually work really well
here to get the crew into the same creative headspace, and to provide narrative elements and ideas that can be Alcoholism Mind Control
incorporated into the world as the crew explores. Is there anything in particular the crew wants to see, any place Bullying PC Betrayal
they want to explore? Childhood Abandonment Racism
Classism Rioting
◊ Set an Initial Goal. Something the players can think about before the rst proper session, a particular task they’re
Dental Horror Sexual Assault
trying to accomplish or achievement they’re chasing. For some groups, having this goal be explicitly talked about
Drug Abuse Sexual Content
gives them a story hook with some automatic investment, a seamless road from planning to play. Other groups
Epidemics Slavery
want to be completely surprised while playing in-character - if yours is the latter, skip this particular bit of advice.
Eye Injuries Spiders
◊ Fill in the Crew’s History. In broad strokes and splotches - some events they faced together perhaps, or how they Graphic Gore Starvation
overcame a certain threat. If they’re entirely new to each other, have them talk about what they’re expecting, both Harm to Animals Suicide
from themselves and from their fellow crewmates. Harm to Children Torture
Homophobia, Transphobia
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Unsetting Questions Useful Unsetting Question Structures Framing Questions

An excellent session zero activity that also doubles as ◊ The ____ pirates are famed for their...? An alternative approach, Framing Questions follow the
a reusable pre-session warm-up, asking Unsetting ◊ What do people claim... same sort of format as Unsetting Questions but dier
Questions allows the group to ex their creative muscles ◊ What do you hope is not true? in a single important way - the answers are true, and
within the setting. ◊ Why does a particular world element work the way will likely have an almost immediate impact on the
it does? characters or narrative of the game. These are questions
An unsetting question is a simple, open-ended question
◊ What’s the purpose behind x? that, when answered, ll in important information for
about the world of the Wildsea. Here are a few examples...
◊ What do you think is...? the story going forward. They might be about a shared
◊ The gurehead of the Golden Dawn is famed for its
◊ Someone believes X - why are they wrong? bond (or even a shared dislike), a fact about a place, a
beauty. What creature is it carved to represent?
◊ What’s a secret about X that you’ve heard whispered creature or element of the world, or even a rearmation
◊ What are the Spires, and why do wildsailors avoid
of in portside junctions? of previously discussed goals and themes. Here are a few
sailing between them?
◊ What is a capability of the vessels of the ____ that examples...
◊ Sawnanas are far more versatile than most fruit.
you’ve heard tales of? ◊ Why does everyone hate NPC x?
What are some of their unexpected uses?
◊ Insert specic name - why are they famous? ◊ What do you all think of (world element)?
Make it clear before you ask the question that anybody ◊ What is it about this port that drew you here?
at the table can answer - in fact, Unsetting Questions
Pre-Made Unsetting Questions ◊ What is a story you tell of your ship?
◊ What fruit do the citizens of Distant Dirge glut
work best if multiple people address the same question ◊ What is a story people tell of where you grew up?
themselves on every spring?
with wildly dierent answers. You might want to choose ◊ What is a feat that you are associated with out
◊ The Black Chrysanthemum was a pleasure barge
specic players to answer in sequence, or let people jump on the waves?
lost to the waves many years ago. Many of the
in when they have an idea. ◊ What is a story people tell of your ship?
cargo items were looted and distributed in the days
The answers given to an unsetting question are following the wreck- what’s something that was
specically not true. Players should think of them as taken, and where did it end up?
junction-house stories and half-remembered legends, ◊ There have been reports of unnatural weather
possibilities, or unsubstantiated rumours. around a nearby port- what is a rumour you hope is
not true about this meteorological oddity?
Why Ask Unsetting Questions? ◊ What is a crime or atrocity you’ve heard of being
Running through a couple of these questions before you
committed by the Hunting Families?
start a game helps to get all players at the table into the
◊ What is the name of the favourite food/drink of
same creative headspace, giving a shared experience
wildsailors at the Lazy Cat junction house?
without the pressure or potential of any suggestions
◊ What invention or creation has changed the way
being rejected. Players can throw out wild theories and
people live on the Gatling Archipelago?
ridiculous ideas safely without worrying about how they
◊ What is a sad song that people sing anyway?
might aect the upcoming game.
Once your group is comfortable with the process of
unsetting questions, they might have some of their own
from time to time. Encourage this - it helps to break the
GM/player divide and lets even more creativity ow.
Activities like this might even inspire players to try their
hand at the Firey role themselves at some point!

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The Toolbox
Think of the rules of the Wild Words Engine as a set
Directed Conversation
Though in an ideal world the conversation would always
Meta-Conversation
Not everything said during a game will be in character, or
of useful resources, a toolbox that you can dip into to ow smoothly and productively, there will inevitably be even related to the characters and their present situation.
produce the perfect tool for a situation. Over the next few times when the other players need a bit of prompting It’s natural for a game, especially a ction-focused
pages you’ll nd an overview of how dierent parts of or direction. game, to draw players into discussion concerning story
the system can be used as you play. elements, past events, and possible future plans.
This is where you can use conversation as a tool
Using The Conversation rather than simply as a convention. You can shape the
conversation (without railroading your players) by…
Though it might feel like this kind of conversation
should be kept to a minimum (and if it ends up being a
The conversation exists to promote a natural ow of
◊ Introducing a new element or idea to the game. distraction for the entire table, it could be argued that it
ideas, to give players the space they need to engage in
◊ Reminding players of something they might have should), these kind of exchanges can be just as telling as
both in-character and out-of-character creativity.
forgotten or overlooked using an NPC. natural conversation when considering the wants and
Natural Conversation ◊ Suggesting possible actions, or forcing reactions to goals of the crew as a whole.
Though the Firey’s role is to ‘run the game’, that specic events.
If meta-conversation repeatedly brings the table round
doesn’t mean you have to be talking all the time, or ◊ Calling for an action or reaction roll as a prompt.
to a particular plot or element, consider hinting at or
shaping every conversation and event that occurs. Often ◊ Encouraging a discussion about the crew’s goals.
including it in the near future.
the other players speaking to each other in character ◊ Asking a player how their particular character is
is a good sign that they’re engaged not only with feeling, or what they think about a situation.
what they’ve made, but with the situation they nd ◊ Have an element of the scene elicit a reaction from a
themselves in. passenger or the undercrew.
This could be a discussion about what they’re doing The best times to use these techniques are when there’s
next, with players weighing up their options and a lull in the story, or if the current scene feels like it's
trying to decide what makes the most sense for the getting stale or losing a sense of narrative direction.
unfolding narrative of the world. It could be a sharing of
You can also utilize the above techniques as time-savers,
backstories, thoughts, or secrets during downtime, such
pushing for resolution to a scene when you feel the
as a montage or a peaceful leg of a journey. It could even
players have gotten as much out of it as they can and
be a specially requested scene, or something the game
you’re eager for them to experience something else.
just naturally slips into - the discovery of a new element
of the world prompting in-character conversation based In these situations, though it’s important to remember
around thoughts and diering opinions, for example. that while there may be a time limit on your session,
there’s not a clock running on enjoyment - for some
While you can break in and join the conversation here
groups, extended periods of in-character discussion are
(either by speaking through an NPC or with more general
half the fun of being on a wildsailor crew.
questions and prompts), it’s often better to step back
and let these natural conversations play out. Instead of
inserting your own voice, do your best to...
◊ Recognize. These moments are precious.
◊ Understand. What led to this kind of
natural communication?
◊ Plan for the Future. Listen to what these in-character
moments reveal about the wants and motivations of
your players. How can you reinforce or incorporate
these into the narrative?

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Using Focus The Focus Tracker

Focus is your spotlight - shine it on what’s important, When the narrative turns dramatic (such as a during a ght, a chase, or an escape) you need to ensure that everyone
what needs highlighting, what is in the dark and needs gets their time in the spotlight. To this end, it’s often useful to set a focus track, an easy way to track which characters
bringing into the light. have acted or reacted. Here’s an example of a focus track, mid-combat - ‘A’ represents an action, ‘R’ a reaction. Keeping
track of when players have acted or reacted allows you to easily shift the focus to them, keeping everyone’s time in the
Directing Focus spotlight roughly balanced even during a hectic period of action or narrative.
When you begin a scene, montage, or journey, the focus
will be on the environment as you describe it. From there Kyllian: AR
onwards, the focus is uid - one player might ask a Laura: ARA
question, another take an action, yet another state their Todd: A
opinion about something. The focus should ow from Freya: RA
person to person, and character to character, through the
From the tracker you can see that Laura’s had most of the focus, and that it should probably move to Todd to even
natural progress of the conversation.
things out (either by the Firey specically asking him for an action or forcing a reaction). Allowing every participating
As the Firey, you have the power to direct focus if you character the chance to act and react if possible should be the Firey’s goal during a dramatic scene.
feel the need, usually by using the conversation-shaping
tactics on the left. As long as every player is getting
a chance to contribute to the game regularly, you’re
probably doing just ne.

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Using Tracks Track Length

Tracks are an extremely versatile tool, and can be The length of a track dramatically changes the impact it will have on the narrative of the game. The longer the track, the
constructed quickly and easily in response to events. more time and eort it requires to ll and the more it will be at the forefront of the narrative. This goes for tracks that
Whenever you need to measure progress of some kind, the crew have to ll themselves and for tracks that ll naturally due to the passing of time or world events - an unlled
you should consider setting a track. track is a near-constant reminder that something is afoot.
Set a track when… So choosing the right length for a track is important, and it’s something you’ll have to get used to as the Firey, because
you’ll likely be doing it a lot. No doubt it’ll become second nature after a while, but until then, there’s a good bit of
◊ Counting down to a specic time or event, such as a
general guidance you can follow...
festival or market day.
◊ You want to add granularity to an unfolding If in Doubt, Choose Three
situation, such as an attempted ship hijacking. A three-box track is the easiest go-to for just about any situation. It’s extremely unlikely to be lled by a single action
◊ Building up to a deadly hazard, such as a rootquake or roll, but short enough that a couple of actions will knock it on the head. The achievable length means crews will often
or a stampede of wildsea beasts. band together to ll it quickly, which can help bring direction and cohesion to a scene. And, for many people, it just feels
◊ Determining the staying power of enemies in right - three is a useful number after all.
combat, usually by counting damage to either their
health or their morale.
Two or Fewer Boxes - A Reminder
It might seem tempting not to make a track at all that can likely be lled with a single good roll, but they do serve a
◊ Measuring the changing attitudes of a faction or
purpose. A one or two-box track is more of a reminder than a challenge, so you should use them you want the crew to
NPC towards the crew, such as a group of outsider
focus on something that they can’t immediately eect - think of them as a kind of checklist for future events, a diary
hunters, slowly learning to trust.
entry with a checkbox next to it, a textual representation of a goal, or an extra, crew-wide drive.
◊ A character begins work on a project, such as the
creation of a new piece of gear or training in a skill, Four or More Boxes - A Challenge
aspect, or language. Longer tracks are often a challenge to ll, and can dominate both the narrative and the creative focus of the crew’s
◊ A character takes a lasting injury, either in combat or eorts. Use longer tracks when an event is going to take multiple scenes (or multiple sessions) to come to fruition, or
from an environmental hazard. when representing a particularly dicult obstacle or hazard that the crew will struggle to overcome in the short-term.

Open, Hidden or Secret?

When setting a track, one of the rst things you should decide is how much you want the players to know. Should they be aware of how many boxes are on the track, of when those
boxes get marked, or even of its existence in the rst place?
An open track is a known quantity in more ways than one. It doesn’t just set a ticking clock out for the players to see; it acts as a reminder thatsomething is happening. Players are
much more likely to focus their eorts on lling an open track because immediate feedback on how, when, and why it’s marked means that open tracks are easier to work together
and ll. Because of this, open tracks are extremely useful for marking character-driven plot or world developments (events that the players have direct agency in) and looming
threats (as the players will have a constant reminder of the threat itself).
Hidden tracks work well for adding a dash of air and mystery to proceedings. The very words ‘Just so you know, I’m setting a track...’ can be powerful in their own right - you’ve
clued the players in that their actions are aecting something, usually in the current scene. Their attention may not be as constantly on it as an open track, but it provides a puzzle for
them to solve as they play. What actions or events mark this track, and what is it building towards? You can also vary the information you give players for a hidden track, choosing to
show or hide the name, number of boxes, amount of marks, or precise conditions of marking and clearing as the situation demands.
Secret tracks are, for the most part, just for you; a tool for the Firey to keep accurate counts of certain things behind the scenes. There is the option of revealing a secret track at the
moment of completion, making it clear that you’ve been paying attention to the crew’s actions and marking it accordingly, but this doesn’t work for every group. If it makes your
players feel like you’re trying to catch them out or punish them without their knowledge, avoid it.

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Filling Tracks Using Burn

When you set a track for something, you need to understand (and make clear to the other players at the table) whether Very few hazards or aspects detailed throughout this
the track is active or passively book are serious enough to burn tracks rather than
marked. You don’t need to use those particular words - often context clues simply mark them, but that doesn't mean you should
will be enough to put everyone on the same page. avoid doling burn out from time to time, and certainly
doesn't mean you shouldn't know how to deal with it as
Actively marked tracks require some kind of input or eort from the crew to
a Firey.
advance - usually either time spent working on a related activity, a successful action or a
sacrice of resources. Burning Tracks
As mentioned earlier, you can burn a progress track to
For example, Hunting the Chameleocuda would be an actively marked track. The crew might mark it
show that the change you're making to it is permanent.
by studying chameleocuda habits, talking to other hunters, catching sight of the beast, and giving chase or setting traps and lures
This might come in the form of a symbol of lasting
to bring it out of hiding.
friendship, an inescapable countdown or signier of
Passively marked tracks ll in response to something outside of the crew’s control, usually a world event. The crew permanent damage or decay.
might be able to mark or clear it themselves as well, but they won’t be the primary driving force behind each mark.
When a character's aspect tracks or a ship's ratings
For example, Festival Preparations could be a passively marked track. It might be marked when a large ship comes to harbour are involved, burn usually represents damage that's
laden with supplies, when a local chef debuts their new street food ahead of the festivities, or when night falls on the town the incredibly hard (but not impossible) to undo. You might
day before the festival. It might also be marked by crew’s eorts, such as them supplying bunting or trophies to the organizers, want to use burn when a leviathan deals a serious blow
but the festival will be prepared for eventually whether they help out or not. to an already-damaged track, or when the incoming
damage relates to a character's marked mires or
Mark Conditions backstory in some way.
So how do players actually ll a track? Though it may feel odd, the best answer might very well be ‘however they want
to’. Signpost options, but don’t specify. Removing Burn
Healing marks of damage is easy, relatively speaking,
Remember, tracks are goal-oriented. Though you probably have a rough idea of how the players will be marking or
but healing burn should be much harder. You might
clearing the boxes on a track, don’t just tell them what to do unless you really have to - half the fun of tracks is often
let a character heal a burned box on one of their
working out how to ll them. Your players will often surprise you!
aspects (or on a ship's rating) by...
Breaks ◊ Making a roll to heal using an appropriate piece of
When using longer tracks (ve-nine boxes), it can be a good idea to split them into multiple shorter tracks by inserting
cargo rather than an appropriate resource
‘breaks’ - moments where lling a certain number of boxes causes a smaller eect. Here’s an example…
◊ Treating the burn as an injury or project, giving it its
The Oncoming Rootquake: own track that must be healed box by box over time
◊ Visiting a portside surgeon and supplying not
In the above track, marking the second box leads to a break - maybe the crew notice birds spiraling up, wildlife eeing. Marking
only resources for their treatment, but additional
the next three boxes leads to another break, this time a warning tremble from below, perhaps a siren from a nearby spit of land.
supplies for their other patients
Then that nal box brings the full eects of the rootquake.
◊ Undertaking a short quest or journey for a unique
Be sure to give players the opportunity to mark longer tracks in various ways. Don’t just have them repeat the same resource that's perfect for treating the damage that
sort of actions, as it quickly becomes both mechanically and narratively boring. If the players come up with a novel way the burn represents
of lling a track, let them give it a go - it means they’re engaging with the problems and challenges presented by the
scenario, and that can’t be a bad thing.

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"It all happened so fast..." Using Action Rolls Positive and Negative Outcomes
Calling for a roll lets players know that the action they’re While the actual results of a roll are split into Triumph,
The young marauder inclined his taking has weight to it, and that failure in this situation Conict and Disaster, all this really means is that a roll
head absent-mindedly, focused will have consequences. If a character is attempting
something that has no consequences for failure, as a rule
can cause good things, bad things or a mixture of the
two. The following lists are intended to help you as you
on cleaning the leaf-pulp out of his of thumb they shouldn’t roll. work out the eects of a roll on the situation, giving both
pistol. There was a calm in the air, Players Roll Edge + Skill + Advantage When…
mechanical and narrative options to draw from once the
numbers are on the table and the other players look to
the kind of calm that only settles ◊ They attempt an action that’s dicult (convincing you for a description.
once violence has been done. an NPC, climbing a wall), dangerous (engaging in
combat, avoiding a trap) or dramatic (chasing down
Positive
◊ An action goes exactly the way it was planned
a target, sneaking to avoid detection).
"That's usually how a ght goes, ◊ They work on a complex task or project, such as
◊ Not quite what was hoped for, but still good
yeah. Not usually much time for cooking or crafting.
◊
◊
Aid an ally in achieving something
Make future attempts easier
thinking, just a lot of blade and ◊ They want to acquire salvage or specimens.
◊ Make future attempts automatically successful
bullet and back-and-forth." Calling for Reactions ◊ Avoid a negative outcome
Call for a reaction roll when there’s a threat that needs ◊ Gain information or understanding
Pistol cleaned, the marauder set addressing immediately, such as an enemy attack, a
direct question in a heated argument or a trap being
◊
◊
Reveal a secret or gain clues to a mystery
Mark a track (twice if acting with high impact)
it back in its holster and busied sprung. ◊ Gain a resource of some kind
himself with the bodies. There were In some situations one player might not know how
◊
◊
Unexpected healing or relief
Gain a bonus on a future plot-critical roll
pockets to go through, satchels and to react, but another wants their character to step
in and help. This is entirely acceptable if it happens
◊ Deal damage or an eect
sacks to upturn. occasionally, but if it happens too often it might lead to Negative
one player’s character dominating the spotlight. ◊ An action fails to have the desired eect
"How do you keep up with it?" Other Rolls ◊ Exactly the opposite of what was hoped for
◊ Hinder future attempts at related activities
The engineer was shivering. In Dice can be used to determine more than the results of
actions.
◊ A new threat or problem is introduced
shock, most likely, but the blood on Players Roll 1d6 When…
◊
◊
An existing problem becomes far worse
Avoid a positive outcome
his jacket wasn't his. ◊ They take a shift on watch during a journey. ◊ Gain false or inaccurate information
◊ They determine the eectiveness of a friendly NPC’s ◊ Clear a mark on a track (or mark a damaging track)
"How do you... enjoy something like action. ◊ Lose a resource or take damage to an aspect
that? How is that just a... a part of Players Roll a Ship Rating When…
◊
◊
Mark mire or take an injury of some kind
Worsen an existing injury or situation
your day?" ◊ The crew try to avoid or react to a hazard during a
journey.
There was no answer to that. Or The Firey Rolls 1d6 When…
none the poor soul would be happy ◊ Determining the threat level of a watch result during
a journey.
with, at any rate. ◊ An outcome of pure luck is needed, related to the
environment or an ongoing event.

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Using Twists Twist Examples Using Cut

Though technically part of the action roll itself, twists are Here are a few common situations that players might roll Cut is most often used to represent diculty, but that’s
one of the most versatile narrative elements you and the for, and some examples of what a twist on that roll might a pretty nebulous term. Below is a quick breakdown of
other players have at your disposal. cause. Use these as a template for creating twists of your how best to apply cut to an action roll, based on both the
own if needs be - all of the potential twists below can circumstances and what the player is trying to achieve.
What Are Twists For? happen indpendent of the success or failure of the action
For aecting the narrative in unexpected ways. These ◊ Unusually dicult to achieve
described.
might be (and often are) benecial in the moment, ………………… +1 cut
but some might be setting up an event for later and Exploring a Wreck ◊ Unusual approach/method
others may even be something inherently dangerous or The crew are inside a creaking wreck, close to being ……..…………. +1 cut
negative but narratively tting or compelling. Twsits are consumed by the waves. One of the players rolls to make ◊ Unfavourable environment
a great way for players to bring in their character quirks their way deeper into the dangerous structure... ……..…………. +1 cut
and histories, satisfy or work towards drives or simply ◊ And encounters a living crewmember, close to death, ◊ Impaired by an injury
steer the story in a pleasing direction. a survivor of whatever wrecked the ship. ………………... +1 cut
◊ And nds a resource among the trash on the oor. ◊ Attacking a specic body part
General Guidance ◊ And discovers a bulkhead door twisted open. ………………… +1 cut
Rule zero for twists is purely an order of play concern -
◊ And hears ghostly echoes of the long-dead crew. ◊ Increasing an action’s impact
describe the action before handing over narrative control
◊ And the ship begins to list alarmingly. ………………… +1-2 cut
for the twist, at least as a common rule. Oftentimes the
◊ And hears the horn of an approaching salvaging
eects and description of the action itself can inform
players as they try to think of an eetive twist.
vessel ready to claim their prize. Make Cut Clear
When using cut to represent diculty, tell the player
The rst thing to remember with twists is that you’re not
Haggling with a Merchant before they’ve rolled (unless the diculty is completely
The merchant is driving a hard bargain, so one of the
alone - anyone at the table can contribute an idea for a unexpected). This gives them the chance to alter their
players rolls to make a nal deal...
potential twist, meaning you have the creative power of approach or intention if they want to.
◊ And spots another item in the merchant’s inventory
several minds working on the same element of the game If you are going to spring cut on your players as a
that would be extremely useful.
(usually from dierent directions). surprise, that can be eective... If used sparingly. Used
◊ And notices a young thief about their business.
too often, cut out-of-nowhere tends to be more of an
The second thing to remember is that twists don’t have ◊ And the merchant recognizes a family resemblance
annoyance than a dramatic tool.
to be mechanical in nature, they can be purely narrative. to another previous customer.
The simplest form of a twist might just be adding an ◊ And the merchant turns away, distracted. Overcutting
extra detail to a scene, giving a player some narrative ◊ And the meeting bell begins to ring outside. If you’re tempted as the Firey to impose cuts of four or
agency over what their character caused. ◊ And the merchant lets slip a secret or whisper. ve dice, instead ask yourself: should the character really
be able to do this? A cut this high can occasionally feel
The nal thing to remember is tht twists don’t have Attacking a Wild Beast extremely dramatic, but more often than not will merely
to have an immediate eect. Feel free to ‘bank’ a twist It’s a desperate attack, lashing out against a charging
feel punishing.
for a player if nothing comes to mind in the moment, beast. The player rolls, and...
especially if the lack of an idea for a twist would slow the ◊ Shears o or shakes loose a resource.
game down. Don’t let them hold onto a twist for too long ◊ Notices a hidden weak-spot on the beast.
- that just becomes and extra thing to remember. But ◊ Redirects the creature’s charge, sending it headlong
often an idea for a twist will come after you or another into a wall after it attacks.
player have described the results and knock-on eects of ◊ Sets up a perfect shot for another crewmate.
the roll thast caused it. ◊ Gets a ash of memory that helps them form a new
plan to survive.
◊ Sees arrows pierce the creature from a newly-arrived
NPC ally, eager to help.
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Rewards Resources Cargo

An important tool used both to keep the narrative Perhaps the type of reward most often given, resources Think of cargo as a super-resource, a large bundle of
owing and to keep player-facing mechanics fresh. help to reveal truths about the wildsea just as much as useful materials with excellent barter value. Cargo can
they oer unique opportunities when players consider be pulled from the holds of wrecked ships, picked up
Hooks their actions. Each of the four resource types is given out at ports as a reward for helping their denizens, or even
An explicit narrative opportunity is one of the easiest in dierent situations - here’s a quick run-down. created by the crew over time with a project.
rewards to give, but can still be very fullling. They can
Salvage is the typical reward for scavenging at sea, Cargo might be swapped for extremely rare resources,
be given in response to overcoming social challenges,
especially if there are wrecks or ruins in the vicinity. but its real power is trade with portside workshops.
discovering new areas, and progressing or completing
Salvage might also be given to the crew as a gift after Think of a unit of cargo as equal to a single stake when it
long-standing story arcs. You might give hooks in the
they’ve performed a service or in trade for other comes to adding to a ship.
form of…
resources while bartering. Most ports will have
◊ Information on the existence of a new location
(sometimes accompanied with a chart).
some sort of market, where low-quality salvage can Benets
be easily obtained. Miscellaneous benets, often gained by eating meals,
◊ An opportunity to become embroiled in unfolding
having a good rest, or ingesting unusual chemicals.
events that could benet the crew. Rarer salvage might also act as a ‘treasure’ to be found
◊ Knowledge of a specic treasure or resource they deep within larger ruins, or dredged up from the lower A benet might do something as simple as clear a point
could attain. levels of the sea. of mire or heal a mark on a damaged track, but there
◊ A piece of a mystery they’ve been working to solve. are far more possibilities - one of the best way to use
Specimens of low quality can be easily plucked from the
◊ Tying unfolding events to a character’s family a benet is by giving the character a short (1-3 box)
waves during a journey, but better specimens will likely
or backstory. temporary track. This can either act as an additional
be given as a reward for taking down dangerous wildsea
damage soak in combat, or have an associated aspect-
Relationships beasts and plants (taken from the corpses or stolen mid-
ght using the Hunt or Harvest skills). Most ports and
like eect. Whenever the benet is used, have the player
Similar to hooks, a positive relationship with an mark its track. When the track is fully marked, the
settlements will also oer basic supplies that can be used
individual (or even a faction) can lead to more roleplay benet is gone.
in cooking, brewing, or medicine.
and story opportunities as a game progresses. Respecting
cultural practices, doing favours, and speaking the right Rarer specimens come from more powerful creatures,
languages helps these bonds develop. and from heading down into the more dangerous and
lesser-travelled parts of the sea.
NPCs might be able to oer services, safe haven, or
information, may correspond with crewmembers Whispers represent living information, and should
during long journeys and are also easily used to set up be given as a reward when the crew witness or learn
opportunities for future hooks and story opportunities. something of the deeper truths of the wildsea. They can
also be obtained through trade, exploration, or swapping
Milestones secrets about the distant waves.
Minor milestones are used to increase skill and language
Charts are perhaps the easiest resource to give, as their
ranks and to improve or personalize aspects. They work
acquisition and usage are comparatively limited. Reward
well as a reward for overcoming an important challenge
the crew with charts in situations where they’ve earned
or surviving a tough ght.
the favour of other wildsailors, or have had time to study
Major milestones are better used to add new aspects the ways of the waves. They can also be a great reward for
entirely, or to combine existing aspects, creating delving into shipwrecks.
a unique aspect with a much longer track. Major
milestones should be given out as rewards sparingly,
only after completing an important story arc or barely
surviving an extremely tough encounter.
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Consequences Effects Damage

Just as important as rewards, the consequences of Nowhere near as punishing as damage, most eects Usually taken when a character fails to avoid an attack or
plunging into danger and failed plans can be harsh. either change the narrative positioning of a character trap of some sort, but can also be dealt as a consequence
(such as having them knocked down, swallowed, or of any failed roll in a potentially hostile environment.
Unforeseen Troubles held), reduce their senses (such as blinding or
When dealing damage it should usually be up to the
A great use of hidden tracks, usually in response to a deafening them) or make them cut when performing
player as to which track they mark. The exception to
failed action. Tell the crew that you’ve started a track, certain actions.
this is when they’re using a particular aspect to add
but don’t tell them the name or how it’s marked - let it
worry them, and reveal the details once (or if) the track is Injuries advantage to their roll - in these cases, feel free to direct
damage to that aspect in particular.
ever fully marked. This is a great way to add granularity, Think of an injury as a lasting eect - a negative the
or the feeling of increasing danger, to any of the other character has to live with until it’s healed. There are four levels of damage a character can take,
consequences listed here. depending on the severity of the situation.
When you deal an injury to a character, ask them to make
Mire a track for it. This track can be marked with successful
healing, and when it’s fully marked, the injury is healed
1-2 damage is appropriate for most environmental
hazards and failed attacks. Most characters can brush
Don’t forget the psychological! Usually the consequence
and the track is removed. this o without too much worry.
of seeing (or doing) something horric, or perhaps just
spending too long away from the comfort of civilization. It’s up to both the Firey and the injured player to bring 3-4 damage is appropriate from a serious environmental
the injury’s eects into the narrative. hazard, for a normal enemy’s more damaging attacks, or
When you inict mire, the players choose which of their
for an elite enemy’s basic attacks. This might fully mark
mires to mark.
Vendettas a track for a character not suited to combat.
Don’t mark mire too often for the characters to be able Earning the enmity of an NPC once helpful or friendly,
5-6 damage should be reserved for an elite creature’s
to recover - once or twice a session should be your or making a recurring nemesis out of an existing enemy,
strongest attacks, and should only be used once or
maximum. The roleplay eects of marked mire can add can be an extremely narratively useful consequence.
twice per combat. When applying this level of damage,
spice to the way a character is played, but that eect is
Make sure to reincorporate these NPCs and nemeses into make it dramatic and memorable. This will likely max
lost if the player feels constantly trapped by them.
the future arcs and stories of the crew. Not every time - out an entire track from any character unless they have
that’s too predictable. Just enough to remind them that resistance of some kind.
the threat is there, and they’ll need to deal
Massive damage is dealt by deck weapons and the
with it sometime.
attacks of leviathans. Massive damage fully marks a
track, and in addition will either burn a box on that track
or cause an additional injury.

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CHAPTER 8
HAZARDS 126

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"There's a kind of... circle thing, to Hazards Entries

it, y'know?" The old wildsailor's Hazards are intended to challenge the crew for the duration of a scene or journey encounter. Most will require multiple
actions, or a full-scale skirmish, to bypass, but some simply need the crew to make a choice as to how they get handled.
pipe traced shapes in the air as she
tried to illustrate her point, mantle Basic and Complex Hazards
Basic hazards give only the barest essentials of information - a name, a quick description and a few bullet points
exing around her shoulders. "Like, describing the hazard's important aspects. This suits how they should be used in session, as a useful thing to throw into
the worms eat the fruits, and the a game for colour or avour.

wolves eat the worms, and then we Elite hazards have a lot more information to them, giving you as the Firey all the information you'll need to involve
them as the main focus of a scene, encounter, or perhaps even a small arc of a campaign. An elite hazard entry vontains..
eat the wolves, and..." Name & Keywords
"Turn them into fruit?" The The hazard’s name and a few important descriptive keywords.

navigator's tone betrayed a certain Description

A brief overview of the hazard, along with guidance in italics on why you might want to use it.
level of disbelief, and an even Presence
higher level of intoxication. His The presence section is split into various senses, allowing you describe what the crew experience as the hazard draws
ketra companion's brow furrowed. near or engages them.
Resources
"Maybe? I mean, in the grand A small section that details the salvage, specimens, charts and whispers the crew might obtain after defeating or
scheme of things? But yeah, it's a surviving their encounter (if the hazard is a creature these are usually gathered by butchering its corpse).

circle. Or a round thing, what are Aspects

The standard aspects that dene a hazard, the ones that knowledgeable characters would expect to have to deal with. A
they called, an eclipse!" hazard’s aspects also contain the damage type it can deal and any eects it forces on the crew as they contend with it.

"Ellipse," the barkeep murmured, Quirks

Unusual or unique aspects that can catch even the most seasoned wildsailors by surprise. Using quirks is entirely
though neither of them heard him. optional - they can spice up an encounter with something the crew think they have the measure of, or be used to
distinguish between several dierent creatures encountered at the same time. Try not to use too many at once.
"Anyway, any, anyway... All I'm
saying is we have to be outside of
that eclipse. You don't want to be
a part of the food chain. And it's...
Well, it's a big chain."

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Using Hazards
Once you've decided what hazard the crew are going to
Hazard Tracks & Limits
There are two major ways to handle tracks for an
Strategy Tracks
Focused on putting the strategies of the players rst
encounter, you need to gure out how best to use them. encounter with a hazard, and you might nd yourself rather than relying on their damage, this method works
In some situations you can get away with the most using one, the other, or a mixture of the two depending better for crews that approach a hazard as a problem to
simple approach: 'The Lion's Mane levers itself up onto on how your group approaches potentially dangerous be solved rather than an obstacle to be crushed.
the deck out of the waves, rattling menacingly'. Boom, situations. But before you choose which to use, you
When using strategy tracks, decide your limit at the start
the crew have to deal with a Lion's Mane. But there's should set a limit for the encounter.
of an encounter like normal, but don't pre-make any
usually a little more to it than that...
Limits tracks. Instead, wait for the crew to devise and try to
Focus, Actions & Reactions A limit is an overall number of boxes you can split execute a particular strategy and make a track for that
Hazards should have the focus multiple times between a hazard's tracks. The higher the limit you set - the more eective the strategy, the shorter the track.
throughout an encounter, and every time they take it yourself, the longer (and likely harder) the encounter will This allows crews to attempt various approaches at once,
they should be doing something dierent with it. This be. As a general guide... avoiding more specialized crewmembers being left out of
doesn’t always have to force a reaction from one of a particular type of encounter.
◊ A limit of 3-6 boxes will give a quick hazard (a few
the crew - when a hazard takes the focus it could also
good hits or strategic moves will mark all the boxes). Example: Theo's crew go for a few dierent approaches to
be aecting the environment or moving to a new area
◊ A limit of 7-12 boxes will give a more serious hazard the pinwolf's threat, so Theo makes tracks for each of them as
within its location. As a general rule, have a hazard do one
(something that can weather a few blows and has they're discussed. Attacking the Limbs gets 3 boxes, and can
big thing and one small thing for every volley of actions from
more time to harry the crew). be marked by damage. Masking your Scent gets 2 boxes - it's
the crew.
◊ A limit of 13-20 boxes will give you a hazard with a great idea that might give advantage throughout the rest
Damage & Effects some serious staying power (where behaviour or of the combat. Cut the Tongue gets 2 boxes and their overall
Major hazards should be dealing damage and eects abilities change as various tracks are fully marked). goal, Driving it Away, gets 5 boxes.
regularly while they’re active. As a general guide, ◊ A limit of 21 boxes or more should be reserved for
Every time a track lls, represent it with a change in the
intersperse lower levels of damage (1-2) with the leviathans, extremely complex encounters, or
hazard’s behaviour or threat as normal. When a track
occasional hit of 3-4, and once or twice during the re-occurring / multi-stage hazards.
that would naturally end the encounter (such as ‘Driving
encounter have the hazard deal a 5-6 as punishment for
Once you've set your limit for the encounter, choose it Away’ from the example above) or when a number of
a poor tactical decision or a particularly unlucky roll.
whether you're usingDamage tracks or Strategy tracks. boxes equal to the hazard’s limit are lled, the encounter
Do the same kind of thing with eects where you can - is over. This can end an encounter before the limit is
some low-impact eects that are more narrative than
Damage Tracks reached, a reward for clever strategic approaches.
Perfect for crews that love a good ght, these are tied to a
mechanical (such as altering the environment or forcing
a change of position for one of the crew) interspersed
hazard's aspects (and any active quirks). Attacks against Mixing Tracks
the hazard mark boxes on these tracks, and when a track You should always feel free to mix approaches.
with the occasional higher-impact eect. You can also
is fully marked, the hazard loses access to the associated Having a limit helps keep the game moving along at a
hand out lasting injuries from time to time, again usually
aspect. When all boxes are marked, the hazard is defeated good pace, and a mixture of strategy tracks for clever
in response to a botched attempt at evading damage.
(killed, rendered harmless, or driven back, whichever play and damage tracks for going all-in keeps an
Make these huge instances of damage, high-impact is narratively appropriate). Weaker aspects should have encounter dynamic.
eects, and lasting injuries as memorable as they are between 1 and 3 boxes, more durable aspects 3-6.
You might also want to use timer tracks to count up to
rare. A hazard that constantly deals dicult-to-manage
Example: Theo wants to surprise his crew with a pinwolf a particularly devastating attack or event, such as the
damage or eects quickly feels like a slog for all but the
attack. He sets a limit of 12, to make it a serious hazard, then arrival of a new ship full of marauders, the ultimate
most battle-hardened crews.
allocates those boxes to the pinwolf's aspects - Pin Limbs attack of a titanic creature, or the nal rolling thunder
gets 4, Corkscrew Tongue gets 2, Staccato Movement 2 and of a rootquake. When you mark this track, narrate the
Armoured Hide 4. When the crew attack, Theo will mark build-up - this gives the crew time to consider the
damage on these tracks. approaching danger.

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Creating New Hazards Challenge, Don't Overwhelm

You should also feel free to create new basic and elite hazards that suit your style of play - focus on a single idea that New hazards should be made to pose a credible threat
works for the tone of the world that you've set up, or maybe take a throwaway comment from one of the players in a or interesting encounter for the crew, not designed to
previous session and spin it into a hazard to challenge them with in the future. completely destroy them. Don't just check the crew's
damage types and then make your new hazard immune
1. Start with a Concept to them, for example - it'll feel cheap, and will likely
When creating a new hazard, start by focusing on the concept; everything else (the aspects, the presence, even the
drain the fun out of an encounter at the very beginning.
resources) will ow out from there. If your concept ties in to something about the crew or their ship, even better. You're
making a unique hazard, so you may as well go the extra mile and make it perfectly suited to challenge your group.
Example: Theo wants to make a new hazard to challenge the crew of the Northern Wind. Two of them are ironbound and one's an
anchored ektus, so he decides something that interacts with spirits would be good. After a few minutes of consideration, he has his
concept; a predatory plant that intoxicates exposed souls.
2. Fill in the Aspects
The concept you come up with should inform a hazard's aspects pretty eectively. Take the most interesting parts of
the concept and turn them into rules you can rely on, mechanically or narratively. Once those are done, ll in the aspects
that aren't as interesting, but might still be useful (such as weaknesses and resistances, or methods of movement).
Example: Theo hones in on the soul-aecting eects for his rst two aspects, as he knows that'll be a unique challenge for the
crew; he creates the aspect Spectral Intoxicant to describe the plant's method of luring prey, and Drink the Drunken to specify the
range and damage type of some soul-snaring tendrils. Once that's done, he adds Petried Petals to give the plant an immunity
to Salt damage (sensible if it feeds on ghosts) and then adds an extra line to the Drink the Drunken aspect, making it clear that
the plant both moves around and eats with the same tendrils.
3. Everything Else
Once the concept and aspects are nailed down, ll in the rest of what you need. You likely
won't have to write out too much, especially if the hazard is only expected to appear once,
but some notes on name, presence, and resources are often helpful.
Example: Theo names his new predatory plant the Ghostnectar Pitcher, adds a couple of
resources based on the intoxicating brew it contains and the petried petals surrounding it,
and then writes a few notes to remind himself of what senses to evoke when
introducing it in play - the smell of sweet wine (for the anchored and
ironbound crew) and sharp acid (for everyone else), the stone-like
petals exing slowly without a breeze, the barely-heard scratching
of fragmented, half-digested souls.

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Another pinwolf crashed down Pinwolves Aspects

[Medium] Swift Staccato Predators Pin-Limbs: Pinwolves can climb any surface their limbs
onto the deck, ank sizzling, but its Vicious pack hunters with stiletto limbs, pinwolves are a can punch into, with the strongest able to puncture
packmates were still coming. They seemingly omnipresent threat across the various reaches even metal. These limbs deal light to medium CQ Spike
moved with unsettlingly delicate and territories of the wildsea. Their colouring tends to
match their surroundings, most often a combination of
damage, and charges can deal medium Blunt damage.
Staccato Movement: Pinwolves move in swift,
motions, tongues ickering in the charcoal and earthy browns to blend in with the wood unpredictable bursts, making them dicult to evade.
spore-choked air. of the ironroots, though paler (and stranger) specimens
have been reported.
Add cut to actions taken to dodge or otherwise escape a
pinwolf while it has full freedom of movement.
“Uh, guys? They’re not retreating...” Their habits and cunning, combined with their natural
Corkscrew Tongue: A pinwolf’s tongue is also incredibly
mobile and well-muscled, usually used to wrap
speed and vicious natures, make them a serious threat to
Umbridge moved back as they even experienced sailors. Despite this they can be trained,
around smaller prey and draw it close to the creature’s
mandible-like lower jaws. These tongues are also lined
advanced, keeping his eyes trained usually at great personal cost. Use pinwolves if you want
the crew to face something swift and uncanny.
with delicate scent receptors, used to taste the air and
on the pack as he fumbled in his Drives
allow the beasts to accurately track prey they can’t see.

pouches for more chemicals. He Hunt Incautious Sailors: Of all the beasts of the rustling
Quirks
Armoured Hide: The pinwolf’s fur is matted and spiked,
could hear Ro Zan cursing under waves, pinwolves are perhaps the most adept at
understanding and exploiting the habits of wildsailors.
giving it resistance to Keen and Blunt damage.
her breath behind him, see a smear Pinwolf packs will take up residence around shipping
Mottled: The pinwolf’s hide shifts and ickers, giving
it ecient camouage against the rustling waves and
of sap on the decks where she’d routes and reefs, ready to ambush passing ships. Even
lone specimens can engage in this behaviour, sticking
making it hard to keep track of in a combat or chase.
dragged herself back. What kind of close to a new wreck and waiting for the inevitable arrival
Hulking: An alpha specimen. Deals increased damage,
and can bite savagely to inict Serrated damage.
beast took a bite out of an ektus & of dredgers or opportunistic salvagers.
Ravenous: Driven to desperation by hunger and

came back for more? Presence crezzerin combined, the wolf’s tongue, mouth and gullet
Sight: Bursts of uncanny movement. Long are absurdly swollen. Will attempt to swallow prey whole.
Lightning fast the pack charged twitching tongues. Coarse fur and smooth
skin underneath.
Trained: The pinwolf has a collar and barding, marks
of civilization and ownership, but it has returned to the
as one, pointed limbs scraping & Sound: The sharp impacts of their pin-like limbs. wild. Such beasts might be calmed or tamed with a little
skidding over the decks as they Hissing when they’re readying themselves
to attack. Scraping and skittering if they
eort and some appropriate food as a specimen.

came, jaws wide & hissing. move over metal.

Smell: Musky - a mixture of sweat and blood.
This kind of beast, apparently. Taste: Pinwolf meat is tough, and tastes bitter
unless charred or fried (when it’s then
surprisingly buttery).
Resources
Specimens: Pin-Limb, Flexible Tongue, Beast Bones,
Staccatomygdala, Pinwolf Hide
Whispers: Unsettling Movement, Approaching Pack

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Hooks & Encounters Thrummingbirds

Clattering Rush: A cacophony of pin-strikes on the deck above the crew as they examine the hold of a wreck - a pinwolf [Large] Living Drilling-Rigs
pack has caught their scent. Consider demonstrating the pack’s cunning by closing o escape routes and setting ambushes A large bird, known for destroying tallshanks in their
from darkened hold-spaces. search for sap. A thrummingbird's beak is diamond-hard
Wolf Siren: The crew’s path is taking them directly through known pinwolf territory, but the waves are oddly quiet. (or so close that it may as well be), used for stripping bark
Something has drawn the beasts away - but what, and to where? An opportunity for the crew to sight pinwolvesengaged in from trees and pulverising the wood beneath in search of
some kind of non-threatening activity without engaging them. sap. Use thrummingbirds if you want the crew to face a swift
Alpha Transport: The crew have been hired to transport a hulking pinwolf specimen away from a busy trade area, airborne foe, something dicult to engage with.
hoping the rest of the pack will follow. The pack’s pursuit is the perfect setting for a chase-based track or desperate journey.
Pinwolf Classic: The engine dies, the moon hangs low in the sky. A howl in the distance that grows to a chorus. The crew
Drives
Seek Sap: Thrummingbirds need a large amount of the
know what’s coming, but they have precious little time to prepare. Throw several wolves at the crew, each using a dierent
sticky substance to fuel their high metabolism. Usually
quirk to give them personality and distinctiveness.
this comes from trees, but they may be attracted to
certain cargo items too.
Keep Moving: Though thrummingbirds can land, they
rarely do so other than to sleep or lay eggs.
Presence
Sight: Tallshanks swaying with unusual force.
Wings beating so fast they're near invisible.
Sound: Low reverberations. Rapid knocking.
Smell: Aged sap and fresh wood-pulp.
Taste: Rich and savoury esh, but their beak is a
prized delicacy.
Resources
Specimens: Gullet Amber, Delicious Beak, Speckled Egg
Whispers: Silent Motion

Aspects
Swift-Beating Wings: Allow the thrummingbird to y
with speed and precision. Can knock over targets with CQ
Blunt damage or LR Blast damage as a defence.
Crezzerin Sap: The beak of the thrummingbird drips
with crezzerin, allowing it to inict hallucinations,
searing pain and other, more unusual eects.
Quirks
Destabilisation: The vibrations of the thrummingbird's
wings shake machines and delicate objects apart.

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Arrow-Tongue Jikari Tinker-Monkeys Ratwork Clusters

[Large] The Hangman's Living Lash [Small] Inquisitive Engineers [Swarm] Rodent Replacement System
Frog-like lizards with wide mouths and long, dextrous Clever scavengers that live on wreck-reefs and newly An unnatural collection of omnivorous rats, driven to eat
tongues. While not especially good at concealing risen spits. Their name is actually something of a ship-parts and replace them with their own bodies. Use
themselves, their method of attack ensures most prey misnomer - they're as likely to be lemurs or apes as they a ratwork cluster if you want to confront the crew with some
will be caught o guard.Use jikari if you want the crew to are monkeys, as various unrelated but dextrous species unsettling weirdness.
face something unexpected, but with obviousweak-spots. seem to develop a hankering for disassembly out on the
waves. Use tinker-monkeys when you want the crew to face
Drives
Drives the danger of theft and trickery rather than violence.
Spread Like a Virus: Ratwork clusters don’t live naturally
Attack From Above: Hungry jikari conceal themselves in in the sea, preferring instead to hop from ship to ship at
the thicker areas of the high thrash, spearing down with Drives port or during meetings on the waves.
their tongues to pull unprepared prey into the air. Just Here for a Good Time: Tinker-monkeys are well- Eat and Replace: A cluster will lie low until it has enough
Retreat From Danger: Jikari don't stand and ght if they adapted to the waves, and need very little from the mass to replace part of the ship. Once it has, it will surge
can help it, especially if they lose the element of surprise. wildsailors they encounter other than entertainment. out from hiding and devour an essential part (such as
Natural Curiosity: If given the chance they will steal part of an engine or steering column) then arrange its
Presence pieces of gear, gnaw through sails, ropes and rigging, bodies in a way that mimics the eaten part.
Sight: Froggish shadows passing over the deck
pester animal companions and members of the
as branches above creak and sway. Scaled
undercrew, and disassemble weapons and equipment.
Presence
skin, wide mouths, small eyes with vertical Sight: Flashes of brown fur. Scattered, gnawed
pupils. Vivid, lash-like tongues with an Presence metal or wood. Clusters of writhing bodies
arrow-shaped tip. Sight: Limber bodies swinging through the trees. where ropes and engine parts should be.
Sound: Low croaking as anticipation builds. Whip- Sound: Chattering and soft hooting. Sound: Scratching below decks before discovery.
crack sounds when they strike. Taste: Rattish meat with a metallic tinge.
Smell: Like old pond-scum.
Resources
Taste: Rubbery esh with a hint of standing water.
Salvage: Abandoned Cogs, Ceramic Battery Shards Resources
Whispers: Original Trickster Specimens: Rat Meat, Oil-Streaked Fur
Resources Aspects Whispers: Enthusiastic Stowaway
Specimens: Jikari Scales, Arrow-Tip Tongue,
Croaker Glands
The Devil's Hands: Tinker-monkey 'attacks' are more Aspects
likely to destroy resources than deal any damage to The Moving Mass: The rodents making up a cluster may
Whispers: Toothless Mouths, Ominous Croaking.
aspects, but a particularly technologically impressive move as a single organism, but they're still a swarm -
Aspects piece of gear might take heavy damage from a tinker's conventional attacks that target single individuals have
Arrow-Tip Tongue: Uncoiled from their toothless unwanted curiosity. reduced impact against them.
mouths at high speed, can either pierce lightly armoured Fingers, Thumbs and Tail: Tinker-Monkeys brachiate Indispensable: A ship-part eaten and replaced by a
prey with Spike damage or wrap around heavier at impressive speeds, often hauling stolen gear behind ratwork cluster rarely works perfectly, but removing it
prey. Once caught, targets are whipped around the them as they do so. will often cause entire systems to fail.
environment for increasing Blunt damage.
Powerful Legs: Jikari can't climb, but can leap impressive
Quirks Quirks
Keen Minds: Certain tinker-monkey groups have keener Slackers: Disaected clusters don’t care enough to
distances and use their legs to deal high CQ Blunt damage
minds than the average animal, using the gear they steal replace what they eat, a terror for mechanically
as a last resort when cornered.
and equipment they disassemble to construct original complex ships.
Quirks machines and sculptures.
Venomous: The jikari’s tongue can split open to squirt
lethal venom, blinding, or dealing Toxin damage.

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Manticrows Aspects Quirks

[Variable] Mutative Avian Horrors Feather and Beak: Manticrow feathers have edges sharp Polyocular: A network of interlinked eyes give the
The undisputed kings of carrion, manticrows range enough to deal CQ Keen damage, and their beaks and manticrow superior 360 degree vision, and the ability to
from the size of a cat to that of a horse, with some claws can deal CQ Spike damage. see perfectly through smoke, sporeclouds, and darkness.
unconrmed accounts of much larger specimens. Known Crow Oil: Secreted by adult manticrows, this oil is slick Cruel and Curved: The manticrow’s beak is more akin to
for cacophonous cawing and an unusual patience, enough that it helps the crows escape from traps but also a scorpion’s stinger, and can deal CQ Toxin damage.
multiple conicting reports about their attributes and enhances the mutative properties of crezzerin. Needlefeather: The tips of these manticrow feathers are
abilities continue to leave all but the most dedicated Ragged Flight: Manticrows leave a trail of oil and even sharper than usual. Creatures making CQ attacks
scholars at a loss as to their true nature. Use manticrows feathers as they y, making them easier to track than against them take automatic Spike damage, and the
if you want the crew to face an intelligent scavenger with a other avian creatures. feathers can be red to deal LR Spike damage like a
habit of swooping in and stealing fresh corpses, as well as a Mutative: Perhaps more than any other common porcupine’s quills.
host of unconrmed abilities. creature of the waves, manticrows exhibit a huge array of Pride Tactics: A group of manticrows have banded
area-specic mutations. together, attacking anything that stands between them
Drives and fresh carrion, bold enough to target even ship
Swoop and Grab: Manticrows dive-bomb living targets,
storage areas and portside chop stations.
and take corpses and carcasses with them when they can
to consume at their leisure.
Presence
Sight: Black feathers with wickedly sharp tips.
Smears like oil on tree branches. Pools
of fresh blood with no corpse in sight.
Hunched forms on high branches.
Sound: The beat of wings and a seemingly endless
chorus of cawing.
Smell: Oil and feathers, rancid meat.
Taste: Manticrow meat is foul, no matter how it’s
prepared, but their eggs are peppery and
oddly delicious.
Resources
Specimens: Sharp-Edged
Feathers,
Manticrow Oil
Whispers: Vigilant Patience

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Ambush Scorpions Tiricks The Lion's Mane

[Variable] Sly Arachnid Hunters [Small] Playful Sensory Swarm [Large] Petalled Apex Predator
Sometimes growing as large as a trading vessel, ambush A tirick is a confusing little mass of bark, tendrils, and A burst of golden petals sitting atop four wide, spider-
scorpions are lone predators that dwell in the thickest sensory vines, about the size of a day-old kitten (and spread limbs, the lion’s mane is a hunting plant with
parts of the tangle. While hiding, they patiently wait for about as co-ordinated). Alone one wouldn't be much of a taste for blood. Usually moving in pairs, they attack
the nearby scuing of beasts - or the roar of a chainsaw a problem (though it would still be dicult to catch), in tandem, one rampaging wildly through an area and
prow - to make their move. Use ambush scorpions to but they're never found alone - tiricks move in packs of the other leaping upon any prey that ees the carnage.
surprise the crew at the worst moments. twenty to several hundred, exploring and playing and Use the lion’s mane if you want the crew to face a pair of
getting caught underfoot. Use tiricks if you want the crew to terrifyingly single-minded predators.
Drives face something that holds them absolutely no malice, but can
Take Choice Morsels: Ambush scorpions tend to lash out
be a real goddamn nuisance.
Drives
at ships as they pass, then pull themselves onto the decks Blood-Hunger: The Lion’s Mane tends to ignore
to pluck at the choicest prey in the ensuing confusion. Drives creatures without hot blood in their veins until they
When given time to hide among the branches they are Swarm & Play: A tirick's short period of activity is full of damage it.
extremely hard to spot, despite their size. innocent, inquisitive play. Pair Tactics: One lion’s mane will usually begin an
encounter in hiding, using the other as a distraction
Presence Presence before leaping in for the attack.
Sight: A sudden stirring beneath the waves. A tail Sight: Bundles of moss and twigs. Twitching
like a crook. A cluster of translucent young. stems. Quivering moss frills. Presence
Sound: Mandibles clicking hungrily. The snap and Sound: Inquisitive chittering. Sight: Toothmarks ecked with golden dust.
clatter of pincers and chitin plates. Sun-coloured petals exing and rippling in
Smell: Sharp. Sour.
Resources anticipation.
Specimens: Bark Sheddings, Sensory Shoot
Taste: Scorpion chitin is (almost) inedible, but the Sound: A rattling lion-like roar.
Whispers: The Trouble with Tiricks
meat within is stringy and soft. Smell: Old blood and sweet pollen.
Resources Aspects Taste: Hearty, earthy avour for the limbs.
Underfoot: Tiricks have a habit of getting into places they Boiling the petals gives them an appealing
Specimens: Chitin Plating, Venom Sacs, Twin Pincers
really don't belong - in front of a sailor's legs as they're sugary note.
Whispers: Lying in Wait
carrying supplies, into a sealed larder before a festival
Aspects feast, into cracks in the engine just out of reach. They
Resources
Specimens: Maw Petals, Root-Like Hide
Carapace: Good camouage against the local waves. make everything a little more dangerous, a little less
Whispers: Drawn to Blood, One Lies in Wait
Weak to Spike, but resistant to Blunt and Blast. predictable, and a lot more distracting.
Curving Stinger: Large enough to cause serious injuries, There Are Always More: Tiricks draw more tiricks. If the Aspects
and packed with wicked venom. Deals CQ Spike or Toxin crew don't nd some way to deal with the small number Toothen Petals: Though the petals themselves are soft,
damage (larger-tailed specimens may even reach LR). that show up at rst, more and more will join them. they’s studded with tooth-like spines that deal Spike,
Pincers: Strong enough to snap through wood and crush Keen, or Serrated damage at CQ.
bone. Deals CQ Keen damage.
Quirks Impaling Limbs: Tough like old roots, the lion’s mane
Medicinal Options: Tirick secretions are a potent healing
limbs end in wickedly sharp points. Can deal CQ Spike
Quirks agent, but there will likely be ethical objections raised
damage, or Blunt damage if used to sweep.
Venom Jet: A high-pressure gland that shoots blinding, by crewmembers if an alchemist or surgeon tries to take
Fibrous Skin: Lion's Manes are weak to Flame and
caustic liquid from the scorpion’s stinger, dealing LR advantage of this.
Hewing damage, but their brous hides mean that their
Toxin damage. Tirick Warning System: When tiricks go into hiding and
bodies (though not their petals) are unusually resistant
Whiplash: The usual curving tail is replaced with a lose their inquisitive nature, it's a sign that something
to Blunt, Keen and even Serrated damage.
lengthy tendrilesque whip, able to wrap around objects monumental is about to happen - a rootquake, or raging
and hoist them aloft. Deals LR Blunt damage. storm from a clear sky.

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Quirks A deep-throated roar echoing

Twin-Mane: A mutated lion’s mane with multiple petal-
mouths, a ship-sized solo hunter.
across the open waves.
StrobingCommunication: Petals ringed with
phosphorescent patches used to spell out ickering
A mass of root-like scything limbs.
words in Highvin, a means of lighting, hypnosis,
and communication.
A false maw lolling open, ringed
Wild Stamen: A lashing tongue-like stamen that curls with iridescent golden petals.
around targets and draws them into the lion’s mane’s
stomach. Targets swallowed in this way take Acid The lion’s mane is hunting.
damage until they are freed.
Encounters
From Below: The lion's mane hauls itself onto the
deck of the crew's ship with no warning, hissing
and clicking and hungry. Another can be heard in
the distance.
Distant Lights: The undercrew gather at the rail,
pointing at the distant Highvin glyphs ashing over
the waves. None of them know what the source is, but
maybe one of the characters does.
Binary Rattle: Two lion's manes are hungry enough
to assault a port the crew have docked at. One stalks the
streets, the other clambers over the rooftops to pick o those
that ee.
Broken Cage: A travelling circus shows o its new
attraction - a tamed lion's mane that can answer
questions the crowd throws its way. When the
curtains open, the cage is empty.

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"Seen one? I've done more than Mawships Aspects

[Huge] Ships Gone Feral on the Open Waves
seen one, I've been on deck." Mawships are wildsea vessels gone truly wild; abandoned
The Maw: The dening aspect of a mawship, the
mutation of its bite into something that can chew. For
Pepper raised her eyebrows, by their crews but never quite claimed by the waves,
would-be wrecks that refused to sink. With nobody
some ships this might simply be a scissoring of chainsaw
parts, for others something as dramatic as the forward
looking over her drinking to replenish their fuel supplies they get hungry, and hull splitting open and exing shut, timbers like teeth.
companion's face for any telltale without a crew to ll their cabins and swab their decks,
they get terrifyingly lonely. They're vessels of want,
The maw deals massive damage, as you might expect,
but can also easily tear holes in the hulls of other ships -
sign that might expose his words deep and endless, and they split and change and reform Hewing, Serrated, or Spike are the most common types.
as a lie. Unfortunately, most themselves into something that reects that new and
ravenous nature. Use a mawship if you want the crew to
Deck Weapons: For dealing LR damage of various types,
but these are usually imprecise and scattergun. Many will
of that face was hidden by an face a dark reection of the age of treetop sail, a tragic be low on ammunition too, without a crew to
overwhelmingly shaggy beard. and near-mindless antagonist that's most probably far
beyond help.
reload them.
Ship's Senses: Lacking sensory organs in the traditional

"Get out of here." Drives sense, mawships nevertheless seem to be able to hunt
other vessels.
An Endless Want: Mawships hunt for whatever they
"No, really, I have! It was out of most need. Some try to abduct crews and press them into
Ratings: Instead of the usual tracks, consider giving
mawships a set of ratings based on their construction.
fuel, listing, could barely even work service, some destroy and salvage other vessels to keep
themselves going, and others simply eat what they can
You could even build them using the ship creation rules
its bite. We scavenged some old from the waves they sail.
for some accuracy, but that isn't technically required.

charts from the nav suite before we Presence Quirks

Press-Ganged Crew: The mawship has abducted sailors
got out. Couldn't stay, you know?" Sight: Timbers cracked and peeling paint. A bite
become a true mouth, gaping and serrated.
(or sometimes hapless port-dwellers) and pressed
them into service, cleaning and maintaining its structure
"Too empty?" Salvage architecture worming its way
through the waves like a living thing.
and loading its weapons. They'll be fearful and most
likely starving.
"Too hungry. They really are wild, Sound: A bite that howls like a hungry animal. A
guttering engine that growls and coughs,
Skyship: Not all mawships are wave-bound - aerial
truly feral. Back to their roots, if you struggling to propel the ship.
vessels can go wild too under the right circumstances.
Consummate Hunter: The mawship has mastered its
want to see it that way." Smell: Oil, mold, moss, and old food. Salt tears
from a long-lost crew.
hunger and want to a degree, and hunts with patience
and stealth rather than howling fury. It may well wait
"I do," she replied, suppressing Resources until the crew of its target are docked and ashore before it
a shiver. "It's a damn sight better Specimens: Cracked Timbers, Parasite Moss,
Unfortunate Bones
tries to claim its prize.

than the alternative." Salvage: Mawship Teeth, Old Crew's Mementoes,

Stale Fuel
"Which is?" Whispers: Eventual Fate, A Hungry Vessel
Charts: An Oil-Stained Map, A Chart of Places
"That they learnt that hunger. That Never Reached
they learnt it from us." Cargo: A Living Engine

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Woke-Bone Sickness Bellows-Garl

Arconautic Infection [Medium] Punchcard Pioneers made for the Wavecutting Age
The result of spending too much time around the Wheezing seafaring constructs, built in the earliest days of new sailing to crew ships heading through spore-lled
unearthed bones of Toothen Grove, suerers become areas. Driven by concertina-like contraptions operating on air throughow, they keep spores and particulates spiralling
skeletal golems still clothed in the unwilling esh of around them so as not to gum up their creaking gears. Use the bellows-garl if you want the crew to face a foe that's
their erstwhile owners. Often found screaming out for humanesque in appearance, but powered entirely by ancient, rough-made machinery.
help, or food, or water through clenched jaws no longer
under their control. Use Woke-Bone Sickness if you want
Drives
Follow Ancient Programming: Bellows-garl aren't
to impress upon your players the dangers associated with
rogue constructs - in fact, they're still following their
spending too long around the bones of fallen titans.
original punchcard programming (as best they can) to
Presence the letter.
Sight: People moving unnaturally stiy. Self-Repair: When a certain threshold of damage is
Researchers with ragged clothing. reached, a bellows-garl will retreat for maintenance, no
Sound: Hoarse screaming, endless pleading. matter how close it was to its objective.
Smell: Sweat and fear.
Taste: Though there are few taboos against
Presence
Sight: Pus of dirty air. Beautifully carved wood,
cannibalism on the wildsea, it would take a
now scarred and augmented.
truly o-kilter sort to want to eat anything
Sound: Wheezing bellows. Creaking joints.
with woken bones.
Broken Low Sour spoken in
Resources hollow voices.
Specimens: Animated Bones
Whispers: Pleas for Help, Words that Scar
Resources
Salvage: Broken Garl Limb, Bellows
Aspects Piping, Concertina Fabric
Cacophony: The frenzied begging of a Woke-Bone Charts: Punchcard Instructions,
puppet is extremely unsettling (and denitely causes Outdated Chart
others nearby to mark mire).
Infection: The true fear of spending too long around
Aspects
Old-Fashioned Sabres: Bellows-garl
these unfortunates is that you’ll contract the disease
were kitted out liked the corsairs of
yourself. An injury track for Woke-Bone infection should
old, dealing CQ Keen damage.
be long but extremely dicult to clear.
Rickety Construction: Bellows-
Quirks garl are resistant to Toxin, Frost, and Keen
Grand Design: Woke-Bone puppets spend every second damage, but their concertina-like bellows are extremely
of their lives enslaved to the titanic bones of Toothen vulnerable to Spike and Blunt damage.
Grove, acting to some unknown master plan. They will Failing Logic: Cards sometimes slip and catch in the
ght, poorly, if captured, usually dealing Blunt damage mechanisms, causing erratic or illogical behaviour.
at CQ with whatever objects are at hand.
Quirks
Pistoleer: This garl was given a ranged option by its
creators, and can deal LR Blast damage.

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Sun Seekers Skin-Thieves Marauder Ships

[Medium] Mothryn Zealots [Variable] Tzelicrae Bandit-Surgeons Most marauders are piratical types, which naturally leads
Skyship crews trailing iridescent scales, pirates swooping The lottery of skin is an ancient and respected tradition to them having transport of some kind - usually a ship.
on ragged wings to rip and tear until they get to the heart in various tzelicrae cultures, but there are those who You don't have to make marauder ships using the same
of a ship. Sun Seekers are religious zealots, an order of have a certain level of… impatience. Use skin-thieves if you design elements included in the ship creation chapter,
mothryn fanatics obsessed with the idea that some crew want the crew to face an opponent determined to steal their but it can be useful to describe them in similar terms -
out there on the rustling waves has stolen the sun, and identities without damaging the merchandise. not only will the players likely have a stronger mental
is holding it hostage. The presence of the sun in the sky image of the ship (having seen those options before
above doesn't seem to dissuade them of this notion. Use
Drives whilst making their own), you'll also have a good idea of
Beat the Lottery: You can't lose if you break the rules.
Sun Seeker pirates if you want the crew to face competent, what the crew might be able to salvage or scavenge from
Blind & Restrain: Skin-thieves will go to great lengths
intelligent foes that are nearly impossible to reason with them if given the chance.
to avoid harming their intended marks, using webs to
thanks to their cultesque mania.
Drives
restrain and poisoned needles to deliver soporic and
paralyzing toxins.
Ship-to-Ship Combat
We haven't included separate rules for marauder ships in
Seek the Stolen Sun: A never-ending quest due to their
inability to accept the truth of the sun's location.
Presence combat, because most likely they'll be a staging area for a
Sight: Spiders crawling over every exposed scene rather than anything that needs to be mechanically
Presence surface. Arachnid masses wrapped in sack- represented (an element in a chase, or something to ght
Sight: Gleaming hatchets and sharp-toothed cloth and rope. on the deck of). If you do need decide to use an entire ship
saws. Frayed wings coloured black with Sound: The rapid clicking of fast-spoken Knock. as an active hazard and engage in some ship-to-ship
charcoal and tar. A ship torn open. combat, you have a couple of options when it comes to
Sound: Cries of theft and worship.
Resources handling damage...
Salvage: Torn Sack-Cloth
Resources Specimens: Solo Spiders All Things Being Equal
Salvage: Mothryn Hatchet Charts: Web-Smeared Chart A marauder ship has six tracks, each representing one
Whispers: Ranting and Sun-Mad, Ignoring the of its ratings. When it manoeuvres in combat you can
Obvious, Hidden Light
Aspects roll using these tracks (just as the crew do for their own
Delicate Damage: Skin-thieves attack with LR webbing
ship), and damage the crew deal to these tracks can
Aspects to restrain targets, then rush in with needles dealing CQ
disable or even destroy the ship. These tracks work like
Ship-Breakers: Sun Seeker weapons are designed Toxin damage and causing paralyzing injuries. When
leviathan damage tracks (more on those in a few pages)
to harm crews, yes, but more to tear into their ships. backed into a corner, the knives come out (CQ Keen and
in that they treat massive damage as normal and ignore
Hewing and Serrated damage at CQ or LR are both Serrated damage if they can't avoid it).
just about anything with less impact than that (see page
common, and Acid or Blast damage a possibility. Tenuous Grasp: When defeated, skin-thieves will fall
43 for details on levels of impact).
Flight: More sun seekers can y than you might expect apart and scuttle away in a swarm of tiny bodies.
from the average mothryn crew, but most are still Skin-Swap: If a crewmember is isolated and restrained Part of the Ship, Part of the Crew
reduced to gliding thanks to the tears and piercings or otherwise incapable of acting, the skin-thieves will The marauder's ship is assigned tracks just like any
on their wings (and the extra weight of tar or other steal their outer layer and replace it with their own sack- other hazard, depending on how the crew choose to
darkening agents on some). and-rope covering. Treat this as an injury that can only engage with it. If this is the case then certain parts of the
be healed by the character hunting down their own skin, ship, or certain approaches taken, will mean dierent
Quirks or somehow crafting themselves a new one. weaknesses and resistances (or even immunities) to
True Frenzy: Woe betide any ships that run on liquid
incoming damage. As a general rule, lower the impact of
sunlight or solar sails - the Seekers won't just disable the Quirks anything aecting one of these tracks with damage if it's
crew, they'll attempt to slaughter them as an act of faith. Patchwork: Some skin-thieves are more impatient than
less powerful than a deck weapon.
others, using edged weapons to sever and steal body
parts for wholesale incorporation into their own forms.

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The Kjartico
[Medium] Spirit-Obsessed Corsairs
A merciless ardent pirate band that roves across the rustling waves, looking for ships to plunder. They are pirates
in the most classical sense, though their spirit-based culture and methods set them apart from common
marauders. Use Kjartico pirates if you want the crew to face a threat on equal terms - intelligent enemies
with weapons, goals, and a ship of their own.
Drives
Loot and Plunder: The Kjartico will take anything they deem valuable if given the opportunity,
starting with the resources and cargo that trade best in the area.
Maintain Morale: The pirates will retreat after losing enough of their number, but they’ll
denitely bear a grudge.
Presence
Sight: A wooden ship belching sawdust on the horizon. Heavy-coated ardent standing grimly
on deck. A ag ying from a makeshift mast, of a red blade on a white background.
Sound: The buzz of wood being ground down. An oppressive silence. A shouted challenge .
Smell: Fresh sawdust and hot sap. Tobacco smoke.
Taste: Pork, apparently.
Resources
Salvage: Curved Cutlass, Pirate’s Longcoat, Flintlock
Specimens: Pirate’s Skull
Charts: Old Map of the Waves, Pirate Port Journal
Whispers: Deliver or Die
Aspects
Gang: Kjartico pirates attack as a group, and can deal multiple dierent damage types depending on the arms
they carry (Blunt, Keen, and Blast at CQ or LR).
On Two Fronts: Every Kjartico crew has a number of spirit-callers on their roster, able to swiftly throw together
rituals to summon the spirits of marauders long-dead or beasts of the wild. These spirits use the
caller, or in some cases the ship, as a temporary anchor to the world, and will deal Salt
damage at CQ or LR depending on their form.
Quirks
Grim Challenge: The Kjartico are ordered and stoically traditional in their approach to piracy. Their second-in-
command will oer a challenge, a duel of blades to rst blood. If they win, their pirates will swarm the ship to loot,
and will kill any who resist. If that second-in-command is bested, the pirates will withdraw without another word.
Kjartico Ships: Their ships are armoured with thick broadwood, and driven by a jawbox powering a threshing
mulcher at the prow. Broadside cannons are common, dealing massive Blunt or Blast damage at LR.
Phantom Crew: When a Kjartico pirate dies in combat, their crewmates will do the best to recover the body. Whether
they do or don’t, a spirit will rise from the corpse at nightfall.

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They were a ragged, sorry- Old Ornail Aspects

Brutish Leviathan Beast
looking group. Old wildsailors All leviathaneers know the tales of Old Ornail, the squirrel
Titantail: The squirrel’s tail can be whipped at enemies,
dealing heavy Blunt damage at an impressive range.
with grey beards and hair, scars to end all squirrels. It crawls up from the depths of the Heavy Scamper: Old Ornail can climb as well as any
criss-crossing their bodies, limbs drown every autumn, stomach growling as it prepares
for the winter. Any suciently large food source is a
smaller squirrel, but causes massive damage to surfaces
it grips onto. Destroy the environment piece by piece as
missing or replaced with clanking draw - the squirrel is too big, too old to hunt enough food Old Ornail clambers over it.
prostheses, faces drawn and for itself, so it seeks out trading ships and settlements to
eat its ll.
Tooth and Claw: Bite attacks from the leviathan deal
massive Spike damage, and claw attacks massive
scowls bitter. Use Old Ornail if you want the crew to face something that
Keen damage.
True Leviathan: Old Ornail reduces the impact of all
Leviathaneers. might originally feel amusing… before reality sets in.
damage types. Dealing massive damage to Old Ornail
Presence marks single boxes rather than entire tracks. Sighting
The junction-house fell silent as Sight: Birds, insects, and smaller animals eeing Old Ornail for the rst time marks at least two marks
they entered, then erupted into in a single direction, panicked and howling.
A furrow moving through the treescape, as
of mire.

whispers as they took their seats. something titanic claws its way through the
Quirks
Crezzerhide: The matted fur of Old Ornail is sticky with
sink. A bristling, curving, claws like a ship’s
“That’s the crew of the Guilty prow. Dark, swift shapes moving through
crezzerin - all CQ attacks made against it deal a mark of
contact Toxin damage to the attacker, unless they have
ame-coloured fur. A network of scars,
Hand,” an old ektus conrmed to punctuated with the blades and hilts of
crezzerin resistance.
her companions. broken weapons.
Consumer: With a successful bite, Old Ornail can
swallow a character whole. Characters swallowed in this
Sound: The calls and yelps of eeing creatures.
way take medium Acid damage every time they perform
A beast the size of a ship, the size The creaking, bending, and snapping of
an action, until they’re free.
of a city, the size of a mountain, a branches and boughs. A throaty chittering
that sounds like an engine turning over.
Squirrel-Lice: Lice the size of dogs crawl amongst Old

tzelicrae signed. Smell: Musk and blood, and the sharp tang of pure
Ornail’s fur, and leap o to nd new targets if their
host is attacked. Bites from these lice deal low Spike or
crezzerin running in rivulets down the
“Takes a part of them every time creature’s fur.
Toxin damage.

they fail, a hundred limbs torn Taste: Like old wounds and lost sailors.

away,” an ardent captain mouthed, Resources

Specimens: Iron-hard Bristles, Matted Fur, Leviathan
shaking his head. Meat, Crezzer-Tinged Blood, Squirrel-
Louse Chitin
The bartender, heedless of the Salvage: Old Blade Fragment, Jagserry Hilt
change in atmosphere, hustled over Whispers: An Ancient Foe, Ready for the Winter
Cargo: Titanic Squirrel Bones, Leviathan
to the new arrivals. She met the Squirrel-Tail
remaining eye of their leader with a
knowing wink.
“Bloody squirrel, eh?”
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Hooks & Encounters

Special Delivery: A few moments of warning are all the crew gets before a massive
bushy tail slams into the ship from below, tearing the hull open to expose their cargo.
Old Ornail doesn't care much for the sailors - it's simply after the foodstus they have
stored in their ship.
Hunting Party: A group of leviathaneers have a plan to chain Ornail, a long
enough leash to let it run reasonably free but also to keep it away from a
nearby settlement already struggling with food shortages. The leviathaneers
need the crew's ship as a distraction - they may or may not make that particular
part of their plan clear.
Winter Festival: The festival is in full swing, a celebration of
autumn's end... and that's when the screams begin. The crew
will have to face or ee from Old Ornail without the benet of their
ship, probably in an unfamiliar location. It won't be chasing them
specically though, probably - it'll be aiming for the food.

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THE
FOXLOFT
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Partov had always assumed that Main Elements

it wasn’t actually the spring-foxes This page highlights the most important elements of the Foxloft, a reach of hybrid oaks, devoted hunters, and wildly
varied fox-like beasts. The rest of this section delves into more detail.
that brought good luck to a crew Leaves of Green and Gold
out on the wild waves, but the The trees that make up the rustling waves of the Foxloft are a hybrid species, a combination of oak and banyan. They
stand on average a mile and a half high, their vibrant green and gold leaves shot through with strands of white-
surge of condence that came blossomed creeper and studded with st-sized acorns. Crews might encounter…
with their sighting. Placebo effect, ◊ A recent wreck caught up in a thicket of corpse-vines, wood already reclaimed and blossoming
perhaps. As a surgeon, she could ◊ The scents of sap, chemical fuel and leaf-pulp in the air around a busy port
◊ The taste of fox-esh accompanied by a side of sun-cracked acorns
appreciate that. The Vulpine Masses
She watched as the undercrew The Foxloft is (perhaps unsurprisingly) home to a vast number of foxes and fox-like creatures. Many attribute this
plethora of wildlife to the natural adaptability of the foxes of old, but those of a more spiritual bent have their own
redoubled their efforts, theories. Crews might encounter…
◊ Spring-foxes dancing like dolphins in the broken-branch wake of wildsea ships
sporescarves ailing in the wind as ◊ The yipping of pocket-foxes, stealing across the deck at night to hunt for bugs and crumbs of food
the Redoubt Redoubling barreled ◊ A pheromone spray of alarm as bugs scatter beneath the shadow of a red-tailed glider
along the wavetops of the thrash. It Fur and Fury
was a good ship, a strong ship, and The economies of the Foxloft are simple and direct, a constant scramble for pre-verdant wealth (from the Writlings)
and impressive hunting trophies (from the Hunting Families). Conict between cultures is rare, but the waves make up
it had never let them down yet. for that with a plethora of ever-changing prey and predator ecosystems. Crews might encounter…
◊ Hunters defending a Writling salvaging party from a leviathan fox
It was also a ship accompanied, ◊ The sounds of feasting and festival-drums from a newly risen spit
for the moment. Their fur glowing ◊ The smell of sweat and blood in the air around a now-deserted outpost, and deep scratches on the walls

red against the dull gold of the oak- The Seven Walls
As is common for the wildsea, the precise details of the Foxloft’s past are lost to time, eaten by the roots. But the
leaves, an entire brace of spring- Seven Walls still stand, huge constructions of iron and stone that are sometimes revealed, in part, by rootquakes and
foxes danced in their wake. The canopy-cutting eorts. Tall enough to reach from the hidden ground to the uppermost parts of the tangle, a mysterious
monument to whichever civilization once held these lands. Crews might encounter…
Double-R was by no means slow ◊ A settlement of tents and shacks built atop a sturdy stone barrier
yet still they kept up, leaping and ◊ The grinding screech of blunted saws as a ship skitters over branch-buried metal
◊ Carved Highvin sigils, half-covered in moss, that make the eyes itch slightly if stared at for too long
snapping at dragonies and thrash- Spits of Bone
birds disturbed by the mulcher at Perhaps due to the impressive permanence of the Seven Walls, the ironroots dug particularly deep into the geological
their prow. layers beneath the Foxloft. Rootquakes often dredge up the fossilized bones of strange and unknown creatures, many of
which are lashed, anchored, and colonized despite their bizarre shapes. Do these mark an age before the pre-verdant, a
Maybe not good luck, then, not time before the time before? Crews might encounter…
◊ A port under construction in the eye-socket of an ancient titan’s skull
really. But still a sight to behold. ◊ The rising taste of memories, old even before the world-forest’s arrival
◊ The hollow clack of old bones moving under the inuence of restless spirits

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The Ribelds (Territory)

Number of Distinct Remains: More with each quake
Bone Shades: White, sallow, icteric yellows, old earth
The colours of the waves are muted here, and branches twine around house-sized teeth and bones that would dwarf
battleships. These are the funerary waves, the uprooted graves, the remains of compounded ages brought to light.
Incisor’s Run (Festival)
A Hunting Family festival centred around wavewalking races, with checkpoints set up on various ossuary spits. These
spits are often unstable, and the festival rarely ends without a few lost to the Under-Eaves. Outsiders are encouraged
to join.
Woke-Bone Sickness (Horror)
An arconautic infection alive in the very breath of these waves, known for animating skeletons still entrenched within
the living. A true, stark horror that inicts mire as it worsens. Creatures without bones are immune.
The Howling Wax (Leviathan)
A serpentine collection of woken bones from a creature (or creatures) built to a scale rarely seen, which moves through
the Ribelds on some unknown quest. Hunters from neighbouring territories periodically attempt to track and scale the beast
as it moves, risking Woke-Bone Sickness to claim one of its smaller parts as a prize (details found on page 259).

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Local Rumours Spearing Fens (Territory) Highcross (Territory)

◊ The Highvin script carved onto the Seven Walls Legendary Beast: The Whitecollar Snare Dominant Colour: Oak-leaf gold
spells out the history of the pre-Verdant world. Mesa-Skull Species: Unknown, but denitely fox-like Secretive Eorts to Topple the Seventh Wall: Fruitless
◊ Fox-pelt clothing brings unquestionably good
Often referred to as the ‘home of the hunt’, Spearing Quartered by a conuence of unshakeable walls, many
luck... unless the fox was hunted dishonourably.
Fens is a territory bursting with life and inhabited by a worked and hollowed out to provide secure vaults for
◊ Writling treasures actually hold far more value
large number of Hunting Families. Most live on huge Writling treasures that would never be stolen anyway.
than most give them credit for.
island-like barges of bone and wood, moving slowly to
◊ The bone spits of the Ribelds rearrange
keep up with the migrations and moods of their
The Mazoro Line (Wonder)
themselves each night. A set of well-maintained train tracks connecting
chosen prey. Worth is measured in blood and horn
◊ A trophy was stolen from the Gall-Drop Hunting multiple Writling settlements atop the Seven Walls,
throughout the fens.
Family many years ago, and they’ve been wealth-encrusted carriages pulled by specially trained
searching for it ever since. The Spitskill Mesa (Landmark) titanopedes. A ticket is required to travel, but that really just
◊ The foxes here can understand Raka Spit A single skull packed with old earth, both impossibly means ‘any kind of old-world paper’.
well enough to evade hunters that rely on it large and impossibly ancient, supporting its own
to communicate. forested ecosystem separate from the sea below. A
Rizen’s Garden (Docks)
Multi-tiered platforms built around a joining of walls,
◊ Those aicted with Woke-Bone Sickness often proving-ground for the most ambitious of the Hunting
acting both as a switchback path for docking ships and
nd their skeletons urging them deeper into the Families, beasts slain here never seem to stay dead for long.
good ground for parasite strawberry-elds.Picking the
waves, to some unknown destination.
◊ Hunters that steal a bone from the Howling Wax
Friendly Rivalries (Feature) local strawberries without permission is frowned upon.
The local families are locked in constant competition
slowly develop a new sense, a particular knowledge
over the rights to certain types of prey, trophy
Belltower Crabs (Threat)
of its location at all times. Polished brass constructs created by Writling
acquisition, and watchtower ownership, but these
rattlehands, the belltower crabs crawl slowly through
squabbles are oddly friendly. The perpetual hunt lets them
the waves in search of potential old-world wealth.
spill all the blood they need to without turning on each other.
These constructs are mobile and capable of basic decision-
Vulpine Respect (Feature) making, but are still quite rudimentary and easy to confuse
Hundreds of years of cohabitation by hunter and or overload.
springfox have done their work - both parties regard the
other with a grudging respect, rarely meddling in the
Kitlata's Threads (Market)
A clothing market and general trading post carved into
other’s business. Hunters are likely to ignore springfoxes
the side of one of the Seven Walls, multi-tiered and
when searching for prey, and the springfoxes sometimes keep
gloriously eclectic in the products it oers. Packed with
smaller, lesser animals from interfering in hunts.
smiths, tailors, and thread-minded arconauts, there's
nowhere else in the reach that oers clothes as ne as
Kitlata's. The good-tempered ketra that owns the place has
been known to hire wildsailors for secretive errands from
time to time, often to retrieve rare ingredients for a new dye.

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It was a feeling near-impossible to The Spitskill Tide (Fleet) Tall Mauzer (Port)
shake, a normalcy so normal as to Local Beverage of Choice: Foxtail rum
The Highest-Honoured: 16 true leviathaneers
Local Hobby: Ostentatious bragging
Darkest Secrets: The contents of vault 9036J
be completely abnormal. A Hunting Family city-eet that sails the waves of the A busy network of streets, vaults, and tenements cut
The streets of Tall Mauzer were Spearing Fens, protecting their territory from poachers,
chancers, and ossuary-thieves. Their ships are primarily
painstakingly into the Fourth Wall, Tall Mauzer lives up
to its name - it spreads from the canopy-level to walltop,
built on solid stone, none of that made of reclaimed bone and tar-worked wood cut hundreds of feet of densely decorated stone.
usual subtle shift or sway you straight from the thrash, and most larger ships are
wide, low, and barge-like in construction, allowing for
As a Writling settlement, the signs of pre-verdant wealth
got from even the most tangled tents and shacks on deck. Larger vessels are devoted to
and nery are everywhere, and nothing is truly public
- everything from the elevator platforms to the carved
temple-spits. singular (and impressive) purposes.
faux-cobbles are entered into somebody’s ledgers.
The Endless Feast (Festival) The Expeditionary Council (Leader)
But they shuddered every now In between celebrating hunts, births, deaths, and past
A collection of venerable Writling merchant-tzars,
and then, from the tramping of achievements, it’s actually harder to nd a day without
some kind of celebration. Crews visiting the Spitskill Tide
directing the city’s ocial dredging eorts. Between
a thousand feet or the rumbling will likely be asked to contribute meat and alcohol in good
them, they own at least 51% of all structures making up
Tall Mauzer. The council members are chosen based on the
passage of a cargo-train on the faith, but it’s not strictly required.
nery they wear rather than any intrinsic governing merit.
Mazoro Line. Every Piece (Ship, Chop-Station) Yet the city continues to function…
A legendary chop-station taking up an entire ship, Every
Royal Esterken Wells (Station)
Trains. The thought of them was a Piece isn’t a place hunters need to go to render their
prizes, it’s a place they want to go to admire the artistry.
A station on the Mazoro Line, the highest point of the
tickle of dream-clouded memories The workers of Every Piece take only a single trophy from a
city. The station-yards are heavily guarded thanks to the
vault contents often moved through the area.
in the back of her head, but she rendered piece, usually a particularly impressive bone to add
to their collection. The Tale of the Bottom Dollar (Feature)
shook that off. She knew, from long Bakarato (Ship, Junction and Shadow-Spring) A local legend concerning a sunken Writling salvaging-
years of trying, that the amber had A ship with a lower hull of thick but mostly transparent
ship, said to be carrying the very height of old-world
wealth. Eager goldsighted have combed the waves for many
taken all the certainty away from amber, constantly sluiced with warm salted water. A
place for hunters to drink, duel, and stare down at the
years in search of the Bottom Dollar, and though there have
that period of her past. majesty of the branches below. Drinking and ghting are
been several false claims, its location remains a mystery.
both expected within Bakarato, and the spirits they serve The Vaults (Wonder)
Still though, the throng of Writlings there are particularly potent. A hollowed-out area deep within the Fourth Wall (and
and wildsailors and traders, the A Different Kind of Hunt (Feature) far below the canopy-level), Tall Mauzer has far more
vaults than it does inhabitants. Belltower crabs guard
sound of Low Sour in a hundred Though blood and trophies are the main driving force
behind Hunting Family activity, growing numbers
passageways leading down to the vaults, but are of much
different accents. (especially younger members) have begun to hunt in
sleeker design than those found out on the waves.
order to tame and domesticate beasts rather than eat Tanderich's Picture-House (Cartoika)
The wildness of the waves them. Local foxes are a common target of these eorts. A permanent exhibition of snapographied landscapes
Elders are generally unhappy with this trend, but progress is collected by an eccentric gau, the picture-house's
seemed, for the rst time, less than hard to stop - the Spitskill Tide now hosts some of the nest exhibits are surprisingly eective maps of the distant
all-encompassing. animal training and breeding facilities of the wider waves. waves. 'Donations' are demanded at the door.

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Marrow (Port)
Tallest Tower: 17 ektus stone-throws
Pyremind Population: [REDACTED]
Completely independent of both the Writlings and the Hunting Families, Marrow is a thriving industrial city built into
the alarmingly massive beak of a long-dead leviathan crow. Marrow is renowned across the Foxloft for its gunsmiths,
metalwork, and semi-egalitarian societal structure, as well as for the port's distasteful origins.
Long a stronghold of pirates, a bloody rebellion ousted them to meaner dwellings in the nearby waves and secured the
city’s place as a friendly trade-hub for locals and far-ranging visitors alike.
The Architect King (Leader)
An amberclad ardent, rescued from her dreams and used as a slave-engineer by Marrow’s old pirate gangs. She earned
her freedom, remade herself, and claimed its post-revolution crown, and is well-regarded by the majority of her
citizens (many of whom wear amber aectations in recognition of her reign).The King’s dwellings are actually empty, the
ruler herself away from the port on business so secret even her closest advisors don’t know her location. This fact is kept from the
general population.
Forge Factories (Feature)
The thick bone of Marrow is appreciably reproof, allowing for the construction of forge-factories and traditional
smithies without fear of spreading re. Good relationships with a forge-worker will allow salvaged metals to be reshaped
and puried without much cost.
031 (Workshop)
Owned by an ironbound engineer of considerable skill, specializes in the refurbishment of unusual ships and machinery.
Zero-Three, the ironbound in charge of the workshop, has spread pieces of herself around the entire building. Each acts
semi-autonomously, allowing her to work on a variety of projects at once.
The Colquista (Threat)
The band of pirates ejected from Marrow during the revolution, jealous of its success as a new industrial powerhouse
and still furious over the loss of a good staging ground for their raids. Colquista agents often try (and almost as often
fail) to slither into positions of power within Marrow. The general populace are wise to their ways.

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The Hunting Families (Faction) Principles

Home Turf: Spearing Fens The precise laws and customs of the hunting families
Motivation: Conquer the most dangerous beasts change from settlement to settlement, but these
principles hold true for most.
A powerful presence across the rustling waves of the
◊ Taking a trophy is an act of respect, but only from a
Foxloft, the Hunting Families are a collection of semi-
fair ght.
nomadic groups united in their love of the hunt. Kin from
◊ Scars are proof that you’re pushing yourself to excel,
the Families are often found trading pelts, bone and meat
and should be worn with pride.
at ports, or encountered sailing the canopy in pursuit
◊ Never intervene in another’s hunt.
of whatever quarry has caught their attention. They’re
regarded by others as a rough but straightforward lot, Quick NPCs
honest about their intentions and driven to succeed. ◊ Cressa Thorn (Ardent): Tasked with watching over a
game preserve for training children in their earliest
The Hunter’s Throne (Wonder) years. Elderly, good-humoured, and a terror with a
A ragged aair of skins and bones atop the Spitskill Mesa.
long-range carbine.
Each hunter sets a trophy into the throne at some point,
◊ Tantaluska Ormenholme (Ektus): An ex-pirate with
but in the absence of recognized leaders, it remains
a jagged scar running from brow to knee, pursuing
empty by tradition. The throne is a symbol of what has been
the leviathan squirrel that marked them.
conquered, not of who conquered it.
◊ Bel & Hortio (Ardent): A brother and sister duo who
The First Feast (Festival) hunt together, Bel with blades and Hortio with a bow.
Anyone can become a member of one of the Families if More brave than they are skilled.
they’re driven enough, and those born directly into the
Families do not attain the title of kin merely through
Story Hooks
◊ After defending themselves against a crazed beast,
circumstance. To become a recognized member you need
the crew nd that they’ve unwittingly
to provide the meat for your own induction feast, enough for
spoiled a hunt.
everyone present – a prodigious task.
◊ The crew come across
Sun-Dives (Festival) an injured long-nose
When a member becomes too old or frail to hunt, they mount, pining for its
often take the sun-dive – a raucous celebration of skill lost rider.
and passion that ends with a fatal leap into the nearest ◊ Arriving at a hunting outpost the crew
rift. It’s tradition to leap holding something bright - a rey nd that a feast is already underway,
bulb, for example - as a representation of hunting, and welcoming a new initiate.
besting, the darkness beneath. ◊ An elderly hunter wants transport as a
passenger, to see a little of the wider waves
The Bravest Few (Punishment) before they take the sun-dive.
A disgraced hunter can often redeem themselves
◊ A bone-hulled ship sits in a lonely port, with
by walking the path of the Bravest Few - dressing
signs of a struggle evident on deck and the crew
themselves in pelts and horns, then slipping away
nowhere to be seen.
into the waves to live as a quarry for the other hunters.
◊ The crew, their ship chased by a titanic beast,
Surviving a stint out in the wild wipes the oender’s slate
are saved by a group of leviathaneers… But the
clean, and gives a few new scars to show o.
beast is still out there.

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The Writlings (Faction) Principles Story Hooks

Home Turf: Highcross There is a written code sitting snug in a Writling vault ◊ A high-ranking Writling is holding an auction of to
Motivation: Accrue and display pre-verdant wealth somewhere that fully categorizes their goals and make room for new acquisitions.
ambitions. Now, if only someone could remember ◊ Something owned by one of the crew catches the eye
The Writlings are a cult devoted to the unearthing and
which vault… of a gold-sighted scavenger.
repurposing of ancient wealth, with a particular focus
◊ Valuable acquisitions should be paraded. ◊ After a distant explosion, faded banknotes rain down
on coins, paper money, contracts and books. Precious
◊ The ideas of the past are worth more than those of from the sky for miles around.
metals don’t typically interest them as much unless
the future. ◊ The crew discover a damaged promenossuary.
they’re nely worked, but are often incorporated into
◊ Theft from another Writling is punishable by death (a ◊ Writling cultists are on the trail of a cunning thief.
their ships and settlements for decoration.
cut-throat business manoeuvre is ne). ◊ A nearby titanopede has gone wild, pulling the city
Though some regard them as pirates, Writlings are rarely built into its back on a terrifying ride.
violent to outsiders unless provoked. In truth, they rarely
Quick NPCs
◊ Tamen Hold (Gau): A young Writling coin collector,
come into conict with other cultures, as the resources
eager to show o his accumulated ‘wealth’.
they devote themselves to collecting are all but useless to
◊ Big Fja (Ardent): A high-ranking member of the
most wildsea groups.
Writling cult with a cape made of sealing-wax and
A Cult of Silk & Paper (Feature) multi-coloured banknotes. Respected for her ability
Writling clothing is made to look as elegant as possible, to sni out a bargain on relics.
but this elegance is in service to the cult’s own ◊ Patakara Kezar (Tzelicrae):
sensibilities. Lower-order members are draped in gold- A goldsighted scavenger
trimmed silks, yet still envious of the coin necklaces and whose internal spiders carry
haphazard banknote-sashes of their betters. numerous coins from
various lost currencies.
The Goldsighted (Feature) Claims to have visited the
A colloquial term for experienced Writling scavengers,
Under-Eaves.
so named due to their habit of replacing their eyes (if
they have them) with coins. Writlings belonging to ‘eyeless’
bloodlines, such as the ektus, often embed coins into their
arms and faces instead.
Promenossuaries (Horror)
As a successful Writling reaches the end of their life
their thoughts turn, naturally, to the protection of
their treasures. A promenossuary allows them to hoard
their wealth, even in death - a semi-sentient con
that lurches proudly along the streets and walkways of
their homes. These walking tombs are often glass-fronted,
displaying an alchemically preserved corpse and their most
valuable nds.
The Exchange (Festival)
A monthly trading festival for the acquisition of old-
world wealth. Writlings often cultivate vast gardens of
heirloom produce, bartering their ship-grown strawberries
and slaughtermelons for pre-V gewgaws.

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FIREFLY RESOURCES
Watch Results (Peace) Trade Goods & Cargo
6: A bone-spit daubed with a rudimentary map of the ◊ Dredging Equipment (export): While some, like the tzelicrae and ketra, are naturally suited for trips down into the
surrounding waves. sink and drown to dredge up old salvage, most have to invest in serious protective gear to stay safe.
5: A distant pack of spring-foxes playing in the thrash. ◊ Beast Meat (export): With their seemingly never-sated drive to hunt, the families usually end up with more meat
4: An arconautic swell from somewhere below, than they could ever eat or store. Often salted or dried for travel.
allowing the crew to hear perfectly for a short time. ◊ Finely-Crafted Guns (export): Straight from the forges of Marrow. Blackpowder can be used, but it’s a rarity - most
3: Two companions play-ghting on deck. Marrow-made guns rely on alchemical charges, compressed air or ratchetwork.
2: One of the undercrew shares a tale of the salvagers ◊ Coins and Banknotes (import): Pre-verdant, of course. Writling traders will usually be thrilled to exchange any kind
sent out to nd the Bottom Dollar, and what they of specimen for such salvage.
found instead. ◊ Untested Beasts (import): The Hunting Families are always looking for a new challenge, and bringing a dangerous
1: An excellent view of one of the Seven Walls from a beast from a far-o reach is a great way to pique their interest.
peak of the wavetops. ◊ Ore (import): The curse of Marrow, a city of smelters with no local mines. Luckily, folks will travel for weeks to bring
them material for their forges, and they pay handsomely too.
Watch Results (Order)
6: A Hunting Family vessel pulling up alongside you,
with fresh meat and strong drink to share and Passengers Endemic Hazards
nothing to ask for in return. ◊ A young member of the Hunting Families, a fox- ◊ A huge and varied amount of foxes (see the next page
5: A tallshank marked with Raka Spit script, a hunter’s trainer on their way back from a successful and for details), though they're rarely a direct threat to
poem for prey long-lost. bloodless hunt with a new furred friend. wildsailing crews.
4: A bone-spit archipelago settled by refugees from a ◊ A goldsighted dredger with very specic directions as ◊ Arrow-tongue jikari crawling down from the Spitskill
distant reach. to where she wants to be dropped o. Mesa in search of gourmet prey.
3: A brace of trained foxes pulling a Writling ◊ An old Marrow revolutionary with a huge spiny ◊ Red-tailed gliders snapping insects out of the air, but
pleasure-barge. beard, full of tales of the bad times before the occasionally driven to take on larger prey.
2: An encounter with one of the Bravest Few, atoning Architect King took her throne. ◊ Sailing stones, parts of the Seven Walls that have
for the crime of trophy-theft. ◊ A wordless promenossuary that will leave exactly gained sentience and drifted free in the long years
1: A heavily damaged Hunting Family ship eeing when it wants to. since the Verdancy.
a leviathan. ◊ A group of new Writlings, their clothing drab and ◊ Titanopedes, usually well-trained to follow trading
speckled with only a few coins and book-scraps. channels and Seven Wall rail-lines.
Watch Results (Nature) ◊ A train-driver from the Mazoro line, exiled from ◊ The Whitecollar Snare, a leviathan fox so starkly
6: A coterie of spring-foxes dancing in the wake of
their post due to the death of a titanopede on beautiful that it mazes the mind and turns friend
your ship, a decidedly good omen.
their watch. to foe.
5: A vengeful storm, its lightning striking an insulated
Writling dredging-vessel again and again.
4: A swarm of tiny pocket-foxes spilling up and
over the railings, looking to nab any small items
they can.
3: A rain of teeth.
2: The split banyam-branches and scarred trunks that
point to a recently surfaced leviathan.
1: A Woke-Bone puppet pulling themselves onto the
deck, screaming for help as they are forced to attack.

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A Vulpine Variety Springfoxes Robichek's Follies

The Foxloft didn't gain its name by chance - though Found all over the wildsea but rarely in such Not foxes at all, though they do a passable job of
lled with all manner of beasts, oddities, and insects, an concentration, springfoxes are to ships of the wilds imitating them when luring prey - a good enough job
unusual concentration of foxes and fox-like things call what dolphins were to ships of the old salt. They travel that they fooled the infamous Robichek, a Writling
the reach their home. The most notable of these are... in packs, leaping through the thrash in a ship's wake dissident that ran o to join the Hunting Families. His
or alongside its hull to snap at insects disturbed by its story has become something of a myth in the Foxloft, so
Snow-Collars passage. Some sailors even feed them, throwing food the truth of it is questionable, but the tale goes that he set
One of the most distinctive vulpine beasts of the Foxloft,
over the side as a gesture of aection or good luck. his sights on a 'modest' creature for his inaugural feast.
the pure white fur of their heads and necks standing out
The creature he ended up hunting (which he mistook for
amid the green and gold foliage. Snow-collars tend to Djagva a snow-collar) gave little reaction as he crept closer, and
make their dens by burrowing into the stonework of the Named after the Low Sour word for 'blade', djagva foxes
he only realized his mistake when the white and russet
Seven Walls, and some fear that their accidental eorts are aggressively territorial denizens of the deeper sink.
fur split apart to reveal acid-dripping mandibles, the
may one day bring the entire edice crashing down. Though resembling ordinary foxes in every way, every
folly discarding its disguise and revealing itself as a ship-
part of their fur is razor sharp. For some hunters, djagva
Pocketfoxes are the only foxes it can be honourable to choose as a
length centipede with an especially eective method of
Unique to the Foxloft, these miniature vulpine camouage.
quarry - they move in packs of several hundred, leaving
scavengers are no bigger than the average locket. Though
swathes of torn leaves and bark-stripped branches Robichek would probably be less than enthused to know
treated by some as vermin they're actually incredibly
behind them. that the creature was named after him.
useful, especially when trained - a pocketfox is a natural
lcher, able to steal small but valuable items from Luckily for sailors and settlers, djagva rarely make
unattended places. Wild pocketfoxes use these things their way up to the surface, though their movements
to decorate their dens, but a trained specimen will bring sometimes drive other creatures from the sink upwards
such spoils straight to their owner. (which can be a problem in itself).
Red-Tailed Gliders
The main aerial predator of the reach, despite being
unable to truly y; red-tailed gliders rely on updraughts
and tallshank launching-points to hunt, soaring through
the skies on billowing aps of aerodynamic fur. Much
like the snow-collars, these gliders are named for their
unusual colouration, their tails lacking the black or white
'tip' common to most of the region's foxes.

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Felix Isaacs Omercan Cirit Shmeckerel

Writer & Designer Character Artist Hazards Artist

Kyllian Guillart Pierre Demet Leo

???

Concept Artist Ship & Environment Artist Layout Artist

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Mon Ray Chou Ryan Khan

Interstitial Artist Mythopoeia Publisher Sensitivity Reader & Contributor

Ellan Aldryc Vincenzo Ferriero Ric Heise

Editor Mythopoeia Founder Head of Playtesting & Contributor

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◊ Website: thewildsea.co.uk
◊ Twitter: @isaacs_felix
◊ Reddit: r/thewildsea
◊ E-Mail: felixisaacs@thewildsea.co.uk
Adapted from the Wildsea Core Book
The Wildsea & QuillHound Studios: © Felix Isaacs 2023
The Mythopoeia Logo is © Mythopoeia, Inc., and is used with permissio
Artworks used are © copyright their respective artists: © Kyllian Guillart 2023, © Omercan Cirit 2023, © Pierre Demet 2023, © Shmeckerel 2023 & © BlueTwoDays 2023

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