For Treasure

Core Rulebook (SGG 3001)

Designed and Written by Ben Overmyer Playtesting by Kevin Rohan, Susan Rohan, Ben Hof-
Additional Writing by Kevin Rohan and Erin Bisson frichter, Dave Baymiller, Jay Sorken, Lisa Sorken,
Editing by Kevin Rohan and Dave Baymiller Treasure Overmyer, Deborah Kirchner, Andrew
Typesetting and Layout by Ben Overmyer Wilson, Alec Mulhern, Miguel Nieves, Scott Koenig,
Cover Art by Aaron Nakahara and Ben Overmyer Israel Waldrom, David Galletly, and Lisa Malone

Interior Art by Justin Hernandez, Carrie Hirsch, Eric

Lofgren, Chris Stevens, Ben Overmyer, Rob Posliff,
Aaron Scott, and Matthew Vasey

Some artwork © Michael Syrigos, used with permis-

sion.

Some artwork copyright William McAusland, used

with permission.

Some artwork in this book is ©2005 Team Frog Stu-

dios, used by permission.

Design and Developmental Contributions by Erin

Bisson, Kevin Rohan, Dave Baymiller, Andrew Wil-
son, Alec Mulhern, Jay Sorken, Treasure Overmyer,
and Israel Waldrom

©2010 by Silver Gryphon Games, LP. All rights reserved. Reproduction without the
written permission of the publisher is expressly forbidden, except for the purposes
of reviews, and for blank character sheets, which may be reproduced for personal use
only. All characters, names, places and text herein are copyrighted by Silver Gryphon
Games, LP.

References to externally copyrighted works are made without intent to challenge

intellectual property rights of those concerned. Check out Silver Gryphon online at
http://www.silvergryphongames.com
Contents
Introduction....................................................................... 1
Shields...................................................................... 43
Poisons......................................................................... 43
Non-Combat Gear..................................................... 46
In the Beginning........................................................... 1 Transportation........................................................ 46
Tales of Epic Fantasy.................................................. 1 Containers .............................................................. 46
Chapter 1: Character Creation........................................ 3 Miscellaneous.......................................................... 46
Character Creation Summary..................................... 4 Chapter 4: Combat & Action........................................ 47
Three Words.................................................................. 4 Initiative....................................................................... 48
The First Word: Trait............................................... 4 Open-Ended Dice...................................................... 48
The Second Word: Race.......................................... 6 Combat......................................................................... 48
The Third Word: Profession................................ 11 Combat Options.................................................... 48
Advancement.............................................................. 14 Death and Dying.................................................... 49
Chapter 2: Talent Pools.................................................. 17 Fighting Styles........................................................ 49
Basic Talent Pools...................................................... 18 Melee Attacks......................................................... 50
Empathy.................................................................. 18 Ranged Attacks ..................................................... 50
Force........................................................................ 18 Mounted Combat ................................................. 50
Mystic....................................................................... 19 Movement............................................................... 50
Ranged..................................................................... 20 Resting.......................................................................... 51
Shadow.................................................................... 21 Chapter 5: Magic............................................................. 53
Advanced Talent Pools.............................................. 21 Sources of Magic........................................................ 54
Arcane Blooded...................................................... 21 Blood Magic............................................................ 54
Creature Handling.................................................. 22 Magical Bleaching....................................................... 54
Diplomacy............................................................... 23 Spell Points.............................................................. 54
Elemental Summoning.......................................... 25 Tapping.................................................................... 54
Fate Alteration ...................................................... 26 Casting .................................................................... 55
Healing Arts............................................................ 28 Mis-Casting............................................................. 55
Illusion Performance............................................. 28 Elemental Magic ................................................... 56
Mounted Combat................................................... 30 Life Magic .............................................................. 56
Thievery................................................................... 30 Spells Known ........................................................ 57
Unyielding............................................................... 32 Learning Spells ...................................................... 57
War Dancing........................................................... 33 Canceling a Spell ................................................... 58
Wilderness Mastery................................................ 35 Dispelling Effects ................................................. 58
Elite Talent Pools....................................................... 36 Resisting Spells....................................................... 58
Assassination.......................................................... 36 Chapter 6: Spells.............................................................. 59
Equilibrium............................................................. 37 Air................................................................................. 60
Ruin.......................................................................... 38 Darkness...................................................................... 62
Weapon Mastery..................................................... 38 Earth............................................................................. 64
General Talent Pool................................................... 40 Fire................................................................................ 66
Chapter 3: Equipment.................................................... 41 Life................................................................................ 68
Weapons ..................................................................... 42 Meteor.......................................................................... 70
Light Weapons ...................................................... 42 Poison........................................................................... 72
Medium Weapons.................................................. 42 Sand.............................................................................. 74
Heavy Weapons...................................................... 42 Thunder....................................................................... 76
Ammunition............................................................ 42 Chapter 7: Monsters & Challenges............................... 81
Armor ......................................................................... 42 Awarding Experience................................................. 82
Light Armor............................................................ 42 Known Monsters and Enemies .............................. 82
Medium Armor...................................................... 42 Auizha .................................................................... 82
Heavy Armor ........................................................ 43 Bandit ..................................................................... 82

 i
 Blackberry Cat . ..................................................... 83
Carnerax.................................................................. 83
Cartazon ................................................................. 83
Citipati .................................................................... 84
Deathbloom............................................................ 84
Demon, Lesser....................................................... 85
Demon, Greater..................................................... 85
Drake....................................................................... 85
Dreamsnake ........................................................... 86
Emberwings . ......................................................... 86
Guldurge................................................................. 86
Gurunil.................................................................... 87
Heqren . .................................................................. 87
Hidden One . ......................................................... 87
Kharui .................................................................... 88
Lurru . ..................................................................... 88
Macal ...................................................................... 88
Mooncoil ................................................................ 89
Paradscha ............................................................... 89
Pyravi ...................................................................... 89
Plains Cat................................................................. 90
P'rarr ....................................................................... 90
Rapek ...................................................................... 90
Sandman.................................................................. 90
Sirrush .................................................................... 91
Verdant Mantid ..................................................... 91
Vikor ....................................................................... 91
Puzzles, Riddles, and Traps....................................... 92
Detection................................................................. 92
Purpose.................................................................... 92
Solving and Disarming.......................................... 92
Character Sheet................................................................ 93
Index................................................................................. 95

ii 
 Tales of Epic Fantasy
Introduction
Ingenium is very much the game I’ve always wanted
In the Beginning..... to play. It’s an epic fantasy in the truest sense of the
word - dragons, monsters, twisted magic, great heroes,
Seventeen years ago, I encountered roleplaying games tragic stories, everything a post-Tolkien writer could
for the first time. My parents had an old D&D Ba- ask for. In coming up with the game meta-world
sic Set stashed away in their game cupboard, and I concept, I’ve taken inspiration from a wide variety
discovered it (apparently for the second time, as there of sources. These have ranged from quirky Japanese
were toddler’s scribbles all over the maps....) and animation to great fantasy novels, and you may notice
taught myself how to play. It wasn’t until two years a nod here and there to certain concepts or threads
later that I actually found people my age interested in from various places. Among my most important
playing an RPG, and it was then that I was hooked. inspirations are Mercedes Lackey, Robert E. Howard,
This started what has become a life-long hobby that I Raymond E. Feist, and the artwork of Joe Madureira
enjoy with friends and family. and Chris Bachalo.

Twelve years ago, I wrote my first RPG. It was enti- Now, I hope you enjoy starting your own adventures
tled “Vox Draconis,” and mashed dinosaurs, standard in this creation of mine (and, as time passes, yours
Tolkienesque fantasy, and D&D rules together into a also). Silver Gryphon Games has a number of source-
barely playable but very interesting game. Shortly after books, adventures, and free web content planned, so
I threw Vox Draconis on the Net, I began roughing keep a weather eye on the horizon.
out original rules for what would later become the
bedrock of Ingenium - a universal system entitled, Welcome to Ingenium!
funnily enough, the Iridium System. Yes, the name
was an homage to the Palladium System, and no,
it has nothing to do with the Iridium System that
is currently in print by another publisher. I wrote a
fantasy setting for Iridium that, if I drew a map of
the game world, would seem very familiar to anyone
who checks out the map in this book. People that I
introduced Iridium to seemed to like the setting, but
hated the system. It was then that I began to develop
the current rules behind Ingenium.

My gaming style is very distinctly epic. I always play

characters to the hilt and run campaigns as if the
players were already reknowned heroes. In this spirit,
I started to build Ingenium - an epic fantasy game
heavily inspired by Hollywood blockbusters, anime,
action games, and Howardian fantasy. Power and ver-
satility were at the core of the system from the very
beginning, and I’ve stuck with that design scheme as
I’ve written this core book.

INTRODUCTION 1
2 INTRODUCTION
Chapter 1: Character Creation
I
n this game, player characters are vastly power- The First Word: Trait
ful heroes. Even at creation, with no additional
bonuses other than those from their race and Choose one of the following traits as your First Word.
basic abilities, they are still more powerful than the This will determine what your Attributes start as, and
average non-player character. Keep this in mind when will guide your development. Each trait lists two At-
creating your character. Ingenium is a system for tributes. The first Attribute is your primary ability, and
worlds where conflict is rampant, danger is common- starts with a value of 3. The second is your secondary
place, and heroes are epic in scale. Your character is ability, and has a value of 2. All other Attributes start
one of those heroes. at a value of 1. Whenever your character has a chance
to advance, primary and secondary Attributes from
The character creation process is very simple, be- your Trait can increase faster than your other Attri-
ing designed to get you into the action as quickly as butes.
possible. After all, the best part of an RPG is actually
playing it! Attributes

Each character has a set of 9 Attributes which rep-

Character Creation resent their basic strengths. They can be mental, as
in Intelligence, or physical, as in Dexterity. Each of
Summary these Attributes has its own effect on some part of
the game. For example, Physical Strength is used to
1) Choose Trait
2) Choose Race Trait Name Primary Secondary
3) Choose Profession Agile Dexterity Awareness
4) Roll hit points and wealth Arcane Magical Aptitude Intelligence
5) Choose 4 General Talents Athletic Dexterity Physical Strength
6) Buy equipment Bold Willpower Appearance
7) Write down Defense and Soak values Charismatic Charisma Appearance
8) If applicable, choose 4 known spells Clever Intelligence Awareness
9) Finish details like name, appearance, etc. Cunning Endurance Intelligence
Diplomatic Intelligence Charisma
Eldritch Magical Aptitude Willpower
Three Words Empathic Awareness Charisma
Esoteric Intelligence Magical Aptitude
Creating a character is a simple process of choosing Fierce Physical Strength Awareness
three words to describe your character. The first word Hardy Endurance Willpower
is your character’s strongest trait - are you Strong? Intuitive Dexterity Magical Aptitude
Wise? Arcane? This will determine how your Attri- Lively Appearance Dexterity
butes are laid out. The second word is your character’s Lusty Physical Strength Appearance
race. The third word is your character’s profession, Menacing Charisma Physical Strength
and is used to determine which Talent Pools you have Observant Awareness Intelligence
to begin with. Examples of this method are Wise Orphic Charisma Magical Aptitude
Wingfolk Archer, Agile Elven Sorcerer, Stunning Hu- Persistent Willpower Endurance
man Bard, and so on. Primal Magical Aptitude Endurance
Quick Awareness Dexterity
While your first two Words are permanent, you may Seductive Appearance Charisma
add a second or even a third profession as time Stalwart Endurance Dexterity
passes. See the Advancement section later on for Strong Physical Strength Endurance
more on this. Stunning Appearance Endurance
Wise Willpower Intelligence

4 CHAPTER 1: CHARACTER CREATION

determine how much damage you can deal in combat, Dexterity
but it can also be used for checking to see if you can
climb a mountain or lift a fallen tree. Dexterity is a combination of manual dexterity and
agility. High Dexterity scores are prevalent among
An Attribute score of 0 is mortal average. Every ad- thieves, stage magicians, and other practitioners of
ditional point in an Attribute beyond that is a bonus slight-of-hand, as well as among dancers and martial
to Attribute checks of that type. To make an Attribute artists. Some checks you could make with Dexterity
check, the player rolls a d10 and adds the relevant would be: walking a tightrope, doing a somersault,
Attribute score. The Game Master will decide on a catching a thrown ball, etc.
difficulty level, and the player rolls the check – if the
player’s check is higher than the difficulty, she suc- Physical Strength
ceeds in whatever she was attempting. For example, a
player may have to make a Dexterity check not to fall This is sheer physical might. Characters with high
while walking a tightrope. The GM determines that Physical Strength scores hit harder and can lift more
the difficulty will be 10, since this isn’t an easy task. weight than others. Brutish barbarians are likely to
The player rolls 1d10 and adds her character’s Dexter- have high Physical Strength scores. How much dam-
ity score of 5 to it – her roll ended up being a 6, mak- age you deal in combat is partly determined by how
ing the total 11. Just enough! Under each Attribute high this score is (see Combat). In addition, you can
is a brief list of some examples of rolls that would use it for checks like: lifting a cart, bending bars,
use that Attribute for an Attribute check. GMs, check breaking down doors, etc.
out the Challenges chapter of this rulebook for more
information on setting difficulty levels for Attribute Willpower
checks.
Willpower is the ability to overcome your own animal
Note: No Attribute can ever naturally exceed ten nature - like, for example, avoiding running in ter-
(10). Ten is the pinnacle of mortal achievement, and ror from a hideous monster - and the ability to resist
only supernatural circumstances can boost an Attri- other people’s charms and spells. Willpower checks
bute beyond it. can be made for such things as: trying not to be
intimidated by a hulking tavern brawler, resisting the
Awareness urge to eat that probably-poisoned-but-oh-so-tasty-
looking pudding, and so on.
All characters have some measure of Awareness of
their surroundings. Awareness checks will be required Endurance
frequently to see if the character sees or hears some-
thing hidden or barely audible. For example, a GM The amount of physical punishment you can take
may call for an Awareness check for the following: to without feeling the effects is limited. Foot racers and
detect a faint sound, to see a camouflaged enemy, to other athletes will have high Endurance scores, since
spot a suspicious crack in a wall, etc. they need to operate at peak efficiency for an extend-
ed period of time. Soldiers and other trained fighters
Intelligence also have high Endurance scores. A check requiring
an Endurance bonus would be like the following: re-
This is your character’s smarts. A character with a sisting the nauseating effects of a disease, continuing
high Intelligence score will be able to figure out com- to run after you’re exhausted, etc.
plex puzzles, problems, riddles, etc. Most politicians
and mages have high Intelligence scores. Examples of Appearance
Intelligence checks include: deciphering ancient script,
figuring out an enemy plan, etc. The Appearance score is not a measure of beauty. It
is a measure of how remarkable a character’s looks
are. Someone with a low Appearance score is plain-

CHAPTER 1: CHARACTER CREATION 5

looking, bland, and forgettable. Tremendously ugly or seem to be the only race capable of producing off-
unbelievably gorgeous characters have high Appear- spring with partners of a different humanoid race.
ance scores. Appearance checks are useful for intimi- Such half-breeds are always sterile and rarely find
dation, seduction, and other social skills. acceptance in any culture. Players may not play as a
half-breed without approval of the GM.
Charisma
Race Statistics
True leaders will have a high ability to charm and
inspire. The great generals of the past and present all Average Height: 5’10”
have very high Charisma scores - as do many mon- Average Weight: 180 lbs.
archs and nobles. Charisma checks may be used to Average Maximum Age: 65
try and persuade people to follow the character, or to
convince a captor not to kill him!

Magical Aptitude

This is your ability to control and sense magic intui-

tively. It doesn’t measure your training in magical arts,
but rather how in tune you are with magical energies
around you.

The Second Word: Race

Races play an important part of the game. The worlds
of Ingenium are complex ones, with the social and
political status constantly varying. The politics be-
tween countries of different races can be perilous
especially in this time of chaos. What race you choose
will play a major role in how the rest of your charac-
ter’s life will progress.

Human

Humans are the most common race. They make up

a good majority of the population of the known
worlds. Because they are so populous, there is no
single culture that they share. Vast empires, small
kingdoms, sprawling city-states, and nomadic tribal
societies all can be found within human dominion.

Humans can be found in most climates, though they

are fondest of temperate locales suitable for farming.
They also, for the most part, avoid forests and moun-
tains, except when trade routes make them necessary.

There are several variations within the human race.

Some are darker of skin, some lighter. Hair and eye
colors vary dramatically,. On top of all this, humans

6 CHAPTER 1: CHARACTER CREATION

Human Talents mastery of the arcane that the Dragons once had,
the elves did learn a great deal about magic, and have
Increased Willpower – Humans are notoriously incorporated its mysteries into every facet of their
stubborn and willful. As such, at creation a human existence.
character gains +1 Willpower.
Elven adventurers are among those of their race that
Adaptable Nature - There are as many kinds of have begun to eschew the xenophobia and reclusive-
human culture as there are stars in the sky. All human ness that so characterizes elven culture. They seek to
characters can thus choose at creation to 1) have +2 explore the wider world and interact with the other
hit points, 2) gain 1 additional known spell, or 3) have races.
+1 to Charisma.
Race Statistics
Dwarf
Average Height: 6’0”
Dwarves are stout, hardy mountain-dwellers. Though Average Weight: 145 lbs.
typically stern and cautious, they love feasting and Average Maximum Age: 500
celebrations more than any other race, and will spend
weeks at a time doing little more than cooking, brew- Elven Talents
ing, eating, drinking, and generally making merry.
Dwarven metal- and stone-craft is peerless, though Born to Magic – From birth, elves display an affin-
most adventuring dwarves are less interested in craft- ity for the arcane. They gain a +1 bonus to Magical
ing and more interested in acquiring priceless trea- Aptitude at creation.
sures with which to honor their Houses.
Ancestral Hardiness - Their ancestors were subject-
Race Statistics ed to horrors that mortals of the current age cannot
even fathom. As such, elven characters are naturally
Average Height: 4’4” hardy both mentally and physically. They gain a +5
Average Weight: 190 lbs. bonus to Endurance rolls dealing with magic at cre-
Average Maximum Age: 300 ation.

Dwarven Talents Gargoyle

Mountaineer’s Constitution – Owing to the rigors Gargoyles are creatures said to be descended from an
of their underground lifestyles, dwarves develop an unholy union between stone giants and demons. They
excellent constitution, giving them a +1 Endurance possess extremely tough skin, long curved horns, and
bonus at creation. devilish tails. Rare and reclusive, gargoyles frequently
become mercenaries, brigands, and adventurers.
Craftblood - All dwarven characters are innately at-
tuned to stoneworking and metalworking. Dwarves Unlike cultural depictions of ancient demons, gar-
may make an Awareness roll at +5 to appraise the goyles never have wings. However, their appearance
value of stone or metal objects. does vary slightly from individual to individual. Skin
color ranges from ruddy brown to bright crimson.
Elf Gargoyle eyes are yellow with red, brown, or grey
irises and slit pupils. They often sport long hair reach-
These tall members of the fae are an ancient race, ing down to their ankles if let loose, but almost always
nearly as old as the mighty Dragons themselves. For- keep it tied up into unusual patterns.
merly slaves of their draconic masters, the elves have
established a long-standing culture centered around
remaining hidden. Though they do not possess the

CHAPTER 1: CHARACTER CREATION 7

Race Statistics ly raise their children, have incredibly strong family
ties, and will fight to the death to protect their families
Average Height: 6’6” and territories. Typically, a half-wolf has a powerful
Average Weight: 200 lbs. sense of honor and justice. Their usual ethical code
Average Maximum Age: 95 prevents them from harming an innocent in most
situations, acting for purely selfish reasons that would
Gargoyle Talents harm another, or doing anything that might bring dis-
honor to the clan. There is the odd one, however, that
Stone Skin – Gargoyles have skin so tough it seems is less than honorable…these are banished from half-
like stone. This provides them with a natural Soak of wolf lands, and will sometimes show up in human
1 in addition to any armor they may be wearing. lands. The Dishonored are rare but not unheard of.
Not only are half-wolves excellent hunters, they also
Demonic Visage - Because of their unnatural ap- have a superb command of magic. Mages are very
pearance, gargoyles gain a +3 bonus to all Charisma common among them, and the bleaching effects of
or Appearance checks made to intimidate others, magic occur very early in a half-wolf mage’s life.
whether intentionally or not.

Half-Wolf

Race Statistics

Average Height: 5’7”

Average Weight: 163 lbs.
Average Maximum Age: 70

The half-wolves are probably the most disturbing to

humans of the animalfolk, since wolves have long
been depicted as evil predators. Like their animal
cousins, the half-wolves have a very thin coat
of fur that varies in color from white to
grey to black (at least, at birth - magical
bleaching usually turns their fur white).
Long, furred ears project from the
sides of their heads. Their eyes are
feral, bearing the color-reflecting
qualities of wolves. They have long
tails as well as short, sharp claws on
the ends of their fingers and toes. Also,
half-wolves have much sharper teeth than
humans, though their mouths are human in
shape. Other than those differences, they are
humanoid in appearance, with humanoid legs,
feet, hands and faces.

Half-wolves are the most secretive of the

animalfolk. They prefer not to leave their forest
homes, and rarely will one venture into the lands
of humans. Half-wolf society is similar in many
ways to the behavior of real wolves. They collective-

8 CHAPTER 1: CHARACTER CREATION

Half-Wolf Talents

Hardy Folk – Because they have led

harsh lives since their very beginning,
half-wolves are very hardy. A half-wolf
character gains an additional 2 Hit Points
at creation.

Way of the Forest – Humans generally

rely on roads and pathways to get where
they’re going. However, as both caretak-
ers and inhabitants of the forest, the
half-wolves have no need of such con-
structions. They can find their way under,
through, and over the various obstacles
of the forest from childhood, and they
carry this awareness and agility with them
through life. This gives half-wolf charac-
ters a bonus of +2 to checks involving
movement when in a forest.

Magical Heritage – Half-wolves were

created by magic, and as such have a
natural affinity for it. All half-wolf char-
acters gain a bonus of +1 to their Magical
Aptitude at creation. This may not exceed
the normal maximum of 10.

Wingfolk

Race Statistics

Average Height: 6’0”

Average Weight: 160 lbs.
Average Maximum Age: 90

The Wingfolk are the avian animalfolk.

They are mostly human in appearance,
having been modified only moderately
compared to the other animalfolk races.
Their only visible difference from humans is that they
have huge, feathered wings. Wingfolk have superb Wingfolk are not fond of fighting on the ground, pre-
eyesight, and make excellent scouts. The average ferring to do most of their battles in the air. They are
Wingfolk is arrogant, bold, and short-tempered. They exceptionally good fliers. Unless a mage detects them
have a bad reputation as diplomats, being unsuited to beforehand, they can drop unexpectedly out of the
that sort of work. Diplomats from outside the Wing- sky, loose a few arrows or slash with some hand-held
folk territories are often hard-pressed to maintain weapon, then streak back skyward. On the ground,
their own tempers when attempting to negotiate with however, they are easier to deal with, and the enemies
the angelic creatures. of the Wingfolk always have a large supply of archers

CHAPTER 1: CHARACTER CREATION 9

ready to ground the avians. Also, Wingfolk don’t like folk, they are also the most violent. Most Catfolk have
fire – feathers are very flammable. terrible tempers and like to break things. They have
also gained a nasty reputation for “accidentally” kill-
Because the Wingfolk spend a lot of time airborne, ing people in bar fights. Their sharp claws and teeth
they will only wear very light armor and clothing that can be and are used as weapons quite frequently.
does not interfere with flight. When on the ground
for extended periods, however, they are fond of Catfolk are half tiger, half human, and it shows. They
elaborate dress and fanciful costumes. They can be have a thin covering of orange and white fur inter-
extraordinarily vain. spersed with black stripes. Their facial features are
frequently broad and smooth of line, and they have
Wingfolk Talents a long tail. Their feet and hands end in sharp, black
claws that are perfectly capable of tearing holes in ar-
Angelic Countenance – Some cultures hold an mor. For this reason, they sometimes forgo the use of
ancient concept of angelic beings – winged, beauti- weapons like swords and axes, preferring to use their
ful humans – as divine messengers. Because of this, own claws and fangs.
and because those ancient mages
created the Wingfolk to be naturally
beautiful, the Wingfolk are frequently
regarded with a kind of awe by
humans. Wingfolk characters gain a
one-time bonus of +1 to Appear-
ance at creation. This cannot exceed
the normal maximum of 10.

Winged Flight – All Wingfolk can

fly at up to 40 miles per hour. Be-
cause this is their preferred mode of
travel, Wingfolk receive a -2 Speed
penalty when on the ground, but
gain a +2 To Hit bonus when at-
tempting to strike from the air. A
Wingfolk has a wingspan equal to 3
times their height, so they can only
fly indoors if there’s a lot of space
available. Wingfolk cannot hover.

Catfolk

Race Statistics

Average Height: 5’6”

Average Weight: 180 lbs.
Average Maximum Age: 50

The Catfolk are the most active

animalfolk when it comes to dealing
with humans. They are fierce war-
riors and are often found in merce-
nary companies. Of all the animal-

10 CHAPTER 1: CHARACTER CREATION

Most Catfolk are very aristocratic in taste, prefer-
ring silk garments and brightly polished armor to the
clothing that commoners wear. They love money, but
they refuse to be merchants. Catfolk will more often
be caravan guards or bodyguards. They are not as
arrogant as the Wingfolk, but they do tend to seem
conceited to others.
There is no real Catfolk society. They mix freely with
humans, and intermarry with humans occasionally.
They adopt the customs of whatever country they
reside in, though they almost always maintain a war-
rior’s attitude. The Catfolk take great pride in their
battle prowess, and it is to invite death if you insult
one’s bravery. Generally, Catfolk will choose combat-
ive professions over noncombative ones.

Catfolk Talents

Bred for War – The Catfolk were specifically de-

signed for heavy combat. As such, at creation Catfolk
characters receive a Hit Point bonus of +4. They also
receive a +1 bonus to their Physical Strength, which
cannot exceed the normal maximum of 10.

Feral Claws – Catfolk have claws that deal 1d6 dam-

age.

The Third Word: Profession

The profession you choose now is what your char-
acter was before he became an adventurer. It decides Assassin
your starting Basic Talent Pool, grants an Attribute
bonus, and determines your starting gold, Speed Starting Talent Pool: Shadow
score, and Hit Points. Attributes: +1 Intelligence
Speed: 5
Additionally, the Advancement entry for each profes- Hit Points: 1d12
sion lists a Talent Pool which is easier to increase than Advancement: Assassination
others. At each level, if the character possesses the Starting Gold: 1d10 x 5
Talent Pool listed, he may take one additional rank
in a Talent he already has from that Talent Pool. At Stalkers and silent killers, assassins kill any living
character creation, your character gets one rank in target for profit. They are adept at the art of murder.
every base Talent from his Basic Talent Pool, and may Though they rarely take pleasure in their craft, these
put one additional rank into one of those Talents. friends of the Dark are nonetheless consummate pro-
fessionals and take great pride in their abilities.
Besides all these game effects, your choice of profes-
sion also reflects the type of personality, outlook, and
skills your character has.

CHAPTER 1: CHARACTER CREATION 11

Bandit never save everyone. That doesn’t stop them from
trying, however.
Starting Talent Pool: Force
Attributes: +1 Dexterity Beast Tamer
Speed: 5
Hit Points: 2d4 Starting Talent Pool: Empathy
Advancement: Thievery Attributes: +1 Charisma
Starting Gold: 1d4 x 5 Speed: 3
Hit Points: 4d4
Highwaymen and robbers, bandits are those thieves Advancement: Creature Handling
who prefer to take by force rather than by stealth. Starting Gold: 1d4 x 5
Whether they are good-hearted rascals who steal from
the rich to give to the poor or black-hearted vandals From horse ranchers to drake handlers, the profession
who take gold and lives on a whim, bandits are ex- of beast tamer is ubiquitous to all societies. These
perts at separating people from their belongings at the masters of animal husbandry are experts at knowing
point of a knife. how to care for, interact with, and if necessary, defeat
most animals and bestial monsters. They tend to have
Bard more difficulty understanding sentient races, however,
as sentient beings tend to act at odds with their more
Starting Talent Pool: Empathy primal natures.
Attributes: +1 Charisma
Speed: 5 Captain
Hit Points: 1d8
Advancement: Illusion Performance Starting Talent Pool: Empathy
Starting Gold: 1d4 x 5 Attributes: +1 Endurance
Speed: 4
Singers, musicians, and storytellers bring light to an Hit Points: 3d6
otherwise dark existence. Their presence is always Advancement: Diplomacy
welcome in taverns, courts, and gatherings, for bards Starting Gold: 1d10 x 5
are able to bring cheer and wonder. They are also fre-
quently in a position to learn a great deal of informa- Captains are leaders of men. Their strength comes
tion that some parties would pay a great deal to know. from their ability to enhance the cohesion and skills
of those around them. In battle, a captain is invalu-
able to a party. Alone, a captain is much more vulner-
Battle Medic able.

Starting Talent Pool: Force Heirophant

Attributes: +1 Magical Aptitude
Speed: 4 Starting Talent Pool: Empathy
Hit Points: 2d4 Attributes: +1 Charisma
Advancement: Healing Arts Speed: 3
Starting Gold: 1d6 x 5 Hit Points: 2d4
Advancement: Diplomacy
Sometimes a warrior shows an aptitude for protect- Starting Gold: 1d4 x 5
ing and healing their comrades on the battlefield.
These rare individuals are discovered and trained in A Heirophant is the voice of a god or goddess in the
healing, and find themselves greatly in demand at all mortal realm. She seeks to spread the service of her
times. Their burden is a heavy one, for there are never god to others - or at least expanding his control over
enough of these gifted battle medics, and they can the world. Heirophants are those clerics that oversee

12 CHAPTER 1: CHARACTER CREATION

the building of temples, the raising of all other cler- Unlike templars, paladins prefer to work with others,
ics (including Paladins; only a Heirophant can make and make excellent generals and commanders of men.
someone into a Paladin), and the expansion of politi- However, their faith always comes before their sense
cal and social control. of duty, and if a paladin believes his liege lord is act-
ing against the best wishes of his patron god, he will
Inquisitor openly defy that liege lord.

Starting Talent Pool: Shadow Priest

Attributes: +1 Awareness
Speed: 3 Starting Talent Pool: Mystic
Hit Points: 2d8 Attributes: +1 Magical Aptitude
Advancement: Diplomacy Speed: 3
Starting Gold: 1d6 x 5 Hit Points: 1d8
Advancement: Healing Arts
Interrogators and investigators, the Inquisitors seek Starting Gold: 1d4 x 5
information about heretics and threats to their gods’
servants. Possessed of deep conviction, an Inquisitor Priests are those divine focal points who channel their
is feared as often as he is respected. The word of an gods’ will into physical manifestations. Their magic
Inquisitor is generally beyond reproach. is not based on arcane rules and laws; rather, they are
blessed as Chosen and receive gifts of power for as
Merchant long as they serve their gods.

Starting Talent Pool: Empathy Ranger

Attribute: +1 Intelligence
Speed: 3 Starting Talent Pool: Ranged
Hit Points: 2d4 Attributes: +1 Dexterity
Advancement: Diplomacy Speed: 3
Starting Gold: 1d20 x 5 Hit Points: 1d8
Advancement: Wilderness Mastery
Though there are many in the profession of trad- Starting Gold: 1d6 x 5
ing that are content to remain stationary, a handful
of more adventurous souls brave the dangers of the Rangers walk the lands, protecting those under their
wilds to forge a more lucrative operation. Merchants, watchful eyes. They guard against horrors the civilized
while not generally considered skilled fighters, have world is better off not knowing about. A ranger isn’t
razor-sharp wits and are masterful negotiators. a frontline soldier taking orders from a general; rather,
he is a well-trained sentry whose entire life centers
Paladin around self-sufficiency and living off the land. These
hidden warriors frequently develop an aloof personal-
Starting Talent Pool: Force ity, or choose the life of a ranger because they already
Attributes: +1 Willpower had such a personality.
Speed: 3
Hit Points: 3d4+2 Soldier
Advancement: Unyielding
Starting Gold: 1d10 x 5 Starting Talent Pool: Force
Attributes: +1 Physical Strength
Paladins are righteous warriors who dedicate every Speed: 3
fiber of their being to the service of a god or god- Hit Points: 2d10
dess. They are without peer in zealous anger, and Advancement: Mounted Combat
seek out and destroy those who defy their gods’ will. Starting Gold: 1d6 x 5

CHAPTER 1: CHARACTER CREATION 13

Soldiers play many roles. Some are mercenaries,
fighting for gold. Others are retained by a kingdom,
property of the king. Whatever their status, soldiers
are fierce and disciplined fighters. They value the clear
direction of a chain of command and prefer to attack
first and question the survivors.

Templar

Starting Talent Pool: Ranged

Attributes: +1 Dexterity
Speed: 4
Hit Points: 3d6
Advancement: Assassination
Starting Gold: 1d4 x 5

If Paladins are righteous fury brought to life, then

Templars are cold and efficient killers. The assassins
of the gods, Templars are feared by many and rarely
receive recognition for their deeds. They serve a func-
tion necessary to the will of the gods. Even more Starting Gold: 1d6 x 5
benign gods and goddesses use the unique abilities of
Templars, though their ranks may be fewer. Former students of a Collegium, wizards follow the
strict rules of their orders, guilds, and brotherhoods.
Warlock They spend vast amounts of time researching and
experimenting, meticulously exploring the boundaries
Starting Talent Pool: Mystic and applications of magic.
Attributes: +1 Willpower
Speed: 3
Hit Points: 2d4 Advancement
Advancement: Elemental Summoning OR Ruin
(choose one at creation)
Starting Gold: 1d6 x 5 As your character progresses, he will gain in power,
knowledge, and ability. After every game session, the
The Warlock is a sorcerer who uses magic as a Game Master gives out Experience Points based on
weapon, first and foremost. Her skills center around how well everyone’s characters performed. Once your
sowing destruction and chaos amidst her enemies. character gains enough Experience, he gains a level.
Frequently, such mages are employed by kingdoms as Gaining levels lets you get more hit points, more Tal-
front-line sorcerous siege weapons. ents, and sometimes a new Talent Pool. The amount
of XP required to gain a level is 1000 for each of the
Wizard first four levels (1-5), 3000 for the next five (6-10),
5000 for the five after that (11-15), and so on. The
Starting Talent Pool: Mystic chart below lists a more comprehensive progression.
Attributes: +1 Magical Aptitude Game Masters should check out the Adventures
Speed: 3 chapter for more information about giving out experi-
Hit Points: 1d6 ence.
Advancement: Elemental Summoning OR Fate Al-
teration (choose one at creation) Every level that you gain lets you choose four new

14 CHAPTER 1: CHARACTER CREATION

ranks in Talents from any of the Primary Talent Pools All the Details
you possess. You can divide those ranks up however
you like, but no more than two of the four can go This step is optional. Background considerations like
into any one Talent per level. Additionally, you also these help with roleplaying your character.
choose 1 rank for any Talent in any of your Second-
ary Talent Pools. Weight and Height – How much does your character
weigh? Is he fat? Skinny? Muscular? Is your character
You can choose a new profession on attaining a new huge for his race? Afflicted by dwarfism?
level. If you do so, you do not gain the new Advance-
ment or Attributes bonuses. You roll new hit points Age – What's your character's age? Is he a child? An
using the new profession's value. You gain the new elder?
profession's starting talent pool free, along with all of
its base talents at 1 rank. If you already possess the Disposition – What does your character think of the
stated talent pool you gain 1 additional rank in each world in general? Is he perpetually happy? Pessimis-
of its base talents. tic? A little antisocial?

Morality – Is your character basically good? What

kind of things does he think are morally right, or
morally wrong?

Level Basic Talent Pools Advanced Talent Pools Elite Talent Pools Experience Required
1 1 Primary 1000
2 2000
3 3000
4 4000
5 1 Secondary 6000
6 8000
7 10000
8 12000
9 14000
10 1 Primary 1 Primary 17000
11 20000
12 23000
13 26000
14 30000
15 1 Secondary 1 Secondary 34000
16 38000
17 42000
18 46000
19 50000
20 1 Primary 1 Primary 1 Primary 55000
21 60000
22 65000
23 70000
24 75000
25 1 Secondary 1 Secondary 1 Secondary 80000

CHAPTER 1: CHARACTER CREATION 15

Hair – What color is your character's hair, if he has Background – Where did your character come from?
any? Is it dyed? Cut short? Is he bald? What is his heritage? Is he a noble or a commoner?
Is he away from home, and if so, why? Does he have
Eyes – How do his eyes look? Dark? Amber? Bright? many enemies? friends?
Do they sparkle with life, or are they dull from the
weight of years? Religion - Which god, goddess, or spirit does your
Skin – How would you describe your character's skin character dedicate himself to, if any? Why?
color? Does he have any birthmarks or blemishes?
Personal Goals – What are your character's motives?
Unique Markings - Does your character have any What would she like to accomplish?
piercings or body art? Are they hidden most of the
time, blasphemous, or noble?

Family – Who are your character's family relations?

Are they still alive? Where are they?

16 CHAPTER 1: CHARACTER CREATION

Chapter 2: Talent Pools
T
alent Pools are divided into four types: Ba- Entertaining – Regardless of what kind of enter-
sic, Advanced, Elite, and General. At char- tainment skill is used, there is a certain key ability
acter creation, a player receives one Basic that is integral to any performance. The ability to put
Talent Pool from his profession to draw his Talents forth one’s heart and soul, to draw the audience in
from. All characters start with 4 Talents chosen from and captivate them. To hold their attention and touch
the General Talent Pool as well. Each Talent Pool has their hearts. This Talent is the ability of the character
abilities and bonuses that may be increased at each to do this. The Empathy specialist can inspire such
level the character gains. These are called Talents. emotional response from his audience that they are
When a character first receives a Talent Pool, she gets eager to lavish him with gifts, money, or favors. For
1 rank in all of that Talent Pool’s Base Talents, but no every level of this Talent that he has, he receives 1d6
ranks in its Expansion Talents. gold worth of gifts and coins from the audience. This
Talent can be used once per day.

Basic Talent Pools Public Oration – Inspiration takes many forms. If

someone hears an inspirational speech from the char-
Basic Talent Pools are a character’s first level of pro- acter with this Talent, he gains a +1 bonus per level
ficiency. The Talents you get from these Talent Pools of this Talent to an Attribute check appropriate to
form the backbone of your abilities. Even after you the speech’s content. So, for example, a speech about
gain Advanced and Elite Talent Pools, you may still resisting a local cult might result in a bonus to Will-
advance your Basic Talent Pool’s Talents. power for the audience members for that purpose.
The bonus lasts for 1 day. This Talent can be used as
many times as the Empathy specialist likes, but the
Empathy bonus does not stack.
Prerequisites: None
Bluffing – Lying in a believable manner is an ac-
Those who specialize in Empathy are the diplomats, quired skill. More so is the ability to tell when some-
leaders, entertainers, and con artists of the world. one’s lying. With this Talent, the character can add
They are supremely skilled at negotiating with and a +1 bonus to Intelligence checks to tell whether
influencing people, and can be tremendous allies. someone is lying, or to lie themselves.

Empathy Base Talents Seduction – Some people have great beauty. Others
have great charisma. And then there are a few that
Negotiation Mastery – When making a deal, it’s have both, and it is those people who demonstrate
best if you are holding all the cards and watching all this Talent. On acquiring this Talent, the character can
the exits. This Talent represents that kind of edge add both his Charisma and Appearance scores togeth-
in dealings with other characters. For every level of er to try and seduce someone. The target must make
it that the character has, she can add a +1 bonus to a Willpower check to resist being seduced. A seduced
Charisma checks involving trade or diplomatic nego- person will do whatever the character asks as long as
tiations. this is not greatly opposed to his morals. More levels
of this Talent add a +1 bonus to this seduction check.
Leadership – The ability to lead extends not just to
troops but also to all situations where social interac- Force
tion is involved. With this Talent, the character can Prerequisites: None
choose to add +1 to all of his allies’ skill checks for 1
combat or 10 minutes outside of combat per day. If Those who specialize in Force Talents are geared to-
this ability is active as the character enters combat, it wards combat and physical power. A master of Force
lasts only until the end of that combat. Every addi- is deadly in battle, and those who choose this Talent
tional level adds +1 to that bonus. Pool are likely to be the most powerful physically.

18 CHAPTER 2: TALENT POOLS

Force Base Talents tack rolls for their chosen weapon type (longsword,
greataxe, etc.) per level. The normal penalty for not
Stone Skin Technique – Those trained in this Tal- having the Weapon Use Talent for this particular kind
ent are conditioned to withstand great amounts of of weapon does not apply.
pain and suffering. Though they bleed just as readily
as their opponents, they can ignore the effects for Biting Whirlwind Technique – Some master war-
longer. Add +10 to maximum Hit Points per level of riors have perfected this technique of exerting a great
this Talent. amount of energy to spin themselves around in a
deadly arc, swinging their sword as they move, cutting
Hawk’s Eye Technique – Warrior-monks of the through everything around them. This Talent allows
distant mountain temples have mastered the art of the character to make 3 attacks on any nearby enemy
aiming any ranged weapon. Their concentration tech- or enemies in melee range once per day at the cost
nique is so fearsome that the monk masters are said to of only 1 Action. The player may choose how to al-
be able to hit a target a mile away while blind-folded. locate the attacks – they can hit one enemy 3 times, 3
Add +1 to Attack rolls for a specific type of ranged enemies once each, or spreading the 3 attacks among
weapon. Multiple types of ranged weapons can be se- separate enemies. This Talent may only be used with
lected but must be built up separately – for example, bladed weapons. Each level of this Talent increases
a character could have Hawk’s Eye Technique: Long- the number of attacks that can be made by 1.
bows at 5 and Hawk’s Eye Technique: Crossbows at
4. These additional types count as separate Talents for
level limit purposes. Mystic
Prerequisites: None
Armor Mastery – Over time, warriors become more
adept at using their armor, enabling them to move a Those who use the Mystic Talent Pool are practitio-
little faster or overcome the shortcomings of heavier ners of the arcane arts. This is an extremely versatile
armor. Add +1 to maximum Deflection Points of a Talent Pool, and can deal massive damage, enchant
specific type of armor (leather, chain, etc.) per level. the enemy, heal others, etc. However, it focuses on
Any time the character wears this type of armor, she temporary effects, and as such, a surprised or unpre-
gains the bonus. Additional armor types can be se- pared Mystic specialist can be easily overcome. This is
lected but must be purchase separately (Armor Mas- the only Basic Talent Pool that can use magic.
tery: Leather, Armor Mastery: Plate, etc.). The normal
penalty for not having the Armor Use Talent for this Mystic Base Talents
particular kind of armor does not apply.
Tap Energy – All those who use magic must tap
Iron Hand Technique – Knights are renowned for energy before they can use it to cast spells. This ability
their crushing offensive ability. With this Talent, a adds a bonus of +1 per level to a Mystic specialist’s
character can mimic their style, attacking with such Tap check to see if they can successfully gather the
force as to cause an extra die of damage per level energy they need for a spell.
taken. This Talent is only useable with melee weapons
and unarmed attacks. Arcane Destruction – Where the warrior-monks of
the mountain temples are known for calm concentra-
Melee Mastery – It is every great fighter’s goal to tion in the martial arts, an ancient order of war mages
achieve total mastery of their weapon. His aim is were once among the most destructive individuals in
to become one of the world’s greatest at combat – existence. Their legacy lives on as an inspiration to
whether so that he may defeat anyone who may dare those mages who enjoy combat and power. This Tal-
to challenge him or simply for the self gratification ent grants a +1 die bonus per level to all damage from
that mastery brings. When a player invests points in non-elemental spells.
this Talent for his character, he can add +1 to At-

CHAPTER 2: TALENT POOLS 19

Healing Touch – Many mages focus their arcane Talent grants a one-time bonus of +1 to all ranges on
abilities on curing the sick and healing the injured. all missile weapons used by the character. The nor-
With this Talent, the character gains a +1 die bonus mal penalty for not having the Weapon Use
to the amount of damage restored by a healing spell. Talent for this particular kind of weapon
does not apply.
Magical Transportation – A great number of mag-
es utilize some form of transportation spell to move Trick Shot – By hitting a soft part of
them great distances very quickly. A character with the enemy’s body, armor, or other weak
this Talent may spend 5 minutes of concentration to point, the Ranged character is
move her up to 5 miles per level instantaneously once able to slow it down for
per day. a short time. The player
must declare that she is
Minor Arcane Knowledge – Though pure arcane using Trick Shot when
energy lacks the unique properties of the elements, she does so. If the attack
it can be just as destructive, or just as useful. A hits, the target’s move-
character with this Talent gains a +1 Use Magic ment is reduced by 1 unit
bonus for non-elemental magic per level. per round. This lasts for
1 round per level of this
Minor Elemental Knowledge – Basic knowl- Talent.
edge of elemental magic allows a Mystic special-
ist to cast weak spells using the five elements in Heartbreaker – This
addition to simple arcane energy spells. Such Talent makes a lasting
spells include lighting small fires, bringing impression on en-
up gusts of wind, and so forth. This Tal- emies. The Ranged
ent grants a +1 Use Magic bonus for specialist can use
elemental magic per level. this technique to
rip an enemy’s flesh
Ranged with a spiraling shot.
Prerequisites: None If the target is hit and
sustains damage, then he
Ranged specialists are adept also loses 5 HP per round
in the usage of bows, slings, for 3 rounds after the attack is
darts, throw- made. Buying a new level of
ing knives, and this Talent increases
other missile the duration by 1
weapons. Their round. This Talent
unique talents lend can only be used
themselves to distant with bow weapons.
combat, though they are far
from helpless in melee. A master of Ranged Eye of the Archer – Most practi-
arts can take down any foe before they can even get tioners of the ranged attack arts develop an innate
close enough to hit him. ability to sense incoming missile weapons, including
everything from arrows to stones. Every level of this
Ranged Base Talents Talent grants a +1 bonus to Defense rolls versus
ranged attacks.
Deadeye – While standing still, the Ranged special-
ist gains a +1 bonus per level of this Talent to every Hawk’s Spiral – Some marksmen become so adept
attack made with a ranged weapon. Additionally, this that they are able to enter a kind of trance which en-

20 CHAPTER 2: TALENT POOLS

hances their ability to shoot. The player must declare within their line of sight and not hidden. This Talent
when she is entering the Hawk’s Spiral trance. Once affects both hiding and moving silently.
in it, the character gains a +1 to-hit bonus to her next
ranged attack. In addition, during the same combat, Hidden Motive – By subtly changing tone of voice,
successive ranged attacks gain an increasingly higher body language, and emotional responses, a charac-
bonus. A second shot would be +2, a third would ter with this Talent can influence others’ perception
be +3, and so on. The Hawk’s Spiral only lasts for of her motives. She gains a +1 bonus to Charisma
three rounds. The trance cannot be interrupted once checks to lie, persuade, and intimidate.
the character enters it. Each new level in this Talent
increases the initial bonus by +1. This trance can only Quickfooted – With a nimbleness characteristic of
be used once per day. cats, the character can almost appear to flow as she
moves. This grace brings with it purposeful move-
Shadow ment and uncanny speed. This Talent grants a +1
Prerequisites: None bonus to Initiative per level taken.

The Shadow Talent Pool consists of those abilities in-

herent to a character who operates in the shadows or Advanced Talent
finesses his way through tough situations. Though by
no means weak, Shadow Talents are not designed for Pools
pure damage-dealing, and thus characters who special-
ize in this Talent Pool are better suited to the sidelines At this point your character begins to achieve greater
or back ranks when it comes to combat. proficiency and starts to learn more powerful and
more useful abilities. Generally, Advanced Talent
Shadow Base Talents Pools must be acquired from a trainer who specializes
in that Talent Pool. This can be decided as simply as
Mirror Spirit – This art allows the user to move fast saying the character finds an appropriate trainer or as
enough to produce an after-image in the eyes of their grandly as devoting an entire adventure solely to find-
foes, confusing them momentarily. Add +1 to De- ing that trainer and learning from him.
fense rolls.

Lock-picking – Though this may not be considered Arcane Blooded

an honorable ability, it can certainly be a useful one. Requirements: Basic Talent Pool: Force OR Ranged,
The Shadow specialist gains a +1 bonus to Dexterity Physical Strength 13, Willpower 15
checks to pick mechanical locks per level. This Talent
does not affect magical locks. The Arcane Blooded specialists are warriors who
have intuitively learned not only how to manipulate
Juggling – Juggling can be of more use than simply magical energy, but how to take it within themselves.
entertaining audiences. Users of this Talent gain a +1 Instead of casting spells as mages do, they use magi-
bonus to Dexterity checks involving throwing, toss- cal abilities that are innately trained. Because of their
ing, and catching small objects (this includes To Hit enhanced physical abilities, though, most of these
checks for thrown weapons). people forgo the use of weapons to rely on their own
Shadow’s Stealth – The character with this Talent power. Though once considered a lost art, a resur-
can hide extremely well, even in broad daylight. She gence of new martial schools has brought the Arcane
gains +1 to Dexterity checks to hide. While a charac- Blooded specialist back into common sight.
ter is hiding, those trying to listen for or find her must
make an Awareness check opposed to the check from Arcane Blooded Base Talents
this Talent. Failure means that they can’t hear or see
her and will be unaware of her presence unless she is Shatterpoint – All Arcane Blooded specialists have

CHAPTER 2: TALENT POOLS 21

learned how to manipulate the magical flow of energy Mind Over Matter – This Talent is a fearsome one.
in all living things. Once per day, an Arcane Blooded Using it, an Arcane Blooded specialist may remain
specialist can touch a point on a living thing and conscious even if her Hit Points drop below 0 – such
cause tremendous pain to it – for animals and sentient is the strength of her resolve. A character in this state
beings, this Stuns them for 1 round per level of this cannot be slain except by decapitation. At the end of
Talent. For plants, it can kill outright - however, if the that time, or at the end of combat (whichever occurs
plant is actually a shapeshifted animal or person, Shat- first), she passes out and can be treated as normal.
terpoint will simply force them to revert to their true The duration is 1 round per level purchased.
form rather than Stun or kill.
Transcendence – An extremely potent and highly
Hard Training – Every person who wishes to take guarded technique, this Talent lets the Arcane Blood-
up this Talent Pool must spend a great deal of time ed specialist temporarily increase their physical and
training their body to be able to withstand the power mental abilities far beyond their normal limits. It is
roaring through their mystical veins. This naturally not without its drawbacks – after the effects wear off,
hardens the character’s body, giving them a +1 bonus the character is beset by terrible, debilitating pain.
to Endurance per level. This Talent can’t make the Transcendence doubles all the character’s Attributes
character’s Endurance exceed mortal maximum. (including Hit Points) and Actions for 2 rounds,
and after that time, the Arcane Blooded specialist is
Heaven’s Fury – One of the base Talents of this reduced to 1 Hit Point and her Attributes (including
Talent Pool is the manipulation of magical energy max HP and max MP) are halved for a full day. The
within the body of the character to greatly increase duration of this Talent can be increased by 1 round
damage from unarmed attacks. All unarmed attacks per level purchased. The Attribute reduction will
by the character with this Talent gain an additional always last one day, though the character will heal nor-
2d4 damage per level. mally up to their temporary half-maximum HP. This
ability can make the character’s Attributes increase
Arcane Blooded Expansion Talents beyond mortal maximum.

Flurry – Once per combat, an Arcane Blooded Creature Handling

specialist with this Talent can hit their target with a Requirements: Basic Talent Pool: Empathy, Charisma
flurry of kicks, punches, and other unarmed attacks. 8
This has the effect of forcing the enemy back 5 feet
and dealing an additional three attacks for one Action. In many parts of the known world, people exist who
The number of squares the enemy is forced back can are naturally talented at taming, raising, and train-
be increased by 1 per level of this Talent. ing animals. Some people use this ability for farming
and ranching. Others simply gain friends through it.
Hunter’s Sight – One ability demonstrated by Ar- The more aggressive use it to train beasts of war. For
cane Blooded specialists is the interesting power of whatever reason, these people are always surrounded
seeing well beyond their normal range of vision. By by their animal companions and form deep bonds
extending their awareness into the area around them, with them.
they can “see” everything around them for a short
period of time – this ability can only be active outside Creature Handling Base Talents
of combat, since it requires a great deal of concentra-
tion. The effect is to give the character a +20 bonus Tame Animal – Through a long regimen of coaxing
to Awareness for the duration of the power. This and cajoling, the Creature Handling specialist is able
does not automatically negate Talents which hide or to tame just about any animal she comes across – as
obscure another character. The range is limited to 100 long as they don’t eat her first, of course. The process
meters, plus 50 meters per level of this Talent taken. of taming an animal requires a series of Charisma
checks at decreasing difficulties. The first check has a

22 CHAPTER 2: TALENT POOLS

difficulty equal to the points cost of the animal + 10, higher than a difficulty stated by the GM, the char-
and decreases by 5 for every check after that. To tame acter is aware of any impending danger - whether
an animal, the Creature Handling specialist must make dangerous territory, hostile creatures, or anything with
4 of these checks. Failing any one of them means the hostile intent - in the immediate area.
animal runs away or attacks, at the GM’s discretion.
Each level of this Talent adds a +1 bonus to those Call Animals – Knowing the calls of the wild and
checks. what they mean is a useful ability that every decent
outdoorsman will possess. Knowing how to duplicate
Command Animal – An animal that has been tamed those calls, though, is much harder....and the charac-
or domesticated can be trained to obey certain simple ter with this ability can keep a camp safe at night, or
commands. Such commands could be as innocu- bring game closer, and so on. With every level of this
ous as “sit,” “lie down,” and “stay,” or for the more Talent, the character can master the different sounds
aggressive-minded, “attack,” “kill,” and “annihilate.” and calls of 1 type of wild animal – deer, rabbits,
For each level of this Talent, the Creature Handler bluejays, etc. This includes the usage of tools such as
can teach 1 additional trick or command to one of carved deer calls, and each level of this Talent also
the pets he has tamed. Whether the animal learns or grants a +1 bonus to Dexterity checks for crafting
not is dependent on a Charisma check. The difficulty such tools. This Talent does not work for monstrous
is equal to the animal’s Challenge Level times two animals such as carneraxes or Plains Cats.
(CL*2). The Command Animal Talent grants a +1
bonus to that check per level. If the check fails, the Heal Animal – Though not necessarily magically
animal simply ignores the master for this round. attuned, Creature Handling specialists are often called
on to treat animals’ various illnesses and injuries. For
Calm – Any animal or monster can be calmed if one every level of this Talent, the character gains a +1
just knows the right things to do. With this Talent, bonus to Intelligence checks to bandage wounds, treat
the character can make a Charisma check to calm one illnesses, and all other animal healing. It also allows
angry, upset, or nervous creature. The difficulty is a the character to heal an animal of 5 Hit Points of
number that the GM specifies based on the creature’s damage per level. This bonus does not carry over to
status – if a large, angry monster is charging the sentient beings.
character, the difficulty is likely to be very, very high,
whereas a cat mewling in a tree is much easier. The Primal Insight - Most creature handlers come to fa-
GM should add 5 to the difficulty for each step up in vor one particular type of animal over all others, and
the following mood list - unhappy, cautious, scared, spend a great deal of time in their company. Every
enraged, or protective. If the animal is hurt, add a level of this Talent grants the character a +1 bonus to
further 5 to the difficulty. So, if an animal is hurt and Command Animal, Tame Animal, and Calm checks
scared, the difficulty to calm it would be 20: scared is for a specific type of animal. The character can never
the third step in the list (3 x 10 = 15), and the poor have more than one Primal Insight Talent.
thing is hurt, so that’s another 5 added on, for a total
of 20. Every level of this Talent purchased grants a Diplomacy
+1 bonus to the Charisma check. Requirements: Basic Talent Pool: Empathy, Charisma
7
Creature Handling Expansion Talents
While a sword can solve an argument, oftentimes it’s
Danger Sense – Some animals seem to be able to much healthier to talk your way out of a bad situa-
sense danger coming before people do. After a lot tion...or into a good one. The Diplomacy specialist is
of time spent in animals’ company, the Creature a master at this. Many nobles are Diplomacy special-
Handling specialist is able to pick up this ability. The ists to varying degrees of expertise. So are some mer-
character may, at any time, make an Awareness check chants, bankers, and priests. This Talent Pool’s Talents
at +1 for every level of this Talent. If the number is are geared towards negotiation, deal-making, diverting

CHAPTER 2: TALENT POOLS 23

emotions, and other related abilities.

Diplomacy Base Talents

Closing the Deal – Any diplomat or merchant can

tell you that it’s vital to get at least one thing that you
really want in any negotiation, even if it means sacri-
ficing some of the smaller things. This Talent can be
used whenever a deal is being worked out – whether
it’s the sale of an item, the trading of political favors,
the surrender of enemy forces, or any applicable
situation. The character must specify which part of
the deal is his primary interest, and for all Charisma
checks involving its discussion he gains a +1 bonus
per level of this Talent.

Etiquette – The rules of high society are strict, var-

ied, and frequently nonsensical. But if the Diplomacy
specialist wishes to get what he wants, or what his em-
ployer wants, he must learn those rules very quickly.
This Talent, then, is not the knowledge of etiquette
but the ability to pick it up very quickly. For every
level of this Talent, the character receives a +1 bonus
to Charisma checks when trying to avoid a potentially
damaging social blunder simply by virtue of watching
and listening.

Social Strategy – When entering into negotiations

of any kind, it’s good to have an overlying strategy.
Through prior experience, the Diplomacy specialist
knows when to take a hard line, when to make con- With this Talent, the character can spend an Action
cessions, and when to just walk away. With this Talent, in combat to attempt to calm all the people involved.
the character can add his Intelligence to his Charisma This is a Charisma check with a difficulty based on
for the first Charisma check required in a negotiation. how much damage has been done to the participants
Additional levels of this Talent add a +2 bonus on – the more damage done, the higher the difficulty. For
top of this. each 10 damage dealt, add 5 to the difficulty. Every
additional level of this Talent beyond the first grants
Diplomacy Expansion Talents a +1 bonus to the Charisma check. This Talent can
only be used once per encounter, and cannot be used
Aggressive Negotiations – Sometimes, words aren’t to halt a surprise attack.
enough. You just have to get right in their faces and
wave a sharp, poisoned dagger around. For every level Hasty Exit – When negotiations go sour, sometimes
of this Talent, you can add a +3 bonus to Charisma it’s necessary to get out and get out fast. For purposes
checks to intimidate. of movement in combat, the character’s Speed score
is temporarily increased by +1 for every level of this
Calming Nerves – Some Diplomacy experts are so Talent purchased. This does not affect initiative and
good, they can even stop a fight that’s already started. can only be used for escape, never for attacking or

24 CHAPTER 2: TALENT POOLS

repositioning for an attack. Pool is a gateway to a number of even more potent
and deadly Elite Talent Pools.
Contact – Knowing people, especially high-ranking
people who owe you favors, is a good thing. For every Characters with this Talent Pool can only call on
level of this Talent, the character has one major con- elemental magic. They cannot use non-elemental or
tact who either owes the character a favor or can help other forms of magic unless so granted by another
the character in some major way, such as providing a Advanced Talent Pool. Additionally, a character can
document of safe passage through a Jur’gaani war- never have both Elemental Summoning and Healing
lord’s territory. If the favor is completed, the contact Arts as Primary Talent Pools; if she has both, then
is still available, but must be negotiated with for ad- one must be Primary and the other Secondary.
ditional favors.
Elemental Summoning Base Talents
Elemental Summoning
Prerequisites: Basic Talent Pool: Mystic, Magical Apti- Elemental Specialization – An Elemental Sum-
tude 10, Intelligence 14 moning specialist may choose one specific element
to focus in. This Talent grants a bonus to the mage's
Elemental Summoning is the magical Talent Pool chosen specialization of +1 per level taken. Each level
specialized for combat and destruction. This magic is adds +1 to Magic Use checks with spells of that type.
the power to annihilate. There are a great many users
of this Talent Pool, particularly in the more chaotic Destructive Mind – As part of their studies, El-
regions of the world where laws restricting the free emental Summoning specialists seek out new and
exercise of magic are less enforced. Besides being a creative ways to destroy their targets. Sometimes this
tremendous font of power in its own right, this Talent results in discovering new weaknesses in the enemy;

CHAPTER 2: TALENT POOLS 25

other times, new strengths. This Talent gives the El- for casting while in battle is tremendous. Stemming
emental Summoning specialist a +1 chance per level from this, Elemental Summoning specialists some-
to determine what the elemental weakness of a given times develop the ability to tap and cast much faster
target is – this is an Intelligence check. The difficulty than other mages. Part of this ability manifests in this
is the Challenge Level of the target times 3 – so, a Talent, which allows the mage to tap and cast in the
CL5 monster would have a difficulty of 15 for this same Action. For every additional levels of this Talent
Talent. Only one check of this kind may be made per purchased, she also may attempt to cast an additional
monster per combat. Any spells of the weakness's spell during the same Action. The additional spell is
element cast on the target will have double its normal at a difficulty +5 higher than the previous one – so,
effects. if she had three levels of this Talent, the mage could
cast a difficulty 10 spell followed by difficulty 15, 20,
Badge of War – This Talent is derived from the and 25 ones. If any of the spells fail she can no lon-
constant study of battle inherent to an Elemental ger use this Talent for the remainder of the combat.
Summoning specialist's profession. The knowledge
of battle – of strategy and tactics – comes through Horrific Persona – Frequently, Elemental Summon-
experience and watchfulness. With this Talent, the ing specialists begin to show physical changes due to
character adds a +1 bonus to any attribute checks she the sheer amount of destructive power they wield.
makes during combat other than initiative, attacking, Skin can flow like water and reharden, giving the
defending, and casting spells. Every additional level mage a “melted” appearance. Sharp spikes can erupt
of this Talent increases the bonus by +1. from her bones, giving her small vestigial spines all
over his body. Her eyes can sink inward or become
Elemental Summoning Expansion Tal- nebulous balls of energy. The effect of all these
transformations, while harmless to the mage herself,
ents gives her a +2 bonus to any intimidation checks per
level of this Talent. The side effect is that everyone
Shatter – This Talent lets the character destroy any who is not used to the mage's presence must make a
magical item outright without any ill effects (normally, Willpower check not to be intimidated by the mage
the destruction of magical items tends to make them (versus the character's intimidation check). Every ad-
explode) – they either cease to be magical, or simply ditional level of this Talent increases the visual effect
cease to exist. The difficulty of such a task is directly noticeably.
proportional to the power of the item – the GM
should use his discretion. This Talent does not allow
the Elemental Summoner to «steal» the magical en- Fate Alteration
ergy of the item; the energy disperses and cannot be
collected. Each level of this ability grants a +1 bonus Requirements: Basic Talent Pool: Mystic, Intelligence
to this Shatter check. 3, Awareness 4

Chaos – The character may choose to unleash an Elemental magic isn't just used to destroy. Where
explosion of uncontrolled magical energy similar to Elemental Summoning specialists try and annihilate
what happens when a magic-user miscasts a spell. In their enemies through direct action, Fate Alteration
this case, however, the Chaos user is unaffected by specialists do it indirectly by enhancing their allies'
this warped magic. The GM determines the effects of abilities and hindering those of their enemies.
this spell-like ability, but the caster chooses the target
and area of effect. The range is 10’ and may affect an Fate Alteration Base Talents
area of up to 9 cubic feet. The affected area increases
by 3 cubic feet per level of this Talent taken. Magical Shielding – One of the most useful and
potent of a Fate Alteration specialist's abilities is the
Perpetual Assault – The concentration required Talent of Magical Shielding. By casting magical de-

26 CHAPTER 2: TALENT POOLS

fensive fields around people
or objects, Fate Alteration
specialists may protect them
very effectively from all
kinds of attacks. There are
different kinds of shields
– those that stop physical
attacks, those that rebound
physical attacks, those that
stop magical attacks, those
that reflect magical attacks,
those that absorb magical at-
tacks, and so on. This Talent
grants a +2 bonus to Magic
Use checks for all spells that
shield.

Attribute Enhancement
– A potent Talent of Fate
Alteration specialists is the
ability to enhance someone's
natural Attributes. Every
level of this Talent lets the
mage add +2 to her Magic
Use checks to cast enhance-
ment spells which specifically
modify one or more charac-
ters' basic Attributes.

Magical Impediment –
One of a Fate Alteration
specialist's key abilities is to
hinder their enemies' move-
ment. More than anything
else, it is a trick of the mind
that forces the enemy to work much harder just to Talent to grant +1 per level to the defense rolls of all
move around. This is a magical ability but not a spell, characters in his party for that round.
and as such does not require a Tap check, only a
Magic Use check. Using this Talent causes 1 enemy Arcane Defense – A Fate Alteration specialist's
per level to be reduced to half his normal Speed for 1 Arcane Defense technique is developed rather than
round. This can only be used once per combat. learned. Like Magical Impediment, it seems to come
naturally to those who spend a lot of time in combat
Fate Alteration Expansion Talents – perhaps an intuitive understanding of the magical
ebbs and flows present in a contest of arms. This
Defensive Tactics – In combat, a Fate Alteration non-spell magical ability allows the character to boost
specialist can be a valuable font of tactical knowledge. the defense of one ally by 1 per level against a specific
Their experience in combat makes them natural tacti- type of attack – spears, swords, fire, etc. The effect
cians. Once per combat, the character can use this lasts for the duration of combat. This Talent can only

CHAPTER 2: TALENT POOLS 27

be used once per combat. wounds or setting clean breaks have a difficulty of 10,
heavy wounds and bad breaks have a difficulty of 15,
Magical Traps – Some Fate Alteration specialists are and severe wounds (such as severed limbs, 3rd-degree
adept at setting magical protections around objects or burns, etc.) have a difficulty of 25. Internal bleeding
in places they don't want visited. Every level of this has a difficulty of 10 if it's light or 15 if it's heavy.
Talent grants a +1 bonus to spells that set up magical This Talent does not return lost Hit Points.
traps.
Healing Arts Expansion Talents
Boost Magic – By manipulating the flows of magical
energy in the area, the Fate Alteration specialist is able Cure Disease – This Talent grants the Healing Arts
to temporarily increase the amount of magical power specialist a +1 bonus to all Magic Use and Intelligence
available in the immediate area. This ability grants a checks (for magical and non-magical healing, respec-
+1 bonus per level to the Tap checks of all magic us- tively) to cure diseases, both magical and non-magical.
ers in the area. It lasts for the duration of combat or
10 minutes outside of combat. Heal Plants – Though mostly useful in farming
communities, this Talent can be surprisingly helpful
Healing Arts to traveling mages and their companions. A farmer
Requirements: Basic Talent Pool: Mystic might be more reasonable in charging to use his loft
for a night's rest if his crops have been cured of a
The practice of the Healing Arts is both magical and blight....or perhaps the mage finds a rare herb that
mundane. A working knowledge of anatomy develops acts as the only cure for a deadly disease, but discov-
over time with practice, and the mage can use that to ers that it's withered and dying. This Talent grants not
his advantage (and his patient's) by using both magical only a +1 bonus to heal or treat plant diseases and
and non-magical healing methods. ailments, but also a +1 bonus to Intelligence checks
regarding plant knowledge.
Healing Arts Base Talents
Area Restoration – Healing Arts specialists, especial-
Arcane Healing – The core ability of all Healing ly at the front lines in a war, are sometimes called on
Arts mages, this Talent is his growing familiarity with to heal multiple people all at once. This Talent grants
healing magic. It grants a +1 bonus per level to all a +10' Area of Effect bonus to any healing spell once
Magic Use checks for spells that heal damage while per day. Each additional level gives a bonus of +5'
outside of combat. Area of Effect on top of that.
Healing Awareness – By concentrating hard, a Heal-
Combat Healing – The nature of combat requires ing Arts mage can magically locate any injured people
the Healing Arts mage to be able to respond quickly or animals in the immediate area. Though he can't tell
to situations that demand his attention. This Talent who they are, he will be able to know the race or ani-
gives a +1 bonus per level to Magic Use checks for mal type and overall health of everything in the area.
healing spells during combat, and also grants a +5' The area of effect of this Talent is 15' per level. It can
range bonus per level to all healing spells regardless be used as often as the Healing Arts mage likes and
of whether the mage is in combat or not. requires no Tap or Magic Use checks.

Mundane Healing – Sometimes a mage is unable to Illusion Performance

tap magical energy. When that happens, he must rely Requirements: Dexterity 11, Charisma 6, Basic Talent
on non-magical healing methods. Every level of this Pool: Shadow OR Empathy
Talent grants a +1 bonus to Dexterity checks to treat
wounds, set bones, and so forth without magic. The Those who dabble in Illusion Performance call on
difficulty for this kind of healing is dependent on se- the mysterious qualities of lyrical magic. Practitioners
verity - light wounds have a difficulty of 5, moderate of this art use Tap and Magic Use checks like other

28 CHAPTER 2: TALENT POOLS

magic-users, but instead of tapping personal,
leyline, or node energy, they tap the unseen
mystical energies of the Feywyld.
Mysterious and often unpre-
dictable, this practice can
only be mastered by those
with a keen affinity for
music and rhythm. Some
say that to use the magic of
illusion is to court ultimate
disaster, for the moods of the
Feywyld are mercurial at best.

Illusion Performance

Base Talents

Tyra's Requiem - The performer

is surrounded by wraithlike, half-
seen shadows that cry out mourn-
fully in tune with his music. Anyone
hearing the music or seeing the
apparitions is filled with such sorrow
that they are lost for a time in their
own misery. They are unable to act
for 1 round. Each level of this
Talent allows the performer to
affect one additional listener.

Siren Song – Haunting melodies

issue forth from the performer, her
song wrapping her listeners in a feel-
ing of comfort and easing fears and
concerns. For every level of this Tal-
ent, the performer's Siren Song grants a
+1 bonus to Charisma checks to allay fears and
sooth tempers while she is performing. Illusion Performance Expansion Talents

Drums of War - Sounding a heavy, ominous beat as Entrancing Melody – By summoning visions and
false fire erupts from him, the performer calls up feel- amplification of the audience's greatest desires and
ings of aggression and anger in his listeners. All those wants, the performer is able to temporarily place them
who hear this song gain a +2 bonus to attack rolls and under her sway. Each listener must make a Willpower
a -1 penalty to defense rolls. Every additional level of check versus the performer's Charisma check or be
this Talent increases the attack bonus by 1. Every two under her control for 1 round per level of this Tal-
levels of this Talent, starting at the second, increases ent. This Talent works on both animals and sentient
the defense penalty by 1. beings, but not magical constructs. Any controlled
subject will do the performer's bidding, but will not
harm itself or act in a way contrary to its basic nature.

CHAPTER 2: TALENT POOLS 29

Songwriting - This Talent reflects the performer's Deft Maneuvering – Another aspect of controlling
increasing mastery of the art of songwriting. Every one's mount is working with him to get out of the
level of this Talent grants the performer a +1 bonus way of incoming attacks. A specialist in this Talent
to Magic Use checks for songs she has written herself. has the ability to dodge faster than might normally be
possible on a mount. He gains +1 to Defense while
Great Memory – With this Talent, the performer mounted.
gains a +1 bonus per level of this Talent to remember
anything they've ever seen or heard. This is an Aware- Mounted Combat Expansion Talents
ness check. This ability can extend backward to child-
hood, though checks for that amount of time will be Riding Charge – The mounted combat specialist can
much more difficult than checks for remembering rush a target while mounted, and if the target fails
something that happened an hour ago. For each year her defense, she is Knocked Down. Additionally, she
previous, the difficulty increases by 3. takes an extra die of damage for every level of this
Talent taken. See Combat for details on Knockdown.
Illusory Allies – The performer's song conjures an
illusion so real it can act and think on its own. This Jousting – If equipped with a lance or spear, the
illusory being may draw the attention of attackers, dis- mounted warrior becomes an even deadlier opponent.
tract guards, add harmony to the performer's melody, A charging attack with one of those weapons while
or otherwise act as another sentient being. If it takes mounted can yield a great deal of damage to even a
any damage, it vanishes. The illusion does no damage tough target. This Talent adds 2 dice of damage per
and can be passed through as if it didn't exist. The level.
illusion lasts for 1 round per level of this Talent.
Mounted Archery – One of the things that made the
Mounted Combat Mongol hordes so fearsome in combat was their mas-
Prerequisites: Basic Talent Pool: Force OR Ranged, tery of archery on horseback. By holding themselves
Physical Strength 15, Endurance 12, Willpower 14 in just the right position with just the right amount of
tension, they could leave movement to their mounts
The advantages of fighting on a mount are numerous and concentrate on aiming. Every level of this Talent
– particularly if the rider knows what he's doing. Most grants the character a +1 bonus To Hit with a bow
knights will have this Talent Pool, as they are as reliant or crossbow while mounted and allows her to use a
on their mounts as they are on their swords. single Action to move and attack one target.

Using a weapon designed specifically for mounted Intimidating Presence – Also notable about the
combat is not necessary for those that use this Talent Mongol hordes was the fear their mounted warriors
Pool – any weapon the character could normally wield inspired in their enemies. A character with this Tal-
on foot is fair game. ent may make a Charisma check to intimidate one or
a group of enemies – each target makes a Willpower
Mounted Combat Base Talents check to resist. Range is within line-of-sight, and
affects all enemies in range. This Talent grants a +1
Guiding Expertise – The warrior with this Talent bonus per level to the character's intimidation check.
knows the ins and outs of mounted combat, and has
gained a certain finesse when guiding his mount. He
gains +1 Speed while mounted. Thievery
Requirements: Dexterity 16, Basic Talent Pool:
High Ground – Mounted fighters' greatest advantage Shadow
is that they can see and swing farther when on their
mount. Each level of this Talent grants a +1 bonus Thieves are the dregs of society. They steal and
To Hit while mounted. sometimes murder to further their own gains, and

30 CHAPTER 2: TALENT POOLS

usually have very few ethics. They are very resource-
ful, however, and incredibly versatile in how they are
able to manipulate their bodies. They are usually only
found in cities and along major roads, though there
are quite a few wilderness treasure-seekers as well.

It must be noted that in this day and age, with the

huge amount of magical and demonic creatures
wandering the wilds, thieves who work outside of
cities usually band together into large groups. Bandit
citadels are not unheard of, though only the bandits
themselves know the locations of these mysterious
and deadly fortress-towns.

Thievery Base Talents

Pick Pockets – Using this ability a thief can remove

the contents of someone's pockets, cut a coin purse
from someone's belt, or any other stealthy theft of
belongings from an individual. Using Dexterity as its
base, Pick Pockets checks can be done as often as the
thief wishes, though the victim and any observers are
allowed an Awareness check for every attempt made.
If the Awareness check is successful, then the thief's
chances of evading capture go down considerably.

Disarm Traps – Disarming non-magical traps is

a very useful Talent for thieves. Each level of this
Talent grants the thief a +1 bonus to Disarm Trap
checks (Dexterity based). A failed check means the
trap hasn't sprung, but the thief gets a -1 penalty
to future attempts to disarm that specific trap. This
penalty is cumulative – this represents frustration
and potential damage to the trap. Critical failures have seen an example in the past.
result in springing the trap.
Appraise – Using this Talent a thief can determine
Incognito – The thief is able to blend in with a the value of any object in local markets. Each level of
crowd. This is particularly useful when trying to this Talent grants a +1 bonus to Intelligence checks
escape a search party, angry storekeeper, or assassins. to recognize the value.
Each level of this Talent grants a +1 bonus to Ap-
pearance checks to remain hidden. Bribe – Every level of this Talent that a thief has
grants a +1 bonus to Charisma checks to bribe of-
Thievery Expansion Talents ficials or guards. The target must make a Charisma
check to avoid accepting the bribe.
Forgery – This Talent lets a thief make Intelligence
checks (with a +1 bonus per level) to create official- Diversion – Using rocks, sticks, small bombs, mir-
looking documents. The thief must have an example rors, or other objects a thief can make a brief diver-
of the document in question in order to copy it, or sion to distract others. This Talent grants a +1 bonus

CHAPTER 2: TALENT POOLS 31

to Dexterity checks to cause diver-
sions.

Unyielding
Prerequisites: Basic Talent Pool: Force,
Physical Strength 13

The Unyielding Talent Pool is comprised

of abilities that enhance a warrior's surviv-
ability and damage resistance in combat.
Some knights are well-known for their
abilities in this area, and the benefits are
readily apparent – everyone likes to be
the guy that survives a battle.

Unyielding Base Talents

Hardened Flesh – One of an Un-

yielding specialist’s most basic Tal-
ents is the ability to endure greater
amounts of pain without flinching.
On first obtaining this Talent, he gains
an additional 3 points of Endurance.
For every level purchased thereafter, he
gains an additional 2 points of Endur-
ance. This can exceed the normal mortal
maximum of 10, but upon reaching 10,
the bonus is only 1 point of Endurance
per level of this Talent.

Fast Healing – Some people display

an unusually high rate of healing.
This is almost always due to spend-
ing a lot of time near high-magic ar-
eas such as nodes or strong leylines,
but can sometimes result from spe-
cific kinds of martial training – the
warrior-monks of the Ren-Sho
have such training. Characters
with this Talent regenerate 1
Vitality per round for every
level of this Talent. This does
not affect lost limbs or other
critical damage.
ence between saving a friend and watching them die.
Maddening Taunt – Getting the enemies’ attention By mocking and threatening, he can often turn his
is considered by some to be a bad thing. However, enemies’ ire away from his allies and towards himself.
for an Unyielding specialist, it can mean the differ- To do this, the player rolls a Charisma check and adds

32 CHAPTER 2: TALENT POOLS

a bonus of +1 to it for each level of this ability. The character ignore one more enemy in a movement.
enemy must succeed at an opposed Willpower check Enemies displaced by this rush are Knocked Down.
or switch targets to the Unyielding character.
Bull’s Strength – Besides incredible resistance to
Unyielding Expansion Talents damage, Unyielding specialists are sometimes known
for unnaturally high strength. There have been in-
Natural Armor – Whether through magic or hard stances where a student of the Unyielding arts has
training, a warrior with this ability has gained a natural broken apart an iron door with his bare hands. For
resistance to physical damage. For every level of this every level of this Talent that the character has, he
Talent purchased, enemies attacking this character gains an additional 3 points of Physical Strength. This
must roll one less damage die. However, they always can increase beyond the normal mortal maximum of
do at least 1 damage as long as they hit, even if they’re 10, but past 10 this Talent’s bonus is 1 and not 3.
reduced to 0 damage dice by this Talent.
Hard Head – After countless battles, some warriors War Dancing
become resistant to being Stunned. With this Talent, Prerequisites: Basic Talent Pool: Force, Physical
an Unyielding specialist can choose to take a quarter Strength 5, Willpower 5
of his Vitality in additional damage instead of being
Stunned. This is reduced by 2 per level, to a minimum Like Arcane Blooded, War Dancing is a martial arts
of 1 extra damage. Talent Pool. Unlike Arcane Blooded, it focuses on
the perfection of the physical self instead of the
Unstoppable Rush – Many knights are vicious enhancement of it. Also unlike Arcane Blooded, War
fighters even on foot. Some are so hardened to battle Dancing utilizes weapons. Those that specialize in
that they charge headlong into the enemy, completely War Dancing combine fluid motions with razor edges
ignoring swords slicing into them and claws tearing to become devastating hand-to-hand fighters. Most
at their flesh. A character using this Talent can move commonly practiced by half-wolves and their associ-
right through a spot occupied by an enemy and make ates, this art form can be utterly deadly at close range.
an attack on another enemy – this counts as a single
Action. Each additional level of this Talent lets the

CHAPTER 2: TALENT POOLS 33

War Dancing Base Talents Flash Technique – This technique builds on the
foundational Talents of Quickstrike and First Strike.
Quickstrike – By using careful footwork and watch- War Dancing specialists learn over the course of
ing in an almost casual manner for openings, the user their training how to move with increasingly perfect
of this Talent is able to land a rapid, startling slash efficiency and fluidity. With this Talent, once per
that is very hard to defend against. This attack may combat the character can move so quickly they seem
only be used once per combat. The target is at a pen- to teleport from one place to another – in effect, they
alty of -3 to Defense per level of this Talent. can make 1 move Action (up to their Speed) without
spending an Action. With every additional level of
Dual Fury – One of the key tenets of War Dancing this Talent, the character can make an additional move
is to be able to use the entire body to maximum po- that round without spending an Action.
tential in combat. To this end, most War Dancing spe-
cialists have at least some training in the ability to use Rushing Sword Dance – Another of this Talent
two weapons simultaneously, and many are extremely Pool’s deadly dances, the Rushing Sword Dance fo-
proficient at it. When a character with this Talent has cuses on the perfect defense – an impenetrable blaze
a weapon in each hand, she can perform two attacks, of sword blocks and strikes to keep the attacker off
two defenses, or an attack and a defense per Action balance. While doing this, the War Dancer looks for
spent. These double-Actions must be performed at an opening for his own attack. In order to use this
the same time, though – it’s not possible to hold one Talent, the Dancer must declare that he is using it,
until later, they both must occur simultaneously. Also, spend ALL of his Actions, and roll an Endurance
they can only be used against 1 target per level of this check. The GM determines a difficulty based on the
Talent. number of enemies attacking the character – for each
enemy, add 10 to the difficulty. Also add 10 for every
First Strike – War Dancing focuses on grace, agility, round after the first that this check is made. If the
and speed. A major part of any battle is the speed check succeeds, the War Dancing specialist may use
in which you can act – and War Dancing specialists this Talent again in the next round. If the check fails,
are among the fastest beings on Eiridia. This Talent though, he may not use this technique again during
grants a +2 bonus to Initiative for every level pur- that combat. Each time the Endurance check suc-
chased. ceeds, the character gains a +2 bonus to his next To
Hit roll and blocks all attacks made on him (unless
War Dancing Expansion Talents the attacker rolls a critical success, in which case the
Rushing Sword Dance is stopped and the character
Dance of Death – A slight movement. A sweeping takes damage as usual). Area of Effect attacks work
arc of the hand. A twirl. Blood paints the floor. The as normal against the War Dancer and will halt the
Dance of Death is frequently the last thing an op- Dance. This is cumulative – if the character spends
ponent of a War Dancing specialist sees. Its graceful, 4 rounds using this Talent, his bonus will be +8 on
deadly beauty tears the spirit as well as the flesh. To his next attack. For every level of this Talent that the
use the Dance, a War Dancing specialist must spend character has, the Defense bonus is increased by +3
two Actions. If the strike hits, then the target takes 1 and the To Hit bonus by +2.
damage to his Endurance as well as 2 dice of dam-
age to his Hit Points. The Endurance damage does Ascending Angel – With a great leap and rapid
not affect Hit Points, and nor can Endurance damage acrobatics, the War Dancing specialist can scale even
be blocked by armor. Every additional level of this apparently unclimbable surfaces in seconds. He makes
Talent adds another 1 to the Endurance damage and use of tree limbs, sign poles, low roofs, and other foot
1 dice of damage to the regular damage. Endurance and hand holds to seemingly fly upward. This Talent
damage heals at a rate of 1 per day up to the tar- is used primarily to escape an attacker, but can also
get’s Endurance score before she was first hit by the be used for myriad other purposes – such as, perhaps,
Dance. This Talent can’t be used with Dual Fury. scaling a ruined tower in search of old treasure. In

34 CHAPTER 2: TALENT POOLS

combat, the character spends two Actions to use
this Talent, and makes a Dexterity check. For
every level of this Talent, add +10 to the roll. The
GM sets a difficulty based on how high the char-
acter is trying to go, what kinds of objects and
buildings are around, etc. Each square of height
adds 5 to the difficulty. A success means the char-
acter can move vertically up to twice his Speed in
squares. A failure means he slips back to where
he was when he started the technique, but doesn’t
fall or take damage. A critical failure, however, will
cause falling damage based on the height he falls
from (see Falling in the Combat chapter).

Wilderness Mastery
Requirements: Basic Talent Pool: Shadow OR
Basic Talent Pool: Ranged, Intelligence 4, Endur-
ance 5

Sometimes it’s the world itself can that prove the

deadliest adversary. Especially in places where
wild magic is rampant, knowing the environment
can be your greatest weapon for survival. A Wil-
derness Mastery specialist is adept at survival.

Wilderness Mastery Base Talents vides a +1 bonus to all Awareness checks to find such
food. Each level purchased increases this bonus by
Hunting – The wilderness can be cruel, but it can’t +1. The difficulty for this check is 60 minus the num-
be said that she doesn’t provide for those who can ber of minutes spent searching, and can only be done
take care of themselves. A good hunter can bring once per hour.
back fresh meat for a meal in most seasons except for
the dead of winter....and even then, he stands a good Sheltering – Finding or building shelter is a necessity
chance of it. When hunting, a character can make an when in the wilderness. Weather, animals, and wan-
Awareness check to find game. Every level of this dering monstrosities can make a person’s night miser-
Talent adds a +1 bonus to that check. The difficulty able otherwise. This Talent provides a +1 bonus to
of finding game in good territory in spring is 15, Dexterity checks to build shelter or Awareness checks
summer is 15, autumn is 20, and winter is 25. If the to find shelter. Difficulty for this check is based on
environment is poor, such as plains or hills, the dif- the GM’s appraisal of the scarcity of materials or pos-
ficulty is increased by 10. If the environment is very sible safe havens. Each additional level of this Talent
poor, such as deserts or rocky mountains, the diffi- increases the bonus by +1.
culty is increased by 20.
Wilderness Mastery Expansion Talent
Foraging – When game is scarce, or when meat
isn’t enough to sustain the character, it’s necessary to Monster Knowledge – Those that live in or explore
search the surrounding environs for any source of the wilderness often gradually come to know most, if
food that can be found. Whether this is mushrooms, not all, of the dangers of the wilderness. They learn
herbs, grubs, or whatever, the Foraging Talent pro- the strengths and weaknesses of all its inhabitants.

CHAPTER 2: TALENT POOLS 35

Though this Talent is specific to a region, its effects Assassins are the unseen masters of killing. They
can apply everywhere to a certain degree. For every specialize in eliminating single targets and have a
level of this Talent a character has, she receives a +3 wealth of poisons and underhanded weapons at their
bonus to damage against all monsters and animals disposal. Assassins rely on secrecy for their work, and
from her region. She receives a +2 bonus per level to as such have become adept at disguise and infiltration.
damage against all other monsters and animals. A “re- In Eiridia, assassins almost always belong to guilds,
gion” could be either a mountain range, a large swath and this is one way in which a player may acquire the
of forest, a lake area, and so on. Assassin Elite Talent Pool. A character does not nec-
essarily have to have the assassin profession.
Navigation – Any good wilderness expert will tell
you that unless you can find your way, you won’t last Assassination Base Talents
a week in the wilderness. By carefully looking out
for landmarks, star constellations, and other things, Hunter’s Disguise – An assassin is best able to do
the character is able to guide herself well in even the her job when she cannot be recognized. Using this
furthest places from civilization. Every level of this ability, she can use readily available items and specially
Talent confers a +1 bonus to Awareness checks to made costume items to alter her appearance. For
navigate in the wilderness. every level of this ability, other characters must make
an Awareness check with a -1 penalty to recognize the
Snap Shot – Most hunters, trappers, and explorers player’s character or realize she is out of place. Addi-
know that having a bow handy is a must in the wilder- tionally, any character that fails this check will not be
ness. Besides being invaluable in hunting game, it can able to make this check again for the duration of the
also be used to send messages (via scrolls attached disguise.
to arrows) or defend against attacks. Since Wilder-
ness Mastery experts are used to coming upon dan- Craft Toxins – The usage of poisons is inherent to
gerous creatures unexpectedly, they generally gain a the assassin profession. With this ability, the assassin
proficiency with quickly firing off a mostly-accurate is able to make poisons from many different sub-
arrow. With this Talent, the character can make a first stances and objects. To create a poison, the player
strike before combat even starts as long as she has a makes an Intelligence check with a +1 bonus per level
stringed bow and at least one arrow. Additionally, she of this ability. The difficulty of making the poison is
gains a +1 to Initiative for every additional level of based on half of how many points the result would
this Talent beyond the first. be – so for example, if the poison deals 50 points of
damage instantly, the difficulty to create the poison
Hunter’s Aim – Wilderness Mastery specialists are would be 25. If the poison did 1 die of damage every
frequently expert marksmen as well, as a missed shot round for 4 rounds, the cost would be 19 (3 for the
can mean a night without food. The character can die of damage and 4 per round of duration).
declare, once per combat, that she is going to use
Hunter’s Aim. She then rolls To Hit, but if she misses Assassination Expansion Talents
(that is, the defender rolls higher), she can reroll once
for every level of this Talent. The defender does not Silent Kill – With this ability, an assassin is able to
reroll. kill her target without a sound. No scream, no scuffle,
an instant kill. Only small ranged weapons (like short
bows or hand-held crossbows), daggers, knives, and
Elite Talent Pools garotte wires can be used with this ability. To use this
ability, the player rolls a Dexterity check +1 for every
Assassination level of this Talent. The target must then make an
Prerequisites: Basic Talent Pool: Shadow, Basic Talent opposed Awareness check. If the Dexterity check is
Pool: Ranged, Advanced Talent Pool: War Dancing higher than the Awareness check, and the weapon’s
damage is equal to at least half of the target’s total

36 CHAPTER 2: TALENT POOLS

HP, then the target dies instantly and without a
sound. This ability can only be used once per day.

Infiltration – A good assassin knows the loca-

tion of the hit perfectly. She can almost intuitively
understand every aspect of the place she intends
to lie in wait....or to strike at. For every level of this
Talent, the assassin gains a +1 bonus to all hide,
move silently, and navigate checks while in the
place where she intends to kill her target.

Poison Immunity – Because they deal with poi-

sons on a nearly daily basis, many assassins develop
natural immunities to some of them. For every
level of this Talent purchased, the assassin gains
total immunity to one specific poison.

Equilibrium
Prerequisites: Advanced Talent Pool: Healing Arts,
Advanced Talent Pool: Elemental Summoning,
Basic Talent Pool: Empathy

Equilibrium specialists are wise beings who have

spent their entire lives studying both magic and life.
They understand the balance of nature, and try to
maintain that balance as best they can. Teachers
as well as powerful mages, Equilibrium specialists
encourage others to follow the path of balance.

An Equilibrium specialist’s powers are broad in on the character for extreme pain, the Equilibrium
scope. They can heal, harm, build, and destroy. They specialist may act normally without the penalty.
can cure disease, or cause it to run rampant. Many are
viewed as the wisest among men, while others seem Equilibrium Expansion Talents
to be chaos incarnate. Only an Equilibrium specialist
can truly know another’s mind. Total Restoration – Equilibrium specialists can use
this very powerful healing magic Talent to heal, repair,
Equilibrium Base Talents cure, or otherwise restore a character or object for up
to 10 points worth of negative effects per level. This
Mystic Balance – Using this Talent, an Equilibrium is a magical ability but does not require a Tap check,
specialist can sense whether the forces of nature are only a Magic Use check.
balanced in her immediate area. If they are not, she
is able to sense what needs to be changed to bring Total Decay – The opposite of Total Restoration,
back that harmony. The range of this Talent may be Decay causes 10 points worth of decay to the target
increased in increments of 1 kilometer. per level. Such a thing might be Hit Points, Armor
Points, Attributes, or any other measurable part of
Ignore Pain – Pain is little more than a sensory indi- the target. This ability also requires only a Magic Use
cator, and means very little to an Equilibrium special- check.
ist. When the GM would normally impose a penalty

CHAPTER 2: TALENT POOLS 37

Siphon Energy – One of the Equilibrium special- Each level of this Talent grants a +2 bonus to the
ist’s more potent abilities, this lets her draw energy Ruin mage’s Appearance score, as well as extends the
directly from spells themselves. If there is an active Ruin mage’s lifespan by a decade.
spell in the area, the Equilibrium specialist can roll a
Tap check to see if she can draw power from it. This Ruin Expansion Talents
includes enchanted items. The difficulty will usually
be the points cost of the spell. If the Tap check suc- Unholy Minion – Some Ruin Mages gain the at-
ceeds, the Equilibrium specialist can negate the spell tentions of the darker gods, spirits, and demons.
and use its energy in his own spells. Every level of The Ruin mage is granted or summons a permanent
this Talent gives a +1 bonus to the Tap check. demonic ally and minion of CL5 + 1 for each level of
this Talent taken. If the minion is killed or banished,
Ruin then the Ruin mage must spend a full month prepar-
Prerequisites: Basic Talent Pool: Force, Advanced Tal- ing to resummon his minion. See the Lesser Demon
ent Pool: Elemental Summoning specialist and Greater Demon entries in the Challenges chapter
of this rulebook for ideas regarding demonic minions.
If Elemental Summoning specialists are arcane sol- Drain – By draining others of their life force, a Ruin
diers in battle, then Ruin mages are the siege engines. mage may increase the potency of his spells. The
Born of battle and tempered in sorcery, Ruin mages Ruin mage may make a Magic Use check to “attack”
are masters of destruction. They have reputations as a single target. The target then makes a Willpower
being the single most powerful weapon in any battle, check. If the Ruin mage’s Magic Use check is higher
given their tremendous ability to deal damage. They than the target’s Willpower check, then he drains 10
are rare and do not often appear during times of HP from the target and adds it to the damage of his
relative peace – Ruin mages are the product of war. next damage spell. This is increased by 10 HP per ad-
They thrive off of battle...and, if the rumors are true ditional level of this Talent.
(which they are), feed off of it as well.
Annihilation – Through dark pacts and deals with
Ruin mages gain power through death, and use that demons, a Ruin mage is able to greatly boost one
power to cause even more death and destruction. elemental focus to insane levels. This Talent grants
More often than not, they use blood magic to achieve a +10 bonus per level to any elemental focus. It can
their ends. The longer a battle takes, the more power- only be taken for a maximum of three elemental
ful the Ruin mage’s spells become. focuses, but can be increased indefinitely for any of
those three. Each time this Talent is taken to gain a
Ruin Base Talents new elemental focus instead of increasing an old one,
treat it like a new Talent.
Blood Magic – Ruin mages use blood magic to
boost their power. Not only do they gain a bonus of Weapon Mastery
+1 to Tap when tapping death energy, but also a +1 Prerequisites: Advanced Talent Pool: Unyielding and
bonus to casting spells of any elemental focus when Advanced Talent Pool: War Dancing
using blood magic. Additional levels of this Talent
increase both abilities by 1. The Weapon Master is a feared and respected mem-
ber of any community. He has become such a master
Vampiric Essence – As Ruin mages sap more and of melee weapons that he can use such that he has
more death energy, their own bodies are affected. never seen before with ease. Some say that his abili-
They attain a kind of ethereal, pale beauty that only ties in combat approach god-like levels...and others
one who absorbs a huge amount of magical energy whisper that Weapon Masters are partly possessed by
can achieve. Moreover, they begin to achieve a kind the spirit of death Iltalya herself. Whatever the truth,
of immortality as their own lives are unnaturally Weapon Masters are cunning and deadly warriors
extended by the life forces of those they draw upon. without equal.

38 CHAPTER 2: TALENT POOLS

Weapon Mastery Base Talents Weapon Mastery Expansion Talents

Nine Blades – With this Talent, a Weapon Master Wrath of Eternity – A Weapon Master is feared, and
moves so quickly that he seems to hold more than rightly so, for they can sometimes strike down even
one weapon in his hands. He approaches supernatural powerful opponents with a single blow. This Talent
speed and gains an additional combat Action per level costs 2 Actions to activate, but with it, the Weapon
of this Talent. Master deals an additional 5 dice of damage per level.

Total Weapon Mastery – A Weapon Master is adept Rending Strike – Attacking with this Talent causes
with ALL melee weapons, regardless of whether he’s the Weapon Master to open up a gash in the enemy.
used them before or not. As such he gains a +2 bonus This grievous wound will bleed for 1 die of damage
to hit and +1 die of damage for ALL melee weapons per level of this Talent per round until the wound is
per level of this Talent. healed, bandaged, or the victim dies.

CHAPTER 2: TALENT POOLS 39

Intensive Training – A weapon master must train mendous flexibility, such as untying bindings, fitting
constantly to maintain her body and mind. Every day, into small spaces, etc.
she must spend at least 4 hours doing physical and
mental training. If she meets these requirements for Harmonic Spirit – This Talent gives the character a
an entire week, she gains a +1 permanent bonus to +2 bonus to Charisma checks in any social encounter
any physical Attribute at the end of that week. This she engages in.
does not affect Magical Aptitude. Every additional
level of this Talent increases the Attribute bonus by 1 High Social Standing – Well-regarded in his home-
for the next time she trains. land, the character with this Talent gains a +1 bonus
to Charisma checks when interacting with people
from home.
General Talent Pool
Infallible Direction – Always knows north, even in
At character creation, a player chooses 4 of these. total or magical darkness. This Talent may only be
Additional Talents from this Pool may be taken when taken once.
the character gains a level. Each General Talent can
only be taken once. Bonuses to Attributes from these Language Mastery – Naturally good at understand-
Talents cannot make the Attribute exceed mortal ing and speaking different languages, the character
maximum of 10. gains a +3 bonus to Intelligence checks to understand
unfamiliar languages or learn new languages.
Armor Use: Light – Can use light armor without
penalty. Mageborn – Born of highly talented parents, the
character with this Talent has purely bleached hair
Armor Use: Medium – Can use medium armor and eyes at birth. Additionally, he gains a +2 bonus to
without penalty. Magical Aptitude checks to See magical energy.

Armor Use: Heavy – Can use heavy armor without Running – This Talent grants a +5 bonus to Endur-
penalty. ance checks for prolonged running per rank.

Weapon Use: Light – Can use light weapons with- Swimming – Ranks in this Talent give the character a
out penalty. +5 bonus to Endurance checks for swimming.

Weapon Use: Medium – Can use medium weapons

without penalty.

Weapon Use: Heavy – Can use heavy weapons with-

out penalty.

Divine Servant – The character belongs to one of

the Temples scattered around Eiridia, and as such
gains an innate +1 bonus to Charisma checks involv-
ing members of the same Temple.

Geographic Sense – This Talent grants a +1 bonus

to Intelligence checks to figure out one's location
based on nearby landmarks.

Great Flexibility – A character with this Talent gains

a +2 bonus to Dexterity checks to exercise his tre-

40 CHAPTER 2: TALENT POOLS

Chapter 3: Equipment
E
quipment is a vital part of survival. With- Heavy Weapons
out gear, even the most powerful of heroes
can be at a severe disadvantage. This chap- These weapons are specialist types that either deal
ter lists a variety of equipment you can buy, including excessive damage or are suited to a very specific
everything from mundane everyday items to weapons purpose. The lance, for example, is most useful for
and magical artifacts. Beginning characters have only a mounted charges, and much less useful on foot.
very small budget and can only afford the most basic
equipment. However, as you progress, you’ll find Ammunition
that a great many treasures can be found in
your adventures, and those treasures can be There are three kinds of ranged weapons in this
sold for a great deal of coin. Merchants can book - bows, crossbows, and slings. Slings use
be found throughout the world, from simple rocks and other found objects for ammunition.
traveling traders to powerful merchant lords. All varieties of bow use arrows. All crossbows
They stock a wide variety of items. The lists use bolts. The three types of ammunition are not
below are but a small portion of what’s avail- interchangeable.
able, and GMs are encouraged to come up
with their own equipment lists as they plan
their adventures. Armor
All costs are listed in gold coins. There’s nothing like surviving a battle to brighten
your day. Armor can help with that. Like weap-
ons, armor in Ingenium is extremely varied in
Weapons construction and comes in Light, Medium, and
Heavy flavors. A character must have the ap-
Weapons vary widely in appearance and qual- propriate Armor Talent in order to use armor
ity. They are separated into three categories: of each category. There is also a Shield Talent
Light, Medium, and Heavy. In order to use that must be taken if the character wants to use
a weapon, a character needs to possess the shields.
Weapon Talent for that category. See Talent
Pools for details.
Light Armor
Light Weapons Light armor is designed to protect the wearer
while offering the most flexibility and range of
Light weapons are fast and smaller in size, and motion possible. While it performs admirably at
offer the wielder speed over power. They are this task, it doesn’t offer nearly as much protec-
easier to conceal and easier to repair, giving tion as the heavier armor types.
them a distinct advantage over their larger
cousins. Medium Armor
Medium Weapons This type of armor offers a balance between the
mobility of light armor and the protection of heavy
The majority of weapons used by armies falls into armor. It’s best suited to open warfare and other situ-
this category. These weapons are designed to bal- ations where multiple combat scenarios are likely and
ance maneuverability with damage output. Soldiers the wearer must be prepared for them.
are fond of these weapons because they are the most
versatile of the three categories.

42 CHAPTER 3: EQUIPMENT
Heavy Armor Poisons
Granting the most protection of any armor type, Poisons come in various forms. Most are naturally
heavy armor is specialized for those who find them- occurring, but there are also quite a few magically
selves trying to deflect massive incoming damage. created ones. Listed below are some examples. Their
Those who prefer being able to move quickly, how- effects vary, but Endurance checks are generally made
ever, are advised to choose a different type of armor. to avoid or reduce them. All poisons listed below
come in small glass vials that contain a single dose.
Shields
Devil’s Tongue – This poison, derived from the plant of
Shields are an additional, optional protection. While the same name, isn’t particularly strong but can make
using a shield takes away a weapon hand, it gives the the afflicted very ill for several hours. It can be fought
user a little added protection. off by the body after awhile without an antidote.
Cost: 15 gc

Farro Root – An uncommon plant found mostly in

rocky crags, farro root can be distilled to form a
noxious, foul-smelling black poison. It’s used primar-
ily to coat weapons, since the horrendous stench is
too detectable to be slipped into a drink. Any creature
struck by it must make an Endurance check of 20 or
die. It lasts for 10 strikes per application. Cost: 100 gc

Lightsbane – A deadly toxin concocted using a variety

of fairly common components, Lightsbane is difficult
to make correctly. Once made, though, it is one of the
deadliest poisons in the world. Any creature struck by
a weapon coated in Lightsbane must make an En-
durance check of 30 or die. It lasts for 10 strikes per
application. Cost: 300 gc

Shadowsap – Another of the plant-based poisons, this

one actually requires some magical tampering to be-
come a poison. In its natural state it’s just a harmless
tree sap harvested from blueoak trees. When in its
poisonous state, it has no smell and no color, making
it perfect for poisoning drinks or food. While its ef-
fects don’t last long, they are powerful enough to kill
most normal people. It deals 4d10 damage per dose.
Cost: 50 gc

CHAPTER 3: EQUIPMENT 43
Name Damage Range Notes Cost

Club 1d6 Melee - 1 gc

Dagger 1d4 Melee - 2 gc
Hand axe 1d6 Melee - 4 gc
Knife, long 1d4 Melee - 2 gc
Kukri 1d6 Melee - 3 gc
Quarterstaff 1d4 5’ Req. 2 hands 3 gc
Scimitar 1d4 Melee - 6 gc
Shortbow 1d6 50’ Cannot be used in melee, req. 2 hands 20 gc
Shortsword 1d6 Melee - 5 gc
Sling 1d4 30’ Uses found stones and rocks for ammo 2 gc
Whip, cloth 1d4 10’ Can be used to entangle or disarm 8 gc
Whip, leather 1d6 10’ Can be used to entangle or disarm 12 gc
Table 3.1 - Light Weapons

Name Damage Range Notes Cost

Broadsword 1d6 Melee Can be used two-handed 10 gc
Crossbow, light 1d8 30’ Req. 2 hands 35 gc
Flail 1d6 Melee Can be used to disarm 22 gc
Halberd 1d6 7’ Req. 2 hands 17 gc
Longbow 1d8 100’ Cannot be used in melee, req. 2 hands 25 gc
Longsword 1d8 Melee - 13 gc
Mace 1d10 Melee - 18 gc
Morningstar 1d10 Melee - 14 gc
Polearm 1d8 6’ Req. 2 hands 16 gc
Shortspear 1d6 5’ - 12 gc
Spatha 1d6 Melee When used to thrust, +1 damage 20 gc
Sword, arming 1d6 Melee - 8 gc
Trident 2d4 5’ Req. 2 hands 22 gc
Whip, chain 1d8 10’ Can be used to entangle or disarm 25 gc
Table 3.2 - Medium Weapons

Name Damage Range Notes Cost

Battle axe, twin bladed 1d8 Melee - 25 gc
Composite bow 1d8 200’ Cannot be used in melee, req. 2 hands 35 gc
Crossbow, heavy 1d10 50’ Req. 2 hands 45 gc
Falchion 1d10 Melee Req. 2 hands 23 gc
Flail, war 1d10 Melee Can be used to disarm 25 gc
Flamberge 2d8 Melee Req. 2 hands 35 gc
Greatsword 2d6 Melee Req. 2 hands 30 gc
Lance 1d8* 5’ 4d8 dmg. in a mounted charge 28 gc
Longspear 1d10 10’ Req. 2 hands 26 gc
Scythe 1d8 10’ Req. 2 hands 23 gc
Sword, bastard 1d8* Melee 1d10 dmg if wielded w/ 2 hands 26 gc
Warhammer 1d12 Melee Req. 2 hands 30 gc
Table 3.3 - Heavy Weapons

44 CHAPTER 3: EQUIPMENT
Name Damage Notes Cost
Hunting Arrow +1 Req. bow 1 gc per 25
Common Bolt +2 Req. crossbow 1 gc per 20
Soldier’s Arrow +2 Req. bow 1 gc per 15
War Bolt +3 Req. crossbow 1 gc per 5
Table 3.4 - Ammunition

Name Defense Soak Notes Cost

Points Points
Chain 5 6 - 23 gc
Cuirass, leather 8 6 - 26 gc
Coat of plates 6 3 - 29 gc
Mail, ring 5 5 - 22 gc
Padded coat 4 3 - 18 gc
Table 3.5 - Light Armor

Name Defense Soak Notes Cost

Points Points
Chain, long 4 12 - 37 gc
Cuirass, scale 3 14 - 42 gc
Hide 2 9 - 22 gc
Leather, reinforced 3 12 - 35 gc
Table 3.6 - Medium Armor

Name Defense Soak Notes Cost

Points Points
Mail, banded 7 9 - 22 gc
Mail, splint 5 13 - 25 gc
Plate, full 8 18 Speed -3 70 gc
Plate, half 6 16 Speed -1 55 gc
Plate, war 10 20 Speed -5 90 gc
Table 3.7 - Heavy Armor

Name Defense Soak Notes Cost

Points Points
Buckler, wooden 1 1 Doesn’t use a hand 6 gc
Buckler, steel 1 2 Doesn’t use a hand 10 gc
Pavise 2 12 Full cover, can’t attack, doesn’t use a hand 25 gc
Shield, heater 4 3 - 18 gc
Shield, kite 3 4 - 18 gc
Shield, tower 6 15 Full cover, can’t attack 35 gc
Targe 3 6 - 23 gc
Table 3.8 - Shields

CHAPTER 3: EQUIPMENT 45
Non-Combat Gear Item Cost
Crate 10 gc
Though weapons, armor, and other implements of Flask 1 gc
warfare make up an important part of the game, you Jug 1 gc
will need more than combat readiness in order to Sack 2 gc
survive. The following tables list some other types of Saddle bag 2 gc
necessary gear. Scroll/document tube 5 gc
Tobacco pouch 5 gc
Water skin 5 gc
Transportation Vial, glass 2 gc
Table 3.10 - Containers
There are various forms of transportation available
to adventurers to make their many travels a bit easier. Miscellaneous
Most of these are intended only for getting from
place to place, though some have the ability to carry Any items that don’t fit into one of the previous cat-
extra weight for those who find they have too much egories can be found here. All are useful, particularly
gear to haul around themselves. for those who make a living out of dungeon-delving.

Name Cost Item Cost

Barge 800 gc Blanket, cloth 1 gc
Bit and bridle 3 gc Blanket, wool 3 gc
Carriage, plain 300 gc Chain, per 10’ 10 gc
Carriage, fancy 1,200 gc Candle 1 gc
Cart, two-wheel 30 gc Fishing hook, plain 2 gc
Cart, four-wheel 50 gc Fishing hook, barbed 4 gc
Donkey 60 gc Fishing line, per 10’ 1 gc
Horse, riding 120 gc Fishing pole 15 gc
Horse, war 150 gc Grappling hook 4 gc
Horseshoes 1 gc Ladder 30 gc
Ox 130 gc Lantern 6 gc
Saddle 25 gc Lock, plain 5 gc
Wagon, covered 100 gc Lock, good 20 gc
Table 3.9 - Transportation Manacles 25 gc
Net, fishing 8 gc
Containers Net, rope 15 gc
Piton 2 gc
Containers are never to be underestimated for their Rope, hemp, per 10’ 1 gc
sheer utility. From the tobacco pouch to the metal Rope, silk, per 10’ 5 gc
box, there are a variety of containers to suit various Rope ladder, per 20’ 25 gc
purposes. Sleeping bag 20 gc
String, per 50’ spool 2 gc
Item Cost Tent 50 gc
Backpack 2 gc Whetstone 1 gc
Bottle 5 gc Table 3.11 - Miscellaneous
Box, wooden 5 gc
Box, metal 10 gc
Bucket with handle 5 gc
Cask, wooden 12 gc

46 CHAPTER 3: EQUIPMENT
Chapter 4: Combat & Action
C
ombat is the most common challenge that Miniatures, Game
players will encounter in a game of Ingenium.
Other challenges, such as puzzles, diplomatic Boards, and Maps
endeavors, and so forth are covered briefly later.

Though Ingenium does not require the use of min-

Initiative iatures or maps, these aids can help players picture
where their characters are and make certain situations
Each round begins with each player rolling for Ini- (like combat) move more fluidly. If one isn’t available,
tiative. Each person rolls 1D10 and adds the Speed the players and the Game Master need to understand
score of their characters, plus any other modifiers for that no matter how well the situation is described,
talents or magic that may apply. The end result is the everyone’s imagination works differently and abstract-
character’s initiative for the next round. The person ing combat without visual aids can be tricky, especially
with the highest result goes first, the next highest is with large numbers of people in the gaming group.
second, and so on. If the results are tied, the young-
est player involved in the tie goes first. For non-player
characters and monsters, the Game Master only rolls Combat
one Initiative for each group of similar participants
- for example, in an encounter where the PCs are
facing four Bandits and a Bandit Captain, the Bandits Combat Options
have one initiative and the Bandit Captain would have
another. Combat rounds are equivalent to about 6 Each character able to act has three actions that they
seconds each. Rounds outside of combat last for 10 can use during a combat round. Typical actions in-
minutes each. clude readying a weapon, moving around the battle-
field, attacking, tapping magical energy, casting a spell,
retrieving an item, etc. Some actions may be com-
Open-Ended Dice plicated and the Game Master may require that they
use more than one action or even take a full round to
accomplish. The three actions can’t be split up during
When rolling to hit, to tap, to cast, to defend, or to a round; players always act in their initiative order and
do damage, if you roll the highest number on the die must use all three actions during their turn.
(for example, a 10 on a d10), roll that die again and
add the second roll to the first. If you again roll the
highest number, roll a third time and add that to the
total, and so on. It is theoretically possible (but highly
improbable) for even a beginning character to deal
over 1000000 damage in a single attack this way. This
represents the epic nature of Eiridia combat.
Skill checks outside of combat can optionally use this
rule also. This is up to the GM.

48 CHAPTER 4: COMBAT & ACTION

If a player wishes to pass on one or more actions Attacking to Stun
during a round, he may do so, but he can’t take that
action later in a round. In addition to Knockdown, a character can be
Stunned. If a character fails to defend against an
Attacking attack that Stuns, she is unable to act at all for the
remainder of the round. She can’t go on the defen-
In order to make an attack, a character rolls 1D10 and sive, and she can’t add her Dexterity or bonuses from
adds his Dexterity score along with any modifiers to talents to her Defense value, though her armor will
the result. This number must beat the Defense of the deflect and Soak damage as normal.
character being attacked. Defense is the result of the
a character’s Dexterity attribute, plus any modifiers Going on the Defensive
from talents, the situation, or magic, plus the Deflec-
tion bonus from any armor the character is wearing. Instead of attacking, a character can go on the defen-
sive. This must be declared at the beginning of the
If the attack is successful, the attacker rolls the dam- character’s turn and costs 1 Action to initiate. When
age of his weapon and adds any modifiers that he concentrating on defense, a character is much harder
has. If the target is wearing armor, then the armor to hit, but can’t attack until the next round. The char-
will take the damage before the target. Each type of acter adds 2 to his Defense value until the beginning
armor has an amount of Soak Points that reduce of his next turn.
the damage done to the character. If the damage is
greater than the number of Soak Points the charac- Delaying Action
ter’s armor has remaining, the excess damage is done
to the character herself. So, if a character was hit for Any character can choose to delay action rather than
30 points of damage and she was wearing armor that act immediately. If she chooses to do so, she takes her
had 22 Soak Points, the character would take only 8 turn after everyone else has acted. If more than one
points of damage. No matter how many Soak Points character delays their actions, they go in the order that
the defender’s armor has, a successful attack will al- each declared the delay.
ways do at least 1 point of damage to her.
Death and Dying
Attacking to Kill
If a character’s Hit Points are reduced to zero or be-
Normally, attacking a character reduces his Hit Points, low, the character is knocked unconscious. An enemy
but a character cannot die in combat from damage must specifically declare that he is attacking to kill the
caused by successful attacks alone. In order to kill an character in order for the character to die in combat.
opponent, a player must announce her intention to Death outside of combat is based on an Endurance
kill her character’s target. check. If a character’s Hit Points are at or below zero
outside of combat, she must make an Endurance
Attacking to Knock Down check with a difficulty equal to the amount of damage
she was reduced to below zero or she dies. For in-
There are some events in combat that can prevent a stance, if a character fell off a roof and sustained 20
character from acting in certain ways. If a Knight’s points of damage, dropping the character to -15 Hit
charge, for example, knocks down a character, that Points, the character would have to roll an Endurance
character must spend an Action to stand up again and check and tie or beat a 15 in order to survive.
can’t move until he does so. The character’s Defense
value is penalized by 5 points while knocked down.
However, he may still attack, though attacks from a Fighting Styles
knocked down position are at a -2 penalty. There are three fighting styles a character may use in
combat based on what weapon or weapons he is us-
ing. They are detailed below.

CHAPTER 4: COMBAT & ACTION 49

Dual Wielding

Dual wielding is the use of two weapons simultane-

ously. Any character that can hold two weapons can
fight in this style. A character who is dual wielding
may make two attacks using only one action. How-
ever, unless she’s trained in dual wielding as a Talent,
when doing this the weapon in her main hand is sub-
ject to a -2 attack penalty, and the weapon in her off
hand has a -4 penalty.

Two-Handed Weapon

A character wielding a two-handed weapon ignores

one additional point of his target’s Soak rating, and
thus does a minimum of 2 damage instead of 1.

Single Weapon and Shield

Using a single weapon and a shield allows the charac-

ter to be more versatile in combat. In addition to the Movement
defensive bonuses of a shield, the character gains a The distance a character can move in one Action
+1 bonus to one attack roll per round. is equal to her Speed score times 10 feet. Different
kinds of ground cover may require additional move-
Melee Attacks ment to pass. Rough terrain such as rocky ground is
A melee attack deals an amount of damage equal one such example. A table below lists the movement
to the weapon’s damage plus the character’s Physi- requirements to pass different terrain types.
cal Strength score. Unarmed attacks, such as kicks,
punches, etc. do only the Physical Strength score in
damage. Talents or special circumstances (as the GM Terrain Type Examples Speed
determines) may modify damage rolls. Normal Grassland, road Full Speed
Difficult Rocky ground, hills 1/2 Speed
Mountains, debris, 1/4 Speed
Ranged Attacks Very Difficult snow, sand, water
Every ranged weapon has a Range rating in its list-
ing. Any target within that range may be hit without If a character who is near an enemy decides to retreat,
penalty. Targets closer than the range rating require the enemy may make one free basic attack against the
a Point Blank attack, which incurs a -2 penalty to the retreating character. This is called a reflex attack.
attack roll. Targets farther than the range rating are
simply out of range and cannot be hit.

Mounted Combat
Characters on mounts always gain a +1 bonus to At-
tack and Defense rolls versus targets on foot. They
also use their mounts’ Speed scores, not their own,
when determining movement.

50 CHAPTER 4: COMBAT & ACTION

Challenges Example of Combat
Besides combat, there are other trials for players to Naren, a wandering knight, was exploring his king-
overcome during a session. These are called Challeng- dom’s woodlands when he was attacked by a lone,
es, and require players to make Attribute checks to crazed bandit. As soon as the bandit appeared, com-
clear obstacles and achieve goals. This follows a stan- bat began. Here’s the first round of combat:
dard pattern of making a d10 roll, adding an Attribute
score, and including any modifiers that might apply [The GM rolls for the bandit’s initiative: The bandit
(such as Talent bonuses). If the total of that check is has a Speed of 3, and the roll ends up being a 4)
over a difficulty level that the GM determines, then
the check is a success. Otherwise, it fails. Challenge GM: The bandit has a 7 for initiative. Naren?
rolls are used for difficult tasks like sneaking past a
bandit patrol unnoticed. Easy tasks, like climbing over [Naren’s player rolls for his initiative: His Speed is 2,
a wooden fence, typically do not require Challenge but he rolls high and gets a 9 on the d10)
rolls.
Naren: 11.

Resting GM: Okay, you react fast to the bandit’s attack. What
do you do?

Resting is one of the best ways to recover after a big Naren: I swing my sword at him!
battle or long encounter. For every three hours that
a character rests, he regains up to one quarter of his [Naren rolls to Attack: his Dexterity is 5, and he gets a
maximum Hit Points. He can’t go over his maximum 6 on the d10, for a total of 11]
by resting.
[The GM rolls Defense: the bandit’s Dexterity is 1,
and he only gets a 2 on his d10, for a total of 3]

GM: Your strike connects, but the bandit’s wearing

CHAPTER 4: COMBAT & ACTION 51

leather armor.

[Naren rolls for damage: His sword does 3d6 damage,

so he rolls (a 10) and adds his Physical Strength of 3.
The result is a 13 total. The bandit’s armor Soaks 3 of
the damage.]

GM: Your sword cuts through his armor cleanly. He’s

bleeding heavily, but angry and still coming for you.

GM: The bandit swings a crudely made axe at you.

[The GM rolls to Attack: the bandit’s Dexterity is only

1, but he gets a 10 on his d10, for a total of 11]

[Naren rolls Defense: his Dexterity is 5, and he gets a

2 on his d10, for a total of 7]

GM: The bandit’s axe hits solidly!

Naren: Good thing I’m wearing my breastplate. This

is going to hurt.

[The GM rolls damage: The bandit’s axe does 2d6

damage, so he rolls (a 7) and adds the bandit’s Physi-
cal Strength of 1. The result is an 8 total.]

GM: The axe strikes your breastplate, but glances off.

You take only 1 point of damage.

Naren: Heh, bad luck for him.

52 CHAPTER 4: COMBAT & ACTION

Chapter 5: Magic
M
agic is a mystical force, an unseen Using Magic
energy that may be tapped and used
by a spellcaster in ways that are only To cast magic, a character follows a few simple steps.
limited by the caster’s power, his control, and his First, she rolls a Tap check (d10 + Magical Aptitude +
imagination. It permeates the entire world, and is any Talent modifiers) to see if she can access a nearby
almost a life essence of the planet itself. There are energy source. Energy sources include the caster’s
places, however, where the land has been so degraded personal energy, leylines, and nodes. After a source is
that magic has been driven from it. These places are tapped, the caster may cast spells.
rare, but not unheard of.

Spell Points
Sources of Magic
A character has a number of Spell Points equal to his
Most magic in Ingenium comes from leylines and level times five (5). To cast a spell, he must spend a
nodes – rivers and pools of magical energy, respec- number of Spell Points equal to the level of the spell
tively. These sources are highly sought after, since he’s casting.
only by tapping their power can mages use more pow-
erful magic. Usually these power sources are invisible Your character regains 5 Spell Points every hour. This
and can only be sensed by those able to tap them. may not exceed the maximum.

Tapping
Blood Magic
The various sources of magical energy enable differ-
When someone (or something) that possesses magical ent levels of spell power, but they also require differ-
energy is killed or destroyed, the energy within them ent difficulties of Tap checks to use. Each source also
is released into the nearby area. If a mage is nearby modifies the spells that can be cast by the caster who
and is watching for this event, she can use that short taps them.
burst of power to cast spells. This is called blood
magic, and is usually considered very evil unless the On the table below, the 3 primary sources of energy
sacrifice is fully willing. Using a mage’s death to power are listed. Also listed are the difficulties to tap them
magic is just as powerful as tapping a node. Most non- and the spell level modifier. The spell level modi-
mage deaths usually result only in leyline-level power. fier does not modify the level of spell that the caster
intends to cast, but modifies the level of spell that
the character can cast. For example, a caster who can
Magical Bleaching normally cast 5th level spells who resorts to tapping
himself for energy will be restricted to casting a 4th
One of the special effects of magic is that continuous level spell or lower. The same caster, if he had man-
use of it tends to bleach the skin, hair, and eyes. Rare aged to Tap into a node, could cast 6th level spells.
is the master mage who doesn’t have pale skin, snow
white hair and ice-pale eyes, unless they magically dye Source Difficulty Level Modifier
their features (which is all the rage among the young- Personal Energy 8 -1
er, wilder mages). In the case of animalfolk, feathers Leyline 14 0
and fur also bleach. The stripes of Catfolk will fade Node 20 +1
only a bit, but their orange fur will turn wholly white
Table 5.1 - Tap Difficulty
in time. For dragons, scales don’t bleach much, but
eyes do. In addition, using magic slows the aging
process slightly, adding another 10% on to the mage’s
normal life span.

54 CHAPTER 5: MAGIC
Casting Mis-Casting
After a power source has been tapped, the caster rolls
a Magic Use check (d10 + Intelligence + any Talent If a mage successfully taps an energy source but fails
modifiers) appropriate for whatever Elemental Focus his Magic Use check by at least 10, the energy he had
she is using. acquired escapes his control and goes wild. The GM
should determine the effects of this wild energy - it
In any case, the target required to cast a spell is 5 may be destructive, comical, strange, or any manner
plus 2 times the spell’s level. A 1st level spell has a of weird, but it will always have a temporary or per-
difficulty of 7 for a casting check, a 2nd level has a manent game effect on the mage or his surroudings.
difficulty of 9, a 10th level has a difficulty of 25, etc. The bigger the energy source he tapped, the more
If the spell is cast successfully, the caster targets the potent the effect.
effect according to the restrictions and abilities of the
spell. The spell does not have any additional effect if
the Casting check was a critical success.

CHAPTER 5: MAGIC 55
Spell Focuses those winds can learn things not intended for mortal
minds.
There are two kinds of magic that players should be
aware of: elemental magic and healing magic. There Darkness, Magic of Shadow
exist other types of magic – including Gate magic,
temporal magic, rune magic, and others – but they Though sinister by implication, the magic of Dark-
will not be detailed in this book. They are rare enough ness is merely one aspect of the living world. El-
that players will not likely encounter them in the emental Summoning specialists who control the dark
average adventure. If you wish to include these other control fear.
varieties in your campaign, use Elemental Magic as a
basis for their mechanics. Poison, Magic of Toxins

Elemental Magic Destructive and deadly, only a truly vicious mage

dabbles in the arts of this kind of magic. To control
Elemental magic is the most powerful type of combat Poison is to control pain and suffering. There are
magic used by mortals. Listed below are a few of the entire regions which outlaw the usage of this magic,
many elements that Elemental Summoning specialists so virulent are its effects.
and Fate Weaving specialists can command, and their
effects. Meteor, Magic of the Heavens

Thunder, Magic of Storms Destructive beyond belief, the wanton malice of

Meteor annihilates all that it touches. Even Thunder is
The element of Thunder calls upon the chaos and safer than tempting fate with this magic.
power of storms. It is extremely potent but often
unpredictable, and is a dangerous element to use. Sand, Magic of the Desert

Fire, Magic of Brimstone The magic of the Sand is subtle and lethal. Elemental
Summoning specialists who use Sand magic can crush
Fire has mystified mortals since its discovery. It is life, the life from their enemies in battle, or merely suffo-
and it is death. Mages who call upon it can work great cate them in their sleep.
miracles, and great destruction.

Water, Magic of the Tides Life Magic

The element of life, Water is a flowing and mystical Life magic in Eiridia works a little differently than
element. In small amounts it is harmless, but in large other types. Almost all life and healing spells are
amounts it can be more deadly than a hurricane. based on touch or very close range since they require
tremendous concentration. Also, all life magic leaves a
Earth, Magic of Stone temporary halo of green light surrounding the target
for a short while after it has been cast. This light var-
Earth magic is slow, but very strong. Sometimes its ies in strength and character.
effects are subtle, and other times catastrophic. A wise
mage knows both paths.

Air, Magic of the Wind

The winds of Eiridia hold many secrets. An Elemen-

tal Summoning specialist who accesses the power of

56 CHAPTER 5: MAGIC
Spells the character’s caster level. For a 5th level caster to
learn a 5th level spell, the Magical Aptitude check
difficulty is 10. For the same character to learn a 1st
Spells are what gives a mage his power. Magic in Inge- level spell, the check would be 6, and for the character
nium is tracked by the use of spells. The next chapter to learn a 10th level spell, the difficulty would be 15.
lists all the spells in the game, and the rules that fol- If the check fails, the character can try again after 1
low here describe how to use them. week per level of spell to try to learn it again. In the
case of the 5th level caster attempting to learn a 10th
level spell, if he failed, he could try to learn the spell
Spells Known again in 10 weeks.

A character can ultimately know any number of

spells. Though he is restricted to a certain number
of spells that may be cast in a given time period, this
in no way reflects how many spells a character might
actually know. Knowing a spell reflects a working
knowledge of the spell in question and means that
the character need not lug around ancient tomes and
travel worn spell books. Instead, they carry a knowl-
edge of how the elements interact in the world and
how to tap magical sources of energy and channel
that power into their desired effects. A charac-
ter may cast a spell he doesn’t know if he has
a source to reference, such as a spell book or
scroll. Words or motions proscribed by such
a text doesn’t necessarily reflect what the spell
will do; as such, it’s highly recommended that charac-
ters be very careful in casting spells found in this way.

Learning Spells
In order to learn a spell, the character must research
it. This research can be achieved through trial-and-
error as the caster learns to channel magical ener-
gies through his body or it can be done under the
watchful eye of a more experienced spell caster.
When a character learns a new spell, it is retained
forever in her memory, unless something happens
to the character that causes her total amnesia.

In order to learn a spell, the

caster rolls a Magical
Aptitude check. The
base target number is
10, plus a level modifi-
er. This modifier is equal
to the spell’s level minus

CHAPTER 5: MAGIC 57
Canceling a Spell
It is possible for a mage to cancel the spell of another
mage, even simultaneously with the actual casting.
This requires opposed Tap and Magic Use checks.
The mage trying to cancel the spell acts simultane-
ously with the mage casting the spell. She can only do
this if A) her Speed is greater or equal to the other
mage’s and B) she has at least 2 Actions remaining
to her. The canceling mage rolls her Tap and Magic
Use checks, and if both are greater than the casting
mage’s Tap and Magic Use checks, the spell is can-
celed.

Dispelling Effects
A caster can attempt to dispel the effects of previous-
ly cast spells, regardless of who cast the spell or how
long ago. Spells that are eligible for dispelling are any
spell that has a duration that is longer than “instant.”
In order to dispel an existing effect, the caster must
make a Magical Aptitude check. The difficulty target
for the check is equal to a base difficulty of 5 plus
2 points per spell level that is trying to be dispelled.
Whether this check succeeds or not, a caster receives
only one dispelling attempt per day.

Resisting Spells
Some spells allow resistance rolls to avoid some or all
of their effects. These are divided into two catego-
ries - physical and mental. Physical resistance rolls are
1d10 + Endurance versus a difficulty that the GM
determines. Mental resistance rolls are the same, but
replace the Endurance bonus with a Willpower bonus.

58 CHAPTER 5: MAGIC
Chapter 6: Spells
A
mage’s strength comes from the spells he Resistance Physical
can cast and the strategies he can develop Duration 1 Hours
for them. This chapter introduces you to
a list of ten spells from each elemental category, with Vacuum Mine condenses all of the air surrounding a
particular emphasis on combative magics. small area, creating a pocket of compressed air that
is completely invisible to those looking at it. If any
creature larger than a house cat steps into the area
Air where the Vaccum Mine has been placed, then they
are immediately subject to the effects. Any creatures
Shield in the area that the mine is located in take 4D6 points
Level 1 of damage, with a successful physical resistance roll
Focus Elemental Air allowing the creatures affected to take half damage. If
Range Caster Only they fail that roll, not only do they take the full dam-
Area of Effect Caster Only age of the spell, but all creatures that failed must also
Hit Modifier Doesn't Miss roll a physical resistance roll against being knocked
Resistance N/A down by the concussive blast of the air as it decom-
Duration 3 Rounds presses.

This spell creates a defensive shield around the front Implode

half of the caster, creating an invisible barrier that Level 4
helps deflect incoming blows. The shield functions Focus Elemental Air
for 3 full rounds after it is cast and increases the Range 50
caster's Defense rolls by 3. Area of Effect 20' Radius Sphere
Hit Modifier Doesn't Miss
Invisibility Resistance Physical
Level 2 Duration N/A Instantaneous
Focus Elemental Air
Range Touch Implode causes all of the air in a single area to rush to
Area of Effect 1 Creature the epicenter of the spell. Only the target of the spell
Hit Modifier Melee Attack receives the spell's 6D6 points of damage, but all nor-
Resistance N/A mal and magical fires in the area of effect are extin-
Duration 5 Minutes guished immediately. Creautres composed mostly of
fire, such as fire elementals, take the full 6D6 points
Invisibility affects one target only and renders that of damage if they are in the area of effect, no matter
target completely invisible to the eye. The effect lasts if they are the target of the spell or not. All creatures
for 5 minutes or until the recipient of the spell makes caught in the area of effect must make a physical
an offensive attack or casts a spell offensively. When resistance roll or be stunned for 1 round from the
the duration ends, the character is rendered visible sudden changes in atmosphere in the area of effect.
once again. Multiple castings of this spell will length-
en the duration accordingly, no matter at what point Master's Stealth
of the spell's duration they are cast. Level 5
Focus Elemental Air
Vacuum Mine Range Touch
Level 3 Area of Effect 1 Creature
Focus Elemental Air Hit Modifier Doesn't Miss
Range Caster Only Resistance None
Area of Effect 5' cube Duration 12 Minutes
Hit Modifier Doesn't Miss

60 CHAPTER 6: SPELLS
Master's Stealth is the ultimate in inflitration. For the except that a 20’ radius around the target of the spell
12 minutes of the spell, the recipient is both phased is invisible. Only items that are contained completely
and invisible; unable to be seen and unbound by phys- inside the sphere are affected and the effect does not
ical obstacles. Magically enchanted walls and magically channel. If this spell were to be cast in an Inn, the
protected locks will still bar the user of this spell, tables, chairs, and patrons around the affected item or
but only for so long. As with normal invisibility, any creature would disappear, but not the Inn itself which
overtly hostile action ends the invisibility portion of is larger than the spell’s effect. Creatures and objects
this spell, but the character remains phased. As with may enter and exit the area of effect, becoming visi-
any spell that phases the recipient, great pains should bile as they leave and invisible as they enter, regard-
be taken to make sure that the recipient will not be less of how many times that is done during the spell’s
stuck in any thing when the phase effect ends. duration. If cast upon a creature and the creature
makes an offensive move, the spell effect ends for
Fly that creature, just as Invisibility does. Terrain, ceilings,
Level 6 floors, and walls are not affected by this spell.
Focus Elemental Air
Range Touch Clarity
Area of Effect 1 Creature Level 8
Hit Modifier Doesn’t Miss Focus Elemental Air
Resistance None Range Touch
Duration 12 Hours Area of Effect 1 Creature
Fly allows the recipient of the spell to do exactly that. Hit Modifier Doesn’t Miss
The character can move through the air easier than Resistance None
fish swim in the sea. The character’s speed is deter- Duration 12 Hours
mined by using either double their Magical Aptitude
attribute or double her Intelligence attribute and then Clarity brings to focus the recipient’s mind. For 12
apply that as the character’s flying speed. A character hours, the character’s Awareness, Intelligence, Will
may ascend at half of that speed or decend at twice Power, and Magical Aptitude all increase by 2D6. The
that speed. The character under the influence of this bonus for each attribute is rolled separately and each
spell is magically protected against damge caused roll must be declared for which attribute it will be
directly from flying (e.g. if a character is flying fast used for as it is rolled. At the end of the 12 hour du-
enough, he could conceivably break the speed of ration, or whenever it is successfully counterspelled,
sound, which the normal human body can not toler- all bonuses from Clarity disappear immediately.
ate in normal atmosphere). However, if the character
is moving that fast and hits a tree or flies into the Suffocation
ground, the spell will not protect them from that Level 9
damage, or damage from similar sources, for that mat- Focus Elemental Air
ter. Range Touch
Area of Effect 30’ Radius Sphere
Mass Invisibility Hit Modifier Doesn’t Miss
Level 7 Resistance Physical
Focus Elemental Air Duration 6 Rounds
Range Touch
Area of Effect 20’ radius sphere This powerful spell has 3 effects. First and foremost,
Hit Modifier Doesn’t Miss all of the air in the area of effect is explosively com-
Resistance None pressed out and held out of the area of effect until
Duration 12 Hours the end of the duration. Any creature caught in the
area of effect on the initial casting takes 10D6 + 10
This spell functions exactly like the 2nd Level version, points of damage. A physical resistance roll is allowed

CHAPTER 6: SPELLS 61
to save for half damage. Additionally, any character This spell allows the caster to hide more easily in
that fails that save has the wind knocked out of them shadows by darkening the caster, her possessions,
and they need to make another physical resistance roll everything she is near to allow her to duck into the
to avoid being knocked down and stunned as well. If shadows and avoid detection. The character can try
that wasn’t enough, if the character’s fail the second to hide, even from creatures or characters that are
roll as well, they are allowed a third resistance roll to actively watching her, and she receives a +25 bonus to
avoid their Dexterity and Physical Strength attributes her check to do so.
each suffering 1D6 points of attribute damage until
the spell’s duration ends. Darkness
Level 2
Backdraft Focus Elemental Darkness
Level 10 Range 8
Focus Elemental Air Area of Effect 20' by 20' by 10' cube
Range Touch Hit Modifier Doesn't Miss
Area of Effect 30’ Radius Sphere Resistance Mental
Hit Modifier Doesn’t Miss Duration 1 Rounds
Resistance Mental
Duration 6 Rounds Darkness creates an area of magical darkness that is
impossible to see through. This area is a volumetric
Backdraft is a counter spell for fire spells. It sur- effect that does not channel around its surroundings,
rounds the target with an expansive cushion of magi- and it can be ignored by any creature that makes a
cally enhanced air. This shield will block all incoming successful Mental Resistance roll.
magical or nonmagical fire. If the caster or user of
the fire-based attack does not pass a Mental resis- Silence
tance roll, then the spell effect has a 25% chance to Level 3
rebound back on them. In addition to that, they are Focus Elemental Darkness
subject to 11D6 of damage from Backdraft, plus the Range Touch
original damage of their own spell. Spells will not Area of Effect 1 Creatures
channel into an area protected by this area of effect, Hit Modifier Melee Attack
and the area of effect of Backdraft does not channel Resistance None
either. Mundane flame sources entering the area of Duration 11 Minutes
effect are snuffed instantly and must be lit again when
they are out of the area of effect. Trying to strike a Silence acts on a creature for 11 minutes. During that
match or spark steel against flint in the area of effect time the movements the character makes are perfectly
is useless. silent. Additionally, any movements the character
makes across surfaces that would betray him such
as squeaky steps or broken glass are also silent. The
Darkness target of this spell may end it voluntarily any time by
clapping or speaking.
Deepen Shadows
Level 1 Cloak of Command
Focus Elemental Darkness Level 4
Range Touch Focus Elemental Darkness
Area of Effect Caster Only Range Touch
Hit Modifier Doesn't Miss Area of Effect 1 Creatures
Resistance N/A Hit Modifier Melee Attack
Duration 1 Rounds Resistance None
Duration 6 Hours

62 CHAPTER 6: SPELLS
On casting this, the recipient of the spell's effect gains Hit Modifier Doesn’t Miss
2D6 points of temporary Charisma. These points re- Resistance Mental
main with the caster for 6 hours and then they disap- Duration 10 Minutes
pear, along with any benefits they had bestowed.
Casting Shadow Bolts creates 5 small orbs of dark-
Cloak of Fear ness that the caster can use to target any number of
Level 5 creatures up to 5. Each bolt deals 2D6 + 3 points of
Focus Elemental Darkness damage. Each target also is required to roll a Mental
Range 55 Resistance roll. If that roll fails, they are blinded for
Area of Effect 1 Creatures the duration of this spell.
Hit Modifier Melee Attack
Resistance Mental Searing Blindness
Duration 13 Minutes Level 8
Focus Elemental Darkness
The target of this spell is allowed a Mental Resistance Range 55
roll to ward off the effects completely. If that roll Area of Effect 1 Creatures
fails, the target becomes terrified of the caster and Hit Modifier Doesn’t Miss
will attempt to run away at all costs. If the caster gives Resistance Mental
chase, the victim will run, fighting only if cornered. Duration 1 Permanent
The victim of this spell also receives a 1D6 penalty to
his Willpower attribute for the duration of the spell. Searing Blindness creates a magical blast of darkness
that strikes the target for 8D6 points of damage. The
Shadow’s Embrace affected creature must roll a Mental Resistance roll. If
Level 6 that fails, the character is permanently blinded until he
Focus Elemental Darkness can be magically healed.
Range 55
Area of Effect 1 Creatures Writhing Darkness
Hit Modifier Melee Attack Level 9
Resistance Mental Focus Elemental Darkness
Duration 15 Minutes Range 55
Area of Effect 1 Creatures
The recipients of this spell must all be able to be Hit Modifier Doesn’t Miss
touched by the caster immediately after the spell is Resistance Mental
cast. Any number of creatures, up to 4, can be affect- Duration 15 Rounds
ed by this spell. Each creature affected becomes both
hidden and silent, granting anyone attempting to see Writhing Darkness functions like a Darkness spell
them a +15 to the difficulty and making them impos- except for one important detail; anyone except the
sible to hear. Any one of the creatures affected can caster who enters the darkness must make a Mental
end the spell’s effects on them just as they can end the Resistance roll or be struck permanently blind.
effects of a Silence spell, but one creature ending the
spell’s effects for them does not end it for any of the Umbrae Blast
other creatures affected. Level 10
Focus Elemental Darkness
Shadow Bolts Range 100
Level 7 Area of Effect Up to 6 creatures
Focus Elemental Darkness Hit Modifier Ranged Attack
Range 55 Resistance Physical
Area of Effect 1 Creatures Duration 10 Days

CHAPTER 6: SPELLS 63
Umbrae Blast conjures 6 powerful bolts of Elemental Hit Modifier Ranged Attack
Darkness that the caster can send at up to 6 targets, Resistance Mental
so long as each of the targets are within 100 yards of Duration 12 Rounds
the caster. Each blast strikes for 2D6 points of dam-
age, and each creature struck must immediately roll a Hold Creature does exactly that. The caster must
Physical Resistance roll or be struck blind for 10 days. make a Ranged Attack and if that is successful, the
target receives a Mental Resistance roll. If that fails,
the victim is held. The victim may not make any
Earth movment and his body is incapable of being moved,
though he is not rooted to the ground. The victim
Armor may still breathe, but may not cast spells, speak, or
Level 1 move any part of his body. This spell does not stop
Focus Elemental Earth life processes, such as the victim's heart or respiration.
Range Caster Only
Area of Effect Caster Only Create Rampart
Hit Modifier Doesn't Miss Level 4
Resistance N/A Focus Elemental Earth
Duration 3 Rounds Range 15 yards
Area of Effect 1 line up to 100' long
Armor causes the caster's belongings, armor, even his Hit Modifier Doesn't Miss
skin to become tougher and less easily damaged. For Resistance N/A
3 full rounds after this spell is cast, the Caster receives Duration 12 Minutes
an armor bonus of 4 against all physical attacks.
Create Rampart raises a wall from the ground that is
Root 200 cubic yards in size. The rampart is made of what-
Level 2 ever the predominate rock or soil type is in the area,
Focus Elemental Earth but it cannot be used to create gem quality stones. Af-
Range Caster Only ter 12 minutes, the magic that creates the wall returns
Area of Effect Caster Only it to the Earth. Any creatures caught in the area of
Hit Modifier Doesn't Miss effect as the spell is cast are pushed harmlessly out of
Resistance N/A the way to the closest side of the wall. Any creatures
Duration 4 Rounds standing on it when the magic fades can either jump
off or ride the wall down; the effect moves slowly
This spell allows the caster to root himself directly enough that it will not cause damage.
to the ground, making him immovable. This spell
does not protect him from damage, but no part of Sunder
his body may be moved unless the caster wills it. The Level 5
caster may root and unroot himself any number of Focus Elemental Earth
times for the duration of the spell, but must declare Range 20 yards
this action prior to doing it and use an Action to root Area of Effect 1 Item or Object
or unroot. When the spell wears off, the caster is un- Hit Modifier Ranged Attack
rooted if he was rooted at the end of the 4th round. Resistance N/A
Duration N/A Instantaneous
Hold Creature Sunder works only against inanimate objects such
Level 3 as vases and doors. It uses the gravity of Elemental
Focus Elemental Earth Earth to cause incredible damage to its target. If the
Range 30 yards caster makes a successful ranged attack, this spell
Area of Effect 1 Creature deals 12D6 to the target.

64 CHAPTER 6: SPELLS
Turn Flesh to Stone to its surroundings. Any creatures caught in the field
Level 6 will take 6D6 + 12 points of damage when the spell
Focus Elemental Earth is cast. Any creature not reducing speed to 1 square
Range 25 yards per round when moving within the field will also be
Area of Effect 1 Creature subject to the damage of the spell. The spikes will re-
Hit Modifier Doesn’t Miss tract in 1 hour, leaving the area completely unchanged
Resistance Physical from its previous appearance.
Duration N/A Permanent
Instant Fortress
Any Creature that is subject to a Flesh to Stone spell Level 9
must immediately make a Physical Resistance roll. Focus Elemental Earth
If that roll fails, the creature is permanently turned Range Touch
to stone. The effect can be reversed with the proper Area of Effect 50’ by 50’ by 10’ cube
spell, but until that spell is cast, the target becomes a Hit Modifier Doesn’t Miss
non-gem quality stone that is predominant in the sur- Resistance N/A
rounding area. If the statue is harmed in any way, the Duration 1 Permanent
creature will also be harmed, but the damage will not This spell instantaneously creates a small fortress with
register until the creature is returned to living flesh. outside walls and interior buildings. The fortress itself
is small, measuring only 100 yards in volume (usu-
Earthen Might ally a 50 by 50 by 10 foot cube) and has outer walls
Level 7 with ramparts and whatever inner buildings the caster
Focus Elemental Earth desires. No mechanical objects can be created and the
Range 20 yards
Area of Effect 1 Item or Object
Hit Modifier Melee Attack
Resistance N/A
Duration 10 Rounds

Earthen Might imbues the target with the

power of the Earth. The target receives
the ability to deal an extra 10D6 with a
single attack once per casting of this spell
and they also receive a temporary boost of
8D6 to Physical Might while this spell is in
effect.

Earthen Spikes
Level 8
Focus Elemental Earth
Range 20 yards
Area of Effect 10 square by 10 square field
Hit Modifier Doesn’t Miss
Resistance None
Duration 1 Hour

Earthen Spikes instantaneously creates a

field of stone caltrops that fills an area of
10 yards by 10 yards. This area will channel

CHAPTER 6: SPELLS 65
fortress created is devoid of artistic detail. Only stone Create Flame
is created, items like wooden doors, iron hinges, cur- Level 2
tains, and even roof tiles cannot be created by means Focus Elemental Fire
of this spell. Range 16 to 20
Area of Effect 1 Creature
Earthen Spears Hit Modifier Ranged Attack
Level 10 Resistance Physical
Focus Elemental Earth Duration 3 Rounds
Range 50 yards
Area of Effect 50’ by 50’ square This spell causes a 3 square yard area to burst into
Hit Modifier Doesn’t Miss flames. All objects and creatures within the arear of
Resistance Physical effect take 5D6 points of damage and are likely to
Duration 10 Minutes remain on fire long after the spell’s duration ends.
Creatures able to escape the flames may roll a physical
Like Earthen Spikes, this spell creates a field that im- resistance roll to take half damage for the first round
mediately sprouts stone spikes. However, unlike the of the effect. The flame created by this spell is hot;
spikes created by Earthen Spikes, the spears created hot enough to melt some metals, turn steel red, and
by this spell are 10 feet tall and will lift any victims ignite any combustable materials in the area of effect.
caught in the field off the ground, doing 11D6 + 11 Often the danger comes not from the effect of this
points of damage. Extracting the characters impaled spell itself, but from the conflagaration that is un-
by this spell causes no further damage to them if leashed after the surrounding area catches fire.
done carefully, and no damage is done by those trying
to move through the area during its 10 minute dura- Flame Spire
tion. The spikes can be broken off, each one taking 15 Level 3
points of damage to break off. Human sized creatures Focus Elemental Fire
or larger cannot move through the field unimpeded Range 8
due to the amount of spears created. Area of Effect 1 Creature
Hit Modifier Doesn’t Miss
Resistance Physical
Fire Duration 5 Instantaneous

Flame Bolt Flame Spire draws down a pillar of fire down onto
Level 1 the target, inflicting 5D6 of damage to the target, plus
Focus Elemental Fire an extra D6 from the Elemental type of the spell. The
Range 6 to 10 targeted creature receives a resistance roll to avoid
Area of Effect 1 Creature half the damage of the spell. The Spire is 20 feet
Hit Modifier Doesn’t Miss tall and a yard wide. There is no roll needed to gage
Resistance None whether the target is hit or not as Flame Spire never
Duration N/A Instantaneous misses.

Flame Bolt conjures a small magical blast of flame Fire Nova

that hurtles from the caster to the target. This blast of Level 4
magical fire strikes for 2D6 points of damage and has Focus Elemental Fire
a 10% chance of lighting the target on fire. There is Range Caster Only
no resistance roll for the spell’s effects, and if the tar- Area of Effect 1 Creature
get lights on fire, it will continue to take 1D6 points Hit Modifier Doesn’t Miss
of damage each round until it is put out. Resistance Physical
Duration N/A Instantaneous

66 CHAPTER 6: SPELLS
 that it will cause steel and even stronger metals to
Fire Nova sends a devastating ring of fire radiating melt or become workable by a smith. Any creature
out from the caster. Creatures caught in the blast are who enters the area of effect, or is in the area when it
allowed two physical resistance rolls. The first is to is cast is allowed a Physical Resistance roll to take only
take half damage from the spell’s 7D6+7 points of half damage from the spell’s effects. The heat from
fire damage, the second is to avoid being knocked the fire can be felt for 2 yards in radius from it, but
down by the blast wave that the spell creates. The creatures are not damaged unless they are in the area
spell will channel through tight spaces, ignighting of effect.
everything that it can in the 21 yards that are affected
by this ring of flame. The fire dissipates as fast as it Fire Ball
travels, but everything caught in the path has a 10% Level 7
chance of lighting on fire as the flame washes over it. Focus Elemental Fire
Range 50
Flame Shield Area of Effect 40’ Diameter Sphere
Level 5 Hit Modifier Doesn’t Miss
Focus Elemental Fire Resistance Physical
Range Caster Only Duration N/A Instantaneous
Area of Effect 1 Creature
Hit Modifier Doesn’t Miss Fireball is an incredibly powerful spell that will chan-
Resistance Physical nel through confined spaces until its volume of 32 5’
Duration N/A Instantaneous by 5’ by 10’ cubes. Many of unwary spell casters have
Flame Shield creates a translucent wall of flame been caught in the blast of this spell due to miscalcu-
around the caster. Any attack made on the caster re- lating the point of erruption. This spell causes 13D6
sults in the attacker taking 10D6 of fire damage, with points of damage to anything caught in the blast
a physical resistance roll allowing the attacker to take radius. It will not channel through doors, though it
half damage. In addition to that, if the attacker fails may light them on fire, but walls made of thin wood
the physical resistance roll, there is a burst of flame or paper do not stop the effects of this spell and the
that radiates from the attacker which will lash out into fire will boil right through them, leaving next to noth-
one square at random around the attacker. That burst ing in its wake. The tactical use of this spell is one of
can never attack the caster of this spell. If something the hardest feats of spell casting, and one of the most
is occupying that square, then the object or creature dangerous if the caster is not very careful when aim-
is subject to 10D6 points of fire damage as well, with ing the point of erruption for this spell.
a physical resistance roll for half damage. The Flame
Shield will not cause any splash damage beyond the Flame Wave
second square affected. Level 8
Focus Elemental Fire
Demon’s Forge Range 50
Level 6 Area of Effect 50’ long and 20 feet wide line
Focus Elemental Fire Hit Modifier Doesn’t Miss
Range Touch Resistance Physical
Area of Effect 10’ by 10’ square Duration N/A Instantaneous
Hit Modifier Doesn’t Miss
Resistance Physical Flame Wave causes a rapidly moving wall of fire
Duration N/A Permanent to spring forth from the caster and move 10 yards
directly in front of the caster in a row 4 yards wide.
This spell creates a permanent square of flame which Each creature in the area of effect sustains 12D6
burns incredibly hot. Being in any of the yards incurs points of damage, but they are allowed a physical
13D6 + 13 points of damage. The fire is hot enough resistance roll to take half damage from the fire as it

CHAPTER 6: SPELLS 67
boils over them. The spell will channel to fit its sur- Life
roundings, but the height of the rushing inferno is
not more than 10 feet and it never channels vertical to Mend
fill its volume like Fireball can. Level 1
Focus Life
Conflagaration Range Touch
Level 9 Area of Effect 1 Creature
Focus Elemental Fire Hit Modifier Doesn’t Miss
Range 75 Resistance None
Area of Effect 1 Creature Duration N/A Instantaneous
Hit Modifier Doesn’t Miss
Resistance None This simple spell heals one touched target for 2D6
Duration N/A Instantaneous Hit Points worth of damage, up to but not exceeding
the target’s maximum HP. The target and caster are
Conflagaration specifically targets one creature, but briefly surrounded by a pale green glow for 1 round.
it also affects the 8 yards surrounding the targeted
square. Each creature in the area of effect takes 14D6 Cure Affliction
+ 14 points of damage, and no save to resist the
damage is allowed. Each creature in the area of effect Level 2
must make a physical save to avoid being knocked Focus Life
down by the force of the spell, however. Range Touch
Area of Effect 1 Creature
Fire Bomb Hit Modifier Doesn’t Miss
Level 10 Resistance None
Focus Elemental Fire Duration N/A Instantaneous
Range 65
Area of Effect 25 foot radius sphere One diseased target is cured of his illness. The caster’s
Hit Modifier Doesn’t Miss touch is accompanied by a slight green glow that
Resistance Physical fades as soon as she removes her hands.
Duration N/A Instantaneous
Greater Mend
Fire Bomb is a much more powerful version of Fire-
ball. It strikes a larger area, encompassing 64 5’ by 5’ Level 2
by 10’ cubes and it burns hotter, dealing 14D6 + 14 Focus Life
points of damage. All creatures in the area of effect Range Touch
are allowed a physical resistance roll to take half dam- Area of Effect 1 Creature
age from the effects. Like Fireball, this spell chan- Hit Modifier Doesn’t Miss
nels to fit any space it is in, and the range is just far Resistance None
enough that a caster can usually escape the blast, even Duration N/A Instantaneous
if all of it channels directly back toward the caster.
A stronger version of the basic Mend spell, Greater
Mend knits bones and heals deep wounds. It restores
4D6 Hit Points, up to the target’s maximum. As with
Mend, the caster and target are briefly (1 round) sur-
rounded by a pale green glow.

68 CHAPTER 6: SPELLS
Lesser Restoration Light of Healing
Level 3 Level 6
Focus Life Focus Life
Range 5 yards Range 1 Square
Area of Effect 1 Creature Area of Effect 20 yards
Hit Modifier Doesn’t Miss Hit Modifier Doesn’t Miss
Resistance None Resistance None
Duration N/A Instantaneous Duration 4 rounds
The caster is surrounded and transformed by a bright
As soon as the caster lets loose this spell, a bolt of white light that emanates from every inch of her
green lightning arcs from him to the target, healing body. Anyone that sees her in this state begins healing
the target of up to 8D6 Hit Points. at a rate of 5D6 Hit Points per round. This spell does
not affect any targets that are hostile to the caster at
Regenerative Cloud the start of the spell.
Level 4
Focus Life Regenerate
Range Touch Level 7
Area of Effect 3 yards Focus Life
Hit Modifier Doesn’t Miss Range Touch
Resistance None Area of Effect 1 Creature
Duration N/A Instantaneous Hit Modifier Doesn’t Miss
Resistance None
A cloud of roiling green, glowing particles erupts out- Duration N/A Instantaneous
ward from the caster’s outstretched fingers, filling a By using this spell, the caster is able to fully regener-
spherical area around him. All living things within the ate the target as long as the target is still alive. The tar-
area of effect are healed of 10D6 Hit Points worth get regains any lost limbs, organs, or other body parts.
of damage, up to their maximum. Enemies within However, the target does not regain any Hit Points.
the cloud are also healed. This spell does not return Any limbs regenerated through this spell appear to be
unconscious characters to consciousness. The cloud surrounded by a very faint white glow for 1D4 days
emits enough light to illuminate an area 20 yards by afterwards.
20 yards in size.
Shield of Life
Restoration Level 8
Level 5 Focus Life
Focus Life Range Touch
Range 10 yards Area of Effect 1 Creature
Area of Effect 1 Creature Hit Modifier Doesn’t Miss
Hit Modifier Doesn’t Miss Resistance None
Resistance None Duration 10 rounds
Duration N/A Instantaneous
This spell is cast completely without any visible
A trio of green lightning bolts spirals away from the effects initially. If the target would be killed by an at-
caster towards her target, enveloping him in harmless tack, accident, or other means before the duration of
green fire. He is healed for 11D6 Hit Points worth of the spell is finished, then he is only reduced to 1 Hit
damage up to his maximum. For 1 round afterward, Point and stunned instead. The spell is then dispelled.
the target glows with a bright green light that illumi- If the spell is triggered before the duration is up, the
nates an area 5 yards in diameter. caster is surrounded briefly by a flash of white light.

CHAPTER 6: SPELLS 69
Lifeline Duration N/A Instantaneous
Level 9
Focus Life This spell causes a very small meteor to fall from the
Range 10 yards sky and strike a target up to 10 yards away. The spell
Area of Effect Up To 10 Creatures does 5D6 points of damage to the target if the caster
Hit Modifier Doesn’t Miss makes a successful ranged attack against it. This spell
Resistance None can only be cast if there is open sky above the caster.
Duration 6 rounds
Rain of Stones
Doing a series of complicated hand gestures, the Level 2
caster creates a thin rope of unbreakable white light Focus Elemental Meteor
that connects him to up to 10 other targets. For the Range 15 yards
next 6 rounds, each target regains 6D6 Hit Points. Area of Effect 2 square radius
If this would cause the target to gain more than her Hit Modifier Ranged Attack
maximum, the spell is dispelled on that target. Resistance Physical
Duration N/A Instantaneous
Resurrection
Level 10 A hail of pebbles, sharp rocks, and burning cinders
Focus Life torrents down onto a small area, causing 6D6 points
Range Touch of damage to everything caught in the area of effect.
Area of Effect 1 Creature Any target caught within the rain of stones may make
Hit Modifier Doesn’t Miss a Physical Resistance roll to take half damage.
Resistance None
Duration N/A Instantaneous Heaven’s Fist
Level 3
The caster lays her hands on one target, and both Focus Elemental Meteor
are eclipsed by a bright flash of warm white light. Range 20 yards
The target is returned to life, though he only regains Area of Effect 1 Creature
enough Hit Points to be at half maximum. This spell Hit Modifier Ranged Attack
does not restore destroyed limbs or organs other than Resistance Physical
those absolutely necessary to the continued life of the Duration N/A Instantaneous
target. Additionally, if the target was dead for longer
than four days, he will be in extraordinary pain as he This spell summons a meteor to streak from the heav-
is at least partially decomposed. Another healing spell ens and strike a single target. The flaming ball of iron
must be used to restore this damage. If the target had and fire disintegrates on contact with the target, but
been reduced to a skeleton or otherwise fleshless, this not after dealing 10D6 + 10 points of damage if the
spell has no effect. caster succeeds in making a ranged attack against the
target. The target of the spell is allowed a Physical Re-
sistance roll to take only half damage from the spell.
Meteor
Shooting Star
Falling Star Level 4
Level 1 Focus Elemental Meteor
Focus Elemental Meteor Range 20 yards
Range 10 yards Area of Effect 3 square radius
Area of Effect 1 Creature Hit Modifier Ranged Attack
Hit Modifier Ranged Attack Resistance Physical
Resistance None Duration N/A Instantaneous

70 CHAPTER 6: SPELLS
Shooting Star summons a meteor from the Heavens Area of Effect 15 foot radius
that strikes an area of effect as attacked by the caster Hit Modifier Doesn’t Miss
via a ranged attack. Any creatures caught in the area Resistance Physical
of effect take 11D6 + 11 points of damage. All af- Duration N/A Instantaneous
fected are allowed a Physical Resistance roll for half
damage. This spell causes the area of effect to burst with the
impact of a falling star. 16D6 points of damage is
Strike of the Heavens done in a 15 foot spherical radius around the target.
Level 5 A Physical Resistance roll is able to be made for half
Focus Elemental Meteor damage. This effect channels, filling flowing until the
Range Touch volume of the spell is expended.
Area of Effect 1 Creature
Hit Modifier Melee Attack Hammer of the Heavens
Resistance N/A Level 8
Duration N/A Instantaneous Focus Elemental Meteor
Range 20 yards
Strike of the Heavens empowers the target of this Area of Effect 1 Creature
spell with the power of the meteors the caster can Hit Modifier Doesn’t Miss
command. The next melee attack of the creature af- Resistance Physical
fected by this spell does an additional 16D6 points of Duration N/A Instantaneous
damage. This effect must be discharged within a num-
ber of rounds equal to the caster’s level. If the effect Hammer of the Heavens strikes one target of the
is not discharged in that time, the magic dissipates. caster’s choosing for 17D6 + 17 points of damage.
They are allowed a Physical Resistance check for the
Nova Meteor chance to take half damage. The caster must have an
Level 6 open sky overhead to call this meteor down to strike
Focus Elemental Meteor the target.
Range 20 yards
Area of Effect 1 Creature and a 10 foot radius Meteor Shower
Hit Modifier Ranged Attack Level 9
Resistance Physical Focus Elemental Meteor
Duration N/A Instantaneous Range 50 yards
Nova Meteor summons a meteor from the heavens Area of Effect 25 foot radius circle
that strikes a target for 8D6 points of damage. When Hit Modifier Doesn’t Miss
that target is struck, the meteor explodes, doing Resistance Physical
another 8D6 points of damage, but this damage is Duration 10 Rounds
done to everything within a 10 foot radius sphere of
the target. A Physical Resistance roll is applicable for Meteor Shower causes just that; a storm of meteors
both the initial target’s damage and the secondary to rain down for 10 rounds. For each of those 10
splash damage. If the primary target fails its first save, rounds, any creature in the area of effect has to make
it is subject to the full effect of both damage rolls. If a Physical Resistance roll. If that roll fails, the creature
the target passes the initial save, it is allowed a second failed to dodge out of the way of an oncoming me-
Physical Resistance roll against the splash damage. teor and is struck for 15D6 + 15 points of damage.

Crushing Star Meteor Storm

Level 7 Level 10
Focus Elemental Meteor Focus Elemental Meteor
Range 20 yards Range 25 yards

CHAPTER 6: SPELLS 71
Area of Effect Special Hit
Hit Modifier Ranged Attack Modi-
Resistance Physical fier
Duration N/A Instantaneous Ranged
Attack
Meteor Storm summons up to 4 meteors for the Resistance
caster to command as she chooses. The meteors must Physical
be used in the instant that they are summoned. The Duration
total damage for the spell is 19D6, and the caster may 2 Rounds
choose to use that damage divided any way she wants
among the four meteors. She could have 3 of the Plague
meteors each do 3D6 and the final meteor do 10D6 Darts
or any combination. Not every meteor need be used; creates
for example, the caster could divide the damage up 3
into two meteors, one inflicting 9D6 and the other mag-
10D6 or any other combination. Each meteor allows ical
a Physical Resistance roll to avoid half the damage of bolts
the meteor. All targets must be with in 25 yards of of
the caster, but not necessarily within 25 yards of each poison
other. Inanimate objects and creatures alike can be magic
targeted with this spell. that the
caster
can
Poison
Contagion
Level 1
Focus Elemental Poison
Range Touch hurl at up to 3 different creatures within the range of
Area of Effect 1 Creature the spell at the time that the spell is cast. Each dart
Hit Modifier Melee Attack inflicts 3D6 points of damage on the target. The spell
Resistance Physical also sickens the target, though he may make a physi-
Duration N/A Rounds cal resistance roll to stave off the sickness. If the roll
fails, the sickness lasts 3 rounds.
Contagion is a touch-based spell that sickens the
target for 1 round after the spell is cast. The target is Poison Bomb
allowed a Physical Resistance roll to completely avoid Level 3
the effects of the spell. If that resistance roll fails, the Focus Elemental Poison
target spends the next round retching and is unable Range 20 yards
to move more than 1 square, and cannot attack, cast Area of Effect 10’ by 10’ by 10’ cube
spells, or even defend himself. Hit Modifier Ranged Attack
Resistance Physical
Plague Darts Duration 11 Rounds
Level 2
Focus Elemental Poison Poison Bomb creates a green ball that the caster can
Range 4 yards throw up to 100 feet. The throw requires a ranged at-
Area of Effect Up to 3 creatures tack to determine if it lands where the caster wanted.

72 CHAPTER 6: SPELLS
When it does land, or strike an object before landing, passes, the target also avoids the sickness effect. If
the ball explodes into a vaporous, gaseous haze of the initial physical resistance check failed, the target
poison, filling 4 yards around the target in a 10 foot is allowed a second physical resistance check to avoid
by 10 foot by 10 foot cube. This cube will fill and the sickness effect. If that roll fails, the target is im-
channel around the environment it lands in. Any crea- mediately sickened and unable to act this round or the
tures caught in the cube must make a physical resis- next.
tance check. Those who fail immediately take 5D6 of
poison damage, those who pass take only half of the Plague Seed
damage rolled. The poison fog lasts 12 rounds, but Level 6
the damage ends when a character leaves the fog. Focus Elemental Poison
Range Touch
Noxious Cloud Area of Effect 1 Creature
Level 4 Hit Modifier Melee Attack
Elemental Focus Poison Resistance Physical
Range 5 yards Duration 7 Days
Area of Effect 5 yards
Hit Modifier Doesn’t Miss Plague Seed is an especially viscious spell that spreads
Resistance Physical a plague slowly by touch. There is no limit to the
Duration 4 Rounds number of creatures that this spell can afflict. The
caster designates the first victim by touching them
One inanimate object of organic origin - such as a while casting the spell. The victim is allowed 2 physi-
corpse, plant (living or dead), grain of rice, etc. - with- cal resistance checks. The first is to completely ignore
in the caster’s line of sight explodes after completing 5D6 points of damage. The second is to completely
this spell, causing a huge cloud of billowing greenish- ignore the sickness effect of the spell. The damage
grey spores to envelop everything around it. Any and the sickness are an immediate effect if the resis-
living animal or being caught in the cloud immediately tance checks are failed. The sickness lasts 5 minutes
feels very ill, overcome by headache, nausea, and and then passes. The spell has a viral effect however,
dizziness. Each victim loses 2 Actions per round to a and any creature that is touched by any other creature
minimum of 1 unless they make a successful Physi- affected by this spell are also immediately stricken by
cal Resistance roll. A successful roll avoids the effects the spell’s effect. Any person that they touch are simi-
for 1 round. Each round all victims, if still within the larly affected, and so on and so on. This viral effect
cloud, must make an additional Physical Resistance lasts for 7 days after the initial casting of the spell, at
roll to try and avoid the effects. which point it is no longer communicable from any
source affected by the initial casting, no matter when
Contagion Mine the victim was afflicted by the spell. If a creature
Level 5 passes both of the physical resistance rolls, they are
Focus Elemental Poison not affected by the spell, nor are they able to pass it
Range 4 yards on. The caster of Plague Seed may never be affected
Area of Effect 3 square radius sphere by their own spell.
Hit Modifier Doesn’t Miss
Resistance Physical Poison Storm
Duration 2 Instantaneous Level 7
Focus Elemental Poison
Contagion Mine creates a spherical area of effect that Range Touch
inflicts sickness and damage on all who are caught Area of Effect 6 Square radius circle
within it. Each target in the area of effect takes 10D6 Hit Modifier Doesn’t Miss
points of poison damage. The target is allowed a Resistance Physical
physical resistance check for half damage. If that roll Duration N/A Instantaneous

CHAPTER 6: SPELLS 73
Poison Storm creates a sudden rain of poison from Viper’s Blood
the sky or ceiling. The poison evaporates the instant Level 10
it touches any thing, but not before inflicting 7D6 Focus Elemental Poison
points of damage to everything caught in the area of Range Touch
effect. All affected targets are allowed a physical resis- Area of Effect 1 Creature
tance check to take half damage from this spell. Hit Modifier Melee Attack
Resistance Physical
Acid Storm Duration 1 Permanent
Level 8
Focus Elemental Poison Viper’s Blood causes the blood of the affected crea-
Range Touch ture to turn into an organic poison. The target itself is
Area of Effect 4 Square radius circle unaffected, but any creature that touches the target’s
Hit Modifier Doesn’t Miss blood in quantities larger than a few drops (an ounce
Resistance Physical or more) is subject to the spell’s damage. Creatures
Duration N/A Instantaneous that have touched the requisite amount of the target’s
blood are allowed a physical resistance check to take
Acid Storm functions like Poison Storm, but the only half of 6D6 points of poison damage. If that
damage dealt is from acid, not poison. All items in the resistance check is not passed, the creature must make
area of effect are affected by the highly corosive acid a second physical resistance check. If that check fails
that rains down from this spell. The spell does 6D6 as well, the creature is instantly sickened for 5 rounds
points of damage to anything in the area of effect, in addition to taking 6D6 damage per round.
and the acid magically evaporates after it has done its
damage. This spell will affect all things in the area of
effect; foiliage, stone floors, weapons, armor, etc. all Sand
must make physical resistance checks. Those items
and creatures that pass take only half of the damage Dust Devil
from this spell. Any item or creature that has its hit Level 1
points or item toughness reduced to 0 or below by Focus Elemental Sand
this spell is severly damaged or destroyed by the acid. Range 2 yards
Area of Effect 1 Creature
Acidic Blast Hit Modifier Doesn’t Miss
Level 9 Resistance None
Focus Elemental Poison Duration 3 rounds
Range 60 yards The caster conjures up a dust devil that he can control
Area of Effect Up to 5 targets with vocal commands. It cannot attack but obscures
Hit Modifier Doesn’t Miss the vision of whomever it surrounds, giving them a -5
Resistance Physical penalty to attack and defense rolls. A successful attack
Duration N/A Instantaneous on the dust devil dispels it. The dust devil will trigger
traps if it encounters them.
This spell creates 5 magical bolts of poison magic,
each dealing 3D6 + 2. The bolts can target 5 indepen- Desert Sun
dent targets or they can concentrate on a single target, Level 2
or any number of targets up to 5. Each target affected Focus Elemental Sand
by this spell is allowed a physical resistance roll to take Range 8 yards
half damage from the effects of the spell. Any item Area of Effect 1 Creature
or creature that is destroyed by the acid of this spell Hit Modifier Doesn’t Miss
are melted and rendered useless. Resistance Physical
Duration Instantaneous

74 CHAPTER 6: SPELLS
The target is blinded by an all-encompassing, glar- A torrent of sand whirls around the caster and then
ing light that seems focused directly on them. Others rushes at the target, forming a very solid hammer that
seeing the light only see a softly glowing orb floating impacts the target with tremendous force. The target
lazily in front of the target. The effect causes the tar- must make a physical resistance check or be knocked
get to gaiu a -10 penalty to attack and defend for that down. Regardless of whether the check succeeds, he
round. A successful physical resistance check reduces takes 8D6 damage.
the penalty by half.
Desert Graveyard
Sand Whip Level 6
Level 3 Focus Elemental Sand
Focus Elemental Sand Range 2 yards
Range Touch Area of Effect 1 Creature
Area of Effect N/A Hit Modifier Doesn’t Miss
Hit Modifier Doesn’t Miss Resistance Physical
Resistance None Duration Instantaneous
Duration 6 rounds
The target is surrounded by sand that just seems to
Summoning a lash made of hardened sand, the caster keep flowing up out of nowhere around her. She is
may use it as a weapon for the duration of the spell. encased by the sand and crushed for 1D6 x 10 dam-
The sand whip does 4D6 damage and has a range of age. A successful physical resistance check halves the
3. damage. The sand then falls to the ground and slowly
vanishes.
Grasping Hand
Level 4 Sand Shield
Focus Elemental Sand Level 7
Range 10 yards Focus Elemental Sand
Area of Effect 1 Creature Range 10 yards
Hit Modifier Doesn’t Miss Area of Effect 2 yards
Resistance Mental Hit Modifier Doesn’t Miss
Duration 3 rounds Resistance None
Duration 4 rounds
A giant hand made of sand rises up out of the
ground in front of the target. If the target fails a A pillar of sand 10 feet (2 yards) high rises up in a
physical resistance check, the hand grabs hold of him spot the caster designates. It takes up 2 yards in a
and won’t release him until the spell runs its course. line that the caster may designate. It is impenetrable
The target may attack and defend normally but can- by everything except magic. Spells do normal dam-
not move and cannot make further physical resistance age to it, as do magically-imbued weapons. Once it
checks until the spell releases him. takes 50 points of damage or the duration is over it is
destroyed.
Greve’s Hammer
Level 5 Sand Wall
Focus Elemental Sand Level 8
Range 8 yards Focus Elemental Sand
Area of Effect 1 Creature Range 2 yards
Hit Modifier Ranged Attack Area of Effect 10 yards
Resistance Physical Hit Modifier Doesn’t Miss
Duration Instantaneous Resistance None
Duration 6 rounds

CHAPTER 6: SPELLS 75
Sand Wall creates a 5 foot (1 Square) high wall of Thunder
sand 10 yards long and 1 square thick. The caster may
build it in any direction (or directions) she chooses, Bolt
but it must be connected to the ground and cannot Level 1
be broken into separate walls. Each square of the wall Focus Elemental Thunder
has 100 Hit Points and can only be harmed by magic Range 10 yards
or magical weapons. Area of Effect 1 Creature
Hit Modifier Ranged Attack
Sabulous Wave Resistance Physical
Level 9 Duration Instantaneous
Focus Elemental Sand
Range 20 yards A crack of thunder fills the area as a bolt of deadly
Area of Effect 10 yards white lightning arcs between the caster and his target.
Hit Modifier Doesn’t Miss The target takes 2D6 damage and is stunned for 1
Resistance Physical round. A successful physical resistance check negates
Duration Instantaneous the stun effect.

The caster points and a gigantic wave of sand rum- Storm

bles forward. It is 30 feet (6 yards) high and 30 feet Level 2
wide, and deals 10D6 damage to anything in its path. Focus Elemental Thunder
The wave travels for 6 yards before dissipating. A suc- Range 10 yards
cessful physical resistance check means that the victim Area of Effect 3 yards radius
is not swept off his feet and avoids half the damage. Hit Modifier Doesn’t Miss
Resistance None
Torrent of Sand Duration 4 rounds
Level 10
Focus Elemental Sand Black storm clouds fill the area immediately over
Range 25 yards the target and flash ominously. Every round, every
Area of Effect 1 Creature creature in the area of effect must roll an Awareness
Hit Modifier Ranged Attack check against a difficulty of 35 or be hit by a lightning
Resistance Physical bolt for 2D6 damage.
Duration 4 rounds
Ardus’s Deafening Blast
The target of this spell is hit by a continual down- Level 3
pour of sand. He may not attack, defend, move, cast, Focus Elemental Thunder
breathe, or otherwise act at all for the duration of Range 15 yards
the spell. In addition, he takes 1 permanent damage Area of Effect 1 Creature
per round to his Endurance score. If this reduces his Hit Modifier Ranged Attack
Endurance score to 0 at any point during the spell, he Resistance Physical
dies. However, the target is perfectly defended by the Duration 5 rounds
torrent as well, and may not be otherwise attacked as
long as the spell lasts. The caster may target himself The target is subject to an incredibly loud thunderclap
with this spell. that makes his ears bleed and completely deafens him,
giving him automatic failure for all listening-related
checks. The effects wear off completely after the
duration of the spell.

76 CHAPTER 6: SPELLS
Greater Bolt sipates. If a second target is found, then the lightning
Level 4 continues to a third target in the same manner as the
Focus Elemental Thunder second, dealing 4D6 damage to it. The spell dissipates
Range 20 yards at that point.
Area of Effect 1 Creature
Hit Modifier Ranged Attack Sky Fury
Resistance Physical Level 7
Duration Instantaneous Focus Elemental Thunder
Range Touch
As with Bolt, this spell unleashes a powerful lightning Area of Effect 6 Square radius
attack on the target. Instead of one bolt, though, Hit Modifier Doesn’t Miss
THREE hit the target, each dealing 3D6 damage Resistance Physical
for a total of 9D6 damage. In addition, the target is Duration Instantaneous
stunned for 3 rounds. A successful physical resistance
check avoids the stun effect. Through this spell, the caster becomes a conduit for
the rage of the heavens. Lightning pours down out
Storm Spire of the sky (or the ceiling), hitting the caster for 4D6
Level 5 damage, then arcs outward in a circle. Every living
Focus Elemental Thunder thing around the caster takes 10D6 damage. A suc-
Range 10 yards cessful physical resistance check reduces the damage
Area of Effect Special to 8D6.
Hit Modifier Doesn’t Miss
Resistance Physical Thunderfist
Duration Instantaneous Level 8
Focus Elemental Thunder
When the caster casts this spell, roll 1D6. The result Range Touch
is the number of enemies hit by the spell. A huge Area of Effect Self
column of electrical force slams down on the targets Hit Modifier Doesn’t Miss
from directly above, dealing 10D6 damage immedi- Resistance None
ately. A successful physical resistance roll halves the Duration 6 rounds
damage.
The caster is hit by a lightning bolt for 4D6 damage.
Chain Lightning If he survives, his arm is imbued with the power of
Level 6 Thunder, and every time he punches something with
Focus Elemental Thunder that fist, he deals 3D6 x 10 electrical damage to them
Range 20 yards and stuns them for 1 round.
Area of Effect Special
Hit Modifier Ranged Attack Electrify
Resistance None Level 9
Duration Instantaneous Focus Elemental Thunder
Range Touch
Lightning arcs out from the caster, hitting the target Area of Effect Self
for 12D6 damage. Then the lightning arcs to a new Hit Modifier Melee Attack
living target in a random direction (roll 1D4, 1 being Resistance None
North, 2 being East, 3 being South, and 4 being West) Duration 4 rounds
and deals 8D6 damage to it. If there is no target with-
in range in that direction, the lightning deals the 8D6 The entire body of the caster is filled with such a
damage to the original target instead and then dis- potent electrical charge that, for the duration of the

CHAPTER 6: SPELLS 77
spell, he takes 1D6 damage every time he touches Hit Modifier Ranged Attack
anything metal. If he touches a living thing, the Resistance Physical
caster’s charge transfers to it, dealing 1D6 x 20 dam- Duration N/A Instantaneous
age in the process to the other being. The new bearer
of the charge receives 8D6 damage for every round The caster points her fist at a target within line of
he is in contact with metal. sight. When she opens it, a torrent of water fires at
such velocity from her open hand that the target is
Devastation hurled backward 5 yards. If the target hits something,
Level 10 then both he and whatever he hit take 4D6 damage.
Focus Elemental Thunder
Range Touch White Vortex
Area of Effect 10 square radius sphere Level 3
Hit Modifier Doesn’t Miss Focus Elemental Water
Resistance None Range 5 yards
Duration Instantaneous Area of Effect 2 Square Radius
Hit Modifier Doesn't Miss
A torrent of electrical energy erupts out of the Resistance Physical
caster’s body, dealing 8D6 damage to him and 4D6 x Duration 3 rounds
20 damage to everything else - living or not - in the
area of effect. If the caster dies from the damage to The floor beneath the target shudders and liquefies,
himself, the damage to others is halved. Anything that turning to a shining white vortex. All targets caught
lives through the blast is knocked unconscious for within the spell radius may make a physical resistance
1D6 weeks. check to climb out once per round. At the end of the
duration of the spell, the floor hardens once again,
and any targets remaining in the vortex's grip are
Water trapped. The vortex is 2 yards deep (roughly 6-8 feet).
If a living target is trapped below the surface when
Water Breathing it hardens, they begin to suffocate for 1D6 damage
Level 1 per round until they are freed or they run out of HP
Focus Elemental Water and die. If the floor is thinner than the depth of the
Range Touch vortex then when it hardens the victims merely fall
Area of Effect 1 Creature through. They are not trapped in that case.
Hit Modifier Doesn’t Miss
Resistance None Sapping Mist
Duration 10 minutes Level 4
Focus Elemental Water
The spell’s target can breathe underwater for 10 min- Range 5 yards
utes. The effect is as if the water turns to breathable Area of Effect 3 Square Radius
air just as it enters the target’s nostrils or mouth. This Hit Modifier Doesn't Miss
spell also, as an incidental effect, makes the target Resistance Physical
resistant to the effects of high water pressure at lower Duration 4 rounds
depths.
The area around the target point is flooded with an
Tidal Blast eerie, grey mist. Every living thing within the mist
Level 2 takes 2D6 damage per round. A successful physi-
Focus Elemental Water cal resistance check, made the first time the victim
Range 5 yards encounters the mist, will halve the damage. In addi-
Area of Effect 1 Creature tion, anyone in the mist suffers a -4 penalty to attack

78 CHAPTER 6: SPELLS
and defense rolls. Creatures outside the mist attempt- Resistance Physical
ing to fire into it with ranged weapons also suffer this Duration N/A Instantaneous
penalty.
Dark storm clouds appear directly over the target area
Aqua Horror and shower it with deadly spears of ice. Every crea-
Level 5 ture in the target area takes 12D6 damage. A success-
Focus Elemental Water ful physical resistance check halves the damage.
Range Touch
Area of Effect 1 Creature Frozen Mind
Hit Modifier Doesn't Miss Level 8
Resistance None Focus Elemental Water
Duration N/A Instantaneous Range 10 yards
Area of Effect 1 Creature
When the caster casts this spell, no visible effect hap- Hit Modifier Ranged Attack
pens immediately. However, when she next touches a Resistance Mental
corpse, the flesh of that corpse liquefies and its skull Duration 8 rounds
begins floating 6 feet above the ground, encased in
bloody water. The aqua horror is at the caster's com- This spell causes thousands of minute ice crystals to
mand and can bite for 3D6 damage with a +10 bonus form in the brain of the target creature. It causes tre-
to hit. This is a melee attack. Additionally, the horror mendous, debilitating pain, forcing the creature to be
has a Speed of 10 and 15 Hit Points. Enemies seeing unable to do anything but defend for the duration of
the horror must make a Wisdom check of difficulty the spell. A successful mental resistance check halves
30 or be frozen in terror for 1 round, unable to act at the duration.
all.
Ice Chains
Ice Spines Level 9
Level 6 Focus Elemental Water
Focus Elemental Water Range 4 yards
Range 6 yards Area of Effect 1 Creature
Area of Effect 1 Creature Hit Modifier Ranged Attack
Hit Modifier Ranged Attack Resistance Physical
Resistance Physical Duration 10 rounds
Duration N/A Instantaneous
The caster conjures massive chains made of solid, un-
With this spell the caster hurls a series of five spines breakable ice and, with a simple effort of will, wraps
made of solid, unbreakable ice at the target. The them around one target. That target may not move
caster rolls a ranged attack for each of the spines. If for the duration of the spell and takes 6D6 cold dam-
hit, the target takes 2D6 damage per spine and is fro- age per round. A successful resistance check halves
zen in place for 1 round per spine that hits. A success- the duration.
ful physical resistance check avoids the freezing effect
and may be attempted for each spine that hits. To the Deep
Level 10
Rain of Ice Focus Elemental Water
Level 7 Range Thrown
Focus Elemental Water Area of Effect 1 Creature
Range 6 yards Hit Modifier Ranged Attack
Area of Effect 5 Square Radius Resistance Mental
Hit Modifier Doesn’t Miss Duration N/A Instantaneous

CHAPTER 6: SPELLS 79
In order to use this spell, the caster must have visited
a large body of water such as an ocean or sea within
the past three months and collected a sample of the
water there. The water must be stored in a breakable
(e.g., glass or ceramic) container. To cast this spell, the
caster imbues the water with magical energy and hurls
the container at the target. If the container breaks
on the target and the water comes into contact with
it, then the target is immediately enveloped in roiling
water and transported to the deepest parts of the sea
from whence the water came. All that remains in its
place is a puddle and broken shards of the container.
A mental resistance check avoids the teleportation,
but avoiding it costs the target heavily, forcing it to
take 20D6 damage instead as the water rips away at its
flesh.

80 CHAPTER 6: SPELLS
Chapter 7: Monsters & Challenges
E
ach monster is listed with a stat block and Known Monsters and
a few paragraphs describing it. The stat
block lists all the monster’s relevant at- Enemies
tributes. The Challenge Level describes roughly how
difficult the enemy is to defeat, and is used to deter-
mine how much experience the players get for killing Auizha
it. The following is a breakdown of the abbreviations HP: 3d8
used: Num: 1
Spd: 6 (swim 7)
HP: Hit Points Dmg: 1d6
Num: Number encountered Def: 4
Spd: Movement speed Soak: 10
Dmg: Damage done by a basic attack CL: 4
Def: Defense Rating
Soak: Soak Points An auizha resembles a wild canine in basic build --
CL: Challenge Level but a canine with webbed paws, hooked claws, and
covered in iridescent blue feathers instead of a furry
pelt. Its eyes are featureless and golden. Equally at
Awarding Experience home in water or on land, the auizha can create full-
sensory illusions -- often of a helpless child drowning
Generally, when a monster is defeated, the party gains or snarled in briars, when dealing with humanoids
experience points (XP) equal to fifty times (50x) the -- in order to lure in prey. Unless a save vs. spell is
Challenge Level of the monster to be divided up successfully made, the victim never senses the auizha
equally amongst the party members. However, the approaching and it automatically has surprise.
monster doesn't need to be killed to gain this XP. If, When attacking, an auizha uses its claws and bite, in-
for example, two bandits are guarding the entrance to flicting 1d4 and 1d6 hit points of damage respectively.
a cave and the players manage to sneak past them, the Its bite is venomous, causing paralysis for 2-8 turns
players would get the XP credit as if they had killed if an Endurance check is failed; given the chance, the
the bandits. This XP can be gained every time a mon- auizha will drag paralyzed prey into water to drown.
ster presents a challenge to the players, not just when
it attacks them (or they attack it).

Traps and other hazards also have a Challenge Rating Bandit

and grant XP in a similar fashion to monsters. If a HP: 3D6
logic puzzle, for example, presents the players with a Num: 1-12
very difficult challenge that is potentially fatal if they Spd: 2
guess wrong (such as answering the Sphinx’s riddles), Dmg: 1d8
the GM is encouraged to reward the successful play- Def: 5 (leather armor)
ers with an amount of XP similar to that gained from Soak: 2 (leather armor)
defeating a relatively high level monster. CL: 1

Bandits are usually rough-looking humans or human-

oids, dressed in ragtag clothing and often filthy. Some
bands, however, have well-made, clean clothing and
equally clean bodies – these are generally wealthier
and driven by some cause other than mere greed.

Bandits like to steal things, and most bands kill the

82 CHAPTER 7: MONSTERS & CHALLENGES

people they steal from. They move in packs, lay am- Carnerax
bushes, and rarely attack well-armed groups. HP: 2d4 x 100
Num: 1
Blackberry Cat Spd: 5 (6 underground)
HP: 3d4 Dmg: 4d6
Num: 1 Def: 30
Spd: 6 Soak: 15
Dmg: 1d6 CL: 8
Def: 3
Soak: 8 The Carnerax looks like a cross between a man and a
CL: 5 giant snake. It has the upper torso of a human, but its
head and lower three-quarters of its body are snake-
Fey and dangerous sentient briars, blackberry cats -- like. Its eyes have heavy, armored lids that close when
when at rest -- resemble an ordinary if dense black- it burrows underground.
berry bush. They prefer to rest in hedges or thickets
with ordinary blackberries, blending in with the rest This vicious creature will attack anything that ap-
of the foliage; in this shape only the ruddy tinge to proaches it. The Carnerax has no sense of fear, and
their glossy black berries is a little unusual. During the will fight to the death. A favored attack of the beast
day, they do not hunt. is to bury itself in the ground, then wait until prey
wanders over it. It will then use its powerful arms and
At night, and on the solstices and equinoxes, the tail to propel itself out of the ground, completely
blackberry cat uproots and reshapes itself into a lean taking its prey by surprise. It is difficult to detect the
and muscular feline form, its canes compacting and Carnerax when it has buried itself. Attempting to
twisting back upon themselves. Its paws are tipped find it when it's underground requires an Awareness
with long thorn-claws, and two brilliant green witch- check against a difficult of at least 25. This allows the
fires light in the hollows of its “eyes.” If it does not Carnerax to have one surprise attack on all prey in
wish to reveal its identity such as when stalking an its immediate vicinity. When performed in combat,
especially wary prey, it cloaks itself in the illusion of this Talent takes all of the Carnerax's Actions for that
an ordinary tortoiseshell housecat. turn.

Blackberry cats feed on the lifeforce of animals, By expending all of its Actions, the Carnerax can
preferring sapient beings over all others. In combat burrow into the ground. This can only be done in soft
a blackberry cat attacks with thorny claws and bite, ground, not rock. Once underground the Carnerax is
inflicting 1d4 hit points and 1d6 hit points of damage undetectable from the surface and can use its Am-
respectively. Victims struck by a blackberry cat must bush Talent.
make a successful saving throw vs. energy drain or
lose one experience level. Blackberry cats are immune Cartazon
to non-magical weapons. HP: 4d12
Num: 1
It is rumored that some blackberry cats may possess Spd: 9
spellcasting capability. It is also rumored that some Dmg: 1d10
cats trick their way into unwitting households, mas- Def: 5
querading as a family pet. Soak: 12
CL: 10

Resembling a hybrid between an ox and an antelope,

immensely strong and a surprisingly fleet runner, the
cartazon is notable for its tawny coat and thick mane,

CHAPTER 7: MONSTERS & CHALLENGES 83

its three-hooved feet and its stubby tail. On its fore- swipes of its wing-claws. If defending young citipati
head rises a long, curved and wickedly sharp black or a nest of eggs, an adult will have a +2 bonus to hit
horn, ringed towards its base like that of a wild goat and damage rolls.
or ibex.
It is possible to train citipati. A citipati may carry 100
Though peaceful amongst other animals, the cartazon lbs., or 200 lbs. at half movement; though they can-
will abide the presence of its own kind only to breed not efficiently bear most riders, they are effective cart
and raise young; and it will not suffer the attention of animals -- as efficient as mules in that capacity -- or
humans. No adult cartazon has been known to have pack animals.
been taken alive, instead fighting to the death with
horn and hooves. A magical weapon is required to Deathbloom
harm a cartazon. HP: 1d4
Num: 2-8
A cartazon may carry 450 lbs. at normal speed, and Spd: 1
900 lbs. at half-speed. Dmg: 1d4
Def: 5
Citipati Soak: 0
HP: 2d8 CL: 2
Num: 2-8
Spd: 7 These creatures resemble gigantic lotuses about
Dmg: 1d8 seven feet tall with bright red petals. They have
Def: 5 thick green stalks that end in what appear to be thin
Soak: 4 above-ground roots. In actuality, these «roots» are
CL: 2 legs, and at night groups of deathblooms will gather
themselves up and move en masse to a new location.
A strange avian beast, the citipati is long-necked and They prefer to congregate in meadows and fields and
sports a respectable long, bony tail. Nine feet long enjoy warm climates. These plantlike beings are of
and better, it is more heavily muscled than ostriches animal-like intelligence and carnivorous. When prey
or even axebeaks; its head is large-eyed and roundly gets within ten feet, a deathbloom releases a large
compact, with a deep beak like that of a parrot and cloud of red spores. When inhaled, these spores cause
two strange, conical teeth in the centre-line of its drowsiness and, after two rounds, deep sleep. Un-
upper jaw. A citipati's wings are much too short to fly less the prey makes a successful Endurance check, it
or even flutter, but the limbs bear three long, strong cannot be woken except by magical means. The sleep
and supple fingers tipped with large curved claws and effect lasts for 1d4 + 2 rounds. When the deathbloom
full feathering used for display. Many citipati develop is satisfied that it is safe to do so, it will latch onto its
a tall, narrow crest along the midline of their skulls sleeping prey with its leg-roots and devour it, dealing
which is sheathed in horn like their beak. Preferring 1d4 damage per round until the prey dies. This dam-
dry grasslands and near-desert environments, its thick age ignores nonmagical armor. Removing an attached
coat of feathers tend towards dappled dusty shades, deathbloom requires a Physical Strength check.
with the males bearing markings in rust and metallic
red along their cheeks and throughout the feathers of The deathbloom's spore attack can only be done
their wings. twice a day and must occur several hours apart. If one
of these deadly creatures is separated from its pack-
In combat a citipati lashes out with its large claws mates or is mortally wounded, it will keen loudly. The
and chopping beak, inflicting 1d8 and 1d6 hit points sound is similar to that of a dying rabbit's scream and
of damage respectively. Given enough maneuvering can be heard up to a mile away. Other deathblooms
room it may also charge or trample, inflicting double are drawn to this scream.
damage from the claws on its feet and a few stray

84 CHAPTER 7: MONSTERS & CHALLENGES

Demon, Lesser Greater demons vary greatly in size and shape, gen-
HP: 3d8 x 10 erally taking whatever form they please. They can
Num: 1-4 shape shift into perfect human form, and will do so
Spd: 10 (15 flying) frequently when approaching civilization. They will
Dmg: 3d4 wear any type of clothing, and will disguise them-
Def: 15 selves as anything that will allow them to work greater
Soak: 10 evil. Also, they can assume not just human forms – as
CL: 9 long as their transformed state is smaller than their
true state, they can become any living creature - even
Lesser demons are generally humanoid in appearance. something as innocuous as a kitten.
They have red or black skin, glowing red eyes, goat-
like horns, and huge bat-like wings. They also have a Greater demons share the bloodlust of their lesser
long, reptilian tail. Their hands end not in fingertips, counterparts, but they are far more cunning. Rather
but 3-inch talons. They can also shapeshift into nearly than simply destroying a town and its inhabitants, they
perfect human form, except for the fact that their will set up circumstances in which the town’s destruc-
eyes still glow red. They wear minimal clothing most tion could be considered natural, or part of a war;
of the time, except when in human form, when they anything but a demon attack. They are also fond of
wear whatever they want. stirring up wars, and one or two are always in Jur’gaan
Lesser demons are pure evil. They delight in the trying to incite more inter-clan wars.
torture of others, and will kill anything at a moment’s Twice a day a greater demon can teleport up to 10
notice – including other demons. In general, they trav- kilometers away. This is usually a last-ditch escape
el alone and in human form, preferring to wait until technique. Greater demons, like lesser demons, are
they are in the middle of a town at night to shape- blood mages. Also like lesser demons, they can only
shift into their true form and slaughter the populace. tap the deaths of others for energy. Once per day a
They aren’t very smart, but their physical strength greater demon can summon 1d4 lesser demons. The
combined with their command of blood magic makes summoned demons will follow every command the
them very deadly opponents. greater demon gives them, and will stay in this world
for half a day before returning to the underworld.
Once per combat a lesser demon can Stun one target
by looking at it. This lasts for 2 rounds. A character Drake
may attempt a Willpower check versus a difficulty of HP: 3d4 x 5
20 to avoid this attack's effects. Lesser demons are Num: 1-4
blood mages. They cast spells, but they ONLY use Spd: 8
blood magic – they cannot tap leylines or nodes. A Dmg: 2d6
lesser demon's strength is such that it can kill by grab- Def: 5
bing a character and squeezing with one hand alone. Soak: 5
This attack deals 10d6 damage. CL: 2

Drakes are wingless, predatory reptiles. Drakes do

Demon, Greater not generally have any special abilities, but their speed
HP: 4d10 x 10 makes them deadly. They share the multiple color-
Num: 1 ations inherent to Dragons, with the most common
Spd: 5 being earth tones. They are two-legged, using their
Dmg: 3d12 forearms primarily for scratching things. Some have a
Def: 20 ridge of spines running from their forehead to the tip
Soak: 10 of their tail, and a rare few have two tails.
CL: 15
Drakes usually group in small flocks of 1-4, and are

CHAPTER 7: MONSTERS & CHALLENGES 85

predatory in nature. However, they can be tamed, and Def: 7
are sometimes kept as pets, mounts, or work animals Soak: 0
by more intelligent creatures. Drakes make popular CL: 3
mounts among mercenary groups and bandits, who
like the attention they get for owning such a creature. Swarm and singular creature at the same time, em-
They will only attack if they are attacked first or are berwings resemble a flock of butterflies of burning
exceptionally hungry, and will usually be more curious fire-coloured crystal, glowing like the embers they are
than aggressive. However, this is not the case with fire named for. Fluttering aimlessly -- or so they appear --
drakes and rock drakes, who share their dragon cous- the emberwings will «attack» anything that seems like
ins’ aggressive nature. Fire and rock drakes will attack a likely target, seeking to share their warmth. Though
for no apparent reason, and for this reason are either not inherently hostile, an emberwings can be deadly
kept as guard animals or not at all. to anything around it simply by existing.

Dreamsnake The razor-sharp, burning blades of the swarm's

HP: 1d4 wings inflict 1d8 hit points of damage per attack, as
Num: 1-2 the emberwings swarm engulfs a body. Every three
Spd: 3 rounds, once agitated, it may focus a blast of glitter-
Dmg: 1d4 ing flame through the wings of its swarm, creating a
Def: 2 bolt of flame that extends for 20' and inflicts 2d6 hit
Soak: 0 points of damage. Should it be attacked with cold, an
CL: 1 emberwings will counter with a pyretic burst, inflict-
These small serpents are exceedingly slender, with ing the damage of its firebolt on all within 20' of the
wedge-shaped heads, icy-white scales tinged with emberwings -- but it may only do so once.
green, and bright red eyes. Their fangs are crystalline Emberwings are immune to fire and take only half
and razor sharp. Dreamsnakes are deceptively gentle damage from lightning. Cold causes an emberwings
and slow to obviously attack; they feed on mental double damage, as do bludgeoning weapons.
energy, not flesh and blood.
Guldurge
A dreamsnake's first attack will always be to HP: 3d6
dreamthief instead of using its poisonous bite (said Num: 1-6
venom causing a -4 penalty to Int and Dex for three Spd: 2d4
hours); this «attack» requires only physical contact. Dmg: 2d6
If a Willpower check is failed, the dreamsnake spirits Def: 5
away one significant memory or dream (DM's discre- Soak: 0
tion) and the victim is stunned, unable to act, for one CL: 2
round. The dreamsnake will generally take that round
to try to escape. Guldurges look like large, muscular humans. Their
skin is a dull brown, their eyes are solid white, and
Twelve hours are required for a dreamsnake to «di- they are always bald. Most often they will wear cloth-
gest» stolen mental energies. If its jewel-like brain is ing made of the hides of Driasha or other Changed
consumed by its victim or victims before that span of Ones, and will often wear necklaces made of Changed
time, the memories may be regained. One claws.

Emberwings Guldurges have an unusual hatred of Changed Ones

HP: 3d8 and will attack them on sight. Many of them are sa-
Num: 1 distic, taking pleasure in the torture and killing of the
Spd: fly 10 magic-born races. They will treat humans with suspi-
Dmg: 1d8 cion, but won’t always attack them unless they are in

86 CHAPTER 7: MONSTERS & CHALLENGES

the company of Changed Ones. The Guldurge can strange little creatures seemingly composed entirely
spend 3 Actions to make 1d10 vines grow simultane- of stiff opalescent jelly. To the average individual a
ously from their flesh to do their bidding. These vines heqren is little threat, and a flight troublesome but
can attack independently of each other, so count avoidable -- but to a spellcaster, or any who make use
them as separate creatures. They can hit for 1d6 dam- of magic, the jelly mantas are a miserable bane.
age and have a speed of 10. Killing or knocking the
Guldurge unconscious will make the vines retract into Heqren attack by colliding with a target. This at-
the body. Each vine has 5 HP. This can only be done tack inflicts a single hit point of damage; however,
once per combat. this is not the major source of «damage». A heqren
will drain magic from the victim's possession with
every successful attack: a charged magical item loses
Gurunil a charge, temporary items are drained altogether, a
HP: 2d4 permanent item becomes nullified for one hour, or
Num: 2-12 spellcasters lose the ability to tap for two rounds. If
Spd: 4 multiple options present themselves in a single target,
Dmg: 1d4 heqren prioritize in the above order.
Def: 2
Soak: 0 If a heqren absorbs magic a number of times equal
CL: 1 to its hit points, it promptly fissions into two identi-
cal heqren. Heqren are effectively immune to magic.
Gurunil are short, thin, and foul-smelling. They have They take double damage from fire.
smooth, pale red skin and very long, pointed ears.
Their faces are heavily contoured, with large, pointy Hidden One
noses and an equally sharp chin. Their eyes have HP: 1d4
yellow “whites” and red irises. Very often they are Num: 3-12
dressed in rags that have been sewn together from Spd: 7 (dig 4)
scraps taken from victims. Dmg: 1d4
Def: 3
Gurunil, like bandits, like to steal things, but they en- Soak: 4
joying killing even more. They won’t miss an oppor- CL: 1
tunity to attack helpless towns and villages. Gurunil
are very cowardly, and won’t attack armed groups Hunched and thin, hidden ones are subterranean,
larger than they are. They are usually found in bands nocturnal humanoids perpetually concealed by layered
of 2-12, with one leader who has an additional 5 HP. wrappings of ragged cloth and leather. Their faces are
Killing the leader often makes the rest retreat. masked, and no flesh is exposed save for their long,
metal-dense claws. Hidden ones fight with their claws
Heqren in combat, or else use stolen weapons that are often
HP: 2d10 poisoned.
Num: 2-20
Spd: 3 For every ten hidden ones in a pack, there is one
Dmg: 1d4 sub-chief with twice the hit points, and a tribe is lead
Def: 2 by a shaman of four times the hit points who has the
Soak: 0 spell-casting ability of a third-level mage.
CL: 1
Should the wrappings be stripped from a hidden one,
Gelatinous and almost transparent, heqren resemble it will be discovered that roughly half are emaciated
small flying manta rays. Measuring little more than and bestial, half stunningly beautiful.
a foot across the breadth of their wings, they are

CHAPTER 7: MONSTERS & CHALLENGES 87

Kharui insects are seldom encountered in flights of less than
HP: 4d8 three or four, and swarms of two dozen or more are
Num: 1-4 not unknown. A swarm will concentrate on a single
Spd: 4 target at a time before moving on to the next, even if
Dmg: 1d8 more than one potential prey has become insensible.
Def: 10
Soak: 10 Lurru prefer to immobilize their prey via their mes-
CL: 6 merizing displays before moving in to dine. The
shimmering carapace and wings of a lurru disorient
Quadrupedal, reptilian predators, kharui have long, and confuse those who see them; a successful Will-
low builds like that of a hunting cat, whip-like tails power check is required, else the victim is entranced
and long necks. Their heads are adorned with low by the displays of colour and stands in place, unable
crests of hornlets and a long, curved and surpris- to act for 2d4 rounds. Once they have alighted onto a
ingly delicate ivory beak, their bodies covered with confused or immobile victim, they begin to feed until
fine golden-green scales -- but their most distinctive sated, killed or pried off, inflicting one hit point of
feature would be the four long, thin tentacles that damage per round in which they are attached.
sprout from their shoulders. Each tentacle is tipped
with a wickedly curved, crystalline talon, hollow like a Though they do not possess treaure in the normal
syringe. sense, lurru are themselves somewhat valuable. Their
gleaming carapaces may be sold for 1d4 gold each;
In combat a kharui will use its claws if pressed or and two lurru -- if reasonably intact -- will feed an
overwhelmed, inflicting 1d6 hit points of damage. adult for a day. Lurru taste rather like custard, with an
However, its primary weapons -- and primary source earthy, cinnamon-like bite.
of sustenance -- are its claw-tipped tentacles, each one
of which strikes for 1d8 hit points of damage. If a Macal
tentacle causes more than 4 hit points of damage with HP: 2d8
a single strike the claw has imbedded and remains at- Num: 1-6
tached, draining blood and causing the victim to lose Spd: fly 8
1 point of Endurance every two rounds. Tentacles Dmg: 1d6
can be severed, which ends the blood drain, and lost Def: 4
Endurance can be regained with a day of rest per Soak: 4
point lost. CL: 3

Lurru Macal are flying predators, creatures best described as

HP: 1d6 three-feet-long teardrops of rubbery, leathery rusty
Num: 4-40 tan flesh. Their flanks are lined with broad flap-
Spd: 3 (fly 5) like rays which they ripple in unison, ray-like, to fly
Dmg: 1 (see below) silently; their tails are tipped with a fan of flukes, their
Def: 5 heads blunt and bearing huge blue-black, faceted eyes.
Soak: 0 The mouth of a macal is on the underside of its head,
CL: 1/2 a ring of bony plates lined with fangs that constricts
and shreds; and flaking the mouth are long curved
Lurru are locust-like creatures, four to six inches in and jointed armoured claws lined with long bony
length, of a distinctive iridescent golden-green. Their barbs for seizing and rending flesh before delivering
wings are filmy and opalescent, and their eyes are a it to the mouth. Macal can hover, and are completely
bright gold. Lurru have sharp, precise nipping mandi- silent.
bles and curved hooks tipping their feet which enable
them to cling to their chosen prey more readily. These A macal attacks with its grasping claws, tearing flesh

88 CHAPTER 7: MONSTERS & CHALLENGES

away and inflicting 1d6 hit points of damage per of dagged, lily-like petals, up to twice their arms-
strike. If both claws successfully attack, the macal will pan, that extend from their shoulders and spine and
do one of two things; either it will attach its mouth may be of any colour. Two of these petals are highly
to the target, clinging with claws, and inflict 1d4 hit modified, and may be used like thorn-tipped whips.
points per round automatically, or it will begin to Unlike many plant and nature spirits, paradscha are
bend and flex the grasped portion of the target in highly social creatures and take great delight in slip-
an attempt to shred or shatter it to gain access to its ping amongst humanity in order to subtly tweak and
internals. This breaking attempt succeeds on a 2-in- influence it.
6 chance, and will inflict cause a humanoid target to
lose 1 point of Endurance until healed. A paradscha may attack with their calyx lashes, inflict-
ing 1-4 hit points of damage per strike, or may attack
Mooncoil with a weapon. Three times a day, a paradscha may
HP: 1d4 release a burst of fine pollen and perfume that acts
Num: 1-4 as a sleep spell. Paradscha take two hit points damage
Spd: 5 less, per die, from any source of elemental damage;
Dmg: 1d4 and, when threatened, may curl their calyx around
Def: 12 themselves to increase their Defense and Soak by 5. A
Soak: 0 paradscha so infurled may not move or attack. Some
CL: 2 paradscha develop clerical spellcasting ability.

A strange little creature, a mooncoil resembles a grey- Pyravi

scaled snake roughly 2' long. Snail-like, it possesses a HP: 1d4
pearly coiled shell the size of a man's two fists pressed Num: 1-6
together; it will hide in its shell when threatened by Spd: fly 4
anything larger than a small cat, but if disturbed will Dmg: 1d4
retaliate. Mooncoils drain blood from their prey. Def: 7
Soak: 0
A mooncoil's bite inflicts only 1d4 hit points of dam- CL: 1
age, with a poison that causes unconsciousness for
an hour. However, twice a day it may cast a silvery Pyravis are white-feathered birds with brightly co-
energy bolt that causes 4d6 damage and knocks down loured beaks, feet and eyes that greatly resembly
the target. sleekly round ravens. More intelligent than most birds,
they travel in small groups -- rarely larger flocks -- and
Paradscha may infest buildings or dungeons looking for food or
HP: 2d10 objects that attract their curiosity.
Num: 1-4
Spd: 5 If feeling threatened or trying to attack a likely (and
Dmg: 1d4 still-moving) meal, a pyravi will dive at it, suddenly
Def: 10 sheathed in flickering multicoloured flames that cause
Soak: 5 1d4 points of damage on contact. The pyravi will
CL: 2 continue to attack so long as it is not in immediately
obvious danger.
Fey plant-spirits distantly related to dryads, paradscha
resemble humans with deep green eyes and thick,
shaggy hair often tinted with red or rose. Their true
nature is readily revealed when injury causes them to
bleed a golden-red sap instead of blood, or when they
extend and unfurl their calyx -- a mandala-like rosette

CHAPTER 7: MONSTERS & CHALLENGES 89

Plains Cat vicious bites, which inflict 1d8 hit points of damage.
HP: 3d10 + 10 If pressed they bring their claws into play, for 1d6 hit
Num: 1-2 points of damage per successful strike.
Spd: 9
Dmg: 3d6 Rapek
Def: 8 HP: 1d6
Soak: 0 Num: 2-16
CL: 4 Spd: 3
Dmg: 1d4
Plains Cats are huge feline predators that resemble Def: 6
mountain lions. They typically have two tails, and are Soak: 5
most often tan or brown in color. However, there are CL: 2
some rare ones that have pure white coats.
Gnarled and savage humanoids, rapeks are short and
Plains Cats will sometimes travel in pairs, but usually scrawny with calloused, roughened flesh and narrow
they are solitary hunters. Usually they will shy away tusks jutting from their low-slung jaws. More disturb-
from large groups of people, but will attack anything ing are the uncountable bone hooks, dense as steel
if they are hungry enough. These creatures can run and needle-sharp, that cover their bodies. Rapeks
at speeds of up to 120 kilometers per hour for brief travel in swarms, attacking anything that looks like
periods of time. This speed can only be sustained for a suitable victim for robbery or eating. They strike
8 rounds or 5 minutes before the Cat must slow down with their barbed hands for 1d4 hit points per fist. A
to normal speed. After a run of this type, the Plains victim struck by both fists is caught by the hooks and
Cat must rest for a period of an hour before being is automatically damaged each round until freed by a
able to use this ability again. successful Physical Strength check.

P'rarr A tribe of rapeks is led by a female chieftain of twice

HP: 3d6 the hit points and more plate-like barbs for Soak
Num: 2-8 Points of 8. The chieftain is served by attendants
Spd: 4 of mutated stock with an additional 3 hit points and
Dmg: 1d8 bearing long spurs of bone on their forearms that
Def: 8 cause 1d6 hit points of damage.
Soak: 8
CL: 3
Sandman
Densely-muscled reptilians nearly as tall as ogres, HP: 4d6
p'rarr are black-scaled with hints of blue, with four- Num: 1
horned, maned heads atop long powerful necks; Spd: 10
heavy claws tip their fingers and toes, and a p'rarr may Dmg: 1d4
drop into a quadrupedal gait for greater speed when Def: 6
needed. Their muzzles are filled with sharp fangs, and Soak: 25
their eyes are orange or gold. Ruthless and militaristic, CL: 12
p'rarr are conquerers and legalists, firmly believing in
a warrior's right to seize and hold all in an iron grip. There are few things are terrifying as the dream-eating
They are intolerant of most “weaker” races, but will Sandmen. These inhuman forces are partially an-
show respect to an overwhelmingly superior force. chored in the dream world and partially in the mate-
rial world. They are particularly fond of preying on
Most p'rarr fight with weapons -- elaborate polearms the strong of body but weak of mind, and delight in
and spears are preferred, as are sabres -- and their torturing their victims to death. The longer their vic-

90 CHAPTER 7: MONSTERS & CHALLENGES

tims last, the more nourishment they derive from it. and teeth; its claws inflict 1d6 hit points of damage,
A Sandman appears in the material world as a thin fig- its bite 1d10 points. If truly enraged a sirrush will
ure in a tattered cloak or robe of indiscernible color. ignite in a nimbus of ruby-red flames, causing 2d4
Many wear wide-brimmed hats or hoods. Looking at hit points of damage upon contact with the fires and
one for too long can cause madness, for they are not melting non-magical weapons that are used in combat
fully within one world or the other. A Sandman is against it. Sirrush are immune to damage from fire.
constantly shifting phase. He appears to flicker, and
anyone trying to spot him must make an Awareness Verdant Mantid
check of 15 or higher. HP: 3d8
Num: 1-6
A Sandman can attack either in the dream world or Spd: 5
the material world, depending on where and when he Dmg: 1d4 + 1
encounters his victim. If his victim is awake, he will Def: 12
try to make him sleep by any means available. A Sand- Soak: 3
man’s favored method of doing this is to meet the CL: 2
gaze of his victim, who must then make a Willpower
check of 20 or higher or fall asleep instantly. Nearly three feet long and sheathed in glittering
emerald chitin as dense as crystal and sharp as glass,
If a Sandman encounters a sleeping person, he will verdant mantids are dangerous and patient predators
torture them with real and imagined pain for as long of anything they set their azure-tinted eyes on. More
as possible. This will deal 1 damage per round to the disturbing is their increased intelligence; verdant man-
physical body until the victim makes a Willpower tids are perfectly capable of working in small packs
check of 25 or higher in order to wake up. If the for greater gain, and they may be trained if acquired
Sandman is in a hurry, he can choose to deal 2d8 fresh from the egg-case.
damage per round instead.
A verdant mantid attacks with the two spined, razor-
If a Sandman kills a victim in their dreams, their body sharp “switchblades” of its forearms, inflicting 1d4 +
displays any effects of the dream-torture after death. 1 hit points of damage with each successful strike. If
both attacks succeed, the mantid holds on and begins
Sirrush to chew through its prey, automatically inflicting 2 hit
HP: 6d6 points of damage per round.
Num: 1
Spd: 7 Vikor
Dmg: 1d10 HP: 3d6
Def: 20 Num: 2-8
Soak: 10 Spd: fly 7
CL: 6 Dmg: 1d4
Def: 15
Covered in scales of copper and bronze, a sirrush has Soak: 0
the shape of an unnaturally large deer or antelope, the CL: 5
forepaws of a lion and hindfeet like those of a huge
bird of prey. Its head, reptilian and bearing a pair Vikor are giant, monstrous bats with six-foot wing-
of coiled horns, rests atop a long and slender neck; spans. Their skin is a dusty black, their coat rusty
its whiplike tail coils and uncoils along its haunches. brown, and along the dorsal sides of their wingbones
Sirrush lair in desolate, abandoned temples and other and down their spines run row after row of shining
such ruins. green and violet scales.

A ferocious combatant, a sirrush attacks with claws Though a vikor may bite for 1d4 hit points of damage

CHAPTER 7: MONSTERS & CHALLENGES 91

in combat, it prefers to first spit acid at a target with a Solving and Disarming
range of 50'; dissolving flesh, this acid inflicts 1d8 hit
points of damage in the first round and and then 1d4 Any trap, riddle, or puzzle that the players have
hit points for two additional rounds. Vikor may spit encountered is going to give them a challenge. If it
acid twice a day. doesn’t, then it’s not doing its job. There are several
ways to accomplish this.

Puzzles, Riddles, and For traps, physical Attribute checks are frequently
employed. Puzzles that require application of physical
Traps strength, dexterity, or similar will also incur Attribute
checks. However, riddles and the majority of puzzles
These specific types of challenges provide non- will also necessitate player ingenuity. When it comes
combat tasks for the characters to solve. All can have to this, GMs must be familiar with their players’
negative consequences if solved incorrectly, and some strengths and weaknesses when it comes to challenges
have negative consequences if they are not discovered of this type. Any challenge must be either surmount-
in time for the PCs to pass safely. The true nature able or avoidable, otherwise it becomes little more
of some these challenges may not be known until than another wall to irritate and frustrate players.
later on; there may not be an immediate answer as to
whether the puzzle was correctly solved. With that in mind, most adventures should have a mix
of about 1 trap for every 3 combat encounters, and 1
puzzle or riddle for every 5 combat encounters. Keep
Detection in mind, also, that combat can be just as intellectu-
ally challenging as logic puzzles if presented as such
When it comes to traps, the first step towards surviv- - imagine having to fight a beast that is immune to X
ing them is to know they exist. There are several ways and Y, but if Z is triggered, that immunity disappears.
to spot traps. Anyone who is untrained in discovering
them may make an Awareness check against a diffi-
culty that the GM determines to find the trap.

Purpose
Traps, riddles, and puzzles must always have some
relevance to either the main goal of the adventure or
to the immediate problem at hand. Some are designed
to prevent access to a specific area or item. Others
are intended to test the adventurers, either to see if
they’re worthy for a particular honor or to discover
through trial their weaknesses. A few are just distrac-
tions, put in place to delay the adventurers. There are
some, too, that are created out of pure malice, with
no intent other than to destroy, maim, or drive insane.

92 CHAPTER 7: MONSTERS & CHALLENGES

 Character Sheet
the
Name Trait Race Profession

Appearance Level Talent Pools

Awareness Experience

Charisma Wealth

Dexterity

Endurance Height

Intelligence Weight

Magical Aptitude Sex Racial Talents

Physical Strength

Willpower Hit Points

Defense

Speed Soak

Initiative
Weapons
Hit Dice Spell Points

Inventory

Armor

© 2010 Silver Gryphon Games. Permission to reproduce for personal use given.
 Spells Known
Talents

© 2010 Silver Gryphon Games. Permission to reproduce for personal use given.
Index Bull’s Strength 33

C
Divine Servant 40
Drain 38
Drake 85
A Dreamsnake 86
Call Animals 23 Drums of War 29
Acidic Blast 74 Calming Nerves 24 Dual Fury 34
Acid Storm 74 Cartazon 83 Dual Wielding 50
Advancement 14 Chain Lightning 77 Dust Devil 74
Aggressive Negotiations 24 Challenge Level 82
Annihilation 38 Chaos 26 E
Appearance 5 Character Background 14
Appraise 31 Charisma 6 Earthen Might 65
Aqua Horror 79 Citipati 84 Earthen Spears 66
Arcane Blooded 21 Clarity 61 Earthen Spikes 65
Arcane Defense 27 Cloak of Command 62 Electrify 77
Arcane Destruction 19 Cloak of Fear 63 Elemental magic 56
Arcane Healing 28 Closing the Deal 24 Elf 7
Ardus’s Deafening Blast 76 Combat Healing 28 Emberwings 86
Area Restoration 28 Combat Options 48 Empathy 18
Armor 42, 64 Command Animal 23 Endurance 5
Armor Mastery 19 Conflagaration 68 Entertaining 18
Armor Use: Heavy 40 Contact 25 Entrancing Melody 29
Armor Use: Light 40 Contagion 72 Equilibrium 37
Armor Use: Medium 40 Contagion Mine 73 Etiquette 24
Ascending Angel 34 Create Flame 66 Experience Points 14
Assassin 11 Create Rampart 64 Eye of the Archer 20
Assassination 36 Creature Handling 22
Attacking 49 Crushing Star 71 F
Attacking to Kill 49 Cure Affliction 68
Attacking to Knock Down 49 Cure Disease 28 Falling Star 70
Attribute check 51 Fast Healing 32
Auizha 82 D Fate Alteration 26
Awarding Experience 82 Fighting Styles 49
Danger Sense 23 Fire Ball 67
B Darkness 62 Fire Bomb 68
Deadeye 20 Fire Nova 66
Badge of War 26 Deathbloom 84 First Strike 34
Bandit 82 Deepen Shadows 62 Flame Bolt 66
Bard 12 Defensive Tactics 27 Flame Shield 67
Basic Talent Pools 18 Delaying Action 49 Flame Spire 66
Battle Medic 12 Demon 85 Flame Wave 67
Beast Tamer 12 Demon’s Forge 67 Flash Technique 34
Biting Whirlwind Technique 19 Desert Graveyard 75 Fly 61
Blood Magic 38 Desert Sun 74 Foraging 35
Bluffing 18 Destructive Mind 25 Force 18
Bolt 76 Devastation 78 Forgery 31
Boost Magic 28 Dexterity 5 Frozen Mind 79
Bribe 31 Disarm Traps 31

INDEX 95
G I Magic Use check 55
Mass Invisibility 61
Geographic Sense 40 Ice Chains 79 Master’s Stealth 60
Going on the Defensive 49 Ice Spines 79 Medium Armor 42
Grasping Hand 75 Illusion Performance 28 Melee Mastery 19
Greater 85 Illusory Allies 30 Mend 68
Greater Mend 68 Implode 60 Merchant 13
Great Flexibility 40 Incognito 31 Meteor Shower 71
Great Memory 30 Infallible Direction 40 Meteor Storm 71
Greve’s Hammer 75 Infiltration 36 Mind Over Matter 22
Guiding Expertise 30 Initiative 48 Minor Arcane Knowledge 20
Guldurge 86 Instant Fortress 65 Minor Elemental Knowledge 20
Gurunil 87 Intelligence 5 Mirror Spirit 21
Intensive Training 40 Mis-Casting 55
H Intimidating Presence 30 Monster Knowledge 35
Iron Hand Technique 19 Mooncoil 89
Hammer of the Heavens 71 Mounted Archery 30
Hardened Flesh 32 J Mounted Combat 30, 50
Hard Head 33 Movement 50
Hard Training 22 Jousting 30 Mundane Healing 28
Harmonic Spirit 40 Juggling 21 Mystic 19
Hasty Exit 24 Mystic Balance 37
Hawk’s Eye Technique 19 K
Hawk’s Spiral 20 N
Heal Animal 23 Kharui 88
Healing Arts 28 Natural Armor 33
Healing Awareness 28 L Navigation 36
Healing Touch 20 Nine Blades 39
Heal Plants 28 Language Mastery 40 Nova Meteor 71
Heartbreaker 20 Leadership 18 Noxious Cloud 73
Heaven’s Fist 70 Learning Spells 57
Heaven’s Fury 22 Lesser 85 O
Heavy Armor 43 Lifeline 70
Heirophant 12 Life Magic 56 Open-Ended Dice 48
Heqren 87 Light Armor 42
Hidden Motive 21 Light of Healing 69 P
Hidden One 87 Light Weapons 42
High Ground 30 Lock-picking 21 Paladin 13
High Social Standing 40 Lurru 88 Paradscha 89
Hold Creature 64 Perpetual Assault 26
Horrific Persona 26 M Physical Strength 5
Human 6 Pick Pockets 31
Hunter’s Aim 36 Maddening Taunt 32 Plague Darts 72
Hunter’s Disguise 36 Mageborn 40 Plague Seed 73
Hunter’s Sight 22 Magical Aptitude 6 Poison Bomb 72
Hunting 35 Magical Impediment 27 Poison Immunity 37
Magical Shielding 26 Poison Storm 73
Magical Transportation 20 P’rarr 90

96 INDEX
Primal Insight 23 Shield of Life 69 U
profession 11 Shields 43
Public Oration 18 Shooting Star 70 Umbrae Blast 63
Puzzles 92 Silence 62 Unholy Minion 38
Pyravi 89 Silent Kill 36 Unstoppable Rush 33
Single Weapon and Shield 50 Unyielding 32
Q Siren Song 29
Sky Fury 77 V
Quickfooted 21 Snap Shot 36
Social Strategy 24 Vacuum Mine 60
R Soldier 13 Vampiric Essence 38
Songwriting 29 Verdant Mantid 91
Races 6 sources of energy 54 Vikor 91
Rain of Ice 79 Spell Points 54
Rain of Stones 70 Spells Known 57 W
Ranged 20 Stone Skin Technique 19
Ranged Attacks 50 Storm 76 Warlock 14
Ranger 13 Storm Spire 77 Water Breathing 78
Rapek 90 Strike of the Heavens 71 Weapon Use: Heavy 40
reflex attack 50 Suffocation 61 Weapon Use: Light 40
Regenerate 69 Sunder 64 Weapon Use: Medium 40
Rending Strike 39 Swimming 40 White Vortex 78
Resisting Spells 58 Willpower 5
Resting 51 T Wrath of Eternity 39
Restoration 69 Writhing Darkness 63
Resurrection 70 Tame Animal 22
Riddles 92 Tap Energy 19
Riding Charge 30 Tapping 54
Root 64 Templar 14
Ruin 38 Thievery 30
Running 40 Three Words 4
Rushing Sword Dance 34 Thunderfist 77
Tidal Blast 78
S Torrent of Sand 76
Total Decay 37
Sabulous Wave 76 Total Restoration 37
Sandman 90 Total Weapon Mastery 39
Sand Shield 75 To the Deep 79
Sand Whip 75 Trait 4
Sapping Mist 78 Transcendence 22
Searing Blindness 63 Transportation 46
Seduction 18 Trick Shot 20
Shadow Bolts 63 Turn Flesh to Stone 65
Shadow’s Embrace 63 Two-Handed Weapons 50
Shadow’s Stealth 21 Tyra’s Requiem 29
Shatter 26
Shatterpoint 21
Shield 60

INDEX 97