“BEAN! The D2 Role-Playing Game, Second Edition” by J. Freels Version 2.2, May 2011
“BEAN! The D2 Role-Playing Game, Second Edition” by J. Freels Version 2.2, May 2011
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS A lot of people were very generous with their encouragement, and brilliant ideas while I was working on the BEAN! game. Without them this game would not have been possible. For all your great work and enthusiasm for my game, Thanks to: Raquel Salinas for listening to my mad ramblings, contributing editorial ideas, production logistics, and all manner of really reall y vital stuff Mark Aaron Young Babbitt for bringing me into the world of FRPGs way back when John Stout , for his original musings on the possibility of a game played with beans Ken St. Andre, who created the Tunnels & Trolls RPG and the abstract combat system upon which that of BEAN! is based, your words of encouragement are always appreciated by this fledgling game designer. Thanks, my friend! Paul (The Mystic Fool) Ingrassia , of TROLL HAMMER PRESS http://trollhammerpress.blogspot.com/) for invaluable contributions, and vision ( http://trollhammerpress.blogspot.com/) for just what this silly game might evolve into Andy James, editorial musings and marketing schemes Paul Haynie for his statistical wizardry, and insightful editorial comments Robert S. Lotze for his wacky visions of Beanworld politics, and editorial work Sid Orpin, editing and insights Jason Mills , editing and numbers running Mike Holcomb, writer of BEAN of BEAN Adventures Adventures
And to the playtesters who have braved the world of BEAN! as it develops: Raquel Salinas, Nick Stender, Alyssa Stender, Paul, Tina, and Paulie Ingrassia; M. E. Volmar & The DR Crew
“BEAN! The d2 Role-Playing Game” is © J. Freels, 2010, all rights reserved. Unauthorized reproduction and distribution of this material is forbidden without author’s express written consent. consent. Reproduction of Character Cards is allowed allowed and encouraged! The Fabled Worlds Worlds Role-Playing Game System is © 2008, J. Freels. Combat mechanics adapted from Ken St. Andre's works. Be sure to visit www.JeffWerx.com to see what else JeffWerx is crankin’ out!
TABLE OF CONTENTS CON TENTS
Introduction Introduction Character Creation Creation Game Mechanics Wizards & Magic Magic Spell Lists Appendix 1: Money & Equipment Appendix 2: Bestiary Appendix 3: Magical Artifacts Appendix 4: “River Crossing” , Solo Adventure Adventure Appendix 5: “The Wizar Wizard’ d’ss Cauldron” Cauldron” GM Adventure Character Sheets
4 5 7 15 17 26 28 34 36 40 42
How This Came To Be One day John Stout wrote on Trollhalla.com about his idea that there should be a quick and easy game that could be played discreetly, for example while one is on the job “working”. Being employed at a restaurant he thought that using beans might be a good alternative for dice. After all, if your employer sees you tossin’ dice in a corner you’ll likely be fired right away, but if you’re tossing a few beans around…well, you’ll probably still get sacked… It seemed to me that the idea of a rules-lite role-playing game system based on beans was really a question of creating a d2 ( 2 sided dice) gaming system. It occurred to me that one solution might be to adapt my Fabled Worlds RPG System to this task. Here’s my take on a d2 game system…with beans! Beans are used here as an alternative to dice, but really any objects that will always land with one of two sides up will work. You could use coins, poker chips, buttons, your favorite I-Ching tokens, or anything else that strikes your fancy, but beans are plentiful, easy to work with, and I think the idea of tossing beans around is kind of funny, and that’s certainly reason enough to do most of the things we do. It’s only required that you be able to easily distinguish the two sides from each other, and this can be done easily enough by simply marking a “1” and “0“ on either side of each bean you use. If you use something other than beans you’ll just need to remember which is your 1 and which is your 0 side so that the rules make sense. Any standard dice could be used by simply using the conventional “High or Low” or “Odds or Evens” rule. It’s also not an absolute necessity to describe your game in terms of beans. The rules work whether you're playing traditional Fantasy characters, Furry Anthropormorphs, Magic Granola Farmers, or whatever else floats your gaming boat. Remember that RPGs are above all else about creativity and fun!
-The Podre
CHARACTER CREATION All Characters whether Player Characters (PCs) or NonPlayer Characters (NPCs) use the same rules of creation. Characters are defined by their Archetypes, three basic Attributes, and Skills.
ROLE-PLAYING GAMES
ARCHETYPES
Role-Playing Games (RPGs) are mostly about storytelling. The Players create the main characters of the story, which are aptly enough called the Player Characters (PCs), and one person acts as the main storyteller and rules referee, called The Game Master (GM). The GM describes what the PCs experience, and plays the parts of the Non-Player Characters (NPCs) in the story.
An Archetype is the basic idiom that defines what drives a Character. Basically it’s what they do for a living. The three Archetypes for this fantasy setting are: Warrior, Rogue, and Wizard. Each Archetype has its specialties. Warriors are skilled in the art of war. They are tough and are good at hitting things. They know about a whole lot of different weapons, strategy, intimidation tactics, and outdoor survival (trapping and foraging, shelter building, tracking, etc.). Warriors are robust and well trained and are therefore suited to wearing heavier armor that hinders the other Archetypes.
When there is some doubt as to how a situation might unfold, RPGs use some form of random determination to resolve the action. The odds of success or failure are based on a sliding scale that considers Characters’ skills, equipment, special preparation, etc. Most RPGs use some kind of dice for this. This game uses beans.
Rogues are clever and get into or out of trouble with a bit of fast-talking & scheming. Rogues are skilled in the art of stealth (moving silently, hiding in shadows, listening), climbing walls, locating/ disarming traps, gambling, forgery, etc. They need to be light and unencumbered and thus prefer leather armor and daggers to heavier armor and swords.
This book will take you through all the steps of creating the Characters, and will explain how the game mechanics work. If it sounds like a big task, don’t worry cos this stuff is pretty easy to pick up once you give it a try. There are lots of examples of how to do things as you read along, and there are adventures included for you to try out the game too.
Wizards are wise and studious and know how to harness the mystic forces of nature to cast magic spells. Because they read a lot about subjects most people don’t even know exist, they are the ones to go to when strange things occur.
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They know a lot about history, different cultures, general science and mechanical principals, navigation, nutrition, and such. They usually have good instincts on things of a mystical nature, but are sometimes too “out there” for regular folks. Heavy armor makes it difficult to cast spells and few will carry heavy weapons for the same reason.
Warriors, Rogues, and Wizards get an extra bean in their Primary Bean Pool. For Warriors this is Body, Rogues get their extra bean in Mind, and Wizards in Spirit. If any of the Bean Pools is reduced to zero then they don’t have the beans to deal with any kind of challenge for that Attribute! If the Body Attribute is reduced to zero beans the Character is unconscious, and at minus three beans they are dead!
ATTRIBUTES Attributes describe the basic building blocks of a Character. This game uses three Attributes: Body, Mind, and Spirit.
HEALTH POINTS (HPs)
The Body Attribute is a measure of physical strength, endurance, dexterity, and overall health.
Health Points are the measure of a Character’s Health. Character’s maximum HPs (when they are uninjured) are equal to the number of beans in their Body Attribute. Whenever a Character sustains physical damage it is subtracted from their current Health Point total. At zero HPs a Character falls unconscious, and at -3 HPs that Character is stone cold dead!
The Mind Attribute shows how intelligent a Character is and determines how quickly they can pick up new ideas, remember things, notice crucial details, and figure things out.
EQUIPPING THE CHARACTER CHARACTER
The Spirit Attribute is a measure of more intangible things like a person’s inner fortitude and resolve, charisma, luck, and how attuned they are to unseen forces such as those used in the craft of magic.
Even though this is a fantasy game setting, try to be reasonable and realistic about just how much gear your Characters should be able to carry. Just how many swords can a Warrior carry without tripping over themselves? Remember that the GM always has the final word on what is or isn’t reasonable.
BEAN POOLS An average Character will be created with a total of 9 beans, three beans in each Attribute’s “Bean Pool”. On their Character Sheet this looks like “Body 3”. The more beans in a Bean Pool, the better that Character is at challenges relating to that Attribute. To represent their specialized training
Characters will usually begin play with the basic gear common to their Archetype, which they have picked up during their training. Replenishing food and lost supplies as well as procuring specialized gear must be dealt with during the game session.
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GAME MECHANICS,
require a higher score than the number of beans in the PC’s Bean Pool, but with the Add-A-Bean Rule/Infinity Option (see below) they might still have a chance!
or
The BASIC BEAN COUNTING SYSTEM
FUMBLES and SUPER DUPERS
If the success or failure of an action in the story is not clear then the Players and/or GM must "Roll For It". There are three ways to do this: Contests, Challenges, and Combat.
Sometimes the most heroic Characters will fumble, and the most unlikely Characters will triumph when faced with overwhelming odds to perform some kind of super duper feat. This kind of thing makes life and gaming more interesting; here's how it works in this game:
CONTESTS A Contest pits Characters against each other. The GM will announce a contest by saying something like, “Roll For Body”, or “RollMind”. The contestants will Roll their Bean Pools for the Attribute, and add up all the 1’s. The highest score wins the contest. If both contestants tie, each adds an extra bean to their roll until the tie is broken thus declaring the winner.
Fumbles: If a Player spills the beans and rolls all 0's, then whatever they were attempting to do is an Automatic Failure, a Fumble. Maybe the sun was in their eyes, their equipment slipped, perhaps the opponent was just really lucky, it's up to the GM to be creative in describing what happened.
CHALLENGES
Super Duper Success: Success If the Player seems to have magic beans and rolls all 1’s, they earn an extra bean, This is called the Add-A-Bean Rule, or the Infinity Option. If this bean turns up 1 they may continue adding an extra bean until they roll a 0. With luck they might keep rolling forever and could make any required Target Number with a Super Duper success! It’s a long shot, but there’s always a chance.
Sometimes Characters must roll a Bean Pool against a particular Difficulty Rating. The GM will tell them which Attribute is being tested, as well as the target number for them to meet or beat. Difficulty challenges are written like: “RollBody3”, or “TossSpirit2”. Difficulty Rating (DR)
Score Needed
Easy
1
Moderate
2
Difficult
3
Challenging
4
Impossible
5
Some tasks will be beyond a Character's normal chances of success because they
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COMBAT
Example #1: Challenges & Contests
The kinds of combat are: Melee (hand to hand), Ranged, and Mounted.
Nilla the Rogue attempts to slip unseen through the city gate. The GM directs her to “TossMind2” to see if she can execute this plan effectively. Because she is a Rogue, she has 4 beans in her Mind Bean Pool. She tosses the beans and gets: 1, 0, 1, 1. for a score of 3. She exceeds the required score of 2 and succeeds!
BASIC COMBAT Combat is based on the Body Attribute. When two Characters fight, each rolls their Body Bean Pool, plus the beans for any weapons they are using to come up with a Combat Score. The two Combat Scores are compared and the lowest score loses. The loser subtracts as many beans from their Health Points as they lost the roll by, minus any Defense Rating (Def) they have such as from armor.
Next she wanders through the streets looking for any kind of opportunity that might present itself to a roaming Rogue. Soon she sees a small fluffy dog in a jeweled collar looking out of place and frightened. She tells the GM that she wants to catch the dog because there might be a reward for its safe return. The GM directs her to “RollBody” to see if she can catch the dog. The GM decides that the little dog really isn’t very tough, nor in the mood to put up much of a fight, so he rolls 2 beans for its Body score. Nilla scores 0, 1, 1, to the little dog’s 0, 1. Nilla has the better score in this contest and succeeds in scooping up the little beastie.
EXAMPLE #2: Basic Melee Combat It’s later in the day and Nilla has brought the little dog to the castle courtyard. She hasn’t been making very good rolls and therefore hasn’t been able to convince the Princess that she wasn’t the one who kidnapped the pooch. One of the castle guards draws his sword and lunges at Nilla, who drops the dog and draws her dagger – it’s on!
Hopefully her luck will continue when she finds out she has the Princess’ favorite pet and has to explain how she ended up with the lil’ doggy after it was kidnapped the previous night! Will they believe her?
The guard is a Warrior, and has Body4 plus 2 beans for his sword. He’s rolling 6 beans and gets 1,0,0,1,0,1 for a total Combat Score of 3. Nilla has only Body3 plus 1 bean for her dagger and she rolls 1,0,1,1, for a Combat Score of 3. This round is a tie, so no one has suffered any real damage – yet!
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COMBAT ROUNDS
while being far enough away that they can’t attack you –unless they also have ranged weapons!
A Combat Round is the amount of time it takes to do something. Taking more than a few steps, making an attack, casting an "instant" spell, all take one round. A Combat Round is generally considered to be about 2 minutes, and a Turn is about 10 minutes.
When firing some kind of projectile at an opponent you will roll your Body Bean Pool plus the beans for your weapon, but first you must figure out how many of those beans you can use! Add or subtract beans based on the applicable modifiers shown in the table below. You’ll notice that the more cover a target has, the harder it is to hit, however The Infinity Option might produce some kind
MULTIPLE FOES or GANGIN’ UP! Two or more characters may gang up on an opponent, or opponents. The mechanics for multiple foe combat is exactly the same as standard combat except that the allies add their individual Combat Scores together for one Collective Combat Score. The winner of the combat turn decides how the damage is distributed to the losers: either all to a single foe, evenly distributed to all foes, or some other combination.
TARGET IS:
MODIFIER
Surprised
+2
Dodging
-1
Partially Covered
-1
Mostly Covered
-2
Completely Covered
-3
EXAMPLE #3: Gangin’ Up! EXAMPLE #4: Ranged Combat In the courtyard, the guardsman prepares to attack Nilla again! He rolls for Body4 and +2 Sword, getting 1,1,0,1,0,1 for a total Combat Score of 4. Nilla rolls her Body3 with her +1 Dagger and gets 1,0,1,1, for a score of 3, but at the last second that little dog jumps to her defense with its Body2 and rolls a 0,1. With the dog’s extra 1, Nilla’s side has a Combat Score of 4 which ties with the Guard’s Combat Score of 4! Little dogs can be good for something after all. If the Princess decides that this is a sign of friendship, Nilla might just make it out of this alive!
Nilla has been really lucky in her battle with the well-armed guardsman so far, but he's got a scary look of determination on his face as he chops at the Rogue! The Princess suspects that Nilla may have been telling the truth about finding the royal dog, but the guard doesn't hear the command to halt. The Princess grabs a nearby goblet and hurls it at the guard's head! The GM decides that the Guard will be surprised so the Princess gets a +2! She RollsBody3 +2 and gets: 0,1,1,0,1. This is good enough for a moderate challenge, and the GM rules that the shot is successful! However, the Guardsman is armored, and the goblet isn't much of a weapon so it won't do any damage to him, but he does stop as the goblet clangs against his helmet!
RANGED COMBAT Using ranged weapons has the advantage that you may attack your opponent
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BASIC MOUNTED COMBAT
of Super-Duper Success that could still result in damage!
Mounted combatants determine their Combat Score by tossing these beans:
Ranged weapons are often too cumbersome to use at close range, but if they are used at their proper range they may be fired twice in a combat round. Preparing a crossbow to fire takes 2 rounds, but if you had two crossbows already prepared you could fire both in one round.
Mount’s Body Attribute + Mount’s Attack + Skills Bonus* + Weapon Rating. *See the Skills Section for an explanation
Damage done to a mounted combatant may be divided up between the rider and mount as determined by the winner of the Combat Round.
NONNON-LETHAL COMBAT Sometimes it’s more useful to temporarily disable an opponent than to inflict lasting damage. Players must announce at the beginning of the Combat Round that they are inflicting Stun Damage. Their Combat Score is calculated as usual, but when they win a round all damage counts as “Stun Damage”. Stun Damage lasts 1 turn per point delivered. Stunned Characters may still fight, but only deliver half damage if they win a round. Suffering Stun Damage equal to or greater than existing HPs renders that Character unconscious 1 round per point of Stun Damage.
EXAMPLE #5: Mounted vs Unmounted A Character with a spear on horseback who is fighting foes on foot calculates their Combat Score by tossing beans for the Body Attribute of their horse (it's the one doing the fancy footwork after all); plus any Attack the mount may have such as the bite/trampling damage of a warhorse; plus any Bonus for applicable skills such as Riding, Cavalry, etc; plus the Spear's Weapon Rating. The foes on foot roll their Combat Scores normally. The Combat Scores are compared and the damage is subtracted from the loser's HPs as in any other combat round.
MOUNTED & SHIPSHIP-TOTO - SHIP COMBAT Special rules apply if one or more of the combatants is riding an animal or vehicle. This game is designed primarily for Character based role-playing, but when you need to deal with the special situations of Mounted, or Ship-To-Ship Combat this is how to do it while keeping to the easy game mechanics of the BEAN system -just be prepared to toss a whole lotta beans if your vehicles are very large!
MULTIPLE MOUNTS, or: SHIPSHIP-TOTO - SHIP In Mounted versus Mounted, or Ship-toShip combat, the foes must first determine if they are close enough for combat. If each combatant wants to engage the other then distance won’t be a problem, and both will roll their Combat Scores using the Basic Mounted Combat Rule. If one is trying to evade the other, it requires a Contest of each craft’s Body (with any applicable Skills Bonus) and the winner either closes the distance, or
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maintains the distance as desired.
of well-trained mounts is often lower than one might expect. This is due to the fact that their training makes them less likely to mutiny while working.
If the distance has been closed, two things might happen next. The first is that one may attack the other while that other attempts to flee. The Attacker gets a free shot at their opponent, and will roll their Combat Score minus the target’s Def and any bonus they might have for either speed or evasive maneuvers, (but not both!) and this damage is delivered to the target. After the free shot is resolved, if one side still wants to flee it will require another Contest of Body.
Ramming and collisions require Body3 Challenge to recover control. If the roll fails then control is lost for the number of rounds the roll was lost by. Ship-to-Ship combat can become confusing very quickly, especially if ships have a crew to keep track of. Just remember to work through each Player’s turn dealing with one aspect at a time, and things will keep moving smoothly.
The other option for two foes who have just come within fighting distance is that they may attack each other. The attacks will take the form of normal Mounted Combat, or Mounted Ranged Combat, depending upon the individual circumstances.
MOUNTED RANGED ATTACKS
MOUNT
Mounted Combatants often use Ranged Weapons when attacking their foes. To resolve these situations, first determine if the combatants are within range to Attack. Use the Body Contest rules described above, and when within range simply make a Ranged Attack as usual. Remember that the target gets a bonus (usually +1 Def) for either taking evasive action, or for trying to flee, but not both.
If the mount is a living creature who suffers damage in a combat round, the rider and mount must roll a Contest of Spirit. If the rider wins then they’re still calling the shots, but if the mount wins then they’re spooked or fed up and will likely flee. The next round will require another Contest of Spirit to see if the rider can gain control again. Note that the Spirit Attribute
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Spirit
Attack
Def
HPs
Horse
5
1
2
-
1
5
Warhorse
6
1
1
2
1
6
Dinosteed
5
1
2
2
2
5
Flapposaur
4
1
2
2
1
4
VEHICLE
MOUNTED MISCELLANY MISCELLANY
Body Mind
Body
Mind Spirit
Attack
Def HPs
Chariot
5
1
2
3
2
7
Wagon
8
1
2
3
2
8
Flying Carpet
5
-
-
-
0
5
Galley
10
-
-
10
3
100
Motorcycle
6
-
-
-
2
10
Dunebuggy
7
-
-
4
2
10
Hoverbike
8
-
-
-
2
8
SKILLS
EXAMPLE #6: Ship Combat Pinto Pete’s crew is sailing around the Carob Bean Islands, and all is well until they are attacked by pirates! The pirates want to overtake the little craft, and Pete wants to outrun them. A Contest will determine who is successful. Pete has the Helmsman Skill so he will add an extra bean to his ship’s Body Attribute of 10. He rolls a total of 11 beans and gets a score of 5. The pirates have a skilled Helmsman and she rolls 10 beans for their ship plus one bean for her Skill Bonus. The pirates score 7 which beats Pete, the Pirates overtake their foe!
Archetypes are presumed to have mastered certain skills as part of their training, or from inherent abilities. Archetypes will have 1 skill per bean in their Primary Attribute, and gain another skill every time they earn another bean in that Attribute. There are no standard Skill sets for Archetypes as it’s really up to the Players to create their individual Characters, and thus Players are encouraged to create their own Skills as they see fit. Here are some sample Skills by Archetype:
Now that the ships are close enough, the crew must decide what they will do. The pirates will try to toss grappling hooks to snag Pete’s craft and pull it close enough to board. Each pirate with a grappling hook will roll for a ranged attack with a Difficulty Rating of 2.
Warrior: Armed Combat/by weapon type; Endurance; Intimidation; Jumping; Outdoor Survival; Running; Stealth; Strategy; Unarmed Combat.
Pete’s crew will do their best to cut the lines from the grappling hooks that snag onto their ship. Each crewmember will RollBody2. If Pete’s crew has more successes than the pirates they manage to keep the ships from being pulled together, but if the pirates have more successes than the ships are close enough for boarding!
Rogue: Climbing; Disguise; Fast-talking; Forgery; Gambling; Locate/Disarm Traps; Lockpicking; Pickpockets; Stealth; Streetsmarts. Wizard: Alchemy; Engineering; Folklore/ Customs; Herbalism; Magical Lore. General (not Archetypal specific) Skills: Artisan; Cooking; Dancing; Healing; Mathematics; Professional Trade; Singing.
If the ships end up entangled, the pirates will RollBody1 to successfully board Pete’s ship.
When a Character attempts to do something they are skilled at they will receive a bonus. The average bonus is to lower the Difficulty Rating by 1, or in the case of Contests an extra bean is tossed, but the GM has ultimate discretion as to what the bonus will be.
If Pete’s crew kept their ship free, then the helmsman of each ship will roll another Contest to see if Pete can outrun them this time!
Characters will be played differently de-
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pending on just who is playing them. This is what good role-playing is all about. A Warrior might be more of a martial artist who fights with hands and feet or specialized weaponry. They would receive a bonus when using these attacks, but normal Combat rules apply when using standard weapons.
"Body 3+1". In this example the player would still roll 3 beans for all Body Contests, Challenges, and Combat Scores, and if the result is not an Automatic Failure then add an extra 1 to the final score.
HEALING Characters heal with rest and medical attention, and if they’re lucky with some kind of quick and easy magical assistance! For every 60 minutes of quality rest they will regain 1 bean up to the maximum number of beans in their Body Bean Pool. Quality rest means preferably sitting down and taking it easy. If one is walking slowly and not overburdened they will regain 1 bean every 2 hours.
A Rogue might be a stealthy Burglar who sneaks around stealing things when people are asleep or absent, or more of a Brute who robs people in person and therefore relies on Intimidation, Brawling, Fast-talking, and Streetsmarts. Bonuses would apply if they were in their area of expertise, and be normal rolls otherwise.
The other Attributes are healed in the same way, unless whatever drained these Attributes is specified to be of a more permanent nature. Staying up too late studying might leave one with an effective Mind Bean Pool of 1 the next morning, but rest will revive that Character. An evil curse that reduces a Character to Mind1 needs more than rest to heal, it’ll depend on that particular curse!
EXAMPLE #7: Skills Bonus A Wizard attempts to read a scroll that has been written in a simple Wizard's code. The GM decides this is an Easy Challenge, but if the Wizard has "Wizard Codes" or a similar Skill listed on their Character Record Sheet they'll get a bonus and will probably roll just to see if they get a Fumble or not. A Rogue, Warrior, and Wizard, want to sneak across a dark courtyard and the GM decides it's a Moderate Mind Challenge. All Characters are accustomed to moving cautiously, but the Rogue is the only one with the specific Stealth Skill. The Warrior and Wizard each TossMind2, but the Rogue will TossMind1.
DEATH, or or:: THE BIG SPLATTEROO! The lives of heroes are fast-paced, and their endings are often just as quick. They might be cut down in battle, crushed while exploring, they might fall prey to powerful magics, or expire in any of a bazillion other ways. Their ending might not even be so quick and easy.
ADDS During the course of play, the GM may award extra "Adds" to a Character's Attributes to represent special training, abilities, or magical influences. These Adds are shown in the Attribute's Bean Pool. A Body Add of 1 would look like:
When a Character has been knocked unconscious they are completely at the mercy of anyone around them. With any luck, they will be left alone and will wake up later, battered and bruised but alive. If
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their foe decides to continue beating them to death, well, that’s how it goes sometimes! May your next Character have a long, exciting life! If it was easy it wouldn't be interesting.
the Primary Attribute for your new Archetype. Then come up with a list of skills for your new Archetype. Quick and easy, eh? If you want to create a highly specialized Rogue Character you might create the Archetype “Safecracker” with the skills: Stealth; Climbing; Locate/Disarm Traps; and Lockpicking.
EXPERIENCE POINTS (XPs) Characters earn Experience Points (XPs) for their actions and for good roleplaying. Characters earn one XP for each “1” they roll. Every Gold Piece (or whatever unit of currency is used in your gaming world) worth of loot the Character has gained is worth 1 XP. If a Player is doing an exceptional job of role-playing, which means playing the role of their Character in a believable way and making the kinds of decisions that Character would even if the actual Player knows better, they may earn extra XPs. Successfully overcoming a foe is worth 10 times their primary Attribute in XPs.
Perhaps you have a real thing for explosions and Barbeque and want to play a specialized Wizard whose spells are all related to fire. This might look much like a standard Wizard (except for the Vegasstyle robes), but with the “Fire Mage Skill” will get an extra bean when rolling to cast fire related spells and a bonus when rolling for fire related Challenges.
The cost of 1 new bean is 100 XPs times the number of existing Beans in that Bean Pool. If a PC has 3 Beans in their Mind Bean Pool, it will cost them 300 XPs to buy a new Bean to raise that Bean Pool to 4. It will cost 400 XPs to buy the next bean in that Bean Pool. Players may buy new beans with their XPs either before a game session starts or after the session ends. This is understood to be the time “off camera” when the Character is bulking up, studying, or practicing their skills.
Beanworld has several portals to other worlds and it might be possible for Characters to wander into one of these other worlds, or to encounter other transdimensional explorers. Here are some ideas:
CUSTOM ARCHETYPES By creating new Archetypes you can create highly customized Characters or use the BEAN rules for any genre you like. Use the three basic Archetypes (Warrior, Rogue, and Wizard) as your basic guide as far as game mechanics go. Decide on
Hackers with the Skills of: Computer Use; Computer Programming; World Wide Web Wrangling; and Pop Culture
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Pulp Style Heroes might be skilled at: Fisticuffs/Brawling; Firearms; Disguise; Stealth; and Gadgetry. Sleuths might have the skills of: Research; Brawling; Stealth; and Perception; The possibilities are wide open!
cal Failure might affect a different target, or perhaps provide some twisted form of the intended spell. A Super Duper Success might blast more then one foe, extend extra beneficial powers for a brief time, or any other things that the GM dreams up.
WIZARDS & MAGIC
MAGICAL RESISTANCE When casting a spell upon an object that will not resist them, such as a friend who wants a spell of healing, or a common stone lacking any real motivation for defense, a standard roll is required. Sometimes the target of a spell will have some kind of magical resistance and the GM will tell the Wizard to subtract beans from their Spirit Bean Pool for either the casting roll (for spells cast directly upon something with magical resistance) or to the spell’s effects upon the target.
Magic is powered by the arcane forces of creation. These forces are very powerful, and also very fickle...sometimes they work, and sometimes they just don’t. Wizards spend their whole lives learning how to wield these powers, but because there are so many unseen variables a magic spell might not always turn out as hoped for.
The general rule for Magical Resistance is that when casting a spell upon a target with a higher Spirit Bean Pool, the caster must use 1 less bean for every bean of difference in the Spirit Bean Pools. If the spell is cast directly upon the target, the
A Wizard can’t cast more than one spell per round, and some spells take longer than one round. Wizards can’t do anything else in the round they are casting a spell.
EXAMPLE #8: Magical Resistance Mung The Merciless (Spirit5) is attacked by Kid-Ni (Spirit4) with a Fireball spell. Mung tries to cast a Protective Shield Spell but doesn’t make the DR so his spell fizzles! Kid-Ni makes his roll and a fireball sputters to life in his hand. He then makes a successful Body Challenge Roll for a Ranged attack, and throws the fireball toward Mung! The only defense Mung has against the fireball now is 1 point of Magical Resistance because his Spirit Bean Pool is that much higher than his attacker. Kid-Ni will calculate the damage done by the fireball spell by tossing 3 beans rather than his usual 4 due to Mung’s Magical Resistance.
All spells have a Difficulty Rating (DR) like other Challenges. The lower level spells (those with the lower DRs) are of course the easiest to cast. The more effort it takes to change reality, the higher the spell level and DR. When a Wizard wants to cast a spell, they roll their Spirit Bean Pool and try to meet or beat the DR of the spell. The spell might be a Critical Failure, or a Super Duper Success. If all the beans show 0, or all 1’S then the GM gets to be creative in describing what happens. A Criti-
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bean(s) are subtracted from the DR casting roll, making it more difficult to cast a successful spell. If the spell affects the target indirectly, such as when the spell affects an area, the bean(s) are subtracted from the effects upon the target.
unheard of for Warriors to learn the art of magic. It’s not impossible; it’s just rare and very, very expensive. Because it’s difficult to get the magic flowing without the proper years of training, all nonWizards learn and then cast spells at one DR level higher than actual Wizards.
TIPS FOR MAGICAL COMBAT
SPELLBOOK SPELLBOOK
When two (or more!) Wizards engage each other in combat, the deciding factor is usually how well they manage their defensive spells. For this reason most Wizards will choose to cast a defensive spell on their first turn of combat. A successful defensive spell will totally negate or at least reduce the effects of whatever spells they are attacked with.
Here is the collection of basic spells available to those Wizards versed in the magical arts. Spells are listed in sections according to their casting Difficulty Rating. Level 1 spells have a Difficulty Rating of 1, thus requiring a score of only 1 to cast successfully. Level 2 spells require a score of 2, and so on.
When fighting against a more powerful Wizard it is important to be creative. You will suffer penalties from casting a Lightning Bolt at a more powerful wizard, but you won’t if you cast your spell at the chandelier over her head!
Spells are listed in the following format: SPELL NAME CASTING TIME DURATION EFFECT The Spell Name is of course what you call that particular spell.
MAGIC SPELLS
The time it takes to cast a spell is given in Casting Time . Some spells are quite elaborate and require longer to cast. Most spells take effect in the round they are cast and are denoted here with the word “instant”.
Wizards begin the game knowing 2 spells for each bean in their Spirit Bean Pool (Spirit x 2). There’s no limit to how many spells they can learn, and if they find any scrolls of magical spells or similar wizardly paraphernalia on their travels they can dedicate some time to studying and learning these new spells. It generally takes an entire day’s dedicated study to learn a new spell. At the end of the day they must RollSpirit3 and if successful they learned the spell. If they fail the roll they will need to start over! If it was easy, everyone would be doing it.
Duration tells you how many turns (generally considered to be about 10 minutes), combat rounds (about 2 minutes), days, etc a spell lasts. If a spell’s effect is over almost immediately after it is cast, for example a Lightning spell that immediately blasts its target and is gone in a flash, this will read “Instant”. If the effect of the spell won’t fade away as the magic disperses, it will say “permanent”. A Character who has been completely
It is very expensive to find someone to teach Wizards new spells. It is very rare for Rogues to learn spells, and it is almost
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healed magically may be re-injured, but they don’t have to worry about their previous injuries returning as the spell wears off.
SPELL NAME: BRING ME DR: 1 CASTING TIME: instant DURATION: 1 minute x Casting Roll EFFECT: Allows the caster to pick up an object or to manipulate objects from a distance by making gestures with their hand as if they were actually there touching the objects. The objects must be within sight, and can not be heavier than what the caster could actually lift if they were using a single hand.
The Effect explains what the spell does and whatever a Player or Player Character needs to know about it. A spell's effectiveness is often determined by how well the Player rolls when casting the spell. The duration of spells, and their effect are often described as “x rounds + Casting Roll” where x represents the base effect for that spell, and then the total casting roll is added to this base. Once a Wizard has successfully cast a spell they may diminish the effect of that spell as they choose.
SPELL NAME: DARKNESS DR: 1 CASTING TIME: instant DURATION: 30 minutes x Casting Roll EFFECT: This spell creates a small point in space, or upon an item that draws in all surrounding light from a 20 ft. radius. The spell feeds from the light energy it absorbs and this is what gives it the prolonged duration. Similar to GlowStones, Darkstones are not uncommon in the tool kits of dubious folk.
SPELL NAME: FEAST DR: 1 CASTING TIME: instant DURATION: 10 minutes x Casting Roll EFFECT: This spell doesn’t quite live up to the visions hinted at by its name. It will fill a container (1 gallon per 1 tossed) with a mushy substance of varied colors that is incredibly nutritious, filling, and just plain good for you, but the taste leaves much to be desired and it can be tough to get down. Once swallowed it is immediately absorbed into the body and instantly quells hunger and quenches thirst.
LEVEL ONE SPELLS SPELL NAME: BREATHE DR: 1 CASTING TIME: instant DURATION: 10 minutes x Casting Roll EFFECT: Allows the recipient to breathe the current atmosphere as if they were in an environment healthy for their species. This spell is a favorite among trash collectors and divers.
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SPELL NAME: GROK SPEAK DR: 1 CASTING TIME: instant DURATION: 10 min x Casting Roll EFFECT: Allows the caster to communicate with those around them even though each continues speaking their own language. This spell is most useful for general communication, and any detailed or difficult concepts will require extra effort for shared comprehension.
is still affected by gravity, but very slowly and will suffer no damage landing after a great fall.
SPELL NAME: PACK DR: 1 CASTING TIME: instant DURATION: permanent until unpacked EFFECT: Caster’s touch draws out all extra air in a package causing that package to shrink to a more manageable size with an airtight seal for freshness, or whatever insidious purpose the recipient decides to apply the spell to.
SPELL NAME: IDENTIFY DR: 1 CASTING TIME: instant DURATION: instant EFFECT: Grants general recognition of images, scents, tastes, and usage of ob jects. Even if the caster can’t read the language on a scroll they will still be able to identify the name of that language and who uses it.
SPELL NAME: POLISH/TARNISH DR: 1 CASTING TIME: instant DURATION: permanent EFFECT: Polishing causes the molecules of an object to vibrate and dispel all foreign matter that has accumulated there. Conversely, Tarnish causes the subject to attract mildew, dust, and assorted grime for an aged or derelict appearance.
SPELL NAME: ILLUSION DR: 1 CASTING TIME: instant DURATION: 10 minutes x Casting Roll EFFECT: The caster creates an illusion of whatever image they wish. The illusionary image may perform some simple repetitive task, or just sit there looking very real. May also be cast on a creature to serve as a disguise with somewhat limited expression.
SPELL NAME: SHIELD DR: 1 CASTING TIME: instant DURATION: 1 minute x Casting Roll EFFECT: Reduces damage (of all Body, Mind, and Spirit varieties) by 1/2, rounded down.
SPELL NAME: JUMP DR: 1 CASTING TIME: instant DURATION: 1 minute EFFECT: The target is able to leap up to 10 feet x Casting Roll in addition to what they could normally leap. SPELL NAME: LIGHTEN DR: 1 CASTING TIME: instant DURATION: 1 min x Casting Roll EFFECT: Gives the recipient the buoyancy of a large air-filled balloon. Subject
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SPELL NAME: SHINE DR: 1 CASTING TIME: instant DURATION: 10 minutes x Casting Roll EFFECT: The caster touches an object and creates a glow as bright as a single candle to emit from the recipient. It is generally used as a quick night light, or as a blinding offensive move if cast into a foe’s eyes. This spell is commonly cast upon small stones or coins and bound with the Lasting spell. These are known as “GlowStones” or “GlowCoins” and can be bought fairly easily for about 5 Gold Pieces from Wizards earning a little extra cash. These little artifacts must be kept wrapped in thick cloth when not in use because they have no on and off switch.
signs of a creature’s passing are visible. If the creature flew, or did not touch the ground in some way, a wispy trail floats in the air marking their course. The recipient of this spell will be able to tell the direction of travel, as well as the order in which objects have been touched. SPELL NAME: UNSEEN DR: 1 CASTING TIME: instant DURATION: 2 minutes x Casting Roll EFFECT: Causes light to bend around the recipient leaving them totally invisible if immobile, and quite difficult to see if moving.
SPELL NAME: WATCH DR: 1 CASTING TIME: instant DURATION: 1 hour x Casting Roll EFFECT: Creates an invisible sentinel that will keep watch over a specified passage, door, or general area. When an intruder, physically incarnate or not, comes within its presence an alarm will be sounded. The caster may choose whether the alarm can be heard by themselves only, or by everyone present as well as what kind of sound the alarm will be.
SPELL NAME: TINT DR: 1 CASTING TIME: instant DURATION: 1 day x Casting Roll EFFECT: Allows the recipient to change the color of objects as if their finger was painting their chosen color there. The effects may be covered up, but cannot be washed off as the actual color of the object has been tinted.
LEVEL TWO SPELLS SPELL NAME: ACLIMATIZE DR: 2 CASTING TIME: instant DURATION: 10 minutes x Casting Roll EFFECT: Allows the recipient to be physically comfortable regardless of how inhospitable their actual surroundings really are. Popular with fire-walkers, and vacationers in severely hot or cold climates.
SPELL NAME: TRACKING DR: 1 CASTING TIME: instant DURATION: 10 minutes x Casting Roll EFFECT: Creates a subtly glowing image of prints even when no other discernable
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SPELL NAME: AGILITY AGILITY DR: 2 CASTING TIME: instant DURATION: 1 round x Casting Roll EFFECT: Temporarily increases the recipient’s dexterity by 1 bean x Casting Roll.
SPELL NAME: BOGGLE DR: 2 CASTING TIME: instant DURATION: 10 minutes x Casting Roll EFFECT: This spell reduces the target’s Mind by 1 bean x Casting Roll.
SPELL NAME: CHILL DR: 2 CASTING TIME: instant DURATION: 10 minutes x Casting Roll EFFECT: Creates a magical snowball in the caster's hand that will turn into a sheet of ice (1 square foot x Casting Roll) over whatever it collides with.
commonly used right after casting a defensive spell.
SPELL NAME: FIREBALL DR: 2 CASTING TIME: instant DURATION: instant EFFECT: Fills the caster’s hand with a ball of sputtering flame that is harmless until it impacts with something. The caster must make a successful Ranged Attack to hit their desired target. Explosion reduces the impacted object’s Body Bean Pool by 2 Beans + Casting Roll. Automatic failures rolled at casting or for the toss may result in the fireball bouncing into nearby objects and then exploding or other such nasty surprises.
SPELL NAME: COMPEL DR: 2 CASTING TIME: instant DURATION: 10 minutes x Casting Roll EFFECT: The caster may compel the target to perform simple tasks, or agree with whatever the caster suggests, short of committing acts that are firmly against their nature. For example: a target might be compelled to turn on their own comrades to aid the caster, but as killing their own allies isn't in their nature they will seek some nonviolent solution.
SPELL NAME: FLAP DR: 2 CASTING TIME: instant DURATION: 10 minutes x Casting Roll EFFECT: Allows recipient to fly as fast as their normal running speed by flapping their arms. If cast upon a cloak or cape the garment will do its own flapping.
SPELL NAME: GREATER SHIELD DR: 2 CASTING TIME: instant DURATION: 1 round EFFECT: Deflects all physical damage and absorbs all other damage cast upon the recipient. The absorbed damage is used to power the spell itself and doesn’t provide any additional benefits to the recipient.
SPELL NAME: EXTEND DR: 2 CASTING TIME: instant DURATION: to end of current combat EFFECT: Powers a spell cast in the previous turn to continue functioning after its normal duration. This spell is most
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SPELL NAME: HEALING DR: 2 CASTING TIME: 1 min x bean healed DURATION: permanent EFFECT: The caster uses a laying on of hands to accelerate the Character’s natural healing abilities. Depending on the extent of the damage being repaired, the recipient may be a bit sore for some time after the healing, but they will be able to perform as good as new!
+3 damage to whatever target it hits. It disappears in a burst of energy as soon as it does its damage.
SPELL NAME: LIGHTNING BOLT DR: 2 CASTING TIME: instant DURATION: instant EFFECT: Creates a powerful bolt of lightning that bursts from the caster’s hand directly to its target subtracting 1 Body Bean x Casting Roll. The target may make a special RollSpirit and if a Super Duper Success is rolled then they were somehow grounded thus sending the energy into the ground or at a nearby object, if they miss this roll they’re zapped!
SPELL NAME: PURIFY DR: 2 CASTING TIME: instant DURATION: permanent EFFECT: Removes detrimental qualities of the target including alcohol and other poisons, extraneous floral and fungal growths, and the like. Popular for wound cleansing when administering medical care.
SPELL NAME: SEEK DR: 2 CASTING TIME: instant DURATION: until target is found EFFECT: This enchantment makes an object or substance (up to 1 pound per Casting Roll point scored) able to seek out another object or substance. It is often cast on the end of a rope so that it will “crawl” to something sturdy and knot itself securely, or to some liquid so that it runs (even uphill) to a specific target.
SPELL NAME: MEND DR: 2 CASTING TIME: 10 minutes DURATION: permanent EFFECT: Causes a broken object to fix itself to its previous state of being by reattaching broken pieces, reweaving or sewing its pieces back together. Attempting to mend an item with missing pieces will result in a shoddy fix at best.
SPELL NAME: SCRIBE DR: 2 CASTING TIME: instant DURATION: 10 minutes x Casting Roll EFFECT: Allows the recipient to transcribe a perfect copy of whatever written or carved image they are looking at. The subject to be copied must have been deliberately created for the spell to recapture the original artisan's strokes. Recipient will be able to copy the images at
SPELL NAME: PHANTOM BLADE DR: 2 CASTING TIME: instant DURATION: until discharged on target EFFECT: creates a shimmering, semitransparent blade as if the caster were holding a longsword. This phantom blade takes no skill to wield and delivers
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LEVEL THREE SPELLS
twice their normal writing speed. SPELL NAME: STRENGTH DR: 2 CASTING TIME: instant DURATION: 1 round x Casting Roll EFFECT: Temporarily increases the recipient’s strength by 1 bean x Casting Roll.
SPELL NAME: JIG DR: 3 CASTING TIME: 1 round DURATION: 5 minutes x Casting Roll EFFECT: With a touch the caster causes a target creature to dance a vigorous and uncontrollable jig. The target is powerless to resist and won’t be able to do anything else while dancing. Their dancing skills will be +3 beans better than they could normally manage.
SPELL NAME: SURE SHOT DR: 2 SHOT CASTING TIME: instant DURATION: until dispelled EFFECT: Temporarily enchants an object (+2 beans + Casting Roll) so that it is more likely to hit a target and do additional damage. Can be cast on hand or foot, rocks, sticks, traditional weapons, or the most unlikely things someone might be attacked with. The enchantment is dispelled upon hitting its target.
SPELL NAME: TRUE SIGHT DR: 2 SIGHT CASTING TIME: 1 round DURATION: 1 minute x Casting Roll EFFECT: Allows recipient to see a slight glow around whatever object they seek as well as hidden and invisible objects. The true form of objects disguised with magical or mundane means is also revealed.
SPELL NAME: NECROMANCY DR: 3 CASTING TIME: 10 minutes DURATION: 1 question x Casting Roll EFFECT: Allows the caster to speak with departed spirits. The caster must have part of the departed present, be at their grave or site of death, or in possession of an item dear to the departed.
SPELL NAME: WANDERING EYE DR: 2 CASTING TIME: 1 round DURATION: 10 minutes x Casting Roll EFFECT: Creates a surrogate eye as big as the caster’s own eye that floats wherever the recipient directs it. The recipient can see through the Wandering Eye as if they were there. It cannot pass through solid matter, and has a Body rating of 1 if attacked.
SPELL NAME: RESTORATION DR: 3 CASTING TIME: 1 hour DURATION: permanent EFFECT: This spell is used to restore that which has been lost to a Character’s body or mind. It can be used to re-attach
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severed digits and limbs, as well as one’s memory or sanity. In the case of physical pieces of the body, the caster must have these present with the body to be rejoined. This spell may be used to attach body parts to foreign bodies and is responsible for a lot of the mismatched monsters out in the world. This spell only re-attaches the detached elements, a separate Healing spell must be used after Restoration to bring back the Body, Mind, or Spirit Bean Pools.
SPELL NAME: SCRYE/SPYGLASS DR: 3 CASTING TIME: 10 minutes DURATION: 1 minute x Casting Roll EFFECT: Allows the caster to use a reflective surface to see what is currently happening somewhere else. For best clarity the place being viewed must be well known to the caster, otherwise the images will be vague and often not very useful.
and pliable. At the end of the spell’s duration the material returns to its normal consistency. This is a favored spell for people seeking to pass through walls, or for those manufacturing lots of well-formed bricks or stacking rocks.
SPELL NAME: SPROUT DR: 3 CASTING TIME: 1 hour DURATION: permanent EFFECT: This spell causes immediate and super growth in objects. It can be used to re-grow bad haircuts or missing limbs, get the crops ready to harvest, or cause yeast to ferment.
SPELL NAME: WEB DR: 3 CASTING TIME: 1 round DURATION: instant EFFECT: Allows caster to shoot a sticky, strong mass of webbing from their hand Caster must make a successful Ranged Weapon roll to hit targets. 2 cubic feet x Casting Roll of webbing are created, which has a rating of Body3 to tear. Webbing lasts 2 rounds x Casting Roll before dissolving away, and anyone caught in the material must win a Contest of Body for each bean rolled at casting or be hopelessly trapped. Webbing is highly flammable.
SPELL NAME: WHISK DR: 3 CASTING TIME: instant DURATION: instant EFFECT: Causes the caster or target to be instantly teleported (whisked away) to another location. The new location must be within sight of the caster.
SPELL NAME: SOFTSTONE DR: 3 CASTING TIME: instant DURATION: 10 minutes x Casting Roll EFFECT: Causes 1 cubic yard per Casting Roll of solid stone or clay to become soft
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LEVEL FOUR SPELLS SPELL NAME: CLONE DR: 4 CASTING TIME: 1 hour DURATION: permanent EFFECT: Allows the caster to create a duplicate of the prepared subject. The sub ject must be immobile while the spell is performed. Even if the casting roll is made, any distractions during the cloning process will result in a clone gone at least slightly weird. Normal clones have none of the subject’s memories or skills, and aren’t known to be especially intelligent. They are a good source of cheap labor for those who find zombie armies distasteful. Beanfolk embroiled in political problems sometimes have at least one clone wandering around to throw off assassins. Clever Wizards might create a clone to serve as the new vessel for someone in a severely damaged body of their own.
SPELL NAME: PORTAL DR: 4 CASTING TIME: 10 minutes DURATION: 1 minute x Casting Roll EFFECT: Allows the caster to open a portal to another location. The portal begins as a point of swirling mist and grows to the height of the caster. The spell is used as a means to quickly get from one place to another, but once opened anything on either side may pass freely through until the spell ends and the portal closes.
SPELL NAME: DEEP POCKET DR: 4 CASTING TIME: 10 minutes DURATION: 10 minutes x Casting Roll EFFECT: Cast within an ordinary pocket, bag, or other cubbyhole, this spell creates a magical space of one cubic foot x Casting Roll. The magical pocket space is tough and rarely ever torn, but at the end of the spell duration the space shrinks back to normal size, expelling whatever is inside that wouldn’t otherwise fit into the natural space.
SPELL NAME: SHAPESHIFT DR: 4 CASTING TIME: 2 rounds DURATION: 1 hour x Casting Roll EFFECT: Allows recipient to physically transform into another creature of roughly the same body mass as their true form. Average sized beanfolk may transform into a butterfly, or elephant, but to equal their original body mass it would be a massive butterfly or a very small elephant. Characters will retain their own intelligence and memories, but will also have the basic inherent abilities and
SPELL NAME: MIND SWAP DR: 4 CASTING TIME: 1 hour DURATION: 1 hour x Casting Roll EFFECT: Allows the caster to switch the minds of two subjects into each other’s bodies. The Wizard must physically touch each subject to make the switch.
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language of whatever they’ve transformed into.
CASTING TIME: 1 day per spell level DURATION: permanent EFFECT: Allows the studious and creative Wizard to create a new spell, with the GM’s approval of course. Powerful spells may need specific artifacts from challenging quests to complete, and the GM should carefully consider all the possible abuses spells could be put to before allowing them to be created. Very powerful spells may require a higher base Difficulty Roll and may even require more than 1 Wizard’s contribution to roll enough beans for success. *DR= Spell level + 3
VARIABLE DR SPELLS SPELL NAME: BOOST DR: * BOOST CASTING TIME: special DURATION: permanent EFFECT: Allows multiple spellcasters to team up and put all of their Spirit beans into the casting of a spell. Each participant must already know both the Boost spell, and the spell being boosted. The participants must also be willing to suffer the penalties if even one caster scores a fumble! This spell is most popular for casting high level spells, and especially for something as delicate as the Resurrection spell. Casting time is 3 rounds + Casting Time of boosted spell.
SPELL NAME: RESSURECTION DR: * CASTING TIME: 1 day per Target’s Body DURATION: permanent EFFECT: It is a difficult task, but sometimes a powerful wizard, or group of wizards may be able to resurrect a departed hero...or someone with enough money to tempt the spellcasters. Failure casting this spell often results in something horrendous taking over the deceased body resulting in terrible mayhem. Freshly deceased bodies have a better chance of being resurrected. Anything over 1 week dead increases the DR +1 bean per week dead. *DR= Target’s Body + 5
SPELL NAME: BRITTLE DR: * CASTING TIME: 3 rounds DURATION: permanent EFFECT: By touching an object, the caster causes 1 cubic foot x Casting Roll of mass to instantly deteriorate as if the object had instantly aged to a brittle and easily breakable consistency. *DR= Target’s Body + 2
SPELL NAME: CREATE SPELL
SPELL NAME: SPELLBREAKER DR: * CASTING TIME: 3 rounds DURATION: permanent EFFECT: Pulls power out of a spell to lessen its effects, shorten or even end its effects. Useful in breaking curses, getting through wizards’ magical shields, etc. DR is original spell level + 2
DR: *
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per Piece. They should have enough for a decent meal, but not much else –it’s time to get to work!!
APPENDIX 1: MONEY & EQUIPMENT STANDARD CURRENCY CURRENCY Fantasy settings typically use Copper Pieces (cp), Silver Pieces (sp), and Gold Pieces (gp) as units of currency. The basic exchange rate is: 200 cp = 20 sp = 1 gp Common folk might live their whole lives without ever seeing anything more than a few Copper Pieces at a time. A decent meal can be bought for a few CPs, but quality gear and the specialized equipment for adventuring can be quite pricey. This prompts those adventurers to take on dangerous quests in search of lost treasure, or to hire themselves out on dangerous, but well-paying missions.
EQUIPMENT LISTS Below is a selection of some basic supplies with prices given in the amount of copper pieces.
FOOD & LODGING
Richer settings might have additional currency such as Electrum or Platinum pieces, and rural communities might not have any use for coins instead preferring to barter for more relevant things like food stuffs, gear, or favors. The GM will need to determine what kind of currency is appropriate for the setting. STARTING MONEY MONEY At the GM’s discretion, new Characters may begin play with a bit of wealth but remember that being broke is the best incentive to get outta the house to go seek out adventure, fame, and fortune.
Common Mean (basic stew & beverage)
2-4
Traveling Rations (dried meat, cheese)
2
Wine (quart)
2
Spirits (quart)
15
Lodging, Shared Room
2
Lodging, Private Room
10
CLOTHING
To determine the starting money for new Characters, Players toss 10 beans. For each 1 rolled, that Character has 1 Cop-
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COST
COST
Boots
40
Clothing, average (trousers, shirt)
30
Clothing, fancy
80
Travel Cloak
40
ARMOR
DEFENSE (Def)
COST
Cloth
0
30
Leather
-1
100
Chainmaile
-2
300
Platemaile
-3
4000
Shield
-1
60
WEAPON
DAMAGE
COST
Battle Axe
+2
50
Bow
+1
200
Club
+1
2
Crossbow
+1
150
Dagger
+1
40
Sword
+2
500
Spear
+2
40
Staff
+1
10
RIDING/PACK ANIMALS
BASIC GEAR
COST
Mule
350
Pony
250
Horse
1200
Tack (bridle, saddle, packs)
100
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COST
Personal Basics (tinderbox, towel, fork, spoon, cup, etc)
5
Group Basics (20 lb. box w/cooking pots, tinder, hatchet, rope, etc.)
50
Pack (tough leather)
50
Backpack (heavy duty with frame)
100
Blanket (heavy wool)
20
Torch (lasts 1 hour)
3
Lantern
20
Lantern oil (1 pint lasts 24 hours)
2
Tent (1 person/2 people/4 people)
50/80/150
Lockpicks
30
First Aid Kit (+1 HP; 5 uses)
100
Medical Kit (+2 HPs w/Healing Skill)
300
Rope, 50 feet
25
SERVICE
COST
Sage Advice
10 sp x question DR
Spell Casting
10 sp x spell DR
Spell Training
100 gp x spell DR
APPENDIX 2: BESTIARY Fantasy gaming is full of fantastic creatures. Some of these are wise and benevolent beings that the PCs can learn much from...but most will probably want to just eat them. If there's a wide discrepancy between a creature's speed or coordination, and general toughness they might have a different number of HPs than their Body Attribute bean pool. In addition to the basic stats, each creature is given an XP# (equal to their primary Attribute x 10) which shows how many Experience Points the Characters earn for vanquishing the creature.
B’Nelf B’Nelf Body: 3 Mind: 3 Spirit: 4 HP: 3 Def: by armor Attack: by weapon XPs: 40 B'Nelves are typically found in small wilderness communities where they commune with nature, create fabulous artifacts, and contemplate the deeper aspects of life. While generally aloof with strangers, they are the most loyal allies once won over.
B’Nork Body: Mind: Spirit: HP: Def:
4 2 2 4 1
XPs:
40
Attack: by weapon B'Norks love to fight, and aren't good at much else. They travel in groups looking for trouble, and sometimes work as mercenaries.
Bombats Body: 1 Mind: 0 Spirit: 0 HP: 1 Def: 0 Attack: explosion 1 XPs: 10 As near as anyone can tell, these creepy fungi are not intelligent in any way, but this doesn’t stop them from being extremely dangerous. Their spores grow into buoyant, highly flammable gas-filled clumps. The slightest noise causes them to flap furiously until they break free and seem to fly around aimlessly until they smash into something and explode. Striking them has the same effect. (toss 5 beans +2 to see how many take flight. Characters roll a Body contest to see if they can dodge the exploding fungi, or how many explode near them). They are usually found in lonely underground caverns, and are believed to be related to the Moonbats that flock to Beanworld from Shinche, the orange moon, when it passes close enough for the two atmospheres to mingle.
Bristle Bear Body: Mind: Spirit: HP: Def: XPs:
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5 2 2 5 3 50
Attack: bite/claw : 5 These creatures resemble a bear with the thick prickly spines of a porcupine covering their backs. They are very strong and have mighty teeth and claws which are their primary means of attack, although they generally prefer not to fight. If the Bristle Bear earns a Super Duper success in battle, it inflicts an extra point of damage to its opponent in the form of quill damage! It is quite painful to remove the quills and if not done by someone trained in the medical arts it will do an additional point of damage taking them out!
Clod Body: 2+ Mind: 1 Spirit: 2 HP: 2+ Def: 3 Attack: 2 XPs: variable Clods are simple elementals of animated earth capable of basic tasks like mining, guarding, or carrying heavy things. The smallest (Body 2, HP 2; XPs 20) are half the height of Beanfolk, but by expending greater magics larger Clods may be created.
and slashing talons are truly frightful. They are found only in warmer climates, and even there are not common.
Dragon Body: 4+ Mind: 3+ Spirit: 3+ HP: 4+ Def: 3 Attack:3 XPs: variable There are several varieties of dragon. All have the look of large reptiles, most capable of flight. Some are benign and even chatty, most however are disinterested in the affairs of Beanfolk and would rather eat anyone they encounter. Most have a fondness for treasure which they hoard. Dragons attack using tooth and claw, and some are equipped with breath weapons such as firebreath. A dragon’s Attributes raise by 1 every year of their life, and many pick up spellcasting abilities as part of their magical nature.
Dinosteed Body: 5 Mind: 1 Spirit: 2 HP: 5 Def: 2 Attack: 3 XPs: 50 Dinosteeds are marginally domesticated lizards prized for their speed and ferocity in battle. Their powerful hind legs make them very fast and agile, and their bite
Dust Bunnies Body: Mind: Spirit: HP: Def: XPs:
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1 1 2 1 1 20
Dust Bunnies usually form in the forgotten spaces of Wizards’ workshops where stray elements of magic mix with dust and other odds and ends until an odd little life form is created. To determine the number of Dust Bunnies encountered, toss 5 Beans and add 3. These creatures are quite friendly, but very deadly. They become quite excited at seeing new “friends” and will swarm over the newcomers in a massive group hug. Because the creatures are composed mostly of dust they cause most people to break into fits of coughing which are often fatal! For every Combat Round that is won by the DBs their “friend” is trapped in a hug. For every Combat Round that they best their opponent by 2 or more, that opponent must TossSpirit3 or fall prey to a violent coughing fit which reduces all their other rolls by 1. Dust Bunnies take no damage from blunt instruments or pro jectiles, and only half damage from bladed weapons. They are extremely vulnerable to fire and disappear in a screaming burst of flame almost instantly, but are likely to catch fire to anything flammable that is nearby.
pear in flocks of 10-30 (Toss 2 beans, add 1 and multiply by 10) and will instantly attack any warm-blooded creatures that come near them. For every round of combat the FlutterSucks win, a number of the creatures equal to the number they won the round by have latched on to a victim. The next round they will begin to drive their pointy beaks into their prey. The following round they will drain 1/4 HPs each round. It ’s a good idea to get these things off you quickly, a better idea to not let them get on you, and best of all to just not go into the creepy old dark places they inhabit!
Froglodyte Body: 4 Mind: 2 Spirit: 3 HP: 4 Def: 1 Attack: by weapon XPs: 40 Froglodytes are slightly smaller than normal beanfolk, stooped and fond of marshy places. They spend much of their time fishing and hunting large insects for food. They make excellent guides through the swamplands if you can talk them into it. They are generally good humored, but if you’re small enough to look like a meal to them you probably will be.
Fluttersucks Body: 2 Mind: 2 Spirit: 2 HP: 2 Def: 1 Attack: 1 XPs: 20 These horrid swarming creatures appear as a wildly fluttering set of leathery wings and a large proboscis. They ap-
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sweet sugary Jellybean Golems has been on the rise. These monstrosities are created by secret means to become unthinking soldiers for evil. They cannot be reasoned with, and obey whatever simple commands their masters give them. They are particularly vulnerable to fire and water based attacks.
Goblean Body: 2 Mind: 2 Spirit: 2 HP: 2 Def:by armor Attack: by weapon XPs: 20 Small, mean, and feisty, Gobleans are only brave when outnumbering their foes, and would rather flee than risk any harm to themselves.
Muckyuck Body: 6 Mind: 0 Spirit: 2 HP: 6 Def: 3 XPs: 60
Hobbean Body: 2 Mind: 3 Spirit: 4 HP: 3 Def: by armor Attack: by weapon XPs: 40
Sometimes residual magic pools into stagnant water or other dismal places and gradually gains a kind of nonintelligent consciousness. It then draws together a kind of body from the surrounding decaying leaves, twigs, and other nasty things laying around, and then crawls off to look for things to engulf and absorb. These sludge creatures will rise up in a form vaguely similar to any creatures they encounter and seek to attack them with wet, disgusting, bear hugs. For each combat round they win, their foe is embraced and will take that amount of damage from both HPs and Spirit as the beast crushes their body and drains their life essence. These creatures can be hacked apart, but the bits will seek to crawl back together. Fleeing or burning, or freezing the creatures is the only way to defeat them. If defeated there is a good chance that some random amount of treasure may have been absorbed by them. Toss 10 beans, and for every 1 rolled, they were
These diminutive creatures stand at roughly half the height of average Beanfolk, and seldom move with any speed unless there is a meal in sight. While preferring to stay at home, they can be clever adventurers if motivated. They are studious and good with their hands and very attuned to the land. They have tough fur-topped feet and never wear shoes.
Jellybean Golem Body: 4 Mind: 1 Spirit: 1 HP: 4 Def: 1 Attack: by weapon, or fists for 2 XPs: 40 While true golems are constructed for noble purposes, the creation of sickly
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carrying that many Silver Coins.
Oozoids Body: 2+ Mind: 0 Spirit: 2 HP: 2+ Def: special Attack: acid touch 2 XPs: 2+ These living oozes slowly creep around dark and dank places ingesting organic matter, and growing. That’s really about all they do. A surprising number of adventurers wake from naps to find themselves being digested in these acidic blobs. Oozoids are impervious to cutting or piercing damage, but are particularly susceptible to fire. Toss 6 beans +2 for the Body Attribute and HPs of the creature. Up to 10 x 5 beans worth of indigestible treasure may be found within them.
items of interest. Their appreciation for shiny trinkets outweighs their interest in the items they lug around for trading. PPBs are said to avoid predators using an innate ability to become invisible, but it is just as likely that they’re just slipping into the subterranean passages of The Forgotten City resting beneath the plains that nobody else seems to know about.
Ratfolk Body: 2 Mind: 3 Spirit: 3 HP: 2 Def: by armor Attack: by weapon XPs: 30 Ratfolk are clever, resourceful creatures who live in packs often beneath cities. They prefer their own company, but can be powerful allies if their trust is gained. They are a great source of information as they have a knack for hearing all kinds of things.
Purple Plains Babboon Body: 4 Mind: 3 Spirit: 2 HP: 4 Def: 1 Attack: Bite 1 XPs: 40 Appearing like any other baboon except for their bright purple color and proclivity for hats, these creatures live on the plains of the Great Grass Sea in small nomadic troops. They take little interest in outsiders except sometimes to trade their own handicrafts (useful items woven from grasses) and odds and ends they’ve picked up (toss 4 beans, a score of 2 or more indicates they have something magical or at least very useful to offer) for
Troll Body: 8 Mind: 1 Spirit: 2 HP: 10 Def: 2 Attack: 2 XPs:100 Strong and twice the size of Beanfolk, The solitary Trolls dwell in dark lonely places waiting to bludgeon the unwary into snacks. Their lairs are littered with old bones and sparkly treasure. Toss 5 beans, +3, multiply x 100 for SP value of treasure.
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XPs:
S’Lad
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Ferociously cunning and merciless, these lycanthropes can make nights of the full moons a real bummer. They suffer damage only from magical or silver weapons, and if they win a combat round by 3 or more the victim has been infected and will become a lycanthrope by the next full moon unless the curse is removed (treat as a DR 4 spell if using SpellBreaker). Those infected should create a new Attribute called "lycanthrope: Werewolf" with 1 bean. If they can win a DR3 Challenge in this Attribute they will gain some control and memory of their actions while transformed. XPs earned in the wolf form can be used to buy more beans in that Attribute, and some have been known to embrace this condition and even to form close-knit packs..
Body: 3 Mind: 1 Spirit: 2 HP: 2 Def: 0 Attack: 2 XPs: 30 S’Lads are animate plant creatures, most often encountered as drones seeking new sporing grounds, or as defenders of endangered plant habitats. S’Lads attack with sharp claw-like roots. They have no fear of being killed as returning to the earth suits them just fine.
Throwback Faeries
Zombean
Body: 1 Mind: 2 Spirit: 4 HP: 1 Def: 1 Attack: by weapon XPs: 40
Body: 3 Mind: 0 Spirit: 0 HP: 3 Def: 1 Attack: Bite/claw 2 XPs: 20
These primitive Faeries resemble something from the stone age. They spend much of their time hunting and dancing wildly. Woe be to those who stumble upon these creatures for they are fierce! They attack with stone weapons and sputtering Fireballs (DR: 2).
When the dead get up and walk around you know something is wrong. If PCs lose a Combat Round by 3 or more beans it means the zombeans have scored a bite! PCs must RollBody3 or be infected as a fresh zombie!
Werewolf Werewolf Body: 4 Mind: 3 Spirit: 3 HP: 4 Def: Special Attack: Claw/Bite 2
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that there is far more space than could naturally be there. To determine how much space is in your Deep Pocket, toss 5 beans and multiply your score by 3. This is how many square feet in addition to the item’s normal carrying capacity is available.
APPENDIX 3: MAGICAL ARTIFACTS Fantasy gaming takes much of its flavor from the weird and wonderful magical artifacts found within its stories. Here are some examples of such artifacts that PCs might find on their adventures. Remember that too many magical items in a game will upset the balance. Use a bit of discretion when placing such powerful treasures so that players will still feel challenged to do their best without relying on some special tool all the time.
CHANGE BLADE
GENERIC ENCHANTED WEAPON
This enchanted weapon appears as a dagger (+1) with an overly large handle. The bearer may command the blade to change into that of a shortsword (+2), or a longsword (+3) and back. This weapon is prized by all Archetypes as it is easy to carry, and a real asset in combat.
GEWs are weapons that have been enchanted to hit harder and do more damage than normal. To determine how
many extra +’s the weapon has, toss 6 beans. A roll of 1-3 means it is a +1 weapon. A roll of 4 or 5 means it is a +2 weapon. A roll of 6 means that this weapon has an extra +3!
GOLD CARD DEEP POCKET POCKET
These cards are rare and mysterious in origin, although the common consensus is that they were created long ago by a lazy dragon or other treasure hoarding creature who wanted to sit back and let the riches come to them without doing
The name refers to any of a variety of pouches, bags, backpacks, etc that have been permanently enchanted with the Deep Pocket spell. The item seems quite mundane until one looks inside and finds
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any extra work. The cards are of a smooth and slightly pliable material, rectangular and just big enough to fit in the palm of the hand. When tapped on treasure, some valuable item, coins, or a stack of loot, the treasure will vanish. While focusing on the desired loot, the bearer may tap the card thrice on a hard surface to make that treasure reappear. It is quite convenient for treasure hunters who don’t want to be burdened with heavy stacks of loot, but 10% of whatever is stored with the card will not come back, presumably this is the fee for using this service.
cal energy used, and can not charge up more than their original capacity. To determine the bean charge capacity of the Power Stone toss 10 beans and multiply the result by 2.
WAY FINDER Adventurers are often getting lost on their explorations and quests, and the WayFinder was designed to help put them back on their path. This artifact appears as a dagger (+2) with a large smooth stone set at the base of the blade. The bearer must focus on a person, destination, or even something as generic as a door, and then place the dagger on a smooth hard surface balancing it on the stone, and give it a good spin. The Player rolls their Spirit Bean Pool, and if they do not get an automatic failure the dagger will point to their desired target. The GM might want to roll the Player’s Spirit Pool so that the Player won’t know if the results are accurate or not, just to make things more interesting.
POWER STONES These stones (usually some kind of crystal) have been enchanted to store magical energy and are most commonly used by Wizards to add extra punch to their spell casting. The Wizard declares how many extra beans they wish to use from the stone, and then rolls as usual to see if they can cast their spell successfully, If they do not roll an automatic failure, they then add the extra beans to their roll. If their spell fails, the stone still loses as many bean charges as they declared would be used. Power Stones require 24 hours to regenerate each bean of magi-
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seems like a good destination, now how do you get in on this?
APPENDIX 4: SOLO ADVENTURE
If you approach the people to see about buying passage across the river, turn to 6
RIVER CROSSING
If you try to sneak onto the little boat as a stowaway, turn to 11
A Quick Little Solo Adventure Solo adventures can be a lot of fun if you don’t have a gaming group available. The book takes the place of the GM and will describe what your PC experiences. All you need is a Character, your beans, a pencil, and scratch paper.
2. You’ve been as charming as you know how, but have somehow failed to convince the ferryman to give you any kind of discount passage. He scowls at you disapprovingly and holds out his hand for payment. Turn to 5
This is a very short little adventure designed to give you a taste of how the game works and some experience using the game mechanics. Begin by reading Turn #1and follow the directions. At the end of each turn it will give you a set of instructions or directions where to turn next. Do NOT read the turns in numerical order, that’s not how these things work.
3. Suddenly there’s a commotion from the edge of the forest, a band of gobleans rushes toward the ferry with weapons slicing the air! If you help defend the ferry, turn to 16 If you join the gobleans in attacking the ferry, turn to 10
In the case of any ties, the roll will go to your PC. 1. You’ve been out seeking your fortune for almost a week, and all you’ve come across so far have been a lot of trees and shrubs in this great forest. The scenery is nice and all that, but it’s hardly what you’ve hoped for. Coming across an old road you’ve been led to a river, and at the end of the road is a small shack, a wagon, and a little flat bottomed ferry boat. It looks like a few people are unloading the wagon’s crates into the boat to be ferried across the water. The other side of the river
4. You are victorious against the goblean raiders! You’ve earned free passage across the river, plus a small pouch with 20 Silver Coins, and a week’s supply of food! Turn to 17
5. You reach into your pouch and pull out 5 copper coins to pay for passage across the river. The ferryman transfers the coins to his own pouch and points
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out a place for you to perch on the boat.
8. The cargo is secured to the ferry, you and the Old Man have each found yourselves a snug little space to squeeze into, and the Ferryman has just a few last minute adjustments to make. Suddenly there’s a loud shriek from the edge of the woods!
Turn to 8
6. You approach the ferry and see that there’s a burly bearded man loading large boxes onto the boat, and a stooped and very old man at the wagon watching disinterestedly. Both look up as you approach. When you ask about passage across the river the bearded man wipes his brow and answers, “Five coppers’ll get you safely to the other side of the river”.
Turn to 3
9. The Ferryman and the Old Man have been defeated. You’ve got a ferry to loot! The crates are full of pottery and some thick wool blankets, and articles of clothing. It seems likely that the Old Man must have been on his way to market somewhere. Unfortunately most of this stuff isn’t going to be of much use to you. You can put together a good set of clothing, and take a blanket or two, but that’s about it. (Be sure to write down on your Character Sheet any loot you take).
If you pay the man his 5 coppers, turn to 5 If you try to negotiate a lower fee, turn to 12
7. There wasn’t quite as much cover as you’d thought and you’re caught before you can slip onto the boat! The Ferryman grips a long pole and it’s very clear he means to give you a good whack…at least! The Old Man produces a shorts sword from the folds of his cloak but seems hesitant about just cutting you down. Suddenly there’s a shriek from the edge of the forest! Turn to 3
It seems this adventure is at an end, and you’re back basically where you started from, out in the woods hoping for something exciting to come along. Best of luck on your next adventure! Game Over.
10. There’s a fight brewing, and you choose to join the 3 goblean raiders! To get the Combat Score for your side, roll 9 beans (each goblean has Body2 and a +1 weapon) in addition to your Body Bean Pool + your weapon. To get the Combat Score for the Ferry Defenders roll for the Ferryman (Body4 +1 Pole) and the Old Man (Body2 +1 shortsword) for a total of 8 beans. If you win the round, you may decide how to distribute the damage done to the defenders. If the defenders win, the
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damage will be distributed equally among you and the gobleans.
13. The ferryman wields his pole like a mighty warrior, and that old man is hacking and slashing up a storm with his shortsword! Just as you think you may have chosen the wrong side to ally yourself with, a final simultaneous blow from the pole and a deep slash of the shortsword cause you to see a flash of red, then black, and then nothing…
If the battle takes more than three turns, the losing side will simply flee into the woods, leaving the ferry and its cargo behind. If the raiding party loses, turn to 18 If you defeat the ferry defenders, turn to 9
Your days of adventure are at an end. Game over, Chum!
If your HPs are reduced to zero or less, turn to 13
14. You succeed in sneaking along the edge of the woods and down onto the boat. Just as you slip under a tarp and prepare to settle in, there’s a shriek from the woods!
11. The Ferryman and the Old Man are busy with their tasks, which should make it pretty easy for you to sneak onto the ferry. RollMind2 to see if you are up to the challenge!
Turn to 3
If you succeed, turn to 14
15. Your charm has worked! The origi-
If you fail, turn to 7
nal fee for passage was 5 copper coins. Subtract 1 coin for each bean you bested the Ferryman by to calculate your discount.
12. You smile broadly and begin to explain why it would be great if the ferryman would give you a discounted rate to cross the river. This calls for a contest of Spirit! Roll your own Spirit Bean Pool, and then roll 3 beans for the Ferryman’s Spirit Bean Pool.
Turn to 8
16. There’s a fight brewing, and you choose to defend the ferry! To get the Combat Score for your side, roll for the Ferryman (Body4 +1 Pole) and the Old Man (Body2 +1 shortsword). This means that in addition to your Body Bean Pool + your weapon you’ll roll an additional 8 beans. To get the goblean’s Combat Score roll 9 beans (there are three of them, each goblean has Body2 and a +1 weapon).
If you win, turn to 15 If you lose, turn to 2
If you win the round, you may decide how to distribute the damage done to the gobleans. If the gobleans win, the damage will be distributed equally
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among you, the Ferryman, and the Old Man.
and your comrades! It seems better to flee than to die for whatever might be in the crates on the ferry, so you all take off into the woods. Your foes pursue you for only a short while before giving up the chase. You’ve lost your comrades, and seem to be back where you started, wandering aimlessly in the great woods! Better luck on your future adventures.
If the battle takes more than three turns, the losing side will simply flee into the woods, leaving the ferry and its cargo behind. If you win, turn to 4 If your HPs drop to zero or below, turn to 13 If you lose and run off into the woods, turn to 18
17. The trip across the river doesn’t last very long, and soon you’re all hopping onto the far shore. The Ferryman offers you a few coins to help unload the boat onto the wagon there, and the Old Man says that he could use some company on his way to the nearest town to sell his wares. You could also set off into the wilderness on your own. With your first adventure won, it seems you could do anything! Game over -Way to go, Champ!
18. The battle isn’t going so well for you
Game over.
19. The Snorkling Sneeds may have succeeded in stringing along certain silly silver-smiths, but the true path to salvation lay along the saltwater marsh trail which could only be seen on special nights slipping in and around the shadowy sylvan glen. Oh, those were wild times indeed, and the people did rave about their silver coinage and its slippery nature. Yes, here one day and gone the next as if the metal had a mind of its own and the spenders were merely observers with no true part in its coming and going. If you’ve come to this passage you’ve obviously taken a wrong turn somewhere and should subtract 100 XPs.
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APPENDIX 5: GM ADVENTURE THE WIZARD’S CAULDRON A Short GM Adventure for a Few new PCs Here’s a short adventure in the traditional RPG style where one person acts as the Game Master (the Storyteller, Referee, etc) and the rest of the people play their own Characters in the story. These descriptions and maps are for the GM’s eyes only. If the Players had access to this stuff they would know just where to go, and where all the secrets are, and what would be the fun of that? It’s a good idea to map out where the PCs have been on a separate sheet of paper for everyone to see as you go, or better yet have one of the players draw the map as if their Character were doing it in the game. The GM Adventure will give you the basic information and stats for the encounters, but it’s the GM’s duty to fill-in the details to make this a great game. Don’t just say things like “You see stairs”. We see stairs everyday in real life. So what? Are the stairs in the game worn smooth with the passing of countless feet, are they chipped from living stone or made from well fitting brick? Are they covered with the dust of years of neglect, or is there perhaps a fresh set of footprints through the dust? A few basic descriptions will make the scenes come alive to the Players and get their imaginations going, which will give everyone at the gaming table something else to build an exciting game from! Remember that Adjectives are your friends!
This adventure begins with the PCs taking on the simple task of going to a local Wizard’s home to pick up a magical cauldron to be delivered back to wherever it is the PCs begin the game at. Perhaps there’s a festival in town and the MC needs this cauldron to do something special, perhaps it’s being loaned to another wizard. Be creative, but don’t go into too much detail, the point of the story is to send them on the errand and go from there. When the PCs arrive at the site of the wizard’s home, they find that it has been destroyed! All that stands now is the rubble of a small tower. Beyond the front door is a charred rug, shattered furniture, and lots and lots of broken bricks. If the PC’s don’t look under the rug, have them RollMind2 to see if they notice the trapdoor that’s barely visible there. The trap-door is heavy, but a few people can easily lift it open to reveal the stairs below, which are #1 on the map.
This should be a fairly easy adventure with a few challenges and some useful loot. Best o’ luck, and have fun!
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1. The stairs are worn smooth and free of dust. They descend 20 feet into the earth. The stairs and the surrounding walls are of close fitting mortared stone. The stairs end at an intersection. 2.
3.
4.
6. The Crystal Chamber! This large cave is perhaps 30 feet across and is lined with bright crystals along all the walls, ceiling, and most of the floor. Anyone stepping into this area must RollMind3 or be transfixed with visions of far off places for as many minutes as they failed their roll by.
A faint rustling can be heard from the debris of a cave-in in this direction. If the PCs explore here they will find a ravenous segmented purple worm almost as big around as a child’s torso. It is burrowing out of the rubble and has many sharp teeth dripping goo. If the PCs approach it will fight them to the death! The Worm’s stats are: Body 2 +1 Teeth. HP: 4 Def: 1. XPs 30. There is nothing else of interest here.
7.
This is a creepy lab with lots of cutting instruments along the tables and bottles full of assorted preserved body parts. Players must RollSpirit3 or be sick! Approaching the operating table in the corner causes the pile of stitched up intestines there to come to life and attack! Body: 5, HP: 8 Def: 2 XPs 50..
8. PCs notice an eyeball on tiny legs that runs through the illusionary wall into a secret passage!
This is a storeroom full of crates. The crates contain nothing of any real value to the PCs, just old kitchen spices, linens, and the kinds of odds and ends that people pack away for no good reason. In the corner however are the bones of a dead adven-turer! Searching him will reveal a magical Fire Sling (+2 ranged weapon) and a pouch of bullets. This is a normal looking sling, except that it’s made from a patch of reddish scaled leather that tingles slightly with magical energy. When a bullet or stone is fired from the sling it will ignite like a tiny meteor which has a chance of igniting flammable targets.
9.
Once they know it’s there, PCs may pass freely through the illusionary wall into the secret passage beyond. The tunnel leads to a pile of treasure! Roll 10 Beans and multiply the score by 2 for the number of gold coins there. Roll 5 Beans , score x 5 for silver coins. Roll 10 beans, score x 10 for copper coins. Buried in the coins is a ChangeBlade (see Appendix 3 for description).
10. This passage ends at the shore of a dark subterranean lake. The water disappears into the darkness and there’s no telling how far back it goes. At the shore is a battered leather shoulder pouch (the Deep Pockets pouch from Appendix 3), a single shoe, and the overturned, half washed Wizard’s Cauldron! Before the PCs can get to these goodies though they must deal with the angry thrashing tentacles that reach out from the depths! Roll 10 Beans +2 to determine the number of tentacles. Each tentacle has Body 2, HP:2 and Def 2, 20 XPs if defeated. The tentacles have wicked looking barbs and do slashing damage. Hopefully the PCs will be up to the challenge and can return with The Wizard’s Cauldron for their reward!
Near another cave-in are the stairs leading down to the next level. A faint breeze can be felt coming from the darkness below...
5. These stairs are not of fitted stone like the previous level, but are carved from natural sandstone and open up into a series of caves of the same stone.
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