Table of Contents Rules of Play ....................................................... 3 Character Sheet ................................................... 4 For the Ref .......................................................... 5 Advantages ........................................................ 6 Magick ................................................................ 7 Scenarios: 1. The Captain’s Daughter ....................... 8 2. Safety in Numbers ............................... 9 3. Tombs of the Juna ............................... 10
The Crimson Chronicles 1. Jungle Captives ................................... 11 2. Vex’d ................................................... 12 3. Knives in the Dark .............................. 13 4. Scourge of Stone ................................ 14 5. Coils of the Brotherhood ..................... 15 6. Doom in the Temple ............................ 16 Double Character Sheet ...................................... 17 Written by Jeff Mejia & James Stubbs Edited by James Stubbs Layout by James Stubbs Cover Design & Logo by Jeff Hebert Cover Art by Jeff Hebert 1PG Line Producer: James Stubbs 1PG System Designer: Todd Downing
Dedicated to the memory of Samantha Downing 1967 - 2005
PUBLISHING NOTICE Broadsword - Barbaric Fantasy is published by Deep7 P.O. Box 46373, Seattle, WA 98146 www.deep7.com All material is Copyright © 1993, 2007 Deep7 1PG is a trademark of Deep7 All rights reserved worldwide. Any unathorized duplication, distribution or commercial use of this product in its electronic or hardcopy form is expressly prohibited without prior written authorization of Deep7.
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Rules of Play At last you will know what it is to draw naked steel and face a Behemoth from the Elder Night or to storm the gates of a palace to retake your rightful throne form the usurper who calls himself king. Ride, ght, wench and kill! The walls of the Jeweled Cities of the south will tremble as you crush them beneath your heels! Broadsword is a simple-to learn role-playing game where players take on the roles of heroic characters crafted from the Sword & Sorcery movies and comics of the 70’s and 80’s. The 1PG assumes the players and referee already have some rudimentary experience with role-playing, and is meant to be played in the vein of movies Like Beastmaster , Ator the Fighting Eagle, and Deathstalker , as well as comics such as Claw the Unconquered and Skull the Slayer .
CHARACTER CREATION & GAME RULES Stats & Skills: okay, before we start wenching and swinging swords we need to go over some simple ground rules. Players roll 1D3 for each stat (the bold entries on the character sheet). Roll 1D6+3 for the total number of points to distribute into skills (the individual listings below each stat on the character sheet). Every skill starts at 0, and no stat/skill combination can be less than 1 (although skills can, see below). Put no more than 3 points in any single skill. If you need extra points, you can take them from other skills, leaving them at -1 for each point taken. For example, if you have Bluff 3, you can take 2 points from it and add those two points to a different skill. If you don’t see a skill you really want your character to have (Crocheting, for instance), just write it in the margin after conrming with the referee. Alternately, the referee may choose to have players build their characters with points. If so, distribute 8 points into the four primary stats, and use the rules that follow for secondary stats. Secondary stats: Roll 1D6 and put the number in GUTS, and then roll 1D6 and write the result in PRESENCE. PRESENCE tells you how long your character can keep calm and hold out when faced with unnerving situations, and GUTS signies his ability to handle stress. Any time your character has a traumatic experience in the game (like witnessing his betrothed being cut down by village raiders, or getting wounded), make a “GUTS Check.” If you roll equal to or lower than your character’s GUTS, his PRESENCE is unchanged. The more GUTS your character has, the easier it is to keep his PRESENCE intact. If you don’t make it, then his PRESENCE score is reduced by 1. If you character completely loses his PRESENCE, he becomes twitchy and panicked. You need to roll a 4 or less every time your characters shoots in order to avoid hitting one of his teammates by mistake. Most likely one of them will have to knock out your character. You may always put Character Points into PRESENCE at the end of the game.
Roll 3D6+10 and write the number in BLOOD. This is how much BLOOD your character has. Every time your character takes damage, he will lose BLOOD. When your character has lost all of his BLOOD, he is dead. REPUTATION gives you an idea of how many peasants or others in the land have heard of your character and his exploits. It is
important any time you need to ask for favors or assistance. Beginning characters start with REPUTATION 0, but you may increase that score by rolling 1D6 and getting equal to or under BRAWN, PERSONALITY, PERCEPTION, and KNOWLEDGE (but you may only try once for each at the beginning of the game). Add 1 to your character’s REPUTATION for each successful check. REPUTATION rolls are the same as Skill Checks - roll equal to or under your character’s Reputation. Background table: Roll on this table to determine your character’s Background.
When creating your character, for every point of PRESENCE you get a point to be used to purchase advantages. Most advantages cost only 1 point but there are several that cost 2 points. You may only purchase advantages during character creation. Starting Money: Roll 2D6 x 100 silver pieces. Skill Checks When the character performs an action (and by “action” we mean anything where the outcome may not be as certain as walking or tying one’s shoes), determine what general skill will get it done. Add the skill with the stat it falls under to get the Target Number and then roll equal to or below it on 1D6. Rolling a 1 is always a success, while rolling a 6 is always a failure. The referee may add to or subtract from the Target Number based on environmental factors (motion, weather, level of difculty), so having a target of 6 isn’t useless - it allows you to effectively absorb a -1 to your Target Number without having to worry too much.
In combat, use Fighting for attack/defense. For ranged attacks use Shooting for attack and Fighting for defense. Both combatants will make Skill Checks at the same time. Whoever has a greater margin of success achieves his goal. Ties go to the defender; if both opponents are attacking, a tied margin means both succeed. Subtract the weapon’s damage from the wounded character’s BLOOD. Always add the attacker’s BRAWN to the total damage done on non-ranged attacks. Damage from punches is the same as BRAWN, and kicks do BRAWN +1. In the Case of a test of wills or standoff between characters roll 1D6 versus PRESENCE. Characters with REPUTATION can add it to the Target Number. The greater margin of success wins and the loser must make a GUTS Check or lose 1 point of PRESENCE. If neither roll is equal to or below PRESENCE, the one that achieves the smallest negative margin wins. ARMOR Wearing Certain clothing has armor value (AV). Thick hides and heavy furs give you 1 AV, leather armor gives you 2 AV. Metal armor such as chain mail or scale armor gives you a 3 AV. A shield grants 2 AV. When the character takes damage, subtract AV from the damage dealt to the hit location. CHARACTER IMPROVEMENT If you survive a whole scenario, you get 1D3+5 Character Points. Put these points into stats, skills, PRESENCE, REPUTATION, BLOOD, or GUTS. But Broadsword characters aren’t necessarily meant for long campaigns - don’t worry if they get killed. Just roll up a new one and your ref will t him in somewhere along the way.
Additional rules can be found in The IPG Companion, available now from Deep7’s web site at www.deep7.com.
CHARACTERS CHARACTER GENERATION RULES • Roll 1D3 for each stat. • Roll 1D6+3 for the total number of points to distribute into skills. Put no more than 3 points into any one skill. • If you need extra points, you can take them from other skills, leaving them at -1 for each point taken (no stat/skill combo can be less than 1). • Roll 1D6 for PRESENCE: this is your charisma, your mental and physical bearing. It also determines the amount of advantages you receive. • Roll 1D6 For GUTS: When you are frightened or unnerved, an unsuccessful GUTS check will take away 1 point of PRESENCE. • Roll 3D6+10 for BLOOD; when you take damage, you lose BLOOD; when BLOOD is gone, the character is dead. • Roll equal to or under BRAWN, PERSONALITY, PERCEPTION, and KNOWLEDGE stats; receive 1 point in REPUTATION for each success. • Roll on Background table. • For every point of PRESENCE you get a point to be used to purchase advantages. Most advantages cost only 1 point but there are several that cost 2 points • Roll 2D6 X 100 Silver Pieces for starting cash. SYSTEM When you want the character to do something, determine the stat/ skill combination that will accomplish the task. Add the skill and stat for the Target Number. Roll equal to or under the Target Number on a 1D6 for a success. Rolling a 1is always a success, rolling a 6 is always a failure. COMBAT Use Fighting for all attack/defense, including unarmed combat and ranged attacks. Combatants roll simultaneously. The greater margin is successful. Ties go to the defender: if both opponents are attacking, a tied margin means both attacks succeed. Subtract the weapons damage from the wounded characters BLOOD. Add attacker’s BRAWN to the total damage of non ranged attacks. ARMOR Certain clothing has armor value (AV). Thick hides and heavy furs give you 1 AV, leather armor gives you 2 AV. Metal armor such as chain mail or scale armor gives you a 3 AV. A shield grants the wearer 2 AV. When the character takes damage, subtract AV from the damage dealt to the hit location. CHARACTER IMPROVEMENT If the character survives an entire scenario, you get 1D3 +5 character points and 1 point in REPUTATION. If the character survives to the end of the scenario but is a replacement for a dead character, you only get 1D3+1 character points. Put these points into Stats, Skills, PRESENCE, GUTS or BLOOD.
Background Table (1D6) 1. Mercenary: +1 Endurance, GUTS, and Fighting 2. Scholar: +1 KNOWLEDGE, Languages, Literacy 3. Barbarian: +1 Endurance, +2 Wilderness Survival 4. Nobleman: +1 Riding, Heraldry, +1D6x100 silver 5. Thief: +1 Streetwise, Bluff, Thievery 6. Magic User: +1 Reputation, KNOWLEDGE, Perception (see the Magick section for more information about spells and the different types of magic users).
NAME:________________________________ OCCUPATION: __________________________ Silver: ________________________________ Height: _____Weight: _____Gender: ________ Eyes: ________Hair: _________Age: ________
Brawn .........{
}
Carousing ........ Climbing .......... Endurance ........ Fighting ........... Riding .............. Shooting .........
Equipment
Personality ..{
}
Bluff ................ Flirt .................. Intimidate ........ Persuade ...........
Perception ...{
}
Diplomacy ....... Gambling ......... Stealth .............. Streetwise ........ Thievery ...........
Knowledge{
}
Area Know. ...... Healing ............ Heraldry ........... Languages ........ Legends & Lore Literacy ............ Magick ............. Profession ........ Survival ........... Tracking ...........
BLOOD ...........{ GUTS .............{ pRESENCE........{ REPUTATION ...{ CHAR PTS ......,{ Hit Location
1 Head
2 Torso
} } } } } 3 L. Arm
4 R. Arm
5 L. Leg
6 R. Leg
AV Weapons
Damage
covers the ancient temples doorway…”
For the Referee This page is specically for those brave few who take on the duties of the referee. You get to have your Hellspawned Demons disembowel your friends!! Whether you’re a novice or a pro here are some helpful hints for running a successful game of Broadsword . SETUP & GAMEPLAY Play order is based on the PERCEPTION stat - higher PERCEPTION goes rst. To keep the order of play coherent, you may choose to seat your players around the table in order of highest PERCEPTION to lowest and go around the table. A player with a higher PERCEPTION may choose to hold his action and interrupt another player’s action later in the order of play, but once an action is taken for the round, the player can take no further actions. CUT TO THE CHASE That means keep the adventure short and to the point. Think of it in terms of a movie. Get into the meat of the story as soon as possible. Remember, you don’t have to plan a campaign. Each scenario is meant to be played within a single evening, or 2-3 hours each. If you want to bring back surviving characters and play another scenario, go for it!
THE BAD GUYS A good rule of thumb when creating a villain or villains is to make them durable enough to be a challenge, but vulnerable enough to make the players believe they have a chance. If you have a Lair full of carnivorous apes then give them 15 blood each. A lone Lich Sorcerer might have 20, to represent his more durable nature. If there are a few too many bad guys in a scenario, cut them out. Too few? Add some. Nothing is carved in stone.
Weapons: ITEM DAM Arrow ................................7 Ball & Chain .....................5 Battleaxe .......................... 6 Blade .................................4 Club …...........……..........4 Crossbow Bolt ……..........6 Dagger .........................….3 Great Axe ..........................8 Great Sword ......................8 Hatchet …..........................4 Javelin ...............................4 Lance ................................5 Mace/Morningstar ............5 Maul .................................6 Nunchaku ..........................4 Pole Arm ...........................7 Quarterstaff .......................4 Shuriken ............................1 Sling Bullet .......................3 Spear .................................5 Sword ................................6 Warhammer .......................4 Large Animal Bite .............8 Medium Animal Bite .........6 Large Claw ........................7
DON’T FORGET THE POPCORN For many experienced players used to competitive campaign-style roleplaying, the idea of disposable warriors might be a bit foreign. Tell them to chill. You may have to remind your players that they are the Barbarian heroes in a Sword & Sorcery epic. Reference Krull, Hawk The Slayer , or the Barbarian Brothers. this is not a scholarly work or an in-depth roleplaying experience; it’s “make-believe goes to the movies”.
SET THE MOOD Put on some appropriate soundtrack music: Conan the Bar barian, King Arthur, Braveheart. Tell a visual story. “The darkness surrounds you as you approach the hidden temple. The woods around you are devoid of even the slightest sound. Your horse snorts and rears nervously as an eerie red glow can be seen beyond the foliage that
IMPORTANT Bad guys seldom kill the entire group. Usually one or more characters survive. Even if the rst group of heroes gets taken out, make sure at least one character survives to ride off. If a player’s character is killed, encourage them to make a new one and join back in as soon as the story will allow. By the same token, you may want to have each player start by creating two or more characters, so they have backups handy. These characters are so one-dimensional it is even possible to play two at the same time! DRAMATIC LICENSE It is your prerogative as the referee to tell the story as you see t. Never be afraid to say, “Because I said so…” if you need a decision made, roll a die for it. If you need to gure out how many thieves are hiding in the sewer, roll a die for it. If the task is really easy, give ’em a +1 or +2 on their target number. If the task is super difcult, give ’em a -1 (remember rolling a 1 is always a success and a 6 is always a failure).
THE SCENARIOS INCLUDED There are nine scenarios included with this game that can be played in whatever order you see t. Feel free to design your own, and keep checking www.deep7.com for free scenarios to download! THE 1PG COMPANION For those of you who like a bit more depth to your 1PG gaming sessions, check out the The 1PG Companion for additional tabletop rules, such as building better NPCs, and additional character development rules.
Advantages Advantages are what differentiate your hero from the countless masses. They are abilities that give your character an edge and enable them to go up against Sorcerers, Demons and even challenge the Gods themselves. When creating your character, for every point of PRESENCE you get an advantage point to be used to purchase the following advantages. Most advantages cost only 1 point but there are several that cost 2 points. Beast buddy dog, monkey, ferret, hawk, leopard etc. it’s more than a pet, it’s your characters buddy. Treat it well and it’ll do the same. Beast empathy animals generally like your character, wild animals won’t initiate an attack and domestic animals love him. Called shot make a non lethal called shot with a missile weapon with no negative penalty. Aim for the rope holding the candelabra; shoot the Sorcerer in the wrist to make him drop the wand. It’s your call. Chainmail Bikini (2) Whether your character sports a chainmail bikini, or runs through the desert bare-chested with just a loincloth, not only will they be immune to the elements - but they are considered AV 3. But once they cover up, all bonuses are lost. Danger Sense Your character has a “sixth sense” when it comes to trouble. Nothing he can identify but he has learned to pay attention to it. It usually occurs when something is about to go down, giving them that split second to react. Fearless Your character has no fear. No need for fear checks. Magical fear doesn’t even affect him. Flesh wound (2) If your character survives a ght. Any damage suffered in that ght is reduced to just 1 point. If only 1 point was suf fered initially then the damage is reduced to 0. Good looking Your character is hot! If she’s a gal then she’s a stone fox. If he’s a guy he is a total hunk. Initial reactions will always be favorable (+3 to “irt” rolls), Though a low personality score could affect this afterwards
Leap Your character can spring 10’ upward forward and up to 30’ forward. If used in an attack he gains a +1 to his attack roll. Lightning Attack Doubles your character’s melee attacks with a specic weapon. Luck Your character can ignore any failure once a day and re-roll with a +2 bonus Magical Immunity Your character is immune to any magical effects or illusions. The character is also immune to the effects of benecial magic such as healing spells and potions, etc. (This advantage cannot be combined with Mystic Power). Night Vision At night or in no light situations your character is able to see as if it were dusk. This does not work in magical darkness or if they are blinded. Poison Immunity Your character is immune to all poisons, even magical ones. Rapid Fire Your character can re up to three arrows from a bow or hurl up to six daggers, knives or shuriken during a combat round. This advantage doesn’t work with crossbows. Sharpened Senses (2) Your character can see and hear farther than average. (+2 to sight and hearing checks as well as to the Tracking skill) He can also discern poisons by avor or smell. Summon Horde Whenever your hero needs a little backup he is able to go to the nearest tavern, dockyard, gladiator school etc. and can recruit a bunch of mooks to help him out (at least temporarily). The amount of mooks and length of service is determined by your character ’s personality and other factors as decided by the GM. Troop quality is, of course, variable. Talk to Animals 1, (2) For one point your character can talk to a species of animal for 2pts your character can talk to all animals.
Toughness Your characters skin has a natural armor value (AV) of 2 the same as a suit of toughened leather armor. Weapon Flourish Your character can spin his sword or axe or whatever with such style and panache that he gets a free attack while his opponent is staring in awe. He can use this advantage no more than three occasions against the same opponent.
MagicK This section of Broadsword - Barbaric Fantasy deals with the rules for magic and magical combat that owners of the 1PG Companion can incorporate into their games. This is an expanded version of the quick and dirty rules into a more robust system to reect the style of magic found in the genre. So You Want To Throw Fireballs? It takes a very special person to master the mystic or divine arts and this is reected in the caster’s acquisition of the Magick skill and a sacrice of two of their initial character points. Characters can never become spellcasters after character creation. Magic Power Levels and Spellcasting Spells are determined by their intensity, which is a target number modier. Casting a spell is done by rolling under the KNOWLEDGE/Magick target number as normal as long as the intensity of the spell is less than the target number. If the intensity is greater, the difference is applied as a modier to their check. For example, a character trying to cast a intensity 6 spell with only a target number of 4 is going to suffer a -2 penalty to their check. Conversely, if the intensity had been a 4 or less, it would only require a normal skill check to cast it. Starting Spells & Spell Creation A starting character gets a number of spells equal to their score in Magick plus one. None of these spells can be of an intensity higher than their KNOWLEDGE/Magick score. The creation of spells, however, is a bit trickier. It is up to the referee and the player to create and agree upon spells before the game begins. Alternatively, a referee who has planned a game ahead of time may just have a prepared list of spells for the players to choose from that matches their idea of magic in the game world. Spells can be grouped into two types: damaging and nondestructive magic. The damage caused by a spell is it’s intensity rating multiplied by two (i.e. an intensity 6 Fire Blast spell will cause 12 damage). Healing spells are the one exception to this in that they always heal their intensity x2 - think of it as reverse damage. Non-destructive spells that affect a target (such as Mental Suggestion) are just a KNOWLEDGE/Magick opposed roll. However, when the attacker is using a spell with intensity greater than their combo stat/skill, the margin of the penalty incurred against them is also granted as a bonus to the defender. The duration of any non-damaging spells is equal to its intensity in rounds.
** Sample Spells ** Ball of Flame Intensity: 4. Damage: 8 A small ery ball erupts from the caster’s hand. Bone Dance Intensity: 6. Duration: 6 rounds Allows for communication with the spirit of a dead person. Light Heal Intensity: 3. Restores: 6 damage A minor healing spell useful for wounds that are not serious.
Arcane Backlash Magic is a ckle mistress and the consequences of failing a casting can be severe. Whenever a character fails to affect their target, the possibility for backlash occurs. Have the player roll a d6, on a result of 6, backlash happens. Backlash deals the spells intensity rating in Blood damage to the caster. The referee may, at his discretion, also rule that a minor temporary cosmetic change has happened to the caster (hair turns an unnatural color, leaves sprout from their arms, etc.). These sort of changes impose a -1 penalty to PERSONALITY until it goes away (usually a number of days equal to the margin of failure). Becoming Powerful A character may, at the end of each completed scenario, pay two character points to permanently reduce the intensity rating of one of their known spells by one. This does not effect its previous damage rating or effects - it just makes it easier to cast. Arcane v. Divine Spells The biggest distinction between a mage and a priest is how they power their spells and the types of magic they know. A priest gets their power from some higher power and must make a successful Language skill check before they can make a Magick check. A mage channels the power within and requires nothing but a Magick check. A mage is also, however, barred from performing any type of magic that will heal damage or remove detrimental effects. On the other hand, a priest can never have more damaging spells than non-damaging ones (priests of an evil power are not subject to this rule). Gaining New Spells Mages must nd spells through nding forgotten lore during their travels or getting access to one of the few rare magical research libraries that exist. Once they nd a spell they want, a Magick check (minus any penalties for the intensity of the spell) is all that is required to learn it. Priests must please their patron power through remarkable shows of their worship or quests that further the power’s goals. They, like the mage, must make a check, as above, to learn it otherwise they must wait until they can try again. Druids & Shamans Druids and shamans are considered a divine magic user as they serve to further the cause of nature and spirits respectively. They are not limited to the ratio between damaging and non-damaging spells like a priest but, as a balance, druids are unable to perform magic in urban areas or dungeons. Shamans cannot have any damaging spells but may be able to inuence spirits to stymie their enemies. Getting a favor from a spirit is the same as a priest casting a spell - a Language check followed by a Magick one. Summoning Otherworldly Beings … is never a good idea. Most evil beings just want to break the caster’s control so that they can get laid, cause as much misery as possible and/or take over the world. The benevolent ones typically speak in cryptic messages or riddles and are so concerned with the larger picture of the cosmos that getting them to do anything useful (“insignicant” to them) is a tough battle. Admittedly, there are exceptions to both types. Summoning spells are specic to the named being. The intensity of the spell is each of the being’s stats x2.
The Captain’s Daughter By Jeff Mejia
The Premise The PCs are disbanded mercenaries after a hard campaign. The graves of comrades litter bloody elds from this endeavor. Amongst the fallen is their Captain, a good man who looked to their welfare. After taking their pay, the companions agree to return his ashes and few belongings back to his family. As luck would have it, their former captain’s village, Ranen’s Ford, is two days ride from where the PCs muster and near the large port city of Pyrani, an excellent place to seek further employment as well as get in a bit of rest and relaxation. Ranen’s Ford The journey is uneventful. However, upon arrival at the small farming community, they discover another tragedy has darkened the door of their Captains home. Several weeks ago, at the annual faire the Captain’s only daughter, Sienna, was seduced by a rogue named Malo who accompanied a troupe of entertainers. According to Sienna’s friends, Malo seduced her with stories of city life - theater, parties, and luxuries she had only dreamed of. The night that the faire left Ranen’s Ford, Sienna supposedly left with them. With her husband away, Lorena, the Captains wife, was powerless to do anything. In her grief at the news of her husband’s death, she begs the PC’s to bring back her child. The Entertainer’s The obvious course of action is to track down the troupe. This is relatively easy since the traveling faire makes a regular circuit of the villages. Two villages away in the town of Lenwick, they catch up with the traveling faire. This encounter allows the PCs to interact, roleplay and utilize skills they have spent points on. There are a variety of games of chance, competitions, and minor tournaments (everything from card and dice games to cockghts and archery competitions). Inquiries about Malo and Sienna will uncover little. None of the entertainers remember the pair. Eventually, the PCs will be directed to Kovar, the bare knuckles ghting champ of the faire. Kovar admits to knowing Malo but won’t comment any further. If players become threatening, they nd they will have to ght the troupe plus locals who frown upon outsiders spoiling their one celebration a year. In any event, Renaldo, the troupe leader, suggests the PCs bring it into the ring. If one of them bests Kovar, they’ll tell the PC’s all they know. But if the PC is beaten, the group must peacefully leave the faire. If Kovar is beaten, the entertainers keep their word. He relates that he knew Malo years ago when they served in the Northern Legions. Malo is a pimp in the port city of Pyrani, He joins the Faire circuit every season and specializes in seducing country girls and sweeping them to the city where he sells them to waterfront brothels and wine shops. Kovar remembers Malo was very happy about his latest conquest as she was redhaired and a rare commodity in these parts. Malo left the troupe a day after leaving the village where he found the girl, making haste back to Pyrani. Malo frequents a waterfront tavern called Kruger’s. If the PC loses the bout Kovar will reveal nothing. However, the PCs will later be approached by a dancing girl named Tamara; she was the object of Malo’s attention before he met Sienna, and was promptly discarded. She has no problem letting the PCs know all they want to about Malo and his ways for a few silver.
Pyrani Pyrani is a bustling Port city on the shores of the southern sea. Kruger’s is a dingy tavern in the “Low wharf” district. Kruger’s is popular for the rougher crowd who haunt the wharf - sailors, drug peddlers, whores and rogues frequent this dark tavern. Malo is easy to nd, he’s holding court by the re. He has a young girl on his lap and rough looking bravos sitting at his long table. (There is bound to be a ght, no one other than the PCs and Malo’s crew get involved but everyone stays to see the show.). If Malo is subdued, he sings like a canary. He remembers the girl. He didn’t touch her. He sold her to Sevitrex the priest. The priest has a thing for redheads but they must be virgins. Malo brought the girl to the priest and was paid. That’s all he knows. If Malo is killed by the PCs in the ght, allow one of his surviving henchmen or the girl that was sitting on his lap to come forward with some information regarding Sevitrex. Sevitrex of Inisa Sevitrex is the high priest of the Fire Goddess, Inisa. Few worship her as she represents the destructive force of re. Most seek to placate her and keep her gaze far away. She has a small chapel in the temple district, in an alleyway off of the Street of Gods. The chapel is a stone building of little more than a aming pit before the large hideous feminine statue. The temple acolytes are expected to keep the ame fed at all times. Despite its small size, the temple is powerful since it generates monthly income by all the businesses in the city that tithe to the goddess to insure that res don’t suddenly appear and destroy their livelihood. Sevitrex resides in a estate in the city’s high quarter. He has no guards, but raises mastiffs who run the property day and night. He has seven acolytes in his home. During the day, they go about their duties. At night, the acolytes retire to their rooms. Sienna is held captive in a room near that of Sevitrex. He plans to sacrice her and has told her, just to feed off of her terror. If the PCs go to the estate in the day, the servants will be distributed in the estate performing thier duties. In the evening, the acolytes are in their quarters. In the event of intrusion, they will defend Sevitrex, willingly sacricing their lives for his. In the day, Sevitrex is in his study. In the evening, he is in his parlor writing treatises on torture or in his torture chamber rening techniques on girls he purchased. At all times, he will be with the largest of his hounds. Kovar: BRAWN 3/Fighting 3; PERSONALITY 2; PERCEPTION 1; KNOWLEDGE 1; BLOOD 18. Malo: BRAWN 2/Fighting 1; PERSONALITY 3/Bluff 2 Flirt 3, Persuade:2; PERCEPTION 2; KNOWLEDGE 2; BLOOD: 13 Equipment: Blade (4 damage) Malo’s Goons/Sevitrex’s Acolytes: BRAWN 1; PERSONALITY 1; PERCEPTION 1; KNOWLEDGE 1; BLOOD 9 Equipment: Dagger (3 damage) Mastiff : BRAWN 1/Fighting 1; BLOOD 10. Equipment: Bite (5 damage) Sevitrex: BRAWN 3/Fighting 3; PERSONALITY 2; PERCEPTION 1; KNOWLEDGE 1; BLOOD 18 Equipment: Demon Hound Spell This spell increases a canine’s size and give it the appearance of a demon creature whose pelt smells of burning coal and whose eyes burn with a demonic red re.
Demon Hound: BLOOD 20 AV 3. Claws 6 damage Bite 8 damage.
Safety in Numbers By Jeff Mejia
The Premise: The players are the survivors of a caravan that has just been attacked by bandits. Outnumbered, they must make their way down to the lowlands avoiding the bandit trackers, mountain creatures, natural perils and the elements. Set Up: Your characters have been traveling for several days with a caravan that has left the city of Hogar and is crossing the mountain range to the city-state of Belsa. This is the last caravan through the mountains prior to the heavy winter snows that will close the pass for many weeks. The caravan consists of 18 wagons and close to 200 people. 50 of which are guards. The journey has been peaceful and routine and spirits were running high as they reached the summit of the mountain pass. That was yesterday. This morning minutes before dawn the caravan was attacked by a large force of raiders. Your group has managed to break away into the woods. They have the clothes on their backs and the weapons they had at hand when the raiders struck but nothing else, no mounts- no packs, no provisions- there was just no time. In addition to your group are three youngsters- a young boy Timon, 8 years-old and his two sisters, Kaya, 12 and Madeline, 17. Madeline was married to a tradesman who was killed just moments ago. She is also very pregnant. On the run: The rst encounter of the adventure is with an equal number of raiders who are in hot pursuit of the children. One of the raiders has a chained Slarth with him. Slarths are huge ferret-like creatures about 7 feet long. They have thick white fur, wicked teeth and claws and a phenomenal sense of smell. There is one opponent for each character and another who has the Slarth with him. The two younger children are armed with small knives. They will attempt to put up a ght but will not be much of a match for the raiders. The pregnant girl is unarmed. Immediately after the last raider is hopefully dispatched, a hunting horn is heard. This is a call to the raiders to rendezvous at the caravan ambush site. This will be an ideal time to escape since it may be a while before the raiders nish pillaging and take a count of their numbers. Soon enough they may be after the group. Shelter: Near the evening, after an arduous day of cross country travel the group must Utilize their skills to create a sheltered re and forage for food (Note: any characters that have suffered wounds in the previous encounter are not able to recover any BLOOD points until they get to a place of relative shelter). The group locates an area near a stream. Small game is plentiful and the characters hopefully have survival skills or at least appropriated a spear from the bandits in the earlier encounter to spear a sh or two. On the second day the temperature drops noticeably, they soon notice the sky darkening. By mid-day it is apparent that a storm is coming. And the pace is shortened considerably by Madeline’s obvious condition. Anyone with healing skill will notice that she is very near to delivering. Around late afternoon snow begins to fall. Someone in the group may discover a cave where shelter could be found. The problem is that the shelter is already home of a large Grizzly bear. The bear is ferocious and easily two feet taller than the largest member of the group. It will not run off and must be overcome. The lair looks and smells like it has been occupied by a bear for
some time. And amongst the refuse are the decomposed remains of a human. Also in the refuse is a large sack containing a coil of rope, a hatchet, ints, a small cooking pot, a bit of rock salt and a small pouch of pepper, a blanket, and a sewing-kit. With a furious storm building outside, this is the perfect time to have Madeline’s baby arrive. Let nature take its course and allow the players to help out in the process having your ham sted gladiator try to deliver a baby will be an event your players will be recalling for years. Upon further examination, one of the characters will discover that there’s a very small partially blocked passageway in the rear of the cave. If it is opened wider, owing water from an underground river can be heard. The cavern opens up to a height of about 20’ the river is owing towards the lowlands a character with area knowledge may deduce that this is a tributary to a main river in the lowlands near the city you were all traveling to. There are enough raw materials nearby that a serviceable raft can be constructed. Refuge and betrayal: Eventually the players make it down from the high ranges. If the trip is overland then the GM might want to add a possible encounter with a hungry mountain lion or a large pack of hyenadons. If the group constructs a raft and oats down then maybe an encounter featuring some treacherous rapids on the way down from the highlands. In either event the group will soon see a smokestack in the distance indicating civilization. After a mile or so more of travel the group should reach a small steading. The steading consists of a log palisade surrounding several wooden buildings. The residents ve men and three women are friendly but in fact they are in league with slavers. When the group rst arrives the residents will welcome them with gestures of concern and offers of aid, but at the same time they will secretly send word to the slavers. In the evening the steading folk will hold a banquet with roast meats, fruit pies and plenty of ale to relax the group and get them drunk. The young boy Timon will feel uneasy about the whole deal and will try and warn the group of possible treachery. If confronted the men of the Steading will attack and the women will ee to safety. If the group does not heed Timon’s warnings they will awaken to nd themselves in chains and locked in a smokehouse to await the arrival of the slavers. If the men of the steading are overcome then the group will nd amongst their modest spoils (weapons, armor, pelts, a few coins etc.) several mules and horses as well as a wagon with which to make their getaway to the safety of the city of Belsa Raider: BRAWN 2/Fighting 1; PERSONALITY 1; PERCEPTION 1; KNOWLEDGE 1; BLOOD 12 Equipment: Leather Armor AV: 2. sword, battleaxe or spear Slarth: BRAWN 2/Fighting 1; BLOOD 10 Equipment: thick hide AV 2. Claws (6 damage). Bite (6 damage) Grizzly Bear: BRAWN 3/Fighting 1; BLOOD 30 Equipment: thick pelt AV 2. Claws (7 damage). Bite (8 damage) Men of the Steading: BRAWN 2/Fighting 1; PERSONALITY 1; PERCEPTION 1; KNOWLEDGE 1; BLOOD 10 Equipment: sword, battleaxe or spear
Tombs of the Juna By Jeff Mejia
The Premise: The group is in Al-Khalid, a major trading nexus at the foot of the Drujistan Mountains. One of the group members is approached by an old colleague named Hassan. Hassan has a map to the tomb of a king of ancient Juna, high in the Drujistan Mountains in the land of the Morgal tribes. Hassan and his brother Elar have had this map for many years. The area where the tomb is located is considered holy by the Morgal tribesmen and has always been guarded against intruders so, while they knew where the treasure was, getting to it was impossible. Until now. Recently the Morgal have been beset by twin catastrophes. First, they were embroiled in a war with a new tribe, who has recently moved into the Morgal lands, the Jaga. As erce as the Morgal are, the Jaga have proven ercer. Many warriors have fallen to the blades of the Jaga and much Morgal land has been lost. The Jaga hordes have yet to reach the area where the tombs of the Juna are located but eventually they will, and the Jaga will have no qualms about looting another tribe’s holy site. Secondly, a plague has swept the Morgal, sending many of their people to the shadow-realm of Hala the goddess of death, leaving the Morgal broken in body and spirit. As it is written that one mans tragedy is another mans triumph, so it is here. Hassan’s brother had passed on, leaving Hassan in sole possession of the map. Though still doughty, Hassan is getting old and would not be able to reach the tomb much less make off with its treasures and return to Al-Khalid on his own. Hassan bargains for two shares of any treasure. For his part he will provide the map and funds. Posing as traders, the group will make their way into the mountains. Once at the tombs, he will stay with the mounts while the group retrieves the actual riches. As stated, Hassan is a former colleague and is trustworthy. Morgal camp After several days of uneventful travel, the group nds itself entering the lands of the Morgal. That same afternoon they spy a small camp. There appear to be about a half dozen tents. A closer inspection shows this to be a very poor camp indeed. The tents are badly patched and the goats are skinny. There looks to be about 6 old men and about three times as many women and small children. If the group makes contact, they nd the camp is all that’s left of what was once a much larger Morgal tribe. This particular group is making their way down to the lowlands barely a few days ahead of Jaga outriders. The camp has nothing to trade other than information. They can tell the PCs that a major battle was fought three days ago and that the Morgal were soundly defeated by the Jaga and the enemy are now virtually unopposed. The Morgal refugees expect that once the Jaga have nursed their wounded and nished celebrating their victory they will move into the Morgal lands in force. Jaga war band Camped near the pass to the entrance of the tombs of the Juna is a small war band of Jaga scouts. These advance scouts of the larger Jaga horde have located the tomb and are working up the courage to enter the forbidden site and loot it. Though they are not cowards, they are a superstitious people and it may take several skins of wine and a good pep talk by their leader before they enter the tombs.
The tomb The tomb on the map is at the base of a cliff. There is a stone seal that must be moved to get in. The passage is 10’ wide and 7’ high, and goes downward. The tomb is completely dark, the passageway dry and the air very stale. With light, the PCs see that glyphs are etched in the walls, a successful Legends & Lore check show these to be warnings for thieves of the deadly curses and damnation that will be their fate if the tomb is disturbed. There are several traps. The rst is a pressure plate about 50’ from the entrance. If undetected, (Thievery check) the trap shoots dozens of darts from the ceiling. They cause no harm but they are coated with a poison that has weakened through the years. Any struck PC will suffer 3 BLOOD damage per turn for 2 turns. Further down lies another pressure plate that, if undetected, will cause a cave-in behind the group trapping them. They can dig out but the effort will take hours. If the cave-in happens, the group will hear noise coming from further down the passage. The noise is a clattering and clicking, like bone or shell clacking on stone. If the group continues, they encounter the third and nal trap. This pressure plate causes a ne powdery dust to fall upon the group from above. When the dust contacts any exposed metal, (armor, weapons, tools, etc.) it immediately turns all metal to rust. After this trap has sprung, deactivated or circumvented, the clattering become louder. The group comes to the end of the corridor that opens into a large chamber. A stone sarcophagus lies in the center of the room, and, dancing around it madly, is a most horric sight, (GUTS check) a demonic creature half man/half scorpion. The clattering noise comes from insect limbs striking the agstones of the oor. The creature pays no attention to the group unless they cross into the room then it will attack mercilessly. The demon will leave the room to pursue but it is bound to the tomb and will not leave it. If reduced to 0 BLOOD the demon will dissipate with an agonizing wail. If the PCs manage to defeat the traps and the demon, the treasure of the Juna is theirs. Several chests of gold coins, jewelry, and ornate weapons are found in the sarcophagus along with the mummied remains of the last Juna kings. The PCs must hurry for, with the rising and setting of one sun, the demon will return from the netherworld to continue his bound duty. If successful, the group can leave the valley without incident. But the Jaga are out there in the high mountains of Drujistan, as are the Morgal. And when the wine cups ow and the bragging starts in the taverns and brothels of Al-Khalid, the adventurers may nd that great treasures bring great troubles - but that is a story for another time. Morgal Tribesman: BRAWN 1/Fighting 1; PERSONALITY 1; PERCEPTION 1; KNOWLEDGE 1; BLOOD 9 Equipment: short sword and spear Jaga Warrior: BRAWN 2/Fighting 2; PERSONALITY 1; PERCEPTION 1; KNOWLEDGE 1; BLOOD 12 Equipment: Leather Armor AV 2. scimitar (6 damage) and bow Scorpion Demon: BLOOD 40 Equipment: hide AV 3, huge scimitar (8 damage) Stinger (8 damage) This is a large creature that has the lower body of a giant scorpion and the upper torso of a scabrous bald headed man. The demon has eyes of green re and large vampiric fangs. It wields a two-handed scimitar and possesses a large stinger which does horrendous damage.
Jungle Captives The Crimson Chronicles Part One • By James Stubbs
The Premise: The heroes are on their way to explore some longforgotten ruins for prot and plunder but run afoul of vicious natives. The Setup: One of the heroes has a treasure map that they either won in a shady game of chance, inherited it from their mad uncle who swears its real, or through some other plot contrivance. Feel free to roleplay the acquisition of the map as it will add enjoyment to the story. The map claims that, along the Silver Coast, there lie ruins of an ancient civilization, renowned for their gold and jewelry. If truly undiscovered, these ruins would be an enormous source of treasure. The Silver Coast: An Area Knowledge check will reveal that the Silver Coast is notorious for both pirates and slavers, who often work in conjunction. The Coast is bordered by thick jungle named Greenswath, but more ominously known as The Green Death (and where the map says the ruins are). A Legends & Lore or Mystic Lore check will reveal that the Silver Coast was home to an ancient race of people called the Divia, who were great scholars and sorcerers until a magical catastrophe (some say the anger of the gods) destroyed them. More importantly to treasure seekers, however, was the Divians legendary skill in beautiful goldwork and ostentatious jewelcrafting. What is readily apparent, however, is that it will be a long journey to reach the spot indicated on the map and that peril will be a constant companion.
various tribes and are openly warlike against outsiders disturbing their hunting grounds and sacred sites. These natives are typically nude except for savage trophies of feathers, teeth and the occasional human body extremity such as ngers or ears. Their weaponry is crude clubs and stone-tipped spears. The biggest issue facing the party, however, is that it is virtually impossible to go anywhere in the Greenswath without infringing upon one tribe or another’s lands. The truly unlucky may nd themselves in contested ground between two very angry tribes who would just as soon kill each other as the trespassers. Trapped! By Heathen Savages!: Unfortunately for the party, the natives are more interested in capturing for their blood sacrices rather than outright butchery. The preferred tactic is to herd the victims by a group of warriors into an ambush by hunters armed with blowguns and nets. Blowgun darts cause no Blood damage. However, once struck by a blowgun dart, the victim must make a BRAWN check each round or loose a point of BRAWN. When BRAWN, hits zero, the affected person falls unconscious for 2 hours. Characters ensnared in nets suffer a -1 penalty to all physical actions and prevent any kind of ranged attack with a weapon. Characters awaken in order of who was taken down rst to nd themselves bound in a crude hut with their weapons and armor removed. The sounds of cruel laughter and strange language lter in through the animal hide door ap. Two burly guards can be seen guarding the door outside.
Sold Into Slavery: Escape should be the rst thought on the party’s minds. Characters with a BRAWN of 1 cannot attempt to break their bonds. Everyone else is at a -2 penalty to do so. However, once a single character is free, it is easy enough to untie the others as long as they can be silent. Make PERCEPTION The Green Death: Getting to the jungle is relatively easy. Characters will only have to make their way along bandit-infested checks for the guards. If they are alerted, they will rush in with weapons and the party (at least those who are free) will have to roadways, stay at inns who make a tidy sum at swindling the ght them barehanded until they can possibly take one away from travelers who stay there, and, if they’re brave enough to travel at a guard. The sound of a ght will draw others because the two night, whatever creatures dog their path in the darkness. guards will certainly yell warnings. Eventually the troublemakers The jungle can be felt before it can be seen as the dryness will be subdued again, rebound and dragged before the tribe’s of the grasslands grows considerably warmer and the humidity chief. climbs. Lions gaze impassively at the invaders from their tall The chief, however, has a group of outsiders with him grass or rocks, too warm for them to bother menacing the party. along with a long line of bound native slaves and a large bag The jungle at least offers shade from the blazing sun if not from of obviously worthless but shiny baubles. It becomes quickly the oppressive heat. The Green Death is appropriately named as the lush landscape apparent that they have been traded to a group of men who can only be slavers. holds its own dangers for the unwary and unaccustomed. The crude ropes are overlaid by manacles and chains, their Snakes, spiders and other small but no less dangerous beasts are weapons and armor are bundled up, and they are lead away to omnipresent. Large predatory animals such as panthers, erce their unknown fate to the sounds of loud yells intermixed with gorillas and bull elephants are also to be contended with and the the screams and pleadings of native women and children slaves uninitiated can just as easily nd their end by eating unfamiliar that are being left behind to slaughter in the name of heathen berries, fruits or mushrooms. gods. A day or two inside the jungle, however, brings an attack by a pack of erce apes who are angry at the party for disturbing their Damn Dirty Ape: BRAWN 1/Fighting 1; BLOOD 8 mating rituals. Characters will need to either defeat these wild beasts or nd some way to frighten them away before the party is Savage Native: BRAWN 2/Fighting 1 Shooting 1; PERSONALITY 1; bludgeoned to death and mauled. The Natives Are Restless: Despite the other perils, the biggest danger comes from the biggest game of them all: man. The Greenswath is home to several tribes of savages, who are rumored to be both cannibals and worshippers of dark evil primordial gods. They are also extremely hostile amongst the
PERCEPTION 1/Stealth 1; KNOWLEDGE 1; BLOOD 10 Equipment: dagger, blowgun and net
Vex’d
The Crimson Chronicles Part Two • By James Stubbs
The Premise: Our heroes, sold into slavery, meet a captive pirate queen who offers to take them to the exact location of the ruins if they help her escape and make it back to her ship. The Setup: The biggest event now is the long march back to the slaver’s camp. The weather is as miserable as before but the important thing here is to instill a true sense of hatred against the slavers but that shouldn’t be too difcult. They can joke about the good price the characters will fetch in the pleasure dens, mines, or whatever other demeaning job you can think of. If the referee wants to be especially cruel, he can add in comments that one or more of the male characters would make good eunuchs and that they could save the surgeons some trouble and do the job here.. The slavers are stingy with both water and food and, even though the characters are spared, they whip their other captives without provocation. Rest and sleep are kept only to enough time to make sure that none die from exhaustion although the characters may guess that the slavers are trying to get back to their camp and out of the jungle as quickly as possible to avoid any confrontation with another rival tribe. Pirate Queen of the Slaver’s Camp: Makeshift is a good choice of words to describe the camp. It is obvious that it was planned to be able to move in a hurry. Slaves are all bound to trees by a long chain in which their manacles are connected. More astounding is the single non-native woman chained up by herself but the slavers soon join the party’s manacles onto her chain as well. She seems just as surprised and not without some small measure of relief. She introduces herself as Vex, Captain of the pirate ship, Bloodwake. She was with a landing crew looking for ruins that was rumored to have great treasure when they were ambushed by slavers. Her men where killed and she was taken captive just as they discovered the ruins. She will offer to take the party directly to the ruins if they will free her and get her back to the beach where her longboat is moored. She would prefer to get back to her ship rst but, if the characters insist, she will grudgingly take them to the ruins rst but, in exchange for putting her in peril again, she will demand a share of the gold. And, if her ship is taken over by her ambitious rst mate in the meantime, she will hold them personally responsible for costing her a ship and stranding her on this godsforsaken land. Camp Amusements: Perhaps it is the heat or the stress of constantly being on alert, but these slavers are excited and irritable. However, they have their own alcohol as well as several asks taken from Vex’s slain crewmen. They begin drinking – heavily. This improves their mood considerably and soon they are laughing and joking amongst each other. However, like most cruel men, the drinks soon bring out the mean and sadistic streaks in them. Liberties are taken with the female captives and Vex is roughly drug away, protesting and cursing that she’d rather mate with a pig, into a nearby tent by a very fat and sweaty man with a large keychain. Several of the native male captives are forced to ght each other one on one with knives. If the characters, however, make
too much of a nuisance of themselves, they will nd themselves tossed into the ring and forced to ght to the death! The nonnative captives are valuable to the slavers but only so much before they become more trouble than they’re worth. Escape!: Now would be the perfect time for the party to attempt to escape as their captors are intoxicated and occupied. A BRAWN check at a -1 penalty will snap the manacles behind the character’s back. There is no limit to the number of attempts but, for each failed try, they bloody up their wrists and hands (1 Blood damage per failure).The slavers are too far gone to pay attention to the clanking chains. Freed characters can either immediately attack their captors or attempt to free their companions and, possibly, some of the other slaves. Most of the native slaves will just ee into the jungle but some of the men will turn on their tormentors even though they have no weapons. Freeing others is just a simple BRAWN check to break the manacles or the key can be gotten off Jerrod the Fat, the head slaver who had taken Vex to his tent. In the middle of the ght, if the characters didn’t immediately go to help her, Jerrod staggers out of the tent screaming and clutching his very bloody groin as Vex emerges, rearranging her disheveled clothes, but with his knife. She’ll spend the rest of the combat taunting him and chasing him around the camp, inicting supercial cuts until she gets bored and puts him out of his misery. Characters that seize any weapon who had lost Blood freeing themselves, are at a -1 penalty to Fighting checks as their hands are slick with their own blood. Putting an End to the Slavers: The moment Jerrod dies, the rest of the slavers don’t see any reason to continue this fruitless venture. Some will try to surrender to the characters while others ee into the jungle pursued by any surviving natives. Assuming the party takes prisoners, they’re not really any help informationwise but they do have a few coins on them. If nothing else, Vex will offer the party a single gold piece for the lot of the prisoners as offering to the shark god the next time she sails. The real treasure, however, is a small chest inside the Jerrod’s tent that contains fty gold pieces. The chest is locked but can easily be smashed open with a weapon or the key can be found inside his hoot. If you want to insert a plot hook for another adventure outside the scope of this campaign, you can make the coins bear a royal seal meaning that only someone in power is either nancing slavery or had the money stolen from them. From this point, the trip to the beach is uneventful and Vex will invite them aboard her ship for healing, food and rest or, if they want to press on to the ruins, skip ahead to scenario four. Slaver: BRAWN 2/Fighting 1; PERSONALITY 1; PERCEPTION 1; KNOWLEDGE 1; BLOOD 12 Equipment: sword
Jerrod the Fat: BRAWN 1/Fighting 1; PERSONALITY 1/Persuade 1; PERCEPTION 1/Diplomacy 1; KNOWLEDGE 1; BLOOD 25 Equipment: dagger
Knives in the Dark The Crimson Chronicles Part Three • By James Stubbs
The Premise: Fresh from their escape from the slavers, our heroes accept the hospitality of Vex aboard her ship. Sadly, life amongst pirates is rarely neither safe nor restful due to her ambitious rst mate and a rebellious crew. The Setup: Vex is rowed back to her ship which is sitting with sails unfurled and the anchor slowly being heaved up the side of the ship. The Bloodwake is sleek and lays low in the water, her long oars dipping into the water. It is obvious that she is a coastal raider and ill-suited for forays out into deeper water but she is fast as her graceful curves attest to. Vex curses and screams until heard, a cheer rises up from her crew, and a rope ladder lowers to meet them as they pull alongside. A rugged looking man with a chest tattoo of a shark glares at the characters and, just as quickly, masks his obvious resentment. Vex doesn’t appear to notice this and introduces him as Viler, her rst mate, and makes a comment about how she is still very much alive, with a meaningful look at Viler. Shipboard Hospitality: Vex is true to her word and offers the meager healing she has available (4 Blood restored/character), a silk pillow cushion for their assigned hammocks and the best food and wines available from her quarters. She will offer to draw the party a detailed map to the ruins when they are sufciently rested and healed although, if they press, she will draw it up immediately. She will also offer to replace their missing armor and weapons (with suspicious bloodstained versions) Healing will take the day and Vex will insist on them resting in comfort aboard ship rather than in the dangerous jungle. Each additional day spent on the ship will restore an additional 2 Blood (or you can use the healing rules from The 1PG Companion). Meet the Crew: Like most pirate crews, the Bloodwake is a motley bunch of cutthroats, misanthropes and the unfortunate. Most of them are purely in it for the money but a few are escaped slaves and one dashing young man with a ragged scar across his forearm claims to be a deposed prince on the run from an arranged marriage. With the exception of Viler, most of the crew are very happy to see their captain safe and the rst evening is a celebration of her return and a wake for their fellows that didn’t make it back. The current total crew of the Bloodwake after the loss is sixteen souls: the captain, her serving girl, rst mate, navigator, helmsman, tiller, galley overseer, and ten other men who serve general duty such as lookouts, men-at-arms, deck swabbing, etc. The oars are manned by twenty-six slaves who are kept chained to their benches below deck. The Captain’s Confdence: Over dinner in her stateroom, Vex, once she dismisses her serving girl, will conde in the party that she is quite aware of Viler’s distaste for her and didn’t miss his reaction at her return. She is no stranger to treachery and has had her eye on him for some time. His reckless ambition had been an asset until recently but he has grown too bold. Her spies have told her that he is fermenting mutiny amongst his sympathizers and is blaming the debacle at the ruins as her fault with no gold to show for it.
Challenging him to one-on-one combat in front of the crew is not an option because even after she kills him (and Vex is very condent in the end result), she would still have to fear the unknown assassin in the night trying to avenge him. She knows some of the possible mutineers but there are probably others keeping low or who’s allegiances would swing at his death, claiming that she had gone too far. Instead she needs someone to do her dirty work for her. Why, if he was killed in the night, his valuables and her treasure map stolen and a longboat missing, who wouldn’t blame her as she had been victimized too? She will ensure that just compensation is placed in the longboat for their escape. However, the deed needs to be done tonight before Viler can cause any more dissent and a mutiny does occur. On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness: Let the party plan however they wish. Vex has told them where Viler’s cabin is on the ship. A minor squall sets in as night falls, nothing very dangerous but is does send the crew below deck and rocks the ship making balance difcult. All lanterns are extinguished to prevent re from one falling and the ship is only illuminated by the moon. There are seven men involved in the mutiny plot: Viler, the galley overseer, and ve crewmen. Viler, and the overseer are the brains behind the plot and they are, not in Viler’s cabin, but the overseers’ with one of the crewmen. The other four coconspirators are in the hallway outside on the lookout for spies or anyone else. If the party takes the time to ransack Viler’s cabin, they nd a small chest containing fteen gold pieces. It is unlikely that the party will be able to sneak up and dispatch ve men in a darkened hallway. If a ght erupts, Viler and the overseer have devised a ingenious escape from the cabin. Viler arranged for a shing net to be hanging over the side which can be reached from the cabin. They will scale the net up to the deck, storm Vex’s cabin, kill her, and then raise the alarm. Secretly, Viler plans to betray the crewman with them, kill him and pin the captain’s murder on him. Fight in the Storm: The crewman is left at the railing to cut the net ropes if anyone tries to follow. Unfortunately, the rain has made the net hard to cut and it will take three rounds before he can sever it. The captain’s door is broken down just as the party makes the deck. Vex is cursing and waving her sword about as her serving girl screams once (the noise hopelessly lost in the wind and pounding rain) and swoons. Its two against one and Vex will be cut down unless someone ignores the crewman long enough to intervene. Once defeated, Vex will hurry them to a longboat and lower it over the side telling the party that the story will be that Viler and her overseer died protecting her life and virtue from the party although not before the map was snatched. Vex tried to pursue but stopped to tend to her servant. As the party rows away, they nd a bag containing the map (if they didn’t insist on having it earlier) and fty gold coins. Pirate: BRAWN 2/Fighting 1 ; PERSONALITY 1; PERCEPTION 1; KNOWLEDGE 1; BLOOD 12 Equipment: sword Viler: BRAWN 2/Fighting 2; PERSONALITY 1/Intimidate 1; PERCEPTION 1/Thievery 1; KNOWLEDGE 1; BLOOD 30 Equipment: sword
Scourge of Stone The Crimson Chronicles Part Four • By James Stubbs
The Premise: Armed with an exact map to the ruins, the party leaves the Bloodwake and makes their way back into the jungle but not before they stumble upon native hunters and are chased into the very ruins they were looking for. There, they are in for a surprise to nd the place a far cry from abandoned to the ages. The Setup: The row from the pirate ship to the beach is uneventful and soon the party is engulfed by the oppressiveness of the jungle, now seeming even more sinister by night. Any light carried by the heroes casts long shadows and the feeling of being watched is ever there. Nocturnal predators screech and growl and the occasional mortal cry of prey being brought down should warn the party that night belongs to the hunter. The map is very specic in what direction to go but the referee may want to ask for BRAINS checks to avoid getting lost in the dark. The ruins are a sacred place to the natives and they do not venture onto its grounds except for times of worship. If the group gets turned about, they will encounter a native hunting party, also out later than they should be but they have the advantage of knowing the terrain. They will hide themselves in thick brush and ambush the heroes. Night Fighting: The natives will hurl their spears from hiding and then rush in to attack with their crude knives and clubs. Anyone carrying a light source grants the attackers a +1 bonus on their attacks against them as they will be the favored target. Dropping the light negates this penalty but runs the risk of starting a re. Lanterns simply go out but torches may set the underbrush on re. These blazes will be small given the wetness of the environs but they’re still enough to give minor burns (1 Blood damage) to anyone that stumbles into them. Safely extinguishing a light takes one full round. If the lights go out or none were used to begin with, it is a blind free-for-all. If any res were set, they’re not enough to really see anything clearly by. Anyone making melee or ranged attacks, is under a -2 penalty to their rolls. If they hit, roll another d6 to see if they actually hit a buddy instead. Any sixes are “friendly re.” The best strategy here would be to hit the ground, crawl away and regroup. Doing so will remove any chance of hitting party members as everyone knows where their companions are. The Outside Wall: Once the ght is over, it is only a small matter to correct their steps and nd the ruins. By night, the ancient vine-encrusted walls look foreboding. Crumbling ancient heathen gods, leer at the party from the disintegrating sandstone edice. Two lit torches ank the entrance and there are two native guards. The heroes can make a treacherous climb over the wall or simply attack the two guards. If attacked, they simply attempt to ee. They don’t know why anyone would want to enter the ruins willingly and are more than content to let the invaders go to their end inside. Given the previous ambush, however, it is more likely they will be put to the sword regardless. The Courtyard: Assuming they brought their own light or took one of the torches from outside, the courtyard of the ruins is in total abandonment to the elements. Once stately homes and
businesses have crumbled or collapsed. Although, at the far end of the ruins stands a temple that seems to have withstood the ages better than the others. Most disconcerting, however, are the frequent bloodstains on the stonework and the human skeletal remains. One grisly discovery is even still “fresh”, her wrists still bound by vines and desiccated face full of terror, frozen for eternity. If they inspect the body, there are two large puncture wounds in her back. Something big killed this woman. Arachnophobia: A monstrous spider roams the courtyard and the natives worship it with regular virgin sacrices. It won’t take long for the heroes to draw its attention with their moving about and talking. It has grown complacent with the easy meals given it and makes no effort to conceal its approach. Only by defeating this creature can the party continue to the temple. The Temple: The temple is still solid and squat, the carvings into its walls and columns even more grotesque and profane than the outside walls. The place looks abandoned but there is a noticeable lack of dust and walkways and rooms are free of debris. An ankle-deep pool in the foyer is still circulating fresh water from tiny bronze pipes. A golden snake statue coils around the raised center of the pool. The party will soon encounter the inhabitants of the temple, a mixture of native, non-native and mixed-blood people. They can speak the same language as the party and welcome them to their “refuge”. Few wear clothing but all are bedecked in golden jewelry. The leader identies himself as Anes and offers the hospitality of his people while the heroes who killed “their captor” the giant spider rest and feast. Over the meal and dancing, he will explain that they are former slaves and castaways who had taken refuge here in the ruins to escape the natives or, in some cases, rival tribes. The temple garden still bears fruit, vegetables and herbs, aqueducts still work and they can ferment wine. The giant spider was worshipped as a native god but they were safe as long as they stayed in the temple when it was about. It was, in a sense, their captor and their savior. Although they do not morn its death as it had taken many of them in the past. The party’s food and drink is drugged. If they can make a BRAWN check at a -2 penalty they stay awake and realize that something is wrong. Otherwise it looks like they just had too much potent wine and passed out. Any still conscious is offered a companion for the night. When exhausted and asleep, they will be bound and taken captive along with the drugged. Native Hunter: BRAWN 1/Fighting 1 Shooting 1; PERSONALITY 1; PERCEPTION 1; KNOWLEDGE 1/Tracking 1; BLOOD 10 Equipment: sword Giant Spider: BRAWN 3/Fighting 1; PERSONALITY 1; PERCEPTION 1/Stealth 1; KNOWLEDGE 1; BLOOD 30 Equipment: bite (6 damage)
Coils of the Brotherhood The Crimson Chronicles Part Five • By James Stubbs
The Premise: Awakening to nd themselves in captivity, the party must ght their way past their captor’s “god” and it’s crazed and fanatical followers. The Setup: The PCs nd themselves at the bottom of a large dimly-lit stone pit. They have been divested of their weapons and armor but the oor is littered with human bones that can be used as improvised clubs if necessary (they break and become useless on a roll of 6). The pit is roughly twenty feet deep. Its walls have cracks in the stonework but they are ill-suited for foot of handholds. Any attempts to climb are at a -2 penalty and a check must be made for every ve feet ascended. Failure means the character falls and suffers 1 Blood damage for every ve feet fallen plus another 5 Blood damage when they hit the stone oor (this only occurs when they have scaled more than ten feet). At the top of the pit, it is evident that a large stone or stone slab covers the top. Faint traces of sunlight stream in at the edges and provide the only illumination. Fifteen feet up from the oor, a hinged iron grate can be seen. Any character that was able to climb up is assailed by a pungent odor and a faint hissing sound but is otherwise unaffected. The stone obstruction at the top is impossible to move as it is too heavy and gripping it will cause the character to loose their purchase and plummet to the oor below. A Fellow Prisoner: The PCs, however, are not alone in the pit. A frightened teenaged girl is huddled against the wall opposite the party. Her wrists and ankles are bound together with golden chains which, while ornamental, can be easily snapped by anyone with a BRAWN of 2 using a simple check). She is absolutely terried and will latch onto the rst male that frees her. She can only stammer out various words such as “god,” “priest,” and “sacrice.” If the referee wants to be aggravating, (and who doesn’t?) you can have speak a different language than the party. Not, however, that it will take a genius to gure out that they are in big trouble and have been duped. The Sacrifce: Soon, the pit cover will be rolled away and Anes will mockingly call down to the party and gloat over their fate at the hands of Val’ga the Mottled God. He states that the girl was their meager sacrice but that Val’ga will feast today and leave their bones at the bottom of the pit where many more worthy have met their ends. A loud hissing noise erupts from the iron grate near the top of the pit and a bronze hook on a pole is inserted down into the pit to open the grate. Any character that managed to climb up to the top of the pit (and remained there) can easily grab the pole and yank it and its unfortunate wielder into the pit. His neck snaps loudly against the oor, killing him instantly. Alternatively, throwing a bone from the oor with a Shooting check at -1 will accomplish the same thing. This hooked pole is an improvised pole arm and does 5 Blood damage. Stopping the grate opening will only delay the inevitable as the grate shudders violently and a forked tongue icks through the bars. Otherwise, a large snake head will erupt from the open portal, bare its fangs and hiss loudly which sends the captive girl into hysterics.
Val’ga the Mottled God: Val’ga is an anaconda of monstrous proportions. Its head alone is big enough to dwarf a man. It attacks by coiling around the walls of the pit in attempt to encircle and then constrict the victims. Once crushed and lifeless, Val’ga will devour its meal. Standing to ght is not a good strategy as it will become easy to be surrounded by the coils of the large snake. Actually getting atop the beast prevents this but will send the monster into a frenzy of undulations as it tries to buck its tormentors. Val’ga isn’t any smarter than a normal snake and will concentrate on whoever is causing the most damage. Anyone on the serpent must make a BRAWN check every round to avoid being tossed off. Characters on the oor of the pit must make a Dodge check to avoid becoming enveloped in the coils of the snake. If they fail, they will suffer 5 Blood damage each round from crushing. A BRAWN check will allow them to wrench themselves free. If a PC or the girl dies during the ght, Val’ga will stop moving and attacking to swallow its prey. This will allow for one free round by all characters to get in attacks as the unfortunate victim is swallowed and a horrible lump that was once a person inches its way down the big snake’s gullet. The Death of a God: Once Val’ga has lost enough Blood to only be ten or less damage away from death, it will try to escape. The giant serpent chooses the large opening at the top rather than the narrow grate it slithered out of. As much as Anes values the terror his “god” puts into his followers, he doesn’t want it loose out of the pit and orders the stone dropped but the snake is quicker than he anticipated. The heavy rock drops and crushes the snake’s head, and conveniently wedges the top of the pit open so that the PCs can scale the body and escape. The party can hear Anes screaming for his followers to kill the indels who has killed the vassal of their god. Angry shouts can be distinctly heard. Like Fervent Lambs to the Slaughter: The party can climb the body of Val’ga and either go out the top of the pit or snake their way into the grate the snake came out of. The grate leads to the basement of the temple so, if your group chooses this route, go ahead to the next scenario. Otherwise, as the party crests the lip of the pit, they are beset by ten crazed cultists armed with knives. These zealots are no match for angry PCs but they’re just chattel as Anes makes his escape to the temple. Val’ga the Mottled God: BRAWN 3/Fighting 1; PERSONALITY 1; PERCEPTION 1; KNOWLEDGE 1; BLOOD 30 Equipment: constriction (5 damage)
Fanatical Cultist: BRAWN 1/Fighting 1; PERSONALITY 1; PERCEPTION 1; KNOWLEDGE 1/Legends & Lore 1; BLOOD 12 Equipment: dagger
Doom in the Temple The Crimson Chronicles Part Six • By James Stubbs
The Premise: Having escaped being sacriced to a massive snake “god,” the heroes seek their revenge against Anes, the head priest of a loathsome cult. The Setup: The PCs can pursue Anes for revenge or ee out of the ruins (and give up on their dreams of riches). However, if they took the tunnel out of the pit, they have no choice but to ght their way through the temple. If they came over the top of the pit, they fought the immediate threat of Anes’s hastily gathered bodyguards. The PCs nd themselves in a rough arena with many shocked spectators, stricken by the death of Val’ga. Anes can be seen ducking inside an entrance to the temple built onto the bloody sands of the arena. The Temple: The interior of the temple is poorly lit with sconces few and far between. Hideous heathen scenes are portrayed on the walls of man and monster couplings, blood sacrices and other atrocities. If the girl (whose name is Larissa if anyone asks) was not killed by the snake in the pit, she will grab her champion and insistently tug on their arm trying to lead them. She is trying to take them to the temple armory but the PCs will have to ght their way through a few temple acolytes rst and the two guards in front of the weapons room. Once inside, however, the party will have their choice of any type of weapon they want. Although there is no armor, they can nd several robes to try to disguise themselves with. This will, obviously, not be an easy task as Anes has raised the alarm and everyone inside the temple is on alert. The other important thing inside the armor is a large bronze chest with chains and a lock. A Thievery check will open the lock or they can violently bash it open but that will make lots of noise and draw attention. Inside the chest are two glass vials of a wine colored liquid. Drinking a whole vial will restore 15 Blood, half will restore 7, etc. even though the draught tastes and smells putrid. What? No Map?!: Nope. Sorry. To be honest, the layout of the temple should be determined by the referee. If their ght with the snakes and cultists has heavily blooded the party, you should reduce the number of rooms they have to explore before reaching the room that contains the main altar where Anes has ed to. This inner sanctum and the armory room are the only two specically mentioned but other possibilities include acolyte living quarters, holding cells for other future sacrices (a possible replacement point for dead PCs with fresh characters), the head priest’s personal chambers, a torture room and an astrology room. Just remember that the temple guards and acolytes will be out in force and the PCs can just ght their way to the sanctum (the girl knows the way if the PCs think to ask) or they can try to bluff their way through. Knock Knock. Whossssss There?: A writing door guards the front door of the sanctum. Upon closer inspection, the door is made of living poisonous snakes. Attacking the door will just make the snakes disperse and attack back (poisonous bite: 1 Blood damage/round). The better solution would be to grab one of the wall sconces, as the snakes will ee before naked ame.
Any type of mystical re will also do the trick. Anes, Head Priest of Val’ga: As the party barges into the sanctum, Anes is behind an altar wiping his mouth on the sleeve of his robes. An empty ask is in his other hand. His eyes turn yellow and his jaws disjoin with a sickening snap as fangs grow. His ngers become claws and his skin becomes scaly and splotched. “You DARE invade the inner sssssanctum of Val’ga? I will killsssss youuuu!” he hisses as a now forked tongue snakes out of his mouth and clear liquid drips from the new fangs. Fortunately for the party, the manifestation of Val’ga is more bestial than cunning and will forgo Anes mystical knowledge in favor of just attacking. Even so, Anes is not an opponent to be taken lightly. If he manages to bite someone, they will be poisoned and suffer 3 Blood damage per round for 3 rounds. The small advantage of this poison attack to the PCs is that, as he is injecting a victim with the poison, he is defenseless for a full round. Anes knows this and will only try this attack when he is pretty sure that he can kill someone with it. Looting and Pillaging: With the death of Anes, the will to ght seems to disappear on any surviving cultists and the residents of the ruins ee. Many will fall victim to the natives in the jungle but some may escape to plague the PCs at some later date, especially as some of the females were impregnated by Anes with serpent/human hybrids due to his insane plan to create an army of snake men. There is treasure everywhere and the party could live in high style for months off just the golden jewelry they could loot from those they have slain. Sadly there is no trace of a great treasure hoard but plenty of valuables can be taken such as golden goblets, silk sheets, silverware, etc. The other big treasure is a golden knife kept at Anes side. It is a blade known as The Fang of Val’ga (5 damage and, on a roll of 1, it poisons a victim for 6 damage but, on a roll of 6, the poison affects its wielder). Concluding the Scenario: Laden with treasure, it is up to the PCs to either take the long way home through the jungle (and risk more native encounters), make their way to the coast to hook back up with Vex (and possibly join her for more adventures) or follow up the clue about the royal stamped coins (if that clue was used). Regardless, the party is ush with cash and that will make them targets for thieves, condence men or other villains until they can spend it all. Cult Acolyte: BRAWN 1; PERSONALITY 1; PERCEPTION 1; KNOWLEDGE 1/Magick 1; BLOOD 10 Equipment: Mystic Missile spell (6 damage) and dagger
Temple Guard: BRAWN 2/Fighting 1; PERSONALITY 1; PERCEPTION 1; KNOWLEDGE 1; BLOOD 13 Equipment: sword
Anes: BRAWN 2/Fighting 2 ; PERSONALITY 1; PERCEPTION 1; KNOWLEDGE 1/Magick 2 Legends & Lore 1; BLOOD 30 Equipment: scales AV 3. Bite (3 damage) and Fang of Val’ga.
NAME:________________________________ OCCUPATION: __________________________ Silver: ________________________________ Height: _____Weight: _____Gender: ________ Eyes: ________Hair: _________Age: ________
NAME:________________________________ OCCUPATION: __________________________ Silver: ________________________________ Height: _____Weight: _____Gender: ________ Eyes: ________Hair: _________Age: ________
Brawn .........{
Brawn .........{
}
Carousing ........ Climbing .......... Endurance ........ Fighting ............ Riding ............... Shooting .........
Carousing ........ Climbing .......... Endurance ........ Fighting ........... Riding .............. Shooting .........
Equipment
Personality ..{
Perception ...{
}
Diplomacy ....... Gambling ......... Stealth .............. Streetwise ........ Thievery ...........
}
Diplomacy ....... Gambling ......... Stealth .............. Streetwise ........ Thievery ...........
Knowledge{
Knowledge{
}
Area Know. ...... Healing ............ Heraldry ........... Languages ........ Legends & Lore Literacy ............ Magick ............. Profession ........ Survival ........... Tracking ...........
}
Area Know. ...... Healing ............ Heraldry ........... Languages ........ Legends & Lore Literacy ............ Magick ............. Profession ........ Survival ........... Tracking ...........
BLOOD ...........{ GUTS .............{ pRESENCE........{ REPUTATION ...{ CHAR PTS ......,{ 2 Torso
BLOOD ...........{ GUTS .............{ pRESENCE........{ REPUTATION ...{ CHAR PTS ......,{
} } } } } 3 L. Arm
4 R. Arm
5 L. Leg
6 R. Leg
AV Weapons
}
Bluff ................ Flirt .................. Intimidate ........ Persuade ...........
Perception ...{
1 Head
Equipment
Personality ..{
}
Bluff ................ Flirt .................. Intimidate ........ Persuade ...........
Hit Location
}
Hit Location
1 Head
2 Torso
} } } } } 3 L. Arm
4 R. Arm
5 L. Leg
6 R. Leg
AV Damage
Weapons
Damage
