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Birthright Companion Based on Ad&d 2.0 edition Player’s option rules first RELEASE BETA Version 1.9; July 19, 2013 Rules team: Ευάγγελος “Stanios” Μπατάλης Γιώργος “Betos” Κανελλόπουλος Κώστας “Rock Star” Σακ Chapter developer/editors: Ευάγγελος “Stanios” Μπατάλης Κώστας “Rock Star” Σακ Cover art: Interior art: All interior art is copyrighted by TSR or free distributed by artists throughout the internet. Artwork is not used for commercial purposes Special Thanks: Βασίλης “Vigilant-Undercover” Ναστούλης “Nazgoulis” Νίκος “Tsuburu”Τριαντόπουλος Χρήστος “Thom” Δημητρόπουλος Δημήτρης “Reginald” Σταμούλης Gary Foss Arjan Duijs Travis Doom Ian Hoskins All the people of Birthright.net and all the lads that will tolerate all the play testing This copy is a free document meant for personal and private use only. It is not for commercial sale, resale or distribution in whole or in part. Furthermore, its contents may be quoted, duplicated, revised or become the basis of derivative works under the understanding that such works must properly reference this text, its author, and are themselves released free of charge and under a comparable license. Based on the original DUNGEONS & DRAGONS rules created by E. Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson and the new DUNGEONS & DRAGONS game designed by Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook, Skip Williams, Richard Baker, and Peter Adkison. Based on and including BIRTHRIGHT material created by Rich Baker, Colin McComb, Jean Rabe, Ed Stark, Dale Donovan, Duane Maxwell, and Carrie Bebris. This rulebook contains copyrighted material used with permission of Wizards of the Coast. This rulebook is not for sale or resale and no profit can be made from the use of this material. DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, DUNGEON MASTER, BIRTHRIGHT, and the BIRTHRIGHT logo, and the Wizards of the Coast logo are registered trademarks owned by Wizards of the Coast, Inc. The System logo is a trademark owned by Wizards of the Coast, Inc. All characters,character names, and the distinctive likenesses thereof are trademarks owned by Wizards of the Coast, Inc. This material is protected under the copyright laws of the United States of America. Any product is a work of fiction. Any similarity to actual people, organizations, places, or events is purely coincidental. © 2011 Evangelos Batalis
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Contents
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Prologue The Birthright campaign setting we have imagined since we began playing the game was one filled with; magicswordplay-intrigue-war and of course adventure. What makes the game special and unusual is the approach to the traditional elements in a totally different approach. Roleplaying games always seem to seek some form of balance in play, the rule set provides this equality but the players have the final choice. We’re thrilled to providing support for our game, it has been some time since we have released our rulebook and we felt that a second complement to our rules was needed. Thus, we have produced this book. The Companion is a collection of optional rules for Players and Game Masters plus a more analytic approach to the Skill system and how the skills themselves work. Within these pages, you’ll find, new rules systems and tools for your use, skills and their usage, and special rules concerning them.
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Chapter 1: Nonweapon skills Skills are one or the most defining aspects of your character. His skill list delineates his talents and knowledge. Social background and upbringing can play a vital role on what skills a character could have, and thus players can fill very different roles in a party. Through skills a warrior might be able to function in a social setting normally as well as a commoner. In our system some Skills can only be practiced by members of certain social classes. While members of other social classes can potentially learn and practice them. To do so is regarded as curious and sometimes a peculiar task. Here, the first question can't a house rule be created to reflect the activity’, but is one even necessary? This question had a self-evident answer when it came to action skills, because characters are sure to attempt to perform those actions sooner or later. Interestingly, in this circumstance, the answer can be either ‘yes’ or ‘no’, depending on how the GM defines the meaning of what the skill actually measures. It might seem like nit-picking, but a small difference in definition can have a tremendous impact in this case. Most GMs assume that Standard valuation techniques only assess the technical workmanship of a piece of craftsmanship and that the artistic creativity involved remains unidentifiable, simply because the rules only really talk about the workmanship aspects. Even the definition of a “masterwork item” refers only to the quality of the workmanship. In an analysis of skills, hereby are listed four possible types of information or outcomes, and posits hat none of these should ever be hidden behind a successful roll of the dice or in the absence of real importance. 1. Trivial and of no importance. 2. Non-vital, but interesting and providing some depth and background to the game. 3. Crucial. 4. Hidden Information Based on this, I would say that there are three types of information which might be included in a game. Player Knowledge is what the player themselves knows. When a dragon appears, the player knows to ask if he can borrow that potion of magic resistance, because the player knows that dragons have magical breath. Character Knowledge is information the GM freely gives to the player, because the PC would obviously know it. If the player is in their home town and says they want to go to the local tavern, the GM can simply tell them that it’s called the Pig and Whistle. When the player decides he wants to become more religious, the GM can identify a few religions the character would be familiar with. There’s no reason to hide that kind of information. Skill Knowledge, three things should be true. First, it should not be trivial. Second, the game should be equally interesting whether the players know it or not. Third, there should be more than one route to obtaining it. When a fighter encounters magic runes on the door of a crypt, it would not be trivial for that fighter to know whether the runes were arcane or divine. Even if they can’t read it, the type of writing on the outside of the door could provide valuable clues to what’s inside. If they fail to determine the type of writing it is, or even get it wrong, the game will be interesting because they’ll be less prepared for what they encounter within. Whereas if they succeed in determining the rune’s type, the game will be interesting because the player will have an opportunity to prepare for what they think is within. And, of course, if all else fails they could just go find a wizard or priest and ask them.
Skill Definitions (Values and ranks)
Because in our rulebook we present a unique system for handling skills and their effect in game we are using the term "rank" in order to describe the level at which a character has established knowledge in the given skill. Since our system is trying to balance somewhere between logic and reality and it is basically made to cover generally abstract interpretation of the skills it is safe to improvise and analyze the skills as much as you, that we surely encourage.
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Attributes and skills
All characters fall under the same rules for Attribute Scores, thus it is a good measure to distinguish player A from player B. On the other hand all characters also have skills, although skills vary from player to player. All attributes add circumstantial bonuses to their corresponding skills. Thus Attributes and skills are closely working together to make a PC excel. The only skills that are not affected by attributes are the Weapon Skills.
Attribute 14 15 16 17 18
Skill Circumstantial bonus +1 +2 +3 +4 +5
Untrained Skills
Sometimes characters are faced with circumstances requiring a skill he doesn't have a rank for. Thus the character is considered for game purposes "untrained" at the skill. It is most of the times up to the Storyteller to let the player roll a skill untrained depending on his former experience or knowledge. A character performing an untrained skill always takes double the time needed to operate the skill plus double any costs involved. The player does not have solidified any actual knowledge on the given skill thus he is prone to mistake and timely efforts. The character is able to roll only on his circumstantial bonuses total with any penalty or bonus judged by the Gamemaster.
The Skill Roll The die used mostly used in this game is printed with the numbers from 1 to 20 called D20. You roll the die sometimes while your character tries to use a skill to accomplish a task. The lower the roll, the better your character does at the action he is trying. The success of all rolls is determined by the skill total. To generate a skill total, add the base skill rank you have and add all circunstantial modifiers you may get from other sources. The sum of your skill value and the bonus number is called Skill total. The skill total helps the player to succeed the current skill roll. Skill totals may vary from time to time. Base Skill Rank Rudimentary Knowledge Level 1-5 Apprentice-Novice-Trainee The Skill Base Rank and the Skill Total 6-10 Journeyman-Artisan-Skilled As mentioned all skills have a base rank and a skill total. 11-15 Master-Sage-Instructor The Base Rank is what the character has as average 16-17 High Master-Adept knowledge on the rank level of the skill and at most times is 18 Grand Master what is only needed to make the skill work. In the way the skill system is made to work, skill rolls are narrowed down to skills who are mostly opposed. Thus the Base Rank of a skill, gives rudimentary knowledge to the player character on the actual level of the skill he is familiar with. In many situations a characters Skill Total (Base Skill Rank + All Circumstantial Bonuses) exceeds a Rank category, for example Valon, a young apprentice on Bowering has a base skill rank of 2 and with his Circumstantial bonuses (High Attribute score + Luck etc) gets a Skill Total of the Bowyer/Fletcher skill of 7. Meaning that his actual knowledge is that of rank 2, no matter what happens Valon will be able to use the skill at that rank, but due to his exceptional luck and exceptional Attribute scores he is gifted and that shows in the way he handles and picks up the wood. Thus Valon with a Skill Total of 7 is able to make a skill roll and for one effort work as a Journeyman. If he is successful at the roll , he may be able to utilize the Journeyman table of his corresponding skill rather on the Apprentice one. If he fails though he still produces the Apprentice results but maybe the Game master wants to implicate some disadvantage or two on the fail effort.
Opposed skill Actions There are some skills who are used against another character, PC or NPC. If you are opposed by another character,
his corresponding attribute or skill totals are often your adjusting your Skill Total or your Skill Total is adjusting his Attribute score. That possibility comes in effect where it concerns most Subtlety Skills and Skills that affect the reaction or attitude of NPCs or PCs.
Types of Skills The first ingredient needed before skills really matter in a game is for the GM to have a very clear understanding of what it is that each skill describes. At first glance, this is quite self-evident; but thinks about it a little bit and all sorts of nasty complications rear their ugly heads, gibbering and hooting and doing their best to confuse you.
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General Skills
Some skills have, as their primary purpose, knowing how to do something. This might be anything from building a fire riding a horse or even. Surely, there’s nothing as likely to trip us up here? Or is there? Sometimes a successful skill roll might produce the crops for year harvest. Every general skill has some after effect that it is of importance in game – from discerning the quality of an animal to the to providing food using traps and snares. Once again, we have some rule mechanism to guide us, but there is no characteristic that comes close to expressing or measuring creativity. General skills are more likely to be used by all social classes and are more or less skills that correspond to field activity and less on literate background. Most General skills concern themselves with mundane exploits of PC characters and provide handy and strong assistance to all sorts of groups.
Craft skills Craft skills are used in the creation of a specific group of items, such as armor or weapons, etc. Like Art and Perform, Craft is actually a number of separate skills. You could have several Craft skills, each with its own ranks. The most common Craft skills are, armory, carpentry, clothing, jewelry, leather, stonemasonry, weapons etc. A Craft skill is specifically focused on creating something. You can practice your trade and make a decent living, earning gold pieces per month of dedicated work. You know how to use the tools of your trade, how to perform the craft's daily tasks, how to supervise untrained helpers, and how to handle common problems. The basic function of the Craft skill, however, is to allow you to make an item of the appropriate type. Craft is discussed later on this book.
Knowledge Skills
Knowledge-based skills are those that deal with information which can be contained in a mind or in books. Some skills are simply about knowing things. Here, the issue is one of demarkation between one skill and another. Does “Knowledge: Religion” contain knowledge of rituals and church hierarchy and politics, or does it contain knowledge of theology – or both? Knowledge skill work some sort differently: If a character has rank in a Knowledge skill, they assume to be able to recall any pertinent information they have on the subject. It is the skill unmodified rank that dictates the characters actual knowledge on a subject.
Performance/Art Skills
The Pc is skilled at one form of entertainment, from singing to acting to playing an instrument. Like Craft, Performance actually numbers separate skills. You could have several Performance skills, each with its own ranks. Each of the six categories of the Performance skill includes a variety of methods, instruments, or techniques, a small list of which is provided for each category below. Player characters rank up the Perform Skill in their selected category, each category ranks up as an individual skill thus forcing the player to take the Perform (Skill) a number of times equal to the variety of skills he wants to master. As a rule of a thumb a Performer can use familiar categories of the same skill with a 1/2 score of his original skill. For example a PC with Perform (Lute) could use Perform (Mandolin) with a 1/2 the skill.
Subtetly Skills It takes more than just muscle or the ability to sling a spell to survive life as an adventurer. Regardless of how swiftly or accurately you swing a sword, or how devastatingly powerful your spells are, adventures invariably pose problems and challenges that require quick thinking, versatile abilities, and a little luck to survive. This skill tab explores skills that are used to overcome different challenges. Subtlety skills are a wide variety of skills available to certain individuals who receive special training. Subtetly skills are most of the times opposed rolls on their targets or have set difficulty that needs to be overcome. Most of the times the skill rank becomes a penalty to the targets Perception score or are rolled against another skill. Following in this chapter you will find a more detailed description of Subtlety skills.
Power skills Power skills is a group of skills available only to individuals who have specific talents or receive very individual and intense training. More on power skills you will be able to find on the Rulebook, on chapters concerning magic, faith and the seeming.
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Social Skills-rolls
Conversation, persuasion, oratory and seduction can pose special problems to new and experienced GMs alike. These are charisma-based options that should be treated differently from mere skills. We embrace the following approach to conversation-based opportunities that arise in game. When one of these opportunities arises, the GM should find out if the character taking the action has any Charisma/Leadership or Charisma Appearance bonus vs the character’s who is being the target Wis/Intuition or Int/Reason, and make a roll immediately. The GM should not use the results of this roll to determine the success or failure of the attempt. Instead, take the roll and base the tone of the conversation and the initial reaction of the NPC on that roll. A successful skill roll means the NPC is favorably disposed to the PC, or is caught off-guard by the character, and might have useful information. A failed roll mean the NPC is wary, has no information, or is downright hostile. After this initial roll, the player’s role-playing skills will determine the outcome of the encounter. For example, PCs are skulking about the city at night. A guard comes upon them and the group’s confidence man uses his fast talk skill to convince the watchman that the group is breaking town curfew to innocently look for the lost kitten of a friend. The GM decides on a difficulty of the skill roll (based on the experience and intelligence of the guard or any other factors the GM wishes to include) and the player rolls. If the player succeeds in the skill roll, then the conversation begins with the guard favorably disposed to the party and their story. Perhaps he is a green recruit, or gullible. Perhaps he is taken with a female member of the group and if she does the talking, he is bound to believe her story. Perhaps he stopped in a local pub and is noticeably drunk. If the PCs notice and threaten to tell his superiors, he may let them go just to get away from them. Perhaps he will give the PCs a hard time, but is open to graft. In any case, the successful roll does not necessarily mean that the encounter is successful. Instead, it means the GM needs to provide the players with a NPC who will believe a credible story, or has some hook which will allow a successful resolution. A failed roll means just the opposite. The guard is suspicious. Perhaps there have been some crimes in the neighborhood and the guard is on the lookout for any afterhours activity. Perhaps the PC looks like a perpetrator of a similar crime, or has a feature (or is of a race or ethnicity) that the guard does not like. Perhaps he is just experienced and has heard this story before. In any case, the encounter should be difficult and only the best role-playing (and in this case, fast talking) will get the guard off the PCs? backs. This approach to conversation skills has a couple advantages. First, it uses both the game mechanics and roleplaying equally. A character with a high skill will have an easier time using his charisma-based skills even if the player is not good at the skill. This is because successful skill rolls bring about easier role-playing situations. On the other hand, role-playing is still required to bring about a solution to the encounter and good role-playing is rewarded with successful outcomes to failed skill rolls. High Charisma PCs are mostly going to be severely affecting NPC reactions most of the times, but that is a factor that Charisma should affect. Keep in mind that High Charisma characters are meant to excel in most societies.
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SKILL LIST I.GENERAL skills Animal Lore
3
Intelligence/Knowledge, Wisdom/Intuition
Animal Empathy (+2)
Agriculture
3
Intelligence/Reason
Weather Knowledge (+2), Climate Sense (+2)
Animal Handling
3
Wisdom/Willpower
Riding any (+1), Animal Lore (1-5),Animal Empathy (+2)
Animal Training
2
Wisdom/Willpower, Charisma/Leadership
Animal Handling (1-5), Animal Lore (1-5), Animal Empathy (+2)
Ship Piloting
3
Intelligence/Reason, Wisdom/Intuition
Seamanship (6)
Deep Diving
2
Dexterity/Balance, Constitution/Health
Swimming (1-5)
Etiquette
2
Charisma/Appearance, Wisdom/Intuition
Empathy (+2), Modern Languages (1-5)
Fire-building
2
Wisdom/Intuition, Intelligence/Reason
Fishing
3
Wisdom/Intuition, Intelligence/Knowledge
Gaming
2
Wisdom/Intuition, Intelligence/Reason
Lucky (+2)
Riding, Land
2
Wisdom/Willpower, Dexterity/Balance
Animal Empathy (+2) , Animal Handling (+1)
Rope Use
2
Dexterity/Aim, Wisdom/Intuition
Leadership
4
Cha /Leadership
Seamanship
3
Wisdom/Intuition, Dexterity/Balance
Weather Knowledge
2
Wisdom/Intuition
Climate Sense (+2)
Appraising
2
Intelligence/Reason, Wisdom/Intuition
(+1/5 ranks) If the character possess the craft/art corresponding skill
Juggling
3
Dexterity/Aim
Ambidexterity (+2)
Reading Lips
3
Intelligence/Knowledge, Wisdom/Intuition
Empathy (+2), Modern Languages (1-5), Keen eye sight (+1)
Set Snares
3
Dexterity/Aim, Wisdom /Intuition
Animal Lore (1-5) , Animal Lore (+2), Animal Empathy (+2)
Throwing
2
Dexterity/Aim, Strength/Muscle
Tumbling
3
Dexterity/Balance, Strength/Muscle
Blind-fighting
4
Wisdom/Intuition, Dexterity/Balance
Endurance
2
Constitution/Fitness
Hunting
2
Wisdom/Intuition
Tracking (+2), Survival (Terrain) +2, Animal Lore (6-10 +2)
Set Snares
4
Dexterity/Aim, Wisdom/Intuition
Animal Lore (1-5) , Animal Lore (+2), Animal Empathy (+2)
Survival
3
Intelligence/Reason, Wisdom/Willpower
Tracking*1
4
Wisdom/Intuition
Animal Empathy (+2) , Animal Lore (+2)
3
Intelligence/Knowledge, Wisdom/Intuition
Internal Compass (+2)
Orienteering
Fighter trait Leadership (+2)
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II.CRAFT skills Blacksmithing
5
Strength/Muscle, Intelligence/Knowledge
Artistic Ability (+1)
Carpentry
3
Strength/Stamina, Intelligence/Knowledge
Artistic Ability (+1)
Cobbling
3
Dexterity/Aim, Intelligence/Knowledge
Artistic Ability (+1)
Cooking
3
Intelligence/Reason
Leather working
3
Intelligence/Knowledge, Dexterity/Aim
Mining
5
Wisdom/Intuition, Strength/Stamina
Artistic Ability (+1)
Pottery
3
Dexterity/Aim
Artistic Ability (+1)
Sculpting
2
Dexterity/Aim, Wisdom/Intuition
Artistic Ability (+1), Stonemasonry +2
Tailoring- Weaving
3
Dexterity/Aim, Intelligence/Reason
Artistic Ability (+1)
Gem Cutting
3
Dexterity/Aim
Armorer
5
Intelligence/Reason, Strength/Muscle
Blacksmithing (1-5), Blacksmithing +2
Bowyer/Fletcher
5
Intelligence/Reason, Dexterity/Aim
Carpentry +2
Weaponsmithing
5
Intelligence/Knowledge, Dexterity/Aim
Blacksmithing (1-5)
Brewing
3
Intelligence/Knowledge
Stonemasonry
4
Strength/Stamina, Wisdom/Intuition
Dwarves gain (+2), Artistic Ability (+1)
Glassblowing
3
Dex/Aim
Artistic Ability (+1)
Bookbinding
5
Dex/Aim, Int/Knowledge
Artistic Ability (+1)
III.KNOWLEDGE skills Engineering
5
Intelligence/Reason, Wisdom/Intuition
Reading/Writing (6-10), Calligraphy (1-5), Artistic Ability (+1), Building (+1)
Heraldry
2
Intelligence/Knowledge
Obscure Knowledge (+2), Read/Write (1-5)
Navigation*
3
Intelligence/Knowledge, Wisdom/Intuition
Astronomy (1-5), Internal Compass (+2)
Modern languages
2
Intelligence/Knowledge
Bonus to all new characters.
Administration
4
Int/Knowledge
Reading/Writing (1-5), Law (1-5)
Law
4
Int/Knowledge; Wis/Int
Read/Write (1-5)
Cartography
3
Int/Knowledge ; Wis/Intuition
Read/Write (1-5), Artistic Ability (+1)
Ancient History
3
Wisdom/Intuition, Intelligence/Knowledge
Obscure Knowledge (+3), Reading/Writing (1-5)
Ancient Languages
4
Intelligence/Knowledge
Modern Language (6-10), Reading/Writing (6-10), Precise Memory (+2)
Astrology
3
Wisdom/Intuition, Intelligence/Knowledge
Empathy (+1), Divination School (either priest or mage)
Herbalism
3
Intelligence/Knowledge, Wisdom/Intuition
Survival (+1)
Healing
4
Wisdom/Intuition, Charisma/Leadership
Alchemy
6
Int/Knowledge
Brewing (6-10), Herbalism (6-10), Read/Write (6-10)
Local History
2
Intelligence/Knowledge,Charisma/Appearance
Obscure Knowledge (+3), Reading/Writing (1-5)
Reading/Writing
2
Intelligence/Knowledge
Religion
2
Wisdom/Intuition
Read/Write (1-5)
Spellcraft
3
Intelligence/Reason
Read/Write (1-5)
Cryptography
3
Intelligence/Reason, Wisdom/Intuition
Read/Write (1-5)
Strategy
4
Int/Knowledge
Leadership (1-5), Read/Write (1-5)
Siegecraft
5
Int/Knowledge
Strategy (1-5), Read/Write (1-5), Engineering (+2)
Diplomacy
4
Cha/Leadership, Wis/Intuition
Read/Write (6-10), Modern Languages (6-10) Etiquette (6-10), Local History (1-5)
10
IV.ART/PERFORMANCE skills Dancing
2
Dexterity/Balance, Charisma/Appearance
Musical Instrument
2
Charisma/Leadership
Artistic Ability (+1)
Painting
2
Int/Reason, Wisdom/Intuition
Artistic Ability (+1)
Singing/Storytelling
2
Charisma/Leadership
Singing/Musical Instrument (+2), Artistic Ability (+1)
Calligraphy
3
Dexterity/Aim
Artistic Ability (+1) Read/Write (1-5)
Oratory
3
Int/Knowledge
Empathy (+2), Modern Languages (1-5)
V. subtlety Skills\ Escaping bonds*1
5
Dexterity/Aim
Find/remove traps*1
5
Dexterity/Aim
Rope Use (+1)
Hide in shadows*2
5
Dexterity/Balance
Move silently*2
5
Dexterity/Balance
Pick locks*1
5
Dexterity/Aim
Pick Pockets*2
5
Dexterity/Aim
Thieve’s Cant
5
Intelligence/Knowledge
Forgery
5
Dexterity/Aim, Wisdom/Willpower
Appraising (1-5), Read/Write (1-5)
Reading Lips*1
3
Wisdom/Intuition
Empathy (+2), Modern Languages (1-5), Keen eye sight (+1)
Disguise
4
Wisdom/Intuition, Charisma/Leadership
Impersonation (+2)
Set Traps
5
Dexterity/Aim, Wisdom/Intuition
V.I Power Skills Spellcraft
8
Intelligence/Reason
Devotion
8
Wisdom/Will
Seeming
8
Wisdom/Will
Read/Write (1-5)
*1 The skill is rolled vs the dc of the item/opponent skill or a standard dc set by the GM. *2 The skill is rolled vs the opponents Wis/Intuition or Int/Reason which is the base difficulty for the skill to succeed
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Skill descriptions
16-17
The character has knowledge of most regional (terrain) domestic animals, their behavior and needs as their basic feeding and social habits (i.e. herding, nesting, etc.). Additionally, the ranger can ascertain the general qualities of any domestic animal he befriends. Which puppy in a litter will become the best hunter and most loyal companion Which horse at a sale is the healthiest, strongest, and fastest mount Which sheep in a flock will produce the highest quality wool The knowledge extends to some local wilderness animals. A character can determine whether an observed animal is intending to attack or to flee, or predict that animals will come along a trail at a certain time of day. This character gets a +2 bonus to checks made using the set snares proficiency considering the specific animal. The character can fully understand most animals in his region or those he has encountered. A failed check might fool other characters, but will not deceive the animals.
The character can fully understand most animals in most regions and even partly understand species he has never encountered before cause of similarities with species he already knows. He can imitate the calls of most animals (ha has encountered) perfectly and even imitate the calls of new encountered animals after hearing them once.
18
11-15
6-10
1-5
Animal Lore (terrain/ region):
The character has a deeper understanding of animal behaviour and even predict collective animal behaviour and/or reasons behind it. He has a vast knowledge of the species and how they interact with each other. He can perfectly imitate sounds of most animals and even some meaningful ones (calling for mate, intimidating etc)
1-5 6-10
The character also gains knowledge on designing and/or making an irrigation system, and weed and pest control. In addition he gains deeper understanding on seed effectiveness. The character’s farming knowledge now includes neibouring terrains/ regions as well as the long occupation with the land gives the character the potential to understand the needs of growing plants in similar landscapes.
18
16-17
This skill includes automatic success at planting, harvesting, storing crops, using an existing irrigation system, tending animals (domestic ones that are useful for cultivating land and only those), and butchering on familiar land (region/terrain).
11-15
Agriculture (terrain/ region):
The character’s knowledge exceeds regional limitations. By comparison the character can cultivate almost any landscape .
The character’s long term occupation with a variety of seeds and landscapes gives him the ability to create better varietes of seeds that cover the needs of the specific environment and land he wants to grow them.
12
This proficiency allows characters to automatically steer carts, plow horses, etc, giving them in essence all necessary (basic) knowledge on how to take care of an animal’s everyday needs.
The character gets a deeper understanding on an animal’s behavior therefore been made able to soothe domesticated animals and beasts of burden which become agitated or frightened in addition to restoring an animal to normal physique The long treatment of animals gives the character the ability to refresh an animal from a very hard ride and also endows the character with basic veterinary knowledge.
18
16-17
11-15
6-10
1-5
Animal Handling (same terrain/ region as designated animal lore) (designated animal)
Training of an animal requires a rather lengthy period of time—a matter of weeks, at least, for even the most basic tasks. The character can teach the animal simple non offensive verbal commands that include dogs being trained to stay, come when summoned; pigeons returning to the roost; falcons hunting and killing game; and horses bearing saddles and obeying simple riding commands. These commands are called for game mechanics “tricks”. A trick is a specific action performed in response to a specific stimulus, such as a command, a sound, or a gesture. The action involves only a single step and requires no independent decision-making. In every instance, the animal performs the action exactly as taught, without improvisation of any kind. The stimulus must be unambiguous and precise ("stay"); any variance in the stimulus ("Don't move") is likely to be misinterpreted, resulting in a failure to perform the trick as intended. It takes the trainer 2d4 weeks to teach a trick. When the training period ends, the ranger makes a Wisdom check (using his own Wisdom score). If the check succeeds, the animal has mastered the trick or task. If the check fails, the ranger can make another attempt to teach the follower the same trick or task by expending the same time and effort. He then makes another Wisdom check. If it succeeds, the animal learns the trick or task. If it fails, then the animal cannot be trained to perform that trick or task. A follower can learn a maximum of 2d4 tasks or tricks, in any combination of the two.Sample Tricks: Come, stay, heel, sit, speak, fetch.
The characters ability to train an animal expands to task rather than simple commands. A character can now teach the animal more elaborate tasks, like dogs patrolling a circuit, or retrieving specific objects; and horses performing the maneuvers of a knightly charger. The character follows the same rules that are stated above and he can now teach up to three different domestic animals at the same time. The master trainer can extend the area of his training to wild animals found in a region he is familiar at (this can be attained with survival or local history skills). The wild animals fall under the rules for simple tricks in this skill level and under the same rules.
18
16-17
11-15
6-10
1-5
Animal Training (designated animal)
13
A character with the blacksmithing proficiency can handle a forge, bellows, hammer and tongs, to create tools and other objects out of iron. The character cannot make weapons or armor, but can make simple items such as horseshoes, nails, brackets and buckles and therefore work as an assistant. The character can now create minor items and repair minor damages to a specific iron item. Furthermore the character’s knowledge on metal expands to another few common metal and how to work on them. The character can now create almost any items made of iron as well as more intricate objects such as wire cages and locks. The character can also create simple items made of a different common metal. The characters now has knowledge of most metal and how to work them. The blacksmith can work together with other craftsmen for creating more complex structures/devices such as making an iron hoop for a wheel that has been made by a carpenter; this combination of skills is required for a strong wheel.
18
16-17
11-15
6-10
1-5
Blacksmithing
This proficiency is useful for negotiating challenging waters with Small ships, maximum hull size 1, for example when trying to stay afloat in a storm the pilot of the ship will affect the seaworthiness check or to maneuver in a strong wind or upstream, etc. The character is able to keep his or her ship pointed in the desired direction. Characters whose primary job is to steer the ship are known as helmsmen. A helmsman cannot make accurate course changes unless assisted by a navigator. The Character can add or subtract 1 speed from the ships movement per Battle Round. Working as a helmsman at this rank is not very profitable and rewards the character with 2d10 silver pieces per month. While the character is getting acquainted on how to steer and maneuver the ship his primary sea expertise helps him to understand how bigger ships are sailing. The Helmsman at this level is surely a huge addition to the arsenal of a ship, he understands how combat maneuvers work and how to perform them, he will be piloting the ship within the most favorable winds and on the best set course. The character at this level adds when sailing across the wind 1 Movement point to his ship and all of combat maneuvers performed by him are given a +2 bonus to hit on rolls. The Helmsman of this level of skill can add or subtract up to 2 points up to his ships maximum movement per round. The size of the hull of a ship he can control is up to 3. The character grants a +2 bonus on the ships Seaworthiness. The helmsman is rewards richly for his services at this skill level, he can gain 2d20 gold pieces per month While someone else may be giving the orders this is the Pilot of the ship, his skills are making the ship skim through the endless sea. The character can do amazing things during combat and turn the tide when not expected. Besides the character can utilize the wind on his benefit if and when the ship this character is piloting performs a tactical course change he waves the limit of turns the ship can take per battle round. He can add or subtract up to 3 movement points per BR on a ship and grants a +2 on all Seaworthiness checks of the vessel. The Helmsman of this rank can add 1 movement point to the ships speed despite the wind direction. The character can pilot all size of shit types. The skill at this rank is very rewarding, the captain can gain 5d20gp per month on a ship.
18
16-17
11-15
6-10
1-5
Ship Piloting
14
The character can create more demanding ointments and salves and this category also includes the brewing of malt beverages, the making of wine, and the distilling of stronger drink. No new materials are learned but the character has a deeper understanding of the uses (herbs, minerals, etc) of the ones he knows. The character’s knowledge on brewing materials expands to rare ones (such as a snake’s venom etc) and to even more delicate and even “dangerous” procedures. The character can now brew potions form herbs (such as healing salves, etc) and even create poisons.
18
16-17
6-10
The character has elementary knowledge of herbs, minerals, spices, tools and procedures that are required for brewing simple beverages –such as ointments and salves.
11-15
1-5
Brewing
1-5
The carpenter can create some items and also understands how to make minor repairs on wooden objects. He can work on a variety of wood types and even distinguish what type is better to use for a specific structure. The carpenter can make more complex items and structures and even work together with other craftsmen for the creation of an item such as for the craft of a wheel (The carpenter can make wooden wheels, but a blacksmith must form the iron rim or the wheel will have a very short life expectancy) A carpenter might build a short footbridge, a wooden clock, or a dumbwaiter system— these tasks will require a proficiency check. Larger projects such as major bridges, boats, or catapults, require the aid of a character with the engineering proficiency. Last but not least, a crafter of this skill has been so familiar with wood that has developed procedures for strengthening it and advancing it’s quality. Least to say he is familiar with almost all types of wood available to his region and neibhouring regions.
18
16-17
11-15
This character knows the basics of working wood with tools and can create small structures, fences, platforms, cabinets, carts and wagons. He can therefore work as an assistant to a more experienced carpenter.
6-10
Carpentry
15
Cobbling 1-5
The character can create minor items or simple parts needed for the creation of an item and even work on minor repairs on simple items. He has a better knowledge of the necessary materials for his craft and has become more familiar with the use of tools and the procedures needed to give shape and texture to the materials.
18
16-17
11-15
shoes, boots, and sandals. He has basic knowledge on a few common leather types and their properties and can work as an assistant to promote his knowledge and skills.
6-10
A character has basic knowledge of the tools required to treat all materials necessary to create
The cook can create more complex recipes and work with rarer ingredients and even a wider range of them. He has a better knowledge of spices and herbs and can provide a mean for a larger crowd.
The cook has knowledge of all regional ingredients and spices and even materials that come from afar. His long experience provides him with knowledge on how to prepare more complex meals and even satisfy the needs of a royal feast concerning taste and crowd.
18
16-17
11-15
6-10
1-5
Cooking This character knows the basics of food preparation, and he can generally cook, bake, fry, and so forth simple basic meals for a limited group of people.
16
6-10
1-5
Dancing The character knows and can perform the moves of many types of dances, including some that involve precise and detailed steps. All dances common to the character’s society will be familiar. The character can perform for a low class audience and earn 2d10cp. A character can also perform rare, archaic, or unusual dances. Also, characters who have had a chance to observe an unknown dance can perform it. Can perform and do other action at the same time (sing, orate, dance, play musical instrument) can perform for an middle to upper class audience and earn 2d10 sp (2d20sp if combines with other performance skill)
Truly spectacular dances—the kind that win character’s campaign-wide acclaim—combine elements of dance proficiency with skills of tumbling, tightrope walking, and jumping.
18
16-17
11-15
Can perform for nobles or a court and if favored can earn 2d20 gp
Deep Diving
1-5
Can add speed to underwater
A character with this proficiency can add 10 feet per round to his speed of descent when diving into the water, or from the surface. Thus, a character with the deep diving proficiency can descend 30 feet per round, plus modifiers for encumbrance, running start, and height. Likewise, a character with the deep diving proficiency can surface at a rate of 30 feet (not 20 feet) per round.
6-10
Can hold breath for 2/3 of Con
This proficiency provides characters with the ability to hold their breath for 2/3 their Constitution scores in rounds, not the 1/3 allowed to most characters. Effects of exceeding the allotted time are the same, regardless of proficiency ratings.
18
16-17
11-15
Can remain for 3 full rounds underwater before effects take place
17
Can design palisades, small bridges, roads, work as assistant This proficiency is required for the design and construction of objects and installations of all sizes. Note that carpentry, stonemasonry, blacksmithing, or other skills also might be necessary for the actual building. Characters can design and supervise the building of houses, boats, small bridges, palisades, and towers—of up to about 30 feet high. Can design houses, moats, boats, large bridges Plans for these types of objects generally require at least a week—more if an exceptionally large project is being attempted. Complicated tasks require successful proficiency checks before a workable design can be made. Towers, forts, war machines, ships, locks, dams Plans for these types of objects generally require at least a week—more if an exceptionally large project is being attempted. Complicated tasks require successful proficiency checks before a workable design can be made.
18
16-17
11-15
6-10
1-5
Engineering
6-10
1-5
Etiquette (per different court type, Church court, guild court, lords court etc) Simple formal courtmanship. This proficiency gives the character a basic understanding of the proper forms of behavior and address required in many different situations, especially those involving nobility and persons of rank. This skill depicts the character has grown in an environment that follows the rules of Etiquette and is familiar with at least one person who has taught his so. The character begins play with at least one contact who is his liason in the rules of etiquette, in order to reach the next rank of etiquette the character must make at leastt 2 major contacts within the court of his domain and 3 lesser contacts in the same court. The player also understands the importance of gifts in social court life. Can present at a small court of a local Lord. They know what fanfares are required to greet royal visitors, how to seat the lords and ladies at a table, how to organize the reception line, and how everyone is to be addressed. They do understand the basic rule of Perception versus Truth: Saving Face. Truth matters not in court life, only perception. The face you present to others is very important. The PC’s fame now exceeds him, his contancts can expand outside his primary domain to another either dictated by the campaign/DM or one chosen randomly at Winter Time. The player must achieve at least 10 new contacts during this rank in order to grow his fame and achieve greater status as a known courtier.
16-17
11-15
Can present at a royal court.
18
Fire-building
1-5
Can build a fire within 20 minutes if applicable materials are present
A character with this proficiency can build a fire in 1d20 minutes, as long as there is dry wood and some small bits of tinder. Add another d20 minutes for each of these factors: the wood (or tinder) is wet, it’s raining or foggy, or the winds are strong. A proficiency check is required if conditions are bad and the character is forced to work without shelter
6-10
Can build the fire even if not applicable materials are present at the same time.
18
16-17
11-15
Build a fire in extremely harsh conditions (snowed mountainside etc)
Fishing
1-5
Can catch 1d3 fish within an hour
A character with this proficiency knows how to catch fish with hook and line, net, and spear. If fish are present in a body of water, a successful proficiency check means the character has caught something.
6-10
Can catch 1d6 fish within the hour
18
16-17
11-15
Can catch greater fish even in ocean sea areas.
19
This is the skill that can help any character make more money at games of chance. Ranks in the skill function in most ways just like ranks in any other profession skill. If a gambler wishes merely to make a few coins, he can earn half his Profession check result in copper pieces per week of dedicated work with no risk of losing. It’s also possible to use the skill to make much more money by cheating when gambling, or to use ranks in to affect the odds in a single game of chance. If a gambler wishes merely to make a few coins, he can earn half his Profession check result in silver pieces per week of dedicated work with no risk of losing.
If a gambler wishes merely to make a few coins, he can earn half his Profession check result in gold pieces per week of dedicated work with no risk of losing.
18
16-17
11-15
6-10
1-5
Gaming
Heraldry
1-5
Can discern local areas coat of arms
These characters are familiar with the heraldic symbols of their own lands, and those of neighboring lands
6-10
Can recognize coat of arms of large domains
18
16-17
11-15
Can recognize coat of arms from almost any noble house of a territory (Anuire, Rjuven, Khinasi etc)
20
Leather working
1-5
Basic knowledge of the Craft, use of tools, character can work as assistant
6-10
Create minor items, minor repairs
18
16-17
11-15
Create items, fully restore condition to an item
Mining
1-5
Knowledge of basic minerals, and how to refine them ( Copper, Iron etc)
A character with the mining proficiency can select the site of a mine and supervise its excavation and operation
6-10
Knowledge of how to 1site a mine , coordinate a small team
18
16-17
11-15
Site large mines, refine Gold, Siver, Platinum and gems.
21
Modern languages (designated language)
1-5
Basic Knowledge of the Language
6-10
Knowledge of complex grammar and syntax
18
16-17
11-15
Knowledge of idioms and refined class speech
Musical Instrument (designated instrument)
6-10
1-5
Basic skill, can perform for a low class audience and earn 2d10cp
Can perform and do other action at the same time (sing, orate, dance, play musical instrument) can perform for an middle to upper class audience and earn 2d10 sp (2d20sp if combines),
18
16-17
11-15
Can perform for nobles or a court and if favored can earn 2d20 gp
22
Unlike a common sailor (or even a captain), a navigator is a specialized profession. Navigators normally have at least two ranks in Profession (sailor) as well, though it is not required. The Profession of the navigator can also be used to determine the vessel's current location by examining the stars, the position of the sun and other celestial phenomena. The navigator does not need navigational equipment to determine the location, though astrolabes, cross-staffs, quadrants or sextants will give bonuses on the check. It takes approximately 15 minutes to determine the ship's current location in such a manner. If the character fails the check he still successfully plots the course, but it adds 30% to the traveling time. If, however, the navigator fails the roll by 4 or more, he has plotted the course incorrectly and ends up badly offcourse. At this level of skill the navigator can do so in a the most harsh situations and severe weather, the result of a failed check will add only a 20% to the travelling time and the loss chance is narrowed if he fails the roll by 3 or more. Several instruments help the character plot the course faster and safer of course. Truly skilled navigators, however, can cut that travel time significantly. If the navigator succeeds at his by 5 or more, reduce the travel time by 10%. At this level of skill the navigator can do so in a the worst of weather, during storms and in the worst gales. The result of a failed check will add only a 10% to the travelling time and the loss chance is narrowed if he fails the roll by 1 or more. Truly skilled navigators, however, can cut that travel time significantly. If the navigator succeeds at his Profession (navigator) check by 4 or more, reduce the travel time by 20%.
18
16-17
11-15
6-10
1-5
Navigation
A character with this proficiency has an innate sense of direction. This direction sense applies to different types of terrain. The specific type is chosen when the proficiency is taken. In the wilderness, the character can try to determine the direction the party is headed. This is the ability to keep one’s bearings on roadless, trackless land. Proficient characters will not get lost as long as they can either see the sky or have the use of a compass. The character must select the terrain he can use Orienteering at. Can find North under heavy clouds, can read a map.
6-10
1-5
Orienteering
At this rank it allows a character to estimate the total distance he’s traveled in any given day, part of a day, or a number of consecutive days.
18
16-17
11-15
Can find North in extreme weather conditions.
23
1-5
Painting Create simple work of arts that can be sold in the market for 2d10sp A character with this proficiency is skilled at rendering images with oil, brush, and canvas. The artist can create reasonable portrayals of people, landscapes, and monsters, and he possesses a knowledge of perspective, shading, and composition.
Extravagant works of art fit for courts and temples. Workmanship of this level is high quality and costs a lot to gain 5d12gp
18
16-17
11-15
6-10
Creation of better quality handiworks fit for middle to upper class nobles. Price 2d20 sp
1-5
Pottery Basic knowledge of the Craft, use of tools, character can work as assistant The character can create ceramic vessels—jars, bottles, plates, bowls, etc.—of whatever type are in use in the campaign world
Create items, fully restore condition to an item If the character attempts to make a fine-quality piece, it will take about three days for an average-sized object
18
16-17
11-15
6-10
Create minor items, minor repairs
24
Riding, Land (designated mount) 1-5
Can use one hand weapon , and perform a simple action
6-10
: Can use two hands from horseback (Sword and Shield)
18
16-17
11-15
Can use two-handed weapons, perform tricks on horseback
Rope Use
1-5
Can tie simple knots and assist others to climb (+10% to others)
6-10
Can tie complex, permanent knots.
18
16-17
11-15
: Untie a permanent knot in 2d3 mins
25
Sculpting
1-5
Create simple work of arts that can be sold in the market for 2d10sp
: Extravagant works of art fit for courts and temples. Workmanship of this level is high quality and costs a lot to gain 5d12gp
18
16-17
11-15
6-10
Creation of better quality handiworks fit for middle to upper class nobles. Price 2d20 sp
Singing
6-10
1-5
: Basic skill, can perform for a low class audience and earn 2d10cp
Can perform and do other action at the same time (sing, orate, dance, play musical instrument) can perform for an middle to upper class audience and earn 2d10 sp (2d20sp if combines)
18
16-17
11-15
Can perform for nobles or a court and if favored can earn 2d20 gp
26
Administration
6-10
1-5
Administer a small town, a Temple, a provincial guild, an army unit, cut 5% of expenses
This proficiency encompasses a working knowledge of governmental protocol and the skills necessary to navigate bureaucratic organizations. A character with this proficiency knows which official to approach and the best time to approach him. Administer a province , Temples within a province, Guilds within the towns of the province, an expedition force up to 10 units, cut 10% of expenses A character can also use administration to turn the system against someone else. A successful proficiency check doubles the amount of time to make a government decision, causes a permit to be issued under the wrong name, or temporary misplace an important document. A paladin must be careful with this ability, to avoid breaking the law and violating his ethos.
18
16-17
11-15
Administer a domain, a domain army, cut 15% of expenses
Law
Can affect and manipulate the legal system. Can defend or accuse in any matter of justice. Can participate in court justice events. can operate a law holding and rule a province given the opportunity The character can increase or decrease the success of a Regents legal action or decision, the character halves the costs of ruling a holding.
18
16-17
11-15
6-10
1-5
Understand the tenets of Laws of a specific Domain.
27
Leadership is the skill and ability that is needed for those who wish to order or make others follow them in battle. The leader has the responsibility to command his troops up to the number his rank or his corresponding rank may allow him. Thus the leadership score determines the rank a character has in a court/army or region. At this skill level the character can effectively order these men in battle or skirmish granting them a +2 to all morale checks. At large scale combat the character if leading a unit can activate one unit freely. Rank 1-2 Corporal (1-4 men), 3-4 Sergeant (6-12 men), 5 Lieutenant (25-50 men) The character reaching this high rank in leadership stands out in a kingdoms army or armed forces. He is a prominent leader or maybe even a hero to the eyes of the troops. The forces he is leading are totally inspired by his leadership and his name precedes him. His men take a +2 morale bonus showing their trust on the individual. In large scale combat his unit takes a +1 bonus on all battle and damage rolls due to his leadership and he can now activate two units freely during each battle phase. Leading a unit he negates any activation costs of this units. Rank 6-7 Captain (50-100 men), 8-9 Major (100-150 men), 10 Colonel (150-250 men) The Character at this Rank can lead an army in battle. His aura of Leadership extends to men around him and he is a prominent figure or a Regional hero to the eyes of his people. He can freely activate at least 3 units next to him and gives those units a +2 bonus on all Battle and Damage rolls and a +4 Morale Bonus. He can rally those units surrounding him if they fail morale checks (reroll morale) as a free action during battle. If this Leader dies or falls in battle all units route automatically.
18
16-17
11-15
6-10
1-5
Leadership
Cartography
1-5
Read and Simple drawing of directions (map gives +1 to Orienteering)
6-10
Draw a province map given time (map gives +2 to Orienteering
18
16-17
11-15
Draw a domain map or a complex map (map gives +3 to Orienteering)
28
A character with this skill knows the proper terms for places, items, and actions on the high seas. She knows that port means the left side of the ship and starboard means the right side. He knows that the floor is called the "deck" and that stairs are called "ladders," and exactly what the captain means when he says "helms a-lee" or "jibe, ho!" This character also knows basic maritime safety; to keep her head down when the boom swings across the deck, to keep one hand free for support in case she should slip, and how to avoid illnesses such as scurvy. These characters are trained to help operate sailing ships. Character can work from Seaman to Boatswain 2d6sp/month. Clean the Decks: The sailor knows the proper way to swab a ship's deck and how to treat the planks properly to keep them from becoming slippery. Perform Basic Repairs: While a ship's carpenter is required for more complicated repair jobs, the sailor knows how to plug minor leaks with tar, braid ropes, and repair holes in the sails. People with this rank at the seamanship skill are melted under the sea sun. At this level of Seamanship crew members of this rank are considered very able and can make a big difference on board a ship, they are usually high ranked officers within a military ship or viewed as sea dogs in the world of piracy. First mates or able crew members of this high rank are capable of assisting their Captain and make a name in the High Seas. If a character at this skill level is assisting as a shipmate in a ship he will grant a +2 check to any seaworthiness check needed by the captain. If the character is the First mate of the ship (which cannot exceed hull size of 3) he will be granting the ship one extra move if the ship has any moves remaining when the ship performs a Tactical Course Change maneuver. Character can work as Second officer to First mate with 2d4gp/month. Sailors and seamen of this rank are the elite of the Seas of Cerilia. Usually they are Captains in Ships or at least still First Mates to be promoted. If the character is the Captain of the ship he will be granting the ship two extra moves if the ship has any moves remaining when the ship performs a Tactical Course Change maneuver . At this skill level the Captain adds a +2 to the Crews hit attempts to grapple and a +2 to the Ramming hit chance of the ship. Can work from First Mate to Captain in a ship with 2d12gp/month.
18
16-17
11-15
6-10
1-5
Seamanship
Stonemasonry
Create minor items, minor repairs
Create items, fully restore condition to an item
18
16-17
11-15
6-10
1-5
Basic knowledge of the Craft, use of tools, character can work as assistant
29
Swimming 1-5
Can swim in calm waters and simple dive can add 1 to sea movement
6-10
: Can swim with light armor or carry medium weight can add 2 to sea movement
18
16-17
11-15
Can swim with double speed as normal people, can swim in harsh circumstances
Tailoring- Weaving
1-5
Basic knowledge of the Craft, use of tools, character can work as assistant
6-10
Create minor items, minor repairs
18
16-17
11-15
Create items, fully restore condition to an item
30
Weather Knowledge
1-5
Can predict up to 3 hours weather
6-10
Can predict 10 hours of weather
18
16-17
11-15
Can predict one day weather
Gem Cutting
1-5
Create simple work of arts that can be sold in the market for 2d10sp
Extravagant works of art fit for courts and temples. Workmanship of this level is high quality and costs a lot to gain 5d12gp
18
16-17
11-15
6-10
Creation of better quality handiworks fit for middle to upper class nobles. Price 2d20 sp
31
Ancient History
1-5
General knowledge of the past, Great events, major characters
Knowledge of specific people, places, dates and events mentioned in race history. Recognition of ancient relics.
18
16-17
11-15
6-10
: Knowledge of places, dates and characters involvement
Ancient Languages
1-5
Recognition of simple writing, basic vocabulary
Knowledge of idioms and refined class speech, forgotten names and places, can read/translate a book.
18
16-17
11-15
6-10
Knowledge of grammar and syntax, able to understand an old statement
32
6-10
1-5
Astrology This proficiency gives the character an understanding of celestial mechanics for both standard and non-standard systems. In any system, the character may be able to determine the relative placement and future courses of celestial bodies The diviner studying the stars can gain a bonus up to his skill to discern the outcome of an action The diviner using the star alignments can detect the general outcome of a decision Characters with this proficiency and the navigation proficiency gain a +1 bonus to all navigation proficiency checks, as well as a +1 bonus to all astrology proficiency checks.
Characters with this proficiency may also construct and use all of the instruments related to this field, such as astrolabes, sextants, and even simple telescopes. Time and materials are required, and an unmodified proficiency check with a -10 penalty is required for success. Failure indicates that the object is flawed in some way and is useless.
18
16-17
11-15
The diviner can try to predict the general future of the victim using the power of the Gods.
This ancient practice of healing includes much useful knowledge, such as herbal medicine and bone setting. Healing does little to heal the patient directly, but is a process that seeks only to keep the patient alive so that the natural healing processes of the body may take effect. The physician can treat a wounded target (restore 1 more hp per day) and treat minor illness (fever, cold etc) The physician can treat more critical wounds severe bleeding, broken limbs, stitch a wound, treat a burn. The physician can restore 1d4 hit points if a wound is treated in a 10 minute window
The doctor now can treat more than 1 patient at a time or co-ordinate a group of physicians, given resources. He can treat diseases, limb amputations, severe brain damage, and with given resources can restore 2 more hp per day to a target.
18
16-17
11-15
6-10
1-5
Healing
33
The PC herbalist starts with knowledge of 1 x INT/Knowledge of Herbalism Skill herbs and their purpose. Which herbs are known, should be decided by the GM with reference to the climate and terrain type in which the PC grew up. These are common herbs listed below.
18
16-17
11-15
6-10
1-5
Herbalism
Calligraphy
1-5
Create simple work of arts that can be sold in the market for 2d10sp
Extravagant works of art fit for courts and temples. Workmanship of this level is high quality and costs a lot to gain 5d12gp
18
16-17
11-15
6-10
Creation of better quality handiworks fit for middle to upper class nobles. Price 2d20 sp
34
Alchemy
The Alchemist can prepare several complex alchemical concoctions such as glue, tar, acid, acetone, alcohol
The alchemist providing that he has the materials needed can create strong potions sometimes with unpredictable results
18
16-17
11-15
6-10
1-5
The Alchemist can discern materials used for potions and ingredients for several concoctions.
The character is eloquent with speech and can sway the targets relative course of action, unless it is in their ill portent.
The character can persuade through speech and manipulative fast talk the decisions of a target or targets even if that will put the target is non apparent danger.
The character can exert control even in circumstances of extreme hostility. His words are vital to the decision of a regent and his dictations can be decrees even for a domain.
18
16-17
11-15
6-10
1-5
Diplomacy
35
The character is knowledgeable with the modern history of his domain (past 30-60 years) wars, regents, major events, betrayals , lineage
The character has some knowledge of the neighboring domains (past 30-60 years) and has researched more into the history of his domain down to the last century.
The character has acquired knowledge around the happenings of his region (Western Coast, Heartlands) domains at those places, regents etc, for the last 30 to 60 years.
18
16-17
11-15
6-10
1-5
Local History
Basic propositions, can read and write most common words. Basic education for middle to upper class
Structural writing, editing of scribes, ability to scribe, can understand most writings found. Upper Class, or Acolyte and above rank. The character has some general education on sciences. The character can pass knowledge to lower level students The character has literate background, he can read and write any book, he can understand meanings within words, only higher level priests or kings are able if they require to achieve this rank. The character is able to pass down knowledge which is mind altering for most young characters.
18
16-17
11-15
6-10
1-5
Reading/Writing
36
Religion (designated religion) Rank
1-5
6-10
11-15
knowledge You know the basic key features of your deity, ethos, credo and the dogma of the faith, the annual holy days, a basic history of the god and his deeds, the role he fulfilled in Deismaar and therefore. General knowledge of other deities that are associated and allied to yours. Basic theological knowledge of various dogmas in depth knowledge of your deities history, events during Deismaar and afterwards. You are considered to have half your rank in religion knowledge of allied and associated deities to yours and basic knowledge for the other deities. You have an in depth knowledge of your Deities and the related theology of other aspects of your churches agendas, laws, and history. You know the supernatural struggle of your Deity and its adversaries. Your rank for allied religions and their knowledge of them is considered one category lower. Your knowledge of the rest pantheon is greater now and is considered for knowledge purposes as much as the first rank category. You cannot roll for skills for those religions cause you don’t actually know the skill but you are familiar with the doctrines.
16-17
You have realized the impact of haelyn as a great power in the plane the struggles of chaos and law good and evil
18+
You are attuned with the supernatural events in the all-planes level of existence
ceremony
service
Minimum accepted and only in rural areas where no temple is available basic rituals which can be denied by a higher clergy if pressed by opposition
Can assist a priest in his holy duties Praying and chanting using relics and accommodating in any ritual
Normal ritual suitable for small temple in villages and small town authorization for all acceptable rituals Can use assistants equal to his rank above 5
Can perform parallel minor ritual or service or can operate a group of acolytes
A major ritual for a big temple in a city lasting hours and utilizing many assistants deacons acolytes etc.
Clerics of this rank can operate in Grand Cathedrals A multitude of lower level members of the temple operate under their commands.
A grand ceremony for a major cathedral in one of the cities close to haelyn’s history and faith A imposing ceremony performed by the head of the faith a lifetime event
Only under the great archpriest can be assistants of this ranks
You can appraise common or well-known objects, your estimation on a common object is 60%-Skillx% of its actual value. The actual value of an object is up to the DM or the areas economical capacity of the actual materials. The time needed to make such an estimation is ten minutes or 10 full rounds of study on the item.
You can appraise higher quality materials and items, your estimation on those objects is 100%-Skillx% of its actual value. The actual value of an object is up to the DM or the areas economical capacity of the actual materials. Higher quality items are dictated by the DM and/or any player who has the skill to craft one of them. The time needed to make such an estimation is half an hour or 30 full rounds of study on the item. The character is able to understand high level or maybe if given the time magical induced properties into an item or forgery conducted.
18
16-17
11-15
6-10
1-5
Appraising
37
This proficiency allows the character to create and break codes and ciphers. Reading/writing is required in order to learn this proficiency. Codes and ciphers fall into four levels of difficulty (equivalent to the number of slots of "cryptography" taken by the person that does the encryption). Their specific requirements are as follows: Difficulty Base Breaking Time 0 10 minutes The person encrypting the text can use a difficulty level no higher than the level of cryptography proficiency he/she possesses. The base breaking time is the unit of time that a person must spend to have any chance of "breaking" the code. Each day of code-breaking must be 8 hours of uninterrupted thought or the period must be begun anew. The check modifier is an additional bonus/penalty applied to breaking a code that is dependent on its difficulty only. The DM may choose to add more modifiers because of the length of the text or successive failures. Codes/ciphers can only be broken by a person familiar with the language that the normal text is in. If encrypted documents are to be used for general communications, both the encryptor and decryptor must know the key. The impracticality of changing keys frequently is the only thing that tends to keep codes in use for long enough that breaking them becomes worthwhile. In order to change codes, the encryptor must merely decide to. It is a very quick job to create a code, generally taking 4 hours per skill level. Codes should be referenced (code A, code B, etc) so that the DM can remember which ones are in use. The character given time can decipher cryptographic messages and create simple ones. 1 1 day The character can encode secret messages in the most peculiar places and marks. The character can provide key codes to decipher their messages. 2 1 week 3
1 month
18
1617
11-15
6-10
1-5
Cryptography
Disguise
1-5
The character can disguise changing his facial characteristics
The character a master of disguise can change his height, weight, even racial traits, skin color and age.
18
16-17
11-15
6-10
The character can disguise changing his facial characteristics
38
Forgery requires writing materials appropriate to the document being forged, enough light or sufficient visual acuity to see the details of what you’re writing, wax for seals (if appropriate), and some time. To forge a document on which the handwriting is not specific to a person (military orders, a government decree, a business ledger, or the like), you need only to have seen a similar document before. Forging a very short and simple document takes about 1 minute. Characters can duplicate hand writing of specific individuals and their signatures, to forge a signature, you need an autograph of that person to copy. To forge a longer document written in the hand of some particular person, a large sample of that person’s handwriting is needed. A longer or more complex document takes 1d6 minutes-rounds per page. The character can duplicate a ring seal, given time and materials, coat of arms, objects of art or craft
18
16-17
11-15
6-10
1-5
Forgery
1-5
The character can juggle with additional objects in his hands, the juggler can manipulate object in fire ,2 medium or 3 small weapons in his arms, displaying in middle to upper class this can gain him 2d10sp The character can display accurately his skill in a royal court and gain 2d10gp while he can also using his skill catch thrown daggers at him with an attack roll vs AC 4
18
16-17
11-15
The character can juggle up to 3 items in his hands. He can display his skill to low or middle class. Routine performance. Trying to earn money by playing in public is essentially begging. You can earn 2d10 cp/day.
6-10
Juggling
39
To understand what someone is saying by reading lips, you must be within 30 feet of the speaker, be able to see him or her speak, and understand the speaker’s language. There is a roll on your Wis/Intuition with the skill adding as a bonus, If the check fails by 4 or less, you can’t read the speaker’s lips. If the check fails by 5 or more, you draw some incorrect conclusion about the speech. The check is rolled secretly in this case, so that you don’t know whether you succeeded or missed by 5. At this rank you can read lips of people who talk directly at you. The character can understand at the same distance indirect speech not mentioned at him. He can overhear other people talk if he can see them
The character can read lips in low light environment, he can fully understand the conversation as if he was present. His skill increases his range in broad daylight by 30 feet.
18
16-17
11-15
6-10
1-5
Reading Lips
6-10
1-5
Set Snares The character can create small snares for (S) sized animals and below given the resources. The character can set up to 2 snares in an hour with a 5% per skill point of success per snare.
The character can create larger snares and traps now that can affect (M) sized animals. He can set up 2 snares per 1 and a half hour and with a 5% per skill point above 5
18
16-17
11-15
The character can create man sized traps, pits, or larger snares which can affect also humanoids.
40
Throwing
1-5
The character can add 10' (yards) per range category for thrown weapons
The character gains +1 to attack and damage per weapon thrown and gains an additional 5' (yards) per range category
18
16-17
11-15
6-10
The character can add +1 to attack or damage per weapon thrown.
1-5
The character can lower by an additional 10 feet the height dropped. The character can gain 2 point bonus in his AC during a melee fight. If you fall prone or knock downed for any reason, you can stand up immediatelly action without provoking attacks and without losing your action round. The character can lower the damage dealt by 1 per die. The character can gain 4 point bonus in his AC if not performing any action this round or full parries
18
16-17
11-15
The character can lower by 10 feet height dropped. The character can gain 1 point bonus in his AC if during a melee fight. You can make an Escape Bonds check to escape from a grapple or pin or you can add your escape bonds check to escape from a grapple contested Str/Muscle check.
6-10
Tumbling
41
Armorer 1-5
Basic knowledge of the Craft, use of tools, character can work as assistant
6-10
: Create minor items, minor repairs
18
16-17
11-15
Create items, fully restore condition to an item
Blind-fighting
1-5
The character gets used at low light or blind fights lowering his penalty by -1 to attack and AC
The character gets attuned to darkness and can fight as good as low light lowering his penalty by -3 more
18
16-17
11-15
6-10
The bonus gets to -2
42
Bowyer/Fletcher
The character can create sheaf arrows provided he has materials (2d4 per day) and increases the flight production to 2d6 per day. The character can create a short bow within a 1-8 day period.
The character can produce now 2d6 sheaf arrows per day can create a short bow withing 1-3 (d3) days and a long bow within 1-5 (1d4+1)
18
16-17
11-15
6-10
1-5
The character can create flight arrows provided the materials (2d4 per day)
The character can withstand heavy exertion beyond normal standards so he gains 1 Fatigue point per level
The character can withstand fighting in strenuous activity or fights and his endurance is almost heroic. The character gains one level reduction of fatigue die. The character can walk double the distance per day given the needed amounts of food and water or can survive without them days equal to half his Stamina (roll each day to withstand the effects). The character can opt to Ignore the penalties of a fatigue category once per fight. The character gains also 1 extra Fatigue point per level. Also the character can withstand his Stamina days without food before penalties occur
18
16-17
11-15
6-10
1-5
Endurance
43
The character can find prey within an area in a 3 hour period the prey will be enough for 1d4 people. In order to make a successful skinning attempt in order to save the fur the hunter must make a successful hunting roll and if passed the hunter is able to utilize the fur. The character can search and find larger prey within an area in a 3 hour period the game will be enough for 1d6+1 people.
The character can hunt faster and more effectively, he can coordinate other hunters to his assistance and he can either coordinate a hunt or hunt alone and within a 2 hour period he can get enough prey for 2d4 people, in a hunt the hunter can coordinate up to his skill in hunters and efficiently get greater results in hunting
18
16-17
11-15
6-10
1-5
Hunting
The character has general knowledge of military tactics and war moves. He can understand the significance of troops and their use. Terrain factors are taken into account. The character can understand ground superiority and can use it to his advantage. The character gains 2 advantage points to spend during a battle round. The modified Strategy skill adds to the Generals initiative roll on the start phase of each battle round. At this level of knowledge the Strategist can command up to two different type of units without any penalties during the activation and movement phase. The strategist can activate at the same round as many units as his Strategy score allows him. The strategy skill grants as many activation points as its total score.
The character can understand the formation of troops and its benefit or weakness, the character gains 4 advantage points for the commands of his army . The character can command efficiently up to 3 different types of units. His presence effects unit morale increasing it by 1. The General now is the king of the terrain. He can utilize his terrain to best results giving any unit in his army a +1 total bonus on all actions. He now has 8 advantage points to spend during a battle round. His fame will increase the morale of all troops by +2 and he is able to command any type of unit and lead huge and vast number of armies
18
16-17
11-15
6-10
1-5
Strategy
44
The character is aware of the basic hazards of his terrain. He can travel safely in his terrain recognizing dangerous areas he can find within. He can direct others to avoid the hazards also. The character knows the basic precautions necessary to enhance the chances of survival, and can instruct and assist any companions accordingly. For example, a character whose primary terrain is Mountains realizes that physical exertion in high altitudes may result in headaches and fatigue. A character knows that in arid climates, it's better to rest in the still air than exposed to a strong wind. An character understands that saltwater can't be used for drinking. A character realizes that temporary protection can be had from a bitter wind by tunneling inside a snow drift. This knowledge doesn't guarantee survival by any means; it merely improves the odds. If the character wonders about any particular piece of information, the DM will decide if he knows it, requiring a Survival check if necessary.
The character can find in his chosen terrain enough food and water to sustain him for day. The character has to search for 2d6 turns in order to find good for one person and 1d6 hours to find water. The character can also find shelter in his territory if he searches for 1d6 hours. The character can find faster food and water in his terrain lowering the die for time to d4. The character can also interpret subtle changes in the environment to anticipate natural disasters.
18
16-17
11-15
6-10
1-5
Survival (designated terrain)
The character can understand the use of war machines, their deployment and their necessity in a castle siege. The character can also defend with the same effectiveness if defending against a siege.
The character can coordinate and deploy effectively against a low level fortification (1-4) siege machines. The character lowers the effectiveness of the castle by 1 point or raises it by 1 point equally if defending. The character is considered a siege weapon for terms of castle assaults and even in the absence of siege machines he can coordinate the attacks The character is now a Siege Master, he can see weakness in a fortification he can lower the effective level of a fortification by 2 points or raises it by 2 point equally if defending. The Siege Master can attack any citadel with any sort of army.
18
16-17
11-15
6-10
1-5
Siegecraft
45
18
16-17
11-15
6-10
1-5
Tracking*1
Weaponsmithing
1-5
Basic knowledge of the Craft, use of tools, character can work as assistant
6-10
Create minor items, minor repairs
18
16-17
11-15
Create items, fully restore condition to an item
46
Ancient History
1-5
General knowledge of the past, Great events, major characters
Knowledge of specific people, places, dates and events mentioned in race history. Recognition of ancient relics.
18
16-17
11-15
6-10
Knowledge of places, dates and characters involvement
Ancient Languages (designated language)
1-5
Recognition of simple writing, basic vocabulary
Knowledge of idioms and refined class speech, forgotten names and places, can read/translate a book.
18
16-17
11-15
6-10
Knowledge of grammar and syntax, able to understand an old statement
47
18
16-17
11-15
6-10
1-5
Astronomy
Calligraphy
1-5
Create simple work of arts that can be sold in the market for 2d10sp
Extravagant works of art fit for courts and temples. Workmanship of this level is high quality and costs a lot to gain 5d12gp
18
16-17
11-15
6-10
Creation of better quality handiworks fit for middle to upper class nobles. Price 2d20 sp
48
1-5
The character is an adept of numerology. He can understand all the Numbers and make useful conclusions for the past and the future of an individual. He can foresee the challenges in ones life and the severity of them. As a side effect the character can understand and calculate mathematical formulas. The character is an expert of Numerology. The Numbers are flowing inside his mind and none name or birth date is meaningless. He can foretell ones life challenges with remarkably accuracy taking into account also the relatives or the companions of an individual. The words of such a seer can alter ones life for good. As a side effect the character is a master in numerical calculations and logistics. A legendary seer. The character can foresee earthquakes, floods, typhoons and other natural disasters by depend only in Numbers. His gift is also a curse as he has the power to alter Kismet itself. Very often a man of this rank is considered half-crazy (if not totally crazy) as his mind is constantly focused in altering names, dates or even sounds in numbers in order to comprehend them.
18
16-17
11-15
The character has the knowledge to extract only the first two Numbers and he can comprehend a little. He can only predict general staff derived only from the Destiny number and the Life path number. As a side effect the character can do mathematical calculations and keep track of the income-outcome.
6-10
Numerology
A character skilled at this trade can manufacture all kinds of glass containers, jars, or bottles. Creating symmetrical or precise pieces could take a lot of time and success rolls, but if a character is making items for usefulness instead of decoration, he can produce about 5 small containers, 2 medium containers, or 1 large ones in a day’s work. The character must have access to a specialized glazier’s workshop and furnace in order to make use of this skill. As the character grows in skill he can make more containers in a days time provided he has the equipment to do so. He can create 6 small containers, 2 medium and 1 large in a days work
18
16-17
11-15
6-10
1-5
Glassblowing
49
A character with this skill is familiar with the process of assembling a book. Bookbinding is a demanding task; the pages must be glued or sewn to a common backing of some kind, protected by various kinds of varnishes or treatments, and then fastened to a strong and durable cover. Additional chemicals or compounds to ward off mildew and deter moths and bookworms are a necessary precaution. Bookbinding is especially helpful for a wizard assembling a spell book. Normally, a wizard must pay a bookbinder 50 sp per page for a spell book. A wizard who does this work himself reduces these costs by 50%, although the process takes at least one month, plus one week per five pages. If the character passes a proficiency check, his spell book gains a +2 bonus to item saving throws due to the quality and craftsmanship of the work. In addition, the wizard must succeed in a proficiency check if he is dealing with unusual or unsuitable materials, such as metal sheets for pages or dragon scales for a cover.
18
16-17
11-15
6-10
1-5
Bookbinding
18
16-17
11-15
6-10
1-5
Devotion (Power Skill)
50
Seeming powers start to run affluent within the character, he is able to understand the usage of Seeming in him and around him, the character with a skill at this rank is able to understand where Seeming magic is used in an area and how, the character can detect Seeming magic and Seeming source power with a 5% chance and duration as per skill rank. When a Magician reaches such height in Seeming control he is a master of the shadows. He is able to peer through any illusions seeming or not with a 3% per skill point also area circumstances can effect this roll ( a bonus may be granted if given at a Full moon night, or a penalty if tried at bright day light.)
18
16-17
6-10
Despite the possibility of a spontaneous tie to shadow, most of those who wish to use shadow magic must actively learn to do so. A few such seekers are self taught. Others have patrons, guides, or mentors. Teachers of shadow magic are easy to find if the seeker knows where to look and is willing to take the risks involved in finding instruction. Some creatures of the Shadow World know Seeming secrets and are willing to impart them. Seeming score of this rank allows the character to see in moonlight or under starry sky darkness. A score of 10% per skill rank is given for success and this effect lasts for as many rounds as his rank skill.
11-15
1-5
Seeming (Power Skill)
The character is familiar with divine or arcane powers and he has undergone spiritual or arcane training. He understands the truth of communing with his deity and the powers granted by the mebhaigl of Cerilia. The caster has 5% per Spellcraft rank in order understand the spell school or the casting power someone else is using. The Spellcraft skill grants a +1 bonus per 2 ranks in the save against Twilight. The knowledge of Magical Theory protects the Wizard from gaining Twilight. As this character delves deeper in the path of magic his mind starts to expand in the various ways and infinite horrors magic contains. The character starts to perceive several magical facts as truths, this works as his minds first line of defense against the unknown. The caster has 10% per Spellcraft rank in order understand the spell school and the casting power someone else is using.
18
16-17
11-15
6-10
1-5
Spellcraft (Power Skill)
51
Craft/Trade Rankings Apprentice: An Apprentice is considered anyone from a 1 to a 5 in a trade/craft skill. An Apprentice can produce usable and quality goods or work, but will not produce high quality goods or work unless supervised by a Journeyman or Master. Apprentice work can be sold at 1/2 to 3/4 normal price. Quality goods or work can be produced on a skill roll with GM assigned modifiers and be sold at normal price. The Apprentice can create only poor quality goods, on a success skill roll he can produce an average quality equipment. Journeyman: Journeymen are consider those with the skill from 6 to 10.. High quality goods or work may be sold at half again the normal price, superior goods or work can command 2-4 times the normal price. He can create average quality goods and with skill he can create good quality ones. Master: Masters are those with a skill of 11+ or greater. They require no roll for normal success. A Master will produce good quality goods or work on a normal, superior goods or work on a success skill roll. Masters can teach the trade. Mastery is required to even have a chance at creating a masterwork item. Many non-player craftsmen are more accomplished in their fields than player characters, having devoted all their energies to improving a single Skill. Likewise, old masters normally have more talent than young apprentices, unless the youth has an exceptional ability score. However, age is no assurance of talent. Remember that knowing a skill and being good at it are two different things. There are bad potters, mediocre potters, and true craftsmen. All this has much less to do with age than with dedication and talent. To determine the time it takes to make a piece of armor, take the armor's DR. The number that the DR is over 0, multiplied by two weeks, is the time it takes an apprentice (supervised and aided by an Journeyman) to craft the item. Thus, a set of chain mail (DR 5) is calculated this way: 0 -->5= 5; 5 x two weeks = ten weeks. It takes 10 weeks to make a suit of chain mail.
Cost to Craft And it does cost money to craft armor. The cost is: (a) About half the "retail value" of the armor piece for materials; plus (b) The cost of maintaining one or two apprentices during the time it takes to make the piece; plus (c) Additional cost based on how much of the journeyman's time and attention the project takes. (The project may take one or two journeyman full time on the project, may take only half one journeyman's time on the project, or may take none of the journeyman's time the latter constitute projects that the apprentices can do all by themselves, mostly unsupervised.) Armor/Weapon Banded Mail Chain Mail Field Plate Leather Armor Studded Leather Padded armor Plate Mail Ring Mail Scale Mail Longsword
Material Cost (Silver Pieces)
100 38 1000 5 8 4 300 50 60 7 Short Sword 2 Dagger 20-30 copper Bastard Sword 10 Battle Axe 5 L. Xbow* 17 H. Xbow* 35 Short Bow 10 copper pieces Long Bow 35 copper pieces Arrows 0-5 copper/arrow Armourer, Weaponsmith,Engineer, Bowyer/Fletcher
Time Taken (weeks) 12 10 16 4 6 4 14 6 8 4 2 1 6 2 3 5 1 2 varies
Apprentice & Journeyman 2/0 1/0 0/1 1/2 / 0 1/2 / 0 1/2 / 0 0/1 2/0 2/0 0/1 0/1 0/1 0/1 0/1 0/1 0/1 0/1 0/1 1/0
52
Now, the costs given above are not the final word on how much it costs to make armor. With your DM's permission, you can skew these numbers around (both up and down) through the following means. First, you can put extra men on a job. (Important Note: If journeymans are drafted to do apprentice level work, one journeyman counts as two apprentices.) You can only put extra men on a job in increments of the original number of men required for the job: In other words, if the job required two apprentices, you don't see an improvement in speed until you assign two more apprentices to the job. At that point, you cut the speed of the job in half. Attack Modifier/DR Perfomance/Damage Modifier Modifier Poor -1 -1 Average Good* +1 +1 Exceptional +1 +1 * Good quality weapons get either a +1 to attack rolls or +1 to damage. Craft Quality
Break
Time Modifier
1-5 on d20 1 on d20 N/A N/A
See above See above X2 X4
Etiquette, The art of the Courtier Gifts In various human-Cerilian cultures, gifts are given to celebrate good service, to announce favor or disfavor with an individual, and to recognize service or honor. The value of a gift is not chosen for its monetary expense, but rather for its sentimental value. If a lord wanted to make a very public statement of favor toward his loyal servant, he’d probably give them something dear to his heart. The way a courtier gives you a gift can tell you if he respects you, if he is a friend, or if he is your deadliest enemy. Because higher class nobles are given everything they reasonably need, giving something for its usefulness is considered impolite, if not an outright insult to the lord or regent. Armor, weapons, horses – all are provided by a lord (or, his regent, if they are in direct service to the Throne). A courtesan or noble response to being given money would be “Are you implying that my lord doesn’t provide for me?” Similarly, a gift of money is a veiled insult. If a noble needs something, he asks his Lord: unless it is impossible or impractical. Purchasing gifts can be an equally difficult task. Bartering or haggling over an item is considered dishonorable if it is considered for a court, and often, if something must be purchased, a servant is sent to do so. However, if he is attempting to purchase a gift for, say the regent of the land, certain things must be taken into consideration. A regent can simply take anything in his province that he wishes. It’s all ‘his’ anyway; he just has to decide he wants it. Once he does, the merchant is obliged to give it to him (after all, it’s good for business when the regent selects your wares for his personal use). So, buying something as a gift isn’t going to make too much of an impact. It’s not a bad idea, but it is not going to get you into the Imperial Capitals court. Literally, it’s the thought and presentation that counts, more than anything else. Significance, personal meaning, and intuition are all key words for gift-choices.
Bathing
Bathing is extremely important in all cultures. A noble who is unclean and does not take proper care of their armor and weapons is treated no better than a mere peasant with a title. Peasantry and low social classes are not learned in the ways of bathing and bathing is not considered of such importance and treat as a luxury itself. Bathing was promptly done mostly in time of great religious celebrations or local festivities, although it was not treated as a need to do. Just remember, bathing is important, no matter where you are if you want to achieve status as a known courtier or noble.
53
Presenting oneself
A courtier may be present himself before a ranking individual if he has been introduced by the advisor or herald to that noble lord. Often, if a lord wishes to see another lord’s retainer, he will have his advisor request that the retainer ask for an appointment with the lord. Then, the lord immediately sets the appointment date (often within hours) and has the meeting. If the courtier is approaching the lord, he must first present himself, a copy of his heraldic arms or personal coat of arms, and his questions to the house advisor. If this advisor is the lord's wife or the first courtesan, it is sometimes appropriate for the asking courtier to provide a gift for her, as well as his information.
Entering and Exiting
A lord’s or regent’s court is a considered a heaven for him, filled with the people of his house and family, and respected by all members of his surrounding lands and caste. This respect sometimes extends to enemies of the family, and people the lord could would consider 'untrustworthy'. By carrying their weapons into another’s house, you show disrespect to the local lord and his family and to some extend to his regent. When a courtier arrives at another lords home, he is expected to announce himself to the gate man (usually a militia man), and await the reception of his host or hostess. If the host is not at home, the game man will politely offer the visitor a drink or some food, telling them that host is unavailable. It is considered inappropriate to inquire the host's whereabouts, as the host may be in fact home with a more prestigious visitor. The common way to announce yourself when you arrive at the home of another lord is to present a copy of your coat of arms to the gate man, with a short speech identifying yourself, any positions or rank you hold, and your business inside his court or hold. Even is the host is not at home, the coat of arm will be kept so that the host knows who his visitor is.
Asking to see a Lord
If you need to speak with their lord, it is proper to speak to the lord's advisor and make an 'appointment' to formally discuss the matter. Even if you see your lord on a daily basis, any important or formal questions must be handled appropriately. Level of Court 0
1-2
3-4
5-6
7-8
9
10
Description Minimal court. The regent, and perhaps allies or a few hirelings paid from the regent's personal finances, administrate the domain when and where they can. The regent must personally oversee all domain actions. Quaint court. The regent has a primary base of operations equivalent to a common inn and no more than a few servants. The regent has a local reputation within the province, but his courtiers are not well known. Common-folk expect to deal with regent directly and may be put off by having to deal with courtiers claiming to speak in the retainers' name. The court is capable of undertaking standard domain action without necessarily requiring the regent's personal involvement. Average court. The regent's court is fully functional with a scattering of trusted retainers and a few specialized servants such as musicians, tutors, a huntsman, etc. The court is capable of hosting occasional affairs of state and small festivals. The regent's retainers and agents are well known and the common-folk of the regent's holdings begin to interact with the regent's courtiers rather than the regent himself for most day-to-day matters. An average court allows one Court Action per domain round. Good court . The regent's court becomes an established network and begins its own bureaucracy. The court has good facilities, plentiful servants and retainers, and regular feasts or festivals. People consider the regent's court to be agents of an authority (legitimate or otherwise). The common-folk of the regent's holdings interact with the regent's courtiers for all but the most pressing of issues and the courtiers are well stationed to carry out the regent's orders unassisted. A good court allows two Court Actions per domain round. Members of the regent's court gain a +1 circumstantial modifier on all Court involved skills. Excellent court. The regent's court is large and capable. Courtiers exist for every major function in the realm, and many have entire staffs of lesser courtiers that report to them directly. The court is capable of hosting balls and major galas regularly. An excellent court allows three Court Actions per domain round. Members of the regent's court gain a +2 base circumstantial modifier on all Court involved skills. Opulent court. The regent's court is a major center of power. Guests are waited on hand and foot. The regent's court handles all but the most critical matters and common-folk are rarely allowed the opportunity (or have the need) to speak with the regent directly. An excellent court allows four Court Actions per domain round. Members of the regent's court gain a +3 circumstantial modifier on all Court involved skills. World-class court. The regent's court is a thing of wonder spoken of in far off lands. Every day brings new art, literature, sport, a festive event of some kind. The regent is expected to do almost nothing and is almost entirely inaccessible except to other powerful regents. A world-class court allows five Court Actions per domain round. Members of the regent's court gain a +4 circumstantial modifier on all Court involved skills.
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TRACKING Thanks to his keen senses and thorough understanding of animal behavior, the character is an expert tracker. He reads an impression in the mud or a bend in a twig like words on a printed page. He can determine the identity of his quarry and how fast it was traveling by the depth of a footprint. He can tell the size of a slug from the trail of slime it left behind. He can track a goblin in the darkest forest, a rabbit though the thickest jungle, an escaped convict across the most desolate mountain range. A character can't just track anything, any time he likes. In order to track a particular quarry, the following conditions must be met: 1. The quarry must be capable of leaving a physical trail. Elements of a trail may include footprints, bent twigs, waste matter, or any other physical signs that a character can follow. Still, only the most skilled trackers are capable of following trails devoid of physical evidence, and the DM should allow such tracking in only the rarest of circumstances. 2. The tracker must be able to find the trail. If the trail is outdoors, the character must actually see the creature (he spots a fox darting into the brush), notice obvious signs of his quarry (such as footprints or droppings), or hear reliable reports of the quarry's whereabouts (She likes to drink from the pond by the twin palm trees."). If the trail is indoors, the tracker himself must have seen the quarry within the last 30 minutes, and begin tracking from the location where the quarry was last seen. The DM is the final arbiter as to whether the tracker has enough evidence to enable him to track the quarry.
Tracking Check
If the above conditions are met, the character can attempt to trail the quarry by taking a Tracking check, using his Tracking score. In non-natural surroundings, the Tracking chances are halved.
Terrain Tracking Modifiers Terrain (use only one) Modifier Fresh snow (clearly outlined footprints) +6 Soft or muddy ground, loose dirt floor (good impressions of prints, but not as defined as fresh snow) +4 Thick brush, dense jungle (broken branches,crushed weeds) +3 Forests, fields, dusty indoor area (occasional marks of passage) +2 Normal ground, wood floor, plains with sparse vegetation (infrequent marks of passage) 0 Desert, dry sand -2 Swamp (spongy surface but little mud for prints, much vegetation) -5 Rocky terrain, solid ice, stone floors, shallow water (prohibits all but the most minute signs of passage) -10
Illumination Modifiers Illumination (use only one) Modifier Good illumination, sunny day; continual light or equivalent indoors 0 Twilight, light fog, snow, single torch in dark interior of building -3 Night with full moon, day with moderate fog -6 Overcast night with no moon, dense fog, blizzard, blowing sand -10
Special Tracking Modifiers Situation (use all applicable) Modifier Every two creatures in group being tracked +1 Every three experience levels (round down) of the tracker +1 Each additional tracker assisting tracker (use the score of the best tracker)* +1 Animal follower assists in tracking** +1 Trail is in specialized tracker's primary terrain +2 Every 12 hours since trail was made -1 Every hour of rain, snow, or sleet since trail was made -5 Creature being tracked attempts to hide trail (covering footprints, detouring into stream,) -5 Specialized tracker being tracked in his primary terrain attempts to hide trail -2 * Total bonus for assistance is limited to characters skill circumstantial bonus; **. The animal follower does not count as an additional tracker for purposes of the previous bonus. If the modified Tracking score is zero or less, the tracker is unable to track the quarry in question. If the modified Tracking score is greater than zero, the tracker makes a Tracking check by rolling 1d20. If the roll exceeds the tracker's tracking score, or if the roll is 20, the check fails and no trail has been found, If the roll less than or equal to the tracker's Tracking score, the tracker has found the quarry's trail and may begin to follow it.
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Interrupted Tracking
Once a tracker has found the trail, he may track the quarry indefinitely until any of the following situations occur: The tracker moves too fast. The tracker must move slower than his normal movement rate in order to stay alert for signs of the trail. His movement rate limit depends on his modified Tracking score, as shown
Movement While Tracking Modified Tracking Score 1-5 6-10 11+
Movement Rate Limit 1/4 normal 1/2 normal 3/4 normal
Should the tracker exceed the movement rate above--for instance, if a monster abruptly ambushes him and he's forced to run--he loses the trail. The modifiers change. If the trail leads to a new terrain type, night falls, or any other change occurs that requires a new Tracking modifier, the tracker loses the trail. The new conditions may dictate the use of modifiers reflecting a trail that is easier to follow, not more difficult, and DMs should consider applying a bonus in such conditions. Nevertheless, the new roll must still be made. A second track crosses the first. Crossed trails mingle the physical signs of each, making tracking difficult. The DM determines if such a situation exists. If so, the tracker's efforts fail. (If the tracker wishes to continue tracking, as described below, he must decide which of the crossed trails to follow.) The tracker becomes distracted. An attack from a monster may interrupt the tracker's progress. Further, the tracker may intentionally choose to stop if he needs to rest, eat, or hold a discussion with his companions. Any of these interruptions qualifies as a distraction. When any of these conditions occur, the tracker loses the trail. To continue tracking the quarry, he must spend at least an hour exploring the immediate area for new signs of the trail. After an hour of searching, he makes a new Tracking check, based on a Tracking score calculated from the new conditions (if the illumination has changed from daylight to twilight, he must now modify his Tracking score by -3). If other trackers assist the tracker, modify the tracking check by +1 per assistant; add the bonus to the Tracking score of the most adept tracker. This bonus is limited to +1 per 3 levels of the tracker (round up). If the check succeeds, the tracker may continue following the trail as before. If he fails the check, he has lost the trail for good.
Identification
By noticing details that other characters might overlook--the depth of a footprint, the thickness of a snapped branch, a hair caught in barbed bush--the tracker can deduce a sizeable amount of information about his quarry. The more skilled the tracker, the more information he deduces. Whenever a tracker makes a successful Tracking check, he may then attempt Identification. Tracker skill Level Information Received 1-3 General type of creature ("A dragon or other large reptilian creature.")
4-5
Specific type of creature and where it was heading
("Some kind of dragon, probably red. It appears to have been headed to themountains to the north.")
6-7 8-10 11-13
Probable number of creatures ("Looks like two of them.")
Approximate size and/or age
("From the length of the prints, the dragons were probably juveniles.")
Pace of creatures
("There's no indication of haste; they were probably taking their time.")
14-15 16+
How recently the trail was made
("The tracks were made within the last three or four hours.")
Special conditions of creatures: wounded or healthy, mounts, etc.
("The unusual depth of the prints and the space between steps indicates the dragons had riders. A tiny scrap of cloth is similar to the material worn by soldiers in this area. The riders were probably human.")
TERRAIN TYPES Aquatic. This terrain type includes all areas consisting primarily of water, such as lakes, oceans, and rivers. At the DM's discretion, this category may also include islands and coastal regions. Arctic. This includes any region covered with ice and snow where temperatures rarely rise above zero degrees. The North Pole is good example of arctic terrain.
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Desert. This includes any barren, flat areas covered with sand or hard-packed earth. Desert climates are extremely dry and hot, with daytime temperatures commonly in excess of 100 degrees, followed by much colder nights. Vegetation is usually sparse, with special adaptations. Much of a desert may be unsettled or unexplored. Gains +2 bonus on all rolls concerning the climate of the terrain. (saves, skill rolls etc) Forest. This category comprises any woodland areas in temperate climates. At the DM's option, subarctic and subtropical climates may also be included. Forests abound with a variety of animal species, and vegetation flourishes. Not surprisingly, Forest is the primary terrain of choice for the majority of trackers. Hill. These are highlands, often wild and rough, which may or may not be forested. They usually form an intermediate zone between lowlands, such as Plains or Desert, and the highest lands, which are Mountain terrain. Jungle. These are tropical lands (including rain forests) overgrown with dense vegetation and trees, and teeming with animal life. Such regions are often hot, humid, and hostile to civilization. Mountain. This category includes terrain consisting of high rocky peaks, typically 4,000 feet or more above sea level, with sparse vegetation, severe slopes, and jagged cliffs. Subtropical to subarctic climates are typical, though a wide range of temperatures is possible. Plains. These are flat areas with stretches of low rolling land, including pastures, meadows, fields, and farmlands. Grazing animals are common here. Such regions are usually covered with grasses or scrub vegetation and are usually temperate in climate. Swamp. This includes bogs, marshes, and other low elevation areas with standing water or waterlogged soil. Many species of reptiles, birds, and insects live in these regions. Vegetation grows in abundance. The climate may be oppressively hot and humid or cold and misty.
THE HERBAL
Herbalism, as a skill or a proficiency, is the ability to first of all find and then to prepare a certain herb in order to use its special properties (normally curative). To use this skill, simply tell the GM that you intend to look for a certain plant. The GM will decide, based on the information contained in the Guide for each herb. The herb’s modifier is applied to the skill of the herbalist in order to roll and find the herb in the specified area and time it is available. The herbalist needs only an Int/Reason check therefore to prepare the herb for usage. The GM must add modifiers to this chance of finding the herb, based on common sense, etc. For example an eight feet tall plant in the middle of an open field is going to be very easy to see, and consequently to find. Unless otherwise indicated in text, any cut herbs and preparations of herbs only have a shelf life of 3d6 weeks. Dried herbs have a shelf life of 1d4 years if kept in a sealed container away from moisture (but not all of these herbs can be used in a dried form). Potions, on the other hand, have an indefinite lifespan - which is why they're more expensive yet still desirable. A rule of thumb for purchasing is that the chance of purchasing an herb in a large city WITHIN its native region is equal to the chance of finding it in the wild (and the price will remain the same); the chance of purchasing an herb in a large city OUTSIDE of its native region is equal to half the chance of finding it in the wild (and the price will be half again as much); and the chance of purchasing an herb in a large city OPPOSITE of its native region (eg., artic vs. desert) is one quarter of the chance of finding it in the wild (and the price will be doubled or tripled). The GM of an individual campaign must rule on the use of this guide. They must decide whether or not they wish it to be used at all, and they must modify it to fit their campaign. Some of the herbs contained in this guide are extremely powerful, and if they are overused they will unbalance the game. The prices given for herbs are only guidelines and must be treated with common sense. In plague years, for example the cost of herbs that protect against plague will increase incredibly. And if the characters stumble into a herbalist while supporting a friend who is on the verge of death from snakebite, the herbalist may decide to charge well above the going rate. Some apothecarists are nothing but charlatans and will sell anything while saying it is a wondrous herb.
Hunting The hunting proficiency allows a character to find game and get reasonably close to it. The actual kill could be handled using rolls to hit and for damage but most of the times it should not be needed. Hunting is a proficiency that always requires a successful proficiency check when it is used. If the check is successful, the hunter will automatically during a hunting period get the amount rolled on the die. Generally the best hunting hours is between 5-9 daylight hours, though an abundance or scarcity of game can decrease or increase the time window at the DM’s option. Night hunting might be possible for characters with low light vision. The hunter also possesses a basic skill at removing skin from an animal, and butchering the carcass into usable meat. These tasks require no checks. Generally, hunters are glad to kill almost anything for food or, if they find a predator, to slay it to protect the nearby herds.
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Terrain Modifier Barren waste –5 Forest/wildlands +2 Hills –3 Marsh/swamp –6 Mountains –4 Open fields +4 Special: Characters who hunt with dogs gain at least a +2 modifier to all Hunting rolls depending on the dogs training. Characters hunting in their home county (or otherwise in the lands immediately surrounding the place where they grew up) gains a +2 bonus on all Hunting rolls.5
Rules for Gambling Typically, gamblers win or lose depending on a combination of their own skill and their opponents’ prowess. Gamblers who wager on fights and races are dependent on inside information, their judgment of the animals, jockeys, and trainers, and so forth. In any case, a dose of luck is often part of the mix. At the center of these rules is the gambling check: a roll of d20 + 1/2 character’s Wisdom/Int. Any character can attempt a gambling check—it requires no ranks in any particular skill. However, those with ranks in Gaming may add their ranks to the check result. Other modifiers may apply as discussed below. PCs add +2 to the roll from the luck trait Luck to gambling checks. To use the Gaming skill over days or weeks, see the skill description.
Subtetly Skills The vast majority of the subtlety/rogue skills are made as opposed rolls vs the victims corresponding skill or against a standard roll vs your skill rank in order to achieve an accomplishment. Regarding the two stealth skills, as specified below, failing a Move Silently or Hide in Shadows roll does not mean that they are noticed (unless the roll is particularly bad, as laid out in principle. Neither Move Silently nor Hide in Shadows may be used in combat. Characters other than thieves (or thieves that fail a stealth-related skill check) still have recourse to the standard chance of gaining surprise. This is 3 in 10 by default per encounter. It may be adjusted up or down based on the specific situation and character preparation. Picking locks and removing small mechanical traps require tools and the special training of the thief. Larger traps must be disabled or avoided by player ingenuity. Traps may be discovered by using the same procedure for secret doors: 1 in 6 chance per turn (2 in 6 for demihumans) given a 10' x 10' area, or by engagement with clues and explicit description. The following general principles apply to all percentile thief skills. 1. Failing with a roll of 20 means something goes wrong. The rogue falls, the trap goes off, the lockpick breaks. Depending on the circumstances, the consequences of something going wrong may be dire (though a further saving throw might apply). 2. Failing with a roll margin of 5 or more means the thief makes no progress, but does not suffer any other negative effects. Another attempt may be made. Most attempts take one turn, but see below. 3. Succeeding by more than half means the skill use is quick. For example, if a thief has a 8 chance of success and rolls a 4 or less, the task was accomplished with alacrity. The exact amount of time required is up to the referee, but it should take much less than a full turn.
Legerdemain or Pick Pocketing: Check the skill vs. the Passive Perception of all viewers (Wis/Intuition). The maneuver is convincing to any creature whose Perception was beat by the Thievery check. The maneuver is obvious or unconvincing to any creature whose Perception was not beat by the Thievery check. This maneuver besides allowing the rogue to lift something out of someone’s pockets, also makes possible the disappearance out of ones eyes of one thing.
Pick Lock: Check skill vs. the DC of the lock. The lock is opened on a success, though some locks may require multiple successes. Gain a +2 bonus if you have thieves’ tools. By making this roll the thief is able to unlock a locked door not magically held. The difficulty of the lock being picked is up to the DM.
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Very Poor Lock: +3 to open 1d3 rounds to pick Poor Lock: +2 to open or make: 1d4 rounds to pick Average Lock: +1: 1d6 rounds to pick; Good Lock: no modifier to open: 1d10 rounds to pick; Very Good Lock: -2 to open: 2d8 rounds to pick Excellent Lock: -4 to open: 1d3+1 turns to pick Masterful Lock: -6 to open: 1d6+2 turns to pick
Move Silently: Character is skilled at skulking about at a slower speed (3/4 of actual speed), making little or no noise. This obviously if successful gives him a good chance at surprise or to simply avoid an unwanted encounter. Check the skill vs the Passive Perception of the targets (Wis/Intuition). Any action taken while moving silently automatically gains surprise. The rogue can try to move faster by succeeding a skill roll. If the roll is made he increases the move speed by ¼ and all consecutive rolls do as such.
Hide in Shadows: Character is skilled at taking advantage of terrain and darkness such as to move about unseen. Hiding in shadows is often a slow process based upon cover, lighting, and the attentiveness of others present. Check the skill vs the Passive Perception of the targets (Wis/Intuition). Any action taken while hidden in shadows automatically gains surprise.
Escape Bonds: There comes a time in every thief's career when his luck runs out and he is apprehended. The ability to escape bonds such as ropes, leather thongs, manacles, chains, and even straight jackets is a feat of contortion and determination. The thief must roll to break every device binding him. If he is tied at the wrists and the ankles, then he must make two successful rolls to free himself. This skill takes five rounds to use. A thief might hurry his efforts, but he suffers a -1 penalty for each round he tries to save. Locked items also require the thief to successfully pick the locks. A failure on any attempt means that the thief cannot loose the bond or pick the lock. The difficulty is either set by the DM or set by the skill of rope use of the captor.
Find / Remove Traps: The disarming and making of traps is also amongst the thieves’ gamut.
Separate checks must be made to find and remove a located trap. Traps can range from blithely simple (a hastily covered shallow pit) to blindingly nefarious (like, a blade swinging vertically down from the ceiling that triggers a blade to sweep horizontally a moment later that, as it crashes to the wall on the other side, breaks a hollowed stone, releasing chlorine gas into the air). Such things are all in the average day of a good thief, and they’re prepared to both disarm them and make a few of their own. Finding and removing traps often requires Thief Picks, and the making of them almost always requires materials (sometimes a lot of them, as in the double blade and gas trap exemplified above). Much like picking or making locks, the thief makes a check that is modified by the complexity and skill with which the trap was made. A check to find a trap that fails triggers it. A check to disarm a trap that fails also triggers it. Risky business, all of it. Against magical traps (or traps that include magic as an integral aspect), the thief’s percentage to find and/or disarm the trap is half. Traps within traps also have to be taken into account, and disarming one trap might be the trigger that sets another one off (as most thieves who’ve found this out first-hand and survived readily recall), so, very risky business indeed, the finding and removing of traps. Very Poor Trap: max dmg: 1d3 or equal effect: 1d3 rounds to find/disarm: +3 to find/disarm. Poor Trap: max dmg: 1d4 or equal effect: 1d4 rounds to find/disarm: +3 to find/disarm. Average Trap: max dmg: 1d6 or equal effect: 1d6 rounds to find/disarm: +2 to find/disarm. Good Trap: max dmg: 1d10 or equal effect: 1d10 rounds to find/disarm: no modifier to find/disarm. Very Good Trap: max dmg: 2d8 or equal effect: 2d8 rounds to find/disarm: -2 to find/disarm. Excellent Trap: max dmg: 3d10 or equal effect: 3d10 rounds to find/disarm: -4 to find/disarm Masterful Trap: max dmg: 5d12 or equal effect: 5d12 rounds to find/disarm: -6 to find/disarm
Thieve's Cant : Thieves use slang terns when refering to their illegal operations. This lets them converse about such dealings in the open without others knowing what they are talking about. Thieves' cant or Rogues' cant is a secret language (a cant or cryptolect) which is formerly used by underworld rogues, beggars and hustlers of various kinds in the majority of Brechtur and to a lesser extent in other Anuirean/Brecht-speaking countries. Thieve’s cant is treated in all aspects as a Modern language itself and has a rank of its own. The high rank in this skill may be a factor to be admitted by a crime lord or survive in the lowly neighbors of the Imperial City.
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Circumstantial Modifiers Find / Remove Traps Complexity Varies from +3 to -7 Each extra 10 minutes +1
Move Silently
Complexity Varies from +3 to -7 Each extra 10 minutes +1 NPC’s/PC’s Rope use skill penatly
Noisy surface -3 NPC's/PC’s Wis/Intuition score No Armour (thief) +1 Leather (non-thieves) -1 Studded, Padded, Hide -2 Chain, Ring, Scale -4 Plate, Splint, Banded -5
Hide in Shadows
Pick Locks
Escape Bonds
NPC's/PC’s Wis/Intuition score Pitch black Automatic Darker than torchlight +2 Torchlight, 1st -2nd lvl Light effect Well-lit -2 Daylight, 3rd lvl and above Light effect spell -4 No Armour (thief) +1 Leather (non-thieves) -1 Chain, Ring, Scale -2 Plate, Splint, Banded -3
Complexity Varies from +3 to -5 Each extra 10 minutes +1
Pick Pockets/Legerdemain NPC's/PC’s Wis/Intuition score No Armour (thief) +1 Leather (non-thieves) -1 Studded, Padded, Hide -2 Chain, Ring, Scale -3 Plate, Splint, Banded -4
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Numerology Numerology is any study of the purported divine, mystical or other special relationship between a number and some coinciding observed (or perceived) events. A particular number is assigned to each alphabet in the natural way from 1 to 9. Apart from 1 to 9 digits, 11 and 22 are considered as master numbers. 11 and 22 represent the force of karma (past actions) which leads the person into success or failure in this life. Also, every number will have positive and negative qualities. The entire destiny of a person would be decided primarily by the numbers involved in his date of birth and name. The following are the important numbers in the life of a person. Destiny number or Expression number: Destiny number or expression number represents the environment and opportunities that the person will come across in this life. It is the goal to be reached. It is the sum of numerical values of all the letters in the full name of the person.
Number Positive qualities
Negative qualities
1
Initiative, leadership, individuality, courage, executive ability.
Selfishness, laziness, aggressiveness, egotism.
2
Co-operation, harmony, love, partnership, diplomacy.
Over sensitive, tactlessness, timidity, vacillation.
3
Artistic and Creativity, self-expression, imagination, sociability, cheerfulness.
Pessimism, loose talks, exaggeration.
4
Constructive, systematic, practicality, order, builder, industrious.
Lack of imagination, argumentative, extreme seriousness, illhealth.
5
Constructive freedom, sexuality, versatility, knowledge, entertainment and amusement.
Changeability, carelessness, restlessness, nervousness, jack of all trades.
6
Artists, responsibility, love of home and children, welfare of others, unselfish.
Sensitiveness, coldness, nervousness, skepticism, must learn to be alone, not lonely.
7
Spirituality, occult, analysis, scientific research, wisdom.
Selfishness, laziness, aggressiveness, egotism.
8
Executive ability, organization, authority, judgment, administration.
Impatience, love of recognition, lack of humanitarianism, too much materialism.
9
Moody and impulsive, must learn selfishness, Philanthropic nature, humanitarianism, carelessness in money matters, inclination for sympathy, selflessness, divine life, generous. high living.
11
Too much sensitiveness, nervous tension, Intuition, illumination, inspiration, spirituality, impracticality, must learn to mingle with prophetic ability. public.
22
Materialism, spiritual master, practical, luminary.
Conflict between inner feelings and practicality, attraction for black magic.
Talent number or Life path number: This number represents the inner talents and abilities of the person and the lessons to be learned. It is the sum of date, month and year numbers in one’s birth date. The Heart’s desire number or Soul urge number: This number represents the inner desire and motivation of the person. It is calculated by adding the numerical values of the vowels in a name. Personality number: This number represents how other people will think of a person. It indicates the outer appearance or what the person shows to the society. The personality number is calculated by adding the numerical values of the consonants of a name
2
The Ultimate number or maturity number: It indicates an underlying wish or desire that gradually surfaces around the middle age of a person. It represents a person’s awareness of his goals in life. The Ultimate number is calculated as the sum of Destiny number and Talent number reduced to a single digit or a master number. The Challenge number: It represents a weakness or problem that the person has to face in the life. While calculating Challenge numbers, the master numbers (11 and 22) should also be reduced to single digits. The Challenge number is calculated from the date of birth of the person, as shown below:
i) ii) iii) iv)
Find the difference between month digit and day digit. This is the first challenge number. The next step is to find the difference between day digit and year digit. This is the second challenge. Then find the difference between the first and second challenge numbers. This is the third challenge. The fourth challenge number can be found from the difference between month digit and year digit. This is her fourth challenge.
Destiny number, Talent number, Heart's desire number, Personality number, Ultimate number and Challenge number are called major numbers since the whole picture of one’s life will be decided by these numbers. Apart from these, there are other minor numbers which exert minor influences on a person’s life. Of course, a question arises here: “What happens if one changes one’s name?” Definitely, the change of one’s name will bring changes in most of these numbers. When these numbers are set harmoniously and without any karmic intervention, then one is bound to get success. Social Skills
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Chapter 2: Sanity This variant system allows you to introduce an element of dark horror into your game. In campaigns using these rules, characters gain a new attribute called Sanity. This statistic functions like an ability score in some ways, but it has its own unique mechanics that represent the character’s descent from a stable and healthy mental state into confusion, dementia, and mental instability. As a character encounters monsters, witnesses’ horrible acts, masters forbidden knowledge, or experiences near death moments, his Sanity score, and his corresponding ability to function as a normal member of his race, deteriorates. This gradual descent is balanced in part by the powers that characters gain each time they overcome a horrific foe or grow in skill and expertise, but even as those characters grow in power, they know or fear that an even greater peril lies ahead—the threat of becoming permanently insane. The sanity points equal the player’s total of Ιnt/Reason and Wis/Will scores. Sanity is degrading.
What Is Sanity? Sanity is the natural mental state of ordinary life. Normal mental balance is endangered when characters confront horrors, entities, or activities that are shocking, unnatural, and bewildering. Such encounters cause a character to lose points from his Sanity score, which in turn risks temporary, indefinite, or permanent insanity. Mental stability and lost Sanity points can be restored, up to a point, but psychological scars may remain. Insanity occurs if too many Sanity points are lost in short time. Insanity does not necessarily occur if Sanity points are low, but a lower Sanity score makes some forms of insanity more likely to occur after a character experiences an emotional shock. The character’s Sanity may be regained after a few minutes, recovered after a few months, or lost forever. A character may regain Sanity points, and even increase her Sanity point maximum. However, increasing a character’s skill in a forbidden lore ((Demonology, Planes Lore)) always lowers her maximum Sanity by an equal amount. A shocking sight of a more mundane nature can also cost Sanity points. Severe shocks include witnessing an untimely or violent death, experiencing personal mutilation, losing social position, being Table 2:1
the victim of treachery, or whatever else the Game Master decides is sufficiently extreme. The following table gives some examples of severe shocks, and the Sanity loss each one provokes.
Spells and Sanity
Sanity Lost Shocking Situation Loss on a successful check/loss on a failed check. 0/1d2 Surprised to find mangled animal carcass 0/1d3 Surprised to find human corpse 0/1d3 Surprised to find human body part 0/1d4 Finding a stream flowing with blood 1/1d4+1 Finding a mangled human corpse 0/1d6 Awakening trapped in a coffin 0/1d6 Witnessing a friend’s violent death 1/1d6 Seeing a ghoul 1/1d6+1 Meeting someone you know to be dead 0/1d10 Undergoing severe torture 1/d10 Seeing a corpse rise from its grave 2/2d10+1 Seeing a gigantic severed head fall from the sky 1d10/d% Seeing an evil deity
Magic relies on the physics of the true universe. By casting spells, characters visualize the unimaginable, warping their minds to follow alien ways of thought. These visualizations wound the mind. Although spell casters expose themselves to such traumas voluntarily, they are shocks all the same. In this variant, casting a spell drains a certain amount of Sanity. This rule represents the fact that spell casting forces the mind into strange patterns and thought processes with which it is poorly equipped to deal. In addition to the guidelines presented for each campaign option above, the GM is free to impose additional modifiers on the Sanity loss caused by spells of a certain type, a certain school, or even individual spells. Here are some example conditions that a GM could choose to incorporate into a game. Abjurations cost 3 less Sanity point to cast. Divination spells that directly commune with the planes cost 2 additional Sanity points to cast. Priests of Erik suffer only half the Sanity loss from spell casting (round fractions up). Healing spells drain no Sanity when cast. The invisibility spell, and any variation thereof, costs 1 additional Sanity Point to cast. Necromancy spells cost 2 additional Sanity points to cast. Spells that affect the sanity of other people cost 2 more insanity points to cast
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Table 2:2 Magic also can be the source of sanity loss if targeted to do so, there are several mind affecting spells that cause sanity loss when applicable to a player during his career. Fear results, Spell mind affecting spells that are used to horrify the victim, mind imposing magic also has a Sanity Loss Level huge mind trauma. Taking in account the casters level and the spell level he tries to attain, 1st 1/1d4 the caster can induce delirium to the mind of a man with successful application of certain magic. Magic has its costs but its benefits while the wizard is on the path of power, magic 2nd 2/2d4 users have a huge array of selections that can affect the mind of a man and twist the 3rd 3/3d4 images of the surroundings. Insanity inducing magic is not considered an act of goodness 4th 4/4d4 nor kindness. A save vs Will can reduce the sanity loss by ½. 5th 5/5d4 6th 6/6d4 Types Of Insanity 7th 7/7d4 Character insanity is induced by a swift succession of shocking experiences or ghastly 8th 8/8d4 revelations, events usually connected with dark gods, creatures from the Outer Planes, or powerful spell casting. Horrifying encounters can result in one of three states of mental 9th 9/9d4 unbalance: temporary, indefinite, and permanent insanity. The first two, temporary insanity and indefinite insanity, can be cured. The third type is permanent insanity. It results when a character’s Sanity points are reduced to -10 or lower. This condition cannot be cured.
Temporary Insanity Whenever a character loses Sanity points equal to one-quarter (1/4) her current Sanity score from a single episode of Sanity loss, she has experienced enough of a shock that the GM must ask for a Sanity check (Additional Save vs Will). If the check fails, the character realizes the full significance of what she saw or experienced and goes temporarily insane. If the check succeeds, the character does not go insane, but she may not clearly remember what she experienced (a trick the mind plays to protect itself). Temporary insanity might last for a few minutes or a few days. Perhaps the character acquires a phobia or fetish befitting the situation, faints, becomes hysterical, or suffers nervous twitches, but she can still respond rationally enough to run away or hide from a threat. A character suffering from temporary insanity remains in this state for either a number of rounds or a number of hours; roll d% and consult Table 2-3: Duration of Temporary Insanity to see whether the insanity is short-term or long-term. After determining the duration of the insanity, roll d% and consult either Table 2-4 or 2-5 to identify the specific effect of the insanity. The GM must describe the effect so that the player can roleplay it accordingly. Successful application of the Heal skill (see The Heal Skill and Mental Treatment, below) may alleviate or erase temporary insanity. Temporary insanity ends either when the duration rolled on Table 6-8 has elapsed, or earlier if the GM considers it appropriate to do so. After an episode of temporary insanity ends, traces or even profound evidence of the experience should remain. No reason exists why, for instance, a phobia should depart from someone’s mind as quickly as a warrior draws his sword. What remains behind after a brief episode of temporary insanity should exert a pervasive influence on the character. The character may still be a bit batty, but her conscious mind once again runs the show. As a variant rule, if the amount of Sanity lost exceeds the character’s current Wisdom score, consider the temporary insanity to always be of the long-term variety.
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Table 2-3: Duration of Temporary Insanity d% Temporary Insanity Type Duration 01-80 81-100
Short-term Long-term
1d10+4 rounds 1d10×10 hours
Table 2-4: Short-Term Temporary Insanity Effects d% 01-20 21-30 31-40 41-50 51-55 56-60 61-65 66-70 71-75 76-80 81-90 91-99 100
Character faints (can be awakened by vigorous action taking 1 round; thereafter, character is shaken until duration expires). Character has a screaming fit. Character flees in panic. Character shows physical hysterics or emotional outburst (laughing, crying, and so on). Character babbles in incoherent rapid speech or in logorrhea (a torrent of coherent speech). Character gripped by intense phobia, perhaps rooting her to the spot. Character becomes homicidal, dealing harm to nearest person as efficiently as possible. Character has hallucinations or delusions (details at the discretion of the GM). Character gripped with echopraxia or echolalia (saying or doing whatever those nearby say or do). Character gripped with strange or deviant eating desire (dirt, slime, cannibalism, and so on). Character falls into a stupor (assumes fetal position, oblivious to events around her). Character becomes catatonic (can stand but has no will or interest; may be led or forced to simple actions but takes no independent action). Roll on Table 6-10: Long-Term Temporary Insanity Effects.
Table 2-5: Long-Term Temporary Insanity Effects 01-10 Character performs compulsive rituals (washing hands constantly, praying, walking in a particular rhythm, never stepping on cracks, constantly checking to see if crossbow is loaded, and so on). 11-20 Character has hallucinations or delusions (details at the discretion of the GM). 21-30 Character becomes paranoid. 31-40 Character gripped with severe phobia (refuses to approach object of phobia except on successful DC 20 Will save). 41-45 Character has aberrant sexual desires (exhibitionism, nymphomania or satyriasis, teratophilia, necrophilia, and so on). 46-55 Character develops an attachment to a “lucky charm” (embraces object, type of object, or person as a safety blanket) and cannot function without it. 56-65 Character develops psychosomatic blindness, deafness, or the loss of the use of a limb or limbs. 66-75 Character has uncontrollable tics or tremors (-4 penalty on all attack rolls, checks, and saves, except those purely mental in nature). 76-85 Character has amnesia (memories of intimates usually lost first; Knowledge skills useless). 86-90 Character has bouts of reactive psychosis (incoherence, delusions, aberrant behavior, and/or hallucinations). 91-95 Character loses ability to communicate via speech or writing. 96-100 Character becomes catatonic (can stand but has no will or interest; may be led or forced into simple actions but takes no independent action).
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Indefinite Insanity
Table 2-6: Random Indefinite Insanity If a character loses 50% (half) or more of her current Sanity points in the space of 1 hour, she d% Mental Disorder Type goes indefinitely insane. The GM judges when the 01–15 Anxiety (includes severe phobias) impact of events calls for such a measure. Some GMs 16–20 Dissociative (amnesia, multiple personalities) never apply the concept to more than the result of a 21–25 Eating (anorexia, bulimia) single roll, since this state can remove characters 26–30 Impulse control (compulsions) from play for extended periods. An episode of indefinite insanity lasts for 1d6 game months (or as 31–35 Mood (manic/depressive) the GM dictates). Symptoms of indefinite insanity 36–45 Personality (various neuroses) may not be immediately apparent (which may give 46–50 Psychosexual (sadism, nymphomania) the GM additional time to decide what the effects of 51–55 Psychospecies such a bout of insanity might be). Table 2-6: Random Indefinite Insanity is provided as Schizophrenia/psychotic (delusions, 56–70 an aid to selecting what form a character’s indefinite hallucinations, paranoia, catatonia) insanity takes. (The mental disorders mentioned on 71–80 Sleep (night terrors, sleepwalking) this table are explained later in this section.) Many 81–85 Somatoform (psychosomatic conditions) GMs prefer to choose an appropriate way for the insanity to manifest, based on the circumstances that 86–95 Substance abuse (alcoholic, drug addict) 96–100 Other (megalomania, quixotism, panzaism) provoked it. It’s also a good idea to consult with the player of the afflicted character to see what sort of mental malady the player wishes to role-play. The state of indefinite insanity is encompassing and incapacitating. For instance, a schizophrenic may be able to walk the streets while babbling and gesticulating, find rudimentary shelter, and beg for enough food to survive, but most of the business of the mind has departed into itself: She cannot fully interact with friends, family, and acquaintances. Conversation, cooperation, and all sense of personal regard have vanished from her psyche. It is possible for characters with indefinite insanity to continue to be played as active characters, depending on the form their madness takes. The character may still attempt to stumble madly through the rest of an adventure. However, with her weakened grasp on reality, she is most likely a danger to herself and others. As a general rule, a character suffering from indefinite insanity should be removed from active play until she recovers. At the GM’s discretion, the player of the character might be allowed to use a temporary character until the end of the story. Whether this “stand-in” character is an incidental NPC in the adventure, a character of the same level as the rest of the group, one or two levels below the rest of the characters, or even a 1st-level character, is up to the GM. Different GMs have different ways of handling this transition. After recovery, a victim retains definite traces of madness. For example, even though a character knows he is no longer insane, she might be deathly afraid of going to sleep if her insanity manifested itself in the form of terrifying nightmares. The character is in control of her actions, but the experience of insanity has changed her, perhaps forever.
Treatment Of Insanity Temporary insanity ends so quickly that schedules of treatment are essentially pointless; it runs its course soon enough that one merely need protect a deranged character from further upset or harm. On the other hand, treatment of permanent insanity has no real meaning. By definition, a permanently insane character never recovers, no matter how good the therapist or the facility. Thus, indefinite insanity is the only form of mental illness that might be addressed by intervention and treatment. After 1d6 months, if undisturbed by further trauma and with the agreement of the Game Master, an indefinitely insane character finds enough mental balance to reenter the world. Three kinds of nonmagical care may help the character regain Sanity points during this recovery period. When choosing among them, the GM and player should consider the character’s resources, her friends and relatives, and how wisely she has behaved in the past.
Gaining Or Recovering Sanity The characters recover insanity at the rate of 1 point per full day of rest which helps them re-establish a control of their character and their psyche. Sanity is recovering slowly as the mind tries to heal itself from the wounds that the trauma has caused.
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Chapter 3: Reputation
Reputation takes five different forms; Glory for the Anuirean society, at which war and social status reflects a characters standing in it, Sayim for the Khinasi, which represents the honourable face a character can assume, Enech for the Rjuven, which stands for the adherence to the ancient traditions of the clans, Prestige for the Brecht, to which money and social control is the key to recognition and finally the Vos whose society is torn by two Deities and their decrees, Yassa dictates the way of life in the Northern Wastes. The corresponding reputation for each tribe adheres to these. Each society has its own set of values and each own rules. Reputation is measured in the scale of 10, with 0 being the lowest score (peasants, freemen, acolytes, etc) and 10 the highest (A Regent within his domain). In between ranks of reputation there is a scale of ten reputation points that a character can attain through deeds in order to earn a full rank. All characters begin play with a Reputation score that depicts their social class and derivation. At 5th level a character gains 1 Rank to the minimum of his reputation Reputation. At 10th level the character gains 2 ranks at his minimum Reputation points. The reputation system is kind of tricky and works both ways for character thus to reflect the living breathing world of Cerilia. Character reputation is something dynamic and that can ruin a characters chance to rise up in nobility or in various social groups or in the other hand to fall from grace and lose everything in the glimpse of an eye. Reputation degradation changes according to each racial group. Reputation is a factor that will surely play a major role in every campaign and will affect the way NPCs or PCs perceive the world around them. Thus reputation can be a way to open the way for a PC to the throne of a kingdom or be his downfall. Reputation comes into play in various forms, firstly the character is has a high reputation score normally receives special treatment from NPCs if they are below his rank or even at the same level. Reputation also can confer circumstantial bonuses at several skills due to a players standing. The way people see another reputation is mostly through his own deeds. Following are the master lists of reputation levels, gains and losses per different culture.
Anuireans: Glory Anuireans characters live to uphold their ideals by achieving Glory. Glorious deeds include using Skills successfully, defeating foes in personal combat or open battle, or even merely acting according to one’s ideals (Traits and Passions). Glory can also be gained by holding lands, offices, titles or through marriage. It is very important how those successes came to pass. Glory makes one stand out in a crowd, which is valuable to win friends, but can also make it difficult to hide from one’s enemies. Glory follows a name and a person that bears the name. Completing tasks in humility or tasks incognito will earn you glory nor recognition by your peers. The Anuireans, are a chivalric-minded society as described in the main Birthright Rulebook, thus the following general ideas represent ones way towards Glory.
Courage and valor in respect to the doctrines of Haelyn.
Defence of the weak, mercy on the defeated.
Respect for all peers and equals; courtesy to all lessers.
Combat is Glory; battle is the true test of self-worth.
Personal Glory above all else in battle.
Death before dishonour.
Starting Glory
A character’s social derivation and background determines his starting Glory score. Several disadvantages and traits can raise or lower a characters Glory score. All characters start with 1/2 of their family Glory.
Earning Glory Glory comes from action, not inaction. While a character can lose Glory by not acting, he cannot gain Glory by refusing to act. Actions that increase one’s Glory score vary. Some examples of actions and their impact on a character’s Glory score appear in Table: Earning and Losing Glory.
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Losing Glory Depending on the character’s actions he may can lose Glory following the examples in Table: Earning and Losing Glory. Table 3-1
Glory Ranks
Noble Rank
Clergy ranks
Trade ranks*
10 Regent (Within his domain) Arch Prelate 9 Generals/Admirals 8 High Military Commanders Prelate Grand Master 7 Greater Blooded Nobles Cardinal 6 Greater Un-blooded Nobles Bishop High Master 5 Lesser Blooded Nobles 4 Lesser Un blooded Nobles Priest Master 3 Marshalls, Landed Knights Paladin 2 Wardens, Small Town officials Journeyman 1 Local Hero, Mercenary Veteran Deacon 0 All common men Acolytes Apprentice * Max rank of Guildier Glory is measured by the total number of his guild holding levels. Table 3-2 : Earning Glory
Increase/Decrease Action in Glory Score Heroic death +10 Fulfilling a family debt +7 Avenging murder of family member +5 Completing a great deed +5 Leading a force to victory +5 Making a masterwork item +5 Saving the life of another at the +5 risk of the character’s life Completing a task +3 Defeating an enemy +2 Fulfilling an oath +2 Serving a powerful person +2 Acquiring property +1 Defeating a superior opponent +1 Giving a valuable gift to an NPC +1 Completing a minor task +1 Showing mercy to the fallen +1 Winning a contest +1
Table 3-3: Losing Glory Increase/Decrease in Honor Score Losing a contest -1 Losing to an inferior opponent -2 Rash or improper social behavior -2 Refusing a contest -2 Requesting a favor -2 Failing a task -3 Murder of a family member -3 Refusing your master -3 Accused of a crime -4 Breaking an oath -4 Ownership of a dishonorable -4 weapon or item Proven to have taken a bribe -5 Banished -5 Killing unarmed or helpless foes -5 Convicted of a crime -10 Taken prisoner -10 Treason -30 Action
Degrading Glory Every character that is not performing any Glory awarding action during his career will be losing one (1) Glory point per month of inactivity or negligibility of his duties. This will not cost the character his rank or title but it can mean that the perceived Glory of the character is degrading and as a result it will lessen his influence. It will be harder perform his duties and people will see him as falling. The rank of ten (10) is not subject to this rule. Regents are not expected to perform any tasks in order to sustain their Glory, although they can neglect their duties and still start to degrade their Glory.
Benefits of Glory It is important to remember that the benefits of Glory only apply when interacting with someone who shares the same or similar code. Benefits of glory come towards people who will respect your glory and are at least friendly towards you.
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Glory Rank 4-5
Glory Rank 8-9
A +1 Etiquette circumstance score modifier.
A +3 Etiquette circumstance score modifier.
A +2 circumstance bonus on others Heraldry checks.
A +5 circumstance bonus on others Heraldry checks.
5% Discount on prices due to fame.
15% Discount on prices due to fame.
+1 Leadership circumstance score modifier.
+3 Leadership circumstance score modifier.
Glory Rank 6-7
A +2 Etiquette circumstance score modifier.
A +4 circumstance bonus on others Heraldry checks.
10% Discount on prices due to fame.
+2 Leadership circumstance score modifier.
Glory Rank 10
A +4 Etiquette circumstance score modifier.
A +8 circumstance bonus on others Heraldry checks.
25% Discount on prices due to fame.
+5 Leadership circumstance score modifier.
Khinasi: Sayim (face) One of the guiding principles of the Khinasi is Sayim. This can translate as 'face' or 'honor' and reflects the social standing and godliness of the Khinasi. There is nothing more humiliating for a Khinasi than to admit Sei bhada hejj-sayim (I am without face) and such an admission is inevitably followed by a period of self-imposed exile. Those who pay lip service to Avanis creed of sayim tend to maintain the outward appearance of respectability but ignore its precepts whenever they would be discomforted by them. These Khinasi tend to consider appearance more important than motive or action, these Khinasi tend to seek to justify their actions where they would otherwise lose faith. To other Khinasi sayim is not an external code of the community, but represents their internal quest for honor. Those few Khinasi who stand before their peers to admit their loss of sayim are generally of the latter sort. Sayim does not represent authority or social power. Sayim stands for personal ethics and social view of the individual. Sayim is the corn and bread of the Khinasi society due to the fact that it dictates the actual honour of a person. Avani's creed for 'being someone who lives a good life' is interpreted in various ways by different Khinasi but generally includes:
Be charitable to those less fortunate Be generous and kind Be honest Be polite Grant hospitality to others Keep your promises - no matter how lightly given Never harm one with whom you have shared salt Respect those who are learned Respect Avani and her servants celestial and wordly Seek to better yourself in all things Show anger only in the face of evil and to seek its defeat
In the plains states the Khinasi emphasize piety and devoutness; islanders are more likely to take a relaxed view to sayim readily forgiving lapses caused by passion or indolence. The Khinasi of the Zhainge Valley and the Drocandragh look more to the face/honor interpretation.
Starting Sayim A character’s social derivation and background determines his starting Sayim score. Several disadvantages can lower a characters Sayim score. All Khinasi start with a Sayim score of 10, the hard thing in their society is to maintain it at that rank.
maintaining Sayim Sayim comes from adherance to the code of society. A character can lose Sayim by not adhering to this laws. Khinasi strive to maintain their sayim daily within their society. Failing to adhere to the laws will result in the lose of face thus the repercussion of society will come tenfold. In order to reclaim sayim, one must outdo himself in order to repent for his sin. Some examples and their impact on a character’s Sayim score appear in Tables Earning and Losing Sayim.
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Losing Sayim Depending on the character’s actions he may lose Sayim following the examples in Tables Earning and Losing Sayim. Table 3-4
Sayim Ranks
Min Sayim ranks
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0
Everyone Brash Unhospitable Market Thief Selfish Liar Disrespectful Worldly Criminal Sacrilegious Exiled Table 3-6: Losing Sayim
Table 3-5 : Earning Sayim
Action Defeat Evil in the name of Avani Show respect to what you don't understand Prove your knowledge Fulfilling an oath Be respectful to an enemy Showing mercy to a person who has wronged you Keeping a promise Hospitable Politeness Be generous and kind Be charitable
Action Display cruelty to the less fortunate Rash or improper social behavior Proven to lie to an individual Refuse to be hospitable Failing to keep a promise Harm another Proven Publicly to lie Be disrespectful to an elder Fail to perform your religious tasks Ownership of a dishonorable weapon or item Proven to have taken a bribe Disrespect a learned person Breaking an oath Killing unarmed or helpless foe Convicted of a crime Sacrilegious act Proven to harbor another's crime
+5 +5 +5 +3 +2 +2 +2 +1 +1 +1 +1
Sayim and exile
-1 -2 -2 -2 -3 -3 -3 -4 -4 -4 -5 -5 -5 -10 -15 -20 -30
The Khinasi are prone to "self-imposed" exile for great loss of sayim (face). The Khinasi who feels that they are unfit to dwell in society leaves their former home and identity and travels until they find some way of redeeming themselves, many never succeed and die unknown. Although technically social mores dictate that someone who has declared that they are without sayim should be shunned, the fact that the person possessed the wisdom to understand their crime and honor to go into exile wins the Khinasi a good deal of respect. Anyone who aids a Khinasi that has exiled themselves is believed to win the favor of Avani and, if successful, gains great sayim themselves. A sayim rank of 0 shows a personal struggle to redeem yourself for the wrong of your past. Sayim rank 0 is self imposed and cannot be attained through the normal losses. The actual minimum rank for Sayim is one (1).
Sayim It is important to remember that the benefits of Sayim only apply when interacting with someone who shares the same or similar code. Sayim Rank 9-8
The people around the character strive to avoid him while he is around, he will face some social isolation but he will not be denied hospitality nor food or water.
Sayim Rank 7-5
People are starting to feel uncomfortable around this character, they will overprize goods in order to avoid him but still won't let him die from thirst or hunger if it will hurt their sayim. 5% overprize on all goods.
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Sayim Rank 4-3
The Character on this rank of sayim will be denied all goods from the society besides enough food and water to stay alive. Religious sites will be "barred" for such an individual and people around them will be trying to ignore them. All the prizes of goods will be prized on a excess of 10% and the person will be denied entrance to a ship.
Sayim Rank 2
Criminals of this society are viewed and perceived as a stain for it. Most lords or judges will strive to get rid of the society from people of his low sayim, if members of an ajazada or tamunzada can cause the whole house demise due to such an individual. People will not socialize with such and individual and by doing so anyone seen takes a sayim penalty. All prizes will be overcharged at a prize of 20% for such a man should anyone trade with him and this man will be denied food and water unless paid for.
Sayim Rank 1
The character at this rank of sayim is at the lowest caste of his society. He will be probably hiding from it and he will be hunted. Gods would have forsaken him and so do have people. No man will interact with such a person and surely no trader would want to be seen. This man is on the verge of becoming banned from his society and driven to die in the desert or the ocean.
Vos: Yassa (decree, order) The main purpose of Yassa is to create a society that will produce people who have the necessary traits to serve the gods. The word Yassa translates into "order" or "decree", of the Gods. Most of the decrees of Yassa are based upon the dogma of two deities that rule supreme the people of the heartless waste. Yassa was scribed upon rocky tablets during the ascendance of Belinik and Kriesha to deific status. Those decrees were mandated upon the Vos as a reminder of the gratitude they owe to the dark gods for their racial survivability. All forms of Vos succession and promotion are based on the principal of overcoming the superior. Sometimes this will be a life and death struggle; sometimes the superior will squash any moves against him so thoroughly that the lesser man will seek other spheres for advancement; sometimes the elder realizes he is outclassed, and steps aside. Women have no influence in Vos society. In the Vos psyche, they are weaker than men, and are thus denied any form of power. This works to their favor, for by being excluded from the males’ violent struggles for superiority they enjoy a life-expectancy double that of the average man. Some women have become skilled in methods of manipulating their husbands without their knowledge, and thus are able to raise their own station. If such a man perishes in these maneuvers, she can simply acquire another. Most women of Vos origin must shave their heads to show their lesser stature. Even the virtues and graces of femininity are despised by the males as weaknesses. There is one exception to thisl rule, the priestesses of Karesha, although women they are chosen amongst their numbers with the main criteria being, manipulative, scheming and skilled in methods unheard of by men. Priestesses of Karesha are more than able to command the laws of Yassa in the Vos society.
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yassa Ranks 5
4
3
2
1
0 -1 -2 -3 -4 -5
Description Only the truly cold-hearted reach this rank of Yassa as this is the point where the person lives and acts only in the name of the Gods. He knows no sympathy or compassion, he only does as the gods (not the church) dictate. This person acts on the laws of yassa given to the Vos by Belinik. Causing terror to the inferior and bringing strife and destruction to those who oppose the laws of the Gods. Priests of Belinik and Karesha are at this rank. At this rank the person will display more and more the might of his race and the willingness to enforce the laws of Yassa to others. This is the rank for most accomplished Vos warriors. Acts of strength and the show of force is in this persons' way of thinking. People who take their first sure steps in Vos society fall into this category. The person at this rank will be trying to prove his strength and free will. He will try not to be victim of intimidation and will pose against any sort of personal aggression towards him. The average man of the Vos society. Not a strong believer or practitioner of the Vos way of life nor a reject. The person who cannot provide for himself or his family stains his Yassa and burdens his family. Weakness, frailty and compassion are traits that the Vos abhor. People displaying those traits are surely at the bottom of the Vos society. The individual that selects to turn against the Vos society by deeds and words. The person has probably selected an "alien" way of life. At this rank of Yassa the individual has stopped showing any sort of faith in the true religions of the Vos. The person who has reached this low in the Yassa, has probably turned his back on the code. This surely will not be taken lightly by the Vos deities.
Starting yassa A character’s social derivation and background have no role in his starting Yassa score. All newly created characters begin the game with a Yassa score of zero. Their way of life will determine if their Yassa will rise towards Belinik or fall downwards.
mamaximum/minimum yassa All Vos characters can move in between the ranks of +/- 3 in their Yassa score depending on their way of life. An exception to this can be counted amongst the Vos who have a spiritual bond to the lord of Terror Belnik, or the ice lady Karesha. Since Yassa derives from the doctrines of these two faiths the two deities will watch closely anyone who is able to show respect in their word. Priests of either religion can reach the higher ranks of yassa where they come closer to the spiritual and physical embodiment to their god. Truly earning their favor or wrath. Only characters who are able to call upon spiritual powers are able to raise their Yassa above +3 or lower it below -3.
Gaining/Losing yassa Depending on the character’s actions he may lose Yassa following the examples in Tables Earning and Losing Sayim.
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