The World Between – A Gothic Fantasy – by Jack W. Shear
The game will take place in a setting known as The World World Between. The World World Between is the mortal realm, eternally trapped between the unknowable sublime divinity of the World World Above and the infernal machinations of the World Below. The setting is largely based off the conventions of Gothic literature and realworld geography, geography, but it will all be given a twist toward the fantastic and grotesue. !nresolved anachronisms abound, abound, "ust as it does in Gothic fiction# some areas resemble an eighteenth-century eighteenth-century burlesue on the $iddle Ages, some are more akin to the %ictorian %ictorian fin de si&cle, while others are 'rientalist or purely wondrous. We(re going to follow authors such as )orace Walpole, *dgar Allan +oe, and $atthew ewis into an imagined Gothic past of medieval irrationality, irrationa lity, unreason, and superstition. superstit ion. ou can epect your character to encounter madness, ghosts, violence, terror and horror, long-buried secrets that can no longer be repressed, decrepit manor houses and castles, etc. /uitable characters for this campaign include swaggering duelists and berserk warriors, monster hunters and uesting knights, highwaymen and murderous street thieves, militant inuisitors and mysterious pagans, or occultists occultists and mesmerists in search of of arcane knowledge. $ost fantasy gaming concepts concepts can fit into this world with a slight figuring toward the strange and unusual.
Inspirations )orace Walpole, The Walpole, The Castle of Otranto; 0harles Brockden Brown, Wieland; Brown, Wieland; *dgar Allan +oe, 1The 0ask of Amontillado2; Amontillado2; Arthur $achen, The Great God Pan; %ernon Pan; %ernon ee, 13ionea2# 'scar Wilde, The Picture of Dorian Gray; 4udyard 5ipling, “The 5ipling, “The Mark of the Beast”; Alan $oore, The League of !traordinary !traordinary Gentle"en Gentle"en and #ro" and #ro" $ell; $ell; 5im 5im 6ewman, %nno 6ewman, %nno Dracula. Dracula. Wolf; Black Death; The Wicker Film & Television: &lee'y $ollo(; Black &unday; Brotherhood of the Wolf; Man; )osferatu 7both )osferatu 7both versions8; versions8 ; &(eeney Todd; The Wo"an Wo"an in Black; The Prestige; Dead(ood; Carni*ale; Dark &hado(s; +a"'ire $unter D, -i''er &treet. /eeds# -a*enloft; /iousie 9 the Banshees# Bauhaus# $urder by 3eath# Misc.: 6ick 0ave 9 the Bad /eeds# -a*enloft; Thinguma:"ig/aw# Warha""er #-P; The #-P; The +arlor Trick# )arry 0larke# $arissa 6adler# Witch $unter; 3evil 3oll# Aubrey Beardsley# -i''ers; /opor -i''ers; /opor Aeternus 9 the *nsemble of /hadows# Castle*ania. Castle*ania. Fiction:
Character Generation & House Rules Bac"#round: +ick your land of origin from the list in the section that follows. 6et, roll 7or pick8 a background on the 0haracter Background Table that details what your character did before becoming an adventurer. This has no mechanical benefit, but can influence the kinds of 1common knowledge2 your character possesses.
Weapons and Ar$or: Any class can use any weapon and wear any armor. )owever, some class abilities 7such as magic-user spell-casting and thief abilities8 are penali?ed or prohibited in certain types of armor. A magic-user or illusionist needs one hand free to cast spells. )and aes cost @ gp, clubs cost > gp, > light uarrels cost > gp, war hammers can be used one-handed, morningstars do >d damage.
'ur rules for the campaign come from the La/yrinth Lord and %d*anced dition Co"'anion books, with a few modifications as outlined below.
Races: )uman only. The usual fantasy races are
Attac" & %a$a#e odi'iers: A roll of C is
strange, alien, and often monstrous.
always a hit# a roll of > is always a miss.
Ability cores: 4oll ;d<=drop lowest si times, arrange to taste for ability scores.
Classes: /ee the 0haracter 0lass )ouse 4ules section for the available classes and their associated house rules.
/trength modifiers affect to-hit and damage rolls with melee weapons. 3eterity modifiers affect tohit and damage rolls with ranged weapons. Thrown weapons can apply /trength modifiers instead of 3eterity modifiers. ight, one-handed melee weapons that do >d< damage or less can apply 3eterity modifiers instead of /trength modifiers.
Hit !oints: All characters get maimum )it +oints (an#ua#es: Dnstead of a list of languages your st at > level, but roll for them at every level thereafter.
character knows at the start of play, they have a chance to recogni?e any language they encounter eual to >E their Dntelligence modifier. Df you roll that number or less on a d<, your character understands that language.
Firear$s Table Weapon
Damage
Reload
Range
Weight
Cost
+istol
>d
> round
>F=@=;F
@ lb.
@F gp
$usket
>d>C
> round
H=>@=@I
>; lb.
F gp
Aruebus
>d
> round
;==C;
>> lb.
@ gp
Blunderbuss
>d>
> round
C=;=<
; lb.
@F gp
> lb.
> gp
/hot 9 +owder 7> shots8 † – must be used two-handed
Character Class House Rules Cleric Changes >d )it +oints per level. A cleric can only use Turn !ndead three times per day, but it now affects all 1unholy2 creatures. 0lerics gain bonus spells for high Wisdom as per the %C .
%ruid Changes >d )it +oints per level. 3ruids gain bonus spells for high Wisdom as per the %C.
Fi#hter
and remove traps as a thief of two levels lower than their current level as a ranger# however, these abilities can only be used in wilderness environments such as forests, mountains, deserts, etc. Jeel free to substitute the paladin(s healing powers for the ranger(s spell progression, if you want.
a#ic)user Changes >d< )it +oints per level. $agic-users gain bonus spells for high Dntelligence# use the cleric(s bonus spell chart but substitute Dntelligence to determine the number of bonus spells. $agicusers fight as per the cleric(s attack chart.
Changes >d> )it +oints per level. Jighters have these class abilities not covered in the rule booksK !t "st le#el A fighter gets a E> to all attack rolls and EC to damage with all weapons. Jighters get two melee attacks on all odd rounds of combat 7first round, third round, etc.8. $pon reaching %th le#el A fighter can attack twice per round in melee. $pon reaching "&th le#el a fighter gets three melee attacks on odd rounds and two melee attacks on even rounds.
Changes >d< )it +oints per level. Dllusionists gain bonus spells for high 0harisma# use the cleric(s bonus spell chart but substitute 0harisma to determine the number of bonus spells. Dllusionists fight as per the cleric(s attack chart.
!aladin
Thie'
Changes >d> )it +oints per level. Dn this campaign the paladin(s moral code will be a bit more fleible than usual# after all, evil must be rooted out at all costsL /ee the cleric entry for changes to the Turn !ndead ability.
Ran#er Changes >d )it +oints per level, starts with Cd )it points at > st level. Dnstead of gaining a bonus against goblinoids, a ranger gets to choose an enemy type that they receive their combat bonuses against from the following groupsM undead, dragons, were-creatures, demons 7includes devils8, automatons 7golems and constructs8, outsiders 70thulhoid entities8, creatures of chaos 7owlbears, manticores, harpies, etc.8 or fey 7goblins, elves, hags, and the like8. $pon reaching &rd le#el A ranger can move silently, hide in shadows, and find
Illusionist
Changes >d )it +oints per level. !se the )ear 6oise column on the thief ability chart to determine the base chance of success for all thief abilities rather than their usual percentage chance. Dn addition to the usual thief abilities, thieves may roll to notice structural and architectural details, repair and sabotage devices, and find camouflage in the wild.
Assassin Changes >d )it +oints per level. /ee changes to thief abilities in the thief house rules above. 7Assassins still have these abilities as a thief of two levels lower.8
*ota bene: Dgnore all ability score reuires for character classes. All classes use the fighter(s saving throw chart.
(ands o' the World Between Cali#ari - 3ecadent empire riddled with crime, drugs, and cabaret halls. 4uled by *mpress 0hristiana the /carlet. 0apital cityM 0aligari 0ity. 7Gothic Jantasy Weimar Germany8 Frostrea+e - Grim fro?en northern land with berserk warriors and snow witches. 4uled by 5atrina 4imeheart 7The $asked Nueen of Dron and Dce8. 0apital cityM $uskav. 7Gothic Jantasy medieval /candinavia and 4ussia.8 The Ghael Isles - An island chain that is home to cannibals, voodoo, and swamp witches. 4uled by plantation masters. 0apital cityM Jontinelle. 7Gothic Jantasy )aiti and 6ew 'rleans.8 Harrow'aust - %ampire families battling penanggalan families amidst a Gothic backdrop of superstitious peasants and occult mysticism. ruled by $aimilian von 5arlok 7an ancient vampire lord8. 0apital cityM %allach. 7Gothic Jantasy medieval Transylvania.8 The Iron !rincipalities - +etty kingdoms constantly at war, with scheming political dynasties and mercenary kings. 7Gothic Jantasy 4enaissance Dtaly.8 The Island o' ,ade ysteries - Dsolated realm of holy shrines, warrior clan warfare, ceaseless bureaucracy, and an immortal ueen. 4uled by the *ternal +rincess, $aida D. 0apital 0ityM Taishina. 7Gothic Jantasy medieval Oapan.8 The Islands o' -nparalleled (iberty - awless pirate islands where rum is cheap and life is even cheaper. 4uled by the +irate 0ountess Dsolda Tarmapp. 0apital cityM /hanta. 7Gothic Jantasy Pirates of the Cari//ean.8 idian - A degenerate family feuding for control of a fractured kingdom amidst a backdrop of traveling carnivals, fanatical inuisitors, and duelists looking to prove their skill. 4uled in the east by +rince $edrose DD and ruled in the west by +rincess Avengelina. 0apital citiesM 0aballeros 7in the east8 and +icaros 7in the west8. 7Gothic Jantasy medieval /pain.8 ord)ta+ian - 3eath-obsessed desert kingdom ruled by clockwork despots serving an undead sorcerer-king. 4uled by a lich-king called The 6ecropolitan. 0apital cityM 3ecarus. 7Gothic Jantasy ancient *gypt.8 Rel$eenos - Warrior cults contest with each other in a land of city-states where proving individual merit is a spiritual path unto itself. 7Gothic Jantasy classical Greece with bits of Dmperial 4ome.8 The Ruinous car - A destroyed kingdom home to vast wastelands and labyrinthine ruins.
carabae - A cultured kingdom of knightly virtue haunted by the spirits of a past age. 4uled by i?a %D 7The /un Nueen8. 0apital cityM Averonga. 7Gothic Jantasy Jrance that mies Arthurian legend with the 4eign of Terror.8 The ca+en#er (ands - 6omadic barbarian tribes struggling to survive in post-apocalyptic badlands. 4uled by tribal warlords. 7Gothic Jantasy 'rientalism.8 The hae Isles - Jey-touched realm of storytellers and pagan cults that follows the logic of warped fairy tales. 4uled by clan chieftains. 7Gothic Jantasy ancient Dreland and /cotland.8 -l+erland - A dreary land of rain, despair, and stoic warriors# morbidity, tradition, and reliance on magic as the ideals of a moribund culture. 4uled by Barthon D 7The Glorious 5ing8 and his 0ouncil of )igh Wi?ardry. 0apital cityM owedon. 7Gothic Jantasy medieval *ngland.8
Reli#ion in the World Between The dominant religion in the World Between is the 0hurch of the ady of the White Way. Dn ages long past, the 0hurch managed to convert many people of the World and largely eradicate the 1pagan2 religions that eisted before its spread. )owever, despite its dominance, heretical sects and cults devoted to pagan deities and the adyPs demonic foes 7the 0hurch sees little distinction between them8 still persist and are occasionally the targets of the 0hurchPs crusades and inuisitions. The ady of the White Way revered by the 0hurch is a fierce, but nurturing, warrior-mother goddess, something akin to a cross between $other $ary and Ooan dPArc. The 0hurch also accords near demigod status to a number of saintsKparticularly those who were martyred. The structure of the 0hurch is much like that of the 0atholic 0hurch of our own medieval past, save for the fact that it preaches the gospel of a feminine divinity rather than a male god. 3ue to the 0hurch of the adyPs matriarchal traditions, women are able to attain rank and power within its hierarchy. The 0hurch of the ady has two separate and independent orthodoiesM the Western Tradition and the *astern Tradition. The Western Tradition holds sway over 0aligari, $idian, the Dron +r incipalities, /carabae, the /hae Dsles, and !lverland# its spiritual head is +ope /iteus D%, who oversees the 0hurch of the Western Tradition from the Grand 0athedral in /carabae. The *astern Tradition predominates in )arrowfaust, 4elmeenos and Jrostreave# its spiritual leader is +ope oren?a DD, who oversees the 0hurch of the *astern Tradition from her palace in $uskav. The differences between the Western and *astern Traditions are mostly matters of accepted ritual, liturgy, and governance. There are persistent problems plaguing the Western 0hurch. /carabae is home to a heretical sect that gives eual reverence to a male counterpart to the ady# this deity is referred to as 1the ord of Dllumination2 and the sect is known as the 0ult of the Dlluminated. Dn !lverland there is a growing movement toward establishing an !lverlandian Tradition independent from the oversight of /carabaePs pope. The 0hurch in the /hae Dsles still wages spiritual war against pagan beliefs for the hearts and minds of the people. The *astern Tradition has its problems as well# in )arrowfaust there are few clerics invested with divine powerKit is believed that the proimity of so many unholy undead creatures may vie with the adyPs dominion. Also, approimately half the barbaric tribes in the wild-lands of Jrostreave have been converted to worship of the ady# the remainder still worship their pagan gods of war, winter, and death. The 0hurch in 4elmeenos is particularly decadent. The Ghael Dsles has a uniue religion that conflates the Western Tradition with the worship of spirits native to the Dsles. This religion is viewed as suspect by most within the 0hurch of the ady, but has not yet been formally declared heretical. Although missionaries from the Western Tradition have managed to gain a foothold in the Dsland of Oade $ysteries, due to its isolation the primary forms of spirituality there are ancestor worship and the appeasement of various nature spirits. /imilarly, though some tribes within the /cavenger ands have been converted to the *astern Tradition, most tribes still practice shamanism and the worship of primal World /pirits. The *astern Tradition is a small, and brutally oppressed, minority within $ord-/tavian. The main religion in that accursed desert land is the worship of a thousand death-gods# these gods are regarded as demons by the 0hurch of the ady. The deities worshiped in $ord-/tavian include beings such as The Jlayed $aiden 7goddess of muscle, bone, and gristle8, the 3ismembered 'ne 7god of crippling in"ury and disease8, and the 0arrion $aruis 7god of war and rot8.
Character Bac"#round Table > Q Actor C Q Alchemist @ Q Alienist ; Q Animal Trainer F Q Artisan < Q Artist H Q Astrologer Q Author I Q Bandit > Q Beggar >> Q Bodyguard >C Q Bounty )unter >@ Q Bravo >; Q Burglar >F Q 0abaret +erformer >< Q 0avalier >H Q 0harlatan > Q Bureaucrat >I Q 0ircus +erformer C Q 0oachman or 0oachwoman C> Q 0onsulting 3etective CC Q 0ourtier C@ Q 3andy C; Q Woodsman or
Woodswoman CF Q 3uelist C< Q Inventor CH Q *plorer C Q Jarmer CI Q Jence @ Q Jerryman or Jerrywoman @> Q Jisherman @C Q Jorger @@ Q Jortune Teller @; Q Monk or Nun @F Q Jrontiersman or Jrontierswoman
@< Q Gambler @H Q Game Warden @ Q Grave 3igger @I Q )erbalist ; Q )ermit ;> Q )ighwayman or )ighwaywoman ;C Q Tainted (roll d6) > Q /ea-blooded C Q 3emon-blooded @ Q Witch-warped ; Q Jey 0hangeling F Q 3hampir < Q %at /pawn ;@ Q )unter ;; Q Exorcist ;F Q Engineer ;< Q 5night ;H Q aborer ; Q awyer ;I Q $erchant F Q $esmerist F> Q $iner FC Q $oney ender F@ Q $usician F; Q $ystic FF Q 6oble F< Q Foundling FH Q 'utrider F Q +eddler FI Q +ickpocket < Q +irate <> Q +it Jighter
Q 4at 0atcher HC Q 4esurrectionist H@ Q 4evolutionary H; Q /ailor HF Q /cholar H< Q /cout HH Q /cribe H Q /ellsword HI Q /ervant Q /ewer Oack > Q Flagellant C Q /muggler @ Q /oldier ; Q /piritualist F Q /py < Q /uire H Q Cirurgeon Q /tage $agician I Q Thug I Q Tomb 4aider I> Q Trapper IC Q Tutor I@ Q %agabond I; Q %ampire )unter IF Q !cavenger I< Q Watchman or Watchwoman IH Q Wiccaman or Wiccawoman I Q Witch )unter II Q Wi?ard(s Apprentice > Q Wolf(s )ead
!ll art throughout by 'ee (rown Coye. )he World (etween *ap is by +risty and !ndrew Shields.
