BET BETA 6.0
LEAD DESIGNER: Scott Dugdale-Wright. HEAD DEVELOPER: Izak ait. CO-DEVELOPER: Scott Andrews. CONSULAN: Christopher Brady
Find more creations rom Stormorge Productions at http://www.stormorgeproductions.com/
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LEAD DESIGNER: Scott Dugdale-Wright. HEAD DEVELOPER: Izak ait. CO-DEVELOPER: Scott Andrews. CONSULAN: Christopher Brady
Find more creations rom Stormorge Productions at http://www.stormorgeproductions.com/
©����-���� ©���� -���� S��������� S�������� � P����������. P��������� �. A�� R����� R�������. U����� ������ ������ ���������, ��� ������� �� ���� ���� ��� � �� ����� �� S��������� P����������. P�������� ��. D� ��� ��������� ������ ���� �� ��� �������� �� ������� ����������.
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CHANGE LOG VERSION 1.0 •
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Basic Sigil Rules with Surival and modified Character Generator.
VERSION 1.1 • • •
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Spelling and grammar corrections. corrections. Removed mentions o muskets and the Adventure Generator. Added Starting Scenarios on page 73.
VERSION 3.3 •
VERSION 2.0 • •
Added Food Spoilage mechanics to Survival Section. Added Noise and Treat mechanics.
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•
• • • •
•
Started adding in Archetype logos to Character Generation Added “Inormation tech.” tech.” and “echnology/ computing” to Career options in Character Generator. Added sample inected characters templates to the end o the Inection section. Added Scavenging section afer Survival Section. Added Scavening subsection to GM Section. Added in urn imes to Combat Resolution Section.
• •
• • • • • •
Added page numbers to Change Log Spelling and grammar corrections. corrections. Clarifications: Critical successes and ailures. pg 12 Flanking bonuses. pg 13 Sigil Treshold. Treshold. pg 15 Aiming and Hit Locations. pg 19 Mental Wound penalties. penalti es. pg 26 Starting levels o Skill Specialisations. Specialisations. pg 29 Sof armour and clothing. pg 34 Rolling or job events. pg 44 Recovering Recovering penalties rom eating. pg 79 Aiding unconscious PCs. pg 81
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Completed Apoc Era character creation Streamlined D-Day careers Redesigned beta look and layout. Removed Lore, Insight, Insight, Craf and Contacts Skills Added Logic, Intuition, Fine-Craf and BroadCraf Skills. Removed Social Socia l Combat/Wounds Combat/Wounds section.
VERSION 5.0 • • • • • • •
Added in the Initiative System Changed the range bands or ranged weaponry Changed healing times and associated penalties or Physical Wounds and Mental Wounds Added Exposure rules Expanded EXP Advancement Advancement rules Added in melee weapon classes. Added in beta eedback questionnaire. questionnaire.
VERSION 6.0 •
VERSION 3.2 • •
Added in Apocalypse ransition character generation option. Added random names table. Fixed bookmarks.
VERSION 4.1
VERSION 3.1 • • • • • • • • • • • •
Fixed character generation issues where changes above lef options with multiple instances o the same skill, or too many instances o a skill across the character generation. Reshuffled Skill Levels or Archetypes at back o character generation to reflect Might Skill.
VERSION 4.0
VERSION 3.0 •
change to a more “dexterity” type Skill. pg 29 Changed all instances instances o Perorm in the Character Generator to Might, shuffled other Skills around to compensate or this, and adjusted lore descriptions as appropriate. Changed character sheet to add Might
Changed the Perorm Skill to the Might Skill Changed Combat Actions Descriptions to include Might Skill. pg 18 Changed Athletics Skill Description to reflect its
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Added in character creation section or Era 3: New Genesis
CHANGE LOG
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THANK YOU Christopher Brady James DanPew Eitje Mark Doering Scott Broadbent Jeff Glandon Danald A.urner See’s Beore L Werremeyer Kyrak Drakhar Web Crittenden Michael Jaegers Sergei Orehhov Erik Quist Jacob Vance James Porter James Nic Golding Salvatore Puma Carl Friddle Calum Ben Fischer Davis Csobay Louise Hale John Pat Lockwood Shawn Murphy Nick David Kalnins Lucas Carraway Hauk Marki Hansen Eric Phaneu Damoclese Galeg Helross Rebecca Paisley Robert Bund Christian Angelina Mosley Maverick Emmons Daniel Kane Brody Ratcliffe Demitrice Beau Saunders Ciaran Hammond Connor Carl Walter Cristopher Bruce Rebecca Tomson Huffatron
Kristoer Cook Ginette Clark Otis Fawn Colombatto Oliver Bock Matthew Swallow Shining Arrow Doug Moyer Hunter Campbell Andrew aylor Printable Scenery Chris Volcheck Chris Hitchcock Chad Lynds William Jacob Jones Luis Hubbuck CJ Williams Alex Aire & Andy Aire Andreas Ryan Lawrence Peter Jønsson Jordan Allan Prewett Robin A. Nissen Andrew Walker Carzak Te Freelancing Roleplayer Sebastien Babineau Andrew David Beasley Scott Spear Jessica Alredo Lp Martin Hoag Richard Glenney Xiang Ron Simon Haywood flagg Luis Dantas Lars Neumann Jason Torne Ryan Dallas aylor Brian Hrischuk Derek & Kaitie Hayes Sam Hing Alex Moore revor Fetherstonhaugh
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Emily Gianluca Galtelli Ben Joseph Stanord-urner Lee Castor Alan Boscato Robbert Moore Artaey Jjjnarutojjj Alexandre Skromov Andrew Agnew Christopher Jeremy roxel John yler Potter Paul Miguel Valarie Botchlet Brent Burkett Amelia Petherbridge Sarah Denton Angus Abranson / Chronicle City Matt Snyder Esterwogen Danny Dryden Sven Niklas Schäer-Näthke Amethys ‘Nique Alyssa Vetter Nuri Lukuz13 Anna Grub Anthony Pendleton Elin Hedin Lennart Kueck Doug Grimes urindo Ryan Byczek Adam Bushell Urist McBacker yler Jpyron Anthony Zachery Michael Kimber Bryan BaconRider Mark H. Walker
FOREWORD WELCOME TO THE Z-LAND BETA 2.0! 2.0 has finally released! It’s the first major release or the Z-Land beta and brings with it two vital mechanics: ood spoilage and threat. Now, not only will you need to worry about not starving, your ood will spoil i you don’t eat it, meaning keeping and storing ood is suddenly much more difficult. And when you go back out into the apocalypse to scavenge or ood, the Treat mechanic means you will be drawing all sorts o attention to yoursel. So you have to ask yoursel: stay in and starve, or go look or ood and have the undead find you. Remember that you are as important to the development o Z-Land as we are. Te eedback we get rom you will be vital in shaping what Z-Land will become, and we will be looking to the results o your playtesting as to whether we need to tweak or modiy any o our mechanics. So don’t be shy, we are always eager to listen to eedback. Keep in mind that there will be little to no lore in this Beta series. It will be entirely ocused on the mechanics o the game. And as always, we will update the Beta document regularly as more mechanics are designed and tested.
IN THIS BETA: • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
Basic rules: Skill Checks, Difficulty Modifiers and Sigil usage. Combat rules: Combat Actions, Combat Resolution, Wounds Descriptors, Wound Recovery. Social encounters: Social Combat Modifiers, Social Wounds, Mental Wounds, Insanity, Mental and Social Wound Recovery. Skill List and Descriptors Equipment: Money, Haggling, Gear, Armour, Ranged Weaponry Modifiers Character Advancement GM Section and Guidelines Character Generator: From Childhood through to Adulthood or Day-0 and Apoc Era characters. Premade characters : For Day 0 Survival: Tirst, Hunger and Stamina/Sleep Food type and spoilage Inection rules Activity and Treat system Character Sheet and Cheat Sheets Starting Scenarios: For D-Day Hypo/Hyperthermia and Exposure
STILL TO COME: • • • • •
Character Generator: From Childhood through to Adulthood or New Genesis characters Premade characters: For Apoc Era and New Genesis Environments: Loot tables, random encounter tables Faction Generator Starting Scenarios: For Apocalypse Era and New Genesis
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WE NEED YOU! WE LOVE MAKING Z-LAND AND WE HOPE YOU LOVE READING AND PLAYING JUST AS MUCH. THE BETA IS SLOWLY BUT SURELY COMING TO AN END, AND WE WOULD LOVE YOUR FEEDBACK ABOUT IT. WE ARE NOW IN A POSITION TO MAKE FINAL CHANGES AND ALTERATIONS BEFORE WE START THE OUTLINING, LAYOUT AND PRINTING PROCESS. IF YOU CAN TELL US WHAT YOU THINK OF THE BETA THUS FAR, WHAT’S YOUR FAVOURITE AND LEAST FAVOURITE PARTS, AND WHAT YOU WOULD RECOMMEND, IT WOULD HELP US MAKE A GAME THAT THE FANS TRULY LOVE. IT ONLY TAKES A MINUTE TO FILL OUT THE QUESTIONNAIRE, BUT IT WOULD MEAN THE WORLD TO US. SIMPLY CLICK ON THE LINK AND TELL US WHAT YOU THINK: https://goo.gl/forms/kl7FRONSX2nJrVcu2
7
THE BASICS
BASIC RULES W��� �� � R���������� G����
make use o jargon and abbreviations that may be unamiliar to those who have not played a tabletop roleplaying game. o make your lie easier, here are the jargon with their explanations so you can reer back to this list i you find anything later on that you don’t immediately understand.
A roleplaying game is pretty much what it says in the name: it is a game where you play the role o a fictional character. Rather than playing as existing characters, you and your group will create your own original characters that will have adventures, intrigues, comedy and drama. Playing a role playing game is much like playing a video game: you take control o a character and direct them through their antastical world, interacting with the world and its people. Te difference here is that you are in ull control o your character. Tere are no dialog boxes or buttons to press, no pre-generated stories or quests. You as a group will create your own stories and whatever your character does is completely up to you.
GM: Te Game Master. Tis is the person that will be “running” the game. While the other players in the group will be playing as characters, the GM will be playing as the world. Tey will create the quests and obstacles and all other characters that you will encounter. Tey will also act as a reeree should any dispute arise. PC: Te Player Character. Tis is you in the RPG, your avatar, embodiment, representation, what-haveyou. Just as you would control a character in a video game, you will be controlling your PC.
B���� G��� C�������
NPC: Te Non-Playable Character(s). Te opposite o the PC, the NPCs are the characters you can’t control. Tey are the barkeep, the merchant, the quest giver, the enemy minions you fight. Tey are all the characters your PC will interact with in the game. Te GM controls the NPCs.
G��� D��� Z-LAND uses only one type o dice: ten sided dice. Tis abbreviates as d10. Te d stands or dice, and the 10 or how many sides are on the dice, in this case ten. For the Skill Checks you will be rolling in game, you will need a d100: a hundred sided dice. While you can, i you look ar and wide, find a dice with a hundred sides, it is easier to use two d10s. Designate one dice as the tens and the other as the ones dice, then when you roll them together you will get a number between 00 and 99. A 00 in this case is treated as 100. For example, i you roll a 3 on your tens dice and a 5 on your ones dice, you have rolled a 35. In hobby stores and on hobby websites you will ofen find a special d10 which is already marked or tens (00, 10, 20, 30, etc. instead o 0, 1, 2, 3 etc.) that will make rolling a d100 ar easier. Or, i you are eeling very 21st century today, there are plenty o websites and ree mobile apps that can let you roll dice digitally.
d10/d100: A ten and hundred sided dice, respectively. You will use a d100 throughout the course o the game and or the Character Generation. d5: A five sided dice. A true d5 is quite hard to get a hold o, so the best thing to do is roll a d10 and divide the result by two, rounding up. So a 1-2 becomes 1; 3-4 becomes 2; 5-6 becomes 3 and so on. Don’t worry overly much about the d5, you will only be using it in the Character Generation. Skill: Te way your PC mechanically interacts with the world. Tis could be through using the Fight Skill to punch a bandit or the Diplomacy Skill to get a better price on that hat you have had your eye on.
���������� Skill Check : Whenever your PC does anything in the game that has some element o risk involved,
As with any instructional manual, this book will
8
THE BASICS your GM might call or you to make a Skill Check. Tis is done with your chosen Skill and a d100.
scholar you first made might have to start standing up or themselves and by the end o a long campaign become the greatest warrior in the world. Once you get your character in the game it is always important to keep asking yoursel “what would my character do in this situation?”. Tis is important as your character could be completely different to how you are as a person in the real world and thus your character could act differently in any given situation than you will. Your GM will give you the scenario, will fill the world with NPCs and events and it’s up to you to decide how your character interacts with all o this. You will decide i your character is rude or nice, i he takes the lef road or right road. You tell the group and the GM what you want to do and the GM will tell you how the world responds to your actions and the other players will tell you what their characters are doing.
EXP: Experience Points. Tose lovely little numbers we all want so dearly. EXP is used to increase the potency o your skills. Tey are how you get stronger, aster, and hopeully wiser. Te more EXP you get, the more powerul your character will become. Roll: Rolling dice. In the course o the book, rather than constantly saying “roll a d100 and obtain a number under your Skill Level”, it will usually just say “roll under your Skill Level” or “roll a Skill Check”. It all means the same thing. So when you see “roll” it means the dice, not you. Roleplay : “Acting”, as a wise man once said while pretending to sleep. You don’t have to dress up in costume or put on an accent (although I won’t stop you, who am I to judge, I’m a book) but roleplay is how you tell the story o your characters in the world. Tere is no Skill Check or walking down the street, having a pint at your local and discussing your upcoming plans or the heist. Tis is all done through you, talking about it, sharing about it, roleplaying it.
P������ �� � G���� No man is an island and while it is certainly possible to play a RPG by yoursel, game like this are meant or a group. At the very least you will need two people because one person needs to be the GM, the reeree, the judge, the one who play as the whole world just as you will play as your character. Tis is a group game so always remember the golden rule: be nice. It doesn’t matter what your characters get up to, who they hate and love, what they do, how they eel about the other PCs, remember the people playing with you are real people. Tey are also here to have un just like you are. You would hate i someone ruined your un, so don’t go around ruining their un. Don’t hog all the spotlight, don’t try and do everything yoursel, don’t cut others out, and i there is conflict between your characters, keep it in character, don’t let it spill into real lie. At the end o the day, it is just a game. Tere is no reason to lose riends over it. reat your gaming group like a relationship, and as your mum will tell you: the secret to a good relationship is communication. I there is something that happens that you don’t like, that makes you uncomortable, speak up and say something. Politely, do it politely. Keeping those things bottled up will just make them brew and stew till you are no longer having un coming to the game. Tere is nothing wrong with making house rules about what is
P������ ��� G��� Y��� C�������� Troughout the course o this book you will generate a character to call your own. It will be your own unique character that you can stamp your name on. You give your character their hopes and dreams and ambitions, you make them a complete and ully rounded person. You can come up with everything about the character beore you play, coming to the table with a character that you know everything about, or you can let the game teach you about the character, letting how you act in the game influence who your character is. Either option is perectly acceptable and both makes a great character. Whichever option you take, be prepared that once you start playing with that character it might all change. Just like how real lie affects and changes you as a person, the game will change your character. And this is great, a lot o roleplay is all about character growth and development. Tat shy
9
THE BASICS acceptable and not. It’s all about having un, and i someone isn’t having un then it stops being a game.
be used a lot, so let’s make sure we know how they work.
C�������� ��� A���������
How to roll a skill check: • Decide which skill is best suited or the task at hand. • Make a note o the level o the skill. • Te GM will apply situational modifiers to the roll, which can increase or decrease your skill level or level or this roll roll only only . • Roll a d100. • Compare Compare the result o the roll to the modified level o your skill. • I the result rom the roll is equal to or less than your modified skill level then congratulations, congratulations, you succeeded at this task. • I it is higher than your modified skill level, then unortunately you ailed the test and your character did not succeed at this task.
When it comes to role playing games, you can think o a campaign as a tv series and an adventure as a movie. A campaign is a long, sprawling story that can take months i not years to complete. In it, you could go through hal a dozen characters as the plot moves along or you could have one character that ends up being completely different to what you started with. It will have plenty o twists and side stories, and you will be kept busy and by the end o it you will eel like you have finished a book series. An adventure is more like the movie: short, compact and powerul. Adventures rarely last more than a ew sessions. Tey usually have only one quest or story you can play and there will be a definite end to the mini-story. Some adventures will ollow on one another so that you can get a campaign made up o adventures. Z-LAND supports both campaigns and adventures, it’s all up to how you want to play. Campaigns do involve more commitment as it will take a long time to finish and missing players may mean you have to postpone that session. On the other hand, campaigns have a bigger payoff as you will have a lot o stories your characters will go through.
Example: • Karen is playing Cassandra, a survivor surv ivor and thie, who is currently c urrently running rom some ravagers across the roofops o a ruined metropolis. • Cassandra comes to an alleyway alley way.. She needs to jump. jump. Te ravagers ravagers are right right behind her. her. It’ It’s either jump or be captured by ravagers. • Karen’ Karen’s GM tells her this will be an Athletics to make that jump. Skill Check to • Cassandra’s Athletics Skill is at Level 46. • So ar, she needs to roll under a 46 to make the jump. jump. • Karen’ Karen’s GM says it’s it’s pretty wide alleyway alley way and the ravagers are right behind her so this isn’t going to be easy. • He puts the Difficulty Modifier o Difficult on her skill check. Tis is a -10. • Tis means that her Modified Skill Level or this skill check is 36. • Karen rolls a d100. • Te result is 27. Success! • Cassandra leaps over the alley and escapes the ravagers this day!
S���� C����� Whenever a character attempts an action that has a risk o ailing, the player makes a d100 roll to determine the outcome. Tis is known as a “Skill Check”. All Skill Checks, as the name implies, will involve a skill that a character has some, or none i unlucky, training in. Some Skill Checks will be quite straightorward such as rolling “Fight” to attack an opponent. Other Checks may be more elaborate such as rolling “Investigate” to know i the scorch marks you are looking at could have come rom an explosion or a mystical artiact. Apart rom roleplay, Skill Checks are how you will affect the world around you. You will use them in any situation, rom trading with a merchant to fighting off pirates to buying that boat you had your eye on, to surviving a week in the wilderness. Tey will
And that is all there is to it. All the skill checks you will be rolling or in the game will ollow this ormat. Just Just remember: Check your Skill Level, L evel, add Modifiers and roll under it. Also remember that the Modifiers go on the Skill Level, not the Roll Result.
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THE BASICS • • •
O������ S���� C����� Most o the time your characters will be going up against the world, the environment and their own limitations, limitations, so you will be b e the only one rolling dice. Other times however, you characters will be going up against other flesh and blood creatures, creatures, be it animals, NPCs or even other PCs. For this we use Opposed Skill Checks. Tey work very similar to a normal Skill Checks except that two people will be rolling dice here. Figuring out who wins an Opposed Skill Check is simple. Whoever roles highest but still underneath their Modified Skill Level wins. Tink o it like Blackjack. You want to get as high a number as possible while still saying at or under the target number. I there is a tie, then whoever has the highest Modified Skill Level wins.
• •
Karen’s result is 28. Harry’s result is 30. Since both players rolled underneath their Modified Skill Levels, it’s just a case to see who rolled higher. Since Harry rolled higher, Harry wins! Cassandra’s Cassandra’s game o hide and seek was too little, too late. It doesn’t take Selwyn long to find her hiding in that old stinking oil barrel. And that’s all there is to it.
W��� ���� ���������� ���� �� �� O������ ��� It is easy to tell who is the winner when both players rolled under their Modified Skill Level or even i only one rolled under their Modified Skill Level. But what happens when both ail? Can one character ail at hiding, thus being ound, but the other player ails at finding them at the same time? Is this some strange physics paradox? Tere are two ways o dealing with this situation and that all depends which o the characters is proactive and which is reactive, or i both are proactive. In the Example o an Opposed est, Cassandra is being proactive in trying to hide. Selwyn is reacting to Cassandra’s attempt to hide and is looking or her. Determining who is proactive and reactive is much easier in combat: whoever is attacking is proactive , whoever is deending is reactive. In an Opposed est, the proactive character rolls first, and i they ail then the reactive character wins by deault. I Cassandra ailed miserably at hiding, then there is no need or Selwyn to investigate as he would clearly see her. I the thug shot at your PC and ailed that Skill Check it means he missed you, so you don’t have to roll to dodge (you can, but you don’t don’t have to). Tere are some uncommon cases where both players are proactive, usually in some orm o contest: running a race, a tug o war, an arm wrestle. I both characters ail in an Opposed est when both characters are proactive then it is up to the GM to decide i they both b oth succeed at the task or not. For example, i two characters are racing to a target and roll an Athletics Skill Check then they both can’t lose the race. Te Skill Check was also or who was
Example: • Karen’ Karen’s character Cassandra has gone into hiding, waiting or the ravagers who are looking or her. • She did not expect someone else was looking or her. • Harry’s character Selwyn is a mercenary, tracking Cassandra to get back the supplies she stole rom a group o dwellers. • Teir GM decides this will be a Stealth vs Investigate Investigate Skill Check . • Cassandra’s Stealth Skill is at Level 38. • Selwyn’s Investigate Skill is at Level 42. • So ar, Karen needs to roll under a 38 to stay hidden. • Harry needs to roll under a 42 to find her. • Teir GM says Cassandra didn’t didn’t pick the best spot to hide in, an empty barrel really is a cliche, but she fits so it’s only a Challenging Modifier at +0. • Teir GM says because Cassandra didn’t didn’t know until just a ew moments moments earlier Selwyn was looking or her, he has a good idea o where she is. So it should only be an Ordinary task task or him. Tis means a +10 Modifier. • Tis means that Cassandra’s Cassandra’s Modified Skill Level or this skill check stays at 38. • Selwyn’s Modified Skill Level or this skill check goes up to 52. • Karen and Harry both roll a d100.
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THE BASICS running the astest, not to see who could run, so clearly both will reach the end. When this is the case, the characters may tie, the one with the highest Skill Level would win or they may both get run over by a cart. It all depends on the GM’s decision.
��� D�����������
C������� S�������� ��� F�������
Insignificant Simplistic Easy Routine
+60 +50 +40 +30
STANDARD
+2 0
Ordinary
Regardless o any Skill Level or Situational Modifiers, i you roll exactly on your Modified Skill Level that is a Critical Success. Tis means that whatever you tried to accomplish, you did so in magnificent style. I you succeeded on a Shoot Skill Check with a roll o 1, you hit that undead through the head even though he was behind the door. However, i you roll a 100 that is a Critical Failure. I you ailed on a Fight Skill Check with a roll o 100, not only did you miss but you tripped and your knie went straight through your leg. Tis is where GMs can get creative with how events happen. In combat, Critical Successes and Failures take on a special role. I you are attacking and you roll on your Modified Skill Level and hit the opponent the wound you cause will automatically be increased in severity by one step. I you are deending and roll a automatically be 100 then any wound you incur will automatically increased in severity by one step. Tere are limits to Critical Successes and Failures, so don’t abuse it. It doesn’t matter how much you flap your arms, you won’t fly to the moon. No amount o natural 1s will help that. I a GM thinks a task is outside the realms o possibility then you will ail. GMs, this is a responsibility responsibility on your part to be both air and just. You know what comes with great power.
+10
Challenging
+0
Difficult Hard Ver y Hard Severe Harrowing Near Impossible
-10 -20 -30 -40 -50 -60
difficulty o kicking down a plain wooden door (-14) to kicking down a solid steel door (-61) and become a simulationist game instead o a narrative game. Tis however brings in too many numbers that need to be kept track o while playing the game and, at the end o the day, turns the game rom a narrative game into a game simulating the world in minute detail. Tereore we are providing a blanket modifier that can be used in any circumstance and situation: the Difficulty Modifier. While there are more modifiers shown later in this book, they are optional and so you do not need to use them i you don’t want to, or you can use them together with the Difficulty Modifier. Te Difficulty Modifier is really all you need. Between it and the 20 skills (plus specialisations) on offer, there is more than enough flexibility to do absolutely anything in the game that you can think o. And o course, i you do want to get more technical and precise in your games, there t here are plenty o other modifiers listed in this book to help you with exactly that. When you attempt a Skill Check, your GM will decide how difficult that Skill Check should be. b e. Tis should be based on the circumstances you are in and will include a lot o different aspects that will ultimately boil down to a single Difficulty Modifier. For example, your PC, equipped with a musket, wants to shoot a target. Te circumstances surround that simple action will include how ar away the target is, i the target is moving, i the sun is in your PC’s eyes, i it is raining, how many obstacles there
S���� C���� M�������� D��������� First and oremost, Z-LAND is a narrative based RPG system. It is all about the story that you as a group tell about your characters and what they do in the world. It is or that reason that the rules presented here are as simple as possible while still providing quality game mechanics. A perect example o this is any modifier put on to Skill Checks to modiy their difficulty. It is exceedingly easy to use the d100 system to give everything in existence a modifier, such as the
12
THE BASICS are between your PC and the target, i your PC is in a hurry or i your PC can take time to do it right, and many many more. Your GM will condense all these circumstances into one modifier, or example a Difficult -10 modifier.
M���� A����� M�������� Charging In a superior position Off-Handed weapon Aimed
C����� M��������
In melee Moving quickly Off-Handed weapon Firing blindly
-40 -20
-20
Parry In a superior position Off-Handed weapon Dodge Being flanked by enemies
-20 +40 -20 +10 -10 or every enemy flanking
things that can aid that character. Melee combat, on the other hand, is a dance made or two, but as in any dance there is someone who leads. For this we use the Melee Attack and Deense Modifiers. I you declare an attack on an opponent, then you use the Melee Attack Modifier and your opponent uses the Melee Deense Modifier. Once your attack is done, your opponent then has the chance to attack you, where you will use the Deense Modifier. Tink o this as a sort o turn based combat. Tere is no strict turns and rounds, that will all be handled narratively, but or the purposes o opposing rolls there definitely is. Tree things to note with Melee Modifiers. Firstly, every flanking combatant gets the flanking bonus or every other flanking combatant. Tis means i there are three allies flanking an enemy, each ally will gain a +30 to their combat Skill Checks. Bottom line: don’t get flanked or you’ll get shanked. Secondly, a Parry is not simply a block but a turning away o your opponent’s weapon to set up a counterattack. For this reason it is a -20 Modifier, but i you successully parry your opponent’s attack then or your next Melee Attack against that character you will gain the Superior Position +40 Modifier. Tirdly, it may seem counterintuitive that aiming would mean you have less a chance to hit, but it is the difference between hitting someone anywhere you can and hitting them on one specific position. Aiming does give you a bonus to deciding where you will wound your opponent and it can also be used or non-lethal methods as well, such as disarming your opponent.
R����� D������ M��������
In melee Moving quickly Area o Effect -20 Attack -40 Dodge Shoot Surprised by Aimed Skill/2 Attack Area o Effect +15 In cover Attack
+40
-10 +10 or Enemy is every ally flanked flanking
Combat Modifiers are, unsurprisingly, only used in combat situations. It is up to the GM i they want to use these, they can always just use Difficulty Modifiers i they eel this slows the game down too much. Te Ranged Attack and Deense Modifier table assumes there is a clear attacker and deender. I both characters are attacking each other with ranged attacks, in a firefight or a standoff then both characters can use the Ranged Attack Modifiers. I the deending character in a Ranged Attack Opposing Skill Check elects to do nothing (perhaps they believe they are behind cover that they will not be hit) then it is up to the GM to decide i the deending character deserves some orm o deense roll. I the character truly is doing nothing, then treat the Opposing Skill Check as i the attacking character is shooting an inanimate object. Tis means that only the attacking character rolls and all damage is calculated by how ar beneath their Skill Level they rolled. I there the deending character does nothing, but there is something that can prevent the ranged attack hitting them (that has nothing to do with the attacking character) then simply do a Flat Skill Check with base Skill Level o 30 with the Ranged Deense Modifiers added to represent all the external
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+20
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-10 +20 -15 +10 -40 +20
13
THE BASICS �� S������� P�������
their next Skill Check. Similarly, i they ail their first Skill Check, take the amount by which they ailed and add it as a negative Modifier. While this use o Checks as Modifiers works well or ongoing challenges, it can easily be used or quick events. I a PC is driving along and another car comes barreling at it, the result o the PC’s first Perception Skill Check can act as a Modifier or their Drive Skill Check to avoid the oncoming car. Be careul not to let these Modifiers stack up between Skill Checks as the Checks may become impossible difficult or absurdly easy. Tese are best used once only, although the success or ailure o the next Skill Check can determine the next-next Skill Check.
Innuendo aside, the Superior Position Modifier is perhaps the most important combat modifier. It is the modifier that encompasses a host o others. Instead o having a “prone” or “longer reach” or “have the high ground” or any such modifier, the Superior Position Modifier covers all o these and more. Te basic concept o it is this: whenever you are in a much better position in melee combat than your opponent or whatever reason, you can get this modifier. You could have tripped your opponent and now he is on the ground; you could be standing on top o the stairs letting your opponent come to you; you could be fighting with a long halberd while your opponent only had a short knie; or you could have just disarmed your opponent. In short, whenever the situation has made it much, much easier or you than or your opponent. It is a powerul modifier and reflects in how much better a position you have to be to get it. It is up to the GM’s discretion, but it is something that will make you think “this is not a air fight.” Flanking someone does not automatically give you the Superior Position Modifier, that is why the Flanking Modifier exist.
M������� M�������� Always remember that you can add multiple modifiers to any Skill Check depending on the situation the characters are in. You can always add a Difficulty Modifier to everything because it is such a blanket statement, and i the characters are good at multitasking you can even combine a Social and Combat Modifier or a Melee and Ranged Combat Modifier.
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It won’t always be the case where only one character is perorming a task. Sometimes, multiple characters will be doing the same task. wo characters might be helping each other lifing and carrying a piano out a burning building, or three characters might all be haggling with a merchant, trying to overwhelm them so they can pay a penny less or a new item. When such a situation comes up, it is up the GM to decide how best to resolve it. Tere is no one size fits all cure. I it’s a task where all parties need to succeed or everyone ails then it would be best to average the Skill Levels o all the characters participating and then add Modifiers and let one player roll or the outcome. For example: i the characters need to carry a piano out burning building, i any character drops the piano then it is not going anywhere. One character can’t lif it by themsel. Either everyone carries the piano out the building or it is not going anywhere.
No action, task or Skill Check happens in a vacuum. Tere is always the context o the situation to consider when dealing with Modifiers and how difficult, or easy, a Skill Check has to be. Tere are times, though, when you can let the PCs own actions determine their uture Modifiers. In simpler terms, the result o one Skill Check can become the Modifier or uture Skill Checks. Let’s say or example that you are trying to win someone over to your point o view, whether it be haggling with a shopkeep or getting a guard to let you through the gate. One way or the other what you say will affect how they eel about you, so you can’t simply insult and denigrate them one second and then win them over with a lucky Skill Check. In cases such as these, you can let the one Diplomacy Skill Check’s result act as a Modifier or the next Diplomacy Skill Check. I the PC succeeds at the first Skill Check, take the amount by which they beat the Check and add it as a positive Modifier to
14
THE BASICS I it’s a task where one character is pulling most o the weight and the other characters merely helping a little bit then add a +10 Modifier or each assisting character to the main character’s Skill Level and treat it like a normal Skill Check. With the haggling example above, one character will be doing the most o the negotiation while the others occasionally throw in helpul advice or not so helpul distractions to the merchant. I it’s a task where one character has a reasonable chance at success alone, but it is saer to use more than one character, then add the Skill Levels together o all the characters involved, then treat it like a normal Skill Check. For example, i a character needs to hold open a heavy sewer grate so that the other characters can quickly escape, that character might be able to do it alone but it would be saer or all involved i another character joined in. I the second character drops the grate, the first character will still have a hold o it so it wouldn’t be a ailed test.
due to penalties and positive Modifiers, your Sigil Treshold is always taken rom your unmodified Luck Skill Level. Use your Sigils as much as you can, because they do not carry over between sessions. Any unspent Sigils at the end o session is lost. On the plus side you start each session with your ull complement o Sigils again. You can also always have many more Sigils than your threshold, i you can gain them during gameplay. In drastic circumstances you can burn a Sigil. Tis can be done even i you do not have any Sigils lef. Burning a Sigil negates any Wounds you were given this turn, even i it should have incapacitated or killed you. Tis is best used i you are about to take your 3rd Grievous wound or about to lose a limb. It is ate itsel and the hands o the gods that saved your lie. I you burn a Sigil, work it out with your GM to decide how and why your lie was just saved. I you burn a Sigil, your Sigil Treshold is permanently decreased by 1.
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Sigils are tokens that you can spend to gain a +25 bonus to any Skill Check. Remember that this is not the final modifier to your roll, the Situational Modifiers can still affect the final Modifier you get. You can only spend 1 Sigil per Skill Check to gain a +25 bonus. In the same vein, you can spend a Sigil to reroll a ailed Skill Check . As with gaining a +25 bonus, you can only spend 1 Sigil per Skill Check to gain a reroll. Sigils can be spent or any sort o Skill Check and or as many Skill Checks as you have Sigils. However, i you are using a Sigil to gain a bonus to your Skill Roll, you must declare the use o a Sigil beore you roll the Skill Check. You cannot roll the Check and then decide you want to use a Sigil. You can, however, roll the Skill Check and then declare that you are using a Sigil to reroll that Check. You start each session with an amount o Sigils equal to your Sigil Treshold. Your Sigil Treshold is equal to the first digit o your Luck Skill Level. For example, i your Luck Skill Level is 38, then you have a Sigil Treshold o 3; i your Luck Skill Level is 54, then you have a Sigil Treshold o 5. While your Luck Skill may increase or decrease during gameplay
Sigils can be earned during gameplay through GM Intrusions. A GM Intrusion is when the GM makes your character’s lie difficult, sometimes or the good o the story, sometimes to add drama, sometimes or their own amusement. A GM can Intrude at any moment they eel appropriate to add some spice. Tey can declare that your pistol just misfired, your sword got stuck in its scabbard, your horse suddenly broke a leg, you slipped off the balcony you tried to jump off, etc. When a GM wants to Intrude they will declare they are about to do so and explain exactly what is about to happen. Ten they will offer you a choice. You can accept the intrusion and all the drama that comes along with it, and or your trouble be given a Sigil; or you can reuse the intrusion but then you will also miss out on the Sigil. Just remember that not everything bad that happens in your character’s lie is worthy o an Intrusion and a Sigil. Sometimes bad things happen, and there is nothing you can do about it. On the other hand, i it eels that so many bad things are happening to your character that you are longer in control o events, then it’s time to talk to your GM about it. GMs: be air and be reasonable.
15
COMBAT
COMBAT RESOLUTION Te actions you take in combat will be mechanically played out with Skill Checks and the Situational Modifiers as shown in the Skill Checks chapter. Tat, however, only covers the actions you take in combat, not their effects. Roleplay and the GM’s narrative will play a big part in how the combat goes. It is the roleplay that will determine what you do and what happens, and then the mechanics which determine how it turns out. Te mechanics are all condensed or you in the Order o Combat table that you can also find at the end o the book in the Cheat Sheets.
When combat begins, or is about to begin, the GM declares what Skill will be used or Initiative. What this Skill will be will depend entirely on the context o the situation, but it will mostly be either Athletics or Intuition. Use Athletics when everyone already knows there is going to be a fight and it is simply a race to see who can reach their weapon first or who can move first. Conversely, use Intuition when combat begins unexpectedly, or not everyone in the scene is aware that combat is about to begin. You can also use Intuition in the classic “stand off” scenario when each party needs to read the other in order to “draw” first. Whichever one o these Skills the GM chooses (or any other skill they eel is appropriate to the current context o the scene), it must be the same Skill or everyone involved. You can have one person with Athletics as their Initiative Skill or this combat and another person with Intuition. Everyone must use the same Skill or the same combat scene. Once the Skill has been chosen, all you need to do is look at your Skill’s Level. Te higher the Skill Level, the better, since the combat turns will start with the one with the highest Skill Level and work its way down rom there until it hits the one with the lowest Skill Level. Afer that, the next round begins in the same order (assuming everyone remains alive).
O���� �� C����� 1. Declare an Attacker and a Deender. 2. Both parties pick an appropriate Skill. 3. GM places Difficulty and/or Combat Modifiers on the chosen Skills. 4. Both parties roll an Opposed Skill Check. 5. Determine which party has rolled lowest below their Modified Skill Level. I the Deender won then the Combat Round ends here.
6. I the Attacker won: Determine by how ar the attacker won the Opposed Skill Check and compare this number to the Wound Severity table. 7. Reduce the Wound Severity based upon the armour that the Deender is wearing.
��� S���� Once everyone has checked where in the turn order their character’s Skill Level puts them, check and see which result was rom a PC and which came rom an NPC. Tis is because you are not determining your own character’s position in the combat turn order. Instead, you are determining where there will be a Player Slot and where there will be a GM Slot. Every result generated by a PC creates a Player Slot and every result determined by an NPC creates a GM Slot. So afer all this is done you (or most likely your GM) will have a piece o paper noting down where all the urn Slots are (and in what order they are or each round). I more than one character has the same Skill
I the Armour reduces the Wound Severity to 0 or less then the Combat Round ends here.
8. Reverse the numbers on the Attacker’s dice (i.e.: 69 becomes 96) and compare this to the Hit Locations table. 9. Resolve wounds.
I��������� o determine a character’s Initiative, or who goes when and in what order in combat, all you have to do is look at that character’s Skill Level.
16
COMBAT Level or determining Initiative AND they are come rom the same group (Player or GM), don’t worry about it. Since you are determining slot order, i two results are equal, it just means two slots go one afer the other. I however, there is an NPC and a PC with the same Skill Level, the NPC always goes first unless the player spends a Sigil. Tis works on a per-NPC and per-PC basis. So i three NPCs and three PCs all have the same Skill Level, each player will need to spend three Sigils to get their Player Slot ahead o the NPCs.
below as exhaustive. urns in the Sigil System do not necessarily have to be taken one afer the other and in sequence. While one person’s five seconds is ticking by, the rest o the characters in the scene won’t be standing by idly. You can certainly have turn orders and rounds in your combat, remember that while you are taking your turns in order, your characters are acting at the same time.
F��� S����� A������ •
��� O���� • Now that you know in what order a PC or NPC goes in combat, it’s time to figure out where your specific character’s turn comes. Tis part is easy: the players collectively decide who among them goes where in the Player Slots, and the GM decides who among the NPC goes where in the GM Slots. Tis isn’t a permanent order or the entire combat scene. Afer everyone has had their turn, and a new round begins the players all again pick which PCs go in which Player Slot and the GM picks which NPCs go in which GM Slot. So you can have the PC that went last in Round 1 be the PC that goes first in Round 2, effectively having to turns afer each other.
• •
You can walk (in meters) up to the 1st digit o o your Athletics Skill You can run twice as ar as you can walk and sprint thrice as ar as you can walk. You can do one Fight or Shoot Skill Check. You can aim your firearm or an Aiming bonus Modifier.
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��� ���� Combat within the Sigil System is designed to be as fluid and narrative as your group needs it to be. As such there is no definite and set initiative or turn order, but that can easily be set up by you and your group with the mechanics in this section. What we can do, however, is tell you how long a turn should take take as that will inorm how much you want to do once it gets to your opportunity to give input as to what your character is doing. A turn should take approximately 5 seconds. Five seconds isn’t very long, but you will be amazed at what you can fit into it, as the section below will give an indication. Tere is no set amount o actions or movements that you can do within a turn. As long as it doesn’t take more than five second, and your GM allows it, then there shouldn’t be an issue. So don’t take the actions listed in the section
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Grapple Trow (person) Disarm Choke Pin Leg Sweep Feint Trow (weapon) Trow (object)
Might/Fight Athletics/Might Athletics/Fight Might Athletics/Might Fight Deceive Fight/Shoot Athletics
While it is the ostensible purpose o combat to do as much damage to your opponent(s) beore they can to the same to you, there are more actions that can be perormed in combat than simply Fighting, Shooting, Dodging and Moving. In act, one can argue that simply doing damage is the exception and not the rule to what can be done in combat. Remember that combat is as much about dominating the field o battle and your opponents as it is about damage so there is a host o non-lethal moves you can do to make this happen. Tis is by no means an exhaustive list. It is simply an example or two o what can be done in combat. As you can see, different actions are perormed
17
COMBAT by different Skills, and some actions can even be perormed by more than one Skill depending upon the context in which it is perormed.
on their lef. I successul, the amount by which you succeeded becomes a bonus to your next immediate Combat Skill Check against that opponent.
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Trow (weapon): Sometimes throwing a pistol works just as well as shooting someone with it. Other times, you may have a flair or the dramatic and enjoy throwing knives. Whatever the case may be, you want to throw something to hurt someone and depending on what it is it may use your Fight or Shoot Skills.
Grapple: Call it wrestling or brawling, grappling is when two (or more) opponents use their sheer strength and technique rather than their weapons in order to hold, throw, pin or choke one another. Depending on whether you are using technique or technique or strength will mean the difference between using the Fight or Might Skills respectively.
Trow (object): Trowing something other than a weapon. Tis is meant more or things which aren’t easily held in one hand (which can be covered by Trow (weapon)) such as crates and kegs and donkeys and chairs. Tis is why it uses your Athletics Skill because it is more about the physical eat o lifing it up and throwing it than about aiming.
Trow (person): Exactly what it sounds like. It’s taking a person that you already have a hold o and throwing them as hard or as ar as you can. Tis can do damage depending on what you throw them into (or off o) and damage will depend on context. context. Te distance you can throw another person is equal to the first digit o your Might Skill Level in meters.
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Disarm: Tis can be done either during grappling (by using the Athletics Skill) or with your own weapon during a standard attack (with the Fight Skill). Te purpose is quite clear: to get the opponent’s weapon out o their hands.
Wounds are the main mechanic that will deal with the stress and injury surrounding physical conflict. Wounds act in a narrative ashion in that it is up to the GM to detail what sort o wound a character receives based on the actions perormed by the characters in combat. How and where the character’s wounds will be located is determined by the Hit Locations mechanic. When you have rolled an attack Skill Check and and it was a success, simply reverse the numbers on the dice and compare them to the Hit Locations table. Te new number is the location on a character’s body where you successully struck the deender.
b e either non-lethal or extremely Choke: Can be lethal. I non-lethal, the purpose is to render the opponent unconscious and so any Wound caused will simply reflect the length o time the opponent remains unconscious. unconscious. I lethal, then the purpose to cut airflow to the opponent’s brain until it expires. I so, resolves Wounds as normal. Pin: o hold an opponent in such a way as to render them incapable o significant movement. Tis must be done afer grappling an opponent and can be done standing up, pushing an opponent against an object or on the ground.
Example: • Karen’ Karen’s character Cassandra and William’s character Gerrit are in a shootout • Afer the Situational Modifiers have been applied Cassandra needs to roll under a 54 to hit Gerrit and Gerrit under a 39 to dodge the bullet • Karen rolls a 31 • William rolls a 74 • Karen wins the test. • Karen reverses the numbers on the dice, making the 31 into a 13 • Karen consults the Hit Locations able and
Leg Sweep: Fairly straightorward, to sweep the leg(s) out rom under an opponent in order to make them all on the t he ground.
technique used in order Feint: Tis is a fighting technique to misdirect an opponent as to your true intentions. For example, making your opponent think you are going to swing on their right while actually swinging
18
COMBAT •
sees that a 13 alls within the range o the orso Gerrit gets hit in the torso, gaining a Wound.
has a Constitution Skill Level o 52 then they have 5 Wound Slots, S lots, at 48 they would have 4 Wound Slots, and i they managed to get their Constitution Skill Level to 100 they would have an amazing 10 Wound Slots. Wound Slots come in groups o 3s, so i your character has more than 3 Wound Slots their 4th Wound Slot becomes a Minor Wound Slot again, their 5th a Significant, their 6th a Grievous and their 7th another Minor and so orth.
H�� L������ L �������� �� Head orso Lef Arm Right Arm Lef Leg Right Leg
1 - 10 11 - 40 41 - 55 56 - 70 71 - 85 86 - 100
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I you have Aimed with an Attack , it stands to reason that you will be more accurate than a simple random dice roll. Because o this when you reverse the dice numbers to obtain your Hit Location afer you have Aimed, you can modiy that number by adding or subtracting up to hal your unmodified Shoot or Fight Skill (depending on melee or ranged combat), giving you the possibility o hitting closer to where you intended. For example, say you want to specifically shoot an undead’s head. You declare that you are Aiming, make your Shoot Skill Check and succeed on it with a roll o 43, which when reversed would be 34 and meant you hit the undead’s orso. However, since you have a Shoot Skill Level o 60, you can move that Hit Location number by up to 30. So you can choose anywhere rom 4 to 64 in order to hit the Location that you want. In this case, since you want to hit the undead’s head, you choose 4 which corresponds to the Head Hit Location.
R������ S��� R� ��� ���� 1 - 20 21 - 50 51 - 80 >81
Minor Significant Grievous Location Destroyed
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When a character gets hit, the specific Hit Location gains a Wound. o determine the severity o a wound, simply look at the result o your roll. Whatever Whatever you rolled is the damage you inflicted. I your opponent did an Opposed Roll to yours, simply subtract the result o their roll rom yours to see what the final damage is, (eg i you rolled a 30 and the opponent rolled a 20, your damage is 10). I the deender rolled over their Modified Skill Level, add the deender’s result to the attacker. Compare this number it to the Wound Severity table above and see into which Wound Severity category it alls. Tat then is the Wound the deender suffered.
Each Hit Location has 3 ypes o Wound Slots. Tese are, in order: A Minor Wound Slot, a Significant Wound Slot, and a Grievous Wound Slot. Tat means that a character has in total a potential 18 Wound Slots: 6 Minor, 6 Significant, and 6 Grievous (3 Wound Slots or each Hit Location). A character may have more than 3 Wound Slots per Hit Location, or may not have all 3 Wound Slots filled up. Te amount o Wound Slots a character has is determined by their their Constitution Constitution Skill Level. Te first number o the character’s Constitution Skill Level is the amount o Wound Slots that character has per Hit Location. For example, i your character
Example: • Karen’ Karen’s character Cassandra and William’ William’s character Gerrit were in a shootout. • Cassandra shot Gerrit and successully hit him. • Karen rolled a 23 which is under her Modified Skill Level. • William rolled 35 above his Modified Skill Level . • Since William rolled over his Skill Level, Karen adds together the results. • 23+35=58. • Karen compares this number to the Wound Severity able and see that Cassandra inflicted
19
COMBAT a Grievous wound on Gerrit
I all the Wound Slots on a specific Hit Location has had Wounds allocated to them, then the next Wound that Hit Location receives permanently destroys that Hit Location.
either the Head or orso Hit Location, then that character automatically dies. For every 1 Grievous Wound and/or 3 Significant Wounds that a character incurs, roll a Constitution Skill Check to see i that character goes into shock. I character gains another 1 Grievous Wound and/ or 3 Significant Wounds, they do not have to roll another Constitution Skill Check. Only i the next wounds happens on separate Hit Locations. Te first time a character rolls a Constitution Skill Check due to their wounds, it will be a +0 Constitution Skill check. For every successive wound that causes a Constitution Skill Check, those characters will incur a -10 penalty to the Constitution Skill Check. Tese penalties stack, meaning that by the ourth wound that causes a Constitution Skill Check, the difficulty will be -40. I a character succeeds this Constitution Skill Check, then they do not have to roll another one until the next Significant or Grievous Wound that causes a Constitution Skill Check. I that character ails the Constitution Skill Check, then they go into shock . Every time that character wishes to attempt to do anything, they must retake the Constitution Skill Check to snap out o the Shock. I a character suffers a Hit Location Destroyed wound then they must pass a -40 Constitution Check every time they attempt to do anything , until the remainder o that Hit Location has been seen to and it is not an immediate threat. Unlike the regular Constitution Skill Check to avoid going into shock, a success on this Skill Check does not mean they are OK. Even i they succeed, they must pass another Constitution Skill Check each time perorm a narrative action. I that character ails the Constitution Skill Check, then they go into shock .
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For every Significant Wound a Hit Location has, using that Limb incurs a -10 Injury Modifier until that Wound is seen to. For Every Grievous Wound a Hit Location has, using that Limb incurs a -15 Injury Modifier until that Wound is seen to. For every Location Destroyed a Hit Location has, using that Limb incurs a -40 Injury Modifier. Minor Wounds incur no Injury Modifiers. Any Injury Modifiers to the Head Hit Location will affect every task a character attempts. Similarly, i a character suffers a Hit Location Destroyed on
In combat, Critical Successes and Failures take on a special role. I you are attacking and you roll exactly on your Modified Skill Level and hit the opponent then the wound you cause will automatically be increased in severity by one step. I you are deending and roll a 100 then any wound you incur will automatically be increased in severity by one step.
It is clearly possible through luck to inflict the same severity o wound on the same hit location multiple times. Tat’s just how the dice rolls. I this happens, one o two things will happen next. I the deender has more than one Wound Slot o the same Severity available (or example having two Significant Wound Slots) then just use that Wound Slot. I the deender does not have another Wound Slot o the same Severity available then use the next lowest available Wound Slot (or example moving to a Minor Wound Slot i all Significant Wounds have been filled). I all lowest available Wound Slots have been used up, then use the next available higher Wound Slot. Example: • Karen’s character Cassandra shoots and successully hits William’s character Gerrit once again. • Karen works out the Hit Location and the Wound Severity. • Cassandra has once again hit Gerrit in the orso or a Grievous Wound. Gerrit does not have another Grievous • Wound Slot, but he still has an empty Minor and Significant Wound Slot . • Te Grievous Wound becomes a Significant Wound as the Significant Wound Slot is the next lowest available Wound Slot.
20
COMBAT W���� D����������� ��� H������
sessions, but rather in actual time it would take or that wound to heal (regardless o whether you regain ull unction o it). Te table to the lef shows various types o injuries your character can sustain and the time it takes or those to heal up to a point where the -15 penalty associated with that Grievous Wound will reresh. Each type o injury’s healing time is a range (and some are quite broad) and the exact time in game it will take or your character’s Grievous Wound Slot to reresh will depend on your GM. As the name implies Hit Location Destroyed is a permanent condition. Tis does not mean that the limb in question suddenly disintegrated (although that is a possibility), it merely means that you will never be able to use that limb or absolutely anything ever again. I this Hit Location is either the orso or Head Hit Location, then that character automatically dies. I it is an arm or a leg that has been destroyed and that character gets hit in that location in the uture use the closest Hit Location to the number on the dice as the true Hit Location.
A Minor Wound is something small and insignificant. A scratch, a bruise, a bump, a cut that barely broke the skin. It is something that is no more than an irritation that will take care o itsel within a matter o minutes. It won’t heal that quickly, but it will stop being an issue. Because o this Minor Wound Slots reresh afer each scenario or encounter. A Significant Wound is exactly that. It is painul, it is distracting, it is weakening. It is deep cut, a broken bone, a cracked rib, an arrow through the leg. Getting a Significant Wound will weaken you. Significant Wounds need to be seen to by someone with medical expertise. Tey need to be splinted, or stitched up, or bandaged or whatever it will take to start the healing process. Once you have done so, afer that session o gaming has finished, the Significant Wound Slots will reresh so that when you have your next session you are good, relatively speaking, to go. A Grievous Wound is something you may never recover rom. It is truly something to grieve. It can be your hamstrings being cut completely through and you will never ully recover the use o your leg; it can be a hand cut clean off; a collapsed lung; a knie through your eye; a mace to the skull causing irreversible brain damage. It is not about healing a Grievous Wound, but learning to live with it. Even afer you have received medical attention or your Grievous Wound, the Wound Slot will not reresh until your GM is satisfied your character has learned how to cope with lie afer receiving it. How long this can take depends on the type o injury your character received. Healing time or Grievous Wounds are not measured in encounters or
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Abrasion Bone Fracture Burns Concussion Damaged Nerve Hematoma Internal Bruising Laceration Muscle ears
2 - 3 weeks 6 - 8 weeks 4 - 6 weeks 1 - 2 weeks 6 - 12 weeks 4 - 6 weeks 3 - 12 weeks 1 - 2 weeks 6 - 12 weeks
Example: • Harry’s character Selwyn lost his lef leg. • In a fight, William’s character Gerrit shot Selwyn and the Hit Location number was 83: the Lef Leg Hit Location. • Since Selwyn no longer has a lef leg, Harry checks the closest Hit Location to 83 which is 86: the Right Leg Hit Location. • Tus Selwyn was actually shot in his Right Leg.
Remember that once a Wound Slot has rereshed, the penalty associated with it is removed rom the PC.
N�������� C����� R��������� Te Sigil System is first and oremost a narrative system. While there are lots o numbers to play around with, their job is only to urther the story that your group is putting together. Tis is a Roleplaying Game, not a Numbercrunching Game. Tis applies to combat as well. Tere will be plenty o situations where Combat Modifiers and Hit Locations and Wound Slots just don’t make it eel “real”. Tis might something like
21
COMBAT be the inamous coup de grâce (a lethal blow to an opponent unable to deend), or in act it could be the opposite when you want to take down an opponent in a non-lethal manner, or even sneaking behind an unsuspecting opponent to take him out in one hit without anyone else knowing (dead men tell no tales afer all). When such a scenario takes place, talk it over with your GM to see what would be the most logical and reasonable way or it to happen. Most times it may involve you rolling another Skill Check such as a Stealth Skill Check to sneak up to backstab the guard. Bear in mind that just because you want to do something, doesn’t mean you can automatically succeed. A sword to the skull is lethal unless angels and trumpets are involved, there just isn’t getting around that act no matter how much you want it. On the other hand: GMs, be nice, it’s about un afer all.
22
MENTAL WOUNDS
MENTAL WOUNDS
Tere is a lot in the wastelands o the apocalypse that will cause a strain on the minds o those who wander through it. From seeing people being eaten alive to having to come to terms with just having to kill someone, the stress can be a lot to a ragile mind. For these situations, we have Mental Wounds to track the damage caused to the mind. Te amount o Mental Wound Slots that a PC has is calculated exactly the same as Physical Wound Slots, but uses Will instead o Constitution. Te first number o your PC’s Will Skill Level dictates how many Mental Wound Slots your PC has at each wound level. Tis means that i your PC has a Will Skill Level o 30, then your PC has 3 Minor Mental Wound Slots, 3 Significant Mental Wound Slots, and 3 Grievous Mental Wound Slots. Tere is only ever one Location Destroyed Mental Wound Slot . As with Physical Wounds, Mental Wounds carry with them an associated penalty or uture Skill Checks; and just as with Physical Wounds, a Minor Mental Wound has no penalty , a Significant Mental Wound has a -10 penalty , and a Grievous Mental Wound has a -15 penalty to uture Skill Checks.
RESULT
SEVERITY
1 - 20 21 - 50 51 - 80
Minor Significant Grievous Location Destroyed
>81
SKILLS AFFECTED BY MENTAL WOUNDS. Deceive Diplomacy Intimidate Intuition Logic Perception we become less adapt at handling social situations, remembering and judging things as clearly, and our ability to perceive the outside world diminishes the worse our mental state becomes. As with Physical Wounds, Minor Mental Wounds heal and reresh afer the encounter and Significant Mental Wounds heal and reresh afer the session in which they were recovered rom. Tis is where the similarity between Physical and Mental Wounds ends, as Grievous Mental Wounds and Mental Location Destroyed are handled differently. Te penalties that Grievous Mental Wounds give you are based off the subject that caused those Wounds. Tis may be seeing a loved one die, killing an innocent, seeing an undead eating someone alive, etc. Tis subject (dead loved one, killed innocent, being eaten alive) then b ecomes your Grievous Wound. How you respond to this subject will depend on what type o Grievous Mental Wound you gained, and that in turn will depend on the context at the time and your GM’s decision. Tere are our broad categories o mental stresses (Anxiety, Mood, Delusional and Hallucinogenic) and depending on which one you gained, will show how you respond in game to your Grievous Mental Wound. o begin, your PC will have a -15 Penalty to the Skills affected by Mental Wounds but only or the session in which it happened, much like a Significant Mental Wound. Afer the first session, there are no penalties or a Grievous Mental Wound. Instead, being near the subject that caused this Wound can trigger a reaction rom your PC. Each time your PC encounters the subject o their wound, you must do a Will Skill Check. I you pass this Skill Check, then your PC is coping with the
A distinct difference between Physical Wounds and Mental Wounds is that penalties rom Mental Wounds do not stack with others o the same Wound Severity . Tis means that i you have 2 Grievous Mental Wounds, you won’t get a -30 penalty. Penalties rom Mental Wounds only stack with other o different severities. Te penalties to Physical Wounds are always about using that limb. For Mental Wounds, it’s slightly different. Mental Wounds affect a specific set o Skills to which they give penalties. Tese are the three social Skills, the two knowledge Skills as well as perception. Tis is to simulate that mental stress causes us to become more inwardly ocused as we struggle with what is going on inside our heads. As such
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MENTAL WOUNDS REACTIONS ROLL
ANXIETY
MOOD
01- 25 26 - 50 51 - 75 76 - 100
PC recklessly attacks the subject. PC runs away rom the subject. PC reezes in terror. PC tries to hide rom subject.
PC breaks down, sobbing uncontrollably. PC stars laughing hysterically. PC tries to harm themselves with the subject. PC becomes catatonic and non-responsive.
ROLL
DELUSIONAL
HALLUCINOGENIC
PC is convinced the subject is the cause o all their problems. PC believes the subject is telling it to harm 26 - 50 other party members. PC believes subject has been ollowing 51 - 75 them. PC believes the subject has a divine mes76 - 100 sage or them. 01- 25
PC thinks subject is a monster rom their nightmares. PC thinks subject is delicious and attempts to eat it. PC thinks subject is their long lost love. PC believes subject is imaginary.
mental strain. However, i you ail the check, then the subject o the Wound triggered a reaction rom your PC. When this happens, roll on the Reactions able to see what specific reaction your PC will do. I you succeed on these Will Skill Checks 3 times in a row, then your PC has overcome their mental condition and the Grievous Wound Slot rereshes. However, i you ail a Will Skill Check beore you get to 3 in a row, then the counter resets. A Mental Location Destroyed takes this one step urther. Unlike Physical Wounds, a Location Destroyed result does not mean death or Mental Wounds. It does, however, mean insanity. When a character suffers a Mental Location Destroyed, that character is classed as going into Mental Shock ; and just like shock caused by physical wounds, this comes with a -40 penalty. Should the PC ail this skill check, they will then go into shock and become non-responsive or the remainder o the encounter. A Mental Location Destroyed means exactly that: the character’s mind is broken; that character has gone insane. Every time a PC suffering rom insanity wants to make a decision, the player has to pass a Will Skill Check . I the player succeeds, then the PC can do what they decided. I they ailed then the PC’s insanity has prevented them rom doing whatever it may have been. Just like with a Grievous Mental Wound, i the player ails the Will Skill Check, they roll on the Reactions able to see how their PC reacts to the
decision they had made. How this differs rom a Grievous Mental Wound is that there is no distinct “subject” that triggers this reaction. Instead, every decision that the PC makes becomes the subject that triggers it. Every decision has a “subject”, in the sense o “I need to [subject]” or “I need to do something to [subject]”. Tat is what the Reaction able reers to or the insane. Tere are o course times when the “subject” o a decision is ar too awkward or nebulous a concept to attack or eat, etc. Should that be the case, the GM can simply choose another subject o the decision or an object in the decision. Should none o these apply, simply have the insane character become catatonic or the rest o the encounter.
�� R��� �� I������� When a character becomes insane, it means that their mind is now broken. Tey have moved beyond the realms o mental illness into the realms o madness. Tat is why their reactions to things are on the primal level, because that is all that is lef. However, that is not say that you can’t model a PC’s road to insanity or other mental illnesses. In act, the reverse is true. By using Mental Wounds, you can show the strains that have been placed on the PCs’ minds and what maladies and illnesses they have received rom this. Te Wounds System, whether Physical or Mental,
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MENTAL WOUNDS are intentionally vague enough so that the GM can SEVERITY determine what the wound is based on the context that it was obtained. For Physical wounds this can be a broken rib, a bisected bicep or a crushed ankle, but ANXIETY the premise works equally well or Mental wounds. Te only thing to remember is that a Minor wound rereshes afer the encounter, a Significant wound afer the session in which it was seen to, and MOOD a Grievous wound afer the PC has overcome their mental condition by succeeding a triggering Will Skill Check 3 times in a row. DELUSIONAL With only this, the GM can decide that, upon seeing a loved one dying, the Grievous wound the PC got was severe depression; or that the Minor wound that the PC got rom being in a haunted mansion was HALLUCINOhearing voices. GENIC Tis is a great opportunity or the GM and player to roleplay these sorts o mental stresses and illnesses through the penalties these wounds give to Skill Checks. Te table shown gives some brie examples on what sort o affliction each severity o wound could mean or different types o mental conditions.
M����� R������� For Significant and Grievous wounds to reresh, and stop giving the player penalties to their Skill Checks, they need to be seen to. For Physical wounds, this is easy enough. A bandage here, a stitch there, a set bone here and that is enough medical attention to start the healing process. A Mental wound can’t be bandaged, or set, or stitched. It needs care, love, and attention and that makes it a ar more nebulous wound to heal. Tis is where roleplay and GM’s decision making comes in. What it takes to heal mental trauma is different or each person and so must be handled differently. For some, a night o drinking with riends can heal the scars o a lost one, while or others it needs a trip to a oreign land and some meditation. However it is done, it does require roleplay and agreement between the player(s) and the GM as to whether this is sufficient to heal the Mental wound. Tis is also a case where a wound can be downgraded in severity (e.g.: Grievous to Significant) afer some roleplayed healing i the player(s) and GM eel that some more work needs to be done.
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MINOR
SIGNIFICANT
GRIEVOUS
Panic, Shock
Obsessive Compulsion, Irrational Worry
Phobia, Chronic Stress, PSD
Hysteria, Anhedonia
Mania, Listlessness
Irrational Jealousy, Destined action Hearing voices, Seeing ghosts
Being ollowed, Blessing o the gods Imaginary riend, Somethinginside-me
Catatonia, Depression, Bliss Paranoia, I-am-a-god!, Conspiracy theorist Nothing-is-real, Body-snatchers, Devil-on-theshoulder
SKILLS
SKILLS •
SKILL LIST Below are the twenty skills in the Sigil System. Using any o these or a combination o them, you will be able to do anything humanly possible. Te first group o Skills are labeled as physical skills, this is mainly important or the Aging part o Character Creation as your physical skills decline with age. Tey are also the skills most likely to be affected by Wound penalties. Suggested Specialisations o all the Skills are shown in italics.
NON-PHYSICAL SKILLS:
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PHYSICAL SKILLS
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•
•
• •
•
Stealth ◉ Sneaking ◉ Smuggling ◉ Blending in
Athletics ◉ Dodge ◉ Acrobatics ◉ Running ◉ Parkour Burglary ◉ Pickpocket ◉ Lockpicking Constitution ◉ Survival ◉ Masochist Drive ◉ Horse riding ◉ Boat sailing ◉ Airship operations Fight ◉ One handed weapons ◉ wo handed weapons ◉ Unarmed combat ◉ Duel wielding Perception ◉ Enhanced [Sense] Might ◉ Lifing ◉ Climbing ◉ Swimming Shoot ◉ Pistols ◉ Rifles ◉ Bows ◉ Crossbows
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
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Broad-Craf ◉ Craf [Proession] ◉ Craf traps ◉ Carpentry ◉ Cooking Deceive ◉ Disguise ◉ Lying ◉ Impersonate Diplomacy ◉ rading ◉ Etiquette ◉ Leadership ◉ Rapport Fine-Craf ◉ Craf [Proession] ◉ First Aid ◉ inkering ◉ Wiring Intimidate ◉ Demoralise ◉ Treaten ◉ Command Intuition ◉ Sense Motive ◉ Danger Sense ◉ Lie Detector ◉ General Knowledge Investigate ◉ Interrogation ◉ racking Logic ◉ Biology ◉ History ◉ Maths ◉ actics Luck ◉ Sigil Treshold ◉ Looter
SKILLS •
•
◉ Inection Resistance Wealth ◉ Land ◉ Slaves ◉ Jewelry Will ◉ Meditation ◉ Resist interrogation ◉ Fearless ◉ Resist emptation
Specialisations: Dodge, Acrobatics, Running, Parkour. Broad-Craf: Te first o the two Craf Skills and the exact opposite to Fine-Craf. Broad-Craf deals with creating or fixing anything where you are looking at the bigger picture rather than the detail. It’s about working in broad strokes, looking at it as a whole, and thinking about the space/time it will occupy once it’s done. Broad-Craf can be used at any scale, rom building a house, to fixing a cupboard, to making a good meal. Specialisations: Craf [Proession], Craf raps, Carpentry, Cooking.
SPECIALISATIONS Once you get a skill to Skill Level 50 you gain a specialisation in that skill. Afer that, every 10 Skill Levels (i.e.: at Skill Level 60, 70, 80, etc) you will gain another specialisation in that skill. You can’t get a specialisation o another specialisation, so leveling up your specialisation will not get you another specialisation. You have to level up the base skill to get the specialisations. Each skill is tracked separately, so every skill you get to Skill Level 50 will give you a specialisation in that skill. Once a specialisation is chosen, it will start at the same Skill Level o its parent’s Skill Level. So i you have leveled up your Athletics Skill to Level 60 and chose Dodge as a specialisation, your new Dodge Skill will begin at Level 60. Te specialisations shown above are merely examples o what you can do; they are not an exclusive list. You can specialise a skill in any which way you choose as long as it fits within the context o the base skill and does not perorm the same unction as another base Skill. Specialisations are permanent. Once you have it, you can’t lose it. You can trade one EXP between skills and specialisations between gaming sessions, and this means that it is possible to reduce a skill with a specialisation below Skill Level 50. I that happens, you don’t lose the specialisation.
Burglary: aking things that don’t belong to you. Burglary covers the dirty deeds that thieves do, rom picking locks to picking pockets to getting into places where you don’t belong. Burglary allows you to perorm certain acts without being noticed, but be careul, it’s not Stealth. Specialisations: Pickpocket, Lockpicking. Constitution: Te other part o your physical body. I Athletics and Might are what your body can do, then Constitution is what your body can take. Resistance to the elements, surviving poison, holding your breath, shrugging off wounds, this is what Constitution is made or. Te first digit o your Constitution Skill Level is also the amount o Wound Slots you have per Hit Location. Specialisations: Survival, Masochist. Deceive: Convincing someone that a lie is the truth. Quite simple really. Tere are many and varied ways o achieving this, but at it’s core its all about getting someone to believe a alsehood. Specialisations: Disguise, Lying, Impersonate. Diplomacy: Te art o making people like you. Getting a better deal at the merchant’s, making sure your contacts give you the best inormation possible or deusing a sticky situation, the Diplomacy Skill is all about orming and keeping positive connections. Specialisations: rading, Etiquette, Leadership, Rapport.
SKILL DESCRIPTORS Athletics: Tis skill covers most o dexterous things the human body can do. It is your ability to move nimbly and swifly; it is your sense o balance and your reflexes. Te more agile, lean and acrobatic you want to be, the higher your Athletics Skill should be.
Drive: Operating heavy equipment, hopeully
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SKILLS while not taking medication. Te Drive Skill covers anything you can ride, drive or pilot. Cars, Boats, trains, airships, horses, donkeys, ostriches; as long as you are controlling something else to move you around, Drive will most likely cover it. Specialisations: Horse Riding, Boat Sailing, Airship Operations.
Lie Detector, General Knowledge Investigation: Searching, tracking, querying, researching. Investigate is all about finding the truth, whether it is through the interrogation o a person o interest, looking at a room and knowing the butler did it, or tracking your quarry down ten days afer they skipped town. Investigation is not just Perception, it is the entire process o searching and uncovering. Specialisations: Interrogation, racking.
Fight: Some say this is what humans are best at. Some say we only achieved our current level o technology because o this. All we know is it’s called the Fight Skill, and that i you want to get gritty and dirty in melee combat, you need to get your Fight Skill up as high as possible. Specialisations: One Handed Weapons, wo Handed Weapons, Unarmed Combat, Duel Wielding.
Logic: raditionally defined as “reasoning”, “deduction”, “analysis”. Logic in Z-LAND is as vague a skill as Intuition and covers all orm o academic learning, problem solving, and technical knowledge. Logic is not gut instinct or trivia; you would have needed to study something at length and with difficulty in order to use Logic to or your Skill Check. Specialisations: Biology, History, Maths, actics
Fine-Craf: Te first o the two Craf Skills and the exact opposite to Broad-Craf. Fine-Craf is all about details and fine-motor skills. I what you are creating or fixing needs intricate work then it calls or Fine-Craf. Fine-Craf can be used at any scale, not just or little things. From trying to stitch a wound, to fixing the wiring o a house, to making a new firing pin or a gun, to coding a new computer program. Specialisations: Craf [Proession], First Aid, inkering, Wiring.
Luck: Open any dictionary and you will find in the definition o “luck” that it is uncontrollable. Luck is not something you can affect or influence, it merely happens. It is the random order to the universe. However, in Z-LAND you will know exactly how lucky you are with the Luck Skill and you can even spend EXP to make yoursel luckier. Other than or Sigil Tresholds, Loot ables and Inections, your GM can call or a Luck Skill Check whenever something happens over which you have no control and no skill or action you take will matter; like seeing i a stray rock rom an avalanche hits you or the guy next to you. Specialisations: Sigil Treshold, Looter, Inection Resistance.
Intimidation: I Deceive is about lying and Diplomacy is about convincing, then Intimidation is all about putting the ear o god into them. You could go the blunt way, using your raw strength and aura to righten someone into backing down, or perhaps you like the subtle, quiet, decent way and threaten his amily with intimate knowledge o his children’s schedule. It’s not nice and sometimes it’s not clean, but someone’s gotta do it. Specialisations: Demoralise, Treaten, Command.
Might: Raw power and pure muscle. Might measures how physically strong you are and what you can do with all that strength. From throwing things (and people) around to lifing heavy objects and moving things out o your way. It also measures how powerul you can move yoursel around, so i you want to be good at climbing or swimming, or dragging your sel through a mile o mud, then Might is or you. Specialisations: Lifing, Climbing, Swimming.
Intuition: Gut eelings, instinct, lie experience. Intuition is the knowledge you pick up through lie just by living. Tere’s no reason or theory involved, just knowing things. Whether that is picking up on someone lying, some general knowledge trivia, or how to fix a broken lightbulb, i your gut knows how to do it, you’re set. Specialisations: Danger Sense, Sense Motive,
Perception: Te five senses. Actually closer to
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SKILLS fifeen i you believe some people. Perception is unsurprisingly about what you perceive about the world around you. It’s not just about the signals your brain is getting, but about the processing o those signals. It is the difference between looking and seeing, between hearing and listening. You could see the lady in red, but your mind might be a million miles away and there goes the target without you ever truly noticing. Specialisations: Enhanced [Sense].
Specialisations: Meditate, Resist Interrogation, Resist emptation, Fearless.
Shoot: I you can kill the opponent beore they ever get to you, was it really a fight? Whatever the case may be, like Fight, Shoot is unsurprisingly about shooting things at, usually, people. Fight is or melee, Shoot is ranged. Pistols, rifles, cannons, bows, crossbows, slings or the good old throwing a rock. Te higher your Shoot Skill, the more accurate you will be. Specialisations: Pistols, Rifles, Bows, Crossbows. Stealth: Being undetected by others, usually with the purpose o doing something you aren’t supposed to. Honourable men don’t sneak, do they? Anything underhanded you wish to do without anyone being the wiser, you can rely on the Stealth Skill, be it sneaking about roofops in the middle o the night, palming a key off a desk or blending in with the crowds. Specialisations: Sneaking, Smuggling, Blending In. Wealth: Money, the love o which has been said to be root o all evil. Looking at the rich nobs, it’s hard to argue with that sentiment. But we’d all rather be the rich nob than the poor pleb staring daggers at said rich nob, now wouldn’t we? Money can’t buy happiness, but I’d rather be crying in a palace than in a hovel i it’s all the same to you. Specialisations: Land, Slaves, Antiques, Jewelry. Will: Te body can’t achieve anything without the mind. A weak body with a powerul mind is infinitely more dangerous than a powerul body with a weak mind. Te Will Skill is all about willpower. Resisting temptation, interrogation, intimidation, torture, hunger, thirst, ear, resisting the urges and weakness o the flesh to keep you alive.
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EQUIPMENT
EQUIPMENT Te short o it is that there isn’t money or equipment in the traditional sense. Z-LAND is first and oremost a narrative one. It’s all about the story your group creates together, and keeping track o how many dollars cents and bottlecaps you have in your wallet to buy the Ultimate Apocalypse Sword +1, or whether the pipe wrench or two handed axe does more damage completely breaks the immersion o the game. In saying that, there are mechanics that you can use to add to the realism o your games without breaking the immersion o your players.
go down, but that does not mean your coin purse is infinite. I you ever succeed on a Wealth Skill Check but your roll is within 10 points o your Modified Wealth Skill Level or that Check, then you gain a -5 penalty to all Wealth Skill Checks or the remainder o the session. Tis penalty does stack with itsel , meaning i you roll a successul Wealth Skill Check again and once again roll within 10 points o your Modified Wealth Skill Level then you will receive another -5 penalty, making your Wealth penalty -10 now. Tis simulates you slowly losing money by spending it all. Tis penalty will stay in effect until you get more money . How that happens is up to you. You could pickpocket a merchant, rob a bank, kidnap a leprechaun or do some missions or a client. When you get money your GM can remove some o the penalties you have acquired. How many o the penalties are removed are up to your GM and how much money you got. One pickpocketing might only remove 1 penalty while cracking open a sae could get you back to your ull Wealth Skill. O course you can always get more money even i your Wealth Skill has no penalties on it . Your ability to pick pockets does not magically disappear i your pocket book is ull. I this happens, then you will gain bonuses to the next ew purchases you make. How large a bonus or how many purchases? Once again, that’s up to your GM. One pocket picked might only give you a +5 bonus or the next purchase, while a bank robbery could give you +30 or the rest o the session.
M���� While there isn’t any coppers and silvers to keep track o, money still plays a role as it can be a source o drama when you can’t buy what you need and have to work out alternative, perhaps not so legal, means o getting what you want. o simulate this, Z-Land uses the Wealth Skill. Tis represents your coin purse, your pocketbook or wherever you keep your “hard earned” money. It can be leveled up just as any other Skill and you can even Specialise in it should you so wish. I you want to buy anything, your GM will decide the value o the object by using the Difficulty Modifier to determine how difficult it would be or the ordinary chap to buy the object given the circumstances you are in. I you pass, you’ve bought it, i you ail you couldn’t afford it. GMs, you don’t have to make your players roll or every little thing they want to buy, remember it’s all about what urthers the plot and adds drama. A pint at the local public house while passing the time doesn’t need a Wealth Skill Check, but buying the last bottle o stout that the Monks o the Order o the White Pearl brewed two centuries ago does qualiy or a Wealth Skill Check.
E������ M���� While stealing your way through lie and doing odd jobs or odd olk may put ood on your table, you might be looking or something a little more stable. Perhaps a career, or a stipend rom wealthy beneactors, or even a return on investing in that quaint lemonade stand down the road. Whatever the case may be, earning a regular income is handled differently than the money luck and ate hands you.
L����� ��� G������ M���� Even though you have a Wealth Skill, you can spend all your money. Your Wealth Skill might never
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EQUIPMENT Your GM will give your source o income a Wealth Skill Level quite like that o a character, that will range rom 1 - 100 depending on how great a source o income it is. Ten, once a week your GM will roll 1 - 5d10 depending on how successul your GM thinks your source o income has been that week. For fixed sources o income, like that stipend rom your rich but childless uncle, this will o course be a fixed number. Add this result to your income’s Wealth Skill Level and you have that week’s Profit. For the rest o that week, whenever you have to roll a Wealth Skill Check, you can take some o that Profit and use it as a bonus to your roll. Te Profit then loses those points you’ve taken.
more kind to your bank account. Some people will even spend an hour haggling just to take 1% off the price. I you do it right, you could get even more than that. Haggling in Z-LAND will mostly be handled by roleplay. You will get to flex your acting muscles with the GM to see how much a discount you can get. However, there are some rolls involved that you can use i you want. Tese will all give you a bonus to your Wealth Skill Check that you will need to roll to purchase the item in question. Be warned though, you can’t just use everything in the Haggling Modifiers table to make sure you get the best deal. You can’t use Diplomacy to make the seller like you to give you that bonus then turn around and use Intimidate to get another bonus. Te work you just put in to get him to like you just vanished. You also can’t use the Diplomacy more than once to get multiple bonuses, you only get one bonus per sale. Since you are in competition with the seller to get a better price, Haggling is always an Opposed Skill Check: Diplomacy versus Diplomacy, Deceive versus Insight, and Intimidate versus Will.
Example:
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•
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Tomas’ character Cy owns a weapon store in a small town. While Cy is off adventuring, his sister runs the store. Tomas’ GM decides that the store’s Wealth Skill is 35 since it is the only weapon’s store in the small town. Te GM decides that since the weapon store has perormed quite well the past week, he will roll 4d10. Te result is 24, which the GM adds to the store’s Wealth Skill o 35. Tomas’ Profit or this week is 59. Tomas decides that it is time or Cy to get a new warhorse, but his Wealth Skill Level is only 43 and his GM has said this is a Severe -40 Skill Check. He decides to take 40 points rom his Profit to give Cy a +40 bonus to the Skill Check. His Profit is now only 19. He has to budget i he wants to have any money lef over by the end o the week.
HAGGLING MODIFIERS Successul Diplomacy Skill Check Successul Deceive Skill Check Successul Intimidate Skill Check
+20 to Wealth Skill +20 to Wealth Skill +20 to Wealth Skill
G��� Tere aren’t any equipment to worry about, mechanically speaking. At the end o the day a one inch knie can kill you as easily as a ten pound warhammer, and a pistol can put a hole in you just as well as a shotgun, so they will wound as much as each other mechanically. You should always make sure you know what weapons and armour and ammunition you have on you, as well as any other gear you need so you never caught with your pants around your ankles. You don’t want to orget whether you have a two handed sword or a paring knie on you when the proverbial
Whatever is lef over at the end o the week is lost when you get your new Profit. I several characters share a source o income, then they have to share the Profit amongst themselves as well.
H������� No one ever buys something at ull price. You always haggle the price down to something a little
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EQUIPMENT hits the an. In saying that, there are some modifiers that you can use to aid in your gameplay. Tis will mainly come down to armour and ranged weaponry.
• • • • •
A����� A����� C������
While there are Sof Armour -15 no hard and fixed -25 descriptions o the Sturdy Armour protective value o Strong Armour -35 each possible type o armour (and there are a lot o different types o armour in the world!), or the purposes o Z-LAND all armour all under three broad classes: Sof armour covers the various types o abricbased armours that are available in the world such as gambesons, stiffened silks and leather. Note that this does cover basic, everyday clothing. Basic clothing is not considered armour. Sturdy armour covers hardened and boiled leather, chainmail, Kevlar vests rated or handguns or its equivalent. Strong armour is your plate mail military grade flak vests or the equivalent. Armour does not stack for gameplay purposes, so don’t even think about wearing three suits o plate mail over each other. You can however have different types o armour, or no armour at all, covering different Hit Locations. For example you can have a mail military grade flak vest (Strong Armour) covering your torso; hardened leather (Sturdy Armour) covering your arms and legs; and a ashionable hat (No Armour) on your head. When you determine the severity o a wound by seeing how much the attacker and deender rolled under their Modified Skill Level and subtracting the deender’s result rom the attacker’s, add in the modifier o the armour to this calculation. In effect, the armour will lower the wound severity. I the wound severity number hits 0 or below, then no wound is incurred.
Karen adds together the results to calculate Wound Severity. 23+35=58. Gerrit is wearing plate armour over his torso, which counts as Strong Armour Strong armour has a rating o -35 58-35=23 Karen compares this number to the Wound Severity able and see that Cassandra inflicted a Significant wound on Gerrit instead o the Grievous Wound he would have suffered.
Armour is not the most comortable attire to walk around in and it does hamper your movement, not to mention the extra weight that you are carrying around that will also take its toll on you. For this reason, any Skill Check that involves your character being quick or nimble will come with a penalty i you wear armour. Tis is a -5 penalty per armour type, so -5 or Sof, -10 or Sturdy and -15 or Strong armour. I you are wearing different armour types on different parts o your PC’s body, then take the appropriate armour penalty based upon which limb is used. I the whole body is being used in a Skill Check, then used the highest rated armour your PC is wearing. Always remember in what sort o setting your playing in when thinking about armour. It is always tempting to get the biggest and strongest armour available, but you can run into some trouble because o it. Tink about seeing a man walk into your local restaurant wearing a military flak vest, you’ll certainly treat him differently.
R����� W������� A key difference between ranged and melee combat is that in ranged combat it is not solely your skill with the weapon that determines whether you successully hit your opponent. Te chie culprit in this is range. Between the orce o gravity and the amount o powder in your rounds, you have the least say in how ar your bullets travel. In Z-LAND there are 5 range bands which affect how ar you can shoot a ranged weapon. Each type o ranged weapon has an associated range which shows the maximum range it can accurately shoot. Beyond its given range in the table below it is inaccurate to such a degree that hitting someone comes down
Example: • Karen’s character Cassandra and William’s character Gerrit were in a shootout. • Cassandra shot Gerrit and hit. • Karen rolled 23. • William rolled 35 above his Modified Skill Level . • Since William rolled over his Skill Level,
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EQUIPMENT more to luck than skill. A ranged weapon can always be fired at targets in ranged bands closer than it’s maximum range, just not arther.
WEAPONS
RANGE
Pistols Shotguns Cross Bows Short Bows Submachine Long Bows Rifles Machine guns
Near Medium Medium Medium Medium Far Far Far
rom your weapon class, making the damage you inflict worse and potentially increasing the severity o the Wound Inflicted. Te table below gives some examples o what the classes o ranged weapons can be, but the individual ranged weapons you use will be classed by your GM.
WEAPONS
LIGHT
Near
.22 pistol
Medium
Shortbow
Far
.22 hunting rifle
MEDIUM
HEAVY
9mm pistol 44 Magnum Slug shelled Crossbow Shotgun AK-47
50 caliber rifle
S�����
Te 5 ranged bands are as ollows: • Close: melee range. I you can hit something with a stick then they are within Close range. • Near: rom a ew meters away up to a couple o dozen meters. Tis is the range at which pistols and thrown objects will accurately hit their target. Anywhere in a room, decently sized house or equivalent is in Near range. • Medium: most o the way across a ootball field, Medium range requires a people to shout to be heard and good sized weapons to hit something. • Far: rom the ar end o a ootball field to easily twice that distance. Tis is the urthest a person can reliably hit someone or something without assistance rom a scope. • Distant: any distance urther than the above. You need binoculars to see what’s going on and a scope to accurately hit anything.
Scopes and other magniying devices or ranged weaponry work by increasing the ranged band or firing a ranged weapon. A +1 Scope will turn a Rifle’s range rom Far to Distant, while a +2 Scope will turn a Pistol’s range rom Near to Far. A +3 Scope is the best Scope you will be able to find.
A����� P������� Armour piercing or ranged weapons work exactly the same was as the Armour Classes do. Just as armour is rated as either Sof, Sturdy, or Strong, armour piercing projectiles are rated against Sof, Sturdy, or Strong. So i you have an armour piercing round that is rated against Strong Armour, then when determining the wound severity o a hit, ignore the modifier that Strong Armour provides. Te same would be true or an armour piercing round rated against Sof or Sturdy Armour.
R����� D����� Te weapon you have CLASS DAMAGE will not only say how ar it Light 10 can shoot, but how much Medium 20 damage it will deal. All Heavy 30 weapons are divided into three broad classes: Light, Medium and Heavy. Te table above shows the damage each class does when you hit someone or something with a Shoot Skill Check. Damage rom a weapon works similarly to Armour. Afer you have successully hit someone/ something, and you determine the severity o Wound to be inflicted, you add to that number the damage
M���� W������� For melee weapons, there clearly aren’t any ranged bands to worry about, but there is the weight and shape o the weapon that can have an impact on how accurate you are with it. Te more cumbersome a weapon, the harder it is to hit. Melee weapons are classed into different weights in the same way that ranged weapons are (Light, Medium and Heavy) with the same damage done by each class. However, each class o melee weapons has
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EQUIPMENT CLASS
DAMAGE
MOD
Light Medium Heavy
10 20 30
-5 -10 -15
an associated penalty to using it with a Fight Skill Check, as shown in the table above. Te heavier a weapon is, the more difficult it is to use, but the more damage it deals when it does hit. Te table below has some example o melee weapons rom each class, but as with the ranged weapons, your GM will determine the weight class o the specific weapon you are using.
WEAPONS Light
Medium
Heavy
EXAMPLE Knives Daggers Batons Knuckle-dusters Swords Maces Clubs Bats Hatchets Spears Axes Sledgehammers Pole-weapons Greatsword
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ADVANCEMENT
ADVANCEMENT Advancement o your characters works by spending EXP to increase your Skill Levels. Each Skill is leveled up individually and it takes 1 EXP to increase a Skill Level by 1 level . Each Skill’s base level is 30, although by the time you finish Character Generation your Skill Levels will be greater than this. Starting at Level 50 every 10 Skill Levels you will be given the option o a Specialisation in that skill, so you will get one at Skill Level 50, 60, 70, etc. A Specialisation Level is increased by 2 or every EXP you spend in that Specialisation. Whatever you spend in a Specialisation or its parent Skill is not carried over between the two. For example: say you have Fight at Skill Level 51 and One Handed Weapons Specialisation at 62, i you spend an EXP to increase Fight to Level 52, One Handed will not increase to 63, and vice versa.
your skills up to high levels, and this is meant or the longer campaigns you can play in.
DECIDING WHICH SKILLS TO LEVEL UP Whichever Skill you want to level up with your newly acquired EXP is (almost) entirely up to you. You choose where you want to spend your EXP. Tere is only one restriction: you can only choose a Skill to level up i you have rolled that Skill this last session. Te skills you have not rolled this session haven’t been used by your character this session, and thus your character can’t have gotten better at something they haven’t been practicing. When it comes to Specialisations, you need to have rolled that specific Specialisation this session to be able to spend EXP in it, rolling its parent Skill doesn’t count.
WAYS TO GAIN EXP LEVELING TIME
For each o the ways listed below, your character will gain 1 EXP.
EXP is only awarded afer a session, so that is the only time when you can spend the EXP to level up your Skills. In between sessions you will have the time to decide which Skills to level up by taking into account which Skills you have rolled that session, which Skills you think you will need most next session, which Skills you think your character or the group needs most or even just what you think is the coolest Skill. Because you can only choose a Skill to level up i you have rolled that Skill this last session, you cannot store EXP or a later date and time. Any EXP you gained rom a sessions must be spent beore the next session.
Gameplay/Roleplay: • For turning up the game. • Being instrumental to advancing the plot. • Rolling your Modified Skill Level in a Skill Check. EXP gained here can only be used in that Skill or Specialisation. Finishing an important quest line or a mission. • • Any amazing roleplay. Tis is up the group and GM, but the roleplay needs to be a magnitude to be the stuff o legends. Survival: • Avoiding becoming Inected rom a zombie bite/scratch/etc. • Surviving Hypothermia or Hyperthermia. • Surviving afer having gone unconscious due to Hunger, Tirst or Stamina.
TRADING EXP In between sessions, as well as spending your EXP you can also trade 1 EXP between Skills. Tis is or those Skills that you have decided not to use as ofen but you don’t want to waste the EXP you spent in them. Tere are restrictions on this however. In between each session, you can only trade 1 EXP
I you get all these EXP every session, it is possible to level up 1 Skill rom the Base Level o 30 to Level 100 in only 10 sessions (assuming no Specialisations). It will take a long while to get all
35
ADVANCEMENT rom 1 Skill to another. You also can’t trade that 1 EXP rom a skill that you have just spent your resh EXP on. I you want to trade EXP rom or to a Specialisation, then you can still only trade 1 EXP. Te doubling you get when leveling a Specialisation doesn’t count when trading EXP. rading EXP is also restricted by which Skills you rolled in the latest session. You can only trade to a Skill that you have rolled in the latest session.
SKILL CAP By deault all skills are capped at Skill Level 100. Tis means that the maximum Skill Level a Skill can get to is Skill Level 100. Any EXP that is spent on a skill afer Skill Level 100 is wasted. Tis also includes Specialisations. Depending on your setting, you may wish to increase or decrease the Skill Cap or all skills or only or some skills. For example, i you are using PCs rom species other than humans you may eel that these species are distinct enough rom humans that some, or all, o their skills are better or worse than humans. I this is the case, simply make a note o the new Skill Caps and remember that they will act just as the deault Skill Caps, meaning that any EXP spent in that skill afer it has reached the Skill Cap will be lost.
36
CHARACTER CREATION In Z-Land you can play as anyone you can imagine and with the character generator, some you didn’t even think you could imagine. However, Z-Land is first and oremost a setting meant or you to play in as yoursel. Te character generator provides you the option o randomly creating a character, although you can simply pick the options best suited to your own history to turn yoursel into a Z-Land character. For each question in the character generators, roll a d100 and record the result. In most cases, your result will get you one or two skills. Each time you gain a skill, roll a d5 (d10/2) and increase that Skill’s Level by that amount, unless otherwise noted. All Skills start at L evel 30, so anything you get is added onto this. Te character creation will build a character all the way rom birth to whatever age you choose to start the game at. It is all based on dice rolls (although i you already have a specific character idea in mind, you can always choose the options that are best suited to your idea, it will still be balanced). Te character creation is set up in three different time rames: D-Day, Apocalypse Era, and New-Genesis. D-Day characters are or when you want to start the game beore or at the time o the apocalypse; Apocalypse Era characters are already a decade or two into the new, apocalyptic world; and New Genesis characters are a century or so afer the world has changed and when no living memory o the current world remains. Whichever time rame you want to play in, still complete the “WHO ARE YOU” section on the next page. I you want to jump straight into a game then at the end o each o the three time rames’ character generators you will find ten archetypes with ully filled in Skills that you can pick rom to start the game. Each archetype is based on one o ten careers or lie-paths, so i you are a Policeman or an Artist (or example) then you can just pick that archetype and jump straight into Z-Land. Lastly, i you are having trouble thinking o a name, at the end o the character generators there is a random name table to help you out. Afer the character generators, you will find five premade characters or each time rame to choose rom i you want a quick start to the game but you also want a ully fleshed out character. Each o the fifeen premade characters were made with the character generator, so you can see what sort o characters you can make as well. In whatever way you make your characters, cherish them now because Z-Land is a dangerous world and they might not last long in the apocalypse.
37
CHARACTER CREATION
WHO ARE YOU?
S�� 01 - 50 51 - 100
H���������
Male Female
01 - 89 90 - 99 100
S��� C����� 01 - 17 18 - 34 35 - 50 51 - 66 66 - 83 84 - 100
Pale Fair Ivory Olive Brown Black
M��� B��� ��� 01 - 10 11 - 25 26 - 40 41 - 60 61 - 75 76 - 90 90 - 100
Scrawny Lean Athletic Average Brawny Stocky Heavy
H��� C����� 01 - 34 35 - 68 69 - 100 101 - 122 123 - 166 167 - 200
Red Blonde Chestnut Auburn Brown Black
F����� B��� ��� 01 - 10 11 - 25 26 - 40 41 - 60 61 - 75 76 - 90 90 - 100
Petite Slender Fit Average Muscular Buxom Plump
38
Right Handed Lef Handed Ambidextrous
E�� C����� 01 - 34 35 - 68 69 - 100 101 - 122 123 - 166 167 - 200
Blue Grey Green Hazel Brown Dark Brown
For H��� C����� and E�� C�����, add the number result o the S��� C����� to your roll.
CHARACTER CREATION
D-DAY D-Day has been called many things since the Longest Night happened and the world orever changed, but it is the definitive date o the apocalypse. Creating characters in the D-Day era means one big thing: your character survived the day the world ended. Whatever else happens in their lie, this is something to be proud o, because ew can say they survived D-Day uninected. D-Day era characters work perectly or games where you want to start off just beore or on D-Day, but they are equally equipped or games where you want to go through normal, everyday lie or days, weeks, i not months beore the Inected change the world. Tis is because D-Day characters are just normal, regular people. Tey have yet to go through that terrible crucible that separates the wheat rom the chaff.
39
CHARACTER CREATION
CHILDHOOD DO YOU REMEMBER YOUR PARENTS? P������� S��R��� S����� ��� 01 - 50 51 - 70 71 - 90 91 -100
Both were alive Something happened to mum Something happened to dad Something happened to both
H�� L���� W�� Y��� F������ 01 - 20 21 - 40 41 - 60 61 - 80 81 - 100
iny Small Average Large Massive
Luck & Fine-Craf -
WHAT HAPPENED TO THEM? (Only if 51-100 on previous roll)
R���
W��� ���������
S�����
01 - 11
I never knew my parent(s)
12 - 22
My parent(s) were murdered
23 - 33
My parent(s) abandoned me
Will & Diplomacy Investigate & Intuition Wealth & BroadCraf
34 - 44 45 - 55 56 - 66 67 - 77 78 - 88 89 - 100
Athletics & Drive Logic & Constitution Intimidate & Perception Burglary & Fight Shoot & Deceive Might & Stealth
HOW STRICT WERE YOU CAREGIVERS? R��� ��� S�����
WHAT WAS YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD? R��� ��� S����� 01 - 20
My parent(s) died in a war/ battle My parent(s) died in an accident/o an illness My parent(s) and I are estranged My parent(s) are in prison I killed my parent(s) I was kidnapped rom my parent(s)
Te Nazis could’ve Might & Fight learnt a thing or two Spare the rod, spoil Constitution 21 - 40 the child & Shoot I got smacked when I Broad-Craf 41 - 60 needed it & Athletics Best riends with the Burglary & 61 - 80 “naughty corner” Deceive I didn’t have Drive & 81 - 100 caregivers, I had staff Wealth 01 - 20
Deus Vult!
Intimidate & Luck Fine-Craf & 21 - 40 Jesus loves us all Logic As long as it doesn’t Diplomacy & 41 - 60 affect my day-to-day lie Investigate I leave him alone and Intuition & 61 - 80 he leaves me alone Stealth I don’t know and I don’t 81 - 100 Perception & Will care
40
CHARACTER CREATION R���
WHERE DID YOU GROW UP? W���� ��� ��� ���� ���
01 - 10 11 - 20 21 - 30
On the streets On the road, always traveling or business On the arm, in the muck
31 - 40
In the shop, always underoot
41 - 50 51 - 60 61 - 70 71 - 80 81 - 90 91 - 100
On the run rom enemies In a boring suburban home In a boarding school In a mansion, waited upon hand and oot In a cramped urban apartment In one military base or the other
S����� Stealth & Burglary Drive & Fine-Craf Athletics & Constitution Broad-Craf & Diplomacy Fight & Shoot Perception & Luck Logic & Investigate Wealth & Intimidate Deceive & Intuition Will & Might
WHO INFLUENCED YOUR CHILDHOOD THE MOST? G������� R��� S����� I�������� My parent(s) (or the 01 - 10 idea o them i they Drive & Diplomacy are gone) My sibling (or riend 11 - 20 Athletics & Fight i you’re an only child) Fine-Craf & 21 - 30 My best riend Burglary Logic & Broad31 - 40 My avourite teacher Craf 41 - 50 A military hero Shoot & Might Intimidate & 51 - 60 My bully Stealth 61 - 70 A celebrity Intuition & Wealth Will & 71 - 80 A religious leader Constitution A fictional character 81 - 90 rom my avourite Investigate & Luck book/tv show/movie Deceive & 91 - 100 Me Perception
41
HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT YOUR CHILDHOOD?
R���
S����
S�����
01 - 10 Happy Athletics & Deceive 11 - 20 Sad Diplomacy & Intuition 21 - 30 Angry Shoot & Intimidate 31 - 40 Peaceul Drive & Broad-Craf 41 - 50 Araid Perception & Stealth 51 - 60 Ashamed Burglary & Constitution 61 - 70 Conused Luck & Might 71 - 80 Proud Fine-Craf & Fight 81 - 90 Cynical Investigate & Will 91 - 100 Indifferent Logic & Wealth
CHARACTER CREATION
TEEN YEARS WHO WAS YOUR BEST FRIEND? R��� W��� S����� 01 - 10
A street urchin
11 - 20
Te “rich kid” A young armhand
21 - 30 31 - 40
Perception & Stealth Wealth & Drive Might & Shoot
Te “normal kid”
41 - 50 Te loner/outcast 51 - 60
An army brat
61 - 70
A bookworm
71 - 80 81 - 90 91 - 100
Te Pastor’s daughter/son A powerul politician’s child I didn’t have a best riend
R���
Broad-Craf & Diplomacy Athletics & Burglary Fight & Constitution Luck & Investigate Will & Intuition Deceive & Fine-Craf Logic & Intimidate
WHAT WAS YOUR FAVOURITE SUBJECT IN SCHOOL?
R���
W�����
01 - 10
Science
S�����
Logic & Investigate Burglary & 11 - 20 Social Studies Fine-Craf 21 - 30 Outdoor Education Drive & Athletics 31 - 40 Legal Studies Deceive & Luck 41 - 50 Woodwork/Metalwork Broad-Craf & Fight English (or vernacular 51 - 60 Diplomacy & Stealth i different language) Intuition & 61 - 70 Drama/Teatre Intimidate Constitution & 71 - 80 Gym Class Might Home Economics/ Wealth & 81 - 90 Hospitality Perception 91 - 100 Mathematics Will & Shoot
HOW DID IT GO WITH YOUR FIRST CRUSH? H�� ��� ��� S�����
01 - 10 11 - 20 21 - 30 31 - 40 41 - 50
Sweet, like chocolate Luck & Broad-Craf Tey loved me, and so did their best riend Constitution & Athletics I ought with my best riend over them Shoot & Burglary I caught them and their old lover together Intuition & Fight Teir parents didn’t like me Fine-Craf & Intimidate Tey got involved with the wrong crowd and 51 - 60 Burglary & Might turned to crime Tey didn’t know I existed, but I up-voted all 61 - 70 Will & Logic their photos 71 - 80 Tey kept secrets rom me Investigate & Stealth 81 - 90 Tey didn’t love me back Drive & Perception 91 - 100 Cheap and by the hour Deceive & Diplomacy
42
CHARACTER CREATION DID YOU LOSE ANYONE? (If you roll a person whom you do not have, then fate spared you)
R���
W���
S�����
01 - 10 My parent(s) 11 - 20 My sibling 21 - 30 My crush 31 - 40 Extended amily member 41 - 50 My best riend 51 - 60 My avourite teacher 61 - 100 Fate spared me or now Luck & Will
HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT YOUR TEENAGE YEARS R��� S���� S����� 01 - 10 Happy Might & Athletics 11 - 20 Sad Shoot & Constitution 21 - 30 Angry Will & Burglary 31 - 40 Peaceul Fight & Logic 41 - 50 Araid Deceive & Investigate 51 - 60 Ashamed Intimidate & Stealth 61 - 70 Conused Intuition & Diplomacy 71 - 80 Proud Drive & Luck 81 - 90 Cynical Fine-Craf & Perception 91 - 100 Indifferent Broad-Craf & Wealth
IF YOU LOST SOMEONE, WHAT HAPPENED TO THEM? R��� W��� ��������� S����� 01- 20 21-30 31-40 41-50 51-60 61-70 71-80 81-90 91-100
Tey vanished. No one knows how or when An accident, nothing could be done Murder most oul
Old debts chased them away Illness. Not even the priests could help An ill-ated journey was Drive & Stealth their end Tey were kidnapped. No Logic & ransom was demanded Diplomacy Te police discovered they Burglary & were a vicious killer and Wealth locked them up Tey gave up on this world Shoot & and rest eternally Deceive
R���
THE TURNING POINT IN MY YOUNG LIFE WAS WHEN I... Y��� ������� �����
01 - 10
Nearly died. I still bear the scars o the incident
11 - 20 21 - 30 31 - 40 41 - 50 51 - 60 61 - 70 71 - 80 81 - 90 91 - 100
Investigate & Intuition Might & FineCraf Perception & Fight Athletics & Intimidate Constitution & Broad-Craf
S�����
Constitution & Perception Athletics & Fine-Craf
Saved someone rom dying. I was the hero they needed Were blackmailed by criminals to do something terrible. Te Stealth & Shoot memories still haunt my dreams Found a starving, dying animal and nursed it back to health. It became Broad-Craf & Drive your my companion Got an addiction. I don’t know what is worse, the substance I take or Burglary & Fight the withdrawal pains i I don’t Got disowned by those closest to me. I never saw them again Will & Deceive Were given a precious amily heirloom. I keep it on me always Logic & Might My most prized possession is stolen. My world was suddenly empty Investigate & Intimidate ravelled around the world. I saw things which orever changed how I Luck & Intuition look at the world. Won the jackpot during my first time at a casino Wealth & Diplomacy
43
CHARACTER CREATION
ADULTHOOD YOUR JOB: So now that you turned 18, you are an adult and it’s time to find a job, or at least some way to make money. Simply roll a d100 to see which job your character thought was best or them, or which job ate chose or them. Even i you think it doesn’t match your character’s current skill set, remember that everyone has wanted to do something they weren’t exactly the best at. A job’s term lasts 3 years. For your very first term in a job, you gain 1d5 Skill Levels in the Skill listed next to the Job. For each successive 3 year term, roll a d10 to see i you stay in your current job. I you roll a 1-6, you stay in your current job and gain another 1d5 Skill Levels in its associated Skill. I you roll a 7-8, you move to another job within your overall Career (eg: within Athlete, or within Cleric). Roll a d10 within that specific Career table to find your new job, and gain 1d5 Skill Levels in that new job’s Skill. I you roll a 9-10, you move to an entirely new job. Roll a d100 to find your new job and get 1d5 kill Levels in that new job’s Skill. You then repeat this or every 3 year term until you decide that your character is at an age that you want to start the game. Once you decide to stop aging up your character, go on to the Final ouches section.
AGING When you hit 40, it’s all downhill rom there. Your eyes can’t see as well, you back gets stiff, you can’t hear as well as you used to and a flight o stairs leaves you puffing. Or so they say. o simulate the ravages o age, once your character turns 40 years old, afer every term in a job roll a +0 Constitution Skill Check. I you ail, reduce every Physical Skill Level by 1 . Afer the age o 60, reduce every Skill Level by 1. I you roll a 100 during any Age Check, reduce every Skill Level by 2.
44
CHARACTER CREATION 1-2 3-4 5-6 7-8 9-10
Economy Medicine Philosophy Science echnology
Luck Investigate Deceive Logic Intuition
ACADEMIC
11-12 13-14 15-16 17-18 19-20
ARTIST
21-22 23-24 25-26 27-28 29-30
Athletics Ball Sports E-Sports Racquet Sports Swimming
Athletics Drive Stealth Constitution Might
Friar/Beguine Lay Brother/Sister Missionary Monk/Nun Priest/Priestess
Deceive Intuition Burglary Fine-Craf Diplomacy
ATHLETE
31-32 33-34 35-36 37-38 39-40
BUREAUCRAT
41-42 43-44 45-46 47-48 49-50
Actor Author Dancer Painter Singer
Luck Perception Investigate Will Intuition
Accountant Administrator Civil Servant Librarian Office Worker
CLERIC 45
Wealth Investigate Perception Diplomacy Logic
CHARACTER CREATION 51-52 53-54 55-56 57-58 59-60
Burglar Fugitive Mobster Tie Vagrant
Burglary Athletics Intimidate Stealth Broad-Craf
HOBO
61-62 63-64 65-66 67-68 69-70
POLICEMAN
71-72 73-74 75-76 77-78 79-60
Entertainment Fashion Hospitality Luxury Goods Retail
Drive Luck Diplomacy Wealth Deceive
Builder Computing Engineer Labourer ailor
Shoot Fight Athletics Constitution Might
SALESMAN
81-82 83-84 85-86 87-88 89-90
SOLDIER
91-92 93-94 95-96 97-98 99-100
Emergency Response Military Provost Private Investigator Private Security Street cop
Broad-Craf Fine-Craf Constitution Intimidate Perception
Air Force Inantry Marines Navy Private Contractor
TRADESMAN 46
Drive Might Fight Will Shoot
CHARACTER CREATION
FINISHING TOUCHES DID YOU LOSE SOMEONE? HAVE YOU FOUND YOUR SOULMATE? R��� R����� 01 - 50 51 - 100
Yes No
HOW MANY CHILDREN DID YOU HAVE? (Natural born or adopted)
R���
(If you roll a person whom you do not have, then fate spared you)
R���
W�� ��� ���� �����
S�����
01 - 10 11 - 20 21 - 30 31 - 40 41 - 50 51 - 60 61 - 100
Your child(ren) Your mentor Your spouse/lover Your closest riend A sibling A parent Fate spared you
Deceive & Broad-Craf Logic & Intuition Drive & Will Fine-Craf & Shoot Diplomacy & Investigate Might & Fight Luck & Perception
R�����
01 - 10 11 - 30 31 - 50
One wo Tree Never work with 51 - 100 children or animals
HOW MANY OF YOUR LOVED ONES HAVE STUCK BY YOU THROUGHOUT YOUR LIFE? R��� H�� ���� ����� ����� 01 - 20 I stand alone in the world 21 - 40 A paltry ew still care 41 - 60 Only hal remain 61 - 80 Most o my loved ones stand with me I have more loved ones around me 81 - 100 than I can count
HOW DO YOU PREFER TO SPEND YOUR FREE TIME? R��� A������� S����� Learning new things and bettering mysel Creating beautiul things 21 - 40 that will outlast me Going to places I’ve never 41 - 60 been to beore With others talking, singing 61 - 80 and dancing the night away 81 - 100 Hunting & Fishing 01 - 20
47
Logic & Constitution Might & Wealth Burglary & Drive Intimidate & Athletics Stealth & Fight
CHARACTER CREATION WHAT IS MOST IMPORTANT TO YOU? ROLL
MOST IMPORTANT
WHAT IS YOUR SIN?
SKILLS
ROLL
Diplomacy & Fight My riends, the amily I Fine-Craf & 11-20 chose Intimidate Athletics & 21-30 My people, my nation Might Will & 31-40 My god(s), my aith Perception Knowledge, and the Logic & 41-50 study thereo Intuition Power and the will to Wealth & 51-60 use it Burglary echnology and the Drive & 61-70 uture Broad-Craf Freedom and chaos, as Luck & 71-80 nature intended Stealth Shoot & 81-90 Order, peace, tranquillity Investigate Deceive & 91-100 Mysel, clearly Constitution 01-10
SIN
SKILLS
01-10 Avarice Wealth & Stealth 11-20 Envy Burglary & Intuition 21-30 Gluttony Constitution & Investigate 31-40 Lust Diplomacy & Deceive 41-50 Pride Drive & Fine-Craf 51-60 Sloth Logic & Intimidate 61-70 Wrath Fight & Shoot 71-80 Apathy Will & Athletics 81-90 Obstinacy Might & Broad-Craf 91-100 Dissent Perception & Luck
My amily, my blood
WHAT IS YOUR VIRTUE? ROLL
SIN
01-10 Charity 11-20 Kindness 21-30 emperance 31-40 Chastity 41-50 Humility 51-60 Diligence 61-70 Patience 71-80 Empathy 81-90 Adaptable 91-100 Respect
Sins and Virtues are opposites, which means you can’t have both at once. You can’t be Kind and Envious. I you roll within the same range on the Virtue as on the Sin, reroll that Virtue.
SKILLS Fine-Craf & Stealth Diplomacy & Might Constitution & Wealth Fight & Luck Investigate & Will Athletics & Shoot Burglary & Intimidate Deceive & Intuition Broad-Craf & Logic Drive & Perception
YOUR LIFE THUS FAR HAS LEFT YOU WITH AN OUTLOOK ON PEOPLE: ROLL
OUTLOOK
SKILLS
01-10 I accept almost everyone Diplomacy & Fine-Craf 11-20 I don’t get along with most people Fight & Deceive 21-30 I like surrounding mysel with the rich and powerul Drive & Wealth 31-40 I am more comortable with the less privileged Burglary & Might 41-50 My riends obey the law, just like I do Perception & Investigate 51-60 I welcome those that flaunt the authorities Intimidate & Stealth 61-70 I enjoy the company o god-earing olk Will & Constitution 71-80 I associate with like minded sceptics Intuition & Shoot 81-90 I preer conversing with well educated persons Logic & Luck 91-100 I like people who don’t make a uss about schooling Broad-Craf & Athletics
48
CHARACTER CREATION
ARCHETYPES I you want to start a game quickly without going through the entire Character Generation process you can always use these pre-made archetypes.
ACADEMIC
ARTIST
S����
L����
S����
L����
S����
L����
S����
L����
Athletics Constitution Broad-Craf Diplomacy Fight Intimidate Logic Might Shoot Wealth
30 30 40 30 30 30 55 30 30 30
Burglary Fine-Craf Deceive Drive Intuition Investigate Perception Luck Stealth Will
30 40 40 30 40 50 30 50 40 40
Athletics Constitution Broad-Craf Diplomacy Fight Intimidate Logic Might Shoot Wealth
30 30 40 50 30 40 30 30 30 40
Burglary Fine-Craf Deceive Drive Intuition Investigate Perception Luck Stealth Will
40 30 55 30 40 30 30 50 40 30
ATHLETE
BUREAUCRAT
S����
L����
S����
L����
S����
L����
S����
L����
Athletics Constitution Broad-Craf Diplomacy Fight Intimidate Logic Might Shoot Wealth
55 50 30 30 30 30 40 40 40 30
Burglary Fine-Craf Deceive Drive Intuition Investigate Perception Luck Stealth Will
40 30 30 30 30 50 30 30 40 40
Athletics Constitution Broad-Craf Diplomacy Fight Intimidate Logic Might Shoot Wealth
30 30 30 55 30 40 40 30 30 40
Burglary Fine-Craf Deceive Drive Intuition Investigate Perception Luck Stealth Will
30 50 50 30 40 40 40 30 30 30
49
CHARACTER CREATION HOBO
CLERIC S����
L����
S����
L����
S����
L����
S����
L����
Athletics Constitution Broad-Craf Diplomacy Fight Intimidate Logic Might Shoot Wealth
30 30 40 50 30 30 40 30 30 40
Burglary Fine-Craf Deceive Drive Intuition Investigate Perception Luck Stealth Will
30 30 30 30 55 40 40 40 30 50
Athletics Constitution Broad-Craf Diplomacy Fight Intimidate Logic Might Shoot Wealth
40 30 30 30 40 50 30 40 40 30
Burglary Fine-Craf Deceive Drive Intuition Investigate Perception Luck Stealth Will
50 30 40 40 30 30 30 30 55 30
POLICEMAN
SALESMAN
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Athletics Constitution Broad-Craf Diplomacy Fight Intimidate Logic Might Shoot Wealth
40 40 30 30 40 30 30 30 50 30
Burglary Fine-Craf Deceive Drive Intuition Investigate Perception Luck Stealth Will
40 40 30 50 30 55 30 30 30 40
Athletics Constitution Broad-Craf Diplomacy Fight Intimidate Logic Might Shoot Wealth
30 30 40 40 30 30 30 30 30 55
Burglary Fine-Craf Deceive Drive Intuition Investigate Perception Luck Stealth Will
30 40 50 30 40 30 50 40 40 30
SOLDIER
TRADESMAN
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Athletics Constitution Broad-Craf Diplomacy Fight Intimidate Logic Might Shoot Wealth
50 40 30 30 55 40 30 40 40 30
Burglary Fine-Craf Deceive Drive Intuition Investigate Perception Luck Stealth Will
30 30 30 40 30 30 40 30 30 50
Athletics Constitution Broad-Craf Diplomacy Fight Intimidate Logic Might Shoot Wealth
30 40 55 40 40 30 30 50 40 30
Burglary Fine-Craf Deceive Drive Intuition Investigate Perception Luck Stealth Will
30 30 30 50 30 30 40 40 30 30
50
CHARACTER CREATION
APOCALYPSE ERA Te Apocalypse Era is exactly that: that time when the world has now ended and only the most deluded think there is a chance o going back. Te exact time when this Era takes place is up to your GM and group. A good deault would be about 15 years afer D-Day, but you can play in the Apocalypse Era anywhere rom 10 years to around 60 years afer D-Day. Te main eeling to get rom the Apocalypse Era is that the world beore is still within living memory, but the cities o that world has now been completely overgrown with plants and have begun to crumble. New characters that you start in the Apocalypse Era are vastly different rom D-Day characters and will in some ways be less complex in their generation. Tey have merely one world to grow up in, the world o the Inected. Tey won’t have the internet, the vast libraries o fiction novels, theatres and films and mountains o video games. Teir horizons are only as broad as they can see, and they will miss a lot that we take or granted. But they will be tougher, leaner and more cunning than us today. Tey are born survivors and natural killers. Tey grew up in a world where everyday was a struggle to survive and they have become stronger or that ordeal. Tey more than us and less than us. Tey are their own people and will be unlike what we expect. It is also possible and encouraged to start a character in the D-Day section and finish it in the Apocalypse Era section. For example: You can have a child born beore the plague grow up in the apocalypse and so you would do the Childhood portion in the D-Day section and the eenage and Adult sections o Apocalypse Era section. You can also have a een at D-Day that goes through Adulthood in the Apocalypse Era. Or you can simply go through the entire D-Day section and have your adult character age their way into the Apocalypse Era. Whatever orm your split-character generation takes, i you start at any point in the D-Day section, you must also do the Apocalypse ransition section which is unique to these split-characters.
51
CHARACTER CREATION
TRANSITION HOW DID YOU HANDLE THE START OF THE OUTBREAK? ROLL
SKILLS
01 - 10
Athletics & Perception Fine-Craf & Constitution
I ran. Lef everything and everyone behind. What else could I do? I ound what riends and amily I could, and we got out as ast as we 11 - 20 could. Te world was in chaos, so I did what I wanted and took what I wanted 21 - 30 and had un doing it. 31 - 40 I hid mysel away and prayed to God it would all just go away. My loved ones all gathered together to hide. We held each other as the 41 - 50 world outside went mad. I wasn’t near civilisation when it happened. When I got back, it was 51 - 60 over and the world was in ruins. I tried to hold out as long as I could and fight them off, but there were 61 - 70 just too many o them. I took advantage o others who tried to flee, and took everything rom 71 - 80 them that I could carry. I joined a militia that were trying to hold them off, but even when we 81 - 90 killed them they didn’t stay down. 91 - 100 Tat is between me and God. Let’s leave it at that.
Burglary & Investigate Stealth & Will Might & Diplomacy Drive & Logic Fight & Luck Wealth & Intuition Shoot & Broad-Craf Intimidate & Deceive
HAVE YOU KILLED OTHER LIVING HUMANS SINCE THE OUTBREAK? ROLL
SKILLS
01 - 10 11 - 20 21 - 30
Never. Lie is a precious light that I can’t snuff out. I would rather die. I haven’t needed to. Everyone I know died without my help. No. Luckily I’ve never been put in a position to make that choice.
31 - 40
I it was up to me, yeah, but it seems my group has higher values than me.
41 - 50 51 - 60
Will & Wealth Logic & Athletics Luck & Constitution Fine-Craf & BroadCraf Stealth & Deceive Fight & Drive
Well... technically speaking, no I haven’t. I didn’t have a choice. It was them or me. I I didn’t kill them, I’d have died. My loved one had become one o the Inected and needed to eat. What 61 - 70 Might & Investigate else could I do? I was only thinking o them. Tey were bitten and was about to turn. Tey 71 - 80 Intuition & Perception begged me. 81 - 90 It was an accident, I swear. I would never do it intentionally. Diplomacy & Shoot 91 - 100 Yeah, why wouldn’t I? Tere’s no cops around, so who’s gonna stop me? Intimidate & Burglary
52
CHARACTER CREATION WHAT’S THE WORST THING YOU HAVE DONE SINCE THE OUTBREAK? ROLL
SKILLS
01 - 10
I sold men and women like cattle, but it made me wealthy and I survived. Wealth & Fine-Craf I let the worst o humanity do inhumane things to me just to get enough 11 - 20 Will & Fight to eat. Tere was nothing else to eat, and human meat is nutritious... and 21 - 30 Constitution & Stealth surprisingly tasty. Tey were weak, starving and looked nearly dead, but I still stole the last 31 - 40 Burglary & Drive ood they had. I burnt a city to the ground and watched the flames light up the night as 41 - 50 Might & Luck the screams aded away. I sold out my closest riends and a part o my soul when a stranger offered 51 - 60 Intuition & Athletics me hope or a better lie. My child doesn’t know that I’m not their parent. I’m just the thie that 61 - 70 Logic & Shoot stole them rom a loving home. Tey were happy to give me all they had or my “cure” or the inection. Broad-Craf & 71 - 80 Te undead ound them later that night. Perception My group trusted me to give them a better uture, but I was wrong and Diplomacy & 81 - 90 they went through hell because o me. Intimidate I came across a group, lost and araid, and I led them to danger just so I 91 - 100 Deceive & Investigate could take their stuff.
WHAT SORT OF PEOPLE WERE THE LAST GROUP YOU WERE WITH? ROLL
SKILLS
Tey were gonna change the world, find a cure and put everything right. I’ve never seen such optimism. Te unluckiest bastards I’ve ever met. Nothing went right or them and 11 - 20 their numbers kept on alling. Tey were worse than the undead, except they knew exactly why they 21 - 30 killed, raped and burned. Good people, decent people. Tey just wanted to get on with their lives 31 - 40 and live in peace. Cowards, but it kept them alive or a time. Tey were always on the run. 41 - 50 Never stopped or the dead, or even the living. Tey couldn’t let go o the past. Tey were in denial about the new world 51 - 60 and reused to adapt to it. Lost and conused. Tey were never sure o what the hell was going on or 61 - 70 even where they were. Tey were the chosen people, saved by God Himsel. And boy, they didn’t 71 - 80 let anyone orget that. Ruthlessly pragmatic. Tey thought that i they were worse than everyone, 81 - 90 they wouldn’t find anyone worse than them. Te world didn’t care about them and they didn’t care about the world. It 91 - 100 was easy going, at least or a while. 01 - 10
53
Fine-Craf & Might Luck & Burglary Wealth & Fight Diplomacy & Constitution Stealth & BroadCraf Logic & Deceive Athletics & Investigate Will & Intimidate Shoot & Perception Intuition & Drive
CHARACTER CREATION WHAT’S THE WORST THING THAT’S HAPPENED TO YOU SINCE THE OUTBREAK? ROLL
01 - 10 11 - 20 21 - 30 31 - 40 41 - 50
SKILLS
I wasn’t quick enough to save my loved one. I had to watch them be eaten alive by the inected. Even when civilisation is gone, there are still rules. I broke them and paid or it with time spent in a cage. I had a gun to my head while they took everything I had, and then lef me or dead. I was bought like property and treated as such. Tey owned me and did whatever they wanted to me. Some disease nearly killed me, and everyone thought I was inected. I was a leper.
Te people I thought were my riends told me I was no longer needed nor wanted, and so now I’m alone. 61 - 70 Other than the usual? Nothing to write home about. Guess I was lucky. We had more supplies stockpiled than we knew what to do with it. Ten mother 71 - 80 nature destroyed it all. Sometimes the living are worse than the dead, especially when they cut down 81 - 90 someone you love like a dog. Tey’re dead. All o them. I finally thought I ound a group to belong to, and then 91 - 100 the world took it away. 51 - 60
Deceive & Constitution Might & Intuition Investigate & Broad-Craf Athletics & Wealth Will & FineCraf Stealth & Logic Shoot & Luck Perception & Burglary Intimidate & Fight Diplomacy & Drive
HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THE UNDEAD? ROLL
01 - 10 11 - 20 21 - 30 31 - 40 41 - 50 51 - 60 61 - 70 71 - 80 81 - 90 91 - 100
SKILLS
My lie was shit beore, and now I can do whatever I want. I should thank them. It’s a ate worse than death. My heart breaks or them and the hell they must be going through. Tey took everything rom me. I hate them, and I won’t rest till they’re all dead. Tis is their world now and we’re a part o it. We should accept that and all that comes with it. How do I eel? I’m terrified, what else?! Tey’re monsters and they’ve taken over the world! Every time I see them, I keep thinking o all the horrible things I had to do to survive. I don’t know. I still don’t understand them or how this all happened. I don’t think I ever want to. Tey are animals and I will kill them like animals. Humans will always be at the top o the ood chain. Man killed man long beore the world ended. Nothing has changed. Te undead are just honest about it. I have more important things to worry about than the dead, inected or not.
54
Luck & Wealth Fine-Craf & Intuition Fight & Investigate Will & BroadCraf Athletics & Stealth Burglary & Diplomacy Deceive & Might Shoot & Drive Logic & Perception Constitution & Intimidate
CHARACTER CREATION
CHILDHOOD WHAT WAS YOUR EARLIEST MEMORY? ROLL
SKILLS
01-10 A crash, I remember nothing rom beore that. Drive & Intimidate 11-20 Running or our lives rom something terrible. Athletics & Perception 21-30 Stealing ood to survive. Burglary & Will 31-40 Eating and living like royalty. Constitution & Wealth 41-50 Getting lost inside an old bunker. Fine-Craf & Investigate 51-60 Accidentally pulling the trigger... Broad-Craf & Shoot 61-70 My parents telling me it will all be OK. Deceive & Might 71-80 Finding a sae place to set up camp. Diplomacy & Luck 81-90 Watching my amily battle the Plagued. Fight & Logic 91-100 Hiding away when the bad men came. Intuition & Stealth
WHAT WERE THE PEOPLE YOU CALLED FAMILY LIKE? ROLL
SKILLS
01-10 Tey had everything, and the strength to protect it. Athletics & Wealth 11-20 Tey knew how to stay hidden, no matter the cost. Will & Stealth 21-30 Tey shot first and rarely stayed around to ask questions. Shoot & Luck 31-40 o them, strength was merely a matter o perception. Perception & Might 41-50 Smart people, always willing to talk through their issues. Logic & Diplomacy 51-60 Always on the move, stopping only when they had to. Investigate & Drive 61-70 ough bastards who took what the world threw at them. Intimidate & Constitution 71-80 Tey could bring anything mechanical back to lie. Intuition & Fine-Craf 81-90 Tey always were equipped to overcome any obstacle. Fight & Broad-Craf 91-100 Tieves and criminals, but then, who weren’t? Burglary & Deceive
WHERE DID YOU CALL HOME? ROLL
SKILLS
01-10 Dark stinking tunnels below the old, ruined cities. Stealth & Fight 11-20 A boat drifing rom port to port, scavenging what it could. Drive & Diplomacy 21-30 In one o their old towers that scraped the clouds. Broad-Craf & Burglary 31-40 In darkened woods surrounded who knows what. Investigate & Might 41-50 Te stars above me. Te open road below me. Intimidate & Athletics 51-60 A community that was able to survive the apocalypse. Logic & Fine-Craf 61-70 A stronghold the old armies had long since abandoned. Shoot & Perception 71-80 Inside a massive building that used to sell trinkets. Will & Wealth 81-90 A labyrinthine bunker deep below the earth. Luck & Intuition 91-100 As ar away rom any traces o civilisation as possible. Deceive & Constitution
55
CHARACTER CREATION WHICH GODS HEARD THE CRIES OF YOUR PEOPLE? ROLL
SKILLS
01-10 Te bleak gods o the bleak new world. Constitution & Fight 11-20 Te dark ones that destroyed the world that came beore. Broad-Craf & Luck 21-30 No gods, just science, but it didn’t stop them praying to it. Logic & Drive 31-40 Te loving martyr that brought about the apocalypse. Diplomacy & Will 41-50 Te conqueror that said the strongest deserve victory. Deceive & Intimidate 51-60 Gods with many aces, arms and personalities. Investigate & Perception 61-70 A stern king that judged his chosen people. Wealth & Stealth 71-80 Te calm sage who said the next lie would surely be better. Might & Intuition 81-90 Te committees who ruled the world but couldn’t save it. Athletics & Shoot 91-100 Te spirits o their dead ancestors. Fine-Craf & Burglary
HOW DID YOU RESPOND TO THIS?
HOW BIG WAS YOUR FAMILY?
ROLL
01-20 21-40 41-60 61-80 81-100
ROLL
Zealously. Devoutly. Moderately. Uncaringly. Antagonistically.
01-20 21-40 41-60 61-80 81-100
iny. Small. Average. Large. Massive.
WHO HAD THE BIGGEST IMPACT ON YOUR YOUNG LIFE? ROLL
SKILLS
01-10 Te stranger who smuggled me out o danger. Drive & Stealth 11-20 Te people who blazed the trails beore us. Athletics & Investigate 21-30 Te lying trader who scammed us. Burglary & Diplomacy 31-40 Te undead. Tey took everything rom me. Constitution & Will 41-50 My brother, who managed to get the power working again. Fine-Craf & Luck 51-60 My first riend. I learnt much rom them. Broad-Craf & Logic 61-70 My ather, he promised nothing would ever hurt us. Deceive & Intuition 71-80 Te raider who taught me a valuable lesson. Fight & Shoot 81-90 Te thie in the night who stole all we had. Intimidate & Might 91-100 My mother, she tried to give me everything she could. Perception & Wealth
56
CHARACTER CREATION WHAT DID YOU DO FOR FUN, WHEN YOU COULD GET AWAY? ROLL
SKILLS
01-10 Making zombie scarecrows, scarezombies. Broad-Craf & Intimidate 11-20 Breaking into old cars and pretending to drive. Drive & Intuition 21-30 Looked or shiny stuff rom the beore-world. Investigate & Wealth 31-40 Running around until my legs gave out. Athletics & Will 41-50 Stealing everything not nailed down and saving it or later. Burglary & Stealth 51-60 Playing “zombies and survivors” with my riends. Constitution & Shoot 61-70 Helping the adults out with whatever I could. Fine-Craf & Diplomacy 71-80 Bullying those kids weaker than me. Perception & Fight 81-90 Learning rom the adults how to be a better survivor. Logic & Might 91-100 Seeing how many lies i can get away with. Luck & Deceive
THE ONE SHINING MOMENT OF YOUR CHILDHOOD? ROLL
SKILLS
01-10 Killing my first undead. Athletics & Fight 11-20 Stealing a gun rom the adults and going shooting. Burglary & Shoot 21-30 Rebuilding our amily home afer a fire almost took it all. Constitution & Broad-Craf 31-40 Repairing an old music player a listening to music. Fine-Craf & Will 41-50 Outsmarting the adults around me. Deceive & Logic 51-60 Standing up to the bully that tormented me. Diplomacy & Intimidate 61-70 Finding a car that still worked and trying to drive. Drive & Luck 71-80 Spotting a trap that would have killed my parents. Intuition & Perception 81-90 Sneaking out o the compound and seeing the world. Investigate & Stealth 91-100 aking what I wanted rom someone weaker. Might & Wealth
LOOKING BACK, HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THIS TIME IN YOUR LIFE? ROLL
SKILLS
01-10 Araid Athletics & Stealth 11-20 Peaceul Burglary & Logic 21-30 Happy Fine-Craf & Broad-Craf 31-40 Cynical Diplomacy & Investigate 41-50 Proud Might & Drive 51-60 Sad Constitution & Intuition 61-70 Ashamed Deceive & Perception 71-80 Conused Fight & Luck 81-90 Angry Intimidate & Will 91-100 Indifferent Shoot & Wealth
57
CHARACTER CREATION
TEENAGE MY WHOLE WORLD CHANGED WHEN... ROLL
SKILLS
01-10 I stole the wrong thing rom the wrong guy. Burglary & Broad-Craf 11-20 I took the punishment or someone else’s misdeeds. Constitution & Intuition 21-30 I ound out that violence isn’t always the answer. Diplomacy & Perception 31-40 I ound a treasure trove, but kept it secret rom the group. Deceive & Wealth 41-50 I stood up to those who would enslave us. Might & Intimidate 51-60 I was exiled by the group and had to survive on my own. Athletics & Fine-Craf 61-70 I got cut off rom the group, had to find them on my own. Drive & Investigate 71-80 I came across ino that saved our group rom raiders. Logic & Luck 81-90 I chose not to take the shot. Shoot & Will 91-100 I murdered a good riend. Fight & Stealth
WHAT DID YOU LEARN FROM THE ADULTS AROUND YOU? ROLL
SKILLS
01-10 What learning? Tere was too much work to do. 11-20 How to always stay one step ahead o danger. 21-30 Tat no one should see you stealing things. 31-40 A well-built encampment is better than a thousand guns. 41-50 Skills rom the people who survived the apocalypse. 51-60 Tat I should take what I need, when I need it. 61-70 Knowing when, where, and how ar I push other people. 71-80 How to live off the land and keep mysel alive. 81-90 Tat the old world still has much to teach us. 91-100 o trust that things generally work out in the end.
Drive & Might Athletics & Deceive Burglary & Stealth Constitution & Broad-Craf Fine-Craf & Diplomacy Fight & Wealth Intuition & Intimidate Investigate & Shoot Logic & Perception Luck & Will
WHO STUCK WITH YOU THROUGH THICK AND THIN? ROLL
SKILLS
01-10 Te scout always had my back when I needed it. Athletics & Luck 11-20 A scavenger who could find anything you wanted. Burglary & Drive 21-30 No one has yet, I’m still searching. Constitution & Investigate 31-40 Te voices that warn me in my sleep. Intuition & Broad-Craf 41-50 Te one who was always a step ahead o everyone. Deceive & Logic 51-60 Te guy who always had it easy. Diplomacy & Wealth 61-70 Te bully that used to torment me. Fight & Will 71-80 My dog, the best riend a man could ask or. Might & Stealth 81-90 Someone who did the things I couldn’t do. Shoot & Intimidate 91-100 A introvert who couldn’t stop tinkering with things. Fine-Craf & Perception
58
CHARACTER CREATION WHO DID YOU LOSE?
WHAT HAPPENED TO THE PERSON YOU LOST?
ROLL
ROLL
01-10 My mother. 11-20 My ather. 21-30 A sibling. 31-40 My best riend. 41-50 My girl/boy-riend 51-60 My mentor. 61-70 A relative.
SKILLS
Broad-Craf & Intimidate 11-20 Went on a supply run and promised to come back. Deceive & Drive 21-30 I traded them in or a big pay off. Investigate & Wealth 31-40 Tey stole rom our group and was exiled. Athletics & Burglary Got mixed up with the wrong people in the worst Constitution & 41-50 ways. Fine-Craf 51-60 Picked a fight they could never have won. Diplomacy & Fight 61-70 Tey took the coward’s way out. Intuition & Will 71-80 Overconfidence. Te Inected don’t orgive mistakes. Logic & Might 81-90 Tey didn’t see the ambush, I did, but it was too late. Perception & Shoot 91-100 We hid rom the Inected, but I could hide better. Luck & Stealth 01-10
Tey died fixing a hole in our encampment’s walls.
HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT YOUR TEENAGE YEARS? ROLL
SKILLS
01-10 Ashamed Deceive & Broad-Craf 11-20 Araid Will & Drive 21-30 Conused Diplomacy & Stealth 31-40 Proud Perception & Wealth 41-50 Angry Fight & Intimidate 51-60 Happy Athletics & Might 61-70 Indifferent Burglary & Luck 71-80 Peaceul Constitution & Logic 81-90 Sad Shoot & Fine-Craf 91-100 Cynical Intuition & Investigate
WHAT IS LOVE? ROLL
SKILLS
01-10 Something to use and abuse. Athletics & Shoot 11-20 A stolen kiss. Burglary & Intuition 21-30 Something worth going the extra mile. Constitution & Drive 31-40 Something you must constantly work at. Broad-Craf & Fight 41-50 A heartache to be avoided at all costs. Deceive & Stealth Something that is more than the sum o 51-60 Diplomacy & Will its parts. 61-70 A treasure worth fighting or. Might & Wealth Holding onto the person meant only or 71-80 Intimidate & Luck you. Investigate & 81-90 An oasis that is always over the horizon. Perception Something that requires patience and 91-100 Logic & Fine-Craf effort.
WHAT DREAM DID YOU HAVE FOR THE FUTURE? ROLL
SKILLS
01-10 o leave it all behind and see what’s over the horizon. Fight & Drive 11-20 I didn’t dream about it, I worked hard to make it happen. Investigate & Broad-Craf 21-30 One where people paid or things I didn’t want and they needed. Luck & Wealth 31-40 o find and kill the person that’s wronged me. Shoot & Stealth 41-50 One where we no long have to run and hide rom everything. Athletics & Perception 51-60 A world where I steal rom the raiders or once. Burglary & Will 61-70 o be strong enough to protect those I care or. Constitution & Might 71-80 o find a cure, or at least convince the buyers that I have. Fine-Craf & Deceive 81-90 However it turned out, I wanted to rule it. Diplomacy & Intuition 91-100 Fear is strength in this world, and I wish to be strong. Intimidate & Logic
59
CHARACTER CREATION
ADULTHOOD WHAT DOES THE FUTURE HOLD IN STORE FOR YOU? ROLL
SKILLS
01-10 I need to find someone. I won’t rest until I do. Fine-Craf & Investigate 11-20 Tere’s a big score out there just waiting to be taken. Logic & Burglary 21-30 Helping humanity back onto its eet. Luck & Diplomacy 31-40 All the riches in the world i they don’t stop me. Shoot & Wealth 41-50 Killing as many undead as possible beore I die. Stealth & Might 51-60 Te road and wherever it takes me. Constitution & Drive 61-70 Creating a legacy that will outlive me. Broad-Craf & Intuition 71-80 Vengeance. Tere’s a grave that needs filling. Athletics & Fight 81-90 I need to atone or all the wrongs I have done. Deceive & Will 91-100 I’ll just have to wait and see. Perception & Intimidate
WHAT IS MOST IMPORTANT TO YOU IN THIS WASTED WORLD? ROLL
SKILLS
01-10 Always staying aster than the living & the dead. Athletics & Diplomacy 11-20 An eye or opportunities, wherever they’re presented. Burglary & Investigate 21-30 Strength. Te strong survive while the weak ade. Constitution & Might 31-40 Te people I call riends, the only ones I can trust. Fine-Craf & Deceive 41-50 Always doing something right the first time. Broad-Craf & Will 51-60 My ride, and they haven’t let me down yet. Drive & Luck 61-70 Patience, keeping cool and looking or my opening. Fight & Perception 71-80 Knowing when to take the shot. Intuition & Shoot 81-90 Control. It means power, stability and survival. Intimidate & Wealth 91-100 Keeping the flame alive, preserving our knowledge. Logic & Stealth
WHEN NOT BATTLING TO SURVIVE, WHAT DO YOU ENJOY DOING? ROLL
SKILLS
01-10 ravelling, the open road always clears the mind. Athletics & Drive 11-20 Shooting bottles and knocking them back. Burglary & Shoot 21-30 Strengthening ties with those I know. Constitution & Diplomacy 31-40 Going where I’m not suppose to with riends. Fine-Craf & Stealth 41-50 Creating things that might just save my lie one day. Broad-Craf & Luck 51-60 Punching someone in the ace. Deceive & Fight 61-70 Watching over those around me. Intuition & Perception 71-80 Finding our weaknesses and removing them. Intimidate & Investigate 81-90 Searching or reminders o the world beore. Logic & Wealth 91-100 raining my body and mind to be ready... Might & Will
60
CHARACTER CREATION WHAT SKILLS HAVE KEPT YOU ALIVE ALL THESE YEARS? ROLL
SKILLS
01-10 Knowing the value o a lie and how to use it. Will & Wealth 11-20 Having an eye or opportunity, then taking it. Burglary & Luck 21-30 “An apple a day keeps the inected away” Constitution & Perception 31-40 Making sure I always have backup in a fight. Fine-Craf & Fight 41-50 Finding new ways to hide my ootprint. Broad-Craf & Stealth 51-60 Leaving dead weight behind. Deceive & Drive 61-70 alking my way out o trouble. Diplomacy & Intimidate 71-80 Understanding my body can only take so much. Intuition & Might 81-90 Knowing where to find the right supplies. Investigate & Athletics 91-100 Always having a gun at my side. Logic & Shoot
WHAT’S THE ONE REGRET THAT EATS AWAY AT YOU? ROLL
SKILLS
01-10 Running rom my past. Athletics & Logic 11-20 Not standing up or a riend now long dead. Will & Fine-Craf 21-30 aking everything rom someone who needed it most. Burglary & Diplomacy 31-40 Having a riend take the all to make me rich. Wealth & Deceive 41-50 Nothing I can’t handle. Constitution & Luck 51-60 Missing a shot that would have saved a lie. Shoot & Drive 61-70 I cut corners I didn’t need to and it cost lives. Broad-Craf & Perception 71-80 Forcing others to live the way I wanted to. Might & Intimidate 81-90 Picking the wrong fight. Fight & Intuition 91-100 Learning something no one should ever know. Investigate & Stealth
YOUR MOTTO IN LIFE? ROLL
01-10 Te end justifies the means. 11-20 Knowledge is power. 21-30 Victory likes careul preparation. 31-40 Nothing ventured, nothing gained. 41-50 Love conquers all. 51-60 He who hesitates is lost. 61-70 Evolve or die. 71-80 Beyond ear lives reedom. 81-90 Fortune avours the bold. 91-100 Always darkest beore the dawn.
SKILLS
Deceive & Intimidate Logic & Drive Might & Broad-Craf Fight & Investigation Fine-Craf & Wealth Shoot & Diplomacy Burglary & Perception Athletics & Will Luck & Intuition Constitution & Stealth
61
DID YOU FIND SOMEONE TO LOVE AND HOLD? ROLL
01-40 Yes, it made my lie better. 41-70 No, I’m not that lucky. 71-90 Yes, but only or a while. 91-100 Wait, just one?
AND WHAT ABOUT KIDS? ROLL
01-10 11-30 31-50
Just the one. wo survived. A little litter. No. It’s not worth 51-100 the heartache.
CHARACTER CREATION
ROLL
WHAT ROLE DO YOU PREFER TO PLAY IN A GROUP?
DO YOU STAND ALONE? ROLL
SKILLS
01-20
01-10 Te Counsellor. Athletics & Intuition 11-20 Te Fixer. Burglary & Broad-Craf 21-30 Te Muscle. Constitution & Fight 31-40 Te Mentor. Will & Logic 41-50 Te rader. Deceive & Luck 51-60 Te Leader. Diplomacy & Perception 61-70 Te Enorcer. Drive & Intimidate 71-80 Te Scout. Investigate & Might 81-90 Te Coach. Shoot & Fine-Craf 91-100 Te Outcast. Stealth & Wealth
62
Never. I need people. No, there’s always 21-40 someone around. 41-60 Only when I have to. I might as well, ew 61-80 others care. I do now, I won’t put 81-100 others in harm’s way.
CHARACTER CREATION
NEW GENESIS NEW GENESIS, the new beginning. It has been nearly two centuries since the undead apocalypse and the world is strange, new place. Our world has dried out of living memory and has become as much myth and legend as history. Everything has changed in this new world, from people to society to the environment itself. New characters that you start in NEW GENESIS are dramacally dierent from anything in the previous two eras. To them the undead hordes and the ever-growing unborn (or Nomen) tribes are a normal part of everyday life. Strange new civilisaons may have cropped up, but baling to survive comes as naturally to them as working a 9 to 5 job does to us. What makes them the most dierent, however, is their outlook on life. Whether they come from the Sunken tribes, to the Keeper communies, they see the world as a dangerous place that no longer welcomes them. They are the underdogs and they must adapt to survive.
THE PROCESS The character creator will build a character all the way from birth to whatever age you roll at below, but if you want to jump straight into a game then at the end of the character creator you will nd ten archetypes with fully lled in Skills that you can pick from to start the game. Each archetype is based on one of ten group roles, so if feel like a Fearless Rider or Agile Scout (for example) then you can just pick that archetype and jump straight into Z-LAND.
HOW TO CREATE A CHARACTER F ch qs in the character creator, roll a d100 and record the result. In most cases, your result w gt tw Ss . Each me you gain a Skill, roll a d5 (d10/2) and cs tht S’s Lv by that amount. A Ss stt t Lv 30, so anything you get is added onto this.
AGING
AGE
In NEW GENESIS, you can only choose whether to play as a Child, Teen or Adult, rather than the exact age. If you choose Child or Teen, simply roll 1d10 or 1d10+10 respecvely for your character's age. If you choose Adult then roll on the table below and apply the Permanent Skill Penales as shown.
63
01-25
20+1d10
-
26-65
30+1d10
-
66-85
40+1d10 -2 Physical Skills
86-95
50+1d10 -4 Physical Skills
96-100
60+1d10
-6 All Skills
CHARACTER CREATION
WHO ARE YOU? SEX
HANDEDNESS
01 - 50
Male
01 - 89
Right Handed
51 - 100
Female
90 - 99
Le Handed
100
Ambidextrous
SKIN COLOUR
HAIR COLOUR
EYE COLOUR
01 - 17
Pale
01 - 34
Red
01 - 34
Blue
18 - 34
Fair
35 - 68
Blonde
35 - 68
Grey
35 - 50
Ivory
69 - 100
Chestnut
69 - 100
Green
51 - 66
Olive
101 - 122
Auburn
101 - 122
Hazel
66 - 83
Brown
123 - 166
Brown
123 - 166
Brown
84 - 100
Black
167 - 200
Black
167 - 200
Dark Brown
For Hair Colour and Eye Colour, add the number result of the Skin Colour to your roll.
MALE BODY TYPE
FEMALE BODY TYPE
01 - 10
Scrawny
01 - 10
Pete
11 - 25
Lean
11 - 25
Slender
26 - 40
Athlec
26 - 40
Fit
41 - 60
Average
41 - 60
Average
61 - 75
Brawny
61 - 75
Muscular
76 - 90
Stocky
76 - 90
Buxom
90 - 100
Heavy
90 - 100
Plump
64
CHARACTER CREATION
CHILDHOOD WHERE DO YOUR MEMORIES BEGIN? 01-10
Travelling the country on the back of a horse.
Drive & Inmidate
11-20
Running from the Nomen in the dead of night.
Athlecs & Percepon
21-30
Stealing bread, not because I needed it but because I could!
Burglary & Will
31-40
Hot baths and warm food, I was lucky. Very lucky.
Constuon & Wealth
41-50
Opening an old machine, seeing all of the gliering pieces inside. Fine-Cra & Invesgate
51-60
An old boomsck going o by accident, taking a friends eye out.
Broad-Cra & Shoot
61-70
A best friend rang me out, I felt betrayed
Deceive & Might
71-80
Finding a real live puppy and raising him by hand.
Diplomacy & Luck
81-90
A bad man, I had a knife and I remember nothing more.
Fight & Logic
91-100
Hiding under dead bodies to escape the Nomen .
Intuion & Stealth
DID YOU HAVE A ROOF ABOVE YOUR HEAD? IF SO WHERE? 01-10
The alleys of an Arbiter town where you sleep with one eye open.
Stealth & Fight
11-20
The back of a cart that travelled the cracked highways.
Drive & Diplomacy
21-30
Wherever I could get out of the rain.
Broad-Cra & Burglary
31-40
A cage, far from a home I'd never see again.
Invesgate & Might
41-50
The edge of Noman's Land, out of reach of the Arbiters.
Inmidate & Athlecs
51-60
Deep underground in the cavernous halls of the Sunken.
Logic & Fine-Cra
61-70
The belly of an old warhip in the eet of the Grey Guard.
Shoot & Percepon
71-80
One of the Supreme Jusce's palaces.
Will & Wealth
81-90
Among the trees of the Keepers, far from the Nomen.
Luck & Intuion
91-100
A foreign land where I couldn't understand their words.
Deceive & Constuon
YOUR FAMILY, YOUR TRIBE, YOUR PEOPLE, WHAT WERE THEY LIKE? 01-10
They ruled with an iron st, the highborn of the Arbiters.
Athlecs & Wealth
11-20
Survivors who scavenged what lile the Nomen le behind.
Will & Stealth
21-30
Hunters of the living and the dead. Ruthless and unforgiving.
Shoot & Luck
31-40
The sea was their home and the Way of the Grey was their life.
Percepon & Might
41-50
The people of the forest. The Keepers of Knowledge.
Logic & Diplomacy
51-60
Merchants who travelled the ancient roads of the Arbiters.
Invesgate & Drive
61-70
They were outsiders who trusted only themselves.
Inmidate & Constuon
71-80
Expert craspeople who brought old machines back to life.
Intuion & Fine-Cra
81-90
The people of the underground. The proud and mighty Sunken.
Fight & Broad-Cra
91-100
Thieves that stole back from the coers of the Arbiters.
Burglary & Deceive
65
CHARACTER CREATION TO WHAT EARS DID YOUR PEOPLE PRAY? 01-10
The Way of the Grey that had spread from sea to land.
Constuon & Fight
11-20
One of the gods from before the fall whose name has been lost.
Broad-Cra & Luck
21-30
The god of war, who hides his power in the black powder.
Logic & Drive
31-40
The words of the great philosophers who came before us.
Diplomacy & Will
41-50
The gods who gied us their music on at black discs.
Deceive & Inmidate
51-60
None, the gods died with the rest of this world.
Invesgate & Percepon
61-70
Great faces who sll look upon us from huge boards up high.
Wealth & Stealth
71-80
The Nomen, the future of this new world.
Might & Intuion
81-90
Who ever it is that guides our arrows and repels the enemies.
Athlecs & Shoot
91-100
The engine and the black blood that ows through it.
Fine-Cra & Burglary
HOW DID YOU RESPOND TO THIS?
HOW BIG WAS YOUR FAMILY?
01-20
Zealously.
01-20
Tiny.
21-40
Devoutly.
21-40
Small.
41-60
Moderately.
41-60
Average.
61-80
Uncaringly.
61-80
Large.
81-100
Antagoniscally.
81-100
Massive.
WHO HELPED WEAVE YOUR TALE IN THESE EARLY YEARS? 01-10
My older sister who always had my back.
Drive & Stealth
11-20
The superheroes of old comic books I found.
Athlecs & Invesgate
21-30
My parents who did what ever it took to keep me breathing.
Burglary & Diplomacy
31-40
The stranger that sacriced themselves so that I might live.
Constuon & Will
41-50
A priest who claimed I was the second coming of some old god.
Fine-Cra & Luck
51-60
The slavers who took me away from my home.
Broad-Cra & Logic
61-70
The rst person I saw turn into a Plagued. That would never be me.
Deceive & Intuion
71-80
The Nomen, they always came for us and I would always be ready.
Fight & Shoot
81-90
The ruthless Arbiters. They forced me to become stronger.
Inmidate & Might
91-100
My Grandfather who would share tales of the old world.
Percepon & Wealth
WHEN AWAY FROM YOUR GUARDIANS WHAT TROUBLE DID YOU BREW? 01-10
Pretending to be the Taxmen taking anything we could from the other children.
Broad-Cra & Inmidate
11-20
Walked the boundary of Noman's Land imagining the monsters inside.
Drive & Intuion
21-30
Searched ruined buildings for shiny things of the old world.
Invesgate & Wealth
31-40
I ran, as far and as fast as I could.
Athlecs & Will
41-50
Let the horses out and watched the adults try and chase aer them.
Burglary & Stealth
51-60
Fun, there wasn't fun. Only more training.
Constuon & Shoot
61-70
Told ghost stories around the re.
Fine-Cra & Diplomacy
71-80
Fought with friends away from the adults and hid the bruises as best we could.
Percepon & Fight
81-90
Played hunt the human, I was always on the Nomen side.
Logic & Might
91-100
Pretending to be Plagued to scare the others.
Luck & Deceive
66
CHARACTER CREATION WHAT WAS YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH THE ARBITERS? 01-10
We hated them, what they stood for and would help to bring them down.
Athlecs & Fight
11-20
I stole from them and learnt the consequences the hard way.
Burglary & Shoot
21-30
Work is work. My family found a place within their world.
Constuon & Broad-Cra
31-40
My best friend was the son of the Supreme Jusce.
Fine-Cra & Will
41-50
We did what was needed to survive, under them it was easier.
Deceive & Logic
51-60
I worshipped them, the strength, the power, they are what we are meant to be!
Diplomacy & Inmidate
61-70
We stayed well away from those psychopaths.
Drive & Luck
71-80
An uneasy balance, they're needed but we didn't love them.
Intuion & Percepon
81-90
I learnt to hide when the Taxmen came our way.
Invesgate & Stealth
91-100
Who doesn't want to be rich and famous? We could be with the Arbiters
Might & Wealth
REFLECTING ON YOUR PAST, HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THIS TIME IN YOUR LIFE? 01-10
Afraid
Athlecs & Stealth
11-20
Peaceful
Burglary & Logic
21-30
Happy
Fine-Cra & Broad-Cra
31-40
Cynical
Diplomacy & Invesgate
41-50
Proud
Might & Drive
51-60
Sad
Constuon & Intuion
61-70
Ashamed
Deceive & Percepon
71-80
Confused
Fight & Luck
81-90
Angry
Inmidate & Will
91-100
Indierent
Shoot & Wealth
67
CHARACTER CREATION
TEENAGE YEARS MY LIFE WAS NEVER THE SAME SINCE... 01-10
An ancient piece of tech was stolen, I was framed and exiled.
Burglary & Broad-Cra
11-20
The whole colony got sick, many perished but I pulled through.
Constuon & Intuion
21-30
I saved a friend from slavery but doomed another to that fate.
Diplomacy & Percepon
31-40
I found a perfectly preserved cask of whiskey, I was set aer that!
Deceive & Wealth
41-50
I released the strength I had to make others bend to my will.
Might & Inmidate
51-60
A relave sliced open an artery on old scrap, I saved their life.
Athlecs & Fine-Cra
61-70
I le home to discover new lands.
Drive & Invesgate
71-80
I discovered the histories of Humankind.
Logic & Luck
81-90
War broke out between my people and a neighbouring Tribe.
Shoot & Will
91-100
My hands where broken by an Arbiter Judge for stealing.
Fight & Stealth
WHAT LESSONS DID YOU LEARN FROM THE ELDERS? 01-10
Survive, no maer the cost. Just keep breathing.
Drive & Might
11-20
Never sit with your back to the door.
Athlecs & Deceive
21-30
With the right preparaon and paence anything can be mine.
Burglary & Stealth
31-40
How to survive in the wild green places of the world.
Constuon & Broad-Cra
41-50
That violence and death is not always the answer.
Fine-Cra & Diplomacy
51-60
Don't ght for free when someone can pay you.
Fight & Wealth
61-70
Present strength, through strength there is control.
Intuion & Inmidate
71-80
Shoot rst, ask quesons later.
Invesgate & Shoot
81-90
The paerns of the dead, their "life cycle" and how best to end it.
Logic & Percepon
91-100
To roll with the punches, our day will come.
Luck & Will
WHO WAS WITH YOU THROUGH THE GOOD TIMES AND THE BAD? 01-10
An old ragged teddy bear with only one eye.
Athlecs & Luck
11-20
A smuggler that could get anything in and out of an Arbiter town.
Burglary & Drive
21-30
The Inquisitor that had so spot for me.
Constuon & Invesgate
31-40
A Mason who did his best to teach me his trade.
Intuion & Broad-Cra
41-50
An exiled Seeker who couldn't return to their people.
Deceive & Logic
51-60
An old crone who's name I never knew, but she kept me fed.
Diplomacy & Wealth
61-70
A woman of the Sunken who could ght from Dawn ll Dusk.
Fight & Will
71-80
The Gladiator that spared my life in the Arbiters' Arena.
Might & Stealth
81-90
The men and woman of the Grey.
Shoot & Inmidate
91-100
A bird of prey that warns me of danger as it neared.
Fine-Cra & Percepon
68
CHARACTER CREATION WHO DID YOU LOSE? 01-10
My mother.
11-20
My father.
21-30
A sibling.
31-40
My best friend.
41-50
My girl/boy-friend.
51-60
My mentor.
61-100
A relave.
HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THESE FORMATIVE YEARS? 01-10
Ashamed
Deceive & Broad-Cra
11-20
Afraid
Will & Drive
21-30
Confused
Diplomacy & Stealth
31-40
Proud
Percepon & Wealth
41-50
Angry
Fight & Inmidate
51-60
Happy
Athlecs & Might
61-70
Indierent
Burglary & Luck
71-80
Peaceful
Constuon & Logic
81-90
Sad
Shoot & Fine-Cra
91-100
WHAT FATE BEFELL THE PERSON YOU LOST?
Cynical
Intuion & Invesgate
01-10
The Arbiters made an example of them. Now they're with the Lifeless.
Broad-Cra & Inmidate
11-20
They le to nd a beer life, without me in it...
Deceive & Drive
21-30
One day they were just gone. I haven't given up hope, I'll nd them.
Invesgate & Wealth
31-40
The Nomen took them during the night.
Athlecs & Burglary
41-50
Died in their sleep at night. Constuon There are worse way to go. & Fine-Cra
51-60
They got in a ght with the wrong person, never saw the knife coming.
Diplomacy & Fight
61-70
It took me but eventually drinking destroyed them.
Intuion & Will
71-80
They le me to join up with some kind of cult.
Logic & Might
81-90
I put a bullet in them, the plague got them...
Percepon & Shoot
91-100
They traded their life for mine to the slavers.
Luck & Stealth
WHAT WOULD YOU RISK YOUR LIFE FOR? 01-10
Every single day is a risk, even breathing is. I have enough risks.
Athlecs & Shoot
11-20
The haul of a lifeme that I know is out there waing for me.
Burglary & Intuion
21-30
Speed, as much of it as possible, and an open road.
Constuon & Drive
31-40
The chance to save all those I've lost to the Nomen.
Broad-Cra & Fight
41-50
The look on my parents faces when I screw them over.
Deceive & Stealth
51-60
My friends & family in a heartbeat. They are my whole world.
Diplomacy & Will
61-70
We'll I'd risk my life for a good deal, but I wouldn't die for it.
Might & Wealth
71-80
No one but myself, number one comes rst.
Inmidate & Luck
81-90
With the right preparaon there is no risk, so almost anything.
Invesgate & Percepon
91-100 The pursuit of knowledge. Without it we cant crawl out of this hole.
Logic & Fine-Cra
WHAT DREAM DID YOU HOLD DEAR FOR THE FUTURE? 01-10
That somewhere out there I wouldn't need to ght anymore.
Fight & Drive
11-20
To rebuild what was lost in the fall.
Invesgate & Broad-Cra
21-30
Win big in whatever way possible.
Luck & Wealth
31-40
To end the life of those who have done me wrong..
Shoot & Stealth
41-50
I wanted to y, in the old metal birds that once did.
Athlecs & Percepon
51-60
Steal from the rich, give to the poor, it was a noble dream.
Burglary & Will
61-70
Find a way to destroy the Nomen once and for all.
Constuon & Might
71-80
Dreams are only for those who lack the imaginaon to achieve.
Fine-Cra & Deceive
81-90
Unite the Sunken, Fallen and the Grey against the Arbiters' rule.
Diplomacy & Intuion
91-100 One where I didn't need to keep one eye open during the night.
69
Inmidate & Logic
CHARACTER CREATION
ADULTHOOD WHAT DO THE STARS FORETELL OF YOUR FUTURE? 01-10
Slicing the Nomen open one at me to learn their weaknesses.
Fine-Cra & Invesgate
11-20
Stealing away the knowledge of the Keepers.
Logic & Burglary
21-30
A crown I don't want.
Luck & Diplomacy
31-40
Somewhere out there is a sealed armoury just waing to be mine!
Shoot & Wealth
41-50
Giving those who hide in shadow the strength to stand in the light.
Stealth & Might
51-60
The long open road. As long as I stay moving I stay alive...
Constuon & Drive
61-70
Building a home that will stand the test of the dead.
Broad-Cra & Intuion
71-80
Ending the curse of the dead one minion at a me.
Athlecs & Fight
81-90
I am the saviour, the new messiah. At least they think that...
Deceive & Will
91-100
Uning the land of the living with words not bullets or blades.
Percepon & Inmidate
WHAT DO YOU CHERISH MOST IN THIS DEAD WORLD? 01-10 11-20
Helping others survive, we'll only get through this together.
Athlecs & Diplomacy
The next person I'll be robbing blind. I need it more than them. Burglary & Invesgate
21-30
Becoming stronger than any other. I am a survivor
Constuon & Might
31-40
My silver tongue that can weave the tallest of tales.
Fine-Cra & Deceive
41-50
All of the living that remain, we are the last of humanity.
Broad-Cra & Will
51-60
My horse who takes me from danger with speed.
Drive & Luck
61-70
My own two sts, even unarmed I can be dangerous.
Fight & Percepon
71-80
The old pistol I keep at my side, no bullets but it sll scares.
Intuion & Shoot
81-90
Taxes, glorious taxes! And the bit I like to shave o the side.
Inmidate & Wealth
91-100
Knowing when a ght is lost, there is no honour in death.
Logic & Stealth
WHAT JOY DO YOU SEEK WHEN NOT FIGHTING FOR YOUR LIFE? 01-10
Canoeing the waterways of the great old cies.
Athlecs & Drive
11-20
Throwing stones onto the dead-moats of the Arbiters.
Burglary & Shoot
21-30
Drinking at wherever the nearest tavern is.
Constuon & Diplomacy
31-40
Tinkering with whatever machinery I can get my hands on.
Fine-Cra & Stealth
41-50
Sharpening and retooling my weapons, always prepared.
Broad-Cra & Luck
51-60
Watching the Gladiatorial ghts with all the blood and applause.
Deceive & Fight
61-70
Reading what ever I can get my hands on.
Intuion & Percepon
71-80
Pushing the buons of those with me, to know their weaknesses.
Inmidate & Invesgate
81-90
Clearing out the pockets of anyone at the cards table.
Logic & Wealth
91-100
Winning a coin or two arm-wrestling the biggest I can nd.
Might & Will
70
CHARACTER CREATION
WHAT HAS SAVED YOU FROM THE REAPER ALL THESE YEARS? 01-10
Money. It's coin that's kept me alive.
Will & Wealth
11-20
Nimble ngers that can open any door.
Burglary & Luck
21-30
Keen eyes and a stout heart.
Constuon & Percepon
31-40
Always having the edge in a ght.
Fine-Cra & Fight
41-50
Being at home in the shadows.
Broad-Cra & Stealth
51-60
Never showing them your whole hand.
Deceive & Drive
61-70
Having friends in the right places.
Diplomacy & Inmidate
71-80
A strong body and mind.
Intuion & Might
81-90
Running faster than the poor fool beside me.
Invesgate & Athlecs
91-100
The tomes that teach us all we could ever need.
Logic & Shoot
IF THE SANDS OF TIME COULD BE REVERSED WHAT WOULD YOU CHANGE? 01-10
Never learning to read. The words of old are forever lost to me.
Athlecs & Logic
11-20
The cart wheel I never did x, my idleness cost three lives.
Will & Fine-Cra
21-30
Stealing from an Inquisitor who's now out for my head.
Burglary & Diplomacy
31-40
Fold on the hand that could have changed it all.
Wealth & Deceive
41-50
I would have braved the re that took a young girl.
Constuon & Luck
51-60
Mercy. I would have shot my friend before he turned.
Shoot & Drive
61-70
I would have seen the fault in the old tower before it collapsed. Broad-Cra & Percepon
71-80
Not standing my ground against the Nomen that took my people.
Might & Inmidate
81-90
I'd have gone easy on the kid who stole my dinner.
Fight & Intuion
91-100
Losing a family heirloom to a pey thief.
Invesgate & Stealth
FROM WHAT LINE DID YOUR FAMILY DESCEND. 01-10
The highborn lawmakers of the Arbiters.
Deceive & Inmidate
11-20
The tree-dwelling Keepers in search of knowledge.
Logic & Drive
21-30
The proud and erce warriors of the Sunken.
Might & Broad-Cra
31-40
The wise but capable seafaring Greyguard.
Fight & Invesgaon
41-50
The travelling merchants of the Living Land.
Fine-Cra & Wealth
51-60
Wandering mercenaries who worked for anyone.
Shoot & Diplomacy
61-70
The folk who stalk the roads in search of wealth.
Burglary & Percepon
71-80
I come from a mix of family lines and tradions.
Athlecs & Will
81-90
I can't be certain. I know lile of their past.
Luck & Intuion
91-100
Those that survive on the scraps of the Nomen.
Constuon & Stealth
71
CHARACTER CREATION DID LOVE FIND YOU?
WHAT OF LITTLE ONES?
01-40
I did, but it didn't last.
41-70
Love is dangerous, so no I didn't.
71-90
I'm sll waing for the right one.
91-100
Yes, and we're sll together.
WHAT ASPECT DO YOU TAKE ON IN A GROUP? 01-10
Agile Scout
Athlecs & Intuion
11-20
Cunning Burglar
Burglary & Broad-Cra
21-30
Indomitable Fighter
Constuon & Fight
31-40
Wise Sage
Will & Logic
41-50
Silver-Tongued Rogue
Deceive & Luck
51-60
Percepve Leader
Diplomacy & Percepon
61-70
Fearless Rider
Drive & Inmidate
71-80
Mysterious Shaman
Invesgate & Might
81-90
Stoic Ranger
Shoot & Fine-Cra
91-100 Prosperous Merchant
Stealth & Wealth
72
01-10
Just the one, adopted too.
11-30
You could say I've been around..
31-50
Two of my own.
51-100
None as of yet. Maybe it's beer that way.
DO YOU STAND ALONE? 01-20
Yes, and that's exactly how I like it.
21-40
I have a family, a tribe that will always be with me.
41-60
When I have to, but I sll like a lile company.
61-80
I do, but I wish it wasn't this way.
Never, life is lacking 81-100 without another to share in its pialls.
CHARACTER CREATION
ARCHETYPES AGILE SCOUT
CUNNING BURGLAR
SKILL
LEVEL
SKILL
LEVEL
SKILL
LEVEL
SKILL
LEVEL
Athlecs
50
Intuion
55
Athlecs
30
Intuion
40
Broad-Cra
30
Invesgate
30
Broad-Cra
55
Invesgate
50
Burglary
30
Logic
50
Burglary
50
Logic
40
Constuon
30
Luck
30
Constuon
30
Luck
30
Deceive
30
Might
30
Deceive
30
Might
40
Diplomacy
40
Percepon
40
Diplomacy
40
Percepon
30
Drive
40
Shoot
30
Drive
40
Shoot
30
Fight
30
Stealth
30
Fight
30
Stealth
30
Fine-Cra
40
Wealth
40
Fine-Cra
40
Wealth
30
Inmidate
30
Will
40
Inmidate
30
Will
30
INDOMITABLE FIGHTER
WISE SAGE
SKILL
LEVEL
SKILL
LEVEL
SKILL
LEVEL
SKILL
LEVEL
Athlecs
40
Intuion
30
Athlecs
30
Intuion
50
Broad-Cra
30
Invesgate
40
Broad-Cra
40
Invesgate
30
Burglary
30
Logic
30
Burglary
30
Logic
55
Constuon
50
Luck
40
Constuon
30
Luck
30
Deceive
30
Might
40
Deceive
40
Might
30
Diplomacy
30
Percepon
30
Diplomacy
40
Percepon
40
Drive
30
Shoot
50
Drive
40
Shoot
30
Fight
55
Stealth
40
Fight
30
Stealth
30
Fine-Cra
30
Wealth
30
Fine-Cra
30
Wealth
30
Inmidate
40
Will
30
Inmidate
40
Will
50
SILVER-TONGUED ROGUE
PERCEPTIVE LEADER
SKILL
LEVEL
SKILL
LEVEL
SKILL
LEVEL
SKILL
LEVEL
Athlecs
30
Intuion
30
Athlecs
30
Intuion
40
Broad-Cra
40
Invesgate
40
Broad-Cra
40
Invesgate
40
Burglary
40
Logic
30
Burglary
30
Logic
30
Constuon
30
Luck
50
Constuon
30
Luck
30
Deceive
55
Might
30
Deceive
40
Might
30
Diplomacy
50
Percepon
30
Diplomacy
55
Percepon
50
Drive
30
Shoot
30
Drive
30
Shoot
30
Fight
30
Stealth
40
Fight
40
Stealth
30
Fine-Cra
40
Wealth
40
Fine-Cra
30
Wealth
40
Inmidate
30
Will
30
Inmidate
50
Will
30
73
CHARACTER CREATION FEARLESS RIDER
MYSTERIOUS SHAMAN
SKILL
LEVEL
SKILL
LEVEL
SKILL
LEVEL
SKILL
LEVEL
Athlecs
30
Intuion
30
Athlecs
40
Intuion
30
Broad-Cra
30
Invesgate
30
Broad-Cra
30
Invesgate
55
Burglary
40
Logic
40
Burglary
30
Logic
30
Constuon
40
Luck
30
Constuon
40
Luck
40
Deceive
30
Might
30
Deceive
30
Might
50
Diplomacy
30
Percepon
30
Diplomacy
30
Percepon
40
Drive
50
Shoot
40
Drive
30
Shoot
40
Fight
50
Stealth
40
Fight
40
Stealth
50
Fine-Cra
30
Wealth
30
Fine-Cra
30
Wealth
30
Inmidate
55
Will
40
Inmidate
30
Will
30
STOIC RANGER
PROSPEROUS MERCHANT
SKILL
LEVEL
SKILL
LEVEL
SKILL
LEVEL
SKILL
LEVEL
Athlecs
40
Intuion
40
Athlecs
30
Intuion
30
Broad-Cra
50
Invesgate
30
Broad-Cra
30
Invesgate
30
Burglary
30
Logic
40
Burglary
40
Logic
30
Constuon
30
Luck
30
Constuon
40
Luck
40
Deceive
40
Might
30
Deceive
50
Might
40
Diplomacy
30
Percepon
30
Diplomacy
30
Percepon
30
Drive
30
Shoot
55
Drive
30
Shoot
40
Fight
30
Stealth
30
Fight
40
Stealth
55
Fine-Cra
50
Wealth
30
Fine-Cra
30
Wealth
50
Inmidate
40
Will
40
Inmidate
30
Will
30
74
CHARACTER CREATION
RANDOM NAME TABLES On this and the next two pages you will find 400 different names: 100 or each male, emale, unisex and surnames. I you are having trouble coming up with a name or your character (or you want to have a random name to go with your character’s random background) then simply roll a d100 on the table below as many times as you want to create as long a name as you want. For you GMs, this is also a quick and easy way to create names or groups o NPCs the players may encounter or simply to make your lie easier when creating NPCs.
ROLL
MALE
FEMALE
UNISEX
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34
Aaron Abel Abraham Adam Adrian Ali Amir Andrew Antonio Bartholomew Benjamin Boris Bradley Bran Brian Caleb Carter Charles Christian Cole Collin Connor Cristopher Cruz Daniel David Dean Diego Dimitry Doug Dylan Edward Elijah Ethan
Abigail Agatha Alice Allison Amanda Amber Amelia Amy Anna Aurora Ava Avra Barbara Bridget Brooke Caroline Catherine Charlotte Chloe Claire Coralie Daisy Dasha Dora Dorothy Elizabeth Ella Emily Emma Estelle Esther Eva Evelyn Fatima
Ainsley Alex Amal Angel Arlo Armagan Ashley Ashton Bailey Blaine Blake Bodhi Brennan Cameron Carmen Carson Casey Chase Claude Cody Darian Desi Dominique Drew Eden Elvan Esin Ezra Farrell Finch Galen Gene Glenn Gray
75
SURNAME Abdullah Adamson Andrews Aslan Attar Balewa Bauer Bautista Bliss Brady Britz Campbell Castro Chen Clark Cohen Davis Dugdale Dulatre Dupont Dvorak Erasmus Eriksson Evans Farkas Fernandez Ferreira Fischer Fontaine Fyodorov Garcia Golding Gruber Hamilton
CHARACTER CREATION
ROLL
MASCULINE
FEMININE
UNISEX
SURNAME
35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67
Evan Finn Flynn Francis Fraser Frederick Gabriel George Gerard Harry Henry Hugo Isaac Isaiah Jackson Jake James Jan Jared Jason John Jonah Jordan Joseph Joshua Julian Justin Kazuo Kevin Lachlan Leonard Levi Liam
Fleur Francine Gladys Gloria Grace Haley Hannah Hazel Helen Holly Imogen Isabella Ivy Jennier Jessica Julia Karen Lana Lea Leila Lily Linda Lois Logicna Lucy Lulu Madison Maisie Margaret Martha Martuna Mary Megan
Harley Harper Hero Hunter Indiana Indra Ismat Jayden Jean Jet Jo Joss Jude Jules Jun Kai Kazumi Keats Kendall Kiran Korel Laden Leigh Lexus Logicn Lynn Mason Max Mercer Micah Morgan Murphy Nairi
Hansen Hasan Horvat Janssens Johnson Jones Joubert Katzarov Khan Kim Kowalski Kumar Lambert Lang Lawton Le Gall Le Roux Lee Leroy Lowe Mahmud Mamadov Martinez McKenzie McLeod Meyer Molnar Moreau Müller Murphy Musayev Naidoo Nelson
76
CHARACTER CREATION
ROLL
MASCULINE
FEMININE
UNISEX
SURNAME
68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100
Logan Luke Mark Mason Matthew Michael Mohammed Nathan Nicholas Noah Omar Own Patrick Paul Peter Phillip Quentin Rashid Ren Reuben Robert Roderick Ryan Scott Sean Sebastian Stavros Stephen Tomas oby Vasco William Wyatt
Melina Mia Mila Monika Naomi Natalie Natasha Nikki Nina Oksana Olga Olivia Patricia Penelope Persephone Phoebe Piper Rosa Ruby Ruth Sabina Sakura Sandra Sarah Sophia Stella Susan Victoria Violet Wanda Willow Zahra Zoey
Noam Noel Noor Oscar Parker Phoenix Poe Quinn Raman Reagan Reese Remy Reyes Riley Robin Rowan Ryder Sage Sam Samar Shae Shia Shiloh Skye Sydney anner aylor ristan yler Val Wren Yeats Zia
Novak O’Brien Obi Park Patel Pavlov Peterson Powell Rodriguez Rossi Santos Sato Schneider Singh Smirnov Smith Struna ait ailor Tompson van der Berg van Dyk Vega Wagner Walker Watson Weber White Williams Wilson Wright Zabat Zhou
77
PRE-MADE CHARACTERS
AMBER THE MILITARY BRAT S����
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Athletics Burglary Constitution Broad-Craf Fine-Craf Deceive Diplomacy Drive Fight Intuition
31 33 42 43 30 48 34 31 48 31
Intimidate Investigate Logic Luck Perception Might Shoot Stealth Wealth Will
41 32 41 36 35 35 41 35 41 33
Amber was always destined or the military. Afer all, how could she not when her ather died a military hero, saving his comrades in arms on some ar flung battlefield. Afer that, his death was all their amily riends would talk about; how brave a man he was, how proud she must be o him, how she must be brave now too. Her mother came rom money and she and her three younger sisters grew up in luxury, but her mother was distant, reclusive and narcissistic. When her ather, Amber’s mother just seemed to stop caring, preerring to while away her time drinking with her socialite riends and buying ever more expensive clothes. Te memory o her dead ather was the only real parent she ever knew. By the time she got to high school, she was determined to ree hersel rom her mother’s gilded cage and make get a lie o her own. Money, however, has a way o attracting a lot o alse riends, and once they ound out that she didn’t have her hands on the purse strings, they all aded away. All except one. Susanna was a girl in much the same situation as she: dead ather, rich spoilt mother and no riends. Tey quickly became the best o riends and they were there or each other through the worst o their teen crises, such as Michael. Michael was the best thing to ever happen to Amber and they had eyes only or each other. Tey were the great romance o their senior year, but it was a romance ripped rom the pages o Shakespeare. Michael’s amily was quite poor and Amber’s mother didn’t approve. Michael’s ather wasn’t all that pleased either that his son was involved with such a snobbish
amily. Amber and Michael Sex Female were out to Age 24 prove them all Skin Colour Brown wrong, though, Hair Colour Black and show that love can find Eye Colour Green away. Handedness Right handed Unortunately Build Petite ate had other plans. One day during gym class, Michael had a spontaneous nose bleed. Within a day he was in the hospital on lie support. No one knew what had happened and there was little the doctors could do. Amber would have given everything to be with Michael, but both her mother and his ather orbade it. She only ound out the next week at school that Michael had died. It was then that she made her decision to get as ar away as she could rom her mother, her school, her city, rom everything that had given her nothing but pain. She took only what she could fit into a backpack, stole her ather’s old dog-tags rom the mantelpiece, and went straight to the nearest military recruitment office. Amber joined the navy at age 18 and never looked back. It was everything she could have hoped or, and while there was more than a ew troubles along her career, she loved every moment o it. She saw the world, made riends rom all sorts o different nations, learnt new skills and finally became her own person. She became known or both her short temper and her ability to connect with others. Lie was looking good or this career soldier until she received a letter rom her sister. Her mother had died in a car accident. Amber thought it would affect her deeply, being an orphan now, but she elt absolutely nothing. She threw the letter away and went on with her duties. Her lie came to a sudden stop in the same war torn patch o land her ather died on. All she saw was a flash o reflected light and then she woke up in hospital back at her naval base. Months had passed while she was unconscious and she never heard the news o the new “flu” going around. All the patients in her ward were sick with ever and delirious, until they slept that night... A���������
78
PRE-MADE CHARACTERS
FREDDIE THE HOOLIGAN new places to go, new things to see, new fixes Athletics 30 Intimidate 31 Sex Male to score, and i that Burglary 38 Investigate 36 Age 17 meant slipping away Constitution 38 Logic 33 Skin Colour Black rom work at the arm, Broad-Craf 42 Luck 34 Hair Colour Brown then so be it. It was on one o Fine-Craf 30 Perception 41 Eye Colour Dark brown these walkabouts Deceive 32 Might 39 Handedness Right handed that his lie changed Diplomacy 30 Shoot 38 Build Average orever, although not Drive 34 Stealth 35 even he could say i it was or better or worse. He had Fight 40 Wealth 30 been gone or a ew days, getting high on who knows Intuition 36 Will 40 what, when he stumbled back to the arm expecting another tongue-lashing rom his mother and a beltFreddie liked the simple things in lie. He just lashing rom his ather. didn’t like paying or it. Te boy was a moral What he ound, however, was the armhouse in reprobate or as long as his ather could remember flames and or once he wasn’t the guilty arsonist. He who attempted to set him on the straight and narrow soon discovered that it wasn’t just his arm that has through the tried-and-true method o beating the suffered a calamity. He could already see smoke in hell out o him and hoping the holy remains. the distance and when he got closer to investigate he It never worked. Freddie bore the brunt o the belt saw that the olks had gone mad. Tey were killing time and time again with a look o contrition on his each other lef, right and centre. Even the arm ace, said his sorrys and then went and did it all over animals had suddenly become quite carnivorous. again. His ather had thought that living on a arm Afer making sure he wasn’t still high, he had to ar rom the vices o the city, where you work rom now figure out what to do. He had the reedom he sunup to sun down would have put some moral fibre always wanted, the reedom rom his parents, rom into young Freddie, but the hooligan ound a way to responsibility, and (rom looking at the madmen all sin. around) reedom rom morality. Beore her could even properly read (and her But what could he do now with his new-ound never tried too hard to do so) he was already rustling reedom? anything on our legs. Sheep, pigs, cattle, horses, he stole them all and took them to some immoral and unethical slaughterhouse or some easy money which he then spent on all sorts o things that a child shouldn’t. Even the local rural school couldn’t set him straight. He learned only as much as he needed to get by on the arm and ailed everything else. He was a loner at school and preerred it that way. Te only thing he had that was close to riendship was with the ew armhands that helped him with his illegal activities. He never really ell in with the wrong crowd as he was much as the started the wrong crowds and lef them when he got bored. He lef a trail o petty crimes and upset olk wherever he went, but that was him and he cared or very little but himsel. He was always on the move. Tere were always S����
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79
PRE-MADE CHARACTERS
JACK THE DREAMER searching he ound a torn up note rom Athletics 38 Intimidate 39 Sex Male his dad telling Jack Burglary 33 Investigate 33 Age 45 he owed money to Constitution 28 Logic 37 Skin Colour Fair the wrong people and Broad-Craf 40 Luck 34 Hair Colour Blonde had to disappear or a while. Jack never saw Fine-Craf 37 Perception 29 Eye Colour Green him again. Deceive 41 Might 36 Handedness Right handed Tere was one good Diplomacy 42 Shoot 33 Build Lean thing to come out o Drive 41 Stealth 41 his childhood was meeting his uture wie and saving Fight 31 Wealth 38 her rom a terrible decision atop a bridge. Intuition 39 Will 37 Tey were happy or a ew years as Jack became a stage actor, but as much talent as he had he just didn’t Jack always had dreams. He had aspirations have the contacts to succeed. Te lack o money, the and goals and things he wanted to do with his lie, stress and the bickering became to much or his wie things he wanted to be, things he wanted to become. Linda. Afer another ailed audition he came home to Making those a reality... well that’s a different story. yet another empty house and tearul note. Jack didn’t have the most stable o childhoods. In his grie and to make ends meet, he did odd Te earliest memory he had was o a terrible fight jobs here and there, even becoming a tailor or a between his parents and then his dad scooped him short while. It was a dreary and quiet lie and he soon up and suddenly they were on the move. Tey never moved onto his next dream: swimming. really stopped moving, never stayed in one place Jack always loved the water and he decided to turn or too long, but his dad said it was or business his passion into a career and so or the next nine and brought out his belt when Jack asked too many years he became a proessional athlete, competing in questions, so Jack let it be. tournament afer tournament, even collecting a ew It was only when he got older that he ound out international medals. Age, however, wasn’t on his his dad had essentially kidnapped him and they side and the young lads soon made him look as slow spent his entire childhood on the run rom the cops, as a snail on the way to a uneral. Jack just needed rom personal investigators and anyone asking too a little something to give him a boost, an edge over many questions. Jack always wanted to know what the competition, but that was illegal and he was soon happened to his mother, to reconnect with her, but caught and exposed. His athletic lie was over. this was another dream that Jack had, another dream He retreated to his books and poetry and started that ell by the wayside. dreaming again. What to do with his lie? Singing, Always being on the move meant he never had apparently was the answer and it looked like finally time to make riends, and even his crushes and he might have ound the career or him. For the next girlriends never lasted long, but what Jack had was years he would sing the greatest country songs and a love or the English language and how it could be even write a ew new hits. He wasn’t biggest star in shaped to draw out the most passionate o emotions. the sky, but his bank account did well enough and He read as much as could, perormed in all the more importantly he was happy or while. drama clubs at his various schools and even wrote At the age o 45 he had one last dream to ulfill poetry, filling the void o amily and riends as best and that was to write something that would outlive he could. him, a magnum opus, even i that came in the orm It was on his way back rom a school production o a country song. Fate, however, always has other o Hamlet, that he discovered his dad wasn’t just plans and the apocalypse shattered that last dream. running rom cops and private investigators, but rom organized crime as well. He ound his home ransacked and everything o value taken. Afer much S����
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80
PRE-MADE CHARACTERS
KAZUO THE GANGSTER But he promised himsel it wouldn’t Athletics 35 Intimidate 42 Sex Male drag him back down, Burglary 35 Investigate 39 Age 33 that it wouldn’t Constitution 35 Logic 30 Skin Colour Ivory stop his hopes and Broad-Craf 32 Luck 40 Hair Colour Brown ambitions o doing something with his Fine-Craf 31 Perception 31 Eye Colour Brown lie. He took up an Deceive 41 Might 38 Handedness Right handed apprenticeship at a Diplomacy 34 Shoot 37 Build Brawny local builder and soon Drive 33 Stealth 55 enough he was a working man, earning a living and Fight 40 Wealth 30 paying his taxes. Intuition 31 Will 34 Te streets, however, have a way o catching up with those trying to escape. He wasn’t even finished Kazuo’s amily came to this country with the hope with his apprenticeship when the business he worked o starting a new lie, but like with so many, they out was robbed. Not long afer, his working van was got caught in a scam. Once they got off the plane stolen while he was up a ladder fixing a roo. He even and gave their passports and all their money to the bought a gun to keep himsel sae, but the crime “agent”, they never heard rom him again and they didn’t stop and his boss had to let him go. were lef penniless on the street. He was back on the streets, but this time he It was a hard lie living hand to mouth, but Kazuo’s accepted his ate and embraced who he was: a street parents tried to raise Kazuo and his sister to be rat. It didn’t take him long to join a gang and work honourable and upright people. Tis was made even his way up through its hierarchy. When he made an more difficult with all the gangs preying on them and example out o rival gang that had been encroaching petty priests and pastors taking advantage o their upon their territory, the real organised crime took an naivety and trust. interest in him. Tere was a brie ray o light when Kazuo got Te Yakuza became a second amily to him and it to high school that made him hope or a brighter was through them that he met his wie and started uture. Charles, the mayor’s son, took an interest his own amily. He finally ound a place where he in this poor immigrant and, at least or a while, it belonged, but it came at a price. seemed as i the two would become the unlikeliest o He robbed, he stole, he beat and blackmailed, all best riends. to increase the ortunes o the Yakuza and his boss. Charles showed Kazuo there was a lie outside He was good at what he did, and he even had a lust the streets and ghettos and Kazuo did all he can do or violence, but it shamed him to imagine what his reach it. He worked hard and excelled in his classes, parents would think o him i they ever ound out especially the more technical and physical subjects, what he truly did or a living. and while his attempts at love didn’t work out as he But it was a living and at least he could give his liked it seemed that he would become a productive children a better chance at a good lie than what he member o society. had when he came to this country. And it was all thanks to Charles. Tat chance at a good lie ended when he killed Or so Kazuo thought, until he discovered that a cop in a dark alleyway one night. Te cop came Charles had stolen his grandather’s pendant, a screaming at him and he acted on instinct and sel amily heirloom the only item he still had rom deense. Japan. Charles wasn’t really his riend. He had only As he recovered rom the shock o killing a police used Kazuo and when he overstayed his welcome, officer, the cop got back up and lunged at him again. Charles took what he wanted and lef. Tis time, the cop didn’t want to stay dead. Kazuo had never elt the class divide as deeply as he did that day. S����
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PRE-MADE CHARACTERS
SABINA THE MOMMA BEAR S����
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S����
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Athletics Burglary Constitution Broad-Craf Fine-Craf Deceive Diplomacy Drive Fight Intuition
44 32 31 39 49 30 50 30 39 43
Intimidate Investigate Logic Luck Perception Might Shoot Stealth Wealth Will
30 32 38 41 30 37 39 35 34 34
Sabina had a airly normal childhood. Some might even go so ar as to say it was a boring childhood. Her parents treated her and her twin sister well, gave them a smack when they needed it, took them to church every Sunday (although she was always a bit blasé about religion) and cared or them as well as any parent could. When she wasn’t playing around the house, she was ound underoot at her parents small cae where she ound she had a knack or interacting with people, and who didn’t want to buy an extra muffin rom a puppy eyed little girl. Her teenage years were similarly uneventul. She did well enough at school, enjoyed her ree time with her riends and even had hersel a neat little love triangle, and even joined her generation in mourning the loss o her avourite pop artist. In her clichéd rebellious teenage phase, she even took up smoking to “stick it to the man”, although it took her years to kick that habit. Afer graduating with above average grades and promising to always keep in touch with her classmates, she decided to make a difference in the world like so many others. So she became a cop and walked the beat or nearly three years. Unortunately or her, in her eagerness to solve the world’s problems, she ell in with the wrong crowd who cut a ew too many corners and may have planted one piece o evidence too many to convict what she was told was a scumbag. Internal Affairs eventually ound them out and she almost landed in prison, but there wasn’t enough evidence against her to make a case, so she was “persuaded” to resign.
She came back to her parents Sex Female cae in shame, but Age 39 interacting with Skin Colour Olive people was what Hair Colour Brown she was good at. In no time at all the Eye Colour Hazel cae did better than Handedness Lef handed her parents could Build Average possible have hoped or and so they let her have the reigns o the cae. It wasn’t perhaps her dream job, but she was good at it and over the years she even came to enjoy managing (and then owning) a cae. She even managed to open up a ew ranchises across her city and the neighbouring towns. From then on, she was mostly ound on the road between one cae or the other, or on the way to a business conerence to grow her operation even more. Her husband and young daughter always missed her but understood that she did it all or them, so they can have a better lie. So she went rom motel to hotel, conerence to cae, meeting client and investor here and there, sometimes even orgetting what day o the week it was. But she did well and her network o contacts spread around the nation, getting her new deals and opportunities than she could ever hope or. She was on the verge o taking her once-small cae the international market when she met the man in red. It was at an airport bar while waiting or a flight. He was too smooth and too suave that she thought he was trying to get back to his hotel room, but then he produced the little black book, gave it to her and took his leave. Inside were the names o all her contacts and business rivals and below each name was a secret that could ruin their lives. She burnt the book and went home. She was many things, but she was not so devilish. She lef managing the business to an associate and spent her time with her amily. Tey went out camping and fishing, went to zoos and museums and enjoyed lie. And then one night she was awaken by the most horrific o screams and ound her husband eating her daughter alive. A���������
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GM SECTION
GM SECTION �� GM’� ����
answer will be “because no one else in my group wants to” and that’s par o the course. Every GM has been there. But you stepped up to the plate and it is an important question. However, i your first answer is “because I want to tell a story” then I have some bad news or you, GMing might not be or you. A roleplaying game is a collaborative story telling experience. I you are telling your own story and using your players as props, then it isn’t air on them. A better way to put it would be to have an “idea” or a story, a premise rather than a novel. Let the players and their PCs create the story rom the premise you have given them and the obstacles and twists you put in. Once you’ve figured out why you want to run a game, then you have to ask what sort o game do you want to run, and what are you good at? We aren’t all the best at everything, otherwise the Olympics would really be a boring affair, so you need to think about what you can and can’t do. Are you better at describing the detail o a scene? ry a game o mystery and crime solving. Are you better at acting out different personalities? ry a game o social intrigue and politics. Are you better at ast paced, off the cuff storytelling? ry an action based, combat heavy game. Playing to your strengths will results in a better, stronger, more enjoyable game than trying to do something you aren’t confident in handling.
Always remember the cardinal rule o roleplaying games: you are all here to have un. It is just a game. It is your job as the GM to ensure this happens. I the group is not having un, then you are all wasting your time. Sometimes it’s an uphill battle and sometimes you just have to end the game early or cancel a game altogether, but as any experienced gamer will tell you: no game is better than a bad game. Don’t let this power and responsibility get to your head though, you aren’t the king nor tyrant. Tink o yoursel as a movie, or stage, director. You are there to guide the game and the players so that by the end o the day everyone, including you, walks away eeling like they did in act just watch a antastic movie. Apart rom the “un” aspect and managing your players, it will also be your responsibility to manage the entire world and the adventure and campaign. Tis at first will sound like a monumental task, but it is at times even easier than just managing one character. All the NPCs you will control will only come into the players’ lives or a moment, so at the end o the day it all those NPCs’ fifeen minutes o ame will add up to one ull fledged character.
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Sun zu, in his Art o War, wrote: “I you know the enemy and know yoursel, you need not ear the result o a hundred battles.” Now, you should never see your players as the enemy, but the principle remains. I you know your own capabilities, imagination and limitations, and you know your players’ capabilities, imaginations and limitations then you shouldn’t worry about how your game will go.
When you have figured out why you are here and what you can do, it’s time to go talk to your players. Te story in large part will be driven by the actions, and reactions, o the players. I they don’t pick up on your clues and hints on where to go, the story stalls. I they don’t want to chase afer the villain, the story stalls. I they want to set up a lemonade stand instead o the skullduggery you had planned, the story becomes a stall. What your players want to play is what you will have to provide them, so the first thing you should do is sit down and have a nice chat about what sort o story and game they want. Tis can easily be your first session as you go through the Character
K��� �������� Beore you go any urther, ask yoursel why you want to be the GM or this game. A lot o times the
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GM SECTION Generator and have a quick go over o the rules. Tis is even more important i there are new players to the group or the group have not played together beore. Beore any gameplay happens, find out what they are looking or. Do they want a social/political game, a combat heavy game, a slow paced mystery game or a ast paced, high octane game or any other sort o game? Sometimes the players themselves may not know what sort o game they want, especially i they are new to tabletop RPGs. I they aren’t sure, ask them what sort o other media they enjoy. What sort o videogames they like to play, what genre o books and movies they like to watch. Tis will give you an idea o what sort o game to prepare or them. Tis will always involve some orm o compromise. Te players may not all agree on one type o game, or what the players want may not be what you want. So talk it through and come up with a game that everyone can enjoy. Tis does not mean to always stick to exactly what the players want. Perhaps they have not experienced every sort o game and you can pleasantly surprise them. However, i you do go beyond what the players ask or, always have a plan to get back on track should you see the players not taking a liking to what you are offering. Te last thing to remember about players is that each o them requires a unique approach. Even i they all agreed on a type o game to play, there will still be variations in what they like. Some will like interacting with the NPCs, some will like getting down and dirty with combat while others will like hunting or clues. So no matter what sort o game you end up playing, remember to throw each o your players a bone so they eel like they are playing an important role in the story.
read up on those history books, olks, it isn’t always sunshine and lollipops. Racism, sexism, religious persecution, slavery, corruption, extortion, rampant crime, and o course gratuitous violence are present in many settings to varying degrees and it is best to come to terms with that beore any game starts. Any and all o these may be too much or your players to handle. Beore starting a game, ask any players i anything should be declared off-limits. Remember to be reasonable about this sort o thing. What is offensive to one person may not be offensive to others. I one player declares something to be off-limits that other players find acceptable, or may even want (afer all, who doesn’t like a bit o blood and guts on occasion?) within the game’s universe then it may be best i that player does not continue with this group. Remember it is about un, i one person makes it not un or the rest o the group then the whole experience is ruined. As the GM, you should make decisions like these on a case by case basis, be reasonable, and do so in the best interest o the whole group.
���� ����� Next on the list are the tables rules, known a generation ago as manners and two generations ago as common sense. Tis is just figuring out when is the best time to order or make ood, coasters or no coasters, that sort o thing. Beore your first game sort all o these niggling things out so they don’t mar and slow down your games. Figure out how long to spend beore starting the game chatting and hanging out so there aren’t constant interruptions every five minutes so that one player can talk about the latest cat video they saw on the internet (Tis will become a dated reerence airly quickly). Also figure out how much out-o-character talk there should be at a table or i it should be scheduled and what to do when one player interrupts another. Tis may all seem like a lot o rules and regulations or playing a simple game o pretend, but once you figure it all out it becomes those unwritten rules that make lie easier. Afer all, you wouldn’t appreciate it i you are watching a movie and someone starts listening to pop music at ull blast next to you, or constantly talks and distracts you rom the movie. Tis is much the same thing,
H���� R���� M������� So now you and your players have discussed everything you want in the game. Now it’s time to discuss what you and the group don’t want in the game. Many settings, especially the ones shown in this book, as indeed even the real world, aren’t always the nicest o places. Have a look at current world news,
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GM SECTION when you are playing with the Sigil System you are watching that engrossing movie and you want to stay engrossed.
scoundrels, bandits they ace. Tey will however need to be more than a cardboard cutout. Te PCs’ employers, or the players i the PCs work alone, will come up with the reasons o why the PCs are working against the opposition, but you will also have to determine how the opposition responds to this. No story is as exciting as when a third party is thrown into the mix to complicate the lives o the PCs. I you do want to use a third party, you will have to spend some time fleshing them out so they become rounded characters rather than one dimensional cartoon villains.
�� G��� So you have figured out what sort o game you want to run, you have figured out what sort o game your players want and you’ve sorted out all the nittygritty things playing in a group requires. All that remains now is to prepare that game. Don’t worry too much, with the Sigil System this won’t be a hassle or you.
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Te meat o the game. Tis is the story as such, the bait, the hook to get the players moving. How much you plan will depend entirely on how much influence the players want in the story. On one side there are groups who want to be in total control o what they do, and the GM then reacts to how they play, also known as the “sandbox” style. On the other hand are players who preer the “quest” style o gaming: getting a quest/job/mission rom an NPC, completing it and then going onto the next one. Whichever style your group chooses, you will have to at least plan what the world will throw at the characters, what obstacles the characters will need to overcome. I it is a quest the characters will be doing then you need plan all the important steps along the way that they may come across. Tey may not get to all o them, but it is better to be over prepared than under prepared. I it is a more sandbox style o game, you will need to prepare the potentialities. Since it is completely up to the players to decide what they do, you can’t prepare everything, so you will need to be flexible and prepare a little bit here and a little bit there. For sandbox style games it is much better to prepare events that you can fit into any scenario in any place than fixed scenes in an adventure. Te ring they can steal does not have to be in the tallest tower o the king’s castle but could be in any chest they find along their travels. Te merchant they need to meet does not have to be in any specific town but could always be in the next town they visit. o help you with getting together the “what” o a specific quest or storyline, you can 4-Scene approach.
Once everything has been discussed and talked over, your biggest role now will be to design the game. Whether you use the Starting Scenarios at the end o the section or design your game rom scratch, there are a ew aspects which you will need to bear in mind. Whether you are designing a stand alone adventure or a campaign, these aspects will remain largely the same.
�� W��: You have to think about who the PCs will be working or, who they will be working against, and who the third party involved will be. Will the PCs be working or someone else, even temporarily, or will they be doing their own thing? I they will be working or someone else, you will need to create a reason why this person, group, organisation or entity would employ the PCs. It does not always have to be the most complex and convoluted o reasons, but it needs to be a reason or the PCs to all back on and to keep them in line. Te PCs should know that there is consequences o their actions should they cause trouble or their employer but also know that their employer needs them and will protect them. I the PCs are working alone, then there is less or you to worry about. However, they will need to know there is now no man upstairs to protect them should they find themselves hip deep in the proverbial. Te PCs will always be working against someone in some ashion. Te opposition does not always have to be a villain but could be just the enemies,
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GM SECTION �� �-S���� S����:
was merely one small part) may still be ongoing, but they know this stage is over. I you want to put in some twists or complications, you can add them into any scene or even create a scene just or them. In most cases, the twist will happen afer the climax just when the players start to get comortable and believe the worst is behind them, so the easiest place to put the twist in is during just afer the Mission scene. Following this simple template, you should be able to create almost any story you can think o or your group to enjoy.
At the most basic, a RPG storyline comes in our parts, or our scenes i you think o it like a movie. I you are planning a quest, a side-quest or just a random encounter or the players on their adventures, you can easily do so by using the our scenes. Te first scene is the Brie Scene. Here is where the players get the plot-hook, the job, the quest. It can take place in a bureaucrat’s office with an official stamp or it could be as simple as a thie bumping into the character and they see him disappear around a corner. Te important role o the Brie Scene is that the players get an objective, a goal, a mission that they can work towards or against. In many instances, this is the most important scene as this will give the players the motivation or the storyline. Next up is the Legwork Scene. Te characters now know what they have to do, now they just need to figure out how to do it. Tis is where buying needed equipment, scouting and investigating, and looking up their contacts to find out inormation happens. Everything that needs doing beore they get onto the task at hand is done here. As such, this scene is most ofen a very inormal event (i an “event” at all), there is no one person deciding it is time or legwork, it is something that is just done. Tereore, the Legwork Scene is mostly handled by the players themselves as they decide what they need to do to prepare or the next scene. When the characters are ready, it’s the Mission Scene. Tis is airly straightorward, this where the action takes place. Te characters now know what to do, they have prepared or it, and so they do it. Most o what you have planned will take place here. Whatever the mission or story may be, here is where it will happen. Te Mission Scene will be the climax to the storyline. A lot o times, the characters may do a bit o the mission, do some legwork, do more o the mission, some more legwork, etc, so that the legwork and mission scenes start to blend together. Lastly, o course, comes the Debrie Scene. Much like the first scene, this doesn’t have to be an official declaration that the mission is over. It is just that time when the characters have finished or the day and can catch their breath, have a pint and sleep it off. Te important aspect o the Debrie Scene is that the players know that this storyline or quest is now over. Te overall story or campaign (i this storyline
�� W��: Tis is perhaps the most important aspect you will need to plan. Tere needs to be a motivation or the game, doesn’t matter whether it is sandbox or a quest. You will already have created the motivations or any potential employers and opposition, and the players will create their characters’ motivations, so this is not what is meant here. Te entire game needs motivation. Tere needs to be a drive or the players to succeed, a sense o importance. Whether the characters are all great princes or the poorest thieves, the game needs to eel important so that there is all the more reason to succeed and all the more emotion should they ail. It is this drive and motivation which creates the gripping tension we all enjoy rom watching and reading thrilling movies and books. o put it another way, you need to make your players care about the game. I they don’t care about the outcome, they get bored, and boredom is the death o un. I you can provide this drive, you will engross your players into the game and they will become so immersed in the story that any small mistake you do make will be overlooked. In short: provide a great motivation and your game will be as sae as houses.
R������ ��� G��� Te group has been assembled. Te characters have been made. House rules have been sorted out. Te game has been prepared. All that is lef to do now is kick back and enjoy the game... i you weren’t the GM. While you can start relaxing now that the hard work is done, it’s not all over yet.
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GM SECTION I���������� ����������
When running the game, your main concern is to make sure it goes smoothly. Te better your group plays together, the easier it will go or you. I they enjoy each other’s company and work well as a team together with little bickering, hal the job has already been done or you. Ten you just have to worry about the game and not the players as well.
One quick way o losing momentum in a game is orgetting what comes next and having to go through all your notes to try and find that one specific piece o inormation. While a player only really needs to keep track o one character sheet, a GM needs to keep track o the entire world. While it may be a hassle, knowing where all o your inormation is will make the game easier or you in the long run. It is or this exact reason that there are Cheat Sheets at the back o this book that contains all the modifier tables so you can easily reer to them, or even print them out to make it even easier. For all your other notes, it is best to categorise them (and remember what the categories are). For example, all the notes with the NPCs you may be using will be in a pile to your right, all the notes with the events that could happen in a pile to your lef and o course this book close at hand in case you need to look up a detail or two. I you are using a laptop or tablet or the like, this is will be even easier or you. You don’t have to go overboard and bring a filing cabinet along with you, just be sure to know what is going on with your notes so it doesn’t bring the game to a halt.
C���� ������������� Like the old expression says: never assume. Unortunately, no player seems to have ever heard this. It is unortunately something that can’t be helped with a medium such as a tabletop RPG. Unless you explain everything to the smallest detail, your players’ imaginations will fill in the rest. You mention a guard armed with a pistol and sword approaches, but what colour are his boots? Does he have acial hair? What colour are his eyes? Are his socks matching? All o these things are irrelevant to the scene at hand, but something the players’ imagine will fill in. Most o the time, this is a very good thing as it means you don’t actually have to take hal an hour to describe every NPC your players meet. Unortunately, there are some times when this doesn’t go according the plan. You mention that a man with a “gun” approaches the PCs rom aar. Te group may assume this to be a pistol, but you meant a rifle and now a PC is dead because they expected the NPC to have to come much closer beore getting off a shot. Communicating the important details are crucial. What the colour o his underwear is doesn’t matter. What he had or breakast doesn’t matter. What can impact the players, especially i it can be bad or them, needs to be clearly communicated. I you are ever unsure about what inormation to give the players ask yoursel i the PCs could be seriously harmed i you didn’t give them this inormation. Tis doesn’t mean you need to spill all your secrets and twists or the game, just tell them the obvious things that their characters should know in any given situation. Also, remember that the Perception and Investigation Skills do exist or a reason. I you are unsure how much you should tell the players, let them roll a Perception or Investigation Skill Check and then you can decide how many o the important details they noticed.
C����� ��� D����� N�������� D����� Te Sigil System is a lethal system and every NPC the players meet could be quite dangerous. Te PCs will suffer damage, a lot o it i they are unlucky, and some o them may even die. How that will happen is entirely up to you as the GM. Damage will all under two categories: Combat and Non-Combat Damage. Combat Damage is the easiest one to deal with as it will be the dice rolls that do most o the work. Non-Combat damage on the other hand will rest entirely on your shoulders.
C����� D����� Te Wound Severity and Hit Locations tables will, clearly, tell you where on the PCs body they were wounded and how severe the wound is. However, these tables will not tell you what sort o wound it was. Whether it was a scratch or a cut,
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GM SECTION a bullet wound or a broken rib, the description o any wounds the PCs receive is up to you. ake into account the context that the wound is received in, what the environment is like, what weapons are used, what armour (i any) is worn, and any other actors that could have an impact on the wound. Tere are some vague guidelines, such as swords cut and maces bash, but with all the thousands o different weapon types in history and even more in fictional universes, it will be up to your to describe the type o wounds the PCs and NPCs receive. Always keep in mind the severity o the wound: A Minor Wound is something small and insignificant that will take care o itsel within a matter o minutes; a Significant Wound is exactly that. It is painul, it is distracting, it is weakening, and it requires medical attention; and a Grievous Wound is something you may never recover rom. It is truly something to grieve. Te supernatural elements that may be in your setting o choice will always be a wild card when it comes to wounds. Because the players will be able to create nearly any effect with magic or psionic powers and whatnot that you can imagine, the wounds that they create will similarly be as varied. Supernatural elements can do anything to a human rom turning flesh to stone to disintegrating flesh all together, rom pumping arsenic into the blood to turning the blood inside the body to fire. Very nasty stuff and at first it does look like it will all be lethal, but there are only three levels o Wounds that can be dealt and i the dice rolls say Minor Wound then Minor Wound it will be. You will have to work out why the ull impact o the supernatural elements did not kill the NPC or PC, perhaps by the weapon only grazing the body.
concrete around your eet and a lake. A lot o NonCombat wounds will have to be dealt out to NPCs and PCs in a way that best fits the narrative. Use your judgement on this careully as it may seem to the players to be arbitrary. I you are ever in doubt about how severe wound has to be or where it should be located. Simply roll on the Wound Severity and Hit Locations tables. You can roll on the Hit Locations table as i it was a normal d100 roll and then just use the location you rolled, however the Wound Severity is a little more tricky. In nearly all circumstances there will be a Skill Check associated with whatever danger the PC is in such as it an Athletics Skill Check to run out o a burning building or at the very least a Constitution Skill Check to see what is harder, flesh and bone or gravity and pavement. Allow the player to roll the Skill Check and roll a d100 yoursel. reat this like an Opposed Check and treat the Skill Level you have to beat as Level 100. By however much you win the Opposed Skill Check, that is the severity o the wound inflicted. By doing this, you allow the player to succeed without taking damage (difficult but possible) and you grant some randomness to the result. Remember also that Non-Combat damage in most cases will involve situations that would realistically affect more than one body part. Falling off a building does not just injure your lef arm, it will cost you a lot more than that. Don’t be discouraged then rom giving wounds to PCs on more than one Hit Location i you eel the narrative needs it. Similarly, certain Non-Combat damage wouldn’t eel realistically correct being on certain Hit Locations. Tirst and starvation or instance does not really affect your legs (it does, but through a roundabout way o affecting your stamina and balance and your brains). For cases likes this and or things like poison or illness, it is best (generally speaking) to damage the torso or brain as any penalties gained rom Wounds will then affect any movement the PC makes.
N��-C����� D����� Tere are many more ways to get injured and die out o combat than there are in combat, and they aren’t normally as quick and clean. Drowning, suffocating, poisoning, burning alive, alling off a tower, and so much more. Te issue with all o these is that there are no easy Wound Severity and Hit Locations tables to tell you how bad the damage would be and where it will be. Most o these can be handled through roleplay and your judgement. For example, alling off a ten story building with nothing below but pavement will kill you, no questions asked. So would a block o
M����� D����� Tey say that insanity is much like gravity, all it requires to tumble down that slippery slope is a little push. Mental damage and insanity may be the most
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GM SECTION controversial and complicated aspect o the Sigil System that you may have to implement in your games. Tere are more mental conditions and disorders in the world than you can name in one day and the Sigil System compacts all o these into one easy-to-use mechanic to track. Such is the way o games. However, just because there is a single mechanic or mental traumas and conditions does not mean that there will only be a single mental condition that your players will suffer rom. In act, because the mental wounds are set up like combat wounds, there can be thousands o different traumas and disorders that characters can suffer rom throughout the course o an adventure or campaign. And just like with physical combat wounds, it comes down to your descriptions and narrative as to what the mental wounds will be that the characters suffer rom. As with physical wounds, keep in mind the severity o the wound when describing what it is: A Minor Wound is something small and insignificant that will take care o itsel within a matter o minutes; a Significant Wound is exactly that. It is painul, it is distracting, it is weakening, and it requires medical (in this case perhaps psychiatric) attention; and a Grievous Wound is something you may never recover rom. It is truly something to grieve. Last but not least is the Location Destroyed Wound. In physical combat this is airly straight orward: the limb or body part in question has become permanently non-unctional. Perhaps it was obliterated or disintegrated, or maybe all the nerves were simply damaged beyond repair. Whatever the case may be, the character can no longer use it. In Social Combat, Location Destroyed simply means that the combat is over and the at character has lost. Tere is no real lasting damage other than
what you, the GM, believes is appropriate. For Mental Damage, Location Destroyed works differently. Here, Location Destroyed means insanity. As with physical combat, it is a permanent and horrific scenario but it does not mean loss o unction. A Mental Location Destroyed sits somewhere between Social and Physical. At the end o the day a Mental Location Destroyed does, in a philosophical sense, mean quite that: the character’s mind has been broken, it has been shattered, it has stared into the abyss and something stared back. Tey are no longer, and will never again be, the same person they were beore. While it is possible to go rom no wounds to Location Destroyed through one unlucky Skill Check (just as in physical combat), most ofen you will be able to clearly show the players how their PCs have gone insane through all the mental wounds they have accumulated. Tis can be a way to show what type o insanity the character eventually suffers rom and how it maniests. Tis in itsel could be a story and the more that you can bring it into a game, the more that characters will grow and will realise that their minds are as ragile as their bodies and need to be taken care o. A character with three Mental Grievous Wounds should have as hard a time as a character with three Physical Grievous Wounds. I there are no supernatural elements in your setting, then the mental wounds will come rom what traumas we can experience in real lie. Seeing someone die, seeing a gruesome murder scene, being tortured or interrogated, living through combat, or the constant mounting stresses o a hard lie. I there are supernatural elements in your setting, then all bets are off. Once you add in psionic powers or magic that can crawl into someone’s mind, there will be ar more exotic and interesting ways to make
M����� ����� E������� W���� S������� Minor Significant Grievous
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Scared Saddened Irrational Suspicion Sudden Fright Feeling blue Irrational stubbornness errified Melancholia Obsession Panicked Lethargic Te-Only-Sane-Man Phobia Chronic Depression Paranoia Chronic Anxiety Chronic Stress Saviour complex Addiction
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H������������ Seeing-a-ghost Hearing a dead riend Stranger-ollowing-you Losing time Hearing Voices Imaginary riend Split Personality
GM SECTION someone go insane. Tere are some example in this section that you can use, but always remember to tailor the mental wounds to the context they are gained in and what prior mental wounds the character has.
broadest, most vague story elements. Who is the villain, what does he want and how well does he do it? Tat’s it. Ten just plan your gaming sessions as they go. Let the actions o your players dictate how the grand scheme o things unold. By keeping the details vague, you can use each session to merely nudge the players in the right direction. You can always combine the two. For stand alone adventures you can keep similar themes across each adventure. Perhaps the same employer. Perhaps you can put clues in each adventure to hint at a larger story such as one villain causing all the trouble the PCs have been seeing. Similarly, you could have adventures in a campaign. I you are amiliar with video game RPGs, you will know o side quests, those adventures the PCs can do that are not connected to the main story line. Whichever way you choose to do it, i you allow the players’ choices to matter and influence the storyline, both you and the players will walk away happy.
�� L��� G��� So you want to turn your game into a campaign but are worried it may be too much work? Well ret no more! It is actually ar easier than you might think. Tere are two main ways o running a long consecutive game: a series o standalone adventures or a single long running campaign. Tey can overlap quite requently, but broadly speaking they are separate. Stand alone adventures are just that: a series o adventures that have at best a tenuous link to each other can be played over as long a time as you want. Tis will give you and the players the opportunity to test out different styles and genres o games, playing different characters and enjoy different scenery. Adventures can also vary the tone o the game, easily switching between drama, comedy or horror between adventures. With stand alone adventures, there is no real “long game” you would have to prepare or, just taking each adventure as it comes. Te best analogue to a campaign o stand alone adventures is the police shows on television. While the cast mainly stays the same, the episodes are all one offs that have a distinct beginning, middle and end that are separate rom the rest o the show’s episodes. Campaigns on the other hand is one (usually) long story that may take months i not years (i you are ambitious) to complete. Tis at first does seem like a huge task to craf such a long story, but it is always better not to craf the whole thing. I you did, you could well find that the actions your players take may invalidate the whole story. You wished them to take the lef path to the ruined castle, instead they took the right path to the swamp and kept going on right. What can you do? wo things really, one is to orce them back (something called “railroading”) but this might upset them because the choices they make no longer matter. Or you could re-plan the story. It’s much better to prevent this sort o thing than try and fix it. I you want a campaign, plan only the
S��������� Your players will almost always be either hungry, thirsty, or both. Tis means that scavenging will become a vital part o gameplay. Tey will constantly be on the move rom place to place, looking or resources... only to consume them and starting the cycle over. Te main scavenging rules can be ound later in the book, but there are a ew more things that you as GM should be aware o. Te first and most important thing is that the scarcity o each consumable resource shown in each section is just a guide and an indication o its relative rarity. Depending on what real world location you are playing in, the scarcities might change dramatically. Te same thing will be true depending on what narrative and story you and group create. I they happen to be at a port next to an estuary or river, then o course water will be abundant in their specific Port Environment, regardless o what the tables in the Scavenging section say. Another thing to bear in mind is to increase the rarity o a resource the more the players scavenge or it in one area. I the players settle down in an area and are constantly out scavenging, then they will whittle down the resources in that area. I that
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GM SECTION happens, just change the scarcity (rom Common to Uncommon to Rare or example) the more they scavenge.
L��� ��� S��������� Finding resources is one thing, knowing how much o it is ound is another. Tis is where the Luck Skill comes in. I the players passed their Investigation Skill Check, it means they ound the resource they were looking or. Now they need to do a Luck Skill Check to see how much they ound. Because they have already ound the resource, a ailed Luck Skill Check will give them at least something, not much but something. Te result o the Luck Skill Check will be different i the player in question is scavenging only or themselves (or just the immediate party) or i they have been sent out to scavenge or a much larger group or action. I they are scavenging only or themselves or the party then a ailed Luck Skill Check means they haven’t ound enough o the resource to last one person even a day. Tis means only 1 or 2 Food or Water units, only a handul o ammo and maybe a litre or two o uel. A successul Luck Skill Check means that they have enough o the resource to last one person one day. Ten or every 10 points they rolled lower than their modified Luck Skill Level, they ound enough resources to last one person an extra day. So i they rolled 30 points below their modified Luck Skill Level then they ound enough resources or one person or our days (or our people or one day). I they are the designated scavenger or a much larger group or action o people then a ailed Luck Skill Check means they only ound enough resources to last themselves (ie: the player) a day. I they only barely succeeded on their Luck Skill Check then they have ound enough resources to last hal o the people in the group o action a day. Ten or every 10 points they rolled lower than their modified Luck Skill Level, they ound enough resources to last an additional hal o the group or action’s population a day. In effect, this means that or every 20 points they roll lower than their modified Luck Skill Check, they have ound enough resources to last their entire group or action a whole day.
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STARTING SCENARIOS D-DAY Te world will end whether you like it or not. It doesn’t care i you are prepared or whether you were asleep when it happened. It will happen, so the only thing to decide is where and when. Below you will find ten different scenarios or how you can begin the age o the apocalypse and while they are broad in scope, they are by no means an exhaustive list. Z-Land is meant first and oremost to be played by you as yoursel, so i you don’t find anything you like below, create your own adventure! Te ten starting scenarios are simply jumping off points. Use them, abuse them, modiy them how you wish so that they make sense in the context o your party, your history and location and all the other actors that will make your game truly unique.
When morning comes, you awake as the elevator moves down one floor and opens. It won’t work anymore and you are still several stories up, so it’s the stairs or you. Out through the windows you can see smoke and fire coming orm buildings and you can hear... noises... coming rom the floors below you. Sounds like someone lef a hungry dog or something here overnight...
SAILING INTO UNKNOWN HARBOURS You and your party are alone on a boat, or perhaps even a ship. Maybe you went or a long fishing trip or maybe you decided on a short vacation and are sailing between two ports. Whatever the reason may be, your party was on the water when D-Day came around. Te only notice you had that something wasn’t right was that all your communication devices stopped working overnight. No one was replying on the boat’s radio and suddenly it looked like your phones weren’t getting reception. As you pull into the dock, you can’t see a soul around. You can, however, see smoke in the distance and can hear a siren. Tere is also a strange scent in the air, like spoilt meat. For now, though you eel all alone in the world, but that won’t last long...
FOR WANT OF A TIRE It’s the middle o the night and you and your party are on a bus. Maybe you are catching the cheap bus between cities or maybe you’re coming home rom a late party, but other than your party and the driver, there is only a handul o people on the bus. Te drive doesn’t last very long afer the bus gets onto the reeway. You get jolted awake as you hear what sounds like an explosion coming rom just outside the bus. Te bus swerves off the road and screeches to a halt. Te driver has a look outside and reports back that the bus has blown a tire, he’ll have to fix it beore you can go urther. As soon as he steps outside again he is grabbed by a screaming man running passed, thrown to the ground out o sight and then you hear the drivers unholy screams and sounds o flesh being ripped apart...
LONGEST ELEVATOR RIDE People get stuck in elevators all the time, and this time it happened to you and your party. Maybe you were in a hotel or staying late at the office, but just beore dusk you ew got into an elevator and it stopped working between floors. Te hatch at the top won’t open and you can’t get through the doors, all you can do is wait. Te voice at the other end o the emergency line said they’ll be a ew hours, but you’ll be staying until dawn and there’s no cell reception inside the elevator.
RED EYE FLIGHT
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GM SECTION It’s 3am and you and your party are waiting at the airport or a good riend to arrive. Other than yourselves, there are only a ew people scattered across the airport that you can see and most o them are asleep. You can see signs warning o the new Bird Flu and to tell people to regularly wash hands and wear acemasks i they are eeling sick. You don’t think you have seen anyone pay attention to what is just another scare like all the rest were. You wait nearly an hour afer your riend’s plane was supposed to land when you hear screams coming rom across the terminal and see bloodstained people running or their lives. At the same time you see the flash o a plane coming in too ast and smash itsel down onto the tarmac. All hell breaks loose and then you see a bloodstained man sprinting in your direction screaming his lungs out...
tabletop roleplaying. In any event, you were oblivious to the world at large or the night and D-Day seemed to passed you over until the sound o gunshots stopped the party in its tracks. Everyone quieted down and then you pick out the sound o sirens and screaming in the night. Vs and radios were turned on, the internet was checked, everyone looked or news and it wasn’t good news. Te news was a conusing mess, but it looked like the world had ended, or close enough as makes no difference. Te moment o introspection was interrupted when someone crashed through a window into the house. You thought perhaps they were looking or help, until they jumped up and tried to grab the nearest person they could reach...
ALONE IN THE WOODS You had enough o the world and decided to take a break. You and your party went or a short camping trip. Just you ew and the great outdoors. No people, no civilisation, no phones or tablets or computers. Just the wilderness and your camping supplies. You tramped, you hiked, you fished; all in all you enjoyed yourselves that day and your campsite or the night was already set up and the ood was already cooking. When you went to bed you couldn’t be happier with your decision to get away rom it all. Until you were awoken by a scream that didn’t sound like any animal you knew. It couldn’t possibly be a person as you were so ar out and hadn’t see anyone all day, but what else could it be? And why were they screaming so horrifically...
BARS TO KEEP THEM OUT You and your party had been a bit naughty and said the wrong thing to the wrong cop. Maybe you were just drunk or maybe you were indeed looking or trouble, but now you’re sleeping it off in the cells overnight. Luckily you and your party had a cell all to yourselves. Te two gents in the next cell haven’t taken kindly to each other and had kept you awake all night cursing and shouting at each other. A ew times they have come to blows and a cop had to come in to intervene. You thought it was over when one ell asleep, but an hour later he awoke with a jump and lunged at the other man, screaming all the while. Te other gent did what he could, but he stopped struggling when the madman bit open his throat. When the cop tried to stop them, he too was taken down ar too quickly or your liking. He only had time to throw you the keys to the cell and screamed at you to get out...
AT THEIR DEATHBED It’s sad time or you. A amily member o one o your party had been taken into hospital and you were all there or support. It might have been an accident or perhaps illness, but it was serious enough that the nurses allowed your party to stay the night. Te patient, your loved one had allen asleep hours earlier and none o you had the energy to keep talking all night long so you each drifed in and out o sleep. Ten the worst imaginable thing happened, your loved one awoke, took one look at the nearest person and tried to take a bite out o them. While you were
PARTY TO END ALL PARTIES Maybe it was a roaring birthday party, a amily get together or perhaps you and your party decided to hook your computers up or a bit o multiplayer action. You could even have had a quiet night o
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GM SECTION trying to restrain them, they thrashed with more energy than you would ever give them credit or, healthy or otherwise. As this tussle went on you could hear fights break out all over the hospital. Screams o pain and anguish mixed with those o ear and horror and suddenly it seemed like nightmare come to lie. And in between it all, your loved one manically trying to eat you...
Only a ew seconds passed beore another scream joined it in harmony and suddenly everyone was running or their lives. It was total chaos conusion in the dimly lit area, but you could see more than one person lying too still to be alive and people running around covered in blood...
ON THE ROAD AGAIN Tere’s always something across the horizon, around the corner, over the next hill and you and your party took a weekend off to go find it all. With just a ew spare clothes you went off on a grand road trip across the country. You decided not to pay or a motel or hotel that night, and one person filled up on caffeine and drove you all through the dark hours. Everything seemed to be going fine until the car hit something and careened off the road beore coming to a stop. Te driver swore they didn’t see what they hit and never even saw it coming onto the road, but the dent and blood on the ront o the car tells you it was something big. You all walked back onto the road and back to where you think the accident took place, but there was nothing there other than a trail o blood leading back off the road. Beore your party could decide whether to investigate or not, whatever you heard a scream in the night, a howl o pain and anger. You were in the middle o nowhere and something did not take kindly to you crashing into it...
ROCK AROUND THE CLOCK Maybe you like the underground scene, or maybe you are an o some country music. What the case might be, you and your party have gone to a late night concert that promised to go or as long as the ans can. Some ans have already allen asleep drunk, high or both. Te rest o you lot were still having a good time, but something suddenly changed the eeling in the air. In between the loud music and shouting, a scream pierced the air that did not belong at the concert.
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SURVIVAL
SURVIVAL In a world ravaged by an apocalypse it is not the hordes o the undead which most ofen kills you, nor is it the other humans still alive, unaffected, yet equally as monstrous. No, what kills most olk in the post-apocalyptic world is the lack o the basic things we all take or granted: ood, water, and sleep. Survival is so much more than being able to shoot a firearm, bash in a human head or dramatically jump over walls and ences. It is about taking care o yoursel in a world which no longer can.
you start skipping meals that is the time when things start to go badly. For each block o a day that a PC does not consume at least one ood unit, that PC must take a Constitution Skill Check. A successul Skill Check results in no adverse effects, however a ailed Skill Check will result in a -2 penalty to all Physical Skills and a -1 to all Non-Physical Skills. Tese penalties stack with each other, meaning that i the PC ails three Constitution Skill Checks or hunger, that PC will have a -6 penalty to all Physical Skills and a -3 to all Non-Physical Skills. Each Constitution Skill Check or hunger will also become progressively more difficult the longer the PC has gone without ood. Tere is no Difficulty Modifier on the Skill Check or the first block in which the PC does not eat. Starting at the second block since the PC last ate, there will be a -2 Difficulty Modifier per block on the Skill Check or hunger. By the fifh block since the PC last ate (two whole days) there will be a -10 Difficulty Modifier on the Skill Check or hunger.
�� B������� B����� �� S������� Survival in the post-apocalyptic realm o Z-land is measured in terms o blocks per day. Tere are three blocks in a day, each technically equaling eight hours but can best be thought o in narrative terms such as the three aspects o daily lie (work, sleep, play), the three square meals in a day, or the three parts o a day (morning, noon and night). Each o the three survival mechanics will ocus on these blocks, with the modifiers to Constitution Skill Checks and penalties or ailure increasing and decreasing with the blocks. Eating, drinking and sleeping are all measured in terms o “units”, ie: one ood unit is one meal, one water unit is enough to last a third o day and one sleep unit is roughly two hours. Te size o a ood and water unit is entirely up to the GM as it will be different or each individual. In the most broadest o general terms, you need to eat and drink once per block, and sleep or a whole block, per day in order to remain in peak condition.
E����� A PC must eat one ood unit per block and each ood unit recovers two blocks o hunger, meaning that i a PC had not eaten or two blocks, the PC only need to eat one ood unit to recover both blocks. I the PC has already gone into hunger and is suffering mechanical penalties because o this, eating will remove these penalties. For each block that a PC recovers through eating, the penalties associated only with that specific block is also removed. Penalties rom other, earlier blocks are unaffected. Because one ood unit can recover two blocks, a PC can only eat two ood units per block. Additionally, a PC can only carry as many days worth o ood units as the first digit o their Might Skill Level. So a PC with a Might Skill o 43 can carry 4 days worth o ood units.
H����� We need ood to survive as it is the energy we use to power our bodies. Yet as vital as it is, it is also the survival aspect which takes the longest to kill us, as an average adult human can survive more than a month without any ood.
S���������
F��� S�������
Eating one ood unit three times a day will keep you satiated and in tip-top shape. However, when
In terms o hunger and eating, all ood units are equal, but some are more equal than others. While
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SURVIVAL the size and composition o the ood units are lef to the GM’s narrative, there are some numbers to play around with to make gathering and storing oods in the apocalypse eel more real.
At the beginning o each new day you move the pen one section clockwise around the wheel. I you move the pen onto a section where there are tokens, it means those ood units have spoilt. Simple as that.
P���������� ��� N��-P����������
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Food units come in two varieties: perishable oods and non-perishable oods. Non-perishable oods are the easiest to deal with in game terms as they have no real expiration dates and do not spoil unless they are opened and unsealed. Tis can be things like canned oods, sealed drinks, dried and dehydrated oods. Perishable oods on the other hand do have an expiration date and will spoil i they are not consumed beore that. While the time to expiration and spoilage is unique or each type o ood, in Z-Land each type o perishable oods is classified and given a specific amount o days beore spoilage. Tey are as ollows: • Meat: 2 days • Baked goods: 5 Days • Dairy: 6 Days • Fruits: 7 Days • Vegetables: 14 Days Once you gain a ood unit o the specific type listed above, the clock starts counting down. Once daybreak hits on the specific day, that ood unit spoils and can no longer be eaten.
Water is the source o all lie on this planet and constitutes nearly our fifhs o the human body. It is no surprise then that thirst is the quickest killer. Five days without water will kill even the hardiest o men.
D������ As with Hunger, or each block o a day that a PC does not consume at least one water unit, that PC must take a Constitution Skill Check. A successul Skill Check results in no adverse effects, however a ailed Skill Check will result in a -2 penalty to all Physical Skills and a -5 to all Non-Physical Skills. Tese penalties stack with each other, meaning that i the PC ails three Constitution Skill Checks or thirst, that PC will have a -6 penalty to all Physical Skills and a -15 to all Non-Physical Skills. Each Skill Check or thirst will also become progressively more difficult the longer the PC has gone without water in the same way as with the Hunger Skill Checks. Tere is no Difficulty Modifier on the Skill Check or the first block in which the PC does not drink, but or each subsequent block there will be a -5 Difficulty Modifier on the Skill Check or thirst.
������� F��� S������� You can use any number o means to track ood spoilage, but the easiest one we’ve ound is by using the Wheel at the end o this section. All you need is to print off that page and have a pen (or pencil) and some tokens to represent each perishable ood type. Ten simply put the pen on the section o the wheel or the current day (doesn’t matter which section you start at) and when you find new perishable ood types, put token representing them as many sections clockwise away rom the pen as the days it takes or them to expire. For example, say you ound 3 ood units worth o apples. Since ruit spoil in seven days, you will count seven sections clockwise rom your current day (the section with the pen) and put three tokens representing ruit on that section.
D������� As with eating, A PC must drink one water unit per block and drinking one water unit recovers two blocks o thirst and removes any associated penalties that the PC may have gained rom those specific blocks. A PC can also only drink two water units per block. PC can only carry as many days worth o water units as the first digit o their Might Skill Level. So a PC with a Might Skill o 37 can carry 3 days worth o water units.
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SURVIVAL S������
I a GM eels that this is the case, he will call or the PCs to take a Constitution Skill Check. Te Difficulty Modifier or this will range between -0 or light exercise to -60 or activities which can literally break your back . Should any PC ail this Skill Check, they will gain a penalty to all Physical Skills equal to hal the amount by which they ailed. For example, i a PC ailed the Skill Check by 30 points, he will gain a -15 penalty to all Physical Skills. I a PC does not perorm any strenuous activity or one block, then 10 points can be removed rom that PC’s Exhaustion Penalty. Similarly, each unit o sleep will remove 20 points rom a PC’s Exhaustion Penalty.
Apocalyptic survivors ofen have very little sleep as they are ar too busy trying not to die. However, sleep is important as sleep deprivation can do terrible things to the human mind.
S���� A PC needs three sleep units per day, with each sleep unit equaling two hours o sleep. Each sleep unit recovers only one block and that block’s associated penalties, but this is balanced by a PC being able sleep or three units within a single block. A PC cannot sleep or more than nine units within a three block period; in other words, a PC cannot sleep or more than 18 hours in a single day. Te PCs also can’t only sleep or one unit per block indefinitely, the human body simply wasn’t meant or it. I a PC staggers his sleep like this or more than three blocks, it requires two units o sleep to recover one block. At ull rest, a PC has three sleep blocks in reserve. Once these have been used up, or every block in which a PC does not sleep at least one unit, that PC must take a Constitution Skill Check. Failure results in a -3 to all Skills. Each subsequent Skill Check or sleep will also have a -3 Difficulty Modifier. For every three Skill Checks a PC ails, that PC gains a Mental Wound, the severity o which is equal by the amount the PC ailed the third Constitution Skill Check.
E������� Hunger, thirst and sleep deprivation aren’t the only things that can kill you. Sometimes the most insidious killer is the one you can’t see. Hypo- and hyperthermia can kill a survivor in the post-apocalypse as well as any zombie can, especially i they are too brave or stupid to take precautions against it. Adverse temperature in Z-LAND come in three degrees o severity as shown in the table below. As long as a PC is affected by one o the temperature severities, they will get the associated penalty to all their Skill Checks. For example, i a PC is Freezing, then they will suffer a -15 penalty to their Skill Checks, and i the PC is Hot then they will suffer a -5 penalty to their Skill Checks.
E��������� Exhaustion is the one survival mechanic which does not use the block system, rather it is measured on a case by case basis with the GM’s discretion, based on the perceived activity o the PCs. Everything a human does costs energy, rom sleeping to running a marathon. Te more energy an action or activity requires, the more tired and exhausted the person becomes. Surviving in the post-apocalypse is no different. Whenever the PCs perorm an action or activity, whether it is standing guard all night or running rom the undead, the GM will determine i the action or activity is strenuous enough to cause the PCs to become tired or exhausted.
TEMP
PENALTY
Hot/Cold Burning/ Freezing Hypothermia/ Hyperthermia
-5 -15 -25
I a PC spends more than one block affected by one o these temperature severities, then the severity will increase (eg rom Cold to Freezing, or Freezing to Hypothermia). Once a PC enters Hypoor Hyperthermia, they must make a Constitution Skill Check to avoid going into shock and alling unconscious. Each time a PC perorms any narrative action while in Hypo- or Hyperthermia, they must
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FOOD SPOILAGE WHEEL FOOD SPOILAGE TIMES. • • • • •
Meat: 2 days Baked goods: 5 Days Dairy: 6 Days Fruits: 7 Days Vegetables: 14 Days
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SURVIVAL make this Shock Check. Failure means alling unconscious. I a PC stays in Hypo- or Hyperthermia or an entire block and is unconscious, they make a final Shock Check to see i they die rom exposure. I the penalties rom emperature ever puts a PC’s Constitution Skill Level to 0 or below, they immediately all unconscious. What qualifies as Hot or Cold is up to the GM’s discretion, but general guidelines are that the PC must be uncomortably Hot or Cold to be affected by these severities. Similarly, what measures the PC’s take to protect themselves rom these temperature severity is also up the GM. Warming yoursel up with clothing, fire, heaters or warm ood will help with Cold, Freezing and Hypothermia, and cooling yoursel off with cold ood/drink, removing clothing will help with Hot, Burning and Hyperthermia.
U�������������� With all these penalties to a PC’s Physical and Non-Physical Skills, it is easy to see how some Skills might be reduced to 0. Tis is exactly why you should take extra care o yoursel in the post-apocalypse. I the Constitution or Will Skills ever reach 0, then that PC alls unconsciousness, regardless o what they were doing at the time. Te PC will remain unconscious until the penalties which drove his skill(s) to 0 are removed. Penalties gained rom Sleep Deprivation or Exhaustion will be removed naturally with time, but or penalties rom Tirst or Hunger, other characters will have to help the PC. I a PC’s Constitution or Will Skills ever reach hal their unmodified values into the negative (eg: -15 or a normal value o 30), that PC dies. Tis is a very real threat or Hunger or Tirst, as an unconscious PC cannot eat or drink by themselves (they can be assisted by other PCs) and will by deault ail all Constitution Skill Checks. As well as alling unconscious, i a PC’s Constitution or Will Skills ever reach 0, that PC will gain either a Grievous Physical Wound to their torso or Grievous Mental Wound respectively. I a PC’s Constitution or Will Skills ever reach 0 at the same time, they will gain both Wounds.
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SCAVENGING
SCAVENGING You’re hungry, thirsty and most likely tired as well. You can all asleep wherever you are (i you are brave enough) but ood and water aren’t that easy to find. o fill your belly and stay alive, you will have to go out into the wider world to scavenge or what precious ew supplies are lef. Te Scavenging mechanic deals with finding the five most important and common consumable resources in Z-Land: • Non-Perishable Food • Perishable Food • Drinkable water • Petroleum uel • Firearms ammunition Tese are all vital resources that you will burn through (literally in some cases) rapidly in order to survive, so you will be always need to be on the lookout or these.
only question then is how much did you find? For that you then roll a Luck Skill Check and (even i you ailed) your GM will tell you how much o the resource you ound.
ENVIRONMENTS Below you will find the scarcity o each resource in each environment in each time-rame. Remember, however, that these are just indications o scarcity and the real rarity o resources will depend as much upon your GM and the narrative as on the time rame. For example, i you continuously scavenge in one area, the resources will become depleted even i the time rame hasn’t moved on.
U����
RESOURCE
FINDING WHAT YOU NEED Scavenging is quite simple. All you need to do is tell your GM which o the five consumable resources you are scavenging or and then decide on the area wherein you will scavenge. Tis should be a airly large area such as a whole apartment building, a block o suburban homes, a row o warehouses, or even all the buildings on a arm.
SCARCITY
MOD.
Abundant Plentiul Common Uncommon Rare Scant Scarce
+45 +30 +15 +0 -15 -30 -45
N.P. Food P. Food Water Fuel Ammo
D.DAY
APOC. NEW. GEN
Common Rare Rare Scant Plentiul Common Common Scant Abundant Scant
Scant Scarce Scant Scarce Scarce
S�������
RESOURCE
D.DAY
N.P. Food P. Food Water Fuel Ammo
Plentiul Abundant Abundant Common Plentiul
APOC. NEW. GEN Scant Scant Plentiul Rare Scant
Scarce Scarce Common Scarce Scarce
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RESOURCE N.P. Food P. Food Water Fuel Ammo
You will then roll an Investigation Skill Check and your GM will give you a modifier to that Skill Check based on the scarcity o resource your scavenging and in what sort o environment you are in. I you succeeded on your Investigation Skill Check then you have ound what you are looking or. Te
100
D.DAY
APOC. NEW. GEN
Rare Scant Rare Scant Abundant Plentiul Abundant Common Scant Scarce
Scarce Scarce Common Scant Scarce
SCAVENGING P����
RESOURCE N.P. Food P. Food Water Fuel Ammo
D������
D.DAY
APOC. NEW. GEN
Common Scant Common Scant Rare Scant Abundant Common Scarce Scarce
Scarce Scarce Scarce Scant Scarce
R����
RESOURCE N.P. Food P. Food Water Fuel Ammo
N.P. Food P. Food Water Fuel Ammo
D.DAY
APOC.
NEW. GEN
N.P. Food P. Food Water Fuel Ammo
Scarce Scant Scarce Scarce Scarce
Scarce Scant Scarce Scarce Scarce
Scarce Scant Scarce Scarce Scarce
�����
D.DAY
APOC.
Common Scant Plentiul Plentiul Abundant Plentiul Common Rare Plentiul Common
NEW. GEN
RESOURCE
D.DAY
APOC.
NEW. GEN
Scarce Abundant Common Scarce Rare
N.P. Food P. Food Water Fuel Ammo
Scant Rare Plentiul Scant Scant
Scarce Common Plentiul Scarce Scarce
Scarce Common Plentiul Scarce Scarce
F������/W��������
RESOURCE
RESOURCE
D.DAY
O��� S���
APOC.
Scant Scarce Plentiul Common Abundant Abundant Scant Scarce Rare Scant
NEW. GEN
RESOURCE
D.DAY
APOC.
NEW. GEN
Scarce Plentiul Abundant Scarce Scarce
N.P. Food P. Food Water Fuel Ammo
Scarce Rare Scarce Scarce Scarce
Scarce Common Scarce Scarce Scarce
Scarce Abundant Scarce Scarce Scarce
M��������
RESOURCE
D.DAY
APOC.
NEW. GEN
N.P. Food P. Food Water Fuel Ammo
Scarce Rare Rare Scarce Scant
Scarce Common Rare Scarce Scarce
Scarce Common Rare Scarce Scarce
RESOURCE
D.DAY
APOC.
NEW. GEN
N.P. Food P. Food Water Fuel Ammo
Scarce Common Common Scarce Scarce
Scarce Plentiul Common Scarce Scarce
Scarce Abundant Common Scarce Scarce
P�����
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THREAT
THREAT Every action has an equal and opposite reaction, the same is true o you. Every moment you go about your new lie you are leaving breadcrumbs, a ootprint i you will. Tat ootprint will grow larger the longer you are in one area. What’s creating that ootprint? Everything action you take. Sound and visibility are your enemies, ringing the dinner bell to the throngs o dead and sometimes the living. Every fire you light, every sound you make increases your threat, and it’s threat that makes staying in one area or too long dangerous. Te environment you are in plays a big actor into how ar sound will travel and how many ears & eyes are observing. Firing a gun downtown as opposed to in the countryside will have drastic differences. In the urban environment the sound o a gunshot will not travel as ar as in the countryside but the severity o that sound will be amplified. Te urban areas o our world are walking graveyards and have a population ar higher that rural areas o the country.
GENERATING THREAT Each environment in Z-LAND have both Distance and Severity modifiers attached to them and the GM will use those and the table below to calculate the effect o an action. Whenever the GM decides that the noise you make will attract people (living and dead), they will look at the Sound able and see what degree o noise you are making. Te GM will then multiply this by the Severity o the environment you are in. Te result is the amount o people within the range o the sound you made that have been stirred by your noise and will be heading your way. Tings, however, do not happen within a vacuum. As you alert other living and undead to your whereabouts, they themselves will create noise and attention as they move towards you, creating a knock-on affect where they will alert other arther out to what goes on near you. o represent this, the GM then multiplies the Severity result by the Distance number o the environment you are in. Tis last result is the amount o people within the range o your noised multiplied
by the Distance that have been stirred by the people already within the range o your noise. Each scenario will differ and the GM won’t need to be break out the calculator every time, but the Treat mechanic allows the GM to seed the world with threats both living and dead to the player that they themselves have created, sometimes unwittingly. Every action has an equal and opposite reaction and in Z-LAND that reaction can be deadly.
A� E������ Christopher gets angry with Elliot or locking them out o their home and they start shouting at each other. Tis argument is happening downtown and so we use the Urban Environment’s Severity o 10 and Distance o 2. Shouting sit on our sound chart at 0.5 and the Severity o noise and visibility in urban environments sits at 10. Using the ormula Sound x Severity (0.5x10=5) the GM will know that five people have been stirred up by the noise nearby and are now heading towards Christopher & Elliot. Tose five potentially undead aren’t the only ones who heard though, as we still have the Distance modifier to take into account. Te Distance modifier or urban environments is only 2, since with all the concrete and detritus sound won’t travel as ar in the city. Te final ormula is 0.5x10=5x2=10 so rom this we know the final situation: Five individuals nearby Christopher and Elliot begin to move towards them, and another ten individuals between 500m and 1000m will know something is aoot.
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THREAT SOUND TABLE SOUND Quiet Conversation Average Conversation Light Work Shouting Heavy Work/Construction Cars Driving Screaming Motorcycles Driving Helicopters Flying Firearms Being Fired Grenades Exploding Large Explosions
DEGREE RANGE 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.5 0.7 0.8 1 2 3 5 8 10
100m 200m 300m 500m 700m 800m 1km 2km 3km 5km 8km 10km
ENVIRONMENTS U���� Distance: 2 Severity: 10
some nearly empty, the occupants taking everything that wasn’t bolted down & hitting the road; others are time capsules into the lives we lived beore the world started to consume itsel. Don’t linger in one place or too long, they always find you and the louder you are the more that will come.
I��������� Distance: 3 Severity: 5 Dangerous & unstable are two words I’d use to describe industrial sectors, but because o that you’re less likely to find other olks and in turn the inected. No good i you’re looking or a bite to eat but perect or getting supplies, uel, tools & heavy equipment. I’ve even seen some acilities sealed up like modern day orts. But back to the danger: chemical leaks, explosions, collapses are just some o the potential hazards you could ace here without workers maintaining equipment and keeping everything ship shape. Huh that actually brings me to my next Port o call, you’ll get it in a second...
P���� Monuments to civilization our cities stand as a reminder o our “greatness” now they are nothing more than death traps, narrow streets still gridlocked with cars whose owners have long departed to join the throngs o dead that populate the city. In the beginning cities seemed to be the way to go. Saety, security & the armed orces are there to keep it that way. How wrong they were. A once resource rich environment now plucked clean by looters, you won’t find many decent olk among these streets. My advice? Stay away!
S������� Distance: 3 Severity: 7 Most o the population was tucked away in their homes beore the Longest Night. Some just stayed there, barricading themselves in and shutting the rest o the world out... or trying to at least. You see, the world now has ways o tearing through those barricades to take a nice big bite out o you and your amily. In the suburbs you’ll find a mixture o homes,
Distance: 4 Severity: 5 You get it yet? Sorry don’t get to joke around much these days. Anywho, Ports! Afer Industrial sectors Ports are your second best source o uel, that is i your motor isn’t too picky. A lot o olks fled to the sea, or at least tried to, in the early days. I you’re lucky you might still find something floating, but you better be in quick. I mentioned houses beore that elt like time capsules, well nothing beats a sealed container. You just never know what you’re going to get. Clothes, ood, brand new cars, three hundred and eighty nine oscillating ans! Maybe not so helpul but you get my point: there are a lot o possibilities and a high chance o them still being in good condition when you find them. Definitely a good place to visit, just don’t settle down. Tose boats that lef when this all began, they’ll be coming back...
R����
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THREAT Distance: 7 Severity: 4 Great wide open spaces! I you made it out o the cities to here, congratulations you’re a survivor and i you were living here when the world came crashing down, you’re one o the lucky ones. Lower population means less o them. While not many o the crops have been maintained, some do remain making rural sectors an excellent source o perishable oods. Because o that you can expect to find more living than dead out these ways, but that’s not always a good thing. Be careul lighting those fires because that smoke is a beacon to everyone nearby. Fear can be a good riend.
F������/W�������� Distance: 5 Severity: 3 Heading into the woods now we move urther rom civilization or what remains o it, and because o that we leave behind many o the living and the dead. However they can still surprise you here as low visibility is a double edged sword, leaving you just as likely to be surprised by a dead one wandering into your camp during the middle o the night. Food can be plentiul i you know where to look and the same can be said or water. It’s not an easy lie but it can be a lot saer than the alternatives.
Severity: 2 Open and relatively empty, you’ll be seen rom every direction here. Luckily it’s unlikely anyone will. Tat being said the Plains are good or hunting rom a distance. I you have the skills you can find a meal out here, just don’t linger or too long.
D������ Distance: 10 Severity: 1 Really!? I mean okay sure you’re not likely to find any other people or dead here but not likely to find anything else! Period! Unless you have experience in traversing desert terrain just don’t! You’ll be saer running or your lie rom hungry mouths. You can’t outrun the sun.
����� Distance: 7 Severity: 2 Cold and just as harsh as the deserts and like them you’re unlikely to find many living olk or ood to sustain you. Fresh water however is prevalent, you’ll find it in abundance both in liquid and rozen orms. I the temperature is low enough the dead have been known to reeze solid! At least that’s what I’ve heard.
M�������� Distance: 8 Severity: 1 You’re not likely to find anyone or anything all the way up here; difficult terrain can deter the living as well as orce back the dead. Tat however makes survival difficult or you too, ood is scarce and beyond stumbling upon a cabin you’re unlikely to find anything non-perishable. Lie still finds a way though even in these harsh environments; hunting is viable but you best be prepared because Mother Nature is just as unorgiving as the cracked teeth o a dead one.
P�����
O��� S��� Distance: 10 Severity: 1 Out on the water you’re sae rom the dead… right? Well in theory yes, but being out on the open sea brings on its own challenges. No resh water, but there’s plenty o other fish in the sea, i you’re a good fisherman that is, but our oceans aren’t what they once were. You’re also at the mercy o waves. Storms will ravage you, the sun will scorch you and there’s always a chance you aren’t the only ones out on the water. Lie out here isn’t easy, but it is possible, or a time. Eventually though you’ll be orced to make or land.
Distance: 10
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INFECTION BECOMING INFECTED Other than through contact with spores, inection predominantly happens when a zombie breaks through the skin. Tis can be through biting, clawing or other orms o physical damage, or through ingestion o zombie flesh or fluids, etc. I the PCs are in danger o becoming inected, through contact with spores, ingestion or combat (as determined by the GM) the player makes a Luck Skill Check to resist the inection. I the risk o inection occurs during combat, the roll to resist it takes place afer the entire combat encounter. Te method o transmission will determine the severity o any penalties to the Luck Skill Check. Penalties gained rom Wounds during combat are cumulative. Tis means that gaining multiple Wounds that could cause inection will add their penalties together. Note, however, that Wounds only generate penalties i the narrative quality o the Wounds (as narrated by the GM) means a skin penetration. Penalties: • Minor Wound -5 • Significant -15 • Grievous -25 • Limb Destroyed -40 • Ingestion -10 to -40 depending on amount ingested.
Te site o inection is determined by whichever Hit Location is responsible or the greatest penalty to the Luck Skill Check. I more than one Hit Location offers the same penalty, it is up to GM’s discretion which Hit Location is the site o inection. Te orso is the site o inection or any ingested material.
SPREAD
OF THE INFECTION
Tere is no cure or the inection. Once someone is inected, the only way to stop the inection is to amputate the affected body part beore the inection has spread beyond it. Once a person has become inected, the parasite will first completely inest the Hit Location at which it entered beore spreading to the next closest Hit
Location. It will then completely inest that Hit Location beore spreading to the next. Te parasite spreads to all Hit Locations rom the orso. It normally takes the parasite 1 hour to completely inest a Hit Location beore spreading to the next one, but this time can be extended through a successul Constitution Skill Check. I the Constitution Skill Check is successul, see how ar under the Skill Level the result was. Te first digit o this number is the amount o hours added onto the hour it takes the parasite to inest the Hit Location. E.g. I the player rolled 25 under their Skill, then the parasite takes 3 hours to inest that Hit Location. A result o 9 or less under the player’s Skill adds no time to the inestation. Tis Constitution Skill Check can be rolled or each Hit Location as they become inected. Once the parasite reaches the head, or i the head was the point o inection, then afer the hour it takes the parasite to inest that Hit Location (modified by a Constitution Skill Check) the parasite reaches the brain and starts the Fever Stage o the inection. Troughout the whole ordeal, there is no physical changes to the victim that anyone will be able to detect to determine i they are indeed inected. Without a laboratory ull o the correct tools, there is no way or any PC or NPC to tell i someone has been inected or not. I the victim or other person(s) amputates an inected Hit Location beore the time is up or that Location to be inected, the victim’s player rolls a Luck Skill Check, on a success, the inected has not spread through that Hit Location.
THE FEVER Once the parasite has reached the brain, it will start spreading throughout it and attempt to take it over. Tis will result in a severe ever or the victim. While the ever has taken hold o the victim, the PC will suffer -15 to all Mental and Social Skill Checks and -30 to all Physical asks to simulate the draining and lethargic effects o a high ever on the body. Te parasitic ever normally takes 5 to run its course, but as with the spread o the inection, this is modified by a Constitution Skill Check. I the Skill Check is successul, see how ar under the Skill Level the result was. Te first digit o this number is the
105
INFECTION amount o hours added onto the 5 hour it takes the ever to run its course. I the Skill Check is ailed, see how ar above the Skill Level the result was. Te first digit o this number is the amount o hours taken off the 5 hours it takes or the ever to run its course (to a minimum o 1 hour). Once the ever has run its course, it goes away as does the penalties associated with it. Tis is the final stage o the inection.
THE CALM BEFORE
and windows are. Tey may not have the fine motor skills necessary to open a doorknob, they will easily jump through windows, can climb ences and scale buildings.
LIVING INFECTED
THE STORM
Once the ever has cleared, everything seems to be back to normal and there is no visible ill effect on the victim. In act, what has happened is that the parasite has completely taken over the central nervous system and is simply waiting to “activate”. Te parasite will “activate” by creating its final connections in the brain which will intercept all neural messages rom the ore to hind brain, effectively taking control o the body. However, it can only do so while the victim is asleep. So nothing untoward will happen to the victim until they all next all asleep. As they enter into unconsciousness, the parasite will activate and take control o the body. Te victim is now one o the living inected zombie and utterly controlled by the parasite. Te victim is still conscious, however, but is trapped inside their body, unable to affect anything, a prisoner orced to watch and unable to stop. At this point, the PC becomes an NPC and the player can no longer control their actions.
S����
L����
S����
L����
Athletics Constitution Broad-Craf Diplomacy Fight Intimidate Logic Might Shoot Wealth
60 70 00 00 60 100 00 60 00 00
Burglary Fine-Craf Deceive Drive Intuition Investigate Perception Luck Stealth Will
00 00 00 00 00 50 75 40 00 100
Te Dead Inected are the shambling corpses that we all imagine when thinking o the undead. Tey have lost most o their motor unction and most times their muscles are hanging on by sheer orce o will. Tey may not be as immediately dangerous as the Living Inected, but they endure and as time goes by there will more and more o them.
SAMPLE INFECTED Te inected come mostly in three orms: the regular going through the stages o inection called the Feverish; those living humans who have completely gone through the inection called the Living Inected; and those Living Inected and Feverish that have died and risen back to lie. Te Living Inected are humans with all measures o restraint taken off. Tey will howl and sprint at the nearest vulnerable person they see to rip them apart and consume as much o them as they can stomach. Te Living Inected also retain some measure o reason and still remember what doors
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DEAD INFECTED S����
L����
S����
L����
Athletics Constitution Broad-Craf Diplomacy Fight Intimidate Logic Might Shoot Wealth
10 80 00 00 50 100 00 30 00 00
Burglary Fine-Craf Deceive Drive Intuition Investigate Perception Luck Stealth Will
00 00 00 00 00 30 40 30 00 100
SEX: ............................... SKIN COLOUR:.........................
SIGILS
AGE: ............................... HAIR COLOUR: ......................... BUILD:............................ EYE COLOUR:........................... CHARACTER NAME:
HEAD
LEFT ARM
TORSO
HIT LOC: 1 - 10
HIT LOC: 11- 40
HIT LOC: 41 - 55
ARMOUR:..........
ARMOUR:............
ARMOUR:..............
30
30
40
50
70
Minor
30
Significant
80
60
30
100
30
Grievous
90
40
50
70
Minor
Significant
80
60
30
100
90
30
30
40
50
Grievous
70
Minor
Significant
80
60
30
100
90
Grievous
RIGHT ARM
LEFT LEG
RIGHT LEG
HIT LOC: 56 - 70
HIT LOC: 71 - 85
HIT LOC: 86 - 100
ARMOUR:...............
ARMOUR:..............
ARMOUR:.................
30
30
40
50
30
70
Minor
30
Significant
80
60
100
90
30
Grievous
40
50
30
70
Minor
Significant
80
60
100
90
Grievous
30
30
40
50
30
70
Minor
Significant
80
60
100
90
Grievous
GRIEVOUS WOUNDS
WOUND
HEAL TIME
LOCATION
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SKILLS Athlecs Broad-Cra� Burglary Constuon Deceive Diplomacy Drive Fight Fine-Cra� Inmidate
SPECIALISATIONS Intuion Invesgate Logic Luck
Might Percepon Shoot Stealth Wealth Will
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© 2014-2017 Stormforge Producons. All rights reserved.
SEX: ............................... SKIN COLOUR:......................... AGE: ............................... HAIR COLOUR: .........................
SIGILS
BUILD:............................ EYE COLOUR:........................... CHARACTER NAME:
CURRENT HUNGER PENALTIES MENTAL (-1)
................................
PHYSICAL (-2)
MENTAL WOUNDS Minor
................................
Significant
CURRENT THIRST PENALTIES MENTAL (-5)
................................
Grievous
PHYSICAL (-2)
................................
CURRENT STAMINA PENALTY ALL SKILLS (-3)
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RANGED WEAPONS WEAPON
RANGE
DMG
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GEAR
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MELEE WEAPONS WEAPON
MOD.
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.............................................................................. © 2014-2017 Stormforge Produc�ons. All rights reserved.
