CURVED SWORD

Characters
Create a 4 character party if playing solo. Otherwise, each participating player creates 1-2 characters. A referee role can be allotted or the group can split the duty amongst themselves.

Every character begins with:

  • 3 Stamina.
  • 8 Slots.
  • 5 Skills.

Dice Rules
Only six-sided dice are needed.
A number marked with a (+) sign after it shows the number needed or higher to succeed. 5+ means the test needs a 5 or higher on the 1d6 roll.
A number marked with a (+) sign before it indicates a bonus added to the test roll. +1 is added to the 1d6 roll. Likewise, a (-) sign would lower the result of the 1d6 roll.
A calculator and notepad are recommended.

Debt Rules
Coins are synonymous with debt. You never need to track coins, only the amount of debt you accrue. Whenever you would spend coins, loose money, bribe someone, get robbed, etc, add the amount onto your debt. Whenever you gain coins from treasure or profit, decrease your debt by that amount.

Vocations
Choose any vocation path. Its tier value is added to your amount of debt. Any items included in your vocation occupy 1 Slot, regardless of size. When debt is paid off, choose another equipment pack, taking along with it the new debt. You may choose the next tier along your vocation path or start a new vocation path. Whatever your choice, increase your Stamina by 1 and distribute 3 more Skills.

I - 100 coins II - 200 coins III - 300 coins IV - 400 coins V - 500 coins
Ascetic Shepard Pilgrim Priest Crusader
Beggar Laborer Accountant Vendor Merchant
Nomad Warrior Soldier Sellsword Freelance
Page Courier Diplomat Agent Spy
Prospector Woodsman Trapper Tamer Marksmen
Student Scrivener Scholar Librarian Professor
Hermit Witch Mage Sorcerer Wizard

Equipment Details
A vocation starts with a number of items equal to its tier. Use this guideline to create your own. Starting equipment is relevant to skills per player interpretation. Every piece of equipment occupies 1 Slot, regardless of its size.

Accountant (III) - Abacus, Puffy Outfit, Writing Kit
Agent (IV) - Unassuming Outfit, Book on Etiquette, Writing Kit, Forging Kit
Ascetic (I) - Walking Stick
Beggar (I) - Tattered Outfit
Courier (II) - Travel Outfit, Road Map
Crusader (V) - Heavy Armor, Mace, Horse, Apothecary Herbs, Scripture of the God-Kings
Diplomat (III) - Fancy Outfit, Writing Kit, Seal of Safety
Freelance (V) - Heavy Outfit, Spear, Curved Sword, Crossbow, A Lover’s Favor
Hermit (I) - Loincloth
Laborer (II) - Wheelbarrow, Handaxe
Librarian (IV) - Book on Law, Book on Plants, Book on Runes, Book on Engineering
Mage (III) - Monochrome Robes, Wand, Writing Kit
Marksmen (V) - Garish Outfit, Longbow, Trophy, Tracking Hound, Horse
Merchant (V) - Oxen, Covered Wagon, Curved Sword, Bribe Pouch, Glass Beads
Nomad (I) - Greatsword
Page (I) - Writing Kit
Pilgrim (III) -Brown Robes, Scripture of the Song, Harpsichord
Priest (IV) - White Robes, Scripture of the Divine Dynasty, Scripture of the Stars, Censer
Professor (V) - Learned Outfit, Eyeglasses, Book on Rhetoric, Book on Translating Runes, Writing Kit
Prospector (I) - Hide Outfit.
Scholar (III) - Scholar Outfit, Writing Kit, Eyeglasses
Scrivener (II) - Ink Stained Outfit, Writing Kit, Rune Rubbing Kit
Sellsword (IV) - Light Armor, Shield, Curved Sword, Glass Pipe
Shepherd (II) - Tan Robes, Shepherd’s Crook
Soldier (III) - Light Armor, Halberd, Flute
Sorcerer (IV) - Bright Robes, Orb, Book on Sixth Sense,
Spy (V) - Sneaking Outfit, Spyglass, Incriminating Evidence, Forged Documents, Sling
Student (I) - School Outfit
Tamer (IV) - Circus Outfit, Meat Treats, Donkey, Wagon Cage
Trapper (III) - Fur Outfit, Beartrap, Crossbow
Vendor (IV) - Street outfit, Business License, Horse, Vendor Stall,
Warrior (II) - Medium Armor, Curved Sword
Witch (II) - Squalid Robes, Raven
Wizard (V) - Starry Robes, Walking Staff, Astrolab, Writing Kit, Rune Rubbing Kit
Woodsman (II) - Handaxe, Smoking Pipe

Skills
Skills start at 0in6. They range from 1in6 to 5in6.
Relevant equipment adds +1 to the test roll. Only one piece of equipment can be used for a roll.
If skill and equipment would give a 6, it is an automatic success.

Social Skills Details Skill + Equipment
Bribe Pay off officials with (x)d6 debt where (x) equals settlement tier. __in6 + _______
Etiquette Roll to rub elbows with the Representative of the Settlement. __in6 + _______
Haggle Modify +/-5% to Buy or Sell a Good for each skill point. __in6 + _______
Law Avoid being brought to justice when you are clearly in the wrong. __in6 + _______
Rhetoric Talk your way out of anything. __in6 + _______
Write Create legitimate documents to solidify the legality of bonds or promises. __in6 + _______
Knavery Skills Details Skill + Equipment
Counterfeit Roll to avoid adding a payment onto your debt. If discovered, agents pursue. __in6 + _______
Disguise Posture as someone else, tricking debt collectors or officials. __in6 + _______
Forgery Create documents to avoid debt collections or otherwise fool officials. __in6 + _______
Hide Avoid being found by collection agents, bounty hunters or mother-in-laws. __in6 + _______
Pickpocket In Settlements steal (x)d6 coins where (x) equals your skill points. __in6 + _______
Poisons Gather Poison from Forest hexes. Poison # of weapons equal to your skill point. __in6 + _______
Artisan Skills Details Skill + Equipment
Brewing Everyone needs to drink! -5% Buy/+5% Sell Grain for each point. __in6 + _______
Carpentry A little structure never hurts. -5% Buy/+5% Sell Lumber for each point. __in6 + _______
Engineer Someone needs to grease the wheels. -5% Buy/+5% Sell Oil for each point. __in6 + _______
Glass Blowing The Republic was built on glass. -5% Buy/+5% Sell Glass for each point. __in6 + _______
Piscator Before and after society, fish will remain. -5% Buy/+5% Sell Fish for each point. __in6 + _______
Tailor Fur makes a killing on the market. -5% Buy/+5% Sell Fur for each point. __in6 + _______
Survival Skills Details Skill + Equipment
Identify Plants Gather Grain as a Good, or Poisons for combat equal to skill level. __in6 + _______
Forage Fill a Slot with Trade Goods equal to skill level corresponding to the terrain hex (see Trade Markets). __in6 + _______
Orientation Find direction to right yourself when lost. __in6 + _______
Ride Test to ride an additional number of hexes equal to skill level. __in6 + _______
Track Find your quarry no matter how far they travel. Their trial ends, eventually. __in6 + _______
Trap Gather Fur or Fish as Trade Goods equal to skill level. Set traps for foes to weaken them by 1 Stamina. __in6 + _______
Mystical Skills Details Skill + Equipment
Astronomy Chart distance and direction by starlight, finding your way to far away locations you have not yet discovered. __in6 + _______
Apothecary Restore 1 Stamina to a character. Each point invested heals grants another Stamina heal to distribute. __in6 + _______
Befriend Animal Be at peace with the herd animals and fish or make a truce with predators. __in6 + _______
Read Runes* Decipher the etchings of the turquoise monoliths, that language of trolls. __in6 + _______
Haruspicy* God-Kings seized divinity in the guts of cyclops, weaving weather through will. __in6 + _______
Sixth Sense Feel their gaze upon you, guiding you to them over muck and mires. Detect Unliving a number of hexes away from you equal to skill level. __in6 + _______

*See Far Below

Travel
Each hex takes a single day to enter. Grounded mounts move three hexes in a day. Flying mounts move six hexes in a day. Deplete a point of Stamina to move an extra hex during the day, to a minimum of 1 Stamina. Moving into hexes with strange weather cost 1 Stamina. A party’s current Stamina is carried over into combat.

Entering a hex triggers the encounter, settlement or feature. When unsure about travel encounter reactions, a result of 4+ determines they are friendly, kowtowed or otherwise non hostile. Add a +1 for offerings of good tidings.

After all movement is finished, your party rests for the night, regaining 1 Stamina.

Paying Debt
Return to settlements to officially pay your debt off to a collector. This is more of a formality, as you as a player are subtracting any profits made from your debt anyways. Yet a notice of your well being must be catalogued lest your next of kin inherit the outstanding debt.

Avoiding your debt for more than 30 days causes the collectors to send 2d6 Agents. Agents depart on horseback from the nearest settlement. A roll of 3+ each day succeeds in tracking the player party, following their hex path on mounts until they catch up. Half the debt is due once they catch up to you. Refusal leads to hostility. Agents fight as Bandits. Each agent killed increases debt by 100 coins.

Combat
Players are assumed to move first unless somehow surprised. Each round combatants have one action to move, strike, fire, retreat, change weapon, stand up, etc.

The round begins with participants in the far distance, then the middle distance, then the short. Next round, the order is reversed, where short distance starts, then middle distance, then far distance. This order continues, like an accordion expanding and compressing.

(far -> middle -> short) (short <- middle <- far)
(far <- middle <- short) (short -> middle -> far)

Player Side Enemy Side
Far Middle Short Short Middle Far

Your character is downed when reaching 0 Stamina. Combat ends when more than half the fielded combatants (rounded up) on one side are downed. The losing side rolls 3+ to escape or are otherwise captured. Players may choose to retreat at the end of the round, successfully doing so on a roll of 3+ or otherwise are captured and ransomed.

At the end of combat, roll 1d6 for each downed character. A result of 4+ means they are alive but unconscious, helpless in the hands of the victor. They can be led to the nearest settlement to be exchanged for their respective ransom value.

If all player characters are downed, instead of dying you may choose to be ransomed and have your items stripped away. This lowers your total Stamina by 1. Start in the nearest settlement and choose a new equipment bundle. Tack the new debt on your previous debt.

Arms & Armor
Buying a weapon or armor adds its value to your debt.

  • Knocked down combatants receive a +2 to being struck.
  • Knocked back combatants are moved to the next distance field behind them.
  • Poisoned combatants lose 1 Stamina at the end of each round.

Short Weapons strike at the short distance field. 50 coins.

  • Curved Sword 3+, +1 to strike when mounted.
  • Handaxe 3+, throw from short or middle distance to opposing short or middle distance.
  • Mace 3+, treats Heavy Armor as Medium for avoiding damage. Knock down on 5+.

Long Weapons strike from middle distance to the short distance field. 75 coins.

  • Spear 3+, throw from middle distance to any opposing distance.
  • Halberd 4+, knock down on 5+. Dismount opponents on 5+.
  • Pike 3+ vs Middle distance, 5+ vs Short distance.

Great Weapons strike from short distance to short or middle distance fields. Each deals 2 Stamina. 100 coins.

  • Broadaxe 4+, destroy shields on roll of 5+.
  • Maul 4+, treats Heavy Armor as Light Armor. Knock back on 5+.
  • Greatsword 4+, split 2 Stamina damage between two enemies in the same field.

Missile Weapons fire from the far distance field into any other distance. 75 coins.

  • Sling 3+, knock back on 6+.
  • Longbow 3+, treats Medium Armor as Light Armor.
  • Crossbow 3+, fire from any distance field to any field.

Light Armor negates damaged on roll of 6. Starts at any distance field. 50 coins.
Medium Armor negates on 5+. Starts at a short or middle distance field. 75 coins.
Heavy Armor negates on 4+. Starts at a short distance field. 100 coins.
Shields adds +1 to this defense roll. Break a shield to negate a strike of your choice.

Mounted combatants always start at the far distance field. They may charge any opposing enemy field with a +1 bonus to their strike. In melee, they can move out of the far and middle distance into any other distance but cannot leave the short distance field after charging into it. All Long Weapons on the enemy side get to strike at mounted combatants charging into their fields immediately before the mounted can strike. Mounted combatants hit with a 5+ on a Halberd are knocked off their horses and onto the ground, continuing to fight on foot.

Hex Terrain
Roll d6 and consult the left column. Then roll 1d6 on the top row. Cross reference and find the result. The number in the brackets is the number of hexes of that terrain.

d6 1 2 3 4 5 6
1 Lake (2) Hills (3) Mountain (4) Hills(5) Forest (6) Meadow (7)
2 Mountain (3) Lake (4) Marsh (5) Meadow (6) Meadow (7) Forest(8)
3 Hills (4) Marsh (5) Lake (6) Marsh (7) Hills (8) Meadow (9)
4 Hills (5) Meadow (6) Marsh (7) Lake (8) Marsh (9) Forest (10)
5 Meadow(6) Forest(7) Hills (8) Marsh (9) Lake (10) Meadow(11)
6 Forest (7) Meadow (8) Forest (9) Meadow (10) Forest (11) Lake (12)

Hex Fill
Roll 1d6. A result of 4+ contains a Feature. A result of 6 contains a Travel Encounter as well.

Feature

  1. Weird

  2. Resource

  3. Flora or Fauna

  4. Settlement

  5. Lair

  6. Roll twice and combine, compounding if rolled again.

    Resource. Hexes with resources fill 1d6 Slots before being depleted.

  7. Glass

  8. Lumber

  9. Fish

  10. Grain

  11. Fur

  12. Oil

Flora or Fauna. Example fauna are largely extinct animals.

  1. Solitary Predator - Arctodus, Smilodon, Andrewsarchus, Daeodon, Moa
  2. Poisonous Plant - Hemlock, Castor Bean, Nightshade, Snakeroot, Oleander
  3. Ungulate Herd - Bluebuck, Quagga, Sivatherium, Discokeryx, Auroch
  4. Avian Flock - Dodo, Ostrich, Vulture, Passenger Pigeon, Flamingo
  5. Medicinal Plant - Ginkgo Biloba, Chamomile, Turmeric, Lavender, Hyssop
  6. Pack Predator - Hyaenodon, Dinopithecus, Archaeotherium, Lion, Dingo

Settlement

  1. Thorp
  2. Village
  3. Town
  4. City
  5. Fort
  6. Ruins

Lair

  1. Serpent
  2. Cyclops
  3. Troll
  4. Vampire
  5. Bandit
  6. Empty. Roll again to see what once lived here. Empty again means never occupied.

Weird

  1. Cursed Soil - Barren land where all plant life withers and all animals flee.
  2. Ancient Battle Site - Costs 1 Stamina to move through. 2in6 chance to be occupied by a Vampire lair and its Unliving servants.
  3. Maze Mist - Sight and mind is obscured. Roll 1d6 and exit on that hex side. Spreads over 1d6 hexes.
  4. Strange Weather - Rain that whispers, warm snow, cold waves; the foul remnant sorceries of cyclops. Occurs sporadically (4+ each day) in adjacent hexes. Passing through causes you to become lost on 4+.
  5. Troll Ground - Tread carefully unless looking for troll trouble. 5+ chance for troll encounter, +1 for each day spent in hex. -1 if leaving a gift or offering.
  6. Rune Megalith - Natural landmark. Colossal turquoise stones embedded into the earth, scrawled with runes. Rune Read/Write to record its magic.

Settlement Occupations
For each size of the settlement (Thorp - City), roll a 1d6 on the table below. Compound dice rolls onto the previous result. So if the first roll is 5 (Tanner), a result of 4 on the second roll means the next result is 9 (Innkeeper). Continue until all dice are expended. If surpassing the table’s end, restart from the beginning with the remaining value.
Forts roll 2d6 once. Forts are always occupied by 12 Novis Republic soldiers (as Bandit Footmen).
Ruins possess an occupation on a roll of 4+, rolling a 1d6 if one is present.

  1. Hermit - No use at all.
  2. Witch - Can read and write runes or practice haruspicy for 100 coins.
  3. Forester - Modifies Lumber trade as -10% Buy and Sell.
  4. Trapper - Modifies Fur trade as -10% Buy and Sell.
  5. Farmer - Modifies Grain trade as -10% Buy and Sell.
  6. Trader - Buy any trade goods. Modify all trade goods with +20% Buy and Sell.
  7. Tanner - Modifies Oil trade as -10% Buy and Sell.
  8. Smith - Modifies Glass trade as -10% Buy and Sell.
  9. Innkeeper - Sleep without vagrancy, restore all Stamina for 20 coins.
  10. Fishmonger - Modifies Fish trade as -10% Buy and Sell.
  11. Ostler - Buy a mount for 100 coins.
  12. Baker - Modifies Grain trade as +10% Buy and Sell
  13. Tailor - Modifies Fur trade as +10% Buy and Sell
  14. Cobbler - Modifies Oil trade as +10% Buy and Sell.
  15. Commissariat - Modifies Fish trade as +10% Buy and Sell.
  16. Carpenter - Modifies Lumber trade as +10% Buy and Sell.
  17. Barber - Get a cool new look, throwing off the scent of collection agents if pursued.
  18. Mason - Modifies Glass trade as +10% Buy and Sell.
  19. Jeweler - Buys gems at a 20% more value.
  20. Banker - Keep coins safe from being lost or stolen. Banks do take 5% of the total at the end of each month (rounded up, to a minimum of 1 coin). At the end of each month, roll 1d6. A 6 means collectors extort the bank out of 50% of your savings to pay off your current debt. Roll this for each bank you may have.

Representatives
Each settlement is overseen by a Representative. This individual acts as delegate for their settlement, speaking in the Grand Senate on behalf of the people they administer. Representatives may either be Gentry, Nobles, or Royals. The Proletarian rarely gets a seat in the Grand Senate, but it is not unknown to happen!

Settlement Representative

  1. Proletarian
  2. Gentry
  3. Gentry
  4. Noble
  5. Noble
  6. Royal

Gentry are well to do merchants, military officers or academics turned to public service. They may have once been a Proletarian in their early life, but now secure themselves as upper class citizens in the landscape of the Novus Republic. Gentry are accompanied by 2 guards (as Bandit Footemen) and always possess a Trade Good to bargain with.

Nobles are ancient families with social and economic ties to the divine dynasty. Those who remained loyal to the God-Kings have been largely impoverished or worse. Those who were supportive of republic ideals have found themselves to come out on the winning side, safe and all the richer. Nobles are accompanied by 2 guards (as Bandit Footmen) and can always act as a Banker to player characters.

Royals are the remnants of the God-King lineage that ruled the land before the establishment of the Novus Republic. Anyone tied to the disposed royal family of the divine dynasty stakes this claim. Haughty and proud, few members still secure the love and loyalty of the common people. Royals are accompanied by 4 guards (as Bandit Panoply) and a single Solitary Predator as a pet.

Proletarians make up the common people and are more aligned to their wants and needs than the other classes of Representatives. If garner enough support, they can spur the power of the mob to tear down the infrastructure they never had a say in making. Proletarians possess no guards but always have a Trade Good for bargain and have the skill in a single Occupation (roll 2d6).

Irreligion
The Novus Republic declared irreligiosity on its founding to disparage sentiment to the deposed God-Kings, still people practice folklore and hedge worship to old ideas. The icons of God-Kings still huddle in corner altars where royalist commoners pray for the return of the divine dynasty. Pilgrims travel the land to kiss the paths trodden under the holy soles of their eternal lords.

Lairs
The domiciles of those who shun the spread of civilization. Lairs offer hideouts

Serpents are born from their circled mother gnawing at the roots of the mountains, living to hoard the wealth amassed from the toil of humans. Poisonous blood courses through their veins, fire roils in their guts. They were the envy of the God-Kings for generations, their heads the prized trophies of their holy hunts.

When a character goes down while fighting a serpent, roll 1d6. Serpents do not ransom downed characters, instead eating them as its foremost action during their turn, regaining 2 Stamina. However, a roll of 6 means the serpent instead takes the character on as a thrall. Your debt is cleared. You now live to plunder wealth and return it to the serpent’s hoard (Treasure Tier VI).

When a serpent is slain, its poisonous blood seeps into the soil. All plant life perishes and all animals flee as it becomes a Cursed Soil. Serpent blood can be collected once, it acts as a powerful poison, killing any foe it touches (whether in combat or roleplay). A settlement with a serpent Lair is immediately made into a Ruin. No people live there.

Serpent - 16 Stamina (Scales as Heavy Armor).
A serpent occupies all distance fields on its side. Roll 1d6 for its action each round.
1-2: Breath fire over all distance fields for 2 Stamina damage.
3-4: Bite a single target in the middle or far distance field for 3 Stamina damage.
5-6: Sweep tail in the short or middle distance field for 1 Stamina Damage and Knockback.

Cyclops are the cruel and brutish cousins to humanity. They have seen the blink of eons. Their secret sorceries and sacrifices cause upheaval to the weather to drive away small folk from their domains. The lair of a cyclops will always have Strange Weather occurring, as per the Weird entry feature. A settlement with a cyclops lair is enslaved under the rule of their brute chieftain, no Trade Goods can be bought or sold there; all is considered as belonging to the cyclops. Cyclops disembowel themselves when downed, leaving no chance for ransom. However, their guts splatter prophecies, the haruspices who emboldened the God-Kings can still yet read them. Cyclops lairs have 1d6 occupants and Treasure Tier V.

Stone Hurler - 4 Stamina (No Armor & Sling).
Basher - 4 Stamina (Light Armor & Great Weapon).
Brute Chieftain - 6 Stamina (Medium Armor & Great Weapon + Shield).

Trolls write the secret runes remaining from the old world. They were stranded with zealous humans that hunted them for treasure and knowledge. They never reveal themselves to the eyes of humans. A settlement with a Troll lair has missing objects and children, strange dreams and hunched figures atop sleeping bodies. As such, no Stamina can be regained while in a hex with a troll lair, and on a roll of 5+ a random object in your Slots is taken. Trolls are an invisible force and cannot be fought by normal means, only those still faithful to the God-Kings, such as pilgrims, can banish their presence from a hex. No treasure is worthwhile for a troll.

Vampires collect the fielty of the weak-willed. Their unliving thralls fear death, looking to their master for a sliver of immortality. Yet they are fools to believe that immortality is given freely and not that it is hoarded from the life of the still living. Those who retreat from a battle with a vampire and its thralls must always relinquish 1 Stamina from their total. A settlement with a vampire is plagued and famished, warranting a -20% Buy/Sell for all Trade Goods. Vampire lairs house a single vampire and 3d6 unliving thralls and hold Treasure Tier IV.

Unliving Thrall - 3 Stamina (Light Armor & Short Weapon or Missile Weapon).
Vampire - 6 Stamina (Medium Armor & Great Weapon). Special: Use action to drain an opponent of 1 Stamina to replenish its own.

Bandits have a love for freedom and individuality, choosing to avoid societal norms. In their close knit groups they follow the biggest brute of the bunch, appealing to the authority of might. As such, when the leader is slain, the rest will scatter from combat. A settlement with a Bandit lair is lawless, they do not answer to the Grand Senate and only represent themselves. They recognize no debts to the Novus Republic. Bandit lairs have 3d6 occupants Treasure Tier IV.

Skirmisher - 2 Stamina (Light Armor & Short Weapon or Missile Weapon) Ransomed for d66 coins.
Footman - 3 Stamina (Medium Armor & Short Weapon + Shield or Long Weapon) Ransomed for d66+10 coins.
Panoply - 3 Stamina (Heavy Armor & Short Weapon + Shield or Great Weapon) Ransomed for d66+20 coins.
Leader - 4 Stamina (Medium Armor & Great Weapon & Crossbow) Ransomed for d66+100 coins.

Travel Encounters
Extorting or looting from encountered people gains the Treasure Tier (see below) listed alongside their information. After each extortion, roll 1d6. A 6+ means 3d6 marshalls dispatch from the nearest settlement to pursue you (as Bandits). Add +1 to this roll for each previous extortion. Characters you capture to ransom occupy a single Slot.

Travel Encounter

  1. Bandits
  2. Charlatans
  3. Merchants
  4. Herders
  5. Woodsmen
  6. Pilgrims

Bandit encounters have an uncertain reaction and appear in groups of 2d6. If friendly they extort you for d66 coins, adding unto your debt unless you pass a social or knavery skill. If fought, they possess Treasure Tier III.

Charlatans always have a friendly reaction. They trick or extort the party out of coins, adding 4d6 onto your debt unless you pass a social skill. Extorting them yields Treasure Tier II.

Herders always have a friendly reaction. Travel safely with a herder without risk of encounters for 1d6 hexes before they depart in a different direction or when you arrive at a settlement. If extorted they possess Treasure Tier I.

Woodsmen always have an uncertain reaction. Appearing in groups of 2d6+3. Travel safely with moodsmen without risk of encounters for 2d6 hexes or when you arrive at a settlement. Woodsmen fight back if extorted (as Bandits), and possess Treasure Tier II.

Pilgrims always have a friendly reaction. Remnant parishioners of the God-Kings, they will ask for safe passage from persecution, following you over the next 3d6 hexes. Once completed, they grant you a gem for every 3 hexes traveled. If this safe passage is cut short by violence then the deal is failed and no reward can be made. If exhorted they possess Treasure Tier V.

Merchants always have friendly reactions. Each Merchant has an item to sell and an item they want to buy (table below). Roll d66 twice where the higher number is the buy price for the item they want and the lower number is the sell price for the item they have (as per Trade Market). If exhorted they possess Treasure Tier IV.

  1. Glass
  2. Lumber
  3. Fish
  4. Grain
  5. Fur
  6. Oil

Treasure Tiers
Rewards for bravery, skullduggery or stupidity. Gems are worth 50 coins each.

I - 2d6 coins.
II - 4d6 coins. 1in6 chance of a gem.
III - 6d6*2 coins.
IV - d66 coins. 3in6 chance of a gem.
V - d666 coins + 1d6 gems.
VI - d6666 coins + 3d6 gems.

Rune Rubbings
The grammar of the troll runes are remnant script from before the humans despoiled the woods and hills. One must have the skill of Rune Read/Write to decipher the rune. Successful deciphering yields a rune sorcery. Each rune sorcery is unique to the turquoise monolith it’s carved into. Rune sorceries are copied by stone rubbings and kept on scrolls that occupy a single Slot. They are activated by reading the rune, after which the words on the paper disappear, clearing the Slot.

You can choose to memorize the rune rubbing by rolling again under your Rune Read/Write skill. Failure loses the rubbing as if reading it. Success means the rune is carved into your mind, permanently occupying a Slot and costing 1 Stamina to cast at will.

The following are examples for runes to be found on monoliths. Players are encouraged to add more or adapt spells from other games.

  1. Charm - win over someone without using a social skill.
  2. Fireball - deal 1d6 Stamina damage to any single opposing distance field.
  3. Earthquake - Knock down all opponents in every distance field.
  4. Tidal Wave - Knock back all opponents in a single distance field to the next farthest field.
  5. Heal - Restore 1 Stamina instantly.
  6. Creation - Create a single type of Trade Good from thin air to occupy a Slot.

Haruspicy
Cyclops leave behind secrets to those who know how to read them. Reading the entrails of a cyclops requires skill in Haruspicy. Successfully reading the entrails reveals the patterns of woven winds, the battle fronts of heat and frost. In the area where the entrails are read, the area is affected by a Strange Weather of your choice. Those who would pursue you for debt or justice will not follow you into the hexes affected by the Strange Weather, they are unable to cross through it but are willing to go around it.

Trade Markets
A good deal of coin can be made through buying goods cheap and selling them elsewhere. The buy category shows the amount of coin that settlement buys that good for, while the sell category shows how much they sell that good for. Acquiring a good takes up a single Slot, don’t worry about weight or quantity. When first entering a town, roll d66 twice for each trade Good.

The higher result is the Buy price and the lower result is the Sell price. This indicates how much you the player buys the Trade Good for and how you the player sells it for in the settlement, respectively. Consider the settlement’s location to terrain and use the modifiers below to have a flat price adjustment (rounded up) contributed to the d66 roll. The Sell price of a Good can never be modified above its Buy price.

Forest [Lumber] -50% Buy/Sell Lumber. +50% Buy/Sell Glass.
Hills [Glass] -50% Buy/Sell Glass. +50% Buy/Sell Lumber.
Lake [Fish] -50% Buy/Sell Fish. +50% Buy/Sell Grain.
Meadow [Grain] -50% Buy/Sell Grain. +50% Buy/Sell Fur.
Marsh [Oil] -50% Buy/Sell Oil. +50% Buy/Sell Fish
Mountain [Fur] -50% Buy/Sell Fur. +50% Buy/Sell Oil.

A settlement’s size also affects its market. This price modification is rounded up and adjusted across the board after the Good prices are rolled.

Thorp No Adjustment
Village +10% to Buy and Sell.
Town +20% to Buy and Sell.
City +30% to Buy and Sell.

Trade Market Example

Goods Settlements Lumber Glass Fur Grain Fish Oil
Scali - Village/ Mountain Buy: 37 Sell: 27 Buy: 68 Sell: 45 Buy: 28 Sell: 10 Buy: 68 Sell: 67 Buy: 56 Sell: 34 Buy: 136 Sell: 57
Geonvir - Town/Forest Buy: 18 Sell: 14 Buy: 78 Sell: 36 Buy: 73 Sell: 49 Buy: 73 Sell: 37 Buy: 64 Sell: 50 Buy: 74 Sell: 50
Brossel - City/ Meadows Buy: 83 Sell: 20 Buy: 82 Sell: 53 Buy: 113 Sell: 104 Buy: 38 Sell: 33 Buy: 53 Sell: 43 Buy: 43 Sell: 29

In the above table, prices were generated for each Trade Good in each settlement. The prices were then adjusted to reflect the settlement’s location. Then, they were adjusted a final time to reflect the settlement’s size. To search for a good deal, search down the columns to find a settlement with a low Buy price to purchase items, then travel to the settlement with a high Sell price to turn a profit. For example, Fur is low to Buy in Scali and high to Sell in Brossel, a single Slot-ful making a profit of 76 coins.

Oracle
Roll 1d6 once on the left side column and then once on the 1d6 top row.

Oracle 1-2 3-4 5-6
1-2 Never Yes, but… Yes, and…
3-4 No, and… Unclear Yes, because
5-6 No, but.. No, because Without Doubt

This is an ashcan edition and currently a work in progress.
Feedback, play reports, or questions can be emailed to .


Date
January 20, 2025