CREATING A CHARACTER

If youre not going to be the Game Moderator (aka GM), the first step is creating your own character. You have to roll some dice to determine your characters basic attributes, choose a race and a class, use the starting money to buy equipment for your character: after all these steps, youre ready to play. If youre going to be the GM, then you need to do something more (as explained later in the proper chapter).

Scores dont matter, the way you use them do: thats what marks the difference, making your character worth of renown in a bards song.

Muscle
It measures characters sheer power and his overall physical endurance, and it affects Endure Saving Throws. Muscle is the Prime Attribute for the Brave Man class. A player can call a Muscle Test whenever he wants to overpower his opponent physically (beating him up, tackling him down or winning a drinking contest), when he needs to overcome an obstacle (climbing a wall, swimming safely to the riverside or jumping a cliff) or in any other action requiring physical power or resistance.

Setting Up Your Character Sheet

Character Sheet shows all the information about your character, ranging from ability scores to spells or gears. It can be a simple piece of paper, or maybe a printed one.

Roll Attribute Scores

Your character is described by a series of basic attributes: Muscle (physical strength and constitution), Brain (memory and IQ), Readiness (sense and body reaction), Bearing (charisma and determination), Talent (personal skills) and Luck (how much things turn good to you). What you need to do is just rolling 3d6, sum them together and write them on your character sheet; write the modifier too, because you apply it whenever you have to roll the dice using that Attribute (for an Attribute Test or a Saving Throw). Repeat this process for all the six Attributes.
Table 1: Attribute Score Modifiers Score Modifier Description 3-8 -1 Below Average 9-12 +0 Average 13-18 +1 Above Average

Brain
It represents characters intelligence and analytic power, and it affects Discernment Saving Throws. Brain is the Prime Attribute for the Erudite Man class. A player can call a Brain Test whenever he wants to remember something (a rumor, an old legend or a secret path), to understand how a device works, to do a research in a library, to bluff someone or in any other action requiring reasoning and knowledge.

Readiness
It describes character's sensorial awareness and reflexes, affecting Evasion Saving Throws. Readiness is used as Prime Attribute for the Stray Man class. A player can call a Readiness Test whenever he wants to move stealthily (hiding in shadows or walking silently), to see something at distance or in any other action requiring agility and senses.

Having a low attribute score gives you a penalty in performing tasks, while a high attribute grants a positive modifier: write it close to the proper attribute. Upon creation your character could have at least one score below average, and if this happens dont worry: heroes are not perfect beings, and low attribute scores just represent their flaws.

Bearing
It is a mixture of charisma and determination, and it affects Willpower Saving Throws. Bearing is the Prime Attribute for the Zealous Man class. A player can call a Bearing Test whenever he wants to convince or to intimidate someone verbally, to act as a fine orator, to stay focused or

in any other action requiring psychological strength.

Talent
Thats what makes your character really different from the others, what he learned before getting involved into perilous and fascinating adventures: if its something other characters can do, you do it better. It affects Counter Saving Throws, and its score must be at least equal to 13 in order to get the XP Bonus from class Prime Attribute (for XP Penalty, you just need to check the Prime Attribute). A player can call a Talent Test whenever he wants to show what hes able to do as a member of his class.

and broad (like Hunting, Blades, Endure Saving Throws, Arcane Magic or Encyclopedic Mind) or something more specific and narrow (like Set Snares, Short Swords, Poison, Fire Element or Ancient History of Megaesia); however, only if you choose a narrow field you can apply that bonus also to an Attribute Test different from its original (this is going to be explained later). The second step is choosing a name, and the main suggestion is trying to jazz it up: Taste the steel of my Sword, Bitch! is surely a tastier choice than a lame Swords.
Example Box 1: Traits Marks character Thauran, a human Brave Man from the town or Coruthar, got a nice score of 16 in Muscle and a not so nice score of 4 in Bearing. First of all Mark wants to choose the Muscles Trait, and he wants it to be inherent to his past life in Coruthar, a town lying close to the Vesperaad Hills: Thauran spent a lot of time there, climbing in search of roots and hunting small preys. At the beginning Mark opts for a broad I know hills better than my pockets (granting him a +1 in different minor fields) but then he changes it into a more focused My hands can cling to every surface (granting him a +1 in climbing tests): Mark knows this is a better choice, because he can use that +1 (usually bound to Muscle Tests) in a Talent Test when fighting bigger creatures (declaring he wants to climb up to the giants shoulder hitting him straight in the back). Now its time to place the Bearings Trait, and Mark opts for a -1 in Girls stink like poo (hes a misogynist, so this applies whenever he talks with a girl): well find out later how this -1 could turn into a +1.

Luck
It just tells how much fate blesses or curses your character in different situations, and it affects Curse Saving Throws. A player can call a Luck Test whenever he wants to succeed in a particular task (like having his trap work against a wandering enemy), to perform something hes not used to (like an Erudite Man using a sword) or in any other action challenging the fate. By the way, failing could be way more risky than in other situations!

Pick Attribute Traits

In few words, a Trait is a descriptor conceptually bound to the Attribute it belongs to telling you what you can do slightly better in an Attribute Test than someone else having the same score in that same Attribute.
Table 2: Attribute Traits Score 3 4-5 6-15 16-17 18 Traits Two granting -1 or One granting -2 One granting -1 None One granting +1 Two granting +1 or One granting +2

The modifier granted by a Trait stacks with the basic modifier granted you by the proper score (and other modifiers), when applied. Dont cry if you get Negative Traits: they can be subject to the Turn the Table and granting you some XP, as explained later in the book. Once done, write your Traits if any in the Trait Box.

The first step is choosing which field this bonus should be granted to: it could be something generic

CHOOSE A CHARACTER CLASS

When youre done with the Attribute Scores, you have to choose the class for you own character selecting it between four options: Zealous Man, Brave Man, Erudite Man and Stray Man. Your GM is free to use all of them, some of them or to introduce new ones. Every class has its own template, summarizing the class features, made up of the following entries.
Hit Die (HD): its the n-sided die (d4, d6 or d8) you have to roll to determine Hit Points; the character starts with a single HD and gets additional ones at every Milestone Level (i.e. 4th level, 8th level and 12th level). Life Points (LP): when this number drops to zero, the character dies; he starts with a base value (adjusted by Muscle Modifier, minimum 1 LP) increased regularly according to his Combats THER0. THER0: short form of To Hit Entity Rating 0, its the base value to beat if you want to succeed in any kind of action (from hitting a giant to running through fire unharmed); it has three different progression rates (Good, Standard, Poor) to show what your character is good or not good at (if an Attribute is listed under a specific rate, every Test requiring that Attribute including the related Saving Throw must be rolled using that specific rate). Race Allowed: it shows if a particular race can choose that particular class. Qualities: they are class distinguishing features; each Quality is related to a Key Attribute in order to determine which modifier a player should use to perform the particular actions allowed by the Quality itself; each character receive a Primary (based on Talent) and a Secondary Quality (based

on the Prime Attribute) at 1st level and gets new ones during the so-called Milestone Levels (4th, 8th and 12th). Once the character class has been chosen, fill the character sheet with the information given in the class template.
Table 3: XP Needed for Class Advancement LVL 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13+ Zealous Man Option 0 16 32 60 120 240 480 900 1800 2700 3600 4500 +900 Brave Man Option 0 21 42 80 160 320 640 1200 2400 3600 4800 6000 +1200 Erudite Man Option 0 26 52 100 200 400 800 1500 3000 4500 6000 7500 +1500 Stray Man Option 0 13 26 50 100 200 400 800 1600 2600 3600 4600 +1000

Table 3 shows the XP needed, for each class, to achieve the next level: upon reaching a new level, a character can improve some features (like THER0, in all its three progression rates) or get something new (according to the single class description, or a new Quality).

Zealous Man (Cleric)

Prime Attribute: Bearing Hit Die: 1d6 at 1st level, +1d6 every Milestone Level Life Points: 3 + Muscle Modifier, +1 additional LP every 4 levels (starting from 4th level) Good THER0: Bearing, Talent Standard THER0: Combat, Muscle, Brain Poor THER0: Everything Else Starting Title: Initiate Race Allowed: Humans Qualities: Thaumaturgy (T), Diplomacy (B)

Zealous Men are devoted worshippers of a Greater Power: they serve a Patron God, the embodiment of a Natural Force or a Pantheon, being at the same time spokesmen and armed defenders of their Faith. According to his Faith, a Zealous Man can play different roles in a campaign: a saint champion, a fanatic inquisitor, an evil cultist or a groves druid. If there are no particular deities in your game, you can always agree with your GM on creating your own one: basically a Zealous Man is more oriented to healing and protection, but you can always focus on other fields; they work as second line, being proficient in combat but not as much as Brave Men are. All of the following are class features of the Zealous Man. Weapons and Armors: a Zealous Man can use a limited selection of armors (leather or chain), shields (small or medium) and weapons (staff, sling, club or mace) plus Patron Gods favorite weapon (any except slashing and piercing ones for good-aligned deities). Thaumaturgy (Talent): a Zealous Man has spent years studying ancient documents, thus a player can call a Talent Test whenever he wants his character to perform particular actions (like administering medical aid to someone, identifying religious scripts or symbols, doing a ritual, displaying supernatural lore and so on). Through this Quality a Zealous Man can also draw energy from a Divine Source of Power to cast his

spells and to perform a Purge Evil action or other rituals. Diplomacy (Bearing): whenever a Zealous Man argues about warfare or religious topics with someone socially relevant (like a king, mayor, sheriff, clan chief, priest and so on) he can call a Bearing Test and with a success the GM accepts what a player ask for (a favor or information). Power Words: a Zealous Man starts with three Power Words (Heal, Spirit and a third one of his choice). Holy Symbol: to channel divine energy a Zealous Man needs to show clearly a divine focus; this symbol can be held in one hand or placed on a piece of gear (a glove, a robe or a shield). If the symbol is lost or damaged, a Zealous Man cant channel divine energy until he gets a new one from his Order. Initiate (1st level Title): as Initiate a Zealous Man can cast only spells with an ER of 0 and he can use Purge Evil action once in an encounter. Priest (2nd level Title): as Priest a Zealous Man can cast spells up to a maximum ER of 1. Vicar (4th level Title): as Vicar a Zealous Man affects +1d6 HD with a Purge Evil and can treat natural diseases or poisonings with a Talent Test. Bishop (8th level Title): as Bishop a Zealous Man affects +2d6 HD with a Purge Evil and can perform rituals to remove curses like Vampirism or Lycanthropy; in addition his Church grants the command of a small group of followers. Cardinal (12th level Title): as Cardinal a Zealous Man becomes a chosen of his God, getting immune to any kind of diseases; he affects +3d6 HD with a Purge Evil and can perform special rituals called Miracles (requiring relics or artifacts and working as spells with an ER of 7); lastly he can establish his Temple gathering more followers.

Brave Man (Fighter)

Prime Attribute: Muscle Hit Die: 1d8 at 1st level, +1d8 every Milestone Level Life Points: 4 + Muscle Modifier, +1 additional LP every 3 levels (starting from 3rd level) Good THER0: Muscle, Talent, Combat Standard THER0: Readiness Poor THER0: Everything Else Starting Title: Cadet Race Allowed: All Qualities: Man-at-Arms (T), Might (M)

Brave Men are natural born fighters, facing foes in the front line while supported by the rest of their comrades inside an adventuring group. He can be a noble knight, a rude barbarian or a heartless slayer: someone able to stand damage and deal it better than any other, being at the same time striker and defender. As a Brave Man, you can handle any kind of armor and weapon, repairing them if necessary (as long as you have the right means): having no supernatural powers, you hinge on your own equipment. Revenge, glory or gold: it doesnt matter whats his goal, because as long as his warm hand holds a weapon new there will always be a new challenge to face. All of the following are class features of the Brave Man. Weapons and Armors: a Brave Man can use any kind of armor (leather, chain or plate) and any kind of weapons, with absolutely no limitations; as a player youre encouraged to unleash your imagination and to agree with your GM about new and exotic weapons for your Brave Man. Man-at-Arms (Talent): to show Brave Mans skill in fighting, a player always adds his Talent Modifier to Combat rolls and can call a Talent Test whenever he wants his character to perform particular actions (like astonishing people with weapon tricks, cutting ropes with a thrown axe, wrapping people with whips, overpowering foes with pure skill and so on).

Might (Muscle): thanks to his martial training, a Brave Man has a better body, thus he can perform amazing actions (like pinning down creatures of greater Size, jumping over wide pits or climbing a giants back) others cannot do with a successful Muscle Test. Cadet (1st level Title): as Cadet a Brave Man can try to physically overpower creatures up to a Size Category bigger. Fighting Man (2nd level Title): as Fighting Man a Brave Man chooses a single Combat Style granting him specific advantages. Veteran (4th level Title): as Veteran a Brave Man can wipe out a certain amount of minions (4 Medium or 1 Large) by hitting an ER of 2. Myrmidon (8th level Title): as Myrmidon a Brave Man can wipe out a certain amount of minions (8 Medium, 2 Large or 1 Huge) by hitting an ER of 3; in addition his fame grants him a small group of loyal followers. Hero (12th level Title): as Hero a Brave Man can wipe out a certain amount of minions (16 Medium, 4 Large or 1 Huge) by hitting an ER of 4; he can also establish his personal Stronghold attracting some loyal followers.

Erudite Man (Magic User)

Prime Attribute: Brain Hit Die: 1d4 at 1st level, +1d4 every Milestone Level Life Points: 2 + Muscle Modifier, +1 additional LP every 5 levels (starting from 5th level) Good THER0: Talent, Brain, Discernment ST Standard THER0: Willpower ST Poor THER0: Everything Else Starting Title: Apprentice Race Allowed: Humans, Elves Qualities: Wizardry (T), Bookworm (B)

Erudite Men are masters of knowledge: self-made ones or a mages apprentices, they study magic. They live for magic. They worship magic. They ARE magic. Wrapped in weird robes or wearing common clothes, an Erudite Man can be your best ally or your worst enemy. Although an Erudite Man excels in magic arts, his biggest drawback lays in the lack of physical endurance: Erudite Men are weaker than other adventuring classes, unable to wear armor and to use properly almost all weapons. For this reason, they deeply need the assistance of the other classes during their journeys: its up to the Erudite Man treating them as friends or simple pawns in his search of power. All of the following are class features of the Erudite Man. Weapons and Armors: an Erudite Man can wear no armor or shields at all, and he can only use daggers and staffs as weapons. Wizardry (Talent): an Erudite Man spends a lot of time studying arcane books, thus a player can call a Talent Test whenever he wants his character to perform particular actions (like identify arcane scripts or symbols, display supernatural lore, trying to analyze a magical device and so on). Through this Quality an Erudite Man can also draw energy from an Arcane Source of Power (usually a nameless or shapeless energy) to cast his spells. Bookworm (Brain): thanks to their insane passion for books Erudite Men develop a good memory;

for this reason a player can call a Brain Test to state a fact concerning a particular topic (mundane, historical or folklore). Power Words and Forms: an Erudite Man starts with any combination of Power Words and Forms (with a total of 4), but leveling up doesnt grant him new ones automatically. He can write a new power word on his own spellbook whenever he finds one as loot (scroll, stone or spellbook) or doing a Research (only one each even level starting from the 3rd). Power Focus: every Erudite Man needs some kind of specifically crafted focus to cast properly his own spells; this focus can be a staff, an orb, a wand, a puppet or any other kind of object. Apprentice (1st level Title): as Apprentice an Erudite Man can cast spells (made of a single power word) up to a maximum ER of 1. Magician (2nd level Title): as Magician, as long as an Erudite Man holds his power focus he gets a +1 to roll and effects for a specific power word. Wizard (4th level Title): as Wizard an Erudite Man can combine together 2 power words; he can also scribe arcane scrolls. Magister (8th level Title): as Magister an Erudite Man can combine together 3 power words and craft wondrous devices; his fame also grants him a small group of loyal followers. Arch Mage (12th level Title): as Arch Mage an Erudite Man can combine together 4 power words; he can also craft magic weapons and establish his Mages Tower attracting some more followers.