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Secrets of the Weird Wizard

Writing, Design, and Art Direction Robert J. Schwalb
Editing and Development Kim Mohan
Additional Editing Jennifer Clarke Wilkes
Proofreading Jay Spight
Cover Design, Graphic Design, and Layout Kara Hamilton
Cover Illustrator @@
Interior Illustrations @@
Character Sheet Design @@



















Shadow of the Weird Wizard is dedicated to Kim Mohan, my dear friend, colleague, mentor, and flashlight for
whenever I found myself in the dark. This book would never have happened without you. I miss you man.

Secrets of the Weird Wizard is © 2024 Schwalb Entertainment, LLC. All rights reserved.
Secrets of the Weird Wizard, Shadow of the Weird Wizard, Shadow of the Demon Lord, Schwalb Entertainment,
and their associated logos are trademarks of Schwalb Entertainment, LLC.

Schwalb Entertainment
[logo]
PO BOX 12548
Murfreesboro, TN 37129
[email protected]
www.schwalbentertainment.com

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Table of
Contents
@@@

Introduction
Every group needs a person to shape the game’s
story, to present the challenges, and to reward the
players when their characters complete their
quests. In Shadow of the Weird Wizard, this person
gains the title of Sage. I would argue that the Sage
has the most fun. There’s something to be said for
putting one’s creativity on display, to throw open
the vault of imagination let all the weirdness out.
As a Sage, you’re the one who shapes the story.
You direct the action. You decide what happens
and, more importantly, what could happen. And
you’re the one who hands out the rewards when
the players finish their quest. You’re the most
popular person in the room and you hold
everyone’s attention. For you know what happens
next.
I’m under no illusions about your experience
with other roleplaying games. No doubt, if you’re
reading this chapter, you have come here with at
least some experience at playing or running games
like this one, games that title the referee, narrator,
using the words “dungeon” and “master.” So,
rather than waste your time and mine presenting
this chapter as a how-to guide, I’m going to give a
light overview of my style and the elements of
game mastery I think are most important. Then,
I’ll dive into some tools you can use for building
and running quests. If I’m wrong about your
familiarity, there’s an ocean of advice for this sort
of thing in the hundreds, if not thousands, of
tabletop roleplaying games, to say nothing of all
the well-intentioned folks on social media who
will bend themselves backwards to put you on the
right track.
Shadow of the Weird Wizard has its own naming
conventions to reflect the spirit of the game. For
starts, we use Sage instead of game master or
referee. The name reinforces that the player has all
the answers. Plus, it’s my cheeky nod toward the
role best played by the inestimable Skip Williams
in the pages of Dragon Magazine. Next, rather than
adventure or mission, the game uses quests. A
quest has a purpose, an objective, and its
completion marks the end of that particular story.
Finally, the bad guys, whether evil or not, are
enemies since monsters represent just one kind of
enemy. That’s about all you need to know.
This book is pointless without Shadow of the
Weird Wizard. So, before you do much digging
around, it’s probably a good idea to familiarize
yourself with the main rulebook first. Enjoy!

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Mood and Tone
damage done and present a future of better
possibilities. Unlike Shadow of the Demon Lord,
which revels in the mud, blood, and excrement,
Shadow of the Weird Wizard reveals a world in Shadow of the Weird Wizard’s quest and larger
crisis, one in which war and catastrophe stories produce good outcomes and have a lighter
swallowed the old nations and turned them tone, all to broaden the game system’s appeal.
against each other in a death struggle. Refugees Weird Wizard has darkness aplenty for those who
flee across the borderlands, drawn by the promise want it, but such elements can be set aside and
of a future in the new lands, recently abandoned ignored as you choose.
by a mysterious, eccentric, and, some might call,
mad wizard who denied entry into this magic-
warped realm for centuries. People fleeing the
collapse of their homeland see his absence as an
Sage Advice
In the introduction, I made it pretty clear that I
invitation to settle, and make neighbors of the
expect you to have some experience at “running”
many strange peoples who cannot remember a
tabletop RPGs, but I would be remiss if I didn’t
time without the Weird Wizard.
share at least some of my thoughts about running
Where in the Old Country, civilization has driven
games. This will be quick. Promise.
back all the bogeymen of old into the shadows,
Knowledge This game doesn’t demand a lot
here, in the New Lands, monsters of myth and
from you. Design choices make it easy to migrate
legend roam, and here live people touched by
to this game from others, so if you know the big
magic, from the centaur herds running the plains
one, you’ll be fine with this one. Also, the New
in the north to the shapeshifting wargs who have
Lands are so open and malleable, you don’t have to
fought against the Weird Wizard’s dominion for
sweat bullets absorbing thousands of years before
centuries. This realm defies both reason and
you start the first session. As easy as it is, I do
expectation, as the laws governing nature seem
expect you to have some sense of how the game
somewhat relaxed here. One can find islands
works and the ideas underpinning the game
drifting in the skies, rivers made of tumbling
before you start. Players look to you for answers,
stones thundering down from the mountains so
so you can prepare for them by making a character
tall that they climb above the blue dome of the
on your own, playing through a combat or two,
world, their peaks touching the infinite dark.
and familiarizing yourself with this rulebook.
Entire forests uproot themselves and migrate with
Encouragement Too often, people interpret
the seasons, coastlines redraw themselves daily,
their role as Sage as one antagonistic to the
and the seasons might change without warning.
players. Here’s the thing: you will always win. No
Surely, the oddities of the New Lands source from
matter what kinds of options the players have
the Weird Wizard’s magic and many expect that
chosen, in the end, the tools at your disposal give
the longer this figure stays away, the more normal
you total control of what happens in play. Rather
this region will become, but for now the New
than “test” the players or make their characters’
Lands offer anything but predictability.
lives more difficult and thus unfun, you should
Against this backdrop are the characters, people
always be the players’ advocate. You should want
of exceptional capabilities who have come to the
them to finish the quest, to succeed against the
New Lands to find their fortunes, win fame and
challenges, to “win the game.” This shouldn’t be
acclaim, and chisel their names into the history as
easy for the players, but it shouldn’t be hopeless
great heroes, bold adventurers, or champions of
either. Make the players feel challenged, but
noble causes. And though these characters have
always with an eye toward keeping the story
great, epic destinies, their stories must have a
moving and keeping the heroes alive until the end.
beginning and so you and your friends come
Adaptability Nothing ever goes as you plan.
together to make up the characters, shape their
Rare is the player who does exactly what you
stories, and see where they will go.
expect them to do. Players might chase red
For all the danger and strangeness this game
herrings, become embroiled in minutia, or even
presents to the characters, Shadow of the Weird
miss out on major clues. You might have a
Wizard offers a play experience for all kinds of
magnificent plot in mind, only to discover that the
gamers, whether they are newcomers to the hobby
players have gone a different direction. This is just
or grizzled veterans of many campaigns. The
the nature of roleplaying games. Rather than be
quests offer opportunities for the players to make
heavy-handed and push the characters back into
the world a better, safer place, to undo much of the

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the plot, let them explore and see where the story good play by encouraging the players to engage
takes them. Doing so makes the players feel like with the imaginary environment.
they have agency over the plot rather than be Agency Players should always control their
mere spectators to what you decide unfolds and characters. They decide what their characters look
when. If you’re running a prepared quest, you can like and, think, how they act and react. Some
always plunder parts from it to serve as challenges effects in the game can take away a player’s
and obstacles. Using the pieces from other quests agency, for a brief time, but such things are rare.
can let you create an entirely new quest based on Unless you have good reason, avoid telling the
the decisions the players make. players what their characters feel, think, or do.
Story Over Rules This game has plenty of rules. Protagonists The whole point of this game is to
You’ll find rules for attacking with weapons, tell fun stories involving a diverse cast of
casting spells, using magic, and more. No matter characters played by your friends. These
how exhaustive the game strives to be in covering characters become the story’s protagonists. They
the range of possible activities, it cannot address might not be the most powerful people in the
them all. Rather than bend the story to conform to world or the most important in the grand scheme,
the rules as written, when you find yourself in a but for the purpose of telling the story, they are
situation that’s not covered by the rules, just use the most important in the game. Avoid stealing the
common sense. As the Sage, you can ignore, spotlight from the players and never saddle the
enforce, change, or add any rule you like to the group with powerful characters under your
game provided that doing so makes the game control that can steal away all their thunder.
more fun for everyone involved. Keep it Fun You come together to have a good
Simple is Better The players depend on you for time and you’re the one in the position to make
information about what their characters see, hear, sure everyone does. For starts, you should always
and experience in the world around them. The recognize the players’ individual boundaries and
players need enough information to make never cross them. There’s no point in testing a
decisions in the game, so it’s crucial for you to not player’s limits. Making the game edgy or overly
leave out obvious details that could have a bearing dark could drive a player off or, worse, ruin a
on the situation. Similarly, don’t obscure that friendship. Similarly, make sure the players
information behind excessive description. Keep it themselves don’t cross lines of good taste. It’s
simple. Keep it short. Give the players enough to everyone’s responsibility to keep the game fun,
know where they are and what’s happening. If exciting, and interesting.
they want more information, they can ask. Some players engage in behaviors that can
Make It Up Sometimes you just have to make jeopardize the game. Excessive arguing, tantrums,
stuff up. The players might fail to find a piece of spotlight hogging, and the like can spoil the fun.
crucial evidence, head off along a different line or When this happens, you should pull the player
inquiry, or simply do something you never aside and explain how and why their behavior is
expected. It’s tricky, of course, but in these affecting the game. Often, disruptive players don’t
situations, make up the details as you go. No realize they are causing trouble and can be saved
amount of preparation can account for the full with a friendly conversation. But, players who
range of possible actions players might take. can’t or won’t rein in their problematic behaviors
Build on Good Ideas Players come up with should be shown the door for the greater good of
ideas about what’s going on all on their own all.
without you having to do anything. You might
disabuse them of their conclusions, but you can
also steal them to make them your own. For
example, say you describe an altar in a chapel and
What Happens?
You decide most of what happens in the game. For
you tell the players that a number of carvings on starts, you have read the quest or written yourself,
the altar’s sides depict seraphs. You know there’s so you have a general sense of how the story ought
nothing special about the altar, but one of the to develop. You reveal the setting, you control the
players has become convinced otherwise. Rather enemies and people the characters meet, you
than dash the player’s expectations, make the choose the weather, and just about every other
player feel smart by revealing a clue, a minor detail involving the story. The players, however,
treasure, or something interesting about the altar. control how their characters act and react to
Not only does the player feel good, you reward developments in the story.

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 The decision the game calls upon you to make casting a spell, when a player character would
the most is to decide how to interpret what the avoid or mitigate a harmful effect, or do something
players say they do in the game and what actually else and the outcome is simply not certain. In
happens. Excited players might describe their these cases, you can call for an attribute roll or a
characters doing all kinds of things, while shy luck roll to make the decision for you. You can also
players might offer little description of what their call for rolls when the rules instruct you, though
characters do in a scene. You sort through all the you can also decide not to if the outcome seems
information you gain from the players and piece it obvious.
together to assemble some sort of narrative.
Attribute Rolls
Deciding Results You call for an attribute roll when an activity
whose outcome is in question relates to one of the
Any activity a player describes has one of five four attributes. The procedures for resolving
possible results: It happens more or less as attribute rolls are covered in chapter 1.
described (yes), it doesn’t happen (no), and it Strength Rolls Whenever a character would
might happen (roll). perform an activity that relies on physical might or
would resist an effect that would harm the body.
Saying Yes Climbing, swimming, running, breaking objects,
fighting off disease and parasites, resisting venom
When you say yes, the activity just happens. You
and poison are all activities and situations where
do this a lot and probably without thinking about
Strength would apply.
it. You don’t call for a roll when a player says that
Agility Rolls When a character would perform
her character is crossing a room or sets up camp
an activity related to speed, balance, or dexterity.
or lights a fire or orders a beer from the bartender.
Such tasks might involve walking across a narrow
You can also say yes for activities as well. If you
ledge, leaping over a pit, dodging a spear trap, and
operate under the assumption that the characters
the like.
are competent people, there’s no reason to
Intellect Rolls When a character would recall
question a lot of what they describe. The burly
information, use logic to solve a puzzle, try to
warrior wants to kick in the door? Let her. The
outwit or trick someone, or applying specific
nimble rogue wants to climb the knotted rope?
training or knowledge to a problem. Intellect could
Sure, why not. Saying yes often helps you reward
apply when one would use reason to find a hidden
players for the choices they made when creating
creature or object. However, luck rolls work best
their characters and makes the players feel as
to determine the chance of a happenstance
though they can do things in the story.
discovery.
Will Rolls When a character would persuade or
Saying No use force of will to overcome a challenge. Will also
It's important to say yes, but it is equally applies when a character would try to resist a
important to say no. Too often, people find harmful effect that affects the mind.
themselves calling for rolls to determine failure
when the stated activity is ludicrous or impossible. Luck Rolls
It’s perfectly fine to tell the players that no, you In addition to attribute rolls, you can also call for
can’t hit the moon with the arrow you fired from luck rolls to decide what happens. A luck roll has a
the ground and no you can’t bend the bars on the more even (though still tilted toward the player)
cell window since you have a 9 Strength. If chance of happening since you normally don’t add
anything is possible, nothing is impossible, which, anything to the roll. You can use luck rolls
short of magic or the gods, makes everything whenever the activity or circumstance has no real
ludicrous. connection to a particular attribute or when a
situation really could go either way. Some
Roll the Dice examples of when you might call for a luck roll
Sometimes, a described activity can go either way. follow.
You can see the activity happening, but you also Spot Clues Determine if a character notices a
recognize that there’s a chance that it doesn’t. This small detail or hears something without making
comes up when the player characters act against an active effort to do so.
other creatures, such as making an attack or Mitigate Harm A luck roll can determine
whether a character suffers from some harmful

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effect. Creatures caught in an explosion would roll gives up the name of the necromancer. The Sage
luck to see if they escape unscathed or with less knows the barman doesn’t know and, because of
damage, as would creatures in an uncontrolled the threat, the barman takes up a club and calls in
vehicle that goes tumbling down a hill. a couple of bouncers to take care of this god-
Happenstance You can use luck rolls when bothering nuisance.
determining if random things might have
happened in a character’s past. For example, you
might call for a roll to see if a barbarian has Adjusting Difficulty
traveled through a particular forest at some point The game pins the target number for unopposed
before or an entertainer had previously performed tasks at 10 to give the players a slightly better than
in a tavern. even chance of success. You use boons and banes
Secondary Outcomes Finally, you might call for to make the task easier or harder. When assigning
luck rolls to decide what happens following a boons or banes, only consider the nature of the
successful roll. For example, you might call for a task attempted; don’t add additional banes to
luck roll after a character who managed to filch a offset boons a character might have, for example.
purse from a random passerby to determine if For each positive circumstance that would make
there was much of value in the bag. You might call the task easier, grant 1 boon. For each one that
for a luck roll to determine the quality of would make it harder, impose 1 bane. If you come
information recalled after a successful Intellect up with more than 3 boons, you might as well
roll. grant an automatic success. Likewise, if you have 3
banes or more, it’s not unreasonable to just tell the
Ands and Buts player that the task is impossible under these
When you add an and or a but to a yes or no, you circumstances.
have an opportunity to make a binary outcome
more interesting. “Yes, and” rewards the activity
by either revealing more information or allowing
Describe Outcomes
an even greater than expected success. However, That a task succeeds or fails can suffice when it
“yes, but” suggests that the success comes with a comes to describing an outcome, but it’s often
complication. Similarly, “no, and” creates a better to describe what happens. Adding evocative
worsening situation, while “no, but” enables a way description helps the players become immersed in
to compensate for the setback. Some examples the game, while also making them feel as though
follow. they did something exciting. When a character
Heather, playing a warrior named Heathen, a swings a sword and strikes a monster, describe
dives for the lever sticking out of the wall and how blood flies from the wound or how the
pulls it down. Since her character did this in lieu of monster howls in pain. When a character fails to
attacking or casting a spell, the Sage decides that kick down a door, you could take a moment to
the lever not only lifts the gate, but makes a loud describe the door’s solidity. Similarly, when a
enough noise to distract the enemies, granting her goblin’s arrow narrowly misses a character, you
allies 1 boon on rolls made to attack the enemies might describe the whistling the projectile makes
until the end of the round. as it passes by or the cracking noise of the arrow
Chris, playing a mage named Anodyne, leaps shattering on the protagonist’s shield. All of these
across the pit. It’s an easy jump, but the Sage notes instances do more for the story than simply saying
that he has a low Strength score and reveals that yes or no, success or failure.
the edge of the pit crumbles a bit. Chris makes an
Agility roll or slip and catch himself at the edge.
Elise, whose character Onyx, fights goblins in a Characters
room. She and her companions are outnumbered Each player of the game needs a character to play.
and the situation looks dire, so Elise tries to force If you’re running the game for newcomers,
the door leading out of the room. Unfortunately, especially those who have never played a tabletop
she fails her roll, but the Sage tells Elise that she roleplaying game before, you should set aside time
spots a ring of keys hanging on a hook a few feet to help them create a character using the rules in
away. the book. Even if you have an experienced group,
Mike, who plays a priest named Sandy, decides though, it’s best to make character creation a part
to threaten the barman with violence unless he of the first game. Making characters goes quickly,

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so it should only take a few minutes before prisoners who have recently escaped their captors
everyone is up and running. or shook of the chains of servitude.

Origin Story Missionaries and Pilgrims

The characters could all have the same religious
The starting quest draws the characters together inclinations and set out into the borderland to
to form a group, and usually happens as a result of expand the influence of their faith or visit sites
some shared goal, hardship, or employer. Some deemed holy or otherwise important to their
groups might prefer to have their characters religion. Much of the violence in the Old Country
bonded before the quest begins, in which case you saw religious relics go missing. The characters
can work together to come up with an origin story. might be hunting these missing pieces and fighting
Some sample origins follow. Choose one, adapt to restore them to their rightful places.
one, or make up one that fits the group.

Explorers Refugees
The people fleeing the Old Country spill into the
The characters have all set out to make discoveries Old Country and carried the characters with them.
in the New Lands. A displaced noble seeking They, like most people they meet, have been
territory on which to build new holdings, an displaced by war, dark magic, famines, plagues,
established explorer society, or an expedition and all the other ills that afflict the civilized world.
formed and funded by a famous person could all Having escaped the danger of what was known,
be responsible for the characters’ mission. The now the characters face the danger of the
patron could provide equipment and destinations, unknown. They could work to protect their friends
at least at the beginning of the campaign. and family, safeguarding a fledgling settlement,
when not venturing out into the wild for supplies
Merchants and materials needed to keep the community
The characters all belong to the same mercantile alive.
consortium that hopes to establish new markets
among the indigenous peoples of the New Lands. Traveling Entertainers
The characters are expected to venture out into A traveling circus, a troupe of actors, a traveling
the unknown and make peaceful contact with the band, or something else unites the characters and
various folks who live there. The group might have sees them travel from place to place to entertain
to undertake additional quests in order to gain the crowds. While ventures into the New Lands
trust and friendship with local peoples. poses considerable risk, there’s plenty of
adventure and excitement to be had among the
Adventurers settlements growing in the borderlands. And for
The group seeks out danger for the sake of doing groups of a mind to help others, there’s plenty to
so, though if they get rich along the way, so much do.
the better. Adventurers make a great group
concept since it gives them the freedom to go Agents
wherever they want and undertake the quests that A powerful patron assembled the group, selecting
interest them. They’re going to go it alone, at least candidates based on their potential capabilities.
until they do a few favors for powerful friends-in- The patron could be a political leader, a noble, a
the-making. wizard, high priest, the druids, or some other
individual or organization. Quests involve
Outlaws advancing the patron’s interests in the
Circumstances forced the characters into the borderlands and elsewhere, with ever more
borderlands and beyond. Perhaps they were dangerous missions to bring their employer closer
criminals and now have bounty hunters searching to their ultimate objective.
for them. Or, they might have been rebels,
participating in some of the uprisings that brought Local Heroes
the Great Kingdom to its knees. They might be The characters participated in some effort to save
innocents wrongly accused of some crime or the lives and livelihoods of innocent people and
for their trouble gained the esteem of their

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community. The characters might have confronted passing, you might have the players create new
and defeated a monster, exposed a diabolical cult, characters and have them play through a quest or
or helped the people escape from some rampaging two. If these quests influence the development of
band of beastmen. The characters might use this the campaign (see below), all the better.
community as a base of operations or, emboldened Character Death For all the tools the characters
by their early success, set out to find fame, glory, have to preserve themselves, characters might
and riches. perish during quests. Character death should
always be a significant event in the story; players’

Character Exits characters represent the most important people in

the story after all. And though you should give this
The exit of a player’s character from the game event the focus it deserves, character death should
might arise from a story decision, interest in not remove a player participating in the story.
playing a different kind of character, or character One easy way to keep the player involved is to
death. The story might lead a player to decide allow the player to take control of one of a
their character must pursue some other interest, character you control. This character might be a
such as raising a family, undertake a personal mercenary the group hired, a servant, a prisoner,
quest while the rest of the characters go about or someone the group meets soon after the death.
their business, or retire after suffering some When the quest ends, the player can then recreate
major, personal setback. Players might also set this character to become a full member of the
aside characters in favor of new ones and then group or create a replacement character and
circumstances might force a player to play a return control of this character to you.
different character such as when their character You can also let the player introduce a new
dies, vanishes into the Void, or is taken prisoner by character into the quest. This replacement
a terrible enemy. character might have been seeking the group,
While a player might have a good reason for having heard of their exploits and coming to lend
exiting their character from the story, excessive aid. The character could also meet the group by
exiting can diminish the experience for everyone. chance and throw in with them to finish their
If a player “retires” a second character by choice, quest.
pull the player aside and encourage the player to If the multiple characters die, the quest might
stick with their current character for the good of end unfinished as the survivors flee for safety.
the overall story. Campaigns are short enough in After some period of inactivity, the survivors can
this game that players do not have to wait long be assumed to have recruited new companions
before they can explore new character options. and can resume or restart the quest.
End of Story At the end of a quest, the players If all the characters die, the quest ends in failure.
can choose to end their characters’ stories, which If you run a campaign, such an event might bring
removes them from the campaign. Players who do the campaign to an abrupt end. Whether the
so create new characters to replace the ones that players start with new characters of a tier you
exited and these characters have all the benefits choose and embark on a new quest or make
due to them for the group’s level. If all the players characters of the same tier as their previous
retire their characters, you might consider starting characters and come at the quest anew, perhaps
over at the beginning or a lower level and have the picking up where the last group left off or
players play through quests until they catch back becoming involved in the story through some
up to the main story. other means.
Temporary Exits A side-quest, other business,
family concerns, imprisonment, or some other
reason can cause a character to exit the story for
one or more quests. Work with the player to
decide what happens in the time the character
spends away. During this period, the player can
play a different character, again with all the
benefits one has at the group’s level. If all the
players decide to temporarily exit, simply extend
the time that passes between quests to
accommodate the characters as they deal with
other matters. To convey the sense of time

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