QUICKSTART

This file is a preview and, as such, it does not

contain all Kalymba’s content, but only what is
needed to play first-level adventures. Many details
of the setting – such as descriptions of the main
orishas and locations of the world of Aiye – were left
out, as well as a great variety of options for special
abilities, mandingas, playable races and combat ru-
les that are not necessary for a first game. What is
here is, however, more than enough to have lots of
fun with your friends. If you enjoy the setting and
the game, check out the full version later.

CREDITS
Graphic design: Bárbara Lucena
Creative consultancy: Bruno Kopte
Text and layout: Daniel Pirraça
Inside illustrations: Felipe Faria
Editing: Geliard Barbosa, Pablo Powrosnek
Translation: Newton Rocha
Proofreading (PT): Gislene Ana Barbosa
Proofreading (ENG): Tiki Games
Cover art: Victor Maristane

THE AUTHOR
Daniel Pirraça is a young black man born and
raised in a suburb of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, who
has Asperger’s syndrome, a mild manifestation of
autism spectrum disorder. He currently works as a
content creator at “Por Trás do Escudo” (Behind
the Game Master’s Screen), one of the largest
Brazilian RPG websites, and he has been develo-
ping Kalymba since 2013. Being a fan of African
culture, he considers this project a realization of
a dream – and, with good luck, the first step of a
successful career in the Brazilian and internatio-
nal role-playing market.
 PROLOGUE

TIMES OF DISTRESS TIMES OF HOPE

The once glorious history of these lands was buried However, there aren’t many forces in the universe
millennia ago, in the dark times when the Hecatombs capable of overwhelming the indomitable will of a brave
ravaged the world. Realms have fallen, countless species heart. With the powers granted by the orishas, mortals
have disappeared. Even the gods succumbed to the Outer are able to perform great deeds. As long as evil is at large,
Chaos. All the knowledge accumulated and transmitted men and women of strong will and immaculate souls
through the generations since the beginning of creation will rise up, ready to confront it. From the holy warrior
was lost. Thousands of peoples, with their cultures and fighting for his faith to the enraged villager who longs
memories, were erased from existence, and currently they to defend his home, valiant-minded mortals can rely on
are no more than an echo of a distant past, a horrifying the strength of their gods and ancestors to overcome the
whisper that can only be heard by the brave and the obstacles that this cruel world imposes on them.
madmen who dare to explore the ancient ruins of these
lost civilizations. Gazing with an untarnished eye, it is possible to see
that in the world of Aiye there are still countless wonders
Mortals, now reduced in numbers and wisdom, must to be protected. A beautiful flower that blooms, the sweet
deal with the still-open wounds left by the gods in this melody in the singing of birds, the smile of a child or even
world. Rising from the ashes, mankind and all other the warmth of a passionate kiss – these are all reasons
intelligent races build walls and fortresses for themselves; to live and fight one more day. Although there are those
gathering their people into villages, cities and even nations. who raise their spears for gold, beer and personal glory,
New kingdoms rose and, not long after, extended their Aiye is still a land of benevolent heroes. And these are the
powers to neighboring regions, using war and fetters ones whose names will become legends and songs, told
to subjugate others. Even so, they remain incapable of and sung by babas around the campfire. And even if all
achieving more than a paltry share of the glory that the life perishes, entropy triumphs and the world meets its
great empires of the past had. end, these legends will never be forgotten, for the wind
and the ancient spirits will be there to remember them.
Although life is again blooming in the world of Aiye, the
marks left by the Hecatombs are far from being overcome.
The abominations that once plagued these lands still roam
through its inhospitable landscapes, causing death and
corruption wherever they go. Some of these creatures
live like wild beasts out of control, while others make
plans to regain the unholy authority that once belonged
to them. They are adored by cultists and dark sorcerers,
who practice all sorts of barbaric rituals in their praise,
always working in the shadows, as a silent disease, using
fear to corrupt the hearts of the innocent.

The orisha that once flooded the world and is now

chained in the depths of the ocean, still exerts influence
over the surface dwellers through his faithful servants.
The other orishas, powerless to act in a direct way, need
to rely on the help of mortals brave enough to face the
evil that is slowly trying to rebuild itself. The fate of the
universe stands on a razor’s blade – the balance between
order and chaos has never been so fragile. In this hostile
and merciless world, life seems to always be one step
away from annihilation.
 WHAT ON EARTH IS AN TTRPG? And now comes the most important part: you will need
one or more friends to play Kalymba. One of you will
TTRPG is the acronym for tabletop role-playing game. be the Griot, the person who will control the game flow
But make no mistake: despite being a game, there are no (challenges, monsters, rewards, Supporters, etc), and who
winners or losers here. It’s more like reading a book or will also create the situations, roleplay the Supporting
watching a movie – good guys and bad guys can slap each Characters and organize the collectively created narrative.
other at will, but you, the viewer, are not in a dispute. For The others will be the Players, the ones who will create
you, it is pure entertainment, not competition. The only and control a single character each – the Protagonists
way to lose when doing those activities is not having fun. – and who will try to overcome the obstacles presented
TTRPGs also work this way. In these games, you and by the Griot, thus creating the story together.
your friends will step into the shoes of characters who
are part of a fictional universe, a game setting – in this
case, Kalymba – and together you will create amazing » THE GRIOT «
stories. Your characters may triumph, fail and even die,
The Griot, often called Game Master, Storyteller or
but what really counts is the measure of satisfaction that
Keeper in other more conventional TTRPGs, is responsible
the collectively created narrative provides to the players.
for narrating the story and managing the game’s plot.
Okay, but how does it actually works? Well, an TTRPG They must use their creativity to propose interesting
is similar to improvised theatre, or a make-believe game. challenges and stories that captivate the Players and their
The main difference lies in the existence of rules that Protagonists. It’s also his or her job to define the difficulty
determine how this make-believe game works – what are of most of the dice rolls tests to be performed, control the
the characters abilities and limitations, what can or cannot Griot’s characters (the Supporting Characters), both allies
be done in the game, the difficulty to overcome each specific and enemies, and manage the story’s setting as a whole.
challenge, etc. For example, when you say “my character
It should be clear that the Griot’s word is always the
somersaults and lands on the monster’s back, driving his
final word, even more important than what is written in
sword into it,” you must roll some dices to determine the
this rulebook. And this is, at the same time, an immense
result of this attempt. If the roll is good enough (as defined
power and an immense responsibility. The Griot must,
by the rules), your character will be successful in his or
therefore, act with justice and wisdom, prioritizing
her actions, but if the roll fails, the consequences can be
collective fun.
catastrophic.
The Griot must be someone who is altruistic, prudent,
supportive and who enjoys telling stories.
» WHAT DO YOU NEED TO PLAY? «
The Griot must also not propose adventures with
In Kalymba, skills and abilities tests are done through
themes that may offend other Players, and must be
dice rolls. The higher the numbers that you get on the
dedicated to ensuring good communication and respect
dice roll, the better is the result of the action desired. To
between the members of the table. Even though he has a
perform these tests, you’ll need two or more six-sided
higher degree of authority during the game (if we can call
die (d6) for the rolls. These are those cubic dice that are
it that), the Griot must not act like a superior, enlightened
pretty easy to find. It is recommended to have at least
being. He is first and foremost a Player, and he is there to
three d6s on hand during a game session. In addition,
entertain and be entertained. The Griot’s responsibility is
you will need Protagonist (Player-Character) sheets.
ultimately to formulate thought-provoking plots, enforce
Each player’s character’s information is written
the rules and make exceptions when necessary – all
down on these sheets – their abilities, skills,
to ensure the group’s fun, including his own.
equipment and whatever. You can get
Towards the end of the full book you can find
these Protagonist’s sheets by making
an entire chapter dedicated to helping the
copies of the sheet that is at the
Griot in their job. While it can certainly
end of this book, or by printing
be a demanding position, it’s not rocket
the Protagonist’s Sheet PDF
science, don’t worry.
available for free on Kalymba’s
official site.

7
 » THE PROTAGONISTS « PLAYING KALYMBA
That’s the term for the characters controlled by the There is a huge variety of TTRPG styles, with lots of
Players, around whom the story orbits. The Protagonists different themes. This one is inspired by African cultures
will be an active part of the setting and will have to deal with and mythologies. It proposes the collective creation of
the challenges proposed by the Griot. These individuals stories about gods and ancestors, villages and empires,
can be great warriors, monster hunters, powerful sorcerers war and peace, tears and songs. In this setting, human
– it all depends on the Players’ choices and creativity. The beings coexist with wild animals and supernatural
Protagonist’s sheets must be filled in before the game creatures, and while it’s peoples know how to control
actually starts. These sheets contain all the information magical forces and perform incredible feats, they still
about the characters, from their physical and mental have to deal with the hostile nature of their world, while
abilities to the equipment they carry with them. seeking to meet their own demand for basic resources.
Filling a Protagonist Sheet may sound complicated, From now on, you will be introduced into a world of
but don’t worry, this rulebook contains a step-by-step guide opposites – a world that is still fragmenting more and
on how to do this. There is a chapter later in this book more, even as its peoples pursue unity. Welcome to Aiye.
especially dedicated to guiding the creation of Protagonists
(page 37). For now, our main focus is on understanding
the basic concepts of Kalymba.

8
 INTRODUCTION TO THE SETTING

THE TALES ARE THE TRUTH Even if they are not exact, this does not make these
legends useless or misleading, as they are faithful records
Through the ages, the stories of the deities and the of a past whose details no one knows for sure, and which
world itself have remained in the memory of the peoples of can be as changeable as the future itself.
Aiye mainly because of the ancient tradition of the griots,
the storytellers. The griots are men and women, human
or non-human, who, century after century, transmitted
knowledge and perpetuated the myths gathered since
THE BEGINNING OF THINGS
the foundation of the universe. They roam through Aiye, Before there was any world, orisha or living being, there
crossing seas of water and sand, dark jungles and warring was only Olodum, the Supreme. One day, Olodum, sick of
territories, to bring the sacred power of word and song nothingness and emptiness, decided to create something.
to the many realms of this world. That was when he made the universe and all the laws
that govern it. After that, Olodum brought forth his first
They carry musical instruments and a lot of accumulated son, Obalta, the First Orisha, to whom he delivered the
knowledge, which they use to entertain, educate and Bag of Creation, giving him the power that gave rise to
inspire new generations of heroes and devotees. It is Orun, the spiritual world, home of the gods and spirits,
common to see an entire village gathered around the fire and to Aiye, the material world, where mankind and every
to hear a griot’s tales – stories of courage, love, betrayal other kind of creature live.
and revenge; legends of capricious and irritable gods, but
also of virtues and passions as intense as the scorching Obalta, by order of his father, went out to wander the
heat of the desert. universe, replacing nothingness with thingness; and thus
creating the savannas, the rivers, the lakes, the trees and
They also tell stories of formidable warriors, malevolent everything else.
wizards and incorrigible rogues. Their knowledge is
transmitted orally, with the use of rhymes and music, under But halfway through, Obalta felt very, very tired and
the eyes of the orishas and the spirits of the ancestors. The he sat down to relax next to a large tree. Overcome with
work of the griot is beautiful and sacred, yet imperfect. thirst, he could not resist and drank from the tree’s sap,
Each griot tells the stories in a different way – one griot getting drunk and then falling into a deep sleep. Odua,
pays attention to some details that another one may have the youngest daughter of Olodum at that time, was very
forgotten, while another one may give different names to envious of the power that had been granted to her eldest
some elements of a tale. One griot may say that an orisha brother.
stole something, while another one may say that this thing Seeing that Obalta had fallen asleep, Odua took
was stolen from that orisha, and no one can tell which advantage of the situation and stole the Bag of Creation
version of the tale is the true one. Maybe all tales are lies, from him, taking it back to his father. “See, my father!
or maybe they are all true. Who can say which is which? Your eldest son, to whom you have entrusted so much
The important thing is that, in the end, the message power, is now sleeping instead of working. He got drunk
gets through, and the people, by knowing the legends of on the sap of a tree and fell asleep, leaving the Sack of
the past, learn from these tales. Because without myths Creation totally unprotected!” shouted Odua, trying to
and traditions, mortals would be doomed to make the hide her smile. “Well then! Now you will be responsible
same mistakes over and over, thus not really evolving. The for creating Aiye, and the glory that would belong to
stories you’ll read on the next sections may be inaccurate, your brother will belong to you”, the Supreme replied,
surreal, and allegorical, but they all represent events that indignant. Upon waking up and learning about what had
shaped Kalymba’s universe and made it what it is today. happened, Obalta, the First Orisha, was angry with his
You have every right to interpret them as you like, or even sister and fought against her, creating an eternal rivalry
modify them to better fit your Protagonist’s worldview. between the two. While Obalta created half of the things
in the world, Odua created the other. The two are still
arguing over who did the best job, up to this day.

10
 THE GREAT DIVISION more than there are now). This, however, was not the worst
of the negative effects brought about by the great division.
It is important to notice that, in the beginning, there Aiye and Orun were meant to be one, and the separation
was no clear separation between the material world (Aiye) between the physical and the spiritual, matter and soul,
and the spirit world (Orun). Mortals, deities and spirits ended up weakening the balance of the entire universe,
inhabited the same lands and interacted every day. It was making it frail. As the griots say today, “it is easy to break
easy to consult the spirits of the ancestors, who would two branches: they just need to be separated”. From then
gladly help their petitioners, giving advice, telling stories, on, the irresponsible use of magic, both by mortals (who
and instructing mortals in the use of magic. It was only started wars that have shaken the world) and by the orishas
after a millennium and a half that Aiye and Orun got (who often fought against each other), weighted heavily on
separated from each other. According to the legends of the now weakened fabric of reality. This made the later
the griots and the babas, this division between spiritual invasion by the Outer Chaos possible, which marked the
and material worlds came about thanks to the boldness starting point of the darkest period of Aiye’s ages, that will
of a young boy. be described in other parts of this book.
The story goes like this: a woman wanted very much Currently, mortals do not have access to Orun unless
to have a child; however, she was barren. She made many they perform forbidden rituals able to take them to the
offerings and prayed incessantly, asking for Obalta to allow spiritual plane (which is, in itself, a serious breach of
her to have a child. Obalta, the God in White, growing taboo). On the other hand, the orishas can freely access
annoyed by the woman’s insistence, granted her this the material plane through their “mundanas”, which are
blessing. Then the woman then gave birth to a boy, who their physical bodies – humans or other intelligent races –
grew up strong and healthy, but not at all wise. One day, into which they transfer their consciousness and powers.
when the boy reached puberty, he ran towards Orun, the The souls of the deceased are carried by the winds of Uya
land of spirits, and played tricks on the orishas. It was then towards Orun, where they will face his judgment. Even
that Obalta, furious, threw his magic staff at the boy, hitting so, it is still possible to get in touch with the deceased.
him with such force that it split the world in two (Orun Individuals versed in witchcraft, who know the necessary
and Aiye), forever separating these planes of existence. procedures to invoke the ancients, routinely communicate
with the spirits of their ancestors, who can convey a wealth
Some skeptical scholars say that this story is an
allegory, but none of them can deny its consequences. of useful information and advice.
The division limited the contact between mortals and
spirits, and the orishas began to pay less and less attention
to the material world, which each year after the division
» AIYE «
evolved in technology and knowledge, deviating from the It is where all mortal beings live, all those who need
original plans of the great Olodum. Over the centuries, the breath of life given by the children of Olodum. Most
the knowledge that allowed the use of magic became the of the adventures will take place here, in the material
monopoly of a few sorcerers from wealthy families instead world/plane. Aiye is a place full of life, diversity and
of belonging to everyone, as it was at the beginning of time. fantastic stories; but it is also fraught with danger and
evil creatures, from vampire flies to chaos demons.
The huge towers of bronze and ivory rose four thousand Powerful entities duel incessantly. Countless wars
feet above the ground, separating the common folk from are fought, and humans share their lands with other
the wise and the great, while casting darkness on those intelligent races. Civilization intermingles with the wild
who most needed help. With their gleaming spears, world and nature mixes with the supernatural (because,
strange crystals from beyond, and floating vessels of after all, they should be one and the same). And while
steel and light, the ego-inflated mortals were convinced sinister aberrations roam the savannas, enlightened
that the words of the ancestors were no longer of use, spirits disguise themselves to dwell among mortals and
and that they were now able to walk by themselves and learn their ways.
to fly with their own wings. They made their ebos to the
orishas, but they had proud hearts in their chests, and
greed-corrupted thoughts in their heads.

With the separation of the material and spiritual planes,

the ori (which is wisdom, inner strength, self-control and
everything that strengthens the ashe) has weakened in
almost all peoples (and there were many peoples, much

12
 Everyday life is immersed in legends and mysticism. Orishas have different origins and different ages. Some
Magic is real and it is part of everyone’s daily life, although were created, some simply emerged naturally, and others
it can only be mastered by the wisest among the peoples, were people of such strong and noble spirit that, having
those beings who manage to connect to the spiritual plane become legends while alive, ascended into heaven after
and channel the strength of their own souls. The fantastic death and were deified. Regardless of the origin, all of
stories told around the campfire are all true, be them the them represent and control forces of nature or aspects of
wonderful ones, the bizarre or even the darkest ones, mortal lives – from rivers and plants to love and justice.
horrible tales that make children wet their beds. Lions
and zebras share the same habitat with hyena-men and The orishas, like gods, neither age nor die. They are
man-eating imps. Crocodiles share their territory with eternally linked to their domains, and can only weaken
ancient beasts and water spirits. In Kalymba’s setting, or disappear if the same happens to the elements they
fantasy is everywhere, you just have to look around. control. The orisha of love can only be defeated if that
feeling disappears completely from the hearts of mortals,
and the orisha of war will only fall if the whole world
» ORUN « finds peace. The occurrence of such events is so unlikely
that, in practice, the orishas are considered eternal and
It is the spiritual plane (or the Otherworld), where the indestructible. The intensity of their powers may vary as
orishas and other immortal entities that rule the world events unfold, but they never lose their divine status. What
of Aiye live, while keeping its balance. It is also where is clear is that the orishas who manages well their domains
the eguns, the spirits of the dead, go to be judged by and devotes can accumulate more power, and thus have
Olodum, the Supreme, and rewarded according to their a greater degree of authority among the pantheon.
actions during their lives. In popular belief, the Otherworld
is divided into nine planes, with each of them having Almost all orishas inhabit the Orun, but they often
a specific function in the cycle of existence and being descend to the material plane through their “mundanas”,
dedicated to a particular type of spirit. a topic that will be addressed in another chapter. While
in Aiye, they can travel, make war, advise their children
Still, there is little certainty about the things that (their devotees) and even found new kingdoms. They are
happen in this place, for the ancestral spirits are not respected and adored by the vast majority of peoples,
allowed to tell mortals the details of the afterlife, as it is regardless of race, clan or tradition.
an absolute sacred taboo, which can never be broken.
The orishas may be given different names and stories
– each society tends to interpret the gods in their own
GODS image – this doesn’t matter much in practice. Regardless
of specific names, it is common for the peoples of Ayie to
Although the conflict between the forces of order and make vows and offerings to please them, trying to acquire
chaos is a decisive factor in the lives of mortals, it is their divine blessings.
important to emphasize that there are also other forces
at work that are far beyond any dichotomy. Beings who In the beginning of the world, the orishas often battled
are above the concepts of good and evil and must not be each other. They vied for power, love and pride. During
judged by them. These are the orishas, representatives of those fights, they used their powers indiscriminately,
Olodum the Supreme, who gave them the power to act as shaping reality with their fury – one would summon
the gods of this universe, ruling life and everything that lightning so strong that it could split cities in half, another
comes after it. As it was already mentioned, Obalta was would make all the volcanoes in the world explode, while
the first of them all. Created in the beginning of all things, another orisha would devastate entire regions with
he was responsible for giving rise to half of everything cyclones and tornadoes. These feuds, however, had to
that exists today. However, he is just one of the countless be put aside thanks to the cosmic cataclysm we call the
deities that inhabit the Orun. Fracture, which almost destroyed the entire known world,
an event that we will talk about next.
The griots (storytellers) and babas (spiritual leaders)
say that the number of existing orishas is equal to Although there are many orishas, some among them
the largest number one can imagine – plus one. This stand out in name and power. These, as key pieces in
traditional saying means that no one knows exactly how the Kalymba setting, will be presented in more detail in
many orishas exist, but it is certain that they are not few, the full version of the book, where their favorite stories,
and that their number can still increase. features and offerings will be explored more deeply.

13
 THE FRACTURE their mirongas or dark magic. These extradimensional
aberrations, however, end up being at least partially
Since the creation of the world, the orishas have been contained by the power of the orishas and the union of
at war with each other. Relations inside the pantheon are mortal peoples, the the few ones who still had the strength
complicated and have always led to arguments, enmities to fight. The monstrosities that roam Aiye today, still
and duels for petty reasons. Obalta and Odua, two of spreading chaos and dismembering villagers, are mere
Olodum’s sons and creators of all things, are the greatest remnants of the hordes that once ravaged the world.
examples of this, for the sibling rivalry has existed since
the words of the Supreme formed the universe and its Civilization rose again, other intelligent races were
foundations. Over the centuries, the intensity of their created, and gradually the balance that allows the
fights fluctuated between heated arguments and highly maintenance of life was restored. The accursed lands
destructive magical combat, complete with flaming ravaged by the Fraturians, whose essence had been
meteors and mountains turned to dust. But while such a irretrievably corrupted, taken by blisters and madness
conflict was a hindrance to Olodum and the other orishas, like a syphilitic old man, were declared forbidden territory.
it posed no real danger to the natural order of the world. Olodum the Supreme also instituted a law that vehemently
forbids the orishas to come into direct conflict with one
Little by little, the irresponsible use of such epic another, to prevent the emergence of another Fracture.
powers caused irremediable damage to the world. After Their influence over the Aiye was also limited, and the
centuries of fury and violence against spirit and matter, responsibility to carry the divine word to the world was
the situation eventually reached a dangerous limit. The was passed to mortals, specially to the orisha’s devotees
legendary battle between the orishas Mugo, the lord of who remained faithful even in adversity.
war, and Xonga, the god of justice, was the last straw. The
cosmos convulsed and the Fracture was open: a great rift Although there was still much damage to repair and
that compromised the magical protection that, from the knowledge to recover, Aiye’s civilizations once again
beginning, had enveloped the universe. The Fracture is seemed to be heading towards prosperity. This is called
the height of disharmony, and through it the Outer Chaos the Second Age, a period marked by mourning, nostalgia,
invaded our reality. It is a cosmic distortion caused by famine and civil wars, but also by the unshakable drive
the unrestricted use of divine powers in a universe whose of mortals who struggled not only for survival but for
structure was already compromised. No one knows the the restoration of their ancestors’ memory and their
exact nature of this cataclysm, but everyone – mortals connection with the Supreme.
and gods alike – is aware of its consequences.
As looters invaded the ruins of the fallen realms to steal
The Fracture unleashed, both in Orun and Aiye,, hordes the gold, gems and technological gadgets that withstood
of monstrous beings hungry for nothing but destruction. the End of Times, many scholars and heroes set out on
Indescribable abominations from another reality invaded dangerous expeditions to recover ancient tomes and
the world. They enslaved, tortured and killed everything sacred items that had once belonged to their ancestors.
that moved – as they did not have the power of the ashe At that time, there were few steel ships flying through the
in themselves, they needed to take it from others. These skies – those that were not destroyed in the war against
monsters did not respect anything nor anyone and they the Fracturians ended up stranded, without fuel – and
threatened all existence. The orishas, preoccupied with there were almost no more active portals around the
protecting their home, the Orun, left Aiye to its own world – the magical crystals that kept them open ended
devices. Many races were extinct, and humanity was up being devoured by demons or looted by marauders.
almost decimated. The great civilizations were reduced to
On the other hand, many old weapons were recovered
inhospitable ruins and even the ground became infertile.
and and became again a differentiating factor on the
This age of deep darkness is known today as the First
battlefield. The griots say their arrows were like blasts
Hecatomb.
of shining blue rays, and their explosive gourds blazed
with the light and the heat of ten suns. Even their ancient
spears could pierce stone walls with ease, and there was no
HECATOMBS defense capable of stopping them. As there were not many
The first end of the world (Hecatomb) was caused by people in the world with the knowledge and resources to
demons from the Fracture, who, for many years, terrorized properly use the magical crystals that fell from the sky,
both Aiye and Orun, devouring and corrupting heaven and little by little all the artifacts of the Pre-Hecatombean
earth, absorbing the mystical energy that permeates all peoples became scrap and were replaced by more reliable
things, the ashe, and converting it into a dark power to fuel tools made with wood, rope, iron, and fire.

15
 Centuries passed and the domain of the skies were those who lived far from the coast, managed to escape.
returned to the birds, as it should have been from the That was the Second Hecatomb.
beginning. Everything was going well – fish returned to the
lakes, the mutated and chaos corrupted animals died out After the great massacre, Konulo was condemned by
and the planting of yams and corn already filled endless the other orishas and chained to the bottom of the sea,
hectares. Humans and other intelligent races built great where he remains until today. And again, life in Aiye would
cities, with towers that reached to the clouds. Wars no need to re-establish itself, this time in a flooded world,
longer depended on the glowing magical crystals – these where only vultures and sharks had plenty of food, as
had long since turned into dust – and now arrows flew they feasted on the myriad corpses of people and animals.
through the air, bronze swords cut flesh, and great wooden Aiye’s ancient history that was written on papyrus was
machines (like those that still exist today in Singa and completely erased by the deadly waters of the flood. All
Mendan) hurled stone and fire against the enemy walls. formulas, records and ideas accumulated over a thousand
This conditions lasted until the day when the orisha generations were lost. Lost like tears in the rain, and only
Moyla, the god of fate and clairvoyance, predicted that the the memories that were in people’s minds survived this
extinction of all life in Aiye was approaching, and that it second end of the world. It was then that the millennia
would be by the fault of the human beings, the ancient race old tradition of the griot was born, which, through oral
created by Odua at the beginning of the world. Of course, storytelling, keeps history alive throughout the ages.
all the orishas became fearful of losing their domains and Letters can be scratched, torn, hidden – but words, when
possibly ceasing to exist (since an orisha who does not they reach the heart through the ears, remain there forever,
control anything is not an orisha at all). At that time, the in this life and in the next.
Supreme Olodum was far from the universe – and even if Nowadays, humanity and other intelligent races are
he were present, it is not of his nature to interfere in the still in their infancy, far from achieving the feats of their
affairs of the world. The orishas, as his representatives, ancestors. The majestic temples, fantastical citadels and
gathered to discuss the matter. The discussion went on mystical artifacts once built now lie in decay or complete
for days, weeks, months, and years (as time for the orishas oblivion. This time, however, the world seems to have settled
does not run like mortals’ time), without ever reaching a for a more simple life. Among small villages and hamlets,
conclusion about what should be done. a few civilizations dare to pursue glory. Although these
The stalemate lasted until Konulo, a ruthless orisha, gained prominence among Aiye’s realms, they remained
the lord of the ocean’s depths, decided to take action even infinitely distant from the achievements seen in the First
without the consent of the pantheon. He, who inhabits the Age. Their road to greatness is also a dangerous one. In
absolute darkness of the seabed, created huge waves to addition to dealing with the ancient scars of the Fracture
devastate the surface and, with it, humanity. “May life on and the flood, plus the possibility of a Third Hecatomb,
earth perish so that life on the sea may subsist,” declared mortals must stand firm in their faiths, clinging to the hope
the Abyssal King as he listened to the cries of despair of of a better future under the watchful eyes of the orisha.
those carried away by the waters. Countless lives were Otherwise, they will find themselves drowned once more
lost, and only those who fled to the mountains in time, or in the corruption and pride of their own hearts – having
flying ships and metal horses, but no salvation.
 PEOPLES AND RACES OF AIYE spirit or matter. But then the great creator decided to
turn his ideas into things, and these things came to life
The lands of Aiye are inhabited not only by humans, through the power of his word, which is his most sublime
animals and monsters, but also by various species of form of expression.
intelligent and fantastic beings. Some are as old as the
human race, being created in the early days of the First Age, Any spoken word, no matter how simple, carries power
when the realms of spirits and mortals were one. Others, in itself. But the words of the great Olodum are perfect,
however, however, are more recent, having emerged after and all the ideas of his mind turned into reality. Through
the Hecatombs to fill the gap left by the mass extinctions his word, thoughts become things, and Olodum’s thoughts
caused by these great catastrophes. Each of these species were “life” and “order”. From these concepts came the
has unique physical, mental and social characteristics. gods and the laws. As life came before order, the former
The agogwe, for example, furry little people with big ears is hierarchically above the later. Even the law itself (which
and a playful personality, are usually very welcoming to comes from order) says that the old ones will always
travelers arriving in their villages. On the other hand, the reign over the younger ones. The gods, as living entities,
boudas, the hyena people of the savannas, are aggressive are therefore above the universal laws, and these laws
even among themselves, and their societies follow the cannot suppress or judge them. The orishas rule over all
law of the strongest. As can be expected, the coexistence laws, and are not ruled by them.
between such different races is problematic, giving rise,
They can break the universal laws, mold them and
not infrequently, to bloody wars that last for generations.
even destroy them, for they were the first ideas of Olodum
Human beings, amid the heterogeneity of this setting, the Supreme, and they have been since the beginning of
were forced to unite as a species. Although it still maintains time. The orishas, like the great Olodum, have the ability
well-defined ethnic and cultural separations, humankind to idealize, and through the power of their spoken word,
has become more tolerant of other peoples’ customs, and they can create whatever they want. Obalta, the first of
is always trying to avoid unnecessary conflicts. As a race them, who by law reigned over his brothers, also had the
who have already gone through two Hecatombs, reaching first right of creation, as he was the eldest. But Odua, his
the brink of extinction, and who now carry the stigma of younger sister, being an orisha and therefore above the
“future destroyers of the world”, it cannot afford to make law, took this right from her brother and soon began to
enemies – or at least not so many that it cannot handle. transform her ideas into things.

Although some species naturally have antisocial This is when the turmoil started. If the orishas are
behavior, it is not uncommon to see, across Aiye, multiracial above the law, there is no law among the orishas. Each
villages, cities and empires living peacefully. Even the one can use the word as he or she wants and creates what
aforementioned boudas, expert marauders and relentless comes to his or her mind. First they created the waters,
slavers, can adapt to the quiet life of isolated tribes, or even the air and the earth, and then they created everything
to the methodical daily life of an Obonian community. In above, inside or below that – the sun, the moons, the
the same way, the little dooshura, who do not usually get stars and the plants. They transformed the clay into flesh,
involved in fights, can be inspired by their megalomaniac and, through the word, put in it the breath of life – hence
amphibious dreams and become great conquerors, acting mankind was created. They also used other things and
as brave warriors in Mugo’s service. These fantastic beings other words to make all the other creatures. Some were
live in communities scattered throughout Aiye, and many of beautiful and gentle, others were dangerous monsters.
them can easily adapt to environments that humans would
This muddle kept going until Olodum’s supreme word
not endure – the deep jungles, the scorching deserts, the
said “enough”.
underground or even the ocean floor. Some of these species
are in the list of playable races. Others, however, will be However, at this point, all sorts of creatures already
described in the Bestiary, together with the monsters inhabited the world, each one acting on its own and doing
and spirits that inhabit the material plane. what was right for itself. These creatures also had the
power of the word, but it was weak and imperfect, a
mere shadow of the gift that had been bestowed on the
LIFE AND ORDER orishas. Still, the beings of the world were capable of
transforming ideas into things, even if to a lesser degree
Everything that exists today was once just an. Before – that is, doing mandingas. As more time passed, these
it was created, the universe was only a concept in the worldly creatures learned more words and they managed
supreme mind of Olodum, and everything was perfect. to pronounce them more perfectly, converting their own
Even the orishas were no more than thoughts without

18
thoughts into energy and reality. The power of the word and the dead would be judged for the sins they committed
requires the power of ideas first, and if the idea is strong, in life. Even Olodum agreed with this project and and
the word is also more powerful. This is the strength of became the sovereign judge of souls. It’s he who decides
ashe – the power of the mind (ori, head) and spirit, which where each egun (which is the spirit of the deceased) goes,
are actually one and the same. which guarantees that no injustice will occur.

For a time the ashe of the orisha’s creatures increased Everything under the law went well. People were born,
every day, as they were confident in their own immortality aged and died. Empires rose, grew and fell. Existence
and power. Fearing that their creations would one day seemed cyclical, harmonious, without unforeseen events.
surpass them, the orishas begged Olodum to solve the The orishas didn’t even notice that the universe, in fact,
problem. In spite of feeling sad with these events, the had never been so fragile as it was at that moment. If
Supreme accepted the request and added a new word to under the law everything went well, above it pride and
the law: “death”. Thus, everything that was below the law fury reigned.
was doomed to one day die – its spirit would separate from
matter, and thus mortals would have less time to evolve The gods battled incessantly, and the cosmos, now
their powers. Olodum, disappointed with his creation, divided between material and spiritual, could not bear
decided never to intervene directly in the world again, such a conflict. Because of this continual war between the
and it has been that way since death came into being. orishas, the imbalance of the universe reached its peak,
But one thing is important to consider: if life is above the causing a breach to occur and allowing the invasion of
law, and death is a law, then death cannot overcome it. the Outer Chaos (also called Kalunga or, in the Kulvite
Even if spirit and matter separate, life remains. Even the language, Mun-He), the corrupting force that no one knows
souls of mortals are eternal and cannot cease to exist. well, but which aims to turn harmony into dissonance,
song into noise, the mandinga into mironga.
And this is the story of how the disembodied spirits
came to dwell among the living and instruct them in the As they are not native to this universe, fracturian
ways of the ancestors. The orishas, upset that mortals aberrations are not susceptible to its order and laws.
continued to grow in ashe and knowledge, and became These creatures follow only their evil and chaotic nature,
ever bolder and more blasphemous, decided it was time to distorting and desecrating everything they touch. They
settle this matter once and for all. The living and the dead are the offspring of the Outer Chaos, beings from a
could no longer coexist, for the sake of the universal order. dimension that, as far as it is known, is not governed
by a supreme mind or by just laws like those made by
Olodum. In the Outer Chaos, the word has no power on
DEATH AND CHAOS its own. Matter does not contain spirit either, and all the
energy its creatures possess have been stolen from other
After the world was divided into material and spiritual beings and corrupted. That’s why Fracturians don’t feed
planes, contact between the living and the spirits of the on corn, yams or even meat – they consume souls, and
ancestors became limited. The souls of the dead are now without that they cannot live. This is the reason why they
carried by the winds of Uya (the new orisha of death who are so dangerous and their mere existence a risk to the
replaced Nina, the exiled goddess) to Orun, where they universal circle of life.
will await the judgment of Olodum over the acts that they
performed in life. After the trial, the souls are sentenced
to spend 100 years in one of the nine Otherworld planes,
depending on the reward or punishment deserved. After
this period, they reincarnate as new creatures in the
material world, without any memory of their previous lives.

As new spirits spontaneously arise in the universe (the

energy that runs through all things sometimes coalesce
together to form a consciousness), new people can be
born – hence the world’s population continues to increase.

This entire process of life, death and rebirth was

designed to be a perfect and eternal cycle conducted
by the orishas. Mortals would no longer have the time
necessary to obtain powers capable of defying the gods,

19
 TYPES OF MAGIC and grass, like the morning dew. Even in the depths of
land and sea they could be found, and for a long time
Orunic magic, which is sacred magic, used by orishas they filled mortals with awe and curiosity. Then one
and mortals since the beginning of the world, consists of day the inevitable happened – humans, driven by their
the manipulation of a soul’s inner energy to transform characteristic ambition, discovered that the kiini crystals
thoughts into reality through words. Every being able to could be used as a source of magical energy. At the time,
reason and speak is capable of doing magic. Some have the largest cities of Aiye had already many millions of
it easier than others, according to the strength of their inhabitants, and contact with spirits and orishas had
will, and can become powerful sorcerers. Fracturian weakened, which made the ability of doing mandingas
magic, on the other hand, does not come from the power an increasingly rare skill, except in villages far from the
of the word, the ashe, or any internal factor. It consists in most populated regions, where healers and storytellers
corrupting the energy of other beings and transforming it were still needed.
according to the caster’s will. Such power is of a purely
evil essence, which is in keeping with their chaotic nature. With the power of the kinii crystals, in a short time
When explaining orunic magic, the old Baba Muzembe, humans developed powerful metal machines, some
son of Ndoke, compared it to music. “As you listen to capable of flying even without wings, and weapons so
it, you can choose to indulge in the rhythm, dance and awesome that they could make the best-trained soldier
sing, or you can stand still like a boring person; but it is shudder. Theirs cities at that time were filled with towers
impossible not to hear it. It is everywhere, even inside of twisted iron and glass that touched the clouds, and their
you.” And if sacred magic is a song, Fracturian magic is greatest metropolises were interconnected by magical
the out-of-tune note, the broken instrument, the hand that portals that reduced miles of distance to a single step.
pinches the singer.
Humans created light and sound devices capable
Mandinga is word, rhyme, rhythm and creation. of connecting the eyes, ears and mouths of the people
Mironga is dissonance, insult, shouting and corruption. with a mere snap of the fingers, metal boxes that kept
Mandinga can be used for good, for evil or for nothing. food cold for months and, finally, profane chambers that
It is a blessing, a healing, a lightning from heaven and a unduly prolonged life, which went against the intentions
breath of fire. Mironga, however, is wickedness in essence, of the orishas. But of course, in the beginning, these new
and everything it does is jinx and bad juju, ranging from inventions were restricted to the kings and bwanas of
magically desiccating guts to demon invocation. The the New Empire– the majority of the population was still
mandinga can make a tree bloom or dry out, but the deprived of the secrets and gifts of the kiini, and there was
mironga turns it into a human-eating aberration. no longer the concept of ubuntu among those peoples.

For a Fracturian to practice magic, it has to extract But it didn’t take long for the knowledge of the crystals
energy from something or someone, which usually means to be stolen and spread around the world, and among
devouring the soul of beings with the power of the ashe other races. This, of course, started a lot of wars that
given by the orishas. When there is no such option, the became increasingly bloody, as their warriors no longer
Fracturian can also absorb the energy that lies in inanimate used ordinary arrows and spears, but fought with weapons
things – in the rocks, the winds, the water sources and capable of piercing armor, destroying walls, and blowing
everything else that the orishas created, because they up entire villages. At that time, the human race was in
also have ashe, albeit in lesser concentration. However, the process of being fully unified under the banner of the
many people, when tempted by the great opportunities New Empire, but Kulve and its dark flying pyramids still
and the amazing powers that Fracturian magic offers, remained independent. The other intelligent races, behind
end up adhering to the practice of the mirongas. These in the technological and arms race, fused the use of kiini
individuals can become very dangerous dark sorcerers – with the practice of sorcery, forming troops of war mages
although most succumb to terrible side effects before that. equipped with crystals while training skin-changer spies to
steal information and carry out attacks against humanity.

Thousands of years have passed. The end of the First

CRYSTALS AND RUINS Age was approaching, a time of violence and progress never
Eons ago, the orishas divided the world. From that seen before. The kiini were consumed at an impressive
division, the kiini, the crystals of power, emerged, emerged, speed, but , due to their abundance, they never became
being nothing but fragments of a broken universe. In scarce. Gradually the fabric of the universe weakened
some places they fell from the sky like balls of fire, and and broke down, casting more and more crystals over
in other areas they appeared as dust on the ground the world. Yet, no one suspected that the kiini, more than

21
a source of energy, was a foreshadowing of what was to When the threat was was finally contained, not only
come – the greatest tragedy that ever befell Aiye. The by the people’s rage and the power of their weapons, but
orishas, ​​who did not want to lose control of their creation, by their united effort, there was not much left to protect.
severely punished the kingdoms of the world, sending Cities were turned into dust and their machines became
plagues, killing kings and imposing new restrictions. But scrap. How many millions, or even billions, lost their
instead of devotion, they only got hate in return, as the lives, no one can say – it is impossible to count the souls
mortals had already lost respect for their ancestors and that were devoured by the demonic aberrations and their
their gods. The mortals now only lived for themselves, obelisks. Crystals that weren’t consumed by the enemies
obsessed with power and war, and only made ebos when (Fracturians feed on energy, and nothing has more energy
they needed help to invent new things and destroy their than a kiini) were depleted depleted by use on these last
enemies. Genuine faith and heroism were found only centuries. Nowadays, only memory and dust remain. The
among “primitive” and “uncivilized” tribes. incredible buildings that once represented the height
of ancient technology are now abandoned, forgotten by
The era of war between the peoples of Aiye only came time and the gods. Many consider it taboo to enter these
to an end with the beginning of the ultimate war against ruins, although there are still adventurers crazy enough
the Fracturians. When the Fracture opened and the Outer to explore them in search of riches and knowledge.
Chaos invaded the universe, mortals and gods alike were
neck-deep in inner conflicts. They had the weapons and the On the use of crystals, there are still many hidden
power to react, but fighting the Mun-He’s demon hordes secrets. They still exist here and there, but are rare and
alone proved a terribly ineffective decision. How different invaluable – both kings and demons would kill to have a
history would have been if the peoples of the world had handful of them. Rumor has it that some dark sorcerers
chosen unity over annihilation! And how beautiful the are able to recharge them through blood sacrifices, but
outcome would be if the orishas, instead of raising their who can confirm it? What is known is that the use of kiini
fingers to pinpoint the culprits for the catastrophe, had as a resource has left deep scars both in the material
joined forces with the mortals to fight the threat from world and in the Otherworld, and that anyone who uses
another dimension! Today, what remains of those times them today for selfish purposes will be violating the laws
can be found in the many forgotten ruins scattered across of the orisha. The wreckage of the past is there to remind
Aiye. All that was left of the great towers, the steel ships everyone of all peoples and and all races that power, when
and the wonderful science of that era is now lost to decay in the wrong hands, brings only chaos and suffering. As
and taken over by trees, or is buried under the desert sands. long long as disunity rules, there will be no real progress,
no matter how many ships or portals are built.

Latter we will talk more about Aiye and some of

its main regions. But remember: although the ruins of
ancient times are everywhere, they are not described in
detail. Whether in the jungle, mountain, desert, beach or
savannah, the First and Second Age shadows are there
to convey fear and smother hope – and this is the most
effective lesson for the world to learn the value of peace
and of spiritual balance, ensuring that its peoples do not
make the same mistakes as their ancestors. One false
step and another great scourge can befall everyone. May
mortals and gods have more sense this time – this may be
their last chance. One day, if the kiini crystals fall again
from the skies and the power of Outer Chaos once again
seizes this universe, making even the bravest heroes fear
for their lives and prostrate themselves in despair, may
Olodum, in his infinite mercy, liberate the souls of the
innocents from the terrible fate that awaits them. Ashe!
 SYSTEM

SYSTEM? WHAT? » STRENGTH (STR) «

An RPG system is a set of rules that dictate how the It represents muscle power, the ability to carry weight,
game works. You can even ignore some of them, but break things and punch an enemy’s face.
you should know that they all have a purpose and, in
principle, the intention to make the game more balanced, STR is used when (exemples):
fair and fun. There are in RPG, as in every game – be
it analog or digital – challenges to be overcome. But, breaking through a door;
unlike conventional games, you are the one who sets throwing an asshole down a cliff;
the objective to be pursued. Do you want to be a warrior
known for his power in battle? Or perhaps you want to carrying an injured companion on one’s back.
acquire the title of the wisest and the most skillful baba
of Aiye? You can pursue the dream of hunting down the Attribute levels:
most terrifying beasts in the world and earning a hero’s
fame, or, who knows, aim for an even greater title, that
of an orisha! The possibilities are many, limited only by Strength Description
your creativity.
Jellyfish.
In Kalymba, you can chose the path you want to take, You cannot perform any kind of
0 or less
but you’ll still need to be focused (and to have a lot of physical work and have difficulty
luck) to achieve your ambitions. Kalymba’s rule system even carrying light objects.
is here to provide you with the means to do this; but, at
Weak.
the same time, to make your path believable. You should 1 You can lift light objects and, at
not expect, right away, to rip the head off a pepper dragon
most, objects of moderate weight.
with one punch and gain worldwide fame. You will have
to walk a long road towards success – whatever your Normal.
definition of it may be. And do not be fooled: the fun lies 2 With some effort, you can even lift
on the route, not at the end of it. You will probably be a person’s weight.
delighted to see your character progress, growing little
by little, and becoming capable of great things. You will Strong.
enjoy gaining new life experiences, maturing, changing, Well-developed muscles. You can
3
falling and rising. After all, great stories are not created perform intense manual labor and
overnight. Every legend once started as a pipsqueak. carry a good amount of weight.
Heavyweight.
Strength far above average. You
ATTRIBUTES 4
can lift heavy objects without even
Attributes are values that measure a character’s sweating.
physical and mental abilities – how strong, how fast, Monster.
how smart, etc. he is. In Kalymba, there are six basic You can lift absurd weights, up
attributes. The maximum value a protagonist character 5 or more
to 300kg. You can kill lions with
can have in an attribute is 6. a slap.

24
 » AGILITY (AGI) « » VIGOR (VIG) «
Your speed, balance, reflexes and motor coordination. Physical health and stamina, the ability to withstand
It is also used in checks to hit targets with ranged attacks. intense injury and exercise. Vigor also sets the amount
of Hit Points (HP) the character has.
AGI is used when (exemples):
VIG is used when (exemples):
dodging an attack;
resisting a deadly poison;
swinging on the branch of a tree;
staying up after suffering serious injury;
shooting an arrow at an enemy.
faster healing of wounds.
Attribute levels:
Attribute levels:
Agility Description
Vigor Description
Slug.
You have almost no reflexes. You Sick.
0 or less
are so slow and clumsy that it hurts You have serious health problems
to watch. 0 or less
that make you much weaker than
Slow. a normal person.
You have poor reflexes, bad motor Fragile.
1
coordination and low body awa- 1 You get tired easily, having little
reness. expressive vital force.
Normal. Normal.
You have normal reflexes and mo-
2 You have good health and mode-
derate dexterity. You are fast but 2
rate stamina. You still get tired if
not too fast.
you make a lot of effort.
Agile.
You have good reflexes and re-
Tough.
3 3 You have high vitality and above
markable balance. You are faster
average stamina.
than average.
Accelerated. Unbreakable.
4 You have excellent reflexes, impec- 4 You have impressive health and
cable swing and impressive speed. stamina.

Lightning. Almost immortal.

You have frightening powerful bo- You can withstand injuries that
5 or more 5 or more would be fatal to anyone else. You
dily awareness and physical mas-
tery. You do everything in a flash. practically do not get tired. You
could gargle with poison.
 » INTELLECT (INT) « » GINGA (GIN) «
Reasoning ability and memory. Intellect defines the Physical beauty, attractiveness, lip service, malice,
amount of things the Protagonist knows about life, the personality. Ginga is used to convince, lie, seduce or even
universe and everything else. It is applied to tests that intimidate. It is a set of characteristics that make the
involve knowledge and reasoning. character more influential when dealing with others. It
also influences the spellcasting of mandingas, as it involves
INT is used when (exemples): pronunciation and movement.

discovering the weaknesses of a monster;

GIN is used when (exemples):
knowing the culture and beliefs of a people;
convincing an adversary to surrender;
making potions and treating wounds.
counting fibbers like a professional;

Attribute levels: efficiently cursing the mother of an enemy.

Intellect Description Attribute levels:

Airhead. Ginga Description

You never know anything, and do
0 or less everything wrong. You make stu- Freak.
pid decisions more often than you You are incapable of maintaining
go to the bathroom. healthy social relationships. You
0 or less do not know how to deal with
Dumb.
You know very little about the people. Even your appearance is
1 unpleasant. You are an individual
world, and find it difficult to learn
new things and think coherently. rejected by society.

Normal. Weirdo.
You have good reasoning and a You have an inexpressive perso-
2 moderate amount of knowledge, nality. You are bad with words,
1 and you do not look nice. You are
but you are not an expert in any-
thing. sometimes rude, sometimes a
nuisance, but you are always an
Smart. unwelcome presence.
You trained your mind well during
your life. You have great reaso- Normal.
3 You know how to have a conver-
ning and an excellent memory. You
2 sation. You can be sociable, but
have a deep knowledge about a
few things. you still make frequent social
mistakes.
Genius.
You are quick-witted. Your awe- Sympathetic.
4 You are loved by most. You use
some brain has photographic me-
3 basic persuasion techniques to get
mory and vast knowledge.
what you want. You know how to
Mastermind. seduce with words.
Your mind is faster than lightning
5 or more Famous.
and your thoughts are precious
pearls in a world of ignorance. You are known by many people and
have an aura of attractiveness. You
4
take care of your appearance. You
have great command of words, and
can even use them as weapons.

26
 Idol. Ori Description
You can get anything that you want
5 or more with just your words. You are a Resolute.
master of persuasion. Your words You are resilient and do not give
have power – they must be feared. up easily. You have keen instincts
3 and a balanced mind. You are
rarely scared or afraid. You have
» ORI « an intense connection with Orun
and the world around you.
It is wisdom, willpower, soul power and one’s
connection to the environment. It represents affinity Spiritualized.
with the supernatural, but also mundane awareness and Your faith is powerful, even if it
sensitivity. It is what provides the ashe, the energy used in is faith in yourself. The bond that
4
the conjuration of mandinga and in the activation of special connects you to Orun is a golden
abilities. It also determines how sharp your instincts are chain. You are always attentive,
and your ability to see, hear and feel your surroundings. nothing escapes your senses.
Medium.
ORI is used when (exemples): You have an aura of confidence
and willpower that even catches
using energy to perform mandingas;
the attention of the orishas. An
perceiving an enemy approach; immense power emanates from
your soul – you and the Orun are
preventing a sorcerer from controlling you. 5 or more
one and the same. You are able
to see what no one else sees and
Attribute levels: hear what no one else hears, and
you can feel the mystical energy
Ori Description that runs through all things and
all people.
Cattle.
You have a confused mind and
you are easily manipulated. You
0 or less have no natural gift for magic
and you never pay attention to
SKILLS
anything. You are dull and nar- While attributes are the general characteristics of the
row-minded. Protagonists, skills are specific abilities developed by
them during their lifetime. If the STR attribute defines
Flakey. how strong a character is, the Melee skill defines how
Your will is weak, you have a well he knows how to hit. If the INT attribute defines how
fragile mental balance and unre- smart he is, the Civilizations skill defines how much he
1
gulated instincts. You are always knows about other peoples and cultures.
distracted and find it difficult to
understand the world around you. There are a wide variety of skills in Kalymba, which
can evolve as the Protagonist progresses on his journey.
Normal. Some of them are occupational skills, usually associated
You are often lost in the paths of with a profession, and the player can choose to have them
life. You have some connection or not. For example, a Protagonist who wants to learn
2 to the supernatural, but it is not how to forge metal equipment must develop the Forge
particularly strong. Sometimes, occupational skill. If he also want to create remedies
you cannot sense the details of and potions, he will need the Alchemy occupational skill.
a situation.
In the Protagonist’s sheet, however, there are only
five gaps to fill with occupational skills, which is the limit
imposed by the rules. Any occupational skill test made
 by a character who does not have at least 1 skill point [GIN] Persuasion – the ability to convince, to use words
corresponding to the action is made at a disadvantage to get what you want, from favors to settling a fight.
(we’ll talk about that later). The other skills, even if they
have a score of zero, do not suffer this penalty. [GIN] Seduction – the art of fascinating, enchanting,
winning hearts, generating physical and/or emotional
Check out the list below with all the skills and their attraction.
respective functions, divided by categories:
[ORI] Intuition – noticing when someone is lying,
identifying emotional reactions, reading between the lines.
» PHYSICAL SKILLS «
[STR] Melee – punching, kicking, and using melee » SENSES «
weapons.
[ORI] Perception – noticing details, looking for objects,
[STR] Fitness – lifting weight, breaking down doors, hearing subtle noises, sniffing, noticing lurking enemies, etc.
pushing heavy objects, etc.

[STR] Swim – swimming, diving. » RESISTANCE SKILLS «

[STR] Climb – climbing trees, mountains, buildings, [ORI] Will – blocking mind manipulation spells,
and similar activities. controlling fear, having determination.

[AGI] Ranged – hitting targets with ranged weapons. [VIG] Fortitude – resisting wounds and harmful effects
on the body, suppressing disease and poisons.
[AGI] Dodge – dodging activated traps and enemy spells.
[AGI] Initiative – the readiness, the willingness, the » KNOWLEDGE SKILLS «
ability to act quickly and be the first to attack.
[INT] Creatures – knowledge about monsters and
[AGI] Run – moving quickly on foot. animals.
[AGI] Ride – the efficient and safe use of mounts. [INT] Nature – geolocation and knowledge about wild
environments (vegetation, relief, climate, seasons, etc).
[AGI] Jump – jump long distances.
[INT] Mysticism – knowledge of deities, spirits, magic,
[AGI] Balance – avoiding falls, walking on narrow and/
rituals, magical artifacts, etc.
or unstable surfaces.
[INT] Civilizations – knowledge about different peoples
[AGI] Stealth – hiding, going unnoticed.
and cultures.
[AGI] Escapology – getting rid of chains, handcuffs
and other objects that are holding you.
» OCCUPATIONAL SKILLS«
[INT] Administration – managing establishments,
» SOCIAL SKILLS « governing cities, avoiding bankruptcy.
[GIN] Deception – lying, hiding the truth, acting covertly
[INT] Agriculture – knowing the right times for
without being discovered.
planting and harvesting, knowing each type of soil in
[GIN] Intimidation – using words, appearance or body depth, optimizing the use of land and plant resources
language to scare or intimidate another person. This test generated by it.
can be done with other attributes, depending on how you
[INT] Alchemy – creating potions, antidotes, and poisons
intend to coerce the opponent. While a bruiser intimidates
using herbs, creature parts, magic components, and other
using his strong physique and evil face (STR), a cruel
materials.
queen makes verbal threats and uses her rank to instill
fear in the heart of enemies (GIN). [INT] H andicraft – modeling, sewing, painting,
decorating, making art and making utilitarian things in
general.

28
[INT] Cartography – reading maps and making your own,
analyzing terrain and finding your way around the relief.
DICE ROLLS TESTS
To find out whether or not a Protagonist was able to
[INT] Animal handle – knowledge and practice of perform a certain action, a dice roll test is performed.
livestock, poultry, fish farming, equine farming and the Everyday or simple actions do not require testing – no
like, in addition to the ability to train various types of one needs to roll the dice to open an unlocked door or
animals, domestic or not. walk to the corner, for example – but actions with a real
risk of failure and that somehow add emotion to the
[INT] Cook – cooking food safely, turning unpalatable narrative – like jumping over an abyss, remembering
junk into tasty dishes. crucial information, or impaling the enemy with your
spear – must have their results decided by chance. As
[GIN] Dance – dancing with mastery, expressing emotion
mentioned before, two six-sided dice, henceforth called
through harmonious movements, performing certain
[d6], will be used. There are two types of dice roll tests:
magical rituals.
regular tests and opposed tests.
[INT] Engineering – constructing complex houses and
buildings, carrying out carpentry work and designing
major works. » REGULAR TESTS «
A Regular Test is performed when there is no clear
[INT] Forge – forging all kinds of metal equipment. opponent to an action. Climbing a tree, breaking down a
[INT] Jewelry – recognizing, evaluating and working door, or dressing a wound are actions that may require
with precious stones and accessories (necklaces, bracelets, regular dice roll tests. To be successful, the result of a
earrings and the like). regular test must reach a certain target value, depending
on the difficulty of the action you wish to perform. This
[INT] Game – knowing strategies to win in card games, value is called the difficulty class (DC) and is defined by
board games and even chance-games. the Griot based on the table below.

[INT] Thievery – opening locks without a key, stealing

without drawing attention, knowing the secrets of the
criminal underworld.
Very easy test Hard test
DC 6 to 7 DC 12 to 13
[INT] Tinkering – analyzing, repairing, disassembling,
Easy test Very hard test
activating and deactivating complex contraptions such
as traps, automated mechanical systems and artifacts of DC 8 to 9 DC 14 to 15
ancient technology. Normal test Impossible test
[INT] Medicine – knowing first-aid techniques, diagnosing DC 10 to 11 DC 16+
and treating illnesses and injuries, performing surgical
procedures.
A Regular Test Dice Roll is always made by adding
[GIN] Music – playing instruments, singing in tune, [2d6 + Attribute + Skill]. When the total result is equal
composing melodies. to or greater than the DC, you succeeded. When the total
result is less than the DC, you failed.
[INT] Navigation – building and guiding boats and
ships, orienting oneself by the stars, commanding crews,
facing rough seas. Success (regular test)

[INT] Occult – knowledge of forbidden rituals, mysteries [2d6 + Attribute + Skill] ≥ DC

of ancient civilizations, hidden truths about the universe,
secret information and taboos hidden by the orishas.
To stipulate the difficulty of a roll, the Griot must consider
[INT] Survival – hunting, fishing, tracking targets,
all factors (intrinsic and extrinsic to the character) that are
setting traps, differentiating edible plants from the
relevant. For example: climbing a certain stone wall might
poisonous ones. It is also used to make rustic weapons
have DC 10 under normal conditions. However, during a
and ammunition, such as wooden and stone spears, clubs
storm and with an injured leg, the difficulty of the test will
and arrows.
certainly be greater, reaching DC 14, DC 15 or even more.

29
 » OPPOSED TESTS « » ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES «
An Opposed Test is performed when there is a clear In some situations, spells and special abilities can give
opponent to be overcome. For example, playing arm you advantages or disadvantages when making a dice roll
wrestling with a friend, chasing a runaway or convincing test. When you have an advantage in a test, you will roll
a salesperson to give a discount are all good examples of three dice instead of two, but only the best two results
situations that require an opposed test. In these cases, are kept (the lowest result is discarded).
both characters roll [2d6 + Attribute + Skill], and the one
with the highest result wins. In case of a tie, the defender For example, if a character has advantage in a test and
(that is, the one who is the target of the action) wins. If the results of the dice roll are 2, 3 and 6, the total will be
there is no clear defender (as in the case of two characters 9, as 3 and 6 are the highest numbers. A disadvantage
racing, for example), the Griot will decide the outcome of in a test is the exact opposite of this. When you have a
the Opposed Test. disadvantage in a test, you roll three dice, but only the
two lowest results are kept. For example, if a character
has disadvantage in a test and the results of the dice roll
Success (opposed test) are 2, 3 and 6, the total will be 5 (instead of 9), as the
highest number (in this case, 6) will have to be discarded.
[2d6 + Attribute + Skill] If in a given situation a character receives both an
> advantage and a disadvantage in a test, the two cancel
[2d6 + Attribute + Skill] each other out and the player makes a regular dice roll.
Advantages and disadvantages are also cumulative, that
is, if he receives two or more of them, the player must roll
more dice when taking the test, but always leaving only
» CRITICAL SUCCESS « two numbers as the final result (the two largest, in case of
advantage, or the two smallest, in case of disadvantage).
When a character, whether Protagonist or a Supporting
Critical successes and failures are also applied, if they
Character, rolls a double 6, the result is a critical success.
happen.
Narratively, this means that the character was extremely
successful in his intent, and the action had additional When a character rolls a test on an occupation skill he
beneficial consequences. For example, he might identify does not have, the check is always made at a disadvantage.
a secret message in a scroll he was trying to translate, or For example, a Protagonist who is not trained in the
he might be so convincing on a Persuasion test that he Medicine occupation, when attempting to help a fallen
ends up receiving a gift from the Supporting Character comrade in battle and reduce the effect of his injuries, the
he was interacting with. There are many possibilities. player will roll [3d6] and keep only the two lowest results.
When an attack roll results in a critical success, the This requirement does not apply to tests of non-
character deals [2d6] of extra damage to the target. In occupational skills – even with a zero level in the Jump
cases of unarmed attacks, the critical success bonus skill, for example, you can still attempt to jump across a
damage is [1d6]. A critical success can be interpreted as cliff without suffering penalties.
a lucky break, a blessing from the orishas or a display of
great skill. The exact details are up to the Griot’s creativity.
COMBAT
» CRITICAL FAILURES « Combats are divided into rounds – each character
has their turn to act. The order of the actions is defined
The opposite of a Critical Success can also happen in
through Initiative, the skill that represents how quickly
a game. When a dice roll test results in a double “1”, it is
one is able to engage in battle. All characters involved in
considered a critical failure. It means that the character did
the combat (Protagonists and Supporting Characters)
disgracefully poorly and everything went wrong, bringing
must each make an Initiative test. The characters with the
more problems than a regular failed test. For example,
highest scores act first. In the event of a tie, the following
he might end up jumping to a very wrong conclusion on
principles must be respected:
a Intuition test, slip and land on his butt when making a
Run test, or even let the weapon slip out of his hand on
a Melee test. The consequences of a critical failure, as
with a critical success, are defined by the Griot.

30
 Other activities, on the other hand, being particularly
time-consuming, can require full turns, as is the case of
Protagonist vs. Supporting Character some ritualistic spells that rely on complex procedures,
consuming both combat and movement actions available
The Protagonista has the priority in the round. In such cases, the requirements will be
specified in the spell or ability description itself.
Protagonist vs. Protagonist
Those involved in the conflict decide » ATTACK «
who will act first
To perform a melee attack, the aggressor must make
the following roll:
If they wish, the characters can delay their actions, that
is, they can “move down” in the Initiative order, waiting for
the right moment to act. For example, if Soandso rolled 8 on [2d6 + STR + Melee]
the check, he can choose to act after his fellow Namee, who
rolled 5. It is also possible to forgo a turn if the character
does not want to act at that moment. When all characters To perform a ranged attack, the roll is:
involved in the combat have already acted or forwent their
turn during the round, a new round begins, respecting the
Initiative order. [2d6 + AGI + Ranged]
In the game universe, a round is about 10 seconds,
that is, 1 minute equals 6 rounds. During a round, the Regular attacks, whether melee or ranged, consume
characters’ actions are performed almost simultaneously. combat actions.
For example, in a combate there could be several things
happening at once – as the warrior hurls the javelin, the
sorcerer summons a bolt from the sky and the furry monster » PASSIVE DEFENSE (PD) AND DODGING «
bites the hunter. When caught in the middle of a frantic life
or death battle, every second can be decisive. In order for the attack against a Supporting Character
to be successful, the result of the roll must be greater than
the passive defense (PD) of the target. When the target
» ACTIONS « is a Protagonist, the attack roll result must overcome an
opposed Dodge test.
During battle, each character can perform one combat
action and one move action per round, during their
respective turn. A player can also give up the combat
action to take two move actions, but not the other way Attack against a Supporting Character
around (except in the case of a double attack, p. 35).
Attack test vs. Target PD
• Exemples of combat actions: attacking, conjuring most
mandingas, performing combat maneuvers or activating Attack against a Protagonist
certain special abilities.
Attack test vs. Target Dodge test
• Exemples of move actions: running to the enemy,
jumping out of the window, hiding in the undergrowth,
PD is the value that defines a Supporting Character’s
getting up from the ground, getting on or off a mount,
ability to defend against attacks by blocking, parrying, or
looking for an item in the bag, etc.
dodging them. The PD value of each Supporting Character
Some activities, being extremely simple and hardly is defined (or recommended) in the Bestiary chapter,
time consuming, do not count as combat or move actions. where we will talk more about the possible opponents of
For example, reading or speaking a short sentence, the Protagonists – from common thugs to giant monsters
remembering information, dropping an object, opening – and their respective combat stats.
a door or unsheathing a weapon are free activities, which
can be done at no cost and even outside of your turn.

32
 On the other hand, when a Protagonist is the target disadvantages on attack/defense rolls, or even completely
of an attack (whether it is delivered by a Supporting ignore the hit difficulty, as in the case of an attack made
Character or another Protagonist), there is no fixed against a character that is passed out or helpless.
number that establishes the difficulty of hitting him, that
is, there is no PD. Protagonists instead make Dodge tests
to avoid enemy attacks. » DAMAGE «
If the result of the Dodge roll is equal to or greater When an attack succeeds, the victim takes damage,
than that of the attack roll (Melee or Ranged), the attack that is, he will reduce his hit points (HP) by a value equal
fails and the Protagonist takes no damage. to the damage dealt. In normal situations, the damage
caused varies according to the weapon used in the attack,
Check out an example of a fight between a according to the tables in the Equipment chapter. The
Protagonist and a Supporting Character: result of the damage roll is added to the STR attribute
(in the case of both melee and ranged attacks, unless the
Prince T’Cholla (Protagonist), who has STR 2 and weapon description says otherwise).
Melee 3 (total +5 to melee attack), uses his move action
to run to Kinmonga (Supporting Character) and deliver
a spear strike against him using his combat action.
[Weapon damage + STR]
Kinmonga, who is a trained assassin, has PD 13, which
means that T’Cholla needs a roll of at least 14 on the attack
to hit him. However, T’Cholla’s roll, which is [2d6+5],
If it is an unarmed attack (punch, kick, headbutt, etc),
has a total result of 11. Kinmonga managed to dodge the
the damage applied is always equal to the STR attribute.
attack and took no damage.
When an attack roll results in a critical success (or an
Now, when it’s his turn, Kinmonga decides to step opponent’s Dodge results in a critical failure), the attack
on a nearby rock, to help him jump and perform a crazy automatically hits the target, and the damage roll receives
stunt in the air, just to show his opponent who’s the boss a [2d6] bonus. In case of an unarmed attack, the bonus is
– which requires, in addition to the move action, a DC 12 [1d6]. There are certain special abilities that, if developed
Jump check (this difficulty class was established by Griot). by the Protagonists, will increase the damage they are
able to do. This book has a chapter devoted exclusively
Kinmonga, who has AGI 3 and Jumping 4, gets a total to special abilities, so don’t worry about that right now.
roll of 15 on the check, then manages to do a pirouette in
the air. To top it off, the Supporting Character throws a There is also a different kind of damage: Aggravated
sharp throwing knife at T’Cholla during the jump, which Damage. It can be caused by spells, poisons, diseases, and
consumes a combat action. Since T’Cholla is a Protagonist, some special abilities, and represents severe wounds or
he has, instead of passive defense, the right to make a debilitating conditions that cannot be easily healed. When
Dodge roll against the enemy’s attack. Kinmonga has AGI applied, Aggravated Damage not only inflicts wounds on
3 and Ranged 3 (total +6 for ranged attack), while T’Cholla the victim, but also reduces its overall health, meaning
has AGI 2 and Dodge 3 (total +5 to dodge). In the end, it lowers his maximum hit points, preventing him from
Kinmonga’s attack roll is 12, while T’Cholla’s unlucky fully regenerating.
Dodge roll ends in a critical failure (1 and 1 in a [2d6] roll).
T’Cholla was hit hard and, in addition to the damage » HIT POINTS (HP) «
from the throwing knife, he has also suffered some
They represent how many injuries a character is
additional consequence from the critical failure – in
able to sustain. Every time he takes damage, the value
terms of the narrative, his opponent’s knife may have
is subtracted from the HP. A Protagonist’s starting hit
pierced a vital point, dealing extra bleed damage (Adverse points are calculated as follows:
conditions), or, who knows, T’Cholla might be thrown
off balance and dropped from the gigantic waterfall that
was right behind him. Poor T’Cholla. If he really wants
Initial HP = 15 + [VIG x 3]
to get his honor back, perhaps he should level up a few
more times before trying again.

It is the Griot who decides this negative outcome. At Other factors can influence the amount of HP of a
certain times during a combat, the Griot may, for the sake of character, such as special abilities. HP can be recovered
the story and the logic of the narrative, grant advantages or over time. Every 8 hours of sleep, which is considered a

33
 long rest, a character regenerates regenerates a value equal applies to magic attacks, unless the spell description
to [VIG+1] HP. Such value can never be negative, that is, says otherwise.
its minimum limit is zero.

The natural regeneration of HP only happens after » DEATH «

uninterrupted sleep, or if the interruption are at least as
short as a simple trip to the pee bush. A character who has When a character’s hit points (HP) reach zero or less,
negative VIG (that is, who has some physical weakness he faints. If his HP drops to a negative value greater than
and fragile health) will need to use medicine, bandages or equal to half his maximum HP, he dies instantly. For
and other means to recover HP. example, a Protagonist who has max 18 HP would die if
he gets to -9 HP; and a Protagonist that has 21 HP would
The effect of Aggravated Damage, which reduces the die upon reaching -11 HP. Upon fainting, the character
victim’s maximum HP, can only be countered after a long is still alive, but he must be successful in three death test
rest, and only if the factors that caused the aggravated rolls to avoid biting the dust.
damage are no longer present. Under normal conditions,
all it takes is a rest of at least 8 hours and a few simple One death test roll roll should be done per turn. This
wound treatments to nullify the HP limiting effect of the death test is simple: you roll [2d6] and the result must be
Aggravated Damage. But if the character is suffering from 7 or more. To survive, the character must accumulate a
an illness, for example, this illness must be cured first. Even total of 3 successful death tests rolls. With each failure,
after removing the HP restriction, he will have to regenerate he comes closer to death. If the character accumulates
normally in another rest. It is also possible to recover hit 3 failures before 3 successes, he dies. If he scores the
points through mandingas and special elixirs. required 3 successes, he will remain unconscious but
stable. If any of the rolls result in a critical success (a total
Example: If a Protagonist who has max 21 HP receives 12 in a [2d6] roll), the character will awaken and stand
a blow that deals 11 or more damage, he will be stunned, up with 1 HP, eliminating the need for further rolls. If
meaning he has a (3/6)% chance of not being able to act the opposite occurs, that is, a critical failure (total of 2 in
during the next turn. (Just roll [1d6] and pick odds or evens a [2d6] roll), the character dies instantly.
to see if it can act or not).
If the character takes damage while fainted (but not
enough damage to be killed), he will need to redo the
» DAMAGE REDUCTION (DR) « death test rolls, keeping only the number of failures he has
already scored. For example: if the balance of the death
One way to mitigate damage in combat is to wear tests is 2 successes and 1 failure, after taking damage,
armor. Armor is capable absorbing part of the damage the character will have 0 successes and 1 failure. A
taken. Armor with damage reduction (DR) equal to 2, for Protagonist who faints can receive help from an ally.
example, will cause the wearer to take 3 damage instead If the rescuer succeeds on a Medicine test (DC 10), the
of 5, 8 damage instead of 10, and so on. If the damage victim’s condition stabilizes. Executing an enemy that is
dealt by the attack is less than or equal to the armor’s passed out or asleep generally requires no rolls – it’s up
DR, the wearer is unharmed. Be aware, though, because to the Griot and Protagonists to decide what happens.
upon absorbing damage the armor can also be harmed.

An armor that has already been used a lot starts to

lose its effectiveness. The Griot should decide, based on
» ASHE «
common sense, when an armor becomes weaker (loses DR) It is the energy intrinsic to all things in the universe,
or becomes completely useless and needs to be discarded. living or inanimate. It is what creates spirits and fuel
Depending on its weight and dimensions, an armor can magic. Without the ashe, nothing in the world could exist
also end up reducing the wearer’s mobility, making him in balance with itself. The center of the ashe is the ori,
less able to dodge attacks or perform tasks that require a that is, the head, and that is why the flow of mystical
lot of Agility. This effect is called the armor penalty (AP) energy is less intense in the other parts of the body. This
and its value is subtracted from the AGI attribute. is also the reason why the magical essence is much more
present in intelligent beings than in inanimate things,
Both the DR and the AP of each armor are presented which have no consciousness, such as stones and trees,
in the equipment tables. Certain armors have special as they only have the scarce remnants of the energy that
characteristics and limitations that must be respected by once were in minds and words of the orishas, at the time
their users, as noted in their description. DR normally of the creation of the world.

34
 Those who have more control over their heads » SIZE CATEGORIES «
therefore have more control over the ashe; and those
who control the ashe can, with training, master the sacred In general, Protagonists will be medium or small in
art of mandinga and become sorcerers. size, depending on the races to which they belong. There
are, however, other creatures of much smaller size (like
We use the Ori attribute to calculate the initial amount a frog, for example) or much larger (like a grootslang).
of ashe a character has: Here are some examples:

Initial ashe = [ORI x 3] Categories Exemples

Tiny Grasshopper, shrew
After 12 hours, a character can recover [1d6] of ashe Miniature Cat, mongoose
points. The maximum amount of ashe only increases if
there is an increase in the Ori attribute, or if the Spirit Small Abatwa, warthog
Stock special ability is acquired. You can get more Medium Man, leopard
information about the use of ashe on page 58, in the Large Camel, catoblepas
chapter dedicated to mandingas.
Huge Elephant, gigant
Colossal Dragon, subaga
» RESISTENCE AND IMMUNITIES « Gargantuan Khodumodumo, grootslang
When a character is said to have resistance to a
particular damage type, it means that he takes only half
Small-sized creatures must hold one-handed weapons
the applicable damage from a regular roll. For example,
(unless they are light) with both hands and cannot carry
a fire-resistant character, being hit by a javelin enchanted
two-handed melee weapons. Being small has its cons.
with magical flames created by the mandinga Elemental
Reinforcement (which grants [1d6] of extra damage),
would only suffer half of this extra damage. The javelin’s
normal damage would remain unchanged, as the victim
» DOUBLE ATTACK «
has resistance to fire, not metal. To calculate the half of an The most aggressive fighters, with blood in their eyes
odd number, divide by two and round down. Characters and hatred in their hearts, are not content to hurt their
can also have resistance to certain combat maneuvers and enemies just once – they need more violence, or, even
adverse conditions. This means they have an advantage better, double violence! Yes, it is possible to perform two
on their tests to avoid or to get rid of them. attacks per turn: just have a weapon in each hand.

In addition to their resistances, a character can have The awkward hand – the left hand for right-handers and
immunities to certain types of damage, maneuvers, or the right for left-handers – is only capable of handling light
conditions. In this case, his immunity keeps him unharmed, weapons (this will be explained in the Equipment chapter).
and he does not suffer any consequence. In case of a double attack, two attack rolls are made,
one for each weapon, but both with a disadvantage. It is
also possible to perform double attacks, and as usual for
» WEAKNESSES « double attacks making both attack rolls with disadvantage.
When a character has a weakness related to some Characters of the abatwa race can give up their extra
kind of damage, the damage taken is multiplied by 2. move action to nullify the disadvantage and land both
When the weakness is against maneuvers or conditions, blows normally. The double attack rule only applies to
the character will roll with disadvantage to resist or get melee attacks, not to other activities that require combat
rid of them. actions – you can’t cast two Mandinga in the same turn,
If the Griot finds it coherent, he can grant each creature smart ass! The double attack can be improved with the
additional weaknesses and resistances according to the Ambidextrous special ability.
moment or for any other reason that would benefit the
narrative.

35
 CREATING PROTAGONISTS

PROTAGONIST’S SHEET » RACE «

With most of the basics already clarified, we can now Who said your character must necessarily be a
explain how to finally fill out a Protagonist’s sheet. First of human? There are many fantastic races in Aiye, and your
all, it is important that you have the Kalymba Protagonist’s Protagonist can belong to one of them. Ten playable races
model sheet at hand. are available in the Kalymba’s core rulebook, and each
has unique characteristics that will affect your attributes
You can make a copy of the sheet on pages 88-89 of and abilities. Check the list and the description of the
this book, or print it directly from the website: races which starts on page 24. Take notes of all your
choices on the Protagonist’s sheet and make the necessary
http://www.kalymba.com
modifications to the Protagonist’s characteristics.
This sheet can also be used by the Griot to create
Supporting Characters of greater relevance to the game’s
plot, if he so wishes. » AGE «
Over the course of his life, a warrior accumulates
knowledge and experience, but also scars. An individual’s
» ATTRIBUTE POINTS « lifetime has a great influence on their physical and mental
With the Protagonist’s sheet in your hands, you can capabilities. The table below describes the changes in the
start the distribution of the points. Each Protagonist attributes according to the character’s age.
has 10 points to distribute among the character’s six
attributes – Strength (STR), Agility (AGI), Stamina (VIG),
Intellect (INT), Ginga (GIN) and Ori. It is possible to have
attributes with a value of zero, but none can have a value Age range Modifier
greater than 3 for now. Young +1 VIG -1 INT
During character creation, think about what kind of Adult –
individual you want to play during the game.
Middle age -1 VIG +1 INT
If you want to roleplay a brute who is not afraid of -1 STR -1 AGI
anything, it would be best to allocate more points in STR Old age
and VIG than in INT and GIN, for example. Either way, -1 VIG +2 INT
choose wisely, as this decision is immutable and will have
consequences to your Protagonist throughout his journey. If the race description you chose for your character
Note: The attribute point limit only applies to the initial does not clarify issues such as maturity and life expectancy,
distribution, and not to the points acquired in other ways, define these details with the help of the Griot.
such as those awarded by race, age and level – that is, it
is possible, in the end, to reach numbers greater than 3
or less than zero.
» HIT POINTS (HP) «

Initial HP = 15 + [VIG x 3]
» SKILL POINTS «
The choice of your Protagonist’s skills also depends
on the distribution of points. Protagonists have 25 points
to allocate between their skills, with a maximum limit of » ASHE «
3 points in each.
Initial ashe = [ORI x 3]

37
 » SPOKEN LANGUAGES « The higher the MP of a Protagonist, the more magical
feats he will be able to perform.
All Protagonists know how to speak the common
language and, except humans, also a second language,
which must be in accordance with their life story. New MP = [INT+GIN+ORI]
languages can be learned through the Linguist ability.

Languages STEP BY STEP CHARACTER CREATION

Aquamarin Fracturese
GUIDE FOR DUMMIES
1) Distribute 10 points between attributes. At this step,
Arborean Majin none can have a value greater than 3 or less than 0.

Murkish Orunic 2) Distribute 25 points between skills. As with attributes,

initial values ​​cannot exceed the limit of 3.
Common Savani
3) Choose the character’s race and make the appropriate
changes in attributes.
Optional rule: If all Players in the group are tough
guys and want a roleplaying experience in which linguistic 4) Choose the character’s age and make the appropriate
knowledge will be more important in the setting, consider changes in attributes.
reducing the initial amount of known languages to one. 5) Calculate your initial hit points.
This will increase the need for multilingual interpreters
and poliglot Supporting Characters within the game. 6) Calculate your initial ashe.

7) Use your 3 available points to acquire special abilities.

» SPECIAL ABILITIES « 8) Write down the languages ​​the character is able to speak.
Protagonist characters can develop incredible abilities
during their journey, whether through intensive training, 9) If you intend to be a caster, read the chapter Mandingas
field experience or other factors. Initially, a Protagonist to be aware of the prerequisites and other details. After
has 3 points to acquire special abilities. The list of that, calculate your MP (Magic Power) and choose the
available special abilities can be found starting on page Mandingas you know.
62. However, they can only be obtained if the specified
10) Spend your 100 ₲ buying some useful items from the
minimum requirements are met. Your Protagonist will
equipment tables (page 66).
be able to develop more special abilities as he gains new
levels of experience.

SESSION ZERO
» INITIAL EQUIPMENT « The moment to fill in the Protagonists sheets can be
A Kid level character starts with 100 ganas (₲) to buy a lot of fun for Players, and there are even those who
items from the Equipment tables (chapter Equipment). consider this step as their favorite part of the game. Still,
To learn more about how money in Aiye works, check it is something that can take a lot of time, especially for
out the first section on page 66. people who haven’t played RPGs before or aren’t familiar
with certain types of game mechanics. As Kalymba has
rules that favor the freedom of the creative process and
» SPELLS « the customization of the Protagonists’ skill tree, there
are many options for the players to choose from. Reading
If your intention is to create a character capable of the rules, distributing points, and choosing skills and
casting spells, it will be necessary to develop the special equipment can be time-consuming.
ability Conjuration and, obligatorily, to read the chapter
Mandingas (page 58) to learn more about this topic. Also, there are other issues to be resolved before the
Also, sorcerers use their magic power (MP) to cast spells. game actually starts. Some questions need to be raised
and clarified so that the Griot and the other Players can

38
create interesting, safe, and fun narratives for everyone.
It is necessary to debate the internal topics of the game
narrative – “Who will be the Protagonists? Why will
they work together?” – and to talk about issues related
to a good coexistence between the players, such as “Is
there any sensitive issue that should be avoided? How
far can the violence in the game go?”. RPG is a collective
and cooperative activity, focused on creating fun and
memorable stories in the company of your friends.

Dialogue is essential and, therefore, we recommend

that you set aside time for an entire game session dedicated
only to fill the Protagonist’s sheets and discuss important
issues related to the game. This moment is called session
zero. Here are some suggestions for topics to be discussed
during session zero:

• What will be the games style? (More into

adventure and action? Closer to terror, maybe?)

• How often will we play? (Is everyone free on

Thursday?)

• What issues should be avoided inside and outside

the game sessions? (What are the limits of the game? A
roleplaying table should be a safe space. If your teammates
are uncomfortable with certain descriptions or jokes, just
don’t do them. That’s the golden rule of roleplaying and
of life: don’t be an idiot!)

• What are the personal stories and motivations

of the Protagonists? (No one goes around the world
killing monsters and risking their own life, for example,
without a good reason to justify it.)

• How, where and when did the Protagonists

meet each other? What brings them together?
(Establishing strong bonds with other characters is
essential for a richer narrative experience)

• A summary of the rules system (This greatly

speeds up the process of creating Protagonists. You
should also define whether you will use any optional or
“house rules”)

• Setting summary (To play in the Kalymba universe,

you must first know it)

• What roles will be played by each protagonist

within the game? (Who will go to the front lines? Is there
a doctor? What is the sorcerer capable of doing?)
 RACES OF AIYE

ABATWAS Even though abatwas are able to produce some food

in their dark chambers, it is never enough to feed the
Whether gathering food, digging huge tunnels or entire colony. Most of the resources come from outside,
defending the colony, the Abatwas are always working from forests, savannas and plundered villages. The most
on behalf of their people. They are small creatures, about populous colonies end up adopting nomadic lifestyles,
2,6 ft (80cm) tall, that look a lot like huge ants, despite as the speed with which they deplete the resources of
walking on two legs. Every abatwa has a strong awareness the regions where they settle is alarming. When food,
of his duty in their society, therefore, he works incessantly water and metal are exhausted, the entire population
to meet the needs of his colony and, above all, of his queen, migrates to a place of more abundant wealth – which,
who is the mother, leader and central pillar of the entire not infrequently, gives rise to violent conflicts with other
community. All abatwas in a colony are children of the peoples who already inhabit these regions. Among the
same abatwa queen. abatawa communities spread across Aiye, only a minority
keep diplomatic and trade relations with other civilizations.
If well fed, the queen can lay more than a thousand
eggs a year, which will be protected day and night by the Generally, an abatwa lives and dies serving the common
sentries. In just over a month of incubation, the larvae that good. They have a strong collectivist mentality, and any
will become the next generation of abatwas, come out of display of individuality is harshly rebuked. For them, the
their eggs. Upon reaching adulthood, each new individual only meaning of existence is to support the colony and
will already be instinctively programmed to perform a protect the queen.
specific function. Some will be collectors, some will be
soldiers, some will be weapons manufacturers... There There is no art, leisure or anything similar in abatawa
are many roles but it is not up to the abatwas to choose societies. Even the practice of religion is too rigid
which one they will play in their society. and objective: divine favors are sought in favor of the
colony’s progress and the queen’s survival, with no room
Abatawa civilizations are known for their long and for emotional singing and colorful clothes. Among the
intricate networks of tunnels dug underground, which are abatwas, friendship or love, dance and poetry are not
amazing engineering projects hidden under the surface. cultivated. They see themselves as cells of the same body,
Colony structures have complex archeducts, greenhouses whose only function is to work for the maintenance of
for fungiculture (cultivation of edible mushrooms), corrals health and the continued growth of the organism – and
in which giant aphids (those that secrete a yellow, viscous most of them live very well that way.
and sweetish liquid) “milk”, nurseries for larvae and
chrysalis, as well as special chambers for the queens A few abatwas end up developing behaviors and
and their closest subjects. In the huge war rooms on personality traits that set them apart in the crowd. Some
the lower levels, soldiers train for a short period of time of these degenerates are born with excessive foot rhythms,
before heading to the front. overly curious minds or even illicit passions such as song
and craft. These, not without reason, become outcasts in
The soldiers are the ones who protect all entrances their societies: they are shunned by other individuals and,
and exits of the colony against constant threats, which can when their situation gets out of control, they are completely
range from enemies coming from neighboring colonies to excluded from social life through the penalty of exile.
hideous monsters such as pangogods and devil spiders.
Abatwas versed in the magical arts, on the other hand, are For an abatwa, this is the worst thing that can happen.
responsible for combating incorporeal dangers such as Even when they develop peculiar characteristics, Abatwas
hauntings and ghostly echoes, which are very common in continue to have a glaring need to relate to their peers.
areas near the buried ruins of ancient cities. Contrary to When they are banned from the colony, they enter a
what is usually seen in other societies, abatwa spellcasters deep state of despondency, something that borders on
have no prestige or prominence in the community. Within depression. They feel an intense loneliness that will only
the colony, everyone is equal (although, sometimes, some be alleviated if they are lucky enough to find a group of
are more equal than others). creatures into which they can integrate.

41
 Exiled abatwas, very inexperienced and ignorant of the
world outside the colony, are easy targets for predators. In Abatwas
order to avoid this feeling of vulnerability, these abatwas
tend to give their all to fit into a society, no matter what. Size: small
As they are naive and swayable, they are often persuaded
to join criminal groups or fight wars that are not theirs. Attributes:
What matters to an abatwa is to feel that he is part of +1 in Strength
something bigger, matter which one. +1 in Agility
Exiled abatwas are often emotionally needy, very loyal -1 in Intellect
to their fellows, curious and talkative. When they realize
that, at last, they can talk about their thoughts and act
according to their own personalities, it is very common
that they go overboard when expressing themselves. Even Small size: Abatwas get +1 in Dodge, -1 in Fight,
so, abatwas can become dear friends and valued allies. and roll Stealth tests with advantage. As small-sized
Although they know very little about the world, they are creatures, they must use both hands to hold one-
strong, fast and have a unique curiosity. Despite their size, handed weapons (unless they are lightweight) and
they can lift even more weight than an average human. cannot wield two-handed melee weapons.

Abatwas tend to coexist very well in agogwe, yumbo, Four arms: Abatwas can perform one additional
zevik and human villages. They prefer to stick to creatures move action per turn using their secondary pair
similar in size to them, although they’re not particularly of hands, as long as the action is not used for
picky about anything. The most effective way to make an locomotion. Abatwas can also use their four hands to
abatwa angry is to talk about his small size in comparison wield two-handed weapons as if they were medium-
to other races. Do this and you will have a good chance sized creatures or wield two lightweight weapons
of making an enemy. Abatwas don’t accept being treated and a shield. In both cases, they become unable to
as runts or incapables, so they will do everything to prove use their additional move action.
otherwise.
Insectoids: Like all ants, abatwas have the ability
to walk on vertical surfaces. In this condition, they
are unable to use two of their four arms to perform
other actions. Sticking to the surface consumes a
move action (in this case, the extra move action
granted by the Four Arms ability). Abatwas can also
see in the dark.

Inepts: Abatwas know next to nothing about the

world around them and can be easily fooled. They
also find it hard to develop skills that require a lot of
thinking. Abatwa characters roll Intuition tests with
disadvantage and must choose a knowledge skill at
which they will always automatically fail.

43
 BUFFAUROS Thanks to Mugo and his creation, the other peoples
were able to regroup and, once again, fight the demons
A muscular humanoid body, covered in black, brown of the Outer Chaos. Little by little, the infestation was
or reddish fur; its feet with split hooves; its hands showing contained. The world got to know peace again. The
just three very thick fingers; its head, certainly the most buffauros became symbols of strength and leadership
peculiar feature of this race, almost identical to that of among Aiye’s races, and the figure of Mugo was widely
a buffalo – this is the typical appearance of a buffauro. adored. But this only lasted a few years.
During the First Hecatomb, when the material world
was infested with aberrations from Kalunga and the Mugo is victory, and there is no victory without a battle.
catastrophe seemed irreversible, the orishas finally took Seeking for someone to fight with, the war orisha sent his
pity on Aiye and took steps to save the races that lived sons against Kulve, the profane civilization beyond the
there. After having fought the demons that ravaged Orun desert that, since before that time, had performed rituals
(because the plane of the spirits had also been invaded), to raise the dead and guarantee them eternal life. By then,
Mugo, the orisha of iron and war, decided to intervene. the buffauros no longer had more than four or five flying
ships, so almost their entire army had to cross the sands
Descending from the heavens, he chose among the of the Endless Desert under a blazing sun.
animal species the one that he judged to be the most
noble and powerful – the buffalo, to create a new warrior Kulve still had a fleet, with small and large ships, like
race. Strong as buffaloes, brave as buffaloes and united the Dark Pyramids that hovered above the ground. Many
as buffaloes, the buffauros received from Mugo the gifts of its sorcerers had also mastered the mirongas taught
of rationality and opposable thumbs, and in most parts of by the Fracturians, some capable of blowing brains out
the world their animal ancestors ceased to exist in their in a single casting. Still, Mugo’s pride kept him going.
primordial, wild form. Also called nyatimtu (or buffauro
The few buffauros that survived the confrontation
in the common language), these creatures became the
(and were not taken captive by the enemy) roamed the
most powerful and unstoppable army that ever walked
Endless Desert for weeks, and many ended up dead from
Aiye, whose sole purpose was to exterminate the demonic
thirst and heatstroke. Those who had better luck were
intruders who ravaged the world.
welcomed by the Teruga peoples and started to live among
Mugo taught the buffauros the art of forging, and he them (so much so that currently the Caliphate of Singa,
taught them so well that there is no buffauro that does not the greatest civilization of the buffauros, has been greatly
know how to handle steel. They built their own floating influenced by the desert cultures). Mugo, after judging
ships and flying armors of metal and fire. With the few the failure of the expedition unacceptable, abandoned
remaining crystals of power in the world, they formed his children to their fate.
a fleet capable of fighting their demonic enemy in land,
Knowing also that he could not use the full breadth of
water and sky. And even when their machines failed and
his divine powers to destroy the Kulvites (as he certainly
they had only blades, sticks and stones, the buffauros
would, since Mugo does not accept defeat and does not
continued to fight.
swallow his pride), the war orisha incited other peoples
With his newly created horde of furious and fearless of Ayie to march against the Great Necropolis (the name
bovine soldiers, Mugo coordinated systematic attacks on given to the capital of the Kulvite Empire). But none of
the Fracturians groups and their floating fortresses, as well the war campaigns have been successful so far – it is as if
as those who lurked in the sea and the depths of the earth, Mugo, even being the supreme warlord, was playing with
fouling the world with their toxic smoke and demonic the wrong pieces. There is still no city, tribe or empire
sounds, while sucking the ashe from all things around capable of overthrowing Kulve’s sovereignty.
them. The buffauros defeated Gwakansha-Tibinaba and
Nowadays, the buffauros cry as they remember the
his soulless dogs; they neutralized Nammamushkaba
glories of the past. They are still great warriors and Aiye’s
the Tick, the largest of the Fracturian ships (the invaders
best blacksmiths when it comes to working metal, but they
didn’t fly in metal and light ships like Aiye’s armies, but
are still far from achieving the power that once belonged
in huge floating named aberrations that also ate souls)
to them. Their renown and honor, once comparable to
and with the help of the nommos they exploded Ffff-Blu
those of their creator, were reduced to ashes.
, the underwater devil base (“ffff-blu” was the sound the
creature made underwater). Without mercy, the buffauros The old bovine empire fell. Millennia later, pride
crushed their enemies with heavy and loud weapons, still remains wounded. For fear of making themselves
destroying, in addition to the Fracturians themselves, vulnerable, few buffauros break away from the communities
all the traitors of other races who had allied with them. – those brave or stupid enough to do so are called strays.

44
 Most are, in fact, still hoping that one day all the sons of They are the most loyal holy warriors that an orisha can
war will join forces to regain the former glory that has have. Even so, they don’t usually get along with mandingas
faded. The new self-styled Universal Buffalo Front militia – magic is something used by weaklings, who cannot
is the highest expression of this hope. defend themselves with their fists and their minds – and
they are also averse to formal study in general – only the
It is not uncommon for buffauros to be extremely elite members of the buffauro cities dedicate themselves
competitive in order to suppress this feeling of past failure. to studies, so it’s hard to find buffauros in universities.
They always want to be the biggest and best in everything. The males of the species measure between 6.2 ft
They use disproportionately large weapons or very heavy (1.90 m) to 7,5 ft (2.30 m) in height, while the females do
armor and are constantly trying to prove themselves. The not exceed 6,9 ft (2.10 m). Both sexes are highly resistant
stories of their past, especially the fiasco that caused them to disease, but do not live more than 50 years.
to be abandoned by their god, were repeated so many
times over the generations that their fragile warrior’s ego
and their desire for revenge against the kulvites became
almost intrinsic to the species. A buffauro is capable of Buffauros
doing anything to defend his honor. That is why, if you
want to keep your head connected to the rest of your body, Size: medium
you must never insult their warrior’s pride.
Attributes:
Nowadays, most of the buffauro peoples have their
+1 in Strength
social organization based on the law of the most capable.
Males who excel in battle become the leaders, and females +1 in Vigor
constantly switch partners, always competing for the most -1 in Ori
powerful males. Among them there is no institution of
marriage or the restricted concept of “family”. The child
of one is the responsibility of the entire community. Many
buffauros tend to serve orishas other than Mugo (although Pure muscle: The buffauro’s physical strength
some still remain loyal to the patron of the race), and they and endurance are two of the race’s most striking
go out of their way to prove themselves worthy and draw characteristics and one of the reasons why they
divine attention. are feared. Buffauros roll Fitness skill tests with
advantage, and their maximum HP increases by 2
with each level gained.

Hurt pride: Buffauros harbor a feeling of disgust

at their past defeat, so they are always trying to
reassert their own abilities, which can make them
appear smug or overly competitive. On the other
hand, it makes them naturally more hardworking
creatures than other races. Once a day, when mo-
tivated, buffauros can retake any roll they failed.

Iron heritage: Every buffauro has an innate apti-

tude for working metals. They receive a +2 bonus
to the Forge skill, and all weapons, shields, armor,
and metal tools they make have a +25% market
value bonus.

46
 HUMANS until Olodum’s heart finally softened. “I will give you the
right to create only one more thing,” said the Supreme. “I
While Obalta, the God in White, created half of the want you to create humankind so that they will rule over
things that exist in the universe, Odua, his sister, created Aiye and make us ebos. Raise a clay doll with two arms,
the remaining half. Obalta made the heavens and the two legs and two eyes. Whisper in their ears whatever
clouds that roam through it; he made the sun that shines springs from your heart, and from there breathe into their
on the horizon, the moons that once, in love, danced nostrils the breath of life.”
around each other, and also all the stars that shine in
the darkness around them, just existing majestically in Obalta thanked him immensely and promised to do
the midst of an infinite peace and silence. everything as his father had ordered. But by this time,
Odua was already far away, as she had heard everything.
Odua, however, made the birds that soar above, She immediately ran to Nina’s house and asked her for
flapping their wings and singing their melodies. She some clay of the best quality. Nina lent it, but with an
made comets and meteorites that, like arrows, hit the ugly expression on her face, as she already suspected
moons, filling them with craters and life. Obalta created her sister’s schemes. So Odua began to mold a human in
the earth, the rocks and the mountains, and on them he the way that Olodum had instructed. She whispered the
placed the plants and mosses that decorate them with words that sprung in her heart in his ear and then blew
green. But Odua created the giraffe to eat the leaves, and into his nose. The clay doll soon came to life, and it was
the catoblepa to kill the grass in the field. This way, Odua gorgeous. Odua called him Odudune (which means “the
changed everything that Obalta had created. great one”), and he was the first human being.
Odua added movement to what was immobile, and When Obalta returned home with his creation, Odua
vigor to what did not breathe. She created the beasts was already there and, proud of her work, showed her
that run through the field, the snakes that crawl on the father Odudune’s perfection. Obalta, who had also made
ground and the fish that swim in the endless blue of the his own version of the human race (smaller, stockier,
ocean, and many of these things she gave to her other and with his feet turned back), was so frustrated and
brothers, Nina and Konulo. But after creating the animals, pissed off that his hair immediately turned white, his
Odua felt bored. She wanted more excitement! She then back bowed, and his face was wrinkled like a senile old
created the monsters, from the dumbest to the largest and man. Enraged, the God in White threw his human into
most atrocious. She made the tikoloshes and she made the depths of the earth, and there the creature lived –
the grootslangs, and the latter came out so big and smart naming himself Kolicolu and becoming the father of the
that Odua had to destroy them right away. madebeles (dwarves) who built their cities underground.
Odua, this time, instead of bursting out laughing, was
Whenever Olodum’s youngest daughter created
terrified of her brother’s appearance and reaction. She
something, the earth, sky and sea were filled with life
tried to calm him down, but he wouldn’t listen. She tried
and confusion. Even so, she was never satisfied. She
to hug him, but he pushed her away. Then Odua, feeling
wanted more excitement! She knew that something was
guilt, wept bitterly.
still missing. So Odua came down to Aiye and decided
to create something new. She took pieces of wood and This is the story told by the Griots about the origin
tried to assemble something interesting. It did not work. of the human species. It also explains the source of this
Then she went to the river and tried to model something race’s uncontrollable ambition, which is never satisfied
new, but she could not do it – the water ran through her and why it is always pursuing more and more conquests,
fingers. How boring! Odua tried with stone, but it was too sometimes ignoring the evil consequences that befall those
hard; she tried with crushed yam, but the birds came and around it. Humanity is the materialization of the desire for
ate everything; she tried with fire, but it burned her hands. power and recognition. It always aspires to greatness and
it is often seduced by fame and the offering of material
Angry at not getting what she wanted, Odua returned
goods. Among human communities, individuals of the
to Orun. Approaching her home, she heard Olodum and
simplest character are branded failures, and only the
Obalta talking. At that time, Obalta complained to his
pursuit of excellence, gold, and renown has any value. But
father for having taken away his right to create the world,
while being influenced by their greedy and selfish natures,
but the Supreme reproached him for having slept on duty.
humans are also part of the divine plan of Olodum, the
As the two had not yet noticed her arrival, Odua chuckled
Supreme – the project that gave rise to them came out
softly so that no one would find out she was there. But
of his mouth, after all.
Obalta kept complaining and crying so much that a river
formed under his feet. And he kept crying for ten days,

47
 Therefore, two natures reside in the human soul: an built the biggest ships and the biggest weapons that were
immature one, which seeks at all costs to connect to the able to cause the biggest explosions. They became a great
mundane – riches, glory, sex, laughter – and a perfect race, as it should be. But then came the First Hecatomb
one, which seeks redemption and connection with the and everything collapsed. Men were scattered across
divine. While the former was inherited from Odua, the the world, and all their achievements fell to the ground.
latter came from the infallible mind of Olodum, who
knows all things. It is natural for Odua, patron of the After the first end of the world, there was no longer
race, to feel guilty for the mistakes made during creation, an unified humankind, but tribes, cities and kingdoms,
but what is inherent in the human soul can never be each society with its rulers and its own interests, and all
changed. All that remains for the orisha are attempts to fighting against each other for glory and wealth. But then
appease the negative side of the human essence, which Moyla, the orisha of oracles and destiny, had a terrible
makes the character of its children so morally volatile vision: humans would be the cause of the ultimate end
and contradictory. Is there any redemption for such a of the world, the ultimate catastrophe, the ultimate war
vile race? And is there any punishment just enough for in which everything would end. Right after that, Konulo,
such a good race? As always with human affairs, this is the orisha of the ocean depths, declared, “May life on
a complex matter and the participation of other orishas earth perish so that life on the sea may subsist,” and
made it even more complicated. then swept the surface with huge waves with the height
of mountains, in an attempt to get rid of the children of
When Olodum later gave Konulo and Nina the right Odua. He was almost successful, but a few humans were
to create new things, the two also wanted to conceive left alive. Just enough.
intelligent races, similar to humankind, because they
believed they were capable of doing a better job than Odua The survivors of the catastrophe multiplied, and
and Obalta. The other orishas, who were created later, currently humankind is divided into many different
also had the same idea. From then on, the gods made peoples, with distinct ethnicities and strange traditions.
race after race, each with unique characteristics and quite Sometimes humans dress, speak, and act so differently
different from their original design. They competed against from each other that they do not even seem to belong to
each other to see who was able to create the prettiest, the same race. These creatures are really amazing. In
fastest, strongest, and even the baldest race! And just terms of appearance, they can display different shades of
like humanity, all these creations were contaminated by brown on their skin, depending on their lineage. Hairstyles,
the ambition of their orishas. These new races began to likewise, vary from culture to culture, as does clothing.
seek more than what the Supreme had planned for them, If in one place a chubby half-naked body is the highest
and at a certain point they started challenging the orishas standard of beauty, in another place one is considered
themselves with their boldness. beautiful if he wears a lip disc and is covered all over
Then Nina, owner of the clay that gave life to all with colored clothing. If everyone in one place shaves
creatures, went to Olodum, her father, and exclaimed: “I their heads to avoid lice, in another place having a well-
don’t like this whole story! I have lent my clay, but I want it groomed hair, full of braids and accessories, is nothing
back!”. Saddened, but forced to agree, Olodum uttered the less than an obligation. There are also other issues such
word of “death”, and from then on all of Aiye’s beings were as life expectancy, height, weight... But it is unnecessary
condemned to go to the grave one day. Nina became the to talk about these things. Virtually everyone in Aiye
Orisha of Death, mistress of the deceased, whose bodies has seen a human at some point in their lives. They are
return to the earth and whose souls ascend to Orun. Since everywhere and it’s not hard to recognize them.
then, Olodum never again interfered in the affairs of the In childhood, humans look a lot like the yumbos,
universe, for his disappointment was greater than what he but they get bigger and weirder as they get older. From
could bear. And so, according to the most popular stories, then onwards, they are more similar to the azizas, but
the cycle of life and death was established. without their wings and all those colored feathers. Ah,
Humans, among a multitude of other races, started some humans have snow-white skin and sun-yellow
fighting for divine attention. As they were the first of all the hair – albinos, which are more common among humans
species that came out of the clay, they thought that they than any other species. There are also the short ones,
deserved the spotlight! They went on to build the biggest the pygmies, who hate to be called that. But they are all
palaces with the biggest towers, started the biggest wars, humans, it doesn’t matter how they look, even though
and made the biggest ebos. They also had the greatest they themselves don’t accept their differences. All of them
heroes and sorcerers. And when they discovered the still carry Odua’s heritage in their heads, and that can’t
power of the strange crystals that fell from the sky, they change, as it’s part of their nature.

49
 Humans

Size: medium

Attributes:
+1 in any attribute

Inheritance of the flesh: Humans get +3 points to distribute

between skills. In addition, they gain +1 skill point at Kid level and
+1 each time they level up.
 YUMBOES if a young female yumbo, when developing her first nut,
leaves her mother’s house, she must still maintain a good
Deep in the jungles of Aiye, far away from the curious relationship with her mother if she wants to make more
eyes, a yumbo fairy flies through the trees looking for the babies in the future. Young males yumbos, who never
ideal place to plant her nut. Upon finding the right wooden leave their mothers’ company, have the task of ensuring
stump, the yumbo places the nut inside it and fills the hole their safety and well-being. While female yumbos leave
with earth and leaves. A year later, there will be a yumbo home to form other families in distant territories, male
baby inside, ready to be picked. Ah, how beautiful is the yumbos only go out to hunt, fish, gather fruit and fetch
miracle of life! Unlike most other races, the yumbos do water. They rarely stray far from their homes, much less
not reproduce sexually and are not bred in the wombs of venture into the wide world.
their mothers. Yumbos sprout from the nuts that grow in
the navels of other yumbos. Yeah, that’s right. It works That’s why the fairy folk remains a mystery to most
like this: when they reach a certain age, usually around other Aiye races. They are little creatures with very reserved
a hundred years old, female yumbos begin to see small habits, strongly linked to their family and ancestors. In the
silvery walnuts grow in their navels. Each nut takes about stories that some Griots tell about the yumbos, it’s said
thirty years to mature. When the first nut of a yumbo is that they are so shy that they only come out of their holes
ready, it breaks free from the young female’s body and when they hear music, which is the only way to capture
is ready to be fertilized. (From then on, it is necessary to them (there are still yumbo hunters who chase them to
be very careful not to lose it). steal their navel nuts, which have magical properties).
Other Griots say that yumbos are attracted to the smell
The female yumbo, now an adult, takes the nut to her of banana cake, and there are even those who speak of
mother, who kisses it, magically fertilizing it. After that, an alleged fear of chickens.
she leaves her mother’s home to look for a place she
can call her own. Then, when she finds the ideal house These tales are all lies. Yumbos are not silly nor are
– which can be inside a tree with a very thick trunk or in they afraid of chickens or other birds, except those that fly
a hole under its roots – the yumbo prepares to plant the and are big enough to devour them, like colossal-eagles and
baby. If stored in a warm, dark and comfortable place, vulture-things. The faerie people don’t leave their houses
it takes about a year for the child to be ready. However, because they don’t want to leave, and because there are
when a yumbo’s mother chooses poorly the shelter of too many babies to take care of, too many young fools to
her nut, the gestation time can take much longer, up to teach and nut-kissing moms to pamper. Only the yumbo
five years (after this period, the nut is spoiled). After the that has no common sense or that has lost everything,
due time, a beautiful white-haired baby emerges. At this and has nothing else to cling to leaves their family’s life.
stage, the baby does not have wings yet, but will grow These yumbos go around the world doing what they want,
them within six or seven years, which is when he or she but they also have to fend for themselves. It’s a hard life
finally reaches her final form of yumbo, the one in which for these poor lonely yumbos.
he or she remains for the rest of her life.
Ah, but if there’s one real truth about the yumbos, it’s
Yumbos live to be three hundred and fifty years old, but that they’re fond of beauty and cuteness. If something is
their face never ages. Their appearance is similar to that beautiful, colorful and cute, the yumbos need to have it,
of human children, and it would be easy to confuse them whether it’s an object or a living thing. Practically all of
if it weren’t for the two pairs of dragonfly wings on their them have at least one pet – a gerbil, an owl, an agama
backs, their pointy ears and their pretty color-changing lizard, a galago... And their friendship with other cute
hair. Adult yumbos are smart – they have a long life to creatures (such as agowes, lemurs, azizas and babies of
accumulate all kinds of knowledge and experiences – but various races) flows much more naturally than it does
the naivetee of the younger ones, sometimes dumb as with ugly people. Yumbos like colors, light, art, etc. They
stones, can be dangerous. Their families, as a rule, gain a pray for Nina to keep the ugly children away. They ask
new member every thirty years. Every time a nut ripens in Xum to bring, in addition to love and health, silky hair
the mother’s navel, it must be taken to her grandmother to and white teeth. They also ask for chubby babies and for
receive the magical kiss of fertilization. If the grandmother the arrival of spring. Move away, stinky boudas! Come
for some reason is unable or unwilling to fertilize the nut, closer, sweet dooshuras!
it is impossible for the mother to have more children. That
And, as part of their natural vanity, yumbos keep
is why the maternal figure is so protected and valued in
changing their hair colors. It is one of their main gifts.
yumbo societies: without the kisses of their mothers, the
They think of a color and... bang! Renewed mane! Pure
new generations would never come into the world. Even
luxury. And even when the hair falls out or is cut, the

51
yumbo gathers it and uses it to make tapestries and adorn
clothes. They also collect colorful junk from the forest and Yumbos
use it to make hats, earrings, necklaces and ornaments
for their homes. They mix fruits, insects and sap to make Size: small
brightly colored paints that are used to demarcate their
territories. This is a race that appreciates genuine art in Atributos:
all its forms. +1 in Agility
When they leave their forests behind and live among +1 in Ginga
other peoples, the yumbos are seen as exotic creatures. -1 in Strength
They always draw a lot of attention. Their childish and
harmless appearance keeps them free from suspicion,
a factor often used as a weapon by individuals of bad
character, who like to take advantage of the good will Small size: Gain +1 to Dodge, -1 to Melee, and roll
of others. But in general, yumbos detest loneliness, so Stealth tests with advantage. Small-sized creatures
even the most obnoxious ones look for groups they can must hold one-handed weapons with their two hands
join – and sometimes they cling to them as much as they and cannot wield two-handed melee weapons (unless
do to their old families. But let’s be clear: yumbos are they are light).
incapable of developing libidinous passions. Sex for them
is like... yuck! They much prefer to spend time with parties Rainbow blood: Yumbos have the ability to change
and fluffy animals than exchanging saliva and scrubbing the color of their hair at will, as long as they con-
themselves with other naked people. Even if they live for centrate for a few seconds. They can also consume
over three hundred years, sex is something that fairies 1 ashe to change the color of any object they touch
never explore – so don’t even try, weirdo! (each category over the medium size consumes 1
extra ashe, and the change lasts up to 6 hours).

Flyers: Yumbos are able to fly. Move actions are

normally used. However, being small and thin and
having fragile wings, the yumbos can only fly for
[10+VIG] minutes before they get tired. If they go
over this limit by 5 minutes, they get exhausted. If
the wings of a yumbo are pulled out in any way, they
will grow back quickly, and after [5-VIG] days will
be ready to be used.

So cute: Yumbos are cute and harmless. Why would

anyone distrust them? They receive +1 on Deception
and Persuasion tests.

53
 SPECIAL ABILITIES

DEVELOPING ABILITIES
You must have the required amount of ability points
and meet the level prerequisites to acquire an ability.
A character can only develop abilities of a level equal
to or lower than his own. A Protagonist starts their
journey with 3 ability points. Abilities costs range from
1 to 3 points (the value appears right before the name of
each one, in parentheses). To get a more advanced level
of a special ability, it is mandatory ...to have acquired
the previous level. You cannot acquire Feline Reflex II
without first having Feline Reflex, for example.

Each special ability can only be developed once,

unless its description says otherwise. Some abilities
are passive, meaning they do not depend on activation.
Others, however, consume actions and/or ashe to be used
and, consequently, cannot be triggered by characters
who are incapacitated or without magical energy. You
can read more about the types of actions on page 32.

It is recommended that, for reasons of narrative » COMBAT ABILITIES «

coherence, the Griot should require justifications for • KID LEVEL •
the development of certain abilities, especially those
that would require specific training or study. It would be (2) Now it’s personal: once per combat, you gain a +2
sensible to demand that, for example, as a requirement bonus to a damage roll against an enemy that has already
for que acquisition of the Linguist special ability, that the hurt you during combat. It does not apply to spells.
Protagonist had to study and/or live with native speakers
in order to learn the desired language. (2) Brutal beast: when you are at less than half your
maximum HP, you deal +1 damage to your attacks. It
does not apply to spells.

(2) Hard to kill: you only need one successful death

roll to stabilize your wounds when dying.

(2) Weapon specialization: your specialization gives

you +1 as a damage bonus in attacks with a certain type
of weapon (spear, ax, scythe, whip, etc). Once taken, the
weapon of choice cannot be changed

(2) Mastery: if you are using a light melee weapon, your

attack roll can be made with AGI instead of STR. The
attribute added to the damage is still STR.

(1) To the ground: you have +1 to maneuver tests to

take down enemies.

(1) Exotic training: you know how to use an exotic

weapon of your choice.

55
 (1) Wear armor: you are able to wear medium armor (1) Leaving the cage: once a day, you can redo a Fitness
and shields. You must have at least STR 1. or Run test roll you failed.

(1) Wear armor II: you are able to wear heavy armor
and shields. You must have at least STR 2.

(2) Double violence: you now deal +1 damage on two-

handed weapon attacks (melee only).

(2) Extra vitality: your maximum hit points increase

by 2 points, and with each level evolved, they increase by
another 2 points. When acquiring this ability, previous
levels are not considered.

» MAGICAL ABILITIES «
• KID LEVEL •

(2) Conjuration: you learn to cast spells. Your Ori

attribute value must be greater than zero. By acquiring
this ability, you learn [INT+1] mandingas of your choice,
in addition to gaining access to all available simpatias. You
can get more information on Conjuration, Mandingas and
Simpatias by reading the Mandingas chapter, starting
on page 58.
» UTILITY ABILITIES « (1) Conjuration II: you learn two more mandingas of
• KID LEVEL • your choice. The total of known mandingas is equal to
[INT+3].
(2) Animal love: you have a natural gift for dealing with
animals. With the exception of large predators, common (1) Spiritual reserve: you get +2 of maximum ashe.
animals (hummingbirds, lizards, meerkats, squirrels...)
are always friendly towards you – they come close to you (1) Marks of power: you have scarifications, tattoos,
without any fear. Also, you roll Persuasion, Deception, piercings, or other ritualistic markings all over your body.
and Intuition tests with advantage when dealing with They help you to focus the magic power that is spread by
animals. You are also able to tame wild animals, but it other members in the ori (head), and they are a form of
still takes time. an additional expression (as well as music and dance),
which makes conjuration easier. You get +1 MP.
(1) Linguist: you know an additional language of your
choice – Aquamarin, Arborean, Murkish, Fracturese,
Majin, Orunic or Savani. This ability can be developed a
number of times equal to your Intellect.

(1) Lots of gana: you are more wealthy than most people,
so you have 50% more income to spend on gear at the
start of the game. Making money is also an ability, after
all. The ability “Lots of Gana” can only be acquired during
the creation of the Protagonist.

(2) Lie detector: you now roll with advantage Intuition

tests to detect lies.

56
 MANDINGAS

LEARNING NEW MANDINGAS Someone who has no ashe points left cannot cast a
spell. Every 4 hours, a Protagonist recovers [1d6] ashe.
To cast a mandinga, you must first develop the special
ability Conjuration, which costs 2 ability points and can Certain spells have prerequisites for being cast. Some
be developed from the Kid level. The act of developing it may, for example, require material ingredients – such as
already allows you to choose a total of [INT+1] mandingas diamond dust, Fracturian blood, frog’s eye, etc. Others,
to learn, in addition to giving access to all available however, require the caster to touch the target to trigger
simpatias (which are simple spells, with little power). their effect (a successful Melee test is required if the target
After that, you’ll need to invest ability points if you want is an opposing creature).
to learn new spells – each additional point spent on
To cast a mandinga, it is mandatory for the caster to
Conjuration allows you to learn another 2 mandingas
recite or chant some word or phrase of power. It is also
of your choice. For more information, you can read the
ideal that he moves his body in a rhythmic manner, with
ability’s description on page 56.
the aim of properly focusing the magical essence that
emanates from his soul. If the sorcerer cannot speak, he
cannot cast; and if he cannot move or chant the words
CONJURING MANDINGAS of power out loud, he won’t add the GIN attribute to the
A sorcerer who knows all the mandingas in the world magic power.
but has no power to use them is dead weight! Each
Every time the Protagonist casts a mandinga, the Player
mandinga has a certain casting difficulty. To be able to
must interpret it by speaking some word or catchphrase
cast a mandinga, the caster needs to know the words
aloud. If he wants, he can also define a specific phrase for
and movements needed (which depends on the Intellect
each mandinga he knows and then repeat it every time the
attribute), he also needs to recite and move properly, with
spell is cast. For example, when casting Flameball, the
rhythm and harmony (which requires Ginga), and also
Protagonist/Player might say something like “Through
have the innate connection and sensitivity to the mystical
my hands, hell comes to you! Burn in flames!”, or even
energy that permeates the universe (the Ori). By adding
something simpler like “Burn, dammit!”. These words of
these three attributes, one arrives at the magic power
power are said so masterfully that they become reality,
(MP) value of the caster, which represents the sorcerer’s
and that’s how magic works in Kalymba.
ability to cast mandingas.
The list of mandingas available in this book contains
just a few examples of the wonders that can be done
Magic power (MP) = [INT+GIN+ORI] through magical speech.These are the most common
magical manifestations to be found in Aiye, but many more
To cast a spell, the sorcerer’s MP must be equal to or are possible. Every word has power, and the difference
greater than the spell’s difficulty. It is possible to increase between a sorcerer and an ordinary citizen is only the
one’s magical power through conduits, magic items that degree of mastery over one’s voice, mind, and movements.
help channel mystical energies (Equipment) – or body
markings (Special abilities). That is why it is so common
to see spellcasters carrying staffs, musical instruments
and other magical trinkets, in addition to having tattoos,
scarifications and ritualistic paintings on their skin.

In addition to the magic power, spellcasting requires

ashe, which is deducted each time a mandinga is cast.

Initial ashe = [ORI x 3]

58
 MANDINGAS CHARACTERISTICS MANDINGAS LIST
• Action: Most mandingas require only one combat action
to be cast, but there are exceptions. Therefore, in the Animal-me
mandingas list, the action required to cast each one is
always shown.
Difficulty: 8 | Consumption: 3
Required action: Combat action
• Consumption: Virtually all mandingas have an ashe Duration: 15 minutes | Dispellable
cost, which can range from 1 (for simple mandingas) to
6 (for mandingas of great power). The value is deducted
Description: The caster transforms into an animal of
from the caster’s ashe points with each use. lesser or equal level to his own (see Bestiary), acquiring
all the creature’s stats (attributes, skills, abilities, hit points,
• Duration: Mandingas can have a predetermined etc), but keeping his own Intellect (INT), knowledge and
duration, as indicated in its description. In that case, at speaking ability.
the end of this defined time, the effect is immediately
Upon dispelling Animal-me and returning to his original
terminated. The caster can interrupt the spell’s effect
form, the caster regains the same stats as he had before
before it expires, if desired. Some mandingas require
transforming, including HP. Dispelling costs a move
the caster to remain focused on them throughout their
action. The Animal-Me transformation is not restricted
entire duration – that is, while keeping them active he
cannot perform any other actions that require physical to the animals present in the Bestiary.
or mental effort. These mandigas have (concentration)
written after their durations. For mandigas cast during Clean water
combat, remember the time conversions: 1 turn equals
approximately 10 seconds and 1 minute equals 6 turns Difficulty: 6 | Consumption: 1
• Description: How the mandinga actually manifests Required action: Combat action
itself in rules terms. Aesthetic details can (and should) Prerequisite: Touch
be freely described by the Player. Description: The caster turns dirty or salt water into
drinking water. It also nullifies poisons contained in the
• Dispellability: Skilled spellcasters are able to nullify
water. The maximum amount of affected water is 10 liters.
the effects of certain mandingas cast by enemies. This can
be done through the Dispel Magic special ability (Special
abilities). Only spells classified as “Dispellable” are Control sleep
affected by this ability.
Difficulty: 8 | Consumption: 2
• Prerequisites: Certain mandingas require material Required action: Combat action
ingredients or certain specific conditions to be cast.
Mandingas with touch prerequisites, for example, require
Duration: 8 hours | Dispellable
the caster to have physical contact with the target. If the Description: When thrown at a single sleeping target
target doesn’t want to be touched, the caster must make creature, this mandinga allows the caster to manipulate
a Melee test against the targets Dodge (as it is normally the target’s dreams at will. Both wonderful dreams and
done on melee attack rolls). terrifying nightmares can be created, and they will all
manifest very vividly in the target’s mind. The caster can
• Saving throw: Some mandingas give the target a chance also prolong the victim’s sleep for up to 8 hours. During
to make a saving throw in an attempt to reduce or nullify this period, the target will only wake up if he suffers some
their effect. If the spell description doesn’t make it clear kind of damage.
that the target can resist in some way, its effects are
unavoidable. Nightmares caused by Control Sleep prevent the
target from getting adequate rest and regaining HP. It’s
• Armor negation: Certain attack mandingas have the not necessary to be near the target creature to cast this
ability to completely ignore the damage reduction (DR) mandinga on it, as long as it is asleep.
granted by the armor, shields, or any other source that its
targets have. The presence of this characteristic is indicated
by the acronym AN on the spell’s description, right next to
the amount of damage it deals.

59
 Corrosive spit Elemental reinforcement
Difficulty: 7 | Consumption: 2 Difficulty: 7 | Consumption: 1
Required action: Combat action Required action: Combat Action
Description: The caster spits out two jets of a strong Duration: 1 minute (6 shifts) | Dispellable
acid at a distance of up to 15 feet. Each jet can be aimed Prerequisite: Touch
at a different target, or both at the same target. Each jet
deals [1d6] damage and decreases the DR of the victim(s) Description: It gives any single target weapon a boost
armor by 1. In an attempt to evade the attack, the target(s) of +[1d6] elemental damage for attacks. The caster can
must make a Dodge test (DC 14). If both jets hit the same choose one of the following elements during cast: fire,
target, the penalty on DR increases to a total of 3. ice or lightning. The element manifests at the end of the
weapon’s blade or surface.

Curse
Enchanted strike
Difficulty: 8 | Consumption: 2
Difficulty: 7 | Consumption: 1
Required action: Combat action
Required action: Move action
Duration: 1 minute (6 turns) | Dispellable
Description: The caster focuses magical energy on a
Description: The caster casts one of the following weapon he is carrying to perform an even more powerful
curses on a single target creature. attack with it. On his next melee attack with the weapon, a
bonus equal to the caster’s Ori will be added to the damage.
This effect will last for 3 attacks of the chosen weapon.
Curse Effect
Fake death
As long as the target creature is
in the caster’s field of view, all Difficulty: 7 | Consumption: 2
rolls it makes that result in equal Required action: Combat action
Evil eye
numbers on the dice (2 and 2, 5
and 5, etc.) are considered critical Duration: 12 hours | Dispellable
failures. Description: The caster changes his own body to
simulate death. He stops breathing, his heart stops beating
All damage taken by the target and many transformations in the appearance of the false
Bad juju creature while the curse is active corpse can take place at his will – dry skin, decaying
is considered aggravated damage. flesh, open wounds, etc. In this state, the caster becomes
indistinguishable from a real corpse, although he still retains
On the start of each of its turns for his awareness, being able to hear and, if his eyes are still
the duration of the mandinga, the open, also see what is happening around him. He can revert
Slippery hand target rolls a d6. On a result of 1 to his normal state at any time by spending a move action.
or 2 the target drops the object(s)
it has in its hands.
Float things
Difficulty: 7 | Consumption: Variable
Cutting clap Required action: Combat action
Difficulty: 8 | Consumption: 2 Duration: 1 minute (6 shifts, concentration)
Required action: Combat action Dispellable
Description: The caster claps his hands, generating a Description: It causes a nearby single target creature
powerful bang and releasing a slashing wave of air toward or object (at a maximum distance of 15 feet from the
a single target, dealing [4d6+2] of damage. The target caster) to slowly float in a desired direction. The ashe
is entitled to a Dodge test (DC 14) to partially dodge, consumed to cast this mandinga varies according to the
suffering only half damage on a success. target’s weight, as seen in the table below. It is not possible
to use Float Things on a creature against its will.

60
 Make-believe
Weight Consum. (ashe)
Difficulty: 8 | Consumption: 2
up to 10 lbs 1
Required action: Combat action
Between 10 and 100 lbs 2 Duration: 5 minutes (concentration) | Dispellable
Between 100 and 1000 lbs 3 Description: The caster creates a perfect illusion of
an object (which can be an item or a creature) of huge or
smaller size. The caster must have seen such an object
Ghost step at least once in its lifetime. The mandinga range is 100
feet, and the location where the object will appear must
Difficulty: 8 | Consumption: 2 be in the caster’s field of vision.
Required action: Move action The illusion is immaterial – it can only be seen, not
Duration: 40 seconds (4 turns) touched. It is not possible to use the illusion to perform
attacks that cause real damage, for example. However,
Description: By slapping one’s butt (the caster must
the caster can move the illusion as he pleases.
have one free hand), the caster quickly teleports to a nearby
location (up to 65 feet away) that he is able to see. The The caster must remain focused on the conjuration
caster disappears and, in the blink of an eye, appears at to keep the mandinga active. During this period, he will
the target location. Within the next 3 turns, the caster not be able to perform actions that require physical or
can teleport back to the point of origin with the cost of mental effort.
one move action (no matter if he has already moved in
another way during this period). After this return, the
mandinga ends immediately. Memory mirror
Difficulty: 6 | Consumption: 1
Go sign Required action: Combat Action Duration: 5
minutes | Dispellable
Difficulty: 6 | Consumption: 1
Required action: Move action Prerequisite: A mirror or other surface capable of
reflecting images
Description: With a sequence of one-handed signals,
the caster applies an invisible force that repels a single
Description: The moving images of any memory of the
caster, at his choice, appears on the reflective surface. The
target away from him, pushing it up to 30 feet. The pushed
more recent and important the memory is, the clearer its
creature or object must be of medium size or smaller, in
moving image will be. The sounds related to the images
the caster’s field of view, and within 60 feet. With the Go
are also reproduced by this mandinga.
Sign it is possible, for example, to fend off an opponent
who is trying to attack you, or even push him off a cliff
towards death. If the target is an opposing creature or an Mongoose immunity
item in its possession, the creature is entitled to a Fitness
test (DC 12) to resist the push. Difficulty: 8 | Consumption: 2
Required action: Combat action
Healing slap Duration: 24 hour | Dispellable
Difficulty: 6 | Consumption: 2 Description: It makes a single target creature immune
to any type of poison.
Required action: Combat Action
Prerequisite: Touch
Natural armor
Description: Hitting a single target creature with a
slap, the caster heals it for [1d6+3] HP. If the creature is Difficulty: 8 | Consumption: 1
not willing, it can make a Dodge test to avoid the caster’s Required action: Move action
touch.
Duration: 1.5 minutes (9 turns) | Dispellable

61
 Description: The skin of a single target creature Spiritual weapon
becomes a hard shell or carapace that grants it DR 2.
Difficulty: 7 | Consumption: 2
Nozy sight Required action: Combat action
Duration: 5 minutes | Dispellable
Difficulty: 7 | Consumption: 2
D escription : The caster summons a floating,
Required action: Move action translucent (melee) weapon made of pure spiritual energy.
Duration: 5 minutes | Dispellable The weapon’s form can be chosen by the user, but it
doesn’t change its attack power – [1d6+1] psychic damage
Description: For the duration of this mandinga,
(AN). The spiritual weapon can move around its master
the caster is able to see through structures and opaque
within a radius of 10 feet.
substances (stone walls, mist, cloudy water, and so on)
unless they are particularly dense or made of materials The spiritual weapon attacks independently of the
with magical properties. Under normal conditions, it is caster, but the caster can point to the enemy that will
possible to see through doors, people, walls, clothes, be attacked. The weapon does not consume any type of
vegetation, etc. The Nozy Sight range is 100 feet. action of the caster after being summoned and attack
once per round, during the caster’s turn.
Sneezice The weapon’s bonus to attack is [2+ORI of the caster].
The weapon can be dispelled but not destroyed.
Difficulty: 8 | Consumption: 2
Required action: Combat action
Stalagmite
Duration: 1 minute (6 turns)
Description: The caster sneezes heartily, blowing a Difficulty: 6 | Consumption: 2
cold, sinister wind over the target, covering it with a thin Required action: Combat action
layer of ice and snow. The creature takes [1d6] damage
Description: By stepping on the ground with all his
and has limited mobility – it loses one move action each
strength, the caster causes a sharp rock to sprout from the
turn for the duration of the mandinga. The victim is entitled
ground and pierce the target, dealing [3d6+2] of damage.
to a Fortitude check (DC 14) to resist the effect.

Stone to mud
Snitch parrot
Difficulty: 6 | Consumption: 2
Difficulty: 7 | Consumption: 2
Required action: Combat action
Required action: Combat action
Prerequisite: Touch
Duration: 48 hours | Dispellable
Description: By touching a rock or structure made of
Description: The caster creates an immaterial parrot
stone, the caster turns it into mud. The volume affected is
that only he can see or touch. While this mandinga is active,
equivalent to a maximum of a 20-foot cube. This mandinga
the parrot watches over a particular item or area defined
can be used against a creature made of stone, dealing
by the caster at the moment of the cast. If any unauthorized
[8d6] damage to the target and is stunning it for 3 turns.
creature gets too close (as defined by the caster during
cast), the snitch parrot starts to scream madly, alerting
everyone around. It then attaches itself to the invading Tickly touch
creature and follows it for 1 hour, still screaming. After
that, the parrot disappears and the mandinga ends. Difficulty: 6 | Consumption: 2
Required action: Combat Action
When casting this mandinga, it is necessary for the
caster to be close to the affected item or area. The caster Duration: 30 seconds (3 turns) | DISPELABLE
can also define during cast which creatures can approach Prerequisite: Touch
without triggering the alarm.
Description: Upon touching a single target creature,
the caster forces it to perform a Fortitude test (DC 12). In

62
case of failure, the target will have a fit of laughter for the Wind pressure
duration of the mandinga, as if someone were tickling it.
Difficulty: 6 | Consumption: 1
As long as the effect lasts, all rolls the target makes
will be made at a disadvantage. If the target tries to cast a
Required action: Combat Action
mandinga while affected by tickly touch, it have to first roll Description: A sudden strong draft of air crashes into
a d6. On a result of 1, 2 or 3 the madinga fails, the target single target (and another single target that is directly
loses any action used to cast it and any cost paid for it. behind it), dealing [1d6] damage. If a target fails a Fitness
test (DC 12), he will be knocked away and prone. Heavy,
huge and larger sized creatures and objects are not
Touch of fatigue affected by this effect, but still takes the damage.
Difficulty: 6 | Consumption: 1
Required action: Combat Action CONJURING SIMPATIAS
Prerequisite: Touch
In comparison to mandingas, simpatias are magic
Description: The target creature must succeed in a tricks of minor power and easier to learn and cast. They
Fortitude test (DC 12), or it will become tired. If it’s already don’t require great mastery of words and can be conjured
tired, it will become exhausted. If it is already exhausted, by any sorcerer. Whoever has the Conjuration special
it will pass out and have to make the appropriate death ability knows all the simpatias on the list below. Ordinary
rolls tests. people who work hard can also learn to cast some of them.
All simpatias have difficulty 5, so you still need magic
Tree-me power to cast them. It is recommended for the Griots to
create other simpatias during the game in addition to those
Difficulty: 7 | Consumption: 2 presented here (preferably, with the help of other Players).
Required action: Combat action
Duration: 30 minutes | Dispellable Open-close
Description: The caster takes the form of a tree or Difficulty: 5 | Consumption: 1
shrub of up to two size categories larger or smaller than
Required action: Move action
himself. Clothing and equipment are also affected. While
in this state, the caster’s body is indistinguishable from Description: The caster opens or closes a single target
an ordinary tree, but he can still see and hear everything door, window, chest, bag or similar object at a distance.
that happens around him as usual. The caster can also The object must be within 20m of the caster and cannot
keep the ability to speak, as long as the tree has some weigh more than 200kg. This simpatia is not capable of
orifice that may serve as a mouth. The caster can dispell unlocking locked objects.
Tree-Me and revert to its original form with the cost of
one move action.
Calm mind

Walking on water Difficulty: 5 | Consumption: 2

Required action: Move action
Difficulty: 7 | Consumption: 1
Description: This simpatia calms a single target who
Required action: Move action is under the effect of strong emotions such as anger, fear,
Duration: 5 minutes | Dispellable anxiety, etc. This simpatia does not make hostile targets
friendly, it just makes them think in a more rational way,
Description: It gives a single target creature the ability
preventing them from acting impulsively. If the target is
to walk on the surface of water (or any other liquid) for
shaken or terrified, the adverse condition affecting him
the duration of the mandinga. Walking through rough
is nullified.
waters – like a mighty river, for example – requires the
recipient of the spell to make a Balance test (DC defined
by the Griot).

63
 Walking on walls Stretch member
Difficulty: 5 | Consumption: 2 Difficulty: 5 | Consumption: 1
Required action: Move action Required action: Move action
Duration: 5 minutes | Dispellable Description: The caster can stretch one of his limbs
Description: The caster grants a single target creature up to 15 feet for a single action, making him able, for
the ability to walk on vertical surfaces like walls or ceilings, example, to reach distant objects or perform melee attacks
with the same grip that insects or geckos would have. at a long distance.

Repair object Ignition

Difficulty: 5 | Consumption: 2 Difficulty: 5 | Consumption: 1

Required action: Combat Action Required action: Move action
Description: The caster can fix a single mundane Description: The snap of the caster’s fingers releases
object such as a jar, chair, sword, etc. It does not affect sparks capable of starting the combustion of flammable
magical artifacts. materials. Useful for lighting torches, fires and occasionally
some explosives.

Detect magic
Orb of light
Difficulty: 5 | Consumption: 1
Difficulty: 5 | Consumption: 1
Required action: Combat Action
Required action: Combat Action
Description: The caster is able to sense the presence,
quantity, location and intensity of magical auras emanating Duration: 2 hours | Dispellable
from enchanted creatures or objects within a radius of 30 Description: This simpatia creates a floating orb
feet around him. The intensity of an aura can be weak, that emanates light equivalent to a normal torch. The
moderate, powerful, or overwhelming, depending on the orb can be moved at the caster’s will, but it is unable to
amount of magical energy present in the wearer. float more than 30 feet away from him.

Weaken wood Smooth fall

Difficulty: 5 | Consumption: 1 Difficulty: 5 | Consumption: 1
Required action: Combat Action Required action: Move action
Prerequisite: Touch Duration: 10 minutes | Dispellable
Description: By touching a non-magical target wooden Description: This simpatia decreases the falling speed
structure, the caster rots it from the inside, making it of a single target of large or smaller size, preventing it
more fragile. Previously resistant doors can be broken from taking damage on impact with the ground during
with a light push; wooden armor no longer provides any falls. It’s not flying, it’s falling with style.
protection and wooden weapons break on the first attack.
It is not possible to weaken large structures at once. It
is one thing to rot an ordinary tree and door; it’s another
Amphibious breath
thing to rot a two-thousand-year-old baobab or the heavy Difficulty: 5 | Consumption: 2
wooden gates of a city. A greater expenditure of ashe
may be necessary to cover larger areas, according to the Required action: Combat Action
Griot’s judgment. Duration: 3 hours | Dispellable
Description: This simpatia causes up to two target
creatures to develop gills on their necks or other body
parts, allowing them to breathe normally underwater.

64
 EQUIPMENT

MONEY IN AIYE • Exotic weapons: These are weapons that require

specific training to be used because they are too weird
Although in remote regions barter is still the most and/or difficult to master. To handle an exotic weapon,
popular method of doing business, in the places where you must have the Exotic Training special ability.
trade is most intense the use of coins has become
commonplace. The ganas, which consist of small metal • Melee attack: Weapons that can only hit adjacent
shackles, are the most widespread and accepted currency targets, such as swords and spears.
in Aiye, but shells and salt are also very common. Regular
Some of them, however, can be thrown, like the javelin.
ganas are made of bronze, but there are silver and gold
Throwing weapons are marked in the equipment table
versions. The latter are rare and used almost exclusively
with an asterisk (*). Melee attacks are performed with
by wealthy nobles and merchants, who work with large
the Melee skill. Throwing attacks are performed with
sums of money.
the Ranged skill.
In reality, the value and type of currency varies by
region, with many kingdoms having their own coins. In • Ranged attack: Weapons that can hit targets a
some places, even oddities such as volcanic glass, kola considerable distance away, usually firing projectiles
nuts, brightsteel, carved bones, and many others are used such as bows and slings. Ranged attacks are performed
as currency. For game purposes, we will consider only with the Ranged skill.
the most common currency, with the following values:
• One hand: Weapons that can be used with one hand,
allowing the use of a shield or a second weapon on the
other hand. Small sized creatures, however, still need
1 pound of salt = 10 shells to use both hands to wield these weapons, unless the
10 shells = 1 bronze gana (₲) weapon has the light (L) characteristic.
10 bronze ganas = 1 silver gana • Two-handed: Weapons that require two hands to
10 silver ganas = 1 gold gana handle. All ranged weapons, except the sling and the
throwing knife, are considered to be two-handed. Small-
sized creatures cannot use melee weapons of this type
When an item is very cheap, like a chicken egg or a
unless they have the Heavy Weapon Special Ability, nor
handful of flour, people often use shells or just barter
can they carry longbows, heavy crossbows, repeating
for it. Traders who accept salt always have a scale, or a
crossbows and mobile ballistae.
standard size bamboo container, to measure the traded
quantity. In this chapter, equipment prices will only be • Damage: The damage inflicted by each weapon.
measured in common, bronze ganas.
• Range: How far the fired projectile or thrown weapon
The values in the tables only need to be taken literally can go. Ranged weapons have varying ranges, while
when purchasing equipment during the creation of the thrown melee weapons have a default range of 30 feet.
Protagonists. After that, the Griot is free to change the It is possible to attack targets that are at a distance of up
prices to reflect the economic and cultural nuances of his to twice the weapon’s range, but the attack roll is made
adventure’s specific setting and situation. at a disadvantage.

• Price: The indication of the average cost of each

WEAPONS weapon, which also represents the difficulty to obtain it.
These prices include essential accessories for the use of
• Common weapons: These are weapons that anyone weapons, such as a quiver for the bows and a scabbard
with minimal combat training is capable of handling. All for the swords. Changes in values can be made at the
Protagonists know how to use common weapons. Griot’s discretion, to better represent specific conditions
or situations.

66
 Melee weapons (common)
Weapon Type Damage Price (₲₲)
Assegai* One hand (l) 1d6+2 40
Bellycutter One hand 1d6+2 45
Brass knuckles One hand (l) 1d6+1 20
Club Two hands 1d6+2 30
Dagger One hand (l) 1d6+1 20
Dialogue Two hands 2d6 50
Fighting stick Two hands 1d6 1
Flail One hand 1d6+1 10 ₲
Glaive Two hands 1d6+4 75
Hatchet* One hand (l) 1d6+1 25 ₲
Hornbill knife* One hand (l) 1d6+1 25
Khopesh One hand 1d6+4 95
Machete One hand (l) 1d6+2 50
Needleblade One hand (l) 1d6+3 80
Rungu One hand (l) 1d6 10
Rustic spear Two hands 1d6+1 2₲
Scimitar One hand 1d6+3 70
Shotel One hand (l) 1d6+3 85
Sickle One hand (l) 1d6+1 25
Spear Two hands 2d6+1 55 ₲
Stick One hand (l) 1d6-1 1
Straight sword Two hands 2d6+1 65
Swlord One hand 1d6+4 90
War axe Two hands 2d6+3 135 ₲
War hammer One hand 1d6+2 40 ₲

Melee weapons (exotic)

Weapon Type Damage Price (₲₲)
Claw One hand (l) 1d6+2 60
Double glave Two hands 2d6+4 120
Guillotine Two hands 3d6+3 155
Kpinga* One hand (l) 1d6+4 100
Long scythe Two hands 2d6+2 65
War mallet Two hands 2d6+5 140
Whip One hand (l) 1d6 10

67
 Ranged weapons (common)
Weapon Ranged Damage Price (₲₲)
Explosive gourd 40 Ft 4d6 25
Incendiary gourd 40 Ft 2d6 25
Light crossbow 100 Ft 2d6+2 90
Longbow 120 Ft 2d6+1 60
Shortbow 60 Ft 2d6 40
Sling 35 Ft 1d6+1 2

Ranged weapons (exotic)

Weapon Ranged Damage Price (₲₲)
Heavy crossbow 150 ft 2d6+4 125
Mobile ballista 250 ft 3d6+6 350
Throwing knife 30 ft 1d6+1 10

Ammunition
Ammunition Price (₲₲)
Regular arrow (x10) 1
Incendiary arrow (x5) 2
Regular bolt (x10) 2
Mobile ballista bolt (x1) 5

WEAPONS DESCRIPTIONS Club: A primitive, crude, barbaric, and wonderful

weapon. It consists of a wooden stick with a chipped
Assegai: A practical and extremely popular weapon. stone attached to the end.
It is similar to a spear, but the tip is longer and the handle
is much shorter. It can be thrown. Dagger: A small, sinuous blade. It is a discreet weapon,
ideal for attacks against unprepared targets.
Bellycutter: The cutbelly blade is a thin, straight,
light and very sharp sword. The blade is about 15 inches Dialogue: A kind of thick wooden stick covered with
long and the handle does not have a hilt. thorns. It’s a heavy, brutal and very inelegant weapon –
but it works like a charm! There is no conflict that a good
Brass knuckles: Metal reinforcement to deliver more dose of dialogue cannot resolve.
powerful punches. Sometimes with thorns.
Double glaive: Like a glaive, but there is a blade
Claw: A wooden carapace that attaches to the forearm at both ends of the handle. Because it requires a lot of
and has two sharp blades attached to the hilt. The claw dexterity from the user, who will need to make quick
grants the user +1 DR. and accurate movements with both ends of the shaft,

68
this is difficult to handle weapon, but incredibly deadly and then tear it to smithereens. Common among terugas,
if properly used. kulvites and the like.

Explosive gourd: A small gourd that contains a liquid Kpinga: One of the most bizarre weapons out there. It
that reacts violently when in contact with air. It is made consists of a handle with several blades similar to those
from a rare and dangerous fruit. This gourd grows in a of a scythe, but made to be throwable. Warriors untrained
kind of bush with bluish flowers and the smell of fart. in the use of this exotic weapon are likely to end up losing
The explosion destroys the plant but scatters the seeds. an eye when wielding one of these. When thrown, the
Don’t try to eat it! The added attribute of the explosive kpinga generates a critical success on any attack roll that
gourd damage is AGI instead of STR. result in two equal numbers on [2d6] (such as 3 and 3, 4
and 4...), except 1 and 1 (which is still a critical failure).
Fighting stick: A long stick made of wood. It is a
simple, less lethal weapon, used more for training than Light crossbow: Simply put, it is a small bow mounted
for real combat. horizontally on a wooden pole. During operation, the rope
is tensioned, with the bolt ready, and a trigger releases
Flail: A rod connected by strings to two or three the shot. More powerful and versatile than the common
stones. Although being a simple weapon, the flail is capable bow, but also more expensive. The added attribute of the
of delivering spinning blows with its linked stones that can light crossbow’s damage is AGI instead of STR.
shatter anyone’s jaw. Its ropes can also become tangled
in an enemy’s weapon and then be used to disarm them. Long scythe: A kind of sickle, but with a long handle
and a large curved blade at the end, positioned at a
Glaive: A weapon consisting of a long shaft with a perpendicular angle. It guarantees less losses during
single-edged blade on the tip, used for cutting and stabbing. harvests and more losses to enemy troops during combat.
The scythe grants a +1 bonus on Intimidation tests.
Guillotine: This was a sword used in executions,
created specifically to decapitate prisoners, but it is also Longbow: A battle bow, ideal for hitting enemies at
used in combat. It has an odd shape: it is wide, single- great distances. The length of this bow is equivalent to the
edged, and its tip is curved like a sickle. height of an adult human being, so it cannot be wielded
by creatures of small or smaller size.
Hatchet: A common tool, used to cut wood and split
some skulls. Can be thrown. Machete: The blade of this weapon starts out thin,
but gets wider until it reaches the tip. It is used both in
Heavy crossbow: Larger and more powerful than
exploration, to clear dense forests, and in combat.
the light crossbow, with a sturdier stock and a longer
metal bow. It has a crank to allow recharging. Its shots Mobile ballista: A huge version of the heavy crossbow.
ignore 2 DR of the target’s armor/shield. Reloading a It fires human-arm-sized bolts capable of blowing holes
heavy crossbow takes more time than other weapons, in doors and impaling enemies with a single shot. It’s a
consuming a move action. The added attribute of the fearsome weapon, but difficult to handle due to its weight
heavy beast’s damage is AGI instead of STR. and reload time. Handling a mobile ballista requires at
least STR 2, and reloading it consumes a combat action.
Hornbill knife: An L-shaped knife whose blade
Its shots ignore up to 5 DR of the target’s armor/shield.
resembles the beak of a hornbill. Made to penetrate and
The attribute added to the mobile ballista’s damage is
tear flesh when pulled. In the hands of skilled warriors,
AGI instead of STR.
it can also be thrown.
Needleblade: Thin and pointed saber ideal for making
Incendiary gourd: A small gourd whose contents
quick and precise thrusts against the victim’s vital organs.
have been replaced by a flammable liquid. After the wick
is lit, it takes just a few seconds for combustion to start Rungu: A wooden stick with a nodule at the end. It is
and for the gourd to burst into flames. When thrown, considered a club variant and is as popular as its cousin.
it sets fire to everything within a radius of 5 feet from
where it hits. Creatures that are on fire for this reason Rustic spear: The most primitive version of the spear.
take 3 damage per turn unless they use a combat action It is just a wooden shaft with a sharp point, usually carved
to put out the fire. with a knife. It is a common improvised weapon, useful
for hunting and fishing.
Khopesh: An efficient mix of sword and scythe, the
khopesh serves its purpose well – to disarm the enemy

69
 Scimitar: A sword with a curved blade which is wider Long sword: As the name implies, it is a long and
at the end. A slash weapon widely used by desert peoples. straight bladed sword. It is a light weapon popular in
The rich among these peoples usually wield scimitars many regions for its practicality.
encrusted with jewels and filled with golden details. Some
even collect them. Swlord: A short-handled sword with a long, wide
blade. It’s heavier than average, but deadly in the right
Short bow: A bow commonly used by hunters. It is hands. It is used by the nobility and symbolizes power.
less powerful than a longbow, but easier to carry when
wandering through dense woods and it doesn’t require Throwing knife: Used by trained warriors who want
as much muscle strength on the part of the archer. to stab opponents without getting their hands dirty. In
melee attacks, it only deals half of its stated damage.
Shotel: A type of saber with a narrow, curved and
menacing-looking blade, War axe: A double-bladed axe made especially for use
in battle, as opposed to a hatchet. It is a brutal weapon,
S ickle : A hook-shaped blade, widely used in capable of cutting off limbs with ease.
agriculture, but sharp enough to kill.
War hammer: A moderately heavy hammer – light
Sling: A simple sling consisting of a folded leather enough to be used with one hand and heavy enough to
strap on which you place small objects you want to throw, crush skulls.
usually stones.
War mallet: A heavy sledgehammer with a long shaft.
Spear: Because of its versatility and easy handling, Each blow has the potential to turn enemies’ bones to dust.
the spear is perhaps the most popular weapon of all eras.
It consists of a long wooden rod with a piercing metal tip. Whip: A braided rope attached to a cable, commonly
The damage on the description is valid for two-handed used to punish slaves and animals, but also used in combat
use, but it can be used with one hand – in that case, it by a few trained warriors. Melee dice roll tests using a
applies [1d6+1] damage instead of the usual [2d6+1]. whip can be made with the AGI attribute instead of STR.

Stick: Any piece of stick. It could be the foot of a

broken chair, a thick tree branch or some other improvised ARMOR AND SHIELDS
weapon to knock out an opponent in a emergency.
• Weight: Armor and shields have different weights,
varying according to the materials they are made of and the
protection provided. All characters can wear lightweight
armor and shields. To wear medium and heavy ones,
however, the Wear Armor and Wear Armor II special
abilities, respectively, are required.

• DR: It is the damage reduction of the equipment,

that is, how much of the damage is absorbed by the armor
or shield during an attack. A character with a total DR 5,
if hit by an attack that deals 7 damage, will only suffer 2
damage. Some types of damage (mainly from spells) can
ignore DR. In these cases, the damage will be flagged
with (AN), which means armor negation.

• AP: The armor penalty. It is how much the weight

of the armor or shield impairs the wearer’s mobility. AP
is applied to the AGI attribute. A character with Agility 3
and AP 2 has only an effective Agility of 1 while wearing
the armor.

• Price: The average cost of each armor or shield,

which also represents the difficulty to obtain it. Changes
in values can be made at the Griot’s discretion, to better
represent specific conditions or situations.

70
 Armors
Armor Weight DR AP Price (₲₲)
leather guards Light 1 0 30
fur armor Medium 3 0 60
wood armor Medium 3 -1 20
padded robe Medium 4 -1 80
chainmail Medium 5 -2 240
plate mail Heavy 7 -2 320

Shields
Shield Weight DR AP Price (₲₲)
Long leather shield Light 1 0 20
reinforced leather shield Medium 3 0 60
wood shield₲ Medium 3 -1 30 ₲
reinforced wood shield Heavy 5 -2 160 ₲
metal shield Heavy 7 -2 280 ₲

ARMORS DESCRIPTIONS Plate mail: The best-crafted armor there is. It is strong
and heavy, usually custom-made, consisting of several
Chainmail: A long garment made of thousands of metal plates or scales that cover most of the body. It comes
interlocking metallic rings that form a very resistant with a helmet to protect the head. It is an expensive armor,
and flexible mesh. It covers most of the body, including and its grandeur and reliability make it a favorite among
most of the head, leaving only the lower limbs and face kings and generals. To ensure quality, it is worth looking
unprotected. This one can bear the brunt of any battle. for an experienced blacksmith to craft one of these.
Fur armor: A segmented suit made from several Wood armor: A rustic armor consisting of a set of
layers of animal skin. Protects shoulders, neck and part small wooden boards tied together and attached to the
of the arms and legs. It also includes a belt to cover the body. It can cover the chest, part of the arms, legs and even
abdomen. It offers a satisfactory defense and does not the head. It’s uncomfortable, but no more uncomfortable
significantly impair mobility. than an arrow piercing the flesh.
Leather guards: Shoulder-arms, armbands, shin
guards and sometimes a helmet – all made from animal SHIELDS DESCRIPTIONS
leather. It only covers a small portion of the body, so
it provides little protection, but it does not impair the Long leather shield: Also called guni, isihlangu,
movements of the user. ikhaka or banut shield, it’s long and elliptical in shape,
while being also light and easy to manufacture. It is usually
Padded robe: A thick robe made of colored fabric or made from goat or cow leather. This is the most popular
vegetable fiber reinforced with wooden boards and padded shield among the small tribes of Aiye, but it is also common
with kapok tree cotton. Includes a cloth-coated brass helmet among the armies of great empires. Reduced size versions
adorned with ostrich feathers. It covers the body from the are used in religious rituals of dance or in sports.
knees up and offers great protection, but it’s too hot.

71
 Metal shield: Although its heavy weight makes it In addition to carefully crafted conduits, there are
difficult to handle, this shield is capable of blocking even also improvised ones. Improvised conduits are not really
very powerful attacks. It can have different shapes, but magic items, but they still are useful to make users more
the round format is the most common. This is a shield confident and centered, which is enough to increase their
that will never let you down. magic power (at least a little bit).

Reinforced leather shield: Made with some One thing that is important to remember when talking
layers of tough leather (often crocodile or rhino) with about conduits is that magic comes from the word, and
a lightweight wood reinforcement behind it. It is more that the most famous people and items tend to be the most
reliable than the common version of the leather shield, powerful as well. Therefore, excellent conduits are found
but requires an equivalent amount of extra material to mainly in holy cities, famous monasteries and temples
produce. frequented by many, while masterpiece conduits are used
only by remarkable and widely known sorcerers. Many
Reinforced wood shield: A much more robust of those remarkable conduits belonged at some point to
version of the basic wood shield, this one has a metal the orishas, or mundanas of orishas, and because of that
structure to fortify it. It is heavier, but its effectiveness they are very popular in folklore, where they appear as
is guaranteed. the focus of all kinds of legends and rumors.

Wood shield: A round shield made of solid wood.

Simple but efficient.

CONDUITS
Conduits are consecrated objects imbued with special
magical auras that assist spellcasters when casting their
mandingas and simpatias. They grant bonus magic power
(MP) to the user, allowing the cast of more powerful
spells than usual. The conduits must be made of special
materials that helps the flow of ashe through the body of
the caster, allowing it to fully concentrate in the ori. The
highest quality conduits, in addition to being manufactured
by specialists using only the best materials, must also
undergo magical rituals and be presented to the people
as a sacred artefact.

Conduits
Item Quality Bonus Price (₲₲)

Staff Improvised +1 Variable1

Erueshin Normal +2 100

Musical instrument Good +3 500

Mask Excellent +4 1.000

Ofa Masterpiece +5 3.000

1 – Staff (2 ₲), erueshin (5 ₲), musical instrument (40 ₲), mask (5 ₲), ofa (5 ₲₲).

72
 Staffs, ofas, erueshins, masks and musical instruments Ofa: Sacred symbol in the form of a bow and arrow,
are the most common conduits. Other types of items are held with only one hand. Represents skill in hunting and
also valid choices, as long as they are cool and have the mastery of war. The simpler versions are made of wood,
Griot approval. For the conduit to be functional, the user while the more valuables are made of orunium, platinum
must be touching it with at least one hand at the time he or tanzanite.
casts the mandinga. The bonus awarded by conduits are
not cumulative – if the caster is carrying more than one
conduit, only the bonus of the most powerful one is applied.

In addition to being purchased, the conduits can

also be handcrafted by the Protagonists, but the Griot
must determine what are the necessary ingredients and
rituals for this – the rarity and difficulty of those should
be proportional to the quality of the crafted conduit.

Conduits of extraordinary quality can have additional

magical properties, but those can only be obtained in
equally extraordinary ways. It is common for this kind
of items to be given specific names.
MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS AND SERVICES
CONDUITS DESCRIPTIONS
Staff: It could be a simple rough wooden shaft, or a Junk
long branch carved to look straight. Some spellcasters
adorn their staffs with feathers, bones, and the like. The Item Price (₲₲)
more refined staffs, however, are usually made of special
metals such as orunium or afro and covered in gold and Bag 2
inlaid with precious stones, making them symbols worthy Blanket 2
of royalty. If used as two-handed weapons, the staffs deal
[1d6] damage.
Book 50
Ceramic pot 3
Erueshin: A small wooden rod with a ponytail at the
end. It is a device often used in religious ceremonies. Chain (3 ft) 10
The most ornate ones can have sophisticated carvings Cloak 2
on the handle, metallic coating and, at the tip, hair from
Common clothing 15
the mane of magical creatures.
Hammer1 10
Musical instrument: There are many types – the
Hammock 10
djembe (drum), the hungu (berimbau), the kalimba
(lamelophone), the kora (harp-lute), the shekere (rattle), the Hand mirror 25
kabosy (a rectangular viola), the fulannu (flute) and several Handcuffs 5
others. The most beautiful and melodious instruments
are also the most expensive, and the ones prepared to Harpoon2 5
be a conduit are usually made of enchanted tree wood, Healing herbs3 (1 use) 3
magical animal hide or other exotic materials.
Incense (1 use) 4
Mask: Almost always made of wood, with caricatures Ink bottle 3
that have funny, or scary, features. It mimics the faces of
Large chest 5
spirits and guardians. Used mainly in religious ceremonies,
it is an artifact covered in mysticism which strengthen the Large cloth bag 2
connection with the ancestors. The most elaborated masks Large gourd 2
can cost fortunes, and the best-known ones belonged to
god-kings and ngangas of great wisdom. Merchant’s scale 10
Musical instrument4 40

73
 Junk
Item Price (₲₲)
Noble clothing 100
Oil (1 use) 2
Papyrus (1 page) 3
Pick5 25
Quiver 2
Regional map 30
Rope (50 ft) 1
Rope ladder (10 ft) 5
Sacred amulet 2
Salt (2 lbs) 2
Salted beef (1 meal) 1
Sleeping bag 10
Small chest 2
Small cloth bag 1
Small gourd 1
Sun watch 10
Tent (for 2 people) 15
Torch 1
Wood idol 10
Wood mask 5

1 – If used as a weapon, it deals [1d6] damage. Melee

weapon (common, one-handed).

2 – If used as a weapon, it deals [1d6+1] damage.

Melee weapon (common, two-handed).

3 – Causes the user to regain +3 HP during a long

rest. It is a non-cumulative effect.

4 – Examples: djembe (drum), hungu (berimbau),

kalimba (lamelophone), kora (harp-lute), shekere (rattle),
kabosy (guitar). fulannu (flute), etc.

5 – If used as a weapon, deals [1d6+1] damage. Melee

weapon (common, two-handed).

74
 EQUIPMENT

ABOUT THE BESTIARY the ashe that runs throughout the universe, and, in this
process, they corrupt all of nature.
The Bestiary is a long list of creatures that can be
found in the Kalymba setting. Here, descriptions of each • People: Races whose individuals are considered
monster will be presented along with their respective people by common sense, being capable of thinking,
combat statistics; their hit points, resistances, abilities, speaking and organizing in societies. This category also
attacks, etc. Ideally, Players should avoid reading the includes generic professions for Supporting Characters
Bestiary, and the only the Griot should look into it. that can be adapted to any playable race.
Surprise and a sense of discovery are important to the
• Monsters: Atrocious monsters, magical beasts and
general gaming experience, so it is best that Players don’t
people-eating creatures. Beings of hideous anatomy, and
always know what kind of challenge the Protagonists
sometimes endowed with intelligence. These are one of
are facing. With that in mind, if the Players already have
the dangers lurking in every corner of Aiye.
prior knowledge about the creatures described here, the
Griot should feel free to modify them as needed, or even
create new ones, to keep the Players guessing about the CHARACTERISTICS OF CREATURES
dangers that they have to face. Kalymba is a setting in
constant expansion and development, and you are also • Level: Some creatures are more powerful than
part of that process. others, and that’s a fact. A Supporting Character’s
level defines how powerful the creature or person is,
and also its combat performance relative to a group
CREATURE CATEGORIES of three Protagonists of similar level. This scale is not
perfectly accurate, as the concrete danger a monster
The Bestiary creatures are separated into seven
poses depends on the Protagonists’ specific abilities and
categories. These categories are:
luck, as well as the conditions under which the encounter
• Aberrations: Abnormal, bizarre beings that arise occurs. But, generally speaking, a Brave level 2 creature
through unnatural processes. They are not creations of (being 2nd rank) is considered a moderate challenge
the orishas, but the result of oddities, mutations, illnesses, for a Brave level 2 party; a Veteran level 4 creature is a
curses or strange rituals. moderate challenge for a Veteran level 4 party, and so
on. A “moderate challenge” is defined as a challenge that
• Beasts: Common animals; irrational and non-magical requires a significant amount of resources from the group
beasts. They have souls, but lack the intellect needed to be (HP, ashe, items, skills, etc.), but offers a low risk of death.
civilized. There are millions of different species of beasts,
Remember that a Kid level 3 group of Protagonists
and they make up the majority of life in Aiye.
with depleted resources is considerably weaker than a
• Spirits: Immaterial beings made of pure ashe, group of the same level but with abundant resources.
entities that belong to the Otherworld. When found in Because of that, consecutive fights create a greater
the material world, they can be the souls of mortals who difficulty and raise the risk of someone kicking the
became trapped in the physical plane or manifestations bucket. It’s important to consider this before throwing
of creatures coming from Orun. a long sequence of theoretically moderate challenge
fights against a group of Protagonists that doesn’t have
• Fetish: Constructs, animated objects and structures an opportunity to rest between then. At this point, the
created by artificial means and devoid of soul or personality. measurement by level has lost much of its usefulness,
Beings that are not alive or dead, and are usually controlled because the variables are too many and the game balance
by some kind of master. has gone to hell. In any case, the Griot’s experience and
common sense should outweigh these level categories,
• Fracturians: Demons from the Outer Chaos who and he can modify creatures’ stats to create more or less
live only to destroy and conquer. They feed on the cosmic dangerous situations. Even so, Creatures that are three or
energy that gives existence to material and living things,

76
more levels above the Protagonists’ level are considered • PD: The creature’s passive defense. It represents
to be difficult challenges to overcome. the difficulty of hitting her with melee and ranged attacks.
To succeed, the attack must surpass the PD value. For
Some monsters work best when teamed up, and others example, if the PD is 12, the attack roll result must be
are downright pathetic if alone. Therefore, these enemies 13 or more, otherwise the attack fails and the creature
must be in a group if they want to pose any danger to takes no damage.
the Protagonists. In the case of very weak enemies or
enemies that are always fighting in groups, there will be • DR: Damage reduction. Protection can be natural (as
an indication of how many are needed to be a challenge in the case of creatures that have very thick leather, strong
worthy of the heroes. The number will be right after the body plates, or something like that) or those provided by
level, separated by a slash (/). A Kid Level 1/3 creature, other means, like armor or magic.
for example, needs to be in a trio to be a match against
a group of Kid level 1 Protagonists, while a pair of Hero • MP: The creature’s magic power, shown only if it
Level 3/2 creatures is a challenge for a group of Hero knows how to conjure Mandingas.
Level 3 Protagonists.
• Ashe: The creature’s ashe points, that are spent
If you want to mix creatures of different levels in an on conjuring Mandingas and activating certain abilities.
encounter, do so at your own risk. Calculating the levels
of mixed challenges would be too much work and would • Immunities and resistances: Protection against
not be very precise, so it’s best to base it on your own certain combat maneuvers, adverse conditions or some
intuition. Just keep in mind that large numbers of enemies, types of damage. If the creature is immune against
in general, mean combats that are longes, less dynamic something, it can’t be affected by it. If it is resistant against
and with greater chances of a disaster. It is usually better to something, it has an Advantage on rolls to resist the
overestimate the amount and the difficulty of the enemies maneuver/condition specified or, in the case of damage,
than to underestimate these factors. it will suffer only half of the total unmitigated damage.

At the highest levels (Hero and Legend) there are • Weaknesses: Vulnerability to certain combat
creatures that cannot be defeated through direct combat – maneuvers, conditions or damage types. The creature has
colossal beings capable of decimating armies in one slap, Disadvantage on rolls to resist against these maneuvers
aberrations that even the orishas have difficulty dealing and conditions. In the case of damage, the creature takes
with. In such cases, fights against epic monsters should double of the total unmitigated damage.
involve special planning and, perhaps, a whole journey
through several game sessions to make victory even • Languages: The languages most commonly spoken
minimally possible. Buffed equipment, reinforcements, by this particular creature type. This is just a suggestion,
traps and whatever else that could be used against them not a rule.
will be needed. Similarly, in battles against “bosses” of
• Attributes: The attributes of the creature. As usual,
lower levels, it is interesting to make these fights harder
they must be added to skills when tests are needed.
than regular battles, and in those cases some Griot’s
tricks are appropriate. The Griot may use a bunch of • Skills: The skills generally known by creatures of
henchmen, difficult terrain, time limits, difficult weather, this type. If a creature doesn’t have a particular skill on
among others tricks, to make the encounter harder to its list, the score is zero, and only the attribute counts on
be overcome, since these elements can influence the their tests. If they do have the skill, it’s value is determined
complexity of the challenge. Every combat should be by the creature level. Kid level bonus is +3, Brave level
exciting, but big confrontations should be exceptional. bonus is +4, Veteran level bonus is +5, and so on. Those
Even if some Protagonist goes to Orun, it must happen values are also indicated on the creature stats.
in a memorable way.
• Abilities: The special abilities (passive and active)
• Size: The size category the creature belongs to (Size that the creature has and the mandingas it is able to
categories, page 35 – Tiny, Miniature, Small, Medium, cast. Also included here are the special attacks that the
Large, Huge, Colossal, Gargantuan). creature can perform.

• HP: The creature’s hit points. Unlike the Protagonists,

when a Supporting Character reaches zero HP, it
automatically dies. As always, exceptions can be made
by the Griot.

77
 It works like this: some wokulos are chosen from
among their peers to have the honor of being the “parents”
of the next generation. These chosen ones eat like kings
for about a year, while they are being fattened. After this
period, when they are already fat as pregnant pigs, they
are buried alive in their respective homes, in a day of great
joy and revelry for the tribe. After three full moons, the
places were the chosen ones were buried are dug up, and
inside these new made holes are the new wokulo babies,
sleeping peacefully. In general, six to ten wokulings sprout
for each adult buried, and, among those, a special one
is born with a navel. Naveled wokulos are considered
special and belong to a superior caste in the wokulo
society. They are destined for leadership positions and
receive all kinds of social perks. Among those perks is
the companionship of a ngoloko.

The ngolokos are lifelong four legged monster

companions of the naveled wokulos, and a full time
responsibility that includes brushing their fur, picking
out ticks and cleaning their poop. Because of that close
relation, a ngoloko’s bond with its owner is very powerful,
and they become really close friends. In fact, this bond is so
strong that, at one point, the tribe’s whistlers, the sorcerers
of the tribe, perform a magical ritual to permanently
unite them. During this ritual, one of the ngoloko’s eye
is exchanged for one of the wokulo’s eye, and they start
sharing their vision. That’s why both the naveled wokulos
and their four-legged companions wear eye patches. The
covered eye of the wokulo sees what the uncovered eye of
the ngoloko sees, and vice versa. The average adaptation

WOKULO period after the ritual is a week, but the effect is so dramatic
that some wokulos can’t stand it and end up going crazy.
• PEOPLE • Despite that, this is an ancient tradition, maintained since
the First Age, and there are no plans to stop keeping it
Wokulos are short, about a 3 feet tall, and so ugly alive. As adults, the ngolokos are more than large enough
that it hurts do look at them. Their mouths are filled with to serve as mounts for their owners, and so they become
pointed teeth, their heads with shaggy red hair. They hunting and war animals. Their assistance if frequently
live in fortified villages (commonly called bomas), where used by the wokolos to capture prisoners to be offered
they build huts, make weapons of wood and stone, and as sacrifices in the rituals of the tribe.
sacrifice people in sinister rituals. Because of their wild
behavior and questionable intelligence, some disagree that The history of this barbaric practice dates back to
wokulos are really people, but the truth is that, although the distant days of the dwarf era, shortly after the rise
frowned upon by other peoples, these dwarf relatives are of the wokulo race. According to legend, wokulos were
indeed capable of forming large tribal organizations and born from the open belly of Kolicolu, the great non-man
maintaining complex social relationships. Wokulos have that Obalta created to be the first human, but who was
a language of their own, in addition to unusual customs eventually discarded and hat to live in the depths of the
that they have developed for a very long time. Because it’s earth. Wokulos, like their dwarf brothers, were born with
hard to understande them, the other races are used to see their feet turned backwards, what made it very difficult for
them as nothing more than little monsters. The poor things! them to climb trees or rocks in search of food. Wokulos
hated their feet. At that time, they were still one large
Like madebeles, the stone dwarfs, wokulos do not tribe, for they had not yet spread across the world and
have females among them. Unlike the stone dwarfs, which had only one king. One day, the king of the wokulos,
sprout spontaneously from the ground, wokulos reproduce whose name was Curummana, got tired of his inverted
by being planted.

78
feet and decided it was time for a change. Knowing that In fact, the rituals got even more complex over time.
a cunning devil lived in the nearby lands, hiding from the In most villages, wokulos have come to worship not only
gods because it did not want to work, Curummana went the moon, but also everything that is round in shape.
to him to make a deal. They cut rocks to make spheres, carve wooden circles,
make rings, bracelets, necklaces, and steal any object of
The devil’s name was Dume, and he had big horns and similar shape. Playing kickball became a sacred activity,
a lot of power. Seeing him, Curummana trembled with as well as throwing balls for the ngolokos to catch. In
fear. Its presence was hideous – a white and evil mask sacrificial rituals, it has also become customary to break
amidst an endless black cloak, full of fire and mysteries. the offerings’ legs before the immolation and, after the
But when Curummana explained the situation, Dume blood spurts onto the altar, everyone in the village needs
readily agreed to help the wokulos. It promised to change to dip their feet in red to keep them facing the right way.
the direction of their feet, without pain or any kind of trick, Apparently, it has worked. Who can deny it?
but in return it wanted to be treated like a god, to receive
offerings and sacrifices from them. As the wokulos have And that is the live of the wokulos, worshiping the
always been blind to spiritual things and knew nothing moon, stones, balls and eyeballs. They kill the cripples,
about Orun and the devils, the king accepted the proposal summon the devil and make circles of blood. They break
on behalf of his entire race. On every full moon, living legs, cut throats and collect feet. They ride beasts, hunt
sacrifices would be offered to Dume, and this practice people and pant fattened heroes to harvest babies.
was kept for a long time. As promised, the great devil Wokulos don’t understand gods, ancestors or hell. They
straightened out the legs of the wokulos, now his subjects, believe in what they see, and nothing else. They see the
and they were finally able to play kickball and even became moon, so they believe in Dume. They see the stones, so
decent swimmers. they believe in the moon. The rest is nonsense, invented
by enemies, by those who attack villages, burn whistlers
As time went by, however, Dume started demanding and kill babies and puppies. These naughty people who are
more and more things, and the wokulos had to hunt many, jealous of wokulos and their perfect forward facing knees.
many animals to satisfy him, until they decided to start to Cowards! Warlocks! The truth is that these weird things
sacrificing people too. And Dume was pleased with that, they talk about simply do not exist. Life ends, corpses
because a devil’s heart is only happy with the suffering of are eaten by birds, birds lay eggs, wokulos eat eggs, fat
others. At one point, he ordered that from there forward wokulos are buried and give rise to more wokulos. This
only people’s sacrifices should be brought to him, what is the true cycle of life! Round, as it should be.
created a time with unspeakable violence and death. It
didn’t take long before bands of heroes emerged to fight
the wokulos. These heroes entered their villages, knocked » WOKULO SCOUT«
down altars, burned whistlers alive, and even killed the
wokolos babies and ngolokos cubs. Desperate, a group Wokulos go out every day to hunt, seeking both animals
of wokulos ran to Dume to ask for help, not realizing and people. Naveled wokulos ride in ngolokos, while the
that they were being followed by their enemies. When common ones, who are the majority, walk on foot. These
the heroes saw the devil, they rushed at him with iron less special ones carry bows, javelins, clubs and knives
and magic, and their fury was tremendous. Dume, being made of bone and acacia, and together are capable of
caught like that, by surprise, could not resist. Defeated, taking down even powerful giants.
he quickly fled to Orun.

That same night, when they saw their master flying — W okulo scout ( stats ) —
to the beyond, the wokulos thought he had gone to live
Level: Kid 1/4
on the moon. As they didn’t (and still don’t) know about
spirits and the Otherworld, this idea spread among them, Size: small
and they moved their rituals of sacrifice to nights of full HP: 9
moon. Of course, that wasn’t much better, and those evil
PD: 11
heroes attacked again. Unable to react, the wokulos all
ended up dispersing, and King Curummana himself was Languages: arborian or savanic
cruelly beheaded. Fortunately, the tradition was never
lost. To this day, wokulos still make offerings to Dume, STR: 1 | AGI: 3 | VIG: 1 | INT: 1 | GIN: 1 | ORI: 1
shedding the blood of prisoners of war and kidnapped
victims, hoping to keep their legs as straight as they are.

79
 Skills (+3):
[STR] melee
[STR] climb
[AGI] ranged
[AGI] dodge
[AGI] initiative
[AGI] run
[AGI] ride
[AGI] jump
[AGI] balance
[ORI] perception

— A bilities —
Assegai [combat action]: +4 to hit, 5 [1d6+2] damage,
melee, one-handed (light), throwable.

Short bow [combat action]: +5 to hit, 8 [2d6+1] damage,

ranged, two hands.

The tikoloshe is dumb. Dumb as a doorknob. So

TIKOLOSHE dumb it cannot even speak. Despite that, it keeps trying
• MONSTER • to imitate the sounds that catch its attention, such as dogs
barking or babies crying. If at any time you hear a tiny,
A small demonic creature who breaks into chicken puking voice dumbly repeating some noise, you should
coops and bites people’s fingers while they are asleep. suspect the presence of a nearby tikoloshe. And it can be
The tikoloshe is a little monster that is uglier than hitting close, really really close, even if you can’t see it, because
one’s own mother. It has a big, filthy mouth, full of animal tikoloshes are capable of becoming invisible when they
teeth; two very dark eyes, no eyebrows; and two snotty drink water (not through their mouths, but through the
holes right in the middle of the forehead, which are its holes in their foreheads).
nostrils. It has three fingers on each hand and foot, all
with pointed nails. It walks bent over, sometimes leaning When they are not pestering people in the villages,
on his arms to run faster, as a monkey. The tikoloshe has the Tikoloshes stay in their burrows sleeping or picking
no hair, except on its shoulders and back, where they are each other’s lice. They form small bands and don’t live
abundant and can harbor a multitude of fleas and ticks. very long, mainly because they are dumb. Dumb as rocks.

The tikoloshe doesn’t usually attack people – for it is

so coward that is even afraid of children, but, when no — T ikoloshe ( stats ) —
one is watching, it breaks into chicken coops and pens
to kill chickens and hurt goats (not just for food, but also Level: Kid 1/2
for fun). It also causes damage to crops, pulling the plants Size: small
out of the ground and throwing them into the air, as if
it was in a party. When is capable of mustering enough HP: 10
courage, it also enters homes at night to steal and break PD: 11
objects, or even to bite the fingers of sleeping residents. Languages: none
That is the reason that make people live in tall houses
on lands where this creature lurks, or at least sleep in
hammocks far from the ground. STR: 1 | AGI: 3 | VIG: 1 | INT: -1 | GIN: 0 | ORI: 3

80
Skills (+3):
[STR] melee
[STR] climb
[AGI] ranged
[AGI] dodge
[AGI] initiative
[AGI] run
[AGI] jump
[AGI] stealth
[AGI] escapology
[ORI] perception

— A bilities —
Invisible scamp: When ingesting water, the tikoloshe
becomes invisible for 1 minute. Attacks against him have
a 5/6 chance (a roll of 1 to 5 on 1d6) to automatically
fail. The tikoloshe also gets +6 to Stealth, and can stay
undetected by enemies on most situations.

Bite [combat action]: +4 to hit, 4 [1d6+1] damage, melee.

Stone [combat action]: +6 to hit, 3 [1d6] damage,
ranged, one hand.

FIGHTER
• PEOPLE •
Trained for war, defense, hunting... for fighting.

» GUARD «
A soldier who is always on the lookout. He is the one
who work so people can sleep safely. At least most of them
are. While some guards donate their lives for the benefit
of the community, there are also ones that are corrupt,
brute, and who abuse their power, accepting bribes and
committing atrocities in exchange for a handful of money.

81
 — G uard ( stats ) — entitled to take it for themselves. And if the fisherman
resists, the kongamato attacks, throwing him overboard
Level: Kid 1/3 and, if in a bad mood, bites and attempt to drown him.
Size: Medium Although those attacks are rarely fatal, they serve to teach
the unfortunate fisherman a lesson. One cannot deny fish
HP: 16 to the king of the river!
PD: 10
The kongamato is a large flying reptile. It has no beak,
DR: 2 (shield) but a big mouth with rows of needle-thin teeth. Its wings
Languages: common are featherless and made of leather. Right on the top of
its head there is a bone plate that shows the creatures
royalty. Its body is protected by a garishly colored carapace
STR: 2 | AGI: 2 | VIG: 2 | INT: 2 | GIN: 2 | ORI: 2 fit for a monarch, a carapace that is a valuable material
for the production of clothing and decorations of many
kinds. The kongamato lives in coastal regions or near
Skills (+3):
rivers and lakes, never attacking people to devour them,
[STR] melee as its diet is composed almost exclusively of fish. Even
[AGI] ranged so, it is a nuisance for riverside populations, so much so
that in some places where it used to live it has already
[AGI] dodge
been hunted to extinction.
[AGI] initiative
[ORI] intuition
[ORI] perception

— A bilities —
Serve and protect: When the guard’s HP becomes
equal or less than half, his PD increases by 1. This lasts
until the end of combat.

Assagai [combat action]: +5 to hit, 6 [1d6+3] damage,

melee, one-handed (light), throwable.

Short bow [combat action]: +4 to hit, 8 [2d6+1] damage,

ranged, two hands.

KONGAMATO
• BEAST •
When the world’s first beings were created, the
kongamato were among them. And when the great
monstrous reptiles, the Relic Beasts, fled to the edges
of the world, the kongamato went with them, fearing the
wrath of the orishas. Later, however, it returned to inhabit
ancient lands, which were already populated with other
creatures, many of them intelligent. Unimpressed, the
kongamato were not intimidated by the presence of those
people, as they still considered the world as their territory.

With its mighty wings, it was the first monster to master

the skies, and while not the largest of them all, it was the
fastest and an excellent fisherman. And that is why when
someone catches a fish in the river, the kongamato feels

82
 — K ongamato ( stats ) — HIPPOPOTAMUS
Level: Kid 1/3 • BEAST •
Size: Medium There is a funny story about hippos that is often told around
HP: 10 the campfire: Many, many millennia ago, when the orishas
were still filling the world with life and movement, one
PD: 12 of them decided to create a peculiar creature. However,
Language: none unable to decide what kind of animal it would be, the
STR: 2 | AGI: 2 | VIG: 2 | INT: -2 | GIN: 1 | ORI: 2 orisha just mixed up all the characteristics that came
to his mind. It would be a big, violent beast, with a huge
mouth and frightening teeth... but it would eat grass, not
Skills (+3): meat. He would inhabit hot regions like the savannah and
[STR] melee the like, where the heat is intense... but its skin would
be sensitive to the sun. It would be a fast runner, able to
[STR] fitness pursue its enemies savagely... but it would have short
[AGI] dodge legs and a paunch worthy of a pregnant boar. And so
[AGI] initiative was created the hippopotamus, one of Aiye’s weirdest
and most aggressive animals.
[ORI] perception
[VIG] fortitude It is also said that the first hippopotamus, Kibokotupu,
dissatisfied with its shape and annoyed by the sunburn,
told the orisha that it wanted to live in water. Hearing the
— A bilities — clamor of the lanky giant, the orisha replied, “Okay, but
first you need to ask permission from the river dwellers,
Flight: the kongamato is capable of flying. as they got there first.”

Bite [combat action]: +5 to hit, 7 [1d6+4] damage, melee. And so Kibokotupu did. But the water creatures didn’t
trust the hippopotamus. “With this mouth, it will devour
Claws [combat action]: +5 to hit, 5 [1d6+2] damage, all the fish!” someone said, and everyone agreed. To solve
melee. the conflict, Kibokotupu promised to eat only the grass
that grew in the button and banks of the river. “And to
prove that I’m not lying, from time to time I’ll open my
mouth so you can see there’s no fish, and I’ll wag my tail
whenever I shit, spreading the poop so you can see there’s
no bones in it.” And from then on, Kibokotupu and all of
his descendants started to live in the water, where they
fell like belonging, and are still there today.

Hippos are brutes, hostiles to anyone who enter their

territory. Their powerful jaws kill a lot of people every
year, most often from villages near bodies of water –
rivers, lakes, mangroves, etc. Hippos live in groups, each
led by a dominant male (who is also the most aggressive
individual in the herd). As a rule, they are herbivores and,
contrary to what the myth says, most of their feeding takes
place on land. In normal situations, they only come out
of the water to graze after the sun goes down – alone,
not in groups – and eat up to 70 kg of vegetation per
night. They sometimes destroy crops in this process, so
farmers hate them.
 — H ippopotamus ( stats ) —
Level: Kid 2
Size: large
HP: 33
PD: 9
Language: none
STR: 4 | AGI: 2 | VIG: 3 | INT: -2 | GIN: 1 | ORI: 2

Skills (+3):
[STR] melee
[STR] fitness
[AGI] initiative
[AGI] race
[ORI] perception
[VIG] fortitude

— A bilities —
Night animal: The hippopotamus can see in the dark.
Get out of my way [movement action]: the hippopotamus
runs to a target, trampling everything and everyone in the
way. Anyone on the trajectory must perform a Dodge test
(DC 11) to escape. On a miss, the impact deals 8 [1d6+5]
damage and knocks the victim down. A balance test (DC
12) prevents the knock down effect, but not the damage.

Bite [combat action]: +5 to hit, 13 [2d6+6] damage,

melee.

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