Risus: Mistborn

Risus is a free RPG by S. John Ross. The rules are available here: www222.pair.com/sjohn/risus.htm.

Mistborn is an epic fantasy series by Brandon Sanderson; www.brandonsanderson.com

If you haven’t read this series, I recommend you do, so you can get a better feel for the story and world.

This is not meant to be a complete world/setting description, but a starting point for adventures.

The mysterious and powerful Lord Ruler rules the world of the Final Empire. His government is a
theocratic feudal system. The Final Empire is broken into Dominances, named for the cardinal directions
of the compass, e.g. Western Dominance, Eastern Dominance, Northern or Terris Dominance. The capital
city of the Empire is Luthadel located in the Central Dominance. This is where the Great Noble houses are
located, the base of the Steel Ministry, and the Pits of Hathsin. The Pits of Hathsin are the Lord Ruler’s
penal colony, where the only way out is death. It is also the only known place where Atium can be
harvested from the crystal geode mines. Hathsin convicts are notable for the multitude of scars on their
arms, caused by reaching into the crystal chambers where the Atium geodes form.

The noble houses control the plantations, in the country and artisan skaa (peasant/slave class-they are the
same as the nobles in all regards except birth), in the cities. In the cities crews of skaa thieves, scratch out a
meager living stealing from artisan skaa and lesser nobles. The nobles may take advantage of the skaa
under their control in anyway they see fit, but no skaa mistress may bear half-noble children. This is a
crime punishable by death, both for the skaa and the noble. Culture and learning are early to mid 19 th
century with the Noble Houses holding cotillion-style balls, where Ladies wear elaborate gowns and Lords
wear suits with colorful vests. Political intrigue is the noble’s favorite pastime, next to oppressing the skaa.

The Mistborn world is a barren land where five ashmounts (volcanos), which define the borders of the
Central Dominance, constantly spew volcanic ash into the sky where it falls to earth. Plants always grow
leaves in autumnal hues and the earth must constantly be cleared of ash to allow anything to grow. The sky
and sun always appear a sooty red. At night, the Mist covers the land. Resembling a dense fog, the Mist is
a source of superstition, thought to contain monsters and evil spirits and many skaa avoid going out at night
because of it. It has been this way for one thousand years, since the Lord Ruler’s rise to power.

The Steel Ministry keeps the nobles and skaa inline with its Obligators and Steel Inquisitors. Obligators
and Inquisitors are the priests of the Lord Ruler. Obligators are also bureaucrats, functioning as notaries,
lawyers, and justices. The saying goes that if an obligator didn’t witness it, then it is not so. They appear
wearing dark colored robes (according to their Canton or Order), shaved heads and elaborated tattoos
around the eyes. The more elaborate the tattoo the more important the obligator. Obligators are called
Prelans. The High Obligator is the High Prelan.

Inquisitors are powerful and intimidating, their function is to seek out allomancers and destroy them. They
are imposing figures with their black robes and metal spikes driven through their eyes and protruding from
the back of the skull (there are also eight spikes in the chest and one spike, the Linchpin, between the
shoulder blades). Inquisitors are able to use allomancy without needing to ingest metals. They are able to
pierce copperclouds by viewing the metals that occur naturally in the human body. The only way to kill an
Inquisitor is to separate the spikes in the body from the ones in the head, either by beheading or pulling the
Linchpin. The existence of the torso spikes and the Linchpin are closely guarded secrets of the Canton of
Inquisition.

Allomancers, have the ability to "burn" (or use) ingested metals, thereby enhancing various physical and
mental capacities. The metals and alloys must be pure when ingested, or the Allomancer could become
very ill or possibly die. A person with only one of the abilities listed below is known as a Misting. If
someone has more than one of the abilities below, they have all of them, though their capabilities with each
may vary. These people are Mistborn. Allomantic abliities are hereditary to those of noble birth. While
not a certainty of nobility this is the only known way the trait may be acquired. Thus, nobility have created
a clandestine culture surrounding Allomancers and Mistborn, in particular. Most noble houses employ
groups of mistings, called Hazekillers. They are trained to use their complimentary abilities to defeat
Mistborn.

Mistborn often wear a grey cloak made from dozens of free-hanging, tasseled ribbons of fabric joined at a
cowl and deep hood, called a Mistcloak. This is a badge of office as well as a disguise. Non-allomancers
will often, but not always avoid one seen wearing this cloak.

The metals and alloys below are the 8 basic Allomantic metals and the Allomancers associated with them.

Coinshots have the ability to burn iron, which allows them to "Push" on nearby metals. This can allow
them to make metallic objects that weigh less than they do to fly through the air away from them (using
coins, for instance, as weapons). For metallic objects that weigh more than they do, this can cause them to
be pushed away from the object. It was generally assumed that a Coinshot could not Push on metals that
pierce or are otherwise contained in the body of another Allomancer (e.g., ingested metals), however it can
be achieved by an exceedingly powerful Allomancer.

Lurchers have the ability to burn steel, which allows them to Pull on nearby metals. This can allow them
to make metallic objects that weigh less than they do to fly through the air toward them. For metallic
objects that weigh more than they do, this can cause them to be pulled toward the object. It was generally
assumed that a Lurcher could not Pull on metals that pierce or are otherwise contained in the body of
another Allomancer (e.g., ingested metals), however it can be achieved by an exceedingly powerful
Allomancer.

Rioters burn zinc in order to inflame the emotions of those nearby. This can be used to set off a riot (hence
the name) or to enhance any emotion of the target. Only an exceedingly powerful Allomancer can affect
those burning copper.

Seekers can determine if someone is using Allomancy in the immediate area by burning bronze. With
practice, an Allomancer can determine the location of the other Allomancer, which metal the other
Allomancer is burning, and to what extent the other Allomancer is burning his or her metal. An extremely
powerful Seeker can penetrate the copperclouds of other Allomancers.

Smokers burn copper in order to mask the active use of any Allomancy in a specific area. Groups of them
can effectively mask an entire building. This ability is not omnipotent as an extremely powerful Seeker can
penetrate a coppercloud. In addition to masking Allomantic pulses, this Misting ability provides its user
with immunity to Soothing or Rioting.

Soothers burn brass, giving the ability to soothe or guide emotions in a particular direction. A group of
soothers can affect all the individuals in a particular area. Only an exceedingly powerful Allomancer can
affect those burning copper.

Thugs or Pewterarms, receive greatly enhanced physical capabilities by burning pewter. While burning
pewter, a Thug can fight or perform physical labor longer than a normal person, and is also many times
stronger than his or her normal self. This enhanced strength also allows a Thug to shrug off wounds that
would kill or incapacitate a normal person. Pewter burning also provides a Thug with an increased sense of
balance and vastly increased speed and dexterity. A Thug performing a "pewter drag" can run for many
hours at speeds up to approximately that of a galloping horse. This is extremely draining on the
Allomancer's body and will require the Allomancer to burn pewter after completing the physical parts of
the pewter drag, just to keep the Allomancer's body from collapsing in near-death exhaustion.

One danger for a Thug is when the Thug carrying something that he or she normally couldn't carry and he
or she runs out of pewter to burn, the object he or she is carrying will crush him or her, causing serious
injury. Another danger is that a Thug who shrugged off earlier wounds could succumb to these wounds
when he or she runs out of pewter to burn.
Tineyes burn tin in order to enhance all of their senses. This can be overwhelming in the case of bright
light, strong odors, and loud noises. The sense of touch is also enhanced. This allows the Allomancers to
see through the nightly mists with greater clarity.

The Higher Allomatic Metals, are Atium, Gold, Aluminum, Malatium, Electrum, Duralumin.

Atium is the most valuable metal in the world, and it is slowly mined from the "Pits of Hathsin". Prisoners
of the Lord Ruler mine the metal, as using Allomancy near the atium-producing crystals shatters them. This
metal allows the Mistborn to see a few seconds into the future, thereby allowing them to anticipate the
moves of an opponent. It also enhances the mind to cope with and understand these new insights,
effectively turning a Mistborn invincible for a short time. Atium burns very quickly.

The only known counter to atium is to burn it yourself, showing you what the other person will do.
However, this in turn changes what you will do, which changes what the other person will do, creating a
confusing "vortex" of atium shadows.

If someone burning atium attacks someone not burning the metal there is a way to combat the atium-
burner. The person being attacked can allow their attacker to begin intercepting their future move before
they make it allowing the victim to change what they are doing, and as the attacker is aware that the victim
has no atium to burn they will see their victim's atium shadow "split" into two separate attacks causing a
presumable fatal outcome.

Gold allows a Mistborn to see what they might have been if they had made different choices in the past. It
is rarely used due to possible severe emotional trauma.

Malatium, is an alloy of atium and allows a Mistborn to see the potential future of another, if they had
made different choices in the past.

Electrum, and alloy of gold, allows the Allomancer to see his own future.

Aluminum drains all other metal reserves of the Mistborn, leaving them powerless.

Duralumin is the alloy of aluminum and allows the Mistborn to create a sudden, powerful flare of
whatever metal(s) the Mistborn burns with it, which depletes that metal store in the process.

A sixteenth, un-named metal exists. This metal apparently transforms a normal person into a Mistborn,
thereby giving him the power to employ all the other metals.

Other Forms of Magic

Feruchemy is another form of magic. It uses the same metals as Allomancy, but in different ways. The
metals are worn, rather than ingested, as rings, bracelets, bracers, etc. They are called metalminds. In
order to use them they must be stored with a particular attribute, which means that the Feruchemist must
spend a period of time with reduced natural abilities, in order to later have enhanced abilities. Metalminds
are specific to the feruchemist who made them. A Feruchemist can only use metalminds that she has
prepared herself. Feruchemists are often from the Terris Dominance and called “Keepers.”

Iron stores Physical Weight

Steel stores Physical Speed

Tin stores Senses (One sense per tinmind)

Pewter stores Physical Strength

Brass stores Warmth

Copper stores Memories

Bronze stores Wakefulness

Atium stores Age

Gold stores Health

Malatium; UNKNOWN

Electrum: UNKNOWN

Duralumin: UNKNOWN

Aluminum: UNKNOWN

Mistwraiths and Kandra are magical beings that live in the Mist. They are related, but it is unclear in
what way.

Mistwraiths are harmless, mindless scavangers, that appear as translucent membranes surrounding a
jumble of various skeletons. They roam the mists ingesting the corpses of animals that they come across,
which they then incorporate, hap-hazardly into their own skeletons.

Kandra are sentient beings that are also able to consume the bones of corpses. However, kandra are able
to then flawlessly recreate the flesh that surrounded the skeleton. Further, they can then imitate that being
in great detail, enabling them to fool family and friends. They are also able to modify organ systems to suit
them, e.g. creating a human voice box when using a dog’s skeleton. Kandra are immune to Allomancy,
with the exception of powerful Soothing, which allows the Soother to control a kandra’s body. Such
Soothing is only possible by a Mistborn burning Duralumin. Kandra also serve The Contract. This is an
ancient, quasi-religious covenant of servitude to humanity, in which the kandra vows to serve a specific
human, without question for the life of the human and his or her descendants. The Contract specifies that
the kandra may not directly harm any human. Beyond this little is known of the kandra society, except the
existence of the Council, which makes the Contract assignments.

Koloss are blue-skinned, red-eyed, brutish humanoids that can grow to upwards of twelve feet tall, with
proportionate strength. They are barbaric, given to berserk rages, and often fight amongst themselves for
dominance. They are able to speak and are barely sentient, but capable of some abstract thought. An
interesting attribute is that they continue to grow after achieving maturity, but their skin does not. A young
koloss appears to have loose skin that hangs in slack folds, but as it ages the skin becomes evermore taught.
It eventually splits in places, leaving non-healing wounds at various stress points on the body. Koloss wear
basic loincloths and carry large, wedge-bladed iron swords. It is unknown whether or not koloss can
interbreed with humans, as many humans find koloss frightening and repulsive.

Special Mechanics

Allomancer clichés must specify Misting or Mistborn (there are few Mistborn, say one out of ten
allomancers, which means one out of every hundred people in general). I suggest some sort of dice roll-off
or paper/rock/scissors to determine who in the group is Mistborn.

Allomancers must purchase their cliché double pumped. When a Misting Pewterarm [4] is fighting a
Mistborn [4] seems evenly matched. However, the Mistborn can shoot coins at the Pewterarm from a
distance or otherwise completely change the nature of combat to suit her, which would make the
Pewterarm, unable to participate, thereby dropping the Pewterarm’s cliché to [1] die. That is assuming she
has the appropriate tools handy, in this case coins. A Mistborn can only change the nature of combat after
a successful combat roll.

Feruchemists function much the same way as Mistborn without the ability to change the nature of combat.

All other Risus rules apply to taste. There’s no wrong way….