fantastic medieval

campaigns

Featuring art by Hodag RPG and Emiel Boven, under CC BY 4.0.

Designed as a companion for FANTASTIC MEDIEVAL CAMPAIGNS.
basic
Part I: Players ......................................................................................... 1
Getting Started .............................................................................................. 2
Fighters ............................................................................................................. 3
Mages ............................................................................................................... 4
Experts .............................................................................................................. 6
Equipment ........................................................................................................ 7
Armor & Speed ............................................................................................... 8
Combat.............................................................................................................. 9
Site Exploration .......................................................................................... 10
Overworld Travel ......................................................................................... 11
Negotiation ................................................................................................... 12
Skirmishes ...................................................................................................... 13
Downtime ...................................................................................................... 14
Part II: Referees ...................................................................................15
Site Design..................................................................................................... 16
Region Design .............................................................................................. 17
Monster Types ..............................................................................................18
Example Monsters....................................................................................... 19
Treasure Hoards ......................................................................................... 20
 Magic Weapons
Magic weapons have special abilities and may also deal more
damage than their regular counterparts.

First, roll 1d6: the weapon is either smashing [1, 4], slashing [2, 5],
or stabbing [3, 6]; and it is either one- [1-3] or two-handed [4-6].

Then, find the weapon’s power. Roll on the table below using the
its power die and all dice below (e.g., for d8, roll: d4, d6, d8) and
treat duplicates as null results.

1. Notice shifting rooms.

yo soy muy mía yo me transformo 2. Locate secret doors.

una mariposa yo me transformo 3. Detect invisible things.

makeup de drag queen yo me transformo 4. Reveal traps or hazards.

lluvia de estrellas yo me transformo 5. Detect metals or gems.

6. Throw 3” and it returns.
pasá de vuelta yo me transformo
7. Alert against monsters.
como Sex Siren yo me transformo 8. Become clairaudient.
me contradigo yo me transformo 9. Become clairvoyant.

soy todas las cosas yo me transformo 10. Communicate telepathically.

11. Move objects with mind.
“saoko”, Rosalía
12. Cure 1 damage per hit.

If the weapon has powers

less in number than its level,
the difference is its bonus to
attack and damage rolls. For
example, a level-5 sword with
3 powers adds +2.

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 Treasure Hoards Part I: Players
Bandits seek riches from ruins, throwing themselves into danger
in the hopes of making something of their life. Some adventurers
find a higher purpose during their exploits. Most die.

The game consists of a back-and-forth between the players and

the referee, the former interacting with a game-world described
by the latter via their characters. Each player guides their avatar
and tempts fate to bestow upon them greatness or deliver them
towards their own destruction.
Recall that a site contains treasure in value equal to 1,000 times
Fate is invoked by the toss of a coin (or a die—less dramatic).
its level (p. 16). Our example site is for level-1 adventurers, having
After agreeing upon the stakes of the situation, the acting player
1,000 c.p. worth of treasure.
calls heads or tails, and then the referee reveals the outcome.
Although it is easy to convert experience to money, adventurers
Players are wise to avoid tempting fate. A good referee will help
also seek out magical items. Try d6: [1] is a magic weapon (p. 21);
them by adequately describing their characters’ surroundings to
[2] is a scroll (p. 5); and results from [3-6] are just valuable.
enable them to make informed decisions.
1 copper piece is worth 1 experience, 1 silver is worth 10 experience,
and 1 gold is worth 100 experience. As bandits survive, they will accumulate experience and acquire
fantastic powers. They will continue adventuring until they find
Magic items do not grant an adventurer experience unless sold. something better for themselves. Some do. Most die.
Otherwise, that adventurer could have their cake and eat it too!
Your adventurer’s fate is in your hands now.
A scroll is worth 1,000 c.p., and a magic weapon is worth as many
g.p. as the maximum roll of its power die. The power die should Call it.
equal the damage die of the monsters who possess the weapon
(pp. 18-9); it is used to determine the weapon’s powers (p. 21).

Valuable items can still be interesting. For example, an old bottle

of wine could be worth 1 g.p. (100 c.p.), and our hoblins may be in
possession of 4 bottles if the porcs also possess a magic weapon
worth 6 g.p. (600 c.p.). The total value would be 1,000 c.p.

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 Getting Started Example Monsters
Each player decides if they will play as a fighter, mage, or expert. Name XP DC HP SP AT DM
Besides starting with one or two items from their class, they also Basilisk 800 14 16 6” +4 d10
start with up to three of the below items of their choice:
Bear 400 12 16 10” +4 d10

Iron Spikes Camping Kit Belladonna Dragon, Young* 500 16 8 8/24” +2 d8

Oil Flask Mallet & Stakes Crucifix Dragon, Adult* 1,000 16 16 8/24” +4 d10
Lantern Rations Garlic
Dragon, Elder* 2,000 16 32 8/24” +8 d12
Rope & Hook Tent Holy Water
Ghoul† 300 12 8 8” +2 d8
Torches Waterskin Mirror
Vaulting Pole Wine Wolfsbane Giant 1,200 14 32 10” +8 d12
Griffon 800 16 16 12/24” +4 d10
The adventurer may also start with leather armor and/or a one-
Hoblin 75 14 2 8” +0 d4
handed weapon if the player wishes. The referee may introduce
more options to the table if the adventure calls for it, and players Lycanthrope 300 14 8 12” +2 d8
may request options unlisted if it would be fair for their character Medusa§ 600 12 16 8” +4 d10
to start with them. Ogre 600 14 16 8” +4 d10

Finally, the player notes their figure’s defense class and speed. Pegasus 300 14 8 24/48” +2 d8
Now they’re ready to play! Porc 150 14 4 8” +1 d6
Skeleton 50 12 2 6” +0 d4
Getting Better
Characters earn experience by extracting treasure or defeating Treant 800 12 32 6” +8 d12
monsters on their adventurers. Fighters become stronger, mages Troll‡ 800 14 16 10” +4 d10
increase their magical power, and experts learn more skills. Vampire† 2,000 16 32 12/18” +8 d12

More importantly, as the campaign progresses, the characters Wraith† 600 12 16 12/24” +4 d10
advance their agendas or complete their goals in the gameworld. Zombie 100 12 4 6” +1 d6
This could be the establishment of a stronghold, but it could also
* Dragons breathe fire in a 3 × 9” cone extending from their mouth once per hour,
be the overthrow of a tyrant or even just retirement. dealing their damage die to all in line. This counts as casting a spell (pp. 9, 13).
† These undead reduce a figure’s maximum hit points by half the damage they
A campaign’s goal is ultimately what the players make of it, and deal on a successful hit. At 0 maximum hit points, the victim becomes undead.
what they see fit for their characters. ‡ Trolls cure 1 point of damage per round. Their bodies must be burned.
§
Those facing a medusa must tempt fate to avoid becoming petrified.

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 Monster Types Fighters
Bracket Experience Hit Points Attack Damage Level Experience Hit Points Attack
1. Mook 50 2 +0 d4 1 0 5 +1
2. Grunt 100 4 +1 d6 2 1,500 10 +2
3. Elite 200 8 +2 d8 3 4,000 15 +3
4. Lieutenant 400 16 +4 d10 4 8,000 20 +4
5. Boss 800 32 +8 d12 5 16,000 25 +5

Brackets simplify monster statistics by grouping them according Fighters are good at fighting. When a fighter attacks in melee on
to their relative combat strength. their turn, they may continue to attempt attacks until they miss.
They can also attune to 1 magical weapon (pp. 14, 21).
To convert: mooks are equivalent to 1/2 hit dice, grunts to 1 hit die,
elites to 2 hit dice, lieutenants to 4 hit dice, and bosses to 8 hit dice. The ‘Attack’ column shows the bonus that fighters add to their
attack rolls, although not to their damage (p. 9). When the fighter
That being said, don’t stress it. If you want to use typical monsters,
just give them +1 attack per hit die up to +8 and use damage dice
wields a magic weapon with a bonus, however, they will add that
for the hit dice quantities listed. You could even roll for hit points. to both attack and damage rolls (p. 21).

The ‘Experience’ column indicates the experience points awarded A +1 magic weapon auto-kills any mook (2 h.p.) hit, and a +3 magic
weapon auto-kills any grunt (4 h.p.) hit.
for defeating a monster of a bracket, having light defense (12).
This is increased by +50% for having medium defense (14), or by Starting fighters may pick from the following: (a) a one-handed
+100% for having heavy defense (16). melee weapon and a shield; (b) a two-handed melee weapon; or
(c) a ranged weapon with a magazine (slot) of ammunition.
Like fighters, monsters improve at landing hits against enemies
the more powerful they are. Unlike fighters, however, monsters
also improve their damage die by their bracket.

If a monster has especially formidable powers, such as reducing

maximum hit points, self-restoration, or an area-of-effect attack,
increase their experience by 50%.

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 Mages Region Design
Level Experience Hit Points Energy
1 0 3 1
2 2,000 6 3
3 5,000 9 6
4 10,000 12 10
5 20,000 15 15

Mages have a strong affinity for the arcane, intrinsic or learned. What biomes and ecosystems are prevalent in the region? What
They can cast spells from scrolls without expending the latter by are the major geographical features? What local factions exist,
spending their own magical energy instead. and how do they relate to each other? What monsters roam?

The ‘Energy’ column lists how much magical energy a mage has A starting region does not need to be too big: just about 6 hexes,
each adventure. Energy is restored after downtime (p. 14). enough for there to be multiple points of interest that players will
want to reach and explore.
Mages can also spend energy to deal arcane damage to a target
in sight and all adjacent figures, or all figures in a straight 6” line. At this point, come up with some random encounters.
Roll 1d6 per energy spent to determine base damage.
Hex Stocking
Starting mages may pick two of the following scrolls: (a) charm, To populate hexes, try 1d6: [1] is a safe haven where one can
(b) disappear, (c) float, (d) knock, (e) illuminate, and (f) lullaby. stop, rest, and recuperate; [2] is an adventure site such as a ruin;
Other scrolls can be found while adventuring. or [3] is a monster’s lair.

Lairs may function as multi-room sites, or as one-room structures

with monsters and their treasure. In the latter case, roll 500 × d6 to
find the experience budget of the lair for monsters and treasure.

Results from [4-6] don’t need to be anything exhaustive, though

like unoccupied site rooms they should not necessarily be empty.
Place landmarks, natural or artificial, that distinguish the hex and
may serve as a stage for an encounter.

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 D20 Spells

Site Design
A spell’s effect can be compounded by spending extra energy.

1. Animate: Turn a corpse into a zombie with 1d6 hit points.

2. Breathe: Survive in absence of air for 1 hour.
A quick adventure site may consist of six rooms, including:
3. Charm: Charm an intelligent individual for up to 1 hour.
 Occupied by monsters with treasure.
4. Dispel: Negate someone else’s magical effect.
 Occupied by monsters without treasure.
 Unoccupied with trapped or hidden treasure. 5. Empathize: Speak telepathically with any willing lifeform.
6. Float: Levitate up to 1d6 yards, moving at half speed.
The site’s occupants may have a total experience quantity 1,000
times the intended level of the adventuring party. For example, a 7. Force: Apply a magical force to push, pull, or hold an object.
level-1 site has ~1,000 experience points’ worth of monsters, such 8. Hasten: Increase someone’s speed by 1d6”.
as 6 hoblins and 4 porcs (pp. 18-9).
9. Heal: Erase 1d6 points of damage.
The site also contains treasure worth this amount of experience, 10. Illuminate: Summon a mobile light for up to 1 hour.
split between its two hoards (p. 20). This means that, overall, one
11. Knock: Opens any mundane or magical door, gate, or lock.
site will grant enough experience for one characters to advance.
However, the party will not necessarily ‘clear’ a site in one go. 12. Lullaby: Cause 1d6 worth hit dice of creatures to fall asleep.
13. Metamorphose: Change a target’s appearance for 1 hour.
The referee should populate the remaining rooms with features
that interest the players (and serve as stages for encounters). 14. Migrate: Transfer your spirit to another body.
15. Passwall: Opens a hole, up to 10 by 10 feet, through any wall.
Each site is its own ecosystem, so it should reflect the microworld of
the site’s inhabitants. Try answering the six journalistic questions to 16. Reveal: Obscure or invisible things become apparent.
flesh out its history: who, what, when, where, why, and how?
17. Scry: Observe a scene via an invisible sensor for 1 hour.
Add six connections between the rooms, so that the site has one 18. Shroud: Make 1d6 human-sized figures invisible.
looping path. The connections can have obstacles such as [1d6]:
19. Slow: Decrease someone’s speed by 1d6”.
[1] a stuck or locked door, requiring an adventurer to tempt fate
20. Teleport: Open a portal to a familiar place for 1 hour.
to open it; [2] a hidden door, requiring ingenuity to uncover it; or
[3] a very long corridor, requiring significant time to traverse it.
Treat results from [4-6] as straightforward.

Finally, come up with d6 potential random encounters.

16 5
 Experts Part II: Referees
Level Experience Hit Points Skills For the first session, the referee need only prepare a site for the
1 0 4 2 adventurers to explore, its immediate surroundings, and a haven
to which the adventurers can return.
2 1,000 8 3
3 3,000 12 4 Unless overworld travel is a feature of the campaign, the site
4 6,000 16 5 should be a short-enough trip from the haven to make it back
again after the excursion.
5 12,000 20 6
For ~1 hour of play, six rooms are sufficient for the adventure site
so long as they are sufficiently interesting for players to explore!
Experts are not masters of swords or sorcery, but they overcome
See Site Design to learn more (p. 16).
fate’s temptations by whittling down their own margin of error.
Later on, the referee can prepare the surrounding region (p. 17).
‘Skills’ let experts flip an extra coin (or roll an extra die) at a task,
or flip a single coin (or die) when trying things usually impossible.
They start with 2 skills, and learn a new one each level.

Skills may include: surprising enemies, avoiding being surprised,

picking locks, disabling traps, stealthing in shadows, climbing walls,
listening through doors, navigating the outdoors, or attacking with
a specific type of weapon. Feel free to invent your own, too!

The player may also wait to declare a skill until one would come in
handy during play. Who knows what will really come in handy?

Experts can also attune to 1 magic weapon or cast scroll spells,

although they do not share the powers of fighters or mages that
complement these items.

Starting experts may pick two from the following: (a) a toolbox,
(b) a book of lore, or (c) any tool which enables them to perform
their starting skills, within reason.

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 Downtime Equipment

Downtime between adventures takes 1 week, or the remainder of 10 copper pieces make 1 silver, and 10 silver pieces make 1 gold.
1 week after a short excursion. 1 inventory slot fits up to 100 pieces of any currency type (p. 8).
Below are guidelines for equipment costs (see p. 8 for armor):
During this time, characters cure points of damage equal to their
level-1 hit points: 5 for fighters, 3 for mages, and 4 for experts.  1 c.p.: Fresh meal, pint of beer, 1 night at an inn.
Mages also restore their arcane energy, and will be at full energy  5 c.p.: Torches for 1 hour, flask of oil.
after just 1 week of rest.  10 c.p.: Ammunition, rations for 1 week.
 20 c.p.: Simple tool, one-handed weapon.
In other words, it takes 1 week to cure 1 level’s worth of damage.
 50 c.p.: Complex tool, two-handed weapon.
While resting and recuperating, characters can attune to magic  100 c.p.: Month’s wages (4 weeks), fine goods.
weapons, shop for equipment (especially of the expensive sort,
Characters may start with 100 (10 × 3d6) c.p. instead of picking
like armor), or develop relationships with non-player characters.
quick-start gear. Otherwise, they may start with 20 (2 × 3d6) c.p.
1 downtime week affords 1 downtime action.
in addition to their equipment.

Retainers
Prospective employees will only accept jobs for a month’s wages.
A mercenary (same stats as a porc, as per p. 19) costs twice as
much as a typical laborer.

A classed figure such as a fighter, mage, or expert will not accept

payment, but could be persuaded to join the party in pursuit of
their own interest. They will gain experience.

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 Armor & Speed Skirmishes
Armor Type Cost Defense Speed Capacity
None — 10 12” 6 slots
Leather 20 c.p. 12 10” 5 slots
Chainmail 100 c.p. 14 8” 4 slots
Plate 1,000 c.p. 16 6” 3 slots
Shield 10 c.p. +1 — (1 slot)

An adventurer’s armor type determines their defense class (p. 9), If either party has the potential to be surprised, the participant
their speed rating, and their carrying capacity. in charge tempts fate. A surprised party loses their first turn, and
their opponent gets to act together as a group.
Unlike suits of armor, shields take up capacity (1 slot). The wielder
also has the option of destroying their shield to negate an incoming If both parties are surprised, neither are surprised. An expert skilled
attack that would have otherwise hit and dealt damage. at avoiding surprise tempts fate to regain their turn if their party is
surprised in general.
Speed is given in tabletop inches which are rescaled to represent
different contexts in the game such as skirmishes, mass combat, Subsequent rounds are split into 4 phases of movement, missiles,
and underworld exploration. melee, and magic—alternating between the winners and losers of
initiative for that round (50-50 for either party). Each participant
Capacity is how many significant items an adventurer can carry
may move and attack, or cast a spell.
without becoming encumbered. One may carry up to double their
listed capacity, but in doing so they halve their speed. Speed rates are interpreted as paces. Opponents in 1” are stuck
in melee until resolved, though a figure with a reach weapon can
For example, a figure wearing chainmail armor has a speed of 8” attack from 2” away. Shooting into a melee is a stupid idea.
when traveling lightly or 4” when encumbered.
When the opposing side loses its leader or half its numbers (or, in
the case of a big monster, takes damage up to half its hit points),
they must tempt fate or else break rank and flee. Not applicable
if the opposing side cannot think for themselves.

Hirelings will not unexpectedly risk their lives for their employers,
and allies may save themselves if faced with death.

8 13
 Negotiation Combat
A non-player character can have one of three moods towards the When one figure attacks another using a weapon, rather than by
adventuring party: friendly, hostile, or neutral. magical means, the participant in charge rolls d20 plus an attack
bonus if one applies.
Friendly NPCs can be persuaded put to themselves at risk to help
the adventurers, and will freely help otherwise. Neutral NPCs can be If the total score meets or exceeds the target’s defense class, the
persuaded to help the adventurers so long as it does not put them attacker lands a hit and deals damage of 1d6 for typical figures.
at any risk. There’s no helping with hostile NPCs.
Two-handed weapons (either melee or ranged) occupy 2 slots, but
When negotiating with a non-player character, consider whether allow the wielder to take the best of 2 dice when rolling damage.
their attitude is compatible with the party’s request.
Ranged weapons require 1 magazine (slot) of ammunition, which
If a request would require persuasion, roll 1d6: [1-2] is negative; is only expended if the wielder shoots their weapon multiple times
[3-4] is uncertain; and [5-6] is affirmative. The referee may take over the course of one encounter.
the best or worst of 2 dice to reflect the players’ approach.
Ineffective weapons, like a steel sword against a lycanthrope, or
An uncertain non-player character may require extra reasoning an arrow shot at a skeleton, deal half their typical damage.

for why they should help the adventurers, or ask for something in
A typical figure’s defense class is a function of their armor type,
return for their help.
whereas a monster’s defense class may represent more abstract
Negotiations conclude after a negative or affirmative response. factors such as dexterity or magic.
Depending on the circumstances, or how poorly the dice roll, the
When a figure accumulates damage in excess of their hit points,
former outcome may trigger a skirmish.
they perish. Players may tempt fate for their figure to survive.

12 9
 Site Exploration Overworld Travel
Adventurers exploring a site such as a dungeon get 1 action per Hexes are about 18 miles or 30 kilometers wide, the distance that
turn to move a number of squares (10 × 10 feet, or 10 sq. meters) one can cross in 1 day given flat terrain and decent conditions.
up to their speed rating, to search their immediate surroundings, However, 1 day is added to travel time if the terrain or weather
or to interact with significant features of the site. prove disadvantageous for the party.

When everyone has taken their turn, time passes in the world of These hexes can be subdivided into 6 miles or 10 kilometers across,
the game and the referee checks to see if a monster wanders in or into even smaller sizes, allowing for a more granular traversal of
the party's direction. This can be a 1/6 chance. the overworld. Using 6-mile hexes, allow the party to cross 3 daily,
adjusting the ‘cost’ of a hex using the same guidelines as above.
There are 6 exploration rounds per hour in the gameworld. 1 pack
The referee checks for a random encounter each hex, with there
(slot) of torches burns for 1 hour. A lantern burns for 4 hours, but
being a 1/6 chance each day. For example, a hex requiring 3 days
requires a flask of oil which occupies a separate slot.
to traverse has a 3/6 chance of triggering a random encounter.

Each bundle (slot) of rations lasts 1 week. 1 day per week is spent
resting, so there are up to 6 traveling days each week.

Wandering
If the party is traversing unknown lands without following a path,
they roll d6 for which adjacent hex is available for them to enter.
The party may choose to deviate from the selected hex by 1 hex
in whichever direction they decide. Experts skilled at navigation
allow the party to roll an extra die.

If the party is traversing known lands without following a path,

they can only enter hexes by ways which they have already tried
unless they choose to wander again.

In other words: the world is structured like a typical hex map, but
it is experienced as a dynamic point crawl from the perspective
of those exploring and navigating it.

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