You are rebels in a fantasy kingdom.

WHY are you rebels?
--Because it-- or your region, at least-- is run by a tyrant.

You want to overthrow the tyrant, because screw tyranny. So, you're plotting rebellion.

WHERE: from your secret rebel base.

HOW: Ah, well, that's the tricky part. So far all you've got is a place picked out that would make a great secret rebel base. To get more done, you're gonna need some help. And to get that help, you're gonna need to take stuff you need... (Don't worry, you can just take the tyrant's stuff. That's a bit risky, though...)

---

This game has four repeating phases:

1. Downtime: this phase is for three things: First, expanding and improving your base, Second, gathering information you'll need later, and Third, trying to recruit helpers and/or allies.

2. Raid: You'll eventually need helpers and allies-- and both of them, I'm sorry to say, are going to want to get paid (although once you get them, during the Downtime phase, one of the activities you can do is give speeches/distribute pamphlets to your helpers or allies about how they SHOULD really be rebelling for the love of freedom, and not for loot. If you're persuasive enough, maybe you'll even convince some of them. But in the meantime), therefore, you're going to need to have resources of some sort-- if nothing else, to help build and expand your secret rebel base (you have to have it ready to repel mercenaries in case they show up wanting your heads. More on them in a second). So, you're going to have to take someone else's resources. If the idea of taking someone else's stuff makes you feel bad, then you can always just steal them from the tyrant! ...That's more risky, of course...

3. Consequences: In this phase, you have consequences from your Downtime and Raid phases. Maybe they're good, like the king of the bandits who operate out of the woods whom you asked (during your downtime phase) to join your rebellion gets a message to you that he agrees to start helping you out when you need it, since he's heard you were so bold as to steal a bunch of the Duke's prize horses in your recent raid. Or maybe there'll be bad consequences, like a group of mercenaries has followed you back to your secret base, and now they've broken in to try to kill you all (or at least to rob you of everything good they can carry). But, that's why you've got a secret base-- hope your traps and locks and everything are ready to kill and/or frustrate those mercenaries...!

(The Tyrant has a standing army or whatever, but for dealing with rebels, the tradition in this part of the world is to save the armed forces purely for defense, and for offensive jobs, to use mercenaries. There are lots of mercenaries and mercenary bands roaming the land looking to do dirty work for financial gain. They'll always be your number one problem if someone comes looking for your base, until maybe late in the game... But one useful thing for you about the mercenary system is that it means that if someone finds your secret rebel base, word probably won't spread very far nor fast, because if it's a mercenary, they'll want to keep the location a secret so that a rival merc band doesn't come along and hit you first, and if it's not a mercenary, they'll assuredly want to keep it a secret so that they can sell the secret to a merc band... (and, well, another one if the first one dies... and then another one, if the second one dies... and so on...) The point is, you'll seldom have more than one merc band invading at a time...)

4. Recovery: Things aren't dangerous all the time. This is when you lay low and heal up from any wounds (and stress) you might have gotten during the previous three phases...

That's it! Then these four phases repeat-- sooner or later you'll have recovered from your wounds and stress, and you'll want to start resetting your traps, recruiting new helpers and/or allies, and/or gathering information you'll need for your next raid...

As this 4-phase cycle repeats, you'll get more experienced, your base will improve and be better and better able to repel mercenaries (or any other threats), you'll get all kinds of helpers (and maybe allies, too), and you'll get ready to execute your master plan that, if successful, will overthrow the tyrant. (Don't worry-- if you can't think of a master plan in the beginning, you can figure out exactly what the master plan is on the way, if you need to.)

So, you ready?

STEP 1: WHAT KIND OF TYRANT ARE WE TALKING ABOUT?

--If you want, you may choose! Your choices are:

----Human nobility: an evil king, queen, duke, baron, whatever!

----Warlord: His or her (warlady) power comes not from being nobility by birth, but because they are (or were, in their youth) good at fighting or strategy (or both)!

----Mage or cleric: An evil mage or cleric of some dark power is running this region!

----Group: The tyranny is being perpetrated not by one guy nor gal, but an evil group! An evil thieves' guild? A bunch of corrupt senators? A group of evil wizards? A dark priesthood? A sinister cult?

----Undead: A vampire or lich or something is ruling this region!

----Monster: A dragon or some other monster is ruling this region!

If you can't decide, you can just have the GM choose-- or one of you (you, or the GM) can just roll randomly for it!


STEP 2: CHOOSE WHAT KIND OF REBEL BASE YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE.

Bases
Your base is at the heart of your group-- it’s your refuge, a place to plan your moves, a strong defense against invaders, and a secure location to store your loot. The base is another character in the story, maybe even the main one-- PCs come and go, but the base remains.

Overview
Your group first chooses a base theme together, which gives you that theme’s core feature. It also provides you with a list of major rooms that you can build within your base to gain strong bonuses. Each base shares a list of minor rooms that they can build, providing general bonuses. You can also build tunnels to connect and shape your base. All of these are built as downtime activities during the downtime phase...

To grow in power, you increase your hoard of loot by raiding. Your base tier is based on the size of your hoard of loot, ranging from tier 0 to tier 4. The hoard grows when you launch a successful raid to grow the hoard against a target higher tier than your base and haul back the loot to fill your hoard with. As your hoard grows, it brings in pixies, creatures, and helpers, and pays for their servitude.

Pixies (they might not literally be pixies) are tiny, weak beings attracted to your base looking for protection in return for basic services. Creatures are more powerful, independent or unintelligent denizens of your base that fill lairs that open up as your base expands or are built with downtime activities. Helpers are slightly more intelligent and serve you directly. Each player controls at least one group of helpers that they can roleplay as. Helpers are kind of a secondary player character.

Mercenaries will occasionally wander into your base looking to rid the world of you, or just to get their greedy hands on your hoard. So, your base will need some security. You can build traps, which have triggers and mechanisms detailing the exact nature of the trap. Tricks allow you to manipulate the behavior of the invaders. Locks protect sensitive areas, pushing mercenary groups toward other paths.

The base is split into two levels. The first level connects directly to the outside through an entrance. This level houses the majority of the base, including all of your major rooms, minor rooms, tunnels, lairs, and so on. At the “end” of this base, there is a stairway leading downward to the second level. You can move this stairway as your base expands, so the stairway always remains at the end of the base.

On the second level is where your sanctum is, the place where the player characters stay. The PCs also have private rooms here, which they can upgrade as the size of the hoard increases.

As your base grows, you come across discoveries, things you find while digging underground. These can be helpful or harmful to your base, or they can be mostly neutral depending on how the roll goes. Discoveries give the GM some level of control over how the base develops, but also lets them introduce chaos into your well-laid base plans.

You start off by finding a location for the base, though it might need to be cleared out of its current inhabitants.

Base Creation
Base creation itself serves as a kind of tutorial of sorts to introduce players to the many different elements of running the base. It also gives you a home to defend from the very beginning. The first session is based around finding and clearing out an area suitable for a base. You then work together to decide what kind of base you’re going to build. Time skips forward and the PCs find themselves having just finished the beginnings of a base, ready to turn their eyes towards the rest of the world...

Choose a Theme
Choose from one of the following themes, which sets up the atmosphere for your base, provides you with its core feature, and gives a list of major rooms that you can build.

❖ Enclave - Arcane Power and Knowledge
Rooms: Academy, Crucible, Greenery, Library, Potion Lab, Scrying Pool, Spawning Chamber

❖ Forge - Industry and Invention
Rooms: Alchemist Lab, Break Room, Factory, Mineshaft, Test Chamber, Vehicle Bay, Workshop

❖ Hideout - Neither Seen Nor Heard
Rooms: Dojo, Gambling Den, Gear Lockers, Obstacle Course, Planning Room, Roost, Tavern

❖ Stronghold - Strength of Arms
Rooms: Barracks, Bestiary, Fighting Pit, Smithy, Armorer, Prison, War Room

❖ Temple - In Service to a Higher Power
Rooms: Altar, Antechamber, Augury Circle, Dormitory, Reliquary, Penance Chamber, Scriptorium


To put it another way, are you gonna mostly be:
--Magic rebels, thwarting the tyrant with spells and stuff?
--Science rebels, thwarting the tyrant by pushing the limits of fantasy science into steam-punk-ish science?
--Sneaky rebels, thwarting the tyrant by taking the tyrant's stuff without getting caught?
--Tough-fightin' rebels, thwarting the tyrant by fighting everybody?    or
--Holy crusadin' rebels, thwarting the tyrant through divine intervention?

In a little while, I'll tell you more about how magic, science, and holy beings work in this game, but you probably get the idea enough that you can choose a base theme now... so choose!


STEP THREE: BASE DETAILS:

Detailing your base will help bring it to life. Answer these questions together... Knowing this information will help the GM and players paint a more interesting picture of what the inside of the base is like.

❖ What does your base's entrance look like from the outside?
A natural cave with a stream flowing through it. A small hole in a sewer tunnel. The ruins of an abandoned church. The trunk of an old, rotten tree. Something else.

❖ What are the floors and walls of your base like?
Cold stone and slightly damp to the touch. Mostly-dry mud intertwined with roots. Black obsidian, slick but warm to the touch. Light-colored marble, forgotten by most for hundreds of years now. Musty bricks stacked together haphazardly. Something else.

❖ What’s the lighting like inside your base?
Torches line the walls. Magma flows through the floor, lighting it from below. A magical glow clings to the ceiling. Glowing mushrooms grow throughout the halls. Something else.

❖ What smell greets those who step foot into your base?
Overwhelming incense. Burning chemical reagents. Blood and sweat. Freshly-turned earth and sawdust. Something else.

❖ What is your base's name? (you can decide that later, too... or you can just call it "The Base" for all the GM cares. This is YOUR BASE. Call it what you want.)



---Base entrance: Every base has an entrance and a tunnel (up to 100 feet, maybe sloping downward and/or involving stairs?) leading in from the outside.

--Roll for discovery: The GM rolls for a discovery. The GM can add the Discovery at any point.

--And then, the GM will help you add:

----Empty rooms (good for building stuff later).
----Tunnels
----A creature lair (tier 1). Detail the creature and choose two descriptors. (example: "We've got a giant spider in this room that's trained not to attack rebels (as long as we feed him enough) but will attack anyone who invades the base! He's Poisonous and Tough!) (more about creatures later)
----A major room from your base theme, but it needs materials to start being usable.
----A minor room of your choice.
----A trap (tier 1), detailing its trigger and mechanism (more about this later).
----A trick (tier 1), detailing its trigger and intent (more about this later).
----A lock (tier 1), detailing its door materials and lock mechanism (more about this later).

And then: Stairway leading to the sanctum.

And then: Level 2:

--A Sanctum

--The Hoard

--Private rooms: Each player gets their own private room leading off from the sanctum.



BLOWBACK AND CALAMITY (AND REVELRY):

In the next section, you'll see a couple of terms come up, so I'll define them here:

--BLOWBACK just means "problematic results of the Raid phase." Like (for example) if some mercenaries (or a monster? Or something?) followed you back from the Raid you just did.

--CALAMITY just means "problematic results of the Downtime phase," like (for example) a wild party with a lot of drinking (an example of Revelry) you threw to blow off steam (and, more to the point, Stress) got a little out of hand and something got broken... or maybe it just cost more than you might have expected...

--At the start of each Consequenses phase, and at some point during each Downtime phase, the GM will roll to see if there'll be any problematic Blowback or Calamity...


Base Themes
Each base starts you off with its core feature and a list of major rooms that you can build. You can also use your base's flexibility slot to build a room from another base theme.

Enclave : Tapping into the Arcane
An enclave is infused with magic, housing denizens who dabble heavily in the arcane. Magic lingers in the air, runes are scrawled on the walls, and even the helpers may have some level of magical aptitude. The base rooms inside an enclave are focused on the arcane, giving magical bonuses and abilities to its inhabitants.
In an enclave, the arcane power within your base affects the surrounding area, changing the landscape and giving you arcane powers within it.

Twisted Landscape: Establish an area around your base and gain arcane power within it (choose 3): weather control - magical sentries - mindlink - mysterious whispers - living plants - illusions - altered wildlife.

Roll your base tier as a fortune roll to determine their effect as a trap, trick, or spell.

Enclave Rooms

--Academy: All helpers add Invoke as an action. Choose a path of magic that they can cast. If they already have Invoke, they instead gain the adept edge.

--Crucible: You can pay cost to push your pixies into making a magic item. Roll dice depending on the cost - light gives 1d, medium gives 2d, and heavy gives 3d. Failure: Tier 1, volatile, Mixed : Tier 1, Success: Tier 2, Critical: Tier 3.

--Greenery: You can feed mercenaries, alive or dead, to these voracious plants to produce a potion of your choice equal to the mercenaries's tier or a limited supply of organic goods. The room also functions as a trap equal to your base tier.

--Library: You take +1d to gather information when you use the library to look up
information and always have a source of arcane knowledge.

--Potion Lab: Choose a single magic path. You always have a supply of any tier 1 potion
and a single tier 2 potion of that path. The tier 2 potion is the same for everyone and
chosen when the room is built.

--Scrying Pool: You can pay light cost to see any location in your region. You take +1d
on your next roll when you apply what you saw.

--Spawning Chamber: Once per cycle, the chamber produces a replacement creature for
one that was killed. They are immediately available, even during an invasion.



Forge : Harnessing the Power of Industry
A forge is built for production - crazy inventions, factories, steamworks, and alchemicals can be found throughout the complex. Problems are approached with ingenuity, eagerness, and a keen disregard for danger.
In a forge, your sanctum is the source of power for your base. Maybe it’s built over a volcano, contains a giant steamworks, or harnesses the power of an underground river.

Power Source: Your base has a power track. Each recovery, you gain power equal to 1 + base tier. Any player can spend these to take +1d on a downtime activity or base defense roll.

Forge Rooms

--Alchemist Lab: You always have a supply of any tier 1 alchemical. You can also pay 1 gold to acquire a single tier 2 alchemical.

--Break Room: You take +1d on calamity rolls and can pay light cost to automatically recruit the following helper types: alchemists - workers.

--Factory: Your pixies make some contraption every recovery phase. Roll your base tier to determine its quality. Failure: Fun, but practically useless item, Mixed : Tier 1, Success: Tier 2, Critical: Tier 3.

--Mineshaft: You have a mine entrance with a large mineshaft extending away from it. You take +2d on discovery rolls and can make an immediate discovery roll.

--Test Chamber: You can have a pixie or helper or yourself take a contraption into the chamber and test it out. Roll your base tier to determine what happens. Failure: The pixie, helper, or you gets hurt. Roll -1d on your next roll (minimum 1d), Mixed : Remove the contraption's volatility, Success: Add an edge, Critical: Add two edges.

--Vehicle Bay: You have a vehicle that your pixies upkeep (choose one): gas sub - hot air
balloon - horseless cart. It has edges (choose two): armored - dependable - camouflaged
- fast - nimble. It also has a flaw (choose one): clumsy - distinct - noisy - rickety - slow.
The vehicle is fully repaired or rebuilt each recovery.

--Workshop: All helpers add Tinker as an action. If they already have Tinker, they instead gain the crafty edge.



Hideout : Keeping Your Head Low
A hideout is a place to lay low and try to stay out of sight. All bases benefit from being in remote, out-of-the-way locations, but hideouts take this to the extreme. The major rooms inside a hideout focus on teamwork and efficiency when running missions.
In a hideout, your base is even more difficult to locate than usual, which is really saying something, and you put an extreme emphasis on laying out and following plans.

Hidden Entrance: You take +1d on blowback rolls and if you roll a success, each PC gains three Hearts.

Hideout Rooms

--Dojo: When you perform a group action, you may count multiple 6s from different rolls as a critical success. This room’s material is a master to train you, which also functions as a creature equal to your base tier.

--Gambling Den : Each PC skims 1 gold on the side every Recovery phase. You can pay light cost to automatically recruit the following helper types: grunts - thieves - tricksters.

--Gear Locker: Every PC always has a supply of the following: smoke bombs (T1) - sunrods (T1) - tar bombs (T2) - thunderstones (T2) - climbing gear - throwing weapons - traps. You also gain 1 extra supply slot.

--Obstacle Course: Each PC can immediately place one extra dot in a Muscles action of
their choice. In addition, the whole room acts as a trap equal to the base tier.

--Planning Room: Take +1d on engagement rolls for the following raid plans: pull a trick, talk it out, sneak in & out.

--Roost: Before a raid, you can roll your base tier to gather information about a target. Your ravens, bats, or other small, winged creatures are always on the lookout for you. You can also use these to communicate with distant allies.

--Tavern : You take +1d when you roll revelry. Your tavern is also frequented by merchants, with cheap and light cost items for sale.





Stronghold : Through Strength of Arms
A stronghold is your seat of power from which you project your might through strength of arms. You build raiding parties and later small armies, looking to free a dominion from the rule of a tyrant, patriarchy, or what-have-you.
In a stronghold, helpers flock to your banners looking to follow powerful leaders into glorious battle.

--War Banners: You start with helper salaries 1 and your salaries are always one higher than your base tier. At salaries 5, you attract an enormous beast of war or small army, a single veteran helper with three edges that rolls 3d on actions and can face a tier 3 faction on equal footing.

Stronghold Rooms

--Barracks: You can pay light cost to automatically recruit the following helper types:
grunts - raiders - scouts. These fresh recruits also function as a creature equal to your
base tier.

--Bestiary: You always have fresh mounts, which come with an edge (choose one): aquatic - armored - fast - flying - intelligent - magical - terrifying. Your mount can help out on a roll, but you risk losing it.

--Fighting Pit: You can choose two combatants (helpers, creatures, or prisoners) to fight, rolling their tier or an action in opposed fortune rolls. Which side do your helpers cheer for? If that side wins, take +1d to calamity, and helpers regain all morale. If it loses, the PCs each gain a Heart. On a tie, everyone wins!

--Smithy: Each of your helpers gains the deadly edge as you equip them with dangerous weapons. If they already had it, they take +effect when attacking.

--Armorer: Each of your helpers gains the armored edge as you equip them with armor. If they already had it, they gain it again, becoming heavily armored.

--Prison: You can hold prisoners for ransom.

--War Room: Take +1d on engagement rolls for the following raid plans: set a trap, slaughter, smash & grab.


Temple : Impressing a Power
A temple is fully dedicated to a Power, centered on carrying out that Power's agenda. The exact nature of how your temple looks or your goals as a base tends to reflect
your Power's domains.
In a temple, your Power is aware of your presence, and will interact directly to further their goals. Choose a Power, or make up one of your own.

--Holy Intervention : Once per cycle, they can cast a tier 3 spell as an action roll, rolling the base tier in place of Invoke with no penalty from spell tier on the roll. A PC decides when this happens.

Temple Rooms
--Altar: You can pay light cost to fulfill the first requirement of any ritual you perform.
When a ritual is completed, one PC that helped with the ritual gains Hearts equal to the tier of the ritual.

--Antechamber: This room is placed on the same level as your sanctum and functions as its entrance. When invaders pass through it, you take +1d on the next engagement roll and each PC gains a Heart.

--Augury Circle: You take +1d on any rolls made to gain information.

--Dormitory: You can pay light cost to automatically recruit the following helper types: priests - workers. These helpers also function as a creature equal to your base tier.

--Reliquary: Placing an item of holy importance in this room immediately casts a tier 2 ritual (without requirements), creating a permanent effect related to the item within your base or its immediate vicinity. It can hold a total of three items...

--Meditation Room: Your helpers have faith in the world beyond this one. They all get one final action after they are crushed.

--Scriptorium: You gain a new xp trigger: Your deeds have garnered your Power's attention. Your helpers always work to record your deeds in a holy book dedicated to your Power.



Master Plan
Every base has a reason for existing - this is your master plan. You work together to choose a plan that aligns well with your theme, the characters you’re playing, and the world that comes into focus through play. In this way, you can determine together what you want the game to be about and be rewarded for playing towards those goals.

A master plan has several steps, but you only need to know what the next step is. Having a vague idea of what your final master plan might be is a good idea, but not necessary. The player characters might know, but it's fine for the players to not have it figured out yet-- and that’s fine. Halfway through the game, you might meet a tribe of centaurs and decide that the master plan will involve getting them to stampede down the city's main street right in the middle of the Baron's parade! How could you have come up with the whole plan if you didn't even know about the centaurs at first? (Again, the players' characters will probably already know about the centaurs in the woods. The characters might know the whole master plan. The players just figure out, as they go, what their characters have probably been planning all along, that's all.)

As the game continues, the next step and the next step and eventually the final master plan will emerge. Even after you decide on a master plan, it’s likely to change over time as more details about the world become clear through play.

The important thing is always having a step in the plan to work toward.

As you establish your base, the most important thing is growing your hoard to reach tier 1 so you can gather some helpers to do your bidding. Growing your Hoard is always Step 1. Once you hit tier 1, the group works together to decide what the next step is.

Once you finish a step, it’s time to decide another one. You can fill in the next steps or
the final master plan any time and change them as you like if they don’t fit. You can
even change your current step if it’s not working out for you.

Master Plan Example
❖ Master Plan: Free the Peasantry
➢ Step 1: Grow the hoard.
➢ Step 2: Enlist disgruntled farmers from the surrounding area to help you.
➢ Step 3: Get rid of (capture? kill? turn into a toad? convert into a pacifist follower of a higher power?) the town’s Constable, and destroy its jail or tax-collection house or whatever.
➢ Step 4: Perform a magic or holy ritual to embolden and strengthen the townspeople.
➢ Step 5: Lead the peasant uprising against their liege.


Okay, that's enough about Bases and Master Plans... now it's time to make your PC(s)...
This message was last edited by the GM at 20:48, Thu 20 Feb 2020.

Everyone will start with one PC. That PC will start by being better than average at doing some things, and also they'll have two abilities-- one that their character class always starts with, and one more that you'll choose from a list.

ACTIONS:

Actions are different methods and approaches that you use to get things done. They represent a character’s natural ability or training. They show what you’re good at (and what you're not particularly good at). They define how your character goes about solving problems. They often overlap with each other in the tasks they can apply to, as there’s usually more than one to do something. They don’t cover every possible thing you could be doing - they’re just the most common ways that rebels deal with their problems.
Tied to each action is a descriptive adverb which expands on how it is typically used. When you can’t quite find an action that fits what you want to do, you can always fall back on that adverb to figure out your approach.

Actions and Attributes
Actions are broken up into three categories called attributes. The attributes are a good indication of how the actions are typically used. They are also sometimes hit with a consequence called shock, weakening that set of actions temporarily.
❖ Brains covers the actions Scan, Tinker, and Trick.
❖ Muscles covers the actions Finesse, Sneak, and Smash.
❖ Guts covers the actions Banter, Command, and Invoke.

Actions in Detail
When you Scan, you perceptively read situations or search for information.
You might roll Scan to scope out good targets on a road, read fear in your enemies’
hearts, or pour over an archaic tome looking for details for a ritual.

When you Tinker, you cleverly fiddle with a device, mechanism, or potion.
You might roll Tinker to rig a cart axle to fail, place a trap along a forest path, or
jimmy a lock in your way.

When you Trick, you slyly deceive, confuse, or manipulate someone.
You might roll Trick to make someone believe you’re harmless, to distract some guards while your buddies get into the armory, or lose some hounds running you down.

When you Finesse, you precisely take aim, maneuver, or use tools.
You might roll Finesse to stick an arrow between someone’s ribs, jump from tree limb
to limb, or trip someone walking by you.

When you Sneak, you sneakily move unnoticed or launch a surprise attack.
You might roll Sneak to slip out of the shadows and knock out a guard, sneak up and
pocket some unattended gold pouches, or go unnoticed in a crowd.

When you Smash, you powerfully assault something or someone.
You might roll Smash to whack a mercenary's skull with a warhammer, bend some prison cell bars, or toss an exploding alchemical against a wall.

When you Command, you forcefully compel someone to obey.
You might roll Command to scare townsfolk into running away, keep your helpers in line, or demand some travelers surrender their bags.

When you Banter, you affably get people to help you out because they like you.
You might roll Banter to get a group of workers to join your base as helpers, convince some satyrs that you’re not looking for trouble, or calm a giant spider down.

When you Invoke, you magically interact with mystical forces.
You might roll Invoke to cast an enormous fireball at the doors of the jail, to dispel a ward spell on a door, or to make a hippogriff back down with a display of magic.


Choosing Which Action to Roll
Think about what your character is doing and work backwards from that to choose an action. Describe it, then find the action that matches your description most appropriately. If you can’t quite find one that fits, reference the associated adverb to see if you can get close. Matching description with actions is key, as it informs the shape success will take or the consequences that will stem from failure. Are you trying to powerfully Smash a stink bomb against a wall, or are you trying to precisely Finesse it into the perfect spot?

Overlap among actions when trying to accomplish a task is normal - there are many ways to go about most things and some approaches may be more effective than others. It’s up to the player to tell the GM how they want to approach doing something, and it’s up to the GM to determine how effective or dangerous that might be.

Be the Rebel, Then Choose an Action That Fits
We all have a tendency to want to roll our highest-rated actions, but the fun in the game is failing and dealing with that failure. Just because you're a rebel doesn't automatically mean you have time (or maybe not even the brains) to think things through, after all. So if your Crafter wants to tell a big, bad knight that he’ll rip his tongue out even though you have 0 dots in Command, say screw it and roll the dice anyway! If you really want it to work, toss a Heart at it!

Action Rolls
When a PC attempts to do something challenging in a situation with risk and tension,
you make an action roll to see how it turns out. If there’s no risk or tension, there’s no
reason to make the roll - the PC can just narrate what happens.

When you try to do something you're not good at, you roll 1d6. If it's a type of action with a dot next to it, roll 2d6. Two dots, 3d6, and so on.

Then, you take the highest result from the roll. If it’s a 1, 2, or 3, it’s a failure and you suffer a consequence determined by how bad your position was. A 4 or 5 is a mixed, meaning you manage to accomplish your goal but suffer a consequence as well. If you roll a 6, it’s a success and you accomplish it without any consequences. Two or more 6s give you a critical and you get some awesome extra benefit along with your success.

Action Rolls
You roll the chosen action, with the GM providing the results of the roll.
Critical: You do it without consequences and get something extra.
Success: You do it without any consequences.
Mixed : You do it, but it’s costly - you suffer a consequence.
Failure: You don’t do it and suffer a consequence.

First, describe what you want to accomplish and the action you’d like to use to do so.


One more thing: Sometimes, you can attempt to RESIST consequences. This is a thing than can happen when the GM is about to give you a consequence (usually one that might be really bad), but the GM gives you a chance to do something about it to make it less bad first.

When you suffer a consequence, you can resist it with your actions, which negates or reduces its impact, but you might take stress. Stress is a resource every character has that allows them to keep their nature in check. Characters can also spend it to empower abilities that they have, like casting powerful spells or using monstrous strength.


Examples of successful Resistance Rolls:

❖ A merchant jumps off his horse and runs for the forest. You roll Finesse to resist and cut him off before he gets there.

❖ A knight levels his lance at you and charges. You roll Smash to resist and the lance rolls off your shield instead of piercing your chest.

❖ Your allies lie to you, swearing they don’t know where the missing gold went. You roll Scan to resist and pick up on their lies.

❖ Your staff gets knocked out of your hands. You roll Invoke to use magic mastery to bring it back to you.


Examples of Resistance Rolls with Consequences Reduced But Not Completely Avoided:

❖ Another PC makes too much noise sneaking through a field and a farmer notices you. You use Trick to resist and make some animal noises to make them think that it’s maybe just an animal...

❖ You fall off the edge of a building. You roll Smash to grab the edge, leaving you dangling from the edge...

❖ The master swordsman tries to knock your cutlass out of your hands. You roll Finesse to hold onto it, but your counterattack is weakened as you fumble around with the hilt...


BY THE WAY:

By the way, race doesn't matter in this game. As long as you go on two legs and are no larger than a tall human and no smaller than three feet or so, you can be whatever race you want for this game. Hell, you can all be a band of rebel elves or dwarves for all I care, if you all want... just let me know if you want to be something other than human.



Okay, those are the actions... Here are the classes:

STEP FOUR: CHOOSE A CLASS:

Barbarian: Powerful & Intimidating Brawlers
You’re called towards battle. You enjoy facing down your enemies and chopping them to pieces in combat. Your confidence with a weapon in hand manifests outside of combat when commanding or intimidating others, bellowing orders like you expect to be obeyed and bashing heads on the off chance they don’t.

You begin play with the following ability:

Rage: You can take a point of stress to pull off an awesome feat of strength, like lifting an enormous boulder or facing off against a much larger foe on equal footing.


Now choose one more ability to start with:

Assault: You can take a point of stress to add an additional melee effect after you roll a success on an attack (choose one): destroy their armor - ring their bell - send them flying.

Living Weapon: Your own body is a weapon and has edges (choose two): camouflaged - hooked (for tripping and/or disarming someone) - pulverizing (for damaging or ripping off people's armor) - terrifying (extra good at intimidating people).

Menace: You take +1d when intimidating or threatening someone. You also gain a defense against fear and intimidation.

Packmule: Gain two extra gear slots and a defense that stems from them. You also gain an additional supply slot.

Rawhide: You take +1d when resisting wounds and ignore all light wounds.

Revenge: When you suffer injury or humiliation from someone, you take +1d on your immediate counterattack. Clear 1 stress if you roll a success.

Taskmaster: Once each downtime, you can force a helper to perform an extra downtime action, and they take +1d on this roll.




Conniver : Manipulative & Controlling Masterminds
You lurk in the background pulling the strings, laying out intricate plans and have
others do your bidding. For you, revenge is a dish best served cold. Methodical is an
understatement - you’re in complete control at all times.

Strings: You can take a point of stress to allow an ally to retry any roll. If they roll a success, you gain a Heart. They remember your voice in their head - what did you say?

Then choose one more Conniver ability:

Manipulation: You can take a point of stress to become aware of a person or creature’s strongest emotion. You take +1d when you act on that knowledge.

Masterful Liar: You take +1d when lying, and your lies always have some useful effect. You also gain a defense against your lies being discovered.

Missed a Spot: Once a phase, you can lower one stress just by pointing out (to their face) something someone else is doing wrong (just make it up). (This works (as long as it's to their face) by pointing out the (very possibly made-up) errors of anyone, do you hear? Anyone!) Of course, the being you point the error out to might not like it...

Opportunist: You take +1d on any roll after an ally doesn’t resist a consequence, or rolls a failure on the resistance roll.

Observant: You take a +1d to attempt to Scan NPCs to figure out what their character flaws might be, or what they like to do for fun. If you're successful, you take +1d the first time you try to use this information to your advantage.

Weaving the Web: You maintain a web of contacts and spies. You always get a result 1 step better when gathering information. You might even get a small piece of loot from such interactions...

Wordplay: When you roll a success when resisting an enemy’s lies, demands, or machinations, you may also (choose one): deflect blame - plant a false idea - learn a truth.


Crafter : Clever & Curious Tinkerers
You spend hours in your workshop mixing together alchemical reagents and constructing insane devices with a gleeful disregard for your own safety. You strap up before you leave the base, well-prepared for any situation.

You start with this ability:

Slap Together: You can take a point of stress to rig up a tier 1 or tier 2 contraption on the spot, which falls apart shortly after its first use. The contraption is still volatile like any other contraption.

Then choose one more Crafter ability to start with:

Brew It Up: You gain an extra downtime activity that can only be used to craft alchemicals. Choose three tier 1 alchemicals or a single tier 2 alchemical that you always have in your supply and gain a supply slot.

Craftmaster: You are extra effective when crafting contraptions and edges, and gain an extra downtime activity which can only be used for this purpose.

Mad Science: When using a contraption or alchemical, you can tell the GM that you'll accept whatever consequences might come, and won't resist. If you do this and the roll result is a success (or better), you clear 1 stress.

Powerful Elixirs: You can take a point of stress to empower an alchemical when you use it (choose one): larger area - lasts longer - more potent - secondary effect.

Pride: You gain a Heart when you or an ally rolls a critical using something you crafted.

Prototypes: Choose a single contraption to craft. You can use it as normal while crafting it and any dangerous rolls made with it count as rolls towards crafting it, too. When it finishes, you can choose a new contraption to begin.

Scrutiny: You take +1d when Scanning for flaws and +1d when you first act on that knowledge.



Hunter : Ruthless & Tenacious Trackers
You’re at home running with the beasts of the forest. Relentlessly chasing down prey brings you closer to the animal inside of you. And yet, you are deliberate, never missing a sign, always on the trail. And when you finally drop your target, there’s no hesitation to finish it.

You start with this ability:

Intuition : You can take a point of stress to learn an enemy's weakness, giving +d6 on your next roll to stalk or bring them down. You must have laid eyes upon this enemy at least once.

Then choose one more Hunter ability to start with:

Careful Footsteps: You get +1d when scouting. You also gain an action which can be used for this purpose during the Recovery phase, which normally can only be done during Downtime.

Feral Senses: Your senses extend twice as far as normal. You take +1d when tracking and gain a defense against surprise.

Grit: When you roll a failure on a resistance roll, you can immediately roll an extra 1d that counts towards the roll. Clear 1 stress if it’s a success.

Hunting Pet: You have a hunting pet, a veteran helper that begins with tricks (choose two): confuse a target - fetch - locate prey - stay hidden - take down prey. It takes +1d when performing these tricks and you can teach it additional ones as a tier 2 project during the Recovery phase.

Scavenger: When you roll a success while scouting or traversing the environment, you can (choose one): find a piece of equipment - harvest a tier 1 alchemical. If the roll is a critical, choose both.

Thrill of the Hunt: Take +1d on any roll to bring down prey that is fleeing from you. Gain a Heart when you strike the final blow.

Trick Shots: You can take a point of stress to pull off an awesome shot with a ranged weapon, like ricocheting a projectile off a wall or hitting multiple targets.



Fighter: Cunning & Fearless Warriors
For you, battle is a dance. The thrill of outmaneuvering your enemies sends blood pumping through your veins. Your moves are precise and calculated and your awareness of the field of battle gives you the ability to see the bigger picture in other situations as well.

You start with this ability:

Battlemaster: You can take a point of stress to pull off an amazing feat of excellence in battle such as engaging a larger number of foes on equal footing or moving to any location on the field of battle.


Then choose one more of these abilities to start with:

Battle Plans: You take +1d on your first roll after engagement. You also gain a defense against mission plans going off track.

Bodyguard : You take +1d on resistance rolls made when you protect an ally. You also gain a defense against their mistakes in battle.

Control: When you roll a success when resisting an attack from an enemy within reach, you may also (choose one): disarm them - redirect the attack - reposition them.

Daredevil: You can take +1d on any dangerous roll, but you take -1d on any roll to resist the consequences. You also gain a defense against fear and intimidation.

Joy of Battle: You clear 1 stress when you roll a critical in battle. You also gain a defense against shock.

Raiders: You command a raiding party, a veteran helper with edges (choose 2): armored - deadly - expendable - tenacious.

Tactician: You can take a point of stress or your own Hearts to give a helper +1d on a roll. You also gain a defense against helper or ally failure.


Shadow : Sneaky & Elusive Rogues
You are at home in the darkness, lurking unseen. You can slip into and out of areas unnoticed. The element of surprise is your greatest weapon and you can often find your way into and out of the trickiest of situations.

You start with this ability:

Agility: You can take a point of stress to pull off an amazing feat of stealth or agility, such as disappearing while in front of a crowd or tumbling safely out of a tower.


Then choose one more of these abilities to start with:

Dark Mind : When you tempt an ally’s nature and it leads to a Heart, you gain one as well. You can also spend your own Hearts to add to an ally’s roll.

Improvise: You can take a point of stress to roll your best action in place of a different one, though you must explain how you adapted your skill to this use.

Poisoner: You always have a supply of the following tier 1 alchemical poisons: blinding - disorienting - slowing - nauseating. You also gain a supply slot.

Slippery: When you roll a success when resisting an enemy attack, you may also (choose one): pick their pocket - reposition behind them - disappear from their sight.

Sneak Attack: You take +1d when you attack from hiding or catch someone off guard.

Sticky Fingers: You take +2d to your own loot rolls. You also gain a defense against your thievery being detected.

Unseen Hand : When you help out an ally, you only take consequences if they roll a failure. If they roll a success, you clear 1 stress.




Shaman : Powerful Spirit Worshipers
You’re surrounded by an entire world of spirits, having already lost their coils and
wandering aimlessly or taking up residence in objects. You’re drawn to this hidden
world, you comprehend it, you revere it - or perhaps you abuse it . The spirits speak
and you hear their mad whispers of vengeance.

You start with this ability:

Shamanism: You can take a point of stress to Invoke tier 2 and tier 3 spells of a single Shamanism path (choose one): bloodspeaking - divination - druidism - stonespeaking - stormspeaking.


Then choose one more of these abilities to start with:

Ancestral Weapon : Your weapon has the trusty edge. After you affect someone with a spell, you take +1d on the next roll against them using this weapon.

Beastform: You can take a point of stress to assume the form of a single beast for a scene. You choose what type of beast when you take this ability, no larger than a bear and no smaller than a cat. Choose two of your actions that swap ratings while in this form.

Spirit Companion : You have an incorporeal spirit companion, a veteran helper that you serves you. It has a single edge of your choice and one of the following abilities (choose one): manifest physically - possess the weak-minded - extremely knowledgeable.

Spirit Whispers: You gain a defense against lies, misdirection, and stealth. When you use this defense, it also tells you a secret about the one who triggered it.

Terror: You can take a point of stress to know anyone’s worst fear and take +1d when you act on this knowledge.

Wild Brews: You can also make potions of any tier from all Sorcerer paths and gain an extra downtime activity that can only be used for this purpose.

Wrath: When you roll a failure on a resist, you take +1d if you immediately cast a spell. This spell doesn’t cost stress, regardless of the tier.



Mage: Daring & Ambitious Mages
You reach out and grab raw, arcane magic by its neck and bend it to your will. You dabble in dangerous arts and know that true power must be wrested away from others. A deep, unquenched thirst for power dwells inside of you.

You start with this ability:

Sorcery: You can take a point of stress to Invoke tier 2 and tier 3 spells of a single sorcery path (choose one): transformation - summoning - magic mastery - hexomancy - illusion - necromancy - pyromancy.


Then choose one more of these abilities to start with:

Artificer: You are extra effective when when enchanting magic items and gain a downtime activity which can only be used for this purpose.

Blood Magic: You can give yourself a light wound to take +1d on a spell and cast it without spending stress.

Counterspell: When you roll a success when resisting enemy magic, you may also (choose one): reflect the spell at them - absorb the spell and clear 1 stress - learn a secret about the caster’s power.

Familiar: You have a familiar, a veteran helper that accompanies and obeys you. You can see through its eyes, and it understands speech and can speak, though nobody else can understand what it says besides you. You can cast spells through your familiar.

Sorcery Mastery: You can choose a second sorcery path that you can cast tier 2 and tier 3 spells from. You only need a single arcane implement to use both of your paths.

Thirst for Power: You can take +1d when casting tier 2 or tier 3 spells, but you will never be able to put up resistance to the consequences of the roll.

Transmogrify: You can take a point of stress to assume one of the following forms for a short time: annoying swarm of pests - confusing fog - sneaky shadow. While you cannot cast spells in this form, you can roll Invoke in place of actions the swarm would be good at.




Cleric: Fervent & Mystical Believers

You start with this ability:

Channeling: You can take a point of stress to Invoke tier 2 and tier 3 channeling spells that fall within your chosen power's domains.

Then choose one more of these abilities to start with:

Acolytes: You have loyal servants, a veteran helper with edges (choose 2): adept - cultist - expendable - herbalist. They also have the overzealous nature.

Sanctifier: When you see the antithesis of your power's domains and seek to ruin it, you
take +1d. You also gain a new nature: sanctifier.

Fervent Aura: You can designate any helper close to you to take a wound instead of you. If this wound knocks out the helper, they can roll one final action first. The same is true if they get killed, but if they do, you take one stress.

Inquisitor: You take +1d when interrogating or converting someone, and gain an extra downtime activity which can only be used for this purpose.

Rebuke: You take +1d when you act immediately after rolling a success on a resistance roll.

Smite: You can take a point of stress to add an additional effect after you roll a success on an attack (choose one): strike fear in their heart - sow doubt in their faith - manifest one of your power's domains (tier 1 spell).

Mysterious Rituals: You are extra effective when when preparing rituals and gain an extra downtime activity which can only be used for this purpose.


STEP FIVE: ASSIGN DOTS TO ACTIONS:


Okay, now that you've chosen a class and chosen an extra class ability, you get 7 "dots." For each of the following 9 actions, you may put one or two dots. You may place no more than 2 dots next to an Action.

--Scan:
--Tinker:
--Trick:
--Finesse:
--Sneak:
--Smash:
--Banter:
--Command:
--Invoke:

When you try to perform one of these actions, each dot will give you an extra d6 to roll...

SO!

You've already chosen your base type: Enclave -  Forge -  Hideout - Stronghold - Temple


And in case you want a Temple (or a Cleric), here's a list of Powers, or you and the GM can come up with one of your own:

❖ Melawa, The Keeper of Secrets (Power of Knowledge and Truth)
❖ Zaheen, The Dancing Swordsman (Power of Luck and Freedom)
❖ Talza, The Kind Mother (Power of Trust and Acceptance)
❖ Vahoona, The Moon's Keeper (Power of Dreams and Darkness)
❖ Melkahar, The Sage of Order (Power of Healing and Resilience)
❖ Kabisha, The Collector of Shields (Power of Bravery and Protection)
❖ Dalgeth, The Silent Guardian (Power of Vigilance and Secrets)
❖ Zoan, The Blessed Emperor (Power of Abundance and Strategy)
❖ Nezame, The Child at Play (Power of Small Things and Promises)
❖ Irina, The Serene Voice (Power of Peace and Music)
❖ Zashan, who Binds All Together (Power of the Sun and Justice)
❖ Thars, The Bold Knight (Power of Wisdom and Leadership)
❖ Ushen, The Generous Old Man (Power of Generosity and Fellowship)

Examples:
❖ A cleric honoring Melawa might ask for knowledge of where something is being hidden.
❖ A cleric honoring Zaheen might ask for a door to unlock itself.
❖ A cleric honoring Talza might ask for a guard to trust and not get suspicious.
❖ A cleric honoring Vahoona might ask for the shadows to hide him.
❖ A cleric honoring Melkahar might ask to heal herself or someone else.
❖ A cleric honoring Kabisha might ask for protection from the guards' crossbows.
❖ A cleric honoring Dalgeth might ask to spot the first sign of any guards coming his way.
❖ A cleric honoring Zoan might ask that a potion might last twice as long.
❖ A cleric honoring Nezame might ask that an ally feel held to a promise to help.
❖ A cleric honoring Irina might ask that the guards might relax and fall asleep.
❖ A cleric honoring Zashan might ask for his holy symbol to radiate bright sunlight.
❖ A cleric honoring Thars might ask for the wisdom to help make a hard decision.
❖ A cleric honoring Ushen might ask for the bases' helpers to stay strong in hard times.


And you've chosen your extra class ability, and assigned dots to actions...


STEP SIX: Choose Your PC's Nature:

Look through the list below and decide on two (you can work with the GM to make
up a new nature).

addicted - bigmouth - craven - curious - deranged - fickle - greedy - gullible - haunted - impatient - jealous - obsessed - paranoid - proud - rude - reckless - stubborn - vindictive

Your nature is important in getting Hearts. When you give into the temptation of your Nature, you get a Heart, which can be spent to help your rolls...


STEP SEVEN: Choose Your Revelry:

Decide how your character likes to throw around gold and blow off stress:

drink - gambling - luxury - violence - weird - worship



STEP EIGHT: Choose Your Gear & Supply:

Decide your character’s look and the type of equipment they carry with them. Choose 4 items to mark down as Gear, then choose an appropriate defense that these items provide you with. Then, mark down 2 additional items into your supply-- items that you might have, but are not vital for your character. (So that's 6 items total...)

You also begin the game with your choice of a special item in your gear or supply, or instead start with 1 gold. Special items can be an item with an edge, a tier 1 contraption, or three uses of a tier 1 alchemical or potion. The alchemicals and potions can be the same type or different ones, but they are consumables and you erase them from supply when used.

Below is a list of items that the different callings might have for their gear & supply. These aren’t limitations, but merely examples-- a conniver could just as easily start with a huge battleaxe or a warlock with lockpicks.

Creating a Mental Image is Best
It’s best to just imagine your character and what they look like, then write down those things as gear and supply! The examples are there to help get your imagination going if you draw a blank, though.

Gear & Supply Examples:

Barbarian: battleaxe - spiked armor - horned helmet - net - tasty snack - wardrums - fur cloak - spear

Conniver: wineskin - hidden dagger - blowgun - mask - flute - flashy rings - lock - soap

Crafter: tool pouch - bag of loose parts - crossbow - spyglass - bracers - goggles - lamp oil - flint & steel - leather apron - crowbar - shovel - huge wrench

Hunter: bow - skinning knife - animal trap - fatigue poison - manacles - quiver of special arrows - climbing gear - fishing gear - hide armor - sling - animal call

Fighter: shield - twin axes - crossbow - bracers -lantern - caltrops - mapping tools - horn

Shadow: dark leather cloak - grappling hook - throwing knives - shortbow - extinguishing arrows - smoke bomb - pliers - lockpick - garrote - bag of rocks

Shaman: spiritmask - club - mace - ceremonial knife - amulet - pipe & tobacco - augury bones - sickle

Mage: staff - darts - cape - spellbook - crystals - hooded robe

Cleric: mace - symbol of power - robes - book - bell - blessed wine


Finally, remember that spellcasting requires an implement for each path you wish to
use, so make sure to designate one of your gear or supply as this item.


STEP NINE: Choose Your Friend & Known Enemy:

This step of character creation must be done between the first and second session,
after you’ve set up your sandbox, generated factions together, and already have the
beginnings of your base finished. During session 1 and session 2, you spend time
setting up your base - and during that time, you make some relationships.

First, detail one friend you have - someone that you already have a relationship with. This might be someone you grew up knowing or where you go to get your booze. It might be someone that can give you information or even help out from time to time.

Next, detail one known enemy you have. This is a faction that you ran across, pissed off, or just got noticed by during your time setting up the initial base.


EXAMPLE 1:


Fighter:

--Scan: *
--Tinker:
--Trick:
--Finesse: **
--Sneak: *
--Smash: **
--Banter:
--Command: *
--Invoke:

Nature: reckless - vindictive

Revelry: violence


Two abilities:

Battlemaster: You can take a point of stress to pull off an amazing feat of excellence in battle such as engaging a larger number of foes on equal footing or moving to any location on the field of battle.

Joy of Battle: You clear 1 stress when you roll a critical in battle. You also gain a defense against shock.

Gear: masterwork shield (defense against Smash) - sword - armor - lantern
Supply: crossbow - caltrops

Friend: Aaron, the weapon-shop owner
Enemy: The witch in the forest


EXAMPLE 2:
Mage:

--Scan: **
--Tinker:
--Trick:
--Finesse:
--Sneak: *
--Smash:
--Banter: *
--Command: *
--Invoke: **

Nature: craven - curious

Revelry: weird

Mage: magic staff (defense against Invoke) - spellbook - dark brown hooded robe - forked stick
Supply: darts - pouch of shiny crystals


Sorcery: You can take a point of stress to Invoke tier 2 and tier 3 spells of a single sorcery path (choose one): pyromancy.

Transmogrify: You can take a point of stress to assume one of the following forms for a short time: sneaky shadow. While you cannot cast spells in this form, you can roll Invoke in place of actions the swarm would be good at.

Friend: Elspeth, a fey oracle who lives in the mountains
Enemy: Conroy, a junior member of the Wizard's Council of Twelve


Example 3:
Cleric (of Melkahar):

Channeling: You can take a point of stress to Invoke tier 2 and tier 3 channeling spells that fall within your chosen power's domains.

Sanctifier: When you see the antithesis of your power's domains and seek to ruin it, you
take +1d. You also gain a new nature: sanctifier.

--Scan: **
--Tinker:
--Trick:
--Finesse:
--Sneak: *
--Smash:
--Banter: **
--Command: *
--Invoke: **

Nature: impatient - stubborn

Revelry: worship

Trappings: blessed mace (defense against Finesse) - robes - symbol of power - waterskin
Supply: scrolls of holy writ - bandages

Friend: Mother Cree, the candle-maker and town gossip
Enemy: Karnov, a corrupt constable
This message was last edited by the GM at 13:46, Fri 17 Apr 2020.

Okay, it's time we talk about the bad stuff that can happen to your character:

Wounds
Every character can get one light wound, one medium wound, and one heavy wound. Each box represents different amounts of damage to your character.
❖ Light wounds are minor cuts and bruises. You might get a slash across your forearm or a punch in your ribs.
❖ Medium wounds are serious, but non-life-threatening. They leave you bleeding, deeply bruised, or a minor fracture. You might get your nose broken by a shield to the face or an arrow stuck in a non-vital area.
❖ Heavy wounds are debilitating and put you close to death. You might get a sword run through your gut or a horse kicks you in the head.

When you take a wound, you mark it down on your character sheet. Light and Medium wounds don't impair your functioning in any way... AS LONG AS YOU DON'T GET MORE THAN ONE OF THOSE THREE WOUNDS.

If you take a wound... and you already have one of that type of wound... you mark down a wound of a higher level.

So if you take a medium wound... but you've ALREADY taken a medium wound... you mark down a heavy wound.

If you have to mark down a heavy wound... But you ALREADY marked down a heavy wound, earlier... The character DIES. If the character dies, you just make another one, who you start using at the start of the next round.

When you take a heavy wound, you take shock to all three of your attributes... which means you roll one less d6 to try to do anything.


Death from Wounds
If you take another heavy wound while injured, you die. However, you perform your death knell, an immediate final act before you kick the bucket. You ignore any shock you have on this roll, and if you play into your nature, any other PC who sees your death can take a Heart.


Nature & Stress

I already told you about your Nature... and that when you give in to the temptation to follow your Nature, you get a Heart (maximum of 3).

If you resist the temptation, you take a Stress.

Hearts
A rebel's nature constantly beckons them into heinous, cowardly, and selfish acts. When acting on your nature threatens to derail your current goals, you earn a Heart, a bankable die that you can spend later.

You can bank a max of 3 of these.

You can spend a Heart and take +1d to any roll. You can only spend one Heart on any given roll.

While players can weave their nature into their roleplaying, they only earn Hearts when their nature puts their current goals at risk.

❖ The GM can suggest a course of action that plays into a character’s nature,
especially in response to a player declaring an action.
“Sure, You could go help your ally, but you’re vindictive, right? Maybe spend time here twisting the knife on this guy you just downed instead?”

❖ Other players can suggest a course of action as well.
“Aren’t you reckless? Why not just try jumping over the chasm?”

❖ You can play into your nature yourself.
“I’m way too impatient for this. Can I have a Heart here if I push past the guard and enter the bandit chief’s hut?”

The GM makes the final call on whether something is deserving of a Heart. It’s important to remember that the suggestions are just that - you don’t have to follow through on them. It’s always the player’s choice. While it’s not required, getting a Heart usually requires an action roll to put things at risk or a sacrifice of some sort, like sending allies to their deaths or giving up some loot you’re carrying. The key is that you earn a Heart when you step away from what you’re supposed to be doing and instead do the things that fill your flawed heart with glee.

What They Did to My Friend
Darrin, a Shadow, is trying to Sneak up to a mercenary camp. He notices a sleeping guard next to a tree and decides to move past him towards the camp. The GM glances at Darrin's Nature, sees “haunted,” and says, “Darrin, you glance at the sleeping guard and notice the dagger at his side. Instantly, you flashback to your buddy Gary getting that dagger buried into his back. Your hair almost stands on end. You sure you want to let this guy keep sleeping?”

“Yeah, that guy’s going to get that dagger buried into his chest. I’m going to Sneak over there and take care of him,” Darrin says, grabbing dice and marking down his Heart.


Stress
So, yeah, Rebels have a resource called stress that they use to keep their nature at bay and stay focused. They can take stress to resist consequences or power abilities. Each character can take two light stress, two medium stress, and two heavy stress. Each box represents different amounts of assault on your ability to keep your nature in check.

When you spend stress on abilities or spells, you mark one box of the lowest level of stress you have open. When you roll a mixed or failure to resist a consequence, you spend a stress box equal to the consequence.

When you go to mark a level of stress but all the boxes at that level are full, you instead mark a box a level higher.

Stress allows you to suppress your nature, the urges lurking in your heart, and focus on your goals. Taking too much stress, though, pushes them over the edge and they Lose It,
succumbing to their nature. They become wild and dangerous... for anyone to be around, be they foe or ally.


Losing It
When you mark off your last heavy stress, you immediately Lose It, becoming a slave to your nature, which has the following effects:

❖ However many Hearts you did or didn't have already, when you Lose It, you now have three.

❖ When you Lose It, any action you take must play toward your Nature, and you do not get new Hearts for doing so.

❖ You can’t spend stress when you Lose It, though you can spend a Heart in the place of Stress, to activate abilities. You take +1d if you make an action roll with the ability.

❖ You cannot resist impending consequences when you have Lost It, though you can still use a defense.

❖ When you have Lost It, anything that would normally clear stress instead gives you a Heart.

Once you've spent your final Heart, down to zero, your mind clears, and your Stress clears, and you can focus on the task at hand once again. You can spend stress and resist consequences as normal, and are no longer beholden to your Nature.


Burnt Out
When you take a heavy stress but have no more to spend, you Burn Out. Your Nature takes over permanently, and you lose your character. You must immediately take one final action, which must play toward your nature, and then your PC exits the scene. The character is gone - time to make a new one.

When a rebel Burns Out, it means they’re too emotionally used up to have around anymore, and the player describes how they make a hasty exit, usually using their final action to do so. The character might run away, betray their comrades, steal something important, or the other PCs might even be forced to kill them.

However it goes down, that character is gone from the game, and that player has to make a new rebel.


LET ME SAY ALL THAT MORE SIMPLY:
--You have Wounds, and Stress.
--You get rid of all Wounds and all Stress at the start of the Recovery phase.
--BUT... If you get too many Wounds before the Recovery phase, you die.
--AND... If you get too much Stress before the Recovery phase, you Lose It.
--When you Lose It, you must start trying to do stuff, and spending all the Hearts you can, before you take more Stress.
--If you take more stress while you've still Lost It, you've lost your ability to work and play even with your own allies, and you leave the game. Time to make a new rebel PC.

Got it??
This message was last edited by the GM at 19:38, Mon 10 Feb 2020.

OTHER STUFF THAT WILL COME UP LATER IN THE GAME:

Seriously, you don't have to read this stuff now. The GM will be happy to walk you through everything beyond this point later...


Power Struggles
Sometimes, the PCs may come into conflict with each other-- shenanigans, arguments, and fights aren't all that uncommon. To allow for this without making such interaction feel mechanically punitive, PCs can engage in power struggles.

When two or more PCs are at odds, the GM can call for a power struggle.
❖ Each player chooses an action you try to use to get your way and roleplays the conflict starting.
❖ When it comes time to determine a winner, you roll at the same time.
❖ The winner then narrates how they end up winning.
❖ The loser then narrates their reaction, closing out the scene.

Power struggles are completely narrative - nobody takes wounds, nobody loses stress no matter how violent or crazy the narrative gets. Occasionally, a gold or an item may change hands, but that should be the extent of it.

With multiple participants, things can get a bit more complex and freeform. The point here is to keep it light, though, and spread the spotlight around. Keep in mind that players never spend resources on power struggles - they can’t spend Hearts, they don’t mark off stress or wounds. They can activate abilities or cast spells, but they don’t provide any extra benefit to their chances of winning. The rule keeps things very simple - just choose action ratings and roll them as a fortune roll.

Example: Can’t Decide on a Raiding Plan
An argument breaks out about how to raid a ferry crossing and the table gets locked into a bit of deadlock. The characters are all standing around a table yelling at each other. The GM says, “Looks like a power struggle. Who’s in?”

The Barbarian says, “Yeah, I’m going to Smash things angrily until you all start listening to me.” The Shadow jumps in, “I’m definitely going to Sneak into the shadows here and wait for an opening.”

The Barbarian says, “I slam my fist down hard on the table and demand a full scale attack on the ferry crossing, eyeballing each of you.”

The GM says, “Let’s see some rolls.” The Barbarian rolls 3d for his Smash, getting a mixed. The Shadow rolls her Sneak, also 3d, getting a success. “Awesome,” says the Shadow. “Okay, I slip up behind the Barbarian and put my dagger to his neck. ‘I think a lighter touch might be in order.’”

The Barbarian player laughs, “Dammit… Okay, knowing I’ve been outdone, I turn my head a bit, then glance at the Shadow and snort, ‘Okay, thief-- but if this doesn’t work, it’s on you.”

Running a base requires many decisions to be made by the players. Discussing these out a bit can be fun, but most of the time you’re going to want to land on a decision quickly. This could be deciding what creature to attract, what the next raid target and plan is, what room to build, or what to do with all those elven prisoners.

Amongst the rebels, these indecisions have a way of getting sorted out quickly. Anytime the PCs hit this kind of deadlock, the GM can call for a power struggle.

Making Even Losing a Power Struggle Fun
The back and forth pattern to power struggles is important-- handing off the narrative reins to each participate means they share the screen time and both players can feel like the scene was worth playing out. Giving the loser the last say helps shore up any hard feelings and make sure their character saves face. Nobody likes their PC to look like a fool or a loser, but determining the shape that the loss takes can be a lot of fun.

It keeps play moving, so don’t hold grudges with this stuff - let it wash off your character’s back and move on. It’s a mechanism to keep the game flowing nicely, but also
a nice chance for some rebel vs. rebel drama. You’re all a bunch of hunted fugitives, basically criminals-- it makes sense that you might not always see a situation in the exact same way.

If at some point it becomes important that the PCs are trying to actually harm each
other, such as a rebel following their nature while having Lost It, there are two options:

❖ The GM sets the consequence that the loser of the power struggle must face.

❖ The game progresses, alternating between who makes action rolls. The GM judges how dangerous or effective the PC making the action roll would be and if there’s a consequence, the other PC gets a hand in deciding it. It’s best to decide the consequences before rolls are made.

If everyone isn’t on board with a power struggle, especially one with consequences, the GM should just narrate a neutral conclusion and move on instead. Power struggles aren’t meant to force players into situations they don’t want their characters to be in. If everyone at the table isn’t having fun with it, it’s a better idea to find a different direction for the game to go in.


Advancement
PCs start off competent, but not exactly strong. A starting Rebel Fighter PC is about on equal footing with a normal caravan guard in a fight. A conniver might be able to match wits with a local priest. A starting Rebel Mage is better than a magician's apprentice, but not as good as the apprentice's master. In the beginning, failure can be regularly expected.

But as you gain xp, you grow more competent. You can rely on your actions more and gain additional abilities, turning into something much more competent and powerful.

If you make a roll and fail, you get 1 xp.

Also: When the GM tells you that "This marks the end of this chapter," mark 1 xp for each trigger met, and detail how it happened:

❖ You made progress on your master plan. What did you accomplish? What lies ahead?

❖ You used a scene to bring the base to life. How did you fill the time between raids and invasions with interesting cuts of rebel life?

❖ You did something a non-rebel wouldn't do. How did your actions reflect your nature?

❖ You utilized your gear in creative ways. How did your most prized possessions come into play?

The master plan is something the group works toward together, and if progress is made, everyone gains 1 xp for it.

When 9 xp has been gotten in this way, you gain a new ability, or you can place a dot next to an action (including one you've already got one or two dots next to (max of 3)).

XP is tallied up at the end of each session no matter where it ended in the cycle of play. Each player goes down their list of xp triggers, recounting what happened during the session. You can help each other out by reminding someone of something they forgot to do. As a good rule of thumb, if nothing comes immediately to mind, you shouldn’t take XP for it-- it should be fairly clear when the triggers are hit.

When you trade in 9 xp, you go up a level (starting with moving from level 1 to level 2). This is important only because if your PC dies, and you make a new one, the new one comes in at the same level. So if your level 3 PC dies, make a new PC at level 1, and then you may add two extra dots, or choose two new extra class abilities, or one of each. (However, xp lost by character death is NOT reimbursed. If your PC died with only 2 more xp to go before leveling up, you're just out of luck.)

(Also note: if you must make a new PC, you must make the new one in some way different from your previous one(s). Making the new one be a different class is encouraged, but if not that, then at least choose entirely different Nature descriptors.)

Players, make sure to track your xp and level during the game! It’s your responsibility, not the GM’s.


Bringing in New Characters Later in the Game
If you lose your character, the nature of the base makes it easy to bring in a new one. Bases are generally open to new rebels moving in, and someone with valuable skills would quickly prove to be useful. Another option is to promote a helper, having them step up in the ranks and becoming one of the key rebels.

When bringing in a new character, setting up an off-screen montage works well.

❖ How do you prove your worth and gain the acceptance of the other PCs?

❖ How are you more than just another helper?

Using your friends and known enemies to link you together with the base somehow makes for an easy in-road. A power struggle also sets the tone really nicely to have a new PC work their way into the base.

Bringing New PCs into the Story
You should try not to spend too much time on the specifics of how the rebel moves into the base here - you’re rebels and they’re a powerful, useful newcomer. That’s what your base needs more of, so as long as they’ll pull their weight. Make it easy for new PCs to work themselves in. It’s up to the other PCs as much as it is the new PC to open up the story for a new character to join in.
This message was last edited by the GM at 15:16, Wed 12 Feb 2020.

MORE STUFF:

Tiers
Tiers are used to establish relative power of elements within their own categories. You use them when you need to know how things stack up against each other. Tiers are rated from 0 to 4, with 0 representing something that is small or weak and 4 representing something incredibly powerful. They only directly compare things within the same category.

Each tier is basically worth double what its previous tier is. Something that is tier 3 should be twice as powerful as something that is tier 2. For example, two tier 2 factions working together could possibly take down a tier 3 faction. Four tier 1 factions could possibly do the same. It would take 8 tier 1 factions to face off against a tier 4 faction.

Throughout the game, tiers will be used as a way to compare elements of the game within their own categories. The tier system is a rating between 0 and 4. Tier 0 represents something within its category that is small or weak, just starting off or barely worth the time to notice. Tier 4 represents the highest level of quality or power, something strong and valuable, within its category.

Your base will have a tier, starting off at 0. This will compare to faction tiers and
establish how powerful of targets you can tackle. Spells and rituals, as well as alchemicals and potions, have tiers, too. Your base's creatures, if any, also have tiers, as well as the attackers that invade your base. While many elements have tiers, it’s important to remember that they’re representations of relative power within that category - a tier 3 base doesn’t “equal” a tier 3 mercenary.



MAGIC AND SCIENCE:

Some rebels are drawn to the power found within magic and science. They learn to cast particularly powerful spells or craft incredible contraptions. Others ply their time mixing alchemicals, noxious concoctions with bizarre effects or engaging in long rituals to harness the most powerful magic they can wield.

This chapter lays out how magic and science work, providing examples and giving the proper scope to what’s possible with it.

The examples covered on the next few pages are just that - examples. Use them along with the base guidelines when creating your own magic and science! Actual mechanical balance is far less important than the tier “feeling right,” so when in doubt, go with your gut on judging the item tiers.


Volatility

Things created with magic or science are often volatile in nature. Magic items, alchemicals, potions, contraptions - all can be volatile unless perfectly crafted.

When an item has the volatile property, it comes with some drawback when using or even just carrying it. A freezing potion might also freeze the potion bottle, making it very fragile and likely to break. A bottled rage potion might cause you to become beholden to a specific condition like “ I can’t tell friends from foes”. A contraption that shoots fire might deal a light wound to yourself any time you use it. The exact nature of the volatility is up to the GM, but they should try to make it something that still makes using the item worth using, but is troublesome or annoying to do so.

Volatile tends to scale with tier, with the most powerful items having the greatest
level of volatility. Minor items might give some small annoyance, but powerful items
might be quite dangerous to wield.

If an item is volatile, it will have the nature of the volatility listed in parenthesis after the item.

Magic

You Invoke spells and rituals, creating magical effects that fall within the scope of your path. Each discipline has several paths which determine what kind of magical effects you can create. To cast magic within a certain path requires you to have an implement specific to that path in your gear or supply through which to focus your magic. To cast higher tier spells and rituals, you must have the appropriately relevant calling ability.

Crystal balls, strange powders, crooked wands, crazy spirit masks, ancient tomes-- these are arcane implements, the tools magic wielders use to focus their magic. The choice of implement is up to you, but you should try to connect it strongly with the path of magic
you use.


Sorcery Paths
You reach out and seize control of primal, arcane energies, twisting them to serve your purpose. Mages can learn to cast higher-level spells within this discipline.

❖ Transformation allows you to attempt to temporarily turn a guard into a toad, turn a sword into a wooden stick, turn steel bars into rock candy, turn an iron door into a silk tapestry...

❖ Summoning allows you to summon monsters to do your bidding.

❖ Magic Mastery allows you to control primal power, lifting and moving objects or even yourself.

❖ Hexomancy allows you to manipulate the forces of luck and entropy, causing chaos and decay.

❖ Illusion allows you to control darkness and shadows, using them to craft illusions, darken or lighten areas.

❖ Necromancy allows you to wield negative energy to contact ghosts, sap strength, or control the dead.

❖ Pyromancy allows you to conjure and manipulate flames, lava, and heat.



Channeling Paths
You call upon a Power, a mysterious being which, in return for your calling, allows you to wield a small fraction of their power for yourself.

You can choose one of the following beings to follow, or make up your own. Whomever you choose acts as your path. Each has a title followed by two domains which help define the scope of the magic you can cast. If you make your own, work with the GM to define these well.

❖ Melawa, The Keeper of Lore (Power of Knowledge and Truth)
❖ Zaheen, The Dancing Swordsman (Power of Luck and Freedom)
❖ Talza, The Kind Mother (Power of Trust and Acceptance)
❖ Vahoona, The Moon's Keeper (Power of Dreams and Darkness)
❖ Melkahar, The Sage of Order (Power of Healing and Resilience)
❖ Kabisha, The Collector of Shields (Power of Bravery and Protection)
❖ Dalgeth, The Silent Guardian (Power of Vigilance and Secrets)
❖ Zoan, The Blessed Emperor (Power of Abundance and Strategy)
❖ Nezame, The Child at Play (Power of Small Things and Promises)
❖ Irina, The Serene Voice (Power of Peace and Music)
❖ Zashan, who Binds All Together (Power of the Sun and Justice)
❖ Thars, The Bold Knight (Power of Wisdom and Leadership)
❖ Ushen, The Generous Old Man (Power of Generosity and Fellowship)





Shaman Paths
You call upon or compel natural and ancestral spirits to assist you. You have a strong connection with the most basic forces of nature. Shamans can learn to cast higher level spells within this discipline.

❖ Bloodspeaking gives you power over the bodies of living creatures, such as controlling their movements.

❖ Divination allows you to send your sight far and wide, looking into pools of water to see distant lands, the past, or even very brief, chaotic glimpses of what will likely be the future.

❖ Druidism gives you power over plants and animals which you can summon and command.

❖ Stonespeaking allows you to affect the spirits of earth and metal.

❖ Stormspeaking allows you to control the elements of weather - wind, water, and lightning.


Magic paths are not meant to be comprehensive. They represent the most common magical traditions that exist, so there are bound to be some gaps. If a style of magic isn’t covered here, a player can work with the GM to define it themselves.


Laws of Magic
Invoking magic means using a spell to do one of two things - using Invoke in place of another action to accomplish something or creating an effect not possible without magic. When you use Invoke in place of another action, focus on what you want to accomplish. For example, you could Finesse open a lock with a lockpick or you could Invoke a hexomancy spell to cause the lock mechanism to fall apart. You could Smash a knight with a warhammer or Invoke a Magic Mastery spell to pummel them with a rock. The end result is essentially the same. When you’re creating completely new effects, focus on its usefulness compared to a normal action roll.

Spells are ranked from tier 0 (also called cantrips) to tier 3. While anyone can cast tier 0 and tier 1 spells as long as they have the appropriate implement, you must have an ability in order to cast tier 2 and tier 3 spells.

Tier 2 and Tier 3 spells are difficult and dangerous.

You must spend stress to Invoke tier 2 or 3 spells, and take a penalty on the roll as follows:

❖ Tier 2 spells take -1d on the roll.

❖ Tier 3 spells take -2d on the roll.

If the scope of a spell goes over tier 3, it is not possible to cast as a spell. It requires a ritual. PC spellcasters are powerful, but not all-mighty. Their spellcasting has certain limits which become clear in the examples later in this thread. The GM helps define the scale of magic, but it’s important to keep spellcasting balanced with other abilities.





The tier of the spell is determined by the GM. The player states what they are trying to
accomplish, especially the intended result. The intended result is used by the GM to
judge the tier according to this chart:

Spells

Tier 0 (Cantrip)
No roll.
Results that anyone could easily accomplish. A nifty, stylistic, mildly useful or otherwise minor effect.
❖ Snap your fingers and light a candle.
❖ Whisper Zaheen's name and the cathedral shutters blow open noisily.
❖ Call the wind to make your cape blow behind you.
❖ Send a shiver down someone’s spine, forcing them to turn around and notice you standing behind them.



Tier 1
No Stress
No Penalty

Results that a trained person with the right equipment could quickly accomplish. These spells allow you to roll Invoke in place of another action.

❖ Ensorcel the horse’s mind, inflaming it with anger to buck off the rider.
(mimics Trick or Command)

❖ Beseech Vahoona, and the constable's lantern goes out. (mimics Finesse)

❖ Focus intently and hear the pounding heartbeat and blood rushing through the veins of the hidden rogue. (mimics Scan)

❖ Summon two tiny elementals to trip the farmer chasing you down. (mimics Finesse or Tinker)




Tier 2
Take Stress
-1d

Results that a team of people could accomplish in a short time or a single person over a longer period. This can also be results otherwise impossible without magic, with a power level about equal to a normal action.

❖ Control the plants around you to vine their way across a gap, creating a small bridge.
❖ Listen intently as Melawa tells you when the adventurers will arrive.
❖ Conjure an illusion of a wyvern flying overhead, scaring off the pursuing cavalry.
❖ Summon a wolf to hunt down the fleeing captive.



Tier 3
Take Stress
-2d

Results that even a team of trained professionals would take quite some time to accomplish. This can be unbelievable magical results, more powerful than a normal action.

❖ Hit the town wall with a huge amount of force, blowing a hole in it.
❖ Leave your body behind as you enter the spirit realm and head off to possess a
caravan guard.
❖ Request that Nezame send a kitten to knock something off a shelf, causing the guard to go and investigate, leaving a door momentarily unguarded.
❖ Turn a traitorous spy who's seen your face into a rat-- not just for a minute, but maybe for a year or two.



Expanding the scope, area, or duration of a spell adjusts its tier upwards. By default,
spells are instantaneous or short-lived effects and affect a single target or a limited
area. You might adjust the tier upwards if:
❖ You expand the scope from a single target to a few targets, or a few targets
to many targets.
❖ You expand the area from a small area to a medium area, or a medium area
to a large area.
❖ You expand the duration from a short time to a medium time, or a medium
time to a long time.

Invoke can be used to make resistance rolls as well, though you must describe the spell you are casting to resist it. The GM sets the tier and you take stress and a penalty to the roll as normal based on the tier. Generally speaking, though, resisting can almost always be done with a tier 1 spell.


Example: Causing a Scene
Arno, an shaman with bloodspeaking magic, has stowed away in a cart heading into town. His target is a charm necklace that a merchant is hawking in the town square - a charm he knows he needs to finish his ritual. As the cart pulls close to the merchant’s stand, Arno says, “Okay, I need to get that charm and get out of here, so I want to cause some distractions. Maybe I can make the merchant stiffen up and fall over suddenly, drawing attention.”

The GM says, “Yeah, that sounds like a tier 1 spell to me, kind of like a Trick. You could push it and make it also affect the 3 or 4 people standing around the stand. That’d be tier 2.”

Arno thinks, “I think I want to go big here - let’s make everyone in this square suddenly get paralyzed and fall over. Then I’ll snatch the charm and make my escape.”

The GM, “Awesome, that’s a tier 3 spell, so you take -2d on your action roll here. This is going to be dangerous / normal. If you fail, your spell’s probably going to backfire on you in this busy town square.” Arno grabs some dice.

All of these factors for spells are very subjective - how long is a medium amount of
time? How big of an area is a large area? A “large area” for a fireball will be different
than a “large area” for a storm. This is all up to the GM. You decide how powerful
magic is in your game. Over the next few pages, there are several examples that can
help form a basis for magic in your setting, but it’s really up to you to set the
limitations of magic. Think about and set some limits - what can magic not do? Using
these guidelines, you create a framework for how magic functions.


Miscellaneous Spellcasting Rules
Spellcasting is very open-ended and most rules can be judged by the GM on the fly, but this list sets some baselines for GMs to go off of to provide balance to some of the trickier aspects of magic.

❖ Dispel: Persistent magical effects can be dispelled with Invoke as well. The tier of the spell required is set by the strength of the magic in play, which is determined by the GM.

❖ Summoning: Any summoned minions are short-lived, usually lasting only a scene. Minions can be permanently summoned with rituals. A tier 1 spell might make a minion with very limited usage or no control by the caster, while a tier 3 spell could be something that
you can control like a normal helper.

Setting the Scope of Magic
The scope of magic exists within the GM’s mind - everyone is going to have a different idea of it, but the GM is in the best place to consistently judge magical effects over time. GMs, try to be transparent and open to questions about why you’ve judged the effects in certain ways. This will help inform your players’ decisions as they get used to the power level of magic. Players, be forgiving if the GM judges two identical spells as different tiers - judging something so incredibly flexible can be tough. We’re all human, right?

Potions
Potions are bottled magical concoctions with potent effects, usually in liquid form,
but it’s not unheard of to find these essences distilled into a dust or another form.
They are single-use items and have the effects of equivalent-tier spells. Cantrip level
potions are also possible, though incredibly minor effects and not detailed below.

Potions

Tier 1 Potions that mimic tier 1 spells:
❖ Firefly: Upon consuming this potion, you shine like a firefly.
❖ Blowfish: You float very well, making it unlikely to drown but a bit difficult to
move against the current.
❖ Sticky: Magically fuse two things together.
❖ Booming voice: Your voice is way louder than normal.
❖ Featherfall: Slow your descent on a fall.
❖ Protection: You gain a defense against something specific.

Tier 2 Potions that mimic tier 2 spells:
❖ Fishgills: You can breathe underwater.
❖ Spiderlegs: You can walk on walls.
❖ Firebreath: You can shoot an enormous blast of fire from your mouth.
❖ Terror: You become incredibly scary looking, the manifestation of the viewer’s
worst fears.
❖ Vanishing: You disappear momentarily, reappearing if you touch something with your hands or something touches you.
❖ Blink: You teleport to the location you throw the potion.


Tier 3 Potions that mimic tier 3 spells:
❖ Shapechange: You turn into a creature, determined when the potion is made.
❖ Giantsize: You double in size.
❖ Ratsize: You halve in size.
❖ Tongues: You can speak and understand any language.
❖ Invisibility: You turn completely invisible for a short time.
❖ Flying: You can fly for a short time.


Rituals
Rituals push magic to its limits, allowing you to bring forth truly impressive magical
effects. Rituals allow you to apply magic in ways that have greater impact on the
overall story. To cast a ritual, you must have an appropriate calling ability giving you
access to rituals. This requirement can be bypassed if you have learned the details of
how to prepare a specific ritual from some source.

Rituals are rated from tier 1 to tier 3 and judged by the GM based on their narrative
weight - how much impact they have on the story:

Rituals

Tier 1: Results that change the story in ways useful for the PCs, but with minor impact on NPCs. NPCs may struggle with the fallout, but it’s generally a minor obstacle or setback.
❖ Raise a group of skeletons to permanently serve you as a helper.
❖ Build a teleportation circle focused on two specific locations.
❖ Learn the location of the mayor’s daughter.

Tier 2: Results that give the PCs a strong advantage or force NPCs into disadvantageous situations. NPCs will likely confront the fallout, being a major obstacle or setback though not usually an existential threat.

❖ Plant the seeds of fear in the baron’s mind, causing him to betray the duke.
❖ Conjure a large wall of ice, blocking the mountain path.
❖ Bathe the forest in a lingering fog, keeping townsfolk from entering.


Tier 3: Results that alter the entire dynamic of the story. NPCs are left with no option other than to immediately deal with the fallout.

❖ Call forth a mighty avalanche to cover the road through the mountains and the regiment of soldiers marching through it at the time.
❖ Make a shaman practically a minor power in and of himself/herself.

Rituals are prepared as downtime activities during the Recovery phase. You have to fulfill a number of special requirements equal to the tier of the ritual. The special requirements are determined by the GM and should be something quite challenging to accomplish, usually requiring a raid.

When you complete a ritual, immediately make a blowback roll depending on the tier of the ritual. A tier 1 ritual rolls 3d, a tier 2 ritual rolls 2d, and a tier 3 ritual rolls 1d. On a mixed or failure, outside forces attempt to intervene and the ritual cannot be completed until the blowback from it is dealt with.

Special Requirements for Rituals:

❖ Intimate materials: You need an item that the target of the ritual greatly values
or cares about deeply. Why is it important to them?

❖ Secret Knowledge: You require secret, arcane information from a specific source. What will you have to give up to acquire this knowledge?

❖ Ritual cleansing: Your body must be thoroughly cleansed with ointment, a rare potion, or other special materials. Where does this bathing occur?

❖ Blood magic: You must feed the ritual with your own blood, leaving you with a
wound. What does the scar look like?

❖ Rare ingredients: You must collect these rare ingredients before you can cast the
spell - often from high, inaccessible mountain peaks or at the bottom of deep, dark lakes. What stands between you and the ingredient?

❖ Timing: You can only perform the ritual at a specific time, such as a certain lunar
phase or when the stars align. What is significant about the timing?

❖ Fasting: You are not allowed to eat while preparing this ritual. You take shock to
one of your attributes after each downtime that you rolled to prepare this ritual. Why must you go through such suffering?

❖ Place of power: You must perform the ritual at a specific place of power such as a
long forgotten battlefield or deep within a volcano. How does the place magnify your arcane might?

❖ Trial: You must undergo some trial or perform a specific action to prove yourself
worthy before the ritual can be completed, such as swimming across a dangerous river, or finding and killing a wyvern in a particular way. What makes the task even more dangerous than is immediately apparent?


Magic Items
Rebels are bound to find magic items hanging off the bodies of dead mercenaries or hidden away in a wizard’s chest. Magic items are rated from tier 1 to tier 3 and judged similarly to rituals based on their narrative weight. Basically, magic items are judged by how useful they are and how much impact they have on the story. Magic items are created by performing a ritual with a tier equal to the magic item’s tier.

Magic Items
Tier 1: Items that are fun, interesting, crazy, but with limited power and
usefulness.
❖ Filcher’s Monocle: When worn, any gold or silver within eyesight surrounds
itself with a faint aura that you can see even if the valuables are hidden.
❖ Skeleton Key: This lock can open any non-magical lock without needing to roll.
If it is used to open a magical lock, it can roll its tier against it.


Tier 2: Items that provide strong bonuses for the wielder or force NPCs into undesirable situations.
❖ Cheater’s Coin: When flipped, it will give whatever result the user wants.
(Demands one gold before it can be used again, placed on the coin which
devours it)
❖ Orb of Darkness: Cloaks an area around the orb in darkness, even in broad
daylight. When covered with a cloth, the darkness effect is smothered. (Substantially heavier than it looks)


Tier 3: Items that alter the entire dynamic of the story. These provide an overwhelmingly powerful bonus to the wielder or NPCs are left with no option other than to immediately deal with the item.
❖ Crystal Ball: You can see anything within miles of your location. (Take shock if
the scrying eye is noticed)
❖ Wand of Fireballs: Can create an immense fireball at the target location. (Costs
stress to use)

Generally speaking, magic items give the abilities that you didn’t previously have.
They can be considered as a circumstance towards effect when they apply, but items
tend to allow you to do something new rather than more effectively. As an example,
Filcher’s Boots don’t allow you to sneak around more quietly - they make gold and
silver give off a faint glowing aura that you can more easily see, making it easier to
steal.

Magic items are often volatile, coming with some drawback that balances out their
power. They might require you to spend stress to use it, only be possible to use under
certain circumstances, whisper paranoid thoughts to you when you’re under
pressure, or anything else that seems fitting.

Within your base, there may be many “magic” things that are covered by different mechanics - magical constructs that serve you as helpers, magical locks to keep mercenaries at bay, and so on. Magic items generally cover items that can be equipped or carried by characters.

When you make an action roll with a magic item, you roll the item’s tier or the wielder’s relevant ability, whichever is higher.

Figuring Out Tiers is Mostly Gut Feeling:
This method of judging items, much like spells, can be a bit tricky. When in doubt, go with your gut. For example, if an item with two tier 1 effects doesn’t really feel strong enough to be considered tier 2, then maybe just leave it at tier 1. If that still doesn’t feel right, maybe make it volatile and see if that feels a bit more balanced.
This message was last edited by the GM at 03:08, Sun 08 Nov 2020.

Science
Some rebels prefer to put their brains to work, coming up with clever solutions within the laws of reality. Whereas magic has a wider upper end, the study of science tends to be more broadly applicable than magic paths.

Alchemicals
Powders, polstices, poisons, oils, and bombs-- alchemicals are single-use items thrown together in (mad) science laboratories with reagents like saltpeter, magnesium, and ether. Herbal, plant, or fungus-based concoctions are also considered alchemical in nature. Alchemicals are rated from tier 1 to tier 3, based on how effective and dangerous they are.

Alchemicals

Tier 1: Alchemicals with simple, clear, or useful effects that are generally easy to make.
❖ Sunrod: A small, flexible stick that burns brightly when you crack it and smells
strongly of sulfur.
❖ Stink bomb: Instantly fills an area with a horrid smell, likely to make anyone
with a weak stomach wretch.
❖ Sneezing powder: Causes incessant sneezing for a few seconds, sometimes
longer.
❖ Itching Powder: Instantly sends itching sensations all along skin exposed to it.
❖ Firedancers: Small fireworks that shoot into the sky.
❖ Insomnia Powder: A sour smelling powder that instantly snaps your eyes awake with lingering effects that last overnight.
❖ Blister Oil: Causes instant blistering in an area of skin.
❖ Lamp Oil: Simple, flammable, effective.

Tier 2: Alchemicals with dangerous, potent, or even deadly effects that sit firmly within the laws of nature.
❖ Snake Poison: A concoction that quickly leads to death.
❖ Tar Bomb: Showers an area with tar when it explodes.
❖ Rusting Powder: Immediately causes metal to rust and decay.
❖ Bomb: Causes an explosion, enough to level a small house or maybe blow a hole
in a town wall. Very effective, though getting to safety is the problem.
❖ Thunderstone: A bright flash and a bang, enough to temporarily daze, deafen,
and blind anyone looking at it. Knock it on something twice, then throw.
❖ Bottled Rage: You become a horrible killing machine, adrenaline pumping through your veins, eyes filled with red hate. (Volatile: Can’t tell friend from foe.)
❖ Numbing Tonic: You ignore the dice penalty from being injured.

Tier 3: Alchemicals with incredible, mysterious, or devastating effects. These twist the laws of nature and push the very limits of pseudoscience.
❖ Zombie Juice: Turns a corpse into an insane, hungry zombie for the next 5 hours.
❖ Lightbending Fluid: Cover yourself in this fluid and light will bend around you,
making you virtually invisible.
❖ Quickfreeze: Causes the temperature to drop in the area rapidly.
❖ Aging Tonic: Makes the drinker age rapidly.
❖ Bottled Paranoia: Makes someone incredibly paranoid, disbelieving everything.
❖ Essence of Night: Sucks the light straight out of a room, causing deep darkness for several seconds.
❖ Everburning Torch: A light source that never fades, burning as bright as a normal torch without any heat.

Edges
Edges are minor improvements that make items a little better. Edges do not give the ability to do new things like contraptions (next section), but improve on already existing functionality.

Edge Examples:
❖ Camouflaged : Take +effect when sneaking in natural cover.
❖ Easy to Use: Always roll at least 1d when using it.
❖ Hidden : Can be hidden more easily than a normal version.
❖ Hooked : Take +effect when tripping or disarming someone.
❖ Light: Does not take up a gear slot.
❖ Terrifying: Take +effect when using it to scare someone.
❖ Trusty: Extremely difficult to break or remove from your possession.
❖ Pulverizing: Take +effect when destroying stone or armor.

Edges sometimes give +effect to some activity, but you must be careful to limit its scope to something quite specific.

When mundane equipment can do something extra beyond its normal function, it’s best represented by an edge. For example, a six-armed demon with a sword in each hand could list those as a single gear called “excess volume of swords” on their character sheet, with the Trusty edge to represent how they are difficult to disarm or lose. If there’s not an appropriate edge in the list above, work with the GM to make your own!

Contraptions
Science can push the limits of what’s possible: hot air balloons, rocket boots, portable catapults - you name it. These are called contraptions and with them, only the laws of reality are your limit.

Contraptions are things that don’t already commonly exist, with good reason - they are always volatile in some way.

Contraptions are rated from tier 1 to tier 3 and how much a contraption pushes the
laws of science determines the tier of the item. You can’t just make anything you
want, of course. A rebel isn’t going to whip up an airplane - but a dirigible might
be possible! The tech level you should aim for here is “crappy steampunk.” Rebels
are generally a bit more willing to risk injury for the sake of science, allowing them to push the fantasy technology envelope into early steampunk level contraptions.

Incredibly complex creations might actually be the culmination of several different
contraptions. A mask that lets you breathe underwater and a small propeller might
function as some sort of makeshift submarine.

Contraptions
Tier 1: Simple and useful contraptions that aren’t commonly available, but well
within the possibility of being made given the technology level.
❖ Lighter: A small, oil-filled device that allows you to light a fire easily. (Bursts
into flames if struck)
❖ Gas Mask: While wearing this, you ignore the effects of alchemicals that affect
you when you breathe them in. (Extremely limited vision while wearing)
❖ Spyglass: A looking glass allowing you to see quite far in the distance.
(Incredibly fragile.)

Tier 2: Complex contraptions that are quite useful, but still realistically
imaginable to create.
❖ Glider: A large, rickety contraption that gives you a high degree of control over
your descent. (Weak and fragile frame)
❖ Parachute: A big parachute stuffed into a backpack allowing you to float to
safety. (No control over descent)
❖ Sticky Gloves: With these, you can climb and stick to any surface. (Cannot hold
other items in your hands while wearing)

Tier 3: Insane, completely off-the-wall creations that push the very limits of what might be possible.
❖ Chainsaw: A raucous machine of death and woodcutting. Cuts through anything but the heaviest armor like butter. (Take two consequences when you roll a failure)
❖ Rocket Boots: Obtain insane speeds or soar to great heights. (Hair trigger)
❖ Night-Vision Goggles: Allow you to see in darkness. (Blinded for a short time if
you look at a light source while wearing)

Key Differences between Magic and Science
Magic and science are two ways to do something similar - the biggest difference in
how the tiers are judged. Magic allows you to produce any effect unbounded by the
laws of reality, but within a narrow focused path. Their effects are based around
how much impact they have on the world and the story.

On the other hand, reality is the only limit to science. If you can think it up and
make it make some kind of sense in a pseudoscientific fashion, then you’re good to
go. As you’ll see later, science tends to be much easier to craft and doesn’t require
a calling ability like magic does. It’s more accessible, flexible, and easier to make,
but has limits on it that magic doesn’t.
This message was last edited by the GM at 19:48, Wed 12 Feb 2020.

MORE STUFF YOU CAN WORRY ABOUT // THINK ABOUT LATER:


--Pixies
Soon after you clear out your base location, very small beings (two feet tall or smaller) will begin to show up looking to serve you in return for protection. The game calls them "pixies" as a default (until you decide exactly what they are). The exact nature of the "pixies" and where they came from is up to the PCs. Choose what your "pixies" look like, and two descriptors from below:

clever - cowardly - silly - helpful - manic - pranksters - stupid - surly - troublesome

Once you’ve settled on what your pixies are like, jump into a scene and roleplay through them showing up at your base. This scene is important as it establishes pixies as part of the story - a real, tangible thing you can interact with, even if they don’t have mechanics tied to it specifically.

Example pixies:
❖ Tiny winged mischievous pixies (cowardly - pranksters)
❖ Small rock elementals (stupid - surly)
❖ Refugee tribe of gnomes (manic - surly)
❖ Clockwork helpers (helpful - stupid)
❖ Ratkin (cowardly - manic)
❖ Refugee kobolds (clever - cowardly)
❖ Little cherubs sent by your divine Power (helpful - troublesome (judgmental))




Hoard & Tier
Your base is rated from tier 0 to tier 4, representing its power relative to other factions and invading mercenaries. The base’s tier is tied directly to the hoard, which is all of the gold, treasure, food, materials, and resources you’ve dragged into your base. The hoard draws in monsters that you can tame, and as it grows, so to does your base's power.

Growing the Hoard
You grow your hoard by looting targets that have wealth greater than your current hoard. You must launch a pillaging raid against a target at least 1 tier higher than your current base tier. If successful, your base's tier increases during the next recovery, giving the following effects:

❖ Discovery: pixies dig deeper, leading to a discovery.

❖ Creature Lair: Add a creature lair equal to your base tier, and detail the creature that inhabits it.

❖ Helper Salaries Increase: You can employ helpers, or they grow in power.

❖ Private room Upgrade: Upgrade your private room.


Taking Gold from the Hoard
Your helpers depend on the hoard, and expect it to be there. PCs have their own take, the gold they skim from the hoard after each raid, but if they want to take more, they can dip into the hoard itself. Your hoard can provide gold equal to your base tier once per Recovery phase, but you take -1d to your next calamity roll. This gold can be taken by only one PC per Recovery phase.

Losing the Hoard
When you lose hoard, it decreases your base tier by 1. You take -1d to calamity rolls until you return the hoard to its previous level, which gives no additional benefits.

You could lose hoard in several ways. Rioting helpers as a result of a bad calamity roll might cause them to loot your hoard and flee. Mercenaries might bust through your defenses, defeating you in your sanctum, and make off with part of your hoard. An enormous dragon might even demand part of your hoard to strike a deal.

Denizens
Bases are full of life. Some are mere inhabitants that are too mindless or stubborn to obey your orders, while others will serve you directly and prove their worth many times over. What’s important to remember, though, is that each of these denizens exist to keep greedy mercenaries away from your hoard.

The following types of denizens will inhabit your base:
❖ Pixies are minor denizens that serve your base for protection. They
allow the players to handwave a lot of the drudgery of tasks in the base.
❖ Creatures are denizens that take up residence in your base and will defend it against invasion, but are not under PC control. However, the PCs narrate their fights with invaders. They tend to be beasts or mindless monsters.

❖ Helpers are denizens that serve the PCs directly. Players control them as a secondary character and can bring them along on raids or order them to perform downtime activities.

Pixies and creatures come with descriptors, a few evocative words that help inform how they behave. They provide no mechanical benefit, but work to inform their presence in the base.

Morale & Consequences
Instead of tracking wounds and stress, when things go poorly for creatures and
helpers, they lose morale. They each have two morale boxes.

Lose morale is a consequence the GM can hand out when a minion or creature’s morale is challenged by wounds, high pressure situations, or losing loyalty towards their masters.

When a denizen loses their second morale, they become broken. This means they’re useless until the next recovery - they’ve taken a beating, stopped following orders, ran away and hid, or are taken out of the action in some other way.

If a denizen loses more morale than they have boxes, they instead get crushed. They get chopped to pieces, run away never to be seen again, or even betray you. You lose the helper or creature and you’ll need to recruit or attract another one.

Other consequences can stem from creature and helper rolls as well and can be mixed and matched with morale damage as usual. Helpers and creatures cannot resist consequences, though PCs can resist for them or a helper can use the defense provided by their type.

Morale clears fully on recovery and any broken denizens return to your service. You can also pay helper a gold at any point to regain 1 morale.

You can even pay broken helpers, but not those who have been crushed.

Pixies don’t have morale - in fact, pixies are too numerous and unimportant to track any damage towards them. You can just narrate what happens to them without needing to worry about replacing them.

Pixies
Pixies are small, pitiful creatures that flock to your base as soon as it’s established. They work hard, taking care of the drudgery in your base in exchange for protection. They are mostly in the background of scenes cleaning, digging, and hauling stuff - they are not under player control.

Exactly what your pixies are is up to you. You choose a type of pixie to match the theme and overall atmosphere of your base or the location it’s in. If you’re making a forge in a volcano, perhaps your pixies are tiny magma elementals. An enclave might have more little homunculi and maybe a temple’s pixies are themed after the god they serve.

While you can determine their appearance and personality, pixies only speak in little noises like grunts or chimes and gestures, though they can understand you. They’re of very low
intelligence and completely loyal to the base, but absolutely refuse to fight or venture outside of it. PCs can give them orders to do things, but the impact a pixie will have in any situation should be incredibly low.

Creatures
Creatures are unintelligent, mindless, or independent monsters or beasts that have chosen to lair in your base. They’re not under your direct control, though they will fight invaders in defense of their lairs. They can also be tricked or goaded into doing something if you really need to. Creatures are neutral towards other base denizens for the most part, though a bad calamity roll might bring them into conflict with each other.

Creatures are rated from tier 1 to tier 4 and can represent a single monster or a group
of monsters. representing how deadly they are. Any time an invader gets close to their lair, even standing outside of it, the creature engages them and makes an action roll using their tier.

When a creature rolls against an mercenary, and if the creature rolls a success or critical, it doesn’t take morale damage, and can keep fighting. In this way, creatures can
target multiple mercenaries throughout a fight. They must change targets, if possible, with each roll.

During these scenes, players take control of the narration for the creature, telling how they succeed or fail. The GM then narrates what the invaders do in response to the roll.

Players Bring Creatures to Life
Making sure players are narrating creatures (and all defenses in a base) is vital. Base defense shouldn’t be a story the GM tells-- it should be the players actively showing how the base they’ve designed operates. Their PCs will be busy down in their sanctum, which lets the players fully focus in on the base defenses they’ve created.

Attracting Creatures
To attract a creature, you need an uninhabited creature lair. You gain creature lairs
as your base tier increases, but you can also build them as minor rooms or sometimes gain them as a discovery.

When a new creature lair is built in your base, it sets the max tier of creature that will lair there at your current base tier. Be sure to note this on the base sheet. Higher tier creatures will not lair there.

Uninhabited lairs attract creatures automatically, but are limited by your base tier. Each recovery, you can attract a total amount of tiers worth of creatures equal to your base
tier. You can split these tiers up as you like. You can also attract creatures during roaming.

Attracted creatures can be just about any fantasy beast or monster you’d like, though mindless or unintelligent creatures tend to work best. You should match the power level of the creature you choose to the tier you’re attracting. A creature doesn’t have to be a single entity - a swarm of bats or a bunch of oozes act as a single creature mechanically.

After you’ve chosen the type of creature, give it two descriptors from the following list or make up your own:
clever - cold - construct - corrupted - corrosive - diseased - incorporeal- fire - magical - ooze - poisonous - sneaky - strong - swarm - terrifying - undead

Creature Examples

❖ Tier 1: swarm of bats (sneaky - terrifying), giant snapping turtle
(strong - sneaky), mercenary skeleton (sneaky - undead)

❖ Tier 2: ghost (incorporeal - undead), sludge monster (ooze - corrosive), clockwork warrior (construct - clever)

❖ Tier 3: lava snake (fire - strong), giant scorpion (poisonous - strong)

❖ Tier 4: basilisk (strong - terrifying), zombie horde (undead - swarm)

All creatures function the same way mechanically. The type of monster or beast and its descriptors, along with a description of the creature lair, help you when narrating the creature’s defense against invasion, but they always follow the same basic mechanics. Even creatures who have some amazing ability like mind-controlling a mercenary or teleporting around the room function the same. These abilities add great flavor to the scene, but provide no mechanical benefit.

Replacement Creatures
After a creature is crushed, you should usually just stick with a replacement creature of the same type to cut down on bookkeeping and how long it takes to decide. This makes sense, as similar creatures will choose similar lairs. You might also gain a creature through play, like wrangling a huge cave spider while out on a raid or summoning a hell scorpion. Place them somewhere in your base and they will act as if that area is their lair. However, remember that it’s creature lairs that attract replacement creatures - once a creature without a lair dies, you lose it forever.

Helpers
Helpers are your servants - they handle direct orders from the PCs and carry out a lot of the work within the base. Each player will have their own helpers to control.

Each helper represents a small group which operates as a single unit.

Helpers are intelligent - well, more intelligent than creatures anyway, and can follow
your orders.

Players step into the helpers’ shoes and roleplay as them. They’re like a secondary PC - and a very expendable one at that, so have fun with it.

Helpers have two skilled actions determined by their type that they’re good at using. You roll 1d when you use these actions and 0d when you use all others. If a helper group is split up and operating separately, they take -effect as they’re not effective alone. A helper's type also gives them a defense related to the kind of activities they’re best at.

A helper can be promoted to veteran, meaning they roll 2d when they use their skilled actions. They also gain an additional morale box.

A helper's job description is pretty narrow - they’re paid to defend the base and help out around it. They can perform a single downtime activity during the Recovery phase. You can pay helpers to go beyond their job description, though. You can pay them 1 gold to:
❖ Perform a second (max) downtime activity.
❖ Leave the base and perform a task during roaming, including accompanying the PCs on a raid.
❖ Recover 1 morale.

Salaries
Helper salaries are paid for out of your hoard. Helpers don’t work for free. The hoard provides helper salaries, which determine what kind of helpers you can hire. In short, a bigger hoard means a higher tier which gives you more powerful helpers. When you reach a new
base tier, it allows you to upgrade your helpers or expand your recruitment.

Every player controls their own helper salaries, allowing them to each recruit their own helpers. These are tracked on your character sheet.

Minion Salaries
Tier 1 Each player can recruit a helper.
Tier 2 You add an edge to the helper.
Tier 3 You can promote the helper to veteran or recruit a second helper.
Tier 4 You add another edge to the veteran helper or an edge to your second helper.

The base tier gives you the ability to recruit a helper, but you still must get out there and find one. You need a place to tap into for recruitment, like a local bandit tribe or some monastery or something. Your allies might come in handy here, and each sandbox will have some factions scattered around.

Recruitment is the same as any other task you accomplish - sometimes it’s easy, sometimes it’s difficult. It might cost you some gold or a favor to a barbarian tribe’s chief. You
might get lucky and helpers show up at your door, or you run into them while on a raid. You could even spend an entire raid heading into an area and pressing helpers into service.

If your helper gets crushed, you must recruit another. Sometimes, it’s best to just have a steady source of helpers you can tap into so that your next helper looks suspiciously similar to your last one. This also gives you a chance to change things up.

When you recruit a new helper, you can allocate the helper salaries as you please.


Types
Helpers are organized into several broad types, each of which have their own skilled actions and defenses. When you recruit a helper, you detail its look, how many are in the group, and any other such details, but it’s the type that you choose for them which determines how they function mechanically.

Helper Types
❖ Alchemists (Tinker - Scan) are best when brewing up alchemicals. They have a defense against volatile alchemicals.

❖ Cutthroats (Smash - Trick) are best when busting heads and telling lies. They have a defense against targets escaping.

❖ Grunts (Smash - Command) are best when in the thick of battle. They have a defense against wounds.

❖ Mages (Invoke - Scan) are best when dealing with the arcane. They have a defense against magic. Choose the path of magic they can cast.

❖ Miners (Smash - Tinker) are best when mining out rooms and tunnels. They have a defense against being trapped.

❖ Priests (Invoke - Command) are best when serving their Power. They have a defense determined by the Power they worship. Choose the path of magic they can cast and what their defense is.

❖ Raiders (Smash - Scan) are best when finding and pillaging targets. They have a defense against surprise.

❖ Scouts (Sneak - Scan) are best when patrolling areas and scouting. They have a defense against problems scouting an area.

❖ Thieves (Finesse - Sneak) are best when sneaking around and stealing stuff.
They have a defense against detection.

❖ Tricksters (Trick - Sneak) are best when lying and pickpocketing. They have
a defense against their deception failing.

❖ Witches (Invoke - Trick) are best when brewing or using potions. They have a defense against magic. Choose the path of magic they can cast.

❖ Workers (Tinker - Finesse) are best when toiling in the base. They have a defense against injuring their own allies.


Natures
Like rebels, each helper has its own nature. A helper's service in the cause is usually enough for them to suppress their nature while following orders, but it often finds its way back to the surface. You can choose one from the following list or make up one of your own:

addicted - disloyal - greedy - impatient - lazy - moody - nervous - superstitious

A helper's nature tells the GM what sort of trouble that helper gets up to. While PCs control their helpers and roleplay as them, the GM controls their nature. They can compel the helpers to act on their nature by inflicting it as a consequence or handing it out as a consequence incurred by the PCs or helpers. Helpers following their nature can be resisted like any other consequence.

Edges
More specialized and useful helpers have edges, allowing them to stand out from the much broader helper types. Edges give extra defenses, add effect to some actions helpers perform, or give them the ability to do something entirely new.

Helper Edges
❖ Adept: Can cast a single tier 2 spell from their chosen magic path, taking -1d on the roll as normal. This refreshes during recovery.
❖ Armored : Gain a defense against wounds.
❖ Bossy: Can spend their downtime activity to give another helper a second downtime activity without spending gold.
❖ Brewer: Make twice as many potions when crafting.
❖ Clever: Take +effect when adding edges to equipment.
❖ Crafty: Take +effect when making traps, tricks, and locks.
❖ Diligent: Take +effect when working on rituals.
❖ Deadly: Take +1d when attacking something.
❖ Envoy: extra good at negotiating for you.
❖ Expendable: Can take morale damage equal to the severity of a consequence to resist it for a PC.
❖ Productive: Take +effect when working on major or minor rooms.
❖ Sawbones: Spend several minutes to heal a single wound on a PC. This refreshes during recovery.
❖ Tenacious: Regain 1 morale when blowback and calamity are rolled.
❖ Versatile: Gain two more skilled actions of your choice.

Helpers from Other Sources
Your base provides salaries for some helpers automatically and these increase in power along with those salaries, but you might also gain the services of helpers through play. You might strike a deal to get some help on a raid or perform a ritual summoning some skeletons. These helpers have their own unique costs, in terms of resources spent to acquire them or upkeep and it’s up to the group to decide what that is.

You might also gain helpers from calling abilities.

Your Helpers Aren’t Your PCs - Let Your Roleplaying Reflect That
When roleplaying helpers, it’s important to remember that they have their own personality and motivations - they’re not an extension of your main PC.
Helpers come in groups because they shouldn’t have a recognizable “face,” but instead more of a group personality. They’re expendable and not very important, in contrast to the PCs. Roleplaying as a small group of helpers can prove fun and give a lot of leeway in narrating consequences, like one of the bandit raiders getting squashed but the others carrying on.

Sanctum & Private Rooms
At the end of your base's first floor, there are stairs leading downwards towards your sanctum. As your base grows and you build more rooms, you move these stairs to the new “end” of the first floor. In this way, your base can grow but the end of it always leads
invaders to your sanctum and a climactic final battle with the PCs.

Your sanctum is a large room representing the heart of your base. It houses the lion’s share of your hoard and should reflect the style of leadership the PCs bring to the base.

Extending off from the sanctum are private rooms for each PC.

When your base tier increases, you can choose a bonus to upgrade your private room. These represent the special benefits the PCs gain from their growing hoard.

Private Room Upgrades
❖ Take +1d to revelry rolls.
❖ Take +1d to building contraptions, traps, and locks.
❖ Take +1d to crafting potions and alchemicals.
❖ Take +1d to preparing rituals.
❖ Fill in 1 xp permanently. It now takes you one less xp to level up.
❖ Fill in 1 xp permanently. It now takes you one additional less xp to level up.
❖ Make a single action’s 4th action dot slot open, allowing you to place a dot there when you gain enough xp.



Base Logic - The base is like one big Panic Room
The sanctum serves two purposes - it keeps the leaders of the rebellion separate from the first round of defending, and it provides a clear cutting point for when the mercs have passed that first round and moved on to the “boss fight” of the base. This gives the base and the PCs chances to shine in their own unique scenes. The PCs cannot interact with the first floor’s base defenses-- doing so would make your helpers think you're weak, and cause a revolt as your helpers tried to wrestle leadership from you and re-establish the base's hierarchy.

But perhaps more importantly, the base is like a panic room. You want to stop any invaders by any means possible. If that means they come upon a door that's too well-locked for them to open and they give up and go away to rethink their invasion strategy, fine! That means everyone else can come back out and go back about their normal business. Your pixies and helpers, at the first sign of invasion, will retreat deeper into the back of the base, unless some of the helpers in question have specialized jobs that involve messing with invaders.

So it's important for the PCs to stay on the second level of the base-- you're the last line of defense.



Building
There’s a lot going on inside of bases-- rooms, traps, tunnels, tricks, locks, and private rooms. You and your helpers build all of these during the Recovery phase, with downtime activities. You start off with a subterranean cavern or some other entrance, and branch out, adding on bit by bit as your base extends deeper and deeper into the earth.

Everything in your base must be connected by passages large enough for most creatures to make their way through. When you build something within your base, you can connect it to the rest of the base with a short tunnel.

Hidden or smaller passages are fine as auxiliary pathways, but they are certainly not
fit for regular usage. Any hidden tunnels that get regular usage are sure to have plenty of tracks to give them away and smaller passages might fit a tiny kobold, but they’ll prove a hindrance to any helpers who have to carry something.

The time it takes to build something within the base depends on its tier. Any building done within the base is ranked from tier 1 to tier 3.

Time It Takes to Build
Tier 1
1 Downtime Activity (Mixed Requires Cost)

Tier 2
4 units of effort
Tier 3
8 units of effort

When the result of your building project is tier 1, you can finish it with only a single
downtime activity but if you rolled a mixed, you must pay cost for it.

If it's to be Tier 2, it takes 1 PC 4 downtime activities...
...or 2 PCs 2 downtime activities each...
Or 3 downtime activities plus cost, maybe... etc.
This message was last edited by the GM at 14:52, Thu 13 Feb 2020.