Zweihänder: Game mastery

Combat rules

Narrative considerations

Fog, mist & smoke: charging or running may necessitate a Coordination Test in order to avoid falling.

Piecemeal armor

Encumbrance of a piecemeal armor is the same as a full armor of the heavier piece armor worn.

Morale checks

A Slain! leader, or when foes vastly outnumber their enemy may trigger a morale check.

Condition	Resolve Test Difficulty Rating
one ally suffers a Moderate Injury	+30%
one ally suffers a Serious Injury	+20%
one ally suffers a Grievous Injury	+10%
one ally is Slain!	0
outnumbered by 3:1	-10%
outnumbered by 6:1	-20%
the leader is Slain!	-30%

Resolve Test result
Success	the foes continue to fight
Critical Success	the foes benefits from the effects of Inspiring Words
Failure	the foes give up on their next turn, unless a leader successfully pass a Leadership Test
Critical Failure	the foes flee or may even turn against their own allies in order to save their skin

Chase scene rules

Those trying to get away are Escapees, while those trying to catch up to them are Pursuers.
Time is measured abstractly using Rounds (a unit which may be minutes, hours or days).
Each Round, the Escapees accumulate Escape Value, while the Pursuers gather Pursuit Value.
Both Escapees and Pursuers are placed on the Initiative Ladder.
- Escapees are always placed on the top in decreasing Agility Bonus.
- Pursuers are placed below them in decreasing Initiative result as usual (that is, based on 1D10 + Initiative).
Movement is determined based on the mode of transport (note that Overage from Encumbrance modifies Movement, as usual):
- climbing: [BB] - 3 (minimum 1)
- sneaking: [AB] - 1 (minimum 1)
- swimming: [BB] - 1 (minimum 1)
- on foot: [AB] + 3 (as usual)
- dog sled: [AB] + 4
- dray horse: [AB] + 5
- stagecoach or wagon: [BB] + 5
- palfrey horse: [AB] + 6
- fancy coach: [BB] + 6
- rouncey horse: [AB] + 7
- carriage: [BB] + 7
- couser horse: [AB] + 8
- chariot: [BB] + 8
- destrier horse or flying: [AB] + 9
Escape Conditions are set by the GM.
- Short Chases last for 3 Rounds (recommended for 5+ players)
- Long Chases last for 6 Rounds (recommended for 4 players)
- Extended Chases last for 9 Rounds (recommended for 3- players)
- the lowest Escape Value exceeds by 25 points or more the highest Pursuit Value
The GM may give either the Escapees or the Pursuers a Head Start, represented by +3 Escape or Pursuit Value on the first round.
Each Round in order of Initiative, every participant rolls 1D10 + Movement and add it to their current Escape and Pursuit Value.
He can then describe an Action if he wishes. If it succeeds, add 1 to 3 to its Value; if it critically fails, reduces it by 3 (amounts may be adjusted, depending of the usefulness of the Action). A Ranged or Magick Attack costs 3 Value points (1 on critical success, 6 on critical failure). Each rank of Damage Threshold results in the victim losing 3 Value points.
Escapee with the lower Escape Value the roll 1 Chaos Die to avoid a random Complication (see tables page 666)
When (Pursuit Value >= Escape Value), immediately lower their Pursuit Value to the Escape Value. The Pursuer may attempt a Takedown.Takedowns are resolved as a Coordination Test (assuming a chase on foot):
- If the Pursuer critically fails, they reduce their Pursuit Value by 3
- If the Pursuer fails, they reduce their Pursuit Value by 1
- If the Pursuer critically succeeds, both them and the Escapee are taken out of the chase
- If the Pursuer succeeds, the Escapee must test Coordination as well. If they fail, both are taken out of the chase

Coordination Test difficulty	Condition
Trivial +30%	Capture an Escapee when the Characters have them cornered
Easy +20%	Capture an Escapee while they are out in the open
Routine +10%	Capture an Escapee where other people in the crowd are barring them from sprinting away
Standard +/-0%	Capture an Escapee when in an easily-navigable alleyway
Challenging -10%	Capture an Escapee inside a busy tavern
Hard -20%	Capture an Escapee in the darkness of night
Arduous -30%	Capture an Escapee in the middle of a busy thoroughfare within a large crowd of people

Participants are unaffected by fatigue up to their Brawn Bonus in Rounds. Every Round thereafter they must make a Toughness Test with -10 or suffer 2D10+2 physical Peril (or 3D10+3 on a Critical Failure). Once Incapacitated, they cannot continue.

The chase ends if one of the following conditions is met:
- The Escape Condition is met (that is, 3/6/9 Rounds have passed).
- All Escapees have been taken down (see Takedown).
- All Escapees or Pursuers are exhausted (see fatigue).
- All Escapees or Pursuers are Slain! (see Attacks).
- One side gives up.

Overland exploration

Distance

Transport type	Road (mpd)	Path (mpd)	River (mpd)	Sea (mpd)
dwarf, halfling, gnome (on foot)	10	5	-	-
elf, human, ogre (on foot)	15	8	-	-
chariot, wagon	15	8	-	-
dog sled, stage coach	25	13	-	-
dray horse	30	15	-	-
carriage, fancy coach	30	-	-	-
horse	40	20	-	-
fishing boat, raft, river barge, rowboat, skiff	-	-	20	-
knorr, longship	-	-	15	30
drakkar	-	-	15	30
cog, merchant coaster	-	-	-	35
galley warship	-	-	-	40

Forced march: +10 miles and Hard (-20%) Toughness Test not to be Incapacitated! at the end of the day, unable to recuperate for 24 hours.

Waterways: up to +10 miles downstream and/or with good winds; up to -10 miles upstream

Bad weather: subtract 10 miles, on seas, a Pilot Test may be necessary to avoid capsizing

Wilderness travel rules

The GM divides the route into manageable Stretches, an abstraction of distance and framework for handling scenes and milestones of the journey.
- The length of a Stretch is mostly based on the distance between landmarks.
  - A Short Stretch is about anything from a day to a week's travel; a Toughness Test is made after Role Checks.
  - A Medium Stretch is somewhere between a week or two; a Toughness Test is made after Role Checks, and another near the end.
  - A Long Stretch is three weeks or more; a Toughness Test is made after Role Checks, a second in the middle, and a third near the end.
- Terrain provides a Difficulty Rating that applies to Toughness Tests and Role Checks made for a given Stretch.
  - Arduous (-30); rough seas and oceans, river rapids, blighted areas, impenetrable forests, mountains, and deserts.
  - Hard (-20); high hills, deep caves, badlands, tundra, and taiga.
  - Challenging (-10); trackless forests, caverns, fast rivers, open seas, wastelands, foothills.
  - Standard (0); paths around lakes, slow rivers, marshes, forests with little undergrowth.
  - Routine (+10); rolling hills, trails, upriver, and open badlands.
  - Easy (+20); well-worn paths, open plains, meadows, navigable rivers.
  - Trivial (+30); paved roads, gravelled paths, signed and patrolled roadways.
  - Bad weather increases the terrain type by one step
- Threat Level determines the number of Chaos Dice rolled at the beginning of a Stretch to determine whether some foul complication arises.
  - No Danger
  - Mildly Dangerous (1 Chaos Die)
  - Moderately Dangerous (2 Chaos Dice)
  - Highly Dangerous (3 Chaos Dice)
- Each character must take a Role (or assist another in their related Test). These may be changed between Stretches.
  - Guide (Navigation)
  - Survivalist (Survival)
  - Scout (Stealth)
At the beginning of each Stretch, characters must make their Role Checks in the order presented above.
- Guide (Navigation)
  - Success; 1 day of provisions is required per day of travel
  - Critical Success; as Success, plus Terrain improves by 1 step
  - Failure; 2 days of provisions is required per day of travel
  - Critical Failure; as Failure, plus Terrain worsens by 1 step
- Survivalist (Survival)
  - Success; if they Strike Camp, they may recover to Unhindered
  - Critical Success; as Success, plus ignore 1 Toughness Test
  - Failure; if they Strike Camp, they may recover to Imperiled
  - Critical Failure; as Failure, plus add an extra Toughness Test
- Scout (Stealth)
  - Success; decrease Threat Level by 1 step
  - Critical Success; as Success, plus gain a Surprise Turn if an encounter occurs
  - Failure; increase Threat Level by 1 step
  - Critical Failure; as Failure, plus enemies gain a Surprise Turn if an encounter occurs
Characters then must make a Toughness Test influenced by Terrain and the Guide’s result (possibly more than once, depending on the length of the journey and the Survivalist’s result). Add an Assist Die when characters are conveyed (i.e. not by foot).
- Success; no Peril is suffered
- Critical Success; as Success, plus recover to Unhindered if they Strike Camp
- Failure; suffer 2D10+2 Peril
- Critical Failure; suffer 3D10+3 Peril
Roll Chaos Dice, the number of those influenced by Threat Level and the Scout’s result, to determine whether something threatening or outright hostile event or creature is encountered.
- 1 "6": wilderness encounter while they break camp
- 2 "6s": wilderness encounter during the afternoon
- 3+ "6s": wilderness encounter in the dead of night
Roll Chaos Dice after each Toughness Test, not only the first.
During the journey, characters don’t normally recover from Damage and Peril. To do so, they need to Strike Camp, stopping for no less than 24 hours. During that time they may attend wounds, hunt, gather supplies, etc. At the end, they recover to Imperiled (or Unhindered, if they scored a Critical Success at their Toughness Test or the Survivalist made a successful Role Check).

At the end of a particularly difficult journey, the GM may award the players with Fortune Points equal to the number of surviving characters.

Reputation points

1 point at the start
+1 for each Fate Point
+1 for each Disorder
+1 to +3 for each story arc

Threshold: once/day for minor requisition; once/week for middling requisition; once/month for major requisition

Minor requisitions (1-3 points)

Augment a Social Intrigue event in exchange for an Assist Die
Bribe a local gossip to tell you the identity of a gang leader
Contract a professional thug to strong-arm someone who owes you money
Have someone masquerade as your significant other
Hire a band of beggars to harass an aristocrat or other official as they leave the temple
Patch up a suit of armor that’s been badly damaged
Pay funeral mourners to attend the funeral of a beloved friend
Purchase the services of a barber surgeon to treat your wounds
Provision yourself of a week’s worth of foodstuffs

Middling requisitions

Act as a lookout while you rob a place or assault another
Acquire a suit of mail armor
Contract a physician to perform a dangerous surgery
‘Find’ a nice mortuary sword that fell off the back of a wagon
Gain the services of a professional bodyguard to protect you from harm
Hire a sedan chair to ferry you around whilst about business
Illegally smuggle goods or yourself and friends into or outside of a city
Pay someone to sabotage a clergyman’s personal coach
Pay an information broker to give you the location of a fence or black market arms dealer

Major requisition

Acquire a suit of full plate armor
Ferry you across the sea to a different country
Gain enough materials to craft your own wagon
Get out of jail for free
Hire the services of a henchman to protect you for a year
Pay a cutthroat to assassinate someone
Purchase the services of a coach that will ferry you cross-country
Requisition the crafting of a Castle-forged set of mortuary swords
Sneak your way into a garden party by paying off a local magistrate

Social Intrigue

There are two types of social interaction: Simple Exchange and Complex Exchange.

A Simple Exchange is generally straightforward enough to necessitate only a single Test of the appropriate Skill. Difficulty is based on Alignment and Social Status.

NPC IS ORDER ALIGNED	Same Social Class	Different Social Class
PC’s Order Ranks Higher	(Easy +20%)	(Routine +10%)
PC’s Chaos Ranks Higher	(Standard +/-0%)	(Hard -20%)
PC’s Ranks Are Equal	(Routine +10%)	(Standard +/-0%)

NPC IS CHAOS-ALIGNED	Same Social Class	Different Social Class
PC’s Order Ranks Higher	(Standard +/-0%)	(Hard -20%)
PC’s Chaos Ranks Higher	(Easy +20%)	(Routine +10%)
PC’s Ranks Are Equal	(Routine +10%)	(Standard +/-0%)

A Critical Failure at this test imposes 2D10+2 mental Peril on the character.

For a Complex Exchange, determine the participants, objectives, and stakes of the encounter.
- Each character must choose a Social Tactic that is associated with a Skill (Bargain, Charm, Guile, Interrogation, Intimidate, Leadership, Rumour).
- The GM secretly determines a Favourable and an Unfavourable Skill, the former bumping Successes to Critical Successes, the latter dropping Failures to Critical Failures automatically.
- Burning 1 Reputation Point grants an Assist Die to the Social Tactic Test.
- The GM determines the NPC’s initial Disposition toward the characters (Helpful, Friendly, Polite, Indifferent, Impolite, Unfriendly, Hostile).
- Make a Social Tactic Test. Use the Difficulty modifiers outlined for Simple Exchanges above.
  - Result is based on Disposition and the Test’s result.
  - On a Critical Success, treat Disposition as if it were Helpful, and award the party with 1 Fortune Point.
  - On a Critical Failure, treat Disposition as if it were Hostile, and impose 2D10+2 mental Peril on the character.

SUCCESSFUL SOCIAL TACTICS CHECK
SKILL	HELPFUL	FRIENDLY	POLITE	INDIFFERENT	IMPOLITE	UNFRIENDLY	HOSTILE
Bargain	Generous	Generous	Civil	Civil	Civil	Considerate	Considerate
Charm	Affectionate	Affectionate	Favorable	Favorable	Favorable	Willing	Willing
Guile	Gullible	Gullible	Trusting	Trusting	Trusting	Hopeful	Hopeful
Interrogation	Subdued	Subdued	Broken	Broken	Broken	Demoralized	Demoralized
Intimidate	Terrified	Terrified	Frightened	Frightened	Frightened	Stressed	Stressed
Leadership	Fanatic	Fanatic	Loyal	Loyal	Loyal	Cooperative	Cooperative
Rumor	Gossipy	Gossipy	Familiar	Familiar	Familiar	Idle	Idle

FAILED SOCIAL TACTICS CHECK
SKILL	HELPFUL	FRIENDLY	POLITE	INDIFFERENT	IMPOLITE	UNFRIENDLY	HOSTILE
Bargain	Dissatisfied	Dissatisfied	Disgruntled	Disgruntled	Disgruntled	Unhappy	Unhappy
Charm	Unwilling	Unwilling	Disdainful	Disdainful	Disdainful	Disgusted	Disgusted
Guile	Suspicious	Suspicious	Untrusting	Untrusting	Untrusting	Disbelieving	Disbelieving
Interrogation	Annoyed	Annoyed	Stoic	Stoic	Stoic	Resolute	Resolute
Intimidate	Frustrated	Frustrated	Vexed	Vexed	Vexed	Aggressive	Aggressive
Leadership	Uncooperative	Uncooperative	Defiant	Defiant	Defiant	Mutinous	Mutinous
Rumor	Cautious	Cautious	Mistrustful	Mistrustful	Mistrustful	Suspicious	Suspicious

Role-play the exchange

Madness

Stress

A Character’s lantern winks out in the oppressive darkness of a lightless cavern
A Character stays up all night without a wink of sleep and begins to see ‘tracers’ from the corners of their eyes
A Character is forced to shoulder the burden of responsibility for something they don’t inherently understand
A Character walks along a narrow cliff side, where falling could spell their doom
A Character investigates the grisly scene of a murder
A Character discovers that the trusted town doctor who just performed surgery on them while unconscious may have been a sorcerer, instead of a surgeon
A Character is called to witness the execution of someone – regardless of whether they are guilty or innocent
A Character is thrown into a situation where their phobias can be piqued
A Character breaks a promise or knowingly tells a lie to someone of prominence
A Character is robbed at knifepoint with no means to protect themselves
A Character is lost within a forest, unsure which of direction is the way out
A Character is arrested and shackled in the middle of the night for a crime they didn’t commit
A Character’s reputation is called into question in a public forum, facing humiliation or worse

Fear

A Character is mutilated, brutalized sexually or tortured while helpless
A Character’s close friend or other Character is tortured in front of their eyes
A Character is knowingly being stalked by someone else but unable to truly escape
A Character can hear the beating of a heart within the darkness of a hallway, without any way to discover where the sound actually originates
A Character is seduced by a woman with strange eyes, only to awaken the next day with deep claw marks on their back
A Character hears the unearthly chanting of the dead within a crypt
A Character knows that a council of aristocrats may have a hand in the disappearance of numerous innocent people
A Character stumbles across a bear protecting her cubs in the forest
A Character must hide beneath the rotting bodies of their peers to avoid notice by another army
A Character has a personal conversation with someone they know is dead
A Character discovers that they are the perpetrator in a string of killings, seemingly done while sleepwalking
A Character faces down a fearless predator or dangerous creature
A Character is the lone survivor of an onslaught that takes the lives of their comrades or other Characters
A Character discovers that a doppelganger of themselves is out there and attempting to take their life over
A Character is being hunted by a foul creature from which there is no certain escape
A Character must defend themselves against a supernatural horror from beyond the grave

Terror

A Character is forced to brutalize or torture a loved one or other Character while possessed or forcibly coerced
A Character experiences endless nightmares from their youth, only to discover that it was real all along
A Character gains the revelation that the death of a trusted friend or a loved one was their fault
A Character awakens one day to find that the sun rises in the west and sets in the east
A Character is prepared to be consumed in a grotesque buffet for those that have been tainted by dark powers
A Character finds out that the world they live in is actually purgatory, where they’re condemned to relive the same experiences over and over until they correct whatever they’ve done wrong
A Character discovers that the god they worship is monstrous, an alien being from beyond the stars who speaks in a gibbering voice
A Character initially discovers that they’ve been made victim to a terminal illness or face amputation
A Character witnesses the emergence of a Lower or Higher Demon into the Material Realm without the protections of Magick
A Character discovers they’ve committed an act of cannibalism or forced to commit an act of auto-cannibalism
A Character witnesses a comrade or other Character transform into an unnatural creature.
A Character witnesses a true miracle; perhaps a demonic force presents itself through a living avatar
A Character sees something so inexplicable, but others bear witness to it at the same time. This could be something as terrifying as a dragon rising from a volcano or a strange ship falling from the sky
A Character walks through a scintillating portal to the Abyss, Æthereal Veil or the Well of Souls: dimensions where the laws of reality do not prevail

Stress/Fear/Terror effects: Withstanding madness

Situation	Resolve Test	Mental Peril	Corruption
Stress	+20%	1D10+1	3
Fear	no modifier	2D10+2	6
Terror	-20%	3D10+3	9

Corruption

Minor offenses (1-3 points)

Becoming Intoxicated! (1)
Bigotry or intolerance of another race
Bleeding (1/turn)
Bullying the innocent
Channeling power (1-3)
Defacing a tomb
Gas-lighting a friend or loved one
Grave robbery
Petty thievery of the poor or underprivileged
Read a heretical or profane grimoire
Suffer a Moderate Injury (3)
Suffer from Stress (3)
Threaten violence upon an innocent
Use elixir (3)
Use laudanum, tincture, smelling salts, quicksilver or deliriant (1)
Use psychological torture

Middling offenses (4-6 points)

Assaulting the innocent
Becoming Incapacitated! on the Peril Condition Track (6)
Implicating another for your crimes
Openly mocking the gods
Murdering another for a crime of passion
Political assassination
Suffer a Serious Injury (6)
Suffer from Fear (6)
Treachery of your closest friends and loved ones
Use physical torture
Violation of your god’s strictures if you practice Divine Magick

Major offenses (7-9 points)

Binding an Abyssal servant to your service, such as an imp
Committing a sex crime
Creation of a powerful, unholy Artifact or Relic
Desecration of a holy place
Perform a ritual which requires a blood sacrifice of an innocent
Premeditated murder
Sadistic torture
Strike a bargain with an Abyssal Prince or other chaotic entity
Suffer a Grievous Injury (9)
Suffer from Terror (9)
Using a cursed Artifact or Relic to alter reality

Corruption into Order & Chaos

When the session comes to a close, roll 1D10 Corruption Die. If the result is equal or less than the number of Corruption gained, they increase the Chaos Rank by one step. Else they increase their Order Rank by one step.

Resetting ranks

Characters accumulate Corruption points during game.

At the end of a session, check your Corruption total.

If you have no Corruption, gain 1 rank towards Order.
Gain 1 rank towards Chaos for each 10 points of Corruption, and roll for the remainder.
Roll 1D10. If it is less or equal than your Corruption, gain 1 rank towards Chaos; else if Corruption is less than 10, gain 1 rank towards Order.
If you have 10 ranks towards Order, gain 1 Fate Point and erase all Alignment ranks (except permanent ones).
If you have 10 ranks towards Chaos, gain 1 Disorder (addiction, insanity or mutation; GM’s choice) and erase all Alignment ranks (except permanent ones).
- rules are different for expert professions devoted to daemon (see Aspects & Alignment mg)
Discard all remaining Corruption points.

Disorder

Addictions

Bound to the bottle
Deranged hero
Gambler's lament
Hophead
Mana junkie
Sticky fingers
Wytchstone addiction (MG)

Insanities

Clawing obsession
Dark passenger
Dreadful phobia
Prophecy of doom
Pyromania
Soldier's heart

Mutations

Host to the Abyss
The flesh revolts
The hunger
Moon fever
Possessed! (MG)
Sanguine thrall
Taint of Chaos

Optional advancement

Character stable

Players create each 3 characters and may change character before each session.

Each secondary character of the player’s stable earn half RP the played one has gained.

Zweihänder

vendredi 25 mai 2018

Game mastery