Attack of the Beast Men Quick Start Optimized

Attack of the Beast-Men
Quick Start Scenario
by
Derek Stoelting
Game System Design: Jason Vey
Writing: Derek Stoelting
Additional Material: Jason Vey
Editing and Layout: Jason Vey
Cover Art: AltroEvo.com. Used under Creative Commons License.
Interior Art: Bradley McDevitt, AltroEvo.com, Ludvig Deutsch. All artwork is copyright © 2023 by the respective artists. Used by permission, except “Guarding the
Palace,” by Ludvig Deutsch, public domain.
Cover Design and Trade Dress © 2023 Jason Vey and Elf Lair, LLC. All Rights
Reserved. Produced and published by Elf Lair Games
Special Thanks to Raven Wulfgar for his unfailing support and constant willingness to boost the signal!
Wasted Lands: The Dreaming Age™, Night Shift: Veterans of the Supernatural
Wars™, O.G.R.E.S.™, Oldschool Generic Roleplaying Engine System™, are trademarks of Elf Lair, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
The text of this work is copyright © 2023 by Jason Vey and Elf Lair, LLC. All Rights
Reserved.
No part of this work may be reproduced without written permission from the publisher, except for review purposes. Any similarity to characters, situations, institutions,
corporations, etc. (without satirical intent) is strictly fictional or coincidental. This book
uses settings, characters, and themes of a supernatural nature. All elements, mystical
and supernatural, are fictional and intended for entertainment purposes.
Reader discretion is advised.
Disclaimer: Elf Lair Games bears no responsibility if a Great Old One consumes
your gaming group.
FIRST PRINTING, July 2023
Stock: ELG6001
Printed in the U.S.A.
Attack of the Beast-Men
would be impossible, learn to say, “Sure,
give it a go,” and then call for a roll.
Welcome to the quick start kit for Wasted
Lands: The Dreaming Age! This adventure pits the characters against denizens of
the Deeper Dark. Our heroes will need to
gather help in order to defeat those who
would eat the characters’ fellow villagers. As
you play through, you will gain a feel for
how the O.G.R.E.S (Oldschool Generic Roleplaying Engine System) works in practice.
Three Mechanics
There are three mechanics at play in
O.G.R.E.S. The first is the percentile check.
In a percentile check, you will roll percentile dice against a chance of success, to
use a class ability, cast a spell, etc.
Throughout this adventure, you will see
guidelines for how to use the system and
play the game. The intent is not to give you
a full breakdown of all of the options and
rules of the game, but rather, a taste of how
it works, and how it plays out. Tenured
Game Masters (GM) may not need such
guidance, but others do.
The second is the d20 check, wherein
you’ll roll 1d20 plus applicable bonuses, and
attempt to get a 20 or better. This is used for
combat, saving throws, and ability checks.
Finally, there’s the Rule of 2. In the Rule
of 2, the GM can adjudicate a situation on
the fly that isn’t otherwise covered by the
rules. Choose a die type based on how likely
the scenario is and throw it. A result of 1 or
2 indicates a success.
You will notice many things are left to the
discretion of the GM. This is by design.
Wasted Lands is built to be a very freeform
and open game, where the GM is encouraged to make judgement calls and think on
the fly – as are the players. It’s a collaborative effort, where a player is encouraged to
ask, “Can I try…?” and the GM should, unless there’s a strong reason why the effort
Say, for example, the characters are looking for a wanted criminal in the marketplace. The Renegade has a Perception skill
they can roll, but everyone else just has to
use their basic peepers. The Renegade rolls
3
their percentile skill, while the GM rolls 1d6
for each of the other characters. If any of
those rolls come up a 1 or a 2, they find the
criminal. If the Renegade fails their percentile roll, they still get a Rule of 2 check.
Percentile Dice: Percentile dice are
two, ten-sided dice, with one rolled as the
“tens” and one rolled as “one.” You must
designate which represents each prior to
rolling. Most people use a die with two digits as tens and one digit as ones. So, one die
will read 10, 20, 30, etc. while the other will
read 1, 2, 3, etc. However, it is perfectly acceptable to use two differently colored dice.
Read the dice as they fall, so if your tens die
is 3 and your ones die is 7, your result is
37%. A roll of “00” and “0” means 100, not
zero. When rolling percentile dice, a low
roll is almost always better. You’re trying
to roll under a percentage chance for success. If the chance of success if 50%, anything from 01-49% succeeds.
Some Terms
Defense Value (DV): Defense Value
refers to the overall defensive capabilities
of an opponent in combat. It is normally
expressed as a value of 0 to 10, with lower
values being better. This is because in combat, the DV is added to the die roll to hit,
attempting to get a 20 or better. Since it is
easier to hit 20 with a +10, a DV of 10 is
less effective than a DV of 0.
Vitality Dice (ViD): The number and
type of dice a creature or character has for
health. The dice are rolled and totaled. This
was already done for you in the creature
and character stats.
Die Codes: When you see a code of
“xdy,” x is the number of dice rolled, d
means “dice,” and y is the type of die. So,
4d6 means, “roll four, six-sided dice.” Sometimes you will total the results, sometimes
you will keep the best subset. This is detailed in the individual roll.
Sample Characters
Divine Touchstones: One of the key
elements of Wasted Lands: The Dreaming Age is the idea that you are portraying
ancient (millions of years old) protohumans
created by the Great Old Ones before they
were driven into their eternal slumber.
These protohumans will, through ancestral
memories, have their exploits remembered
long after their entire world is wiped away
in a second Cataclysm and homo sapiens
come to dominate the world. These exploits
will become twisted and altered throughout
the ages (sort of like a gigantic game of telephone) to eventually form the stories of
Zeus, Thor, Tezcatlipoca, Bel, and all the
other deities of old. Divine Touchstones
represent special powers your characters
gain as they meaningfully interact with
elements of mythology (theirs or others).
Each character in this scenario begins with
a single Divine Touchstone (on the assumption that they are already experienced adventurers) and will have the opportunity to
gain a second as the scenario progresses.
We have included several sample characters at the end of the adventure for you to
use in play. The character classes should be
familiar to fans of sword and sorcery media.
What do I need to play?
To play this adventure, you just need
this document (including the sample characters), a pencil, scratch paper, and dice.
Most players will only need 1d6, 1d20, and
percentile or 2d10. The psychic player will
also need 1d8 (unless the GM opts to secretly roll their Danger Sense ability) and
the GM may wish to also keep 1d4, 1d8,
and 1d12 on hand in case you wish to
change the odds of your Rule of 2 checks.
The Setting
Wasted Lands: The Dreaming Age is
a roleplaying game of swords and sorcery in
a world of cosmic horror and adventure, an
age where men and women battle against
the surviving minions of the Great Old
Ones a mere thousand years after the stars
went wrong, sending the Old Ones into
NPC: Non-player character. Any character
or creature in the game which is controlled by
the Game Master and not one of the players.
4
their eternal slumber. The maddening,
alien corruption of the Old Ones and their
ilk still lingers across the world, in hidden
pockets, ancient ruins, and even cities and
nations such as Hastur, but so do vast treasures, storehouses of knowledge, and power
for those with the constitution to brave the
horrors within.
level of grit and danger—vampires,
demons, mummies, and deep ones are
really scary—and they lack some of the
over-the-top heroics of Cinematic
games, but they aren’t quite as deadly
as a gritty game. Keep in mind in this
context, “realistic” doesn’t necessarily
mean it’s modeling real life. It just
means that it’s the middle ground between gritty and cinematic. In a Realistic game, characters heal 1 point of
damage plus their Toughness bonus
per day of bed rest, half that without
bed rest, and double that under dedicated medical care.
In this world, extraordinary people will
ascend to become the gods of ancient myths
and legend, and that’s where you come in.
You might play a warrior from Hyperborea
named Wotan, a sorceress from Khem
called Isis, a wilderness scout from Fennokarelia known as Mielikki, even a witch
doctor with an affinity for serpents from
Huitzilopochtitlan named Quetzalcoatl. As
you journey through the world, unlocking
secrets related to your special skills, you
will grow, gain unusual powers called Divine Touchstones, and eventually rise to become the figures remembered as the
ancient gods of myth and legend.
•
You will help humanity claim the world
from the minions of the Great Old Ones
such as serpent men, beast men, great serpents, and deep ones, and you will beat
them back into shadow. You will be the
dawn of mythological history.
Healing is only one aspect of the game
that can be tweaked for play style. Everything from damage to opposed checks, nonlethal damage, and basic checks can be
tweaked in this way. It all comes down to
how you want to play your game. Full details on levels of grit can be found in the
Wasted Lands core rule book, or in the
Night Shift: Veterans of the Supernatural Wars core rule book.
Levels of Grit
There are essentially three different
campaign styles, or “levels of grit” in
Wasted Lands. These are Gritty, Realistic,
or Cinematic. Whichever you decide, the
basic systems and rules of play remain the
same. What changes is the level of deadliness involved in the game.
•
Gritty games are extremely deadly.
These are the games where you will
find “save or die” situations, and where
when weapons come out, someone is
likely to die, and it may well be a character. In a gritty game, characters who
suffer damage heal only one point per
day, and then only if they get complete
bed rest, for example.
•
Realistic games are in many ways the
default assumption. They still have a
Cinematic games provide over-the-top
heroics that probably most closely resemble the “beautiful people doing
amazing things” shows we’ve all become used to in sci-fi/fantasy TV. The
television series featuring a certain
blonde girl who was in love with a vampire and once slew a god is an example
of a cinematic game. In a cinematic
game, the Realistic rate of healing is
doubled and no bed rest is required. In
Cinematic games characters always
start a new adventure at full Vitality.
This adventure was written with the Realistic style in mind, as that is the default assumption of play. We have, however,
included one Cinematic element in the rules
reference appendix at the end of the scenario,
should you choose to use it: Fate Points. Fate
Points allow for a bit of extra player agency
that you can grant to allow players to perform heroic feats. How you run it is up to you.
It’s your game. There’s only seven characters
provided with this adventure, so before you
decide to be extra tough on your players and
go gritty, keep that in mind.
5
Homes are on fire. People are pulled from
their homes and taken towards the
nearby forest. The beast-men are cutting
their way through anyone who opposes
them.
What’s Going On?
The village where the characters permanently live, are visiting, or currently reside
has been repeatedly attacked by beastmen. Every month, more villagers die or
are stolen away in the night. The mightiest
heroes of the village have yet to best the
beasts and the number of beast-men grows
each month. The village wise woman has
pulled the characters together to enact a
daring plan. If they can locate an item or
items used to fight the Old Ones, they may
yet find a way to best the monsters.
The ratio of beast-men attacking the village to characters is 5:1. The number is high
in order to allow for kidnapping and killing
the characters’ fellow villagers in an effort to
paint a picture. As the characters join the
fight and begin to make a difference in the
fight, the beast-men retreat to live another
day, taking captives with them. This is a
raiding party, not a fight to the death.
It’s up to the characters to decide which
of the three locations suggested to visit – or
any combination of them.
Once the fight is over, the characters can
help extinguish burning homes with water
or magic and collecting the dead. How the
dead are disposed of is up to you. Some cultures will bury the dead, others burn the
dead, and a few leave them in wild places
to allow animals to feed upon them.
Cold Open: Night Terrors
This chapter serves two purposes. The first
is to introduce the players to the rules and
combat. The second is to kick-off the scenario.
Combat
Many movies and TV shows beign with a
“cold open” or “pre-credits scene.” This helps
set the tone for the episode and gets things
moving. In gaming terms, it’s usually expressed as “boxed text” that you read aloud
or paraphrase for your group. Read the following or paraphrase it to your players.
The first step in running combat is to determine initiative. Each player rolls 1d10 for
their character and the GM rolls one for each
enemy or group of enemies. The highest roll
on the d10s goes first and a tie between the
GM’s die roll and the players always allows
the players to act before the GM. Combat
then proceeds in descending order.
The village you live in has become the
hunting ground for beast-men, former servants of the Old Ones. They come every
month to kill and kidnap. Every month,
there are more of them and less of you.
Combat is structured in rounds, which
are defined as however long it takes for
each character to accomplish one action.
The entire combat comprises one scene.
The village lies in a small field between a
forest and stream. There are 20-30 homes
and a few outbuildings. The village palisade is not a strong one. Time and beastmen attacks have worn it down.
Movement: Characters can move up to
their standard movement (typically 30 feet)
and still perform an action. Alternately,
they can “dash” up to double their move
without taking any other actions.
The rest of the village looks to you and
“grandmother” for guidance. Grandmother is the village wise woman,
whereas you have Divine Touchstones
that make you stand out from the average
person.
Attacking: To attack, you will roll 1d20,
adding your character’s Attack Bonus, Ability Bonus, (Strength for melee, Agility for
ranged) and the GM will add the opponent’s
Defense Value (DV) to the roll. The goal is to
achieve a total of 20 or better. Monsters and
NPCs add the number of Vitality Dice they
have as a bonus to their 1d20 roll, plus their
target’s defensive value.
It’s late night and you woke to screams.
Rushing outside, you see that a band of
beast-men are attacking the village.
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plus 5% per level of the character. Thus, a
first-level Sorceress has a base chance of
55% to cast a spell. This percentage is penalized by 10% per level of the spell (thus,
a second-level spell imposes a penalty of
-20%). If the player beats the base percentage chance to cast a spell by 10% or more,
the spell goes off immediately. If they succeed at less than a 10% margin, the spell
goes off in the following round. If the base
chance is ever over 100%, there is no roll
needed to cast; the spell always works at
immediate effect.
Damage: All weapons deal 1d6 damage,
unless otherwise noted. Most characters
have the ability to make supernatural attacks. This doesn’t necessarily mean the
attacks are magical, but represents their
access to the tactics and equipment they
need to harm creatures of a supernatural
origin. Characters without a supernatural
attack ability will need to find magical
weapons, hunt down cold iron weapons, or
take another tactic in combat.
Saving Throws: Saving Throws, when
necessary, work the same as attacks, but
instead of adding the attack bonus, characters add their check bonus and ability
bonus to their 1d20 roll, attempting to get
a 20 or better. The GM then adds a difficulty modifier determined by subtracting
the ViD of the opponent from 10 – thus, a 1
ViD creature adds +9 to the save. At the
GM’s option, characters may also add a
bonus or penalty based on the difference
between their level and their opponent’s
vitality dice. A third level character saving
against a 1 ViD enemy, for example, would
add an extra +2 to their roll.
Spell Backfire: Anytime a Sorcerer /
Sorceress or Sage fails to cast a spell, it can
backfire–sometimes catastrophically. When
a spell fails, the player throws 1d20, adds
the spell’s level, and consults the Spell
Backfire table in the appendix.
Beast-Men
You can find a full write-up for beastmen and all other potential opponents in
the appendices. Beast-men stats are:
Non-Lethal Combat: If a character
wants to knock another character or monster out, instead of losing vitality points
past zero, the damage stops at that point
and the character or monsters falls unconscious, but in stable condition.
Healing: Characters heal one point of
damage plus their Toughness bonus per
day of bedrest. Non-lethal damage heals at
a rate of Constitution +1 per hour.
Death: When a monster or NPC reaches
zero vitality points, it is dead (or unconscious, if non-lethal attacks were announced). When a character reaches zero
vitality points, they are unconscious and
bleeding out. They lose one additional vitality point per round until stabilized or they
reach -10 vitality points. Stabilizing a character simply takes stating you are doing so
and spending a round performing the action. Once a character reaches -10 vitality
points, they are dead.
Casting Spells: To cast a spell, the Sorcerer / Sorceress player throws percentile
dice. The base chance to cast a spell is 50%
7
a large temple that sits among a series of
other temples. Grandmother does not know
what features are on the temple, but has
been told it is the most unusual and beautiful of all the temples in Khem. It resides beside the River Khemit, the largest river in
the country. Grandmother believes that Ifa
or the library has knowledge they can use
to defeat the beast-men.
Beast-Men: ViD 1d8 (4 Vit.), DV 8, Move
30 ft., Attacks: 2 (punch/kick, sharpened
stick/bone). Special: Enhanced Senses:
Beast-Men gain +3 to any checks to detect
using sight, hearing, or smell. They can
only be surprised on a 1 on 1d6. Nightvision: Beast-Men can see perfectly well in all
but the most absolute darkness. Pack
Hunters: When a pack of beast-men attacks,
they make excellent use of strategy and tactics, giving them a bonus to hit equal to +1
per three beast-men in the pack.
Grandmother can provide directions to
each location. The order the characters go
in does not matter. It only matters that
they visit either the oasis of Dirja or Ifa’s
library. Lomos Island is a dead end, but
Grandmother doesn’t know that.
Act One: Campfire Tales
The following day, the village wise
woman sends children to find and bring the
characters to her hovel. These children are
her apprentices. She greats each of the
characters and invites them into her home.
The building is a one room, round affair,
maybe ten feet in diameter, with a low,
thatch roof. A firepit in the middle of the
hovel keeps a pot of water warmed for tea.
The characters only know this woman as
“Grandmother.”
The characters have access to food and
drink. They will not need to hunt for food.
The village has no mounts, so the characters will be traveling by foot. The characters do not own much more than what is on
their character sheet. Let them take all of
their gear and anything you deem a reasonable request.
Act Two: Seeking Salvation
Grandmother tells the characters she
needs them to undertake a quest. The beastmen attacks are not ending and a solution is
necessary to stop them. According to Grandmother, if they can find tools of the Old
Ones, they should be able to stop the beastmen from attacking the village, once and for
all. She suggests they visit Lomos Island,
the oasis of Dirja, or Ifa the librarian.
Lomos Island
Lomos Island is a river-based island in
western Ashurii. Once the island held a
city filled with palatial homes belonging to
the Old Ones’ favored servitors. The homes
were filled with grandiose belongings and
their gardens filled with flowers never
since seen by modern people. Grand avenues crossed the island lined with all
types of trees. Flying creatures lived in
those trees singing songs to the residents.
Lomos Island is the nearest location. It
sits in a river in to the west of the village.
Once, the island held a city of the Old Ones.
What may or may not be there now, Grandmother does not know. However, she suggests there could be magics on the island of
use to the village.
Today, the island is naught but rubble
and rocky outcroppings. The buildings that
once reached the sky are now but barren
structures no taller than three men standing on each other’s shoulders. Roofs are long
gone, as are all of the beautiful plants and
flying creatures that once graced the city.
The next closest location is the oasis of
Dirja. Dirja is a warrior who is building an
army. Some say she is muddled in the head.
Others claim she is a prophetess. Either
way, Dirja may have access to weapons that
could be of use fighting off the degenerate
beast-men.
Lomos can be reached by an old bridge,
small watercraft, or swimming. The bridge
is rickety and not entirely safe to use, but
adventurers who take their time crossing it
will not fall into the water below (no roll is
necessary). The water is slow moving and
The final location is Ifa’s library in the
kingdom of Khem. Ifa built a library within
8
the river is only thirty feet wide, from island to shore. The average depth is only
three feet, but something cut deep gouges
in the riverbed leading to sections ten feet
in depth. Anyone swimming across feels
something brush their leg as they cross the
middle of the river.
Language test.
Psychics using Empathy will pick up
on feelings of hate and anger.
Necromancers attempting to Channel
the Dead will not enjoy the experience. The
dead will not want to leave the Necromancer’s body and must be forced out.
Using See the Dead reveals spirits screaming in pain and terror. Once the dead realize the Necromancer can see them, the
spirits assault the Necromancer’s senses
begging to be set free from whatever horrible fate they are suffering. Once this happens, the skeletons rise, skipping the next
paragraph. Summon the Dead leads to a
very similar experience, except the entire
group gets to experience it. Again, the
skeletons rise to attack soon after this occurs. See the appendices for more on how
the Necromancer’s powers work.
As the characters begin searching the
island, the only sound they hear are their
own footfalls. The shoreline of the island is
lined with bones of the devoured dead.
The Warrior can perform a Tracking
test to look for clues of where other people
have walked. If they fail, a Wits check
(medium +5) or a d6 Rule of 2 check by the
GM may allow the Warrior or other characters to pick up such signs.
Sorcerers / Sorceresses, Sages, and
Renegades can attempt to read the runes
found amongst the ruined buildings. If successful, they learn the island was once used
for manufacturing weapons used by the
Old Ones’ servants. Treat this as a Read
After the characters have searched for
some time and if the Necromancer has not
disturbed the dead, ask for the Psychic to
9
perform a Sixth Sense test and the Renegade to make a Danger Sense test. Alternately, the GM can make these checks in
secret so as not to give it away to the players.
If either pass the test, they have the distinct feeling that something is hunting the
characters. A successful Perception test
by the Renegade reveals light footsteps
moving towards the characters. If these
tests are failed, one skeleton gets a free attack against the Warrior. After that, it’s
time for Initiative!
If the players decide to flee instead of
fighting the skeletons, let them. The skeletons will not pursue them once they are in
the river. The players can either move on to
the next location, try to search the island
again at a later time, or slowly whittle
down the number of skeletons from the
river. Of course, the next time they spend
more than 10-15 minutes on the island,
more skeletons will arise to attack.
The characters can finish searching the
island after dispatching the skeletons. There
is nothing here they can use, unless the Sorcerer / Sorceress wants to collect some
bones as spell components or trade goods.
Skeletons
These bags of old bones are a threat that
cannot be reasoned with, but also cannot be
destroyed by arrow or blade. Characters
who attack with those style of weapons
quickly realize their attacks are not affecting these bone warriors. Their players will
need to do some fast thinking to come up
with solutions to help stop the skeletons.
Large rocks and broken timber are possibilities, if they don’t have blunt weapons or
magic to use. Characters with supernatural attacks, of course, can battle the creatures effectively.
There are three skeletons per two characters.
Skeletons: ViD 1/2 (3 vit.), DV 7, Move
30 ft., Attacks: 1 (axe, spear, or sword). Special: Immune to piercing and stabbing
weapons. These weapons simply pass
through or glance off the skeleton’s bones.
Dirja’s Oasis
Dirja’s Oasis is a tent city situated along
the borders of Athenea and Irem. The land
was once a fertile breadbasket. However,
the Old Ones burned and salted this
ground in some distant past war. The only
viable resource in the oasis is a small pond
of water. No plant or animal life was
present prior to the arrival of Dirja.
Dirja believes the Old Ones will return
one day. She is also of the opinion that
Ashurii will one day send an army to reclaim Athenea and Minoa as part of their
country. Dirja plans to fight off all aggressors and is building her own military force.
Ten years ago, Dirja established a camp
at the oasis to train those who wished to
learn the ways of the warrior. As more people came to learn, fighting schools, supply
merchants, and bars slowly came to be.
Today, there are fighting rings for competitions, small restaurants, and brothels. At
the center of the tent city is a large, octagonal fighting arena. It is here that the best
of the best competes. It is also where transgressors are left to die.
While Dirja is acknowledged as the person in charge, she leaves the actual managing of day-to-day affairs to Belatsunat.
Belatsunat is an Iremian woman, proud
and regal in appearance. Anyone seeking
an audience with Dirja will need to meet
with Belatsunat first. Discovering this
nugget of information is as easy as asking
around. The characters will be provided
directions to Dirja’s pavilion near the center of town. Dirja will not be present, but
Belatsunat is.
The Oasis
The tent city has no wall and anyone can
just walk into the city. There are a few avenues through the city, used primarily for
animals and vehicles. There appear to be
near 100 tents spread around the oasis.
There is no set pattern throughout the city
for how tents, pavilions, and simple leantos are arranged. Most “neighborhoods” are
built around a central point, such as a car-
10
avanserai (a sort of inn, restaurant, café
and tea house), merchant, or fighting
school. However, there are sections that
are completely random and outsiders are
likely to become lost.
does not provide audience to outsiders unless they pass a test. The test is, naturally,
to survive a round of combat in the main
fighting arena. If the characters refuse, Belatsunat is not bitter or angry, just disappointed. After all, the characters appear to
be hardy adventurers and would likely provide a grand spectacle in the arena. If the
characters accept, Belatsunat offers the
characters a chance to rest and eat prior to
entering the arena. She will have one of her
guards show them to a tent where they can
unwind, relax, eat, and drink.
The different fighting schools, merchants,
and other vendors have their own signage
and heraldry in use to draw attention to
themselves. Soldiers and guards in service to
Dirja all wear a black sash with plain, silver
trim. Their arms and armor vary by person.
The black sashes are the most frequently
seen form of heraldry in the city.
The Octagon
The characters can ask around town for
the whereabouts of Dirja. Most of the business owners know and will tell the characters to look for a very large pavilion with
black and silver banners similar to the
guardsmen. The pavilion is along one of the
major avenues and will not take long to find.
Once they are ready, Belatsunat will
guide the characters through the city to the
arena for their chance at an audience with
Dirja. There are only a few real avenues
within the tent city and she uses none of
them. The trip though the city is a meandering maze of sights, sounds, and smells.
The smell of cooked, exotic meats and vegetables wafts from restaurants. The sound
of hammers forming steel into arms and
armor surrounds the characters everywhere they go. People from around the
world are here, complete with their own
mannerisms, clothing, and lifestyles.
One section of the pavilion is open to the
road. Inside the pavilion, the characters will
see Belatsunat seated in an ornately carved
chair that appears to have been built for
someone more than double her size. A more
reasonably sized table sits in front of her
and she is reviewing ledgers. There is food
and drink on the table. The pavilion is divided into rooms with canvas walls and the
characters can only see into this one room.
There are two guardswomen armed with
small clubs in the room with Belatsunat.
The arena consists of a wooden palisade
with risers placed around it for the audience. The risers are full of people and the
sound of a fight echoes from inside. On the
north side of the arena is a raised dais. This
platform is where Dirja watches the competitions. There are several stools, all in use,
upon the platform. There are also runes
carved into every surface of the platform.
These are to keep magical affects from
harming the platform or those present on
the platform.
Belatsunat is dressed in white robes and
hood adorned with pins and charms. The
jewelry is of no one style or material. The
Sage and Sorcerer / Sorceress can tell
there are spells of protection woven into
some of the charms. However, the arrangement of the jewelry suggests these are
important to Belatsunat for personal reasons and not due to her role in the community. She is not armed.
Dirja wears leather dyed crimson and
stitched with silver wire. Her hair is dark
and pulled back into a tail. The pupils of
her eyes are solid black, much like a
shark’s and when she smiles, the characters can see that all of her teeth are pointed
like daggers. The others on the dais wear
the garb and arms from far away lands.
They all watch the fight with an intensity
never before seen by the characters.
Belatsunat will meet with the characters
and ask them their business. She is quiet
and respectful of the characters as they tell
their tale. After hearing their story, she offers them water. The water is cool, refreshing, and has a slightly sweet taste to it. The
water is completely harmless and just water; the taste is a byproduct of the source.
Belatsunat tells the characters that Dirja
11
Belatsunat leads the characters to a
barred gate that leads into the palisade.
Six guards stand at the gate and Belatsunat addresses them upon arrival. She
tells the guards she is here with the next
set of competitors for the arena. One of the
guards agrees to let her in after the current
fight is over. It doesn’t take long for the
fight to end. The characters will hear the
growl of a large animal, the scream of a dying person, and the crowd cheering as the
fight ends. After a few minutes, the guards
open the gate and four go in. The characters watch as the guards drag out two dead
warriors. The dead are placed on a wagon
with their arms and equipment to be removed from the area.
Belatsunat leads the characters into the
arena. The sandy floor is splattered with
fresh blood and ichor. On the other side of
the arena is another gate. A cage of sorts
can be seen behind the gate. The walls one
the inside of the palisade are covered in the
same runes as the platform. The arena is
30 yards in diameter.
Belatsunat stops in the middle of the
arena and faces Dirja’s platform, where she
announces, “These adventurers seek a private audience with Dirja. In return, they
have promised to give their best efforts in a
contest of arms and willpower.” With that,
Belatsunat bows and leaves the arena by
the same gate she entered with the characters. The guards immediately shut the gate
after she exits.
The other gate slowly opens and terror
birds enter the arena. The terror birds are
hungry and are convinced the characters
are their next meal. They do not act in concert and are not organized in any way.
Mostly, they are angry at being kept captive and hungry. There is one terror bird
for every 1 ½ characters, rounding down. It
is time to roll for Initiative!
Terror Birds
Terror Birds are giant, flightless, carnivorous birds that are among the apex predators of the animal kingdoms. They stand
between 3 and 10 feet tall and are highly
muscular, with a huge beak not unlike that
of a toucan. Terror birds have four-toed feet
capped with talons which help them to gain
traction in many types of terrain. Their
fourth toe is high up on their angle and is a
type of sickle claw which can be used as a
kicking weapon. They are lightning-fast
runners, enabling them to chase down their
prey, which ranges from small mammals
and reptiles to larger grazing animals and
even, sometimes, other carnivores.
Terror Birds: ViD 4d8 (16 vit.), DV 4,
Move 60 ft., Attacks: 2 (sickle claws, hammer beak, lightning strike). Special: Lighting Strike grants an additional +2 to hit
with its beak due to its lightning fast means
of striking forward. The bird’s hammer
beak deals 2d6 totaled damage on attacks
when using the beak.
Meeting Dirja
After defeating the terror birds, the characters are cheered by the spectators. Both
gates re-open. From the terror bird side,
guards enter and drag their carcasses out.
From the side the characters entered, six
guards enter without weapons drawn and
surround the characters. One of the guards
addresses the characters and tells them to
follow them if the characters still wish to
meet with Dirja.
The guards will escort the characters out
of the arena and along a main avenue
through the city. Arriving back at the pavilion, they are escorted in through a different
partition. They are provided with divans
and stools, wine and cheeses, and the opportunity to relax prior to meeting with
Dirja. The guards instruct the characters to
wait here for their audience.
Half an hour later, Dirja and Belatsunat
enter the room where the characters await.
Dirja now wears a sword and dagger combination, but Belatsunat is still unarmed. Dirja
will greet the characters and invite them to
sit, if they are not already doing so. She will
also sit, but Belatsunat remains standing off
to the side. Dirja will confirm Belatsunat relayed their reason for requesting an audience. She then asks if the characters wish to
expand on their request. If they do, she will
interject questions as she has them.
12
If the characters have explained they are
attempting to fight off beast-men, Dirja is
willing to help them. She is willing to provide them with a sword, ten arrow heads,
and a dagger she claims were forged from
the fiery rocks that fell from the sky millennia ago, which drove the Old Ones from the
world. She says they will be effective
against denizens of the Deeper Dark. She
will also send six of her soldiers with the
characters to help defeat the beast-men.
for others. The archer must aim for one full
round before making such a shot.
The Game Master sets the DV for making such a trick shot, with the following
guidelines: shooting an arrow through a
coin-sized hole requires an attack against
DV 2; shooting the gallows rope to save a
friend from hanging, or severing the chain
on a chandelier is DV 1. Attaching a cable
to an arrow and firing it at a far building
side to create an anchor for a stable
tightrope or grappling hook is DV 4.
Dirja’s Opinions
Dagger: When attacking from stealth or
from behind an enemy, this dagger allows
Vital Strike as an 8th level Renegade (+4 to
hit and x4 damage) versus beast-men; standard 1d6 standard damage without Vital
Strike to everything else (but still allows
for supernatural attacks).
If the characters ask about Lomos Island, Dirja will look to Belatsunat for an
answer. Belatsunat feels that Lomos is a
dead end and not likely to have anything.
She has heard stories that whatever was
once there is long gone.
Sword: +1 to hit and 2d6 keep the best
versus beast-men; 1d6 standard damage to
everything else (but still allows for supernatural attacks). Those who already have
additional dice, keeping the best for damage, instead add one more die and keep the
best – thus, a Warrior who already rolls
2d6 keeping the best, when using this
sword vs. beast-men, rolls 3d6 and keeps
the best of the 3.
If the characters ask about Ifa’s library,
Dirja will suggest visiting Ifa could be beneficial to the characters and the defense of
their village. Dirja knows that Ifa does not
have weapons, but is very knowledgeable
about the Deeper Dark.
Dirja’s Gifts
These weapons were indeed forged from
alloys gained from meteors that broke off
from the catastrophic strike which formed
the K/T extinction event (which the
denizens of the Dreaming Age simply refer
to as “the cataclysm,” or “the day when the
skies rained fire”). This asteroid strike hit
the city of R’lyeh directly, sinking it into
the ocean, wiping out the dinosaurs, and
shifting the earth, which changed the stars
and sent the Other Gods (the Old Ones)
into their eternal slumber. Each allows a
character to make supernatural attacks
with that item (if they do not already have
the ability) and provides several additional
special abilities in addition.
Ifa’s Library
Ifa dwells in the western lands of Khem.
Following Grandmother’s directions, the
characters journey along a long river. The
east side of the river is lined with colossal,
limestone statues of men and beasts, as
well as, the pyramid resting places of deceased Deeper Dark servants. To the west
side of the river, giant lizards with mouthfuls of teeth large enough to bite a man in
half sunbathe. Occasionally, one might enter the water to cool off, but they never
climb the eastern bank.
Arrowheads: These provide Trick Shot
as per the Archer’s level 6 Ability, usable by
anyone. The archer’s mastery of their craft
is such that they can make astounding trick
shots with his bow, avoiding obstacles and
finding minute targets. In this manner, they
can make shots that are simply impossible
Ifa’s location is easy to identify. The
building is an octagonal pyramid. The entrance to the library is a quarter of the way
up the east lateral face of the pyramid. The
steps leading up to the entrance are covered in smooth pirouza (a turquoise-colored
stone). No other structure is eight-sided or
13
has pirouza steps. Many believe his library
to have been a temple of some sort to the
Old Ones before beginning their slumber.
The entrance to the pyramid leads to a
downward traveling hallway. Lit sconces provide a low level of light in the hallway. After
thirty yards, the hallway opens up into a
large chamber. This chamber is lit by a series
of sconces and mirrors. The room is filled
with shelves containing books, scrolls, and
items of antiquity. Four doors lead out of this
room. Eight people are present–some reading, others sorting books, and one is walking
towards the characters. This is Ifa.
Ifa is a balding, male Khemite with a
braided, white beard. He wears a linen
wrap-around skirt, sandals, and a knowing
smile. He welcomes the characters to his library and asks how he may be of service to
them. He is interested in helping the characters fight the Deeper Dark as that is of benefit to everyone. He offers two solutions: one
long-term and the other short-term.
The long-term solution is a bag of seeds.
The seeds are from a faraway land. They
will grow beautiful, purple flowers which
have sharp edges and thorns. They will
help form a barrier to keep out the beastmen and other vermin.
The short-term solution is to undergo a
series of meditations led by Ifa. Ifa claims
the meditations will help the characters enhance their abilities and better understand
their personal strengths. According to Ifa,
this is more important than any weapon
they can bring to bear against the Deeper
Dark. If they agree, Ifa invites them to follow him and they will begin immediately.
each of the characters. He tells them this is
to complete their cleansing prior to the ritual. The final room contains ten seven
pointed stars in a circle painted on the floor.
The walls are covered in glyphs and runes.
Most are too old for even Ifa to understand.
Ifa invites each of the characters to sit in
their own circle. He then lights the candles
on the star points for each circle in use, including one for himself. He spends a few
minutes instructed the characters how to
perform the meditations necessary to complete the next step in their apotheosis. Ifa
begins the ceremony and leads the characters through this process.
The meditations involve chanting, special
breathing techniques, and visualizing selfempowerment. The temperature in the room
increases during the process, but there is no
obvious source of the heat. As the heat in the
room increases, the visualizing of self-empowerment becomes more akin to a dreamstate where the characters are learning more
about their Divine Touchstones.
After what feels like hours, the meditations are complete. Ifa leads the characters
back out the way they came, passing the
incense over them once more, guiding them
back through the pool of water, and then
returning their belongings. All of the characters are exhausted from the process. Ifa
takes them to another room containing
beds and leaves them to rest.
Gaining Divine Touchstones
After completing the meditations, the GM
can either assign a new Divine Touchstone to each character or allow the players to choose one (if you have the Wasted
Lands core book). If this scenario is part of
a one shot, it is recommended that the GM
assign the Touchstone from our recommended list in the appendices.
Apotheosis
In the first room Ifa takes them to, he
asks the characters to leave behind their
belongings. While he is not referring to
clothing, he is referring to arms and armor,
trinkets and baubles, supplies and equipment. The following room contains a long
pool. Ifa leads the way and then invites each
of the characters to wade through the pool.
After passing into the next room, Ifa lights a
purifying incense stick and passes it over
Divine Touchstones are special powers
granted to heroes by the Earth itself, from
the soul of the planet, an energy known as
Radiance. The polar opposite of Radiance
is The Bleeding, the energy of the Deeper
Dark. Earth is awakening during the
Dreaming Age and finding it is powerful.
It chooses special heroes (the player char-
14
acters) to help it battle against the Bleeding and drive back the Deeper Dark from
the world.
In order to actually receive their second
Divine Touchstone, each player should be
required at this point to explain how their
exploits so far have played into either
their personal mythology (if a player is
portraying Artemis, for example, what
parallels to her stories have they encountered?), or to a similar archetypal mythology (the Artemis player could actually
claim that she has encountered the
mythology of a different archer, which will
be misremembered in future ages).
One of Ifa’s devout waits in the hallway
for the characters to wake up. Once they
are up and ready, the devout guides them
through a series of hallways to a dining
area. Food and wine are brought for the
characters. While they are eating, Ifa will
enter the room and check in on the characters. He is curious as to whether or not they
experienced anything during the meditations. He lets them know they are welcome
to stay at the library for as long as they
would like. Yet, he also understands they
need to get home to help their village.
Ifa’s Opinions
If asked about Lomos Island, Ifa suggests it could be a good idea to visit the island as it once held wondrous items used
by the Old Ones.
If asked about Dirja and whether or not
Ifa thinks Dirja could be of assistance, Ifa
is unsure. If it is the Dirja he has heard of,
he thinks it may be a bad idea. This Dirja
is a raider of villagers and lives for the battle. That person may see a plea for assistance as a sign of weakness and attack the
village.
Act Three: You Can Always Go
Home
Arrival
Arriving back in their village, the characters discover a few more missing people.
The beast men have been back causing
their usual destruction. It’s been a bit
longer than usual since that attack occurred and many of their fellow villagers
hope that means the beast-men have
moved on to cause trouble elsewhere.
The characters have a few days of downtime to rest and catch up on life. If they
have weapons from Dirja, they can practice
using them. If they accepted the help in the
form of personnel from Dirja, they can work
with those soldiers on how to defend the
village. They can also work to build or improve fortifications, such as a palisade,
trenches, and fences. Dirja’s soldiers will
help with all of the above.
The Coming Doom
Within a few nights of their arrival
home, the beast-men return. There are four
times the number of characters. At least
one beast-man per character has a more
advanced weapon than is typically used by
beast-men. Rusty axes, chipped swords,
broken spears, and the like. The rest are
armed with rocks and sharpened bones.
Each of Dirja’s soldiers will take on a
single beast-man. The other villages will
also defend themselves against the enemy.
Grandmother and her helpers bob and
weave through the fight, trying to tend to
the wounded or at least, pull them out of
harms way. This leaves the characters to
fight off the rest. GMs can hand wave the
background fighting, if they like.
If the GM would rather keep track of who
is alive and who has died, roll a d6 for each
non-player character fight during each
round of combat. If the number is odd, a
villager or soldier from Dirja dies. If the
number is even, the beast-man dies. Combat with the characters should proceed as
15
normal. As the beast-men kill off the characters’ allies, the beast-men will flow over
to attacking the characters.
Act Four: Planning for the
Future
The beast-men have been watching and
are instinctively aware that the villagers
have been bolstering defenses against
them; as such, this is a different fight from
the initial conflict. The beast-men now
have come in force, are unlikely to retreat,
and will not surrender. They are led by
their chieftain (such as it is), a beast-man
with additional hit dice. Killing this bigger,
more powerful beast-man will break the
pack and see them scatter, a threat no
longer. However, if the die rolls are going
poorly for the players, a savvy GM may
have the beast-men beat a hasty retreat in
order to live to fight another day (and allow
the characters to do the same).
This denouement is a quiet one. With the
beast-men defeated, the village can go back
to living a normal life without Deeper Dark
incursions (for now!). All that remains is to
pick up the pieces, put things aright, heal
the living, and see to the dead.
Beast-Men: ViD 1d8 (4 Vit.), DV 8, Move
30 ft., Attacks: 2 (punch/kick, sharpened
stick/bone). Special: Enhanced Senses:
Beast-Men gain +3 to any checks to detect
using sight, hearing, or smell. They can
only be surprised on a 1 on 1d6. Nightvision: Beast-Men can see perfectly well in all
but the most absolute darkness. Pack
Hunters: When a pack of beast-men attacks,
they make excellent use of strategy and tactics, giving them a bonus to hit equal to +1
per three beast-men in the pack.
Beast-Man Chieftain: ViD 4d8 (13 Vit.),
DV 6, Move 30 ft., Attacks: 2 (sword and
axe). Special: Increased Damage (on one attack each round, the chieftain rolls 2d6 for
damage, keeping the better of the two). Enhanced Senses: Beast-Men gain +3 to any
checks to detect using sight, hearing, or
smell. They can only be surprised on a 1 on
1d6. Nightvision: Beast-Men can see perfectly well in all but the most absolute darkness. Pack Hunters: When a pack of beastmen attacks, they make excellent use of strategy and tactics, giving them a bonus to hit
equal to +1 per three beast-men in the pack.
If any of Dirja’s soldiers survived the
fight, they will stay on for another week and
then return to Dirja’s oasis. They will pull
their weight while in the village: guard
duty, repairing buildings, putting up fences,
farming, helping to dispose of the dead, etc.
If none of them survived, the characters
may choose to send word of their deaths.
However, in this wasted land, the fact that
the soldiers never return is enough of a message to Dirja and Belatsunat.
GM Tips
Rules Reminders
Remember, this is the first time the players are experiencing this game. It may even
be the first time some of them have ever
experienced a roleplaying game. It could be
your first time as the game masters and as
the GM, you should remind the players
when their characters would use their abilities, Fate Points, spells, etc. Their characters would know to do these things, it’s the
people playing the game that have forgotten
or not realized they could be doing them.
Which Characters to use
You may not have a table of seven players. If you don’t, you likely won’t need all
seven characters we have for you. With
that in mind, here are our recommendations to get the most out of this quick start
and learning O.R.G.E.S.
For the classic feel that everyone at the
table will recognize, use the Warrior, Renegade, and Sorcerer / Sorceress. Not only are
these the classic characters of fantasy fiction, they provide a direct path to how combat, skills, and spellcasting work. The
16
Archer can also work here, in lieu of the
Warrior. It’s a different approach and one
we think works very well.
If you have a player that likes to play
support characters, the Sage and Psychic
are great options.
Players looking for something a little
darker or different than the Sorcerer / Sorceress will enjoy the Necromancer.
Those are just our recommendations. It’s
your game, play it your way.
Travel Times
Travel between the locations can take as
long or as short as you want. If this scenario is used as a one shot, the travel
should be handwaved and ignored. You can
think of it as a travel montage or a “commercial break” between scenes. If using
this scenario as part of a series of adventures, GMs should consider adding in encounters to add flavor to the world.
Random monsters, refugees seeking help,
and traveling merchants are all great options for further adventures.
Expanding the Game
There are several ways in which a GM
can expand this game. Here are our suggestions.
Random Encounters
The first is to add random encounters
between the scenes as the characters are
traveling between locations. The characters may come across merchants, monsters,
or raiders. The stat blocks for Dirja’s soldiers or the beast-men can be substituted
for raiders. The Terror Bird can be used as
a random monster. Perhaps, the characters
fight a Terror Bird or two on their way to
Dirja’s oasis, giving them an opportunity to
learn how to fight one before stepping into
the arena during the tent city scene.
Beneath the Island of the…
Lomos Island was once housed weapons
testing facility. The characters could find a
trap door under some rubble. Opening it,
carved stairs descend into a stale smelling
darkness. Does this lead to old technology
and weapons not understand by modern
humans? Why is there an exit to an underground river? Is this another secret entrance to the Underworld of K’n-Yan?
Working the Circuit
There are several fighting schools and
fighting arenas in the tent city. Characters
could spend time improving their abilities
while in the tent city. This could result in
leveling up or gaining a permanent +1
bonus to their Melee or Ranged attacks.
They could also spend time fighting in the
different arenas, trying to make money.
There are plenty of opportunities to bet on
the different fights.
Valley of Old Ones
Ifa’s library is one of many buildings
along the River Khemit. If the characters
are willing to go spelunking, Ifa is willing
to equipment them with food and water. Ifa
asks that they bring him any books or
scrolls they find and in return, they can
keep anything else that they find in the
tombs of the Old Ones.
Hunting the Beast-Men in their Lair
If the characters decide to backtrack the
beast-men’s trail to their lair, they can
(particularly if the beast-man chieftain escapes). If this is a one-shot, we recommend
that their lair be a large cave filled with the
bones of the dead. The dead were beastmen meals. If this is part of a larger story,
GMs can expand upon the scenario to add a
network of caves to be explored and secured. The Dreaming Age Campaign Guide
and Gazetteer contains plenty of nasties to
pit against your players and characters, if
you want more than just what’s in this
quick start kit.
17
You may also consider checking out
Night Shift: Veterans of the Supernatural Wars and its Night Companion
sourcebook, which also contain extensive
bestiaries of creatures of the night that can
easily be adapted to the Dreaming Age.
Appendix A: Full Creature Stat
Blocks
Beast-Men
Beast-men, sometimes referred to as
Degenerates, are any number of species of
proto-humans, including Australopithecus,
neanderthal, homo habilis, and others. In
the lost epoch of The Dreaming Age, all of
these proto-humans exist together, millions of years before our own archaeology
believes them to appeared on the planet.
They range from short and slender, averaging between three and four feet in height,
to hulking brutes hovering around 7 feet
high.
All, however, have limited intellect as
their brains are less developed than humans. Many scholars believe that these
species represent dead ends among the experiments of the Old Ones, Elder Things,
and Mi-Go to create humankind. It is certain that all can interbreed with humans,
and the resulting children are often fully
human, though they may inherit a slow
intellect or increased physical abilities
from their proto-human parent.
Most of these creatures live in rudimentary communities little more evolved than
herd animals, though they have developed
the ability to use tools, and some of the
more advanced can make fire and even
bury their dead. Others, however, are cannibalistic and use their dead for sustenance. They are vicious hunters and
aggressively defend their territory. They
also have greater nightvision than full humans, able to see keenly into dark and
shadows. On occasion, packs of these creatures have attacked outlying civilizations
to steal such luxuries as furs, clothing,
tools, and even human captives, who generally are never seen again.
Beast-Men Special Abilities:
•
Enhanced Senses: Beast-Men gain
+3 to any checks to detect using sight,
hearing, or smell. They can only be surprised on a 1 on 1d6
•
Nightvision: Beast-Men can see perfectly well in all but the most absolute
darkness.
•
Pack Hunters: When a pack of beastmen attacks, they make excellent use
of strategy and tactics, giving them a
bonus to hit equal to +1 per three beastmen in the pack.
No. Appearing: 1-100
DV: 8 (no armor)
Move: 30 ft
Vitality Dice: 1
Special: 2 attacks (punch/kick 2d6 keep
the worst, sharpened bone / stick or sword
/ axe / spear d6), enhanced senses, nightvision, pack hunters
XP Value: 15-240, depending on Vitality
Dice
Dirja’s Soldiers
Dirja’s soldiers are a varied lot. They
come from around the world to train at her
oasis. Their outfits do not match and neither do their weapons. These soldiers are
here, because Dirja sent them, but also because they want to prove themselves to
Dirja. Helping the village survive and then
reporting back on their works will improve
their worth to Dirja.
No. Appearing: 6
DV: 7 (Leather 8 + Improved Defense)
Move: 30 ft.
Vitality Dice: 1
Special: 1 attack (sword 1d6), Improved
Defense, Supernatural Attacks
XP Value: 20
18
Skeletons
These undead abominations are animated piles of bones. They are re-animated
by some malign intelligence, whether it’s a
necromancer or a disembodied soul. Regardless, they have no intelligence, are
clumsy, and pursue a single end to distraction until they are destroyed (usually they
are driven to guard something, attack, or
destroy the living).
Skeleton Special Abilities:
•
Immune to piercing and stabbing
weapons. These weapons simply pass
through or glance off the skeleton's
bones. Characters with supernatural
attacks can bypass this immunity.
No. Appearing: 3-30
DV: 7
Move: 30ft.
Vitality Dice: 1/2*
Special: Immune to firearms and stabbing
weapons
*Divide Vitality Die by 2 (minimum 1 hp)
XP VALUE: 7
Terror Bird (Phorusrhacidae)
Terror Birds are giant, flightless, carnivorous birds that are among the apex predators of the animal kingdoms. They stand
between 3 and 10 feet tall and are highly
muscular, with a huge beak not unlike that
of a toucan. Terror birds have four-toed feet
capped with talons which help them to gain
traction in many types of terrain. Their
fourth toe is high up on their angle and is a
type of sickle claw which can be used as a
kicking weapon. They are lightning-fast
runners, enabling them to chase down their
prey, which ranges from small mammals
and reptiles to larger grazing animals and
even, sometimes, other carnivores. When
at rest, it appears to have a short neck, but
when it strikes it has the startling ability to
extend its neck, striking like a serpent, but
with a force that crushes as much as it
pierces.
Domesticated Terror Birds are highly
sought after as mounts, but they can be
temperamental, especially if not regularly
fed (and they have a voracious appetite).
Many are the stories of riders who were
feasted upon by their own trusted mounts.
Terror Bird Special Abilities:
•
Lightning Strike: The Terror Bird
gains an additional +2 to hit with its
beak due to its lightning fast means of
striking forward.
•
Hammer Beak: The Terror Bird deals
2d6 (totaled) damage on attacks with
its beak.
No. Appearing: 1-10
DV: 4
Move: 60 ft.
Vitality Dice: 4
Special: 3 attacks (2 sickle claws (1d6
each) and hammer beak (2d6 totaled));
lightning strike
XP Value: 60
19
Appendix B: Character Rules
Handouts
Some Terms
Die Codes: When you see a code of
“xdy,” x is the number of dice rolled, d
means “dice,” and y is the type of die. So,
4d6 means, “roll four, six-sided dice.” Sometimes you will total the results, sometimes
you will keep the best subset. This is detailed in the individual roll.
Percentile Dice: Percentile dice are
two, ten-sided dice, with one rolled as the
“tens” and one rolled as “one.” You must
designate which represents each prior to
rolling. Most people use a die with two digits as tens and one digit as ones. So, one die
will read 10, 20, 30, etc. while the other will
read 1, 2, 3, etc. However, it is perfectly acceptable to use two differently colored dice.
Read the dice as they fall, so if your tens die
is 3 and your ones die is 7, your result is
37%. A roll of “00” and “0” means 100, not
zero. When rolling percentile dice, a low
roll is almost always better. You’re trying
to roll under a percentage chance for success. If the chance of success if 50%, anything from 01-49% succeeds.
Vitality Dice (ViD): The number and
type of dice a creature or character has for
health. The dice are rolled and totaled. This
was already done for you in the creature
and character stats.
Three Mechanics
There are three mechanics at play in
O.G.R.E.S: the percentile check, the d20
check, and the Rule of 2.
Percentile Checks: The first is the percentile check. In a percentile check, you will
roll percentile dice against a chance of success, to use a class ability, cast a spell, etc.
The GM can set a difficulty for a task, modifying your base chance of success up or
down. They need not tell you what the modifier is; they simply may ask you want your
base chance of success is and secretly modify it, then ask you what your die roll result
is and tell you if you succeeded. For some
tasks, the GM may even secretly roll the
ability for you. For example, when a Renegade tries to sneak, they always think
they’re doing it right. The GM’s role may
determine otherwise. Likewise, when you
search for traps in a given area, you don’t
know if you simply failed the roll or there’s
nothing there to find. In either case, the
GM may opt to roll secretly and simply tell
you what happens.
The d20 Check: The second is the d20
check, wherein you will roll 1d20 plus applicable bonuses in an attempt to get 20 or
higher. This is used for combat, saving
throws, and ability checks. Difficulties for
these checks are often modified based on
the hit dice or level of the person you are
challenging. If you try to seduce someone,
you might make a Persona check, which
will be modified by the difference between
your level and the opponent’s level. Alternately, if an NPC (who doesn’t have full
statistics) tries to seduce you, you might
roll a Wits saving throw, with the difference between your level and their hit die
modifying the check.
In general, attacks and magical effects
notwithstanding, ability checks and saves
should slant towards the player rolling the
dice for the check versus the GM rolling for
the NPC or monster. Naturally, if the character casts Command on an NPC, it needs
to make a save check, but in general. . .
Primary, Secondary, and Tertiary Abilities: During character creation in Wasted
Lands, abilities are designated as primary,
secondary, and tertiary. Each character
will have check bonuses marked with * and
**. Those asterisks correspond to ability
scores which are marked similarly, and the
bonuses are added together for ability
checks with that attribute. So, you might
see a Strength check bonus of +3*, and then
Toughness and Persona check bonuses of
+2**, and three abilities will not have an
asterisk. For that character, Strength is
primary, Toughness and Persona are secondary, and the final three are tertiary.
Characters receive higher check bonuses
for the primary and then down.
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Note that the check bonus is only added
to ability checks and not to combat rolls.
Combat rolls use the attack bonus instead
of the check bonus.
Rule of 2: The Rule of 2 is largely reserved for the GM, though it applies to characters in terms of their surprise changes.
The GM can use the Rule of 2 to adjudicate
situations on-the-fly that are otherwise not
covered by the rules. Choose a die based on
how likely the scenario is to succeed and
throw it. A result of 1 or 2 is a success.
For example, the characters are looking
for a wanted criminal in the marketplace.
The Renegade has a Perception skill they
can roll, but everyone else just has to use the
basic peepers. The Renegade rolls their percentile skill, while the GM rolls 1d6 for each
of the other characters. If any of those rolls
come up a 1 or a 2, they find the criminal. If
the Renegade fails their percentile roll, they
still get a Rule of 2 check.
The GM can alter the probabilities by
changing the die type thrown or by changing
the range of success (1 in 6, 3 in 8, etc.). Some
GMs may do away with the Rule of 2 altogether and simply use percentile dice for
probabilities. This is fine, too, but we think
the Rule of 2 adds an elegant and very basic
symmetry to quickly adjudicate these things.
Combat
The first step in running combat is to determine initiative. Each player rolls 1d10 for
their character and the GM rolls one for each
enemy or group of enemies. The highest roll
on the d10s goes first and a tie between the
GM’s die roll and the players always allows
the players to act before the GM. Order then
proceeds in descending order.
Combat is structured in rounds, which
are defined as however long it takes for
each character to accomplish one action.
The entire combat comprises one scene.
Movement: Characters can move up to
their standard movement (typically 30 feet)
and still perform an action. Alternately,
they can “dash” up to double their move
without taking any other actions.
Attacking: To attack, you will roll 1d20,
adding your character’s Attack Bonus,
Ability Bonus, (Strength for melee, Agility
for ranged) and the GM will add the opponent’s defensive value to the roll. The goal
is to achieve a total of 20 or better. Monsters and NPCs add the number of Vitality
Dice they have as a bonus to their 1d20 roll,
plus their target’s defensive value.
Damage: All weapons deal 1d6 damage,
unless otherwise noted. Most characters
have the ability to make supernatural attacks. This doesn’t necessarily mean the
attacks are magical, but represents their
access to the tactics and equipment they
need to harm creatures of a supernatural
origin. Characters without a supernatural
attack ability will need to find magical
weapons, hunt down cold iron weapons, or
take another tactic in combat.
Saving Throws: Saving Throws, when
necessary, work the same as attacks, but
instead of adding the attack bonus, characters add their check bonus and ability bonus
to their 1d20 roll, attempting to get a 20 or
better. They may also add a bonus or
penalty based on the difference between
their level and their opponent’s vitality dice.
Non-Lethal Combat: If a character
wants to knock another character or monster out, instead of losing vitality points
past zero, the damage stops at that point
and the character or monsters falls unconscious, but in stable condition.
Healing: Characters heal one point of
damage plus their Toughness bonus per
day of bedrest. Non-lethal damage heals at
a rate of Constitution +1 per hour.
Death: When a monster or NPC reaches
zero vitality points, it is dead (or unconscious, if non-lethal attacks were announced). When a character reaches zero
vitality points, they are unconscious and
bleeding out. They lose one additional vitality point per round until stabilized or they
reach -10 vitality points. Stabilizing a character simply takes stating you are doing so
and spending a round performing the action. Once a character reaches -10 vitality
points, they are dead.
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Casting Spells: To cast a spell, the Sorcerer / Sorceress player throws percentile
dice. The base chance to cast a spell is 50%
plus 5% per level of the character. Thus, a
first-level Sorceress has a base chance of
55% to cast a spell. This percentage is penalized by 10% per level of the spell (thus,
a second-level spell imposes a penalty of
-20%). If the player beats the base percentage chance to cast a spell by 10% or more,
the spell goes off immediately. If they succeed at less than a 10% margin, the spell
goes off in the following round. If the base
chance is ever over 100%, there is no roll
needed to case; the spell always words at
immediate effect.
Spell Backfire: Anytime a Sorcerer /
Sorceress or Sage fails to cast a spell, it can
backfire – sometimes catastrophically.
When a spell fails, the player throws 1d20,
adds the spell’s level, and consults the following table to see what happens.
Spell Backfire Table
1-10: Fail. Spell simply fails to work
11: Fail and loss. Spell fails, is lost, and
cannot be cast until the next day
12: Stunned. Caster is stunned and cannot act for 1d4 turns. Spell remains available to use.
13: Fail, Stun, and Lost. Caster is stunned
and cannot act for 1d4 turns. Spell is lost
and cannot be cast until the next day.
14-15: Unconscious. Spell fails. Caster is
knocked unconscious; treat as if affected by
the sleep spell. Spell remains available to use.
16-17: Unconscious and Loss. Spell fails.
Caster is knocked unconscious; treat as if
affected by the sleep spell. Spell is lost and
cannot be cast until the next day.
18: Spell burn. Spell fails. Caster suffers
1d6 damage per 2 spell levels. Spell remains available to use.
19: Spell burn and loss. Spell fails.
Caster suffers 1d6 damage per 2 spell levels. Spell is lost and cannot be cast until the
next day.
20-21: Inverse Targets. Spell affects the
wrong parties (allies instead of enemies,
enemies instead of allies). Spell is lost and
cannot be cast until the next day.
22-23: Horror of the Deeper Dark. Spell
summons a horror of the Deeper Dark with
a number of vitality dice equal to the spell’s
level. The creature is immediately hostile
towards the caster and their allies.
Fate Points
Fate Points are a system intended for
cinematic games, though they may be
added to realistic games in order to add a
bit of extra player agency. They should
never be included in gritty play style. When
included in play, all characters begin with
a number of Fate Points that they can
spend to gain additional in-game effects.
There are a number of uses for these points
and are as follows:
Down but Not Out: Avoid death when reduced to below -10 vitality points. You’re unconscious and table. This costs 3 Fate Points.
Fortune’s Favor: Roll 1d6 and add it to
an attack or ability check or double the
value to the percentage chance for success
of a class ability or spell being cast. Costs 1
Fate Point.
Mighty Blow: For 1 Fate Point, you can
treat your die roll as a Natural 20 and deal
double damage on your attack, then make
an unmodified d20 roll. On a 9 or less, you
are stunned for 1 round, unable to act.
Providence Smiles: Gain a minor plot
break or scene edit (“Oh look, someone
dropped a sword right next to me!” or “good
thing the bolt was rusted out on that ladder, so that I could kick it away”) with the
GM’s approval.
Righteous Rage: Spend 3 Fate Points
and gain +5 to all attacks and actions for an
entire scene and +10% to all percentile abilities. You must have a good in-game reason
(simply fighting the big bad level boss is not
enough of a reason).
Second Wind: Recover half of all lost
Vitality points.
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You Missed! Spend 2 Fate Points to
avoid an attack.
Note: A character always has a limited
amount of Fate Points and while the character replenishes this supply with every new
level attained, the rate of attrition can far
outstrip the rate of gain. As such, players
must use them wisely.
Appendix C: Magic and Touchstone
Descriptions
Necromancy, Psionics, and Spells
Arcane Powers
Shapeshifting: You make yourself—including anything you wear and carry—look
different. You can seem up to 1 foot shorter
or taller or alter your weight by as much as
100 lbs. to be thin, fat, or in between. You
cannot become a creature that is not humanoid (an animal or completely inhuman
monster). Otherwise, the extent of the apparent change is up to you. You could add or
obscure a minor feature or look like an entirely different person. You do not gain the
abilities or mannerisms of the chosen form,
nor do you gain the perceived tactile (touch)
or audible (sound) properties of any simulated equipment. A creature that interacts
with you, who knows the person you are
impersonating may attempt a Wits-based
save to recognize something "off" about the
person you are pretending to be. You can
use this ability for up to 1 hour, and you may
change a number of times per day equal to
your Persona modifier.
Psychic Powers
Bio-Feedback: The psychic can heal
damage, both damage that they have suffered and that inflicted upon others. Healing requires an activation roll, and the
amount of damage healed is equal to 1d8
per three levels of the power.
This power can also be used to inflict
psychic harm on others, requiring a psychic
activation roll, followed by an attack roll,
using the psychic’s Wits bonus instead of
their Strength or Agility bonus, and a Hit
Bonus as though the psychic were a Warrior. Damage is a base 1d6 plus Wits bonus
at first level.
Empathy: Empathy is similar to telepathy, but revolves around emotion rather
than thoughts. Empaths can read the emotional state of others, which can lead them
to know when someone is lying, when they
are aggressive, etc. The range is the same
as the range for telepathy. In general, empathy is used against a single target; otherwise, the onslaught of emotions gets to be
overwhelming for the reader.
With this power, two other abilities are
possible. First, the empath can set up an
empathic bond with a number of willing
recipients equal to three times their Wits
bonus. While this empathic bond is active
(which is permanent, unless the empath
decides to end it), all members will be constantly aware of the emotions of the others,
as well as having a vague awareness of
where they are (base direction and relative
distance), no matter how far apart they are.
Second, the empath can attempt to control
the emotions of others, implanting any
emotional state they desire. Victims are
entitled to a Persona saving throw to resist.
Necromancy Powers
Channel the Dead: Necromancers may
channel dead spirits, allowing the spirit to
possess their body temporarily, to speak
through them. While possessed in this
manner, the Necromancer is only vaguely
aware of what the spirit does with their
body. Worse, the spirit has access to both
its own knowledge and that of the Necromancer, allowing unscrupulous spirits to
try and masquerade as the Necromancer.
To expel a spirit that is unwilling to leave
when requested, the Necromancer must
force it out. The base chance to do so is 5%
plus the Necromancer’s Persona score. This
chance increases by 5% per level of experience. An unwilling spirit will fight back; the
GM should assign a power level of the spirit
from 1-10. The Necromancer’s percentage
chance to expel the spirit is reduced by five
times the spirit’s power level. If this reduces
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the Necromancer’s chances to 0% or less,
they cannot force the spirit out, though a
character with access to spells such as Dismissal can force the spirit out through an
exorcism. There may also be other, ritualistic, options to exorcise a spirit, but this is left
to the discretion of the GM.
For example, a first-level Necromancer
with a Persona of 18 has a 23% base chance
to expel the spirit (5% plus the Necromancer’s Persona score). The GM sets the
difficulty level of a possessing entity to 2,
which translates into 10% (2 × 5). The Necromancer has a 13% chance to expel this spirit.
This ability may also be used to perform
exorcisms, but when exorcising another
possessed person, each successful use of
Channel the Dead deals 1 die of damage to
the spirit, while each failed use requires
the Necromancer to make a Persona save
or suffer 1d6 damage from the spirit’s psychological assault. When the spirit is reduced to 50% or less of its maximum
vitality, it must succeed at a saving throw
or be expelled. This saving throw is at a -1
penalty for each prior save against being
expelled that it has made. Spirits reduced
to 0 vitality in this manner are destroyed;
as such, many will choose to flee (voluntarily failing a save) before this occurs.
See Dead People: Necromancers can
always sense and see the spirits of the dead
who linger in the space between worlds. If
there are ghosts present, the Necromancer
will know it’s there and can see it. In addition, the ghost can always speak to the
Necromancer, and the Necromancer cannot
“shut off” this communicative ability. This
means that they, as among the rare people
with this ability, are constantly harassed
by local spirits for one reason or another.
Summon the Dead: Necromancers can
attempt to summon spirits of the dead to
their location. The base percentage chance
to do this is 15% at first level, plus 10% per
level thereafter. The Necromancer adds
+5% per point of Wits bonus to this chance.
In order to be summoned, a spirit must not
have moved on to an afterlife—if they are
in Heaven, Hell, or another world where
they have been taken to eternal reward or
punishment, they cannot be summoned.
Only those spirits that are restless and still
wander the world or are trapped between
worlds may be thus summoned.
Turn Undead: The Necromancer, due to
their powerful connection with the spirits of
the dead, can have a measurable effect on
corporeal undead as well. By focusing their
energy and will, taking an action, and issuing a censure, they have the ability to drive
away, or even destroy, corporeal undead.
The base percentage chance to do so is 20%
for an undead of less than one Vitality die,
such as an animated skeleton, and increases
by 10% per level of the Necromancer. This
chance is reduced by 10% per Vitality die
the undead has—a 1 Vitality Die creature,
thus, reduces the base chance by 10%, while
an 8 Vitality Die vampire reduces the base
chance to turn by 80%. In addition, undead
that are intelligent may attempt a saving
throw to resist the turn attempt.
If the Necromancer succeeds in their attempt, and the creatures fail any allowed
saves, the creature flees as far from the
Necromancer as possible for 1d4 minutes. If
it cannot flee, it cowers in a corner as far
away as it can. If such creatures are attacked, the turning is broken and the creatures may act as normal. If the Necromancer
is more than 4 levels higher than the targeted creature’s Vitality Dice, the creature
must succeed at a saving throw or be destroyed and turned to dust. This save is penalized by the Necromancer’s levels.
Only one group of undead may be targeted at a time, with the lowest Vitality
Dice gaining priority—thus, if a Necromancer faces a group of skeletons, zombies,
and wights, the skeletons are targeted first,
followed by the zombies (requiring a second
turn attempt), then the wights (requiring a
third turn attempt). Up to 2d6 undead can
be targeted per turning attempt.
Spells
Chill Ray (Level 1): A ray of blue energy
erupts forth from the caster, which disrupts
the life force of living creatures. Each ray
channels negative energy that deals 2d6
points of damage. The affected creature may
24
make a Strength-based save for half damage.
The Caster gains one ray per level and must
make a Ray Attack to hit. Undead creatures
take no damage, but must make a successful
Wits-based save or flee as if panicked for 1d4
rounds +1 round per caster level.
disabling any part of the body touching the
metal for a number of days equal to 25% of
the creature’s Toughness score unless Revitalize or Renewal is cast. Gloves, padding,
or clothing do not protect against this
spell’s magical effects.
Command (Level 1): The caster issues a
one-word command to a creature that the
caster can see, and who can hear and understand the caster. The creature must make a
Wits save or be compelled to follow the command its next action. If the caster issues a
command that would be directly harmful
(such as “die”) the spell fails. Undead are immune to this spell. If the target is incapable
of following the command, the spell fails.
The reverse of this spell, cool metal, lowers the temperature at the same rate with
the same effects as heat metal. Either version of the spell can dispel its reverse.
Create / Extinguish Light (Level 1):
This spell causes an object to shed light
with the brightness of a torch, in any color
chosen by the caster. If the object enchanted can be carried, the light will move
with it. Light is dispelled by an area of
magical darkness of higher level. The spell
lasts for ten minutes per level of the caster.
The reverse of this spell, Extinguish
Light, will quash a single light source for
ten minutes per level of the caster. It does
not destroy the light entirely; a torch, for
example, targeted by extinguish light, will
cease to shed light for 10 minutes, but still
may generate heat, and at the end of the
spell will generate light once again. Extinguish Light does not create magical darkness; the quelling of light creates the
equivalent of natural darkness.
Heat / Cool Metal (Level 2): This spell
raises the temperature of metal items including weapons and armor. The spell affects one creature per every two caster
levels. If the caster affects multiple creatures, they must be no further apart than 25
feet. Alternately, it can affect 25 pounds of
metal per level which is not worn or held.
The spell lasts for 7 rounds and its effects ramp up and then recede as follows.
On the first and last round of the spell, the
metal becomes uncomfortable to hold or
touch. On the second and sixth round, the
metal becomes searing or freezing, dealing
1d6 damage. During the remaining three
rounds the metal deals 1d6+2 damage and
Nightvision (Level 1): This spell enables
the caster or a recipient the caster touches to
see in normal darkness as though it were
daylight, and doubles the range of visibility
granted by light sources such as torches,
lanterns, and campfires, in the dark. True,
pitch darkness like that deep underground
remains impenetrable through this spell, as
does magical darkness. The spell lasts for 1
hour per caster level.
Protection from Good or Evil (Level 1):
This spell creates a magical barrier around
the subject at a distance of 1 foot offering protection against good or evil creatures as defined by the spell caster when the spell is
cast. It does not defend against characters of
less than 8 levels/Vitality Dice, but will defend against powerful supernatural creatures of the appropriate alignments or
nature. The barrier moves with the subject
and grants a +2 bonus to DV and +1 to saves
against evil creatures. The protection ends if
the warded creature makes an attack
against, or tries to force the barrier against, a
blocked creature. The spell lasts for one hour.
Protection from Undead (Level 1):
This spell functions identically to Protection from Evil or Good, but works against
undead rather than evil creatures. Intelligent undead are allowed a Wits-based save
to negate the effects of the spell.
Restore/Drain Vitality (Level 1): This
spell either restores or drains 1d6 points of
Vitality per four levels of the caster, upon a
subject on whom the caster lays hands.
Restoring or Draining Vitality upon an
unwilling subject requires a successful
spell attack and contact (laying on of
hands). Vitality drained does not transfer
to the caster; it merely siphons off, harming
and weakening the target.
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Subtle Influence (Level 2): This spell
allows the caster to implant a post-hypnotic suggestion of a sentence or two, which
the listener will obey to the best of its ability. The suggestion must seem reasonable;
suicidal actions or self-injury are not possible and will end the spell. Likewise, attacking or causing harm to the target during
the spell’s duration will cancel the spell.
The target is entitled to a Wits save to resist. As part of the suggestion, the caster
can implant conditions that will trigger the
suggestion. If the condition isn’t met before
the spell expires, the activity isn’t performed. The spell lasts for up to 8 hours.
Paralyze Person (level two): once per
day you can completely paralyze a single,
medium-sized or smaller living and sapient
humanoid target, causing them to freeze in
place, their muscles locked and unable to
move, unless they succeed at a Wits save.
The person remains in the position they
were in, including standing, is aware, and
can breathe, but they cannot take any action, unless that action is purely mental (so
Psychics can still use their powers). The
spell lasts for one round per level.
Vampiric Augmentation (Level 2):
This spell allows the caster to draw forth the
life force of a dying creature and use it to
temporarily augment themselves. The
caster touches a creature that has 0 or fewer
Vitality but has not yet died; the creature
makes a Toughness save and if it fails, it
dies. The caster then gains 1d6+1 Vitality
(which may exceed the caster’s normal maximum), and +2 to any ability score of the
caster’s choosing. The caster’s effective
caster level also increases by +1, improving
spellcasting chances and spell effects accordingly. The spell lasts for 10 minutes per
caster level, and when it ends, all effects (including increased Vitality) disappear.
Sleep (level one): once per day this
spell causes up to 2d6 Vitality Dice worth
of creatures that are capable of sleep into a
comatose slumber. The spell affects all
creatures in an area 30 feet across, within
100 feet of the caster, and centered on a
location chosen by the caster. Weaker creatures with lower Vitality fall before
stronger ones and among creatures with
equal Vitality, those closest to the center of
the spell fall first. Creatures with more
than 5 Vitality Dice are immune, and if not
enough Vitality Dice remain to affect a
creature, the creature is not felled. Sleeping creatures are helpless but can be awakened by shaking, slapping, wounding, or
other such concerted efforts to awaken
them. Normal noise does not awaken those
affected. The spell lasts for 10 minutes per
caster level, and creatures are entitled to a
Wits save to resist.
Divine Touchstones
More information on Divine Touchstones
can be found in chapter three of the Wasted
Lands corebook. Each character starts with
the level one Touchstone. If they visit Ifa
and perform the meditations, they gain the
second Touchstone. Any Touchstones that
mimic spells or psychic powers, or otherwise create supernatural effects work automatically, requiring no casting or
activation roll and no components. In most
cases such mystical abilities may be used
once per day.
Archer
Favored Weapon (Bow) (level one):
+1 to hit, +2 to damage, all attacks from
this weapon are considered magical. This
Divine Touchstone is always active.
Necromancer
Warp / Straighten Wood (level two):
once per day, this spell permanently destroys the form of wood, causing it to warp
and twist into bent, misshapen form. It affects up to one cubic foot of wood per two
caster levels, and can affect worked wood
such as boards and planks or weapons,
which are rendered useless. It cannot affect
magical wood of any type. Its reverse,
Straighten Wood, can restore bent or
warped wood to its original form.
Psychic
Phantom Lights (level one): once per
day, this spell creates illusory lights within
100 feet plus 10 feet of the caster that take
26
one of three forms chosen by the caster: either a series of four “flames” resembling
flickering torches or lanterns; four glowing
light spheres, or a single vaguely humanoid
glowing shape. Regardless of the form chosen, the spell generates light equivalent to
four torches. Even if multiple lights are created, they must remain within 20 feet of
each other, but the caster can direct their
movement with a thought at a rate of 100
feet per round, plus 10 feet per level of the
caster. If a light moves out of the caster’s
line of sight it winks out. Creatures that interact with these lights may attempt a Wits
save to recognize they are illusory. This
spell lasts for one minute.
Eternal Flame (levels two): once per
day, a flickering light that looks like a
flame and takes a color of the caster’s
choice springs forth on an object the caster
chooses and touches. The flame sheds light
as bright as a normal torch but generates
no heat and doesn’t require fuel to continue
to burn. It can be covered and hidden, but
not extinguished by any means. It can be
temporarily hidden by a globe of darkness
spell for the duration of that spell, and likewise will cancel that spell. Thus, an eternal
flame brought into a globe of darkness will
dispel the globe, but will also appear to go
out for the duration of the globe. The spell
is permanent.
Renegade
Arcane Darts (level one): once per
day, cast shards of arcane energy which
unerringly strike their target with no attack roll required, bypassing all mundane
armor. The shards deal 1d6-1 damage with
a minimum of 1 point of damage.
Invisibility (level two): once per day,
the Renegade and all personal belongings
become completely invisible to all sight,
including special vision. Light is not rendered invisible, though it can render the
source of the light invisible, such that if a
character carried a lit torch, all that would
be visible is the radius of light. If an item
extends more than 10 feet from the subject,
it becomes visible, as does any item
dropped or put down. If the subject makes
an attack or performs a hostile action, the
invisibility is canceled. Anyone with a reason to look for the invisible person may attempt a Wits save to see through the
invisibility. The spell last for up to one hour
or until otherwise canceled. No spell roll is
required.
Sage
Arcane Power (Telepathic Transmission) (level one): once per day, you
can send and receive telepathic messages
to any number of willing participants. This
communication is as selective as verbal
communication. Non-willing creatures can
also be targeted for communication, but
they are entitled to a Wits saving throw to
resist. The duration is up to 15 minutes,
and the range is up to 60 ft.
+1 to all Saving Throws (level two).
This Divine Touchstone is always active.
Sorcerer / Sorceress
+10% to Class Ability (Spellcasting)
(level one). This Divine Touchstone is always active.
Luck (level two): once per session, roll
1d6 and add it to any roll
Warrior
+1 Bonus to Melee Attacks (level
one). This Divine Touchstone is always
active.
Invoke Fear (level two): once per day,
you invoke powerful words of threatening
force, causing terror to race through the
hearts of all enemies of the caster in a 25foot area. If creatures in the affected area
fail a Charisma-based save, they flee from
the caster as fast as possible for 1 round per
level of the caster. If cornered and unable
to run, creatures simply cower in a corner.
If forced to confront the caster, affected
creatures suffer -2 to all rolls.
27
What Gods Are These?
We have deliberately left the characters
nebulous regarding which mythological deity’s origin they represent. The players or
GM are free to fill in these details as you
like. The Archer, for example, could be
Apollo, Diana, Rama, Arjuna, Skadi, or any
other mythological figure the player wishes
to portray who fits into that archetype.
Likewise, the Renegade could be Loki, Coyote, Kokopelli, Moui, Hermes, or Azaban.
In the end, you choose the all-too protohuman person whose exploits will one day be
remembered as a god of old.
What Beast Are You?
In the Dreaming Age, there are no homo
sapiens. The “humans” you portray are actually proto-humans, evolved from various species of animals by the Great Old
Ones as servitor species. This means
that every character has a completely
unique look. You can choose the type of
beast from which you were evolved to add
a bit of extra flavor to your character.
Some examples follow, but you are by no
means limited to these.
Aquatic: You were evolved from some
sort of fish, mollusk, shark, or water mammal, and possess features accordingly.
Your skin may be scaly or rubbery, but
always seems slick. You prefer to be in
moist environments, but can function in
dry regions with a modicum of discomfort,
and in dry environs will always be looking
for water or moisture to spread across your
skin. You cannot breathe underwater, as
your evolution has made you a land-based
creature, and you gain no advantages from
your original bestial origin.
Avian: Your character is covered with
downy feathers of any color in the rainbow,
depending on the specific avian species from
which you were evolved. You have round eyes,
moved far apart on your face, and you may
possess a beak. Your hands and feet resemble
bird talons, though any claws or talons are
vestigial and cannot be used as weapons. You
likewise may have wing-like feathers on your
arms, but again, these are vestigial.
28
Canine: You have the features of a dog,
wolf, coyote, hyena, or other canine species.
This consists of a long snout, elongated ears,
and fur ranging from white to black to red to
yellow to brown or any shades between.
Feline: You have cat-like features, ranging from a house cat to a lion, tiger, jaguar,
or any other feline species. You are covered
in fur ranging from short, wiry fur to long,
luxurious mane-like fur, depending on the
specific type of feline from which you were
evolved. Your eyes are blue, yellow, green,
or orange, with pupils which dilate wide in
the dark and contract to slits in bright
light. You may be nocturnal and have a
highly carnivorous diet.
have extended front teeth and scavenge for
food, but have an omnivorous diet. Your
eyes are small and beady, your ears range
from nonexistent (simply holes on your
head) to extremely long, and you may have
a thin layer of slick fur, or you may be completely hairless. You tend to move in sudden
jerks and quick bursts, and your instincts
are to remain out of sight when possible.
Insect or Arachnid: Your body is in
two to three sections, and you may possess
additional, albeit vestigial and non-useful,
limbs. Your body can range in colors to suit
the entire rainbow, depending on what type
of insect or bug from which you were
evolved. You may also have vestigial wings,
even a vestigial stinger. Your body is covered in a very thin exoskeleton which provides no additional protection, but gives
your skin a smooth, hard texture. You may
be covered with short, coarse hairs and
have complex eyes which bulge on the sides
of your head. You may also have complex
mouth parts and feed either on nectar or
carrion, partially digesting your food in
your mouth before consuming it.
Primate: Your character is descended
from monkeys, apes, or other primates. They
can look like anything from a fully bipedal
chimpanzee to a sasquatch, to a normal,
modern human. If you wish to be a “normal”
human being, choose this origin and simply
describe your character as you would any
human character in a fantasy game.
Reptilian: Your character has green,
brown, yellow, or pale pinkish-white skin
marked by scales. They chill easily in cool
weather and become languid and sluggish
in warm weather (though this has no effect
on the game). Their eyes are yellowish with
either round or slit pupils.
Rodent: Your character was evolved
from a rodent, such as a prehistoric version
of a squirrel, rat, mouse, even rabbit. You
29
Appendix D: Pregenerated
Characters
Divine Touchstones
Favored Weapon (Bow): +1 to hit, +2 to
damage, all attacks from this weapon are
considered magical (already factored in)
Class: Archer
Ability (Bonus)
Strength: 12 (+0)
Agility: 17 (+2)*
Toughness: 15 (+1)**
Intelligence: 14 (+1) **
Wits: 10 (+0)
Persona: 8 (-1)
Fate Points: 5
Defense Value: 5 (8 from leather armor),
(-3 from Improved Defense)
Vitality: 19 (3d8+3 - Level 3)
Degeneracy: 0
Corruption: 0
Standard Check Bonus: 3 (Aspect*), 1
(Normal**), 0 (Disadvantaged)
Melee Bonus: +1
Ranged Bonus: +5 (+2 from Class) (+2
from Agility) (+1 from Divine Touchstone)
Saves: +3 to all Ability-based saves
Weapons: Long Bow (2d6+4 keep best),
Long Sword, (1d6), War Club (1d6)
Armor: Leather
Special Abilities
Eagle Eye: double all range increments
Improved Ranged Damage: +1d6 keep
best (already factored)
Improved Defense: -3 to hit (already factored)
Master Archer: once per round, 37%
chance to bypass armor and do full damage,
if failed, can still make a standard attack
Ranged Combat: only the Archer can add
their Agility to ranged attacks and damage
Supernatural Attacks: ranged attacks are
treated as supernatural for the purpose of
overcoming damage immunities due to their
knowledge of fighting the Deeper Dark. No
extra damage is granted by this ability.
30
Divine Touchstones
Sleep (level one): once per day this spell
causes up to 2d6 Vitality Dice worth of
creatures that are capable of sleep into a
comatose slumber. The spell affects all
creatures in an area 30 feet across, within
100 feet of the caster, and centered on a location chosen by the caster. Weaker creatures with lower Vitality fall before
stronger ones and among creatures with
equal Vitality, those closest to the center of
the spell fall first. Creatures with more
than 5 Vitality Dice are immune, and if not
enough Vitality Dice remain to affect a
creature, the creature is not felled. Sleeping creatures are helpless but can be awakened by shaking, slapping, wounding, or
other such concerted efforts to awaken
them. Normal noise does not awaken those
affected. The spell lasts for 10 minutes per
caster level, and creatures are entitled to a
Wits save to resist.
Class: Necromancer
Ability
(Bonus)
Strength: 8 (-1)
Agility: 10 (+0)
Toughness: 12 (+0)
Intelligence: 14 (+1)**
Wits: 15 (+1)**
Persona: 17 (+2)*
Fate Points: 5
Defense Value: 8 (leather)
Vitality: 12 (3d6 - Level 3)
Degeneracy: 0
Corruption: 0
Standard Check Bonus: 3 (Aspect*), 1
(Normal**), 0 (Disadvantaged)
Melee Bonus: +0
Ranged Bonus: +0
Saves: +3 to all Persona-based saves
Weapons: Scimitar, Dagger, Short Bow
(all do 1d6 damage)
Armor: leather
Special Abilities
Channel the Dead: you may channel dead
spirits, allowing them to inhabit your body
and speak through you. You have no control over the spirit. Worse, if the spirit does
not wish to leave, you must expel it. Your
base chance is 32%, minus a difficulty set
by the GM based on the spirit’s power.
See Dead People: you can see and sense
those spirits who linger between here and
the great beyond. You always know if they
are present and can see them. The dead can
speak with you all they desire and you cannot turn this power off.
Summon the Dead: you have a 35%
chance of summoning spirits who have not
moved on from this plane of existence.
Spell Like Abilities: you may cast the following spells without the need for spell
components twice per day. Command (vs
spirits only), Protection from Undead, Subtle Influence (vs spirits only), Turn Undead,
Vampiric Augmentation
31
Class: Psychic
Ability (Bonus)
Strength: 10 (+0)
Agility: 8 (-1)
Toughness: 14 (+1)**
Intelligence: 12 (+0)
Wits: 17 (+2)*
Persona: 15 (+1)**
Fate Points: 5
Defense Value: 8 (leather)
Vitality: 15 (3d6+3 - Level 3)
Degeneracy: 0
Corruption: 0
Standard Check Bonus: 3 (Aspect*), 1
(Normal**), 0 (Disadvantaged)
Melee Bonus: +1
Ranged Bonus: +1
Saves: +3 to all Wits saving throws
Weapons: Dagger, Hand Axe, Short Bow
(all do 1d6 damage)
Armor: leather
Supernatural Power (Shapeshifting):
Psychics choose one power from the Sorcerer Arcane Power list, which they use exactly as a Sorcerer of their individual level.
Divine Touchstone
Phantom Lights: once per day, this spell
creates illusory lights within 100 feet plus
10 feet of the caster that take one of three
forms chosen by the caster: either a series
of four “flames” resembling flickering
torches or lanterns; four glowing light
spheres, or a single vaguely humanoid
glowing shape. Regardless of the form chosen, the spell generates light equivalent to
four torches. Even if multiple lights are created, they must remain within 20 feet of
each other, but the caster can direct their
movement with a thought at a rate of 100
feet per round, plus 10 feet per level of the
caster. If a light moves out of the caster’s
line of sight it winks out. Creatures that interact with these lights may attempt a Wits
save to recognize they are illusory. This
spell lasts for one minute.
Special Abilities
Psychic feedback: Psychic powers are
dangerous and unreliable. If a Psychic rolls
90 or greater on percentile dice, regardless
of whether the power succeeds or fails, they
suffer 1 die of damage from psychic feedback and mental overload, are stunned for
one round (unable to take actions), and
likely exhibit bleeding from the nose, ears,
or eyes. They also lose access to the power
until they get a full night’s sleep, unless
they succeed at a Wits or Persona saving
throw. Some advanced power usage may
increase the chance for psychic feedback
(and even the damage and consequences
suffered from it).
Psychic Powers: Bio-Feedback 3rd level
proficiency (50%), Domination 1st level proficiency (40%).
Sixth Sense: Psychics have a basic “sixth
sense” that warns them of danger in the
surrounding world. They can only be surprised on a roll of 1 on 1d8.
Supernatural Attacks: All damage dealt
by psychic powers is considered supernatural in nature for purposes of overcoming
damage resistance.
32
Class: Renegade
Ability (Bonus)
Strength: 10 (+0)
Agility: 17 (+2)*
Toughness: 15 (+1)**
Intelligence: 12 (+0)
Wits: 14 (+1)*
Persona: 8 (-1)
Fate Points: 5
Defense Value: 7
Vitality: 11 (3d4+3 - Level 3)
Degeneracy: 0
Corruption: 0
Standard Check Bonus: 3 (Aspect*), 1
(Normal**), 0 (Disadvantaged)
Melee Bonus: +1
Ranged Bonus: +3 (+1 from Class, +2
from Agility)
Saves: +3 vs. death attacks and area effects (explosions and the like). Any saving
throw that would normally allow for half
damage on a success, the Renegade takes
no damage on a success.
Weapons: Short Sword, Dagger, Throwing
Knives (all 1d6 damage)
Armor: Studded Leather
Special Abilities
Climbing: 75%
Danger Sense: Renegades have a keen
ability to sense danger, whether by hearing
the slightest sounds, spotting something
out of place, or just sensing something is
wrong. The chance to sense danger is 1-3 on
1d6. A successful Danger Sense check always gives warning that something bad is
about to happen, with any other appropriate information (“you hear whispering
around the next corner,” for example); this
also means the Renegade can make preparations against the danger and cannot be
surprised.
Improved Defense: Renegades with an
Agility of 15 or greater reduce opponents’
chances to hit them, imposing a penalty of
-1 per point of Agility above 14.
Perception: 50%
Ranged Combat: Renegades add their
Agility bonus to ranged attacks in combat.
Read Languages: 80% chance to read any
language they encounter.
Stealth Skills:
Open Locks: 35%
Bypass Traps: 30%
Sleight of Hand: 40%
Sneak: 40%
Failed Checks: A failed check to sneak, or
perform a feat of sleight of hand does not
automatically mean detection. Observers
with between 0 and 3 Vitality Dice have a
1 in 6 chance of detecting the failed stealth.
If the observer has more than 3 Vitality
Dice, for each level or Vitality die of the potential observer, there is a 5% chance they
will detect the Renegade on a failed check;
otherwise, the attempt succeeds regardless
of a failed roll.
Vital Strike: A Renegade attacking from
stealth or from behind an enemy gains +4
to attack, and the attack deals double damage. Such attacks are also considered to be
supernatural for the purposes of overcoming damage immunity to mundane attacks.
A Renegade can Vital Strike if the opponent is unaware of their presence, or if they
are battling the same enemy as another
ally and can as such maneuver into a vulnerable spot. Vital Strikes can be ranged,
but only if the Renegade is within 30 feet of
their target and the target is unaware or
distracted.
Divine Touchstones
Arcane Darts (level one): once per day,
cast shards of arcane energy which unerringly strike their target with no attack roll
required, bypassing all mundane armor.
The shards deal 1d6-1 damage with a minimum of 1 point of damage.
33
Class: Sage
Ability
(Bonus)
Strength:
8
(-1)
Agility:
10
(+0)
Toughness: 14 (+1)**
Intelligence: 17 (+2)*
Wits: 12 (+0)
Persona: 15 (+1)*
Fate Points: 5
Defense Value: 8 (leather)
Vitality: 15 (3d6+3 - Level 3)
Degeneracy: 0
Corruption: 0
Divine Touchstones
Arcane Power (Telepathic Transmission) (level one): once per day, you can
send and receive telepathic messages to
any number of willing participants. This
communication is as selective as verbal
communication. Non-willing creatures can
also be targeted for communication, but
they are entitled to a Wits saving throw to
resist. The duration is up to 15 minutes,
and the range is up to 60 ft.
Standard Check Bonus: 3 (Aspect*), 1
(Normal**), 0 (Disadvantaged)
Melee Bonus: +1
Ranged Bonus: +1
Saves: +3 versus spells and magical effects
Weapons: Long Sword, Dagger, Long Bow
(all do 1d6 damage)
Armor: Leather
Special Abilities
Languages: speak, read, and write two
languages
Lore: 47%
Mesmerize Others: three times per day,
30% chance
Read Languages: after using up your
Language slots, you have an 80% chance of
reading a language
Renegade Skills:
Open Locks: 15%
Bypass Traps: 10%
Sleight of Hand: 20%
Sneak: 20%
Spells: 65% base chance -10% per level of
the spell cast; can cast two first level spells
per day at a 55% base chance
34
Class: Sorcerer / Sorceress
Ability (Bonus)
Strength: 8 (-1)
Agility: 10 (0)
Toughness: 12 (0)
Intelligence: 17 (+2)*
Wits: 15 (+1)**
Persona: 14 (+1)**
Fate Points: 5
Defense Value: 9
Vitality: 8 (3d4+6 - Level 3)
Degeneracy: 16
Corruption: 4
Standard Check Bonus: 3 (Aspect*), 1
(Normal**), 0 (Disadvantaged)
Melee Bonus: +0
Ranged Bonus: +0
Save versus Spells and Magical Effects: +3
Weapons: Dagger, Short Bow (both are
1d6)
Armor: Padded
Special Abilities
Arcana: 55%
Spellcasting: 65% base chance
Arcane Power: Innate Magic (Restore /
Drain Vitality)
Spells: Beguile Person (45%), Chill Ray
(55%), Protection from Good or Evil (55%)
Divine Touchstones
+10% to Class Ability (Spellcasting)
1
Divine Touchstones
+1 Bonus to Melee Attacks (already factored in to Melee Bonus)
Class: Warrior
Ability (Bonus)
Strength: 17 (+2)*
Agility: 15 (+1)**
Toughness: 14 (+1)**
Intelligence: 12 (+0)
Wits: 8 (-1)
Persona: 10 (+0)
Fate Points: 5
Defense Value: 4 with shield, 6 w/o shield
Vitality: 22 (3d8+3 - Level 3)
Degeneracy: 0
Corruption: 0
Standard Check Bonus: 3 (Aspect*), 1
(Normal**), 0 (Disadvantaged)
Melee Bonus: + 6 (+3 from Class, +2 from
Strength, +1 from Divine Touchstone)
Ranged Bonus: +3 (+2 from Class, +1
from Agility)
Saves: +1 to all saves
Weapons: Sword (1d6+3), Mace (1d6+3),
Short Bow (1d6)
Armor: Studded Leather, Shield
Special Abilities
Combat Expertise: +1 attack per level
against enemies with 1 vitality die or less,
+2 attacks versus enemies with 2-3 vitality
dice
Improved Defense: -1 to hit (already factored into DV)
Master of Battle: 41%, if successful, do
full damage, if not, make a normal attack
Melee Combat: only Warriors can add
their Strength to melee attack and damage
rolls
Spell Resistance: 16%, if failed, may still
make a standard saving throw
Supernatural Attacks: melee attacks are
treated as supernatural for the purpose of
overcoming damage immunities due to
their knowledge of fighting the Deeper
Dark. No extra damage is granted by this
ability.
Tracking: 60%
2