LOOKING for FANTASY? Fantasy Ð from Ancient Myths to Popular Films, Sto- Ries of Heroes and Magic Have Captured the Human Imagination

LOOKING FOR FANTASY? Fantasy Ð from ancient myths to popular films, stories of heroes and magic have captured the human imagination. Now GURPS offers roleplayers a comprehensive guide to the entire Fantasy genre. Building on the flexible, streamlined Fourth Edition rules, it helps you develop a campaign to explore the world of your favorite book or film Ð or create a new one from your own dreams. The main emphasis is on historical fantasy, in settings from the Bronze Age to the Renaissance, but the principles apply to any fantasy setting, from the prehistoric past to the remote future. A complete campaign setting, Roma Arcana, is ready to use in your own campaign. It can stand on its own, or fit into the Infinite Worlds campaign framework from GURPS Fourth Edition. Send a band of adventurers on impossible missions in a magical Roman Empire, as they struggle to hold back the darkness from their native city and win honor. You’ll find help in running your campaign in Roma Arcana or any other setting Ð advice on creating balanced parties, devising scenarios to challenge them, and using the game systems to achieve dramatic effects. Take the most flexible, most consistent game rules system available, and use it to run the campaign of your dreams.

This PDF is the latest edition of GURPS Fantasy. All known errata at the time of the creation of this edition have been incorporated into this document.

GURPS, Warehouse 23, and the all-seeing pyramid are registered trademarks DOWNLOAD. of Steve Jackson Games Incorporated. Pyramid, GURPS Fantasy, and the PRINT. names of all products published by Steve Jackson Games Incorporated are reg- PLAY. istered trademarks or trademarks of Steve Jackson Games Incorporated, or used under license. All rights reserved. GURPS Fantasy is copyright © 1990, 1995, 2004, 2006 by Steve Jackson Games Incorporated. The scanning, uploading, and distribution of this material via the Internet or e23 via any other means without the permission of the publisher is illegal, and punishable by law. Please purchase only authorized electronic editions, and do not STEVE JACKSON GAMES participate in or encourage the electronic piracy of copyrighted materials. Your e23.sjgames.com TM support of the authors’ rights is appreciated. STEVE JACKSON GAMES e23.sjgames.com

Stock #82-0126 Version 1.0 February 3, 2006 STEVE FANTASY GAMES 01-1001 JACKSON the USA Printed in 2004 RINTING P ST VEMBER O ,1 Jeff Rose Jeff N 01-1001 John Zeleznik and DITION E BN 1-55634-519-4 and UBLISHED RD fantasy game. 3 IS P 9!BMF@JA:RSTPXVoYjZhZ_ZdZ` SJG03495 , Fourth Edition. any Andrew Hackard Hackard Andrew Eric Wilkerson and GURPS Basic Set GURPS Edited by requires the Eva Widermann, Abrar Ajmal, Alex Fernandez, Denis Loubet, Bob Stevlic, . Send a band of adventurers on impossible Denis Loubet, Pat Morrissey, Bob Stevlic, Denis Loubet, Pat Morrissey, illiam H. Stoddard illiam H. Stoddard The information and ideas here will work with GURPS Fantasy W Illustrated by By Cover Art by Fourth Edition offers roleplayers a comprehensive guide to the offers GURPS u’ll find help in running your campaign here, Roma Arcana or any ake the most flexible, consistent RPG system there is, and T Yo From ancient myths to popular films, tales of heroes But there’s more here than theoretical guidelines and toolkits. But there’s A complete campaign setting, Roma Arcana, is ready to use in your own ou’ll find examples of imaginary plants and animals, unique other setting: advice on creating balanced parties, devising scenarios to challenge them, and using the game rules to achieve dramatic effects. missions in a magical Roman Empire, as they struggle to win honor and hold back the darkness. and magic have captured the imagination. Now Fantasy entire fantasy genre. Building on the flexible, streamlined Fourth Edition rules, it lets you develop a campaign to explore the world of your favorite book or film – create a new one from your own dreams. The main emphasis is in settings from the Bronze Age to on historical fantasy, Renaissance, but the principles apply to any fantasy setting, from the prehistoric past to remote future. Y monsters, nonhuman races, occupations, spells, and enchanted objects, ready to use in your own campaign – or as models for inventing your own. background game. It can stand on its own, or fit into the Infinite Worlds from use it to run the campaign you dream of. Written by WILLIAM H. STODDARD Cover by DENIS LOUBET, PAT MORRISSEY, BOB STEVLIC, and JOHN ZELEZNIK Edited by ANDREW HACKARD and JEFF ROSE Additional Material by MICHAEL SUILEABHAIN-WILSON Illustrated by ABRAR AJMAL, ALEX FERNANDEZ, DENIS LOUBET, BOB STEVLIC, EVA WIDERMANN, and ERIC WILKERSON

ISBN 1-55634-519-4 Cartography by PHILIP REED 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 STEVE JACKSON GAMES ONTENTS C Using Magical Objects in Mana and Life ...... 44 NTRODUCTION I ...... 4 Campaigns ...... 29 Magical Networks ...... 45 About GURPS ...... 4 MAGICAL BEINGS ...... 29 Spirits of Place ...... 45 Spirits ...... 30 PLANTS AND ANIMALS ...... 46 1. PLANNING THE Spirits in the Material World . . . . 30 Plant and Animal Legends ...... 46 AMPAIGN Gods, Spirits, and Mana ...... 30 Imaginary Species ...... 47 C ...... 5 Gods ...... 31 Magical Species and GENRES ...... 6 Angels ...... 31 Mana Organs ...... 48 High Fantasy ...... 6 Demons ...... 32 Plant and Animal Spirits ...... 49 Low Fantasy ...... 6 Evil Gods ...... 32 MONSTERS ...... 49 Myths and Games ...... 6 Half-Mortals ...... 32 Giants ...... 50 Dark Fantasy ...... 7 Using Spirits in Campaigns . . . . . 33 Behind the Curtain: Light Fantasy ...... 7 Being a God ...... 33 How Strong Is a Giant? ...... 51 Sword and Sorcery ...... 7 MAGICAL REALMS ...... 34 Hybrids ...... 51 On the Borders ...... 7 Dreamlands ...... 34 The Chimera’s Pedigree ...... 52 Crossovers ...... 9 Faerie Realms ...... 35 Possessed Creatures ...... 52 SETTINGS ...... 10 Afterworlds ...... 35 Unnatural Swarms ...... 53 Fantasy Worlds ...... 10 Spirit Worlds ...... 35 Magical Creations ...... 53 Motifs, Part 1 ...... 11 Heavens ...... 35 Victims of Curses ...... 54 Fantasy in the Real World ...... 13 Hells ...... 36 Offspring of Gods ...... 55 Motifs, Part 2 ...... 14 Archetypical Realms ...... 36 Primordial Entities ...... 56 SCOPE ...... 15 Pocket Universes ...... 36 RACES AND CULTURES ...... 56 Point Campaigns ...... 15 THE DEAD ...... 37 Exotic Customs ...... 57 Area Campaigns ...... 15 Ghosts ...... 37 Races ...... 58 Arc Campaigns ...... 15 Ancestor Worship ...... 37 Interfertility ...... 58 Base and Mission Campaigns . . . 15 Afterworlds ...... 37 Wugs ...... 59 Campaign Style: Reincarnation ...... 37 Alternative Lycanthropies ...... 60 Aspects of Realism ...... 16 Resurrection ...... 38 Unique Beings ...... 61 Ascension and Deification ...... 38 Cultures ...... 61 2. THE SUPERNATURAL Revenants ...... 38 The Place of Humanity ...... 63 ...... 17 Languages ...... 64 3. WORLDS ...... 39 MAGIC AND TECHNOLOGY ...... 64 Behind the Curtain: Point Costs . . 18 Alternative Technologies ...... 65 MAGIC ...... 18 FRAMES ...... 39 Magically Enhanced Intrinsic Magic ...... 18 Planets ...... 39 Technology ...... 65 Subjective Magic ...... 19 Places ...... 40 Variant Natural Laws ...... 65 The Three Laws of Magic ...... 19 Many Worlds ...... 40 Technomagic ...... 66 Nature and Supernature ...... 20 Above and Below ...... 40 When Magic Becomes Knowing Good and Evil ...... 21 PLAYING WITH MAPS ...... 41 Technology ...... 66 Using Magic in Campaigns . . . . . 21 Earth ...... 41 Technologically MAGICAL OBJECTS ...... 22 Altering the Map ...... 41 Enhanced Magic ...... 66 Natural Magic ...... 22 Creating the Map ...... 41 Exotic Settings ...... 68 MAGICAL LANDSCAPES ...... 41 Alchemy ...... 23 CIVILIZATIONS ...... 68 Enchantment ...... 23 The Living Earth ...... 41 True Kings and Runic Enchantment ...... 25 Enhanced Environments ...... 42 Sacred Covenants ...... 68 Familiars and Fetishes ...... 26 Impossible Environments ...... 42 Supernatural Elites ...... 69 Named Objects ...... 26 Unevenly Distributed Magic . . . . . 43 Pirate Commonwealths ...... 69 Holy Relics ...... 26 Aspected Mana ...... 43 Fantastic Customs ...... 70 Foci ...... 28 Mana Basins ...... 43 Everyday Magic ...... 70

GURPS System Design ❚ STEVE JACKSON Prepress Checker ❚ MONICA STEPHENS Managing Editor ❚ ANDREW HACKARD Print Buyer ❚ MONICA STEPHENS GURPS Line Editor ❚ SEAN PUNCH Marketing Director ❚ PAUL CHAPMAN Production Manager ❚ MONIQUE CHAPMAN Sales Manager ❚ ROSS JEPSON Art Director ❚ STEVE JACKSON Errata Coordinator ❚ ANDY VETROMILE Page Design ❚ PHILIP REED GURPS FAQ Maintainer ❚ STÉPHANE THÉRIAULT Production Artist ❚ ALEX FERNANDEZ Lead Playtester: Peter V. Dell’Orto Playtesters: Kimara Bernard, James L. Cambias, Mike Dokachev, Kenneth Hite, Phil Masters, Kenneth Peters, David L. Pulver, Gene Seabolt, Michael Suileabhain-Wilson, and Chad Underkoffler GURPS, Warehouse 23, and the all-seeing pyramid are registered trademarks of Steve Jackson Games Incorporated. Pyramid and the names of all products published by Steve Jackson Games Incorporated are registered trademarks or trademarks of Steve Jackson Games Incorporated, or used under license. GURPS Fantasy is copyright © 1990, 1995, 2004 by Steve Jackson Games Incorporated. All rights reserved. Printed in the USA. The scanning, uploading, and distribution of this book via the Internet or via any other means without the permission of the publisher is illegal, and punishable by law. Please purchase only authorized electronic editions, and do not participate in or encourage the electronic piracy of copyrighted materials. Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated.

2CREDITS The Genius of a People ...... 70 Alternative Wizards ...... 124 Through a Glass, Darkly ...... 181 Magic as a Resource ...... 71 Why Are These Learning Experiences ...... 182 The Control of Magic ...... 71 People Together? ...... 127 The Responsibility of Power . . . 184 Religion ...... 72 ADVANTAGES, DISADVANTAGES, Shore Leave ...... 184 Foreign Relations ...... 73 AND SKILLS ...... 128 SUBPLOTS ...... 186 Multispecies Empires ...... 73 Appearance ...... 128 WAR IN FANTASY SETTINGS ...... 186 Advantages ...... 128 Varieties of Forces ...... 186 4. HISTORIES . . . . . 74 Behind the Curtain: Cost of Divided Strategic Positions ...... 188 and Restructurable Magery . . 130 Battles ...... 188 FRAMES ...... 75 Ally or Asset? ...... 132 Player Characters in Battle . . . . . 190 Historical Time ...... 75 New Perks ...... 132 Magic and Warfare ...... 190 Mythic Time ...... 75 Disadvantages ...... 132 Mythical Beasts in Combat . . . . . 193 Prophecy ...... 75 Magical Afflictions ...... 133 The Armies of Darkness ...... 194 Mythology, Part 1 ...... 76 New Meta-Traits ...... 133 PLAYING WITH TIMELINES ...... 77 Skills ...... 134 9. ROMA ARCANA . . 195 Real History ...... 77 New Techniques ...... 136 Mythology, Part 2 ...... 77 Skills and Size Modifiers ...... 137 Roma Arcana in the Divergent History ...... 78 Multiverse ...... 196 WEALTH AND STATUS ...... 137 Zeitgeists: Spirits of Time ...... 78 Currency and Prices ...... 137 A TIME OF TROUBLES ...... 196 Invented History ...... 79 Status and Cost of Living ...... 137 Foes and Menaces ...... 196 HISTORICAL ERAS ...... 79 Income ...... 138 Imperial Assets ...... 197 Dawn Ages ...... 79 MAP: THE ROMAN EMPIRE ...... 199 EQUIPMENT ...... 140 City-States ...... 80 Exotic Weapons ...... 141 Order of Battle ...... 200 Empires ...... 81 Vehicles ...... 141 Men of Destiny ...... 200 Decadence ...... 81 Petards ...... 143 Reunion ...... 201 Exhaustion ...... 82 Vehicular Weapons ...... 144 ROMAN FAITH ...... 201 Catastrophe ...... 83 Gods and Spirits ...... 201 Dark Ages ...... 84 Ancestors and New Beginnings ...... 85 7. MAGICAL ARTS . . 146 Household Cults ...... 202 DISTURBANCES ...... 85 USES OF MAGIC ...... 147 The Imperial Genius ...... 202 Natural Disasters ...... 86 Low Magic ...... 147 Sacrifices ...... 202 Plagues ...... 88 Formulaic Magic ...... 148 Prayer ...... 203 Wars ...... 89 Man Proposes, Divination ...... 203 Magical Disasters ...... 89 God Disposes ...... 148 Priesthoods ...... 204 Divine Punishments ...... 89 Naming the Arts ...... 150 Sacred Grounds ...... 204 SHADOWS OF THE PAST ...... 90 High Magic ...... 151 RIVAL BELIEFS ...... 205 Genealogies ...... 90 Mystery Cults ...... 205 Ruins ...... 90 Sorcery ...... 207 Relics ...... 91 Black Arts ...... 208 Skin-Turner Animal Forms . . . . . 209 5. LOCALITIES . . . . . 92 Astrology ...... 210 Philosophy ...... 210 SETTLEMENTS ...... 93 THE STRUCTURE OF MAGIC ...... 153 The Anger of the Gods ...... 210 Isolates ...... 93 Levels of Power ...... 153 Christianity ...... 211 Villages ...... 93 Levels of Skill and BESTIARY ...... 211 Towns ...... 94 Skill Hierarchies ...... 153 Empedocles’ Quest ...... 212 Cities ...... 94 Speed ...... 154 CHARACTERS ...... 213 Agrarian Magic ...... 95 Range ...... 154 Racial Templates ...... 213 Temporary Settlements ...... 95 Duration ...... 154 Ethnic Traits ...... 213 Imperial Capitals ...... 96 How Much Detail? ...... 154 Occupational Templates ...... 214 City of Wonders ...... 96 Ritualization ...... 155 Advantages, Disadvantages, SERVICES ...... 97 SYSTEMS OF MAGIC ...... 155 and Skills ...... 219 Medical Care ...... 98 Custom-Built Magic ...... 155 Wealth and Status ...... 221 Transportations ...... 98 Alternative Magic Systems . . . . . 155 Equipment ...... 223 Inns and Taverns ...... 98 Behind the Curtain: BURDIGALA ...... 224 Information Sources ...... 99 Making Gold ...... 156 Description ...... 224 Courts and Castles ...... 100 Modified Magic ...... 160 Who’s in Charge? ...... 224 Holy Places ...... 101 Magical Lenses ...... 163 MAP: BURDIGALA ...... 225 Sanctity ...... 101 True Names ...... 164 Temples and Cults ...... 225 Magical Capabilities ...... 102 Nonhuman Magic ...... 167 Schools ...... 225 Schools for Sorcerers ...... 102 EXPANDED SPELL LISTS ...... 168 Adventurers Wanted! ...... 226 Behind the Curtain: MAGICAL PLURALISM: HOW TO Sponsors of the Arcani ...... 226 How Many Mages? ...... 103 USE THIS CHAPTER ...... 172 THREATS AND STORYLINES ...... 226 Human Foes ...... 226 6. CHARACTERS . . . 104 8. STORYLINES . . . 173 Zoroastrian Magic ...... 227 CAMPAIGN STYLES AND Nonhuman Foes ...... 230 ADVENTURES ...... 174 POINT VALUES ...... 105 Adventure Seeds ...... 231 Into the Labyrinth ...... 174 Glossary ...... 232 RACIAL TEMPLATES ...... 105 Perilous Journeys ...... 175 ROMA ARCANA BIBLIOGRAPHY ...... 232 From Creature to Character . . . . . 106 Hunting Parties ...... 176 Cold Iron ...... 109 Warfare ...... 176 Behind the Curtain: Treasons, Stratagems, BIBLIOGRAPHY . . . 233 Selkie Design ...... 110 and Spoils ...... 177 Undead Lenses ...... 112 Diplomacy ...... 178 INDEX ...... 238 Player-Designed Races ...... 113 Investigations ...... 179 OCCUPATIONAL TEMPLATES ...... 114 Confrontations ...... 180

CONTENTS 3 INTRODUCTION Fantasy is the realm of the imagi- A great resource for creating fan- nation. If a fantasy writer wants to tell tasy comes from the legends, myths, stories about dragons, wizards, or and folklore of the past. Everyone fairy kingdoms, he doesn’t need his- knows about dragons, so readers and torical documentation or scientific players are already halfway to believ- explanations – he can just imagine ing in them. GURPS Fantasy ABOUT them. This gives writers more freedom describes many legendary beings, THE AUTHOR than any other genre. creatures, and objects, and gives William H. Stoddard is a freelance But “more freedom” doesn’t mean advice on using GURPS for your writer and editor living in San Diego, unlimited freedom. The reader has to own fantasies. California, in an apartment crammed believe that the characters and events The final chapter puts it all togeth- with books. He was introduced to are possible in the world of the story. A er in a new fantasy setting, Roma RPGs in 1975 and has played them fantasy world with its own logic – Arcana, based on the legends of ever since. His main other hobby is what critics call the inner consistency ancient Rome in its darkest and most research; new game books give him an of reality – yields more interesting sto- exciting time. If you want to start a excuse for even more library visits ries than a world where anything can new campaign in a familiar but exotic than he would make anyway. His pre- happen. setting, Roma Arcana is ready to play. vious work for Steve Jackson Games In roleplaying games, one source of If you’re using the Infinite Worlds includes GURPS Steampunk and that consistency is the rules system. A framework from the GURPS Basic four other books, as sole or co-author, good set of rules isn’t a barrier to the Set, Fourth Edition, you can fit Roma as well as contributions to numerous GM’s imagination . . . it’s a tool for Arcana into it as an alternative history, other books. making everything he imagines hold at once familiar and weird. And if He dedicates this book to the mem- together. GURPS Fantasy shows how you’d like to design your own original ory of Felon, felis optimus max- to run the fantasy campaign you real- world, Roma Arcana is a model you imusque, who supervised the writing ly want. can follow. of its earlier drafts.

About GURPS Steve Jackson Games is committed to full support Errata. Everyone makes mistakes, including us – of the GURPS system. Our address is SJ Games, Box but we do our best to fix our errors. Up-to-date errata 18957, Austin, TX 78760. Please include a self- sheets for all GURPS releases, including this book, are addressed, stamped envelope (SASE) any time you available on our website – see below. write us! We can also be reached by e-mail: Internet. Visit us on the World Wide Web at [email protected]. Resources include: www.sjgames.com for errata, updates, Q&A, free webforums, and much more. The GURPS Fantasy Pyramid (www.sjgames.com/pyramid/). Our web page is www.sjgames.com/gurps/books/fantasy/. online magazine includes new GURPS rules and arti- Bibliographies. Many of our books have extensive cles. It also covers the d20 system, Ars Magica, BESM, bibliographies, and we’re putting them online – with Call of Cthulhu, and many more top games – and links to let you buy the books that interest you! Go to other Steve Jackson Games releases like Illuminati, the book’s web page and look for the “Bibliography” Car Wars, Transhuman Space, and more. Pyramid link. subscribers also get opportunities to playtest new GURPSnet. This e-mail list hosts much of the online GURPS books! discussion of GURPS. To join, point your web brows- New supplements and adventures. GURPS contin- er to www.sjgames.com/mailman/listinfo/gurpsnet-l/. ues to grow, and we’ll be happy to let you know what’s new. For a current catalog, send us a legal-sized or Rules and statistics in this book are specifically 9”¥12” SASE – please use two stamps! – or just visit for the GURPS Basic Set, Fourth Edition. Page www.warehouse23.com. references that begin with B refer to that book, not e23. Our e-publishing division offers GURPS adven- this one. tures, play aids, and support not available anywhere else! Just head over to www.sjgames.com/e23/.

4INTRODUCTION CHAPTER ONE PLANNING THE CAMPAIGN

And, as imagination bodies forth Rhys said, “I’ll be there in a minute. face challenges and perils that are also The forms of things unknown, the I have to get this tablet properly larger than life. poet’s pen packed. Tell her to wait for me.” Most of the preparation for a fan- Turns them to shapes, and gives to tasy campaign goes into the develop- Fantasy occupies the middle airy nothing ment of the setting. However, the set- ground between history and myth. A local habitation and a name. ting exists for the sake of the cam- History attempts to describe what – William Shakespeare, paign. It’s much easier to decide what actually happened. Realistic fiction is A Midsummer Night’s Dream to include after deciding what kind of as close to history as possible; it may campaign it needs to support. This David Rhys brushed carefully at not have actually happened, but the applies to all kinds of gaming, but the unearthed clay tablet. Its surface reader believes its events could have especially to fantasy. A fantasy cam- was hard, as if it had been fired, but he happened. Myth attempts to describe paign offers a wider range of possibil- didn’t want to risk damaging the what captures the imagination; a good ities; narrowing them down takes cuneiform inscription. The words story creates its own sense of truth. more work. were Hittite, but in some peculiar Fantasy has elements from both. Its This chapter explores the different dialect, archaic or simply early. There heroes escape the limits of human fantasy campaigns by considering was something about “. . . that which existence. Their actions and their abil- three categories: genre, setting, and defeats the sorcerer . . .” ities can be larger than life. And they scope. If you’re basing a campaign on “Professor!” a favorite book or film, these defini- Moving with exaggerated slow tions of genre and setting can help you care, he turned partway toward the bring it into clearer focus. ladder that Andrew Jenkins had just descended. “Have you found something?” he asked. “Rose said I should ask you to have a look. It’s some sort of forge, she thinks, and there’s some sort of sword there. It looks rusted, so it might be iron.”

PLANNING THE CAMPAIGN 5 GENRES Genre is a way of predicting what Characters in a high fantasy setting names, “He is Fire. She is Dance. He is people will like. If two stories (or two may encounter true powers of the Destruction. She is Love.” campaigns) are in the same genre, world – gods or other mythic beings. – Roger Zelazny, Lord of Light people who enjoy one will usually Often, these encounters will be con- enjoy the other. Each genre has its versations instead of battles. Facing own audience, typical challenges for mythic foes in combat should frighten LOW FANTASY characters to face, and certain back- even the most capable adventurers. Low fantasy, is closer to realistic grounds for the action. Each genre However, attracting such beings’ fiction than to myth. Low fantasy sto- also emphasizes certain emotions and attention raises the heroes above ordi- ries focus on people’s daily lives and moods. nary mortals. Gods may single out the practical goals; magic provides a way Few stories are pure examples of greatest or worthiest mortals as their to achieve those goals, and makes it any one genre; some have elements champions, or even as potential future interesting. A low fantasy campaign from all of them. The same is true of recruits to godhood – or as problems asks what it’s like to live in a world of campaigns. Statements about genres to remove before they ascend to real monsters, magic, and demigods. are guidelines, not unbreakable rules. power. Most low fantasy magic is evenly Genre definitions can help suggest distributed in the world, not sharply Godhood is more than a name. It is things to include in a campaign to get focused in certain places. Its effects a condition of being . . . Being a god is the effect you want. are predictable and knowable. Low the quality of being able to be yourself to fantasy magic is less a source of won- such an extent that your passions cor- der than a toolkit. HIGH FANTASY respond with the forces of the universe, Characters in low fantasy are If fantasy occupies the middle so that those who look upon you know more concerned with practical goals, ground between myth and history, this without hearing your name spo- less with great passions. A high fan- high fantasy is closer to myth. ken. . . . One rules through one’s ruling tasy traitor might be motivated by Myths are about gods; high fantasy passion. Those who look upon gods passionate jealousy, tempted by the is about demigods, heroic warriors, then say, without even knowing their devil, or perversely sympathetic to and powerful magicians. But there’s more to it than that. In a high fantasy campaign, the power level is a means to create wonder and amazement. Magic should still evoke this wonder. For thousands of years, myths and Myths and Games folktales made flying a symbol of If fantasy falls between history and myth, then where does myth fall? power. The gods lived in heaven and If it’s possible to run a fantasy campaign, is it possible to run a mythic flew down to earth, or sent winged campaign? It depends on the myth. messengers on errands. Sorcerers Some myths are much like adventure stories. In Norse legend, Thor wove flying carpets, and cunning and Loki go to Jotunheim, the land of the frost giants, and have adven- inventors made artificial wings. Now, tures there. For example, they visit a giant’s house and engage in sport- millions of people fly all over the ing competitions with its residents. This could be an episode in a role- world – and it’s not much more excit- playing campaign, especially if the players like a touch of comedy. ing than taking the bus. Routine use During one of the contests, Thor tries to empty a drinking horn that’s can turn anything from a wonder into magically linked to the ocean, and drinks so much that he causes the first a convenience. If magic, especially tides. Action on this scale is beyond the scope of any spells, enchant- powerful magic, is common and reli- ments, or powers in most fantasy games. able, then it’s just another technology; Characters in myths are personifications of cosmic forces. Stories it won’t feel mythic. that emphasize this personification are often adventure stories, love Several things help keep magic stories, or murder mysteries, and can turn into game scenarios. amazing. First, distribute it unevenly. However, the cosmic forces inspire other kinds of stories – stories that Intensely magical events stand out explain the world’s origin, prophesy its end, or express horror at its more if they contrast with a less mag- inhuman vastness. ical background. Second, stress its Nothing prevents cosmic forces from entering a game. But they’re unpredictability, even to people who usually best presented through pure storytelling (see Mythology, pp. 76- use it regularly. Third, if possible, 77, for some suitable stories), not through rules. The powers of mythic make some magic unknown – not beings are never fully measured, nor their motives fully understood. just to the protagonists, but to everyone . . . perhaps even the gods.

6PLANNING THE CAMPAIGN the other side; a low fantasy traitor along the way. These threats usually Classic sword and sorcery usually wants 30 pieces of silver. Merchants aren’t lethal or irreversible. If the makes the swordsmen the main and criminals are minor figures, or heroes get turned into something icky, heroes. Sorcerers might be threats to entirely absent, in most high fantasy. there will be a way to turn them back. the hero or the people he protects, as In low fantasy, they are not only If they face a monster, it will have in Robert E. Howard’s Conan series prevalent, they may be the heroes. some unexpected weakness. Many and C.L. Moore’s Jirel of Joiry stories. light fantasy plots deal with complica- Or they might be the heroes’ mentors tions instead of threats; for example, a and patrons, as in Fritz Leiber’s tales DARK FANTASY heroine may have to find odd magical of Lankhmar. More recent sword and Dark fantasy borrows the mood of ingredients to free the hero from a sorcery often has heroes who can horror. It portrays magic as ominous spell. work magic. They may be equally . . . more likely to harm than help. Spells in light fantasy always risk skilled at nonmagical combat, or Supernatural beings are powerful going wrong in unexpected ways. belong to teams of adventurers where and indifferent to human concerns, if Supernatural beings are eccentric or some members provide the swords not outright malevolent; their atten- tricky, controlled by peculiar rules and others the sorcery. Adventurer tion is feared, not sought. Remember that give clever mortals ways to get teams have been the basis of most fan- the ancient custom of talking about the better of them. Learning their tasy roleplaying, all the way back to “the fair folk” (faeries) or “the kindly names (see True Names, p. 14) is a the original Dungeons & Dragons. ones” (the Furies of Greek myth) to classic example, as in the fairy tale Magic for adventurers has to be avoid giving offense. Any use of “Rumpelstiltskin.” The same theme fast, largely designed for combat effec- magic, even for virtuous purposes, shows up in stories about wishes tiveness. The wizard adventurer isn’t a should have a price. going wrong, or about making bar- scholarly recluse or a clever trickster, The elaborate mythologies that gains with the Devil and wriggling out but a human artillery weapon. Or, if underlie much high fantasy also form at the last minute. his powers are subtler, he needs non- an essential element in dark fantasy – In some ways, light fantasy relates magical combat skills to keep himself but in dark fantasy, most people may to low fantasy. Putting everyday peo- alive. Either approach avoids scenes not even have heard of them. In the ple and practical problems together where everyone else fights and the darkest settings, the ultimate truth with mythical beings and powerful wizard takes cover and waits for the may be maltheistic (p. 32), and the magic is a natural source of humorous battle to end. heroes may be doomed to struggle incongruities. Sword and sorcery can resemble hopelessly against evil and horror. On the other hand, some light fan- any other genre, but focuses mainly A great theme in dark fantasy is tasy comes closer to high fantasy. on action and combat. The sword- the hero’s sacrifice. This may be his Stories influenced by classic swash- and-sorcery version of high fantasy life, willingly given to kill a foe or buckling adventure, such as Steven features impressive spells, epic heroes, close the gates of hell; wounds and Brust’s The Phoenix Guards, have and battles that decide the fate of scars that will never heal; madness; or heroes who face real danger, but take kingdoms. The dark version is full of his own corruption by using evil to it lightly, or even welcome it out of a evil sorcery and terrifying monsters. defeat worse evil. He faces constant sense of personal honor. The low version often sends adventur- fear – not only for himself, but also ers into gritty urban environments to for the people he defends. Dark fan- contend with thieves’ and assassins’ tasies often end in tragedy. Their SWORD AND guilds or corrupt priests and aristo- heroes have appropriate traits, from crats. In light sword and sorcery, the tragic character flaws to curses or SORCERY heroes have to deal with flashy rivals unhappy destinies. The focus of sword and sorcery is and their own bad judgment. A cam- adventure, and the mood it produces paign focused on adventure can be in is excitement. The settings for sword any of these styles. LIGHT FANTASY and sorcery campaigns allow as much Where dark fantasy is full of grim adventuring as possible. Well-organ- consequences, light fantasy avoids ized civilizations are rare. Empty ON THE them. Its goal is to amuse the audi- lands roamed by barbarian nomads, ence (or the players). Inspirations for corrupt and decadent city-states, or BORDERS this kind of fantasy include the haunted ruins of earlier civiliza- A number of other genres have Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s tions offer more entertainment – and some kinship to fantasy. Some have Dream, with its faeries playing tricks have fewer inconvenient laws. clearly fantastic elements, but aren’t on mortals, and fairy tales with happy Backgrounds for sword and sorcery usually classified as fantasy and may endings. Dark fantasies are often are often just quick sketches. appeal to different audiences. Others tragedies; light fantasies are usually Elaborate worldbuilding isn’t the appeal to fantasy audiences and are comedies. point of this genre; what matters is classified as fantasy, but lack one or Naturally, characters in light fanta- that there are armies to conquer, more typical elements. sy have to face problems and threats monsters to slay, and ruins to loot.

PLANNING THE CAMPAIGN 7 Christian probability. Many stories in this genre, chivalric past. As a rule, time-travel from The Prisoner of Zenda and the romances don’t have time machines Supernaturalism Titus Groan novels to The Princess or other scientific props, or explore Not everyone regards supernatural Bride, take place in nonexistent lands, the logical paradoxes of visiting the forces as fantasy. Millions of which makes them fantasy by one def- past. The time travel is effectively Christians (as well as adherents of inition (see Fantasy Worlds, p. 10). magical, even if there’s no other other religions) believe that the super- magic in the story. Other “romantic natural is real and omnipresent. A Martial Arts fantasy” novels have mortal heroines number of novels, such as Frank Martial arts films, especially who fall in love with supernatural Peretti’s This Present Darkness, portray Japanese chambara and Chinese beings, or portray the romantic these supernatural forces in war in the wuxia movies, have heroes with super- effects of magical or psychic talents. modern world. Such novels aren’t usu- human or supernatural gifts, often Worldbuilding is less common, ally considered fantasy, and the super- explained as mastery of chi (life ener- though books classified as futuristic natural powers aren’t described as gy). Heroes run the gamut from those romance may be set on other planets magic. This is partly semantics, but who are simply amazingly skilled, to with fantasy aspects, such as Owens’ reflects a real point of theology: If those with esoteric powers or who cast Celta (see Other Planets, p. 10). These supernatural events come from God, spells and work magic. These are “dis- books focus primarily on romantic the right way to describe them is not “I tant land” settings for Western audi- relationships instead of the setting’s cast a spell” but “my prayers were ences, but not for audiences in Japan details, much as sword and sorcery answered by a miracle.” A campaign or Hong Kong; many take place in the emphasizes action and combat over based on this assumption wouldn’t legendary past. The abilities of real setting. require the tools presented in this martial artists are impressive enough, book, though the rules for clerical and legends of their superhuman feats Superheroic Adventure magic (p. B242) might be useful. help make outright fantasy elements Comic book superheroes include Anything that looks like magical spells acceptable to both Asian and magicians and magically empowered will be a snare of the Devil, and its American audiences. characters: Dr. Fate, the Spectre, effects will be illusions (see Glamour, Wonder Woman, Captain Marvel, Dr. pp. 20-21). Paranormal Romance Strange, Thor, and Promethea, among During the past quarter-century, others. The uniqueness of the super- Exotic Lands romance writers such as Sharon hero, or the supervillain, is part of the This genre has little or no super- Green, Melanie Jackson, Kathleen classic formula. The presence of natural content, but includes all the Nance, and Robin Owens began magic does not change the world any other trappings of historical fantasy. exploring themes from science fiction more than the technological spinoff of The settings are remote countries, the or fantasy. Time travel is the most other superheroes’ amazing inven- heroes are often aristocrats, and their popular; it allows a present-day hero- tions. Magical characters may become feats transcend the normal limits of ine fall in love with a man from the involved with various magical worlds: the Christian heaven and hell, the realms of the Greek and Norse gods, or the land of dreams or death. Typically, only a superhero or supervillain can visit these other planes. Supernatural Horror What’s the difference between supernatural horror and dark fantasy? That’s a good question. Critics don’t agree on the answer, or whether there even is a difference. Supernatural horror is akin to Christian supernaturalism in its view of magic. Human involvement in magic is perilous and often reflects sinful pride; salvation comes from faith in a higher power. In dark fantasy, heroes defeat the horror with their own courage, or discover ways of using magic against it. In any case, the boundary between the two is debatable. Which side a campaign is on, or a book, or a film, is often a matter of opinion.

8PLANNING THE CAMPAIGN Crossovers Fantasy is a rich genre all by itself – but GURPS Swashbuckling allows GMs and players to combine different genres. The swashbuckling era saw the creation of scientif- GMs may want to run a campaign of “fantasy plus”: ic astronomy, physics, and anatomy – and the pursuit of fantasy and another genre, working together. occult and supernatural lore, often by those same early scientists. In a magical setting, spymasters such as Cyberpunk Walsingham and Richelieu can employ diviners and Cyberpunk started out with the idea that future sorcerers along with assassins and cryptographers. computers, or virtual reality, might look like magic. But Swashbucklers themselves may favor flashier magic as what if things that just look like magic collide with well as swordplay, as in Steven Brust’s The Phoenix things that really are magic? A cyberpunk future might Guards. For a more freewheeling setting, move the have elves, dwarves, and orcs living in postmodern campaign to the pirate-ridden Caribbean, where slaves cities, as in the classic roleplaying game Shadowrun. create new magical traditions as protection against Magic might enhance the skills of programmers, or their masters (see Tim Powers’ On Stranger Tides or the summon spirits to inhabit computers as a shortcut to film Pirates of the Caribbean). artificial intelligence. Conversely, cybermages might use computers to aid magical rituals. Can a chat room War Stories host a ceremonial magic spellcasting? War is one of genre fantasy’s main themes – usually based on pre-gunpowder weapons and tactics. Espionage However, modern warfare could combine with fantasy. If magic did exist, would the government tell us? World War II makes a perfect setting for a cryptic fan- Spies and secret agents already live in an occult world. tasy campaign, with British and German occultists Perhaps it has darker secrets than anyone knows, and casting spells on each other and seeking out potent illuminated operatives guard them . . . or steal them. A mystical relics (see, for example, Katherine Kurtz’s team may work for a government’s paranormal investi- Lammas Night). gations agency, the Vatican, a cabal of sorcerers, or a supernatural power. They may even be supernatural Westerns entities, sent from heaven, hell, or the faerie realms to The Old West certainly forms part of American intervene in human affairs. mythology, but most people aren’t aware of Western folklore’s supernatural elements. Magic must be inte- Police Procedural grated into a Western setting with care. Wizards “Criminals are a cowardly, superstitious lot” – but if throwing fireballs could upstage gunslingers, and magic works, some superstitions might pay off. The destroy a central motif of the Western genre. Subtler police may deal with everything from succubus street- magic is better. walkers and thieves’ cantrips to murderous curses and The theme of conflict between civilized and tribal blood sacrifice. Every department may house a societies – “cowboys and Indians” – can be enhanced if Sorcerers, Witches, And Thaumaturgists team – or indi- the tribal peoples have access to supernatural powers vidual police officers may pick up tricks that they can’t that civilized people have forgotten. In classic Westerns, talk about in public. the civilized people will be the heroes; in subversive treatments, American Indians have spiritual insights Retrotech whose loss is a profound tragedy. They may also pro- Steampunk combines the antique charm of gas vide a refuge for other “uncivilized” elements, as in Pat lamps and airships with technological speculation Murphy’s lycanthropic Western, Nadya. Or civilized about mechanical computers and wireless electric people may have their own magic. For example, many power. However, the age of steam was also fascinated gamblers in the Deadlands setting have supernatural with the supernatural, from the Arabian Nights and powers, and Hoyle’s Rules of Games is a grimoire! Gilbert and Sullivan to high ritual magic, spiritualism, Westerns could be a model for campaigns in other and theosophy. Two GURPS sourcebooks, Castle historical eras. Ancient Persian Empire nobles learned Falkenstein and Deadlands, combine steampunk and to “ride well, shoot straight, and tell the truth.” Their magic. The technological fancies of earlier ages also Zoroastrian faith in a cosmic battle between good and work well, from the clockwork automata of the 18th evil, with lying as the ultimate evil, could inspire a century back to the legendary inventions of Daedalus. struggle between their civilization and tribal savages Retrotech also may use magic to enhance technology. such as the Greeks. Zoroastrian magi able to hurl fire and lightning could even substitute for gunslingers.

PLANNING THE CAMPAIGN 9 SETTINGS Setting focuses on the nature of the remote any more. There are no hid- still works, as in several of Andre specific campaign world – as seen by den lands. Norton’s novels, including Star Gate. the Game Master. Fantasy stories GMs, however, can set a hidden C.S. Lewis offers a high fantasy treat- describe things that don’t exist in the land in the recent past, a century or ment in Out of the Silent Planet and real world – often, but not always, two ago. People in those eras didn’t Perelandra, whose hero, Ransom, vis- magic. In some stories, the magical or expect magic in their own lives or its Mars and Venus and finds them fantastic elements are secret; the their own countries, but when large ruled by angels. heroes know about them, or learn parts of the world were unmapped, about them, but the everyday world surprises were imaginable. Tim The Past goes on unaware. In other stories, Powers’ treatment of the Caribbean Like distant lands, the past has society embraces the magical or fan- Sea in On Stranger Tides is a good some advantages that the present tastic elements. Either option provides example. lacks. several approaches. GURPS Fantasy Another method is simply to ignore If the setting is the historic past focuses on creating magical worlds the problem. Yes, on an island off the before 1730, the great majority of peo- and running campaigns in them – coast of Europe, there are dragons ple believed in magic. Roleplaying though much of its content is also use- and wizards, and the people there all these people includes roleplaying their ful for running fantasy campaigns set know about them, but people from belief in the supernatural – which in the real world. other countries think they’re just folk- makes the actual supernatural easier lore. This approach usually works best to work into a story or campaign. The in humorous fantasy (see Absurdist legends of historical societies such as FANTASY WORLDS Fantasy, p. 13). Greece or Japan provide source mate- Openly recognized fantastic ele- The classic example of this kind of rial with which the players may be ments produce a setting separate from fantasy is The Wizard of Oz and its already familiar, limiting the need for the “here and now.” GMs can make many sequels. long explanations. this separation in a variety of ways. A campaign set in prehistory draws Separation from the real world, all In the civilized countries I believe on no such sources. However, it has by itself, can make a story or a cam- there are no witches left; nor wizards, more room to make them up, since paign fantasy. In literature, many con- nor sorceresses, nor magicians. But, prehistory is still largely unknown. sider Mervyn Peake’s Titus Groan nov- you see, the Land of Oz has never been The remains of magic might have dis- els fantasy, even though they contain civilized, for we are cut off from all the integrated in the past few millennia, no magical elements. rest of the world. Therefore we still have or might lie undiscovered beneath the For some critics, “high fantasy” witches and wizards amongst us. soil of some remote country (see Relic includes every story set in a fantasy – L. Frank Baum, Fantasy). world. That’s a useful definition for The Wizard of Oz Campaigns set in the past may some purposes, but different from the explore the reasons for the disappear- one this book uses. A completely Other Planets ance of magic; it’s a natural theme for After the exploration of the entire invented world can be much closer to them. Earth, writers turned to other planets history or even present-day reality Both Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings as settings for fantastic adventures. A than to myth. Fritz Leiber’s Lankhmar and Howard’s Conan stories are set, at few decades ago, the moon, Mars, and stories and China Miéville’s Perdido least nominally, in the prehistoric Venus were far enough away. With our Street Station and The Scar are set in past. Larry Niven’s The Magic Goes solar system mapped, writers have invented worlds, but their great cities Away is a recent yet classic treatment turned to planets of other stars to give have realistically corrupt politics and of the disappearance of magic. their imagination license. their heroes’ motives are seldom Fantasy set in the historic past Most stories of alien worlds envi- noble. includes many Arthurian novels. sion only scientifically explainable Roleplaying settings include the strangeness, even in planetary Far Away Mythic Europe of Ars Magica and the romances such as Edgar Rice Fantastic things can happen in dis- Camelot of King Arthur Pendragon, Burroughs’ Mars novels or the Planet tant countries, especially ones that in historical periods, and the world of Krishna stories of L. Sprague de few people visit. Tibet, or Haiti, or the Exalted, in an invented prehistory. Balkans may provide homes for super- Camp. Some apparently supernatural natural forces forgotten by civilized elements actually have psionic or The Future people. At the simplest, this blends other science-fictional rationales, A less popular approach, but one into travelers telling strange stories, such as James H. Schmitz’s Witches that several interesting stories pur- knowing that no one can check them. of Karres, the spells and sorceresses sue, sets magic in the future. This This rationale worked much bet- of Marion Zimmer Bradley’s actually offers several different ter in the 19th century than now. Darkover, or the Hindu gods of Roger hybrids of fantasy and science fic- Improved transportation and com- Zelazny’s Lord of Light. Other stories tion, depending on which future the munication mean that no place is envision distant worlds where magic campaign uses.

10 PLANNING THE CAMPAIGN Motifs, Part 1 Fans of any genre expect certain types of content – of fantasy employs magicians who can throw fireballs they look for them in new works, and miss them if or hurl each other across a room with a gesture. Such they’re absent. Here are some elements that are espe- abilities also help them deal with swordsmen who have cially common in fantasy roleplaying. quick reflexes and limited respect for the sanctity of life. Bardic Gifts Fools In legend, ancient Celtic bards were sacred. No one Clowns, fools, and jesters often have a parody of could punish them for what they said or sang, and bardic immunity: they can imitate or mock warriors kings and warriors feared their satires. Bards in many and aristocrats in their master’s court, unpunished, cultures have magical powers, often involving superhu- because everyone agrees that they don’t know what man persuasiveness. In a number of religious tradi- they’re saying. This freedom of speech made them irre- tions, the gods speak through poets (sometimes an sistible to writers long before genre fantasy came into inconvenience, as when the Queen of Faerie gave being; Shakespeare’s characters include some memo- Thomas Rymer “the tongue that cannot lie”). rable fools. Fools in literature are often intelligent men wearing a mask of stupidity or insanity. Cook’s Tour Heroes visiting a fantasy world, or a new country in Healers such a world, often travel to all its interesting places If magic’s good for anything, it’s usually good for tak- and hear their stories. Even if the forces of evil are close ing care of the sick and wounded. Most people don’t behind, the heroes have time to go look at the tomb of want to fantasize about real medieval medicine. an ancient king. Healing spells can stop bleeding, cure diseases, or even restore lost body parts, often with the aid of magical Duels herbs. Other herbs may provide reliable contraception; In real wars, armies trained to fight as units nor- unwanted pregnancy seems to be rare in fantasy. mally defeat armies of warriors who fight as individuals, even if the warriors are individually better fighters Letter of the Law (see War in Fantasy Settings, pp. 186-194). However, An old proverb warns, “Be careful what you wish fantasy often focuses on individual heroes. The impor- for,” and folk tales describe many wishes that go awry tant combat is man-to-man, skilled warrior against because they are carelessly stated. In a magical setting, skilled warrior, with the rest of the army fading into the a wish, spell, or prayer will come true, but not neces- background, or even standing still and watching while sarily the way the speaker meant it. Making sure the the leaders fight it out. Other sorts of conflict, such as wording leaves no room for unpleasant surprises pro- wizards’ duels, also emphasize individual power and vides work for people who would become lawyers in skill instead of organization. A traditional wizards’ duel realistic settings. (as in the ballad “The Two Magicians”) involves repeatedly changing shape. Flashy Magic Real-world magical rituals, like real-world technology, require long, slow, careful preparations. Magic in fantasy worlds could be much the same. However, a lot

One form is a near-future “return longer fully understood. The details of planetary romance, where the domi- of magic.” This may result from the its reemergence can be vague; in thou- nant civilization is technological and collapse of world civilization followed sands or millions of years, they could rationalistic, and magic exists only on by a renewal of magic, perhaps in a have been forgotten. Jack Vance’s The a distant planet. In outer space fanta- quasi-medieval setting. Another good Dying Earth is a classic treatment that sy, the dominant civilization is magi- approach is to have magic reappear in influenced the portrayal of magic in cal and magic is the only way to travel a high-tech world, as in the roleplay- fantasy roleplaying. A very different between the stars. Magic may coexist ing game Shadowrun. Either way, the treatment is the hyperurbanized with technology in such a setting, or setting is still recognizably Earth, with future of Walter Jon Williams’s replace it. Melissa Scott’s novels Five- magic as a recent development. Metropolitan and City on Fire. Twelfths of Heaven, Silence in Solitude, In a far future Earth, magic may A further variant is outer space fan- and The Empress of Earth offer a treat- coexist with remnants of very tasy, with an interstellar civilization ment of this theme based on Hermetic advanced technology, perhaps no using magic. This is different from magic.

PLANNING THE CAMPAIGN 11 Alternate History universe. In other realms, magic Separate Realities A number of fantasies are alterna- remains powerful. A fantasy world may be a realm of tive histories, diverging from actual Magical realms include dream- its own, with no relationship with history at specific branch points. In lands, faerie realms, spirit worlds, Earth and the present day, or only a such settings, a specific different heavens, hells, and archetypal worlds vague one. Its origins may be mytho- choice in the past led to the discovery (see Magical Realms, pp. 34-36). There logical instead of scientific; it may be a or preservation of magic, often in may even be multiple dimensions in disc floating in space, or a flat world an otherwise modern world. This complex arrangements, as in the roofed over by a tangible sky. The only approach works well either for explor- Cabal setting (p. B543). Other planes requirement is that it be consistent ing a world similar to the present day tie directly to Earth – possibly to a fan- with its own basic premises. Its people or the recent past, but where magic tasy Earth, or the otherwise nonmagi- may offer a reflection of Earth’s inhab- works, or for sending people from cal 21st-century Earth. Their relation- itants, or they may have their own, here and now to such a world. ship with Earth should define how entirely different history and cultures. Randall Garrett’s Lord Darcy sto- their magic works and how humans This is probably the most widely ries offer a carefully worked out gain access to them. used type of setting in recent fantasy. alternative history for their magical Stories of this type include The Middle-Earth of J.R.R. Tolkien’s setting, with a divergence in the Odysseus’ visit to the underworld in Silmarillion is this type of world; so Middle Ages. John M. Ford’s The the Odyssey and Thomas Rymer’s jour- are Ursula Le Guin’s Earthsea, Steven Dragon Waiting branches off earlier, ney to the faerie realms in “The Ballad Brust’s Dragaera, and Terry Pratchett’s with the Roman emperor Julian’s of True Thomas.” From the 20th cen- Discworld, among many others. In successful restoration of paganism. tury, two of the best examples empha- roleplaying, Hero Wars focuses on the Robert Heinlein’s “Magic, Inc.,” Poul size dreamlands: H.P. Lovecraft’s “The separate world of Glorantha. Anderson’s Operation Chaos, and Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath” Harry Turtledove’s The Case of the and Neil Gaiman’s The Sandman. E.R. Multiple Realities Toxic Spell Dump are lighter treat- Eddison’s Zimiamvia trilogy offers a A number of fantasy novels occupy ments, focused mainly on magical different sort of other plane – the a middle ground between these last parallels to 20th-century technology. archetypal reality of which Earth is a three options: separate realities Castle Falkenstein presents a game shadow, and one man’s personal heav- roughly comparable to Earth, but world in the same spirit, though with- en. In roleplaying, other planes are a accessible through some higher-level out a specific point of divergence or major element of the World of reality. In contrast to alternate histo- detailed timeline. And, of course, see Darkness games. ries, whose divergence is measurable GURPS Infinite Worlds. In a sense, the virtual realities of by how long ago two histories split, cyberpunk are another sort of alter- separate realities differ in kind, like Other Planes nate plane where different natural works of art. And the passage between Other planes, or other dimensions, laws exist. Usually these simulations the two usually involves a “higher offer another way to send people from can’t directly change external reality, plane” which connects them. The pas- the present day into a realm of magic. but the hero of The Matrix and its sage usually requires technology, not This basic idea accepts the nonmagi- sequels gains superhuman powers in magic. Roger Zelazny’s Amber series, cal world known to 21st-century sci- both worlds. whose heroes can “walk through ence as simply one realm in a larger shadow” from one world to another,

12 PLANNING THE CAMPAIGN and the various universes embedded work at full strength for someone with Neuromancer is a kind of wainscot in C.S. Lewis’ The Magician’s Nephew enough faith or luck. This assumption fantasy, taking place in a virtual reali- are good examples of this idea. In a is especially popular in children’s fan- ty inside the computers of a future different approach, Fletcher Pratt and tasy, as many stories by E. Nesbitt and everyday world. Both Gibson and L. Sprague de Camp’s The Compleat Edward Eager demonstrate. Vinge emphasize the point by compar- Enchanter portrays travel between ing their netrunner heroes to wizards separate realities by concentration on Portal Fantasy and computer programs to spells. each reality’s logical axiom, with no A relic could be the gateway to a higher reality in between. fantasy world, where magic is real and Illuminated Fantasy recognized. The portal can be a hid- A different way of concealing the den road or path, a tunnel, a door or magical reality is not to hide it at all; FANTASY IN THE gate, or even a piece of furniture, as in ordinary people’s mental limitations C.S. Lewis’ The Lion, the Witch, and keep them from seeing the magic. REAL WORLD the Wardrobe. Mirrors offer an inter- Robert Shea and Robert Anton Setting fantasy in the real world esting variant, both in the whimsy of Wilson’s Illuminatus! trilogy gave this creates a different problem: explaining Lewis Carroll’s Through the Looking- style of fantasy its name, though it’s what keeps the fantastic elements hid- Glass and in the sinister dark fantasy only one element in their complicated den. This kind of fantasy occurs most of Robert Heinlein’s “The Unpleasant story. Nancy Collins made it a recur- often in the present. However, they Profession of Jonathan Hoag.” ring theme of her Sonya Blue novels. can take place in the past, as hidden The portal may be just a vehicle to This setting only works if all the events that didn’t make the historical get the protagonists into the fantasy important characters are “illuminat- records (many novels by Tim Powers world, where the real story takes ed” and thus able to perceive the hid- use this approach). This kind of fanta- place. However, they may spend much den truths – which often means that sy has various names: modern fantasy, of their time in the everyday world, they’re magically gifted. For a role- urban fantasy, or (if set in the past) doing things influenced by their expe- playing game treatment, see Mage: secret history. riences on the other side of the portal. The Ascension, with its concepts of Some critics define “low fantasy” Most of C.S. Lewis’ Narnia stories are coincidental magic and Paradox. as any fantasy story set in the real overt fantasy, but The Magician’s Forces other than the supernatural or world. However, a real world setting Nephew is this kind of cryptic fantasy, psychological may keep magic secret can include the kind of mythic ele- with much of the action occurring in in an illuminated setting. Magic may ments this book classifies as high fan- turn-of-the (20th)-century London. be useful to governments and other tasy. In C.S. Lewis’ That Hideous powerful organizations, which con- Strength, for example, a reawakened Wainscot Fantasy ceal it to protect their own interests. Merlin in modern England summons In some fantasies, there’s not just Stories based on this assumption can the spirits of the planets to destroy a one portal to a world of magic, but combine fantasy with espionage or conspiracy inspired by Hell, and Neil many portals, all leading to the same covert operations (see Crossovers, Gaiman and Terry Pratchett’s Good hidden realm. Different locations in p. 9). Tim Powers’ Declare is a good Omens has an angel and devil teaming the everyday world link to different example of this kind of fantasy. up to stop the Last Judgment. This locations in the magical world. Often kind of averted apocalypse, where the portals lead underground, to a hid- Absurdist Fantasy mythic forces threaten to turn the real den city beneath the surface of an Especially in film and television, world into a fantasy world, and the everyday city; Neil Gaiman makes the magic may be concealed simply by a heroes have to stop them, is a motif of subway/underground image explicit combination of flimsy coverups and fantasy set in the real world. (The sea- in NeverWhere, and the hundreds of most people’s disbelief in it. The 1960s sonal plot arcs of Buffy the Vampire miles of caves, tunnels, and sewers television series Bewitched is a classic Slayer, for example, involved apoca- underneath Sunnydale play a similar treatment of this theme, inspired by lyptic threats.) role in Buffy the Vampire Slayer. the film Bell, Book, and Candle. The Smaller-scale variants involve imagi- earlier Topper films (and the novel by Relic Fantasy nary societies of mice or rats living Thorne Smith) are similar. (I Dream of The setting may include objects or behind the baseboards or wainscots of Jeannie combined this approach with even living beings from a forgotten houses – the source of one name for relic fantasy.) The key to this approach time when magic was common (see this genre. The rogue hero of Fritz is usually humor. The audience laughs The Past, p. 10). Buried beneath the Leiber’s Swords of Lankhmar, the Grey at the plight of the everyday person ruins of ancient cities, stored in muse- Mouser, is magically shrunk to rat caught up in magic, but who tries to um basements, or passed down as size, visiting an entire rat city under keep it secret from everyone else. heirlooms, these items grant mysteri- the ground. ous powers and lost knowledge to From one angle, classic cyberpunk There is no substitute for good guardians who discern their secrets. fiction such as Vernor Vinge’s “True manners – except fast reflexes. Such items may only contain a weak- Names” and William Gibson’s – Steven Brust, Jhereg ened trace of their old magic, or may

PLANNING THE CAMPAIGN 13 Motifs, Part 2 Here are more motifs common in fantasy fiction. be a store of knowledge and a way to introduce useful For more on the topic, see Diana Wynne Jones’ book information to the heroes. Prophecies and oracles may The Tough Guide to Fantasyland. take the form of riddles. Lingua Franca Taverns Dealing with people who don’t speak the same lan- Need a place to stay for the night, out of the rain? guage you do is slow, difficult, and unexciting. So is There are taverns in every city or town, in many vil- working through translators or using a partly learned lages, and sometimes on lonely roads halfway to language. Jokes about inaccurate translation are funny nowhere. They nearly always serve excellent beer, and the first time, but get old quickly. Most fantasy settings they’re a place to meet local people with rumors to pass have a “common tongue” that everyone speaks. Even in on, quarrelsome drunks, or mysterious potential fellow exotic races and cultures, somebody will know enough adventurers. of it to settle practical questions such as the price of a meal or whether a captive can be ransomed, or to tell a True Names story that reveals some key bit of plot-advancing infor- In many magical traditions (p. 164), knowledge of a mation. thing’s name grants power over it. Wizards hide their true names; in some cultures, everyone does so, going Nonhumans by a nickname or “use-name.” Discovering a foe’s true Humans in fantasy often share the world with name can be an important plot element. Some foes are another intelligent race, or even many such races. obliging enough to turn this into a riddle. Usually these look like humans, except for being taller or shorter, thinner or thicker, more beautiful or ugly, Visions and so on. Players going into a fantasy campaign are Adventurers may see visions foreshadowing their likely to ask if they can play elves or dwarves. futures – sometimes in dreams, sometimes via magical devices such as mirrors. Typically, these are incomplete Outlaws and ambiguous; they can’t provide enough useful infor- Folklore often makes outlaws into heroes, who mation to prevent the encounter that they foreshadow! defend the common people against the predatory aris- Instead, their function develops a mood, in both the tocracy. Fantasy outlaws often take this job seriously, protagonists and the audience. Good visions are like and have Codes of Honor to match. The ideal outlaw good film trailers, generating anticipation but not giv- isn’t a brutal thug, but an honorable nobleman driven ing the plot away. into exile by a misunderstanding or the conquest of his country. He protects the weak, treats women politely, Women Warriors and gives away most of his loot (see Bandit, p. 116). In real history, almost all the warriors were men. However, present-day fantasy often has women learn- Riddles ing to use weapons and going to war. Some fantasy Riddles are a favorite recreation in many fantasy societies simply treat men and women equally, even in societies; often there are formal rules for “the riddle historical settings where this didn’t really happen. game.” This can turn into a kind of duel for scholars or Others have cultures where women are equal or superi- wizards, with serious consequences. Riddles can also or, or groups of women with special privileges and duties.

14 PLANNING THE CAMPAIGN SCOPE The scope defines the point of view send the PCs to a new site and run a area campaign. The detailed maps of the characters. How much of the new point campaign there, with cover locations between the journey’s setting do the player characters actu- greater challenges. start and end. They won’t be as precise ally see? One campaign may take as the map for the site of a point cam- them all over the world; another may paign – after all, the PCs won’t spend confine them to a single building. Dif- AREA CAMPAIGNS as much time in any one place – but ferent choices of scope allow different The location of an area campaign they can be much more precise than ways of linking adventures together is the entire world. It’s the opposite an area campaign’s world map. into a campaign – and require the GM extreme from a point campaign: wide Arc campaigns excel at giving play- to do different kinds of preparation. instead of narrow in scope. This, too, ers a sense of purpose. They have a appeared in the first version of goal, a route to get to it, and obstacles Dungeons & Dragons, as the “wilder- to overcome along the way. If the GM POINT ness adventure,” devoted to exploring chooses, adventurers can have the a landscape. same kind of progressively increasing CAMPAIGNS Area campaigns give a panoramic challenges as a point campaign, as the In a point campaign, all the adven- view of their settings. They can route goes into wilder territory. tures take place in a single location. include many different climates, living Like a point campaign, an arc cam- The oldest example of this approach is creatures, races, and civilizations. paign is naturally limited. Once the the “underworld adventure” from When adventurers explore a large quest is complete, the campaign ends. Dungeons & Dragons. Other single area, whether looking for something Sending the PCs on more quests is locations include a village or city; a specific or out of simple curiosity, a possible, but each quest needs new battlefield or besieged stronghold, in a GM can show off a whole world as an territory. A series of arc campaigns military campaign; or a community of imaginative creation. Having this kind looks increasingly more like a some- mages and their students. In cam- of landscape open before their charac- what unplanned area campaign. GMs paigns that focus on action, the loca- ters gives players more freedom than who want an open-ended campaign tion is often deserted, except for lurk- any other type of campaign. should think about mapping the ing monsters. Fantasy literature offers To make this work, the GM maps whole area from the start, and using models for a campaign set in a living out the entire world, or as much as arcs to give the PCs direction in each community, such as the aristocratic existing transportation can get to. series of adventures. household in Mervyn Peake’s Gothic Some detail has to be lost. Maps need fantasy novels. forests but not trees, and cities but not Because the action stays in a single rooms. If players will spend more time BASE AND place, a quick sketch can portray the in a particular place, its map can be MISSION rest of the world. The GM can put all more detailed – but the GM can’t his effort into creating the site of the know in advance what places will attract the players’ interest. Area cam- CAMPAIGNS adventures, mapping every path or Base and mission campaigns corridor and describing the abilities of paigns usually require GMs to improvise locations and encounters; they’re appear more often in genres other every inhabitant. It’s easy to make than fantasy – for example, in spy point campaigns leveled, so that well suited to GMs who like making things up as they go. thrillers and superhero adventures. In adventurers encounter deadlier foes a base and mission campaign, the as they become more capable, by mak- adventurers work from a central loca- ing sure the routes through the site ARC CAMPAIGNS tion, but their adventures take place reach the easier adversaries first (see Television series and comic books elsewhere, often in exotic places. Each Into the Labyrinth, pp. 171-175). have story arcs: series of episodes adventure’s site is detailed, but the Leveled sites also provide a way of linked by a continuing plot. Fantasy journey there and the larger world progressively revealing deeper secrets, stories and games have a similar idea: only have brief description. particularly in a campaign about initi- the quest. This sends the PCs on a The longer travel times in many ation into hidden knowledge. A single journey in a specific direction and historical settings make this kind of site can be a microcosm, a miniature with a specific goal (see Perilous campaign harder to run. However, in model of the entire world. Journeys, p. 175). Encounters along a fantasy world, magic can speed up Point campaigns tend to be limit- the way become important when they travel. Or the same format can work ed. Eventually the battle is won or lost, advance or delay the quest. in a smaller area, such as a single or the dungeon has been explored A quest is a journey from one place kingdom. The Labors of Heracles in from top to bottom, or the students to another. The scope of a quest cam- ancient Greece and the adventures of have learned all the master wizards paign falls between point and area King Arthur’s knights in medieval can teach them. If the GM wants to campaigns. It requires a map of the Britain offer models for a fantasy keep the campaign going (or the play- whole world, but less detail than an campaign. ers insist on it!), one way to do so is to

PLANNING THE CAMPAIGN 15 Campaign Style: Aspects of Realism Of course, fantasy isn’t realistic; it’s about magic! loving halfling or the grim, silent warrior. Ethical char- However, the effect of magic on the setting, and the way acters gain motivation through a Code of Honor, the setting works apart from magic, can be realistic. Discipline of Faith, Sense of Duty, or Vow, and set aside The GM’s choices change the whole style of a campaign personal conflicts to pursue it. Archetypes embody and the world it explores. Making the choice con- some passion, and everything they do reflects it and sciously can give a campaign a consistent style. serves it. Any of these styles can serve a purpose in fantasy – and suffer from too much realism. Realism of Action Action can add realism. If the probabilities are like Realism of Setting those in everyday life, the action is realistic. This How much does the presence of magic change the doesn’t mean that every number needs perfect accu- setting? If common magical spells can cure many dis- racy, as long as probable things remain probable and eases, heal many wounds, and supply food and water improbable things remain improbable. Departures (see Magic and Technology, pp. 64-67, and Agrarian from this kind of realism produce a cinematic cam- Magic, p. 95), then the death rate will be much lower paign that adjusts probabilities to produce a better than in real history. This means rapid population story – where the hero can defeat a dozen men in a growth – unless there are also magical ways of reducing fight, or a hundred. Further departures produce fertility, which will change societies in other ways. The heroes who are immune to mundane reality and can actual consequences of widespread magic will trans- do the impossible when it advances the story. form any society. A realistic campaign will have to Danger and injury are an important part of realism. explore these consequences; a cinematic or mythic For example, in the novel The Lord of the Rings, campaign need not. Aragorn finds Boromir pierced with many arrows, What if the setting is closer to ancient or medieval dying, but able to gasp out some crucial information. In patterns, either because magic is scarce or by deliberate the film The Lord of the Rings, three arrows are enough disregard for the consequences of magic? The real past to kill him, and even the first seriously weakens him, a was often grim. Are there fields worked by half-starved more realistic treatment suited to a medium that actu- serfs, cities that hold slave markets, and rulers who ally shows the action. Damage to equipment, dirt, and employ official torturers? Is marriage loveless and war fatigue similarly add to realism. brutal? Or is the setting a happier vision of the past, Tactical, logistic, and administrative details also with more splendor and less horror? make action more realistic. A realistic campaign can require skill rolls to pick a campsite, set up a camp, for- Realistic Style age for food, maintain equipment, set watches, and so Realistic approaches to gaming usually contrast on; a cinematic campaign should assume that all those with cinematic approaches. However, it’s possible to do problems are taken care of. almost anything in a cinematic style – even a kind of realism. Realism of Characterization Classic film noir shows dark streets, urban grime, After centuries of literary realism, characters are and corrupt police forces; cyberpunk and dystopian supposed to be human, complex, and flawed. GURPS futures have pollution and corporate power politics; makes this possible through mental disadvantages and gritty fantasies have starving peasants, bloody battles, quirks. But fantasy can work with other styles of char- and corrupt noblemen or priests. GMs can exaggerate acterization. Stereotypes have the typical or expected these. A fantasy campaign can be realistic in the same traits of their race, faith, or profession: the comfort- intensified way.

The base and mission format landscape. Like an arc campaign, a recover from their injuries, and social- works best for action-oriented cam- base and mission campaign gives ize with each other outside of combat. paigns. By skipping over the journeys, players a good sense of purpose. It needs detailed description, either by it makes the landscape and the scale Unlike an arc campaign, a base and the GM or by the players themselves. of the world less real. But it also lets mission campaign has no natural end- For a change of pace, set an adventure the GM focus on the sites of scenarios point. A team of adventurers can con- at the base itself, either a lighthearted and the challenges adventurers face. tinue facing new challenges as long as “day in the life” as the PCs visit a few And the GM can deliberately send the the GM’s imagination holds out. taverns or see their families (see Shore PCs to locations where something Creating the base is the other side Leave, pp. 184-185), or a grimly seri- exciting is going to happen, instead of of this campaign format. The base is ous threat to their very survival as a waiting for them to stumble on the environment where adventurers team, based on corruption, infiltra- adventure as they wander over the prepare for their dangerous tasks, tion, or open assault.

16 PLANNING THE CAMPAIGN CHAPTER TWO THE SUPERNATURAL

“It is not a supernatural creature.” moved around the circle, but the imp beings, and realms. It also covers a “But it is all these other things?” kept scuttling sideways, always facing topic that’s particularly important to “Yes.” him. Frustrated, Albus slashed at it, adventurers: death, and the relation- “Then I fail to see what difference it hoping to spatter it with a few drops. ship of magic to mortality. The makes whether it be supernatural or not His hand reached a little too far answers affect nearly every other – so long as it is malefic, possesses great forward. In an instant, in the blink of choice necessary to create a fantasy powers and life span and has the ability an eye, the barbed tail had lashed out, world. to change its shape at will.” around the wand, piercing the flesh of Both magical traditions in the real “Ah, but it makes a great deal of dif- his hand. Shocked by the pain, he world and the magic imagined by sto- ference, you see. It is the difference pulled back, dropping the wand inside rytellers are incredibly varied. Instead between the unknown and the unknow- the protective circle. But the imp’s of insisting that magic always works able, between science and fantasy . . .” semblance of flesh couldn’t pass the one specific way, GURPS Fantasy – Roger Zelazny, Lord of Light barrier he had created, and so neither offers several different answers to could his hand. each question. If you base your cam- All the books said creatures of hell Around the wound, a burning sen- paign on a book, a film, or a mytholo- were stubborn and perverse. This one sation spread through his flesh, up to gy, use the answers that best fit the was certainly proving them right. It his wrist. His skin started to blister. source material. If you’re working crouched in Albus’ double circle, Desperately, he groped for the ves- from a personal vision, this chapter’s restrained by the Names inscribed sel of holy water. questions can help bring that vision around its circumference, and washed into clearer focus. itself like a cat, with a long, forked Explaining magic is as important tongue. Like a cat, it seemed not to to fantasy as explaining technology is realize that Albus was speaking to it. to a science fiction setting. This chap- This wasn’t getting the information ter considers four main questions he needed. He reached for the wand about magic: the nature of magic he had made. “Hear me, imp!” he itself, and the nature of shouted, and thrust the wand into the magical objects, circle. The creature yowled as he struck it, and its eyes glowed red like coals. “Obey me, or be beaten!” Albus said. The imp spoke in a harsh croak like a trained raven. “Silly wizard, do you think to frighten me? I come from Hell. We endure torments worse than your rod can inflict, every moment of eternity.” Albus caught the burning gaze with his own. He had gotten it to talk! Now the struggle could begin – and he did- n’t intend to play fair. He dipped the wand into a flask, and once again struck into the circle. Steam flashed out from the wand as the holy water touched the little demon’s warty hide, and its cry this time was shrill. Desperately, it backed out of reach. Albus dipped the wand again, and

THE SUPERNATURAL 17 Behind the Curtain: Point Costs None of the choices in this chapter has a point cost, there’s not much point in having Magery or knowing or directly changes the point costs of character traits. A spells. The GM can even forbid characters to purchase character’s options depend on the character’s abilities them. But if a mage from a normal-mana world strays and the environment. For example, a character with into a no-mana world, he still has Magery and knows Magery 0 can cast most spells, in a normal-mana envi- spells, and they still cost the same number of points – ronment (see p. B235); but in a low-mana environment, and if he returns to his home world he can cast spells he casts them at -5, and in a no-mana environment, he again. can’t cast them at all. But refiguring a mage’s character Sometimes two different approaches to magic exist points every time he moves to a different environment side by side in the same world. For example, one mage would be inconvenient. So GURPS draws a sharp line might only be able to cast spells in combat, and another between character traits, which have point costs, and might only be able to create enchanted objects. This environmental conditions, which don’t. The way a spe- kind of difference can have a point cost. However, some cific world works depends on a set of environmental features of magic apply to an entire setting and everyone conditions. in it. They would never make a difference between one The environmental conditions can limit the choice of character and another, so they shouldn’t have a point character traits. In a no-mana world, for example, cost.

MAGIC What is magic? Psychologists Magical Energy one set in East Asia or a fantasy world define magical thinking as based on Standard GURPS magic envisions based on it. (See Chi as Magic, p. 157.) wish fulfillment. (This can be a fright- a single magical energy: mana. It can The idea of magical energy pro- ening idea; many children tell their do a variety of things depending on vides a rationale for stories where parents, at least once, “I wish you what spell a mage uses, in the same magic is failing, such as Larry Niven’s were dead!”) A fantasy world can real- way that physical energy can do many novel The Magic Goes Away: the ener- ly work this way: believing in some- different kinds of work. The ability to gy that makes magic work is being thing, or wishing for it, or command- perceive and control this force is depleted. ing it, can make it happen, at least Magery. Mages cast spells partly by sometimes. Magic is the control of directing the magical energy within Magical Attributes reality by consciousness. Different their own bodies, and partly by con- Perhaps magic is not a generalized views of magic lead to different ideas trolling external mana flows. Both force that anyone taps for any pur- about when this will work, and how, cause fatigue, just as travel causes pose, but a class of supernormal or and for who. fatigue whether it’s on foot or on extraordinary abilities. Certain human There are two basic ways of look- horseback. beings, animals, and even plants and ing at magic: subjective, in which con- The name mana comes from the stones may have special powers or sciousness itself controls reality; and beliefs of Polynesian cultures. Other virtues. This view of magic supports intrinsic, in which consciousness con- cultures often have similar beliefs. For One-College Magery (p. 129); each col- trols some other power that controls example, East Asian cultures spoke of lege requires a separate magical tal- reality. Each has several variations. chi (in Chinese) or ki (in Japanese). ent. In a world with this kind of magic, Traditional Chinese medicine (defined geographic areas may usually have INTRINSIC MAGIC in GURPS as a form of Esoteric aspected mana levels (see pp. 43-45). Medicine) attempts to influence the GMs may invent other sets of spe- Many fantasies and most fantasy flow of chi in a patient’s body, and cialized magical attributes; see games believe magic is something martial arts traditions offer methods Alternate Colleges for some suggestions apart from the mage’s mind and will, for controlling one’s own chi during (p. 160). but subject to his control. Sometimes combat. The superhuman feats attrib- Alchemy and Herb Lore are magi- all magic comes from a single source uted to masters of chi appear in cal arts that rely on knowledge of mag- of power. Other settings divide magic GURPS as various esoteric skills ical attributes – the attributes of into narrower capabilities that pro- (those which have Trained By A Master chemical substances and plants. An duce specific effects and can’t be con- as a prerequisite). Such skills could be alchemist can produce magical effects verted into each other. part of a fantasy campaign, especially by combining substances in a way that brings out their inherent magical

18 THE SUPERNATURAL qualities. Each substance has its own the metals, the elements and the bod- Two people with this kind of corre- specific virtues, so an alchemist needs ily fluids, and so on. spondence may have Special Rapport a varied supply of ingredients (see But magical correspondences may or Mindlink. A mage might discover GURPS Magic). be more specific. A person’s close like- similar bonds between other living In some settings, casting a spell ness, his blood or fingernails, his pos- things, or even inanimate objects. requires drawing runes or other sym- sessions, or even his name may have a bols, and a mage’s ability to cast a spell connection to him, which a mage can or perform an enchantment can’t use to cast spells on him (see The Three SUBJECTIVE exceed his Symbol Drawing skill. In Laws of Magic, below). these versions of Symbol Drawing, the Usually these correspondences MAGIC symbols themselves are magically form a basis for modifying mana- In some views of magic, the human powerful. A mage’s essential skill is based magic, in which objects con- mind doesn’t need any separate power knowing the attributes of the various nected to the subject of a spell or potentiality to serve it. Every con- symbols. grant skill bonuses to its casting sciousness controls reality, simply by (see Correspondences, pp. 163-164). being conscious. Reality is subjective. Magical However, it’s also possible to make Philosophers call this idealism, mean- correspondences the only basis for ing that everything is an idea in some- Correspondences one’s mind. Magical correspondences often magic. In this approach (see Taken straight, this doesn’t make a form the basis for magical attributes. Correspondence Magic, p. 160-161), very interesting game or story. If it’s The mandrake root has a human mages can only cast spells with the true for one person, that person is voice because it is man-shaped; fire aid of the Three Laws of Magic, by omnipotent; he wins every game and magic uses rubies because they are establishing suitable links to the tar- his story always has a happy ending. If red. Such correspondences may get. it’s true for everyone, then either they organize all of nature: the planets and agree, and there’s no conflict, or they disagree, and conflict leads to unsolv- able paradoxes. However, partial control can be interesting. Perhaps a consensus The Three Laws of Magic shapes reality, and no one has total Many different spells and magical traditions can be described in control. A propaganda campaign terms of three basic principles: the Law of Contagion, the Law of might change reality by changing peo- Similarity, and the Law of Names. How much part these should play in ple’s beliefs. There are still problems to a campaign is a matter of campaign style and the GM’s decision. In an solve and struggles to face. But every- action-oriented campaign, it’s usually best just to roll the dice and see if one can work magic, at least in some the spell succeeded or failed. For players who find the details of magic degree. interesting, the Three Laws can provide skill modifiers (see Does “everyone” include animals, Correspondences, pp. 163-164). as well as sapient beings? Yes . . . if All three laws of magic involve the same basic process: acting upon a consciousness just means perception, symbol to affect the thing it represents. The differences between them worms and flies have sense organs. come from the different kinds of symbols they use. The exact type of magic may depend Evidence includes symbols based on cause and effect. A thing is evi- on the range of the animal’s percep- dence of something else if the other thing created it, changed it, or oth- tions. Animals that can’t locate a dis- erwise made it what it is. Symbols of this kind are the basis for the Law tant object may only be able to affect of Contagion, which says that anything that has been in contact with a their own bodies. An animal’s magic is thing remains connected to it and can be used to cast a spell on it. The probably instinctive and limited to closer the contact has been, the better the connection is. A newly bought specific spells (see Fixed Magic, suit of clothes would be no help in casting a spell on its owner; an often- p. 161). worn suit would be, because contact with the wearer’s body would Or perhaps the key is language. If a change the cloth. A person’s blood would be an even better connection, creature can name something, it can because it formed inside his body. affect the thing by naming it (see The Likenesses are symbols of things that they look like or sound like. The Three Laws of Magic, above). This Law of Similarity says that mages can use anything that resembles a would limit magic to sapient beings thing to cast a spell on it. For example, a mage may use a good drawing (IQ 6 and above). to target a spell. The better the likeness, the more help in casting the spell. Theistic and Words are symbols of the things that they name. The Law of Names Animistic Magic says that mages can use a thing’s name to cast a spell on it. Another answer is that consciousness controls reality – but not human consciousness.

THE SUPERNATURAL 19 In the Bible, creation begins when God says, “Let there be light.” Perhaps it’s God’s mind that shapes reality – one God, the multiple gods of a poly- Nature and Supernature theistic religion, or the innumerable If magic works, does that mean science is wrong? How do the natu- spirits of an animistic one. Human ral and supernatural worlds fit together in a fantasy setting? There are beings can’t work magic, but can ask several ways of answering these questions: the gods or spirits for help. See Magical Beings for more on this Science excludes magic. Natural law controls everything that hap- option. pens. Magic is based on natural laws that aren’t understood yet. One day the progress of knowledge will make those laws understandable Powers of the Mind and replace spells with reliable procedures, the same way that pharma- Perhaps some human minds con- cology replaced herb lore. Often this view goes with belief in psychic trol reality, but others can’t. Bending powers that magical rituals help to focus. reality to one’s will may take a special Science leaves room for magic. Natural laws are true, but there is mental state, or special gifts of one some randomness or uncertainty in nature. Magic works within that sort or another. Depending on the his- area of uncertainty. Where the laws of nature allow two or more out- torical setting, such gifts may be called comes, the mage’s will can decide between them. Jack Williamson’s mystical, psychic, or psionic (see Darker than You Think relies on this premise. Psionics as Magic, p. 158). Science is dependent on magic. The laws of nature are real, and sci- The setting determines how char- ence can discover them. But supernatural and magical forces created acters acquire these gifts. They may be nature: the will of God, or a spontaneous outflow of mana, or even col- inborn and available only by heredity lective human belief. And that same creative force can change nature. or accident of birth. It may be possible (This is the basis of the “Cabal” setting on p. B543.) to create them – for example, by cast- Magic excludes science. The world doesn’t work the way science says ing a spell to grant magical gifts. They it does. This premise may be unconvincing in a fantasy set in the mod- may be the gift of the gods to favored ern world. In a separate reality, the sun may really be a chariot driving mortals. Or many may acquire them through the sky, or the dead may rise from their graves to trouble the through long and dedicated study – of living. Many magical beliefs reflect scientific ideas that are no longer yoga, for example. accepted, such as the Greek theory of the four elements, or 19th-centu- Gifts of this sort are a lot like ry ideas about the life force. In fantasy versions of historical settings, the Magery as usually defined in GURPS. scientific theories of the past may be true. See Richard Garfinkle’s However, there’s an important differ- Celestial Matters for an example of this approach. ence. Standard Magery requires Magic conflicts with science. In many recent fantasies, magic and sci- mana, which exists within human ence aren’t just different beliefs about the world, but different forces beings and in the natural environ- within the world. Technology may actually interfere with the operation ment. The will of the mage determines of magic. A GM may approach this by setting the skill penalty to magi- the powers of the mind. This kind of cal actions equal to the TL. A TL5 setting would have -5 to spellcasting, magic cannot draw power from the equivalent to the standard penalty for low mana. This penalty may be environment, or create a self-powered consistent throughout the entire world, based on its highest TL, or each magical object. And mages must region may have its own mana level, based on the people living there or actively maintain magic effects; if the passing through. mage loses consciousness, the magic goes away instantly. Mages in Black Drawing on the last three of these five models, perhaps the magical Glamour agency that created natural law wasn’t God, or the collective uncon- Some accounts view magic as illu- scious, but an organization of mages. At the beginning of history, every- sion. A magician can make people per- thing happened magically. But a more predictable world was easier to ceive strange things . . . but the rising control magically, so the greatest wizards banded together and worked sun, or the touch of iron, or the name mighty enchantments to bind the planets to their orbits and prevent of God, banishes the magic, and every- lead from changing into gold. Over the centuries, further tinkering cre- thing is as it was. On the other hand, ated the laws that scientists now rely on. people who believe what magic shows The laws of nature are a work in progress, and not everyone wants them may really be affected. Magic the work to be completed. There are occasional outbreaks of wild that works this way is often called magic, or rival conspiracies that want to change the rules. Magical trou- glamour. bleshooters travel through the world, seeking out such enemies of The most important consequence nature and forcing them to obey natural law. Of course, they are of glamour, in terms of rules, is that no entrusted with some of the secret reality-modifying “cheat codes” of spell can have permanent effects. nature, for use in emergencies . . . Spells that would ordinarily be permanent can have long-lasting effects, but

20 THE SUPERNATURAL they vanish if something dispels the magic that creates them. See Impermanent Magery (p. 129). Knowing Good and Evil In folklore, this kind of magic is Human perception is largely “knowing good and evil.” Science often often associated with human mages, regards these qualities as relative to the needs of the organism perceiv- faerie trickery or the outright decep- ing them. But in a magical world, they may be basic elements of reali- tions of devils. Practitioners of black ty, and the whole world may have a framework of moral absolutes. magic, if they call on the services of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam believe in such a framework, with devils, may be limited to glamour as goodness being obedience to God’s laws. well. In some views, all magic is black Zoroastrianism takes a different approach. It describes two nearly magic! omnipotent gods, one good, one evil. Christian folklore sometimes sug- Taken one way, this is a subjective gests such a view, with Satan as an evil anti-God, though orthodox view of magic – but one that splits up Christian theology rejects this. Some fantasy worlds have this kind of the magical functions strangely. polarity, such as Roger Zelazny’s opposition of Amber and Chaos in The Magicians, faeries, or devils have the Chronicles of Amber. power to manipulate the mind and If evil is a cosmic force or a basic element of reality, it could provide make people see things. But those a source of power or possibly include “black magic” in a campaign. In people in turn have the power to make a dark fantasy, evil might be more powerful than good (see Evil Gods, the things real, by believing in them. p. 32). The magician’s imaginary sword can’t In a less dark setting, good might have created the world, and evil hurt anyone by itself, but if the victim might have distorted it. Nature may be good: good magic may attune to believes in it, it can kill him. So the natural processes, and evil magic may act anti-natural. Evil magic and victim’s consciousness changes reality, technology might ally in this scenario, with dark powers tempting sci- in ways suggested by the magician. entists into dangerous tampering with “things man was not meant to know.” If good and evil are objectively real, then it’s possible that magical USING MAGIC spells can detect them. They could fall into the college of IN CAMPAIGNS Communication and Empathy. Similarly, advantages could grant moral perceptiveness. Normally this would only apply to sapient beings. Does it make a difference if magic However, in some worlds, a murder weapon could acquire the taint of is subjective or intrinsic? Does it actu- evil. A device specifically designed for unlawful acts, such as a knife ally change the game mechanics, or with a poison reservoir, could become tainted upon creation. On the the abilities of characters? Yes, in two other hand, if good and evil are matters of human opinion, a Detect major ways: whether mana exists, and Good or Detect Evil spell is meaningless, because the same act may be how Magery works. good or evil depending on who judges it. In a setting based on magical energy, the standard GURPS rules apply. Magical energy is mana. Magery 0 grants the ability to perceive mana and to manipulate it. Levels of Magery grant improved ability to manipulate power source for spells. Mana does mana. not flow externally. Magery 0 is the In a setting based on magical attrib- ability to sense powers of mind and to utes, each college of spells has its own control one’s own powers of mind. specialized form of mana. Since In a setting with theistic or ani- they’re distinct, Magery 0 grants the mistic magic, a variety of rules are ability to identify them; a fire mage possible; see Using Gods and Spirits in may have an aura of heat and flicker- Campaigns, p. 33. Some involve forms ing light, for example. of mana and Magery. In a setting based on magical corre- In a setting with subjective magic, spondences, mages may not control the power for spells still comes from their own Fatigue or HP to power the mage’s body and mind, with no spells. Mana exists, but externally, in external flow of mana. But this isn’t a the relationships of objects to other distinctive trait; every mind has the objects. Magery 0 is then the intuitive potential for casting spells. So it’s not ability to perceive those relationships possible to sense anything distinctive and judge whether one object can about the minds of mages. Magery 0 magically affect another. isn’t needed for either purpose and In a setting with mystical or psy- isn’t available. Levels of Magery are chic powers, things are reversed. The still available, as talents for casting mage’s body and mind provide the spells; anyone can have them, without Magery 0.

THE SUPERNATURAL 21 MAGICAL OBJECTS If a world has magic, it may have counterspell, any more than a magi- pp. 48-49). Miners may discover magical objects. In some worlds, the cally healed wound would suddenly deposits of naturally magical metals creation of magical objects is the only, reopen because of a counterspell. or minerals. High-mana areas may or the main, form of magic. In many Any kind of magical object will feel be sources of magical materials, worlds, it’s a common application of magical to anyone with Magery 0, objects, or creatures. magic. even if Magery did not aid the product In some supernatural views of the An important distinction exists – for example, a potion. Magically world, everything has magical pow- between magical objects and magical- transformed objects don’t feel magi- ers. The trick is to discover an ly created or transformed objects. cal. At the GM’s option, they may carry object’s specific virtues. For example, Runes inlaid on a sword’s blade might residual traces of magic which can be herbs may have healing powers magically enhance its ability to injure detected at a -5 penalty to the (IQ + apparent in the shape of their leaves a foe, in effect casting a spell to Magery) roll. or the color of their fruit. This wound the foe or sharpen the sword. approach fits well with magic based The sword wouldn’t work in an area on correspondences (pp. 160-161). where magic was blocked or sup- NATURAL MAGIC Here are some examples of natural pressed, and counterspells might In a world of intrinsic magic magic from legends and fantasy: block its effectiveness. It would just (pp. 18-19), magical forces may be a normal sword. On the other spontaneously create magical ob- Adamant hand, if spells cast during its forging jects. If magic is widespread, living Adamant is a crystalline stone that made the blade physically sharper, or things may evolve the ability to use is harder than any natural substance. the material better able to hold an it. Plants and animals with magical The name means simply “diamond,” edge, or the armorer more skillful, the abilities may have mana organs that but legend gives it different properties. sword would simply be a better naturally accumulate the magical Used as a building material, adamant sword. The sharper edge wouldn’t energy to power those abilities (see has three times the DR and hit points suddenly become blunt because of a Magical Species and Mana Organs, of a wall of normal stone of the same thickness. Its DR is semi-ablative (see pp. B46-47), but damage never reduces it below DR 9. However, it costs 30 times as much per pound, owing to its scarcity and the difficulty of working it. All-Heal The berries of the parasitic plant mistletoe can have magical healing powers. Each berry consumed will restore 1 point of HP lost through disease, including infected wounds. Users normally must consume the berries on the spot, but cutting them with a golden sickle at night will preserve them for up to a year. Traditionally only berries of mistletoe growing on an oak (not its usual host) are magical; roll vs. Naturalist or Herb-Lore at -5 to find such a plant. Preserved berries cost $150 each. (Reality check: In real life, these berries are poisonous!) Dragon’s Blood Drinking the blood of a dragon grants the ability to understand the speech of animals, as described in the Volsunga Saga. This is equivalent to having the advantage Speak with Animals. The effects last for 2d

22 THE SUPERNATURAL minutes. Ordinarily the blood must be fresh. It will still be hot, inflicting 1d-1 burn damage, and the drinker must Enchantment Spells make a Will roll to avoid being stunned In addition to the enchantment spells on pp. B480-481, the following by the pain (modified by High or Low is available: Pain Threshold). An alchemist may preserve dragon’s blood for future use. Temporary Enchantment One dose of preserved dragon’s blood Enchantment costs $1,000. This spell creates magic items that only function a few times before losing their enchantment, at a substantial savings in energy cost (and Moly therefore time). An item with a single use can be created for 15% of the Moly is a rare plant (see p. 48) normal energy, two uses cost 30%, three cost 60% (very cost ineffective whose flower protects against spells. under most circumstances) and the cost for an item limited to 4 or more The picked flower lasts from 6 hours uses exceeds the cost of a permanent item. in hot, dry weather to 48 hours in cool, The temporarily enchanted item acts, in all respects, as a normal moist weather. While it survives, the item of that type, until all of its spells have been cast. Once all the spell bearer has +5 Magic Resistance to all uses of the temporary item are gone, the item is no longer magical. spells cast directly on him, but not to A mage can use the Temporary Enchantment spell in place of the indirect attacks such as missile spells. Enchant spell. A single item cannot be enchanted with both temporary A single fresh flower would cost $500, and permanent spells simultaneously. if available at all. Temporary Enchantment can only give items a one-time ability to cast a certain spell – not to cast the spell on an object. For example, a Orichalcum mage couldn’t make a one-shot set of invisible armor – it would never Orichalcum is a metal with wear off. He could give the armor the ability to cast Invisibility on itself extraordinary properties, said by the at normal fatigue and duration costs. ancient Greek philosopher Plato to Temporary Enchantment does not work in conjunction with any have been mined in Atlantis. (Plato Enchantment college or Meta-Spell college spells except the following: doesn’t discuss specific physical prop- Speed, Power, Hex, Limit, Name, and Link. Temporary Enchantment erties; those defined here make absolutely does not further reduce the cost of enchantments that orichalcum useful for weapons and already have limited uses. armor.) Orichalcum looks like bronze and Duration: Until all of the item’s uses have been expended. has nearly the same density, but its Cost and time: See Enchanting, pp. B481-482. DR, hit points, and structural strength Prerequisites: Enchant. are three times those of bronze. Orichalcum armor can be one-third as heavy for the same protection or equally heavy for three times the pro- TL3. Similar effects may be achieved, longer. The standard version of tection. Orichalcum weapons have if the GM chooses, through herbal enchantment requires Magery 2 and damage bonuses for fine or very fine preparations made using the skill of extensive knowledge of spells. The quality and are tough enough to with- Herb Lore, available at any TL. mage focuses his will and charges an stand steel weapons. A steel weapon Each alchemical preparation object with mana. The mage need not has cheap quality when hit by an requires raw materials, which have a have made the object himself and orichalcum weapon (see p. B274). cost, and has a preparation time in need not change it physically to Orichalcum objects cost 30 times as weeks. In a setting where magic is enchant it; no physical sign identifies much as standard metal objects of the more or less common, the raw materi- the enchanted object as magical. same weight. als may be easier or harder to obtain. Because orichalcum is already Divide their cost by 2 in a high-mana Expanded List of inherently magical, it can’t be further setting, or by 5 in a very-high-mana Enchantments enchanted to increase its durability. setting, but multiply it by 2 in a low- For campaigns where PCs can be Other enchantments work as usual. mana setting. See GURPS Magic for enchanters, or for GMs wanting to more information on the practice of make a wider selection of enchanted alchemy and for costs of specific items available, the following list will ALCHEMY preparations. be useful. Alchemy extends the idea of natural magic. An alchemist specializes in Spell: The name of the spell. procedures that focus and enhance ENCHANTMENT Energy: The energy cost required to the hidden virtues of natural materi- Enchantment in GURPS is the enchant an item with the spell. Note als. Systematic chemical manipula- process of creating magical objects. It that this is not the same as the cost to tion of the sort that gives rise to the involves much the same things as cast- cast that spell normally! See also idea of alchemy really only emerges at ing spells, but takes substantially Enchantment Spells (above).

THE SUPERNATURAL 23 Item: The class of item required: Code Class of Item Aarmor or clothing J jewelry; e.g., an amulet or ring S staff – any rod-shaped piece of organic material up to 6 feet long Sh shield W weapon X special object; see Notes

Spell Energy Item Notes Spell Energy Item Notes Analyze Magic 1,200 J, S [3] Levitation 800 J, S [2] Apportation 900 S [3, 4] Light 100 J, S [3] Aura 100 J, S [3, 4] Magelock 200 X [3, 9] Awaken 300 S [3] Major Healing 1,500 S [3, 4, 10] Bless Plants 500 S [3, 4] Mind-Reading 1,000 A [3, 4] Breathe Water 400 A, J [2] Mind-Sending 1,500 A [3, 4] Clumsiness 800 S [3, 4] Minor Healing 600 S [3, 4, 10] Cold 400 J, S [3, 5 ($600)] Night Vision 200 J, S [2] Command 500 J, S [3] No-Smell 150 J [2, 5 ($300)] Continual Light 200/400/600 J, S [3, 6] Pain 400 S [3, 4] Create Air 200 J, S [3] Paralyze Limb 2,000 S [3, 4] Create Earth 500 S [3] Purify Air 50 J, S [3] Create Fire 300 J, S [3, 5 ($200)], [6] Purify Earth 400 S [3] Create Water 200 J, S [3] Purify Water 50 X [3, 11] Cure Disease 800/1,500 S [3, 4, 7] Rain 600 S [3, 4, 12] Daze 1,000 S [3, 4] Recover Energy 1,000 J [1, 5 ($500)] Death Vision 600 S [3, 4] Resist Cold 800 J [2, 5 ($700)] Deathtouch 2,500 S [3, 4] Resist Fire 800 J [2, 5 ($700)] Destroy Water 300 J, S [3] Scryguard 500/hex Any [1, 13] Detect Magic 100 J, S [3, 4] Seek Earth 50 S [3, 14] Earth to Air 750 J, S [3, 5 ($1,000)] Seek Plant 50 S [3] Earth to Stone 300 J, S [3] Seek Water 40 W [3, 5 ($300)] Entombment 1,200 S [3, 4] Seeker 500 S [3, 14] Extinguish Fire 400 J, S [3, 5 ($1,300)] Sense Emotion 300 J, S [3] Fear 300 S [3, 4] Sense Foes 200 J, S [3] Flesh to Stone 1,000 S [3, 4] Sense Spirit 100 J, S [3] Flight 2,500 J, S [2] Shape Air 200 J, S [3] Fog 300 J, S [3] Shape Earth 200 J, S [3] Foolishness 800 S [34] Shape Fire 400 J, S [3, 5 ($300)] Great Haste 2,000 A, J [2] Shape Stone 500 J, S [3] Heal Plant 400 S [3] Shape Water 400 J, S [3] Heat 400 J, S [3, 5 ($300)] Sleep 1,200 S [3, 4] Hide 1,000 J, S [2] Spasm 300 S [3, 4] Hide Thoughts 400 A [3] Stench 60 J, S [3] Hinder 600 S [3, 4] Stone to Earth 400 J, S [3] Identify Plant 200 S [3] Stone to Flesh 1,000 S [3, 4] Identify Spell 1,100 J, S [3] Stop Bleeding 500 A, J [1] Ignite Fire 100 J, S [3, 5 ($50)] Teleport 3,000 S [2, 4] Illusion Disguise 150/300 A, J [1, 8] Test Food 100 J, S [3] Invisibility 1,200 J, S [2] Truthsayer 500 A [3] Itch 100 S [3, 4] Walk on Air 500 A, J, S [2, 5 ($1,000)] Lend Energy 100 J, S [3] Walk Through Earth 1,200 A, J [3] Lend Health 250 J, S [3] Wither Limb 2,000 S [3, 4]

Notes: Special rules for creation or [3] Allows the user to cast the spell [6] The energy cost of Continual use. exactly as if he knew it himself. Light enchantments is 100 times the [1] Always on. Works at all times [4] Mage only. If any spell on the cost of the spell with the same effect. without the addition of a Power spell. item has this restriction, it extends to [7] A staff of Cure Disease that [2] Allows the user to cast the spell, all spells on the item. cures one disease costs 800 points; one but only on himself. [5] Cost of magical materials that cures any disease costs 1,500 required. points.

24 THE SUPERNATURAL [8] An Illusion Disguise item must base cost by half that dimension. precious metal. Two skill rolls are be set for a specific disguise when Enchantment spells follow the same required for each rune: one for the made. An item that creates a Simple rules as regular spells, except for rune skill itself and one for the craft Illusion costs 150 points; one that cre- Power, whose cost is proportional to skill used to inscribe it. If all the runes ates a Complex Illusion costs 300 the energy it provides. are successfully inscribed, anyone points. who has the skill of Symbol Drawing [9] The item for Magelock is a gold- Automata for the appropriate type of runes can en key. In magical terms, an automaton is roll against it to activate the enchant- [10] A staff of Minor Healing can not a mechanism, but an inanimate ment. Enchanting an object perma- be used by a non-mage with Esoteric object, which a spirit occupies. See nently in this way is treated as slow Medicine-15+; a staff of Major Healing Familiars and Fetishes, p. 26. and sure enchantment, but has half can be used by a non-mage with the energy cost and takes half as long. Esoteric Medicine-20+. Runes can be temporarily marked [11] The item for Purify Water is a RUNIC onto a surface such as a papyrus, bone or ivory hoop through which the NCHANTMENT parchment, sheet of paper, or wax water is poured. E tablet. Each rune requires a roll [12] A Rain wand or staff must be Runic enchantment is an alterna- against Artist (Calligraphy) and kept in water; it loses its enchantment tive to the standard GURPS enchant- against the mage’s skill with the rune. if left dry for over an hour. ment rules. It’s based on the idea that A mage can also trace runes into earth [13] Scryguard enchantment hides certain letters or other symbols in or sand, with the tip of a blade, a the item it is cast on, not the wearer or themselves are a source of magical pointed stick, or a container of pow- bearer. power (see Symbol Drawing, p. B224). der such as flour, at -2 to Artist [14] A Seek Earth wand must have This version of intrinsic magic (pp. 18- (Calligraphy). If all the skill rolls work, one ounce of a specific form of earth, 19) inscribes potent runes on an the PC may cast the enchantment stone, or metal set in the tip. Each object, or even a person (by tattooing, when desired with a roll against wand will only seek the one material for example), and can grant magical Symbol Drawing. The first successful to which it is attuned. A Seeker wand powers to the object or person. casting destroys the inscription. must incorporate something related to Runic enchantment is a form of Inscribing an Easy rune takes 1 hour, the subject. syntactic magic (p. 163). Each inscribing an Average one takes 3 enchantment requires placing a mini- hours, and inscribing a Hard one Enchanted Vehicles mum of two runes on the enchanted takes 6 hours. Most enchanted objects are usually object: a verb for the magical action To activate a runic enchantment relatively small. But exceptional ones and a noun for the subject of the spell. requires skill with all the runes can be larger. An enchanter could The enchanter must personally mark involved. The user’s effective Symbol create a flying carpet, or a full-rigged the object with the runes; often this Drawing skill cannot exceed his low- ship with a hull as hard as iron. requires an artistic or craft skill, such est rune skill. If the effect of the Regular spells can be cast on a larg- as Armoury, Jeweler, or Smith. enchantment is to cast a spell, the er than man-sized object; multiply the Permanently enchanting an object user must supply the energy to power basic cost by SM+1. Area spells have a with runes requires that they be part that spell. If the effect is a permanent cost based on the radius of the area of its physical structure. For example, enchantment such as Accuracy or covered. For a vehicle, look up the SM, a sword may have runes cast or Puissance, there is no energy to use determine the corresponding largest engraved into the blade, and possibly the item, but it must still be activated dimension in yards, and multiply the emphasized with enameling or inlaid for each use. A successful activation continues until the user stops holding, wearing, or occupying the object, after which another activation will be needed. Runes can enchant some items described in other sections. Golem: The parchment placed in the golem’s mouth, bearing the name of God, requires rolls against Artist (Calligraphy) and Symbol Drawing (Gematria). Energy cost is 125 points. Placing the parchment in the golem’s mouth activates it. This is a permanent enchantment, but removing the parchment can return the golem to lifeless clay (p. 27).

THE SUPERNATURAL 25 FAMILIARS AND FETISHES Named Objects A fetish is an object that is magical An optional alternative to enchantment is the simple naming of because it contains a spirit. In objects. The object must be of at least Fine quality. While making it, the shamanistic traditions, where all maker inscribes a name on it. This requires a roll against Symbol magic is performed by spirits, all mag- Drawing, by the maker or someone else who tells him what to inscribe. ical objects are fetishes. Mages in Naming an object does not give it magical powers. Instead, the object other traditions may also create fetish- accumulates character points from performing notable deeds, at the es by various methods, such as casting same rate as its user. Each character point is worth 25 points toward an necromantic spells. appropriate enchantment, as decided by the GM. Enchantments thus GMs must distinguish a fetish from gained will reflect the uses to which the object is put. a shamanistic focus (see Foci, p. 28). The amount of named objects one person can own is unlimited. The focus has no magical power in However, experience divides among the objects, so it takes them longer itself but aids the shaman in concen- to gain new powers. Multiply the user’s experience by 25, divide by the trating on his transactions with the number of named objects he was using in an adventure, and round spirits. For example, the drums in down; the objects each gain that much energy. Voudoun ceremonies help the partici- In a setting where craft magic is available (p. 147), a Crafts skill aided pants go into trances where they can by ritually enhanced Talent can make a named item. The maker must channel the loa, but they don’t magi- also be literate. cally compel the loa to appear. GURPS provides several ways to represent true fetishes and other spirit-inhabited objects. unwilling Patron, and the fetish may Sorcerer’s Wand In some worlds, the spirits are the be the material component that keeps A magician’s wand or rod is shaped unseen force behind magical spells, it enslaved. To represent this, buy Ally like a hand-to-hand weapon. This isn’t but they never actually become visible or Patron with a suitable gadget limi- accidental: the wand’s function is to or take on any personality. Calling on tation. The spirit still has its own per- discipline uncooperative spirits. The the names of the spirits is simply part sonality, and getting it to produce spirits bound into it have the power to of the ritual of casting a spell. If magic magical aid will involve encountering inflict pain on other spirits. Each sor- works this way, then every enchanted that personality. cerer makes his own. Each wand is item has spirits in it – but an object The term “familiar” can mean unique, but a typical example would that holds a spirit is just an enchanted either a spirit or an animal that have Affliction 2 (HT-1; Affects Insub- item, and needs no special rules. attends a magician. Or, in a variety of stantial, +20%; Breakable, DR 1, SM It’s also possible to represent magi- ways, it may be both: a spirit may take -4, Not Repairable, -50%; Can Be cal items as physical carriers for the form of an animal, possess a living Stolen, Quick Contest of ST, Would spells, as chips are for programs. In animal, merge with it symbiotically, or not work for thief, -15%; Costs this version of Modular Abilities be bound into it. Binding a spirit into Fatigue, 1 FP, -5%; Melee Attack, (p. 130), a mage’s capacity to control the physical body of an animal is anal- Reach 1, -25%; Moderate Pain, +20%; the spirits bound to fetishes limits the ogous to creating a fetish. Stunning, +10%; Only on spirits, number of spells a mage can access. Here are some examples of magical -30%) at a cost of 15 points. A spirit Modular Abilities aren’t limited to objects that contain spirits: struck with it would have to roll vs. spells; they can also include skills HT-1 or be stunned for 1 second per (especially knowledge skills) and men- Djinn Lamp point of failure and in moderate pain tal advantages. This magical lamp summons a for 1 minute per point of failure (-2 to In some settings, fetishes are less djinni when rubbed (p. 107). The djin- all DX, IQ, skill, and self-control rolls). common. Shamans may know how to ni must grant the wishes of the user to produce them, but it’s not normally the best of its ability. Djinn have a possible to hire a shaman to do so, or racial cost of 247 points. In relation to HOLY RELICS buy one from him. Instead, obtaining any ordinary human being, a djinni is In a world where gods exist, divine a fetish requires persuading or com- an ultra-powerful individual, worth a power may pervade some material pelling a spirit to provide the appro- base 20 points. It can supply valuable objects or places. In some cases, the priate services. Since the fetish doesn’t equipment (+100%) and has extraor- object is simply a channel for the god’s require standard enchanting, its point dinary reach in space and time active presence (see Foci). An object cost isn’t based on its energy cost. (+100%), but is unwilling (-50%), and that comes into contact with a god Instead, define the abilities the fetish the lamp can be snatched with an may acquire holiness and retain it grants as advantages, and buy them unopposed DX roll (-40%), is break- after the direct contact ends. The with gadget limitations. able with DR 6 and SM -6 (-20%), can- source of holiness may be the god’s Finally, the spirit may be an not be repaired (-15%), and is unique actual physical manifestation (see enslaved Ally, or Minion, or an (-25%), for a final cost of 30 points. Gods, p. 31), or a worshipper to whom

26 THE SUPERNATURAL the god has granted miraculous pow- addition, contact with the object only for users who have Power ers (see Miracles, p. 151), or the makes it easier to communicate with Investiture from the same god, or a prayers of a worshipper, especially one the god. It grants +6 to Religious friendly god from the same pantheon. who has True Faith. Ritual if the god’s name is invoked, or As a result, it has double the normal It may be possible to create holy +2 for prayers addressed to “whatever cost: 1,000 points for 1 point of Power, objects deliberately. Some gods grant god or goddess,” and anyone speaking ¥2 per additional point. Power Investiture, which works with to the god is treated as having a Relics may have other magical spells from the College of Enchant- default Religious Ritual skill at IQ-6. functions. In general, a relic will not ment. Prayer can also dedicate an In some religions, such benefits may have any spell enchanted into it unless object to the service of a god. Normally descend on any physical object conse- it has enough Power to keep that spell this will be equivalent to slow and sure crated by the proper ritual; for exam- “always on.” If it does, it will perform enchantment, and what specific capa- ple, the consecrated bread and wine of its function constantly or when asked bilities the object acquires may be at a Roman Catholic mass may have to. If its Power permanently supports the god’s discretion. A GM may also them. one magical function, the base cost for 1 point of Power is only 500 (not doubled). If it has several functions, and its power can shift to a desired function, the base cost is 750. If the power refocuses freely on other spells provided by the god in question, the base cost remains 1,000. Enchantments that are normally “always on” don’t require Power. Examples of holy relics include: The Golem Created by Rabbi Judah ben Loew (as described in Monsters, p. 53), the golem gains animation by a piece of parchment placed in its mouth, bearing the kabbalistically encoded name of God. Removing it deactivates the golem. The golem of legend was made from clay transformed into somewhat unnaturally textured flesh, following the precedent of God’s making Adam from clay. It was obedient to orders from its maker and from others whom its maker designated. Its energy cost was 250 points. If the GM permits the creation of other golems, each golem will have certain specific skills designed into it, worth a total of 10 points. The traits of a particular golem may differ depending on its size and its material; its surface will always change into a semblance of human flesh, but its HP and DR may differ. The base energy cost of a golem is 250 points. This buys a golem with ST use the Meditative Magic system GMs can treat more potent effects 15. Golems may be stronger or (p. 151) to represent meditative spiri- as enchantments, and the objects that tougher; add 20 points to the energy tual traditions such as kabbalah. generate them as enchanted items. for +1 ST, 4 points for +1 HP, or 10 A holy object automatically grants The commonest enchantment points for +1 DR (starting from DR 0 certain basic benefits. Supernatural found in holy relics is a version of for the basic version). In some ver- creatures hostile to the god suffer 1d Power. Unlike the magical enchant- sions of the legend, the holy words are damage from its touch. Any that have ment, the standard religious power on the golem’s forehead – this a relevant Dread will find it unpleas- source does reduce the energy cost of approach makes golems easier to ant or terrifying even to approach. In the user’s spells. However, it works deactivate.

THE SUPERNATURAL 27 The Head of Orpheus When the ancient Greek demigod Orpheus returned from the under- Foci Foci are physical objects that aid concentration on a spell, or guide world to the surface of the Earth, the flow of magical energy in a way favorable to the spell. They are not despairing because he had failed to magical in any way. Instead, they enable the performance of magical bring his wife, Eurydice, with him, a acts. In subjective magic, all magical items may be foci. band of maenads (p. 205) found him and tore him to pieces with their bare hands. But, whether because of his divine parentage or because of his recent supernatural journey, he was ceremonial activation – a brief prayer Thunderstones filled with divine power. His head by at least 100 Christians. Once active, Thunderbolts are the weapons of remains a source of that power. it causes Fear in a 100-yard radius, Zeus, the king of the Greek gods, A worshipper of Dionysus or lasting 10 minutes, only affecting ene- made for him by the Cyclopes (see Orpheus can call upon the spirit of mies of Christianity. Its effective value Brontes p. 55). The power of their Orpheus to animate the head. A as an enchantment is 300 points, mak- attack consumes them as they strike. group of worshippers can do this cer- ing it worth 12 character points. However, from time to time, people emonially. Orpheus will resist an appeal from his own worshippers at -5. Because the head is holy, critical failures have no special effects beyond ordinary failures. If Orpheus’ spirit appears, make a reaction roll for him, at +3 if the summoner is one of his initiates. An invocation in newly composed song may gain a better reaction. The modifier is half the margin of success on a Poetry roll (round down). On a Good or better reaction, Orpheus will volunteer information beyond the exact wording of what he is asked. On an Excellent reaction, he may spend his own energy to remain until the crisis is resolved. He may do more than answer questions; he can still sing, use the Enthrallment skills, and cast many spells, always by singing. Whether he chooses to do this is at the GM’s discretion. If being summoned offends him, he may use his magical powers to chastise his summoner. In GURPS terms, this is an aspected Summon Spirit enchantment, usable only with Orpheus’s spirit, and worth 1,000 energy points. Energy must come from the worshippers. Its possession costs 40 character points and requires an Unusual Background with a point value that depends on the setting. The Spear of Longinus This spear was thrust into Christ’s side as he hung on the cross. His blood left it supernaturally empowered. Legends give conflicting accounts of its history and abilities. Peter the Hermit found this version at Antioch during the First Crusade. It requires

28 THE SUPERNATURAL find a remnant of a thunderbolt: a object or barter for it. A rare object physical object; only “cutting edge” small piece of flint, worked into a dis- should be forged, won on a dangerous magical research is rare. tinctive shape like that of an arrow- quest, or otherwise acquired in some head. Thunderstones retain a link to dramatically interesting way. Mana Levels and Jupiter, and have the benefits of all Depending on the setting, any one Enchantment holy objects. Their characteristic use kind of magical object may be com- Mana levels don’t directly equate to is in swearing oaths; two people mak- mon, rare, or nonexistent. Magical levels of availability of magical ing a serious commitment will in turn objects in general can be more or less objects. However, they do limit and take the same thunderstone in hand common in a campaign. There are influence them. while pledging. After doing so, each four main levels of availability: In a no-mana setting, there are no will have a Destiny to fulfill the oath No Enchantment: Objects with magical objects. Investigating reports (see Oaths, p. 147). magical powers are nonexistent, of such objects will reveal a fraud In GURPS terms, thunderstones because magic either doesn’t work or (usually), advanced technology, or a grant Skill Bonus +6 (Religious requires a living spellcaster. poorly understood natural phenome- Ritual) for administering oaths. The Rare Enchantment: Magical objects non such as psionics. Capitoline Temple in Rome, where exist, but can’t normally be bought or In a low-mana setting, a mage has Zeus is worshipped by the Latin name sold. Even minor magical objects have to learn Enchantment-20 to be able to Jupiter, keeps a supply of thunder- histories or legends. Those who carry enchant anything. Magical objects are stones on hand for this purpose. them may have Destinies, favor from typically rare. Fear no more the lightning-flash, the gods, or owe their souls to In a normal-mana setting, any Nor th’all-dreaded thunder-stone. demons. availability level is possible, from no Fear not slander, censure rash; Common Enchantment: Magical enchantment (magic can’t be implant- Thou hast finished joy and moan. objects are common and have custom- ed in inanimate objects, or enchant- – William Shakespeare, Cymbeline ary market prices. Magical objects ment spells haven’t been discovered) with unusual powers are still rare; this to very common enchantment (usual- often applies to holy relics, for exam- ly requires mass production tech- USING MAGICAL ple. At the GM’s discretion, low-pow- niques). Rare or common enchant- ered magical objects (see Buying ment is typical. OBJECTS IN Magic Items, p. B482) may sell for very In a high-mana setting, any avail- CAMPAIGNS low prices. ability level is possible, but common Very Common Enchantment: enchantment is typical. In a fantasy campaign, magical Magical objects are in everyday use, In a very-high-mana setting, there objects can serve two different pur- either because enchanter-level will always be magical objects. They poses for GMs, depending on whether Magery is widespread, because mass may even be common; they’ll never be they’re common or rare. production techniques work for scarcer than “rare.” If nothing else, Rare objects set their owners apart magic (see Technologically Enhanced they may be an exotic side effect of from ordinary people. If adventurers Magic, pp. 66-67), or because natural- miscast spells, even if it’s ordinarily own them, it’s because adventurers are ly magical objects and materials are impossible to enchant an object. If special, and the objects highlight that widespread. People use Ignite Fire enchantment works, new enchant- specialness. Common magical objects rings instead of matches. Nearly any ments and spells appear regularly, and show that the setting itself is magical. generally known spell is available in a are treated as rare; other enchant- Anyone can buy a common magical ments are common or very common. MAGICAL BEINGS If magic is real, there may be name for all such magical beings is magic is distinct from mana-based beings whose nature is primarily mag- “spirits.” magic. A spirit is a consciousness ical instead of material. Such beings Spirits can also exist within materi- without a material body. Some spirits don’t just have magical powers (see al objects. In particular, living things may be able to use mana-based Plants and Animals, Monsters, and have spirits, which give them life. magic, just as some mortal mages Races and Cultures in Chapter 3); they When the spirit leaves, the creature can. Others have spiritual powers that actually consist of magic. Some of dies. What happens to the spirit then advantages can define. These aren’t them can assume material bodies, or depends on the setting (see The Dead, mana-based, and spirits are no more the appearance of having such bodies. pp. 37-38). dependent on mana to survive than Others are permanently invisible and The standard assumption in mortals are. But in some settings, insubstantial. A convenient general GURPS is that spirits aren’t com- other approaches may fit better; see posed of mana, and spirit-based Gods, Spirits, and Mana (p. 30).

THE SUPERNATURAL 29 SPIRITS A spirit is a consciousness separate Gods, Spirits, and Mana from a physical body. It does not need What are the powers of gods and spirits based on? In a setting where food, water, or air, does not age, and is magic works by influencing mystical energy, do supernatural beings use unaffected by the physical environ- that same energy? If so, do they do it by casting spells? Or do they rely ment, though it can see, hear, and on something else entirely? (The same questions apply to magical smell. Spirits can pass right through realms such as spirit worlds, if they exist.) physical barriers as well as magical In many fantasy worlds, spirits are pure consciousnesses, able to barriers that aren’t specifically exist with no body at all. This is the default GURPS interpretation. designed to stop them. Most spirits In some fantasy settings, spirits are literally made of mana. Their can’t act on the material world, consciousness lives in a body of mana, as a human consciousness lives whether by speaking, manipulating in a body of matter. If this is true, spirits will have Dependency on mana. objects, or using spells or powers. A In most fantasy worlds, mana is Very Common. spirit that has these restrictions has Spirits and gods may have special powers. If these work by influenc- the Unmanifested Spirit meta-trait ing the flow of mana, buy the powers with the -10% limitation Mana- (p. 134). Gifted mortals can perceive Sensitive: they work at -5 in low-mana environments and they don’t an unmanifested spirit; see work at all in no-mana environments. Otherwise, don’t apply this limi- Shamanism, p. 149. tation. Other limitations may apply; for example, if spirit powers are Spirits that manifest themselves in powers of pure consciousness, anti-psi effects such as Neutralize (also the material world in some way – worth -10%) may negate them. becoming visible and audible, using In some settings, spirits or gods can cast spells. Spells are obviously spells or magical powers, or taking mana-dependent, but this doesn’t count as a limitation; it’s built into the material form – cause adventurers definition of the spells and of Magery. A spirit must have Magery to cast more concern. A variety of meta-traits a spell. allow the creation of spirits with such Finally, there’s a subtler option: perhaps all magic works by sum- abilities (p. 134). moning and directing spirits, or even creating them. Mana level is the Some spirits have always existed as quality of “being inhabited by spirits,” and high-mana environments are spirits; others were once mortals and environments that spirits favor. In a world of this kind, spirits aren’t became spirits after their deaths. For made of mana or dependent on mana; mana is made of spirits. Many the second type, see The Dead (pp. 37- cultures, especially those with animistic beliefs, think about magic in 38). The first type fall into several nar- this way. rower groups. Locations can have spirits, such as the nymphs of ancient Greece and Rome and the kami of Japan (p. 45). First to possess his books; for with- word meanings follow a similar path. So can times: there can be a spirit of out them A word for air becomes a word for an hour, a season, or an age (p. 78). He’s but a sot, as I am, nor hath not breath – the principle of life, and then Elemental spirits, associated with One spirit to command: They all do for sentience or sapience, the aware- specific substances, often take on bod- hate him ness of being alive. So a spirit might be ies made of those substances (p. 45). As rootedly as I. Burn but his books. made of air, or vapor, or another less Usually these spirits use the four ele- – William Shakespeare, tangible form of matter. ments recognized by the ancient The Tempest For example, Muhammad said Greeks (earth, water, air, and fire), Allah made the djinn of Arabic myth instead of the elements of modern (see Djinni, p. 107) from smokeless chemistry. SPIRITS IN fire, as he made men from earth. Plants and animals can have spir- THE ATERIAL Djinn have physical substance, but in its, which guard and protect either the M their natural form, they’re invisible individual living creatures or the WORLD and intangible. European mystics during the Renaissance wrote about entire species (p. 49). The idea of spirits as beings of intangible sprites, formed from air; in Human families, peoples, or civi- pure consciousness, without matter Shakespeare’s play The Tempest, the lizations can have spirits (p. 70). or substance, is only one way to wizard Prospero has such a sprite, Human activities and concepts can define them. Many cultures think Ariel, as a servant. have spirits, sometimes called personi- spirits are a type of less tangible and Some visible but not tangible spir- fications. There can be a spirit of law more elusive matter. its form various images, such as shad- or of love. The word “spirit” comes from the ows, reflections, and illusions. For Finally, there are greater spirits, Latin spiritus, which originally meant example, the doppelgänger of German such as gods, angels, and devils; sepa- “breath” or “air.” To expire, or die, was folklore is an image of a living person rate sections discuss these in more literally to out-breathe: when a dying seen in another place. Doppelgängers detail. man breathed his last, his spirit are usually hostile to their originals, departed. In many different languages,

30 THE SUPERNATURAL trying to get them blamed for illegal or Not all gods are spirits. Some reli- The sacrifice compensates the god discreditable actions. Some accounts gions and mythologies envision gods for its blessings. Gods may have enor- of faeries (see Faerie, p. 108) suggest as extremely powerful and long-lived mous reserves of magical energy, but that they are similar beings. material beings, inhabiting remote if they give it away to anyone who In GURPS, neither of these sorts of parts of the world or other planes of asks, they might run out. So the wor- entity has the Spirit meta-trait. Beings existence. shipper provides the magical energy, made of subtle matter usually have Gods who are spirits can choose to and the god converts it into a useful Body of Air; beings made of images assume human form, or the form of form. have some version of Insubstantiality another race. It’s also possible for a The sacrifice proves seriousness of or Shadow Form (p. 126 and p. 131). human being to perform such great intent. By giving up something pre- Either type of being may also have a deeds that he becomes a god. GMs cious, the worshipper proves the spirit, inhabiting its intangible form, should determine what constitutes importance of his prayers. This appeal just as human beings have spirits godhead in their campaign settings becomes especially powerful when the inhabiting their substantial forms. On and whether mortals can attain it. worshipper offers his own life. the other hand, some legends claim The seriousness of intent theory that beings without substance are also Burnt Offerings fits with religions where the central soulless. The GM must decide which Gods often expect their worship- offering is not material, but spiritual. is true in his campaign. pers to give them sacrifices, but their By being willing to pray, or fast, or reasons aren’t always clear. Does a god meditate, the worshipper shows his who can drown the entire world really devotion to a god or an ideal, and the GODS need one sacrificial ram? Different devotion is what the god rewards. Gods are typically spirits that religions offer a variety of answers, receive human worship, or worship by any of which might be true in a fanta- other material races. Their actions are sy setting. ANGELS the subject of mythology (see Many gods, especially powerful Mythology, pp. 76-77). The sacrifice keeps the god alive. gods, have servitor spirits, such as the Gods are usually gods of some- Gods may have supernatural ana- angels of Judaism, Christianity, and thing, just as spirits are usually spirits logues of hunger, thirst, and weari- Islam, or the Valkyries of Norse myth. of something. However, being the god ness. They may need blood, life ener- Divine servitors are commonly war- of something means more – not just gy, or the smoke of sacrificial fires to riors. They are not usually worshipped having an affinity or sympathy for it, regain fatigue points. Human worship or honored in their own right; worship but having power over it. The thing a may enable them to survive. Or maybe goes to the god they serve. But in a god has power over is his domain. it’s just more convenient if human ser- monotheistic religion, divine servitors Some religions have only one god. vants do the herding, butchering, and may have special roles, in the same Such a god is normally extremely cooking, and leave the gods free for fashion as gods in the pantheons of powerful, because his domain is divine responsibilities or divine polytheistic religions. Medieval everything that exists. Other religions amusements. Catholic thought, for example, recog- have several or many gods. The major The sacrifice gives the god pleasure. nized nine choirs of angels, from the gods usually control important Gods may not need sacrifices; they guardian angels who watched over domains and have great power; may simply enjoy them. This makes individual human beings up to the minor gods control narrow or unim- especially good sense in religions such seraphim who communed directly portant domains that give them little as Voudoun, where the loa borrow with God. power. A minor god may have no their worshippers’ bodies so they can more power than a powerful spirit. eat, drink, and smoke. Fantasy worlds often have invented religions that worship pantheons of invented gods. Small pantheons usually give each god a distinct domain. For example, among the Greek gods, Zeus ruled the heavens, Poseidon governed the seas, and Hades over- saw the underworld. Major gods can have several domains. For example, Poseidon was the god of horses and earthquakes as well as the sea. Large pantheons may have thousands of gods. Their domains may overlap or intricately subdivide. Often gods organize as a bureaucracy, such as the Chinese heaven – perhaps to limit quarrels over domains.

THE SUPERNATURAL 31 Mortals can see and hear angelic try to bribe demons to harm an beings, so the heavenly often serve DEMONS enemy. Demons will affect the physi- their gods as messengers. They often Just as gods have spirits helping cal world, often through an Affliction. take on human form, but not at their them, they also have spirits opposing A desire to possess human beings own whim; their gods grant their them: demons or devils. These may seems widespread among demons, physical bodies. Their appearance is serve an evil antigod, rebel against a and they often engage in trickery to often extraordinarily beautiful. good god, or simply enjoy human suf- gain consent to such possession; this A god may also have servants who fering and corruption. Many demons might even be an Addiction. are not noble warriors or emissaries, have a Dread of holy things. Some demons actually serve the but humble workers. Portray such ser- Demons often have some of the gods, willingly or not. For example, vants as various kinds of more ordi- less attractive mental disadvantages images of the rakshasa of Indian myth nary spirits. and may even personify those disad- appear in many Hindu temples, much vantages. A malevolent human may like gargoyles on medieval European churches. Their intimidating appearances and overall ferocity drive away enemies of the gods. Demons and Sickness Evil Gods In many mythologies, demons Some religions believe in not only evil spirits but evil gods. These have the power to make people sick. gods’ power depends on how negatively the religion perceives the Some cultures believe demons cause world. all sickness. Such demons use a Toxic Pantheons sometimes include a god of evil, such as the Egyptian Set Attack, but only while in contact with or the Norse Loki. Practitioners of “black magic” (p. 21) may worship or inside of the victim. Usually it has such a god. He may be a necessary adversary figure in the grand one or several Symptoms chosen from mythology, or a dangerous trickster who provides amusement and the effects of Affliction. problems in more prosaic tales of the gods’ lives. A “god of good” is less If a demon causes the disease, a likely; usually all the gods define and enforce moral rules for humans, successful exorcism can cure it. though gods in polytheistic myths often fail to meet such standards Physicians in such a world could have themselves. They may tolerate the “god of evil” because he governs an the skill of Exorcism. The GM may important and dangerous principle, such as fire or storms, because he treat the sickness demon as an unseen is too strong to destroy without precipitating an apocalypse, or simply presence and simply check whether because he’s a relative of the rest of the pantheon, and even gods don’t the exorcism succeeds. slaughter their own relatives lightly. They may keep him locked up somewhere, or exile him to the fringes of reality. Dualistic faiths, such as Zoroastrianism, believe in two equal gods, HALF-MORTALS one good and one evil, eternally at war with each other. The Christian Many magical beings have children name for this belief is “the Manichaean heresy.” Orthodox Christian by humans – typically, the supernatu- theology rejects the idea that Satan is as powerful as God, though the ral beings court mortal women (more Christian belief in a final war between Heaven and Hell sometimes sug- or less formally). In the Old gests otherwise. Testament, the “sons of God” (usually Finally, maltheism is the belief in an all-powerful evil god, or a pan- understood as meaning angels) did so. theon of evil gods. Not surprisingly, this isn’t a popular religious doc- The ancient Greek gods had many trine, but it makes a good belief for an evil or mad villain or a sinister such children; stories of King Arthur cult (such as worshippers of Cthulhu in H.P. Lovecraft’s fiction). often make Merlin the son of a demon. Maltheism offers its believers a grim choice: submit to their evil deities, The GM should decide whether this is do their work, and suffer torment and destruction; or rebel, and suffer possible and how often it happens, torment and destruction sooner. In a dark fantasy setting, maltheism charging an appropriate cost for could be true. Unusual Background. If there is an evil god, and a mortal comes to its attention, treat it as Half-mortals usually have super- an Enemy. Normally it will be utterly powerful (base value 40 points), human powers, skills, and attributes. even if it’s acting alone. If its goal is to destroy a specific mortal, it can They should have high point values – only appear on a 9 or less, and if having it totally dominate the plot isn’t “larger than life” (200-300 points), or going to work well, limit it to a 6 or less. An Enemy god who wants to more typically “legendary” (300-500 torment but not destroy a mortal (typical behavior for trickster gods points). They may have exotic or such as Coyote, or Loki early in his career) could appear on a 15 or less. supernatural advantages or disadvan- A god might simply watch a mortal who is a potential foe – perhaps tages, Transcendent Appearance, or indicated by a Destiny. This would affect a campaign in a minor way, increased lifespans (Longevity or regardless of frequency. Extended Lifespan). These traits may be mana-sensitive (p. 133). In some worlds, Magery or other supernatural

32 THE SUPERNATURAL advantages may not be available won’t be able to interact with most Finally, some spirits are seen only to human beings, but only to half- ordinary mortals. in materialized form. They appear mortals. However, half-mortals don’t A spirit that can become visible, when summoned by spells or sent as normally have any of the Spirit materialize, or possess a living being divine messengers, or they choose to meta-traits. can interact with mortals. It’s effec- take mortal form as avatars. The fact With all these qualities, half- tively a character like any other. that they are spirits is usually just mortals are prime candidates for For either of these last two options, background. Their character sheets apotheosis. the spirit’s character point value is should simply describe their physical important. The GM (or the player, if forms and attributes, including any the GM allows spirit PCs) needs to fill special advantages or disadvantages USING SPIRITS IN out a character sheet for it. This sheet due to their supernatural origins. For will include suitable Spirit meta-traits. example, a divine avatar who can CAMPAIGNS Since these are costly by themselves, resume his godhood when his mortal Spirits play two basic roles in fan- spirit characters are most viable in body dies has Unkillable 3 for 150 tasy campaigns. In some campaigns, high-powered campaigns. points (or less, if his ability to resume they’re kept behind the scenes; the PCs mortal form is restricted). use their help, but never actually meet them. In others, they’re actual characters in the story. Invisible Spirits In some settings, all magic comes Being a God from relationships with spirits. Mages It’s usually best not to give a god a character sheet in GURPS, but it’s cast spells by summoning spirits to aid not impossible. Here are some things that would need to go on a typical them (or, in some versions, every spell god’s character sheet. actually creates a spirit to carry it out). First, most gods are spirits, existing primarily in an immaterial form. However, the actual motives and per- But they aren’t as limited as other spirits. A typical god can assume a sonalities of the spirits may not mat- material body as often as it likes, so it doesn’t get the Usually On limita- ter. The only difference in game tion. When it does assume mortal form, killing its mortal body doesn’t mechanics is that Ritual Magic takes harm it permanently, but merely sends it back to the spiritual plane, so it the place of Thaumatology. has Unkillable 3. Spirits can also operate behind the Gods have large numbers of mortal worshippers; it appears that many scenes as the source of advantages gods gain strength from those worshippers in one way or another. One gained through a Pact. The rituals that way to represent worshippers is as Allies, built on 25% or less of the god’s mages must perform or the rules they point value (base value 1 point). A minor god might have 100 allies (rais- must follow to keep the advantage are ing their value as a group to 12 points). They have the special ability of visible; the spirits that impose the supplying power to the god through worship (a 50% enhancement, rais- requirement remain offstage. The ing their value to 18 points; add 9 points to multiply their number by 10). same is true of advantages such as The god can then buy huge amounts of additional Fatigue with the -40% Blessed and Power Investiture. limitation Granted by Worshippers. One Fatigue point per worshipper would be plausible. Visible Spirits Most gods can pay attention to more than one prayer at a time; buy In some campaigns, gifted mortals this as Compartmentalized Mind. A reasonable guideline might be one may perceive and communicate with compartment for each site that is sacred to the god (minimum 1 level). spirits. Such spirits react the same A very minor god could have +100 FP (Granted by Worshippers, -40%) way as other NPCs do, and the seer or [180]; Allies (Built on 0-25% of point value; 100 allies; Special Abilities, shaman can attempt influence rolls to +50%) [18]; Charisma 1 [5]; Compartmentalized Mind 1 [50]; Doesn’t gain their cooperation. As far as every- Breathe [20]; Doesn’t Eat or Drink [10]; Doesn’t Sleep [20]; Immunity to one else is concerned, they remain Metabolic Hazards [30]; Insubstantiality (Affects Substantial, +100%) invisible. A specific spirit may become [160]; Invisibility (Switchable, 10%; Substantial Only, -10%) [40]; a mortal’s Contact or Patron. An Unaging [15]; Unkillable 3 [150]; Maintenance (100 worshippers; unfriendly spirit may be an Enemy, Monthly) [-14]; and Mute (Substantial only, -10%; Only when insubstan- but only as a watcher. tial, -10%) [-20]. That’s a total of 662 points (so its worshippers could Some spirits may influence the be built on up to 165 points). Then consider higher attributes, divine material world through magic or powers, talents, skills, magical spells, and whatever else the god is other abilities. The spirit itself capable of . . . remains invisible, but its actions are In a high-powered campaign, this could be a starting point for defin- visible. Such spirits are suitable as ing a character who has undergone apotheosis, if the GM is willing to Allies or as active Enemies. A GM may provide adventures for lesser gods. even allow spirit PCs, though they

THE SUPERNATURAL 33 MAGICAL REALMS If magic exists, and especially if spirit world, other spirits can perceive, with its own inhabitants. In others, a magical beings exist, there may be touch, and attack a spirit, so it doesn’t single land of dreams exist, which all separate realms whose substance is have Insubstantiality, Invisibility, or sleepers visit, and where they occa- purely or primarily magical. These Mute. It may need to sustain its own sionally meet. A compromise version may be the homes of magical beings. existence; if so, Doesn’t Breathe and could have individual theaters of On the other hand, magical beings Doesn’t Eat or Drink have no point dreams with a common backstage. may simply exist invisibly in the phys- cost, just as Doesn’t Breathe is a 0- A dreamer with the skill of ical world instead of a separate realm. point feature for a fish that can Dreaming can use it to search through In GURPS, magical realms are breathe only water. If it has such the depths of his own mind. When other planes, reachable through needs, then it may also be vulnerable attempting to visit deeper levels mana-based spells such as Plane Shift to diseases and poisons in the spirit beneath individual dreams, such as a (p. B248) or advantages such as World world and not have Immunity to collective unconscious or archetypal Jumper (see Jumper, p. 129). There Metabolic Hazards there. The 114 realm, roll vs. Dreaming-5 to find may also be natural gateways to these points a spirit saves are the cost of the them. If all dreamers share the same realms, typically at very-high-mana or ability to perceive and move about the dreamland, or find their way into the very-high-sanctity locations or along material world in spirit form, while underlying archetypal realm, dream- ley lines (see Sanctity, p. 101, and remaining immune to its hazards. ers may meet each other and even Magical Networks, p. 45). The dis- have adventures together. If they have tances between gateways in the magi- Dreaming skill, roll vs. Dreaming for cal realm may correspond to those in DREAMLANDS one dreamer to find another. Two peo- the physical realm, or they may be The realm of dreams, in fantasy, is ple with Special Rapport or Mindlink utterly unrelated – or there may be often an actual place or plane of exis- are at +2 for this roll. People acquaint- only one gateway to a particular tence, which the minds of sleepers can ed through a long series of shared realm. visit. The beings that occupy it seem to dreams may meet in the waking Whether magical realms are mana- have form, if not substance, and the world, as in Kipling’s story “The based is variable; see Gods, Spirits, capability of perception, action, and Brushwood Boy.” and Mana (p. 30). speech. These may be spirits, or an There are other ways of entering As a rule, the inhabitants of a mag- entirely different order of beings, or a another person’s dreams. The spells ical realm are visible and substantial mixture of both – if your dead grand- Mind-Reading and Mind-Sending in that realm, even if they would be mother whispers a secret to you in a from the college of Communication invisible or insubstantial in the mate- dream, it may be important to know if and Empathy work on a sleeper. rial world. If they remain in their she was a real ancestral spirit or a Psionic abilities are another option native realm, their ability to survive phantasm of your mind. Oneiro- (see Psionics as Magic, p. 158). Mind and act has no point cost. For exam- mancers practice the art of discerning Reading permits passive viewing of ple, the Unmanifested Spirit meta- which dream beings and events are what a sleeping person dreams; trait (p. 134) costs 149 points. true and which false. Telesend permits implanting one’s However, that’s the cost for a spirit to In some settings, every individual own words or image in a sleeper’s move about the material world. In the dreamer has a separate dreamworld, dreams; Mind Probe can uncover

A dreamer with the skill of Dreaming can use it to search through the depths of his own mind. If all dreamers share the same dreamland, or find their way into the underlying archetypal realm, dreamers may meet each other and even have adventures together. If they have Dreaming skill, roll vs. Dreaming for one dreamer to find another.

34 THE SUPERNATURAL things a waking person has recently The illusionary nature of faeries especially magical locations may pro- dreamed. A mentalist who has entered explains some of their land’s perils. A vide gateways. another person’s dreams can use the mortal may think he has spent only a In a spirit world, spirits can harm skill of Dreaming there, but at -2 single night in a faerie realm, but mortals who occupy their realms, or because of unfamiliarity. If a single come out many years later. As long as take harm from them. Usually this shared land of dreams exists, these he remains under the faerie spell, his involves unarmed hand-to-hand com- abilities may let a waking person visit own life may be sustained by the illu- bat or natural weapons. Inanimate it. sion that he has not aged. But if the objects don’t exist in the spirit realm – In a common dreamland, the illusion is dispelled, perhaps as simply though some spirits may look and act advantages Insubstantiality and World as by his setting foot on the ground, he like rocks, swords, or full-rigged ships Jumper may allow a waking person to suddenly finds himself an old man. of the line. A spirit that envisions itself enter (pp. 128-129), becoming a being clothed, armed, or armored will of dream substance or projecting his appear as such, but will only inflict consciousness into a form of dream AFTERWORLDS added damage if it has appropriate substance. If each dreamer has a sep- The realm of the dead (see The natural weapons. For example, it arate world, these abilities grant entry Dead, pp. 37-38) is another highly might have a club bought as Striker into any dreamer’s individual dream- accessible magical world. The heroes (Crushing Damage; Long, +1 SM, land. Access to a single dreamer’s of mythology and literary classics go +100%) [10] or a knife as Talons [8]. dreamland is an -80% limitation. In there almost routinely; Homer’s In some spirit worlds, such attacks a stage/backstage setup, universal Odyssey, Virgil’s Aeneid, and Dante’s can kill a spirit in its immaterial form. access grants backstage privileges. Divine Comedy all describe such visits. A spirit “killed” in this way is either The skill of Dreaming can help when In genre fantasy, Ursula Le Guin’s The destroyed or permanently sent to finding one’s way around dreamlands. Farthest Shore and Garth Nix’s some realm beyond the spirit world. Abhorsen both describe long quests in In other spirit worlds, spirits cannot “If that there King was to wake,” the afterworld. be destroyed; the spiritual form recov- added Tweedledum, “you’d go out – In myths and epics, the usual way ers from damage like a physical body bang! – just like a candle!” to reach the afterworld is to go under- with Unkillable 2, at no point cost. – Lewis Carroll, ground. The realm of the dead may This doesn’t mean it doesn’t hurt! The Through the Looking-Glass actually be inside the Earth, or may be GM may also rule that a victor can and What Alice Found There another plane whose portals lie under- enslave a defeated spirit, perhaps by ground. Coming out may be less easy. forcing it to reveal its true name (see AERIE EALMS A mortal may sneak past supernatural True Names, p. 164). F R guardians, or gain the permission of Another class of magical worlds the ruler of the dead. In Greek myth, relatively accessible to human beings even the goddess Persephone, after HEAVENS is the lands of the faerie folk. Human the ruler of the dead carried her off to If a world has one or more gods, can reach these in physical locations be his wife, could only return to the they may inhabit their own magical where the physical and magical Earth with his permission. realm – a heaven. Such realms may worlds overlap. Such locations may be If a mortal does visit the dead, he actually overlap the physical world, hard to reach or dangerous, explain- often finds them insubstantial, even in just as faerielands do. Some versions ing why few people explore them. their own land. They can become visi- of Christianity envisioned God and Traditional areas of overlap include ble and audible without effort, but the angels dwelling above the atmos- faerie mounds, magical forests, and have no actual bodies. See Spirits in phere, or in an outer sphere beyond caves. Some of the loa of Voudoun live the Material World (pp. 30-31) for ways the sphere of the fixed stars, and liter- under the sea. In a planetary romance of portraying the souls of the dead in ally descending to Earth. Greek campaign, other planets might have their own realm. mythology placed the gods even clos- their own faerie realms, or the entire er, on top of Mount Olympus. planet might be the gateway to a faerie “Relax,” said the night man. However, other religions and mytholo- realm. “We are programmed to receive. gies place the gods in a purely spiritu- Like their inhabitants, faerie You can check out any time you like, al realm, as purely spiritual beings. realms often rely on appearance But you can never leave.” The GM determines whether the instead of substance (see Spirits in the – The Eagles, “Hotel California” gods or their servitor spirits use Material World, pp. 30-31). Just as magic. If they do, heaven will make faeries can change form, color, and the task easier. Treat heaven as a very- even size, the objects in faerie realms SPIRIT WORLDS high-mana environment. However, may be changeable. Faerie treasure A spirit world is a magical realm critical failures have only mild conse- may fade into crumpled leaves under that isn’t accessible by such simple quences, and never result in attacks by the light of day. Being made of the methods. Normal human beings hostile demons. stuff of illusions, faeries can touch will never enter a spirit world. Spirits in most heavens are illusionary objects as if they were Shamans and mages may be able to, Unaging and Unkillable. solid. through spells or rituals (see The Magical Arts, pp. 146-172), and some

THE SUPERNATURAL 35 HELLS ARCHETYPAL POCKET If there are heavens, there may also be hells, occupied by enemies of the REALMS UNIVERSES gods (see Demons, p. 32). These may A more abstract spirit world is a Whether a human wizard or a be realms of exile, but they are often realm of pure ideas, or Platonic minor god, a single being’s will may devoted to punishment. If their occu- essences, the perfect prototypes of create a magical realm. This implies a pants are spirits, then injuries to them which material things are imperfect very high level of magical ability. Such may only stun without inflicting actu- copies. Such prototypes may have realms are normally smaller than the al harm – but this doesn’t work in the very little personality in the human true world. They have a certain lack of victims’ favor, as it means death can’t sense, but a philosopher or a sorcerer reality, and anyone who enters one release them and the punishment still contemplating them may be illumi- may break out or even destroy it. E.R. hurts. In a material hell, the material nated. One could encounter anthropo- Eddison’s A Fish Dinner in Memison bodies of the condemned may miracu- morphic personifications of ideas, and Terry Pratchett’s Discworld novels lously regenerate, making them which may or may not be gods. offer a variant on this idea: our world Unkillable. It’s also possible for the prototype is actually a pocket universe created Demons often cast spells, so magic of the material world, or of all possible by beings in a world where magic is may work in most hells. However, if it material worlds, to be an archetypal possible. were easy to use, the damned would realm where other archetypes are con- In a sense, the dreams of individual use it to escape. Typical hells are low- tained. For example, in Roger dreamers are pocket universes. A mana planes, where casting any spell Zelazny’s Amber series, the realm of dreamer with Dreaming skill can con- takes a lot of work. However, any fail- Amber is the prototype for all other sciously shape his pocket universe. A ure becomes a critical failure, and an worlds. fantasy world could be the dream uni- actual rolled critical failure always A variant on this idea, more preva- verse of a god with Dreaming skill at draws the attention of a powerful lent in roleplaying games than in tra- an incredibly high level. demon. To limit this risk, and to make ditional fantasy, is the existence of Cyberpunk stories sometimes treat up for the difficulty of casting spells, realms that embody the pure essences virtual reality environments as tech- demons often have very high magical of the elements. Such a plane might nologically based pocket universes. In skills, which make them very danger- have aspected mana, high for the a fantasy setting, a virtual reality could ous if they visit normal-mana worlds. appropriate element and low for magically come to life, transcending everything else. its creators’ control.

36 THE SUPERNATURAL THE DEAD Death has a special and complicat- most effective scenarios, create the living forget them, and finally vanish ed place in fantasy. Mythic and leg- sense that their heroes are willing to when no one living still remembers endary beings are often deathless, and face death, and may have to – whether them, as in Between the Rivers. escape from death is the goal of many any of them actually do die or not. heroic quests and magical feats, and Slaughtering legions of helpless foes, the happy ending of many fairy tales. or facing a death that’s temporary and AFTERWORLDS But it’s a goal that may be unattain- reversible, can’t produce the same ten- Many cultures believe the dead go able, even for the greatest heroes. sion. Because of this, much of the best on to an afterlife. The quality of the Fantasy exists between history and fantasy has an element of darkness. afterlife depends on the person’s life myth, and time and mortality are the and death. The good go to join the very substance of history. Heroes of gods, or to a paradise; the bad descend fantasy aspire to mythic stature, but GHOSTS to hell, or to a dark realm under the they emerge out of history, and remain In many fantasy worlds, people’s earth. See Afterworlds (p. 35), Heavens ultimately mortal. spirits may remain in the material (p. 35), and Hells (p. 36). There’s another aspect of death in world as ghosts, especially if they have The definition of “good” varies fantasy: by dying, the hero or mage a strong reason to do so. They may from culture to culture. In Norse leg- leaves the world of mortality and even affect the living, though only end, for example, the Valkyries – nine enters the world of myth. In a fantasy extraordinarily powerful ghosts goddesses who serve Odin, the king of setting, death is seldom mere nonexis- assume material form. Ordinary the gods – choose warriors who die tence. It’s a dark side of existence, ghosts can communicate only with a fighting bravely to join the armies of unseen by the living, but powerful (see shaman or medium. the gods. Other people end up in Hel, Afterworlds, p. 35). Mortals may call In most fantasy worlds, the dead a dreary, uncomfortable place, where on the dead for knowledge or for usually don’t become ghosts. But it’s they are condemned to remember power – or receive threats from the possible, especially in a dark fantasy their lack of courage forever. dead. Necromancers, mages who deal setting, to have all the dead become at with the dead, are often the most pow- least weak ghosts, while the strong- erful of wizards. willed may have full or enhanced abil- REINCARNATION In a world with more than one ities. Angry ghosts could harass or Different cultures believe the spir- intelligent race, different races may inconvenience the living, as in Harry its of the dead come back in new bod- have different afterlives. Or no one Turtledove’s Between the Rivers. Magic ies. The new bodies may not be may know what happens to the dead; may have the purpose of protecting human, or even sapient. The Hindu it may be a mystery beyond the power the living from the dead, as in Garth and Buddhist religions, the Greek of magic to unravel. Nix’s Sabriel, whose heroine studies philosopher Pythagoras, and the In mythology, the gods may regard necromancy not to call up the dead ancient Celtic druids all taught that a death differently from mortals. Death but to send them away. man could return as an animal, and is often a realm that they’re privileged the first two favored vegetarian diets to enter and leave. Or, if they lose that to avoid the chance of killing a being freedom, it’s like a rest, a journey, or a ANCESTOR with a human soul. prison sentence; they don’t actually WORSHIP In a fantasy world where reincar- cease to exist. Heroes of legend or nation exists, characters may have A number of cultures, including high fantasy may receive similar priv- memories of past lives. The advantage ancient Rome and modern China, ileges, sleeping in a remote place until Reawakened grants the ability to have rituals honoring dead family needed again, or even ascending to the remember skills learned in a past life. members. In some cases, the ances- realm of the gods. Less legendary Racial Memory can apply to previous tors become angry if not honored, and heroes may enter the usual realm of lives instead of genetic ancestors. Two inflict harm on the living. A darker the dead, but live on there as spirits. In people with a close relationship in a view could define ancestor worship as low fantasy, death may be extinction past life may have a Special Rapport, a ritual binding the malevolent dead – or total departure from contact with activated when they meet in their new with the occasional improperly bound the living, but the dead may leave psy- life. Racial Memory of past lives may dead person returning as a ghost, chic or magical residues, as ghosts or draw them to seek each other out, or vampire, or other undead being. fragments of memory. they may even have a Destiny to meet In GURPS terms, ancestor worship The possibility of death also plays in their new life, or to go on meeting is Maintenance, and ancestral spirits an important dramatic role. The most in many new lives. have a Maintenance requirement dramatic choices involve things The classic novels of China and (p. B143). The spirits of ancestors are gained at the highest prices – and life Japan, reflecting Buddhist teachings, usually Unaging, but being ignored by is the highest price. Characters willing sometimes have characters who knew the living may cause them to age. In to pay that price are the most dramat- each other in previous lives. Kim other versions, they may fade as the ic. The most effective stories, and the

THE SUPERNATURAL 37 Stanley Robinson’s novel The Years of Any such ascended mortal will other spirits. But ordinarily, he won’t Rice and Salt adopts this idea to por- have extreme power. Among other use his powers for unimportant rea- tray an alternative history from the things, he can probably manifest in sons. A typical role for an ascended viewpoint of many incarnations of the the physical world, in an apparently spirit is as a Patron with the Minimal same characters. Characters in mortal body, much more freely than Intervention limitation. Japanese anime may also have ties formed in previous lives. Steven Brust’s sword and sorcery novel Jhereg portrays several important characters linked together by previous lives. An epic campaign could have a storyline spanning many incarnations. Finding the new incarnations of specific people can be the motive for a quest. Such a person might have known something important, if he retains his memory of his life. He might have been a friend of the PCs, whose memories of their own past lives send them looking for him. Or he might have been a great hero, wizard, or teacher, whose help is needed. A religion may seek out new incarnations of its head to lead it, as in Tibetan traditions in the real world. RESURRECTION Other religions teach that the dead will one day rise in restored and improved versions of their original Revenants bodies. This is the basic Muslim doc- If death is not final, then the dead may not always stay dead. The trine, for example. Christianity enslaved dead often serve their creators as mindless automata, such as includes both this idea and a belief in zombies, or dominated servants, such as lesser vampires. The restless an immediate afterlife, where the deads’ own compulsions drive their return, often because of the manner souls of the dead wait for the Last of their death or unfinished business in their lives. Battlefields may have Judgment. If the dead are simply many restless dead. The willful dead rise through their own determina- awaiting resurrection, they won’t tion, often helped by powerful spells. interact with the living in the mean- Some come back in the form of spirits, or ghosts, and have Spirit time. In some legends, gods grant meta-traits (p. 134). Others return to their bodies and reanimate them, heroes new life, not in the distant either temporarily or lastingly. future, but immediately. If the reanimation is temporary, the spirit has the advantages Possession (Puppet Only, -30%; Spiritual, -20%) [50] and Puppet [5], SCENSION AND raising its cost by 55 points. Consider the dead body an Ally with IQ 0 A and the advantages Minion (+0%) and Summonable (+100%). DEIFICATION Summonable has the special effect that the spirit is summoning itself to Some especially worthy people the location of its own body, and not the reverse. may not just go to live with the gods, If the spirit permanently implants itself in the body, treat it as some but gain supernatural powers in their sort of undead creature, such as a vampire (pp. 111-112). Give it one of own right. In polytheistic settings, the Corporeal Undead meta-traits (pp. 133-134), based on the condition they may actually become gods. In of the body. Since the spirit is not going to leave the body, being a spirit monotheistic settings, they become is merely a special effect. saints. In some versions of This type has more exotic possibilities. Dead bodies may host spirits Christianity, the saints almost form a other than their original spirits, such as demons. A spirit may even pos- pantheon, each interceding with God sess a living person (see the wendigo on pp. 52-53). for specific purposes. Even Buddhism, Exorcism will not drive out a spirit that permanently occupies the which regards gods as largely irrele- corpse of its own body. Any other combination is subject to exorcism, as vant to gaining enlightenment, honors described on p. B193. spiritually advanced beings such as bodhisattvas and arhats.

38 THE SUPERNATURAL CHAPTER THREE WORLDS

“Do we walk in legends or on the to him. She bent over the bed to kiss do they affect its landscape, its plants green earth in the daylight?” him, and awaken him to the embrace and animals, its intelligent races, its “A man may do both,” said Aragorn of her wings. cultures and civilizations? This chap- ... “The green earth, say you? That is a ter considers how to map out a magi- What difference do supernatural mighty matter of legend, though you cal world as a campaign setting. forces make to a fantasy world? How tread it under the light of day!” – J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings The Jewish quarter was dark, but darkness was no barrier to the woman who flew over the streets. She glided to a landing in a square and folded her wings about herself, making it easier to walk down the narrower alleys. The house she sought was in one of the narrowest of them. She passed through the door, and turned into one of the smallest bedrooms. Shmuel lay in his bed: a handsome young man, and a clever student. She felt the piety he had given to the past month’s prayers, like a stormcloud with holy lightning hidden in its depths, waiting to be released. The sense of divine power drew her

FRAMES To start with, what’s the overall with numbers: the planet’s diameter, jungles and swamps, a cold planet will shape of the world? Is it round, like surface gravity, atmospheric pressure, have glaciers, and a dry planet will Earth, or some exotic shape such as a average surface temperature, and have vast deserts and small seas. disc or hollow sphere? water surface, for example. Then the Because they affect a planet’s land- GM works out the kind of planet scape, temperature and water surface caused by these numbers. But in fan- are important in fantasy campaigns. PLANETS tasy, the planet itself is the natural GMs should ignore other numeri- In low fantasy, the laws of nature starting place. cal descriptions, such as gravity and are mostly the same as in the real Some numerical descriptions of a atmospheric pressure. A fantasy plan- world. A world with human inhabi- planet turn into pictures easily. A planet is really just “another Earth” with a tants will be an Earthlike planet, with et might be hotter or colder than different map. Its inhabitants won’t water and breathable air – even if it’s Earth, or have more or less water. have any problem coping with the in another solar system, a distant Climate differences will affect the ter- gravity and pressure. So it’s simplest galaxy, or another timeline. rain and weather that adventurers just to assume that they’re the same as In a science fiction campaign, encounter. A hot, wet planet will have on Earth and forget about them. designing a planet usually starts out

WORLDS 39 Space fantasy campaigns, where adventurers travel to other planets and encounter magic, are an exception. The struggle to survive in a diffi- Above and Below cult environment creates part of the A fantasy setting may have a different cosmos, not just a different drama in this story. In a campaign Earth. Within the solar system, for example, the planets may be the more where fantasy is the focus, GMs may Earthlike ones astronomers envisioned in the 19th century. C.S. Lewis’ decide that a planet’s gravity or air space fantasy novels Out of the Silent Planet and Perelandra take place on pressure is low or high, the same way Earthlike versions of Mars and Venus, for example. they may decide that its climate is hot In a more radically different world, the Earth may be the center of the or wet. Then they can apply the rules universe, with the planets (which include the sun and moon) orbiting it. for atmospheric pressure, different The very stars may not be inconceivably remote suns, but tiny points of gravity, and uncomfortable tempera- radiance in a sphere not far beyond Saturn. ture to the adventurers (see pp. B429- A flat Earth suggests even stranger astronomies. The sun and moon, 430 and B434. and perhaps the other planets, may be vehicles piloted by gods. The con- Hard science fiction writers make stellations may be heroes and monsters transformed into celestial beings, jokes about stories with “jungle plan- or the stars may be lamps hung from the dome of heaven to light the ets” or “ice planets,” pointing out that world. any Earthlike planet should have as If the Earth is flat, the space below the ground may be as vast as the many different environments as space above it. It may have its own dark gods, just as the heavens have Earth. But in a space fantasy, planets theirs. Gods of the dead are especially likely to dwell beneath the Earth, like this could exist! ruling vast kingdoms of imprisoned ghosts (see Afterworlds, p. 35). Other mythologies have races that live within the Earth. In genre fantasy, PLACES dwarves, orcs, and trolls all prefer to live underground. Underground set- In a high fantasy setting, the world tings work particularly well for dark fantasy. doesn’t have to be round. In mytholo- Philosophers in the Middle Ages believed in the idea of natural place – gy, the Earth is often flat. A fantasy light materials naturally want to move upward and dark materials down- world based on mythology may also ward. In a flat Earth setting, the Earth’s materials might get denser and be flat – for example, Terry Pratchett’s harder at greater depths. Stone from hundreds of miles down might make Discworld. Other fantasy worlds may nearly indestructible fortifications, worth the cost of cutting it and haul- have even stranger shapes. ing it up. Perhaps, for example, the depths of the earth are made of solid It was once seriously proposed that adamant (p. 22). the Earth is hollow, with habitable lands on its inner surface, and perhaps a central sun. This idea inspired stories by Edgar Allan Poe, Jules Verne, notice: the absence of a horizon. On a and Edgar Rice Burroughs. The interi- flat world, the line of sight extends MANY WORLDS or of a hollow Earth could be a fanta- infinitely – or at least until it’s inter- Nothing says a fantasy campaign sy setting. rupted by something opaque, such as must limit itself to a single world. A world in one of these shapes a mountain or a cloud. Distant objects Fantasies set in the modern world, would have really bizarre terrain and may waver or twinkle like stars. Inside where scientific theories are mostly weather if it had the same natural a hollow Earth, the ground actually true, may place magical realms in laws as Earth. However, high fantasy curves up to form a roof, probably alternate dimensions. Older mytholo- isn’t about scientific speculation. No with color patterns reflecting the ter- gies and mythic fantasies may assign matter what shape the world is, its rain and vegetation; there is no sky at them physical locations. For example, inhabited regions will be Earthlike. all. Describing how things look, espe- Norse mythology says that the Nine On the other hand, there will be cially from a high place, will help con- Worlds, of which Midgard (Earth) is one visible difference, which astro- vey the weirdness of such settings. one, hang in the branches of a huge nomers and navigators will be likely to ash tree called Yggdrasil.

40 WORLDS PLAYING WITH MAPS To create a fantasy world, draw a To produce bigger changes, take a map. ALTERING current map of Earth and alter one This isn’t the only possible aspect. Raising or lowering the sea level approach. A point campaign (p. 15) THE MAP is particularly easy; any good atlas has can work perfectly well without a map If magic makes more of a differ- maps with the contour lines. Or instead of the world, though it needs a ence, think about changing the map. of using Earth as it is now, look at maps detailed map of its dungeon, cave One approach keeps the terrain and of earlier geological ages, when the complex, or city. But an area, arc, or landscape unchanged, but redraws the continents were in different places. A base and missions campaign (pp. 15- political boundaries and possibly fantasy campaign could take place on a 16) depends on the GM’s knowledge of moves the major settlements. This cre- prehistoric continent such as Pangaea. the world’s layout. At least a sketch of ates the map for an alternate history, More places than Earth have maps. the main countries, cities, and geo- where the history-changing event is Starting with a map of Mars or Venus, graphical features is indispensable. the development of effective magic. and putting in oceans, could produce There are several ways to create a The main question asks how drastical- an unfamiliar but geologically realistic world map, depending on how radi- ly the political power relations were world. cally the setting differs from the real changed, and how long ago. world. For a minor change, take an idea from literature: keep the usual map, CREATING but fit in one or two extra small coun- EARTH tries, such as Ruritania (from The THE MAP The simplest method sets the cam- Prisoner of Zenda), Grand Fenwick Finally, there’s full world creation: paign on Earth, either in the present (from The Mouse That Roared), or drawing a map from scratch. A good or in the historic past. Use any world Scythia-Pannonia-Transbalkania physical geography textbook will help atlas or historical atlas for geographi- (from Avram Davidson’s Doctor produce a more realistic landscape, cal information. Fit the magical and Esterhazy stories). Magic may still with the deserts and jungles in the fantastic elements; perhaps in loca- happen to work in these places. right places. A look at Karen Wynn tions such as Stonehenge, Jerusalem, Small physical changes can have a Fonstad’s Atlas of Middle-Earth, in or Tibet that already have a reputation similar impact. Imaginary islands addition to being interesting, will show for magic. make particularly good sites for small, how an imaginary world can embody a peculiar nations. keen sense of landscape and demonstrate some geographical concepts. MAGICAL LANDSCAPES The most basic aspect of a fictional setting, magical or not, is the physical environment: the topography and climate. Even in fantasy worlds, this mostly resembles physical environ- The Living Earth ments on Earth, because it will be Medieval and earlier philosophers often regarded the Earth as having shaped by similar natural forces. Rock a metabolism, like a living creature. For example, many believed veins and water will still have weight; winds, of metal, ore, or precious stones actively formed within the Earth. On a rivers, and ocean currents will still long enough time scale, this is true . . . but in an intensely magical world, erode the land. But the players will the time scale may be much shorter. Worked-out mines might become take all this for granted. The things productive again after a few millennia – and long-lived races such as that will stand out, and that need spe- dwarves might have records to prove it. A world with such powers of cial attention, are the things that are self-renewal might also have very high tectonic activity, manifested as different because of magic. earthquakes, tsunami, and volcanic eruptions. The people living in a fantasy Fossils were evidence for such magical forces. Minerals within the world will probably be aware of their Earth seemed to spontaneously grow into the shape of plants or ani- natural environment. Most fantasy mals. Such fossils could be potent magical objects. It might be possible settings are pre-industrial, with few to animate a fossil, producing either a living creature of wood or flesh or large cities. People live at the mercy of a mobile entity of rock. Enchanters might pay high prices for suitable night and weather. Or if they don’t, fossils. because magic gives them control of the environment, this itself is an important difference.

WORLDS 41 lightning, tornadoes, and flash floods Such seeming paradises can ENHANCED (see Natural Disasters, p. 86). become a subtler trap. The beauty of Rivers may be broad and tranquil the scenery, or the ease and comfort ENVIRONMENTS ... or narrow and swift, with treach- of living in a garden environment, The simplest way to create a magi- erous currents, hidden rocks, rapids, may seduce travelers into forgetting cal environment is to exaggerate a real and waterfalls. Over time, rivers erode the goal of the quest. They may have natural environment. If a location is uneven ground. In fantasy settings, to roll against Will, at a penalty equal bright or dark, hot or cold, wet or dry, this can be less complete, because the to the Survival bonus, to make them- make it more so, or more unchanging- world is too new for much erosion to selves leave. They may even develop ly so. Each of the natural environ- have happened, or because magical an Addiction to the environment. ments in GURPS can have its own ground is more resistant. archetypal form. Swamps are miserably wet, and Arctic environments freeze uncov- offer little safe footing. A careless step IMPOSSIBLE ered flesh at a touch, or dazzle travel- may land an explorer in a bog that can ers with reflected glare. Simply walk- suck him under in a minute or two. ENVIRONMENTS ing over their icy surfaces requires a The air may unnaturally brighten with Magic can create environments DX roll to avoid falling. glowing vapors, or stink of decay. that would not exist in nature. A sim- Caves plunge miles below the Any enhanced environments may ple form is the climatically impossi- ground. Most caves are utterly dark, be especially difficult to live and travel ble environment. A garden may grow but some are lit by mysterious phos- in; the GM may assign a penalty of -1 among the glaciers of a high moun- phorescence. Any light that does enter to -5 to Survival rolls. tain, or in the middle of a desert. A them reveals elaborate multicolored Environments can have enhanced stretch of barren sand or rock may rock formations. good qualities. A region that supports cross an otherwise fertile country. In Desert environments are utterly vegetation may be extraordinarily fer- a space fantasy campaign, a planet dry. Even breathing the air leaves trav- tile, rich in edible plants. The climate may have small habitable areas with elers parched. Touching their sands may be exceptionally pleasant, espe- high mana, while the rest of the plan- can be lethal, as in the Deadly Desert cially in coastal or tropical areas. et is a desert or an airless ball of rock that surrounds Baum’s Oz. Sunlight in Either circumstance may grant a or ice. the desert is as dazzling as in the arc- bonus of +1 to +5 to Survival rolls; the Drastic physical impossibilities tic. Winds may carry blinding sand or very best enhanced environments may may exist in a high fantasy setting. It choking dust; windstorms can literally be natural gardens where an may have islands in the sky – great flay travelers or their pack animals. untrained person can find food and masses of rock floating in the air, hold- Forests are eternally shadowed, shelter with an IQ roll. Or the landing wilderness, fields, or cities. The with twisting paths that never go the scape may have an unearthly beauty. clouds themselves may be solid and right way. The nearby air is stiflingly still, but distant trees creak eerily in passing breezes. Jungles are much the same, but hot and humid and smelling of decay. Mountains are incredibly steep and high, perhaps even rising out of the atmosphere. Above the snowline, they present the same hazards arctic environments. Volcanic mountains may erupt, or menace travelers with lava flows or poisonous fumes. Oceans have mountainous waves and treacherous currents. In narrow seas, whirlpools threaten ships, as in Poe’s story “A Descent into the Maelstrom” or the encounter with Charybdis in the Odyssey. Elsewhere the seas are completely still, leaving mariners becalmed or even trapped in tangled seaweed. Coleridge’s poem “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” offers many hazards for seamen to face. Plains covered with high grass extend to the horizon. Their main hazards are weather-related: thunder and

42 WORLDS habitable. Huge caves may be magically lighted and have vegetation and people, or bubbles of air may hold Mana Basins cities beneath the sea. Occasionally, a high-mana or very-high-mana zone contains an If the setting is not a realistic planet, object that radiates mana in its most concentrated form. These so- but a place of another kind, it may have called “mana basins” actually contain mana available to be tapped by many impossible environments. Flat any mage. Most basins have a capacity of one or two energy points for earths may have heaven physically casting spells. But some extremely rare “mana geysers” have been dis- above them, in the sky, and hell physi- covered with a capacity of hundreds of points. cally below, beneath the ground (see An exhausted mana basin will recharge fully in 24 hours; the exact Above and Below, p. 40). In Norse hourly rate depends on the capacity of the basin. Any mage can tap a mythology, the climate grew hot in the mana basin by touching it. The capacity of the basin is the only limit south, culminating in the fires of to the amount of mana a mage can tap in a single turn. Muspelheim, and cold in the north, cul- Most mana basins are natural objects – stones, trees, springs, small minating in the ice and fog of Niflheim. caves, etc. Being expressions of the underlying mana of a place, they cannot be moved; a mana basin tree that is transplanted to another It was a miracle of rare device, location will retain its current charge, but will never recharge. Mana A sunny pleasure-dome with caves basins can appear or vanish overnight, but most mana basins are of ice! ancient (and appear inexhaustible). – Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Known mana basins will be claimed by someone. Local lords, “Kubla Khan” mages’ guilds, churches, archmages – mana basins are too valuable to be left unclaimed. The discovery of a new mana basin is a major event UNEVENLY in the wizardly profession; wars are fought to decide control of an important basin. DISTRIBUTED MAGIC In a fantasy setting, magic itself is also have different climates, weather, spells, or a forest glade might have a feature of the landscape. Is it the terrain, or vegetation. High mana is very high mana for plant magic. In same everywhere? Does it fluctuate often in remote places far from these regions, the favored type of randomly? Are there distant realms of human settlements, so that serious magic is made easier and stronger, high or low mana, or scattered islands mages have to isolate themselves – but while disfavored types are discour- of magic? Any especially magical area Walter Jon Williams’ Metropolitan and aged by the very energy a mage works can be a source of danger or the goal City on Fire portray a world where with. This kind of variation is espe- of a quest. Magical sites may also be people and buildings generate magical cially likely to be reflected in the the homes of spirits or other supernat- energy. region’s climate and plant and animal ural beings. It’s natural in a fantasy setting to life. In some worlds, all areas may Each world has an overall mana assume that high-mana places are have aspected mana (see Magical level, though some areas may be high- good and low-mana places are bad. Attributes, p. 18). er or lower. If mana levels do vary, the However, a different take is possible. Aspected areas may be of any variation may be on a large or small The folklore of Christian countries mana level, but are usually the same scale. Some worlds may have an over- says that magic doesn’t work on hal- level as the surrounding area. The all magical polarity: Roger Zelazny’s lowed ground. What if the holy places strength of the aspect varies from 1 to Jack of Shadows takes place in a world are magic-free, and the magic lurks 5; this strength adds a bonus to split into scientific and magical hemi- in unhallowed wild places? This favored magics and a penalty to unfa- spheres, and Terry Pratchett’s would fit especially well if magic is vored ones. Aspect strength may also Discworld has a central mountain glamour (p. 20). The statement of the vary within an area; some aspected range with extraordinarily intense Good Witch of the North – that areas have a uniform aspect strength magic. Some worlds have areas of Kansas, being a civilized country, while others grow more strongly high or low mana the size of a conti- would not have witches or wizards – aspected toward their center. Still oth- nent, so that reaching a place with dif- hints at this view of magic . . . though ers fluctuate almost randomly. ferent mana requires a long journey. the magic of Oz itself is not necessar- Life-aspected regions add their People may go on pilgrimages to high- ily evil or illusory. aspect strength to effective skill for all mana lands, or mages may found Healing spells and subtract from all schools there. On a smaller scale, Necromantic spells and all spells some worlds have areas of higher ASPECTED MANA which do direct harm (this includes mana within a day or two’s walk from Mana is not always equally appli- most Melee spells and most harmful every settlement. cable to all purposes. A region may be Body Control spells, but not most Mana variation may link to fea- especially favorable, or aspected, to Missile spells – they can be used more tures of the landscape or its inhabi- one specific kind of magic. A spring readily for nonviolent purposes). tants. Zones of different mana may might have high mana for healing

WORLDS 43 Death-aspected regions are precisely the reverse of life-aspected regions; they subtract from Healing spells and Mana and Life add to Necromantic and harmful In a world where spirits and mana are related (see Gods, Spirits, and spells. Mana, p. 30), and where life depends on having a spirit, no-mana areas Elemental-aspected regions add will be destructive to life. Effectively, every living creature will have some their aspect strength to effective skill level of Dependency on mana and will wither away if taken to a no-mana for all spells of the appropriate element area. (Anyone who is a Mana Damper with the Area Effect enhancement except that element’s Destroy and will have Lifebane as a nuisance effect.) This relationship could explain Control Elemental spells. They sub- such places as the Deadly Desert that surrounds Oz. tract from effective skill for the element’s Destroy and Control Elemental spells, and from all spells of the opposed element (Earth vs. Air, Fire vs. use of the desired type of magic will Magically Water). A One-College mage (p. 129) of help as well. It is easiest to amplify an the appropriate element gets a 50% existing aspect; aspecting a neutral Aspected Items increase to the aspect bonus, but a area is hard, and suppressing an It is possible for certain items to be One-College mage of the opposite ele- aspect almost impossible. Entire (or to become) magically aspected. An ment gets double the normal penalty! priestly orders have been dedicated to altar, a chalice, a robe – anything might become aspected by contagion Many other types of aspects are the task of eliminating the death aspects that linger around former (taking on a magical bond to things it possible. Almost any of the colleges comes into contact with; see The Three can reasonably have a corresponding strongholds of evil. style of aspects. Most aspects will be designed to aid one type of magic while hindering another, but you can certainly have aspected regions that only aid or only hinder. Ley Lines Detecting Aspected Areas A mage gets an IQ + Magery roll to notice that he has crossed the boundary of an aspected area. On a critical success, he will know the nature of the new area; otherwise he can cast Analyze Magic. Elementally aspected mages will always know when they enter an area to which they are aspected or opposed, though they won’t know its level. Changes in Aspect Aspect is not necessarily a funda- mental property of mana. An area’s aspect may change according to the Law of Similarity: like begets like. Thus, an area of volcanoes might become fire-aspected. A particularly gruesome battlefield might become death-aspected. Even less dramatic events may change the aspect of an area; the main hearth of a large castle might, after many years, become slightly fire-aspected (or food-aspected, for that matter). PCs may try to use this principle to manipulate the aspect of their surroundings. It should never be trivial to change the aspect of an area, but the Ley lines connecting very-high-mana sites (white circles) divide the land area into differently presence of lots of magically signifi- aspected manasheds: (A) Air aspected, normal mana; (B) Unaspected, high mana; (C) Earth cant events and materials will have a aspected, normal mana; (D) Unaspected, normal mana; (E) Light aspected, normal mana; (F) small effect over time. The extensive Plant aspected, normal mana; (G) Water aspected, normal mana. Red circles indicate centers of low-mana sites.

44 WORLDS Laws of Magic, p. 19). Details are up to Because ley lines have higher mana more common on ley lines. It may also the GM; it is possible that mages know levels than the surrounding environ- be easier to cross into other planes how an item becomes aspected, and ment, casting spells along them is eas- there. GMs may grant bonuses to Gate can take advantage of it. The aspect of ier. Special spells might tap their spells at a ley line and to Movement an item can be determined by Analyze power. In an “industrial magic” cam- spells directed along a ley line. Magic. paign (see Magic and Technology, Most ley lines are about the width The user or wearer of such an item pp. 64-67), they may supply power for of a path or road. The smallest ley casts spells as though he were in an magical production lines or for vehi- lines are effectively paths 18” wide; the aspected area. cles that travel along the ley line. largest are broad roads over 12’ wide. Spirits and magical creatures will be Enchanting in Aspected Areas Enchantment-aspected areas are extremely rare (and highly prized). However, enchantment can also be Spirits of Place assisted by working in an area aspect- In an animistic world, some spirits inhabit specific places. Ancient ed toward the spell to be placed in the Greek legends described several classes of nymphs (p. 213): the oreads item. When enchanting in an aspected of the mountains, the dryads of the woods, the naiads of lakes and area, the enchanter’s skill with the rivers, and the nereids of the oceans – one kind for each natural envi- spell to be placed is enhanced or ronment familiar to the Greeks. There could be another kind of spirit for reduced normally, while his effective every other part of the Earth’s surface, from glaciers to geothermal hot Enchant skill is increased or reduced springs. Spirits of place mostly want to preserve their habitats. So long by half the level of the aspect, round- as these are unthreatened, they’re calm, and may even be playful or ing down. The enchantment roll is still amorous. made against the lower of the two Other sorts of spirits actually live within masses of material: beneath effective skills. the ground, or submerged in the sea, or floating in the air. These are free-willed elemental spirits. They can come in any size, but the larger ones seldom notice human beings and may live on a much slower time MAGICAL scale, perhaps waking and sleeping once a year. Human-scale spirits are ETWORKS mainly concerned with disturbances of their elements. Earth spirits N resent miners and may try to sabotage their tunnels, and air spirits dis- In some versions of magical geog- like having the air filled with smoke or bad smells. raphy, magical areas form patterns in Spirits of the Earth’s surface typically remain stationary. Often they the landscape. GMs creating such pat- have a Dependency, with a base cost depending on the extent of their terns can use the following approach. place (see Disadvantages, p. 132). Free elementals typically have a Decide how many areas have Dependency on their element, so classify elements as Very Common. If unusually high mana and place them spirits are mana-based, the Dependency may be on the aspected mana in suitable sites. Assume that mana of a place or element, or even on high mana as such. This doesn’t change naturally flows outward from these high-mana sites into the landscape. the point cost. On the other hand, the attachment may be an Addiction, Draw lines connecting high-mana a Sense of Duty (p. 133), or a Vow never to leave. points or magical “hot spots,” like the ridgelines that join the highest peaks Planetary Spirits in a mountain range. These lines are In mythology, the planets are often vehicles piloted by gods (see secondary areas of higher mana, Above and Below, p. 40). The rise of natural philosophy at TL2 recog- called ley lines. Mana flows from them nized them as natural celestial bodies, but some aspects of the older into the areas in between, just as water view remained. Ancient Greek philosophers speculated that each planet flows from mountain ridgelines down had individually guiding intelligence. Medieval Christian theology trans- into watersheds. Place points with low ferred the function to angels. C.S. Lewis’ space travelers (in Out of the or no mana in the middle of these Silent Planet and Perelandra) meet the angels of Mars and Venus when “manasheds.” Each manashed has its they visit those planets. In a space fantasy campaign based on modern own separate flow of magical energy, astronomy, every planet might have its spirit. which may be aspected to one sort of Planetary spirits are normally extremely powerful. In a polytheistic magic. Ley lines are natural places to setting, they may be actual gods. Earth’s spirit is a goddess in many reli- divide areas with different magical gions. A planetary spirit could be a Patron (in a postmodern magic cam- qualities. paign, Gaea could be the Patron of a group of magical defenders of the Ley lines run straight between environment) but not an Ally. adjacent magical sites, unaffected by As a spirit of place, a planetary spirit may have a Dependency on its the physical landscape. If a third mag- planet or sphere – worth points only in a setting with interplanetary ical site exists near the middle of a ley travel or the summoning of planetary spirits. Treat it as Very Common line, the flow of energy will shift in such a setting (base value -5 points). toward it, forming a pair of shorter ley lines with an angle at the middle site.

WORLDS 45 PLANTS AND ANIMALS An important part of most land- Folk beliefs about the medicinal with Slave Mentality. Having animals scapes is the plants and animals that properties of herbs and other sub- embody moral traits is very much in inhabit them. A mountain isn’t just a stances may be consistently true. A the idiom of high fantasy and works mass of rock; it’s a set of habitats at plant with heart-shaped leaves may be well in light fantasy. An animal’s mag- different altitudes – a level of cold-tol- good for a weak heart, for example. A ical gifts may also have moral signifi- erant trees, a level of alpine herbs, GM may exaggerate these medicinal cance. In dark fantasy, some animals grass, moss, and lichen, and a barren effects, as in the field of poppies that may embody anti-moral traits or even level of snow, ice, and rock. Each has sends Dorothy, Toto, and the Cowardly malevolent magic. its own distinctive animal species as Lion to sleep in The Wizard of Oz. One of the commonest emblematic well. Setting the scene for a fantasy Fantasy may also enhance the traits is Trickster. Most human cul- adventure involves populating the effect of living creatures on the natural tures credit an animal with human or world with living creatures, both real environment. Forests are often creepy superhuman cunning, and a joy in and imaginary. places, with angry trees waiting to playing pranks. Well-known examples GMs can use a variety of sources avenge a traveler’s campfire. Branches in North America include coyotes, for imaginary creatures. The study of may drop on an adventurer’s head, or foxes, rabbits, and ravens. The kitsune fossils has revealed numerous extinct ensnare him, or paths may mysteri- (magical foxes or fox spirits) of species that might have survived in a ously close off behind him. Spider Japanese legends take human form, different world (or, in a “living Earth” webs may be yards across and impos- usually that of beautiful women, and setting, might be unborn future life- sible to cut with any nonmagical cast spells, especially illusion spells. forms within the womb of the Earth). blade. On the other hand, the colors of All the imaginary species in this Cryptozoologists investigate popular flowers and the songs and plumage of book have emblematic traits, as well legends of mysterious beasts, hoping birds may be supernaturally lovely. as their other attributes. GMs can to prove that bigfoot, sasquatch, or determine whether these species actu- yeti exists or to find plesiosaurs in Moral Attributes ally have these traits. Loch Ness. Myths and legends In folklore, legend, and mythology, Ellum she hateth mankind, and describe other fantastic beasts, some animals often embody specific virtues waiteth of which, such as unicorns and manti- (or faults), which mental advantages Till every gust be laid cores, may have originated in misun- and disadvantages can represent. For To drop a limb on head of him derstood stories from distant coun- example, an elephant’s never forget- That anyway trusts her shade. tries. Charlatans sometimes create ting could be Eidetic Memory; a cat’s – Rudyard Kipling, fraudulent specimens of legendary inquisitiveness could be Curiosity; “Oak and Ash and Thorn” creatures. On the other hand, skeptics even an ant could be a Workaholic may think that real creatures are frauds of this kind. Some zoologists dismissed the platypus, with its furry body and ducklike bill, as an obvious fake! And, of course, writers, artists, or filmmakers can just make up entirely new creatures, and so can GMs. PLANT AND ANIMAL LEGENDS Even real plants and animals in a fantasy world may have fantastic traits. Folklore and legends about natural history may be true in a fantasy setting. Physical Attributes Folk beliefs often exaggerate the physical and mental traits of real lifeforms. In a fantasy setting, a blood- hound’s keen nose could provide a supernatural tracking ability, or a por- cupine could fire its quills like darts.

46 WORLDS Animal Languages Fantasy can envision entire worlds Bird of Paradise Folklore often envisions animals as of civilized animals. Many Native The legendary bird of paradise, secretly living human-like lives, and American legends are set in a world found on remote tropical islands, is an even having languages (p. 64). In some where all animals spoke and built extraordinary creature: not only versions, animals actually speak houses – which the trickster Coyote extremely beautiful, with brilliantly human languages, but only on special disrupted, in some versions, when he colored feathers, but so pure that it occasions or to favored humans. In made humans. Anthropomorphic or never touches the ground, spending its others, there are animal languages. A “furry” stories, particularly in comics, whole life in flight. Indeed, it has no human with the advantage Speak with also present animal worlds. A note- feet to walk on. Animals can speak all these languages. worthy example is Usagi Yojimbo, por- ST 2; DX 14; IQ 4; HT 14. Other humans can learn them at the traying the occasionally supernatural Will 14; Per 11; Speed 7; Dodge 10; same cost as spoken human lan- adventures of a rabbit samurai. Move 0 (Ground). guages. However, since animal voices SM -4; 5 lbs. are different from human voices, Companion Animals Faithful and unusually gifted ani- Mimicry-12 (specialized in animal Traits: Acute Vision 1; Appearance mals accompany many human heroes sounds or bird calls) is a prerequisite (Very Beautiful; Universal); Doesn’t in fantasy. Sometimes these are actu- for learning the accented form of such Sleep; Flight (Winged; Move 12); ally vessels for spirits. They may have languages, and Mimicry-16 for learn- Longevity; No Fine Manipulators; psychic or emotional bonds with their ing the native form. Animals with Not Bestial; Voice; Wild Animal. human companions. Even “normal” Mimicry-12 or Mimicry-16 (special- Emblematic Trait: Aerial. companion animals are often extraor- ized in speech) can similarly learn Skills: Aerobatics-14; Singing-16. human languages in such settings. dinarily clever and trainable – repre- In a setting where this is true, ani- sented by raising their IQ one or two Herecine mals are not Mute. Whether their IQ is points above what the species tem- In European legend, the herecine is higher, or whether nonsapient beings plate provides (see the Superior Horse a carnivorous plant large enough to can use language, depends on the set- on p. 106). feed on humans. It’s a large, attractive ting, but even sapient animals won’t Very intelligent animals may speak bush, averaging 6’ high and 9’ in diam- have much technology. GMs could human languages, at least to their eter, with dark red berries on its outer split sapience between tool-using sapi- human companions. The animal may branches and many more on its inner ence, still based on IQ, and linguistic even be the more intelligent of the branches. The berries smell delicious sapience, based on Perception, giving two, as in the fairy tale “Puss in Boots” and are hard to resist. But any small any reasonably alert animal the ability or C.S. Lewis’ The Horse and His Boy. animal that climbs into the inner to speak. Puss in Boots is also an example of an branches, any large animal that animal that uses human equipment. browses on them, or any human who The King of Beasts and picks the berries will be grappled and the Parliament of Fowls IMAGINARY pulled toward the central trunk, where If animals can speak with each a set of jaws inflict crushing damage other, they can also tell stories and SPECIES (1d+2 per second). Anyone grappled have laws (such as the Jungle Law of Fantasy novels often contain can break free by winning a Quick Kipling’s The Jungle Books). They can invented plant and animal species. Contest of ST. have organized societies and rulers. Some are minor variants on real living ST 20; DX 12; IQ 0; HT 12. European traditions make the lion the things. Others have exotic body plans, Will 0; Per 12; Speed 6; Move 0. king of beasts, while some Native such as the six-limbed vertebrate con- SM +1; Weight 300 lbs. American cultures give a similar role figuration of gryphons (p. B460). to Grandfather Bear. Medieval litera- Animals can appear as threats, Traits: Affliction (Gluttony; Area ture describes the Parliament of menagerie specimens, valuable game, Effect, 4 yards; Sense-Based, Fowls, which Alan Moore imitated or potential companions. Fantasy Smell; Emanation); Appearance with the Parliament of Trees in the plants may be active, or even carnivo- (Attractive; Universal); Binding 12 comic Swamp Thing. rous, like Audrey II in the film Little (Melee Attack, Reach 1, 2, Cannot Some fantastical animal societies Shop of Horrors. Parry); Blindness; Deafness; De- live under natural conditions. The following examples of plants pendency (Animal Flesh, Weekly); Watership Down offers a well-realized and animals, largely drawn from folk- Doesn’t Breathe; Doesn’t Eat or modern example. But other fantasies, lore and mythology, might appear in a Drink (Requires Water, -50%); DR such as the Chronicles of Narnia, have fantasy setting. Animal statistics 3; Fragile (Combustible); Hard talking beasts, such as the swashbuck- appear in the abbreviated “creature to Subdue 4; Injury Tolerance ling mouse Reepicheep, who lead statistics” form (see p. B456). (Homogenous, No Eyes, No Head, much more humanlike lives, with fur- Relatively active plants use the same No Neck); Mute; Regrowth; Sessile; nishings and tools and weapons. This form. Other plants use a briefer form, Temperature Tolerance 5. version usually works best in light fan- listing only HT, HP, SM, weight, and Emblematic Trait: Odious Racial tasy; it also appears in many animated qualities that may be important to Habit (Eating Humans). cartoons. adventurers.

WORLDS 47 Terrain Adaptation (Sand); Tunneling 1 (Only Through Earth); Wild Animal. Emblematic Trait: Miserliness. Skills: Prospecting-12. MAGICAL SPECIES AND MANA ORGANS Animals and plants in a fantasy setting can have magical powers. Normally these don’t involve learning or casting spells; instead, the animal has an instinctive ability to produce certain magical effects. In a setting with intrinsic magic, this ability comes from the presence of a mana organ, as defined in Natural Magic (pp. 22-23). A species that has this ability can only use it in an area where mana is available. Mana organs operate while the creature is alive; once it dies, they remain effective for a Manticore attached to the tail . . . the sound of its few uses, but once their store of mana A ferocious predator native to voice is something between the sound is used it doesn’t replace itself. India, the manticore has the face of a of a pan-pipe and that of a trumpet . . . Magivores use mana to support man, with blue eyes; the body of a it can run swiftly as a deer, and . . . is basic metabolic functions. These crea- lion, bright red in color; and a scorpi- a savage man-eater. tures have a Dependency on mana. If on’s tail, from which it fires spines at – Aristotle, Historia Animalium taken to a no-mana area, they die of its prey (1/2D 10, Max 100, Acc 3, RoF magic starvation. A magivore may 1, Shots N/A, Recoil 1). Mountain Ant need mana as well as food (for ani- The Greek historian Herodotus mals) or soil, water, and sunlight (for ST 19; DX 13; IQ 5; HT 12. wrote of giant ants found in the moun- plants), or it may sustain itself entire- Will 11; Per 12; Speed 6.25; Dodge tains of the Persian Empire. They ly on mana. The second type may have 10; Move 9. were bigger than foxes but smaller very strange shapes, neither animal SM +1 (2 hexes); 500 lbs. than dogs. nor vegetable, without mouths, roots, Mountain ants burrow in the gold- Traits: Combat Reflexes; DR 1; or leaves, but with special mana rich soil of their native land and carry Impaling Attack 1d+1 (Tail Darts); organs that sustain life. nuggets up to the surface. They resent Night Vision 2; Odious Racial The bodies of living things natural- being disturbed and swarm to attack Habit (Eating Humans); Penetrat- ly generate mana. Some magivores anyone attempting to take their gold. ing Voice; Quadruped; Restricted may acquire their mana from plants Typically, two will attack in each hex, Diet (Fresh Meat); Sharp Claws; or animals, either by magically drain- one per leg of a standing target, but Sharp Teeth; Temperature Toler- ing it, or by eating, drinking, or four can easily strike at a fallen intrud- ance 1; Wild Animal. absorbing mana-rich tissues. Blood is er. Their bite inflicts 1d-4 cutting dam- Emblematic Trait: Fearlessness +3. traditionally a mana source, but spe- age. Skills: Brawling-13; Innate Attack cialized mana organs are even better, (Projectile)-14; Stealth-13. ST 3; DX 10; IQ 1; HT 10. and creatures with such organs may Will 10; Per 12; Speed 5; Dodge 8; be targets for magical parasites or The Indian wild beast called the Move 4. predators. manticore has a triple row of teeth in SM -2; 10 lbs. both upper and lower jaw . . . it is as Moly big as a lion and equally hairy, and . . . Traits: 360º Vision (Vulnerable); This plant confers protection from its feet resemble those of the lion . . . it Combat Reflexes; DR 3; Extra Legs hostile magic. According to Homer, resembles man in its face and ears . . . (Six Legs); High Pain Threshold; Odysseus used it to ward off Circe’s its eyes are blue, and its color vermil- Horizontal; Lifting ST +2; spells (p. 23). The plant grows as an ion . . . its tail is like that of the land- Nictitating Membrane 1; No Fine inconspicuous herb, with a round scorpion . . . it has a sting in the tail, Manipulators; Slave Mentality; black root and a white flower. HT 12; and has the faculty of shooting off Striking ST +4; Teeth (Sharp); 1 HP; SM -6; 0.5 lb. arrow-wise the spines that are

48 WORLDS Panther The panther of medieval myth is not a leopard with black fur, but a sep- Plant and Animal Spirits arate species. Panthers are large cats, Each sapient being has its own spirit, but life forms with racial IQ 5 as big as a lion, and their fur is pure or less do not. Instead, the entire species has one or more spirits. Such white. The panther has one special gift: spirits behave somewhat like the species of which they are archetypes. its perfumed breath (1/2D 10, Max 100, In particular, if a species has an emblematic trait, its spirits have that Acc 3, RoF 1, Shots N/A, Recoil 1). trait also. Plant spirits often stay in one place and thus resemble spirits Anyone exposed to it must roll vs. HT- of place – is a dryad (p. 213) the spirit of oak trees, or of a specific oak, 2 (vs. HT at 1/2D range) or become or of the place where an oak tree grows? The ambiguity is less for ani- obsessed with the sweet scent. Anyone mal spirits, because, like animals, they move around. so obsessed must immediately make a Plant and animal spirits usually take the form of their plant or animal self-control roll (6 or less) or begin if they materialize. However, a spirit may also take a humanoid form walking toward the panther at Move 1. with a few features that resemble the plant or animal. Such beings may When the first victim comes within 3 even have half-human children. Some tribal peoples believe that all yards, the panther springs and attacks human beings are descended from such animal spirits, or totems, and (biting and raking with the hind legs). human clans may cultivate relationships with their totems as allies or If it kills the victim, the panther drags advisors. If human beings learn lycanthropy (p. 60), a clan might take on him off the trail to devour him. the shape of its totem animal. “Belongs to (animal species) totem” would be a 0-point feature of such a clan. ST 16; DX 11; IQ 4; HT 13. Animal spirits commonly have a Sense of Duty to the animal species Will 10; Per 12; Speed 6; Dodge of which they are archetypes. Mobile plant spirits may have this as well. 10; Move 10. Localized plant spirits often have a Sense of Duty to their local habitats. SM +1 (2 hexes); 400 lbs. They may also have a Dependency on a specific plant. Traits: Affliction 3 (Disadvantage: Obsession, +5%; Cone, 1-yard width, +60%; Smell-Based, +50%; and a beard like a goat. Its voice is a ST 18; DX 13; IQ 4; HT 11. Mana-Sensitive, -10%); Combat hideous bray. In combat situations it Will 12; Per 12; Speed 6; Dodge 10; Reflexes; DR 1; Extra Attack 1; can bite (1d+1 crushing damage), kick Move 6. Night Vision 5; Quadruped; Sharp (1d+2 crushing damage), or thrust SM +1 (3 hexes); 800 lbs. Claws; Sharp Teeth; Temperature with its horn (1d+3 impaling damage), Traits: Combat Reflexes; Enhanced Tolerance 1; Wild Animal. but usually prefers a running charge Move 1.5 (Ground Speed 18); Emblematic Trait: Charisma. with its horn. The horn is also highly Hooves; Striker (Impaling; Reach Skills: Brawling-12; Climbing-12; magical; powdered horn is a natural 1; Cannot Attack in Close Combat; Innate Attack (Breath)-14; Stealth- universal antidote. Cannot Parry; Limited Arc, Only 15. The unicorn’s charge uses Lance Straight Ahead); Penetrating Voice; skill. The basic damage from a charge Peripheral Vision; Quadruped; Unicorn is (ST 18 ¥ Move 18)/100 = 3.24, Wild Animal. The unicorn of medieval legend is a rounded to 3d. Used as an impaling Feature: Uses its horn as a lance. fierce beast native to India. It looks striker, the horn raises this to 3d+3. A Emblematic Traits: Berserk (6) somewhat like a small horse, with a unicorn can specifically target the (Battlelust); Loner (12). slender body and uncloven hoofs. A vitals, reducing its effective skill to 10 Quirk: Tame when approaching vir- single spiral horn a yard long grows but multiplying damage by 3. out of its forehead. It has white hair gin women. Skills: Brawling-13; Lance-13; Stealth-13. MONSTERS Why have a separate section on like themselves. Each monster comes play in fantasy gaming. It’s not just that monsters, instead of simply listing into being through some disturbance they’re big, or dangerous, or magical, them with other plants and animals? of nature. In Latin, a monstrum was an or all three. It’s that they’re unpre- In folklore and mythology, mon- omen, a sign from the gods that some- dictable. No one knows how to fight sters aren’t just unusually intimidating thing (usually bad) was about to hap- them. Finding out doesn’t mean just plant or animal species. They aren’t pen, in the form of an unnatural birth. looking them up in a convenient refer- species at all. A species is a group of GURPS Fantasy reserves the name ence book – it requires study of disin- living organisms that can breed with “monster” for extraordinary creatures tegrating ancient manuscripts, or mag- each other, producing more of their – creatures outside the order of nature, ical divination, or observation and own kind. However, monsters don’t and often unique. Like superheroes, risky experiments. Fighting them is a come from earlier monsters of their they have origins and powers. Truly task for heroes. own kind, and don’t produce offspring unique creatures have a special role to

WORLDS 49 There are several broadly defined protection should be that a creature Basic Speed 7.00 [0]; Basic Move 4 types of true monsters. Most of the fol- on this scale isn’t likely to notice a sin- [-15]; Dodge 11†. lowing stats are for characters instead gle human being, though it might see 50’ wingspan; 185,000 lbs. (SM +6). of creatures, since they’re distinctive – and attack or pursue – a large ship or individuals that require memorable a walled city, requiring desperate Advantages encounters. measures to escape it or drive it off. Acute Vision 4 [8]; Claws (Long Talons) [11]; Combat Reflexes [15]; Rukh DR 2 (Can’t Wear Armor, -40%) [6]; GIANTS 520 points DR 4 (Can’t Wear Armor, -40%; Legs Only, -20%) [8]; Enhanced Move 1 (Air The simplest monsters are unnatu- A gigantic bird of prey, large rally large forms of familiar animals. Speed 28) [20]; Flight (Winged, -25%) enough to carry an elephant in its [30]; Protected Sense (Vision) [5]; Such creatures are not confined to talons. Some stories call it “roc.” fantasy or mythology; an entire genre Strikers (Two Wings; Crushing; Weak, Muslim legend says that Allah created -50%) [5]; Teeth (Sharp Beak) [1]; of monster movies is devoted to giant it to rule the air as the behemoth and animals. Humanlike giants also Unaging [15]. leviathan rule the land and sea. Men Perks: Penetrating Voice. [1] appear in many myths. Monsters of fear the rukh’s ferocity, but it actually other sorts may also be unnaturally is not very dangerous to men, who are Disadvantages huge. smaller than its preferred prey. Bad Grip 3 [-15]; Berserk (12) [-10]; “Giant” creatures come in a variety The rukh’s long talons inflict Foot Manipulators (Two Arms) [-6]; of sizes. Some giants are simply large 11d+11 cutting or impaling damage Gluttony (12) [-5]; Restricted Diet members of their species. For exam- on its prey. Its beak inflicts 11d-1 (Fresh Meat) [-10]; Wild Animal [-30]. ple, if an average wolf weighs 120 lbs., large piercing damage. Either of its a giant wolf might weigh 240 lbs. two wings can inflict 11d crushing Skills People would call it “the biggest wolf damage. Brawling-16 (DX+2) [4]; Survival- I’ve ever seen” and find it intimidating. 12 (Per+0) [2]. It wouldn’t be unnatural or supernatu- ST 100 [400*]; DX 14 [80]; IQ 4 [-120]; * -60% for Size. ral – but its appearance might be an HT 14 [40]. † +1 from Combat Reflexes. omen (see Soothsaying, p. 150). Such Damage 11d/13d; BL 2,000 lbs.; HP creatures have Gigantism (as defined 100 [0]; Will 12 [40]; Per 12 [40]; FP on p. B20) and typically have ST 14 [0]. increased by 25%. See Lupus Magnus on p. 231 for an example of this type of giant. Other giant creatures are clearly unnatural, often many times larger than normal. If the starting point is a mammal, reptile, bird, or fish, the giant form is typically no more than 10 times as big (SM increased by no more than 6). For insects or other small creatures, the multiple may be 100 or more (SM increased by 12 or more). These typical giant monsters of fantasy are big enough to present a serious threat to a human being. Realistically, such creatures could not support their own weight, but in a fantasy setting, they may compare to real animals of similar size; an elephant- sized rat would have the ST and HP of an elephant, for example. (See Behind the Curtain: How Strong Is a Giant? on p. 51.) Some legends describe creatures as large as geographical features, from mountain-sized to continent-sized. The Biblical Leviathan and the world- encircling Midgard Serpent of Norse myth are examples. Human adventurers can’t fight such entities with any normal weapons or spells. Their main

50 WORLDS Behind the Curtain: How Strong Is a Giant?

The size, weight, and physical capabilities of real For convenience, use the following table to choose a animals have very complex interrelationships. Bigger suitable increase in SM. For weight multipliers that fall animals aren’t just larger duplicates of smaller ones; between two SMs, use the next higher SM. For weight their bodies and limbs are differently proportioned. In multipliers greater than 1,000, divide by 1,000, multiply a fantasy setting, giants are often the same shape as the resulting height multiple times 10, and add 6 to the human beings, but twice or 10 times the scale, and the resulting SM. same for huge beasts. This makes it possible to offer Example: An extraordinarily large giant weighs 240 rules of thumb for size, weight, and strength. tons or 480,000 lbs., 3,200 times average human To start with, choose a suitable normal-sized crea- weight. Dividing by 1,000 gives 3.2. His height multiple ture and a weight multiple. For example, a 15-foot is 1.5 ¥ 10 or 15, making him roughly 88 feet tall; his python weighs 225 lbs. A gargantuan sea serpent might SM increase is 1 + 6 for a total of 7 over the normal weigh 1,000 times as much, 225,000 lbs. or 112.5 tons, human SM of 0, equaling +7. heavier than a whale. (In fact, it might swallow small whales whole.) The HP multiple is the cube root of the weight Weight multiple Height/length multiple SM increase multiple. The same multiple applies to ST, ¥3.2 ¥1.5 +1 whether ST and HP are equal or not. The cube ¥10 ¥2 +2 root of 1,000 is 10, so the sea serpent has 10 times ¥32 ¥3 +3 a python’s HP and ST, increasing both from 15 to ¥100 ¥5 +4 150. (For man-shaped and quadrupedal crea- ¥320 ¥7 +5 tures, typical HP and ST equal twice the cube root ¥1,000 ¥10 +6 of weight, rounded down; but more exotic body shapes such as a snake’s don’t fit this formula.) These relationships mean that small creatures can Figure damage and BL from ST in the usual way. carry heavier loads than large creatures in proportion to The sea serpent inflicts damage of 16d/18d and has a their own size and weight. A ST 1 pixy, standing about BL of 4,500 lbs. 7” tall, weighs 0.15 lbs. (2 1/2 ounces) and has BL 0.2 Finally, determine the SM for the creature. A tenfold lbs.; one pixy can carry another long distances and not length increase adds 6 to the SM. If the proportions are feel the burden. A ST 10 man weighs 150 lbs. and has unchanged (the usual assumption for giant creatures in BL 20 lbs.; he can carry another man, for a limited dis- fantasy), the multiplier for any linear dimension – tance and at a reduced speed. A ST 100 giant, standing height, length, wingspan, or diameter – is the cube root 55-60’ tall, weighs 150,000 lbs. (75 tons) and has BL of the weight multiple (that is, it increases in propor- 2,000 lbs. (1 ton); carrying or lifting another giant is tion to ST and HP). The sea serpent has a length multi- beyond his strength. This is actually biologically realis- ple of 10; based on a 15’ python, it’s 150’ long, longer tic, though the actual mathematical relationships are than most ships in a historical fantasy setting. This is more complicated. +6 to SM. Since the python has SM 0, the sea serpent has SM +6.

and brooded by a snake. Or magic with a third head at the end. All three HYBRIDS may directly create hybrids by fusing heads breathe fire. Her lion head’s bite A common way to invent a bizarre constituent animals. and her claws each inflict 2d+1 cutting or unique monster is to combine body damage in close combat, but her main parts from two or more species. In The Chimera attack is her fiery breath (1/2D 2, Max some cases, this may produce an 85 points 20, Acc 3, RoF 1, Shots N/A, Recoil 1), abnormal number of heads or limbs. The chimera appears in ancient which each head can use twice per Hybrids may originate through the Greek myth, described as “a lion in day. crossbreeding of different species, per- front, a goat in the middle, and a ser- ST 25 [60*†]; DX 12 [24*]; IQ 4 [-120]; haps with a magical or alchemical pent behind.” The body overall is that boost to fertility (see Magical Elixirs in HT 12 [20]. of a lioness, though the hindquarters Damage 2d+2/5d-1; BL 125 lbs.; HP 25 GURPS Magic). More exotic origins are scaly. A second head, shaped like a are possible, as in the hatching of the [0]; Will 10 [30]; Per 12 [40]; FP 12 goat’s, rises just behind the shoulders, [0]. basilisk from an egg laid by a rooster and the tail is shaped like a snake,

WORLDS 51 Basic Speed 6.00 [0]; Basic Move 6 [0]; Dodge 9. 10’ long; 1,950 lbs. (SM +2). The Chimera’s Pedigree Advantages Greek myths say the chimera was the daughter of Typhon, a giant 360º Vision [25]; Burning Attack 2d with a hundred dragonlike heads, and Echidna, half woman and half (Cone, 5 yards, +100%; Limited Use, snake. Their other children were Cerberus, the three-headed watchdog 6/day, -10%; Reduced Range, ¥1/5, of the underworld; the Hydra, a nine-headed giant snake; and the two- -20%) [17]; Claws (Sharp) [5]; DR 2 headed dog Orthos. Orthos mated with his mother and she engendered [10]; Extra Attack 2 [50]; Extra Head 2 the Nemean Lion, a giant lion with armored skin, and the Sphinx, a [30]; Reduced Consumption 3 (Cast winged lioness with a woman’s head and a passion for riddles. Iron Stomach, -50%) [3]; Teeth Obviously, legendary monsters don’t have to breed true. Each new (Sharp) [1]; Temperature Tolerance 1 birth can be a different form and species. (Cold) [1]. Perks: Fur. [1]

Disadvantages the urge to kill and eat his compan- go’s IQ-3 vs. the victim’s Will. While Appearance (Horrific; Universal, ion(s). If he gives in to the impulse, his the conditioning goes on the victim +25%) [-30]; Bad Temper (6) [-20]; body further changes into the physical becomes inhumanly strong and Quadruped [-35]; Restricted Diet form of the wendigo and he goes look- acquires several repulsive unnatural (Fresh Meat) [-10]; Social Stigma ing for other victims. When killed, the features. Successful conditioning lasts (Monster) [-15]; Wild Animal [-30]. wendigo returns to spirit form. 1 day per point of success. If the vic- Skills Possession by the wendigo begins tim eats human flesh in that time, he Brawling-16 (DX+4) [12]; Innate with hearing its voice in the howling transforms into the wendigo’s fully Attack (Breath)-15 (DX+3) [8]; of the arctic winds. After eight hours, manifested physical form. Survival (Mountains)-14 (Per+2) [8]. it engages in a Quick Contest of its In its fully manifested form, the IQ+3 vs. the victim’s Will. If the victim wendigo attacks either by clawing (3d * -40% for No Fine Manipulators. wins, he is immune, but if he loses, the crushing damage) or by biting (3d-1 † -20% for Size. wendigo begins to take over his mind. cutting damage). This requires a Quick Contest of its IQ ST 30 [140*]; DX 10 [0]; IQ 6 [-80]; vs. the victim’s Will (at +2 if the wendi- OSSESSED HT 12 [20]. P go concentrates for a full minute, or Damage 3d/5d+2; BL 180 lbs.; HP 30 +4 for a full hour). If this attempt suc- CREATURES [0]; Will 8 [10]; Per 12 [30]; FP 12 ceeds, the wendigo then attempts to A different sort of hybridization is [0]. condition the victim to kill and eat his the magical implantation of a spirit Basic Speed 5.50 [0]; Basic Move 5 [0]; human companions. Conditioning into a physical form. This may be a liv- Dodge 9†. requires a Quick Contest of the wendi- ing creature, a dead body, or an inani- 15’; 2,700 lbs. (SM +3). mate object. Shamans and sorcerers use such implantations to create familiars, which don’t generally count as monsters, except in a dark fantasy campaign. But more potent or inimi- cal spirits may turn their vehicles into something truly unnatural. For a contemporary horror treatment of this theme, see Stephen King’s Pet Sematary. The Wendigo 330 points The wendigo is a malevolent spirit that haunts the evergreen forests of Canada and Minnesota. It was originally described in Native American tribal lore, but taken seriously by many white settlers. Its appearances are associated with winds and snowy weather. It appears in the material world by possessing the body of a mortal in an isolated place – but not a solitary mortal! It inspires its victim with

52 WORLDS Social Background SM 0 instead of -2. The SM does not River’s banks into the form of a man TL: 0 affect combat rolls, as a horde hits and placed God’s secret name, written CF: American Indian cultures of automatically. on a piece of parchment, in his cre- Canada and the United States [0]; A horde is harder to disperse than ation’s mouth. European cultures of Canada and the a standard one-hex swarm. Multiply The golem was effectively a super- United States [1]. the HP for the swarm by the horde’s hero, from the viewpoint of the Jews Languages: Cree (Native/None) [-3]. diameter in yards to find the hits need- of Prague. It spent the days assisting ed to disperse the horde. the rabbi in the synagogue, under the Advantages A magical spell or baneful spirit can name of Joseph, and six nights a week Claws (Blunt) [3]; Combat Reflexes summon swarms or hordes of normal- it went out to patrol the ghetto, stop- [15]; Discriminatory Smell [15]; ly solitary animals. Adventurers might ping plots against the Jews. Eventually Enhanced Move 1 (Ground Move 10) encounter a horde of weasels or a band of Christians invaded the ghet- [20]; Fearlessness 4 [8]; Hard to Kill 2 ravens, or even of mythical creatures to, planning to attack the golem – but [4]; High Pain Threshold [10]; Mind such as basilisks. Fantasy swarms and it waited inside the gates. It took away Control (Symptoms: +10 ST, hordes may also consist of multiple their battering ram, and attacked Unnatural Features: Gaunt, Glowing species all acting together, effectively a them with it, killing several. This eyes, Long tongue, Matted hair, kind of hybrid. Alfred Hitchcock’s film alarmed the rabbi, and when offered a Sallow skin, +105%; Conditioning The Birds depicts this kind of horde promise of legal protection for the Only, -50%; Only victims of posses- behavior in a modern setting. Jews, he removed its activating parch- sion, -30%) [63]; Penetrating Voice [1]; ment for the last time. Possession (Only in Unkillable Spirit The Rats of Hamelin The golem looks like a slightly Form, -10%; Sense-Based, Hearing, In the story of the Pied Piper of large, awkward man, with grayish -20%; Spiritual, -20%; Preparation Hamelin, huge swarms of rats infest a skin and no hair or beard. It’s much Required, 8 hours, -30%) [20]; Single- town, until it becomes nearly unin- stronger than a man of its height and Minded [5]; Teeth (Sharp) [1]; habitable. The horde of rats has the weight. Temperature Tolerance 6 (Cold) [6]; following traits: Terrain Adaptation (Snow) [5]; ST 15 [50]; DX 11 [20]; IQ 8 [-40]; HT Unaging [15]; Unkillable 3 (Rein- Diameter 550 yards (SM +17). 13 [30]. carnation, -20%; Trigger: Only mani- Move 4. Does 1d cutting damage per Damage 1d+1/2d+1; BL 45 lbs.; HP 15 fests physically after new host kills turn. Armor protects with its normal [0]; Will 8 [0]; Per 8 [0]. another human and eats his flesh, DR. HP 3,300 to disperse the swarm. Basic Speed 6.00 [0]; Basic Move 6 [0]; -12%) [102]. Dodge 9; Parry 9 (Brawling). 5’10”; 160 lbs. (SM 0). Disadvantages MAGICAL Appearance (Horrific) [-24]; Bestial Social Background [-10]; Cannot Speak [-15]; Gluttony CREATIONS TL: 4. [-5]; Loner (6) [-10]; Odious Personal As noted in the above, powerful CF: Eastern Europe (0). Habit (Kills and eats human beings) spells create many sorts of monsters. Languages: Hebrew (Native) [0]. Giants, hybrids, and possessed crea- [-15]; Skinny [-5]; Wealth (Dead Advantages Broke) [-25]. tures are sometimes the work of wizards. Various other forms of Doesn’t Breathe [20]; Doesn’t Eat Skills mana-based magic can bring unique, or Drink [10]; Doesn’t Sleep [20]; High Brawling-12 (DX+2) [4]; Stealth-14 unnatural creatures into being. Pain Threshold [10]; Immunity to (DX+4) [16]; Survival (Woodlands)-14 Alternatively, the wizard can him- Metabolic Hazards [30]; Injury (Per+2) [8]. self turn into such a creature. In Norse Tolerance (Homogenous) [40]; Patron legend, for example, the dragon Fafnir (Rabbi Judah ben Loew; 12 or less; * -30% for Size. Minimal Intervention, -50%) [10]; † +1 from Combat Reflexes. was originally one of three magically talented brothers. He transformed Single-Minded [5]; Status 1 [5]; himself into a dragon to guard a treas- Unaging [15]; Unfazeable [15]. UNNATURAL ure the gods gave in compensation for Disadvantages the death of his brother Ottar, also a Appearance (Unattractive) [-4]; SWARMS shapeshifter. Automaton [-85]; Cannot Learn [-30]; Plants or animals may appear in Disturbing Voice [-10]; Enemies swarms of unnatural size, defined as The Golem (Christian mobs and fanatics; hordes. A horde takes up multiple -25 points Hunters; 6 or less) [-15]; Fragile hexes. It can attack one person for The golem was an artificial man (Unnatural) [-50]; No Sense of each hex occupied; effectively it has brought to life by Jewish ritual magic. Smell/Taste [-5]; Reprogrammable Extra Attacks. Vision rolls to spot it There are many Jewish legends about [-10]; Social Stigma (Minority Group: have a positive SM. To determine this, golems, but Rabbi Judah ben Loew Jewish) [-10]; Unhealing (Total) [-30]; compute the SM based on its diame- made the best-known golem in Prague Wealth (Dead Broke) [-25]. ter and add 2; a one-hex horde, or in 1580. Aided by his two best stu- Quirks: Observant of Jewish ritual swarm, with a diameter of 1 yard, has dents, he shaped the clay of the Vltava law. [-1]

WORLDS 53 Features his equal. She called on God’s true Social Background Neither has nor spends Fatigue name and flew out of Eden to the Red TL: 3. Points; Sterile. Sea. God sent three angels to bring her CF: Near Eastern [0]. back, but she refused and was Languages: Hebrew (Native) [0]. Skills changed into a night demon. Now she Brawling-12 (DX+1) [2]; Religious flies over the Earth, seducing men Advantages Ritual (Jewish)-8 (IQ+0) [4]; Stealth- who sleep alone and inflicting fatal ill- Affliction 2 (HT-1; Affects 12 (DX+1) [4]. nesses on newborn children. Substantial, +40%; Based on Will, Lilith has feathered wings instead +20%; Incapacitation: Ecstasy, +100%; ICTIMS of arms. In flight, she has a 10’ Melee Attack, Reach C, No Parry, V wingspan, but on the ground, she -35%; Only on sexually mature men, keeps her wings folded. She has bright -30%; Preparation Required, 1 OF CURSES Minute, -20%) [35]; Affliction 2 (HT-1; Some monsters start out as human red hair and strongly marked features. Lilith’s two usual attacks both Affects Substantial, +40%; Incapaci- beings (or other intelligent beings) but tation: Choking, +100%; Melee Attack, fall under a curse. In many legends, require her to touch her victims. She can use them without becoming visi- Reach C, Cannot Parry, -35%; Only on lycanthropy (turning into a wolf or very young Infants, -50%) [31]; Allies other dangerous animal) originates in ble or tangible. The men she embraces experience physical pleasure. If they (100 demons; built on 25% of her this way. The curse strips the accursed point value; 12 or less; Summonable, person of his humanity. Curses can fail a roll vs. HT-1, they can only moan with pleasure for 1 minute per point of +100%) [48]; Appearance (Very also create ghosts, corporeal undead, Beautiful) [16]; Charisma 4 [20]; Dark and various other unnatural entities. failure. Offering to renew the pleasure gives her +3 on any Influence roll. She Vision [25]; Detect (Sexual Desire) There may be a way to dispel the [10]; Doesn’t Sleep [20]; Flight curse, but many victims are defiant can steal the breath from babies in their first days of life. If they fail a roll (Winged, -25%) [30]; Immunity to and unwilling to learn what the curse Metabolic Hazards [30]; Indomitable was meant to teach them. against HT-1, they stop breathing for 1 minute per point of failure (see [15]; Insubstantiality (Affects Sub- Suffocation on p. B436). stantial, +100%) [160]; Invisibility Lilith (Switchable, +10%; Only When 714 points ST 10 [0]; DX 12 [24*]; IQ 12 [40]; HT Insubstantial, -10%; Substantial Only, According to medieval Jewish leg- 12 [20]. -10%) [36]; Medium [10]; Patron end, Lilith was the original cursed Damage 1d-2/1d; BL 20 lbs.; HP 10 [0]; (Yahweh; 6 or less; Highly Accessible, monster. She was Adam’s first wife, Will 20 [40]; Per 12 [0]; FP 12 [0]. +50%; Special Abilities, +100%; made like him from earth; but she Basic Speed 6.00 [0]; Basic Move 6 [0]; Unwilling, -50%) [30]; See Invisible refused to lie beneath him during sex- Dodge 9; Block 9 (Wings). (Spirits) [15]; Unaging [15]. ual intercourse, saying that she was 5’8”; 145 lbs. (SM 0; SM 2 in flight). Perks: Penetrating Voice. [1]

54 WORLDS Disadvantages with him and made his thunderbolts, [-15]; Social Stigma (Minority Group) Cannot Speak (Mute; Only When using their great skill in crafts (see [-10]. Insubstantial, -10%) [-23]; Enemy Thunderstones, p. 28). Brontes looks Quirks: Bowlegged. [-1] generally human, but has a single eye (Angels of Yahweh; Rivals – seek to Skills drive her away but not harm her; 6 or in the middle of his forehead, repul- Armoury/TL1 (Missile Weapons)- less) [-7]; Fanaticism (Rebel against sive features, and a squat, bowlegged 13*† (IQ+4) [4]; Brawling-11† (DX+1) Yahweh and Adam) [-15]; Lecherous- build. [4]; Innate Attack (Breath)-9‡ (DX-1) ness (6) [-30]; No Fine Manipulators Brontes attacks with a thunderous [4]; Masonry-14* (IQ+5) [2]; Metal- [-30]; Odious Personal Habit (Steals roar (1/2D 10, Max 100, Acc 3, RoF 1, lurgy/TL1-12 (IQ+3) [16]; Natural the spirits of newborn infants) [-15]; Shots N/A, Recoil 1) that sounds in a Philosophy-8 (IQ-1) [2]; Prospec- Reputation -4 (Seductress and Mur- cone 5 yards wide at its maximum ting/TL1-12 (IQ+3) [12]; Smith/TL1 deress; among Jews; 10 or less) [-5]; range. Anyone who hears it must roll (Copper)-13*† (IQ+4) [4]; Theology-8 Selfish (6) [-10]. vs. HT-5, if within 10 yards, or HT-2, if (IQ-1) [2]. Quirks: Incompetence (Law); farther away. A victim who fails this Wants to be on top. [-2] roll is unable to hear for 1 minute per Spells point of failure and is stunned until he Features Enchant-15 [8]; Lightning-15 [4]; succeeds on a HT roll with the same Power-15 [4]; Puissance-15 [4]; Shape Can use her wings for a Block modifier (one attempt per second). Air-15 [4]; Shape Earth-15 [4]. All maneuver using Cloak skill. This attack costs Brontes 10 Fatigue. include +6 for Power Investiture. Usually he follows it up by kicking for Skills * +4 from Artificer. Acrobatics (Aerobatics)-12 (DX+0) 5d crushing damage. † -1 from One Eye. [4]; Acting-16 (IQ+4) [16]; Cloak-12 ST 45 [210**]; DX 10 [0]; IQ 9 [-20]; ‡ -3 from One Eye. (DX+0) [2]; Dancing-18 (DX+6) [24]; HT 10 [0]. ** -40% for Size. Erotic Art-18 (DX+6) [24]; Fast-Talk- Damage 5d/7d+1; BL 405 lbs.; HP 45 12 (IQ+0) [2]; Hidden Lore (Demon [0]; Will 10 [5]; Per 9 [0]; FP 20 Brontes has two brothers, Steropes Lore)-12 (IQ+0) [2]; History (Jewish)- [30]. and Arges; the three are often togeth- 12 (IQ+0) [4]; Occultism-12 (IQ+0) [2]; Basic Speed 5.00 [0]; Basic Move 5 [0]; er. Represent them as Allies who Ritual Magic (Jewish Spirit Magic)-21 Dodge 8. appear on a 15 or less. They look very (IQ+9) [44]; Sex Appeal-16 (HT+4) 30’; 15,000 lbs. (SM +4). much alike and have identical charac- [16]; Theology (Jewish)-21 (IQ+9) ter sheets, except that each of the [40]. Social Background brothers has a different attack and TL: 1. attack skill. * -40% for No Fine Manipulators. CF: Eastern Mediterranean [0]. Steropes attacks by hurling light- Languages: Homeric Greek ning bolts (1/2D 200, Max 2,000, Acc 3, OFFSPRING (Native/None) [-3]. RoF 1, Shots N/A, Recoil 1) that inflict Advantages 8d burning damage, stun victims on a failed roll vs. HT-7, and stop their OF GODS Affliction 6 (HT-5; Affects hearts for (20 - HT) minutes on anoth- In many mythologies, the gods Insubstantial, +20%; Cone, 5 yard er failed roll vs. HT-7. occasionally beget monsters. In Norse width, +100%; Costs 10 Fatigue, -50%; Arges’ gaze is a blinding flash of myth, Loki had three children – the Disadvantage: Deafness, +20%; Sense- light (1/2D 10, Max 100, Acc 3, RoF 1, wolf Fenris, the world-encircling Based: Hearing, +150%; Stunning, Shots N/A, Recoil 1). Its effects are the snake Jormungandr, and the half- +10%) [210]; Allies (Two brothers; same as Brontes’ roar, except that it woman/half-corpse Hela. In Greek leg- built on 100% of his point value; 15 or afflicts those who see it instead of end, a variety of monsters were less) [30]; Artificer 4 [40]; DR 2 [10]; those who hear it, and blinds instead fathered by one or another god. Such Enhanced Move 1 (Ground Move 10) of deafening. Each attack costs 10 beings should be physically formida- [20]; Gadgeteer [25]; Hard to Kill 5 Fatigue. ble and either magically gifted or [10]; Night Vision 5 [5]; Patron (Zeus; magic-resistant. 6 or less; Special Abilities, +100%) Steropes: Burning Attack 8d (Costs [30]; Power Investiture 6 (Gaea) [60]; 10 Fatigue, -50%; Increased Range, Brontes Reputation (Artificer, Maker of Zeus’s ¥20, +40%; Side Effect: Heart Attack, 670 points Thunderbolts; All Classically Educat- +350%; Side Effect: Stunning, +50%; Brontes was one of the original ed People) +4 [10]; Single-Minded [5]; Surge, +20%) [204]; Innate Attack Cyclopes of Greek and Roman myth. Subsonic Hearing [5]. (Beam)-10 (DX+0) [8]. He and his brothers were born of Perks: Penetrating Voice. [1] Arges: Affliction 6 (HT-5; Affects Gaea, the goddess of the Earth, at Disadvantages Insubstantial, +20%; Cone, 3 yard about the time when she was giving width, Disadvantage: Blindness, Appearance (Monstrous; Univer- birth to the Titans. When Zeus led the +50%; +80%; Sense-Based: Vision, sal, +25%) [-25]; Bad Temper (6) [-20]; younger Greek gods in rebellion +150%; Costs 10 Fatigue, -50%) [210]; Clueless [-10]; Odious Racial Habit against the Titans, the Cyclopes sided Innate Attack (Gaze)-9 (DX-1) [4]. (Coarse and Brutal) [-10]; One Eye

WORLDS 55 Eventually their battles and celebra- Basic Speed 5.00 [0]; Basic Move 5 [0]; PRIMORDIAL tions made so much noise that their Dodge 8. parents were angry, and Apsu 200’ long; 6,000,000 lbs. (SM +9). ENTITIES resolved to kill them. Tiamat protest- Some monsters may have survived ed, but when the younger gods struck Social Background from an earlier stage in the history of first, she resolved to avenge her hus- TL: 1. the cosmos. Greek myth had hundred- band. Marduk, one of the youngest CF: Ancient Near East [0]. handed giants fighting on the side of gods, promised to defeat Tiamat if the Languages: Akkadian (Native) [0]. the Titans; Norse myth had frost other gods would make him their Advantages giants and fire giants arrayed against king. They accepted the bargain, and Affliction 6 (HT-5; Area Effect: 60 gods and men. Primordial entities after his victory, Marduk cut Tiamat’s yards radius, +300%; Incapacitation: may simply be huge manlike or beast- body in half, making half into the sky Choking, +100%; Emanation, -20%) like creatures, possibly with odd num- and the other half into the Earth. But [288]; Amphibious [10]; DR 6 (Can’t bers of heads or limbs. In a world with every year Tiamat starts to revive, Wear Armor, -40%; Flexible, -20%) realistic biological evolution, they may flooding the land, and Marduk must [12]; Doesn’t Breathe (Gills, -50%) resemble invertebrates of some kind. kill her again. [10]; Enhanced Move (Water Speed In a more mythic world, they may be The following description is for a 10) [20]; Flight (Cannot Hover, -15%; made of raw elemental matter not lesser material form of Tiamat, such Winged, -25%) [24]; Nictitating fully shaped into solid form. as adventurers might encounter. It Membrane 3 [3]; Peripheral Vision Primordial entities are overwhelming- doesn’t attempt to portray her full [15]; Slippery 5 [10]; Teeth (Sharp) [1]; ly powerful; only the greatest heroes size, as half of the universe, or her Terror 2 (Always On, -20%) [40]; could survive a battle with one. indestructible spirit. In this form, Unaging [15]; Unkillable 3 (Trigger: Primordial entities may be impossi- Tiamat has a horizontal body with Spring rains, -15%) [128]; Very Fit ble to destroy permanently; the most four clawed legs and two wings; her (Only in water, -30%) [11]. the hero can do may be to drive away head has four widely spaced eyes and their local manifestations. The creature a fanged mouth with a forked tongue. Disadvantages the hero battles may be the monster’s Tiamat’s greatest attack is her abil- Cold-Blooded [-5]; Enemy (Mar- physical materialization instead of its ity to summon flood waters from the duk; Hunter; 12 or less) [-40]; true self. The true entity may exist on Earth. The waters fill a 60-yard radius Quadruped [-35]; Social Stigma another plane, perhaps as a spirit. centered upon Tiamat’s physical body. (Monster) [-15]; Vow (Avenge her Husband’s Death) [-10]. Tiamat Anyone in this area must roll vs. HT-5. A failed roll results in inability to Skills 1,200 points breathe for 1 minute per point of fail- Intimidation-19 (Will+3) [12]. Tiamat isn’t just a primordial ure (see Suffocation on p. B436). She being from before the dawn of time; can also bite for 36d-1 cutting dam- * -40% for No Fine Manipulators. she’s the first primordial mentioned age. Simply seeing her requires a † -40% for Size. in any human records. The ancient Fright Check at Will-2. Babylonian Enuma Elish described The Thing cannot be described – how the world began as two great ST 350 [880*†]; DX 8 [-24*]; IQ 9 there is no language for such abysms of deities – Tiamat, the ruler of salt [-20]; HT 12 [20]. shrieking and immemorial lunacy . . . A water, and Apsu, the ruler of fresh Damage 36d/38d; BL 24,500 lbs.; HP mountain walked or shambled. water. Apsu impregnated Tiamat and 350 [0]; Will 16 [35]; Per 12 [15]; FP – H.P. Lovecraft, she gave birth to younger gods. 12 [0]. “The Call of Cthulhu” RACES AND CULTURES Many fantasy worlds have multiple dwarves. A fantasy world’s human cul- knights and Japanese samurai. (The sapient races. They often look like tures may vary less than in the real fantasy comic book Elfquest explored human beings, aside from being larger world. Nonhuman races may have only this theme, with several different elvish or smaller, or having unusual features one culture per race. In genre fantasy, cultures.) Alternative racial cultures or coloration. Their main difference is the cultures of commonly portrayed will surprise players who think they often the location of their homes. But races often follow familiar patterns: already know about fantasy races. fantasy races may also be much more elves are noble and love the natural The legends of human cultures out- exotic. environment, dwarves are clannish side of Europe and the United States Fantasy races usually have strange miners and metalworkers, orcs are provide one source for GMs looking for cultures as well as strange shapes. warlike savages, and so on. variety. Perhaps the beings they While a traditional adventurer might Fantasy races can have more varied describe, which sound like strange vari- encounter unfamiliar customs in Africa cultures. Two bands of elves might be ants on dragons or fairies or vampires, or the Arctic, a fantasy hero often finds as different as Bedouin Arabs and really are dragons or fairies or vampires, such customs among the elves or Australian Aborigines, or English but with different cultures of their own.

56 WORLDS Exotic Customs Exotic human customs often provide the best An evil empire with a general custom of anthro- sources for exotic nonhuman customs. Humans are so pophagy could occur in high fantasy, as an embodi- inventive that many real cultures described by anthro- ment of mythic evil. In economically realistic low fan- pologists will seem utterly fantastic if the GM calls tasy, it’s hard to make plausible. Humans mature too them goblins or halflings. Here are a few examples of slowly to make good herd animals and are too intelli- such customs: gent to be safe game for hunters. A military empire may harvest poorly armed neighbors, at least until it uses Berdaches them up. In a dark fantasy setting, such an empire This system treats cultural gender as separate from might provide the main threat, with heroes coming biological sex. When a boy reaches puberty, he may from tribes whose members had been eaten by imperi- choose to become either a man or a woman and do al warriors. either man’s work or women’s work. A boy with no talent for hunting or war often chooses women’s work. Counting Coup Some anthropologists reported that influential men Small-scale society with organized armed forces sought out berdaches as second wives. Some cultures often approach warfare with “counting coup.” Used by have the corresponding option for girls, and a fantasy some Plains Indian cultures, the warrior gains more culture certainly could. In cultures that practice honor by approaching an enemy, striking him with a shamanism (see below), berdaches often become ceremonial weapon, and getting away alive, than by shamans. killing him. Matrilineality Matrilineality is the best-known alternative kinship system. Children trace their descent through their mother, not through their father, whose identity may not be very important. Marriage is informal; men may live with their sisters and only visit their female friends. In real-world matrilineal cultures, a man still exercises authority and passes it onto his mother’s daughter’s son. In a fantasy matriarchy (see Matriarchy, p. 70), women may exercise authority directly and marriage may not exist at all. Potlatch Potlatch is a system for distributing goods without a market. Chieftains or other influential leaders stockpile food, crafts items, and other goods, largely made by their followers, and then hold large feasts where they Cannibalism and Anthropophagy give them away, both to members of their own com- Anthropophagy is the act of eating humans; canni- munity and to leaders of other communities. This balism is eating one’s own species. In a world with more maintains the Reputation of the chieftain so he can col- than one sapient race, the distinction is important. lect more goods and do it all over again. Potlatch is typ- Eating humans makes a race into a threat. Eating their ical of moderately complex economies that derive food own kind makes them disturbing or horrifying. A race from several sources and have a means of storing food in which anyone could eat anyone would be anarchic; and other goods. most races surround cannibalism with legal or ceremonial restrictions. Reciprocity Ceremonial cannibalism can express either love or Reciprocity is another system for distributing goods hate of the person eaten. Some societies’ funeral rites without a market. Anyone who acquires a major asset, include sharing the corpse’s flesh with friends and fam- such as a large kill or catch, passes out shares to every- ily. An extension is theophagy, ritually eating the flesh one in the community. People who fail to do so are or drinking the blood of a god. Other societies kill and mocked, and may be driven out. Small societies with- eat their enemies as a celebration of victory. out specialized food production often practice reci- Headhunting, a related custom, produces lasting tro- procity, especially hunting societies, where it ensures phies. It has echoes in legend and fantasy, which con- that unsuccessful hunters don’t go hungry. tain many stories of magically preserved heads.

WORLDS 57 Players will often have difficulty roleplaying a character from an unfamiliar culture, especially a culture that Interfertility the GM has made up. A campaign In many fantasy novels, different races can crossbreed, though they should include some cultures that may do so only rarely. This contradicts the normal biological concept of players already know about or can a species. On the other hand, this is fantasy! Spells, enchantments, or easily figure out. Races that can potions may allow fertility between different species, or it may simply become PCs should have at least one be possible for any two humanoid beings to breed – just as in science- familiar culture. Players can learn fictional settings from Barsoom to Vulcan. about the less familiar cultures as they Depending on the genre, children of interbreeding have different explore the world. natural roles. In low fantasy, they may face prejudice and have to overcome it, making them a vehicle for stories about racism. In light fantasy, nonhuman ancestry is mainly a justification for personal eccentrici- RACES ty. In high fantasy, the greatest kings, heroes, and wizards come from Sapient beings in fantasy fall into such backgrounds, which help raise them above common humanity. In several broad types. The main differ- dark fantasy, half-breeds are often tainted and likely to meet evil fates. ence between the types is their simi- For a more optimistic variant, let the half-breed struggle heroically to larity to humans, in appearance and in overcome his own tainted nature and preserve humanity from the behavior. Each type has its own typi- forces of his dark ancestors. The devil-begotten Merlin, using his pow- cal uses in a campaign. Templates for ers to establish the Round Table, fits this pattern. several races of each type are in Chapter 6 (pp. 104-145). People Many fantasy races are slightly bigger differences, such as third eyes, Beasts exotic humans. This partly reflects extra arms, or hermaphroditic bodies. Many fantasy races are based on human prejudices and human imagi- Differences in behavior can also set animals – as a rule, mammals, birds, native limits. But the human body a people apart. Some races, such as or reptiles, the sorts of animals to does have advantages. Reasonable elves and dwarves, are relatively long- which humans find it easiest to relate. mobility in several forms, good lived (or even immortal) and repro- Beast races have animal bodies, or manipulation, a useful combination of duce slowly. Most scenarios portray bodies with animal traits. These come ranged senses, and the ability to com- them as “good.” They can be ferocious in several different styles. municate at a distance all suit the in defending their territory, but don’t Some beasts have human-shaped needs of a sapient being. In a world usually set out to take anyone else’s bodies, but are covered with fur or with important supernatural forces, lands. Other races, such as orcs, breed have animal-like cosmetic features. the human form may be an archetype much faster and lead short, violent This style, popular with artists, has that many races approach in some lives. Most scenarios portray these as inspired anthropomorphic comics degree. “evil,” seeking to raid, conquer, such as Usagi Yojimbo and Xanadu GMs commonly set humanoid fan- enslave, or even eat their neighbors. (and the anthropomorphic fantasy tasy races apart from humans by is Some races prey on humanity through game Lace and Steel). Some fantasy placing their homes in different loca- stealth instead of open violence. worlds have hairy, man-shaped “wild tions. Humans do best on plains, as Ghouls, who hide among humans and men” such as the yeti (or abominable herdsmen, or on smaller areas of eat their dead, are an example. snowman) of Tibetan legend. cleared ground, as farmers. Forests These races play a role in fantasy Some beasts have bodies shaped often have other peoples such as elves similar to the role of exotic tribes and like actual animals, but behave like living in them. Cutting down a tree foreign civilizations in historical and humans. This may include walking on may be risky if the forest people adventure fiction. Human characters their hind legs and using their paws as object. Underground races are even can visit them or even live among hands, like the talking mice of C.S. more common: orc or trolls in natural them. In some settings, they may live Lewis’ Narnia series. Other beasts caves, dwarves or gnomes in mines, among humans. In others, they serve move and act like animals, but talk and halflings (and their prototype, as threats to travelers and adventur- and cooperate (see The King of Beasts J.R.R. Tolkien’s hobbits) in burrows. ers. Humanoid races, especially the and the Parliament of Fowls on p. 47). Short and tall races are very com- long-lived ones, may preserve ancient A classic example is the horselike mon in fantasy: halflings and dwarves lore or have their own forms of magic. Houyhnhms of Jonathan Swift’s on one hand, trolls and giants on the Members of these races can easily join Gulliver’s Travels. other. Fantasy races often have a com- a party of adventurers. Chapter 6 pro- In many legends, animals of cer- paratively slender or stocky build. vides racial templates for dwarves, tain species can shapeshift into Minor exotic features are an easy way elves, ghouls, halflings, orcs, and trolls human or nearly human form. to make a race look nonhuman – (pp. 104-145). Japanese mythology has many such pointed ears were a common choice creatures, called hengeyokai; the best long before Star Trek. Some races have known is the kitsune or magical fox.

58 WORLDS British legend tells of the selkies, a Serpentine races are very common in sheet. In some accounts, the afflicted faerie race naturally shaped like seals fantasy and mythology; nearly every have a society of their own, living out- but who can become human by human culture has legends about side of or hidden within human socie- removing their skins. creatures resembling dragons. A tradi- ty, so that they’re a culture or subcul- Other beasts are human/animal tional name for dragons is “worms” ture as well as a race. hybrids. Some hybrids simply replace (or “wyrms,” in recent fantasy litera- Both vampires and werewolves a human body part with an animal ture), classifying them together with often come into being through this body part, as a mermaid replaces many invertebrate species. sort of infection. In genre fantasy and human legs with a fish’s tail. Others Wugs aren’t usually portrayed as horror, it’s rare for anyone to become have extra body sections. Often they close to nature (perhaps because their a vampire any other way. Werewolves end up with six limbs, instead of the invertebrate models look unnatural to have more varied origins (see standard four for vertebrates. One many people) or as barbarians. Alternative Lycanthropies). common configuration is a human They’re often highly civilized, but with From the viewpoint of human being with a pair of wings. Another is exotic and incomprehensible customs. characters, such transmissible curses a quadruped body with a human torso Races based on social insects such as are a particularly grim threat. Anyone replacing the quadruped’s head and ants, bees, and termites might be com- fighting the accursed risks becoming neck, like the centaur. Animal/animal munistic, militaristic, or both. Other one or seeing his friends become hybrids also sometimes appear in fan- races may be solitary, as dragons often infected and having to destroy them. If tasy as intelligent races. are, or live hidden away in deep the condition is concealable, everyone Beast races often act like the ani- forests, under the ground, or beneath may be under suspicion. The suspi- mals they’re based on. Those based on the sea. cion can become dangerous, as domesticated animals may live with Chapter 6 provides racial templates overzealous monster slayers torture humans and appear as loyal friends or for three kinds of wugs: devilfish, and kill anyone untrustworthy. For servants. Those based on wild animals dragons, and myrmidons (pp. 104- even worse paranoia, the victim of a may live in the wilderness, with no 145). curse (usually lycanthropy instead of more than a few simple tools. Depending on the setting, they may be dangerous predators, riotous barbarians, or embodiments of natural beauty and wonder. Beast races often act like the animals they’re Chapter 6 provides racial templates for centaurs and selkies (pp. 104-145). based on. Those based on domesticated animals may live with humans and appear as loyal WUGS friends or servants. Those based on wild animals Other fantasy races develop from may live in the wilderness, with no more than a unfamiliar and disturbing animal species. Anthropologists coined the few simple tools. word “wug” for such creatures (from “worm” and “bug”). This book uses the word for intelligent races with strangely built bodies and equally strange behavior. Including such races The Accursed vampirism) may not even realize in a fantasy world usually makes it what’s happened to him, or remember In some fantasy settings, humans seem weird or creepy. what he did the night before. (or members of other races) can fall Most wugs are invertebrates of var- From the viewpoint of the accursed, victim to a curse that they transmit ious kinds. Some are more intelligent the story can be completely different. to others. GURPS represents this as (and often larger) versions of real They may have a separate culture, either Dominance or Infectious species. Others combine body parts of constantly threatened by the humans Attack. Part of the change is an urge two or more invertebrate species. around it. However superhuman its to transmit the contagion – often by Races that add invertebrate features to members are, greater numbers can biting. a human body, such as many of the always overcome them. Their curse People with such afflictions aren’t races in China Miéville’s Perdido Street makes them extraordinary, but it also quite a race in the usual sense. But Station and The Scar, also usually separates them from humanity and passing their curse to others is analo- count as wugs, though tiny pixies with even from their own past lives. This gous to reproduction, and may be sur- insect wings come across as beautiful theme is usually horror, but could just rounded by similar passions, as in instead of creepy and might just as as well be dark fantasy. many versions of the vampire mythos. well be classified as people. Chapter 6 provides racial templates The transformed state can be repre- Even though snakes are vertebrates for vampires and werewolves (pp. 104- sented as a lens or meta-trait that’s closely related to lizards, many people 145). find them disturbing or alien. added to each new victim’s character

WORLDS 59 Alternative Lycanthropies To paraphrase Shakespeare, some are born lycan- game Werewolf: The Apocalypse, children of two thropes, some achieve lycanthropy, and some have shapeshifters always suffer birth defects, avoidable by lycanthropy thrust upon them. Lycanthropy can work mating with normal humans or normal animals. in ways other than the familiar infectious bite. Either complete sterility or liability to birth defects is a physical Feature of the form to which it applies. Hereditary Lycanthropy Lycanthropes who are cross-fertile with only one of In some legends, children inherit lycanthropy from their two forms have that form as their base form. their parents. This idea, common in recent books, Lycanthropes who can breed with both species, or nei- films, and games, may reflect the influence of genetic ther, can have either form as the base form. theories. But older folk beliefs include shapeshifting kindreds, such as the medieval European Benandanti. Deliberately Acquired Lycanthropy The hereditary trait need not be full-fledged lycan- Changing into a different shape isn’t something that thropy. It may be simply a talent for changing shape. people can just learn! However, some fantasy settings The actual change would then be acquired (usually provide the opportunity to voluntarily acquire the abil- deliberately). Variants could include an attunement to ity to turn into a creature of a different species. one animal species, which would predispose a lineage One option is learning a spell. This isn’t usually con- to assume that form if they became shapeshifters, or a sidered lycanthropy, but suspicious villagers may not tendency to shapeshift without a predestined form, the draw such careful distinctions. form being determined at the first shapeshift. A magical object may also cause shapeshifting. A Discussion of the first trait is found under Plant and mage or enchanter may create such an object through Animal Spirits (p. 49); the second can be represented by standard methods of enchantment; to start out with Alternate Form with Unconscious Only, Uncontrol- such an object, buy it as Signature Gear (p. 131). lable, and perhaps Trigger. Alternatively, a mortal may come into possession of an object such as an enchanted wolfskin, or learn how to make one. Buy the Alternate Form with suitable gadget limitations (see Skin-Turners on p. 209). An alchemist may develop a shape change potion. Access to such a potion requires the skill of Alchemy and Signature Gear, or an Unusual Background such as “has an alchemist friend.” A shaman capable of out-of-body travel (see Insubstantiality, p. 128) may be able to assume an animal form in his astral body. Buy Shapeshifting with Only When Insubstantial (p. 131). Ordinarily this will only be the image of an animal. But if the shaman also has Affects Substantial, his projected lycanthropic form can inflict injury on material beings while remaining unaffected by their attacks – much like the werewolves of many legends. This is an expensive set of abilities, and it ought to be! Some lycanthropes are a distinct species, capable of breeding only with each other. One of their forms may Accidentally Acquired Lycanthropy mimic humanity, but isn’t truly human, any more than Lycanthropy and other forms of shapeshifting are their other form is truly animal. Other lycanthropes are often curses. The common bitten-by-a-werewolf ver- cross-fertile with the species of their base form; they sion is a curse, with the special quality of being com- may be a subspecies or have a hereditary talent. They municable. Inherited lycanthropy can also be a curse, may even be cross-fertile with both species, though condemning an entire family for one member’s trans- explaining this scientifically will take some ingenuity! gression. Curses afflicting only one person are also pos- On the other hand, in fantasy, inheritance doesn’t have sible. A sorcerer may turn his enemies into beasts, or a to be genetic. A supernatural curse, gift, or calling could god may do this to those who profane his altars. Acting pass to future generations. like a beast – for example, by cannibalism – is a way to Cross-fertility may be only partially restricted. In Cat become accursed; eating the flesh of one’s totem animal People, for example, sexual relations with ordinary is another. human beings trigger the change to the cat form, but The undead may also take the form of animals. sexual relations with other cat people do not. In the Some vampires turn into bats or wolves, for example.

60 WORLDS Spirits Some spirits can reproduce and thus are literally members of races. Other spirits don’t reproduce, but Unique Beings divide naturally into “races” based on Some fantasy characters are not members of any races, but unique similarity to each other and difference beings. Many such beings appear in the Oz novels – for example, the from other spirits. Racial templates Scarecrow and Tin Woodman. (The Cowardly Lion is an animal, in a can describe both groups. For a dis- world where animals can speak, as discussed on p. 47.) cussion of types of spirits and their To create a unique character, get a description of the character con- campaign roles, see Magical Beings cept from the player. Draw up a racial template that reflects the being’s (pp. 29-33). Chapter 6 provides racial size, shape, and nature. Compute a point cost for this template, and templates for djinn, fairies, and imps. decide whether it’s suitable for play. If it is, let the player build the char- Chapter 9 adds templates for larvae acter, with the point cost treated as an advantage or disadvantage, just and nymphs. as for a character belonging to an actual race. CULTURES Here are some examples for the GM creating variant racial cultures. These are useful in any appropriate Centuries ago, one dragon found her, and fled. Living in hiding among fantasy campaign, or taken as inspira- an alternative to stealing sheep: mak- humans, she discovered other djinn tion for creating other cultures. ing a treaty with a band of human and contrived to free them as well. shepherds. The humans gave a share Eventually they separated themselves, Davy Jones’ Lads of their stock to the dragon, agreeing building a city in the hot, dry lands Selkies are native to the British to “keep the scent of roasting meat that suited their fiery natures and Isles; but when the British took to the and incense in his nostrils.” The drag- using potent magic to supply their high seas, selkies went along. Many on used his flight and keen vision to needs. Now only a chosen few agents came from the poorest regions in scout out the land ahead of them and walk among men, looking for more of Britain, from which young men often his fiery breath to destroy their ene- their kind, carrying the image of a bro- went away to seek their fortunes. A mies (and as a beacon when they trav- ken lamp. “man” born of the sea could find ship- eled at night). In effect, the humans board life appealing, especially if he acted as the dragon’s sheep dogs. Both The Marshfolk took along his skin as insurance sides prospered under the arrange- Halflings are usually strict land against drowning. Selkies evolved an ment, and the dragon produced many dwellers, but some live in hollowed- unofficial fraternity of mutual aid. If offspring who made similar arrange- out riverbanks, or even build boats. their mortal shipmates treated them ments with other tribes. Each dragon The Marshfolk are an entire culture well, they might help them in return, jealously guards its particular that lives close to water, in the mean- even if it put their secret at risk. Tales humans, as dragons elsewhere guard dering streams and pools of a tropical circulated of drowning sailors saved their hunting grounds. country. The climate and soil don’t suit by a seal holding them up – though it Dragons from this particular cul- wheat or barley; instead, they grow was rare for a selkie to come out and ture are not Bestial. several varieties of rice. Most of their admit his true nature. For conceal- cuisine and brewing includes rice. ment, they developed code phrases, The Lampbreakers Their favored beverage is very much including their name for themselves: Legends tell of the City of Brass like sake. Davy Jones’ Lads. built by the djinn in the remotest Marshfolk live in large villages. The first selkies sailed on desert. But the legends say little of They build above ground, atop wood- Elizabeth’s ships. By Victoria’s reign, why they chose that location. Built as en platforms that act as clumsy rafts, the custom was dying out, as ships of a refuge and stronghold, the City of because it’s almost impossible to keep wood gave way to ships of iron. Brass keeps its inhabitants safe and a hole dry; only the wealthy can afford free. Solomon the Wise learned to holes in the few low hills. Abundant The Good Shepherds invoke the Holy Name and bind the labor enables them to construct Dragons and humans generally djinn to his service; after his time, his complex drainage systems to remove have a hostile relationship. In the bindings remained in force, and lesser excess water. These systems also pro- dragon’s eyes, the human is a game sorcerers followed his example. For all vide them with one of their best animal, one with a useful habit of col- their power and pride, many djinn defenses. When desperate, they can lecting precious stones and metals. became slaves of mud-formed open the watergates and drown their But dragons that live near grazing humans. foes. Marshfolk also build flat-bot- land usually find it more convenient to One imprisoned djinn tricked her tomed boats that they pole across the eat the flocks or herds than the herds- human master into giving her a water. Some Marshfolk make surpris- men. Each shepherd has many sheep, moment of freedom – and then ingly long journeys, for trade or sim- and the sheep don’t fight back. destroyed the magic sigil that bound ple curiosity.

WORLDS 61 Currently the mercenaries of a natural sympathy for plants or ani- other’s impulsiveness and used their human empire are invading their mals or superior skill in working with lycanthropic abilities in banditry and lands. The attackers have found out them. The elves of Paradise have built war. When Romulus’ ambition to that Marshfolk are natural resistance an extraordinarily high civilization on found a city led him to propose fighters. Harsh reprisals have wiped this. recruiting more werewolves, Remus out several entire Marshfolk villages, Elves naturally prefer living in objected and Romulus killed him. but this has also convinced the forested areas. Paradise is a tropical Romulus and his band agreed to keep Marshfolk that the situation is desper- archipelago covered with rain forest. their lycanthropy a secret, and so it ate enough for flood warfare, and two Its elven inhabitants initially used remained for centuries, under the con- human companies were drowned on their extraordinary skills to shape the trol of an obscure priesthood that their way to raze villages. Whether the growth, reproduction, and behavior of infected selected patrician youths with empire will tire of the high cost of other species, making the uncleared lycanthropy and trained them in its swampland is still uncertain. land productive without the toil of powers. (GMs may want to make this farming. With centuries of experience part of the background of the Roma Obsidian Mountain in breeding, they discovered the laws Arcana setting in Chapter 9.) Obsidian Mountain stands on the of heredity and used them to improve borders of an expanding human mili- plants and animals. Elves with The Red Orcs tary empire. Lacking metallurgy, the empathic gifts learned to understand Most orcs lives in tribal bands with empire equips its soldiers with obsidi- other species and to awaken them to a limited technology; they would rather an-edged wooden swords and obsidi- degree of sapience. Paradise now has fight than work and have short time an-tipped arrows. A colony of dwarves many species with IQ 6 or higher, horizons, reflecting their limited life provides the obsidian, tunneling deep ranging from parrots and monkeys to expectancy. However, the Red Orcs are within the mountain – about 500 of trees. The elves have also turned their an exception to this rule. A large, them, including 200 adult males. Two knowledge toward improving their slave-holding empire, their raiding out of three dwarves are male; they own race, preserving and enhancing bands regularly strike at their neigh- commonly practice polyandrous mar- specific gifts in certain houses and bors. Slaves dig tunnels, mine ores riage, with two or three brothers shar- bloodlines, though this is a slow proj- and coal, or, lately, work in foundries ing a wife. Each family has its own ect, given the low fertility and late and factories. Some orcs have proven shaft complex and guards it jealously maturation of their kind. unexpectedly inventive, especially in against other families, but families To other sapient races, they’re usu- military technologies, and the Red also provide soldiers for the commu- ally sympathetic as well, provided Orcs are well into TL4 and experi- nity militia. This cuts into the work those races don’t harm the natural menting with TL5, which enhances time of single sons and hurts their environment or deplete its resources. their military effectiveness. Virtually chances of getting married. They Such behavior angers them, and if it every Red Orc owns metal weapons haven’t needed the militia lately, but affects forests that are in their care, it and armor, and increasing numbers all the dwarves know the story of a invites quick retribution. They often carry muskets. human invasion three centuries past. treat better-behaved races much like Red Orc society is extremely strati- The same memory causes them to dig the species they have uplifted, wanting fied. Military Rank translates directly cisterns and cultivate small terraced to guide and train them and even to Status, but promotions are usually gardens, even though they don’t really breed them for superior qualities. informal; killing a superior in a duel is need to grow their own food. Individual elves may form extraordi- common. Rank also affects breeding Recently a new custom has spread narily close bonds with members of opportunities. High-ranked Red Orcs among poorer dwarves: two single other races who accept this guidance. have harems, middle-ranked orcs have sons ritually adopt each other as Paradise is an example of an alter- exclusive possession of single mates, brothers. This makes it easier for them native technological path (see and common soldiers visit “breeding to afford marriage and children, Magically Enhanced Technology, p. 65, pens” operated by the elite – or take threatening to destabilize the system and Divergent Tech Levels on p. B513). advantage of slaves, though many orcs of ranks within the community. In Its effective technological level is consider this an inferior pleasure, addition, while senior brothers tradi- TL(1+7). making fun of those who can’t afford a tionally have first claim on wives, female orc and must make do with a adopted brothers normally work out The Patricians grotesque human or elf. equal arrangements – and have more Roman legend says that Rome’s family disputes over them. Despite founder, Romulus, and his twin broth- The Sanguinarians these problems, two of the seven er Remus suckled from a she-wolf as Unlike the vampires of more bar- dwarvish lawgivers support the new infants after their mother abandoned baric lands, the lords sanguinary do custom. them. This isn’t what really happened. not move with stealth or hide in aban- Instead, as young men, the brothers doned ruins. As rulers of great Paradise entered political exile in the wilder- domains, they openly celebrate their A classic elven trait is sensitivity to ness and were attacked by a werewolf, blood drinking as a communion with the beauty of natural environments which they killed. When the curse their subjects. Elaborate rituals make and living beings. Many elves have affected them, they restrained each this a sacrifice, conducted under the

62 WORLDS ancient rule that the victim must go vampirism. Where an unrestrained might get results, but the beings them- willingly. These ceremonies take place vampire could produce several off- selves would not appear. at night, so night is a time of festival. spring a year, the sanguinary lords feed If humanity shares the world with Peasants and tradesmen have to be directly only four times a year and pro- other races, many stories assume awake in the day, but the wealthy and duce roughly one offspring every that humans dominate – either they powerful are mostly nocturnal. decade. Even so, the vampire popula- have always been dominant or, often, Naturally, vampires have no Social tion is increasing, and the Sanguine they have become increasingly dom- Stigma or Secret. Empire is expanding as young vam- inant through the course of history. An elaborate Code of Honor gov- pires seek lands of their own. This may be part of a “the magic goes erns these vampires. For example, a away” setting, if the other races vampire cannot be denied the right to depend on magic and humanity feed at the nightly festival of any THE PLACE doesn’t. But other causes may be domain he visits . . . but unless invited important. Humans may be more to stay, he must move on the next OF HUMANITY fertile than other races, or more night to avoid draining its resources. In a world with other intelligent adaptable to varied environments, or Vampires may challenge other vam- races, where do humans fit in? more combative, or better organized, pires for their domains, but if the loser It’s perfectly possible to have a fan- or some combination of these. The survives the duel, he may depart tasy world where humans are the only other races may be driven into refuge unharmed. And vampires are expected intelligent race. Many fantasy novels zones of various sorts: arctic lands, to lead their troops in battle. A griev- and most fantasy games assume mul- deserts, high mountains, remote ously wounded vampire may select a tiple races, following the precedents of islands, jungles, or even under- volunteer blood donor to heal his The Lord of the Rings and Dungeons & ground or underwater. If nonhuman wounds. Such donors often become Dragons. However, earlier fantasy set- races are mana-dependent, they may new vampires, augmenting the vam- tings often didn’t make this assump- end up concentrated in the high- piric forces when most needed. tion, and some contemporary ones mana regions. Parasites become better adapted to still don’t. An interesting campaign assump- their hosts over time, and these vam- A slight variation on this treatment tion, though one not much used, could pires have done so. Careful proce- is a world populated by humans and reverse this logic. Human beings run dures of decanting blood into a unseen spirits. In a fantasy campaign into another race that is more fertile, vessel avoid direct contact with the with this premise, priests or wizards more adaptable, more aggressive, or donor, and thus slow the spread of might invoke powerful beings in their better organized – more sophisticated prayers or spells, and the invocation orcs, for example (see The Red Orcs, p. 62). A dark fantasy setting might have such a race conquering and enslaving humans, or driving them into refuge areas. Alternatively, humans could be a minority. Another variant world could maintain the original diversity of nonhuman races. Humans might live in environments that best fit them, such as plains, but elves might rule the forests, dwarves or trolls the mountains, goblins the deserts, and so on. In designing such a world, decide what environment can support each race in the greatest numbers, and which environment each race can best defend against other races; then create a patchwork of races based on these conclusions. A world could have no humans at all. Most fantasy doesn’t follow this path; it’s hard to tell a story growing out of human myths, legends, and folklore if there aren’t any humans. However, an experimental GM could create such a world. One version might be a world of animals, where all the animal peoples can talk and have some kind of civilization as in some Native American myths.

WORLDS 63 Languages Different races in a fantasy setting can have their own distinct languages. Many fantasy settings keep things simple by having only one language to a race, or a few languages. Nevertheless, the real world has about 5,000 different human languages, and each fantasy race could have similar diversity. In a campaign, language diversity has two main functions. It provides an obstacle; when explorers encounter a new race, they may not be able to communicate. It also is a source of color; a nonhuman, or a human from a different culture, may have an accent, or a strange way of phrasing things. In treating language differences as an obstacle, remember that obstacles exist to be overcome. Rolls against Gesture can be entertaining, but when the communications barrier gets in the way of the story, provide a way over it: high-speed learning by immersion, or a friendly bilingual visitor, or a spell of translation or telepathy. A GM can use language for flavor in two ways. First, he can decide on the sound patterns of a language and introduce words that fit those patterns. Commonly, GMs use this to produce exotic names for characters. But it’s sometimes useful to have a few words from the language. For example, explorers may borrow native names for unusual plants and animals, or for dangerous supernatural beings. Writing out a list of the sounds of a language can help produce a consistent effect in its words and names. As an alternative, the GM can use odd turns of phrase, suggesting strange grammar or peculiar ways of thinking. This doesn’t require any made-up words at all. Use ordinary English, but say strange things in a strange way. Insults and curses are good ways to do this. Having an offended NPC call someone “husband of a dozen pigs” shows that his native language isn’t English. Enthusiastic worldbuilders may want to go into more detail, with family trees of languages and lists of words. J.R.R. Tolkien did this in The Lord of the Rings and the invented mythologies in its background. M.A.R. Barker’s classic fantasy game world Tekumel also involves serious linguistic speculation. Looking at their work is a good introduction to linguistic worldbuilding. However, most players won’t want to learn any invented language, or puzzle out relationships between languages.

MAGIC AND TECHNOLOGY An imaginary culture with a differ- GURPS divides technology into views, unrivalled by science, so few ent technology can be just as exotic as tech levels, or TLs, from 0 (the Stone people doubt the supernatural. With one with a different religion or a dif- Age) to 12 (the most advanced tech- few exceptions, rulers are hereditary ferent cuisine. How people travel to nology that can be envisioned from monarchs or aristocrats who consider distant places, fight their enemies, and current scientific theories). Most his- themselves better than common peo- heal the sick – matters of life or death torical fantasy is set in societies at ple. Travel is limited, especially on in a fantasy campaign – all depend on TL1-4. Despite the centuries of land, where the poor walk and the rich technology. progress from ancient Sumer to ride. Places a few hundred miles away If magic is powerful, reliable, and Stuart England, these societies have are distant realms where anything widely available, it may function as an certain things in common that make could happen. alternative form of technological them congenial to fantasy. Their All these societies draw a line advance. A realistically portrayed soci- economies are agricultural, with most between themselves and the tribal ety with such magic may function people living in the country, close to “savages” or “barbarians” around much like a society with much more folk traditions. Religion is the basis of them, who do not have kings, armies, advanced material technology. the state and of most people’s world- or organized religions – a category

64 WORLDS that includes all TL0 societies and AGICALLY Improved Materials some from higher TLs. The supernat- M A magical world may have superior ural beliefs of tribal societies may fur- ENHANCED materials, whether found in the natu- nish civilized religions with spirits, ral environment, such as orichalcum demons, or gods of the earth and ECHNOLOGY (p. 23) or Tolkien’s mithril, made by underworld. Lesser supernatural T One basis for variant technology in alchemy, or strengthened by enchant- beings and tribal peoples are consid- a fantasy setting is the use of magic to ments or holy blessings. Armor or for- ered contemptible, dangerous, or improve technology. Achieve this by tifications could weigh less but be both. augmenting either the abilities of the harder to breach, or swords could technologists, or the tools and have sharper or longer-lasting edges. ALTERNATIVE resources they use. There are also subtler possibilities: a The basis for the first approach is blast furnace with magically heat- TECHNOLOGIES the Talents as Magic rules (p. 160). resistant brick, a mile-high tower that Technology doesn’t develop in a What if an armorer or engineer gained won’t collapse under its own weight, rigid lockstep. Native American and augmented skill through suitable ritu- or a flying craft light enough to be Far Eastern civilizations, far away als, perhaps by praying to Thoth or man-powered. from Europe and the Near East, devel- Hephaestus for aid in his work in the oped quite differently, with some inno- form of Artificer Talent? Other gods Power Sources vations coming earlier and others might enhance the skills of farmers With the widespread use of mills in later. For example, China had cast iron (Green Thumb), physicians (Healer), the Middle Ages, speculations about at TL3, while the West didn’t achieve it architects (Master Builder), or perpetual motion gained an audience. until TL4; the Mayans, at TL1 overall, even mathematicians (Mathematical A captive spirit might keep a wheel never developed bronze at all, while Ability). Traditional Japanese mathe- turning with no physical energy many African peoples went straight maticians made offerings of their the- source, or a wheel made of celestial from stone to iron. orems, carved into fine wooden matter might share the endless turn- The simplest approach to alterna- plaques, at Shinto shrines, and a god ing motion of the heavens. Once tive technology requires some inven- or spirit might reward such devotion. steam engines come into use, ele- tions come early and others late. The In the second approach, magic mental spirits might induce them to Mayans, for example, were TL1, with substitutes for certain kinds of tech- run more efficiently, or magically advanced mathematics and astrono- nology, and thus helps other technolo- improved materials could let them run my (TL3) and retarded materials and gies advance. This could happen in at higher pressure without bursting. transportation (TL0). various ways. A more freewheeling approach supposes that the technological dreams of the past became realities. The steampunk genre uses this basis, assuming that engineering schemes such as Charles Babbage’s analytical Variant Natural Laws engine, Nikola Tesla’s beamed power, Nothing requires a fantasy setting to follow the same natural laws as or fictional speculations by writers the real world. Flat worlds, for example, obviously have different laws. such as Jules Verne could have been In settings with different natural laws, different technologies may be realized. But earlier eras had their possible. technological dreams as well: The history of science includes many theories that are no longer Renaissance ornithopters and per- accepted, but could be true in a different world, such as Babylonian petual motion machines, Roger celestial divination, flat Earth geography, humoral or chi-based medi- Bacon’s talking brass head, and cine, or phlogistonic chemistry. Many of these suggest variant technolo- Cretan wonders such as Talos, a gies. For example, one of the reasons chemists rejected the phlogiston bronze warrior, and the wings of theory (which interpreted fire not as combining with oxygen, but as giv- Daedalus and Icarus. Designate such ing off phlogiston) was that phlogiston seemed to have negative weight. mechanisms as TL(n+1); Daedalus’s If phlogiston were real, it could be an even better lifting gas for balloons wings were TL(1+1), and Renais- than hydrogen. sance ornithopters are TL(4+1). It’s also possible to work in the other logical direction. The techno- Occasionally a higher bonus may logical fantasies of past ages don’t work because they would violate nat- be appropriate. For example, the ural laws if they did. So identifying those natural laws, and envisioning Flintstones live in a TL(0+7) world, a world where they don’t apply, can make such imaginary inventions with Stone Age technology mimick- possible. Perpetual motion machines, which violate the conservation of ing television sets and automobiles. energy, are an example of such an invention. In a fantasy world, energy might not be conserved.

WORLDS 65 Automata technologies might have given rise to some things easy that look like TL12, Spirits can do more than just Metal spells (TL1) or Acid spells (TL3). while straining to do other things that move; they can perceive, communi- look like TL6. Look at a number of cate, remember, and even think. A fan- WHEN MAGIC commonly used spells, assign them to tasy world that learned to control spir- approximate TL equivalents, and see if its, or gain their cooperation, might BECOMES these cluster around one or two TLs as have its Information Revolution hun- usually defined; if so, use a rough dreds of years early. If the same spirits TECHNOLOGY equivalent TL in that range. If that doesn’t work, the TL concept may not could control the motion of artificially Arthur C. Clarke stated, “Any suffi- fit the setting – but don’t simply made bodies, the result would be an ciently advanced technology is indis- assume that it’s “just like TL3, but with early age of robots, whether in the tinguishable from magic.” However, in wizards.” form of man-shaped golems and a fantasy context, the converse may be Settings with magically based TL homunculi, or of self-moving tools true: sufficiently advanced magic may ratings are effectively alternative his- and artificial songbirds. A fantasy be indistinguishable from technology. tories, where the point of departure world could have an artificial intelli- GURPS can take widely available is the invention of reliable magic. gence acting as the library for a uni- magic into account when defining the They’re closer to realistic fiction versity – or the tax assessor for a gov- tech level. In normal- or low-mana than myth, both in their focus on ernment – or the inquisitor for a worlds where Magery is rare, any working out a divergent timeline and church. magical effect is effectively a proto- in their concern with the practical type. The same may be true in a very- uses of magic. Magic in mythic fan- Biotech high-mana world where casting spells tasy is often too unpredictable for Living creatures can be altered by is extremely risky. The ability of a routine use, even if it’s more power- changing either their environments or small number of mages to cast a spell ful than in settings that treat magic heredity. In a magical setting, spells, doesn’t raise the TL of their world or as technology. enchantments, or rituals may produce society. If common (see How Many a more favorable environment, lead- Mages, p. 103), magic may function as ing to better crop yields (see Agrarian technology’s equal and change the TECHNOLOGICALLY Magic, p. 95). Better nutrition may effective TL. Spells may have wide- make people taller and stronger. spread accessibility in a high-mana ENHANCED MAGIC Herbal or alchemical elixirs may cure world or in a world where most people Mages in a technological society diseases and infections and speed the have Magery. Or enchanted objects may use various devices to enhance healing of wounds, lowering the death might be common, since most don’t their own spellcasting or enchanting. rate. Alchemical techniques may require Magery. The same may apply to other magical transform the human body (or the In either approach, the TL may be arts. bodies of other living things) or allow difficult to define. Magic may make strange experiments in crossbreeding (see Alchemical Hybrids, p. 51). Spirit magic could uplift individual organisms, and perhaps entire species. If Examples of Magic as Technology these various sorts of life magic work The following spells might be widely available, because they either well, the world may look like that old have few or no prerequisites, or can be enchanted into objects that any- favorite of science fiction, the civiliza- one can use. Technological equivalents for each are noted. tion that developed biological science and technology earlier than physical. Spell/Item Comparable Device Equivalent TL Accuracy Gunsight 5 TECHNOMAGIC Armor Subdermal armor 10 GMs running fantasy campaigns in Continual Light Electric light 5 a TL4 or higher campaign may want Create Air Oxygen tank 5 to add new colleges or subcolleges, Create Fire Fire siphon 3 reflecting the changing kinds of Cure Disease Antibiotics 6 objects people deal with in everyday Extinguish Fire Fire extinguisher 6 life. Possible colleges could include Foolishness Alcohol 1 Machine spells (TL4), Microorganism Ignite Fire Matches 5 spells to accompany Plant and Animal Lend Vitality Emergency room equipment 6 spells (TL4), Energy and Fuel spells Purify Water Water filter 6 (TL5), Synthetics spells (TL5), Seek Earth Remote geosensors 7 Electronics spells (TL6), Radiation Sense Foes Intruder detection systems 7 spells (TL6), Genetics spells (TL7), Test Food Chemical analysis 6 and even Nanotech spells (TL8). Older

66 WORLDS Precision Instruments Mechanically If magic involves the control of An alchemist working in a high- Powered Magic mana, a computer may carry out a tech laboratory gains some effective spell with a mana co-processor. The Magic can obviously control, and computer will still need to understand skill (see GURPS Magic), which is bet- perhaps create, the kind of energy that ter than he could achieve with tradi- the spell, which will require enough physicists study. Spells such as Ignite Complexity to process a sophisticated tional equipment and ingredients. Fire, Light, and Lightning all cause a Similar benefits may accrue to any language, but less than needed to release of energy. Can it work the become conscious. other mage who manipulates natural other way? If so, an enchanted forces in some way. Precision instru- machine can provide magical energy ments may also aid observation and as long as it has power. A power stor- magic that involves observation. For age system, such as a mainspring, bat- example, if astrology works, an tery, or flywheel, will supply power astrologer with a good telescope and a until its stored energy runs out. A fuel- stabilized mount gains +TL/2 to skill burning engine, such as a steam rolls to interpret planetary configura- engine, internal combustion engine, tions (see Soothsaying, p. 150). or fuel cell, will keep supplying energy so long as it is refueled. In a world Industrial Magic where perpetual motion machines are Standard magic is conducted like a possible, they will provide energy until handicraft; single workers or small physically destroyed. teams cast spells, as artisans turn out Regardless of the machine’s power, handiwork. Can magic be organized the value of the enchantment would like a factory or an assembly line? If limit the energy output. An enchanted so, the amount of magic will increase battery would not discharge until its tremendously; this may lead to a very- power was put to use, but would common-enchantment setting. always be visibly magical to anyone At TL6, a magical production line with Magery. An enchanted engine that creates any enchanted object would release energy whenever it was might exist. A process of enchantment running; unused energy would simply in itself, the energy cost is twice that of Finally, if symbols themselves have dissipate into the environment. It magical power; any machine that setting up a magical workspace to would be visibly magical when run- build a prototype item, or (number of manipulates the appropriate magical ning, but not when shut off. Starting symbols can work magic. A system as prerequisite spells +1) ¥ (800 energy the conversion process might require points). Each production line can only simple as a music box or a prayer a small input of magical energy, per- wheel may cast a single spell infinite produce one kind of item. It turns out haps from a magical battery. one copy of the prototype in (energy times. A system comparable to a word cost of enchantment/4) hours. Each Thaumaturgic processor, but with magical symbols mage working on the line can con- programmed into it, could assemble tribute 10 energy points per working Automata spells from a library, or even work out Can a machine cast a spell? The day, reducing the cost of hiring mages. new spells from thaumatological prin- answer depends on how magic works Another option is alchemical pro- ciples. This would probably involve in the campaign setting. duction on a production line scale. See manipulating symbols with extremely If magic is a product of conscious- Alchemic Inventions and apply the high resolution, comparable to that ness, only a conscious machine – usu- standard rules for production lines for magical printing presses; this abil- ally a computer with sophisticated (p. B156). ity could be Magery. artificial intelligence programming In a setting where symbols are Where do machines get the energy and high enough Complexity to run – magically potent, a printing press can for spells? Typically, mana comes from can cast a spell. In an animistic set- be a potent magical production line, the FP and HP of living organisms. ting, a conscious machine may have a turning out multiple copies of a spell. Entities with the Machine meta-trait spirit inhabiting it. In some settings, Available at TL4, it works just like any often don’t generate it. A mana co- any conscious machine can use other magical production line. The processor may contain systems that magic; others require a separate printing must be of extremely high emulate mana-generating life process- Magery 0 program. quality to make the symbols work. es or convert physical energy to mana. Spirits might not have fixed resi- Finally, if naturally magical crea- A symbol-manipulating machine may dence in specific computers, but trav- tures or substances exist, a society gain the necessary energy from the el between linked computers. may harvest them on an industrial symbols themselves. A machine Cyberpunk offered animistic and scale. High-tech societies with magic inhabited by a spirit draws energy for magical ideas as a metaphor for virtu- may have greenhouses or farms rais- magic from the spirit’s FP and HP. al reality or cyberspace; in a fantasy ing magical herbs, or deep mines or setting, these could be more than a wells seeking deposits of magical metaphor. minerals.

WORLDS 67 Exotic Settings Many fantasy stories show cities or civilizations in magic. Its inhabitants might fly, use flying carpets, or unusual surroundings. Technology (or magical technol- ride huge flying beasts such as gryphons tamed by ogy) may make it possible for human beings to inhabit magic. Even more exotic examples are possible: com- such environments, or nonhuman races may live there munities living underground, or in the craters of live and may develop different technologies as a result. volcanoes. Magic could seal a city beneath the sea against the Nonhuman races such as devilfish (p. 105) could water, or encase it in a dome of adamant. Other spells also live in exotic places. Underwater races would not could provide air and light. Or its inhabitants could be have fire, and as a result could not produce ceramics, adapted magically to their aquatic life by spells metal, or glass. Races in more exotic settings would enabling them to breathe water or giving them gills and have other limitations; a race that lived in the crater of fish tails. A city could float in the air with levitation, or a live volcano might be unable to use organic materials. huge chambers of lifting gases perhaps enhanced by

CIVILIZATIONS Just as natural forces shape land- a vessel of supernatural energy. In addition, he’ll probably have scapes, political and economic forces Alternatively, they may be specialists exceptional wealth. Aristocrats tradi- shape civilizations. A political map in maintaining the purity of a sacred tionally get their wealth by inheriting that reflects these forces will offer king. Priests and scholars are often it, not by working for it; they consider more ideas for adventures. Magical knowledgeable, especially about most forms of work degrading. Myth, arts and supernatural forces might secret matters hidden from other peo- legend, and folklore often share this alter these forces in a variety of ways. ple. This knowledge may turn into view, seeing wealth as an inherent per- magical power; the word “glamour,” sonal quality – the rich man is rich by for faerie magic (p. 168), was original- nature, and the poor man is poor. Only TRUE KINGS ly a mispronunciation of “grammar,” divine favor, or luck so extraordinary and writing systems such as the Norse as to be supernatural, can change him AND SACRED runes may have magical powers. Or from one to the other. Even merchants COVENANTS the physical expression of their knowl- get their wealth not from careful edge may be supernaturally potent. investments, but from buying one Real societies often attribute super- For example, a Bible may be literally pearl of great price, or from trade ven- natural origins and powers to their holy. tures that are virtually heroic quests. kings. Citizens may worship kings as Lesser aristocrats don’t have the Many fantasy settings support the gods, claim divine ancestry, or act as same magic as kings, but they may aristocratic idea that wealth equals the gods’ favored servants. In a fanta- have their own gifts. A nobleman may land. The rich man who deserves his sy setting, a king may gain a level of have not just a Code of Honor, but a wealth has invested in the earth and Charisma at his coronation. Or he Higher Purpose that enables him to has a bond to the earth much like the may have supernatural gifts, such as a exceed his normal limits. He may true king’s special bond to his country touch that cures the sick; the True actually be the knightly ideal of chival- – or the peasant’s closeness to his own King template (p. 125) reflects this ric romance, superior to common soil, which has its own magic (see idea. He may have a special bond to men in both fighting prowess and Everyday Magic, p. 70). the land, as in the myth of the Fisher willpower. His bloodline may even King, whose wounds reflect the have some special magical heritage. injuries of the land.

The hand of the d’Anconias, it was said, had the miraculous power of the saints – but it was not the power to The hands of a king are the hands of a healer, heal, but the power to produce. – Ayn Rand, Atlas Shrugged and so the true king was ever known. Priests may also have special pow- – J.R.R. Tolkien, ers. They often accept restrictions on The Return of the King their conduct, to maintain “purity”; this may be more than ritual in a fantasy setting. Perhaps only the man who is insulated from daily life can be

68 WORLDS SUPERNATURAL ELITES Pirate Commonwealths In a fantasy setting, magically gift- Before the American and French Revolutions, the great majority of ed people or beings may rule civiliza- civilized societies were monarchies of some sort. Few thought about tions. This adds to the standard list of republics, democracies, or anarchies. Law was the command of a sov- government types. ereign; being without a king meant being without law. One exception was the organization of pirate ships in the era of the Theocracy Spanish Main. A pirate ship was owned in common by its entire crew Theocracy usually means rule by and governed by their communal will, under a compact they all agreed priests, but in a fantasy world, a god to – sometimes under duress, as refusing to sign the articles could be may rule a civilization directly. Harry grounds for marooning. The captain was not a sovereign, but an agent Turtledove’s Between the Rivers por- of the crew. His authority began when the ship prepared for combat, trays such a world. Priests of such a and ended when combat ended. During that period, he was an absolute god, despite their authority, won’t be ruler, but with victory or escape, authority reverted to the quartermas- supreme rulers, but anxious servants ter, including the authority to supervise the division of spoils. On a larg- hoping not to offend their divine er scale, accounts exist of a pirate republic in Madagascar called master. Libertatia. Larger commonwealths earlier in history often have traits reminis- Teratocracy cent of these pirate republics. Iceland, founded by Vikings in the ninth A human civilization may have century, had only one government official, the lawspeaker, who presided nonhuman rulers. Powerful beings over annual meetings of Iceland’s judicial body, the Thing. Icelanders such as dragons, elves, or vampires proclaimed that “The law is king.” Much earlier, pre-Monarchic Israel’s may find human servants convenient. only officials were the Judges, under the legal codes of the Old Or human beings may be semi-wild Testament – and the Israelites started out as nomadic desert raiders associates of a more civilized race; for preying on the more civilized Canaanites, whom they eventually con- example, a dwarvish empire might quered. Rome doesn’t fit this pattern as well, since it immediately devel- rely on human mercenaries and ten- oped from an armed band to a monarchy, and only later instituted a ant farmers. This might take malig- republic under magistrates. But its organization as a republic has some nant forms, such as human beings parallels, including the office of dictator, which held absolute authority becoming the slaves of exceptionally only for the duration of a war, much like a pirate captain. capable orcs (see The Red Orcs, p. 62). In a historical fantasy setting, these may serve as models for a com- monwealth, in the nature of their founders or in the organization of Thanatocracy their institutions. Vampiric overlords verge on a different type of exotic system, where human beings serve their own dead. This might simply involve ancestor worship, with the ancestors replying. like other professionals, mostly live in selecting certain mortals to speak Or it might involve rule by more pow- cities, thaumatocracies may be rela- with his voice; while doing so, such erful undead, whether spiritual or cor- tively urbanized. If cities have lower spokesmen might take on the god’s poreal, who regard the living with con- mana, magical rulers could live in charismatic force. tempt, envy, or good will. Perhaps remote high-mana fortresses to which Charisma and glamour (p. 20) may funeral rites are ancient magical tech- cities pay tribute. be the same thing, or closely related. If niques freeing the living of such so, explorers may discover the rulers authority, remnants of some ancient Charismatic Rulers of faerie realms have personal charis- spiritual revolution. The German sociologist Max ma instead of legal authority. Weber defined charisma as a quality Charismatic rulers can establish Thaumatocracy of unique personal authority seen in new laws and customs by decreeing If magic really works, mages may the founders of new faiths and new them. A civilization with established gain forms of power other than magic. empires. GURPS defines this as charismatic rule is almost a self-con- The ability to cast spells may be the Charisma 5 or higher, seen in histor- tradictory idea; historical turmoil and jealously guarded prerogative of a ical figures such as Alexander and rapid change surrounds charismatic Guild of Wizards, with unlicensed Muhammad, or their fantasy ana- leaders. If charisma is inherited or spellcasters facing anything from fines logues. If gods have half-mortal chil- transmitted, a charismatically ruled to the destruction of their magical tal- dren, such demigods might become civilization may be a place of rapid ent. If Magery is hereditary, a different charismatic rulers. Mortals pos- social change – perhaps constructive sort of aristocracy generates – one that sessed by gods or powerful spirits progress, like that of the Industrial may either share power with warriors might also have such authority. A Revolution, or perhaps repeated dis- and priests or displace them. If mages, god might rule a civilization by ruption and outright revolution.

WORLDS 69 ANTASTIC discussed on p. 57.) But fantasy set- Secret Kings F tings may contain such civilizations. Who’s really in charge? Historical Women may get their power from societies had popular legends about CUSTOMS being warriors, such as the Amazons Legends and literature describe secret manipulators, much like today’s of Greek legend, whose combat skills conspiracy theories. From the many customs and institutions that few men could equal. Or they may be fall closer to myth than history, rang- Renaissance on, the Jesuits were priestesses or sorceresses, with magi- favorites for this role, particularly in ing from the debatable to the entirely cal powers that men can’t share. A imaginary. In a fantasy setting, some Protestant countries. Hidden Illumi- matriarchy may worship a goddess nati might rule a fantasy country. They may be real and may form part of fan- whose divine power protects her mor- tastic civilizations. might even be benevolent, as in Lois tal daughters from male violence. McMaster Bujold’s The Curse of Communism Chalion, with its church guided by a Oaths network of hidden saints. Some historians have remarked on In the real world, personal convic- Marxism’s similarity to the prophetic tions and social forces – such as the traditions of Near Eastern religions. desire to preserve a good Reputation – EVERYDAY MAGIC Marx’s vision hasn’t worked out in the enforce oaths. In a fantasy setting, In many real cultures, common real world. However, in a fantasy set- oaths may have supernatural power people have their own sorts of magic. ting (perhaps a postmodern one), (see Oaths, p. 147). A society where The same is sometimes true in fantasy communistic economics might work. oaths have such power may rely upon settings. Alongside the court enchanter The economy of Oz, for instance, is them in a way that doesn’t work in the with his potent spells may be a village communistic, with great storehouses real world. wise woman or hedge wizard with folk from which people take what they magic handed down from distant need. (Potlatch and reciprocity, dis- Reversal ancestors. If these spells actually work, cussed on p. 57, provide real-world Many societies have a custom such they may make the common people’s models for such customs, on a small as the Roman Saturnalia, a period lives easier. Plant and weather magic scale.) when authority relations briefly can improve crop yields (see Agrarian reverse, with masters waiting on Magic, p. 95); healing magic can pre- Matriarchy slaves and a King of Fools on the Legends of countries ruled by vent women from dying in childbirth, throne. Some legends describe serious or children from becoming sick; fertil- women, or even inhabited solely by versions of reversal among nonhuman women, go a long way back. ity magic can help barren women con- races. The faeries often split rule ceive children. Magic can turn away Nineteenth- and 20th-century anthro- between the seelie and unseelie. (See pological speculations about matriar- harm from a house, or help a judge Zeitgeists, p. 78, for one way this might discover the truth in a dispute. chal civilizations remain unproven. come about.) (This is not the same as matrilineality, Folk magic is like folk music. It doesn’t use expensive instruments. It doesn’t have highly skilled practitioners. It is performed by soloists or very small groups, not hundreds or thou- The Genius of a People sands. They perform small, simple pieces instead of elaborate sym- In Roman beliefs, the Genius was the spiritual power that enabled a phonies. (See Low Magic, p. 147, for man to beget children, especially sons who would carry on his name. more on these distinctions.) But folk Many cultures have similar spirits. Sometimes these are ancestral spir- music entertains millions of people, its, sometimes totem animal spirits, and sometimes abstract principles especially in rural societies, and folk of virility, as in Roman household cults (p. 202). magic may provide aid in daily lives. An entire nation or people may descend from an original ancestor or In a “magic as technology” setting household, biologically or adoptively. So it may have a Genius of its (pp. 64-67), elaborate magic may con- own, as the Romans thought they had. Or it may have the protection of tribute to daily life. If production of a greater spiritual being. Medieval Catholicism thought every nation enchanted objects is inexpensive, peo- had an angel to guide and protect it; the angelic order of Principalities ple may use those instead of mundane specifically had this function. Much earlier, Yahweh was very specifi- tools. cally the god of Israel, which claimed descent from Abraham. The In a society where magic is com- Genius may grant a people protection from disasters – or, if offended, mon, people will expect it. There will may make them worse (see Divine Punishments, p. 89). be magically skilled guards and detec- A people with such a spirit may also have a common spirit in an tives; appropriate precautions will be everyday sense. For example, they may have an emblematic trait taken against spellcasters by anyone (p. 213). The taciturn speech of Spartans and the reckless bravery of who can afford it. Even those who Gascons are both literary clichés. can’t afford countermeasures will be mentally prepared for most common magical tactics.

70 WORLDS Guards will be ordered to distrib- But another factor also determines For example, one ceremonial cast- ute themselves so that a single Mass a society’s magical capabilities: the size ing of a 100-point Bless Plants spell Sleep spell cannot get them all. The of its pool of trained wizards. A society will double the crop yield on 6.5 acres wealthy will have Spell Shields and that develops better methods of magi- (see Agrarian Magic, p. 95). That’s a Scryguards in their homes. Large jails cal training, or that identifies and small wheat field, but a substantial and dungeons will have at least one trains more of the magically gifted, vineyard – and good wine sells for cell rendered a no-mana zone with will have more people who can make more than good bread, so doubling the Drain Mana spell (Mages’ Guild use of its available mana. If Magery is the yield pays off even more. Farmers chapter houses may well have similar not found equally in all races, the peo- who live in a high-mana area will facilities). ples with more mages will be more probably use their land for vineyards, powerful. Or if only divine favor grants and spend some of the extra income to access to the supernatural, the peoples bring wheat from normal-mana areas MAGIC AS who worship stronger gods, or enjoy nearby. more favor from the gods, will be more A RESOURCE powerful. A world’s mana level may vary In a campaign with realistic eco- THE CONTROL from place to place. If so, sites with nomics, a subtler kind of change will higher mana levels will provide take place, through the process of OF MAGIC sources of power in a magical and comparative advantage. If higher mana In worlds where magic exists, political sense. Wizard-lords with tow- enhances some kinds of production magical abilities are an obvious sub- ers in high-mana areas will defend more than others, the industries that ject for legal regulation. Wizards them fiercely. If mana can be trans- benefit more will concentrate in the could use magic to resist the author- ported from place to place, perhaps higher-mana areas, and the industries ity of the state or the law, or to kill embodied in magically charged physi- that benefit less will concentrate in the people. Many classes of spells may cal objects, mana-rich sites will lower-mana areas, even if magic be limited to licensed wizards, or become wealthy and need more would help them, too. even banned. The following Magical defenses against invading wizards or Legality Classes (MLCs) provide a kings. rough average rating, based on the potential social and political impact of the spells in question: MLC 4: Spells of healing; spells of perception, knowledge, and communication; spells of crop fertility and food production. MLC 3: Movement spells; protective spells; spells that shape materials or control natural forces or living creatures; spells of illusion or concealment; temporary incapacitation spells. MLC 2: Spells that inflict injury or break material objects; permanent incapacitation spells; mind control spells; flight spells; death spells; resurrection spells. MLC 1: Elemental summoning and control; teleportation spells; spells for perception through physical barriers. MLC 0: Gate and necromantic spells; large-scale destructive spells; large-scale mind control spells; large- scale curses. In a fantasy world, most societies will have the same CR for magic as for other concerns, but variations are possible. MLC interacts with CR in the same way as weapon LC (p. B267). Cultural variation in attitudes usually places increased restrictions on magic, but a society might consider spellcasting a basic right, or even require that everyone capable of

WORLDS 71 learning certain spells do so. In a high- happy being the target of a manhunt, medieval guild model, designed to reg- mana world, the law might require all and simple carelessness can easily kill ulate magic with an iron fist, for the free citizens to know certain spells. a mage in this kind of setting. It can common good of all magicians . . . or Societies with wizardly aristocracies also be frustrating for a party when at least the Guildmasters. might have one set of rules for aristo- their single mage repeatedly gets them Strong guilds typically charge hefty crats, another for commoners, and in deep trouble with the law. dues – 10% to 30% of the member’s still another for slaves. A society income, increasing with his Merchant where priests call on the gods may Above the Law Rank. However, strong guilds often consider priestly status a license to use Some settings may not have such have the clout to have laws passed divinely granted powers, while regu- stringent standards. In rare-magic set- banning the practice of magic by non- lating or forbidding ordinary spells. tings, the civil authorities may never members. And if the law isn’t a suffi- Alternately, spellcasting may be have taken the time to make laws cient deterrent, they aren’t above send- illegal in its entirety – no one may about magic. In settings where magic ing a golem squad around to have a practice magic legally! In such a is not widely acknowledged to exist, it few words with the renegade. In the world, mages are universally hated may not even possible to charge wiz- end, strong guilds usually end up with and feared. All wizards must take a ards – it’s hard to charge someone a monopoly on magical training and negative Reputation; just how strong with negligent telepathy if such abili- traffic in magic items. A few hedge- depends on the depth of the popular ties aren’t admitted to exist. wizards may live out in the sticks, but distrust for mages. Legal penalties for Also, some very powerful mages the cities are guild territory. magic use may be heavy, ranging from may simply place themselves above At the same time, however, a guild extortionate fines to outright slavery – the law, either by making themselves can do a lot of good for its members. many illegal-magic regimes are moti- an integral part of the local power A guild that can bring pressure to bear vated not so much by a desire to elim- structure (see Thaumatocracy, p. 69), on a recalcitrant enchanter can dis- inate magic as to control it, and such or simply by being so powerful that no courage the people who might incite a a government might well take any and one would dare to arrest them. torch-wielding mob. And only the all spellcasters into bondage. Armed most corrupt of guilds will ignore a press-gangs with an aura-checking Magical Guilds dues-paying member when he comes wizard might sweep populated areas Wizards also police themselves. In looking for help or advice. Guilds can from time to time. many societies, this means organizing be a source of information, training, These sorts of settings can be very into guilds. These range from diffuse and even employment for the young exciting for a mage PC. Simply staying professional organizations through wizard. alive and free will be a challenge. On mutual defense societies to a rigidly Guilds offer a way to restrict the other hand, not every player is organized “closed shop” on the access to potentially unbalancing spells. Learning a powerful spell may require access to secret guild archives where such spells are recorded, or lessons from an authorized guild instructor. Mages seeking such access may have to show a record of rep- utable practice, or demonstrate a need to know the secret lore – or simply make a large donation to the guild treasury. RELIGION In a setting where magic works, prayers can be demonstrably effective. In a low fantasy setting, praying may simply focus the worshipper’s Will on a desired result; the gods themselves may never appear. In a high fantasy setting, the gods may truly control the operation of the natural world, so that storms are the wrath of the thunder god and crop yields are the blessing of the Earth goddess. If a temple invites people to pray for the deaths of their enemies, or of the king, or for war, famine, or plague, the local rulers will take that amiss.

72 WORLDS Multispecies Empires Many fantasies assume that political authority only operates within a single species. If elves and dwarves exist, they have their own rulers, who owe allegiance to no human ruler, nor does any human ruler owe allegiance to them. If the different species naturally prefer different habitats, this is a plausible assumption, but it’s not the only one possible. Human political arrangements involving contact between people from different cultures suggest several alternative models for contact between different species: Enslavement If a species has superior combat abilities, it may enslave other species after its armies defeat theirs. In an idealized fantasy setting, only evil empires will practice such slavery. In a strongly realistic one, it may be commonplace. Slaves may actually live better than their free kin. The slaves’ desire for freedom partly determines whether the exchange is good. Slaves usually have Social Stigma (Subjugated); an escaped slave has his master’s entire race as an Enemy. Slave races that have been enslaved for a long time may have Slave Mentality. Castes A system somewhat like slavery, but more complex, is the caste hierarchy most strongly developed in India. Each of several species may be assigned a place in society, with certain permitted or favored occupations and with specific rights and duties in relation to other species. (A leaving itself surrounded by uncivi- society where humans are not the top caste offers interesting dramatic lized lands without many inhabitants, possibilities.) A simple model of such a society gives each caste a Social like China’s Ch’in Dynasty. But even Status. Hybrids (if they exist) have Social Stigma (Minority Group). vast empires usually have to deal with Enclaves other empires. In the ancient Near A species may live according to its own laws and customs, but be East, for example, an elaborate diplo- subject to the authority and taxes of another species. The subordinate matic protocol classified some rulers species may occupy separate “quarters” of cities and towns, live con- as Great Kings entitled to precedence fined to reservations, or have their own cities with internal self-govern- over other rulers; the rulers of Egypt ment. This usually amounts to Social Stigma (Second-Class Citizen) or and the Hittites called each other (Minority Group). “brother” and wrote letters asking about each other’s wives, sons, and Equality Under the Law chariot horses. Interaction between In the 19th century, some empires treated all their subjects as offi- states takes a variety of forms, includ- cially equal. Englishmen and Jews and Sikhs might not intermarry ing war, trade, intermarriage, and or socialize with each other, but were all legally free. This assump- diplomacy. tion fits especially well in a light fantasy campaign set in the 19th All of these, but especially war century. An idealized treatment of earlier historical settings may and trade, depend on transporta- have the same assumption. Nineteenth-century British writers such tion. Trade requires exporting goods as Thomas Macaulay and Rudyard Kipling viewed Roman law in this to other lands; war requires the way – though, as the example of Rome suggests, equality may not movement of troops, food, fodder, apply to slaves. In a society that takes such ideals seriously, the worst and weapons. If magic can lower Social Stigma is normally Second-Class Citizen. An empire with transportation costs, whether by such rules might have a wealthy orc merchant, a halfling military producing better ships or instanta- commander, or a dwarf senator. neous teleportation, it will make wider-ranging trade and warfare possible. Foreign relations may be conducted partially via supernatural Religions that pray for blessings can means. If oaths are binding, the usually do so openly; religions that FOREIGN rulers of two countries may have pray for curses usually need secrecy. genuinely inviolable treaties. Or Mortal rulers might not be able to RELATIONS alliances may reflect the friendship punish a god, but they can make life Like people, nations usually have or enmity of two nations’ gods or two hard for his priests. neighbors. In rare cases, one state conquers every state that borders it, peoples’ geniuses.

WORLDS 73 CHAPTER FOUR HISTORIES

This world is older than any of you I turned, and I saw its crest in every Many fantasy novels have elabo- know, and contrary to popular direction, like a wall encircling the rate historical backgrounds. A fully mythology, it did not begin in a para- island, higher than the highest moun- realized campaign setting can profit dise. tains. Our land was swallowed up in from background as well. Historical – Giles, in Buffy the Vampire Slayer the mouth of Ocean!” backstory implies that the world didn’t “Poseidon is angry with us. He just appear at the start of the cam- Old Xenops was out in the public gave us this land of Atlantis, so that we paign, but was already there waiting square again, orating about the wrath might live in peace; but our fleets to be discovered. of the gods. Melanippos and Draco cross the seas, and bring distant lands Even a purely action-oriented cam- strolled toward him, mostly out of idle under our rule. And yet we do not paign has some implied historical curiosity. King Poseidophilios didn’t offer him our gratitude, or sacrifice background. There’s a ruined fortress want to silence the old man – rumor our wealth to appease his wrath.” inhabited by monsters? Then some- made him a royal bastard, two gener- A young man called out, “I see you one long ago built fortresses, and then ations back – and as long as no one don’t suffer from unsacrificed wealth, abandoned them. There’s a great bat- took him too seriously, exiling him Xenops, judging by the patches in tle where the adventurers have to risk would cause more trouble than it your cloak.” their lives? Then two opposed forces would save. But if the old man’s rav- The prophet turned on him, and have some reason for conflict. Any ings turned dangerous, the king would the soldiers walked on together, laugh- such assumption implies other things need to hear of them. ing. Atlantis sinking beneath the that may provide a basis for further Xenops was in fine form today, ocean! Next he’d be saying that the adventures. talking about his dreams. “. . . I stood sun was going to fall from the sky. on the slopes of Mount Hieronikos, above the orichalcum mines, and I saw a great wave sweeping toward me.

74 HISTORIES FRAMES Just as the first step in creating a or destroy the present before it hap- with an alternate history where things world is deciding its overall shape, the pens; his knowledge of the future can happened differently, and he can’t get first step in creating a history is decid- change the future. The very concept of back to his own world. His presence is ing how time works in the world. Is a historical timeline may break down. an anomaly, but an isolated one. GMs history an inescapable linear progres- People who can see the future may try wanting to keep things simple should sion from past to future? Or are there to prevent it from happening; people use one of these answers. other options? who can see and influence the past may try to adjust history in their own favor. History may repeatedly melt MYTHIC TIME HISTORICAL and recrystallize; encapsulated bits of Civilizations in the past often the old may persist within the new – a included supernatural events in their TIME plausible source for magical relics. histories, beginning with a mythic age Many fantasy settings have “realis- Different histories might even coexist ruled by the gods. In fantasy, especial- tic” historical sequences. Each per- in the same time. Mary Gentle’s his- ly high fantasy, such legends may be son’s life is a continuous stretch of torical fantasy series Ash explores true. A high fantasy world may have time from past to future, which is only some of the possible complications. been created by some mythological a fraction of the world’s history. Two methods help avoid time para- process, and may retain legends, Memories, records, and relics survive doxes. One says that the past is diffi- records, or memories of a time when from the past, but few are truly cult or even impossible to change. The the gods still walked the earth. The age ancient. No one remembers the future other says that changing the past cre- of myth may have ended in some sud- or has certain knowledge of it. No one ates a new branch of time, diverging den catastrophe, or gradually faded gets to skip ahead, or drop back. In from the history that previously hap- into history, with magic becoming less this kind of setting, developing a his- pened. When the time traveler moves common and ancient races dying or tory is fairly straightforward. forward again, he enters a new future, departing to make room for humans. Time travel makes things harder. Science fiction writers talk about “the grandfather paradox,” from the question, “If you go back into the past and kill your grandfather, what happens to you?” Telling a story becomes much Prophecy harder if a later event can change an Actual bodily travel into the past isn’t common in fantasy. However, earlier one, or if the same event can sending information from the present into the past, or receiving infor- both happen and not happen. mation from the future, can also create paradoxes. Stories about One-way time travel from the pres- prophetic foreknowledge frame the problem differently – rather than ent to the future doesn’t create such reaching back into the past and trying to change what has already hap- paradoxes. It’s just a way to get the pened, the prophet looks ahead to Destiny and tries to change what is same character into a new story and doomed to happen. But it’s the same basic problem. setting. Putting him in suspended ani- In many stories, horrific visions of the future are too vague to prevent. mation could also get him into the Oracular statements are famous for this kind of vagueness. When the future. So could simply having him be king of Lydia asked the Delphic Oracle what would happen if he made unaging, if he waited for a while. war on Persia, the oracle said, “A mighty empire will be destroyed,” and Fantasy stories often include suspend- so it was – the Lydian empire. ed animation, typically as a magical In other stories, people simply don’t believe the prophet’s visions and curse. Merlin was the victim of such a warnings. In Greek legends, the Trojan princess Cassandra foresaw spell, and so was Sleeping Beauty. Troy’s conquest by the Greeks, but couldn’t prevent it, because no one Visits to the faeries can also produce would listen to her. one-way time travel into the future. Finally, everything the protagonist does may simply make sure that Fantasy also has immortals, such as the prophecy comes true. When the Greek hero Oedipus learned of the the elves, though they’re often more prophecy that he would kill his father and marry his mother, he left his concerned with remembering the for- home and traveled to Thebes, not knowing of his adoption or of his bio- gotten past than with jumping ahead logical parents, the king and queen of Thebes. Thinking he was fleeing into the future. his Destiny, he was actually going to meet it. Paradoxes arise when someone in If the future can change, then what a prophet sees can’t be his Destiny. the present travels into the past, or At most, it can be a destiny. Looking ahead lets him choose which of sev- when he travels into the future and eral possible timelines will become real. then returns to the present (or, from the viewpoint of the future, into the past). His actions in the past can alter

HISTORIES 75 A world may also have mythic A number of mythologies assert don’t usually have calendar dates. events in its future. Jewish prophecies that time is not actually a line, but a External measures of time, such as the of the Messiah, and the Christian and circle, a great cosmic day or year. In sun and moon, may not have existed Muslim beliefs derived from them, this view, the mythic past and the yet when the age of myth started. imply such a return. A fantasy world mythic future may be the same thing Which event happened first may be could reawaken myth in its future, ... a vast renewal of the world. unclear. Mythic eras may have fluid based on real-world religions and Mythic ages do not define time as histories, filled with paradoxes created mythologies or invented ones. sharply as history does. Mythic events by divine foreknowledge. A pantheon may include gods whose origin is never made clear, such as Heimdall, the watchman of the Norse gods, described only as “the son of nine Mythology, Part 1 mothers.” Whether myths are true, or simply cultural background, inventing a fantasy setting includes inventing its myths. GMs shouldn’t hesitate to steal good stories from existing mythologies. The mythologies of cultures in the real world did this all the time! For example, ancient Babylonian legend described a great flood and a man named Utnapishtim who survived it by building a huge ship. The Bible tells a similar story about Noah, and in Greek myth, a hero named Deucalion survived a flood by taking refuge in a mountaintop temple. Identifying themes that occur in many different mythologies can also provide inspiration for a newly invented myth. Scholars such as Joseph Campbell and Georges Dumézil discuss many common mythic themes in their books. The following themes are typical of both real and invented mythologies. The Birth of the Gods Where did the gods come from? Theologians describe eternal and uncreated gods, as in Judaism, Christianity, Islam, and Hinduism. Mythology often has the gods emerging from some older, unformed chaos, as in Greek legend, where Chaos and Night were the first gods and the parents of all the other gods. Many mythologies describe several generations of gods preceding the One possible theme for a fantasy “current” ones that people actually worship. The earlier generations may campaign is the appearance of myths still exist, or they may have suffered destruction or exile. Their roles may in the historical present. Ancient be vaguely defined, or correspond to those of the current gods, or they relics may surface, or forerunners of a may retain control over obscurer domains. mystical apocalypse may appear. In a The Creation of the World fantasy set in the real world, the heroes may be called on to prevent Whatever their origin, the gods’ first tasks typically include creating such anachronisms from turning the the world. This may not be literal creation out of nothing, as in Genesis. setting into a fantasy world – espe- The gods may instead create the world out of the unformed matter cially when the new age would be one around them, dredging islands out of the sea or shaping clay on a wheel. of darkness and horror (one of the They may make it out of their own substance, or out of other beings. recurring themes in Buffy the Vampire Giants whose dismembered bodies become the world appear in many Slayer). Other stories portray the mythologies: Tiamat in Mesopotamia, Adam Kadmon in Jewish mysti- mythic beings more sympathetically, cism, Purusha in Hindu beliefs, and Ymir in Norse myths, among oth- as defenders of humanity or creators ers. Relics of the original chaos may linger in corners of the world, or of a better future. The present-day under or outside it. This may include monsters of various kinds (see heroes may need to form a bond with Primordial Entities, p. 56). the mythic beings, or even participate War in Heaven in the events of the mythic age in Another early activity of many gods is warfare. One group of gods some mystical initiation. (All these may battle another, like the Norse Aesir and Vanir. The gods may battle themes are common in the superhero primordial beings, or their own rebellious servants, as the Christian God genre; see Matt Wagner’s Mage: The battled the angel Lucifer and cast him out of Heaven. This sort of war- Hero Discovered for a brilliant treat- fare often takes place after the creation of the world – the prize for which ment of the “defender of humanity” the gods compete. During such wars, any remaining areas of chaos may theme.) Bringing myth into the fore- provide refuges for the gods’ enemies. ground as the focus of dramatic conflict can turn a story or a campaign into high fantasy.

76 HISTORIES Mythic Time and was remade into the present physical . . . The eye altering alters all: universe. White Wolf Games’ Exalted The senses roll themselves in fear, Cosmic Change presents a similar flat earth and sug- And the flat earth becomes a ball. A number of fantasies carry the gests that it could be the actual pre- The stars, sun, moon all shrink idea of mythic time a step further, cursor to our world. William Blake’s away, envisioning a remote past when the epic poems, written in the early 19th A desert vast without a bound . . . actual shape of the world was differ- century, described a cosmic transfor- ent. Tolkien’s Middle-Earth was one mation caused by a change in human – William Blake, example: it was originally created as a consciousness. Both Blake and “The Mental Traveller” flat world with stars close overhead, Tolkien connected the world-changes but near the end of the Second Age, it they described with the fall of Atlantis. PLAYING WITH TIMELINES A timeline of historical events provides a world with a chronological framework, just as a map provides it with a geographical framework. When creating such a timeline, a GM can use Mythology, Part 2 various methods, depending on how Whereas previous themes discussed the Gods, the following themes similar the fantasy world is to the real focus more on humanity’s presence in mythology. one. The Creation of Man Once the world exists, the gods commonly make human beings to REAL HISTORY inhabit it – and possibly other sapient races as well, in fantasy worlds. In fantasy set in the real world, the They may need human sacrifices to sustain them or human servants to basic timeline is the same as appears in fight for them. They may simply want love and enjoy worship. They may any historical text. create human beings as a work of art, or even as a practical joke that gets However, this is only a starting out of hand. point. The next step is to look for real historical events that point to some Ages of Heroes occult secret. There may be a magical Many mythologies describe earlier ages when humans were closer to explanation for a death, a war, or an the gods, and when some humans became great heroes. Heroes may expedition. Perhaps the German even be demigods, children of a god and a mortal, most often a male god oceanographers on the Meteor in and a mortal woman (see Half-Mortals, p. 32). Heroes often face battles 1925-1927 were looking for Atlantis, with monsters of various sorts, especially primordial entities. A hero may or the death of Alexander the Great be welcomed into Heaven after his death, either as a new god or as a war- was the result of a magical curse. Or a rior in the service of the gods, as in the Norse myth of Valhalla. visible event may have invisible con- Heroes also create civilization and technology. Sometimes the gods sequences; what were the magical teach a hero, so he can pass on their knowledge. Sometimes he steals it aftershocks of the first moon landing? from them – fire seems especially singled out as the sort of thing the gods Many of Tim Powers’ novels use this want to keep to themselves, instead of entrusting it to mortals. approach. As the Greek legend of Prometheus illustrates, a story’s hero can be a Historical events that reveal a hid- god instead of a mortal. In fact, gods can play any sort of heroic role in den magical influence may not be the their own legends, if the world contains suitable adversaries for them. most visible ones. Relatively minor events may be more significant. The End of the World Researching actual incidents of this Finally, mythology often describes what will eventually happen to the sort and adding them to a timeline world and the gods. In cyclical worlds, time will loop back on itself and can provide a fund of ideas for sce- the world will begin anew. In some mythologies, such as Mithraism, this narios. Rumored or reputed events happens all at once, in a huge cataclysm. In others, such as Hinduism, with specific dates can reveal some- the world will first decay and perish, God will rest, and eventually he will thing going on – not necessarily what create another world. In noncyclical worlds, the usual ending is a great the people who report them think. battle to destroy evil, such as the Christian Armageddon or the Norse Perhaps the flying saucer sightings Ragnarok. In either case, mythology often describes these future events and contacts that began after World with as much certainty as past events. War II were actually an upsurge in faerie manifestations.

HISTORIES 77 DIVERGENT HISTORY Zeitgeists: Spirits of Time Just as a forest, a country, or a planet can have a spirit, so can a time. If magic is openly used, then histo- Folk images often treat these spirits somewhat humorously, envisioning ry will be different. Many fantasy cam- the new year as a baby and the old year as a dying man with a long white paigns are effectively alternate histo- beard, but serious personifications exist. Historians don’t really believe in ries. “the spirit of the 20th century,” but they use the image to talk about some- An alternate history’s timeline thing real. And mythology sometimes contains beings such as spirits of starts from a point of divergence, the the hours or the seasons. In a fantasy setting, spirits of times could be real first event that happened differently. and have a measure of power. There are two ways to find such a Zeitgeists come in three main types. First, there are spirits of specific divergence point. One is to look for periods, which have a start and an end. At midnight on December 31, chancy events, where things could eas- 2000, the spirit of the 20th century was out of a job (after a year of strug- ily have turned out otherwise, and ask gle for control with the spirit of the 21st). Such spirits take their charac- what would have happened as a result. ter from the historic events they preside over (or vice versa). Second, there The other envisions the large-scale are cyclical spirits. Times of day and seasons are obvious examples, such outcome, then traces backward look- as a goddess of dawn or a god of winter. But astrology offers other cycles: ing for the smallest visible change that the sun’s yearly movement through the signs of the Zodiac, or the vastly would have generated it. In either slower precession of the equinoxes, in which the earth spends 2,000 years strategy, the first visible change can be under the “rule” of Pisces, then under Aquarius, and so on. Finally, there the first date in the timeline. are spirits of open-ended periods: the spirit of the past, obsessed with his- In a fantasy setting, the first visible tory and tradition; the energetic, rebellious spirit of the future, often seen change will probably involve magic or at science fiction conventions; and the spirit of time itself. Ritual magi- religion. For example, John M. Ford’s cians might invoke these beings in working their spells. The Dragon Waiting grows out of the A cyclic zeitgeist has some level of the Sleepy disadvantage. For exam- emperor Julian’s successful restora- ple, a spirit of winter would be inactive 3/4 of the time, a dawn spirit 7/8 tion of paganism in the Roman of the time. If the spirit doesn’t actually lose consciousness at other times, Empire, and Randall Garrett’s Lord but is simply passive and unenergetic, treat this as a special -50% limita- Darcy series starts from changes in tion on the disadvantage. A spirit of a specific time has Self-Destruct and medieval history that made possible a suitable levels of Extended Lifespan or Short Lifespan; for example, the science of magic. spirit of the 19th century would have Self-Destruct and one level of Whatever the starting point, the Extended Lifespan. timeline grows by building up a chain of consequences. If this event had this outcome, how did the important people and organizations of the time

78 HISTORIES respond to it? What consequences did the oldest living beings (in a world with their actions cause? What people or INVENTED long-lived or immortal races), or the organizations became more or less point at which myth gave way to histo- important as a result, and more or less HISTORY ry (in a high fantasy setting). Start by able to shape the history that fol- An entirely new setting will have its imagining the important people and lowed? Tracing these connections can own history. Its timeline won’t start organizations at that time, and then produce unexpected implications of with a divergence point, but with the build the rest of the timeline in the the original change. first written records, the memories of same way as for a divergent history. HISTORICAL ERAS In a fantasy setting, history is a have servants at all) . . . but they sel- The best genre for portraying dawn story. Each historic period has its own dom lack food or simple pleasures. ages is high fantasy, where characters character, which makes it possible to They usually have a high degree of are larger than life and the world is full tell certain kinds of stories. And the equality and little occasion for envy. of magic. Such a campaign setting movement from one period to another Medical treatments are simple and should be a sparsely populated world, is a larger story. (This takes history “natural,” but effective in preventing with perhaps one-fifth or one-tenth of itself a step closer to myth.) So the pain. Inhabitants of many dawn ages the land occupied and little clearing of approach presented here is a some- have very long lives (such as the thou- new fields. However, soil fertility what literary one, a series of portraits sand years of Methuselah or of the should be high, with good yields every of historical periods. Once you’ve Greek Golden Age). At a minimum, year. Settlements will be mostly vil- decided to set a campaign in such a they should have Immunity to Disease lages, or even isolated large farms; the period, you can define the details of and Longevity. largest settlements will be towns. They that period. Most portraits of dawn ages may not even have walls or armies. You can also use these portraits as include the original invention of famil- Much of the world may be unexplored, building blocks to create the history of iar technologies, such as fire, metal- inviting long voyages of discovery. a fictional world. For a familiar histo- lurgy, and writing. Culture heroes may ry, have city-states give rise to empires be important figures. Characters that become decadent, are over- Dawn ages evoke childhood, as a Neither warriors nor rogues are whelmed by catastrophes, pass time of innocence and new discover- suitable characters, as war and crime through dark ages, and then experi- ies. If gods are present, they may play are unknown or nearly so. Explorers, ence a new dawn. For something less the role of parents and teachers to the scouts, or hunters (if anyone hunts) familiar, mix them up: have an idyllic whole world. Immortality reflects a may have comparable skills. dawn age end in a catastrophe, or child’s unawareness of time horizons. Craftsmen and inventors are likely have a decadent empire emerge revi- Freedom from need or danger reflects characters; a “culture hero” campaign talized from catastrophe. Literature, the care a child receives from its par- may use the rules for new inventions mythology, and real history offer ents. The common occurrence of and building up technology (p. B513). many models. magic may reflect the way children There isn’t enough formal organiza- see the world, without fully grasping tion for diplomats, or enough history cause and effect (called “magical for scholars – there may not even be DAWN AGES thinking” by psychologists; see p. 18). writing – but bards will pass on lore Often fantasy worlds are created by (see Bardic Lore, p. 99). It’s common gods, or magically come into being. In Settings for dawn ages to be high-mana such a history, intelligent beings usu- Dawn ages aren’t often campaign worlds. There may not actually be ally emerge or are created soon after- settings; they tend not to have enough mages, but all of the above character ward. The world they inhabit may still conflict for intense drama. A dawn age types may know magic suitable to be intensely magical, regularly visited threatened by some hostile force pro- their professions. Advantages such as by gods or their servants. Real histori- vides one way around this problem. Blessed are also common. cal societies that believe in such a More often, dawn ages survive in the Wealth should normally be process of creation often look back in memory of later ages. Sometimes this Comfortable, and neither wealth nor their legends to a time of innocence: is literally true; a fantasy world may Status should vary much (see Classless the Golden Age of Greek myth, the have a few immortal inhabitants who Meritocracies, p. B28). Social Stigma Garden of Eden, or similar eras in the still recall the beginning. A very fortu- should be unknown. Marriages do not legends of other lands. A later varia- nate year, or a place or time blessed by depend on wealth or political advan- tion on this belief was the 18th-centu- the gods, can recapture some of this tage, nor does social standing restrict ry idea of the Noble Savage. quality. A society may even have a hol- them. Some versions of dawn age Dawn ages are times of freedom; iday or festival that recreates the dawn societies may not have marriage at all; they have leaders and holy men, but years, such as the Roman Saturnalia, festivals such as Saturnalia or Mardi not rulers. Their inhabitants are sel- when participants feasted and distrib- Gras often include considerable sexu- dom wealthy in material goods, such uted gifts, and masters waited on their al freedom. as elaborate clothing or huge estates servants. with numerous servants (they may not

HISTORIES 79 wars. To add opportunities for adven- Parthenon in Athens devoted to CITY-STATES ture, they often hire mercenaries Athena. Legends often envision the City-states arise early in the history instead of maintain full-time armies. gods as a royal household, with each of most civilizations. The Sumerians, Coastal city-states often maintain god running a departmental function, the early Egyptians, the Chinese, the fleets. from scribe to armorer. The favor or Mayans, and the ancient Greeks, The lands occupied by city-states disfavor of the gods may be real and among others, established such poli- are often densely populated. Farm important; regular prayers and sacri- ties. They also appear in other periods; communities aren’t limited to the fices may prevent natural disasters, or for example, Renaissance Italy was most fertile land, but occupy all the their neglect may invite them (see divided among many cities, more or reasonably good land. Each city-state Disturbances, pp. 85-90). less independent. City-states that constructs roads, harbors, and fortifi- coexist with empires or large nations cations, seeking to control the flow of Characters will probably have their choices limit- trade in its area. The classic fantasy character types ed by external forces, much more than With the emergence of literacy, all work very well in this setting. City- city-states existing on their own. specialists in knowledge become states constantly on the edge of war The term “city-state” sounds as if important – a good basis for mages in are ready to hire mercenaries and not the territory of the state is limited to a fantasy setting. A link between wiz- ask too many questions about their the land within the city walls. This ardry and writing fits well in such set- origins; skill with spear or sword is actually wasn’t true of most city- tings. Practically any branch of real easy to prove. A full-sized city is large states. In general, they controlled knowledge can be associated with a enough for various sorts of rogues to farmland around the central site. form of mysticism: astronomy with find shelter in anonymity, supporting Cutting a city-state off from access to astrology, mathematics with numerol- a small underworld; Streetwise the land that fed it was an act of war- ogy, chemistry with alchemy, and so becomes a useful skill. Literacy and fare, called a siege (see Strategic on. Scribes may also be priests. City- the rise of specialized knowledge justi- Positions, p. 188). Such warfare was states should have at least one temple, fy a variety of learned professions, common in areas that had independ- and often many, including a temple of including bards and surgeons as well ent city-states, and as a result, the the city’s divine patron, such as the as priests and wizards. cities were usually fortified. In an age of independent city- states, each large town will probably be independent; there will be many relatively small “cities,” with hundreds or thousands of inhabitants. The largest cities can have a hundred thousand or more (see Settlements, p. 93). Any city except the very smallest will be too large for a ruler to know every inhabitant. Written records become necessary to keep track of land ownership, taxes, and other administrative matters. Cities have scribes who keep such records. The senior scribes have Area Knowledge at a high level. The Art of Memory (see Eidetic Memory, p. 128) may develop (historically, it’s recorded as far back as TL2) to help deal with the unwield- iness of low-tech media and filing systems. Cities also have merchants and specialized craftsmen, who produce enough wealth to pay for elaborate temples and luxury goods. Long-distance trade and exploration become common. Settings City-state eras offer many opportunities for campaign creation. In any historical era, city-states are constantly quarreling and fighting small-scale

80 HISTORIES The densely settled lands con- Romans never permanently occupied heroic warriors can defeat armies, trolled by cities usually have a periph- Europe beyond the Rhine, nor the then empires can’t protect their bound- ery inhabited by barbarians, outlaws, Chinese the interior of Asia. The aries and are unlikely to survive. The or monsters, suitable for heroic Crusader states of the Near East held founding of an empire, on the other quests. Navigation makes longer jour- only the areas that ships could supply. hand, may offer such warriors a role as neys possible, such as the search for Changing this limitation would companions of the founder. the Golden Fleece. Bands of adventur- require reliable magic either to pro- ers going on such quests are common duce food, fodder, fuel, and water, or Characters in epic literature. They may even have to transport them long distances In an empire’s early years, citizens supernatural Contacts, Allies, or cheaply. may have ideals of aristocratic service Patrons if they are adventuring on a Empires commonly include differ- to the state. Young noblemen starting city’s behalf. ent races, religions, and languages their careers, whether as Chinese Status becomes important in city- within their boundaries. Their rulers mandarins or Roman legionary offi- states. A typical hierarchy ranges from typically come up with legal rules that cers, make excellent adventurers. -4 for a common slave to 7 for the king apply equally to all and that override Players should see both the price of of a city. A divinely favored ruler may local customs. Universal religions also upholding the law and the perils of liv- have Status 8. Wealth can reach high emerge: Buddhism, Christianity, and ing outside it. Decide whether military levels, at least up to Filthy Rich, but Islam all address their teachings to the command and civil service are sepa- the bulk of the population will be entire human race, not just to a single rate careers or stages in a single Struggling. Adventurers can come to a nationality, and past religions such as career. ruler’s attention and gain Status; they Mithraism and Zoroastrianism made An empire also offers many oppor- may even be members of a royal similar appeals. Imperial philosophers tunities for the more supernaturally household whom the king sends on often teach that the gods of other inclined. The gods of various various missions. countries represent an intuitive subject nations have their temples in awareness of the universal god. the capital; new beliefs may arise, no longer tied to a specific nationality. EMPIRES Settings Protection of trade often creates an Empires come into being when one Many campaigns set in imperial expanded market economy where procity-state defeats its rivals, gaining eras take place in the capital cities. fessional sorcerers can sell their arts control of a wide expanse of land. The Emphasis tends to be on intrigue, for a fee. The best sorcerers will set up capital of an empire may be a city of a whether between aristocratic fami- practice in the capital. The imperial million or so inhabitants. Early impe- lies (based on Savoir-Faire), within court will command the services of rial ages may involve a large city-state the bureaucracy (based on many sorts of wizards as well. struggling to gain control of smaller Administration), or in the under- Many aristocratic families have states or two empires locked in battle world (based on Streetwise). Some clients who come to them for favors for supremacy; Roman history offers outright corruption will exist, but a and protection. A Sense of Duty to examples of both. Mature empires healthy, vigorous empire should have these clients provides a basis for many usually control everything in easy ways of restraining it – variants on adventures. Clients may also be inter- reach, though they may have rivals “police procedural” campaigns may esting player characters, with their that are more distant. Two great examine their details. patron as a Patron. empires may find it convenient to Empires also have frontiers far have border kingdoms between them. away from the capital city, sometimes Mythologically, empires aspire to requiring two months’ march or sail- DECADENCE universal rule. A fantasy empire may ing. Such outposts are the other clas- A common assumption of histori- command an entire world. Realisti- sic location for imperial adventures. cal fantasy is that empires become cally, empires expand to a certain Tribes of Picts, Huns, or Fuzzy- decadent. Heroes built the empire; extent, determined by problems of Wuzzies may offer bitter resistance to their sons managed it; their grandsons logistics and supply, and then stop. An imperial armies. devote their lives to enjoying it. The imperial legion is the equivalent of a An empire going through a civil wealthy and privileged pursue increas- large town, with special needs, such war presents special challenges, from ingly exotic pleasures. Public enter- as weapons-grade metal. It can func- surviving on the battlefield to guessing tainment diverts the masses with spec- tion indefinitely in a region that can which contender will end up on the tacle and brutality. Young people from afford to support an extra town. In a throne. A civil war campaign may elite families have little enthusiasm less prosperous region, its presence involve both frontier and metropolitan for their duty to serve the state, to pro- drains local resources; it may pass settings, as the most competent gener- tect their clients, or even to obey the through on an expedition, but it can’t als are likely to be at the edge, but law. They forget old pieties, and dis- establish a permanent base. In sparse- their ambitions will look toward the miss the gods as fables useful for keep- ly populated lands, a military force center. ing commoners in their place. New depends on what it can carry and Because of their reliance on gods with more exciting cults replace what can be shipped to it. The organized armies, empires are poor them. settings for sword and sorcery. If

HISTORIES 81 A corrupt government is one A fresh way to play a decadent set- the law is lost, the society may no expression of this decadence. At the ting makes the corruption of the longer be able to maintain enough top should be a powerful ruler, con- upper class supernatural. Aristocrats order to keep itself working. Or the vinced the whole apparatus exists may turn to necromancy or other gods may withdraw their favor from a solely for his own gratification. At the black arts for thrills or political power. corrupt empire, as in the Roma bottom, faceless masses, burdened The wealth of the upper classes makes Arcana setting (pp. 195-231). with crushing taxes, should be kept in magical experiments affordable for line with harsh penalties. Linking the nobles or their favored clients. Settings two is a bureaucracy that exists pri- Aristocrats may rise from the dead as An exhausted civilization is a less marily to perpetuate itself and that liches, mummies, or vampires (see colorful setting than a decadent one. It demands bribes for every activity, Racial Templates, pp. 105-113). doesn’t have much extravagant from building a temple to punishing a On a smaller scale, opportunistic wealth, but it has lots of desperate criminal. rogues can be the stars of an enter- poverty. Its cities have a quality less of taining campaign, perhaps modeled rot than of sterility, with empty build- Settings on Fritz Leiber’s classic stories of ings and half-deserted streets. The natural setting for a campaign Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser. When In the extreme cases, an exhausted in an era of decadence is the imperial everyone is corrupt, a cheerful, ingen- civilization may not even have any cit- capital. All the extravagances of a ious, likeable rogue may be a sympa- izens. Its cities may be empty ruins, wealthy aristocracy will be at their thetic figure. their streets inhabited by whispering height there: gladiatorial contests, On the other hand, it can be inter- ghosts or starved demons. Whatever chariot races, extravagant feasts, esting to play characters who are less haunts them may resent the living and drunken orgies, and huge mansions corrupt than their setting: a seemingly fear desecration of its tombs – or see filled with costly toys. All the decadent nobleman who retains a them as new worshippers at the tem- intrigues surrounding the imperial sense of honor, or a cynical official ples’ altars. A ruined city may be a throne will focus there. Anyone peti- who still believes in the law. repository of forgotten secrets, or it tioning the state to take action will be may carry its own charge of supernat- there, groping through the mazes of ural power. bureaucracy. EXHAUSTION As these motifs suggest, dark fanta- To fit the legendary image of a Another way for an empire to sy is the natural genre for exhausted decadent empire, suggest that the break down is by using up its civilizations. Mortality is the great gods are losing patience with it. resources. In real history, the com- source for dark supernatural imagery; Brooding anger over empty temples monest form of exhaustion is deple- the mortality of an entire culture and forgotten pieties may give rise to tion of the water table by generations offers such imagery on the largest unfavorable omens or outright catas- of farmers trying to keep their crops scale. Even a still-inhabited city may trophes. At the same time, many peo- irrigated. When the wells and springs care more for its tombs and monu- ple in such a society may feel that the dry up, the crops fail, the towns starve, ments than for its children. gods have failed them. Rome’s mystery and pastoralists take back the land. The contrast between dying civi- cults drew worshippers who felt that Much later, when the water table lizations and the young, vigorous bar- the old faiths were empty rituals (see recovers, new farms and towns spring barians who surround and threaten Chapter 9); some periods in Chinese up. Some parts of the Near East have them is also a classic theme of sword history had a similar fascination with been through this cycle several times. and sorcery. mystical cults. Exhaustion of a mineral resource is The very complexity of government harder to recover from, unless the Characters may be a major reason for the growth world has a very active geological Threats, not rewards, motivate of cults. People whose lives are subject metabolism (p. 41). The 19th century adventurers from exhausted civiliza- to the arbitrary whims of the rich and was already worrying about the supply tions. If they’re from a farm region, powerful may turn to prayer – or sor- of fossil fuels. At lower TLs, a dwarvish the crops may be failing. If they’re cery – to try to get some control back. civilization might fall when it mined from a city, trade may have broken People denied justice when wronged all the good ore in its mountains. down, or too few men might guard the may buy curses against the criminals. Magic itself can be an exhaustible walls, inviting raids or worse. resource, as in Larry Niven’s “The Any of the typical fantasy charac- Characters Magic Goes Away.” If an empire relies ter types are possible, but probably a Decadent empires are natural habi- on mages to provide key services, or bit poorer than usual. They may have tats, on the one hand, for the wealthy; even to maintain a magical analog of practical skills considered beneath on the other, for criminals and the advanced technology (p. 66), what will their dignity in other societies. They underclass. The two come into closer it do when the spells are no longer won’t have access to a wide range of contact than ever before. It’s possible effective? equipment, or anything of more than for the same character to have Savoir- From a certain point of view, deca- debatable quality. A GM might Faire and Streetwise. Many characters dence itself is a form of exhaustion. A require reduced Wealth and the will be Filthy Rich or even society’s laws and ethical beliefs are “points for equipment” rule, with no Multimillionaires, legally or not. part of its capital. When respect for ready prospect of buying more than a

82 HISTORIES limited amount of equipment. A jour- destroy even a thriving civilization will die, like ordinary people in the ney to a distant city with a weapons (see Disturbances, p. 85). Either an opening scenes of catastrophe films, industry might make a useful quest. empire or a city-state may fall to such but survivors may later join the main Barbarian wanderers venturing a disaster. The destruction of Troy, as party as NPCs. into dying cities may have interesting portrayed in the Iliad and Aeneid, is It’s also possible to set a game after experiences. Such cities may hold the classic example. the catastrophe has ended. Show the unsuspected treasures; they may also survivors clearing away the wreckage, have surprisingly strong guards for Settings reestablishing their daily routines, and those treasures. An entire ruined city One way to use a catastrophe as a starting to rebuild. If the catastrophe can provide the ultimate “dungeon setting is to start a scenario or cam- is large enough to destroy a civiliza- crawl” adventure (see Into the paign just before the catastrophe, get tion, show them learning that there is Labyrinth, p. 174). the players oriented to the setting, and no help and they’re on their own, with then inflict the disaster on the setting resources limited to what they have on and their characters. Describe the hand. Look at secondary conse- CATASTROPHE effects of the catastrophe in detail, quences, including the failure of food Ultimately, civilizations die – espe- hour by hour or even moment by production and distribution and the cially in historical fantasy, which is moment. This kind of treatment needs threat of famine, and the breakdown characteristically set in civilizations at least a major disaster, and prefer- of civil authority, leading to bandit that are now dead. Why this happens ably a historic disaster, on a scale raids or street riots. is hotly debated, even for real, well- wider than a human being can imme- known cultures such as the Roman diately grasp, and with a force that a Characters Empire. Did Rome fall because moral human being cannot oppose. The A catastrophic period in history is corruption undermined the discipline emphasis should be on the power of the ideal setting for “everyman” char- of its armies and administrators the unleashed elements and the des- acters. People who would ordinarily (decadence)? Did economic collapse perate struggle to survive them. never seek adventure can have adven- make it unable to support its legions If the players find such techniques ture come looking for them. The (exhaustion)? Or was it simply over- acceptable, the GM may narrate a few resulting hard choices can make for whelmed by invaders (catastrophe)? “cut scenes” showing what is happen- intense drama. All of these views have proponents ing in other parts of the affected area. For more classic adventurer types, among historians. The fantasy GM It may be better not to focus these on a catastrophic period offers a change may pick one for any fallen civiliza- people the adventurers know. The of theme. The catastrophe can clear tion in his world, or even leave its fall impact of the disaster will be stronger away the established leaders of their a mystery. if they spend the days following it society, whether they die while hero- Certain kinds of catastrophes natu- learning who lived and who died. ically doing their duty or while trying rally follow from decadence (military Players may want to participate in to evade it and look out for them- invasion) or from exhaustion (military such scenes, in the role of 25- to 50- selves. Someone has to fill the empty invasion or famine). Others, such as point “everyman” characters caught space, and starting GURPS characters natural disasters, plagues, and mon- up in the catastrophe. Most of them probably have the necessary abilities. strous or supernatural attacks, may

HISTORIES 83 For this type of story, characters This very lack of documentation weapons and armor. A world that uses with a Sense of Duty, a Duty, makes dark ages useful settings for magic on a wide enough scale to be Dependents, or the like are best. A fantasy. If we don’t know what hap- equivalent to technology (p. 64) might catastrophe storyline makes the play- pened in a real historical period, such similarly prosper during a dark age. ers actually pay for the points they as 500-1000 A.D. in Europe, it’s easy to gain from these disadvantages; in fact, imagine fantastic things that weren’t Settings it makes them the central motive for recorded. This is a major reason that A dark ages setting typically has a the scenario. medieval settings are common in fan- smaller population and fewer cities. tasy games, from the swords and sor- Weakened central authority controls a cery of Dungeons & Dragons to the much smaller territory. Old institu- DARK AGES high ritual magic of Ars Magica. And tions have collapsed, and new ones If a civilization actually falls, since the reason for the lack of docu- have emerged to take their place. whether to catastrophe, decadence, or mentation is typically that transporta- Anyone confident enough to lead a exhaustion, what follows is a dark age. tion and communication have broken campaign against the local bandit The classic Dark Ages were the years down, any long journey will have the gangs may become the new ruler. At after the fall of Rome in Western chance of becoming an adventure. the same time, the formulas of the old Europe. However, an even wider-scale One common assumption about authorities may be preserved, as when dark age occurred at the end of the dark ages is that they are periods of a successor of German kings carried Bronze Age aroud 1000 B.C. There technological retrogression. This isn’t the title of “holy Roman emperor.” isn’t any solid historical definition for necessarily the case. The most famil- In a severe dark age, large areas a “dark age.” Basically, it is a period iar example, the post-Roman Dark may be empty. Various disasters may with few historical records, because Ages in Europe, saw medical knowl- reduce the population until the sur- the people and institutions that gener- edge falling back to lower levels than vivors can no longer live easily. They ated such records are gone, or have in ancient Assyria . . . yet technological migrate elsewhere or cluster together more urgent concerns. advances occurred in the same period, in a few scattered strongholds. including the widespread use of steel The landscape should be littered with relics of the past: ancient ruined temples, deserted cities, and battlefield monuments to deaths in forgotten causes. In a magical setting, ruins may hide traces of ancient magic. Ancestral gods may still hunger for worshippers. Ancient legends may bear clues, unknowingly passed on by bards or scribes as lore. Characters The breakdown of established authority at the start of a dark age leaves room for adventure. Skilled warriors can travel about the ruined landscape, looking for plunder or just trying to pick up their next meal. They may protect others for a variety of motives – compassion for the weak, payment from the rich, or simply keeping other warriors from raiding their territory (the origin of many feudal aristocracies). Other sorts of adventurers can make themselves useful to a band of warriors in various ways. Another possibility, especially in a setting resembling the familiar Dark Ages of Europe, recruits adventurers from scholars, priests, or wizards, who may group together for mutual aid and protection in monasteries or the like. Such a group may have limited possibilities for adventure –

84 HISTORIES avoiding adventure may be a main In an optimistic setting, especially of what happened before may unlock goal – but may be effectively lured by in a high fantasy world, the new many doors. If they are wealthy, they new knowledge. If supernatural beginning may even be, not the age of may fall into bitter rivalries for the forces are powerful, they may have city-states came back, but the dawn greatest discoveries, even sending to aid secular authorities. For a vari- age returned. For a mythic treatment, warriors to harass each other’s expedi- ation on this formula, use Buddhist ancient prophecies of the resurrection tions. Artists and inventors may also monasteries as a model; in certain of the dead might come true. appear, inspired by the example of the periods, they also housed martial past to rival its achievements. Another Athens shall arise artists of various schools. Merchants and explorers gain an And to remoter time expanded range of movement. Their Bequeath, like sunset to the skies, journeys can also be the focus for a The splendor of its prime. NEW BEGINNINGS campaign. In a world of fantasy, any – Percy Bysshe Shelley, “Hellas” After a dark age, civilized life may number of exotic races or creatures reemerge. The classic historical Settings may wait over the horizon. example is the European Renais- At the same time, there’s work for A time of rebirth often increases sance, but the rebirth started cen- the warriors. If law and order are trade and travel, as law makes the turies earlier, not long after 1000 expanding to larger territories, some- roads and the high seas safe. People A.D., in the High Middle Ages. one has to implement them. If barbar- once barely scraping by now have a Similar renewals have occurred at ians hear of the rise of wealthy cities little to spare; people who were well other places and times. and come to raid them, someone has off are wealthy. Settlers clear fields In many ways, a new beginning is to defend the walls. and build houses in formerly empty like the first beginning. But there’s an All of this assumes that the protag- lands. A sense of open frontiers is important difference: the awareness of onists come from one of the new civi- encouraged. something that went before. lizations. But as a new culture At the same time, make sure the Renaissance scholars knew about expands its boundaries, it may swal- past is not forgotten. Ancient manu- ancient Greece and Rome and doubt- low up older cultures. It’s also possible scripts hint at lost lore; rare treasures ed that anything they could do might to focus on people in one of those grant forgotten powers. The ruins of equal ancient attainments; the Greeks older cultures, struggling to preserve great cities lie waiting for an explorer themselves looked in awe on the age their customs and institutions against to venture into their rubble-filled and achievements of Egypt. This rev- brash conquerors from other lands. streets. The landscape of reborn civi- erent look back to past greatness is This works especially well in a low lizations should be full of history. one of fantasy’s recurring themes. The fantasy setting, where neither side highest praise a king can receive is to may be entirely right or entirely say that in his reign the greatness of Characters Scholars often come to center stage wrong. the past is renewed. in this kind of setting; their knowledge DISTURBANCES Both in the real world and in fiction, Alternatively, the GM may deliber- It’s possible to introduce vast catas- catastrophes of various sorts punctuate ately place disturbances across an trophes, beyond even the scale of a his- histories. A single event of this kind can entire story. For this purpose, a minor toric disaster: continents sinking, add drama to a campaign, or even form disturbance represents a year when floods covering the earth, winters three its focus, as adventurers struggle to sur- something bad happened; a major dis- years long, plagues that depopulate a vive and carry on with their chosen turbance is the worst year of a genera- continent, or other events out of leg- missions. A series of minor and major tion; a historic disaster is the worst year end. A random die roll cannot generate troubles can form part of a fictional in centuries. such events; they occur when a GM world’s historical timeline. Disturbances may be more or less finds them suitable. They may be the To create a timeline of disturbances frequent at certain times. A dawn age result of an extremely angry god’s randomly for a typical inhabited area, should have +2 or better to all the intervention. use the following table: thresholds. A healthy empire or an age Disasters generally have four types of new beginnings might have +1. A of consequences. decadent or exhausted ● People die. Die Roll Effect empire might have -1. A dark ● About five times this number suf- 3-10 Good year age could have -2. An actual fer injury. 11-15 Minor disturbance, “bad year” age of catastrophe would be ● About 20 times the number who 16-17 Major disturbance suffering from a historic dis- die have their lives disrupted, losing 18 Historic disaster aster, or would still be in their homes or their families. shock from a recent one. ● About 100 times the number who die suffer property damage.

HISTORIES 85 A community’s response to a disas- Earthquake 70-140 miles, minor disaster effects ter follows a typical course. For a Typical location: Areas of intense 140-280 miles; Richter scale 8.0-9.5. short time, about 1d+1 days, life is tectonic activity. All structures severely damaged, many entirely disrupted, with normal activi- Minor disaster effects: Felt by every- collapse; occupants crushed, 6d dam- ties simply ceasing. The community one up to 70 miles from epicenter; age. Objects thrown into air with spends about 10 times as long (a num- lasts 1 minute; Richter scale 5.0-6.5. effective ST 20. Roll vs. DX-2 each ber of weeks), restoring normal func- Roll vs. DX+2 or fall. Poorly con- minute or fall. tions and making short-term repairs. structed buildings damaged; some Landslide For about 100 times the length of the injuries from debris, typically 1d. Typical location: At the foot of a immediate emergency (typically about Major disaster effects: Lasts 1d min- slope, especially of 45° or steeper, in a year), the community replaces lost utes; full effects up to 70 miles from an area subject to heavy weathering buildings and does other major epicenter, minor disaster effects 70- by rainfall. Limestone is particularly repairs. 140 miles; Richter scale 6.5-8.0. Walls vulnerable to heavy weathering. If someone influential in the com- and buildings damaged; poorly con- Minor disaster effects: Soil travels at munity can make a Leadership roll (at structed buildings collapse; towers Move 6; if unable to outrun it, roll vs. -3 for a major disaster or -6 for a his- may fall; many injuries from debris, DX to avoid falling and being buried. toric disaster), the period of total dis- typically 2d. Roll vs. DX each minute Roll vs. ST-4 to dig out, once per turn; ruption is reduced to 1d-1 days (mini- or fall. after HT ¥ 10 seconds, begin losing 1 mum 1 day). The recovery periods Historic disaster effects: Lasts 3d FP/second. Crops lost and buried shrink proportionately. A GM should minutes; full effects up to 70 miles buildings will need to be dug free. allow a player character to attempt from epicenter, major disaster effects this roll! Here is a partial list of disasters that can be included in a campaign. For any area, choose several common types, and perhaps some rarer ones. It’s convenient to list six types, or five types plus the chance of a less common type; then roll 1d to pick one. The disasters described here are large enough to become news for an empire or subcontinent. Scaled-down disasters can occur with similar frequen- cies in a smaller region, or even a single village. Some disasters cause intense damage in small areas. Only minor effect levels are defined for these. NATURAL DISASTERS The unleashed elements can be as destructive as monsters or armies. Monsters or powerful wizards may even be able to command the elements through powers or spells. Earth Cave-In Typical location: Areas supported by strata of water-soluble rock (such as limestone or salt) and subject to heavy subterranean water flow. Collapse is especially likely during droughts. Minor disaster effects: Collapse of an area (1d+1) ¥ 50’ in diameter; ground level drops (1d) ¥ 25’. All structures in area destroyed; anyone on site must roll vs. DX+2 or be entombed.

86 HISTORIES Major disaster effects: Soil travels at Historic disaster effects: Flash flood; Hurricane Move 18; anyone in its path suffers 1d most structures destroyed. Water can- Typical location: Subtropical coast- damage, is buried, and must make five not be outrun; Swimming rolls lines, especially on east coasts of con- rolls vs. ST-4 to dig out. Buildings in required at -2. tinents; mainly during summer poor condition are destroyed; build- Tsunami months. ings in good condition are reduced to Minor disaster effects: Roll vs. ST to Typical location: Seacoasts in tec- poor condition by structural damage keep footing outdoors. Watercraft roll tonically active regions. and must be dug out. vs. Shiphandling-2 modified by SM of Minor disaster effects: Waves exceed Historic disaster effects: Huge mass- the ship or suffer swamping and leak- 10’ and travel at up to Move 5; boats es of soil travel at Move 30 or higher; ing. Vegetation and poorly maintained and buildings along coastlines dam- anyone in their path suffers 5d dam- structures damaged. Coastal flooding aged; anyone caught in wave must roll age, is buried, and cannot dig out, to 1d feet (see Flood). vs. Swimming to avoid drowning. though very rapid excavation may Major disaster effects: Roll vs. ST-2 Major disaster effects: Waves exceed extract him before he suffocates. to keep footing outdoors or suffer 1d 30’ and travel at up to Move 15; boats Buildings are demolished and other from impacts. Watercraft roll vs. and buildings destroyed; anyone property is a total loss. Shiphandling-5 modified by SM of the caught in wave begins to drown. ship or suffer severe leaking; ships Albion gave his deadly groan Historic disaster effects: Waves capsize or roll on critical failure. And all the Atlantic mountains exceed 50’ and travel at up to Move 50; Vegetation and poorly maintained shook. coastal area devastated, with no sur- structures destroyed, other structures – William Blake, “Jerusalem” vivors except those who can climb damaged. Coastal flooding to 3d feet above height of wave crest. Water (see Flood) with structural damage. Whirlpool Historic disaster effects: Roll vs. Drought Typical location: An area at sea ST-5 to keep footing outdoors or suf- Typical location: Any area that prac- where local rock formations channel fer 3d from impact. Watercraft roll tices irrigation agriculture, such as a currents in opposing directions, typi- vs. Shiphandling-8 modified by SM Mediterranean climate. cally near shore but with substantial of the ship or break up and sink. Minor disaster effects: Limited rain- depth. Some buildings are destroyed, others fall; all nonessential uses of water cut Minor disaster effects: Pulls a ship suffer major damage. Coastal flood- back; crop yields fall 25% without irri- downward with ST 150. A small ship ing to 5d feet (see Flood) with struc- gation (roll against Farming or will be pulled under; a large ship may tural damage. Hydrology to provide). capsize or suffer hull damage. Note: The same effects can repre- Major disaster effects: Severely lim- sent storms at higher latitudes, except ited rainfall; crop yields fall 50%, Air that the temperatures will be lower. reducible to 25% by irrigation. For a two-week period, roll vs. Survival daily Blizzard Sandstorm to avoid dehydration (see p. B426). Typical location: Temperate forests, Typical location: Desert regions and Historic disaster effects: Crop yields temperate grasslands, or any cold areas at their edges. fall 100%, reducible to 50% by irriga- regions during winter months. Minor disaster effects: Visibility tion. For a two-week period, suffer Minor disaster effects: Heavy snow- range reduced to 50’. Roll vs. HT or dehydration, and roll vs. Survival daily fall and severe cold; people snowed in blinded by sand in eyes for duration of to avoid losing 1 extra FP and 1 HP for two days. Anyone caught outside storm. Small objects blown away with (see p. B426). must roll vs. Area Knowledge or effective ST 6; sand buries objects to Survival to reach shelter or suffer 1d feet. Flood freezing effects (see p. B430). Major disaster effects: Visibility Typical location: Banks of a large Major disaster effects: Extremely range reduced to 10’. Roll vs. HT as river. heavy snowfall; poorly maintained above. Roll vs. ST or lose footing. Minor disaster effects: River over- structures may collapse. Anyone Objects blown away with effective ST flows its banks, covers low-lying adja- caught outside must roll vs. Area 13; sand buries objects to 2d feet, any- cent ground (typically not built on); Knowledge or Survival at -2 to reach one who falls down must dig out (one some water in streets. Boats swept shelter or suffer freezing effects at -2 roll vs. ST-4; see Landslide). away; anyone on river must make to HT for wind chill. Historic disaster effects: Visibility Swimming rolls (see p. B224). Historic disaster: Incredibly heavy totally lost. Roll vs. ST-5 or lose foot- Major disaster effects: River several snowfall; buildings risk collapse from ing. Objects blown away with effective feet above its banks; many communi- weight on roof; areas with sloped ter- ST 30; sand buries objects to 4d feet, ties flooded; poorly constructed build- rain may suffer avalanches (treat as anyone without shelter must dig out ings destroyed, others suffer water major disaster landslides). Roll vs. (five rolls vs. ST-4; see Landslide). damage, many possessions damaged or Area Knowledge or Survival at -4; swept away. Any resident who fails an wind chill gives -4 to HT roll. Tornado Sense roll must make Swimming rolls; Typical location: Mid-continental others can climb or run. plains areas, especially during summer thunderstorm weather.

HISTORIES 87 Minor disaster effects: A path 2d miles long and 2d ¥ 50’ wide suffers lifting forces averaging ST 30. Animals and furniture carried through air; roofs torn off; poorly maintained buildings suffer structural damage. Fire Forest Fire Typical location: In an area with abundant vegetation, especially during a dry period. Temperate grasslands, deciduous forests, coniferous forests, and monsoon forests are all plausible. Minor disaster effects: A grassfire or brushfire; sets fire to paper, dry wood, light clothing; inflicts 1d-1 on anyone caught in it – anyone who makes a Sense roll can escape. Major disaster effects: A forest fire or very large grassfire; sets fire to heavy clothing, leather, seasoned wood; inflicts 3d on anyone caught in it – a Sense roll gives enough warning to reduce this to 1d-1. Historic disaster effects: A very large forest fire; burns all organic material including human flesh; inflicts 6d on anyone caught in it – a Sense roll gives enough warning to reduce this to 3d. Volcano Typical location: Next to converging tectonic plates or at hot spots. Minor disaster effects: Lava flow, lasting 1 day; flows downhill 1d miles. appropriate locations, include one or that sort of famine is subsumed under Treat as landslide. Anything immersed another of the following in a region’s Drought (p. 87). in lava suffers 3d burns per 10 seconds list of possible disasters: Minor disaster effects: Disease, of contact; dry organic materials burst insect infestations, or soil exhaustion into flame. Epidemic reduce crop yield by 25%. A few Major disaster: Ash flow, lasting 1 Typical location: A large city or deaths occur among children (espe- day, in radius of 1d miles; typical other densely populated area, especially nursing infants whose mothers’ speed is Move 10. Inflicts 6d burns per cially one with regular foreign trade. milk dries up), the old, and the poor. 10 seconds of contact; green wood and Minor disaster effects: A disease Major disaster effects: Crop yield human flesh may burst into flame. with a +1 modifier to HT, typically falls 50%. Food prices rise steeply in Historic disaster: Eruption, nearly spread only by close contact (sharing a towns; a significant number of deaths instantaneous; scatters ash to radius meal, physical intimacy, cannibalism). occur. of 2d¥10 miles, often many feet thick. Major disaster effects: A disease Historic disaster effects: Crops Leaves caldera 1d miles in diameter. with no modifier to HT, typically almost wholly lost. Food prices rise Ash inflicts 10d burns per 10 seconds spread by touch or by spitting or steeply everywhere; food riots are like- of contact. Volcanic ash lowers tem- sneezing. ly; many families lose at least one peratures for the next year in a “year Historic disaster effects: A disease member. without a summer,” worldwide. with a -1 modifier to HT, spread by simply being in the victim’s pres- Infestation ence. See p. B443 for modifiers to Typical location: Any warm, fertile PLAGUES contagion. region where animals can breed readily. An infestation of vermin, or an epi- Famine demic, can be a great disaster. Use the Minor disaster effects: A plague of Typical location: Any agricultural same relative intensities and frequen- merely annoying creatures, such as area. Famines often occur in dry areas cies as for elemental catastrophes. In frogs or gnats. with irrigation-based agriculture, but

88 HISTORIES Major disaster effects: A plague of suffer 1d deaths per 100 inhabitants Breaking creatures that threaten the food sup- and reduction of Wealth levels by one Minor disaster effects: Inflicts 1d of ply, such as locusts (1d ¥ 5% of food for the next year. damage on inanimate objects, ignor- lost), or of moderately dangerous Historic disaster: War of total con- ing DR. Causes a single structural fail- creatures such as rats (roll vs. quest (for example, the Mongol inva- ure in any object whose hits are Alertness to avoid being attacked by a sions). If defense is unsuccessful, exceeded. swarm). defending armies annihilated; major Major disaster effects: Inflicts 3d of Historic disaster: A plague of seri- cities besieged, may be destroyed if damage on inanimate objects, ignor- ously dangerous creatures, either poi- siege succeeds. All portable wealth ing DR. Shatters any object whose hits sonous (scorpions) or large and preda- confiscated; heavy tribute imposed, are exceeded. tory (wolves). Everyone in the area is with permanent Wealth level reduc- Historic disaster effects: Inflicts 10d attacked. tion. Many civilian deaths, typically 1d of damage on inanimate objects, ¥ 5% of adult population; survivors Monster ignoring DR. Reduces any object may be enslaved and/or endure forced whose hits are exceeded to dust. Typical location: Unpredictable; in resettlement. legend, monsters appear mainly Elemental Control because an angry god has cursed the Equivalent to the natural disasters land. If the natural disaster frequency MAGICAL on p. 86, except that the ultimate rules on p. 86 are used, this requires cause is magical. an unfavorable modifier to the fre- DISASTERS quency roll. In a world where magic is wide- Mind Control Minor disaster effects: An unusually spread, magical forces may also give Minor disaster effects: Inflicts an formidable animal, mainly interested rise to catastrophes. Some such disas- intense emotion or a temporary men- in food. ters will result from spells going tal failure on each person in range; Major disaster effects: A creature wrong; others will come about resisted by Will+4. difficult to kill because of ferocity, through spontaneous magic. The Major disaster effects: Causes loss of cunning, or magic, and interested in same categories of intensity and fre- consciousness or delirium in each per- human prey. quency as for natural disasters apply son in range; resisted by Will. Historic disaster effects: A superhu- to spontaneous magical disasters. Historic disaster effects: Causes manly dangerous creature ferociously Typical ranges are 1 mile for minor amnesia, insanity, reduced IQ (-2), or hostile to human beings. disasters, 1d miles for major disasters, loss of a skill in each person in range; 3d miles for historic disasters. If a resisted by Will-4. WARS world unevenly distributes magic, Summoning supernatural disasters will probably Minor disaster effects: Summons The Bible reckons War as one of be in high-mana or very-high-mana demons, elementals, or similar beings the four horsemen of the Apocalypse, areas or along ley lines. Very-high- with a total energy cost of 20 for one along with Famine, Plague, and mana areas may be uninhabitable, hour. Death. For many purposes, an inva- much like flood plains or the slopes of Major disaster effects: Summons sion is similar to a natural disaster, active volcanoes. Here are some possi- beings with a total energy cost of 100 and a GM may choose to incorporate ble effects of spontaneous magic: for one day. invasion into the list of possible disasters for an area. In seacoast areas, pirate or Viking raids can be treated as invasions. Typical location: Any settled region Divine Punishments with other settled regions or numer- A land that is under a curse, or has angered the gods, may have a neg- ous barbarians outside its boundaries. ative modifier to all these thresholds; -1 for a minor curse, -2 for a severe Minor disaster effects: Extensive curse, with -3 or worse only for lands that are actually becoming depop- raids or localized invasions. Property ulated. (A -1, for example, would mean that a bad year occurred on a 10 taken or damaged; some people kid- or above, a major disturbance on a 14 or above, and a historic disaster napped, especially women; local resi- on a 17 or above.) dents who resist are wounded or A land that is blessed or has a god’s favor may have a positive modi- killed, unless unusually skilled in com- fier. The GM should decide whether a natural 18 still indicates a historic bat. Military response leads to a fight- disaster, or whether such a happy land is immune to the worst distur- ing retreat. bances. Major disaster: Large-scale inva- If diviners or sorcerers can communicate with zeitgeists (p. 78), the sion, aiming to take control of a mood of a zeitgeist may reflect these probabilities. For reaction roll province or region (for example, the modifiers, double the disturbance roll modifiers – the reaction rolls for Crusades). Full mobilization required; the zeitgeist of a dawn age would be at +4, for example. walled towns besieged; major battles fought. Civilian communities typically

HISTORIES 89 Historic disaster effects: Summons changing shape or material; resisted Historic disaster: Affects the entire beings with a total energy cost of 500 by HT+4. body of each person in range, chang- for one year. Major disaster effects: Affects the ing it to some inanimate material such entire body of each person in range, as stone or salt; resisted by HT-4. A Transformation changing it to that of another living variant may affect some category of Minor disaster effects: Affects a sin- creature; resisted by HT. plants or animals. gle body part on each person in range, SHADOWS OF THE PAST Most of this history won’t actually relationships. Literature may be use- An area occupied for a number of come into the action, at least not ful, if the literary works are about his- centuries will usually have older struc- directly. It may explain how the pow- toric figures and if they present accu- tures below the current ground level. erful people and states gained their rate information, but Literature skill Normally these will have collapsed. power, and what their goals are, but can’t separate history from fiction. However, a construction project that it’s not usually a good idea to reveal Research can locate genealogical involves digging, such as a sewer, may this to the audience . . . because his- records if any archive maintains such turn up human remains, artifacts, or torical lectures are dull, and take records. (See Information Sources, even sealed chambers with unusually away the pleasure of finding out p.99.) solid walls. what’s going on. The players may In societies where blood relation- After a major catastrophe, entire actually never see large parts of a ships are important (such as settlements may become uninhabit- richly detailed history. However, sev- European monarchies and many trib- ed; large cities may be reduced to eral methods can make the past rele- al societies), genealogical skills can fractions of their former populations. vant to action in the present. apply to influence rolls. A success indi- Here the buildings will gradually cates the discovery of a common decay over time: their facades will ancestor, leading to a Good reaction. A weather away, their floors will col- GENEALOGIES failure produces a Bad reaction. This lapse, and eventually even their walls Fantasy commonly assumes that may indicate that the genealogical dis- will fall. How long this takes depends certain families are especially impor- cussion recalled some ancestral feud on the material. Mud brick structures tant historically. Age after age, the or grudge! will collapse in the first massive rain- same bloodline will keep turning out Influence rolls can also be helpful fall, wooden buildings may last a gen- notable people. And even if a bloodline in negotiating with ghosts or other eration, and solid stone structures seemingly has lost all importance, its revenants, or with ancestral spirits. may endure for a century before suf- latest descendant may reclaim its for- Ancestor worship is a compact of fering major deterioration. mer glory. mutual aid between the dead and the Ruins can serve as markers of a This partly reflects the ideas of the living. By proving their descent, the great civilization of ancient times, aristocratic societies where much fan- living prove that they are entitled to now destroyed. Faded inscriptions tasy is set. Royal titles really do pass that aid. Ghosts often return because may hint at the fates of those past civ- down the generations, sometimes of family obligations or obsessions ilizations, or reveal arcane secrets. unpredictably, giving special powers with family concerns. Even a lich or Roll vs. Archaeology to find anything to their recipients. Mythically, kings vampire might aid a living relative on informative, with a critical success may have magical powers such as the a whim. turning up an actual text or relic (see ability to heal (p. 68). This makes it Relics, p. 91). If the language is plausible to envision other gifts pass- unknown, it won’t be very useful, ing on in the same way. In fact, royal RUINS though an inscription can be copied families often claim descent from a An area inhabited for more than a and taken back to a scholar in a set- god. In a fantasy world, demigods may century will have some abandoned tled area. pass on supernatural gifts to their structures. Inside a city, where living Desperate travelers may take shel- descendants. space is scarce, these won’t stay ter in ruins. In a sword and sorcery or Knowledge of genealogy comes empty for long. Even if they’re dark fantasy campaign, less pleasant from several skills. History includes accursed or haunted, someone will things may already be there, ready to the details of any lineages that are pay to have them purified, or desper- attack intruders or curse them. An important to a given place’s history. ately poor people will move in as Exorcism roll may be needed to drive Bardic Lore includes the same knowl- squatters (roll vs. Streetwise, modi- away supernatural guardians. Inhab- edge, and also one’s own descent and fied by settlement size, to find hous- itants of this sort – or ancient curses – the major deeds of one’s ancestors. ing of this kind). In a village, a house may keep hidden treasures safe from Area Knowledge includes the relation- may stay empty for years. In a tomb robbers; otherwise, any treasure ships between specific living people remote area, an isolated house may has probably already been stolen. A who are important to the area, and as be entirely forgotten until a stray critical success on an Architecture roll much knowledge of previous genera- wanderer happens upon it. may uncover hidden troves, if there tions as is essential to define those are any.

90 HISTORIES enchanters created them. Information, a city watch, a jealous dragon, or a RELICS in general, can be valuable. This is magical curse. In an adventure story, “relics” usu- obviously the case for a grimoire with In fantasy settings, scientific ally means objects that are either use- lost spells, or a technical manual . . . archaeology usually doesn’t yet exist. ful or valuable, left over from the his- but a map could hold the location of a Adventurers sell their finds for as torical or forgotten past. Valuable treasure trove or the route to a distant much as they can get. Sometimes mer- objects are usually gems, precious land, or the records of a castle could chants want them – these may be the metals, or works of art made from reveal the identity of a lost heir or the same eccentric antiquarians who sell durable materials. Useful objects are true name of a dangerous foe. The dis- volumes of lore. In other cases, the most often weapons and armor, espe- covery of a bilingual – the same text in only possible buyers will be emperors, cially if finely made. These may be two different languages – could pro- kings, or high nobles. If the relics are magical, and other sorts of magical vide the key to an unknown language, of religious significance, the safest objects generally count as useful as making it possible to read previously course is to donate them to a church well. undecipherable grimoires, technical or temple and hope for gratitude. A Magical relics aren’t particularly manuals, or other documents. valuable relic may create new perils interesting or valuable if every city has Most adventurers look for such for the finder before he can get it to his an enchanters’ market selling equiva- relics in ancient ruins, or take them market, as in Kipling’s story “The lent objects. Finding magical relics is from the hoards of defeated foes. But King’s Ankus.” more important in a setting where in some settings, adventurers may buy Adventurers who find useful or enchantment is rare, or the specific and sell magic items and volumes of magical objects may instead want to magic objects in question are rare. lore, finding them in obscure shops use them in their further adventures. Whether made in a mythic age, by for- run by eccentric antiquarians. Getting In a low fantasy setting, materials may gotten mystic arts, or by a uniquely access to them may call for a roll wear out, and even enchantments may skilled enchanter, a fading magic set- against Savoir-Faire or Merchant, weaken. In high fantasy or sword and ting makes the surviving magical instead of Two-Handed Sword. In sorcery, the question of whether an treasures stand out. either case, adventurers attempting to ancient sword has rusted, or a suit of In a subtler treatment, both useful walk off with their finds should expect armor’s leather fastenings have rotted devices and magical objects may be to discover why they haven’t been car- through, won’t usually arise; valuable valuable clues to how past inventors or ried off already, whether the reason is relics are immune to age and decay.

HISTORIES 91 CHAPTER FIVE LOCALITIES

... Eventually the South became an indescribable conglomeration of duchies, earldoms, free cities, minor kingdoms, independent bishoprics, and counties. These little worlds were often the size of small farms, though they might be named the Grand Union of the Five Counties, or the Duchy of Irontree-Dragonrock. Each of these petty poten- tates coined his own money and levied troops . . . Seldom could a chieftain gather enough support for anything the size of a civil war, but there was constant feuding, bicker- ing, and bullying. – John Bellairs, The Face in the Frost The streets of the capital were filled, day and night. Wu had never seen such crowds. And many of them dressed richly, their silken robes dyed in elaborate many-colored patterns. Such an opportunity for a man of skill! Wu drifted through the edges of the crowd, his eyes lowered, his steps keeping him out of people’s way. But as he passed, silent as the wind, purses fell into his hands like autumn leaves, and then found their way into hidden pockets of his specially made clothing. Then he stepped into a side street, and was lost to sight. But as he made his way to the hostel where he was staying, he felt that something was wrong. Some presence troubled his mind. As he began an unobtrusive survey of the area, he felt two arms intertwine with his. “You are very good,” said the one to his left. “But you did not seek permission before gleaning in our fields. That shows a lack of respect. You will come to speak with the Elder, and he will instruct you in proper manners.” Wu moved to extricate himself from their grasp, but their skill was the equal of his own. He was held fast. Once the world is fleshed out, there’s one more step to get it ready for the game. The GM must map and describe the starting point – the place where the campaign begins. This can serve a variety of functions. If the heroes grew up there, it’s part of their backgrounds; if they came from elsewhere, it’s the place they meet. It’s a source of equipment, supplies, and training. It’s a place where they can sell their loot and spend their proceeds. It may be a source of plots, if they defend it or enforce its laws. A detailed map and a list of the important inhabitants are useful resources for making the players believe in it.

92 LOCALITIES SETTLEMENTS Most people in civilized human senator’s slave-cultivated villa. What- Manorialism societies have permanent homes. ever their numbers or situation, they Many European countries, in the Farmers stay near their crops. A all work on the farm, whether as Middle Ages and later, had a manorial landowner, or his bailiff, supervises owners, hands, or slaves. Anyone pattern, derived partly from Roman his estate. Anyone with equipment attempting to find a hireling rolls at villa communities. Fantasy landscapes needs a place to store it . . . a crafts- an extra -2; so does anyone looking often organize along manorial lines, man’s tools, a ruler’s arms and steeds, for a job, except during harvest sea- usually in idealized medieval worlds. a bureaucrat’s records, or a wizard’s son, when it becomes an extra +2! In manorialism, a village commu- enchantments. As a result, civilized nity grows up adjacent to a large sin- societies form settlements, ranging VILLAGES gle farm. Often slaves or serfs work from small villages to cities with a mil- the manor, but the villagers are mostly Villages form the other settlement lion or more inhabitants. free farmers or farmhands. Generally, pattern for farm communities: a Most people in historical fantasy the village has more inhabitants than group of houses built close together, settings live in rural areas and work on the manor, by a factor of two to five. with the land surrounding them divid- the land or the sea, producing food, The lord of the manor usually collects ed among the inhabitants. Usually fiber, and fuel. Up until the 19th cen- rents, taxes, or fines (if he runs the vil- each farmer has the use of multiple tury, no country had even half its pop- lage’s court of law). He also benefits strips of land scattered through a larg- ulation living in cities. As a guideline, from having a large labor pool to draw er area. As a rule, everyone does the assume that 1/5 of the population is from, especially at harvest time. The same work on the same days. Villagers urban in a prosperous and well-settled villagers gain added security from liv- can come to each other’s aid in emer- land, 1/10 in a poorer land, and 1/20 in ing near the manor. Just having it gencies, such as attacks by wild ani- a barely civilized country. That does there keeps some bandits away, and mals or solitary outlaws. They can also not mean that, for example, 1/5 of the they may retreat inside its walls when share the cost of religious or magical settlements are cities! Cities and attacked. This protection makes the ceremonies that make their farms towns have bigger populations, so lord’s taxes and rents a comparatively more fertile. there are fewer of them. Suppose good bargain. there are 800 villages, for example, Most villages have 100 to 999 and an urban population equivalent to inhabitants. Only very small villages, Market Villages 200 villages; if towns and cities aver- called hamlets, have fewer than 100. Some craftsmen and other special- age 10 times bigger than villages, there Most households in a village belong to ists cannot find enough work to sup- are only 20 towns and cities. A barely farmers, but there’s some division of port themselves in a single village. To civilized country might have only one labor. Job and hireling rolls have only minimize competition, they spread out small city. the normal penalty for community among villages in a regular pattern. size. Visualize a set of hexagons. One spe- SOLATES Living in a village requires a longer cialist lives in the village at the center I daily trip to the fields. If oxen travel at of each hexagon. There will also be a In some historical places and two miles per hour, it takes a farmer village on each side of each hexagon, times, and some fantasy settings, half an hour to get to a field a mile halfway between two specialists. So country people are thinly scattered. away. A circle a mile in radius has an each specialist gets all the trade from This lifestyle involves some tradeoffs. area of just over 2,000 acres. That’s a his home village and half the trade Each farmer’s farmhouse rests in the rough average for the cultivated area from each of six villages surrounding middle of his own fields. He doesn’t of a large village; once the trip to the it, a total of four villages’ worth. If each need his neighbors’ approval for how fields takes longer than half an hour, village can keep him busy one-fourth he manages his farm, nor does their some of the population will probably of the time, he can make a living. management affect him. He has a rel- migrate away. Outside that area will A more elaborate trade network atively short, straight journey from the be a strip of forest, hills, or wasteland, may have smaller and larger market farmhouse to the fields. On the other and beyond that the fields of the next villages; the larger ones provide hand, in an emergency, the neighbors village. services to larger areas, including are far away. Isolated settlements In a densely settled land, cultivated smaller market villages. occur in sparsely inhabited colonial areas will actually be hexagonal Naturally, specialists of different lands, where good soil comes in small instead of circular, bounded by the kinds end up living in the same slight- patches, and the law effectively con- next village’s fields, and taking up ly larger villages. Many village trols banditry. about 1,600 acres rather than 2,000. economies have markets that open Isolates have small populations, There won’t be many trees, and farm- once a week or so. Operating such a less than 100 being typical. Their ers will cook over dried manure or market may require one or more spe- homesteads range from an American charcoal imported from remote cialists – an innkeeper, a scribe, or a backwoodsman’s log cabin to a forests. watchman. So markets space out in Viking’s farmstead to a Roman roughly the same way; perhaps one

LOCALITIES 93 Trade and example). Building walls is expensive, so the wall encloses as small an area as Land Use possible; and because it’s safer inside the wall than outside, people crowd in, raising the population density. A town’s built-up area occupies from 12 to 60 acres, at about 80 people per acre. A large town is typically about a quarter- mile across. Openings in a wall are vulnerable to attack, and gatehouses to protect them are costly. So towns have only a few gates. The country roads pass through those gates and connect with the major streets; less important streets branch off from these. Most towns pay a gatekeeper for each gate, and often a night watchman to patrol the streets. CITIES Cities are normally located at key points on major transportation routes: for example, on natural harbors, or on large, navigable rivers, typically at the upstream ends of the navigable por- tions. As a result, they can draw on areas larger than the local countryside for food. The next three population bands – 5,000 to 9,999, 10,000 to 49,999, and 50,000 to 99,999 inhabitants – include most of the large cities of history. A typical city with 50,000 inhabitants would occupy 625 acres, or just under a square mile, and would be about a mile across. This area isn’t available for farming, and a large city Idealized trade network in an agricultural economy, with four levels: ordinary villages, small market villages (typically won’t have farmers among its resi- holding a market every two weeks), large market villages (typically holding a market twice a week), and a town (every dents, though it may have specialized day a market day). Small settlements buy services from specialists centrally located in larger settlements, shown by arrows. Each settlement has its own roughly circular area of cultivated land. Realistically, differences in soil fertility enterprises such as vegetable gardens and ease of transport would produce a less neat pattern; obviously, therefore, this map is not to any set scale. or vineyards. People in all the common business- village in four will have a marketplace. twice a week. Specialists make up a es, and even in some luxury trades, Market villages are somewhat larger significant part of a town’s population. make cities their homes. Tradesmen than other villages, but still have 100 They may keep gardens or raise pigs compete for business with others in to 999 inhabitants. or chickens, but they get most of their the same trade. They may organize food by selling their services, so food guilds to keep out new competitors, comes in from the countryside to feed legally or illegally. They may deliber- TOWNS the townspeople. Total population is ately call attention to themselves Towns are larger versions of mar- typically 1,000 to 4,999. through advertising (using the ket villages. Because of increased Food costs more in a town, any- Propaganda skill). Or they may spe- demand, towns support specialists where from 1 1/2 to 3 times as much cialize in a particular product or serv- who provide services rarely needed in as in the villages. Since food is the ice. If mages work for hire, a city may villages, such as armorers and jewel- biggest cost of living, anyone who have several mages, and even a guild ers. These craftsmen mostly deal with cannot earn enough in a town will or school of wizardry. the wealthy (the richest one or two move to a village. Anonymity makes it possible for families in each village, who may be Because towns have money, they thieves to live in cities as permanent its lords). A normal town generates both need and can afford protection. A residents, instead of just passing enough business that the market is typical town has at least a low wall, through and carrying off whatever open all the time, not just once or hard to climb over (8 to 10 feet, for they can pick up. A thief can keep his

94 LOCALITIES city that controls the surrounding villages, a free city in a feudal system whose aristocrats control all the Agrarian Magic nonurban land, and a provincial cap- The commonest setting for fantasy campaigns amounts to “Europe ital in an empire or nation-state. A in the Middle Ages, but with magic.” However, if magic is common, it provincial capital may have few may change the way people live, to the point where it no longer looks defenses, if it’s in the interior of a medieval. pacified empire. A city-state or Suppose, for example, that every village has either a mage who spe- medieval free city will have substan- cializes in plant or weather magic, or a priest who serves a harvest god, tial walls, typically over 30’ high. In with at least one or two spells at level 15. Any but the smallest village will an emergency a city can send its have at least 100 adults and adolescents, and they’ll probably be willing entire adult male population, about to contribute a minute or two of ritual in the morning to help bring in a 20%, to guard its walls; a city of good harvest. So what can 100 points do when spent on a spell? 50,000, occupying a square mile, will have about 10,000 men to guard four Bless Plants: 100 points will double the crop yield for a season with- miles of walls, or one man per yard in a radius of 300 feet, or roughly 6.5 acres. Casting this over all the and one-third of its men as a reserve. fields may take too much energy, but the built-up area of a village of 260 Conquering a defended city typically people will be about 6.5 acres – and there will be plenty of vegetable gar- requires a prolonged siege. dens there. The village may also use this spell on orchards or vineyards. City life has other hazards as well. Heal Plant: 99 points will get rid of plant diseases and parasites with- Food costs at least twice as much as in a 99’ circle. Most plant infestations will end before they can spread. in the country. If there’s a crop fail- Predict Weather: 90 points will generate a perfectly accurate weather ure, the city will run out of food forecast for the next month and a half. Farmers will know exactly when quickly. Large numbers of people to plant and when to take precautions against bad weather. crowded together create a higher risk Purify Earth: 100 points will remove foreign substances and add of disease. Cities normally depend on nutrients to the soil in a radius of 150 feet, which covers about 1.6 acres. immigrants from the country to Magic will ensure that the fields are fertile. maintain a stable population. Fire Rain: 100 points will make 1” of rain fall in a circle 1,000 yards in can spread quickly from building to radius; that’s an area of 649 acres or just over a square mile. Farmers building. Rumors can spread and will almost never lose crops to drought. mobs can form; a city’s rulers have to With just these five spells, a farm village can make every year a good worry about keeping order, and its year, and double the yield of its most important fields. Farmers can feed minority groups may become targets themselves on smaller fields, which means the same amount of magic of violence. will aid even more farms.

Temporary Settlements occupation secret by not practicing it A society that can’t support a city on a year-round basis may have in his own neighborhood, by stealing short-term gatherings that are as large as cities. The merchant fairs of from travelers instead of locals, and the Middle Ages drew many buyers and sellers, often emphasizing one by fencing his loot to a merchant who type of goods, such as cloth or books. The Althing in early Iceland gath- can ship it to another city. Many ered together people with legal disputes for settlements – and enforced thieves, especially young ones, can attendance by outlawing anyone who failed to honor a summons. Many also blend into the crowd of poor city countries have religious festivals that draw large audiences. Nomadic people. For the same reason, corpo- societies can also have these events, which may be the only time large real undead, black magic cults, and numbers of nomads gather. other supernatural threats find cities Whatever the motive, such events are easier to support than full-scale a good place to look for victims. cities. An area that can feed 100 permanent town residents can feed As a transportation center, a city 36,000/N visitors, where N is the number of days an event lasts. will have specialized facilities to sup- A variation on this pattern is the mobile royal courts of some port traffic. Most cities have docks or medieval European societies. Kings and their retainers traveled through other support for ships. Cities on the country, visiting various noblemen and cities for a few days or rivers have bridges. And cities often weeks. This let a king maintain a larger household than any region could build major roads and have housing support. It also gave the king a weapon to use against annoying noble- for draft and riding animals. men; he could drop in for a visit and stay until their supplies were Protecting the traffic is often a major exhausted, knowing they wouldn’t dare ask him to leave. The same kind goal for a city’s rulers. of calculation can determine how long a region can host a royal court of Most cities have at least some any given size. measure of self-government. Three common patterns are an independent

LOCALITIES 95 in any other city may have its own works of art, and the buildings will be IMPERIAL small guild. treasuries. In a decadent empire (see The ruler’s palace will be a virtual Decadence, p. 81), the residents of the CAPITALS city in itself, though typically it will palace may be concerned only with A city that has enough military operate as a single gigantic household. the microcosm of their own society, power may overcome lesser city- Its staff won’t be for hire in the usual scarcely able to imagine the lives of states. The result is an empire, con- sense, but “hiring” rolls describe the the people outside. Savoir-Faire (High taining several cities with one domi- search for the right department to get Society) may be defined by the actions nating the others. Commonly the cap- something done. The palace may actu- of the court, and provincial nobles ital of such an empire is even larger ally have its own walls, with restricted may hire instructors in proper courtly than ordinary large cities, exceeding access even for other residents of the behavior. 100,000 inhabitants. The largest, such capital. The palace grounds will be as Rome and various Chinese capitals, may attain a population of a million or more. As a rule, a pre-industrial world can only support one or two such cities at a time, in widely separated City of Wonders regions. Feeding their inhabitants Because of its size and complexity, an imperial capital is naturally requires access to highly productive mysterious. No one can understand everything about how it works, and farmland, such as Chinese rice pad- important decisions are made behind the scenes. In addition, as a dies or the wheat fields of the Nile wealthy economy, it has unusual goods for sale and arcane specialists Valley, and secure, reliable transporta- for hire. Its name will be known in remote lands and attract a variety of tion to the capital. Naturally, protect- travelers, from diplomats to merchants to pilgrims, often bearing exotic ing commerce becomes one of an objects as gifts or merchandise. It may have a foreigners’ quarter where empire’s top priorities. A city of this people follow the strange customs of their native lands. size doesn’t just have the power to Even the gods may pay special attention to the imperial court. In a control a huge territory; it needs the high fantasy setting, divine manifestations may surround it, or the gods huge territory to survive. may descend to make their wishes known or grant the ruler their aid. In An imperial capital is a large city a light fantasy setting, visits from gods and other supernatural beings even by 21st-century standards; to may be common and disruptive; think of the trouble that fairy god- anyone from a historical fantasy mothers cause in classic fairy tales! milieu, visiting it will be an unforget- In short, imperial capitals have a magic of their own, which makes table experience. Its sheer size will be them natural settings for fantasy. A campaign can combine overt fanta- overwhelming, with walls 5 to 15 sy about a generally magical landscape with cryptic fantasy about more miles long enclosing from 1 1/2 to 15 powerful magic, hidden by the very density of human beings on the square miles. Even with this area, it crowded streets. will be crowded, with many of the res- Old cities have even richer possibilities. Small cults or old families idents living in multistory buildings. may preserve ancient customs and magics. If a city has stood in the The streets will constantly be full of same place for a thousand years, it almost certainly stands on the rub- people. Businesses will be highly com- ble of its own earlier buildings (see Ruins, p. 90). Who knows what petitive and diversified; an occupation might lie buried in the empty rooms? that would support a single specialist

96 LOCALITIES SERVICES Whatever size the starting place is, Actually obtaining the service may If hunting is legal or poaching is adventurers need to find supplies, require a reaction roll. If the prospec- common, many villagers will have equipment, and services there. tive clients want a standard service hunting weapons, such as bows, Finding a service requires an IQ or and offer the standard price, don’t slings, or spears (or rifles, at TL4 and Area Knowledge roll, modified by the bother with the reaction roll. Services higher). size of the settlement: -3 if population that limit their clienteles react at -3 to In some countries, the law requires is under 100; -2 if 100 to 999; -1 if inquiries from the wrong people, and every man to have light infantry 1,000 to 4,999; +0 if 5,000 to 9,999; +1 a bad reaction may have unusually weapons for militia duty. The Norman if 10,000 to 49,999; +2 if 50,000 to severe penalties. kings of medieval England required 99,999; and +3 if 100,000 or more. PCs If a service, its provider, or one of regular archery practice, for example. may attempt one roll per day, but with his employees is a Contact or Patron, Availability of serious military cumulatively increasing difficulty, as no search is required, and obtaining weapons varies with historical condi- the adventurers search through the services involves the usual processes tions. In an unsettled era, individual obvious locations: -2 for each failed for dealing with Contacts and Patrons landowners may have to fight off ban- search. Any roll at -5 or worse auto- (see pp. B44-45 and pp. B72-74). dits, or mercenary forces may hire out matically fails. This includes the mod- If a settlement has several services their services. Armorers and arms ifier for the size of the settlement; in a of the same type, adventurers who dealers will supply them with community with 80 residents, the first don’t find what they want at one can weapons. If society is generally peace- failed search is the end, but in an look for another. Start the search ful, or a powerful ruler wants to keep imperial capital, up to four searches process over again, but with -1 for weapons out of private hands, armor- are possible. each provider already visited. ers may work exclusively for the state. It’s easier to find larger establish- Roll vs. Streetwise to find a black mar- The contents of its window were ments: -1 for a one-man shop, no ket dealer, or Administration to figure curiously varied. They comprised some modifier for two to five workers, +1 out which official might divert elephant tusks and an imperfect set of for six to 20, +2 for 21 to 100, and +3 weapons from their intended uses. chessmen, beads and weapons, a box of for larger businesses. Apply this Persuading him to do it will take a lot eyes, two skulls of tigers and one modifier after deciding if further of money and influence rolls. human, several moth-eaten stuffed search attempts are possible. For a If weapons are legally available, monkeys (one holding a lamp), a old- single man with no fixed location, any town will have an armorer or fashioned cabinet, a fly-blown ostrich use the Hireling rules (see p. B517) arms dealer. He’ll provide ordinary egg or so, some fishing-tackle, and an instead. gear out of inventory. Expensive extraordinarily dirty, empty glass fish- Some services only deal with spe- weapons such as swords, elaborate tank. There was also, at the moment the cific clienteles. Finding them requires armor, and horse barding, or any gear story begins, a mass of crystal, worked a roll against an appropriate skill (or of Fine quality, must be custom-made. into the shape of an egg and beautifully its IQ default) instead of IQ: Savoir- Payment is half at the start and half on polished. Faire for establishments that serve the delivery. – H.G. Wells, “The Crystal Egg” upper classes, Streetwise for criminal In a city, an armorer may have establishments, Merchant for estab- such gear in stock, and several lishments that deal with a specialized ARMS armorers will probably compete. Use trade, Administration for special-pur- the repeated search rules. Cities are pose government agencies, or AND ARMOR also large enough to have self-sus- Research for scholarly archives. At the In general, villages don’t have taining underworlds with their own GM’s option, any of these skills may armorers or dealers in combat gear. armorers. A Streetwise roll can locate default to Area Knowledge in place of Even if there’s a resident smith, he a supplier for weapons banned by IQ for this specific type of search. probably makes most of his living local law, at -2 for each level by which A service that actively seeks out from shoeing horses (at TL3 and the weapon’s LC falls short of the clientele through advertising or other above) and repairing tools. However, local CR. forms of public visibility has +5 adventurers looking for combat gear Cities often employ mercenary to Area Knowledge. A service that in a village do have several options: companies. These companies often makes systematic efforts not to be Knives are often weapons as much have members with Armoury skills. found has -5. as tools, but every smith knows how to Their services will mostly be commit- If, in the GM’s judgment, the phys- make or sharpen them. ted to their own companies, of course, ical site that houses a service is high- Many tools, from hatchets and but the right approach to the armorer ly visible, because of its size or mallets to pitchforks and shepherd’s or the captain of the company may noticeable features such as signs or crooks, work as improvised weapons, work wonders. steeples, no roll is required to locate typically at -1 to effective skill. the service.

LOCALITIES 97 Imperial capitals have that status blessings. Starting at TL2, armies have only because they’re able to repulse their own medical specialists. TRANSPORTATION rebels and invaders. The imperial Intelligent and conscientious soldiers Transportation falls into three bodyguard will almost certainly have know how to dress wounds and assist main types: land transport, river trans- the best equipment bought or made. If surgeons. In some armies, they may port, and seagoing transport. the weapon shops are all owned by the become surgeons; others may recruit Historically, land transport is five empire, gaining access to their prod- civilian physicians for military med- times as costly as river transport, ucts will be difficult and perilous . . . ical care. which is five times as costly as seago- but if private merchants or armorers For a wider range of medical skills, ing transport. Shipping thousands of compete to supply the troops, one may many societies turn to the gods. Some tons of grain from Egypt to Rome cost be willing to do an extra job for a temples have priests trained in healing less than hauling it over roads in Italy. small private band of adventurers magic or medical skills; they may also Villages must form on fertile land, with the right credit rating. And if operate hospitals. Cities of any size since the majority of their residents another country makes high-quality have professional physicians and sur- work that land. However, trade sup- or exotic weapons, an arms merchant, geons. Normally they come to the sick ports the towns. They naturally form a wealthy aristocrat, or an eccentric person’s house and provide care there, in locations where traders and other member of the imperial family will and family members nurse the sick. travelers are common. And they have some in his collection. Nonmagical remedies are mostly invest in making travel easier by straightforward and manageable building roads, bridges, canals, or without specialized training, given docks. Towns concentrate on small MEDICAL CARE directions from a physician. facilities that support local trade; The most basic medical facility is a More advanced techniques, such as cities and imperial capitals build larg- secure place to rest and heal. This is reconstructive surgery, are available in er facilities for long-distance trade. An available almost anywhere, except some societies. Only guilds or other imperial capital can afford to create a during a war or other disaster. associations of specialists will teach port city for its shipping, or construct Many TL0 societies, and all soci- them. They need not be magical, but a network of roads for its armies and eties at TL1 and above, have special- will be as mysterious to most people merchants. ists in medical care, whether they use as if they were. Adventurers intending to travel surgery, herbal potions, or divine long distances may want to join a caravan, or take passage on a ship – or on a balloon or flying carpet, in a more exotic setting. Whatever form of long- distance travel is prevalent will be available mainly in cities. INNS AND TAVERNS Nearly every human community bigger than a single household has a place for people to eat, drink, and socialize. In a communal economy, this is a private club, and gaining admission requires a local sponsor. It may even be religiously based, only open to worshippers of the same god. In a market economy, it will be a business. Small businesses may sell only recreational substances, usually alcohol, though chocolate, coffee, tea, and tobacco are other possibilities. Many taverns also sell food, or give it away. Such gathering places don’t usually have lodgings for travelers; a traveler staying in a village will need to find a household with a spare bed. In a setting with regular traffic, market villages will have inns and hos- tels. Often the inn will also be the main tavern. The innkeeper will probably be

98 LOCALITIES a prominent citizen. Inns operate the knowledge rolls. Modifiers gener- perilous secrets or a little of both. TL0 along major trade routes, even far ally range from +5 for matters of com- societies rely on Bardic Lore, and TL1 from settled lands, but they become mon knowledge to -5 for obscure societies still use it for many things. By more rare, often more than a day’s ride points that even scholars usually don’t TL2, the oral tradition is fighting a los- apart, with large enough staffs to deter know. ing battle with written records. banditry, and often with walled com- Consulting a bard requires finding pounds. These inns will charge high Folklore one. Most bards travel from place to prices for food and lodging. Folklore is the knowledge of people place. An inn or a minor noble’s court In communal economies with little who don’t specialize in knowing may have a bard visiting or passing trade, inns won’t exist. Travelers can things. Part of it is an individual’s accu- through. A major court probably has a become guests of local residents, pay- mulated life experience; part is the resident bard. Once the bard is locat- ing with small gifts (roll vs. Savoir- common property of a community; ed, apply the standard reaction rolls Faire to choose something suitable) part is small secrets passed from par- for requests for information, rolling and news of the outside world, or they ent to child, or master to apprentice. against the bard’s Bardic Lore skill if can stay at temples or monasteries. Most times, adventurers don’t need he feels inclined to help. People in such societies often consider to go to anyone for folklore. They’re guests sacred. A host must allow even folk, as much as anyone else is – they Scribal Records a sworn enemy, once invited under his can remember folk knowledge with a Written records originally served roof, to leave in peace. These customs roll against IQ. At most, they may find official purposes; they recorded who may persist for a time while regular it helpful to visit the wisest man in owned which plot of farmland, or the trade is developing. Travelers may find their community and ask his advice. terms of a contract, or who had paid lodging at monasteries or prosperous On a Good or better reaction, he’ll take his taxes. Professional scribes keep households – or fall into the company an active interest in the question; roll these records. Most scribes are gov- of robbers and murderers – more against his IQ to determine if he ernment employees; some are in pri- often than they find actual inns. knows anything. vate practice. In either case, they live Obtaining lodging calls for a reaction Adventurers who have traveled to a mostly in cities, starting at TL1. roll: Fair for a large household or foreign country can’t use IQ to learn Getting a scribe to consult his monastery with spare rooms, Good about local conditions. Instead, they records requires a Good or better reac- for ordinary households. roll against Area Knowledge, if they tion for any unknown information. Cities often have more specialized have that skill, with modifiers for dis- The actual consultation requires a businesses. Restaurants may serve tance from their native area. Or they Research or Administration roll by the expensive or exotic food and host ban- look for a local informant. Anyone scribe. quets. Large inns or caravanserais whose profession involves talking with If adventurers are literate, they offer lodging. The streets may also be a lot of people is a suitable choice – could sneak into an archive and find crowded enough to support wander- innkeepers and priests, for example. the records they need. Since they ing vendors who sell the local food. If Adventurers in their own countries won’t know the filing system, this calls a city has religious or recreational may need similar help with unfamiliar for a Research-2 roll to locate any- gatherings, food and drink vendors social strata; finding someone with thing useful. will often attend them. It’s possible to Savoir-Faire or Streetwise will help. search for any of these specialized Usually this consultation calls for a Scholarly Libraries types of establishments rather than reaction roll; a Neutral response is At TL2, flexible writing systems just looking for “a tavern” or “an inn.” good enough to get a chance of helpful encourage the writing of books that Lodging places in market information, since casual local knowl- people read, instead of looking things economies actively advertise for cus- edge will be new to visitors. up in them. The old bardic traditions tomers, giving +5 to rolls to find them. Adventurers who have already been in start to fade, or transfer to written Places that are exclusive to a particu- an area for a while may have a scriptures or epics. Somewhat later, lar clientele are an exception. Contact. scholars start to collect libraries. Any city will probably have an educated Bardic Lore man who has such a library. An impe- INFORMATION In nonliterate societies, people rial capital, or a city such as develop methods for remembering Alexandria that specializes in knowl- SOURCES information. One of the oldest is writ- edge, may have a great archive with In any setting, people may have ing poetry about it. Every human cul- tens of thousands of books. questions and will search for places to ture has the equivalent of “Thirty days An individual scholar has a library get answers. But different kinds of hath September.” In nonliterate soci- for his field he consults when answer- answers will be available and different eties, the skill of Bardic Lore (p. 99) ing any question that isn’t obvious. sources will provide them. The kinds includes all the sorts of information This doesn’t require a Research roll. If of knowledge sources vary with the that literate societies put into reference he has no access to his books, he rolls TL. books. In literate societies, Bardic Lore against the appropriate skill at -5 (-2 if Whatever the information source, mostly includes archaic information, he has Eidetic Memory; no modifier if the obscurity of the question modifies which may be obsolete nonsense or he has Photographic Memory).

LOCALITIES 99 If that fails, he can go to the best adventurers avoiding official ties may To get into the private residence of a institutional library available – or come before the rulers to face lawsuits noble, adventurers must pass through adventurers can go there themselves, or criminal or ecclesiastical charges – one or several guard stations, offering either asking the help of a librarian or or need to get in, by force or stealth, to a good reason for admission, and using their own skills. Finding a rele- rescue imprisoned friends. sometimes paying bribes. In cinemat- vant book calls for a Research roll. In historical fantasy settings, the ic treatments, sly groups could dis- This is unmodified for the library of a rulers are often landowners. Land is guise themselves as servants and monastery, school, or town; +1 for the the main source of wealth. It’s also the sneak in, or find conveniently library of a city; and +2 for the library most respectable source of wealth. unguarded tunnels or low walls. of an imperial capital or a world- From Roman senators to feudal lords, Realistic nobles are often suspicious renowned institution such as the the upper classes agreed that a man enough to close such convenient Library of Alexandria. who makes money in trade dishonors access routes, or guard them. In less himself. suspicious eras, a noble may invite in The Printing Press That doesn’t mean the landowners any traveler asking politely, to tell his With the invention of the printing actually live on their land. In medieval story or present his petition for aid. press, books become far more wide- societies, this was common, and it is Even in a suspicious and disorder- spread, as does literacy. The libraries even more so in medieval fantasy. ly society, though, rulers want their of great cities and major universities However, the rulers of the ancient subjects to know where to find them. grant +(TL/2), rounded down, to world often lived in city-states and had There is no need to roll to find a cas- Research skill. Because many copies stewards to manage the land for them. tle. Usually a ruler’s court is large of a book can be produced in a short Roman senators had the same prefer- enough to have at least a bonus from time, the concept of publication date ence, though they might have huge size. The court and the residence are becomes meaningful, and librarians estates centered on palatial villas. usually in the same building, but catalog books and journals partly by During the High Middle Ages and admission to the court is much easier when they first appeared. Over a few Renaissance, European countries to arrange. There may be several dis- centuries, standardized book cata- developed a pattern where minor tinct areas with progressively higher loging develops. nobles lived in the villages, but great security. Access to these, if not gained The printing press also makes pos- nobles came to the royal court and from Rank or Status, is a type of sible the rapid growth of science, as attended the king. Security Clearance (p. 130). the results of scientific research can Feudal societies had a further com- quickly reach a substantial audience. plication: their rulers found it hard to Dungeons First publication of a new discovery is collect taxes from peasants who rarely In feudal societies, the aristocrats important to scientific reputation, touched money. Instead, they assigned are also the judges and law leading to bitter priority disputes; land to their knights; the knight lived enforcers. This means that castles some scientists publish cryptic notes on the land and collected rent from and strongholds have dungeons – not about their findings or put them in the peasants in exchange for support- abandoned ruins filled with mon- code. ing the king. Naturally, this turned sters, treasures, and traps, but well- At the same time, magical theo- from a temporary administrative con- guarded prisons holding criminals, ries draw increased interest, often venience into a permanent right. heretics, enemies, or other inconven- from the same people. Magic may The lower ranks of the nobility ient people. not have the same standards of pub- have just enough wealth to support Imprisonment wasn’t as common lication as science; public recogni- one man, with expensive military gear in historical societies as it is in pres- tion for magical discoveries might and freedom from labor so that he can ent-day societies. Keeping a man create a bad reputation instead of a practice using it. From the Roman locked up is expensive. He must be good one. Hints, incomplete results, Empire through the age of chivalry, fed, provided for, and prevented from and codes and ciphers are much “expensive military gear” included a escaping. Imprisonment isn’t a com- more common in books on magic; horse trained for the battlefield. mon punishment. Past societies the uninformed reader usually finds Earlier, TL1 noblemen owned chariots favored punishments that could be them to be gibberish. and chariot ponies, or were supplied completed: temporary unpleasant with them by their kings. Above these experiences such as fines, whippings, village lords are the upper nobility, or public humiliation, or permanent COURTS AND with enough land to support other injuries such as confiscation of prop- ASTLES elite warriors as personal retainers – erty, mutilation, or death. Imprison- C from a handful to a small army. The ment was for people who were too Adventurers often have to deal with most powerful noblemen are on the wealthy and powerful for a convenient the rulers of their societies. If success- level of the weaker kings. execution – the sort of people who ful enough, they may be the rulers. In disorderly eras, such as the ended up in the Tower of London or Less powerful adventurers often work Middle Ages or much of Japanese his- the Bastille – or was a temporary for the rulers, whether as members of tory, nobles live in castles with elabo- measure, to keep a prisoner available their households, mercenaries, or rate fortifications. Cities often grow until trial. unacknowledged agents. And even nearby important noble residences.

100 LOCALITIES A prisoner might require interrogation or punishment, and often this meant torture. So a dungeon may have a torture chamber nearby, Sanctity whether equipped with improvised Some fantasy settings have parallel systems of standard magic and devices or with the most sophisticated clerical magic, or have only clerical magic. In the same way that stan- implements a twisted mind might dard magic works differently in environments with lower or higher devise. A scaffold, headsman’s block, mana, clerical magic works differently in environments with lower or or other place of execution is also like- higher sanctity. But there are important differences between mana and ly. Any adventurer taken into custody sanctity. The levels of sanctity aren’t simply the levels of mana with dif- will probably see such threatening ferent names. apparatus, a hint of his fate if he fails What gives an area sanctity? It may be the actual presence of the god to cooperate . . . or to escape. (or spirit) to which it’s sacred, or of things that concern the god; for example, a dryad inhabiting a tree may sanctify the grove where it stands. But it may also be regular worship of the god in a certain loca- HOLY PLACES tion. Or there may be actual ceremonies that can consecrate a place to Nearly every settlement has at a god. In other words, human activity strongly influences the level of least one sanctified place; religious sanctity, where magery depends mainly on the natural environment. activities take place there, such as Mana levels usually remain the same in areas miles across, or even prayer and sacrifice. If gods are real, hundreds of miles (see Unevenly Distributed Magic, p. 43). But human they pay attention to those activities worship usually occupies much smaller areas. The worshippers need to and places. As a result, shrines and see and hear the ceremony, and a sense of enclosure gives a stronger temples acquire high sanctity (see feeling of sacredness. So holy areas may be as small as a park, a tem- Sanctity, below), whether they had it ple, or even an alcove that holds a shrine or relic. to start with or not. However, they Sanctity, with respect to any particular god, ranges from “holy may start out that way in the first ground” down to “cursed ground”: place. If a god or spirit frequently Very High Sanctity (Holy Ground): Places most strongly consecrated spends time somewhere, visibly or with respect to the god in question: the most ancient temples, sites invisibly, anyone interested in gain- where the god came into the world and performed miracles, etc. ing divine notice will go there, and High Sanctity (Blessed Ground): Natural places where the god’s the resulting worship will add to its power is particularly strong due to his sphere of influence (e.g., a live sanctity. It’s also possible to take a volcano, for a fire god). Any location specifically consecrated to that physical relic of the god to a site god (e.g., ordinary temples). intended for a new shrine, letting its Normal Sanctity (Neutral Ground): Most places in the world, most of holiness become the seed of new time (including the temples of other gods that aren’t explicitly opposed sanctity. to the deity in question). Sites of worship have boundaries Low Sanctity (Unhallowed Ground): Natural places where the god’s or enclosures; not only do these mark presence is weak as a result of his sphere of influence (e.g., the sea, for out the limits of sanctified ground, but a fire god); any site of high sanctity to a diametrically opposed deity. the very act of drawing limits has a No Sanctity (Cursed Ground): Any location explicitly and formally ceremonial effect that enhances sanc- desecrated with respect to the god in question; any site of very high tity. Typically, each temple’s grounds sanctity to a diametrically opposed deity. are a high-sanctity area, or occasionally a very-high-sanctity area. These Several types of human action can affect a place’s sanctity level. grounds often contain holy objects, Consecration is a ritual performed by someone with Clerical Invest- images of divinity, and items used in ment. It raises a place’s sanctity level from normal to high or very high. worship. In an empire or other large Deconsecration is performed by a priest of the god and reduces a polity, an entire city may have high place’s sanctity level from holy or blessed to normal. Desecration is per- sanctity. formed by a priest of an opposed god, and reduces a place’s sanctity. The smallest sites are shrines, usu- Purification removes evil influences and increases an area’s sanctity. If ally built in an alcove or corner of a an opposed god inhabits the hostile place, of course, the purification is house, or in a sheltered place on a city a desecration from his viewpoint! street or public road. A shrine has no Pollution is any action that a god finds offensive, performed by any- priest assigned to it; an inscription or one, with or without deliberate intent. Minor pollutions can be cleaned image shows which god it honors, and up through ordinary rituals of atonement or purification, which anyone anyone who passes may stop to pray with Clerical Investment can usually perform; they rarely take a place or make an offering. Any village, farm, to worse than low sanctity. Major pollutions can remove all sanctity; or even household may have a shrine. they’re as bad as intentional desecrations. It can take truly heroic meas- Only the interior of the shrine is high ures to restore a holy place that has suffered a major pollution. sanctity.

LOCALITIES 101 Temples and churches are public A sanctum is a private place of wor- illegal, openly acknowledged mages buildings dedicated to a god. Such a ship, reserved to the use of a cult or will find safety in similar roles. building will normally house a priest, society. Temples enclose sancta in If magic is everywhere, it will inte- either in residence or nearby. A larger secured buildings, build them into grate into everyday life. The same is temple will have a staff of up to a hidden places, or place them in true if enchanted items are common. dozen priests, including one with remote natural areas such as sacred Since anyone, not just a mage, can use Religious Ritual-14 or higher, and may groves where they’re locked or fenced most of them, they may give everyone have other personnel. Some religions off. They may also have divine protec- access to a few useful spells – or they have specialized officiants for function to turn away intruders. The may be the jealously guarded preroga- tions involving the shedding of blood, ground in a sanctum is high sanctity. tives of specialized guilds or profes- such as sacrifices and guarding Priests at high-sanctity sites can sions. Magical academies may also against intruders. Any community cast divinely granted spells, if any are exist in the larger cities. with more than 100 inhabitants may available in their faiths, or call on She had graduated already, coming have a temple; any community with other powers of their god. But in addi- first in English, equal first in Music, more than 1,000 may have a large tion to this, the god himself may pro- third in Mathematics, seventh in temple, and one with more than 5,000 tect his holy places. Intruders and Science, second in Fighting Arts and definitely will have. Both the building blasphemers may find themselves fourth in Etiquette. She had also been a and the site it stands on are high sanc- under supernatural attack by spells runaway first in Magic, but that wasn’t tity. A large temple may have a sacred cast by the god, by spirits serving the printed on the certificate. relic. god, or by other supernatural powers. – Garth Nix, Sabriel Great temples and cathedrals are Many gods have the power of important sites for a widespread reli- Affliction on high-sanctity ground. Magic as Infrastructure gion. In a polytheistic religion, they Temples that are sites of public “Allied trades” may be found along will be devoted to the religion’s princi- worship gain the same +5 on location with magical general practitioners. pal god or gods. A great temple may rolls as courts or castles. These groups of people know only a have dozens of priests, or even hun- few spells, but their services would be dreds, especially in a bureaucratic reli- useful enough to repay them for learn- gion where many priests have admin- MAGICAL ing those spells. In villages, this will istrative duties. In any case, it will often be the domain of hedge wizards have an internal staff with Admini- CAPABILITIES (see the Hedge Wizard template, stration skill. High-ranking priests will For an analysis of the levels of p. 119). In cities, magical universities have Politics skill, in addition to some magical capability for settlements of or trade guilds may offer formal train- priests with very high Religious Ritual various sizes, see How Many Mages? ing. Anyone whose (IQ + Magery) and Theology. The temple will normal- (p. 103). score is 13 or less will be guided into ly be a multi-building complex, often In a setting where magic is rare, one of these trades. Here are some in the form of a walled compound. cities won’t normally have mages at all. examples of useful occupations that a Some great temples are effectively Mages may attach themselves to the practitioner with IQ 12 and Magery 0, independent cities, such as Delphi. courts of great rulers, live in isolated or IQ 11 and Magery 1, can enter with The entire site will be high sanctity, sites where they pursue personal goals, no more than 12 points of training: and an inner cell may be very high or wander from place to place as their sanctity. Great temples usually keep services are needed. In a world where Entertainer: Sound-12 [4], Simple major relics. magic is common but stigmatized or Illusion-12 [4], Complex Illusion-12 [4].

Schools for Sorcerers Schools of magic appear in many fantasy stories, teach it. Magic has to be directly useful; if its main use from Roke in Ursula Le Guin’s A Wizard of Earthsea to is to enhance nonmagical skills, making warriors bet- Unseen University in Terry Pratchett’s Discworld series ter warriors or smiths better smiths, then warriors and to Hogwarts in J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series. smiths will learn it during their regular training, not at Such settings often apply to light fantasy, but are not arcane academies. Finally, enough potential mages confined to it; Le Guin’s treatment ranges between have to exist so that training them as a group is more high fantasy and dark fantasy. economical than apprenticing each one to a local wiz- Schools of magic must meet several conditions to ard or witch. This can occur either in a high-mana be viable. It has to be possible to study magic; if magi- world (or one where Magery is commonplace) where cal is the gift of the gods, or gained through ritual most intelligent people can learn magic, or in a nor- ordeals or freakish accidents, or otherwise more like mal-mana world where potential mages travel long an advantage than a skill, there won’t be schools to distances to master their art.

102 LOCALITIES Firefighter: Ignite Fire-12 [4], Healer: Lend Energy-12 [4], Lend Extinguish Fire-13 [8]. Vitality-12 [4], Minor Healing-12 [4]. Food Tester (very popular at royal (Requires Empathy or Magery 1.) courts!): Test Food-13 [8]. Illuminator: Light-12 [4]; Gardener: Seek Plant-12 [4]; Continual Light-13 [8]. Identify Plant-12 [4]; Heal Messenger: Haste-12 [4]; Quick Plant-12 [4]. March-13 [8]. (Requires Magery 1.) Ghostfinder: Death Vision-12 [4]; Witness to Truth of Testimony: Sense Spirit-13 [8]. (Requires Sense Foes-12 [4], Sense Emotion-12 Magery 1.) [4], Truthsayer-12 [4].

Behind the Curtain: How Many Mages? A civilization’s magical capabilities depend on how normally spend only 1 point on most spells. Most spells many people can cast spells, and how well they do it. are IQ/Hard, so that 1 point gets them at IQ + Magery - In normal-mana or low-mana settings, only people 2; for example, an enchanter with IQ 15 and Magery 2 with Magery can cast spells or use the most potent mag- can reach level 15 for 1 point. In the preceding list, add ical objects. The setting determines how many people 2 to each skill level to find the equivalent (IQ + Magery). have Magery. Most fantasy stories treat magically gifted Considering only IQ (and assuming Magery 0 is people as unusual or even rare. But this doesn’t have to common or unnecessary), every community has people be true. Nearly all the human beings in a fantasy world with IQ 11-12. In a common-magic setting, every village could have Magery 0. has a hedge wizard who knows a few basic spells, and In some worlds, people can acquire Magery, either one or two advanced ones. Every town or city has peo- through special training in meditative exercises, or visu- ple with IQ 13-14, so at least every small city has a pro- alization, or by being magically empowered. Magery fessional mage with formal training in intermediate- might still be rare, if the cost of gaining it is high . . . but level spells. A large city, or a county, duchy, or small it might also be commonplace. country without medium or large cities, will have peo- If Magery is rare, anyone with it will learn some ple with IQ 15-16. A large country will have people with spells. Someone with Magery 1 should learn Lend IQ 17-18, capable of becoming enchanters or affecting Energy first, so he can supply 6 energy per hour to a the outcome of a battle. People with IQ 19-20 will be higher-level spellcaster. If Magery is commonplace, found somewhere in an entire world, but there will be some mages will never develop their talents. In particu- only a few. If the public tolerates magic, some mages lar, those with Magery 0 who aren’t naturally gifted at will be world-famous. In low-mana worlds, they may be casting spells – as measured by IQ and levels of Magery capable of making enchanted objects. – may prefer to become swordsmen, priests, or garden- Adding levels of Magery into the calculation ers. The same is true for a high-mana setting where improves the odds a bit. Magery is effectively a special- spellcasting doesn’t require Magery 0. Whether people ized Talent for working magic; it’s reasonable to sup- study spells will depend mostly on the level of skill they pose, for example, that people with IQ 14 and Magery 1 expect to attain. There are several important skill are more common than people with IQ 15, but less com- thresholds: mon than people with IQ 14. Higher levels of Magery are less common and won’t affect the distribution near- Skill 10: Spells work only half the time, making them ly as much. Figuring Magery into the equation means marginally useful. They are only for emergencies. that a community that would otherwise have one mage Skill 12: Spells usually work; the caster can get a job of a given type will now have a handful, and a commu- as a mage. nity that is marginally too small will now have one. For Skill 14: Spells work nearly always and are reliable in example, any medium or large city would probably have a crisis. a single enchanter. Skill 15: Spells have reduced energy cost, making Making Magery 0 rare shifts the odds. If one person them easier to maintain. Enchantment becomes possible. in 10 has Magery 0, professional wizards will only live Skill 16: Critical failures are rare; the caster is a mas- in medium or large cities; if one person in 100, only in ter mage. imperial capitals – or in a less centralized world, in large Skill 20: Spells have substantially reduced energy cities that specialize in offering magical services. On the cost; enchantment works even in low-mana areas. other hand, training can help overcome this; if magic Unlike ordinary workers or soldiers, whose jobs has useful effects, anyone with Magery 0 may be recruit- require only a handful of skills, most mages need one or ed and taught just two or three useful spells. See Magic two dozen spells. This takes enough time to prevent as Infrastructure, p. 102, for some examples. prolonged study of more than one or two spells. Mages

LOCALITIES 103 CHAPTER SIX CHARACTERS

A knight of the Table Round should show fear. He had climbed trees and built as they all were, but with a sort be invincible, ships’ masts, but now, if he stepped of sail reached out flat to each side, Succeed where a less fantastic man closer to the edge, he could look down like . . . would fail: at Sea Otter’s mast, from many times “Wings? Like a bird’s wings?” Climb a wall no one else can climb, its height. Carefully, he took that one “You have the eyes that see true, Cleave a dragon in record time, step, and then another . . . and there and that’s a rare gift in mortal men,” Swim a moat in a coat of heavy iron was his new friend, at the cliff’s very Valakal said. “Yes, like the wings of a mail. edge. great gliding bird, or like the sails of No matter the pain he ought to be Valakal turned, moving casually, your ship. As the wind blows past a unwinceable; and came back toward him. “You’re sail and pushes the ship forward, the Impossible deeds should be his daily just in time,” he said. “The reavers wind blows past Keen Eyes and push- fare. ought to be coming into sight today; I es it upward, and so it carries us – Alan Jay Lerner, was going to have a look for them.” through the air. Us, that is, if you wish “C’est Moi” (from Camelot) Ing shaded his eyes with his hand, to go out with me!” and looked out to see. Nothing, not “And my weight won’t overburden In his stumbling Elvish, Ing said, “I even the top of a sail. “Your eyes are your craft?” seek Valakal of the Wind.” His own keener than mine,” he said, “if you can Valakal looked at him appraisingly. wind was nearly gone; he had just see them coming.” “You weigh more than an elf,” he said, climbed a quarter-mile on a steep, nar- “Ah, but Elven eyes see over the “but not that much more. I think I can row path cut into the rock. The elf- horizon! And yours can too, my friend. get you back down.” woman said something too fast for I’ll show you the secret.” Valakal led And so Ing found himself in the him to follow, and nodded toward the him along the cliff, to where several rear seat, as half a dozen elves lifted edge of the great sea cliff. tall, unusually well-muscled elves the winged craft and ran at full speed Drawing near to it, Ing had to stood waiting around . . . what was it? toward the edge of the cliff. remind himself that a Northman didn’t Some kind of Elven boat, very lightly

104 CHARACTERS Actually playing a fantasy cam- a certain mix of skills has become advisory and support specialists such paign starts with creating the charac- customary in both: combat, stealth, as the healer or the scholar can be ters. Fantasy stories and campaigns and spellcasting, the specialties of useful too, and offer roles for players commonly emphasize adventure, and warriors, rogues, and wizards. But who want to try something different. CAMPAIGN STYLES AND POINT VALUES Fantasy novels include characters In low fantasy, and in fantasy based sword and sorcery. In a dark fantasy at a wide range of power levels, often on folklore and fairy tales, point values setting, PCs may need the added points in the same story. Roleplaying cam- below 100 often work well. An ordi- just for survival! Still higher point val- paigns generally need a narrower nary man thrown into adventure can ues are possible, but move the cam- range. Too wide a gap leaves the low- be a 50-point character. In higher fan- paign to the level of epic, with heroes point-value characters without much tasy, characters built on 100-200 points who can contend with the gods or to do. But if a campaign will have a work better; the added points can rep- challenge fate. This chapter assumes standard point value, what should that resent the Rank, Status, and Wealth of that the base for typical characters is point value be? aristocrats, or the skills of veteran 100 or 150 points, with up to 50 or 75 adventurers such as the heroes of points in disadvantages. RACIAL TEMPLATES The following templates define var- man emerging from the shoulders of horses – saddle, harness, stables, ious fantasy races in GURPS terms. a horse. An average centaur weighs etc. – particularly odious. [-2] These designs illustrate the creation of about 1,200 lbs. and is 3 hexes long. races and offer versions of most fanta- Centaurs attack with a variety of Devilfish sy standards, plus a few more unusual weapons, but can also kick to the 70 points types such as devilfish. GMs should rear (doing thrust as crushing dam- Devilfish are creatures of the feel free to make up additional races age). oceans, favoring reef environments, to suit the needs of their campaigns. Centaurs are highly mobile, though they can leave the water for a Not all of these templates are suit- nomadic, and famed for their short time when necessary. Despite able for player characters in every untamed behavior. They own no their name, they are neither devils nor campaign. GMs are free to set charac- more than they can carry, though that fish, but intelligent cephalopods ter point limits that make some tem- can be a substantial weight. Centaur resembling large octopuses. They plates prohibitively expensive, to disal- tribes usually trade for a small range communicate by skin pattern changes low specific templates, or even to for- of goods: beer or wine, salt, and iron and use those same changes to cast bid PCs of any nonhuman race. Some for horseshoes. Many of them have spells (see Nonhuman Magic, p. 167). more powerful templates, such as the traits such as Berserk and Devilfish technology was spawned djinni and dragon, will be unsuitable Compulsive Carousing. However, a from magic; their underwater habitat in the majority of campaigns. GMs few centaurs became scholars famed prevents them from using fire, which can still use such templates to design for their wisdom. One such was they regard as a mysterious and dead- NPCs that a group of adventurers may Chiron, the tutor of several mythical ly force. They compete constantly for encounter. Greek heroes. status, often based on skill in magic Because racial templates are com- Attribute Modifiers: ST+8 (Size and rank in magical societies (see pletely rigid, list them on a character Modifier, -10%) [72]; IQ-1 [-20]; Rank, p. 130). Unlike other cephalo- sheet as a single trait – for example, HT+2 [20]. pods, they care for their offspring and “Dwarf [35].” An unusual member of a Secondary Characteristic Modifiers: pass on knowledge and wealth to race, who lacks a typical racial trait, SM +1; Per+1 [5]. them. can have its absence listed as an indi- Advantages: Claws (Hooves) [3]; Devilfish are more or less globular, vidual trait on his character sheet; for Enhanced Move 1 (Running) [20]; averaging 4’ in diameter, and weigh example, a dwarf might have “No Extra Legs (Four Legs) [5]; about 200 lbs. A devilfish’s normal Stubbornness [5].” Fearlessness 1 [2]. first move in combat is to grapple (at Centaur Disadvantages: Impulsiveness (12) up to +12 if using all his arms); his size [-10]; Overconfidence (12) [-5]. gives him a 1-yard reach. Once he has 90 points Quirks: Compulsive carousing; Finds immobilized the foe he will attempt to A centaur is a six-limbed being the trappings of domesticated bite him, inflicting thrust-1 large with the head, arms, and torso of a piercing damage.

CHARACTERS 105 From Creature to Character One source for additional races is animal/creature can be reduced to Dull [-1], a quirk; for sapient ani- descriptions, whether from the Basic Set (Animals and mals, Cannot Speak [-15 or -25] can be removed (a Monsters, p. B455), from this book (p. 46), or from a sapient animal’s only distinctive trait is usually Dull). sourcebook for a particular fantasy world. Abbreviated When increasing IQ, decrease Per bonuses to give the creature statistics can translate into full racial tem- same final Per score. plates, allowing creation of characters belonging to those races. Racial templates can also be used to Superior Horse define a companion animal that is a PC’s Ally (see 75 points p. 132, Ally or Asset?) or to define the animal form(s) of Gods and legendary heroes often have extraordi- a shapeshifter (see the selkie and werewolf templates narily gifted horses, such as Odin’s Sleipnir, Alexander here, for examples). the Great’s Bucephalus, and Gandalf’s Shadowfax. First, turn the creature’s attributes into racial attrib- Such a horse might have the following template. ute modifiers. An attribute score above 10 turns into a racial attribute bonus; one below 10 turns into a racial Attribute Modifiers: ST +12 (No Fine Manipulators, attribute penalty. The cost is unchanged; for example, -40%; Size, -10%) [60]; DX -1 [-20]; IQ -5 [-100]; HT DX 8 costs -40 points, so a racial modifier of -2 to DX +1 [10]. costs -40 points. Secondary Characteristic Modifiers: SM +1; Will +6 Now, compute the base values for the secondary [30]; Per +7 [35]; Basic Move +5 [25]. characteristics. If the actual secondary characteristics Advantages: Claws (Hooves) [3]; Combat Reflexes are higher or lower than this, treat the difference as a [15]; Empathy [15]; Enhanced Move 1 (Ground) secondary characteristic modifier, at the usual point [20]; Fit [5]; Higher Purpose (Devotion to Rider) cost. Animal species usually have IQ 5 or less, but wild [5]; Peripheral Vision [15]. animals usually have Perception 12. For example, a Disadvantages: Cannot Speak [-15]; Quadruped [-35]; tiger has IQ 4 but Per 12; as a template, this would be Social Stigma (Valuable Property) [-10]. IQ -6 [-120] and Per +8 [40]. Quirks: Dull. [-1] Sort the list of traits into advantages, disadvan- Skills: Brawling-10 (DX+1) [2]; Mount-13 (DX+4) [16]. tages, perks, and quirks. Assign each its appropriate Notes: This template is based on the cavalry horse point value. List meta-traits such as Quadruped with (see p. B459). IQ is increased by 2 points; HT is their combined point values, either as advantages or as increased by 1 point, which gives a Basic Speed of 5. disadvantages. In a fantasy setting, Will and Per bonuses are reduced to a creature may have an give unchanged final scores of 11 emblematic trait; include that and 12. Increase Basic Move to 10, as a racial advantage or disad- faster than a typical racehorse, to vantage. Add any other traits reflect the legendary capabilities of needed to define the species superior horses. Include advantages fully. Fit. Empathy and Higher Purpose, Any skills included in the and the adjustment of Mount skill creature statistics should also to DX+4, reflect the horse’s extraor- be in the racial template; they dinary bond with his rider. Reduce are either instinctive or learned Hidebound to Dull to reflect superi- in childhood by every normal or equine intelligence. member of the species. For a The greatest legendary horses wild animal species, include might have even higher point val- Survival for its native habitat ues; raising Fit to Very Fit, giving at Per (usually Survival-12). them levels of Hard to Kill, or rais- It’s also possible to create ing their IQ would be appropriate. an upgraded version of an ani- For a race of sapient horses, mal template, to represent such as the Houyhnhms of Gulliver’s either a superior animal or a Travels, keep the same physical sapient animal. Remove the traits, but raise IQ to 10 or even Fixed IQ Taboo Trait, raise the higher, and remove Cannot Speak, racial IQ (typically by 1 point for a Dull, and Social Stigma. Among the Houyhnhms, it superior animal; at least to IQ 6 for a sapient animal), was human-shaped beings, the Yahoos, who counted and remove or reduce mental disadvantages. For as (possibly) valuable property! example, Bestial [-10] can be removed; Hidebound [-5]

106 CHARACTERS Some devilfish join the Abyssals, a Djinn as a race have great magical Dragons have a passion for gems secretive cult of the deeper oceans, power and often are mighty sorcerers. and precious metals; the reason is lured by the promise of secret magical This template does not include spells, uncertain. It may be a mating ritual, power. Abyssals have a Dread of sun- but nearly all djinn know Food and since legends mainly describe male light and cannot come within three Illusion spells (pp. 169 and 170). They dragons as hoarding. Dragons are yards of the ocean’s surface by day. are proud by nature, but some are incredibly passionate about their obedient Muslims. wealth and enraged at losing any of it. Attribute Modifiers: ST+1 (Size, All dragons are capable of using -10%) [9]; DX-1 [-20]; IQ+1 [20]; Attribute Modifiers: DX+2 [40]; IQ+2 magic, and most learn spells. Their HT+1 [10]. [40]; HT+2 [20]. intelligence may be a byproduct of Advantages: Absolute Direction (Only Secondary Characteristic Modifiers: their magical natures. by Day, -20%) [4]; Chameleon 2 SM +1; HP+5 (Size, -10%) [9]. A dragon on this scale weighs 3,000 [10]; Constriction Attack [15]; Advantages: Alternate Form (Mater- to 5,000 lbs. and has a 30’ wingspan. Doesn’t Breathe (Oxygen Storage ialized Djinni) [15]; Body of Air His claws inflict thrust cutting or When Out of Water, 25¥, -50%) [36]; Doesn’t Eat or Drink [10]; impaling damage; his bite causes [10]; Enhanced Move (Water; ¥2; Invisibility (Carrying Capacity, No thrust-1 impaling damage; and his fiery Costs Fatigue, 1 FP/minute, -5%) Encumbrance, +10%; Normally breath does 4d burning damage. [19]; Extra Arms 6 (Extra-Flexible, On, +0%; Switchable, +10%) [48]; +50%; No Wounding, -50%; Mod- Magery 3 [35]; Unaging [15]. Attribute Modifiers: ST+20 (Size, ifiers apply to normal arms) [60]; Disadvantages: Dread (Solomon’s -40%) [120]. Flexibility [15]; Injury Tolerance Seal; Occasional) [-10]; Disturbing Secondary Characteristic Modifiers: (No Neck) [5]; Magery 0 [5]; Night Voice [-10]. SM +4; Will+3 [15]; Per+3 [15]. Vision 3 [3]; Sensitive Touch [10]; Quirks: Proud. [-1] Advantages: Burning Attack 4d (Cone, Teeth (Sharp Beak) [1]. 5 yards, +100%; Limited Use, 6/day, Disadvantages: Cannot Speak (Mute) Materialized Djinni -10%; Reduced Range, ¥1/5, -20%) [-25]; Cold-Blooded (Below 50º) 200 points [34]; Claws (Long Talons) [11]; [-5]; Colorblindness [-10]; Deaf- Discriminatory Smell [15]; DR 6 Attribute Modifiers: ST+5 (Size, ness [-20]; Innumerate [-5]; (Can’t Wear Armor, -40%) [18]; -10%) [45]; DX+2 [40]; IQ+2 [40]; Invertebrate [-20]; Selfish (6) [-10]; Eidetic Memory [5]; Enhanced HT+2 [20]. Semi-Aquatic [0]; Short Lifespan 1 Secondary Characteristic Modifiers: Move 1 (Air) [20]; Extra Attack [-10]. [25]; Extra Legs (Four Legs) [5]; SM +1. Quirks: Dislike of fire. [-1] Flight (Winged, -25%) [30]; Hard to Advantages: Appearance (Very Features: Cannot tell shape of objects Kill 5 [10]; Longevity [2]; Magery 1 Handsome/Beautiful) [16]; Magery by touch; Doesn’t Breathe (Gills; [15]; Night Vision 8 [8]; Striker 3 [35]; Unaging [15]. Breathes Water Only). (Tail; Crushing) [5]; Teeth (Fangs) Disadvantages: Dread (Solomon’s [2]. Seal; Occasional) [-10]; Gigantism Abyssal Disadvantages: Bad Grip 3 [-15]; [0]. 0 points Gluttony (12) [-5]; Greed (12) [-15]; Quirks: Proud. [-1] Secondary Characteristic Modifiers: Horizontal [-10]; Miserliness (12) Will +1 [5]. Dragon [-10]. Advantages: Dark Vision [25] replaces Night Vision; Power Investiture 1 300 points Dwarf [10]; Pressure Support 2 [10]. These dragons are a version of the 35 points winged, fire-breathing reptiles of Disadvantages: Curious (12) [-5]; Dwarves are a race of miners, met- European myth. This template repre- Disciplines of Faith (Asceticism) alworkers, and craftsmen. They live sents a large, old dragon, more pow- [-15]; Dread (Sunlight, 3 yards) underground, which is their workplace erful than the template on p. B261. It [-12]; Fanaticism [-15]. and protection from enemies. Dwarves is usually a major foe for a team of are small but strong and enduring, heroes, though it might be a Patron Djinni with highly developed combat skills. or even an Ally for a great hero or 247 points They may become alchemists or spe- wizard. Arabic legends say that Allah made cialize in enchanting, if they are magi- Dragons eat only meat, and it takes men from earth, but djinn from cally gifted, but few dwarves practice a lot of it to sustain their huge bodies smokeless fire (see Spirits in the other sorts of magic. Many have Magic and fast metabolisms. A full-grown Material World, p. 30). The natural Resistance. dragon needs a hunting territory with form of a djinni is a cloud of vapor, Dwarves might be only 2/3 as tall as a radius of 10 to 20 miles. As a result, which can be either visible or invisi- humans, but they are much longer- dragons are fiercely territorial. Each ble. Djinn can also materialize in the lived, with a nose for gold and a flair male dragon has his mountaintop shape of tall, powerfully built humans for all forms of craftsmanship. domain, from which he watches for (determine height and weight accord- Dwarves often live in underground gold, rivals, and threats from human ing to the rules for Gigantism, p. B15). halls, and their eyes are adapted to dim adventurers, often drawn by his When dematerialized they can only light. Many dwarves have Miserliness, hoard. speak in peculiar breathy whispers. but this is not a racial trait.

CHARACTERS 107 Attribute Modifiers: HT+1 [10]. and iron weapons are especially Variant Races: This version of Secondary Characteristic Modifiers: deadly to the faeries. Faeries can faeries is only one interpretation! SM -1; Will+1 [5]. wear, handle, or even consume illu- Portraying them as creatures of illu- Advantages: Alcohol Tolerance [1]; sions. Many of them are skilled in sion explains their ability to change Artificer 1 [10]; Detect Gold illusion spells and in using Art size and shape, their lack of need for (Vague, -50%) [3]; Extended (Illusion) to shape illusionary objects. food, and various other traits. But Lifespan 1 [2]; Lifting ST +2 [6]; other versions are certainly possible: Attribute Modifiers: DX+2 [40]. Night Vision 5 [5]. material beings, like elves, who always Secondary Characteristic Modifiers: Disadvantages: Greed (15) [-7]. veil themselves in magical illusions, or Per+2 [10]; Will-2 [-10]; Basic true spirits who only take on visible Speed +0.5 [10]. Elf form when it suits them. Advantages: Appearance (Very 70 points Handsome/Beautiful) [16]; Cham- Ghoul Elves are the quintessential fantasy eleon 5 [25]; Doesn’t Eat or Drink race: very similar to humans (and [10]; Insubstantiality (Carrying 0 points cross-fertile with them, in many set- Capacity: No Encumbrance, +10%; Though as mortal as humans, tings), but exceptionally beautiful, Always On, -50%; Illusionary ghouls are often confused with ageless, and naturally magical. Some Form, -15%) [36]; Magery 0 undead beings because they need to descriptions make them superb (Impermanent, Dispelled by Iron, feed on the dead. The only food that artists, while others say that they ulti- -20%) [5]; Morph (Cosmetic, -50%) sustains them properly is human mately lack creativity; this version [50]; Unaging [15]. flesh, though it doesn’t have to be avoids either option, while making Disadvantages: Dependency (Mana, freshly dead. A ghoul who eats other them sensitive to the beauty of land- Constantly) [-25]; Impulsiveness meat in an emergency must roll vs. scapes and living creatures. Elves nor- (12) [-10]; Vulnerability (Iron, ¥3) HT. On a failure, his HT attribute mally live in forested areas. They use [-30]. decreases by 1; on a critical failure, their magic to enhance the growth Quirks: Annoyed when mortals talk retching incapacitates him (see and fertility of their forests. Survival about them; Keep their promises. p. B429). Ghouls can only regain lost rolls in an elven forest are at +1 or bet- [-2] HT with medical care, usually from a ter. They find clearing the land repug- Features: Can use illusionary objects ghoul physician – physicians of other nant, and since elven leaders have cen- as if they were substantial; Felt as races seldom study the special dietary turies of skill in warfare, elven forests ghostly touches by material beings; needs of ghouls. tend to stay forested. Must take on winged shape to Ghouls can pass for human, espe- Elves are comparatively slender, move vertically. cially if they conceal their sharp relying on speed and agility more than raw strength. Determine their height normally from their ST and add 2”. Attribute Modifiers: ST-1 [-10]; DX+1 [20]. Secondary Characteristic Modifiers: Per+1 [5]. Advantages: Appearance (Attractive) [4]; Magery 0 [5]; Perfect Balance [15]; Telescopic Vision 1 [5]; Unaging [15]; Voice [10]. Racially Learned Skills: Connoisseur (Natural Environments) (A) IQ-1 [1]-9. Faerie 140 points Faeries are a naturally magical race. Their bodies are magically created, with little actual substance (see Insubstantiality, p. 128). This lets them change their appearance and apparent size freely. Many of them are masters of magic, though their spells cannot create or change anything substantial (see Nonhuman Magic, p. 167). Among other things, the touch of iron dispels faerie magic,

108 CHARACTERS teeth, but they look slightly unappeal- ing. A ghoul who has recently eaten or handled human remains may cover the unpleasant smell by wash- Cold Iron ing or using perfumes. Accounts of the faeries often say that they are vulnerable to “cold A ghoul’s bite inflicts thrust-1 iron.” What that means is widely disputed; some recent sources suggest cutting damage. native iron metal from meteorites or iron worked without heating it. In older literary works, any iron may count as “cold iron.” The word Attribute Modifiers: ST+2 [20]. cold doesn’t define a special type of iron, but describes iron in general, Advantages: Acute Taste and Smell 2 as “red blood” describes blood in general. Rudyard Kipling’s poem “Cold [4]; Night Vision 5 [5]; Reduced Iron” says that cold iron gained its special powers by being used to nail Consumption 4 (Cast-Iron Stom- Christ to the cross . . . and the Roman legions weren’t using rare mete- ach, -50%) [4]; Silence 1 [5]; Teeth oric iron for executions. This book’s treatment of faeries assumes that all (Sharp Teeth) [1]. iron hurts faeries and defines iron as Occasional. In a campaign where Disadvantages: Appearance (Unat- only some special form of iron is effective, it is Rare. tractive) [-4]; Restricted Diet (Human Flesh; Substitution, Other Flesh, -50%) [-10]; Secret (Impris- onment or Exile) [-20]; Skinny [-5]. Advantages: Green Thumb 1 [5]; Enemy (Immediate infernal supe- Variant Race: This template repre- Hard to Kill 4 [8]; Silence 4 [20]. rior, 6 or less; Watcher) [-2]; Odious sents a ghoul who is passing for Disadvantages: Mundane Back- Personal Habit (any) [-5]; Selfish human. A ghoul who lives in hiding ground [-10]; Overweight [-1]. (6) [-10]. and sneaks out to feed replaces Secret Quirks: Fond of food and drink; Variant Race: Bad Temper is only (Imprisonment or Exile) with Social Prefers to live underground. [-2] Stigma (Monster) [-15], raising racial the most common effect of an imp’s template cost to 5 points. Imp attack. Other sorts of imps can inflict other disadvantages, usually mental 125 points ones such as Bully (12) or Jealousy, Halfling Imps are the small change of hell, 20 points though some imps favor Unlucki- just capable enough to cause mischief ness. Some imps simply have the Short and fond of comfort, and frustration. They tempt their mor- Difficult Speech meta-trait; they can halflings seldom leave their farms, but tal victims into minor sins of anger. speak, usually whispering to a single those who do sometimes make sur- This requires a Quick Contest of the victim, at a cost of 1 FP for each brief prisingly good adventurers, thanks to imp’s Will against the victim’s HT. If utterance. natural stealth, superb marksman- the imp wins, the target has Bad ship, and resilient health. They’re not Temper (12) for one minute per point at their best in a stand-up fight, but Myrmidon of success. The imp’s roll is at -1 per In ancient Greek myth, the myrmi- make fine skirmishers, with thrown yard of range. dons were warriors magically created rocks, slings, bows, crossbows, or Imps can’t physically manifest on from ants. When humans encoun- even muskets. The ability to move the material plane and thus their tered a sapient insect race, scholars noiselessly through grass or under- actions speak louder than their gave it the same name. Myrmidons brush also helps. Halflings seldom appearance. To those who can see look like ants, but stand erect on a sin- seek out a fight. They are fairly egali- spirits they appear as very small, gle pair of legs, using the other two tarian, with chieftains but no kings. repulsive humanoids, about 18 inches pairs for manipulation. Like ants or Many cultures expect chieftains to tall, like children with unnaturally termites, they have castes of workers, give feasts and hand out presents to nasty expressions. warriors, and breeders or “queens,” the guests. plus an extra caste of “priests” who By choice, halflings live under- Attribute Modifiers: ST-8 [-80]; IQ-1 preserve the memory of a nest. ground, in shabby burrows or elabo- [-20]. Adventurers are likely to encounter rate tunnel complexes. The ones who Secondary Characteristic Modifiers: only the first two castes; the others build aboveground are the poor. SM -4; Per+2 [10]; Basic Speed+1 remain hidden inside the communal An average halfling (ST 5) stands [20]. nest. 2’8” to 3’ tall and weighs 18 to 29 lbs. Advantages: Affliction 1 (Disadvan- A myrmidon is the same weight as (This takes Overweight into account.) tage: Bad Temper (12), +10%; a human of equal ST. A worker myr- Adjust height by 1 to 2” and weight by Malediction, +100%) [21]; Infernal midon’s height is also the same; a war- 2 to 4 lbs. per point of ST above or Rank 0 (p. 130) [0]; Magical Spirit rior myrmidon is 25% taller. Warrior below 5. [80]; Unmanifested Spirit [149]. Disadvantages: Appearance (Ugly) myrmidons have sharp, intimidating Attribute Modifiers: ST-5 [-50]; DX+1 [-8]; Callous [-5]; Dread (Holy beaks that inflict thrust-1 large pierc- [20]; HT+2 [20]. Objects) [-10]; Duty (Tempt or ing damage. Either workers or war- Secondary Characteristic Modifiers: harass mortals; Nonhazardous; riors can use weapons, but workers SM -2; Will+2 [10]. 12 or less) [-5]; Enemy (Celestial are ineffective combatants. hierarchy; 6 or less; Rivals) [-10];

CHARACTERS 109 Worker 0 points Behind the Curtain: Selkie Design Attribute Modifiers: ST+1 [10]; IQ-1 To illustrate the mechanics of Alternate Form, here are the compu- [-20]; HT+1 [10]. tations for the point cost of the selkie template. The template cost of the Racial Advantages: Discriminatory base form is 89 points; subtracting the point cost for Alternate Form, 13 Taste [10]; DR 2 [10]; Extra Arms 2 points, leaves 76 points. The point cost of the human form is 80 points, [20]; High Pain Threshold [10]; an excess of 4 points. The base cost of Alternate Form is 15 points plus Payload 6 (Liquids Only, -40%) [4]; 90% of 4 points, totaling 19 points. A -35% limitation reduces this to Peripheral Vision (Vulnerable, 12.35 points, rounding up to 13. -20%) [12]; Social Chameleon [5]; Single-Minded [5]. Disadvantages: Combat Paralysis [-15]; Deafness [-20]; Hidebound Disadvantages: Appearance (Unat- No Fine Manipulators [-30]; [-5]; Mute [-25]; Selfless (6) [-10]. tractive) [-4]; Bad Temper (12) Semi-Aquatic [0]; Vulnerability Quirks: Sexless. [-1] [-10]; Callous [-5]; Disturbing Voice (Iron; ¥2 Damage) [-20]. [-10]; Impulsiveness (12) [-10]; Quirks: Distractible; Sexually attract- Warrior Sadism (12) [-15]; Unfit (Only by ed to mortals. [-2] 100 points Day, -20%) [-4]. Skills: Survival (Ocean) (A) Per+1 Quirks: Bowlegged. [-1] [4]-13. Attribute Modifiers: ST+2 (Size, -10%) [18]; DX+1 [20]; IQ-1 [-20]; Selkie Selkie Human Form HT+3 [30]. 90 points 80 points Secondary Characteristic Modifiers: A selkie is a seal with the peculiar Attribute Modifiers: DX+2 [40]; HT+2 SM +1; Per+2 [10]. ability to remove his skin and turn [20]. Racial Advantages: Combat Reflexes into a man. If a selkie’s skin is lost, Advantages: Appearance (Handsome/ [15]; DR 3 [15]; Extra Arms 2 [20]; stolen, or destroyed, he’s trapped in Beautiful) [12]; Charisma 1 [5]; Extra Attacks 1 [25]; Fearlessness 2 his mortal form. Selkies are one of the Perfect Balance [15]; Unaging [15]. [4]; High Pain Threshold [10]; faerie races and share the common Disadvantages: Impulsiveness (12) Payload 2 (Liquids Only, -40%) [1]; weakness of that kindred for iron. [-10]; Vulnerability (Iron; ¥2 Peripheral Vision (Vulnerable, -20%) However, their bodies are fully sub- Damage) [-20]. [12]; Social Chameleon [5]; Single- stantial in both forms (in contrast to Quirks: Sea-aspected moods. [-1] Minded [5]; Teeth (Sharp Beak) [1]. the Faerie template, p. 108). In human Skills: Acrobatics (A) DX [2]-12*; Sex Disadvantages: Bloodlust (12) [-10]; form, they’re exceptionally handsome, Appeal (A) HT+4 [2]-16†. Deafness [-20]; Hidebound [-5]; with graceful movements. Mute [-25]; Selfless (6) [-10]. A selkie in seal form can inflict * +1 from Perfect Balance. Quirks: Sexless. [-1] thrust-1 cutting damage with his † +4 from Appearance. Orc teeth. Troll -9 points Attribute Modifiers: DX+2 (No Fine This version of the troll is based on Orcs are to humans what humans Manipulators, -40%) [24]; HT+2 folklore; for an alternate version, see are to elves: short-lived, shortsighted, [20]. GURPS Bestiary. Male and female aggressive, and disliked. All this Secondary Characteristic Modifiers: trolls have different templates. Female makes them the natural warrior race Per+2 [10]. trolls have almost always studied of many fantasy worlds. With short Advantages: Alternate Form (Human magic and are often skilled generations and intense territoriality, Form; Skinbound, DR 1, Repaired enchanters; male trolls rely on orcs have split into many subspecies. by Healing Rolls, SM -4, Can Be strength. Both sexes are larger than These statistics are for an orc the same Stolen by Stealth or Trickery, Does most other humanoid races, though weight as a human, but about 2” Not Work for Thief, Unique, -35%) not as large as giants. Their greatest shorter because of bowleggedness and [15]; DR 1 [5]; Doesn’t Breathe weakness is turning to stone in sun- a squat overall build. Other breeds (Oxygen Storage ¥25, -50%) [10]; light. Trolls are incapable of learning may be larger or smaller. Enhanced Move 2 (Water; Hand- to read but have retentive memories ling Bonus +5, +25%) [50]; Fur [1]; and a large body of oral tradition. Attribute Modifiers: IQ-1 [-20]; HT+1 Nictitating Membrane 1 [1]; Male trolls average 900 to 1,400 [10]. Penetrating Voice [1]; Perfect lbs.; female trolls average 400 to 600 Secondary Characteristic Modifiers: Balance [15]; Pressure Support 1 lbs. Increase or decrease weight by Basic Speed+0.75 [15]. [5]; Teeth (Sharp Teeth) [1]; 100 lbs. per point of difference from Advantages: Acute Taste and Smell 2 Temperature Tolerance 1 (Cold) racial average ST. Both sexes average [4]; Combat Reflexes [15]; Fearless- [1]; Unaging [15]. 8 to 9’ tall; the difference is in bulk, not ness 2 [4]; Fit (Only at Night, -20%) Disadvantages: Chummy [-5]; height. Adjust height by 3” per point of [4]; Infravision [10]; Rapid Healing Colorblindness [-10]; Horizontal difference from racial average ST. [5]; Resistant to Disease (+3) [3]. [-10]; Impulsiveness (12) [-10];

110 CHARACTERS Male Troll one on p. B262. It doesn’t gain control Pain Threshold [10]; Immunity to 70 points of those it infects with vampirism. Its Metabolic Hazards [30]; Injury Dread is limited to objects actually Tolerance (No Blood, Unliving) Attribute Modifiers: ST+10 (Size, imbued with divine power, such as a [25]; Night Vision 5 [5]; -10%) [90]; IQ-2 [-40]; HT+4 [40]. consecrated host, though a symbol of Temperature Tolerance 10 [10]; Secondary Characteristic Modifiers: divine power in the hands of anyone Unaging [15]; Unkillable 2 SM +1; Per+2 [10]. with True Faith can intimidate it. It (Vulnerability: Wood, -50%) [50]; Advantages: Acute Hearing 2 [4]; doesn’t suffer from Draining, as fanta- Vampiric Bite [30]. Amphibious [10]; Breath-Holding sy vampires often go much longer Disadvantages: Dependency (Coffin 2 [4]; Combat Reflexes [15]; DR 4 than a day without feeding. It picks up with soil of homeland; Daily) [-60]; [20]; Discriminatory Smell [15]; some additional advantages from the Divine Curse (Cannot enter Extended Lifespan 1 [2]; Fearless- Intact Undead meta-trait as well. This dwelling for first time unless ness 4 [8]; Photographic Memory version can recover from injury by invited) [-10]; Dread (Garlic) (Preparation Required: 1 hour, immersion in blood (at the GM’s [-10]; Dread (Holy objects; 5 yards) -50%) [5]. option, contact with blood may [-14]; Dread (Running water) Disadvantages: Appearance (Ugly; restore 1 HP) or through Vampiric [-20]; Infectious Attack [-5]; Not to Own Kind, -25%) [-6]; Bad Bite, which grants the ability to inflict Supernatural Features (No Body Temper (12) [-10]; Disturbing Voice thrust-1 cutting damage by biting. Heat*, No Reflection, Pallor*) [-10]; Dyslexia [-10]; Gluttony (12) The basic vampire is mainly a com- [-16]; Uncontrollable Appetite (12) [-5]; Nocturnal (Permanent bat monster; for the more mystical (Human Blood) [-15]; Weakness Paralysis: Turn to Stone, +100%) powers of vampires, see Vampire Mage (Sunlight; 1d/minute) [-60]; Un- [-40]; Odious Racial Habit (Eats below. healing (Partial) [-20]. sapient beings) [-15]; Social Stigma Quirks: Ages temporarily when unfed. Attribute Modifiers: ST+9 [90]. (Monster) [-15]. [-1] Secondary Characteristic Modifiers: Quirks: Code of Honor (Carries out Features: Can be turned by those with HP+6 [12]; Per+2 [10]. spoken agreements); Uncongenial. True Faith; Sterile. [-2] Advantages: Acute Taste and Smell 2 Features: Night Vision 8 (Visually [4]; Doesn’t Breathe [20]; High * Except after feeding. impaired by day). Female Troll 65 points Attribute Modifiers: ST+5 (Size, -10%) [45]; IQ-2 [-40]; HT+4 [40]. Secondary Characteristic Modifiers: SM +1; Per+2 [10]. Advantages: Acute Hearing 2 [4]; Amphibious [10]; Breath-Holding 2 [4]; DR 2 [10]; Discriminatory Smell [15]; Extended Lifespan 1 [2]; Fearlessness 4 [8]; Magery 4 [45]; Photographic Memory (Preparation Required: 1 hour, -50%) [5]; Single-Minded [5]. Disadvantages: Appearance (Ugly; Not to Own Kind, -25%) [-6]; Disturbing Voice [-10]; Dyslexia [-10]; Nocturnal (Permanent Paralysis: Turn to Stone, +100%) [-40]; Odious Racial Habit (Eats sapient beings) [-15]; Social Stigma (Monster) [-15]. Quirks: Proud; Uncongenial. [-2] Features: Night Vision 8 (Visually impaired by day). Vampire 80 points This vampire, from Eastern European folklore, differs from the

CHARACTERS 111 Vampire Mage 135 points Some vampires can learn a special magical discipline (see Blood Magic, p. 167) that draws on their peculiar nature when working magic. Access to spells through this discipline is the source of many of the more impressive legendary powers of vampires. Ordinary vampires lack those powers, being mainly very dangerous combatants in a physical fight. A trained vampire mage has the skill of Ritual Magic (Vampiric Blood Magic) and spells based upon it. Attribute Modifiers: IQ+2 [40]. Advantages: Magery 0 [5]; Speak With Animals (Wolves and bats only, -60%) [10]; Vampire [100]. Features: Magic powered by blood pool rather than FP (see Blood Magic, p. 167). Werewolf 29 points This is more or less a classic horror movie werewolf: ferocious, nearly indestructible but vulnerable to silver weapons, driven to change under the full moon, and coming back to human form with only vague, troubled memories – the victim may mistake this for Nightmares. A victim’s bite transmits this form of lycanthropy, which is why it’s treated as a racial template. In wolf form, a werewolf inflicts thrust-1 cutting damage by biting. Advantages: Alternate Form (Wolf; Nuisance Effect: Partial Amnesia, -10%; Trigger: Full Moon, -40%) [48]. Disadvantages: Compulsive Behavior (Sharp Teeth) [1]; Temperature various types of active dead beings (6) (Lycanthropy; Trigger: Full Tolerance 1 [1]; Unkillable 1 [50]. have distinctive sets of traits. These Moon, -40%) [-18]. Disadvantages: Bad Temper (12) are presented here as lenses that can Quirks: Unnatural Feature (Any one [-10]; Berserk (12) [-10]; Infectious be added to a suitable racial template classic mark of lycanthropy). [-1] Attack [-5]; Loner (12) [-5]; to represent an undead member of Quadruped [-35]; Vulnerability that race. Wolf Form (Silver, ¥3) [-30]; Wild Animal [-30]. 25 points Ancestral Spirit Attribute Modifiers: DX+2 (No Fine 125 points Manipulators, -40%) [24]; IQ-4 UNDEAD LENSES In ancestor worship, the living [-80]; HT+2 [20]. In a fantasy setting, the spirits of honor and propitiate their dead kin- Secondary Characteristic Modifiers: the dead may continue to watch and dred, and the dead may retain some Will+6 [30]; Per+8 [40]; Basic influence the world of the living. power to influence the fates of the liv- Move+3 [15]. Given strong enough motivation or ing. For the most part, they retain the Advantages: Discriminatory Smell compulsion, they may even re-enter it personal and racial traits they had in [15]; DR 1 [5]; Fur [1]; Night Vision as apparitions or walking corpses. life, seldom learning anything new. 2 [2]; Penetrating Voice [1]; The active dead aren’t truly a race; The following lens defines their Regeneration (Regular) [25]; Teeth racially, a dead man is still a man and change of condition: a dead dragon is still a dragon. But

112 CHARACTERS Advantages: Honest Face [1]; Features: Can be exorcised; Can be Wight Unmani-fested Spirit [149]. turned using True Faith. 80 points Disadvantages: Hidebound [-5]; Maintenance (Two people; Weekly) Lich Many cultures bury their dead with [-10]; Odious Personal Habit 105 points grave goods, ranging from a small sample of their wealth to a vast hoard. (Bossy) [-5]; Sense of Duty A lich is a powerful wizard or sor- (Family) [-5]. Those especially attached to their cerer who has used potent spells to goods may return from the dead to Feature: Able to curse disrespectful transform himself into an undead descendants or bless devoted ones. guard them or avenge their theft. Most being. The wizard may have deliber- tomb guardians were originally Notes: If you do not receive weekly ately sought death, seeing the undead human, but this lens could apply to maintenance, a failed HT roll makes form as more powerful and less vul- other races; a dragon, for example, your Invisibility (part of your nerable, or simply kept the necessary might be unwilling to surrender his Unmanifested Spirit trait) unreliable; spells in reserve until he was dying hoard even in death. you may be seen, especially by your from other causes. If his death was at Skeletal wights are only one descendants and especially in the hands of mortal foes, he may be option; some wights are mummified moments of crisis. If this doesn’t do eager for vengeance against them. instead. That template costs 67 points. any good, you can curse them with This template does not include The other classic “tomb guardian” various afflictions: Nightmares and Magery, spells, or other areas of undead, the mummy, is fairly similar. Unluckiness are common. You can knowledge. The wizard needs to have also grant blessings to descendants those before he becomes a lich! On the Attribute Modifiers: ST+4 [40]; DX+2 who please you. This ability has no other hand, being undead grants [40]; HT+5 [50]. point cost to you. However, any unique insights into the nature of Advantages: Dark Vision [25]; Fatigue descendant who takes you as an Ally death; hence the racial skill modifier. Attack 1d (Hazard: Freezing, does so with the enhancement +20%; Melee Attack, Reach C, Attribute Modifiers: ST-1 [-10]; DX+2 Cannot Parry, -35%) [9]; Indom- “Special Abilities” (+50%). If you grant [40]; HT+2 [20]. him benefits such as increased itable [15]; Magic Resistance 4 [8]; Secondary Characteristic Modifiers: Single-Minded [5]; Skeletal Fatigue or advantages, these have the HP+3 [6]; FP+3 [9]. limitation “Granted by Ancestral Undead [68]. Advantages: Doesn’t Sleep [20]; Disadvantages: Dependency (Grave Spirit” (-40%). Similarly, if you inflict Skeletal Undead [68]; Unfazeable harm on a descendant, he buys you as goods; Daily) [-60]; Disturbing [15]. Voice [-10]; Frightens Animals an Enemy with the same enhance- Disadvantages: Dependency (Mana; ment, and buys whatever harm you [-10]; Hidebound [-5]; Incurious common; constantly) [-50]; Fragile [-5]; Unhealing (Total) [-30]; inflict on him as disadvantages with (Unnatural, Mitigator: Potion, the same limitation. Weakness (Sunlight, 1d/5 minutes) monthly, -70%) [-15]. [-60]. Ghost Features: Can be turned using True Feature: Can be turned using True Faith. Faith. 175 points Racial Skill Modifiers: +1 to Than- A ghost is the spirit of a dead per- atology [2]. son, returned to haunt the living. Ghosts are normally invisible, but can become visible when it serves their purposes. Typical ghosts can do no physical or magical harm, but cause unreasoning terror in witnesses. Player-Designed Races Ghosts are preoccupied with the cir- In a setting with multiple races, some players will want to define new cumstances of their deaths or with races for their characters. GMs should approach this idea with caution. other unfinished business from their Racial design allows more freedom than character design. It does not lives and have little interest in any- limit disadvantages and allows the selection of exotic or supernatural thing else. advantages and disadvantages. This design gives a GM freedom to describe a race accurately. But this same freedom may allow players to Secondary Characteristic Modifiers: create over-powerful characters. SM 0; Will +2 [10]. The simplest way to handle this is to limit race creation to the GM. Advantages: Apparition [2]; Difficult In a world with only a few intelligent races, this is easily justified. Speech [21]; Terror [30]; Unman- However, a GM may want to create a world where new races crop up ifested Spirit [149]. regularly. A different approach may be useful in such a setting: allow Disadvantages: Flashbacks (Severe) players to choose freely from the lists of racial and super advantages and [-10]; Hidebound [-5]; Incurious disadvantages, but limit any disadvantages to a total of half the standard [-5]; Obsession (9) [-15]. starting points – in other words, treat them like character disadvantages. Quirks: Carries signs of his obsession or of the manner of his death; Haunts a specific place. [-2]

CHARACTERS 113 OCCUPATIONAL TEMPLATES Occupational templates are stan- Attributes: ST 10 [0]; DX 12 [40]; IQ Artificer dard patterns for adventurers of vari- 10 [0]; HT 10 [0]. 75 points ous types. Each specifies appropriate Secondary Characteristics: Damage attributes, secondary characteristics, 1d-1/1d+2; BL 20 lbs.; HP 10 [0]; Artificers are the technology spe- advantages, disadvantages, and skills. Will 10 [0]; Per 10 [0]; FP 10 [0]; cialists of fantasy worlds. They can’t Skills are divided into primary skills, Basic Speed 6 [10]; Basic Move 5 use spells or other forms of magic, but which are absolutely necessary; sec- [0]. they can make devices that seem ondary skills, which are helpful but Advantages: Acute Vision 2 [4]; Fit [5]; equally wonderful and mysterious to not necessarily mastered; and back- Striking Strength 2 [10]. the untrained, such as singing birds ground skills, which a character could Disadvantages: -20 points chosen made from gold, temple doors that pick up incidentally in a given occupa- from among Bloodlust [-10*]; open by themselves, or Greek fire. tion or position. Finally, customiza- Chummy [-5/-10]; Code of Honor Attributes: ST 11 [10]; DX 10 [0]; IQ tion notes suggest ways to adapt a (Soldier’s) [-10]; Duty [-2 to -15]; 13 [60]; HT 10 [0]. template to a different version of the Overconfidence [-5*]; Sense of Duty Secondary Characteristics: Damage underlying concept. (Comrades) [-5]; Stubbornness [-5]; 1d-1/1d+1; BL 24 lbs.; HP 11 [0]; Most of these templates define Wealth (Struggling) [-10]. Will 13 [0]; Per 13 [0]; FP 10 [0]; actual occupations and have attached Primary Skills: One 12-point package Basic Speed 5 [0]; Basic Move 5 [0]. job descriptions. For descriptions of chosen from the following: Bow Advantages: 15 points chosen from less adventurous jobs, see Jobs, p. 138. (A) DX+2 [8]-14 and Fast-Draw among Artificer [10/level]; Flex- The majority of these templates are (Arrow) (E) DX+2 [4]-14; ibility [5 or 15]; High Manual built on 75 points; they can be used in Crossbow (E) DX+2 [4]-14 and Dexterity [5/level]; Master Builder a 100-point campaign with points left Fast-Draw (Arrow) (E) DX+3 (p. 132) [5/level]; Military Rank over to individualize characters built [8]-15; Fast-Draw (Ammo) (E) [5/level]; Versatile [5]; or Wealth on the same template. Upgrades of DX+3 [8]-15 and Guns (Musket) (Comfortable) [10]. some templates provide 125-point ver- (E) DX+2 [4]-14; Sling (H) DX+2 Disadvantages: -30 points chosen sions to fit into a 150-point campaign. [12]-14; or Thrown Weapon from among Bad Temper [-10*]; A few higher-powered templates have (Spear) (E) DX+4 [12]-16. Combat Paralysis [-15]; Curious only 125-point versions. Secondary Skills: Hiking (A) HT+1 [-5*]; Hard of Hearing [-10]; Lame The template system is a conven- [4]-11; Soldier (A) IQ [2]-10. One of (Crippled Legs) [-10]; Loner [-5*]; ience, not a requirement. GMs may Camouflage (E) IQ+1 [2]-11 or Missing Digit [-2/-5]; or Workaholic choose not to use templates in their Stealth (A) DX [2]-12. On e of Knife [-5]. campaigns; if they use templates, (E) DX+1 [2]-13; Shortsword (A) Primary Skills: Pick one of the fol- they may allow characters created DX [2]-12; Smallsword (A) DX lowing packages: with and without templates to play [2]-12; or Shortsword (A) DX-1 side by side. Templates give no dis- [1]-11 and Shield (E) DX [1]-12. Artillery: Armoury (Heavy Weapons) count on point cost and have no Background Skills: Survival (any) (A) (A) IQ-1 [1]-12; Artillery (Catapult) game effect that might unbalance Per [2]-10 and one of Brawling (E) (A) IQ-1 [1]-12; Engineer (Artillery) characters. A template is simply a list DX+1 [2]-13; First Aid or Savoir- (H) IQ+1 [8]-14; Gunner (Catapult) of choices that work well together in Faire (Military), both (E) IQ+1 (E) DX+1 [2]-11. character creation, designed to lessen [2]-11; Armoury (Missile Weapons Chemistry: Chemistry (H) IQ+1 [8]-14; the work of coming up with well-bal- or Small Arms) or Leadership (A) Explosives (Fireworks) (A) IQ-1 anced characters. IQ [2]-10; or Observation or [1]-12; Poisons (H) IQ-1 [2]-12; Because occupational templates Tracking, both (A) Per+2 [2]-12†. Professional Skill: Glassblowing offer choices in character design, actu- (A) IQ-1 [1]-12. * Multiplied for self-control num- ally listing the template on the charac- Heavy Equipment: Carpentry (E) IQ+1 ber; see p. B120. ter sheet is pointless. Instead, use it as [2]-14; Engineer (Civil) (H) IQ+1 † Includes +2 from Acute Vision 2. a guide to creating the character, and [8]-14; Mechanic (Muscle Engines) record all the specific choices of Job Description (A) IQ [2]-13. Mechanisms: Engineer (Clockwork) attributes, advantages, disadvantages, Archers serve in the army as light (H) IQ+1 [8]-14; Mechanic (Clock- skills, and other traits. infantry. work) (A) IQ-1 [2]-12; and one of Archer Prerequisites: Weapon skill 12+; HT Lockpicking or Traps (A) IQ-1 75 points 10+. [2]-12. Job Roll: Weapon skill. On critical This template works for any light Secondary Skills: Art (Drawing or failure, in peacetime, lose job; in missile troops who provide support Sculpting) (H) IQ-1 [2]-12; Current wartime, suffer 3d injury. to cavalry or heavier infantry. The Affairs (Science and Technology) Monthly Pay: $340. longbow is the classic weapon, but (E) IQ [1]-13. Either Administra- Wealth Level: Struggling. Supports other options are available. tion or Leadership (A) IQ-1 [1]-12. Status 1.

114 CHARACTERS literature often describes assassins’ guilds selling their services to the highest bidder, no questions asked. This template is for a professional assassin, whether a loyal guild member or a freelancer. Attributes: ST 10 [0]; DX 14 [80]; IQ 11 [20]; HT 10 [0]. Secondary Characteristics: Damage 1d-2/1d; BL 20 lbs.; HP 10 [0]; Will 11 [0]; Per 11 [0]; FP 10 [0]; Basic Speed 6 [0]; Basic Move 6 [0]. Advantages: Single-Minded [5]; Wealth (Comfortable) [10]; and 15 points chosen from among Absolute Direction [5] or 3D Spatial Sense [10], Claim to Hospitality (Assassins’ Guild) [5], Contact or Contact Group (Go- Betweens) [Varies], Fit [5] or Very Fit [15]; Honest Face [1], Night Vision [1/level], Smooth Operator 1 [15], or Striking ST [5/level]. Disadvantages: One of Callous [-5] or Code of Honor (Professional) [-5]; Secret (Possible Death) [-30]; and -10 points chosen from among Loner [-5*]; Overconfidence [-5*]; or Trademark [-5 or -10]. Primary Skills: Holdout (A) IQ+2 [8]-13. Either Shadowing (A) IQ+2 [8]-13 or Stealth (A) DX+2 [8]-16. One of Crossbow, Garrote, Knife, or Thrown Weapon (Knife or Shuriken), all (E) DX+2 [4]-16; Rapier or Smallsword (A) DX+1 [4]-15; or Blowpipe or Sleight of Hand, both (H) DX [4]-14. Secondary Skills: Acting (A) IQ+1 [4]-12. One of Savoir-Faire (High Society or Servant) (E) IQ+2 [4]-13 or Streetwise (A) IQ+1 [4]-12. One Background Skills: One of Astro- Job Description of Armoury or Traps, both (A) IQ+2 nomy, Expert Skill (Natural Wealthy patrons often support arti- [8]-13, or Poisons (H) IQ+1 [8]-12. Philosophy), or Mathematics, all ficers with monthly salaries. One of Guns (Pistol) (E) DX+1 (H) IQ-1 [2]-12. Two of Brawling or [2]-15 or Cloak or Main-Gauche, Knot-Tying, both (E) DX [1]-10; Prerequisites: Chemistry, Engineer, both (A) DX [2]-14. Gesture (E) IQ [1]-13; Scrounging or Mechanic 14+. Background Skills: One of Scroung- (E) Per [1]-13; Carousing (E) HT Job Roll: Prerequisite skill. On crit- ing (E) Per+1 [2]-12; Climbing [1]-10; or Freight Handling (A) ical failure, gain -1 Reputation for (A) DX [2]-14; Architecture or IQ-1 [1]-12. low-quality work. Disguise, both (A) IQ [2]-11; Monthly Pay: $3,500. Observation (A) Per [2]-11; or * Multiplied for self-control num- Wealth Level: Wealthy. Supports Cryptography, Forgery, Hidden ber; see p. B120. Status 2. Lore (Conspiracies), or Intelligence Upgrade: In a cinematic campaign, Analysis, all (H) IQ-1 [2]-10. an artificer may be a Gadgeteer [25 or Assassin 125 points * Multiplied for self-control num- 50] or have Gizmos [5/gizmo]. A ber; see p. B120. chemist with substantial skill in Assassins kill people for imperson- Alchemy could produce potions or al reasons, in service to a cause or other wonders. because someone paid them. Fantasy

CHARACTERS 115 Customization: In a campaign Attributes: ST 11 [10]; DX 12 [40]; IQ Job Description using techniques, assassins often 10 [0]; HT 11 [10]. A bandit’s income depends on his know one or more combat techniques. Secondary Characteristics: Damage finding victims worth robbing; it fluc- Plausible choices include Choke Hold, 1d-1/1d+1; BL 24 lbs.; HP 11 [0]; tuates a great deal. Dual-Weapon Attack, Feint, Neck Will 10 [0]; Per 11 [5]; FP 11 [0]; Snap, and Off-Hand Weapon Training. Basic Speed 5.75 [0]; Basic Move 5 Prerequisites: Riding 12+; weapon In a setting with esoteric skills, assas- [0]. skill 12+. sins may have been Trained By A Advantages: 20 points chosen from Job Roll: Worse prerequisite skill. Master [30], giving them access to Allies [Varies]; Ambidexterity [5]; On critical failure, suffers 1d of injury. Monthly Pay: skills such as Invisibility Art, Light Charisma [5/level]; Combat $600. Adjusted for margin of success or failure. Walk, and Pressure Secrets. Some set- Reflexes [15]; Contacts or Contact Wealth Level: Average. Supports tings may have magically trained Group (Fences) [Varies]; Daredevil Status 0. assassins. A good configuration is [15]; Fearlessness [2/level]; or One-College Magery specializing in Social Regard (Feared) [5/level]. Barbarian Body Control, Illusion, Light and Disadvantages: -30 points chosen Darkness, or Movement. from among Code of Honor 75 points (Highwayman’s or Pirate’s) [-5] or The half-naked warrior from a Job Description (Gentleman’s) [-10]; Compulsive primitive land is a stereotype in hero- In legend and fantasy, assassins are Behavior (Carousing) [-5* or -10*], ic fantasy. This version is a midpoint specialists who do a highly skilled job (Generosity) [-5*], or (Spendthrift) between actual tribal peoples and and get paid for it – enough to let them [-5*]; Enemy (Law Enforcement) mighty-thewed pulp or cinematic turn down jobs that don’t suit them. [Varies]; Impulsiveness [-10*]; heroes. However, they can’t spend their wealth Lecherousness [-15*]; Overconfid- Attributes: ST 12 [20]; DX 11 [20]; IQ openly without making themselves ence [-5*]; Pacifism (Cannot Harm conspicuous. No matter how much 9 [-20]; HT 12 [20]. Innocents) [-10]; Secret Identity Secondary Characteristics: Damage they earn, their Status never rises [Varies]; Sense of Duty (Comrades) above 1. 1d-1/1d+2; BL 29 lbs.; HP 12 [0]; [-5] or (Oppressed People) [-10]; Will 9 [0]; Per 11 [10]; FP 12 [0]; Prerequisites: Holdout 14+; any one Social Stigma (Disowned) [-10]; or Basic Speed 5.75 [0]; Basic Move 5 attack skill (including Sleight of Trademark [-5 to -15]. [0]. Hand) 14+. Primary Skills: Riding (Horses) (A) Advantages: Fit [5]; Hard to Kill 2 [4]; Job Roll: Worse professional skill. DX+1 [4]-13. One of Crossbow or Temperature Tolerance 1 (specify On critical failure, wanted by legal Guns (Pistol), both (E) DX+2 Hot or Cold) [1]; and 15 points cho- authorities; must flee or be arrested [4]-14; or Bow, Broadsword, or sen from among Absolute Direc- and interrogated. Saber, all (A) DX+1 [4]-13. tion [5], Animal Empathy [5], Monthly Pay: $2,500. Adjusted for Secondary Skills: One of Navigation Animal Friend [5/level], Combat margin of success or failure. (Land) (A) IQ [2]-10 or Area Reflexes [15], Fearlessness [2/level], Wealth Level: Wealthy. Supports Knowledge (E) IQ+1 [2]-11. One of High Pain Threshold [10], Mariner Status 1. Intimidation (A) Will+1 [4]-11 or 1 [10], Outdoorsman 1 [10], or Leadership (A) IQ+1 [4]-11. One of improving Fit [5] to Very Fit [15]. Bandit Camouflage (E) IQ+1 [2]-11 or Disadvantages: Code of Honor 75 points Stealth (A) DX [2]-12. One of (Pirate’s) [-5]; Low TL -1 [-5]; Of all outlaws, bandits and high- Brawling (E) DX+1 [2]-13; or Social Stigma (Uneducated) [-5]; waymen attract the most hero wor- Broadsword, Saber, Shortsword, or and -20 points chosen from among ship. Anywhere the common people Whip, all (A) DX [2]-12. Alcoholism [-15]; Bad Temper resent the rulers, a bandit may be seen Background Skills: Savoir-Faire (E) [-10*]; Berserk [-10*]; Bloodlust as a defender of the poor, like Robin IQ [1]-10. One of Brawling (E) DX [-10*]; Bully [-10*]; Compulsive Hood. In a conquered province, the [1]-12; Carousing (E) HT [1]-11; or Behavior (Carousing) [-5*]; Greed old aristocrats may actually become Gambling (A) IQ-1 [1]-9. [-15*]; Impulsiveness [-10*]; Innumerate [-5]; Intolerance bandits; in any society, the bandit’s * Multiplied for self-control num- (Civilized People) [-5]; Language weapons – and often horses – makes ber; see p. B120. him look like an aristocrat. Cinematic (Native Tongue): Spoken (native) heroes such as Zorro may deliberately Upgrade: Masked adventurers /Written (None) [-3]; Lecher- assume the role of bandits for noble playing the role of bandits may have ousness [-15*]; Mundane Back- motives. Real bandits are usually less far higher levels of skill, especially in ground [-10]; No Sense of Humor noble, even if they take advantage of their primary weapons. In a cinematic [-10]; Overconfidence [-5*]; Sense the heroic image. This template campaign, consider making such a of Duty (Clan or Tribe) [-5]; defines an outlaw who really is honor- bandit a Weapons Master or Stubbornness [-5]; or additional able, relying on stealth and conceal- Gunslinger. levels of Low TL [-5/level]. ment rather than overwhelming force Primary Skills: Survival (any) (A) in his struggle against the ruling class. Per+2 [8]-13. Pick one of the following 12-point packages: Axe/Mace,

116 CHARACTERS Attributes: ST 10 [0]; DX 11 [20]; IQ 12 [40]; HT 11 [10]. Secondary Characteristics: Damage 1d-2/1d; BL 20 lbs.; HP 10 [0]; Will 10 [-10]; Per 12 [0]; FP 11 [0]; Basic Speed 5.5 [0]; Basic Move 5 [0]. Advantages: Charisma 1 [5]; Musical Ability 2 [10] or Voice [10]; and 15 points chosen from among Appearance (Attractive) [4] or (Handsome) [12]; Bard [5/level]; Channeling (the Muses or other gods of poetry) [10]; Cultural Adaptability [10]; Eidetic Memory [5] or Photographic Memory [10]; Language Talent [10]; Legal Immunity (Bardic Immunity) [10]; Status 1 [5]; or additional levels of Charisma [5/level]. Disadvantages: -30 points chosen from among Alcoholism [-15]; Bully [-10*]; Chummy [-5/-10]; Compul- sive Behavior (Carousing) [-5*]; Impulsiveness [-10*]; Jealousy [-10]; Lecherousness [-15*]; or Post- Combat Shakes [-5*]. Primary Skills: Literature (H) IQ [4]-12; Poetry (A) IQ [2]-12; Singing (E) HT+3 [2]-14†. Secondary Skills: Musical Instrument Broadsword, or Spear, all (A) DX+2 Stealth (A) DX [2]-11; Tracking (A) (H) IQ-1 [2]-11. Either Hidden [8]-13, and Shield (E) DX+2 [4]-13; Per [2]-11; Traps (A) IQ+1 [4]-10. Lore (any) (A) IQ [2]-12 or Expert Bow (A) DX+2 [8]-13 and Knife (E) Background Skills: Brawling (E) DX Skill (Bardic Lore) (H) IQ-1 [2]-11. DX+2 [4]-13; Thrown Weapon [1]-11 and two of Carousing (E) HT Background Skills: One of Savoir- (Disc) (E) DX+2 [4]-13 and [1]-12, Intimidation (A) Will-1 [1]-8, Faire (High Society) (E) IQ [1]-12, Shortsword (A) DX+2 [8]-13; or Sex Appeal (A) HT-1 [1]-11. Carousing (E) HT [1]-11, or Public Thrown Weapon (Harpoon) (E) * Multiplied for self-control num- Speaking (A) IQ [1]-12‡. Two of DX+3 [8]-14 and Axe/Mace (A) ber; see p. B120. Area Knowledge, Current Affairs, DX+1 [4]-12; Thrown Weapon or Games (Riddles), all (E) IQ (Stick) (E) DX+2 [4]-13 and Spear Upgrade: The barbarian heroes of [1]-12; Connoisseur (Literature, (A) DX+2 [8]-13; Two-Handed sword and sorcery are often built on Music, or Wine), Heraldry, or Axe/Mace (A) DX+3 [12]-14; or far more than 100 points. Such a hero Propaganda, all (A) IQ-1 [1]-11; Two-Handed Sword (A) DX+3 might have ST 15 and HT 13, letting Observation (A) Per-1 [1]-11; Sex [12]-14. him inflict much more damage and Appeal (A) HT-1 [1]-10; or Secondary Skills: Pick one of the fol- making him harder to kill. Diplomacy or Religious Ritual, lowing packages: Bard both (H) IQ [1]-10. Desert: Navigation (Land) (A) IQ+2 * Multiplied for self-control num- [8]-11; Riding (Camel or Horse) (A) 75 points ber; see p. B120. DX [2]-11; Stealth (A) DX [2]-11. Bards range from wandering min- † +2 from either Musical Ability or Plains: Navigation (Land) (A) IQ+1 strels who perform in taverns to Voice. [4]-10; Stealth (A) DX [2]-11. divinely inspired singers in royal ‡ +1 from Charisma. Tracking (A) Per [2]-11; and one of courts or great temples. Legend and Riding (Horse) (A) DX+1 [4]-12, fantasy often show them as specially Customization: Blindness is too Running (A) HT+1 [4]-13, or privileged. This template can also be big a disadvantage to fit this template, Teamster (A) IQ+1 [4]-10. used to create combat-ready adventur- and too limiting for adventurers, but Seafaring: Meteorology (A) IQ+1 ers who sing and tell tales when the it’s traditional for bards; GMs may [4]-10; Navigation (Sea) (A) IQ+1 battles are over; for such an adventur- want to have a blind bard NPC. Some [4]-10; Seamanship (E) IQ+1 er, use most of the unspent points on legendary bards acquired “the tongue [2]-10; Swimming (E) HT+1 [2]-13. weapon skills. Light infantry weapons that cannot lie” as a supernatural Woodland: Camouflage (E) IQ+1 such as bows are traditional for bards. “gift”; treat this as Truthfulness (6) [2]-10; Climbing (A) DX [2]-11; [-10].

CHARACTERS 117 Job Description: depending on their skill. In typical Job Roll: Savoir-Faire (High Wandering Bard fantasy cultures, they have a measure Society). On critical failure, lost court Many bards live on the road, of prestige, but little real power. position and must go back on the road. Monthly Pay: $6,750. singing and carrying news. They may Prerequisites: Literature 12+; Wealth Level: Wealthy. Supports perform at taverns or in royal courts, Musical Instrument 11+; Singing 12+. Status 2. Job Roll: Best prerequisite skill. Monthly Pay: $1,200. Adjusted for Battle Wizard margin of success or failure. Wealth Level: Comfortable. 125 points Supports Status 1. A rare breed. Battle wizards can master the intellectual intricacies of Job Description: Court Bard magic, but also keep alive – and con- A few highly regarded bards live in centrate on casting spells – amid the the households of kings or great chaos of a battle. Having a high nobles, providing regular entertain- enough skill level to reduce the energy ment for their courts. cost of spells has a big payoff for them; high IQ and Magery give them this Prerequisites: Literature 13+; ability with all Hard spells. Musical Instrument 12+; Singing 14+. Attributes: ST 10 [0]; DX 10 [0]; IQ 14 [80]; HT 11 [10]. Secondary Characteristics: Damage 1d-2/1d; BL 20 lbs.; HP 10 [0]; Will 14 [0]; Per 14 [0]; FP 11 [0]; Basic Speed 5.25 [0]; Basic Move 5 [0]. Advantages: Magery 3 [35]; Military Rank 2 [10]; Status 1 [0]*; and 15 points chosen from Absolute Direction [5] or 3D Spatial Sense [10]; Ally (Bodyguard) [Varies]; Charisma [5/level]; Combat Reflex- es [15]; Eidetic Memory [5] or Photographic Memory [10]; Fit [5] or Very Fit [15]; Language (Accen- ted/Native) [5]; Single-Minded [5]; Versatile [5], Wealth (Comfortable) [10]; +1 to Will [5]; or additional Military Rank [5/level]. Disadvantages: Duty (12 or less) [-10]; and -40 points chosen from among Bad Temper [-10†], Bloodlust [-10†], Callous [-5], Code of Honor (Soldier’s) [-10], Fanati- cism [-15], Greed [-15†], Impulsive- ness [-10†], Overconfidence [-5†], Post-Combat Shakes [-5†], Pyro- mania [-5†], Selfish [-5†], Sense of Duty [-2 to -10], or Workaholic [-5]. Primary Skills: Thaumatology (VH) IQ [1]-14‡. Secondary Skills: Navigation (any) (A) IQ-1 [1]-13. Either Hiking (A) HT+1 [2]-12 or Riding (A) DX+1 [2]-11. One of Innate Attack (Beam or Projectile) (E) DX+2 [4]-12 or Broadsword, Shortsword, or Staff, all (A) DX+1 [4]-11. Background Skills: Games (Magical Challenges) (E) IQ [1]-14; Savoir- Faire (Military) IQ [1]-14. One of Administration or Leadership, both (A) IQ-1 [1]-13; or Engineer

118 CHARACTERS (Military) or Tactics, both (H) IQ-2 knowledge of a wide range of com- Armor Maker: Deflect (H) IQ+1 [2]-15; [1]-12. One of Astronomy (Obser- monly used spells can make him unex- Fortify (H) IQ+1 [2]-15; raise one vational), Hidden Lore (any), pectedly formidable. of these two spells to IQ+2 [4]-16. Occultism, or Research, all (A) IQ In some campaigns, GMs will want Magical Device Maker: Staff (H) IQ+1 [2]-14; Cryptography, Mathematics to allow enchanters as NPCs only. [2]-15; raise Enchant to IQ+2 (any), Military Science, Naturalist, [8]-16. Attributes: ST 10 [0]; DX 10 [0]; IQ 14 or Theology (any), all (H) IQ-1 Weapon Maker: Either Accuracy (H) [80]; HT 10 [0]. [2]-13; Dreaming or Meditation, IQ+1 [2]-15 and four Air spells (H) Secondary Characteristics: Damage both (H) Will-1 [2]-13; or Alchemy IQ [1]-14, or Puissance (H) IQ+1 1d-2/1d; BL 20 lbs.; HP 10 [0]; Will (VH) IQ-2 [2]-12. [2]-15 and four Earth spells (H) IQ 14 [0]; Per 14 [0]; FP 10 [0]; Basic Spells (all (H) IQ+1 [1]-15‡, except as [1]-14. Speed 5 [0]; Basic Move 5 [0]. noted): Lend Energy; Recover Advantages: Magery 2 [25]; Single- * Multiplied for self-control num- Energy; and one of the following Minded [5]; and 20 points chosen ber; see p. B120. packages: from among Ally (Apprentice † +2 from Magery. Bodyguard: Armor; Great Haste; or Familiar) [Varies], Contact Customization: A true “lab rat” Haste; Lend Vitality; Magelock; (Business Agent) [Varies], High enchanter can take Magery 2 (One Scryguard; Sense Foes; Shield; and Manual Dexterity [5/level], Lang- College Only: Enchantment, -40%) either Aura and Detect Magic, uage (Accented/Native) [5], Light- [17] and spend the points saved on Apportation and Deflect Missile, ning Calculator [2] or Intuitive higher skill with one or more spells. Extinguish Fire and Ignite Fire, or Mathematician [5], Patron (Wea- Sense Emotion and Truthsayer. lthy Buyer) [Varies], Signature Job Description Kineticist: Apportation; Armor; Deflect Gear (Enchanted Items) [1/level], When possible, an enchanter will Missile (H) IQ+2 [2]-16‡; Flight; Tenure [5], Versatile [5], Wealth work to order, preparing something Haste; Levitation; Lighten Burden; (Comfortable) [10] or (Wealthy) that has a buyer waiting. Lacking such Quick March; Shield. [20], or Wild Talent (Focused: a buyer, an enchanter will usually Pyrurge: Continual Light; Create Fire; Spells at IQ+Magery, -20%) [16]. make the most marketable device he Deflect Energy; Explosive Fireball; Disadvantages: A total of -40 points knows how to create. Extinguish Fire; Fireball (H) IQ+1 chosen from among Absent- [2]-16; Ignite Fire; Light; Shape Mindedness [-15]; Code of Honor Prerequisites: Enchant 15+ Fire. (Professional) [-5]; Combat Paraly- Job Roll: Best spell. On critical fail- sis [-15]; Curious [-5*]; Greed ure, lose 3¥ base monthly pay. * Free from Military Rank 2. [-15*]; Loner [-5*]; Miserliness Monthly Pay: $1,200. Adjusted for † Multiplied for self-control num- [-10*]; Wealth (Struggling) [-10]; margin of success or failure. ber; see p. B120. Workaholic [-5]. Wealth Level: Comfortable. Sup- ‡ +3 for Magery. Primary Skills: Either Ritual Magic ports Status 1. Job Description or Thaumatology (VH) IQ+1 Hedge Wizard An army’s traveling spellcaster is a [4]-15†. well-paid technical specialist, but not Secondary Skills: Merchant (A) IQ-1 75 points usually in the chain of command. In a [1]-13. Three of Animal Handling, Not every wizard is a mighty won- world where magic is common, he still Fortune-Telling, Hidden Lore, der-worker or an intellectual giant. In earns above average pay, partly reflect- Research, or Teaching, all (A) IQ-1 a magical setting, some mages are ing the risks he takes. [1]-13; Archaeology, Artist, Astro- only talented enough to learn a few nomy, Jeweler, Mathematics basic spells. Some specializations Prerequisites: (IQ+Magery) 17+. (Applied), Religious Ritual, or require specific advantages; for exam- Job Roll: Best spell. On critical fail- Symbol Drawing, all (H) IQ-2 ple, a healer needs either Empathy or ure, suffers 2d of injury. [1]-12; or Alchemy or Herb Lore, Magery 1. Monthly Pay: $1,350. both (VH) IQ-3 [1]-11. Attributes: ST 10 [0]; DX 10 [0]; IQ 12 Wealth Level: Comfortable. Background Skills: Accounting (H) [40]; HT 10 [0]. Supports Status 1. IQ-2 [1]-12; Hazardous Materials Secondary Characteristics: Damage (A) IQ-1 [1]-13; Occultism (A) IQ-1 1d-2/1d; BL 20 lbs.; HP 10 [0]; Will Enchanter [1]-13; Savoir-Faire (High Society 12 [0]; Per 12 [0]; FP 10 [0]; Basic 125 points or Magical) (E) IQ [1]-14. Speed 5 [0]; Basic Move 5 [0]. The enchanter specializes in creat- Spells (all (H) IQ [1]-14†, except as Advantages: Magery 0 [5]; Social ing magical objects. The wizard is noted): Analyze Magic; Apporta- Regard 1 (Feared) [5]; and 15 more often an Ally or Patron for tion; Detect Magic; Enchant (VH) points chosen from among Allies adventurers than a member of the IQ+1 [4]-15; Identify Spell; Ignite (Familiar) [Varies], Animal Em- party. He may travel in search of rare Fire; Lend Energy; Light; Purify pathy [5], Empathy [15]; Magery 1 magical materials or information, but Air; Recover Energy; Seek Earth; [10], Plant Empathy [5], Spirit might also recruit other people for Seek Water; Sense Foes; Sound; Empathy [10], or Unusual such jobs. On the other hand, his and one of the following packages: Background [Varies].

CHARACTERS 119 Job Roll: Minor Healing. On critical failure, make Fright Check at -6. Monthly Pay: $360. Adjusted for margin of success or failure. Wealth Level: Struggling. Supports Status -1. Holy Man 75 points The holy man isn’t necessarily an ordained priest; the gods make their own choices of who they should favor. The mark of the holy man is his possession of supernatural powers and his ability to inspire others to worship his god. Holy men often have taken vows of poverty. Attributes: ST 10 [0]; DX 10 [0]; IQ 12 [40]; HT 11 [10]. Secondary Characteristics: Damage 1d-2/1d; BL 20 lbs.; HP 10 [0]; Will 14 [10]; Per 12 [0]; FP 11 [0]; Basic Speed 5.25 [0]; Basic Move 5 [0]. Advantages: Charisma 2 [10]; one of Blessed [10], Channeling [10], Medium [10], or Power Investiture 1 [10]; and 15 points chosen from among Allies (Disciples) [Varies], Animal Empathy [5], Clerical Investment [5], Devotion [5/level], Empathy [15] or Sensitive [5], Hard to Kill [2/level], Higher Purpose [5], Language (Scriptural; Native) [6], Plant Empathy [5], Disadvantages: Wealth (Struggling) Light (H) IQ-1 [2]-11; Purify Water Reawakened [10], Religious Rank [-10]; and -15 points chosen from (H) IQ-1 [2]-11; Seek Plant (H) [5/level], Spirit Empathy [10], True Bully [-10*], Code of Honor IQ-1 [2]-11; Seek Water (H) IQ Faith [15], Voice [10], or additional (Professional) [-5], Loner [-5*], [4]-12; Sense Foes (H) IQ-1 [2]-11; levels of Charisma [5/level] or Pacifism (Reluctant Killer) [-5] or Test Food (H) IQ-1 [2]-11. Power Investiture [10/level]. (Cannot Harm Innocents) [-10], or Healer: Awaken (H) IQ-1 [2]-11; Disadvantages: -40 points chosen Sense of Duty (Village) [-5]. Identify Plant (H) IQ-1 [2]-11; Lend from among Charitable [-15*]; Primary Skills: Occultism (A) IQ+1 Energy (H) IQ [4]-12; Lend Vitality Disciplines of Faith [-5 to -15]; [4]-13. (H) IQ-1 [2]-11; Minor Healing (H) Fanaticism [-15]; Honesty [-10*]; Secondary Skills: Teaching (A) IQ IQ-1 [2]-11; Seek Plant (H) IQ-1 Pacifism [-5 to -30]; Selfless [-5*]; [2]-12. Three of First Aid or [2]-11; Stop Bleeding (H) IQ [4]-12; Sense of Duty [-10 to -20]; Social Gardening, both (E) IQ+1 [2]-13; Test Food (H) IQ-1 [2]-11. Stigma (Excommunicated) [-5]; or Hidden Lore, Meteorology, Naviga- Weatherworker: Create Air (H) IQ-1 Vow [-5 to -15]. tion (any), or Professional Skill [2]-11; Predict Weather (H) IQ+2 Primary Skills: Public Speaking (A) (Midwife), all (A) IQ [2]-12; or [12]-14; Purify Air (H) IQ-1 [2]-11; IQ+2 [2]-14†; Teaching (A) IQ+1 Bardic Lore, Diagnosis, Naturalist, Shape Air (H) IQ-1 [2]-11; Walk on [4]-13. or Pharmacy (Herbal), all (H) IQ-1 Air (H) IQ-1 [2]-11. Secondary Skills: Religious Ritual [2]-11. * Multiplied for self-control num- (H) IQ [4]-12. Theology (H) IQ Background Skills: Area Knowledge ber; see p. B120. [4]-12. One 4-point package select- (Village or Town) (E) IQ [1]-12; ed from Detect Lies (H) Per [4]-12, Hazardous Materials (A) IQ-1 Job Description People in your village come to you Hidden Lore (Spirit Lore) (A) IQ+1 [1]-11; Staff (A) DX-1 [1]-9. [4]-13, Mental Strength (E) Will+2 Spells: One of the following lists: when they’ve been injured in a fight or in farming accidents. [4]-16, Persuade (H) Will-1 [2]-13 Generalist: Extinguish Fire (H) IQ and Sway Emotions (H) Will-1 [4]-12; Ignite Fire (H) IQ-1 [2]-11; Prerequisites: Magery 0; Minor [2]-13, or two divinely granted Healing at 11+. spells (H) IQ [2]-12‡.

120 CHARACTERS Background Skills: One of Singing Higher Purpose [5], Independent and Independent Income) and a great (E) HT [1]-11; Dancing (A) DX-1 Income [1/level], Legal Enforce- title (increased Status), along with [1]-9; Administration, Architecture, ment Powers [Varies], or increase enhanced Savoir-Faire and other Poetry, or Writing, all (A) IQ-1 Fit [5] to Very Fit [15]. courtly skills such as Diplomacy. [1]-11; or Musical Instrument (H) Disadvantages: Code of Honor Finally, he may be a priest or monk, IQ-2 [1]-10. One of Thanatology (Chivalry) [-15]; and -25 points with such advantages as Blessed, (H) IQ-2 [1]-10 or Dreaming, chosen from among Compulsive Higher Purpose, or True Faith. Exorcism, or Meditation, all (H) Behavior (Carousing or Generosi- Will-2 [1]-12. ty) [-5†], Debt [-1/level], Disciplines Job Description: of Faith (Monasticism) [-10], Duty Knight Errant * Multiplied for self-control num- [-2 to -15], Fanaticism [-15], Intol- A knight errant has neither his own ber; see p. B120. erance (Commoners or Unbeliev- lands nor a place in a greater noble- † +2 from Charisma +2. ers) [-5], Overconfidence [-5†], man’s household. He travels about, ‡ +1 from Power Investiture 1, Selfish [-5†], Sense of Duty seeking a war to fight in or a quest to which is a precondition for using such (Vassals) [-5] or (The weak) [-10], undertake. At best, he may be a saint- spells. Stubbornness [-5], or Vow [-5 to ly hero; at worst, he may be an armed Job Description -15]. robber – but his sense of honor won’t let him lower himself to physical Hindu sages, Buddhist monks, and Primary Skills: Lance (A) DX+1 labor. In a Japanese setting, a ronin (a mendicant friars in medieval Europe [4]-12; Riding (Horse) (A) DX+1 masterless samurai) plays a similar all fit this pattern, wandering from [4]-12; Shield (E) DX+1 [2]-12. role. place to place teaching and meditat- Secondary Skills: Either Axe/Mace or ing, with no more possessions than Broadsword, both (A) DX [2]-11; Prerequisites: Status 2+, Lance 12+, they can carry. Ascetics live by beg- Savoir-Faire (E) IQ+1 [2]-11. and Riding 12+ ging and keep only what they need to Background Skills: Heraldry (A) IQ Job Roll: Worst prerequisite. On survive. [2]-10; Leadership (A) IQ [2]-10. critical failure, suffer 3d of injury. Two of Brawling or Jumping, both Monthly Pay: $3,000. Adjusted for Prerequisites: Religious Ritual 12+ (E) DX [1]-11; Carousing or margin of success or failure. Job Roll: Best spell. On critical fail- Singing, both (E) HT [1]-11; Wealth Level: Wealthy. Supports ure, suffer crisis of faith and lose Games (Tournament Rules) (E) IQ Status 2. divinely granted powers; to regain [1]-10; Dancing (A) DX-1 [1]-10; them, roll once per month vs. (Will - Falconry (A) IQ-1 [1]-9; Tracking Merchant number of months since crisis). (A) Per-1 [1]-9; or Religious Ritual 75 points Monthly Pay: $120. Adjusted for or Tactics, both (H) IQ-2 [1]-8. margin of success or failure. Merchants come in many varieties. Wealth Level: Poor. Supports Status * +1 Status from Wealth. This template fits somewhere in -2. † Multiplied for self-control num- between the fast-talking man at a little ber; see p. B120. stall in the marketplace and the merchant prince whose house is a castle in Knight Customization: Other combina- 75 points all but name. This merchant is rich tions of expensive combat gear and enough to engage in long-distance A knight is an aristocratic warrior, aristocratic codes of honor are possi- trade, but not rich enough to hire able to afford the costliest battle gear ble in non-European-based settings. other people to journey for him – the and the time to practice its use. The Examples are the jaguar knights of kind most likely to have adventures, or standard medieval version is a heavy Mesoamerica (Hiking, Broadsword, to create them for other people. cavalryman. This template defines a and Spear Thrower), the samurai Earnings from his trade venture heroic knight who actually lives by the of feudal Japan (Bow, Broadsword, are not represented by monthly job chivalric standards of honor. Shortsword, and Two-Handed rolls. The merchant has no earnings Attributes: ST 11 [10]; DX 11 [20]; IQ Sword), and mecha operators in while he’s traveling, but only when he 10 [0]; HT 11 [10]. anime-based fantasy (Driving (Mecha) stops to sell his goods, at the end of Secondary Characteristics: Damage or Suit (Battlesuit), Jumping, and an the journey or along the way. At that 1d-1/1d+1; BL 24 lbs.; HP 11 [0]; appropriate weapon skill). point, determine what his goods sell Will 10 [0]; Per 10 [0]; FP 11 [0]; Upgrades: Several paths can create for and what, if anything, he can buy Basic Speed 5.5 [0]; Basic Move 5 a more powerful aristocratic warrior. to carry back. [0]. The simplest is to enhance his combat Attributes: ST 10 [0]; DX 10 [0]; IQ 12 Advantages: Fit [5]; Status 2 [5]*; skills or the underlying physical attrib- [40]; HT 11 [10]. Wealth (Very Wealthy) [30] or utes. Alternatively, he may be a leader Secondary Characteristics: Damage Wealth (Wealthy) [20] and of other knights, with Military Rank 1d-2/1d; BL 20 lbs.; HP 10 [0]; Will Signature Gear 10 [10]; and 15 and such skills as Leadership, Tactics, 12 [0]; Per 12 [0]; FP 11 [0]; Basic points chosen from among and possibly Strategy. He may be a Speed 5.25 [0]; Basic Move 5 [0]. Charisma [5/level], Combat Re- high-ranking aristocrat, with exten- flexes [15], Fearlessness [2/level], sive landholdings (increased Wealth

CHARACTERS 121 Advantages: Reputation 1 (Keeps his Magery 1 (One College Only: College Friend [5/level], Charisma [5/level], bargains; All tradesmen; All the of Knowledge, -40%) [11] and the Combat Reflexes [15], Green time) [2]; Status 1 [0]*; Wealth spells Analyze Magic, Detect Magic, Thumb [5/level], Hard to Kill (Very Wealthy) [30]; and 20 points and Identify Spell. [2/level], High Pain Threshold [10], chosen from among Absolute Luck [15], Outdoorsman [5/level], Direction [5], Allies (Caravan Peasant Adventurer Rapid Healing [5] or Very Rapid Guards, Sailors, or Junior Partner) 75 points Healing [15], Temperature Toler- [Varies], Business Acumen Not content with life on the farm, ance [1/level], or increasing Fit [5] [10/level], Charisma [5/level], you’ve left home to look for a more to Very Fit [15]. Contacts (Bankers, Guildmasters, interesting life. Better pay wouldn’t Disadvantages: Language (Actual Innkeepers, or Foreign Merchants) hurt, but money’s not your main moti- native language; Native/None) [-3]; [Varies], Language (Native/Accen- vation; you never seem to stay ahead Wealth (Struggling) [-10]; and -30 ted) [5], Language Talent [10], despite occasional windfalls. You points chosen from among Lightning Calculator [2], addition- aren’t an outright bandit or rebel, Alcoholism [-15], Berserk [-10*], al levels of Status [5/level], or though you may think you’re as good Chummy [-5 or -10], Compulsive improving Wealth (Very Wealthy) a man as any aristocrat. You remain a Behavior (Carousing or Generosity) [30] to (Filthy Rich) [50]. simple soul, with the virtues and vices [-5*], Delusion (All men are equal) Disadvantages: Code of Honor of common men – on a bigger scale [-5], Gluttony [-5*], Ham-Fisted [-5 (Professional) [-5] and -35 points than usual. or -10], Impulsiveness [-10*], chosen from among Bad Temper Intolerance [-5 or -10], Laziness [-10†], Bully [-10†], Debt [-1/level], Attributes: ST 12 [20]; DX 11 [20]; IQ [-10], Lecherousness [-15*], Gluttony [-5†], Greed [-15†], 10 [0]; HT 12 [20]. Overconfidence [-5*], Pacifism Jealousy [-10], Lecherousness Secondary Characteristics: Damage (Cannot Harm Innocents) [-10], [-15†], Miserliness [-10†], Odious 1d-1/1d+2; BL 29 lbs.; HP 12 [0]; Sense of Duty (Village) [-5] or (Poor Personal Habit (Ostentatious dis- Will 10 [0]; Per 11 [5]; FP 12 [0]; People) [-10], or Stubbornness [-5]. play of wealth) [-5], Overweight Basic Speed 5.75 [0]; Basic Move 5 Primary Skills: Brawling (E) DX+2 [-1] or Fat [-3], Selfish [-5†], or [0]. [4]-13; Knife (E) DX+2 [4]-13. One Workaholic [-5]. Advantages: Fit [5] and 15 points cho- of Axe/Mace, Spear, Staff, or Two- Primary Skills: Area Knowledge sen from Alcohol Tolerance [1], Handed Axe/Mace, all (A) DX+2 (Trade Route) (E) IQ+1 [2]-13; Animal Empathy [5], Animal [8]-13. Merchant (A) IQ+1 [4]-13. Secondary Skills: Accounting (H) IQ-1 [2]-11. One of Hiking (A) HT [2]-11; Riding (any) (A) DX [2]-10; or Ship- handling (Ship) (H) IQ-1 [2]-11. Background Skills: Leadership (A) IQ-1 [1]-11. Two of Crossbow, Guns (any), Knife, or Thrown Spear, all (E) DX [1]-10; Current Affairs (Business), Gesture, Savoir-Faire (High Society, Military, or Servant), or Seamanship, all (E) IQ [1]-12; Scrounging (E) Per [1]-12; Carousing (E) HT [1]-11; Bow or Staff, both (A) DX-1 [1]-9; Administration, Connoisseur (Art or Wine), Fast-Talk, Freight Handling, Meteorology, Naviga- tion, Packing, Politics, Public Speaking, Smuggling, or Street- wise, all (A) IQ-1 [1]-11; Sling (H) DX-2 [1]-8; Diplomacy, Finance, Law, or Veterinary, all (H) IQ-2 [1]-10; or Detect Lies (H) Per-2 [1]-10. * +1 Status from Wealth. † Multiplied for self-control number; see p. B120. Upgrade: A merchant specializing in enchanted objects could have

122 CHARACTERS Secondary Skills: Hiking (A) HT Disadvantages: Code of Honor Advantages: Fit [5]; Higher Purpose [2]-12; Scrounging (E) Per [1]-11; (Professional) [-5] and -30 points [5]; one of Combat Reflexes [15], Stealth (A) DX [2]-11. Either chosen from among Absent- Danger Sense [15], or Peripheral Farming (A) IQ+1 [4]-11 or Mindedness [-15], Bad Sight (Near- Vision [15]; and 15 points chosen Boating (Sailboat or Unpowered) sighted) [-25], Bad Temper [-10*], from among Ambidexterity [5], (A) DX [2]-11 and Fishing (E) Bully [-10*], Combat Paralysis Blessed (Heroic Feats) [10], Per+1 [2]-13. One of Thrown [-15], Curious [-5*], Disciplines of Fearlessness [2/level], Hard to Kill Weapon (Axe/Mace) (E) DX+2 Faith (Monasticism) [-10], Duty [2/level], Night Vision [1/level], [4]-13, Bow (A) DX+1 [4]-12, or (Teaching; Nonhazardous) [-5 or Signature Gear [1/level], Single- Sling (H) DX [4]-11. -10], Indecisive [-10*], Jealousy Minded [5], True Faith [15], or Background Skills: One of Games (E) [-10], Lame (Crippled Legs) [-10], improving Fit [5] to Very Fit [15]. IQ [1]-10; Carousing (E) HT [1]-12; Loner [-5*], Odious Personal Habit Disadvantages: Pacifism (Cannot or Dancing or Sports, both (A) DX- (Lecturing) [-5], Pacifism [-5 to Harm Innocents) [-10] and -30 1 [1]-10. One of Carpentry, Leather- -30], Selfish [-5*], Skinny [-5], points from Bloodlust [-10*], working, or Masonry, all (E) IQ Truthfulness [-5*], Unfit [-5] or Callous [-5], Compulsive Behavior [1]-10; or Teamster (A) IQ-1 [1]-9. Very Unfit [-15], or Wealth (Generosity) [-5*], Enemy (Specific One of Meteorology (A) IQ [2]-10; (Struggling) [-10]. Monster) [Varies], Fanaticism Tracking (A) Per [2]-11; or Primary Skills: Research (A) IQ [-15], Greed [-15*], Loner [-5*], Naturalist (H) IQ-1 [2]-9. [2]-14. One of Occultism (A) IQ+4 Nightmares [-5*], No Sense of [16]-18; Astronomy, Geography, Humor [-10], Obsession [-10*], * Multiplied for self-control num- History, Linguistics, Literature, Overconfidence [-5*], Sense of ber; see p. B120. Mathematics, Military Science, Duty (Victims of monsters) [-5], Customization: Nothing says a Natural Philosophy, Philosophy, Stubbornness [5], or Weirdness woman can’t walk off the farm and go Political Science, or Theology, all Magnet [-15]. adventuring (as in Elizabeth Moon’s (H) IQ+3 [16]-17; or Thaumatology Primary Skills: One of Hidden Lore Sheepfarmer’s Daughter). In a histori- (VH) IQ+2 [16]-16. (any) or Occultism, both (A) IQ+2 cally realistic campaign, such a Secondary Skills: Writing (A) IQ-1 [8]-14; Biology (Zoology), Thana- woman might have the Goodwife [1]-13. One of Administration, tology, or Theology, all (H) IQ+1 advantage instead of Animal Friend or Public Speaking, or Teaching, all [8]-13; or Weird Science (VH) IQ Green Thumb – and it could come in (A) IQ-1 [1]-13. Two additional [8]-12. One of Architecture, Inter- handy in the army. On the other hand, fields of knowledge, from those rogation, Research, or Streetwise, she might have left home swearing listed as primary skills, at (A) IQ-1 all (A) IQ+1 [4]-13; or Observation never to cook another pot of porridge. [1]-13, (H) IQ-2 [1]-12, or (VH) or Tracking, both (A) Per+1 [4]-13. IQ-3 [1]-11. One of Crossbow, Knife, Liquid Scholar Background Skills: Two of Brawling Projector (Flamethrower), or 75 points (E) DX+1 [2]-11; Games or Savoir- Thrown Weapon (Harpoon), all (E) Scholars most often appear as Faire (High Society), both (E) IQ+1 DX+2 [4]-14; Bow or Polearm, NPCs, giving cryptic advice to bands [2]-15; Scrounging (E) Per+1 both (A) DX+1 [4]-13; or Net (H) of adventurers who come to consult [2]-11; or Carousing or Singing, DX [4]-12. them. But nothing prevents a scholar both (E) HT+1 [2]-11. Secondary Skills: One of Camouflage (E) IQ+1 [2]-13; Stealth (A) DX from picking up a few combat skills * Multiplied for self-control num- [2]-12; or Disguise (Animal) or and going out to find his own answers. ber; see p. B120. This template provides a start in that Shadowing, both (A) IQ [2]-12. One direction by including a few less Slayer of Forced Entry (E) DX [2]-13; Armoury, Explosives, or Traps, all sedate skills picked up during the 125 points scholar’s student days. (A) IQ [2]-12; or Poisons (H) IQ-1 Most warriors specialize in fighting [2]-11. One of Acting, Fast-Talk, Attribute: ST 10 [0]; DX 10 [0]; IQ 14 a single race or similar races. The slay- Leadership, or Teaching, all (A) IQ [80]; HT 10 [0]. er specializes in defeating foes with [2]-12; or Mind Block (A) Will Secondary Characteristics: Damage extraordinary abilities: gigantic mon- [2]-12. 1d-2/1d; BL 20 lbs.; HP 9 [0]; Will sters, undead, evil sorcerers, or the Background Skills: Three of 14 [0]; Per 10 [-20]; FP 10 [0]; Basic like. Brawling, Fast-Draw (Arrow or Speed 5 [0]; Basic Move 5 [0]. Attributes: ST 11 [10]; DX 12 [40]; IQ Knife), or Knot-Tying, all (E) DX Advantages: Language (Accented/ 12 [40]; HT 11 [10]. [1]-12; First Aid (E) IQ [1]-12; Native) [5] and 20 points chosen Secondary Characteristics: Damage Disguise (A) IQ-1 [1]-11; Intimi- from among Eidetic Memory [5] or 1d-1/1d+1; BL 24 lbs.; HP 11 [0]; dation (A) Will-1 [1]-11; Running Photographic Memory [10], Will 12 [0]; Per 12 [0]; FP 11 [0]; (A) HT-1 [1]-10; or Law or Tactics, Language Talent [10], Less Sleep Basic Speed 5.75 [0]; Basic Move 5 both (H) IQ-2 [1]-10. [2/level], Sage [10/level], Single- [0]. Minded [5], Status [5/level], or * Multiplied for self-control num- Wealth (Comfortable) [10]. ber; see p. B120.

CHARACTERS 123 Customization: Exorcists have a lot in common with monster slayers, but their goal is to drive out the Alternative Wizards demon or spirit instead of kill the per- Chapter 7 lists many variant forms of magic. To adapt these templates son whose body it’s possessing. to a campaign that uses such nonstandard magic, total the points in Replace the primary weapon skill with Magery, magic-related skills, and spells, and use the same total to pur- Exorcism and substitute Religious chase variant magical abilities with comparable effects. GMs should work Ritual for one of the secondary skills. out suitable templates when adopting variant magic systems. Spellcaster 75 points This intermediate-level mage is not Elementalist: Create Air; Create Fire; as limited as the hedge wizard, but Thief Create Water; Ignite Fire; Purify lacks the extraordinary gifts of the bat- 75 points Air; Purify Water; Seek Earth; Seek tle wizard or enchanter. He has Water; Shape Air; Shape Earth; Thieves live by taking other peo- enough combat skills to give him a Shape Fire. ple’s property, not by force of arms but chance of surviving a melee, but his Mentalist: Daze; Fear; Foolishness; by stealth. If the thief has to fight, the main specialty is some category of Forgetfulness; Hide Thoughts; job has already gone wrong. This tem- useful spells. Mind-Reading; Mind-Sending; plate emphasizes stealth and concealment. Potential victims may provide Attributes: ST 9 [-10]; DX 10 [0]; IQ Sense Foes; Sense Emotion; safeguards for their valuables, so 13 [60]; HT 11 [10]. Sleep; Truthsayer. thieves also have some knowledge of Secondary Characteristics: Damage Illusionist: Blur; Complex Illusion; getting past walls, locks, and traps. 1d-2/1d-1; BL 16 lbs.; HP 10 [0]; Continual Light; Darkness; Hide; Will 13 [0]; Per 10 [-15]; FP 13 [6]; Illusion Disguise; Illusion Shell; Attributes: ST 10 [0]; DX 12 [40]; IQ Basic Speed 5.25 [0]; Basic Move 5 Light; Simple Illusion; Silence; 11 [20]; HT 10 [0]. [0]. Sound. Secondary Characteristics: Damage Advantages: Magery 1 [15] and two of Choose two spells for advanced 1d-2/1d; BL 20 lbs.; HP 10 [0]; Will Eidetic Memory [5], Language study and raise their level to (H) IQ+2 11 [0]; Per 12 [5]; FP 10 [0]; Basic (Accented/Native) [5], Single- [4]-14. Speed 5.5 [0]; Basic Move 5 [0]. Minded [5], Status 1 [5], Versatile Advantages: 20 points chosen from [5], or +1 to Will [5]. * Multiplied for self-control num- Absolute Direction [5], Acute Disadvantages: -30 points chosen ber; see p. B120. Hearing [2/level], Contact or from among Absent-Mindedness † +1 for Magery. Contact Group (Fences) [Varies], [-15], Bad Sight [-25], Bad Temper Danger Sense [15], High Manual Upgrade: The most economical [-10*], Curious [-5*], Duty [-2 to Dexterity [5/level], Night Vision way to produce an exceptionally -15], Gluttony [-5*], Obsession [-5* [1/level], Perfect Balance [15], or skilled mage is to raise IQ to 14 and or -10*], Secret [-5 to -30], Sense of Wealth (Comfortable) [10]. Magery to Magery 3; this raises his Duty [-2 to -15], or Shyness [-5 to Disadvantages: Secret (Imprison- spells to level 15, reducing their ener- -20]. ment or Exile) [-20] and -20 points gy cost by 1 point. Spend the other 10 Primary Skills: Thaumatology (VH) chosen from among Greed [-15*], points on additional spells or miscella- IQ [4]-13†. Overconfidence [-5*], Pacifism neous adventuring skills. Secondary Skills: Three of Games (Cannot Kill) [-15], Trademark [-5 (Magical Challenges) (E) IQ [1]-13; Job Description to -15], or Wealth (Struggling) [-10]. Hidden Lore (any), Occultism, or In a world where magic is com- Primary Skills: Observation or Research, all (A) IQ-1 [1]-12; mon, ordinary mages earn about as Search, both (A) Per+1 [4]-13; and Astronomy, Cryptography, Expert much as skilled craftsmen. If magic is one of the following skill sets: Skill (any), Mathematics (any), rare, the pay scale will be higher – or Burglar: Naturalist, or Theology (any), all Climbing (A) DX+2 [8]-14; magic may not be a recognized pro- either Forced Entry (E) DX+2 (H) IQ-2 [1]-11; Dreaming or fession at all. Meditation, both (H) Will-2 [1]-11; [4]-14 or Lockpicking (A) DX+1 or Alchemy (VH) IQ-3 [1]-10. Prerequisites: Magery 0. [4]-13. Cutpurse/Pickpocket: Background Skills: Savoir-Faire Job Roll: Best spell. On critical fail- Shadowing (A) (High Society or Magical) (E) IQ ure, gain -1 Reputation in your com- IQ+1 [4]-12; either Pickpocket (A) [1]-13. One of Knife (E) DX+1 munity for endangering the public DX+1 [8]-13 or Knife (E) DX+3 [2]-11; or Riding (any), Short- with your spells. [8]-15. Shoplifter: sword, or Staff, all (A) DX [2]-10. Monthly Pay: $700. Adjusted for Filch (A) DX+2 [8]-14; Spells (all (H) IQ [1]-12†, except as margin of success or failure. Holdout (A) IQ+1 [4]-12. Secondary Skills: noted): Detect Magic; Lend Energy; Wealth Level: Comfortable. Fast-Talk (A) IQ and one of the following packages: Supports Status 1. [2]-11; Streetwise (A) IQ [2]-11; either Running (A) HT+2 [8]-12 or Stealth (A) DX+2 [8]-14.

124 CHARACTERS Background Skills: One of Savoir- Job Roll: Worst prerequisite. On reduce Wealth (Very Wealthy) [30] Faire (High Society or Servant) IQ critical failure, arrested and tried to (Wealthy) [20]. [1]-11; Architecture, Connoisseur, according to local law; reaction roll at Primary Skills: Area Knowledge (E) Merchant, or Traps, all (A) IQ-1 trial is at -2 due to notoriety. IQ+2 [4]; Law (H) IQ+1 [8]-12; [1]-10; Urban Survival (A) Per-1 Monthly Pay: $1,350. Leadership (A) IQ+3 [8]-14‡. [1]-11; or Jeweler (H) IQ-2 [1]-9. Wealth Level: Comfortable. Secondary Skills: Riding (A) DX+1 One of Brawling or Knife, both (E) Supports Status 1. [4]-12; Shield (E) DX+1 [2]-12; DX [1]-12. Tactics (H) IQ [4]-11. One of Burglar wants a good job, plenty of Axe/Mace, Broadsword, Short- * Multiplied for self-control num- Excitement and reasonable Reward, sword, or Spear, all (A) DX+2 ber; see p. B120. that’s how it is usually read. You can [8]-12. Either 4 points in addition- Upgrade: Many fictional thieves say Expert Treasure-hunter instead of al weapon skills, or any two of the have a more glamorous image: they Burglar if you like. Some of them do. It’s following spells at (H) IQ [2]-11**, steal jewels and works of art, they all the same to us. gained through Power Investiture: have the social graces to move in high – J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit Bless Plants, Command, Cure society while casing their targets, and Disease, Deathtouch, Haste, Major they spend the loot on maintaining True King Healing, Mind-Sending, Seeker, that lifestyle. This kind of thief can fit 125 points Sense Foes, or Truthsayer. well into the right fantasy campaign. Many cultures believe that the Background Skills: Savoir-Faire (E) Give him Comfortable or better rightful ruler of a land has supernatu- IQ [1]-11 and one of Bardic Lore, Wealth, a few levels of Status, a very ral gifts. These may be conferred by History, or Military Science, all (H) reliable Contact to buy his loot – and coronation, anointment, or other cere- IQ [2]-10. much higher skills in burglary (the monies, or descend on him when the modus operandi of high-class thieves) previous king dies. Specific abilities * +1 Status free from Wealth. and social interaction, possibly sup- vary – this template includes some † Multiplied for self-control num- ported by improved DX or IQ. common examples. It’s designed for a ber; see p. B120. destined king who has not yet claimed ‡ Includes +1 from Charisma +1. Job Description: Street Thief 12. Pickpockets, cutpurses, and his throne. Reigning true kings have much higher point costs and aren’t as ** Includes +1 from Power shoplifters make a somewhat precari- Investiture 1. ous living, at the mercy of their fences. likely to become adventurers. Getting caught can mean anything Attributes: ST 11 [10]; DX 11 [20]; IQ Village Sage from a fine to painful death. 11 [20]; HT 11 [10]. 75 points Secondary Characteristics: Damage Prerequisites: One of Filch-13, You may be your small communi- 1d-1/1d+1; BL 24 lbs.; HP 11 [0]; Knife-13, or Pickpocket-13; ty’s priest, healer, or soothsayer, or you Will 12 [5]; Per 11 [0]; FP 11 [0]; Streetwise-11. may have just lived a long time and Basic Speed 5.5 [0]; Basic Move 5 Job Roll: Worst prerequisite. On seen a lot. Your native intelligence has [0]. critical failure, arrested and tried grown into sound judgment; even peo- Advantages: Charisma 1 [5]; Indepen- according to local law. ple who think you’re “unworldly” seek dent Income 5 [5]; Status 2 [5]*; Monthly Pay: $300. Adjusted for out your advice. Village sages are usu- Wealth (Very Wealthy) [30]; and 20 margin of success or failure. ally middle-aged or older, but this isn’t points chosen from among Wealth Level: Struggling. Supports a requirement; some young people are Appearance [4/12/16], Blessed (The Status -1. wise. King’s Two Bodies; see p. 128) [10], Job Description: Destiny [Varies], Power Investiture Attributes: ST 10 [0]; DX 11 [20]; IQ Art or Jewel Thief [10/level], additional Charisma 13 [60]; HT 10 [0]. The elite of the profession special- [5/level], or additional Status Secondary Characteristics: Damage ize in taking the property of the [5/level]. 1d-2/1d; BL 20 lbs.; HP 10 [0]; Will wealthy. They have to have the skill to Disadvantages: Code of Honor 13 [0]; Per 13 [0]; FP 10 [0]; Basic get past guards, traps, and alarms, the (Chivalry) [-15]; Sense of Duty (His Speed 5.25 [0]; Basic Move 5 [0]. knowledge to recognize what’s valu- Country) [-10]; and -25 points cho- Advantages: A total of 20 points cho- able, and the connections to sell it sen from among Berserk [-10†], sen from among Absolute without being identified. Their earn- Chronic Pain [Varies], Dependency Direction [5], Animal Empathy [5], ings still fluctuate, and if caught, they (Native soil; Yearly, Seasonal, or Blessed [10], Clerical Investment usually face the harshest penalties . . . Monthly) [-1, -3, or -10], Destiny [5], Eidetic Memory [5] or or, in some settings, a new career in [Varies], Disciplines of Faith Photographic Memory [10], Good- espionage. (Ritualism) [-5], Fanaticism [-15], wife (p. 132) [5/level], Healer Honesty [-10†], Overconfidence [10/level], Longevity [2], Oracle Prerequisites: Stealth 14+; Forced [-5†], Stubbornness [-5], Weirdness [15], Plant Empathy [5], or Social Entry, Lockpicking, or Traps 14+; Magnet [-15], Workaholic [-5], or Regard (Venerated) [5/level]. Connoisseur 11+.

CHARACTERS 125 Job Description You heal work injuries, treat sick children, or soften difficult birth. You’re mostly paid in kind, and not always promptly. Prerequisites: Pharmacy or Veterinary 12+. Job Roll: Prerequisite skill. Monthly Pay: $350. Adjusted for margin of success or failure. Wealth Level: Struggling. Supports Status -1. She bent down and turned around and gave me a wink; She said, “I’m going to make it up right here in the sink.” It smelled like turpentine; it looked like Indian ink. I held my nose, I closed my eyes – I took a drink. – Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, “Love Potion Number Nine” Wardancer 75 points Wardancers are an analog of Asian martial artists in the style of more traditional fantasy: specialists in lightly armed or unarmed hand-to-hand combat, relying on speed and coordi- nation more than strength. They could be found in cultures modeled on the Near East, or among elves, or in any other culture that needs an exotic flavor. Their official role is as performers and entertainers, but their combat skills are real. Attributes: ST 9 [-10]; DX 14 [80]; IQ 10 [0]; HT 10 [0]. Secondary Characteristics: Damage 1d-2/1d-1; BL 20 lbs.; HP 9 [0]; Will Disadvantages: Sense of Duty Secondary Skills: Observation (A) Per 10 [0]; Per 10 [0]; FP 10 [0]; Basic (Village) [-5]; Wealth (Struggling) [2]-13. One of Body Language or Speed 6 [0]; Basic Move 6 [0]. [-10]; and -25 points chosen from Hidden Lore, both (A) Per [2]-13; Advantages: Appearance (Attractive) among Bad Sight (Nearsighted) Mimicry (Animal Sounds or Bird [4]; Fit [5]; Lifting ST +1 [3]; and 15 [-25], Charitable [-15*], Hard of Calls) (H) IQ-1 [2]-12; Dreaming, points chosen from among Allure Hearing [-10], Lame (Crippled Exorcism, or Meditation, all (H) [5/level], Ambidexterity [5], Char- Legs) [-10], Odious Personal Habit Will-1 [2]-12; or Herb Lore (VH) isma [5/level], Combat Reflexes (Talks in riddles or allusions) [-5], IQ-2 [2]-11. [15], Perfect Balance [15]; Pacifism (Cannot Kill) [-15], or -1 Background Skills: Three of Astro- Visualization [10], or increasing Fit to ST or HT [-10]. nomy (Observational), Heraldry, [5] to Very Fit [15]. Primary Skills: Area Knowledge Meteorology, or Occultism, all (A) Disadvantages: A total of -35 points (Village or Town) (E) IQ+2 [4]-15. IQ-1 [1]-12; or Diagnosis, History, chosen from among Code of Honor One of Fortune-Telling (A) IQ+1 Law, Naturalist, Psychology, (Professional) [-5], Dwarfism [-15], [4]-14; Tracking (A) Per+1 [4]-14; Theology, or Xenology, all (H) IQ-2 Jealousy [-10], Overconfidence or Pharmacy (Herbal), Religious [1]-11. [-5*], Pacifism (Cannot Harm Ritual, or Veterinary, all (H) IQ Innocents) [-10], Post-Combat * Multiplied for self-control num- [4]-13. Shakes [-5*], or Workaholic [-5]. ber; see p. B120.

126 CHARACTERS Why Are These People Together? A warrior born to a noble family, a cutpurse off the The Pre-Session city streets, a mage pulled away from his books – One way to produce a more cohesive set of adven- unlikely companions, especially in a society as class- turers is to get the players to work together when devel- bound as most historical ones were. But such odd com- oping them. Sit everyone down in the same place, and panions are the heroes of many fantasy adventures, in ask them to agree on basic character concepts before fiction, in film, and in games. You can simply accept anyone begins actual character design. If some con- them as a given, but what if you want a reason for them cepts overlap, encourage them to set the characters to be together? apart in some way. One approach is to say that their world has a recog- GMs can take a very active role in directing this nized status of “professional adventurer.” The younger process. For a formal organization, provide a list of sons of noble warriors, the mages with an urge to wan- roles, with each one’s duties and the skills needed to der, and the rogues who aren’t too far outside the law perform them. Or define a common purpose or back- can seek their fortunes or work for patrons who need ground and ask the players to develop characters who their talents. fit. A common catastrophe could also bring a group It’s also possible to enlist the players to do this job. together. If barbarians or evil wizards invade their All their characters have to be together for some rea- native land, or a plague or natural disaster devastates son? Ask them to come up with the reason. If they say their home city, people who normally have nothing to they’re all scholars looking for rare manuscripts, or do with each other may cooperate to survive. Just the criminals who had to get out of town in a hurry, or chil- threat of such a disaster may cause a team to form for dren at an unpleasant summer camp – take this into self-preservation. Imposing a common quest on them is account in deciding how to get them into the first a similar option. adventure. If answers such as this aren’t satisfying, don’t allow It’s also helpful to come up with relationships such mixed parties. Specify that player characters between characters. If the players have two characters belong to a king’s court, to the household of a country each, GMs can apply this effectively by making one of noble or rich merchant, to a criminal gang, or to a mag- them a minor character who’s attached to another play- ical academy. Send out a military force or a diplomatic er’s major character. Aristocrat and bodyguard, or sor- mission that includes them, or have them all be crimi- cerer and apprentice, or master and servant – all help nals and tempt them with unearned wealth. Then make a set of adventurers more cohesive. require that all the character designs fit their special group.

Primary Skills: Dancing (A) DX * Multiplied for self-control num- [2]-14; Judo (H) DX-1 [2]-13; ber; see p. B120. Jumping (E) DX [1]-14. † Free from default to Dancing-2. Secondary Skills: Acrobatics (H) DX- Upgrade: In some campaigns, war- 2 [1]-12; Stealth (A) DX-1 [1]-13. dancers may be Trained By A Master, One of Knife (E) DX [1]-14 or enabling them to learn skills for which Cloak, Saber, Smallsword, or Staff, this is a prerequisite. all (A) DX-1 [1]-13. Background Skills: Body Language Job Description (A) Per [2]-10; Gesture (E) IQ Wardancers earn their living as [1]-10; Group Performance performers. How much they make (Choreography) (A) IQ+2 [0]-12†. depends on how well they perform. One of Sewing (E) DX+1 [2]-15; Makeup (E) IQ+1 [2]-11; Erotic Art Prerequisites: Dancing 12+ or Stage Combat, both (A) DX Job Roll: Dancing. On critical fail- [2]-14; Connoisseur (Music), or ure, suffer 1d of injury. Performance, both (A) IQ [2]-10; Monthly Pay: $1,200. Adjusted for Carousing or Sex Appeal, both (A) margin of success or failure. HT [2]-10; or Musical Instrument Wealth Level: Comfortable. Sup- (Drums or Finger Cymbals) IQ-1 ports Status 1. [2]-9.

CHARACTERS 127 ADVANTAGES, DISADVANTAGES, AND SKILLS Given the comprehensive treat- Acute Senses Contacts ment in the GURPS Basic Set, see p. B35 see pp. B44-45 there’s little need for new advantages, disadvantages, or skills in In a setting where mana exists, Self-aware magical objects that are GURPS Fantasy. However, some anyone with Magery can have Acute kept in a secure place are bought as standard traits can be interpreted in Mana Sense. This gives +1/level to Contacts instead of Allies. specific ways that fit the needs of a rolls to sense magic, but none of the fantasy campaign. And it’s also possi- other benefits of levels of Magery. Eidetic Memory ble to modify them to fit a specific Mana-dependent lifeforms should see p. B51 campaign with the aid of enhance- have it, particularly in low-mana envi- The first level of Eidetic Memory is ments, limitations, and techniques. ronments. a learnable advantage (see Learnable Advantages on p. B294). In historical Allies fantasy settings, bards, loremasters, APPEARANCE see pp. B36-38 and wizards may cultivate this ability. In a fantasy world with multiple In addition to animals and spirits, See Chapter 9, Roma Arcana, for one sapient races, Appearance can be a some wizards have supernatural allies example. racial trait, as well as a personal one. in the form of self-aware magical Eidetic Memory at this level is not If a level of Appearance is taken at objects, or spirits inhabiting magical instantaneous. Memorization of a text the standard point cost, its reaction objects (often called fetishes; see requires enough time to recite or read modifiers can apply either to your own p. 26). They may also give or sell such it aloud; memorization of an image race and races that closely resemble it, objects to other adventurers. Often requires enough time to sketch it. or to the dominant race in your world these can talk; legends include talking and races that closely resemble it. If harps, mirrors, swords, and the like. Insubstantiality they apply to both, treat this as the Others may be unable to speak but see pp. B62-63 Universal enhancement to will have minds accessible to telepath- Several additional enhancements Appearance level (+25%). ic communication. An object that is and limitations can define the forms of bought as an ally should be carried Insubstantiality that occur in fantasy: Example: Orcs have Unattractive along on adventures. appearance (-1 reaction modifier). Difficult Materialization: Mater- This affects humans and races that Blessed ialization costs you 1 FP/minute resemble humans, such as elves. Orcs see pp. B40-41 instead of 1 FP/second. -20%. don’t find other orcs exceptionally Illusory Form: When you demateri- An alternative form of Blessed is unattractive. alize, you don’t become wholly intan- possible: gible. Your body is made out of senso- Armor of Faith: Bought as Luck ry impressions such as sights and ADVANTAGES (Defensive, -20%; Pact, -5%) [11]. The sounds. Attacks can harm you in the standard Pact is a minor Vow. same way and with the same limits as Absolute Direction for Shadow Form (p. B83): half dam- Another version is applicable to see p. B34 age for physical attacks, full damage true kings (p. 125) and reflects their In underground exploration, basic for energy attacks, and damage special bond with their lands: Absolute Direction lets you track your increased 50% for light attacks. -15%. position along the length of a tunnel The King’s Two Bodies: Similar to Projection: When you become and the branches and forks you have Special Rapport (see p. B88), but with insubstantial, as a spirit or psionic taken, in addition to telling you which a country. You are aware of the condi- entity, your body remains behind. It way is north (or the equivalent). 3D tion of the land you rule, regardless of has no consciousness until you return Spatial Sense gives you a mental map distance and without an IQ roll. to it. You can move at twice your basic of where each tunnel is in relation to Anything that injures the land injures Move score, as if you were flying. the other tunnels. Roll vs. IQ or you, and vice versa. This works by Normally you start out where your Engineer (Mining) to estimate the analogy and metaphor: if the king is physical body is, but if you have the directions and distances of other tun- crippled, the army can’t fight; if the ability to perceive a distant place, you nels you might reach by digging. If queen is barren, the crops will fail. can materialize there, and if you can you belong to a race with the Magic or holy ritual that heals you can see some immaterial realm such as Tunneling advantage, you can roll vs. heal the land. You are not specifically the spirit world, you can enter it. Your Per for the same purpose. aware of any individuals within the consciousness remains linked to your land. 10 points. body by a “silver cord”; you won’t

128 CHARACTERS notice physical sensations, but if any- Divided Magery To create a mage who knows a few thing threatens the linkage between Instead of a single total amount of specific spells (see Fixed Magic, p. 161, your body and your immaterial form, Fatigue applicable to all spells, you for one example), reduce the limita- you’ll be drawn back instantly. This have a separate amount of Fatigue for tion by 5% per spell after the first. For includes both attempts at mental or each college. The sum of these example, a mage with Three-Spell spiritual possession of your body, and amounts is your total Fatigue. You can Magery would have a -70% limitation. any physical injury that requires a HT only spend each college’s Fatigue on Preparation Required roll to survive. -50%. its own spells. Your level of Magery is In contrast to Ceremonial Magery, No Vertical Move: Despite being an taken into account in determining which increases the time needed to insubstantial entity, you cannot disre- your skill in spells from any college in cast a spell, Preparation Required gard gravity. You must move across a which you have assigned Fatigue means that a mage must spend more horizontal surface, or a sloping sur- points; it does not affect your skill time getting ready beforehand, but face whose slope would not require with spells in other colleges, except does the actual casting at normal Climbing rolls. You still weigh noth- that it always applies to Recover speed. There are several ways to inter- ing, so you don’t leave footprints, and Energy. If you expend Fatigue on non- pret this. Choose the one that best fits you can walk on surfaces that would magical actions, you can choose your concept. not support a solid human body, such which college’s Fatigue to spend. The preparation can represent as the surface of a body of water. -10%. When you regain Fatigue, you can studying up on the specific spells you choose which college’s Fatigue comes want to use. See Modular Abilities. Invisibility back first. -40%. The preparation can represent see p. B63 Hyperdivided Magery works the assigning Fatigue to the colleges or same way, but has Fatigue points An astrally projected body (see single spells you expect to use. See assigned to single spells instead of sin- Insubstantiality, above) is often invisi- Restructurable Magery. gle colleges. -80%. ble. This is represented by the limita- The preparation can represent the tion Substantial Only (-10%), the Impermanent Magery performance of a complex ritual, last- enhancement Switchable (+10%), and Some treatments of magic define ing minutes or hours, during the first a special limitation: it as incapable of permanently chang- part of casting the spell. Then you can Only in Spirit Form: You must ing the material world (see Glamour, put the spell aside for later use. When become insubstantial to become invis- p. 20). This doesn’t put any spells off actually using the spell, it only ible. -10%. limits. Instead, spells that would nor- requires a Concentrate maneuver. You mally cause a permanent change fail can only have one spell prepared at a Jumper to do so. They don’t have to be main- time. see pp. B64-65 tained, but the subject continues to Restructurable Magery register as magical as long as the spell World-jumpers may visit parallel Restructurable Magery is a further is in effect, the spell can be dispelled, worlds. They can also visit other extension of Divided Magery; it per- and any benefits it grants are mana- planes that aren’t “parallel worlds” in mits the reassignment of Fatigue dependent. This is ordinarily a -10% the usual science-fictional sense, in capacity among colleges. This limitation. If some nonmagical means game settings where such worlds requires an extended period of con- of dispelling the effects is available, exist – for example, the various sorts centration, long enough to be imprac- such as prayer or the touch of iron, it of magical worlds discussed on tical in a hand-to-hand fight. The becomes a -20% limitation. For more pp. 39-45. value of the limitation depends on details, see Faerie Glamour (p. 168). how long the reassignment takes: -8% Magery One-College Magery for 1-minute reassignment, -12% for see pp. B66-67 In a setting with a different system 10-minute reassignment, -20% for 1- In addition to the previously of magical colleges, paths, or the like hour reassignment, and -24% for 8- defined limitations on Magery, a GM (see Alternate Colleges, p. 160), One- hour reassignment. may allow any of the following College Magery may need a different For Hyperdivided Magery, the lim- options. Note these do not affect value as a limitation. The fewer col- itations are -16% for 1-minute reas- Magery 0, which always costs 5 points. leges, the less restrictive it is. signment, -24% for 10-minute reas- Ceremonial Magery Appropriate limitations are -10% for signment, -40% for 1-hour reassignment, and -48% for 8-hour reassign- You don’t have the option of quick two colleges, -20% for three to six, ment. This form of Restructurable casting. Casting spells must always be -30% for seven to 14, -40% for 15 to Magery can help create a mage who ceremonial. This takes 10 times as 30, or -60% for more than 30. starts out an adventure by reading long as normal and has all the other One-Spell Magery specific spells, and then can cast those benefits and restrictions of ceremoni- A more drastic restriction than One- spells until he exhausts each spell’s al magic. -40%. College Magery. Your Magery applies Fatigue pool. Ceremonial Magery often combines only to a single spell. This can be gen- with Solitary Ceremonial Casting eralized to Hyperdivided Magery, with (p. 130) for a net -30% limitation. fatigue pools assigned to single spells instead of single colleges. -80%.

CHARACTERS 129 Solitary Ceremonial Casting Normally, ceremonial spellcasting requires at least two participants. Behind the Curtain: Cost of Divided (Enchantment is an exception; it can and Restructurable Magery be done alone.) This advantage per- Divided Magery with all Fatigue assigned to a single college is the mits a mage to cast spells ceremonial- same as One-College Magery. Since One-College Magery is normally a ly by himself. +10%. -40% limitation, so is Divided Magery. The benefit of being able to cast spells from more than one college and the restriction of not having Modular Abilities your entire Fatigue available for any college balance each other, mak- see p. B71 ing the choice of more or fewer colleges an option that does not affect In a setting where magic involves cost. The same reasoning applies to One-Spell Magery and interaction with spirits, a shaman or Hyperdivided Magery. sorcerer may gain the use of spells Restructurable Magery’s cost is determined as follows. First, buy from spirits that are bound to him by Divided or Hyperdivided Magery. For example, Divided Magery is a some obligation, or that have Slave -40% limitation on levels of Magery. But then not having the limitation Mentality. This is a new type of is effectively an enhancement. For example, not having Divided Modular Abilities: Magery is a +40% enhancement. Buy this enhancement with some level of Preparation Required. For example, if it takes 8 hours to Spirit Trapping: You have the abili- restructure Fatigue points, this is a -60% limitation. Taking -60% of the ty to carry one or more spirits about base +40% gives -24%. So where Divided Magery is -40%, making it with you, and to access certain of their Restructurable in 8 hours reduces it to -24. The same Preparation abilities. If a spirit knows a spell, you Required percentages can be applied to the basic limitations for divid- can tap its knowledge to cast the spell. ing Magery into any number of colleges or into single spells. If it has purely factual knowledge, you can treat it as a reference work, gaining some number of added points in Example: Orcs have Night Vision 6 Supernatural beings may have the knowledge skill. You cannot con- as a feature. At -6 illumination (rough- their own hierarchies and ranks. The verse with your spirits, even if they are ly a moonlit night), they can see per- angels and devils of medieval Catholic intelligent enough for conversation; fectly. At either -3 or -9 they make beliefs and the celestial bureaucracy you can only issue orders (including Vision rolls at -3; under full daylight of Confucianism offer examples. In commands to provide information). they make them at -6. In total dark- campaigns set in the material world, You can gain the services of new spir- ness, they’re blind. these chains of command seldom mat- its by visiting or communicating with ter. But if PCs visit heaven or hell or the spirit plane or by visiting a physi- Patron appeal to a greater power to send aid, cal location where spirits manifest Celestial or Infernal Rank makes a themselves. Cost per spirit: 6 points see pp. B72-74 real difference. Either type should cost base + 4 points per point of abilities. In addition to gods, spirits can 5 points/level. If your spirits are bound into phys- serve as patrons. Define them as pow- ical objects (see Fetishes and erful individuals, with base cost 10-20 Rapier Wit Familiars, p. 26), and you must create points. or acquire a new object to gain a new see p. B79 spell, this is reduced to 5 points base + Rank Ancient Celtic cultures, among oth- 3 points per point of abilities. see p. B29 ers, credited bards with the ability to In some fantasy settings, mages inflict varied curses on anyone who Night Vision organize into groups with internal earns their displeasure. To allow a see p. B71 ranks. Sometimes these are just a for- greater variety of curses, Rapier Wit can be purchased with any of the spe- As an advantage, Night Vision mality and can be treated as Courtesy cial modifiers for Affliction. Recovery allows sight under low-light condi- Rank costing 1 point/level. In a setting takes place as if the target was men- tions as well as under normal illumi- where large groups of mages com- tally stunned, whether the modifiers nation. If you can see at night better monly work together in ceremonial include stunning or not. than by day, because normal sunlight spellcasting, formal chains of com- dazzles you, this is a 0-point feature, mand are important and Magical Security Clearance found for example in orcs and owls. Rank should cost 5 points/level. In a Specify how many levels of Night civilization ruled by mages, Magical see pp. B82-83 Vision you have, as usual. At that light- Rank may translate directly into In many historical societies and ing level, you can see normally. You Status and should cost 10 points/level. historical fantasy settings, security are at -1 to Vision rolls and visually guided tasks for each level by which your environment is either dimmer or brighter. You still can’t see in total darkness.

130 CHARACTERS clearance in the modern sense hasn’t Shapeshifting Skinbound: Weres only. You even been considered. But local see pp. B83-85 assume your alternate form by putting organizations may have their own on the skin of a creature of that form, secrets and rules on who keeps them. Afantasy setting requires new spe- which is absorbed into your body in Treat this as half-value Security cial limitations to define certain types the process; or you take off the skin of Clearance. A great nobleman’s confi- of shapeshifters: your base form, which must be kept dential secretary or personal priest, an Cannot Memorize Forms: Morphs safe if you are to change back. Buy inquisitor, or a trusted servant of a only. Once you shift out of an alternate either version as a set of gadget limita- secretive magical guild might have form, you can only assume it again by tions; divide the total value of the lim- this advantage. recopying it from a source of the same itations by 2, since they only apply in species. -50%. one shape. The skin can be either an See Invisible Linked Changes: Weres only. You organic part of your body, which you see p. B83 and another were are mystically are magically able to separate from The ability to see spirits is a form of bound together; when one of you yourself, or a magically created See Invisible. changes shape, the other must do so device. also. This may take either of two Shadow Form forms: synchronized (either both or Signature Gear see p. B83 neither of you is in your base form) or see p. B85 GMs can base this advantage on opposed (when one of you is in his In some settings, it’s possible to types of images other than shadows. base form, the other is in his alternate acquire magical objects as Signature The limits on any kind of visible form). The forms don’t need to be the Gear. manifestation are movement, same species; a man who changes into If magical objects can be pur- manipulation, attack, and defense. a wolf might be linked to a woman chased, base their point value as For ease, keep these the same as a who changes into a hawk, or to a wolf Signature Gear on the cost of their shadow, unless explicitly modified that changes into a man. -25%. enchantments. This possibility is com- by an enhancement or limitation. Only When Insubstantial: You can mon in low fantasy campaigns. Some options for modification are only change shape when you’re in If a market for magical items hasn’t as follows: immaterial form – for example, as a been established, base their point spirit, or as a projected astral body. value as Signature Gear on the energy Illusionary Form: You look like a This has several variants. If you have cost to enchant them. Usually this picture or projected image, with color to become immaterial to change reflects a setting where enchanted and visual detail. Your gestures and shape, but can retain the changed items are rare and unique, as in many facial expressions are visible, and if shape when material: -5%. If you high fantasy campaigns. In such a set- you “speak,” your lips can be read. automatically revert to your base ting, one character point trades for 25 +25%. form when you become material: energy points of enchantment. Luminous Form: You look like a -10%. However, the same approach can also spot or area of projected light on a sur- Required Intermediate Form: Weres apply to a campaign where adventur- face. If the surface has pictures or only. Normally, a were with two or ers have so many enchanted items written words, you can illuminate more Alternate Forms can change that they need servants to carry them. them. Your light is not bright enough from any form to any other directly. In such a setting, the GM should to dazzle anyone; buy that as an This limitation restricts that freedom. emphasize cinematic adventure over Affliction. +0%. If an Alternate Form cannot change economic calculation. A reasonable Touch: You still can’t physically back to the base form directly, this is a ratio for this kind of campaign is 1,000 manipulate solid objects, but you can -5% limitation. If an Alternate Form energy points for 1 character point. touch them, creating a ghostly sense can only be reached from other forms, Some enchanted objects are effec- of warmth, cold, or pressure. Living this is a limitation of -10% divided by tively characters – golems, for exam- beings can feel you brush over or past the total number of other forms it ple. Buy them as Allies, not as them with a Touch roll. +0% if always can’t be reached from. Signature Gear. in effect; +5% if switchable. Regardless of how an enchanted Examples: A shapeshifter can Reflection: You can only manifest item’s character point value is deter- become either a wolf or a bat, but has as an image in a mirror or other mined, characters must pay points for to assume human form in between; reflecting surface (such as a body of it as Signature Gear when they are first each form has one -5% limitation water). You can move only as far as created. Once the character is in play, (-10% divided by two other forms). A the surface extends. If you have this he can only acquire further enchanted shapeshifter can go from man to wolf- limitation, you can buy the ability to items through actions in play. In a high man, and from wolfman to wolf, or the “jump” to a different reflecting surface fantasy setting where enchanted reverse; the wolf form has a -5% limi- somewhere else as Teleport. -25%. objects aren’t put up for sale, the GM tation for not being able to become could require that a character have If any variation of Shadow Form is human directly, and a -5% limitation skill in enchantment or has the always on, it becomes a limitation in for not being accessible from the Unusual Background “Has enchanter the usual way. human form, for a total of -10%. friend,” typically worth 5 points.

CHARACTERS 131 Single-Minded Sage: Archaeology, Expert Skill, DISADVANTAGES see p. B85 Geography, Heraldry, Hidden Lore, History, Law, Literature, Occultism, Being Single-Minded does not help Philosophy, Research, Theology. 10 Addiction with complex tasks that require divid- points/level. see p. B122 ed attention. In particular, it doesn’t The ancient Greeks believed that a aid spellcasting or enchantment. It’s mortal could fall victim to nympholep- still useful to mages who are doing NEW PERKS sy, or addiction to the love of a nymph thaumatological research or to 45 Named Possession : You own (see the Nymph template on p. 213). alchemists who are making a single a possession that has been ritually Similar warnings have been given potion or preparation. named (see Named Objects, p. 26). By against many other supernatural Talent itself, this perk grants only the poten- beings, including faeries, vampires, tial for gaining magical abilities; any succubi and other demons, and even see pp. B89-91 abilities it actually possesses are Lilith herself (p. 54). Nympholepsy is In fantasy settings, several addi- bought as enchantments using the usually legal, but could be illegal if tional skill groups have associated rules for Signature Gear (p. 131). The religious or magical authorities try to Talents: perk is still needed as well, because a banish such supernatural lovers. It’s named object, unlike an ordinary Allure: Dancing, Erotic Art, Make- normally cheap (indeed free, since enchanted object, can gain new abili- up, Sex Appeal, Singing. 5 points/level. most supernatural beings don’t care ties in the future. Bard: Heraldry, Literature, Musical about material wealth) but incapaci- Weapon Bond 4: You own a Influence, Poetry, Public Speaking, tating or hallucinogenic. -10 points if weapon that is uniquely suited to you. Singing. 5 points/level. legal; -15 points if illegal. Its quality may be no better than nor- Devotion: Autohypnosis, Exorcism, mal, but when you use it, you are at +1 A savage place! as holy and Meditation, Religious Ritual. 5 to effective skill. This is not a mystical enchanted points/level. attunement, but a physical matter of As e’er beneath the waning moon Goodwife: Cooking, Diagnosis, balance, fit to your hand, and the like. was haunted Gardening, Housekeeping, Sewing. 5 If the weapon is lost or destroyed, the By woman wailing for her demon points/level. bond doesn’t transfer to a new lover. Mariner: Boating, Crewman, Fre- weapon, but a character can acquire a – Samuel Taylor Coleridge, ight Handling, Knot-Tying, Mete- new Weapon Bond in play. “Kubla Khan” orology, Navigation, Shiphandling. 10 You can have a bond to a weapon points/level. of Fine or Very Fine quality, or even to Code of Honor Master Builder: Architecture, one of Cheap quality. The price paid see p. B127 Carpentry, Engineer, Forced Entry, for the weapon reflects the quality but Code of Honor (Highwayman’s): Masonry. 5 points/level. not your special bond with it. This resembles the Gentleman’s Code of Honor, but permits robbery, usually only of those with different political or religious beliefs. Victims deserve cour- teous treatment, which may include Ally or Asset? returning goods to those who turn out A medieval knight’s main skill is mounted combat; he rides a horse of to be on the same side as the high- a special heavy breed, trained for battle. Such a horse can be a charac- wayman. -5 points. ter and bought as an Ally during the creation of the knight. On the other hand, it also has a price – so it could be starting wealth or Signature Not all highwaymen have this Code Gear. Which way is best? The same question arises for other tame ani- of Honor; many are rude, even to mals and for inanimate objects such as vehicles. ladies, or are willing to rob anyone An animal that’s used purely for transportation, carrying a rider or with money or portable assets. baggage or hauling a vehicle, is normally bought out of starting wealth. Such transportation is cheap, and adventurers probably can afford it. A Dependency mount trained for the battlefield, especially a knight’s warhorse, will be see pp. B130-131 much more expensive. An adventurer whose character concept turns on Many magical creatures have a mounted combat might acquire his warhorse as Signature Gear. The Dependency on mana. In a fantasy same is true of any animal that’s an unusually fine specimen of its breed. campaign, this is usually Very All these animals are just animate equipment, though they may be very Common (-5 points). expensive equipment. If their owner puts more value on a beast, having Spirits, and other supernatural a personal bond with it, and especially if the animal is loyal or has beings, are often bound to a specific extraordinary qualities, buy it as an Ally. An animal of a species that isn’t place. The base value of the normally tamed or trained, and that can’t be bought in the market, must Dependency reflects the size of the be an Ally. place. An entire physical realm, such as the land or the oceans or the underworld, is Very Common (-5 points). An

132 CHARACTERS environment, such as desert or jungle, or a continent or country is Common (-10 points). A small physical region, Magical Afflictions such as an island, mountain, or river, Both in folklore and in fiction, magery and other supernatural talents or a political region such as a county such as shamanism and prophecy often link to more visible traits – or large city, is Occasional (-20 points); sometimes harmful and sometimes just noticeable. Players may wish to as a rule of thumb, any area that can follow this concept in creating characters. Suitable traits for a gifted be crossed in a day counts. A single character include Addiction to a hallucinogen, Chronic Pain (migraines), site, such as a specific tree or building, Epilepsy, Klutz, Nightmares (especially for soothsayers), Voices, is Rare (-30 points). Weirdness Magnet, and Distinctive Features (red hair is popular in Celtic-influenced settings). Blindness is traditional for bards. Magically Dread gifted people may also assume the role of the opposite sex, openly (see see pp. B132-133 Berdaches, p. 57) or in secret, or prefer same-sex relationships. Whether this is a disadvantage depends on the attitudes held by their cultures. Some vampires, lycanthropes, and other undead suffer the effects of Dread only when a crucifix is actually shown to them; they can’t sense a con- Dead: You were once a human Temperature Tolerance 10 [10]; cealed one. A new limitation repre- being or a member of another sapient Unaging [15]. Supernatural Features sents this: race. Now your life has ended. Either (No Body Heat, Pallor) [-15]. Features: you’re visibly not living, or your death Sterile. Some intact corpses have the Insensitive. You show the usual is on record and can be verified if any- Feature “Will become a rotting response to Dread when you actually one checks your identity. You have no corpse,” but others are mystically pre- seen the object you dread, but you legal right to own property; your heirs served. 95 points. can’t sense it if it’s hidden under cloth- can take possession of your worldly Rotting Undead: The dead person’s ing or inside a container. -50%. goods. If you attempt social interac- body had time to decay before revival, Dread with the Insensitive limitation with the living, they react to you or (in some versions) decayed after tion does not depend on the wielder of at -4; those who encounter you unex- revival. Doesn’t Breathe [20]; Doesn’t the object having True Faith. pectedly must make Fright Checks. Eat or Drink [10]; High Pain -20 points. Threshold [10]; Immunity to Sense of Duty Metabolic Hazards [30]; Injury see p. B153 Tolerance (No Blood, Unliving) [25]; A supernatural being may have a NEW Temperature Tolerance 10 [10]; duty, not to a single species or mem- Unaging [15]. Appearance (Mon- ber of a species, but to all the living META-TRAITS strous; Universal, +25%) [-25]; Bad things in a certain place, or even to the The following combinations of Smell [-10]; No Sense of Smell/Taste place itself; the dryad of a sacred grove existing advantages and disadvantages [-5]; Sexless [-1]; Social Stigma (Dead) may feel a duty to guard and protect can be useful in creating fantasy races [-20]. Features: Sterile, Will become a that grove. If this applies to all the life or characters, in addition to those list- skeleton. 59 points. in the area, it’s worth -10 points for a ed on pp. B262-263. They are listed on Skeletal Undead: The dead person’s small area or -15 for a large one; if it character sheets as single advantages flesh has mostly or entirely rotted only applies to some species (for or disadvantages, to save space. away; only the bones and teeth example, it might exclude sapient remain, held together by scraps of beings), reduce this to -5 and -10. Corporeal Undead Traits dried tendons or unseen magic. He’s The corporeal undead are the light and fast-moving, but somewhat Social Stigma material remains of the dead, reani- breakable. Basic Speed+1 [20]; see pp. B155-156 mated by some means, usually super- Doesn’t Breathe [20]; Doesn’t Eat or natural. Most corporeal undead have Drink [10]; DR 2 [10]; High Pain Certain creatures, such as rats, either Unhealing (Partial) or Threshold [10]; Immunity to roaches, and spiders, have a distinc- Unhealing (Total); choose one for the Metabolic Hazards [30]; Injury tive kind of social stigma (see Wugs, racial template. Enhanced ST and HP Tolerance (No Blood, No Brain, No p. 59): are also common racial traits, and Eyes, No Vitals, Unliving) [40]; Vermin: You are regarded, not as many corporeal undead have Temperature Tolerance 10 [10]; dangerous, but as creepy and disgust- Disturbing Voice or are Mute. Several Unaging [15]; Vacuum Support [5]. ing: -2 on all reaction rolls. People will meta-traits are possible, depending on Appearance (Monstrous; Universal, be reluctant to touch you and will be the condition of the body: +25%) [- 25]; Fragile (Brittle) [-15]; No Sense of Smell/Taste [-5]; Skinny [-5]; disturbed if you touch them unexpect- Intact Undead: The dead person Social Stigma (Dead) [-20]; edly. No one will object if they try to recently died and has not decayed sig- Vulnerability (Crushing Attacks, ¥2) kill you. -15 points. nificantly. Doesn’t Breathe [20]; High [-30]; Cannot Float [-1]; Sexless [-1]. Pain Threshold [10]; Immunity to Certain monsters, and even some Features: Skull has only 2 total DR, Metabolic Hazards [30]; Injury characters, have another distinctive Sterile. 68 points. Tolerance (No Blood, Unliving) [25]; social stigma:

CHARACTERS 133 Mummified Undead: Whether by artificial preservation or exposure to a dry natural environment, the dead Every living thing, or even every stream and person dried out instead of rotting. boulder, may have its own spirit; every spell may The resulting dried tissues catch fire easily, the major vulnerability of this require the aid of a spirit. type of corporeal undead. Doesn’t Breathe [20]; Doesn’t Eat or Drink Difficult Speech: [10]; High Pain Threshold [10]; You can talk to drops to 19 points, and the cost of Not Immunity to Metabolic Hazards [30]; physical beings while in your spirit Mute to 20 points. The costs of Injury Tolerance (No Blood, No form, but it takes a substantial effort: Apparition and Phantasm stay the 21 points. Brains, No Vitals, Unliving) [35]; 1 FP/minute of speech. same. Not Mute: You can talk to physical Temperature Tolerance 10 [10]; Other Abilities Unaging [15]. Appearance (Mon- beings freely while in your spirit form. 22 points. Some spirits have other powers strous; Universal, +25%) [-25]; Fragile that enable them to affect the physical (Combustible) [-5]; Social Stigma Note: The Astral Entity meta-trait world: possessing the bodies of mor- (Dead) [-20]. Features: Sterile. 80 amounts to Unmanifested Spirit [149] tals, manipulating physical objects, points. and Not Mute [22]. casting spells, or using magical or other powers. A spirit that can tem- Spirit Traits Visibility porarily possess a mortal simply has To create a spirit that can show In a fantasy setting, spirits may be Possession (Spiritual, -20%) [80]. This itself to mortals, take one of the fol- nearly everywhere. Every living thing, does not need definition as a meta- lowing traits: or even every stream and boulder, may trait; it already is a single trait. For the have its own spirit; every spell may Apparition: You can become visi- other two abilities, use the following require the aid of a spirit. But most ble, but with great effort; each second meta-traits: spirits are completely imperceptible, of visibility costs 1 FP. Invisibility Magical Spirit: You are capable of except to other spirits and specially (Usually On, +5%; Substantial Only, affecting the physical world through gifted mortals. A spirit of this kind -10%) [38] replaces Invisibility magic, psionics, or spiritual powers. would have the following meta-trait: (Substantial Only, -10%) [36]. 2 points. Insubstantiality (Affects Substantial, Phantasm: You can become visible Unmanifested Spirit: You are a +100%; Always On, -50%) [120] when you like, as long as you like. completely immaterial entity. You can replaces Insubstantiality (Always On, Invisibility (Switchable, +10%; perceive the physical world, but you -50%) [40]. 80 points. Substantial Only, -10%) [40] replaces can’t affect it in any way, and you’re Poltergeist: You can move small Invisibility (Substantial Only, -10%) undetectable to normal physical sens- physical objects around while imma- [36]. 4 points. es. Your continued existence does not terial. To do this you must also have depend on anything physical, and you Materialization Magical Spirit. Buy as Telekinesis are immune to physical harm. Doesn’t To create a spirit that can have (Melee Attack, reach C, 1, -20%) Breathe [20]; Doesn’t Eat or Drink assume a physical body, take one of [4/level]. [10]; Doesn’t Sleep [20]; Immunity to the following meta-traits: Metabolic Hazards [30]; Insubstan- tiality (Always On, -50%) [40]; Materialization: You can form a SKILLS Invisibility (Substantial Only, -10%) physical body for yourself, for a limit- [36]; Unaging [15]; and Mute ed time. This has two versions. In the Area Knowledge (Substantial Only, -10%) [-22]. 149 (1 FP/second) version, Insubstantiality see pp. B176-177 points. (Usually On, -40%) [48] replaces Characters may have Area Insubstantiality (Always On, -50%) Knowledge of one or more magical Note: This meta-trait is nearly the [40], Invisibility (Substantial Only, same as Astral Entity (p. B263), except realms. Boundaries often have only a -10%; Only in Spirit Form, -10%) [32] vague or undefined “extent” in any that the spirit also cannot speak to replaces Invisibility (Substantial Only, material beings. physical sense, so classify realms by -10%) [36], and Mute (Substantial the number of beings inhabiting them. To create a spirit that can interact Only, -10%; Only in Spirit Form, -10%) Mount Olympus would be compara- with the material world in various [-20] replaces Mute (Substantial Only, ble to a city; the Christian Hell would ways, take Unmanifested Spirit and -10%) [-22]. 6 points. In the (1 be comparable to a planet – usually one or more additional meta-traits FP/minute) version, Insubstantiality the largest “area” a fantasy campaign from the following sets. (Difficult Materialization, -20%) [64] will contain. is the replacement for Insubstantiality Speech In general, inhabitants of the (Always On, -50%) [40]; the other two material world have no Area To create a spirit that can talk to replacements are the same. 22 points. mortals, take one of the following Knowledge default for magical meta-traits: If you have either of these meta- realms. If the magical realm is “close traits, the cost of Difficult Speech to” the material world and shares its

134 CHARACTERS major geographical features, an Area gossip; visits from traveling bards are Hazardous Materials/TL Knowledge roll will provide knowl- the equivalent of subscribing to a see p. B199 edge of those purely physical features. news service. In a setting with occasional traffic Within a city, especially a large city, Fantasy settings, especially dark between different planes or magical apply the usual -1 per day for news of fantasy settings, have some very realms, people in the material world civic events. unusual hazardous materials. In such will have Area Knowledge of the a world, anyone with this skill has a entire system. This knowledge is com- Enthrallment chance to recognize spoiled potions, parable to that of an interplanetary see pp. B191-192 alchemical waste, magically contami- state, with knowledge of each plane nated or accursed objects, carcasses At the GM’s option, Dancing or of unnatural monsters, and the being comparable to that of a planet. Erotic Art may substitute for Public In a Scandinavian fantasy setting, for like. This ordinarily depends on the Speaking as prerequisites for the physical senses, but Magery 0 allows example, characters might have Area Enthrallment skills. Knowledge of the Nine Worlds. detection of purely supernatural If the material world has magical Expert Skill “wrongness.” features, such as varying mana levels, see pp. B193-194 Linguistics Area Knowledge will include them for In nonliterate societies, a new anyone with Magery 0. see p. B205 expert skill is needed: In a fantasy setting, Linguistics Combat Art or Sport Bardic Lore: Knowledge of poems may have a new required specializa- see p. B184 not for their literary value, but for the tion: Linguistics (Animal). It confers In a decadent empire, especially information they contain. Study the same benefits for animal lan- one with an introverted imperial court Literature teaches the good stories guages that the usual form of (see Imperial Capitals, p. 96), aristo- and persuasive love songs. Substitutes Linguistics confers for human lan- crats may study highly formalized for Research in a nonliterate society. guages. This skill is only available with combat techniques for executing Can substitute for Diagnosis, GM permission. Mimicry-12, special- impressive formal drills, stylized Geography (Regional), History, Law, ized in Animal Sounds or Bird Calls, duels, or practicing meditative rituals, Naturalist, Occultism, or Theology. or an appropriate form of the Mimicry but not for staying alive on the battle- advantage, is a prerequisite. field. This can fit a low fantasy cam- Fortune-Telling paign, with an aristocratic hero learn- see p. B196 Pharmacy/TL ing to survive on the frontier, or a light In a setting with working magic, see p. B213 fantasy campaign, where a clash of some forms of fortune-telling may Paracelsus experimented with the styles leads to entertaining mishaps. provide real knowledge of the future, medicinal use of inorganic substances distant events, or hidden truths. This such as arsenic and mercury during Criminology/TL creates an entirely different skill than the Renaissance (TL4), and the roots see p. B186 the psychologically based readings of of his work go back to medieval al- In a setting where black magic, nonmagical settings, though it uses chemy. A GM can define this as an curses, human sacrifice, or the like are the same techniques, such as astrolo- early form of Pharmacy (Synthetic). common, Criminology has a separate gy or feng shui; see Soothsaying required specialization dealing with (p. 150). Riding them: Criminology (Occult). Occult see p. B217 and conventional criminology default Games Riding horses became widespread to each other at -4. A conventional see p. B197 at TL2, but the stirrup was not in com- criminologist who fails his occult In a chivalric setting, tournaments mon use until TL3. Riding with and Criminology roll while investigating a count as sporting events, and learning without stirrups are different familiar- magical crime – but who would have their rules counts as a specialization ities within the skill of Riding: Horse succeeded at a conventional Crimi- of Games skill. (see p. B217). They default to each nology roll – will recognize that he If dueling is either legal or custom- other at -3 . . . the usual -2 and an extra needs to call in a specialist, and vice ary, knowledge of its rules is also a -1 from what amounts to a TL differ- versa for an occult Criminologist. specialization of Games skill. Usually ence. Stirrupless riders cannot use the not identical to the rules for purely Lance skill. For more information, see Current Affairs/TL sporting events, the two skills default p. 220 in Roma Arcana. see pp. B186-187 to each other at -3. In many fantasy settings, news In a milieu where wizards fight Savoir-Faire travels slowly. Apply the -1 penalty magical duels, knowing the rules for see p. B218 per week instead of per day. such contests is a possible specializa- If mages frequently spend time Knowledge obtained from a Current tion of this skill. It does not grant any with other mages, this skill has an Affairs roll will be much less current. expertise with casting spells. additional specialization: The standard news medium is local

CHARACTERS 135 Magical: You can judge another instance, if you had Bow-13 and Learned by thieves, this technique mage’s rank in magical society, and Chariot Archery-11, the penalties for involves grasping a purse or other know what degree of deference he archery from a moving vehicle would small item in one hand and cutting should receive and how to show it. If never reduce your skill below 11, through its strings or cord with the mages fight magical duels, you know before other modifiers. other. If successfully executed, it the social protocol of such a duel. leaves the purse in the thief’s posses- Relative standing is based on Magical Hang From Saddle sion. The GM makes a Per roll for the Rank (p. 130), if it exists; otherwise, Hard victim. If the Purse Cutting roll’s mar- on IQ+Magery. Default: Riding-3. gin of success is greater than that for Prerequisite: Riding; cannot exceed the Per roll, the victim remains Thrown Weapon Riding skill -1. unaware of the theft. see p. B226 This is the trick riding feat of hang- In fantasy settings, another special- Sharp Turn ing sideways from one side of a ization may be available: Hard mount, so that most of the body is not Default: Teamster-1. Disc: A flat, circular missile, exposed to fire from the other side Prerequisite: Teamster; cannot thrown with a spinning motion, such (p. B397). This is always slightly more exceed Teamster skill level. as the Roman discus or the Indian difficult than riding while upright and chakram. facing forward. Charioteers use this technique to avoid the penalty for 120º turns. At top No-Hands Riding speed, a chariot has a turning radius NEW Hard of 2 yards; that is, a charioteer can TECHNIQUES Default: Riding-3. execute a 60º turn after moving 2 Prerequisite: Riding; cannot exceed yards. A sharp turn increases this to a Riding skill level. 120º turn (or a 60º turn after a yard). Chariot Archery Making a sharp turn requires a roll vs. Hard This skill controls a horse or other Teamster-1 (see Pushing the Envelope, Default: Bow-6. suitable mount without reins, bridle, p. B395). After learning this tech- Prerequisites: Bow; cannot exceed or bit, communicating with it through nique, a charioteer can make such Bow skill. posture shifts and knee pressure. It turns without penalty. substitutes for Riding skill for this This technique lets you use a bow type of riding. effectively while riding in a chariot or Shoot Backward other wheeled vehicle. The modifiers Purse Cutting Hard Default: Bow-4. for firing while moving (p. B397) can Hard never reduce your Bow skill below Prerequisites: Riding and Bow; can- Default: Knife-5. your Chariot Archery level. (Other not exceed Bow skill level. Prerequisite: Knife. penalties apply normally.) For This skill allows shooting at a target to the rear while twisting in the saddle of a mount. It does not aid in controlling the mount; roll vs. Riding-1 for that. Shoot Over Mount Hard Default: Bow-4. Prerequisites: Riding and Bow; cannot exceed Bow skill level. This skill allows shooting over (or under) a mount while bending or hanging over one side, to hit a foe on the far side. It does not aid in controlling the mount; roll vs. Riding-3 or Hang from Saddle (above) for that.

136 CHARACTERS Skills and Size Modifiers Making arms or armor for members of larger or such customers can overcome this difficulty; treat smaller races is a challenge for an armorer; the fit, each new SM as a new Familiarity. balance, and other qualities need adjustment in ways Using weapons designed for members of larger or that may not be obvious. Effective Armoury skill is at smaller races is also harder: -2 to weapons skill per -1 per point of difference in SM between the two point of difference in SM. If the penalty is -10 or races. A man making a sword for a halfling (SM -2) greater, the weapon is simply not usable. This is in would roll against Armoury-2, and so would a halfling addition to any problems with required ST. The same making a sword for a man! The same applies to vari- applies to using tools or other gear. These penalties ous other crafts and design skills: Architecture, reflect sheer difference in physical size and cannot be Sewing, and even Cooking. Experience in working for bought off (except by changing size).

WEALTH AND STATUS In most fantasy campaigns, eco- In some fantasy settings, precious Industrial Revolution, the first was nomic transactions aren’t the main metal seems much more common. more common, especially in rural focus. Money is simply an important Kings hand out purses filled with gold, areas. limit on what equipment adventurers and treasures contain vast amounts of Historical fantasy settings often can have (see Equipment, p. 140), a it – a dragon may use his hoard as a have a triangular pattern of wealth. payoff for their adventures, and the bed. In such a world, the purchasing Most people are peasants, with a Status price of a visit to the local tavern. In a power of gold and silver is much lower. -1 standard of living. Smaller numbers campaign whose characters are active- The $ represents an ounce of silver, and of people are at Status 0 or higher. ly involved in the life of a community, a one-ounce gold piece is worth $20. Status 0 is still “average,” but that aver- instead of just passing through, their Depending on how important his- age includes a few incredibly rich peo- wealth and income mainly reflect their torical flavor is to the campaign, GMs ple and many poor ones. Being Status 0 social position and maintain their sta- can quote prices in $, silver pieces, pen- makes adventurers better off than most tus. The rules in this section fit that nies, or the historical or invented name people. approach. for some commonly used coin. GMs A higher-TL society may have a dia- who want a lot of flavor can use histor- mond pattern of wealth. Most people ical ratios, such as the medieval 240 are average citizens, with a Status 0 CURRENCY pennies = 20 shillings = 1 pound (still standard of living. Roughly equal num- used in Great Britain until the late 20th bers of people have lower and higher AND PRICES century) or Roman coinage (p. 221). Status. Being Status 0 puts adventurers In GURPS, the standard unit of cur- on the same level as most other people. rency is always written “$.” This doesn’t In some fantasy societies, magic can mean that people in a campaign world STATUS AND improve most people’s fortunes enough actually quote prices in dollars. The to produce this pattern of wealth; see dollar may equal any actual coin, COST OF LIVING Magic and Technology (p. 64). weight of precious metal or other com- In GURPS, cost of living defines The majority of a peasant farmer’s modity the GM determines. Status. GMs may understand this in “income” is food he grows on his own Most fantasy settings have gold and two different ways. In one approach, a farm and eats himself. Out of $300 cost silver coinage. GURPS offers two stan- person is born into a Status, and that of living, from $150 to $250 is food. dard treatments of such coinage. gives him the obligation to maintain a From 50% to 80% of this is starch: In a realistic historical economy, a certain standard of living. If his income wheat, rice, maize, or another grain, or pound of silver is worth $1,000. A typi- isn’t sufficient, he can borrow money potatoes, yams, or another root. cal system of coinage uses silver pen- (acquiring a Debt), sell his possessions, Vegetables, fruits, and dairy products nies, smaller than an American dime put on a show of wealth he doesn’t have add a little flavor and nutrition; meat is and worth $4, and brass or copper far- (acquiring a Secret) or be disgraced a luxury. What’s left over pays for fuel, things, worth $1. If pockets haven’t (acquiring a bad Reputation), but he clothing, rent, taxes, tithes, and occa- been invented, people may carry coins won’t lose his Status. In the other, a per- sional entertainment or emergencies. in their mouths. Gold averages 20 times son spends money on the cost of living People at higher Status eat a more var- as valuable as silver, but most people for a Status and acquires that Status. If ied diet and have more to spend on never see gold coins. A lord or king can he doesn’t spend enough, his Status things other than food. People at lower become famous as a “ring-giver” for drops. In most civilizations, the two Status wear shabby clothes and some- rewarding his followers with gold rings. approaches coexist, but before the times go hungry.

CHARACTERS 137 organization, or community and receive payment for the time they make available. In all three sorts of job, the income from the job depends on meeting some set of requirements. In GURPS, several features define each job: the skills or other qualifica- tions that must be met to have the job; the success roll that determines how well the job is performed; the monthly earnings from the job; and the Wealth level of the job. On a salaried job, income is unaffected by ordinary success or failure; on a freelance job, each point of success or failure increases or decreases income by 10%. In a campaign, most jobs use occupational templates, and most templates have job descriptions attached; see the templates earlier in this chapter for examples. Non- adventuring jobs don’t require such detailed description. However, some adventurers may hold such jobs when not adventuring, and other people around them certainly have these jobs. Here is a short list of jobs of this wife and children; Status -1 men can Life in the Big City type for a typical historical fantasy marry only if their wives continue to Transportation is expensive at TL1- setting. (The income levels are for work. 4. (Magic may provide cheaper trans- TL3 settings; adjust them up or down A man without a wife has lower liv- portation; if it does, the resulting soci- for TL1, 2, or 4.) ety will look more like the modern ing expenses. As a rough average, he world.) Getting food from the farm to may need only half as much to sup- Armorer the city raises its cost substantially; port himself. But he isn’t really getting The job of armorer can serve as a doubled prices are not uncommon. the same quality of life. Running a model for most highly skilled artisan Since food constitutes the biggest part household demands heavy work, or jobs with specialized clienteles. of cost of living, city people have a constant supervision of servants. Men Armorers specialize in one kind of higher cost of living. aren’t trained to do this, and working weapon or armor (see p. B178). The The simplest way to define this is men are too busy. An unmarried man Jeweler skill enables them to decorate as higher Status; the average city eats poorer food and has no one to their wares for rich buyers. care for him if he falls ill. Supporting dweller is Status 0 instead of Status -1. Prerequisites: Armoury 14+; This doesn’t mean he eats any better a wife is costly, but it brings a higher standard of living. Jeweler 11+. than the Status -1 peasant. He may eat Job Roll: Armoury. On critical fail- worse. But he eats inside city walls. He ure, gain -1 Reputation for low-quality may have a larger choice of occupa- INCOME work. tions, or work that is more interesting; In terms of game mechanics, Monthly Pay: $1,000. Adjusted for he certainly has a larger selection of GURPS has three basic sources of margin of success or failure. things to buy and sell, and surround- income: work; investment income and Wealth Level: Comfortable. ings that are more interesting. grants; and profits from sales. Supports Status 1. Supporting a Family Beggar In societies at TL1-4, nearly every- Jobs Beggars get “paid” by persuading Jobs can be defined in various one marries. Those who don’t are other people to give them money, ways. Small farmers and tribal mostly slaves, bitterly poor free men, using such methods as displaying a hunters produce things mainly for or people with religious vows. In the physical disadvantage or telling a their own use, performing whatever country, the cost of living for Status -1 story of hardship – or, sometimes, sell- tasks this requires. Craftsmen and includes supporting a wife and chil- ing information. City beggars usually professionals provide for other peo- dren. A man with less is usually con- have favorite locations on the streets; ple’s needs and receive payment from sidered too poor to marry. In the city, country beggars often roam from vil- the people they serve. Servants and because of the high price of food, a lage to village. officials work for a specific person, man needs to be Status 0 to support a

138 CHARACTERS Prerequisites: Status -2 or lower. income (1d ¥ 10)% for six months; (2) Wealth Level: Average. Supports Job Roll: Streeetwise. On critical one draft animal (ox, donkey, or Status 0. failure, beaten severely, suffering 2d horse) dies and must be replaced. hits. Monthly Pay: $300. Adjusted for Priest Monthly Pay: $150. Adjusted for margin of success or failure. A priest’s job is to serve his god and margin of success or failure. Wealth Level: Struggling. Supports lead his community in worship. He Wealth Level: Poor. Supports Status Status -1. isn’t supposed to be openly commer- -2. cial about it. Most priestly incomes Fisherman take the form of regular salaries. A Barmaid A coastal salt-water fisherman priest who’s paid a fee for each cere- Barmaids fetch drinks for tavern rows or sails out to sea every morning mony, or who depends on inspiring customers, clean empty tables, and and brings his catch in every evening. worshippers to generosity, may have sometimes work in the kitchen, but He sells most of it, or his wife does. earnings influenced by his margin of their real job is influencing the cus- success or failure. Prerequisites: Boating 12+; Fishing tomers to spend more and come back. 12+; HT 10+. Prerequisites: Religious Ritual 12+; Much of their income is in tips. Job Roll: Worse of Boating or Theology 11+. Prerequisites: Savoir-Faire Fishing. On critical failure, boat is lost Job Roll: Religious Ritual. On criti- (Servant) 11+ or Sex Appeal 11+. in a storm and needs replacement. cal failure, removed from position for Job Roll: Prerequisite skill. On crit- Monthly Pay: $300. Adjusted for blasphemy, heresy, or impiety. ical failure, job is lost. margin of success or failure. Monthly Pay: $1,500. Monthly Pay: $360. Adjusted for Wealth Level: Struggling. Supports Wealth Level: Comfortable. margin of success or failure. Status -1. Supports Status 1. Wealth Level: Struggling. Supports Status -1. Lackey Smith An unmarried gentleman, or a This job can serve as a model for Courtier married one away from his family, most artisan jobs. In medieval and A courtier spends most of his time needs someone to do housework. later societies, a smith makes much in court, attending his king, queen, or That’s the lackey’s job. Laziness, harm- of his money shoeing horses, but his emperor. His earnings come from the less incompetence, crude jokes, and skills also cover metalworking in estate the ruler has granted him, but giving way to fear when his master has general. he doesn’t actually live at his estate. to be brave are a lackey’s fringe bene- Prerequisites: Smith 12+; ST 12+. Losing the ruler’s favor could mean fits. This is a salaried job, in theory, Job Roll: Smith. On critical failure, losing his land and all the income it but the pay can be irregular. injured on job, suffering 1d hits as produces. Prerequisites: Savoir-Faire (Servant) burns (from hot metal) or crushing Prerequisites: Savoir-Faire 14+; 12+. damage (from being kicked by a Status 3+. Job Roll: Savoir-Faire (Servant). On horse). Job Roll: Savoir-Faire. On critical critical failure, beaten, suffering 1d Monthly Pay: $600. Adjusted for failure, lose favor of ruler; Status hits. margin of success or failure. decreases by 1 and must leave court. Monthly Pay: $350. Wealth Level: Average. Supports Monthly Pay: $13,500. Wealth Level: Struggling. Supports Status 0. Wealth Level: Very Wealthy. Status -1. Supports Status 3. Tavernkeeper Mercenary The tavernkeeper pours the drinks Farmer Warriors of many sorts could end that the barmaid serves. Most of his Small farmers’ lives fall in between up in a “free company,” fighting for customers are probably regulars, but rich landowners with large estates and pay. They have no fixed loyalties, but he has to know how to deal with poor laborers with no land. They often travel from war to war, serving strangers as well. Innkeepers do a sim- raise one main crop for the market, whichever side pays the most. ilar job, but have Comfortable wealth but grow other crops and keep a few Honorable mercenaries will not and rooms and stable stalls to rent. animals for their own needs. Their betray their contracts or their com- Prerequisites: Bartender 12+; work schedule depends on the grow- panions. Several occupational tem- Psychology 11+. ing season; during harvest, they work plates could fit a character for this Job Roll: Worse prerequisite skill. to the point of exhaustion and still role: archer, barbarian, knight errant, On critical failure, tavern damaged by may not accomplish everything. If slayer, or even battle wizard. major brawl; lose 2¥ monthly income their crops fail, they go hungry. Prerequisites: Any weapon skill 12+; from costs of repair, lost sales during Prerequisites: Farming 12+; HT HT 10+. repairs, and fines to legal authorities. 10+. Job Roll: Weapon skill. On critical Monthly Pay: $650. Adjusted for Job Roll: Agronomy. On critical fail- failure, injured for 2d hits. margin of success or failure. ure, one of two things happens: (1) Monthly Pay: $700. Adjusted for Wealth Level: Average. Supports Crops fail because of blight, drought, margin of success or failure. Status 0. or infestation with vermin, reducing

CHARACTERS 139 Independent Income In GURPS, Independent Income includes any source of regular income other than working. In a fantasy setting, owning land, getting an allowance from one’s family, owning a house with rooms to rent, and living in a city that gives its citizens free food all count as Independent Income. Some require the recipient to spend a few hours a month collecting the income. This isn’t considered a job, as long as the time involved is modest, and as long as no job rolls are required. In most TL1-4 civilizations, owning land, especially farmland, is more respectable than any other form of wealth. It may be the only form of wealth that counts Sales and Profits may buy different trade goods for the toward Status. Adventurers may come into posses- return trip. If that’s not an option, he Feudal societies typically share sion of valuable objects during their can just take the money back – but he these attitudes, but the ruler grants adventures. The previous owners may needs to earn twice as much profit land in exchange for military service. be long dead, or the adventurers may from his merchandise to make the trip Instead of living at the royal court, get- kill them during the adventure. If worthwhile. ting paid in money, and buying what they’re still alive, the adventurers will To determine the outcome of a the land produces, the feudal lord lives have to break the loot up so that it sale, make a reaction roll for the buyer on the king’s land and gets a share of can’t be identified, or sell it to a fence or an influence roll for the seller. what it yields. As long as the ruler is who can do so. Peddlers, storekeepers, and other strong enough to take the land back Salable items can be personal pos- small traders usually make many sales and give it to someone else, the ruler sessions. A character who has lost his every month. Petty thieves may visit has Independent Income, which he job, or whose investments have failed, their fences every few days with new assigns to his followers to reward their may need to sell what he owns to pay loot. Treat this kind of sale as a free- service. If the lords can stay on the his expenses. This can be a dramatic lance job with a monthly job roll, land in defiance of the king, the lords scene, as a samurai sells his sword or instead of rolling for each transaction. have Independent Income. Similar a wealthy aristocrat parts with his art If the sale comes after a long and dan- arrangements may apply to courtiers collection. gerous journey, a carefully planned (feudal lords who actually live at A merchant may buy valuable theft, or a dungeon crawl – anything court) or priests whose churches have objects, take them someplace far away that could be treated as an adventure land or investment income. where they’re rare, and sell them for a – then a reaction or influence roll higher price. On some trade routes, he determines the proceeds of a sale. EQUIPMENT As a rule, characters can spend no “points for equipment” option. The GM equivalent to 10% of the standard start- more than 20% of their starting wealth may permit the exchange of one char- ing wealth for the campaign ($100 in a on adventuring gear ($200 for charac- acter point for cash or equipment medieval fantasy campaign), as speci- ters with average wealth in a typical fied on p. B26. medieval fantasy setting). The rest A suggested limit on the number of must be spent on land, shelter, furni- character points used in this way is 30 ture, heavy equipment, and other bulky points total. items. An exception may be made for What equipment is available is the anyone whose starting wealth is Poor, GM’s decision. For an average fantasy or for a wanderer with no fixed home, campaign, use the lists for the appro- such as a bard or knight errant. priate TL in the Basic Set. Alterna- To start adventurers off better tively, the GM may devise a new list for equipped, use the “points for cash” or a specific fantasy setting.

140 CHARACTERS Melee Weapon Table TL Weapon Damage Reach Parry Cost Weight ST Notes POLEARM (DX-5, Spear-4, Staff-4, or Two-Handed Axe/Mace-4) 1 Gaff thr-1 cut 2,3* 0U $100 7 10† [1] 3Fire Lance 1d-1 burn 3-5 -1U $50 5 9† [2, 3] SPEAR (DX-5, Polearm-4, or Staff-2) 2Trident thr+3 (0.5) imp 1 0U $40 5 10 – two-handed thr+4 (0.5) imp 1,2* 0 – – 10† –

if it’s too heavy to move. A Quick [2] A rocket tied to the end of a EXOTIC WEAPONS Contest of ST determines which of pole, with the exhaust used as a Ancient and medieval civilizations two animate opponents is pulled weapon; divide damage by 4 for each created some unusual weapons. Not toward the other. The hook also additional 2 yards of range. all were practical, but they can add inflicts 1 point/second of cutting dam- [3] Some fire lances have pieces of color to a historical fantasy campaign. age while pulling the target resisted by iron embedded in the powder; these [1] Primarily used by seamen; a DR; when this equals the target’s HP are not effective missiles but add 2 pi large hook that can catch hold of an or crippling damage for a limb, it has to damage at the normal reach. enemy vessel, a large fish, or a human cut through the target, freeing it to flee foe and pull it closer – or climb up it, or fall. Muscle-Powered Ranged Weapons Table TL Weapon Damage Acc Range Weight RoF Shots Cost ST Bulk Notes CROSSBOW (DX-4) 2 Repeating crossbow thr+2 imp 4 ¥ 15/¥ 20 10.6/0.6 1 10(20) $500 9 -5 [1] SPEAR THROWER (DX-5 or Thrown Weapon (Spear)-4) 0Woomera – – – 2 1 1(1) $40 – – [2] w. Spear sw+3 imp 2 ¥1.5/¥2 4 – – $40 7 -6 THROWN WEAPON (DISC) (DX-4) 2 Discus thr+2 cr 2 ¥ 4/¥ 6 2 1 1 $50 – -3 2 Chakram thr+1 cut 1 ¥ 1.5/¥ 2.5 2 1 1 $50 – -2 [1] The repeating crossbow has a such as ultra-light materials or extreme- animals pulling them, under the control magazine for its bolts; it requires cock- ly sophisticated, quasi-living structures. of their driver, who walks alongside. ing between shots (2 seconds) but does Such vehicles are the work of low-tech Carroballista: The first version of not need reloading until the magazine Gadgeteers, such as Daedalus, or of field artillery, used by the Roman is empty. races of brilliant artisans, such as the legions: a large scorpion (damage 6d+2 [2] The woomera is a true spear dwarves. see p. B268) mounted on a wheeled thrower, larger than the atlatl, which is See the Basic Set for several more base. Two mules pulled it. There is a dart or javelin thrower. It requires two vehicles appropriate to historical fanta- space in the body for 60 bolts. hands to ready, but only one hand to sy settings: the chariot (TL1), the Oxcart: The standard farm vehicle attack. wagon (TL3), the coach (TL4), the from TL1 through TL5 (though after canoe (TL0), the penteconter (TL2), TL3 it was supplemented by the horse- and the cog (TL3). VEHICLES drawn wagon). A yoke of oxen pull it, These few sample vehicles are useful Land Vehicles and the teamster walks alongside guid- in historical fantasy settings. Many have The table of land vehicles includes ing the oxen; there is no seat in the cart. historical prototypes; others come from some “vehicles” that have no steering A fully loaded cart travels at 2 mph for fiction, legend, or speculation about mechanisms, and often no interior no more than five hours/day. unrealized technological possibilities. occupants. The palanquin is “steered” Palanquin: A luxury vehicle for the Some are labeled as TL(n+1), if their by the men who are carrying it; the car- rich, carried about on the shoulders of designs include “fantastic” elements roballista and oxcart by the draft four strong men, usually slaves. Land Vehicles TL Vehicle ST/HP Hnd/SR HT Move LWt. Load SM Occ. DR Range Cost Locations Notes LIFTING 1 Palanquin 28† 0/1 12c 2/2 0.145t 0.1t +1 0+1 1 F $160 4D [1] TEAMSTER 1Oxcart 33† -3/3 12c 2/2* 0.6t 0.3t +1 0 1 F $250 2D, O, 2W [1] 2 Carroballista 30† -3/2 10c 1/4* 0.25t 0.05t +1 0 4 F $7,000 2D, 3W[1]

CHARACTERS 141 Water Vehicles TL Vehicle ST/HP Hnd/SR HT Move LWt. Load SM Occ. BOATING/TL (SAILBOAT) 2 Fishing boat (10’) 100† 0/2 12c 0.2/4 3.2t 2.2t +2 2 3+1 Elven sailboat (12’) 125† +2/1 12c 1.5/8 1.9t 1.2t +2 3 BOATING/TL (UNPOWERED) 1+1 Elven riverboat (12’) 70† +2/1 13c 0.05/3 0.425t 0.3t +2 2 3 Rowboat (15’) 90† 0/3 12c 0.1/3 1.65t 0.95t +2 6+1 SHIPHANDLING/TL (SHIP) 1Eicoseres (50’) 130† -3/2 11c 0.05/4 5t 2.8t +6 22 2Liburnian (60’) 180† -4/3 11c 0.1/4 13t 7t +6 60 2Trireme (120’) 290† -3/3 12c 0.1/5 27t 21t +8 186+14 3Crusader ship (118’) 450 -4/4 11c 0.1/5 600t 510t +8 72+50 3 Dhow (90’) 325† -3/2 11c 0.2/7 128t 94t +8 12 3Drakkar (150’) 330† -3/3 12c 0.2/5 60t 24t +8 70+70 3+1 Elven sailing ship (90’) 340† -2/4 13c 0.5/9 42t 27t +7 14 4 Pirate ship (75’) 370† -3/4 12c 0.03/3 64t 14t +7 43 4 Spanish galleon (150’) 680† -3/5 12c 0.2/7 930t 620t +8 80+120

[1] Draft animals are men for the bow and carries a squad of marines. [1] Propelled by paddling, with two palanquin, oxen for the oxcart, and Propulsion is usually by two rows of paddlers. mules for the carroballista. oarsmen on each side. [2] Using oars, with six rowers, Pirate Ship: A small sailing craft, fit three per side. Water Vehicles to operate in the Caribbean during the [3] Using oars, with 20 rowers. Most boats and ships in this table Age of Sail. It carries six 9-lb. cannon Under sail, Range –, Move 0.2/7 in fair have historical prototypes: at each side and a 3-lb. swivel gun wind. mounted on the stern rail. [4] Using oars, with 48 rowers in Crusader Ship: The ship that car- Rowboat: An oared watercraft, use- two rows. Under sail, Range –, Move ried many crusaders to the Holy Land ful for getting about on a river or in a 0.5/6 in fair wind. and brought supplies to their king- harbor. Larger seagoing ships will [5] Using oars, with 170 rowers in doms. A galley, rowed by slaves seated carry one or more of these for use in three rows. Under sail, Range –, Move side by side on its benches. running errands. Their use as lifeboats 0.3/6 in fair wind. Has a bronze ram Dhow: The classic Indian Ocean historically came much later. (+1/die collision damage). merchantman in which Arabian Spanish Galleon: An early 16th-cen- [6] Using a single square-rigged mariners such as Sinbad made their tury version of the classic Age of Sail sail. With all oars manned (15 oars on voyages. The design was distinctive, warship, based on the ships of the each side, two men per oar), Range F, with minimal framing members, hull Spanish Armada. Each side has two Move 0.04/1. planks held together edge to edge by 24-lb. guns, two 18-lb. guns, five 10-lb. [7] Using a single, very large lateen sewing, and a very large sail area. guns, and five 7-lb. guns. sail. Dhows could not carry enough crew Trireme: The standard warship of [8] Using a single square-rigged to make more than minor sail adjust- ancient Greece, with three rows of sail. With all oars manned (30 men on ments and did not attempt to tack; oarsmen on each side able to propel it each side), Range F, Move 0.25/3. instead, they followed the monsoon at high speed, and a ram at the prow [9] Using sails, in an advanced winds from west to east and then from to shear off other ships’ oars or even Bermuda and jib rig. Armed with a east to west. damage their hulls. Not designed for scorpion (see p. B268) mounted on a Drakkar: A large version of the clas- long sea voyages; typically put up on platform at the bow. sic Viking longships that terrorized the shore every night. Europe for centuries. Eicoseres: A smaller cousin of the In addition, three craft of elven Air Vehicles penteconter, designed to carry not make are listed; these have advanced TL Vehicle ST/HP goods or soldiers but transport mes- sail and hull designs and superior PILOTING/TL (GLIDER) lightness of construction. sages and important passengers. A 2Glider 20† galley with a single row of oars on Elven Riverboat: A two-man boat each side. PILOTING/TL (LIGHT AIRPLANE) suited to paddling up or down a river. Fishing Boat: A small sailing craft 4+1 Ornithopter 40 Elven Sailboat: A sailing craft with suitable for fishing on the open sea, or an advanced rig that has multiple tri- for a variety of other tasks. PILOTING/TL (LIGHTER-THAN-AIR) angular sails and room for a crew of Liburnian: A craft typical of the 1 Hot Air Balloon 27† three. Roman Empire’s fleet, assigned to Elven Sailing Ship: A moderately PILOTING/TL (LOW-G WINGS) patrolling the Rhine or the Danube. It large sailing ship with superb han- 1+1 Winged Harness 12† has a scorpion on a platform at the dling and a very large area of sail.

142 CHARACTERS DR Range Cost Locations Draft Notes

2– $1,200 M, O 2’ 4– $8,100 M, O 1.25’

1F $6,300 O 1’ [1] 2F $1,500 O 1’ [2]

3 F $5,900 M, O 3’ [3] 5 F $13,400 M, O 2’ [4] 10/5 F $56,700 M, O, Su 3’ [5] 5– $106,000 M, O, Su 7’ [6] 2– $27,000 M, O 5’ [7] 10 – $67,000 M, O 4’ [8] 10 – $108,000 2M,O, Su 4’ [9] [1] Must descend 1/8 yard/turn 10/5 – $110,000 M, O, Su 4’ [10] (Enhanced Move 3) to maintain 15 – $630,000 3M, 2Su 9’ [11] speed. For calculation of turning radius, Basic Move is 10. [2] Can use thermal updrafts to [10] Using sails, in a gaffsail and jib the pilots are ready to descend and be ascend. rig. Carries six 9-pound cannon per retrieved. [3] Powered by a clockwork engine side (see Vehicular Weapons, p. 144). Ornithopter: A creation of fantasy, made of high-strength spring steel. [11] Using sails, in a full-rigged this is an airplane with flapping Also has a ground move on unpow- configuration. Armed with two 24-lb. wings that generate both lift and ered small wheels, with thrust from guns, two 18-lb. guns, five 10-lb. thrust. Power comes from a clock- flapping its wings: Move 1/5, Hnd 0/1. guns, and five 7-lb. guns on each work engine made of high-quality [4] A hot air balloon loses lift as it side; typically carries 12 rounds of spring steel. cools; this low-tech version carries no ammunition per gun (a total of 24 Winged Harness: The means burner or fuel, but must land and rein- broadsides). Daedalus and Icarus used to escape flate after each day’s flight. their captivity in Crete: a pair of [5] Despite the name of the skill, Air Vehicles artificial wings strapped to the the winged harness is designed for use These aircraft are not historical, flier’s shoulders and powered by his in 1 G. but some might have been. muscles. Glider: A very early glider, effectively a manned kite. To launch it, several strong men raise it above their heads, Petards run toward a cliff edge or parapet, and The petard is a TL3-4 device for breaking down doors. It’s simply a heave. pot of black powder that can be spiked against a door or hooked over a Hot Air Balloon: Theoretically protrusion; once it’s in place, the engineer lights the fuse, jumps down, capable of being made by a late Stone and gets behind cover as quickly as possible. A typical petard would Age empire, this balloon has a leather weigh 8 lbs., cost $16, and cause 6d ¥ 8 exp damage. bag inflated with the smoke from a large fire. Once released from its For ’tis the sport to have the engineer moorings, it drafts on the wind until Hoist with his own petard. – William Shakespeare, Hamlet

Hnd/SR HT Move LWt. Load SM Occ. DR Range Cost Locations Stal Notes

0/2 10c 5/20 0.16t 0.1t +4 1 1 – $850 Wi 5 [1, 2]

0/2 9c 1/17 0.65t 0.1t +4 1 1 17 $33,500 3W,Wi 5 [3]

–/3 11 0/0 0.35t 0.2t +9 1+1 0/1 12 $75 Go 0 [4]

-1/1 10c 1/5 0.115t 0.1t +4 1 1 F $2,500 O, Wi 5 [5]

CHARACTERS 143 VEHICULAR WEAPONS Vehicles may carry a variety of prevalent: catapults (mechanical p. 141, for the fire lance, another weapons heavier than one man can artillery), pyrotechnic weapons, and pyrotechnic weapon.) transport. Three main groups are guns. (See also Exotic Weapons, Catapults TL Weapon Damage Acc Range Weight ARTILLERY (CATAPULT) (IQ-5, or other Artillery at -4) 2Onager 18d cr 2 270/330 4,500/15 3Trebuchet 63d+63 cr 1 370/460 45,000/60 3Trebuchet 123d+123 cr 1 590/740 180,000/120 GUNNER (CATAPULT) (DX-4, or other Gunner at -4) 2 Scorpion 5d imp 3 415/520 110/0.9 2 Scorpion 6d+2 imp 6 430/540 200/1.6 Pyrotechnics TL Weapon Damage Acc Range Weight GUNNER (ROCKET) (DX-4, or other Gunner at -4) 3 Rocket (2”) 4d+2 cr 9 150/250 0/4 –– 6d exp – – – –– spcl. – – – 3 Rocket (4”) 9d cr 9 150/2,000 0/32 –– 6d ¥ 8 exp – – – –– spcl. – – – LIQUID PROJECTOR (FLAMETHROWER) (DX-4, or other Liquid Projector at -4) 3Fire Siphon 1d burn 5 15/22 670/120

[1] Releases an intense burst of light that illuminates a radius of 190 yards for the 2” rocket or 760 yards for the 4” rocket. Bombards and Cannon TL Weapon Damage Acc Range Weight ARTILLERY (CANNON) (IQ-5, or other Artillery at -4) 3Bombard, 9” 6d ¥4(0.25) pi++ 1 400/1,500 4,600/41 3Bombard, 18” 6d ¥8(0.5) pi++ 1 560/2,100 36,000/330 3Bombard, 36” 6d ¥17(0.25) pi++ 1 800/3,000 290,000/2,600 GUNNER (CANNON) (IQ-5, or other Artillery at -4) 4 Ship’s Gun, 7 lb. 13d¥ pi++ 2 260/980 2,750/9.3 – with Chainshot 17d(0.5) cut 1 130/490 – – with Grapeshot 2d-1 pi++ 2 43/160 – 4 Ship’s Gun, 9 lb. 6d¥3 pi++ 2 270/1,000 3,580/12 – with Chainshot 6d¥3 (0.5) cut 1 140/500 – – with Grapeshot 2d pi++ 2 45/170 – 4 Ship’s Gun, 10 lb. 6d¥3 pi++ 2 280/1,000 3,890/13.3 – with Chainshot 6d¥3(0.5) cut 1 140/500 – – with Grapeshot 2d pi++ 2 47/170 – 4 Ship’s Gun, 18 lb. 6d¥4 pi++ 2 300/1,100 7,030/24 – with Chainshot 6d¥4(0.5) cut 1 150/550 – – with Grapeshot 2d+1 pi++ 2 50/180 – 4 Ship’s Gun, 24 lb. 6d¥4 pi++ 2 320/1200 9,540/32 – with Chainshot 6d¥4(0.5) cut 1 160/600 – – with Grapeshot 2d+2 pi++ 2 53/200 – 4 Swivel Gun, 3 lb. 10d+2 pi++ 1 190/700 315/2.7 – with Grapeshot 1d – 32/120 315/2.7

144 CHARACTERS [1] A breechloading gun made of Fires stone shot. Requires a crew of [4] A muzzle-loading gun made of wrought iron, with a fixed mount. six. cast iron, with a carriage. Requires a Fires stone shot. Requires a crew of [3] A breechloading gun made of crew of six. two. wrought iron, with a fixed mount. [5] A muzzle-loading gun made of [2] A breechloading gun made of Fires stone shot. Requires a crew of cast iron, with a carriage. Requires a wrought iron, with a fixed mount. 42. crew of eight.

RoF Shots ST Bulk Rcl Cost LC

1 1(60) M -10 – $14,000 1 1 1(240) M -10 – $95,000 1 1 1(360) M -10 – $360,000 1

1 1(30) 45M† -10 – $5,000 2 1 1(35) 65M† -10 – $5,200 2

RoF Shots ST Bulk Rcl Cost LC Notes

11–-10 – $4 1 –––––$50 –––––$51 [1] 11–-10 – $32 0 –––––$40 0 –––––$40 1 [1]

Jet 40 M -10 – $2,800 0

RoF Shots ST Bulk Rcl Cost LC Notes

1 1(40) M M 3 $22,000 0 [1] 1 1(90) M M 3 $180,000 0 [2] 1 1(120) M M 3 $1,400,000 0 [3]

1 1(30) M M 3 $8,500 1 [4] ––––––– 1¥16 1¥16(30) – – – – – – 1 1(30) M M 3 $11,000 1 [5] ––––––– 1¥18 1¥18(30) – – – – – – 1 1(30) M M 3 $12,000 1 [5] –––––––– 1¥18 1¥18(30) – – – – – – 1 1(30) M M 3 $22,000 1 [6] ––––––– 1¥22 1¥22(30) – – – – – – 1 1(40) M M 3 $29,000 1 [7] ––––––– 1¥25 1¥25(30) – – – – – – 1 1(30) 50M† -7 -3/-10 $2,880 1 [8] 1¥12 1¥12(30) – – – – – – [6] A muzzle-loading gun made of cast iron, with a carriage. Requires a Requires a crew of three. The larger cast iron, with a carriage. Requires a crew of 17. recoil figure is for firing it as a hand- crew of 13. [8] A muzzle-loading gun made of held weapon. [7] A muzzle-loading gun made of bronze, mounted on a ship’s rail.

CHARACTERS 145 CHAPTER SEVEN MAGICAL ARTS

But if you wind up all scorched it.” His eyes turned on her. “Sister, hav- not sure if he whispered back or You only have yourself to blame; ing had time to think, and the counsel echoed her in his thoughts, now audi- I don’t recommend you push them of your next friends, do you now wish ble to her. “What is in our minds is all When their hands are full of flame. to apologize?” we know.” – Echo’s Children, With only the briefest hesitation, They finished the ritual in a single “Bin There, Dun That” she said, “I cannot apologize, for it is shared thought, “What is in our minds not I who am in the wrong.” is real.” Sister Katharine stepped through “Then will you back your words In her mind, Katharine balanced the door into the back corridor, half-lit with the integrity of your mind?” herself, as Frederick’s mindform through high windows by the late “I will,” she said. “Will Brother writhed and changed, and a great cat afternoon sun. The third annex, Frederick do the same?” with human eyes leaped at her, Brother Frederick had said. She Brother Frederick smiled. “I will,” snarling. counted archways and stepped he said. “And you’ll regret your inter- through the third. GURPS offers many different ways ference, Sister.” They were there waiting for her: to represent magic in terms of game Timotheus said, “Then let it begin. Brother Frederick and his two friends mechanics. However, the point of Sister Katharine, you are the one chal- – and, she saw, Sister Johanna and involving magic is to tell a certain type lenged; you must speak first.” Brother Urban as well. She let out a of story. Before thinking about the She stepped forward to face breath she hadn’t known she was game mechanics of magic, think Frederick, looking into his eyes. The holding. about what purpose it serves. Why other four encircled them. Brother Timotheus said, “Good, have it in the campaign? What job is it “I meet you, mind to mind,” she we’re all here. Let’s seal the room.” doing there that couldn’t be done said. With the rest, Katharine fixed her without including it? In short, why “I meet you, mind to mind,” he mind on the thought, “No one is here. run a fantasy campaign in answered. Nothing is happening. There is no the first place? The She whispered the need to come in.” Backed by six minds answers suggest what next words, and was and six wills, the thought grew sort of magic will stronger, until it was almost tan- best suit the needs gible. It wrapped itself of a campaign. around the alcove, cloaking them and what they meant to do. Speaking to all of them, Brother Timotheus said, “Sister Katharine has seen fit to criti- cize Brother Frederick’s training of the new brothers and sisters. Asked for an apolo- gy, she has refused to give

146 MAGICAL ARTS USES OF MAGIC To start with, who can use magic? up one or two simple tricks, by natural At the GM’s option, using rare and In some fantasy – and many fantasy talent or advanced study of a nonmag- costly materials to make an object games – it’s a specialized ability, avail- ical skill. Such abilities can often be may count as a sacrifice, granting able only to a privileged few, because used quickly, with no elaborate prepa- additional bonuses to effective skill it’s shrouded in secrecy or it’s a rare rations, but they typically give the user based on the rules for sacrifices inborn talent. In other settings, most a small edge rather than a dramatic (p. 165). These can exceed the normal people know certain forms of magic. victory. Fantasy worlds where only limits on Talent bonuses. The material These may be the same as the magic low magic exists don’t have mages as must actually be used up; crushing taught by mages, but with a narrower an occupation or character type. rubies to powder would count, but range of spells or a lower level of skill. Fantasy worlds don’t have to studding a sword’s hilt with them On the other hand, there may be include low magic at all. Letting it would not. entirely different styles of magic, relat- exist has the effect of making magic Highly skilled people might learn ed to what professional mages do as less arcane, more a part of everyday esoteric skills that go beyond the nor- First Aid is related to Physician, or life. This affects the way other forms mal limits of human abilities. The var- Brawling to Karate – the magic of of magic are perceived; people who ious martial arts skills with Trained By common folk. can do one or two magical things A Master as a prerequisite are exam- There are three broad categories of themselves won’t regard a sorcerer as ples (see Chi as Magic, p. 157); so are magical arts, which fit into character an initiate of some mysterious realm, the Enthrallment skills of bards. concepts in three different ways. Low though they’ll still respect his skills GMs may also allow various pro- magic is magic that anybody might and knowledge. fessions access to actual spells rele- pick up, without systematic formal One way to use low magic is as a vant to their duties. For example, a study, and use in everyday life or feature of exotic cultures. In the dom- smith might cast Ignite Fire. For a way emergencies. High magic is the magic inant culture, supernatural abilities to present this, see Mysteries of the of powerful wizards, who can learn a may be unknown, rare and largely Trade (p. 162). variety of spells, cast them on a forgotten, or even deliberately sup- moment’s notice, and have devoted pressed; but in other cultures, most Oaths their whole lives to gaining supernatu- people still have some unusual tal- Formally giving one’s word may ral powers. In between is formulaic ents. In a campaign set during the have magically potent effects. These magic, also learned by full-time spe- European expansion, the “exotic cul- aren’t a Vow, because they’re inde- cialists through formal study, but not tures” can be the civilizations of Asia, pendent of the promiser’s will. Treat designed for a life of adventure, or tribal peoples anywhere; in a tradi- them as a Destiny acquired during because it takes time and requires spe- tional genre fantasy setting, they may play. The point value is always nega- cial preparations. If formulaic mages be elves or goblins. tive and is determined by how much go on adventures, they need protec- it could cost to carry out the intended tion, or need to learn to protect them- Craft Magic action. An oath has two parties, selves by nonmagical methods, just In cultures that believe in magic, whose acquired Destinies have equal like computer hackers or globetrotting most professions require students or values. archaeologists. apprentices to learn special rituals. Swearing an oath is a ceremony Low magical abilities are effective- The smith may chant over his iron; the and requires a roll against Law or ly advantages. Formulaic magic abili- courtesan may bathe in herb-scented Religious Ritual. If the roll fails, the ties are effectively technical skills. water. In a magical world, these may wording of the oath was defective and High magic abilities are effectively actually tap magical energies. For a doesn’t commit the parties to any- superpowers. way to present this, see Talents as thing. In some settings, an oath may This section surveys various types Magic (p. 160). only gain supernatural power in a of magical arts, noting which ones fall A god may favor a holy man with high-sanctity environment; in others, into which larger category. It offers superior skills in the god’s domain. If calling the gods to witness it is suffi- brief rules for a few of these. For arts these skills come from the god sharing cient. that need more elaborate rules, refer his secret knowledge, treat this simply What happens if one of the parties to later sections. as a Talent. If they come from the tries to break the oath? In settings god’s supernaturally aiding the holy with very powerful magic, breaking an man, either use the Talents as Magic oath may actually be impossible. The LOW MAGIC rules, or buy the Talent with a Pact oath may change the course of events Low magic is the magical equiva- limitation. At the GM’s discretion, to fulfill its terms, or act as a mental lent of home remedies. In a magical divinely granted Talent up to +4 may compulsion. People who die with world, even people who haven’t stud- combine with natural Talent up to +4, oaths unfulfilled may be unable to ied magic and don’t call themselves letting some holy men go beyond the rest, turning into ghosts or corporeal wizards or magicians may have picked limits of mortal talent. undead.

MAGICAL ARTS 147 Alternatively, an oathbreaker may be magically punished. In some cases, he gains a disadvantage whose point Man Proposes, value is twice that of the acquired Destiny. In effect, the negative points God Disposes for both his Destiny and that of the A worshipper may want to make a request of a god or other super- other party (who is released from his natural being. In a world where gods exist, they may answer such own obligations) appear on his char- requests. If the worshipper has a special relationship with the god, rep- acter sheet in a new form. resented by an advantage such as Contact or Patron, follow the rules for the advantage to determine the result. If not, treat it as an NPC reaction. Single Spells Most worshippers’ appeals are either requests for aid or requests for Another form of low magic is the information. ability to use a single spell, not learned What level of success is required depends on how active the god is. In by studying magic, but instinctive, or a world where miracles are rare, only an Excellent reaction will bring aid learned under stress, or picked up or information. In a world where they’re common, a Very Good reaction informally as a knack – in any case, is sufficient. A Good reaction is sufficient only in a world where gods bought as an advantage instead of as a and mortals interact all the time. However, where common divine favors skill. See Fixed Magic. are, divine punishments are equally common. True Faith Reaction roll modifiers may apply: True Faith is effectively a low +1 if from a worshipper with Clerical Investment magic version of priestly magic. +2 if from the highest ranked priest in an organized group of wor- Anyone can have it, priest or layman. shippers (not cumulative with above) It requires no rituals, skills, or special +3 if from a worshipper with True Faith (not cumulative with above training, and it grants only very spe- two) cialized benefits. The worshipper’s +1 if in contact with a holy relic belief in the god is so strong and con- -3 if on cursed ground (unless it is cursed because of pollution and stant that the god is always present in the prayer is for vengeance on the polluters!) the worshipper’s spirit, and anything -2 if on unconsecrated ground (sanctity Normal or lower; see p. 101) that fears the god is driven away by its -1 if made in a temporarily consecrated site (see page 149) presence. It’s not a good idea for mortals to attempt influence rolls against At the GM’s option, True Faith may gods; gods usually have much stronger Will and are often Indomitable. grant the ability to bless others. Such Similar methods work for negotiation with spirits or with demons. blessings usually have a protective With demons, the usual situation is either a commercial transaction or effect, which lasts until it is first actu- potential combat. A much wider variety of transactions is possible with ally used and then is lost. Examples of spirits. Tests of loyalty are not appropriate for gods, who don’t become suitable effects are a single use of servants, or for demons, who never give more than an outward imitation Armor of Faith (p. 128) or protection of loyalty. For other spirits, they may be suitable. from the next demonic attack resulting from critical failure in spellcasting (see p. B236). information. In some, adventurers definitely formulaic magic. In terms FORMULAIC have to guard formulaic mages whose of GURPS mechanics, any magical special skills are needed in the field. If ability that has some level of MAGIC a formulaic mage does become an Preparation Required, or takes as Formulaic magic is the magic of adventurer, he usually relies on mun- long as if it did (a minute or more), many legends and stories, based on dane combat skills, rather than magic, counts as formulaic magic. Magic secret knowledge and elaborate ritu- when the fighting starts. Think of an that takes no longer than a single als. Formulaic mages are profession- adventure hero who’s an archaeolo- Concentrate maneuver is definitely als, but not usually professional gist, engineer, or surgeon – his profes- high magic; it’s fast and convenient adventurers. Their magic isn’t quick sion may be useful in its own right, enough to use in combat. or portable. The wizardly foes of pulp but it’s not how he survives “in the Ceremonial magic, taking a mini- fantasy swordsmen were often of this field.” mum of 10 seconds, is usually formu- type, able to fill their home bases The boundary between formulaic laic magic, not only because of the with mystical traps or conjure up magic and high magic isn’t sharp. time, but because of other inconven- mighty forces to send against the The biggest single issue is how long iences such as needing two or more hero, but not at their best in face-to- it takes to work magic. Magic that casters. face combat. needs an hour or more to perform, Several specific types of supernatu- In many campaigns, adventurers such as communing with a god (see ral abilities are normally carried out go to formulaic mages for help or the Blessed advantage on p. B40) as formulaic magic. or quick and dirty enchantment, is

148 MAGICAL ARTS Enchanting A holy man has an established rela- the priest worships. An ordinary wor- A mage can have One-College tionship with a god. Often the god will shipper can’t do this, even if he knows Magery limited to the College of actually be his Patron, and his prayers Religious Ritual; it’s a prerogative of Enchanting (and the spell Recover count as requests for a Patron’s aid. Clerical Investment. Temporarily con- Energy). If he learns spells in other Most divine Patrons practice Minimal secrating a place requires an hour of colleges, he cannot cast them, but he Intervention and require adoption of a prayer and ceremonial purification can use them as prerequisites for the Pact in return for their aid. followed by a Religious Ritual roll. spell Enchant. If he casts Enchant, he A priest is a specialist in making The resulting high sanctity lasts for a can place any of these spells in an requests for divine aid in the custom- full day. enchanted object and use that object ary form, using the skill of Religious For the benefits of high sanctity, see to cast the spell. (In creating the Ritual. Whether the god actually does Prayer (above) and Miracles (p. 151). object, he’s not casting the spell it con- anything is determined by a reaction Mana levels can’t be affected in the tains, but using his knowledge of the roll (see Man Proposes, God Disposes, same way. They depend on the flow of spell as a resource while casting p. 148). Using Religious Ritual doesn’t supernatural energy through the natu- Enchant.) Producing the enchanted count as an influence roll; it just gets ral environment. Some characters object takes a minimum of one hour the god’s attention. Priests can make have the ability to affect mana levels as and counts as formulaic magic. sacrifices to improve the god’s reac- an advantage. Rituals such as “raising The spell Temporary Enchantment tion to a request (see Sacrificial Magic, the cone of power,” which don’t require (p. 23) provides a less expensive way p. 165). special gifts to perform, should be for a mage limited to enchantment to Any worshipper can appeal to a treated as part of the normal process of cast spells. For example, a ring god for help. If he has the skill of ceremonial spellcasting; don’t make a enchanted with Deflect Missile would Religious Ritual, or if he has True separate roll for them. normally cost 200 energy points. A Faith, he can gain the god’s ear any- ring that can cast Deflect Missile once where. But even without this, he can Shamanism costs only 30 energy points. go to a high-sanctity place and make Shamans, like priests, enter into his appeal. relationships with supernatural Prayer beings. However, a shaman’s relation- Players may approach supernatu- Sacred Places ship is a contract or bargain between ral entities as a worshipper. The result Some places naturally have high or equals, not a submission to a higher of such an appeal depends on the sup- very high sanctity (see Sanctity, power. Typically, shamans deal more plicant. Is he a holy man, a priest, or p. 101). A priest with the skill of with spirits than with gods. Spirits are an ordinary worshipper? Religious Ritual can raise the sanctity more comparable to human beings in level of a place, in relation to the god power, and safer bargaining partners. A shaman negotiates either on his own behalf or as an agent for someone lacking shamanistic skills. The simplest way for a shaman to contact spirits is through the skill of Religious Ritual. The shaman chants and speaks requests, and the spirit may choose to manifest itself. However, shamans have more direct ways to interact with spirits: Detect (Spirits; Vague, -50%) [5] lets a shaman know that spirits are present. Medium [10] lets him know that they’re present and speaking with him. Detect (Spirits) [10] lets him know that they’re present, in what numbers, and in what directions. On an IQ roll, he can analyze what kind of spirits they are. See Invisible (Spirits) [15] lets him see them, if something opaque doesn’t block his line of sight. Detect (Spirits; Precise, +50%) [15] gives him everything in Detect (Spirits), plus the ability to judge the distance to the spirits.

MAGICAL ARTS 149 Insubstantiality (Projection, -50%) then interprets it according to what the fortune-teller is doing is psycho- [40] lets him step out of his body, spontaneously comes into his mind. logically manipulating the subject; use physically interact with spirits, and The advantage Oracle represents this the same long-distance modifiers as enter the spirit plane, if a path is avail- practice. Usually signs are natural for information spells (p. B241). able. If he also has Invisibility (Only in events, but dreams can play the same Supernaturally gifted diviners can buy Spirit Form, -10%; Substantial Only, role. Opening a Bible and picking out up to four levels of Skill Bonus to -10%) [32], he’s invisible when in a verse at random is comparable. Fortune-Telling with Preparation astral form. Omens are striking natural or acci- Required. At the GM’s option, specific dental events that are signs of other divinatory arts can come from skills Shamans acquire these abilities as events: lightning striking a person or other than Fortune-Telling, such as Spirit Powers (p. 159); in some set- building, or the birth of deformed ani- Esoteric Medicine, and can grant Skill tings, shamans may be required to mals. In some cases, the gods send Bonuses to those other skills. have Spirit Powers. Such abilities may them as warnings; in others, they are GMs may allow the practice of a require entering a trance (see Trance shadows cast by forthcoming events. divinatory art with simple or complex Magic, p. 151). No dice roll is needed to notice them; rituals that take shorter or longer. The A shaman who has established they draw attention to themselves. diviner can gain different bonuses to communication with spirits can Interpreting them still requires a dice skill depending on how long he pre- attempt to gain benefits from them. roll. An oracle can do this with a roll pares for its use. For example, a med- Treat these attempts as social interac- vs. IQ. In some settings, anyone can ical diviner might have Skill Bonus tions, represented by reaction rolls (see attempt to interpret an omen with a (+2 Esoteric Medicine; Preparation Man Proposes, God Disposes, p. 148). roll vs. IQ; at the GM’s option, this Required: 1 minute, -20%) [3], but (+3 However, a shaman may acquire a last- may have a penalty of -1 to -5, depend- Esoteric Medicine; Preparation ing relationship with a spirit. If the ing on how unusual the omen is. Required, 1 hour, -50%) or (+4 Eso- spirit is present in the material world, Temples or scholars may have kept teric Medicine; Preparation Required, in a materialized or possessed body, archives of past omens and what they 8 hours, -60%) would have the same treat it as an Ally; a failed frequency of meant. Finding a similar omen in point cost. If a quick divination appearance roll often means its pow- such an archive requires a Research doesn’t work, the GM can allow a fur- ers didn’t work. If the spirit will come roll. ther attempt – the skill bonus and the to the shaman when called, treat it as a Divinatory arts are systematic tech- preparation time increasing on each Summonable Ally, with a failed roll niques for predicting the future or successive try. meaning it didn’t manifest itself. uncovering hidden truths. They use Spirits that the shaman has to contact All things are filled full of signs, and the Fortune-Telling skill, but in a fan- at a shrine or in the spirit world itself it is a wise man who can learn about tasy setting, the skill can actually are Contacts; for defining Contact one thing from another. work. If so, don’t apply skill modifiers Groups, each kind of spirits in each – Plotinus, Enneads based on the assumption that what particular region counts as one group. More powerful spirits who remain in the spirit world are usually Patrons. Some shamans are also capable of Spirit Trapping (p. 130). This can grant them the use of spells, or access Naming the Arts to arcane knowledge. Traditionally, magical arts have names derived from Greek or Latin. To make up a name for a new magical art in this tradition, consult a list Soothsaying of Greek or Latin word roots, choose a root that describes some aspect Many cultures have magical proce- of the art, and give it a suitable suffix. dures for foretelling the future or A -mancy is usually a magical art that grants knowledge or percep- learning concealed truths, often prac- tion: geomancy is divination by the shape of the earth, from gaia ticed by people who claim no other (earth). magical abilities. These fall into four A -spicy or -scopy is more narrowly a magical art that grants per- broad types. ception: extispicy is divination by entrails, from exta (entrails). Use Prophecy is the ability to foretell -scopy with Greek roots, -spicy with Latin. the future or perceive distant or hid- An -urgy is usually a magical art that actively changes the world: den events while in a trance. The theurgy is calling on divine powers to do magical, from theos (god). prophets of the Old Testament and the Names of magical arts sometimes break these rules. For example, Oracle of Delphi had such abilities. necromancy was originally divination by calling on the spirits of the The advantage Blessed or Very Blessed dead, as in Saul’s visit to the witch of Endor. It was equivalent to 19th- represents this ability. See also century spiritualism. However, over the centuries, the meaning expand- Psionics as Magic (p. 158). ed to include active magic that affected the dead, or used them to affect Spontaneous divination is com- the living, or more generally any sort of evil or gruesome magic. pletely unstructured; the soothsayer looks about for a significant event and

150 MAGICAL ARTS She lifted them out of their hiding place, the New Aquarius and the ninety-first edition of the Speculum Astronomi, written in the bastard Latin that had been the magi’s first language; then the fussy, much-abused Star-Follower’s Handbook, and her copy of the Hegemonic Navy’s Topoi. One was missing. – Melissa Scott, Five-Twelfths of Heaven

Trance Magic Normally, if a mage needs an elab- temporarily consecrated ground (see Supernatural abilities such as orate procedure to prepare a spell for Sacred Places, p. 149), but the conse- Channeling and Medium can have use, the spell needs Preparation cration ritual counts as formulaic Preparation Required (p. B114). This Required and counts as formulaic magic. represents the trance, through medita- magic. But if the procedure isn’t tied tion or ritual, required before using to a specific spell, and is necessary to Meditative Magic these abilities. Other supernatural activate or maintain magical abilities In some traditions, mages or holy abilities can have the same require- in general, a mage may choose which men go through regular spiritual exer- ment. In particular, “psychic” super- spell to cast on the spot. A spell chosen cises such as yoga. By these exercises, natural abilities (see Psionics as this way can be high magic, and the they accumulate spiritual power that Magic, p. 158) often require entering a maintenance process does not need they use to perform amazing feats. trance. Preparation Required but Pact. The design of Meditative Magic Some supernatural advantages, Sorcerers may also buy spells as (p. 161) represents this process. such as Blessed or Very Blessed, only Modular Abilities. The advance prepa- work in a trance. Don’t apply the ration is picking a set of spells to carry Thaumaturgy Preparation Required limitation to around during an adventure. Only and Sorcery such abilities. those spells are available, but they Mana-based magic, or thaumatur- work normally. gy, based on applying the principles of thaumatology, is a form of high magic. HIGH MAGIC Miracles The same is true of sorcery, based on High magic is the kind of spellcast- A god may grant his worshippers applying the principles of ritual ing found in many roleplaying games. the power to work miracles in his magic. The impersonal magical Spellcasters can use it quickly, like low name. Power Investiture can repre- forces, in one case, or the controlled magic. But like formulaic magic, it sent this when coupled with a limited spirits, in the other, stand ready for the can be learned through study, adding list of spells. Power Investiture perma- mage’s commands, which require only new skills to the mage’s repertoire (or nently grants the worshipper the use a Concentrate maneuver and a spell even inventing them), and can pro- of the god’s power. While subject to roll. duce very potent results. This combi- the same kind of conditions a Pact nation of speed, power, and versatility would represent, this doesn’t get the Historical Magic makes mages very effective in combat. Pact limitation; the conditions are Portrayals of magic in fantasy Any spell cast with a Concentrate inherent. reflect actual beliefs about the super- maneuver, whether based on Magery A god’s temple is a high-sanctity natural in past and present human or on Power Investiture, counts as location for the god. On its grounds, cultures – though often the reflection high magic. Casting spells ceremonial- any priest who has learned one of the is distorted. Knowing what real magi- ly counts as high magic if done unas- god’s spells can cast that spell, if it cal practitioners thought they were sisted; the ¥10 multiplier for casting serves the god’s purposes. Neither doing can help make fantasy magic time is no more restrictive than the Magery nor Power Investiture is seem more authentic. limitation Takes Extra Time. required for this. This also works on

MAGICAL ARTS 151 Tribal societies usually believe in a ideas about chi. The zodiacal signs in continents and ancestral human races variety of spirits, and many have spe- Western astrology are grouped under or various 20th-century ideas based cialists in dealing with them – earth, water, air, and fire, and the four on quantum mechanics. And attempts shamans – even if they have no other suits of cards (both Tarot and stan- were made at scientific investigation occupational specialists. Shamans dard playing cards) have elemental of the paranormal, such as cryptozool- often have magical afflictions (p. 133). correspondences as well. ogy, parapsychology, and ufology. All They practice a variety of arts, from The full emergence of natural sci- these ingredients contributed to what divination and healing to cursing their ence with heliocentric astronomy in is now called “New Age” thinking. enemies, and are often associated with the Renaissance undermined the Even more recently, some practi- mythic trickster figures. Shamanistic appeal of magic by explaining natural tioners of magic have developed traditions could have influenced a events without appealing to supernat- approaches called “chaos magic” or number of religions, including Shinto ural causes. But the communities of “postmodern magic.” Their details and Taoism. scientists and magicians overlapped vary a great deal from magician to Priests typically exist in somewhat for a long time; Isaac Newton did magician. If they have anything in settled societies, such as Neolithic more work on alchemy than on common, it’s the individual magician’s farmers. Their main role is leading physics, for example. And science freedom to develop an approach to their communities in worship. Where itself became a source of new magical magic – to adopt any tradition, to bor- a shaman might perform curing ritu- ideas. Theories such as animal mag- row from diverse traditions, or to try als in private, a priest would lead a netism, physiognomy, and phrenolo- entirely new approaches. Where many public prayer for the sick man’s recov- gy survived in the magical communi- older systems held that the magician’s ery. In tribal societies, each village ty after scientists rejected them, side power came from the authority of a may have its own cult, whereas civi- by side with older theories such as tradition, chaos magic suggests that lized societies have central temples in astrology. New speculations arose on the tradition’s authority comes from the cities or even multiple temples to the fringes of scientific theory, such the magician’s power. the same god or gods across a wide as the 19th-century search for lost area. Another class of religious practitioners is visionary religious poets such as the bards of Celtic lands, the vates of Rome, the prophets of Israel, or the rishis of India. Often they operate outside the temple cults like shamans. The emergence of market economies and occupational specialization leads to the development of professional magic. Diviners, healers, and exorcists will perform their special tasks for a fee. Systematic methods emerge for divination (see Soothsaying, p. 150). The large-scale, multiethnic empires of the Iron Age developed uni- versalistic religions such as Buddhism, Christianity, and Islam, founded on philosophical or theologi- cal ideas and aimed at widespread conversions. Christianity and Islam both tended to condemn any method of gaining supernatural powers other than prayer. This led to stories about wicked magicians who served evil powers. During the same period, alchemical theorists produced lists of elements: earth, water, air, and fire in the West, earth, water, fire, metal, and wood in East Asia. Their speculations influenced both magical thinking and medicine, as in the Western theory of the four humors (black bile, phlegm, blood, and yellow bile) or Chinese

152 MAGICAL ARTS THE STRUCTURE OF MAGIC The standard GURPS magic sys- those are gone, it’s used up. In a very- college, instead of each spell, as a Very tem is designed to make wizards inter- high-mana setting, where magical Hard skill (see Ritual Magic, p. B242). esting, varied, and powerful . . . but energy recharges fully every turn, mag- Spells then default to the college skill not too powerful. If magic couldn’t do ical capability is more like a generator, as Hard techniques. Instead of having anything, it wouldn’t be interesting; with a certain sustainable power out- prerequisites, they are at -1 for each but if it could do everything, that put. This provides a much higher level prerequisite the spell would normally wouldn’t be interesting, either. The of power, because the magical energy have. The college skills themselves standard system limits magic in spe- per turn is the same as the total magi- default to a core skill at -6, normally cific ways, in several dimensions. cal energy in other environments. If either Ritual Magic (in traditions Alternate magic systems may create you like the generator approach, but based on commanding spirits) or different limits in different ways, don’t want that much power, you can Thaumatology (in traditions based on but they need to address the same limit mages within the generator impersonal manipulation of supernat- concerns. approach. A simple limit requires that ural forces). The result is a three-level spells be maintained every turn, skill hierarchy: core skill, college or instead of every minute or longer. path skills, and spells as techniques. LEVELS It’s also possible to change things The same structure may help design in the other direction. Require a much other magic systems. OF POWER slower method of recharging the bat- In the standard spell-based magic This limits the effects of magical tery than using FP to cast spells. See, system, the skill of Thaumatology still spells. Information spells answer a for example, the rules for Meditative exists, but as a research and analysis limited number of questions, attack Magic (pp. 161-162) and Blood Magic skill (see Theoretical Magic and Spell spells do a measured amount of dam- (p. 167). A mage with slow or difficult Design, p. 167). This differentiates age, healing spells cure a measured recharge can have a battery with a scholar-mages who research spells amount of damage, and so on. Each higher storage limit, or no limit at all. from adventurer-mages who cast them result has an energy cost, and each He’ll have to economize on spellcast- in the field, but may not represent mage can only use so much energy. ing, so that one adventure’s worth of how the spells work. Some spells can achieve greater or spells doesn’t use more energy than he This may not suit all campaigns or smaller effects, but achieving greater can regain in an entire campaign. worlds. RPG wizards often advance effects has a higher energy cost, using through experience gained on adven- up more of the mage’s resources. tures, which presumably represents These limits make it possible to LEVELS OF SKILL the hard, fast lessons of combat expe- challenge mages. If a mage could sim- rience and do-or-die practice. In leg- ply cast Omnipotence and change AND SKILL end and fiction, on the other hand, reality into exactly what he wanted, HIERARCHIES magic is often an intensely scholarly the result wouldn’t be a game, but a activity, power gained through hours Using a magical spell requires a private fantasy. There would never be of study and laboratory work – or pos- skill roll. This means there’s a chance any sense of risk or excitement. sibly through similarly long hours of of a spell not working, which makes Drama comes from making choices. meditation. If spells are techniques magic more dramatic. And since high- Limits also make the game equal- limited by Thaumatology or the Ritual er skill levels (which mean more reli- ly interesting for PCs who aren’t Magic skill, effective mages must be able spellcasting) cost character mages. A mage has access to spells scholars. To produce even more schol- points, there’s a tradeoff in character that help avoid almost any problem arly wizards, GMs may require that design: learn a few spells really well, or that other characters deal with points spent on spells, and on learn more spells somewhat less well. through strength and skill. When the Thaumatology, Ritual Magic, and col- Most spells have other spells as number of spells cast is limited, lege skills, can only be acquired by prerequisites chosen from the same mages need to rely on warriors, study. Wizards can still profit from college. This encourages mage charac- rogues, and technicians for ordinary adventuring experience, but only with ter concepts that emphasize one or tasks, saving their own abilities for respect to the same nonmagical skills two colleges in a coherent way. It also the problems where they make the and other abilities as any other adven- limits the range of viable character biggest difference. In the meantime, turer. GMs should note that this rule concepts. A mage wanting to know the other adventurers can show their will probably make many wizards advanced spells spends points to learn worth. unwilling to venture out when they all their prerequisites, which doesn’t Standard magic treats magical could be holed up at home with a leave many points for other abilities. capability like a battery. It holds a cer- good book. tain number of charges, and when Other methods favor mages with structured spell lists. One defines each

MAGICAL ARTS 153 Another possibility could allow mile would fit most battle situations access to a restricted spell list and up to the year 1900. Wizards need not DURATION waive prerequisites within the list. A carry ammunition, justifying their Most magical spells remain in list of 12-20 spells is a good size; a appearance in battles. effect only for a limited time. In part, shorter list wouldn’t provide room for The dramatic point of range limita- this reflects the idea that magic is a character growth or for different char- tions is to allow contests between departure from normal reality, mak- acters in the same tradition, while a adventurers and their foes. Striking ing it naturally unstable; time passes longer one could cover enough differ- down an enemy who can’t hit back is and the magic goes away. But it also ent options to amount to general-pur- target practice for the attacker – and a provides a dramatic rationale. If mag- pose magic. Restricted lists are stan- horror story for the target. War movies ical changes can be permanent, then dard for divinely granted magic (see focus on fighter pilots and their one- any mage can magically make himself Clerical Magic, p. B242). on-one duels, or on infantry combat, stronger, faster, healthier, longer-lived, even though artillery or bombs kill the immune to injury, and even handsome majority of soldiers. Casting spells at a – traits worth many character points – SPEED foe within line of sight gives the foe a just by spending a few days casting Ordinary magic can take as little as chance to hit back, preserving the permanent spells. Then mages domi- one second per spell. This design sup- sense of a duel. In particular, it gives nate the game, and the storyline goes ports use in combat. nonmagical soldiers a chance to shoot from drama or adventure to wish ful- Ceremonial magic is not fast back with ranged weapons, or sneak fillment. To avoid short-circuiting the enough to use in a hand-to-hand close and go hand to hand, so that narrative, the benefits of any version fight. However, multiplying casting mages don’t entirely dominate the of magic need to be temporary. time by 10, it’s roughly as fast as game. using black powder firearms, and not much slower than using heavy crossbows. So ceremonial mages could be useful in battle situations where the enemy couldn’t get at them immedi- How Much Detail? ately – behind a shield wall or a row How much of the casting of a spell should be shown? of pikemen, or in a fortress, or simply In most fantasy campaigns, not very much. Ritual magic is a techni- on a hilltop looking down on the cal process, just like developing a photograph or fencing, and the details enemy. If the ability to cast spells of any technical process are mostly dull. And magic has the added lia- were common, lines of mages might bility of not really working; any elaborate discussion of the affinity of face off against each other in the style certain herbs for the human liver or the proper wording of a prayer to of Napoleonic warfare, hurling fire- Jupiter just makes this more obvious. Better to ask what the goal of the balls and lightning bolts. spell or enchantment is, note the circumstances, roll the dice to find out Mages with short spellcasting if it works, and move on. times will also play various support But if the players are actually interested in the complexities of magi- roles; they may supplement or replace cal practice, such as finding the right way to apply the Three Laws of the engineer, medical, and signal Magic – go ahead and discuss the question with them. It’s fine to have corps. Mages with longer casting detail, so long as it’s interesting detail. times, including specialist enchanters, Some GMs may use a purely improvisational approach. The player will play purely support roles, as part tells a story about what the mage is doing, or acts out his incantations; of the technical staff of a fighting the GM privately decides how much of a skill bonus the player’s idea is force. worth, and takes that into account in deciding whether the spell worked. Bonuses can range from +1 to +5. ANGE For a more systematic approach, pick one or more of the sets of mod- R ifiers listed under Magical Lenses (p. 163). If the mage can provide a suit- Of course, the range of a fireball able link to the target via the Three Laws of Magic, or use Symbol spell (50 yards Max) is a bit short for Drawing to enhance his own concentration, his effective skill is higher. Napoleonic or Age of Sail combat. Just The GM may have to rule on exactly how effective each skill booster going by Basic Move, an average man really is. could cross the 50 yards in the 10 sec- To get more ceremonial magic into a campaign, without going into onds a ceremonial mage would need to the theoretical details, simply use the rules for taking extra time with a cast a 1d Fireball spell. This doesn’t skill (p. B346), starting from the base time to cast spells ceremonially. begin to compete with a musket. For example, most ceremonial spells take 10 seconds to cast, so taking A simple way to make magic useful five minutes would be 30 times as long, giving a +5 multiplier. The GM in post-gunpowder combat would be and player can agree that the mage is spending those five minutes on to let ceremonial mages use the weird gestures, chants, invocations of forgotten gods, or whatever else system of long-distance modifiers seems to fit. (p. B241) for all spells. A penalty of 0 within 200 yards and -1 within 1/2

154 MAGICAL ARTS Usually, “temporary” works out to the 4 points. It also avoids bizarre aid the mage in focusing his mind and “no longer than a single combat” or scenes such as a powerful Dispel will. As he gets more skilled, he “no longer than a single session of Magic causing every magically healed becomes capable of purely mental play.” This avoids requiring the play- wound a foe had ever suffered to reap- magic, just as a skilled reader doesn’t ers to remember what spells they’ve pear, all at once, tearing his body need to read aloud or move his lips. cast and when they’ll wear off, or take apart. Healing spells don’t grant a new Dramatically, mages perform visible detailed notes during play. advantage, but return the subject to rituals partly for the same reason that However, some spells can have per- his normal physical condition. Other martial artists shout out the names of manent effects. Healing spells are a spells can have permanent effects if their techniques – it lets the audience common example; once they’ve taken their benefits wouldn’t normally cost know that something interesting is away the damage from a wound, it character points or substantial happening – and partly because it doesn’t come back when the spell amounts of wealth. gives the opposition a chance to con- wears off. This limits record-keeping; front the mage and fight back. A cam- rather than having to note that a war- paign where magic is completely con- rior has a 6-point leg wound of which RITUALIZATION cealable will involve less action and 4 points are magically suspended for Casting spells requires gestures more suspense. the next week, the player just erases and incantations. Theoretically, these SYSTEMS OF MAGIC Every novel, and every published that mages contribute to a campaign game setting, has a different vision of CUSTOM-BUILT without totally dominating it. the supernatural and the magical arts. Custom-building a magic system GURPS offers a standard treatment of MAGIC is not a trivial task. GMs who haven’t magic that works for many adventure One way to get the right magic sys- used GURPS before are better campaigns. But GMs may want some- tem for a campaign is to build a new advised to start with one of the stan- thing different, either to re-create a one, based on the source material or dard systems. published setting or to express their the GM’s own imagination. Any sys- own vision of magic. Any level of mod- tem needs to take into account the ification is possible, from minor issues discussed in The Structure of ALTERNATIVE adjustments of the standard system to Magic (pp. 153-155). A magic system building a new magic system from needs limits and tradeoffs to ensure MAGIC SYSTEMS scratch. In GURPS, “magic” normally refers to the system of mana-based magic in Chapter 5 of the Basic Set. But other sources of special abilities exist. Cyborgs, martial artists, mutants, and psionic adepts can all transcend normal human limits. They just aren’t called “magic.” But nothing says they aren’t. If mana-based magic doesn’t work in a campaign setting, use the rules for another set of special abilities and call them “magic.” Use them straight or modified to make them more supernatural. The existing enhancements and limitations allow many such adjustments. The Third Edition of GURPS included several concepts that the Fourth Edition has not yet explicitly covered. This section does not provide rules for these concepts, but offers short notes for GMs attempting to adapt the earlier rules, or work out new treatments.

MAGICAL ARTS 155 Alchemy as Magic The skill of Alchemy does not have Magery as a prerequisite. Anyone with the proper training can use it. The Behind the Curtain: power that makes it work is the spe- Making Gold cial virtues of natural substances. The The legendary goal of alchemy is making gold. GMs may choose alchemist learns what those virtues whether this is actually possible in their campaign worlds, and if so, how are and how to activate them in the well known the process is. As a guideline, the transmutation of metals laboratory. The results are magical; a should require 12 weeks and a roll against Alchemy-6. Each “dose” is roll against IQ+Magery will sense that one pound of gold. an alchemical elixir is magical. Any alchemical process also requires raw materials. How much Alchemy grants the ability to make should those cost? That’s where it gets tricky. Normally fantasy stories alchemical elixirs and perform other ignore economic cause and effect, but manufacturing precious metals alchemical processes (see Chapter 28 has an economic impact too big to ignore. of GURPS Magic). An alchemist can Suppose that the knowledge of transmutation is closely guarded, but recognize that a substance is an elixir known to two competing alchemists or alchemical guilds. In a setting by sight; make a Per-based Alchemy where precious metals are scarce, an alchemist making one pound of roll, modified by Acute Vision. If the gold can trade it for $20,000 worth of goods. In the 12 weeks of labor elixir has been mixed with food or required for making gold, he can earn $3,600 at guild rates. So he has a drink, he can detect its presence by surplus of $16,400, less the cost of raw materials. If they cost $400, he smell; make a Per-based Alchemy roll, comes out $16,000 ahead! modified by Acute Smell/Taste or But remember that he has a competitor. The competitor can offer Discriminatory Smell. He can identify double price for those same raw materials, and still come out a long way the specific elixir by laboratory analy- ahead. The first alchemist can then offer triple price, and so on. sis, which takes four hours. If the Eventually the price of the raw materials will rise to $16,400. At this elixir is not in his reference materials, point, alchemists won’t earn any more than guild rates from transmuta- an ordinary success will tell him that tion; the people who produce or import the raw materials will have got- it’s an unknown elixir, while a critical ten rich; and all the raw materials will be in the basement of the success will give him some idea of the alchemists’ guild, while their natural sources will be depleted. intended effect. He can get faster If the materials aren’t scarce and aren’t going to become scarce, the results by tasting the elixir (Acute limit on gold production will be the supply of alchemical labor. So every Smell/Taste or Discriminatory Taste alchemist will have an incentive to train his apprentices to make gold. helps); this only takes 10 seconds, but But as more and more gold is made, and spent, prices will rise; that is, on any failed roll he experiences the the value of a gold coin will fall. When a pound of gold is worth $3,600, full effects of the elixir. alchemists will earn guild scale by making gold. If alchemists are skilled Internal Alchemy enough to make multiple “doses” of gold, it can fall even farther, perhaps It may be possible to produce as low as the $240 a pound implied by some fantasy settings (see alchemical effects by dosing a human p. B515). subject with several different ingredi- One way to avoid this change in the value of gold is to have everyone ents that combine within his body into agree that “natural” gold is precious, but “artificial” gold is just a cheap an elixir, which then takes effect on imitation, suitable only for flashy decor. Mad wizards and pretentious him. The subject’s body itself acts as merchants might have alchemical gold trim on all their possessions. If the reaction vessel. Since the there’s a reliable test (perhaps a magical one) for whether gold was alchemist cannot observe the reac- alchemically made or not, merchants and moneychangers will routine- tions directly, all rolls are at -4 to effec- ly use it. If not, counterfeiters who make coins of alchemical gold may tive skill, or -2 if the alchemist has face harsh penalties. Or alchemy itself may be strictly licensed, or pro- Diagnosis, Physician, or Physiology at hibited outright, to cut off the source. 15 or better. Only one dose can be produced at a time, but the time required is measured in hours rather than weeks. to Esoteric Medicine, without the have either version of the Gadgeteer Internal alchemy can be used on a added penalty, since working within advantage. An alchemist can also corpse or a reassembled body, but at the body is normal for this skill. apply the Gizmo advantage to alchem- an additional -6 to skill, since the body ical preparations. has no metabolism to aid the reac- Alchemic Inventions tions, and the time required is weeks. Alchemists can invent new process- Bardic Magic Medical skills don’t help with this es, using the standard rules for invent- Many fantasy stories portray poets process. ing (pp. B473-474), with a few adjust- as capable of working specialized At the GM’s option, internal alche- ments. See Chapter 28 of GURPS sorts of magic, based on singing. my can instead be treated as defaulting Magic for details. An alchemist may Several approaches to such magic are

156 MAGICAL ARTS possible. In applying any of these, both physical and mental, that are not Leap, Immoveable Stance, Invisibility emphasize effects that have a reason- otherwise available. Each allows the Art, Kiai, Light Walk, Mental able association with music, language, performance of specific feats. Each Strength, Power Blow, Pressure or influence. master should be capable of a few Points, Pressure Secrets, Push, characteristic feats. Throwing Art, and Zen Archery. While Bardic Advantages. A bard can have Skills with Trained By A Master as acquiring these skills, chi masters may distinctive advantages that enhance a prerequisite include Blind Fighting, also learn Breath Control, Erotic Art, his abilities as a bard. Suitable choic- Body Control, Breaking Blow, Flying Esoteric Medicine, and Meditation. es are Charisma, Cultural Adaptabil- ity, Eidetic Memory, Rapier Wit, and Voice. Bardic Skills. A bard can have special skills for influencing others that go beyond normal influence rolls, as the skills of advanced martial artists may go beyond normal combat (see Chi as Magic, below). Suitable skills are the Enthrallment skills and Musical Influence. Bardic Spells. A bard can cast spells, buying Magery with the Song limitation. See also Mysteries of the Trade (p. 162). Invocation. In older legends, bards can call upon divine aid, often from specialized deities such as the Muses of Greek myth or the Hindu goddess Sarasvati, asking them to speak with the bard’s voice. This is Channeling, with a special advantage: Based on Singing instead of Will, +20%. (This is an advantage because buying a skill costs less than buying Will.) The deity can grant the bard knowledge he does not normally have, making this comparable to soothsaying. Chi as Magic The force known as chi in China or ki in Japan could be the same as mana. Literally, “chi” means “breath,” just as does the Latin-derived word Teachings of “spirit” (see Spirits in the the Kabbalah: Material World, p. 30), so The Sephiroth, the divine there’s some plausibility in names. linking chi to spirit magic. The focused use of chi does From Manly P. Hall’s not involve spells or rituals. It Secret Teachings of All depends on years of intensive Ages (Philosophical meditative training, represent- Research Society, 1928), ed as the advantage Trained By which translated it from A Master (p. B93). This train- Kircher’s Oedipus ing develops esoteric skills, Aegyptiacus, 1653.

MAGICAL ARTS 157 GMs offering a wider variety of focused chi abilities may search martial arts legends or Hong Kong films for other feats performed by masters of chi. Cyberspace as Magic One of cyberpunk’s basic ideas, in such key works as William Gibson’s Neuromancer and Vernor Vinge’s True Names, is that cyberspace can be envisioned as a magical realm, with jack- ing in as a variant on astral projection and programs taking the place of spirits. But it works just as well to apply the metaphor in reverse, envisioning the spirit world as a magical virtual reality. Basic contact with the spirit world occurs through shamanistic rituals (see Shamanism, p. 149). The spirit world itself is a magical network comparable to the computer nets of cyber- philosophers’ stone, should not be special group of “witch-folk,” set apart space. Many magical traditions offer possible to herbalists. from everyone else, for better or worse suitable models, such as the Sephiroth Herbal inventions are possible – as anything from targets of an inqui- of the Jewish mystical school on the same basis as alchemical sition to oligarchic rulers. They may Kabbalah. inventions. be marked by physical traits not seen Spirits themselves compare to var- in ordinary folk. ious sorts of software. Free-willed Psionics as Magic In a setting with trance magic, the spirits are comparable to artificial One possible variant magic system skill of Psionics should not be avail- intelligences; other spirits are compa- uses a modified treatment of psionics able. However, the skill of Philosophy rable to computer programs or robots. to define magical abilities. In this may represent a general theory of the Slave Mentality defines this lack of form of trance magic (p. 151), buy all mind and its powers, in Asian settings free will. Spirits may also be psi powers with Preparation where enlightenment confers mystical Reprogrammable; see True Names Required. The user must concentrate powers (p. 161). (p. 164). for the required amount of time to The antipsi ability may not be enter into a suitable trance state. The available in a “magical psionics” set- Herbal Magic trance mage must choose a specific ting. People whose presence blocks The Herb Lore skill can replace psi skill before starting preparations. mental powers may be rare or nonex- Alchemy. There are only a few differ- If he is attempting related tasks, he istent in a world without scientific ences. First, Herb Lore can’t identify can use other skills within the same skepticism. If so, then the power mod- or analyze elixirs. Second, the ingredi- power at -1 per added skill. ifiers for the other powers are reduced ents are cheaper; divide their cost by One way to interpret trance magic to -5%. Defenses against magical men- 5. Third, an herbalist can locate suit- is to say that “magic” is a prescientific tal powers may be available within the able ingredients in the wild at no cost understanding of psionic abilities and specific groups of powers; for exam- by making Naturalist rolls. He may a prescientific set of techniques for ple, Mind Shield protects against hav- attempt two searches per day, and activating them. This approach is ing one’s mind read. needs to attain three successes or one common in planetary romances, such At the GM’s discretion, trance critical success. as Marion Zimmer Bradley’s Darkover magic powers may be mana-depend- An analog of internal alchemy can novels. However, it’s also possible to ent. This -10% limitation takes the be based on Herb Lore. However, say that the various abilities are super- place of the limitation for psionic instead of using a -6 modifier, reani- natural, vestiges of the godlike state powers. mating a corpse is flatly impossible for from which humanity has fallen, and herbalists. Herb Lore is more specifi- just happen to work as defined for Ritual Magic Systems cally life-aspected than Alchemy is. psionics. The terminology of “psi” As an alternative to standard Not every elixir has an herbal may be a scientific age’s way of magic, GMs may define spells as tech- equivalent; which ones have such describing magic, a last hint at the niques based on the core skill Ritual equivalents is the GM’s decision. supernatural within a mechanistic Magic instead of Thaumatology. In Most other alchemical processes, worldview. In either approach, talent this approach, wizards still cast spells such as transmutation of metals and for trance magic may be hereditary, from the standard list. However, that preparation of the alkahest or the and people who have it may be a list doesn’t fit some approaches to

158 MAGICAL ARTS magic, either in real-world occult dhis, or superhuman powers gained in the Plant Mastery power. Its use is beliefs or in the fantasy genre. GMs the pursuit of spiritual enlightenment, mana-sensitive, but it can benefit may consider working up alternate is an example of this approach to mag- from Plant Mastery Talent. -10%. lists of paths and techniques, especial- ical powers; the Roma Arcana setting ly for fantasy campaigns set in the offers another example, Dionysian Spirit Powers modern world. magic (pp. 205-206). But it’s also pos- This is the power to perceive, com- For an approach where ritual sible to have “high magic” versions of municate with, and control spirits. magic is primary, assume the such powers that require no more Spirit Powers Talent: 5 points/level. following: than a Concentrate maneuver. You have a natural talent for Spirit In terms of game mechanics, each Subtle effects. Most magic doesn’t Powers. You get +1 per level to use any power has three components: have flashy, obvious effects such as Spirit Powers ability. You can use fireballs or turning stones into bread. 1. A set of advantages that repre- earned points to acquire new Spirit Most techniques produce outcomes sent different ways the power can Powers abilities, even if you did not that are improbable instead of impos- manifest. These are known as the start with them. The following advan- sible, and thus can be classified as power’s abilities. tages can be Spirit Powers abilities: “coincidence” by skeptics. 2. A special modifier – most often a Blessed, Channeling, Detect (Super- Longer duration. Magic doesn’t limitation – called a power modifier. natural Beings), Insubstantiality have to be maintained once a minute. This turns any advantage to which it is (Projection), Invisibility (Only in Once the ritual is complete, the effect applied into an ability within the asso- Spirit Form, Substantial Only, remains in place until used up or mag- ciated power. Switchable), Medium, Mindlink (with ically countered; at a minimum, its 3. A Talent that makes it easier to spirits), See Invisible (Spirits), and duration will be comparable to that of use all of the power’s abilities. If the Spirit Empathy. The corresponding an entire combat. abilities are treated as trance magic, talent would cost 5 points/level. Power Slower activation. The base time for the special modifier does not include Modifier: The advantage is a supernat- most techniques is measured in min- the Preparation Required, because ural ability within the Spirit Powers utes, or even hours. Faster or slower some advantages within a power may power. Its use requires observance of casting can lower or raise effective already include an equivalent require- an elaborate system of rituals, skill, just as for most technical skills. ment (for example, Blessed, included amounting to a Pact based on in Spirit Powers, automatically takes Discipline of Faith (Ritualism), but it Shapeshifting as Magic an hour). List the Preparation can benefit from Spirit Powers Talent. A morph who has Magery 0 can Required separately for the powers to -5%. assume the templates of living crea- which it applies. Magic Powers tures with innate magic. Without Here are some illustrations of this In a superhero campaign, magic Magery 0, the morph cannot sense itself might be a power: the presence of mana organs and concept: thus cannot duplicate them, though Plant Mastery Magical Powers Talent: 5 he could duplicate all other features At the GM’s option, this talent points/level. You have a natural talent of the template. For example, he includes the power to perceive, com- for Magical Powers. You get +1 per could have a panther’s claws and municate with, and control plants by level to use any Magical Powers abili- night vision but not its magical magical attunement to them. ty. You can use earned points to breath (p. 49). A morph with Magery acquire new Magical Powers abilities, 0 and the Intermediate Forms advan- Plant Mastery Talent: 5 points/level. even if you did not start with them. tage can form mana organs within You have a natural talent for Plant The following advantages can be his human body and use the magical Mastery. You get +1 per level to use Magical Powers abilities: Affliction, powers of any creatures he has mem- any Plant Mastery ability. You can use Damage Resistance (Magic), Detect orized. A morph who studies many earned points to acquire new Plant (Magic or Supernatural Phenomena), magical creatures might have Mastery abilities, even if you did not Neutralize (Magic), and Telekinesis. access to numerous magical powers; start with them. The following advan- The corresponding talent would cost 5 this might become a goal for a tages can be Plant Mastery abilities: points/level. Power Modifier: Magical morph-mage. Binding (based on plants, and with Powers. The advantage is a magical the Environmental modifier), ability within the Magical Powers Superpowers as Magic Brachiator, Chameleon (Only in power. Its use is mana-sensitive, but it The structure of psionic abilities Vegetation, -20%), Detect (plants, can benefit from Magical Powers (see pp. B254-257) can be applied to considered Common), Healing Talent. -10%. other sorts of powers, including magi- (Plants Only, -20%), Plant Empathy, A more potent version might cal powers. One way to give such pow- Possession (of plants only, with suit- include any advantage that could be ers a more magical flavor is to treat able modifiers), Speak with Plants, rationalized as “the effect of a magical them as trance magic (p. 151), with Talent (Green Thumb), and Terrain spell.” The corresponding talent Preparation Required in the form of Adaptation (plant-related terrain such would cost 10 points/level, the same as meditation. The Hindu belief in sid- as tree branches). Power Modifier: The standard Magery, to which it would be advantage is a magical ability within roughly equivalent.

MAGICAL ARTS 159 Talents as Magic Using these systems instead of stan- (plant spells applied to living or dead Superior ability to use a nonmagi- dard magic has no point cost (see wood; see p. 171), earth, metal (based cal skill can itself be an expression of Behind the Curtain: Point Costs on on stone spells, but with doubled magic. One straightforward portrayal p. 18). cost), and water. Air in this system is of this is as a Talent with Preparation not an element, but a subtle substance Required. By blessing the work area or Alternate Colleges that moves within matter as breath or having it prayed over, invoking suitable A GM can restructure the system of spirit (chi); spells from the College of gods or saints, or using arcane trade colleges according to any logical Air can be reassigned to the other ele- secrets, the craftsman achieves better rationale. If this changes the number mental colleges or the colleges of results. For a task that takes many of colleges, the costs of certain forms Healing and Necromancy. days, the preparation must be repeated of Magery will also change (p. 130). Some spells have prerequisites in at the start of each day’s work. Some examples of alternate college the form “one spell from at least 10 Craft magic can enchant objects. systems are as follows: different colleges.” If colleges divide into a smaller number, this may not be The enchantments are limited to those Ethical: Classify every spell as possible. For systems with 15 or more that enhance the nonmagical func- either good (white) or evil (black). colleges, keep this requirement tions of the object. A sword could This requires a setting where ethical unchanged. For systems with fewer become sharper or better balanced, beliefs are objectively true, such as a colleges, allow multiple spells per col- but could not gain the ability to fire Zoroastrian cosmos (see Knowing lege. In a system with 7-14 colleges, lightning bolts. Use slow and sure Good and Evil, p. 21). In some set- require two spells per college instead enchantment, unless the craftsman tings, mages will almost all specialize of one (for example, “two spells in has Quick Gadgeteering as well as in one category or the other. In moral- each of five different colleges”). In a Talent. Roll against the skill that ly ambiguous settings, mages who system with three to six colleges, would be used to make the object at specialize in one college may have to divide the required number between -5, modified by the level of Talent learn spells from the other college as two colleges (for example, “five spells applied; the craftsman must have at prerequisites for some of its advanced in each of two different colleges”). In a least +1 to skill from the Talent to spells – though they may choose or system with only two colleges, all the attempt this. Assistants may con- even take a Vow to never cast them. spells can be in one college (for exam- tribute energy for enchantment if they Elemental: Every spell belongs to ple, “at least 10 black magic spells”). have the same skill and have taken one of the four elemental colleges. For Colleges can also be added to the part in the same ritual; they need not example, spells that affect the body existing system; see, for example, have any skill bonus from Talent. A are earth spells; spells of communica- Technomagic (p. 66). craftsman may gain energy from one tion and movement are air spells. assistant per level of his own Talent. Planetary: Every spell is under the Correspondence Magic In some fantasy settings, as in jurisdiction of one of the seven planets In a setting where magic is based many historical societies, starting a of geocentric astronomy (the Moon, on correspondences (p. 19, pp. 163- job out with this kind of ritual isn’t Mercury, Venus, the Sun, Mars, 164), spellcasters may not be able to something a few specialists do; it’s Jupiter, and Saturn). power spells with their own FP. standard practice. For example, a Trigram: Every spell links to one of Instead, base spellcasting on the laws group of builders might pray to the the eight trigrams of the I Ching. of contagion, similarity, and names. Great Architect before starting each Color-based: Spells link to colors, Apply the bonuses to the caster’s base day’s work. In such a setting, the GM producing varying numbers of col- skill. If the resulting skill level is high may choose to apply a -5 skill penalty leges. Ethical colleges, where spells enough to reduce the cost to cast to to tasks undertaken without the cus- are either black or white, could be a zero, then casting the spell is possible; tomary ritual, or -2 to tasks performed form of color-based magic. otherwise, it’s not. with a hasty or poorly focused ritual. Zodiacal: Assign every spell to one Working correspondence magic As a guideline, less than 5% of the of the 12 signs of the Zodiac. takes longer; multiply time required required work time would count as Tree-based: Every spell links to one for any spell by 10. Magery 0 is still hasty ritual; less than 1% would be of the 18 trees of the ancient Celtic required in normal-mana settings. It entirely ineffective. tree alphabet. doesn’t represent a general perception Tarot-based: Categorize every spell of “magical” forces or qualities, but an with one of the 22 major arcana of the intuitive sense for what corresponds MODIFIED MAGIC Tarot, or to one of the 78 Tarot cards. to the intended subject of a spell. Time GMs may create a divergent magic Hexagram: Every spell reflects one and distance effects are as discussed system by starting with the standard of the 64 hexagrams of the I Ching. system and changing one of its under Correspondences (p. 19). GMs aspects. See The Structure of Magic Partial restructuring is also possi- wanting to make correspondence (pp. 153-155) for major aspects that ble. For example, the elemental col- mages adventurers should let them can be changed. Most forms of modi- leges (air, earth, fire, and water) reflect have up to five levels of Magery, inter- fied magic are features of a campaign European ideas about matter. A preted as superior insight into magical world, instead of an individual mage Chinese campaign could have colleges relationships. Standard and corre- or magical tradition within a world. of the Chinese elements: fire, wood spondence Magery shouldn’t coexist.

160 MAGICAL ARTS At the GM’s option, nonmages may cast spells by correspondence magic, even in a normal-mana setting. Casters must research correspondenc- The mystic builds up a store of power in es in vast magical libraries, requiring a roll against Research or Thau- the supernatural realm, which he can use to matology-2 at a penalty equal to the perform magical feats. bonus the correspondence will provide. Each attempt to find a correspondence takes an hour. This form of correspondence magic can coexist chain Lend Health, Lend Energy; two HT+Magery: Magic is an overflow- with standard magic, if the GM allows prerequisites cost 2 points. Lend ing of life energy. People in better the correspondence modifiers to apply Energy requires Magery 1, which health can better withstand the bio- to standard magic. costs 5 points for Magery 0 and 2 logical stress of casting spells. Any liv- points for Magery 1 (One Spell Only, ing thing, even a tree, may be capable Fixed Magic -80%). With IQ + Magery equal to 12 of casting spells. Nonsapient life Fixed magic is the ability to cast a he would pay 4 points to learn Minor forms will do so only by instinct, and spell without consciously knowing it. Healing-12. Total cost is 2 + 5 + 2 + 4 IQ 0 life forms only as their own phys- It represents, for example, the instinc- = 13 points. This enables him to repair iological state dictates. tive magic of certain animals in some 1 to 3 points of injury at an energy cost Per+Magery: Magic is the ability to fantasy worlds. Such abilities form a of 1 per point, just as if he had learned sense the flow of mana through the class of meta-traits. Each meta-trait the spell. He can’t use Lend Health or world. More perceptive people can has three components, as follows: Lend Energy, and he can’t improve his more easily sense mana. Nonsapient First, choose the desired spell, and Minor Healing ability by further study. life forms may be able to cast spells; list all of its prerequisites, and all of What he knows is a fixed pattern of IQ 0 life forms such as most plants their prerequisites, back to a set of actions, the magical equivalent of a will not. This version works well with spells without prerequisites. If more reflex. the assumption that magical energy than one list is possible, choose one – This system can be used for more always comes from external sources. normally the shortest, but this isn’t than one spell. Buy the required level Will+Magery: Magic is the ability to obligatory. There is a cost of 1 point of Magery once, with a reduced limita- impose one’s will on reality. Usually per spell in the chain of prerequisites. tion (p. 129); buy each spell separately only sapient life forms can cast spells. Second, identify the highest level of at the desired level. If one fixed spell is Advantages such as Visualization or Magery required for the spell or any of actually in another fixed spell’s prereq- Single-Minded may aid magic. This its prerequisites. Buy that level of uisite chain, count only the additional goes well with subjectivistic views of Magery, with the modifier One Spell prerequisites for the second spell. But magic. Only (p. 129). In settings with normal if neither spell is in the other’s prereq- 10+Magery: Magic is a unique or low mana, Magery 0 is the mini- uisite chain, use the full cost for both, entity or force in its own right. No mum; in settings with high or very even if their separate prerequisite nonmagical attributes make any dif- high mana, it may not be required for chains might include some of the ference to it. Effectively this makes all spells. same spells. Magery a “fifth attribute.” Third, determine the cost of learning the spell at the desired level, given Magic Based Meditative Magic the user’s IQ and Magery. A campaign Certain mystical traditions, such as setting that uses fixed magic may have on Other Attributes Standard mana-based spells are yoga or the Jewish practice of a standard level of ability for all spells, IQ-based skills, aided by Magery. But Kabbalah, aim at acquiring supernatu- at the GM’s discretion. magic could be based on a different ral power through spiritual disciplines. For example, an army wound attribute. Here are some choices that The mystic builds up a store of power dresser with IQ 11 would find it useful reflect various fictional or mythic in the supernatural realm, which he to be able to heal wounds. The spell conceptions: can use to perform magical feats. Minor Healing has the prerequisite To acquire supernatural power, the mystic spends a full day in prayer or contemplation. He must have the skill of Meditation to do this, but no skill roll is required. For each day spent meditating, he adds one energy point to a magical energy reserve. (This is equivalent to gaining one character point through 200 hours of study and spending it on 25 points of magical Signature Gear, as discussed on p. 131.)

MAGICAL ARTS 161 Less intensive procedures add to Further meditation can cleanse the spell, he’ll need many slots to cast any his energy reserve at a lower rate. practitioner’s soul of the taint, but it high-powered spell. Assume that he Study of sacred books adds one ener- must be continuous and uninterrupt- effectively “knows” all the spells in his gy point per two days (equivalent to ed, and for each -5-point disadvan- grimoire as prerequisites. If he self-teaching). Simply leading a good tage, the practitioner will be left with acquires a new spell book, he can add life of full commitment to a religion’s a quirk that can never be removed. its contents to his grimoire, but he’ll ethical teachings adds one energy The GM’s creativity determines the initially be unfamiliar with them and point per four days (equivalent to on- form of the taint. Often it may be will use them at -2. He can gain famil- the-job training). A major virtuous act emblematic of the kinds of magic that iarity with the new book in eight as defined by the rules of his faith can brought the practitioner to this condi- hours of study per spell, or memorize “acquire merit,” adding 25 energy tion. In some campaigns, it may take unfamiliar spells before going on an points; minor virtuous acts count as the form of Addiction to magic itself. adventure. If he actually casts one of part of “living a good life.” At the GM’s At the GM’s option, a practitioner the unfamiliar spells under conditions option, an analog of intensive training who lacks the Meditation skill may of stress, assume that he’s now famil- (p. B293) may also be available. The also use point debt. This represents a iar with it. mystic must completely isolate him- mage who cannot recover from the For a more difficult situation, a self from his everyday life and spend twisting of his soul and body by the new spell book may contain an every waking moment in prayer. This spells he casts; as he uses more magic advanced spell without its prerequi- does require a daily roll against he becomes more warped. This pat- sites; perhaps the writer assumed that Meditation, and the mystic must have tern works best for “evil sorcerer” everyone knew how to cast them! Will 12+ to undertake such a regimen. adversaries in most campaigns, but in Such spells are at -1 to skill per While he maintains it, he adds four a dark fantasy campaign, all magic omitted prerequisite, and this can’t be energy points to his reserve per full might work this way. Consider giving made up through familiarity. day spent. such practitioners a demonic Patron In a setting where magic summons A spellcaster can use the resulting whom they have a Duty to serve. and commands spirits, it may take the energy reserve to cast spells or work enchantments. Energy points can accumulate without limit, but once spent, they are gone. Followers of Both magic and religion are based strictly such paths don’t normally expend on mythological tradition, and they also both their reserves casually. Most mystics are adherents of a exist in the atmosphere of the miraculous, in religion and practice a Discipline of a constant revelation of their wonder-working Faith. Neither Power Investiture nor Magery is required. A student who power. They both are surrounded by taboos does not practice a Discipline of Faith and observances which mark off their acts is limited to accumulating energy at half rate by studying sacred books. If from those of the profane world. he is a member of the religion he stud- – Bronislaw Malinowski ies, he can gain energy at quarter speed when not studying by obeying its commandments. Being a student of a religion’s spiritual practices without Modular Magic form of Spirit Trapping (p. 130). This belonging to the religion should be can have its own version of a grimoire: In some campaigns, mages never treated as an Unusual Background, a book holding a sorcerer’s agree- learn spells permanently. Instead, they typically worth 10 points. ments with a variety of spirits, one impress a group of spells on their agreement per page, each spirit grant- minds before going out on missions, Point Debt ing access to one spell. As an extension of the meditative and can use only those spells until magic rules, GMs may let meditative they study the next set. Buy this as Mysteries of the Trade Super-Memorization (Spells Only, practitioners spend energy points Various professions have a reputa- -20%). This lets the mage cast each exceeding what they have accumu- tion for magical knowledge. Examples spell of the current set as often as he lated, and then work off the points by include bards, courtesans, physicians, pleases. If each spell can only be cast further meditation. Keep this deficit- scribes, and smiths, in various soci- one time, as in Jack Vance’s The Dying financing version of magic under eties. To represent this, use a variant of Earth, this can be represented as control by immediately converting ritual magic (p. B242). Instead of bas- Limited Uses (1 use), -40%. an accumulated point debt that ing the system of skills on Ritual Magic This method of learning spells rais- reaches 125 into a -5-point disadvan- or Thaumaturgy, base it on a relevant es the question of prerequisites. If a tage; this represents the twisting of occupational skill – singing for the mage must memorize all the prerequi- the practitioner’s soul by the per- bard, Sex Appeal for the courtesan, site spells before he can use a given formance of high-powered magic. and so on. The professional can then

162 MAGICAL ARTS learn a single IQ/Very Hard (Profes- To cast a spell, the mage puts movements of the heavens, or consult sion) Magic skill that defaults to this together a verb and one or more an ephemeris, if one is available. Then core skill at -6. Spells in turn default to nouns. He can incorporate them into roll vs. Fortune-Telling (p. 135) to the (Profession) Magic skill as tech- the design of a magical object (see determine whether any time in a niques, at -1 per prerequisite spell. As Runic Enchantment, p. 25), write specified week is favorable. (Usually usual for ritual magic, the professional them on parchment or another medi- this will be the week immediately to doesn’t actually have to know the um, or trace them in the dirt or even in come, but future weeks can be exam- prerequisites the air. ined instead – for example, to plan In a low- or normal-mana setting, Tracing runes in the air takes 2 sec- ahead for the completion of a major casting the spells requires Magery 0 onds for an Easy rune, 6 seconds for enchantment at a favorable time.) On (or Power Investiture from a god or an Average rune, or 12 seconds for a a critical success, a highly favorable patron saint of the profession). In a Hard rune. Roll vs. the skill for each configuration of the signs and planets high- or very-high-mana setting, any rune, at -3. Runes can be traced in half is found; treat the effective mana level professional can cast any spell based the time for an additional -2, or slow- as two levels higher than usual. On a on his profession, if only at default. ly and carefully, taking twice the time, normal success, treat it as one level For example, a blacksmith with for +1. After tracing the runes, roll vs. higher. On a normal failure, no benefit Smith-16 would have Smith Magic-10 Symbol Drawing to activate the spell. is gained. On a critical failure, the cal- by default from it, and Ignite Fire-10 Rune magic doesn’t have memo- culation is in error; the astrologer by default from Smith Magic-10 (since rized spells; each spell must be assem- finds a day and hour that appear to be Ignite Fire has no prerequisites). bled on the spot at the time of its cast- favorable, but are actually unfavor- Talent in a group of skills raises the ing. In normal- and low-mana set- able, with mana one level lower than skills themselves, and therefore raises tings, activating a rune spell requires normal. the default value of the associated Magery. Each combination of spell and tar- magical skills, but it doesn’t enhance get requires a different heavenly con- magical skills purchased with charac- figuration, and thus a new horoscope. ter points. On the other hand, Magery MAGICAL LENSES At the GM’s option, other divinato- adds to the magical skill and thus to In contrast to modified magic, ry arts may identify either favorably or the techniques that default to it. It’s which changes some rules of the stan- unfavorably aspected times, or favor- possible to buy One-College Magery dard magic system, magical lenses ably or unfavorably aspected places, for a single professional magical skill; keep the same structure and provide for a given spell. However, most arts since there are more than 30 profes- ways of enhancing its use. Most pro- can’t look ahead to precisely calculat- sional skills, this version of One- vide bonuses to skill in spellcasting. ed future times, as astrology can. College Magery is bought at -60%. Think carefully about which ones to Astrology works best with ceremo- The specific spells for each form of allow. If all of them work, mages may nial magic such as enchantment. In a professional magic are determined by be able to cast spells at +20 to skill or battle, a mage can’t afford to wait for the GM. Spells should be useful in per- more – and players may spend hours the stars to be right before he casts his forming professional tasks, or should trying to work out which ritual will spells. accomplish superhuman feats within give them another +2 to skill. It’s safer a professional domain, such as raising either to pick out one or two modifiers Correspondences the dead for a physician. that suit the theme of a campaign, or For a more detailed exploration of to impose an upper limit to the total magical thinking, the Three Laws of Syntactic Magic skill bonus that modifiers can grant. A Magic can provide bonuses to spells, For a more detailed treatment of limit of +5 will give a campaign a fla- ranging from +1 to +4. magic based on college skills, base vor of ceremonial magic; a limit of +10 For contagion bonuses, include each spell on a combination of two or or higher will make it a major theme things that have been in contact with more colleges instead of a single col- of the campaign. the subject. A physical object that he lege. The rules for rune magic (in has used or handled gives +1. (It must GURPS Magic) are the standard Astrological Magic be a complete physical object; you GURPS treatment of this approach. Just as some areas can have higher can’t say, “I have some air here, and he Rune magic uses a list of verbs or lower mana than the surrounding breathes the same air.”) The object (magical actions that can be per- landscape, some times can have high- must bear a strong imprint from his formed) and a list of nouns (objects er or lower mana than others. Times actions, such as shoes he has worn that can be acted on or created magi- are usually aspected to particular long enough to stretch them, or he cally). Each noun and each verb has a kinds of magic or even particular tar- must have formed a strong personal specific symbol in a runic alphabet. gets. A mage skilled in astrology, or attachment to the object by using it. Mages learn the runes as separate advised by an astrologer, can select the Any object he has personally made, or skills; depending on the concept, each proper hour for a given spell and gain dead tissue from his body, such as cut rune may be an Easy, Average, or Hard improved odds of casting it. hair or nails, gives +2. Living matter skill. Skill with any rune is limited to To benefit from astrological influ- from his body, such as his bodily flu- the mage’s skill with Symbol Drawing ences in casting a spell, roll vs. ids, gives +3. So does having his in the tradition the rune comes from. Astronomy to predict the future corpse, if he has died.

MAGICAL ARTS 163 For similarity bonuses, a likeness of the subject (such as a drawing), or a natural object that shares one of his attributes or one attribute of the True Names desired effect (for example, an eagle In correspondence magic, using the true name for the subject of a feather for a flight spell), gives +1. A spell is a source of power. However, what is the true name of a tree, or formal portrait or sculpture by a a star, or a demon? skilled artist or an imitation by a A name is a word that refers to a thing. But many different words can skilled mimic gives +2. A natural refer to the same thing in different languages, or even in the same lan- object that strongly resembles the sub- guage. For a word to be a true name, it has to have some kind of unique ject, such as a heart-shaped leaf as a bond to the thing it names. magical treatment for heart disease, Sapient beings normally have true names as individuals. A sapient also gives +2. An identical twin or a being’s true name is the name he thinks of as his real name: his legal homunculus gives +3; someone close- name, or his baptismal name, or the name given by his tribal shaman ly related by blood, such as a parent, based on a vision during his initiation into adulthood. It’s almost always child, or sibling, gives +2. Having cus- in his native language. Anything he is called in another language, or any tody of a vampire would give +2 for title or nickname he’s given in his native language, doesn’t count. the vampire who infected him and any Nonsapient beings don’t normally have true names. If an animal is vampires he had infected. trained to come when its name is called, that name becomes its true For naming bonuses, using the name. In a campaign that uses the rules for named objects (p. 26), the subject’s true name (see True Names, name given to an object by those rules is its true name, even if it’s non- right) gives +4. A standard form of his sentient. name that is not his full name, such as When true names are a source of magical power, people often con- the name he uses as a signature, gives ceal their true names, as in Ursula Le Guin’s A Wizard of Earthsea or +3. A nickname, or “use name,” or the Vernor Vinge’s cyberpunk story “True Names.” People introduce them- name that he’s ordinarily called, gives selves by saying, “Call me Ishmael,” or perhaps by elaborate riddling, if +2. An identifier that is not a name, they want to make a point of the concealment. such as his assigned number in a set of If religious ceremonies grant names, this may not be necessary. After official records, is +1. such a ceremony, the god knows the worshipper’s name, and presum- It’s not possible to combine bonus- ably has power over him. But the god may be jealous of that power; es within the same category. Having a using a religiously granted true name to cast harmful spells invites garment the subject used to wear (+1) divine retribution. Or the god may simply shield his worshippers from and a small amount of his blood (+3) attacks based on their true names. Adhering to a religion may protect gives a combined contagion effect of against direct magical attack. +3, not +4. Spirits are more vulnerable than material beings to their true names Using correspondences to aid spell- being used against them. A material being’s body doesn’t perfectly con- casting takes more time; multiply form to its archetype, and thus is somewhat resistant to name-based required time by 10, as for ceremonial magic. But a spirit, not being made of matter, is its true name and can magic. However, this is not ceremoni- be totally bound by commands addressed to it. If true names exist, spiral magic. A mage can use it alone its have the Reprogrammable disadvantage, if anyone learns their true without the enhancement Solitary names, and the Secret disadvantage before then. This may affect even Ceremonial Casting (p. 130). very powerful beings. Jewish legend credits Lilith with magical powers At the GM’s option, any spell cast gained by knowing the secret name of the Lord (see Lilith, p. 54). To a with the aid of correspondences may mortal who knows the name, such a being may be an unwilling Ally or use the long-distance modifiers off- Patron. set by the correspondence bonuses. A spell that normally wouldn’t use long-distance modifiers has a -1 penalty and must have a correspon- They’re too minor to give any bonus to If the GM allows casting with only dence bonus to skill in each of the spellcasting, but they can meet the +0 connections, the caster risks get- three categories. requirement for one connection of ting the wrong target. See Correspondence Magic for an each type. But above and beyond there’s still alternative magic system based on Any complete object a subject has one name left over, these rules. ever touched or handled is a +0 con- And that is the name that you never nection by contagion. Anything can guess, Placeholders shaped like the subject, such as a wax The name that no human research To ease spellcasting with long-dis- doll for a man, is a +0 connection by can discover, tance modifiers, a GM may allow the similarity. Any phrase that describes But the cat himself knows – and he use of “placeholder” correspondences. the subject, such as “the man who won’t confess. These magical connections based on opposes my efforts,” is a +0 connec- – T.S. Eliot, “The Naming of Cats” the Three Laws have a value of +0. tion by naming.

164 MAGICAL ARTS Racial Magery example, the loa of Voudoun belief held for a later casting of the spell, but A racial template can include often like rum and cigars. a single mage can only have a single Magery 0 or higher levels of Magery. If The basic currency of sacrifice is spell ready in this way. the upper limit for a human mage is hit points. If the victim is sapient and Each 5 HP of sacrifice can be Magery 3 (as in a classic fantasy set- consents to the sacrifice, use his full exchanged for two character points’ ting), and a race naturally has Magery HP. If he does not consent, divide his worth of a Talent. A Talent applies 3, it’s plausible that its magically tal- HP by 3. For nonsapient victims, only to a single task and to no more ented members will be better than always divide HP by 3; they are pre- skill rolls than the number of skills the that, better than the best human sumed not capable of consent. At the Talent includes. For long, complex mages. GMs may choose to let mem- GM’s discretion, offerings of material tasks, more sacrifices may be needed. bers of such races exceed the normal goods worth 20% of a campaign’s Sacrificial offerings may help gain Magery limit for a campaign. In effect, starting wealth count as 1 HP. Offered economic success. Each 5 HP of sacri- Magery works like an attribute: a wealth may be cast into the sea, fice buys either +2 to a monthly job character of a magical race buys burned at a shrine, ritually consumed success roll, or a 2% increase in the Magery at the normal cost up to the by someone possessed by a god or character’s Independent Income rate normal human limit, and then adds spirit, or otherwise destroyed or made for one month. Assume that the any further bonus to that level, even if inaccessible. monthly job success roll actually the result exceeds the limit. If elves A god who cares about purity of includes a number of skill rolls that have racial Magery 1, an elven charac- intent may expect 20% of the starting come up on the job. Each month ter might have Magery 3 [30], plus wealth for a character’s wealth level, requires a new sacrifice. another level for racial Magery, for a instead of 20% of the average starting The GM may make other advan- total of Magery 4. wealth. With this interpretation, a tages available with the same rate of GMs may limit racial Magery to Dead Broke character who makes exchange with HP. Advantages the same number of levels as individ- any offering is credited with 1 HP of gained in this way are always tempo- ual Magery. Even fewer could be justi- sacrifice. rary versions of normally permanent fied; racial Magery 1 would let a race’s Sacrifices may create various bene- advantages. best mages exceed any human mages’ fits. Each HP of sacrifice could be The GM’s may require anyone who capabilities. exchanged for two energy points of calls on spirit agents to work magic to magic. The spell to be cast must be provide them with regular small sacri- Sacrificial Magic specified before performing the sacrifices. Instead of accounting for HP of Sacrifice is destroying or giving up fice; the energy points gained can be sacrifice, treat this as a Pact. something valuable in order to gain a benefit. Sacrifice generally implies that someone is receiving the sacrificial offering. There’s an implied exchange, the substance of the sacrifice for some supernatural favor. How much benefit depends on how substantial an offering. The oldest forms of sacrifice commonly involved killing something; their altars were not just tables but butchers’ blocks. In many societies, killing any large animal required rituals. This may relate to the custom in some hunter-gatherer cultures of thanking a slain animal for the gift of its flesh, and apologizing for the need to kill it, so that its spirit will return in a new body. In some religious traditions, the priest offers prayers, but someone else carries out the sacrifices so priests do not shed blood in the course of their duties. Religious practitioners may be permanently assigned to performing sacrifices. In some traditions, they also act as guards for sacred places. Other forms of offering may be acceptable in some settings. For

MAGICAL ARTS 165 Symbols and Magic Many approaches to magic involve writing, drawing, and similar activities. Medieval magicians trace penta- O lord white as jasmine, if my head falls cles on the floor; Jewish kabbalists write the Name of God on a strip of from my shoulders parchment and place it in a golem’s I shall think it your offering. mouth; Haitian houngans draw vevers on the floor before summoning the – Mahadeviyakka loas. In most fantasy settings, magical power comes from the will of the mage. The symbols have no intrinsic Enchant, and the specific spell being An alternative treatment of sym- power, but are simply an aid to focus- written. But once the spell has been bol-based magic is rune magic, ing the mind and will. To benefit from written, it remains effective indefinite- discussed briefly under Syntactic this aid, roll against Symbol Drawing ly, instead of for a single casting (how- Magic (p. 163) and Runic Enchant- before casting a spell. On a success, ever long maintained). Then the nor- ment (p. 25). See GURPS Magic for a add half your margin of success, mal rules for enchanted objects apply full description. rounded down, to your effective skill for casting. with the next spell you cast. A natural extension is that a mage Tattoos In this approach, Symbol Drawing in such a tradition can write or draw a In a setting where symbols are has a default from the core skill used magical symbol and give it to another inherently magical (see Symbols and in magic; Thaumatology-4 for stan- person. That person can later take out Magic, p. 166), they can be placed on a dard mana-based magic, Ritual the symbol and evoke its power, human body, making the body inher- Magic-4 for animistic spirit-based destroying the symbol in the process. ently magical. The process of inscrip- magic, or Philosophy-4 for subjectivis- When he does, roll against the lesser tion requires a roll against the lesser of tic magic. of the mage’s skill with Symbol Symbol Drawing and either Body Art In many real-world occult beliefs Drawing or the spell to find out if the or Makeup. Makeup will only produce and some fantasy worlds, the symbols spell works. Mages can then send out temporary markings. Temporary themselves have magical power. (For adventurers armed with one-use mag- markings produce the desired effect comparison, in a cyberpunk setting, ical items. Producing such items once; permanent markings work cheat codes would have intrinsic requires one hour per item. If symbols whenever they’re evoked, in the same “magical” power in cyberspace.) In are potent in themselves, Symbol way as standard enchanted objects. effect, these “magical attribute” set- Drawing has no default. Each alpha- Cutting off the body part destroys the tings make each symbol produce spe- bet or system of signs is a separate enchantment! cific effects. Symbol Drawing in these specialization of Symbol Drawing (see The effective and effectiveness of settings is a limit on magical skill; roll p. B224). the markings depend on where on the against the lower of Symbol Drawing In either version of symbol-based body they’re placed. Ideally, a marking and your skill with the spell being cast. magic, drawing symbols takes time. should go in a symbolically appropri- If symbols themselves have power, Determine casting times as for cere- ate place. For example, a Breathe then they can be used in making an monial magic. The other restrictions Water enchantment ought to go enchanted object. In fact, enchanting and advantages of ceremonial magic around the nostrils. If it’s placed some- the object is drawing or writing the don’t have to apply, though symbol where else, its effect has to be directed symbols on it. The enchanter’s skill drawing can combine with standard to the appropriate place. This acts as a roll is the least of Symbol Drawing, ceremonial magic if the mage wishes. skill modifier to the Makeup or Body Art roll, as follows:

Placement Modifier Exact place unmodified Same hit location -2 Same facing* -4 Anywhere on body -5

*“Facing” means front, rear, left, right, top, or bottom. Each design takes up space on the body. A standard design takes up 1% of the body surface. Effective skill with Makeup or Body Art is raised for

166 MAGICAL ARTS larger designs and lowered for smaller the spells that must be learned first, back bug-free, any successful recasting will ones: -3 skill for ¥0.1, -2 for ¥0.2, -1 for to spells without other spells as prerequi- also be bug-free. Many researchers will ¥0.5, +1 for ¥2, +2 for ¥5, +3 for ¥10. sites. In place of the different TL modifi- accept small bugs rather than start The torso is roughly 36% of body sur- er, apply a -5 penalty if the spell belongs over! But no amount of prototype test- face, each leg is 18%, each arm is 9%, to an unknown college. Apply a -5 penal- ing can eliminate the chance of a criti- the head is 9%, and the hands, feet, ty in a low-mana location. cal failure in some later casting, or and groin are 1% each (the area of the The prototype roll for casting the affect the unpredictable results of such hands and feet is included in the total spell is against skill with the spell. To a failure! area of the arms and legs). do this, someone (not necessarily the In a campaign that uses rune person who made the concept roll) Theurgy magic (see Runic Enchantment, p. 25), must invest at least 1 point in learning In a society where religion and the tattoos or other designs are based the spell. The spell must be cast by cer- magic co-exist harmoniously, mages on the runic symbols. Anyone who emonial magic methods, even if only a may pray before undertaking any knows Symbol Drawing can attempt solitary mage is involved. A magical challenging magic, asking God or the to read the intent of a body marking. workspace is required with the follow- gods to aid their spells. Treat this as ing cost from The Price of levels of Magery with Preparation Theoretical Magic Enchantment: (number of spell pre- Required. If the mages just cast the and Spell Design requisites + 1) ¥ (400 energy points) ¥ spell, they do so with their normal Where do new spells come from? (cost per energy point). Use the stan- level of ability. If they pray first, they In some worlds, they may be a special dard ceremonial magic rules for the gain an increased Magery bonus. This gift of the gods, beyond mortal under- effect of having assistants. Otherwise, is equivalent to the rules for Talents as standing. In others, they’re improvised use the normal modifiers for proto- magic. by Wild Talent spellcasters. In some type rolls, but with the concept roll A GM enhancing the links between worlds, critical failures by mages try- modifiers defined above for spell magic and religion may choose to ing to cast other spells may lead to research. Treat a critical failure as a require prayer for effective magic: a their discovery. This is especially likely standard magical critical failure (see spell cast without praying first, or with for reversed effect spells and for spells p. B236). Each attempted casting only hasty prayer, has a penalty to that create light, sound, or odor! takes one day, including setup time. effective skill. Instead of praying for a But in many settings, mages deliber- Developing an enchantment uses fraction of a second before each spell, ately invent and test new spells. This fol- the same procedure, but usually takes a mage can pray for half an hour at lows the same process as inventing new longer. The researchers may use quick the start of the day and have normal machines, with a few details changed. and dirty enchantment if they can skill for the rest of the day. If awak- Developing a new spell involves a afford its energy point cost, but this is ened in the middle of the night, he can concept roll and a prototype roll. at a skill penalty of -5. Otherwise, they pray for a minute and cast spells at -2 Since spells are cast by individual must use slow and sure enchantment for the next hour and a half. mages or groups of ceremonial mages, at one mage-day per energy point. Any Full-length prayer may protect there is no production stage in the enchantment has the spell Enchant- against demonic interventions. If development of spells. However, there ment as a prerequisite; take this into prayer is omitted, they can still hap- may be two prototype stages: one to account in determining the workspace pen – a significant risk in its own right. develop a ritual for casting the spell cost. (this is waived if the spell is always Poorly funded mages may reduce ONHUMAN cast as an enchantment) and one to the cost of their workspace by prepar- N develop a procedure for enchanting ing it themselves. They still pay 10% of MAGIC the spell into a physical object. the standard workspace cost for materials; they pay the other 90% as magi- A nonhuman race doesn’t have to Spells do not have TL modifiers, do things the same way as humans. since magic is usually separate from cal energy, at one mage-day per energy point. In settings where mages or GMs can define alternative systems technology. Nor do they have com- of magic, based on the distinctive plexity ratings. enchantments are rare, this may be the only way to create magical qualities of each race. Here are some When a player defines the intended examples: effects of a spell, the GM writes up the prototypes. spell in the standard format – includ- Major bugs in a prototype casting are rolled on the critical failures table Blood Magic ing type, energy cost, casting time, Some vampires become mages, for spells. Minor bugs can be treated as and duration, defines prerequisites – drawing on the power of their undead nuisance effects, which the GM is free and assigns the spell to a college. The condition to work spells. The more to improvise, taking the spell’s intent GM can assign prerequisites that the potent vampiric abilities, such as turn- into account. Any bug that occurs dur- research will have to learn or invent. ing into a different shape or control- ing the prototype casting is inherent in The concept roll is against ling a victim’s mind, are results of that version of the spell and will recur Thaumatology. In place of the complexi- blood magic. The advantages and any time it is successfully cast. The ty modifier, subtract the number of pre- restrictions of this form of magic are a only way to get rid of it is to develop a requisites for the spell; this includes all Feature of vampire mages (p. 112). new prototype. Once the prototype is

MAGICAL ARTS 167 Vampires can’t use FP as a source transaction, and not under the vam- addition to being mana-dependent of energy for their spells. Instead, they pire’s mental influence. and dispellable, faerie magic can be cast spells by burning HP. Unlike ordi- banished by the touch of iron (see nary vampires, a vampire mage can Devilfish Magic Cold Iron on p. 109). use his Vampiric Bite to raise his HP Because they communicate by Faerie spells last more or less indef- above normal, forming a blood pool. change in skin color and pattern initely, but don’t truly change physical He can store as much life energy as he rather than by speech, devilfish can’t reality. An Ignite spell doesn’t actually can take before his victim dies, at the cast spells by speaking. The magically make things burn, though the image of usual rate of 1 energy point per 3 HP effective patterns on a devilfish mage’s flames will appear above a com- inflicted, but he can only have energy skin work the same way as tattoos or bustible object, and those close to it from one victim at a time in his blood makeup (see Tattoos, p. 166). Because will feel a sense of warmth. A Fireball pool. When he wishes, he can use this forming images in this way is natural spell doesn’t inflict actual physical energy to cast spells. If he is injured, to devilfish, they aren’t limited by their injury; determine its hits of damage as he can sacrifice his blood pool to heal skill in Body Art or Makeup; they sim- usual, and roll vs. HT when the “dam- himself, but this requires him to con- ply roll against Symbol Drawing (see age” equals the target’s HP to see if he centrate for 10 seconds per HP healed. Symbols and Magic, p. 166). loses consciousness from pain. Vampire mages have a limited spell For devilfish magic, ignore the However, further damage will not list, in the manner of clerics. Their usual effects of skill with a spell on the result in death, only in more chances spells have no prerequisites, but they need to speak. Instead, use the rules for loss of consciousness. (A victim do require study, or spell research for adjusting Symbol Drawing skill for who is reduced to -5 ¥ HP will become based on Ritual Magic (Vampiric the size of the symbols (p. 220). If the comatose, but can be restored by heal- Blood Magic). Each spell is a separate devilfish is maintaining a spell, note ing spells or by the touch of iron.) skill. Suitable spells include those con- what part of its skin the spell is occu- Spells that take away or restore nected with shapeshifting, mind con- pying, and take that into account in Fatigue have full effects, since Fatigue trol, weather control, and similar determining the difficulty of casting is a temporary condition that mental feats. new spells, as discussed for tattoos. and emotional states affect. Devilfish magic has a second pecu- Impermanent healing spells can liarity. Because they live beneath the restore the seeming injury inflicted by sea, they almost never encounter fire faerie attacks, but only seem to take and don’t consider it one of the four away real physical injuries; the subject elements. The system of elements in feels better and can function normally, devilfish science only includes earth, but may die of cumulative wounds. water, air, and light. (However, real healing through natural processes will eventually take Faerie Glamour place.) Impermanent resurrection In most accounts, the fair folk are does not actually restore the subject’s creatures of illusion (see Illusion soul to his remains, but animates Disguise, p. 170, and the Faerie tem- those remains with an illusion of life. plate, p. 108), and their magic has the The same principles apply to other At the GM’s option, willing offers of same quality. Faerie magic only spells. blood may grant energy at a higher works because it imposes belief on This pattern applies to other sorts rate: one energy point per each HP those who witness it (see Glamour, of glamour, such as the deceits and drained. To count as willing, the offer p. 20). Faeries thus have their own manipulations of demons (dispelled must come from a person who is fully special form of magic, based on by True Faith or holy objects instead conscious, aware of the nature of the Impermanent Magery (p. 129). In of iron). EXPANDED SPELL LISTS The spells in the GURPS Basic Set book; including them here means that meet the needs of a straightforward those templates are ready to use. AIR SPELLS fantasy campaign with mage adven- Discussed under Agrarian Magic turers. However, in a world permeated (p. 95) and Magic and Warfare (p. 190), Rain with magic, many other sorts of spells their details are relevant to the effects Area will be developed. GURPS Magic will of magic on the civilizations of a fan- Creates or prevents one inch of provide a full treatment of this sub- tasy world. Some spells in the second rain in an outdoor setting. ject. Here is a small sample of addi- group have prerequisites that aren’t tional spells. Most are included defined here or in the Basic Set; those Duration: One hour. because they’re listed in character prerequisites are marked with an Base Cost: 1/10; same cost to main- templates in Chapters 6 and 9 of this asterisk in this list. tain. Double cost to create rain in a

168 MAGICAL ARTS Purify Earth Area Removes foreign objects and harmful substances from the soil and adds nutrients, making it fit to sup- When the first baby laughed for the first time, port growing plants. Small buried the laugh broke into a thousand pieces and objects (coins) are dissipated, medium-sized ones (swords) rise to the sur- they all went skipping about, and that was the face, and large objects (statues) cause beginning of fairies. the spell to fail; roll vs. IQ to sense – J.M. Barrie, Peter Pan their location if so. Duration: Permanent. Base Cost: 2 in average soil; 4 in sandy or rocky soil. Time to cast: 30 seconds. Prerequisites: Apportation and Shape Earth. dry habitat such as a desert; double successful Architecture roll can cre- ENCHANTMENT cost to prevent rain in a humid habitat ate a stable wall, column, or other such as jungle or swamp. structure. SPELLS Time to cast: 1 minute. Stone moved with this spell travels See pp. 23-25. Prerequisite: Clouds*, four other at only Move 1. It can harm no one Air spells, and four Water spells. except by flowing over an immobile person and burying him. If a mage FOOD SPELLS moves a stone onto a person to bury COMMUNICATION him – or from beneath him to create a Test Food AND EMPATHY hole – the person may move normally Information on his next turn to escape. He will only Determines whether a substance is SPELLS be trapped if he fails. Anyone trapped safe to eat or drink; reveals harmful in this way will find it extremely diffi- decay, poisons, or foreign objects such Mind-Sending cult to get out; if the GM allows a roll as ground glass, but not of magic. vs. ST, it should be at a substantial Regular Does not determine whether the sub- penalty, at least -10. Other results are stance is nutritious or tasty. Sends the caster’s thoughts to the as for Shape Earth. subject. Verbal communication is at Cost: 1 for a single meal or bottle of talking speed; images transfer at the Duration: One minute. wine, or 2 per cubic yard. rate they could be copied onto parch- Cost: Four per cubic yard of stone ment. Can be used to send messages at shaped; half cost to maintain. Triple distance; use the Long-Distance cost if the stone has already been cut HEALING SPELLS Modifiers (p. B241), with an addition- or worked. al -4 if caster and subject don’t know Prerequisites: Shape Earth and Stop Bleeding each other personally. three other Earth spells. Regular Duration: One minute. The subject stops bleeding immedi- Walk Through Earth ately, as if bandaged by someone with Cost: 4 to cast; 4 to maintain. Regular Time to cast: Four seconds. the First Aid skill (see p. B195). This The subject can pass through earth Prerequisite: Mind-Reading. restores 1 HP, and prevents further HP or stone unimpeded. His movement loss from bleeding if the optional does not open a passage behind him. bleeding rules (p. B420) are in effect. EARTH SPELLS If he knows Earth to Air, he can It can also stabilize a mortal wound, at breathe during his journey automati- much greater cost. The subject of this Shape Stone cally; if not, he must hold his breath. If spell will not subsequently benefit Regular the spell ends before he gets out into from bandaging of the same wounds. the air, he is not directly harmed, but Lets the caster move stone and is trapped and will suffocate. Duration: Permanent, although shape it into any form. If the form is later injuries will bleed normally. stable, it will remain permanently Duration: One second. Cost: 1 to stop bleeding on a nor- changed after shaping. An unstable Cost: 4 to cast; 3 to maintain. mal wound; 10 to stabilize a mortal form will last only while the spell Double cost to pass through stone. wound. continues – no special concentration Prerequisite: Shape Stone. Time to cast: 10 seconds. is required – and then collapse. A Prerequisite: Lend Vitality.

MAGICAL ARTS 169 Cure Disease Complex Illusion IGHT AND Regular Area L Removes disease-causing microor- Similar to Simple Illusion, but DARKNESS ganisms of one specified type from the audible as well as visible. It is not dis- subject’s body. If the disease lacks pelled automatically by a spell or SPELLS identification (usually by a Diagnosis touch; it has DR 0 and 1 HP and will roll), cast the spell at -5. Does not cure vanish instantly if broken. Hide any damage the illness has already Duration: One minute. Regular inflicted on the subject, but prevents Base Cost: 2 to cast; half cost to Makes the subject harder to find. A further damage. Only one attempt maintain. Vision roll requires a subject in plain may be made per subject. Prerequisites: Simple Illusion and sight; Sense rolls to see a subject Duration: Permanent, but does not Sound. already hidden in some way are at -1 immunize against future infections. per level, up to 5 levels. The effects Cost: 4 for creatures up to Size Illusion Shell only apply while the subject remains Modifier 0; for larger creatures, 2 ¥ Regular still, but if a subject moves and then largest dimension in yards. Covers a physical object with a stops moving before the spell’s dura- Time to cast: 10 minutes. visual illusion (and an audible illusion tion ends, the effects resume. as well, if the caster knows Complex Prerequisites: Major Healing, Duration: One hour. Illusion). The illusion may be disbe- Sterilize*, Decay*, and Test Food*. Cost: 1/level. lieved, but cannot be automatically Time to cast: Five seconds. dispelled otherwise. It will move only Prerequisite: Blur or Forgetfulness. ILLUSION SPELLS as the underlying object moves, and Simple Illusion its effects as a weapon are unchanged. Night Vision Area Duration: One minute. Regular Creates a visual image seen by any- Cost: 1 per cubic yard or less. Half Cancels all penalties to Sense and one in view of its occupied area. It cost to maintain. skill rolls for low light, but not for total may move to a different area, or Prerequisite: Simple Illusion. darkness. change size or shape up to its maxi- Duration: One minute. mum area, but the caster must con- Illusion Disguise Cost: 3 to cast; 1 to maintain. centrate to achieve this. Any sapient Regular Prerequisites: Five Light/Darkness creature can dispel it by “disbeliev- Must be cast after one of the pre- spells. ing”; this requires spending one action ceding three spells; superimposes the on concentrating and making a Will illusion on the subject, so that it dis- Invisibility roll. Automatically dispeled by any guises him and moves with him. The attack, any other spell, or the touch of disguise counts as only a single spell Regular any sapient creature. “on.” The better the underlying spell, The subject cannot be seen, reflect- the better the disguise. ed in a mirror, or photographed. He Duration: One minute. still makes sounds and can be tracked Base Cost: 1 to cast; half cost to Duration: Same as for the illusion. by scent or footprints. Anything he maintain. Cost: 3. picks up becomes invisible, unless he Prerequisite: IQ 11 and ability to Prerequisite: Simple Illusion. wills it to remain visible. see. Duration: One minute. Cost: 5 to cast; 3 to maintain. Time to cast: Three seconds. Prerequisites: Blur and five other Light/Darkness spells. META-SPELLS Scryguard Regular; Resists Information spells Any information spell cast on the subject must win a quick contest of spells with the Scryguard to “see” him. Identify Magic will still detect that the Scryguard is present.

170 MAGICAL ARTS Duration: 10 hours. Duration: One minute. and can take only defensive actions. Cost: 3 to cast; 1 to maintain. Cost: 1 per 80 pounds, minimum 2; He arrives in the same posture he was Time to cast: Five seconds. half cost to maintain. in at the start, but can change facing; Prerequisite: Magery 1. Time to cast: Two seconds. this imposes a penalty to Body Sense, Prerequisite: Apportation. -2 to rotate horizontally, -5 to rotate vertically. MIND CONTROL Flight (VH) Cost depends on range, and SPELLS Regular increased range also imposes a penal- Lets the subject fly through the air ty on skill in casting the spell: Fear under his own control, without wings, at Move 10. Flight speed reduces nor- Time to cast: Two seconds. Area; Resisted by Will mally because of encumbrance. Prerequisites: IQ 15+ and at least 10 Those in the affected area feel Subject can move and fight normally spells from different colleges. fright. Those who are affected must and has a combat advantage if above a make a fright check at -3. If this suc- foe. ceeds, they will be angered instead of PLANT SPELLS frightened. Duration: One minute. Cost: 5 to cast; 3 to maintain. Duration: 10 minutes. Time to cast: Two seconds. Seek Plant Base Cost: 1 to cast; cannot be Prerequisites: Magery 2 and Information maintained. Levitation. Reveals the direction and approxi- Prerequisite: Sense Emotion, or the mate distance of the nearest growth of Empathy advantage. Teleport (VH) plants, or one specific plant type. Use Special the long-distance modifiers. Any MOVEMENT Instantly moves the caster to a known plants may be excluded if the remote location. If he is not actually caster names them before casting the SPELLS looking at the location, he must have spell. been there before. Skill penalties may Cost: 2. Quick March apply: -2 for a place not seen in the Regular past month (except the caster’s home); Identify Plant Doubles the subject’s long-distance -1 to -3 for a place seen only briefly; -2 Information travel speed. At the end of the day’s for a place “seen” only indirectly, Determines the species of any one travel, the subject loses 10 fatigue and through another’s mind, television, plant and provides basic information must sleep. No effect on Basic Move in magic, or the like. about it (edible, poisonous, etc.). combat or on Basic Speed. Caster can carry anything along up Gives +3 to skills included in the to heavy encumbrance. Objects must Green Thumb talent for that specific Duration: One day’s march. be carried; another person can be plant. Cost: 4 to cast; 4 to maintain. taken along by holding hands. Time to cast: One minute. The spell is risky to use. A roll Cost: 2. Prerequisite: Magery 1 and Haste. failed by 1 inflicts 1d of damage and Prerequisite: Seek Plant. physically stuns the caster on arrival. Lighten Burden A roll failed by more than 1 teleports Heal Plant Regular him to a random destination. A criti- Area Reduces the weight of any equip- cal failure can send him anywhere Heals plants within the area of ment the subject is carrying. that doesn’t kill him outright. Even a effect of disease, parasites, and dam- successful roll requires follow-up roll age, if they are still alive. Trees larger Duration: 10 minutes. against Body Sense. On a critical fail- than saplings require a 3-yard radius Cost: 3 for 25% reduction; 5 for ure, the caster is stunned. On an ordi- or more. 50% reduction; half to maintain. nary failure, he suffers disorientation Time to cast: Three seconds. Prerequisite: Apportation. Teleport Table Levitation Range Cost Penalty Regular; Resisted by Will Within 10 yards 3 0 11 to 20 yards 4 -1 Subject must be a living being. 21 to 100 yards 5 -2 Subject floats through the air, moving 101 to 500 yards 6 -3 as the caster wills. Maximum Move 501 yards to 1.99 miles 7 -4 for a levitated being is 3, horizontally 2 to 9.99 miles 8 -5 or vertically. A caster who levitates 10 to 99.99 miles 9 -6 himself uses DX-based skills normally; 100 to 999.99 miles 10 -7 other subjects use them at -3. ¥10 range +1 additional -1

MAGICAL ARTS 171 Duration: Permanent. Base Cost: 1. Duration and Cost: 5 seconds for 1 Base Cost: 3. Time to cast: Five minutes. point; 1 minute for 2 points; 1 point Time to cast: One minute. Prerequisite: Heal Plant. per minute to maintain. Prerequisite: Identify Plant. Silence Bless Plants SOUND SPELLS Area Area Creates an area of silence, within Causes plants within its area of Sound when no one can hear anything or effect to grow faster and stronger for Regular make any noise. This will prevent spo- the rest of the growing season. To be Produces any sort of meaningless ken spells from working. affected, a plant must be entirely with- sound the caster wishes; does not pro- Duration: One minute. in the area of effect. Doubles the crop duce understandable speech or music. Base Cost: 2 to cast; 1 to maintain. yield within the area of effect. Does not produce loud sounds. Does not require concentration once cast. Prerequisite: Sound. Duration: One crop or growing season. MAGICAL PLURALISM: HOW TO USE THIS CHAPTER Many fantasy worlds have more Not too many styles. Psychologists same things, and better, and some than one school of magic. And cer- talk about “the magical number seven, extra things as well. Don’t design mag- tainly GURPS can support that kind plus or minus two” as the number of ical styles that make other magical of a fantasy world, as the options in things a person can perceive at a styles useless. If the players adopt this chapter illustrate. This pluralism glance and remember easily. Keeping them, they’ll be unhappy. If they don’t, can add interest to a setting, with the number of styles in this range will the design work was wasted. If the set- each system defining a different race, give players a manageable list of ting has a general-purpose magic sys- culture, or tradition. Roma Arcana, options. tem, the cost of being a generalist later in this book, offers a worked Distinct functions. If all the magical should be high enough so that a spe- example of a pluralistic magic setting. styles use the same mechanics, they’ll cialist can outdo the generalist at cer- But having a number of magic sys- blur together. Players will bypass talk- tain things. tems can mean extra work for the ing about how their characters envi- This assumes that the GM designs GM. And having multiple magic sys- sion magic and go right to “I hit it with the magical styles, which is generally a tems can also make things confusing a 3d fireball!” Expressing the stylistic good idea. But it’s possible to let play- for the players. differences in different game mechan- ers make up their own traditions, with Of course, having a single magic ics keeps them in better focus. the same kind of cautions as for letting system makes things simpler for Diverse power levels. One player them create racial templates. This everybody. But if the whole world uses may want a full-time mage; another freeform approach makes sense in a the same magic system, magic looks may want a warrior, rogue, or sage postmodern setting with chaos magic more like a technology and less like an who’s picked up a few tricks. Having (p. 152), or in a large multicultural or aspect of culture. And everyone who magic systems that fit both choices is multiracial empire. For this option to plays a mage will be picking from the a good sort of diversity. work, make sure the players are expe- same spell list; anything that individu- Minimizing overlap. Nothing is as rienced with the magic rules and with alizes mages comes from the players frustrating as designing a character to character design, and the GM should doing extra work. play a role – and then finding that review every character closely before For a basic fantasy campaign, with someone else’s character can do all the play starts. an emphasis on adventure, use the standard magic system. For a campaign based on a literary source, or fit- ting a personal vision of how magic works, pick options from this chapter to produce a suitably adjusted system. For a campaign where magic itself is a major focus, design several styles and let players pick one. Following a few guidelines will produce a pluralistic magic system that’s easier for players to grasp:

172 MAGICAL ARTS CHAPTER EIGHT STORYLINES

Loki then, and Heimdall later had Now he was passing over the slop- steered his gryphon into a plunge like praised his fearlessness – ha, he said ing earthworks that formed the outer that of a great bird of prey, to get with- to himself, if they only knew! It was perimeter of al-Matine. Down below, in throwing range before the foe could not true courage that animated him, the Saracens were crying out. regain its wits and burn him in its turn. but a feeling that he was involved in a Then the great portal in the fortress You’ve created a world filled with kind of strange and desperate game, in roof swung open, and a shape rose magic, and a band of adventurers to which the only thing that mattered from it: a figure in the form of a man, explore it. What do you do next? was to play it as skillfully as possible. but greater than any man, and You create a story. – L. Sprague de Camp wreathed in fire. It gestured, and foun- Some roleplaying campaigns use and Fletcher Pratt, tains of flames shot up, carrying it distinct episodes. Each episode has its The Compleat Enchanter toward the height where he circled. It own problems, its own challenges, gestured again, and Oliver felt the heat Oliver tugged at the reins, and his and its own adversaries. It’s possible of a furnace against his face. His steed gryphon banked to the right, toward for every episode to be completely self- shrieked at the near miss. the Moorish fortress. He could already contained, with nothing carrying for- In desperation, Oliver hurled his look down and see its outworks, ward to the next episode except the elemental fire against the demon. He where Saracen wizards waited to hurl PCs. However, an episodic campaign expected little more than distraction, fire or lightning against Frankish can also have a measure of continuity. but cried out in triumph as the crea- knights. But two could play at that Adversaries from one episode can ture staggered in midair and fell back, game. With his free hand, Oliver fum- come back in another; PCs can be an ugly mark upon the arm that had bled the first vial of elemental fire involved in subplots, often about their caught the vessel. loose from his belt. He could fly above nonadventuring lives, that show up So, he thought, the alchemist’s fire the range of any spell, but from his every two or three sessions. The is fiercer even than the hellfire of that vantage, whatever he let fly could only episodic campaigns that work best thing’s dwelling place. Let’s give it go down. usually have some continuing themes. another taste! Yanking at the reins, he

STORYLINES 173 Other roleplaying campaigns resolve. Or the campaign may not out of the continuing activities of the make continuity most important. even been divided up into episodes. PCs. Within a campaign or story arc, the One session may start at the instant This chapter evaluates both types majority of episodes may be about a when the previous session ended, or of storyline: the story of a single master villain whose varied schemes time may skip ahead in the middle of adventure and the tale of an overall the PCs have to thwart, or some other a single session. New discoveries, campaign. continuing problem they have to meetings, and problems may grow ADVENTURES Every session or two of play, char- will use all the different scenario fantasy, if the heroes have a high acters need a problem that demands types. But understanding what makes mythic purpose for their venture. solving, or a situation that needs them all work is a good start on keep- addressing. That’s what drives GMs ing players happy. Elements crazy, especially when the doorbell A dungeon crawl requires a dun- will ring in an hour and the new sce- geon: a confined area in a definite nario isn’t ready. INTO THE place, with entrances and exits, to pro- This section is a scenario cook- duce a sense of crossing a threshold. book. Fantasy stories, whatever the LABYRINTH Once in the labyrinth, everything is medium, confront their heroes with a Labyrinths, or dungeon crawls, are potentially dangerous. few standard types of situations. Here a very common type of adventure in To enhance the sense of danger, the are recipes for each of them. Each one fantasy gaming and one of the oldest, adventurers shouldn’t be able to per- starts with a basic formula: the essen- going back to the “underworld adven- ceive the labyrinth clearly. Ideally, they tial ingredients plus a few extra ture” of Dungeons & Dragons. won’t even know its size – which is one nuances that will make it memorable. Heroes from Conan to Bilbo Baggins reason labyrinths are often under- If there are interesting variations, it ventured into dark underground ground. Darkness and other barriers explores them. Finally, it considers the realms, and before them, mythical to the senses enhance this uncertainty. larger-scale implications: how to base adventurers such as Theseus and Twisting, branching, and even hidden a campaign on that type of scenario, Gilgamesh did the same. passages make it harder to form a whether as a recurring situation, a Visits to labyrinths are a classic clear mental map. Letting adventurers framing device, or a grand climax. type of adventure in sword and sor- carry lights or see in the dark, draw Every fantasy campaign is differ- cery. Increasing the sense of mystery maps, and probe ahead with magical ent. No scenario type will fit all possi- and horror can easily turn them into spells turns a dungeon crawl into a ble campaigns, and few campaigns dark fantasy. They can also be high series of calculated risks. Preventing such actions keeps it suspenseful and raises the tension (see Player-Made Maps, p. B491). The original Labyrinth had the Minotaur, and labyrinths in general should have monsters. A good pattern is one big monster and a large number of small foes or creatures whose numbers make them a threat. This is standard in computer games, where each level normally has a “boss” monster, with the Big Boss on the last level. Mechanical traps and crawls through tight passages are good optional additions. Finally, a labyrinth should contain a treasure, a reward to the adventurers for surviving it. Wealth is good, but unique, even magical objects are better, symbolizing increased skill and confidence. Of course, they can also be a way of entangling the adventurers in an even bigger plot, as their new toys attract unwelcome attention.

174 STORYLINES Variations Most labyrinths are semi-abandoned, inhabited by undead beings or Adventure Seeds other monsters. But a fortress or prison, still controlled by its builders, The Dolorous Tower can force adventurers to rely on In a land of wizardry, a master wizard has recruited a small band of stealth instead of open combat. adventurers – not only warriors, but also apprentice mages and skilled Missions for spies can involve such craftsmen – to perform an errand for him. His rival has been called settings. away to a gathering of wizards in another country. The rival’s tower A natural cave complex can also be stands deserted, open to forcible intrusion. The wizard offers rich a labyrinth. Caves are even more dan- rewards for bringing back its secrets and treasures. But if the adven- gerous than dungeons; they weren’t turers take the offer, they find that a wizard’s empty tower is not unde- made by intelligent beings and there’s fended. Cunning mechanisms operate traps for the unwary, and spirits no guarantee that they can be navigat- bound to the site threaten them with magical attacks. ed. Sudden drops, flooded areas, narrow passages, and other hazards can kill the overconfident. The Mouth of Hell, Part 1 Here and there across the land, something new and strange has hap- Campaigns pened: pits, caves, and tunnels open in the earth, giving access to under- It’s easy to run a campaign based ground mazes. Many who venture in never come out, but a few do, on labyrinth episodes. Just let the bearing wealth and amazing magical artifacts and stories of combat adventurers keep leaving and return- with creatures like devils wearing flesh. The rulers of the country are ing, as they explore deeper and deeper. nervous about all the self-styled “adventurers,” and the church finds the Or if one labyrinth becomes boring, hints of dark magic alarming. The local bishop has called on a few good send them to a new one, in a “base and religious men to go into the nearest underground complex and find out mission” campaign structure. what’s going on – and advise him on whether the church should ban A completely localized point cam- treasure-seeking in such places, and if so, whether there is any way for paign, where the entire story takes it to seal them off. place in one confined setting, is more From this starting point, the adventurers can begin a classic dun- of a challenge. At a minimum, it needs geon crawl, but with adversaries and surroundings growing increasing- multiple threats and treasures, to give ly nightmarish as they penetrate deeper. See Part 2 (p. 182) for more each session a sense of fulfillment. information. Clues pointing into the further depths are also essential. And if characters literally are never going to leave the dungeon, they had better have plenty of Elements There also should be perils along supplies and a safe place to sleep. Adventures need a reason to under- the way. Even in flight from an enemy, take a perilous journey. Most reasons some should be random encounters, involve something to travel toward or such as bandits, monsters, or natural PERILOUS away from: a goal or a threat. The goal hazards. In a quest with a goal, all the is often a treasure, but others are pos- perils may be random. The journey JOURNEYS sible: a weapon, a source of knowl- should pass through unsettled or law- In a perilous journey, the danger edge, a friend in need of rescue, a mar- less regions – more so, at least, than isn’t hidden away in a dungeon; it’s out ketplace, or a teacher or protector, for the travelers’ home. in the open. The heroes travel through example. The threat is most often an The journey should be long; the unsettled and lawless wilderness, or enemy, but it may be a natural disas- country it passes through should be visit foreign places filled with ter, famine, or plague. Other reasons too large for the travelers to see it all at unknown dangers. are possible, from simple wanderlust once. It’s not darkness or hidden pas- The common perilous journey is to scouting a path for someone else’s sages that conceal the space where the the quest: the fairy-tale prince seeking journey. adventure takes place, but sheer size. his fortune, or the Knights of the A journey needs a route for the To maintain this lack of knowledge, Round Table searching for the Grail. travelers to follow. On a journey with a maps should be old and incomplete But other reasons for journeying are goal, there is often only one route, and guides unreliable. also possible: flight from enemies, whether it’s as clearly marked as the returning home, looking for a new Yellow Brick Road or completely Variations home, or simple curiosity about unknown. But there may be alternate A quest may have unusual goals. what’s over the next hill. routes. And when the party must turn Odysseus and Dorothy Gale just want- Perilous journeys work in any type tail, the choice of which direction to ed to go home; Frodo Baggins wanted of fantasy. Quests are especially suited flee is often wide open. to destroy a magical treasure; Moses to mythic fantasy. was looking for a new home for his people.

STORYLINES 175 The wilderness can take some Finally, the hunt should take place than the hunters; if it fights them unusual forms. In the natural world, in a wild area. The quarry needs room openly, the hunt will end. But having it many journeys have taken place by to hide, move around, or even to keep eluding them will get dull. A sea. Journeys can also pass through ambush its hunters. This may be an more useful structure is a series of the supernatural world, as in Dante’s area even less settled than the site of a hunts for different but related targets, tour of Hell, Purgatory, and Heaven. perilous journey, which typically con- whether they’re large, dangerous tains at least old trails through the beasts or aristocratic vampires. Campaigns woods or mountains. Quests and perilous journeys are one of the easiest types of adventure to Variations WARFARE turn into a campaign. Just make the In a less combat-oriented cam- War can play a part in any genre of journey long and the goal distant and paign, hunters may be sent after an fantasy, with differences in style. In elusive. It’s worth recalling that per- animal that’s not dangerous, but just particular, warfare in sword and sor- ilous journeys can also be brief; a sin- rare and elusive. They may even be cery is primarily an expression of indi- gle session of travel is an excellent asked to capture it alive as a specimen vidual heroism, just as in epics such as interlude between two longer story- for someone’s menagerie. the Iliad. lines. A hunt can also pursue a man or One vital feature in a prolonged other intelligent being instead of a Elements journey is resting places along the beast. A criminal, a defeated military War needs opposing armies or way. Let the travelers come upon an leader, or an evil magician may be an fleets. The PCs will belong to one. In inn, a monastery, or a hidden valley especially dangerous quarry. A man- low fantasy, the army will usually be inhabited by elves or halflings. This hunt can even take place in a large human and will rely mainly on realis- gives them a mark of progress and a city. If the quarry has a mask of legiti- tic weapons. In high fantasy, magic chance to recover their strength and macy, the hunt may be even more dan- will have more importance, and both make new plans. If they hurry on as gerous, with the hunters considered sides may include wizards, demigods, quickly as possible, let them; if they fanatics or outlaws. or monsters. Dark fantasy may pit prolong their stay, entangle them in human beings against terrifying local activities and problems. Campaigns supernatural foes. It’s not practical to spend a pro- War implies battlegrounds. Define longed campaign on a single hunt. strategic factors such as fortifications HUNTING The quarry is probably less powerful and cover. These are especially PARTIES From Heracles to St. George, legendary heroes have hunted dangerous game. Many “wilderness adventures” Adventure Seeds in fantasy roleplaying have the same main goal. This type of adventure is Once Upon a Time, Part 1 similar to a quest, but not the same: The king has three sons, and the customs of his land permit him to the goal is not acquiring treasure but leave the kingdom to any of them. So he’s decided to follow a very tra- overcoming danger. ditional method of making the choice: sending them out on a quest. Hunting parties work in any fanta- Each of his sons has a year and a day to bring back an object of great sy type, but especially sword and sor- worth and a potential wife who could fittingly reign with him. The cery. In dark fantasy, the hunters may youngest son has turned to a few of his friends, asking if they can help. not return from the hunt! Pilgrimage The baby has known the dragon A band of worshippers travels to a shrine of their faith. They need intimately ever since he had an imagi- guides, guards, and priests to travel with them – and offer a chance to nation. What the fairy-tale provides for share in the sacred journey with all expenses paid, for whatever bless- him is a St. George to kill the dragon. ings it may bring. – G.K. Chesterton, Tremendous Trifles Tourist Traps In a world where the beginnings of modern technology and the rem- Elements nants of ancient magic exist together, a touring company offers voyages A hunt needs a quarry, usually a to picturesque magical lands. A group of young people from monster. Killing it should test the respectable families decides to take the tour. The touring company does hunters’ skill and courage. offer professional guides, but it’s much cheaper to buy the guidebook If possible, the adventure should and find your own way. Without the guide, there’s a much better chance include supplicants, people threat- of finding interesting places that haven’t been spoiled by too many ened by the quarry and seeking the other tourists getting there first . . . hunters’ protection.

176 STORYLINES important in sieges or guerrilla warfare against superior invading forces. In a realistic treatment of war, sup- Adventure Seeds ply lines are vital. Logistics often makes the difference between victory The Fugitive and defeat. Low fantasy solutions to The zombie legions of Aonghais the Black have been defeated, and logistic problems involve backpacks his tower lies in ruins. But where is Aonghais? The queen, the church, or baggage trains. High fantasy may and the Collegium Magicum all want to know. There’s a price on his involve miraculous sources of food or head, well worth the interest of a group of adventurers – not to mention water, as in the Old Testament. more altruistic motives such as preventing him from doing any more Finally, a military force needs a harm elsewhere. But even as an outlaw, Aonghais is a dangerous quarry. strategic objective: conquest, looting, His spells of Body Control, Illusion, and Mind Control make him a seri- defense against invasion, or overthrow ous threat to the unwary or overconfident. Many teams of bounty of oppressive rulers. Bringing defend- hunters rival each other. Some would not be above letting another party ers into contact with the civilians they capture the mage and then taking possession of him. defend can make the consequences of defeat more real, a useful way to increase the emotional intensity. Campaigns A full-scale war is a large enough story to make up an entire campaign. War in Fantasy Settings (pp. 186- 194) discusses how to plan such a campaign. TREASONS, STRATAGEMS, AND SPOILS Scenarios of this type encourage hidden conflict. From stolen glimpses of a foe’s private papers to a knife in the back, covert operations are as old as civilization . . . and so is the practice of disavowing the agents who perform them. This mission is perfect for adventurers, especially those with no official standing to confuse the issue. Covert operations normally fit best Menagerie into low fantasy or dark fantasy. The king’s greatest diversion is his zoological gardens, filled with rare and magical beasts from across the globe. Now he has heard rumor of a Elements new wondrous beast: the manticore that stalks the jungles of Hindostan. Like a warfare scenario, an espi- But a manticore is difficult and dangerous to hunt – and the king wants onage scenario needs two opposing it brought back alive! No quest, he says, could as well prove the loyalty forces. These may be armies, but of his knights and his court enchanters. could also be entire governments, merchant houses, or criminal gangs. In some settings, the differences between sides may be vague. The setting for an espionage sce- onage often takes place in cities, Finally, the mission needs obsta- nario is not usually a battlefield, where spies find protection in the cles. There may be guards and patrols, though given the usual treatment of anonymity of crowds. identity checks, and interrogation. spies in wartime, battlefield missions A mission needs an objective. Often Animals can also serve as guards. can be quite dramatic. But a great deal this is simply information that an Inanimate obstacles include alarms, of espionage takes place in peacetime, enemy wants to keep secret. However, traps, locks, and concealed paths as opposing forces maneuver for small it can be to get a message to covert adventures must find. In fantasy, spies advantages. International espionage allies, or propagandize for an upris- also need experience with spirit may take place near ports or fortress- ing; to kidnap or assassinate an guardians and other magical defenses. es, or in capital cities. Private espi- enemy; or to rescue a prisoner.

STORYLINES 177 people discover that they both want the same thing – a lasting relationship. The trouble is that the same Adventure Seeds opening negotiations could lead to either conclusion. Mines of the Mountain King Diplomatic missions focus on the Individual orcs are fierce fighters, but as a race, orcs are seldom attempt to gain benefits from some- more than a nuisance. Better-organized human armies have driven one, usually by offering benefits in them into wilderness too desolate to be worth conquering. However, return. This isn’t limited to making over the past generation, an unusually clever orc leader has come up treaties with other nations; everything with something new: organized slave raids. Human slaves grow food from courtship to trade involves nego- and toil in the mines for their orc masters. tiation. (Of course, in feudal societies, Recently the king decided that he’s lost too much land and too many a treaty with another nation may subjects to the orcs. Recruits in his army will take the war to the orcs’ involve courtship, trade, or both!) dark tunnels, in small bands of fighters, each aided by an engineer and Advantages such as Charisma and maybe a surgeon, scout, or mage. It’s the perfect job for a team of social skills help negotiations succeed. adventurers looking for a bigger challenge. (This could be an early Diplomatic scenarios work well in encounter with the Red Orcs described on p. 62.) high fantasy, whose characters are often noblemen or courtiers. With War in Heaven suitably silly customs, they also work The adventurers are among the world’s greatest heroes; they have in light fantasy. Try to avoid them in battled armies, monsters, and evil wizards. But can they fight the gods? sword and sorcery; players who favor Even in heaven, it seems, rivalries and battles rage, and one of the gods that genre usually don’t want to settle wants the heroes to help him wage war against his dark sister. things by talking. In dark fantasy, it may not be possible to negotiate with the other side, or to trust them to carry out their agreements. Variations IPLOMACY The most straightforward variation D Elements on espionage is theft. Simple theft, At one end, the spectrum of diplo- The most basic element of a diplo- such as picking pockets or shoplifting, macy merges into covert operations; matic scenario is two parties who have isn’t much like espionage – and usual- diplomats of a certain type trade in something to gain from each other. ly doesn’t make for exciting adven- lies and secrets. At the other end, it’s The adventurers may represent one of tures. However, glamorous thefts, more like courtship, in which two the two parties, or one of them may such as stealing a rare art object out of a rich merchant’s house or a king’s palace, have much more in common with spycraft. The main difference is that the thief seldom has any backup. Adventure Seeds Bringing magic into the picture can make things even more exciting. Among the Infidels The thieves or spies may include In the Levant, Christian and Muslim have faced each other in mistrust mages, or their target may be magical- for generations. Now a Christian order wants agents who speak Arabic. ly guarded, or their goal may itself be Their mission: to pass for Muslims, operating a “safe house” in the magical – a rare enchanted item, a Muslim capital, from which information can come back to the Christian new spell, or an enemy’s true name. bishops and through which secret operations can be conducted. Espionage is a dangerous trade, and a captured spy cannot expect mercy. Campaigns A campaign can easily focus on the Inquisition continuing exploits of a team of spies Reports from Dacia worry the bishops. Rumors claim that King Bela going out on various missions. A small has turned to devil worship and gained uncanny powers, and that his group of thieves learning about treas- subjects are paying the price. However, it’s not easy to investigate a king ures and making off with them can in his own country. The Church has contrived a cover story for a diplo- play a similar role. matic mission to visit Dacia. They want to send along a team of investi- A single major theft or spy opera- gators to find out what the king is really doing. The last thing they need tion can also provide the frame for a is a fool who would walk in and demand to search the royal dungeons in whole series of lesser adventures. A the name of the Inquisition. That can wait until the first team brings campaign based on such an operation back enough evidence to justify it – and to make excommunicating Dacia will naturally end when the goal is a credible threat, if it’s needed. won or lost and the survivors paid off.

178 STORYLINES actually be one of the parties. The gain accept an alliance with their own land. the victim is normally an individual, a may take various forms: cessation of This framework can embrace episodes family, or a business. If the suspect is hostilities, mutual protection, cooper- of wilderness travel, warfare, and espi- a spy, saboteur, or assassin, the pri- ative work, trade, or marriage, for onage; ultimately all these are just mary victim is the state, though indi- example. ways to secure a better bargaining viduals may get hurt in the process. There must be a reason for the PCs position. The suspect has a scheme or plan. not to simply take what they want. Two types of investigations diverge at This may be that the other party can this point: those where the plan has defend itself, or that willing coopera- INVESTIGATIONS been carried out and the goal is to cap- tion may benefit both more. Investigation scenarios provide ture and punish the suspect, and those The parties must be at least partly another low-violence option. But where the plan is in progress and the ignorant of each other’s motives and investigation leads to confrontation goal is to prevent its completion. interests. Without uncertainty there is when the adversaries and their pur- Something has to keep the plan no negotiation and no drama. poses have been exposed – or earlier, if secret. In a world with functioning Finally, negotiations occur in a they notice the investigators! This for- magic, this can be difficult; one suc- neutral location. This can be a public mula is more familiar in modern set- cessful divination can ruin a sce- place, or a private space belonging to tings, from private eye stories to nario. Either limit what magic can someone neutral. Or, in a society superhero adventures, but it can work reveal, perhaps to a few words, or with strict rules of hospitality, it can in fantasy. give the suspects their own magical be the territory of one of the parties. If any kind of fantasy works with concealments. The idea of “diplomatic immunity” investigative scenarios, it’s dark fanta- However, there should also be represents the survival of such laws sy, whose heroes face supernatural clues; that is, the suspects’ actions about hospitality. threats. Detecting where evil or horror should leave traces for the investigator has infiltrated a human society and to uncover. In coming up with clues, Variations determining how it can be counteract- it’s dangerously tempting to work out The word “diplomacy” suggests the ed are central to this genre. a complete list and try to point the higher levels of society. However, investigators toward finding it. This negotiation can take place at any level: Elements approach can feel contrived and could shopkeepers haggling with customers An investigation needs a suspect. provoke resistance. Be prepared to or soldiers flirting with barmaids Typical suspects are criminals, spies, improvise new clues; often the investi- engage in diplomacy. Some negotia- saboteurs, and assassins. gators’ methods of learning the truth tions depend on Streetwise instead of An investigation also needs a vic- provide useful ideas. Savoir-Faire. A party of disreputable tim. If the suspect is a criminal, then thieves and bravos need a good command of social skills to sell their loot to a fence – and they may pay heavily for failing to use them correctly. Similar persuasive skills help deter- Adventure Seeds mine the outcome of a trial. In some archaic societies, trials centered on Once Upon a Time, Part 2 The prince has found a possible wife: a king with lands adjoining his negotiation between the parties. A father’s has a daughter who has reached marriageable age. But the judge might gain authority from oaths daughter is a handful! Her father is fond of her and has indulged her to accept his judgment. enthusiasms, and she’s not sure she’s ready to settle down and become Add interest to a diplomatic situa- someone’s wife. She enjoys the sense of her own attractiveness (she is tion by involving more than two par- genuinely attractive, too) and flirts with her father’s guests to perhaps ties. The adventurers will have to see if one of them will become seriously interested in her. Should the choose which alliance to accept, or visitors call the whole thing off? If not, can they persuade the girl to which merchant to patronize. They marry the prince without falling in love with her themselves? may worry that a rival will conclude the alliance or buy the coveted item. Key to the City Campaigns The royal army advances steadily into enemy territory – just a little faster than its supply train can move. The king doesn’t want to give the An episodic campaign may present enemy time to regroup, but needs food and fodder. He chooses some of a series of diplomatic missions, cus- his trusted advisors to travel ahead of the army, visit enemy towns, and tomers, or other bargaining situa- make an offer: If they voluntarily surrender, instead of holding out tions. Characters may be traveling against a siege, his forces will pay for the supplies they need and take merchants or bards looking for a place only what the towns can afford to give. Can the adventurers’ embassy to perform or any similar role. gain the cooperation of the suspicious locals, without revealing how A campaign may revolve around urgently the king needs it? one major negotiation. Perhaps the adventurers travel to some remote kingdom to persuade its ruler to

STORYLINES 179 possible. An adventure can even begin with an open challenge. Confrontations are mainly a dra- Adventure Seeds matic device; sword and sorcery, with its focus on action, is their most natu- The Giant Rat ral home. Any harbor district has rats, more or less under control. But lately a “Cousin,” said Lessingham, “you did very unusual rat prowls the docks and alleys. Reports describe it as near- throw a knife at me?” ly as large as a man and credit it with unnerving cunning. It mostly The Vicar was ill at ease under avoids people, but it likes to steal, not just food but money and jewelry. Lessingham’s secure and disturbing Jehan the Merchant caught it in his house, and it mauled him so badly smile. “Tush,” he said, “ ’twas but in he’s not expected to live. And no one has found its lair. sport.” In fact, the Giant Rat is an alchemist whose newest potion grants him “You shall find it a dangerous sport,” lycanthropic abilities, turning him into a huge rat. He’s terrified of being said Lessingham. “Be advised, cousin. found out, but he’s decided that a few more large thefts will give him the Leave that sport.” funds to set up in another city. Can the adventurers track him to his lab- – E.R. Eddison, oratory before he kills anyone else? Mistress of Mistresses Police Procedural Elements In a provincial city, a young man of good family, Quintus Julius A confrontation needs an adver- Ahenobarbus, is found dead in the streets with a knife wound. Suspicion sary, or perhaps a group of adver- naturally falls on members of a rival political faction, which includes the saries. The best adversaries are almost town’s youngest magistrates. (Ideally, they should be player characters.) as powerful as the adventurers; that Consulting oracles produces a typically ambiguous clue: “Julius was way, there’s a challenge, and even a killed by Julius.” Does this point to suicide (the obvious answer) or to real chance of defeat. another member of the family (perhaps the young man’s wealthy and A confrontation also needs a battle- powerful uncle), or to a freedman who took the family name (such as ground or arena. Ideally this should be the family doctor, Julius Sector)? Both physical evidence (such as the fairly clear and open, to keep attention lack of blood on the street where the young man lay) and the testimony focused on the struggle and not on of slaves raise as many questions as they answer. (This fits in the Roma such concerns as rescuing innocent Arcana setting in Chapter 9.) bystanders. At the same time, it’s a good thing to have objects scattered about that a clever combatant might turn to use. Making a single investigation the Participants need something to Variations fight over. This could be the recogni- An important variant on investiga- theme of an entire campaign is diffi- tion of one’s fighting skills, a treasure, tion is magical investigation: trying to cult. The players must accept that the or someone to rescue. It’s best to keep identify the powers, or the origin, of a completion of the investigation ends the motivation simple; treat scenarios magical object, or trying to learn the the campaign. It’s possible to set the that probe hidden motives as belong- source of and how to counter a spell. investigators against a succession of ing to another category. In a high fantasy setting, where agents working for the same master aristocratic bloodlines are impor- criminal or spy, whom they may never Variations tant, a search for the missing heir touch . . . unless, perhaps, that is the climax of the whole campaign! In some settings, confrontation to an ancient throne can require and combat may be a game, per- investigation. formed before crowds of spectators. CONFRONTATIONS Fighters’ motivations may include Campaigns wealth, fame, or the chance to test An episodic campaign of investiga- Confrontations often occur at the their skills – though personal rivalries tion is easy to create: invite the players conclusions of larger scenarios. When may emerge in such a setting. to take on the role of investigators and an investigation finds the true evildo- Gladiatorial contests and tourna- then confront them with a series of er, or a war reaches the point of final ments offer obvious examples. mysteries. Professional detectives real- victory or defeat, or a dungeon crawl Magical duels between wizards could ly only emerge at TL5, but earlier eras penetrates the inner sanctum . . . it’s have the same appeal in a world of may include government officials time for a grand, climactic battle. In commonplace magic. In a highly ritu- charged with pursuing criminals or fact, one way to design a variety of alized or stratified society, duels of sin- spies, examining magistrates with adventures is to work out the final gle champions may take the place of broad discretionary powers, and even confrontation and then arrange other battles; the champions may be war- religious inquisitors – whose adver- matters to lead up to it. But it’s also riors, wizards, or even bards. (The saries may really be evil, monstrous, possible to cut the preliminaries short game Lace and Steel offers ingenious supernatural, or all three! and get to the fighting as quickly as

180 STORYLINES rules for contests between women’s gowns to determine which woman is the center of attention at a ball.) As discussed under Warfare (p. 176), cinematic play may treat a battle as a series of combats between single champions, with little attention to tactics or mass formations. Campaigns A campaign’s structure can form around a series of confrontations. This formula is common in superheroic campaigns, where each adventure culminates in a battle against a new villain. The formula works for fantasy settings, especially in sword and sorcery. In a chivalric setting, knights can ride out seeking opponents to test their skill. If single combat between champions actually set- tles battles, adventurers may have to fight off the champions of neighboring lands, one after another. Or an entire campaign can lead up to a single confrontation with a master adversary. Any number of other missions can help reach the point of of combat or magic. But at the same should awaken it and draw its atten- that final battle – investigations, time, it should be indifferent to their tion to the physical world, and that quests, wars, even confrontations with actions, or at least should not prima- attention should produce strange lieutenants of the master villain. This rily focus on overcoming them. effects. Often these will be harmful structure usually means that when the To bring the adventurers into con- or terrifying, but in any case, they ultimate foe is defeated, the campaign tact with the ineffable, it needs to should attract investigators. is over. But it’s always possible to have manifestations. Something reveal that the ultimate foe was really working for someone else even more dangerous. Adventure Seeds THROUGH A The Challenge GLASS, DARKLY After a group of adventurers gains a reputation, they get an unex- Another style of adventure con- pected visit. As they relax between adventures, perhaps in their favorite fronts the adventurers with mysteries tavern, a young warrior or wizard shows up and deliberately provokes – not crimes to be unraveled, as in them. If the adventurers show any sign of resenting his behavior, he will investigative scenarios, but mysteries attempt to push them into challenging him to a duel – using his Savoir- in the original sense of strange and Faire for the purpose, to ensure that he gets to pick the weapons used. supernatural events. Mysteries are the In an actual contest, he will fight fairly, and be a very close match to his archetype of dark fantasy adventures. adversary; it won’t be an easy fight. He’s deliberately taking a calculat- They work well in high fantasy, too, ed risk, hoping to gain a reputation by beating one of the other up-and- though the mysterious forces proba- coming people in his profession. bly won’t be malevolent. Dragonslayer Elements A great beast is assailing the kingdom, ruining villages and eating The heart of this mystery scenario people and cattle. Half a dozen warriors have tried to kill it, and died. is supernatural or otherwise exotic The adversary is huge and even stronger than its size suggests, but also power. Its real nature should be more cunning than any normal beast. But then the king hears of a unknown to the adventurers and mighty swordsman who is passing through his lands, and turns to him should remain unknown even at the for help, inviting him to name his own reward. end of the scenario. Its power should be too great to overcome by any form

STORYLINES 181 Provide ways of perceiving the a law or taboo or offends a powerful historical fantasy on the subject. supernatural force more clearly. The being; as a result, both they and those Priests seeking out black magic have adventurers may physically go where around them, and perhaps even their acquired a bad name, thanks to the they can encounter it, or have the abil- descendants, suffer great harm. Spanish Inquisition, but in a world ity to perceive the supernatural realm, Recall, for example, the legend of where magic is real, inquisitors or gain information through divina- Oedipus, who brought plague on could have a legitimate role. tion or other magic. In doing so, they Thebes by killing his father and mar- Evidence of holiness can also draw a should never gain complete answers, rying his mother. church’s attention, with investigators but only obscure hints. In dark fanta- It’s also possible for a priest or sor- trying to find out if the apparent mir- sy, the risk of going mad after a failed cerer invoking a god or casting a spell acles are real. Fright Check can limit information. to disturb the order of nature deliber- Episodic treatments of mystery Finally, some underlying violation ately. In this kind of story, the adven- unfortunately often turn into “the of the order of nature must have turers may struggle with fanatical monster of the week.” It’s hard to keep unleashed the supernatural force. The cultists or magical attacks before players in awe through one story after adventurers should discover this viola- they can actually confront the central another of encounters with dark, hid- tion and find a way to correct it, mystery. den forces. An entire campaign devot- though doing so may cost them a ed to such inquiries can work, but it great deal. By undoing the violation, Campaigns needs to walk a fine line between triv- the adventurers should have restored The best-known recent fictional ializing the mysteries and constantly natural order to the world. treatments of inquiries into the making them more incredible. unknown have contemporary set- An entire campaign devoted to a Variations tings, as in the television series The single mystery, or to a small number A classic form of a mystery sce- X-Files or the comic book Planetary. of mysteries, can work very well. The nario uses the curse. Someone breaks But it’s perfectly possible to run a adventurers may not even know if their strange encounters all involve one hidden force or several conflicting forces. They may even become agents of the hidden force, without knowledge of its true nature or what it Adventure Seeds expects of them. The Mouth of Hell, Part 2 As the church’s assigned representatives explore the nearby labyrinth, LEARNING they make a series of disturbing discoveries. The underground realm brims with creatures out of a madman’s nightmare of Hell, all ferocious EXPERIENCES and eager to attack. And each time a creature dies, the killer experiences Of course, every adventure can be a an enhancement of his abilities. Still more disturbing, each time one of learning experience. But an adventure the party, or of another party, is slain by a monster, the underground can be set up deliberately to train the realm seems to grow darker and deadlier. And something unseen and characters. Adventurers might study malevolent seems to be watching. This hidden realm, and others like it to improve their skills or gain new across the land, were shaped by a demon, which feeds off human terror, ones, engage in field exercises, or even greed, and blood shed in its domain. It hopes to lure the entire human undertake actual missions suited to population to throw away their lives while playing its dark game. their abilities. This scenario suits light fantasy particularly well, as it often Snow Falls involves lower risk levels and enter- In an idyllic, dawn-age world (p. 79), something new has happened: taining mishaps. If treated as low fan- for the first time, snow has fallen and the weather has grown chill. tasy, it can realistically appraise the People accustomed to a mild climate now face cold and hunger. They adventurers’ limited skills. choose a band of their most respected people to journey to the shrines of the gods and ask for relief, or at least understanding. At the shrine of Elements the queen of the earth, they learn what has happened in a great vision. A learning experience focuses on The queen of the underworld has taken away her beloved son, the god of performing a task – either real or sim- rain and vegetation, and in her grief, the earth goddess has cursed the ulated. Either type should fit the world. The best she will offer the petitioners is the chance to be her del- adventurers’ skills. Most of the previ- egates and travel into the realm of the dead to ask for her son back. But ously discussed scenario types scale the queen of darkness has her own wiles and may impose conditions on down to such a purpose. Don’t the release – and the young god may actually not want to go back. Play remove all the risk, though; a little this one as high fantasy – the gods are not merely combat monsters, but real danger sharpens a student’s incredibly strong personalities governed only by their own desires. attention wonderfully.

182 STORYLINES An observer must monitor the students’ performance, stepping in if they get in too much trouble. Usually he’ll keep out of sight, appearing out of nowhere at the critical instant. Adventure Seeds The scenario should include an evaluation of the students’ perform- The Old School Spirit ance. Keep notes of skillful or clever The town of Oxbridge has long taken pride in its school for sorcerers, actions, but also of points where the Brockhouse. Now Brockhouse will defend its claim as the best school in students can improve. If a scenario Great Britain in the annual Magic Arts Competition (Jr. Div.). All the produces a spectacular blunder, dwell player characters want to make the team in their respective arts – but on it. Remember that the evaluation will their rivals in the school get the coveted places instead? And if cho- may not be entirely fair; teachers don’t sen, will their training and practice let them preserve the honor of know everything. They may have Brockhouse? excessively high standards, and aren’t always unbiased. Base the evaluation The Prince on the teacher’s personality as well as The king has sent his oldest son to a border fortress, wanting him to the facts. gain experience of military life and spend some time away from the Finally, the scenario should teach a intrigues of the palace. Prince Xiaolong is a decent young man who will specific skill or perhaps more than probably become a good king. He has polished manners, and knows one. But not all the students should how to use a bow, spear, and shield, and drive a chariot. Unfortunately, learn the same skill. For example, he’s also Overconfident (no one at the palace wants to press him really group exercises may offer one student hard in training) and Stubborn. The king hopes his military service will a chance to gain leadership skills, hammer out these faults. But the lucky officers and scribes stationed on another an opportunity to hone com- the frontier need to know how to deal with Xiaolong. bat abilities. The protagonists may be the personnel of the fortress, or the prince may have brought along a few companions.

Variations the final evaluation by their teachers A training exercise may involve an ... but the prospects for getting into element of competition. Two groups of serious trouble will be greater. students may try to outdo each other while performing the same assign- Campaigns ment, or even compete to perform a A training campaign naturally task before the other group does. begins at a school where the adventur- Training in combat skills may involve ers are students. Characters built on duels or war games. If students 25 to 75 points work well in such cam- become overzealous, competition may paigns, though advanced students turn into actual combat, or students may require 100 points. The school may begin sabotaging each other’s could reflect classical fencing acade- efforts. Depending on the philosophy mies, dojos, fictional schools of wiz- of their teachers, such actions may be ardry (p. 102), or even Professor strictly against the rules and require Xavier’s school for “gifted” youngsters secrecy . . . or they may be tolerated, in X-Men! GMs may intersperse actual even actively encouraged. If the emergency missions and scenes from adventurers face continuing rivalry the daily life of the school into the sce- from another team, they will become nario. more personally involved in their For an entire campaign to be a training. single story about training, it’s neces- As an extension of this theme of sary for the adventurers to learn rivalry, students may even face chal- something big. Perhaps advanced lenges from another school’s students, students undertake a long-term and have to defend the honor of their group project where they learn to use own school and teachers. their skills on real tasks. Or perhaps Students may also find their own they strive to gain some form of mys- learning experiences. Such player- tical enlightenment – a theme that initiated scenarios can run very much could involve encounters with super- like training exercises, complete with natural mysteries.

STORYLINES 183 a private individual or organization, Finally, a GM should provide THE or a community. Of course, private resources for the various tasks – both organizations, especially powerful people and equipment. Anyone pow- RESPONSIBILITY ones, often face demands from the erful should have control of both, and OF OWER rest of their communities. A rich should be ready to delegate jobs as P merchant or a ruling prince may lose necessary. Successful students go on to his wealth or power if he makes too become adventurers, but successful many people unhappy. And any size- Variations adventurers go on to become leaders, able organization will develop an Nothing says that “responsibility of teachers, or rulers. Youthful hobbit internal community, whose demands power” scenarios have to focus only adventurers come home to set their may affect it more than those of the on the people in charge. A city watch country to rights, or a mighty-thewed larger community; a mercenary cap- takes orders from somebody, but the barbarian becomes a king. This is tain or the head of a monastery is in watchmen’s duties can generate inter- often where a story ends, but the this position. esting challenges. A king’s courtiers duties of such positions can create Meeting these responsibilities may have more exciting duties than their own stories. involves performing a system of rou- the king has. Sword and sorcery’s focus on tine tasks. These tasks offer a frame- Another potentially interesting action makes it poorly suited to this work in which adventures fit. Simply type of responsibility is training new type of scenario, except as a bridge to keeping things going can create inter- recruits. This is the training scenario, another genre. Any of the other sub- esting scenarios, especially if supplies but from the other side, as the old genres can include stories about are uncertain. And the daily routine hands try to instill discipline and nec- responsibility: small responsibilities in should include information collecting. essary skills in students. low fantasy, great ones in high fantasy, Such information may point harsh ones in dark fantasy, absurd toward a variety of nonroutine tasks. Campaigns ones in light fantasy. Adventurers may seize opportunities, Responsibility of power is poorly counter threats, or overcome obsta- suited to episodic campaigns. It’s not Elements cles so that the routine will continue. very likely that the same team of Power requires responsibility to Failure to accomplish these tasks adventurers, after working together someone. For characters, this may be should have consequences. at one set of duties, will all go on to work together at the next set of duties. And moving frequently from one set of responsibilities to another often leads to not taking the job seri- Adventure Seeds ously. If adventurers are in charge of something, they could control it for Heritage one incident in an adventure – for An adventurer receives a letter asking him home. It’s a sad occasion: example, setting up a base of opera- his older brother has suffered an untimely death (perhaps in a war, per- tions for a military expedition – or haps in a hunting accident). When he arrives, his father asks him if he is have a long-term job that defines the willing to be the heir, in his brother’s place. This won’t immediately mean entire campaign. giving up his life of adventure, but he needs to stay for a while and Such a job should have a goal acquaint himself with his prospective domains and their tenants. Of beyond just meeting the day’s obliga- course, his friends are welcome as well; perhaps they might one day tions. Many goals fall into two broad become members of his household. categories: building something, or defending something already built The Worst Danger from those who want to seize it or The town guards deal with a variety of problems: pickpockets, drunk- destroy it. en mercenaries, noblemen’s brawling children, and even magic students’ pranks. Now, they have a bigger problem. Two weeks ago, a small group of warriors, wizards, and rogues came through, not saying where they SHORE LEAVE were bound – but they headed for the ruined castle to the south, said to Every campaign can benefit from be under a curse, and no one expected them to return. They did, with occasional down time, when the chests full of coins and several enchanted objects. Now their free spend- adventurers don’t explore dungeons or ing is driving up prices, their brawling makes the taverns unsafe, and wildernesses, battle armies or mon- everyone is worried about what might come to get its treasures back. sters, or seek treasure, but rest, spend Can the guards keep these rowdies from causing too much harm, or get their treasure, and drink and flirt with them to leave before they kill someone? the help at the local inn. Grim war- (This adventure could be combined with the storyline of The Mouth riors and secretive wizards can gain of Hell.) unexpected life from a “shore leave” scenario.

184 STORYLINES This kind of scenario fits into any or pickpocket, can offer some novel Think of an episode as “a day in the type of campaign. The grimmest challenges to its staff. life of X.” Then a campaign can simply tragedy needs occasional comic relief. portray the ongoing life of a commu- But its truest home is light fantasy, Campaigns nity, with adventures growing out of where mishaps and misunderstand- An entire campaign of “shore various encounters; many episodes ings that all come right in the end are leave” scenarios is probably too much may not have an actual “adventure.” the standard plot. of a good thing. The charm of such This kind of freeform approach works episodes is their contrast with the best if the players are enthusiastic Elements usual round of adventure and combat. about character portrayal more than A “shore leave” adventure needs a Character interaction and humorous action or combat. setting with a low danger level. This mishaps stand out better when they can be as small as the common room reveal a new side of the people What high immortals do in mirth of a single tavern, but it works better if involved. Is life and death on Middle-Earth. it’s on the scale of a town. Rural set- However, something like shore – W.H. Auden, “Under Which Lyre: A tings can work too, as Shakespeare leave can make a campaign frame. Reactionary Tract for the Times” showed in A Midsummer Night’s Dream and As You Like It. The adventurers need to interact with a variety of people or creatures. If some are impressively powerful, don’t Adventure Seeds make them foes for the adventurers to defeat or sources of free benefits. Give Crossing the Line them their own agendas, from run- Legend spoke of the realms of the immortals across the western ning the Great Quinquennial Riddle seas. With advances in shipbuilding and navigation, daring sailors ven- Contest to finding husbands for their tured west – and discovered that it was true. On the many scattered seven daughters. And spend equal islands, explorers discover magical creatures and the inhumanly beau- effort on a few characters with no tiful lords of the Fair Folk. power at all, such as the barmaid who A band of curious travelers set out for the True West, for their own flirts with the quiet warrior, or the diverse reasons, taking the next ship that sails. But sailors on that voy- sausage peddler by the city gates. age have their own traditional ceremonies, held as they pass from the It’s also good to include a few com- seas of mortal lands to the seas of the undying. “Crossing the line” is munity events. Weddings, funerals, even more exciting when the real King Neptune presides, and when the and birthdays all work well. Contests unwary traveler gets a first taste of faerie wine. let the adventurers show off their abilities and win something without mor- Masque tal combat. In a high fantasy setting, the royal courts have taken up masques as an entertainment: social events where participants appear in disguise, using other names or none, and playing roles, partly scripted and partly improvised. The use of magic enhances the possibilities of such entertainments greatly, with hidden prompters, illusory disguise or actual shape change, phantasmal scenery and music, and even materialized props or extras. A group of adventurers accepts an invitation to take part in the entertainment, finding their way among elaborate illusions. GMs may play the adventure straight, or complicate it by some serious event, such as a murder, palace intrigue, or supernatural manifestation. Perhaps the players even have their memories of their real identities temporarily suppressed! Variations Instead of having a fixed location, a Once Upon a Time, Part 3 change of pace scenario can take place The prince completes his quest and brings his – high-spirited – during a journey. A pilgrimage to a fiancée home to meet his father, who approves of her, or at least her sacred shrine or a long sea voyage can dowry and good health. Everything is ready for a wedding that will provide relaxation, entertainment, strengthen the alliance. But a few complications remain: the prince’s and a sense of transition. brothers, who lost the competition, are jealous; the petitioners who Or devote the scenario to an event know the king will grant almost any request on the happy day; the spite- or contest – but have the adventurers ful faerie or powerful witch who didn’t get invited; the troupe of enter- recruited to help run the event! A rid- tainers who all got excessively drunk the night before, in half a dozen dle contest with obsessed loremasters different taverns. Can the prince’s friends get all the problems worked coming in from half a continent, or a out so that the marriage isn’t marred? great mercantile fair filled with eager buyers and sellers and the odd drunk

STORYLINES 185 SUBPLOTS Recurring subplots can provide a returned, or distracted because it is? grateful to his foes for succoring serial or episodic campaign with What if the Patron wants the adven- him. greater continuity. While the main turer to attend his dinner parties? Even inanimate objects can have characters deal with the problems and Taking advantage of established sup- such secondary relationships. A crises of the day, they also have to porting casts can complicate a PC’s life headquarters building probably has spend time on less important issues. in interesting ways. some sort of staff; a vehicle has a Small developments can advance It’s also possible to introduce crew, or at least a mechanic. A treas- these subplots from episode to NPCs who assume these roles in play. ure can have someone trying to episode, without ever making them An adversary who is defeated in one reclaim it, sending dark agents to the main theme. scenario may get away and plot stalk the hero who tries to deal with The most fruitful source of such revenge, or a victim of mistreatment more immediate problems. continuity is characters’ relationships. may turn up and obviously need Some players can generate their It’s easy to fall into thinking of these help. To make things more compli- own subplots. What if two of them only in terms of their direct impact on cated, these NPCs may attach to the become lovers, drinking buddies, or an adventure: a Dependent needs res- predefined supporting cast. The PCs mismatched partners? Encourage this cuing, an Enemy poses a threat, an may befriend a lost child only to dis- by giving the players time to roleplay Ally or Patron provides help. But less cover that he’s an adversary’s son and the relationship and granting an occa- dramatic themes can be worth explor- needs to hide from his abusive par- sional character point for good role- ing. What if the Ally falls in love and is ent – or that the adversary genuinely playing. either terrified that his love isn’t cares for him and is reluctantly WAR IN FANTASY SETTINGS VARIETIES OF FORCES War stories have something for every type of In historical fantasy settings, military forces take three main forms: audience. tribal, feudal, and civilized armies. The three types differ in size, organization, combat style, and relationship to the societies for which they fight. In To go beyond a series of separate or discuss those calculations with some settings, all the important mili- adventures, a fantasy campaign needs players. In a real battle, all the ordi- tary powers have the same kind of a storyline with a continuing focus. nary soldiers know is the immediate forces; other settings may pit forces of War stories have something for every struggle to survive, and even their different types against each other. For type of audience. Action/adventure commanders never have complete or example, a fantasy civilization may fans get combat, physical danger, and up-to-date information – and no one defend against vast numbers of orcs perilous journeys. People who focus ever has time to analyze the situation organized as tribal warriors. on character get tests of courage and thoroughly before deciding what to loyalty and a variety of dramatic do. Giving the players complete infor- Tribal Armies scenes, from confrontations with ene- mation will distance them from their Tribal societies don’t have much mies to unexpected acts of mercy. If characters. They can plan as much as division of labor. Men and women the world itself is the attraction, the they like before the action starts, but usually do different jobs, but every characters may see a lot of it – and once it starts they have to act. man has some skill in most male jobs, they’ll see it as a moving picture, not a This chapter’s approach to fantasy and every woman in most female jobs. static landscape. warfare focuses on the experience of War is a male job, so every man is a A roleplaying campaign, like a war. The GM works out a quick sketch warrior. But no one specializes in war novel or a film, needs to emphasize of the general situation and deter- as a full-time occupation. the experience of war: how individual mines where the PCs are in that In a way, this lack of specialization soldiers or individual commanders sketch. Then he works out the details is a strength. If a tribal society has to actually see a battle. It focuses on tests of the situation as they see it and asks fight, the entire adult male population of individual skill and courage. GMs what they do about it. Based on how can go into battle. But their skill is can analyze tactics ahead of time if their actions turn out, he adjusts the another question. Nomadic herders they like, but shouldn’t slow down overall result of the battle. are often warlike, thanks partly to actual play for detailed calculations, stealing and fighting over each other’s

186 STORYLINES herds. Mounted nomads such as the Bedouin Arabs may be extremely skilled in combat and have the benefit of mobility. Hunters also know how to use weapons, but often rely more on stealth or traps. Tribes that raise crops have less need for weapons and less time for fighting. If patches of fertile soil are scarce, though, they may have border clashes with neighboring tribes who covet their land. When tribal peoples do fight, they don’t have formal organization. Men fight alongside their relatives or in-laws, or follow a respected elder or successful warrior. Leaders depend on personal influence or intimidation, not on a chain of command. Men fight individually, as warriors, rather than in disciplined groups, as soldiers. Tribal populations are often small, and so are tribal armies. A tribal community may have fewer than a hundred people, or as many as a few thousand. Only 15% to 25% of the men are combat age. Forces larger than a thousand men require recruitment from several related or allied tribes. Tribes may choose to fight together for a variety of reasons: because they were Status comes, in turn, from hold- all driven from their homelands by an Professional Armies ing land. The basic feudal contract is Professional armies train and pay invasion or natural disaster, because a that one man, a vassal, agrees to fight soldiers to fight in an organized way. weak civilized land offers a prospect of for another man, his lord. The lord They often spend all their time on looting, or because a strong civilized doesn’t pay the vassal; instead, he training, fighting, and guard duty. land bribes them to fight on its side. allows him to occupy some of the land Historical low-tech societies couldn’t Fantasy races such as orcs or centaurs that the lord controls. The land pro- spare many men from their farms, so may form tribal hordes of this sort. duces enough to support the vassal, an army couldn’t be more than a including the expenses of his main- small fraction of the adult male pop- Feudal Armies taining himself as a warrior. Feudal armies depend on personal ulation. Other men had limited com- When feudal societies develop bat skills and little or no battle expe- influence to recruit soldiers even more trade and larger cities, they can also than tribal armies. Oaths hold togeth- rience; some cultures forbid them support mercenary companies. About from learning fighting skills or own er the feudal societies that support the same size as feudal companies, these armies. Great lords form the weapons. these depend on personal obligations. Soldiers have assignments to spe- armies because of sworn allegiance to But their soldiers are paid in cash, and a king, or to each other, or to serve cific military forces and to units their captains expect cash as well, not within those forces. Each force has a their own ideals or ambitions. Each land. Mercenaries in the Middle Ages lord brings with him the warriors who chain of command based on some were starting to function like profes- version of Military Rank. A common have personally sworn to him. sional armies, with Military Rank and Warriors obey the commands of their historical pattern formed groups of chains of command, when nonmerce- 10, 100, and 1,000 men, each com- own lords, but not of anyone else, nary forces were still mainly feudal. whatever his rank. manded by an officer of a specific Feudal armies are comparable in rank. Names of units and ranks may Military Rank doesn’t exist in feu- size to large tribal armies. A major war dal armies. Status partly takes its reflect this even if the numbers aren’t may involve several thousand men on exact; for example, in the Roman place, in that lords with higher Status each side. Supporting this many men have more voice in what the army Empire, a centurion commanded a is a strain on most feudal economies. century that was usually 80 rather does. The other part is simple anarchy, Feudal infantry are often farmers with every lord doing as he likes, until than 100 men. Military Rank is dis- called away from their fields, and tinct from Status, but officers may someone makes him stop. In extreme must get back in time for the harvest. cases, two men may fight a duel to set- come mostly or exclusively from the This may limit the campaigning sea- nobility. tle a debate over strategy. son to a few months out of each year.

STORYLINES 187 Soldiers should obey orders from political boundaries are all potential After storming all the cities and officers, whether they have any per- battle lines. strongholds in an area, the military sonal ties or not. These orders tell Large kingdoms or empires some- situation enters a third steady state: them what maneuvers to perform at times find small, nominally independ- occupation. Any surviving opposition what times. They fight in formations, ent kingdoms useful for separation – a forces keep themselves safe by hiding so they can protect each other. As a peacetime form of neutral territory. from the new rulers, instead of waging result, a civilized and well-organized The rulers of these tiny kingdoms may open battle against them. They may army might defeat a horde of tribal become clever at playing their bigger have secret bases or camps in forests, warriors several times its size. neighbors against each other. caves, or other secluded areas, or dis- Standing armies are larger than When one side gains superiority guise themselves as noncombatants most feudal or tribal armies. A war over the other, the battle line collapses, and live among the general popula- between civilized peoples can have and the superior side moves to occupy tion. They support their rebellion by tens of thousands of soldiers on each the inferior side’s territory. This does- their own work, gifts from the com- side. The formal command structure n’t always involve actual fighting. The mon people, or robbing the invaders means that the entire force ultimately weaker side may voluntarily pull back or people who collaborate with them. obeys a single general and pursues a to a defensible position, rather than Often rebels are hard to distinguish single goal. face an overwhelming attack and lose from bandits (see the Bandit template This kind of organization occasion- most of their men. If it does come to on p. 116). Popular legend may turn ally also appears among nomadic peo- actual fighting, victory may come any bandit into a freedom fighter ples. For example, the Mongols had from brilliant maneuvering to hit the against an unpopular ruler. Attacks on armies on this scale and a formal enemy’s weak points, or from pro- occupying forces are mostly ambush- chain of command, with the khan at longed battle that wears him down es and raids instead of open battles. the top. with superior numbers. Historically, These methods attempt to weaken the an attacker needs at least three-to-two occupying forces to the point where odds to win by attrition; anything less local strongholds can rebel against STRATEGIC than three to one is still risky. them and win. During a defeat, the losing forces An occupied country may eventual- POSITIONS try to retreat to strong points: defensi- ly accept its occupation; if it does, it The basic strategic position ble ground, fortifications, or cities. becomes a province in an empire. depends on the relative strength of the Ideally, this is a controlled retreat with opposing forces. There are three sta- a rearguard, instead of a rout. If they ble “steady states” between enemy succeed, the war enters a second BATTLES forces: boundaries, siege, and occupa- steady state: siege. A besieging army In the historical periods that form tion. Transitions between these states has enough strength to control most the basis for most fantasy worlds, sev- often occur quickly, usually through of the ground, but not to break down eral different types of battles were battles or wars. The steady state con- the other army’s defenses; as a result, common. ditions may be found at any level of it has to remain on guard against raids conflict, from peace to open battle. and counterattacks. A successful Raids If two states or peoples have rough- counterattack may even reestablish The commonest form of fantasy ly equal forces, neither is likely to territorial boundaries between the two warfare is raiding the enemy country- defeat the other. Usually each will armies. side. The invader burns villages, car- have secure possession of some terri- This balance of forces also has a ries off livestock and slaves, and plun- tory. In between is contested ground. peacetime equivalent. A stronghold ders any poorly defended towns. Either each side dominates some, may become an enclave: a small terri- Towns shut their gates, and villagers neutral territory exists in between, or tory belonging to one side, surround- gather up what they can, fleeing to the two sides may face each other ed by the other side’s territory. secure castles or walled towns. without a gap. Besieging armies concentrate their Defenders can simply choose to In an actual battle, the combatants forces around the enemy strongholds, wait out the raid. However, this is bad draw the lines. When one side loses though they also have to maintain for their Reputations, and can make the battle, the line moves or vanishes. supply lines. They may passively trap them a target for future raids. It also But war is more than battle. What the enemy and wait them out, but takes away taxable wealth that could keeps one army out of a territory may more often, they try to reduce the support their military strength. So be the potential threat from the strongholds. Ancient military theorists defenders may stand up to the enemy soldiers who could attack recognized five ways of doing this: raiders. The high-risk way to do this them if they went into it. Invaders going over the walls, going through is in pitched battle. The lower-risk may slip through a gap between them, going under them, blockade method allows the attackers to enemy forces, but if the enemy closes (starving the defenders out, the slow invade, and then counterattacks the gap behind them, they can’t way), or betrayal. Success at any of when they spread out to pillage, or as receive supplies, gather reinforce- these methods leads to fighting in the they retreat, carrying their loot. Both ments, or retreat. This same kind of streets and buildings of a city, often the Chinese and Roman Empires potential threat can define a guarded followed by looting. used versions of this strategy against frontier in peacetime. In a sense, their barbarian neighbors.

188 STORYLINES only guarded by a small (if valiant) shadow of its former host, as people have forgotten the enemy it was supposed to protect against. Breaking Sieges Battles often take place as an army tries to rescue a besieged defender. Sometimes the besieger will build his own fortifications, and then end up besieged himself. The defenders have plenty of opportunity to heroically sally out at the critical moment. An advance party can try to fight or sneak through the siege lines to tell the defenders not to surrender, because help is coming. Pitched Battles Any of these actions may lead to a pitched battle, where both sides stand up and fight. A typical battle starts early in the day and is over before noon. Armies almost never fight to the last man; a battle ends when one side’s troops no longer defend themselves as a unit, but try to save their own lives. If the losing side’s retreat is cut off – by a river, swamp, mountain range, or fortification – they may experience enormous losses. Given the relatively small size of armies in most fantasy settings, it’s not practical to have a line of soldiers along an entire frontier. Armies meet because their leaders choose to look for battle. Typically both sides have time to set up camp and arrange their troops. A common pattern divides the they may try an assault with scaling Sieges troops into left, center, and right ladders and siege engines. Open Some armies do more than raid. forces; cavalry usually go at the end of assault is risky; an army behind good They may want to take back a coun- the battle line, letting them ride fortifications can have a fighting try’s greatest treasures, which are usu- around the main battle to strike chance against five or even 10 times ally in defended places. Or they may where needed. Prudent commanders its number. want to become its rulers. Seizing a keep at least a small force in reserve A siege of a town might precede a significant fort, castle, port town, or behind the main battle, ready to aid brutal sack. Artifacts and relics can be commercial center – often with the other troops in a crisis or finish off a lost or stolen. If the conqueror is par- threat that “if you don’t surrender, defeated foe. we’ll storm the place and put everyone ticularly harsh, or the town has held to the sword” – can change the bal- out for a long time, the inhabitants Contested Passage ance of power, especially if the attack- may be enslaved or massacred. PCs Mountain passes, fords, bridges, er is ready to garrison the place, mak- can join in, lead it, or try to control and (for naval battles) narrow straits ing it hard to take back. Either goal their troops or comrades. In realistic give one force – even a smaller one – requires a siege. treatments, noncombatant deaths are the ability to block an invasion or A walled stronghold can hold out likely and looting almost unavoidable; retreat. The defenders have the chance for months or years providing plenty in mythic treatments, conquerors to make heroic stands, as their ene- of opportunity for dirty tricks, treach- may act nobly generous or inhumanly mies have to come at them in small ery, assassination, assaults down hid- brutal. numbers. In this way, a small force den sewers and secret passages, A standard fantasy trope is the can protect the main army from a magic, and similar methods. If the important border fortress or castle, pitched battle against a more powerful attackers outnumber the defenders, once strongly garrisoned, that is now foe.

STORYLINES 189 Ambush Missile troops can limit an enemy’s mobility in a different way. If the terrain limits an army’s choice of routes, attackers can lie in wait Player Characters along the likely routes and attack, by surprise, when the enemy comes into in Battle their range. Foot soldiers will usually Presenting a battle dramatically means showing it through the eyes strike from their hiding place and of specific people. The role PCs serve in their army determines what then escape by preplanned routes. they see of its battles, and therefore how the GM has to present battles. Light cavalry can ride forward from Three basic points of view are possible. Ordinary soldiers mainly see the a camouflaged location to attack, combat in their immediate area; they’ll be aware in general of how the and then escape faster than infantry troops near them are doing, but not of the details of combat. Leaders or heavy cavalry can follow. An who command from the front (standard practice in tribal and feudal extremely successful ambush might armies, but not necessarily in civilized armies) get a clear view of the stop an army’s advance, but the usual enemy as the battle starts, and occasionally can pause to look around goal is to delay it while the advancing and choose new objectives as it continues. If a king or general com- troops defend themselves and send mands from the rear, his staff can have a picture of the whole battle, but a force out to drive away the usually not a complete or current one, because they aren’t at the front assailants. lines. Historically this command style was rare until the late Renaissance, though in fantasy it’s very popular with evil overlords. Diversion Magical methods of scrying and long-distance communication can sup- One side may attempt to confuse port this command style in a fantasy setting. the other about its actual goals. If this If player characters are actually in combat, their actions are unlike- works really well, the other side may ly to sway the outcome of the battle. Hand-to-hand fighters will affect commit all its forces to defending only what happens along a few yards of the front line. Missile troops will against an attack that never comes. be taking part in massed volleys that affect the battle only statistically. Most of the time, a successful diver- But this isn’t much fun, or consistent with the heroic myths a lot of fan- sion simply means that the enemy tasy is based on. In epic fantasy, battles change based on single combats doesn’t have a clear objective. When between champions, as with David and Goliath or Homer’s heroes the attack does come, it takes longer before the walls of Troy. When one side’s champions fall, their followers than it should for him to arrange his can only surrender or flee. forces to meet it. For a more realistic style that still makes the PCs’ actions meaningful, treat them as a sample of their side’s forces. Set them up against a sample of the other side. If the enemy consists of bigger or smaller num- MAGIC AND bers, make their sample proportionately bigger or smaller. Then run through the small-scale fight and see who wins. If the PCs are average WARFARE soldiers, assume that their battle performance is the average for their In a fantasy setting, combatants side as a whole. If they’re a leader and his elite companions, either will try to find ways of gaining an match them against the other side’s elite, or have them fight ordinary advantage in battle from magic. If soldiers and assume that the rest of their side doesn’t do quite as well. magic is slow, they’ll use it in intelli- On the other hand, an elite group that achieves a really stunning victo- gence, logistics, and siegecraft; if it’s ry may inspire their own troops to heroism, or break the enemy’s resist- fast, they’ll turn it into an actual ance. Soldiers leading the assault on an enemy stronghold can play a weapon. similar role. If player characters are behind the front lines, they may not see Magic in the Field much fighting. This approach calls for more roles against Strategy, Treating mages as man-portable Tactics, Administration, Intelligence Analysis, and any spells that sup- artillery may show a disregard for port them. If the players want action as well as planning, they may lead mystical philosophy, but it’s also the reserve forces into battle at a critical moment, with victory or defeat extremely useful! Any commander resting on their leadership. Or a campaign can have everyone play two offered the services of a battle wizard characters, a member of the command staff who plans for a battle, and with Explosive Fireball would be seri- an ordinary soldier who fights in it. Shifting between the two viewpoints ously tempted. Be careful to consider can build tension, as in many war movies, and having combat go better Fatigue, though. A mage with or worse depending on how good the officers’ plans were helps drama- Explosive Fireball-15 and Recover tize the results of their staff work. This also allows players a broader Energy-15 spends 5 energy for a 3d range of characterization, contrasting the heroic or sophisticated lead- attack and needs 25 minutes to recovers with the “common man” troops. er, roughly 2 shots per hour. If wizards are rare and expensive, a catapult may be a better choice.

190 STORYLINES Magic can make troops harder for in several ways. Small teams of magi- Norse god Heimdall watched every- an enemy to spot. For example, Fog cal warriors can fly over walls to thing happening across the earth, and can block the line of sight of enemy engage the defenders in hand-to-hand the Greek gods hurled thunderbolts sentries, as can Darkness. Fog or combat, perhaps striking from above. or fired magical arrows at their earth- Darkness can also prevent enemy Magical flying beasts can do the same, bound foes. In Gulliver’s Travels, troops from keeping track of each or carry missile troops or spellcasters Jonathan Swift described a different other and thus disrupt formations. to vantage points above a castle. Or form of assault – the flying city of Other weather spells can scatter aerial forces can take stations high Laputa dropped onto opposing cities troops, making it impossible for them above a castle and bombard it with to crush them with its adamant to hold a battlefield. Powerful earth anything from rocks to molten lead. undersurface. spells can have similar effects. In a To counter such attacks, fortresses magical setting, close formations may must be roofed; men standing on Attack Through the Walls be an invitation to disaster; armies walls or towers will just be targets. Defending a fortress becomes even may spread out sideways, as they have Defenders bar windows, or reduce harder if mages know Teleport or sim- historically since the end of the them to slits, to prevent flying attack- ilar spells. Teleport requires seeing the 18th century. ers from entering. The bulk of a destination, so areas inside fortress Mages can engage in psychological fortress may even be underground, walls will be off limits; parleys will warfare. Fear is an area spell; spend- resembling a bunker more than a take place outside the gates. ing 6 points of Fatigue on Fear will medieval castle. Missile troops will be Alternatively, hosts may blindfold visi- generate fear in a 6-yard radius, which vital; even better will be spellcasters, tors and lead them into special locked could create a useful hole in enemy whose lightning bolts aren’t pulled rooms, or permanent Illusion lines, especially with poorly disci- down by gravity. Weather wizards enchantments may mask the fortress’ plined troops. A mage with Recover could make the sky unnavigable. true appearance. Scryguard, to pre- Strength-15 can do this every half Defenders may seize the high vent anyone from looking in magical- hour. ground themselves, enchanting an ly, will apply to essential sites, possibly An extension of this effect, if the entire fortress with Levitation. A over an entire building. Earth to Air mage’s own side will tolerate it, is the floating fortress provides an observa- and Walk through Earth do not use of Necromantic spells. Consider tion station, with a horizon in miles depend on sight, but double walls the shock of troops seeing their own equal to the square root of its height make them less effective, especially if companions (or, even worse, their in feet (or, on a flat world, an unlimit- the space between the walls is a pit or leaders) rise from the dead and march ed horizon). It also serves as a firing other trap or can be attacked easily. against them. One casting of Zombie platform. The gods of mythology were Each of the two walls should have uses 8 energy, which can be regained well aware of such advantages; the doors, preferably not directly facing in 40 minutes with Recover Strength; each other. a necromancer could send a dozen slain enemies a day back into battle on his own side. GMs should consider this especially for evil armies in sword Vauban and sorcery or dark fantasy settings. Fortress Magic and Fortifications Fortifications are even more sus- ceptible to magical disruption in a fantasy setting. If magic is rare, wizards or holy men will occasionally inflict miraculous defeat on a suppos- edly impregnable city or fortress. If magic is common, the concept of impregnability will change; in effect, fortifications and siegecraft will be at a higher TL (p. 66). Attack in the Air Magical worlds may achieve flight in a variety of ways: spells such as Levitation or Flight, the corresponding enchanted items, or harnessing or training flying creatures such as gryphons or dragons. Aerial forces can bypass the usual sorts of fortifications

STORYLINES 191 Magical Defenses Magical Support Roles Darkness, or Plant). If the mage adds A fortress in a fixed location is vul- The most familiar support role for to these spells a few sense-enhancing nerable to other magical attacks, mages is that of healing the wounded. Mind spells, he can act as a nearly from heavy-duty attack spells to hav- Magical healing is expensive enough undetectable scout as well. ing its walls taken down with Shape to be reserved for the worst wounds; a Finally, though the function isn’t Earth. Fortresses important enough healer with Major Healing and glamorous, a mage can be a real asset to justify the expense have a variety Recover Energy can spend 3 energy to to the quartermaster corps. Water and of countermeasures. Some lower the heal 6 hits, rest 15 minutes, and repeat Food spells can find supplies, test or mana level of the ground just outside the process, treating perhaps 40 improve their purity, or even create the walls, to enclose the structure in a wounded soldiers in a day. This will them from nothing. no-mana zone. (The mana level not prevent immediate death for those inside the perimeter is usually unaf- suffering -HP or worse, but if it raises How Common fected, but mages usually prefer to the wounded man above -HP, he can Are Mages? leave a few normal-mana breaks in begin recovering. The influence of these changes the perimeter.) Mages can help with military con- depends on the amount of mages an To resist physical attacks and spells struction, using Earth spells to dig army recruits. such as Fireball, build fortresses out of ditches or build walls. In some settings, individual mages adamant or other magical materials. When a messenger is needed, a have about the same impact as special Or design like fortifications of the mage specializing in Movement spells ops teams or a large artillery piece. post-gunpowder era, low to the can be very useful, with Quick March, They can assassinate leaders, break ground, with sloping earthworks in Flight, or Teleport. Other spells can let the occasional formation, facilitate star-shaped (“Vauban”) layouts. When him sense enemy patrols (Commu- entry into a stronghold, provide intel- cannons or wizards can smash any nication and Empathy or Protection ligence, or counter the enemy mages normal wall, castles become obsolete. and Warning) or conceal himself from (or other supernatural forces). They them (Illusion and Creation, Light and

192 STORYLINES may positively affect morale in and the like integrate at the small unit mages are, one mage and apprentices unsteady troops, but ultimately the level or mass in special units. Many might be assigned to protect a unit, battle is man against man. people have minor magic; entire units another to damage enemy troops or In some settings, powerful mages can cast spells collectively. The mages, a third to scrying/counterscry- are rare, but their effects are strong amount of magical firepower domi- ing, and so on. enough to wipe out or frighten off nates the battle. Mages/priests may entire battalions of ordinary troops replace knights as the basis of a feudal (vast areas of fire or darkness, con- system. Close formation troops can- MYTHICAL jured monster hordes, windstorms, not survive against the firepower a shields against arrows for entire mage can generate unless ways exist BEASTS IN units). Most of the time, soldiers fight of reliably neutralizing magic or COMBAT in massed formations as usual. But shielding entire units; if not, light Mages aren’t the only complication when suspicions circulate that the infantry and cavalry forces, possibly a fantasy world offers to the art of war. enemy does have a mage, they often airborne, are dominant. Many fantasy worlds have races or disperse to survive. Units that dis- The predictability of magic also creatures with unusual capabilities. In perse are vulnerable to massed makes a difference. If magic is essen- terms of effects on battle, these fall enemy conventional forces. It tially an art, than the advantage goes into three main groups. becomes vital, in this scenario, to to the offensive. Troops cannot predict First, they may be unusually dead- have your own supporting wizards to what will hit them; even if a mage is ly in ordinary combat. An infantry get the enemy to disperse as well! with them, he probably won’t have the force of trolls or ogres can carry mas- Special, mobile forces experienced in right counterspell. The best tactic is to sive weapons and wear the heaviest working with wizards or priests, hope your mage kills his mage (or armor, making them nearly impossi- equipped with Magic Resistance or troops) first. If magic is more of a sci- ble for ordinary men to defeat. talismans to protect them, may train ence, mages can have set drills and Gigantic creatures may have enough to target enemy mages or protect well-worked counterspells based on HP to make them almost invincible, or them. Such elite units will stay calm the most efficient area spells. Teams of natural DR, or both. Elephants played if things go magical. mages may be assigned to specific this role on many real-world battle- In still other settings, magic is pow- units with specific offensive/defensive fields, but fantasy battlefields may erful and common. Wizards, demons, roles. Depending on how common have even greater behemoths. Manlike giants can serve as walking catapults, throwing boulders big enough to smash down castle walls. Second, they may improve mobility. If unicorns can be tamed, their incredible speed makes them ideal cavalry mounts . . . perhaps for an elite warband of women pledged to virgini- ty. Flying creatures carry this even further, especially if they’re big enough for humans to ride, or intelligent enough to follow orders or make tactical decisions. A fantasy country might have a gryphon-mounted air force. Third, they may have magical attacks. Fiery breath is traditional, but far from the only choice. Any Affliction or Innate Attack could either kill the enemy, or break their will to fight. Supernatural beings with Terror can do the same. The very dangerous magical races and creatures can have all three advantages. Dragons, for example, can fly, breathe fire, and are big and well- armored enough to kill a mounted knight in straight physical combat. If a fantasy world has races or beings that are this dangerous, rulers will be eager to form alliances with them. Or they may be the rulers (see Teratocracy, p. 69, and The Good Shepherds, p. 61).

STORYLINES 193 The Armies of Darkness In some fantasy settings, the enemy has access to heroic forces may find themselves compelled to use magic that the heroes can’t use. Perhaps they simply darker and darker methods against their foes, to the don’t know about it, or they can’t use it without strong point where it’s hard to tell the two sides apart. Or the temptation from the dark side, or it requires sacrifices good side may have to ally with the evil side when that would kill the very people they have to protect. both are threatened by an even greater evil – for exam- Dark supernatural allies may simply be too hard to ple, a monster slayer and a monster may team up control and too dangerous. This can set up one of the against a demon that wants to destroy the world classic situations of fantasy: the hero whose resolve rather than fight over it. Or there may not be clearly and skill must stand against unnatural powers. defined good and evil at all . . . just people trying to get High fantasy often involves this kind of battle. A by in a hard world. great struggle between good and evil is one of the clas- For a “fantasy in the real world” treatment of sic mythic themes, all the way back to the war of Horus these themes, consider introducing magic and the against Set in Egyptian mythology. It also works well in supernatural into World War II. Any of the various dark fantasy, though the main emphasis is likely the low fantasy motifs could fit there, right next to the adversary’s mysterious evil powers. The “good” forces Manhattan Project and the alliance between the may only work together to stop a common threat – and United States and the Soviet Union. On the other they probably won’t all survive. Classic sword and sor- hand, it’s hard to find a better modern example of a cery often matched heroic warriors against villainous great mythic war against evil; a dark fantasy World wizards; recent treatments may have special dark War II could have its own appeal, whether the fanta- spells that only evildoers would use. sy was openly revealed (perhaps in the style of four- In a low fantasy campaign, good and evil may color comics) or deeply hidden. intertwine more, as they often are in real history. The

194 STORYLINES CHAPTER NINE ROMA ARCANA

Then Julius Fabricius died, as even He could see the horned heads, and getting almost as many stares as the prefects do, the bony shields that supported the dinosaurs; apparently East Asians did- And after certain centuries, Imperial horns. n’t get to Rome very often. Rome died too. Beside him, he heard someone say The wagon rumbled down onto the – Rudyard Kipling, “The Land” something about “megalogryphontes,” street and headed for the main cross His linguistic training noted the word, street. Johannes saw the paintings on Standing by the bank of the and then dissected it: “big gryphons.” its side, exotic beasts and the word Garumna, Johannes Niger glimpsed Well, they were quadrupeds with “BESTIARUM.” He supposed the the wagons coming up to the opposite beaks . . . but he had been a dinosaur satyrs and sphinxes were just for bank. “God DAMN!” he said – and enthusiast as a child; he knew them as advertising. realized he had said it in English, triceratops. He remembered being dis- But if they were real, he definitely despite all his training to speak only appointed when it sank in that no wanted to know it. This was one show Latin. He berated himself while he human had ever really seen a live he’d go to see. raced to the bridge, and watched for dinosaur. Apparently that wasn’t true what would come over. He wasn’t the At the start of its second millenni- here. One more weirdness to add to only one standing there; boys, sailors um, Rome is in great danger. The gods the other weirdnesses of this alternate whose ships were in port, and a few grow angry at an empire that pays Rome. slaves who thought they could get them little honor, and withdraw their The wagon driver was a large mid- away with it had all gathered there as protection. The emperors squander dle-aged man. Beside him was a slen- well. the public trust. The rule of law fails, der woman with straight black hair The bridge strained under the in the city and its many provinces. and epicanthic folds. Well, she could weight; he could hear the creaking. Barbarians, monsters, and magic cults have gotten here by the Silk Road, as a Roman engineers built well, but not threaten honest citizens and disrupt traveler or as merchandise. She was for what was pulling the lead wagons. trade. If the empire will survive, wealthy and powerful men, in Rome’s ancient tradition, need to step forward as benefactors of their cities. Times of trouble are unpleasant to live through, but make exciting settings for adventure stories. Citizens and soldiers will work to hold back the shadows; explorers from other timelines try to uncover the secrets of an empire where pagan gods and magical spells have real power. Roma Arcana is a setting for a sword and sorcery or dark fantasy campaign. Use it on its own, or as a timeline in the Infinite Worlds campaign setting (see Chapter 20 of the Basic Set). The year is 258 A.D., or in the Roman calendar ab urbe condita (AUC) 1011. The Roma Arcana setting is TL2 and CR4. The mana level is normal, except inside city limits, where it is low. Casting spells in Roma Arcana takes 10 times as long as defined in the spell description; the caster must attract the attention of a god or spirit and make his wishes known.

ROMA ARCANA 195 Roma Arcana in the Multiverse Roma Arcana is a Quantum-7 world. Aside from its off-limits status, it’s hard to get to from Quantum-5, and not many Infinity Patrol agents have gone there. So far as anyone can tell, Centrum hasn’t found it yet, and the Infinity Patrol wants to keep it that way; if Diocletian and Constantine turn up on schedule, their centralized rule would be just the sort of thing Interworld would want to encourage. At the GM’s discretion, an even stranger possibility may occur: Roma Arcana may “echo” the mysterious homeworld of the Cabal! The sorcerers and mystagogues of the Roman Empire could parallel the Cabal’s past, developing comparable arts. The active gods are comparable to the denizens of the Astral, Iconic, and Spiritual Realms. This opens up many different possibilities. The Infinity Patrol could use Roma Arcana as a testing ground for ways of coping with the Cabal’s powers, especially if they figure out its “echo” status. It might also give them hints about the Cabal’s origins or help them find its homeworld. On the other hand, their actions in Roma Arcana might draw the Cabal’s attention. Or the Cabal might already know about Roma Arcana and even have their agents in place. They might even have shaped its history, whether by magical “benevolent guidance” or as a subtle trap for paratemporal explorers.

A TIME OF TROUBLES Why have our two consuls and the The Parthians practice magical praetors come out FOES AND arts as well. Reflecting their religious today in their red, embroidered beliefs, Parthians divide spells sharply togas; MENACES into white and black magic. White why do they wear amethyst-studded Threats to Rome take many forms. magi seek divine aid for their spells. bracelets, Many are human, but some are not. Very secretly, a few Parthians practice and rings with brilliant glittering Some human foes wield magic, and black magic, though it’s officially ille- emeralds; some nonhuman foes are magic – gal. Some black magi work, unofficial- why are they carrying costly canes ghosts, spirits, or even gods. ly, as spies or assassins for the today, Parthian Empire, either within its superbly carved with silver and gold? The Parthian Empire boundaries or in foreign lands. Rome’s great rival empire centers Because the barbarians are to arrive in Persia. The Parthians boast of hav- The Germanic Tribes today, ing been an empire since Rome was a The Germans are not a civilized and such things dazzle the barbar- collection of mud huts on the bank of people; they wage war as individuals, ians. the Tiber. They have organized armies not as organized forces. Men join a – C. P. Cavafy, of their own, based primarily on warband out of obligation to its leader, “Expecting the Barbarians” skilled horsemen. Parthian land isn’t or because they expect success and The Roman Empire controls as fertile as Roman and can’t support want to share in the loot. There’s no Southern and Western Europe, Asia as big a population, but the skill and formal command structure. However, Minor and the Near East, and north- courage of Parthian cavalry keeps the individual Germans are typically ern Africa (see map, p. 199). Most of Roman legions at bay and sometimes strong and skilled in battle. Roman its territory is within the limes, the defeats them. soldiers entering the vast German sacred frontier drawn by Augustus The Parthian Empire also has its forests often do not return. Caesar in his will. To defend the limes, own supernatural resources. Chaldea, Berserking is common among and to keep order within them, the the original home of astrology, lies Germans. A few are skin-turners, own- Empire relies on its armies and on the within its boundaries, and skilled ing magically empowered animal help of the gods, against both natural astrologers advise imperial officials. hides that let them change shape (see and supernatural threats. The two Priests of the ancient Zoroastrian reli- Skin-Turners, p. 209). German poets used to work together, but the gods gion call for aid from a hierarchy of sometimes know how to enthrall lis- seldom bless Rome’s armies now. spiritual powers. teners with their voices. Other forms of magic are rare.

196 ROMA ARCANA Germans worship a pantheon that Still other monsters occasionally embodied undead creatures grow vaguely resembles the Roman gods, come from under the earth. Centuries more common. but have no organized priesthood; ago, the Greek philosopher Emp- Under the protection of the gods, wealthy men build shrines and offer edocles discovered a cavern filled with Roman engineers create great public sacrifices. huge beasts, far below the earth. (See works, such as roads, bridges, aque- The most aggressive German tribes Empedocles’ Quest, p. 212.) Some of ducts, and sewers, taming the forces are the Franks, along the borders of these beasts surface from time to time. of nature. But the spirits of the earth Gaul; the Alamanni, in central always resent bondage. Now the Europe; and the Goths, north of the Spirits gods have set them free to throw it Balkan provinces of the empire. Roman funeral rites and ancestor off. Their magical powers over German invasions are common and worship turn the spirits of the dead nature seldom destroy human works destructive, often reaching far inside from threats into allies. But this does- outright, but by wearing them away, the Empire. n’t always work. A dead person who they bring the world closer to was greatly wronged, or wasn’t prop- untamed wilderness. The Druids erly buried or burned, or whose living Rome put an end to the Druids kin don’t honor him, sometimes reap- centuries ago, both in Gaul and in pears as a ghost crying out for IMPERIAL ASSETS Britain. The ancient Celtic gods were vengeance. With the growing popu- Rome’s foundation is a threefold mostly identified with Roman ones larity of sorcery, some people deliber- bond between gods, men, and the and their worship moved into Roman- ately avoid having funeral rites, hop- land. This pattern influences all style temples. But now, as Rome’s gods ing to exercise power from beyond of Roman civilization, from a single weaken and withdraw, some Celtic the grave, or even to return to the household to the empire as a whole. gods look for an older kind of worship. world of the living. Both ghosts and Rome relies on this in times of Here and there, across the western trouble. Empire, memories of past lives trouble men of Celtic blood. Some discover their previous incarnations as druids. They start to recover their lost arts, but also remember their struggle against Rome. Some support a separate empire in the West; others want to reclaim entirely their old customs, kill the Romans and Romanized Celts in their lands . . . they even dream of sacking Rome. Druidic magical arts rest on knowledge of the natural world, and are the most potent in the wilderness. Druids don’t write out spells, they memorize them. Druid lore takes the form of Bardic Lore (p. 99). Monsters Romans view unnatural births as a sign from the gods. The number of such signs has increased. And worse, they’re often not just deformed but dangerous. Unnaturally large, fierce predators (see Lupus Magnus, p. 231) appear throughout the empire. Travel through the wilderness, or even on the roads, involves risk. Even larger creatures inhabit the seas. Huge serpents occasionally appear and crush ships in their coils. Mariners fresh from adventures on the Atlantic Ocean tell stories of the kraken, a tentacled monstrosity that pulls ships under if they sail above its resting place.

ROMA ARCANA 197 Every area of land has spirits, and The Roman Empire has lost this occupies a fortress averaging about 50 the land can allows occupation with protection by offending the gods. Its acres. Detachments, called vexillations their consent. These spirits expect the entire territory once had normal sanc- from the vexilla (banner) that each one occupants of the land to make suit- tity, but now has low sanctity. carries, occupy smaller forts along the able offerings. But occupants also However, many households, cities, length of the border, keeping watch for make offerings to other spirits: to the and fortresses still keep faith and can invaders. Auxiliary forces of cavalry spirit of their own family, to their ask for the gods’ aid. and light infantry occupy other forts. ancestors, and to their gods. These Some 300,000 soldiers stand watch on offerings create areas with height- Frontiers and the frontier. ened sanctity levels. The gods and Fortifications Fortifications aren’t just military spirits may aid the protection of The legions form the heart of bases; they’re also religious centers. areas sanctified to them. Rome’s military forces. Legionaries The principia (headquarters building) Each inhabited place has a sacred primarily are armored infantrymen, at the center of each site houses a perimeter called the pomoerium, often fighting with javelins and swords (see shrine, the sacellum, where the legion marked by a ditch or a line of stones. Equipment, p. 223), and among the keeps its eagles, its images of the The land it encloses has normal sancti- best in the world. But they are also imperial family, and the standards of ty. The land outside it has low sanctity. combat engineers, able to build a its centuries. The shrine has high Customarily communities bury the fortress, besiege a city, or assemble sanctity, and the entire camp has nor- dead there, to keep them from trou- and fire a catapult. In a war, a legion mal sanctity, in relation to the legion’s bling the living. Somewhere inside the can march all day and then build a gods. The standards themselves have inhabited area is a holy place with high fortified camp before night falls. ritual significance; going into battle sanctity, devoted to the protection of Legions number over 5,000 men, without them means losing the pro- sacred things and of valuable posses- divided into “centuries” averaging 80 tection of the gods. Guarding them is sions. The gods usually protect this men. Nearly all the 33 legions are sta- a position of trust. The men who hold location, either through their own pow- tioned at the limes (see Order of Battle, it are also the treasurers for their ers or by aid to its human defenders. p. 200). The main force of each legion legion, and shrines typically have cel- lars that hold the legion’s treasury. Plan of a Typical Legionary Fortress 3 PORTA PRINCIPALIS SINISTRA 1 VIA SAGULARIS 4

7 8 2 WORKSHOP

5 TRIBUNES 4 VIA DECUMANA PRINCIPIA VIA PRAETORIA 4 6

HOSPITAL BATHS VIA QUINTANA VIA PRINCIPALIS

9 PRAETORIA PORTA CAVALRY BARRACKS CAVALRY PORTA DECUMANA PORTA 10 4 VIA SAGULARIS

The area inside the ditch is normal sanctity; the shrine in the principia is 1. Watchtower 2. Barracks high sanctity. Important buildings are the principia or headquarters, with PORTA PRINCIPALIS DEXTRA a large meeting hall at the front, armories along the sides, and a central 3. Oven shrine flanked by offices at the back; the praetorium, or house of the com- 4. Gate manding officer; and the hospital, with wards for the 60 centuries sur- 5. Prefect rounding a central courtyard where medicinal herbs are grown. The long L- Yards 6. Praetorium and U-shaped buildings are barracks; the centurions had separate rooms at 25 50 100 200 7. Stables the “base” of the L or U, and each “arm” is several yards thick. There were 8. Granaries walkways between the barracks (or between the two “arms” of the U-shaped 9. Tribune barracks). 10. First Cohort Barracks

198 ROMA ARCANA When the soil of the Empire had throne, sometimes for less than a year. Each city has an ordo, or city normal sanctity, legionaries fighting There may be two or three claimants council, modeled on Rome’s Senate, upon it gained the benefits of Higher to the throne at a time. At best, emper- and one, two, or three pairs of magis- Purpose. Now only the guardians of ors are military commanders who win trates. Cities also maintain cults for the standards have that benefit, when the loyalty of their soldiers. At worst, the official gods of the Empire, carrying the standards or protecting the empire may be auctioned off to the including the Imperial Genius, and their shrine. Legions still pray to the highest bidder. Many emperors die by for any gods who have specially gods of Rome before battle, but many assassination, sometimes at the hands favored their people. soldiers have turned to the worship of of their own guards, but most fall in Some cities are capitals of Mithras (p. 206). As a soldier, Mithras battle. Emperors often are preoccu- provinces, the larger divisions of helps fellow soldiers do their duty in pied with military threats and have lit- Rome’s conquered territory. Each battle, but he protects individual sol- tle time for priestly duties. Officially, provincial capital is the residence of a diers, not the legion as a body. every emperor receives guidance from governor, normally a Roman senator. the Imperial Genius (p. 202), but most If one or more legions are headquar- The Emperor recent emperors have gained little tered in a province, the senior com- The emperor holds the highest benefit from it. mander also acts as governor; in other rank in every hierarchy of Roman provinces the governor is a civil ser- society: commander of the legions, Cities of the Empire vant. Each governor gets assistance chief administrator of the state, and All over the empire, city-states from one or more procurators, impe- head of the pontifical college, Rome’s organize citizens. The official citizenry rial bureaucrats responsible for col- highest religious body. He also has the of each city-state includes nearby lecting taxes. A detachment of troops title of pater patriae, father of the rural landowners, as well as people from the nearest legion suppresses country. In the eyes of the gods, every who actually live in the city. “Cities” rebellions, enforces imperial laws, and Roman is a dependent of the imperial range from country villages with a few builds roads, amphitheaters, and household. priests and officials to metropolises other large projects. Over the past few decades, many with tens of thousands of residents. different emperors have held the

ROMA ARCANA 199 Order of Battle Each of Rome’s 33 legions has a permanent head- legion has a number. During the civil wars before the quarters, mostly along the frontier. (See the map on founding of the Empire, many of these numbers were p. 199 for the location of each province.) The following duplicated. Instead of renumbering, the Romans list groups the legions by where they are stationed; changed the nicknames into official names, and this modern names for the locations are in [brackets]. Each custom continued for later legions.

Designation Stationed in II Augusta Isca [Caerleon], Britain XX Valeria Victrix Deva [Chester], Britain VI Victrix Eburacum [York], Britain VII Gemina Leon, Tarraconensis VIII Augusta Argentorate [Strasbourg], Germany I Minervia Bonna [Bonn], Germany XXII Primigenia Mogontiacum [Mainz], Germany XXX Ulpia Vetera [Xanten], Germany II Italica Loriacum [Enns], Noricum III Italica Castra Regina [Regensburg], Noricum II Parthica Albano, Italy X Gemina Vindobona [Vienna], Pannonia XIV Gemina Carnutum [Altenburg], Pannonia I Adiutrix Brigetio [Szony-Komaron], Pannonia II Adiutrix Aquincum [Budapest], Pannonia VII Claudia Viminacium [Kostolac], Moesia XI Claudia Durostorum [Silistra], Moesia IV Flavia Singidunum [Belgrade], Moesia I Italica Novae [Swislow], Moesia XIII Gemina Mehadia, Dacia V Macedonica Potaissa, Dacia XV Apollinaris Satala [Sadag], Cappadocia XVI Flavia Satala [Sadag], Cappadocia XII Fulminata Melite, Cappadocia III Gallica Danaba, Syria I Parthica Singara, Syria III Parthica Singara, Syria IV Scythica Zeugma, Syria VI Ferrata Caparcotna, Palestine X Fretensis Jerusalem, Palestine III Cyrenaica Bostra, Arabia II Traiana Nicopolis, Egypt III Augusta Lambaesis, Africa

Caesarion XII is secretly a descendant in command of troops stationed on the MEN OF DESTINY of the son of Cleopatra and Julius Rhine. He builds up military and polit- The following people have posi- Caesar. He lives in the Greek commu- ical connections to support his cre- tions of power, or ambitions to power, nity of Massilia in Narbonensis, one of ation of a separate empire, with its that will shape Rome’s destiny over the provinces of Gaul. The family has capital in Gaul. These ties extend into the coming decade. Ultimately, their many ties to worshippers of the Britain, Germany, and Hispania and actions may determine whether the Egyptian goddess Isis. As a member of include the moderate factions among Roman Empire survives. Player char- the sacred bloodline of Caesar, the Celtic nationalists. acters will feel the impact of their Caesarion has divinely granted gifts Shapur: The current Parthian choices and may be in a position to and waits for the day when the emperor is a skilled general who plans influence them. Empire will need him to lead it. to take advantage of Rome’s weakness. Postumus: Marcus Cassianius Fifteen years ago, he invaded Roman Caesarion: Known to all but a few Latinius Postumus is a Roman general territory for the first time; two years of his contemporaries as Epiphanes,

200 ROMA ARCANA ago, he began a second invasion. His armies have just sacked the city of Antioch, carrying off huge amounts of Reunion treasure and many slaves. Shapur, a Roma Arcana makes a good setting for a high fantasy campaign Zoroastrian, has funded many new which focuses on the potential renewal of the empire. Caesarion and temples, protects the Jews, and Zenobia play key roles in the treatment. The Palmyran queen’s political encourages Zoroastrian magi to study ambitions, tactics, and abilities bear odd similarities to Cleopatra VII. Greek and Indian teachings. She could actually be Cleopatra, returned to Earth once more by the Valerian: Publius Licinius favor of the infernal gods. Once she and Caesarion reveal their claims Valerianus has held the imperial to imperial power, and learn of each other, a political alliance could ben- throne for the past five years. He once efit both of them. It may even be destined, bringing together Cleopatra’s had a distinguished military career, reincarnation and Caesar’s heir, as co-rulers and as lovers. If Zenobia though he has mainly been involved in actually remembers her past life, or if Caesarion’s advisor Geaticus Rome’s internal power struggles over (p. 229) learns the truth from the stars, one might knowingly seek the the past few decades. Approaching his other out. 60th year, he remains active and vigorous. He has just led several legions east to the Parthian frontier to repel an invasion, leaving his son Gallienus Zenobia. She speaks fluent Greek and recently born son, Vaballathus, on the as co-emperor in Rome. Latin and has a good literary educa- throne. Her husband is satisfied as a Zenobia: The young queen of tion. Zenobia’s skill at Enthrallment Roman client, but Zenobia dreams of Palmyra, a Roman client kingdom in induced King Odaenathus to divorce making Palmyra the capital of an the Near East, is named Bat Zabbai in his first wife and marry her. Now she independent empire, of which she her native Aramaic, but usually goes is plotting against the king’s older son, would be the Augusta. by the Latinized form, Septimia Herodes, and hopes to put her own ROMAN FAITH Hail, Jupiter, best and greatest, all- and spirits by offering service in individual names; they exist only to powerful father, king of gods and men, return. Individuals can also enjoy serve their special functions. No servi- or whatever other name you wish to be divine aid, but that’s a special favor, tor spirit should have a GURPS char- called . . . not the god’s main role. acter sheet. – Traditional Roman prayer Gods and spirits exist in three different domains: in the heavens, on the Whether you are god or goddess to GODS AND surface of the Earth, and under the whom this grove is dedicated, as it is Earth. Romans offer sacrifices to all your right to receive a sacrifice of a pig SPIRITS three, on different occasions. for the thinning of this sacred grove, Roman religion draws no sharp and to this intent, I or one at my bid- line between gods and spirits. Gods Celestial Gods ding do it, may it be rightly done. are very powerful spirits, rulers of Most great gods live in the sky. – Marcus Porcius Cato, independent domains such as the Anything above the earth is in their De Agri Cultura weather or the sea. Other spirits rule domain: birds, weather, the planets, Rome is a city of lawyers. Its peo- smaller domains, or serve the gods. A and even the stars. Because the stars ple approach everything in legal vast array of spirits attends every god govern human destiny, the celestial terms, including religion. Roman reli- serving his will and obeying his gods control the fortunes of a man’s gion is an exchange of promises commands. life. The man who has their favor can between men and the gods. A man The Latin word for the power of a become great. offering a sacrifice says do ut des, god is numen. Much of that power is Customarily, sacrifices to the celes- meaning, “I give so that you give.” He in the spirits who carry out the god’s tial gods occur on altars, in places serves the gods, and he expects the orders, so numen also means a spirit, open to the sky and visible to the gods to reward his service. Romans or the god himself in the form of a gods. Temples of celestial gods main- still living by their ancient traditions spirit. Since the aid of spirits produce ly exist for storage of items useful in do nothing important without making magical effects, numen also means rituals, not for the rituals themselves. a sacrifice, looking for omens that supernatural power in general. A place Omens from the celestial gods also show if the gods have accepted it, and that attracts spirits is therefore numi- come from the sky. This goes back to then calling on divine help. nous. Any important or powerful god the ancient Etruscans, who practiced Roman religion is mainly collec- employs the service of vast numbers of divination by observing the direction tive. A household, military force, city, spirits. However, few servitor spirits of lightning. or the Empire gains help from gods have distinctive personalities, or even

ROMA ARCANA 201 Terrestrial Gods The Earth’s surface is the domain of less powerful beings such as nymphs (p. 213), which GMs can clas- The Imperial Genius sify as either small gods or unusually Like other Roman men, the emperor is the priest of his own house- potent spirits. Most nymphs live in the hold gods, and especially of his own Genius. But the emperor’s house- wilderness. They don’t receive much hold is the largest in Rome. Beyond the thousands of slaves who offi- worship, but a prudent farmer sacri- cially belong to the Imperial Family, every Roman citizen counts the fices to the local deity before cutting Emperor as a patron, under the title of pater patriae, “father of his firewood in a forest. Terrestrial gods country.” usually confine themselves to a small The standard Pact with the Imperial Genius is based on Sense of area, such as a forest clearing or a Duty to the Roman Empire and its people. In recent years, few emper- river. ors have gained benefits through this Pact. Infernal Gods The interior of the Earth, or the underworld, is largely the realm of the dead. Dark gods rule the dead and “Granted by Ancestral Spirit” (-40%); judge to make the right decision in a everything else beneath the earth, the Di Manes often grant Luck or lawsuit. including buried treasure and valu- inflict Unluckiness. In addition, sacri- Within each house, an inner area able minerals (see Empedocles’ Quest, ficial offerings to the Di Manes (such holds high sanctity for the household p. 212). Underworld deities are often as the devotio, p. 232) can bring one- gods. This is the penetralia, guarded harsh and vengeful. Mortals seeking time blessings if conducted with the especially by the Penates (also called vengeance may pray for their help, but proper ritual. the Di Penates). Typically, it holds the most ask them not to do something, or The Genius of a family is different family’s food stores and treasury. give thanks for their mercy. from its Di Manes. It has the same The infernal gods have no altars. A relationship to a family that the spirit SACRIFICES proper sacrifice to them consists of of an animal has to the species. It The basis of Roman religion is sac- digging a pit and offering the sacrifice makes sure that the family procreates rifice (see Burnt Offerings, p. 31, and in it – below the earth’s surface. and that its descendants preserve the distinctive traits of their ancestors. Sacrificial Magic, p. 165). Most offer- The Genius will not make itself seen or ings are slaughtered animals. Romans ANCESTORS AND heard, but the paterfamilias may take special care to select a physically acquire certain advantages based on a perfect victim, as most pleasing to the HOUSEHOLD Pact with his Genius (typically based gods, and to avoid frightening it. If the on Sense of Duty to his family and lin- animal balks on the way to the altar, CULTS eage). Typical advantages either the god has rejected the sacrifice. In addition to spirits of the sky, enhance health and fertility, such as Successful sacrifice requires skill rolls earth, and underworld, the Romans Fit, or bestow a superior ability, such against both Animal Handling and recognize human spirits. After a man as a Talent. Religious Ritual. A sacrifice usually dies, his spirit lives on, usually in the A household is also defined by the enhances success in performing a underworld. Roman families ritually land it occupies. It gains the right to task, as defined under Sacrificial honor their dead, both propitiating live there through its relationship with Magic (p. 165). In contrast to the usual them so they will not become angry the spirits of the land, which it wor- rules, the value of any animal sacrifice and trouble the living, and sacrificing ships regularly as its Lares. accepted by the gods uses the animal’s to them in return for supernatural Customarily each household honors full HP, since the animal consents to favors. See Ancestor Worship (p. 37) twin Lares. They receive small daily be offered. and the Ancestral Spirit lens (p. 112). sacrifices when the family sits down to Worshippers may substitute a vow The paterfamilias, or male head of the dine. In return, the Lares make the for a sacrifice. A man who seeks divine household, is the priest of his ances- land a normal-sanctity area for the aid, but doesn’t have a suitable sacrifi- tors. His priestly duties also include household gods. cial offering, can promise to make honoring other spirits of his house- Once a year, typically, the owners such an offering at some future time hold. of adjacent lands in the country meet after the aid is granted. This isn’t a The spirits of a family’s ancestors, at their boundaries and sacrifice to the Vow in GURPS terms, because char- or Di Manes, are normally unseen and Lares. This sacrifice ensures that the acters will usually fulfill it within a unheard. If treated with disrespect, respective household gods are not ene- year’s time, often by a single action. If they may appear as shades or com- mies to each other. In city neighbor- the seeker swears a binding oath to plain to their descendants. A descen- hoods, each major intersection has a the gods (see Thunderstones, p. 28) dant may take one of the Di Manes as shrine to the Lares of all the families and acquires a Destiny, the vow auto- a Patron or Enemy and purchase nearby that serves the same purpose. matically counts as a sacrifice. Any advantages or disadvantages as Sacrifice to the Lares can help guide a other vow requires a reaction roll (see Man Proposes, God Disposes, p. 148).

202 ROMA ARCANA In addition to the bonus from True Gladiatorial combat originated as a seeking private benefits are not the Faith, a worshipper with a Vow who similar self-offering. Fighting with priesthood’s primary function. keeps it, or has Code of Honor minimal armor (usually with no torso Gaining the aid of a civic god for a pri- (Roman) or Discipline of Faith armor) expressed this, though it’s vate goal requires an Excellent reac- (Ritualism), gets a lesser +1 bonus on mainly a thrill for the crowds. An tion. Similar differences apply to the reaction roll; only one of these exceptional gladiator might gain prayers to a household god; gods grant bonuses applies to any one religious enhanced combat skills and crowd prayers for the good of the family vow. reaction rolls by knowingly offering more often than prayers for private A military commander seeking spe- himself. benefits. cial divine aid can practice the devotio, Gods can give their worshippers ritually offering his life to the gods in access to short lists of spells. For exchange for victory. Before the battle PRAYER example, a worshipper of Jupiter starts, he ceremonially pledges his life Prayer is an appeal to the gods to might learn Clouds, Command, to the Di Manes of the Roman people grant blessings to their worshippers. Deflect Energy, Lightning, or Predict as a sacrifice. Then he personally leads Correct wording of the prayer requires Weather. Each spell is a formula call- his forces toward the foe, engaging in a roll against Religious Ritual. If this ing upon the aid of certain spirits that All-Out Attack when combat begins, succeeds, the appropriate god hears serve the god. Priests normally can with no thought for his own survival. the prayer. At this point, make a reac- learn the special formulae for their For the duration of the battle, he has tion roll for the god, as described god if they choose. Any other worship- +1 to his skill in Leadership, Strategy, under Man Proposes, God Disposes per can learn them if taught by the Tactics, and whatever weapons he (p. 148). On a Very Good reaction, the god (treat this as a 5-point Unusual uses – but not to his Shield skill. Both god will grant visible aid in some Background). In a high-sanctity site his own side and the enemy have +1 form. Sacrificial offerings can influ- such as a temple, or a temporarily on reaction rolls; his army is more ence a god’s reaction, gaining +1 for consecrated site elsewhere, anyone likely to follow him, and the other each 12 1/2 HP sacrificed. who knows the spell can cast it. army is more likely to flee. If he sur- Religious ceremonies primarily Elsewhere, only a person specially vives, this indicates that the gods have gain divine aid for Rome, and require favored by the god with Power honored his courage by giving him attendance by the Roman population Investiture 1 or better can do so. back his life. in general. Ceremonies for individuals Power Investiture is a rare advantage in Roma Arcana. Plan of a Roman House The spells granted by the Penates of a household provide help in guard- 5557910 13 ing the penetralia against thieves and robbers. Possible spells include Clumsiness, Fear, Hinder, Magelock, Pain, Rooted Feet, Spasm, and Trace. 4 Normally any household’s Penates will 23 grant only one or two such spells. The 13 8 signifers of a legion may gain similar 1 benefits in guarding the room with the legion’s standards. 6 13 DIVINATION 5 5 Romans practice several types of 6 5 11 12 soothsaying. Some are distinctively 7 Roman, or adopted by the Romans 14 from the Etruscans, who ruled Italy Yards before them. 10 20 The most highly regarded practice is augury, or divination from signs in the heavens. Celestial signs include (1) The main entrance (vestibulum) opening to the street. (2) A small room for a door- unusual astronomical events, weather keeper. (3) Family records and ancestral portraits. (4) Open courtyard (atrium) with a small (especially lightning), and the flight of pool (inpluvium) set into the floor. (5) Bedrooms and sitting rooms. (6) Baths. (7) Wings extending out from the atrium. (8) Formal dining room (triclinium, named for the three birds. Augurs also perform divination couches used for guests at a banquet). (9) Reception room (tablinum) used as a family din- by watching the behavior of birds on ing area or as a study for the head of the family. (10) Open garden area (peristyle) raising the ground; the city keeps sacred flowers and kitchen herbs and as an outdoor dining area. (11) Locked storage (penetralia) chickens for this purpose. Treat for food and valuables. (12) Kitchens. (13) Sitting rooms (exhedrae) looking out on the gar- Augury as a divinatory art, a branch of den. (14) Servants’ door; also used by family members who want to leave the house privately. Fortune-Telling.

ROMA ARCANA 203 Unusual natural or political events Each ritual performed by a substitute may be omens of the future. The viri PRIESTHOODS requires a new set of orders; a priest sacris faciundis have custody of the The city of Rome organizes priests cannot give standing orders. three Sibylline Books, kept in the tem- into colleges, each with distinct func- ple of the Capitoline Triad in Rome. tions. Roman law assigns an order of With a successful Research roll, they precedence to the various colleges (see SACRED may find an explanation of what a spe- Religious Ranks, p. 223). The major cific omen means. Investigation takes colleges, to which the emperor auto- GROUNDS a full day. matically belongs, are the pontifices The land within the boundaries of The most often practiced form of (who perform administrative duties), the Roman Empire (the limes) is low soothsaying is extispicy, or examining the augurs (who engage in augury), sanctity for its gods. Each city has a the internal organs of sacrificed ani- the viri sacris faciundis (who supervise pomoerium, an area of land that offi- mals. This is also a branch of Fortune- foreign cults and guard the Sibylline cially belongs to it, enclosed by a phys- Telling. Its practitioners, the harus- Books), and the epulones (who sacri- ical marker such as a line of stones or pices, have no official priestly stand- fice and offer feasts before major a plowed ditch. The area within the ing, but attend every sacrifice. The games). Several lesser priesthoods pomoerium is normal sanctity for the first question they always answer is, have more specialized duties. Rome gods of the city and the empire. A “Was the offering acceptable?” also has 15 flamines, each assigned to god’s temples are high sanctity, Many Romans sometimes seek worship a specific god. whether within a city or not. The understanding in dreams. Those who Provincial cities have their own architectural design of a temple may have the skill of Dreaming can do this temples and priests. Normally each aid in focusing the divine presence, anywhere, needing only a night’s priest is a flamen assigned to a specif- granting skill bonuses to Religious undisturbed sleep. Untrained people ic god worshipped in the city. Several Ritual and clerical magic within the can seek meaningful dreams by sleep- freedmen in each city hold the special temple and on its grounds (see Symbol ing in a place sacred to a suitable god. post of flamen augustalis, priest of the Drawing, p. 220). To see if the god sends a dream, roll Imperial Genius. When a legionary camp or fortress the god’s reaction, as described under A distinctive feature of Roman is built, the ground becomes ritually Man Proposes, God Disposes. On a religious practice is delegated priest- hallowed in the same way, within the Very Good reaction, the god sends a hood. If, for example, the head of a limits set by the perimeter walls. This meaningful dream; on an Excellent household has the duty of offering a ground has normal sanctity. The cen- reaction, the god sends a very clear sacrifice, he can also instruct some- tral shrine of the camp, within its prin- dream (+5 to dream interpretation). one else to do so in his place. The cipium (see map on p. 198), has high The standard modifiers apply; in addi- substitute must first announce that sanctity. One man from each century, tion, seeking help in an area, the god he acts for the original priest and give its signifer or standard-bearer, guards favors or disfavors is worth +3 or -3, the priest’s name; then he should the shrine, where the standards are respectively. To interpret the dream, carry out the ritual as instructed. The kept, and also keeps accounts for the roll against Fortune-Telling (Dream priest must describe the ritual in full century’s savings, which are stored in Interpretation). detail (roll vs. his Teaching or Writing the shrine. Such men normally have a The appropriate ritual, as dis- skill to determine if anything has Higher Purpose. cussed under Soothsaying (p. 150), been omitted). If he does, then roll vs. Each household has a similar can influence all forms of divination, his Religious Ritual skill at -1 to arrangement, on a smaller scale. except consulting the Sibylline Books. determine if the ritual is effective.

204 ROMA ARCANA RIVAL BELIEFS The Roman Empire stood appalled: chance to gain supernatural powers, In addition to being able to gain She dropped the reins of peace and though most don’t commit the time new powers, more experienced initi- war (or character points) to learn to work ates can improve their abilities in two When that fierce virgin and her Star major miracles. A typical mystery cult other ways: buying increased talents, Out of the fabulous darkness called. has priests with Religious Rank 3, and buying powers with decreased – William Butler Yeats, who have the exclusive right to admit preparation time. A new initiate might “Two Songs from a Play” new worshippers to the cult, but each need eight hours of steady drinking to cult has its own system of ranks and feel the god’s presence; a high-ranking The gods of Rome have a lot of levels of initiation. initiate might need only a single taste competition. In uniting much of the Here are three cults that may exist of wine. civilized world under their rule, the in a Roma Arcana campaign: Romans made it possible for religious Drunkenness and magical practices to spread Groves of the Maenads This is the Dionysian’s spiritual through their empire. Even in the city Bacchus is part of the Roman pan- attunement to alcohol and its effects. of Rome, many people give only the theon, as its god of wine. But his cult barest lip service to the civic cults, pre- Drunkenness Talent: 5 points/level. has always attracted devotees who You have a divinely granted talent for ferring to worship other gods of their aren’t satisfied with civic festivals. own choice, or not to worship at all. Sacred Drunkenness. You get +1 per They favor wilder ceremonies that level to use any Sacred Drunkenness sometimes frighten sober people. ability. You can use earned points to MYSTERY CULTS As worshippers of the god of wine, acquire new Sacred Drunkenness abil- the Bacchanals or Maenads empha- A mystery cult is any group that ities, even if you did not start with size altered states of consciousness. meets in private to worship its god. them. The following advantages can Initiates experience a condition of Some mystery cults hold public cere- be Sacred Drunkenness abilities: “divine drunkenness” in which they monies, but these are always reserved Affliction (Irritating Condition: Tipsy perform superhuman feats. In for initiates. Membership is voluntary or Drunk; Aura; Extended Duration; GURPS terms, they are powers (see and attained by individual choice. Melee Attack), Detect (Alcohol), and Superpowers as Magic, p. 159) with a Romans have mixed feelings about Wild Talent. Power Modifier: divine basis. Each Dionysian power mystery cults, viewing some as Dionysian Sacred Drunkenness. The includes several advantages, a Power sources of aid to the empire, but oth- advantage is a divine ability within the Modifier that can be applied to those ers as threats. Sacred Drunkenness power. It has the advantages, and a Talent for the use of Several mystery cults are popular standard limitations (see above), but it those advantages (see Other Powers on in the city of Rome and the western can benefit from Sacred Drunkenness p. B257). A new initiate gains a mini- provinces. Bacchus, a god of wine and Talent. -40%/-50%/-70%. mum of one level of one talent; if the the wilderness (identified with the Many Bacchanals voluntarily initiate’s character points aren’t suffi- Greek Dionysus), is popular with the accept the intoxicating embrace of a cient for this, any character points middle classes. Cybele, or Mater holy initiate or priest as a blessing earned later must first go to paying for Deum Magna (the Great Mother of the from the god. it. Gods), a Phrygian goddess, appeals Dionysian powers are a form of Frenzy mainly to craftsmen. She has an offi- trance magic (p. 151) with a Prepara- This is the Dionysian’s enhanced cial cult in Rome, established in AUC tion Required limitation. Only one strength, endurance, and tolerance of 549 during a war with Carthage, on power can be prepared at a time. pain. the advice of the Delphic Oracle. Since the preparation involves drink- Traders, seafarers, and courtesans Frenzy Talent: 5 points/level. You ing unmixed wine, Dionysian powers often worship the Egyptian goddess have a divinely granted talent for also have a Nuisance Effect (Dimin- Isis. Mithras, a god of soldiers, Frenzy. You get +1 per level to use any ished Self-Control, -3 to self-control receives worship from civil servants; Frenzy ability. You can use earned rolls, -15%) due to intoxication. the Parthian Empire worships a god points to acquire new Frenzy abilities, Finally, Dionysian powers do not with the same name, but the two cults even if you did not start with them. work in no-sanctity areas and are at have little in common. The emperor The following advantages can be -5 to all rolls in low-sanctity areas; Elagabalus celebrated the rites of the Frenzy abilities: Doesn’t Sleep; Fit; this is a -5% modifier. These limita- eastern god Baal in AUC 974 using his High Pain Threshold; Innate Attack: tions are included in the Power Roman name Sol Invictus, but the cult Dismemberment (Cutting; Follow-Up, Modifier, which has several different never became popular. Delivered by Grappling an Extremity, levels: -70% if an hour’s steady drink- Initiation into a mystery cult estab- +0%; Immediate Crippling, +10%; All ing is needed, -50% if the initiate can lishes a relationship between the initi- or Nothing, -10%); Lifting ST (Costs consume a large amount of wine in ate and the god, granting the initiate Fatigue, 1/minute, -5%); and Temp- 10 minutes, and -40% if a single cup Clerical Investment and Religious erature Tolerance. of strong wine, consumed in one Rank 0. Initiates in each cult have the minute, is enough.

ROMA ARCANA 205 The dismemberment attack represents the legendary ability of maenads to tear people limb from limb. The attacker grasps one of a foe’s extremi- ties and applies an arm lock (or a similar leg, wing, tail, or head lock) with hysterical strength. The cutting (actually tearing) damage is added to the basic damage for the lock. If the total is sufficient to cripple the extremity, roll against HT immediately. On a failure, the extremity is literally torn from the body. Loss of the head normally kills, while loss of any other extremity causes bleeding. On a success, apply only the basic damage from the lock, not the added damage from tearing. Power Modifier: Dionysian Frenzy. The advantage is a divine ability within the Frenzy power. It has the standard limitations (see above), but it can benefit from Frenzy Talent. -40%/-50%/-70%. Grace Dionysian worship is largely expressed in dance, and initiates may gain a variety of abilities that enable them to perform amazing feats as dancers. Some of these have more adventurous uses as well; see the Wardancer template on p. 126.

Grace Talent: 5 points/level. You with Animals; Speak with Plants; and even an aboveground building deco- have a divinely granted talent for Terrain Adaptation. The Binding abili- rated to resemble a cave can be used. Grace. You get +1 per level to use any ty represents the power to cause the Grace ability. You can use earned rapid growth of grapevines or other Raven (Mercury) points to acquire new Grace abilities, vines over any surface. Power The rank of Raven does not offer even if you did not start with them. Modifier: Dionysian Wildness. The access to spells. Ravens are servants to The following advantages can be advantage is a divine ability within the their seniors; they serve food and Grace abilities: Catfall; Double- Wildness power. It has the standard drink at feasts. Jointed; Enhanced Dodge (up to three limitations (see above), but it can Gift of Mercury: Mercury, the mes- levels); Perfect Balance; and Super benefit from Wildness Talent. senger of the gods, makes the Raven Jump (one level). Power Modifier: -40%/-50%/-70%. fit, so that he can run long distances. Dionysian Grace. The advantage is a Fit [5]. divine ability within the Grace power. Mithraea Many initiates are already Fit It has the standard limitations (see Mithras is a soldiers’ god, as well as because of military training. They gain above), but it can benefit from Grace a god of the hunt and of fire and light, no other benefit from this rank. Talent. -40%/-50%/-70%. and he has a soldier’s observance of Bridegroom (Venus) Wildness rank and precedence. His initiates are promoted through seven degrees, cor- The rank of Bridegroom is the first This is the Dionysian’s spiritual responding to the seven planets, and to grant access to spells. Bridegrooms attunement to wild plants and animals. each degree makes them eligible for are senior attendants at feasts, who Wildness Talent: 5 points/level. You different benefits. Each degree offers a light the sacred space. They also light have a divinely granted talent for specific advantage, and each degree others’ way through the caverns of the Wildness. You get +1 per level to use after the first offers specific divinely mithraeum. any Wildness ability. You can use granted spells that reflect the myth of Gift of Venus: Venus offers the initi- earned points to acquire new Wildness Mithras and its own name, planet, or ate supernatural powers. Power abilities, even if you did not start with ritual role. Investiture 1 (Preparation Required, 1 them. The following advantages can Worshippers of Mithras meet in hour, -50%) [5]. be Wildness abilities: Animal mithraea for sacrificial feasts. Ideally, Bridegrooms can learn the spells Empathy; Binding (Area Effect; a mithraeum is in a cave, but in areas Light and Recover Energy. Persistent); Plant Empathy; Speak without natural caves, a tunnel or

206 ROMA ARCANA Soldier (Mars) Gift of Saturn: Saturn teaches the Magic in Roma Arcana is either rit- The rank of Soldier has the duty of worshipper to lead. Charisma 1 [5]. ual magic, based on an underlying guarding the mithraeum, especially This adds to any levels of Charisma skill, or clerical magic, granted by a during feasts, and of putting candi- the initiate already possesses. god or powerful spirit (see p. B242). date initiates to the test. Fathers can learn the spells Armor, Mages always have Ritual Magery. The Command, and Resist Fire. underlying skill for magic is Ritual Gift of Mars: As a warrior, Mars Magic instead of Thaumatology, grants courage and resolution. Will +1 Temples of Isis unless explicitly stated otherwise for a [5]. This adds to the level of Will the Isis, the mistress of many skills, particular tradition. Magery is rare in initiate already possesses. grants her initiates a variety of Talents. the Roman Empire. Roughly 1/200 of Soldiers can learn the spells Sense As a rule, each initiate can acquire the population has Magery 0. Foes, Shield, Stop Bleeding, and only one Talent. In addition, those Truthsayer. with Magery can learn spells. Egyptian Sorcery Lion (Jupiter) The Egyptian goddess Isis (above) Talents is a mighty enchantress and wor- The lion builds and guards the Initiates can gain the use of Talents sacred fire at the sacrificial feast. shipped by many sorcerers. Her tem- from the following list of options: ples often maintain schools of sor- Gift of Jupiter: By staring into the Allure, Business Acumen, Healer, and cery. They will instruct anyone of flames of a fire on a hearth sanctified Mariner. Those with Magery 0 can good character with Magery 0, to Mithras, the initiate can see visions also acquire levels of Magery. All of though they favor Isis worshippers. of the future, distant events, or hidden these Talents cost a base 10 At the GM’s discretion, a temple of truths. Blessed (Only in Sites with points/level, except Allure, which costs Isis may reserve some powerful High Sanctity to Mithras, -50%) [5]. 5 points/level. Initiates must buy all spells to initiates. Lions can learn the spells Ignite Talents with some level of Preparation According to legend, Isis herself Fire, Shape Fire, and Test Food. Required to represent ritual invoca- performed magical feats, instead of tion of the goddess. Persian (Moon) having spirit servants carry them out for her. The form of sorcery taught in The Persian is the “guardian of the Magic her temples focuses the powers of fruit,” entrusted with the inner secrets Among other things, Isis is a god- the mage’s own spirit. Its root skill is of Mithraism and with the task of dess of magic, and her temples often Thaumatology instead of Ritual instructing new initiates. serve as centers of learning the magical arts. These are based on Magery, Magic. Skills in the various magical Gift of the Moon: The Moon not on Power Investiture; Isis doesn’t colleges default to Thaumatology-6 inspires her initiates with an instinc- grant magical power, but skill in using (see p. B225) and the individual tive understanding of the behavior one’s own gift. Purchase Magery with spells default to the colleges as tech- and emotions of animals. Animal Preparation Required. niques. Isis particularly favors spells Empathy [5]. Colleges with spells commonly of Enchantment, Healing, and Persians can learn the spells Quick taught in temples of Isis are Air, Necromancy. March and Seeker. Communication and Empathy, Ench- When Isis grants levels of Magery antment, Healing, Illusion, Know- to her worshippers, it usually takes Heliodrome (Sun) the form of One-College Magery in The “messenger of the sun” acts as ledge, Meta-Spells, Necromancy, Protection and Warning, and Water. the college of Enchantment (-40%). the high priest of Mithras at feasts, Training in spells from other colleges and leads the other initiates in honor- aims at using them as resources in ing him. He represents the sub- SORCERY making enchanted objects (see servience of the sun and all the heav- The Roman Empire has a variety Enchanting, p. 149). Students spend enly bodies to the rule of Mithras. of traditions of sorcery – the practice many hours learning spells they can Gift of the Sun: The Sun renews of magic as an art or skill. Some go never cast directly. The greatest and enhances the ability to call on back for thousands of years; others moment in a student’s career is his Mithraic miracles. Power Investiture look to founders in recent times. Their completion of his first enchanted +1 (Preparation Required, 1 hour, approaches to the art are varied. object, with which he can cast a spell -50%) [5]. In general, Roman sorcery derives at will. Trained sorcerers often have Heliodromes can learn the spells power from mana (called numen in many such objects; an adventurer Aura, Banish, and Continual Light. Latin), but mana consists of spirits. with a priest, priestess, or sorcerer as Many spirits are servants of various a Patron may borrow them. Students Father (Saturn) gods and not available to run errands who are not initiates sometimes At feasts, the Heliodrome serves for sorcerers. High-mana places often experiment with casting spells and honors the Father as the vessel of have locations in the wilderness, far directly. Mithras himself. At all other times, away from temples and cults, where his duty is to command the worship- many free spirits still exist. The pers of Mithras and speak on behalf ground within a city’s pomoerium is a of the god. low-mana area.

ROMA ARCANA 207 Jewish Sorcery Since the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem, the Jews have followed a variety of spiritual paths, seeking a renewed connection with their God. Some have turned to a form of sorcery – not kabbalah, the Jewish tradition of meditative magic (p. 151), which does- n’t exist yet, but an older approach. The sorcerer ritually calls up the angel Metatron, the chief administrator of the angelic hierarchy. Metatron then grants access to the services of one or more spiritual beings, each capable of producing the effects of a specific spell. These beings remain with the sorcerer until dismissed, but do not actively produce their respective magical effects until commanded to do so. In terms of game mechanics, this is Modular Abilities (Spirit Trapping), with a base cost of 6 points/spell slot and 4 points/skill point. It has three limitations. Spells Only (-20%) restricts its use to gaining spells. Preparation Required: one hour (-50%) represents time spent calling up Metatron and naming the servitors needed. Pact: Discipline of Faith (Mysticism) (-10%) represents the hours the sorcerer spends in contemplation to maintain his contact with at their default from a magical college survive only in Ireland. However, over the angelic world. This is a total -80% skill; college skills default from Ritual the past few decades, the spirits of the limitation. A typical sorcerer uses Magic and cannot exceed the sorcer- ancient druids have begun to return. spells at the 1-point level and pays 2 er’s skill in Ritual Magic. As men and women of Celtic descent points per spell he can use. To select realize they have lived before and spells, he rolls against the skill of regain the memories of their earlier Ritual Magic (Jewish) to establish BLACK ARTS incarnations, they also typically regain contact; each attempt takes one hour. The Roman Empire considers a desire for vengeance against the After a successful roll, he gains what- some magical practitioners not only empire that destroyed them. ever spells he has specified. questionable, but actively hostile. The base of druidic magic is in Actually casting the spells requires They conceal their activities from both knowledge. Traditionally druids were energy, which the sorcerer must pro- the authorities and the public. Treat illiterate and passed on knowledge as vide from his own FP or HP. To do so, any such character as having at least a oral traditions (see Bardic Lore, p. 99); he needs Magery 0 or better. Spells -20-point Secret. fully trained druids had artificial cast with a Concentrate maneuver do memory (see Eidetic Memory, p. 128). not need this requirement. Druids Druids use these abilities to retain Druids aren’t completely banned in knowledge in various fields. Each field Other Sorcery the Roman Empire; from time to time is the basis for a (Profession) Magic Rome has no other major sorcer- a politician or general will consult a skill that defaults to it at -6 (see ous traditions, but individual sorcer- druid soothsayer. Romans still Mysteries of the Trade, p. 162). A druid ers such as Apollonius of Tyana and remember that Julius Caesar received may know Expert Skill (Hydrology) Simon Magus are famous for their instruction from the druids of his Magic, Geology Magic, Herb Lore skills. Such sorcerers cast their spells time. But druids inspired resistance to Magic, Law Magic, Meteorology with the aid of spirits. Higher levels of Roman control of Gaul and later of Magic, Naturalist Magic, and Magery represent command over Britain. The Empire suppressed this Psychology Magic. Each has a short more spirits and more potent spirits. resistance, killing many druids, break- list of spells that default to it (see Sorcerers buy Magery with the ing up the schools that transmitted Ritual Magic on p. B242). Actually limitation Pact (typically Vow, -5%, their magical knowledge, and institut- casting spells requires Magery as well. representing minor sacrifices and ing Roman-style cults of the ancient observances). A sorcerer can use spells Celtic gods. The old traditions now

208 ROMA ARCANA meta-traits. Each form also has the limitations of Only Usable on Ghosts (-20%), Mana Dependency (-10%; see Skin-Turner Psionics as Magic, p. 158,) and Animal Forms Preparation Required. Example: Iturra, a Basque shaman, Bear can lend a voice to the dead. He buys -2 points this as Affliction 1 (Advantage: Not Mute (Costs 1 FP, -5%) +210%; Mana Attribute Modifiers: ST+4 (No Fine Manipulators, -40%) [24]; DX+1 Dependency, -10%; Only Usable on (No Fine Manipulators, -40%) [12]; IQ-4 [-80]; HT+3 [30]. Ghosts, -20%; Preparation Required, Secondary Characteristic Modifiers: SM 0; Will+6 [30]; Per+4 [20]; 10 minutes, -30%) [25]. With a 10- Basic Move+1 [5]. minute ritual invocation, he grants a Advantages: Claws (Blunt Claws) [3]; DR 2 [10]; Fur [1]; Not ghost the ability to speak at a cost of 1 Hidebound [5]; Teeth (Sharp Teeth) [1]; Temperature Tolerance 2 [2]. FP per utterance. The effect lasts for Disadvantages: No Fine Manipulators [-30]; Semi-Upright [-5]; Wild one minute for each point by which Animal [-30]. the spirit fails a HT roll. Wolf Skin-Turners 10 points Skin-turners live among the Germanic barbarians. Being a skin- Attribute Modifiers: DX+2 (No Fine Manipulators, -40%) [24]; IQ-4 turner is an Unusual Background [-80]; HT+2 [20]. worth 10 points. People are not born Secondary Characteristic Modifiers: SM 0; Will+5 [25]; Per+8 [40]; as skin-turners; they must undergo an Basic Move+3 [15]. elaborate ritual, which includes hunt- Advantages: Discriminatory Smell [15]; DR 1 [5]; Fur [1]; Night Vision ing and killing an appropriate animal, 2 [2]; Not Hidebound [5]; Penetrating Voice [1]; Teeth (Sharp Teeth) preparing its hide into a garment, and [1]; Temperature Tolerance 1 [1]. forming a psychic bond with the ani- Disadvantages: Quadruped [-35]; Wild Animal [-30]. mal’s spirit. In general, a skin-turner undergoes this process only once in his life; he can’t do it for anyone but Some druids also have the ability troubling the living, and grants them himself. to inflict harm on their foes by satiriz- compensation for staying in the Once he has the skin, the skin-turning them. Rapier Wit represents this, underworld. However, the restless er can change shape any time he wish- but its effects aren’t humorous. spirits of the dead often trouble es, simply by putting it on. This is the Instead of just stunning the victim of other cultures in the Roman world. advantage of Alternate Form with the druid’s mockery, the satire causes Necromancers, in Roma Arcana, use Skinbound (DR 2, -10%; Not one of the other effects described for this to their advantage, gaining com- Repairable, -7.5%; SM -2, -10%; Stolen Affliction (see Rapier Wit, p. 130). If mand of the dead to intimidate the by Stealth or Trickery, -10%), for a the druid achieves a critical success in living. total limitation of -37.5%. (Note that the contest of Public Speaking vs. Will, Becoming a necromancer requires Skinbound reduces the gadget limita- the effect lasts until the victim makes a special process of magical initiation. tions to half their normal value; see a recovery roll against HT; this In GURPS terms, this is acquisition of p. 131.) Biting cannot transmit the requires a day’s rest. Because most Spirit Powers Talent (p. 159). The condition. The skin-turner has no druids can employ more than one type necromancer’s teacher then trains him compulsion to assume animal form of satire, their Rapier Wit should have to see or sense the dead (bought as and fully remembers his actions as an Selectivity (+10%). Very powerful Detect (Spirits), Medium, or See animal, but he acquires the quirk level druids buy the ability with Extended Invisible (Spirits); see Shamanism, of Bestial . . . a tendency to act some- Duration (Permanent, +150%); the p. 149). This only prepares a necro- what like his animal form. victim must then undertake a quest mancer for his real powers. The animal form is physically a specified by the druid to free himself The basic meta-trait Unmanifested natural animal, with no special invul- of the satire. Spirit (p. 134) describes a spirit that nerability to harm. However, it doesn’t can perceive the material world but have the full Wild Animal meta-trait, Necromancers not speak to it or act upon it. Other because it is not Hidebound, and The art of necromancy begins spirit meta-traits grant various ways whatever IQ the natural animal would with the ancient Etruscans. Etruscan of acting on the material world. The have, the animal form’s IQ is only art shows the dead attending the necromancer has various forms of the reduced to 6 – it retains some human feasts of the living. The Roman dead Affliction advantage, with the advan- self-awareness and grasp of cause and are mostly less active; Roman ances- tage enhancement, representing his effect. This makes it much more dan- tor worship both keeps them from ability to give a spirit one of these gerous than a natural animal!

ROMA ARCANA 209 The usual choices for skin-turners celestial signs still requires a Neoplatonist may gain the benefits of are bear and wolf. The template cost of Fortune-Telling (Astrology) roll. True Faith or have Magic Resistance. the wolf form is 19 points; with the Epicureans believe that the gods combined Skinbound limitations, the consist of a different kind of matter cost of the skin is 15 points. The tem- PHILOSOPHY than mortals and are completely plate cost of the bear form is 10 points; Philosophy in the Roman Empire unconcerned with the actions of mor- with the combined Skinbound limita- has several different schools: Stoics, tals. Their goal is to lead a balanced tions, the cost of the skin is 9 points. Epicureans, Skeptics, Neoplatonists, life of calm enjoyment, avoiding and various minor schools. The main excessive pleasures that cause pain or difference between philosophy and craving. Epicureans believe in the the- ASTROLOGY religion is in attitudes toward ritual. ory of the four elements of earth, Romans call astrology “the Philosophers of all the schools usually water, air, and fire, and some study a Chaldean art,” after the country of its believe in one or many gods, but con- form of Esoteric Medicine based on development (currently a border sider ritual observances pointless. The balancing the elements within the province of the Parthian Empire). wise man, in their view, judges truth body. Actual Chaldeans live in the eastern by the evidence of his own mind, not Skeptics regard all human knowl- Roman Empire, but in Rome and the by relying on tradition. Philosophers edge as unreliable. Despite what the western Empire “Chaldean” usually of most schools disdain sacrifices. name suggests in modern English, means an astrologer. Conservative The study of philosophy may be a ancient Roman skeptics are not neces- Romans distrust astrology as a foreign pathway to unusual gifts through sarily opposed to religion. Sextus practice. However, astrological beliefs mastery of one’s own mind. The Empiricus, a leading Roman skeptic, are an element in some mystery cults Philosopher template (p. 218) suggests believed that human claims to knowl- and philosophies (pp. 205-206). suitable abilities for a Stoic. Stoics edge would be discredited and people Astrology is a divinatory art (see believe that no one can avoid his own would return to sacrificing to the Soothsaying, p. 150). Looking at the fate; many Stoics believe in astrology gods. night sky and interpreting what it (above). The goal of stoicism is to Naturally, some people take the means requires a roll vs. Fortune- school one’s own will to accept fate. philosophers’ disdain for ceremonies telling (Astrology). Serious astrolo- The other school that’s likely to and traditions as a reason for doing gers also study Astronomy and can provide unusual gifts is Neoplatonism. whatever they please. Ordinary citi- calculate where the planets will be in Its founder, Plotinus, born in AUC 958, zens often think philosophers are the future, with some difficulty lives in Rome as a friend of Gallienus, either ridiculous or dangerous. Some because of the limits of Roman the imperial heir. Earlier in his life, he people also assume that a philoso- numerals (see Mathematics, p. 220). traveled to the Parthian frontier and pher’s learning automatically gives An astronomer can use an orrery studied Persian and Indian beliefs. him magical powers. Being a philoso- instead of performing calculations. Neoplatonism teaches intellectual pher may attract unwelcome attention Interpreting the meaning of future contemplation of the divine; a from one’s neighbors. On the other hand, philosophers mostly come from upper-class families who shield them from such attention. THE ANGER OF THE GODS With increasing numbers of Roman citizens turning away from the Roman pantheon to other spiritual paths, Rome often angered the gods. But for many years, the gods still preserved the empire against its foes. This changed in AUC 971, when a 14-year- old boy named Elagabalus bought the imperial throne. As a priest of Baal, Elagabalus tried to impose his faith on all Romans, to the exclusion of their customary beliefs. The Praetorian Guard murdered Elagabalus and his mother in AUC 974, but this wasn’t sufficient to appease the gods’ anger. When established by Augustus Caesar in AUC 727, the entire Roman

210 ROMA ARCANA Empire had the gods’ protection. Roman military bases all along the limes maintained shrines to the gods. Within their sacred boundary, the Christianity entire empire was a normal-sanctity In the Roma Arcana setting, the Christian faith falls into the area of area. Military ceremonial before battle “canonical doubt.” That is, the setting as presented here does not speci- called the gods to Rome’s aid; as long fy where Christianity fits into a pagan world. GMs can decide this as a legion’s signifers carried their according to their own judgment, the preferences of their players, and standards, the entire legion gained the the needs of their campaign. Rome’s legal and military history at this benefits of Higher Purpose as long as time won’t be obviously different, this early in the growth of the church. they fought on Roman ground. The But here are some options: power of the gods also suppressed other supernatural powers that were Christianity never came into being in this timeline. hostile or simply uncontrolled. Christianity exists, but stays out of sight of hostile officials and wor- That protection is lost now. shippers of other gods. Individual legionaries may still have Christianity exists, but in forms quite different from those officially Higher Purpose, but the legion as a recorded by the Catholic and Orthodox hierarchies. whole does not. Worship of Mithras is Christianity came into being, but remained a Jewish sect, and has more important to most soldiers than largely merged with Judaism again. the older faiths. Spirits of the natural Christianity lost out to rival mystery cults. world and the dead have more power Christianity was absorbed into the pagan pantheon of Rome than before; many low-mana areas are (Septimius Severus, AUC 947-965, had a personal shrine with images of once again normal- or high-mana. Abraham, Apollonius of Tyana, Christ, and Orpheus). Fearing these rival powers, people Like Apollonius of Tyana and Simon Magus, Jesus was understood turn increasingly to sorcerers or out- as a sorcerer, and has followers who summon, banish, and command right necromancers for help. All these spirits – but don’t worship him. changes make it less likely that the Rome’s fall into chaos is a sign of the End Times predicted by gods will receive what they consider Christianity, and the Apocalypse is soon to come. their due, and their power to give aid to Rome diminishes. BESTIARY In addition to real animals, adven- Attack 1d (Cyclic, 1 hour, 5 cycles; ST 3,000; DX 8; IQ 2; HT 12. turers may encounter various leg- Follow-Up, Fangs; Resistible, HT- Will 10; Per 10; Speed 5; Dodge 8; endary creatures. Some are native to 5); Vermiform; Wild Animal. Move 0 (Ground). the Roman Empire; others come from Emblematic Trait: Loner. SM +15 (140,000 hexes); 4.5 billion distant lands such as India (see also Skills: Brawling-15; Stealth-13. lbs. the manticore, the mountain ant, and Traits: Doesn’t Breathe (Oxygen the unicorn on pp. 48-49). Aspidochelon Aspidochelones are the largest ani- Storage, ¥300); DR 5; Enhanced Amphisbaena mals in the world, many times larger Move 1 (Water Speed 10); The amphisbaena is a two-headed than any whale. Even the Atlantic Ichthyoid (Water Move 5); Wild snake – not two heads growing out of Ocean can only support a small num- Animal. one neck, but one head at each end of ber of them. They’re often mistaken Emblematic Trait: Fearlessness +4. the body. Only one head can strike per for small islands; sailors tell stories of Skills: Swimming-12. turn, but it can switch heads freely if landing on an island, building a cook- one is pinned. Its total length is about ing fire, and having the “island” sud- Hippocampus The horse of the sea, capable of 5’. The HT roll for its venom is at +1 if denly dive under the water when the being ridden or harnessed to a water- the venom is immediately sucked out heat penetrated its shell. An aspidoch- craft, but dangerous for an air-breath- (roll vs. First Aid to do this properly). elon is shaped like a sea turtle and ing rider to tame. It has a horse’s head, spends most of its time floating on the ST 5; DX 13; IQ 2; HT 11. with a long, flowing mane, set on a surface, feeding on passing schools of Will 10; Per 10; Speed 6; Dodge 9; vertical fishlike body like that of a sea- fish or even on whales. Some actually Move 4. horse. As a creature of the open ocean, have layers of soils and small trees on SM -2 (2 hexes); 10 lbs. it cannot endure being penned up or their backs, heightening the illusion confined. Traits: Cold Blooded (50°); Double- that they are islands. A full-grown Jointed; Extra Head; Fangs; Toxic aspidochelon is up to 700 yards long and nearly half as wide.

ROMA ARCANA 211 ST 20; DX 9; IQ 3; HT 11. goat. Behaviorally they’re famous for Strix Will 11; Per 11; Speed 5; Dodge 8; their sexual appetites and their pur- Nocturnal birds that feed on blood. Move 0 (Ground). suit of human women. They normally fly in small swarms. All SM +1 (3 hexes); 1,100 lbs. ST 7; DX 14; IQ 7; HT 10. the birds in a one-hex swarm will Traits: Doesn’t Breathe (Gills; Will 12; Per 12; Speed 6; Dodge 9; attack the same victim at once. For a Breathes Water Only); Enhanced Move 9. greater threat, striges may appear in Move 1/2 (Water Speed 12); SM -1 (1 hex); 40 lbs. unnatural hordes (p. 53). Peripheral Vision; Ichthyoid A one-hex swarm is about a dozen Traits: Acute Hearing 2; Bad Grip 1; (Water Move 8); Striker (Tail; striges. They fly at Move 8. They inflict Crushing Striker (Horns; Cannot Clumsy; Limited Arc, behind); 1d impaling damage on the first turn. Parry; Limited Arc); Hooves; Weak Bite; Wild Animal. Armor protects with its normal DR. If Impulsiveness; Night Vision 4; Emblematic Trait: Phobia (Enclosed any damage gets through, the striges Perfect Balance; Wild Animal. Spaces). remain attached and drink the victim’s Emblematic Trait: Lecherousness. Skills: Brawling-10; Mount-12. blood; treat this as a Follow-Up attack Skills: Jumping-14; Sex Appeal-12. that causes toxic damage. They dis- Megalogryphon perse after losing 6 HP. The megalogryphon is a species of triceratops, brought to the Roman Empire from a vast cavern under the earth. They are not very trainable, but Empedocles’ Quest prized in the arenas. Roman generals Centuries ago, in AUC 324, the Greek philosopher Empedocles occasionally experiment with them. descended into the crater of Mount Etna, leading a small band of disci- ST 50; DX 12; IQ 2; HT 16. ples. They discovered a hidden gateway to a vast underground realm Will 10; Per 12; Speed 6; Dodge 10; filled with strange creatures, many far larger than any on the surface. Move 7. Empedocles did not survive the adventure, but some of his followers SM +5 (40 hexes); 13,500 lbs. returned, leading a few smaller beasts that they had captured. Since that time, the Empedocleans have mapped out much of this Traits: Blunt Claws; Combat Reflexes; underworld. Guided by them, expeditions go into it to bring back more DR 2; DR 4 (Partial, Skull Only); strange beasts. Emperors present them in the Colosseum at the greatest Enhanced Move 0.5 (Ground games, such as the games that celebrated Rome’s millennium; temples Speed 10); Quadruped; Restricted show their remains as evidence of the mythical age of giants; ambitious Diet (Plants); Sharp Beak; Striker generals occasionally experiment with them on the battlefield. The dan- (Limited Arc, Front); Wild Animal. ger of capturing them keeps them rare, but everyone in the Empire has Emblematic Trait: Berserk. heard of them. Skills: Brawling-12. Of course, these beasts are dinosaurs – or, more accurately, the ghosts of dinosaurs, haunting the depths of the earth. The crater at Mount Etna Satyr is a gateway to the afterlife, not of men but of ages before humanity. Satyrs aren’t actually “beasts”; their Empedocles’ self-offering bought the secret of propitiating its guardians, IQ 7 puts them into the sapient range. so that his followers can bring its inhabitants back to the world of the But they have no language and lead living. And perhaps one day, some daring philosopher will find the cav- mostly solitary lives, dwelling in the ern’s other entrance, in an unknown island beyond the north wind, forest with little technology. Physically reserved by the gods for the blessed dead – whose number may include a satyr looks like a rather short, hairy Empedocles himself. man with the horns and hooves of a

212 ROMA ARCANA CHARACTERS Then out spake brave Horatius, in a Quick Contest of Will vs. Will; if it Features: Can be bound, exorcised, or The Captain of the gate: succeeds, its target’s ability to experi- repelled by True Faith; Failed HT “To every man upon this earth ence pleasure is lost for 10 minutes roll after missed maintenance peri- Death cometh soon or late. per point of failure. If it succeeds by 5 od requires aging rolls. And how can man die better or more, the target is depressed to the Than facing fearful odds point of total apathy for the same peri- Nymph For the ashes of his fathers od. The roll is at -1 per yard of dis- 225 points And the temples of his Gods . . . ? tance between the larva and the target. Nymphs appear in several vari- Larva themselves suffer from this “Hew down the bridge, Sir Consul, eties, one for each terrain type, though same joylessness, permanently – it can With all the speed ye may; the Greeks and Romans were only be seen on their haggard faces when I, with two more to help me, familiar with a few of them: oreads on they become visible – but they still Will hold the foe in play. the mountains, dryads in the forests, cling desperately to their shadowy In yon strait path a thousand naiads in the rivers, and nereids in the existence. May well be stopped by three. oceans. Each nymph is bound to a Now who will stand to either hand, Secondary Characteristic Modifiers: specific domain. An average nymph And keep the bridge with me?” Will+2 [10]. knows a number of spells that are suit- – Thomas Babington Macaulay, Advantages: Affliction 1 (HT-0; Affects ed to her special environment, but “Horatius” Substantial, +40%; Based on Will, must materialize to cast them. +20%; Disadvantage: Killjoy, +15%; Attribute Modifiers: HT+5 [50]. Extended Duration, 30¥, +40%; Secondary Characteristic Modifiers: RACIAL Malediction, +100%; Must Become Per+1 [5]. TEMPLATES Visible, -10%; Secondary Disad- Advantages: Appearance (Beautiful) vantage: Chronic Depression (6), [12]; Magery 1 [15]; Materiali- Humanity dominates Roma +6%) [31]; Apparition [2]; Magical zation (1 FP/minute) [22]; Unmani- Arcana; there are no nonhuman civi- Spirit [80]; Unmanifested Spirit fested Spirit [149]. lizations. However, it has a variety of [149]. Disadvantages: Dependency (Mana; supernatural beings. Disadvantages: Appearance Hourly) [-25]. Larva (Unattractive) [-4]; Callous [-5]; Quirks: Never wears clothing; Prefers Hidebound [-5]; Killjoy [-15]; the mana of her own domain; 240 points Maintenance (One person; Mon- Protective of plants and animals in Larvae are spirits of the dead who thly; Using Religious Ritual) [-2]. her domain. [-3] have not been laid to rest. Roman Quirks: Prefers to demand tribute Features: Appearance suggests the funeral rites make larvae rare among from living blood kin. [-1] natural environment of her the Roman dead. In some older peo- domain. ples, such as the Basques of southern Aquitania and northern Spain, the dead return more often to force the living to pay them tribute. The usual form of tribute is the spilled blood of a Ethnic Traits sacrificial animal; 1 HP worth of Romans believe that each nationality has its own Genius, which gives blood once a month is sufficient. A it its own distinctive character. GMs may wish to support this idea by larva that misses its monthly offering giving emblematic traits to the various nationalities. (This doesn’t mean must roll vs. HT. On a failed roll, it that every single person must have the emblematic traits of his culture.) must make aging rolls (that its, its The following traits are suitable: Unaging advantage is suspended); on a critical failure, it suffers the effects Ethnicity Trait of failed aging rolls for all attributes. It Basque Daredevil [15]; Low TL -1 [-5] can recover from its latest set of aging British/Gaulish Voice [10] rolls, but this requires human sacri- Egyptian Devotion 1 [5] fice, which is difficult to arrange in German Fit [5] areas under Roman law. Eventually a Greek Versatile [5] larva will wither away, if its victim can Jewish Sage 1 [10]; Hidebound [-5] resist its demands. Persian Animal Empathy [5] Larvae enforce their demands by Roman Social Chameleon [5] appearing to the living and making gestures to indicate their demands. If the larva concentrates, it can engage

ROMA ARCANA 213 Attributes: ST 10 [0]; DX 11 [20]; IQ or Spending) [-5†], Jealousy [-10], OCCUPATIONAL 11 [20]; HT 12 [20]. Lecherousness [-15†], Overcon- Secondary Characteristics: Damage fidence [-5†], or Selfish [-5†]. TEMPLATES 1d-2/1d; BL 20 lbs.; HP 12 [0]; Will Primary Skills: Carousing (E) HT+1 Rome offers several distinctive 11 [0]; Per 12 [5]; FP 12 [0]; Basic [2]-13; Professional Skill (Courte- occupations to adventurers. Some are Speed 5.75 [0]; Basic Move 5 [0]. san) (A) IQ+2 [8]-13; Sex Appeal specialized variants of standard fanta- Advantages: Appearance (Attractive) (A) HT+2 [4]-14‡**. sy occupations such as warrior or [4]; Allure 1 [5]; Wealth Secondary Skills: Savoir-Faire (High wizard; others reflect the Roman cul- (Comfortable) [10]; and 25 points Society) (E) IQ+1 [2]-12. Three of tural milieu. Buy all skills at TL2. chosen from among Alcohol Area Knowledge, Current Affairs, These templates are designed for use Tolerance [1], Allure [5/level], or Games, all (E) IQ+2 [4]-13; in a 150-point campaign; they reflect Charisma [5/level], Clerical Makeup (E) IQ+3 [4]-14**; Singing experienced characters with superior Investment (Initiate of Isis) [5], (E) HT+3 [4]-15**; Dancing or abilities. Cultural Adaptability [10], Erotic Art, both (A) DX+2 [4]-13**; Empathy [15] or Sensitive [5], Connoisseur, Poetry, or Politics, all Courtesan Fashion Sense [5], Language (M/A) IQ+1 [4]-12; Public Speaking 125 points Talent [10], Language [1-6], (A) IQ+1 [4]-12; or Diplomacy, Courtesans are one mark of aristo- Resistant (Diseases) [3 or 5], Literature, or Musical Instrument, cratic societies such as Rome: women Versatile [5]*, Voice [10], addition- all (H) IQ-2 [4]-11. who find marriage less advantageous al Allure [5/level], or improving Background Skills: Four of Knife or than having the favor of wealthy and Appearance (Attractive) [4] to Sewing, both (E) DX+1 [2]-12; powerful men without formal ties. (Beautiful) [12] or (Very Beautiful) Cooking, Gardening, or Gesture, all The physical aspects of the transac- [16]. (E) IQ+1 [2]-12; Acting, Holdout, tion may be the least important. Men Disadvantages: Social Stigma or Teaching, all (A) IQ [2]-11; Body seek out courtesans for a sympathetic (Minority Group: Unchaste Language or Observation, both (A) ear, intelligent conversation, wit, good Women) [-10] and -10 points cho- Per [2]-12; Accounting, Artist entertainment, or sophistication in sen from among Bully [-10†], Code (Interior Decorating), or Poisons, art, fashion, and cuisine. The financial of Honor (Professional) [-5], all (H) IQ-1 [2]-10; or Detect Lies aspects are often handled discreetly, in Compulsive Behavior (Carousing (H) Per-1 [2]-11. the form of gifts and favors. * The Versatile advantage can be applied to Erotic Art. † Multiplied for self-control number; see p. B120. ‡ +1 from Attractive appearance. ** +1 from Allure. Customization: Rumor often attributes supernatural allure to famous courtesans. A courtesan may have one or more Enthrallment skills (see p. B191) with Sex Appeal rather than Public Speaking as prerequisite (p. B216). Access to these skills should require an Unusual Background [10]: the favor of a god or powerful sorcerer or training by a mysterious cult – perhaps the secrets of the legendary Cleopatra’s allure have been preserved. Such women may practice Discipline of Faith (Mysticism or Ritualism). Job Description The typical courtesan is mistress of her own house, where she receives dis- creet visits from prosperous men. Prerequisites: Attractive; Sex Appeal 12+; Savoir-Faire 12+.

214 ROMA ARCANA Job Roll: Worse prerequisite skill. all (A) IQ+1 [4]-15; or Mathematics Attributes: ST 11 [10]; DX 12 [40]; IQ On critical failure, falls out of favor (Surveying) (H) IQ [4]-14. 10 [0]; HT 12 [20]. with her patrons; no income until she Secondary Skills: Administration (A) Secondary Characteristics: Damage establishes herself in another city. IQ-1 [1]-13. Two of Carpentry or 1d-1/1d+1; BL 24 lbs.; HP 12 [0]; Monthly Pay: $1,350. Adjusted for Masonry, both (E) IQ [1]-14; or Will 10 [0]; Per 10 [0]; FP 12 [0]; margin of success or failure. Mechanic, Teamster (Elephants, Basic Speed 6 [0]; Basic Move 6 [0]. Wealth Level: Comfortable. Equines, or Oxen), Soldier, or Advantages: Combat Reflexes [15]; Fit Supports Status 1. Traps, all (A) IQ-1 [1]-13. [5]; either +2 ST [20] or +1 DX [20]; Background Skills: One of Brawling and 15 points chosen from among Engineer (E) DX+1 [2]-11, Carousing (E) Appearance (Attractive) [4], 125 points HT+1 [2]-11, or Hiking (A) HT Blessed (Heroic Feats) [10], In the Roman Empire, engineers [2]-10. Three of Gunner (Catapult) Charisma [5/level], Contact (From have two main specializations: civil or Knot-Tying, both (E) DX [1]-10; gladiatorial life) [Varies], Fear- and military. Military engineers serve Camouflage, Current Affairs lessness [2/level], High Pain with the legions, building fortifica- (Science and Technology), First Threshold [10], Rapid Healing [5] tions or penetrating them. Civil engi- Aid, Gesture, Savoir-Faire (Milit- or Very Rapid Healing [15], Shtick neers direct public works projects, ary), or Seamanship, all (E) IQ [1], Social Esteem (Feared) such as aqueducts, baths, bridges, [1]-14; Scrounging (E) Per [1]-14; [5/level], Wealth (Comfortable) roads, and sewers. Many engineers Artillery (Catapult), Cartography, [10], or increase Fit [5] to Very Fit have knowledge in both areas, either Leadership, Meteorology, or [15]. as legionaries on detached duty with Prospecting, all (A) IQ-1 [1]-13; or Disadvantages: -30 points chosen civic projects or as retired legionar- Accounting, Archaeology, or from among Bully [-10*], Callous ies with a second career. This tem- Military Science, all (H) IQ-2 [-5], Code of Honor (Arena) [-5], plate also provides options for naval [1]-12. Compulsive Behavior (Carousing or Gambling) [-5*], Missing Digit architects. * Multiplied for self-control num- [-2 or -5], One Eye [-15], One Hand ber; see p. B120. Attributes: ST 11 [10]; DX 10 [0]; IQ [-15], Overconfidence [-5*], Status 14 [80]; HT 10 [0]. Job Description -2 [-10], or Truthfulness [-5*]. Secondary Characteristics: Damage Engineers work for the govern- Primary Skills: Pick one of the fol- 1d-2/1d; BL 20 lbs.; HP 11 [0]; Will ment, or for wealthy men who are lowing packages: 14 [0]; Per 14 [0]; FP 10 [0]; Basic pursuing careers in government by Bestiarius: Shield (E) DX+2 [4]-14; Speed 5 [0]; Basic Move 5 [0]. paying for construction projects. Advantages: Administrative Rank 1 or Spear (A) DX+1 [4]-13; Whip (A) Military Rank 1 [5]; Fit [5]; and 25 Prerequisites: Engineer 12+; DX+1 [4]-13. points chosen from Absolute Administration 11+. Dimachaerus: Broadsword (A) DX+3 Direction [5], Artificer [10/level], Job Roll: Better prerequisite skill. [12]-15. Business Acumen [10/level], On critical failure, lose job. Eques: Broadsword (A) DX [2]-12; Charisma 1 [5], Eidetic Memory Monthly Pay: $675. Riding (Horse) (A) DX+2 [8]-14; (Preparation Required: 1 hour, Wealth Level: Average. Supports Spear (A) DX [2]-12; -50%) [3] or Photographic Memory Status 0. Mirmillo: Broadsword (A) DX+2 (Preparation Required: 1 hour, [8]-14; Shield (E) DX+2 [4]-14; -50%) [5], Gadgeteer [25], Gladiator Retiarius: Net (H) DX+1 [8]-13; Spear Lightning Calculator [2], Patron 125 points (A) DX+1 [4]-13; [Varies], Perfect Balance [15], As much an entertainer as a war- Secutor: Knife (E) DX+2 [4]-14; Single-Minded [5], Versatile [5], or rior, you earn your living by risking Running (A) HT+2 [8]-14; increased Rank [5/level]. death in the arena. Most gladiators are Thracian: Shield (E) DX+2 [4]-14; Disadvantages: Code of Honor slaves, which limits their options as Shortsword (A) DX+2 [8]-14. (Professional) [-5] and -15 points adventurers . . . but free men some- Secondary Skills: Games (Arena) (E) chosen from Absent-Mindedness times fight in the arena, for money or IQ+1 [2]-11; Performance (A) IQ+1 [-15], Duty [-2 to -15], No Sense of to show off their courage and skill, [4]-11; Tactics (H) IQ [4]-10. Humor [-10], Overconfidence [-5*], and slaves may buy their freedom Background Skills: Intimidation (A) Sense of Duty (Workers) [-5], after successful careers. This template Will+1 [4]-11 and one of Brawling Social Stigma (Valuable Property) represents a former gladiator whose (E) DX [1]-12; Current Affairs [-10], Stubbornness [-5], or skills haven’t yet faded. Documentary (Sports) or First Aid, both (E) IQ Workaholic [-5]. and archaeological evidence suggests [1]-10; Carousing (E) HT [1]-12; Primary Skills: Engineer (Artillery, that a few women may have fought in Gambling or Streetwise, both (A) Civil, Combat, Mining, or Ships) the arena; in this way, a woman can IQ-1 [1]-9; or Sex Appeal (A) HT-1 (H) IQ+1 [8]-15. One of Forced gain combat skills. [1]-11. Entry (E) DX+2 [4]-12; Arch- A former gladiator who was a slave Techniques: Choose the option below itecture, Armoury (Heavy Wea- during his career in the arena, as most which matches the primary skill pons), or Expert Skill (Hydrology), were, should have Status -2. package:

ROMA ARCANA 215 Bestiarius: Feint (H) Spear+2 [3]-16. (Mithraic Initiate) [5], Danger annual salary. Even if pay is delayed, Dimachaerus: Dual-Weapon Attack or Sense [15], Fearlessness [2/level], he has a barracks to live in, and the Off-Hand Weapon Training (H) Legal Enforcement Powers [5], emperor can’t afford to let him starve. Broadsword-2 [3]-13. Military Rank [5/level], Wealth In peacetime, legionaries often serve Eques: Bracing (H) Spear-2 [3]-10, No- (Comfortable) [10], or increase Fit as laborers, clerks, or law enforcers; in Hands Riding (H) Riding-1 [3]-13, [5] to Very Fit [15]. war, they face Rome’s worst foes on or Vaulting (H) Riding-1 [3]-13. Disadvantages: Duty (12 or less) the battlefield. Mirmillo: Disarming (H) Broad- [-10]; either Code of Honor Prerequisites: Broadsword 12+; sword+2 [3]-16, Feint (H) Broad- (Soldier’s) [-10] or Secret [-10]; and Shield 12+; Savoir-Faire (Military) sword+2 [3]-16, or Retain Weapon -15 points chosen from among 11+. (H) Broadsword+2 [3]-16. Bully [-10*], Callous [-5], Job Roll: Best prerequisite skill. On Retiarius: Feint (H) Net+2 [3]-15. Compulsive Behavior (Gambling critical failure, in peacetime, flogged, Secutor: Feint (H) Knife+2 [3]-16. or Spending) [-5*], Fanaticism 1d injury; in wartime, wounded in bat- Thracian: Disarming (H) Short- [-15], Intolerance [-5 or -10], tle, 3d injury. sword+2 [3]-16, Feint (H) Short- Lecherousness [-15*], Missing Monthly Pay: $450. sword+2 [3]-16, or Retain Weapon Digit [-2 or -5], On the Edge [-15*], Wealth Level: Struggling. Supports (H) Shortsword+2 [3]-16. One Eye [-15], Overconfidence Status -1. [-5*], Selfish [-5*], Sense of Duty * Multiplied for self-control num- (Century or Legion) [-5], or Wealth ber; see p. B120. Magistrate (Struggling) [-10]. 125 points Job Description Primary Skills: Broadsword (A) Most gladiators are slaves and DX+2 [8]-13; Shield (E) DX+2 Roman magistrates, even while don’t get to keep all their earnings. But [4]-13; Hiking (A) HT+2 [8]-13. acting as judges, aren’t neutral refer- some free gladiators return to the Secondary Skills: Intimidation (A) ees in the style of British and arena. Will+1 [4]-11; Observation (A) Per American judges; they actively pursue [1]-11; Savoir-Faire (Military) (E) information that’s needed to decide a Prerequisites: Performance 11+ and IQ+1 [2]-11; Soldier (A) IQ+2 case. Law restricts their methods – for a weapon skill 12+. [8]-12; Thrown Weapon (Spear) example, free men may not be tor- Job Roll: Worse prerequisite skill. (E) DX+1 [2]-12; and one of tured, though a slave’s testimony is On critical failure, loses a fight and is Gunner (Catapult) (E) DX+2 legally valid only if he has been tor- put to death. [4]-13; Carpentry, First Aid, or tured. But they do the investigation Monthly Pay: $1,350. Adjusted for Masonry, all (E) IQ+2 [4]-12; that they judge necessary to reach a margin of success or failure. Armoury, Artillery (Catapult), verdict. In the chaos of AUC 1011, Wealth Level: Comfortable. Leadership, Smith, Teaching, or magistrates may occasionally have to Supports Status 1. Traps, all (A) IQ+1 [4]-11; or look into some unusual issues. Musical Instrument (Trumpet) (H) Attributes: ST 10 [0]; DX 10 [0]; IQ 11 Legionary IQ [4]-10. 125 points [20]; HT 10 [0]. Background Skills: Jumping (E) DX Secondary Characteristics: Damage The legions are Rome’s heavy [1]-11; Survival (any) (A) Per-1 1d-2/1d; BL 20 lbs.; HP 10 [0]; Will infantry; Roman strategy and tactics [1]-10; Swimming (E) HT [1]-11; 13 [10]; Per 11 [0]; FP 10 [0]; Basic rely primarily on their skills. and three of Brawling (E) DX+1 Speed 5 [0]; Basic Move 5 [0]. Legionaries rigorously train for mili- [2]-12; Carousing (E) HT+1 [2]-12; Advantages: Administrative Rank 2 tary duties, but also serve in adminis- Scrounging (E) Per+1 [2]-12; [10]; Legal Enforcement Powers trative and law enforcement roles; Stealth (A) DX [2]-11; Admin- [5]; Status 2 [5]*; Wealth (Decurial most have craft skills as well. This istration, Armoury, Gambling, Wealth) [60]; and 25 points chosen template represents a plebeian who Meteorology, Navigation (Land) from among Allies (Law Enforce- entered the legion as an ordinary sol- (A) IQ [2]-10; or Religious Ritual ment Staff) [Varies], Business Acu- dier and is still in service. (H) IQ-1 [2]-9. men [10/level], Charisma [5/level], Attributes: ST 12 [20]; DX 11 [20]; IQ * Multiplied for self-control num- Eidetic Memory (Preparation 10 [0]; HT 11 [10]. ber; see p. B120. Required, 1 minute, -20%) [4], Secondary Characteristics: Damage Higher Purpose [5], Independent 1d-1/1d+2; BL 29 lbs.; HP 12 [0]; Customization: For a different Income [1/level], Single-Minded Will 10 [0]; Per 11 [5]; FP 11 [0]; emphasis, take Religious Rank in the [5], Voice [10], or additional Basic Speed 5.5 [0]; Basic Move 5 Mithraic priesthood [5/level] and add Administrative Rank [5/level]. [0]. some of the advantages and spells that Disadvantages: Duty (12 or less; Advantages: Combat Reflexes [15]; Fit become available at the higher Nonhazardous) [-5]; either Code of [5]; Military Rank 0 [0]; and 35 Mithraic ranks. Honor (Roman) [-10] or Secret points chosen from Absolute Job Description [-10]; and -35 points chosen from Direction [5], Ambidexterity [5], A rank and file legionary earns a among Bloodlust [-10†], Curious Artificer [10/level], Charisma low rate of pay – but it’s more than the [-5†], Fanaticism [-15], Hidebound [5/level], Clerical Investment average farmer makes, and it’s a fixed [-5], Honesty [-10†], Jealousy [-10],

216 ROMA ARCANA Attributes: ST 12 [20]; DX 11 [20]; IQ 12 [40]; HT 11 [10]. Secondary Characteristics: Damage 1d-1/1d+2; BL 29 lbs.; HP 10 [0]; Will 12 [0]; Per 12 [0]; FP 13 [0]; Basic Speed 5.5 [0]; Basic Move 5.5 [0]. Advantages: Classical Greek or Classical Latin (Native) [6]; English (Native) [0]; High TL +6 [30]; Patron: Infinity Patrol (6 or less; Special Abilities, +100%; Minimal Intervention, -50%) [19]; Unusual Background [5]; Wealth (Wealthy) [20]; and 10 points chosen from among Charisma 1 [5], Cultural Adaptability [10], Eidetic Memory [5] or Photographic Memory [10], Fit [5], Language (Homeline or Roman Empire) [1-6], Language Talent [10], Magery 0 [5], or Resistant (Disease) [3 or 5]. Disadvantages: Duty (Investigate Roman customs, institutions, and arts; 15 or less) [-15]; Mundane Background [-10]; Secret (Visitor from another world) [-10]; and -15 points from Code of Honor (Gentleman’s) [-10] or (Profession- al) [-5], Delusion (Magic doesn’t work) [-5], Fanaticism [-15], Loner Secret [-5 to -30], Selfish [-5†], Job Description [-5*], Overconfidence [-5*], Sense of Duty (Family or City) [-5] As one of the two chief magistrates Pacifism (Cannot Harm Innocents) or (Empire) [-10], Stubbornness of your city, you preside over meetings [-10] or (Self-Defense Only) [-15], [-5], or Workaholic [-5]. of the city council, direct investiga- Post-Combat Shakes [-5*], Weird- Primary Skills: Law (H) IQ+1 [8]-12. tions of local crimes, and judge the ness Magnet [-15], Workaholic [-5], Two of Administration, Politics, accused. or -1 ST [-10]. and Public Speaking (A) IQ+2 Primary Skills: Acting (A) IQ+1 Prerequisites: Status 2; Adminis- [8]-13. [4]-13; Observation (A) Per+2 tration, Politics, or Public Speaking at Secondary Skills: Religious Ritual [8]-14. One of Anthropology or 12+. (H) IQ [4]-11. One of Area Sociology (H) IQ+1 [8]-13. Job Roll: Prerequisite skill. On crit- Knowledge or Current Affairs (E) Secondary Skills: Cartography (A) IQ ical failure, disgraced, -2 Reputation IQ [1]-11. One of Criminology, [1]-11; Diplomacy (H) IQ [4]-12; in your city. Hidden Lore (Conspiracies), or History (Roman Empire) (H) IQ-1 Monthly Pay: $90,000. Interrogation, all (A) IQ+1 [4]-12; [2]-11. Two of Connoisseur or Wealth Level: Decurial. Psychology (H) IQ [4]-11; or Detect Occultism, both (A) IQ+1 [4]-13; or Lies (H) Per [4]-11. Peregrin Archaeology, Economics, Law Background Skills: Savoir-Faire (Roman), Linguistics, Military (High Society) (E) IQ [1]-11. One of 175 points Science, or Political Science, all Architecture or Farming, both (A) Not a Roman at all, but an agent of (H) IQ [4]-12. IQ+1 [4]-12, or Finance (H) IQ the Infinity Patrol, sent to investigate Background Skills: Administration [4]-11. One of Gardening (E) IQ+1 this strange timeline. Roma Arcana is (A) IQ-1 [1]-11; Computer [2]-12; Connoisseur or Poetry, both a rule-breaking world, since magic Operation/TL8 (E) IQ [1]-12; First (A) IQ [2]-11; or History, works there, and as such is closed to Aid/TL8 (E) IQ [1]-12; Holdout (A) Literature, or Philosophy, all (H) all but highly qualified agents and IQ-1 [1]-11; Survival (Woodlands) IQ-1 [2]-10. researchers (recommended for 200- (A) Per-1 [1]-11; Writing (A) IQ-1 point campaigns and up). The follow- [1]-11. One of Knife (E) DX+2 * +1 Status free from Wealth. ing template defines a Penetration † Multiplied for self-control num- [4]-13, Staff (A) DX+1 [4]-12, or Service agent as he would appear from Judo (H) DX [4]-11. ber; see p. B120. the viewpoint of a native of Roma Arcana: * Multiplied for self-control number; see p. B120.

ROMA ARCANA 217 Philosopher Compulsive Behavior (Debating) Attributes: ST 10 [0]; DX 10 [0]; IQ 14 125 points [-5*], Delusions (Minor) [-5], [80]; HT 10 [0]. Fanaticism [-15], Honesty [-10*], Secondary Characteristics: Damage This template is specifically for an No Sense of Humor [-10], 1d-2/1d; BL 20 lbs.; HP 10 [0]; Will adherent of Stoicism, a philosophy Overconfidence [-10*], Pacifism 14 [0]; Per 14 [0]; FP 10 [0]; Basic that emphasizes schooling one’s will (Self-Defense Only) [-15], Sense of Speed 5 [0]; Basic Move 5 [0]. to the tranquil acceptance of necessity. Duty [-2 to -20], Workaholic [-5], or Advantages: Magery 0 [5] and 25 Stoicism appealed to the Roman aris- Xenophilia [-10*]. points chosen from among tocracy but found adherents at all lev- Primary Skills: Astronomy (Observa- Charisma [5/level], Eidetic els of society, from slaves to the tional) (A) IQ+2 [8]-14; Natural Memory (Preparation Required: 1 emperor Marcus Aurelius. Variations Philosophy (H) IQ+2 [12]-14; hour, -50%) [3] or Photographic on this template could define the other Philosophy (Stoicism) (H) IQ+2 Memory (Preparation Required: 1 influential schools of thought. [12]-14. hour, -50%) [5], Magery [10/level], Attributes: ST 10 [0]; DX 10 [0]; IQ 12 Secondary Skills: Observation (A) Patron (Mentor; Special Abilities, [40]; HT 11 [10]. Per+1 [4]-13; Research (A) IQ +50%) [Varies], Single-Minded [5], Secondary Characteristics: Damage [2]-12. One of Public Speaking, Social Esteem (Feared) [5/level], or 1d-2/1d; BL 20 lbs.; HP 10 [0]; Will Teaching, or Writing, all (A) IQ+1 Wealth [10 or 20]. 14 [10]; Per 12 [0]; FP 11 [0]; Basic [4]-13. Disadvantages: A total of -15 points Speed 5.25 [0]; Basic Move 5 [0]. Background Skills: Fortune-Telling from Bully [-10*], Jealousy [-10], Advantages: High Pain Threshold (Astrology) (A) IQ-1 [1]-11; Loner [-5*], Megalomania [-10], [10]; Unfazeable [15]; either Greek Meditation (H) Will-2 [1]-12. One Overconfidence [-5*], Post-Combat or Latin (Accented/Native) [5]; and of Architecture (A) IQ-1 [1]-11; Shakes [-5*], Vow [-5 to -15], 15 points chosen from among Diagnosis, Expert Skill (any), Wealth (Struggling) [-10], Weird- Allies (Disciples) [Varies], Cultural Geography, History, Law, Lin- ness Magnet [-15], Workaholic [-5], Adaptability [10], Eidetic Memory guistics, Mathematics, or Natura- or Xenophilia [-10*]. (Preparation Required: 10 min- list (H) IQ-2 [1]-10; or Esoteric Primary Skills: Research (A) IQ utes, -30%) [4] or Photographic Medicine (H) Per-2 [1]-10. [2]-14; Ritual Magic (VH) IQ [8]-14; one college (VH) IQ [4]-13. Memory (Preparation Required: 10 * Multiplied for self-control num- Secondary Skills: Meditation (H) minutes, -30%) [7], Higher Purpose ber; see p. B120. [5], Indomitable [15], Longevity Will-2 [2]-12; one college (VH) IQ-1 [2], Sage 1 [10], Single-Minded [5], Sorcerer [2]-12. Background Skills: Occultism (A) Social Esteem (Respected) 125 points [5/level], or Visualization [10]. IQ-1 [1]-13; Teaching (A) IQ-1 Disadvantages: Code of Honor This template describes a sorcerer [1]-13. Two of Fortune-Telling, (Professional) [-5] and -20 points who has learned his art through his Hidden Lore, or Poetry, all (A) IQ-1 from Callous [-5], Curious [-5*], own investigations. [1]-13; Artist (Body Art or Illusion), Naturalist, Philosophy, Symbol Drawing, or Thanatology, all (H) IQ-2 [1]-12; Esoteric Medicine (H) Per-2 [2]-12; or Dreaming or Exorcism, both (H) Will-2 [1]-12. Spells: Any four spells at default+1 [2]. * Multiplied for self-control number; see p. B120. Job Description Sorcerers usually are self- employed, providing magical help or instruction to anyone who asks for it. Prerequisites: Magery 0; Ritual Magic 14+. Job Roll: Ritual Magic. On critical failure, encounter hostile supernatural being; make Fright Check at -6. Monthly Pay: $1,000. Adjusted for margin of success or failure. Wealth Level: Comfortable. Supports Status 1.

218 ROMA ARCANA Surgeon Prerequisites: Surgery 14+. Code of Honor will be Pious; some 125 points Job Roll: Surgery. may have a Vow. Suicide is not dis- Monthly Pay: $1,000. Adjusted for honorable and is sometimes the only Having limited access to healing margin of success or failure. honorable way to avoid disgrace. -10 magic, Romans often must turn to Wealth Level: Comfortable. Sup- points. surgeons for treatment of injuries. ports Status 1. Many surgeons first learn their craft in Other peoples may have their own the army, and this template assumes barbarian codes of honor. In general, some military experience. ADVANTAGES, treat these as a Pirate’s Code of Honor. Gladiators have their own distinc- Attributes: ST 10 [0]; DX 10 [0]; IQ 14 DISADVANTAGES, tive standard of conduct: [80]; HT 11 [10]. Secondary Characteristics: Damage AND SKILLS Code of Honor (Arena): Fight to 1d-2/1d; BL 20 lbs.; HP 10 [0]; Will This advantage has a special inter- win, without concern for personal 14 [0]; Per 14 [0]; FP 11 [0]; Basic pretation in Roma Arcana: feelings; obey the rules of the arena Speed 5.25 [0]; Basic Move 5 [0]. and the decisions of the sponsor; show Advantages: High Manual Dexterity 2 Eidetic Memory no fear or pain; stand by your team- [10] and 20 points chosen from see p. B51 mates. -10 points. Acute Vision [2/level], Ambidexter- Roman orators and scholars are ity [5], Military Rank [5/level] or Compulsive Behavior trained in the technique of artificial Courtesy Rank [1/level], Single- see pp. B128-129 memory. This form of the first level of Minded [5], or Wealth (Comfort- Eidetic Memory can be learned. To An additional pattern of compul- able) [10] or (Wealthy) [20]. develop an artificial memory, the ora- sive behavior is common in the Disadvantages: One of Code of Honor tor visualizes a building, called a Roman Empire, especially among (Professional) [-5], Sense of Duty “memory house” or “memory palace,” Greeks: (Patients) [-5], or Vow (Hippocratic until he can recall every room in it in Oath) [-5]; and -15 points chosen Compulsive Debating: You love to detail. To memorize something specif- from among Callous [-5], question and debate. Whenever you ic, such as the facts in a legal case, he Impulsiveness [-10*], Over- encounter people discussing an issue, visualizes physical objects that remind confidence [-5*], Pacifism (Self- you want to join in and offer them the him of what he wants to remember Defense Only) [-15], Stubbornness benefit of your theories on the matter. and arranges them in some location in [-5], or Workaholic [-5]. If you fail your self-control roll, you do the memory house. Then, to recall Primary Skills: First Aid (E) IQ+2 not consider whether you actually them, he imagines himself in that [4]-16; Surgery (VH) IQ+2 [8]-16†. know anything about the matter or room looking at those objects. Secondary Skills: Administration (A) whether it’s safe to voice your ideas for A memory house remains stored in IQ-1 [1]-13; Physiology (H) IQ-2 this audience. In fact, it never occurs the user’s memory, whether or not he [1]-12; Teaching (A) IQ-1 [1]-13. to you that people might not want to is actively visiting it. The Mind Probe One of Hiking (A) HT [2]-11, know what you think. This will earn a advantage, or spells with comparable Riding (Horses) (A) DX [2]-10, or +1 reaction roll among the uneducat- effects, can search another person’s Seamanship (E) IQ+1 [2]-15. One ed, but -1 among those who recognize memory house. Two people who share of Artist (Body Art), Epidemiology, your style of argument – or those you a Mind Link can visit each other’s Forensics, Natural Philosophy, or have previously singled out for humil- memory houses. Naturalist, all (H) IQ-2 [1]-12; or iation through your superior logic. -5 Esoteric Medicine (H) Per-2 [1]-12. The following disadvantages have points. Background Skills: Savoir-Faire modified versions in Roma Arcana: (Military) (E) IQ [1]-14; Sewing (E) Social Stigma DX+2 [1]-12†; Shield (E) DX Code of Honor see pp. B155-156 [1]-10; Shortsword (A) DX [2]-10; see p. B127 Several important groups in the Soldier (A) IQ-2 [1]-12; Thrown Those educated in Roman tradi- Roman Empire have distinctive Social Spear (E) DX [1]-10. tions will commonly adhere to a dis- Stigmas: * Multiplied for self-control num- tinctively Roman definition of honor- Eunuchs are a Minority Group; ber; see p. B120. able conduct: people react to them disdainfully. † +2 from High Manual Dexterity. Code of Honor (Roman): Encom- Because it’s not legal to castrate a Roman citizen, nearly all eunuchs are Job Description passes three key virtues. Virtus (manli- ness) means facing hardship, pain, or also slaves. Surgeons set broken bones, pull Jews are Second-Class Citizens. teeth, clean and sew up wounds, and peril without complaint or hesitation. Pietas (piety) means showing respect They have citizenship, and the law sometimes attempt riskier procedures. protects their right not to sacrifice to Sometimes their patients thank them. for one’s ancestors and elders and Rome’s traditions. Fides (trustworthi- the Imperial Genius, but they’re gen- ness) means keeping one’s promises. erally considered strange. Most Romans who adhere to this

ROMA ARCANA 219 Slaves are Valuable Property. Oneiromancy is practiced by impact, while holding a long spear in Slavery does not imply a low Social priests in many temples. A worshipper a couched position, like a lance. This Status; a slave in the Imperial house- will spend the night sleeping in the spear attack does not count as a melee hold can have an administrative job temple, hoping for a dream sent by the attack, and the Move and Attack that makes him rich and even power- god for a priest to interpret. penalty does not apply. Treat the dam- ful, but he remains a slave. But rou- age inflicted the same as a lance (see tine slave jobs are much like those of Mathematics/TL p. B272). On a critical failure, the freedmen, with Status -2. see p. B207 knockback from the attack applies to Women are Second-Class Citizens. Applied mathematics involving the attacker; roll vs. Bracing at -4 per Legally a woman is a minor through- computation is hampered by the limi- yard of knockback to stay on the out her life; when she leaves her tations of Roman numerals and of the horse. father’s household, she must have a Greek alphabetic system most mathe- guardian (called a tutor). But this has maticians prefer; see Accounting. Pure Testudo been a legal formality since the early mathematics is unaffected. Most Hard Empire. mathematicians, pure or applied, Default: Soldier-4. The following skills have modified study mainly geometry, which has no Prerequisite: Shield skill. notational problems. versions in Roma Arcana: The testudo, one of the Roman Riding legions’ showier maneuvers, requires Accounting a substantial number of men. Several see p. B174 see p. B217 ranks of men close up to each other Roman numbers are a nonposi- In Roma Arcana, the stirrup does and raise their shields over their tional system, workable enough for not exist. Stirrupless riding has some heads, locking them together. Roll recording results but clumsy and special rules: against their average ability score for inconvenient for actual calculation. Mounting a horse takes two turns, this technique. On a success, treat this Make Accounting rolls at -3 for writ- or one turn with a roll against as being under full cover (see p. B407) ten calculations, or -5 for mental Acrobatics, Jumping, or Riding at -3. for attacks from above. It does not arithmetic. If you have Lightning Staying mounted after an attack protect against attacks from other Calculator, you are exempt from these that causes knockback is impossible; directions, and the soldiers must not penalties; you can keep track of posi- the rider automatically falls off. dodge, parry, or attack while holding tional relations mentally. Lance skill is unavailable. the testudo. Fortune-Telling Symbol Drawing see p. B196 see p. B224 In Roma Arcana, divination pro- Some Roman architects learn a vides a source of real knowledge. specialized form of this skill: Symbol Several methods are in common use: Drawing (Sacred Architecture). This Astrology, or the Chaldean art, defaults to Religious Ritual-4. When the architect designs the temple, he If a group has performed the testu- interprets the stars and planets as do, other soldiers can attempt to jump signs of human destiny. Roll against rolls against Symbol Drawing. On a success, add half the margin of suc- onto the upper surface of the shields, Astronomy either to observe where with a Jumping or Acrobatics roll, and the planets are at a given time, or to cess (round down) to all future Religious Ritual rolls honoring the run on them. This may get an assault predict where they will be later; the force over a low wall. Roll against the latter skill is mathematically based, god to whom the temple is dedicated. Add the same amount to all future average Testudo skill of the men per- and Mathematical Ability helps. forming the testudo (based on ST Augury includes several traditional spell rolls appealing to the god’s power. The effect is not simply a mat- instead of IQ) to see if they maintain it Roman techniques for reading the will against the extra weight; if they fail, of the gods from events in the sky. ter of the temple’s ornamentation or inscriptions, but a result of the design. the men on top must roll vs. DX or fall Such events include weather, especial- – flat on the shields on an ordinary fail- ly lightning strikes; the flight of birds, The following techniques are avail- ure, to the ground on a critical failure. especially unusual birds; and as an able in Roma Arcana: extension of this, the pecking behavior Vaulting of sacred chickens. Bracing Hard Extispicy, or haruspication, is the Hard Defaults: Acrobatics-3, Jumping-3, reading of omens in the internal Default: Spear-4. or Riding-3. organs of sacrificed animals, especial- Prerequisite: Riding skill; cannot Prerequisite: Riding skill; cannot ly their livers. Small sculptured mod- exceed Spear skill. exceed prerequisite skill. els of livers with various sectors labeled are available for practitioners. This is the ability to clasp the body This skill allows a rider to leap into of a mount firmly with one’s knees, in the saddle – from ground to horseback order to stay mounted despite an – in a single turn.

220 ROMA ARCANA GURPS purposes, their values and Wealth gives +3. Multimillionaire 2 WEALTH exchange rates are listed below: and above do not give additional Status. AND STATUS Wealth Rome has an economy based Following the guidelines on p. B26, Status mainly on currency instead of barter, starting wealth is $750 or 375 ses- Law strictly regulates Roman especially in the cities. Economic suc- terces. No more than 20% of this Status. The Romans split society into cess leads to higher Status, by an indi- applies to adventuring gear; the rest several “orders,” each with its own rect route. Wealthy men are expected represents land, buildings, furniture, legal duties and privileges. These to serve the Empire, as priests, sol- tools and equipment, and similar orders have strict rules for member- diers, or administrators. Holding cer- things. A legionary’s retirement bonus ship. For the higher orders, restrict tain positions confers Status. Those is $54,000, making him wealthy – if he membership to specific military or specific positions form part of several lives to collect the money. administrative offices. standard ladders of promotion, the The restriction doesn’t apply to any- The emperor is above all the cursus honorum. GURPS defines one who is Poor, or to anyone who orders, occupying Status 8. Most these as systems of Administrative, leads a mobile life. Soldiers on combat emperors have officially designated Military, and Religious Rank, with duty move in a hurry; typically, all their heirs, who have Status 7. The heir may Rank and Status closely related under wealth will be in movable possessions. rule in the emperor’s stead if the specific legal definitions. The Roman system of Status emperor departs for the field in a imposes legal wealth requirements for major war. Money admission to various statuses. For Senators are the highest order, with Rome’s monetary system consists convenience in character creation, Status 5 or 6. Senatorial Wealth is of coins made of copper, silver, and take intermediate wealth levels that legally required for admission to the gold. The later empire suffers from meet exactly those requirements: Senate; it grants three levels of Status ongoing inflation, largely a result of free. Sons of Senators start out at Decurial Wealth: Sufficient for debasement (alloying silver or gold Status 3 (free from wealth) and follow admission to a magistracy in a provin- with cheaper metals, or sandwiching a standard career path, starting at age cial city, followed by membership in cheap metal between thin coats of pre- 19 or 20. They serve first in a minor that city’s ordo. Legally defined as cious metal). Coins are of varying and magistracy in Rome, and then as lati- 100,000 sesterces ($200,000). Grants fluctuating value. Over time, prices clavian tribune in a legion. After this one level of Status free. 60 points. will rise to four times their previous come major magistracies in Rome: Equestrian Wealth: Sufficient for level. Government salaries won’t keep quaestor, concerned with financial appointment to an equestrian military up; to keep the legions happy, emper- matters; aedile, maintaining public post or other office. Legally defined as ors pay increasingly frequent bonuses buildings and supervising markets; 400,000 sesterces ($800,000). Grants from their personal wealth, and issue praetor, with criminal jurisdiction; and two levels of Status free. Effectively rations, the annona, to soldiers who consul, presiding over the Senate. A the same as Multimillionaire 1. 75 can’t afford food prices. Most cam- quaestor officially joins the Senate and points. paigns won’t focus on this, so no gains Status 5. A consul gains Status 6 Senatorial Wealth: Sufficient for detailed rules are given for currency and can command a legion as legate or appointment to a Roman quaestor- debasement or price inflation. govern a senatorial province as pro- ship, following by membership in the The commonest unit of account consul. Interspersed with all this, a Senate. Legally defined as 1,000,000 (the coin used to quote prices) is the senator may hold various priesthoods. sesterces ($2,000,000). Grants three sesterce. Smaller coins are the Equestrians, or equites, are the levels of Social Status free. 85 points. dupondius (half a sesterce), the as (a next highest order, with Status 4. Higher levels of wealth are quarter sesterce), and the quadran (a Admission to this order legally multiples of Equestrian Wealth: quarter as). The silver denarius and requires Equestrian Wealth; it grants Multimillionaire 2 (100 points) is the recently introduced antonianus or two levels of Status free. Sons of $8,000,000, Multimillionaire 3 (125 double denarius are more valuable equestrians mainly follow a military points) is $80,000,000, and so on. and rarer; the gold aureus is extreme- career path, with several years each as Decurial Wealth gives +1 Status; ly rare. (Legionary salaries are silver, prefect of a cohort of auxiliary Equestrian Wealth gives +2; Senatorial and legionary bonuses are gold.) For infantry, angusticlavian tribune of a legion, and prefect of a wing of auxil- Roman Currency iary cavalry. This may precede service Coin Aurei Denarii Sestertii Asses Value as a legion’s camp prefect, or entry Aureus 1 25 100 400 $200 into the civil service as a procurator. Antonianus – 2 8 32 $16 Success in this role can lead to Denarius – 1 4 16 $8 appointment as prefect of a civilian Sesterce – – 1 4 $2 department; equestrians head most of Dupondius – – 1/2 2 $1 these departments. Sons of equestri- As – – – 1 $0.50 ans start out at Status 2 and gain Quadran – – – 1/4 $0.125 Status 4 with their first military posts.

ROMA ARCANA 221 Provincial cities have their own freedman who serves in the vigiles in Status, could be promoted through all local nobility. Decurial Wealth is the city of Rome (a combination fire- three simultaneously. He wouldn’t required for admission. Sons of this fighting force and nighttime street gain Status bonuses from all three; nobility start out at Status 1. If elected patrol) can transfer to the army after only a few specific ranks grant extra as magistrates of their municipal gov- 10 years with a good record. One Status. The emperor holds high rank ernments, they gain Status 2 and priesthood is not only open to freed- of all three kinds, as a by-product of admission to the ordo. If elected as men, but reserved to them: the wor- his Status. duoviri, or chief magistrates, of their ship of the Imperial Genius (p. 202). Each rank is open only to men of municipal governments, they gain Slavery is not a Status level, but a the right social class. Social classes Status 3. Social Stigma (p. 219). have the labels S (senator), E (eques- Ordinary citizens, or plebeians, are The cost of living for each Status trian), D (decurion of a provincial Status 0. Plebeians in Rome can have includes many expenditures that don’t city), P (plebeian), or F (freedman). Status 1-3 if they have sufficient directly benefit the person who has Administrative Rank traditionally wealth; plebeians elsewhere who have that Status. He has to maintain a is defined in terms of magistracies. A Decurial Wealth normally run for household of the proper size, often magistrate was an elected official who local office. including some number of slaves. If held some combination of judicial and Freedmen, or former slaves whose elected or appointed to a magistracy, executive powers. Under the Empire, masters gave or sold them their free- he has to sponsor gladiatorial contests most magistracies have become less dom, are Status -2. Their rights are or other public entertainments. important, with real power going to somewhat restricted. A freedman can- prefects who report to the emperor. not enlist in the army, except in emer- Rank The provinces have governors and gencies, and a freedwoman cannot Rome has systems of Admini- their staffs, and the cities have elected marry a senator. However, their chil- strative, Military, and Religious Rank. magistrates of their own. dren become ordinary plebeians. A A Roman, especially one born to high

Administrative Ranks Rank Examples 8(Emperor), Praetorian prefect (E) 7 Consul (S), provincial governor (S), Egyptian prefect (E), city prefect (S), grain prefect (E) 6Praetor (S), provincial procurator (E), prefect of vigiles (E) 5 Aedile (S), provincial procurator (E) 4Provincial procurator (E), provincial city duovir (D) 3Quaestor (S), provincial procurator (E), provincial city aedile (D) 2Minor magistrate (S); provincial city quaestor (D) 1 Scribe (P) 0 Messenger (P)

Roman military forces employ Roman command, the urban cohorts table covers the forces that guard many separate systems of ranks. The commanded by the city prefect, and Rome’s frontiers: the legions, the aux- elite Praetorian Guard, the legions, the the Roman fleets all have their own iliaries, and the fleets. auxiliaries, barbarian allies under command structures. The following Military Ranks Rank Examples 8 Legate of the army (S), (Praetorian prefect), (Emperor) 7 Legate of a legion (S), fleet prefect (E) 6 Camp prefect (E), laticlavian tribune (S), navarch (P) 5 Angusticlavian tribune (E), prefect of cavalry (E), trierarch (P) 4 Primus pilus (P), prefect of infantry (E), beneficarius (P) 3 Centurion of the first cohort (P), princeps of auxiliaries (P), steersman (P) 2 Centurion (P), ship’s petty officer (P) 1 Signifer (P), optio (P), tesserarius (P), custos armorum (P), decurion (P), lead rower (P), sailor (P) 0 Soldier (P), rower (P), marine (P)

Religious rank begins with mem- career; only the flamen dialis, the rex gains Status from holding a priest- bership in a college of priests. There’s sacrorum, and the Vestal Virgins serve hood. However, the various colleges no standard system of promotion full-time. The Vestal Virgins take have a long-established system of sen- between colleges. Priesthood is an precedence socially over everyone but iority. adjunct to a political and military the emperor (Status 7), but no one else

222 ROMA ARCANA The following equipment is cus- Religious Ranks tomary in the Roman legions of this Rank Examples period: 8 Rex sacrorum (Courtesy Rank) 7(Emperor as pontifex maximus) Baton*: Centurions carry a length 6 Flamen dialis (S), rex sacrorum (S), Vestal Virgin (S) of dried grapevine and legally may use 5 Pontifex (S) it to strike a disobedient soldier. Treat 4 Flamen martialis, flamen quirinalis, augur (S), provincial flamen (D) it as a baton if used in actual combat. 3 Vir sacris faciundis (S) It gives +1 to Intimidation against any- 2Minor flamen (P), epulon (S) one with Cultural Familiarity (Roman 1Minor priest (S/E), flamen augustalis (F) Empire). 1 lb.; $20. 0 Paterfamilias (S/E/D/P/F) Greaves*: Bronze greaves. 17 lbs.; $270. Prerequisites: Military Rank 3; Helmet*: 6 lbs.; $150. Customarily Jobs worn with a tall crest that increases The various occupational tem- Leadership 14+. Job Roll: Leadership. On critical the wearer’s apparent height, giving +1 plates cover jobs available for adven- to Intimidation rolls. 1 lb.; $10. turers. But a sample of other jobs pro- failure, in peacetime, career ends; in wartime, injured for 4d damage. Lorica squamata*: Scale armor for vides a sense of pay scales in the the torso. 35 lbs.; $420. Roman Empire. Monthly Pay: $50,000. Wealth Level: Very Wealthy. Pilum*: A javelin, thrown at the Praetorian Guard Supports Status 3. enemy just before a charge; each Soldiers of the Praetorian Guard legionary carries two. 2 lbs.; $30. are the Empire’s elite service. Procurator Plumbata: A lead-weighted dart, Officially, they guard the Emperor; in A procurator is a magistrate serv- designed to attach to the back of a actuality, most guard the city of Rome. ing under the governor of a province. shield; a legionary can carry up to half Two detachments guard imperial He primarily collects taxes, but also a dozen. Thrown by hand, not with a property at Carthage and Lugdunum, serves as a judge in many legal cases. spear thrower (Damage thr-1 impal- especially the Lugdunum mint. Prerequisites: Status 4; Administra- ing; Acc 1; Range ¥2.5/¥3.5; RoF T(1); tion 12+; Accounting 11+. ST 6; Bulk -2). 1 lb.; $20. Prerequisites: Status 0; ST 12+; HT Scutum*: A medium shield, of an 12+; Shortsword 12+. Job Roll: Administration. On critical failure, permanently ineligible for oval shape. 15 lbs.; $60. Job Roll: Politics. On critical fail- Spatha*: A thrusting broadsword ure, flogged, injured for 1d damage, -1 promotion. Monthly Pay: $10,000, $16,500, with an iron blade. 3 lbs.; $600. Reputation in Praetorian Guard. Studded leather skirt*: 4 lbs.; $60. Monthly Pay: $750. $33,000, or $50,000 at Rank 3-6. Wealth Level: Average. Supports Wealth Level: Wealthy at Rank 3; Gladiators may have experience Status 0. supports Status 2. Very Wealthy at with the following equipment: Rank 4-6; supports Status 3. Centurion Galerus: A specialized piece of A centurion commands a “century” armor worn on one arm, made up of of 80 men in a legion. In a major war, EQUIPMENT bronze plates attached to a leather he leads them into battle; in peace- Romans have access to TL2 equip- sleeve. Gives DR 4 to the arm where time, he may command a vexillation ment and any TL1 equipment that it’s worn. Can be used in an unarmed that mans a border or assist a provin- hasn’t been replaced by something parry; there is no penalty for parrying cial governor. better. Most equipment is readily a weapon, but if the parry succeeds by available in the marketplaces of less than three points the damage Prerequisites: Military Rank 2; Roman cities. Soldiers can requisition from the attack is applied to the par- Leadership 12+. equipment with military applications rying arm (reduced by the DR of the Job Roll: Leadership. On critical through their legions. “Military appli- galerus). 7 lbs.; $105. failure, in peacetime, career ends; in cations” include combat engineering, Gladius*: A shortsword with an wartime, injured for 4d damage. surgery, and administrative record- iron blade. 2 lbs.; $400. Monthly Pay: $12,500. keeping as well as fighting. Prototype Hasta*: A long spear used by equi- Wealth Level: Wealthy. Supports TL3 equipment is not normally avail- tes and auxiliary cavalry. 5 lbs.; $60. Status 2. able, but an artificer might create it if Knife*: A large knife with an iron Primus Pilus adequately funded. blade. 1 lb.; $40. The senior centurion of a legion’s Net*: A melee net, carried by a first cohort stands above the other Combat Gear retiarius. 5 lbs.; $20. centurions; in battle, only the legate Items with an asterisk are defined Trident: Carried by a retiarius; see and laticlavian tribune outrank him. in the Basic Set; they’re listed here to Chapter 6 (p. 141) for statistics. 10 He normally holds this job for one identify the specific items in common lbs.; $40. year, before promotion to camp pre- use in this setting. Whip*: A whip used by bestiarii to fect and equestrian Status. control animals. 2 lbs.; $20.

ROMA ARCANA 223 Tools and Apparatus to weigh items they sell. The items go Ladder: Useful for scaling walls In addition to the equipment in one pan and lead weights in the during a siege (see the rules for climb- described in the Basic Set, various other. A small balance, good for weigh- ing on p. B349). The longest practical other items are available in the ing portable items, is 1 lb., $25; a set of ladder is 36’ long and can reach the Roman Empire. This list includes var- lead weights good for up to 2 lbs. top of a 30’ wall. 55 lbs.; $90. ious items for adventurers, scholars, weighs 2 lbs., $10. Orrery: A complex device with mul- or mages and provides rules for using Dolabra: A digging tool with an tiple gears and wheels that shows the the equipment. iron head, which has a point at one motions of the sun, the moon, and end and a 3” wide axe blade opposite other celestial bodies. Powered by a Abacus: A frame with sets of beads it. Used to cut through brush or break man turning a handle. A small model supported by dowels or wires that aids rock. Roman legions use it to clear the shows only the position of the sun and calculation; decimal notation is built ground for their camps. 7 lbs.; $18. moon and gives +1 to Astronomy; a into it. Accounting and Applied Hand Mill: A small rotary hand mill large model shows all the planets and Mathematics rolls have no penalty if carried by soldiers and other travelers gives +2. Small orrery: 15 lbs.; $1,750. performed on an abacus. 2 lbs.; $50. to grind grain for bread or porridge. Large orrery: 150 lbs.; $21,000. An improvised abacus made from To find the amount of flour a user can Wax Tablet: Used with a stylus to pebbles and a flat surface is free but grind in an hour, square his ST and take notes and perform calculations; performs computations at -2 to skill. divide by 10. An average man needs 2 its surface can be smoothed and Balance: The symbol of justice since lbs. of ground grain per day. 5 lbs.; reused. A small tablet is 2 lbs.; $10. A ancient Egypt; used by merchants $20. large tablet is 10 lbs.; $50. BURDIGALA Burdigala is my native soil, where Burdigala for centuries; Romans, who skies are temperate and mild, and the moved in with Caesar’s conquest of WHO’SIN well-watered land generously lavish. Gaul; and Basques who have settled. – Decimus Magnus Ausonius Smaller ethnic groups also live in CHARGE? Burdigala, the Jews forming the Burdigala is a center of imperial biggest number. authority, capital of its province, and a DESCRIPTION The city is a major trade center, self-governing town. There is little mil- Burdigala [Bordeaux], built on being both a river port and a seaport. itary presence; the nearest legions are the west bank of the Garumna One of the major trade routes to in Britain and on the German frontier. [Garonne] River, just south of the Britain passes through it. Major roads Most of the time, the city is left to its Gironde Estuary in southwestern run north to Mediolanum Santonum own devices. Gaul, is the site of a bridge across the [Saintes], a center of oyster harvest- Garonne, which flows north past the ing; northeast to Lugdunum, Gaul’s The Province city. Its 20,000 inhabitants occupy a greatest city and the site of a mint, Aquitania is an imperial province, roughly square area of 300 acres. Of named for the sun god Lugh; south- whose governor serves at the emper- this, large and small gardens (more east to Tolosa [Toulouse], which has or’s pleasure. Since no legion is sta- often productive than ornamental) gold mines, and Narbo [Narbonne], tioned there, the post is held by a and vineyards take up about 50 on the route to Italy; and south to the senator of praetorian rank (Admini- acres. The temperate climate sup- Iberian peninsula. The import of tin strative Rank 6), assisted by a procu- ports Mediterranean-style agricul- from Britain began in AUC 351. rator (Administrative Rank 5). The ture, based on wheat, vineyards, and Burdigala’s most important exports governor spends half of the year trav- olives; its wine is especially famous. are wine and ceramics, industries that eling between the cities of Aquitania The site is not fortified, but conse- naturally support each other. to hear legal cases. crated marker stones trace the Burdigala is also famous as a cen- The governor’s staff mostly con- pomoerium. ter of learning. It contains many sists of men on detached duty from The majority of the inhabitants has teachers of rhetoric, including some Legio I Minervia. Two centurions Gaulish ancestry and identify them- with literary reputations. People from command a double vexillation of 160 selves as Gauls. After the conquest, all over Gaul send their sons there to men. They escort the governor when many Gauls were enslaved, but their study. he travels, enforce the law, patrol the descendants have gone from slave to Given the city’s size, the basic IQ or roads, and work on construction freedman to plebeian to provincial Area Knowledge roll to find a particu- projects. Those who can read and nobility. Tensions exist between the lar service is at +1 (see Services, pp. 97- write help keep official records, espe- Romanized Gauls and the old Gallic 103). Finding a service connected with cially of tax payments. families, but both still identify them- the wine trade or with literary knowl- selves as “Gauls.” Sizeable minorities edge is at a further +2. include Greeks, who traded from

224 ROMA ARCANA The City For major public issues, the magis- the Celtic underworld, the original Burdigala is a municipium. This trates may call public meetings in the ancestor of the Celtic races. He grants entitles the city to two pairs of magis- forum. Most meetings serve only to Necromancy spells or Invisibility. trates: a pair of duovirs (Admini- announce what the ordo have decided, An even more distinctively Celtic strative Rank 5) who act as judges and but if the people protest loudly deity is Epona, a goddess of horses. chief administrators, and a pair of enough, the magistrates may change She has no Greek or Roman equiva- aediles (Administrative Rank 3) who their minds. lent. Her temple is small, but regular- are responsible for public works and ly attended by young men from good games. Aedile is an expensive post, TEMPLES families – and by charioteers seeking responsible for games and public luck in races. She repays sacrifices by works, requiring a property qualifica- granting aid to a man’s horses, in a AND CULTS race or a battle. tion of Decurial Wealth (p. 221). Those Burdigala has several temples who serve as aediles become members Also standing next to the forum is a devoted to civic worship. Most are temple of the Imperial Genius, with of the ordo or town council at the end next to the forum, or close to it. of their terms, making them eligible to half a dozen priests. Its main holiday Several sites in or near the city are also is the emperor’s birthday. Offerings for serve as duovirs. The ordo rank as devoted to mystery cults. provincial nobility (Status 2, one level the Imperial Genius have been falling Burdigala’s patron goddess is off; the past decade hasn’t inspired free from Wealth). Minerva Burdigia. She’s popular with The magistrates’ offices are in the much faith. all the major groups in the city; the One of the city’s largest temples is basilica or town hall, which stands Greeks identify her with Athena, and next to the forum. A large hall is devoted to a mystery cult, the worship the Gauls with Brigid. Sacrifices to of Isis. It stands near the waterfront available for trials and for meetings her bring success in knowledge, crafts, of the ordo. Smaller rooms serve as district, looking down on the or strategy and tactics; she occasional- Garumna, conveniently placed for the offices and as halls of records. Each ly grants Knowledge spells. magistrate provides his own clerical many seafarers who come there to The Gauls also pay special rever- offer sacrifices. Other mystery cults staff from his household slaves and ence to Dis Pater. Despite his Roman freedmen. congregate outside the city. A name, they consider him the ruler of mithraeum sits on the other side of the river, in a small, aboveground building. Farther outside the city, the owners of two large estates maintain a grove Burdigala sacred to Bacchus in a stand of trees that separates the cultivated parts of their lands; the druids once used this land to worship indigenous gods. Several Jewish congregations meet in the city, in private houses owned by wealthy Jewish merchants. SCHOOLS Burdigala is a famous center of learning. Many teachers of rhetoric and literature live there. Most emphasize the Greek classics, but a few study more unusual subjects such as the remnants of ancient Celtic bardic traditions. Anyone at Status 0 or higher can afford to hire a teacher. The temple of Isis maintains a school of sorcery. Most of its teachers worship Isis, but anyone who can prove knowledge of the mystic arts is welcome. None of the city’s Jewish sorcerers officially is part of the school, for religious reasons, but some are willing to guest lecture. A different sort of school operates (1) Basilica (city hall) and Forum; (2) temple of Dis Pater; (3) temple of Minerva Burdigia; (4) temple of the Imperial Genius; (5) temple of Epona; (6) school of rhetoric and library; (7) indoor marketplace; (8) residence of in connection with the city’s the provincial governor; (9) imperial tax offices and records; (10) temple of Isis; (11) school of sorcery; (12) build- amphitheatre. Its main subject is han- ing of Claudia Nigella, used for wine and pottery dealers and for guild meetings; (13) amphitheatre, used mainly for chariot races; (14) main public bathhouse. F indicates locations of public fountains. dling, driving, and caring for horses,

ROMA ARCANA 225 especially those in the chariot races. But gladiators also appear in the arena, and for a fee, a free man or Sponsors of the Arcani woman can study combat skills. The The various sponsors of the arcani include the following people: arena’s surgeons have considerable experience with combat wounds; Claudia Nigella, age 50, is the widow of a prosperous merchant and some accept students or apprentices. has taken over managing his wine and pottery export business. She has endowed a large indoor marketplace next to the waterfront, as a gift to the city; of course, she manages it and chooses which merchants get ADVENTURERS space in it. An alcove in her building houses a small shrine to Isis, in whose cult she has long been an initiate. WANTED! Ieremias ben Iosephus, age 32, is a religious teacher and scholar in the As the Empire falls into disorder, Jewish community, but his main interest is in sorcery. Most of the city’s its cities increasingly rely on their own Jews, and many non-Jews, turn to him when supernaturally troubled. resources. The legions are too busy Marcus Junius Falco, age 44, served in the first cohort of the Legio I with border incursions and imperial Minervia in Germany before his promotions to primus pilus and then to power struggles to aid them. camp prefect. This gave him equestrian rank and made him eligible for Burdigala has come up with a novel a civil service career, and he drew from his old connections to gain the solution to the problem. A group of procuratorship of Aquitania. Like most soldiers, he’s a Mithraic initiate, private citizens has formed a new col- but never rose very high in religious rank; he’s more devoted to Minerva lege to fund special, unofficial opera- Burdigia, and he likes knowing that his adopted city and his old legion tives in the protection of the city share a patron. In his limited spare time, he grows grapes on a small against external and internal threats. estate near the city. These arcani (precursors of Imperial secret agents of the same name a few decades in the future) will perform minimal intervention (-50%); and they untrustworthy to their prospective impossible missions without official get involved on a 9 or less (¥1). Thus, patrons. They don’t have to be law- sanction – but some unusual having them as a Patron is worth 15 abiding – their duties may require resources are available to them. points. breaking the law – but they have to The hidden sponsors, collectively, Anyone considered for this spe- keep their word and be willing to amount to a Patron. They have assets cial force needs exceptional abilities. face danger. Spending 15 points on worth over 1,000 times starting wealth Arcani should be built on 150 points, the required Patron advantage leaves (10 points); they will provide modest and should not have any disadvan- a base of 135 points for character equipment (+50%) and have special tages that would make them look creation. abilities (+50%), but have a policy of THREATS AND STORYLINES It’s twenty-five marches to Narbo, danger before being recruited and sent It’s forty-five more up the Rhone, HUMAN FOES abroad. He occasionally encounters And the end may be death in the priests of Ahura Mazda, but they can’t heather Bahjam officially act against him as long as he Or life on an Emperor’s throne. 240 points stays on Roman soil. But whether the Eagles obey us, Bahjam is one of the Parthian ST 9 [-10]; DX 13 [60]; IQ 11 [20]; HT Or we go to the Ravens – alone, Empire’s best secret agents, thanks to a 11 [10]. I’d sooner be Lalage’s lover combination of highly developed skills Damage 1d-2/1d-1; BL 16 lbs.; HP 9 Than sit on an Emperor’s throne! and knowledge of magic. His primary [0]; Will 11 [0]; Per 13 [10]; FP 1 – Rudyard Kipling, “Lalage” duty is to travel through the Roman [0]. The following potential foes can be Empire and send back information, Basic Speed 7.00 [20]; Basic Move 7 part of the cast of characters for a but he occasionally takes a more active [0]; Dodge 10; Parry 9 (Knife). group of adventurers in Burdigala. role as an assassin. He maintains a 5’6”; 135 lbs. (SM 0). Many can be used in other locations, if cover identity as a Palmyran merchant the GM prefers a campaign set in and goldsmith. A middle-aged man, Social Background Rome, Alexandria, or the eastern but still handsome and fit, he hasn’t TL: 2. empire. The adventure seeds typically been back to the Parthian Empire in CF: Parthian Empire [0]; Roman weave together two or more of these more than 20 years. From his point of Empire [1]. specific adversaries to produce a more view, this is just as well – as a worship- Languages: Aramaic (Native) [6]; complex plot. per of Angra Mainyu, the evil god of Greek (Native) [6]; Latin (Accented) Zoroastrianism, he was in constant [4]; Persian (Native) [0].

226 ROMA ARCANA Advantages Appearance (Attractive) [4]; Eidetic Memory (Preparation Required, 1 minute, -20%) [4]; Fit [5]; Magery 1 Zoroastrian Magic (One College Only: Black Magic, -10%; The Persian Empire has its own distinctive approach to magic. All Pact: Ritual worship of Angra Mainyu, spells are divided between two colleges: White Magic and Black Magic. -5%) [14]; Security Clearance [5]; White Magic includes spells from the colleges of Air, Communication Single-Minded [5]; Wealth (Com- and Empathy, Fire, Food, Healing, Knowledge, Movement, and Plants, fortable) [10]. as well as most Animal spells, Light spells, and Making spells. Black Magic includes spells from the colleges of Body Control, Earth, Illusion, Disadvantages Mind Control, Necromancy, Protection and Warning, and Sound, as well Code of Honor (Professional) [-5]; as Breaking spells, Darkness spells, and the Animal spell Shapeshifting. Enemy (Zoroastrian magi; Watchers; Spells of Enchantment and Meta-spells fall into both colleges; neither 6 or less) [-4]; Post-Combat Shakes college can use Gate spells. (12) [-5]; Secret (Parthian spy and Most Persians worship Ahura Mazda, the god of truth and light. A few assassin; Possible Death) [-30]. secretly worship Angra Mainyu, the god of darkness and lies. Each god Quirks: Careful; Dislikes fire; favors some of his worshippers with Magery with two special limitations: Homosexual; Makes up stories about One College Only (-10%, for one college out of two) and Pact (-5%, for his past; Proud. [-5] regular weekly observances). They can then learn spells in the appropriate college, as techniques based on the skill for that college. Skills Persians consider these two sets of abilities to be utterly distinct. Acting-13 (IQ+2) [8]; Body Followers of Ahura Mazda become magi (the plural of “magus”) and Language-13 (Per+0) [2]; College of practice magic; followers of Angra Mainyu become goetes (the plural of Black Magic-13* (IQ+2) [12]; Fast- “goes,” pronounced “go-ease”) and practice goetics. In GURPS terms, Draw-14 (DX+1) [2]; Holdout-13 both are magic and require Magery. (IQ+2) [8]; Jeweler-12 (IQ+1) [8]; Knife-15 (DX+2) [4]; Merchant-12 (IQ+1) [4]; Observation-13 (Per+0) [2]; Poisons-12 (IQ+1) [8]; Ritual Brontophonos’ caravan has three Basic Speed 6.00 [10]; Basic Move 6 Magic-13* (IQ+2) [12]; Savoir-Faire wagons. He himself drives the lead [0]; Dodge 10*; Parry 8 (Knife)*. (High Society)-12 (IQ+1) [2]; Sex wagon, pulled by a rare megalo- 5’10”; 160 lbs. (SM 0). Appeal-11 (HT+0) [2]; Shadowing-13 gryphon, a huge horned beast brought (IQ+2) [8]; Sleight of Hand-12 (DX-1) up from the underworld (p. 212). It Social Background [2]; Theology (Zoroastrian)-9 (IQ-2) holds a small room for his two slave TL: 2. [1]; Wrestling-14 (DX+1) [4]. bestiarii and large cages for his major CF: Human [0]. Techniques: Hide (College of Black specimens; currently one is empty and Languages: Armenian (Native) [0]; Magic)-13* [5]; Darkness (College of the other holds a rare Indian manti- Arabic (Accented) [2]; Chinese Black Magic) -13* [3]; Icy Weapon core (p. 48). The second wagon is driv- (Accented) [2]; Gothic (Accented) [2]; (College of Black Magic)-13* [4]; en by Brontophonos’ assistant, a Greek (Accented) [2]; Latin (Accented) Night Vision (College of Black strange-looking woman with almond- [2]; Persian (Accented) [2]; Sanskrit Magic)-13* [6]; Silence (College of shaped eyes who speaks only a few (Accented) [2]. Black Magic)-13* [2]. words of Greek. He calls her Topaza, Advantages which is not her real name, but which * +1 from Magery. Animal Friend 3 [15]; Combat she can pronounce! (Use the Reflexes [15]; Cultural Adaptability Brontophonos Wardancer template, p. 126, to define [10]; Fearlessness 1 [2]; Language Topaza’s abilities, if needed.) That 182 points Talent [10]; Longevity [2]; Resistant to wagon holds valuable property and Animal Venoms (+8) [5]; Serendipity 1 Brontophonos is the proprietor of small quarters for Brontophonos, [15]; Wealth (Very Wealthy) [30]. an exhibition of rare beasts, which has Topaza, and the slave driver of the Perks: Penetrating Voice. [1] now come to Gaul. He reveals little third wagon. The third wagon holds about his past. Even the name he uses feed and many cages for smaller ani- Disadvantages isn’t his real name – it means mals, including a very large python, Bad Sight (Farsighted) [-25]; “Thundervoice,” reflecting his loud several mountain ants, another rare Compulsive Lying (12) [-15]; declamations about his menagerie. Indian animal (p. 48), and a satyr that Miserliness (12) [-10]; Pacifism (Self- He’s definitely not a Roman citizen, Brontophonos recently captured in Defense Only) [-15]; Social Stigma though. The GM should feel free to Greece. (Minority Group) [-10]; Weirdness improvise on the background his Magnet [-15]. character sheet suggests – for exam- ST 11 [10]; DX 12 [40]; IQ 13 [60]; HT Quirks: Broad-minded; Likes ani- ple, giving him a different native lan- 10 [0]. mals, especially exotic animals; Never guage. He’s always interested in new Damage 1d-1/1d+1; BL 24 lbs.; HP 11 learns any language beyond Accented exotic specimens, but he only pays for [0]; Will 9 [-20]; Per 13 [0]; FP 10 level; Will not sell his animals for glad- living animals! [0]. iatorial shows. [-4]

ROMA ARCANA 227 Skills ST 10 [0]; DX 13 [60]; IQ 11 [20]; HT warrior and an intelligent leader with a Accounting-11 (IQ-2) [1]; Animal 11 [10]. concept of tactics. Given time, he could Handling (Big Cats)-15† (IQ+2) [1]; Damage 1d-2/1d; BL 20 lbs.; HP 10 [0]; become a serious threat to the western Animal Handling (Saurians)-15† Will 13 [10]; Per 11 [0]; FP 11 [0]. provinces, particularly to their ship- (IQ+2) [1]; Area Knowledge (Roman Basic Speed 6.00 [0]; Basic Move 6 [0]; ping routes and coastal cities. Empire)-14 (IQ+1) [2]; Artist (Scene Dodge 10*; Parry 10 (Spear)*. ST 13 [30]; DX 11 [20]; IQ 11 [20]; HT Design)-11 (IQ-2) [1]; Biology 5’6”; 130 lbs. (SM 0). 13 [30]. (Zoology)-12 (IQ-1) [2]; Camou- Social Background Damage 1d+1/2d+1; BL 34 lbs.; HP 13 flage-13 (IQ+0) [1]; Carpentry-13 TL: 2. [0]; Will 11 [0]; Per 11 [0]; FP 13 (IQ+0) [1]; Cloak-11 (DX-1) [1]; Fast- CF: Roman Empire [0]. [0]. Draw (Knife)-12 (DX+0) [1]; Fast- Languages: Gaulish (Broken) [2]; Basic Speed 5.75 [0]; Basic Move 5 [0]; Talk-12 (IQ-1) [1]; Gesture-13 (IQ+0) Latin (Native) [0]. Dodge 9*; Parry 11 (Two-Handed [1]; Holdout-12 (IQ-1) [1]; Knife-12 Axe/Mace)*. (DX+0) [1]; Knot-Tying-13 (DX+1) [2]; Advantages 6’4”; 200 lbs. (SM 0). Lasso-12 (DX+0) [2]; Linguistics-11 Ambidexterity [5]; Charisma 1 [5]; (IQ-2) [1]; Merchant-13 (IQ+0) [2]; Combat Reflexes [15]; Contact (Sextus Social Background Mimicry (Animal Sounds)-13 (IQ+0) Claudius Scaevola, Fence, Merchant- TL: 1. [4]; Mimicry (Bird Calls)-12 (IQ-1) [2]; 15, Usually reliable, 9 or less) [4]; CF: Germanic Lands [0]. Observation-13 (Per+0) [2]; Public Daredevil [15]; Wealth (Comfortable) Languages: Frankish (Native/None) Speaking-14 (IQ+1) [4]; Scroung- [10]. [-3]; Latin (Accented/Broken) [3]. ing-13 (IQ+0) [1]; Stealth-13 (DX+1) Perks: Alcohol Tolerance; Pene- [4]; Teamster (Bovines)-15† (IQ+2) [1]; trating Voice; Weapon Bond (Favorite Advantages Teamster (Saurians)-15† (IQ+2) [1]; Knife). [3] Absolute Direction [5]; Appearance Tracking-13 (Per+0) [2]; Traps-14 (Attractive) [4]; Combat Reflexes [15]; (IQ+1) [4]; Veterinary-14† (IQ+1) [1]; Disadvantages Fearlessness 2 [4]; Fit [5]; Hard to Kill Whip-13 (DX+1) [4]; Wrestling-12 Appearance (Unattractive) [-4]; 2 [4]; Reputation 1 (Successful Pirate, (DX+0) [2]. Code of Honor (Pirate’s) [-5]; Among Germanic Peoples, 10 or less) Compulsive Generosity (12) [-5]; [1]; Striking ST +2 [10]; Temperature * +1 from Combat Reflexes. Enemies (Provincial Government, Tolerance 1 (Cold) [1]. † +3 from Animal Friend. Hunters, 6 or less) [-10]; Overcon- fidence (12) [-5]; Sense of Duty Disadvantages Camilla Rufa (Comrades) [-5]; Social Stigma Code of Honor (Pirate’s) [-5]; 150 points (Second-Class Citizen) [-5]. Innumerate [-5]; Intolerance (Civilized People) [-5]; Lecherousness Camilla Rufa is the daughter of an Quirks: Bowlegged; Flirts with (12) [-15]; Low TL -1 [-5]; No Sense of auxiliary assigned to the governor’s attractive men, including robbery vic- Humor [-10]; Social Stigma office in Burdigala and a Gaulish tims; Swears by Epona. [-3] (Uneducated) [-5]. woman. When her father received Quirks: Likes wine better than reassignment to the German frontier, Skills Area Knowledge (Aquitania)-12 beer; Prefers women who fight back. he left his family behind. Despite the (IQ+1) [2]; Camouflage-12 (IQ+1) [2]; [-2] money he occasionally sent, Camilla Carousing-12 (HT+1) [2]; Dancing-12 grew up poor with a mother who (DX-1) [1]; Knife-13 (DX+0) [1]; Skills didn’t have much time to spend raising Leadership-12† (IQ+1) [2]; Riding Bardic Lore-9 (IQ-2) [1]; Boating her. As an adolescent, she became (Horses)-14 (DX+1) [4]; Savoir-Faire (Unpowered)-11 (DX+0) [2]; friends with a rough crowd. Eventually (High Society)-11 (IQ+0) [1]; Spear-13 Brawling-11 (DX+0) [1]; Carousing-13 some of them took up armed robbery, (DX+0) [2]; Stealth-12 (DX-1) [1]; (HT+0) [1]; Crewman (Seaman- and Camilla talked them into letting Thrown Weapon (Dart)-15 (DX+2) [4]. ship)-12 (IQ+1) [2]; Intimidation-10 her go along and discovered a natural Techniques: Bracing-13 (Spear+0) (Will-1) [1]; Leadership-13 (IQ+2) [8]; talent for violent crime. [5]; Hang from Saddle-12 (Riding-2) Meteorology-12 (IQ+1) [4]; Navigation Now she’s the leader of a small [2]; Vaulting-14 (Riding+0) [4]. (Sea)-15† (IQ+4) [4]; Shiphandling-11 band of brigands who ambush mer- (IQ+0) [4]; Stealth-10 (DX-1) [1]; chants and other travelers on the * +1 from Combat Reflexes. Survival (Island/Beach)-12 (Per+1) [4]; roads. She’s not attractive, with strong † +1 from Charisma. Survival (Woodlands)-11 (Per+0) [2]; features and a freckled, weather-beat- Swimming-13 (HT+0) [1]; Tactics-10 en complexion, but she has a com- Chlodowic (IQ-1) [2]; Thrown Weapon (Har- manding personality and striking red- 150 points poon)-12 (DX+1) [2]; Tracking-10 dish-blonde hair that fits her cog- To all appearances, Chlodowic is (Per-1) [1]; Two-Handed Axe/Mace-14 nomen. Her impressive mounted com- a classic mighty-thewed Germanic (DX+3) [12]. bat skills don’t hurt! She particularly warrior, taking advantage of Rome’s favors riding close to a foe, hanging * +1 from Combat Reflexes. disarray to loot and rape. But he’s actu- † +3 from Absolute Direction. over the far side of her horse, and ally more dangerous than that: a skilled throwing darts over its back or under its belly.

228 ROMA ARCANA Geaticus the Chaldean Advantages Gnaeus Ambrosius 275 points Absolute Direction [5]; Absolute Timing [2]; Acute Vision 1 [2]; Silvanus Geaticus is called “the Chaldean” Appearance (Attractive) [4]; High 150 points because of his practice of astrology, Manual Dexterity 1 [5]; Independent In his adolescence, Silvanus began the Chaldean art of divination. His Income 5 [5]; Language Talent [10]; having peculiar dreams, filled with ancestry is probably not Chaldean, Lightning Calculator [2]; Longevity scenes of violence. His family, pros- though no one knows for sure. [2]; Mathematical Ability 1 [10]; perous citizens of a town in Aquitania, Geaticus is a sorcerer of a quite Musical Ability 1 [5]; Photographic called on the help of physicians, unusual kind: he has no magical tal- Memory (Preparation Required, 1 priests, and even an exorcist, fearing ent at all, not even Magery 0. Rather, minute, -20%) [8]; Reputation 4 that their son was going mad, but he uses his profound knowledge of (Brilliant mathematician; among nothing helped. After several years, astrology to identify favorable heav- mathematicians; 10 or less) [3]; the young man left home to live in the enly aspects, mana-charged moments Signature Gear (Magical Items) [40]; wilderness. He eventually wandered at which nonmages can cast spells. Single-Minded [5]; Status 1 [5]; into a high-mana area that had once His long-term plans are grandiose; Temperature Tolerance 1 (Cold) [1]; been a sacred grove. There, he was frustrated by the need to wait for the Wealth (Very Wealthy) [30]. able to teach himself the Art of planets to aid his spells, he wants to Memory (see Eidetic Memory, p. 219), discover magical techniques for Disadvantages which he used to help regain memo- changing their motion, so that he can Callous [-5]; Delusions (He’ll be ries of a previous life, including the cast spells at his own convenience. able to control the heavens) [-10]; memory of having learned the Art of His early experiments have produced Fanaticism [-15]; Loner (12) [-5]; Memory in that life. In fact, he had an increased number of heavenly por- Megalomania [-10]; No Sense of been one of the druids of Gaul who tents such as comets. He may appear Humor [-10]; Skinny [-5]; Unnatural died after the Roman conquest. as an adversary with deeply convolut- Features (Semi-translucent flesh) [-1]; Now, decades older, he has taught ed plots, or simply as an eccentric Weirdness Magnet [-15]; Xenophilia himself some of the druids’ lost magi- contact. (12) [-10]. cal arts. He still doesn’t recall the Quirks: Conceals his having once whole of any previous life, but he been a Mithraic initiate; Does not remembers enough of the vain war drink wine; Talks in astronomical against the Romans to be eager for metaphors. [-3] revenge and freedom. As the Roman Skills army fails to preserve public safety against civil war, brigandage, invasion, Administration-17 (IQ-1) [1]; and worse threats, he finds increasing Architecture-17 (IQ-1) [1]; Astro- numbers of willing followers. nomy-18* (IQ+0) [2]; College of Air-17 (IQ-1) [4]; College of Communication ST 10 [0]; DX 10 [0]; IQ 13 [60]; HT and Empathy-16 (IQ-2) [2]; College of 11 [10]. Enchantment-15 (IQ-3) [1]; College of Damage 1d-2/1d; BL 20 lbs.; HP 10 [0]; Knowledge-19 (IQ+1) [12]; College of Will 13 [0]; Per 13 [0]; FP 11 [0]. Light and Darkness-15 (IQ-3) [1]; Basic Speed 5.25 [0]; Basic Move 5 [0]; College of Movement-16 (IQ-2) [2]; Dodge 8; Parry 10 (Staff). Current Affairs (Business)-18 (IQ+0) 5’8”; 145 lbs. (SM 0). [1]; Engineer (Clockwork)-18* IQ [2]; Finance-17* (IQ-1) [1]; Fortune- Social Background Telling (Astrology)-18 (IQ+0) [2]; TL: 2. ST 9 [-10]; DX 11 [20]; IQ 18 [160]; Mathematics (Applied)-17* (IQ-1) [1]; CF: Roman Empire [0]. HT 9 [-10]. Mechanic-17 (IQ-1) [1]; Musical Languages: Gaulish (Native) [6]; Damage 1d-2/1d-1; BL 16 lbs.; HP 9 Instrument (Flute)-17† (IQ-1) [1]; Latin (Native) [0]. [0]; Will 16 [-10]; Per 18 [0]; FP 9 Natural Philosophy-17 (IQ-1) [2]; Advantages [0]. Philosophy (Pythagorean)-16 (IQ-2) Absolute Direction [5]; Charisma Basic Speed 5.00 [0]; Basic Move 5 [0]; [1]; Research-17 (IQ-1) [1]; Ritual 1 [5]; Clerical Investment [5]; Eidetic Dodge 8. Magic (Astral Spirit Conjuration)-19 Memory (Preparation Required, 1 5’8”; 110 lbs. (SM 0). Long gray hair. (IQ+1) [12]; Symbol Drawing (Sacred minute, -20%) [4]; Fit [5]; Higher Social Background Architecture)-16 (IQ-2) [1]; Writing-17 Purpose (Free Gaul from Roman TL: 2. (IQ-1) [1]. rule) [5]; Magery 0 [5]; Outdoorsman CF: Roman Empire. Spells 1 [10]; Racial Memory (Passive) [15]; Languages: Akkadian (Accented) Teleport (College of Movement)-15 Reawakened [10]; Status 1 [5]. [2]; Chaldean (Accented) [2]; Gaulish [10]. (Accented) [2]; Greek (Accented) [2]; Latin (Native) [0]; Persian (Accented) * +1 from Mathematical Ability. [2]; Punic (Accented) [2]. † +1 from Musical Ability.

ROMA ARCANA 229 Disadvantages within the city limits, in a hidden Skills Bad Sight (Farsighted) [-25]; chamber under his house, now occu- Area Knowledge (Burdigala)-14 Fanaticism [-15]; Odious Personal pied by his widowed niece Chrysippe (IQ+0) [1]; Area Knowledge (The Habit (Talks in riddles) [-5]; Secret and her two youngest children – she Underworld)-14 (IQ+0) [1]; Exor- (Plots rebellion against Roman rule) was intimidated by the insistence of cism-19 (Will+1) [8]; Expert Skill [-20]; Sense of Duty (People of Gaulish his slave Phoenix, who killed himself (Thanatology)-16 (IQ+2) [12]; descent) [-10]. shortly after the entombment. Fortune-Telling (Spiritualism)-15 Quirks: Chauvinistic; Proud. [-2] Chrysippe had Phoenix’s body placed (IQ+1) [4]; Hazardous Materials-13 in the city graveyard but kept (IQ-1) [1]; Hidden Lore (Spirit Skills Aristodoulos’ tomb secret, fearing that Lore)-16 (IQ+2) [8]; Intimidation-17 Acting-12 (IQ-1) [1]; Archaeolo- she would be punished if it were (Will-1) [1]; Literature-12 (IQ-2) [1]; gy-11 (IQ-2) [1]; Area Knowledge revealed. Now Aristodoulos is one of Occultism-15 (IQ+1) [4]; Research-13 (Aquitania)-13 (IQ+0) [1]; Bardic Lore- the restless dead, able to use his hard- (IQ-1) [1]; Ritual Magic-15 (IQ+1) 13 (IQ+0) [4]; Boating (Unpower- won knowledge to struggle against the [12]; Savoir-Faire (High Society)-14 ed)/TL2-10 (DX+0) [2]; Camou- barriers between life and death. Any (IQ+0) [1]. flage-14* (IQ+1) [1]; Detect Lies-12 Roman would classify him as a larva, (Per-1) [2]; Dreaming-11 (Will-2) [1]; but he doesn’t fit the standard tem- First Aid-13 (IQ+0) [1]; Fishing-14* plate for larvae (p. 213). (Per+1) [1]; Herb Lore-13 (IQ+0) [8]; Herb Lore Magic-12 (IQ-1) [4]; Hidden ST 9 [-10]; DX 9 [-20]; IQ 14 [80]; HT Lore (Riddles)-13 (IQ+0) [2]; Hiking- 9 [-10]. 10 (HT-1) [1]; Law (Celtic Ritual)-11 Damage 1d-2/1d; BL 16 lbs.; HP 9 [0]; (IQ-2) [1]; Leadership-13† (IQ+0) [1]; Will 18 [20]; Per 10 [-20]; FP 9 [0]. Meteorology-14 (IQ+1) [4]; Meteo- Basic Speed 4.50 [0]; Basic Move 4 [0]; rology Magic-12 (IQ-1) [4]; Mimicry Dodge 7. (Bird Calls)-12* (IQ-1) [1]; Naturalist- 5’10”; 0 lbs. (SM 0). 13 (IQ+0) [4]; Navigation (Land)-13* Social Background (IQ+0) [1]; Observation-12 (Per-1) [1]; TL: 2. Occultism-12 (IQ-1) [1]; Poetry-12 CF: Roman Empire [0]. (IQ-1) [1]; Public Speaking-14† (IQ+1) Languages: Greek (Native) [0]; [2]; Religious Ritual-12 (IQ-1) [2]; Latin (Accented) [4]. Savoir-Faire (High Society)-13 (IQ+0) [1]; Singing-11 (HT+0) [1]; Staff-11 Advantages (DX+1) [4]; Stealth-11 (DX+1) [4]; Absolute Direction [5]; Affliction 1 Garumna Survival (Woodlands)-13* (Per+0) [1]; (HT-0; Affects Substantial, +40%; 295 points Teaching-12 (IQ-1) [1]; Theology Malediction, -1/yard, +100%; Unluck- The Romans bridged the Garumna (Druid)-12 (IQ-1) [2]. iness, +10%) [25]; Affliction 1 (Affects River, and under the dominion of the Substantial, +40%; Costs 10 Fatigue, Spells Roman gods, its nymph had to sub- -50%; Heart Attack, +300%; Melee mit. But now that dominion has Fog-10 [2]; Identify Plant-13 [2]; Attack, Reach C, Cannot Parry, -30%; failed, and she’s angry and wants her No-Smell-13 [2]; Predict Weather -12 Temporary Disadvantage, Not waters to flow free. She hasn’t [4]. Invisible, -36%) [33]; Magical Spirit destroyed the bridge yet, but boatmen * +1 from Outdoorsman. [80]; Not Mute [22]; Possession (Only and people who live by the river’s † +1 from Charisma. Blood Relatives, -30%; Spiritual, banks tell of unnerving visions of a -20%) [50]; Unmanifested Spirit [149]. naked, enraged woman with green hair, dark eyes, and a fish’s tail. NONHUMAN FOES Disadvantages Appearance (Monstrous; ST 9 [-10]; DX 11 [20]; IQ 9 [-20]; HT Aristodoulos Universal, +25%) [-25]; Bully (6) [-20]; 15 [0]*. 320 points Callous [-5]; Chronic Pain Damage 1d-2/1d-1; BL 16 lbs.; HP 9 (Frustration at his disembodied condi- [0]; Will 11 [10]; Per 10 [0*]; FP 15 In life, Aristodoulos was an exor- tion, Mild, 1 hour, 12 or less) [-5]; [0]. cist, specializing in casting out the Disturbing Voice [-10]; Hidebound Basic Speed 6.5 [0]; Basic Move 1 [0]; spirits of the restless dead, and secret- [-5]; Lifebane [-10]; Miserliness (12) Dodge 9. ly a necromancer, calling upon the [-10]; No Sense of Humor [-10]; 5’6”; 135 lbs. (SM 0). dead for secret information or binding Obsession (Regain a physical body) them to his service. He was at work on [-10]; Secret (Hidden tomb) [-30]. Social Background a great enchantment to turn himself Quirks: Proud; Uncongenial; Uses TL: 1. into a lich, but died of a sudden illness his powers to pay off old grudges. [-3] CF: Celtic [0]. before it was complete. Contrary to Languages: Gaulish (Native/None) city law, his remains were entombed [-3]; Greek (Accented/None) [2]; Latin (Broken/None) [1].

230 ROMA ARCANA Advantages Skills Mutiny Animal Friend 2 [10]; Green Brawling-14 (DX+2) [4]; Stealth-12 The governor’s troops haven’t been Thumb 2 [10]; Magery 3† [20]; Nymph (DX+0) [2]; Survival (Woodlands)-12 paid in over a year, and they’re grow- [225]. (Per-1) [1]; Tracking-16** (Per+3) [1]. ing restless. The arcani may have the Disadvantages * -40% for No Fine Manipulators. connections to learn of a planned mutiny, or they may hear of it through Bloodlust (6) [-20]; Callous [-5]; No † -10% for Size. Falco, one of their Patrons. Either Legs (Semi-Aquatic, When Material- ‡ +1 from Combat Reflexes. way, their assignment is to preserve ized; Water Move 6) [0]; Vow (Remove ** +4 from Discriminatory Smell. the public safety by any means neces- all human artifacts from her banks) sary – going to the mint at Lugdunum [-10]. and bringing back coin to pay the sol- Quirks: Will spare the life of any- ADVENTURE diers, or organizing the citizens to one who addresses her in verse. [-1] SEEDS resist a military takeover, or personal- Skills What kind of adventures can the ly dealing with the ringleaders. Intimidation-11 (Will+0) [2]; arcani of Burdigala have? Here are Wrestling-12 (DX+1) [4]. some suggestions. They’re listed in a Hammerfall specific order, so that each one builds Encouraged by the disorder of the Spells on an earlier one, but an ingenious empire, the German tribes invade Create Water-14 [12]; Fog-14 [12]; GM can mix them up and add other Gaul. Massive numbers of Alamanni Purify Water-14 [12]; Seek Water-14 challenges. pour over the eastern border, while [12]; Shape Water-14 [12]. All include Frankish ships raid the seaports of the +3 from Magery. Brigands western coast. One of their leaders, Chlodowic, brings several ships to * Includes modifier from Nymph Camilla Rufa and her henchman sack Burdigala. His companions racial template. have been raiding mercantile traffic on include some notable warriors; to † Includes Magery 1 from Nymph Aquitania’s highways. The legionary make them more of a challenge, the racial template. vexillations patrol the roads, but the brigands can see them coming and go GM may make one of them be a skin- Lupus Magnus elsewhere. The arcani could disguise turner. Local adversaries such as Camilla Rufa or Silvanus may turn 20 points themselves as targets, either carrying goods out of Burdigala or bringing into reluctant allies under the German Despite Roman colonization, them in from a nearby city. If they threat. much of Gaul is still forested, a land of choose the latter course, they may end beasts more than men. Now the coun- up traveling with Brontophonos – and War of the try folk tell of a more terrifying beast: get to see Topaza’s unarmed combat Three Emperors a huge wolf such as Hercules might skills. Having Silvanus accompany the On the German frontier, the have fought when he lived on earth. Its brigands is also an option. Praetorian prefect, Postumus, has dis- bite inflicts 1d-1 cutting damage. tributed a large amount of wealth cap- Some accounts credit it with more tured from German invaders to his than bestial cunning, and supersti- House of Night One of Burdigala’s neighborhoods troops, who have proclaimed him tious people say that it’s actually an is gaining a reputation for being emperor. Postumus has many sup- evil sorcerer wearing a wolf’s body. haunted. In fact, it is haunted; the porters in Gaul and Britain and some ST 14 [20*†]; DX 12 [24*]; IQ 5 [-100]; house of Aristodoulos is in that neigh- in Spain, enabling him to establish an HT 12 [20]. borhood. Use this scenario when it’s independent empire there. The Damage 1d/2d-1; BL 39 lbs.; HP 14 [0]; time to introduce supernatural horror. Romans cannot dislodge him. Will 11 [30]; Per 13 [40]; FP 12 [0]. For added menace, the neighborhood However, in Narbonensis, Caesarion is Basic Speed 6.00 [0]; Basic Move 6 [0]; could acquire an unnatural horde of moving to claim the imperial throne Dodge 10‡. striges. by right of descent and establish him- 8’3” long; 412 lbs. (SM +1). self as the savior of the empire. Behind Wolf Hunt the scenes, Geaticus the Chaldean Advantages The Great Wolf of Aquitania has encourages Caesarion’s ambitions. Combat Reflexes [15]; Discrim- begun to threaten the province. The Both rivals have supporters in inatory Smell [15]; DR 1 [5]; Night governor has sent soldiers out to hunt Burdigala, Caesarion among the wor- Vision 2 [2]; Sharp Teeth [1]; Single- for it, but so far without success. The shippers of Isis and the Greeks, Minded [5]; Temperature Tolerance 1 arcani’s special skills might be better Postumus among the Mithraists and [1]. for this job. But there’s a complica- among Gauls who like the idea of hav- Disadvantages tion: Brontophonos has learned about ing their own empire. Will the Patrons of the arcani split up over the issue, or Quadruped [-35]; Wild Animal the wolf, and is offering a reward for will they continue to put the survival [-30]. it, if it’s captured alive. The arcani can of their own city first? And what hap- Quirks: Uncongenial. [-1] either compete for that reward, or take the simpler path of trying to kill pens if the Parthians become interest- the wolf. ed and send Bahjam to decide who gets the throne?

ROMA ARCANA 231 Glossary ab urbe condita: From the founding of the city (of navarch: The senior captain of a squadron of warships. Rome). The year AUC 1 corresponds to 753 B.C. To numen (plural numina): Supernatural power; a god or find the Roman equivalent for any year after that, spirit. Roughly equivalent to mana. subtract the year B.C. from 754, or add the year optio: The second in command of a century, after the A.D. to 753. Thus, 1 B.C. was AUC 753, and the next centurion. year, 1 A.D., was AUC 754. ordo: The council of a provincial city, modeled on arcanus: A covert operative, or a person with secret Rome’s Senate. knowledge including magical secrets. pater patriae: Father of the country, a title of the beneficarius: The chief administrator of a warship. emperor. cursus honorum: A standard sequence of religious, paterfamilias: The senior male member of a house- military, and administrative offices that makes up a hold, with legal authority over his family and the career of public service. Each social class is eligible household property, including slaves. for different offices that make up a different cursus pomoerium: The official boundary of a city, defined by honorum. religious ritual; marked by a line of stones or other devotio: A special military ritual in which a com- physical sign. mander offers his own life to the gods in exchange pontifex maximus: The office of head of the pontifical for victory in battle. college, always held by the emperor. Di Manes: The spirits of a family’s ancestors. The primus pilus: The senior centurion of the first cohort name means roughly “good folk” and is used partly of a legion; effectively third in command in the field. to avoid offending the dead, like calling the Furies rex sacrorum: A full-time priest who carried out the “the kindly ones.” religious functions once performed by Rome’s king. eques (plural equites): (1) A member of the equestri- signifer: The soldier assigned to carry his century’s an social class, originally made up of citizens rich standard into battle; also customarily assigned to enough to serve in the cavalry. (2) A gladiator guard and account for legion funds. trained for mounted combat in the arena. testudo: A group combat technique of raising shields flamen: A priest of the city of Rome assigned to serve overhead and locking them together, named from one god exclusively. The flamen dialis served Jupiter, the Latin word for “tortoise.” the flamen martialis served Mars, the flamen quiri- trierarch: The captain of a warship. nalis served Quirinus (Romulus, the founder of tutor: A legal guardian assigned to an adult woman, Rome, deified after his death), and 12 minor whose consent is required for any important legal flamines served less important gods. Provincial decisions she makes. cities have flamines for their own gods and for the vexilla: A banner carried by any military force on cult of the Imperial Genius. detached duty from a legion. limes: The official frontier of Roman rule, established vigiles: A force operating within the city limits of by Augustus Caesar in his will. Rome, mainly as fire fighters and nighttime street mithraeum: A cave or building devoted to worship of patrol, made up of freedmen. Mithras. ROMA ARCANA BIBLIOGRAPHY GMs who would like to know more Casson, Lionel. Ships and Johnson, Anne. Roman Forts ancient Roman customs and beliefs Seamanship in the Ancient World (Adam & Charles Black, 1983). for their Roma Arcana campaigns may (Johns Hopkins University Press, Le Bohec, Yann. The Imperial find the following books useful. 1971/1995). Roman Army (Hippocrene, 1994). de Planhol, Xavier, with the collab- Luttwak, Edward N. The Grand Adkins, Lesley, and Adkins, Roy A. oration of Paul Claval. An Historical Strategy of the Roman Empire from the Handbook to Life in Ancient Rome, Geography of France, Cambridge First Century A.D. to the Third (Johns Facts on File Library of World History Studies in Historical Geography, Hopkins University Press, 1976). (Oxford University Press, 1994). If you Volume 21 (Cambridge University McMullen, Ramsay. Enemies of the only want to read one book before run- Press, 1994). Roman Order (Harvard University ning a Roman Empire campaign, read Dumézil, Georges. Archaic Roman Press, 1966). this one. Religion, translated by Philip Krapp Turcan, Robert. The Gods of Ancient Burkert, Walter. Ancient Mystery (University of Chicago Press, 1970). Rome: Religion in Everyday Life from Cults (Harvard University Press, 1987). Goldsworthy, Adrian. The Complete Archaic to Imperial Times, translated Carella, C.J. GURPS Imperial Roman Religion (Thames and Hudson, by Antonia Nevill (Routledge, 2000). Rome. This supplement for GURPS 2003). Ulansey, David. The Origins of the Third Edition provides a comprehen- Greene, Kevin. The Archaeology of Mithraic Mysteries: Cosmology and sive treatment of the Roman Empire, the Roman Economy (Batsford, 1986). Salvation in the Ancient World (Oxford emphasizing the aspects that are most Hyland, Ann. Equus: The Horse in University Press, 1989). useful for planning a campaign. the Roman World (Batsford, 1990).

232 ROMA ARCANA BIBLIOGRAPHY

FACT AND SPECULATION The New Larousse Encyclopedia of Mechanics of Ancient and Traditional Graves, Robert. The White Goddess; Mythology (Hamlyn, 1968). Material Culture (Cambridge Uni- A Historical Grammar of Poetic Myth, Anglo, Sydney. The Martial Arts of versity Press, 1990). Amended and Enlarged Edition Renaissance Europe (Yale University Daniels, Peter T., and William (Octagon, 1972). Press, 2000). Bright. The World’s Writing Systems Guadalupi, Gianni, and Alberto Campbell, Joseph. The Hero with a (Oxford University Press, 1996). Manguel. The Dictionary of Imaginary Thousand Faces (MJF Books, 1996); de Camp, L. Sprague. The Ancient Places (Macmillan, 1980). The Masks of God, in four volumes: Engineers (Ballantine, 1963). Jaynes, Julian. The Origin of Primitive Mythology, Oriental Myth- Diamond, Jared. Guns, Germs, and Consciousness in the Breakdown of the ology, Occidental Mythology, Creative Steel (Norton, 1997). Bicameral Mind (Houghton Mifflin, Mythology (Arkana, 1991). Dixon, R.M.W. The Rise and Fall of 1990). Cotterell, Brian, and Johan Kam- Languages (Cambridge University Keegan, John. The Face of Battle minga. Mechanics of Pre-industrial Press, 1997). (Penguin, 1978). Technology: An Introduction to the CRITICAL STUDIES Barton, Dan, and Grandy, David. to go under “Factual Information,” as Mimesis: Responses to Reality in Magic, Mystery, and Science: The it’s a serious scholarly reference work Western Literature (Routledge, 1985). Occult in Western Civilization (Indiana about geography – it just happens to Irwin, Robert. The Arabian Nights: University Press, 2004). be the geography of Middle-Earth. A Companion (Allen Lane, 1994). Carter, Lin. Imaginary Worlds One of the best models for extracting a Jones, Diana Wynne. The Tough (Ballantine, 1973). detailed description of a setting from a Guide to Fantasyland (Vista, 1996). Clute, John, and Grant, John. The work of fiction. Le Guin, Ursula K. “From Elfland Encyclopedia of Fantasy (St. Martin’s Frye, Northrop. Anatomy of to Poughkeepsie,” in The Language of Griffin, 1999). Criticism (Princeton University Press, the Night (HarperCollins, 1992). Fonstad, Karen Wynn. The Atlas of 1957). Tolkien, J.R.R. “On Fairy Stories,” Middle-Earth, revised edition (Hough- Hume, Kathryn. Fantasy and in Poems and Stories (Houghton ton Mifflin, 1991). Arguably this ought Mifflin, 1994). FOLKLORE, MYTHOLOGY, AND CLASSICS Alighieri, Dante. The Divine Comedy Alice Found There, and The Hunting of Haggard, H. Rider. She (Oxford (New American Library, 2003). the Snark (omnibus edition annotated University Press, 1998). Barrie, J.M. Peter Pan (Viking, by Martin Gardner, Norton, 1999). Hesiod. Theogony (Ann Arbor 1991). Chaucer, Geoffrey. The Canterbury Paperbacks, 1991). Beowulf (Norton, 2001). Tales (Penguin, 2003). Hesse, Hermann. Steppenwolf Baum, L. Frank. The Wizard of Oz Coleridge, Samuel Taylor. “The (Picador, 2002). and others in the Oz series. The com- Rime of the Ancient Mariner,” in The Homer. The Odyssey (Penguin, plete series has been reprinted by Complete Poems (Penguin, 1997). 1999). Dover Publications. Dunsany, Lord. The King of Elfland’s Kingsley, Charles. The Water-Babies Cabell, James Branch. Figures of Daughter (Del Rey, 1999) and Time and (J.M. Dent & Sons, 1983). Earth (Wildside Press, 2001), The the Gods (Kessinger, 2004). Kipling, Rudyard. “The Brush- Silver Stallion (Del Rey, 1979), and Egil’s Saga (Penguin, 1977). wood Boy” in The Day’s Work Jurgen (Dover, 1978). Goethe, Johann Wolfgang. Faust (Fredonia, 2000), Puck of Pook’s Hill Carroll, Lewis. Alice in Wonderland, (Princeton University Press, 1994). (Blue Unicorn, 1998), and Rewards Through the Looking-Glass and What and Fairies (Kessinger, 2004).

BIBLIOGRAPHY 233 Kouyaté, Mamadou. Sundiata Maeterlinck, Maurice. The Blue Shakespeare, William. A Midsum- (Longman, 1995). Bird (Kessinger, 2004). mer Night’s Dream and The Tempest MacDonald, George. “The Light Nesbitt, E. Five Children and It (both Signet, 1998). Princess” in The Complete Fairy Tales (Puffin, 1996) and The Phoenix and the Valmiki. The Ramayana (Penguin, (Penguin, 1999), The Princess and the Carpet (Puffin, 1996). 1998). Goblins (Puffin, 1997), and The The Saga of the Volsungs Virgil. The Aeneid (Vintage, 1990). Princess and Curdie (Puffin, 1996). (University of California Press, 1990). Vyasa. The Mahabharata (Univer- Malory, Thomas. Le Morte d’Arthur sity of Chicago Press, 2000). (Signet, 2001). FICTION Alexander, Lloyd. The Book of Three Rose (Tor, 1985), Shadow Games (Tor, Collins, 1983) and The Weirdstone of (Holt, 1964), The Black Cauldron 1989), The Silver Spike (Tor, 1989), Brisingamen: A Tale of Alderley (Holt, 1965), The Castle of Llyr (Holt, Dreams of Steel (Tor, 1990), Bleak (Random House, 1969). 1966), Taran Wanderer (Holt, 1967), Seasons (Tor, 1996), She Is the Darkness Garrett, Randall. Lord Darcy and The High King (Holt, 1968). (Tor, 1998), Water Sleeps (Tor, 1999), Investigates (Ace, 1981), Murder and Anderson, Poul. Three Hearts and and Soldiers Live (Tor, 2000). Magic (Ace, 1981), and Too Many Three Lions (Doubleday, 1961) and Crowley, John. Little, Big (Bantam, Magicians (Ace, 1979). Operation Chaos (Doubleday, 1971). 1981). Gentle, Mary. The Book of Ash (Eos, Beagle, Peter S. The Last Unicorn Davidson, Avram. The Adventures 1999-2000). (Ballantine, 1968). of Doctor Esterhazy (Owlswick, 1991). Hamilton, Laurell K. A Kiss of Bellairs, John. The Face in the Frost de Camp, L. Sprague, and Pratt, Shadows (Del Rey, 2000), A Caress of (Ace, 1978). Fletcher. The Compleat Enchanter Twilight (Ballantine, 2002), and Blish, James. Black Easter (Doubleday, 1975). Seduced by Moonlight (Ballantine, (Doubleday, 1968) and The Day After De Lint, Charles. Moonheart (Ace, 2004). Judgment (Doubleday, 1971) [reissued 1984). Heinlein, Robert. “Magic Inc.,” in in one volume as The Devil’s Day Donaldson, Stephen R. Lord Foul’s Waldo and Magic Inc. (Doubleday, (Baen, 1990)]. Bane (Del Rey, 1977), The Illearth War 1950) and “The Unpleasant Profession Borges, Jorge Luis. Labyrinths, (Del Rey, 1977), and The Power That of Jonathan Hoag,” in The Unpleasant edited by James E. Irby and Donald A. Preserves (Del Rey, 1977). Profession of Jonathan Hoag (Gnome, Yates (New Directions, 1988). Eager, Edward. Half Magic 1959). Brust, Steven. Jhereg (Ace, 1983), (Harcourt, Brace, 1954), Knight’s Holdstock, Robert. Mythago Wood The Phoenix Guards (Tor, 1991), Five Castle (Harcourt, Brace, 1956), Magic (Gollancz, 1984), Lavondyss (Gollancz, Hundred Years After (Tor, 1994), The by the Lake (Harcourt, Brace, 1957), 1988), and The Hollowing (Harper Paths of the Dead (Tor, 2002), and The The Time Garden (Harcourt, Brace, Collins, 1993). Lord of Castle Black (Tor, 2003). 1958), and Seven-Day Magic Howard, Robert Ervin. Conan the Bujold, Lois McMaster. The Curse (Harcourt, Brace, 1962). Barbarian (Gnome Press, 1954) and of Chalion (Eos, 2001) and Paladin of Eddison, E.R. Mistress of Conan the Conqueror: The Hyborian Souls (Eos, 2003). Mistresses: A Vision of Zimiamvia Age (Gnome Press, 1950). Bull, Emma. War for the Oaks (Orb, (Dutton, 1935), A Fish Dinner in Hughart, Barry. Bridge of Birds (St. 2001). Memison (Dutton, 1941), and The Martin’s, 1984), The Story of the Stone Card, Orson Scott. Seventh Son (Tom Mezentian Gate (Elek, 1958) [reissued (Doubleday, 1988), and Eight Skilled Doherty Associates, 1987) and sequels. in one volume as Zimiamvia]. The Gentlemen (Doubleday, 1991). Carey, Jacqueline. Kushiel’s Dart Mezentian Gate was published in Jackson, Melanie. Traveler (Love (Tor, 2001), Kushiel’s Chosen (Tor, incomplete form long after Eddison’s Spell, 2003). 2002), and Kushiel’s Avatar (Tor, 2003). death in 1945. Karr, Phyllis Ann. The Idylls of the Cherryh, C.J. Rusalka (Del Rey, Effinger, George Alec. Maureen Queen (Berkley, 1985). 1989). Birnbaum, Barbarian Swordsperson L’Engle, Madeleine. A Wrinkle in Cook, Glen. Dread Brass Shadows (Swan Press, 1993). Time (Ariel, 1962), A Wind in the Door (Roc, 1990), Red Iron Nights (Roc, Ford, John M. The Dragon Waiting (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1973), and 1991), Deadly Quicksilver Lies (Roc, (Timescape, 1983). A Swiftly Tilting Planet (Farrar, Straus 1994), Petty Pewter Gods (Roc, 1995), Gaiman, Neil, and Pratchett, Terry. and Giroux, 1978). Faded Steel Heat (Roc, 1999), Angry Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Le Guin, Ursula K. “The Rule of Lead Skies (Roc, 2002), Sweet Silver Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch Names,” in The Wind’s Twelve Quarters Blues (Signet, 1987), Cold Copper Tears (Workman, 1990). (HarperCollins, 1975), A Wizard of (Signet, 1988), Bitter Gold Hearts Garfinkle, Richard. Celestial Earthsea (Parnassus, 1968), The Tombs (Signet, 1988), Old Tin Sorrows (Signet, Matters (Tor, 1996). of Atuan (Atheneum, 1971), and The 1989), The Black Company (Tor, 1984), Garner, Alan. The Moon of Farthest Shore (Atheneum, 1972). Shadows Linger (Tor, 1984), The White Gomrath: A Tale of Alderley (Harper

234 BIBLIOGRAPHY Lee, Tanith. Night’s Master (DAW, Owens, Robin. HeartMate (Jove, Rowling, J.K. Harry Potter and the 1978), Death’s Master (New American 2001), Heart Thief (Berkley, 2003), and Sorcerer’s Stone (A.A. Levine, 1998), Library, 1986), Delusion’s Master Heart Duel (Berkley, 2004). Harry Potter and the Chamber of (DAW, 1987), Delirium’s Mistress (New Peake, Mervyn. Titus Groan Secrets (A.A. Levine, 1999), Harry American Library, 1986), and Night’s (Ballantine, 1968), Gormenghast Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban Sorceries (DAW, 1987). (Ballantine, 1968), and Titus Alone (A.A. Levine, 1999), Harry Potter and Leiber, Fritz. Our Lady of (Ballantine, 1968). the Goblet of Fire (A.A. Levine, 2000), Darkness (Berkley, 1977), Conjure Powers, Tim. The Anubis Gates and Harry Potter and the Order of the Wife (Gregg, 1977), Swords and (Ace, 1984), On Stranger Tides (Ace, Phoenix (A.A. Levine, 2003). Deviltry (Gregg, 1977), Swords 1987), The Stress of Her Regard (Ace, Scott, Melissa. Five-Twelfths of Against Death (Gregg, 1977), Swords 1989), The Drawing of the Dark Heaven (Baen, 1985), Silence in in the Mist (Gregg, 1977), Swords (Ballantine, 1979), and Declare Solitude (Baen, 1986), and The Against Wizardry (Gregg, 1977), The (William Morrow, 2001). Empress of Earth (Baen, 1987). Swords of Lankhmar (Gregg, 1977), Pratchett, Terry. The Discworld Smith, Thorne. Topper (McBride, and Swords and Ice Magic (Gregg, series: The Color of Magic (St. Martin’s, 1926) and The Night Life of the Gods 1977). 1983), The Light Fantastic (Dufour, (Doubleday, 1931). Lewis, C.S. Out of the Silent Planet 1986), Equal Rites (HarperTorch, Swann, Thomas Burnett. (Avon, 1949), Perelandra (Macmillan, 2000), Mort (HarperCollins, 2001); Wolfwinter (Ballantine, 1972). 1944), and That Hideous Strength Sourcery (Orion, 1988), Wyrd Sisters Swanwick, Michael. The Iron (Macmillan, 1946). (Gollancz, 1988), Pyramids: The Book Dragon’s Daughter (Avon, 1994). Lovecraft, H.P. “The Dream-Quest of Going Forth (Gollancz, 1989), Tolkien, J.R.R. The Hobbit (Hough- of Unknown Kadath,” in Beyond the Guards! Guards! (Gollancz, 1989), ton Mifflin, 1938) and The Lord of the Wall of Sleep (Arkham House, 1943). Moving Pictures (Gollancz, 1990), Rings (Houghton Mifflin, 1954). MacAvoy, Roberta. The Grey Horse Reaper Man (Gollancz, 1991), Witches Turtledove, Harry. The Case of the (Bantam, 1987) and Tea with the Black Abroad (Gollancz, 1991), Small Gods Toxic Spell Dump (Baen, 1993) and Dragon (Bantam, 1983). (HarperCollins, 1992), Lords and Between the Rivers (Tor, 1998). McKillip, Patricia. The Riddle- Ladies (HarperPrism, 1994), Men at Vance, Jack. Madouc (Ace, 1990), Master of Hed (Ballantine, 1977). Arms (HarperPrism, 1996), Soul Music Lyonesse (Berkley, 1983), The Green Miéville, China. Perdido Street (HarperPrism, 1995), Feet of Clay Pearl (Berkley, 1986), The Dying Earth Station (Del Rey, 2001) and The Scar (HarperPrism, 1996), Interesting Times (Underwood-Miller, 1994), The Eyes of (Ballantine, 2002). (HarperPrism, 1997), Maskerade (Har- the Overworld (Underwood-Miller, Moon, Elizabeth. Sheepfarmer’s perPrism, 1997), Hogfather (Harper- 1966), Cugel’s Saga (Underwood- Daughter (Baen, 1988). Prism, 1999), Jingo (HarperPrism, Miller, 1983), and Rhialto the Moorcock, Michael. Elric of 1998), The Last Continent (Harper- Marvellous (Underwood-Miller, 1984). Melnibone (DAW, 1976), Sailor on the Prism, 1999), Carpe Jugulum (Harper- White, T.H. The Once and Future Seas of Fate (DAW, 1976), Weird of the Prism, 1999), The Fifth Elephant King (Putnam, 1958). White Wolf (DAW, 1977), The (HarperCollins, 2000), The Truth Williams, Walter Jon. Metropolitan Vanishing Tower (DAW, 1977), Bane of (HarperCollins, 2000), Thief of Time (HarperPrism, 1995) and City on Fire the Black Sword (DAW, 1977), and (HarperCollins, 2001), The Last Hero (HarperPrism, 1997). Stormbringer (DAW, 1977). (HarperCollins, 2001), Night Watch Williamson, Jack. Darker Than You Moore, C.L. Jirel of Joiry (Ace, (HarperCollins, 2000), and Monstrous Think (Fantasy Press, 1948). 1996). Regiment (HarperCollins, 2003). Windling, Terri, and Sherman, Murphy, Pat. Nadya: The Wolf Rawn, Melanie. The Ruins of Delia. The Essential Bordertown (Tor, Chronicles (Tor, 1996). Ambrai (Daw, 1994), The Mageborn 1998). Niven, Larry. The Magic Goes Away Traitor (Daw, 1997), and The Captal’s Zelazny, Roger. Nine Princes in (Ace, 1978). Tower (MacMillan, forthcoming). Amber (Doubleday, 1970), The Guns of Nix, Garth. Sabriel (HarperCollins, Robinson, Kim Stanley. The Years Avalon (Doubleday, 1972), Sign of the 1995), Lirael, Daughter of the Clayr of Rice and Salt (Bantam, 2002). Unicorn (Doubleday, 1975), The Hand (HarperCollins, 2001), and Abhorsen of Oberon (Doubleday, 1976), and The (HarperCollins, 2003). Courts of Chaos (Doubleday, 1978).

BIBLIOGRAPHY 235 FILM The Adventures of Baron The Last Unicorn (Jules Bass and Return to Oz (Walter Murch, 1985). Munchausen (Terry Gilliam, 1988). Arthur Rankin, Jr., 1982). Animated. The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad Beauty and the Beast [La Belle et la The Matrix (Andy Wachowski and (Nathan Juran, 1958). Bête] (Jean Cocteau, 1946). Larry Wachowski, 1999); The Matrix Shrek (Andrew Adamson and Vicky Bell, Book, and Candle (Richard Reloaded (Andy Wachowski and Larry Jenson, 2001). Quine, 1958). Wachowki, 2003); and The Matrix Siegfried [Siegfried, die Nibelungen] Big Trouble in Little China (John Revolutions (Andy Wachowski and (Fritz Lang, 1924). Carpenter, 1986). Larry Wachowski, 2003). Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger Clash of the Titans (Desmond A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Sam Wanamaker, 1977). Davis, 1981). (Michael Hoffman, 1999). Spirited Away (Hayao Miyazaki, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon Monty Python and the Holy Grail 2001). [Wo Hu Cang Long] (Ang Lee, 2000). (Terry Gilliam and Terry Jones, 1975). The Thief of Bagdad (Raoul Walsh, The Fellowship of the Ring (Peter Photographing Fairies (Nick 1924). Jackson, 2001); The Two Towers (Peter Willing, 1997). The Thief of Bagdad (Ludwig Jackson, 2002); The Return of the King The Princess Bride (Rob Reiner, Berger, Michael Powell, and Tim (Peter Jackson, 2003). 1987). Whelan, 1940). The Golden Voyage of Sinbad Princess Mononoke [Mononoke Time Bandits (Terry Gilliam, 1981). (Gordon Hessler, 1973). Hime] (Hayao Miyazaki, 1997). Topper (Norman Z. McLeod, 1937). Jabberwocky (Terry Gilliam, 1977). Animated. Wings of Desire [Der Himmel über Jason and the Argonauts (Don Prospero’s Books (Peter Greenaway, Berlin] (Wim Wenders, 1987). Chaffey, 1963). 1991). The Wizard of Oz (Victor Fleming, Rashomon (Akira Kurosawa, 1950). 1939).

TELEVISION Beauty and the Beast (1987-1990). The Heroic Legend of Arislan The Vision of Escaflowne [Tenkuu Bewitched (1964-1972). [Arisuran no Senki] (1991). Animated. no Eskafuroone] (1996). Animated. Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997- NeverWhere (1996). Xena, Warrior Princess (1995-2001). 2003). Record of Lodoss War [Lodoss to Wyrd Sisters (1996) and Soul Music Fushigi Yugi (1995). Animated. Senki] (1990). Animated. (1996). Animated. Gormenghast (2000). Slayers (1995). Animated.

236 BIBLIOGRAPHY COMICS Gaiman, Neil. The Books of Magic Nelson, Arvid. Rex Mundi (Image, Smith, Jeff. Bone (Cartoon Books, (DC, 1990-1991) and The Sandman 2003-2004). 1991-2004). (DC/Vertigo, 1988-1996). Pini, Wendy and Pini, Richard. Wagner, Matt. Mage: The Hero Holguin, Brian. Aria (Image, 2000- Elfquest (WaRP, Graphics 1981-1984). Discovered (Comico, 1984-1986). 2003). Sakai, Stan. Usagi Yojimbo Wyman, Vicki. Xanadu. (MU 1993, Moore, Alan. Promethea (America’s (multiple publishers, 1984-2004). 1994). Best Comics, 1999-2004). GAMES Barker, M.A.R. Empire of the Petal Laws, Robin D. The Dying Earth 1993); James Palmer et al. focus on Throne (TSR, 1975). A new treatment Roleplaying Game (Pelgrane Press, fiefs and feudalism in Lordly of the same setting is Tekumel 2001). Domains (Green Knight, 1999). (Guardians of Order, 2004). Long, Steven S. Fantasy Hero Tweet, Jonathan, et al. Dungeons Brucato, Phil, et al. Mage: The (Hero Games, 2003). & Dragons (Wizards of the Coast, 3rd Ascension 2nd ed. (White Wolf, 1995). Pearcy, Derek. In Nomine (Steve ed. 2001, 3.5 ed. 2003). Among the Fantasy-relevant supplements to this Jackson Games, 1997). R. Sean Borg- excellent supplements to Gygax and epic game of modern magic include strom and David Edelstein’s Ethereal Arneson’s classic fantasy RPG are Jeff Phil Brucato’s The Book of Crafts Player’s Guide (Steve Jackson Games, Grubb, et. al’s Manual of the Planes (White Wolf, 1996) and The Book of 2003) adds pagan gods and spirits to (1987, rev. ed. 2001) and Nigel Findley, Worlds (White Wolf, 1996), and this religious fantasy. et al.’s Draconomicon (1990). Dragons of the East (White Wolf, Perrin, Steve, et al. RuneQuest 2nd Tweet, Jonathan and Rein•Hagen, 2000) and Dead Magic (White Wolf, ed. (Chaosium, 1980). A new treat- Mark. Ars Magica (Atlas Games, 2000), both developed by Jess Heinig. ment of the same setting is Robin D. 1996). Adam Bank and Jeremiah Brucato, Phil, et al. Mage: The Laws and Greg Stafford’s Hero Wars Genest’s The Mysteries (Atlas Games, Sorcerers Crusade (White Wolf, (Issaries, 2000). 2000) adds historical mysticism to this 1998). Simbalist, Edward E., and evocative medieval fantasy. Crossby, N. Robin. Hârnworld Backhaus, Wilf. Chivalry & Sorcery Wujcik, Eric. Amber Diceless Role- (Columbia Games, 1990). (Fantasy Games Unlimited, 1977). Playing (Phage Press, 1991). Grabowski, Geoff, et al. Exalted The 4th edition is supported by Yee, Suzy, and Browning, Joseph. A (White Wolf, 2001). Brittannia Game Designs, Ltd. Magical Medieval Society: Western Halliwell, Richard, et al. Warham- Stafford, Greg. King Arthur Europe (Expeditious Retreat Press, mer Fantasy Role Play (Games Pendragon: Epic Roleplaying in 2003). Workshop, 1986). Legendary Britain 4th ed. (Chaosium, GURPS THIRD EDITION Many of the supplements to the and demigods. Contains a variety of GURPS Magic Items 1, Magic previous edition of GURPS contained alternate and modified magic systems. Items 2, and Magic Items 3. fantasy material. Much of this is GURPS Celtic Myth. Britain and Treasuries of magical artifacts. usable with any system, and most of Ireland, from prehistory up to the 5th GURPS Places of Mystery. Locales the rest can be adapted to GURPS century, with special emphasis on with unusual histories, from all over Fourth Edition with ease. The follow- folklore and myth. the world and every historical period. ing supplements are especially recom- GURPS Dragons. Dragons and GURPS Shapeshifters. Beings that mended as sources of inspiration: other serpentine and reptilian races, can change form, from werewolves to both as monsters and as civilized far-future constructs of liquid metal. Discworld Roleplaying Game. beings. Includes Fourth Edition rules. GURPS Spirits. Entities that Stand-alone (“Powered by GURPS”) GURPS Faerie. Dwellers “under embody abstract concepts such as RPG based on the humorous fantasy the hill” and their cousins in folklore. “nature” and “divine will.” of Terry Pratchett. Released first as GURPS In Nomine. Roleplay GURPS Technomancer. Alternate GURPS Discworld. Supported by agents of Heaven or Hell, or pagan Earth where magic awakens in 1945, Discworld Also. gods and spirits with no ties to either changing the world. GURPS Cabal. Horror-conspiracy side. A GURPS treatment of extreme- GURPS Undead. The living dead – setting in which the Earth – in fact, the ly powerful supernatural beings as ghosts, mummies, zombies, etc. entire universe – is controlled by a player characters. secret alliance of powerful wizards

BIBLIOGRAPHY 237 INDEX Absolute Direction advantage, Base and mission campaigns, Compulsive Behavior Duels, 11, 146, 180, 181, 187. 128. 15, 175. disadvantage, 219. Dungeons & Dragons, 7, 15, Absurdist fantasy, 13. Battle wizards, 190; Battle Conan, 7. 63, 84, 174. Accounting skill, 220. Wizard template, 118. Contacts advantage, 128. Dungeons, 100. Acute Senses advantages, 128. Beast races, 58. Contagion, Law of, 19. Duration of magic, 154. Adamant, 22, 40, 68, 192, 193. Beggar “job,” 139. Corporeal Undead meta-traits, Dwarves, 41, 56, 58, 62; Addiction disadvantage, 132. Berdaches, 57. 133. template, 107. Advantages, 128-132, 219. Bibliography, 233-237; Correspondence magic, 160; Earth spells, 169. Adventure seeds, 175-185, 231. Roma Arcana, 232. see also Three Laws of Earthquakes, 86. Adventures, 174-194. Biotech, 67. Magic. Eidetic Memory advantage, Afterworlds, 35, 37, 40; Bird of Paradise, 47. Cosmic forces, 6. 128, 219. see also Dead. Birds, 47. Cost of living, 137. Elves, 56, 58, 62; Agrarian magic, 95. Bless Plant spell, 172. Counting coup, 57. template, 108. Agriculture, 70, 71, 93-94, Blessed advantage, 128. Courtesan template, 214. Empires, 73, 81, 95, 96; 137. Blizzards, 87. Courtier job, 139. imperial capitals, 96. Air spells, 168-169. Blood magic, 167. Courts, see Kings. Enchantment and Air vehicles, 143. Bracing technique, 220. Craft and trade magic, 147, enchantment spells, 23-25, Alchemy, 152, 156; internal, Brontes, 55. 162. 149. 156; making gold, 156; Brontophonos, 227. Criminology skill, 135. Enclaves, 73. skill, 18, 23. Burdigala, 224-231; arcani, Critical studies of fantasy, End of the world, 77. All-heal, 22. 226; enemies, 227-231; 233. Engineer template, 215. Allies advantage, 128, 132. map, 225; schools, Crossover campaigns, 9. Enthrallment skill, 135. Allure talent, 132. 225-226; temples and Cults, 205-206, 225. Epidemics, 88; see also Alternate histories, 12, 41, 75, cults, 225. Cure Disease spell, 170. Disease. 78; see also Jumper. Cabal, 12, 196. Current Affairs skill, 135. Equipment, 140-145, 223. Amphisbaena, 211. Caesarion, 200. Curses, 54, 182. Espionage, 9, 177. Ancestor worship, 37, 90, 112, Camilla Rufa, 228. Cyberpunk, 9, 13, 36, 67, 158, Evil, and good, 21; 202. Campaigns, 21, 29, 41, 174; 166. evil gods, 32, 33. Angels, 31. character creation, 127; Dark ages, 84. Exhaustion, 82. Animals, 46, 105, 211-212; planning, 4; style, 16. Dark fantasy, 7, 21, 46, 82. Exotic lands, 8. animal languages, 47; King Cannibalism, 57. 162, 179. Expert Skill skills, 135. of Beasts, 47; mythical Cannon, 144. Dawn ages, 79. Faeries, 56, 132, 168; beasts in combat, 193. Carnivorous plants, 47. Dead, the, 37-38, 40, 230; realms, 35; template, 108. Animistic magic, 19. Castes, 73. thanatocracy, 69. Familiars, 26. Anthropophagy, 57. Castle Falkenstein, 9, 12. Deadlands, 9. Famines, 88. Ants, 48, 109. Castles, 100. Death, see Dead. Fantasy worlds, 10. Appearance, 128. Catastrophes, 83. Death-aspected mana, 44. Farmer job, 139. Arc campaigns, 15. Cave-ins, 86. Decadence, 81, 96. Fear spell, 171. Arcani, 226. Caves, 42. Deification, 38; see also Gods. Fetishes, 26, 128, 130. Archer template, 114. Centaur template, 105. Demons, 32, 36, 38, 148. Fiction, 234-235. Archetypal realms, 36. Chaldea, 196. Dependency disadvantage, Films, 236. Arctic, 42. Characters, 213-224. 132. Fires, 88, 95. Area campaigns, 15. Chariot Archery technique, Deserts, 42. Fisherman job, 139. Area Knowledge skill, 134. 136. Devilfish, 105; magic, 168; Fixed magic, 161. Aristodoulos, 230. Charismatic rulers, 69. template, 105. Flight spell, 171. Armies, see Warfare. Chi as magic, 157. Devotion talent, 132. Floods, 87. Armor, 97; Roman, 223. Chimera, 51-52. Diamond, 22. Foci, 28. Armorer job, 138. Chlodowic, 228. Dinosaurs, 195, 212, 227. Folklore, 99, 233. Artificer template, 114. Christian supernaturalism, 8. Diplomacy, 177. Food, 99, 137; spells, 169; Ascension, 38. Christianity, in Roma Arcana, Disadvantages, 132-133, 219. see also Agriculture. Aspected mana, 43. 211. Disease, 32, 88, 95; see also Fools, 11, 70. Aspidochelon, 211. Churches, 101, 102. Medicine. Forests, 42, 46; forest fires, 88. Assassin template, 115. Cities, 94, 96, 138, 199; Disturbances, 85-90. Formulaic magic, 148. Astrological magic, 163. capital, 96. Divination, 150, 179, 203. Fortresses, 191-192, 198; Astrology, 210, 229. City-states, 80. Divine punishments, 89. legionary, 198; Vauban Atlantis, 23, 74, 77. Classics, 233. Djinn, 25, 30, 61; djinn lamp, (star) fortresses, 191-192. Automata, 25, 66, 67. Clerical Investment, 148, 149. 25; template, 107. Fortune-Telling skill, 135, 150, Bacchus, cult of, 205. Code of Honor disadvantage, Dragons, 56, 61, 137, 176, 181; 220. Bahjam, 226. 132, 219. blood, 22; template, 107. Fossils, 41, 46. Bandit template, 116. Combat Art and Sport skills, Dread disadvantage, 133. Frenzy talent, 205. Barbarian template, 116. 135. Dreaming skill, 204. Future fantasy, 10. Bards and bardic gifts, 11, 79, Comic books, 8, 237. Dreamlands, 34. Games skills, 135. 99, 152; bardic magic, 156; Common tongue, 14. Droughts, 87. Games, 237. Bard talent, 132; Bard Communication and Empathy Druids, 197, 208, 229; Garumna, 230. template, 117. spells, 169. and satire, 209. Geneaologies, 90. Barmaid job, 138. Communism, 70. Drunkenness talent, 205. Genres, 6-9. Complex Illusion spell, 170. Dryads, 45, 49, 101, 133. Germanic tribes, 196.

238 INDEX Ghosts, 37, 38, 40, 90, 197; Independent Income 163; craft, 147, 162; Meta-Spells, 170-171. lens, 113. advantage, 140. devilfish, 168; duration, Meta-traits, 133-134. Ghouls, 58; template, 108. Industrial magic, 67. 154; fixed, 161; formulaic, Mind Control spells, 171. Giants, 50, 51. Infestations, 88. 148; industrial, 67; Mind-Sending spell, 169. Gladiator template, 215. Infinite Worlds, 195. intrinsic, 18; herbal, 158; Miracles, 151. Glamour, 69, 168, see also Infinity Patrol, 196, 217. high, 151; historical beliefs, Mistletoe, 22. Illusion. Information, 99. 151; laws of magic, 19; Mithraea, 199, 206-207. Gliders, 104. Inns, 98. low, 147; meditative, 151, Mithril, 65. Glorantha, 12. Insects, 48, 53, 109. 161; modular, 162; power Modular Abilities advantage, Gods, 6, 30, 31, 40, 45, 57, 96, Insubstantiality advantage, levels, 153; psionics as, 130. 101, 102, 148, 151, 164, 128. 158; range, 154; Modular magic, 162. 201, 209; divine Internal alchemy, 156. ritualization, 155, 158; Moly, 23, 48. punishments, 89; evil gods, Intrinsic magic, 18. sacrificial, 165; schools, Money, 137, 221; see also Loot. 32, 33; offspring of gods, Investigations, 179. 102, 183; shapeshifting as, Monsters, 49-52, 89, 197. 32, 55; theophagy, 57. Invisibility advantage, 129; 159; single-spell, 148; skill Moral attributes, 46. Gold, 137, 156, 221. spell, 170. levels, 153; speed, 154; Motifs, 11, 14. Golems, 25, 26, 53, 72. 131. Isis, 207. superpowers as, 159; Mountain ants, 48. Good and evil, 21, 58, 194. Isolates, 93. systems, 155; talents as, Mountains, 42. Goodwife talent, 132. Jobs, 138-139. 159; theistic, 19; and Movement spells, 171. Governments, 69-70, 95. Jumper advantage, 129. technology, 64-67; trance, Multiple magic systems, 172. Grace talent, 205. Jungles, 42. 151; and warfare, 190-194; Myrmidons, 109. Gryphons, 173. Kabbalah, 27, 157-158, 161. see also Alchemy, Mysteries, 179, 181-182. Guilds, 72, 94, 130. King of Beasts, 47. Enchantment, Runes. Mystery cults, 205-206. GURPS Third Edition, 237. Kings, 68, 70, 90, 95, 100, Magical, afflictions, 133; Mythic time, 75-76. Half-breeds, 32, 58. 137; The King’s Two Bodies attributes, 18, 21; beings, Mythology, 6, 46, 77, 233. Halflings, 61; template, 109. advantage, 128; True King 29; correspondences, 19, Named objects, 26, 132, 164. Half-mortals, 32. template, 125. 21; disasters, 89; energy, Named Possessions perk, 132. Hang from Saddle technique, Knight template, 121. see Mana; items, 131; Names, Law of, 19. 136. Lackey job, 139. landscapes, 41; networks, Naming magical arts, 150. Hazardous Materials skill, Landslides, 86. 45; objects, 22-29; realms, Natural disasters, 86-87. 135. Languages, 64; animal, 47. 34-36; technology, 64-67; Natural laws, 65. Head of Orpheus, 28. Larvae, 213. see also Enchantment. New beginnings, 85. Heal Plant spell, 171. Law of Similarity, 44. Magistrate template, 216. Night Vision advantage, 130; Healers and healing, 11, 98, Laws of magic, 19, 154, 163. Magivores, 48. spell, 170. 176; spells, 169-170. Laws, 72, 74, 85, 93, 100, 216. No-Hands Riding technique, Heaven, 35, 76, 176. Legends, 46; see also 136. Hedge wizards, 102, 103; Mythology. Nonhumans, 14, 56, 230; see template, 119. Legionary template, 216. also Races. Hell, 36, 134, 175, 176, 182, Legions, Roman, 198, 200. Nymphs, 45, 132, 202, 213, 202. Lenses, 163. 230. Herb Lore skill, 18. Levitation spell, 171. Oaths, 70, 147, 179. Herbal magic, 158. Ley lines, 44-45. Occupational templates, 114, Herecine, 47. Libraries, 99. 214-219. Hide spell, 170. Lich template, 113. Oceans, 42. High fantasy, 6, 46, 79. Light and Darkness spells, Omens, 150. High magic, 151. 170. Orcs, 56, 58, 62, 177; Hippocampus, 211. Light fantasy, 7, 46. template, 110. History, 90; historical beliefs Lighten Burden spell, 171. Orichalcum, 23. about magic, 151; Lilith, 54, 132, 164. Orpheus, head of, 28. historical settings, 10. Limes, 196, 198, 204. Outlaws, 14. Holy Man template, 120. Linguistics skill, 135. Mana, 18, 21, 30, 44, 67, 71, Oz, 10, 42, 43, 44, 46, 70. Holy places, 101-102; Loot, 91, 137, 140, 174, 189. 132; mana basins, 43; Panthers (mythical), 49. see also Sanctity. Lord of the Rings, see mana levels, 29, 101; Paranormal romance, 8. Horror, 8. J.R.R. Tolkien. mana organs, 22, 48. Parliament of Fowls, 47. Horses, 105, 132, 225; Low fantasy, 6. Manorialism and manors, 93. Parthian Empire, 196. superior horse, 105. Low magic, 147. Manticores, 48, 177. Patron advantage, 130. Hunting, 176. Lycanthropes, 49, 59, 60. 111, Maps, 41, 42, 91, 92; Peasant Adventurer Hurricanes, 87. 131, 133, 180, 196, 208; creating, 41. template, 122. Hybrids, 51, 67; see also Werewolf template, 111. Marine talent, 132. Peregrin template, 217. Half-Breeds. Maenads, 205. Market villages, 93-94. Perks, 132. Identify Plant spell, 171. Magery, 18, 67, 129, 130; Martial arts, 8. Persian Empire, 9. Illuminated fantasy, 13. frequency, 103; racial, 165, Master Builder talent, 132. Petards, 143. Illuminati, 70. 167-168; special types of Mathematics skill, 220. Pharmacy skill, 135. Illusion Disguise spell, 170. magery, 129. Matriarchy, 70. Philosopher template, 218. Illusion Shell spell, 170. Mages in Black, 20. Matrilineality, 57. Philosophy, 210. Illusion spells, 170. Magic, 17; agrarian, 95; Medicine, see Healers and Plagues, 88. Illusions, 20, 108, 185; alchemy as, 156; Healing. Plains, 42. see also Glamour. alternative and multiple Meditative magic, 151, 161. Planes, other, 12. Imp template, 109. systems, 155-168, 172; Megalogryphontes, 195, 212, Planetary spirits, 45. Impossible environments, 42, animistic, 19; astrological, 227. Planets, 10, 39-40. 68. 163; bardic, 156; chi as, Mercenary job, 139. Plant spells, 171. Income, 138. 157; correspondence, 160, Merchant template, 121. Plants, 46; carnivorous, 47.

INDEX 239 Pocket universes, 36. Runes and runic Space fantasy, see Planets. Theistic magic, 19. Point campaigns, 15, 175. enchantment, 25, 68, 163. Spear of Longinus, 28. Theocracy, 69. Point costs, 18. Sacred places, 149; see also Speed of magic, 154. Theophagy, 57. Police procedurals, 9, 81, 180. Sanctity. Spell creation, 167. Thieves, 177; template, 124. Portal fantasy, 13. Sacrifices, 7, 31, 62, 165, 201, Spellcaster template, 124. Thrown Weapon skills, 136. Possessed creatures, 52. 202; sacrificial magic, 165. Spies, 177. Thunderstones, 28, 55. Postumus, 200. Sage talent, 132. Spirits, 25, 30-33, 44, 101, Time, spirits of, 78. Potlatch, 57. Sanctity, 101-102, 148, 149, 128, 130, 132, 148, 164; Tolkien, J.R.R., 10, 12, 16, 58, Power levels, 153. 198, 204. ancestral, 112, 197, 201; 63, 64, 65, 68, 77, 125. Power sources, 65. Sandstorms, 87. of place, 45; planetary, 45; Tornadoes, 87. Prayer, 148, 149, 167, 202, 203. Satyrs, 212. of time, 78; traits, 134; Towns, 94; see also Cities, Prices, see Money. Savoir-Faire skill, 135. spirit worlds, 35. Villages. Priests, 152; Priest job, 139. Scholar template, 123. Status, 137, 221. Trade and craft magic, 162. Printing press, 100. Schools, 225; of magic, 102, Steampunk, 9, 65. Trance magic, 151. Projection advantage, 128. 183. Stop Bleeding spell, 169. Transportation, 98. Prophecy, 75, 150. Science fiction, 40, 75, 78; Striges, 212. Triceratops, 195, 212, 227. Psionics, 20; as magic, 158. see also Planets. Subjective magic, 19. Trickster gods, 46, 152. Purify Earth spell, 169. Science, 20, 100. Subplots, 185. Troll template, 110. Purse cutting technique, 136. Scope, 15-16. Superheroes, 49; superheroic True Faith, 148. Pyramid Magazine, 4. Scribes, 99. adventures, 8; superpowers True King template, 125. Quick March spell, 171. Scryguard spell, 170. as magic, 159. True names, 7, 14, 164, 177. Races, 56, 58; accursed, 59; Security Clearance advantage, Superior Horse template, 105. Tsunamis, 87. beast races, 58; insect 130. Supernatural horror, see Undead, 133; templates, races (wugs), 59; See Invisible advantage, 131. Horror. 112-113; see also Vampires, player-designed, 113. Seek Plant spell, 171. Supernatural, 17, see also The Dead. Racial magery, 165, 167-168. Selkies, 59, 61; template, 110. Magic. Unicorns, 49. Racial templates, 105. Sense of Duty disadvantage, Superpowers, see Superheroes. Unique beings, 61; see also Rain spell, 168. 133. Surgeon template, 219. Monsters. Range of magic, 154. Services, 97. Swamps, 42. Valerian, 201. Rank advantage, 130. Settings, 10-13. Swarms, 53. Vampires, 38, 56, 59, 60, Rapier Wit advantage, 130, Shadow Form advantage, 131. Swashbuckling, 9. 62-63, 90, 132, 133, 164, 209. Shadowrun, 7, 9. Sword and sorcery, 7, 82, 176. 167; template, 111. Rats, 53, 180. Shamanism, 149, 152, 209. Symbol Drawing skill, 220. Vaulting technique, 220. Realism, 16. Shape Stone spell, 169. Symbols, see Runes. Vehicles, 141-145; Reciprocity, 57. Shapeshifting advantage, 131; Syntactic magic, 163. enchanted, 26. Reincarnation, 37. as magic, 159; see also Systems of magic, 155. Vermin, 133. Relics, 26, 91; relic fantasy, 13. Lycanthropy. Talent advantage, 132. Village Sage template, 125. Religions, 37-38, 72, 90, 167; Shapur, 200. Talents as magic, 160. Villages, 93-94. Roman, 201. Sharp Turn technique, 136. Tattoos, 166. Visions, 14. Resurrection, 37. Ships, 142-145. Tavernkeeper job, 139. Volcanoes, 88, 101. Retrotech, 9. Shoot Backward technique, Taverns, 14, 98. Wainscot fantasy, 13. Revenants, 38. 136. Techniques, 136. Walk Through Earth spell, Reversal of customs, 70. Shoot Over Mount technique, Technology, 64-67. 169. Riddles, 14. 136. Tekumel, 64. Wands, 26. Riding skill, 135, 136; Shore leave adventures, Teleport spell, 171. Wardancer template, 126. techniques, 136, 220. 184-185. Television, 236. Warfare, 89, 176, 186-194; Ritual magic, 158; Sickness, see Disease. war in heaven, 76, 178; ritualization of magic, 155. Sieges, 188, 189; war stories, 9. Roma Arcana, 195-232; see also Fortresses. Wealth, 137, 221; see also Loot. adventure seeds, 231; Signature Gear advantage, Weapon Bond perk, 132. bestiary, 211-212; 131, 132. Weapons, 97, 223. bibliography, 232; Silence spell, 172. Wendigo, 52. and Christianity, 211; Silver, 137, 221. Werewolves, see Lycanthropy; characters, 213-224; Similarity, Law of, 19. Werewolf template, 112. equipment, 223; ethnic Simple Illusion spell, 170. Westerns, 9. traits, 213; glossary, 232; Single-Minded advantage, Whirlpools, 87. in the multiverse, 196; 132. Templates, occupational, 114; Wight template, 113. monsters, 197; Single-spell magic, 148. racial, 105. Wildness talent, 205. occupational templates, Skeletons, 113. Temples, 101, 102, 225. Wizard of Oz, see Oz. 214-219; prayer, 203; rank, Skills, 134-136; and Size Temporary Enchantment Wizard templates, 118, 119, 222; religions and cults, Modifiers, 137; levels, 153. spell, 23. 123. 201-206; skin-turners, 208; Skin-turners, see Temporary settlements, 95. Wolf, giant, 231. sorcery, 207-208; spirits, Lycanthropes. Teratocracy, 69. Women warriors, 14, 70. 197; status, 221; wealth, Slaves, 73, 93. Test Food spell, 169. World War II, 194. 221; weapons, 223. Slayer template, 123. Testudo technique, 220. Worlds, 10, 39-40. Roman Empire, fall of, 83; Smith job, 139. Thanatocracy, 69. Wugs, 59, 133. map, 199; Roma Arcana, Social Stigma disadvantage, Thaumatocracy, 69. Zeitgeists, 78. 195-232. 133, 219. Thaumatology, 151, 153, 167. Zenobia, 201. Romance, 8. Soothsaying, 150. Thaumaturgy, 151. Zombies, 38. Rukhs, 50. Sorcery, 151, 207; sorcerer The Dying Earth, 11, 162. Zoroastrianism, 9, 21, 81, Rulers, see Governments, template, 218. The King’s Two Bodies 196, 201, 226, 227. Kings. Sound spells, 172. advantage, 128.

240 INDEX STEVE FANTASY GAMES 01-1001 JACKSON the USA Printed in 2004 RINTING P ST VEMBER O ,1 Jeff Rose Jeff N 01-1001 John Zeleznik and DITION E BN 1-55634-519-4 and UBLISHED RD fantasy game. 3 IS P 9!BMF@JA:RSTPXVoYjZhZ_ZdZ` SJG03495 , Fourth Edition. any Andrew Hackard Hackard Andrew Eric Wilkerson and GURPS Basic Set GURPS Edited by requires the Eva Widermann, Abrar Ajmal, Alex Fernandez, Denis Loubet, Bob Stevlic, . Send a band of adventurers on impossible Denis Loubet, Pat Morrissey, Bob Stevlic, Denis Loubet, Pat Morrissey, illiam H. Stoddard illiam H. Stoddard The information and ideas here will work with GURPS Fantasy W Illustrated by By Cover Art by Fourth Edition offers roleplayers a comprehensive guide to the offers GURPS u’ll find help in running your campaign here, Roma Arcana or any ake the most flexible, consistent RPG system there is, and T Yo From ancient myths to popular films, tales of heroes But there’s more here than theoretical guidelines and toolkits. But there’s A complete campaign setting, Roma Arcana, is ready to use in your own ou’ll find examples of imaginary plants and animals, unique other setting: advice on creating balanced parties, devising scenarios to challenge them, and using the game rules to achieve dramatic effects. missions in a magical Roman Empire, as they struggle to win honor and hold back the darkness. and magic have captured the imagination. Now Fantasy entire fantasy genre. Building on the flexible, streamlined Fourth Edition rules, it lets you develop a campaign to explore the world of your favorite book or film – create a new one from your own dreams. The main emphasis is in settings from the Bronze Age to on historical fantasy, Renaissance, but the principles apply to any fantasy setting, from the prehistoric past to remote future. Y monsters, nonhuman races, occupations, spells, and enchanted objects, ready to use in your own campaign – or as models for inventing your own. background game. It can stand on its own, or fit into the Infinite Worlds from use it to run the campaign you dream of.