Pen and Paper Mario Rulebook Table of Contents

Pen and Paper Mario RuleBook Table of Contents

Letter From The Creator pg. 1 Game Mechanics pg. 2 Combat pg. 4 Skills pg. 6

Earning and Spending XP pg. 8

Items and Equipment pg. 9 Abilities pg. 13 Status Effects pg. 14 Characters pg. 15 Adventuring Rules pg. 17

Bestiary pg. 19

Adventure: A Little Trouble In The Big Top pg. 28 Battle Map pg. 36 Character Sheets pg. 37 Paper Minis pg. 45

Pen and Paper Mario is a fan creation written by David White based on popular characters from Nintendo Co., Ltd.

All images and names of characters and locations, unless expressly stated are TM & © of Nintendo & Subs. Used without permission. Letter From The Creator I’ve always loved telling stories and I’ve always loved creating. If I’m not creating, I don’t feel right. Something feels off if I’m not busy writing or drawing or being otherwise creative. When I was younger, I made some board games out of old pizza boxes and I even got the chance to recreate one of these board games in college as a creative project (one of my favorite collegiate assignments), but I never tried to create my own RPG. I’ve done a few fan made adventures and modules in the past, mainly Events for Marvel Heroic Roleplaying (all of which are featured on Marvel Plot Points), but this is the first time I have tried to make my own roleplaying system from the ground up. I drew a little something from a couple of my favorite tabletop roleplaying games to make Pen and Paper Mario. Inside, you’ll find influence from City of Mist, Dungeons and Dragons, Pathfinder, Edge of the Empire, Savage Worlds, and Ryuutama; some influences being more obvious than others. I kept the main mechanic of Pen and Paper Mario simple to accommodate both younger players and those more experienced players that love a simplified tabletop experience. While I love more detailed or “crunchy” games such as Dungeons and Dragons, games like that lend themselves more to power-gaming and I have found myself more drawn lately to games that have a narrative focus rather than ones that are preoccupied with explaining every minutia of complicated combat. I tried to blend that focus on narrative roleplaying while combining a fun and interesting battle system similar to most Japanese RPGs. Picture your favorite Pokémon game. You spend time exploring, wading through grass, and riding a bike as a pixelated sprite, but as soon as combat starts, the screen dissolves and you enter into a very different mode – almost as if you are in a completely different game. That’s what I wanted to capture in Pen and Paper Mario. I, of course, also drew a lot of influence from “Paper Mario” for this game (as is evident in the title, the enemies, and the artwork). Anyways, I hope you enjoy Pen and Paper Mario! Play it, have fun, be creative and make up your own adventures! Let me know your thoughts about the game too at my blog Same Kind of Nerdy As Me. I intend on revisiting this system in the not-too- distant future; maybe writing new adventures or campaign settings. A larger project I’d love to do is making a longer adventure featuring characters from across the Nintendo Universe. It just depends on if I have enough time. Stay nerdy, y’all!

Game Mechanics Pen and Paper Mario’s core game mechanic revolves around rolling a six-sided die (d6) along with a second die (d4, d6, d8, d10, or d12) to accomplish a task. Occasionally, you will add a static number or additional die for an ability or item that you have. Below is a brief description of the different sections found on the character sheet and the mechanics therein. • HP – Heart Points, these represent a character’s overall health and resilience. HP can be reduced by environmental hazards, but will most commonly be reduced by enemy attacks during Combat (see the Combat section for more info on the mechanics of battle). Certain items and abilities can restore a character’s HP. Staying at an Inn completely restores a character’s HP. If a character loses all HP, they are K.O.’d. • MP – Magic Points, these represents a character’s magical capability. Certain characters have abilities that require MP to use. If a character does not have enough MP or is otherwise depleted of MP, they cannot use their Abilities. Certain items can restore MP. Staying at an Inn completely restores a character’s MP. • Attack – This value represents the character’s prowess in combat. Each character starts with a certain Attack die value that can be increased by spending XP. Characters roll this die when using the Attack Action in Combat. • Magic – This value represents the character’s magical power. Each character starts with a certain Magic die value than can be increased by spending XP. Characters roll this die when using magic Abilities in Combat. • Armor – This static number represents how well guarded a character is. In combat, if an opponent rolls equal to or higher than your Armor value, you take damage to your HP. Armor can be increased by equipping gear, using specific items, or by using the Defend action in Combat. • Speed – This represents how fast and quick your character is. In Combat, this value is used to determine Initiative. • XP – Experience Points, these represent a character’s competence and growth throughout the adventure. A character may gain XP in Combat or by completing story objectives, and may then spend their earned XP during their downtime to improve their character. For more info on XP, see the Earning and Spending XP section. • Coins – Coins represent a character’s wealth. Coins are gained by defeating enemies in Combat or by completing story objectives or through clever roleplaying. Coins can be spent at Shops to buy gear and equipment. • Abilities – Characters have Abilities that they employ along their journey. Abilities can be passive or active. Passive abilities are always in effect, like Mario’s Jumpman Ability, but active abilities must be activated by spending MP.

• Skills – Skills represent the basic and fundamental abilities your character possesses. Characters begin the adventure with a set dice value for any given skill. As a character progresses and gains XP, their skill values can increase, representing their increasing competency in that skill. See the Skills section for more info on Skills. • Equipment – Unlike Items, which can only be used once, Equipment are permanent articles that the character wears on their body. There are four slots for Equipment on a character: Head, Body, Arms, Legs. Only one piece of Equipment may be placed in any given Equipment slot at a time, making the process of choosing which Equipment to wear and take with you on your journey an important one. See the Shops section for more info on Equipment. • Items – Items are one-use articles that can be used to help your allies and sometimes hinder your opponents. There is only a certain amount of Items that you can carry (10) as shown on your character sheet. So, choose wisely when stocking up at the Shop or divvying out loot from your journey.

Combat Combat in Pen and Paper Mario is different from most RPGs. At the start of combat, players place their character in one of two regions on the Battlefield Map: the front row or the back row. The front row is reserved for melee characters while the back row is for ranged or magical characters. Characters on the back row can only be targeted by ranged or magical attacks, unless the front row of characters is otherwise defeated, leaving the back row open to melee attacks. At the start of combat, each player rolls a d6 + their Speed to decide Initiative. This will be the order in which characters act during combat. Initiative ties are broken by rolling a d6, with the character with the greater amount rolled going first. This tie- breaking roll does not replace the character’s actual Initiative slot, but just determines where the character goes in an Initiative slot shared by other characters. Unlike more complicated RPGs that host a slew of actions, moves, or attacks you could make in a certain round, characters may perform only one action on their turn during combat in Pen and Paper Mario. On their turn, a character may do one of the following: Attack, Magic, Use an Item, Defend, or Switch Rows. • Attack – The typical combat action. The character makes a melee or ranged attack at a single target by rolling 1d6 + the character’s Attack die (+ any additional modifiers granted by items or abilities). If the result is equal to or greater than the opponent’s Armor, the attack hits. Attacks always deal 1 damage unless otherwise specifically stated by an item or ability’s description. Additionally, a character may activate a non-magic Ability by spending MP as their Attack action. The Ability action is resolved as an Attack action, but with any additional effects as stated in the Ability’s description. • Magic – An action very similar to the Attack action, except that Magic actions always require a certain amount of MP to execute. If the character does not have enough MP or is otherwise depleted of MP, they cannot execute Magic actions until they regain enough MP to do so. Magic attacks are resolved by rolling 1d6 + the character’s Magic die (+ any additional modifiers granted by items or abilities). If the Magic roll’s result is equal to or greater than the opponent’s Armor, the attack hits. Magic attacks deal 1 damage just the same as normal Attacks, however, Magic attacks usually have a secondary affect that effects the target in various ways (see the Magic ability’s description for more info on individual Magic attack effects). • Use an Item – When using this action, the character may use any Item they currently have in their possession. A character may select to Use an Item on themselves or on another character (even Back Row or Flying opponents). A character may not use an Item carried by an ally. • Defend – When using this action, the character forgoes an offensive action to focus on defending themselves from damage. When a character selects the Defend action, they increase their Armor by +1 until the start of their next turn. Additionally, a character that selected the Defend action may choose to become the target of an attack that would otherwise target an ally. The defending character must declare his intent to Defend an ally before the

attacker rolls their dice. The Attack is then resolved as normal, targeting the defending character’s Armor rather than the original target. The character may only Defend an ally once per round when using this Action. • Run Away – If the battle is a losing one, the character may call for a retreat. When using this Action, the character rolls a d6 + their Speed value. The GM also rolls a d6 + the highest Speed value of an enemy. If the hero beats the GM’s roll, the party escapes. If the hero fails, the party is stuck in Combat until another character can attempt a Run Away check. • Switch Rows – When using this Action, the character may Swap Rows with any other allied character. For example, Mario uses his action to Swap Rows with Princess Peach, putting himself on the Back Row, providing himself with a small respite of protection from melee attacks, but putting Princess Peach in direct harm on the Front Row. If Princess Peach disagrees with this action, she must wait until her turn to Swap Rows with Mario or another character so that she can be on the Back Row again.

If a character falls to zero HP during combat, they are K.O.’d. A K.O.’d character cannot take any actions during combat and is effectively removed from Initiative. Regular restorative items will not revive a K.O.’d character and only abilities or items that are specifically described as reviving a K.O.’d character may revive a K.O.’d character. If all of the characters on one side of the battlefield are K.O.’d, that side loses. If all the heroes are K.O.’d, they each lose half of their Coins and wake up in the last Inn they visited or the nearest Inn to the sight of the Combat. At the end of Combat, if the heroes were successful in defeating their opponents, they gain Coins and XP. The amount of Coins earned is determined by the highest Coin value of the enemy team. To reduce the amount of time spent dividing loot and bickering over who gets how many Coins, each character gains the same amount of Coins after Combat (except Wario on account of his Greed ability). See the Earning and Spending XP section for more info on how much XP characters get at the end of Combat.

Skills Below is a short description of the different skills your character will use during their Pen and Paper Mario adventure. • Acrobatics – This skill covers your character’s ability to stay on their feet in tricky situations; such as to balance on a small ledge, run across a slippery surface, perform an acrobatic stunt, or stay standing on the surface of a swaying ship. • Athletics – This skill covers your character’s ability to apply brute force to a situation; such as climbing a cliff, jumping a long distance, or swimming across a racing river. • Computer – This skill covers your character’s ability to work with electronic, digital, or mechanical devices; such as retrofitting an outdated computer, rerouting an electrical system, or finding information within a computer. • Deception – This skill covers your character’s ability to convincingly hide the truth; such as fast-talking a town guard, disguising yourself so as not to be seen in a crowd, or maintain a straight face while telling a lie. • Drive – This skill covers your character’s ability to maneuver a vehicle or even to steer a mounted animal; such as making a hairpin turn, remaining saddled after your mount has been hit, or performing a barrel roll in an aircraft. • Lore – This skill covers your character’s ability to recall knowledge; such as historical events of the kingdom, whether certain plants in a forest are poisonous, or legends surrounding certain magical items. • Perception – This skill covers your character’s ability to perceive things around them, hidden or otherwise; such as finding a hidden door in a cavern, following tracks through a forest, or hearing a hushed conversation from across the room. • Persuade – This skill covers your character’s ability to convince someone either through charming personality or piercing threats; such as influencing a group of people, convincing a shopkeeper to sell something for less than its listed price, or negotiating a peaceful resolution between two disparate parties. • Repair – This skill covers your character’s ability to repair or otherwise fix broken objects or machines; such as tightening the screws on a leaking pipe, jury-rigging a broken wagon to operate with two wheels, or repairing a broken wall. • Science – This skill covers your character’s ability to apply scientific thought; such as crafting a potion, improvising a weapon, or coming up with a chemical solution to rid an island of pollution. • Stealth – This skill covers your character’s ability to move nimbly and quietly; such as concealing yourself from enemies, slinking past patrolling guards, or pickpocketing a passerby.

Instead of having individual thresholds or values for each skill that a character must roll to do a specific task, in Pen and Paper Mario each skill’s difficulty is relegated to one of five levels: Simple, Easy, Average, Hard, or Daunting. Rolling to use a Skill is the same as using Attack or Magic in Combat, however, rather than rolling to defeat a set, static number (Armor), when using a Skill, you roll your dice and then compare what you

6 rolled to the number rolled by an opposing dice roll. There is a different amount of dice equated to every difficulty listed above. When rolling a Skill check, you roll 1d6 + your character’s dice value for that Skill (+ any other bonuses granted by Equipment or Abilities). Then, you roll a number of dice related to the difficult of the check. If the number rolled on your Skill check is greater than the number rolled on the Difficulty dice, you succeed. To speed up the process, you could assign a pile of similarly colored dice be the difficulty dice for Skill rolls and place such dice in the middle of the table. I prefer to use a set of red d6s for my Pen and Paper Mario games. For example, Mario wants to jump over a wall. The GM designates this as an Average Difficulty Task. Mario gets his Athletics skill pool ready: 1d6 + 1d6 (Skill value) + 1d4 (Jumpman Ability). Mario rolls a 9 on his Athletics check. Since the GM designated this jump as Average Difficulty, Mario also rolls 2d6 with his Difficulty dice. The Difficulty dice number rolled was an 8. Since Mario’s Skill roll was greater than the Difficulty dice’s roll, he succeeds. Barely! If you ever succeed on a Skill roll with 10 or more, you gain 5 XP. Below is some more information on these difficulty thresholds, including the number that correlates to that difficulty and some examples of what actions would fall into that threshold. Difficulty Roll Needed Example

- driving a car down a vacant road, walking Simple (no roll needed) up a steep slope, turning on a computer

avoiding an obstacle in the road while driving, using a knotted rope to climb a Easy sloped wall, searching a computer for a frequently-used program weaving in and out of high-speed traffic, climbing a tree, combing through a Average database for mention on a particular secret making a sharp turn while driving at top speed, climbing a natural rock wall or a Hard brick wall, uploading a virus to a well- protected computer system driving your car through a collapsing building to land on the aircraft on the other side as it begins to take off, Daunting climbing up a smooth surface, rewiring a giant robot machination in the heat of battle so that the controls are inverted

Earning and Spending XP Experience Points, or XP, are a very valuable commodity throughout the course of your Pen and Paper Mario adventure. You mainly gain XP by defeating enemies in Combat, but can also gain it through completing story objectives or good roleplaying (as determined by your GM). Characters earn a static amount of XP for various endeavors. These static values are 1 XP, 5 XP, or 10 XP. Characters will most commonly gain 1 XP throughout their adventure. Characters will earn 1 XP for successfully defeating all of the enemies in a non-Boss encounter or by doing some small story event, such as carrying a pot of hot soup from one side of town to the other for an old cook. Gaining 5 XP is a little more difficult to obtain. Characters will earn 5 XP by defeating mini-Boss encounters, or for exceptional roleplaying (determined by your GM). If a hero exceeds any given skill check by 10 or more, they gain 5 XP for their amazing show of skill. Obtaining the fabled reward of 10 XP is exceptionally difficult to do. Characters earn 10 XP for defeating a Boss, or completing a major story objective, such as ridding the ancient tree from the evil toxin inside of it thereby extending its life and saving all the forest creatures that reside within it’s gnarled branches. GMs should space out awarding the larger XP awards. It is simple and easy to gain 1 XP, but the 5 XP and 10 XP marks should be difficult to obtain and thereby more coveted rewards. Consider awarding 5 XP about halfway through your current adventure and then 10 XP when your party finally completes your adventure. The 10 XP mark is certainly a more rewarding experience if you are playing a long-form or campaign-style adventure where the heroes can spend their 10 XP after successfully completing one large part of the adventure. After gaining XP, characters can then spend that XP to “level up” their character. Your GM may set aside a specific time to spend XP, such as in between sessions, or when your character is resting at an Inn. Below is a list of upgrades you can spend XP on.

You can spend 5 XP to do the following… • Step up a single Skill’s die value by +1. • Increase your MP by +3.

You can spend 10 XP to do the following… • Step up your Attack or Magic die value by +1. • Increase your HP by +5.

You can spend 15 XP to do the following… • Increase your Speed value by +1. • Increase your Armor value by +1.

Items and Equipment As heroes gain coins, they can spend these coins at Shops to purchase items and equipment. For more information on Shops, see the Adventuring section. This section will be dedicated to listing different Items and Equipment your character can purchase. In addition to buying Items in Shops, characters can sometimes find Items hidden in the world either in a treasure chest or being carried by enemies. Items are one-use items. A character may carry 10 items at any given time. Certain items can only be used in Combat, as is described in their description below. Certain Items affect enemies for a certain number of rounds. When using such an Item, the user rolls the assigned dice in the description for each individual enemy affected. When using an item in an offensive way, the character does not have to roll a Attack or Magic roll. The damage is automatically applied to the target. Below is a list of items:

Picture Name Cost Description Give yourself or an ally +3 Armor for 1d4 Courage Shell 5 coins rounds in Combat.

Use in Combat to inflict Dazed on all Dizzy Dial 12 coins enemies.

Dried Shroom 2 coins Restores 1 HP.

Use in Combat to inflict 5 damage to all Earth Quake 15 coins enemies on the ground.

Use in Combat to inflict 3 fire damage to all Fire Flower 10 coins enemies.

Use in Combat. You or an ally gains 1 MP at Gradual Syrup 15 coins the start of your/their turn for 2d4 rounds.

Honey Syrup 5 coins Restores 3 MP.

Use in Combat to inflict 5 damage to one HP Drain 10 coins enemy, while restoring 5 HP to the user.

Use in Combat to inflict 3 ice damage and Ice Storm 15 coins Frozen status on all enemies for 1d4 rounds.

Jammin’ Jelly 50 coins Restores 50 MP.

Revive an ally. Revived ally immediately Life Shroom 25 coins gains 10 HP.

Maple Syrup 15 coins Restores 6 MP.

Use in Combat to inflict Shrunk status on all Mini Mr. Mini 8 coins non-Boss enemies.

Use in Combat to reduce a single target’s Mr. Softener 8 coins Toughness by 1.

Mushroom 5 coins Restores 5 HP.

Use in Combat to inflict 2 damage to all POW Block 5 coins enemies.

Use in Combat to inflict 6 damage on all Shooting Star 30 coins enemies.

Use in Combat to inflict Asleep status on all Sleepy Sheep 8 coins enemies for 1d4 rounds.

Use in Combat. You or an ally gains 1 HP at Slow Shroom 15 coins the start of your/their turn for 2d4 rounds.

Super Shroom 15 coins Restores 10 HP.

Use in Combat to eliminate all Status Effects Tasty Tonic 3 coins from yourself or an ally.

Use in Combat to inflict 5 electricity damage Thunder Bolt 10 coins to an enemy.

Ultra Shroom 50 coins Restores 50 HP.

Use in Combat to give yourself or an ally the Zap Shroom 10 coins Harmful Status.

Equipment are more permanent items. A character has four slots for Equipment; head, body, arms, and legs. A character can have one piece of Equipment active in an assigned slot at a time. Unused pieces of Equipment must be dropped, sold, or stored in the limited Item space in order to make room for new pieces of Equipment. New Equipment can be equipped outside of Combat. Certain pieces of Equipment must be activated to be used. Activating an Equipment functions just like the Using an Item Action. Equipment that adds damage to your Attack does not add damage to your Abilities. However, certain equipment that adds damage to your Magic can be applied to your magical abilities. Below are lists of equipment divided into the four equipment slots: head, body, arms, and legs. Name Cost Slot Description This reinforced helmet grants the wearer Athletic Helmet 15 coins Head +1 Armor. While wearing this cap, the user gains +1 Armor and may activate the cap’s special Metal Cap 30 coins Head ability once per Combat. When this ability is activated, the character gains Toughness 1 for 3 rounds. While wearing this hat, the user may Propeller Hat 20 coins Head activate its ability to Fly for 2 rounds. While wearing this helmet, the user gains Spiky Shell Helmet 20 coins Head +1 Armor and the Harmful ability.

Name Cost Slot Description This suit of sturdy athletic padding Athletic Pads 15 coins Body grants the wearer +1 Armor. While wearing this cape, the user may activate its special ability to become Invisible. The target can maintain their Boo’s Cape 50 coins Body Invisible status by spending 1 MP at the start of their turn each round they want to stay Invisible. While wearing this outfit, the user gains Cat suit 30 coins Body +1d4 to all Athletics checks made to climb and gains +1 to damage. While wearing this outfit, the user gains Frog Suit 25 coins Body +1d4 to all Athletics checks made to jump and swim. While wearing this outfit, the user can activates its ability to do one of two Tanooki Suit 40 coins Body things; 1) Fly for 2 rounds, or 2) transform into a statue for 1 round, gaining Toughness 3.

Name Cost Slot Description While wielding this weapon, the user can Gaddlight 25 coins Arms attack Invisible enemies. While wielding this weapon, the user Hammer 20 coins Arms deals +1 damage. While wielding this weapon, the user Mini-Piranha Plant 30 coins Arms deals +1 damage and steals 1 coin from the target on a successful Attack. While wielding this weapon, the user can Parasol 20 coins Arms use this weapon’s Ability to fly for 1 round. While wielding this weapon, the wielder treats his Attacks as if he had the Area ability, but only against grounded targets. Quake Hammer 30 coins Arms (Attacking multiple enemies with the Harmful ability in this way does not activate their Harmful ability.) While wielding this weapon, the user Super Pickaxe 30 coins Arms deals +1 damage and has Pierce 1. This tennis racket grants its wielder a +1 Tennis Racket 15 coins Arms to Armor against ranged Attacks (even magic).

Name Cost Slot Description While wearing this pair of well-worn boots, the wearer gains +1d4 to all Adventuring Boots 20 coins Legs Athletics checks made to climb or traverse otherwise hazardous areas. While wearing this pair of sheer-fabric Elegant Slippers 30 coins Legs slippers, the user gains +1d4 to all Acrobatics checks. While wearing this pair of boots, the Spring Boots 20 coins Legs wearer gains +1d4 to all Athletics checks made to jump. While wearing this pair of shoes, the Tennis Shoes 40 coins Legs wearer gains +1 Speed.

Abilities This section is for abilities that need a little more explaining than can fit on a character sheet. • Area – Certain abilities target all the enemies on the opposite side of the battlefield. The attacker rolls once and those opponents with an Armor lower than the number rolled take damage as normal. • Fly – The character can fly up to hard-to-reach locations. Occasionally, a flying character may need to make an Athletic check to resist turbulent or otherwise unfavorable conditions while flying. In combat, a flying character cannot be targeted by melee attacks. • Immune – If a character is immune, it takes no damage from the specific type of attack listed (fire, electricity, etc). • Invisible – The character becomes transparent. They cannot be targeted by attacks as long as they are invisible. While an invisible character cannot be targeted, they still take damage from area affecting attacks. A character loses their Invisible status as soon as they take damage. • Magic attacks – Abilities that are magic always use MP. Most times, magic attacks will have a secondary effect besides just dealing damage. All magic attacks are considered ranged attacks in regards to targeting opponents on the back row or flying. • Ranged attacks – Weapons or abilities with the ranged ability can target opponents on the back row or flying opponents during combat. • Harmful – Characters that make attacks against a harmful character take 1 damage on a successful and unsuccessful attack alike. • Pierce – An ability or weapon with this ability ignores a number of Toughness equal to the number listed. • Summon – Characters with the summon ability can summon either an item or extra creature during Combat. If a character summons an item, they must use it immediately. If an extra character is summoned, that character enters into Initiative next round. • Toughness – A character with Toughness reduces the amount of damage taken from attacks by an amount equal to the number listed.

Status Effects • Asleep – A character that is asleep cannot take any actions for the amount of time they are asleep. A sleeping character wakes up when they are attacked. • Burning – A character that is burning is on fire and takes 1 damage at the start of their turn for a number of rounds. • Dazed – A character that is dazed rolls a d4 rather than the base d6 for all attacks and Skill checks for a number of rounds. • Frozen – A character that is frozen is unable to act for a few rounds. A frozen character takes 1 damage when they finally manage to break free (after the status duration is up). • Poisoned – A character who is poisoned loses 1 damage at the start of their turn for a number of rounds. • Sickened – A character who is sickened has a chance to be so overcome with illness that they cannot act in Combat on their turn. At the start of their turn, the characters rolls a six-sided die. Before they look at the result, they call high (4- 6) or low (1-3). If they rolled a number within the called range, they may act normally. If the number is not within the called range, the character is effectively too sick to act and skips their turn. • Shrunk – A character who is shrunk rolls their Attack and Magic dice as if they were both a d4 for a number of rounds. • Silenced – A character who is silenced cannot take the Magic or Use an Item actions during Combat. • Weakness – A character that has a weakness takes double damage from attacks of the type the character is weak to. For example, a Piranha Plant would take 6 damage from a Fire Flower instead of just 3.

Characters: Mario Attack d6, Magic d4, Armor 6, Speed +1 HP 10, MP 3 Acrobatics d6, Athletics d6, Computer d4, Deception d4, Drive d6, Lore d4, Perception d4, Persuade d4, Repair d6, Science d4, Stealth d4 Abilities: Jumpman: Add +1d4 to Athletics checks made to jump. Can make melee attacks against flying enemies. Ground Pound: 2 MP, deal +1 damage to a single target

Peach Attack d4, Magic d6, Armor 5, Speed +0 HP 10, MP 3 Acrobatics d4, Athletics d4, Computer d4, Deception d4, Drive d4, Lore d6, Perception d4, Persuade d6, Repair d4, Science d4, Stealth d4 Abilities: Therapy: 2 MP, magic, restore an ally’s HP by 1d6 Sleepy Time: 3 MP, magic, put one enemy to sleep for 1 round Group Hug: 6 MP, magic, restore all your allies’ HP by 1d4 Come Back: 6 MP, magic, revive a K.O.’d ally, restoring 1d4 of their health Mute: 6 MP, magic, silence one opponent for 1d4 rounds Heart Bomb: 10 MP, magic, area, 2d4 damage

Luigi Attack d6, Magic d4, Armor 6, Speed +1, HP 10, MP 3 Acrobatics d6, Athletics d6, Computer d4, Deception d4, Drive d4, Lore d4, Perception d4, Persuade d6, Repair d4, Science d4, Stealth d4 Abilities: #1 Jumper: Add +1d6 to Athletics checks made to Jump. Can make melee attacks against flying enemies. Green Tornado: 2 MP, area

Daisy Attack d6, Magic d4, Armor 5, Speed +1 HP 10, MP 3 Acrobatics d4, Athletics d6, Computer d4, Deception d4, Drive d4, Lore d6, Perception d4, Persuade d6, Repair d4, Science d4, Stealth d4 Abilities: Fast Ball: 2 AP, ranged, +1 damage to a single target Flower Shield: 3 MP, magic, increase one ally’s Armor by +1 for one round Petal Slap: 3 MP, make a melee Attack action against a single target 1d4 times

Wario Attack d6, Magic d4, Armor 6, Speed +0 HP 10, MP 3 Acrobatics d4, Athletics d8, Computer d4, Deception d4, Drive d4, Lore d4, Perception d4, Persuade d4, Repair d4, Science d4, Stealth d4 Abilities: Greed: gain +1 Coin at the end of every Combat Gnarly Garlic: 3 MP, gain +1 damage for 1d4 rounds Noxious Fart: 3 MP, magic, area, sickened for 1d4 rounds

Toad Attack d4, Magic d4, Armor 5, Speed +2 HP 10, MP 3 Acrobatics d4, Athletics d4, Computer d4, Deception d4, Drive d6, Lore d6, Perception d4, Persuade d4, Repair d4, Science d4, Stealth d4 Abilities: Bodyguard: 1 MP, may protect an ally as the Defend action without having to take the action on his turn. May only use this ability once per round. Summon Veggie: 2 MP, either restore 1d4 HP or use as ranged attack Spore Spew: 3 MP, magic, choose one status affect (area, asleep, silence, or sickened), effected for 1d4 rounds Summon Item: summon an Item and immediately use that Item, the MP cost is equal to the Coin cost of the Item

Yoshi Attack d6, Magic d4, Armor 5, Speed +2 HP 10, MP 3 Acrobatics d6, Athletics d6, Computer d4, Deception d4, Drive d4, Lore d4, Perception d4, Persuade d4, Repair d4, Science d4, Stealth d4 Abilities: Mount: You may select a character to occupy the same space as you in Combat. When a character occupies your space, they go in the same Initiative slot as you and actions that target them target you instead. Egg Toss: 3 MP, summon 1d4 eggs, immediately throw eggs as a ranged attack, can target multiple targets Gulp: 5 MP, swallow one non-Boss enemy and spit them out at another target as a ranged Attack, deal 1d6 damage to both

Adventuring Rules A good deal of the rules so far have been dedicated to Combat. However, much of Pen and Paper Mario will happen outside of Combat as the heroes role-play and explore the world. This section covers what the characters will encounter in their journeys.

Items Outside of Combat Most Items apply specifically to Combat. How they function outside of Combat should be decided by a dialogue between the GM and players. The result should be one that moves the adventure along in a fair and exciting way. For example, the heroes’ way is currently blocked by a sheet wall of ice and Mario has a Fire Flower. While the Fire Flower’s description applies specifically to Combat, the GM and players could both agree that Mario could expend the Fire Flower to melt the ice so the heroes could proceed.

Villages As the heroes journey, they will certainly spend a lot of time in the wild wilderness with lots of monsters and enemies, but they will also find times where they are in civilized areas complete with the comforts of civility. Villages offer areas for characters to interact with NPCs, pursue mission objectives, and restock before heading back into the dangerous wilderness of the world. Each village will be described by the GM, but each village should have the following two establishments. The characters and description of these establishments (such as the exterior architecture, and the character running the establishment) are subject to the GM’s discretion, but they will function in a similar way. Shops: Shops offer the heroes opportunities to buy items. No one Shop will feature every single item detailed in the Items and Equipment section, so GMs should decide what Items will be available to heroes as they arrive at town. Consider the wealth, population, and geographical location when deciding what items a certain village will have. For example, a village deep in the heart of snowy mountains will have Ice Storms for sale; while a village in the desert would have Fire Flowers. Some Shops may raise prices for any number of reasons: distrust of outsiders, limited resources, or the whimsy of the eccentric shopkeeper (which could be solved by a Side Quest). Conversely, a store may have lower prices for their items. Inns: Inns are places of comfort and relaxation. A character can pay 10 coins to stay a night at an Inn. Doing so, restores a hero’s missing HP and MP, and also removes any negative status affecting them. For convenience sake, Inns should feature enough beds for all heroes. However, maybe the heroes come across an Inn that is missing beds because some dastardly Goombas have snatched them up in the dead of night. A problem which could be fixed by tracking those Goombas down.

Hazards As the heroes travel, they will encounter plenty of monsters, but they will also find that the environment itself will be a threat to their health. Below are some different hazards that character could encounter along their journey. Tundra: Characters traveling in a frozen tundra will need to find a way to stay warm or they could start to suffer from the severe cold. Characters that do not take appropriate precautions, such as buying a warming liquid from the local village or wearing a thick cloak, will take damage as long as they remain in the harsh conditions. The amount of damage taken and its frequency is subject to the GM. Additionally, a GM could decide to have certain characters that have been in the frozen conditions for too long to begin each Combat with the Frozen status. Desert: Just as character traveling in a frozen tundra must take precautions to survive the cold, characters in the desert must take precautions to survive the extreme heat and lack of water. If they do not, the GM may choose to inflict damage on them similarly to the way explained above. Additionally, a GM may choose to have heat- struck characters begin Combat with the Sickened status. Storms: Storms can range from heavy rain, to lightning strikes, to damaging hail, to whirling tornadoes, or all of the above! Rain can affect characters so heavily that they roll their Perception dice one die size lower (minimum of d4) and impose a similar penalty on all Ranged Attacks made in the heavy rain. Lightning and hail can heavily damage characters that do not take shelter, inflicting between 1d4 and 1d10 damage on a character caught out in the storm. In a Combat that takes place in a thunderstorm or hailstorm, the GM can roll a single dice each turn to randomize lightning- and hail- strikes for both the heroes and their enemies. And the whipping winds of a tornado could very well make Ranged Attacks superfluous and force characters to make Athletics checks every so often to avoid being blown away. Other hazards: There are plenty of other hazards not detailed in this book, such as avalanches, forest fires, collapsing tunnels, swamp mires, sinking sand, etc. The GM should feel free to create Hazards that would fit inside their adventure, following the example set by the Hazards above. However, no matter how dangerous the Hazard is, the GM should always be fair in giving the heroes chances to save themselves from it. (If they do not listen, then that is their fault.)

Bestiary As characters travel, they will encounter many foes that stand between them and their goal. Enemies function very much like heroes in Combat, but they are considerably weaker than the heroes. When a non-Boss enemy is defeated, heroes gain 1 XP and a number of Coins determined by the highest Coin value of the enemies defeated. Most enemies are not very skillful, and only roll a d6 + d4 for Skill checks. However, some enemies break the mold and Skills they are trained in are recording in their stat block. When rolling Initiative for enemies, the GM needs only to roll once for each group of similar enemies. For example, in a Combat with two Goombas, two Koopas, and one Paratroopa, the GM rolls once for the Goombas, once for the Koopas, and once for the single Paratroopa. The GM rolled a 3 for the Goombas, a 5 for the Koopas, and a 6 for the Paratroopa. This means, that the Paratroopa will activate as normal in Initiative Slot 6, then the Koopas in Slot 5, and finally the Goombas in Slot 3. Each enemy character gets to act within that Initiative Slot as described in the Combat section.

Scaling Enemies As there are not character levels in Pen and Paper Mario it can be difficult to know what types and how many enemies to place in a Combat as the GM. The best way to know when your characters should encounter stronger enemies is to think of a typical Mario videogame. The first few levels feature Goombas and the occasional Koopa. As you progress through the stages, you encounter greater numbers of enemies and stronger enemies. A Pen and Paper Mario adventure should follow the same formula. Don’t throw a Chain Chomp at characters as they are beginning their adventure. However, maybe introducing a menacing Chain Chomp that the heroes must work and train to overcome later could be a good focus or motivation through the story.

Enemies And Items As the characters progress in their story they may encounter enemies that use Items. Enemies may have one Item in a Combat and if the heroes can defeat the enemy before the Item is used, they will receive that Item for themselves at the end of Combat as part of their reward.

Mini-Bosses Mini-Bosses are important enemies in Pen and Paper Mario because of the opportunity they present for the heroes to gain 5 XP and as a halfway-marker for an adventure or objective. The term Mini-Boss is meant to be loosely interpreted by the GM in regards to awarding XP or signifying an important marker in the story. While the GM can certainly design a specifically named enemy to be a Mini-Boss, the GM can also use common enemies as Mini-Bosses, especially for short adventures. Enemies like Chain Chomps, Hammer Bros, and Magikoopas make excellent Mini-Bosses, especially when given an Item to use in Combat as explained above. Such enemies could also have lower-level enemies with them as minions to back them up. Below are some standard enemies that wander the Mushroom Kingdom. Each entry includes the enemy’s Name, HP, MP, Speed, Attack and Magic value, Armor, any Skills they may have, their Coin value, and any Abilities they may have.

Name: Bandit Atk: +d4 HP: 5 MP: 6 Speed: +2 Mag: +0 Abilities: Steal (2 MP, on a hit roll a d6: on a 1-3 – steal 1d4 Coins, on a 4-5 – steal a random Item, Skills: on a 6 – steal Acrobatics d6 1d8 Coins or a Coins: Armor: 7 Athletics d6 particular Item, d4 coins Deception d6 stolen Coins or Stealth d8 Items are returned when Bandit is defeated), Run Away (leave battle with stolen goods)

Name: Bob-omb Atk: +d4 HP: 4 MP: 0 Speed: +0 Mag: +0 Abilities: Ram (2 damage), Explosion (5 damage, area, then K.O. self), Coins: Skills: Special (if Armor: 7 d4 coins - targeted by fire or explosion, automatically uses Explosion even if its not its turn), Toughness 1

Name: Boo Atk: +d6 HP: 7 MP: 6 Speed: +1 Mag: +0 Abilities: Ghost Lick (3 damage), Hide-n-seek (2 MP, Skills: Coins: become Armor: 7 Deception d8, d6 coins Invisible for Stealth d8 1 round, on next round up Attack value to d8), Fly

Name: Buzzy Beetle Atk: +d6 HP: 3 MP: 0 Speed: +0 Mag: +0 Abilities: Shell Toss (3 Coins: Skills: damage), Armor: 8 d4 coins - Immune (fire, explosions), Toughness 1

Name: Chain Chomp Atk: +d8 HP: 10 MP: 0 Speed: +0 Mag: +0 Abilities: Chomp (5 Skills: damage), Armor: 8 Coins: 2d4 coins - Toughness 2,

Immune (fire, ice)

Name: Dry Bones Atk: +d8 HP: 8 MP: 3 Speed: +0 Mag: +0 Abilities: Bone Throw (3 damage, ranged), Get Up (if at Coins: Skills: Armor: 7 least one other d8 coins - ally is not

K.O.’d revive self with 8 HP), Toughness 1, Immune (fire)

Name: Fuzzy Atk: +d4 HP: 3 MP: 0 Speed: +1 Mag: +0 Abilities: Kissy-Kissy (recovers Coins: Skills: amount of Armor: 5 1 coin - health equal to damage inflicted, Piercing 1)

Name: Goomba Atk: +1 HP: 2 MP: 0 Speed: +0 Mag: +0 Coins: Skills: Abilities: Armor: 4 1 coin - -

Name: Hammer Bro Atk: +d6 HP: 7 MP: 3 Speed: +0 Mag: +0 Abilities: Hammer Throw (3 damage, ranged), Skills: Armor: 8 Coins: Multi-throw (3 2d4 coins Athletics d6 MP, use

Hammer Throw twice), Toughness 1

Name: Koopa Troopa Atk: +d4 HP: 2 MP: 0 Speed: +0 Mag: +0 Abilities: Coins: Skills: Shell Toss (2 Armor: 7 1 coin - damage), Toughness 1

Name: Koopa Paratroopa Atk: +d4 HP: 2 MP: 0 Speed: +0 Mag: +0 Abilities: Shell Dive (2 damage), Coins: Skills: Armor: 7 Toughness 1, 1 coin - Fly (loses Fly after taking damage)

Name: Lakitu Atk: +d4 HP: 5 MP: 9 Speed: +1 Mag: +0 Abilities: Spiny Toss (2 Coins: Skills: damage), Armor: 6 d4 coins - Summon Spiny (3 MP), Fly

Name: Magikoopa Atk: +d4 HP: 7 MP: 15 Speed: +1 Mag: +d6 Abilities: Magic Blast (1 MP, magic, 4 damage, Pierce 1), Heal (2 MP, +1d4 HP, self Skills: or ally), Armor: 7 Coins: 2d4 coins Lore d8 Copy (10 MP, summon 3 Lakitus with 1 HP each, copies vanish if original Magikoopa is defeated)

Name: Paragoomba Atk: +1 HP: 2 MP: 0 Speed: +0 Mag: +0 Abilities: Coins: Skills: Fly (loses Fly Armor: 4 1 coin - after taking damage)

Name: Piranha Plant Atk: +d8 HP: 15 MP: 3 Speed: +0 Mag: +0 Abilities: Bite (5 damage), Withdraw (become Skills: Armor: 5 Coins: untargetable 2d4 coins - for 1 round, regain 1 HP), Weakness (fire), Harmful

Name: Pokey Atk: +d6 HP: 8 MP: 3 Speed: +0 Mag: +0 Abilities: Slam (2 damage), Coins: Skills: Armor: 8 Summon d6 coins - Pokey (3 MP), Immune (fire), Harmful

Name: Spiky Goomba Atk: +1 HP: 2 MP: 0 Speed: +0 Mag: +0 Coins: Skills: Abilities: Armor: 5 1 coin - Harmful

Name: Spiny Atk: +d6 HP: 3 MP: 0 Speed: +0 Mag: +0 Abilities: Spikeball (2 damage), Ball Up Coins: Skills: Armor: 7 (increase d4 coins - Toughness +1 for 1 round), Toughness 1, Harmful

The enemies above are those commonly found within the Mushroom Kingdom. However, as the GM, you may take your characters on many adventures to many strange lands, where they could meet entirely new enemies to fight! If you as the GM wish to create new enemies not listed here, use the enemies above as examples to help you in your creation.

Some enemies are Boss characters. Boss enemies are more hardy and dangerous than regular enemies and should signify the heroes making it to the end of an important objective or maybe the end of their entire adventure. Boss enemies have a special ability simply called “Boss.” The Boss ability grants Boss enemies a +1 to all Attack and Magic rolls (in addition to the two dice they already roll). They also gain 1 MP at the start of their turn and are affected by status effects for 1 round less than normal enemies (minimum 1 round). When a hero defeats a Boss, the party gains 2d10 Coins. In addition, defeating a Boss usually opens up a path to a treasure chest, castle, or other story reward. There, the heroes can reap whatever reward the GM has set for them. Below is a sample list of bosses that have plagued the Mushroom Kingdom before. Just as with the lower-level enemies, you as the GM may have other characters not listed here as the villains threatening the Mushroom Kingdom, or maybe you want to take the characters to some land far removed from King Bowser and his ilk. If this is the case, use the Boss enemies below as inspiration and guidelines to making your own Boss enemies.

Name: Bowser Atk: +d10 HP: 40 MP: 15 Speed: +1 Mag: +d8 Abilities: Skills: Stomp (7 damage), Athletics d6, Poison Fang (3 MP, 3 Deception d6, damage, Poisoned), Armor: 10 Drive d6, Fire Blast (3 MP, magic, 3 Lore d6, fire damage, area, Burned), Persuade d8 Harmful, Toughness 2

Name: Bowser Jr. Atk: +d6 HP: 20 MP: 9 Speed: +2 Mag: +d6 Abilities: Skills: Ram (2 damage), Acrobatics d6, Fireball (3 MP, magic, 3 fire Computer d6, Armor: 9 damage, Burned), Deception d6, Harmful Drive d6, Toughness 1 Stealth d6 Fly

Name: King Bob-omb Atk: +d8 HP: 30 MP: 9 Speed: +0 Mag: +d6 Abilities: Punch (3 damage), Grab (3 MP, grab one hero and throw as a ranged Skills: attack at another hero, Armor: 9 Athletics d8 dealing 3 damage to both), Persuade d6 Bomb Toss (3 MP, ranged, area, 4 damage), Summon Bob-omb (4 MP) Toughness 1

Name: King Boo Atk: +d6 HP: 25 MP: 15 Speed: +1 Mag: +d8 Abilities: Heavy Drop (4 damage), Spook (3 MP, magic, force a character in the front row to switch with a back row Skills: character), Armor: 8 Deception d10, Hide-n-seek (2 MP, become Stealth d10 Invisible for 1 round, on next round up Attack value to d8), Summon Boo (4 MP) Fly

Name: Petey Piranha Atk: +d8 HP: 35 MP: 9 Speed: +0 Mag: +d6 Abilities: Bite (5 damage), Spit Goo (3 MP, ranged, 4 Skills: Armor: 8 damage, poisoned), Athletics d6 Take Off (3 MP, gain Fly for 3 rounds), Weakness (fire)

Adventure: A Little TrouBle in the Big Top

The following is a sample adventure for 4 – 6 players and serves to introduce GMs and players to Pen and Paper Mario. It should also serve as an example to GMs for planning and designing their own adventures.

Adventure Summary The heroes of the Mushroom Kingdom are allowed to enjoy a rare moment of piece at the Quasi-Annual Mush-Mush Jamboree. While partaking of the festivities, the heroes spy a strange creature getting mugged. After being saved, the creature introduces himself as Squibbles from the planet Squibatron. It would seem that his spacecraft has crashed near the center of the festival inside the big top tent. The heroes must compete in mini-games to earn enough tickets to gain access to the big top tent. Once inside, the heroes find a villainous Magikoopa and his minions trying to harness the advanced technology for nefarious purposes. The heroes must defeat the Magikoopa and see Squibbles safely on his way to his home planet.

Adventure Preparation Make sure to do the following to prepare for the adventure:

Ø Read over this adventure, brief as it may be, to make sure you know the plot and characters within.

Ø Have your players choose a character, and then print out a corresponding character sheet for them. Help them fill out their character sheet with the relevant information found in the character section of this book.

Ø Handout coins and items. Each character begins play with 10 Coins, 1 Mushroom, and 1 Honey Syrup.

Ø Make sure each player has a set of dice. Since this game is played using a d6 plus any other amount of polyhedral dice, make sure each player has a full set of dice or that there is a central location where dice could be easily accessed by everyone.

Ø Place the Battle Map in a central location and make sure the players have some sort of marker to denote their character’s position on the board. You can use Amiibos for this purpose or print out and cut out the paper minis found at the back of this book.

Beginning the Adventure As the adventure begins, the heroes are excitedly arriving at the Quasi-Annual Mush-Mush Jamboree. Read the following aloud as they arrive: With titillating anticipation, you all rush through the gates and to the Quasi-Annual Mush-Mush Jamboree, the Mushroom Kingdom’s premiere and sporadically-hosted festival. With your saucer-shaped eyes, you look at all the wonders that the Jamboree has to offer. You see kart-racing mini games, tests of strength and skill, and an item booth that features some coll- looking items. Your mouth begins to water and your stomach begins to flutter at the sight of this wonderful smorgasbord of merriment. BUT before you can engage in any of the activities, you spy a band of particularly seedy-looking Goombas carrying a strange and worried creature between them (which is quite a feat, considering Goombas have no arms). As the Goombas carry the defenseless creature behind an unassuming wooden shack, the creature locks eyes with you and seems to say, “Help me.” Then, both captive creature and captor Goombas disappear behind the building.

The heroes should feel compelled to look into the odd interaction they just saw further. However, if they decide to go to the booths first, they find that all of the booths are closed. It seems, they arrived early and none of the booths are open for business yet. The only option the heroes should have is to investigate the seedy-looking Goombas.

Combat! Seedy-Looking Goombas Once the heroes investigate behind the unassuming wooden shack, they find a band of Goombas looming over the mysterious smaller creature as it cowers in a corner of the alley. The Goombas are here to enjoy the Jamboree, but have foolishly forgotten to bring any extra coins with them. They have it in their minds to bully some coins out of this quivering creature. While not all Goombas are bad, these certainly are and they are also not too bright. If the heroes intervene they are certainly hostile and since they are so dense they will not recognize any claims to royalty or heroism that the heroes may make. If the heroes try any sort of diplomacy with these goons, it should soon become clear that fighting is the only language they understand. There are a number of Goombas in this Combat equal to the amount of heroes. The heroes gain 1 XP and 1 Coin each for successfully defeating the Goomba squad. After being defeated, the Goombas flee into the Jamboree crowd.

Squibbles the Squibatronian Skipper Read the following aloud: As the beaten Goombas scamper around the wooden shack and disappear into the crowds of the Jamboree, you hear a happy chirp. You turn and see the Goomba’s strange victim rushing over to you. The creature resembles a tiny blue mushroom with jellyfish legs. You see now that he is sporting an appropriately sized tiny leotard with a strange insignia on it. On his hip is an empty holster, no doubt for some appropriately sized and tiny weapon. Its large, expressive eyes squint in glee and it claps two of its tentacles together in delight. It speaks to you in a quavering voice, “Thank you! Thank you, heroes of this realm! I am Squibbles of the planet Squibatron and I come in peace!”

Squibbles belongs to the Squibatronian Surveyor Squad. It is his job to travel the stars in his spaceship and document new planets and their inhabitants. He was so excited for his latest mission that he forgot to fill up the spacecraft before leaving. As he passed over this planet late last night, his spacecraft ran out of fuel and he crashed not far from here in the big top tent. He knew he had to find an alternative fuel source in order to leave, but he can’t find one and now the mean bouncer is keeping him from entering the big top tent and he’s so scared to walk around the Jamboree lest seedy- looking villains molest him again! He implores that the heroes help him in his quest to soar the stars again! There are two objectives to this mission: the first is finding enough tickets to gain entrance to the big top, and the second is finding an alternative fuel source for Squibbles’ spaceship. If the heroes try to avoid earning tickets and go straight to the big top, they find a stern and no-nonsense Thwomp. The Thwomp’s job is to stand guard at the entrance to the big top and he takes his job very seriously. The only way to gain access to the big top is earn 10 tickets from the Jamboree mini-games and then show them to this Thwomp. The total of 10 tickets is divided between the players. Until the heroes have done this, Squibbles stays safely tucked away inside of an old barrel.

Item Booth The Jamboree has a small item booth Item Amount Cost that the heroes can use their Coins to buy Mushroom ∞ 5 coins items from. However, this item booth is very small and has a limited amount of items. A Honey Syrup ∞ 5 coins list of the items, how many are available from the shop, and how much they cost is included Sleepy Sheep 1 8 coins on the right. Fire Flower 1 10 coins There are two notable items in this item shop. The first is a Ticket that can be Hammer ∞ 20 coins bought and given to the Thwomp as one of the 10 needed. The second is an orb of energy Ticket 1 20 coins that can be used to fuel Squibbles’ spaceship. Tennis Shoes 1 40 coins

Mini-Game Extravaganza Orb of energy 1 100 coins In order to gain access into the big top, the heroes must win 10 tickets from the mini-game booths scattered around the Jamboree. A hero may attempt the same booth more than once. Each booth features a different challenge and while all the booths below are certainly featured, you as the GM may decide to create some to make the game more interesting or personalized for your group of players. Also, the text descriptions below are very bland, be sure to add interesting characters and details to the booths your players visit.

Balance Beam Cost: 1 Coin Reward: 1 Ticket, 1d6 Coins At this booth, the hero must walk across a narrow beam to the other side. The participating hero must succeed on an Average Acrobatics skill check to beat the game. Success indicates that the hero successfully balances their way across the narrow beam to the other side.

Catch the Cucco Cost: 1 Coin Reward: 1 Ticket, 1d10 Coins In this game, the heroes chase a fleet-footed, white-feathered fowl from a far- away and strange land. The competing hero rolls a Speed check (d6 + their Speed Value) and the GM rolls a Speed check for the cucco (d6 + 3). If the hero beats the GM’s roll, they succeed. Success means that the hero catches the cucco after a brief chase around the enclosure.

Chance Roulette Cost: varies Reward: xd10 This booth is a complete game of chance. The hero pays a number of Coins before playing. Then, the player and the GM both roll a d6. If the player manages to roll the same number as the GM, the player wins the game of chance and gains xd6 Coins, where x is the number of Coins that the player paid to play the game.

Cheep-Cheep Pond Cost: 1 Coin Reward: 1 Ticket This booth features a very easy game geared towards young children. In this game, the hero must succeed on an Easy Athletics check. Success means that the hero hooks a plastic cheep-cheep on the hook of their plastic fishing pole.

Hide-and-Sneak Cost: 1 Coin Reward: 1 Ticket, 1d4 Coins In this game, the heroes play a game of hide-and-seek with the carnival worker. The hero must succeed on an Easy Perception check. If the hero succeeds, it means the hero finds the carnival worker hiding behind a booth, a spool of industrial wire, or some other hiding spot.

Krazy Kart Cost: 1 Coin Reward: 1 Ticket, 1d6 Coins In this booth, heroes get the chance to race for a prize. They choose a cart and race around a short course against other racers. To win, heroes must succeed on an Average Drive skill check. Success indicates that the heroes maneuver their kart around turns and obstacles and do so faster than any of the other racers on the course.

Mini-F.L.U.D.D. Cost: 1 Coin Reward: 1 Ticket, 1d4 Coins At this game, the hero sits behind a miniature version of Professor Gadd’s F.L.U.D.D. and must shoot a jet of water at a small target. The hero must roll a ranged Attack vs. the target’s Armor of 4 to succeed. Success means the hero raises their target to the top in the time limit.

Strongman’s Swing Cost: 1 Coins Reward: 1 Ticket, 1d8 Coins At this booth, the hero must swing a hammer with all their might with enough force to ring a bell at the top. This is a typical and simple mini-game, even if it is difficult. The participating hero must succeed on a Hard Athletics check to succeed. Success means that the hero hits with enough force to ring the bell.

After the heroes have earned their 10 tickets, each individual hero gains 1 XP per ticket they earned themselves.

Finding Fuel Even if the heroes gain enough tickets to enter the big top tent, they still need some sort of fuel to get Squibbles’ spaceship off the ground. As the heroes explore the Jamboree, they will no doubt find a strange, glowing orb of energy at the item booth. However, this item is ridiculously overpriced. While the heroes could certainly somehow muster up the money to buy the orb of energy, that is extremely unlikely and difficult. The heroes will have to come up with some more creative way to get the orb. Below are a few options of how the heroes could proceed: • Talk The Price Down: The heroes can try to convince the salesman to sell the orb of energy for less than the listed price. Doing so is extremely difficult, however. Talking the salesman down requires a Hard Persuade check. A successful check reduces the price of the orb of energy by 10 Coins. The orb’s cost is reduced by an additional 10 Coins equal to the difference between what the hero rolled and the Difficulty Dice result. Failure means that the salesman just won’t budge on his price. • Steal The Orb: The heroes could also try to steal the orb. To do this, the heroes must succeed on a Hard Stealth check. Success means the heroes swipe the orb while the hero is distracted or not looking. Failure means the salesman sees the character trying to steal the orb or that they just fumble in their attempt and draw too much attention to them. This option may not appeal to more heroic characters. • Do The Salesman A Favor: If the heroes speak to the salesman or ask if they can do anything to help him, he may tell them of his recent woes regarding a flower patch and a grouchy Piranha Plant. See the Combat! Piranhas In The Petunias for more info on this option.

Combat! Piranhas In The Petunias The item booth salesman in the Jamboree has a field outside of the Jamboree fairgrounds that he has gone to for years. The flowers that grow there are some of the sweetest-smelling flowers in the Kingdom and he loves to pick bouquets for his wife. However, recently, a territorial piranha plant has taken up residence in the field. If the heroes could somehow bring a bouquet of five flowers to the salesman, he will part with the orb of energy for free. Once the heroes arrive at the field, read the following out loud: Nestled in between a grove of trees is a picture-perfect field of multicolored flowers, perfectly lit by serene sunlight. As you near the field, you reach down to pick a flower. Suddenly, a giant plant erupts from the middle of the field. The piranha plant looks at you with its eyeless face and grins a toothy smile. “You gotta be careful reaching into a bunch of flowers. You never know what might… BITE YA!”

A piranha plant is an extremely powerful opponent for such low-level characters. However, if the players were smart, they may have bought the fire flower from the item booth in preparation for this fight. A fire flower would certainly make this

33 fight easier, but defeating a piranha plant will still be difficult at their level. The good news for the heroes is that they do not need to defeat the piranha plant, just gather 5 flowers. During the Combat of this Side Quest, the heroes have access to a special action in addition to the normal Combat actions. This action is aptly titled Pick A Flower. On their turn, a hero may sacrifice any offensive or defensive action to pick a flower. Once the party has five flowers, they may Run Away from the Combat and return to the item booth salesman. Once the salesman has the bouquet of five flowers, he gladly parts with the orb of energy. In addition, if the heroes manage to defeat the piranha plant and free the field up to future flower-picking, the salesman decides to give the party a booth-wide discount of 50% all his stock!

Gaining Access To The Big Top After the heroes have earned 10 tickets from the Jamboree’s mini-game extravaganza and found a fuel source for Squibbles’ spaceship, they may collect Squibbles from his safety barrel and report to the Thwomp at the Big Top Tent. When presented with 10 tickets, the Thwomp moves aside to let the heroes inside. If anyone points out if they should all be allowed admittance for having 10 tickets, or if the rule is supposed to be 10 tickets per person, the Thwomp replies, “The boss said people need 10 tickets to get inside. You people have 10 tickets. You get inside.” This Thwomp seems as dense as the rock he is made of. The heroes earn 5 XP for gaining access to the big top tent. If they have not had the chance to do so, now would be a good time to allow the players to spend their XP and level up their characters.

Combat! Magikoopa and His Misappropriating Mooks As the heroes enter the big top tent, read the following out loud:

The red and yellow canvas roof stretches above you, giving the interior of the big top tent and orange hazy glow. Bleachers wrap around the circumference of the tent and three massive, wooden poles reach up to the top with taut lines stretched out between them. In the middle of the tent is the telltale ring of a circus tent, but instead of performers or exotic animals, there is a smoking piece of metal that could be a spaceship.

Before the heroes can repair or otherwise approach the wrecked spaceship, a Magikoopa suddenly appears before them, blocking their way. The Magikoopa spied the crashing spaceship last night and has decided to harness its alien technology to conquer the stars. He just needs some sort of energy to get the thing going again! And he won’t ask nicely again! As Combat starts, two Koopas join the fight. They are the Magikoopa’s minions. (Add a Koopa if there are six heroes playing.) The Magikoopa takes position on the back row, while his minions take position on the front row. This Magikoopa is considered a

Boss enemy, meaning he gets a +1 on all Attack and Magic rolls, and regenerates 1 MP at the start of his turn (up to his maximum). Once the heroes defeat the Magikoopa and his minions, they flee the scene. The heroes gain 10 XP for defeating the Magikoopa, but their mission isn’t quite over yet.

Going On A Trip In Squibbles’ Rocketship! Now that Squibbles is reunited with his spaceship, it’s time to get this thing in operating order again. Two things need to be done to make Squibbles’ spaceship starworthy again: First, the spaceship took some damage when it crashed to the earth. A hero must succeed on an Average Repair check to bend the wings back into place and buff out dents. Second, the ball of energy must be placed inside the empty fuel chamber. This requires an Average Science check to gently place the core into the chamber. Squibbles finally shows his value here. The players may elect for Squibbles to help them in one aspect of getting the spaceship ready. He can help repair the exterior damage or place the energy core in place. Whichever task the characters elect him to help on reduces the Difficulty of that task to Easy. Failure with one of these checks means the character places themselves in a dangerous position. Maybe the buffing machine gets away from them or the energy core sparks suddenly. Whatever mistake their failure causes, the characters takes 2 Damage for a failed check. Checks may be reattempted with Squibbles’ assistance, but the threat of failure adds a weight to the roll. Once the damage is repaired and the energy core is placed, the spaceship is ready for lift-off! Read the following aloud:

The see-through dome closes with a hiss. From his seat in the cockpit, Squibbles waves down excitedly at you. Though you cannot see his mouth, you know he must be smiling. With his tentacles, he slaps and pulls and pushes at unseen buttons and levers inside the ship. Suddenly, the ship’s thrusters roar to life, kicking up dust and trash in every direction. The ship majestically hovers into the air and then thrusts up, through the red and yellow-striped canopy, tearing a new hole next to the old one. Then, Squibbles’ spaceship disappears into the night sky with a distant twinkle. So ends your day at the Quasi-Annual Mush-Mush Jamboree. It may not have been quite the day you expected, but it was certainly a fun day, nonetheless. The End

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Skills Stealth Science Repair Persuade Perception Lore Drive Deception Computer Athletics AcroBatics

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Skills Stealth Science Repair Persuade Perception Lore Drive Deception Computer Athletics AcroBatics

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Skills Stealth Science Repair Persuade Perception Lore Drive Deception Computer Athletics AcroBatics

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Skills Stealth Science Repair Persuade Perception Lore Drive Deception Computer Athletics AcroBatics