Asunder Playtest Document Welcome to the Asunder Playtest! What you hold in your hands is the playtest document for Asunder, a game of people seeking truth, power, and belonging in a savage world without metal. It uses the same rules that Rob Schwalb’s Shadow of the Demon Lord uses so, if you’re familiar with that game, you’ll be able to get up to speed on Asunder fairly quickly. Here’s a quick breakdown of what you’ll find in this document. Chapter 1: A World Out of Balance This chapter will tell you what you need to know, in brief, about the world of Asunder and its people. It’s designed to give you the very basics, but there’s more setting material later in the document. Chapter 2: Seeker Creation Asunder has character creations similar to those of Shadow, though Asunder’s Origins are a bit different from Shadow’s ancestries. Also of note is that the Interesting Things table and the Roleplaying section are missing from this chapter; you can use the ones from Shadow if you wish. Chapter 3: Playing the Game Asunder’s rules are very similar to Shadow’s, so you won’t find much new content here. There are a few terminology changes here and there, and you’ll want to familiarize yourself with Strain and Discord, as well as the rules for fatal flaws. Chapter 4: Combat Combat is Asunder works as it does in Shadow. If you’re familiar with Shadow combat, you’re familiar with Asunder combat. Chapters 5, 6, and 7: Novice Paths, Expert Paths, and Master Paths These are all new! Enjoy them. Also look for the rules on ties and teamwork dice; they’re an important part of Asunder! Chapter 8: Equipment Equipment in Asunder is somewhat different from what you’re used to in Shadow, particularly when it comes to weapons and armor. Chapter 9: Living Gear and Other Oddities Living gear is something new to Asunder, as are the rules for glass items and other strange things. Have fun with this stuff; it’s part of what makes Asunder cool! Chapter 10: Essence Trees Magic, as a concept, doesn’t exist in Asunder, but the people of Asunder do have access to Essence powers, innate abilities that they can choose to develop if they wish. Essence trees use the same basic framework as magical traditions do in Shadow, but there are some key differences in how they work, what they grant access to, and how they’re acquired. 1 Asunder Playtest Document Chapter 11: Chaos and Pure Light Chaos is the primal force of creation and destruction, and Pure Light is a massive shaft of burning light that travels around the mainland continent. This chapter will tell you how they work. Chapter 12: The World of Asunder This is our setting chapter. Most of the setting material you’ll need to run the game is here. Chapter 13: Other Peoples of the World This chapter, when it’s complete, will contain information on the Naga, the demons, and the devourers. Right now there’s nothing here, but you shouldn’t need it for the playtest. If you decide you really need stats for these creatures, look for stats that make sense in Shadow and use them instead. Chapter 14: The Keeper This is where our GM (called the Keeper) advice will go. There’s nothing here yet, so refer to Shadow for advice. Much of it still holds true for Asunder. Chapter 15: Bestiary You’ll find some stats for monsters and NPCs here, though it’s not as complete as it will be. The stats here, combined with stats from Shadow, should be enough to run the adventures provided in this document. Chapter 16: The Journey Begins Much of the adventure-running and adventure-writing advice is missing right now. However, what is in this chapter are three complete adventures that will take your group from level 0 to level 3. Feel free to run these as part of the playtest. 2 Asunder Playtest Document Chapter One: A World out of Balance Seeking Answers “Someone’s been through here,” Ralla says, voice barely a whisper. She studies the footprints in the soft earth, faint and delicate but no more than a few hours old. She turns her head slightly and raises her voice so that Kamira can hear her. “Recently. Three or four of them, probably weavers.” “Are they going our way?” Kamira asks, voice cool and dark like a subterranean pool. “Maybe. It might mean we’re getting close to the Wellspring.” “Remind me why we’re here again,” comes Vestrus’s voice, sardonic and bored. Ralla stands and faces the man, a flat look in her eyes. “Because of what I saw on the battlefield. Remember?” “Oh right,” he says, running a hand through his long hair. “Something something spirit, something something ‘seek the Wellspring’, something something save the world. Something. Right?” “There’s a bit more to it than that,” Ralla retorts, rolling her eyes. “But yes. The spirit on the battlefield told me that the fate of the world hung in the balance, and that the Wellspring contains answers.” “And this is our responsibility because…” “Vestrus, you could have stayed at Heartwood and drunk yourself into a stupor. Nobody forced you to come out here, into the jungle.” Ralla points east. “It’s that way, if this expedition is boring you.” Vestrus quirks a smile. “Touchy today, aren’t you?” Ralla turns her back to the sky-dweller and rolls her eyes again. “Astrid?” she says to the woman next to her, a note of pleading in her voice. Astrid chuckles and turns to Vestrus. “The Wellspring contains knowledge, and knowledge is valuable. Good enough reason?” Vestrus tilts his head. “Knowledge can be dangerous, too.” Astrid smiles, quirks one eyebrow. “You scared of a little danger?” “Just pointing it out,” Vestrus replies. “Personally, I live for danger. But I don’t want to speak for the rest of you.” 3 Asunder Playtest Document Ralla sighs and tries to tune the two of them out. Vestrus is insufferable, but useful. She doesn’t trust Astrid, but she is grateful for the glass-dealer’s ability to handle Vestrus. She walks up to Ereborn and says, quietly, “You’re uncharacteristically quiet today.” Ereborn nods. “There a reason for that?” “The jungle’s watching us. Waiting for something. I’m trying to figure out what.” Ralla studies the Chaos-wielder for a moment. “Does someone know we’re seeking the Wellspring?” An errant crackle of electricity plays across Ereborn’s face. “I’m not sure. Possibly. You did find those footprints, and we’d be fools to discount them.” “Do you think we’re still going the right way?” Ereborn takes a deep breath and lets it out. “I believe so. I can feel the tug of power from this direction. It may be the Wellspring, it may be something else, but I believe it to be the former.” “How can you be sure?” The Chaos-wielder doesn’t answer immediately. “Describe the spirit you saw on the battlefield again.” “Um,” Ralla says, confused at the change of topic. “She was tall, maybe sixteen feet. She radiated with power. Bald, eyes made of light, skin that looked like stone and earth with vines all around her. Her voice sounded like the voices of hundreds of people at once.” Ereborn nods. “Others have described similar visions on the sites of battlefields, as well as other places of great calamity and death. Many theorize that these are manifestations of Gaia. They believe that Gaia appears to provide aid and guidance to the survivors of such calamities.” “You don’t sound so sure.” “These manifestations may very well be aspects of Gaia. As to whether they’re benevolent in nature… I’ve heard conflicting things, and I have my doubts.” Ralla considers for a moment. “You think we might be walking into a trap?” “Not necessarily, but it’s a possibility we shouldn’t discount.” 4 Asunder Playtest Document “Do you think it’s worth the risk?” Ereborn raises his hand, flames playing around his palm as he gazes at it. “Power is seldom without risk, and never without cost.” Ralla stares at the flames. “Do you regret seeking Chaos?” “Do you regret deserting the Bone Army?” Ralla’s jaw clenches. “No. It was the right decision for me at the time.” “Well then,” he replies, saying nothing more. “Hey,” comes Kamira’s voice, hushed. “Quiet down. I hear someone ahead.” The woman is crouched low, the claws on her disfigured right arm flexing and unflexing. Ralla nods, signals to Vestrus to flank right. He smiles, winks, and disappears into the underbrish. The man may be insufferable, but he follows orders when it’s important. She signals Astrid and sends her to the left. The slight woman draws her sword, a blade of red glass with an edge sharper than nearly anything else in the world. She nods silently and moves off. To Kamira and Ereborn, she signals the center, with her, and the three of them move forward quietly, low and careful. Ahead, Ralla sees three figures standing in a clearing, waiting. She signals for Kamira to stay and Ereborn to come with her, then she stands up straight and walks into the clearing. The three weavers turn to face her. “Greetings, outlanders,” says one of them, a tall woman covered in a patchwork outfit of vines, leaves, and bark. “What do you seek here?” Ralla stops ten paces from the leader, near enough to close the distance quickly if she needs to, far enough to ready her defenses if the other attacks.