Introduction

Welcome back to Thedas!

We hope the fact that youve picked

up this book means youve already
served as your groups Game Master for myriad adventures in the Dragon Age world, shepherding the players
and helping them tell their heroes stories across the
length and breadth of Ferelden, and maybe even beyond.
In this book, youll find information about taking the
next steps, running a game for heroes of increasing
might and players of growing skill. This book contains
five chapters, which are
The Blight and the Grey Wardens: This chapter is your
companion to the background information presented in
Chapter One: Lore of Thedas in the Set 2 Players Guide.
It contains information for your eyes only about the
Blight, and about the Grey Wardens whose sole purpose
is to fight it. The players may learn many of its secrets
in the course of playespecially if your campaign will
see them join the vaunted Wardensbut for now it
provides background for you alone.
Running a Campaign: This chapter has two major
sections. The first discusses campaign frameworks,
which are central concepts around which campaigns
can be organized to provide a unifying theme for its
adventures. Even if you already have a Dragon Age
campaign in progress (we hope you do!) youll find this
information useful as you think about stringing your
groups future adventures together. It will also serve
you well when youre ready to mount your second
campaign. The second half of this chapter contains a
wealth of advice about designing encounters for the
Dragon Age RPG. It has general tips, a discussion of the

Introduction

moral choices at the center of this dark fantasy environment, and specific tips and ideas about combat,
exploration, and roleplaying encounters. Reading this
chapter carefully and following its advice will make
your Dragon Age RPG campaign better.
Adversaries: This chapter expands the bestiary of
enemies against which your groups heroes will strive.
It includes creatures that may be familiar to you (and
your players) from your adventures in the Dragon Age
computer games, as well as monsters that will be unfamiliar and surprising.
Rewards: In addition to describing moreand more
powerfultemporary and permanent magic items, this
chapter details superior and masterwork items, which
are those objects crafted from exceptional raw materials
or with exceptional skill (or both), but which do not
contain lyriums spark. It also provides an entirely new
kind of reward for heroes: honorifics. These are similar
to the reputations discussed in Set 1 but have concrete
mechanical effects in play.
The Autumn Falls: Finally, this chapter provides an
adventure to kick off your groups Set 2 play with a
journey to the Grand Tourney of the Free Marches. In
Cumberland, the Player Characters become embroiled
in tournaments of arms but are also enlisted to investigateand stopa nefarious plot to massacre thousands
of innocents. Unless you have other plans for your own
campaign, it also provides the first bread crumb on the
heroes trail to becoming Grey Wardens.

Chapter One

Picture an ancient tree. Its thick roots dig deep into the
moist earth, its aged bark hangs heavy with verdant
moss, its green branches reach towards the heavens.
Birds flit among its boughs upsetting chittering squirrels and the wind gently stirs its leaves. Water trickles
somewhere nearby and the air is thick with swirling
pollen and tiny insects.
Then, a Blight comes. The tree sickens. What little water
its roots can dredge is befouled. Its leaves wither and
fall. Sickly mold chokes the once-lush moss. The wind
is still, the birds long dead, the squirrels transformed
into stunted creatures, freakishly twisted with unnatural hungers. No pollen floats on the air, for nothing
blooms. The only insects are flies and maggots.

A Secret History
Thedas has seen four Blights, and some say there is a fifth
on the rise. Although all Blights have shared similarities,
none have been exactly the same. Some Grey Wardens
say that the darkspawn have grown increasingly violent
with each Blight. Whether this is true, whats clear to all
is that a rising Blight must be fought lest its motivating
Archdemon and its darkspawn horde choke the life from
every corner of the living world.
The Chantry teaches that the First Blight was unleashed
upon Thedas because the mage-lords of Tevinter

The Blight & the

Grey Wardens
opened a gate to the Makers Golden City through the
Fade and their hubris brought the Makers wrath. The
mage-lords were cast back into the mundane world as
the first darkspawn, say the Chantrys texts, their souls
corrupted. In their depravity they sought the Old Gods,
and, finding the Archdemon Dumat slumbering deep
within the earth began the First Blight.
In all probability, these religious histories of the First
Blight are either too simple, partially inaccurate, or
even flat-out incorrect. Consider that the Memories of
Orzammar record that the darkspawn first appeared in
the Deep Roads in 800 TE. If the Chantrys history and
Orzammars Memories are both true, then Tevinter mages
would have breached the Golden City, been cursed, fled
into the darkness, found and corrupted Dumat, raised
an army of darkspawn, and then completely overrun the
western thaigs all in one year.
It seems more likely that in 800 TE, the Tevinter magisters had already been seeking Dumat for some time.
A few Grey Warden scholars believe they may have
even found him by that time, and that it was only with
his counsel that they were able to reach the Makers

The Blight & the Grey Wardens

Golden City. Different groups of mages may have been

pursuing different agendas that were later fused. The
truth will probably never be known.
In any case, the people of Thedas did not at first connect
the rising contamination of the earth with the coming
of the darkspawn. The blighting of the world initially
seemed more like additional proof that the Old Gods
had abandoned the world. But, over decades, as the
land continued to sour while the darkspawn became
more profuse, the correlation became increasingly
obvious. Growing certainty about the connection was
one factor that would eventually drive Carinus to found
the Grey Wardens in the hopes that purging Thedas of
darkspawn would also reverse the terrible effects of the
Blight upon the land.
The pre-founding travels of Carinus and his circle
are solidly part of the Orders legend but they may
be little more than fables. While Carinus looms large
in some histories, others dont even acknowledge his
existence. At least one story of the foundation credits
a group of Anders soldiers who shamed the Tevinter
with their courage in hunting Dumat even while their
own families died.

Origin of the Joining

Whether Carinus existed or not, the tale of his travels to
recruit allies conceals another truth. The first would-be
Wardens were doing more than getting the word out.
They were also searching for more effective ways to fight.
Most records say that Nakiri of the Donark Forest was
the first one to suggest that the blood of the enemy could
be a crucial tool. His people believed that consuming a
foes blood was a way to claim that enemys strength for
oneself. As the nascent Grey Wardens investigated this
possibility, many of the mages they consulted confirmed
that there was power in blood. Blood magic was far from
uncommon in Tevinter at that time.
The nascent Grey Wardens experimented in secret.
In addition to learning from Donark practices and
Tevinter blood mages, they studied lore from ancient
Arlathan. This knowledge was conveyed by elven
slaves who provided it on the condition that the Grey
Wardens would hold elves equal with the other races
among their ranks, and turn their efforts to elven liberation once the Blight was defeated.
The Joining ritual the Grey Wardens crafted proved
critical to their success. Those who underwent the
ritual not only became immune to the darkspawn
disease, but found that they could also sense the presence of darkspawn and overhear their unspoken
communication. Indeed, this was the first real proof
that the darkspawn were communally driven by a
centralized motivating force.
The first Grey Wardens legendary success at the
Siege of Nordbotten is no historical exaggeration.

They did in fact slaughter twenty or more times their

own number. What history doesnt record is that their
success was due, in part, to their enemies disorientation. They found it nearly impossible to distinguish
the newly Joined Grey Wardens from their own fellow
darkspawn.

Prices Paid
As the First Blight wore on the Grey Wardens began
to learn the price of the Joining. They suffered gruesome dreams and visions, ravenous hunger, andas
years continued to passan increasingly irresistible
compulsion to join with the darkspawn hordes. The
darkspawn also learned, over time, to differentiate
between their allies and the Grey Wardens. They even
learned that they could sometimes detect the presence
of unseen Wardens, just as the Wardens could detect
them.
Despite these drawbacks, the Grey Wardens met with
great success in the early years of their campaign
against the Blight. A group of determined Anders
soldiers even managed to slay Dumat while the dragon
was on the run from a Warden offensive. Their celebrations were cut short when Dumat returnedapparently unharmeda very short time later. Grey Warden
scholars learned, in the years that followed, that the
Archdemons death had only forced its soul to relocate
into the body of another nearby darkspawn, whose
form it then twisted back into the shape it preferred. It
seemed that as long as a single darkspawn remained,
Dumat was immortal.
The Grey Wardens despaired. Then their Order
proposed that the Wardens subtle ties to the darkspawn might prove to be Thedass salvation. If Dumat
were slain by a Grey Warden, they proposed, then the
Old Gods dying spirit would rush into the Wardens
body. Since a Wardens body already has a soul (as
opposed to the soulless darkspawn), the resulting
paradox would destroy both Warden and Archdemon.
Dumats death at the hands of Grey Wardens at the
Battle of the Silent Plains proved this idea correct,
for the Archdemon did not return in the years that
followed. The Orders histories do not record which
Warden gave up his soul to destroy the Archdemon,
for many Wardens struggled against Dumat, and the
dragons very death throes slew seven or more of the
Orders warriors.

The Corruption of Decades

Since those days, the Grey Wardens have learned more
about the condition that the Joining brings about in
them. They have observed that Grey Wardens not
otherwise slain in battle or strife are able to resist the
slow corruption of their souls for about thirty years.
They have also learned that certain herbs can coun-

The Blight & the Grey Wardens

teract the Blight disease if administered in timely and

appropriate fashion, and they have disseminated this
knowledge across Thedas.

Blights
No one knows exactly what a Blight is. The Chantry
still teaches that Blights are the Makers curse on the
ancient magisters of Tevinter who breached His Golden
City. The Grey Wardens think of Blights as a pervasive
spiritual corruption. The ever-practical dwarves do not
care what Blights are, or what causes them, as long as
they are fought with resolve and steel.
It is clear that a Blight arises when darkspawn, in
their burrowing, unearth one of the Old Gods once
worshipped by the Tevinter. The darkspawn are
somehow drawn to the resting places of these ancient
high dragons. It may be that the Old Gods call to the
darkspawn hoping to be released from their ancient
prisons, or it may be that the darkspawn are somehow
able to sense the presence of the corruptible deities and
so seek them out. Both may be true.
In any case, upon reaching a slumbering Old God the
corruption of the darkspawn transforms the powerful
being into an Archdemon. Some suppose that this
transformation drives the deity mad, while others
believe that the actions of such beings are beyond
understanding in the first place. Whatever its moti-

vations, an unearthed Archdemon eventually rises to

the surface of the world and leads seemingly limitless
darkspawn hordes in battle against all who oppose
them.
Between the time an Archdemon is transformed and
the moment when it first appears on the surface of
the world the land itself begins to show signs of the
growing corruption. Crops shrivel, water turns foul,
animals sicken and become twisted, people fall ill for
no obvious reason. As these effects increase, darkspawn
are seen with greater frequency.
Once the Archdemon appears on the surface, the
Blights corruption follows in its wake as it travels
the land, expanding especially swiftly from any area
where the tainted Old God lairs. The longer the Blight
continues the more intense the effects become. Eventually the sky fills with roiling clouds that blot out the
sun. The little rain that falls from such clouds is thick
and viscous, yet evaporates quickly.
A Blight only ends with the death of the Archdemon
whose rise brought it forth. In all the history of Thedas,
only the Grey Wardens have managed to permanently
slay an Archdemon. Its not clear whether this is the
only way an Archdemon can be destroyed for good, but
its certainly the case that most would-be slayers perish
simply attempting to penetrate the foul malaise that
surrounds these horrible creatures.

The Blight & the Grey Wardens

How Blights are

Experienced
Blights advance in a progression that the Grey Wardens
now understand relatively well. However, the Order
remains uncertain about the precise rules under which
Blights operate. Does an Archdemons presence cause
and spread the Blight, or is it the hordes of darkspawn
that invariably travel with them? Does it take all Archdemons a similar amount of time to reach the surface? What
would happen if an Archdemon were left unchecked
forever? Even for the gaps in their knowledge, the Grey
Wardens use what they do know to carry out their vigilantand sometimes violentwork.
Blights begin without warning, and spread quietly at
first. Those on the outskirts of surface civilization begin
to report darkspawn activity, but environmental effects
are difficult to discern. Some assume the darkspawn
have been driven to the surface by calamity below and
that their depredations will pass, while others immediately conclude that a Blight is coming. The Grey
Wardens spend much time and effort investigating the
activities of darkspawnand rumors of their activitiesbetween Blights, always trying to become aware
of the next Blight as early as possible.
If a Blight is truly on the rise, as time passes more and
more witnesses spot increasingly large forces of dark-

spawn in the land. It becomes clear that the plants

and animals in the areas where the darkspawn have
been most often are sickening. Outlying villages suffer
attacks. Sometimes, despite appearances, even this
level of corruption and devastation is not truly a Blight.
A particularly strong or clever hurlock or genlock alpha
can carry their minions to great triumphs even when
an Archdemon is not active in the world. In such cases,
if the horde that follows such a leader is defeated, the
land slowly recovers.
Attacks on small villages eventually give way to raids
on increasing lager, and more central, bastions of civilization. Even though the Archdemon has not yet been
seen, darkspawn forces include increasingly mighty
creatures. Massive armies besiege sizable cities outside
a realms central lands. Blight disease spreads and
intensifies. Famine arises. These manifestations can
continue for years, even decades.
By this time, only a fool would deny that a Blight has
come, even if an Archdemon has not yet been seen.
Travel becomes difficult and dangerous. Blight wolves,
bereskarn, and worse attack travelers even near towns
and on major roads. Whole armies of darkspawn march
in the open. Many villages have been devastated or
abandoned. Those that remain distrust travelers and
fall under frequent attacks. Potable water is scarce. The
skies are overcast and ominous, although there is little
rain.

The Blight & the Grey Wardens

The Joining Ritual

The game rules for being a Grey Wardenthe specific benefits a Player Character receivesare listed in the
Set 2 Players Guide on page 37.
The only thing thats not covered there about the Joining is the chance that a person who undergoes the ritual
might die, then and there. The basic rule is that a hero who undergoes the Joining Ritual must roll three dice,
and if they are triples, the PC dies. Otherwise, they survive.
This actually gives Player Characters a much better chance to survive the Joining than most who attempt it.
The actual survival rate of those who go through with the Joining (not including those who try to backpedal
and are killed) is about only about one-quarter to one-third. This is much of the reason the ranks of Grey
Wardens are so few.
You may wish to make the Joining more or less deadly in your own campaign. There are benefits and drawbacks
to each approach. Making the Joining exactly as deadly for PCs as it is for everyone else (say, by requiring a TN14
roll with no bonuses to survive) lends verisimilitude to the game at an obvious cost in satisfaction for players who
spent many game sessions with those characters. On the other hand, ruling that every PC automatically survives
the Joining makes the benefits of being a Grey Warden a bit too easily come by. If you want to deviate from the
default rule, make sure that your decision matches with the style of campaign you want to run, and that youve led
your players to expect.

Eventually, the Archdemon takes the head of its darkspawn armies, leading them into battle and smashing
the cities of civilization. Roiling clouds block the sun
across the whole of the world for months on end. Only
the scarcest pockets of healthy wilderness remain. The
tainted land itself is capable of infecting the weak or
unwary; ghouls and other weird mutants run rampant
through the countryside.
Civilized travelers are invariably hunted unless they
travel in armies, and even armies fall under attack
without notice. All small and most medium-sized settlements have been razed, their denizens now either dead
or refugees in other places. Larger and larger cities fall.
More and more people are killed. The Blight spreads
and the darkspawn armies grow until the Archdemon
is slain.
The tide turns when the Archdemon is slain. The skies
clear almost immediately and the weather returns
quickly to normal for the season. The land can take
months or years to recover, depending on how far into
Blight various areas fell. New-growth plants break
the surface. Some sickly animals recover and some
twisted animals finally manage to breed (producing
non-mutant offspring), but even by lifes various
means it still takes a long time for animal populations
to reach their pre-blight levels. Rebuilding old villages
and founding new ones continues for human generations. Some particularly hard-hit areas never recover
from the Blight. There are portions of the Anderfels
that have been so ravaged by two Blights that they are
now deserts.
Grey Wardens call the recovery after a Blight the Thaw.
The Order organizes Thaw hunts to kill off as many
disoriented and leaderless darkspawn as possible

before they retreat back underground. Eventually the

darkspawn are killed or retreat, and even deep wildernesses become generally safe for civilized traffic.
Should a Blight continue unchecked, it would lay
waste to the world of men, something every realm
prays will never come to pass.

Blight Campaigns
Knowing what the overall course of a Blight looks like,
you must translate those factors into concrete adventures as well as background conditions and events that
change over time to give the heroes the sense of a Blightstricken world. As the Blight begins, for example, the
prices for goods tend to rise as raw materials become
scarcer and travel becomes more dangerous. This is
something Player Characters will observe firsthand
even if rising prices isnt the centerpiece of some
particular adventure. As the Blight continues and
conditions become more dangerous, more and more
able-bodied citizens will be called away from their
peacetime labors to man fortress walls and safeguard
critical resources. If you begin a Blight-centric campaign
in the later stages of a Blight, low-level Player Characters may even see their early adventures center around
such mundane concerns as finding unspoiled food and
clean water to survive.
Eventually, the open fight against the darkspawn will
become the heroes central task. Although finding and
slaying the Archdemon is the clear goal, many intermediate adventures pave the way to that climactic
event.
Youll probably want Grey Warden Player Characters
to play a significant role in a Blight campaign, but the

The Blight & the Grey Wardens

option is yours. No citizen of Thedas is untouched by

misfortune in a time of Blight; there are adventures to
be undertaken by all. In fact, one of the best features
of a tabletop RPG is that you can take your campaign
in any direction you wish. You may wish to decide
that your Fifth Blight will be centered on some other
realm of Thedas (Orlais? Nevarra? Rivain?), or that no
Archdemon has arisen and the depredations in modern
Ferelden are the work of a dangerous darkspawn
warlord of great power but who is not motivated by a
corrupted, awakening Old God. Its up to you.

The Joining
The ritual that inducts new Grey Wardens is a secret rite
about which little is known beyond the Orders ranks for
very good reason: it taints or kills those who submit to it.
During the ritual, recruits drink from a chalice
containing a mixture of darkspawn blood, lyrium,
herbs, and often a drop of blood from an Archdemon.
This potent mixture kills outright many who imbibe
it. Those who survive are forever after Grey Wardens,
connected to the darkspawn by the corrupted blood
theyve consumed.
A recruit to whom the Joining Ritual and its ramifications have been explained must go forward and drink
from the chalice. There is no turning back. Those who
refuse are put to the sword by the Grey Wardens overseeing the ceremony to preserve the Orders secrets.
A new Grey Warden gains the ability to tap into the
darkspawns collective mind. New Grey Wardens
are told that the Joining renders them immune to the
Blight disease, though this is a calculated lie with
the force of long tradition. The disease is drastically
slowed for Grey Wardens, yes, but the Joining does
not stop it forever. New Grey Wardens also find that
their dreams turn dark. They suffer from nightmares,
though these occasionally offer prophetic glimpses
about darkspawn actions and activities. Many Grey
Wardens experience ravenous hunger. Some become
more physically robust. Certain scholars among the
Grey Wardens have suggested that other powers
might be unlocked in the exploration of the Wardens
tainted blood, but there is no hard evidence to support
these claims, and the path to unlocking them would be
rocky if not fatal.

The Calling
Most believe that the Calling is a life-ending ritual undertaken by aging Grey Wardens when it becomes clear
that they will soon succumb to corruption. According
to the lore of the Order, once an older Warden begins to

hear the voices of the Old Gods, it is time for this final
stage of the Grey Wardens life.
Knowing that the time has come, the Grey Warden
takes their leave of their comrades with celebration or
gravity as their personality dictates. They distribute
any of their belongings that they wish to see carried
into future battles and descend into the Deep Roads,
where they take as many darkspawn as they can with
them, a fate that earns them immense respect among
the dwarves.
Most in the Order are led to believe that this final sacrifice is more practical than simply continuing on with
their lives until the taint proves fatal. The truth, however,
is that taint will never ultimately prove fatal to a Grey
Warden, in and of itself. Rather, the taint will eventually
transform a Grey Warden into a being so much like a
darkspawn that the horde will eventually accept it as one
of its own. Those who keep this secret and promulgate
the Calling as it is known to most Grey Wardens have
concluded that it is better for Grey Wardenswho live
lives of sacrifice in any caseto die fighting the enemy
than to increase the enemys number.

The Blight & the Grey Wardens

Chapter two

Running a Campaign

One of the most rewarding ways to play

the Dragon Age RPG is as a campaign of
ongoing adventures featuring the same
Player Characters. But running a campaign can be
difficult in the same way that running a marathon can
be difficult. Even though playing Dragon Age is fun, it
takes expertise and stamina to keep a campaign going.

The early sections of this chapter provide ideas about

different ways to structure a Dragon Age campaign.
Later sections give suggestions and advice about how
to keep it running like a finely tuned machine, scene by
scene.

Campaign
Frameworks
One of the key strategies for creating a successful Dragon
Age campaign is to base it on a coherent campaign
framework. A campaign framework is nothing more
than a unifying structure that ties the Player Characters together and motivates the breadth adventures that
theyll undertake.
The primary advantage of proactively erecting a
framework for your campaign is that it helps organize
the players and their heroes around common goals.

With common goals, theyll be able to work together

and keep moving in the same direction on adventure
after adventure, instead of (as sometimes happens)
chasing different distractions in a dozen directions,
dismembering the group and making it increasingly
difficult for you to keep crafting adventures that
everyone can be organically involved in. The framework, in short, explains why the PCs are working
together and what theyre trying to achieve in the long
run. Its a roadmap that everyone can buy into at the
beginning of the epic journey.
A secondary advantage to having a well-established
framework is that it helps you maintain an organized
idea about what comes next. Or, if not exactly what
comes next, then what kinds of things might come next.
Whenever you sit down to create an adventure, or a
series of interlocking adventures, the campaign framework serves as a beacon for your efforts, lighting your
way so you can always go in a direction that makes
sense.
Six different frameworks that you can use as the basis of
your own Dragon Age campaigns are presented below.
You can also create your own framework, perhaps
drawing on one of these for inspiration but spinning

Running a Campaign

it in your own unique way. A section that discusses the

critical factors in creating your own framework follow
the six samples.
In the section about planning a campaign in the Dragon
Age RPG Set 1 Game Masters Guide (see pages 1214 of
that book), theres a discussion of defining, outlining,
and ending a campaign arc. A campaign arc is a good
way to provide some breadth of play while also giving
your players a sense of closure. However, you can
also run an open-ended campaignone that doesnt
have a defined or obvious endingand using a solid
campaign framework is a good way to do it. The frameworks presented here can be open- or closed-ended; all
work well for either type.

Grey Wardens
If the Dragon Age RPG has a default framework, this is
it: The Player Characters become Grey Wardens and the
group of heroes fights the rising Blight in Thedas. This
framework also supports players who dont want to have
characters who are actually Grey Wardens as long as their
characters are oriented toward fighting the darkspawn
menace and working alongside the Grey Wardens PCs.
Given the nature of the Grey Wardens, it can be tricky
to start a Grey Warden campaign, since 1st-level characters arent appropriate to actually be Grey Wardens right
out of the gate. (Thats why the background information
about Grey Wardens was kept out of Set 1, and reserved
for Set 2.) But naturally, the various story lines of Dragon
Age: Origins provide the ready solution to this issue:
Low-level PCs in this campaign framework are characters who either seek to become Grey Wardens or who will
eventually be pressed into that role by rising necessity.
The key consideration, as you erect the Grey Warden
framework at the beginning of a new campaign, is to
make sure that the players are aware that the groups
eventual thrust will be to become, or support, the Grey
Wardens, and fight the Blight. Even if the characters only
come to discover this destiny as they level up, theyll
have been engineered by their players from the start to
be heroes willing to take up that calling.
One of the strengths of the Grey Warden framework is
the organizations willingness to embrace the skilled
and courageous from any background or race. That is,
this framework doesnt impose any limits whatsoever
on the types of Player Characters that the players can
make. A player who wants to create a truly interesting
hero might even collaborate with the GM to make a PC
who will be conscripted against his better judgment
into the Grey Wardens because of some special skill
he has, due to some destiny that the Grey Wardens
believe applies to him, or even to survive infection
with darkspawn corruption. Such a character would
then learn only over time to fully embrace the Grey
Wardens cause.

Running a Campaign

Motivating Grey Warden heroes in their adventures is

simple business, since their missions are handed down
directly from their seniors in the organization. Wildly
diverse missions with equally diverse geographical
locations can be tied together quite easily. The heroes
must go where theyre told to fight the darkspawn
threats there.
The types of adventures that the PCs undertake in
a campaign with a Grey Wardens framework will all
be of the same cloth: theyll fight the depredations of
darkspawn. This isnt to say that their every mission
mustor shouldbe a search-and-destroy assignment
ending in a battle against a foul and horrible enemy.
But you will have to make a conscious effort, with this
framework, to vary the adventures of your campaign
in order to avoid having them feel too similar to each
other. Even for the most devoted hack-and-slash,
search-and-destroy players, too little variation on the
theme can grow stale, especially when the theme is so
strongly tactical in nature.

Freedom Fighters:
Orlesian Occupation
The historical period of the Fereldan Rebellion can
provide an exciting campaign setting. In this framework, the Player Character heroes take up the roles of
freedom fighters on the side of the Rebel Queen and
(or) not-yet-king Maric. The meat of the campaign
is their waging of a guerilla war against the Orlesian
occupation of Ferelden at the end of the Blessed Age.
Appropriate heroes for such a campaign must have
a robust reason for fighting. Although the GM can
provide a certain amount of motivation in the first few
adventures of such a campaign, any Player Character
whose primary motivation is to look out for Number
One will be constantly stretching to provide a satisfactory reason to continue fighting the Orlesians in adventure after adventure in which the forces of the enemy
are overwhelming, the available resources are slim, the
ground is hard, and the food is terrible.
There are plenty of character backstories that provide
ample motivation, of course. Players Characters might
fight for personal or practical reasons, out of greed,
loyalty, or a desire for vengeance. Heroes might be
hunted by the occupiers for crimes committed deliberately or accidentally. They might owe a personal or
monetary debt to some bann who has elected to side
with the Fereldan freedom fighters. They might have
seen their property seized by the invaders and want it
back. Or they might have a simple but profound need to
see a true-born Fereldan, instead of a foreigner, sit upon
the Fereldan throne. There are many good options;
make sure that each player chooses one (or more!) for
their hero.

There are lots of obvious adventures for campaigns

built on this framework. The most plain are military
operations against Orlesian foes and their Fereldan
collaborators. The challenging aspects of these operations, for the players, is that the freedom fighters are
vastly outnumbered by their enemy, and much more
poorly supplied. But martial adventures only scratch
the surface. Given the occupiers advantage on the
open field, the battle to capture the love and spirits of
the occupied Fereldans becomes as or more critical.
And given the difficult disposition of the Fereldan
freedom fighters, even securing food and supplies for
their army-in-hiding is no simple matter.
The key to successful adventures along all of these lines
lies in making the objectives concrete. Its easy to write
an adventure where the goal is to convince a far-flung
bann to allow the rebel army safe passage. Conversely,
its essentially impossible to write an adventure in
which the heroes are dispatched to foment dissatisfaction with Orlais among the freemen of Ferelden,
because the task to too broad and fuzzy. How can the
players be expected to know where to begin? How
will the PCs (not to mention you, as GM) know when
theyve succeeded? Narrowing the objective to an easily
understood goal is the key.
If youre ever having difficulty thinking of new adventures for a campaign set during the Orlesian occupation, dont hesitate to go to the history books and read
about historical or even modern-day occupations to get
a sense of the mundane, as well as military, challenges
facing partisans who must wage guerilla war against
an occupying foreign force.
The first Dragon Age novel, The Stolen Throne, also
provides good reading for both players and GMs in
communicating a sense of the world and the feel of a
campaign built on this framework.

Freedom Fighters:
Today
This campaign framework is similar to the previous
one, but instead of being Fereldans and their allies
pitted against the Orlesian occupiers at the end of the
Blessed Age, this campaign takes place in Thedass
modern day. The Player Characters take the roles of
heroes who are the members and/or sympathizers of
an oppressed racial group, most likely elves living in
Ferelden, or casteless dwarves living either above or
below ground. (Obviously, the campaign must be based
around a single such group, rather than a grab bag of
the subjugated.)
This campaign framework is probably the most difficult to run of those presented here, in practical terms as
well as emotional terms. However, if approached with
maturity, and run and played with care, the thematic

10

subject matter of such a campaign can give rise to

moments of incredible heroic depth.
Most clearly, the adventures of the ethnically downtrodden are difficult to motivate in dramatic terms
because theyre challenging to make concrete. While
the villainsboth immediate and long-termof an
Orlesian occupation campaign are obvious (the Orlesian
king and his collaborators) the villains of a contemporary campaign of racial equity are nearly all members
of the privileged overclass. Against such a diverse and
fuzzy enemy, what do the PCs do first? They cannot
aim to simply seize land or political power, but must
angle instead to win over the hearts of those inclined to
believe that they are less than dirt because of the shape
of their ears or the accidents of their birth. The nature
of the heroes opponents isnt the only difficulty. An
obstacle looming just as large is the question of how
the Player Characters will even know when theyve
won. Will they have done enough when the local elves
are able to afford to eat just a bit better? When theyre
allowed to live outside the alienages? When one of
their number is able to represent their perspective in
the court of the local bann? Its easy to know when the
Orlesian puppet-king has been overthrown; its hard to
know when Fereldens elves are no longer oppressed.
A campaign based on this framework can also be difficult to run because it invites such obvious real-world
comparisons. Ethnic tensions are a real and sensitive
fact of life for plenty of people in the real world, and
a political hot-button issue even for those in the local
majority wherever they happen to live and play. In the
very best case, of course, the activity and art of roleplaying can provide an alternate and welcome perspective on its players day-to-day living, and can nourish
their lives with its valuable food for thought just as the
best fantasy and science-fiction literature does. But in
the worst case, it can give rise to arguments and bad
feelings that can send players packing. In short, no one
wants to spend game night arguing politics, whether
contemporary or historical.
If you choose to take on this style of campaign its heroes
should be, for the most part, members of the oppressed
group. There is certainly room for sympathizers of other
races, but the goals of the campaign are so clearly those
of the subjugated group that it only makes sense for
them to form the bulk of the adventuring party. In addition to their race or ethnicity, the adventurers must also
be motivated to change the system thats oppressing
them. A campaign like this is no place for those whose
goals stand apart from their subjugation.
Successful adventures erected around this framework
will be those that take some aspect of oppression and
make it concrete, and thus something around which
an adventure can be crafted. Individual villains whose
subjugations are particularly effective or perverse can
become the antagonists of such adventures. The persecu-

Running a Campaign

tion of specific individuals whose freedom would rally

others to the cause can be similarly motivating. Concrete
situations, with concrete end goals, are the key.
One way to make adventures in this campaign framework absolutely concrete is to push, rather than pull, the
Player Characters. This means that instead of enticing
the heroes with some good that they can accomplish,
you can instead crush them with horrible circumstances
that they must get out from under and put a stop to. A
villain seeking to purge Ferelden of every last elf, or
evict the casteless even from the low precincts of Dust
Town, is a force that must be struggled against if even
the less-than-desirable status quo is to be maintained.
Circumstances like these have the dramatic advantage
that they cant simply be ignored or walked away from.
They must be dealt with or the unthinkable will occur.

Mercenaries
Under this campaign framework, the Player Characters
are uniquely skilled adventurers working for no greater
end than to be as well compensated as possible for their
unique capabilities, whatever their (probably violent)
specialties happen to be. Groups like this are relatively
common across Ferelden and Thedas at large; those
mentioned in Dragon Age: Origins include the Crimson
Oars, White Falcons, and Blackstone Irregulars. The
players should certainly be encouraged to invent a similarly colorful name for their band to which their notoriety can accrue over the course of their adventures.
The heroes of a mercenary campaign should allobviouslybe motivated by the accumulation of coin.
Ideally, the members of the group should have a better
chance of increasing their wealth together than they
would have individually, since over the course of the
campaign they may otherwise be tempted to split off on
their own to keep more of their earning for themselves.
Alternately, some other communal bondfriendship,
evencan provide the explanation for their continued
common cause.
One additional factor you should direct the players
to consider and talk to you about, if not at the beginning of the campaign then as it progresses, is whether
their individual heroes, or their group as a whole, have
some end use in mind for the lucre they accumulate.
Is there some vast bankroll that, if someday amassed,
would finally be enough? Or is simple hoarding the
goal, with an end to it all neither imagined nor desired?
Both types of characters can be interesting. In practical terms, though, the thing you gain from talking to
the players about this subject is the ability to scale the
financial rewards of your adventures to either prolong
the campaign or end it at just the right moment. For
example, if the goal is to accumulate enough money to
commission the construction of a castle on the Fereldan
marches where the heroes descendants can dwell until

Running a Campaign

the dawn of the next great age, you can take it as a given
that once the PCs have accumulated enough money to
make that dream real youre going to need to motivate their continued mercenary adventures in some
new way. (It wont necessarily be difficult to do so. In
the castle-construction example, the PCs adventures
would obviously transition to the logistical challenges
of the construction, protection, and administration of
the fortress in question.)
Many campaigns default to the generic mercenary
motivation because wealth is one of the most obvious
tangible benefits of adventuring. (Experience points
are often more rewarding than cash, from the players
perspective, but no campaign can survive the deathblow to verisimilitude that would arise from the heroes
taking on adventures for the explicit, in-character
purpose of going up in levels. Consider, as a mental
exercise, the ridiculousness of the exchange that ends,
Level up, Ser Thorne? What in the Makers name is a
level?!) Theres nothing wrong with mercenary motivations, but they work best when all of the PC heroes
are created with this in mind, rather than winding up
as the fallback position because no other framework
has been erected. So, by no means is the mercenary
campaign framework some lesser breed, but like every
other framework, it works best when its clearly articulated and the heroes are developed to adopt it.
The adventures of a campaign based on mercenary
adventurers can be as wide as the universe of people who
have money and want something accomplished. Player
Characters might become caravan guards, pit gladiators, assassins, couriers, bodyguards, political agitators The opportunities are as broad as the breadth of
human motivation and occupation. Some mercenaries
might even reach further than the coin of paymasters
to become out-and-out thieves, simply stealing the
wealth they would accumulate from anyone with more
ample money than security. Such Player Characters are
hard to call heroes, but some players find banditry
entertaining. In a game that features moral choices the
way that the Dragon Age RPG does, it would be inappropriate and counterproductive to impose moral
ultimatums from outside the game world. That is, if
the players want their characters to be thieves, afflict
their heroes with the obvious consequences of thievery
rather than simply ruling that they may not.
In a campaign based on the mercenary framework, you
can have fun by mixing in secondary motivations for the
heroes, and pitting these various motivations against
both their avarice and against each other. For example,
what happens if the heroes are hired to deliver some
precious cargo to a far-away land for a princely sum,
and then, en route, are offered a kingly sum to deliver
the cargo to someone else? How will they prioritize
loyalty and greed, when it comes down to it? Its best to
avoid pitting different heroes secondary motivations

11

against each other, though, unless you really know

what youre doing and you know your players well.
Otherwise, youre liable to wind up running a series
of parallel campaigns, one per Player Character, as the
heroes fragment in different directions, or worse, start
to actively work against each other.

Political Partisans
This campaign framework makes the Player Characters
allies in forwarding the cause of some political faction,
cause, or person. They might be the foot soldiers of
a cabal of Orlesian statesmen, agitators for open war
between Ferelden and the Avvars, or operatives in
the service of some prominent bann. (Consider, for
example, a campaign based on service to Bann Nicola
Baranti, the central NPC in the Blood in Ferelden scenario
A Fragile Web.)
Even more so than with other campaign frameworks
(except perhaps the contemporary freedom fighters
framework) the unity of the heroes motivations is key to
the success of this campaign. Here, you absolutely need
a group of Player Characters whore all pulling in the
same direction. So when beginning a campaign based
on this framework you should either decide, or ask the
players to help you decide, what faction, cause, or individual they will back, and then you should insist that all
of the PCs be created with that motivation in mind.
Individual heroes can be tied to the central goal in a
wide variety of different ways. If the goal is the furtherance of some individuals political career, any possible
relationship between two individuals can be the basis
of a PCs motivation to aid the cause. A hero might be
a blood relative of the central figure (their heir, better
yet!), a lover, an employee, a fellow traveler, or even
the victim of blackmail. As always, each hero should be
created with specific goals. A given PCs motivations
might stem from some injustice in their past or some
hope they have for the future. These goals can be either
abstract (to see justice done in the land) or specific
(to live to see my offspring on the Fereldan throne).
Just make sure they tie into the central goal for each
Player Character.
Individual players can create characters who have
secondary motivations as well, and those can provide
interesting roleplaying moments centering on choices
and priorities. These secondary considerations should
be side dishes rather than main courses, though, and
when push comes to shove each hero should always
be willing to sacrifice his personal ambitions for the
common goals.
(However, one interesting possibility is for one player,
cooperating with you in secret, to create a Player
Character whos at clandestine odds with the groups
causea secret agent of the opposition. Such a player
should be clear about the fact that his character is not

12

Running a Campaign

likely to prevail in the end, and that when the other PCs
find out about his treachery his life will be forfeit. This
is a long-term campaign tactic, obviously, and one that
you should only attempt with mature players. Insecure or inexperienced roleplayers can take this kind of
betrayal personally if theyre not adept at keeping their
real-world feelings separate from their success, or lack
thereof, in the game.)
The adventures appropriate to a campaign of political
partisans depend entirely on the nature of the central
cause. One common thread in most cases is that the
adventures are likely to skew toward the social rather
than the martial, at least compared to the other campaign
frameworks. Typical adventures will involve the heroes
persuading reluctant allies to join them, neutralizing
the civic or diplomatic activities of enemy factions,
or outmaneuvering the opposition within established
political structures. Although the time for swordplay
will arise from time to time, these encounters will be
less common than in other types of campaigns.
Inventing a strong antagonist factionor, better yet,
many strong antagonist factionsfor a campaign of
this type will help you create concrete adventures as
the Player Characters find themselves pressed into
stopping or neutralizing the plots and plans of their
enemies. On the days when they find their characters
faced only with the simple task of enacting their own
plans, the players will count themselves blessed.
Campaigns of this type are best centered on some
geographical locale, like Denerim or Orzammar. (These
are two particularly good examples. Each is broad
enough to accommodate many adventures, but narrow
enough to grasp easily in the mind.) As the campaign
continues and the Player Characters meet with success
in advancing their agenda, the scope can expand to
encompass larger and larger geographic or conceptual
areas. For example, if low-level PCs are successful in
promoting the interests of some local bann within his
local domain, their later adventures might involve
promoting his agenda in Denerim, and if theyre
successful there, perhaps theyll wind up leading his
armies across the breadth of Ferelden, or even to the
other realms of Thedas.

Free Agents
If youre good at thinking on your feet and you have a
group of players whore willing to be proactive you can
base your campaign around the complete moment-tomoment free will of the Player Characters in acting as
free agents, making their own opportunities for adventure across the breadth of Thedas. They might fight as
mercenaries one week, undertake mighty labors on
behalf of the persecuted the next, and then take a month
off to drink themselves into a stupor and get into tavern
brawls from one end of Denerim to the other.

Running a Campaign

The most suitable heroes for such campaigns are those

who are outsiders, and rootless to a certain extent. More
grounded heroes can certainly flourish in a campaign of
free agentry, but another framework that better reflects
their grounding might make more sense for such Player
Characters. And grounded heroesespecially if the
heroes backgrounds are not the samecan tend to
divide the group. But if the PCs are united in a general
rootlessness, theyll have more cause to stick together
over the course of the campaign as collective fish out
of water.
The most critical characteristics of the group of Player
Characters in a free agent campaign are twofold:
enterprise and cohesion. The heroes must, either as
individuals or as a group, have a motivation to travel
forward, proactively doing things and seeking adventures. If theyre content to let the world come to them,
then another framework thats organized around actually bringing the world to them is more appropriate.
Some force of cohesion that keeps the heroes together
is also of critical importance. Otherwise, at the end of
every adventure both you and the players will struggle
to grasp some fresh rationale to explain why the PCs
dont head off in their own separate directions, effectively ending the campaign.
Motivating the adventures of a free agent campaign
isnt an issue in one sense, because the players become
their own motivating force as the heroes go forth into
the world and findor maketheir own adventures.
But as a practical matter youre still responsible for
providing suitable hooks for adventures in the form of
interesting NPCs, unstable local situations, and opportunities for wealth, travel, or excitement. You dont
have to know where each hook or opportunity might
lead, but thats where your ability to create encounters
and adventures off the cuff becomes paramount. The
bottom line is that the critical GM skill in getting new
adventures off the ground in a free agent campaign is
a keen sense of which hooks will pique your players
interest and which are more likely to go nowhere.
The types of adventures that might take place in a
campaign of free agents are clearly without limit. Free
agent campaigns also allow for adventures of wildly
different lengths. Whereas the adventures of other
campaign types will more naturally organize themselves into one- or many-session lengths, in this style
of campaign a narrative thread need never be pursued
any longer than the PCs are interested in it. An adventure might consist of a single encounter encompassing
no more than the heroes intervention in a street
fight before things move on to some other plot line,
completely unrelated.
Its of critical importance and so it bears repeating:
A campaign based on the heroes unencumbered
moment-to-moment choices is recommended only for
experienced GMs and proactive players.

13

Other Frameworks
Campaign frameworks other than those discussed
above are certainly possible. Some may be similar to
those outlined, some may combine their aspects, others
may be completely of your own devising.
As you consider your own frameworks, the important
factors to get a grip on are what kinds of heroes make
the most sense, how the heroes will be bound together
into a cohesive group, what kinds of adventures the
heroes will go on, and what will motivate them to
continue going on those adventures over the course of
the campaign. The following sections consider each of
these factors in turn.

Types of Heroes
Will the Player Characters need a motivating set of
personal relationships to bind them into the campaign?
Some unifying background element like a common race
or profession? A common debt that must be repaid?
Does each hero require some baseline level of martial
skill (or some other skill, like the ability to ride a horse,
to operate a siege engine, or to speak some foreign
language) to explain or allow their participation in the
campaign? In short, it must make sense for each Player
Character to take part. This is where you consider
whats necessary in that regard.

Binding the Heroes

Together
Are the Player Characters allies with one another before
the campaign starts or does the situation that kicks off
the campaign somehow bind the heroes together? Do the
PCs have existing personal relationships with each other
or has some higher authority thrown them together? Do
all the members of the group have the same relationship
with each other? (Are they all siblings? All employees of
the bann?) Or is the group more like a web of different
kinds of relationships (this one is that ones spouse while
this one is the personal servant of another one entirely)?
The heroes must have some reason to continue working
together in adventure after adventure. There are some
obvious and common reasons that can work for any
framework, but if the framework youre contemplating
provides any special options or has any unusual requirements, this is where you consider them.

Types of Adventures
Will the Player Characters adventures generally be
search-and-destroy missions against darkspawn and
other malevolent threats? Military adventures in a more
conventional vein? Epic journeys that cross the realms
and seas of Thedas? Political operations? Explorations
of strange new lands? You should know and keep in
mind the preferences of the players in your group

14

when you consider these questions. You may discover

as you think about the types of adventures that are
most interesting to your group that it would be best to
skew your campaign framework in a different direction than you were originally inclined. The campaigns
planning stage is the easiest time to undertake these
changes. Once the players have created their PCs and
the campaign is underway it becomes harder and
harder to make course corrections.

Motivating the Adventures

Will the Player Characters go on their adventures at the
direction of some political or military master? Or will they
be compelled by a combination of their own heroic traits
pitted against the machinations of some grim mastermind, or the depredations of some horrible villain? Will
the heroes go wherever the money is or do they have
deeper loyalties? Knowing what motivations for adventure will be called on time and again in the campaign will
help you avoid periods of downtime during play, especially to the extent that you can direct the players to create
characters who have appropriate goals in the first place.
These four factors inform each other, and as you
make decisions about some of them, you may want to
re-examine your earlier choices.
In addition to these four factors, you might also give
some thought to whether your nascent campaign
framework has an obvious end. Are you planning a
campaign with an arc (or several arcs) or one thats
totally open-ended?
Keep in mind, finally, that campaigns can switch their
focus over time. Even if you dont get things exactly
right out of the gate youll have the opportunity to finetune your approach as the groups adventures unfold.

Encounter
Design
Campaigns are made of adventures, and adventures
are made of encounters. The Dragon Age RPG Set 1
Game Masters Guide spends a bit of time, on page 4,
discussing how to divide an adventure outline into
encounters and how to classify encounters by type
(combat, exploration, or roleplaying).
Three sections that follow explore each of these
encounter types in greater detail with the goal of giving
you a broader perspective and a more fully-stocked
toolkit for creating encounters of all three types. These
sections also suggest tips and tricks that you can employ
during your game sessions to keep all three types lively
and challenging, and to modulate the emotional tone
of the adventure from encounter to encounterand
even round to round or challenge to challengeto
keep everyones excitement level right where you want

Running a Campaign

it. Before we address the encounter types, though, here

are general encounter tips discussing goals and obstacles for all kinds of encounters, as well as the moral
dimension of creating and running encounters.

General Encounter Tips

For all types of encounters, the first and most important
thing to determine or understand is what the heroes
goal in the encounter is. What is it that the heroes are
trying to accomplish?
EXAMPLE GOALS
Gain access to a critical location.
Secure the cooperation of an important noble who
has tools the PCs need.
Determine where the individual the PCs seek was
last seen.
Prevent a mortal enemy from continuing to
bedevil the PCs.
Talk an enemys allies out of opposing the PCs.
Ferret out the secrets contained within a library of
ancient lore.
Knowing the goal, you can determine what stands
in the heroes waytheir obstacle(s). Sometimes, the
goal suggests or outright determines the obstacles.
EXAMPLE OBSTACLES
A band of hurlocks and genlocks whore standing
guard at the critical location.
The functionaries and gatekeepers who defend
with great zeal their noble masters time and
attention.
The rain that has fallen for the past week,
obscuring the tracks of all who have traveled
through the region.
The physical mightnot to mention tenacious
characterof the heroes mortal enemy.
The long-standing alliance between the heroes
enemies and the neutral party they want to leave
them alone.
The disorganization and dilapidated physical
condition of the ancient library, and the array
of strange and foreign alphabets in which its
information has been recorded.
Sometimes youll have an idea for an encounters obstacles before you understand or write down, in concrete
terms, the encounters goals. This can be fine in some
cases, but it can also be a danger sign that youre
creating a problem without a purpose. Such encounters
go wrong by having intricate tasks that you intend for

Running a Campaign

the PCs to performenemies to fight, NPCs to parlay

with, areas to investigatebut that lack any compelling
reason for why they must.
For example, you might have an encounter in mind
where the heroes will fight bandits while both sides
race through a treacherous ravine on horseback. Such a
combat might indeed be exciting. But unless either the
heroes or the bandits are compelled to chase the other
group to achieve their aims why would they do it? As a
roleplaying example, you might want to include in your
campaign a fascinating NPC whose backstory is a triumph
of determination over misfortune, and who talks with a
really awesome accent youve been perfecting for weeks.
But if convincing that NPC to do something (or refrain
from doing something) isnt the key to the Player Characters overall goals why would they talk to that NPC in the
first place? As an exploration example, you might map
out in loving detail the ruins of an ancient fortress and
include in your notes all manner of trivialities regarding
its various regions and what they have been used for
over the course of the ages. But if the heroes dont need
to search the whole place or understand your lovingly
crafted history in order to succeed in some critical ambition, you may have had fun but youve also created a lot
of backstory that the players will never uncover.
To avoid these problems, ask yourselfand be brutally
honestwhether the heroes could achieve the goals of
the adventure just as easily by ignoring the encounter
or routing around it in some obvious way. If the heroes
could ford the river ten minutes upstream as easily as
they could cross at the kings bridge then the corrupt
toll-takers at the bridge arent much of an obstacle. If
the PCs could buy a mule from the next stall as easily as
from the one run by the obstreperous merchant then the
difficulties posed by the vendor in question are more or
less irrelevant.
To solve the problems of encounters whose challenges
are divorced from the heroes goals figure out how you
can orient the intermediate steps that lead to the goal
of the adventure so that the obstacles you have in mind
absolutely must be overcome in order for the heroes to
get there. Perhaps the river cant be forded for leagues
on either side of the road, or perhaps the toll-takers have
allies among the local populace who alert them whenever they see travelers trying to avoid paying the toll.
Maybe the difficult merchants counterparts only have
unsuitable animals for sale or all of the local dealers are
in collusion to fix prices.
Sometimes tying the obstacles you have in mind to relevant goals is simple and sometimes its impossible. In
the latter case its best to realize the problem as soon as
possible and simply jettison the encounter from your
plans.
When locking down an encounters goals, keep this in
mind: While you need to understand the PCs goals,

15

the players dont necessarily need to understand them

from the outset of the scene. Although it must eventually become clear to the players that theyre not going
to be able to get to their destination without either
paying the toll or convincing the toll-men to let them
pass without paying, its perfectly fine for the heroes
to learn this only as they explore other options and see
them closed off one by one. In fact, you can make many
encounters more interesting by intentionally obscuring
the heroes goals or even actively misdirecting the
players at the beginning of the encounter and then
allowing them to perceive what they must actually do
only as the encounter unfolds.

Moral Choices

16

Enemies menace two equally pitiful NPCs. With

only enough time to save one of the two victims,
which one will the heroes choose?
In order to secure the assistance of a local crime
lord the heroes must commit a crime. Will they
agree?
The only way to entice the spirits who have the
information the Player Characters need is to offer
them a blood sacrifice. Will the heroes kill an
innocent for the knowledge they must have?
The heroes are attacked by noncombatants under
the mental domination of evil forces. Will the
PCs go out of their way to avoid killing these
accidental fighters?

Part of the Dragon Age RPGs dark approach to fantasy

revolves around presenting the Player Characters with
moral choices. Moral choices can be incorporated into
any kind of encounter; theyre not exclusive to combat,
roleplaying, or exploration encounters.

To convince a bann of their worth the PCs must

publicly repudiate something or someone they
hold dear. How far will they go against their
deeply held beliefs for the current moments
expediency?

For every encounter you create think about how you

can make the heroes decision points grueling by
making all of the options hazardous or distasteful or by
associating unpleasant outcomes with even the obvious
good.

An ancient scroll is so decayed that reading it

will destroy it, but the PCs need a certain piece
of information it contains right away. Will they
destroy a wealth of knowledge to retrieve but a
nugget?

Here are some example moral decisions to guide your

thinking in the right direction:

The moral decisions that work best in Dragon Age are

those that require the players to choose the lesser evil or

Running a Campaign

opt for the good thats encumbered by the least odious

side effect. And the key word, here, is choice. As often
as you can, prevent the players dice from telling you
whether some evil is overcome or some good achieved.
Instead, force the heroes to make an actual decision to
go one way or the other.

Combat Encounters
Combat encounters are the most challenging encounters to create in the Dragon Age RPG for two reasons.
First, combat encounters usually have higher stakes
than other types of encounters. The heroes can die! But
second, combat is by far the most mechanically complicated aspect of the game and its many moving parts can
be difficult to understand at a glance. Of course, both of
these factors also contribute to the games fun. Players
rarely have as much fun as when life is on the line, and
many players enjoy the mechanical depth of combat
and the different strategies that come with it.
When creating combat encounters remember the
general rules of encounter creation and always think
about the encounters goals and obstacles. Of the three
types of encounters combat encounters are the types
that are most likely to accidentally become de-coupled
from goals. Always keep in mind that if the enemy
combatants dont stand directly in the way of something the heroes must get or accomplish the encounter
is basically optional.
Introducing obstacles in combat encounters is easy
thatd be the enemy combatants. But dont neglect
to create combat encounters that layer in additional
challenges. Adding challenges in the landscape of the
battle is an obvious option that brings myriad possibilities to the table. The terrain can stand in the way of
certain strategies or attacks, or give new life to otherwise marginal tactics. Think three-dimensionally. What
possibilities would great heights or dizzying depths
bring? Consider the weather and time of day, too.
A nighttime fight is different from a daytime brawl.
Fighting in the rain makes cobblestones slick and
swinging a big metal sword at the top of a mountain in
a lightning storm might prove exceptionally risky.
Fights also become more interesting if there are unusual
dangers (or opportunities!) inherent to particular strategies. What about a fight that must be over before the
enemies overwhelming reinforcements arrive, a fight
that must be fought in silence lest the sleeping dragon
awake, a fight that must be won without inflicting casualties on the enemy, or a fight against enemies whose
carcasses have value as long as they remain intact?
Failure to offer and vary complications in combat
encounters will lead, over the course of a campaign, to
a boring sameness. The players will come to feel that
theyre fighting the same enemyalbeit with somewhat varying statisticsover and over again.

Running a Campaign

Combat Math
Goals and obstacles aside, its also important to be
able to understand the mechanical impact of a combat
encounter on the heroes when youre crafting the statistics for the opposition.
There are three mechanical axes you need to consider:
the frequency with which you expect a given combatant
to land their blows, the amount of damage you expect
a given combatant to dish out on a hit, and the amount
of damage a given combatant can soak up before dying.
The critical benchmark for the frequency of hitting
is easy to understand. A combatant will land blows
against an enemy roughly half the time when his basic
attack bonus + 10 is within a point or so of his opponents Defense score. As the gulf between these two
factors increases, hits become more and more (or less
and less) likely. Its important to note that the bell curve
of 3d6 results makes large differences between the
attack side of the equation and the Defense side of the
equation increasingly overwhelming. That is, a difference of six points is more than twice as bad as a difference of three points.
The amount of damage you can expect a combatant to
dish out on a hit is easy to calculate given an average d6
result of 3.5. Simply do the math to calculate the average
damage of a particular kind of attack. (Obviously, this
is based on the combatants weapon rather than his
attack bonus.) It can be helpful to create an average of
these averages across the party of heroes. Keep in mind,
though, that the more factors you average, the more
detail you lose in the final calculation.
The amount of damage a combatant is likely to dish out
per hit is most useful when considered as a percentage
of the enemys capacity to absorb damage. Although it
may be impressive for a warrior to strike his enemy for
a mighty 20 points of damage, its going to take him a
long time to cleave his way through a foe who has 200
Health.
To factor in both of these elements divide a combatants Health by the average damage his foe will dish
out on a successful attack. This gives you the average
number of rounds the former can withstand successful
attacks from the latter. In the example above, its ten
rounds (200 Health 20 points of damage per hit). To
make this a truly useful calculation, though, you also
need to factor in the likelihood of successful attacks. For
evenly-matched combatantsthat is, for combatants
whose attack and Defense, as describe above, are close
to each otheryou can multiply the average number of
rounds by two in order to learn how many rounds of
combat will be fought, on average, before the defender
is vanquished.
Unless youre a real glutton for math (or a real spreadsheet wiz) you probably wont have a lot of fun making

17

all of these calculations for every PC, every enemy,

and every combination among the two sides for every
combat encounter youre planning. And thats fine. Its
much more important that you understand the general
outlines of which statistics are being compared in
combat so you can make quick estimates, assign antagonist stats that are in the right ballpark, and move on.
The wildcard that can throw a monkey wrench into the
general combat calculations is Armor Rating. Because
it subtracts damage from each and every successful
hit its effectiveness over the course of a long fight can
be monumental. Heavily armored foes can be nearly
impossible to dispatch, and heavily armored PCs likewise. This factor isnt particularly easy to reflect in
simple calculations. Rather, its something to remain
aware of in both the PCs and their enemies, and to
take into account as Armor Ratings creep into the
range where they approach or exceed half of any given
combatants average damage-per-hit. You can make
any combat encounter significantly more difficult by
jacking up the antagonists Armor Ratings and you can
allow the PCs to become significantly more effective
in combat by making good armor broadly available in
your campaign.
As a starting point for creating a given combat encounter,
assume enemy combatants that are roughly identical to
the PCs in terms of their attack scores, Defense scores,
Health, Armor Ratings, and strength of numbers. The
heroes will win such a fight roughly half the time. Now,
you probably want the heroes to prevail more often
than that. (Otherwise the players will wind up having
to create new characters, on average, after every other
encounter!) So, its good to start by knocking a few
points off the antagonists attack scores, and knocking
one or two times the PCs average damage-per-hit off
each ones Health. This skews the fight solidly in the
heroes favor and provides a baseline from which to
customize the fight.
Next, start taking into account the kind of fight you
want for this particular encounter. If youre looking for
a flavor of few-against-many, knock another point or
two off each enemys attack score, reduce their Health
by another one or two times the average PCs damageper-hit, and double the quantity of enemies. On the
other hand, if youre interested in a fight where one
mighty enemy stands alone against the heroes, jack the
opponents attack scores up by as much as three to five
points above the average PCs attack score, double or
triple his Health, and consider giving him an Armor
Rating that will eat up about half of most of the heroes
average damage-per-hit.
The critical thing to do once youve arrived at a rough
estimate of the oppositions combat statistics is to do a
quick reality check. You may discover that youve inadvertently created an opponent that only one of the PCs
has a mathematically significant chance of damaging

18

at all. Again, estimates are sufficient; no need to break

out a calculator.
For encounters where the goal is something other than
simply dispatching the enemy, keep that in mind when
you do your reality check. For a running battle take a
moment to think about relative movement rates. For
battles involving ranged combat make sure the ranged
combatants have weapons that can fire far enough. And
so on.

Special Sauce
Dont misinterpret the preceding sections depth of math
talk as a suggestion that you should spend most of the
time you use to create a combat encounter pushing statistics around a piece of scratch paper, because the fact of
the matter is that blow-by-blow levels of falling Health
arent what makes combat encounters memorable.
Rememberand keep rememberingthe flavorful
obstacles and goals you devised when you first started
designing the encounter. Then reflect those mechanically in either the enemies statistics or the special
modifiers that will apply in the course of the fight.
A fight in the fog, with an attendant penalty to attack
rolls, will tend to prolong a fight. If a long fight isnt
what you want reduce the number of enemies even
more or knock a point or two off their Defense scores.
A fight at the lip of a volcano where every combatant
must suffer damage from the heat each time they act
will shorten a fight. If youre looking to stage a drawnout battle of epic proportions in such a locale, provide
ways the combatants can avoid that recurring damage
by clever tactical thinking. (By taking and holding a
shielded location, perhaps?)
The morale of enemies can be a key way to ameliorate
otherwise-difficult combat encounters. Enemies whore
likely to break and run when they face stiff resistance,
or who must make Courage or Morale tests as they
suffer casualties, can be overcome more easily than
enemies who must be slain to the last. You can also
build special opportunities to demoralize the enemy
into combat encounters. Perhaps attacking pirates are
especially prone to panic and return to their own ship
if its set ablaze. Perhaps Dalish elves can be driven to
despair if some precious relic they carry is destroyed, or
their beloved leader is slain.
The bottom line is that you should always return to
whatever makes this particular fight unique and always
reality-check the mechanics you invent to reflect those
elements. Those two steps will do more than anything
else to net you fun and effective combat encounters.
Any gap that remains can almost always be closed on
the fly by buffing, nerfing, or fudging statistics or die
rolls behind your Game Masters Screen as the fight
progresses at the game table.

Running a Campaign

Exploration
Encounters
Exploration encounters are relatively easy to create.
They have goals and obstacles just like other encounter
types. Their goals are frequently informationalthe
heroes must learn some piece of information or find
some critical object to proceed with the adventure.
Perhaps they must learn who wrote an incriminating
letter, discover the tracks of enemy scouts whore reconnoitering their lieges lands, or uncover the hiding place
of an ancient cache of weapons. The obstacles in an
exploration encounter typically involve the ways that
the critical information is hidden or otherwise difficult
to learn. Lack of access to handwriting samples, a broad
area that must be searched, or thick undergrowth are
obvious barriers to the example goals above.
The goals of some exploration encounters are broader
than the examples given above. Instead of learning
some specific clue, they might revolve around learning
lots of related facts that together paint a larger picture.
For example, an exploration encounter might revolve
around understanding the lay of the land over which
some future battle may be fought or discovering who
the key players are in the local underworld and what
motivates them.
The method by which the obstacles in an exploration
encounter are typically overcome is with tests that the
Player Characters must make. Perhaps a hidden clue
must be found with a Perception (Searching) test,
or a pass through the mountains discovered with a
Cunning (Cartography) test. Be aware that an exploration encounter that can be successfully overcome with a
single test is a very lightweight encounter. Such simple
affairs are usually best rolled into another encounter, or
beefed up with additional complications such as additional tests that must be made, puzzles that must be
solved before the nature of the test can be understood,
or options that must be discussed to determine the best
of several ways forward.
Exploration encounters have a common and grave
peril that you should always keep in mind when youre
creating them: Since exploration encounters often deal
with the discovery of clues that must be learned in order
to keep the adventure moving forward, when you create
exploration encounters you must always give careful
consideration to what will happen if the Player Characters fail to discover the clue. Its unsatisfying (to say the
least!) to bring an adventure to a screeching halt because
the heroes all fail their Perception (Searching) tests.
So, each time you create an exploration encounter ask
yourself what will happen if the PCs fail the critical
test. If failure will stop the story in its tracks the clue
in question should probably not require a test to find

Running a Campaign

in the first place, or the test should be re-imagined so

that success offers advantageous information but even
failure results in enough knowledge for the heroes to
continue moving forward. Or, to avoid such situations
entirely, create exploration encounters that can give rise
to exciting opportunities if the heroes are successful but
that dont have corresponding show-stopping downsides. An exploration encounter might allow the PCs to
find allies in an upcoming fight, for example, without
threatening that theyll fail to show up for the fight altogether if the dice are unkind. It might give the heroes
the chance to learn some juicy tidbit of gossip that will
give them decisive leverage when negotiating with
an NPC later on but without preventing them from
carrying out those negotiations in the first place when
the time comes.

Roleplaying
Encounters
Like other encounters, solid roleplaying encounters
revolve around interesting goals and obstacles.
One common goal of roleplaying encounters is to accumulate information from knowledgeable NPCs. The
relatively standard briefing encounter is the epitome of
this type; the most common version features an important NPC who hires or directs the heroes to carry out
the grand task that the adventure encompasses. Interview encounters are another common sub-type of
the information-accumulating roleplaying encounter,
wherein the Player Characters must draw out information from NPCs who might or might not be invested in
the heroes success, and who might or might not want
to actively conceal the facts the heroes want to learn.
Encounters of persuasion are a separate class of roleplaying encounter. In these, one or many NPCs must be
convinced to take actioneven if that action is only for
the NPCs to look the other way and do nothing.
Like combat encounters, roleplaying encounters go
wrong most often by failing to have concrete goals
that the heroes must achieve. An alternate but related
pitfall can arise when the Player Characters goals
arent opposed by the objectives or circumstances of the
NPCs involved. For example, you may find that youve
lovingly crafted an achingly complex personality
for some NPC only to realizeas the heroes begin to
converse with themthat the PCs dont need anything
out of the interaction. The players will quickly move
on without learning even a fraction of the detail you
spent so much time making up, because they simply
dont need to.
The obstacles in roleplaying encounters usually arise
from the stances, objectives, and character traits of the
NPCs involved.

19

20

The NPCs in roleplaying encounters of any type can

be friendly, antagonistic, or disinterested in the heroes,
or may have mixed stances toward the Player Characters depending on the matter in question. An example
of mixed stances might be a captain of the watch who
wants to see the city remain safe (and so is willing to
assist the PCs in any endeavor that helps make it so) but
who secretly failed in his duty in recent days (and so
seeks to obscure the PCs investigations into the matter
of his failure). NPCs with different stances toward the
heroes on different matters are the most interesting
characters you can introduce to your adventures. Interactions with them become minefields of danger that
simultaneously carry the promise of critical information or assistance, as long as things dont go sideways.

change their mind, and with no common ground theres

no room for maneuvering. Such encounters sometimes
degenerate to violence when the players become frustrated with their lack of progress, which can send a
situation spiraling toward the tragic, the ridiculous, or
both. Would heroes worthy of the name really resort
to deadly force against an obstinate cobbler? Of course
not. Its beneath them, its inadvertently comedic, and it
damages the verisimilitude of the world.

The objectives of the NPCs with whom the heroes must

interact are often the most critical obstacle in a roleplaying encounter. NPC objectives can dovetail with
the Player Characters goals, be at odds with them, run
on an unrelated axis, or be a mix of the three. As with
an NPCs stance toward the heroes, NPCs with mixed
objectives are the most interesting and rewarding
participants in roleplaying encounters. Roleplaying
encounters featuring NPCs with obstacles that are only
and directly at odds with the Player Characters often
fail, dramatically, as roleplaying encounters because
nothing the heroes can say will convince the NPC to

Obstacles based on NPC character traits can be interesting and sometimes memorable, but are typically
the least effective sorts of complications in roleplaying
encounters. Examples of trait-based obstacles include
NPCs who are drunk, megalomaniacal, belligerent,
mute, insane, smelly, lecherous The list could
continue forever. The reason that character traits are
less effective than other obstacles is that theres rarely
anywhere to go with them after theyve been presented.
Once the heroes learn that their informant is an antielf racist, their strategies for dealing with the NPC are
obvious (to leave the elf PC back at the inn) and their

Sometimes, simply figuring out an NPCs aims can be

a roleplaying challenge for the heroes. If an NPCs goal
is to undermine some rival in complete secrecy, even
Player Characters who might gleefully join the sabotage must find out that they have common cause with
the NPC before they can join forces.

Running a Campaign

chances of persuading the informant to abandon his

odious beliefs are nil. This isnt to say that the NPCs
you create shouldnt have interestingand sometimes
difficultcharacter traits. Simply be aware that these
traits are rarely effective as the sole or even primary
obstacles in a roleplaying encounter.
The best roleplaying encounters involve a rich tapestry
of stances, objectives, and traits that all point in
different directions. Antagonistic NPCs who want the
same things the heroes do, physically or socially attractive NPCs with odious aims, truly conflicted NPCs who
dont know what to think and change their mind with
the wind these are a very few examples of the multitude of interesting possibilities you can bake into roleplaying encounters.
Roleplaying encounters with friendly NPCs can benefit
the most from secondary NPC objectives at crosspurposes with what the PCs want, or the incorporation
of odious personal habits. Without these kinds of obstacles to provide texture encounters with friendly NPCs
become predictable and boring.
Outside the three primary types of obstacles discussed
above, sometimes the key obstacles in roleplaying
encounters involve the players own enterprise or cleverness, or lack of either. In briefing-style encounters, for
example, there may be facts about the task at hand, the
lay of the land, or the antagonists that the briefing NPC
knows and would happily share if only the Player Characters thought to ask. Sometimes you can tell that the
players are forgetting to ask some critical question even
though its an obvious question to ask. These become
pants issues. The players dont inform you that their
characters have put on their pants in the morning, but
even so, all of the heroes are assumed to be wearing
them. By the same token, if the players dont explicitly
ask their employer about the best route to the place
where theyve been hired to go, its not fair to assume
that theyre actually so stupid as to believe that they
dont need to know how to get there. When in doubt,
you can ask the players to clarify. Did you mean to
get a map from the bann or were you planning to ask
someone else about the best route?
Be aware that roleplaying encounters designed to
provide clues that are necessary for an adventure to
continue can suffer the same game-derailing problems
discussed for exploration encounters in the previous
section. These problems are solved in the same way
for roleplaying encounters as they are for exploration
encounters.
One final thing to be aware of when creating and
running roleplaying encounters is the proper place
of tests. In general, you should make sure that the
players use of tests to persuade, deceive, seduce, or
otherwise influence NPCs in roleplaying encounters
dovetails appropriately with the tack theyve actually

Running a Campaign

Roleplaying & Roll-playing

Central to the whole roleplaying experience is the
difference between the characteristics of a game
player and the characteristics of the hero they
create inside the world of the Dragon Age RPG. You
wouldnt ask a player to step up from his chair and
fight you in order to determine whether his character prevails in battle against a genlock. Thats
crazy. (And dangerous!) By the same token, some
roleplayers believe that its silly to limit a silvertongued characters interpersonal abilities to those
possessed by his player. On the other hand, a roleplaying game is a verbal exercise at its heart and
to boil character-based interactions in the world
to nothing more than stat values and tests on dice
would rob your game of a mountain of fun.
When you run a roleplaying encounter you must
always walk the line between allowing the players
the fun of playing their role directlyof saying
what their characters sayand making sure that
the results of those interactions reflect the characteristics and abilities that describe their Player
Characters in a reasonable way.
As a general rule, assume that a given PC is
about as persuasive, seductive, or deceptive (for
example) as their player roleplays them, but call
for tests on Communication (Persuasion, Charm,
or Deception) whenever a gap between the roleplaying and the statistics stretches the groups
suspension of disbelief. That is, when Urbald the
Profoundly Ugly puts the moves on that comely
bar-wench, its going to come to a test of the dice
more often than not no matter what kind of realworld Casanova his player is.
Keep in mind that whether you emphasize roleplaying or roll-playing the dichotomy is a matter
of deeply held and sometimes polarizing preference among RPG fans. When in doubt an open
and adult conversation among the players in your
game can air out these differences of perspective
and make sure everyone has fun.

taken in their roleplaying. You shouldnt allow the PCs

to mercilessly browbeat some informant and then make
a Communication (Persuasion) test to sweet-talk the
clue out of him. Interpersonal tests are best employed
to gauge the success or failure of some already-roleplayed line of coercion, plan of enticement, or other
interaction. The player makes his best argument and
then the die roll helps you decide exactly what the NPC
thinks and how they respond. See the sidebar Roleplaying and Roll-playing for further discussion of this
sometimes-divisive topic.

21

Chapter Three

As Dragon Age RPG adventurers progress in levels

and skill, they face progressively more powerful and
dangerous adversaries. This chapter expands on the
material found in Chapter Three of the Set 1 Game
Masters Guide, giving you additional adversaries to
challenge and combat the Player Characters.
As in Set 1, adversaries are presented in a standard
format made up of a textual description and stat block.
Also as in Set 1 the stats presented are the baseline for
an adversary of that type. Feel free to modify them
to provide a different or additional challenge for the
heroes. The guidelines for elite and heroic adversaries
from Set 1 still apply, but now you can also use the
following guidelines to create epic adversaries:
Epic: To make an adversary who is extremely
potent, add 3 to one ability, 2 to any two other
abilities, and 1 to any three others. Add five
focuses, increase the adversarys Health by 20, and
increase armor rating by 3. You can also add three
degrees to new or existing talents.

Adversaries
Ash Wraith
An ash wraith is a particularly powerful shade (see
the Set 1 Game Masters Guide, page 34), a restless spirit
that has crossed over from the Fade. It forms a body
for itself, most often out of the ash of burnt corpses,
although it is capable of using dust, powdered bone,
mold, or even blood. In spite of appearances, an ash
wraiths body is merely a construct, and the spirit can
disperse and reform it at will. Thus, damaging an ash
wraiths body does not harm it; the only way to permanently hurt such a creature is by magic.
Ash wraiths are dangerous foes, able to drain the life
out of creatures, wither them with blasts of flame, and
surround them in storms of ash and debris. They also
use their ability to disperse and reform in order to flank
their foes and attack from surprise.

We shouted prayers to the Maker and deflected what magic we could, but as we fought, the creature fought harder. I saw
my comrades fall, burned by the flaming sky or crushed by debris. The monstrous creature, looking as if a demon were
wearing a man like a twisted suit of skin, spotted me and grinned.
Transcribed from a tale told by a former templar in Cumberland, 8:84 Blessed

22

Adversaries

BERESKARN

ASH WRAITH
Abilities (Focuses)

Abilities (Focuses)

Communication

Communication

Constitution (Stamina)

Constitution

Cunning

Cunning

Dexterity (Bite)

Magic

Dexterity (Draining Touch, Flame Blast,

Stealth)

Perception (Smelling, Tracking)

Magic

Strength (Claws, Intimidation, Might)

Perception

Willpower (Courage)

Strength

Willpower

Combat Ratings
Speed

Health

Defense

Armor Rating

13

70

13

Attacks

Combat Ratings
Speed

Health

Defense

Armor Rating

15

35

15

Attacks

Weapon

Attack Roll

Damage

Bite

+5

1d6+7

Weapon

Attack Roll

Damage

Claws

+9

2d6+7

Draining Touch

+7

2d6+4
Penetrating

Flame Blast

+7

2d6+4
Penetrating

Powers
Favored Stunts: Knock Prone (1SP), Quick Bite, and
Thunderous Bellow.
Quick Bite: A bereskarn can perform a special quick bite
stunt for 2 SP following a successful attack. The creature
makes an additional bite attack against the same target.
Doubles on the second bite attack do not generate stunt
points.
Thunderous Bellow: A bereskarn can perform a
special thunderous bellow stunt for 3 SP. All who
hear this mighty roar must make a TN10 Willpower
(Courage or Self-Discipline) test or find themselves
unable to attack the bereskarn until after the end of
the next round, though they can defend themselves as
normal in the meantime.
Tough Hide: The bony spines of a bereskarn give the
creature an Armor Rating of 4.

Ash wraiths haunt ancient ruins and mountainous

areas. According to legend the first of their kind were
followers of Andraste who sacrificed themselves in
flames, just as their prophet perished, so they might
safeguard the sacred urn of her ashes for all time.

Bereskarn
Bereskarn are tainted bears, similar in their nature
to blight wolves and other ghouls. They look like
massive bears with bony spikes that protrude
from their fur and glisten with blood. The blood
that constantly seeps from these wounds wets and
mats their fur, giving them a terrifying, repulsive
appearance and a nauseating smell.

Adversaries

Powers
Favored Stunts: Lightning Attack, Surprise Attack,
and Whirlwind (4 SP).
Incorporeal: Ash wraiths are incorporeal, forming
temporary bodies of ash and debris. They ignore the effects
of terrain, which they can pass through, and non-magical
damage, which passes through them. Only the damage
wrought by spells and magical weapons harms them
normally.
Flame Blast: An ash wraiths flame blast attack has
the same area of effect as the spell of the same name (see
the Set 1 Players Guide, page 51) but does not require
mana, does more damage, and deals penetrating damage.
The wraith must make a separate attack roll against each
target in the blast, and similar to the spell, targets who
are hit can attempt a TN 15 Dexterity (Acrobatics) test
to reduce the damage to 1d6+2 points.
Surprise Attack: An ash wraith can make a surprise
attack by dismissing and re-materializing its body in
a different location. This works like a rogues Backstab
power (see the Set 1 Players Guide, page 28): If the
wraith wins an opposed test of its Dexterity (Stealth)
vs. the targets Perception (Seeing), then its major
action in the same round can be an attack that gains a +2
bonus and inflicts +1d6 extra damage.
Whirlwind: An ash wraith can perform a special whirlwind stunt for 4 SP. All enemies within 6 yards of the
wraith are buffeted by a life-draining storm of ash that
inflicts 1d6+4 penetrating damage.

23

DEEPSTALKER

CAVE BEETLE SWARM

Abilities (Focuses)

Abilities (Focuses)
2

Communication

Communication

Constitution (Stamina)

Constitution (Running)

Cunning

Cunning
Dexterity (Bite, Initiative, Stealth)

Dexterity (Bite)

Magic

Magic

Perception (Smelling, Touch)

Perception (Hearing, Track)

Strength

Strength (Jumping)

Willpower

Willpower
Combat Ratings

Combat Ratings
Speed

Health

12

25

Defense

Armor Rating

Speed

Health

11

15

12

Armor Rating

15

Attacks

Attacks
Weapon

Attack Roll

Damage

Swarm

+5

1d6 Penetrating

Powers

Weapon

Attack Roll

Damage

Bite

+7

1d6+1

Claws

+3

1d6+3

Favored Stunts: Knock Prone and Pierce Armor (1 SP).

Powers

Swarm Attack: A cave beetle swarm covers an area with a

rough diameter of 3 yards, and can attack all creatures inside
or adjacent to that area on its turn as a single major action.

Favored Stunts: Pack Tactics, Pierce Armor, and Skirmish.

Swarm Defense: A cave beetle swarm suffers only 1 point

of damage from any sort of attack that targets a single
point, save that a mighty blow inflicts 2 points of damage
and a lethal blow 3 points. Only area attacks, or magical
attacks with a broad effect (like Shock, for example), inflict
full damage on the swarm.

Bereskarn are slothful creatures when left alone, but

fierce and unyielding when they attack. They are often
enraged and prodded into battle by other darkspawn.

Cave Beetle Swarm

Scavengers and carrion eaters, the black hard-shelled
cave (or rock) beetle is little more than a nuisance on
its own. Dwarves are even known to roast and eat them
out of the shells. However, an entire swarm of cave
beetles, such as a stirred-up nest, is capable of stripping an animal to the bone in minutes. Such a swarm is
relentless and capable of moving quickly along a tunnel
floor, wall, or even ceiling in pursuit of prey.

Deepstalker
Strange inhabitants of the Deep Roads, deepstalkers
are small reptilian creatures that run on powerful hind
legs and use extended tails to help them stay balanced.
Their heads end in puckered, lamprey-like mouths
ringed with sharp teeth. Tezpadam, as the dwarves call

24

Defense

Pack Tactics: When part of a group, a deepstalker can

perform a special pack tactics stunt for 2 SP, which allows
another deepstalker close enough to the same target to
attack it as an immediate free action.
Spit: A deepstalker can spit an acidic or paralyzing venom
up to 6 yards. Acidic venom does 1d6 penetrating damage
each round for three rounds, or until it is washed off with
a major action and appropriate agent, like water. Paralyzing venom slows the target to half speed until he makes a
successful TN 13 Constitution (Stamina) test, which can
be attempted on each of the targets turns. Each deepstalker
has venom of one type or the other, not both. If the GM
wishes, rather than tracking each individuals capabilities,
a die roll can be used to determine which is present when it
becomes necessary to know (13: acidic, 46: paralyzing).
Tough Hide: A deepstalkers leathery hide gives it an
Armor Rating of 1.

them, run or jump swiftly at their prey, and are capable

of spitting either acid or paralytic venom. Deepstalkers
typically hunt in small packs and try to pick off stragglers and lone prey in the Deep Roads.

Drake
Drakes are mature male dragonlings. Unlike females,
which continue to grow into the winged dragons of legend,
males only grow vestigial spurs where females develop
wings, and otherwise stop developing. Mature drakes
seek out the lairs of adult females, joining their harems,
defending their lairs and young, and hunting for them.

Adversaries

DWARVEN APPARITIONS

DRAKE

Abilities (Focuses)

Abilities (Focuses)
0

Communication

Communication (Deception)

Constitution (Running)

Constitution (Stamina)

Cunning

Cunning

Dexterity (Fire Gout, Initiative)

Dexterity (Brawling)

Magic

Magic

Perception (Seeing, Tracking)

Perception

Strength (Claws, Jumping)

Strength (Axes, Bludgeons)

Willpower (Courage)

Willpower (Morale)
Combat Ratings

Combat Ratings
Speed
16

Health

Defense

55

15

Armor Rating

Speed

Health

Defense

Armor Rating

12

25

11

Attacks

Attacks
Weapon

Attack Roll

Damage

Weapon

Attack Roll

Damage

Hammer or Pick

+5

1d6+6

Bite

+7

2d6+5

Claws

+7

2d6+5

Fire Gout

+7

3d6

Tail Strike

+7

1d6+5

Powers
Favored Stunts: Pierce Armor, Rake (2 SP), and Tail
Blow (3 SP).
Fire Gout: A drake can spit a gout of flame as a ranged attack
with a short range of 6 yards and a long range of 12 yards. For
2 SP, a drake can spread the flames to cover an area with an
8-yard diameter centered on the original target. Targets other
than the primary target who fall inside this area can make an
opposed Dexterity (Acrobatics) vs. Dexterity (Fire Gout)
test to take only half damage. The drake never takes damage
from such a stunt, even if inside the burning area.
Rake: A drake can perform a special rake stunt for 2 SP
following a successful claw attack. The creature makes
an additional, raking claw attack against the same target.
Doubles on the raking attack do not generate stunt points.
Tail Blow: A drake can perform the knock prone and
mighty blow stunts simultaneously for 3 SP by striking a
lashing blow with its tail.
Fire Resistance: A drake suffers no damage from firebased attacks.
Tough Hide: The scaled hide of a drake gives it an Armor
Rating of 5.

Drakes fight with sharp claws and crushing bites. They

can spit gouts of flame and strike pulverizing blows
with their tails.
Drake scales form a tough natural armor and their
hides are prized for making suits of highly effective
armor, described in greater detail in Chapter Four:
Rewards.

Adversaries

Powers
Favored Stunts: Knock Prone and Skirmish.
Spectral: Dwarven apparitions are spectral beings,
largely immune to physical harm. Magic and magical
weapons affect them normally. An attacker can also
perform a special spectral attack stunt for 3 SP when
attacking a dwarven apparitions, which allows a normal
attack to inflict its typical damage, save that Magic is the
ability used in the damage calculation.

Dwarven Apparitions
In dwarven tales of tunnel and mine collapses, one
common theme is a sound of tapping coming from
the far side of the collapse, often long after the buried
miners are sure to have perished. These are the
rappings of dwarven apparitions, the restless spirits
of dwarvesusually minerslost in the depths, their
work unfinished, unable to rest.
Dwarven apparitions are often blamed for luring the
unsuspecting into dangerous areas: collapsing tunnels,
mine shafts with bad air, or the edges of crevasses and
pits. Some hear the rapping of their spectral picks and
hammers echoing faintly in the tunnels and caves of the
Deep Roads, or hear whispering voices urging them
onward toward certain doom.
If attempts to lure victims to their death fail, dwarven
apparitions go mad with rage, manifesting as gaunt,
spectral dwarves wielding mining implements and
moaning or shrieking with fury.

25

GENLOCK ALPHA DARKSPAWN

GENLOCK EMISSARY DARKSPAWN

Abilities (Focuses)

Abilities (Focuses)

Communication (Leadership)

Communication

Constitution (Running)

Constitution (Running)

Cunning (Military Lore)

Cunning (Military Lore)

Dexterity (Brawling)

Dexterity (Brawling)

Magic

Magic (Entropy)

Perception (Seeing, Smelling)

Perception (Smelling)

Strength (Axes, Intimidation)

Willpower

Strength (Heavy Blades, Intimidation,

Staves)

Willpower

Combat Ratings
Speed

Health

Defense

Armor Rating

55

11 (13 with Shield)

Attacks
Weapon

Attack Roll

Damage

Battle Axe

+6

2d6+4

Throwing Axe

+6

1d6+4

Powers
Favored Stunts: Cripple (3 SP) and Dual Strike.
Cripple: A genlock alpha can make a crippling attack as
a special stunt for 3 SP. The target suffers a 2 penalty
to attack tests and damage, and moves at half speed. The
penalty to attack tests and damage expires after three
rounds, but the movement penalty persists until the target
is able to take a breather.
Magic Resistance: A genlock alpha gains a +2 bonus
on tests to resist the effects of spells and other magical
attacks.
Tactical Skirmish: A genlock alpha can move another
darkspawn under its command 2 yards using a skirmish
stunt (in addition to being able to move itself or its target
as normal).

Combat Ratings
Speed

Health

Defense

Armor Rating

50

11

Attacks
Weapon

Attack Roll

Damage

Long Sword

+5

2d6+3

Quarterstaff

+5

1d6+4

Powers
Spellpower: 18

Mana: 60

Favored Stunts: Knock Prone and Mighty Blow.

Magic Resistance: A genlock gains a +2 bonus on ability
tests to resist the effects of spells and other magical attacks.
Spells: Affliction Hex, Blood Sacrifice, Drain Life, Heal,
Lightning, Vulnerability Hex, and Weakness.
Tactical Skirmish: A genlock emissary can move
another darkspawn under its command 2 yards using a
skirmish stunt (in addition to being able to move itself or
its target as normal).
Talents: Armor Training (Journeyman), Blood Magic
(Journeyman), and Entropy Magic (Journeyman).

Talents: Armor Training (Journeyman) and Weapon and

Shield Style (Journeyman).

Weapon Groups: Brawling, Heavy Blades, and Staves.

Weapon Groups: Axes, Brawling, and Bludgeons

Long sword, quarterstaff, and heavy leather armor.

Equipment

Equipment
Battle axe, heavy mail, medium shield, and throwing
axe.

Genlock Alpha
Genlock alphas are the strongest, quickest, and most
cunning of their kind, bullying their way into the
leadership of bands of lesser genlocks. They tend to be
taller and more heavily muscled than their brethren,
and have a more commanding presence, although
their demeanor is more swagger and bluster than cool
leadership.

26

Genlock Emissary
Particularly cunning genlock alphas cultivate skill as
sorcerers, mainly in entropy magic. However, emissaries generally only appear during a Blight, acting to
rally darkspawn and carry out the more sensitive or
intricate plans of the rising Archdemon.
Its not clear how genlock emissariessaid to arise
from dwarf broodmothersare able to cast spells so
effectively given their natural magic resistance, and
how they are able to cast spells so effectively even
though most are usually seen armored. Some Grey
Warden scholars theorize that the emissaries magic is

Adversaries

GREAT BEAR

GLOWING SLIME

Abilities (Focuses)

Abilities (Focuses)
Communication

Communication

Constitution (Stamina)

Constitution (Stamina)

Cunning

Cunning

Dexterity (Envelop)

Dexterity (Bite)

Magic

Magic

Perception (Touch)

Perception (Smelling, Taste)

Strength

Strength (Claws, Intimidation, Might)

Willpower

Willpower

Combat Ratings

Combat Ratings
Speed

Health

Defense

Armor Rating

20

11

Speed

Health

Defense

Armor Rating

13

75

12

Attacks

Attacks
Weapon

Attack Roll

Damage

Acidic Touch

+3

1d6 penetrating

Powers
Favored Stunts: Knock Prone and Lightning Attack.
Envelop: A glowing slime spreads across its targets
flesh, burning with acidic secretions. After a successful
attack a slime does 1d6 penetrating damage every round
on its turn until driven off or scraped away. A slime that
takes damage from fire or salt retreats from an enveloping
attack. Scraping requires a blade of some kind, a major
action on the part of the victim or a companion, and a TN
13 test of an appropriate weapon skill to avoid dealing the
slimes victim 1d6 damage.
Immunity: A glowing slime suffers only 1 point of damage
from any physical attack regardless of the damage roll. A
mighty blow inflicts 2 points of damage, and a lethal blow
3 points. The slime is also immune to any effect targeting
a creatures mind, as it effectively has none.
Magic Resistance: A glowing slime has a +2 bonus on
all tests to resist the effects of magic.
Vulnerability: A glowing slime takes 1d6 penetrating
damage from contact with fire or salt. This assumes the
equivalent of a torch or handful or rock salt. Greater or
lesser quantities or fire or salt do less or more damage.

similar enough to blood magic that the emissaries can

ignore the magic-damping effects of armor by simply
pillaging their minions life force to fuel their spellcasting.

Glowing Slime
This terror of the Deep Roads is legend among dwarven
miners, who tell tales about lost or wandering workers
spotting faint light in the tunnels. Thinking it a lamp
they go toward it, only to discover the blue-green glow

Adversaries

Weapon

Attack Roll

Damage

Bite

+4

1d6+6

Claws

+9

2d6+6

Powers
Favored Stunts: Knock Prone (1 SP) and Quick Bite.
Quick Bite: A great bear can follow up a successful attack
with its claws with a quick bite as a special stunt costing 2
SP. This bite attack must be taken against the same target
as the original attack. Doubles on the bite attack roll do
not generate more stunt points.

emanates from a shifting slime mold that clings to damp

rocks or settles to the bottom of shallow pools. When
it discerns the warmth of a living creature nearby, it
attacks with alarming speed. Glowing slime is neither
intelligent nor sentient, but simply reactive and vicious.
Glowing slime envelops those it attacks, clinging stubbornly, burning and dissolving them with acidic secretions. The creatures are immune to physical trauma and
even resistant to magic; dwarves believe this is because
the slime leeches lyrium from the rocks. Fire is the most
effective weapon against glowing slime, although large
amounts of salt can also destroy one. Miners sometimes
draw lines of rock salt across doorways and tunnels to
discourage their passage

Great Bear
The great bear is a rarer, larger, and more powerful type
of bear found in the wilds of Thedas. Like their lesser
cousins, great bears do not seek to attack humans, but
also do not take intruders near their lairs or hunting
grounds lightly. They are fierce and attack creatures
failing to show them proper deference, or who present
any kind of threat.

27

HURLOCK ALPHA DARKSPAWN

HALLA

Abilities (Focuses)

Abilities (Focuses)
1

Communication

Communication (Leadership)

Constitution (Running, Stamina)

Constitution (Stamina)

Cunning

Cunning

Dexterity

Dexterity (Bows, Brawling)

Magic

Magic

Perception (Hearing, Smelling)

Perception (Smelling)

Strength (Jumping)

Strength (Heavy Blades, Intimidation, Might)

Willpower

Willpower (Courage, Morale)

Combat Ratings

Combat Ratings
Speed

Health

Defense

Armor Rating

18

35

13

Speed Health
8

70

Defense

Armor Rating

12 (15 with shield)

Attacks

Attacks
Weapon

Attack Roll

Damage

Weapon

Attack Roll

Damage

+5

1d6+3

Gore

+4

1d6+4

Short Bow

Kick

+4

1d6+4

Two-handed Sword

+7

3d6+5

Long Sword

+7

2d6+5

Powers
Favored Stunts: Knock Prone and Trample (4 SP).
Trample: Halla can perform a special trample stunt for 4
SP after a successful attack. The target is knocked prone
and struck by the hallas hooves for an additional 1d6+4
damage.

Halla
The Dalish elves revere the halla, or white stags,
ridden by elven knights in days long past. Now the
noble creatures mainly draw Dalish aravels in the
elves wanderings. In spite of this, the elves still
consider halla proud and noble creatures. Halla horn
is a prized material for elven carvings, and jealously
guarded from outsiders.
Since the Exalted Marchs end in 2:20 Glory, belligerent
halla have been unknown in Thedas. Though they
might fight for a Dalish tribe that found itself under
attack, aggressive halla have faded from the world.

Those who had sought to claim

Heaven by violence destroyed it. What was
Golden and pure turned black.
Those who had once been mage-lords,
The brightest of their age,
Were no longer men, but monsters.
Threnodies 12:1.

28

Powers
Favored Stunts: Dual Strike, Mighty Blow (1 SP), and
Rally (3+ SP).
Rally: A hurlock alpha can perform a special rally stunt
for 3 SP (or more), inspiring its minions such that all
darkspawn within 10 yards who can see the alpha regain
lost Health equal to the alphas Communication plus the
number of SP spent.
Talents: Armor Training (Journeyman), Two-Hander
Style (Journeyman), and Weapon and Shield Style (Journeyman).
Weapon Groups: Bows, Brawling, and Heavy Blades.
Equipment
Light plate, short bow, and two-handed sword (or
light plate, short bow, long sword, and heavy shield)

Hurlock Alpha
Champions of the darkspawn, hurlock alphas are fearsome warriors who lead marauding war bandsif not
entire armiesof lesser hurlocks and genlocks.

Hurlock Emissary
A particularly cunning hurlock alpha, rather than
becoming a fearsome warrior, may learn the arcane
arts, becoming an emissary. Hurlock emissaries are
among the most feared darkspawn, not only for their
magical powers or their command over others of their
kind, but also for their sinister deviousness. They are
often deployed as an Archdemons enforcers, to ensure

Adversaries

HURLOCK EMISSARY DARKSPAWN

OGRE DARKSPAWN

Abilities (Focuses)

Abilities (Focuses)

Communication (Leadership)

Communication

Constitution (Stamina)

Constitution (Stamina)

Cunning

Cunning

Dexterity (Brawling)

Dexterity (Throw)

Magic (Entropy)

Magic

Perception (Smelling)

Perception (Smelling)

Strength (Heavy Blades, Intimidation)

Strength (Intimidation, Might)

Willpower (Courage, Morale)

Willpower (Courage, Morale)

Combat Ratings

Combat Ratings

Speed

Health

Defense

Armor Rating

Speed

Health

66

12

12

80

Attacks

Armor Rating

11

Attacks

Weapon

Attack Roll

Damage

Arcane Lance

+4

1d6+4

Long Sword

+5

2d6+3

Thrown Rock

Powers

Weapon

Attack Roll

Damage

Club

+9

3d6+9

Smash

+11

2d6+9

+3

3d6+9

Spellpower: 22 Mana: 92
Favored Stunts: Dual Strike and Mighty Blow.
Spells: Affliction Hex, Drain Life, Heal, Horror, Lightning, Weakness, and Wrack.
Powers: Arcane Lance (as the level 1 mage power except
no staff or wand is required).
Talents: Armor Training (Journeyman), Blood Magic
(Journeyman), and Entropy Magic (Journeyman).
Weapon Groups: Brawling, Heavy Blades, and Staves.
Equipment
Long sword and heavy leather armor.

that the Archdemons generals and other minions do

not become fractious or distracted.
As with genlock emissaries, hurlock emissaries are
thought to practice a magic akin to blood magic, channeling energy from their minions into their spells so
they can gain the protective benefits of armor that
would normally hamper their spellcasting efforts.

Ogre
These massive darkspawn tower twice the height of a
human, their bestial, primitive faces crowned with heavy,
curving horns. The darkspawn born of Qunari broodmothers, Ogres are dim and savage creatures, prone to
dealing with any obstacleincluding their own allies
by crushing or smashing it.

Adversaries

Defense

Powers
Favored Stunts: Crush (3 SP), Lethal Blow (3 SP), and
Stomp (2 SP).
Crush: For 3 SP, an ogre can perform a special crush
stunt after an smash attack. It grabs the target and
begins to squeeze, inflicting 1d6+9 penetrating damage.
The ogre can maintain the crush as a major action and
inflict this damage each round, or hurl away a grabbed
target as a minor action, inflicting 1d6+9 penetrating
damage, but (obviously) letting go of the victim. To
escape on his own, a victim must use a major action
to make an opposed Strength (Might) or Dexterity
(Acrobatics) test vs. the ogres Strength (Might). An
adjacent ally can also perform a special 2 SP stunt to
automatically free the victim.
Regeneration: An ogre can take a breather as a minor
action, regaining 5 + Constitution (typically 13) Health.
Stomp: As a major action, an ogre can stomp the ground
with great force and knock all targets within 6 yards to the
ground.
Tough Hide: Their hardened, calloused hides give ogres
an Armor Rating of 7.
Equipment
Massive club.

Ogres are a rare sight in most of Thedas, appearing

during a Blight as shock troops in darkspawn armies.
Some ogres are believed to lair in the Deep Roads and
high mountain peaks, as well as the depths of isolated
forests.

29

SHRIEK DARKSPAWN
Abilities (Focuses)
0

Communication

Constitution (Running)

Cunning

Dexterity (Initiative, Light Blades, Stealth)

Magic

Perception (Hearing, Tracking)

Strength

Willpower
Combat Ratings

Speed

Health

16

35

Defense

Armor Rating

15

Attacks
Weapon

Attack Roll

Damage

+7

1d6+4

Arm Blade

Powers
Favored Stunts: Lightning Attack (2 SP) and Poison (2+ SP).
Frenzy: Shrieks can perform the lightning attack stunt for
just 2 SP.
Poison: As a special stunt for 2 or more SP, a shriek can
poison the target of a blade attack that deals at least 1 damage
point. When poisoned, a victim must make a TN 13 Constitution (Stamina) test at the beginning of each of his turns
or suffer 1d6+2 penetrating damage that turn. This lasts for a
number of rounds equal to the number of stunt points spent.

Shriek
These gaunt and animalistic darkspawn are sometimes
known as sharlocks, but most call them shrieks due
to their loud, wailing cries. Darkspawn assassins born
from elven broodmothers, shrieks prefer to approach
their victims under the cover of darkness using their
echoing wails to unnerve and terrorize their prey before
they strike. They are swift and deadly, capable of using
the jagged blades mounted on their arms to slice foes to
ribbons. Shrieks are known to use poison distilled from
their own tainted blood on their blades.

It is rather unfair, the reputation that the wolf possesses

in Ferelden. For a people that so clearly adore their
hounds, Fereldans simultaneously harbor a distrust of
wolves that borders on the unreasonable. Unreasonable, that is, if one were not familiar with the ancient
legends regarding werewolves.
From Legends of Ferelden,
by Mother Ailis of Denerim, 9:10 Dragon

30

Shriek: A shrieks namesake screaming and moaning

requires a minor action, and forces anyone who hears it
to make a TN 11 Willpower (Courage) test or suffer a
1 penalty to attack tests and Defense until the end of the
encounter. These effects are not cumulative.
Tough Hide: Shrieks have an Armor Rating of 3.
Weapon Groups: Light Blades.

Werewolf
In the Black Age Ferelden faced the threat of werewolves: ordinary wolves possessed by rage demons
and transformed into savage humanoid monsters of
unremitting fury and bloodlust. Worse yet, they were
capable of spreading their infection, causing some
survivors of a werewolf attack to become possessed
and transform into werewolves themselves. Some
werewolves can speak, though usually with difficulty.
The legendary Fereldan hero Dane led a crusade to
wipe out the werewolves. While not entirely successful,
it greatly reduced them as a threat, and werewolves
have never since plagued Ferelden with such ferocity.
They are now found only in the isolated and wild areas

Adversaries

WEREWOLF

WILD SYLVAN
Abilities (Focuses)

Abilities (Focuses)

Communication

Communication

Constitution (Running)

Constitution (Stamina)

Cunning

Cunning

Dexterity (Bite)

Dexterity (Brawling)

Magic

Magic

Perception (Smelling, Tracking)

Perception (Touch)

Strength (Claws, Intimidation)

Strength (Claws, Intimidation, Might)

Willpower (Courage, Morale)

Willpower (Morale)

Combat Ratings
Speed

Health

16

50

Combat Ratings

Defense

Armor Rating

Speed

Health

14

85

Attacks

Armor Rating

10

Attacks

Weapon

Attack Roll

Damage

Weapon

Bite

+6

1d6+6

Claws

Claws

+8

2d6+6

Powers
Favored Stunts: Overwhelm (3 SP), Skirmish, and
Werewolfs Curse (variable SP).
Overwhelm: A werewolf can perform a special overwhelm stunt for 3 SP. The creature knocks its opponent
prone and pins it, giving the werewolf a +2 bonus to
further attacks as long as the victim remains pinned
(this includes the usual +1 for attacking a prone target).
The pinned character must make an opposed Strength
(Might) vs. Strength (Might) test against the werewolf
to escape, which requires a minor action and leaves the
character prone. The victims allies can also attempt this
test, but they must spend major actions to do so.
Werewolfs Curse: A werewolf that scores stunt points on
a bite attack can inflict its curse upon a victim, who must
make a Constitution (Stamina) test against TN (10 +
the number of stunt points spent). A failed test means the
victim is infected. An infected victim makes a new Constitution (Stamina) test against the same target number each
night after the initial infection. If, after three nights, none
of these tests have succeeded, the victim becomes a werewolf
and must be retired as a Player Character.t
Shaggy Coat: Their thick, shaggy coats give werewolves
an Armor Rating of 4.

of the land. Dane and the Werewolf remains an epic poem

of Fereldan lore.

Wild Sylvan
Not all demons possess humanoid or animal hosts; some
seek out even plants. A wild sylvan is a tree possessed
and twisted by a rage demon into a tainted and hideous

Adversaries

Defense

Attack Roll

Damage

+11

2d6+9

Powers
Favored Stunts: Dual Attack, Knock Prone, Root Grab
(2 SP), and Stomp (2 SP).
Root Grab: A wild sylvan can use its roots to grab and
immobilize up to three targets within 4 yards of it as a special
stunt costing 2 SP. The targets each make an opposed
Dexterity (Acrobatics) test vs. the wild sylvans
Dexterity (Brawling). Success means they avoid being
grabbed. Otherwise they are unable to move and suffer 1d6
penetrating damage each round as the roots crush them. It
requires a major action and a TN 15 Strength (Might) test to
pull free, unless the sylvan releases its victims to root grab new
ones or moves farther than 4 yards away. A wild sylvan can
continue to attack normally while maintaining a root grab.
Stomp: A wild sylvan can perform a knock prone stunt
against all targets within 6 yards by stomping the ground
with great force.
Vulnerable to Fire: Made of wood, wild sylvans are
highly flammable. Fire attacks ignore their armor and
inflict an additional 1d6 damage. Anyone attacking a wild
sylvan with fire can also perform a special ignite stunt
for 2 SP, causing the creature to continue to burn for 1d6
penetrating fire damage each round until the wild sylvan
dies or the fire is somehow extinguished.
Thick Bark: Wild sylvans have an Armor Rating of 5.

humanoid form. The demon corrupts the tree from

within, granting it the power to move and to kill.
Wild sylvans are most often found in deep forests
touched by taint. They can lay dormant for considerable
lengths of time, appearing like ordinary if twisted trees
until they surge to life at the prospect of fresh prey.
Then they take on a vaguely humanoid form, lashing out
with branches ending in crooked, claw-like hands.

31

Chapter Four

This chapter expands on the material presented in the

Rewards chapter of the Set 1 Game Masters Guide.
It both expands on the information given in Set 1
and provides new ideas for entirely different types of
rewards you can give to heroes for their successes.

Honorifics
The Game Masters Guide in Set 1 describes heroic
(and other) reputations as one kind of reward that
Player Characters can accumulate over the course of
their adventures. Honorifics are like the reputations
described there, but with a more concrete expression.
Honorifics are sometimes bestowed by some influential
noble, institution, or shaper of popular taste. In other
circumstances they arise obviously from some great
deed. Honorifics can also bubble up from the populace
in response to a lifetime of deeds.
Unlike reputations, honorifics have a concrete mechanical effect in play. A dozen examples are provided below.
Enterprising GMs can invent dozens more by following
in the same vein with the caveat that the effects of honorifics on tests should be social and interpersonal more
often than martial or physical, and that the bonuses
and penalties they give to tests should rarely exceed 1,
should exceed that threshold only when limited in the
scope, and should never exceed 3.

32

Rewards
Some honorific descriptions refer to positive and/
or negative social interactions. Positive and negative
describes how the individuals involved in the interaction are inclined to view each other prior to the test
in question. Communication (Leadership) tests, for
example, are generally positive because one usually
only attempts to lead those whore inclined to be led.
On the other hand, Communication (Deception) tests
are typically negative because one usually does not
need to deceive friends and companions. The GM is
always the final arbiter of whether a given interaction
(that is, a given test) is positive or negative.
The social benefits of an honorific are limited to those
who are aware of the characters status. A Defender of
the Weak traveling incognito gains no particular appreciation of the downtrodden while he remains under
cover, for example. The martial or physical benefits of
an honorific apply regardless.
ARM OF JUSTICE
The character is known to risk life and limb to mete out
justice no matter how mighty are the unjust arrayed
against them. Criminalsand even those with a guilty
consciencewho are pitted against such characters

Rewards

suffer a 3 penalty to Willpower (Morale and Courage)

tests made in opposition to the characters appraisal of
their moral mettle, and in opposition to their retribution.
BELOVED OF MABARI
The characters life has been saved in spectacular
fashion by mabari war hounds and news of the tale has
traveled far and wide. A character known to be blessed
in this way receives a +1 bonus to positive social interactions with all Fereldans, who are disposed to assume
that anyone beloved by their treasured battle-dogs
must be worthy of their own respect and good graces.
Conversely, this honorific imposes a 1 penalty to social
interactions with most Orlesians, who generally look
with disdain on the Fereldan interest in mabari
BELOVED OF THE MAKER
The character has been blessed by fortune in a way that
seems to reflect the Makers favor. They receive a +1
bonus to positive social interactions with the Chantry
faithful, and a higher bonus of up to +3 at the GMs
discretion, to interactions with those who are particularly devout, like brothers and sisters of the Chantry.
The nature of this honorifics provenance may lead it to
provide different bonuses (or even penalties) between
the Andrastian Chantry based in Orlais and the splinter
Imperial Chantry in Tevinter.
CHOSEN OF THE AGE
The character has been visited by or participated in
some event in keeping with the nature of the current
historical age. In the Dragon Age, perhaps the character
survived an encounter with a dragon, treated with a
dragon and lived to tell the tale, or was identified in
some way by a dragon as being its fated nemesis. One
who is Chosen of an Age was often born or came of age
on an auspicious date, such as the date of its inception.
DEFENDER OF THE WEAK
The character is known to defend the frail, sickly, destitute, and downtrodden. They receive a +3 bonus when
seeking the aid and comfort of those whom they would
defend. (Provided its aid that could actually be given,
of course. Seeking money from the poor is a relatively
pointless cause, for example.) The downside of this
honorific is that the weak are forever seeking aid in
their trials and travails from those known to be their
defenders.
ELECT OF THE SKY
The character, who must be an Avvar, has been publicly
favored by the Lady of the Skiesthe Avvars goddess
of deathby cheating their demise in some prominent
and celebrated way. They receive a +2 bonus to all positive or negative social interactions with all Avvars.

Rewards

Furthermore, any blow in battle that would kill the

character is automatically pulled (see Pulling Killing
Blows in the Set 1 Players Guide, page 60). Enemy
combatants may deliver a coup de grace in later rounds
normally, but this extra action is required to dispatch
one who is the Elect of the Sky.
FAVORED OF FATE
The character is famous for one or many staggering
events of good-fortune or serendipity. They may add
+1 to the roll result of their dragon die once per game
session if adding the bonus would result in doubles
where there were not doubles before.
LION OF (LOCATION OR PEOPLE)
Such as Lion of the Bannorn or Lion of Elvhen.
The character is identified with the defense of some
region or its people. They receive a +1 bonus to positive social interactions with those under the aegis of
the characters protection, and a +2 bonus to positive
social interactions with the rightful rulers or leaders
of the location or people such as its banns, Chantry
leaders, and the like.
MASTER OF BLADES
The character is known to be a swordsman without
peer. They receive a +1 bonus in positive or negative
social interactions with those who respect such mastery.
Their enemies in combat suffer a 1 penalty to Willpower (Courage and Morale) tests to maintain their
confidence whenever the Master of Blades is appropriately armed.
MASTER OF LYRIUM
The character is known for the peerless mastery with
which they manipulate enchanted items, or craft them.
They receive a +1 bonus in positive or negative social
interactions with those who respect magic, or a +2
bonus with those who practice it themselves. However,
they also suffer a corresponding 1 social penalty when
dealing with those who are unusually distrustful of
magic, including most (if not all) templars as well as
the particularly devout within the Andrastian Chantry.
SCOURGE OF (ENEMY)
Such as Scourge of Orlais or Scourge of Werewolves.
The character is known to have slain prodigious quantities of some fearsome enemy. Enemies of that sort suffer
a 3 penalty to Willpower (Morale and Courage) tests
made in opposition to the characters manifest might.
The character may also, at the GMs option, receive a
bonus of up to +2 when persuading, intimidating, or
bargaining with those in the class of enemies. This
honorific can also take the form of [Enemy]s Bane
(for example, Darkspawns Bane).

33

Superior items are objects made from the choicest raw

materials. These accoutrements are easier to use than
their counterparts that are made from inferior raw
materials. Superior implements usually impose lesser
burdens than common items, endure longer in use,
and/or provide the benefits of focuses and/or talents
that their users do not otherwise have.

UNBENT BY MISFORTUNE
The character is known to have persevered through
some monumental adversity or plague of adversities.
They receive a +2 bonus to all Willpower (Courage
and Self-Discipline) tests, as well as being held in awe
by those who see themselves as unusually or unjustly
afflicted by the cruel winds of fate.

Masterworks &
Superior Items

Unsurprisingly, many masterworks are also superior

items. However, masterworks made of common raw
materials are not unknown, and superior items crafted
with only common skill are likewise found across Thedas.
Masterworks and superior items do not have costs like
items of common quality and provenance do. They are
not available for general sale. Their acquisition is the
province of adventures and stories only. Heroes who
seek them must often ask around, pursuing rumors and
references for weeks or monthsand having adventures in the processto track down such singular items.
Where and when you decide that a particular NPC has
masterworks and/or superior items for sale, set the
asking prices of such goods based on the needs of your
campaign. No matter how much coin they have, the
players should always feel pained to part with the cost
of a masterwork or superior item; set prices that make
it so. Furthermore, the prices of these items are always
subject to haggling, best represented by extended tests
of Communication (Bargaining) that may go on over
the course of days.

There is an obvious difference between a pitted, rusty

longsword on one hand and a longsword new-forged by
dwarves from veridium mined in their ancestral vaults
on the other. There is a critical distinction between an
upside-down cookpot and a helm crafted by a master of
the kings armories. And it makes a difference whether
ones mandolin was assembled from Dalish wood by
a master musician or cobbled together by an itinerant
peddler who had one eye on the local fishmongers
wife while he worked on it.
Masterworks are objects crafted by a maker of
surpassing skill. Such implements are, simply put,
more effective than their counterparts of common
provenance. They typically provide test bonuses to
those who use them, as well as damage bonuses in the
case of weapons. Flamboyant masterworks can also
provide a benefit to social interactions with those who
are impressed by such things.

The following sections detail the concrete benefits of

masterwork and superior weaponry, armor, and tools.

Raw Material Effects on Weapons

Metal

Reduction in Minimum Strength

Talent Level Bonus

Focus Benefit

Iron

Steel

Veridium

one level

Silverite

one level

yes

Wood

Reduction in Minimum Strength

Talent Level Bonus

Focus Benefit

Elm

Ash

Yew

Whitewood

one level

Ironbark

one level

yes

Raw Material Effects on Weapon Ranges

34

Material

Increased Short Range

Increased Long Range

Elm

Ash

+10%

Yew

+10%

+25%

Whitewood

+25%

+50%

Ironbark

+50%

+100%

Rewards

The Social Benefits of Masterworks & Superior Items

Masterworks and superior items that are particularly impressive or flamboyant can give their owners a bonus to
social interactions with those inclined to be impressed by such objects. Such an item can provide a bonus of up
to +3, with +1 bonuses being by far the most common, +2 bonuses being rare, and +3 bonuses being very rare.
The GM should consider both the items form and value when granting such test bonuses, and should feel free
to vary them situationally. Soldiers are likely to be impressed with a fine sword whether made by a master
or grand master, for example, and a calculating merchant by the works of only the most surpassing artisans,
whether theyre crossbows or candlesticks.

Weaponry
Masterwork weaponry generally gives a bonus to the
attack and/or damage rolls of those who wield them.
Most such weapons give a simple +1 bonus. A rare
few give a +2 bonus. A very few legendary treasures
of craft give a +3 bonus. Higher bonuses are impossible outside the realm of magic. A given masterworks
bonuses to attack and damage are often different. For
example, the hereditary blade of the teyrns of Highever
is much more vicious than it is preciseit gives a +1
attack bonus but a +3 damage bonus. Similarly, it is not
uncommon for a masterwork weapon to give a bonus
to attack or damage only.
Superior weaponry can have several different mechanical effects. Nearly all have reduced minimum Strength
requirements, even to the point of the weapons
minimum Strength being a negative number. These
are the favored weapons of the anemic and unworthy
sons of mighty kings, for obvious reasons. Many such
warriors would be shocked and horrified to be forced
to wield a common longsword. Given such weapons
storied histories worthy warriors often wield them too,
even though some of their benefits are rendered irrelevant by their owners personal skill and might.
Some superior weapons give those who wield them the
benefits of one (or in rare cases more than one) level
of increased talent with the weapon style in question.
For example, a combatant possessing the talent Single
Weapon Style (novice) who fights with a veridium longsword might gain the journeyman benefits of that talent
as well by virtue of the weapons superior constituents.
Even those without any inherent talent can gain the
novice benefits of such talents from the virtues of these
weapons, as long as they meet the requirements of the
talent in question. (A wielder who does not meet the
requirement does not gain those benefits.) Those who
are already masters of the talent in question do not gain
additional benefit from this effect of superior weapons.
A few superior weapons forged or constructed from
exceedingly valuable materials can give those who
wield them the benefits of having a focus with that type
of weapon whether they actually have it or not. (This
type of bonus, however, does not stack with the bonus
a warrior receives from actually possessing the focus in

Rewards

Thresholds of Benefit
Some masterworks (but generally not superior
items) have a threshold of skill that the items user
must meet in order to gain the items superlative
benefits. This reflects the fact that a novice rogue,
say, wont necessarily have the foggiest idea what
to do with the strange and subtle lockpicks crafted
for a master of breaking-and-entering. Thresholds
of benefit are especially common for tools, but can
apply to weapons and suits of armor as well.
A threshold of benefit is expressed as a number
that describes the unmodified test bonus (generally
consisting of the relevant ability bonus plus a focus
bonus) that a user must have to gain the benefit.

Example
A masterwork costume giving a +2 bonus to
Communications (Disguise) tests but having a
threshold of 5 requires that the one wearing it
have an unmodified test bonus of +5 or better
in order to get the additional +2 bonus that the
masterwork provides.

question.) This is of particular benefit to the pampered

wealthy who lack discipline and skill of their own and
is typically moot for skilled wielders.
The Raw Material Effects on Weapons table outlines
the general progression of effects that arise from the
raw materials used to make superior weapons. These
are guidelines only; every weapon is unique and the
GM is the judge of any given weapons capabilities.
Metals are used to forge weaponry like swords and
axes, while wooden weapons include quarterstaffs and
bows, whether crafted for melee or ranged combat.
Weapons like spears with functional components made
from both metal and wood can benefit from one superior raw material, chosen by the craftsman, but the
benefits of several different materials do not stack.
In addition to these effects the range categories of
missile weapons, including thrown missile weapons,
can be affected by construction from superior materials.
The Raw Material Effect on Weapon Ranges table

35

ship) tests, and/or a penalty to enemies Willpower

(Morale) tests.
Superior armor generally features reduced armor
penalties. The table below provides typical improvements to armor penalties based on the variety of materials from which armor can be made. Drakeskin is
useful for improving leather armors; the various metals
apply to mail and plate armor. No armors penalty can
be reduced below zero.
Note that shields are unsubtle tools. Although they
can be made beautiful by the touch of a masters
hand or creation from superior raw materials (and so
can provide benefits as described under The Social
Benefits of Masterworks and Superior Items), shields
cannot be made physically more effective via crafting.

Tools
Masterwork tools provide the same mechanical benefits as weaponsingenious construction by a master of
craft can give bonuses of between +1 and +3 to the test
rolls of those using them.

gives typical effects. The range increase is a percentage

of the base range for the weapons type. For example,
a longbow made of yew has a short range of 29 yards
(the base short range of 26 plus an additional 10%) and
a long range of 65 yards (the base long range of 52 plus
an additional 25%).

Armor
Masterwork armor generally provides an increased
Armor Rating with respect to non-exceptional armor
of the same type. Most such armor provides a +1 bonus
to Armor Rating, some suits provide a +2 bonus, and
rare suits provide a +3 bonus. Higher bonuses are
theoretically possible, but such suits are extraordinarily rare. Some masterwork armor provides a bonus
of similar magnitude to Communication (Leader-

Raw Material Effects on Armor

36

Material

Armor Penalty Improvement

Drakeskin

+1

Iron

Steel

Veridium

+1

Red Steel

+2

Superior toolsagain, like superior weaponscan

give the effects of additional talent levels, as well as
the (non-stacking) benefits of a focus that the user does
not possess. Use the same tables for weapons when
considering the statistics of superior tools. Minimum
strengths do not apply to tools. Although masterwork
tools can typically be used over longer periods of time
with much less fatigue these effects are not expressed in
mechanical terms.

Magic Items
As promised in the Dragon Age RPG Set 1 Game
Masters Guide, the temporary and permanent magic
items below are appropriate for characters of levels
610.
Many of these items have masterwork and superior
item benefits in addition to their magical effects,
which are explicitly listed in each case. Where similar
benefits are listed separately, they should be combined
for a total effect. For example, a magical masterwork
dagger might have a +2 attack bonus arising from its
enchantment and a +1 attack bonus because it is a
masterwork. Such a dagger would give its wielder a
+3 attack bonus.

Temporary Magic Items

BULLS-EYE ARROWS
One who takes an aim action when using one of these
magical arrows receives a +3 bonus to a subsequent
attack roll, rather than the regular +1 bonus. The

Rewards

enchantment on each missile is good for one shot, but

the enchantment is not used up until the aim bonus is
actually used to make an attack roll. That is, it is not
used up if a subsequent attack is not made, or if a Bullseye Arrow is fired without a preceding aim action (and
then collected to be fired again later).
HEALING POTION
Similar to but more potent than a Lesser Healing
Potion, a Healing Potion is made from healing herbs
enchanted with Creation magic. Imbibing a Healing
Potion requires an activate action and restores up to 4d6
+ Con lost Health.
INK OF SPLENDOR
The lyrium contained in this single bottle of ink
renders it capable of changing colors both as and
after it is applied in order to illuminate, both beautifully and helpfully, even the simplest of messages.
It provides a +3 bonus to Dexterity (Calligraphy)
and Cunning (Cartography and Writing) tests to
scribe information. Construction plans drawn up
with Cunning (Engineering) are easier to carry out.
Workers following such plans gain a +2 bonus to relevant tests. A full batch of this ink produces 12 uses; roll
2d6 to determine how many uses remain in a bottle
found in the course of play.
LYRIUM POTION
Similar to but more potent than a Lesser Lyrium
Potion, a Lyrium Potion contains a small amount of
refined lyrium. Imbibing a Lyrium Potion requires
an activate action and restores up to 2d6 + Magic lost
mana points.
PAINTS OF WARDING
These war paints, when applied in fearsome patterns
to the face of a combatant so that their enemies can see
them clearly in battle, provide a +5 bonus to Armor
Rating for as long as they are not washed or worn away.
(One who goes to great pains to preserve them might
see them last for as long as a week.)
POTION OF FORTUNE AND SKILL
Anyone drinking one of these potions at the beginning
of a battle receives two extra Stunt Points (so, 1d6+2 SP)
each time they roll doubles for the duration of the fight.
Potions of this type go by many different names.
SEEKING TORCH
These torches provide typical light, but their flickering
illumination also seems to bend around obstacles and
even shines through opaque objects to find that which
is otherwise hidden from sight. Those who search by
the light of a Seeking Torcheven in broad daylight

Rewards

Historical Provenance
Any physical itemwhether masterwork, superior, beautiful, or dirt-commoncan be imbued
with greater value by giving it a history. Items
once owned by the outsize figures of past times
are valuable to those who know their provenance.
Items known to have been present for notable
events are likewise valuable because of itespecially if they were involved in pivotal moments.
Consider, as just a few examples
The common blade that struck down the
Rebel Queen.
The dented chalice used in the Joining of the
first Grey Wardens.
The ostentatious hat made from the pelt of the
last werewolf slain in Ferelden.
The masterworkand magical, some say
signet ring worn by the chief among the
Tevinter magisters who were twisted into the
first darkspawn.
An items history can also be tailored to a particular Player Character. The sword carried into
battle by a PC warriors grandfather should have
great value to that hero. Likewise, the mirror that
once hung in the keepnow ruinedwhere a
heros forebears ruled should help provide motivation to that PC to see the quest done that would
restore his heirs to their rightful throne.
Although such items can certainly be bought and
sold, the value of an items historical provenance
is never expressed in terms of coin. Such value
can only be expressed in its sale between a particular buyer and seller. This fact makes such items
particularly useful to you, as GM, because you can
rule that a particularly desperate buyer will pay
just enough to allow the heroes to buy some item
that the current quest requires, or, conversely, that
there are no buyers in the immediate area who are
particularly impressed with the origin of the item
in question.

gain a +3 bonus to Perception (Searching) tests. Each

torch burns only long enough for a single test.

Permanent Magic Items

AEDUCAN FAMILY SHIELDS
These silverite medium shields, typically pitted and
scarred by the claws of countless darkspawn, all bear
the ancient seal of the dwarven House Aeducan. Most
are also shaped like the seal. They are indestructible

37

by normal means and give a magical +1 bonus to their

wielders Armor Rating.
ANTIVAN LONGBOW OF FIDELITY
Masterwork Benefits: Attack Bonus: +2
Damage Bonus: +0
Superior Benefits: Minimum Strength: 1
Talent Level Bonus: One level Focus Benefit: No
Short Range: 33 yards Long Range: 78 yards
This whitewood longbow is decorated in the style
common in Antiva, and is easy to mistake for one of the
many masterwork and superiorbut non-magical
bows crafted in that land. In addition to its non-magical
benefit, its magical nature is that it cannot be stolen or
taken from its owner by either guile or force. Weird
circumstances, strange and unforeseen decisions, and
even the outright defiance of physical laws always
conspire to make sure it remains in the possession of
the one who rightfully owns it.
BLACKENED HEARTWOOD STAFF
This wood-and-iron quarterstaff was once made of
mahogany heartwood, but no more. The corrupting
presence of darkspawn during one of the Blights has
twisted and tainted it so that it is no longer possible to
tell where the wood ends and the metal begins. Even
so, a bit of its ancient magical power remains. A mage
holding it gains a +2 bonus to his Spellpower when
casting Entropy spells.
BLADES OF HOUSE AEDUCAN
Masterwork Benefits: Attack Bonus: +1
Damage Bonus: +0.
Superior Benefits: Minimum Strength: 1
Talent Level Bonus: One level, Focus Benefit: Yes
These longswords are a collection of ancient blades that
have been carried by Warrior Caste dwarves who have
been of, allied with, or sponsored by House Aeducan
since the time of the First Blight. These silverite blades
are ancestral heirlooms handed down over generations.
Folded with lyrium, they are extremely durable and
especially resistant to the corrupting nature of dark-

spawn. They provide a +1 magical attack bonus and are

indestructible by normal means.
THE CHANNEL OF ENTROPIC MIGHT
This ring is a powerful channeler of entropic magic.
A mage who wears it gains a +2 bonus to their Spellpower when casting spells of the Entropy magic school.
Similar magic items exist for the other schools of magic
as well, though not all take the form of rings.
THE FELONS COAT
Masterwork Benefits: Armor Rating: 5
Superior Benefits: Armor Penalty: 0
This heavy leather drakeskin armor fits anyone who
wears it like a second skin and provides the wearer deft
and speedy movement. It gives a magical +1 bonus to all
Dexterity (Acrobatics, Initiative, and Stealth) tests.
KEY TO ORZAMMAR
These ceremonial keys to the city of Orzammar are
diplomatic boons, granted by the vote of the Assembly
to acknowledge those who have performed significant services to the city. In addition to granting a +3
social benefit (see The Social Benefits of Masterworks
and Superior Items) among dwarves and a +1 social
benefit among others familiar with dwarven culture,
the magical nature of these keys also gives those who
carry them the option to subtract one from their dragon
die when making any Communication test. This option
may be exercisedor notafter the dice have been
rolled. (Its beneficial effect is to make doubles more
likely, thereby giving their owner a greater likelihood
of generating roleplaying stunt points.)
OAK BRANCH
Superior Benefits (as veridium):
Talent Level Bonus: One level Focus Benefit: No
Said to have been harvested from a sentient tree in
the Brecilian Forest, this quarterstaff feels warm to the
touch and gives its wielder the sense that its alive,
ever shifting and moving beneath the fingers. It allows
a mage who holds it the option to add 1 (their choice)

Seeds of Adventure
One easy way to create an adventure is to choose or create some object, figure out who has it, figure out who
wants it, and then fill the empty space in between with encounters. Such adventures can work regardless of
whatif anythingthe object is good for as long as the people who want it are convinced its worth having
and there are enough obstacles in the way to make the getting interesting. The mechanical effects of objects can
provide an extra dimension of motivation for players, who know that their characters will be concretely and
measurably more effective as their gear improves.
If you ever find yourself at a loss for the subject of an adventure, its hard to go wrong starting with an object.

38

Rewards

to any result rolled on the table of magical mishaps.

(This modification does not affect the Willpower test
roll, only the magical mishap table result, even though
the latter is based on the dragon die result that informs
the former.)
WOLF-KILLER
Superior Benefits: Minimum Strength: 1
Talent Level Bonus: One level Focus Benefit: Yes
Short Range: 39 yards Long Range: 104 yards
The story of this ironbark longbows creation has been
lost. Though it appears not to have been crafted by a
mages hand and no trace of lyrium can be detected
within it, it has the uncanny habit of sending its shafts
through the hearts of the beasts it is used to hunt.
Whenever a shot fired from Wolf-killer generates stunt
points it also inflicts a free (0 SP) lethal blow stunt in
addition to the normally selected stunts.

Superior
Consumables
& Impractical
Treasures
In addition to the empirical benefits of masterwork,
superior, and magical items, the treasure hoards of
Thedas are rife with objects of great value but lessthan-practical benefit. Fine artworks are valued by
those with refined aesthetics. Superior wines and
foodstuffsspices, especiallyare worth fighting
over among gourmands and the status-conscious.
First-class clothing, whether ostentatious or reserved,
communicates the taste and refinement of those who
wear it.
Any item of equipment or provision can be crafted or
purchased in more-excellent versions. These moreworthy versions are usually no more useful than their
common counterparts (and are sometimes less useful,
given their ornamentation or fragility) but are nevertheless worth a great deal more. Such items often

Rewards

Price & Benefits of Superior Goods

Quality

Price Multiplier

Maximum Social
Bonus

Fine

x5

+1

Outstanding

x25

+2

Exceptional

x100

+3

Kingly

x1,000+

+5

provide a social benefit to interactions with those who

appreciate their worthsee The Social Benefits of
Masterworks and Superior Itemsthat can exceed
the social benefits of practical items by providing a
bonus of up to +5, albeit at a preposterous cost. The
Price and Benefits of Superior Goods table provides
rough guidelines as to the increased cost and related
social benefit from such items.

Examples
A fine lamp (base cost: 2 sp) costs 10 silver pieces,
an outstanding version 50 sp, an exceptional one
2 gp, and a kingly lamp 20 gp or more. None
necessarily illuminates any better than any other.
A fine saddle (base cost: 20 sp) costs 1 gp, an
outstanding one 5 gp, an exceptional variety 20
gp, and a kingly saddle 200 gp or more. All are
equally effective at keeping a rider upon their
horse. Fine wine (base cost: 20 cp) goes for 1 sp,
outstanding wine fetches 5 sp, exceptional wine
costs 20 sp, and wine for the kings table costs
200 sp and up per bottle. Although the rarefied
palates of the wealthy and noble can tell the
difference, all qualities dull the pain of a hard
day with equal sufficiency.
Items of this nature become better and better rewards
for Player Characters as they go up in level. Theyre
often more portable than coin, which can benefit adventurers who acquire them far from home. But for you, as
GM, theyre also more narratively interesting, and can
provide story hooks for further adventures as the heroes
are challenged tofor examplemake change for a
candelabra of exceptional quality.

39

Adventure

The Autumn Falls

The Grand Tourney of the Free Marches is
a spectacle like no other. Part circus, part
tournament, part festival, and altogether magnificent,
the Grand Tourney is a massive traveling fair that
ranges the Free Marches bringing chaos and fortune in
equal measure. The Tourneys erratic travels occasionally take it outside the Free Marches, but in the main
it moves among the free cities, entertaining the locals
wherever it puts down its temporary roots.
Every three years or so, a patron (or patrons) wealthy
enough to sponsor a Contest of Arms emerges and the
real entertainment begins. Then the Tourney sets down
for an entire year, beginning a series of tournaments and
exhibitions, each more opulent than the last, that brings
competitors and spectators from across the continent to
the event widely known as the greatest spectacle in all
of Thedas.
Early this year, on the shore of the Waking Sea, in the
Nevarran city of Cumberland, the Grand Tourney found
a patron in Rainer Aehrenthal, a merchant prince of
great means and greater ambition. This years Contest
of Arms has already been one for the record books, but
now word has gone out that a trophy unlike any other,
a dwarven hammer of ancient provenance, will be the
prize for the harvest seasons traditional event known
as the Autumn Falls.

40

For the first time in the history of the Grand Tourney, to

the delight and shock of all, Orzammar has announced
it will send a delegation to compete.
Warriors from across Thedas are now closing upon
Cumberland: for honor, for duty, for love, for vengeance,
for dark gods, for glory, and for its singular prize.
The greatest show on Thedas is about to begin!

Adventure Summary
In The Autumn Falls a group of Player Characters ranging
from 5th to 7th level are invited, compelled, or simply
decide to try their luck in the Grand Tourney of the Free
Marches legendary Contest of Arms, which is presently
being staged in the Nevarran city of Cumberland.
The Contests patron, Rainer Aehrenthal, is a cunning
merchant whose scheme to entice representatives from
Orzammar to the Tourney to further his own ends has
worked spectacularly. Too well, perhaps: Aehrenthals
announcement that he would offer an ancient dwarven
hammer of legendary significance as the prize for the
Autumn Falls has attracted not only dwarves from
Orzammar, but also a party from strange and nearly
forgotten Kal-Sharok.

The Autumn Falls

In fact, news of the magnitude of the contest has drawn

hundreds of warriors from farther afield than normal.
Naturally, each has their own agenda. Darker forces
have also taken an interest in the Tourney, and a plot
put into motion that could have grim repercussions for
all of Thedas if it is not stopped: A cult dedicated to
the Old Gods of the Tevinter Imperium, and disturbingly sympathetic to the darkspawn hordes, intends to
destroy the Contest of Arms Central Arena in spectacular fashion at the climax of its final event.
Into this maelstrom of martial honor, racial pride,
deadly politics, and ancient malice step the PCs, who,
due to their status as competent outsiders, are asked to
join a secret investigation into mysterious goings-on in
Cumberland. They must employ the strength of their
arms, the breadth of their charm, and the speed of their
wits if they hope to succeed.
A bit of luck wouldnt hurt either.
BACKGROUND

For a Few
Dragons More
The city-state of Nevarra was originally one of the
largest in the Free Marches. Its history is not so much
punctuated as dominated by near-endless battles
against both darkspawn and human foes in which the
city was fought over many, many times. Orlais even
occupied the city-state for some forty years after the
end of the Third Blight.
The Nevarrans endured this state of affairs for many
generations, building up a cultural military insight
over the centuries. Their martial traditions were honed
in constant battle, and the citys leading families, most
notably the legendary Pentaghast clan, produced a
legion of tactical geniuses and legendary heroes. The
champions of Nevarra are practically worshipped by
their populace to the present day, and not without
reason. The Pentaghasts are considered the finest dragon
hunters in the history of Thedas, with the trophies to
prove it; their armory is filled with the largest collection
of dragonbone arms and armor on the continent. The
Black Dragon of Nevarra, the symbol of the Pentaghast
family, is the most widely famed heraldic symbol in all
of Thedas, and is recognized even by the children of
freeholders in Ferelden.
Just more than three centuries ago, the Pentaghasts
began a series of conquests and made a series of alliances that became the nation of Nevarra, now one of the
great powers of Thedas. In fact, the Nevarrans claimed
the final victory in a long battle against Orlais itself only
a few generations ago, at last wresting control of the
mineral-rich hills to their west away from Val Royeaux.
This triumph has significantly raised Nevarra in the

The Autumn Falls

eyes of the world. Rumor has it that the Pentaghasts

believe the time has come finally for Nevarra to consolidate their gains and rest for a while.
Such a course is unacceptable to the merchant prince
Rainer Aehrenthal. His is no mere yearning for wealth,
but a raw hunger strong enough to move even a demon
of desire to astounded wonder at the sheer force of it.
Such is the avarice, the need, that drives him. A favored
son of Cumberland whose star is very much ascendant,
Aehrenthal is an arms dealer. Rainers family has been
providing the Free Marches with weapons for generations. Rainer grew very rich from the fight with Orlais;
he grows richer still as he secretly helps the Orlesians
supply the indigenous western rebels who took up
arms against their Nevarran conquerors. And those
rumors of a Fifth Blight, perhaps starting in Ferelden?
Delicious. Where sane men see danger, Aehrenthal sees
profit.
Aehrenthal has long wished to cement connections with
Orzammar, and with a Blight on the horizon he is practically frantic to do so, but the dwarves are not easily
won over by human merchants of any sort. Aehrenthal
was at a loss as to how to open relations with them until
chance brought him a stupendously lucky find. A band
of wandering adventurers sold one of his agents an
ancient dwarven hammer they discovered in the Deep
Roads, which his paid scholars assured him would be
of great significance to the dwarves. This was an understatement of ludicrous proportions. The hammer is the
forge-hammer of the Paragon Zadol the Weaponsfather, the dwarf who invented the art of folding metal
to reinforce blades. There are few Paragons regarded so
highly. His hammer is literally priceless to the Children
of the Stone, even before considering the various abilities legend ascribes to it.
Aehrenthals researchers assured him that the deadly
and subtle interconnections of dwarf politics would
make it all but impossible to know with whom he
should be dealing if he simply showed up in Orzammar,
hammer in tow. After giving the matter some thought,
Aehrenthal offered to act as patron for a Contest of
Arms, knowing that by offering the hammer as a prize
he could draw out the dwarves and hopefully inveigle
his way into their good graces. Helping to put on a
massive display of martial prowess is exactly the sort
of thing a staggeringly wealthy arms merchant does,
which deflects suspicion from his odd choice of prizes.
But the situation is more complicated than even the
clever Aehrenthal bargained for. Paragon Zadol is
sacred to all Children of the Stone, and the dwarves of
Kal-Sharok will not tolerate the faithless dwarves of
cursed Orzammar laying their cowardly hands upon
the sacred artifact. Thus, they too have sent a delegation
to vie for the forge-hammer. The threat of competing
dwarf factions wouldnt concern Rainer even if he knew
about it. (The coming of the Kal-Sharok dwarves

41

is not yet known, since they cannot easily reach the

surface.) One source of superior weapons is as good as
another in his mind. Hed cut deals with both sides if he
thought he could arrange it.
As a further and separate complication, there are cults
throughout Thedas that still dedicate themselves to the
Old Gods of the Tevinter Imperium. These cults hold a
special hatred of Nevarrans for their prowess at slaying
dragons. The whispers that one of the cults gods is
once again active in the world has moved several
long-secret groups to motion, including a devious and
terrible sect known as the Last Moon. The Last Moon
follows an apocalyptic creed that compels them to
seek the means to bring about a dreadful battle that
will blanket all of Thedas in a night that will never
end, a pleasing offering to their patron god Lusacan,
the Dragon of Night. The massive gathering of the Last
Moons enemiesNevarrans and Chantry heretics
alikefor the Grand Tourney affords a unique opportunity to spread suspicion and strife while simultaneously destroying as many foes as possible in one devastating strike. They plan to blow up the Grand Tourneys
Central Arena using stolen Qunari gaatlokthat is, firepowderat the beginning of the climatic final battle of
the Autumn Falls, when the entire edifice will be filled
to capacity and beyond.
Unless the PCs stop them, that is.

Getting the
Characters Involved
The Grand Tourneys Contest of Arms is justly famed
throughout Thedas. You can begin to introduce The
Autumn Falls subtly and far in advance, with NPCs
mentioning the opening of the Contest during the spring
while the PCs are on other adventures. As the year
progresses and word of the quality of events spreads
through southern Thedas, it becomes a common topic
of conversation until at last the announcement that
Orzammar will participate in the harvest games makes
it the talk of Ferelden.
The players may ask whether their PCs have any
chance of victory in the Contest. The best answer is
that there are many prizes for many different events.
And although they may not have a realistic chance of
claiming victory in any of the grand events, stranger
things have happened
If the Contest of Arms isnt enough motivation for the
PCs, the fact that the Grand Tourney is also a huge
festival that draws exotic and interesting folk from all
points of the map might also influence them. While
the activities that warriors and rogues might pursue at
the Tourney are obvious, mages neednt feel left out,
because the Contest of Arms also includes challenges
specially designed for them. Additionally, the College

42

of the Magi in Cumberland truly stands at the center

of every Circle, and any mage worth their staffeven
those who studiously avoid the politics of magicwill
want to see the fabled Sun Dome at least once in their
life. In any case, knowing your PCs motivations should
allow you to craft Tourney-related hooks specific to
their desires.
Players eager to have their PCs become Grey Wardens
may be aware that not only are Grey Wardens more
accepted and easier to find outside Ferelden, but also
that the Contest of Arms traditionally draws Grey
Warden recruiters to study the participants of the tournaments for candidates. In fact, one of the key NPCs in
The Autumn Falls is just such a recruiter.
PCs interested in more immediate adventuring work
can be gradually drawn into the Grand Tourney, as they
are hired to guard a Fereldan merchant on her way to
the event. See Part 1, Scene 1: A Contest Like No Other.
While the majority of your players will likely wish to
use the Fereldan PCs they have advanced from 1st level
in this adventure, some may wish to switch temporarily
or permanently to a new character in order to use some
of the new material presented in Set 2. The circumstances surrounding the Tourney plausibly allow the
inclusion of rare individuals such as dwarf nobles
from Orzammar. Such an option is introduced with the
optional Part 1, Scene 2: Not for Gold. If some but not
all players choose this route, you will need to spend
some time during the opening scenes of The Autumn
Falls cutting back and forth between PC sub-groups.
In any case, the opening scenes of The Autumn Falls
have been crafted with flexibility in mind to permit a
wide variety of characters to gather together as they
travel to Cumberland. The Grand Tourney welcomes
all comers.

Optional Subplot
The following subplot can be run if you wish to add yet
another layer of complication to the adventure.

Guess Whos Coming to Dinner

The Contest of Arms brings warriors and spectators from
across all Thedas, including some folk that only appear
in the central portions of the continent once or twice in a
generation. This optional subplot introduces an ambassadorial group of Qunari from Par Vollen, the center of
Qunari culture in Thedas. Nevarra has formally invited
this group to witness the Contest of Arms.
The Qunari are fond of displays of martial prowess
and the Grand Tourney seemed an excellent excuse to
encourage a group of them to travel down to Cumberland. If Pentaghast agents should have a chance to
casually discuss the Qunaris ongoing conflict with the
Tevinter Imperium, record their insights for further

The Autumn Falls

PART 1

QUNARI WARRIORS
Quiet soldiers of a strange culture.
Abilities (Focuses)
0

Communication (Bargaining)

Constitution (Stamina)

Cunning (Qun)

Dexterity (Light Blades)

Magic

Perception (Hearing, Tracking)

Strength (Heavy Blades)

Willpower
Combat Ratings

Speed

Health

Defense

Armor Rating

10

65

10

Attacks
Weapon

Attack Roll

Damage

Long Sword

+4

2d6+2

Powers
Favored Stunts: Defensive Stance and Dual Strike (3 SP).
Racial Penalty: 1 on ability tests to resist spells and
magical effects.
Talents: Armor Training (novice) and Single Weapon
Style (master).
Weapon Groups: Bludgeons, Bows, Brawling, Heavy
Blades, Light Blades, and Staves.
Equipment
Heavy leather armor and long swords.

study, and drop a few hints about where the Tevinter are
vulnerable, well, thats the sort of thing that happens at
the Grand Tourney.
However, for their part, the qunari have not come for
chitchat, which isnt really their way. They accepted the
invitation because they are quietly seeking their stolen
property, a shipment of explosive gaatlok powder kegs
that went missing several months ago. The ambassadors want to reclaim these goodsat least one barrel
of which a Rivaini spy claimed to have seen on a ship
bound for Cumberlandand to take vengeance on those
who murdered their brothers in the course of the theft.
The leader of the Qunari tells humans he answers to the
name Drun. He is a tracker of near-supernatural skill.
Drun and his brothers could end up greatly helping,
or seriously hindering, the PCs as they uncover pieces
of the Last Moons plot. The Qunaris investigations
may alert the Last Moon, forcing the cult to accelerate
or alter their plot, or the PCs may cause similar trouble
for the Qunari.

The Autumn Falls

Come One,
Come All
It is mid-summer in Ferelden. Wherever the PCs may
be, they learn of the Grand Tourney of the Free Marches
and hear the rumors that unusual prizes are being
offered during the Autumn Falls, the harvest stage of
the Grand Tourneys Contest of Arms. Reticent characters may find an offer of employment compelling even
if the Tourney holds no immediate interest for them.
There is also an optional scene to account for the possibility of dwarf PCs traveling from Orzammar. Part 1
draws to a close with the PCs sailing over the Waking
Sea to Cumberland.

Environs:
Vignettes of Thedas
Instead of being set in a specific place, the opening
scene of The Autumn Falls is loosely described so you
can place it wherever is most appropriate for your
campaign. If you are running The Autumn Falls as your
play groups first adventure, or if you have no particular place in mind, then start the action just outside of
Denerim.

Scene 1: A Contest
Like No Other
COMBAT AND ROLEPLAYING ENCOUNTER
The PCs come upon a dog breeder and her mabari
being accosted by ruffians. After dealing with
the miscreants the heroes are offered the job of
escorting the merchant to Cumberland.
Its a fine summer day in Ferelden. A welcome
breeze cools your face but then carries with it
the sounds of a woman crying out in anger, and
then the deep baying of a hound mixed with cruel
laughter.
As you crest a hillock you see a group of thugs
confronting a young woman in simple dress. Shes
backed against a tree and holds a naked sword
in her trembling hand. A gray-muzzled mabari
has interposed itself between its master and the
toughs as best it can, but the woman and dog are
outnumbered and soon to be surrounded.
Caught up in their confrontation, none of them
notice you. What will you do?

43

FERELDAN BRIGAND
Abilities (Focuses)
2

Communication (Deception, Gambling)

Constitution (Drinking)

Cunning (Evaluation)

Dexterity (Legerdemain, Light Blades,

Stealth)

Magic

Perception (Searching)

Strength (Climbing)

Willpower
Combat Ratings

Speed

Health

Defense

Armor Rating

12

18

12

Attacks
Weapon

Attack Roll

Damage

Dagger

+4

1d6+3

Short Bow

+2

1d6+2

Short Sword

+4

1d6+4

Powers
Favored Stunts: Lightning Attack and Skirmish.

The young lady is a freeholder merchant, a dog breeder

named Felayn. Her companion is a faithful old mabari
named Osric whose prime fighting years are behind
him.
The men are Fereldan brigands out to steal Felayns
wares, five mabari pups in finely made wooden kennels
in the back of a nearby cart. To many Fereldans, thats
tantamount to kidnapping.
There are twice as many bandits as PCs. Once the scum
become aware of the heroes their leader, a lanky fellow
named Torkey, calls out something like, You dont
want any trouble, friends, you had best be moving on.
(Unless, of course, their awareness is brought on by the
equivalent of an arrow in the back.) If the PCs choose
to not get involved, shame on them. The brigands strip
Felayn of her struggling wares and kill her and Osric
before leaving.
As the PCs begin to take action (whatever it is) two
of the bandits move to secure the wagon, pups, and
Felayns horse. The heroes have three rounds to stop
them before they manage to get the wagon underway.
The bandits wont provide much of a combat challenge
to veteran heroes; the danger in this scene is in the harm
they can do to Felayn and the dogs, so make sure that
figures prominently.
If the heroes try to intimidate or harangue the bandits
before attacking, you may wish to remind them of the

44

Talents: Armor Training (Novice), Dual Weapon Style

(Journeyman), and Scouting (Novice)
Weapon Groups: Bows, Brawling, and Light Blades.
Equipment
Dagger, light leather, short bow.

roleplaying stunts that are new to Set 2. Stunts like

Sway the Crowd or Enrage could provide a tactical
advantage to the heroes, for example.
Once two or more bandits have been taken out of the
fight, the remainder must begin making collective TN
9 Willpower (Morale) tests to fight on. Each additional
bandit removed from the fight calls for another test and
increases the target number by 2.
If any PC openly uses magic, the bandits resolve shatters even more quickly. TN 15 Willpower (Morale)
tests begin immediately when the brigands witness
magic, even if they have sustained no casualties, with
continued and increasingly difficult tests upon bandit
deaths as described above.
Presuming the PCs rise to the occasion by rescuing
Felayn and Osric and securing the pups, Felayn is
effusively grateful, declaring the adventurers to be
like heroes from the old tales. This obviously sets a
thought going in her mind and she looks at the PCs
with a bright smile: Oh, but of course. Youre headed
to the Grand Tourney.

The Autumn Falls

OSRIC

FELAYN
Breeder of mabari hounds, Fereldan freewoman,
and enterprising merchant.
Abilities (Focuses)
4

Communication (Animal Handling)

Constitution

Cunning (Cultural Lore)

Dexterity

Magic

Perception (Empathy)

Strength

Willpower (Courage)

Abilities (Focuses)
1

Communication

Constitution (Running)

Cunning

Dexterity

Magic

Perception (Smelling, Tracking)

Strength (Jumping)

Willpower (Morale)
Combat Ratings

Combat Ratings
Speed

Health

Defense

Armor Rating

11

30

11

Attacks
Weapon

Attack Roll

Damage

Fist

+1

1d3

Short Sword

+1

1d6+2

Powers
Favored Stunts: Defensive Stance (2SP).
Talents: Animal Training (journeyman) and Contacts
(journeyman).
Weapon Groups: Brawling and Light Blades.
Equipment
Short sword, cart, horse, mabari pups, provisions, and
traveling gear.

If none of the PCs know about the Tourney, a surprised

Felayn goes on to describe it as one of the largest and
most important martial events in Thedas, relating
whatever commonly known details are most likely to
pique the PCs interest.
Even if the characters are aware of the Grand Tourney
and the Contest of Arms, use this opportunity to
introduce the forge-hammer thats been announced
as the special prize in the Autumn Falls, Orzammars
announcement that a team of dwarves will participate
in the Tourney for the first time in its history, or both.
If the PCs show any interest at all in the idea of attending
the Grand Tourney, Felayn encourages them to join her
for the trip, since thats where shes headed as well. She
intends to travel by sea from Denerim. Several ships
regularly make the passage from the capital to Cumberland, so finding berths is easily done. Shes willing to
offer the PCs 20 sp each for their kind assistance and
protection, although she must sell one of her pups at
the fair before shell have the cash to make payment.

The Autumn Falls

Faithful old canine soldier.

Speed

Health

12

20

Defense

Armor Rating

12

Attacks
Weapon

Attack Roll

Damage

Bite*

+1

1d6+2

* In his advanced age, Osric is no longer much of a combatant, even

though his hearts still in the fight. Rather than making this meager
attack, Osric can help another combatant who attacks later in the
round, giving that fighter a +2 bonus on his attack roll.

Powers
Favored Stunts: Knock Prone.
Equipment
Short sword, cart, horse, mabari pups, provisions, and
traveling gear.

Scene 2:
Not for Gold
COMBAT AND ROLEPLAYING ENCOUNTER
Orzammar-native dwarven PCs collecting
supplies for the trip to Cumberland are ambushed
by agents of a rival house.
The rivalries among dwarven houses are both intense
and unending; most dwarves think nothing of nursing
a grudge for centuries. The dwarven PCs chosen to
participate in the Contest of Arms have displaced some
other houses members from the delegationor thats
how they see it, at least. By eliminating the PCs, they
plan to open their rightful slots back up again.
Orzammar has chosen to send a delegation
topside to participate in a human Proving because
the prize on offer for the event is Anvilbreaker, the
legendary forge-hammer of the Paragon Zadol.
Your house has put your name forth as a candidate

45

for the trip and youve spent the last few hours
acquiring sundries throughout the Commons.
As you head home, you realize the courtyard
you are passing through has fallen strangely
quiet. Suddenly, footsteps echo in the stillness and
cloaked figures slip from the shadows, swords
bared.
Defend yourself!
The courtyard is a large cavern with a series of heavy
stone benches and some sturdy chairs gathered about a
stone table.
COUNSELOR MARDOHL
Trusted dwarf noble house retainer.
Abilities and Focuses: Communication 3 (Bargaining,
Etiquette, Persuasion); Constitution 2 (Drinking);
Cunning 2 (Cultural Lore, Historical Lore); Dexterity
1; Magic 1; Perception 1; Strength 0; Willpower 2
(Morale).

Abilities (Focuses)
1

Communication

Constitution (Running)

Cunning

Dexterity (Stealth)

Magic
Perception

Strength (Heavy Blades, Initiative)

Willpower
Combat Ratings

Speed

Health

Defense

Armor Rating

11

50

13

Attacks
Weapon

Attack Roll

Damage

Bastard Sword

+5

2d6+4

Powers
Favored Stunts: Dual Strike (3 SP) and Lethal Blow.
Class Powers: Backstab (as rogue).
Talents: Armor Training (journeyman), Single Weapon
Style (journeyman), and Two-hander Style (novice).
Weapon Groups: Axes, Brawling, Heavy Blades, and Spears.

46

The assassins bodies reveal nothing about them, their

arms and armor having been purposefully (and obviously so) stripped of any insignia. Even their blades
have been hammered to remove the characteristic
strike marks of the different smithing families, which
read like fingerprints to some dwarven eyes.
A successful TN9 Cunning (Cultural Lore) test is all
thats required to know that only a noble family would
have the resources to equip killers in such a fashion. It
seems unlikely that the ambush was a mere attempt at
robbery.

Our enemies have moved faster than I anticipated.

The sooner you are underway the better.

Equipment

If the PCs shout for help it takes five rounds for a group
of soldiers to stride into view. The assassins flee if this
happens. The assassins also take to their heels if the
odds against them begin to look grim. Any trapped
assassins fight to the death; none allow themselves to
be taken alive.

After receiving medical attention if its needed, the

surviving PCs are ushered into the presence of Counselor Mardohl, a trusted retainer of either their house,
or the house theyre subservient to if they are of low
caste.

DWARF ASSASSIN

Heavy mail and bastard swords.

There are attackers equal to the number of PCs, plus

one. They aim to kill the PCs as quickly and efficiently as
possible, ganging up on a single target where effective,
or launching distracting attacks from the front while
others of their number slip around behind to deliver
vicious backstabs. The tone and feel of the ambush as a
whole should be fierce and difficult, but not impossible.

Confused heroes can question Mardohl about the situation. Mardohl doesnt know exactly who is behind
the attack. Any of a dozen houses, he speculates if
pressed. Ultimately, to him, the answer is irrelevant.
The important point is that the attack failed and a
second opportunity shouldnt be allowed.
Counselor Mardohl has arranged passage for the PCs
on a ship from the Orlesian city of Jader, which is
located just north of the Frostbacks. Although they will
all stand together at the Contest of Arms, Orzammars
delegation is traveling to Cumberland in separate,
smaller groups because the various nobles, soldiers,
and smiths picked by the Assembly to comprise the
delegation are not necessarily friendly to each other.
Even so, Mardohl stresses the vital importance that the
PCs publicly support the other members of the delegation in front of folk from other nations and races. What
goes on away from public view, on the other hand
Well, the good counselor doesnt needor wantto
know about that.
Once the PCs have a grasp of their situation, close the
scene and move on.

The Autumn Falls

Scene 3:
Fateful Passage
ROLEPLAYING ENCOUNTER
The PCsFereldans and dwarves bothtravel
by ship over the Waking Sea to the Nevarran port
of Cumberland. Along the way, they meet others
who are also traveling to the Grand Tourney.
The giant waves of the Waking Sea roar and crash
about you, tossing your ship, the Whisper, in great
rolling swells. The sailors scurrying up and down
the rigging laugh at your expressions. One of them
shouts down, If you want to see some real waves
try the passage to Cumberland in the winter!
The ship is filled with all manner of unfamiliar
and unexpected folk. Not only are there Fereldans of every stripe, there are members of the
delegation from Orzammar, and even more unexpectedly, a band of Avvarian hunters who look
profoundly uncomfortable at all the water.
The mate says you have another day or two at
sea before you reach Cumberland. How do you
intend to pass that time?
There are two purposes for this scene. The first is to
introduce all of the PCs to each other, such as if you have
some PCs from Ferelden and others from Orzammar.
The second is to give the heroes their first chance to size
up some of the competition in the Contest of Arms.
If you have two groups of PCs, dont concern yourself
with making sure that they become fast friends while on
board. Its enough to make sure they all come to recognize each other and spend some time getting to know
one another. It may spur some cross-group, get-to-knowyou interactions if you introduce an interesting but
innocuous event to provoke comment from each, which
will likely develop into cross-group roleplaying. If both
groups are on deck and a bright comet is spotted in the
sky, for example, each might have a different perspective
on whether the omen is good or bad, what it might mean
for the Autumn Falls, and so on.
Notable NPCs on board the Whisper include Felayn,
a (non-PC) group of dwarves from Orzammar led by
Lord Kynrik of House Clangdrol (who is the dwarf
noble of highest caste rank on the ship), and a group of
Avvarians led by one Alsgaard Ar Kjus O Stormhold. If
you wish to introduce any NPCs of specific use to your
own campaign, this is a good opportunity for that, too.
Fereldan PCs who wish to chat with Lord Kynrik are
stopped by his guards, who wait to get a nod from
their master before letting the characters pass. Surface
dwarves are kept away (Move on, cloud-gazer), but

The Autumn Falls

others are allowed to approach unless they behave with

blatant disrespect.
Kynrik is a heavyset dwarf, dressed in exquisitely
engraved plate armor forged from glittering silverite. He
is well aware that wearing heavy plate at sea is considered foolish by some, but he spares no additional thought
for those who know nothing of what means to be a Lord
of Orzammar, or who take insufficient care with the
importance of appearances. In any case, Kynrik shines
in the morning sun like a multi-faceted gemstone, which
is an accurate reflection on his personality: complex and
ever-shifting. It is no accident that he was chosen as the
diplomatic leader of the entire Orzammar delegation. He
is an honorable deep lord, well respected by his fellows,
and no more a schemer than any dwarven lord must be
to survive Orzammar politics.
Kynrik is in a festive mood during the sea passage,
looking forward with excitement to the political and
economic challenges he expects the Grand Tourney
will bring. Its not that hes uninterested in the martial
contests to come. He just doesnt think humans stand
a chance against the champions of the Warrior Caste
who accompany him, especially his ace in the hole,
Ralevi the Root, a member of the Legion of the Dead.
Kynriks party met Ralevi, the last surviving member
of his unit, in the Deep Roads en route to Cumberland.
Kynrik essentially conscripted Ralevi into the tournament party, promising that hed be allowed to return to
the Deep Roads once the human Proving was at an end.
Kynrik expects polite deference from dwarves, but realizes that few humans are capable of recognizing his
status, especially not the amusingly upstart children of
Ferelden. He deals with Orzammar PCs appropriately,
in accordance with their castes. He is unwilling to reveal
his plans for how the dwarves will go about conquering
the Autumn Falls, but he exudes firm confidence.
The other interesting party on the ship is the group
of Avvarians led by a warrior who introduces himself
as Alsgaard of Stormhold. He is willing to chat with
anyone and everyone (and as such is another good
focus for cross-group, get-to-know-you roleplaying).
He respects dwarves and subtly condescends to Fereldans, but remains polite in either caseAlsgaard comes
from a culture where a man can get his head split open
in a second for being rude.
Alsgaard and his fellow Avvars intend to teach the
Nevarrans a thing or two about archery. Those who
speak to him notice that his left hand is bound in an
armored leather glove. At some point during the
conversation he glances up into the sky and, smiling,
extends his arm. A bare moment later a gold-plumed
eagle drops from the sky above the ship, smoothly
avoiding the rigging and sails, to land on the Avvars
arm. This is Saba, he says, grinning. She prefers the
wind to this rolling land, eh, girl?

47

Alsgaard looks forward to seeing the Grand Tourney.

Avvars seldom leave the Frostbacks for any extended
period of time and usually the Tourney is much farther
away. Its presence as close as Cumberland is surely a sign
from Haakon Wintersbreath, the Avvars god of winter
and war, that they should attend the Contest of Arms.
Any PC pointing out that the Autumn Falls is not being
held during the winter gets a wolfish grin out of Alsgaard:
Thats why we go for archery and not for slaughter.

tion and imagination of your particular group of PCs,

substitute something more appropriate. If the heroes
are truly not interested in going to the Contest of Arms,
this adventure may simply not be for them.

Let the PCs talk to whom they will, as well as among

each other if some of them have not yet met. Once
conversation has run its course, its time for Part 2:
Welcome to Nevarra.

Introducing dwarves from Orzammar into your

campaign using this adventure can be a lot of fun. You
can let the players of your dwarven PCs learn whats
going on with the Contest of Arms by listening to what
happens to the other players heroes in Scene 1, to
conveniently teach them some of what their characters
would already know.

Part 1 Resolution &

Troubleshooting
This part of The Autumn Falls is intentionally loose to
help you easily incorporate PCs with different backgrounds and motivations. If you judge that Scene 1:
Vignettes of Thedas isnt likely to capture the atten-

The fight with the bandits should be easy for an experienced group of PCs. If it isnt, reduce the brigands
statistics as you go along, or send them running even
on a successful Morale check (which, of course, you
should roll behind your screen).

If all of the dwarf PCs fall in battle with the assassins, continue the scene anyway, weaving a tale of
how dwarf soldiers arrived the moment the heroes
RALEVI THE ROOT
The Root of the Mountain, an indestructible warrior
whose legend is long in the Memories.

LORD KYNRIK
Scion of House Clangdrol.

Abilities (Focuses)

Abilities (Focuses)

Communication

Communication (Bargaining, Etiquette,

Leadership, Persuasion)

Constitution (Stamina)

Constitution

Cunning

Cunning

Dexterity (Brawling)

Dexterity

Magic

Magic

Perception

Perception (Empathy)

Strength (Axes, Heavy Blades, Intimidation)

Strength (Axes)

Willpower (Courage, Morale, Self-Discipline)

Willpower

Combat Ratings

Combat Ratings
Speed

Health

Defense

Armor Rating

85

13

Attacks

Speed

Health

11

115

Armor Rating

13

Attacks
Weapon

Attack Roll

Damage

Weapon

Attack Roll

Damage

Gauntlet

+5

1d3+6

Battle Axe

+6

2d6+4

Battle Axe

+7

2d6+5

Powers

Powers

Favored Stunts: Defensive Stance (1 SP), Dual Strike

(3 SP), and Threaten (1 SP).

Favored Stunts: Dual Strike (3 SP), Lightning Attack

(2 SP), and Lethal Blow.

TALENTS: Armor Training (journeyman), Champion

(journeyman), and Weapon and Shield Style (master).

Talents: Armor Training (novice), Berserker (master), Dual

Weapon Style (master), and Single Weapon Style (master).

Weapon Groups: All.

Weapon Groups: All.

Equipment

Light plate mail, heavy shield, and battle axe.

48

Defense

Equipment
Heavy mail armor and two battle axes.

The Autumn Falls

fell, driving off the assassins and saving the PCs with
timely first aid.
If you feel like trying a slightly more difficult but
rewarding way of running the first two scenes, cut
back and forth between the two of them at dramatic
moments. For example, you might run the fight with
the bandits to the point where the PCs see that Felayn
is under attack, then jump to the dwarven PCs in
Orzammar and run the first round of the ambush. If
you time your cuts between the two scenes well, this
approach increases the drama and keeps everyone
involved, instead of having one group wait through a
whole scene that doesnt involve them.
If one or more players want to play lower caste dwarves
from Orzammar, youll have to figure out a way to realistically incorporate them, since the Assembly would
never send a no-account to retrieve a priceless artifact.
On the other hand, if said casteless riffraff saved a noble
from a band of assassins, a place in the nobles party as
a drudge to run errands and perform menial jobs might

ALSGAARD AR KJUS O STORMHOLD

Skilled archer of the Frostbacks.
Abilities (Focuses)
2

Communication (Animal Handling, Leadership)

Constitution

Cunning (Natural Lore)

Dexterity (Bows, Stealth)

Magic

Perception (Seeing, Tracking)

Strength (Heavy Blades)

Willpower
Combat Ratings

Speed

Health

Defense

Armor Rating

15

85

14

Attacks
Weapon

Attack Roll

Damage

Range

Long Bow

+6

1d6+6

26/52 yds

Long Sword

+4

2d6+2

Powers
Favored Stunts: Dual Strike (3 SP), Lightning Attack
(2 SP with bows only), and Pierce Armor.
Talents: Archery Style (master), Armor Training (novice),
Champion (novice), and Command (journeyman).
Weapon Groups: Brawling, Bows, and Heavy Blades.
Equipment
Light mail, long bow (and arrows), and long sword.

The Autumn Falls

be appropriate. If youre bereft of good ideas, put the

onus for an explanation on the player and see what he
can come up with.
PART 2

Welcome to
Nevarra
In Part 2: Welcome to Nevarra, the PCs arrive in
Nevarra and are introduced to Cumberland, one of
the largest cities in Thedas. While seeking accommodations, the Fereldan PCs have an altercation with an
Orlesian Chevalier and his entourage. In all likelihood,
bloodshed is only avoided by the timely intervention of
a Grey Warden. Elsewhere in the city the full delegation
from Orzammar assembles to discuss their plans for the
tournament and after.

Environs: Cumberland
While the capital of Nevarra is the city of the same
name, Cumberland is its largest metropolis. Standing
on the shores of the Waking Sea and straddling the
River Cumber, Cumberland is the natural port through
which the greater bulk of the goods passing to and
from the Free Marches flows. Almost anything can be
bought and sold on the streets of Cumberland if you
know where to look.
The roads of Cumberland are paved with well-chosen
cobblestones, most worn smooth from the passage of
countless feet. The streets are lined with well-made
three-story buildings, scores of which are decorated
with ornate facades. While some of the streets are
narrow, especially those in the older portions of the
city, most are spacious, the better to accommodate the
passage of laden carts.
The Nevarran custom of venerating their heroic ancestors is most obviously expressed in Cumberland in the
statues that fill the citys open, airy courtyards. Most
have been carved with great skill.
Built at great expense and with greater secrecy, the
Sun Dome is a spired golden dome that rests atop the
central building of the College of Magi. It dominates
Cumberlands skyline and is visible for miles when
the sun shines. The College is the philosophical heart
of the Circle of Magi. It is at the College that the First
Enchanters of every Circle assemble to elect their
Grand Enchanter, the mage who stands as the Circle of
Magis representative to the Chantry, their advisor on
the supernatural.
The Grand Tourney has been set up on the western side
of the river, a sprawling sea of tents, arenas, temporary
buildings, and the like. For more detailed information
on this specific area, see Environs: The Grand Tourney

49

on page 56. Stretching into the grassy plain beyond the

fairgrounds are hundreds of small tents where many
of the Tourney-goers who cannot find or afford accommodations in the city proper are staying.

Scene 1:
The City on the River
EXPLORATION ENCOUNTER
The PCs arrive at the port of Cumberland and get
their first chance to look around.
The sounds of bells and racing feet bring you up
to the deck, into the morning sun. Cumberland
stretches across the horizon, straddling the River
Cumber where it flows into the Waking Sea. The
blinding golden reflection from the Sun Dome at the
College of Magi is like a crown that sits atop the city.
To the west you can make out a mass of tents on a
rolling plainthe fairgrounds, you imagine.
Welcome to Nevarra.
The ship soon arrives at a dock and the PCs are free to
do what they wish. If the players are at a loss, you can
suggest that they concentrate on accommodations first.
Cumberland, as a center of trade, is filled with inns and
taverns. There is also the tent city.

50

Players who ask about the customs of Nevarra should

make a TN9 Cunning (Cultural Lore) test. Success
provides the knowledge that Cumberland is fairly
cosmopolitan, but that it is never wise to bring up a
Nevarrans ancestors, as Nevarrans are apt to take even
the most innocuous comment about their forebears as a
personal insult.
If any of the PCs are traveling with Felayn, she informs
them that she intends to offer her wares among the
Tourney-goers in the tent city. She hopes to find accommodations somewhere decent, but suspects the nature of
her wares may force her to take more dubious quarters.
Felayn wont consider trying to kennel her pups with
strangerstheyre much too valuable. As before, shell
appreciate the presence of one or more PCs to escort her.
Dwarven PCs from Orzammar have been given
instructions to rendezvous at the Diamond Lass, a large
dwarven inn in Cumberlands dwarven trade enclave.
The enclavereferred to as the Dragons Den, or
simply the Denis a walled-off area several blocks
square in the northeastern portion of the city, east of
the Cumber and adjacent to the citys wealthier human
neighborhoods. All of the Dens buildings are made
of stone and designed in dwarven architectural styles.
The neighborhoods name derives from the Nevarrans
nickname for their gold coins: dragons.
Characters can hear current gossip and basic information about either Cumberland or the Grand Tourney by
querying the throngs of passersby on any given street of

The Autumn Falls

the city. There are plenty of sailors throughout the quays

whore only too happy to chat with travelers. Keep the
new exploration stunts in mind as the heroes search the
city for whatever it is theyre looking for. They offer the
chance for the PCs to learn additional information, accumulate bonuses to additional tests, and the like.
The summers tournaments are over, but the fair
continues, with acrobats, jugglers, fortunetellers,
mystics, seers, and entertainers of all stripes in abundance, both in the city proper and on the fair grounds.
If the PCs wish to head for the Grand Tourney, look to
Part 3: Let the Games Begin for details.

CUMBERLAND CITY WATCH

Vigilant guardians of Cumberlands peace.
Abilities (Focuses)
1

Communication

Constitution

Cunning

Dexterity (Brawling)

Magic

As the PCs begin to wander the city, keep the following

points in mind:

Perception (Searching)

Strength (Intimidation)

With the exception of PCs with backgrounds that

run explicitly to the contrary, this is the first time
the heroes will have been outside of Ferelden or
Orzammar. Encourage the players to roleplay
accordingly.

Willpower (Morale)

For Fereldans, Cumberland is massive nearly

beyond comprehension. Three Denerims could be
easily contained within its walls. Call for Cunning
(Navigation) tests of appropriate difficulty while
the heroes try to get around, until the PCs have
been in the city for a few weeks.
Grubby characters are viewed with skepticism and
disapproval in many places, and flat-out forbidden
from entering the wealthier districts by the armed
guards who stand watch at the perimeters of these
neighborhoods.
Unlike in Ferelden, the cities of the Free Marches
and Nevarra do not normally allow individuals to
walk the streets armed and armored. Characters
wearing mail or plate armor, or carrying weapons
larger than short swords, are eventually accosted
by the city watch and asked to explain themselves.
Fortunately for the PCs, the Contest of Arms
has made the watch both more polite and more
cautious than normal. No matter what he happens
to look like, it does not do to insult a master
swordsman. Presuming the PCs are polite, they
are merely asked to store their armor and wrap
their heavier weapons when off the contest
grounds. Insulting the city watch or ignoring their
instructions results in fighting. The watch tries
to take malefactors alive, but if the heroes kill a
guardsman all bets are off. The city watch travel
in groups of six and carry whistles to summon aid
when needed. They keep their crossbows slung
unless they expect trouble. If it seems likely to
present itself, several of their number draw and
aim, waiting for orders from their sergeant.
Once the PCs have had a chance to look about for a bit
and settle in, move onto the next scene.

The Autumn Falls

Combat Ratings
Speed

Health

Defense

Armor Rating

12

40

12

Attacks
Weapon

Attack Roll

Damage

Fist

+4

1d6+1

Club

+2

1d6+1

+2

2d6+3

Crossbow

Powers
Favored Stunts: Rapid Reload (1SP) and Disarm (2SP).
Talents: Archery Style (novice), Armor Training
(novice), and Unarmed Style (novice).
Weapon Groups: Bows, Brawling, and Staves.
Equipment
Light mail, club, and crossbow.

Scene 2:
Of Elks & Griffons
ROLEPLAYING & COMBAT ENCOUNTER
The PCs nearly come to blows with an Orlesian
Chevalier and his entourage, but a Grey Warden
steps in to break up the dispute.
All of Cumberland seems to be part of the Grand
Tourney festival. Every courtyard has its own
entertainment: jugglers, actors, fire-eaters, puppeteers, acrobats, and storytellers are just a few of
the performers youve seen. Music fills the air
while barkers beckon travelers to their stalls.
You step onto a narrow side street to get your
bearings and suddenly hear one sound quite
distinctly: the sharp clatter of hooves against
cobblestones!

51

ORLESIAN RETAINERS (INCLUDING HUON)

LORD FORSARD MALECOT

Servants, porters, and occasional men-at-arms skilled

at avoiding their lords displeasure.

Orlesian Chevalier, arrogant bastard,

and magnificent fighter.

Abilities (Focuses)

Abilities (Focuses)

Communication (Etiquette)

Communication (Etiquette, Seduction)

Constitution (Stamina)

Constitution (Stamina)

Cunning

Cunning (Military Lore)

Dexterity (Brawling, Staves)

Dexterity (Initiative)

Magic

Magic

Perception

Perception

Strength

Strength (Heavy Blades, Intimidation,

Spears)

Willpower

Willpower
Combat Ratings

Speed

Health

Defense

Armor Rating

13

45

13

Attacks
Weapon

Attack Roll

Damage

Fist

+5

1d6+2

Quarterstaff

+5

1d6+3

Powers
Favored Stunts: Knock Prone (1SP) and Mighty Blow.
Talents: Unarmed Style (journeyman).
Weapon Groups: Brawling and Staves.
Equipment
Light leather and quarterstaves.

Combat Ratings
Speed

Health

Defense

Armor Rating

14

80

18 (14 w/o Shield)

11

Attacks
Weapon

Attack Roll

Damage

Gauntlet

+6

1d6+6

Long Sword

+7

2d6+5

Spear

+7

1d6+8

Powers
Favored Stunts: Defensive Stance (1SP), Dual Strike (3
SP), Taunt, and Threaten (1SP).
Talents: Armor Training (master), Champion (journeyman), Weapon and Shield Style (master).
Weapon Groups: All.

Each PC present must make a TN13 Dexterity (Acrobatics) test. Those who succeed dive to the side in time,
while those who fail suffer 1d6 damagejust enough
to be insultingas theyre knocked to the cobblestones
by a barded warhorse and rider who come hurtling
around a corner.
The rider pulls up some twenty feet away and turns his
horse sidelong to the PCs, looking back at them. His
features are concealed behind an intricately worked,
silver-filigree mask from which two spiraling horns
resembling those of an elk curl up. The rest of his clothes
are sumptuous, colored a rich blue and embroidered
with fine golden thread. A TN9 Cunning (Heraldry or
Military Lore) test identifies the rider as one of the infamous Orlesian Chevaliers.
The Chevaliers are a noble military order, the most
eminent in Orlais. Often a refuge for landless nobles and
children destined to not inherit, the Chevaliers training
regimen is famed for its brutality. Those who survive it
are legendary for their fearlessness and absolute devotion
to their code of honor. The Chevalier history is a roll of
glorious battles won against staggering odds; even faced

52

Equipment
Heavy plate armor, long sword, heavy shield, and spear.

with certain death the Chevaliers have never broken, their

units dying to the last man on the battlefield when their
commanders demand it. In Orlais, the Chevaliers hold
the Right Majeste over all commoners, meaning that they
have complete authority to do whatever they see fit, with
no recourse for justice against them. For this, the Chevaliers are nearly as loathed as they are celebrated.
The Chevalier considers the PCs, saying nothing and
ignoring anything they say to him. After a moment, a
sturdy man in matching colors (though his clothing is
not nearly so ornate) runs around the corner, breathing
hard. This man, Huon, runs to his masters side, they
briefly converse, and then the servant turns to the PCs.
In the Trade Tongue, with a faint but distinct Orlesian
accent, he informs them, My master awaits your apology.
If the heroes demand an explanation, Huon adds You
have scuffed Rosemondes armor and made my lord late for
an appointment.

The Autumn Falls

KILINA
Good-humored Grey Warden recruiter.
Abilities (Focuses)
3

Communication (Disguise, Persuasion)

Constitution

Cunning (Arcane Lore, Research)

Dexterity (Light Blades)

Magic

Perception (Detect Darkspawn, Seeing,

Tracking)

Strength (Heavy Blades)

Willpower (Morale, Self-Discipline)

Combat Ratings

Speed

Health

Defense

Armor Rating

20

70

15 (12 w/o Shield)

Attacks
Weapon

Attack Roll

Damage

Long Sword

+5

2d6+3

Powers
Favored Stunts: Defensive Stance (1SP), Dual Strike (3
SP), and Threaten (1SP).
Grey Warden Abilities: Resistance to taint and detect
darkspawn (40 yards).
Talents: Armor Training (journeyman), Champion
(novice), and Weapon and Shield Style (master).
Weapon Groups: All.
Equipment
Light plate armor, long sword, and medium shield.

If the PCs inquire as to the Chevaliers identity, Huon

announces My master is the Lord Forsard Malecot, Chevalier and Master of Renier Castle.
The next round, while the PC are either considering
their reaction or carrying it out, more retainers dressed
in the Chevaliers colors round the corner, a party (not
including Huron and the Chevalier) one greater than
the total number of PCs present.
Even if the PCs try to avoid a confrontation, Malecot
eventually spits something condescending at Huon in
Orlesian. Huon sighs deeply, then marches up to throw
a punch at the nearest PC, pausing for a brief moment
if the PCs were trying to be diplomatic to utter an
apology first.
And then the fight is on. The Orlesians, for their part,
are just scrapping. Although theyre excellent fighters,
their intent is to thrash the PCs for their insolence,
not to slay them. Unless the heroes escalate to deadly
force, the Orlesian retainers do not. At least, that is

The Autumn Falls

until Malecot decides, in a few rounds, that his servants

arent making a proper accounting for themselves. At
that point he draws his blade and prepares to get very
serious about inflicting real harm.
However, before any real bloodshed can commence, a
powerful voice rings out in the street:
STOP.
The command has come, surprisingly, from a slight
female figure in silver-trimmed, off-white robes worn
over shining mail. Piercing eyes flash from her dusky
face, which is decorated with intricate scarifications.
The emblem on her robes is the ancient heraldic griffon
rampant of the Grey Wardens, identifiable with no test
to any but the most provincial heroes.
The PCs can comply or not as they wish, but they all
notice that the Chevalier recoils and immediately lowers
his weapon, and that his retainers, closely attuned to
their masters wishes, also stop fighting immediately,
other than to defend themselves if they continue to be
attacked.
If any PCs continue fighting, the Grey Warden smiles
bemusedly for half a moment, then draws her sword in
a blinding motion and repeats herself in a quieter voice
that somehow carries even further.

53

Any heroes who press the fight even in the face of

this re-iterated command provoke her to join the fray,
knocking combatants unconscious with the flat of her
blade rather than killing them.
Once everyone has either calmed down or been
knocked out:
The Grey Warden nods. The tournament will
begin in just a few more days my friends. A shame
to waste your energy on trifles.
She turns to the Chevalier and raises her
eyebrow. Dont you have somewhere to be?
After a presumably nasty glance at all of you
through his mask, the Chevalier nods curtly to the
Warden and rides off, his retainers running along
after him.
As the Orlesians disappear the Grey Warden
turns to you, and a grin suddenly lights up her

LORD QUENAR OF HOUSE GUSTRIK

All the worst in dwarven politics,

with a pound of spite for good measure.

Abilities (Focuses)
1

Communication (Deception, Etiquette)

Constitution

Cunning (Cultural Lore, Engineering)

Dexterity (Light Blades)

Magic

face. The Chevaliers are arrogant bastards, but by

the Maker, they can fight.
I am Kilina. You are not from around here.
Thus, the PCs meet the Grey Warden Kilina, a recruiter
for her order (though she does not reveal that she
is a recruiter). Kilina is of the Orth people from the
Wandering Hills of the Anderfels, a long way indeed
from Ferelden. She chats gaily with the PCs, asking
about their backgrounds, whether theyre in town for
reasons past the tournaments, and so forth. She seems
lighthearted for a member of a legendary martial order.
If any of the PCs are sheepish about having fought,
Kilina shrugs it off: I like a scrapper.
The Nevarran people respect the Grey Wardens, who
fought for them many times and saved Cumberland
from fiery destruction during the Second Blight, some
800 years ago. Although its been a long time since the
last Blight and the Wardens are no longer held in awe
by the common populace, the heroes would be correct
in assuming that Kilina has a certain amount of sway,
and perhaps even concrete authority, in Cumberland.
In due course Kilina declares that she looks forward
to seeing what the characters can do in the Contest of
Arms, makes a polite excuse, and moves on.

Scene 3: The Diamond

Lass Debate
ROLEPLAYING ENCOUNTER

Perception

Strength (Bludgeons)

Willpower

Dwarven PCs from Orzammar are dragged into a

spirited debate on the plan for acquiring Paragon
Zadols hammer.

Combat Ratings
Speed

Health

Defense

Armor Rating

11

60

13

Attacks
Weapon

Attack Roll

Damage

Mace

+4

2d6+2

Short Sword

+5

1d6+4

Throwing Knife

+5

1d6+4

Powers
Favored Stunts: Disarm, Mighty Blow, and Taunt.
Class Powers: Backstab (as rogue) and Bluff (as rogue).
Talents: Armor Training (novice), Single Weapon Style
(journeyman), and Thrown Weapon Style (novice)
Weapon Groups: Bludgeons, Brawling, and Light Blades.
Equipment

The Dragons Den district is filled with bottomcaste skyers who nevertheless live in such wealthy
surroundings that some of the visiting nobles find it a
bit disturbing. The lavish room at the Diamond Lass
where this scene takes place is dominated by an elaborately engraved marble table. Lush Rivaini rugs cover
the floor.
Note that although these events take place in the world
whether you are playing with Orzammar PCs or not,
they will not be part of your game if you have only
Ferelden heroes. If you do not play this scene, simply
decide which side prevails in the argument based on
which outcome you find most interesting.
For the past two hours at the Diamond Lass,
youve been listening to dwarves debate on how
best to claim the Weaponsfathers hammer.

Light mail, mace, short sword, and many throwing knives.

54

The Autumn Falls

There are two factions, each championed by an

influential noble. Lord Kynrik of House Clangdrol is convinced the hammer can be won fairly
in the Contest of Arms. Lord Quennar of House
Gustrik argues that even the greatest warrior can
falter, and so the delegation should bribe or eliminate the most dangerous opponents outside the
bounds of the competition.
Silence descends on the room as you realize
Lord Kynrik has just asked for your opinion on
the matter.
Dwarf noble heroes are queried first, with other
dwarves (other than the casteless, of course) polled in
order of precedence.
Treat the debate as an advanced TN 11 Communication (Persuasion) test made communally by all the
dwarves, but where two separate success thresholds
are figured and tracked. Those supporting Lord Kynrik
contribute their dragon dice to the sum for his argument, while those supporting Lord Quennar add theirs
to his own separate and distinct total.
Before the PCs join the debate, Lord Kynriks side is
leading with a total of 11, versus Quennars sides sum
of 8. At the end of the debate, when Lord Kynrik calls
for a vote of all the dwarves present, the higher total
prevails. A tie goes to Kynriks side.
For the duration of this debate, a special roleplaying
stunt can increase a given sides debate total, past the
successful tests dragon die total.

Special Debating Stunt

SP
1

Stunt
Superior Rhetoric: Add an additional point to
your sides advanced test total.

Make note of any argument a PC makes in favor of

one side or the other where the degree of success is 4
or higher, or where a noteworthy roleplaying stunt is
carried off. That speaker will be regarded as affiliated
with the side he spoke for when trouble erupts later on.
A dwarf who resists voicing an opinion is judged a
coward and treated accordingly by the other dwarves
for the rest of the adventure, and perhaps the rest of
their lives given the prodigious powers of dwarven
political memory.
An attempt to bring the two sides closer together
without taking a position requires a TN13 Communication (Bargaining) test. Failure results in a judgment
of cowardice as above, while success marks the dwarf a
skilled politician in the minds of most of those present
(although it fails to have any effect on reconciling the
two sides, which are irreconcilable).

The Autumn Falls

An attempt to introduce some third option requires a

TN17 Communication (Leadership) test to avoid being
shouted down. If a third option is successfully introduced, play the ongoing debate by ear, perhaps going
to a three-way advanced test where all three options
calculate totals.
A hero who succeeds at any of the preceding tests
of Communication and rolls a 6 on his dragon die is
quietly marked by those presenteven those who
disagreeas an up-and-comer. Such a silver-tongue is
likely to receive special favor in future dealings among
these dwarves for the duration of this adventure.
A PC who lies about what he truly thinks must make a
TN11 Communication (Deception) test on top of any
other tests required. A dwarf who fails is judged a twofaced coward, even worse than the standard variety.
After the vote is taken, the losing leader agrees to abide
by the groups decision, but adds, Of course, should
the situation change
Talk turns to less-important matters. An extravagant meal is brought in, with ale served in handcarved crystal goblets worked with runes that keep
their contents chilled. Let the characters enjoy their
surroundings and conversation for a bit before drawing
the scene to a close.
Note: This is the last Orzammar-specific scene. Given
whats presented about the various important NPCs
and their objectives in the encounters that follow, you
should be able to extrapolate the course of events for
the dwarven heroes without any difficulty.

Part 2 Resolution &

Troubleshooting
This part is very much a series of introductions that set
the stage for events in the parts of The Autumn Falls
that are yet to come.
Scene 1: The City on the River is intentionally openended since it is likely to be the heroes first time in such
a large city and there are more avenues they may wish
to explore than any published adventure could ever
account for. Let the PCs wander until it stops being fun,
improvising the kinds of encounters that the players are
interested in having. (Pay attention to what the players
are talking about. Theyll telegraph what theyre interested in if you listen.)
Dont worry if the heroes have a confrontation of
some kind with the city watch. The watch is exceedingly tolerant during the Grand Tourney, although
if the PCs are truly disrespectful or hopelessly flippant, beating them senseless and fining them steeply
or tossing them in jail for a few days may teach them
some humility.

55

If the PCs get into a serious fight with the watch, remind
the players that they can pull killing blows, but dont
force them to do it. That said, if they kill watchmen and
there are witnesses (and in a city as big as Cumberland
there are nearly always witnesses) the adventure is
effectively over; the PCs will eventually be found and
executed if they remain in Nevarra. Perhaps the players
can make Orzammar characters and proceed from that
angle.
Forsard Malecot is intended to be an antagonist the
players will love to hate for some time to come. In
Scene 2: Of Elks and Griffons, make certain they
understand the difference between a street brawl and
lethal combat, and the line that separates them. That is,
make sure they understand that drawing a sword in a
fistfight changes the game. (Again, dont forbid them
from doing it, just make sure theyre not escalating the
stakes out of misunderstanding.)
Meeting Kilina is more significant than the players are
likely to realize. Theyll probably think you just wanted
to show off a Grey Warden, but really, Kilinas purpose
is to study potential recruits, and her observation that
theyre outsiders brings them to her mind later when
unfolding events necessitate heroes unconnected to
Nevarra. If you wish, you can decide that Kilina is
far more manipulative than she appears, and that she
asked the Chevalier to insult the PCs to see what they
would do, before showing up in the nick of time.
If you have no Orzammar PCs, Scene 3: The Diamond
Lass Debate amounts to information for you about
whats going on behind the scenes. If there are dwarf
PCs at the table, though, do your best to get them into
trouble with one faction or the otheritll make the rest
of the adventure more interesting.
PART 3

Let the
Games Begin
In this portion of the adventure, the PCs have a chance
to participate in the various competitions and qualifying rounds for the Autumn Falls, the third of the four
great events (one per season) that occur during the
Grand Tourneys Contest of Arms. Before the conclusion of the qualifying rounds, representatives of the
dwarven thaig of Kal-Sharok appear in Cumberland,
to widespread surprise. Their arrival may force the
Orzammar delegation to reconsider their options.
Not long after the qualifying rounds end, a spectacular
accident attracts the heroes attention. Some time
later, the Grey Warden Kilina and the Contest of Arms
sponsor Rainer Aehrenthal ask for the PCs assistance
in investigating some suspect events that have been
concealed from public view.

56

Environs:
The Grand Tourney
The Grand Tourney proper is a massive and sprawling
affair. Its heart is the Central Arena, a temporary
edifice constructed of rough wood and able to seat
around 15,000 spectators on two tiers. The most significant events of the Contest of Arms are held here.
A collection of big-top tents and specialized event
spaces surround the Central Arena. These areas host
side events, animal displays, athletic competitions, the
performances of talented bards and entertainers, and
the like. Collectively, the Central Arena and its orbit of
massive tents and event spaces are commonly called
the Tourney Grounds.
The Tourney Grounds stand on what was originally a
large grassy field west of the Cumberland city wall. All
of the paths to and from this area that werent destroyed
by the Central Arenas construction were demolished
by foot traffic within a month of the Tourneys opening.
Gravel and straw have been spread in an attempt to
stabilize the ground and ameliorate the mud, but the
grounds themselves remain rough. Sprained ankles are
common and wagons frequently become stuck. (Keep
this in mind if the heroes find themselves involved in
a foot chase!)
Northwest of the Tourney Grounds lies the Mages
Meadow. To the west of the Tourney Grounds is a
sprawling tent city where travelers from around the
world encamp. Finally, to the east of the Tourney
Grounds lie the city walls and city proper. The events,
crowds, and general festivities of the Grand Tourney
spill over into all these regions.
THE CENTRAL ARENA
The Central Arenas two tiers boast three distinct
grades of seating. The upper tier, furthest from the
action, consists of unfinished benches that frequently
leave splinters; they are both literally and figuratively
the cheap seats. The lower tier is split into two sections,
the merchants and the nobles. (A Contest enthusiast might say, Got me a seat down in the merchants!)
These lower-tier seats are expensive-but-superior and
exorbitant-but-opulent, respectively. Both sections of
the lower tier have both individual seating and box
seating.
General admission to the upper tier runs 5 cp for most
events. Seating is not reserved, and the gate-workers
sometimes oversell the tiers capacity, though more
from inattention than malice. Brawls over a place on a
bench are not uncommon.
Lower-tier seats are numbered and subscribed, which
is to say that single-event tickets in the lower tier are
not available from the Tourney administration. Rather,

The Autumn Falls

a given seat-subscriber has purchased the right to his

seat or box for every Central Arena event, with his right
embodied in a slate tile bearing that seat or box number.
Of course, no one intends to attend every single event,
and so there is an active trade in lower-tier seating rights
on an event-by-event basis. Merchants specialized
in buying and selling lower-tier event-seating rights,
who operate both individually and in small cartels,
are making a fortune on the Grand Tourney, probably
second only to the bookmakers. Counterfeit seat and
box tiles are, regrettably, not unknown, although the
bogus tiles are easily discovered and confiscated when
two spectators show up to watch the proceedings from
the same place. (Of course, by that time, the counterfeiters are long gone)
As a rule of thumb, single seats in the merchants go for
1030 sp depending on popular interest in the event
in question, and seats in the nobles go for 20100 sp.
Box sizes vary, and typically cost about half again the
summed price of the number of seats they accommodate, since the boxes are both prestigious and conspicuous. For example, a four-seat box might run 120600 sp.

The Autumn Falls

The arena floor is absorbent sand, with rare exceptions.

For some unusual events in the past, for example, mages
have been enlisted to cover the arena surface with ice,
or oil has been poured across the sand and set ablaze.
THE MAGES MEADOW
At a slight remove from the central Tourney Grounds
to the northwest lies the Mages Meadow, a clear field
observed by bleachers and dotted with strange scaffolding. While the latter are occasionally used for
unusual fighting events, their chief purpose involves
the Grand Tourneys contests for mages.
When the Grand Tourney began several centuries ago,
the Circle absolutely forbade the idea that mages would
duel one another, but precise displays of magic seemed
like an acceptable alternative. The magical contest that
developed over the years is effectively a targeting and
display contest in which mages use their arcane might to
destroy the equivalent of clay pigeons as accurately and
breathtakingly as possible before a roaring, awestruck
crowd. The scaffolds amount to both launching platforms and acrobatic stages for these events.

57

THE TENT CITY

The tent city beyond the Tourney Grounds stretches for
miles into the fields to the west of Cumberland. Although
it is an absolute chaosit has no proper streets, no guiding
principle of organizationthe tent city is also fairly safe,
since its in the Tourney organizers best interests to keep
visitors eager and in good health. In addition to patrols
of the city watch, there are also mercenary patrols paid
to supplement the watch proper. Troublemakers also face

the real possibility of having to face twitchy Contest of

Arms hopefuls, not to mention sullen Contest also-rans.
Although few visitors need fear for their personal
safety, theft is another story entirely. Many visitors form
friendships with those whose tents are near their own,
and members of these informal communes watch out
for each others things while theyre away watching
events. Many enterprising individuals also offer their
services as paid guards.

Tournament Mechanics
The martial events of the Contest of Arms are adjudicated by a series of complex rules that ensure they remain
a celebration of martial prowess rather than a public series of bloodbaths. Although the tournaments body of
rules and precedents is voluminous, and its system of judges and judging complex, they boil down to a simple
four-part mechanical system by which fights can be ended in one fighters defeat.
A given tournament combat can be fought to blood (i.e., first blood), to distress, to anguish, or (very, very
rarely) to death. The majority of contests are fought to distress. Most fights to the death involve old enemies
who agree to settle their personal vendettas on the arena floor to the screams of a paying crowd, and the
winner usually receives a cut of the upper-tier admissions in addition to whatever glory may accrue.
One-on-one contests end when one party is eliminated. In events with multiple combatants per side, a combatant
who suffers elimination (i.e., suffers blood, distress, or anguish) is directed by the judges to leave the event. A
combatant who fails to leave when directed, or who strikes an enemy after being eliminated, is ejected from the
entire Contest of Arms.
For tournaments of all types, a combatant may yield at any time, surrendering the event in advance of its natural
end. A combatant who does not respect an opponents yield is thrown out of the Contest of Arms. A combatant
who yields but then strikes again is given to the crowd, which is typically both gruesome and fatal.
Blood: A combatant inflicts blood in any of the following circumstances (all of which are considered after
accounting for armor):
A successful attack with an edged weapon that does more than one point of damage.
A successful attack with a blunt weapon that does three or more points of damage.
A successful unarmed attack that does four or more points of damage.
A special stunt constitutes a fourth (and particularly flashy or humiliating) way a tournament result of blood
can be achieved:

Special Tournament Stunt

SP
4

Stunt
First Blood: You draw blood in a humiliating fashion but without dealing any Health damage. This is
sufficient to satisfy the Contest of Arms requirements for a blood tournament elimination.

Distress: A combatant suffers distress when he sustains damage, in the current fight, equal to one-third or
more of his full Health value. For example, a warrior with a starting value of 53 Health sustains distress upon
losing 18 health in the current fight. This is true regardless of how much Health the fighter might have actually
had at the beginning of the event given damage left over from other events, from tavern brawls, and so on. If a
combatant begins an event with less Health than would be necessary to inflict distress, the judges may, at their
discretion, instead use the criteria for a blood tournament elimination.
Anguish: Anguish is similar to distress, save that the damage threshold is two-thirds the full Health value. The
example warrior with 53 starting Health sustains anguish upon suffering 36 damage. If a combatant begins an
event with less Health than would be necessary to inflict anguish, the judges may adjudge that fighters loss at
the equivalent of a distress elimination.
Death: A combatant suffers death when his Health is reduced to zero, whether his opponent actually elects to
make the final blow a killing blow or not. Fights to the death are very rare in the Contest of Arms, and when
theyre staged, theyre more often called fights until the yield.

58

The Autumn Falls

Scene 1:
The Qualifying Rounds
EXPLORATION & COMBAT ENCOUNTER
Rainer Aehrenthal welcomes the many contestants to the Autumn Falls qualifiers. The PCs sign
up for events and have a look at the competition.
The wait is over, for today the qualifiers begin.
There will be archery matches, throwing contests,
strength competitions, unarmed bouts, and even a
challenge open only to mages. The largest event is
the Autumn Falls proper, a tournament in which
combatants fight one-on-one, in free form, with all
eyes on the ancient dwarf-hammer offered as the
grand prize.
Rainer Aehrenthal, a Cumberland merchant
of impressive means, is the patron of this years
Contest of Arms. From a dais in the Central Arena,
he calls out to hundreds of assembled competitorsincluding youLet the Autumn Falls
begin!
Its assumed that at least one Player Character will want
to enter the main Autumn Falls tournament. However,
even heroes who choose not to attempt that event will
be able to find one or more contests to interest them. As
a general rule, assume that any event a player proposes
(Is there knife-throwing competition?) is available at
some point. Characters who befriended Felayn find her
a ready source of information, local dwarves can fill in
heroes from Orzammar, and local Cumberlandersnot
to mention Tourney-goers in generalcan point Player
Characters to events they might like to enter.

The sections that follow describe the qualifying rounds

of the Autumn Falls as well as a series of other possible
contests. Use them as a basis for other events that the
players request or you can imagine.
Given the way these various events are spaced over
the course of the Tourney, you will almost certainly
wind up interweaving some of them with the scenes
that follow this one. However, all of the Autumn Falls
qualifiers should be completed before you move to the
next scene, since what follows is predicated on the KalSharok dwarves arriving too late to qualify for the main
event.

The Autumn Falls Qualifiers

The qualifying rounds of the Autumn Falls are fought
mainly to weed out boring and incapable combatants
from the higher-priced main events attended by far
more spectators. The Grand Tourney has a reputation
to uphold, and while some spectators enjoy watching
the kinds of unbalanced match-ups common in the
Tevinter Imperium, most Free Marchers prefer a good
fight to a massacre.
All competitors must prove themselves in the qualifying rounds, with the exception of the victors of certain
previous Contest of Arms events, who are automatically seeded into the tournament proper. The Chevalier
Forsard Malecot, for example, won one such event in
the summer games, and will only begin fighting in the
round of 64 (see page 72).
Qualifying rounds must be fought in armor no heavier
than light leather. Warriors accustomed to wearing
heavy armor may want to take a close look at the new
combat options presented in the Set 2 Players Guide
(page 75), especially the new Guard Up minor action,
which allows a combatant to forego a bit of offensive
power in exchange for an elevated Defense.

Optional Rule: Pure Grit

If youre willing to do a little extra bookkeeping, allow the following optional rule in tournament events
fought to distress or anguish (and make sure the players are aware of the option before the fight begins):
A character who sustains damage that would normally knock them out of a contest can attempt to conceal the
true extent of their wounds from the judgesputting on a show of not being hurtin order to avoid being
called out. Upon being hit by an attack whose damage would result in elimination, the character may make
a variable Willpower (Self-Discipline) test with a TN equal to the number of points of damage either (a)
sustained from that hit, or (b) sustained above the threshold for elimination in the current event, whichever is
higher. On a success, the combatant is not called out, and may continue fighting until another wound causes
a failed test. On a failure, the judges realize the true extent of the characters injuries and call him out immediately.
To grit ones teeth and try to fight on bears no stigma of foul play in the Contest of Arms. Rather, its thought
of as excellent strategy, and marks those who can carry it off as disciplined and mighty warriors in the eyes of
the crowd and their fellow competitors.
If you allow this rule, NPCs are also permitted to attempt this stratagem.

The Autumn Falls

59

Turning One Coin Into Two)

While fighters make their reputations in the Contest of
Arms, canny bettors and bookmakers make fortunes
wagering on the events outcomes. The placing of
bets can be carried out as abstractly or concretely as
you desire, as is interesting to the players.
If you desire a simple mechanic for general betting
on no particular contestant, a PC betting relatively
pedestrian amountsless than a gold dragoncan
spend an afternoon or evening observing events
and placing bets to make a TN 13 Communications
(Gambling) test. Before rolling, the player specifies
the amount hes risking. On a failure, the funds are
lost. On a success, theyre multiplied by the tests
degree of success. (So, to be clear, on a dragon die
result of 1, the hero simply remains even.)

DUAL SWORDS QUALIFIER OPPONENT

Abilities (Focuses)
0

Communication

Constitution

Cunning

Dexterity (Light Blades)

Magic

Perception (Searching)

Strength (Heavy Blades)

Willpower (Morale)
Combat Ratings

Speed

Health

Defense

Armor Rating

13

50*

13

*17 damage causes anguish, 34 causes distress

Wagering on the Falls

Weapon

Attack Roll

Damage

15

Fist

+3

1d6+2

510 gp

17

Long Sword

+4

2d6+2

10+ gp

19

Short Sword

+5

1d6+4

Afternoons Wager

Test TN

15 gp

PCs who wish to bet more than a gold piece in a

day face higher test TNs according to the accompanying table, as those willing to cover such bets
become more canny bookmakers.
There is effectively no wager so large that no bookmaker can be found to cover it. That said, the larger
the bet, the more seriously the entire affair will be
taken, from the security of the coins themselves to
the oversight of the bookmakers agents in making
sure the events themselves are not fixed. (Or, at
least, not fixed against the bookmaker)
If you desire more detail than this abstract system
provides you can easily invent and introduce odds
for specific events and contestants, intriguing NPC
bookmakers, events that disreputable contestants
are trying to fix, and the like. It would be possible to
base an entire campaign on such contests and their
associated shenanigans of commerce, if one wished.

Bows and crossbows may not be carried into the arena.

Otherwise, combatants are limited to an arsenal of
weaponry (including a shield) that they can carry in
their hands all at once. Heroes who attempt to game
the system, such as by hand-carrying a half-dozen
throwing knives onto the sand before proceeding to
re-sheathe them, might or might not get into an argument with the judges, at your discretion.
Magic is not allowed in the arena, with the exception
of enchanted weaponry and armor for those who own

60

Attacks

Powers
Favored Stunts: Defensive Stance, Dual Strike (3SP),
and Lightning Attack (2SP if short sword).
Talents: Armor Training (novice), Unarmed Style
(novice), and Dual Weapon Style (journeyman).
Weapon Groups: Brawling, Light Blades, and Heavy
Blades.
Equipment
Light leather armor, long sword, and short sword.

such. Fighters may neither cast spells nor be their beneficiary during their matches
In each qualifying fight, four combatants are thrown
into the arena together in a fight to the point of distress.
Fighters enter the elliptical arena from the compass
points, and so begin at a range of about 20 yards
from the closest opponent. The last fighter remaining
advances to the next round. This process repeats until a
total of 64 fighters remain, at which point the Autumn
Falls proper begins (see Part 4, Scene 1: Declare Yourself).
The judges do their best to make sure that there are no
potential allies among any given group of four, and
there are more than enough entrants to scatter into
different fights those who are known to have come to
the Contest together. Once a given fight of four starts,
any two fighters who obviously ally with each other are
called out of the fight immediately, regardless of their
wounds. However, unspoken alliances are common

The Autumn Falls

SWORD & SHIELD QUALIFIER OPPONENT

DWARF QUALIFIER OPPONENT

Abilities (Focuses)

Abilities (Focuses)

Communication

Constitution (Stamina)

Cunning

Dexterity (Brawling)

Magic

Perception

Strength (Intimidation, Heavy Blades)

Willpower (Self-discipline)
Combat Ratings

Speed

Health

Defense

Armor Rating

11

50*

13

*17 damage causes distress, 34 causes anguish

Attacks
Weapon

Attack Roll

Damage

Fist

+3

1d6+3

Bastard Sword

+5

2d6+4

Powers
Favored Stunts: Defensive Stance (1SP) and Dual
Strike (3SP).
Talents: Armor Training (novice), Unarmed Style
(novice), and Weapon and Shield Style (journeyman).
Weapon Groups: Brawling, Light Blades, and Heavy
Blades.
Equipment
Light leather armor, medium shield, and bastard sword.

(until only the allied fighters remain, anyway). A TN11

Communication (Deception) test is required to dupe
the judges in such cases.
All Autumn Falls events are fought on foot; cavalry are
involved in the summer games.
For PCs in the qualifying rounds, use your judgment
to determine how many fights-of-four must be won
to seize a place in the round of 64. If the players are
having fun fighting, let it continue, but be careful not to
marginalize those playing non-combatants, or let them
become bored.

Events & Contests

In addition to the main eventthe Autumn Falls

the Contests of Arms boasts dozens, and maybe even
hundreds, of other events. A few examples are briefly
described below. Invent others freely as they interest
your party of heroes. Improvise the statistics of NPC
contestants in order to challenge the heroes.

The Autumn Falls

Communication

Constitution (Drinking)

Cunning

Dexterity

Magic

Perception

Strength (Axes, Bludgeons, Might)

Willpower (Courage, Self-discipline)

Combat Ratings

Speed

Health

Defense

Armor Rating

65*

10

*22 damage causes distress, 44 causes anguish

Attacks
Weapon

Attack Roll

Damage

Fist

+0

1d3+4

Throwing Axe

+6

1d6+6

Two-handed Maul

+6

2d6+7

Powers
Favored Stunts: Knock Prone and Mighty Blow (1SP).
Talents: Armor Training (journeyman), Thrown Weapon
Style (journeyman), and Two-hander Style (journeyman).
Weapon Groups: Axes, Bludgeons, Brawling, and Staves.
Equipment
Light leather armor, two throwing axes, and twohanded maul.

The Throwing Contest

In the throwing contest, contestants throw axes or
daggers to hit flying (tossed) leather-skinned targets
called punts at various distances.
In the qualifying round, a contestant must hit two of
three punts at 8 yards to advance. Each of the three tosses
requires a TN 11 Dexterity (Axes or Light Blades) test
with a 2 penalty for range unless the contestant has a
superior weapon with an extended short range.
In subsequent rounds, remaining contestants must
go three for three at targets that become vanishingly
smaller. Mechanically speaking, this means that the
TNs for the throwing tests increase by 2 per round until
only one contestant remains.
If all contestants are eliminated in the same final round,
a sudden death round commences among the tied
participants, with those tied taking turns to throw
against the last TN they successfully hit, with elimination on a single miss.

61

As in the archery contest, competitors can attempt

impressive tricks. This is much more common in this
contest than in archery.
In addition to the main throwing contest, there are
variants staged throughout the Contest of Arms that
involve throwing while blindfolded, while increasingly
intoxicated, while hanging upside down, or at the other
contestants (sometimes while blindfolded, intoxicated,
and/or upside down). The fans of these various competitions are predictably among the most light-footed
dodgers in all of Thedas.
The main throwing contest offers a 100-dragon purse.
The side contests offer smaller cash prizes. Many of
these niche contests also have traveling trophies over
which many of the same contestants vie year after year.
The impressively battered Tin Tankard of Towerby, for
example, is the traveling prize for the drunken axethrowing contest, and has been changing hands for
more than a century. Its battle scars arise from the tradition of using it as the punt for any sudden death rounds
required in that event.

The Archery Competition

The archery competition draws more than 100 competitors. It is divided into three flights of short, long, and
distant range respectively. In each flight, competitors
shoot arrows into targets made of concentric rings. At
short range, each competitor shoots ten arrows and the

lowest-scoring half of the field is eliminated. At long

range, each remaining competitor shoots another ten
arrows and all but six archers are eliminated. At distant
range, the final six competitors take turns shooting
arrows into a common target. After each archer has
fired, the archer whose arrow was most distant from the
bulls-eye is eliminated. Thus, the eventual winner will
shoot five arrows at distant range, with one competitor
eliminated after each.
Long bows are the weapon of choice in archery contests.
Crossbows are seldom used, and even disallowed in
some archery events.
Treat short range (25 yards) as an advanced TN10
Dexterity (Bows) test requiring a threshold of 15 to
advance. A contestant gets 10 shots.
Treat long range (50 yards) as an advanced TN12
Dexterity (Bows) test requiring a threshold of 20 to
advance. (The 2 penalty for long range has already
been figured into the target number.) Again, a contestant gets 10 shots.
At distant range, the targets are moved to 100 yards. At
this range, the competitors make a series of regular (that
is, not advanced) TN15 Dexterity (Bows) tests. (The 2
penalty for long range has already been figured into the
target number.) Roll separately for each NPC archer.
All contestants who fail miss the target entirely and are
eliminated. If all fail, repeat the round without eliminating anyone. If all succeed, the archer with the lowest
degree of success is eliminated. Repeat this process
until only one competitor the victorremains.
At any range, a competitor may attempt an impressive trick by voluntarily accepting a 3 penalty on a
given shot. Success at a trick shot makes the crowd go
berserk. Success at many trick shots over the course
of the event is likely to bolster the contestants reputation around the Tourney. Players should describe
the nature of their trick shots before rolling the
dice. Examples might include shooting blindfolded,
shooting off-handed, making ricochet shots, or splitting opponents arrows.
Those entering the archery contest will surely face off
against the Avvar Alsgaard of Stormhold, as well as
others of his band. Alsgaards stats are provided on
page 49; improvise other contestants as needed.
The prize for victory in the archery competition is
100 gold dragons and the ancient long bow Hawksflight, a superior masterwork made of ironbark. It has
minimum strength 1, bestows one bonus talent level,
gives the benefit of the Bows focus even to those who
do not have it, has short range 39 yards and long range
104 yards, has a +2 accuracy bonus, and will have a +3
social bonus (see The Social Benefits of Masterworks
and Superior Items on page 35) by the time someone
has won it in this competition.

62

The Autumn Falls

Wrestling Matches
Unarmed bouts (called wrestling by Tourney
attendees regardless of what combat styles the combatants of any given fight actually adopt) are typically
fought within a ten-yard ring by two opponents
stripped to the waist. Fighters are often matched
against challengers of approximately the same size and
weight, though certain champions are willing to take
on all comers.
Most unarmed bouts are fought to distress, but in all
cases, being forced from the ring is an automatic loss.
Armor, obviously, is prohibited. Female scrappers
have the option of fighting with their breasts bound,
but some choose not to, to take advantage of distractible opponents.
Tournament brackets of 32 or 16 fighters are common,
but some events are perpetual, with a winner stays,
loser walks rule and a small purseusually ten or
twenty silverspaid for each fight won.
Wrestling bouts are exceedingly popular and heavily
wagered on.

The Mages Meadow

One of the most popular events the Contest of Arms
has ever put on is also one of its most controversial,
since the Chantry remains uncomfortable with the idea
that the mass of Thedans may ever view mages with
anything other than distrust and skepticism while the
bulk of the Circle would like to be at least neutrally
regarded by the populace at large.
In the Mages Meadow contests, Circle mages compete
to destroy fast-moving, enameled clay targets with
magic. Special powders are worked into the enamel so
they burst in spectacular colors when destroyed with
enough force or flame. The targets are hurled from a
number of different locations on the meadow, including
scaffolds and trenches, so that the contestants never
know from where to expect their next target.
For each target, a mage must make a TN9 Perception (Seeing) test to see a target in time to cast either
an Arcane Lance or spell at it. Hitting the target
then requires a TN9 Magic (Arcane Lance) test, and
destroying it requires 4 points of damage.
The target numbers to both spot a target and hit it
increase by +2 each time three more successive targets
have been thrown. (So its TN11 for the fourth through
sixth targets, TN13 for the seventh through ninth, and
so on.) Increasingly hardy targets are also thrown,
with the damage threshold for destruction increasing
by 1 every three targets. Any mage missing a cumulative total of three targets for whatever reasonfailing
to spot them, failing to hit them, or failing to destroy
themis eliminated, with their score standing at the
total number of targets destroyed.

The Autumn Falls

Trick shots can be attempted by mages willing to

add any amount of their choosing to any given target
numbers. Greater amounts, naturally, indicate more
impressive shots (if successful). As with the archery
and throwing competitions, players should describe
the trick shots they attempt.
The highest score each day wins a gold dragon, the
highest score each week wins a dozen Lyrium Potions
(see page 37 of this book), and the highest score for the
whole of the Contest of Arms wins a Channel of Might
(per the Channel of Entropic Might on page 36 of this
book, but flavored for the specialty of the victorious
mage).
The best trick shot of the Contest of Arms brings with
it a 25-dragon purse. The mage who is the audience
favorite of the entire Autumn Falls (which is determined from among the obvious contenders in the
Central Arena by the vocal acclaim of the crowd immediately before the final round of the Autumn Falls final
combat) is awarded a superior, masterwork crown with
a +3 social bonus.
A mage may enter the Mages Meadow as often as there
is space to accommodate them (it wouldnt do to have
the Meadow stand unused), which is generally once
every 1d6 days.

63

Scene 2:
Sharokovar Speaks
ROLEPLAYING ENCOUNTER
The Grand Tourney is interrupted by the late
arrival of a band of dwarves from Kal-Sharok.
Its a warm evening and the night events of the
Grand Tourney are just getting started. Rumor has
it that a troupe of outrageously skilled fire-eaters
will perform on the riverbank tonight, and thats
where youre headed when a band of heavily
armed dwarves with blazing torches and determined expressions surges around a corner ahead
of you with a largeand growingcrowd of
gawkers in tow.
Care to follow?

LORD LYULF AZAHARG

The young, pale lord of a failing people; the last ember
of a dying fire, or the glowing spark of a new one.
Abilities (Focuses)
3

Communication (Bargaining)

Constitution (Stamina)

Cunning (Engineering, Navigation)

Dexterity

Magic

Perception (Smelling)

Strength (Axes, Might)

Willpower (Courage)
Combat Ratings

Speed

Health

Defense

Armor Rating

65

10

10

Attacks
Weapon
Two-handed Axe

Attack Roll

Damage

+6

3d6+4

Powers
Favored Stunts: Dual Strike (3 SP), Mighty Blow (1 SP
with two-handed weapons), and Lethal Blow.
Talents: Armor Training (journeyman), Champion
(journeyman), Two-hander Style (master).
Weapon Groups: Axes, Bludgeons, Heavy Blades, and
Spears.
Equipment
Heavy plate armor and two-handed axe.

64

The dwarves are a band of warriors from the distant

dwarven city of Kal-Sharok. Their arrival is a total shock
to everyone in the city, but especially to the dwarves
from Orzammar. Kal-Sharok was abandoned to its fate
two hundred years ago when the king and Assembly of
Orzammar ordered the Deep Roads between the two
cities sealed. Kal-Sharok has been thought destroyed
ever since. To recognize these dwarves by their regalia
requires a TN17 Cunning (Historical Lore) test. Those
who fail this roll see and sense only that these dwarves
are strangepale, younger than would be expected,
and maybe even tainted in a way that is hard to define.
The Sharokovar Thaig is where the Assembly of KalSharok now meets. It has no king, and does not bow
to Orzammar. Its dwarves have been cut off from their
brethren for so long that their culture has become queer
and a bit unsettling. This is not remotely common
knowledge; the full details are scarce even among the
Children of the Stone.
The Kal-Sharok delegation heads directly to the Central
Arena, addressing those who question them only
briefly and gruffly (Youll find out why were here
soon enough, cloud-gazer). At the arena, the delegation demands to be heard by the judges of the Grand
Tourney. When the judges present are assembled, the
delegations leader speaks:
I am Lord Lyulf Azaharg of the mighty and
ancient dwarf-kingdom of Kal-Sharok!
Murmurs race through the crowd but Lord
Azaharg thunders above them:
We have braved Deep Roads long-abandoned
to represent the Sharokovar Thaig at this Proving,
and to claim the Weaponsfathers hammer that
rumor tells us has been discovered. We will
undergo any challenge to prove our worth. Name
the trial and we shall dispatch it!
The arena erupts. Some demand the dwarves
be allowed to fight, others thunder that theyve
arrived too late. Lord Aehrenthal, the patron of
the Tourney, is soon summoned to adjudge this
singular development.
If any of the heroes wish to speak publicly or interact
with the Kal-Sharok dwarves they have a few minutes
to do so. Then Aehrenthal arrives in the arena at almost
exactly the same time that Lords Kynrik and Quennar
along with their Orzammar warriorsarrive on the
scene.
The noise in the arena quiets as Lord Aehrenthal
arrives and ascends to the box where the judges
have been conferring. But it is not Aehrenthal who
takes advantage of the silence. From behind you
a voice thunders, These dwarves have missed

The Autumn Falls

the qualifying rounds! Certainly the honor of the

Autumn Falls shall not be sullied by an unwarranted accommodation.
You spin around. It is Lord Quennar of House
Gustrik, accompanied by Lord Kynrik and nearly
every Orzammar dwarf in the city.
Azaharg spins, his eyes flashing. He spears
Quennar with a look that could shatter a mountain. You have no voice, Orzammar. The Stone
has forgotten your name.
Bedlam erupts!
Dwarves everywhere draw weapons, shouting. Kynrik
calls for calm, Quennar for blood. The crowd wavers
The entire situation rests on a knife-edge, and could fall
in any direction. One or more PCs who act quickly and
decisively can influence what happens.
Any hero who calls to be heard is acknowledged, and
any PC who makes a TN15 Communication (Leadership or Persuasion) test can influence the crowd.
A hero who is sympathetic to the Kal-Sharok dwarves
but believes that rules are rules can influence the judges
to turn down the latecomers petition. If this happens,
Azaharg spits on the ground in front of the judges stand
and withdraws, casting nary a glance to the Orzammar
dwarves. He and his followers retreat to the outskirts
of the tent-city where they sullenly observe the games
while making plans to ambush the tournament victor
and take Anvilbreaker by force.
A hero who passes the test and argues that the
newcomers should be allowed to fight is greeted with
a great cheer from the enthusiastic crowd. Aehrenthal and the judges declare the Kal-Sharok band most
welcome, deeming a trip through the Deep Roads as
the equivalent of a qualifying round. The Kal-Sharok
band takes up lodgings in the Dragons Den, although
they make a point of choosing an inn as far removed
from the Orzammar dwarves accommodations as they
can manage.
While Lord Kynrik quietly approves of this course,
Lord Quennar quietly marks any PCs who spoke in
favor of the Kal-Sharok dwarves. At an opportune time,
he sends dwarf assassins after them. (Use the statistics
for the assassins in Part 1, Scene 2: Not for Gold.) He
also directs any of the dwarves under his influence
to strike to kill against such PCs if they face them in
the tournament. More positively, Azaharg approaches
any PCs who spoke on his groups behalf as the crowd
disperses, to offer his peoples thanks. This is a stiff,
awkward interaction if any of them are Orzammar
dwarves, but Azahargs honor demands the gesture.
The PCs may also wish to influence the crowd in other
directions. It might be possible to ignite a widespread
melee, to offer up a PCs earned place in the tourna-

The Autumn Falls

ment to Kal-Sharok, or anything else the players can

think of. Play outlying ideas by ear. Roleplaying stunts
are especially appropriate in this situation.
If the PCs arent interested in taking a side, Aehrenthal and the judges eventually decide to allow the KalSharok dwarves into the tournament. They figure the
excitement will be better for ticket sales.

Scene 3:
Explosive Afternoon
EXPLORATION ENCOUNTER
An explosion in the city provides an alert that
something sinister is afoot in Cumberland.
This scene is best staged at some final, critical moment
of one of the events of the Contest of Arms other than
the Autumn Falls qualifiers. For example, if one of the
PCs is a brawler, perhaps the explosion erupts at the
end of a tough wrestling match, distracting the heros
opponent and allowing the PCs final blow to land
unblocked. Otherwise, the explosion can be staged so
that it occurs while the PCs are traveling through the
city streets.
Its best not to stage the explosion while the heroes
are actually present at the Broken Oar. If you do that,
theyll probably come to the (incorrect) conclusion that
the event somehow involves their presence, which is
likely to confuse them unduly when theyre called on
later to get involved in the investigation.
A deep sound like a thunderclap comes suddenly
from somewhere to the east, lower than the roar
of a crowd but stronger by far. It sounds a bit like
the powers youve heard unleashed on the Mages
Meadow, but that lies in the other direction.
In the distance, a cloud of smoke rises above the
city. What do you want to do?
Some PCs may decide this is none of their business
and ignore it. They eventually hear that a fire got out
of control in a tavern kitchen in the city. The rumor mill
offers a somewhat perplexing lack of explanation for
the noise of the explosion, but most simply shrug it off.
(How should I know? I wasnt there.)
Heroes who investigate the noise dont have to look
very hard for the source. The rising column of smoke
leads them right to the Broken Oar, a tavern thats
now missing its entire back wall. Volunteers work a
bucket line to put out the fires that remain and a Circle
healer tends to the burned and traumatized in a courtyard nearby. None of these people have any idea what
happened, although some are happy to propose wild
guesses as stone facts.

65

A hero who asks around after eyewitnesses and makes

a TN13 Communication (Investigation) test eventually
locates Klera, a stunned tavern wench who can report
the following, assuming shes shown a bit of kindness
and given a few moments to gather her wits:
Klera was alone in the Oars main kitchen when
there was some kind of loud explosion in the
taverns smaller, secondary back kitchen. She ran
out of the tavern as fast as she could.
Kleras boss, Oktav Vogl, the owner of the Broken
Oar, was in the secondary kitchen at the time of
the explosion. She hasnt seen him since the fire
broke out, and supposes hes dead. (She begins to
cry when she realizes this.)
Klera cant remember anything unusual that
happened this afternoon. She grants that theres a
rather high bar for unusual these days, given the
clientele thats in the city for the Grand Tourney.
At first, Klera cant think of anyone who might
have wished Vogl harm. Given a follow-up
question or two and a successful TN13
Communication (Investigation) test, it occurs
to her that one of Oktavs old employees, Pauli,
came by a few nights ago and had some sort

66

of argument with the tavern-keeper. Klera has

no opinion of Pauli one way or the other. She
recollects that he was fired (as opposed to having
quit), but she also has the sense that he and Oktav
remained friends. In any case, she knows for
certain that Pauli continued to hang around the
tavern after leaving its employ.
Digging in the rubble of the Broken Oars secondary
kitchen and making a TN13 Perception (Searching)
test uncovers a large, twisted lump of iron buried under
the rubble at the center of the explosion. It looks to be
the remains of a stove.
Heroes who investigate more widely and make a TN15
Perception (Searching) test note that the edges of the
breach in the inns back wall are more blown apart than
burned. A degree of success of 4 or more allows a hero
to note, further, that there are iron shards embedded in
various remains of the secondary kitchen, as well as the
shop across the back alley. These are from the stove.
Consideration of the whole scene and a TN15 Cunning
(Arcane Lore or Military Lore) test suggests that a
few very powerful spells, and a few siege weapons,
could theoretically cause such devastation. However,
the damage here seems quite concentrated, and the
fire damage quite limited, to be consistent with those
causes.

The Autumn Falls

If you are using the optional Qunari subplot (see Guess

Whos Coming to Dinner), Drun and his fellows
eventually show up at the Broken Oar to inspect the
damage.
If the heroes decide to beat the bushes for Pauli, the
outcome of pursuing that lead is described in Part 4,
Scene 4: Paulis Final Revelation.
There is nothing more the PCs can discern on the scene,
unless you wish to elaborate on some trail of clues
or subplot. While the heroes investigate the issues
discussed above, remind them of the opportunity for
exploration stunts.
In any case, the city watch eventually shoos onlookers
away and the encounter ends.

What Happened Here

As Klera reports, Pauli was an employee of Oktav Vogl
at the Broker Oar until he was fired for general sloth
and slow-wittedness. Even after his firing, the amiable
Pauli held no grudges, remaining friends with Vogl and
continuing to hang around the Oar.
But Pauli has also made some other new friends
recently: He joined the Last Moon cult, and was one of
the cultists responsible for transporting the barrels of
stolen qunari gaatlok powder to various points near the
Central Arena. For fun, Pauli stole two bags of the stuff
to pull a trick on his old boss. He planted them in the
seldom-used back kitchen at the Broken Oar, knowing
that at some point the increased business of the Contest
of Arms would force the back kitchen into use, at which
time an entertaining stove full of bright lights and
loud noises would prove to be a big, fun surprise for
everyone in question.
Whoops.
As described above, the quantity Pauli judged sufficient to shock his old friend instead killed him, blowing
out the back half of the tavern to boot. In the wake
of this disaster, Pauli is terrified. Not only is he full
of absolute remorse at what hes done, hes terrified
that his cult masters will kill him for stealing the two
bags of powder. But even worse, now that he knows
how potent the gaatlok powder is, he realizes the full
extent of the cults plans. Theyre not putting on a show,
theyre planning to incinerate the entire Central Arena
KLERA
Broken Oar tavern wench.
Abilities and Focuses: Communication 3 (Performance); Constitution 1 (Drinking); Cunning 0;
Dexterity 2; Magic 1; Perception 2 (Empathy);
Strength 0; Willpower 1 (Faith).

The Autumn Falls

and kill everyone in it. Thats not what he had in mind

when he joined the cult to make new friends.
For more information on Paulis plans and whereabouts, see Part 4, Scene 4: Paulis Final Revelation.

Scene 4:
A Late Invitation
ROLEPLAYING ENCOUNTER
The PCs are summoned to a late-night meeting
with Rainer Aehrenthal and the Grey Warden
Kilina, where they are invited to join the
Wardens investigation into a series of disquieting crimes.
It is well past midnight when pounding shakes
the door of your room [or, when rough voices
demand wakefulness from outside your tent]. A
half-dozen figures in gleaming half-plate stand
outside. As you squint, bleary-eyed, their apparent
leader speaks:
Ah, good, you are awake. Weve been sent to
bring you to our employer, Rainer Aehrenthal. He
would speak with you on a matter of some urgency.
The men are members of Aehrenthals personal guard.
Their leaders name is Veit. A TN11 Cunning (Heraldry
or Military Lore) test confirms that the crest on their
armor is Aehrenthals. They have no idea what their
boss wants with the PCs, and are willing to wait while
the PCs don arms and armor if they wish (which
suggests that the PCs arent under arrest or otherwise
in trouble with the Contest patron).
If the heroes decline Aehrenthals invitation Veit is
genuinely surprised, and makes sure the PCs are aware
that Aehrenthal is the patron of the entire Contest of
Arms. If the PCs object due to the odd hour, Veit notes
that Aehrenthal is most generous with his friends, and
that he would not summon the heroes at such a late
hour without good reason. If they continue to refuse,
Veit shrugs and departs, his men in tow.
If one or more of the PCs is willing to go, Veit gives them
dark, hooded cloaks to conceal their features and identities. The troops then take them directly and swiftly to
one of Cumberlands richer neighborhoods on the east
side of the Cumber. (If necessary, a ferry stands ready
to shuttle them across the river.) They take prudent if
somewhat paranoid security measures all the way, such
as men running ahead to scout their route.
At the end of it theyre swiftly ushered into an elegant
but fortified mansion. In a warmly upholstered study,
an average-sized man of trim middle years with close-

67

cropped grey hair and intense blue eyes rises to meet

the group. An ample fire blazes in the hearth to ward
off the chill autumn night air. The PCs may recognize
Aehrenthalfor this is he from either the Autumn
Falls opening ceremonies or the arrival of the KalSharok dwarves.
Aehrenthal introduces himself, Veit and his men retreat
from the room, and drinks are offered and procured.
When the door to the room is finally closed so the business at hand can be discussed, the heroes notice that it
is closed by the hand of Kilina the Grey Warden, who
unless anyone proactively searched the room on their
arrivalwent unnoticed until that moment. She smiles
at the PCs.
Once the PCs have made themselves comfortable,
Aehrenthal thanks them for coming at such an hour
and begins a monologue:
In any city people die. Age advances, sickness
claims health, passion and petty vengeance go
astray. But not like this.
Not so long ago, five dockworkers were foully
butchered on the west bank of the river, inside
Cumberland. Ritual slayings, it seems, the bodies
mutilated. Murders as foul as killings can be.
The city authorities covered up the atrocity.
Why cause a panic? But the slayings have
continued, become more bold. A trio of my own
best agents. An entire patrol of the city watch.

And now, this very evening, an Orzammar dwarf.

Their lords scream for vengeance, convinced the
party from Kal-Sharok perpetrated the crime. In a
foreign city? Above ground? I think not.
These deaths involve a cult, the Last Moon.
They worship the Old Gods of the Tevinter. Its
clear theyve infiltrated Cumberlands assembly
of freemen. Theyre hatching some plot against
the Tourney. They sent an assassin to kill Grey
Warden Kilina.
You are here because you are without local
entanglements, and you come highly recommended. He again glances at Kilina.
Will you help us?
The Last Moon is highly esoteric, but a hero who makes
a TN17 Cunning (Religious Lore) test recalls that it
is connected to the Tevinter Old God called Lusacan,
known as the Dragon of Night.
The players will no doubt have questions. Question
and answer sections below summarize what Aehrenthal and Kilina know.
After the heroes queries have been satisfied, Aehrenthal hopes the PCs will provide an immediate answer
as to whether or not they will accept this mission,
but he is willing to withdraw and provide them the
opportunity to discuss the matter in private. He is not
willing to let them leave his home without giving him
an answer; if they will not say yes before going, he
takes that as no, lamenting the sad depths to which
Fereldan blood has fallen in these dark days. He also
requests that the heroes keep what they have learned
to themselves.
If the PCs agree, Aehrenthal informs them that they
will be able to find his man Veit near the arena on most
days, and that they can get a message to Aehrenthal
personally through nearly any of the authorities at
the Grand Tourney. Kilina informs the heroes that she
will continue to investigate on her own, and that while
they may see her around the tourney grounds, they
shouldnt act with familiarity in public.
Veit and his men see the PCs back across the river, or as
far as they wish an escort, and this scene ends.

RAINER AEHRENTHAL
Cunning, generous, and obsessive arms merchant.
Abilities and Focuses: Communication 4 (Bargaining,
Deception, Etiquette, Persuasion); Constitution 1
(Drinking); Cunning 4 (Cultural Lore, Engineering,
Military Lore); Dexterity 0; Magic 0; Perception 1;
Strength 0; Willpower 3 (Morale).

68

The Autumn Falls

Questions & Answers

What exactly do you want us to do?

As in other published Dragon Age RPG scenarios,

these questions and answers are not meant to be literally exchanged. Rather, theyre written in this format
to communicate the information succinctly, so you can
easily manage the roleplay between Aehrenthal, Kilina,
and the heroes.

Kilina: Find out whos behind these murders, of course. And

stop them from committing more.

Why would an assassin attack you?

Kilina: Presumably to put a stop to my investigation, or in
retaliation for it. I cant say for sure.
How do you know the Last Moon is behind all this?
Kilina: The assassin said, Till the night covers all, a
phrase associated with the Last Moon. He also bore a tattoo
of the stylized crescent that represents the Last Moon.
Unfortunately, he fought too viciously to survive for questioning.
Why do you think the incidents are connected?
Kilina: The victims were all butchered similarly, apparently
in keeping with rituals that the records my Order keeps say
are related to the veneration of Lusacan. There doesnt appear
to be any connection between the victims, thoughnot that
we can see.
Aehrenthal: Even if theyre not connected, the killings
must stop. One explanation or many, the Grand Tourney
must go on.
How are these crimes related to the Grand Tourney?
Aehrenthal: We dont know. Perhaps it is simply the case
that this grand gathering has attracted murderous madmen
just as it has attracted thousands of honorable freemen from
the Marches and beyond. But most importantly, its related
to the Grand Tourney in that they are happening in the
same place, at the same time. Whatever foul deeds are at
work, they cannot be allowed to dampen the success of this
tournament.
Wouldnt the local watch, or your own men, be better
suited to this investigation?
Aehrenthal: Ive already set my best agents to investigate
these killings. They operated with the cooperation of the city
watch and officials. As I mentioned, three of those were found
butchered and the others have gone missing. It seems clear
that our enemies have eyes and ears among Cumberlands
freemen.
Why us?
Aehrenthal: We need skilled, swift outsiders. From what
Kilina tells me and what I have observed, you are such. Have
we missed our guess?

The Autumn Falls

Aehrenthal: And if you cant find them, at least keep them at

bay until four days hence, when the tournaments final round
is fought. Whatever perversities they intend to continue in
service of their dark god, at least the tens of thousand gathered here will begin to disperse back to their homes after that.
How can you help us?
Aehrenthal: We can provide you with coin and equipmentwhatever you need. And, if it comes to it, armed men.
If you need it, send for aid at once. We are never further than
the tourney ground, or this estate.
Kilina: But keep in mind that your anonymity is a potent
weapon. If the circle expands of those who know your faces,
not only will your investigation be the more difficult, your
lives are likely to be at risk, as well.
Why did you call for us so late at night?
Aehrenthal: Others whove investigated these matters have
been slain, or disappeared. The fewer who know youve met
with us, that youre involved in this investigation, the better.
Why does a Grey Warden care
Dont you fight the darkspawn?

about any of this?

Kilina: My aims and causes are my own. The Grey Wardens

owe explanations to no one.
Have you found any darkspawn in Cumberland?
Kilina: No, thank the Maker.
All of this sounds dangerous. Whats in it for us?
Aehrenthal: As you have doubtless gathered, I am a man of
means. If you uncover whats being plotted and put a stop to it,
I will provide a chest of silver and a choice gem from my western
mines for each of you. As you may also know, my business is the
accoutrements of war. I will direct that suits of the finest halfplate in Nevarra be forged to match each of your proportions,
and weapons fit for kings be crafted for your hands.
(Kilina goes no further in speech, but the twinkle in her
eye suggests that success in this mission may bring the
valuable favor of the Grey Wardens, as well.)
The Imperium once revered seven gods: Dumat, Zazikel,
Toth, Andoral, Razikale, Lusacan, and Urthemiel. Four
have risen as Archdemons. The Grey Wardens have kept
watch through the ages, well aware that peace is fleeting,
and that their war continues until the last of the dragongods is gone.
From Ferelden: Folklore and History,
by Sister Petrine, Chantry Scholar

69

Grey Warden, and have decided to move against them.

Luckily for the PCs, the cultists got late news of the
opportunity to attack, and have not been able to mobilize their most deadly resources against them.

Scene 5:
A Long Night

You make your weary way down quiet streets

back to your beds, turning the disquieting information youve just learned over in your minds. As
youre deep in thought, roll Perception (Hearing
or Seeing).

The ambush takes place after Veit and his men have left
the heroes. The ambush may or may not be well staged,
depending on the accommodations the PCs have
chosen. If they are staying in the city, they are attacked
near the entrance to their inn. If they are sleeping in
the tent city, they are assaulted as they cross a clearing
among tents. If possible, the assassins choose a place
where the heroes will have difficulty recruiting allies
or finding cover. You should invent the specifics of the
location based on what the players have specified about
their lodgings, and what has come before.

Although Aehrenthal trusts his man Veit implicitly

Veit is Aehrenthals nephew, in factone of Veits men
has been bribed by the Last Moon. Whether or not the
PCs accepted Aehrenthals offer, the cultists know the
heroes have been speaking to the arms merchant and

There are two attackers per hero. Tactically, the assassins fire crossbows from behind the PCs from two
different directions and then throw down their crossbows, rushing to engage quickly before the heroes can
escape. If possible, they concentrate their initial volley
on any obvious magic-users among the heroes.

COMBAT ENCOUNTER
The Last Moon ambushes the PCs as they return
to their accommodations.

The fight begins with a TN11 Perception (Hearing or

Seeing) test. Any hero who fails is surprised during
the first found of combat. A cultist shooting a surprised
hero receives a +2 bonus on his attack roll in the first
round of combat.

LAST MOON CULTISTS

Nevarran dregs turned zealous
disciples of the Last Moon.
Abilities (Focuses)
3

Communication (Deception)

Constitution

Cunning (Religious Lore)

Dexterity (Bows)

Magic

Perception

Strength (Bludgeons, Intimidation)

Willpower (Faith)
Combat Ratings
Speed

Health

8 (10 w/o Armor)

30

Defense Armor Rating

10

Attacks
Weapon

Attack Roll

Damage

Crossbow

+2

2d6+2

Mace

+4

2d6+2

Powers
Favored Stunts: Lethal Blow.
Talents: Archery Style (novice) and Single Weapon Style
(novice).
Weapon Groups: Bludgeons and Bows.
Equipment
Grey and black robes, light mail, crossbows, and maces.

70

These cultists of the Last Moon are not exceptional

warriors, but are disturbingly determined to bring
down the PCs, and they fight without regard for their
own lives. Upon rolling doubles, a Last Moon cultist
can voluntarily suffer up to 5 penetrating damage
points in order to gain additional stunt points on a onefor-one basis, up to a maximum of 6 stunt points total.
A cultist might throw himself onto a heros spear in
order to disarm the PC, for example, or negate a parry
by grasping an opponents blade with his bare hand, in
order to rain down a lethal blow.
The heroes ultimate experience should be that the cultists are easy to kill but unsettling to fight, and absolutely
unwilling to be taken alive. They fight silently, never
crying outnot as they attack, not as theyre slashed or
impaled, not as they die.
After the fight, if the heroes inspect the bodies they find
crescent Last Moon tattoos, and on a TN9 Perception
(Searching) test, they realize that all these attackers
have had their tongues cut out, and relatively recently.
If the PCs manage to take a cultist alive, their captive
cannot be made to answer questions; they simply stare
into space, and given any opportunity to either escape or
take their own life, they attempt such without hesitation.
Basically, you should use the cultists mad devotion
to make it clear to the players that the cultists of the
Last Moonand presumably whatever plans theyre
hatchingare completely insane.

The Autumn Falls

The Murders
The various murders perpetrated by the Last Moon are not all explored in the scenes that follow. Nevertheless,
proactive players may want to look into most, or all, of the various killings. This sidebar presents the bare facts
of these crimes so you can improvise the results of whatever investigations the PCs undertake.

The murdered dockworkers were killed because they came upon the Last Moon cultists unloading the
qunari gaatlok from its river transport and one of their number recognized the barrels for what they
were. This attack took place months ago, and the trail is quite cold.

The slain patrol of the city watch likewise discovered Last Moon cultists at some nefarious business
and were cut down for it. These killings are weeks old, so as above, clues are scarce.

Aehrenthals slain investigators were killedas Aehrenthal fearsprecisely for the questions they
asked about the crimes. Their bodies havent been found yet, and unless you rule otherwise, they never
will be. Determined heroes might eventually be able to identify which member of the Cumberland
council is in thrall to the Last Moon and has been feeding them information about the investigations;
how far you go down that road depends on your interest in political investigations. Since the focus of
The Autumn Falls is more on the gladiatorial events of the Grand Tourney, this thread isnt an explicit
part of the scenario.

The slain Orzammar dwarf was killed in an ambush very much like the one that targeted the heroes
in Part 3, Scene 5: A Long Night. He was killed in the aftermath of the Last Moons slaying of the
as-yet-undiscovered Kal-Sharok engineer Eldrek. As is described in Part 4, Scene 2: A Dwarven
Dispute, Eldrek was killed by the Last Moon because they saw him taking too close an interest in their
booby-trapped architecture at the Central Arena. But once the cults knee-jerk murder of Eldrek had
been accomplished, they worried that an investigation into his death might bring attention that would
expose their plan, so in addition to hiding Eldreks body as well as they could, the Last Moon hurriedly
hatched the plan of killing a randomly selected Orzammar dwarf to make it look like a retaliatory attack
and hopefully start a distracting feud among the dwarf factions that would persist until after the Last
Moons plot was carried to its conclusion. Keep in mind that although Eldrek was killed first by the cult,
his Orzammar counterparts body was discovered first.

All the bodies of these fallen were mutilated in specific ways that Kilina says are associated with the Last
Moon. (Not that these associations are widely known. Lusacan is an ancient deity, after all, from another
part of the world.) Such ritual disfigurements are part of the Last Moons rites of slaying, and even though
this common thread provides clues to the cults enemies, their veneration of Lusacan does not allow them to
deviate from these practices.

Part 3 Resolution &

Troubleshooting
How it goes in the early scenes of this part of the adventure depends a lot on the extent to which the heroes
get involved in the various contests of the Grand
Tourney. Encourage their involvement, by all means,
but avoid allowing other elements of the plot to fall by
the wayside. Run a contest event or two, then Scene
2: Sharokovar Speaks, then another event or two,
then Scene 3: Explosive Afternoon, and so on. If the
players seem interested, improvise additional carnivalstyle events, contests, and games like eating contests,
impromptu singing competitions, demonstrations of
unusual skills, and so forth.
A party of entirely Fereldan heroes may not care overmuch about the arrival of the Kal-Sharok dwarves.
Their disinterest wont particularly affect the main plot
line of The Autumn Falls, so dont sweat it thats how it

The Autumn Falls

unfolds. The worst that happens is that they miss some

of the nuances of interacting with the various dwarven
factions in Part 4: For Pride They Shall Come.
Its possible that the players will ignore Scene 3: Explosive Afternoon completely, assuming that its irrelevant
to them. If that happens, they may change their tune
after meeting with Aehrenthal and Kilina in Scene 4: A
Late Invitation. If that happens, allow them to return
to the scene of the explosion and find more or less the
same clues in the morning, after the ambush of Scene
5: A Long Night.
If the PCs dont accept Aehrenthals mission, run Scene 5:
A Long Night anyway, since the cultists dont know that
the heroes have turned Aehrenthal down. Perhaps the
ambush will convince them to reconsider their refusal.
If not, the remainder of the adventure plays out quite
differently, given that the heroes arent devoting time
to anything other than their contest-related pursuits. In
that event, you must decide whether Kilina and Veit step
up their game and uncover the Last Moon plot on their
own, or whether the entire Central Arena is destroyed

71

according to the cults plot. The latter option, though

grim, is certainly in keeping with the Dragon Age RPGs
emphasis on dark fantasy and the natural consequences
of moral choices. Perhaps such a massive failure will
convince the so-called heroes to step it up the next time
you confront them with a tough opportunity.
PART 4

For Pride They

Shall Come
In Part 4 the Autumn Falls tournament comes to its
conclusionperhaps in more ways than one. In addition to the scheduled fights, accusations fly among the
dwarven factions and brawling spills into the streets.
The heroes investigations into the Last Moon turn up
the terrified Pauli, who spills only part of the story before
expiring spectacularly. In the end, the PCs must race to
prevent the Last Moon from blowing to smithereens the
whole Central Arena and its 15,000-plus spectators.

Scene 1:
Declare Yourself
COMBAT ENCOUNTER
The Autumn Falls tournament proper begins in
the Central Arena!
This scene is written under the assumption that at
least one PC is among the 64 fighters who qualified for
the Autumn Falls tournament proper, having made it
through the qualifiers (see Part 3, Scene 1: The Qualifying Rounds). If none have, tailor the descriptions
below if some of the heroes are in the stands to watch,
or skip this scene entirely if none of the PCs care to
watch the spectacle.
Theres nothing like the roar of the crowd, and few
crowds in all of Thedas roar with 15,000 voices.
Only 64 fighters remain in the Autumn Falls.
You march among them on the sand of the Central
Arena, to take your place, to wait for your number
to be drawn, and, eventually, to fight.
The first two numbers are called, and two
fighters walk to the center of the arena. The tradition of the Free Marcher tournaments calls for
each to declare himselfwho he is, or for whom
he fights. The thunder falls to a whisper as the
crowd waits to hear the competitors declarations.
Gwaren! one roars.
For the honor of my fathers! shouts the other.
The crowd erupts and the combatants charge!

72

The Autumn Falls, from this point onward, is a singleelimination tournament with rounds of 64, 32, 16, 8, 4,
and 2 warriors respectively. The rounds of 64 and 32 are
fought to distress, the rounds of 16 and 8 to anguish, and
the rounds of 4 and 2 until one combatant yieldswhich
is to say, until death or unconsciousness. (The rules for
these combat stopping-points are found in the sidebar
Tournament Mechanics on page 58.) In the round of 64,
combatants can wear any non-plate armor they wish and
carry any weaponry they like, other than bows and crossbows. Otherwise, the rules are the same as the qualifiers.
All 64 qualifying combatants wait around the edges of
the arena as 32 first-round combat pairs are determined
by the random draw of numbered tiles from a ceremonial
bowl. Fights wear on; the morning becomes the afternoon.
The crowd cheers wildly for all those who fight honorably. Most spectators have not yet picked out their favorites. Highlights include the resounding success of nearly
every dwarf who qualified. There are two obvious standouts among them: Lord Kynrik and Ralevi the Root.
Lord Kynrik declares for House Clangdrol. He proves
to be a graceful fighter who wields a magnificent axe
and carries a broad round-shield.
Ralevi the Root declares for the Legion, and theres an
audible intake of breath as the crowd realizes theyre
about to witness the fighting skills of a warrior of the
legendary Legion of the Dead. Ralevi fights with blackened twin axes, and destroys his opponent so quickly
its a blink and you missed it fight.
Lord Forsard Malecot declares for the honor of the
Chevaliers, fights in heavy mail, and makes it look easy.
He wields a gleaming bastard sword and a kite-shaped
heavy shield, wearing his signature antlered mask. He
downs his opponent with precise, efficient strokes.
If the Kal-Sharok dwarves managed admission to the
tournament, Lord Azaharg declares for the dwarves
left behind, and dispatches his Orzammar opponent
by hurling his devastating two-handed maul into his
chest, which drives him nearly ten feet backward and
leaves him unconscious in the dust.
If heroes who are not fighting take the opportunity of
the main event to advance their investigation of the
Last Moon, either by keeping an eye on the crowd or
poking around in tents and buildings nearly emptied
by the draw of the main event, they discover nothing of
particular interest at this time.
Eventually, a PC combatants number is drawn
Youve grown impatient watching others fight,
but finally your number is pulled from the bowl.
You spring to your feet, collect your weapons, and
run onto the sand. The time has come to show
these foreigners what youre made of made of.
Declare yourself!

The Autumn Falls

BELIRAN
Antivan swordsman.
Abilities (Focuses)
1

Communication (Deception)

Constitution

Cunning

Dexterity (Acrobatics, Initiative, Light Blades)

Magic

Perception (Searching)

Strength (Heavy Blades)

Willpower (Morale)
Combat Ratings

Speed

Health

Defense

Armor Rating

65*

14

12

*22 damage to distress

Attacks
Weapon

Attack Roll

Damage

Short Sword

+6

1d6+5

Long Sword

+5

2d6+3

Powers
Favored Stunts: Lethal Blow, Lightning Attack (2 SP),
and Pierce Armor.
Talents: Armor Training (novice) and Dual Weapon
Style (master).
Weapon Groups: Light Blades and Heavy Blades.
Equipment
Light mail armor, long sword, and short sword.

A hero who makes a stunning declaration to begin

his fight can make a TN11 Communications (Performance) test. Success earns that PC a +2 bonus on their
first-round attack from the crowds roar of approval.
The heros opponent is an Antivan swordsman named
Beliran who declares, I fight for the lost! If the PC
wins, Beliran is gracious, saluting his opponent before
withdrawing from the field of combat.
If several heroes have made it to the round of 64,
generate opponents for them who are a level or two
above their own, as these fights should definitely be
challenging.
As the sun sets, the round of 64 draws to a close. If any
PC thinks to ask, locals assure them that on the final
day of the Autumn Falls, huge lanterns will light up the
Central Arena and the fights will continue into the night,
until just two warriors remain to fight one another and
fireworks mark the beginning of their battle.

The Autumn Falls

Scene 2:
A Dwarven Dispute
ROLEPLAYING ENCOUNTER
The PCs hear a commotion and walk into a scene
of anarchy: a courtyard full of brawling dwarves.
Youre drinking a few well-deserved libations in
one of the many taverns near the Central Arena
when you hear a commotion outside. Someone
near the window gasps, Youve got to see this!
Outside are brawling dwarves as far as the eye
can see. It looks like Orzammar versus Kal-Sharok.
Do you care to get involved?
The Kal-Sharok dwarves just an hour ago found their
comrade Eldreks butchered body and jumped to the
communal conclusion that an Orzammar dwarf must
be responsible. The Orzammar dwarves, having lost
one of their own to foul play recently (as the PCs have
heard from Aehrenthal and Kilina), were in no mood
to hear such accusations. Unsurprisingly, when the
groups confronted each other in the street, someone
threw a punch and a general brawl erupted.

73

What Happened to Eldrek

The dwarven smith Eldrek was fascinated by human architecture in part because humans use wood in their
buildings, a rare material in the dwarf kingdoms. The Central Arena, being a massive wooden construction,
was especially interesting to the engineer.
Eldreks energetic study of the arena on several occasions brought him to the Last Moon cults attention.
Worried that his active scrutiny would lead him to discover too much about their plan, they killed him and
buried his body near the edge of the tent city, hiding it as well as they could. It was for naught, thoughthe
area is so crowded that someone randomly stumbled over it while digging a pit latrine.
If the PCs canvass the Grand Tourney asking after anyone who may have seen a dwarf studying the architecture, a TN11 Communication (Investigation) test turns up one or two witnesses who specifically saw Eldrek
checking out the Central Arena with great care, making notes and sketches.

When the PCs first see the scene it remains a weaponless brawl. It will remain that way if they wade in
and try to break things up, but thats no easy feat: It
takes a TN15 Communication (Persuasion or Leadership) test to get enough dwarves to stop fighting long
enough to listen to reason. A PC who thinks to suggest
that such blatant disregard for public safety could
result in the dwarves being kicked out of the tournament, dashing their hopes of obtaining the Paragon
Zadols forge-hammer by legitimate means, gets a
+2 bonus to his roll. Conversely, a surface dwarfno
matter how smooth-tonguedwho attempts to halt
the carnage suffers a 2 penalty to tests to stop the
brawl. Roleplaying stunts like Sway the Crowd and
Stunned Silence go a long way in this situation to
defuse tensions.
If the heroes stand aside, or fail the test, fists and boots
escalate to weapons as the city watch arrives and the
whole affair turns very, very ugly. At some point during
the resulting fight, Lord Kynrik raises his hands to call
for calm but an enemy plants an axe in his back and
the deep lord slumps to the cobblestones, never to rise
again. This has grim implications, for it gives Lord
Quennar dominance over the Orzammar dwarves.
Quennar directs his delegation to a ruthlessness in
tournament combat that leaves their opponents not
distressed or anguished, but dead.
On the other hand, if the heroes stop the fighting, Lord
Azahard stomps over to them to vent his grief, roaring
that one of his brothers has been cruelly murdered.
Lord Kynrik pushes his way through the crowd toward
the heroes and proclaims with no small dignity that he
and his followers certainly havent murdered any of
their estranged Kal-Sharok brethren.
The PCs can negotiate between the dwarf lords if and
as they see fit. The important thing for them to learn
at some point in the wake of the fight, in order to
advance their investigation plot thread, is that the slain
Kal-Sharok dwarf was an engineer of the Smith Caste
named Eldrek. Eldrek was fascinated by the human
architecture of Cumberland and before his body was

74

found butchered, having been hidden near the outskirts

of the tent city, he had told his fellows that he was going
to go for a walk about town. The Kal-Sharok dwarves
have assumed that he ran into some of the Orzammar
host along the way. (This is obviously a flimsy basis for
accusing Kynriks delegation. Gently pointing out that
it is so brings a somewhat embarrassed acquiescence
from Azaharg, although he protests, Then who would
have done such a thing? We have no other enemies
here.)

Scene 3: Every Dog

Has Their Day
COMBAT ENCOUNTER
PCs who are still part of the Autumn Falls fight
new opponents. One is matched up against
the arrogant Orlesian Chevalier Lord Forsard
Malecot.
The second day of the tournament dawns bright.
The combatants march into the arena; the crowd
roars, larger and louder even than yesterday.
The first pair of tiles pulled from the bowl brings
welcome news: You have been matched against
the arrogant Chevalier you fought in the street,
Lord Forsard Malecot.
If there are multiple PCs still in the tourney, choose
the one with the greatest chance against the powerful
Chevalier. Any other PCs still in the tournament should
be pitted against one or more of the named dwarven
fighters. If Kynrik fell in Scene 2: A Dwarven Dispute,
remember that under Lord Quennars leadership, the
Orzammar dwarves are deliberatelyand dishonorablyfighting to slay their opponents if they can.
This round of 32 is fought to distress, and all armor and
weaponry (other than bows and crossbows) are now

The Autumn Falls

allowed. Otherwise, the rules are the same as before.

Today, however, declarations require a TN15 Communication (Performance) test for a first-round attack
bonus, as the crowd is more difficult to impress.
Malecot fights in a suit of ornately decorated half-plate.
He has changed his face mask for a far more elaborate (but still antlered) affair covered with intricate
writing. He fights cautiously at first, but after taking his
opponents measure to ensure he wont be surprised,
he attacks ruthlessly. PCs who fight with unorthodox
tactics are treated to extensive verbal abuse in heavily
accented Kings Tongue.
Lord Malecot has an excellent chance of winning this
match. A PC who beats him should feel that the fight was
extremely close. Win or lose, Malecot holds a grudge.
Lord Malecots statistics are found in Part 2, Scene 2: Of
Elks and Griffons.
This scene ends when its fights conclude.

Scene 4: Paulis
Final Revelation
ROLEPLAYING & COMBAT ENCOUNTER
The PCs discover the whereabouts of ex-cultist
Pauli Lueger, who manages to unburden a bit of
his soul before he forfeits his life to the Last Moon.
You can stage the opening to this scene in different ways
depending on the courses of investigation the heroes
have been pursuing. You can even use more than one
of these situations:
If the heroes have been beating the bushes for
Pauli after learning about his possible connection
to the fire at the Broken Oar, they get a tip that
someone has seen Pauli skulking around in the
tent city.
If the heroes were kind to Klera, she tracks them
down and tells them that Pauli approached her
the night before, behaving in a paranoid fashion
and demanding emphatically that she not attend

the final day of the Autumn Falls tournament for

reasons he was unwilling to divulge. Klera doesnt
know what to do; she has the sense that Paulis
strange behavior might be related to the Broken
Oar explosion, and worries that hes going to do
something stupid on the tournaments final day.
Klera says that Pauli mentioned hed been living
in the tent city.
If the heroes have been asking around about the
Last Moon, a sleazy informant comes to them
offering a tip in exchange for money. He says that
he talked to someone in the tent city last night
whose name he doesnt know but who matches
Paulis description. Pauli confided that the Last
Moon has it in for the whole populace, and that
anyone who didnt want to die would stay away
from the tournament. Pauli behaved unstably, and
wound up running for it in the middle of their
conversation, spooked by a loud noise.
If the PCs havent been investigating Pauli or the Last
Moon, and they werent nice to Klera, theyre left in the
dark unless you decide to throw them a bone. Pauli is
found and killed by the Last Moon (the fight that ends
this scene takes place without the PCs presence) and
the heroes are likely to suffer some serious damage in
Scene 5: The Final Rounds.
However, assuming that the heroes do catch one of
more of these leads, theyll likely begin to scour the
tent city looking for Pauli. Sometime on the third and
final day of the Autumn Falls tournament (the rounds
of 16, 8, 4, and 2 are all fought on the same day) the
PCs canvassing turn up a tip, if they can make a TN11
Communication (Investigation) test, that someone has
seen a nervous delinquent matching Paulis description lurking around.
Following that lead, they find Pauli lying low in the far
northern end of the tent city. Hes been sleeping in grass
and mud for days, torn between the desperate desire to
flee the city and his need to do something to stop the
Last Moons nefarious plot. He knows most of the Last
Moon cultists, so he has been able to avoid the few who
have bothered to look for him so far.

How Did This Idiot Make It So Long?

Given that Pauli is essentially a half-wit, the players (and you, for that matter) may wonder why the Last Moon
hasnt found him and taken him out yet. Pauli himself doesnt really know, but the answer is simple: They
havent been looking very hard, until last night. After all, whats one deserter to the Brood of Lusacan, the
Dragon of Night? Theyve been busy pitting the dwarf factions against each other and otherwise keeping their
eyes on the prize, which for them is the demolition of the Central Arena and massacre of as many Nevarrans
and Free Marchers as the structure will hold.
Last night, though, a Last Moon informant at the Broken Oarthe one who recruited Pauli to the cause originally, as a matter of factoverheard him trying to warn Klera away from the Central Arena. Thats when they
decided he had to be tracked down and dealt with, lest he spoil their plans.

The Autumn Falls

75

PCs approaching his hiding spot must make an

opposed Perception (Seeing) vs. Dexterity (Stealth)
test with Pauli to find him. If they find him, Pauli is
bedraggled and beside himself. Ideally, the final events
have already begun in the Central Arena.
The PCs have about a minute to talk to Pauli, not that
they know it. A TN13 Communication (Leadership,
Persuasion, or Seduction) test is necessary to get him
talking coherently. Mentioning Klera is helpful, giving
a +2 bonus to the test. On a success, the heroes can learn
that a few months ago, Pauli joined a cult named the
Last Moon, but that he ran away from the cult once he
found out that they were crazy, and were planning to
do something utterly massivePauli doesnt really
understand whatwhen the ceremonial fireworks are
lit at the end of the tournament. What he does know is
that its going to destroy the whole Central Arena. He
knew that his part in the plan was to stand ready, at
the arena, in case the tournament was stopped for any
reason, to make sure the destruction happened even if

the authorities got wind of the plan and tried to evacuate the arena. (You can see what I meanits madness! I
was supposed to stand in a place theyre going to completely
destroy!)
If the PCs fail to get Paulis babbling under control he
just keeps spouting useless phrases like, They have eyes
everywhere! You dont know! Everythings going to end in
fire! Theres no way to stop it!
Either way, Paul eventually suddenly stops talking in
mid-sentence and an odd expression crosses his face.
He gasps once; characters witnessing this may think
hes been poisoned. A character who makes a TN13
Cunning (Arcane Lore) test has time to scream Run!

ISSUS EYRAS
Apostate Last Moon cultist.
Abilities (Focuses)
0

Communication (Deception, Leadership)

Constitution

Largely witless ex-cultist.

Cunning (Arcane Lore,

Engineering, Poison Lore)

Abilities and Focuses: Communication 1; Constitution 2 (Drinking); Cunning 2; Dexterity 0 (Stealth);

Magic 1; Perception 1 (Empathy); Strength 3 (Might);
Willpower 1 (Morale).

Dexterity

Magic (Arcane Lance, Blood Magic)

Perception (Tracking)

Strength

Willpower (Self-Discipline)

PAULI, EX-CULTIST

Combat Ratings
Speed

Health

Defense

Armor Rating

11

75

11

5*

*Rock Armor in effect

Attacks
Weapon

Attack Roll

Damage

Range

Arcane Lance

+7

1d6+5

24 yards

Quarterstaff

+1

1d61

n/a

Powers
Spellpower: 15 Mana Points: 50 (42 remaining after
6-hour Rock Armor)
Spells: Blood Wound, Drain Life, Flame Blast, Flaming
Weapons, Invigorate, Rock Armor, and Walking Bomb.
Favored Spell Stunts: Mana Shield and Imposing Spell.
Class Powers (Mage 8, Blood Mage specialization):
Arcane Lance.
Talents: Blood Magic (journeyman), Command (master),
and Lore (journeyman).
Weapon Groups: Brawling and Staves.
Equipment
Quarterstaff.

76

The Autumn Falls

(or the equivalent), and a split second later Pauli

explodes, the victim of a Walking Bomb spell. Given
this warning and assuming immediate flight, the heroes
are unharmed. Otherwise, everybody is at ground zero
when Pauli explodes and all present take 2d6 damage.
The Last Moon mage who cast the spell is the apostate
Issus Eyras. Eyras and a crowd of cultists have managed
to sneak up, inside a nearby tent, to just within the
10-yard range of the Walking Bomb spell.
Eyras has no interest in letting the PCs walk away after
hearing any of Paulis revelations, and so the fight is
on. Theres one cultist present per PC, plus two more,
plus Eyras. Eyras hits the most dangerous-looking hero
with a Walking Bomb, casts Flaming Weapons to set
his minions weaponry alight, and then proceeds with
whatever portions of his arcane arsenal seem most
useful to the developing tactical situation.
These Last Moon cultists have not had their tongues cut
out like the ones who ambushed the heroes before, and
are well-trained to work with the apostate, blocking
attackers from reaching him and otherwise fighting
intelligently and as ordered. They fight to the death
LAST MOON FOOT SOLDIERS
Devoted and reliable cultists.
Abilities (Focuses)
1

Communication

Constitution

Cunning

Dexterity (Initiative, Light Blades)

Magic

Perception

Strength (Staves)

Willpower (Morale)
Combat Ratings

Speed

Health

Defense

Armor Rating

11

40

11

Attacks
Weapon

Attack Roll

Damage

Improvised Weapon

+1

1d6+1

Dagger

+3

1d6+3

Quarterstaff

+3

1d6+3

Powers
Favored Stunts: Mighty Blow and Lightning Attack.
Weapon Groups: Brawling, Bludgeons, Light Blades,
and Stave
Equipment
Light leather armor, daggers, and quarterstaves.

The Autumn Falls

without reservation, doing their psychotic and level

best to stop the PCs in any way they can. They do not
hesitate to allow Eyras to power his blood magic spells
(see the Journeyman level of the Blood Magic talent).
They carry quarterstaves, the better to avoid the city
watchs attention.
Eyras fights until his mana points are about exhausted,
or until it becomes clear that the PCs have gotten the
upper hand, at which point he orders his cultists to hold
the heroes at bay while he flees to the Central Arena
to initiate the final stage of the cults murderous plan,
regardless of what stage the tournament is at.

Scene 5:
The Final Rounds
COMBAT ENCOUNTER
The heroes must stop the Last Moon from blowing
up the Central Arena and killing tens of thousands.
On the third day of the Autumn Falls tournament, the
rounds of 16, 8, 4, and 2 are fought before the largest audience that will congregate in the Central Arena all year. The
rest of the city, for all practical purposes, is empty, with all
eyes turned on some of Thedass most potent warriors.
Player Characters may still be active in the tournament,
moving toward the final match-up, although its not
intended to be likely. Barring unusual events that may
have transpired so far, Ralevi the Root is widely favored
to win the tournament, but upsets are not unheard of,
and the PCs may be wildcards. If one or more heroes do
remain, pit them against foes of your own invention or
against named dwarf NPCs whom theyve met. Heroes
whore still in the tournament arent able to go with the
rest of the party into the tent city to look for Pauliat least
not without forfeiting the tournamentand so the party
may find itself at a significant disadvantage in the fight
against Issus Eyras, with their most potent fighters elsewhere.
The Last Moon has concealed barrels of qunari gaatlok
within the arenas scaffolds, pillars, and supports, all
rigged to be easily triggered by their willing martyrs.
Jagged metal shards packed in with the barrels are
expected to send shrapnel flying even as the explosives
bring down the stands.
How the final rounds go down depends entirely on what
the heroes discover from Pauli, and when they learn it. It
also depends on whether Issus Eyras manages to escape
his battle against the PCs instead of being slain. If hes
running to alert his fellows to blow the gaatlok early, the
PCs have a matter of minutes to act, rather than what
may be as long as several hours, if they found Pauli in the
morning of the third day of the tournament and stopped
Eyras cold.

77

Tactically speaking, there are twenty clusters of explosives

scattered around the arena. There are two Last Moon cultists near each cluster, whowhen the time comesmust
work for three rounds to access their fuse, light it, and
wait for it to explode. All have been instructed to work
in tandem, lighting their fuses at the moment when the
combatants for the round of two are announced from the
arena floor.
Spotting a first clusterfor someone whos looking
for itrequires a TN15 Cunning (Engineering) test.
Spotting additional clusters, for those who know what
theyre looking for, requires only a TN11 Cunning
(Engineering) test. Spotting a cluster by random accident is essentially impossible, unless youre really
looking to throw a bone to totally unlucky players.
Stopping a cluster from exploding once its fuse has
been lit requires a TN15 Cunning (Engineering) test or
TN15 Dexterity (Initiative or Traps) test. Heroes who
attempt this and fail find themselves at ground zero of
the resulting explosion.
The heroes job, once they learn whats in the offing, is
to find the clusters and prevent them from blowing up.
Luckily, they have allies:
Reiner Aehrenthal needs a bit of convincing that
what the heroes are proposing is even possible,
but once convinced, he pales and places every
resource at his disposal in the heroes hands.
Kilina is stunned by the boldness of the Last
Moons plan, but can personally stop at least one
cluster from being set off.
If the heroes have the respect of Lords Kynrik
and/or Azaharg, theirs is the most efficient help
the PCs could ask for. The dwarves immediately
grasp the terrible gravity of the situation and do
their level best to assist.
If the heroes look to Lord Quennar and his
followers for help, these blackguards quietly flee
the arena, possibly sending agents to try to steal
Anvilbreaker as they leave.
If any of the heroes have good relations with
the Circle, they might provide incredibly useful
assistance, as there are a considerable number
of targeted spells that can stop both cultists and
clusters dead in their tracks.
If youd like some general calculus, assume that Veit
and Aehrenthals men who are immediately at hand
are capable of stopping three clusters from being set
off. Lord Kynrik and his followers can stop five. Lord
Azaharg and his band can stop three. Circle magi can
stop four. Kilina can stop one. That leaves four clusters for the PCs in the very best case, which they can
attempt to deal with by enlisting unorthodox aid, eliminating cultists on their own, or using any other crazy
schemes they can think of. If youre using the Qunari

78

subplot and the PCs have positively interacted with

Drun, the Qunari can stop two clusters. Alter any of
these numbers as dramatically appropriate.
One thing that you should make clear is that it will
be impossible to evacuate the arena. There are simply
too many spectators in too small a space with too few
exits, and its too simple for the cultists to manually
set off the clusters if they witness any kind of attempt
at widespread flight. If the heroes try a general evacuation anyway, their NPC allies try to warn them that
the cause is hopeless, but if the PCs persist, they do no
more than bring the devastation early.
Keep in mind that the noise and tumult of the crowd is
completely overwhelming. Getting anywhere quickly
is a non-starter, as is communicating over any kind
of distance, or even seeing an ally clearly from more
than 10 yards away through the dense crowd. This
may work for or against the PCs. For example, if Eyras
escapes and returns to warn his brethren, it will take
him a while to coordinate them all.
An exploding cluster does 20d6+10 damage 1 yard
from the explosion, 19d6+10 damage at 2 yards,
18d6+10 damage at 3 yards, and so on. Dont roll all
those dice unless you really need to; assume that most
close victims simply die. After 20 yards of distance, the
additional damage reduces by 1 point per additional
yard, making the closest safe distance 31 yards from a
clusters detonation.
If any clusters explode, dozens of spectators are killed and
hundreds wounded by the chaotic stampede that follows
(in addition to those killed directly by the explosions). If
more than three clusters go off, the Central Arenas structure is damaged and hundreds more innocents are hurt
as they plummet to the ground or are crushed by falling
architecture. If more than half of the clusters explode, the
entire Central Arena collapses. More than ten thousand
people are killed in a horrific massacre. The Last Moon
becomes infamous and many dangerous villains flock
to their banner, giving you enough fodder for a whole
campaign of further adventures.

Part 4 Resolution &

Troubleshooting
The progress of this part depends a great deal on how
far PC heroes manage to advance in the tournament.
Even once all PCs are eliminated from the competition,
the Autumn Falls remains an awesome backdrop for
their investigation. Give the players as much information as their characters seem to be interested in about
whos fighting, how the odds are stacked, and so on.
The inexorable advance of the tournaments schedule
should give the playersif not their charactersthe
sense that theyre running out of time.

The Autumn Falls

Anvilbreaker
Anvilbreaker is a forge-hammer, used for smithing rather than fighting. It can warm itself to white heat
instantly, as its wielder wills. Weapons forged with it are impossibly sharp. It certainly has other properties known only to certain family lines, which stand completely aside its significance as a cultural artifact. It
is absolutely unique, and literally invaluable. If a Player Character wins the hammer, they have acquired a
profound bargaining chip the dwarves of Orzammar would do almost anything to repatriate to their thaig.

If different groups of heroes are fighting and investigating, cut back and forth between them, trying to keep
any players from getting bored.
The fight with Issus Eyras should be nasty and one or
more PCs could die. If you want to give the heroes a
break, knock Eyrass mana points down a bit, assuming
he cast more spells earlier in the day. If Eyras and the
Last Moon are really mopping the floor with the PCs,
Kilina could show up to even the odds.
Stopping the Last Moons plot and preventing the explosive clusters from going off should be a difficult task.
Stopping all of the clusters should be near impossible,
especially if the PCs didnt cultivate allies earlier. If your
players will be truly bothered by not being able to save
everybody, you may wish to reduce the number of clusters, but remember that Dragon Age is a grim game and
Thedas a dark world. What an excellent opportunity
for roleplaying to be hailed as a hero, yet not be able to
forgive yourself for the ones you couldnt save
Unless a PC is involved, youll have to decide how the
tournament ended. Ralevi the Root may have won, lost,
or the final duel been disrupted or abandoned in the
middle. Either Lord Azaharg or Lord Quennar may
be planning an ambush to claim Anvilbreaker from
its rightful winner. If Azaharg and Kynrik came to
understand one another, though, especially by working
together against the Last Moon, Azaharg grudgingly
admits that Orzammar has always been the home of
the smiths and perhaps the Weaponsfathers hammer
is best off returning to that home.

Aftermath
Hailed as heroes, or witnesses to a great tragedy; the
adventures conclusion is firmly in the PCs hands.
If they fail to diminish the Last Moons plot at all, a
great many of Thedass best warriors and military
commanders die, and the world suffers for it in the
Blight to come. Cumberland does not soon recover from
the tragedy. The deaths are just the start, with broken
families scattering back across the Marches. Aehrenthal turns his back on the PCs, giving them nothing
and considering them a failed investment. Kilina is

The Autumn Falls

unlikely to regard them favorably for induction into the

ranks of the Grey Wardens.
On the other hand, if the heroes stop even part of the
cultists nefarious plan, Aehrenthal keeps his word. The
promised chest has the equivalent of 1,000 silver pieces
per PC, and each also receives a gem worth nearly 2
gold pieces.
The promised armor is +1 masterwork light plate, made
superior by veridium. In addition, it provides a +1 social
interaction bonus throughout Thedas, or a +2 bonus in
the Free Marches, where Aehrenthals influence is well
known. Mages, sadly, are out of luckAehrenthal fits
them with plate that they are free to use or sell as promised, but he is an arms merchant, not a dealer of magic.
If you wish, you may have Aehrenthal offer mages in
the party lighter armor suitsalso masterworkwith
less severe strain ratings than light plate.
Aehrenthals blades are +2 masterworks made superior
only by quality steel and workmanship. They provide
no social bonuses.
The PCs courage and valor in the face of evil may or
may not lead Kilina to invite them to join the ranks of
the Grey Wardens, depending on how much further
you wish to delay that possibility in your campaign. In
any case, they impress her with their capabilities.
The PCs are considered heroes in Nevarra. None will
pay for a drink in Cumberland again in their lives.
Dwarven PCs may get caught up in the ongoing rivalries between the different dwarf factions. These problems are likely to follow them home to Orzammar.
Fereldan PCs who got along well with the dwarves
may be invited as honored guests to Orzammar, though
no matter how well the Kal-Sharok band regards them,
they arent invited to that embattled kingdom.
Almost no matter what happens, the Last Moon wont
forget about the PCs any time soon. If Issus Eyras
survives, he makes a good recurring villain.
Likewise, but perhaps less nefariously, a heros duel
with Malecot cements a long-term rival for the PCs,
and an Orlesian one at that. Not all enemies can just be
killed

79

Aeducan Family Shields................37

Alsgaard Ar Kjus O Stormhold.....49
Antivan Longbow of Fidelity........38
Anvilbreaker....................................79
Archery.............................................62
Arm of Justice (honorific)...............32
Ash Wraith.................................2223

Favored of Fate (honorific)............33

Felayn................................................45
Felons Coat......................................38
Fereldan Brigand.............................44
First Blood (stunt)...........................58

B
Beliran...............................................73
Beloved of Mabari (honorific).......33
Beloved of the Maker (honorific)..33
Bereskarn..........................................23
Blackened Heartwood Staff...........38
Blades of House Aeducan..............38
Blights.............................................46
Bulls-eye Arrows............................36

C
Calling, the.........................................7
Campaign Frameworks..............814
Free Agents.....................................13
Freedom Fighters:
Orlesian Occupation..........910
Freedom Fighters: Today...........1011
Grey Wardens...................................9
Mercenaries...............................1112
Other...............................................14
Political Partisans.....................1213
Cave Beetle Swarm.........................24
Channel of Entropic Might............38
Chosen of the Age (honorific).......33
Counselor Mardohl.........................46
Cumberland.....................................50
Cumberland City Watch................51

Genlock Alpha.................................26
Genlock Emissary............................26
Glowing Slime.................................27
Grand Tourney................................56
Great Bear.........................................27
Grey Wardens................................27
History..........................................24

O
Oak Branch.......................................38
Ogre...................................................29
Orlesian Retainers...........................52
Osric..................................................45

Halla..................................................28
Healing Potion.................................37
Honorifics...................................3234
Huon.................................................52
Hurlock Alpha.................................28
Hurlock Emissary.....................2829

Paints of Warding...........................37
Pauli..................................................76
Potion of Fortune and Skill............37
Pure Grit...........................................59

I
Ink of Splendor................................37
Issus Eyras........................................76

J
Joining, the.........................................7
Joining Ritual.....................................6

K
Key to Orzammar............................38
Kilina.................................................53
Klera..................................................67

Deepstalker......................................24
Defender of the Weak (honorific).....33
Drake...........................................2425
Dwarf Assassin................................46
Dwarven Apparitions.....................25

Last Moon Cultists..........................70

Last Moon Foot Soldiers................77
Lion of (Location or People)
(honorific).....................................33
Lord Forsard Malecot.....................52
Lord Kynrik.....................................48
Lord Lyulf Azaharg........................64
Lord Quenar of House Gustrik.....54
Lyrium Potion..................................37

Elect of the Sky (honorific).............33

Encounter Design......................1421
Combat......................................1718
Exploration......................................19
Moral Choices.................................16
Roleplaying...............................1921

Temporary.................................3637
Master of Blades (honorific)..........33
Master of Lyrium (honorific).........33
Masterworks..............................3436
Armor..............................................36
Tools................................................36

80

Index

M
Mages Meadow..............................63
Magic Items................................3639
Permanent.................................3739

Q
Qunari Warriors..............................43

R
Rainer Aehrenthal...........................68
Ralevi the Root................................48

S
Scourge of [Enemy] (honorific).....33
Seeking Torch..................................37
Shriek................................................30
Superior Goods................................39
Superior Items...........................3436
Armor..............................................36
Tools................................................36
Weaponry........................................35
Superior Rhetoric (stunt)................55

T
Tournament Mechanics..................58

U
Unbent by Misfortune
(honorific).....................................34

W
Werewolf....................................3031
Wild Sylvan......................................31
Wolf-killer........................................39
Wrestling..........................................63

Index

Quick Reference Sheet: Actions and combat

You can take a major action, and a minor action, or
two minor actions on your turn.

MAJOR ACTIONS
All-out Attack: If you hit, you do +1 damage, but
whether or not this attack hits, you suffer 1 to your
Defense until your next turn.
Charge: You may move up to half your Speed
(rounded down) in yards and then make a melee
attack against an adjacent enemy. You gain a +1 bonus on your attack roll.
Defend: You concentrate on defending yourself this
round. Until the beginning of your next turn, you
gain a +2 bonus to your Defense.
Heal: You provide some quick first aid to an injured ally. You must be adjacent to your ally and
you must have bandages ready. This is a TN 11
Cunning (Healing) test. If you are successful, your
ally gets back an amount of Health equal to the
dragon die + your Cunning. A character cannot
benefit from another heal action until he takes additional damage.
Melee Attack: You attack one adjacent enemy in
hand-to-hand combat. An enemy within 2 yards of
you is considered adjacent.
Ranged Attack: You fire or throw a missile weapon at one visible enemy within range.
Run: You can move up to double your Speed in yards.
You cannot take this action if you are prone (youd
need to use the Move action to stand up first).

MINOR ACTIONS
Activate: This action allows you to start using certain powers or items, such as fighting styles and
potions.
Aim: You take the measure of your opponent and
plan your next strike. If your next action is a melee attack or ranged attack, you gain a +1 bonus on
your attack roll.
Move: You can move up to your Speed in yards.
You can also go prone, stand up, or mount a horse
or vehicle, but if you do so you can only move at
half Speed (rounded down).
Prepare: You pick one major action that you prepare to execute and then end your turn. Any time
until your next turn, you can interrupt another
character and take your prepared action immediately. If you dont use it by your next turn, the action is lost. You cannot take the prepared action if
youve already taken a major action on your turn.
Ready: You can unsheathe a weapon, pull out a potion, or otherwise ready an item that is stowed. As
part of this action, you can put away something already in hand. You could thus put away your bow
and a draw a sword, for example.
Guard Up: You put your skill to use balancing action and defense. Add +1 or +2 (your choice) to
your Defense until the end of this round. However,
you suffer the amount you choose as a penalty to
all tests you make, even opposed tests, for the remainder of the current round as well. If you choose

this minor action, you must do it before any major

action you take this turn.
Press the Attack: Declare an adjacent enemy combatant when you do this action. Until the beginning
of your next turn, if that enemy moves away from
you, you may immediately move up to your Speed
in yards in direct pursuit of that enemy at no additional cost in actions. This occurs immediately
after your foes movement, before he can do anything else. However, you can only use this minor
action on an enemy you have already successfully
struck in melee combat this turn (whether you inflicted damage or not). When you make your move,
it need not bring you adjacent to that enemy if you
cant go that fast. In that case, you simply move as
far as you can before stopping. You are free to forego some or all of the movement this action allows
when your enemy triggers it, if you wish.
Stand Firm: Until the beginning of your next turn,
any enemy who uses the skirmish or knock prone
stunts to move you or knock you to the ground
must succeed in an opposed test pitting their
Strength (Might) vs. your choice of your own
Strength (Might) or Dexterity (Acrobatics) in order to move you or knock you prone. This test can
only be attempted after your opponent spends the
relevant stunt points, which are nevertheless expended to no effect if you win the test. An opponent who attempts to skirmish you more than once
as part of a single attack (to move you more than
2 yards) only makes a single opposed test against
you, with all of the skirmishing movement hanging
in the balance.

Combat Stunts
SP Cost
1+

Stunt
Skirmish: You can move yourself or the target of your attack 2 yards in any direction for each 1 SP you spend.

Rapid Reload: You can immediately reload a missile weapon.

Stay Aware: You take a moment to make sure youre mindful of everything thats happening around you. Make a TN 11 Perception test
with the focus of your choice. If you succeed, the GM may either make you aware of some battlefield situation that has so far escaped
your notice, or give you a +1 bonus to the next test you make. This bonus can never stack with any other test bonus other than from a
focus, must be used on the very next test you make (even if youre the defender in an opposed test), and expires at the end of your next
turn even if you havent used it by then.

Knock Prone: You knock your enemy prone. Any character making a melee attack against a prone foe gains +1 bonus on the attack roll.

Defensive Stance: Your attack sets you up for defense. You gain a +2 bonus to Defense until the beginning of your next turn.

Disarm: You attempt to disarm the target with your melee attack. You and your opponent must make an opposed attack roll. These attack rolls
do not generate stunt points. If you win the test, you knock your enemys weapon 1d6 + Strength yards away in a direction you nominate.

Mighty Blow: You inflict an extra 1d6 damage on your attack.

Pierce Armor: You find a chink in your enemys armor. His armor rating is halved (rounded down) vs. this attack.

Taunt: You insult or distract one opponent of your choice within 10 yards of you. You must make an opposed test of your Communication
(Deception) vs. the targets Willpower (Self-Discipline). If you win, the target suffers a 1 penalty on attack rolls and casting rolls on his next turn.

Threaten: You strike a threatening pose, challenging an opponent of your choice within 10 yards of you. You must make an opposed test
of your Strength (Intimidate) vs. the targets Willpower (Self-Discipline). If you win, he must attack you in some way (melee, missile,
spell, etc.) on his next turn.

Lightning Attack: You can make a second attack against the same enemy or a different one within range and sight. You must have a
loaded missile weapon to make a ranged attack. If you roll doubles on this attack roll, you do not get any more stunt points.

Dual Strike: Your attack is so strong it affects two targets. First, pick a secondary target. He must be adjacent to you if you are using a
melee weapon or within 6 yards of your primary target if you are using a missile weapon. Apply the test result of your original attack roll
to the secondary target (in other words, you only make one attack roll and apply it to both opponents). If you hit the secondary target,
inflict your normal damage on him.

Seize the Initiative: Your attack changes the tempo of the battle. You move to the top of the initiative order. This means you may get to take
another turn before some of the combatants get to act again. You remain at the top of the order until someone else seizes the initiative.

Lethal Blow: You inflict an extra 2d6 damage on your attack.