NYGÅRD

NORDINGE
LONGMORE
PERKINS-HARBIN
MOORE

A Fantasy Game of High Adventure and Role-Playing

Playable with Paper, Pencil and Polyhedral Dice
BLOOD &BR NZE
A Fantasy Game of High Adventure and Role Playing
Playable with Paper, Pencil and Polyhedral Dice

Concept by
Johan NORDINGE

Artwork
Rich LONGMORE • Interior
Sam PERKINS-HARBIN • Map
Adam MOORE • Cover
(c) each artist, respectively. Used herein under license

Game design by
Olav NYGÅRD • Johan NORDINGE

With
Gustaf BROWALL • Jocke ANDERSSON • Mike BERGAMOTTE
Christoffer LINDAHL • Emil THUNSTRÖM

Editing
Joseph WALERKO

Thanks to
Danuta LINDEKRANTZ • Johan FAGERLIN
Måns BROMAN • Max RAVEN • Anders HEDSTRÖM MACE

Special Thanks to
Christian MEHRSTAM

Transatlantic Edition • Revision 2016-02-14

www.bloodandbronze.com
 Chapter I -
INTRODUCTION
6 CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION Contents
Imagine that you are an adventurer: a cunning
rogue, a hardened mercenary or a farseer wise INTRODUCTION 6
in the ways of the stars. Before you lies a world What is Blood & Bronze? 7
rife with adventure and intrigue, wicked men Rules Summary 9
and evil fiends. For this world is not like ours: it THE WORLD OF BLOOD & BRONZE 12
is still young, untamed and shrouded in myster- Cultures 14
ies. It is a world of Blood & Bronze. Sippar 15
THE ADVENTURERS 18
To the north, the snow-capped ridges of the
Improving Your Character 19
Zagros Mountains rise like a dragon’s spine,
The Mercenary 20
home to savage tribes and ravenous beasts but
The Rogue 22
rich in copper and gems. Gaze west or south,
The Mystic 24
and you will see vast deserts of raging sands and
The Desert Farer 26
barren stone where nomad tribes make trade
The Courtesan 28
with strange civilizations beyond the edge of
The Seer 30
the world. To the southeast, a labyrinthine delta
WEAPONS & GOODS 36
of sudden lakes and shallow canals carries mer-
Encumbrance 36
chants’ rafts and the pirates that prey on them;
Currencies and Barter 36
beyond are bogs and disease-ridden marshlands
Common goods 37
where strange creatures crawl and slither.
War Gear 38
At the heart of this world lies a barren stretch Qualities and Characteristics 39
of hard soil circumscribed by twin rivers: Tigris Lotus Powder 40
to the north, violent and cold, and its southern Bone Salt 41
sister Euphrates, feverish and slow. RULES 44
Abilities 44
Across this land great cities are strewn, like
Skill Tests 45
gems of ancient allure. Of them, Sippar is the
Saving Throws 45
adamant. Situated where the eastern steppe
Altering the Outcome 46
meets the great western deserts and the two
Zones 47
rivers turn to approach each other before once
Rounds 47
again pursuing their separate paths, Sippar
Combat and Damage 48
commands all trade between the wealthy Sum-
Other Sources of Damage 49
er kingdoms and their western neighbors. Here
Armor 49
people gather, seeking refuge from beasts and
Endurance Loss 50
enemies behind massive walls or solace from
Rest and Recovery 51
the scorching sun under the many-colored tarps
BASIC SKILLS 54
of the bazaars. Here, people bow down in the
Beyond the Basic Skills 57
shade of the ziggurats and tremor in awe of their
REFEREE'S SECTION 60
sacred rulers.
Adventures 62
...But not you, for you are an adventurer. Driv- The Reavers’ Fort 62
en by an urge for power, by curiosity or avarice, Wilderness adventures 64
you and your band of likes travel this world, Expanding the World 64
seeking glory, gold, knowledge and power. Misfortunes 65
The Great Barrens of Karkal 66
This is the game of these adventures.
NPCs 68
 INTRODUCTION 7

THE REFEREE
What is Blood & Bronze? One of you will assume the role of referee. As
Blood & Bronze is a game of shared imagina- the referee, your goal is to make up and portray
tion. In this game, you and your friends assume a fantastical world, fill it with peril and wonder,
the roles of adventurers, exploring a Bronze strange civilizations and sinister secrets to un-
Age world in search of power, riches and glory. cover. As the referee, you do four things:

1
Using your creativity, this book and some dice,
You set the scene and make up things
you embark on mysterious quests, fight sav-
about the world and its inhabitants.
age monsters and unravel the plots of wicked
You are the ears and the eyes of the adventurers;
queens and kings. For this strange time is a time
telling them where they are, who else is there
of strife, but also a time of wonder. Here, any-
and what it looks, smells, sounds and feels like
thing you can dream of can happen.
at the place.

2
THE PLAYERS
You play the part of all Non-Player
As a player, you have control over one adven-
Characters. Non-PLayer Characters (or
turer (sometimes referred to as a player char-
NPCs for short) are the characters and crea-
acter or PC for short). This adventurer is your
tures the adventurers encounter. You champion
alter ego in the game. Your goal is to explore
their actions, saying what they say, do and look
the unknown, conquer its treasures and advance
like. You roll dice for them when needed, and
your character in power, influence and wealth.
keep track of damage and items—just like play-
Playing Blood & Bronze, you do chiefly three
ers do for their adventurers.
things:

1 You portray your adventurer. You say

what your adventurer does and what she
3 You act as a moderator. You distribute
spotlight, making sure that all players get
a chance to act; and that the NPCs under your
looks like, and you speak her words and voice
control do the same.
her thoughts. You decide where she goes, and
what she does.
4 You adjudicate the rules. You resolve

2
the outcome of the adventurers’ actions
You roll dice and take notes. You roll
using the setup, common sense, your imagina-
dice to see whether your character suc-
tion and the rules described herein. You make
ceeds or fails in her undertakings. You record
up new rules when no written rules apply, or
changes on your character sheet when she gath-
alter them when they fit poorly or run counter
ers wealth, uses up arrows or suffers damage.
to your intuition.
As the adventure proceeds, you might also want
to draw maps and record names to keep track of
the different locales and Non-Player Characters
(NPCs) that you encounter.

3 You cooperate with your fellow play-

ers to make the adventures fun and
thrilling, but also to emerge victorious
from them.You employ your wits and cunning
to propose smart or desperate plans.You cheer
when another player does something clever or
entertaining or when her character fails glori-
ously or manages against all odds.
8 CHAPTER I

THE GENRE OF HIGH ADVENTURE of what might happen during a session of the
In everyday life, people have a firm sense of game—places to explore, characters and mon-
what can and cannot happen. In a fictional world sters to encounter, treasures and vile plots to
of sorcery and high adventure this not obviously discover and so on. You will find more infor-
the case. There are no naturally occurring regu- mation on adventure setups at the end of this
larities to infer laws from. Instead, the intuition booklet.
of what can and cannot happen come from the
If you are a player, you will need a character
rules and the genre.
sheet to record information about your adven-
Blood & Bronze draws its inspiration from turer: her name and appearance, her skills and
the peplum genre of films, as well as authors unique feats, her equipment and so on.You will
writing in the same vein. For players new to also need some pencils.
the game and genre, a good starting point is
As in any game, chance plays a part in Blood
Cabiria (1914). Spawning the peplum genre,
& Bronze. When the outcome of an action is
the film features many of its key elements: dar-
uncertain, you will roll one or more dice to
ing adventure set in a vaguely historical epoch,
determine what happens next. Blood & Bronze
spectacular feats of strength, fantastic scenery,
uses both ordinary six-sided dice and polyhe-
evil gods and rulers, grimness and humor. The
dral dice with four, eight, ten, twelve and twen-
Thief of Bagdad (1924) is also highly recom-
ty sides. 2d8+1 means two eight-sided dice and
mended, as it is set in the same area—albeit not
one added to their total; whereas 1d6 means a
time—as Blood & Bronze.
six-sided die.
For books, similar sensibilities can be found
For ten-sided dice 0 (zero) should be inter-
in Clark Ashton Smith’s short stories set in
preted as 10. For a d100 (or hundred-faceted
Zothique, Hyperborea and Poseidonis as well
die), roll two ten sided dice and treat the first
as Robert E Howard’s Conan-stories or in
as “tens” and the other as “singulars”. Rolling
Salammbó by Gustave Flaubert.
two six-sided dice in similar fashion is referred
When adjudicating outcomes, stipulating new to as a d66, even though only 36 outcomes are
rules and designing setups for adventures, the possible.
referee is advised to use such films and stories
The game runs smoother if you have several
as reference.
six-sided dice, preferably more than five.
TO PLAY THE GAME, YOU NEED...
Remember that you can always substitute a
Three or more friends to play with.
larger die for a smaller (for instance, you can
Basic knowledge of the setting: it is Mes- roll a d20 instead of a d8, rerolling all numbers
opotamia during a mythical Bronze Age. There outside of the relevant range).
are monsters, demons and treacherous gods and
Depending on your preference, you may also
you are either playing an adventurer searching
like some visual aids: paper to draw maps
riches and power, or the referee that describes
on; dominoes, building blocks or matchboxes
that world and plays those monsters.
to represent geographical features; war-game
Basic understanding of the rules. Read terrain or dioramas; and miniatures, pawns or
them or have someone explain them to you. tokens of varying hues to represent the adven-
turers and NPCs.
If you are the referee, you will need an ad-
venture setup. This setup can be bought or
downloaded from the Internet or it can be of
your own design. The setup is a sketchy outline
 INTRODUCTION 9

Endurance also determines how much damage

Rules Summary a character can withstand. Each time a charac-
Blood & Bronze is a fantasy game of high ad- ter suffers damage, her current endurance is
venture and role-playing. While some may lowered equally. The exact amount depends on
choose to use miniatures and terrain as visual the source of damage.As an adventurer’s endur-
aids, the adventures take place in your imagina- ance reaches zero, she becomes incapacitated.
tion and are bound only by them. At minus three, she is mortally injured and may
perish.
One of you will be the referee, describing the
world and its inhabitants and adjudicating the To increase her chances of survival, a character
rules. The referee also rolls dice for monsters can use shields or armor. Shields offer defense,
and foes. Everyone else will play as adventurers: which slightly reduces all incoming damage. Ar-
speaking their words, describing their actions, mor—on the other hand—can completely ne-
rolling dice and employing wits to overcome gate the effect of a would-be fatal attack, but the
the threats and challenges the characters face. player must roll a twenty-sided die. If the result
is higher than her character's armor rating, it
Normally, a character is free to do anything as
breaks and become useless.
long as she possesses a relevant skill. However, if
her actions directly affect another character or A character recovers endurance by resting, one
involve something that a normal person would point at a time. Another character may speed up
find hard or impossible to perform, a skill test the process by treating wounds. During short
is required.To make a skill test, roll a number of rests, a character may recover up to half of the
six-sided dice equal to the relevant ability rat- damage she has suffered. Full recovery is only
ing.You need to roll at least one 5 or 6. possible during extended rests, where the char-
acters eat, drink and sleep.
When your character reacts to hazards or acts
on instincts, roll a twenty-sided die. If the re- In combat or during other dramatic and chaotic
sult is lower than or equal to the relevant abil- events, the game is played in rounds. During a
ity score she evades the misfortune, otherwise round, every character gets one chance to act.
it befalls her. This is called an ability check or To determine who goes first, roll one six-sided
saving throw. die for the adventurers and one for their foes.
The side that rolls high gets the initiative.
A character's starting endurance determines
how many items she can carry. Carrying more, To keep track of the positions of each character,
the character suffers one point of fatigue per Blood & Bronze makes use of zones. A zone is
three additional items, rounded up. For each an area of similar terrain, light or conditions.
point of fatigue, all ability scores are temporari- Zones scale with the scope of the actions: from
ly lowered by one. When an ability score reach- entire provinces during travel to alleys and hid-
es one in this fashion, the character is weary. ing spots when sneaking past palace guards.
Any damage dealt to a weary character will
If the adventures are successful, your character
cause her to pass out.
will gain treasures and wealth. Using the riches
so earned, you may equip your character better
for her future adventures or pay tribute to dei-
ties or powerful patrons in return for new skills
and feats.
 Chapter II -
The WORLD of
BLOOD & BRONZE
12 CHAPTER II

THE WORLD OF AN AGE OF BRONZE

Metalworking is in its infancy. Bronze is ex-
BLOOD & BRONZE pensive and the methods for creating it are
The world of Blood & Bronze is both famil- unknown to most. Iron is even rarer. Everyday
iar and strange. It draws inspiration from real items are commonly made from softer metals
places, cultures and events that have long since such as copper or lead, or from other materials
passed, but it isn’t a historical era. Instead, like stone, ceramics, glass, wood and reed.
Blood & Bronze takes place in a mythical land
Only the most skillfully crafted swords are
home to demons and monsters, sorceries and
forged straight. Instead, sickle-swords are com-
gods. This Mythical Mesopotamia—like the
monly used; their curved shape making them
game itself—is a place of fiction and fantasy.
easier to produce and less brittle.
Below, its key concepts are listed.
It is an agrarian society. Common crops include
A LAND OF TWIN RIVERS
lentils, grain, chickpeas, leeks, grapes and
The adventures of Blood & Bronze take place
dates. Sheep, goats, swine and geese are kept
in and around Mesopotamia, approximating
for meat; cattle and donkeys as beasts of bur-
present day Iraq. Here, two great rivers flow:
den; dogs and cats as pets. Horses and camels
the strong and cold Tigris to the north and the
are imported at great cost from the far north or
slow and dark Euphrates to the south. To the
far south respectively.
northeast, the snow-capped peaks of the Za-
gros range rise like a wall. Southeast, rolling FOOD IS PLENTIFUL, RESOURCES ARE
grasslands and low hills give way to marshes SCARCE
and bogs until they in turn meet the restless The land of the rivers is rich in produce and
waves of the salty Eastern Sea. To the south and blessed with knowledge and civilization but
southwest, immense wastes of sand and scorch- equally poor in most other respects. Even ba-
ing sun stretch past the horizon. Northwest, a sic resources have to be imported: timber and
barren plateau of rocks and low shrubs follow stone from the north; flint, obsidian and met-
the rivers upstream as they veer to reach their al from faraway lands. Thus, trade expeditions
distant sources. often brave the wild—seeking fortunes beyond
the eastern ocean or following secret paths
VAST CITIES AND UNCHARTED WILDERNESS
through the mountains and great deserts.
The people of this age have built the first me-
tropolises: vast cities of lime-plaster, mud- THERE ARE MANY GODS, ALL MANIFEST AND
bricks and stone, circumscribed by high walls. FEARED
Each city is autonomous, and the city’s sover- There are many deities in the world of Blood
eign is also the ruler of the surrounding prov- & Bronze: from grotesque demons lurking in
ince. Rivalry between cities is common, and underground pits and presiding over the base
they frequently change dynasties or enter into critters that share their den, to haughty be-
uneasy alliances due to usurpation, war or con- ings whose domains span the heavens. People
quest. fear them all for their power, dread them their
strangeness and bow before their priests.
Outside the cities strange beasts, desperate ban-
dits and savage tribes make life dangerous, add- The ruling caste of the gods is known as the
ing to the marching hosts sent from one city to Anunnaki: they are the princes and empress-
wage war on another. Thus, few remain longer es of the gods. Just as mankind pays tribute to
than they must without the shelter of the tall their temples and rulers, so all gods in turn pay
city walls. fealty to the Anunnaki.
 THE WORLD OF BLOOD & BRONZE 13

Among the most powerful Anunnaki are Enlil, A CATACLYSMIC FLOOD BROUGHT THE
god of thunder and growth; Ishtar, goddess of WORLD TO ITS KNEES
war and love; Ereshkigal, goddess of the pas- Not a hundred years ago, the world was rav-
sage and ruler of the underworlds; and Ea, lord aged by a cataclysmic flood. Sent by the gods
of the watery depths. Under the scorching sun as a punishment for trespasses unknown, this
where your adventures start, Shamash is lord. black deluge dramatically changed the face of
the earth. New mountains rose, old crumbled
Most cities are built around one or more dei-
to sand. Rivers altered their course and fertile
ties, who reside in awe-inspiring pyramid-tem-
soil became desert. Foul beasts awoke in the
ples called ziggurats. These majestic buildings
depths and crawled up to the surface.
demonstrate the power of the rulers and their
gods to intruders and commoners alike, while Now the flood has subsided and the Anunnaki
also serving as strongholds confining their have once more withdrawn in secluded slum-
weird and dismal inhabitants. ber. But the world is still suffering the after-
math. Some cities are rebuilt; others wither
SHAMASH IS GOD OVER THE DESERT
down under the relentless wear of the gale.
Shamash is the tutelary deity of Sippar; his triple
Meanwhile in the deserts, the ruins of elder
ziggurats looming over its squat houses, marble
tribes were revealed by the raging waves. In
palaces and mud-brick walls. Even the narrow
their dank pits, vile creatures lurk like toads
minarets and princely spires are dwarfed by
waiting for the monsoon to come again.
their titanic presence; gleaming with gold, ivo-
ry and hellish fires as the day passes. A TIME OF ADVENTURES
This is a time of hardship and tribulation, but
Shamash is the burning justice, lord of the sun
also the dawning of a new era. Reckless or
and keeper of the seals. He is hideous to be-
brave, mankind has again begun exploring the
hold: thin but towering and perpetually smol-
unfamiliar lands that now surrounds her. Old
dered by a terrible fire that melts his divine
trade routes are cleared, new one discovered.
skin to reveal lumps of purple flesh and black
Forgetful of the flood, rivalling rulers have once
silver bones. Bound by decree to never lift his
more begun to hoard power and wealth; seek-
face to the heavens, he rarely leaves his citadels
ing to outmaneuver each other while keeping
but employ sorceries to work machinations and
their gods sated.
spy upon the outside world. To escape his eyes,
superstitious folk take great pains to walk in the The world is dangerous and wicked, but it holds
shade and to never discuss private matters with- unimaginable riches of gold, electrum and lapis
out leaving a bowl of water to evaporate, as an lazuli. Queer artifacts of unthinkable might and
offering to his thirst. power—treasures waiting to be seized by those
brave or foolish enough.You are one of them, an
It is said that none can meet his gaze without
adventurer, and this is your age.
bursting into flames, but madmen and zealots
claim that his features can be grasped by staring
into the sun. The retainers that soothe him with
musk and balms made from hashish and gold-
leaf are all blind, however, and when mortals
are summoned before him he always bears a
golden mask. Only the four judges know, but
they never mention such matters to anyone
else.
14 CHAPTER II

The majority of Amorite settlements are small,

Cultures partly subterranean and only periodically in-
The prosperous lands of the twin rivers have habited. Only Mari, weeks west of Sippar, is a
been home to a myriad of different tribes, proper city and houses permanent inhabitants.
wandering up from the flaming deserts of the For those who can find their way there, Mari
south or down from the hostile mountains of offers a wealth of strange artifacts and peculiar
the north. Over the eons, countess cultures goods, slaves with moonlight skin and vulture
have passed: risen to their zenith before waning heads, brought across the seas of sand from far-
into naught; each consecutive kingdom building away destinations.
their cities on the ruins of old. Below, you will
KUTHIANS
find a brief presentation of the largest cultures
To the north, in the foothills of the Zagros
that currently inhabit the lands around Sippar.
range, live the savage Kuthians: tawny-skinned,
AKKADIANS muscular and barbaric. Though some legends
Akkadians are of middle build, with brown claim they derive their name from Kutha, cap-
or black hair, taupe or tanned skins and noble ital of the netherworld, the Kuthians have no
features. Though their culture bears many simi- known cities and few monuments. Instead, they
larities with the Sumerian culture, they speak a live among crumbling ruins built by masters
different tongue and know other gods. lost to time, or in small tribes of hunters seek-
ing shelter in caves or twig huts.
Originally hailing from the northwest, the Ak-
kadian Empire is now spreading south and east Where Akkadians value order and the Sumer
through conquest. Not massive like the Sumer, treasure opulence, the Kuthians prize savagery.
nor graceful like the Amorites or fierce like Akin to civilized people at birth, the Kuthians of
the Kuthi, the rapid expanse of the Akkadian full age resembles them little. Adults color their
god-emperor’s reach is based on organization bodies like bone or blood with ash and hema-
and training. These qualities make Akkadian tite soil. Both women and men wear their hair
mercenaries well known outside of their em- long and weave bones and feathers into it. Many
pire, and highly sought after. sharpen their teeth and the ruling families often
bind the heads of their children.
AMORITES
A nomadic people of the west, the Amorites The Kuthians are feared by the cultures of the
is the only culture thriving in the great basalt south, and the cities frequently wage war on
deserts. Not methodical like the Akkadians, nor them. But the Kuthians are also important trade
wise like the Sumer or keen like the Kuthi, the partners, as their mountains holds timber, min-
Amorite prosperity is based on their wits and erals and other resources that the lowland cit-
skill as traders. ies desperately needs. This trade has led to the
establishment of a permanent trade post near
Amorites are slightly shorter than the Akka-
the northeastern city of Eshnunna. However,
dians, but much more slender. Their constant
the skepticism towards the Kuthi is still wide-
travels render their faces weathered and leath-
spread and many merchants take the precaution
ery and their eyes narrow and piercing. Men
of claiming their goods are from distant king-
often cut their beards short, and both women
doms such as Elam rather than the northern
and men drape their bodies with long shawls
mountains.
to protect from the deserts’ charring sun and
freezing nights.
 THE WORLD OF BLOOD & BRONZE 15

SUMERIANS
The Sumerian culture—wealthy and wise, an-
Sippar
cient and degenerate—dominates the south- Your adventures start in Sippar, a bustling trade
eastern plains and marshlands. One of the old- town situated where the eastern grasslands give
est people, their advances in science, art and way to the sandy wastes of the west and the
philosophy far surpasses those of their neigh- muddy swamps rise to greet the grey hills of the
boring cultures. Some even claim that it was north. Not fully under the control of the Sumer
their inquiries into the stars that provoked the kingdoms, not yet subjugated by the marching
flood. The Sumerians are currently in decline, Akkadian empire of the west, Sippar enjoys the
challenged on all frontiers. privileged position of wealth and influence that
only control over trade routes can give.
Sumerians are towering people: tall and broad,
with thick features. Their skin is olive and their To outsiders, Sippar is famous for its merchants
thick hair borders on blue. Sumerian men let and notaries, but also its smugglers and tem-
their curly beards grow long, and both women plars in service of the Sun.
and men wears ribbons in their hair.
The people of Sippar are of varying stock and
PERIPHERAL CULTURES eclectic in culture. Most speak Akkadian and
Beyond the wet Edin grassland of the Sumer Sumerian with the same ease and distinct ac-
kingdoms live the Elamites. They are a dusky cent; most are equally oblivious to the customs
people of elegant features, known for both their and traditions of both. Instead, the city is ruled
beauty and their skills as seafarers. by four magnificent judges who interpret the
heavenly will and enforce a strict and labyrin-
The reed-folk, or unclean-eaters, are mer-
thine system of laws differentiating between
chants and river pirates hailing from the Isin
nobles, templars, beast-folk, citizens of the
delta and the great reed forests downstream.
northern and southern city, guests, foreigners
Almost as tall as their Sumerian neighbors, the
as well as slaves by contract, birth or conquest.
reed folk are much skinnier and speak a dialect
more akin to the Akkadian tongue. They eat ser- Even for those with no petitions or trespasses
pents and shellfish and obey few of the taboos to be arbitrated, the judges hold power over life
of other people. Their only large settlement is and death as they control the distribution of wa-
Isin, whose reed-houses have lent the people its ter from the underground qanats that provide
name. to most of the city.
Strong and broad, the Kassites are war- Looming over Sippar are the three great Zig-
rior-tribes from the northeast. Long confined gurats of the Sun, where Shamash resides. This
by the inhospitable Zagros range and the savag- tremendous presence is the ultimate reason for
es that inhabit them, the repeated wars between the city's independence, but also for the judges'
the people of the Rivers and the Kuthi have power. Only they are allowed to enter these sa-
made the Kassites bold, occasionally perform- cred houses, and each only once a year. At the
ing mounted raids into the riverlands. summer solstice they congregate with the god
over five days. During that time all courts are
On the western fringes of the Akkadian empire
closed and slaves and citizens join in festivities
live the turquoise-eyed Hittites. Once nomad-
while the barû-priests divine the future in the
ic, the massive push from the Akkadian army
blood of sacred victims and in the entrails of
have forced the majority of them to settle down
murdered men.
in stone strongholds and swear allegiance to the
God Emperor to avoid annihilation.
 Chapter III -
The PLAYER
CHARACTERS
18 CHAPTER III

THE ADVENTURERS
To start playing, each player must first create
6 Choose a class skill. Each character has
an array of special abilities or skills, unique
to her class. At the beginning of the game, you
an adventurer. The adventurer is your alter
get to choose one or more as detailed by your
ego, the fictional person whom you will portray
class description.
when playing the game.
CREATING YOUR ADVENTURER
7 Record endurance thresholds. Your

1
character’s endurance shows how many
Roll ability scores. For each ability,
items she can carry without fatigue and how
roll two six-sided dice. These scores are
much damage she can sustain without serious
used for many things, most importantly in
injuries. Write down her starting endurance on
saving throws. Reroll all double-ones, so that
your character sheet.
each ability ranges from 3 to 12. In addition,
you may change positions between two scores
rolled. Record them on your character sheet. 8 Record starting equipment. A charac-
ter starts her adventures with equipment

2
appropriate to her class. Record it on your
Determine ability ratings. Ability rat-
character sheet. If you accept all starting equip-
ings are used in most actions, and are de-
ment, any further burden will cause her one
rived from the ability score. To determine your
point of fatigue per three items' overweight.
character’s ability ratings, consult the table be-
Equipment marked (*) is non-encumbebring.
low.

3 Roll a background (optional). Back-

grounds describe what the character did
before she started adventuring, or perhaps
D20

1
BACKGROUNDS

Accountant
what her family still does. Backgrounds are 2 Architect
used by the referee to determine what a charac- 3 Barber or Wigmaker
ter knows and is able to craft. If you want your
4 Basket maker
character to have a background, roll once on
the background chart (opposite). 5 Beggar

4
6 Boatsman or –woman
Choose a character class. There are six
classes in Blood & Bronze: Mercenary, 7 Brewer
Rogue, Mystic, Desert Farer, Courtesan and 8 Bricklayer or Canal builder
Seer. Choose whichever appeals to you, based 9 Courier
on your fancies or the background rolled.
10 Dancer or Musician

5 Decide name and appearance. Sample

names and appearances are given for each
class. Choose one or make up your own.
11
12
Gem cutter
Herder
13 Orchardman or –woman
ABILITY SCORE ABILITY RATING 14 Perfume maker
3-5: 1 15 Potter or Brick maker
6-8: 2 16 Scribe
9-11: 3 17 Smuggler
12-14: 4 18 Surgeon
15-17: 5 19 Weaver
18: 6 20 Wood-worker
 THE ADVENTURERS 19

COVENANTS
Improving Your Character Some monsters, gods and suzerains can present
During your adventures, your character will ac- your character with the opportunity to enter
quire wealth and treasures. Offering her wealth into a covenant. A covenant is a bond of alle-
to a god, temple or ruler, your character can in- giance where your character swears fealty to a
crease her rank and gain new abilities: become master, who grants her access to unique abilities
stronger and more powerful, learn new skills or and powers in return for loyalty and tithe. You
gain mastery of old. will encounter these masters and their cove-
nants over the course of your adventures, bar-
Your character’s rank is a measure of her stand-
gain with them and swear allegiance to them—
ing within her class, culture or community.
or betray them—when you deem it wise.
When you start playing, your character has a
class rank of one but no other ranks. By of- When an adventurer enters into a covenant, she
fering wealth to the Queen of No Court, your must offer wealth or sacrifices to the master of
character can increase her class rank to gain that allegiance. How much—and what—de-
new skills as described by her class. pends on the master, so you should not swear
allegiance lightly. In return, your character
THE QUEEN OF NO COURT
gets a covenant rank which can be increased
Ninlil is the patron deity of adventurers and
much like class ranks.
caravan-folk, of shipwrecks and graverobbers
and runaways. She is the goddess of desert TRIBUTE
flowers, dead ends and caprice and is known If a character serves more than one master, she
by many names but her own: the Treader, the is expected to pay tribute each time she in-
Queen of no Court or Lady Misfortune. creases her ranks. The amount demanded de-
pends on the jealousy of the master and increas-
Of royal blood and fabled beauty, she was stolen
es with the character’s rank.
from the island paradise of Dilmun as a bride to
Enlil. She refused his embrace and was cursed If your adventurer refuses to pay tribute, you
to never find peace before cowing to his will. must check for wrath. Roll a six-sided die: if
Since then she wanders endlessly through the the score is lower than or equal to the corre-
wild, aiding or tricking others at her own whim. sponding rank, the master forgives the trespass;
otherwise the master will smite you character
Travelers raise cairns at dangerous passages to
for her infidelity. On a six, you always provoke
pay her respect or ward off her bad luck, leav-
its anger.
ing treasures or offerings inside. If the players
choose to do so, any sufficiently large offering When your character has provoked the wrath of
will gain them an increase in class rank as per her master, cross out that rank but don’t erase
the chart below. it: the number will indicate the magnitude of
the master’s wrath.

CLASS RANK COST IN MINA / SHEKELS

1 0 (Starting rank)
2 10 / 600
3 12 / 720
4 14 / 840
5 16 / 960
6 18 / 1080
20 CHAPTER III

The Mercenary # NAME

A wanderer, with war as her trade 1 Malicar Matho

2 Iptar Resin
Weapons: Two feathered bronze javelins: dmg 3 Blasius Bar Hadad
1d6, thrown, wt 1 each. A khopesh: dmg 1d6; 4 Otho Hasael
versatile (1d8). Stiffened hide helmet: armor 2,
5 Kato Zuru
wt 2. Great wicker shield: defense 3, wt 4.
6 Salmanassar Rimmon
Or: A tall bronze axe: dmg 1d10, 2-handed, wt
7 Aelia Tibur
4; Partial bronze scale: armor 5, wt 5.
8 Nero Mon-Utut
Equipment: sturdy clothes*, a bronze token 9 Haman Chimal
(choose who gave it to you)*, six days' worth of
10 Samalat Nour
dried meat (wt 3), a water-skin (3 uses; wt 3),
snail grease*, a grindstone*, a fire glass
# GUISE
Endurance: 16 (15+1)
1 Bony Jaded eyes
starting encumbrance: 16/16 2 Scarred Alert eyes
Skills and ranks: Characters begin at rank 1. 3 Strong Missing eye
When creating a Mercenary, you get hardened 4 Disfigured Narrow eyes
and tackle as free class skills. In addition, you 5 Handsome Cold eyes
may choose any two specializations from the list
below. Each specialization can be chosen up to 6 Angular Blood-shot eyes
three times for increased honing, as detailed un- 7 Squat Bitter eyes
der each entry. 8 Proud Burning eyes
When your character increases her Mercenary 9 Famished Anguished eyes
class rank, choose two additional specializa- 10 Majestic Sad eyes
tions.
MERCENARY CLASS SKILLS
Hardened: you may add your class rank to your
maximum endurance. For a starting character,
this extra point of endurace is already included.
Tackle: you can tackle, throw or thrust-kick
someone out of the zone you are currently in.
Test Vigor: on a 5+ your target must make a
saving throw against Might or be moved into an
adjacent zone of your choice. Each additional
5+ increases the distance you tackle, throw or
kick her by 1 zone and adjusts her save by -1.
 THE ADVENTURERS 21

MERCENARY SPECIALIZATIONS Tough: Your character is harder to kill than

Weapon training: You get a +1 damage bonus others, only becoming injured at -4 endurance
when fighting with a weapon of your choice: instead of the usual -3.
small, basic, large, legendary, unarmed, bows
2nd. As above, but she can drop to -5 endur-
or thrown. The bonus is added to any one dam-
ance before becoming injured.
age die, making you more likely to score a crit-
ical hit. If your attack deals more than one die 3rd. As above, but she only becomes injured at
damage, the bonus applies only once. -6 endurance.
2nd. You may choose an additional weapon cat- Stratagem: By spending your turn issuing or-
egory or increase the bonus to +2. ders and commands, both sides must roll initia-
tive anew. In addition, you may modify the roll
3rd. You may choose an additional weapon cat-
for your side by +/-1.
egory or add +1 to the bonus for one already
specialized in. 2nd. As above, but you may modify your roll
by up to +/-2.
Rebound: You recover two points of endurance
instead of one when resting. 3rd. As above, but you may modify your roll by
up to +/-3.
2nd. Your recovery speed increases to three
points. Cleave: Whenever your character cuts down
a foe in close combat, you may make a second
3rd. You recover at a speed of four points per
attack (with Use Force or similar skill) provid-
rest.
ed that there are any other opponents within
Skilled negotiator: Loot and payrolls have reach.
made your character skilled in bargaining.
2nd. As above, but if she fells the second char-
When resupplying, she gets a 1 shekel discount
acter as well she may make a third attack.
per ten shekels paid. This equals 1 shekel dis-
counted for articles costing 10 to 19 shekels, 2 3rd. As above, but your character may now
for articles costing 20 to 29 and so on. make a fourth attack if she has already slain
three in her round.
2nd. The discount increases to 2 per ten shek-
els—2 shekels for items priced 10 to 19; 4 for Armor proficiency: Your character knows
items priced 20 to 29 and so on. how to make best use of her armor. When using
armor to negate damage, you may subtract one
3rd. The discount increases to 3 per ten shekels
from the die roll. However, rolling a 20 is still
paid.
considered a failure and piercing blow.
Field medic: When the character treats some-
2nd. As above, you may subtract two.
one’s wounds during a short rest, add 1 to any
one of their recovery dice. If this makes the re- 3rd. As above, but may subtract three.
sult exceed the die’s natural limit, as would a
seven on a six-sided die, treat the surplus as a
separate die.
2nd. As above, but the treated may instead add
2 to her recovery die, or 1 to two different
dice—whichever she prefers.
3rd. As above, but the treated instead add 3 to
any one recovery die or 1 to all.
22 CHAPTER III

The Rogue # NAME

A scoundrel, scraping along by theft and lies 1 Adak The Rat

2 Fili Bugeye
Abilities: You may reroll one ability score, us- 3 Khermud The Hyena
ing three dice and keeping the two best. If nec- 4 Ilud Crawler
essary, recalculate the ability rating using the
5 Zedum Flinch
table on p. 18.
6 Cyrax Scum
Weapons: Short bow: dmg 1d6; missile: reach 2
7 Iddo Gestas
+ 12 arrows (wt 2). A small club: dmg 1d6. An
obsidian awl*: damage 1d4 (backstab +1d8). 8 Zilpund Disma
Leather cap: armor 2, wt 2. 9 Edal Barabba
10 Bik Weasel
Or: A stone adze: dmg 1d6, versatile (1d8), wt
2. A bronze shield: armor 1, defense 3, wt 4.
Equipment: undersized or oversized garments # GUISE
(choose)*, a wicker beggar’s bowl, a length of 1 Bony Anxious eyes
rope made from sinews, a stolen copper brace- 2 Bulky Keen eyes
let*, cedar wood resin*, basic trade tools (as
3 Ugly Alert eyes
per background), a vagrant’s purse* (makes
two items count as one). 4 Nimble Young eyes
5 Graceful Dark eyes
Endurance: 8
6 Hefty Lost an eye
Starting encumbrance: 8/8 7 Creepy Sad eyes
Skills and ranks: Characters begin at rank 1. 8 Girlish Calculating eyes
When creating a Rogue, you get as free class 9 Boyish Suspicious eyes
skills preternatural fortune and vocational 10 Majestic Mad eyes
proficiency. In addition, you may choose an
additional Rogue skill from the list below. Vocational proficiency: Your character gains
a proficiency from her background: whenev-
When your character increases her Rogue class
er your character does something where her
rank, choose an additional skill.
background would reasonably be an asset, as
ROGUE CLASS SKILLS agreed upon between the player and referee on
Preternatural fortune: A peculiar resilience, a per-situation basis, you may add or subtract
pre-human instinct, luck or warding spirit aids one from a single die during your skill test or
you in the most unlikely moments. Whenever ability check.
you suffer chance effects from philters, drugs,
charms, magical devices or similar, you may roll
twice and choose the least harmful outcome.
 THE ADVENTURERS 23

ADDITIONAL ROGUE SKILLS Reptilian reflexes: As long as the Rogue has

Thievery: The character can steal things no fatigue, you may add her Senses rating to her
straight from the body, bag or purse of another, defense.
given some distraction and brief body contact.
Night vision: Allowing a moment for her eyes
When doing so, specify what you are after and
to adapt, you character can see in the dark al-
test Guile. On a 5+, the Rogue takes it, and the
beit in black-and-white. Torches or lamplight
target and any vigilant onlookers must check
negates this ability, and the character will be
Senses: on a hit they notice the theft within
blinded by them until her eyes have adjusted
1d4 rounds; on a miss they are oblivious until
back.
the item is needed. For each additional 5+, the
Rouge may steal another item or gain anoth- Thieves' poison: The Rogue can make a quick
er 1d4 rounds of head start as per the player’s and dirty poison out of almost anything bitter,
choice. unsavory or unpleasant. When doing so, test
Craft. For each 5+ you get one dose. If the poi-
Mimic: The character can imitate the voice and
son is ingested or enters the blood, the target
manners of others so well, that even their clos-
must reduce a randomly determined skill rating
est kin have difficulty telling them apart. When
by one (recovers on a 5+).
spending a day studying someone, check Guile.
On a hit, the Rogue can make a flawless imita- If the ingredients used are in themselves harm-
tion of her voice and mannerisms. On a miss, ful (such as an adder’s venom) the poison deals
the imitation will pass as an excellent carica- 1 damage per round to the target for 1d10
ture, but won’t fool anyone. For each additional rounds; neither shields nor armor applies.
day spent studying the target, modify your roll
Sly: Whenever someone follows your rec-
by +/-1.
ommendations (as per the Advise skill), each
The Rogue can mimic one person per class success also grants you a reroll on any action
rank. Beyond that, once this ability is used mim- that exploits your knowledge of their intend-
icking someone else, a previously flawless imi- ed course of action. Should the character stop
tation is reduced to a cunning caricature, while following your advice or your advice becomes
any previous caricature(s) are lost and must be obsolete before you get a chance to capitalize
relearned. on your suggestions, all unused rerolls are for-
feited.
Dirty Trick: Whenever initiative rolls are tied,
you may perform a dirty trick before initiative
is rerolled. This trick can be any action other
than the most obvious for the situation. For ex-
ample, a Rogue wielding an adze may not attack
with it as a dirty trick but hurling her shield as a
discus would qualify.
Dual Wielder: If your character is fighting
with one weapon in each hand, you may reroll
any damage die showing a one using instead
the damage die corresponding to her alternate
weapon. For example, a dual wielder attacking
with a club and an awl would roll damage using
six-sided dice for her club, but reroll all ones
using the awls four-sided. Should the second die
also show a one, you must accept the result.
24 CHAPTER III

The Mystic # NAME

A diviner, using the narcotic reveries of lotus flowers 1 Xalath Amun

to conjure up shades and apparitions. 2 Uri Meccion
3 Zara Zimurg
Weapons: A bronze axe: dmg 1d6, versatile 4 Barak Yuval
(1d8), wt 2; Bull’s head helmet: armor 2, wt 2.
5 Enoch Hazmu
Equipment: Fine garments*, 3 doses lotus pow- 6 Balibar Naïr
der (special: abstinence as below), cedar per-
7 Yaslan Ninnih
fume*, a necklace made from pink glass beads*,
a small ceramic lamp, two bone needles*, a 8 Xolani Koth-Haba
pouch of ocher dye, rations for a day. 9 Yoon-Ibar Vomba
10 Ayse Homa
Endurance: 10
Starting encumbrance: 10/10
# GUISE
Lotus abstinence: It is said that the lotus bur-
dens as much in absence as when held. However 1 Graceful Bright eyes
few doses of lotus powder you have left, they 2 Lanky Veiled eyes
still count as three items for encumbrance pur- 3 Strange Dead eyes
poses. Should you at any time carry more than 4 Nimble Fiery eyes
three doses, the blooms’ permanent weight is 5 Hypnotic Deep eyes
adjusted accordingly: four doses counts perma-
nently as four, five as five and so on. 6 Handsome Wise eyes
7 Creepy Enchanting eyes
Skills and ranks: All characters begin as
8 Voluptuous Starry eyes
rank 1. When creating a Mystic, you get lotus
trance, increasing powers and tolerance as 9 Boyish Different colored eyes
free class skills. In addition, you may choose a 10 Majestic Sad eyes
lotus spell from the list below.
Increasing powers: By spending additional
When your character increases her Mystic class doses of lotus powder, you can modify your tar-
rank, choose an additional lotus spell. Each get’s saving throw by adding or subtracting your
spell can be chosen more than once for more Mystic class rank. This equals +/-1 for a start-
powerful effects. ing character, +/-2 for a second-rank mystic,
+/-3 for a third-rank and so on.
MYSTIC CLASS SKILLS
Lotus trance: Using the powder of the In addition, for each additional rank the max-
dream-inducing lotus bloom, you may cause imum number of targets for a spell increases.
shades and apparitions to enter the minds of A second-rank mystic can target two characters
others. To cast a lotus spell, expend one dose with the same spell, a third-rank three and so
of lotus powder. Your target must immediately on. If you do, the spell can only be recoiled by
make a saving throw as prescribed by the spell. the main or most powerful target, as deter-
On a miss, she suffers its effect; on a hit the mined by the referee.
dark powers recoil on you, reversing the spell.
Tolerance: You need not roll for random ef-
Make the same saving throw or suffer the ef-
fects when you consume lotus powder, unless
fects of the recoil, as interpreted by the referee.
you choose to.
 THE ADVENTURERS 25

LOTUS SPELLS Illusion: Expend 1 lotus powder to twist the

Dancing shadows: Expend 1 lotus powder to perception of a creature or character into be-
distort the vision of a character or creature in lieving the unreal.Your target must check Lore:
your zone. Your target must check Senses: on a on a miss, she perceives the illusion exactly as
miss, all her actions have a 1-in-2 chance of be- you describe it and acts accordingly for as long
ing misdirected, targeting the shadows instead as you are within shouting distance of your tar-
of you; on a hit, the spell recoils. The effect get. On a hit, the spell recoils.
lasts as long as you remain within eyesight of
Choosing this spell again allows you to create
your target, whether she looks at you or not.
two illusions the second time chosen, three the
Choosing this spell again increases the number third and so on.
of shadows, leaving only a 1-in-3 chance of tar-
Unbearable presence: Expend 1 lotus powder
geting you the second time chosen, a 1-in-4 the
to make it impossible for a character or creature
third and so on.
in your zone to gaze upon you without suffer-
Shock: Expend 1 lotus powder to fill a charac- ing. Your target must check Senses: on a miss,
ter or creature in your zone with waking dreams she must look away or suffer 1d8 damage each
of terror and awe.Your target must check Lore: round; on a hit, it recoils.The effect lasts as long
on a miss, she temporarily suffers 1d12 points as you are within eyesight of your target.
of exhaustion; on a hit, it recoils. This counts as
Choosing this spell again increases the number
items for encumbrance purposes, but recovers
of damage dice to 2d8 the second time, 3d8 the
at a rate of Vigor points per turn. If this exhaus-
third time and so on.
tion reduces any ability rating to one, the char-
acter is weary; if reduced to zero the character Mind-speak: Expend 1 lotus powder to project
passes out as if incapacitated. your thoughts into the mind of another, or have
hers projected into yours. Target must check
Choosing this spell again increases the number
Guile: on a miss, she hears any thought you di-
of damage dice to two the second time chosen,
rect at her as if you were speaking it out, and
three the third and so on.
in addition you may spy on hers. The targeted
Demonic touch: Expend 1 lotus powder to character will not mistake projected thoughts
target any creature or character within reach. for her own, and will normally recognize the
Your target must check Vigor: on a miss, you sender’s voice in them.You have no more pow-
may trade any one of your conditions for any er over her—or her own thoughts—than your
one of hers, or all the damage you have current- words would normally have, meaning that you
ly suffered for all the damage she’s currently can only spy on thoughts that currently preoc-
suffered; on a hit, the spell recoils. cupy her. The spell lasts as long as you are with-
in shouting distance of your target, whether or
Choosing this spell again lets you give more
not you speak to her. On a hit, the spell recoils.
than you take or vice versa. The second time
you chose this spell you may trade conditions, Choosing this spell again increases its effective
including damage, on a two-for-one basis, a distance. The second time the spell is still effec-
three-for-one the third and so on. tive at twice your shouting distance, the third
time at thrice and so on. This increased reach
only affects spells already woven—the target
must still be in your zone to come under the
spell.
26 CHAPTER III

The Desert Farer # NAME

A nomad, braving the sands at the edge of the world. 1 Kabiti Zeri
2 Ahheshu Sumakin
Weapons: A bone waraxe: dmg 1d10, 2-hand- 3 Loth Jasher
ed, wt 4. A leather slingshot*: dmg 1d4, mis-
4 Nadin Zerex
sile: reach 1. A leather cap: armor 2, wt 2.
5 Yourian Tukul
Or: Two obsidian spears: dmg 1d6, (thrown: 6 Melucc Job
reach 1). An elliptic hide shield: armor 1, de-
fense 2, wt 4. 7 Ezra Awan
8 Randh Nodius
Equipment: a colored cloak*, a waterskin (3
9 Shi-Ulgi Azul
uses; wt 3), a small pouch of myrrh*, a neck-
lace with wooden beads*, dates and bread for 10 Tzannata Malim
five days (wt 5), two fowls tied to a stick (wt
2), a tortoise-shell lute, a small urn of olive oil, # GUISE
a lodestone*, a leather wanderer’s sack (makes
four items count as one) 1 Hazy Burning eyes
2 Weathered Pale eyes
Endurance: 14
3 Dreamlike Glaring eyes
Starting encumbrance: 15/15 (see below) 4 Ghostly Small eyes
Skills and ranks: Characters begin at rank 1. 5 Tanned Squinting eyes
When creating a Desert Farer, you get swift 6 Furrowed Beautiful eyes
and curious constitution as free class skills. 7 Thin Smiling eyes
In addition you may choose a class skill from
8 Skewed Wide eyes
the list below.
9 Eerie Piercing eyes
When your character increases her Desert Far- 10 Majestic Blank eyes
er class rank, choose an additional class skill.
DESERT FARER CLASS SKILLS
Swift: Increase your Vigor score by 2. If appro-
priate, adjust your ability rating accordingly.
curious constitution: For encumbrance pur-
poses only, you may add your class rank to your
maximum endurance. As a starting character
you add 1, enabling you to carry up to 15 items
without fatigue. However, the Desert Farer
suffers more from overload than other charac-
ters, gaining one point of fatigue per two excess
items carried (rounded up) instead of the nor-
mal three.
 THE ADVENTURERS 27

ADDITIONAL CLASS SKILLS Pathfinder: You know paths and passages un-
Mirage: Under the midday sun, the Desert Far- known to most. If you choose to use these trails
er begins to diffuse as if she wasn’t really there. when travelling through a zone, test Sense at
During these hours, the character is as hard to the beginning of your journey. For each 5+,
discern as common folks are in twilight and may choose one:
hide just as easily using the normal Conceal/
+ You may travel one hexagon more per day
Disguise skill. The effect lasts until you step out
than the terrain would normally allow
of the light or until you make yourself known.
+ You may travel without leaving a trace
Tongues: You have a keen ear for languag- + You may negate the effects of a failed travel
es. When spending a day listening to people test for you or a companion.
speaking a language that you don’t understand,
If you fail the test, the trail you sought has been
check Lore. On a hit, you learn enough to com-
washed away by wind or floods, or has been
municate with them. For each additional day
compromised and is no longer safe for travel.
you spend studying this tongue, you may modi-
fy your roll by +/-1. Sleepwalker: You can rest while performing
monotonous tasks. During an uneventful day
The Desert farer can keep this spontaneous flu-
or night, you may perform a number of actions
ency in a number of languages equal her Lore
requiring skill tests, ability checks or similar
rating or Class rank, whichever is higher. Be-
equal to your class rank while recovering as if
yond that, once this ability is used to learn a
taking an extended rest. However, you still can-
new language, the previous language is lost and
not treat your own wounds.
must be relearned.
Strange cunning:You have seen so many things
Expert traveler: When using the Haste or Tra-
it is like you lived a hundred lives in a thou-
verse move to travel, you may forfeit your skill
sand different places. Once per month you can
test and instead gain an automatic success.
draw upon these bits of knowledge to perform
Specialist: When examining an old or strange actions that are normally reserved for another
object, test Craft. For each 5+, choose one: class. Roll a four-sided die: 1) Mercenary, 2)
Rogue, 3) Mystic, 4) Seer.
+ You know who last possessed the object
+ You know who created the object Choose any one elective skill, spell or sorcery
+ You know what is wrong with the object from that class, or any two specialisations if a
and how it can be mended Mercenary. For as long as you like, you may use
+ You know what it was used for or where it this ability as would a first-rank character of
was used that class. However, you must still obey other
+ You know a place where you can sell it for restrictions, such as the use of bone salt for sor-
great profit. ceries or lotus powder for spells.
Survival instincts: Chose a favored terrain Once you use a Desert Farer skill, this tempo-
type: desert, hills, mountains, swamps, rivers, rary knowledge begins to fade and is complete-
forests or another. In this terrain, your expe- ly lost at nightfall. Only after a full month has
rience and instincts grants you a reroll to all passed can it be regained—or another ability
saving throws. In addition, you are never sur- gained—as per the procedure above.
prised by monsters or foes common to these
landscapes.
28 CHAPTER III

The Courtesan # NAME

An vagrant entertainer, using beauty and wits to go 1 Yalcin the Pale Flame
where others cannot 2 Eitan Stars' Beloved
3 Tara the Summer’s Cry
Abilities: You may reroll one ability score, us-
4 Amanak Lamenter of Duzum
ing three dice and keeping the two best. If nec-
essary, recalculate the ability rating using the 5 Eli Enlil's Glory
table on p. 18. 6 Erduann of the Dusk
Weapons: A thin bronze rapier: dmg 1d6. A 7 Sashanna the Manifold
thick saffron-colored robe: armor 1. 8 Yana Ninlil’s leman
9 Delia of the Firstborn Sun
Equipment: Fine garments*, cedar perfume*, a
theater mask, a marrowbone flute, a jade neck- 10 Nehuru the Spirit whistler
lace*, a small ceramic lamp, incense*, a bronze
mirror, a pouch of ocher dye, a jar of wine (2 # GUISE
uses, wt 2) and three drinking straws, honey
cakes. 1 Noble Emerald eyes
2 Lanky Almond eyes
Endurance: 10
3 Pleasant Diamond eyes
Starting encumbrance: 10/10 4 Queer Amber eyes
Skills and ranks: Characters begin at rank 1. 5 Corpulent Amethyst eyes
When creating a Courtesan, you get favors as 6 Handsome Jet eyes
a free class skill. In addition, you may choose a 7 Dream-like Jade eyes
class skill from the list below.
8 Voluptuous Opalescent eyes
When your character increases her Courtesan 9 Boyish Zircon eyes
class rank, choose an additional class skill. 10 Proud Olivine eyes
COURTESAN CLASS SKILLS
Favors: You start with 3d100 shekels worth of
favors to collect. The favors are non-transferra-
ble and cannot be used to increase class ranks,
but can otherwise be used for anything you and
the referee agree upon.
 THE ADVENTURERS 29

ADDITIONAL COURTESAN CLASS SKILLS Lip reading: If you can see a person moving her
Allure: Exposing your true and unchecked lips, you can hear what she says no matter how
beauty—by shedding your clothes, baring your low her voice. This ability doesn’t give you the
soul, performing an act of sad desperation or ability to understand foreign tongues; it does,
undiluted joy—you are considered proficient however, allow you to understand any cues that
in all actions relying on charm or charisma and the tone of a voice would normally give off,
may add or subtract one to any one die in skill such as being upset, fearful or excited.
tests and saving throws. In addition, all charac-
Soothing touch: When you treat someone’s
ters and creatures seeing you must check Lore
wounds during a rest, they recover an addition-
or be unable to harm you until you cover, they
al 1d4 endurance with each of your successes.
avert their eyes, or until you do something vio-
lent or aggressive against them. Beast call: You can give perfect imitations of
the call, cries, songs and croaking of animals.
Reminiscence: Your presence carries the spec-
When imitating an animal or beast you have
ter of yesteryears, bringing memories to the
seen and heard, test Guile. For each 5+, you
bereft and sentimentality to the nostalgic.
may give a perfect imitation of a single beast. All
When you exercise your power over someone
animals and characters unaware of its true ori-
yearning, test Guile. On a 5+, you remind her
gins will respond to it as if real. A lion's roar, for
of someone she knew. For each additional 5+,
example, will unsettle cattle and scare quarries
you may convince her of a “memory” that you
and children, attract other lions to mate or fight
share.
for territory but leave monsters unaffected.
Dream speaker: At midnight, you can inquire
Theatrics: You are a master of schemes and
people in their sleep. When you whisper to
tricks. When you willfully expose yourself to
someone sleeping, test Guile. For each 5+, she
harm, check Guile twice. If either is success-
must give you the truthful answer to a question.
ful, you suffer only half the harm, if both are
The person remembers the conversation only
successful you suffer none. Regardless of your
vaguely, like one would a dream.
rolls, the harm seems real to everyone watch-
Aura: Your actions are infectious; your compa- ing.
ny feels your sadness when you weep, your joy
For your theatrics to work, you must exert
when you smile, your terror when you tremble.
some control over the damage, for example by
When you focus your feelings, whether sincere
quaffing the poison yourself or instructing what
or not, test Might. For each 5+, you may al-
cup to be used, instructing your executioner
ter the mood of a character or creature in your
from which angle to strike or what weapon to
presence. The target won’t necessary associate
use, choosing what cliff to jump from or similar.
the mood with you, but it lasts only as long as
she is with or around you.
30 CHAPTER III

The Seer # NAME

A sage, wise in the ways of the stars. 1 Nimbubul Hamuriban

2 Samara Sanubi
Weapons: A crooked meteorite dagger: dmg 3 Tidri Dutu
1d6. Special:You can choose to roll an addition-
4 Khaliman Sin-Kamusin
al 1d6 for damage. If you do, the dagger shatters
on a 1. Ceremonial bronze helmet or thick raw- 5 Nabu-Sin The Blind
hide cap: armor 2, wt 2. 6 Jannes Karsuda
Equipment: ragged or fine garments (choose)*, 7 Tharbis Hyrid
an obsidian mirror, 1 clay tablet, bread and 8 Sherah Jhir
dates for three days (wt 3), a jug of water, dried 9 Hor Jayasur
herbs*, a reed stylus*, 3 doses bone salt*, a tur- 10 Ban Casban Tarmun
quoise bird in a wooden cage.
Endurance: 10 # GUISE
Starting encumbrance: 10/10 1 Sickly Cloudy eyes
Spirit combustion: Should you become inca- 2 Thin Empty eyes
pacitated due to damage, you must immediately 3 Dusky Old eyes
roll a ten-sided die. If the result is lower than 4 Haughty Crazy eyes
or equal to the amount of bone salt you carry, 5 Pallid Cold eyes
it will disappear in a hissing ghost flame. If you
carry 10 or more doses, the spirits released will 6 Obese Large eyes
seize control of your lifeless body on the roll of 7 Leathery Judgmental eyes
a 10, pursuing their own strange ends until you 8 Crooked Dead eyes
have successfully recovered. 9 Imposing Glowing eyes
Skills and ranks: Characters begin at rank 10 Tormented Wicked eyes
1. When creating a Seer, you get scholarly
Bone sorcery: By mixing bone salt with
knowledge, immunity, bone sorcery and
blood—from you or another creature—you
ceremonial casting. In addition, you may
can cast terrible sorceries (see below). Expend-
choose a sorcery from the list below.
ing an additional dose of bone salt allows you to
When your character increases her Seer class reroll all dice of your sorcery test.
rank, choose an additional sorcery.
Ceremonial casting: Magic works on a tit for
SEER CLASS SKILLS tat: by prolonging the casting time, your sorcer-
Scholarly knowledge: Your area of expertise ies can be made to last longer or target great-
is broader than most. Roll twice on the back- er areas as detailed in each entry. Additionally,
ground chart and note the extra results—in your influence over the spirits increases with
these matters you have great scholarly knowl- your class rank. On rank two, all sorcerous
edge but little practical experience. effects are doubled in duration or scope, on
rank three they become tripled and so on. This
Immunity: If you consume bone salt, you need
means that for a rank-three Seer, a sorcery that
not roll for random effects unless you choose
took a minute to cast may last three minutes
to.
before dissolving.
 THE ADVENTURERS 31

BONE SORCERIES Premonition: You can scrye into things yet to

Spirit ward: You can create a sorcerous barrier come.When reading the future in the skies or in
to keep yourself safe. When you draw a line on blood, expend 1 bone salt and test Senses. On
the ground to keep others out, expend 1 bone a 5+, you gain a vision equal in length to your
salt and test Lore. On a 5+, you create a pow- preparations. Once during this period, you may
erful ward, long as the line you drew. Anyone nullify everything that happens during a single
crossing it immediately suffers 1d8 damage per round by declaring that you foresaw it. During
Seer rank. For each additional 5+, you may al- the next round, none of your allies may attempt
low passage to someone, or may pass the barri- to recreate the nullified actions.
er yourself without destroying it.
For each additional 5+, you may nullify another
The effect lasts until the powder is swept away round of actions within that period of time.
by wind or rain or by deliberate action on your
Witch Flame: Mixing bone salt and phosphor,
part.
you can create a powder that burns with a sor-
Dead memories: You may see through the eyes cerous blaze when exposed to fire. When con-
of the dead, to learn the secrets they held in life cocting your Witch Flame, expend 1 bone salt
and the fate that befell them. When you draw and test Craft. On a 5+, the Witch Flame will
your mark on a skeleton or corpse, expend 1 burn for a period equal to your preparations,
bone salt and test Senses. On a 5+, you get a vi- filling an entire combat zone and dealing 1d8
sion of her last moments in life, equal in length damage per round to everyone there. In addi-
to your preparations. For each additional 5+, tion, all neighboring zones become bright as if
you may glimpse a useful detail from their life lit by mid-day sun. For each additional 5+, the
at referee's discretion. fire either expands by one zone or increases in
damage by an additional 1d8 (your choice).
The skeleton or corpse must be intact, lest the
visions be fragmented. Evil eye: You can draw a powerful glyph of
misfortune, instilling bad luck in all who see
Far sight: You may experience things connect-
it. When shaping your mark of misfortune, ex-
ed to a place, person or object you have placed
pend 1 bone salt and test Lore. For each 5+,
your mark on. When placing your farseer’s
you get one influence. Spend your influence to
mark, expend 1 bone salt and test Lore. For
have someone gazing at the symbol suffer a -1
each 5+, you get an influence. Spend your in-
penalty to any skill of your choice for a period
fluence to see, hear or speak through your mark
of time equal to your preparations.
for a period equal in length to your prepara-
tions.
Once you have spent all your influence, your
mark wears off.
 rating score ability

player GUILE
name
LORE
appearance

rank next rank

SENSES
class
covenants rank next rank
CRAFT
VIGOR
wealth Tot. rank

MIGHT
equipment background
weapons dmg. reach wt.

armor def. armor wt.

12 Defense Armor ENDURANCE

Total Total Current MAX

Burden scarred.
Total Fatigue
18 maimed. Lower all
other ability scores by -1.
dead. Perform one
last action.
conditions heals
 skill roll effect
Manipulate Each 5+ grants you an influence over someone: spend it to have her
(Guile) reroll a die when acting against your wish.
Disguise/Conceal Each 5+ grants you an influence: spend it to have someone reroll a die
(Guile) when searching for that which you have concealed.
Expert Knowledge Each 5+ lets you remember or deduce something that others are
(Lore) unaware of: ask the referee a question relevant to your knowledge.
Advise Each 5+ lets you grant someone a reroll on the condition that she
(Lore) heeds your advice.
Search Each 5+ lets you find something hidden or easily missed: ask the
(Senses) referee any one question about the object of your search.
Assess Each 5+ lets you see through someone: ask the referee (or player)
(Senses) anything. If you act on this information, you gain a reroll.
Make Say what you seek to create. The referee sets delimitations: quality, time,
(Craft) material or similar. Each 5+ lets you double or halve any one of them.
Treat Wounds Each 5+ lets you grant your patient a recovery die if resting:
(Craft) 1d6 for short rests, 1d10 for extended.
Hurl/Shoot On a 5+ you hit your mark if in reach: target may check Senses to catch
(Vigor) or evade. Each additional 5+ adjusts reach by +1 and saves by +/-1.
Haste/Traverse Each 5+ lets you either: traverse a zone without misfortunes,
(Vigor) get hold of something in the current zone, or bring someone with you.
Use Force State your demand: your target must accept or suffer damage.
(Might) Each 5+ equals 1 die damage as per weapon.
Guard/Defend Each 5+ grants an influence: spend it to reroll damage taken or make
(Might) yourself the target of an action intended for someone else in your zone.
Chapter IV -
WEAPONS &
EQUIPMENT
36 CHAPTER IV

WEAPONS & GOODS in shekels or trade the vendor something she

wants in exchange. No trader will pay in shek-
The following chapter contains lists of items—
els: this is reserved for high ranking officials and
equipment, weapons and other goods—that an
patrons only.
adventurer might find in the grand bazaars of
Sippar. The lists are by no means exhaustive but TREASURES
provide a guide for pricing, availability, encum- A treasure is a rare, powerful or highly sought
brance and other qualities that can be used as after object that can be traded for shekels. Only
reference for trade. objects marked as treasure can be sold for shekels.
Encumbrance OPTIONAL RULE—AN AGE OF THIEVES
By default, characters can only acquire shekels
A character can carry a number of items equal
by trading in their treasures or by finding or
to her starting or maximum endurance with-
stealing them from someone wealthy. If pre-
out tiring. If your character has an endurance
ferred, this rule can be altered so that all things
of twelve, she can carry twelve items without
can be sold for shekels. The referee should note
penalty. For each three additional items, round-
that in so doing, the focus of the game will be
ed up, the character suffers a point of fatigue.
shifted towards trade and petty theft. This ap-
If the character above were to carry 16 pieces
proach lends itself well to low-key and “realis-
of equipment, she would suffer two points of
tic” sessions rich in personal drama that can be a
fatigue.
nice change of pace.
A character's fatigue is subtracted from all her
Markets
ability scores, making saving throws and abil-
ity checks more likely to fail. However, this The land of the twin rivers is rich in produce
reduction—being temporary—does not cause and animal life, but poor in most other resourc-
ratings to be recalculated. Skill tests and similar es. Thus, the sprawling cities rely on a constant
rolls are therefore unaffected. influx of trade goods: construction materials,
spice, ore and gemstones. When supplies ar-
Should any of your character’s ability scores
rive, great banquets are held to celebrate the
drop to one in this fashion, she becomes wea-
return of the trade expeditions, and the amass-
ry. A weary character will pass out if she suffers
ing wealth of the cities' rulers.
even a single point of damage, or if any one of
her skills are reduced to zero. Other than food, availability of goods is limited
and strongly dependent on the arrival of trade
Encumbrance must be recalculated at the refer-
caravans. This means that markets in Blood &
ee's request. Fatigue can only be relieved during
Bronze are much like today’s flea markets: peo-
extended rests (see p. 51).
ple offering up what they can spare, in order to
Currencies and Barter buy the things they need more.
In the world of Blood & Bronze, the basic unit Living Costs and Upkeep
denoting value is called a shekel. Sixty shekels
For each day spent in a city, your character is
is called a mina. A shekel isn’t a coin proper.
required to pay at least 1 shekel in upkeep, re-
Rather, it is an administrative unit, approxi-
flecting the cost for simple food and lodging. If
mately equal to two days’ worth of grain for a
she cannot, she must rely on the hospitality of
farmer, or one day’s sustenance for a mercenary
her contacts within the city or on her ability to
or a lesser official. Since the value of a shekel
steal what she needs, or otherwise go starving
varies with the harvest’s yield, trade is largely
(see p. 49).
based on barter. For your adventurer to acquire
an item, you may either pay the asked price
 WEAPONS & GOODS 37

Common goods CLOTHES*

A wool shawl, with petal embroideries
FOOD AND DRINKS (20 s).
A two liter jar of beer (12 s; wt 2) brewed A wool turban, white as a cloud (14 s).
by temple artisans, and a set of drinking A long linen shirt of akkadian cut (24 s).
straws.
A fringed gown (30 s).
An urn (3 liters) containing tart, dark-
A green linen breast-band (12 s).
hued wine of medium quality (17 s; wt 3).
A loin cloth made from wool (10 s).
Six rations of wheat bread and lentils
(6 s; wt 6). A layered skirt of pale blue flax (20 s).
Six rations of dried meat (13 s; wt 3). Bright red Elamite trousers (30 s).
A hearty meal of goat and chick-pea por- A pair of palm leaf sandals (12 s).
ridge (1 s). A pair of steerhide shoes (30 s).
A cup of grape sherbet or two honey BEAUTY
cakes, depending on season (2s).
A knee-length raven black wig* (40 s).
A set of bronze razors* (22 s).
TOOLS
A small box of rhinoceros horn with blush
A needle and thimble* made from bone powder (16 s; wt ½).6 uses.
(4 s).
A clay cup of sandalwood body oil*
A copper saw (20 s). (12 s).
A bowdrill made from roots of the Cedarwood perfume* from faraway Tyre
ziziphus tree (3 s). (20 s). 6 uses.
A ceramic oil lamp, with enough oil to A headdress of magpie feathers (60 s).
burn through the night (30 s).
Olive lamp oil (18 s; wt 6). Expendable LEISURE
(6): refills a lamp to burn through the night. A wooden checkers game (10 s).
A cup of cedar oil paint (24 s). Four many-faceted granite dice* (3 s).
A large obsidian mirror (35 s; wt 3).
WILDERNESS EQUIPMENT A clay tablet, containing two chapters of
A fowler’s net (15 s). an epic tale (25 s).
3 men’s length of hempen rope (6 s). Reed stylus and a copper sharpener (12 s).
A barbed fishing spear and net (18s; A bone flute*, intoned for songs of joy
wt 2). (30 s).
A linen bedroll (20 s; wt 2). +1 endur- A reed pipe*, intoned for songs of woe
ance recovery during extended rests. (12 s).
Three torches (6 s; wt 3). An arched, silk-stringed harp (120 s; wt 2).
A wicker sunshade, decorated with A lyre, made from turtle shell (80 s).
mythical motives (30 s). Three contraceptive ointments, made
from laserwort resin (20 s). There’s a 1-in-
12 chance that they have no effect.
38 CHAPTER IV

War Gear
WEAPON DMG SPECIAL COST
Small weapons 1d4 wt 0 25 s
Punch, Bite, Strangle-hold… 1d4 wt 0; no crit -
Awl 1d4 wt 0; backstab (+1d8) 70 s
Lead dart 1d4 wt 1/3; thrown 30 s
Slingshot 1d4 wt 0; missile: reach 1 50 s
Basic weapons 1d6 100 s
Staff, Rock, Clay tablet… 1d6 no crit -
Cudgel 1d6 no crit; bludgeon (1d4) 300 s
Meteorite dagger 1d6 iron 400 s
Khopesh 1d6+1 300 s
Duck-billed axe 1d6 versatile (1d8) 160 s
Javelin 1d6 thrown 120 s
Bow 1d6 2-handed; missile: reach 2 250 s
Great weapons 1d10 wt 4; 2-handed 250 s
Mace 1d8+1 wt 4 300 s
Tall spear 1d8 wt 4; piercing +2 350 s
Crescent axe 1d10 wt 3; guard breaking 700 s
Obsidian warclub 1d10 wt 6; bludgeon (1d8) 500 s
Great bow 1d10 wt 4; missile: reach 4 700 s

SHIELDS & ARMOR ARMOR DEF SPECIAL COST

Shield - 2 wt 2 120 s
Great wicker shield - 3 wt 4 100 s
Bronze shield 1 3 wt 4; adds to other armor 400 s
Helmet 2 - wt 2; adds to other armor 200 s
Thick cloth 3 - wt 3 150 s
Primitive 4 - wt 6 150 s
Stiffened leather 6 - wt 6 360 s
Bronze scale 8 - wt 8 600 s
Full bronze 10 - wt 10 1000 s

OTHER WAR GEAR SPECIAL COST

Quiver Holds up to 12 arrows 12 s
Six clay-headed arrows Breaks when used 4s
Six bronze-headed arrows Breaks on a 1-in-6 12 s
Whetstone 50 s
Limestone warpaint 6 uses 24 s
 WEAPONS & GOODS 39

Qualities and Characteristics Defense: When equipped, this item reduces all
damage with the number indicated. For exam-
Most of the time, your imagination and cre- ple, if your character has a shield with defense 3
ativity will suffice to determine how an item and is hit twice for 7 and 9 damage the effect of
can be used. However, some items have special both attacks are reduced by 3 points, leaving 4
rules to govern their usage, called qualities. and 6 damage respectively.
Below is a list covering common qualities and
Guard breaking: Shields are ineffective against
their meaning.
this weapon.
LIST OF QUALITIES
Iron: Made from sharp but brittle meteorite
2-handed: Must be wielded with both hands.
iron. You may reroll one damage die, but if you
Armor: Can be used to negate the effect of an do the weapon breaks on a 1.
attack. When you do, roll a twenty-sided die
Missile: This ranged weapon requires sling-bul-
under or equal to its armor score. On a miss,
lets, arrows or similar. Fired using the Shoot
the armor is destroyed. On a 20, the armor
skill, missile weapons deal one damage die per
both breaks and is useless against the attack.
success. In addition, missile weapons still deal
Backstab: When attacking an opponent who is half damage when evaded.
unprepared, pre-occupied of unaware of your
No crit—no critical damage: This weapon
presence, you deal extra damage as indicated by
doesn’t allow you to roll additional dice when
the weapon.
you score maximum damage.
Bludgeon: Upon impact, this weapon deals
Piercing: Opponent must add this number to
one or more dice of temporary exhaustion in
her armor check.
addition to any physical damage. For example,
a weapon with the bludgeon (1d6) quality deals Reach: This weapon can be used against op-
a six-sided die points of temporary exhaus- ponents in another zone on the battlefield. A
tion; a weapon with bludgeon (1d12) deals weapon with reach 1 can be used against oppo-
a twelve-sided die. A player can recover half nents in an adjacent zone; reach 2 can be used
her character’s temporary exhaustion during a against opponents two zones away and so on.
short rest, on the condition that the remaining
Versatile: Though normally a one-hand weap-
part is transformed to normal exhaustion. Un-
on, you can use this weapon with two hands to
less otherwise noted, all NPCs are considered
deal more damage or gain another bonus as in-
fully burdened and at fatigue 0.
dicated by the weapon.
Cost: The amount of shekels your character
Wt (X)—weight: For encumbrance purposes,
must pay to acquire it.
this piece of equipment counts as X items. A
dmg—damage die: When you deal damage us- weight 3 item counts as three pieces of equip-
ing this weapon, the damage dice determine ment; a weight 1/3 item counts as one third.
how much. 1d6 means you roll one six-sided
Thrown: This weapon is designed to be flung,
die, 2d4 means you roll two four-sided dice and
hurled or thrown. Hurled using the namesake
sum them. For each point of damage dealt, your
skill, weapons with the thrown quality deal one
opponent’s endurance is lowered by one.
damage die per success. However, the target
Whenever you roll the highest number possible may evade or catch it by checking Senses.
on a damage dice (4 on a 1d4, 6 on a 1d6 and so
on) you deal critical damage: roll another dam-
age die and add it to the total.
40 CHAPTER IV

Lotus Powder 32 Quick.You act first in every round,

regardless of initiative.
Lotus powder is a powerful hallucinogenic
33 Tireless.You may carry twice your
poison, diffusing the border between the wak-
endurance in items without suffer-
ing world and the gods' dark reveries. When a
ing fatigue.
character consumes it, roll on the chart below
to determine its effects. Mystics need not roll; 34 Babble. The words you say don’t
Rogues roll twice and choose. All effects lasts make sense to anyone else.
1d6 hours, unless otherwise stated. 35 You can see with your eyes closed,
but colors become inverted.
Lotus abstinence: Using or even possessing lo-
36 You become shook by violent mood-
tus powder causes abstinence. A character car-
swings. Every minute, roll a die:
rying a dose of lotus powder will still suffer its
odd, mirth; even, gloom.
weight when the dose is gone. Should she at any
time hold more than one dose, the permanent 41 You feel neither pain nor joy, only
burded increases proportionally. the slight undulations of the earth.
42 Thirst.You must drink 1d4 urns of
D66 LOTUS POWDER EFFECTS water each hour, or lose 1d4 endur-
11 Oily blood gushes from your nose. ance per urn missed. In addition,
you cannot recover until you have
12 Your ears ring with mad chimes,
drunk your fill.
cancelling out all sounds from the
surrounding world. 43-51 You fall into a baleful sleep.
13 Your sight become blinded with 52-53 All poisons, illnesses or evil spirits
tears, unless under water where lose their grip of you.
vision is crystal clear. 54-61 You experience ecstatic dreams.
14 Everything you stare at is accompa- 62-63 Strange effect: roll again but target
nied by a twin, doing other things someone else with the effect.
for other purposes. 64 Enlightened. 1d4+1 questions are
15 Vertigo besets you, as you feel the answered by a demon savant.
world swirl through the vast empti- 65 Grazed. A god passed you by in your
ness of time. sleep.You cannot rest nor recover
16 A ravenous hunger torments you. the following week, for fear of fall-
21 Your senses sharpen, but your body ing into the same dream again.
becomes heavy and feeble. 66 Beheld. A god has seen you in the
22 Your body becomes locked in black dreams and marked you with
cramps. its ominous curiosity. Check Might:
on a miss your death is instant, on a
23 You become surrounded by figures
hit it will come within a week.
only you can see, scrutinizing you
with vulture eyes and speaking in a COST AND AVAILABILITY
language you cannot understand. Lotus powder is heavily addictive. Its cost varies
24 Every crevice crawls with insects, with the desperation of the seller. The referee
speaking to you in drilling voices. should assume that a dose of lotus powder costs
25-26 Cured from diseases and curses. 1d100 shekels. In addition, the component may
31 Slow.You act last in every round, only be available on a roll of 5 or more, using a
regardless of initiative. die appropriate for the market’s size.
 WEAPONS & GOODS 41

Bone Salt 9 The salt is bitter like ash and fills

you with overpowering grief over
Bone salt is a crystalline dust of unknown origin a loss you hadn't known but that is
used in sorceries or to bring glorious or hor- now part of you.
rible memories of lives past. When a character
10 If the spirit ever was human, it has
consumes bone salt, roll on the chart below.
long since devolved.You can speak
Seers and other sorcerers need not roll; Rogues
the language of all beasts, but you
roll twice and choose. Effects last 1 day unless
forget that of mortals.
otherwise stated.
11 Possessed. The words you utter
Spirit combustion: Taking damage while car- aren’t yours anymore.
rying bone salt carries the risk of a spontaneous 12 Profound knowledge. In life, the
spirit combustion. Should you become incapac- spirit now haunting your soul must
itated due to damage, you must immediately have been a scholar or a fool for it
roll a ten-sided die. If the result is lower than seemingly possesses an all-encom-
or equal to the amount of bone salt you carry, passing knowledge.You may ask the
it will disappear in a hissing ghost flame. If you spirit any 10 questions, and it will
carry 10 or more doses, the spirits released will answer. However, for each answer
seize control of your lifeless body on the roll of the referee will roll a twenty-sided
a 10, pursuing their own strange ends until you die under the number of questions
have successfully recovered. previously asked to determine if the
answer is deceitful or not.
D12 BONE SALT EFFECTS
1-3 Recollections of a life that isn’t COST AND AVAILABILITY
yours. Roll once on the background Bone salt is a finite resource, and is highly
chart: the haunting knowledge sought after by seers and sorcerers, despite
grants you a +1 proficiency bonus common folks’ fear for it. The referee should
to all skill tests where this knowl- assume that whenever available, a dose of bone
edge is relevant. salt costs no less than 2d100 shekels. In addi-
4 Fragmented visions. Roll twice on tion, the component is only available on a roll of
the background chart, as above. 5 or more, using a die appropriate for the mar-
However, the mental strain halves ket’s size ranging from 1d4 (thus impossible)
your endurance. for common vendors to 1d12 for truly massive
and bustling bazaars.
5 Fortitude.Your endurance is in-
creased by +2d4.
6 Celerity.Your may add +1d6 to
your weapon speed.
7 The spirit can write and read all
languages. After the first day has
passed, this ability lasts for +1d4
additional texts.
8 The spirit offers you a permanent
proficiency, in return for a costly
favor (at the referees discretion).
Chapter V -
RULES of
the GAME
44 CHAPTER V

RULES VIGOR
Vigor is used for running, leaping, swimming,
In this chapter, you will find all the rules needed
scaling and traveling the world, as well as hurl-
for playing Blood & Bronze.
ing objects and shooting bows. Two basic skills
Abilities are associated with Vigor: Haste/Traverse and
Hurl/Shoot. With a success on the basic Vigor
In Blood & Bronze, all characters have six dif-
skills, you are allowed to move your adventurer
ferent abilities measuring how apt they are
or send a projectile across a zone (see p. 47).
at various tasks. The six abilities are presented
below. MIGHT
Might is used for destroying objects and at-
GUILE
tacking or threatening people, as well as for
Guile is used for tricking and charming as well
thwarting their attempts. Two basic skills are
as sneaking and hiding. Two basic skills are asso-
associated with Might: Use Force and Guard/
ciated with Guile: Manipulate and Disguise/
Defend. With a success on the basic Might
Conceal. With a success on the basic Guile
skills, you may impose your will on someone
skills, you get influence which allows you to af-
or thwart her actions. If you impose your will,
fect the outcome of someone else’s actions by
the target suffers damage if she refuses (see p.
having them reroll a die.
48).
LORE
ABILITY SCORES & RATINGS
Lore is used for knowledge and deduction,
Two numbers are associated with each ability:
as well as for devising plans and thinking on
the ability score and the ability rating.
your feet. Two basic skills are associated with
Lore: Expert Knowledge and Advise. With Ability scores normally range from 3 to 12,
a success on the basic Lore skills, you—or your though they can reach as high as 18. When mak-
allies—gain some helpful insights from your ing a saving throw, you try to roll equal to or
character’s wisdom. under this score with a twenty-sided die.
SENSES The ability rating is derived from the ability
Senses is used for careful observations and score, using the chart below. It commonly rang-
scrutiny, as well as empathy and instincts. Two es from 1 to 4, but can reach up to 6. The ability
basic skills are associated with Senses: Search rating indicates the number of six-sided dice
and Assess. With a success on the basic Senses you roll during skill tests.
skills, you find something hidden or see through
If your character’s ability scores change during
someone’s lies.
the game, consult the conversion chart and re-
CRAFT calculate her ability ratings if appropriate.
Craft is used for creating and altering things, as
well as mending them and curing others. Two
basic skills are associated with Craft: Make ABILITY SCORE ABILITY RATING
and Treat Wounds. With a success on the ba-
sic Craft skills, you get to create or alter the 3-5: 1
state of something using certain guidelines. If 6-8: 2
you create or tamper with an object, the refer- 9-11: 3
ee will set up delimitations for you: things you
need, time and so on. If you treat someone’s 12-14: 4
ailments or wounds, the delimitations will be 15-17: 5
described by the condition you wish to cure. 18: 6
 RULES 45

Skill Tests Saving Throws

When a situation is so uncertain that it can’t be Saving throws—or ability checks—are used for
resolved using common sense, when there are reactive actions and to determine whether or
conflicts of interest or too much at stake, your not a character is affected by a looming threat.
character must depend on her skills to perform Like a trap, for example: it just sits there, ready
her intended actions. If the skill requires you to to spring when someone makes an unfortunate
test an ability, follow the steps below. move. The saving throw simply determines if
your character avoids making that unfortunate
MAKING A SKILL TEST

1
move or not.
Decide which ability to use. The skill
description will tell you which; if you are MAKING A SAVING THROW
unsure, ask the referee.
1 Decide the appropriate ability score

2
to check against. The referee describes
Roll dice. Roll a number of six-sided dice
the hazard and determines an appropriate abil-
equal to the relevant ability rating.
ity.

3 Count successes. In the ability test, each

5+ (5 or 6) that you roll counts as a suc-
cess. If you roll at least one success, the action
2 Roll a twenty-sided die. As always, you
roll for your character and the referee
rolls for hers.
results in a positive outcome. More successes
indicate an even better outcome. A failure may
result in a misfortune or other negative effect at
the referee’s discretion.
3 Compare the result with the ability
score. If the result is higher than the abili-
ty score, your character suffers the misfortune.

4
Otherwise, her instincts and experience save
Determine the outcome. The skill will
her.
give mechanical consequences, like deal-
ing more damage. Exactly what happens is de- On the roll of a 1, your character always evades;
termined by your action and the referee. on a 20, she always fails.

Saves Craft is used for saving throws to avoid bale-

ful effects when tinkering with magical and
Guile is used for saving throws to withstand
other devices, to see whether equipment
truth serums and mind reading, to pass unno-
holds or breaks during a fall, as well as in all
ticed or avoid angering a foe, and in all other
other situations where deftness, dexterity and
situations where stealth, trickery and deceit
know-how are key to survival.
are key to survival.
Vigor is used for saving throws to evade area
Lore is used for saving throws to withstand
effects and fire breaths, as well as all other sit-
paralyzation and petrification, fear, repulsion,
uations where speed, agility and physique are
mind controlling magic, and in all other situa-
key to survival.
tions where wisdom, willpower and seniority
are key to survival. Might is used for saving throws to with-
stand poisons and maladies, to break free
Senses is used for saving throws to dodge
from strangle-holds, to see whether an arm
rays and missiles, to avoid tripwires and pres-
remains functional after being crushed under
sure-plates, as well as in all other situations
a boulder, as well as in all other situations
where instincts, reflexes and vigilance are key
where strength, resilience and toughness are
to survival.
key to survival.
46 CHAPTER V

PROFICIENCIES
Altering the Outcome Some characters, like Rogues and those under
Many skills and actions give you the opportuni- the influence of bone salt, may have one or
ty to swing the balance to your favor by altering more proficiencies. Whenever your character
the outcome of a skill test, saving throw or oth- does something where this proficiency would
er die roll. Below is a list of the most common reasonably be an asset—as would deciphering a
ways to alter a character’s chances of success. text for a character with proficiency as a scribe
or accountant—you may modify a die rolled
REROLLS
during a skill test or ability check by +/-1, for
Some skills, like Assess and Advise, let you aid
example making a 4 into a 5 and thus a success.
your comrades by granting them rerolls. Un-
less the skill says otherwise (as with influence) OTHER CIRCUMSTANCES
the character’s player chooses what die or dice If you devise a cunning plan, if circumstances
to reroll, thus increasing her chances of success. are to your advantage or if you advocate your
cause well, the referee may grant you an addi-
INFLUENCE
tional die for your skill test.
Skills like Manipulate and Conceal give you in-
fluence over another character's actions. This For example, if you try to persuade someone
means that you can hinder her efforts by mak- (using the Manipulation skill) and you give
ing her reroll one or more dice. In contrast to compelling reasons for her to trust you, the ref-
regular rerolls, your influence lets you decide eree might allow you an extra die. If your words
which dice and when your target must reroll. are moving enough, the referee might even de-
This way, you can radically lower her chances cide that the NPC is convinced, letting you skip
of success. the skill test altogether. The reverse is also true:
if an NPC is trying to persuade your character,
MODIFICATIONS
you are free to decide that the words ring so
Skills like Hurl and Shoot let you modify the
true that the attempt succeeds without a skill
outcome of a die roll. This means that you may
test on the referee's part.
add or reduce a number of pips from the die.
For example, a modification of +/-2 would al- On the other hand, if you say something really
low you to alter a roll of 8 to either 10 or 6. thoughtless or provoking, the referee might re-
move a die or even decide that the NPC stops
Whether to add to or subtract from the die roll
listening to you...
(thus making it more or less difficult) is entirely
up to you. However, you must decide before the
check is made.

CHANCES OF SUCCESS FOR SKILL TESTS

Ability rating Number of successes % Success
0 1 2 3 4 5
1 67% 33% - - - - 33%
2 44% 44% 11% - - - 55%
3 30% 44% 22% 4% - - 70%
4 20% 39% 30% 10% 1% - 80%
5 13% 33% 33% 16% 4% 1% 87%
6 9% 26% 33% 22% 8% 2% 91%
 RULES 47

Zones Rounds
To keep track of where your adventurer is, Most of the time, the game will flow just like
where her adversary stands and where the trea- a normal conversation. First the referee sets
sure is hidden, Blood & Bronze uses zones. a scene. Then you and your fellow players de-
A zone is a smaller or larger portion of the scribe what your characters do, taking turns
world, characterized by a certain surrounding, talking and listening, asking questions, com-
circumstance or scenery. Zones between Sippar menting and chatting. The referee responds by
and Eshnunne, for example, would include the telling what happens around you—what other
Great Barrens, the crossing of the Tigris River, characters or creatures do, what they say, how
and Sardun. In the city, a zone can be a neigh- the scenery changes. Sometimes you will roll
borhood, a landmark building, a town square or dice, sometimes the referee does and once it is
the catacombs below. And inside a large man- resolved you go back to taking turns talking.
sion, each room would be a zone. Zones scale
At times, however, it may be important to know
with your actions.
who does what and when. Maybe you face a
On the battlefield, zones can be anywhere threat so dire that your life depends on whether
you fight: a narrow ledge, a lookout tower, a you or the opponent acts first. Or maybe there
copse of cypresses, a dry riverbed, a pond or are dozens of things happening simultaneously.
a rope swinging from the gallows. As the bat- In these cases, you use rounds to structure the
tlefield changes, so do its zones: when a giant action. A round is a segment of time, just long
serpent tries to swallow your character whole, enough or short enough for each character to
its mouth may become a new zone. do something. During a frantic combat, a round
might be a few heartbeats, while during a jour-
To keep track of zones and the characters’
ney across The Shifting Sands it might be several
positions, it is handy to use maps. A map can
days. Rounds scale with your actions. The es-
be drawn in detail, like a “real” map, or con-
sence of the round is just this: everybody gets
sist of circled words with lines showing their
an opportunity to act and react. That is why it
connections like a mindmap. The referee can
is called a round.
also create three-dimensional scenarios using
miniatures and war-game terrain—or by using INITIATIVE
dominoes, books, boxes and soda cans as terrain To decide which side gets to act first, you may
and pawns or chess-pieces in lieu of miniatures. roll for initiative at the beginning of a com-
However, zones work equally well if they are bat, chase or other hectic scene. For the initia-
purely in your shared imagination. tive roll, the referee rolls a die for the NPCs
and one of the players rolls a die for the party.
RULERS AND GRIDS
Whichever side rolls highest gets to act first.
If your group favors using rulers for measuring
On a tie, you roll again or face a simultaneous
distance or counting squares or hexagons on a
pandemonium.
battle-grid, assume a zone to equal four units.
Thus, any character can move up to four units SURPRISE
freely (as it would be considered moving within If one or more characters are surprised, their
a zone or crossing from just shy of its “border” players forfeit their turn during the first round.
into the next), and four additional units for each Starting with the second round, they once more
success with the Haste or Traverse skill. Suitable act according to their initiative.
units would be inches, centimeters, squares or
finger-widths depending on scale and prefer-
ences.
48 CHAPTER V

DAMAGE DICE
Combat and Damage A character suffers damage when something
The world of Blood & Bronze is a perilous harmful happens to her: as the effect of a skill
place. The wilderness is home to savage beasts, or action or because of environmental hazards
cutthroats and vile monsters, while the cities such as traps, falls, fires, poisons and so on.
house evil rulers, sinister gods and their lackeys.
To determine the amount of damage suffered,
Death is an ever present threat to all, including
the assailant player (or referee for NPCs and
your character. In this section, you will find the
environmental hazards) rolls damage dice. For
rules covering damage, death and recovery.
willed attacks, the number of damage dice in-
MELEE flicted equals the number of successes rolled,
A character can attack in melee any other char- whereas the size of the damage dice depends
acter in her zone, making use of the Use Force on the weapon used. Damage dice common-
skill. The skill allows for all-out attacks with the ly range from four-sided for small weapons to
intent to murder, as well as attempts to disarm, twelve-sided for massive. For environmental
subdue, crush, trip, be-hand and so forth. The hazards, spells and similar, both the number of
target chooses whether to accept the outcome dice and their size are determined by the rules,
or to suffer damage instead. If no options but adventure setup, or referee.
death are given by the assailant player, the target
CRITICAL HITS
might be given a chance to plead for her life at
If you roll the highest possible number on a
the referee's discretion.
damage die (a 4 on a 1d4, a 6 on a 1d6, an 8 on
RANGED ATTACKS a 1d8 and so on), you may roll another die and
A character can attack opponents not in her add it to the total. This is called a critical hit.
zone, making use of the Hurl/Shoot skill. The If your second roll also maxes, you get to roll a
target must be within reach of the weapon used: third and so on.
a successful skill test amounts to naught if the
Note that improvised weapons and (human)
projectile falls short of its target.
natural weapons don’t normally inflict critical
Ranged attacks normally grant their target a hits. These weapons are tagged with “no crit” in
chance to evade by checking Senses. Thrown the equipment lists.
weapons deal no damage if evaded and might
FLANKING BONUS
even be caught in the flight if the player so
When attacking an opponent who is already en-
chooses. Bows and other missile weapons, on
gaged in battle with someone else, you gain a
the other hand, being smaller and more difficult
flanking bonus equal to the number of allies
to evade, still deal half damage when evaded.
who fight her. The flanking bonus is added to
CALLED SHOTS the damage dealt. So, if three allies fight a single
A character can choose to suspend the reso- opponent, all gain a +2 flanking bonus to the
lution of her ranged attack, instead making a damage they deal.
called shot. To do so, the player specifies both
TWO WEAPONS
a target and a zone during her turn but makes
Any character can fight with a weapon in each
no skill test until the end of the target's next
hand, altering between them as necessity de-
turn. If the targeted character is still in the same
mands. Unless otherwise noted by a skill or
zone at that point, a successful attacks deals an
similar, fighting with two weapons neither
additional damage die. If not, damage is reduced
grants two attacks nor increased damage. How-
by one die per zone the character has moved.
ever, the character so doing suffers no penalties
when using her off-hand weapon.
 RULES 49

Other Sources of Damage Armor

FALLING If your character is wearing armor, you may
A falling character suffers 1d6 damage per three choose to negate all damage suffered from a
meters fallen. A successful saving throw against single attack and instead let her armor take the
Vigor halves the damage. hit. When you do, roll a twenty-sided die under
or equal to your character's armor score. On
FIRE DAMAGE
a hit, her armor withstands the blow; on a miss,
Just like weapons, fires and flames deal damage
it is destroyed. Either way, the character suffers
depending on their size. A torch deals 1d4, a
no damage from the attack. However, rolling a
campfire 1d6, a large fire 1d8 and a hellish blaze
20 means that the blow pierced, sliced or sun-
1d10. Prolonged exposure increases the dam-
dered the armor: the armor is ruined and the
age one step each round: from 1d4 to 1d6, from
attack deals full damage.
1d6 to 1d8 and so on. Fire doesn’t deal critical
damage like normal weapons; instead it spreads Naturally, damage from drowning, poisoning
on a damage roll of 5+. A spreading fire means and similar cannot be avoided in this fashion.
that the character or creature is now engulfed in
NPC ARMOR
flames, suffering one die damage from this fire
Armor can save a character’s life multiple times,
as well as from the original fire if still present.
which can make combat between armed oppo-
DROWNING nents lengthy to the point of tedium. To avoid
All characters can stay afloat as long as they have this, the referee is advised to let NPCs, but not
no fatigue and the water is calm. Swimming is player characters, suffer full damage if they fail
considered as moving through difficult terrain. their armor check. This way, even armed oppo-
A failed skill test means that the character suf- nents can be felled in a single blow.
fers 1d6 points of exhaustion. Each point of
Player characters, on the other hand, will not
exhaustion counts an item when calculating en-
be so easily slayed but will suffer the long-term
cumbrance. A fatigued character instead suffers
pecuniary punishment of having to part with
1d10 points of exhaustion with a failed test and
their hard-earned wealth to acquire new armor
1d6 on a success.
or repair their old.
Once a swimming character becomes weary,
SHIELDS
she is drowning and loses one point of endur-
Unlike armor, shields and similar items offer a
ance per round until she dies or is brought to
constant, albeit less drastic, damage reduction
shore. Exhaustion from swimming is temporary
determined by their defense rating. As long
and up to half can be recovered during a short
as the shield is donned, this value is subtract-
rest; full recovery requires an extended rest.
ed from each and every hit. If your character’s
STARVATION shield has a defense of two, each hit she suffers
A starving character doesn't recover during ex- deals two less points of damage to her—even
tended rests, whether left alone or treated by if she is hit consecutive times during a single
others. round.
THIRST As with armor, damage from drowning, poison-
Each day without enough water to drink, a ing and similar cannot be avoided in this fashion.
character suffers a -1 penalty to all ability
scores. Should a score reach zero, the character
falls unconcious. Below zero, she dies.
50 CHAPTER V

Once you let your character die from her

Endurance Loss wounds she may immediately perform a last
The higher your character's endurance, the action, momentarily ignoring her incapacita-
more damage and hardships she can withstand. tion. After that, she’s dead. Make a new charac-
Each time your character suffers a point of ter. The referee will let your new character join
damage, you lower her current endurance the adventure at first opportunity.
by one. Leave maximum endurance unchanged
ENCUMBRANCE & FATIGUE
as this indicates your character’s potential for
Endurance isn’t used only for keeping track of
recovery.
damage; it also determines how many items a
INCAPACITATED character can carry without being overbur-
When your adventurer’s endurance reaches dened. For each three item in excess of her
zero, she is incapacitated. An incapacitat- maximum endurance, rounded up, she suffers
ed character cannot do anything, except wail, one point of fatigue.
moan or twitch in agony and pain.
Fatigue lowers all ability scores, making saving
Once incapacitated, a character must be cared throws more likely to fail. Each point of fatigue
for during one or more extended rests to re- lowers all ability scores by one. Ratings and skill
cuperate. The character remains incapacitated tests are unaffected, however, leaving active
until restored to full endurance. rolls equally likely to succeed as normal.
INJURED EXHAUSTION
At -3 endurance, your character is injured. Blunt weapons, swimming or difficult condi-
When this happens, you must immediately tions may cause exhaustion. Each point of ex-
choose a permanent consequence of the dam- haustion is considered as one item, for purposes
age: of calculating fatigue.
+ scarred.Your character will forever bear Unless otherwise noted, NPCs are considered
scars to remind her of this defeat. fully equipped. Any exhaustion they suffer re-
sults directly in fatigue.
+ maimed. All of your character’s ability
scores are reduced by -1. WEARINESS
Should your character's fatigue reduce one or
+ dead.Your character cannot be saved.
more of her ability scores to one, she is weary.
However, she may immediately perform a
A weary character is on the brink of collapsing.
last action ignoring her incapacitated status.
If she suffers even a single point of damage she
Regardless of your choice, your character is out will pass out and become incapacitated. In ad-
of action for the remainder of the combat. Like dition, any further burdens will require a Vigor
with incapacitated characters, injured charac- test as if traversing difficult terrain. Failure on
ters can only recover during extended rests. such a roll will also result in the character col-
lapsing from strain.
DEATH & LAST ACTIONS
The permanent consequences of injuries are The referee should assume that a collapsing
listed on your character sheet. As a default, you character drops all excess load. Since fatigue is
can only choose each consequence once for recalculated each extended rest, the character
your character. This means that, if not sooner, will normally recover and come to after a single
the third time your character becomes injured night's rest.
she will die.
 RULES 51

THE RECOVERY DIE

Rest and Recovery If someone treats your character’s wounds, you
To recover endurance, your character must roll one or more dice to determine how much
rest. In Blood & Bronze there are two catego- you recover. These dice are called recovery
ries of rest: the short rest and the extended rest, dice. During a short rest, you roll six-sided
detailed below. dice; during an extended rest you roll ten-sided
dice. Your character recovers endurance equal
SHORT RESTS
to the score rolled.
A short rest is a quick breather, nothing more.
You can take a short rest at any time, as long But recovery dice can also be used to remove
as you are not attacked or otherwise disturbed. conditions or other ongoing effects, provid-
When taking a short rest you forfeit your action ed you roll high enough. How high you need
this round to recover 1d4 points of endurance. to score is determined by the condition when
applicable, otherwise the referee. As a rule of
During a short rest, your character can regain
thumb, a 5+ will remove almost any temporary
no more than half of the endurance lost since
ailment, whereas an 8 or even a 10 might be
her last extended rest. Older wounds and fur-
required for sickness and other severe and last-
ther healing both require an extended rest.
ing effects.
Incapacitated or injured characters cannot ben-
Recovery dice are resolved separately. This
efit from short rests.
means that some conditions can only be cured
EXTENDED RESTS during extended rests.
When taking an extended rest your character
RECOVERING FATIGUE
makes a camp, eat, drink, and sleep for a full
Fatigue can only be recovered during extended
night or equal. Pay upkeep or reduce your char-
rests. Each time you take an extended rest, you
acters rations by one, and regain 1d4 endurance
may recalculate your character's burden and ad-
points. Duing an extended rest, your character
just her fatigue accordingly.
can heal old and grave wounds up to her start-
ing endurance. Exhaustion can normally be halved once during
a short rest, while full recovery requires an ex-
An incapacitated or injured character can only
tended rest. In some cases, however, recovery
regain endurance during extended rests, and
can be much slower. Consult the source of ex-
will remain incapacitated until fully recovered.
haustion for further details.

DURING A SHORT REST, YOUR DURING AN EXTENDED REST, YOUR

CHARACTER… CHARACTER…
…forfeits her actions during one round. …forfeits all actions during a night.
…can recover no more than half her lost …can recover up to her maximum endurance.
endurance.
…recovers 1d4 point of endurance. …recovers 1d4 point of endurance.
…gains 1d6 as recovery dice by having her …gains 1d10 as recovery dice by having her
wounds treated by another character. wounds treated by another character.
…may recover from conditions. …may recover from conditions.
...may not recalculate fatigue. …may recalculate fatigue.
Chapter VI -
The BASIC
SKILLS
54 CHAPTER VI

BASIC SKILLS DISGUISE OR CONCEAL (GUILE)

When your adventurer conceals herself, her de-
In Blood & Bronze, all characters share twelve
meanors or an object, test Guile.
basic skills. In this chapter, these twelve skills
are detailed. If you score at least one success, you have hid-
den your location, your appearance or an ob-
ADVISE (LORE)
ject. If someone gets suspicious, searches for
When your adventurer aids someone, wheth-
you or whatever you have hidden, tries to see
er by giving advice, using her lantern to show
through your disguise or otherwise tries active-
them the way or devising a clever plan, you are
ly or instinctively to reveal what has been hid-
using the Advise skill. Say what you think is the
den, you may counter her attempt by having her
wisest thing to do and test Lore.
reroll a die during her skill test or ability check.
If you score at least one success, a character of
On a miss there might be a witness or worse,
your choice can profit from your wisdom by
your disguise or the hiding place might have
rerolling a die during her skill test. The result
a serious flaw that is unknown to you, or you
before the reroll is how well or poor she per-
might suffer other misfortunes—it is up to the
formed on her own; the reroll is the effect of
referee.
your added insight.
EXPERT KNOWLEDGE (LORE)
On a miss you might lead her astray, make your
As your adventurer recites facts or draws on her
operation vulnerable to someone else’s actions
expert knowledge, she uses the Expert Knowl-
or suffer other misfortunes as per the referee.
edge skill. Test Lore.
ASSESS (SENSES)
If you score at least one success, you can ask the
The world of Blood & Bronze is inhabited by
referee a question or have something revealed.
a myriad of humans, beasts, monsters and de-
If you ask a specific question, you may fail to
mons. Some of them might help, some will hin-
learn anything helpful but at least you get your
der and some will harm—and most will want
answer. If you choose to have something re-
something from your character. Telling them
vealed, it will always be helpful but it might not
apart is difficult but might prove key to success.
be what you hoped to learn. It is up to you how
When your character scrutinizes someone or
you choose to spend your successes.
tries to learn their motives or weaknesses, you
are using the Assess skill. Test Senses. On a miss you might waste precious time with
peripheral knowledge, learn something that
If you score at least one success, you may learn
might just as soon be true as terribly false—
something useful that she’d hesitate to admit—
without any way of knowing before it is too
perhaps even to herself. Ask a question, and if
late—or suffer other misfortunes as per the
you use the information to your advantage you
referee.
get to reroll a die during a skill test. You gain
this reroll even if the answer is “nothing” or sim- Note that a character’s area of expertise depends
ilarly uninformative. on her class and background (see p. 18). For
example, a mercenary knows warfare, a farm-
On a miss you might reveal something about
er crops and weather, a sage can interpret the
yourself, anger someone with your rude behav-
meaning of stars or strange hieroglyphs, where-
ior or suffer other misfortunes—it is up to the
as a lion’s expertise is hunting grounds.
referee.
 BASIC SKILLS 55

GUARD OR DEFEND (MIGHT) HURL OR SHOOT (VIGOR)

Sometimes it may be wiser to be reactive rather Throwing spears or grappling hooks, passing a
than proactive: to prevent someone from get- spear to your defenseless ally, pushing boulders
ting away, to increase your character’s chances or discharging a slingshot or a bow, your adven-
of survival or to hinder another character’s ac- turer uses the Hurl or Shoot skill. Test Vigor.
tions. When your adventurer guards or protects
A successful skill test means that you can throw
someone, or defends against someone, she uses
an object to someone in an adjacent zone,
the Guard or Defend skill. Test Might.
throw a weapon at someone in an adjacent zone
A successful skill test means you get an influ- or fire a missile at someone within your weap-
ence. However, this influence is not of the same on’s reach. Thrown projectiles can be evaded
sort that you get from Guile. Rather than us- or caught with a successful Senses check: fired
ing it to reroll a die during your opponent’s missiles cannot be caught and still do half dam-
skill test you use it to either reroll a damage age if evaded. Each additional success increas-
die affecting you—hopefully rendering you es the reach by one zone and lets you modify
less damage—or to redirect someone’s action your target’s ability check by +/-1. Like melee
against you instead of its intended target. attacks, ranged attacks do one damage die per
success.
On a miss you might stumble, make yourself
an easy target, lose grip of something or suffer On a miss you might sprain yourself, hit some-
other misfortunes—it is up to the referee. one else by accident or suffer other misfor-
tunes—it is up to the referee.
Keep your influence until you use it, attempt
the same action again or until you and your tar- MAKE (CRAFT)
get are no longer in the same zone. Digging a tunnel under the palace walls, dis-
arming a trap you have found, repairing dam-
HASTE OR TRAVERSE (VIGOR)
aged equipment or cooking a hearty meal, your
Most of the time, your character moves about
adventurer uses the Make skill. Say what your
as you wish. On the battlefield, you can nor-
character attempts to create, and test Craft.The
mally move your character freely within a zone
referee will set delimitations concerning time,
or between two adjacent zones at the end of
material needed, tools needed or similar based
the round. However, sometimes your character
on your class and background. Crafting a fine
will attempt things far more daring and stren-
vase will take a long time for a fowler; setting a
uous: jumping across a chasm, scaling the cliffs
trap is more difficult for a potter.
around the Sacred House in Nippur, travelling
the wild or carrying her comrades to safety. On a success you create the object within the
When she does, she uses the Haste or Traverse delimitations set by the referee. With each ad-
skill. Test Vigor. ditional success, you may halve or double a de-
limitation of your choice: if the referee said you
A successful skill test means that you can move
could do two you make four, if it would take a
your character into an existing zone, or make
week it takes a half, if you needed the tail of a
up a new zone and have her move there.
scorpion you now only need half, if you needed
A failed skill test means you got tangled up, lost a well-equipped smithy you can do without half
your breath, slipped in your (or the enemies’) of the equipment and so on.
blood or misjudged the distance. This is called
On a miss, something goes awry: you use up
a misfortune. The nature of the misfortune is
valuable resources to no avail, your tools get
normally determined by the referee.
dented, you waste your time or the item has a
hidden but fatal flaw as per the referee.
56 CHAPTER VI

MANIPULATE (GUILE) TREAT WOUNDS (CRAFT)

When using lies, trickery or charm to make All characters heal naturally when they rest, but
someone do something for her, using dust, occasionally time alone won’t suffice to cure
smoke or the sun’s reflection to blind her en- their wounds. Putting out the flames that en-
emy or haggling over the price with a sly mer- gulf your comrade, sucking the venom from a
chant, test Guile. viper’s sting, boosting the morale of your allies
or comforting a terrified or grieving character,
If you score at least one success, the character
your adventurer uses the Treat Wounds skill.
believes you, or is at least willing to give you
Test Craft.
the benefit of a doubt. If you ask too much,
she might refuse to help you, choosing instead On a success you may aid someone with her
to give you influence over her. Now, when wounds, helping her recover more quickly.
she does something that you would rather she With each success, she may roll a recovery die
didn’t, use your influence to have doubt, guilt and use it either to recover lost endurance or
or confusion set in and make her reroll a die. alleviate negative conditions affecting her. For
short rests, recovery dice are six-sided; for ex-
On a miss you might reveal your true motives,
tended they are ten-sided. Note that a charac-
fall prey to someone else’s scam or suffer other
ter normally cannot treat her own wounds as
misfortunes—it is up to the referee.
she can’t both perform an action and rest at the
Influence will last until you reveal your strata- same time. More information on resting and re-
gem whether by will or mistake, until they be- covery can be found on p. 51.
come irrelevant or you attempt to manipulate
On a miss you might use up valuable resourc-
the same target anew.
es in vain, attract savage animals with the noise
SEARCH (SENSES) and smell of blood or suffer other misfortunes
Following the tracks of the war band that cap- as per the referee.
tured your comrades, seeking a cudgel when
USE FORCE (MIGHT)
cornered and defenseless or noticing the hid-
Attacking someone, prying open a door or
den trap, your adventurer uses the Search skill.
leading your troops in assault, your adventurer
Test Senses.
triggers the Use Force skill. Test Might.
If you score at least one success, you must
If you score at least one success, say what you
choose: either have the referee reveal some-
wish to achieve with your might: to cut off their
thing hidden to you or ask her for something
hands, disarm them, stab out their eyes, pin
specific. If you choose for the referee to reveal
them down or scare them into submission. If
something, it will be useful but it might not
the opposing player won’t let you, her character
be what you hoped for. If you chose to ask a
will suffer damage instead. Roll many successes
question instead, you might learn that what you
to increase your leverage: your attack deals one
sought isn’t there, but now you know for sure.
damage die per success.
On a miss you might waste your time study-
Always let your opponent decide after you have
ing something insignificant, find something
made your Might test but before rolling dam-
that may be useful or disastrous with no way to
age. This way, you can both make an estimate of
know for sure, or suffer other misfortunes—it
the outcome without knowing for certain how
is up to the referee.
much danger her character is really in.
On a miss you might aggravate the situation,
flinch, lose grip of something or suffer other
misfortunes—it is up to the referee.
 BASIC SKILLS 57

Unless logic or some other reason strong-

Beyond the Basic Skills ly suggests otherwise, different outcomes
While designed to address most key actions should be assumed equally plausible. This
coming up with some frequence, the skills of is especially the case if a player asks for some
Blood & Bronze cover but a fraction of the detail that you have omitted, but that sudden-
things that players can and will think of. These ly becomes relevant. Were the village beset by
vast lacunae should not be taken as indication famine, for example, it would be of great con-
that such actions shouldn't be available. Rather sequence to the decision to shop for provisions
it means that whenever the general rules and there. If you had previously neglected to state
broad skills presented herein are deemed inap- this suddenly important detail, you could rule
plicable, the group should agree on impromptu that the characters have a half chance of finding
rulings that take the specifics of the situation the sought supplies to prevent bias, even though
into account. logic would put their chances closer to nil.
Coming up with these rulings-on-the-fly is gen- If a character does something that anoth-
erally the responsibility of the referee. Players er character would oppose, you should
will say what their characters strive to do, then probably call for a skill test. For example, if
look to the referee to arbitrate the outcomes the problem wasn't shortage but that the villag-
of their undertakings or to get estimates of ers were reluctant to do business with outsid-
their chances of success. Unless the referee says ers,you could rule that a skill test or similar was
something outrageous, players will not gen- needed to persuade the vendor to part from her
erally veto the decisions. For the game to run goods.
smoothly, it is therefore important that the ref-
If a player wants her character to do some-
eree is able to to make both quick and just rul-
thing that seems difficult or in opposition
ings tailored to each situation. Below are some
to common sense, you should normally
guidelines that you—as the referee—should
rule that she cannot do it unless a specific
consider, to help you do that.
skill or ability allows it. Casting magic, for
Generally, a character may always perform example, should never be allowed without a
routine and/or non-dangerous actions. In suitable skill.
these cases, there is generally only one possi-
Unless stated by the description or
ble outcome. For example, buying supplies for
deemed otherwise by the referee, lasting
a desert passage is a simple matter for anyone
effects granted by skills aren’t cumula-
possessing the wealth required. Thus, under
tive. If a character hides and the player rolls
normal circumstances you should just acknowl-
two successes, then hides again rolling one, the
edge that it happens, perhaps noting that it takes
character shouldn't be assumed to have hid for
the full afternoon to have everything packed
three successes worth. Rather, you should rule
and in order. Simply state the outcome based
that she has changed hiding places for one that
on common sense and the circumstances al-
turned out to be less favorable.
ready established.
A BRIEF NOTE ON CLASS AND OTHER SKILLS
If there are several likely outcomes of an
Depending on their classes and the covenants
action, let a die-roll decide. Assign prob-
they enter, all characters gain access to a num-
abilities to each outcome and tell the players
ber of special skills that are more or less unique
what the different options are, or—if the exact
to them. Once you are comfortable with the
outcomes are unknown to them—whether it is
basic skills, you will be more than capable of
more favorable to roll high or low.
interpreting any special skills to make them fit
into your game, or even create your own.
Chapter VII –
REFEREE'S
SECTION
60 CHAPTER VII

REFEREE'S SECTION Let the players introduce their characters.

A good way to start the session and invite the
As the referee, you have four important func-
players to act is by asking them to describe their
tions. First, you set the scenes by describing the
characters. What are they called? How do they
world. Second, you act as moderator during
look? Have they changed since last time?
the game. Third, you portray the creatures and
characters that the adventurers encounter. Last, Make the world seem real. Real, in this sense,
you adjudicate the rules and interpret the set- does not equate to “everyday” or “ordinary”, nor
up. This section will give you tips on how to do does it mean “exactly like our world”. Rather, it
that. You will also learn how to create adven- means that the world and its inhabitants should
tures for your players, as well as NPCs to pop- follow their own logic. If you have established
ulate them with. something, it is now part of the world. You can
add to the established or modify it using the
TIPS FOR REFEREES NEW AND OLD
logics of the world, but you can never eliminate
There are as many styles of running a game as
it. However good you destroy it, it will always
there are referees. Already in the first session,
leave its residue: a ruin, a memory or a legend.
your group will start developing conventions
of their own. How do people speak? What are Use colorful language and dramatic imag-
considered moral behaviors, if any, and what are ery. Words like deserted, barren, ominous, vul-
not? Do the players seek out combat, or try to turous, ravenous and festering describe how a
avoid it? Are their characters trying to do good, place looks, sounds and smells. In addition, they
or just to get by? All these nuances, and many set a particular mood. Try to include as many
more, will make your group of players and their senses as possible; don’t forget taste or touch.
playstyle unique.
Give glimpses of ordinary life. The world
For a successful game, you will adapt to the of Blood & Bronze and the people that pop-
players, just as they adapt to your rulings and ulates it are busy with their own preoccupa-
the NPCs you populate the world with. Thus, tions. Sometimes there are market-days and the
no two games will be alike and whatever works villages are full of harvest and produce. Other
well for any given group may not be suitable times people are dying from famine or drowned
for another. Still, some tips are more generally by floods. Even other times, there were festivi-
applicable and are included below. If you are a ties yesterday and the village is now a big mess.
new referee, you should use them as a starting Show the ordinary life of common people, to
point for developing your own praxis with in- contrast the adventurous lives of the PCs.
creased experience. If you are a more experi-
Vary the scope. As the referee, you will be
enced referee, you could instead use these tips
the players’ eyes, ears and noses in the world.
to reflect on your own style of refereeing. What
Change your scope with the scope of the play-
tips do you already follow, what things have you
ers’ actions: when they study something closely
discarded and what tips would you give instead
you should zoom in on details, at other times,
and why?
you should zoom out and give a summary.
Should the players choose to spend much time
on a particular task, it is a signal that they find it
entertaining or interesting. Use these opportu-
nities to reveal new layers of information: first
the basics, then some detail, then more com-
plex or even dissonant details. Let the players'
interests guide you.
 REFEREE'S SECTION 61

Take notes. Note the important NPCs and Act out your NPCs. Give them names, agen-
locations that the players encounter, the ma- das, personalities, dialects and mannerisms.
jor events that transpire and so on. This makes When the PCs interact with them, portray
it easy to reference or reincorporate them in them as vividly as you can. A simple trick is to
future sessions. If you use a calendar, you can give every NPC a stand-out feature—a boom-
easily keep a log and note potential trajecto- ing voice, a nervous tick, a volatile temper or
ries important to the game: the five murder- similar—or to base them on characters from
ers-in-disguise will arrive in eight days’ time, books or tv shows that you are familiar with.
the flood season begins in two months, or sim-
Consider what your key NPCs are doing
ilar.
when the PCs aren’t around. Think about
Show the passage of time. Whenever the their agendas and what they have done to ad-
adventurers return to a place they have been vance them. Also, think about their interac-
before, show its subtle or abrupt changes: an tions with the PCs. Consider if any of them are
acquaintance is absent or avoids them, a custom plotting revenge, setting up ambushes or hiring
is changed or suddenly enforced, a tax is levied mercenaries to hunt the adventurers down.
or an old one discontinued, a new garment or
Offer more interaction than constant
food is in fashion, power has been usurped or is
bloodshed. Use the reaction chart (p. 68)
consolidated. Avoid the status quo.
to determine outlooks, but remember that no
Address the characters, not the players. Say sentient creature will want to die if they can
“Amadjal, what do you do?” not “Evelyn, what negotiate a truce, and only the most corrupt
does your character do?” will prefer to kill over gaining wealth or other
rewards.
Provide things for the players to interact
with. If the characters do nothing, or just do See the rules as guidelines, not as set in
mundane things, it could be a sign that the play- stone. Feel free to expand, omit or change
ers are at a loss—either having too little to do them as to better suit your game.
or too much to choose from. Address this by
When makings rulings on the fly, agree
narrowing their choices, either by introducing
on a probability before rolling dice. Nei-
something that begs for interaction—a thief
ther you, nor the players, should roll dice when
stealing from them, a soldier picking a fight or
there is only one reasonable outcome.
similar—or by highlighting some of their pos-
sibilities—for example stealing the sage's trea- When stakes are high, roll all dice openly.
sure or seeing the heavenly house at Nippur. This way, your players will know that, for weal
or woe, you didn’t alter the outcome.
Give all players the same opportunities
to act. If some players are louder or hog the Improvise. The key skill of any good referee
spotlight, address the silent ones either directly is the ability to quickly fill in the blanks with
or through your NPCs. For example, you could his or her own imagination. When improvising,
say “The old woman comes up to you, clear- start with common sense and your own experi-
ly spooked. She has something urgent to tell ences. What would you expect to find in a city?
you”. Alternatively, have one character notice How would you react if someone threatened
something that the others don’t. Say “While your life? How difficult would it be to you to
the others are occupied with haggling for axes, do the task that the players propose? Second,
you notice that the vendor’s child is talking to follow your associations. If the adventurers en-
someone you have never seen before, and they ter an uncharted desert, what do you associate
are whispering and pointing in your direction. with that? Borrow from books, films, comics
What do you do?” and your own experiences.
62 CHAPTER VII

Adventures Passages: Give each room passages, connect-

ing them with one or more other rooms. Vary
In advance of each game session, the referee
the number of passages, giving players choices
must prepare an adventure setup.
of what paths to pursue. Alternately, you can
The setup should contain outlines of an ad- assume that each room has 1d4 passages to its
venture, including its key locations, the NPCs neighboring rooms. If so, note that a room can
found there and their agendas and relations, as have more than four passages leading to it, as a
well as the events that the adventurers are likely result of passages from other rooms.
to encounter and deal with. But the setup is not
Contents of rooms: Stock each room using
a script; rather, it is an invitation to adventure.
your imagination or the chart opposite. Note
During your preparations you will explore dif-
the results on a separate paper and adjust the
ferent possible courses of actions that the play-
map if needed. Once an entry has been used,
ers might pursue, but the purpose of this is not
replace it with one of your own design. The
to outwit them but to allow you to improvise
new entry can be as similar or dissimilar as you
when they do things you hadn't foreseen.
like, but not identical.
ADVENTURE LOCATIONS
When something in a room description refers
Location-based adventures present the players
to a “room [d8]” roll an eight-sided die to deter-
with a limited space to explore and interact
mine what room it refers to.
with, such as a ruin, palace, mountain or forest.
Adventure locations are great setups since they Elaborate: The entries provided give only
offer both confinement and freedom, making fragmentary information like “a golden trea-
them easy for you to prepare while also pro- sure” or “guard dogs”. Preparing the fortress,
viding the players with both freedom and a co- you should spend some time fleshing out the
herent setting. entries using your own imagination. When you
do, think about connections and contexts. Why
Included in this booklet is a location based set-
is this golden treasure here? Is it hidden or on
up in a bandit’s stronghold. Using this locale as
display, is is stolen or a heirloom, is it a gift (or
a blueprint, you can easily create any number
to be given as a gift) or simply part of a gleam-
of location-based setups in preparation for fu-
ing heap, hoarded for no reason but avarice?
ture game sessions. Keep the game fresh and
exciting for the players by changing the number Preplay: When you are done with your prepa-
of rooms, the number of tiers or the ratio of rations, take a moment to walk through the fort
passages to rooms—but most importantly by in your imagination. If you were an adventur-
changing the theme and setting. er, what would you do? Where would you go?
What would happen then? Preplaying the ad-
The Reavers’ Fort venture location in this fashion is an excellent
Imagine a reavers' fort. Imagine it in mud- way to find out if there are any loose ends or
bricks or stone, ruined and seemingly derelict things you have missed. Windows, for exam-
or boasting of stolen wealth. Think it wide or ple—surely there must be windows in at least
narrow, tall or stout. Set it on a hillock, by an some of the rooms? Can you then climb from
oasis or in a pest-ridden swamp with hidden one room to another? What about light? Are
tunnels below. there doors, or will the light from a lamp travel
from room to room, alerting whoever is there?
Rooms: Draw eight rooms of this fortress on
Preplay to catch these things, and be better pre-
a paper, distributing them accoarding to your
pared for running the adventure.
vision or by pouring eight dice and circling the
places they land. Key the rooms 1 through 8.
 REFEREE'S SECTION 63

# DESCRIPTION
1 Disused chamber. Some stray goats. A secret passage leading to room [d8].
2 A natural cave. Soot and flaking paint on the walls, bones of small animals on the floor.
3 Private quarters. Nearest passage can only be opened by operating a machine or contrap-
tion in room [d8].
4 Dining room. Fine but maltreated furniture. A trapdoor leading to a lower floor or level.
5 Ill-kept watchtower. Nearest passage is blocked by rubble or similar.
A hole in the ceiling, leading to a higher floor or level.
6 Toilet. 10% chance of being occupied by a reaver.
Reaver: pwr 3, save 9, end 12. Unarmed (dmg 1d4; no crit).
7 Beast Pen. 1d6 guard dogs bark loudly when noticing the PCs, drawing the attention of
anyone in adjacent rooms.
Guard dogs: pwr 1, save 4, end 6. Teeth (dmg 1d6).
8 Crumbled tower. A deep pit trap: first to enter must check Vigor or suffer 1d8 damage. In
addition, she lands on a lower level.
9 Treasure room. A golden treasure, worth 400 s. A blood red gem, slightly cold to the
touch, worth 320 s. Spices and perfume. Fine fabrics, now eaten by moths.
10 Guardroom. 1d6+1 reavers, alert. Will arrange ambush if they notice the PCs intrusion.
A gem worth 200 s.
Guards: pwr 2, save 7, end 15. Shields (def 2), spears (dmg 1d6), and daggers (dmg 1d4).
11 Armory. A spear trap: first to enter must check Senses, on a miss she suffers 1d8 damage;
on a hit the spear misses her but the second-in-line must check or suffer damage.
1d6 weapons, 1d20 arrows and a broken shield with a toad painted on it.
12 Courtyard. A broken cart. Two meager donkeys, resting during daytime. A shallow pit
trap: first to enter must check Vigor or suffer 1d6 damage.
13 Bedroom. Clothes and linen. 1d20 shekels, game pieces. 50% chance of reavers (1d6)
50% chance of sleeping.
Reavers: pwr 3, save 9, end 14. Helmets (armor 2), clubs and maces (dmg 1d8).
14 Former banquet hall, now housing a large wooden cage. 1d6 prisoners.
Prisoners: pwr 2, save 5, end 5. Naked and unarmed (dmg 1d4; no crit).
15 Storage Food for 1d100 days. 1d6 barrels of wine.
16 Kitchen. 1d6 slaves preparing meals.
Slaves: pwr 2, save 5, end 8. Improvised weapons (dmg 1d6; no crit).
17 Prison cells. 2d4 reavers.
Reavers: pwr 3, save 9, end 14. Helmets (armor 2), clubs and maces (dmg 1d8).
18 Torture chamber. A veteran mercenary: En-nanna the many-scarred
pwr 4, save 13, end 16. Bronze scale (armor 6), a crescent axe (dmg 1d10).
19 Infirmary. 1d6 bandits wounded during a recent raid, are recovering or slowly dying from
infected wounds: pwr 1, save 5, end 4. Daggers (dmg 1d4).
20 Throne room. Broken sandstone throne. Mystic: Gorgath the mist-eyed.
pwr 4, save 14, end 12. Bronze helmet (armor 2), a silver khopesh (dmg 1d6; versatile
1d8; worth 300 s). Knows 1d4 lotus spells and carries 5 doses of lotus powder.
64 CHAPTER VII

Wilderness adventures Expanding the World

When traveling the wild, all characters must Due to space constraints, this booklet only pro-
test Vigor. If the traveling party totals at least vides chance encounters for one zone: the Great
one success per adventurer, they may exit the Barrens of Karkal. As a referee, you are encour-
zone they are currently in or arrive at a specific aged to populate the other zones of the map in
location within the zone. Otherwise the party similar fashion, changing details, creatures and
suffers misfortunes (opposite), and the refer- events to suit the different climates and condi-
ee decides where they end up. Regardless, the tions found therein. Start with the zones adja-
referee rolls for chance encounters. cent to the Barrens, and proceed towards the
fringes as the adventurers venture there.
A journey's length is determined by the num-
ber of hexagons traversed; its duration is de- CREATING A ZONE
termined by dividing this length by the travel Set a theme. A zone is recognized by its terrain
speed for the zone. and climate. When you create a new zone, start
by outlining the general look, feel, smell and
CHANCE ENCOUNTERS
sound of the area.
Roll two eight-sided dice and check the
corresponding entry (p. 66). Decide the zone's dominant feature. Each
zone should contain one thing that is truly ex-
Interpret the result as imaginatively as you
tra-ordinary: a powerful foe, a supernatural
can. Elaborate on the entry, using your imag-
event, a volcano, ghost city or other dangerous
ination and inspiration from things you have
location, a sorceror, demon or deity, or any-
seen, heard, read or experienced. Sometimes
thing else you can think of. This feature can be
you will find that an entry inspires an adventure
small or large, but its precense will dominate
in its own right. Others will feel less engaging,
the zone physically, mentally or both. Make
and still other times the players will devise a
sure that this feature suits the theme, either by
plan to avoid the encounter altogether.
reinforcing it—like a fire-sorcerer in the Des-
Mark it on the map. If the entry provides a lo- ert of Shifting Sands—or contrasting it—like a
cation that the adventurers can return to, mark snow-capped mountain in the same place.
it on the map.
Populate the zone. For the most part, your
Once the encounter has played out, cross chance encounters should contain a location,
it out and write your own. The new entry someone or something encountered there and
can be as similar or dissimilar to the old one as a small treasure, trap or other secret to uncov-
you like, as long as it isn’t identical. This way, er. Consider the zone's location, its theme and
the charts will continue to provide you and dominant feature. For example, a populated
your friends with literally endless adventures. area might have a lot of soldiers, bandits and in-
trigues, whereas less-traveled zones might have
HUNTING & FORAGING
more monsters, savage tribes and lost ruins.
If the player characters lack food and water,
they may attempt to hunt and forage for surviv- KEYED LOCATIONS
al. Doing so will force the adventurers to slow The chance encounter table is a simple tool for
their pace, reducing the travel speed by 1 hexa- running wilderness exploration, but you can
gon per day. For particularily barren landscapes also add keyed locations to your map. Mark
the referee can require each player to make a a hexagon and key it like a room in an adven-
Search test, equating each success with food ture location. If the adventurers pass through
and water for one person. that hexagon­—and only then—will they have
a chance of encountering this specific location.
 REFEREE'S SECTION 65

Misfortunes 12 2d6 assassins: pwr 3, save 11, end 16.

Armor 5, hidden weapons (dmg 1d6).
When the adventurers suffer misfortunes The assassins are masquerading as com-
during their travels, roll a twenty-sided die. mon folks. Someone wishes the adven-
turers dead—decide who and why.
# MISFORTUNE
13 Lack of water. Unless the PCs carry
1 Minor mishap. A sprained ankle, broken water themselves, they are dying from
rib, or larger abrasion slows the party thirst (see p. 49).
down. Increase travel time by 1 day.
14 Hunger and thirst. All rations and water
2 Bad weather. Travel time is prolonged the PCs carry are spoiled or spent. The
by 1d4 days. adventurers must forage or suffer thirst
3 Bad terrain. Travel time is prolonged by and starvation (see p. 49).
1d6 days. 15 Broken equipment. Perhaps the mer-
4 Lost. One of the PCs must check Sens- chant was a liar, the craftsman a fool
es: on a hit they are finally able to re- or it is simply wilderness taking its toll
cover their path—increase travel time on the artifacts of men. All PCs must
by 1d8 days; on a miss they end up in check Craft: on a miss, one of their
another zone or location than they were carried items breaks.
heading for—roll twice for chance 16 Exhausted. The road takes a tremen-
events, once for this zone and one for dous toll. All PCs get one point of ex-
the new zone they stumbled into. haustion per day’s travel. These points
5 Circling vultures, stray dogs or simi- of exhaustion counts as equipment for
lar make travel unpleasant and make encumbrance purposes, and recovers
stealth and surprise impossible. at a rate of 1 per day in a city, inn or
6 A menacing pack of 3d4 jackals: similar.
pwr 1, save 5, end 4. Bite (dmg 1d6). 17 Major mishap. A mud slide, flood or
7 2d4 wild beasts. Hyenas, baboons, rep- wildfire, depending on terrain. All
tiles or similar, depending on terrain: PCs must check Vigor: on a miss they
pwr 2, save 7, end 10. Claw (dmg 1d8). are caught and must enter their next
8 2d4 large beasts. Lions, gorillas, hip- encounter or adventure bloodied (half
popotami or similar, depending on endurance).
terrain: pwr 3, save 9, end 16. Natural 18 Sun-sickness. All adventurers must
weapons (dmg 1d10). check Might: on a miss they are beset
9 An marching enemy host forces the by nausea and must roll twice and
PCs to flee, hide or risk being caught choose the worst outcome for all
or worse. 4d10 soldiers: pwr 2, save 8, checks and saving throws, until spend-
end 14. Armor 5. Spears (dmg 1d8). ing a full day indoors or underground.
10 2d6 bandits: pwr 2, save 8, end 12. 19 Roll again and combine the result with
Armor 3, clubs and maces (dmg 1d8). a chance encounter.
11 2d6 hired fighters: pwr 3, save 9, end 20 Roll twice and combine.
14. Armor 5, spears (dmg 1d8).
Someone thinks the adventurers owe a
debt and hired fighters to collect it—
decide who it is and what they want.
66 CHAPTER VII

The Great Barrens of Karkal

The land surrounding Sippar is arid, consist-
5 A mourning woman, her hair pale
from sorrow and her name lost to
grief, seeking her daughter Vana. The
ing of sand and stone interrupted by occasion-
daughter was taken by a band of slavers and the
al boulders of limestone or basalt. Vegetation
woman carries 400 s in silver to buy her back.
is sparse, mostly thistles and thorny bushes of
stunted growth, but here and there small copses Mourning woman: pwr 2, save 5 (+Vigor –
of date palms and twisted citruses offer their Craft) end 18. Unarmed (dmg 1d4; no crit).
shade and meagre produce. The proximity to
Sippar makes it relatively civilized, but reavers
often brave the area to prey upon the caravans
carrying wealth to and from the merchant city.
6 A rabble of paupers start following
the PCs. They cry for alms and curse the
adventurers, clinging to their clothes and slur-
ring unintelligibly. If the PCs drive them off
Flat: Travel speed is three hexagons per day.
they will try to retaliate by stealing rations and
CHANCE ENCOUNTERS (2D8) luring out a giant lizard to eat the adventurers.

2 The warm wind brings the laughing

voices of a group of women, bathing
in an azure pond of remarkable depth. The
Paupers: pwr 1, save 3, end 5. Crude tools
(dmg 1d6; no crit).
Giant Lizard: pwr 4, save 12 end 36.
group is led by Amala, a young woman of dusky
Armor 8. Saw-like tooths (dmg 1d10).
complexion. They hail from a cavernous set-

7
tlement of hog-farmers an hour’s travel away,
The site of a recent battle. 2d10 measly
and Amala will allow the adventurers to follow
Amorites led by Ezial are scavenging the
them there to eat and rest if treated with cour-
battleground. If the PCs spend a day searching
tesy.
as well, they will find a bone crown but the
Bathing women: pwr 2, save 7, end 10. Crude Amorites will become hostile if they notice, de-
tools (dmg 1d6; no crit). manding that it is given over to them.
Amala: pwr 2, save 10 (+Guile –Senses), end
Amorites: pwr 2, save 8, end 8. Bronze jave-
6. Small axe (dmg 1d6).
lins (dmg 1d6; thrown: reach 1).

3
Ezial: pwr 3, save 9 (+Vigor –Craft), end 18.
A long line of prisoners of war are be-
Slender bronze axe (dmg 1d6+1).
ing escorted to Sippar by a troop of
Bone crown: Treasure: 1800 s. Restores to life
well-armed soldiers. One of the prisoners is
a recently dead on whose head it is placed. If
an Akkadian prince, promising a bountiful re-
the crown is removed, the head detatches from
ward if he were to be freed and brought to his
the body and she immediately returns to death.
kinsfolk in Ashur.
Prisoners: pwr 2, save 6, end 6. Naked and
unarmed (dmg 1d4; no crit).
Soldiers: pwr 2, save 7 (+Lore –Guile), end
8 A group of eight ragged men have
sought shelter amongst some large
boulders. They are escaped slaves from Sip-
16. Bronze armor and shields (armor 6; def 2). par, and will lie as best they can to avoid being
Spears (dmg 1d8). caught. They will prefer to assassinate the PCs
Prince Uddut: pwr 2, save 8 (–Might) end 8. in their sleep over going back into slavery, but
Naked and unarmed (dmg d4; no crit). are helpful if treated well. Should the slaves be
brought back, they are worth 150 shekels each.

4 In an abandoned quarry lies an in-

complete statue of a winged beast. At
daybreak it shivers as if trying to break free.
Ragged men: pwr 2, save 6, end 7. Armed
with cudgels (dmg 1d6).
 REFEREE'S SECTION 67

9 A caravan carrying purple clams to

Eshnunna for a wealthy merchant
named Zusul-Sabar. The caravan consists of
13 Khemal the Fair, a beautiful
young prince, carried on a pa-
lanquin by two massive slaves. A third
2d4 carts, 6d8 slaves and 2d12 armed guards. and shorter slave by the name of Gobo scur-
The cargo of each cart is treasure worth 700 s ries alongside, babbling reassuringly about the
in Eshnunna, but only 240 s outside of that area. prince’s qualities and the fine outlooks of his
future. They are headed for a city of tents to at-
Caravan Guards: pwr 2, save 7 (+Might –
tend a great festivity (see 14).
Guile), end 14. Armor 6. Spears (dmg 1d8).
Zusul-Sabar: pwr 2, save 6 Massive slaves: pwr 3, save 10 (+Might), end
(+Senses –Lore) end 10. Armor 5. Bronze 32. Sickle-swords (dmg 1d6; versatile 1d8).
khopesh (dmg 1d6+1). Gobo: pwr 2, save 6 (+Lore –Might), end 16.
Bronze dagger (dmg 1d6).

10 The adventurers are hailed by a

dozen toll-collectors, expecting
a tenth in tax for all goods they are car-
Khemal the Fair: pwr 2, save 8 (+Guile –
Vigor), end 12. Armor 7. Mace (dmg 1d8).

rying. The toll collectors are led by Farrak, a

corrupt notary secretly keeping half of the col-
lected wealth from his masters in Sippar.
14 In the middle of the desert, a city of
tents has sprung up. Here, a drunk-
en revelry is held to the deafening sounds of
countless cicadas. The ecstatic festivities culmi-
Toll collectors: pwr 2, save 6 (+Guile –Vig-
nate in an ancient ritual—led by Tuol Aham,
or), end 12. Armor 6. Spears (dmg 1d8).
a copper-skinned priest from Borsippa—where
Farrak: pwr 2, save 7 (+Senses –Guile), end
two teenage boys are sacrificed to summon the
6. Armor 7. Bronze mace (dmg 1d8).
vile cockroach demon Bahaga.

11 A group of bandits has surround-

ed a surprisingly well-defended
caravan. The caravan has dug in on a stony hill,
Bahaga, the cockroach demon:
pwr 4/3, save 14 (+Lore –Senses), end 45.
Carapace (armor 9). Spiked legs (dmg 1d12).
hesitant to attack but unwilling to give up. The Paralyzing shriek. All hearing must check
caravan is bound for Mari and carries precious Might or lose their next action.
goods for a noble family there. If the adventur- Tuol Aham: pwr 3, save 9 (+Guile –Vigor),
ers are spotted, both sides will try to persuade end 18. Cloak (armor 4). Meteorite khopesh:
them to help their cause. (dmg 1d8; iron).
Revelers: pwr 2; save 6, end 10.
Bandits (10): pwr 2, save 8, end 18. Salvaged
Miscellaneous weaponry (dmg 1d6).
armor 4. Axes (dmg 1d6).

15
Caravan guards (12): pwr 2, save 7, end 14.
Among limestone pinnacles claw-
Bronze armor 5. Spears (dmg 1d8).
ing the skies like fingers of a dying

12
man, a fiery red Lamasu hunts.
An oasis, where the male sage
Dinah has set up camp. Dinah is Haragal the Lamasu: pwr 4/4, save 14
searching for the carcass of a great crawler god (+Vigor –Craft), end 60. Thick fur (armor 5).
that collapsed onto the earth at the end of the Old man’s teeth (dmg 1d6+2; piercing +2)
second era according to myth. and lion claws (dmg 1d10; roll twice, choose
highest). Outruns a horse and can fly.
Dinah: pwr 2, save 8 (+2 Lore), end 18. Sim-

16
ple robe and wooden staff (dmg 1d4).
The Reavers’ Fort, or roll twice and
combine.
68 CHAPTER VII

CREATING NPCS
NPCs To create new NPCs, use your imagination,
Non-player characters—or NPCs for short— import them from legends or books or model
are all the characters, monsters and creatures them after those presented above. To quickly
inhabiting the world of Blood & Bronze, ex- create new NPCs on the fly, do as follows:
cept for the adventurers. NPCs differ from the
First, decide what it is. Give it a suitable name
adventures in three chief ways.
and appearance. Sample names are given for
First, NPCs are run by you—the referee—and each class, pick one or make up your own.
not the players. You decide what they do, what
Second, decide its power level. A creature’s
they say and how they look, you roll dice for
power level determines how many dice you roll
them and so on. When portraying your NPC,
for it during skill tests. Use the chance-of-suc-
you should alter your voice and manners to re-
cess table on p. 46 for reference, keeping in
flect their personalities.
mind that a power level of 2 roughly equals a
Second, NPCs don’t normally have abilities. starting character.
Instead, they have two unified values—power
Ancient or powerful creatures may have more
(pwr) and save—corresponding to their abil-
than one power level, meaning that they have
ity rating and ability score respectively. Some
more than one action each round. The first ac-
NPCs may have a strength and/or a weakness. If
tion is resolved using the first power level, the
so, add/remove 1 die for skill tests and modify
second using the second and so on.
ability checks with power level.
If you want, you can also give the NPC a
Third, for NPCs you are advised to interpret
strength, a weakness or both.
a failed armor check (higher than the armor
rating with a twenty-sided die) as if the blow Third, determine saves. Roll one six-sided die
pierced the armor for full damage, to allow for per power level, adjusting for strengths and
shorter and more intense combats. weaknesses if applicable, and keep half (round-
ed up). These are the creature’s saves. If an NPC
REACTION ROLLS
has pwr 2 (+Vigor –Lore) you would roll one
When the PCs encounter a creature or char-
die to determine its Lore save; three dice and
acter by a chance encounter, you should roll
discard the lowest for its Vigor save and two
2d6 to determine the creature’s reaction. This
dice, keeping only the best, for all other saves.
is called a reaction roll. The reaction roll en-
sures that not every encounter results in blood- If you are math-savvy, you could also multiply
shed, but also that there may be treacherous the NPCs power level by three to get an ap-
hearts even in civilized locales. Of course, cer- proximate result.
tain creatures or characters can have motives or
Fourth, set endurance. To quickly determine an
dispositions that already dictate their behavior.
NPCs total endurance, roll a number of ten-sid-
Use common sense.
ed dice equal to the creature’s power level (or
levels, if more than one). This is how much
2D6 REACTION damage the creature can bear before dying.
2-3 Murderous Fifth, decide its armor and weapons. Choose
4-5 Hostile from the weapon list, or use it as reference. The
6-8 Suspicious “no crit when unarmed” rule doesn’t apply to
beasts. As a rule of thumb, an ordinary creature
9-10 Curious
deals 1d6 damage, a large 1d8, an extraordinary
11-12 Cordial 1d10, while a truly monstrous deals 1d12.
 Some people gather in their cities,
seeking refuge from monsters and foes behind massive walls
or solace from the scorching sun
under the many-colored tarps of the bazaars.

Some people live their lives bent before the ziggurats

tremoring in awe of their sacred rulers.

But not you, for you are an adventurer!

Driven by an urge for power, by curiosity or avarice,

you and your band of likes travel this world
seeking glory, gold, knowledge and power.

This is the game of these adventures.

BLOOD & BRONZE is a fantasy game

of high adventure and role-playing,
set in a mythic Mesopotamia.

Contained herein are all the rules needed to play.

BLOOD & BRONZE

(c) 2015

All art used under licence

Interior (c) 2014 Rich LONGMORE
Map (c) 2014 Sam PERKINS-HARBIN
Cover (c) 2015 Adam MOORE