Fantasy Careers

by Russ Morrissey
About This Chapter.......................................2 Exploits...........................................................36
Character Creation Walkthrough................................ 3 Paying for Effects......................................................... 36
Once per Turn...............................................................37
Descriptor........................................................3
Example Descriptors.....................................................4 Age.....................................................................39

Attributes........................................................4 Derived Statistics........................................42

What Attribute Scores Mean........................................ 5
Equip Your Character................................45
Grade.................................................................6
Starting Grade................................................................ 7 Attacks............................................................45
Cinematic Mode........................................................... 45
Skills.................................................................. 7
Advancement.................................................46
Races...................................................................9
Appendix: Gods as Patrons........................48
Careers............................................................16
Careers & Ranks........................................................... 19 Sample Characters......................................50
Magic...............................................................................21
Patrons & Virtues..........................................................21
Animal Companions.................................................... 24
Status Tracks................................................................. 29

Artists Bartlomiej Fedyczak, Bien Flores, Felipe Gaona, One of the aims of What’s O.L.D. is N.E.W. is not just to
Carl Holden, Darren Morrissey, Claudio Pozas, allow fans and third party publishers to create and/or sell
Alida Saxon, Carly Sorge, jupeart, Dabarti CGI, cigdem, content for the games, but to encourage and actively support
Yuttana Samol, diversepixel, denisgo, Obsidian Dawn it. Third-party publishers and fans are free to create and sell
(obsidiandawn.com). Some art © 2004 Ed Bourelle. compatible content for What’s O.L.D. is N.E.W. You can
Used with permission. www.bourellearts.com create sourcebooks, adventures, resources, expansions, and so on,
Art Directors Alida Saxon, Gayle Reick and indicate compatibility. You can also make or sell electronic
Art Commissioned by Savage Mojo applications. The license is free, and you do not need to ask
Layout and Graphic Design by Eric Life-Putnam permission or submit an application to use it—just head to
©2015 EN Publishing woinrpg.com for more information, and start publishing!

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Fantasy Careers

E
ach player in O.L.D. plays a character— ►►An overall walkthrough of the character
  a Human knight, a Grand Elf musketeer, a creation process.
  Smallfolk burglar, or one of many other pos- ►►Details about character descriptors and grades.
sibilities. You can choose from a variety of races and ►►Information about attributes, what they mean,
careers to build the character you want to play. and how they are used.
  The following pages tell you how to create a player ►►A list of over 150 example skills.
character. They include information on attributes, ►►A selection of 7 character races, along with
skills, careers, exploits, and equipment. By working their descriptions and abilities.
through this chapter, you will be able to easily create ►►Over 40 distinct careers your character can
a fully playable character ready for play in a O.L.D. adopt.
campaign. All you need is a character sheet, a pencil, ►►Universal exploits—distinct abilities which can
and a copy of this rulebook. be acquired by any character.
  Good luck! We’re all counting on you. ►►Details on how to calculate a number of
derived statistics.
About This Chapter ►►Nearly 40 traits.
A character, in its basic form, is simply a collection ►►Information how age affects your character.
of three types of element: attributes (which define
core capabilities), skills (which define areas of special These elements are building blocks that contribute to
competence or knowledge), and exploits (which are your character. It may seem like a lot, but creating a
special abilities and traits). The rest of the elements character is actually very simple—you simply choose
listed below, such as careers, age, race, and so on, are a race, five careers, a couple of items like exploits and
simply choices which help determine your attributes, traits, and then you buy equipment for your character.
skills, and exploits. This chapter on character creation When you’re used to the process, a character shouldn’t
includes the following information: take more than a few minutes to create.

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 Fantasy Careers

Character Creation Walkthrough

Follow these steps to create your character: b) Choose two of the listed skills and advance
1. Note your starting attributes (each at- each by one point. Note that characters may
tribute starts at 3, except for Magic and always select a defensive skill instead of a
Reputation, each of which start at 0). listed skill.
2. Choose a race. c) Choose one new career exploit from the list
a) Apply race attribute adjustments. shown or choose one universal exploit.
b) Note your Size. d) Roll for the number of years your character
c) Choose three racial skills. spends at that career grade and increase your
d) Note all the listed race exploits. age (your age starts at zero).
3. Choose a hook, and note it in your descriptor. 5. Select Aim or Feint (free universal exploits) plus
a) Choose one attribute related to that hook; one other exploit of your choice for which you
this is called your hook attribute. qualify.
4. Choose five careers. Start with an origin, and 6. Choose one trait based on your highest or
then select four further careers. For each career lowest attribute and note that in your descriptor.
grade, do the following: 7. Determine your age and apply any age exploits.
a) Apply all of the listed attribute adjustments. 8. Calculate your derived statistics.
Note that you may optionally substitute 9. Spend money to equip your character with
either one of your racial attributes or your armor, weapons, and equipment.
hook attribute for one of the listed attributes.

Total Checklist   Trait. The trait is the name of a special ability de-
When you are finished, you will have chosen: fined by a character’s lowest or highest attribute (see
►►
5 careers, including one origin. section on traits, later).
►►
10 skill ranks from careers plus 3 from race,   Age. The age entry is only used if the character is
making 13 in total. younger than adult or older than middle-aged. You
►►
20 attribute points from careers, plus 24 you may choose a synonym you like for “young” or “old”
started with, adjusted by race. (adolescent, youthful, aged, mature, etc.); age can give
►►
2 universal exploits, including either aim or you a free exploit (see the section on age below).
feint.   Career. The career entry can be one of two choices.
►►
1 possible age exploit, a trait, and a hook. It can be the character’s current career, or it can be
the character’s longest-serving career. If the longest-
Descriptor serving career is not the current career, it should be
At the top of each character sheet is a descriptor. This is prefixed with “ex-” (for example, an ex-Inquisitor or
a short introductory character summary. For example, an ex-Soldier).
Selena’s reads:   Hook. A character’s hook is a broad background,
skill, or area of interest chosen by the player. It can be
a brilliant Human Firemage who loves to gamble
anything, but it’s designed to round out the character
The descriptor is made up of the following elements, with personality, interests, or hobbies. For example,
some of which are not always used. a player might choose “…who enjoys hard liquor,” or
“…who has a taste for romance,” or even “…who col-
a[n] [age] [trait] [race] [career] who/with [hook].
lects insects as a hobby”.

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Fantasy Careers

 The hook complements career and skill choices as a Attributes

lifelong background aspect to the character, uncon- Player characters are defined by a set of attributes.
nected to specific vocations and training. Attributes are a selection of values which help describe
 The hook works as a broad skill. Any time a charac- a character. They quantify things about a character
ter makes an attribute check, the player can use the like his or her strength, dexterity, intelligence, and
descriptor to gain a +1d6 bonus, but only if the roll is wisdom; somebody with a higher Strength attri-
not using a skill already. The GM should be generous in bute is stronger than somebody with a lower one. The
allowing this; the hook should provide a frequent re- core attributes are Strength, Agility, Endurance,
minder of a character’s background. Willpower, Intuition, Logic, Charisma, and
  What a player can’t do with the character’s hook Luck. There are also two secondary attributes called
is sneak in a combat bonus to attack or damage. Reputation and Magic.
Characters can have hooks like “…who enjoys ar-   There is no upper limit to an attribute. The human
chery” or “…who likes bar-room brawls,” but hooks race is used as a benchmark for “average”, with a
that imply proficiency in combat can’t actually help score of with 4 in each physical, mental, and personal
a character in combat. For example, an archery hook attribute being roughly average for an adult human.
won’t ever benefit a character who’s firing a bow; a An attribute score of 11–12 typically represents capa-
brawling hook won’t ever assist a character who’s bilities like those exhibited by record-holding human
throwing a punch. athletes, noteworthy geniuses, or world-famous (or
  The hook has one other effect, which occurs dur- even infamous) personalities. Characters in O.L.D. can
ing character creation only. The player should assign exceed even these values under certain circumstances.
one attribute to be loosely linked to the hook; for   For example, Albert Einstein and Sherlock Holmes
example, if the hook is “…who enjoys reading poetry,” would merit a score of 12 in Logic, while Adolf Hitler
the player might choose Logic. The chosen attribute and Grigori Rasputin could be given scores of 11 or 12
is called the character’s hook attribute. in Charisma.
  Whenever advancing attribute scores through a ca-   Monsters, too, are described in terms of attributes.
reer choice, the hook attribute may be chosen instead For example, a mighty giant might have a Strength
of one of the listed career attributes. attribute of 20 or more. Non-human races have dif-
ferent averages and norms than humans; this is
represented by their different starting attributes.
Example Descriptors   Attributes can change during character genera-
Each player should read their full descriptor to the tion, and then later through character advancement
rest of the group before beginning play. For example: as your character embarks on new careers. A stint in
• Captain Agathe Drake is a commanding Grand the military might make you a bit tougher, increas-
Elf Musketeer who reads poetry and old literature ing your Endurance attribute, while years spent as
• Selena is a brilliant Human Firemage who loves a con-man might increase your Charisma. The at-
to gamble tributes are described in more detail below.
• Gimnor is a shy Mountain Dwarf Assassin who   Attributes sometimes combine to create derived sta-
collects rare flowers tistics—for example, the physical attributes can affect
• Mandallan is an inspiring Human Knight who a character’s physical Defense scores, and the mental
believes in ancient myths and legends attributes affect a character’s Mental Defense score.
• Marla is a naive Smallfolk Cleric who is fastidi- Other attributes are used to determine how fast your
ously clean character can run, how much he can carry, how far he
• Krute is a tough-as-nails Orc Barbarian who can jump, or how much damage he can take.
wears trophies of his fallen foes

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 Fantasy Careers

Attributes & Dice Pools Dice Granted by Attribute/Skill Score

Attribute scores are only used during character cre- 1–2 3–5 6–9 10–14 15–20 21–27 28–35
ation and advancement. During play, you will use 1d6 2d6 3d6 4d6 5d6 6d6 7d6
your attributes’ associated dice pools. There is more
detail on this later, but dice pools are groups of dice would add that to the 3d6 you got for your Agility
which you roll when your character attempts a task; score of 7 when swinging your sword at an attacking
the more dice you roll, the higher you’ll likely score. goblin, meaning that you get to roll 5d6 in total.
Your attributes determine how many dice you can   You can also gain dice for high quality equipment.
roll. The total that you roll is compared to a difficulty For example, an exceptional quality item gives you
benchmark; if you roll equal to or higher than that another 2d6 to add to your dice pool. Equipment is
benchmark, your character succeeds at the task. dealt with in detail later.
  In running text, a benchmark looks something like
this: “a Challenging  [13] AGI check.” This means that Strength (STR)
you roll your dice pool, and if you roll 13 or more, your Strength measures physical power, might, and
character succeeds. There is much more information brawn. It is used to determine carrying capacity,
on difficulty benchmarks and attribute checks in the some melee attacks, and melee damage. If you want
section on adjudicating the game. to break a door down, your GM may ask you for a
  Attributes grant dice to these dice pools in a granu- STR check.
lar, expanding scale, meaning that each new die is
harder to obtain—for example, an Agility of 7 means Agility (AGI)
that your Agility dice pool is 3d6, while an Agility Agility measures dexterity and reflexes. It is also
of 10 lets you roll 4d6. used to determine ranged attacks and some melee at-
  Skills (covered a little later in this book) use the tacks. You might use your AGI to climb a wall or to
same expanding scale, granting more dice to your dice land safely after a nasty fall.
pool. So a skill rank of 3 in swords gives you 2d6. You

What Attribute Scores Mean

Though the following terms are not used in the game in STR to be powerful). It doesn’t include all the attributes,
any meaningful way, they can help you to envision what but the ones it does include should give you a reasonable
your character’s attribute scores actually mean. The table perspective on the overall scale.
below can be used as a quick tool to understanding your   Generally, an average Human rolls 2d6 for any given
character’s attributes as viewed from a human perspective attribute. If you are rolling more than 2d6 you are better
(although a dragon might not consider a human with 12 at that attribute than the average Human.

Dice Pool Comparisons

Dice Pool Strength Agility Logic Reputation Attribute
1d6 Weak Clumsy Low Unknown 1–2
2d6 Average Average Average Village 3–5
3d6 Strong Adroit Gifted Town 6–9
4d6 Powerful Agile Genius City 10–14
5d6 Mighty Remarkable Extraordinary genius Country 15–20
6d6 Superhuman Superhuman Supra-genius World 21–27

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Fantasy Careers

Endurance (END) Luck (LUC)

Endurance is a measure of healthiness, constitution, Luck is an unpredictable force, and some people are
and hardiness. It is used to determine your overall naturally luckier than others. However, fate, fortune,
Health score. An END check might also be used to and destiny are all powerful influences on the world.
resist the effects of poison or disease. Your Luck dice pool forms a resource of dice which
can be added at will to other dice pools on order to
Intuition (INT) improve your chances, or which can be spent on
Intuition measures common sense, perception, em- other special actions. That resource replenishes itself
pathy, and natural instinct. It is used to tell when every day.
someone is lying, spot something, or sense impending
danger. Some might refer to it as “EQ” or “emotional Reputation (REP)
intelligence.” Animals often have high INT attributes, Reputation is a measure of fame, respect, influence,
especially those with keen senses. and social standing. You can make a REP check to get
a loan or see if somebody has heard of you. Your REP
Logic (LOG) also partly determines your starting gold.
Logic is a mixture of reasoning, knowledge, and
education. While IQ isn’t a great measure of intel- Magic (MAG)
ligence, 60 + (LOG × 10) gives an approximate IQ in Magic is a measure of raw magical power. While
the mid-ranges. You would make a LOG check to heal magical ability is customized through choices of skills
an ally’s injuries, perform herbalism, or recall specific and secrets, the MAG attribute determines both the
knowledge. power level of your spells and how much magic you
can cast before exhausting your reservoir.
Willpower (WIL)
Willpower is strength of mind and power of concen- Grade
tration. Along with END, it determines your overall Your grade is equal to the total number of career
Health, and is part of your Mental Defense. grades you have taken, and the largest dice pool you
can form during play is defined by your grade. A start-
Charisma (CHA) ing character with 5 career grades is grade 5, and has
Charisma is a combination of physical attractiveness, a maximum pool size of 5d6. Some NPCs, civilians, or
personal magnetism, and force of personality. It is the weak monsters may be lower than grade 5, and their
attribute used when interacting with others, whether maximum dice pool is equal to their grade.
leading them, negotiating with them, or deceiving   For example (this will be explained in more detail later),
them. While physical appearance is part of the CHA Kilrave the Assassin has 9 AGI, 4 ranks in knives, and an ex-
score, it is a minor part at best (especially in a world ceptional dagger. That would normally give him a dice pool of
full of Elves and Dwarves with differing standards 7d6 (3d6 for his attribute, 2d6 for his knives skill, and 2d6 for
of beauty); far more important are personality and his exceptional weapon). However, he is only grade 7, which
presence. gives him a maximum dice pool of 6d6. In effect, some of his
dice are wasted until he can gain some experience.
Maximum Dice Pools by Grade
Grade 5 6–7 8–10 11–14 15–19 20–25 26–32 33–40
Max Pool 5d6 6d6 7d6 8d6 9d6 10d6 11d6 12d6

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 Fantasy Careers

Starting Grade
A typical character begins at grade 5, which includes an to lower than 3d6, no matter how low their grade, though
origin and four career grades. However, the GM may an NPC’s or monster’s dice pool can.
wish to start the game at a different grade.   Conversely, starting characters at grade 10 will make
  Starting characters at grade 1 will make them very them highly competent, experienced professionals. These
young, and they will have only an origin. They will be characters know what they’re doing, and they’re good at
below average in terms of competency, but have limit- it. They’ve likely already maxed out one entire career—
less scope to grow. Alternatively, starting at grade 2 can perhaps they could be ex-military or reformed criminals.
give characters an origin and the start of a career. A new A grade 10 character has a maximum dice pool of 7d6.
militiaman or a teenaged farmer longing for adventure   The GM can set any starting grade. You may find you
might fit this approach. enjoy certain styles of game over others, and the starting
  A grade 3 or lower character has a maximum dice pool grade can play a major role in flavor. It is recommended,
of 3d6; a grade 4 character has a maximum dice pool of however, that all players begin with characters of the
4d6. A character’s maximum dice pool cannot be reduced same grade so that none overshadow the others.

Skills Artistic Skills

Skills represent things your character is good at. Skills Examples: calligraphy, literature, modeling, painting,
are picked up as a character progresses through his poetry, pottery, printmaking, sculpting
life, and reflect training and background. Some are
academic skills, such as herbalism or religion; others are Combat Skills
physical skills like running or climbing. Still others may Examples: axes, bows, brawling, reactions, knives, staves,
reflect social skills like intimidation, magical skills like swords, tactics, light armor, medium armor, heavy armor
abjuration, or things like sailing and dungeoneering.
  A skill is not required to attempt a task. Having Crafting Skills
ranks in a skill indicates that you have particular Examples: basket-weaving, blacksmith, carpentry, cooking,
training in that subject; however, even if you have no stone-masonry
ranks in riding, you can still try to ride a horse, and
having no ranks in swords does not prevent you from Developmental Skills
taking a swing at an attacking monster. Examples: bravery, concentration, hardy, insight, medita-
  The skill list is open-ended. This means that anything tion, perception, resistance
can be a skill; it doesn’t have to be on the list below.
You might wish to choose flower arranging, origami, or Gaming Skills
rain dancing. The list below is simply a list of examples; Examples: backgammon, blackjack, checkers, chess, darts,
feel free to add to it. dominoes, draughts, poker
  A skill forms part of a dice pool. When making an
attribute check, you may add skill dice to your attri- Miscellaneous Hobby Skills
bute dice (you may also add equipment dice) to form Examples: brewing, fishing, gardening, hunting, ornithol-
a dice pool which is rolled against a target difficulty ogy, riddles, sewing
benchmark.

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Fantasy Careers

Magical Skills
Examples: abjuration, compulsion, creation, displacement,
divination, enchantment, evocation, healing, hexes, illusion,
infusion, infliction, movement, summoning, transformation

Lore Skills
Examples: astronomy, alchemy, herbalism, medicine,
religion, heraldry, history, law, local knowledge

Physical Skills
Examples: acrobatics, carrying, climbing, jousting, jump-
ing, running, swimming, throwing

Performance Skills
Examples: acting, dancing, fortune-telling, juggling, magic,
musical instrument, singing, storytelling, ventriloquism

Subterfuge Skills
Examples: appraisal, bribery, cryptology, disguise, escape
artist, forgery, interrogation, stealth, thievery

Social Skills
Examples: bluffing, carousing, flirtation, intimidation,
leadership, linguistics, negotiation

Vehicle Skills
Examples: driving, navigation, piloting, riding, sailing

Outdoor Skills
Examples: animal handling, farming, mining, nature,
survival, tracking

Other Skills
Examples: accounting, bureaucracy, history, hypnotism,
law, local knowledge

Skill Notation
When referring to a skill category, the category is
enclosed in square brackets to avoid confusion. For
example, an entry which says [outdoor] refers to the
entire list of outdoor skills above, including survival,
animal handling, tracking, farming, mining, and any new
skills players devise, as long as they fall within the
category’s overall topic and the GM approves them.

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 Fantasy Careers

For example, if a career tells you that you may choose   For example, Albert Einstein would rate a score of
a [performance] skill, you can choose any of the listed 15 (5d6) in physics. Miyamoto Musashi would be as-
examples in that category, or you might decide in- signed a score of 15 (5d6) in swords. Characters with
stead on a new skill like mime or comedy. skill scores that high are extremely rare.
  When noting a skill, you do not need to indicate
categories or placeholder titles. You simply note “chess” Skill Levels and Skill Dice by Rank
rather than “[gaming] chess”; similarly, you simply note Skill Ranks Skill Level Dice Pool
“bows” rather than “[combat] ranged weapon (bows).” 1 Proficient 1d6
  When selecting local knowledge, you need to specify 3 Skilled 2d6
a locale you know. 6 Expert 3d6
  Weapons. In combat, unarmed fighting and weap- 10 Mastery 4d6
on skills all add to relevant AGI, INT, or STR attack 15 Authority 5d6
checks. Melee weapons include categories of weapon
type (swords, axes, clubs, knives, etc.); ranged weapons Races
similarly include weapon types, such as bows, spears, Your character is likely nothing like you. In fact, your
or slings. Unarmed combat types include (but are not character may be a completely different race to you.
limited to) boxing, wrestling, brawling, and martial arts. There are a number of fantasy races to choose from;
  Armor. Armor is divided into light, medium, and they all have different starting attributes representing
heavy armor. You can wear armor in which you have typical members of their race. Some fantasy races may
no skill ranks, but—as with all equipment—you need be fast, or strong, while others might be intelligent or
skill ranks to benefit fully from higher quality armor. magically gifted. Each race is different.
  Start by choosing a race and sex for your charac-
Skill Levels ter. Your race will determine your starting attributes,
Skills are used to form dice pools in the same way that which are the attributes of a youngster of that race
attributes are. They use the same scale as attributes to (human adult average is 4 in each attribute). Your gen-
derive the size of the dice pool. der does not affect your attributes or skills at all.
  As a general rule, 1 skill rank is proficient; 3 is   Humans provide the simplest, most straightfor-
considered skilled, and is roughly equal to a modern ward playing experience.
bachelor’s degree; 6 is an expert, and is roughly equal   Once you have selected your race, record your
to a modern doctorate; 10 is regarded as mastery; and starting attributes, and choose three from the list of
15 makes you an authority on that subject. available skills. Each race also has a number natural
  These ranks correspond to derived dice pools of 1d6, exploits (such as the Sylvan Elf’s ability to ignore dif-
2d6, 3d6, 4d6, and 5d6. ficult terrain, or the Ogre’s acidic blood).

Racial Attribute Adjustments

STR AGI END INT LOG WIL CHA LUC MAG
Grand Elf — +2 — — +2 — — –2 +3
Human* — — — — — — — +2 —
Mountain Dwarf — — +2 — — +2 — — —
Ogre +3 — +3 — — — — — —
Orc +2 +2 — +3 — — — — —
Smallfolk — +2 — — — — +2 +2 +1
Sylvan Elf — +2 +2 — — — — — +2
 * +2 to one other attribute and +1 to one further attribute

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Fantasy Careers

  This rulebook presents seven basic races (Grand Races & Attributes
Elves, Humans, Ogres, Sylvan Elves, Smallfolk, Every race is different, and part of this difference
Mountain Dwarves, and Orcs), although more may be is highlighted by their different starting attributes.
available from other sources. These races are a “ge- Ogres are strong, and Elves are highly magical, while
neric” set, designed to suit a multitude of campaign Humans are known for their luck.
settings. A given setting may well have an entirely   All of your attributes start at 3, except for Magic
different set of fantasy races, especially if it’s set in and Reputation which start at 0. Your choice of race
a popular fantasy world from your favorite novel or modifies those attributes in the form of bonuses and
fantasy TV series. some (rare) penalties.
  Attributes which grant a species bonus also serve
A Note About Gender & another important function. The starting bonus to
Ethnicity your attributes isn’t overwhelming. However, later
Neither gender nor ethnic origin have any mechani- in the character creation process, whenever you take
cal effect on your character; they should be treated a career grade, you may substitute one of the listed
as purely descriptive elements. Some truly alien races attribute advancements for one of the attributes to
may have entirely different genders, or no gender at which your species grants a bonus—so Ogre charac-
all. You should feel free to select from the entire range ters may replace one of their attribute increases with
of gender-identification and sexuality, though these either Strength or Endurance, and Grand Elves
things will likely not form a major part of the game. may substitute a listed attribute increase with Agility,

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 Fantasy Careers

Logic, or Magic. Alternatively, you may substitute   Human adventurers are extremely varied, from
your hook attribute for of the listed attributes. military officers to knights, to priests, to wizards.
  You cannot increase an attribute twice during a
single career grade advancement; if substituting a Statistics
species or hook attribute for another would mean ►►Size: Medium
that an attribute was being improved more than once, ►►Attributes: LUC +2, add 2 to one other attri-
you cannot make the substitution. bute, and add 1 to one further attribute
►► Skill Choices: [crafting], [gaming], [lore], climbing,
Humans dungeoneering, running, sailing, swimming
There’s a reasonably strong chance that you, the read-
er, are human. Often referred to simply as the “Race Exploits
of Man,” Humans are an adaptive and expansionist ►► Explorers. Driven by an inquisitive, exploratory
race, with a tendency towards colonization and inno- nature, Humans gain bonus XP equal to their
vation—they are as varied as the many cities, plains, grade every time they take a journey of more
hills, and forests from which they hail. than one week. They cannot gain this bonus
  Human lifespans are about 70 years in length. Most more than once per month.
humans reach adulthood at about age 18, although ►► Varied. Human boast more variation within
some cultures vary. their race than most. Add 2 to any attribute,
and add 1 to a further attribute (noted above).

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Fantasy Careers

Ogres Grand Elves

Ogres stand 7 feet tall. Towering masses of muscle, Grand Elves are an ancient race. Masters of gunpow-
accompanied by green skin and bestial tusks, Ogres der, there is nothing more awe-inspiring than the
have a well-earned reputation for stupidity. sight of ranks of Grand Elves lined up with their
  Ogres have greasy, lice-ridden black hair, and are muskets in the driving rain, felling row after row of
often covered in warts and other blemishes. They charging goblin hordes. Tall, pale, and serious, Grand
smell terrible, and an indescribable odor reminiscent Elves are strong believers in the good of the commu-
of a mixture of stale sweat and rotting food. nity being more important than that of the individual.
  Ogres are technically goblinoids, distantly related   Grand Elves are slightly taller and slimmer than
to orcs and goblins, but some giant blood was added humans, with a grave, stoic bearing. Their ears are
in the long past. They are brutish, prone to violence, pointed, and their faces tend towards the angular.
and tend to act on instinct. They are immortal, and do not age past middle-age,
  Ogre adventurers tend to be mercenaries and although can still be slain by accident, illness, or
soldiers. Tribal in nature, those which have joined violence.
adventuring outfits tend to curb their worst instincts   Music is important to Grand Elves. Most are able
and possess slightly higher intelligence than their to play one or more musical instruments, and singing
wilder brethren. comes naturally to them. Their music is beautiful and
  Typical names (male and female): Lúrbag, Lugog, Gorrat, ethereal.
Ugbug, Bolglúk, Maudush, Radhur, Ugdush, Grishog.   Grand Elf adventurers tend to be musketeers, al-
chemists, and sailors.
Statistics   Typical names (male and female): Nimrothor, Anduilas,
►►Size: Large Galmoth, Earros, Mabborn, Celelas, Mirairë,
►►Attributes: STR+3, END +3 Glorgolfin, Lúfindel, Arwë.
►►Skill Choices: axes, brawling, bravery, carrying,
clubs, hardy, intimidate, swords Statistics
►►Size: Medium
Exploits ►►Attributes: AGI +2, LOG +2, LUC –2, MAG +3
►►Acid Blood. Ogres have acidic blood. In addition ►►Skill Choices: [musical], alchemy, intimidate, law,
to gaining an additional 5 Soak (acid), melee leadership, muskets, pistols, sailing, swords
attackers which cause more than 10 slashing or
piercing damage in a single blow take 1d6 acid Exploits
damage from the blood splash. ►► Cultural Weapon. Grand Elves begin play with a
►► Darksight. Ogres can see in the dark as though free musket or pistol.
it were normal daylight. ►► Fey. Elves of all types are considered Fey.
►► Smelly. No matter what they do, Ogres smell ►► Magic Sense. Grand Elves can sense magic
bad. They take a permanent –1d6 penalty to any within 10' of them. They can intuitively sense
attempts at stealth. the presence of magic, but not the power level,
►► Thick Hide. Ogres are extremely tough, with type, direction, or exact location.
leathery skin. They gain +2 natural Soak to ►► Meditation. Grand Elves do not need to sleep.
physical attacks. They may sometimes choose to meditate,
instead, while their non-elven companions are
sleeping, but this is not necessary.
►► Naturally Magical. Grand Elves begin play
knowing one free magical secret.

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 Fantasy Careers

Sylvan Elves
Wild, fierce, and at one with nature, Sylvan Elves live
in the woodlands and forests, armed with bow and
spear. Sylvan Elves can be xenophobic at times, and
are well-trained in the arts of both war and nature.
  Sylvan Elves are slim, like their Grand Elf cousins,
but much shorter, at about 5 feet in height. With
pointed ears, their skin tones tend to be dark or
earthy, their hair brown, black, or sometimes with a
greenish tinge. Unlike the Grand Elves, Sylvan Elves
are not immortal. However, they have extremely long
life spans of up to two-thousand years.
  Naturally magical, Sylvan Elves know the words and
spells of the forest. They are known to talk to plants
and command animals. At home in the trees, Sylvan
Elves are also adept at hiding their presence, and more
than a few unwary intruders have found themselves
ambushed upon entering Sylvan woodlands.
  Sylvan Elf adventurers tend to be priests, rangers,
and druids.
  Typical names (male and female): Ashonn, Branmer,
Kozain, Kalier, Tereval, Rathell, Sinehan, Nerrat,
Dukhon, Deerenn, Delon, Mayen.

Statistics
►►Size: Medium
►►Attributes: AGI +2, END +2, MAG +2
►►Skill Choices: animal handling, bows, climbing,
herbalism, nature, running, stealth, survival, tracking

Exploits
►► Fey. Elves of all types are considered Fey.
►► Healthy. Sylvan Elves are completely immune
to illness and disease of a non-magical nature.
►► Nature Affinity. All Sylvan Elves know either
the secret of plants or the secret of beasts.
►► Trance. Sylvan Elves do not need to sleep. They
may choose to meditate, instead, while their
non-elven companions are sleeping, but this is
not necessary.
►► Tree-Dwellers. Sylvan Elves gain a Climb speed
equal to their regular Speed.
►► Unimpeded. Sylvan Elves are not affected or
slowed by difficult terrain.

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Fantasy Careers

Mountain Dwarves
Mountain Dwarves are a sturdy folk who live in great and broad. They stand about 4 feet tall; the males al-
mountain strongholds. They have a love of treasure, most invariably sport beards, while the females do not.
and great skill at mining and engineering. They are stronger and tougher than Humans, though
  Sometimes gruff, they can be very serious about they lack grace and agility. Mountain Dwarves are
their work, but are amongst the world’s greatest mortal; they live for about 250 years on average.
carousers.   A reputation for greed follows all Mountain
  An honorable race, Mountain Dwarves tend to- Dwarves. Almost every member of the race is born
ward the serious-minded, although their reputation with an innate appreciation of precious metals and
for sometimes excessive pride is not undeserved. rare gems, and much of their industry has historically
Craftsmen, engineers, miners, metalworkers, stone been based around these things.
workers—Mountain Dwarves are skilled with their   Mountain Dwarf adventurers are usually warriors.
hands, and most are equally skilled using weapons They tend to shun magic, and have no innate natural
reminiscent of the tools of their trade. Hammers and ability.
axes, therefore, are common Dwarven weapons.   Typical names (male and female): Kibur, Bruebur, Finor,
  Mountain Dwarves, like most Dwarves, are stocky Donor, Bomnor, Toin, Barin, Dwali, Gimlin, Babur.

Statistics
►►Size: Small
►►Attributes: END +2, WIL +2.
►►Skill Choices: [crafting], alchemy, appraisal,
axes, engineering, carousing, hammers, mining

Exploits
►► Darksight. Mountain Dwarves can see in
the dark to a distance of 60', and when
underground can see in the dark to any
distance as though it were daylight.
►► Earthy. Mountain Dwarves automati-
cally know the secret of earth, although
Mountain Dwarves with Magic attri-
butes are rare.
►► Iron Constitution. Mountain Dwarves
are not affected by non-magical poisons,
with the exception of alcohol.
►► Sturdy. With a low center of gravity, it is
hard to knock a Mountain Dwarf down.
Any attempt to do so suffers a –2d6 die
penalty.

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 Fantasy Careers

Orcs Smallfolk
Orcs are tribal, aggressive, violent, quick to anger and Smallfolk are welcome in most places. Standing at
easy to offend. Strong and tough, Orcs can be a little about 3 feet in height, with ruddy cheeks and simple
slow on the uptake. clothing, they have a reputation for good cheer and
  The warlike Orcs have a barbaric, strength-based friendliness. Homebodies, Smallfolk are agile and
society. Orcs venerate warriors to the extreme, and resilient, and are good with their hands. They make
include violence in most social rituals. Orcs believe excellent farmers and shopkeepers.
that those who die gloriously in battle are guaranteed   Smallfolk favor simple clothes in bright colors. They
an afterlife of drinking, carousing, and fighting. tend towards the stout (though not nearly so much as
  Orcs tend to be slightly taller, stronger, and broader Dwarves), and live to over 100 years of age. They boast
than humans, with green skin and black hair. Their pointed ears, although not as pronounced as those of
ears are pointed, and some historians claim they are the Elves, and frequently hidden by their curly hair.
an ancient corrupted mockery of the Elves. Like Ogres,   Jovial in nature, it can be hard to make a Smallfolk
they are goblinoids, perhaps with Elven lineage in the take offense. Smallfolk will put a positive spin on al-
distant past. most anything, a trait which endears them to many.
  Orcs tend to be crafty and cunning, both on the They are as generous as they are jovial, and always
battlefield and elsewhere. They are adept at crafting happy to welcome others to their homes: indeed, en-
weapons, and wield many custom blades with un- tertaining others is a prime instinct for the Smallfolk.
usual shapes. Equally, they are at home underground.   Many view the Smallfolk as weak, sometimes even
  Orcs excel at soldiery and other warrior pursuits. cowardly. While it is true that the race does not tend
  Typical names (male and female): Kevak, Deshe, Bra- towards violence, a cornered Smallfolk will defend
el, G’Vera, Dracla, K’Ehleyr, Kellein, Kargan, Kalan, his or her friends to the death. In truth, Smallfolk are
Adjur the most courageous of all races.
  Typical names (male and female): Dobur, Thrari, Kirin,
Statistics Borin, Boli, Filin, Gimnor, Thrarin, Dwain, Dolo,
►►Size: Medium Kibur.
►►Attributes: STR +2, AGI +2, INT +3.
►►Skill Choices: [combat], blacksmithing, carous- Statistics
ing, hunting, intimidation, mining, running, tactics, ►►Size: Small
tracking ►►Attributes: AGI +2, CHA +2, LUC +2, MAG +1.
►►Skill Choices: [crafting], appraisal, bluffing,
Exploits brewing, cooking, diplomacy, farming, fishing, slings,
►► Bloodlust. Once per day an Orc can drink fresh stealth, thievery
blood to recover 2d6 Health. This takes an
action. The blood must come from a creature Exploits
slain in the last hour. ►► Evasion. Smallfolk are nimble and adept at
►► Darksight. Orcs can see clearly in the dark as dodging. They gain a +2 bonus to either their
though it were daylight. However, bright sun- Melee Defense or their Ranged Defense.
light hurts their eyes, inflicting a –2 Defense This bonus does not stack with other exploits
penalty. which increase your Defense scores.
►► Glory. Orcs take pleasure in battle, and pride ►► Stubborn. Smallfolk are difficult to enchant.
in their wounds. When reduced to below half They gain a +4 bonus to their Mental Defense.
Health, they gain a +1d6 die bonus to attack This bonus does not stack with other exploits
rolls. which increase your Defense scores.

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Fantasy Careers

Careers concentration, conviction, discipline, dodging, foresight, lead-

Careers are occupations held by characters over the ership, meditation, psychology, religion, and rulership—are
course of their lives. Characters may hold multiple ca- always available. Listings in [square brackets] indicate
reers over a period of many years, and gain knowledge categories; the player may choose any skill from
and skills from each. What’s O.L.D. Is N.E.W. uses a the indicated category or create a new relevant skill.
“life-path” system to create and advance characters. A  completed grade 5 character will have a total of
  Characters begin play with five careers. Choose one 13 skill ranks (3 race skills and 2 career skills per grade).
origin and four further careers. When you choose   Attributes. Characters advance 4 attribute points
a career, you gain attribute increases, skill ranks, and from each career grade. Apply all listed attribute ad-
unique exploits. justments. You may optionally choose to substitute
  Prerequisites. Careers do not have career prereq- one of the attributes listed for either one of your
uisites, but they can have skill prerequisites. A skill racial attributes, or for your hook attribute, as long
prerequisite can be thought of as a qualification—an as doing so doesn’t grant you a duplicate attribute
ability to demonstrate competence in a given area. advancement.
Specific game settings may have more stringent pre-   Exploits. Choose one of the listed exploits or select
requisites—for example, a wizarding organization a universal exploit. You may only choose each once,
might require that a character complete the Mage ca- unless that exploit specifically indicates otherwise.
reer before becoming a Necromancer. The GM should Some exploits have prerequisites, which are noted in
inform players of any setting-based prerequisites such their description—you must meet that prerequisite
as organizational career ladders. before selecting the exploit. Occasionally, an exploit
  Skills. Characters may choose two skills from may appear in more than one career; you may still
each career grade. Defensive skills—acrobatics, bravery, only select it once, even if you choose both careers.

16
 Fantasy Careers

Repeating Careers Acolyte (2d6+6 years)

You can take careers multiple times (except for ori- A childhood spent in a monastery taught you well for a life
gins, which can only be taken once). Each time you of piety.
take the career, you choose two skills, apply the at- Prerequisites: none.
tribute increases again, and select one of the available Attributes: INT +1, WIL +1, CHA +1, LUC +1
exploits. Once you have exhausted all of the listed Skill Choices: [artistic], [magical], herbalism, intuition,
exploits through repetition of a career, you may select linguistics, meditation, medicine, religion
a universal exploit instead when you advance a grade Daily Worship. Once per day, you may pray to your
in that career. deity and refresh your Luck (or “faith” as you view
it) dice pool.
Career List
Below is a full list of all careers, sorted by type. Farmhand (2d6+6 years)
►►Origin. Acolyte, Farmhand, Noble, Page, You grew up on a farm, learning how to manage crops and
Primitive, Slave, Urchin, Wizard’s Apprentice. livestock.
►►Academic. Alchemist, Herbalist, Loremaster, Prerequisites: none.
Smith, Undead Hunter. Attributes: STR +1, END +1, LUC +2
►►Criminal. Assassin, Burglar, Pirate, Prisoner, Skill Choices: animal handling, farming, fishing, herbal-
Ruffian. ism, nature, survival
►►Magical. Cleric, Diabolist, Druid, Firemage, Outdoorsman. You know the secret of plants.
Inquisitor, Mage, Necromancer.
►►Military. Archer, Knight, Knight-Errant, Man- Noble (2d6+6 years)
at-Arms, Musketeer, Squire, Watchman. You had a privileged upbringing surrounded by luxury.
►►Vocational. Barbarian, Berserker, Gladiator, Prerequisites: none.
Minstrel, Ranger, Sailor, Warrior-Monk. Attributes: LOG +1, CHA +1, LUC +1, REP +1
Skill Choices: [artistic], [gaming], carousing, linguistics,
Origins leadership, [performance], religion, swords
Origins can only be taken at the time of character Silver Spoon. Your wealthy upbringing means that you
creation. They represent a character’s upbringing and start play with 1,000 bonus gold coins and a supe-
childhood prior to their embarkation upon their first rior quality set of clothing.
real career.
  Some races have race-specific origins. You can take Page (2d6+6 years)
an origin multiple times (after the first time, they You spent years in the service of a lord or lady, learning the
each take only 1d6 years), but once you leave an origin, ways of court, running messages, cleaning, and serving a noble.
you can never go back. Prerequisites: none.
Attributes: AGI +1, INT +1, CHA +1, REP +1
Skill Choices: [artistic], [gaming], heraldry, history, lin-
guistics, [performance], running, riding
Page Gear. You start play with a superior set of cloth-
ing and a high-quality musical instrument.

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Fantasy Careers

Primitive (2d6+6 years) Careers

You grew up in a tribe where you knew little of civilization. You can take careers multiple times. Each time you
Prerequisites: none. take the career, you choose two skills, apply the at-
Attributes: STR +1, AGI +1, END +1, INT +1 tribute increases again, and select one of the available
Skill Choices: [outdoor], herbalism exploits.
Fleet. You gain +2 to your Speed when outdoors in a   If a career is repeated, additional grades are referred
non-urban environment. This does not stack with to by their title, as shown in the table. For example,
other exploits that add to your Speed. an archer who has taken the Archer career four times
is regarded as a seasoned archer. This ranking system
Slave (2d6+6 years) applies only to grades within a career, not to a char-
A lifetime of slavery and labor has toughened you both men- acter’s total grade.
tally and physically.
Prerequisites: none. Career Grades Criminal Careers
Attributes: END +2, INT +1, WIL +1 Grade Experience From low level street thugs
Skill Choices: [crafting], animal handling, farming, min- 1 Novice to gangsters to smugglers, all
ing, [performance] 2 Practiced criminal careers carry the
Hardship. A life of oppression has taught you to 3 Experienced added risk of prison. After
endure hardship; you gain an extra death/dying 4 Seasoned taking a grade in a criminal
countdown die when reduced below 0 Health. 5 Veteran career, roll 1d6. On a roll
6 Doyen of 1 you must next take the
Urchin (2d6+6 years) Prisoner career.
A rough childhood on the streets taught you how to survive.
Prerequisites: none. Alchemist (1d6 years)
Attributes: AGI +1, INT +1, END +1, LUC +1 Alchemists mix potions and substances and transform sub-
Skill Choices: perception, [performance], running, stealth, stances from one to another. Creating elixirs in bubbling
survival, thievery cauldrons and seeking the secrets of magical chemistry,
Life on the Streets. Accustomed to sleeping rough, you alchemists are creators. Many make a living selling their con-
heal a bonus 1d6 Health each day. coctions. Unlike herbalism, alchemy involves a touch of magic.
  For each alchemical concoction, you should create a unique
Wizard’s Apprentice process; for example, it might require you to dilute amber in a
(2d6+6 years) jade keg or cool mercury in a ruby flute.
Your childhood was an academic one of study and lore. Prerequisites: herbalism, alchemy
Prerequisites: none. Attributes: LOG +1, END +1, MAG +1, REP +1
Attributes: INT +1, LOG +1, MAG +1, REP +1 Skill Choices: alchemy, animal handling, brewing, con-
Skill Choices: [artistic], [lore], [magical], hypnotism centration, cooking, medicine
Prestidigitation. You learned little magical tricks to Concoction. Choose one status track (see the list on
help with your chores as an apprentice. You are able page 29). You can spend five minutes to create
to use small displays of magical prestidigitation at a concoction which, when drunk (and a MAG vs.
will to assist you with day-to-day inconveniences: the appropriate Defense attack is made), moves the
cleaning clothes, keeping the rain or mud off, a tiny recipient one stage along the chosen track. You may
reading light, polishing silverware, and the like. take this exploit multiple times, choosing a new
status track each time.

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 Fantasy Careers

Careers & Ranks

For those who wish to add an additional Rank Advancement
level of realism into the career path Military Watchman Promotion
system, you can use these optional rank Rank Rank Nobility Difficulty
advancement rules. A military or watch- Private Guard Peasant —
man’s rank increases as she takes more Lancepesade Constable Yeoman Automatic
career grades, but as she rises in rank it Corporal Lance-Constable Gentleman Easy [7]
becomes harder to progress. Sergeant Corporal Esquire Routine [10]
  An archer or soldier begins as a Private, Lieutenant Sergeant Knight/Dame Challenging [13]
and a watchman begins as a Guard. Each Captain Captain Baronet Difficult [16]
career grade thereafter offers an oppor- Major Deputy Baron/ Demanding [21]
tunity for promotion. Simply make a REP Inspector Baroness
check each time you take a grade; your Marshall Inspector Viscount/ Strenuous [25]
GM will inform you if your new grade al- Viscountess
lows for a military or nobility promotion. Colonel Deputy Earl/Count/ Severe [29]
The difficulty of the REP check is based Commander Countess
on your next rank. If you succeed, you General Commander Marquess/ Herculean [33]
pass whatever exams, boards, or other Marquis
entry requirements exist, and gain the Field Marshal Chief of Watch Duke/Duchess Superhuman [37]
new rank. High Constable Commissioner Archduke/ Impossible [40]
  Having players with characters of dif- Archduchess
ferent ranks within the same structure
can cause problems. Generally speaking, part of the character’s background, organizations and feudal nobility,
you should not try to enforce rank-based and not used as a bludgeon against but your own game setting will
behavior between players—having some other players. In this situation, a have its own structures with their
players able to tell other players what friendly agreement between play- own ranks. This system can be
to do generally makes the game less fun ers (not characters) can make the used for any type of organization,
for players of lower ranked characters. game better for everybody. including holy orders or wizarding
Instead, the rank should be treated as   The above list is for two sample organizations.

Explosive Alchemy. You can create an explosive concoc- improves. You may now restore 3d6 Health.
tion using your alchemy kit. This takes a full round Healing Potion. You can use your alchemy kit to heal
(two actions), and the concoction can be thrown 2d6 Health in yourself or any creature you can
(range increment 3, radius 5', damage 3d6 fire). The touch. No creature may benefit from this more than
concoction remains potent for 5 minutes before it once per day.
stops working. Sticky Concoction (requires Concoction, alchemy 3). You
Gaseous Concoction (requires Concoction, alchemy  5). may turn an already-created concoction into a sub-
Your concoction can be thrown in a glass bottle stance which can be applied to an edged weapon.
which breaks on impact, creating a 10' radius area of The next successful damaging attack made by that
gas lasting for 1 minute. This effect attacks any crea- weapon will deliver the concoction to the target as
tures which enter or start their turn in the cloud. though the target had drunk it. The substance only
Greater Healing Potion (requires Healing Potion, alche- remains potent for one successful attack or for five
my 3). Your healing ability using your alchemy kit minutes, whichever comes first.

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Fantasy Careers

Strong Concoction (requires Concoction, alchemy 3). One Assassin (1d6 years)
concoction you can create using the Concoc­ tion You have mastered the skills of a stealthy killer for hire.
exploit now moves targets two stages along that Prerequisites: stealth
status track. Attributes: AGI +1, INT +1, WIL +1, REP +1
Protective Oil. You may spend 5 minutes to create an Skill Choices: [melee weapon], [ranged weapon], disguise,
oil which, when smeared over a creature, grants it herbalism, intimidate, perception, stealth, thievery
Soak 2 against one damage type. This is enough to Create Poison. Using an herbalism kit, you can create
protect against climate-based effects. a poison in five minutes. The poison will remain ef-
fective for five further minutes, and is administered
Archer (1d6 years) via food or drink, doing 6d6 poison damage.
You joined the army as an archer, manning walls and front Death Blow (requires Surprise Attack). Your damage bo-
lines in times of war. nus for attacking unaware targets increases to +3d6.
Prerequisites: AGI 3+ Poison Resistance. You become resistant to poisons,
Attributes: STR +1, AGI +1, LUC +1, REP +1 gaining Soak 5 (poison). You can take this exploit
Skill Choices: bows, carousing, perception, survival multiple times, gaining an additional Soak 5 (poi-
Bowyer. You know how to maintain your equipment. son) each time you do.
One standard quality bow becomes a high quality Quiet Kill. You are a master of silent death. Any target
weapon, as long as you spend an hour maintaining you kill during the ambush turn dies silently and
it every day. without obvious visible signs. Nobody notices the
Careful Aim. When aiming, your bonus to hit increas- target is dead for one minute; thereafter, noticing
es to +2d6. the target is dead requires a Strenuous [21] INT check.
Double Shot. You notch two arrows and let both fly Surprise Attack. If you successfully hit a target that is
simultaneously. Each must be directed at a differ- unaware of you, you gain a +2d6 damage bonus.
ent target, and both targets must be within 10' of Weak Point. Once per enemy you may ignore any Soak
each other. You cannot combine this ability with score it possesses by targeting a weak spot. You can
any other exploits. never use this ability on the same enemy again.
Intercepting Shot (requires INT 8+; Rapid Shot). You can
shoot another arrow out of the sky as a reaction. Barbarian (1d6 years)
Roll an opposed attack roll against that of the at- Tribal warriors from the very fringes of civilization, barbar-
tacker’s arrow; if you succeed, the arrow is split and ians are wild and uncouth. Barbarians exemplify physical
falls harmlessly to the ground. prowess and natural prowess, but can feel uncomfortable in
Long Shot. You have an eye for distance. You can dou- enclosed spaces.
ble the range increment of a bow by taking a –1d6 Prerequisites: None
die penalty to damage. Attributes: STR +1, END +1, AGI +1, INT +1
Rapid Shot. You fire faster; once per turn you can fire Skill Choices: [physical], [outdoor], axes, hardy, herbalism,
two shots at a single target instead of one. spears, swords
Stand Your Ground (requires AGI 8+; Rapid Shot). As Beastly Visage. You have modified your body in various
long as you do not move, you can plant arrows in ways (scars, tattoos, piercings) as to make yourself
the ground and loose two shots every action. as intimidating as possible. With a CHA vs. Mental
Defense attack, you can move a target who can see
and hear you one stage along the Fear status track.
Feral. You gain a bite attack; your natural damage in-
creases by +1d6 and becomes piercing damage.

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 Fantasy Careers

Magic
Magic (see Elements of Magic) is a supernatural power make spells—for example, create fire, abjure evil, or charm
used by various careers, including the Mage, Cleric, Druid, beasts. This combination essentially tells you what you
Alchemist, Necromancer, and more. can do with magic, and the higher your Magic attribute,
  Some careers grant unique exploits (the Firemage, for the more powerful your magical effects will be.
example, gains abilities which control or resist fire). In   You gain skills the normal way—by selecting them when
addition to these career exploits, any creature with a you take careers. You gain secrets in the form of exploits,
Magic attribute can use magic; those with high Magic either as universal exploits bought with Experience Points,
attributes can use it more effectively. or as career exploits granted by magical careers. Some races,
  Magic-users need two things. They need to know skills, also, grant secrets—all Sylvan Elves, for example, start play
which include various things you can do with magic— knowing either the secret of plants or the secret of beasts.
these include things like abjuration, creation, and divination.   The important thing to know during character creation
They also need to know secrets, which are keyword-based is that gaining magical skills and secrets is important. You
exploits like fire, earth, fey, birds, plants, good, evil, and so on. should list all the magical skills and secrets you know. All
The two combine in a verb-noun (skill-secret) fashion to sentient creatures know the secret of self.

Patrons & Virtues

While some practitioners of magic gain power through however decent or villainous, almost always have the
knowledge, others beseech mysterious entities for inter- free-willed Virtue (which makes them immune to most
vention—some claim that they are favored by the gods. Virtue-based effects), but a very devoted cleric can even-
Druids fall into this category, as do clerics, both evil and tually become one of those rarities: a mortal with a Virtue.
good. Where a mage will cast a spell, a worshiper will call   A Virtue is a blessing and a curse. It can grant power
upon a higher power. This applies also to diabolists, for over things aligned to it and can be hurt, dispelled, or ab-
not only gods grant favors to mortals. jured against. There is no finite list of Virtues—Good and
  A patron always defines a Virtue—often Good or Evil— Evil are common and used in this book, but others might
in addition to any portfolio it may have. The eternally include Greed, Wrath, Charity, and more. Virtues form se-
unchanging Virtues of angels, devils, demons, and undead crets, just like elements and creatures do. You can therefore
come from the wellspring of a god’s divine power. Mortals, learn the secret of good or the secret of avarice.

Fleet of Foot. In an outdoor environment, you gain a Mighty Leap. Your horizontal free jump distance in-
+2 bonus to your Speed. This does not stack with creases by 5' (one square).
other exploits that add to your Speed. Natural Serenity (requires Sacred Terrain). In your cho-
Hides and Skins. You know how to make the most sen sacred terrain, you may pause for five minutes
out of basic gear. Hide armor worn by a barbarian once per day, reflecting on nature and speaking to
counts as one quality level higher than it actually is. the Old Gods, to recover your full Health.
Iron Skin (requires Leathery Skin). Your natural Soak Primal Charge (requires Fleet of Foot). When charging,
bonus increases to +4. you howl and screech, moving twice your Speed
Keen Senses. You gain +1d6 to perception checks. and gaining +2d6 to damage.
Leathery Skin. You gain +2 natural Soak from hard, Reap the Whirlwind. You may spend two actions to
conditioned, leathery skin. make one melee attack against every adjacent foe.
You cannot add additional exploits to these attacks.

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Fantasy Careers

Sacred Terrain. Choose a terrain type, such as forest, Attributes: AGI +1, INT +1, LUC +1, REP +1
plains, ocean, or mountains. You gain a +1d6 to all Skill Choices: acrobatics, appraisal, climbing, escape art-
dice pools when in that terrain; this is still limited ist, jumping, stealth, thievery
by your maximum dice pool. Cat Burglar. An expert at climbing, you do not take
Scarred Visage (requires Beastly Visage, Leathery Skin). any die penalties in combat while climbing (climb-
You are covered in scars. You are immune to the ing normally inflicts a –2d6 die penalty).
Bleeding status track below the Extreme stage. Climber [requires Cat Burglar]. Your climbing speed be-
Set in the Old Ways. You gain +5 to your Mental comes equal to your regular Speed.
Defense. Heist. You commit a robbery. Gain a bonus 3d6×100 gc.
Trophy Collection (requires Set in the Old Ways). You You may repeat this exploit, gaining 3d6×100  gc
collect gruesome trophies from your vanquished each time.
foes—teeth, skills, bones, etc. Each trophy replen- Locksmith. You gain a exceptional quality lockpicking
ishes one Luck die in your Luck dice pool, and kit. This gives you a +2d6 bonus to attempts to pick
loses its power once the Luck die is spent. You may locks.
only claim a trophy if you delivered the killing blow Sixth Sense. You have a sixth sense when it comes to
to a creature of Medium size or larger. traps, and gain a +2d6 bonus to spot them and a
+1d6 bonus to avoid or disarm them.
Berserker (1d6 years)
Some barbarians become berserkers—raging warriors of fury. Cleric (1d6 years)
Prerequisites: STR 6+, Feral exploit The cleric devotes his or her life to a higher power, hoping to
Attributes: STR +1, END +1, CHA +1, LUC +1 serve that power’s will. Whether that power is a noble god or
Skill Choices: [physical], [unarmed], axe, hardy, spear, a vicious demon lord, the cleric gains power from faith and
sword learns to wield magic in the service of that deity. Because cler-
Fearless (requires Frenzy). While frenzied, you are com- ics deal more in abstract realms of soul and spirit, their magic
pletely immune to the Fear status track. has a definite slant toward the intangible, generally eschewing
Frenzy. You can fly into a berserk rage. When berserk, direct offensive magic in favor of spells that affect creatures’
you must attack the closest enemy, and move on to essence and behavior, or that make creatures more or less able
the next closest thereafter. You gain Soak +5 (even to fight. Clerics are also trained to be capable warriors, able to
when wearing armor) and +1d6 damage. Each round defend themselves physically if their spells fail them.
you rage for, you take 1d6 damage; you do not stop   Most clerics worship one specific deity from a pantheon, but
raging until you pass out or until all enemies are still respect other members of that pantheon, even if they are
dead. not actual followers. The agendas of deities’ worshipers may
One with Nature (requires Frenzy). When frenzied and conflict in the realm of mortals, but it is folly to defy even
wearing no armor, you gain a +2 Melee Defense enemy deities. Thus, though a cleric may choose to change
bonus. the deity he or she reveres, if the clerics truly abandons the
Regenerate (requires Frenzy). Every time you deal a kill- pantheon, he or she will never be accepted by any deity, being
ing blow while frenzied you gain +1d6 Health. forced to rely on mortal magic alone.
Prerequisites: religion.
Burglar (1d6 years) Attributes: WIL +1, LOG +1, CHA +1, MAG +1
You become a master thief, able to infiltrate the most secure of Skill Choices: [magical], herbalism, history, leadership, lo-
locations. Some cat burglars work for hire and conduct indus- cal knowledge, maces, medicine, religion, staves
trial espionage, while others prefer to steal valuable artifacts Beatification (requires religion 6). You gain the Virtue
and jewels from museums and high security vaults. of your god. Additionally, all damage you do is
Prerequisites: stealth damage of that Virtue type, whatever the delivery

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 Fantasy Careers

instrument.
Blessing/Curse (requires Portfolio). You can issue a bless-
ing or a curse. This takes one minute, lasts one hour,
and affects one creature within 30'. A curse makes
the target unable to access its LUC pool; a blessing
grants it a bonus 3d6 to its LUC pool for the hour.
Divine Touch (requires Portfolio). The potency of your
touch increases. If you chose the secret of good, your
touch can now heal 2d6 Health. A creature can
only be affected once by your healing touch per
day. Alternatively, if you chose the secret of evil, your
touch now also pushes your target one stage along
the Nausea status track.
Portfolio. Choose either the Good or the Evil Virtue,
plus one Elemental or Creature secret from your
god’s portfolio.* If you choose the secret of good, your
touch can heal 1d6 Health as a single action (al-
though any given creature can only benefit from
this once per day). If you choose the secret of evil, it blood. As an action, you may do either 1d6 or 2d6
inflicts 1d6 evil damage beyond your natural damage. damage to yourself; the MP cost of the next spell
Sense Virtue (requires Portfolio). You are able to sense cast within one minute is reduced by the number of
the presence of (but not the location of) any beings d6s damage you cause.
or objects within 60' with a Virtue opposite to that Demonic Traits (requires Faustian Pact). You begin to
of the secret you chose. take on the appearance of the infernal. You may
take this exploit up to six times. Each time you take
Diabolist (1d6 years) it, roll 1d6 to determine the trait you gain; if a trait
A diabolist consorts with the infernal, and dabbles in the dark- is duplicated, roll again.
est and most dangerous of magical arts—he deals with demons 1. Horns. +1d6 Magic Points
and devils, risking his very soul in the process. A diabolist 2. Red eyes. Darkvision 60'
needs a strong will, for devils and demons know the powers of 3. Claws. +1d6 to unarmed damage
temptation, deceit, and the lure of pure evil. A diabolist knows 4. Red skin. Soak 5 (fire)
how to summon infernal creatures and bind them to his will. 5. Hooves. +1 Speed
Prerequisites: religion, secret of evil 6. Tail. +1 Agility
Attributes: WIL +1, CHA +1, LUC +1, MAG +1 Faustian Pact. Your Faustian pact begins, but power
Skill Choices: [magical], [social], alchemy, concentration, comes at a price. You gain 2d6 additional Magic
knives, law, linguistics, religion Points. Whenever you cast a spell that uses those
Blood Magic (requires Faustian Pact). You are now able bonus MP, you take damage equal to the number of
to cast spells for fewer MP by spilling your own MP placed in that spell. However, you know that
true power comes later to those who are patient.
* The cleric presented here selects only from the Good and Evil Imp. You gain an imp familiar which will do your
Virtues, along with any other secrets which form part of her bidding. It will undertake dangerous tasks, but to
god’s portfolio. Other Virtues do exist (see pg. 21), but this persuade it to do something suicidal (or near-so)
career assumes only those two. For divine portfolios, see the requires a Difficult [16] CHA check; if you fail, your
appendix. imp betrays you.

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Fantasy Careers

Infernal Mysteries. You learn the basics of diabolism. abilities. You may take this exploit multiple times,
You gain the summoning, abjuration, and hexing skills gaining an extra animal companion each time.
at 1 rank (1d6) if you do not already have them, and Ageless (requires Poison Immunity). You no longer age and
learn the secret of demons. become effectively immortal, saving accidental death.
Beast Form. You may transform into a small or medi-
Druid (1d6 years) um-sized animal (and back again) once per day for
Guardians of nature, druids are attuned with the natural up to one hour. You cannot speak in this form, and
forces of the world. Plants and animals are their allies, and retain your own mental attributes, but otherwise
druids frequently live in the wild, deep within forests. A druid use the animal’s statistics.
typically wields a staff or sickle. Companion Link (requires Animal Companion). You gain
Prerequisites: nature. a telepathic link with your animal companion with
Attributes: INT +1, WIL +1, END +1, MAG +1 a range of 1 mile; this enables you to send it instruc-
Skill Choices: [crafting], [magical], [outdoor], herbalism, tions and to see through its eyes.
medicine, nature, staves Elemental Druid. You gain any two of the secrets of air,
Animal Affinity (requires Speak with Animals). With a earth, fire, and water.
successful CHA vs. Mental Defense check, you Greater Beast Form (requires Beast Form). You may now
can shift an animal within 10' one stage along the change into a large or tiny animal.
Charm status track for one hour. Nature’s Passage. You can move through woodland
Animal Companion. You gain an animal companion in areas and thick undergrowth without any speed
the form of a wolf or other beast with a maximum reduction, and leave no tracks or traces of your
dice pool of 6d6 and a maximum LOG attribute of 2. passing unless you choose to do so.
This companion will accompany and defend you. If Nature Priest. You gain the secrets of beasts and plants.
your companion dies, you attract a new companion Poison Immunity. You become immune to all poisons
in one month. However, if you abuse your com- and poison damage.
panion (for example by sending it ahead to set off Speak with Animals. You may freely speak with ani-
traps), it will leave you and you will never be able mals, although they do not gain special intelligence
to replace the companion. The companion is bright or knowledge.
for its species, but has no special intelligence or
Firemage (1d6 years)
Firemages are fascinated by fire. They love the way it flick-
Animal Companions ers and dances; they excel at creating flames, throwing fire,
Careers like the Druid, Mage, Pirate, and Knight all and creating and controlling infernos and conflagrations.
grant animal companions. An animal companion has Firemages can sometimes be identified by a scent of sulfur.
a special bond with the character. It understands the Prerequisites: secret of fire.
character’s instructions, and will carry out orders, but Attributes: MAG +1, AGI +1, CHA +1, LOG +1
mistreatment (including putting the companion in un- Skill Choices: [magical], [lore], [crafting], bluffing, knives,
necessary danger) will break the bond and cause the perception, reactions
companion to leave. A character who loses his com- Fiery Affinity. Your focus on fire grants you +1d6 to
panion in this manner can never replace it. any attribute which interacts with fire or heat.
  If an animal companion dies, or is killed, the char- Fire Immunity (requires Fire Resistance). You become
acter may attract a new companion after a month has completely immune to fire or heat damage. Your
passed. This occurs naturally; a new animal will simply vulnerability to cold, however, increases to 2d6.
start following the character. Fire Resistance. You permanently gain Soak 5 (fire).
However, you also suffer Vulnerability (1d6) to cold.

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 Fantasy Careers

Firebolt (requires Flaming Touch). You can throw a bolt Skill Choices: [combat], acrobatics, dancing, intimidation,
of fire as a single ranged attack (using your MAG reactions, storytelling
attribute) which has a range increment of 30' and Crowd’s Worship (requires Exhibitionist). You feed off
does 2d6 fire damage. the admiration of a crowd to the extent that if there
Firebolt, Greater (requires Firebolt). Your Firebolt’s are 6 or more non-participating people watching
damage increases to 3d6 fire. you fight, every time you defeat a foe, you gain 2d6
Firesculptor. You can “sculpt” fire easily; any non- Health as you bask in glory.
magical flame within 30' can be shaped or enlarged Exhibitionist. Victory gives you strength. You replen-
as a single action and a mere effort of will as long as ish your Luck pool by 1 die every time you defeat
it remains within 30' (things outside can catch fire an opponent.
as normal, but you have no control over them). Fake Wounds. Once per day, you may use your exper-
Flaming Aura (requires Flaming Touch). You gain an aura tise in faking injuries to turn an actual blow into a
(based on your size) of flame and heat, although you pretend one. Your opponent, and all onlookers, will
may suppress it easily. Creatures entering or start- believe you have suffered the damage inflicted by
ing a turn in this aura take 2d6 fire damage. the attack, but in fact it causes no damage at all.
Flaming Touch. Your touch becomes hot enough to Gladiator’s Cut. Your successful strikes move your tar-
injure others, causing an additional 1d6 of heat get one stage along the Bleeding status track.
damage beyond your natural damage. Gladiator’s Skills. You gain two of the following uni-
Sticky Fire (requires Fiery Affinity). Every time you versal exploits: Disarm, Trip, Achilles Heel, Blinding
damage a foe with fire or heat damage, they are Attack, Crippling Strike, Quick Stand, Taunt. You
pushed one stage down the Fire status track. may repeat this exploit to gain two additional uni-
versal exploits from the list.
Gladiator (1d6 years) Showoff. You can make a CHA vs. Mental Defense
You fought in an arena for money and fame with a flashy com- attack in combat against a single target within 30'
bat style and a few dirty tricks. as a standard action to put on an intimidating and
Prerequisites: None flashy display of prowess. If successful, the target is
Attributes: AGI +1, END +1, REP +1, CHA +1 moved one stage down the Fear status track.

25
Fantasy Careers

I
t took them an hour to reach the trees Arp saw tiny figures fluttering and capering in
clearing where the feywort grew, which gave the air.
Master Flavius an opportunity to regale Arp   Pixies. Horrible, swarming creatures whose needle-
with a learned discourse on the healing properties sharp claws and teeth could strip a man’s bones clean
of sap. in seconds.
  “…For as the philosopher says, ‘Anything purple that   Flavius fitted the strange arrow to the bowstring. He
oozes from trees, will make a fine ointment to ward off drew the bow, aimed it at the clearing, slowly let the
disease.’ What on earth are you doing?” air out of his lungs—and released. As the arrow flew
  “I’m handing you the yarrow, like you asked.” through the glade, the wind whistled through its holes,
  “The yarrow?” The King’s Herbalist stared. “I said sounding remarkably like a piper playing a sprightly
the arrow, you fool! Behold: I am holding a bow. Did tune. The feathers caught the sunlight and held it, so
you think I was going to fire a volley of flowers from it?” they flashed and sparkled with rainbow colors even as
  “I wasn’t certain, master. Your arts are as yet beyond the arrow sped into the darkness of the trees beyond.
my understanding.” Drawn by the light and noise, the excited pixies cried
  Flavius harrumphed. “Just so. Now that you men- out and flew after it. Instantly the clearing was empty.
tion it, the healers of the Capalotia tribe do perform   “Quickly now! We have no time to waste!” Flavius
medicinal rites wherein certain efficacious herbs are ran to the center of the clearing, with Arp close be-
fired at the four quarters by means of a bow; or when hind. There, growing in a clump, was the feywort. Its
a bow is not available they may be crushed to a powder, deep red leaves were dotted with silvery stalks, each
wrapped tightly in a broad leaf or a bit of cloth, and one tipped with a drop of sweet nectar that pixies
flung using a makeshift sling.” found irresistible. Sometimes the feywort’s leaves
  Arp never knew how many of these bits of lore closed around an incautious pixie, drawing it into a
were actually true, but he’d found that he could avoid a hidden bell-shaped cavity to be slowly digested. As a
thrashing by giving his master a chance to boast of his result of its diet of magical beings, the feywort’s nectar
knowledge. He returned the yarrow to his knapsack, could be used to make potions for curing wounds, at-
but left it in a pocket that he could reach easily. Yarrow tracting luck, repelling undead, breathing water, and at
was good for staunching the flow of blood from a least twelve other impossible things.
wound. And considering what traditionally guarded   Arp pulled a shovel out of the sack and thrust it into
the feywort, Arp was sure they’d need it. Flavius’ outstretched hand. Without pausing, Flavius
  He withdrew a single arrow from the sack and thrust its blade deep into the soft ground on which the
passed it to Flavius. It was unlike any Arp had ever feywort grew.
seen, carved with tiny holes along its length, and with  “Ouch!”
brilliant, colorful feathers.   Arp and Flavius looked at each other in confusion.
  “Master, why don’t you just keep that arrow in your Then the ground heaved up beneath them. They stum-
quiver?” bled back as a massive figure of packed dirt rose up
  “Because it is a special arrow. I mustn’t risk firing it before them, the feywort perched atop its head. The
in haste when pursued by a mundane creature.” Arp thing stretched and yawned like a man waking from a
opened his mouth to ask another question, but Flavius deep sleep, and blinked its pebble eyes as it gazed down
cut him off. “You will see soon enough. Now be silent, at them.
and tread softly. They are near.”   “Woss all this, then?” it rumbled. “And izzat a swarm
  The pair crept quietly through the woods until the of pixies flyin’ this way?”
sun-drenched clearing was just in view. Through the

26
 Fantasy Careers

Signature Move (requires Gladiator’s Skills). Choose one single action. A given creature can benefit from this
exploit that you have learned from the Gladiator’s ability only once per day.
Skills list. This becomes your signature move. You Herbal Ward. You can create a herbal abjuration ef-
gain a permanent +1d6 when using that move. fect (equal to a 0 MP spell) at will. It takes you one
Surprise Recovery (requires Fake Wounds). After using minute to prepare the herbs, and they remain us-
your Fake Wounds ability, you may make a single able for five minutes. Choose one creature type; any
free melee attack until you make an actual regular time a semi- or non-sentient creature of that type
melee attack. The free attack must be your first me- attempts to come within 10' of you (or the recipient
lee attack after using the Fake Wounds ability. of your herbs), it is subject to a LOG vs. Mental
Unusual Weapon. Choose one of the following weap- Defense attack. On a success, it may not come any
ons: trident, net, spear. Weapons of that type count closer for five minutes, at which point it may try
as one quality level higher when you use them. again. The duration of the effect is 30 minutes.
Stimulant. You can create a herbal mixture which in-
Herbalist (1d6 years) creases the die pool of one attribute by 1d6 for five
An herbalist knows how to gather, store, prepare, and admin- minutes. You must choose the attribute when you
ister herbs and herbal concoctions which have a wide variety select this exploit; you may select it multiple times
of effects. An expert herbalist can, merely from gathering re- and choose a different attribute each time. It takes
sources found in nature, create ointments and mixtures which one minute to create the mixture.
protect, heal, or ward.
  For each herbal mixture, you should create a unique name, Inquisitor (1d6 years)
such as soup of the spirit-wood weed, or incense from Inquisitors are magical bodyguards and interrogators skilled
the blue-vine nut. in uncovering plots and opposing enemy magic. Inquisitorial
  No creature can benefit from any of the herbalist’s exploits magic is subtle in its effects, with few sensory cues, but very
more than once per day. distinctive with regard to its caster. Inquisitors learn to intimi-
Prerequisites: INT 4+ date foes, so they typically growl their spells loudly and gesture
Attributes: LOG +1, INT +1, WIL +1, LUC +1 clearly at their spell’s targets. They use few directly offensive
Skill Choices: alchemy, cooking, brewing, gardening, spells, though many can create flaming barriers for defense or
herbalism, medicine, nature, perception, survival to trap foes. Inquisitors are easily recognized by their masks,
Alleviate Condition. You can automatically devise an which they claim protect their souls from enemy magic. Most
herbal concoction to relieve any condition (stunned, Inquisitor masks are wood or stone carved in the shape of bear
blinded, and so on) by mixing the herbs you have on skulls, and many Inquisitors favor bearskin cloaks. They sel-
you and adding additional components from your dom arm themselves with more than a claw-shaped dagger.
surroundings as long as you have your herbalism   Inquisitors learn their spells from old spellbooks scribed by
kit on you. This takes two actions (a full turn) and the founders of the Inquisitorial order centuries ago. These
reduces any status track by one stage automatically. spellbooks are written in a civilized form of Orcish and are
This does not affect permanent conditions. closely protected by the order. Experienced Inquisitors typi-
Depressant. You can create a herbal mixture which de- cally study other styles of magic to better counterspell it.
creases the die pool of one attribute by 1d6 for five Prerequisites: law, divination.
minutes. You must choose the attribute when you Attributes: END +1, INT +1, WIL +1, MAG +1
select this exploit; you may select it multiple times Skill Choices: abjuration, compulsion, divination, inter-
and choose a different attribute each time. It takes rogation, intimidation, knives, law, religion, tracking
one minute to create the mixture. Dispel Magic (requires Sense Magic). You can dispel mag-
Healing Herbs. As long as you have your herbalism kit ic within 30' as a single action by making a MAG vs.
on you, you can heal an ally by 1d6 of Health as a MAG check against the effect you’re trying to dispel.

27
Fantasy Careers

Inquisitor’s Mask. You can protect yourself from spells

by hiding your soul behind a special mask. You cre-
ate the mask yourself. While you wear that mask
you gain a +4 Mental Defense bonus, and divina-
tion spells that directly target you take a –1d6 die
penalty. You must make the mask yourself, and it
must be specifically designed to protect your soul.
You can take this exploit a second time to create
a Greater Inquisitor’s Mask, which gives you +6
Mental Defense and inflicts a –2d6 penalty to
divination spells targeting you.
Inquisitor’s Sight (requires Inquisitor’s Mask). You gain
the secret of humanoids, and gain one rank in the com-
pulsion, divination, and abjuration skills.
Magic Resistance. You gain Soak 5 (magic). This applies
to any damage caused directly by magic; it does not
apply to indirect damage.
Sense Magic. You are able to sniff out magic within 60'.
True Sight (requires Inquisitor’s Sight). You are able to
automatically see through illusions (and can see in-
visible creatures) and disguises, and can discern the
true shape of a shapechanged creature.

Knight (1d6 years)

You became a knight—a mounted warrior proficient in lance,
shield, and sword.
Prerequisites: heraldry
Attributes: STR +1, CHA +1, LUC +1, REP +1
Skill Choices: animal handling, bravery, carousing, her-
aldry, lances, law, leadership, riding, swords, tactics
Bonded Mount. You gain a loyal warhorse. The war-
horse is bonded to you, and gains +2 Speed while
you are riding it. If the warhorse dies, you can re-
place it after a week of mourning. The horse counts
as an animal companion (see the Druid for more
details on animal companions).
Jouster. You can charge an enemy from horseback us-
ing your lance. This attack gains +2d6 to both attack
and damage, and requires you to move on horse-
back at least 20' in a straight line.
Jumper. Your horse’s free Jump distance increases by 5'
horizontally and 5' vertically.
Knight’s Banner (requires Knight’s Courage). Allies with-
in 30’ of you gain +2 Mental Defense. This does

28
 Fantasy Careers

Divine Smite (requires Portfolio). You automatically

Status Tracks do +1d6 Good or Evil damage (depending on your
Status tracks measure a range of conditions which Virtue) to creatures of a Virtue opposed to your own.
might apply to a character. They have various degrees Great Deed. You perform a great chivalric deed.
of severity, and characters can progress up and down Describe a quest or deed. You gain +2 REP. You may
those tracks because of attacks, spells, concoctions, and only take this grade by spending time; you may not
other things. The status tracks are: purchase it with XP.
Lay on Hands (requires Portfolio). Your touch reduces
• Alertness • Courage • Mobility (Good) or increases (Evil) any status track of a crea-
• Anger • Drowsiness • Sight ture you can touch by one stage. This takes a single
• Autonomy • Fear • Pain action. This does not affect permanent conditions.
• Bleeding • Fire • Nausea Slayer (requires Great Deed). You have become known
• Charm • Hearing • Tiredness as the Slayer of a specific creature type associated
• Cheer • Intoxication with your deed. You gain a permanent +1d6 bonus
• Cognizance • Memory to attacks and other attribute checks related to that
creature type. Choose from spiders, dragons, giants,
not stack with other exploits which increase their goblins, demons, or undead.
Defense scores.
Knight’s Courage (requires Knight’s Honor). You gain +4 Loremaster (1d6 years)
Mental Defense. This does not stack with other A loremaster is a scholar and academic expert; years spent in
exploits which increase your Defense scores. libraries studying ancient texts makes loremasters amongst
Knight’s Honor. Your courage and honor are such that the most knowledgeable in the world. Loremasters even pick
you automatically succeed in attempts to shake off up some minor magical spells which help them in their studies.
Fear status track effects. Prerequisites: INT 4+
Might Is Right. You can make a REP vs. Mental Attributes: LOG +2, WIL +1, MAG +1
Defense attack against any creature as a single Skill Choices: [artistic], [gaming], [lore], [magical]
action. If successful, the target is pushed one step Anatomist. You automatically know the resistances
down the Fear status track, awed by your presence. and vulnerabilities of any creature you encounter.
Squire (requires Bonded Mount). You gain a free squire. Experienced. Your knowledge and expertise borders
You must protect your squire; in exchange, one on the prophetic. Your entire party gains a +1d6
weapon or one suit of armor you possess increases Initiative bonus if they are within 30' of you when
by one quality level (to a maximum of artisan). If they make their check.
your squire dies, he is replaced in one month. Greater Ritual (requires Ritual). You can now cast spells
of up to 5 MP or less as a ritual.
Knight-Errant (1d6 years) Identify. You can automatically identify a magical
The ultimate holy warrior, you wander the lands serving your item, its name, and its properties.
god—whether good or evil. Language Lore. You gain the scholastic ability to de-
Prerequisites: heraldry, religion, Portfolio exploit cipher any written language, whether or not you
Attributes: STR +1, CHA +1, WIL+1, REP +1 have seen it before, based on its similarity with and
Skill Choices: animal handling, bravery, heraldry, lances, common roots with other languages. This takes one
law, medicine, riding, swords minute per sentence.
Black Knight (requires Evil Portfolio). You are known as Language Mastery (requires Language Lore). You can now
a dark knight, an agent of evil. All damage you do speak or read any unknown language automatically.
is Evil damage.

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Fantasy Careers

Ritual. You can cast a specific spell of 3 MP or less as a Man-at-Arms (1d6 years)
ritual; this takes one minute per MP, but costs you An infantryman, you fought in battle on the front lines.
no MP. You may take this exploit more than once, Prerequisites: None.
creating a new ritual each time. Attributes: STR +1, END +1, WIL +1, LUC +1
Secrets. You learn four magical secrets. Skill Choices: [unarmed fighting], carousing, carrying,
Wise Counsel. You can spend two actions to offer ad- leadership, medicine, polearms, running, spears, survival,
vice and counsel, giving one ally within 30' a +2d6 swords, tactics
bonus to a single attribute check. Any given target Advance! Proficient at charging across poor terrain or
can only benefit from this once per day. mud, you ignore difficult terrain when charging.
Equipped. You start play with a high quality sword,
Mage (1d6 years) spear, or suit of chainmail.
You are practiced in the arcane arts, able to wield spells with Hold the Line. When standing adjacent to an ally, you
ease. A mage is a trained magic-user—sometimes known as a both gain a 1d6 cover bonus.
wizard, or sorcerer. Able to cast a variety of spells, and well- Shield Bearer. Any medium or large shield you wear
versed in a range of lore, the mage is a generalist. increases its Defense bonus by +2.
Prerequisites: one [magical] skill. Shield Wall. When standing between two allies, all
Attributes: MAG +1, LOG +1, WIL +1, REP +1 three gain a +2d6 cover bonus. This does not stack
Skill Choices: [academic], [lore], [magical], staves with itself or with Hold the Line.
Arcane Knowledge Base. Choose four [magical] skills and
one element secret. You gain these four skills at 1 Minstrel (1d6 years)
rank (1d6). This does not increase the rank of an You used the power of your music to earn a living.
existing skill. Prerequisites: CHA 4+
Arcane Secret. You have learned or discovered an ar- Attributes: INT +1, WIL +1, CHA +1, REP +1
cane secret—either an Element, Creature type, or Skill Choices: [lore], [performance], [social], carousing
Virtue. You can take this exploit multiple times, Beast Song (requires Song). Select a song you know. That
learning a new secret each time, but you may know song now affects beasts as well as sentient beings.
no more secrets than your LOG attribute. Instrument. You start play with a high quality musi-
Attuned. You easily detect magic. You do not need to cal instrument. You can make money by playing
make an attribute check to detect magic within 30'; at taverns and doing local performances. You can
you are automatically aware of its existence. automatically make 1d6×10 gc per day by doing this.
Familiar. You gain a familiar, which is a tiny-sized This ability cannot be used during downtime.
creature (cat, bat, owl, mouse, rat, etc.) You can Marching Song. When travelling in a group of three
speak to your familiar, which is able to report back or more, you can perform a marching song which
things it has seen or heard. increases your group’s average Speed by 2.
Learned. When using any [lore] skill as part of a dice Projection (requires Song). You use the power of your
pool, you may reroll any 1s. voice to increase the radius of your songs to 60'.
Specialization (requires Arcane Knowledge Base). Choose Song (requires Instrument). You can take this exploit mul-
one secret that you already know. You are special- tiple times, learning a new song each time. The song
ized in that secret. You may exceed your MAG affects sentient beings who can hear and understand
attribute by 2 points when using that secret. You it. Each time you learn a song, choose one Status track
may only ever specialize in one secret. (e.g., Cheer, Courage, or Tiredness); that song allows
you to move those within 30' who can hear you one
stage up or down that status track. Unwilling targets
require a CHA vs. Mental Defense attack.

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 Fantasy Careers

Musketeer (1d6 years) Eyes of the Dead. You share the senses of the undead,
Wielding musket and sword, you became a swashbuckling gaining darksight 60'.
musketeer. Necromantic Lore. You gain the skills of summoning, af-
Prerequisites: AGI or INT 5+ fliction, and creation at a rank of 1 (1d6) if you do not
Attributes: AGI +1, INT +1, CHA +1, LUC +1 already have them. You also gain the secret of death
Skill Choices: carousing, heraldry, intimidate, muskets, and the secret of shadow.
perception, swords One of Us (requires Corpse Visage). Undead having a
Cloak Flourish. You can use a cape or cloak with a lower maximum dice pool than you do are unable
flourish to distract your foes; the garment counts to attack or harm you in any way.
as a small shield, but does not require a free hand Touch of the Grave. Your touch gains the foulness of
to use it. death, doing an additional 1d6 death damage. You
Musket Charge. When charging with a melee weapon, also kill any small (non creature) plants you come
you may begin your charge with a single musket into contact with.
shot, switch weapons, charge, and end it with a Undead Servant. You gain an undead slave—a skeleton
single melee strike. or zombie—which obeys your every command un-
Pistol-Whip. You can use a firearm as a club by striking til destroyed. If destroyed, you may summon a new
with the butt once per turn as a free action as long one with a 24 hour ceremony and access to an ap-
as you are currently wielding that weapon. propriate corpse. You may take this exploit multiple
Quick Reload. You can fire your musket every action, times, gaining a new servant each time.
rather than just once per turn.
Swashbuckler. Your swashbuckling swordplay gives
you any two of the following universal exploits:
Disarm, Sidestep, Taunt.
Whites of Their Eyes. You are accustomed to standing
your ground as oncoming hordes charge, firing
only when you see the whites of their eyes. When
charged by an opponent, you may fire a free musket
or pistol shot when they come within 10' of you.

Necromancer (1d6 years)

A master of the dark arts, a necromancer is able to summon,
bind, and control the undead. Eventually, a necromancer
turns into a terrifying lich, the most powerful of undead. A
necromancer knows the ways of disease, poison, and the
power of fear.
Prerequisites: secret of undead.
Attributes: LOG +1, WIL +1, CHA +1, MAG +1.
Skill Choices: [magical], [social], alchemy, knives, medi-
cine, religion
Corpse Visage (requires Eyes of the Dead). Your skin and
visage alter slightly, becoming more like the undead
you surround yourself with. You gain 5 natural Soak,
but become Vulnerable 1d6 (light) and your CHA at-
tribute is reduced by 2 points (to a minimum of 2).

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Fantasy Careers

Undeath (requires One of Us). You perform a grotesque Prisoner (2d6 years)
and elaborate ceremony and become undead your- Your life of crime ended you up in prison where you served
self. You are now effectively immortal, and will time; or perhaps you were a political prisoner or a prisoner-of-
never die of old age, although you will still visibly war. It was a tough environment and you spent most of your
age forever unless you disguise yourself with illu- time just trying to survive, although you did make one or two
sions. You no longer need to breathe, eat, or sleep, lifelong contacts.
and you are immune to poisons. Prerequisites: none.
Vampiric Touch (requires Touch of the Grave). You are Attributes: STR +1, END +1, INT +1, REP +1
able to steal the life essence of a victim for yourself. Skill Choices: intimidation, survival, [subterfuge], [un-
When you use your Touch of the Grave to do dam- armed fighting], knives
age to another creature, you gain that amount of Prison Tough. You are mentally and physically tough-
Health. ened. Each time you take this exploit you gain a
permanent +1 bonus to all three of your Defense
Pirate (1d6 years) scores. You may repeat this exploit.
A scourge of the high seas, you plunder for loot and fame. Shiv. You are easily able to improvise weapons using
Prerequisites: sailing your surroundings—glasses, rocks, and so on. You
Attributes: AGI +1, INT +1, LUC +1, EP +2 always count as carrying a knife or club. You may
Skill Choices: appraisal, carousing, climbing, crossbows, also use the brawling skill with knives and clubs.
knives, law, leadership, navigation, sailing, swimming,
swords, thievery Ranger (1d6 years)
Crows’ Nest. You have spent many hours on the look- Woodsman and hunter, you are a master of the outdoors. The
out. You cannot be ambushed. ranger is the quintessential outdoorsman.
Hook. One of your hands is now a hook. You do an Prerequisites: WIL 3+
extra 1d6 damage with an unarmed attack, and that Attributes: AGI +1, INT +1, END +1, WIL +1
damage is slashing damage. You also gain +1 to your Skill Choices: [outdoor], bows, climbing, herbalism, lo-
REP score. cal knowledge, navigation, running, stealth, swimming,
Fearsome Reputation. Your reputation precedes you. swords, tracking
With a REP vs. Mental Defense attack you can in- Beast Whisperer. You can speak to animals. This does
timidate a single target within 30'. If successful, the not grant them special knowledge or intelligence,
target moves one stage down the Fear status track. so the information you can gain is limited by their
Fierce Reputation (requires Fearsome Reputation). Your own capabilities. Neither does it guarantee friend-
reputation is now so fierce that you can either push ship or cooperation.
one target two stages down the Fear status track, Beastmaster (requires Companion). You gain a second
or all targets within 30' one stage down the track, animal companion. You can repeat this exploit,
with a REP vs. Mental Defense attack. gaining a new companion each time you take it.
Keelhauled. You’ve been keelhauled or felt the lash of Companion. You gain an animal companion, much like
the cat at least once. You gain natural Soak +2. the Druid’s. This companion will accompany and
Polly. You gain a small bird (crow, parrot, owl, etc.) defend you. If your companion dies, you attract a
as an animal companion. See the Druid career for new companion in one month. However, if you
information on animal companions. abuse your companion (for example by sending it
Rigging. You do not suffer penalties for fighting while ahead to set off traps), it will leave you and you will
climbing. never be able to replace the companion.
Nature’s Camouflage. You can camouflage yourself to
become effectively invisible at a distance of 30' or

32
 Fantasy Careers

greater while in an outdoor, non-urban environ- Hold Breath (requires Swimmer). You gain two addi-
ment. You may only move at half Speed while tional countdown dice when holding your breath.
camouflaged, and any attack ends the effect for Lookout. Crow’s nest duty is a mandatory part of a
anybody within sight. sailor’s life. You gain +1d6 to perception checks.
Nature’s Secrets. You learn the secret of plants and the Peg Leg. One of your legs is a wooden peg. You are
secret of beasts. used to it, so it does not negatively affect you; you
Traveler. You are skilled at wilderness travel, at home gain a kick attack which increases your unarmed
under the open sky. While travelling through damage by 1d6.
Wilderness, you automatically gain your group +1 Sea Legs. You adapt to the motion of a ship; this
Fortune per day. makes you very hard to knock down. When you are
Wilderness Stride. You are not affected by difficult ter- knocked prone, you may make a Challenging [13] AGI
rain caused by plants or undergrowth. check; if you succeed, you remain standing.
Sea Shanty. By singing a sea shanty, a sailor can
Ruffian (1d6 years) combat sickness and tiredness. Anyone who hears
You fell into the fringes of society and ended up as a thug on the the shanty is reduced by one stage in the Nausea
street, committing petty crimes for small amounts of money. or Tiredness status tracks (the sailor must choose
Prerequisites: none. which of the two songs he is singing).
Attributes: STR +1, END +1, CHA +1, LUC +1 Sea Weather. You are able to ignore the effects of rain,
Skill Choices: brawling, clubs, intimidation, knives, wind, mist, and fog.
running Swimmer. You gain a Swim speed equal to your regular
Street Tough. Life on the streets is tough. You gain a Speed.
natural +2 Soak.
The Filth! You have developed an uncanny ability to
detect the Watch. When attempting to sniff out a
watchman or similar authority figure, you gain a
+1d6 bonus.

Sailor (1d6 years)

At home on the sea, you spent time aboard a ship mastering
the art of sailing.
Prerequisites: None
Attributes: AGI +1 INT +1 LUC +1 END +1
Skill Choices: carousing, climbing, clubs, crossbows, fish-
ing, knives, leadership, navigation, sailing, swimming
Any Port. You may take this exploit multiple times.
Each time you take it, you may designate an ad-
ditional port town. At that location, you will have
one contact upon whom you can (generally) rely,
and one tavern at which you can drink for free.
Climb the Rigging. You can climb your Speed instead of
half your Speed.
Grog. While you may well enjoy a drink, you never
suffer any penalties from intoxication via alcohol.

33
Fantasy Careers

Smith (1d6 years) Legendary Forge (requires artisanal Forge; MAG 3+;
A smith is a master metalwork. Blacksmith, weaponsmith, weaponsmithing 15 or armorer 15). You forge
armorer, a smith is able to create, maintain, and even enchant yourself a single legendary quality weapon (weap-
a warrior’s tools. Many smiths combine traditions of smith- onsmithing) or suit of armor (blacksmithing); you
ing and alchemy to learn how to make magical weapons and must pay for the standard quality version, but it
armor. becomes legendary quality automatically. You may
Prerequisites: STR 4+ repeat this exploit.
Attributes: STR +1, END +1, LOG +1, REP +1 Lore of the Masters. You are able to identify rare or
Skill Choices: [artistic], [crafting], alchemy, appraise magical weapons and armor without making an at-
Alchemical Armor (requires Exceptional Forge, Protective tribute check.
Oil, MAG 2+). You combine the Protective Oil ability Maintenance. You know how to maintain equipment.
from the Alchemist career and Exceptional Forge or Designate one standard quality suit of armor or a
greater from the Smith career; the armor you creat- weapon; this item becomes high quality, as long as
ed permanently gains the extra protection granted you spend an hour maintaining it every day.
by the Protective Oil. You may repeat this exploit. Master Forge (requires Exceptional Forge; weapon-
Alchemical Weapon (requires Master Forge, Sticky smithing 10 or armorer 10). You forge yourself a
Concoction, MAG 4+). You combine the Sticky single mastercraft quality weapon (weaponsmith-
Concoction ability from the Alchemist career and ing) or suit of armor (blacksmithing); you must pay
Master Forge or greater from the Smith career; the for the standard quality version, but it becomes
weapon you created permanently gains the effect mastercraft quality automatically. You may repeat
granted by the Sticky Concoction. You may repeat this exploit.
this exploit. Quality Forge (requires Forge; weaponsmithing 4 or
Artisanal Forge (requires Master Forge; weaponsmith- armorer 4). You forge yourself a single high quality
ing 12 or armorer 12). You forge yourself a single weapon (weaponsmithing) or suit of armor (black-
artisanal quality weapon (weaponsmithing) or suit smithing); you must pay for the standard quality
of armor (blacksmithing); you must pay for the version, but it becomes high quality automatically.
standard quality version, but it becomes artisanal
quality automatically. You may repeat this exploit. Squire (1 year)
Chink in the Armor. You know armor, and its styles You spent time as a squire to a noble knight. While some move
well, including the weaknesses of each type. Once straight into knighthood, paying your dues as a squire is the
per suit of armor, you may ignore its Soak value only way to truly rise to the top of the knightly tradition. You
when attacking. can always tell a knight who wasn’t a squire first, as he lacks
Exceptional Forge (requires Quality Forge; weapon- some of the basics.
smithing 7 or armorer 7). You forge yourself a Prerequisites: none.
single exceptional quality weapon (weaponsmith- Attributes: AGI +1, CHA +1, LUC +1, REP +1
ing) or suit of armor (blacksmithing); you must pay Skill Choices: animal handling, bravery, carrying, her-
for the standard quality version, but it becomes aldry, lances, medicine, riding, swords
exceptional quality automatically. You may repeat Dress Wounds. You can heal 1d6 Health using a basic
this exploit. healer’s kit; this costs two actions. No recipient can
Forge (requires weaponsmithing or armorer). You benefit from this more than once per day.
forge yourself a single standard quality weapon Etiquette. You learn the ways of court and castle;
(weaponsmithing) or suit of armor (blacksmithing), you gain a +1d6 bonus in situations which involve
which you gain for free. courtly etiquette, music, dance, and chivalry.

34
 Fantasy Careers

Loyal Guardian. You are able to protect a fallen ally. An Stalwart. You become immune to fear effects caused
unconscious character in an adjacent square cannot by the undead.
be further harmed while you remain adjacent to Stench of Death. You can sense the presence of the un-
him; instead you take half damage (round down) dead within 30'.
from any attacks. In addition, you gain a +1d6 bonus Turn Undead (requires Stalwart). You can make a CHA
to LOG checks made to stabilize a fallen character vs. Mental Defense attack which affects all undead
or to perform emergency healing on the battlefield. within 30' of you. Undead affected by this attack are
Standard-Bearer. You can carry a flag or banner which moved one step along the Fear status track.
grants allies who can see it +1d6 to Initiative
checks. Warrior-Monk (1d6 years)
Sword-Sharpener. You know how to maintain your (or You became a member of a militant monastic order, and were
your liege’s) equipment. One standard quality suit trained in philosophy and martial arts.
of armor and one standard quality melee weapon Prerequisites: religion or martial arts
becomes high quality, as long as you spend an hour Attributes: AGI +1, END +1, INT +1, WIL +1
maintaining it every day. Skill Choices: [artistic], acrobatics, dancing, martial arts,
philosophy, religion, staves
Undead Hunter (1d6 years) Defensive Stance. You gain +4 to your Melee Defense.
An expert on the undead, you have vowed to hunt and destroy This does not stack with Drunken Fist.
them. Your academic research and knowledge are powerful Drunken Fist. When intoxicated through alcohol, you
weapons against your immortal foes. Many undead hunters gain +4 to both your Melee and Ranged Defense.
choose to learn a little magic, also. This does not stack with Defensive Stance.
Prerequisites: religion. Elemental Fist (requires Iron Fist, MAG 2+). Your fist is
Attributes: LOG +1, WIL +1, CHA +1, LUC +1 surrounded by the glow of elemental energy. The
Skill Choices: religion, abjuration, tracking, history, herb- damage type becomes heat, and does an additional
alism, linguistics, medicine +1d6 damage.
Death Bane. Using an herbalism kit, you can create a Iron Fist. Your unarmed damage increases by 1d6. This
death bane—an ointment or natural amulet (such does not stack with other exploits or equipment
as the stereotypical garlic vs. vampires). This grants which increase your unarmed damage, except for
you +4 Defense vs. the undead. Elemental Fist.
Death Ward. You learn the secret of undead. Iron Skin. Your training grants you +2 natural Soak.
Divine Strike. Your attacks do Good damage to the Martial Leap. Increase both your vertical and horizon-
undead. tal Jump distances by 5'.
Holy Symbol (requires Turn Undead). Brandishing your Martial Technique Base. You gain two of the follow-
holy symbol aloft, your Turn Undead ability now ing universal exploits: Trip, Throw, Sidestep, Flying
pushes the undead two steps along the Fear status Kick. You may take this exploit again to gain the
track. remaining two exploits.
Lore of the Dead. You can identify undead creatures by Mountain Stance (requires Defensive Stance). You be-
sight and know their weaknesses. come as immobile as a mountain. No knockdown
Special Enemy (requires Lore of the Dead). Choose one or knockback attempt by a creature of your size or
type of undead. You become known as a hunter of smaller will work against you.
that type of undead (e.g. a Vampire Hunter), and Weapon Synthesis. When using any Eastern weapon,
gain +2 REP. You automatically ignore any natural you gain one free unarmed melee attack whenever
Soak that that creature possesses (although not ar- you make two weapon attacks.
mor Soak). Zen Mind. You gain +4 to your Mental Defense.

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Fantasy Careers

Watchman (1d6 years) Exploits

A town guard or local police force, you enforce the law. Exploits come in a number of forms. Characters gain
Prerequisites: None. exploits from their race and their careers, but they
Attributes: END +1, INT +1, LUC +1, REP +1 can also choose Universal Exploits (available to any
Skill Choices: clubs, interrogation, intimidate, law, local who qualify for them) and exploits based on their age.
knowledge, perception, polearms, tracking, swords, thievery
Chaser. When chasing someone, your Speed increases Universal Exploits
by +2. Universal exploits are distinct exploits a character has learned;
Clues. If there are clues to be discovered at the scene any character can learn a universal exploit as long as he quali-
of a crime, you automatically find them within 5 fies for it. A universal exploit costs XP equal to half the cost
minutes. of a new grade to purchase; it is the only type of exploit that
Sap. You gain a special sap attack, used to knock out can be purchased directly with XP. Characters begin play with
and apprehend criminals. You use any weapon; you one free universal exploit of their choice plus either Aim or
do no damage, but a successful attack pushes the Feint. Characters also gain universal exploits when they repeat
target along the Alertness status track by one stage a career for which they have already chosen all the available
for each 5 points of damage you would have done. career exploits.
Trouble Sense. You are able to spot trouble before it Prerequisites: Most exploits have prerequisites in
happens. You gain a +1d6 bonus to Initiative terms of attribute scores or previous exploits. In
checks. order to purchase a universal exploit, a character
Vigilant. Constantly vigilant, you are hard to surprise. must meet those prerequisites.
You gain a +1d6 die bonus to access the ambush turn. Achilles Heel (requires LOG 5+, Aim, any [lore] skill).
Identifying a weakness in your target, you pay 2d6

Paying for Effects and bypass its Soak score. This exploit can only be
performed once per target.
The concept of buying effects with your attack dice Aim. This is identical to the Feint exploit, but for
is fundamental to the combat system of O.L.D. ranged combat; it grants +1d6 bonus to an attack roll
Without “buying” extra damage dice or desired ef- taken in the same turn. The attack action must come
fects, a successful attack will tend to do very little immediately after the feinting action. All characters
damage. High damage, therefore, is achieved by a get either the Aim or Feint exploit for free.
large attack dice pool being partially spent on dam- Always Prepared (requires LOG 8+). You have a brilliant
age and effects. tactical mind, and are always prepared. You may
  For example, a massive Ogre might have enor- declare a single action which you took prior to the
mous strength and lots of training, and as such have encounter (even if you didn’t know the encounter
a big attack dice pool of 8d6 with its giant battleaxe. was going to take place) which helps you in this
Normally, it only does 3d6 damage. However, it can exact scenario. This must be an action you were
spend some of that pool, exchanging some of those capable of.
8d6 for extra damage or an effect such as knockdown. Analytics (requires LOG 6+). Studying your target’s
The Ogre has exchanged some of its hit potential for behavior, you notice a pattern to its actions. You
damage potential. grant all allies within 30' a +1d6 bonus to attack the
target until the start of your next turn. This costs
one action.
Arcane Recharge (requires meditation skill). You can
spend five minutes to recover 2d6 Magic Points
once per day.

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 Fantasy Careers

Arcane Secret (requires LOG 4+). You have learned or

discovered an arcane secret—an element, creature
Once per Turn
type, or virtue. You can take this exploit multiple A character may use any given exploit once per turn,
times, learning a new secret each time, but you may but is free to combine multiple exploits into a single
know no more secrets than your LOG attribute. maneuver. For example, an archer might choose to dis-
Arm Lock (requires AGI 8+, martial arts skill). This regard cover, stand out in the open (Reckless Attack)
exploit, which costs 2d6 to execute, puts your tar- and take careful aim (Aim) in order to disarm an oppo-
get’s arm in a painful and restrictive position. He nent (Disarm). He gets +3d6 to his attack rolls from the
immediately drops anything held in that arm. The recklessness and careful aim, and –3d6 for the disarm
lock remains in place until he makes an AGI-based attempt. However, his opponents get a +2d6 bonus to
attack action to escape it, and while it is in place attack him for the next round. Another common com-
you can inflict 1d6 damage per round for free. You bination is a Charge and a Knockdown.
can also move at half speed, and your victim must   Once a character has used an exploit (or a multiple
accompany you. exploit combination), including a reactive exploit, he
Bear Hug (requires STR 8+). You grab your target with cannot use that exploit until his next turn begins.
both arms, squeezing him. You can only bear hug a
target of your size category or smaller. Once estab- Deadly Strike (requires AGI or STR 5+). You inflict an
lished, you cause your unarmed damage per round additional 1d6 damage with a successful hit. For a
for free, and can move at half speed, moving your ranged attack, this is likely a head shot. By default,
victim with you. It takes a STR or AGI attack action any character can trade attack dice to increase dam-
to escape your bear hug. age on a 2:1 basis.
Blinding Attack (requires AGI 6+). This is a temporary Death from on High (requires Charge). You pay 2d6 and
blinding attack—throwing sand in an opponent’s drop down on your opponent from at least 5' above
face, pulling his hat down over his eyes, throwing a him. This counts as a Charge but knocks your op-
cloak or blanket over him. Pay 1d6; the opponent is ponent prone and does 2d6 extra damage instead
blinded for one round. of 1d6.
Blind Shot (requires LUC 5+). While in full cover, you Disarm (requires AGI 6). Pay 3d6; the target drops its
may pay 2d6 to take a shot without looking at what weapon or other hand-held item.
you are shooting at or exposing yourself. You use Dive for Cover (requires AGI 7+). If a ranged attack
your LUC attribute instead of your AGI or INT for misses you, you may immediately move half your
this shot. speed and either throw yourself prone or get be-
Brush Off (requires STR 8+). You contemptuously brush hind cover if it is in range as a free action.
aside a melee attack, gaining the effect of cover Dodge (requires AGI 6+). You gain the effect of cover
from one melee attack from a creature of your size from ranged attacks when in the open as long as
category or smaller. you have moved at least 10 feet this turn.
Burst of Speed (requires riding skill). Your mount gains Draw a Bead (requires INT 5+). The penalty for firing at
a speed boost of 2 (10') for the turn. a target engaged in melee combat is reduced from
Charge. When making a melee attack, move your 2d6 to 1d6.
speed in a straight line and then attack at the end of Extreme Concentration (requires WIL 8+, concentra-
it and pay 2d6. You gain +1d6 damage to your attack. tion skill). You can maintain concentration on two
Crippling Strike (requires AGI 5+, Deadly Strike). Pay simultaneous spells. Each requires an action to
1d6; a leg wound slows your foe for 3 rounds. maintain (you need a whole turn to maintain both).

37
Fantasy Careers

Feint. This is identical to the Aim exploit, but for melee readying a bow quickly. Whenever you have a bow
combat; it grants +1d6 bonus to an attack roll taken on your person, you are always considered to be
in the same turn. The attack action must come im- holding it.
mediately after the feinting action. All characters Quick Mount (requires riding skill). You can mount or
get either the Aim or Feint exploit for free. dismount from a horse or other mount as a free
Flying Kick (requires AGI 8+, martial arts skill). You action.
move your speed and issue a flying kick at the end Quick Stand (requires AGI 6+, martial arts skill). Once
of it, dealing your martial arts damage with a bonus per turn you can stand immediately from prone as
1d6 damage. a free action.
Hunker Down (requires END 6+). Cover grants you one Reckless Act. In utter disregard for your own safety,
extra die of cover. you make yourself a target as you unleash your at-
Knockback (requires Knockdown). The target is pushed tacks. Attackers gain a +2d6 bonus to attack you
back 5' for a cost of 1d6. For 2d6, this can be in- until your next turn, but you gain +1d6 bonus to
creased to 10'. your attack rolls.
Knockdown (requires STR 5+). The target is knocked Roll with It (requires AGI 5+). By voluntarily falling
prone for a cost of 2d6. You cannot knock down a prone, you reduce damage by 2d6. You cannot use
target that is two sizes or more larger than you. any instant-stand exploits in combination with this
Opportunist Stomp. You can stomp on an adjacent exploit.
prone opponent as a free action. This is an unarmed Sidestep (requires AGI 8+). When charged by an at-
attack and uses your natural damage value. tacker, you casually step aside, causing him to rush
Organization Member. You are a member of a specific past you. If the attack misses, the attacker contin-
organization, and gain all the benefits that mem- ues onwards in a straight line to the extent of his
bership grants. You do not recover this exploit movement, unless something blocks his way. If he
should you leave the organization or should it cease collides with an object, he takes 1d6 blunt damage.
to exist. Signature Spell (requires LOG 6+). Using the magic rules,
Pep Talk (requires CHA 6+). You can spend your am- devise and name a spell from the skills and secrets
bush turn (if you have access to it) giving your allies that you know. This spell becomes a signature spell.
a pep talk. They all gain a +1d6 bonus to Initiative You may take this exploit multiple times, adding a
in the ensuing combat. new signature spell each time, but you may not have
Piledriver (requires STR 8+, wrestling skill). You grab more signature spells than the value of your LOG
your opponent, lift him, and then drop to the attribute. A signature spell takes only one action to
ground, driving his head into the ground. Both you cast (rather than the usual two actions), although
and your opponent end up prone. The exploit costs you may cast only one per round. Additionally, you
3d6 and, if successful, the target takes double dam- gain a +1d6 die bonus to attribute checks or attacks
age and is stunned until he shakes the condition off. with your signature spell.
Predictive Reflexes (requires INT 6+). You are good at Spinning Kick (requires AGI 8+, martial arts skill). A
reading the situation. You gain a permanent +1d6 quick turn, and your foot lashes out to strike your
bonus to your initiative checks. opponent. This exploit costs 2d6, but can strike any
Protector (requires END 5+). You can take an attack adjacent opponent (even one behind you), and in-
meant for an adjacent ally. If the attack hits your cludes a free Knockdown effect.
ally, you take the damage instead. If you have a Taunt (requires CHA 8+). You taunt your target, enrag-
shield, the ally also benefits from your shield’s de- ing it, and make a CHA vs. Mental Defense attack.
fense bonus. If successful, the target focuses all its attacks on you
Quick Draw (requires AGI 6+). You are an expert at until the start of your next turn.

38
 Fantasy Careers

Throw (requires STR or AGI 7+; Trip or Knockdown). For   Consult the table below to find out which band you
2d6, the target is knocked prone and pushed back fall into, based on your species.
5'. For 3d6, this can be increased to 10'. STR is the   If your character is young or old, choose any syn-
prerequisite if the qualifying exploit is Knockdown; onym for that word and insert it into your descriptor.
AGI if it is Trip. It’s up to you what adjective you choose. If your char-
Trip (requires AGI 6+). For 2d6, the target is knocked acter is an adult, you do not need to add it to your
prone. If you are one size smaller than your target, descriptor. Some example synonyms are listed below,
you may use this exploit for only 1d6. but you should feel free to create your own.
Whirlwind Frenzy (requires AGI 6+). You attack all ad-   Adding years. Players may always add extra years
jacent targets, but only do 1d6 damage to each. This to their age at character creation or during downtime
costs you 3d6. You must still make an attack roll with no corresponding advancement. This allows
against each target. If you hit every target, all tar- players to play older characters without unduly high
gets are pushed back 5', clearing a space around you. attributes. NPCs may (and often do) similarly have
years added—an NPC bartender might be 60 years
Age of age but that doesn’t necessarily require her to be
Your age is determined by the total of your character’s grade 15. In cinematic mode, adult characters gain an
years in each career. Age falls into three broad bands: additional LUC die, and old characters gain a further
young, adult, and old. LUC die, representing experience.

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Fantasy Careers

Age Categories By Race

Each race ages differently, as shown below.

Young Characters Age Categories by Race

Young characters are characterized by curiosity and Race Young Adult Old
brashness. You gain the following exploit. You lose Grand Elf 1–189 190–549 550+*
the exploit when you are no longer young. Human 1–25 26–59 60+
  Young. Once per day, when rolling a dice pool, you Mountain Dwarf 1–89 90–209 210+
may declare it to be an exploding dice pool. Any 6s Ogre 1–19 20–39 40+
that you roll may be rolled again, the new roll adding Orc 1–33 34–67 68+
to the existing 6. If you roll a 6 again, repeat, until you Smallfolk 1–38 39–84 85+
roll less than a 6. Sylvan Elf 1–119 120–349 350+
  Example synonyms: young, youthful, adolescent, * Grand Elves (but not Sylvan Elves) cannot die of old age.
childish, teenaged, juvenile.

Old Characters Trait

Old characters are characterized by experience. You The bonus exploit granted by your attributes is called
gain the following exploit. your trait.
  Old. Once per day, when rolling a dice pool, you   Your trait is an exploit based on your attributes. If
may declare it to be a careful dice pool. Any 1s that someone were to describe your character, this is the
you roll may be rerolled, with the new roll replacing first word they’d use.
the 1. If you roll a 1 a second time, however, you must   Your trait forms part of your descriptor.
keep the 1.   You may choose between two attribute exploits.
  Additionally, the bonus gained from your hook in- The options available to you are dependent on your
creases to +2d6. attributes: one is defined by your highest attribute,
  Old characters can no longer improve physical at- and one is defined by your lowest attribute. LUC is
tributes (STR, AGI, END) through career advances or not included in this process.
experience expenditure, although they may do so via   Identify either your highest attribute or your lowest
other means (magic, etc.) attribute (your choice), and choose or roll for a cor-
  Example synonyms: old, elderly, mature, venerable, responding exploit. Note that all attribute exploits are
aged, aging, hoary. beneficial, even if they correspond to a low attribute.

Attribute Exploits (Traits)

Attribute Highest Attribute Lowest Attribute
STR [1–2] Massive, [3–4] Athletic, [5–6] Brawny [1–3] Feeble, [4–6] Tottering
AGI [1–2] Nimble, [3–4] Deadeye, [5–6] Ambidextrous [1–3] Clumsy, [4–6] Lame
END [1–3] Rugged, [4–6] Tough as Nails [1–3] Coughing, [4–6] Asthmatic/Anemic
INT [1–3] Empathic, [4–6] Alert [1–3] Naive, [4–6] Distracted
LOG [1–3] Brilliant, [4–6] Erudite [1–3] Illiterate, [4–6] Forgetful
WIL [1–3] Stoic, [4–6] Unflappable [1–2] Alcoholic, [3–4] Reckless, [5–6] Spendthrift
CHA [1–2] Commanding, [3] Inspiring, [4] Suave, [1–2] Unwashed, [3–4] Disfigured, [5–6] Obnoxious
[5–6] Persuasive
REP [1–2] Egotistical, [3–4] Well Known, [1–6] Nondescript
[5–6] Flamboyant

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 Fantasy Careers

Trait Descriptions check, you can make a completely random com-

Alcoholic. You are usually drunk. While this can impair ment which jogs their memory and grants them a
your judgment, it also enables you to shrug off in- +2d6 bonus to the check.
jury. You gain +2 Soak when intoxicated. Egotistical. You have a very high opinion of yourself,
Alert. You always gain access to the ambush turn. which manifests itself as extreme confidence and
Ambidextrous. You are able to use both hands with surety. You gain a +4 Mental Defense bonus.
ease. You do not pay the –2d6 penalty when dual- Unfortunately, you sometimes ask, “Don’t you
wielding weapons or using a double weapon. know who I am?”
Asthmatic/Anemic. Your poor health often prevents Empathic. You are able to easily understand how oth-
you from undertaking extended physical exertion. ers feel. Once per day you can attempt to adjust
However, you have developed coping strategies another’s mood with a CHA vs. Mental Defense
which enable you to recover quickly from hardship. check. If you succeed, you can move them one step
Once per day you may gather your strength and up or down the Cheer or Anger status tracks. You
determinedly recover 1d6 Health. must be able to converse with your target to do this.
Athletic. Brawny and strong, you are able to plow Erudite. You remember a vast catalog of knowledge.
through difficult terrain. Difficult terrain does not At any time you may make a LOG check in place of
reduce your speed. any CHA check to interact with someone by recall-
Brawny. You gain a +40 lb. carrying capacity. ing a piece of trivia of interest to your target.
Brilliant. You mind is honed, sharp, and analytical. Feeble. You are physically weak and frail, which has
Once per day you may replace any other attribute taught you the value of brains over brawn. Once
check with a LOG check. per day you may use a LOG check in place of a STR
Clumsy. You often stumble or drop items. You are so check and accomplish your goal through cunning
used to falling that you take less damage than most and ingenuity.
from a fall. Reduce the height fallen by 10' when Flamboyant. You dress and act in an obvious and no-
calculating falling damage. ticeable manner. For good or ill, people remember
Commanding. You have presence, and people listen to you. If you have met someone before, they will al-
you. By spending two actions (a full turn) you can ways recall the previous encounter.
give an ally within earshot a single free action. Forgetful. You constantly forget and misplace things;
Coughing. Your constant coughing elicits sympathy often they are still about your person. Once per
from onlookers who are hesitant to attack an ob- day you may produce an item you didn’t know you
viously ill person. You gain a +4 Defense bonus were carrying. The item can be any type of item, but
against anyone you have not yet attacked. must be worth less than 5 gc.
Deadeye. Once per day you automatically hit with a Illiterate. You cannot read. Instead, you have learned
ranged shot within two range increments as long to memorize common words which you need to
as you do not exchange any attack dice for damage recognize often. You gain a +1d6 bonus when at-
dice or combine it with another exploit. tempting to recall visual information.
Disfigured. Your appearance is memorable. However, Inspiring. You are able to instill positive emotions in
it serves to instill fear when you need it to. You gain people with your words, using an action to give
an additional 1d6 bonus to intimidation attempts. them a +1d6 bonus to their next attribute check if
Distracted. Your attention is always somewhere they are within 30 feet of you.
else and can be a cause of frustration for others. Lame. You have a limp, and move slowly, possibly with
However, a non sequitur can sometimes prove use- a cane. This causes people to underestimate you,
ful; once per day, as an ally is making an attribute granting you a +1d6 bonus to Initiative checks.

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Fantasy Careers

Massive. You are enormous and solid. You are immune Suave. Once per day you may make a CHA check vs.
to knockdown and knockback effects by anything a target’s Mental Defense to move them one step
of your size category or smaller. along the Charm status track. The target must be
Naive. Naivete can be an endearing trait in some; it able to hear and understand you, and be sentient.
can also act as an insulation. Once per day you may Tottering. You find it a struggle to stand and require
completely ignore a fear-based effect or condition. the use of a wheelchair which gives you a +1 Speed
Nimble. You gain a climb speed equal to your regular bonus on normal terrain.
Speed. Tough as Nails. You have a natural Soak of 3. This
Nondescript. You’re the type of person nobody remem- stacks with other natural Soaks, but not with ar-
bers. Even after you have met someone, you can mor Soak.
meet them again and they will not recognize you if Unflappable. You are not easily distracted or surprised.
you choose to act in a nondescript manner. You can The feint exploit does not work on you.
only do this the second time you meet somebody; Unwashed. Your unkempt appearance causes others to
from the third time onwards, you are recognized overlook you. You can hide in plain sight using INT
as normal. in place of AGI.
Obnoxious. Your personality really repels people. You Well Known. You are famous; people recognize you, for
are an expert at insults, and can use an action to good or ill. You have learned to use this reputation.
make an INT vs. Mental Defense check to enrage Once per day you may substitute your REP attribute
and distract others, causing them to move one step for another attribute in order to make a social at-
along the Anger status track. tribute check.
Persuasive. You are adept at negotiating with others.
When you purchase anything under 5,000 gc in Derived Statistics
value, you are able to save 2d6 percent. Derived statistics are values which are calculated
Reckless. Your poor judgment often lands you in based on existing statistics. You’ll need to calculate
trouble, but it leads to a certain confidence. If you each of the derived statistics in the section below, and
completely ignore cover, you gain a +1d6 attack bo- record them on your character sheet.
nus as long as you are not using a shield.   All derived statistics increase or decrease if their
Rugged. You are tough and shrug off hardships. Once underlying statistics change through character ad-
per day you can spend two actions (a full turn) to vancement or for other reasons.
recover to half your normal maximum Health.
Spendthrift. You lack self-discipline and spend your Dice Pools
money on trivialities and things you don’t need. For each attribute and each skill, record the derived
This can have its advantages, however; once per day dice pool on your character sheet. These are noted on
you can pull a small item from your pocket that you the character worksheet for convenience. They are as
forgot you’d bought, retroactively spending up to follows:
5 gc.
Stoic. You are able to hide pain and discomfort. Once Derived Dice Pool
per day, when you would normally be reduced to 1–2 3–5 6–9 10–14 15–20 21–27
zero Health, you are reduced to 1 Health instead. 1d6 2d6 3d6 4d6 5d6 6d6

The actual attribute scores are not needed during play;

you need only refer to the dice pools. The attribute
scores are used during character creation to provide
an expanding granular scale to attribute development.

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 Fantasy Careers

Health
Health is a mixture of physical and mental stamina.
Roll an END dice pool and a WIL dice pool. If you
have the hardy skill, you may roll that also. Record the
total as your Health (minimum 10). When you take
damage, you lose Health; when you reach 0 Health
you are unconscious.

Speed
You need to determine your regular Speed, and your
Climb speed. Note that this process also applies to
Swim and other forms of movement.
 Your Speed is equal to the size of your STR dice pool
plus your AGI dice pool. You may also add your run-
ning dice pool if you have that skill. Small (or smaller)
characters suffer a –1 penalty to Speed.
 For climbing, swimming, etc., replace the running skill
and halve the final total unless a career or exploit
tells you otherwise. 

Jump
This is the distance and height you may jump auto-
matically. It should be recorded on your character
sheet in units of feet, not squares (unlike Speed) in
the format 7'/4'.
  Your horizontal jump is equal to twice your AGI at-
tribute in feet. Your vertical jump is equal to your STR
attribute in feet, but cannot exceed your horizontal
jump. These values assume a 10' run-up. From a stand-
ing start, they are halved.
  Jumps exceeding these values require STR (verti-
cal) or AGI (horizontal) attribute checks equal to the
number of feet jumped horizontally or three times
the number of feet jumped vertically.

Carry
Your basic carry increment is equal to STR  +  END
multiplied by 10. Record the value in pounds. If you
have the carry skill, you may add this (the raw value,
not the dice pool) before the multiplier. Each carry
increment inflicts a –1d6 penalty to physical attribute
checks and –1 to Speed.
  The maximum weight you can lift is equal to 50 lb.
times your STR attribute.

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Fantasy Careers

Initiative Skill (use only one)

Initiative measures how quickly you can react in ►►For Melee and Ranged Defense, you may use
combat situations. It is equal to your INT dice pool. acrobatics, dodging, or foresight.
You may also add tactics or reactions dice pools. ►►For Mental Defense you may use bravery,
concentration, conviction, discipline, leadership,
Perception meditation, psychology, religion, or rulership.
Your Intuition dice pool forms your perception ►►Skill with a melee weapon or unarmed combat
score; for example, if your INT dice pool is 3d6, then can apply to Melee Defense.
your perception score is 3d6—when you need to roll ►►If you double-move in a round, you may use
to spot something, you would roll 3d6. To this dice running for Defense for that round only.
pool you can add any relevant skills. For example, if
you have a score of 3 (2d6) in the perception skill, you Equipment (use only one)
add that to the 3d6 INT score to give you a perception ►►For Melee Defense, the quality of your
total of 5d6. weapon, armor, or shield can be used.
  Some perception scores are situational; in this case, ►►For Ranged Defense, the quality of your
note them separately. armor or shield can be used.
  Also note any special sensory powers you might ►►Remember that you can only benefit from high
have, such as darksight, feysense, and so on. quality equipment (including armor) up to your
skill level.
Defense
A character has three Defense scores: Melee Having formed your Defense dice pools, consult the
Defense, Ranged Defense, and Mental Defense. table below to determine the corresponding static
These scores are pre-calculated dice pools; because score. This is an average roll of the dice pool—the size
they are used frequently, the average value is used and of the dice pool multiplied by 3.5, rounded up—and
noted on your character sheet. is used to speed up play (you could, theoretically, roll
  For each score, form a dice pool consisting of attri- it as an opposed check each time). Adjust the static
bute, skill, and equipment, as normal (and subject to score according to your Size (see the table below).
the usual dice pool limit). Use the following elements Finally, apply modifications for shields and armor.
to form the dice pool: ►► Small shields give +2, medium shields +4, and
large shields +6.
Attribute (use only one) ►► Medium armor inflicts a –2 penalty, and heavy
►►For Melee Defense, use the highest of your armor inflicts a –4 penalty.
STR and AGI. If the final score is less than 10, increase it to 10. Your
►►For Ranged Defense, use your AGI. Defense score is capped by your maximum dice pool.
►►For Mental Defense use the highest of INT, Multiply your maximum dice pool by 4; your Defense
LOG, and WIL. scores cannot exceed this number.

Static Defense Scores

Pool 1d6 2d6 3d6 4d6 5d6 6d6 7d6 8d6 9d6
Static Defense 4 7 11 14 18 21 25 28 32

Defense Adjustment by Size

Size Tiny Small Medium Large Enormous Gigantic Colossal
Adjustment +8 +4 +0 –4 –8 –16 –32

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 Fantasy Careers

Cinematic Mode
Combat in WOIN can be deadly—even an advanced
character can be downed by just one or two shots.
  For a more heroic feel, the GM can opt to use
Cinematic Mode. In Cinematic Mode, characters and
creatures add a LUC dice pool when calculating their
total Health. Lucky characters can be very resilient,
if sometimes accidentally so. Adult characters also gain
an additional LUC die, and old characters gain a fur-
ther LUC die, representing experience.
  Cinematic Mode may be especially appropriate to
high fantasy settings.

Careers & Defensive Skills Equip Your Character

As noted earlier, any time you take a career skill, you Your starting gold is based on your Reputation at-
may take a Defense skill instead. These aren’t specifi- tribute. Gold is measured in gold coins (gc). Roll your
cally called out in the careers, but all Defense skills REP dice pool and your LUC dice pool and multiply
are always available to all careers. the result by 20. If the total comes to less than 100 gc,
  The following are examples of defensive skills: increase it to 100 gc. You can spend this starting gold
on weapons, armor, and equipment.
Melee and Ranged Defense Skills
Examples: acrobatics, dodging, foresight Attacks
Finally, note down your attacks. You should have two
Mental Defense Skills or three, depending on your equipment. The first is
Examples: bravery, discipline, concentration, conviction, an unarmed attack (brawling, boxing, wrestling, martial
leadership, meditation, psychology, religion, rulership arts, depending on skills) and the others might be a
melee and a ranged weapon. An attack is recorded in
Melee skills and weapon quality apply to Defense this format:
against melee attacks, but not against ranged attacks.
Longbow 3d6 (2d6+2 piercing damage; range 20; notes)
  You should train Defense, otherwise you’ll get hit
a lot. It’s as important as training in weapons. Try to The first value (3d6 in the example) is your attack roll.
get your Defense pool to about 4d6 if possible. This is a dice pool formed as normal from attribute +
skill + equipment.
The lowest any Defense score can be is 10.   Melee attacks use STR or AGI.
If any of your final Defense scores are lower   Ranged attacks use AGI or INT.
than 10, increase them to 10.

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Fantasy Careers

  The damage value, range, and any notes are found Defeating Enemies and
in the weapon’s entry in the Equipment chapter. You Overcoming Challenges
may also add the size of your STR dice pool or skill The core advancement assumption is that you need to
dice pool to a melee weapon damage, or the size of defeat or overcome 10 encounters of Medium difficulty
your skill dice pool to ranged weapon damage. So, if to advance to the next grade. The XP requirement for
you have STR 6 (3d6), add 3 to your sword’s damage. each grade is shown in the table below; it is equal to
  Unarmed damage is 1d6 for size Medium and small- ten times the next grade. For a Medium difficulty en-
er creatures, plus 1d6 for each size category above counter, characters gain XP equal to their own grade.
Medium (see the table at the bottom of this page).   The GM evaluates how difficult the players found
►►Add your unarmed skill rank or your STR dice the encounter and awards XP accordingly. Round
pool size (not both) to unarmed damage as a down when calculating half grade values.
flat bonus, using the dice pool size. This bonus
does not apply to melee weapon attacks. Encounter XP Awards
►►Some exploits increase your unarmed damage. Encounter Difficulty XP Award
Trivial No XP
Advancement Easy Half grade (round down)
Throughout a campaign, characters will advance. They Medium Equal to grade
will gain or improve skills, acquire new exploits, and Hard Two times grade
increase attributes. Characters have two “currencies” Extremely hard Three times grade
to spend on advancement.
  Time. A character can take a new career grade by GMs are free to set different advancement rates.
spending the required time (usually 1d6 years, but the Changing the speed of character advancement can
career itself will provide specific information). Instead affect the tone of a campaign, and the GM should
of XP, this type of advancement requires downtime— be sure to inform the players before play what the
periods when a character’s actions take place in the campaign’s advancement rate is. To set a different
background—and it advances a character’s age. advancement rate, simply increase or decrease the
  The indicated time is an optimum adventurer hero cost of a new career grade from 10 XP per grade to a
progression—characters can always spend more time higher or lower value.
than the amount indicated. Additionally, NPCs may
take much longer to progress; it’s not unusual to see Planning
old NPCs with only a few career ranks. If the PCs research and plan to the extent where they
  Experience Points. The GM awards experience points make a supposedly difficult encounter into easier
(XP) for overcoming challenges, defeating enemies, encounter by virtue of their preparations and fore-
and completing milestones. These XP can be spent on thought, they are awarded XP for an encounter one
new career grades. The XP cost of a career grade is difficulty level higher (for example, an encounter
equal to 10 times the new grade—deduct the XP from which turned out to be Easy because of good planning
the character’s total when he spends them. If XP are becomes a Medium encounter for the purposes of
spent, no time expenditure is needed. XP awards). Planning awards require GM discretion,
  Advancements are accessed via career grades, and and ensures that players aren’t penalized for thinking
contextualize any given advancement. their way around a problem.

Unarmed (Natural) Damage

Size Tiny–Medium Large Enormous Gigantic Colossal Titanic
Damage 1d6 2d6 3d6 4d6 5d6 6d6

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 Fantasy Careers

Completing Milestones Typical Point Values and Advancement Cost

The GM awards XP for completing major story- Attr. Skill Max Dice Total
line milestones. Milestones are major non-combat Grade Points Ranks Exploits Pool XP Cost XP*
challenges or obstacles which have required sub- 0 24 3 2 3d6 0 0
stantial effort on the part of the characters. This 1 28 5 3 3d6 10 10
award is equal to the character’s existing grade 2 32 7 4 3d6 20 30
(the same as for a Medium encounter). A grade 5 3 36 9 5 3d6 30 60
character, therefore, receives 5 XP for completing 4 40 11 6 4d6 40 100
a milestone. Milestones are fairly arbitrary, but a 5 44 13 7 5d6 50 150
good guideline is to include one in every session 6 48 15 8 6d6 60 210
of play. 7 52 17 9 6d6 70 280
8 56 19 10 7d6 80 360
Incremental Advances 9 60 21 11 7d6 90 450
Sometimes a character increases just her STR at- 10 64 23 12 7d6 100 550
tribute by working out, or just her bows skill at 11 68 25 13 8d6 110 660
the archery range. To do this, the character needs 12 72 27 14 8d6 120 780
to spend XP. The cost of the increase is equal to 13 76 29 15 8d6 130 910
three times the new score—so an increase from 14 80 31 16 8d6 140 1,050
9 to 10 STR costs 30 XP, while an increase from 15 84 33 17 9d6 150 1,200
rank 2 to rank 3 in bows costs 9 XP. The XP is 16 88 35 18 9d6 160 1,360
deducted from the character’s total XP. 17 92 37 19 9d6 170 1,530
  A universal exploit (but not a career exploit) 18 96 39 20 9d6 180 1,710
can be purchased for half the price of a new grade. 19 100 41 21 9d6 190 1,900
  You cannot spent time to make incremental 20 104 43 22 10d6 200 2,100
advances; you must spend XP. Only full career   * This is the cumulative total of spent XP to reach this grade
grades can be purchased with time. Incremental
advances take place in the background at the same time as regular activity, and Incremental Advancement
are assumed to have involved current and prior training. Therefore a character Attribute Advancement
gains the benefit of an incremental advance immediately upon spending the XP. or Skill Cost
  Incremental advances are not as cost effective as career grades, but they allow 1 3
for fine-tuning and granular advancement. Note, however, that a character’s 2 6
maximum dice pool is always based on his overall grade, so incremental ad- 3 9
vancements should always be viewed as a supplementary advancement method. 4 12
5 15
Age 6 18
Each character’s age should be tracked. Characters are 7 21
categorized as young, adult, or old. For more informa- 8 24
tion, see the aging rules. 9 27
  Once a character reaches old age, their physical at- 10 30
tributes (STR, AGI, END) can no longer be increased by 11 33
non-supernatural, non-technological means. Career 12 36
advances which would normally increase those at- 13 39
tributes no longer do so, and incremental increases to 14 42
those attributes can no longer be purchased.

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Fantasy Careers

Appendix: Gods as Patrons
PCs who gain magical powers from a patron should   Forbidden. Followers of this god can have no
define that patron. This most frequently takes the power of these secrets.
form of a pantheon of gods. The GM will provide a   Abjure Only. Followers of this god may use these
list of gods in the campaign setting, or the generic list secrets only in conjunction with the abjuration skill.
below can be used. They may use the secret at normal cost when doing so.
  Virtues. Gods exemplify certain Virtues. These are
considered secrets; their antithesis is available as an Patrons and Careers
Abjure Only secret. The gods in the generic list below The magical careers in this book are most often as-
use Good and Evil; where none is indicated, the wor- sociated with the following patrons:
shipper may choose from Good or Evil. ►►Cleric—any
  Secrets. PCs who worship this god are able to use ►►Diabolist—The Devil
these secrets normally if they learn them. They may ►►Druid—The Druid, The Mother
also use other secrets at double MP cost if they learn ►►Firemage—does not usually use a patron
them. Note that a PC can learn any secret; the de- ►►Inquisitor—does not usually use a patron
ity determines whether or not those secrets work for ►►Mage—does not usually use a patron
them. ►►Necromancer—The Hangman

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 Fantasy Careers

God Domains Virtue Secrets Forbidden Abjure Only

The Artist Art/Music/Culture Good Light, Magic, Sound, — —
Shadow, Fey
The Builder Building/Creation/ Good Earth, Fire, Metal, Life, Death, —
Crafting/Fire/Earth Lava, Wood, Automatons Void
The Devil Evil/Demons/ Evil Fire, Shadow, Death, Magic, Life Light
Darkness Void, Demons, Beasts, Reptiles
The Dragon Dragons/Monsters — Fire, Ice, Air, Magic, — —
Dragons, Reptiles, Goblinoids
The Druid Nature/Agriculture Good Wood, Water, Air, Earth, Automatons Undead
Aquans, Avians, Beasts,
Insects, Plants, Reptiles
The Father Sky/Rulership Good Air, Light, Lightning, — —
Life, Space, Avians, Humanoids
The Fisherman Sea — Water, Ice, Mist, Ooze, — Fire
Aquans, Goblinoids, Reptiles
The Gambler Luck/Fate — Fire, Space, Magic, — —
Lightning, Fey
The Hangman Death/Undead/ Evil Death, Metal, Shadow, Life, —
Underworld Void, Spirits, Undead Light
The Hunter Hunting/Moon — Mist, Shadow, Death, — —
Beasts, Plants
The Judge Justice/Chivalry — Light, Sound, Life, — —
Death, Humanoids
The Leper Disease/Plague/ Evil Acid, Ooze, Mist, Life Water
Insects/Drought Death, Insects
The Lightbringer Light/Sun Good Light, Air, Fire, Life, — Shadow
Space, Spirits, Fey
The Lover Love/Beauty Good Light, Fire, Magic, Fey, Humanoids Death —
The Mother Life/Healing/Birth/ Good Light, Life, Water, Death Undead,
Fertility/Family/ Hearth Plants, Humanoids Spirits
The Reveller Mirth/Wine/Greed Evil Acid, Water, Life, Sound, Death —
Ooze, Fey, Humanoids
The Scholar Knowledge/ — Air, Light, Sound, Space, Void, — —
Wisdom Spirits, Automatons, Demons
The Tempest Storms/Thunder/ — Air, Water, Lightning, — —
Weather Sound, Mist, Avians
The Traveller Commerce/ — Space, Metal, — —
Trade/Travel Magic, Air
The Trickster Trickery/Intrigue Evil Light, Shadow, Sound, Magic, — —
Mist, Void, Fey, Automatons,
Goblinoids, Humanoids
The Warrior War/Strength/ — Earth, Fire, Metal, Lava — —
Protection

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Fantasy Careers

Sample Characters
Gimnor
A young shy Mountain Dwarf assassin who collects exotic
flowers
Small sentient humanoid (grade 5; max dice pool 5d6)
STR 4 (2d6) AGI 7 (3d6) END 7 (3d6)
INT 8 (3d6) LOG 3 (2d6) WIL 7 (3d6)
CHA 3 (2d6) LUC 5 (2d6) REP 4 (2d6)
Health  32  Melee Defense  22
Soak  5 (studded leather)  Ranged Defense  15
Vuln  —  Mental Defense  11
Initiative  3d6  Speed  4
Perception  3d6 Climb  2
Carry  110 lbs. Jump  14'/4'
Actions  2
Natural Damage  1d6+2
Shortsword 5d6 (2d6+2 slashing damage) Shiv. From his time in prison, Gimnor learned how to
Light Crossbow 4d6 (1d6+3 piercing damage; range 15) improvise weapons. He is always considered to be carry-
Skills appraisal 1 (1d6), axes 1 (1d6), woodwork 1 (1d6), ing a knife or a club, even when unarmed, and he can use
stealth 3 (2d6), thievery 2 (1d6), knives 3 (2d6), his brawling skill with knives and clubs.
crossbows 1 (1d6), herbalism 1 (1d6) Create Poison. Gimnor can use his herbalism kit to spend
Gear studded leather armor, herbalism kit, high quality five minutes making a poison. The poison remains
thieves tools (+1d6), shortsword, light crossbow, 100 gc effective for only five minutes. When drunk or eaten, the
Shy. Gimnor is able to go unrecognized even by those he poison does 6d6 poison damage.
has met before. However, after three meetings, even the Aim. Gimnor can spend an action aiming, which gives him
most unobservant will recognise him. +1d6 to a subsequent raged attack made in the same turn.
Darksight. Like all Dwarves, Gimnor is able to see clearly Achilles Heel. Gimnor is able to identify his target’s weak-
in the dark up to a distance of 60'. When underground, nesses. Once per enemy he can ignore their Soak when
he can see clearly to any distance. making an attack. This costs him 2d6.
Iron Constitution. Gimnor is immune to non-magical Young. Gimnor is a young dwarf. He can declare one dice
poisons, with the exception of alcohol. pool per day to be an exploding dice pool.
Sturdy. With a low center of gravity, Dwarves are hard to Careers Urchin, Burglar, Prisoner, Assassin, Assassin
knock down. Any attempt to do so suffers a –2d6 penalty Age 31
to the attempt.
Earthy. Like many Mountain Dwarves, Gimnor knows the Gimnor was always shy and awkward, an issue not helped
secret of earth. He does not have a Magic attribute or by his stutter. He grew up alone on the streets of a large city
any magical skills at present, however. and took to burglary in order to make enough money to
Life on the Streets. Gimnor’s early life as an urchin was feed himself. Eventually he was caught, and spent 6 years
tough; he is able to recover an additional 1d6 Health in prison, an environment which did not tolerate is social
each day. awkwardness. As such, he was forced to defend himself, and
Locksmith. Gimnor begins play with a free high quality set found that killing was not so hard. After his release, combin-
of thieves tools. ing this newfound knowledge and his burglary skills seemed
inevitable as he began a career as an assassin.

50
 Fantasy Careers

Captain Agathe Drake

A commanding Grand Elf musketeer who reads poetry and
ancient literature
Medium sentient fey humanoid (grade 5; max dice pool
5d6)
STR 3 (2d6) AGI 8 (3d6) END 3 (2d6)
INT 6 (3d6) LOG 6 (3d6) WIL 3 (2d6)
CHA 9 (3d6) LUC 6 (3d6) REP 2 (1d6)
MAG 3 (2d6) light
Health  28  Melee Defense  18
Soak  6 (chainmail)  Ranged Defense  12
Vuln  electricity (1d6)  Mental Defense 11
Initiative  3d6 Speed  5
Perception  5d6 Climb  3
Carry  60 lbs. Jump  16'/3'
Actions  2
Natural Damage  1d6+2
Rapier 5d6 (2d6+2 piercing damage)
Musket 5d6 (2d6+4 ballistic damage; range 8) Cloak Flourish. Agathe can deflect blows with a swirl of
Skills muskets 3 (2d6), swords 3 (2d6), linguistics 1 (1d6), her cloak. Agathe is always considered to be using a small
riding 1 (1d6), heraldry 1 (1d6), perception 3 (2d6) shield, even when she has no spare hands.
Gear chainmail, musket, healing kit, 1000 gc Musket Charge. Agathe can fire a musket shot, move
Fey. Like all Elves, Agathe has the Fey creature type. her Speed, and then attack with her rapier all with one
Commanding. Agathe can spend two actions to give action. She can only do this once per turn.
another creature who can hear her a free action. Whites of Their Eyes. When she is charged by another
Magic Sense. As an Elf, Agathe can sense the presence of creature, Agathe gets a free musket shot at them as a free
magic within 10' of her, although she cannot determine action when they come within 10'. She must be wielding
its exact location. her musket to do this.
Meditation. Elves do not need to sleep. Sometimes they Aim. Agathe can spend an action aiming, which gives her
choose to meditate instead, but this is not required. +1d6 to a ranged attack taken immediately afterwards in
Naturally Magic. Grand Elves are naturally magical and the same turn.
gain one free magical secret; Agathe knows the secret of Quickdraw. Agathe is always considered to be wielding her
light. musket.
Cultural Weapon. Agathe gained a free musket. Careers Noble, Squire, Musketeer, Musketeer, Musketeer
Silver Spoon. Born a noble, Agathe gained a bonus Age 205
1,000 gc and a superior set of clothing.
Dress Wounds. Agathe can use her healing kit to restore Tall, slender, and stern, Captain Drake has a noble bearing;
2d6 Health to a creature she can touch. This takes two an officer in the Elven musketeers, she spent years fighting
actions. No creature can benefit from this healing more goblin hordes. Despite her serious demeanor, Agathe’s com-
than once per day. manding presence makes others want to be around her.

51
Fantasy Careers

Selena
A brilliant human firemage who loves to gamble
Medium sentient humanoid (grade 5; max dice pool 5d6)
STR 3 (2d6) AGI 5 (2d6) END 3 (2d6)
INT 5 (2d6) LOG 10 (4d6) WIL 5 (2d6)
CHA 5 (2d6) LUC 5 (2d6) REP 5 (2d6)
MAG 5 (2d6) fire, light
Health  28  Melee Defense  18
Soak  5 (fire)  Ranged Defense  18
Vuln  cold (1d6)  Mental Defense  14
Initiative  3d6  Speed  4
Perception  3d6  Climb  2
Carry  60 lbs.  Jump  10'/3'
Actions  2
Natural Damage  1d6+2
Dagger 3d6 (2d6+2 piercing damage)
Firebolt 3d6 (2d6 fire damage; range 6)
Flaming touch 2d6 (2d6+2 fire damage)
Skills history 2 (1d6), dice game 1 (1d6), linguistics 1 (1d6), Fire Resistant. Selena has Soak 5 (fire), but is Vulnerable
evocation 2 (1d6), illusion 1 (1d6), perception 1 (1d6), 1d6 (cold).
knives 1 (1d6), reactions 1 (1d6), dodging 3 (2d6) Aim. Selena can spend an action to gain +1d6 to a subse-
Gear dagger, 100 gc quent ranged attack taken in the same turn.
Brilliant. Once per day in a moment of brilliance, Selena Explorer. Selena gains XP equal to her grade (5) every time
may substitute a LOG check (4d6) for any other at- she takes a journey of longer than one week. She cannot
tribute check. gain this bonus more than once per month.
Prestidigitation. Selena can perform small magical tricks Careers Wizard’s Apprentice, Mage, Mage, Firemage,
at-will. These are enough to help with minor tasks such Firemage
as cleaning garments, keeping off the rain, lighting a Age 24
lantern, and so forth.
Arcane Secrets. Selena knows the secret of fire and the secret Known as something of a hothead, Selena’s fascination with
of light. fire began at a young age. She was always going to be a
Flaming Touch. Selena gains +1d6 to her unarmed damage. wizard, and her later specialization into her favorite element
Her unarmed damage becomes fire damage. came as no surprise. Reckless, temperamental, but brilliant,
Firebolt. Selena may throw bolts of fire at-will as a single Selena can always be relied upon for an unorthodox solution
action. These do 2d6 fire damage and have a range incre- to a problem.
ment of 30' (6 squares).

52
 Fantasy Careers

Sir Mandallan
An inspiring Human knight who believes in ancient myths and
legends
Medium sentient humanoid (grade 5; max dice pool 5d6)
STR 7 (3d6) AGI 3 (2d6) END 8 (3d6)
INT 3 (2d6) LOG 4 (2d6) WIL 5 (2d6)
CHA 8 (3d6) LUC 8 (3d6) REP 3 (2d6)
Health  32  Melee Defense  24
Soak  6 (chainmail)  Ranged Defense  14
Vuln  —  Mental Defense  10
Initiative  5d6 Speed  6
Perception  2d6 Climb  3
Carry  150 lbs. Jump  6'/6'
Actions  2
Natural Damage  1d6+3
Brawling 3d6 (1d6+3 blunt damage)
Longsword 5d6 (3d6+5 slashing damage)
Skills religion 1 (1d6), heraldry 1 (1d6), running 1 (1d6),
swords 3 (2d6), leadership 1 (1d6), tactics 3 (2d6),
knives 1 (1d6), medium armor 1 (1d6), riding 1 (1d6),
law 1 (1d6)
Gear chainmail, medium shield, longsword, horse, 1000 gc Bonded Mount. Mandallan has a loyal horse which has +2
Inspiring. Mandallan can spend one action to grant an ally Speed when he is riding it.
within 30' a +1d6 bonus to their next attribute check. Feint. Mandallan can spend one action to feint, gaining
Explorer. Mandallan gains XP equal to his grade (5) +1d6 to hit in a subsequent attack made in the same turn.
whenever he takes a journey of more than a week. He Charge. When making a melee attack, Mandallan can
cannot do this more than once a month. move his speed and attack at the end of it, gaining +1d6
Silver Spoon. Mandallan starts play with 1,000 gc and a damage to that attack.
set of superior clothing. Careers Noble, Man-at-Arms, Man-at-Arms, Knight,
Shieldbearer. Mandallan gains an additional +4 Defense Knight
from a shield. Age 32
Advance! Mandallan ignores difficult terrain when
charging. Sir Mandallan is the quintessential knight. Honorable and
Might Is Right. Mandallan can make a REP vs. Mental brave, he uses his sword to defend the weak and the oppressed.
Defense attack which pushes a target one step down A strong believer in chivalric notions of justice, he is quick
the Fear status track. to challenge wrongdoing in all its forms. Mandallan has
a formal way about him, and speaks with an antiquated
dialect.

53
Fantasy Careers

Marla
A naive Smallfolk cleric who is obsessed with cleanliness
Small sentient humanoid (grade 5; max dice pool 5d6)
STR 4 (2d6) AGI 6 (3d6) END 4 (2d6)
INT 4 (2d6) LOG 7 (3d6) WIL 7 (3d6)
CHA 8 (3d6) LUC 7 (3d6) REP 0 (0d6)
MAG 4 (2d6) plants, good, undead
Health  32  Melee Defense  16
Soak  4 (leather tunic)  Ranged Defense  16
Vuln  —  Mental Defense  16
Initiative  2d6  Speed  4
Perception  2d6  Climb  2
Carry  80 lbs.  Jump  12'/3'
Actions  2
Natural Damage  1d6+2
Brawling 3d6 (1d6+2 blunt damage)
Sling 4d6 (1d6+1 blunt damage; range 8)
Skills slings 1 (1d6), diplomacy 1 (1d6), stealth 1 (1d6), herbal-
ism 3 (2d6), animal handling 1 (1d6), medicine 2 (1d6), Bless/Curse. Marla can either bless or curse a target
abjuration 1 (1d6), religion 1 (1d6), dodging 2 (1d6) within 30'. This takes her one minute. A blessing grants
Gear leather tunic, sling, healing kit, herbalist’s kit, staff, the target +2d6 to their LUC pool for one hour; a curse
100 gc denies them use of their LUC pool for one hour. As
Naive. Marla’s naivete can be an asset—once per day she always with magic, an unwilling target requires a MAG
may completely ignore a fear-based effect, attack, or (2d6) vs. Mental Defense attack. Only one target can
condition. be blessed or cursed at any one time; Marla cannot bless
Stubborn. Smallfolk get +5 to their Mental Defense or curse herself.
(included, above). Aim. Marla can spend an action aiming, which grants her
Evasion. Marla gets +5 to her Melee Defense (included, +1d6 to hit in a subsequent ranged attack made in the
above). same turn.
Outoorswoman. As a farmhand, Marla learned the secret Pep Talk. Marla can spend an ambush turn (assuming she
of plants. has access to it) giving her allies an encouraging speech.
Stimulant. Using her herbalist’s kit, Marla can create a This grants all allies within 30' of her +1d6 to their
herbal stimulant which can be imbibed by herself or Initiative checks in the ensuing encounter.
another creature, and which increases one attribute’s Careers Farmhand, Herbalist, Cleric, Cleric, Cleric
(her choice) dice pool by +1d6 for one hour. This takes Age 30
her one minute to concoct. A given creature can benefit
from this exploit only once per day. When Marla’s grandfather was killed by a vampire,
Portfolio. Marla’s deity opposes undeath; her portfolio Marla’s life was changed forever. Originally a farmer who
includes the secret of good and the secret of undead. She grew up to work in her grandfather’s herbalist shop, his
can also heal 2d6 Health by touch as a single action; death spurred her to seek ways to defend against the unholy
any given creature can only benefit from this once per denizens of the night. To that end, she joined a cleric’s order
day. This includes the Divine Touch exploit. and never looked back, learning how to protect against the
undead and heal her friends. Despite all this, Marla is still
very naive and trusting, and knows little of the world.

54
 Fantasy Careers

Krute
A brawny Orc barbarian who wears trophies of his vanquished
foes
Medium sentient humanoid (grade 5; max dice pool 5d6)
STR 10 (4d6) AGI 9 (4d6) END 8 (3d6)
INT 10 (4d6) LOG 3 (2d6) WIL 3 (2d6)
CHA 4 (2d6) LUC 4 (2d6) REP 0 (0d6)
Health  32  Melee Defense  21
Soak  0  Ranged Defense  11
Vuln  —  Mental Defense  19
Initiative  4d6  Speed  8
Perception  5d6  Climb  6
Carry  220 lbs.  Jump  18'/10'
Actions  2
Natural Damage  1d6+4
Bite 4d6 (2d6+4 piercing damage)
Battleaxe 5d6 (3d6+4 slashing damage)
Skills carousing 1 (1d6), axes 3 (2d6), tracking 2 (1d6),
nature 2 (1d6), hardy 3 (2d6), climbing 3 (2d6), Set in the Old Ways. Ancient traditions and rituals are
swimming 1 (1d6) unchanging and inflexible. Krute gains +5 Mental
Gear battleaxe, 100 gc Defense (included above).
Brawny. Krute’s carrying capacity increases by 40 lbs. Feint. Krute can spend an action to feint, which gives him
(factored, above). +1d6 to hit in a subsequent melee attack made in the
Glory. Orcs take pleasure in battle, and pride in their same turn.
wounds. When reduced to below half Health, they Whirlwind Frenzy. Krute can attack all adjacent targets,
gain a +1d6 die bonus to attack rolls. but only do 1d6 damage to each. This costs him 3d6. He
Darksight. Orcs can see clearly in the dark as though it must still make an attack roll against each target. If he
were daylight. However, bright sunlight hurts their eyes, hits every target, all targets are pushed back 5’, clearing a
inflicting a –2 Defense penalty. space around him.
Keen Senses. Krute gains +1d6 to perception checks Careers Primitive, Barbarian, Berserker, Berserker,
(included, above). Berserker
Bloodlust. Once per day an Orc can drink fresh blood to Age 29
recover 2d6 Health. This takes an action. The blood
must come from a creature slain in the last hour. Bestial and barbaric in his ways, Krute is a force of nature.
Frenzy. Krute can go into a frenzy. This gives him 5 SOAK Raw and savage, he is at home fighting with his teeth as
and adds +1d6 to his damage rolls, but he cannot stop with his axe. Like most Orcs, Krute enjoys violence, prefer-
until all foes are dead. ring it to other solutions to many problems, but is tempered
Feral. Krute gains a bite attack which does an extra 1d6 by the presence of his allies. In a berserk frenzy, Krute is a
damage. This attack’s damage is piercing damage. sight to behold—and to avoid—often dropping his axe and
leaping into the fight in a whirlwind of teeth and fists.

55
Name

a ____________________________________________ who/with __________________________________________________

Attributes
STR AGI END INT LOG WIL CHA LUC REP MAG

d6 d6 d6 d6 d6 d6 d6 d6 d6 d6

Skills
defensive
/ d6 / d6 / d6 / d6 / d6

/ d6 / d6 / d6 / d6 / d6

/ d6 / d6 / d6 / d6 / d6

Movement Life Path Grade(s) +Age

Speed Climb Swim Jump Other

Initiative Perception Carry Actions Nat. Dmg.

Attacks
Attack Damage Range Notes
unarmed

Current Age
Defenses
Total Careers
Melee Defense Soak
Ranged Defense Health
Mental Defense

Equipment Weight

maximum dice pool

Magic Points

56
Name

Attributes
Attribute
Aim or Feint
Universal

Biography
Homeland Origin

Wealth Experience Points

57