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Author: Jakub Osiejewski

Editing: Andy Slack

Layout: Jakub Osiejewski

Art by: Gary Dupuis, Louis Porter, Jr. Design, Joyce Maureira, Mateusz Bielski, Vagelio Kaliva, The
Forge Studios, Shaman's Stockart, Paul Slinger, Bartłomiej Fedyczak, The Forge, Magdalena
Południkiewicz, Ania Jarmołowska, Igor Myszkiewicz, Storn A. Cook, Mateusz Bielski

Guild Achievements have been inspired by the work of Tomasz Z. Majkowski and Umberto Pignatelli.

Some artwork © 2015 Vagelio Kaliva, used with permission. All rights reserved.

Cover Art: Peter Szabo Gabor

This game references the Savage Worlds game system, available from Pinnacle Entertainment Group
at www.peginc.com. Savage Worlds and all associated logos and trademarks are copyrights of Pinnacle
Entertainment Group. Used with permission. Pinnacle makes no representation or warranty as to the
quality, viability, or suitability for purpose of this product.

©2019 GRAmel Books Piotr Koryś, All related marks and logos are trademarks of GRAmel Books Piotr
Koryś. All Rights Reserved.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS The Towers......................................................44
The Open Hand ...........................................45
Chapter One: Introduction ................................. 5
The Seven Hills ................................................46
Welcome to Clock and Dagger .......................... 6
Green Row ......................................................47
The Twelve Cities of the Immortals ................... 7
The Markets ....................................................48
Naming customs ............................................ 9
The Residential Districts ..................................49
Life in the Twelve Duchies .............................. 10
Park Lane ........................................................49
Gender and sex ............................................... 10
The Dungeons .................................................50
Inventions and technology ........................... 11
Law and Order in Urx .....................................51
Entertainment and daily life ......................... 13
The Red Panthers .........................................51
Chapter Two: Character creation ....................... 14
The Guard ...................................................51
Character Archetypes ...................................... 14
The Watch and militias ................................52
Other party concepts .................................... 15
The Lack of Eyes..........................................52
Character creation ........................................... 16
The Paladins ................................................53
Shelicans ......................................................... 18
The guilds of Urx .............................................54
New Hindrances.............................................. 20
Chapter Seven: Arcane Matters ..........................57
Modified Hindrances ....................................... 21
Arcane Background: Blooded ...................57
New Edges ...................................................... 22
Arcane Background: Magister ...................58
Chapter Three: Guilds ...................................... 27
Arcane Background: Paladin ....................59
What does a guild do? ..................................... 30
New powers .....................................................61
Guild Achievements ........................................ 31
Call Weapon ............................................61
Scars ............................................................... 34
Repair ......................................................61
Chapter Four: Gear .......................................... 35
Exceptional items ............................................61
Melee weapons ................................................ 35
Chapter Eight: GMing Clock and Dagger ............63
Ranged weapons ............................................. 36
The heist ..........................................................65
Trick Missiles .............................................. 37
Fail forward ..............................................65
Armor ............................................................. 38
The con ...........................................................65
Thief’s toolkit .................................................. 39
The twist: Something goes wrong .................66
Chapter Five: Setting Rules ............................... 41
Mysteries revealed ...........................................67
Bribery ......................................................... 41
Chapter Nine: Tales from the City of Thieves .....69
Cling-clang .................................................. 41
In search of the Magister ..................................69
Crowds in the city ........................................ 41
The Counter Offer ........................................72
Drunkenness ................................................ 41
The Tower .......................................................73
Heat ............................................................ 42
The Plan ......................................................74
Goals ........................................................... 43
Back to square one ...........................................74
Chapter Six: Urx, the City of Thieves ................. 44

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 The final confrontation .................................... 76
Chapter Ten: Opponents .................................. 77
Assassins ......................................................... 77
The Blooded .................................................... 77
Folk on the street ............................................. 80
Guards ............................................................ 80
Magisters......................................................... 83
Monsters ......................................................... 84
Automatons ................................................. 84
Mutants and monstrosities ........................... 86
Paladins .......................................................... 87
Shelicans ......................................................... 89
Thieves............................................................ 91
Things that go bump in the night ..................... 92

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 Chapter One:
Introduction
Rogues, thieves and cutthroats skulk between the slave-drivers, guardians and intermediaries
mile-high Towers of Immortals, to plunder the between the Immortals and their human slaves.
riches of nobles, delve into mysteries of ancient
devices, and evade the forces of law led by the
fanatical paladins. This is not a time for heroes – This state of affairs could never have lasted for
but for Pros, trained in the use of weird magic long. The slaves started to rebel, organizing secret
items or mechanical gadgets to get the loot, societies. Finally, they talked the Blooded into an
discover secrets and survive. uprising against their divine ancestors. Some say
that the sole surviving Immortal, now called
Civilization huddles around the sky-high towers Omega or the Last One, joined them in their fight,
and monuments of the Immortals. They were the betraying her siblings. Somehow the Blooded
first intelligent beings in the world, creators of succeeded in the impossible – killing the
mankind and the cat-like shelicans. They wielded immortals. Some say that these demigods were
Birthright – the power of world-changing sorcery somehow reduced in power and imprisoned, or
most modern humans can’t master. Thanks to that the Blooded took their Birthright away for a
these powers they could shape the world and ingle night. There are thousands of legends, epic
create wonders – like their buildings, made from poems or theater plays about massive wars that
the seemingly indestructible oldstone, mechanical most likely did not happen. We know that from
servants, tools that never wear out, or a network of then on, the Blooded were often called the
Towers, focusing mystical energies. They were Bloodied, marred for their crime of patricide.
able to twist living creatures, remaking the giant
humanoid cats of the jungle into shelicans or
creating a race of flawed Immortals – humans. In the end, the Immortals were gone, but the
oppression did not end. The Bloodied took the
The Immortals built twelve great cities, creating place of the erstwhile oppressors. They have
what we now call the Twelve Duchies. They used relaxed some of the laws of First Ones, but the
human and shelican slaves to toil for them, cutting Bloodied became the new aristocracy, founding the
down forests, working in iron mines, improving noble houses of today. With time, their gift
their magical Towers while they themselves dissipated, and now the Bloodied are little more
conducted sorcerous experiments. Some even than a rare and valuable resource for the families,
mated with humans – creating a caste of Immortal- trained as spies, healers or commanders instead of
Blooded, who, while denied the full power of ruling.
Birthright, nevertheless could activate amazing
powers in their blood. The Blooded served as

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 Humanity can’t directly access magic, and so they And between the corrupt watchmen, fanatical
turned to studying the Lore of Immortals: the paladins, ambitious guilders and insane magisters
crafts, technology and strange devices of the there are Pros – thieves. Sometimes they’re
creator race. A learned man, woman or shelican heartless, but sometimes they’re the only ones who
who studies the ways of the ancients is called a can help the helpless.
magister. They explore the Towers which are still,
after centuries, often locked and secure, looking WELCOME TO CLOCK AND DAGGER
for tools and devices to repurpose. The magisters
learn the language of Immortals, which is now Clock and Dagger is a world of thieves –
almost forgotten by the nobles. Professionals. Your characters will form the core
of a thieves’ guild, performing heists, robberies
After the Liberation humans took to crafts, and scams. In RPGs, many stories are about heists
creating monopolies on knowledge, developing – delving into a location, defeating traps, and
new ways of coping with issues – new evading the guards – but C&D adds elements
technologies. Some guilds, like the Foundry, rose about evading the law, planning the heist and
to the level of the noble houses. The strange competing with other thieves. Here are some of the
discoveries of the Magisters propped up the semi- major ideas behind the world:
understood industrial revolution – clockwork
The Loot: Valuables. Artifacts of the Immortals.
gadgets, untiring mechanical servants, perpetual
Arcane Mysteries. Gadgets. Power. Someone else
motion engines or magical heaters power guild-
has it and you want it – for yourself or a mysterious
controlled factories, employing many city workers
employer. The ducats of the nobles are
who are now free from their cruel and inhuman
insignificant compared to the actual Good Stuff
toil on the serf farms.
you take out of their vaults.
But the gap between the haves and have-nots is
Honor Among Thieves: Funny thing. These days
still immense. There’s a scant middle-class but the
it seems that among the semi-divine aristocrats,
aristocrats, magisters and guildmasters live far
cruel magisters, corrupt guards – the only people
above the masses of the poor. As many serfs
with a shred of honor are thieves and assassins.
moved from the fields to the factories, crime grew.
When you need each other, you need a semblance
Criminal syndicates bloom in the fertile soil of
of rules. No thief worth their name will kill, for
deprivation and rapid urbanization. Though few
example.
aristocrats would admit it, thieves’ guilds are often
as powerful as other, more formal guilds. Knights and Knaves: The rise of Order troubles
many Pros. On the one hand, the ‘pals’ are better
But this, too, could change. A new religion – trained than ordinary guards and have strange
perhaps the first real one – has appeared in the powers – but unlike the corrupt aristocrats they
Duchies recently. The Order worships a goddess match the punishment to the crime. They are
named Justice – a personification of abstract devoted to the principles of Justice, not the fallible
equality, personal freedom and societal bonds. human law set by nobles – which puts them at
The worshippers are called justicars, or, after the odds with both nobles and thieves.
guardians of the palaces of divine Immortals –
paladins. The Order promises hope and speaks of World of Mysteries: Who is Omega? How do you
freedom – but as it was founded by an aristocrat kill Immortals? What was the purpose of the
and the paladins wield strange powers, the nobles Towers? Who are the paladins really? Sooner or
can’t ban it outright. Now, paladins are found later you’ll stumble across clues. What will you do
assisting the watch, often for free, to serve the with the answers?
community and the cause of Justice.
Lost Magic: The Immortals were demi-gods, and
they wielded energies we don’t understand. The

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clockpunk technologies of today are powered by one mask for another, and their propensity for
magic items we barely understand, and only a dramatic gestures have all been noted. And yet,
handful of justicars can handle the power of faith. they still insist on grandiose gestures and masks.

Clockpunk Gadgets: Instead of powerful Bastion, the City of Swords. Bastion is the
artifacts, you wield amazing mechanical toys – westernmost of the Twelve Duchies, and it’s near
pistol crossbows, grappling hooks, telescopic the rich mineral deposits of the Charni Mountains.
clubs. Toys for aristocrats – useful tools for you. Even under the Immortal rule, this was a vital
center of industry and invention. Bastion is
nominally ruled by the Duke Cad Calrad, but the
THE TWELVE CITIES OF THE real power here is the Consortium of Smiths and
IMMORTALS Metallurgists – or The Foundry, as it’s also
known. The noble families still control the land
There are twelve cities and thus twelve Duchies.
(including the mines), and Bastion is the scene of
They all share a common heritage and language,
an uneasy truce between ambitious traders and
and while they have waged small-scale wars over
Old Money – not helped by the interest of the
borders or resources, no single city has dominated
paladins in the city.
the others yet, nor has any city outright laid siege
to another one.

Some magisters have theorized that the regional

oddities of the Cities were due to the personalities
of their Immortal creators. Certainly, unusual
supernatural effects like the wyrdtrees of
Wyrdwood or the silence in Eas must be the work
of sorcery. There are claims that there were only
twelve Immortals, but it doesn’t seem right – some
tales describe married couples or even mothers
and children. Nonetheless, they built their Towers
at twelve places in the World.

Besides these twelve cities, there are smaller

settlements – mining or lumber outposts have been
built by humans, and there are smaller monuments
or inventions of Immortals – usually unoccupied
or taken up by outcasts, hunters or enterprising
innkeepers. Sometimes in the past an explorer has
ventured into a forgotten outpost and emerged
rich, changed by strange energies, insane or full of
mad knowledge… or more likely they don’t
emerge at all.

Ahas, the City of Masks. The nobles and most of

the city-folk in Ahas have taken to wearing masks,
even in private situations. They hide their faces,
allegedly due to some crime against the Immortals
or the nature of the world, and out of eternal
shame – but this has many advantages as well. The
infamous inscrutability of Ahasites, the conviction
that they can lead double lives simply by swapping

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 Darkwater, the City of Monsters. While in Hlavet, the City of Cheese. While there are
Mithos the mechanical servants seem ubiquitous, famous herds of cows around the city and indeed,
in Darkwater there are nests and weird “spawning numerous varieties of tasty (and just plain
organisms” that breed monstrosities. Some people disgusting) cheese are offered here, there is
make their living taming them, or outright eat something… odd about the city. The enemies of
them, but for the most part the general populace is Hlavet maintain that perhaps it could be called the
terrified of monsters. Nobles do like them, and City of Lies, City of Treachery, City of Spies… but
sometimes keep small wyrms, wolfspiders or even so far it is known only for its beef and dairy
weirder beasts as pets. products. Oh, and Hlavet does export smoked
cheese, pork and tasty beef to other cities, and thus
Eas, the City of Whispers. If you want proof of the the Hlavet merchants hear a lot, but surely nothing
Immortals’ magical might, there’s no better place nasty might come out of it. It’s probably best to
for you than Eas. The powerful magical field relax and enjoy a tasty Honey-Smoked Yellow
mutes any noise within the city – humans are able Hlavetian.
to whisper or speak in subdued voices at best, and
the sounds of metalwork or construction are Kari-Don, the Drowned City. The Immortals’
reduced to barely perceptible knocking. This works are seen as immutable and perfect – but the
causes Eas to be a perfect place for heavy world around them isn’t. The river Don changed
industry… and for thieves. Easians have adopted its course some decades ago; now the Towers
many unusual practices – most notably a sign erupt out of the river that has swallowed the
language, adopted both by the deaf and mute… numerous monuments or houses of inhabitants.
and by criminals. The original buildings of Immortals seem

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 NAMING CUSTOMS
Most serfs and many city-dwellers have two names – they use the shorter, monosyllabic one, among friends, the
second, longer name when speaking to the nobles, and the full name in official situations. They tend to begin
with the same sound: Ser Serini, Ula Ultaka, Cai Kaleon.

In recent decades some city folk have adopted the longer names as family names – Jador Oldron (who would be
called Ole Oldron a couple of generations ago), Marani Sandater. Professionals tend to modify their names to
make them more imperious, use titles or even change their names to fit their profession: Master Ferric, Alen
Greensmith, the Exigent.

Nobles use their family names, adding a mix of first names – quite often alliterative as well. Often they use the
one-syllable name among friends, instead of their full name and title – Viscountess Antirza Kelena of the house of
Vihan might be called Ant by her husband, even at a party – but strangers doing this would be asking for a duel!

You can quickly create a human name from the Duchies simply by picking a syllable or two as a first name –
perhaps Rei – and expanding it to a last name. Rei Reioni, Rei Reikani or Rei Remini should probably not live
in the same district, though.

unharmed, and in fact, these demigods might have Temek, the City of the Dead. The Immortals
foreseen these events – the Towers are airtight, lit didn’t bother themselves with death and dying –
by alchemical lamps, and life can go on under the that was for their lesser servants. The inhabitants
water level. These days, people live in buildings of Temek claim that the Immortal rulers of the city
erected on the riverbanks, while the Nobles were unusually benevolent and decided to study
continue to inhabit Towers underwater. Overall, the process of death, and possibly reverse it for
the city prospers – thanks to the fertile lands their chosen servants. At least two Temek Towers
around it and the sea trade. are necropolises, storing mummified human,
animal or monstrous bodies. However, the
Mithos, the City of Automatons. Mithos was magisters of Temek believe that it was the study of
apparently one of the major testing grounds for the death that allowed the Blooded to kill the
new models of mechanical servants and warriors. Immortals – or changed some of them into
The immortals left behind enough machines so legendary vampiric creatures. These few who
that even the leaders of the guilds can afford a know of the curse of vampirism think that perhaps,
couple. But what’s more interesting are the somewhere in Temek, there’s a key to the secret of
experimental models that resurface once in a while eternal life!
– winged ones, steel-armored and heavily armed
ones, even a handful able to speak and converse. Tuathal, the City of Offal. In most of their cities,
the Immortals have created an efficient system for
Palhuk, the City of Spiders. Much areas of the waste removal… sometimes creating creatures to
town have fallen in dispossession, inhabited by help remove it. However, Tuathal’s sewers seem
strange creatures of the Immortals – monstrous not to be as developed as the other cities’ – and as
spiders or even stranger mutants. The locals took a result, the streets are dirty, diseases
to taming them, with varying degrees of success. are rampant and commoners frequently revolt.
The city is, perhaps not surprisingly, famous for its The rulers of Tuathal need to clean up their
silk. The Spider Assassins of Palhuk are a secretive streets, both of refuse and of would-be
sisterhood, but available for the right price. “progressive” revolutionaries.

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 GENDER AND SEX
The Immortals were infertile and weren’t much concerned with the sex of the person. Few humans and shelicans
are. Many people assume that since males tend to be larger, they should work physically, while women should
tend to children, but even they would say something like “if she’s a good blacksmith, she’s a good blacksmith”.

Shelicans grow up fast and the older children assist both parents in raising children, as a result they’re pretty
egalitarian. It seems that female shelicans live longer and are thus more venerated as matriarchs, but old males
are also respected – the stereotype is that “grandma” is a stern teacher while “grandpa” teaches kids trickery
and subterfuge.

People don’t disdain homosexual intercourse – but many consider infertile relationships “a waste of time”. An
old man marrying a young woman, a nobleman marrying out of love, or a gay couple – they’re all equally seen
as foolish and mocked in comedies, but that’s the extent of persecution. No one calls it “deviancy” or “sinful”,
it’s just that people expect you to have heirs, whether to help your family work or perpetuate noble lineage.

Transgenderism is poorly understood by both the nobles and the commoners, but some Bloodied and Omega
herself developed a magical equivalent of gender reassignment, seeing it as way of curing people unfortunate
enough to have the “wrong sort of body”.

Overall, how your PC is treated depends very much on the story you want to tell. These are merely suggestions
to keep the game world interesting and provide adventure hooks.

Urx, the City of Thieves. Urx is industrious and proudly, surrounded by hastily built wooden huts,
populous. Its main claim to fame used to be but now the cities have been transformed into a
Omega, the Last Immortal, still living on the top dense urban sprawl, with buildings built of brick
floor of the Tower of the Arm. In recent years, the and stone, a network of bridges connecting the
Order of Paladins was born here, building their oldstone buildings, using columns and steel ropes.
Citadel – and attracted by the high number of the Nobles dwell in the indestructible Towers
criminal organizations operating in the city. Urx is themselves or in sprawling mansions, while many
described in greater detail in Chapter Six. city-dwellers live in multi-story row houses.

Wyrdwood, the City of Trees. Usually the Cities are surrounded by rings of slave farms,
Immortals planned their cities to be self- where serfs toil on the large plantations, assisted
sustaining; but Wyrdwood is an exception. by orroks, giant oxen created by Immortals, and
Between the Towers there are also wyrdtrees, other animals. Usually, there’s a couple of villages
almost as tall, reaching hundreds of meters into the or hunting lodges near each noble manor. Beyond
sky – and indeed, many people live in their the farms? There are uncharted wilds, thick forests,
branches, harvesting their sap and sustaining grassy steppes or deep seas. A network of roads
themselves on the seeds. No one dares to cut a connects the Twelve Cities, and only a handful of
wyrdtree – besides, some claim that their well- brave souls veer from these. Beasts – perhaps
guarded tops are vital to the life of the city. touched by Immortals, perhaps left in their
primeval state – lurk in the woods. Very rarely
enterprising nobles sponsor expeditions to chart
LIFE IN THE TWELVE the wilds, and sometimes explorers discover
DUCHIES monuments of Immortals seemingly lost beyond
the woods, their oldstone still gleaming. Of course,
Human civilization focuses on the Twelve Cities –
some smaller communities inevitably emerge –
each arose around a group of the Towers of the
Immortals. Once, the oldstone buildings stood

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taverns, trading posts, mining towns or similar
settlements, but beside the Twelve Towns W HAT DO THE T OWERS LOOK LIKE ?
themselves there are no real “cities” so far. Made of grey, shiny, indestructible oldstone, the
Towers extend thousands of feet high. Some have
The cities expand outward as the population rises. windows and other access points high in the ai.
Nobles take up more of city centers, destroying Many are twice as tall as the tallest buildings on
entire districts to erect opulent mansions, palaces Earth – Burj Khalifa wouldn’t be out of place as
and parks, while factories and guild districts pop one of the smaller Towers.
up between them. While the law in many cities
allows the aristocratic houses to occupy a single Their insides vary – many have oldstone corridors
Tower, many decide to move out of these and rooms inside, others have been fortified with
potentially dangerous places and build their own metals both known and unknown to the scientists
houses. Many Towers are empty – or rather, of the Duchies.
unoccupied by humans, since they are still full of
magical machines. The city-dwellers are considered free men and
cats. Of course they don’t have ready sources of
Each of the Twelve Cities is ruled by a Duke or food, but they’re at least free to starve. The elite of
Duchess – nominally elected by the heads of major them – the nascent middle class – join guilds,
noble houses in a given metropolis – but in practice including magisters and inventors. And there are
small groups often clash in the streets before and others in vital professions – such as clerks,
during the elections. Ordinary citizens in theory wandering traders, hunters and scouts.
have no say in politics, but wise Dukes know that
it’s good to have the common people trust them, In the countryside, each extended family or clan of
to build a power base independent of the nobles. slaves lives in their own large wooden house, but
in the village there’s also usually a communal
The class divide is the most evident outside the house for meetings and common work, also
cities – slaves work the farms to feed the huge serving as a tavern. The farmers usually work
masses of city dwellers. Despite being called collectively on the lord’s grounds, and they have
“slaves”, they’re not the property of individual the right to work on their own small plots,
nobles – after the Liberation they became serfs of ensuring their survival. A noble can bestow larger
the noble houses. Perhaps the better word would plots, pastures or privileges on the farmers he
be: ‘subjects’. They have a small number of favors, and can’t take them away without a reason.
personal rights – they can marry without
permission, can own personal property or small A typical city dweller lives in a tenement building,
plots of land, can even move freely within the usually in a two-room flat with his family or
lands of the same house. The laws state that slaves flatmates. Often the entire floor shares a common
redirected to work on private projects for nobles kitchen and hygienic facilities (all the Cities have
(building new mansions or roads), must be large sewer systems built in the times of
compensated for their effort. Of course, the Immortals). It's expected that the men work in the
supreme authority of the noble estates is the head factory while women run the house, but in practice
of the noble family – very few slaves can appeal to most women work as servants or traders.
the Duke, and most wandering magistrates are
unsympathetic. If a farmer breaks the law, they are INVENTIONS AND TECHNOLOGY
sent to the mines or to other high-risk jobs. No The science of the Twelve Duchies resembles our
wonder that the Order of Justicars is very popular world, but oscillating between the 1600s and the
in the countryside. early 1900s. Steam power as such is unknown,
instead most devices are clockwork, and power
The best way to become free is to move to the city
comes from the mysterious inventions of the
– whether by fleeing or asking a lord’s permission.
Immortals. For example a perfect gyroscope can

11
 spin constantly – powering a large weaver’s being able to read makes you a more qualified and
workshop. This world knows of the mass versatile worker in the factory.
production of cheap cloth or ceramics.
Speaking of slaves, they use not only crop rotation
While the alchemists know of black powder, guns but also alchemical fertilizers and pesticides. The
aren’t used – the Immortals left plenty of devices Immortals created orroks, elephant-sized cattle,
that kill people at range. Instead most people rely which are a great help for farmers. This is why
on crossbows. Assassins use pneumatic rifles – serfs don’t move too far away from their villages.
which while hard to reload are also absolutely While genetics is not even vaguely known, many
silent. Explosives are known, but siege warfare has farmers know how to breed animals for desired
not fully developed yet. traits and magisters study how devices can change
the beasts.
Chemistry, in fact, is quite advanced, because it
uses the magical materials found in the Towers. In the three centuries since the Liberation, the
Even commoners occasionally use alchemical Duchies have not waged war upon each other – at
lamps, which are glass spheres filled with glowing least not a full-scale war. There have been clashes
materials – they burn forever and don’t give off and small battles over borders and resources, but
any smoke or heat. Likewise, medicine is very no city has laid siege to another city yet. As a
powerful – medics of the Duchies know that result, most soldiers in the cities serve to guard the
diseases are caused by invisible organisms, and city, supplemented by a city watch made up of
one reason the cities are so big is that everyone citizen militias. Most aristocrats maintain small
knows they should boil drinking water. Many personal units of infantry and crossbowmen to
medics believe that surviving a disease strengthens supplement the guards, often commanded by the
the body, but heated disputes are ongoing. Birth Bloodied. Cavalry is known, but the ethos of the
control is available, but only the well-off use it. noble knight is only now appearing, thanks to
paladins. Only the noble houses have some
Another very developed area is precision equestrian tradition, since only the richest can
mechanics. To use the devices of the Immortals, afford the costs of owning and maintaining a
humans have mastered clockwork. Modern horse. The Foundry knows the secret of steel and
craftsmen can create intricate inventions, from cast iron, so heavy infantry are probably the
complex locks to singing toy birds that fly. They deadliest kind of troops that don’t use magic.
even have simple difference engines, performing
calculations – many engineers know of the slide The art of sailing isn’t too advanced – most of the
rule. Likewise, optics and the art of glass blowing Duchies are inland, with Kari-Don, Darkwater
is well advanced, with great mirrors adorning the and Ahas being the major ports. The magisters do
ball rooms of the nobles. Microscopes have proved know what magnetism is and employ it, but sailing
the existence of bacteria and telescopes have exploration is seldom practiced, even with
proved that the world is a sphere and that stars are telescopes. The large medieval-style galleons
similar to the Sun – which has at least three other seldom sail away from the shoreline.
planets orbiting it.
Apart from ships, people usually travel on sturdy
The printing press is known and somewhat carts, drawn by oxen or mules. Some enterprising
popular, and books are printed on paper made serf invented a massive “omnibus” drawn by two
from wood pulp and rags. Books of knowledge, orroks, transporting a “train” of goods or
poetry, and theater plays are currently very passengers between two cities. They take up an
popular – it’s not unusual for an illiterate city entire width of an oldstone road, but are very
dweller to carry a book or two and ask literate predictable and safe. In the city, few people ride
friends to read them to him. Most slaves are horses, but carriages and cabs are known. Once in
illiterate, but the literacy rate is higher in the city –

12
 theater – everyone loves bawdy comedies or
historical epics, whether about the origins of
Immortals (usually entirely fictional), wars,
clashes and tragic romances between nobles. And
aristocrats love the opera.

Mild drugs are also popular. Cannabis and

tobacco are grown in villages, and nobles allow the
farmers to use them to relax. Foolsweed is a
stronger, hallucinogenic plant that can render you
unconscious – it’s illegal to farm it without guild
consent, but not to own it, since an extract from it
is an effective painkiller. Some hunters find it in
the wild, but most often it’s found in the private
gardens of decadent nobles or brave medics. Many
city dwellers take Black Dust, which boosts
perception and energy. It can be thinned and
mixed with relaxant herbs to create “Grey Cloud”,
a booster that’s milder but gives you a longer high.

The farmers prefer to numb themselves using

alcohol. The people of the Twelve Duchies know
how to distill strong spirits, and usually prefer
a while you can spot a sedan chair carried by them over wine or beer. Aristocrats enjoy brandy
strong slaves or automatons. and similar distillates, but the poor tend to drink
water, and boil it first.
ENTERTAINMENT AND DAILY LIFE
If you walk the streets of the city, you will move
The Twelve Cities have no religions, except the
past new brick buildings beneath the gleaming
new Order, but every twelfth day is a free day to
oldstone towers – with small shops and workshops
commemorate the Liberation. Most laborers have
on the ground floor, and housing on the upper
also a handful of free days per year – often the
floors. You will squeeze between ox carts, buses
birthday of their ruler or to celebrate a wedding or
drawn by horses or orroks, and one or two riders
birth of an heir. Sometimes anniversaries of
on horseback, probably noble scions or
important battles with the Immortals or other
independent couriers. If you’re lucky, maybe
noble families are also celebrated. In the winter,
you’ll spot a brass automaton making its way
though, there’s more time for rest, usually spent
through the crowd. You might spot workers going
drinking heavily, listening to stories and songs.
to work in the factories, or groups of young men
Recently, stories about folk heroes like renegade
and women, toms and queens – just loitering and
Bloodied, unwanted bastards who help the poor,
hanging out. And you will certainly be observed
are more and more popular both in the countryside
by a keen pair of eyes focused on your purse…
and in the cities.

City folk enjoy more refined entertainments

(though drinking is still popular). Combat sports
(pugilism, shelican wrestling, dog fighting and
cockfighting) are well-liked in taverns, as is
gambling. Street musicians – typically teenagers –
are allowed to busk. But the greatest love of both
town commoners and refined nobles is the epic

13
 Chapter Two:
Character creation
Cat Burglar: You live among the roofs, tall walls,
CHARACTER ARCHETYPES shiny lustrous oldstone Towers or monuments.
In Clock and Dagger the PCs are quite likely guild Your job is to climb to places others can’t even
thieves – perhaps creating their own guild or spot, scout them out, and reach the high floors,
working for an existing one. Here are some bypassing traps. Naturally, shelicans excel at this.
roguish archetypes to inspire you. Mix and match
them freely! Conman: Some thieves steal valuable objects –
you steal human trust. Conmen almost always
Actor/Performer: Actors have their place in operate in groups: one is the leader, others act out
complex cons, and many guilds can disguise impersonations and goad the mark. There are
themselves as troupes of entertainers and numerous short and long cons around, from the
musicians. And an acrobat is always welcome in a “Kari-Donian prisoner” to pyramid schemes.
guild. Many an artist had to steal simply to avoid
starving to death. Corrupt Guard: A watchman (i.e. a member of a
militia) or an actual soldier can also be on the job.
Boss: The guildmaster, coordinator, Big Brother In fact, in many districts the watch is effectively
or lieutenant of a major capo. You need to stay just another gang, and they might send a soldier to
tough and ruthless; you need some management keep an eye on a young guild. It doesn’t often
and leadership. Being the leader means being more happen in Urx, but in some cities gangs are even
visible – but it also means a bigger cut. conscripted as militias by the magistrates.

Bounty Hunter: You track people down – Engineer: Locks? Traps? Weird inventions? You
criminals, rivals, runaway slaves. Some bounty know everything there is to know about clockwork
hunters are more like detectives, others can be and spring mechanisms. Even if not a magister per
professional kidnappers. se, you might know bits and pieces of Lore – you
know a lot about the tools of the Immortals, after
Burglar: A “generic guild thief”, a specialist in all.
breaking and entering. Needs to know locks,
stealth, and know enough to appraise items Greenie: A kid or kitten with little experience,
quickly. Usually, they also need a way to get away determined to crawl out of the slums. How will
– a good network of hideouts and contacts, a trusty your story play out?
steed or a pair of quick feet.

14
Lookout: Who watches the watchmen? Well, you observing others or lulling enemies into false sense
watch out for the of security. You need
watchmen and raise the techniques of precise
alarm whenever observation or reporting
something goes awry – rather than fancy
and then immediately gadgets or skill in
run for the hills. seduction – although
Sometimes lookouts are those do have their uses.
young thieves without
any skills or specialized Thug. A thief doesn’t
experience, but shelicans necessarily mean a
in particular are valuable small and wiry sneak –
in this role, since they sometimes the guild
can see in the darkness. needs a guy who will
break necks or use a
Pickpocket: A cutpurse, sword. In short, you're
traditionally jolly and more likely to rob than
friendly. After all, no pick pockets, or assault
thief should ever look people in dark alleys.
like a thief, and you Sometimes, you attack
should be comfortable from the shadows, take
operating in crowds. the money and run, but
more often you'll
Renegade Blooded: The threaten and intimidate.
offspring of the
Immortals, tainted with the betrayal of their OTHER PARTY CONCEPTS
creators. Perhaps you’re an unwanted bastard or The world of Clock and Dagger is not necessarily all
an idealistic noble disgusted with class divisions – about cops and robbers. We portray it focusing on
regardless, you are related closely enough to the thievery and heists, but the vast majority of its
Immortals to be able to draw on your blood for inhabitants lead the boring lives of farmers (even if
magical effects.
they have to avoid Immortal-blooded aristocrats).
You can use the world of Twelve Duchies as an
Renegade magister: Magisters are learned men,
inspiration for a completely different campaign
women and cats trained to use and transform the
than what we had in mind. Here are some ideas to
devices of the Immortals. In the guilds, they
get you started.
disable protections, or help with communication
and healing. However, many magisters are loyal Explorers: The Twelve Cities are considered to be
to their colleges – and the ones who leave are often the entirety of the known world by their denizens.
insane, devoted to crazy theories, or in desperate But out there is a massive wilderness the
need for something.
Immortals once exploited. There are rumors of
Immortal-built settlements lost within the forests,
Sage: Sometimes a real professional is needed for
savage beasts to tame and possibly even towns
a Run. Some might be true erudites, studying the
where runaway slaves hide. And the seas provide
history of noble houses, the geography of the
even more opportunities. The nobles might
World, or the habits of the various monsters. And
sponsor a campaign of discovery, once it proves
of course, good medics are welcomed everywhere.
profitable.
Spy: Not necessarily an agent of a noble house or
Guards: Someone must clean up the city of Urx.
a guild – thieves can also specialize in a double life,
Maybe you are that someone… or maybe you

15
 simply enjoy beating people up with the blessing an alchemist and a medic… and heretical paladins
of the Duchess. This book has a lot of information could find safe harbor here, along with renegade
on the thieves and guards of Urx, and you can use Bloodied or strange inventors.
it just as well to play as the other side. You can be
a good cop gone bad… or a bad cop gone good. Traders: Each of the Twelve Cities has its own
preferred wares. Bastion produces weapons,
Magister Researchers: The Towers of the Hlavet is famous for its cheeses and Kari-Don
Immortals are hundreds of meters tall, and offers alchemical compounds. If you want a
seemingly completely indestructible. In most cities campaign on the road, create a party of merchants,
the nobles and the government occupy only the mercenaries or wandering actors.
lowest floors – while the taller ones remain closed
off, trapped, locked by magical means and Vampire Hunters: According to legends,
guarded by monsters and automatons. Exploring vampires are remnants of the Bloodied who live
one of them will allow you to play out a classic on human blood. There’s no single organization of
dungeon crawl. vampire hunters, but some have created efficient
methods of fighting them via trial and error. A
Newspaper Mongers: All the components are group of friends who somehow stumbled upon
there: a relatively literate populace, the printing blood-drinkers and survived might learn to
press, the semi-industrial technology... well, discover their weaknesses and pierce their
maybe except actual freedom of speech. But still, intrigues.
a noble sponsor, a curious reporter or two and a
good bodyguard might start up something entirely Wandering Magistrates: In the cities district
new in the Duchies. judges represent the Duke’s justice, while the
guards capture criminals. In the countryside,
Noble Retinue: Not all nobles in the Twelve wandering magistrates called reeves visit villages
Duchies are equal. Usually, a major House has an of slaves. Sometimes they can be a poor farmer’s
estate in one of the cities, and several smaller only hope for justice… but in the end they’re still
manors out in the farmlands. The young scions are dependent on a noble’s whims. No wonder that
sent out there to manage the individual regions many magistrates secretly convert to the
and villages, accompanied by various servants, philosophy of the Order.
from bodyguards to personal magisters. A noble
can be involved in local intrigues.
CHARACTER CREATION
Paladin Chapter: A small keep of the followers of So, are you ready to create your own Pro? We
the goddess of Justice. Not all servants need to be have made some changes to the character
blessed paladins – the Order welcomes ordinary generation process, so read carefully. Look at step
followers like guards, medics, lawyers or simple 3: Hindrances in particular!
people who want to make difference in the cruel
world. Urx has the largest temple, but you could STEP 1: CHARACTER CONCEPT
establish one in another city or even in the Do you have an idea of who your character is and
countryside or the wilderness. what role he or she plays in the guild? Your heroes
will be a small group of professionals, perhaps a
Private Investigators: There have always been guild of their own – a secretive sisterhood (or
some people who want to know what’s going on – brotherhood) that will deal with stings and cons.
you need to provide answers the guards won’t or Above, we give a list of sample character
can’t give, use your connections among the Pros, archetypes. Skim through it or use your favorite
and in general skirt the thin line between crime video game, movie or book to find more
and punishment. Such a group needs a couple of inspiration for your character.
social experts, someone who knows engineering,

16
STEP 2: CHOOSE THE RACE Common Knowledge, Notice, Persuasion, and
Apart from humans, you can also play the catlike Stealth. Remember that shelicans Can’t Swim.
shelicans (see page 18). Humans receive one free
You also have 12 points to buy skills. Raising a
Edge as usual in Savage Worlds.
skill by a die type costs 1 point as long as it’s no
STEP 3: HINDRANCES higher than the corresponding attribute. It costs 2
points per die type to raise a skill over its linked
This is different than the usual Savage Worlds
attribute. Like attributes, skills cannot be raised
rules. As normal, you can pick up to four points of
above d12.
Hindrances – but you can also gain up to 2 extra
points to spend on skills by choosing a Goal.

If your character is a criminal, usually there’s a

MODIFIED SKILLS
reason why he decided to tangle with the Law. In
Electronics and Hacking aren’t used. Sure, the
an action RPG campaign, your motivation should
Immortals left some really strange contraptions,
be more interesting than “I want to get rich”.
but Lore (see below) covers them.
Desire for money is a good starting point – do you
need money to gain more personal freedom? To Don’t use the Driving and Piloting skills. Use
develop a new mechanical invention? To obtain a Riding to drive horse-drawn carts if necessary and
cure for your dying mother? It’s good to go one Lore if the heroes find some weird flying
step further, to ask yourself “Why?” or “What contraption in a Tower.
happens once I’ve done this?”
Science covers a lot of “physical” sciences.
A Goal is similar to a Hindrance (like Vow, However, some areas of science still have some
Enemy, or Wanted), so it can give you skill points trappings of magic, because they are based on
like one. You get 1 extra skill point if your Goal is magical materials and information gleaned from
relatively easy to meet (buy a tavern, get married the Immortals. Quite a lot of scientists have a d4
to a specific person) and 2 points if it’s the in Lore, but it’s not necessary – the scientific
equivalent of a Major Hindrance which you could method is well known in the Twelve Duchies.
die trying to achieve (defeat the grandmaster of the
Order). You receive only skill points and can’t Occult is the study of superstitions and beliefs.
swap them for Edges or Attributes. Lore is the study of actual Birthright. However
Occult can occasionally be useful – when dealing
Goals also grant Conviction, as seen in the Setting with superstitious farmers, it’s useful to know
rules chapter on page 43. what they believe... and there are bits of Occult
that turn out to be true.
STEP 4: TRAITS
Next, you assign your hero’s attributes and skills. While all humans and shelicans speak one
Your character starts out with a d4 in each of her language derived from the Immortals’ language,
five attributes: Agility, Smarts, Spirit, Strength, there’s one form of communication that could be
and Vigor (with a d6 in Agility if she’s a shelican). very useful for a thief. Eas, the city of Whispers, is
You have 5 points to distribute among these cursed with a magical effect called Silence – in
attributes as you choose. Raising an attribute by a essence this has led them to develop a sign
die type costs 1 point, and you may not raise an language. You can spend 1 skill point to be able to
attribute above d12 – shelicans can raise their use it. If you encounter strange cultures, each
Agility to d12+1, though. language is a separate skill.

The Core skills in SWADE remain Core in Clock STEP 5: EDGES AND POWERS
and Dagger. You start with a d4 in Athletics, For 2 points you can:

17
 • Raise an attribute one die type, or… using magic, and uplifted them, granting them
• Choose an Edge civilization and self-awareness. However,
explorers report having seen shelican tribes in the
For 1 point you can: wild, though there’s been little contact with the
“savage” brethren. If the wild ones can be
• Gain another skill point, or… compared to cheetahs or jaguars, the civilized
• Gain additional $100 (5 shillings) shelicans are mangy alley cats.

If you want to pick an Arcane Background Edge, They live semi-integrated with the human
choose one of these three: Magister (a reskin of commoners (around one in sixteen city dwellers is
Weird Science), Blooded/Bloodied (Gifted) or a cat). Shelicans can’t become nobles, and they
Paladin (Miracles). Each Arcane Background has seldom advance – some have gained a degree of
a specific skill tied to it. power in the guilds of merchants, craftsmen or
mercenaries, but humans can be prejudiced
DERIVED STATISTICS
against catfolk.
Pace is 6" unless changed by Edges or Hindrances.
In most ways, these catmen and catwomen are
Parry is equal to 2 plus half of your Fighting die
obviously human-like – their silhouettes are
type. Edges, Hindrances, and some weapons can
humanoid, except that the tails are noticeable.
modify your Parry score.
Shelicans have fur and don’t require much
Toughness is equal to 2 plus half your Vigor die clothing – a shirt and a kilt or skirt are enough for
type. Edges, Hindrances, and armor can modify them, and they usually go barefoot. During the
your Toughness. winter, they do indeed grow a thicker coat, but still
use warm robes and cloaks to keep themselves
STEP 6: GEAR warm as well. They are on average shorter than
Each hero starts with the clothes on his or her back humans, but not less muscular. They move with
and $500 – or 25 silver shillings. Heroes without grace and poise, and they're as intelligent as
Edges and Hindrances modifying their status humans are… although sometimes they can seem
usually have a place to live with minimal privacy lazy or unmotivated.
– their own room in a cramped tenement building,
The reason for this is their diet. Shelicans, like all
or a bed and a locker in a common guildhall.
cats, are carnivorous, but in the cities they simply
can’t afford the meat they need. Most urban
STEP 7: FILL IN THE BLANKS
shelicans fill their stomachs with the vegetable
You have the concept, now it’s the time to name
matter, like rice and bread. They digest it slowly
your character, and decide what are his or her
and hate its flavor, but they can survive on it…
dreams and fears. Describe her appearance and
especially if they supplement their diet with wild
background, decide why the heroes stick together
pigeons and rats. This has caused humans to insult
and what their base is like. You might want to
them as “rat-catchers”… but in truth, the poorest
create a guild using the system on page 31.
human inhabitants of the Twelve Cities also catch
rats and pigeons when it's necessary to survive.
Most humans don’t understand that shelicans
must eat meat. In Urx, the South Market is often
frequented by poor shelicans looking for work –
also because it’s a place of grain trade, and thus it’s
SHELICANS swarming with rats. Shelicans who can’t afford
Shelicans are upright cat-people, who are believed nourishing meat are unfocused, sleeping a lot to
to have existed as wild, untamed tribes in jungles digest food. Once a shelican has a steady job – for
far beyond Ahas. Immortals brought them here

18
instance as a night watchman – her senses focus develop at a somewhat different pace than the
and she becomes a lean predator. human ones.

There are many varieties of shelicans around, Typically, twins or triplets are the norm in their
often resembling various feline species or breeds – society. Single children have been considered bad
most human beings claim that the shelicans omens, with some old grandmas calling them
resemble house or street cats. No one has ever seen "witchkits". Newborn kits develop faster than
a shelican with a leonine mane, but tiger-like humans in many ways – they are able to crawl a
stripes or leopard spots have been spotted – and an couple of hours after birth and walk on two feet
atypical fur pattern is thought to be very attractive after a couple of weeks. They retain the predatory
among the opposite sex. Grey fur is somewhat instincts of their ancestors when they learn to walk
rare, and the grey shelicans have a reputation of and play-hunt. For a couple of years, they are
being skulky and dangerous. The “tame” shelicans more like self-sufficient kittens than human babies.
have claws, but they are about as sharp and tough
as sharpened human fingernails – this is one of the Indeed, fully adopting speech and what shelicans
ways the Immortals altered their race. Sometimes, consider “civilized customs” takes around three to
they use metal gloves with sharp fingers. five years. Then a cat can begin basic education.
The shelicans usually achieve maturity at thirteen
LOVE AND FAMILY and are treated as old after fifty – few shelicans live
to be sixty, but then again neither do many city
Shelicans are cats, and do not balk at using terms
humans.
like "tomcat", "kitten", "doe", "molly", and they in
turn insult humans by calling them “ape-men”. While a couple can have many children, the
They usually mate for life, and have adopted sibling bond is far stronger between the fraternal
human monogamy, though scandalous betrayal twins. They treat their older siblings much like
and covert romances happen in their society, as they would any other kids or babysitters – shelican
they do among humans. There are shelican- will call only their twins “true brothers”, they will
human relationships but they are always infertile – say that “Shira and I shared parents” instead. In
and as such, mocked. Shelican children, however, modern times, however, older siblings take on

19
 some parental responsibilities while the parents - Small Claws: while civilized shelicans don’t
are busy working. A couple can have around eight have true claws (though claw-like weapons exist),
to twelve children in their lifetime (while many they nevertheless have some use of their sharp
human families have six to eight). Even with claws. If they gain an Edge like Martial Arts or
hygiene and decent medicine of Twelve Cities, Brawler, they get +1 AP (but by default don’t roll
many children do not reach adulthood. Still, in a any extra dice).
couple of generations, shelicans may become a
more visible group among humans.
NEW HINDRANCES
Shelicans tend to give their children matching FELINOPHILE /HUMANOPHILE (MINOR)
names, whether nonsensical, hopeful or You’re attracted to shelicans or humans. It’s
meaningful: Rango and Jango, Grey and Red, Edi frowned upon among both races, and so people
and Nedi, Beautiful and Strong, Butcher, Baker react to known felinophiles at -1. You may or may
and Candlestickmaker (who will probably shorten not feel attraction to a specific gender or genotype,
it to Candy). For the most of their lives they use and you can still be attracted to your own species.
only this first name. Few want to call upon their It’s called humanophilia for shelicans (and yes, it
famous ancestors, but they enjoy using meaningful should have been ailurophilia/andreaphilia, but
sobriquets – an ambitious shelican could formally let’s keep it simple).
introduce himself as Jango the Brash, son of Mira
and Sifter the Wild. Single births are often given HOMELESS (MAJOR)
human-like names, sometimes meaningful (Cle You live in the streets. What’s worse, few people
Clever, Tail Talon), sometimes bastardized (Tom, want you around, and even if the other PCs
son of Folly). Other parents try to placate luck by manage to provide you with shelter, you will
giving the single baby two names (Kin-Tin, Meri- inevitably be kicked out after a single night spent
Lu, Claw-Tail, Tim-Tom). there. Most people with this Hindrance are also
Poor, but occasionally you might have
- Agile: Shelicans have the feline grace of their
connections or stashed loot, so this is not set in
ancestors. They start the game with d6 Agility
stone.
instead of a d4 and can buy it up to d12+1.
You can rent basically random places for 50
- Can’t Swim: Shelicans dislike large bodies of
pennies per month, but there’s no real safety or
water. They stay away from them and won’t swim.
security there. This Hindrance can be bought off,
They receive the Can’t Swim Hindrance.
but only if your Guild has at least one Guildhouse
- Hit and Run: Shelicans are somewhat cowardly, achievement.
or perhaps their baser instincts take over in times
of danger. They test the lower of Spirit and Smarts
LONE WOLF (M AJOR)
when having to make Fear rolls. You’re that one cool guy with a facial tattoo who
plays by his own rules and lives his own life his
- Carnivorous Diet: Shelicans are carnivores. If own way. Apart from being anti-social, you are
necessary, they can eat (“fill the stomach with”) not affected by any of the following:
vegetable matter, but if they haven’t had meat for
at least a day they gain one Fatigue level • Leadership and Social Edges used by
(maximum one, does not stack with normal other PCs and friendly NPCs to help
hunger and starvation), which is recovered when you. You can still be Distracted by
at least half a pound of meat is eaten. They enjoy someone with the Retort Edge, for
the taste of raw meat but are wary of parasites. example.
• Guild achievements (Scars affect you
- Low-Light Vision. Glowing cat eyes allow them normally). Specialists don’t want to work
to ignore the penalties for Dim and Dark lighting. with the likes of you.

20
 • You don’t receive the Gang Up bonus.

Luckily, after spending some time in the company

of the others, you stop being a massive… pain.
When you reach Seasoned rank (or one rank
above you started), you remove one of these
points, and a second one when you become a
Veteran. The third one remains with you, though.

RUNAWAY SLAVE (MINOR)

You were born on a serf farm, and you’re
supposed to serve the noble house. You did the
right thing and ran away. Nobody is specifically
looking for you (unless you also have the Enemy
Hindrance), but if you are captured and identified,
you will be returned to your lord – and it’s likely
you will be sentenced to life in the mines or put to
death as an example.

SUCKER FOR A PRETTY FACE (MAJOR) UNJUST (M AJOR OR M INOR)

You might not be a bad man or cat, but there’s
Choose a gender or a similar broad category (for
something about you that seems wrong. Perhaps
instance specific hair color or a profession, like
your very existence breaks the law (some claim
singers). If the ladies (or gents) want you to do
this is the case for illegitimate children), perhaps
something, they only need to beat you in a
you betrayed a trusted comrade in your past, or
Persuasion roll opposed by your Spirit. Usually
you want to overthrow the social order.
this does not apply across racial boundaries, but it
could, especially if you’re “chivalric” rather than Paladin magic will always detect you as “unjust”,
just “horny”.
and beneficial paladin powers can’t affect you at
all. If the Edge is Major, you also have -1 to
DOES ARMOR DO ANYTHING ? Persuasion because something in you ticks other
Some pulp genres, like the bare-chested barbarian people off.
tales, the two-fisted tales of investigators or
swashbuckling intrigues, offer the PCs the YOU OWE US (MAJOR)
possibility of absconding armor and still be You’re in deep debt – and it’s not just about the
protected. Not so in C&D – armor is a hindrance, money. You need to pay up, but also to even
but only fools would argue it's useless. Use the things out. This usually means that you owe
standard Savage Worlds rules for Armor – but money and a couple of runs to a rival guild, but
remember that it also grants you a penalty to other debtors are possible. Many crime syndicates
Stealth rolls. It’s your call, thief. prefer to keep their creditors in debt permanently
– in the unlikely event you pay your debt, you
should replace it with another Major Hindrance.

MODIFIED HINDRANCES
Bad Eyes: Glasses are readily available, and so
this is a Minor Hindrance.

Doubting Thomas: You don’t doubt the existence

of Immortals like Omega, their creations or

21
 magister’s devices. However, you are skeptical of Requirements: Novice, Smarts d6+, Academics
all supernatural explanations and might not or Science d6+
believe in paladins’ powers.
You are a learned inventor. All your supernatural
Illiterate: While most commoners are illiterate, powers are derived from Immortals’ devices or at
the Player Characters aren’t necessarily. You can least powered by them. A magister delves into
take this Hindrance even beyond the limit, gaining ancient Towers and tries to figure out their
1 extra skill point. Magisters and Paladins must be devices. This is a reskinning of Weird Science.
literate.
ARCANE BACKGROUND (PALADIN)
One Arm: In many Duchies this kind of Requirements: Novice, Spirit d6+, Fighting d4+.
mutilation is a standard punishment for criminals.
It has no further game penalty (certainly, accidents Justicars or paladins are the followers of the
do happen), but remember that many people, goddess of Justice. A small group of them is able
especially watchmen, are suspicious of characters to wield divine powers. Paladins aren’t usually
with One Arm. found in gangs of thieves, so you should prepare a
good story if you want to play one in the typical
Phobia: While there are many phobias that could Guild. This is a reskinning of Miracles.
complicate the life of a thief (fear of dogs,
darkness, being alone, heights or enclosed spaces), CHILD OF MERCY
shelicans can pick this Hindrance to reflect their Requirements: Faithful or Arcane Background
feline instincts – like fear of dogs, loud noises or (Paladin)
water. It’s not compulsory for them, however.
You might officially belong to the Order, but truth
And yes, ailurophobia (fear of cats) makes humans be told, you’re a heretic – a worshiper of the Two
uncomfortable around shelicans – which is not the Sisters doctrine, believing that Justice needs to be
same as prejudice but can be interpreted as one! tempered by Mercy. This often brings you into
conflict with other paladins, but it has its
NEW EDGES advantages. Anyone trying to heal you receives a
+2 bonus (stacks with Healer Edge), and
BACKGROUND EDGES whenever you decline to kill a helpless foe (applies
Gaining these Edges during the campaign usually to all sentient beings and Wild Card beasts), you
requires some justification. You can have only one receive a Benny. Paladins with this Edge have
Arcane Background, but anyone can gain the access to a couple of unusual powers (see page 60).
Faithful Edge or Lore skill.
FAITHFUL
ARCANE BACKGROUND (BLOODED ) Requirements: Novice, Spirit d6+
Requirements: Novice, Spirit d6+, Vigor d6+.
Many Blooded are Aristocrats, but your hero can You belong to the Order but aren’t necessarily
be a bastard or an unexplained birth in a family of called to defend Justice with arms or even magical
commoners. might, you’re just one of the followers. It is indeed
odd for a thief to become a part of an extremely
You have inherited the power of the Immortals. lawful cult, but no doubt you had your reasons.
Your powers are literally in your blood – and so, Either way, your faith seems to protect you.
they seem very visceral, based on manipulation of
your body and vital energies. This is a reskinning You get one free reroll of Spirit rolls versus
of the Gifted Arcane Background. supernaturally “unjust” creatures, including
resisting Tests, Fear rolls or the puppet power (see
ARCANE BACKGROUND (MAGISTER) Champion on page 26). You can increase your
Faith skill to represent your faith and knowledge

22
of the doctrine. If you are a paladin, you are However, you seem to draw bad luck to everyone
exceptionally devoted, and you start with a free d4 around you – roll a d6 when you spend a Benny; 6
in Faith (since all paladins belong to the Order, means that one other character in the party loses
this Edge represents fanatical devotion!) one of their Bennies. Pick other shelicans first.

Of course, this Edge represent honest faith in COMBAT EDGES

Justice. If you have to break the law, you need to
BACKSTABBER
come up with a justification… for the goddess and
Requirements: Seasoned, Fighting d8+, Agility d8+
for yourself!
You are expert at using daggers in close quarters.
NINE LIVES Daggers and similar sharp light weapons now deal
Requirements: Wild Card, Novice, Shelican, +d6 damage for every raise, not just the first one.
Luck This applies only in melee.
You can spend a Benny to automatically achieve
PRESS ONWARD
a raise on any roll you make to survive – this
Requirements: Novice, Fighting d6+, Spirit d6+
includes Attribute rolls to avoid danger or
Bleeding out, but also an Athletics roll to maintain Some thieves are like rats – they fight at their best
balance before falling down or Soak rolls. Mark it trapped in a cage with their back to a wall. You’re
on your character sheet. You can do it only nine one of them. Whenever you spend a Benny in a
times. combat scene (whatever the reason), put it in front
of you. You deal +1 melee damage for each Benny
This Edge is dependent on luck – when there’s no
in front of you until all enemies are defeated or you
way of escape, for instance you drown or are shot
lose consciousness (up to +5).
in the back, it has no effect.

SCENT WATCHMAN ’S DEFENSE

Requirements: Seasoned, Strength d8+,
Requirements: Wild Card, Novice, Shelican,
Fighting d8+
Notice d6+
You can use polearms and similar weapons to
Your sense of smell is highly discriminatory – you
their full advantage. You add their Reach to your
can distinguish people using scent, estimate time
Parry (which stacks with the inherent bonus of
that passed since they left the area, or guess who
spears and staffs).
last wore the clothes you found. This Edge grants
+2 to Notice and tracking attempts when you rely
on your nose.
LEADERSHIP EDGES
DISCIPLINED
WITCH-KITTEN Requirements: Novice, Notice d8+
Requirements: Novice, Shelican
You’re loyal and dependable – and you simply
You are a single birth, with no twin siblings – a know to always shout a warning when you’re
rarity in shelican culture. Many such shelicans attacked or spot something unusual. If you are
have multi-colored eyes. aware of a surprise attack, so are all your allies in
your command range.
Sometimes you feel like your non-existent sibling
emerges to protect you. You can take an If you also have Danger Sense, your companions
additional Wound with no penalties. This stacks are aware of the surprise attack and are dealt cards
with Tough as Nails and Tougher than Nails. normally, but only you are on Hold (even if they
also have Danger Sense but failed the roll).

23
 Guards with this Edge also almost always sound BREAKING AND ENTERING
the alarm, shout and automatically raise the Heat Requirements: Novice, Smarts d6+, Thievery d6+
level when they’re attacked rather than just
defending themselves. They are also likely to raise You receive a +1 bonus to Thievery rolls made to
the alarm when they spot something unusual, like open locks, disarm traps and understand their
an opened window. nature. When you open a lock, you can, if you
have tools (locksmith toolkit), copy the key, and
POWER EDGES later, after 10 minutes of work and a successful
IN THE BLOOD Thievery roll, create a duplicate of your own.
Requirements: Wild Card, Seasoned, Arcane Finally, a raise on a Thievery roll means that the
Background (Blooded), Vigor d6+, Spirit d6+, owner is not aware that the lock was forcibly
Focus d8+ opened (although of course, the ransacked
contents of the room can be a major clue, and if
In battle, you don’t apply Wound penalties for
you couldn’t lock it again, the door will stay open).
your Focus rolls. Once the fight scene ends and no
one draws cards for initiative, the Wound
penalties return.
MASTER OF DISGUISE
Pick one person who has Wounded you in melee
Requirements: Novice, Persuasion d8+,
– you receive a +2 bonus to any Focus rolls that
Performance d6+
affect them. You can have only one such target at
a time. Perhaps you’re an actor. Perhaps a spy. Or maybe
you have a natural talent. You can improvise a
PROFESSIONAL EDGES simple costume without any tools, which is

24
enough to pass for a “generic” disguise most of the way possible. You gain a +1 bonus whenever you
time. When you wear a professionally tailored Support fellow members of your Guild.
costume, you get a free reroll on any rolls made to
convince others you are the person you are SOCIAL CHAMELEON
supposed to be. Requirements: Wild Card, Novice, Spirit d6+,
Persuasion d6+, Performance d6+. Usually you
PICK-POCKET can’t be an Outsider.
Requirements: Novice, Agility d8+, Smarts d6+,
Thievery d8+ Somehow you can blend into the crowd, always
knowing what to say. When you’re in unfamiliar
You are a skilled pickpocket. If you have an surroundings, you do not draw attention. You
opportunity to touch a victim for at least a couple receive a +2 bonus when impersonating a member
of seconds, you can get a sense of what he has in of any crowd. Networking usually takes you half
his pockets (a ring, a small tool, and some coins; a the time it takes normally.
scroll of some sorts; and similar general
information). If you proceed to steal these, you WEIRD EDGES
receive a +1 bonus to Thievery. CATFALL
Requirements: Novice, Agility d8+, Strength
SHADOW
d6+, Athletics d6+
Requirements: Novice, Agility d6+, Smarts d6+,
Stealth d8+ You don’t have to be a shelican – but you love the
rooftops and the gleaming oldstone Towers. You
When you trail someone, you receive a +1 bonus
receive +2 to Athletics when trying to maintain
to Stealth. If you get a raise (and the mark would
your balance on the rooftops.
not recognize you), you are inconspicuous –
looking like just another bystander in the street. If What’s perhaps even more miraculous, you know
you decide to attack the mark, you automatically how to fall. The damage from falls is reduced to 3
get The Drop. points per die (10 feet) – perhaps you catch a
flagpole, grab a windowsill or a passing cloud
WALL-CRAWLER cushioned the fall.
Requirements: Novice, Strength d6+, Agility
d8+, Athletics d8+ WASTER
Requirements: Novice, Vigor d8+
You receive a +1 bonus to Athletics when
climbing. If you don’t use tools (not even a rope), Maybe did Black Dust but quit, maybe you’re just
you scale walls twice as fast (your Strength die naturally resistant, or you built up your immunity
type instead of half Strength die). If you fall, and over time. You receive a +2 bonus to your Vigor
you would be Shaken but not Wounded by the to resist any poison and disease, and any such
damage, you are not Shaken. agents affect you only for half the time.

SOCIAL EDGES
MODIFIED EDGES
KIDDIE
Requirements: Novice. ACE
Rename this Edge to Boatswain, since the only
You’re an all-around handy kid, or you started out vehicle skill in the setting is Boating. To balance
as one. You have no specialty in the gang, but things out, a Boatswain starts the game with a
you’re willing to learn, and to be helpful in any small smuggling ship.

25
 ARISTOCRAT CHAMPION
On its own, this Edge could mean you’re a noble Champion works, but the conflict is not “evil vs
scion, a minor member of a minor house, but with good”, rather it’s “justice vs unfairness”. You
little actual power. Take Rich and Filthy Rich to smite beings that use mind control, creatures that
upgrade to a more influential noble. In general, change shape or subvert the social order might
nobles are exempt from the law, but if you aren’t count as these – if they exist in your campaign.
Filthy Rich, you can count only on more lenient Vampires take power that’s not theirs, and usually
punishment, not total protection. count as “unjust”, but a vengeful ghost is “just”,
even though it murders and destroys.
This Edge could also reflect other forms of high
status: magisters with tenure, shelican leaders, LINGUIST
guildsmen, kept men or even retired master Ignore this Edge, since everyone speaks the same
thieves. language. Knowing the ancient language of the
Immortals is a matter of the Lore skill – roll it
when trying to decipher runes or speak to a
rampaging automaton.
ARTIFICER SOUL DRAIN
This can be taken by Paladins and Bloodied, and
This Edge is available to Paladins, but not
all Magisters have it automatically.
Magisters. And the Bloodied get it for free.

26
 Chapter Three:
Guilds
Urx is called the City of Ten Thousand Thieves, This doesn’t mean that guilds have existed in an
and yet nobles live their lives claiming that there is unchanged form for three centuries – what has
no such thing as thieves’ guilds. After all, such a survived is the tradition of criminal societies. A
guild would be composed of criminals – people given city has a pretty predictable structure: there’s
who, by definition, don’t obey the rules. While a couple of competing major guilds who have
crime indeed reigns, it’s not organized crime – just achieved a stable status quo, then a number of
gangs of thugs and smugglers, not organized lesser organizations affiliated with each of the big
enough to seriously hinder trade in the great Urx. players, an finally a lot of small-time gangs who
serve as sources of soldiers and potential recruits.
Of course, the nobles are wrong, in part due to
their skewed perspective. Few people realize this, Not everyone raised in a gang is guild thief
but the modern thieves’ guilds started out even material – most gangs are groups of youths and
before the Liberation, predating even the trade thugs without steady employment. They took to
guilds. They come from the secret societies of crime, since the only major alternative was toiling
slaves, when they banded together huddling for a guild or in a factory. Often they don’t think
around campfires, assisting refugees and plotting of themselves as criminals at first – starting with
rebellion. As the status of city slaves rose, and the loitering, then moving to hooliganism or
Bloodied and their scions became the new vandalism, then getting noticed by the guilds.
aristocracy, these secretive societies maintained Some of the more popular gangs might become a
their close-knit purpose. proper criminal organization of their own, but in
truth most organized crime guilds are formed
The industrialization of the cities created a sharp around a criminal who had belonged to a guild
divide between the haves and have-nots. But while before. Usually the gang members become muscle
the street gangs seemingly fight each other, these or distraction first, with one or two burglars or
secretive societies still maintain their tradition and pickpockets recruited for profitable tasks. But
codes. Few thieves are aware of this tradition, but when you become a Pro, you are supposed to leave
it’s a reason why criminals band together and have your street gang behind.
some sort of basic ethos. Street gangs come and go,
but people understand that a thieves’ guild has Few thieves are forcibly conscripted – no one will
lines it won’t cross. Respect counts for a lot, after waste time teaching a criminal how to disappear
all. Every city in the Twelve Duchies has at least or swindle. Many such forcibly recruited agents
one thieves' guild – but it's frankly more likely that eventually rebel – and if they can’t be caught, they
they will have at least two. can even become vigilantes actively fighting

27
 against guilds. Of course, for some guilds the
distinction between “you belong to Iron Arm” and
N AMES AND TITLES
A Professional is an experienced thief with some
“Jador Oldron gets a cut of all your gains” is
achievements under his belt, usually with a specific
purely academic. Most join willingly… out of fear.
set of skills. A young and untrained guild member
Quite a lot of thieves are born to a life of crime, is called an “errif” – a sort of “general purpose
like Jador Oldron, the current leader of Iron Arm, thief”. Youngsters affiliated with the guild are
and inter-guild marriage is very common – about called “kiddies”.
as common as in the guilds of bakers and smiths.
The leader of the guild can be called whatever he or
Many join after being associates for a long time –
she pleases – often Master or Senior. Some like
a locksmith could quickly become a burglar after
being called Capos or Captains. Captains designate
being contacted by the guild many times.
“crews” of Pros for “runs” – specific burglaries or
cons. Other guilds use familiar terms – the leader
HONOR AMONG THIEVES
could be called Grandfather or Grandmother,
Most aristocrats assume that lowly criminals have
senior thieves are Uncles or Aunts who command
no code of honor. But if they are to function as a
Kin – rather than crews. However, some guilds use
society, they have to obey some rules. In a world
the family vocabulary in different context – for
divided into the super-rich and the poor, the only
instance an Uncle could also mean a teacher or a
way the latter can find security is by banding
guide.
together. To deal with bandits and burglars you
need rules to keep them in check and make them
trust each other – often enforced by a strong 2. L OYALTY ABOVE ALL ELSE
leader. If you operate among people who can’t offer you
honesty, you have to rely on their loyalty. Much
A pirate captain must be strong, ruthless, willing
like any other guild, thieves’ guilds act as
to punish her underlings by death… and above all,
recruiting agencies of sorts, provide training and
she must be fair. This applies to the leaders of the
advice, discourage non-guild competition (often
land-bound robbers as well. Legal organizations
violently) and provide mutual protection
are bound by law and societal customs – illegal
(sometimes even a retirement fund or health
ones are bound by loyalty and personal “honor”.
insurance!). Many young kids in the ghetto see a
A man who has no power or no money is worth as
local guild lieutenant as more respectable than any
much as their word.
government representative or noble scion – and
The basic rules of almost all guilds are as follows: there’s a tradition of rebellion against authority.

1. N OTHING P ERSONAL Truth be told, thieves’ guilds are among the most
Thievery is a business, not “balancing the books” honest organizations in any given city – most
or striking against masters – although some guilds certainly in Urx. For one, their leadership is
with political ambitions do have some loftier seldom hereditary, and even then it’s seldom a
goals, like Caveat Vendor in Urx. But most of all, matter of nepotism. Most guild bosses can be
the guilds are interested not in stealing, but in removed, unlike aristocratic masters (though the
making money. It’s not about “art of thievery”, or methods are usually violent). Since the noble lords
“power” – the guild just wants to earn ducats! usually simply deny that the thieves’ guilds exist,
Thieves are often discouraged from operating in it also means that these guilds are less likely to be
the areas where they themselves live – to avoid influenced by the government and the Duke!
being weak and sentimental. This is a business,
and it must operate with business-like efficiency.
3. D ON ’ T TAKE STUPID RISKS

28
The guilds (unlike gangs) seldom prey on the poor rest of the sheep pay protection money. This
– mostly because the poor don’t have anything applies to wealthy merchants and to targets in card
worth stealing. This is a business and stealing from games alike.
the poorest simply isn’t worth the costs to the
organization. In fact, if someone robbed a hovel, 6. Y OU SHALL NOT KILL
it was probably an independent thief – and if the One of the core rules established by the guilds is
poor guy paid protection, the guild loses respect. simple: "Pros take loot, not lives." There's the
They might even hunt for the robber and remove matter of morality. The concept of an afterlife is
them. If the guild needs support in the something somewhat new in the Twelve Duchies,
neighborhood, especially before a big heist, it with the first major religion (the Order) taking
might return the stolen loot with a wide smile! hold right now. The inhabitants of the cities value
mortal life highly, and as in every human society,
4. D ON ’ T SQUEAL . the concept of murder is the greatest taboo.
When you’re a part of guild nobody should know
this – a guild that uses crests, tattoos, or anything And it's not necessarily a matter of "rogues with
physical to identify its members is a short-lived hearts of gold". A lot of criminals need to have
guild. A thief is loyal to his comrades and won’t someone to feel superior to. A Pro might lie,
reveal his partners, sometimes even preferring to embezzle, rob and steal – but “at least” he's not a
eliminate potential witnesses. Aristocrats often murderer. One reason Charnel House is so
play with “secret organizations” where no despised is that they simply attack at random,
member knows another member – some guilds in butchering civilians.
Eas took this approach, after all a thief won’t sell
The paladins of the Order believe in the principle
the identity of his superior if he doesn’t know it.
of "a life for a life" – and so, if they capture a thief,
But most guilds build loyalty, based on trust or
he'll live as long as he didn't cause any serious
fear, not symbols.
harm (stealing food from a starving man is still
5. T RANSPARENCY AND FAIRNESS killing him, by their logic). Assassins are punished
A lot of guilds are actually pretty democratic – by death. This applies to “accidental” killings as
thieves elect their superiors who take more risk in well. While they might not love their fellow
return for greater cuts. Typically, every thief in the humans or cats, thieves won’t perform
guild needs to hand in all loot picked up on the job, assassinations, and they do their best to refrain
and the gains – after subtracting the costs and the from killing innocent bystanders.
guild’s cut – are then distributed, more or less
This does not mean that guilds don’t kill – just not
evenly, among all who took part. Some guilds
while doing runs. “Getting rid of” a vigilante or a
even use a sort of grading system, where thieves
freelance thief is not killing, it’s just business. If a
that are more experienced or possess specialized
thief kills a night watchman to leave no witnesses
skills receive a larger cut, often giving bonuses for
it’s still bad (for one, the man had family who will
daring stunts that increase the guild’s reputation!
want revenge) – but if the run is completed she will
The guild takes its cut to cover costs, often of stay in the guild.
headquarters, medical care, tools and training,
7. W E ARE A BAND OF BROTHERS
with some money getting into the Captain’s
It seems opposed to the first rule – either it’s a
private coffers. That’s why many professionals
business or it’s a family. But after many successful
prefer to operate on their own.
runs real kinship starts to emerge. Guildsmen
Guilds often limit the amount of crime activity in should share information and help each other. The
the area, to provide some “husbandry” – it’s better larger jobs require the cooperation of an entire
to shear the sheep every year than to slaughter
them once… especially when you can make the

29
 guild – and on smaller runs members work in are too often high-profile; thieves well know that
familiar crews, commanded by an older “auntie”. while the noble families are always feuding, you
For many, joining the guild might mean more don’t want them united against the Pros. Assassins
benefits than just not having your knees nailed are typically freelancers, and they tend to work
together or not being buried alive in a shallow directly for the nobles – often a single man or cat
grave. Thieves aren’t exactly social creatures, and works for both feuding families without them
the guild provides them with at least one outlet for realizing. Shelican greyfurs are usually outcasts
socializing. that are “adopted” by other greyfurs, to murder in
the service of a noble lord or a guildmaster.

WHAT DOES A GUILD DO ? Prostitution is also a complex case – owning slaves

Most established guilds can safely be called is usually restricted to nobles and landowners, and
organized crime syndicates. Most plan daring thus most sex workers in the cities are at least semi-
heists on the middle class – occasional runs on willing to work in this business. Usually they are
guilds, or poorer noble houses. Some practice coerced by debts and threats of violence, but they
robbery – taking cuts from pickpockets and can actually appeal to the courts if they’re
muggers operating on guild turf. Larger guilds take mistreated. Many guilds are perfectly willing to
up smuggling or drug dealing, serve as muscle for work for the nobles to satisfy their perverted
hire, and organize entertainment, from gambling desires. The Order grudgingly allows prostitution
to street fights and prostitution. but takes a dim view of pimping – profiting from
someone else’s work.
Interestingly, two crucial crimes are "gently"
discouraged by almost every guild in all duchies: In short, the life of a thief is sometimes more
assassination and counterfeiting – both lead to too complicated than the life of a noble – but
much government involvement. The latter is much more exciting. There’s more honor among
usually committed by expert guildsmen working thieves – as long no one rocks the boat too much.
with renegade thieves. And actual assassinations

30
GUILD ACHIEVEMENTS or paladins. It consists of one or two sleeping
rooms, a kitchen, and a meeting room. The more
Maybe you have banded together for profit, maybe Guildhouse Achievements you gain, the bigger
you are bound by fate or by common cause. You your base grows.
chipped in, swore to depend on each other and
have now formed a guild, perhaps on your first GUILDSMEN
adventure, perhaps during a major heist. The Guild focuses on hiring exceptional
Regardless of what you name yourself, you are personalities. You have hired a group of three
quite likely a group of rogues. Your guild can now mercs (use the Soldier stats from SWADE) who are
grow, and gain powers called Achievements. loyal to you. You need to arm them yourselves.
They might join you on an adventure, but they
You gain one Achievement whenever your guild
don’t “replenish” when they die. On the plus side,
completes an exceptionally difficult job (one
remember to roll for whether they leveled up.
beyond ordinary “milk runs”, usually requiring a
complicated adventure). When all the PCs gain a TORN LOYALTIES
new Rank, you also gain another Achievement.
This Guild probably had to make a deal with some
You can also gain one extra Achievement if the
other, larger organization. You have two extra
guild was created in some exceptionally
Achievements… and a Scar. You usually can pick
tumultuous circumstances – usually if you play it
this Achievement only when creating your Guild.
out as an introductory adventure. Even if the PCs
aren’t in charge of the Guild, they should be
allowed to pick Achievements as the guild grows
thanks to their actions. FRIENDSHIP ACHIEVEMENTS
These Achievements require obtaining the Circle
However, if you botch things, fail or in general
of Friends Achievement. They can each only be
hurt your Guild, you also gain a Scar. Scars are
selected once.
flaws that make your guild’s life harder.

We have divided Achievements into four groups. ARCANE CONNECTION

Each “tree” requires a certain Achievement from Using beneficial powers on fellow Guild members
the General Achievement list. costs 1 PP less (at least 1).

GENERAL ACHIEVEMENTS COVER ME!

You know how to use your friends for cover. If a
These Achievements can be selected more than
Guild member uses the Wild Attack option, and
once, except Torn Loyalties. They don’t stack –
there’s another guildsman within 2”, the character
you gain another safe space, another Benny, or
is not Vulnerable.
another group of servants.

CIRCLE OF FRIENDS FAMILY

The Guild is more than a bunch of thieves. It’s a
This Guild is more than a gathering of assorted
band of brothers. When planning a run, the
knaves; it’s a group of companions. The entire
characters (including friendly NPCs) can create a
Guild receives one extra Benny – any PC or Wild
guild pool and put any number of Bennies in there.
Card ally can use it at any time, just like it
They are available to all guild members.
belonged to the character.

GUILDHOUSE HOUNDS
The Guild members receive +1 to Gang Up bonus
This Guild has gained a permanent residence. At
if all the attackers are members of the Guild.
the beginning, it’s just a small building, but it’s a
safe spot that can’t be easily found by the guards

31
 SAVAGE HOUNDS
Requirements: Hounds

The Gang Up bonus can be applied to melee

damage as well.

HOWL OF THE HOUNDS

Requirements: Hounds

The Gang Up bonus is applied to ranged attacks

as well, if all the Guildsmen Ganging Up are
within 20” from the target.

GUILDHOUSE ACHIEVEMENTS
These require picking the Guildhouse Edge.
Remember to provide the new buildings with a
backstory. They can be selected multiple times,
and they don't stack – a Guild can have two Forges
in two towns, for example.

FORGE
Thanks to the forge, the PCs and Guild members
can almost instantly repair damaged equipment. If
you lost a piece of gear during a run, you will have
it replaced by the start of the next session. Each
week you also receive 5 lockpicks.
IMPROVED HOSPITAL
MASTER FORGE Requirements: Hospital
Requirements: Forge
This hospital is more or less a real clinic. It has a
You can easily improve your arms and armor. Test medic with the Healer Edge and Healing d10 on
your Repair with -2 per die step or armor bonus the staff – as well as the Hospital’s effects.
(so –6 to improve plate armor (+3) or a d8
longsword). Critical Failure means that the gear is ANATOMY WORKSHOP
destroyed, failure that you wasted a week of work, Requirement: Hospital
a success that it deals +1 damage or armor’s
weight decreases by 25%. A raise can grant the A well-equipped anatomy workshop grants a +1
weapon +1 to attack or +1 to armor's Armor bonus to Healing rolls, which is useful during
value. Further raises can improve the non- diagnostics. However, the Bloodied PCs can focus
mechanical effects, like appearance or balance. An here once per adventure, and roll their Focus skill
item can’t be improved more than once. – they recover as many Power Points as the result.
This roll can Ace.
HOSPITAL
This hospital provides a clean environment and LIBRARY
basic healthcare. Resting here, guild members The guild has achieved a collection of tomes on
receive a +2 bonus to natural healing rolls. various topics – some collect lore on poisons,
others archive the history of the city. The PCs
receive +2 to Research rolls when conducting
research in the library.

32
ARCANE LIBRARY BLACKSMITH
Requirements: Library A Blacksmith on her own can repair one broken
piece of equipment between adventures. However,
The expanded library now includes some she can also work in a Master Forge, reducing the
theoretical works on Birhtright, magic and penalty by half.
sorcery. The PCs receive +2 to Lore rolls when in
the library. FLESHKNITTER
Probably the best healer you can afford, a
SECRET PASSAGE renegade Blooded Extra with the healing power
Gives you access to a chosen place, usually with and d8 Focus, serves you and will spend up to 15
consent of the owner. This might represent a secret Power Points per day.
exit (or entrance) to a guild from a public place,
like a street market, but can also mean you can INSTRUCTOR
sneak out to a Tower, a Collegium or even the Requirements: Training room for any skill.
Duchess’ palace.
Select an Edge one of PCs has, except for
TRAINING ROOM Background or Combat Edges. The PC can work
Some thieves train with mannequins, others with the Instructor; an hour of training allows all
collect all sorts of locks. But other forms of training guildsmen taking part in the training routine to use
are possible. At the beginning of every adventure this Edge for the next 24 hours. To use the
(not session), select a skill; you receive a single free Improved version of an Edge, you need to have the
reroll on its rolls. You can have up to three training required basic Edge as well.
rooms, each for a different skill, in a single area.
COMBAT INSTRUCTOR
GUILDSMEN ACHIEVEMENTS Requirements: Instructor
Every guildsman needs a name and a personality
Combat Edges can be used as well.
(roll on the table if you don’t have an idea). They
don't stack and can't be selected more than once –
NEGOTIATOR
usually you can make contact with many teachers,
A lawyer, a celebrity or a loyal secretary. This
but only the best one will serve as The Instructor.
person serves the guild with their silver tongue and
Roll a d6 at the end of adventure whenever such a has d8 Persuasion. They can support the PCs in
character appears, they level up on 5-6 as normal Dramatic Tasks related to the guild’s profile,
and increase their Attributes or skills or gain new granting you +2 to Persuasion rolls instead.
skills and Edges.
SNIPER
BARD A sniper has d10 in Shooting, but she or he will
A wandering minstrel gathers rumors and never directly accompany you on an adventure.
provides adventure hooks. He also grants Instead, once per adventure you can spend a
Guildsmen +2 to Networking. Benny and declare he is prepared if this is viable –
then he makes a single Shooting attack using a
BEASTMASTER weapon you’ve given him and disappears.
A trained beastmaster has d10 in Science as related Obviously, he can’t appear if you are for instance
to monsters and creations of the Immortals (and if crawling through the ducts of a Tower.
you have the Library, she receives a +2 bonus).
Once per month she can provide you with a TAVERN KEEPER
trained small dog or an attack dog. If your guild operates from a back room in a
tavern, it's best to be on good terms with the tavern
keeper. He has Persuasion d6, can make

33
 Networking rolls, and informs you of any gossip NEMESIS
he hears – and provides you with free food and Requirements: Foes. In some cases, the enemy
drink. might become a Nemesis straight away.

BREWMASTER Your enemy hates you. It's not business, it's not
Requirements: Tavern keeper even personal, it's direct and passionate hatred –
whenever they spend a Benny to reroll a test made
The tavern provides you with good quality booze to affect you or your guild, if an Extra they add a
or beer. When on a Job, all guild members receive d6 Wild Die; any existing Wild Die improves to
+2 to Fear rolls. d8 if they’re a Wild Card or d12 if they’re a
Master. This applies to any members of a rival
SCARS gang and to group rolls as well.

Scars are the opposite of Achievements – they’re ON THE RUN

awarded when the Guild botches a job, gets into The Guild is now specifically known to the
trouble or fails to achieve its goals. Only truly authorities. There might be Wanted posters in the
monumental failures deserve a Scar – beware of guard stations and paladin chapters.
the death spiral effect.
PSYCHOS
Instead of a Scar, you might pick a Guildsmen or,
The guild did something outright crazy – and we
rarely, a Guildhouse Achievement, and decide
don’t mean “ha-ha” crazy. This could be a
that the heroes have lost access to that person or
spectacular act of devastation or even cruel
place. Regaining it will require at least an
butchery. This insane display of force or lack of
adventure.
subtlety causes a -2 penalty to Persuasion rolls
BAD BLOOD whenever a guild member wants to work with
another organization.
There’s little loyalty between the members of the
team. To use a Friendship or Guildsman
SOFTIES
Achievement, PCs need to spend a Benny.
Too much Mercy is a bad thing sometimes,
CAT HATERS especially for a crime syndicate. The erriffs
showed mercy for someone that didn’t appreciate
Something happened that earned you the enmity
it – and as a result, guild members subtract -1 from
of shelicans. No cat will join the Guild unless
their Intimidate Tests and to attempts to resist
personally convinced, and they are usually hostile
Taunt in Tests against other thieves.
to anyone belonging to the Guild. Shelican
members of the guild now have -2 to Persuasion
rolls vs their own kind.

FOES
The Guild made an enemy – this could be other
gangs, the authorities (this is distinct from being
On the Run), legitimate guilds or a resentful
former ally (perhaps a former Guildsman).

34
 Chapter Four: Gear
Since the Liberation, humans and shelicans have
created millions of mechanical inventions. MELEE WEAPONS
Cunning craftsmen create crazy clockwork, and All Medieval melee weapons from SWADE are
their steel weapons seem indestructible – all very available in Clock and Dagger. Yes, including
useful to a thief. katanas – these are ceremonial blades often used
by the nobles. If you want to be a ninja, go for it.
M ONEY Most melee weapons are Silent.
Every Duchy mints a gold coin called the ducat – thanks
to a network of agreements between rulers and trade Heavy crossbows can be equipped with bayonets –
guilds every ducat is equal in worth to a ducat from they work as well as with modern rifles.
another city. Ducats are divided into five shillings, which Oldstone can be used as a weapon material – there
are in turn worth 20 copper pennies. Each penny is are shards of oldstone found in the Towers and
equivalent to S1 in Savage Worlds. Duchies don’t use monuments, even though the material is supposedly
paper money, but Dukes or guildmasters can issue letters indestructible. Some shards are big enough to be
of credit. Precious gems or shards of oldstone can wielded as clubs, others can be framed in metal and
substitute for cash when necessary. used as heads of maces or flails. These weapons deal
normal damage, but the oldstone parts are
indestructible. Multiply the price of these weapons by
five – while shards of oldstone are rare, they really
have little practical application.

35
 M ELEE W EAPONS
TYPE DAMAGE WEIGHT COST NOTES
Str+d4 (d6 if
Brass Knuckles 1 20/50 Spiked: AP 1
spiked)
Can also represent similar “friends”, like weighted gloves, wires or heavy necklaces worn by some ladies of the
night. Do not count as a weapon for the Unarmed Defender rule. Cost 50 for Spiked ones.
Wrist Blades Str+d4 3 100/one Parry -1
Wrist-mounted, often extendable blades. After an hour of practice, you can extend them without using an action.
+2 to Thievery when hiding these.

Darkwater Barbed Blade Str+d4 1 30

These spiky daggers grant +2 damage in the first attack. Then the barbs break and the blade functions as a
regular dagger.
Blade-Breaker Str+d4 1 50 Parry +1
In our world, this is called a sai – essentially a trap to hook the enemy’s blade. Critical failure by a person
attacking a character armed with sai might mean that the weapon breaks.
Most sai are not sharp and deal blunt damage.
Whip Str+d4 4 75 Reach 2, Parry -1
Whips are nonlethal and they can be used to either disarm an opponent or entangle him. You can forgo an extra
d6 damage on a raise to make the enemy Distracted instead. Some whips are bladed and very very illegal, but
they deal Str+d8 lethal damage.
Telescopic Baton Str+d6 1 120 Parry +1
This nasty foldable baton is made of lightweight steel and is great for both being concealed (+2 to Thievery) and
breaking bones. Extending it does not take an action (though it must then be held in hand)
Shelican Claws Str+d6 2 150/piece AP 2
Civilized shelicans have lost their claws, but this weapon can replace them. It is a metal glove that allows
shelicans to fight unarmed and use their claws to deadliest efficiency.
Garotte Special - 5
A Garotte can be used to choke someone more effectively. Use the normal Grappling rules, but after the garotted
character has been grappled, the garotte deals d6 extra damage.
Thinblade Str+d6 - 75 AP 3
This is a slim, thin blade designed to deliver poison or break through armor. After each attack roll a d6 – any
result except a 6 means that the weapon breaks! It will break automatically when you try to parry with it so
wielding it means you’re an Unarmed Defender.
This type of blade can also be built into the sole of a shoe (thicker ones would lower your Pace). While they deal
extra damage, the main benefit is for Called Shots – there’s nothing like a swift kick in the knee to reduce your
enemy’s Pace.

RANGED WEAPONS
Though this world knows of gunpowder, it has never developed firearms… though pneumatic rifles do
exist! All Medieval ranged weapons are available in Clock and Dagger.

All ranged weapons are Silent… except the heavy repeating crossbow and the heavy crossbow.

36
 R ANGED W EAPONS
T YPE R ANGE D AMAGE ROF W EIGHT C OST S HOTS N OTES
Hand Crossbow 10/20/40 2d4 2 4 250 2 AP 1
This is a small, pistol-grip crossbow, specially engineered to be portable and fast. It has a small mechanism which
allows you to shoot two pencil-sized bolts and reload. Requires special quarrels - $20 per 10.
Pneumatic Rifle 30/60/120 2d8 1 12 500 4 AP 2
This weapon uses compressed air stored in special cylinders to project lead bullets to terrifyingly long distances. It
takes 5 actions to reload using a new cylinder. They also tend to leak after about an hour. Another perk is that this
is an absolutely silent weapon.
Heavy AP 2,
Repeating 15/30/60 2d6 2 25 1000+ 6 Min Str
Crossbow d8
A fully automatic crossbow – a terrible mix of gears and springs allows it to make two shots per round. It’s terribly
loud and unwieldy, but it’s truly frightening. It can jam when you roll a critical failure – you need a Repair roll to
make it run again.
Throwing
5/10/20 Si+d4 1 1 50 - -
Knife
These blades have been produced specially for throwing – they’re useless when used in melee. Use these stats to
represent shurikens and the like.
Trick Bomb 3/6/9 Special 1/hand 3 25/piece -
As Trick Missiles, see below. These bombs usually affect anyone under a Medium Burst Template, unless a larger
one is specified.
Clencher 1/3/5 Special - 1 120 - Special
This isn’t technically a weapon, but rather a metal pair of clockwork jaws attached to a piece of rubber. You throw
it (using Athletics) at a small object to grab it near-instantaneously.

TRICK MISSILES not possible – a Fire arrow can be also Explosive,

but it’s already Alarming, and it would burn the
Sometimes thieves need an unusual missile –
rope of Palhukan Silk.
whether an arrow, sling bullet or a bomb. These
can use magister Lore, cunning alchemy or Using a Trick arrow is a bit harder than usual – it
unusual technology. The price in the table is per bestows a -1 penalty on the Shooting or Athletics
single bolt, arrow or bullet. A guild might provide (throwing) roll.
a thief with 5-10 trick missiles for a Job.

Some missiles can have multiple effects – add the

prices together. Of course, some combinations are

37
 T RICK M ISSILES
N AME C OST E FFECTS
Whistling arrow or flare. Always loud, raises Heat level. Half damage.
Alarm 15
You can use it to draw the attention of guards to a specific place.
Deals no damage. Area under a Large Burst Template will be covered
by a cloud of smoke, dust, or ink. Everyone will be Blinded, if they
Darkness 30
don’t make an Agility roll. In the next round they can attempt a Smarts
roll to regain sight.
Deals full damage to the target and half damage under a Medium Burst
Explosive 100
Template. Always raises Heat level.
Deals +d10 fire damage. Some must be lit before shooting, others
Fire 75 explode in flames while in the air. These can often raise Heat (no pun
intended).
No damage. A trick arrow that can bounce back, explode in a cloud of
Harmless 5 glitter or mark the target with a small blot of paint… The possibilities
are endless.
Contains Venomous Poison gas, affecting everyone under Medium
Burst Template. The gas is usually visible, and it takes time to leak out,
Noxious 200
so the victims can make a Smarts roll to hold their breath or run before
the agent is released.
A very thin rope follows the arrow (assume that it’s as long as the
Palhukan Silk 80 medium distance of the missile), can hold 100 kg/200 lbs. Arrow deals
normal damage.
Paralysis 50 Vines, net, glue. Targets are Entangled. No damage.
Contains Knockout Poison – a less murderous option than Noxious
Sleep Gas 200 missiles. As per Noxious missiles, the victims can make a Smarts roll to
protect themselves.
Ice or grease. Deals no damage, but the area under a Large Burst
Slippery 120
Template will be considered rough terrain for about an hour.

ARMOR
Two elements of armor deserve a specific mention,
Again, use Medieval Armor as described in though.
Savage Worlds Adventure Edition. Look at the
Cling Clang setting rule in Chapter Five to Judge’s Collar: For 100 pennies you can add this
discover that these adventures don’t focus much to any armor – a reinforced high collar will prevent
on armor. you from being garroted.

Oldstone is also used to make armor. There are Paladin’s Shield: Some paladins can receive
shards of oldstone available to magisters – they shields blessed by Teral Cole himself. They add a
can weave it into armor, using chains and clasps. bonus to Parry, but when used by someone with
It can be quite useful, but for game purposes it’s Arcane Background (Paladin) they also increase
equivalent to chainmail or studded leather armor. Armor by +1. Each shield is unique and has no
It gives you +4 Armor vs fire or acid damage, for listed price.
triple the price.

38
THIEF’S TOOLKIT
I TEM C OST W EIGHT N OTES
Climbing kit 50 15
Cost and weight vary depending on the
Toolkit 200 25
craft.
Large toolkit 400 25
Miniaturized toolkit 500 10
Smell bomb 50 1-5
Jacks/caltrops/marbles 10 1 per small bag
Listening horn 200 2
Spyglass 500+ 5 Add the cost of Red Lenses
Red Lenses 500 - For a pair of goggles.
Lockpicks (5) 100 -
Master lockpick (1) 100 -
Ranged lockpicks +100 5
Explosives 800+ 40/barrel
Dark paint 5 -
Cutting diamond 500 - More expensive ones exist of course.
Breaking and entering tool 40 20+ Str+d6

BREAKING AND ENTERING TOOL EXPLOSIVES

A crowbar, a hammer, an adze… whatever you Usually this means a barrel of pressurized oil
fancy. It’s a heavy improvised weapon, too mixture. A roll of Science (explosives) allows you
(dealing Str+d6 damage). to prepare either a bomb, dealing 3d6 damage
under a Large Burst Template, or a precise charge
CLIMBING KIT destroying a specific object. And yes, critical
This kit contains at least 150 feet of rope, but also failure means exactly what you think – the bomb
hooks, spikes, hammers, shoes with spikes etc. It detonates on the spot, dealing 3d6 damage to the
grants +1 to Athletics (climbing) rolls using rope. would-be bomber.
Spikes and hammers can be used as light (Str+d4)
improvised weapons. JACKS/CALTROPS /MARBLES
Small annoying objects that when spilled change
DARK PAINT the area under a Medium Burst Template into
Useful when hiding, can cover fair skin or bright rough terrain. Marbles can also be used to detect
fur, or dim a reflective blade. traps or check whether a surface is level.

DIAMONDS LISTENING HORN

As in the real world, expensive diamonds in A literal hollowed-out horn you push against the
Twelve Cities are also used to cut glass. Some wall or door to hear what’s being talked about
thieves wear diamond rings both as a sign of behind it.
success and as a useful tool.

39
 LOCKPICKS D ISGUISE
A locksmith toolkit allows you to create actual There are essentially two kinds of disguises – generic
picks – which are very prone to breaking. A roll of and specific. The former is just a “generic”
1 on the Thievery skill die always means that the individual, usually consisting of tossing on a specific
pick breaks. set of clothes (servant’s clothes, sage’s robes or noble’s
costume). Usually, they will fit you… somehow. If
Master lockpicks break only on critical failure and
you want to passively appear as someone random,
grant a +2 bonus to Lockpicking attempts.
make a Stealth roll opposed by your opponent’s
Ranged ones are set on long poles. This means -2 Notice, modified by Heat.
to Lockpicking but you’re able to avoid most of the
When impersonating a specific person, you need to be
traps. It's possible to make master ranged
familiar with them (using magic, portraits or
lockpicks which balance out the bonus and
observing them for a while) and wear their usual
penalty.
clothes. You need to use Persuasion or Performance,
usually with a penalty of -1 to -4, depending on how
RED LENS
well you know the character.
These use Blooded magic to allow anyone to see
in the darkness. Smear a drop of your blood over
TOOLKIT
the lens, and it will allow you to gain Low Light
For a specific craft. Remember, if you can’t open
Vision until sunrise – it’s destroyed afterwards.
the lock, you can still try to quietly take the door
SMELL BOMB off its hinges. While basic tools simply allow you
to make rolls without penalty, large toolkits grant
Aniseed, pepper, or musk can throw any dog off
you +1 to Repair or another relevant skill.
your trail. If you drop one while escaping, canines
(including mutant ones like wolfspiders) and Miniaturised toolkit contains tools that are
shelicans who track you using Scent have a -4 perhaps less functional (-1 to rolls), but are small
penalty to tracking you. enough to be concealed in a palm (+2 to
Thievery).
SPYGLASS
The exact magnification depends on the model.
Binoculars are also known. There are versions
with Red Lenses.

40
 Chapter Five:
Setting Rules
The rules from SWADE which fit Clock and Dagger CLING-CLANG
are Conviction (see Goals below), Creative Many favor heavy armor, but it applies the total
Combat, Wound Cap and Fanatics (especially for base Armor modifier to Stealth and Thievery rolls
Paladins). (apart from its weight). This includes Parry bonus
from shields. A man wearing heavy steel armor
Avoid using the Heroes Never Die and
and using a shield (total weight 70) and d8
Unarmored Hero rules – this is a mean world and
Strength has -1 to all Agility and Strength skill rolls
people risk death on a daily basis.
for the weight, and -4 to Stealth on top of that.

BRIBERY CROWDS IN THE CITY

Normally a 1 on a Shooting roll indicates that a
Sometimes you need to quickly hand someone a
random bystander was hit (or 1 or 2 for an
bribe and tell them to look the other way. Usually,
automatic weapon). However, in a crowded scene,
a single shilling ($20) is enough to bribe most
this range increases by 1. Likewise, if you decide
commoners, but people in a position of power
to shoot the enemy during a chase in a crowded
have higher prices. Roll their most relevant skill
scene, on a roll of 1 or 2 it’s almost certain
(for instance, Notice for guards) – the result is how
somebody will get hit.
many shillings they will demand for not raising the
alarm. Double that for serious crimes (like Consider valuable objects and elements of scenery
burglary) and double it again for truly heinous as “bystanders”. Enemies can easily track you
offenses like murder or treason. down using these remnants!
Again, this system should apply only for quick- On the plus side, this also means the guards will
and-dirty bribery attempts – nobles and named refrain from using crossbows when chasing the
NPCs demand often either something very specific PCs in a crowd.
or vast amounts of money the heroes never have.
Most ordinary guards can always be bribed – but DRUNKENNESS
paladins and other Faithful are usually
In general, your character should work sober, but
incorruptible. There’s a difference between a job
it’s worth knowing what the effects of alcohol on
and a holy mission!
your Pro are. For convenience, we measure
alcohol in doses – a dose means a shot of vodka, a
mug of beer, a glass of wine and so on. A person

41
 M ODIFIER H EAT S USPICION
-2 Peace and quiet. Public areas or watchmen Total trust. The mark is convinced that
resting at their posts. you're their actual friend or family.
0 Guards patrol the area but tend to ignore Careful trust, the level reserved for business
things that might be too much effort. This is partners or public officials.
the default for most places that need to be
guarded. If alarmed, one guard will arrive.
+1 Guards examine any suspicious activity. 1d4 Raised eyebrows. Sure, maybe there's some
guards will arrive, if called. sensible reason for your behavior but
there's something odd.
+2 Guards examine any unknown phenomenon. You will be tested, asked trick questions.
1d6 guards will arrive.
+3 Guards examine any event. 2d6 guards will Actual investigation against you.
arrive.
+4 Red alert, the guards are specifically looking If you're being investigated, at least one
for you. All “free” guards in the area hunt for person knows about your real intentions.
you.

can drink as many doses as half his Vigor die type During a con you can use this system to represent
per evening and stay mostly sober. Suspicion – in this case it adds to Notice rolls to
recognize lies, and, if applicable, to relevant
If you go above this limit, you’re Drunk. On the knowledge rolls as well – if you’re impersonating
minus side, you get a -2 to all rolls… except that a lawyer, it might increase the Academics skill of
Spirit rolls (including Fear rolls, but linked skills) people you’re trying to bluff.
gain a +2 bonus.
Here's how you can increase Heat:
Go above twice this limit, and you’re Smashed.
You have -4 to all rolls, except Spirit ones which
• Using noisy weapons. Most melee
are +4. You are barely aware of your
weapons are reasonably silent –
surroundings. It’s quite likely that you won’t
excluding two-handed weapons, flails
remember what you did the next day.
and warhammers. Ordinary bows and
If you keep drinking, draw a card after each dose. crossbows are silent, while heavy and
Black one means you pass out, red – that you can repeating crossbows are noisy.
still go strong, while jokers mean that you did Explosives increase Heat by two levels!
something stupid and/or disgusting. Most arcane powers don't cause strange
noises, with exception of flashy magister
HEAT powers like burst or blast.
Take a sheet of paper and a marker (token, spare • Someone raising an alarm. Professional
Bennie). Draw a scale labeled -2, 0, +1, +2, +3 and guards are trained to call for backup first
+4 (see the table below), and place a token on the and chase the criminal later! This is
relevant line. During a heist you can mark the level reflected by the Disciplined Edge. Each
of alertness and general alarm, called Heat, guard is issued a bell or whistle and will
depending on players using noisy weapons or use them as soon as possible. A wise Pro
methods. Each level of Heat grants a modifier to avoids them or tosses a shiny ducat their
guards' Notice rolls. way. An unwise Pro jams a dagger in
their back – unwise, because guards are
Optionally, you might even make the players well-armored and you will be treated as a
make a single Stealth roll and compare it against murderer from now on.
half the guards’ Notice die type, modified by Heat,
to bypass boring Stealth scenes in very safe areas.

42
How you can increase Suspicion: GOALS
Goals help the GM create personal arcs. The
• Using mismatched arguments. Usually,
characters get a nobler justification for their
this is a matter of roleplaying – but if you
unsavory actions, and they also serve as story
don't seem confident enough, and start
hooks for the GM.
slowing down, this might be a sign to
watch you closely. Like every good Goals are best set by asking one extra question:
actor, you need to rehearse your part. “Why?” “Make a lot of money” is not a Goal – but
• The mark being warned about you. “have enough money to get married to Jala Jalon”
Always use aliases and never work on might be. You can continue asking – why do you
your home turf. Anyone who recognizes want to get married? If you get married, what will
you is a potential liability. you do? Do you think Jala likes the money?

HOW TO LOWER HEAT When the character does something that helps him
In general 15 minutes of relative peace and quiet achieve his goal, perhaps in our example gaining a
will lower the Heat one level, and a couple of days large sum of money he could save and invest, he
will reset it to –2 or 0. Hide somewhere, hide the deserves a Benny – at best, one extra Benny per
evidence – remember, guards are smart people and game session (not adventure!).
ring their bloody bells when they spot your
footprints or opened windows. Completing a major arc of your goal – in our
example buying a house or proposing to Jala –
HOW TO LOWER SUSPICIONS should be rewarded with a Conviction point.
Relent. Your mark has to believe you are the one Don’t overuse this option, ideally before finally
being scammed. Fail. Seem like an idiot. Each achieving his goal, the player should receive one
apparent failure to control the situation lowers the or two Points during an arc.
opponent’s Suspicions.
If the PC actually achieves their goal, they could
retire from adventuring… or the player can rethink
their character concept. Perhaps you could swap
out the character’s Hindrances and choose a new
goal. Perhaps our character now has to hide his
past as a thief and must protect his family as the
Duke’s investigators follow him (gaining Vow and
Enemy Hindrances).

43
 Chapter Six:
Urx, the City of Thieves
T HE CALENDAR
Anyone will tell you that Urx is the largest and the
The Duchies measure time using twelve months that are
most important city in the world. At least, anyone on average thirty days long. For convenience, use your
from Urx. And to a degree, it’s true – while native names for the days and months. It is now the
censuses are often inexact, Urx is a central hub for 309th year After Liberation – even though most regular
trade, and it boasts more factories and guilds than, people measure the time since the coronations of Dukes in
say, Tuathal. Urxians claim that their city was the their city.
first in the world or that the rebellion started here,
but they seldom produce any proof. What’s In general, the farmers have a couple of days off per year,
known is the reputation of Urx as a center of every twelfth day is free, and there are days to celebrate
criminal activity, its status as a headquarters to the their noble lords. Many also celebrate a good harvest,
Order and of course the Last Immortal is still commemorate Liberation and the heroic ancestors of the
living in one of the Towers. noble family, ward off the darkness in midwinter, or
celebrate Teral Cole if the village has embraced the cult of
Regardless of its past, Urx is here now, build of the paladins – but this varies from community to
oldstone and new brick, populated by all sorts of community.
humans and cats. The current Duchess of the city
The same applies to the city dwellers – they work eleven
is Dola Dane; a woman in her late twenties, who
days out of twelve, but guilds have their own patrons and
gained power by the liberal use of rumors and free days or evenings. Factory workers can get fewer free
character assassination... with one or two actual days than slaves, though!
assassinations along the way. Her Grace Dola
Dane is not a happy woman – she might rule from
her Three Towers palace, but cares little about
actual governing – she cared more about getting to THE TOWERS
the throne than about using it. Taxes rose sharply For the people of Twelve Towns “Towers” mean
when she started to rule, but the guilds managed “city”. They are impossibly tall spires, hundreds of
to finagle their way out of them using both ancient yards tall – with the tallest ones reaching 1500 feet.
and newly-invented privileges. And so, the bulk of This means dozens of floors, which aren’t fully
the financing is transferred to the commoners and explored by anyone. In many cities, each noble
the nobles – which in practice means more slave house claimed one Tower. Urx, however, does
labor for farmers. The infamous epithet – the City things its own way in the Towers district.
of Thieves – lives once again, as the poorest turn
to life of crime.

44
The Palace of the Dukes consists of Three Towers,
set in an equilateral triangle – human engineers
added a network of bridges to connect windows
and portals, hanging above the city. Some servants
even built wooden huts on these bridges, to rest
while running important errands. There are a
couple of sections in the Palace that are still cut off
and servants need to bypass them.

The palace is the center of government – these

Towers house the bureaucracy of the city and the
Tribunal. By law, the Duke nominates the three
Tribunal Judges among the members of noble
families, who are then supposed to serve as a court
for nobles in the Duke’s stead. The Tribunal
nominates district judges in each city and reeves
(magistrates) who wander the countryside to keep
law and order.

In Urx the noble houses do not inhabit the Towers

they own – instead, they rent them out. Some
floors are occupied by embassies of other Duchies
or guildhouses -- most notably the Collegium of
tower inside the palm by the light of the moon,
Magisters and the Heart of the Foundry. The
withstanding the winter cold or storms of the
upper floors of the towers are inhabited by
summer. She only leaves her post four times per
automatons who maintain the ancient, still-active
each year.
devices. Even in the occupied areas the inhabitants
have to make way for servants who weren’t During each solstice and equinox, Omega
reprogrammed. Who knows what would happen descends to the bottom of the Tower, and for one
if their daily routine was stopped? day she heals for free anyone brought to her. She
can’t resurrect the dead, but it seems that
The towers still contain valuable artifacts and
everything else is within her power – crippled
power sources, and adventurous looters, docents
people rise from their carts, and missing limbs
or thieves are slowly cleaning them out… with one
grow back! She even can cure mental problems.
exception: The Tower of the Open Hand.
Her supplicants describe her as the most beautiful
THE OPEN HAND woman in the World – which is odd, because they
This is the only such tower in the entire World – also agree that she covers half of her face with a
it’s visibly taller than the other spires. The upper black mask, and hides the other half using a black
part of it resembles an open, five-fingered hand. billowing cloak with hood. Sometimes, she talks
The whole tower is an orphaned arm, perhaps of to the gathered crowd – in a high and doubtlessly
some immense giant buried deep underground… female voice she speaks platitudes like “love each
other”, “eschew violence”, “fight the good fight”.
But what makes it truly unique is the simple fact
She never answers any questions.
that this tower still has an Immortal inhabitant.
The powerful sorceress living here is now simply The chronicles of many noble houses in Urx claim
called Omega; she is truly the Last Immortal. Day that Omega was a kind of traitor, backstabbing the
after day, she is said to meditate on top of the other Immortals. Without her help, the Bloodied

45
 wouldn’t have been able to destroy the Immortals. Two dozen major noble houses and dozens of
Some magisters think that her healing powers are lesser ones have major holdings in the countryside.
related to the magic of the Bloodied – she has Typically the leaders of the houses stay in the city
somehow unlocked their potential, or maybe for the entire year, with their extended family
allowed other Immortals to be killed. Others moving to the city in the winter – the season of
believe that she holds more power – perhaps the balls and parties. The heads of noble families often
most in the World, and that’s why the Bloodied invite their kin for special occasions, or to give
never dared to attack her. them new duties. The houses participate in the
Duchy’s government in a rather haphazard
Urx was ruled by a small group of Immortals – fashion – the reigning Duke can bestow any civic
some people claim that there were four or five of post on them, or take it away, in an instant. In Urx
them, but this might just be a legend based on the the situation is always a little bit unpredictable –
five fingers of the Open Hand Tower. no single house has held on to a post for more than
Nevertheless, many guilds claim that the rebellion a hundred years.
against Immortals started or ended in Urx, though
most other cities make this claim as well. Omega As a result, the families court the Duchess – but
has apparently lived within the Open Hand for at the Duchess also needs to court the families. After
least the past three hundred years. all, they have access to a lot of secrets and keep
exact records, and she knows that she herself
Few people know that Omega also has a cult of might be overthrown. Beyond the palaces of the
sorts formed around her. It’s not a world-spanning nobles and large mansions of the lesser families,
religion like the Order, but rather a group of the Hills also house the richest guild masters,
devoted fanatics. The cultists claim her to be an merchants, and the elegant businesses that cater to
embodiment of good rather than a single being, the them, like theaters, gentlemen’s clubs, fancy
first Immortal that created all the others, and call tailors and so on.
her Good Mother or First Mother. Soon, they
claim, the Mother will bring forth a child, a new However, this does not mean the inhabitants of
Immortal who will not be a tyrant, who will serve Seven Hills are all nobs. It takes the hard work of
and save all mankind with truly supernatural servants to maintain the mansions – and typically
powers. The cult of the Good Mother also hopes servants also live in the mansions (though
that Omega’s healing powers will awaken their sometimes quarters are provided on the palace
latent Birthright – but this has not happened so far. grounds). It’s not uncommon, for example, for a
gentleman’s club to have rooms for the upper
classes, while behind the kitchens it has a large
THE SEVEN HILLS extension that serves as a nice pub for the more
The Towers were built in a small valley, educated servants. While thieves usually leave the
surrounded by taller hills. Now, the hills are nobles alone, they prey upon these servants.
occupied by the nobles’ palaces and mansions,
each one surrounded by parks and gardens. The Lora Lorkasha – this pleasantly plump, raven-
current taste in gardens is well-maintained, full of haired woman is a not just a tailor – she’s a sartorial
fancy topiary and hedge mazes, and the nobles artist. A tailor makes clothes – she creates world-
even sponsor explorers to find rare plants – or changing works of art. She is somewhat grandiose,
magisters to create them. but immensely popular. As an additional bonus,
she is the gossip queen, who has unique, intimate
access to the leaders of the houses.

46
 Foundry – the guild of smiths and metallurgists,
Toymakers and Mechanicists – who design precise
tools, the Distaff – weavers and tailors, Coopers
and Carters and Chemists. Lesser guilds, like
Entertainers, Bookbinders or Cooks tend to have
less impressive quarters, sometimes even in other
parts of the town. And what about the less savory
guilds? Well, a rumor persists about an audacious
thieves’ guild that dared to bribe a popular tavern
on the street and turn it into a guildhouse of their
own – but this simply seems impractical. Once in
a while audacious thieves rob a major guildhouse
– and only the best aren’t tracked down.

For obvious reasons the craft guilds look down on

independent artisans. Still, hundreds of artisans
Dor Doran Vihan – A tall, dark-haired man with choose to stay outside the entire system – mostly
a bushy moustache, he’s the patriarch of the Vihan because they don’t want to pay guild dues, but
family, one of the most influential houses in the some have honest anti-authoritarian attitudes and
city. The Vihans were even Dukes at one point in want to set their prices themselves. They can’t be
the past, and they would like to regain the found in Green Row, but some maintain
position. Vihan, due to his past as a warrior is connections with their previous guildmates.
dour, cruel and blunt, but also efficient and reliable
– and all these qualities put him in conflict with the Beside the guildhouses, this district also houses the
flighty Duchess. more elegant businesses – toymakers offer their
expensive toys, for instance. The Ban Braak Hall
Perhaps the most infamous place in the Seven is the stock exchange, the traditional place for “big
Hills is the Asylum. Here, the mentally ill are kept business” – thousands of slaves and tons of grain,
and the magisters and paladin faith healers try to linen or silk change owners during the day in
understand their afflictions and help them. different cities, while people make subtle
Usually, only noble scions are accepted, but the transactions here. While the young agents of
head of the Asylum, Tox Toksvin, invites all nobles, merchants and guildsmen trade and make
people with problems, provided that either the deals, the real movers and shakers observe the
family donates ducats for the development of the chaotic movements and slowly sip coffee,
science of mentalism or the mental dysfunction of sometimes stepping in to resolve disputes.
a patient is particularly interesting.
Nak Nakarak and his wife Fel are a couple vying
for command of the Guild of Toymakers. Nak is
GREEN ROW morbidly obese, cruel and cunning, while Fel is
The guild district in Urx is gathered around a skinny, ruthless and proper. They own one of the
single street, ages ago named Grin Row because of most prosperous workshops in the guild, and
the artificial smiles of statues of craftsmen neither will abandon ownership of the workshop
exhibited in front of ever-growing guildhouses. despite their mutual hatred. Both want to become
The meaning became forgotten and it changed the new guildmaster. They both have dealings
into Green Row – though the ones who are quick with various organizations, including the Order.
to mock the guilds always somehow remember it.

Regardless of the name, the street itself is home to

the headquarters of the major guilds, like the

47
 There are a number of public bath-houses in Urx,
THE MARKETS since while there are sewers left by immortals, the
Urx boasts two main market districts – the North modern houses were hastily built when factories
and South ones. The Southern one focuses on arose. Only the rich can afford bathrooms. The
feeding the city, with grain storage and livestock Vermillion Lizard is the most reputable
markets, while the Northern one specializes in bathhouse, serving the guild clerks and traders
more industrial and sophisticated wares, like cloth who arrived in the city. Baths aren’t just places to
and leather. There are large market squares with get clean, but also to socialize, rest in a sauna or
stalls and improvised taverns in tents, but the listen to live music.
stores on the edges of the markets are much more
interesting – more specialized than guild People in Urx seldom eat out – the poor cook for
workshops, and often, despite violent pressure, themselves (and some nobles claim that they eat
unaffiliated with the guilds. each other), and the rich can afford personal
cooks. However, when you’re out and about,
Independent magisters, unaffiliated with the returning home late at night and slightly drunk,
Collegium, also offer their services here, often there’s nothing like a street snack – a sausage in a
cooperating with the craftsmen to create bun or chicken on a stick. The markets almost
mechanical wonders. This is also a place to find always have some cheap food vendors, and one of
not just products but services, especially animal the most recognizable Mator, a shelican pie seller.
trainers. The shelicans work often near the He prides himself on selling pork pies – while the
Southern market, plying their services and claws, other food vendors offer “meat”.
and so traditionally it’s a place where you can hire
mercenaries. Ger Gerlas is a kind of freelance inventor, who’s
not affiliated with Toymakers, Mechanicians or
The thieves are very active here – most of the any other guild – because he openly allies himself
pickpockets and burglars fight over the right to act with the major gangs in the city including Iron
in the Markets. The guilds have their headquarters Arm and Caveat Vendor. After the Toymakers
here, and they prey upon new arrivals to the town. had his boyfriend murdered and evicted him, Ger

48
decided to cooperate with thieves, building the municipal waste dump and the main cemetery
weapons and unusual devices – which are often – not that far away from each other, with Dead
unorthodox. Man’s Row between them. The Row is commonly
thought to be the absolute worst neighborhood in
The Citadel of Justice is the first temple built since Urx… and famous for Tom Tamirom’s tavern
the day of Liberation. This lofty name hides the offering delicious potato pancakes. Not all
reality – it’s not particularly impressive, having Deadmen are criminals, despite what the watch
been placed in a former warehouse. Most of the says – quite a lot of them work as scrap-sifters,
place is occupied by the worship hall where working on the trash dump, sorting the rubbish,
ceremonies to Justice happen at any given hour, carrying it away to the farms or guilds… and
and the rest is training facilities for warriors and sometimes discovering secrets.
paladins. Nobody lives here – not even the leader
of Order, Fal Faolan. When people speak of monuments of the
Immortals, they think of the Scorpion General – a
giant statue of a beautiful woman in a metal
THE RESIDENTIAL DISTRICTS helmet… with eight legs, pincers and a giant
There are five districts in Urx that are mostly scorpion stinger. It’s 150 feet tall, towering over
housing. Some factory-owning guilds have ordinary houses. And under the Scorpion gather
invested in housing for the regular workers around the lowest of the low – the beggars and homeless.
their workshops – but usually you need to walk for Urxians say “to dwell in the Scorpion Queen’s
about an hour to the district, and if you can afford shadow”, which means to sink low, lose
it, take a horse or orrok-drawn bus. everything, become a renegade. There are many
other monuments like this in Urx, but the
Of course, these areas aren’t purely residential, Scorpion is as much a symbol of the city as the
there are always some grocery shops, basic Open Hand is.
entertainment like inns or even more advanced
venues like theaters or libraries. Most of these Even though many people think of theater as
residential districts have a few factories something for the nobles, the Red Ostrich proves
somewhere, sometimes even dangerous or that the commoners can enjoy high drama,
obnoxious ones like foundries and tanneries. musicals and bawdy comedies as much as anyone
Urxian industry is varied, but the most popular else. The Red Ostrich has no problem staying
industries are clothes-related: weavers, tailors and afloat, and it might be one of the richest
spinners. They often hire as many women as men, establishments in Tarara district. People claim that
since the work is thought to be lighter. the owner Dul Doalin borrowed money from
Jador Oldron to open the theater – and Oldron
The residential districts also have many public
reportedly is a patron himself.
buildings, like small markets and stores, tailors’
workshops and bars. The Duchies have no public
schooling system, but many elderly women run PARK LANE
the so-called dame schools, where children can Park Lane separates the Northern Market from the
learn to read and write. Shelicans tend to organize middle-class residential districts. The initial idea
education for themselves, in extended fraternal was to introduce some green areas to the city to
groups, but they also need space to do that. allow the growing merchant class a place to relax.
The district was supposed to serve as a traveler’s
Blackpool and Weskis are probably the two worst
refuge for independent traders, and with
districts – even the guards don’t go to Weskis.
guardsmen patrolling the district the newcomers
That’s an area where you can find a dead body in
would be safe.
the gutter and no one will ask any questions.
Weskis houses two indispensable areas of the city:

49
 The idea succeeded, at least partially. Park Lane
consists of hotels, taverns, inns and other
businesses catering to visitors – including other
entertainments, sometimes even seedier ones. The
southernmost streets of Park Lane are now a red
light district, known for exotic pleasures. The drug
trade is booming here, as well. All under the
control of the guilds.

But more wholesome entertainment can also be

found. The Sintar noble family has built a
Menagerie here, collecting creatures from all over
the Twelve Cities and beyond, including both
natural creatures and strange creations of the
Immortals. The Menagerie is not open to
commoners, but some can gain invitations as a
reward, and a couple of times per year (on the
Duchess’ birthday or the anniversary of her
coronation, or the wedding of a Sintar heir) the
garden opens to the public.

The Silver Cup is commonly thought to be the

best bar in Urx, famous for its hand-crafted beer
and a good selection of wines. This is thought to
be neutral ground for the major thieves’ guilds,
thanks to a reputation for privacy. The Cup offers there are also many closed off sewer chambers,
rooms for hire, and there are plenty of alcoves to secret passages and basements; since they connect
discuss matters quietly, while musicians, to the guards’ prisons, many started to call these
comedians and theater actors can distract you passages “dungeons”.
from your shady business.
One of the people who make their lives here is
Black Spider – a beautiful, jet-black shelican
THE DUNGEONS mercenary and weapon merchant, reportedly
The Immortals knew that diseases are caused by affiliated with the Assassin sisterhood of Palhuk.
the accumulation of waste, and thus they ordered She offers not only well-made blades but also ones
their slaves to build a large network of sewers altered by alchemy or the arts of magisters. People
under each of their cities. These are spacious, built who make enemies of her tend to disappear.
with future generations in mind… and so it’s not
surprising that some use the sewers for nefarious Another banned craft is the art of visaging –
purposes. magical plastic surgery. A Bloodied bastard called
Mor Morden uses his gift for disguise and healing
People actually live here – not very comfortably, combined with his advanced medical training to
but you can camp out here even for a couple of accomplish wonders of cosmetic surgery; he
years in hiding. One of the best kept secrets of the allows criminals to change their faces, charging
Immortals is that the Towers actually reach down high prices. Often, to start a new life, you have to
far below the ground, their foundations keeping trade away all of your old one.
their incredible mass aloft. In these under-towers,
there are even more mysteries – connected to the
sewer network. Apart from the under-towers,

50
LAW AND ORDER IN URX charismatic without teeth), or “mercifully”
flogged and displayed in stocks or branded. Minor
Though many philosophers and paladins have crimes like pickpocketing or vandalism are
different theories about social order, in any Duchy typically punished by fines – and if the accused
the supreme power belongs to the Duke, who is can’t afford the fine, they need to pay it off by
elected by the leaders of the noble houses. The working for free, usually by cleaning the sewers.
Duke has the right to mete out justice, and can Few people are imprisoned: but sometimes first
nominate judges to represent his or her justice. In offenders serve a year or five in the rat-infested
Urx, the Tribunal consists of important nobles, dungeon under the Three Towers.
who nominate district judges for the city, and
reeves or magistrates, who patrol the villages. But there’s also the justice of the guilds – lawyers
also need to know the professional rules of the
The nobles have the privilege of answering directly major guilds, where the guildmaster and elected
to the Tribunal, often presided over by the guild bailiffs settle lesser cases. The guilds can
Duchess herself, and intra-guild cases can be penalize members with fines, ban them from
settled by the guild courts – when two members of working (often by confiscating tools), or even take
different guilds argue, they must appear before a away money gained by ungainful employment by
district judge. The guilds, acting as schools, force. Each power group also hires law
educate legal professionals (often, but not solely, enforcement groups to keep the peace, working
of noble descent) who serve as advisors, notaries, like militias or the watch.
prosecutors and defenders (the roles are a bit
blurry sometimes) for state cases, and many also THE RED PANTHERS
work for the guilds themselves. These barristers
Each Duke has a loyal cadre of bodyguards,
are easily bribed – but most district judges are fair
selected on basis of their martial ability and utter
unless the case involves their noble masters.
loyalty. In Mithos, the Duke uses a team of
The Twelve Duchies operate under common laws, automatons, and in Kari-Don the Lobstermen use
based on precedents and the whims of the judges. magister-built gadgets to swim at terrifying speed.
There’s also a degree of natural justice, although it In Urx, they are known as the Red Panthers,
mostly boils down to allowing lynchings or wearing cloaks made of wild cat skins – shelican
seriously nasty criminals having “mysterious mothers traumatize their naughty children by
accidents” in the cells. The commercial laws and saying that a Red Panther will come to skin them.
guild codices are more tightly regulated. The death Their main concern is the safety and security of the
penalty is used very rarely – only for the acts of Duchess Dola Dane, but they are also considered
deliberate mass homicide (arson, poisoning food officers of the Guard. Though efficient, disciplined
and water, repeated murder, reckless use of and smart, they are also potentially bribable
Immortal devices) and acts of treason and sedition (‘potentially’ means there’s a dozen or more
(counterfeiting of money is one of them). The people who could afford this). The Panthers aren’t
execution of nobles who do one of these things fanatics – they work for the Duchess, they don’t
requires beheading by a sword – the deaths of love her.
commoners can be far more inventive.
THE GUARD
Enslavement is the fate of the more intellectual The standing army of the Duchies is relatively
criminals, like forgers of documents or guild small. No one even imagines civilization existing
stamps, tax evaders, vandals, burglars or beyond the Cities, so the main likely enemies are
embezzlers. And this isn’t cozy agricultural the other Duchies – and they’re far too entangled
slavery – they typically go to the mines. Other with a complex system of alliances and mutual
criminals are usually crippled for life (a thief can’t blackmail to start a large-scale war. As such,
steal without hands, a rabble-rouser is less standing armies are nothing but a potential cost.

51
 Each of the noble families has some retainers, THE WATCH AND MILITIAS
noble heirs to serve as officers and elite units of
The Guard are professional full-time soldiers and
personal guards, which would be mobilized in
peacekeepers, while the Watch is a peace-keeping
case of major war.
force drafted from the population (think of them
As such, the small garrison forces called the Guard as a “neighborhood watch” to remember the
are responsible for keeping the peace and difference). Most other cities fund their Watch, but
protecting the laws of the Duchess. Effectively the Urx is known as the City of Thieves for a reason.
army of a Duchy and the police force of a City are The Duchess cut all financing for the Watch,
one and the same – patrolling the streets is claiming that the soldiers and Red Panthers were
considered valuable training in case of a war. Since enough. Urx relies on the Guard, despite its high
there hasn’t been a major war in the city in population, but some neighborhoods form
recorded history, people refer to soldiers either as unofficial “citizens’ militias”, apparently because
watchmen or guardsmen all the time. your neighbor beating you up is so much better
than a professional doing it.
The guard is technically subject to the Duke and In practice, even with a Duke’s backing these
the Panthers, but in practice they also respond to groups also tend to devolve into gangs, unless
the Tribunal. They show little respect for the motivated by strong feelings of loyalty or duty. On
district judges. In general, the greatest strength of the plus side, they have some legitimacy and are
the guard is their gear – the guard recruits young sometimes supported or even funded by the
people in their early teens, often ones who couldn’t district judges. Sometimes it works backwards: a
find another vocation, and after basic training it gang grows semi-legitimate and is recruited as a
tends to let them loose, under the command of militia by a judge or an aristocrat.
more experienced (and corrupt) officers.
Inevitably the guards wear heavy armor and carry Another version of militias are the guild enforcers
two-handed weapons – offsetting their lack of skill – they are charged with protecting guild laws,
with heavy weaponry. guarding important sites and guild members.
Sometimes, though quite rarely, they are drafted
Since the Guard are soldiers, they have little need from the ranks of the guilds themselves – the most
for investigators. Sometimes an officer with too famous are the Foundry and their Iron Mages,
much curiosity will try to get to the bottom of a equipped with heavy armor and weaponry and
case, but few people bother in practice. However, well trained in their use. However, the majority of
more and more guards are converting to the guilds use mercenaries with contracts. Guilds also
philosophy of the Order and want to investigate to employ inspectors and investigators – often
avoid miscarriage of justice. experienced clerks with an eye for detail – to detect
fraud, embezzlement, forgeries and similar
They’re relatively underpaid, but fairly hard to professional crimes.
bribe. In some districts, in particular Weskis,
someone had the brilliant idea of making the Similar groups are also conscripted by the watch
guards finance themselves. The results were to serve as fire-fighters. These days, buildings are
predictable – a heavily-armed untouchable gang made of bricks and sometimes cement, but there’s
on the streets. Usually, the local thieves’ guilds still a significant threat of fire.
band together and teach the Guard a lesson after a
couple of months. THE LACK OF EYES
Most other cities have some form of secret police
– a security force that surreptitiously protects the
Duke and employs a band of informers, spies and
investigators, and agents practically untouchable
by anyone except maybe foolish paladins.

52
Urx’s chief problem is that it really doesn’t have commoners – in their opinion - commit crimes
one. Over time, constant struggles between nobles every day, most noble rulers see no reason not to
have divided the once very effective organization employ justicars who work for free and seem to be
called the Eyes into smaller ineffective factions easy to steer.
and private investigators working for noble
houses, trading bits of intelligence. It hasn’t This view is mostly correct – although most
occurred yet to the Duchess Dola Dane that a paladins do attempt to arrest and bring nobles to
network of spies would be useful – and Doran justice, or at least die trying. In some cities there
Vihan would support a creation of one only if he’s have been small-scale clashes between the
sure his family would control it. This is very useful followers of Justice and nobles’ guards – with
for thieves’ guilds, especially since it’s easy to religious fervor having to take a backseat to
introduce chaos and fake news into this network. superior numbers and Bloodied commanders.

In general, though, most Urxian nobles think of

THE PALADINS paladins as useful dogs to sic on lower-class
The Paladins are headquartered in Urx, and thus criminals, and hope – quite correctly – that they
their presence is far greater here than in any other can get away with most of their own crimes by
city. Often, the paladins provide a kind of civic bribing witnesses and forging evidence.
assistance to the guards. This was not caused by a
single political act – when the Order arrived in the Justicars are a new religion, and still poorly
city, its followers started to act as “concerned understood. For all intents and purposes, for an
citizens”. Some watchmen are quick to convert to average thief, the paladin is an improved version
the tenets of the Order, and paladins are innately of a watchman, although one that won't beat you
driven by the desire to do justice. Since the or spit in your face.
aristocrats' crimes are easier to disguise and the

53
 THE GUILDS OF URX trade, entertainment (any). They don’t do property
damage, especially not arson.
Each city has dozens of guilds, some large but
unassuming – millers and grain traders are often If you ask an average guild craftsman who runs the
very numerous but kept poor by the nobles who organized crime in Urx, he will quite likely answer
own the supply of food. Merchants might be rich, that it’s the so-called Iron Arm. They allegedly
but their guilds are usually weakened by inner control the pickpockets, burglars, smuggling…
competition and politics. While the Entertainers anything that’s wrong with Urx is caused by the
have the right to speak on the guild council, they omnipresent Iron Arm.
are commonly thought of as a joke. On the other
hand, the Guild of Tailors and Shoemakers is The Iron Arm is indeed the most powerful crime
poor, but they manage to cooperate better than the syndicate – partly because of the hard work done
merchants, and they can count on windfalls from a generation ago, when a consortium of merchants
noble balls and parties in season. decided to simply buy off the thieves. Their
representative Olar Oldron used their wealth to
Craftsmen’s guilds fare better: The Foundry (or establish a syndicate of their own, protecting the
Consortium of Smiths and Metallurgists) operates Foundry and the selected guilds… but the alliance
in all the cities, since they need to coordinate their no longer stands. The new Iron Arm knew the
engineering efforts and set standards – and it’s said guild masters’ secrets, was strong enough not to
that they control Bastion, the City of Swords. They fear the guards or merchant militias, and smart
have subsumed many allied crafts like jewelers, enough to stay on top.
coppersmiths or bowyers – with the Guild of
Toymakers and Mechanicians resisting. Like many established crime families, they’re also
Woodworkers, like carpenters, shipwrights or trying to make themselves a legitimate company,
coopers, are also quite influential. investing money in banking, sponsoring magisters’
ventures and new inventions. However, since
Some guilds are not just unions, but also serve as most of the established merchants – in particular
institutions of higher learning – most notably the Foundry – remember their origins, they won’t
Chemists, Physicians, Heralds, Stonemasons ever go fully legal, and the current leader, Jador
(which includes engineers and architects), and Oldron, bitterly realizes this. Iron Arm is at the top
magisters’ colleges. Thanks to this, they often – which means that sooner or later they will go
carry some clout in the city politics, but as many tumbling down.
people decide to pursue their craft outside the
guild, they are seldom very powerful. The orders THE FREEMEN
of mercenaries are quite similar; while very useful, Interests: Robbery, burglary, extortion, pick-
their skills are not needed on daily basis, and thus pocketing, horse-theft, shoplifting, entertainment
mercenaries’ guilds at best number a little over a (gambling), property damage, smuggling. The
hundred fighters, with perhaps as many assistants. Freemen hate the slave trade, sometimes attack
legal slave traders, and more rarely are involved in
And naturally, there are less savory guilds of Urx
more complex crimes like embezzlement.
– groups of thieves, beggars, prostitutes, smugglers
and thugs for hire. Let’s take a look at them – Sometimes slaves escape their dreary life. Some
they’re competition for the Pros in the party, their try to stay under the radar by fleeing to the
potential allies and enemies. wilderness – some even survive. But most try to get
to the nearest city, to gain safety in numbers and
THE IRON ARM SYNDICATE the anonymity of the crowd. And sometimes they
Interests: Burglary, fencing, kidnapping, band together – but out of necessity they operate
extortion, embezzlement, loans, slave trade, drug outside of the law. The Freemen are a small guild
grown out of these escaped slaves – although these

54
days they accept many other refugees, including THE BLADESINGERS
renegade magisters. Since slavery is a punishment
Interests: Blackmail, spying, pick-pocketing,
for many crimes, at this point many Freemen are
assassination, extortion, mercenary work, Tower-
simply recidivists, hardened criminals who believe
raiding, mugging, slave trade (press ganging),
that by banding together they can avoid this fate.
entertainment (prize fighting, prostitution).
While the Iron Arm exploits the guilds, Freemen
The Bladesingers started out as a fencing academy
tend to serve as muscle and extort protection
open to independent craftsmen. To defend
money from the independent traders in the market
themselves, the adepts and independent
area. They aren’t joking about “something bad”
entertainers – often musicians – gathered together
happening to the city – they have been known to
in various bands. It didn’t take long for them to
rob independent traders and demolish their
start performing mercenary work, including
buildings recently. Ironically, while this guild has
extortion or serving as muscle in gang wars. But
quite a few worshippers of Justice, they’re
the new guild of Bladesingers included also
currently the major target of the Order.
musician-spies – who performed at the houses of
nobles, guild masters and magisters. They melded
CAVEAT VENDOR these two activities, and managed to stay afloat,
Interests: Blackmail, burglary, con schemes, carving out a violent name for themselves.
embezzlement, forgery, pick-pocketing, Tower-
raiding, kidnapping, vandalism, caravan assaults, Bladesingers have a reputation as thugs for hire,
horse-rustling. CV focuses on long-term gain, and and far less people know them as spies and
refrains from violent crimes which draw too much entertainers. Even fewer know that beyond the
attention, like mugging. primitive techniques of street hooligans the singers
have also mastered real fencing maneuvers, often
Caveat Vendor prey on the rich, and not just surpassing the cocky noble masters. They prefer it
because the poor don’t have anything worth this way – in fact, many of their assassins simply
preying on. In this case, it’s personal, at least in challenge the victim to a duel (not always a fair
part driven by the political beliefs of a charismatic one). This is seen as “fair”; most Singers dislike
shelican known only as Brass Ear. He is a backstabbing assassins or poisoners like Spider
determined cat, blaming the unrestricted power of Sisterhood or greyfurs.
the rich for all the ills of the society of Urx.

Of course, this isn’t a political party in the modern

THE CHARNEL HOUSE
sense – it’s still a mob, and Caveat Vendor still Interests: Assassination, extortion, fencing,
strikes at the poor if the poor happen to be in the kidnapping, loans, Tower-raiding, slave trade,
way. But nevertheless, they rob, burn houses and vandalism.
often murder – and they use the profits to fund
Where the Iron Arm sees business and
some social campaigns, running a printing house
Bladesingers see dueling opportunity, the Charnel
and agitating among the workers. Many CV
House sees victims. This guild arose in Urx after
members believe themselves to be political
the Iron Arm established itself, and the other
activists rather than thieves.
organizations had to find a niche to survive or
They’re a bigger threat to Iron Arm than they are yield to Olar Oldron’s consortium. Charnel House
to the Duke or Merchants’ Guild. They disrupt founder Xim Ximana decided to seize the lowest
order, and while their successes aren’t as of the low – the Weskis and Blackpool. Her main
spectacular, they nevertheless draw too much
attention to Jador Oldron’s operations.

55
 message was one of violence – mess with me and the place and leave. Xim Ximana – now an old
die. And so, Charnel House became known as woman, but as ruthless as ever – has a good eye for
psychotic killers. They’re hated and hunted by all functioning psychopaths. They usually consider
the other guilds and the city watch – they can only being able to massacre bystanders a privilege and
function thanks to the general anarchy in Dead not a requirement. She hires her crazies out, trying
Man’s Row, which they have turned into their hard to corner the market on murderers – her
fortress. Anyone known to belong to a rival guild customers are usually out-of-town bandits and
can be killed on sight in Dead Man’s Row. nobles who want their enemies not terrified and
cowering, but killed. Most guards and thieves
It is Charnel House who can break into the house hope that the Charnel House will be destroyed in
of a commoner, kill him, kidnap his daughter, loot two to three years.

56
 Chapter Seven:
Arcane Matters
This chapter describes the main Arcane Drain Edge for free, regardless of their Rank. This
Backgrounds in the world of Clock and Dagger, version of the Edge also allows them to take a
introducing new powers. Wound (beyond the two usual Fatigue levels) for
+10 PP. This Wound can’t be magically healed,
ARCANE BACKGROUND: BLOODED but can be patched up using Healing skill within
Requirements: Not a shelican. the Golden Hour.

Arcane Skill: Focus (Spirit). Blood of the Immortals: For many magical
effects, blood of the Blooded works like the blood
Starting Power Points: 10 (but see below) of Immortals – if a device needs the blood of an
Immortal to function, the blood of a Blooded will
Starting Powers: 2
be good enough. There are allegedly even
Bloodied or Blooded inherit the powers of their creatures called vampires, feeding on the blood of
Immortal ancestors. In the past they used to lead the Immortals.
mankind, creating the first noble families, but Activation: Most Blooded powers are silent, if
today they are fortunate descendants, used by their you don’t count muscle clenching and strange
family as spies, medics and commanders. The gurgling. To activate their power, the Blooded
name is derived from the three factors: they have need only to focus – it’s an almost natural process
the blood of Immortals flowing in their veins, their that needs to be trained, much like walking or
ancestors killed the Immortals who spawned speaking. They can use their powers when Bound
them, and a lot of their powers seem visceral, or gagged.
based on their blood and control over their own
bodies. Pain and Guts: Most Blooded Powers work only
on living creatures, ignoring automatons. Bolt does
The Bloodied are a valuable resource for their not cast physical missiles, but instead causes the
families – and often just a tool. Blooied seldom sensation of pain in the living mind of a victim. On
become heads of their families despite having led the plus side, this means that it ignores non-
them in the past, and their personal freedom is magical armor. Consider this when determining
sharply limited. Some young Bloodied rebel trappings.
against this treatment, and defect, becoming
Banned Powers:
renegades. Bastard children sharing the gift are not Banish, barrier, beast friend, blast, burst, dispel,
uncommon either. divination, elemental manipulation, havoc, illusion,
intangibility, light/darkness, mind wipe, repair,
In the Blood: Blooded can take Power Points
sound/silence, speak language, telekinesis, teleport.
Edge only once. However, they receive the Soul

57
 ARCANE BACKGROUND: MAGISTER
Arcane Skill: Lore (Smarts).

Starting Power Points: 15

Starting Powers: 2

A magister is someone who studies the work of

Immortals and has gained some degree of
understanding of their magic and magical items.
Unlike the Blooded, they have no innate
supernatural powers. Their abilities are all derived
from external sources – strange devices, elixirs or
learned words or gestures of power that let them
tap into Immortal sorceries.

Most magisters are educated in colleges – these are

institutions of higher learning, and the hidden lore
of the Immortals is but one topic of their courses.
Many magisters are also schooled in history,
medicine and other useful topics – but not always.
An ordinary person who finds an artifact of the
Immortals can, after enough experimentation,
become a magister of sorts.
Arcane Devices: Magisters work similarly to
Shelican magisters do exist and are typically more Weird Science from the SW core book – each of
adventurous than human ones. Since they’re risk- their powers is actually a new techno-magical
takers, they either achieve great things or die Arcane Device they have discovered and
horribly exploring the Towers. In many ways this understood. However, since they do not invent
might be the quickest road for a shelican sage to these themselves, each device is built around some
advance socially and achieve power and influence. invention of the Immortals.

Magister colleges are not just schools – they Rediscovery: Since humans are devoid of natural
function on the level of guilds, and in Urx the magical skills, the only way to gain New Powers
Collegium is a respected guild in the city. is to delve into the Towers of the Immortals, find
Magisters are necessary to service the devices of some of their secrets and learn to use them. This
the Immortals – most importantly the fearsome almost always requires an adventure – at best the
engines that power the guild-owned factories, but PC might try to “borrow” an item from another
also inventions owned by the nobles. Some also magister.
serve as healers, others use their knowledge of
matter and alchemy to manufacture vital objects. This also means that if a gizmo is destroyed, the
For instance, while they can’t shape the character should try to find a new one somewhere
indestructible oldstone, they have learned to in the Towers or in another magister’s or
weave it into armor or even clothing. nobleman’s stash – this shouldn’t be too hard,
since at least you know what these things do, but
it might be problematic. Note that the character
does not invent or build any device – they simply
repurpose found tools. You might hammer a
mechanical servant (summon ally) into a mobile

58
shield (barrier), but GM can veto transforming it Divination means some sort of thinking engine
into darksight or healing! calculating the answer (no contact with spirits),
while summon ally means specific transportable
Activation: To activate most powers, you need a automatons (they might resemble animals, but are
word from the Immortals’ language or a specific machines).
gesture. Usually, this doesn’t break stealth, but
that might depend on the Trapping – an explosive ARCANE BACKGROUND: PALADIN
(burst) that explodes on command might require a Arcane Skill: Faith (Smarts).
shout to activate, but it also might require a button
to be pressed on a control rod. Starting Power Points: 10

Malfunction: The devices can malfunction like Starting Powers: 1

Weird Science devices, losing d4 extra Power
Points on a Critical Failure.

Banned Powers

Most every gadget could exist in the stores of

immortals, the following exceptions usually come
from the specifics of Birthright (for instance, no
demons exist, so you can’t choose banish):

Banish, object reading, resurrection, speak language.

59
 Around eighty years ago, a lesser noble called T HE H ERESY OF THE T WO S ISTERS
Teral Cole had a vision. He found himself naked, Paladins believe in Justice – a personification of the
unarmed in a cruel world, where there was no law principle of the Law, equality before the law and stern
but the law of the strongest. He understood that it principles you should live your life by. However,
was Hell – and that the World was in danger of there’s a rumor of a cult within the Order –
becoming Hell itself. And then he heard the voice worshipping the “sister” of the Goddess, Mercy.
Allegedly, they dull their blades, and often forgive the
of Justice – the vision of everything that's good
unjust provided they repent – and Fal Faolan, the
about the world, of fairness, proper laws and
Commander of the Order, simply won’t have that.
treating people according to their merits and value,
not noble birth or personal wealth. He became the Add beast friend, disguise, divination, empathy
first justicar – simply by taking up his family sword
and illusion to the available powers of the followers of
and setting out to right wrongs in the name of his
Mercy. They often are Minor (at least) Pacifists and
goddess. Amazingly enough, he not only
have the Child of Mercy Edge.
succeeded in his quest, but also found some
adherents, and so the brotherhood of justicars or and so paladins became useful – they usually keep
noble paladins was born, called simply the Order. law and order better than any guardsman, are
uncompromising, and never take bribes. Even if
Paladins are the champions of Justice – a semi- the paladins were foolish enough to actually arrest
anthropomorphized concept of the rule of law, and even execute nobles they found guilty, that is
equality, protecting the innocent and punishing an acceptable cost for having a new kind of
the guilty. Justice is not a kind or merciful goddess, determined guard on the payroll. Most people now
but neither is she vengeance personified. One think of paladins as super-cops.
crucial and strange aspect of justicars is that they
believe that everyone is equal – not in ability or This doesn't mean that paladins are perfect. They
talent, but equal in the eyes of Justice. “One law are fallible, sometimes their judgment is clouded
for all” – this new creed of the paladins became by religious zealotry, and they have a tendency to
relatively popular among the commoners, who attack criminals violently on the spot. However,
wanted justice at least on paper; and even some their religion prohibits them from hurting others
nobles supported it. without reason. It is the paladins who enforce the
idea of rehabilitation – thieves paying back their
Justice is not the creator deity, but rather a force debt to society.
that should guide human behavior – fairness,
honesty and honor are the main principles of the Activation: Paladin powers might require a short
new religion. Cole taught his followers to and visible prayer or calling on the goddess.
approach criminals logically, detach themselves Sometimes there are beams of light emanating
from systems built by mortal nobles and never from them or sounds of thunder rolling. Often,
cease in the pursuit of the Just World – a perfect they might break Stealth. Paladins can’t use their
society which will be built by the adherents of powers when Bound or gagged.
Justice. The religion teaches that the Just World is
achievable in this life, but many justicars believe Banned Powers:
that the just souls join the goddess, and unjust ones Banish, barrier, beast friend, blast, bolt, burrow, burst,
go to Hell where strong devour the weak. disguise, divination, empathy, fly, illusion,
intangibility, mind link, mind reading, mind wipe,
Many nobles might have risen to power on the puppet, repair, resurrection, shape change, speak
slaves' sweat and blood, but the principles of language, summon ally, telekinesis, teleport.
Justice did involve respect for legitimate rulers,

60
 the weapon disappears at the end of the next
round. It is considered a magical weapon.

MODIFIERS
- Allies (+1/each): You can call forth weapons for
your allies for 1 PP each. They all receive the same
weapon you do.

- Defensive (+1): The weapon is quick and useful

for fencing moves, or perhaps you also manifest a
small shield. You also gain +1 to Parry (stacking
with the actual shield bonus or the bonus for
Str+d10 weapon).

REPAIR
Rank: Novice

Power Points: 2

Range: Touch

Duration: Instant

Trappings: Magister: Vial of weird grey goo,

strange tools.

This power can instantly restore most

NEW POWERS uncomplicated objects. It creates new spare parts
which instantly lock into place, but the majority of
CALL WEAPON
the original object must still be present. Cast on
Rank: Novice
Wild Card constructs or objects with multiple
Power Points: Variable Wounds (like many vehicles) it works like the
healing power.
Range: Touch
This power is a blessing to many thieving
Duration: 1 round (2/round) magisters – it restores broken windowpanes, fixes
destroyed locks and can mend broken seals on
Trappings: Magister: ring transforming into secret letters.
weaponized tools. Paladins: Sword of Justice.
Blooded: Bony blades or claws.
EXCEPTIONAL ITEMS
With this power you are never unarmed. A melee Few people can actively create truly magical
weapon appears in your hands, dealing Str+d4 items, but many magisters can harness the power
damage for 2 Power Points. For each 2 PP you can of Immortal-made devices and gadgets. For
increase the weapon’s damage die one step – but example, it seems that Immortals didn't wage war
not beyond d12 (10 PP). Weapons dealing d10 or on each other – all offensive devices used by
d12 damage are considered two-handed, also magisters are repurposed tools. The Birthright
granting you +1 to Parry. For a raise, the weapon allowed the Immortals to change the properties of
also has AP 2. If you don’t maintain the power,

61
 items, and so many objects have mutually A wand that changes the colors of inanimate
exclusive properties – tough and yet easy to shape. objects it touches, a paste that makes everything
taste sweet for an hour, a metal lump that moves
But this is not the only source of magic items in in accordance with the emotions of the person last
Twelve Duchies. Some paladins claim to own holy holding it – while they might have very useful
relics, like paladins’ shields that gain minor applications, in the end they are usually just
powers. Likewise, Bloodied can attune some of curios, especially if they could be replaced by non-
the power in their own blood, and use it in creating magical solutions.
an item. Family swords are tempered in the blood
of the Blooded, and it allegedly forges a link Devices. Devices have a practical, everyday use,
between the Blooded and his house. The most usually a civilian one. Tools that can affect most
common items used by the Blooded are the masks. ordinary materials, indestructible metal, most
A mask of the Blooded grants him +4 to the next items with curative properties. Not all devices are
Spirit test made to use soul drain if he’s passed an beneficial, however – some might have two sides.
Intimidation-based test of wills. They can also A magic flute that helps you relieve mental illness
craft Red Lenses by adding some of their blood to when you listen to it, a pair of shoes that let you
the glass, and some other magical components. briefly levitate or a golden ring that creates an
identical iron ring each day if kept warm – creating
Despite “enchanted blades of the First Ones” an inexhaustible supply of metal… all could be
appearing in countless theater plays, there's no very powerful devices.
solid evidence of even a single such weapon
existing. Still, the Towers offer some interesting Weaponry. Any offensive or defensive device that
rare objects – some are repurposed by magisters, could be used to harm another person, especially
but others are functional on their own. beyond normal human capabilities. Thieves are
also interested in this category – especially since
In general magisters divide Immortal items into this can include devices that could be used for
four categories: espionage. Energy weapons, a staff that makes
brittle objects explode or a magically sharpened
Curios. These are toys, items that either don't
scalpel able to cut through all armor serving as a
have a practical use or aren't fully understood.
spear head could all be useful.
They can make interesting decorations, and many
are indestructible. In many ways, they're usually Game-Changers. These are the kinds of objects
toys for the aristocrats. However, the Immortals that could revolutionize the world. The
didn't create them as toys for themselves, and most aforementioned perpetual motion machines
items in this category probably have some hidden pulled the Duchies into an industrial revolution,
purpose. Some might help taking care of an animal and magisters are hoping to discover the secrets of
the Immortals haven't created yet, and some might reprogramming automatons. A device that would
require a conceptual jump. For instance, for allow large-scale creation of living beings or one
decades a small screw that constantly turned in that would allow mind-reading even to a single
place was considered to be an irrelevant curio – persn would be a game-changer.
until someone realized that as small it might be,
it's still a perpetual motion machine that now
powers a massive factory.

62
Clock and Dagger is a noir urban fantasy setting, the Immortals or their creator were involved –

Chapter Eight:
Gamemastering
Clock and Dagger
based on various modern and classic works. This perhaps with some latent Blooded gift.
chapter looks at the classic tropes we used in the
creation of the world. WEIRD SCIENCE
Our science is based on the magic powers of the
TOWNS OF MISFITS Immortals – steam power or gunpowder aren’t
The cities of Cloak and Dagger are improbably necessary when you can have eternally powered
large, sustained by long-forgotten technology and automatons. People are meddling with science
bungling human inventors. Beyond the cities there they do not understand – but as long as they get
are vast farmlands to support the urban citizens, results, they don’t care. The chemistry is mostly
and beyond them, a vast untouched, unexplored sound – but it’s derived from studies of impossible
wilderness. The cities feel wrong, warped, built by materials.
the mysterious precursors, while humans and
shelicans don’t fully use their available resources. COPS AND ROBBERS
The factories are inefficient, but the industrial It took the age of Enlightenment to introduce the
revolution powered by magic shows no signs of idea of justice as something independent from the
slowing down. The powerful guilds need to face will of the ruler. In C&D, we have paladins who
the nascent industry – and the revolution might be worship this abstract, divine idea – in the weird
unavoidable. In many ways the world resembles feudal world of noble rulers, they are promoting
the beginning of the nineteenth century – industry objective right and wrong. The paladins are there
is already there but the revolution is sure to come. to provide the PCs with the modern idea of
“fairness”. In short, the paladins are what we think
WEIRD MAGIC now of cops.
Magic is something that humans can’t fully
comprehend. Humans might have been created by This does not mean that they’re good, objective
magic, whether grown from debased Immortal and perfect, much like the modern police aren’t.
stock or by enhancing ordinary animals… either But they know that their role is not to defend the
way, magic is something humans can at best power of the nobles… although some of them
haphazardly control based on their heritage as the think that their own Order is above the law. Are
Blooded do, or scavenge bits and pieces of your paladins a thin blue line that tries to keep the
forgotten sorceries. There might be other roads to peace, or brutal tyrants in uniforms? And
power - it’s still not known how the paladins access remember, even though they might be “lawful
their holy magic. We assume that at some point guys”– they’re still at the opposite side to the

63
 players. They’re not nice, and they might be as SECRETS AND SOCIETIES
brutal as any real-world police.
The world runs on mysteries and secrets.
Sometimes, the most valuable loot is not physical,
DECADENT SOCIETY but knowledge. What is Jador Oldron hiding,
In theory nobles are advised to kill their slave what happened to the Immortals, what are the
mistresses to ensure they won't bear illegitimate savage shelicans… and to discover the answers to
Bloodied. In practice, they often avoid that, siring these these questions means to control the world.
bastards who are sometimes conscripted into the This is why people who know something band
service of the house (very rarely, they may even be together. We have magisters, ancient vampires,
adopted). Many nobles either obey and enforce guilds or noble houses – but also thieves’ guilds
draconian laws or give in to corruption – and the which can grow to become city-wide conspiracies.
same goes for the non-noble leaders, like the bribe- Everyone wants to learn what you know – trust no
taking guild leaders or city guard. one and play your cards close to your chest.

No one will do anything out of the good of their ANTI-HEROES

heart for the player characters – unless they In the modern urban fantasy story, the protagonist
actively work to make the world a better place… is often unsavory, with a mysterious past. They
and why should they? might be a rogue with a heart of gold – but a rogue
nonetheless. We added a couple of options like the
MONSTERS AND MISFITS Goals, the low status of professional assassins, and
The monsters in the world of Clock and Dagger are a code of honor for guilds to keep the PCs from
more likely to be put to work for the heirs of their slipping into darkness…
Immortal creators – they’re guard dogs, cleaners …but again, they live in the darkness. And it is
or sources of labor. But once in a while their cool to be the outcast, the rogue, the thief, so you
unnatural nature resurfaces, and they turn out to should allow the Player Characters to be shrouded
be savage beasts. There are other stranger in shadows and perform unsavory actions. In real
creatures lurking in the wilds, but in general world, we don’t want to be criminals. It’s a dark
monsters were created to keep humans and path, remind it to your players, and be sure
shelicans in line. everyone is responsible enough to handle complex
themes. We didn’t put a “mature” warning on this
setting, because it’s the PC that make the
difference, not the world.

64
THE HEIST The security is also important. In general, the
Loot itself has two layers of protection. The direct
The first heroic fantasy novel was a heist story. An one is generally the immediate security – it’s kept
ordinary person has skills that make him a burglar in a safe, in a public view, or is worn by the
to a rag-tag group of suspicious survivors armed Countess at all times. The indirect one is the
with unique information on the mark. Together, general vicinity – usually a building or a place it’s
they travel to the mark, meeting other groups who kept in. Sometimes the Loot can be dangerous by
also want to seize the loot, including the local itself – a powerful artefact or even a beast (or a
authorities. The protagonist needs to overcome his person).
background, learn how to act like a rogue, get
along with his companions and sneak into the lair To get the Loot, you need to get in, defeating the
to get away with a valuable object. It was of course obstacles, grab the Loot, and run away – and each
The Hobbit. of these stages should have their own immediate
dangers, which the GM should create.
In a sense, most dungeon crawls to this day are
burglaries – you remove a valuable object from a FAIL FORWARD
well-guarded place, bypassing guards and The heist stories are exciting – on TV. The plan
obstacles. Normally, however, a typical party does always succeeds – but what if the PCs botch the
not care about stealth and not being noticed. In a initial Lockpicking roll and don’t enter the
civilized society, the valuable objects are protected building at all? Well, first of all, there’s always an
by the law and the capabilities of the owner. alternative route – through the roof, in disguise or
by smashing the windows. But second, remember
When creating a heist story, first determine what
to always look beyond – do they make a
the Loot – the valuable object – is, and who owns
Lockpicking roll to enter the house quickly? If so,
it at the moment. You also need to determine
failure meant that they opened it – but it took a lot
where it is and how to reach it.
of time. Silently? The door is open but they gain
What is the Loot? It doesn’t have to be a pile of one level of Heat. Remember also that the failure
jewels – people don’t steal things simply because doesn’t have to be immediate. Things can always
they’re valuable, but because other people want bite you in the butt when you have it exposed.
them. You might want a big pile of jewels – to buy
medicine, to pay your debts, to build an even THE CON
greater thieves’ guild… but why these jewels
The con is more or less exactly like the heist story,
specifically? Well, the answer might be more
but totally different. Instead of stealing a valuable
interesting if they are also a noble lady’s dowry. In
object, you steal the trust of the mark, causing
general, the best heist stories aren’t about
them to part with your ultimate goal willingly.
McGuffins, but about specific loot that actually
There are many con schemes out there, but usually
sees use in the plot.
all rely on getting in your mark’s good graces. It
Who controls the Loot and why? Usually, heist has been said that you can’t cheat an honest man
stories work best when the PCs are rogues with – and it’s true… to an extent. Cons exploit greed
hearts of gold – and their opponent, the victim of and willingness to take unnecessary risk, after all.
the crime who, in a normal world, we would
To begin a con you need some leverage. Usually
empathize with, is a flawed, nasty character. In
the victim is convinced they are making a good
Clock and Dagger we have corrupt nobles, greedy
deal or scamming the scammer. In what’s
guild functionaries, fanatical paladins and cruel
currently the most famous scam the victims are
vampires. What’s important is that they are – or at
convinced that they can obtain vast amounts of
least once were – human.
money if they invest in the rescue of a wealthy,
imprisoned person – a deposed African prince, for

65
 instance. Money for bribes! It seems ridiculous, all the magicians have spells and powers to track
but thousands of people fall for it. you down. You either need to leave some red
herrings or discourage the victim from pursuing
Many cults prey on the weak and vulnerable – and you: sometimes lethally.
so do the con artists. They need to befriend their
mark and find a weak spot – often using methods THE TWIST: SOMETHING GOES
not unlike modern psychology. That’s another
reason we asked the PCs for a Goal – their victims WRONG
also have some deep desires for their own reasons In RPGs we’re used to the fact that low skill (or
(and nothing stops the GM from planting a con on poor “character build”) and external dice roll
the anti-heroes themselves). Find the Goal and results can cause unpredictable twists, failures and
motivation of your opponent and use those against dramatic complications. This is one of the greatest
them… and then you can strike. Lord Najar wants things about tabletop roleplaying: it’s
to marry off his daughter? Why? His motivation is unpredictable. In heist stories something should go
security for his family? Present yourself as a wrong – as exciting it is to watch the perfect
visiting noble from another city, show off your execution of a plan, it’s even more exciting to
money, insert a couple of plants that recognize watch the characters scramble to improvise a
your wealth and fame… and access to the Najar solution to an unforeseen problem.
Tower is yours.
In dramatic stories this usually means the so-called
Giving the mark what they want or need is a vital “third act twist” – a dramatic turn just before the
component of any con – and you will have to craft finale. You don’t have to enforce it mechanically
elaborate schemes to do that. Impersonating much: there’s always something that the PC don’t
another person, falsifying documents… some know. In the world of thieves all the characters are
audacious thieves may rent out an entire building liars and won’t do anything for free… and the
to create a “just-established” guild out of nothing. heroes’ information might be faulty.

And a crucial aspect of the con is disappearing –

after all, you were seen, you used documents and

I NSPIRATIONS
A lot of the feel of humans settling ruins of abandoned civilization comes from the excellent Locke
Lamora series by Scott Lynch. The feel of cities inhabited by various factions comes straight from China
Mieville’s Bas-Lag. The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher were also a major inspiration and a lot of the
swashbuckling feel can be found in his Cinder Spires series. Michael Stackpole’s Cartomancy inspired
some of the Duchies and the Bloodied are drawn from Brandon Sanderson’s Mistborn.

Thieves’ Guilds are based on Fritz Leiber’s Lankhmar … but the unusual gadgets and politics of the
city are inspired by Terry Pratchett’s Discworld.

The classic novels dealing with industrialization are of course Dickens’ Oliver Twist, David
Copperfield, Great Expectations. Pratchett’s Dodger toys with Dickensian motifs (and is based on
Henry Mayhews’ The London Labour and The London Poor). Jules Verne portrays inventions
and resourceful protagonists. If you have a chance, read something by the Polish writer Bolesław Prus
– The Doll, or his short stories.

A major influence was of course the Thief Trilogy of video games (and the recent
remake/reboot/sequel), but also more recent works like Dishonored, Assassin’s Creed, Fable,
Seven and the Bioshock series.

66
Remember, you don’t always have to screw the Who did create the world? Where did Immortals come
players – one of the laziest twists is an enemy from? Were they aliens – from another planet or
fleeing with their payment or an ally betraying the another dimension?
heroes. In fact, the characters can fail because of
their own deficiency – you can use previous Immortals were blessed with a great, reality-
failures to show up in a more climactic moment. shaping power we call magic. While individual
A paladin investigator arrives because he Immortals were powerful, they could pool their
recognized the PCs who failed their Stealth roll a power together, locking it in devices. Some of
couple of days ago. these were minor tools, others were able to focus
innate energies to increase their magic power.
Their Towers were built according to geomantic
MYSTERIES REVEALED principles and can focus superhuman energies in
Instead of giving you answers to the mysteries of potent rituals. Effects like the silence in Eas and
the world, we have decided to give you a list of the trees of Wyrdwood are side effects of this
questions. There are some assumptions we have world-shaking power.
made – but there are still some fill-in-the-blanks
Was their magic innate? Could you unlock it
spaces you could use to run your own adventures.
somehow? Was it granted by the creator of the
Immortals were real. A strange, humanoid race of Immortals?
beings inhabited the world for centuries, but they
Immortals were initially infertile – there were
did not create it. Most animals and plants in the
about a couple of hundred of them. They
world are natural products of evolution… or
earlier creation. eventually managed to figure out a way to create
offspring using complex alchemy, and eventually
they and the second-generation Immortals came

67
 up with a weakened creature – that was deadly spell – one that would kill the Immortals.
nevertheless somewhat intelligent and could breed And this single traitor is now known as Omega.
very quickly. Humans are in many ways the
deformed offspring of the Immortals – or, if you What was Omega’s price? Why did she survive? What
want to be generous, an improvement. was she trying to achieve? Why doesn’t she rule the
world? Or does she?
Why can’t humans use magic? Or can they?
Even though the modern noble families speak of
The Immortals used humans to build and toil for deadly clashes of armies and of epic duels of their
them, while they themselves worked on a massive ancestors challenging the gods to swordfights,
project – using the geomantic power of the Towers most of the fighting took place between the rebels
and monuments erected in certain places, they and loyalists, disheartened after their masters died.
could magnify their magic a hundredfold. Some Some of the second generation artificial Immortals
gave in to decadence, treating humankind as didn’t die – instead they changed into ghosts of
pawns in massive games, others even requiring sorts, now called moonshadows.
mortal worship for pleasure. The second
generation of Immortals gave in to carnal What happened to Immortals’ bodies? Who defended
pleasures – creating the Immortal-blooded them and how? Can the Towers destroy mankind? Has
humans, a new caste of leaders and supervisors. anything happened to humans?

What was the Immortals’ end goal? Were the Towers One explanation for the powers of the paladins is
involved in shaping the world? that Omega activated her Tower, granting them
the ability to perform miracles.
Humans started to rebel, creating secret societies
and bands of slaves. Eventually, they recruited Why? Is the goddess Justice just a blind force, another
several Blooded into their ranks…who had a plan facet of Omega or perhaps an anthropomorphic mind,
to overthrow it. They only needed to talk one an artificial magical intelligence? What is Mercy –
Immortal into using the Towers’ magic to cast a another aspect? A human layer on the stern Justice?

68
 Chapter Nine:
Tales from the City
of Thieves
This series of adventures is a short arc about a “There’s this girl. Name’s Dina Dasoni. A
revolt in the Order. The PCs will have the magister, she’s kind of an expert on magical
opportunity to change the world and bring the machines and the like. Currently, she’s working
worship of the Second Sister – Mercy – to light, by for the Nander family, building… something for
performing a couple of heists and fights. them. The people I work for would like to obtain
her services. The girl needs to be unharmed.
They’d love if you actually talked her into going
IN SEARCH OF THE with you willingly – because coercion would not
MAGISTER make her cooperative. You should protect Dasoni
once you extract her from the Nander mansion.”
The would-be Pros are contacted by Min Wah, a
shelican trader in illegal goods. Min is a black- Min explains that the Bladesingers have tried to
furred male feline, allegedly connected to the break her out already – no survivors means no
Bladesingers, and he is looking for “good men for report, but the informers claim that an automaton
a bad job”. He has decided to meet the thieves in destroyed the first party, while the second could
a safe place – he can choose either a tavern in the have been stopped by the guards. This is mostly
Weskis district or a bakery where he has a day job, true – but Min Wah works for Jador Oldron who
and will tell them about a highly profitable task… in turn works with the Vihan family, he’s never
been with the Bladesingers. Dasoni’s kidnapping
“The people I am working for”, he starts, twirling
will be profitable, but they don’t want to waste the
a large golden ducat coin between his fingers,
lives of their own men anymore.
“Have a problematic task – highly risky, and
profitable. We have attempted it twice with our He wants the players to take care of the entire
own crew, and they never returned. So, we are kidnapping – he is going pick her up at the tavern
looking for desperate people ready to take on a called Black Roach, one of the dives directly under
dangerous task. You game?” the Scorpion General monument. The PC will
receive ten times the normal amount of money:
It’s patently obvious (Notice +4) that Min is lying.
100 ducats per PC. But if they fail, no one is
If pressed, he will not explain himself, but admit
coming to save them, and if the girl dies, the
that “of course there’s a trick”. He continues,
characters will die as well. The only advice he can
delighted by the PC’s attention.
give the heroes is the location of the Nander

69
 mansion – the heroes should take care of the entire portrait gallery on the ground floor. Asking for the
mission alone. He can begrudgingly agree to pay floor plans in the Guild of Stonemasons requires
the characters 10 ($100) ducats per PC now – he either a decent (2d6x10 ducats) bribe, a document
knows that Iron Arm will certainly track them with a Nander seal, or a successful Investigation
down if they skip town. roll. Persuasion alone won’t do much.

If the PCs secured the funds, combined with their The sprawling mansion is placed in the suburbs of
own money, they should have enough to hire Urx. The area of the noble house is surrounded by
some help and get a simple hideout – creating a a wall 10 feet high, patrolled by Novice Guards
guild for 50 ducats total. It might be useful in the and dogs, behind which lies a carefully maintained
kidnapping itself. Pick an Achievement the heroes park. At night, the noble inhabitants and guests
have selected for their guild and let them use it in sleep on the upper floors, while the guards circle
their plan. the gardens and parks, based in a guardhouse near
the main entrance.
THE KIDNAPPING
It’s easy to scale the walls. The park provides
Forming a guild will be useful – the Pros can
plenty of places to hide at night; once the thieves
gather intelligence on the mansion via a simple
bypass the guards patrolling the walls, they don’t
Networking roll (+2), or having useful Contacts.
have to make Stealth rolls. There is always some
Any attempt at scouting allows them to learn that
movement on the mansion’s grounds – they could
Dasoni is now found mostly in the basement,
impersonate a servant or a maid to slip past the
occasionally leaving for a shopping trip,
guards… but the servants know each other very
accompanied by a couple of guards. She is not a
well and any bluffing attempt won’t work.
guest in the normal sense, for example she has not
been seen at any parties. A success on the The default Heat in the mansion and the
Persuasion roll will tell the anti-heroes that the surroundings is +1 (there have been two failed
basements are best entered from kitchens or the kidnaping attempts already). The guards in the

70
garden are relatively inexperienced, and won’t • Through the Servants’ Entrance. The
alert other guards unless it becomes clear that the door is locked (but there’s no penalty to
PCs are thieves. Civilians’ actions vary, most will Thievery), and there’s a couple of
scream (Heat +1) and run away. shelican scullery boys sleeping inside,
right next to it. You can easily get to the
• Guard: Novice Guards, around 8 are kitchens from there, but draw a card – a
awake at any given shift, with 16 servant appears if it is red. The entrance
sleeping and resting. to the basement is in the kitchens, but
• Dogs: About 12. there’s always a cook there, though she
• Servants: Commoners, at least 30 of them. might not initially notice the Pros, being
• Nander Nobles: About 12 hanger-ons busy with preparing breakfast for the
and leeches who serve Lord Dar Nander next day.
and are capable of fighting. They are • The Gallery: The gallery can also be
usually sound asleep and won’t accessed through the servants’ quarters,
intervene. (draw a card, a red one means a servant,
while a red face card means a guard) or
There are numerous routes to Dasoni’s basement through the main hall. Here there are
workshop, and here are some example approaches trophies and paintings, some of which
the criminals can take. If you want to, you can are small enough to be pocketed (and
draw a map, but it’s not necessary – focus more on can be sold for around 2d6x50 ducats).
action scenes than the layout of the rooms. The gallery branches off, and a small
side door leads to the workshop.
Do not roll Notice for Extras when they’re trying
to spot the thieves – let the heroes make a single
Supported Stealth roll as a group. Failure means
THE BASEMENT
that they will eventually be noticed. When the After a series of failed experiments, Ms Dasoni has
heroes specifically try to sneak up on a Wild Card, been moved from the guest apartments to the
then you can roll their Notice. basement – all the servants and guards know that.
Currently she lives and works there, and is
• Through the Main Entrance: The main overseen by six guards, sleeping in shifts. At the
doors are locked (-2 to Thievery), and moment only two guards are up and armed, one
protected by an alarm set up by a accompanies the magister watching over her
magister – snake eyes on the Thievery shoulder, another one patrols the basement,
roll will make it blare out with the sound utterly bored. Every two hours there’s a shift
of a wild beast, raising Heat by +2.The change for the guards. If the Heat level is at least
main hall is unguarded, but draw a card +3, however, all the guards are awake and armed.
when the PCs enter: a face card means a The five novice guards are commanded by a
servant is walking across it, either to use veteran sergeant, Axon Nol, but he’s asleep now.
the toilet or run a late night errand. You
can get from there to the servants’ Behind the pantry, wine storage and ice room, a
quarters and the kitchens or use the spare vault has been converted into a magister’s
gallery entrance to the wine basement. lab. Even though Dina has a room on the second
There’s also a secret passage in the floor, she sleeps and eats here now, working on
chimney, but few people know about it. some automatons. She’s currently awake and
• Through the Window: If everything else
fails, Pros can break a window,
automatically getting inside but raising
Heat by +1.

71
 fiddling with prototypes. One guard observes her mind PCs killing the guards but she’ll protest any
constantly, another one paces from the entrance in wide-scale damage or explosion.
the gallery to the pantry, resting every couple of
minutes, whistling something. • Guards: 5 novice guards plus one veteran
guard (Axon Nol). 2 of them are armed,
PCs sneaking in automatically hear his footsteps, but do not carry halberds at the moment.
and the frustrated Dina Dasoni ranting while she • Dina Dasoni: Docent, Wild Card, add
fixes things. The guard keeping an eye on Dasoni boost trait power.
looks to see whether his colleague is around every
few minutes. If the patrolling guard doesn’t come THE COUNTER OFFER
back in a couple of minutes, the one overseeing Dasoni actually wants to be kidnapped; however,
Dasoni will wake up another guard and tell him to she does not prefer Puchas over Nanders, and
put on his armor, get a halberd, and go look for when the situation settles, she will make the Pros
him. If he doesn’t come back, the sensible guard a counteroffer. While working for Nanders, she
(officer material, really) will wake up the sergeant had access to the family’s research and worked on
and the rest. the mechanisms powering the mechanical
guardians of Omega. Nanders wanted her to build
The workshop is crowded with various parts of
or at least reprogram the Automatons – but Dasoni
automatons and badly lit, so the PCs might have
has an idea on her own… or so it seems.
their own ideas on how to play this, but remember
that the Nanders really don’t want to lose Dina Dasoni would like the PCs to work with her:
Dasoni and she wouldn’t let herself get killed… instead of giving her to Pucha family, they could
go with her to the Reaching Arm, the Tower of
But when the PCs face her, she won’t resist at all,
Omega. She has made massive progress on
and in fact will be pleased to leave. She won’t

72
understanding various mechanisms of the • Magisters: 1 magister per 3 characters.
Immortals, and thinks she’ll be able to the control • Bodyguards: 1 thug per magister
the mechanical guardians of a certain cut-off floor.
The loot there might vary – it might be gold and Most of the Tower’s floors are strewn with
jewels, it might be magical artifacts, it might be destroyed furniture, columns and monuments to
lore of the Immortals. And in any case, she’ll be Immortals, destroyed by the Liberation and
free to skip town afterward (she has decided to generations of magisters who have explored the
break her connections to the Collegium and tower for centuries, but nothing valuable can be
become a renegade). found here.

If they refuse, good for them. Min Wah and a Dina goes on, climbing up, using stairways,
small group of men are waiting at the Black Roach blocked ladders and secret passages, finally
inn, where the PCs were supposed to leave Dina. reaching a cut-off section. She presents the heroes
They have half of the promised reward on them, with a tool she’s been working on – it mimics some
saying they will return the rest when the girl’s safe of the traits of automatons, and should be able to
at Puchas. In fact, Oldron has given them the open the previously blocked door. Soon or later
funds, but they don’t expect the heroes to succeed. the heroes will activate a guard – two mechanical
assassins hidden above the ceiling, activated when
Min Wah’s men don’t want to pay the party at all someone entered this closed-off zone.
- there’s no honor among these thieves,
apparently. If the anti-heroes hand Dina to them, The machines are programmed to corner the
they will smirk and take her, refusing to pay. If the characters once they reach a dead end – like a
Pros insist, the thieves will attack. The PCs can gateway Dina wants to open. The PCs can spot
simply shrug and leave – Dina will find a way to them with a Notice roll opposed by their Stealth
free herself, and ask them one more time, if the d8. If they have Danger Sense, they can even
characters treated her reasonably well. ambush the monsters before they ambush the
heroes – and if they don’t spot them, the creatures
• Thieves: 1 novice thief per PC minus one. will attack once Dina starts looking for the secret
• Min Wah: Wild Card shelican (Agility door. Luckily she will find it in four rounds, and
d8) thug. the PCs will be able to leave the robots behind as
they leave through it.

THE TOWER • Mechanical Assassins: two mechanical

The tower is usually guarded by magisters, who servants, Stealth d8, armed with short
are exploring the ruined remnants of Immortal blades (Str+d4, AP 1).
arcane lore, hiring various adventurous
mercenaries. Heat level is -1, but if the PCs have The passage leads to a large chamber with dozens
killed someone in the manor it is 0 – people could of mechanical warriors, and a large worktable with
have heard about the attack. Dina believes that she one still being assembled. Dina’s eyes glow
can bluff her way through – but she might always excitedly and she squeals like a little girl.
be recognized as a renegade. If the PCs let Dina do
“This is it,” Dina whispers. She starts delivering
the talking, they’ll enter the tower… but someone
belated exposition as she reconstructs the
made a mental note of her, and Nander family
machine. “Every five or six floors there was an
guards might arrive later in the adventure. The
automaton workshop… but they had to build them
PCs can save the situation with a glib lie, a
somewhere. And program them, too. How they
successful Persuasion roll or by simply grabbing
move… how they reason… I can make them obey
Dina and running into the tower. It’s probably best
your will… I think. There should be the parts I
to stay out of sight.
need for the device here.”

73
 Apparently, Dina learned from the Nanders a
way to activate some of the machines… and wants
to do that. In a couple of minutes, she constructs a
remote control of sorts – a panel with buttons with
images of mechanical servants digging, building or
floating and strange runes of the Immortals on it –
and starts using it on the machines. It affects the
three warriors in the room, and makes them obey
her every order.

Once she starts doing this, the PCs hear bashing

from outside. Instead of the mechanical servants
from before, the workshop will be attacked by a
small squad of paladins.

Their leader, a fat mustachioed man in chainmail,

Porg Krunk, approaches Dasoni with a naked
blade, “I see you have started what we wanted you
to do. Are you with us or against us?”

THE PLAN
The paladins have approached Dina before; they
are loyal to the master of the Order - Fal Faolan,
who wants to replace the heretical and suspect
paladins with perfect machines.

If the PCs gave Dina to Min Wah, it was they who

freed her as she tried to recruit the heroes again.
Dina is not a worshipper of Justice and all she • Automatons: 3 Mechanical Guardians,
promised Faolan was to “think about his offer” – under Dina’s (potentially the players’)
what she really cares about is the discovery, and command
the fame control over the automatons will bring.
The paladins want to seize Dina – freeing her from The paladins let the PCs slide with trespassing or
the Nanders, the Iron Arm syndicate and the kidnapping (after all, if they delivered Dina to the
heroes, and bringing her to the true light of Justice. paladins, their only crime was burglary, which was
justified by freeing an innocent), but if they
If PCs befriended Dina, and don’t want to murdered innocents in the mansion or attacked the
abandon her, the paladins turn hostile. Dina might magisters, the justicars attack. They will say
go with the paladins, but the heroes can convince something to the effect of “We work for Master
her to do otherwise – she isn’t loyal to the paladins, Fal Faolan directly, there’s no one stopping us.”
but she tipped them off to follow her “just in case”.
In short, if the players don’t side with Dina the
• Paladins: 1 paladin acolyte per PC plus 1 paladins fight the heroes, while Dina flees the
Wild Card champion (Porg Krunk) scene and is now lost somewhere in Urx with a
• Dina Dasoni: Docent, Wild Card. She powerful weapon.
may act on the PC’s side if they
roleplayed the friendship well! BACK TO SQUARE ONE
By now, the heroes have hopefully founded their
own guild, have their own connections and can

74
look for Dina or maybe even reach Fal Faolan. • Veteran Guards (1 per PC -1), without
Breaking into a Tower was definitely worth an halberds.
Achievement. • Nila Nilanar Vihan, Blooded Officer,
armed with a heavy crossbow
In the meantime, let the heroes work on their own
Goals or take a side job or two. The players might Dina, as usual, flees – but this time to the roof. The
try to smooth things out with the Iron Arm Vihans want to kill her – and she’s not keen about
themselves – this could be tricky if the characters the whole dying deal. Play this out as a Chase -
killed Min Wah and some of the guild’s men, since the Vihans want to kill Dina, it’s a Dogfight.
although if the PCs provide some proof that he Select 4 cards to represent roofs – being pushed
tried to double-cross them, the Iron Arm might be down from them means the PCs must make an
surprisingly lenient. That is, as long as the PCs Agility roll to catch themselves in time or they fall
don’t try to step on the Iron Arm’s operations or from a height of 45 feet. The Vihan men and
turf. The Order will start to look for the heroes – women are going to shoot crossbows at Dina and
but mostly to interrogate them about Dina Dasoni. any PCs that are in the way.

Finally, the PCs learn that Dina has hidden Dina will climb upwards – she and the other PCs
herself, like many outcasts, in the Scorpion can use Athletics as the maneuvering Trait,
Queen’s shadow. She’s been selling weird devices clinging to the metal and oldstone statue of the
in exchange for damaged automatons or power Scorpion to get on its back. She won’t die from a
sources – and in secrecy, she’s working on her new fall, but she can be shot. If she manages to get to
arcane device. the Scorpion’s back (by scoring three successes
and raises), she then runs to the middle, near the
The magister has, in fact, made a mad hypothesis
stinger, hoping to activate her device and awaken
and wants to test it! She’s convinced that the
the massive golem.
Scorpion General is in fact a giant Automaton and
that she can control it. Technically, she’s wrong, To her surprise, nothing happens, and the
the General is a piece of artwork created by the Scorpion General is just a statue… (maybe). The
slave labor of humans and the magic of runes on her tablet change rapidly to show an
Immortals… but it does have a powerful inscription she doesn’t understand – but a
advantage – the monument can act as an antenna, successful Lore roll will help the player understand
effectively amplifying her control. that “something just increased”, “due to
magnification”. As the PCs dispatch the Vihans,
But this is something the PCs can learn – as they
perhaps pushing them off the Scorpion’s back,
go to Dasoni’s room, which she rents on the top
some screams and shouts from down below will
floor of a ramshackle wooden shanty house under
reveal that a small number of automatons from all
the General’s carapace. On their way, they’re
over the district are moving towards the
accosted by various beggars and observers (and if
monument. Dina now controls all the automatons
they tried to keep a low profile something
in the area – but since this is Blackpool, there are
doubtless happens to help them blow their cover),
only a handful of these machines around.
but nothing out of the ordinary happens.
Dina asks the PCs to get her somewhere safe
Dina is in a poor, dirty room, once again strewn
(escorted by three automaton servants – whose
with automaton parts. If she and the PCs parted
owners, including guildmasters, might be very
on good terms she’ll be pleased to see them, and
angry), to mull things over, perhaps to the heroes’
even start explaining to them her theory about the
guild. If one of the PCs is a magister, she’ll ask him
Scorpion Queen… but before she manages to
what has expanded the range of her remote
finish, she’s attacked by a party of Vihan
commandos. They wanted to obtain her services,
now they’re just angry and want to kill her.

75
 control. Eventually she comes to the realization Towers – they have horses so it’s hard to overtake
that climbing higher or using other Immortal- them.
connected locations will help her extend the range.
Luckily for the heroes, the Towers in the
She’s not the only one who thinks so – Fal Faolan Government district are the headquarters of the
has magisters working for him, and cultists have government, and the guards will clash with the
noticed some chaos in Blackpool. He has men paladins, holding up Faolan’s forces for long
working in the Towers – and he bets on the Towers enough for the heroes to catch up with the justicars
in the Government district, the Three Towers, – as they enter the Tower. In fact, if you want to,
palace of the Duke. Indeed, this is what Dina will some of the guards could join the heroes to help
choose – neither Fal Faolan nor Dina are too keen them dispatch Faolan’s minions in the Tower
on encountering Omega. itself. Perhaps even the Red Panthers could
intervene.

THE FINAL CONFRONTATION If the characters didn’t let themselves be surprised

Fal Faolan will hedge his bets – and if the PCs and can get to the Towers first, that’s not as good
delay undertaking their mission to the Three for them since they have to bluff their way past the
Towers straight away (after all, this is just Dina’s guards, climb the Tower (which is now mostly
theory and they owe little to her), he will attack picked clean, and Dina can activate a couple of
their headquarters after a couple of days, intending automatons to help her out). In this case, Faolan
to seize Dasoni’s device. If that’s impossible, he follows the heroes – and now he can bluff his way
will stake the PCs out. in to defeat them.

• Acolytes: 2 per PC. In any case, Faolan will do anything to seize the
• Paladin Knight: 1 per “fighter-type” PC, remote. If he does so, he will order the automatons
at least one Wild Card leader. to kill everyone involved, including his own men,
and begins his plan to replace all paladins with
The justicars don’t care about Dina this time, but automatons. He might survive the events and even
they won’t take prisoners – if the characters know retain his position in the Order, depending on how
the doctrine of Justice this is definitely unusual. this adventure plays out.
They might kill Dina off if this helps them escape.
They will seize the remote and run toward the • Fal Faolan: Paladin champion (fallen
paladin)

76
 Chapter Ten:
Opponents
There are many creatures from other Savage Skills: Athletics d6, Fighting d6, Intimidation d6,
Settings you can use. Remember, however, that in Notice d6.
the Twelve Duchies death is quite likely final, and Pace: 6; Parry: 5; Toughness: 6 (1)
few people beyond the Order believe in the Edges: None.
Hindrances: Mean, Wanted.
afterlife. If you want to use Undead creatures, you
Gear: Leather armor (+1), short sword (Str+d6).
might want to flavor them as weird creations of the Special Abilities:
Immortals, animated by some weird life support • Savage Hounds: As Guild achievement.
mechanisms, perhaps replacing the Undead ability
with Construct.
PROFESSIONAL
Demons and spirits might be easier to justify. Once you decide to advertise yourself as a
While Immortals did not “contact another plane”, professional killer, you need to maintain an image.
many of the serfs still believe in malicious demons. Many assassins have a sort of a calling card, others
Besides, it's your world – who knows where the try to employ only flashy or discreet methods of
Immortals went? murder. Regardless of their methodology, they are
still cold-blooded killers; and there are also some
people who believe that killing an assassin makes
ASSASSINS you the new king of the hill.
It bears reiterating: most thieves look down on Customization: Butcher (causes Fear rolls
contract killers, the same way murderers look whenever he murders a victim, Hard to Kill),
down on people who hurt children. The guilds Sniper (increase Shooting to d12, add Marksman
don’t take contracts for hits (though they do kill and Steady Hands Edges, add pneumatic rifle to
people sometimes), but assassins are still present in gear).
society. There are groups of assassins – the greyfur
dynasties or the Black Spiders of Palhuk – but Attributes: Agility d10, Smarts d8, Spirit d6,
Strength d8, Vigor d8
they’re almost always even more secretive than the
Skills: Athletics d6, Fighting d8, Intimidation d10,
thieves’ guild. Investigation d8, Notice d8, Persuasion d8,
Shooting d8, Stealth d8, Thievery d6
THUG Pace: 6; Parry: 6; Toughness: 6
The popular image of an assassin is a dark-clad Edges: Assassin, Extraction, Level-Headed, No
professional… but a professional killer can be Mercy, Trademark Weapon.
simply a guy who jumps at a mark who’s walking Hindrances: Cautious, Wanted.
his dog and clubs him to death. Gear: Disguise, long sword (Str+d8), short bow
(2d6), throwing blades (Str+d4).

Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d4, Spirit d6,

THE BLOODED
Strength d8, Vigor d6

77
 The progeny of the Immortals are known as the allowed to act as he pleases as long as he doesn’t
Blooded: humans with divine blood in their do anything contrary to the interests of the family.
veins… but some believe that they should be called
the Bloodied – tainted with the blood of the Modifications: All of these profiles can be used to
Immortals and cursed by the magic of their represent bastard Blooded, born to common
ancestors. The Bloodied have committed the sin of women. Remove the Aristocrat Edge, and drop
patricide, some say – but nobles claim that they knowledge skills like Academia, Science or
took it upon themselves. Healing by one die type. You can also lower Focus
– these Bloodied have no cousins to train them.
Not all humans of noble birth are Blooded. A Other Blooded fake their own deaths and
couple of generations ago they ruled their families, sometimes defect to guilds, Dukes or other
but now they are used by their houses as a valuable organizations – often they have higher Persuasion
resource – an heir with supernatural powers is a and the Streetwise Edge.
potential asset and thus they have actual duties
and responsibilities. A Blooded heiress will be BLOODIED OFFICER
trained in diplomacy, swordplay, stealth and Bloodied soldiers are too important for the houses
magic, while her un-blooded brother will be to be regular soldiers. While the visceral powers of
the Blooded could be useful on the
battlefield, these scions are more useful as
elite troops or bodyguards. And since they
are the noble scions, they are more often
than not officers in the Dukes’ army. The
soldier described below uses his powers to
boost his troops.

Modifications: One-Man Army (Str d10,

Focus d10, Fighting d10, add Berserk and
Brawny Edges, replace relief with healing),
Duelist (Agility d10, Fighting d10, add
Ambidextrous, Two-Fisted and Frenzy
Edges, add wakizashi Str+d6, replace call
weapon with smite).

Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d8, Spirit d8,

Strength d8, Vigor d10
Skills: Athletics d8, Battle d8, Common
Knowledge d6, Fighting d8, Focus d8,
Intimidation d8, Notice d4, Persuasion d6,
Riding d8, Shooting d8, Stealth d6, Taunt d8
Pace: 6; Parry: 6; Toughness: 8 (2)
Hindrances: Arrogant, Enemy, Loyal.
Edges: Arcane Background (Blooded),
Aristocrat, Combat Reflexes, Command,
Command Presence, Hold the Line,
Inspire, Soul Drain.
Gear: Katana (Str+d6+2, AP 2), mask of
the Blooded, mount, oldstone chainmail
(+2).
Powers [10 PP]: boost/lower trait, call
weapon, protection, succor.
Special abilities:

78
 • In the Blood: If leading a group of humans first. A noble scion can be sent for education in
from the same noble house, the Officer can another city, a guild or Duchess’ court, and uses
cast beneficial powers on them halving the mind reading and disguise to obtain advantages over
modification cost.
their rivals.
• Mask of the Blooded: A porcelain mask
that allows the Blooded to draw power Modifications: Manipulator (add Charismatic,
from his victims’ fears. A successful
Persuasion d8, Taunt d8). Thief (Stealth d8, add
Intimidation Test grants him +4 bonus to
his next Spirit roll when using Soul Drain wall-walker and shapechange powers).
Edge. This warrior’s mask is also a helmet
granting him +3 to armor on head. Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d8, Spirit d8,
Strength d6, Vigor d8
Skills: Fighting d8, Focus d8, Intimidation d8,
BLOODED PAINSHAPER Investigation d8, Notice d8, Repair d4, Stealth d6,
The name speaks for itself, doesn’t it? This is a Thievery d8
most foreboding caste of Bloodied - they are Pace: 6; Parry: 6; Toughness: 6
trained to use their natural gift of controlling living Hindrances: Cautious, Enemy, Loyal.
tissue to inflict the most pain on a victim. They’re Edges: Arcane Background (Blooded), Aristocrat,
Attractive, Level-Headed, Soul Drain.
the most dreaded of all servants of the nobles -
Gear: Mask of the Blooded, lockpicks, thinblade
vicious torturers and interrogators. Some use them (Str, can break).
as medics and they’re very useful to maintain Powers [10 PP]: disguise, mind reading, slumber.
loyalty using the rule by fear. Special abilities:

Modfications: Healer (remove the Mean and • Mask of the Blooded: A porcelain mask
that allows the Blooded to draw power
Quirk Hindrances, Healing d12, Science d8),
from his victims’ hormones and fear. A
Assassin (add Stealth d8, Fighting d8, add successful Intimidation Test grants him
darksight and fly to powers). +4 bonus to his next Spirit roll when
using Soul Drain Edge. Most spies wear
Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d10, Spirit d8, them only when it’s necessary to reveal
Strength d6, Vigor d8 their identity.
Skills: Athletics d6, Common Knowledge d4,
Fighting d6, Focus d8, Healing d8, Intimidation
d12, Notice d10, Taunt d8
Pace: 6; Parry: 5 Toughness: 6
Hindrances: Mean, Overconfident, Quirk (sadist).
Edges: Arcane Background (Blooded), Aristocrat,
Level-Headed, No Mercy, Soul Drain,
Strong-Willed.
Gear: Dagger (Str+d4), clothes, medical kit,
torture implements.
Powers [15 PP]: bolt, damage field, healing, lower
trait, stun.
Special abilities:
• Daze and Ruin: The Painshaper seems
to feed on pain. Each Wound he deals
whether using bolt or melee attacks
restores 1d6 Power Points.

SPY
The main use of Blooded powers is diplomacy and
espionage – every major family trains the Blooded
of their generation to undermine the other families

79
 FOLK ON THE STREET and founded the modern noble families, since not
all of their descendants inherited their powers.
It’s not clear whether humans were created to With time, those descendants without powers
serve out of nothing, are altered versions of base became dominant and the Bloodied were relegated
animals like apes, or are degenerate offspring of to valuable resources in the noble families. These
Immortals with magical ability replaced by stats represent the decadent noble scions – with
aggressiveness, short life and greater ability to few responsibilities and great power. Most of them
breed. Still, given that they rule the World now, could afford a fencing teacher.
humankind is probably a successful experiment.
Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d8, Spirit d6,
COMMONER Strength d6, Vigor d8
An average citizen, slave from a plantation or Skills: Academia d6, Common Knowledge d6,
subject of a noble. Usually, minor NPCs don’t Fighting d8, Intimidation d6, Notice d8,
Persuasion d6, Riding d6, Shooting d6, Taunt d6
need significant changes in their profile. Most city
Pace: 6; Parry: 7; Toughness: 8 (2)
folk have Fighting at d6, and farmers, who are Hindrances: Varies, many are Greedy or Mean.
discouraged from using weapons, at d4 – these are Edges: Aristocrat, Connections, Parry.
still dangerous times. Use the same stats for Gear: Oldstone mail (+2 Armor), rapier (Str+d4,
shelicans, bumping Agility to d8. +1 to Parry).

Customization: Guild craftsmen (Smarts d8,

Repair d8 and Lockpicking d6), Medic (Smarts d8, GUARDS
Healing d8), Militiamen (add leather armor and a Guards are in theory professional soldiers – but
spear to gear). after three centuries of relative peace, they’ve
grown soft. These days most of the guards fall into
Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d6, Spirit d6, one of three categories: gung-ho warrior
Strength d6, Vigor d6 wannabees, genuine peacekeepers (often
Skills: Athletics d6, Common Knowledge d6,
worshippers of Justice), and outcasts. Indeed,
Fighting d6, Notice d6, Persuasion d6, Stealth d4.
Pace: 6; Parry: 5; Toughness: 5 many guards are as much outcasts as the thieves
Hindrances: Varies, like ordinary people. are.
Edges: None.
Gear: Improvised weapon (Str+d6). In the Twelve Duchies, people are apprenticed to
a guild when they are around 9 to 12 years old…
and young men and women in their teens who fail
NOBLE
to gain a meaningful job by the time they’re 15 are
The Freemen claim that the Immortals created
often recruited by the city guard. Few people know
humans as equals. While the commoners stormed
this, but many guard captains consider youngsters
the Towers guarded by automatons, a group of
having been fired from their guilds an advantage.
rebels used the devices of the Immortals to kill
This means that these apparent failures have a
them, but became forever tainted with the curse of
variety of experience, know their city... and are
corrupted blood, becoming Bloodied.
loyal to their new organization who took them in.
The nobles themselves claim that the Immortals Also, guards need armor and uniforms, which are
took the best and the brightest from the human easier to fit after teens have finished their growth
stock – whose Immortal-Blooded descendants, spurts.
subsequently, discovered supernatural powers, led
Shelicans can enlist as guards, and the attitude
the rebellion, and fought in a titanic clash with the
towards them is mixed. On the one hand, they are
Immortals.

In any case, whether you call them Bloodied or

Blooded, they seized power from the Immortals,

80
considered cowardly, but they also see in the NOVICE GUARD
darkness which can be a real advantage. They’re It’s hard to police the swarms of people in the cities
more often encountered as mercenaries and – most Duchies decide to throw young men and
scouts. women into the grinder and offset their lack of
training with good equipment. If they survive a
Customization: Add Leadership Edges to
year, this is going to be all the training they need
represent good officers (Command, Hold the Line
to fight another city.
for less experienced ones, and Fervor and Leader
of Men for veterans), and Aristocrat and Arrogant The guards are in theory the army of the Duke, but
to represent the noble superiors. Shelican officers in practice for a lot of inhabitants of meaner
are rare but not unheard of – you can represent streets, the “troopers” are just another gang.
shelican guards simply by increasing Agility and
removing the Alertness Edge, but they seldom Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d6, Spirit d6,
choose to wear heavy armor. Strength d8, Vigor d6
Skills: Athletics d6, Fighting d6, Healing d4,
Add Survival at Smarts level to represent various Notice d4+2, Shooting d6.
explorers and scouts, though instead of halberds Pace: 4; Parry: 5; Toughness: 8 (3)
Edges: Alertness, Sweep.
and swords they carry other weapons, typically
Hindrances: Loyal, Mean.
scimitars and axes.
Gear: Bell or whistle, chainmail and breastplate
(+3), club (Str+d4), halberd (Str+d8, Reach, 2
Add Riding d8 and replace the halberd with a hands), helmet (+3).
lance to represent a cavalryman. Elite Cavalry also
have the Steady Hands Edge.

81
 VETERAN GUARD G UARD DOGS , GUARD CATS
This guard has more experience under his belt – As in the real world, the rich use guard dogs to
perhaps he has achieved the rank of sergeant or protect their property. Some nobles rely on the
became an elite guard of a noble. He knows to terrifying wolfspiders, but most find that dogs are
shoot first and ask questions later. easy to breed and more obedient... and of course
much friendlier.
Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d8, Spirit d6,
Strength d10, Vigor d8 Use the dog/wolf stats from SWADE to portray
Skills: Athletics d6, Common Knowledge d6,
these dogs. The Immortals recreated a massive breed
Fighting d8, Healing d6, Intimidation d6, Notice
d8+2, Persuasion d6, Stealth d6, Shooting d6. of canines called a wulf – use the dire wolf stats to
Pace: 6; Parry: 7; Toughness: 9 (3) represent them. Some noble houses give dogs and
Edges: Alertness, Block, Sweep, wulfs leather armor (+1), especially if they’re
Watchman’s Defense. valuable, smart and obedient – meaning they’re
Hindrances: Loyal, Cautious. often Wild Cards. Many dogs (and most
Gear: Bell or whistle, chainmail and breastplate wolfspiders) also have the Disciplined Edge,
(+3), club (Str+d4), crossbow and 20 bolts meaning that they howl or bark loudly at the sight
(15/30/60, Dmg: 2d6, AP 2, 1 action to reload),
of a stranger.
halberd (Str+d8, Reach, 2 hands), sword (Str+d8),
helmet (+3)
A visible minority of shelicans has cynophobia –
Special Abilities:
fear of dogs. They avoid them and react at -2 to
• Vamoose: A good guard knows when to run wulfs!
towards the screams and when to run away
from them. Guards ignore armor when Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d8, Spirit d8,
using the Cling-Clang setting rule (yes, Strength d10, Vigor d10
sometimes they can sneak up on thieves) Skills: Athletics d8, Common Knowledge d8,
and halve its weight towards Encumbrance. Fighting d10, Healing d8, Intimidation d8, Notice
d8+2, Persuasion d8, Stealth d6, Shooting d8,
Taunt d6.
ELITE GUARD Pace: 6; Parry: 8 (10 if using a shield);
This could be a genuine veteran of city watch, still Toughness: 10 (3)
patrolling the streets, an experienced mercenary or Edges: Alertness, Block, Brave, Combat Reflexes,
Disciplined, Improved Sweep, Watchman’s
an explorer. But you can also use these stats to
Defense.
represent the personal guard of a Duke, like a Red Hindrances: Loyal, Cautious.
Panther. This is a woman or man who’s good at Gear: Bell or whistle, chainmail and breastplate
fighting and has killed people before – which is in with judge’s collar (+3), crossbow with 20 bolts
fact probably most acceptable in the guards. Few and 5 alarm bolts (15/30/60, Dmg: 2d6, AP 2, 1
watchmen (militiamen) rise to this level. action to reload), halberd (Str+d8, Reach, 2
hands), helmet (+3), shield (Parry +2), sword
Outside mercenary companies, they actually (Str+d8).
seldom achieve the rank of an officer. Often Special Abilities:
command rank is reserved for nobles, and while • Vamoose: A good guard knows when to
common soldiers can become mercenary officers, run towards the screams and when to
many veterans decline - being a good guard is an run away from them. Guards ignore
entirely different skill to being a good officer. armor when using the Cling-Clang
setting rule and halve its weight towards
Customization: Red Panther (Add a panther-skin Encumbrance.
cloak to gear, add Aristocrat, Two-Fisted, • Reputation: These guys mean business,
Improved Frenzy Edges, replace halberd and a and once per scene can affect a group of
shield with a foil (Str+d4)). Sniper (Fighting d8, PCs with a single Intimidation Test (one
Shooting d10, replace crossbow with a long bow, Test, regardless of the number of
add Marksman and Rapid Fire). veterans in the group).

82
MAGISTERS
The so-called “wizards” are really learned men
and women who delve into the mysteries of the
Immortals and experiment with their devices and
materials. Very seldom are they solitary – usually
they form various colleges, universities or orders
to share their knowledge, but some serve nobles
and guilds. In some cities the organizations of
magisters are powerful – in Eas, the silenced City
of Whispers, they have more clout than most
noble houses. In fact, many magisters resent the
power of the nobles – why should powerless heirs
of Immortals rule over these who at least attempt
to understand their makers?

ADEPT
At the bottom of the hierarchy of magisters are the
young inexperienced researchers. In cities, a DOCENT
young scholar learns to read and speak the secret An experienced learned man is called a “doctor”
language of the Immortals and is familiarized with in the Duchies – but magisters also call them
their basic tools and the gestures that activate “docents”. While many docents are theorists who
them. These Immortal beings weren’t exactly have achieved high status thanks to political
human – and they did not let humans other than connections and diplomatic skills, most have
their offspring and trusted servants into the delved into the Towers more than once; the stats
Towers. After a couple of years of basic training, below describe an experienced explorer and
Adepts are sent to explore the Towers and bring dungeoneer. To gain higher status among
back the lore they discover. magisters you should be able to use the Immortals’
devices.
Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d8, Spirit d8,
Strength d4, Vigor d6 Customization: Wizard-Guard (Strength d8,
Skills: Academia or Science d6, Athletics d4, Fighting d8, add longsword to equipment, replace
Common Knowledge d4, Healing d6, Research powers with bolt, call weapon, protection, relief,
d8, Lore d8, Notice d6, Persuasion d6, Repair d4,
slumber, smite), Dungeoneer (Vigor d8, add Danger
Stealth d4, Occult d6
Pace: 6; Parry: 2; Toughness: 5 Sense to Edges, add Survival and Streetwise d8,
Hindrances: Curious, Quirk, Stubborn. add burrow to powers).
Edges: Arcane Background (Magister). Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d10, Spirit d8,
Gear: Robes, staff (Str+d6). Strength d6, Vigor d6
Powers [20 PP]: Bolt, dispel, entangle, pummel. Skills: Academia d8, Athletics d6, Common
Knowledge d6, Fighting d6, Healing d6, Lore d10,
Notice d8, Persuasion d6, Repair d6, Research
d10, Shooting d6, Stealth d6, Thievery d6.
Pace: 6; Parry: 5; Toughness: 5
Hindrances: Curious, Quirk, Stubborn.
Edges: Arcane Background (Magister),
Gadgeteer, Level-Headed.
Gear: Robes, staff (Str+d6).
Powers [25 PP]: Blast, blind, bolt, dispel, slumber,
summon ally (up to Veteran rank).

83
 MAD DOCTOR AUTOMATONS
Sometimes, magisters go mad – or perhaps These vaguely humanoid constructs made of brass
become terribly enlightened. By definition, a and stainless steel still guard the Towers. There are
magister is someone who takes apart the creations three varieties known so far – servants, guardians
of Immortals to see how they work. and juggernauts. In Mithos, more advanced
creations have been found – including “thinkers”
Humans are also the creations of Immortals. who can quickly calculate, and if the stories are
accurate, are even able to speak.
Customization: Cyborg (add Construct ability,
Brawny Edge, increase Strength and Vigor to d10, AUTOMATON SERVANTS
and increase natural Armor by +2), Minion These are only slightly taller than humans, with a
Master (commands 5 warped servants using orc
cylindrical head, and crystal “eyes” allowing them
stats from SWADE, add Command, Fervor and
Hold the Line! to his Edges). to perceive the environment. In their chest there is
an arrangement of cogs and sprockets – if a proper
Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d10, Spirit d10, key is inserted, the automaton can follow a
Strength d6, Vigor d8 different set of instructions. These can be quite
Skills: Academia d8, Athletics d6, Common versatile – for instance: “wait for a person wearing
Knowledge d6, Fighting d6, Healing d10, red robes and carry them in a sedan chair to one of
Intimidation d10, Lore d10, Notice d8, Persuasion
these four places in the city, not harming people or
d6, Repair d6, Science d8, Shooting d8, Stealth d8,
Taunt d8. animals on the way”. Some magisters can create
Pace: 6; Parry: 5; Toughness: 6 these keys and it’s said they understand how to
Hindrances: Big Mouth, Bloodthirsty, Delusional “program” most of the servants, but these mortal-
(Major, I am an equal to the Immortals). made keys are not completely reliable. The
Edges: Arcane Background (Magister), servants can’t speak – if necessary, they alert their
Gadgeteer, Level-Headed. owner by banging their own armor.
Gear: Robes, staff (Str+d6).
Powers [25 PP]: blast, bolt, boost/lower trait, Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d6, Spirit d4,
disguise, growth/shrink, protection. Strength d8, Vigor d8
Special Abilities: Skills: Athletics d4, Fighting d4, Notice d6,
• Breakthrough: The analysis of the Repair d8
human body has granted him several Pace: 6; Parry: 4; Toughness: 7 (1)
insights. He can pick powers from the Special Abilities:
Blooded list and can use Soul Drain once • Armor +1: Brass armor
in a scene to power a single device he • Bash: Str+d4
wields. • Construct: +2 to recover from being
Shaken. Wild Cards suffer no Wound
penalties, no additional damage from
MONSTERS called shots, and are not affected by
The World is inhabited by many fantastic disease and poison.
creatures: it’s not certain whether Immortals • Mindless: Immune to Tests and Fear.
created all living animals, or only some of them.
Some people claim they have seen striped horses
or giant jumping two-headed rats in the wilds…
but for most, a “monster” is any kind of dangerous
animal or construct that can hurt or eat people.
Some monsters can be tamed – others still fulfill
the orders of their Immortal masters or follow their
inhuman instincts.

84
 • Mindless: Immune to mind-based Tests
and Fear.
• Size +2

JUGGERNAUTS
There are only three active Automaton
Juggernauts known, two in Mithos, one in Bastion
– none has been found in Urx so far, but in
Darkwater a partially disassembled one has been
found. The magisters who have seen the woodcuts
claim that this is a spidery "centaur" with several
mechanical arms, tools and weapons set on the
chassis. Unlike Guardians and Servants,
Juggernauts seem to focus more on fighting than
construction – they are armed with ranged
weaponry and other devices that are
clearly made to hurt others.
And so, the question arises, why is that? Immortals
didn't seem to wage war on each other, and they
apparently didn't use Juggernauts against humans.
GUARDIAN The Darkwater magisters have a theory connected
with the high number of monsters in the city – they
Guardians are about eight feet tall and five feet
believe the Juggernauts were supposed to be the
wide, resembling a colossal human being, usually
ultimate protection for the Immortals' creations.
male, but some female caryatids have been seen as
From what? It's not yet clear.
well. They are somewhere between a heavy
engineering device and a weapon of war – a few Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d6, Spirit d8,
have weapons built into them. However, they can Strength d12+6, Vigor d12
use hammers and similar tool-like weaponry, and Skills: Athletics d8, Fighting d10, Notice d6,
Repair d6, Shooting d8
they were used instead of dozens of servants.
Pace: 8; Parry: 7; Toughness: 16 (4)
Special Abilities:
Guardians aren’t as easy to reprogram as servants
• Armor +4
– you have to find an undamaged one you can still
• Bash: Str+d8, Some use other weaponry
activate, for one, and their mechanical (Str+d10, AP 2)
programming is more complex. • Construct: +2 to recover from being
Shaken. Wild Cards suffer no Wound
Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d6, Spirit d8, penalties, no additional damage from
Strength d12+2, Vigor d10 called shots, not affected by disease and
Skills: Athletics d6, Fighting d10, Notice d10, poison.
Repair d6 • Mindless: Immune to Tests of Will and
Pace: 8; Parry: 7; Toughness: 12 (3) Fear.
Special Abilities: • Size +4. The creature is Large and can
• Armor +3 take an extra Wound.
• Bash: Str+d6, Some use hammers • Slug-thrower: Juggernauts are equipped
(Str+d10) with steam-powered cannons. They use
• Construct: +2 to recover from being Shooting to operate these – 2d8+2
Shaken. Wild Cards suffer no Wound damage, AP 3, range 10/20/40, RoF 3.
penalties, no additional damage from
called shots, not affected by disease and
poison.

85
 MUTANTS AND MONSTROSITIES • Slow Regeneration: Wild Card
Rosethorns make a recovery roll every
day.
ROSETHORN • Thorny Smash: Str+d6, AP 2.
The Immortals experimented on plants as well as • Transformation: A Rosethorn can
animals. In some gardens or on some floors of the change shape into a set of thorny rose
Towers you can find beautiful rose bushes or bushes. To distinguish it from the normal
thorn-like plants that form strange topiary garden, you need to make a Notice roll.
creatures, ready to attack you. If the character is not trained in Lore she
only sees that something is wrong.
Rosethorns have a “passive mode”, when they are
sort of spread around in a garden, assuming the WOLFSPIDER
image of multiple rose bushes connected with This is a proof of the madness of the Immortals –
underground vines – but when they’re alerted they a massive spider with the head of a guard dog.
reconstitute themselves – the vines serving as They have canine mannerisms – hunting in packs,
muscles and the bushes serving as weapons. establishing an alpha male (a Wild Card), and
sensitive noses, but they have also inherited
Magisters can’t work with rosethorns – arachnid genes. They don’t lie in wait for a victim,
automatons are machines that seem to be powered but much like giant spiders they have their own
by magic, but rosethorns shouldn’t even be able to territory, which they mark with webbing.
see or distinguish friends from foes. At best, they
don’t attack people who have covered themselves Attributes: Agility d10, Smarts d8 (A), Spirit d6,
in bee pollen or smell of honey. Some thieves who Strength d10, Vigor d6
know this (Science -4) simply drink lots of mead Skills: Athletics d8, Fighting d8, Intimidation d10,
before a job. Notice d10, Shooting d10, Stealth d10
Pace: 8; Parry: 6; Toughness: 5
Edges: Disciplined.
Special Abilities
A LL CREATURES G REAT AND SMALL
• Bite: Str+d4.
There are many weird creatures assembled by the
• Go for the Throat: Wolves instinctively
Immortals – it’s usually easy to take a creature go for an opponent’s soft spots and so do
from the SWADE core book or another Savage these abominations. With a raise on its
product. Some are still widely used by humans, like attack roll, it hits the target’s most
the wolfspiders, wulfs, or the massive orroks (like weakly armored location.
Bull but Size 6, which makes them Large). Others • Wall Walker: Can walk on vertical
might have escaped into the wilds or hide surfaces at Pace 8.
somewhere in the wilderness. • Webbing: They can shoot webbing from
their thoraxes, covering the area of a
Small Burst Template. Treat this as a
Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d6 (A), Spirit d6, Shooting roll, with a range of 3/6/12. A
Strength d10, Vigor d10 hit means the victim is Entangled, or
Skills: Fighting d8, Intimidation d6, Notice d6, Bound with a raise.
Stealth d8
• Web Traps: The lair of wolfspiders is
Pace: 6; Parry: 6; Toughness: 9
usually covered in strands of web that
Special Abilities: connect to the sleeping den. Anyone
• Construct: +2 to recover from being who enters the lair must make an Agility
shaken, no additional damage from roll (at -4 if he is not aware of the webs),
called shots. Immune to animal-affecting or the beasts will be alerted. A PC could
poisons and diseases, but there are have learned this fact if they make a
poisons which affect living plants. Science -4 or Lore -2 roll, or have heard
• Size +2: When it reassembles itself, it is it from someone more experienced.
huge, the size of a giant ape.

86
WYRM ACOLYTE
A wyrm is a snake with bat wings. The inhabitants
of Twelve Cities tell stories about massive, magical This person is a rank-and-file follower of the
dragons guarding great treasure, but an average Goddess. He is devoted to the cult and works hard
wyrm is a nasty venomous snake about two or to create a Just World – sometimes, of course, a
three feet long. It can fly reasonably fast and it is fair world requires the deaths of a couple of
relentless. They were created to hunt vermin in the unbelievers. Many zealots are eager to convert
cities - and in some places they have outbred the prospective followers by force.
pigeons and rats, now feeding on humans.
Customization: Mad cultist (Str d8, Berserk).
Although many snakes are solitary, wyrms hunt in
Honor-bound: (Code of Honor, if Wild Card – add
small packs.
Hard to Kill).
Attributes: Agility d10, Smarts d6 (A), Spirit d8,
Strength d6, Vigor d8 Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d8, Spirit d8,
Skills: Athletics d6, Fighting d8, Notice d6, Strength d6, Vigor d6
Pace: 8 (12 when flying); Parry: 6; Toughness: 5 Skills: Athletics d4, Common Knowledge d6,
Special Abilities: Fighting d4, Faith d6, Notice d8, Persuasion d6,
Stealth d4
• Bite (Str+d4), AP 1. Venomous Poison.
Pace: 6; Parry: 4; Toughness: 5
• Flying: Pace 12.
Hindrances: Vow
• Relentless: A Wyrm receives +2 to Edges: Faithful
Vigor when resisting Fatigue, including
Gear: Personal weapon (Str+d4), symbol (scales
exhaustion and sleeplessness.
of Justice), tools.
• Size -1 Special Abilities:
• Led by Faith: If a group of Acolytes is
PALADINS commanded by a full-blown Paladin
(including a PC!), they can roll the Faith
The Order has relatively simple principles – die as a Wild Die in group rolls.
uphold Justice, punish the guilty, defend the
innocent. It has what the Dukes lack – a vision of PALADIN GUARDIAN
a better world. It’s surprisingly popular among the
This is a full-blown warrior of the Goddess,
commoners, and some go further, deciding to
starting to receive his first super-human powers.
become justicars, or paladins, as some call them.
Few people know what makes these powers work,
A justicar is a follower of the goddess, but a
or how the guardians can access it. They usually
paladin is a blessed defender.
spontaneously develop powers after serving
Reportedly, the word shares the same root as Justice and achieving some great success in
"palace" – a paladin in the past was a defender of creating social justice. The paladins need to
the rulers, whether the Immortals or the Immortal- actually live according to the principles of the
Blooded, but this word was semi-forgotten after Code and so, while they are not always right and
centuries of disuse. The people who didn’t like the not always good, they are honest most of the time.
authority of justicars, called them paladins in
Customization: Wandering cavalier (Faith d6,
mockery, and the name stuck.
Riding d8, add warhorse and lance to equipment),
Customization: Remember that any paladin temple guardian (add Alertness), watch auxiliary
might have the Child of Mercy Edge (see page 22) (replace the equipment with that of a veteran
as well. guard – which bumps Toughness to 8 (3)), chapter
commander (add Command and Inspire Edges).

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 Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d6, Spirit d8, Powers: healing, protection, smite. 10 PP.
Strength d8, Vigor d6 Special abilities:
Skills: Athletics d6, Common Knowledge d6, • Social Justice Warrior: The Guardian is
Faith d8, Fighting d8, Notice d8, Persuasion d8, called to attack the guilty. He can use his
Stealth d4. Faith to resist Tests against the unjust
Pace: 6; Parry: 8 (1); Toughness: 6 (1) (including all people with the Unjust
Hindrances: Code of Honor, Vow Hindrance).
Edges: Arcane Background (Paladin), Block
Gear: Leather armor (+1), shield, sword (Str+d8),
symbol (scales of Justice).

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PALADIN C HAMPION the Two Sisters), they started as divine warriors
One of the best warriors of Justice, truly chosen by and retain some of those abilities.
the goddess. These are always among the toughest
Modifications: Wandering healer (increase
and most important warriors of their
Survival to d8), mendicant (Elderly Hindrance,
chapterhouse. Many of these champions knew
decrease Strength and Vigor accordingly), Beast
Teral Cole himself and, like him, went on vision
Friend (Add Beast Bond and Beast Master Edges,
quests to meditate on the nature of Justice.
increase Survival to d8, replace Heroic with
Modifications: Blessed Archer (Fighting d8, Pacifist (Minor)).
Shooting d8, add longbow (2d6) to gear, replace
Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d8, Spirit d10,
protection with farsight), Detective (add Research
Strength d6, Vigor d6
d6, Academia d6, Streetwise Edge, replace Skills: Athletics d8, Common Knowledge d8,
protection with object reading, can add Suspicion Faith d10, Fighting d8, Healing d12, Research d8,
modifier to his attack instead of Heat), Fallen Science d6, Persuasion d8, Survival d4, Stealth d6
Paladin (can’t use his powers, but is full of rage – Pace: 6; Parry: 6; Toughness: 6 (1)
add Berserk, Hard to Kill and Sweep to his Edges). Hindrances: Code of Honor, Heroic, Vow
Edges: Charismatic, Healer, New Powers, Power
Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d8, Spirit d10, Points. Might have the Child of Mercy Edge.
Strength d10, Vigor d8 Gear: Bandages, leather armor (+1), Staff
Skills: Athletics d6, Common Knowledge d6, (Str+d6), symbol (scales of Justice).
Faith d10, Fighting d10, Healing d6, Intimidation Powers: Beast friend, boost/lower trait, healing,
d6, Notice d8, Persuasion d8, Stealth d6. protection, relief. 20 PP.
Pace: 6; Parry: 8 (1); Toughness: 7 (2) Special abilities:
Hindrances: Code of Honor, Loyal, Vow • Gift of Healing: Spending Bennies on
Edges: Arcane Background (Paladin), Block, Power Points grants him an extra +1d6
Champion, Combat Reflexes, Disciplined, PP as long as he spends them on the
Faithful, Level Headed. healing power.
Gear: Katana (Str+d8), leather armor (+1),
paladin’s shield (+1 Parry, +1 Armor), symbol
(scales of Justice). SHELICANS
Powers: boost/lower trait, healing, protection, smite,
The catfolk are, despite all differences and racial
warrior’s gift. 15 PP.
Special abilities: divisions, relatively well integrated with human
• Smite the Unjust: Champion can add society – but the fact remains that it’s a HUMAN
the Heat modifier to the first Fighting society and the cat-men are forced to adjust to the
roll against the pursued who have caused ape-men. Well-integrated means that the poor
the Heat. shelicans – the majority – live in similar conditions
• Social Justice Warrior: the Champion is to the poor humans. Few districts in Urx can be
called to attack the guilty. He can use his
called “cat-ghettos”. The men and the cats work
Faith to resist Tests against unjust
people. together in factories, guilds and the watch. Beyond
a couple of safety procedures (not all places are
suitable for people with tails) there are no anti-
BLESSED HEALERS shelican laws.
Not all followers of Justice are martial champions
and sword masters. Many started as blessed There are sometimes guilds who don’t accept cat
warriors, but realized what their miraculous members, and factory supervisors as a rule believe
healing powers mean. They now want to bring that shelicans are lazy – but both species are in
justice to the world not just by attacking the guilty, theory equal on the lower rungs of society.
but also by helping those who are hurt. While However, since the noble class is all human, it’s
peaceful (and often associated with the Heresy of harder to get out of the gutter if you’re a cat – the
accepted ways are as entertainers, soldiers or

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 Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d6, Spirit d4,
Strength d8, Vigor d6
Skills: Athletics d6, Common Knowledge d4,
Fighting d6, Intimidation d4, Notice d6,
Persuasion d4, Stealth d6.
Pace: 6 Parry: 5; Toughness: 6 (1)
Edges: Acrobat.
Hindrances: Can’t Swim, Outsider.
Gear: Leather armor (+1), short sword (Str+d6).

SHELICAN MATRON
Shelicans are vaguely matriarchal – while they
are nominally subject to the law of the Dukes,
within their families they rely on the guidance of
elders, usually the female ones. The “queens”
are thought to be experienced in nurture and
guidance, while “Toms” are stereotypically
clever, helping you break the law. Shelican
matrons within families have unofficial clout
comparable to local judges, district
administrators – or maybe greater, since they
don’t depend on court intrigues.
servants. Shelican scholars (including magisters) Customization: Shelican magister (add AB:
or guild craftspeople are rare, but they do exist. Magister, Lore d8, and two powers – typically
blast and healing), inventor (Repair d8, Science
Modifications: These shelicans are “tamed”.
d8), gang leader (add Streetwise Edge, armed
Untamed shelicans from the jungles (who have in
with a crossbow and a set of wrist blades).
fact been migrating to grasslands) have real claws
(Str+d6, PP2), are Brawny and have the lion's Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d8, Spirit d8,
Special Ability Pounce. They can also use Strength d4, Vigor d6
weapons like clubs and spears, but aren't as Skills: Academia d8, Athletics d4, Common
sophisticated: drop Smarts by one level, but add Knowledge d10, Fighting d4, Healing d8,
Survival d8. Luckily, few people have seen a Intimidation d8, Lore d4, Notice d10, Occult d6,
“savage” shelican in the Duchies. Persuasion d8, Stealth d10, Taunt d6.
Pace: 6; Parry: 4; Toughness: 5
Hindrances: Cautious, Elderly.
SHELICAN WARRIOR Edges: Aristocrat (community leader).
Shelicans can join the city guard and many do so. Gear: Herbs and bandages (as healing kit).
Others become mercenaries or private
bodyguards, and some band together to protect Special abilities:
their ghettos. Many humans laugh at the concept • Ward Off Evil Eye. While no shelicans
of a warrior cat, but they focus on nimble, agile can gain the powers of the Birthright,
fighting, and are able to use their low-light vision matrons and other experienced shelican
to its fullest extent. leaders can protect the cat-folk from
harmful magic. In the presence of a
shelican matron, all shelicans in her
command radius (usually 5”) receive the
Arcane Resistance Edge.

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GREYFUR and add Level-headed and Streetwise Edges),
Greyfurs are commonly known as professional Smuggler (add Boating d8 and Streetwise and
assassins. There are many feline appearances Boatswain/Ace Edges).
among the catfolk, but they believe that the grey,
Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d8, Spirit d6,
mangy cats are driven to violence. Usually, they
Strength d6, Vigor d6
are adopted by an older greyfur and taught “dirty Skills: Athletics d8, Common Knowledge d8,
tricks”. Of course, this is a stereotype – not all Fighting d6, Gambling d6, Intimidation d6,
greyfurs are assassins, but the prejudice remains. Notice d6, Persuasion d4, Repair d6, Shooting d8,
Stealth d8, Taunt d6, Thievery d8
Attributes: Agility d10, Smarts d8, Spirit d8, Pace: 6; Parry: 5; Toughness: 5
Strength d8, Vigor d6 Hindrances: Greedy (minor), Wanted (minor)
Skills: Athletics d6, Common Knowledge d8, Edges: Connections (guild), Pick-Pocket.
Fighting d10, Intimidation d8, Notice d10, Gear: Cloak, club (Str+d4), lockpicks.
Persuasion d8, Riding d4, Shooting d8, Stealth Special abilities:
d10, Survival d6, Taunt d6.
Pace: 8; Parry: 7; Toughness: 7 (2) • Guild Connections: Guild training
Hindrances: Mean, Outsider. allows the thieves affiliated with the
Edges: Combat Reflexes, Counterattack, Fleet- guild to use the Cover Me and I’ll Cover
Footed, Frenzy (Imp), Martial Artist (Imp), Two- You Achievements.
Fisted
Gear: Bow (2d6 damage, 12/24/48), rapier RENEGADE
(Str+d6, +1 Parry), reinforced leather armor (+2), There are a couple of ways of becoming a freelance
unarmed strike (Str+d6, AP 2).
thief – most are renegades, who ditched the
organization at some point, or who have been
THIEVES offered a position in a guild and refused. Most of
An old saying from Urx says “Set a thief to catch the time they’re taken care of – and so the ones still
a thief”. Sometimes thieves’ guilds are pitted at large must have been good enough to defend
against each other. During a major heist you might themselves, but not so good as to be a major threat
discover that your target is already gone and what to a guild’s monopoly.
you have to do is to track down those who have
Not all freelance thieves are renegades, of course.
already grabbed it for themselves.
Some are bored aristocrats who actually learn
some useful skills, others are talented – perhaps
GUILD THIEF
even passionate – about the “art of the crime”. It’s
Your average Professional was recruited after a
possible for such types to slip away from thieves’
couple of years of running errands as a kiddie. If
guild control for a longer period of time, but often
they haven’t already been caught by the guards,
they are eventually “invited” to join.
the watch or rival gangs, they start their guild
career with some experience under their belt. Customization: Bounty Hunter (Fighting d10,
add First Strike and Level-Headed), Spy (add
Many thieves claim that bravado is unprofessional Research d10, Persuasion d10, Charismatic),
– but the whole point of the organization is to Vigilante (add Heroic to Hindrances).
allow a certain degree of risk. As a result, guild Attributes: Agility d10, Smarts d8, Spirit d8,
thieves are challenging opponents – especially Strength d6, Vigor d8
when you remember that the ones who become Skills: Athletics d8, Common Knowledge d8,
Fighting d8, Intimidation d8, Notice d10,
too much of a daredevil don’t tend to live long.
Persuasion d6, Repair d8, Shooting d8, Stealth
d12, Taunt d6, Thievery d10
Customization: Kiddie (drop Agility and all skills
Pace: 6; Parry: 6; Toughness: 6
tied to it by one die type, add Kiddie Edge), Once- Hindrances: Enemy (thieves’ guild), Greedy
Bitten Veteran (add a Major physical Hindrance (minor), Wanted (minor)
like One Arm or One Eye, increase Smarts to d10,

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 Edges: Acrobat, Combat Reflexes, Luck, Pick- • Gaze Attack: The Moonshadow attacks
Pocket, Scavenger, Shadow. in melee with its gaze, adding +2 to its
Gear: Cloak, lockpicks, short sword (Str+d6), Fighting roll unless the victim averts
throwing stars (Str+d4). their gaze (in which case they have -4 to
Special abilities: their melee attack). The victim suffers
Spirit+d6 damage bypassing armor.
• Born Loner: Rolls a d8 as his Wild Die,
if he’s encountered on his own. • Magic Drain: If the victim of the gaze
attack was a Blooded, the victim
additionally loses 1d6 Power Points.
THINGS THAT GO BUMP IN
• Powers: Moonshadows have 20 Power
THE NIGHT Points and know the following powers:
bolt, fear, illusion, and telekinesis.
MOONSHADOW • Undead: +2 Toughness, +2 to recover
These strange creatures are phantoms that stalk from Shaken. No additional damage
the city streets at night, feeding on the mental from called shots; Fearless; Immune to
disease and poison.
energies of unfortunate thieves and citizens. They
typically resemble tall human-like silhouettes in VAMPIRE
wide robes, with silvery eyes gazing from under a Early after the Liberation, some nobles discovered
wide-brimmed hat. a way to feed on the blood of Immortals and the
Blooded. They experimented with the bodies of
No one but the Good Mother cult of Omega and a
the creator race, and they started to absorb their
few heads of noble houses know that
energies. Something within them changed – they
Moonshadows are what remains of Immortals.
gained magical powers, great strength, sharpened
The second generation of the divine beings was
senses and a degree of immortality. But it seems
designed, was imperfect and perhaps the massive
that they became dependent on drinking blood –
spell that killed the original Immortals broke
any blood.
something inside them. Their sanity shattered and
their physical bodies were broken... but something The blood of the Blooded is more nourishing, but
has survived, clinging to existence. They seem it seems that even ordinary humans can nourish a
insane – they do not form communities and make vampire. It takes about five or six Bloodied, or
no attempt to communicate, simply striking, dozens of humans, to feed a vampire per month.
feeding and hiding. Shelicans are completely safe.
A vampire still retains most of its human form,
Regardless, Moonshadows now roam the streets,
and if it has fed in the past month it can be a
trying to survive on the blood of the Immortals
charming, charismatic aristocrat. Over time, it
which still courses through the veins of humans.
decays more and more, resembling a rotten corpse.
Unlike vampires, they do not drink blood from
pierced veins or arteries; instead they seem to use Our vampires have stats and powers different from
Blood magic to transfer some of the quality of the traditional ones. They have no power over
blood to their own bodies. creatures of the night, but they aren’t vulnerable to
light, holy symbols and similar objects. They can’t
Attributes: Agility d10, Smarts d10, Spirit d10, sire new vampires, but their own blood can be
Strength d6, Vigor d8
distilled and transformed into an elixir to create
Skills: Fighting d8, Notice d10, Spellcasting d10
Pace: 6; Parry: 6 Toughness: 8 new spawn. In effect there are about a dozen
Special Abilities: vampires on the planet.

• Blood Drain: If the Moonshadow deals

a Wound, it can immediately make a
natural healing roll.

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Attributes: Agility d10, Smarts d10, Spirit d10,
Strength d12+2, Vigor d12
Skills: Athletics d10, Fighting d10, Focus d10,
Intimidation d12, Notice d8, Persuasion d10,
Shooting d8
Pace: 6; Parry: 7; Toughness: 10
Edges: Frenzy (Imp).
Special Abilities:
• Attuned to Heartbeats: A vampire can
sense human body heat and can hear a
heartbeat even in a massive noisy forge.
Any Stealth rolls made vs Vampires have
a -6 penalty, unless made by automatons
and the like.
• Blood Magic: A vampire has 25 power
points, and knows boost/lower trait,
damage field, darksight, fly, puppet,
quickness, and warrior's gift. Vampires cast
their spells like Blooded.
• Claws: Str+d4
• Drain Life: When a vampire grapples a
living victim, it can bite for Str+d4
damage. If it deals a Wound, it can make
a natural healing roll.
• Undead: +2 Toughness, +2 to recover
from Shaken. No additional damage
from called shots; Fearless; Immune to
disease and poison.
• Weakness (Blood Magic): Blooded
spells deal double damage to a vampire,
including spells cast by other vampires
and the vampire himself!
• Weakness (Blood-Drinker): A vampire
attacks wounded victims first (at least
Shaken by a real attack). Many Blooded
powers rely on activating blood. If it has
an opportunity to drink human blood, it
will do so, even jumping after the blood
into an obvious trap.
• Weakness (heart): A vampire whose
heart is pierced must make a Vigor roll
vs the damage, if it fails, it dies, its body
decomposing into a mass of moist
bloody guts.

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