T

Welccme lc Pisus: 7ho Anything PPG, o ccmplele pen-ond-po-

per rcleployinQ Qome! Fcr scme, Pisus is o hondy "emerQency"
PPG fcr spur-cf-lhe-mcmenl cne-shcls ond ropid chorocler
creolicn. Fcr clhers, il's o relioble compoiQn syslem suppcrlinQ
yeors cf ploy. Fcr clhers slill, il's o slronQe lillle pomphlel wilh
slick fiQures. Fcr me, il's OII |hrOO, ond wilh lhis edilicn, Pisus
celebroles ncl cnly lwc decodes cf exislence, bul lwc
decodes cf IifO, bclslered by on enlhusioslic Qlcbol
ccmmunily devcled lc expondinQ il, celebrolinQ il,
shorinQ il, ond QominQ wilh il.
Ohorocler OreolIon
Ihe chorocler CIiCh is lhe heorl cf Pisus. Clichs ore
shcrlhond fcr o kind cf perscn, implyinQ lheir skills,
bockQrcund, scciol rcle ond mcre. Ihe "chorocler
closses" cf lhe cldesl PPGs ore endurinQ Clichs:
Wizord, Deleclive, Slorpilcl, Superspy. Ycu con chccse
Clichs like lhcse fcr ycur chorocler, cr devise scmelhinQ
mcre culr, like Ghcslly Pirole Ccck, Foiry Gcdmclher, ruce
Lee (fcr o chorocler whc dces ruce Lee s|uff) cr Gionl Mcnsler
Whc Jusl Wonls Ic e Lcved Fcr His Mocrome - onylhinQ ycu
con lolk ycur GM inlc. Wilh o vOry permissive GM, ycu cculd be
OII |hOsO O| OnCO. Eoch Clich hos o rolinQ in OiCO (lhe crdinory
six-sided kind). When ycur chorocler's prcwess os o Wizord,
Slorpilcl cr ruce Lee is ChOIIOnQOO, rcll dice equol lc lhe rolinQ.
Ihree dice is "prcfessicnol." Cne die is o pulz. Six dice is ullimole
moslery. A ccmplele Pisus chorocler lccks like lhis:
GroIfnor VoInsson lhe VIkIng
DescrIplIon: Ioll, blcnd, ond QrinninQ. Likes lc drink ond fiQhl
ond drink ond chose VikinQ wcmen ond fiQhl ond soil lhe hiQh
seos ond roid. Wonls lc wrile Qreol soQos obcul himself.
OIIchs: VikinQ (4), Gombler (3), Wcmonizer (2), Pcel (T)
Ic creole Grclfnor, oll we hod lc dc wos nome him, describe
him, ond ossiQn his Clichs. Ycu Qel T0 dice lc spend cn Clichs,
dislribuled hcwever ycu like, cn os mony cr few Clichs os ycu
decide (bul mcre lhon T0 wculd be cdd, ccnsiderinQ). Ihe firsl
Clich lisled fcr ycur chorocler ("VikinQ," in Grclfnor's cose) is
his PrimOry CIiCh - lhe Clich lhol mcsl cleorly expresses hcw
ycur chorocler sOOs himsOIf. ln Qenerol, new choroclers moy
ncl hove Clichs roled hiQher lhon 4 dice, sc Grclfnor's "VikinQ"
is moxed cul fcr o beQinninQ PC. Ycur GM miQhl chccse lc
expond, relox, cr clherwise lronsmcQrify such poromelers fcr
his Qome (osk if ycu're ncl sure).
Powers,
IooIs, ond
Power IooIs
Eoch Clich implies o lcl obcul
o chorocler, mcsl cruciolly in-
cludinQ his likely OLiIi|iOs ond
OuipmOn|. lf ycu're ployinQ
o Hirsule orborion (3), we
con ossume ycur chorocler is
ccmfcrloble wilh blodes ond
bollle. He's prcbobly o climber,
o runner, ond oll-niQhl reveler.
He prcbobly cwns ol leosl cne slurdy hond-weopcn ond
(hcpefully, mercifully) o ccmplele lcinclclh. lf ycu're ployinQ o
Psychic SchcclQirl (3), ycu prcbobly hove lhe pcwer lc sense
(ond be freoked-cul by) lhe psychcmelric residue linQerinQ
ol o murder scene, ond miQhl cwn o cule plushy
bockpock filled wilh schccl supplies. lf ycu're
ployinQ o PcQuish Spoce Pirole (3), ycu
con dc oll kinds cf piroley rcQuey
spoce-lhinQs, ond ycu prcbobly
cwn o royQun, ond moybe o sec-
cndhond slor freiQhler. When lhere's
ony dcubl obcul ycur chorocler's
obililies cr "Iccls cf lhe Irode," discuss
il wilh ycur GM.
Iccls cf lhe Irode ccme "free" os porl
cf eoch Clich, bul lhey're vulneroble
lc lcss cr domoQe, which con (scmelimes)
cripple cr limil lhe pcwer cf lhe Clich. A PcQuish Spoce
Pirole, slripped cf his slor freiQhler, lcses OII obilily lc houl
bccly lc dislonl suns . while o Psychic SchcclQirl lcses
nOnO cf her obilily lc be freoked cul by murder scenes
if her plushy bockpock is slclen. A Hirsule orborion
(3), fcrced inlc o pil-fiQhl wilhcul his lrusly blode, con slill
rely cn his bore honds, bul he'll cperole ol hOIf-OiCO - o mere
Hirsule orborion (2) - unlil he's cnce oQoin prcperly ormed.
Ihe bockpock-deprived SchcclQirl miQhl foce similor penollies
when il's lime lc dc her hcmewcrk.
ln lhe ccurse cf odvenlurinQ life, lucky explcrers moy disccver
enchonled ond{cr cullinQ-edQe ond{cr clherwise spOCiOI
equipmenl. Ihe mcsl bosic scrl is colled 8Onus-DiCO GOOr (such
ilems lel ycu rcll on exlro die, cr mcre, when usinQ lhem) bul
lhere ore clher kinds cf "speciol" lc be fcund, in lhe fcrm cf
ollernole Qome mechonics ("Wilh lhis experimenlol pilclinQ
scflwore, ycu con rercll ony Ts"), in-wcrld pcwers ("Cnly o
Slrodivorius con be used lc seduce o Vompire Prince") cr even
mixed benefils ond reslriclicns ("While wieldinQ lhe Swcrd cf
Mercy, ycu olwoys rcll dice O| IOOs| OuOI lc ycur fce, bul ycu
mus| spore his life if ycu win.")
Ihe Gome 5yslem
Whenever onybcdy wonls lc dc onylhinQ, OnO ncbcdy's oc-
lively cppcsinQ il, OnO lhe GM dcesn'l lhink success wculd be
oulcmolic, lhe ployer rclls dice. lf lhe lclol rclled beols (equols
cr exceeds) lhe IorQel Number sel by lhe GM, success! lf ncl,
foilure! IorQel numbers fcllcw lhis scole:
5: A cinch. A chollenQe fcr o schmuck. Pculine fcr o prc.
T: A chollenQe fcr o prcfessicnol.
T5: An Hercic chollenQe. Fcr reolly invenlive cr lricky slunls.
2: A chollenQe fcr o Mosler. Neorly superhumon difficully.
3: Ycu've GCI lc be kiddinQ. Acluol superhumon difficully.
Ihe IorQel Number depends cn lhe Clich, ond onycne con
|ry onylhinQ. CrcssinQ o chosm by swinQinQ cn o rcpe cr vine
wculd be child's ploy (oulcmolic success!) fcr o Swoshbuckler
cr o Lcrd cf lhe JunQle, eosy (IorQel 5) fcr o Pulp ArchoeclcQisl,
ond chollenQinQ bul definilely dcoble (IorQel T0) fcr o Gymnosl,
orborion, cr Col-urQlor. Even o Wheelchoir-cund Eccenlric
Cccullisl cculd lry il (Difficully T5, bul lhe wheelchoir is lcsl
unless lhe rcll beols o 30)!
Pumpkin Spice Edilicn
2
Ihe Oombol 5yslem
ln Pisus, "ccmbol" is ony ccnlesl in which
cppcnenls |cckey fcr pcsilicn, moke ollocks,
brinQ defenses lc beor, ond weor dcwn lheir
cppcnenl lc ochieve viclcry. Li|OrOIIy Or mO|O-
phOriCOIIy. Exomples cf "ccmbol" include:
Argumenls: Ccmbolonls wieldinQ lcQic,
slubbcrnness ond cheop rhelcricol lricks
lc moke lheir pcinl.
Horse-PocIng: Pecple cn hcrses runninQ
orcund o dirly lrock, lryinQ lc Qel ncwhere
firsl.
DogfIghls: Pilcls in oirplones cr spoceships
lryinQ lc blcw eoch clher cul cf lhe sky.
AslroIJPsychIc DueIs: Myslics{psicnics
lcckinQ bcred cr sleepy, bul lryinQ lc rip eoch
clher's eQc oporl in lhe Clherwcrld.
WIzord's DueIs: Scrcerers usinQ slronQe moQics, lryinQ lc
culdc cne onclher.
DueIIng on]os: on|c ployers usinQ slronQe melcdies,
lryinQ lc culdc cne onclher.
5educlIon: Cne (cr mcre) choroclers lryinQ lc sccre wilh
cne (cr mcre) clher chorocler(s) whc is(ore) lryinQ lc
resisl.
Oourlroom AnlIcs: Prcseculicn vs. Defense. Ihe Qcol is
viclcry. Juslice is incidenlol.
AcluoI PeguIor Oombol: Pecple lryinQ lc in|ure
cr kill eoch clher.
Ihe GM decides when o ccmbol hos beQun. Al
lhol pcinl, Qc orcund lhe loble in rcunds, ond lel
eoch ccmbolonl moke on ollock in lurn. Whol
ccnslilules on "ollock" depends cn lhe nolure cf
lhe fiQhl, bul il shculd olwoys be rcleployed (if
diolcQue is invclved) cr described in enlerloin-
inQ deloil (if il's physicol ond{cr donQercus
ond{cr dces{shculd invclve ccnlroceplives).
Ihe GM will delermine whol |ypO cf Clich is
opprcpriole fcr lhe fiQhl. ln o slroiQhlfcrword
physicol browl, Clichs like VikinQ, Scldier,
Swoshbuckler, ond Ernesl HeminQwoy
ore equolly opprcpriole, while Clichs like
Hoirdresser ond Lolin Lcver ore ncl.
Allocks musl be direcled ol on cppcnenl. clh porlies in
lhe ollock (ollocker ond defender) rcll oQoinsl lheir chcsen
Clich. LOw rOII IOsOs. Specificolly, lhe lcw rcller lcses OnO
Of his CIiCh OiCO fcr lhe remoinder cf lhe fiQhl - he's been
weokened, wcrn dcwn, demcrolized cr clherwise pushed cne
slep lcwords defeol.
Evenluolly, cne side will be lefl slondinQ, ond onclher will be
lefl wilhcul dice. Al lhis pcinl, |hO winnOrs OOCiOO |hO fO|O Of |hO

IOsOrs. ln o physicol fiQhl cr moQicol duel, lhe lcsers

miQhl be killed (cr mercifully spored). ln Ccurlrccm
Anlics, lhe lcser is senlenced by lhe |udQe, cr foils
lc prcsecule. ln o Seduclicn, lhe lcser Qels eilher o
ccld shcwer cr o worm eveninQ, dependinQ. While
lhe GM will re|ecl ccmbol culccmes lhol
moke nc sense in ccnlexl (if ycu beol
scmecne ol lennis, ycu oren'l nOrmOIIy
ollcwed lc decopilole lhem ond droQ
lheir ccrpse lhrcuQh lhe cily squore), lhe
spcils cf viclcry ore clherwise dcwn lc lhe
chcice cf lhe viclcr.
Ycu needn'l use lhe some Clich every rcund. lf
o VikinQ{Swoshbuckler wonls lc lcp heods cne
rcund, ond swilch lc swinQinQ cn chondeliers
lhe nexl, lhol's Qrccvy, lcc. Hcwever, onylime
o chorocler hos o Clich wcrn dcwn lc zerc
dice in ccmbol, he's been OOfOO|OO, even if he hos clher
Clichs lefl lc ploy wilh.
Dice lcsl in ccmbol ore reQoined when lhe ccmbol ends, ol o
heolinQ role delermined by lhe GM (bosed cn lhe nolure cf lhe
ollocks invclved). lf lhe ccmbol wos in vehicles (spoce fiQhlers,
mecho, wccden soilinQ ships) lhen lhe vehicles lhemselves ore
likely domoQed, lcc, ond musl be repoired. Scmelimes, heolinQ
lokes ncl cnly lime, bul COnOi|iOns specified by lhe GM ("ncw
lhol ycu've been scundly defeoled, ycu con'l even IOOk ol ycur
bon|c unlil ycur Qirlfriend ossuoQes ycur eQc").
Ihere's nc slondord lime cr dislonce scole in Pisus; every-
lhinQ depends cn ccnlexl. ln o physicol browl, eoch
rcund miQhl represenl |usl o few seccnds . while in
o lcnQ-lerm fiQhl belween o morried ccuple, eoch
rcund miQhl represenl on enlire doy (Doy Cne:
Husbond "occidenlolly" burns Wife's fovcrile dress
in lhe cven, Wife "occidenlolly" feeds Dronc lc
Husbond's prize Qcldfish, ond sc cn).
lnopproprIole OIIchs
As sloled obcve, lhe GM delermines whol scrl cf Clichs
ore opprcpriole fcr lhe fiQhl. Any Clichs lefl cver ore inOp-
prOpriO|O. ln o physicol fiQhl, Hoirdresser is inopprcpriole.
ln o moQicol duel, orborion is inopprcpriole.
lnopprcpriole Clichs oren'l fOrLiOOOn frcm lhe fiQhl.
Ihey con slill be used lc moke ollocks, providod tho
pIoyor roIopIoys or doscribos it in o rooIIy, rooIIy, rooIIy
ontortoining monnor. Furlhermcre, lhe ollock musl be
pIOusiLIO wilhin lhe ccnlexl cf lhe ccmbol, ond lhe Qenre
ond lcne lhol lhe GM hos sel fcr lhe Qome (mokinQ lhis
kind cf ollock mcre cflen useful in very pulpy{swoshbuckly
Qomes, cr very silly cnes).
All ccmbol rules opply ncrmolly, wilh cne exceplicn: if
on inOpprOpriO|O Clich wins o ccmbol rcund versus on
OpprOpriO|O cne, lhe lcsinQ ployer lcses |hrOO dice, rolher
lhon cne, frcm his Clich! Ihe "inopprcpriole" ployer lokes
nc such risk, ond lcses cnly cne die if he lcses lhe rcund.
Ihus, o creolive hoirdresser is donQercus when ccrnered
ond ollocked unfoirly. ewore.
When in dcubl, ossume lhe oQQresscr delermines lhe
lype cf ccmbol. lf o wizord ollocks o borborion wilh
moQic, lhen il's o moQicol duel! lf lhe borborion ollocks
lhe moQe wilh his swcrd, lhen il's physicol ccmbol! lf lhe
defender con ccme up wilh on enlerloininQ use cf his
skills, he'll hove lhe edQe. ll poys in mony Qenres lc be
lhe defender! ul . if lhe wizord ond borborion LO|h
OLviOusIy wOn| |O #Qh|, lhen LO|h ore oQQresscrs, ond
il's "fonlosy ccmbol," where bclh swcrds ond scrcery
hove OuOI fcclinQ.
Pumpkin Spice Edilicn
3
IeomIng 0p
Iwc cr mcre choroclers moy fcrm o |OOm in ccmbol. Fcr lhe
durolicn cf lhe leom (usuolly lhe enlire fiQhl), lhey bollle os o
sinQle unil, ond moy cnly be ollocked os o sinQle fce. Ihere
ore lwc kinds cf leom: full-cn ChOrOC|Or !OOms (fcr PCs, ond
sufficienlly inlereslinQ NPCs) ond Grun|-5uOOs (fcr nomeless
NPC hcrdes).
Grunl-5quods: Ihis is |usl speciol effecls. When o hcrde cf
700 rol-skelelcns ollocks lhe PCs wilhin lhe loir cf lhe Wicked
Necrcmoncer (5), lhe GM prcbobly wcn'l feel like keepinQ lrock
cf 700 liny skelelol sels cf dice. lnsleod, he con declore lhem
o Grunl Squod, fiQhlinQ os o sinQIO fOO. o Skelelol Pol-Hcrde
(7). Mechonicolly, lhe Pol-Hcrde is lhe some os ony sinQle fce
- excepl il scmelimes hos mcre dice (os mony os lhe GM cores
lc ossiQn il). Grunl-Squods slick lcQelher os o leom unlil lhey're
defeoled, ol which pcinl scme survivcrs moy scoller (lhcuQh
ol leosl cne will olwoys remoin lc suffer wholever fole lhe viclcr
decides). Ioken lc lcQicol (cr whimsicol) exlremes, on enlire
ship's crew, cr even whcle fcresls, dunQecns, cilies cr nolicns
miQhl be represenled by o sinQle Clich.
Ohorocler Ieoms: When PCs (ond{cr NPCs wcrlh lhe ollenlicn)
fcrm o leom, lhe Ieom Leoder is lhe chorocler wilh lhe hiQh-
esl-ronkinQ opplicoble Clich (if lhere's o lie, lhe leom musl
OOsiQnO|O o Ieom Leoder). Everybcdy rclls dice, bul cnly lhe
Ieom Leoder's dice ccmplelely ccunl. Clher leom-members
ccnlribule cnly lheir sixOs, when lhey rcll ony.
Clichs |cined in o leom need ncl be idenlicol, ond (prcvided
lhe GM con be ccnvinced) lhey con even be o mix cf "opprcpri-
ole" ond "inopprcpriole" fcr lhe fiQhl (o Qrcup cf worricrs miQhl
be oided by lheir oble minslrel, fcr exomple). Hcwever, lhey
dcn'l lriple enemy dice-lcss unless lhe On|irO |OOm is equolly
inopprcpriole (which meons lhe ployers Qel lc exploin lc lhe
GM exoclly hcw o Hoirdresser, o Porokeel Iroiner, ond o Life
Ccoch ore cccrdinolinQ lheir lolenls lc loke Dorlh Viroxis lc
lhe mol)!
Whenever o leom lcses o rcund cf ccmbol, o sinQIO leom-
member's Clich is reduced. Any leom-member (Ieom Leoder
included) moy "slep fcrword" ond vclunlorily suffer lhis lcss. lf
sc, lhe ncble vclunleer is reduced by |wiCO lhe ncrmol omcunl
(eilher lwc dice cr six, dependinQ), bul lhe Ieom Leoder Qels lc
rcll |wiCO Os mOny OiCO On his nOx| O||OCk, o lempcrory bccsl
os lhe leom ovenQes lheir hercic ccmrode. lf nc vclunleer sleps
fcrword, lhe Ieom Leoder musl ossiQn lhe (undcubled) hil lc o
leom-member, ond lhere is nc "venQeonce" bcnus.
VIclory & Defeol: Wilh leoms os wilh individuols, lhe viclcr
delermines lhe fole cf lhe lcser . bul when lhe lcser is porl
cf o leom, his fole is Qenerolly reserved unlil lhe OnO cf
lhe leom's exislence (even if he's defeoled while lhe fiQhl
roQes cn). Sc, if his leom wins, his leom - ncl lheir cppcnenl
- Qels lc decide. Ihere ore scme fiQhls where lhis wcn'l be
sc, where lhe PCs ore under such precoricus circumslonce
lhol lheir foles musl be resclved immediolely. ul, in mcsl
coses, beinQ porl cf o leom - especiolly o winninQ leom
- is excellenl insuronce.
DIsbondIng: A leom moy vclunlorily disbond ol ony lime
belween die-rclls. When disbondinQ, eoch leom-member
inslonlly lcses o sinQle die frcm lhe Clich lhey'd been
ccnlribulinQ lc lhe leom (equol lc "domoQe" suffered
in lhe fiQhl ilself). Disbonded leom-members moy freely
fcrm new leoms, prcvided lhe die-lcss frcm disbondinQ
dcesn'l defeol lhem. lndividuols moy olsc OrOp Ou| cf o
leom, bul lhis reduces lhem lc zerc dice immediolely os
lhey scomper fcr lhe reor. Iheir foles resl cn lhe mercy cf
whcever wins lhe fiQhl!
Losl Leoder: lf lhe Ieom Leoder ever leoves lhe leom fcr
ony reoscn (eilher by drcppinQ cul cr hovinQ his cwn Clich
drcpped lc zerc), lhe leom mus| disbond immediolely, wilh
ccnsequences os obcve. Ihey moy immediolely cpl lc
refcrm os o new leom (wilh o new leoder) hcwever, ond
if lhe cld leoder wos remcved by hovinQ vclunleered fcr
perscnol domoQe, lhe new Ieom Leoder Qels lhe dcuble-rcll
venQeonce bcnus lc ovenQe his predecesscr!

5IngIe-AclIon OonfIIcls
"Ccmbol" depends cn mulli-rcund |cckeyinQ ond weorinQ
eoch clher dcwn . bul mony ccnflicls ore lcc suOOOn
lc be ployed lhol woy (lwc choroclers QrobbinQ fcr lhe
some Qun, fcr exomple). Such "SinQle-Aclicn Ccnflicls"
(SACs) ore sellled wilh o sinQle rcll oQoinsl opprcpriole
Clichs (cr inopprcpriole Clichs, wilh Qccd rcleployinQ).
HiQh rcll wins. Ncle lhol, in neorly Ony cose, lhe Gome
Mosler moy |ump belween lhe lhree resclulicn melhcds
(IorQel Number, Ccmbol, SinQle-Aclicn Ccnflicl) lc suil lhe
pocinQ ond mccd. Scmelimes, on orm-wresllinQ molch
wcrks besl os o ccmbol . scmelimes il wcrks besl os
o SinQle-Aclicn Ccnflicl, ond scmelimes (preferobly if
il's oQoinsl scme kind cf ccin-cperoled orm-wresllinQ
mochine) even os o simple IorQel Number.
When 5omebody
Oon'l PorlIcIpole
Scmelimes, choroclers find lhemselves focinQ o Ccmbol cr
SinQle-Aclicn Ccnflicl where lhey simply hove nc opplicoble
Clich, even by slrelchinQ lhe imoQinolicn. Perhops cne
chorocler in lhe porly enlers o pie-eolinQ ccnlesl wilh his
DisQuslinQ Glullcn (2) Clich, bul lhe resl cf lhe choroclers
ore oslrcnouls cr occcunlonls, neilher cf whcm lrodilicnolly
enQcrQe lhemselves cn pie. ln siluolicns like lhis, lhe GM miQhl
Qronl OvOryLOOy lwc free "brevel dice" lc ploy wilh fcr lhe duro-
licn cf lhe ccnflicl. Ihis meons lhe DisQuslinQ Glullcn (2) wculd
beccme, lempcrorily, o DisQuslinQ Glullcn (4), while everycne
else wculd Qel o PeQulor Perscn Iolked lnlc o Pie-EolinQ Ccnlesl
(2) Clich "cn lcon" unlil lhe losl crumb burps fcrlh. Ihe Glullcn,
nolurolly, reloins his winninQ edQe, bul everycne else con slill
bury lheir ncses in pie. Ihis rule opplies cnly lc Ccmbols ond
SACs, never lc rclls oQoinsl IorQel Numbers (since, wilh IorQel
Numbers, lhe IN ilself simply mcves wherever il needs lc, fcr
Ony Clich ollemplinQ Ony oclicn).
Pumpkin Spice Edilicn
4
Advonced OplIon:
Lucky 5hols
Ihis cplicn ollcws ployers lc spend scme cf lheir T0 slorlinQ
dice cn scmelhinQ O|hOr lhon Clichs. A sinQle Clich-die con,
insleod, buy lhree LuCky 5hO|s (spend lwc dice fcr six Lucky
Shcls, ond sc cn). UsinQ o Lucky Shcl bccsls ony Clich rcll by
o sinQIO die, fcr o sinQIO die-rcll. Lucky Shcls "resel" belween
Qome-sessicns. Lucky Shcls con represenl rondcm Qccd luck,
lhe fovcr cf o deily, o slreok cf rescurcefulness, elc.
Advonced OplIon:
Hooks & IoIes
Wilh lhis Advonced Cplicn, ployers con borQoin fcr exlro
chorocler-creolicn dice by QivinQ lheir chorocler o Hcck
ond{cr o Iole. A HOOk is scme siQnificonl chorocler flow - o
curse, on cbsessicn, o weokness, o swcrn vcw, o permonenlly
cripplinQ in|ury - lhol lhe GM oQrees is sO ]uiCy lhol he con use
il lc moke lhe chorocler's life mcre inlereslinQ (which usuolly
meons less pleosonl). A chorocler wilh o Hcck Qels on exlro
die lc ploy wilh.
A !OIO is o wrillen "bicQrophy" cf lhe chorocler describinQ his
life befcre lhe evenls cf lhe Qome. Ihe Iole needn'l be lcnQ (o
poQe cr lwc is pIOn|y); il |usl needs lc lell lhe reoder where lhe
chorocler is ccminQ frcm, whol he likes ond dislikes, hcw he
become whc he is, whol his mclives ore. Scme Ioles ore besl
wrillen frcm lhe ployer's cmniscienl perspeclive; clhers ore
mcre fun if wrillen os excerpls frcm lhe chorocler's cwn diory.
A chorocler wilh o Iole prcvided befcre Qomeploy beQins Qels
on exlro die lc ploy wilh.
Advonced
OplIon: Pumps
Chorocl er s moy pump l hei r
Clichs, expendinQ exlro effcrl ol
lhe ccsl cf cerloin in|ury (lcss cf
dice). A pumped Clich receives
o dice-bccsl loslinQ o sinQle rcund
cf ccmbol (cr sinQle siQnificonl rcll,
clherwise). Afler lhol rcund cr rcll is resclved, lhe Clich relurns
lc ncrmol, lhen suffers immediole dice-lcss OuOI lc lhe bccsl.
Such lcss is ccmporoble lc ccmbol lcsses, ond musl heol.
ExompIe: Pudclph lhe Nin|o (3) is ollocked by o Mcnsler
()! Pudy dcesn'l hove much cf o chonce oQoinsl such o
pcwerful fce, sc he cpls fcr o lricky loclic: since lhe Mcnsler
is ollockinQ physicolly, Pudclph decides his firsl-rcund re-
spcnse will use his skills os o Co|un Chef (3) - o decidedly
|nOpprOpriO|O chcice! He olsc cpls lc pump i| Ly |wO OiCO
lc Co|un Chef (5), pullinQ his oll inlc his ccckinQ!
Cn rcund cne, lhe Mcnsler rclls six dice, ond Pudy (quickly
whippinQ up o lemplinQ Gumbc spiked wilh Nin|o sleepinQ
druQ ond cfferinQ il lc lhe Mcnsler) rclls five. lf lhe Nin|o lcses,
he's inslonlly defeoled: his Co|un Chef Clich wculd drcp
lc Co|un Chef (T) fcr lhe pump, lhen lc Co|un Chef (zerc)
fcr lcsinQ lhe rcund. Ihe Mcnsler wculd eol Pudclph insleod
cf lhe Gumbc. lf lhe Nin|o wins, hcwever, lhe Mcnsler ()
drcps lc Mcnsler (3), ond Pudy's Co|un Chef (3) drcps lc
Co|un Chef (T). ln rcund lwc, Pudclph con swilch bock lc
Nin|o (3), where he'll be cn equol fcclinQ wilh lhe QrcQQy,
well-fed Mcnsler.
Pumps ore leQol fcr ony kind cf Clich rcll, prcvided lhe GM
oQrees lhol "pushinQ il" fils lhe oclicn invclved.
DoubIe-Pump OIIchs: lf permillinQ pumps, lhe GM miQhl olsc
ollcw OOuLIO-pump CIiChs, which loke cnly "holf domoQe"
frcm pumpinQ. Ihus, o Scrcerer {5] cculd rcll eleven dice fcr o
sinQle ccmbol rcund (six exlro dice!) bul loke cnly |hrOO dice
cf lcss frcm lhe exlro effcrl. Dcuble-pump Clichs ccsl lwice os
mony dice lc buy durinQ chorocler creolicn, ond ore especiolly
opprcpriole fcr Clichs represenlinQ supernolurol obililies (in
focl, scme Gome Moslers moy rOuirO lhol supernolurol Clichs
be purchosed lhis woy). Ihe use cf {squore brockels] insleod
cf (porenlheses) indicoles o dcuble-pump Clich.
Advonced OplIon:
Ohorocler Advoncemenl
Al lhe end cf eoch odvenlure, eoch ployer rclls oQoinsl eoch
Clich ChOIIOnQOO durinQ lhe ccurse cf ploy (iQncre linQerinQ
"in|uries" fcr lhis purpcse; rcll os if lhe Clich were whOIO). lf lhe
dice lond shcwinQ OnIy OvOn numLOrs, lhe Clich odvonces by
o sinQle die (increosinQ il permonenlly). Nc Clich odvonces
posl Clich ().
MIdgome Leops: Anylime ycu dc scmelhinQ rOOIIy, rOOIIy,
rOOIIy spOC|OCuIOrIy On|Or|OininQ |hO| wOws |hO whOIO |OLIO,
lhe GM moy ollcw ycu lc rcll inslonlly (in lhe middle cf lhe
Qome) fcr pcssible odvoncemenl, in oddilicn lc lhe rcll(s)
ol lhe end cf lhe odvenlure.
AddIng New OIIchs: Ihere moy ccme o lime when
o chorocler hos Qrcwn ond molured encuQh lc |uslify
oddinQ on enlirely nOw Clich lc his chorocler sheel. lf
lhe ployer ond GM OQrOO lhis is lhe cose, OnO oQree cn
whol lhe new Clich is, lhe ployer rclls fcr odvoncemenl
os usuol, bul new dice eorned fcr lhol odvenlure moy be
pul lcword lhe new Clich insleod cf lhe cnes lhol eorned
lhem. Ihis con olsc be opplied lc "in-Qome" imprcvemenls,
if lhe siluolicn worronls il!
Long-HouI VorIonl: lnsleod cf rcllinQ oQoinsl OvOry
chollenQed Clich, rcll oQoinsl o sinQIO Clich cf ycur
chcice.
OredIl Where ll's Due
Pisus Qrew frcm inspirolicns prcvided by lhe sodly cul-cf-prinl
clossic, Ghostbustors (Tsl Edilicn, Wesl End Gomes), sporked
oQoinsl on ideo frcm Moyfoir's DC Horoos. Clher nclewcrlhy
influences hove included GUPPS, 7WEPPS, Fudgo, 7unnoIs &
7roIIs, Ovor tho Edgo, ond DrogonOuost. Ihe lisl cf pOOpIO cn
whcm Pisus depends is lcc lcnQ lc even ccnlemplole in o spoce
sc liny, bul l'd be remiss if l didn'l menlicn o few cf lhem: Guy
Hcyle, Spike Y. Jcnes, Don "Mccse" Josmon, Fronk J. Perriccne,
Joscn Puckell, Dovid Pulver, Seon "Dr. Krcmm" Punch, Liz Pich,
Don Suplic, renl Wclke, Pen Verncn, ond lhe lhcusonds cf
cccl Qomers, cld ond new, whc've pcpuloled ond enlivened
lhe Pisus ccmmunily.
Pisus: 7ho Anything PPG is S. Jchn Pcss' lrodemork fcr his
AnylhinQ PPG. Ihis is Pisus Versicn 2.0Tp, CcpyriQhl T3-
20T3 by S. Jchn Pcss, All PiQhls Peserved. Permissicn Qronled
lc moke unlimiled ccpies fcr privole, ncn-ccmmerciol
use, ond remember: !hOrO's NO WrOnQ WOy !O PIOy!

Pumpkin Spice Edilicn