Heroes

Of
Fantasy

Book 1: Fantasy Games

An
Alternity Rules System
for
Fantasy Campaign Settings

1
 Table of Contents

Chapter 1: Hero Creation Page Chapter 5: Goods & Services

Ability Scores 1 COMING SOON !!!
Starting Skill Points 2
Movement Rates 2 Chapter 6: The Supporting Cast
Character Races 2 COMING SOON !!!
Mutants 6
Professions 6 Chapter 7: Campaigns
Talents 9 COMING SOON !!!
Character Attributes 10
Social Status 12 Chapter 8: Gamers in Action
Standing 13 COMING SOON !!!
Languages 16
Perks and Flaws 16 Appendix 1: Tinkering
Achievement Points 19 COMING SOON !!!

Chapter 2: Careers Appendix 2: Concoctions

Creating Careers 21 COMING SOON !!!
Open Careers 22
Arcanist Careers 26 Appendix 3: Fantasy Faiths
Believer Careers 27 COMING SOON !!!
Diplomat Careers 33
Mindwalker Careers 35 Appendix 4: Optional Heroes
Rogue Careers 36 COMING SOON !!!
Specialist Careers 37
Warrior Careers 38 Appendix 5: The Life Shaped
Legends 40 COMING SOON !!!

Chapter 3: Skills
Complex Skill Checks 43
Purchasing Rank Benefits 43
Strength Skills 46
Dexterity Skills 52
Constitution Skills 60
Intelligence Skills 62
Will Skills 74
Personality Skills 82

Chapter 4: Weapons and Armor 87

Progress Levels 87
Weapon Basics 87
Melee Weapons 88
Ranged Weapons 92
Heavy Weapons 98
Armor 104
Ammunition 106
Weapon Options 108
Magic Weapons & Armor 111

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 Chapter 1: Hero Creation
In attempting to combine the aspects of both the
AD&D game and that of Alternity I found in my first
attempt that I still ‘locked’ players in a static selection of
characters. What I present below is the next generation of
character development after having tested my thoughts on
other DM’s and Game Master’s on the Internet. The result
of which is a change from old classes to the more ‘pure’
professions of Alternity. I thought long and hard about
how I should approach this situation and came to the
following conclusions:
1) There are no level limits.
2) There are no multi-classed or dual-classed characters.
3) There are no limits on who can and cannot use FX
abilities.
4) There are no limits as to who can and cannot use
armor or weapons.
5) There are no elements in character creation focused
on game balance other than the character’s starting
skill points.
6) and finally – The most defining features of a character
are determined by the skill points spent during
development which supersedes race, profession, and
career.
This may seem to throw the idea of a balanced game to
the four winds but do keep in mind entry number 5 above.
The skill points (because this is a skill-based game) are the
balancing forces behind all characters, whether they are
human or otherwise. No starting character can hope to
have all options available to them and even if they could
pull it off they would not be very proficient at any one task.
Despite all of the options available to a player you will find
that having a team of characters who are individually
specialized in various skills and abilities will make for a
stronger team.
Before an adventure can begin, the players need to
create their characters. There are two things to consider
when creating a new character. These are the character’s
race and profession, and how the character fits into a
group of other characters. As far as races and professions
are concerned the character should make sense. These
rules allow for a tremendous amount of character options
and the players imagination is the limit, but be careful to
not ‘front load’ a character with so many options, perks,
flaws, and statistics that they become burdensome to play.
As it concerns a group of characters, the players
should consult with each other and decide which members
of the character group have what abilities. A balanced
distribution of races, professions, and skills work best as
the team is better able to handle different situations. No
player should feel trapped into selecting a certain type of
character. The creation of a team should be a collaborative
effort supported by the Game Master. In my own
terminology I base the distribution of characters by three
primary roles – Intelligence, Offense, and Defense. These
primary roles should be spread out among the characters
1
as evenly as possible. After this each character should
determine a secondary role. In this ideology a Believer
could be Defensive primarily and Offensive as a secondary
role. These roles say nothing about race, profession,
career, or talents. Each player should use the options
given to create a meaningful character that is an asset to
his team.
The creation of characters can be sporadic and
everyone has a different method of doing so. Chapter 1 is
divided into several sections that explain the core
information required during character development. The
goal of this chapter is to determine the character’s Ability
Scores, Race, Profession, FX talent(s), Career,
Extraordinary Abilities, and Mutations. Each section that
follows discusses these items in a order given that I felt
would be the most likely method of character creation and
reference. As a simple guide I give you the following
checklist so that the information I have included does not
go forgotten.
1) Select a character race. Apply any mutations if desired
and allowed.
2) Select a profession, career, and talent(s). Think of the
character as a whole and then decide which of the
profession and career elements best describes the
character.
3) Determine ability scores based on the above criteria.
4) Determine secondary statistics (durability, action
score, etc.) and assign a Moral Attitude.
5) Record those broad skills gained for free by race.
6) Determine the character’s starting skill points and
purchase skills, perks, and assign flaws as desired.
7) Determine the character’s Social Status scores.
8) Determine the character’s Standing score and detail
any elements required of a faith.
9) Record any signature equipment allowed by career,
roll for your starting gold, and buy your gear.
10) Name the character and create a background story
that describes who the character is and why he is who
he is.
Ability Scores
There are three common methods for determining a
character’s ability scores. The player is allowed to use any
one method desired or other that the Game Master
provides.
1) Method 1 – Roll per Profession: In this option the
player rolls the ability scores for the character based on
a chosen profession. These die rolls are given in the
Professions section. Each roll is modified as needed by
any racial modifiers. If a modifier lowers an ability score
below a required minimum then that minimum becomes
the score. No ability score, regardless of the die roll, can
exceed a racial maximum. As with a low score the
maximum becomes the score if that maximum is passed.
 Chapter 1: Hero Creation
2) Method 2 – Roll per Ability: This method grants a
2d6+2 roll per ability score, which is modified by any
racial modifiers. This option is best used when the racial
Movement Rates
Through the use of various FX items or by the result of
abilities are desired to be foremost and profession a spells and other powers, characters may occasionally
secondary concern. At the Game Master’s option the possess ability scores far above the norm. For this reason I
player may roll a 2d6+2 six times and then apply the felt that it might be good to expand the Combat Movement
rolls as desired to each ability score. This option grants Rate table for characters who have a combined strength
more flexibility in character creation and can allow and dexterity that exceeds 31. These statistics are also
persons of a particular profession to have scores higher relevant for very powerful beings such as avatars and the
than they would if they used method 1 above. like.
3) Method 3 – Assigned Points: The final option Also a Game Master may feel that transformations of
available grants a player 60 points to divide among the characters into beasts, like a dog for example, may warrant
abilities as he or she likes. If the character has any racial a faster movement rate depending on the type of beast.
modifiers then these may apply but only if the total Using the dog as an example, the Game Master may say
difference between the positive and negative modifiers that a character polymorphed into one may multiply the
are a result other than zero. This means that a Dwarf sum of Strength and Dexterity by 1.5 or by 2.
character with a +1 to Constitution and a –1 to
Personality gains a point and losses a point as well. In Str+ Easy
such a system the player can freely determine the Dex Sprint Run Walk Swim Swim Glide Fly
allotment of ability points and the two cancel each other. 32-33 32 22 8 4 8 32 64
34-35 34 22 8 4 8 34 68
Other races like those presented in Appendix 6 of
36-37 36 24 10 5 10 36 72
this book may have a difference in points that are higher 38-39 38 26 10 5 10 38 76
or lower than zero. In those cases the difference directly 40-41 40 26 10 5 10 40 80
effects the 60 points used to determine the scores so that 42-43 42 28 12 6 12 42 84
44+ 44 28 12 6 12 44 88
a character with a +2 overall bonus starts with 62 points
instead.
This system offers the most flexible means of
determining a character’s ability scores. As before, the Character Races
Ability Maximums given for a race must always be a Elves, Dwarves, Gnomes, Halflings, and of course Half-
consideration. Elves. These races, along with Humans, form the basic
core of fantasy races. They do so here as well. Additional
race options are given in Appendix 6 of this book.
Starting Skill Points The information concerning character races in this
chapter does not give in depth role-playing details. Many
For starting skill points the basic rule is that a
character receives their intelligence score times three plus AD&D tomes and other works give copious information
thirty in points to spend. Also, each character has a base about how to role-play these character races. This is
maximum of six broad skills to purchase at first level information that I assume you either know, or have the
which is modified by adding the Resistance Modifier of the tools to find out. The focus of this chapter, and the book at
character for a high or low intelligence. The table below large, is the rules necessary to play the Heroes of Fantasy
gives these values as appropriate. game.

Int. Score Skill Points Broad Skills Common Skills

4 42 4 Each member of any character race receives for free
5 45 5 two Knowledge based skills. These are the characters
6 48 5 racial language and knowledge of one’s own culture and
7 51 6 history. Both of these start at Rank 3 and can be listed as
8 54 6 follows: Knowledge [9] - elf tongue [12], elven lore [12].
9 57 6 Half-Humans are special cases as they can choose either
10 60 6 parent’s race for these two skills. DM’s may also require
11 63 7 that the Human parent’s culture be selected if the Half-
12 66 7 Human character wants to adopt any Cultural Benefits as
13 69 8 well. In any case both skills must for one race and/or
14 72 8 culture.
15 75 9
Race Entry Data
Each entry for each race below is formatted the same
and includes the following categories:

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 Chapter 1: Hero Creation
Starting Skills: This lists the free broad skills that a
character of this race starts the game with. Some entries
provide options, but most are specific.
Typical Moral Attitudes: This entry shows the moral
attitudes that most commonly attributed to members of
this race. This entry is by no means a restriction; players
may select any attitude they wish. The entry acts only as
a guide for role-playing and for NPC’s.
Typical Environments: This entry shows the terrain or
environment that the race prefers and is most likely to
found in.
Ability Modifiers: This entry includes any modifiers the
character gains to his or her ability scores. The various
methods of determining a character’s abilities are
detailed in the previous section.
Ability Maximums: This entry details the maximum score a
character of a specific race can have for abilities with
maximums other than 14. Regardless of the method of
ability generation, these limits must be observed.
Characters created from a set number of ability points
can allot points to abilities that exceed 14 if desired.
Advantages: This details any special benefits or abilities
the character gains. Some of the entries refer to innate
abilities commonly called Super Power FX. Refer to
Chapter 7 of Book 2 for more information.
Disadvantages: This describes any outstanding drawbacks
that members of this race share.
Preferred Professions: This details those professions and
options that best suit this race of character. Occasionally
there are limitations to certain professions (most
notably Arcane Adept) but there is no standing rule that
excludes a character from a profession or career based
solely on race alone.
Dwarf (Hill and Mountain)
Starting Skills: Athletics, Stamina, Knowledge, Awareness,
Resolve, and Interaction. A Dwarf may also start the
game with the Construction, Crafting, Engineering, and
Tinkering broad skills. If they do so, they need only pay
3 skill points for them. After the time of character
creation however, they must pay full list cost for these
skills. This has no effect on any specialty skills.
Typical Moral Attitudes: Ethical, Conformist, Honorable,
Just, and Worldly.
Typical Environments: Hills, mountains, caves, and
subterranean.
Ability Scores Modifiers: Dwarves receive a +1 to their
Constitution scores but suffer a –1 to Personality.
Ability Maximums:
Constitution 15
Personality 13
Advantages:
 Combat Bonus: Dwarves gain a +1 bonus to their
Strength Resistance Modifier when combating
creatures that are considered Large-sized Humanoids
(Ogres, Minotaurs, Giants, etc.). They also receive a
3
one step bonus to all attacks against Goblinoids, Orcs,
and half-breeds of either race. This species enemy
may be changed to benefit attacks against another race
if the campaign has a differing story. For example
some dwarves may have a one step bonus against
Drow and Duergar due to their cultural histories.
 Magic Resistance: Dwarves have a +/-1 Resistance
Modifier vs. any magical FX ability (see Chapter 8:
Gamers in Action for rules on Magic Resistance). this
defense does not effect psionic powers.
 Poison Resistance: Dwarves receive a one step bonus
to Constitution feat checks against poisons of all types.
 Subterranean Senses: Dwarves live in the earth and
being acutely aware of the subterranean world they
gain a two step bonus (-2 Situation Modifier) to all
Awareness-perception, Awareness-direction sense,
and Investigate-search checks that deal with
underground phenomenon, tunnels, and stonework.
This can include the Engineering-mining skill also.
They may also use this ability to determine the depth
under-ground in a way similar to human sensing
which way is up. Finally this bonus may also be used
to determine a gems value by use of the Business-
appraising skill.
 Thermal Vision: Dwarves can see into the infrared
spectrum, spotting objects by the heat they produce.
As long as the objects and other beings are not the
same temperature as the surrounding area, a Dwarf
receives a 3-step reduction to penalties related to
obscured situations, including total darkness.
Disadvantages:
 Magical Failure: The Resistance Modifier that Dwarves
gain in defense to magic is not controllable. If a Dwarf
character casts an arcane spell or uses an FX item that
relies on arcane magic then the bonus applies as a
penalty. This benefit also applies to spells cast by
Arcane Adepts that are intended to aid the dwarf.
Magical weapons and armor are not effected but if
these items have arcane powers then those powers
can be effected as stated above. This penalty also
applies to all arcane and shared magic spells a dwarf
casts if the player chooses to be an Arcane Adept.
In the case of Shared Magic FX spells, the nature of
the Adept or FX item determines whether a penalty is
applied or not. This means that if an Arcanist casts
Earth Magic-body of earth on a dwarf then the penalty
would apply. If a Believer casts the same spell the
penalty would not apply. FX items do make the
distinction for Shared Magic spells referring to them as
either faith or arcane in origin.
 Slow Movement: Having a diminutive stature that
includes short legs, Dwarves determine their
movement rates by using the figures given for a
combined Strength and Dexterity that is 2 rows lower.
Preferred Professions: Dwarves tend to be Warriors or
Faith Adepts with Warrior as a second profession. Some
also prefer to be Specialists. While a Dwarf may be an
 Chapter 1: Hero Creation
Arcane Adept, few follow this path as they do suffer their
Magical Resistance when casting arcane spells.
Elf (High Elf)
Starting Skills: Athletics, Stealth, Knowledge, Awareness,
and Interaction. Elven characters may also select Melee
Weapons or Ranged Weapons.
Typical Moral Attitudes: Honorable, Just, Selfish, Anti-
Authority, Gallant, and Apathetic.
Typical Environments: Sylvan and temperate woodlands
and forests.
Ability Scores Modifiers: Elves receive a +1 to their
Dexterity scores but suffer a –1 to Constitution.
Ability Maximums:
Dexterity 15
Constitution 13
Advantages:
 Archery Bonus: Elves suffer two fewer penalties due to
them when making Called Shots or when firing a bow
in a circumstance that causes a penalty. Examples
include firing with their feet, firing a bow while
hanging upside down from a tree, and so on. This two-
point reduction cannot remove penalties caused by
dazed-penalties, fatigue or mortal damage nor does is
remove penalties for range or obscuring effects. In no
way can this benefit by itself produce a step bonus for
the character.
 Keen Sight: Elves gain a one step bonus to all
Awareness-perception and Investigate-search
attempts due to their keen eyesight.
 Mental Resistance: Elves are totally immune to spells
that cause sleep. In addition they receive a +4
Resistance Modifier vs. any Influential FX abilities that
mentally induce an accumulation of Stun or Fatigue
points as well as those that would cause the elf to be
rendered unconscious. This benefit does not include
attacks that drain abilities or energy, or any FX powers
defined as Attacks.
 Night Vision: The eyes of an Elf are extremely sensitive
to ambient light, which reduces obscurity penalties
they would otherwise face by 2 steps. This does not
help in total darkness however.
 Stealth Bonus: Elves are by nature very sly. As such
then they gain a one step bonus to all Stealth-hide
checks.
Disadvantages:
 Aloofness: Due to their extended life spans, Elves find
no satisfaction in short-term gains. They generally
disdain bustling marketplaces and are rarely found in
entrepreneurial activities. While willing to adventure
for gold and glory, a correctly role-played elf shows far
more attention to good music and stories rather than
material wealth.
Elves are also in no great hurry. It is no problem
for an elf to spend an entire day laying in a meadow or
simply watching the flowers grow. Their extended
4
lives lend an odd patience to their habits, and time can
fly by before elf even notices.
Of course in times of war or conflict they are on
the present. When goals are set they meet them, when
timing is close so are they. They simple cherish the
ability to sometimes do nothing at all.
Preferred Professions: Elves prefer to be Arcane Adepts.
Secondary professions are almost always Warrior or
Rogue. Warrior and Rogue professions are also very
common however Specialists and Psionic or Faith
Adepts are generally rare. Diplomat elves are not
uncommon but most tend to remain near their homes.
Gnome (Rock Gnome)
Starting Skills: Athletics, Stamina, Knowledge, Awareness,
and Interaction. Gnome characters may also select
Alchemy, Manipulation, or Tinkering.
Typical Moral Attitudes: Ethical, Just, Worldly,
Unscrupulous, or Gallant.
Typical Environments: Gnomes prefer hilly woodlands and
often dwell in underground communities that are
located in those hills.
Ability Scores Modifiers: Gnomes receive a +1 to their
Intelligence scores but suffer a –1 to Will.
Ability Maximums:
Intelligence 15
Will 13
Advantages:
 Combat Bonus: Gnomes gain a +1 bonus to their
Strength Resistance Modifier when combating
creatures that are considered Large-sized Humanoids
(Ogres, Minotaurs, Giants, etc). They also receive a
one step bonus to all attacks and actions against
Goblinoids and Kobolds. While these are racial
enemies, Gnomes would prefer to befuddle and
humiliate them instead of engaging them in armed
conflict.
 Illusion Magic: Gnomes who have an 8 or better in
Intelligence may cast the Illusion/Phantasm-audible
glamour and illusion spells at rank 1 each. They gain 3
FX points to use these spells, which are separate from
other FX points. Additional FX points can be
purchased normally. Additional ranks coat the normal
list cost. These spells are cast as if the Gnome were
using the Sorcerer career as described in Chapter 2 of
this book.
 Magic Resistance: Gnomes have a +/-1 Resistance
Modifier vs. any illusionary effects.
 Night Vision: The eyes of a Gnome are extremely
sensitive to ambient light, which reduces obscurity
penalties they would otherwise face by 2 steps. This
does not help in total darkness however.
 Speak with Small Mammals: Gnomes begin the game
with rank 1 in the language of a small burrowing
mammal. This skill can be increased normally and
other languages can also be purchased. Burrowing
 Chapter 1: Hero Creation
animals include Badgers, Foxes, Rabbits, Moles,
Gophers, Musk Rats, Weasels, and Skunks.
Disadvantages:
 Magical Failure: The Resistance Modifier that Gnomes
gain is not controllable. If a Gnome character casts an
arcane spell or uses an FX item that relies on arcane
magic then the bonus applies as a penalty. This
benefit also applies to spells cast by Arcane Adepts
that are intended to aid the gnome. The sole exception
to this are spells from the Illusion/Phantasm broad
skill group. These spells suffer no penalty.
Magical weapons and armor are not effected but if
these items have arcane powers then those powers
can be effected as stated above. This penalty also
applies to all arcane and shared magic spells a gnome
casts if the player chooses to be an Arcane Adept.
In the case of Shared Magic FX spells the nature of
the Adept or FX item determines whether a penalty is
applied or not. This means that if a wizard casts Earth
Magic-body of earth on a gnome then the penalty
would apply. If a believer casts the same spell the
penalty would not apply. FX items do make the
distinction for Shared Magic spells referring to them as
either faith or arcane in origin.
 Small Size: Being slight in stature Gnomes use the rules
for small characters as discussed in the Character Size
section later in this chapter.
Preferred Professions: Gnomes prefer to be Rogues or
Specialists. Arcane Adepts usually down grade their
talent quality to Good or Ordinary and concentrate their
learning to Illusion/Phantasm spells. Warrior and
Diplomat gnomes are common near gnome lairs.
Halfling (Hairfoot)
Starting Skills: Stealth, Stamina, Knowledge, Awareness-
direction sense (at rank 1), Resolve, and Interaction.
Typical Moral Attitudes: Ethical, Conformist, Just, Corrupt,
Gallant, Virtuous, or Apathetic.
Typical Environments: Halflings prefer to live near human
settlements and may be found in cities.
Ability Scores Modifiers: Halflings receive a +1 to their
Dexterity scores but suffer a –1 to Strength.
Ability Maximums:
Strength 13
Dexterity 15
Advantages:
 Hazard Resistance: Halflings receive a +/-1 Step Bonus
vs. any FX attack or Hazard.
 Combat Bonus: Dwarves gain a +1to their Strength
Resistance Modifier when combating creatures that
are considered Large-sized Humanoids (Ogres, Trolls,
Giants, Minotaurs, etc).
 Nimble: Halflings receive a one step bonus to Athletics-
climb and jump checks as well as Stealth-sneak checks.
 Throwing Bonus: Halflings gain a one step bonus to the
Athletics-throw skill.
5
 Stealth Bonus: Halflings are by nature very sly. If a
Halfling is alone then he or she gains a one step bonus
to all Stealth skill checks.
 Encounter Bonus: Most humans encountered usually
have a Neutral or better initial reaction to Halflings.
By some twist of fate, Halflings remind some people of
small children. Human players are of course free to
determine their own reactions.
Disadvantages:
 Magical Failure: The +1 Resistance Modifier that
Halflings gain is not controllable. This benefit is
applied as a penalty to spells cast by Arcane Adepts
even if they are intended to aid the halfling. Similarly,
arcane FX items also receive this penalty during their
use. Magical weapons and armor are not effected but
if these items have arcane powers then those powers
can be effected as stated above. This penalty also
applies to all arcane and shared magic spells a halfling
casts if the player chooses to be an Arcane Adept.
In the case of Shared Magic FX spells the nature of
the Adept or FX item determines whether a penalty is
applied or not. This means that if a wizard casts
Earth-body of earth on a halfling then the penalty
would apply. If a believer casts the same spell the
penalty would not apply.
 Small Size: Being slight in stature Halflings use the
rules for small characters as discussed in the
Character Size section later in this chapter.
Preferred Professions: Halflings prefer to be Rogues.
Warriors and Diplomats follow in commonality. Adepts
(especially Arcane Adepts) are rare. Halflings are not
prone to be Specialists as in-depth learning and
analytical thinking tends to be cumbersome and boring
to them.
Half-Elf (Human/High-Elf)
Starting Skills: Athletics, Stealth, Stamina, Knowledge,
Awareness, and Interaction.
Typical Moral Attitudes: Any.
Typical Environments: Any.
Ability Scores Modifiers: None.
Ability Maximums: Standard of 14.
Advantages:
 Animal Companion: Being loners by nature, half-elves
frequently bond with young animals they find in the
wild. If the player wishes the half-elf character can
start the game with an animal companion. The player
may select any Beast allowed by the GM and the rules
for Sidekicks apply to the companion as given in
Chapter 6 of this book.
 Keen Sight: Half-elves gain a -1 bonus to all
Awareness-perception and Investigate-search
attempts due to their keen eyesight.
 Mental Resistance: Half-elves receive a +2 Resistance
Modifier vs. any Influential FX abilities that mentally
induce an accumulation of Stun or Fatigue points as
well as those that would cause the elf to be rendered
 Chapter 1: Hero Creation
unconscious. This benefit does not include attacks like
ability or energy drain or FX powers defined as
Attacks.
 Night Vision: The eyes of a half-elf are extremely
sensitive to ambient light, which reduces obscurity
penalties they would otherwise face by 2 steps. This
does not help in total darkness however.
 Stealth Bonus: Half-elves are by nature very sly. As
such then they gain a -1 step bonus to all Stealth-hide
checks.
Preferred Professions: Half-elves can be found in any
profession with equal frequency. The only exception to
this is Diplomat as half-elves tend not to be as socially
oriented as other races.
Humans
Starting Skills: Athletics, Stamina, Knowledge, Awareness,
and Interaction. Humans also gain one free broad skill of
choice, which can include an FX skill. Most humans
encountered in the game will have Animal Handling,
Crafting, Outdoors, or Agriculture.
Typical Moral Attitudes: Any.
Typical Environments: Any.
Ability Scores Modifiers: None.
Ability Maximums: Standard of 14.
Advantages:
 Bonus Skill Points: Humans gain 5 bonus skill points at
the time of character creation.
 Bonus Broad Skill: Humans may add one to the
maximum number of starting Broad skills that they
can have.
 Cultural Ability: Groups of humans, both large and
small, can have cultural benefits that have allowed
them to adapt to a way of life or to an environment.
None of these abilities are similar to any Super Power
FX skills or other abilities like Thermal Vision. What
follows are ideas using some of the more common
types of persons and cultures. Feel free to embellish
this idea but mind the fact that the benefit is shared by
a group of people and is not a special, personal power
given to the character. The benefits should always be
related to skills, perks or flaws, or to the character’s
basis statistics.
Suggested Benefits:
 -1 bonus to a specialty skill.
 An ability score maximum raised by one point.
 A free perk.
 A flaw that provides twice the number of bonus
skill points.
 A higher number of starting skill points (like 62
instead of 60).
 One or two free broad or specialty skills.
 A bonus Last Resort point.
 A +1 Resistance Modifier against a specific form of
attack.
 List-1 with a broad skill.
Sample Benefits:
6
 Religious Society: Faith perk for free.
 Warlike Society: List-1 bonus to any one combat
related broad skill.
 Coastal Society: Ship Operation broad skill for free.
 Enlightened Society: -1 to all Knowledge skill
checks or list-1 to all Intelligence based skills OR
+1 to Intelligence, -1 to Strength.
 Peaceful Society: -1 bonus to all Culture and/or
Interaction skill checks.
 Rugged Society: One free Last Resort point or the
Survival broad skill for free.
 Lawful Society: -1 bonus to all Law and
Administration skill checks.
Disadvantages:
 None: Humans have no outstanding drawbacks.
Mutants
As of this edition of the book there are no changes to
the rules for mutants as found in the Alternity Players
Handbook.
The very idea of a mutant invokes a sense of science
fiction more than that of the fantasy genre. However, with
a little consideration, this distinction can be diversified
enough to create characters and monsters that are fantasy
versions of classic sci-fi mutants. Aside from the
occasional wild magic zone, ancient curse, introduction of
a new player race, this option should be used wisely or else
the character party will look like the X-Men.
Mutations can have a wide variety of uses. Many
demi-humans and humanoid races can be created using
these rules by modifying an existing race. Good examples
are the Grimlocks and the Githyanki both of who are
distant cousins of man but who have adapted to special
environments. Monsters and animal can also be modified.
Tigers adapted to arctic conditions, lions with wings,
subterranean horses, and the like can all be created using
these rules.
The problem isn’t so much in using these rules, the
real trick is to do it with using the word ‘Mutant’ with the
sci-fi implication it can have. In fantasy, an actual
dictionary definition mutant is rare at best if found at all.
Most deviant species are the result of angry gods, evil
sorcerers, or errant magic. They are rarely the products of
bad genes or radioactive isotopes. In any case, be creative
with the mutation rules. They can be very useful for both
Game Masters and players alike.
Professions
In older, level-based, games we became use to the idea
of a character being defined chiefly by his or her class.
This class included everything needed for character
advance-ment and all that was needed was the
accumulation of points to gain the next level. Better
combat scores, increased defenses, heightened knowledge
were all gained at a relatively static rate of progression.
 Chapter 1: Hero Creation
With the introduction of skill-based games we found a
different set of circumstances. The defining attribute of a
skill-based game is that the accumulation of points allows
the player to spend points in either broad or limited
categories. Old terms like Hit Points, Saving Throws, and
THACO were gained by rote in level-based games, but they
must now be purchased in order to improve. If a player
does not spend points to make a warrior a better fighter,
or a wizard more knowledgeable then it simply does not
happen.
What is presented below are the Alternity professions
as they were originally written. The only change that I
made was to move the Mindwalker into the Adept
profession. While this may seem to change the game a bit,
this modification allows a more versatile psionic character
while still retaining the same options and spirit of the
original profession.
Adepts
The Adept is a person who is born with a strong talent
in an FX ability. The Adept represents Arcanists, Believers,
and Mindwalkers in this game. Super Heroes are a special
consideration and are dealt with later in Chapter 2 of this
book in the ‘Legends’ section and in Book 2: FX.
Adepts are similar to Diplomats in that they select a
Secondary Profession, which in turn determines the
character’s Ability Requirements, Achievements Benefits,
Starting Funds, and Skill Cost Reductions. In addition to
this an Adept begins the game with a list-1 cost reduction
to one FX broad skill of choice and all of it’s associated
specialty skills.
The FX ability of an Adept is stronger than that of
other persons who make use of such abilities. Adepts
begin the game with an Amazing talent in an FX category
for free. If the player wishes the character may ‘down-
grade’ this talent to Good instead. Doing so grants the
character 5 skills points that can spent on FX skills and
perks only. The character may also reduce the talent to
Ordinary. If this is done then the character gains 10 points
to spend on FX skills and perks. In both cases the rules for
Good and Ordinary talents apply as described in the
Talents section which follows.
All Adepts have the following statistics, which are
summarized from the comments above.
Action Bonus: +1
Skill Bonus: as per Secondary Profession.
Requirements: as per Secondary Profession.
Random Ability Generation: as per Secondary Profession.
Amazing Talent: Adepts begin the game with an Amazing
talent in one of the three FX categories to chose from:
Arcane Magic, Faith Magic, or Psionic powers. Each of
these groups is discussed in Book 2: FX. Talents in
general are described later in this chapter. The Adept
may elect to downgrade a talent to Good or Ordinary if
desired. Doing so includes all rules for each level of
talent but grants the Adept 5 bonus skill points for a
Good talent or 10 for an Ordinary. These bonus points
7
can only be spent on FX skills and perks. If the player
wishes to improve the character’s talent at a later time
the normal 10 points per category must be paid
however. See the Talents section below for more details.
Secondary Profession: Each Adept selects a Secondary
Profession and gains a list-1 skill cost reduction with
that profession’s skills. If an Adept selects another
Adept as the second profession then he or she must
specify which type (Arcane, Faith, or Psionic). Of course
this secondary profession cannot be the same as the
Adept’s primary profession. While the character does
not gain any skill cost reductions, they do begin the
game with an Ordinary Talent in that FX category at no
cost. For the purposes of advancing in talent grades
(Ordinary to Good for example) assume the character
has already spent 10 skill points to gain the talent.
The rules so far stated apply to each type of Adept.
From this point forward they slowly begin to differ from
each other. Each type of Adept has several distinguishing
titles that apply to the exact profession chosen as well as
the level of talent possessed. The tables below are
provided for campaign color and should not be used if the
titles do not fit your campaign. However the entries for
‘Adept Name’ and ‘Adept Type’ are used in this book to
refer to different types of Adepts throughout the game so it
is good to at least be familiar with them.
Arcane FX Faith FX Psionics
Adept Name: Arcanist Believer Mindwalker
Adept Type: Arcane Adept Faith Adept Psionic Adept
Ordinary Talent: Dabbler Faithful Initiate
Good Talent: Magician Adherent Master
Amazing Talent: Wizard Devout Psionicist
Arcanists
Arcanists are those who work with Arcane Magic. To
be an Arcanist the character must start the game with
Knowledge-read/write at rank 3 and either Lore-spell lore
or the Metaphysics broad skill.
After the time when an Arcanist is created any new
broad skills, and specialty skills that cannot be used
untrained, must be learned before being purchased with
skill points. Arcanists are also dependent on their spell
books to advance in known skills and to facilitate the
learning process as a whole. While these factors may seem
a disadvantage they are often beneficial to the Arcanist as
well. The role that learning spells and spell books have in
the game, and Arcane Magic in general, is discussed in
Chapter 2 of Book 2.
This type of Adept generally chooses the Specialist as
his secondary profession, however Diplomats and Free
Agents are also common. Arcanists are also the most likely
Adept to choose another Adept type as a secondary
profession with Psionics being favored of the two options.
Warrior as a secondary profession is rare. While providing
a strong and combat ready character, this combination
 Chapter 1: Hero Creation
tends to detract from ability scores needed to cast a
majority of arcane spells.
Believers
Believers are those who work with Faith Magic. In
order to be a Faith Adept the character must have the Faith
perk. This profession represents any character that draws
magical energy from a belief in a god, an elemental force,
nature, spirits, or even a philosophy.
Believers tend to have more specialty skills in a broad
skill that can be used untrained than other Adepts.
However they pay for this distinction by having the types
of broad skills they can learn determined by their faith.
Some can learn many while others may only learn a few.
In all cases a believer must select a career from those given
in the ‘Believer Careers’ section in this chapter. If a player
does not like those presented then a new career must be
created. Players may also opt to use faiths from Appendix
3: Fantasy Faiths from book as well.
These Adepts are usually Diplomats as a secondary
profession as those cost reductions provide powerful tools
in the guidance of groups and the influence of others.
Warriors are also common despite the lower ability scores
in needed areas. Other professions are rare but are known
to exist. With that said it should be pointed out that
certain believers may chose a profession that better
reflects a deity’s sphere of influence. A god of magic may
have all priests select the Arcane Adept as their secondary
profession while others (like Set or Loki) may require
followers to choose Rogue. Information of Faith Magic is
given in Chapter 3 of Book 2.
Mindwalkers
Mindwalkers are those who work with Psionic Powers.
In order to be a Psionic Adept the character must have the
Resolve or Psyche broad skill, however having both is a
good idea. Of all of the professions the psionicist is the
most self-contained. Unlike rogues, they need no tools,
unlike warriors they need no weapons, unlike believers
and arcanists they need no trappings for their FX abilities
save their conscious will. Their power comes from within
and they alone give it shape.
The number of specialty skills that can be used
untrained is average and they need not learn FX skills
before buying them. Similarly they do not have limits on
the types of broad skills they may possess. However the
shear number of broad skills available makes the multi-
talented mindwalker a rarity. Information on psionic
powers is given in Chapters 5 through 11 in Book 2.
Also unlike other Adepts, the Mindwalker gains the
list-1 bonus to skill costs for all broad skills in the same
Discipline. This generally grants the character this bonus
for three or four broad skills.
8
Diplomat
In the fantasy world Diplomats represent everyone
from Bards to Kings, Ambassadors to Traders, Nobles and
Military Commanders. The strength of a diplomat is his or
her ability to get the job done through teamwork,
negotiation, bargaining, or even guile. While at an initial
glance the Diplomat may seem undesirable as a lead
character remember the combination of having two
professions of reduced skill cost, or receiving and ordinary
FX talent, makes the Diplomat extremely versatile.
Diplomats make excellent leaders and, despite the name,
are not always disposed to be polite.
Action Bonus: +1
Skill Bonus: -1 to the list cost of any skill with the ‘D’ class
code.
Requirements: Personality of 11, Will of 9.
Random Ability Generation:
Strength 4+1d8
Dexterity 4+1d8
Constitution 4+1d8
Intelligence 8+1d6
Will 8+1d6
Personality 10+1d4
Free Contact: Diplomats begin the game with a free Contact
of choice. Contacts are described in Chapter 6 of this
book.
Secondary Profession: Diplomats have a knack for learning
other skills for use when negotiation fails. Each
Diplomat selects a Secondary Profession and he gains a
list-1 skill cost reduction with that profession’s skills. If
a Diplomat selects the Adept as the second profession
then he or she must specify which type (Arcane, Faith, or
Psionic). While the character does not gain any
additional cost reductions, they do begin the game with
an Ordinary Talent in that FX category at no cost (see
‘Talents’ later in this chapter). For the purposes of
advancing in talent grades (Ordinary to Good for
example) assume the character has already spent 10
skill points to gain the talent.
Rogue
Rogues are some of the more colorful characters of the
game. Being less restrained by social mores and the laws
of the land; Rogues live and breathe independence. To
properly role-play a rogue character the player must often
act independently of the group. This means acting when
appropriate regardless of plans. While this doesn’t
necessarily make the rogue foolhardy, it does make them
difficult to predict and control at times. As opposed to
Warriors or Diplomat characters, the Rogue prefers to
work alone or in a small group.
Action Bonus: +2
Skill Bonus: -1 to the list cost of any skill with the ‘R’ class
code.
Requirements: Dexterity of 11, Will of 9.
 Chapter 1: Hero Creation
Random Ability Generation: the basic soldier, mercenary, or master of arms. Some are
Strength 6+1d6 poor and some become kings but all are persons of action.
Dexterity 10+1d4 Action Bonus: +3
Constitution 6+1d6 Skill Bonus: -1 to the list cost of any skill with the ‘W’ class
Intelligence 8+1d6 code.
Will 6+1d6 Requirements: Strength of 11, Constitution of 9.
Personality 6+1d6 Random Ability Generation:
Bonus Last Resort: Rogues gain one additional Last Resort Strength 10+1d4
point and they may spend up to two of them to modify Dexterity 8+1d4
any one given result. Constitution 8+1d6
Resistance Modifier: Rogues may also increase the Intelligence 4+1d8
Resistance Modifier of Strength, Dexterity, Will 6+1d6
Intelligence, or Will by +1. Personality 4+1d8
Combat Bonus: Warriors receive a -1 Situation Modifier to
attacks when using any one combat oriented Specialty
Specialist skill. This can include any Tactics specialty skill,
Acrobatics-defensive martial arts, or Athletics-joust.
Specialists are persons who excel in learning. They
make use of tools effectively and can operate a variety of
tools and equipment proficiently. The Specialist
profession replaces the Tech Op in the standard Alternity Talents
game. They both perform in the same manner the name A Talent is a person who has a varying degree of skill
has been changed to better reflect the medieval world. in one or more FX categories, similar to the Adept
While sometimes deserving the title of ‘geek’ a profession. Unless a character is an Adept or a Diplomat
specialist may also be a blacksmith, an engineer, a with and an Adept secondary profession, all levels of
demolitions expert (if gunpowder is allowed), and other Talent’s ability must be paid for. Having a Talent
martial careers. Of the Adept professions, the Specialist represents an additional element to the character’s
works best when combined with the Arcane Adept. standard profession and is much stronger than most perks
Action Bonus: +1 or extraordinary abilities.
Skill Bonus: -1 to the list cost of any skill with the ‘S’ class As with the Adept professions a character must have
code. the stated skills or perk in order to have the appropriate
Requirements: Intelligence of 11, Dexterity of 9 talent(s). In the case of a Faith Talent, he or she must
Random Ability Generation: chose a religion as described under Believer Careers below
Strength 4+1d6 so as to define his or her allowed FX broad skills.
Dexterity 8+1d6 The table below shows the basic statistics that work
Constitution 4+1d6 the same for Adepts and Talents alike.
Intelligence 10+1d4
Will 8+1d6 Type Cost Broad Skills Max Ranks FX Energy
Personality 6+1d6 Ordinary 10 1 1-6th, all else 5
Accelerated Learning: At the levels shown on the table 3rd
Good 20 3 All @ 6th 10
below a Specialist earns bonus skill points that can be
Amazing 30 All All @ 12th 15
spent on either mundane or FX skills as desired as well
as Achievement bonuses.
The ‘Cost’ column shows the number of skill points
required to have any one talent. The ‘Broad Skills’ column
Level Bonus Skill Points
gives the maximum number of broad skills the talent may
2 to 5 1
have in that FX category. For Ordinary and Good Talents
6 to 10 2
the character may add his or her Intelligence Resistance
11 to 15 3
Modifier to the number of Broad Skills allowed if an arcane
16 to 20 4
talent, or Will for both faith and psionic talents. This
21+ 5
means that a character with an Intelligence of 11 could
learn two Broad Skills as an Ordinary Talent.
Warrior The ‘Max Ranks’ column shows the maximum rank the
talent may have. Ordinary talents may advance as high as
Warriors are the basic types of classic hero. rank 6 with one specialty skill per broad skill if more than
Regardless of whether they are protectors of the one is available. All other ranks cannot be higher than
wilderness, defenders of the meek, rulers and lords, or third. Good talents may advance as high as rank 6 in any
sailors on the high seas; Warriors are the quintessential specialty skill while Amazing talents may advance to 12th.
champions of the fantasy genre. The Warrior represents

9
 Chapter 1: Hero Creation
The ‘FX Energy’ column shows the starting points a
character has based on the type of talent he is. To this base Character Attributes
number the character may add his Intelligence Resistance This section covers some details that help to flesh out
Modifier if an arcane talent or Will Resistance Modifier if a a character and to provide some basic rules that govern a
faith or psionic talent. This score can be increased by 1 FX character’s role in the game. None are optional however
point by spending 5 skill points. The maximum number of individual Game Masters may not always use them with
FX points a character may have is equal to twice his the same level of importance depending on the type of
original base number. This means that an ordinary psionic game being run.
talent with a Will of 13 starts with 7 FX points and may
have a maximum of 14. Height, Weight, and Age
There are three rules that are used for all Talents and As you may have noticed, the Alternity game system
Adepts. They are as follows. uses the metric system. This does change some of the
Rule 1) A Talent must be selected at the time of character mechanics used in determining a character’s height and
creation or at 1st level. Otherwise the character weight. The tables below show the methodology of
must learn the talent as shown below. random determination for these statistics.
Rule 2) Extra FX points can be purchased at 5 skill points
each. Characters with multiple talents must
specify which ‘pool’ of points the purchased point
Racial Statistics
Race Height Max. Height Weight Size Category
belongs to. Dwarf 1.0 1.3 65 Medium
Rule 3) An Adept or talent character can gain 3 FX perks Elf 1.3 1.7 43 Medium
and 3 FX flaws. Extra skill points for FX flaws can Gnome 0.9 1.0 36 Small
only be spent on FX skills. Any skill point can be Half-Elf 1.5 1.9 54 Medium
spent on FX perks. FX perks and flaws are Halfling 0.8 1.0 32 Small
described in Chapter 1 of Book 2. Human 1.5 2.2 68 Medium
Height is given as an average in meters. Weight is an
average in kilograms.
Learning Talents after 1st Level
Learning a Talent is no small task and it is best chosen
As characters advance through a game it is possible for
when the character is first created. If not then the
them to age many years while doing so. Below are two
character will have to learn this ability during the course
tables that show the average ages by race and what game
of a campaign. This is only possible with a willing teacher
effects those age categories have on the character. The DM
who has the Teaching specialty appropriate to the FX
may allow characters to be created at any age the player
desired. The learning process is a complex skill check that
chooses. Players should be able to choose their characters
requires 10 successes to complete with only one check
statistics with in these guidelines if they so choose.
allowed per month. For Arcane Magic an Intelligence Feat
is required. For either the Faith Magic or Psionic ability, a
Will Feat is used instead. Of course before the teaching can Age Categories
Young Mid
even begin, the character must have the skills or perk Race Adolescent Adult Mature Age Old Ancient
required of any other Adept or talent. Dwarf 17 72 229 304 349 +6d12
The teacher can grant a bonus to the students check. Elf 17 100 550 850 999 +10d12
At the start of each month, the teacher makes a Teaching Gnome 27 150 260 365 490 +5d20
½ Elf 17 35 80 130 155 +3d12
skill check. An Ordinary result grants a -1 bonus, a Good Halfling 23 57 95 135 180 +4d12
result grants a -2, and an Amazing result grants a -3 while Human 12 15 30 41 50 +2d12
a Critical Failure imposes a +2 penalty. If the student
generates three failures during the learning period the All characters are assumed to start at the Young Adult
training must begin anew. If a Critical Failure is generated, age category. If a character is created at another age than
then the student must seek out a new teacher or both the this one modify the character’s ability scores for each age
teacher and the student must attain a new level before the category passed. Therefor, if a character is created and the
training can begin again. player starts at Old Age then the character would have a -1
Once a talent is learned the character can purchase an to strength and constitution, a -2 to dexterity, a +2 to
Ordinary talent only. At any level later this can be intelligence, will, and personality.
improved normally. Broad and specialty skills as well as
perks and flaws must also be purchased normally. In the Age Effects
case of perks and flaws that must be bought at the time of Str Dex Con Int Will Per
character creation, the new talent may select them but AD -1 +1 0 -1 -1 0
only if that is done before or simultaneously with the YA 0 0 0 0 0 0
purchase of his first broad skill. MA 0 0 0 +1 0 +1
MD 0 -1 0 +1 +1 0
Old -1 -1 -1 0 +1 +1
10
 Chapter 1: Hero Creation
AN -1 -1 -1 0 0 0 Dur. Stands for Durability and the figures for Large to
Gargantuan creatures are multipliers to their constitution
In no way can any modifiers increase an ability score scores for this purpose. The standard Punch does
above the racial maximums for that character. The old 1d4s/1d4+1s/1d4+2s in damage. For Tiny and Small
AD&D rule about unnatural aging are still in place in this beings the modifier mentioned is subtracted from the base
game as well. This means that a character that is aged by damage to a minimum of 1 point of damage caused. Large,
the touch of a Ghost does not gain any benefit to his or her Huge, and Gargantuan creatures use the same standard
ability scores, however, any negative modifiers do apply. rules for a brawl attack except that the indicated die type
Bonuses to ability scores come from time and experience. replaces the ‘d4’. Of course some monsters have other
means of attack and may or may not follow this guide.
Character Size Hands refers to a new optional rule given in Chapter 5:
All characters have a size. As stated before, Gnomes Weapons and Armor where by a person using a weapon
and Halflings are small-sized while the other races are must have the indicated number of ‘hands’ free in order to
medium. The table below shows the effects a character’s use a weapon. The modifiers shown indicate a change to
size has on various game mechanics should they be altered the weapons statistics. In this way a broad sword with a
in any way. For the most part these modifiers are already hands score of 1 requires a Small sized person to use two
considered for monsters and other beings in Book 3: hands instead when wielding this weapon. Tough stands
Monsters and they need not be modified any further. The for the toughness attribute. Usually only Huge and
table below shows the relative height of the size Gargantuan creatures will have a greater than ordinary
categories. toughness based on size alone.
A being’s base Movement rate is equal to their
Standard Measure Relative Height strength and dexterity summed together as usual. The
Tiny (1” to 1’) .03 to .3 plus or minus in this column indicates the number of
Small (2’ to 3’) .6 to .9 scores that are moved up or down to achieve the persona
Medium (4’ to 8’) 1.2 to 2.4 actual movement rate. For Tiny creatures, the sum of their
Large (9’ to 15’) 2.7 to 4.5 strength and dexterity is divided by two to determine how
Huge 16’ to 25’) 4.8 to 7.6 fast they can move in a given phase. However this only
Gargantuan (26’+) 8+ concerns movement on the ground or in the water. Flying
and gliding move rates remain the same. For Melee, the
The following table shows the basic format that is used entry ‘–1d’ means that the type of die used to determine
for beings of all sizes, however they are standard and are damage is lowered by one die type. If the die type is
subject to change on a case by case basis, serving primarily already a d4 then use a d6 divided by two and rounded up.
as a model for character design. Any modifications based The +d or +2d means that an additional die of equal value
on character size are already assumed to be built into the of the original is added to the damage. In other words, a
character’s racial make-up and any changes to size render giant using a giant club causes 2d4+1s/1d4+3s/ 2d6w in
similar changes. For example, if a wizard were to cast an damage to a hapless victim. It should be noted that this
Alteration-adaptation or polymorph spell on his familiar (a rule is related to the ‘Power’ of the attack and if degraded
magically bonded pet) then the familiar would gain any by toughness this bonus die is lost first. Power is
benefits due to its increased size. In this way a character discussed in Chapter 8: Gamers in Action.
that assumes the size of a giant gains some benefits similar Res. Mod represents modifiers to the being’s Strength
to giants. In the case of monsters the Game Master will and Dexterity Resistance Modifiers. The simple
have to judge is size alterations will modify their scores explanation is that larger creatures are harder to hit and
and to what degree. tiny one’s may avoid some attacks better simply due to
their size. Stealth gives the modifier to all Stealth skill
Size Alteration Table checks and Lift applies as a modifier to the character’s
Character Size lifting ability based on strength.
T S M L H G
Con Con Con Con
Dur.
Punch
Hands
x½
-2
+2
Normal
-1
+1
Normal
0
0
x 1.5
d6
-1
x 1.5
2d4
-2
x2
2d6
-4
Moral Attitudes
Every character in the game that is not of animal
Tough O O O O G G
intelligence has a Moral Attitude. This relates how they
Move Base/2 Base-2 - - Base+2 Base+4
Melee -1d - - - +1d +2d interact with the rest of the world and determines such
Res. classic notions as ‘good vs. evil’. These values have the
Mod +1 - - - -1 -2 same means as described on pages 121 to 122 of the
Stealth -1 0 0 +1 +3 +5 Alternity Player's Handbook but are summarized below.
Lift x½ x¾ n/a n/a x2 or 3 x4 or 5
Anti-Authority: The character believes that his life is own
and should be allowed to live as he pleases. His ethics
center on things that are good for him. This individualist
11
 Chapter 1: Hero Creation
can be good or evil, but usually does what he pleases in
order to get the most out of life.
Apathetic: This character just doesn’t care. Some who hold
this attitude believe that nothing really matters in the
end, so there’s no point in being concerned about
anything. Apathetic characters wear an air of
indifference. Some can be cynical. While events may
rouse them to action they will eventually return to this
state of mind. This hero may have had his beliefs
shattered at an early age and only needs a new cause to
spark the smoldering emotions in his breast.
Conformist: This guy is a follower. He doesn’t stick out. In
fact he works very hard to be just another face in the
crowd. He values the popular opinions of the day,
accepting everything and deciding on nothing. He’s
adaptable, but only a way that allows him to go with the
social flow. He is compliant and obeys the laws and the
mores of the day.
Corrupt: This character has a strict personal code, one that
promotes a twisted, even deviant moral program that
usually bolsters his goals and desires. He may still be
honorable as long as it doesn’t inhibit his personal
agenda. He’s self-disciplined and admires and expects
that same traits in others – after all without discipline
corruption consumes itself in raging fire. The controlled
flame burns the longest and that is important to this
hero. However he has little tolerance for those who
work against his goals.
Despicable: This person is wicked, amoral, and totally evil.
He has no code of ethics. He’s unpredictable, random,
and possibly even insane. If he helps someone it’s only
to further his own gain and he gets great satisfaction
from hurting the same person later on. He despises
those who are good and honorable. He sneers at
discipline. He hates authority. He delights in evil and
enjoys causing pain and sorrow.
Ethical: This character lives by standards that are
universally recognized as being right and good. He
strives to nothing that is evil or morally wrong, and
seeks to help everyone in need. The ethical hero has a
moral code that values fair play, respects authority, and
brings greatest benefit to the most people. The ethical
hero is honest and hard-working, kind and wise. He can
be stern and even driven by his moral attitude but he is
also fair and good.
Gallant: This hero believes that the strong must protect the
weak. He has a nobility of spirit and a high degree of
courage. He is quick to action, daring in deed, and
dashing in manner and appearance. He tries to right
wrongs, but he also enjoys the fruits of his labors. He
knows he’s good and he likes others to see his goodness
in action.
Honorable: This hero sticks to his word and holds others to
the same standard. He follows a code of dignity,
integrity, and pride. The honorable hero is often
extremely individualistic, though his personal code
means that he can be trusted and counted on to keep his
word. Indeed, his word is his bond, and he strives to
12
make his actions live up to his lofty promises – even if no
one else is around to witness his honor.
Just: A character with a just moral attitude doesn’t care if a
law is good or evil; he believes that law is the defining
aspect of civilization. Everyone is equal under the law,
and the just-minded character works to defend that
principle. He protects everyone’s opinions, as long as
they don’t break the laws of the land. He is fair and law-
abiding, without regard to the ethics of the laws he
defends.
Selfish: The selfish character always wants to know what’s
in it for him. He has a high regard for life and freedom –
especially his own. He places his own interests above all
else, seeking a personal angle before he commits to
anything. If he agrees to something he sticks to it as long
as he feels he has a personal stake in it. Self-
preservation and self-aggrandizement are definitely the
cornerstones of this character’s behavior.
Unscrupulous: This character is self-serving and depraved.
He is ruthless – he’ll stop at nothing to achieve his goals.
He has no conscience, and thus perceives no need to
adhere to the principles of right and wrong. If he wants
something, he takes it. If a lie will as well as the truth, he
opts for the lie.
Virtuous: The virtuous hero is righteous and good,
exhibiting excellence in word and deed. He always tells
the truth, he demonstrates great courage – especially
regarding his convictions – and he lives as an example to
others. He can’t be bribed or persuaded to work against
his beliefs. This hero is unburdened by guilt – unless he
goes against his moral attitude. Then he is wracked by
guilt and must seek a way to repair the damage he has
done.
Worldly: Material gain is the goal of this character. He
wants to own things, especially the best things he can
find. He will compromise his other beliefs if there’s
something for him to gain by doing so.
The moral attitudes that players select are the
Alternity versions of alignment in AD&D. Most the above
attitudes can be cross-referenced to a specific alignment.
In this game spells and other abilities that react to or that
detect evil or good are now based more on intentions
rather than a blanket characteristic. A Worldly character,
while self-serving, could perform an action that is
ultimately good whether they know it or not. This form of
character definition, I feel, allows for more flexible role-
playing while still holding true to the fantasy notions of
good vs. evil.
Motivations and Traits
These two aspects of character definition remain
unchanged from their descriptions in the Alternity Players
Handbook. Game Masters may or may not require them
based on the tone of their campaigns. However it is a good
idea to base role-playing awards on the use of these traits
 Chapter 1: Hero Creation
and to withhold points for not using these tools to develop Infamy -2 0 -1
a character. Primitive -1 0 -1
Spineless -1 0 0

Social Status Allegiance +2 +1 +1

Authority, Fame, and Wealth define the social status of
a character. These attributes remain exactly as detailed in As Game Master you may also determine that a certain
the Alternity Gamemaster's Guide. Wealth is the only trait career choice may also modify these initial scores. A fair
that may need a little re-vamping. In a typical medieval method is to apply a ‘-‘ for every ‘+’. However this is not
world, extreme wealth is usually owned by but a few and always realistic for some circumstances and it is best that
most of this wealth is tied to the land. Investment you base these considerations on the player’s description
portfolios, stocks and bonds, interest from savings of the character and how well the character is developed.
accounts just do not exist in lower progress levels or
fantasy games in general. A player who wishes to develop Game Effects
a high wealth score will eventually have to claim land to The following table shows the base modifier that is
secure it. In a medieval world this of course means war. applied to a skill check (usually an Encounter skill) if a
While authority and fame remain unchanged keep in character’s Social Status is an issue in a situation.
mind that in fantasy styled games news can travel very Remember that players do not always dictate when these
slowly. A character with a high score in either of these social statuses can have effect. A player may also attempt a
traits may come to find that they are valueless (or Social Status check if desired. To do this roll a personality
markedly decreased) when visiting another region or feat check with the modifier presented. The bonus
kingdom where the character is unknown. It may be contacts column shows the number of possible contacts a
necessary to record a character’s social status’ based on character may gain that are free of charge so to speak.
where they are and where they have traveled. Of course These are not fixed numbers however and are subject to
on can always hire a bard or minstrel to spread the word change as the DM sees fit. Use of these scores, and what
of your heroic deeds. they imply, is as detailed on pages 106 to 108 in the
In the Alternity Gamemaster's Guide there is a table Alternity Gamemaster's Guide.
detailing social status scores. For this game, wealth is
based on the amount of assets that one can prove that one Social Status Game Effects
owns, whether it be showing an onlooker your castle or Status Score Authority Fame Wealth* Contacts**
spilling a bag of gold on the table. For this reason wealth is 0 +5 +5 0 0
not as fixed. When a character’s wealth in factored in the 1 +4 +4 1gp 0
effects of encounters use their current provable amount 2 +3 +3 2gp 0
3 +2 +2 3gp 0
can be used as shown on the Game Effects table below.
4 +1 +2 4gp 0
5 0 +1 5gp 0
Social Status Scores for Professions 6 0 +1 6gp 0
Profession Authority Wealth Fame 7 0 0 7gp 0
Diplomat +4 +4 +4 8 -1 0 8gp 0
Rogue +3 +2 +1 9 -1 0 9gp 0
Specialist +2 +3 +1 10 -1 0 10gp 1
11 -2 0 12gp 2
Warrior +4 +2 0
12 -2 -1 14gp 4
13 -2 -1 16gp 6
In addition to the base scores for these attributes 14 -3 -2 20gp 8
certain perks and flaws can also grant bonuses to the 15 -3 -2 30gp 10
social status scores. 16 -3 -3 50gp 12
17 -4 -3 100gp 15
Social Status Modifiers 18 -4 -4 250gp 18
19 -4 -4 500gp 25
Perks Authority Wealth Fame
20 -5 -5 2000gp 50
Filthy Rich 0 +3 +1
Good Luck 0 0 +1
*The Wealth column shows the average amount of
Powerful Ally +1 0 +1
gold pieces earned for one month’s work.
Renown 0 +1 +3
**The Contacts entry on the table is directly related to
Reputation +2 0 +1
the character’s Fame score. These bonus contacts are in
addition to any gained by the character through role-
Flaws
playing or by the Diplomat profession.
Bad Luck 0 0 -1
Dirt Poor 0 -2 -2
13
 Chapter 1: Hero Creation
Increasing the Scores 1 +5 0 -
2–3 +4 2 Faith Bonus
These scores can be increased during the course of the
4–5 +3 4 Minor Gift
game. The Game Master will have to decide what type of 6–7 +2 8 -
action warrants such an increase and how often awards 8–9 +1 12 Last Resort
should be given. As a rule of thumb no more than one 10 – 11 0 15 Holy Vision
point should be gained or lost per adventure. 12 – 13 -1 30 Faith Bonus
Players may also increase these score voluntarily 14 – 15 -2 50 Last Resort
through the use of Achievement Points. The cost for doing 16 – 17 -3 100 Major Gift
so is equal to the value of the score to be gained. Therefor 18 – 19 -4 500 -
to rise from an Authority of 5 to a 6 the character must 20 -5 1000 Ascension
spend 6 achievement points.
Game Masters may also grant a number of additional All characters begin the game with a Standing score of
starting points to characters created above 1st level. These 0. If the character has the Faith perk (which includes
bonus points are equal to one-half of the character’s Believers and Faith Talents of course) then the starting
starting level and may be distributed however they wish. score is 1. Standing is gained by service to the powers and
Therefor a 6th level character gains three additional points aiding their cause. This score can be advanced normally as
when the character is created. with other Social Status types as described in ‘Increasing
the Scores’ above.

Standing Negative Standing Scores

A negative score represents a condition where a
Standing is another form of social status with the
power that does not approve of the character’s actions is
primary exception that it deals with a character’s
keeping an eye on his activities. This condition can arise
relationship with the powers that be. This can be a specific
for any number of reasons but the most likely cause is the
deity, an entire pantheon, the spirits of nature, or the
actual defeat of the power’s plans in the mortal world.
universe at large. Occasionally Faith Magic calls on this
This can be caused by direct attacks on the power’s
score, with its accompanying modifiers, and it is also used
temples and followers, foiling the power’s plans in general,
as a metaphysical yardstick in determining if the character
or the destruction of sacred items including gates into this
attracts powerful attention.
world.
Standing is very important to these powers and often
A negative Standing score does have to apply every
times they consider it first when comparing two
time a character fights a Believer and his followers or has a
individuals for whatever reason. While Believers seem to
general run-in with such persons, however it is almost
be a power’s most potent ally and first pick, do not leap to
certain to occur if the character engages in an extended
any conclusions. If a Warrior without a Faith talent or
campaign against a power. It can also occur if the
even the Faith perk has a higher Standing score then a
character fights and defeats the power’s Avatar or minions
Believer of the same faith, the powers may pick the
that are sent to this world on an expressed mission.
Warrior over the Believer. This is because Standing is a
The modifier given is used to modify a Personality feat
measure of what a person has done to further a religion or
check. A check is called for whenever a character engages
faith, not so much the powers a person has been granted.
in activities that directly hinder the power’s influence in
Standing is also very particular. Having a high score
this world. In this case a failure is desired. Ordinary to
with one god or pantheon does not mean a character has
Amazing results can act as a temporary Powerful Enemy
the same score with other powers. It is quite all right to
flaw as desired. The greater the quality of the result, the
have multiple scores; each dedicated to a different power,
greater the power of the flaw. The action taken by the
pantheon, or type of faith. Often times a high score with
power may range from his followers receiving visions of
one faith brings about another score with an opposing
the character’s activities to direct intervention by the
faith or god. This represents the fact that aiding one
deity’s avatar or extra-dimensional minions.
deity’s goals hinders another’s and can attract unwanted
A negative score can be removed by certain actions as
attention. Having a negative score with that power or faith
well. If the power feels that the character is no longer a
represents this; the effects of which will be discussed
threat then the score can be removed completely. It may
below.
also be reduced over time. While the power never forgets
any slight against it, it may have made significant progress
Standing Game Effects in it’s goals and the actions of the character may seem as a
Standing Modifier Followers Divine Gifts singular event that no longer warrants the deities direct
-5 0 - -
-4 +1 - -
attention.
-3 +2 - - Use a negative Standing score as a tool for the story.
-2 +3 - - This feature is not intended to kill the character off every
-1 +5 - - time they sack a temple but rather to add the ‘wrath of an
0 - - - angry god’ element to a game. It also creates an element of
14
 Chapter 1: Hero Creation
superstition as the characters may be hesitant to take a
quest for fear of ‘bad things’ happening to them.
Beseeching Miracles
There are times when a character is faced with a
hopeless situation. As stated in the chapter on skills
(chapter 3) a character can attempt a Personality feat
check to determine his or her basic luck in a situation.
Miracles are Personality feat checks with an added punch.
There are just some things that will not happen no matter
how lucky a character is. When a situation is presented
that affords no logical use of a Personality feat check, then
a Miracle can be called for.
A call for a Miracle represents the role that the gods
and spirits of the universe play in the fate of the character
and in the situation he is in. When rolled any success
generates a Miracle, which corrects a given situation as
quickly and as unnoticeable as possible. If successful the
character must then roll another check using the same
modifier to determine if a quest or sacrifice is required of
him. If a failure is generated some form of sacrifice must
be made. This sacrifice, whether of material goods or the
character’s personal time, almost always furthers the
deities ends. Any success indicates that Miracle is seen as
a reward for good service. A critical failure on this roll is
treated like a failure except that the sacrifice required
needs to be a greater show of devotion to the rescuing
power.
If a player announces a sacrifice to the gods or
promises some grand, sacrificial action, the Game Master
may grant a Situation Modifier to the feat check based on
the nature of the sacrifice stated. Failure to provide this
promise however is not a good idea; the gods will
eventually be satisfied.
Frivolously calling a Miracles when they are not
required or when the character has other options in
dealing with a situation may lead to a loss of Standing
points as the Game Master sees fit. This not an ability to
abuse. As a final note; the Faith perk cannot be used to
modify these results nor do any other game modifiers
apply including penalties for excessive wounds.
Bestowing Curses
Any one provoked to a point of great anger can swear
a curse at another being. Whether a curse presents a real
danger or is just ‘hot air’ is also a function of the Standing
score. Curses are not as easy to exact, as are Miracles, and
for most cases an Amazing result is required for a curse to
have any effect at all. As with the ability to beseech
miracles, bestowing curses should be used to add color to
a game, not another spell.
For the most part, curses of this type do not take effect
immediately. These curses can take years to fulfill or may
only take if certain conditions exist. An opponent may yell
“I damn you to eternal unrest”. If an amazing result is
generated and the recipient dies before the curse is lifted
he or she may return from the grave as one of the undead.
A curse could doom a greedy lord to have no living heirs to
15
pass on his lands and position. Whatever the case the
curse should be creative and the Game Master is obliged to
grant bonuses or penalties based on the nature of the
curse desired.
Using a curse is usually a once in a lifetime event that
is seldom repeated. Used only in moments of extreme
duress it is often only employed when the person
bestowing the curse is about to die. Abuse of this ability
can be severe and if a character wantonly uses it the Game
Master must apply some form of punishment. Otherwise
every character in the game will be making feat checks to
bestow curses. Of course there is the simpler method of
never allowing characters who abuse this ability any
chance of success.
The results of the check should remain secret from the
players even if they were the curse’s initiators. Never
knowing if the dying words of a shaman will come true can
lead to some interesting actions on the player’s part. Even
a fruitless curse can have effect if the target being leads his
life trying to avoid it. This is what is known as a self-
fulfilling prophecy. An example of this is a curse stating
that the target will never succeed in business. Reacting out
of fear, the target never gets involved in business for fear
of failure and thus dies in poverty.
Followers
As a bastion of a faith, persons with a high Standing
score eventually attract followers. The use of those
numbers listed coincides with the character’s Fame score.
If the character is well known and is of a high Standing
then people will flock to him seeking their deity through
his actions. If the character is some form of Faith talent
then these followers will likely form the basis of a new
temple or even a community around the character. Other
types of characters will attract the same types of followers.
In this case however they will not automatically seek
guidance from the character as they realize that he is not a
priest. They will however see him as a champion to their
cause and will refer to him as a leader. Often times the
followers how up simply seeking advise and direction. The
character can opt to retain them or to send them forth on
some ‘divine’ quest or mission.
The numbers shown are an average and each entry is
cumulative with the last. These numbers can be increased
or decreased based on the campaign and the actions of the
character.
Divine Gifts
Divine Gifts are rewards the character receives for
steadfast service to his faith. When a character’s Standing
score reaches the indicated number as shown on the table
above, the gift become available. Each gift can be gained
only once. If a character reaches a certain score, falls from
grace, and then reaches the score again no divine gift (if
any) is gained. Each is described below.
Faith Bonus: At Standing scores 2 and 12 the character is
granted the benefit of automatically passing a Faith perk
check. This bonus can only be used once. If the
 Chapter 1: Hero Creation
character is not a Believer or a Faith Adept then they
gain the same ability for an automatically successful
check but retain no ability to use the Faith perk later.
Minor Gift: At a Standing score of 4 the character is
granted a minor gift that aids him in his quest. The gift
can be a lucky clue, finding a badly needed weapon or
tool, or even having a situation go his way with no
specific reason based on die rolls.
Last Resort: At Standing scores 8 & 14 the character gains
a free Last Resort. This point can be used normally but
is lost once spent.
Holy Vision: At a Standing score of 10 the character
receives a Holy Vision about something very important
to the character. This powerful insight is perfect in
clarity and detail. The Game Master decides when the
vision occurs however a player may call on it with a
successful Standing check.
Major Gift: At a Standing score of 16 the character gains a
major gift. This can be a greater version of the minor gift
above or it can be something else entirely. The character
may be selected as the protector of a holy weapon or FX
item of he himself may be protected by a powerful being
sent by the gods. The purpose of the gift is to aid the
character in his quests and the longevity of the gift is
based on the completion of some monumental task or
purpose.
Ascension: At a Standing score of 20 the character has
achieved a coveted position in the after life. Instead of
starting at lower ranks or being, the character
immediately forms as one of the more powerful denizens
in the realms of the gods. If a character achieves this
level after his death he may return using the Demigod or
Outside career choices as detailed under ‘Legends’ in
chapter 2.
Depending on the nature of the campaign a
character may also be ‘lifted’ into the heavens (or pulled
into the fiery depths) once this level of Standing is
achieved.
Languages
Languages only cost 1 point for rank 1 so a character
that intends to travel should purchase a few of them.
Languages add life to a campaign as well as a sense of
realism. However realism is the key word. In some
campaign worlds it may be normal for all beings to speak
the same language while in other, more realistic ones,
different countries on the same continent may host a
variety of tongues. Some campaign worlds make this
distinction while others do not. Game Master's will need
to decide how many languages exist when designing a
campaign so that player know before hand which
Knowledge-language skills are appropriate.
As a general rule the following languages can be
assumed to exist in any campaign regardless of the level of
realism.
 Common: This tongue is the common human language
found in the campaign. It is also commonly used as a
16
trade language by other races as well. If the Game
Master includes specific human languages then Common
can be termed purely as a trade language.
 Draconic: This is the language of Dragons. Some species
may have their own tongue but all of them know this
one. This language is often used by Arcanists in the
writing of spells as well as a required course in a place of
arcane learning.
 Druid Cant: This is the secret tongue used by nature
priests in their prayers to nature and in communication
to each other. The cant is more of a dialect or slang than
an independent language and has similarities to the
common tongue.
 Elemental: Elemental languages include Aquan (water),
Auran (air), Ignan(fire), and Terran (earth). Each is a
separate language used by the denizens of those planes.
None elemental beings who learn and make use of these
tongues suffer a base +2 penalty to their use. This is due
to the exotic nature of the tongues and the difficulty of
producing many of the required sounds. This penalty
does not apply to attempts at understanding an
elemental however.
 Giant: Giant is a common tongue used by various giant
types. Occasionally certain species of giant may have
their own language, however they always know this one.
 Planar: Planar tongues include Abyssal, Celestial, and
Infernal. Each is used independently by extra-planar
beings. It is not uncommon for an Outsider to know
several of them. These languages are often used by
mortal Arcanists in the writing and casting of spells.
 Racial Languages: Many non-human races have their
languages. A brief list of the more commonly known is
Dwarven, Elven, Gnoll, Gnome, Goblin, and Orc. Other
races may also have their own tongues as determined by
the Game Master.
 Sylvan: This is the common language of the Fey and
other woodland dwelling beings of a magical nature.
 Undercommon: This is the trade language used by the
denizens of the Underdark.
Perks and Flaws
Perks and flaws work exactly as they are described in
the Alternity Player's Handbook. The two tables below
show the new perks and flaws that have been added to this
game and after each table are the descriptions of these
new traits as well as any other perks or flaws that may
have changes to them as well.
Perks
Heroes of fantasy games have many attributes that
make them special. The list below includes all new perks
as well as those from the Alternity Player's Handbook.
New perks are underlined and are described below. Any
perk in Italics must be bought at the time of character
creation and cannot be purchased later in one’s career.
 Chapter 1: Hero Creation
Once the perk is activated the effects last for 1d4+1
Perk Cost Ability Type rounds and at the end of that time the berserk suffers
Ambidexterity 4 DEX Active Fatigue damage. The amount of fatigue damage that is
Animal Friend 4 WIL Conscious suffered is dependent upon the result of a Stamina-
Berserk Rage 5 CON Conscious
endurance check. In this case a critical failure causes 3
Cavalry 1 to 10 PER Conscious
Concentration 3 INT Conscious
points of damage, a failure causes 2, and an ordinary result
Danger Sense 4 WIL Active causes 1. The bonus gained by this perk does not apply to
Faith 5 WIL Conscious the endurance skill check.
Filthy Rich 6 PER Conscious
Fists of Iron 2/5 STR Active Cavalry
Fortitude 4 CON Active This perk is a bit like a combination of the Good Luck
FX Item 4/8/12 N/A Special
and the Powerful Ally perks. The perk can cost anywhere
Gearhead 4 PER Active
Good Luck 3 WIL Conscious
from 1 to 10 skill points, which grants a limited number of
Great Looks 3 PER Active uses. The perk can only be used once per adventure and
Heightened Ability 10 Special Active after every successful use one use of the perk is lost. If a
Improved Skill 5/10 Special Active player spends 3 points on the perk then he may use no
Jack of all Trades 5 INT Conscious more than three times through out his life.
Magic Awareness 4 INT Active The Cavalry perk is more of a player tool like last
Mentor 4 PER Conscious resort points than an actual ability that is own and
Networked 2 PER Active acknowledged by the character. This perk simply means
Observant 3 WIL Active
that the player can generate circumstance in the game to
Photo Memory 3 INT Conscious
Powerful Ally 4 PER Conscious
allow his character to survive.
Psionic Awareness 3 INT Active When a Personality feat check is successfully rolled
Reduced Mutation 4 CON Active the while the character is in extreme danger he receives
Reflexes 4 DEX Active some form of help. The extent of the help is determined by
Perk Cost Ability Type the quality of the feat check. An ordinary result grants
Renown 3 PER Conscious some form of aid but the character is stilled required to
(Celebrity) make some form of check to utilize the aid to his
Reputation 3 WIL Active advantage. A good result usually implies a step bonus or
Second Sight 4 WIL Conscious
Resistance Modifier that remains for the scene where it is
Subtle 2/4/6 Special Active
Tough as Nails 4 STR Active
most needed or the appearance of some event or being
Vigor 2/3/4 CON Active that distracts the situation to some degree allowing for
Well Traveled 4 PER Conscious escape. An amazing result generates some event that
Willpower 4 WIL Active almost always ensures escape on the character’s part with
little or no direct action required in utilizing the bonus.
Animal Friend What appears or happens to aid the character is up to
The bonuses granted by this perk are cumulative with the Game Master. Anything from rock slides, a sudden and
the special abilities of the Ranger class or any Free Form unsuspected wind, to the arrival of actual people or some
character with similar abilities. monster is possible. The ‘cavalry’ should never be
something to unrealistic and Game Masters are
Berserk Rage (Perk) encouraged to keep the results of the check as mundane as
When the berserk wishes to enter a rage they call possible.
upon their internal energies and frustrations to fuel a
massive burst of psychotic frenzy. When used, the berserk Faith
rolls a constitution feat check. It costs the berserk one of The uses for the Faith perk vary greatly in this game,
his or her actions to activate this perk. The result indicates as there are many different deities who represent many
the bonus that the berserk receives to Action Checks, different spheres of reality. Followers of faiths that
Unarmed Combat, Melee Weapons, Armor Optimization, endorse conflict and war can use the benefits of this perk
Resolve, Stamina, and Athletics broad and specialty skill to aid them in combat. Similarly, a DM may rule that the
checks as follows: Ordinary –1, Good –2, and Amazing –3. use of the perk must fit in to the tenets of the faith and the
This bonus is also treated as a Resistance Modifier against spheres represented. For example it is acceptable for a DM
Encounter skills and Influential FX that effect the mind. If to declare that followers of a deity or force whose sphere
a Marginal result is indicated, then the perk has no effect of control is water or the sea can only use this perk if done
but the berserk may try again. If a Critical Failure is the so in conjunction with water or the sea. Of course the DM
result then the perk is treated as the Berserk Flaw of can similarly say that there are actions or events that are
Ordinary quality. ‘general’ to all priest types as well. Such actions include
any skill or ability check that could help the priest further
his or her religion.
17
 Chapter 1: Hero Creation
Filthy Rich
This perk may suggest ties to nobles and lords, which
can involve other game effects similar to the Powerful Ally
perk. In this case the benefactor way request that the
character under take some type of quest or mission on
their behalf for their support.
FX Item
The different costs reflect the usage of the item to be
had. An item costs 4 skill points if it is of the Single or
Limited use variety, 8 if the item can be recharged, and 12
if the item’s power is permanent. No multi-use items or
artifacts can be had with this perk and all items that have a
‘plus’ modifier are considered +1 in value. If the DM
allows, additional plusses can be bought for 4 skill points
per plus.
Gearhead
This character is capable of thinking in mechanical
terms. This relates to a –1 Situation Modifier with repair
and juryrig skills.
Improved Skill
This character is extremely skilled in an area of
proficiency. This relates to a –1 step bonus to any one
specialty skill of the player’s choice for a 5 point perk or a
–1 bonus to all of the skills in one broad skill.
Jack of all Trades
This character has dabbled in many different skills
through out his life and knows a little bit about everything.
As such the character can use any non-FX broad skill at the
broad skill level. The still cannot use specialty skills that
cannot be used untrained and they must purchase a broad
skill before being able to advance in ranks with any of its
specialty skills. Using the perk does require a feat check to
see if the character recalls anything of relevance about a
given skill.
Magic Awareness
This perk operates much like the Psionic Awareness
perk. A hero is entitled to an intelligence feat check to
determine if magical powers are being used in his or her
general vicinity. It is important to note that latent and
unused magical energies will not attract the character’s
attention. Thus a magical sword does not register to this
perk, nor does any magic item that is not being used, active
magic is the key concept here. In addition to this
restriction, this perk cannot distinguish between Arcane,
Faith, Shared, or Super Power FX abilities.
Mentor
This perk represents a person who is a special contact
for the hero. This contact is friendly and will help the
character, but is primarily a teacher of some skill or area
important to the character. This contact is always higher
18
level then the hero and also has the Teach specialty skill in
the profession that best describes the relationship.
Networked
This character is well known in the social circles that
he is involved in. This relates to a –1 Situation Modifier for
Authority, Fame, and encounter checks with contacts,
allies, and allegiances.
Reduced Mutation
In order to have this perk the character must also have
mutations. When purchased this perk reduces the die roll
modifier by –1. This means a 1d4-1 becomes a d4-2.
Renown
This perk works basically the same as the Celebrity
perk found in the Alternity Players Handbook. The only
difference is the name which better reflects a fantasy
campaign.
Second Sight
This perk allows the character a greater ability to
perceive illusions from any source for what they are. The
perk grants a +1 resistance modifier or a –1 step bonus
when attempts to resist or detect falsehoods are made.
Subtle
This character is very careful about how he moves
about. By his very nature he does not break as many twigs
on a trail or stir up to much dust on a floor. This character
also has a habit of returning things to where they
originally were and naturally leaves a hard trail to follow.
The net result is a +1 step penalty to skill checks used
to track or trail the character by use of physical signs left
behind at a location.
Well Traveled
The hero has acquaintances in many locations that
might act as contacts for the hero. Whenever he travels to
a remote or foreign location he may make a perk check to
‘remember’ one these persons. With any success he
locates an individual who acts as a contact though a +1
penalty applies to any skill check used to solicit assistance.
The contact can only be utilized once in this manner
but may be ‘remembered’ again if the character returns to
the location at some later time. The hero may only use this
perk once per adventure or game session at the Game
Master’s discretion. A critical failure result means that the
perk backfires and the hero suffers a +1 penalty to all
Personality skill checks (excluding FX abilities) until he
leaves the area.
Flaws
While we commonly like to create heroes that are
invincible, many have weaknesses. No one is perfect and a
 Chapter 1: Hero Creation
well role-played hero has an Achilles Heel of some sort. flaw determine the intensity of the competitive urge and
The list below includes those flaws from the Alternity whether others are competing against the character.
Player's Handbook as well as new ones. All new flaws are For 2 bonus points the hero is not really competing
underlined and are described next. against anyone specifically except on a case-by case basis.
For 4 bonus points there are actually those who actively
Flaw +SP Ability compete with the hero. They need not always be the same
Bad Luck 6 WIL people every time but the hero has the bad luck of
Berserk Rage 5 CON attracting a crowd when signing on to a new adventure.
Clueless 2/4/6 INT For 6 bonus points not only is there real competition but
Clumsy 5 DEX the character has to make additional Will checks to avoid
Code of Honor 3 WIL ruthless or deceptive tactics to win whatever is at hand.
Competitive 2/4/6 WIL This can range from recklessly putting others in danger to
Cursed FX Item 5/10/15 N/A lying or other blatant and immoral behavior.
Delicate 3 STR
Dilettante 5 WIL Cursed FX Item
Dirt Poor 5 PER The DM will have to determine the bonus a character
Divided Loyalty 4 PER can gain from having this flaw. The type of item is up to
Forgetful 5 INT the character, but the DM has the final say as to the bonus
Fragile 3 CON skill points granted. Items that can be gotten rid of by use
Infamy 2/4/6 PER of the Abjuration-Dispel spell should yield a maximum of 5
Oblivious 4 WIL points. For 15 points a specific trigger or event must take
Obsessed 2/4/6 INT place to be rid of the item and this event should be the
Old Injury 2/4/6 STR focus of a major quest at least. The DM can rule that some
Phobia 2/4/6 WIL items can not be rid of at all. The DM and the player will
Poor Looks 3 PER have to work out the overshadowed by the items curse or
Possessed 4/8 WIL drawback.
Powerful Enemy 2/4/6 PER
Primitive 2/4/6 INT Dilettante
Rebellious 2 PER This character can not have a rank higher in any skill
Sloppy 4 WIL than his level. In addition the character cannot purchase
Slow 6 DEX ‘early purchase’ rank benefits either.
Spineless 2/4/6 WIL
Temper 2/4/6 WIL
Divided Loyalty
This character was once a member of a group at some
Berserk Rage (Flaw) time in his past. While no longer with that group he still
When selected as a flaw, Berserk Rage functions holds loyalty to some person or group. At some point
exactly as the perk with the same name. The drawback is during the game the character must place his loyalty ahead
that the player does not record any damage taken. The DM of his other obligations. The old association may ask for
keeps track of the character’s damage and continues to do some favor or may have goals that conflict with the
so until the berserk runs its course, the character dies, or character’s current endeavors. A character must roll a
until the character suffers mortal damage. Personality feat check to overcome this circumstance.
In addition to this the character must also pass an
intelligence feat check to be able to distinguish between
friend and foe. The player can guide the berserk character
Possessed
This character’s body is sometimes the host of an
through a combat scene but if all enemies are vanquished
invading spirit that can influence or even dictate the
or if another character gets within melee range of the
character’s actions. This is a 4 point flaw if the spirit is
berserk the check is called for. This flaw must run its
largely neutral and harmless, and an 8 point flaw if the
course and cannot be stopped unless an ally achieves a
spirit is actively hostile. Anytime the character is rendered
Good or better result on an Encounter skill or until the
unconscious through the loss of stun or fatigue points the
berserk is effected by an Influential FX power.
spirit gains control of the host body animates it, allowing it
to move and act.
Competitive While possessed the Game Master controls the
This character loves challenges so much that if he character and determines all of his actions. In the case of a
hears of some quest or adventure he must be apart of it. neutral spirit the actions are never self-destructive. A
Upon hearing of some type of mission the hero must roll a hostile spirit will not hesitate to put the character in
Will feat check to resist it. If he fails he do whatever it mortal danger, to abandon companions, and in general
takes to follow up on the lead. The differing levels of the make a mess of the hero’s life, friendships, and property.
19
 Chapter 1: Hero Creation
The spirit remains in control for a matter of days. Each
day that passes affords a Resolve-mental resolve check at a
cumulative –1 step bonus to regain control. The character
never remembers what has transpired while the spirit was
in control and immediately suffers 1 fatigue point of
damage when he ‘wakes up’.
While it is active the spirit may be expelled by anyone
capable of using the Spirit Magic-exorcise spell. This
expulsion is never permanent unless the spirit has reached
some goal. If the character spends a number of points
necessary to remove the flaw and the spell is successful,
then the effect is permanent.
Game Masters should select an appropriate spirit for
the possession and determine its goals. If the Game Master
feels that other characters may have means to fight the
spirit then detail all of the spirit’s abilities or use those
found in Book 3.
Rebellious
Characters with this flaw have trouble relating to
authority figures. This is reflected as a +1 penalty to
encounter checks with legal or royal persons.
Sloppy
This character leaves behind a trail. By not paying
much attention to his actions this character drags his
heels, puts things back out of order, touches things and
moves objects, and otherwise unconsciously disturbs his
surroundings. This relates to a 1 step bonus for anyone
who uses a skill to track or trail the character based on
physical signs of passage.
Achievement Points
As characters adventure they gain points for their
experiences. These points are in turn used to increase the
character’s knowledge, aptitude, and general ability to
survive. All characters advance at the same rate in this
game system and the rules as found in chapter 8 of the
Alternity Players Handbook remain the same.
Timing of Awards
How many points a character earns is up to the player.
How often these points are given is up to the Game Master.
Depending on the type of game being played a Game
Master my grant points at the conclusion of an adventure,
the end of a scene, or even after every game session. These
various options, presented from the least frequent to the
most, are also malleable and points can be given whenever
the Game Master feels enough activity has passed that they
should be handed out.
In all cases the achievement of a goal should be the
‘line in the sand’ for this timing. For adventures this could
be the completion of a part of an adventure or the
conclusion of the adventure itself. Points given at the
conclusion of a scene indicate how well the scene was
20
handled. Points given after a game session should be
based on a character’s progression towards a goal.
These various means of point distribution may also be
based on how often the Game Master and players meet. If
you meet a lot, don’t feel inclined to hand out a lot of
points. If you don’t meet very often you may need to give
points more frequently to maintain interest and to allow
the players to feel the benefits of their efforts.
Award Values
Typically the award value of the points given are
based on three overall criteria.
♣ Involvement in Adventure: 1 to 3 can be given based on
the character’s involvement in the game. If the character
does not qualify for any points in this category then none
should be given for the others.
♣ Role-Playing: 1 point should be given if the player role-
plays his character exceptionally well. This includes the
use of hindrances, flaws, and drawbacks more than it
does the character’s strengths.
♣ Heroism: 1 point can be given if the player performs an
extreme act of heroism or self-sacrifice.
In summary a character can earn anywhere from 0 to
5 points depending on how often the points are
distributed. Game Masters are free to add or reduce points
as they see fit, however 5 should the limit for any one
character at any one time.
Level Advancement
Depending on the nature of the game a Game Master
can use the rules for progression as found in the Alternity
Players Handbook or they may opt for a more dynamic
one. The second method allows a player to spend points as
they are given instead of having to wait for a new level. If
three points are earned the character in this system of
advancement may use them immediately or can save them
for future use. However it is still important to track a
characters level regardless of the method used.
In either method characters should record their points
in the following way:
Current Level: #
Total Points Earned: #
Points Saved: #
Achievement Benefits
The achievement benefits listed in the Alternity
Players Handbook are still relevant as they appear. Of
course it should be noted that Combat Spec is Warrior,
Tech Op is Specialist, and Free Agent is now Rogue. Adepts
use their secondary profession to determine their
achievement benefits. To this list are two other options.
 Social Status Increase: Authority, Fame, Wealth, and
Standing can all be increased. The cost to increase a
score to the next highest value is equal to that value.
Therefor to increase a Standing score from 3 to 4
 Chapter 1: Hero Creation
requires 4 points. This benefit can be purchased at
any level.
 Extra FX Points: Adepts and Talents can purchase extra
FX points at a cost of 5 points each. If the character
has more than one talent then the new points must be
specified for the pool they will belong to. This benefit
can be purchased at any level.

21
 Chapter 2: Careers
Careers are additional features that help to further
define a character’s role in the game. Not all Warriors are
the same and neither are Rogues. A career is basically a
skill package that orients a player to the various options
available through combinations of skills and perks. These
lists are not exhausted by any means and players are
encouraged to develop their own careers, with Game
Master approval of course.
Each career has a short list of statistics that define it in
the game. All careers include the following two items:
Skill Package: This gives the core skills used by the
character.
Signature Equipment: The character gains any items listed
in this entry for free.
For characters that have FX abilities the following
entry also appears:
FX Package: This describes the most desired FX skills used
by that career.
Also for Diplomat, Adepts, and Open Careers this entry
is given:
Preferred Professions: This entry shows the primary or
secondary professions that best reflect the character’s
role in the game.
Finally some careers also give a statement of ‘Special
Benefits’ and ‘Special Hindrances’. These two entries are
not always common and are optional. Benefits and
hindrances work in a ‘give or take’ relationship with each
other which means that for every benefit gained, a
hindrance is gained as well. Benefits are in some ways
similar to racial abilities. They are not perks or skills; they
may be magical in nature, but are more often bonuses.
Hindrances are the opposite and are used to balance any
benefits gained. It is by these two elements that careers
like Paladin, Ranger, and the Bard are formed.
As these qualities are chosen at the time of character
creation they cannot be bought later in the game. Both
benefits and hindrances are elements that are apart of the
character at birth or maturity and cannot be gained or lost
by standard means. Benefits and hindrances are ranked as
a 1, 2, or 3. The total sum of hindrances is subtracted from
the sum of the benefits and must equal zero or be lower
than that.
Excessive hindrances do not grant bonus skill points
nor do benefits cost points either unless the player desires
to do so (see ‘Creating Careers’ below). They are instead
used to balance one another in a manner similar to
Mutations. These entries appear as follows:
Special Benefits
Benefit Name (1, 2, or 3): This entry states the benefit
gained as well as its degree of influence.
Special Hindrances
Hindrance Name (1, 2, or 3): This entry states the
hindrance suffered as well as its degree of influence.
21
Careers that list these statistics can be modified. If a
character wanted a Ranger with more Moral Attitude
options then he or she needs only drop or reduce the
hindrance. However in doing so a benefit of equal or
greater value must also be dropped as well. Conversely a
player may add benefits but must increase the degree of
existing hindrances or add new ones to compensate. This
ability allows a player to create careers that resemble
many of the ‘Kits’ found in the various ‘Complete Players
Handbooks’ of AD&D. Creating custom benefits and
hindrances follows the rules given in the ‘Creating Careers’
section later in this chapter.
Creating Careers
As was stated before, careers are extremely modular.
None of them are required and the list of careers is
nowhere near completion. You can build just about any
type of character that you want. By switching around the
special benefits and hindrances each character can become
truly unique. While the careers presented before provided
benefits and hindrances that can used as is or modified,
sometimes a player will to have a benefit or hindrance that
doesn’t exist. That is what this section is all about.
Some the careers presented earlier do not have
benefits or hindrances. This is not to say that they cannot
have them. Primarily Diplomats, Rogues, Specialists, and
Warriors were presented without many of these options.
If you want a Bounty Hunter with an added edge feel free
to do so. If you want a Duelist that excels in the use of a
specific weapons that is also possible. It is important to
note that these game effects are not mutations and should
not be treated as such. For the most part they are relevant
only to the character’s profession and career and those
skills involved. Mutations are actually modifications to the
character’s race. It should also be noted that if a proposed
benefit or hindrance is similar to a perk or flaw, use the
perk or flaw first.
As was stated at the beginning of the Careers section,
the total value of benefits must have an equal value of
hindrances. This does not to be the final word if a Game
Master wishes to have another alternative. If a player
wants his character to have a special benefit without an
equal number of hindrances then the player must pay 10
skill points for every one point of value that the benefit
has. This does defeat the purpose of the benefit/hindrance
system, as they are not intended to act as perks or racial
abilities. Truth be known I debated as to whether they
should be allowed at all but it is difficult to design a
character like a Ranger or a Bard in the classic AD&D sense
without those abilities. The balancing act of benefit vs.
hindrance was created in this manner to allow a player to
create unique characters like those presented in the
various ‘Complete Player’s Handbooks’ and Kits from other
sources.
The 10 point per value cost seems expensive but
remember that this cost is relative to the benefits gained
 Chapter 2: Careers
from a Talent. As a side note, no skill points can be gained
from excessive Hindrances regardless of what they are.
Game Masters may however award 1 or 2 extra
Achievement points per adventure to characters with
greater than required Hindrances.
Special Benefits
Benefits are add-ons to their character’s existing
profession benefits. The values of each range from 1 to 3.
Value 1 benefits are usually modifiers to skill or feat
checks. Value 2 benefits are broader and reflect more
game changing attributes than simple skill modifiers.
Value 3 benefits are the most powerful and are rare. These
benefits reflect supernatural abilities, sometimes akin to
Super Power FX, and grant extremely advantageous
abilities to the character.
In all cases a benefit should be relevant to the
character’s profession and career. Granting a Tinker with
combat oriented benefits is not in the spirit of these rules.
Special Hindrances
Hindrances are used to balance the benefits that a
player may select. These may be used in a ‘mirror’ fashion
where the hindrance effects a similar benefit in an
opposite manner. A good example of this is the Ranger’s
encounter penalty when confronting his Species Enemy.
Some hindrances may also have nothing to do with the
benefits gained. Value 1 hindrances are minor penalties to
skill or feat checks. Value 2 hindrances have a more broad
effect and are usually inescapable. Value 3 hindrances are
rare as they can severally compromise a character’s ability
to succeed. Value 3 hindrances are usually avoided with
value 1 and 2 hindrances used to make up the difference.
Players never assign hindrances, they can only
propose them. If a player designs a character who has a 12
in Will and then assigns a Hindrance stating that he must
have an 11 or better in Will the purpose of the Hindrance
has been defeated. Game Masters must carefully arbitrate
the assignment if Hindrances. While not intended to act as
a tool for punishment, hindrances should be meaningful
and relevant.
Open Careers
Open Careers are treated as a separate entry as they
can be used with several or all of the professions allowed.
Because of the greater variety of professions possible no
total skill points are given for the Skill or FX Package
entries as they can vary greatly depending on player
choice.
Assassin
While the initial assumption that assassins belong to
the Rogue profession is correct it should be noted that
anyone could except money for what can be loosely
referred to as ‘wet work’. While the Rogue profession
offers benefits best suited for this line of work others, like
22
Adept (Rogue) and Diplomat (Rouge), can also make good
assassins.
Special Benefits
Security Bonus (1): Assassins gain a -1 Situation Modifier
when using the Security-protection protocols skill. This
is developed as the ability to penetrate defenses or to set
in place those that are above average. This is due to
their training and study of security protocols and how
best to thwart or set up a watch.
Sneak Attack (1): When an Assassin uses the Stealth-sneak
skill during a phase in which they are using the Sneak
Attack option detailed in the Alternity Gamemaster's
Guide, they receive a -1 Situation Modifier to the skill
check.
Technique Bonus (1): Assassins gain a -1 Situation
Modifier when using the Alchemy-toxins skill. With the
GM’s permission the toxins skill can be replaced by
another skill that allows the Assassin to perform in a
similar manner (i.e. uses the skill to complete the job).
Some possible examples are Demolitions-set explosives,
Nature-herbalism, or Security-traps and devices.
Special Hindrances
Moral Restrictions (1): Being an Assassin restricts the
player choices for selecting a Moral Attitude. Those
allowed include Conformist, Corrupt, Honorable, Selfish,
Unscrupulous, or Worldly.
Allegiance (1): An Assassin must begin the game with an
Allegiance with the group or organization that trained
him. Breaking this allegiance and any hindrances or
benefits of such a relationship follow the standard rules.
Minimum Abilities (1): A character must have an 11 in
Intelligence to have this career.
Skill Package: Tactics-sentry tactics, Alchemy-poisons,
Stealth-sneak, and Investigate-search.
FX Package: Divination-scry; Illusion/Phantasm-spook
Preferred Professions: Any
Signature Equipment: Crossbow, 1 dose of poison
Barbarian
Conan? Sure why not. The Barbarian is a person who
comes from a Progress Level 0 society. Unaccustomed to
technology this character lives by instinct. It is possible
that a barbarian can originate in an early Progress Level 1
society but two of the skills listed in the Skill Check bonus
entry are lost while the Primitive entry may be reduced to
a +2 penalty. The Barbarian career describes a character
that comes from a Stone Age background and as such it can
be combined with other careers to create primitive
versions of other types of characters. Combinations
include Barbarian/Ranger, Barbarian/Guide,
Barbarian/Scout, or Barbarian/Healer. Barbarians who
are Believers should reference the Shaman career below.
Special Benefits
 Chapter 2: Careers
Action Bonus (1): Barbarians are stout warriors and have
spent years listening to their instincts when in a fight or
tense situation. Because of this conditioning, Barbarians
may add one more point to their Action Check score.
Skill Check Bonus (2): Barbarians gain a -1 Situation
Modifier with War Craft, Survival, Athletics, Movement,
and Outdoors broad and specialty skills.
Special Hindrances
Primitive (3): The character must select the Primitive flaw
at the +3 level of influence. This flaw can be reduced as
per the standard rules for Achievement benefits
however it can never be improved beyond the +1
penalty flaw status. If the Game Master allows some
skills may be learned if proper role-playing is used. This
is akin to American Indians learning to use muskets. The
character gains no skill points for this flaw however it
does count against the character maximum number of
laws available.
Skill Package: Animal Handling, Movement-trailblazing,
Outdoors-hunt, Survival, War Craft, Unarmed Combat,
and Awareness-intuition.
FX Package: Spirit Magic
Preferred Professions: Barbarians make good Warriors
however do not overlook Faith Adepts who are Shaman
by faith. Rogues may also be common. Diplomats and
Specialists are not unheard of but are rare. Arcane and
Psionic Adepts are not usually allowed in normal
circumstances.
Signature Equipment: Hide Armor, Knife
Paladin
A paladin is person dedicated to a specific faith and
culture who acts as its guardian against the forces of chaos
and evil. The paladin is very similar to a knight and is
usually drawn from that caste however they may come
from any background. In AD&D we grew use to the idea of
a paladin being a sub-class of Fighter or belonging to the
Warrior group; depending on the edition of the game you
were playing. Here the lid has been thrown off, so to
speak, and the paladin has been given far more latitude
than was experienced before. Now a character of any race
may be paladin. Also a paladin may be a career for any
Profession allowed.
Despite these changes the paladin still remains true to
the concept as before. Truth is foremost, virtue the goal.
Paladins prefer to be known and do not hide in the
shadows or use deceit and guile to win. They must be
chaste and they must behave in a chivalrous manner. This
applies to a Paladin arcane adept equal as it does to a
Paladin warrior.
A Paladin has many special abilities and they are all
tied to the Paladin’s Standing. As this number increases, so
does their access to their special benefits. What is
presented is the standard formula to create the paladin of
AD&D.
23
Special Benefits
Aura of Protection (3): Paladins radiate a natural aura of
goodness that hinders the actions of evil beings. This
equates to a +1 Resistance Modifier against any and all
physical or magical attacks by evil beings that are
directed specifically at the paladin. This power also
applies against any summoned creature or that which
comes from another plane or dimension. The aura has a
3-meter radius around the paladin and can also defend
any of the paladin’s friends and allies that are in this
area. As with the Abjuration-protection spell, pushing
the edges of this defense against an opponent will
temporarily cancel its beneficial effects.
Call War Horse (1): A paladin may call for a war horse, a
creature that is intelligent and spiritually bonded with
the paladin. The paladin can attempt this call once per
week and the rules for Calling on Fate are used as
described in chapter 3. Any success calls the war horse
and a critical failure can mean that the paladin must wait
an entire month before trying again. At the GM’s option
the paladin may have to complete a quest to find the war
horse. In such a case the outcome is determined by the
completion of the quest itself.
Once successfully called the war horse will remain at
the paladin’s side for good unless the paladin loses a
points of standing; at which point the beast becomes a
normal animal again. If the point is recovered then a
new war horse may be called for. The war horse has the
following statistics that are identical to the paladin’s:
Intelligence, Will, and Last Resort Points (not the
personality score itself). The paladin and the war horse
may swap these last resort points between each other
and they may use up to two to modify an given result.
The paladin and the war horse must be together (not
necessarily in physical contact) to use this ability. It is
important to note that the war horse need not be a
horse. Any appropriate steed can be used if that type of
animal is a common mount in the area that the paladin
lives.
The paladin’s bonded mount acts as a Sidekick as per
the rules in Chapter 7 of this book.
Detect Evil Intent (1): With a successful Awareness-
perception check a paladin can detect evil intentions up
to 20 meters away.
Disease Resistance (2): Paladins are immune to non-
magical diseases. Against magical ones, they have the
same level of resistance as anyone else.
Hazard Bonus (2): Paladins gain a –1 step bonus to all
Constitution feats against Hazards. This benefit is not
cumulative with the Aura of Protection benefit against
the same attack should such an even occur.
Holy Sword (1): When a paladin wields a holy sword and
the item is boldly displayed it creates a zone of good
magic that can dispel any magic cast with evil intent that
enters that area. This zone is a 10 meter radius around
the paladin and the ‘dispel’ power is equal to the
paladin’s Will score added to the plus of the holy sword
as if the Abjuration-dispel spell were being used. This
 Chapter 2: Careers
power is completely defensive and can take effect any
number of times in a single phase. Also, this ability does
not cost the paladins one of his or her actions to use nor
does it require the use of any FX points.
Laying on Hands (2): The paladin character gains the Aid-
heal spell at rank 1. This can be improved to a maximum
of rank 6. No other Aid spells can purchased unless the
paladin is a faith talent. Even then such spells are
treated separately. The paladin also gains 5 super
Power FX points that can used to power the spell.
Additional points may be purchased for 5 skill points
each to a maximum of 10 FX points. These points are
also used for the Turn Undead benefit below.
Turn Undead (2): The paladin character gains the Cosmos-
quell undead spell at rank 1. This can be improved to a
maximum of rank 6. No other Cosmos spells can
purchased unless the paladin is a faith talent. Even then
such spells are treated separately. The paladin also
gains 5 super Power FX points that can used to power
the spell. Additional points may be purchased for 5 skill
points each to a maximum of 10 FX points. These points
are also used for the Laying on Hands benefit above.
Special Hindrances
(Despite the options stated for modifying a career
most of the following hindrances can be dropped unless
otherwise stated.)
Ability Requirements (2): Strength and Constitution of at
least 10, a Will of at least 11, and a Personality no lower
than 13. This hindrance can be dropped or lowered to a
value of 1 by dropping two required ability scores.
Code of Honor (2): A paladin must select the Code of Honor
flaw and does not gain any skill points for it. This code is
the paladin’s code of conduct itself. In a way this does
act to protect the character from the player’s actions, as
a Will feat check must be rolled to overcome the flaw as
usual. Calling for a feat check helps to prevent a paladin
from straying off the moral path. The basic tenets of this
code are summarized below.
Humility – do not seek wealth for wealth’s sake.
Tithing – give charitably to noble causes, share with
those less fortunate.
Company – do associate with those of low standards.
Edicts – support your religion, heritage, and philosophy.
Courtesy – behave with dignity, speak kindly, express
compassion for others.
Honesty – do not lie.
Valor – demonstrate unyielding courage at all times.
Celibacy – remain chaste.
Industry – never be idle, engage in productive activity at
all times.
Delayed Use - Call War Horse (1): A paladin must wait until
his Standing score is a 7 in order to call his war horse.
This hindrance can be dropped.
Delayed Use – Turn Undead (1): A paladin must wait until
his Standing score is a 5 in order to gain the Turn
Undead ability. This hindrance can be dropped.
Faith Perk (1): The character must buy the Faith perk.
24
Limit Moral Attitude (1): The character must have one of
the following Moral Attitudes: Ethical, Gallant,
Honorable, or Virtuous. A Just moral attitude may be
used also but it is limited in that a paladin will not
blindly follow a law that leads down a path of darkness
or ignorance. Therefor a Just paladin only enforces laws
that are good and moral themselves.
Minimum Standing (2): As the strength of a Paladin’s faith
increases, so does the expectations of the powers that
watch over the warrior. In game terms, the Paladin’s
minimum required Standing, for the purposes of gaining
the special abilities above, is always raised to the
Paladin’s current Standing score. If a Paladin’s Standing
score is a 7, then all abilities gained for a 7 or less now
require at least a Standing of 7 to have. The net result is
that if the Paladin ‘falls from grace’ by only one point,
then all of his or her special benefits are lost.
Lost Standing points may be recovered as the
Paladin’s faith returns, however should a Paladin’s
Standing score ever fall to zero or less their special
benefits are lost forever. Returning to good graces
usually requires the aid of a Faith Adept of the paladins
faith using the faith feat ‘Atonement’ as described in
Chapter 3 of Book 2.
Obvious to Evil (1): There is a drawback to having the Aura
of Protection ability. The paladin is a glowing beckon of
good, even when disguised. Any evil or supernatural
being that is within 3 meters of paladin will feel uneasy
and any that pass an awareness check with a –1 bonus
can identify the paladin as the source of this radiant
goodness.
Pursuit of Evil (3): A paladin is not properly role-played if
his actions are to pursue dungeon delving or treasure
seeking will some greater quest exists. Paladins always
seek to find and defeat powerful evils in the land
regardless of whether they are equipped to do so from a
game-based point of view. If no one will join the Paladin
then they must pursue evil on his or her own. Failure to
fulfill this role is cause for a loss of Standing as the
powers of good gave the Paladin his abilities for a
reason.
Skill Package: Armor Optimization, Athletics-joust, Melee
Weapons, Law-law enforcement, Tactics, Animal
Handling-riding, Culture-heraldry, and Leadership.
FX Package: Regardless of the manner a Faith talent is
obtained, a Paladin is limited to the following FX broad
skills: Abjuration, Aid, Cosmos, Divination, Guardian,
Travelers, and War.
Preferred Professions: Warrior, Diplomat (Warrior),
Diplomat (Faith Adept), Faith Adept (Diplomat), and
Faith Adept (Warrior). For faiths a Paladin must select
either the Monotheistic Priest or Priest of Good styles
however this is for role-playing and character
development only. Those abilities and hindrances are
not added to those of the Paladin.
 Chapter 2: Careers
Signature Equipment: Chain Mail, Shield, Lance, Long
Sword, Dagger, War Horse, Tack & Harness, and Unit
Crest or Banner.
Ranger
Rangers are the classic woodland warriors of legend.
Their wards the helpless and oppressed as well as the
purity of the natural world. Though similar to Druids in
many respects, Rangers do not however feel that life must
always be balanced with nature, and as such they strive to
see that the cause of good is furthered regardless of the
means.
While most Rangers are good and noble persons at
heart they take combat seriously. As bold as any Paladin,
Rangers still prefer to use stealth to gather information.
They are not above sneak attacks and guerilla warfare and
they approach combat from a survival point of view. In
other words they will take cover and will use whatever
tools they have at hand to confuse, separate, and break the
moral of their enemies; especially their species enemy.
The information provided allows a player to design
the classic Ranger character. Being open to
benefit/hindrance modifications, races, and professions
allows for other types of Rangers that are unique.
Special Benefits
Followers (2): A Ranger may attract special followers.
These followers usually arrive one at a time and each
time the Ranger achieves a higher level, another follower
is gained. The key is to first determine how many total
followers can potentially be gained. To do this the
Ranger makes a Personality Feat check. The result
grants a dice range used to determine this maximum
amount as follows: 1d4-1/1d6/1d6+1/2d6/3d6 for a
Critical Failure to an Amazing result.
Once this number is determined, the Ranger then
rolls a Personality Feat check modified by his or her
Standing modifier to determine the type of the first and
subsequent followers. The result of the Personality
check is then referenced on the table below. Note that a
Critical Failure is treated only as a 20 for this purpose.
Result Follower Type
20+ Dog
19 Raven
18 Wolf
17 Black Bear
16 Falcon
15 Cleric
14 Fighter (Human)
13 Druid
12 Fighter (Non-Human)
11 Brown Bear
10 Warrior/Wizard (Elf)
9 Great Cat
8 Rogue (Human)
7 Ranger (Human)
6 Hippogriff
25
5 Pegasus
4 Ranger (Non-Human)
3 Rogue (Non-Human)
2 Pixie
1 Satyr
0 Werebear
-1 Weretiger
-2 Brownie
-3 or less Treant
Game Masters should feel free to modify this table to
suit their campaign and the environment that the Ranger
is in. A Ranger is not obligated to accept any followers
that arrive and can dismiss them at anytime. If the
Ranger’s Standing should ever be reduced a Personality
Feat modified by Standing should be made for each
follower. Each failure indicates that the follower no
longer travels with the Ranger. Each success indicates
that the follower remains.
The Ranger’s Standing can be effected in ways
similar to that of a Paladin’s. Performing evil acts or
allowing such acts to be committed in the Ranger’s
presence, whether by intention or not can always cause
this type of reduction.
Species Enemy (3): When dealing with their species enemy
a Ranger gains a bonus of –1 to their attack rolls against
them as well as other skills used to learn or thwart that
enemy. Such skills include Tactics, Investigate-track,
Security, Stealth, or any other skill the Game Master
allows. This broader use of the bonus reflects not only
the hatred the Ranger has towards that enemy but
knowledge of that enemy’s habits and tactics as well.
At every 5th level the Ranger may add another
species enemy. As each enemy type is added the Ranger
gains a cumulative –1 Situation Modifier against
previous enemies as well. Therefor a 20th level Ranger
would have five species enemies and would have a –5, -
4, -3, -2, and –1 bonuses against them.
Game Masters may determine the specific limits to
what is included in each species enemy description but
the general rules is to determine such enemies by their
secondary classification as described in Book 3:
Monsters. This means that a Ranger cannot select all
Humanoids as an enemy but would rather have to
choose from the sub-types listed like Giants, Goblinoids,
or Dwarves. Game Masters may also declare that some
types of creatures like Mindflayers or Manticores are
exclusive and not members of larger groups for this
purpose. A lot of this decision should be based on the
campaign structure. Species enemies may also be places
in special groups like intelligent, evil creatures native to
the Underdark or any person who willingly serves a
hated nation or people.
Stealth Bonus (1): Rangers gain a -1 Situation Modifier to
all Stealth checks while in the wilderness. This bonus is
lost in towns, cities, or areas of built or manufactured
surroundings.
 Chapter 2: Careers
Tracking Bonus (2): The Ranger gains a -1 bonus to the
Investigate-track skill.
Two-Weapon Combat (2): If a Ranger can wear armor and
equipment with a total Action Penalty of +1 or less (this
includes encumbrance as well), then they can fight with
two weapons at once at no penalty. Note however that
having high ranks in the Armor Optimization specialty
skills cannot be used to lessen the Action Penalty of
armor for this purpose.
Special Hindrances
Delayed Use - Special Followers (2): A Ranger cannot begin
to attract followers until he is 12th level or higher.
Encounter Penalty (2): All Encounter skills used while in
the presence of any member of the Enemy Species
impose a +2 penalty on the Ranger. In addition to this
the Ranger must always seek out that species if he
knows that it is near by. This does require foolish
actions or the pursuit of superior foes but the Ranger
cannot simply dismiss the presence of the enemy
without at least checking on the enemy’s activities.
Limited FX (1): Rangers who are not Faith Adepts by
primary profession are limited to the Animal and Plant
FX broad skills if the purchase a Faith talent. Those that
have the Primitive flaw may also select Spirit Magic.
Limited Moral Attitudes (1): Rangers must be either be
Ethical, Conformist, Honorable, Just, Anti-Authority,
Gallant, or Virtuous.
Mandatory Perk (1): A Ranger must purchase the Animal
Friend perk.
Mandatory Skills (1): Ranger characters are also required
to purchase the Stealth Broad skill, and the Investigate-
track specialty skill at rank 1.
Minimum Abilities (2): To qualify as a Ranger, a character
needs at least an 11 in Strength, Dexterity, Constitution,
and Will. This may reduced to a hindrance of 1 by
dropping two of the required abilities.
acquisition of spells as a means to create better magical
items. Artificers are sought for their skill and may
command high places in a society that benefits from his
research. They may also be feared and may become power
brokers; giving their more powerful items to those they
favor.
Special Benefits
Ease of Creating (1): An Artificer gains a –1 Situation
Modifier to the use of the Enchantment-enchant an item
spell. They may also reduce the complexity of creating
an FX item by 1 check required.
Special Hindrances
Weaker Combat Skills (1): This character relies heavily on
the items he as acquired or crafted. As such his skill in
weapons is not that strong. At 1st level the Artificer
cannot purchase the Heavy Weapons, Melee Weapons,
Ranged Weapons, or Fire Arms broad skill. This
restriction also includes Athletics skills that are weapon
oriented like joust or whip. After 1st level the Adept may
purchase these broad skills normally.
Skill Package: Crafting, Creativity, and Metaphysics-magic
theory.
FX Package: Enchantment-enchant an item, MetaMagic-
permanency.
Secondary Profession: Specialist
Signature Equipment: Spellbook, One FX item of choice,
Dagger.
Arcane Specialist
An Arcane specialist is an Arcanist who selects one
allowed FX broad skill to specialize in. Aside from the
standard list-1 to cost for that broad skill the Arcanist also
enjoys other benefits when using that set of spells.
However their ability with other magic is weakened.

Skill Package: Outdoors, Survival, Athletics-climb, Animal Broad Skill of Choice Possible Title
Handling, Tactics, and Movement-trailblazing. Abjuration Abjurer
FX Package: Animal and Plant Alteration Transmuter
Preferred Professions: Warrior, Rogue, Faith Adept Black Magic Witch/Warlock
(Warrior), and Faith Adept (Rogue). Conjuring Conjurer
Signature Equipment: Leather Armor, Hand Ax, Short Bow, Divination Diviner/Seer
Wind Magic Wind Wizard
Earth Magic Earth Mage
Arcanist Careers Fire Magic
Water Magic
Pyromancer
Hydromancer
Arcanists have a wide variety of career options
expressed in these following entries. Most of these careers Enchantment Enchanter
are skill advantages rather than role-playing styled Illusion/Phantasm Illusionist
models. This follows the pragmatic and analytical manner Invocation Invoker/Shaper
of an arcane talent. Never the less there are many other MetaMagic Thaumaturgist
possible roles that an Arcanist may fill however they are Necromancy Necromancer
usually overshadowed by their skill in Arcane Magic. Spirit Magic Witch Doctor

Artificer Special Benefits

This Adept focuses his activities on the creation of FX
items. While an Enchanter of sorts, this Arcanist views the
26
 Chapter 2: Careers
Increased Skill (2): An Arcane Specialist gains a –1
Situation Modifier when casting spells from his selected
broad skill.
Special Hindrances
Opposed Skills (1): An Arcane Specialist must list+1 for all
other FX broad skills. In addition to this once the
character is created one FX broad skill, aside from the
one specialized in, suffers a base +1 penalty to the
casting of any of its specialty skills. If the character
passes a Personality feat check then the player may pick
the broad skill.
Required Ability (1): An Arcane Specialist must have an 11
in the related ability of the broad skill. This is of course
the ability that forms the base for the spell scores in that
broad skill.
Skill Package: Metaphysics-magic theory
FX Package: The FX broad skill of choice and at least two
other broad skills.
Secondary Profession: The type of secondary profession
chosen greatly depends on the type of Arcanist desired.
A player may select a profession that allows an ability
roll guarantying an 11 or better in the related ability.
Others may chose the secondary profession to highlight
the character or grants advantages that high abilities and
specialty skills may provide.
An example is the Conjuration broad that requires
an 11 or higher in Constitution. The player may
however opt for the Diplomat profession due to the
decreased cost for encounter skills that prove helpful
when conjuring creatures from other dimensions and
planes.
Signature Equipment: Spellbook, Quarterstaff, Pen & Ink
Mage
The mage career is simply an Arcanist who starts the
game with an Amazing talent and then purchases as many
broad skills as possible. Mages are consummate
consumers of magical knowledge and hold all schools of
magic as important. Mages usually try to have as many
specialty skills at rank 1 or higher, which gives them a
tremendous array of abilities to choose from with having
to resort to broad skill use of a spell.
Special Benefits
Learning Bonus (1): A Mage gains a –1 Situation Modifier
to learn new broad and specialty skills following the
rules described in Chapter 2 of Book 2.
Special Hindrances
Specific Talent (1): A Mage must start the game with an
Amazing Talent and must also spend two-thirds of his
available starting broad skills on FX skills only.
Skill Package: Metaphysics-magic theory, Alchemy-
concocting. Often a Mage will ‘cash in’ Athletics and/or
Stamina to use those bonus points for spells.
27
FX Package: As many Arcane and Shared Magic Broad Skills
as possible.
Secondary Profession: Mages are almost always chose the
Specialist profession as their secondary profession
however some select Diplomat instead.
Signature Equipment: Spellbook, Quarterstaff, Pen & Ink
Sorcerer
A sorcerer is an Arcanist who casts spells as inborn
abilities instead of the normal methodology of learned
magic. This Arcanist does not need spell books, ink & quill,
he rather relies on his innate ability to channel magic. He
therefor treats all Arcane and Shared magic spells as a
Mindwalker treats psionic powers.
Special Benefits
No Learning (2): The Sorcerer treats trained and untrained
use of specialty skills the same as for the standard rules
for skills as in chapter 4 of this book. This means that
the requirement to learn a spell before advancing in it is
removed. Specialty spells listed in blue cannot be used
untrained as normal, however any allowed FX broad
skill can be used at the untrained level (quite a benefit
for those that have effect on a Marginal result!).
FX Points (1): The Sorcerer gains a number of FX points
equal to his Constitution score regardless of what type of
talent he is. New points can be purchased normally.
Few Trappings (1): A Sorcerer needs only the standard
trappings to cast a spell as is required of a Mindwalker
using psionic powers.
Durability Tapping (2): A Sorcerer can always spend
durability points to power spells, as they were FX points.
Stun and Fatigue points spent in this manner must be
regained as if they were FX points. Other durability
points (wound and mortal) must be recovered as if the
character lost the points in combat. The Sorcerer is free
to chose which type of point is spent and may even mix
or match those points however all rules for point loss
and those effects remain normal.
Special Hindrances
Difficult Research (1): As a Sorcerer is not accustomed to
libraries or spell books the research and development of
new spells is difficult. A Sorcerer must use the rules for
developing new psionic powers as discussed in Chapter
5 of Book 2. The Sorcerer also suffers a base +1 penalty
to such research as well.
Power Dispelled (2): A successful Abjuration-dispel spell
cast at the Sorcerer can temporarily cancel his spell
casting ability. The Sorcerer can avoid this effect by
rolling a Resolve-physical resolve check that is equal to
or greater than the result of the dispel. Duration of this
effect uses the rules for the dispel spell.
Aura of Magic (2): The Sorcerer will detect as magic as if a
magic-using creature. Those persons or creatures with
the Magic Awareness perk gain a check every time a
Sorcerer casts a spell in their vicinity.
 Chapter 2: Careers
Useless Scrolls (1): Scrolls that contain FX spells are
useless to a Sorcerer. Other FX items may be used
normally.
Skill Package: Survival, Resolve-physical resolve, Psyche,
Interaction-bargain.
FX Package: Sorcerers tend to prefer FX skills based on
Constitution, Dexterity, or Will.
Preferred Professions: Arcanist (Rogue)
Signature Equipment: Dagger, Shield, and Survival Gear
Believer Careers
Believer careers are described below by their style of
belief. As stated before a believer character must a career
as this defines the FX broad skills available to them. Each
career described below is a generality to some degree and
customizing them, especially polytheistic priests, is
recommended. However these careers can easily be used
without modification. Appendix 3 of this book goes into
details about various religions that are not covered here.
In this game system there is a distinct difference
between a priest and a shaman. This difference is societal
and revolves around the difference in man as agricultural
or hunter-gatherer. Most shaman rituals involve solo treks
like Native American journeys to find a spirit guide or
animal or the Australian Aborigine’s walk-about. These
rituals involve fantasy elements in the relation to spirits
and nature but also perform the role of a rite of passage for
young men in both the real world and the fantastic. Priests
are believed to have originated when mankind first began
developing agriculture and city-states. These spiritual
leaders focused the will of the people in prayer to their
gods for mercy and good weather. This stands in stark
contrast to the shaman’s hunter-gatherer society. While
both types of Believers serve their communities the priest
usually holds socially initiated, ceremonially inducted rank
in an organized religion. A shaman usually is not.
Another contrast is the role of Black Magic and the
Cosmos broad skills. It cannot happen that a Believer has
both skills. If one is known and the other is purchased the
powers the priest worships will surely abandon him. It is
far more common to encounter Believers with the Cosmos
skill, as Black Magic is never fully trusted by most
societies. Most practitioners of Black Magic are cultists
and follow the Priest of Evil career mentioned below.
A final distinction in the relationship of gods and
mortals is the role of the various professions in a religion.
In the terms of this game a Diplomat with a high Standing
may be more important to a divinity than a Believer with a
lower score. Having the ability to cast divine magic does
not automatically conclude that a character is of more
importance to a power. See the Cleric career for Diplomats
for more on this.
The ‘FX Package’ entry does not appear for believers.
Rather they have this entry instead. This entry details the
28
FX broad skills that the believer has access to and to what
degree.
FX Broad Skills
Required: This entry details any FX broad skills that must
be purchased at the time of character creation.
Available: This entry lists the FX broad skills that the
player may chose and purchase.
Barred: This entry describes those FX broad skills that the
Adept cannot purchase.
Elemental Priest
The spirits and powers on the elemental planes are
not as demanding as are other gods. Priests of these
planes and energies are not required to develop a
following of the faithful as are other believers and while
this frees the character for other pursuits it also leaves
them without an organization to call on in times of trouble.
Elemental worshippers are almost always a minor religion
in a location and priests of this faith are usually
subordinated at best or ostracized or persecuted at worst.
Some of these believers worship all of the elements,
some worship only a few of them, and others only pay
heed to one element. In general the special benefits and
hindrances apply only to those priests that specialize in
one elemental broad skill. Others ignore these entries.
Special Benefits
Elemental Focus (2): The believer gains a –1 Situation
Modifier to the casting of spells from his specific
elemental broad skill of worship.
Improved Reactions (1): The believer shifts the initial
reactions of elemental beings and creatures encounter
one step in his favor.
Special Hindrances
Exclusive Element (2): The believer is barred from
purchasing the other three elemental broad skills and
the Animal, Plant, and Weather broad skills as well.
Weapon Limits (1): An Adept with an elemental focus is
limited in the types of weapons he may choose. In all
cases Unarmed Attack is unhindered.
Element Weapons Skills
Air Any except Heavy Weapons and Melee
Weapon specialty skills (the broad skill is
allowed however).
Earth Any except Firearms, Heavy Weapons, and
Ranged Weapons.
Fire Weapons made of obsidian or those that are
set afire with oil. If not –1 to AP earned for
that adventure.
Water Weapons composed of bone or wood only.
FX Broad Skills
Required: At least one Elemental broad skill.
Available: Abjuration, Aid, Animal, Divination, Elemental
Magic, and Plant, and Weather.
 Chapter 2: Careers
Barred: Black Magic, Cosmos, Guardian, Numerology, Spirit
Magic, Thought, Travelers, and War.
Secondary Professions: Few elemental priests chose
Diplomat. Most are Rogues or Warriors. An occasional
few are Specialists or Arcanists.
Skill Package: Survival, Stamina-endurance, Nature, and
Metaphysics.
Signature Equipment: Club, bedroll, and leather armor.
Godsman
This type of believer immolates a specific deity. This
type of character exists primarily in campaigns with a
polytheistic theme (see the ‘Polytheistic Priest’ below).
Some deities do not like singular worship or priests that
seek to be a mortal version of the god however some relish
it. Some societies also have differing views that vary from
full acceptance to condemnation for blasphemy. The bulk
of the information that pertains to each type of Godsman is
given in appendix 3 of this book as this believer’s statistics
vary from deity to deity.
Monotheistic Priest
The monotheistic priest is characterized by a belief
that only their god reigns supreme above all others or that
only their god truly exists and that all others are
fraudulent. This system of belief differs from the
polytheistic method in that a polytheistic priest still
believes in the other god’s power even if they favor some
over the others. In most fantasy based campaigns a
monotheistic priest is rare given the number of individual
gods and pantheons that are available. Game Masters can
of course create worlds or entire universes in which only
one god exists or where the god is much more powerful
than other deities. In such places other religions could be
seen as small cults who worship forces or even outsiders
from other planes - but not true gods.
Of course much to religion is subjective and it is quite
possible for a large group of people to develop a belief
system that determines all other gods and goddesses as
frauds or are merely extremely powerful mortals who
manipulate mankind. In such a case the monotheistic deity
could be seen as a savior and the only path to purity and
eternal bliss. The deity of a monotheistic religion is often
times only referred to by a pronoun such as ‘God’, ‘Lord’,
‘Savior’, or ‘Holy King or Queen’ and the like.
With so many gods running around in a standard
campaign which ones could actual convince a populace
that they are the only divine being? Well any of them
could attempt it. I feel that in this arena of manipulation
(to the detriment or benefit of the people involved) the
deity would have to instill a belief that it is invincible in the
face of other super-natural beings. And that they are at the
top of the metaphysical ‘food chain’, so to speak. With this
idea in place it will be natural for the populace to assume
that safety is found in fealty to that deity.
Special Benefits
29
Power of the People (1): The monotheistic priest enjoys a
position of command over the bulk of the populace that
shares his faith. As such this priest automatically
improves the initial reaction of those persons
encountered by one place in favor of the priest.
Special Hindrances
Oath of Tenets (1): This believer is not always free to act as
he wishes. Given the multitude of social mores and
values a large religion can have, this character is
expected to obey them all. If a believer is found to
violate these customs or laws then the above benefit is
lost until he redeems himself.
FX Broad Skills
Required: Cosmos
Available: Abjuration, Aid, Divination, Guardian,
Numerology, Thought, Travelers, and War
Barred: Animal, Black Magic, Elemental Magic, Plant, Spirit
Magic, Weather
Secondary Profession: Diplomat
Skill Package: Interaction-charm, Leadership, Law, and
Medicine.
Signature Equipment: Holy Symbol, Chain Mail, Text of
religious doctrines.
Nature Priest (Druid)
Priests of this faith do not worship deities normally
and if so they see a god or gods as being elements in the
natural cycle of nature. Nature priests live in the woods
and in nature, they know the sound of every animal and
the leaf of every plant. Nature priests can come in many
varieties with the Druid being the best known. The entries
below describe a Druid character however others can be
created as is fit for a campaign.
The worship and activities of this believer are based
on cyclical events in nature like having ceremonies during
seasonal changes or repeated astronomical events. Nature
priests also watch ecological events closely and it is their
sworn duty to preserve the balance of nature.
Special Benefits
Charm Immunity (2): Nature priests, as stewards of the
wilderness, are accustom to the powers of many of its
magical inhabitants. This indicates the Fey, or Faeries.
When a nature priest is faced with an innate FX ability
that is of an Influential nature and is being use against
the Adept by a creature classified as a Fey (see chapter 6
of book 3) then they receive a +1 Resistance Modifier vs.
the power. This bonus increases by +1 for every 5 point
of Standing earned to a maximum bonus of +5 at a
Standing of 20.
Note that this benefit does not come into play in any
other circumstance with the three criteria being that it is
a Super Power FX ability, it is of an Influential type, and
it is being used by a member of the Fey order. A Pixie,
 Chapter 2: Careers
who is also a Wizard, would not face a penalty if he cast
Enchantment-charm using Arcane FX points.
Hazard Bonus (1): Nature priests gain a -1 Situation
Modifier to Constitution feat checks against any Fire or
Lightning hazard. This bonus also applies to exposure or
exhaustion checks that are due to variations of GRAPH
statistics.
Secret Language (1): Nature priests make use of secret
language known only to them. This grants the character
the Knowledge-druid tongue skill at rank 3 for free in
addition to that character’s native culture and language.
It is considered highly taboo to teach this language to
other, non-druids, and doing so my result in the
expulsion of the character from that druids priesthood
or even that character’s termination as this is one the
few methods of control and intelligence that the Druids
have.
Shape Changing (2): A Nature priest’s most coveted gift is
his ability to change into the creatures of the wilderness.
This is a Super Power FX ability that uses the basic rules
of the Alteration-shape change spell. This ability is
gained at Rank 1 for free and can be improved at its list
cost. This power does have a limit of size options in that
the Druid cannot change into a creature of size category
greater than Large or less than Small. The animal form
must also be warm-blooded. Avians are included
because they are also warm-blooded creatures.
This power also has a unique quality in that the
Druid can heal some or all of any damage he or she may
have sustained. This amount is 1d4 points healed with a
–2 to a +1 modifier for a Marginal to an Amazing result.
This is determined by the result of the shape change
spell and can only have effect if initiated by the Adept,
not the ending of the spell duration. This power heals
only Stun and Wound damage (player’s choice of
priority) with Mortal and Fatigue damage remaining
unaffected.
Skill Bonus (1): A Druid receives a -1 Situation Modifier
when using Nature, Survival, Outdoors, and any
Knowledge-lore skill that deals with nature like plant
lore or animal lore.
Special Hindrances
Delayed Access – Shape Changing (2): A Druid does not
gain the shape changing ability until is Standing has
reached a 7.
Minimum Requirements (1): To be a Druid, a character
must have a Constitution and a Will of 10 or greater and
a Personality of at least 11.
Oath of the Wood (1): Druids are sworn to defend the wild
reaches of the earth against any threats. They do not
seek enemies, only the balance of the earth, but will
wage war on those who do not heed there warns to stop
excessive abuses against their Mother. In fact ‘mother’ is
a great word for this context as this is how serious their
beliefs are. Just as any normal person would give their
life for their mother so do the Druids for the balance and
natural laws.
30
Nature priests see man and other creatures as
‘takers’ and preach that all should be conscious of what
they give back to the earth for its bounty. Druids
themselves are always conscious about what they
render unto the earth and are willing to die to defend it.
Failure to respond to environmental threats can strip the
druid of his powers, cause a loss to Standing, apply
penalties to spell casting, or any combination of the
above. It is also not uncommon for Druids who have lost
their way to be cursed by some deformity that mirrors
the ecological threat they ignored. Such a curse may
cause a druids touch to kill plants or for all animals to
attack them violently.
Purity (2): Nature priests live primitive and basic lifestyles
even if the society around or near them is advanced. As
such they must shun all elements of technology that are
at Progress Level 2 or higher. They may take skills like
Construction-blacksmith or Engineering but they do not
wish to mine the earth or to form a business around
such activity.
Druids cannot wear metal armor nor may they use
metal shields. Weapons made of metal are acceptable
however. A Druid cannot use crossbows, any type of
firearm or demolitions. Failure to abide by any of these
stricture results in a 1 point reduction to the Adept’s
Standing score and a +1 penalty to the casting of spells.
The penalty is increased for each transgression and can
be removed by the use of the Faith Feat ability called
‘Atonement’, which is described in chapter 3 of book 2.
Lost points to Standing must be regained normally.
Required Skills (1): At first level the Druid character must
purchase the Nature-ecology, herbalism, and
meteorology, Animal Handling, and Movement-
trailblazing skills.
FX Broad Skills
Required: Animal, Plant, or Weather
Available: Animal, Abjuration, Aid, Divination, Elemental
Magic, Guardian, Plant, Travelers, and Weather.
Barred: Black Magic, Cosmos, Numerology, Shamanism,
Thought, and War
Secondary Professions: Rogue or Warrior
Skill Package: Melee Weapons, Agriculture, Outdoors,
Survival, and Stealth.
Signature Equipment: Spear, Club, Leather Armor, Short
bow for hunting, and two herbal mixtures of choice.
Priest of Evil
These foul persons seek to spread as much suffering,
pain, and evil in the world as possible. They especially like
to do this to sentient races. They kidnap, torture, rape,
murder, steal, humiliate, and degrade all in the name of
their warped beliefs.
These priests may worship a deity of evil or may
instead seek to tap into the universal negative forces
created by evil thoughts and deeds. In either case few
tolerate these religious groups and persons. Priests of this
 Chapter 2: Careers
nature by default become the subject of quests and create
situations that call up on heroes to correct.
Special Benefits
Scent of the Enemy (2): Being evil to core these Adepts may
detect the intentions of those who wish to deceive them
or who wish to undo their plans. This is accomplished
with a successful Awareness-intuition skill check and the
suspected person must be within 10 meters of the priest.
Villain Status (2): Evil Priests make perfect villains and
receive that status, and the Last Resort points, as
described in chapter 7 of this book. Player characters
gain a cumulative Last Resort point at a Standing of 5,
10, and 15. Role-playing an Evil Priest involves the
development of grand schemes to undo that which is
good in the world
Special Hindrances
Limited Attitudes (1): These priests are limited to choosing
the Anti-Authority, Corrupt, Despicable, or Unscrupulous
moral attitudes.
Required Flaws (2): An evil priest must take either the
Infamy or Powerful Enemy flaw of the strongest value.
No skill points are gained for this however they may be
removed normally.
Quest of Evil: The Priest of Evil must always be hatching
schemes to undo that which pure or whole in the world.
Even performing tasks like making concoctions or
building a keep must always be apart of a greater master
plan to cause chaos and discontent.
FX Broad Skills
Required: Black Magic
Available: Abjuration, Divination, Elemental Magic,
Numerology, Spirit Magic, Thought, and War.
Barred: Aid, Animal, Cosmos, Guardian, Plant, Weather
Secondary Professions: Rogue, Diplomat, or Arcanist
Skill Package: Deception-bluff, Interaction-intimidate, and
Street Smart.
Signature Equipment: Dagger, 1 dose of poison, and Chain
Mail.
Priest of Good
These bastions of purity seek to undo the evil and
harmful elements of life by countering the spread of evil
throughout the universe. They work primarily to
anticipate the actions of evil beings, head them off, and
counter them whenever possible. Some of these priests
are law-abiding citizens and some break laws to achieve
their higher goals.
Special Benefits
Combat vs. Evil (2): When fighting beings of an evil nature
the believer gains a –1 Situation Modifier to combat rolls
an other skills that deal with martial action like Security,
Tactics, or Leadership.
31
Nose for Evil (1): These priests gain a –1 Situation Modifier
to the use of the Divination-detect spell if they are
seeking out evil intentions.
Special Hindrances
Pursuit of Evil (3): A priest of good is not properly role-
played if his actions are to pursue dungeon delving or
treasure seeking will some greater quest exists. These
believers always seek to find and defeat powerful evils in
the land regardless of whether they are equipped to do
so from a game-based point of view. Failure to fulfill this
role is cause for a loss of Standing and role-playing
awards.
FX Broad Skills
Required: Cosmos
Available: Abjuration, Aid, Animal, Divination, Elemental
Magic, Guardian, Thought, and Travelers.
Barred: Black Magic, Numerology, Plant, Spirit Magic, War,
and Weather
Secondary Professions: Diplomat or Warrior
Skill Package: Melee Weapons, Armor Optimization,
Leadership-inspire, Medicine-treatment, and Resolve.
Signature Equipment: Plate Mail, Mace, Holy Symbol, and
Healers bag.
Priest of Balanced Forces
These believers hold faith in the cycle of living things
and the creation destruction cycle of the universe at large.
While similar to Druids, priests of the balance are not
adverse to technology nor are they as driven to defend
nature in the Mother Earth ideology. Their concerns are
more metaphysical and seek the ecological cycle’s
maintenance on a grander scale. Most of these priests
worship this balance in the form of a philosophy. This
tends to aggravate people, particularly those that follow a
deity, as they wonder how a person with no god can judge
over life and death.
Those priests that actually worship a god (one that
espouses life, death, and the rebirth cycle) have a little
more clout but may still suffer extreme opposition. Often
times priests of the balance who worship a deity become
monotheistic priests when they have swayed a majority of
a populace. This is important to note because this type of
worship often splinters into sub-religions based on points
of view about the faith itself. This is largely due to the
priest’s view of the balance. After all what good was all of
their preachments if they themselves are not balanced as a
force in the world.
There are two primary forces that these believers seek
to defeat and overcome. These are creatures of an
unnatural state or alien composition and energies or
events that effect dimensions, the flow of time, or reality
on a large scale. Unnatural creatures, as a category,
primarily indicate the Undead whether corporeal or not.
This also includes Outsiders who manipulate events in the
priest’s home dimension regardless of whether they are a
 Chapter 2: Careers
force of good, evil, or otherwise. This may at times bring
these believers into conflicts with other religions,
particularly those that worship deities of life, birth,
disease, death, undeath, or even love.
Their opposition is formed from the concept that all
things, in the end, must be balanced. If a world has to
many gods of love, birth, and life then that must be
corrected. If to many undead creatures roam the land and
evil cults control and manipulate events then that flaw
must be balanced. Elemental forces may become targets
also but the elemental planes have a natural balancing
force already in existence; and because the denizens of
those planes do not require mortal devotion they are not
as competitive with each other as are outsiders. For this
reason priests of the balance rarely have conflicts with
elemental priests.
Priests of the balance, as one can see, have a difficult
job before them. They may have enemies on either side of
the good and evil moral line and their primary foes,
undead and outsiders, are certainly some of the tougher
creatures that players will meet. Their job can be that
much more difficult when dealing with a populace at large.
In the pursuit of balance many will question whether the
priest and his faith has the right to do so. “Who is he to tell
us who to worship”, some may say. Often times however
these priests are sought as judges as they have an
impartial view of things. In this role they may find respect
and a social position where they otherwise cannot.
Special Benefits
Analysis Balance (1): Once per scene a priest of the balance
may attempt an Awareness-intuition check to determine
if the universe is balanced in a given location. While this
effect does not tell the priest where such an imbalance
originates it does give clues as to its nature based on the
degree of success generated.
Special Hindrances
Social Separation (1): Because of the priest’s calling and
faith they tend to separate themselves from their friends
and family. As a believer in maintaining a balance these
priests often feel that having a relationship that involves
a level of giving reduces their ability to be objective.
Oddly enough these priest have been known to marry
and have children but often times these relationships are
strained as the priest is often distant and unresponsive.
Regardless of personal feelings about a situation,
priests of the balance must seek to remain as impartial
as possible except when confronted by their hated
enemies (undead and manipulative outsiders). Failure
to do so is cause for a loss of Achievement Points earned
during an adventure.
FX Broad Skills
Required: Numerology
Available: Abjuration, Aid, Animal, Cosmos, Divination,
Elemental Magic, Guardian, Plant, Thought, Travelers,
War, and Weather.
32
Barred: Black Magic and Spirit Magic
Secondary Professions: Warrior, Specialist or Mindwalker
are the more common secondary professions.
Skill Package: Administration, Metaphysics, Law, Culture,
Melee Weapons, Knowledge-mathematics, Lore, and
Nature.
Signature Equipment: Two to three items that are common
to the priest’s secondary profession.
Polytheistic Priest
Polytheistic priests see the world as being composed
of elements governed by many gods. One may control
thunder and lightning, another love, another war, and yet
another disease, blacksmiths, valor, and so on. Most of
these religions are culturally bound and the spheres of
control attributed to each god are based on that culture’s
view of the universe. Examples are Greek, Egyptian, Norse,
or Japanese mythologies. While each of these pantheons
offers a variety of gods and goddesses for individual
worship most cultural priests in Earth’s history actually
paid fealty to most of them. While their were certainly
temples to Apollo and Thor, with dedicated ceremonies to
boot, the priests themselves prayed to other gods as well.
This of course was based on what was desired. If you pray
for calm seas you pray to the god of the sea, to prevent
disease you sacrifice to that deity.
Despite this players may still wish to have priest’s that
are dedicated to a specific deity to the exclusion of the
others. For those types of characters see appendix 3 of this
book. It should be noted however that this is not always
necessary as a priest can specify the spheres of power
dedicated to the many gods in the broad skills he
purchases. Priests of Zeus and Thor may focus on Weather
where priests of Tyr or Ares may focus on War. In many
cases the FX broad skills can be cross-referenced to each
god and when the priest purchases that broad skill he is
expressing favoritism to some degree.
The pursuit of polytheism is almost as old as
shamanism. Polytheism began primarily in early agrarian
societies and represented a significant step away from the
belief in spirits. In contrast the old spiritual mold was
replaced by deities that had power over specific events
and in many ways had traits shared by the culture they
ruled over. In a Heroes of Fantasy campaign however it is
safe to say that the gods precede the persons who worship
them. Progress Level is a good measuring stick for this
difference, as Stone Age cultures tend to favor Spirit Magic
however remember the Aztecs were also stone aged and
had a diverse mythology not unlike the Greeks in
character.
Special Benefits
Cultural Respect (1): These priests are considered as
special in their communities and command great
respect. This grants a –1 Situation Modifier to the use of
encounter skills while in ones own culture. It is also
considered as taboo to harm a priest.
 Chapter 2: Careers
Special Hindrance
Divine Failure (1): Should the peoples prayers go
unanswered in the face of droughts, famine, or other
disasters they may turn on the priest assuming that he
has somehow transgressed against the gods and for that
reason they are listening. This can of course have little
to do with the priest at all and may only be a result of
circumstances beyond his or the god’s control.
When such feelings manifest the above benefit is lost
and the priest himself may be sacrificed or ostracized,
usually by a new priest, to appease the gods.
FX Broad Skills
Required: None
Available: Abjuration, Aid, Animal, Black Magic or Cosmos,
Divination, Elemental Magic, Guardian, Numerology,
Plant, Thought, Travelers, War, and Weather.
Barred: Spirit Magic
Secondary Professions: Diplomat, Specialist, or Warrior
Skill Package: Culture, Leadership, Medicine, Animal
Handling
Signature Equipment: Several symbols of the gods in the
pantheon, Quarterstaff, ceremonial incense,
Shaman
One of the first members of the Believer Adept
profession, the Shaman petitions spirits on behalf of his
tribe. Coming primarily from a hunter-gatherer
background, the Shaman is as rugged as any barbarian is.
In fact their special benefits and hindrances are the same.
The Shaman does not see the world in terms of gods or
philosophies. Instead he beckons to the spirits of his
ancestors, the land, of dreams and animals for guidance
and aid. While he may recognize gods and even
acknowledge their strength and influence, this Adept
follows a different path.
As they belong to a wandering culture a Shaman’s
rituals are variants of this lifestyle. When men come of age
they must survive alone in the wilderness, seeking their
spiritual guide and protector. When they seek guidance
they commune with the spirits of their ancestors who have
gone before him. Given to wandering the Shaman is less
likely to be tied by social mores and usually comes and
goes as he pleases.
Special Benefits
Action Bonus (1): A Shaman is a stout warrior and has
spent years listening to their instincts when in a fight or
tense situation. Because of this conditioning, a Shaman
may add one more point to their Action Check score.
Skill Check Bonus (2): A Shaman gain a -1 Situation
Modifier with War Craft, Survival, Athletics, Movement,
and Outdoors broad and specialty skills.
Special Hindrances
33
Primitive (3): The character must select the Primitive flaw
at the +3 level of influence. This flaw can be reduced as
per the standard rules for Achievement benefits
however it can never be improved beyond the +1
penalty flaw status. If the Game Master allows some
skills may be learned if proper role-playing is used. This
is akin to American Indians learning to use muskets. The
character gains no skill points for this flaw however it
does count against the character maximum number of
laws available.
FX Broad Skills
Required: Spirit Magic
Available: Aid, Animal, Divination, Elemental Magic, Plant,
and Weather.
Barred: Abjuration, Black Magic, Cosmos, Guardian,
Numerology, and Thought.
Secondary Professions: Warrior or Diplomat
Skill Package: Athletics-climb, Ranged Weapons, Outdoors,
War Craft, Survival, Interaction-bargain, and Animal
Handling.
Signature Equipment: Hand Ax, prayer beads, and a short
bow.
Diplomat Careers
Diplomat careers cover the spectrum of the secondary
professions they can chose from. Acting primarily as deal-
makers and negotiators, diplomats also need other skills
when talk fails. Diplomats need high Personality and Will
scores and should take advantage of these abilities with
skills like Culture, Deception, Leadership, Administration,
Resolve, Business, Law, and Teach.
Ambassador
An ambassador is an official representative of one
organization to another. He has the ability to speak and
negotiate for the persons who he represents.
Secondary Profession: Any
Skill Package: Law-court procedures; Administration-
bureaucracy; Awareness-perception; Culture-diplomacy,
etiquette (specific #1), etiquette (specific #2);
Deception-bluff, bribe; Interaction-charm.
FX Package: Enchantment-charm; Divination-know
Signature Equipment: Formal clothing
Antiquarian
The antiquarian is a keeper of knowledge. He
frequents book shops, libraries, museums, and private
collections to garner obscure and ancient information.
Secondary Profession: Specialist
Skill Package: Knowledge-read/write, lore (taken for
several areas of knowledge), history; Metaphysics;
Investigate-research.
 Chapter 2: Careers
Signature Equipment: Historical texts, rumpled clothes,
various cultural artifacts.
Appraiser
Appraisers are skilled at examining an object,
determining its value, and then relaying that information
to the owner. Sometimes they tell the truth; other times
they use the Deception-bluff skill. Often they use their
skills to run pawn and loan shops and occasionally fence
black market goods. Others hold legitimate jobs and use
their services to ascertain values and help kingdoms and
businesses alike to plan.
Secondary Profession: Rogue
Skill Package: Business-appraising, small, illicit;
Awareness-perception; Deception-bluff.
Signature Equipment: Formal clothes, measuring scales.
Bard
Bards are wandering minstrels who weave spells as
well as songs. Being similar to the Entertainer career
below, a Bard seeks to entertain others but has magical
qualities that the other career does not. To a Bard his
Fame is the root of his special abilities and so adventuring
and danger seeking is a natural course of action for these
heroes.
Bards begin the game with a Fame of 3. This
attribute is as important to a Bard as Standing is to a
Believer. As this score increases so does their Influence
Reactions benefit.
Special Benefits
Influence Reactions (1): Bards gain a -1 Situation Modifier
for every three points of Fame earned for any encounter
skills used following a successful use of their Entertain
skill. This Situation Modifier cannot exceed a –5 bonus.
Inspire Allies (1): A Bard can grant his or her allies a -1
Situation Modifier to any attack rolls and an increased of
+1 to all Resistance Modifiers. This only takes effect if
the Bard performs any successful Entertain skill or is
allowed to speak (and be heard) for no less than one
round (4 phases). This must be done within minutes of
the conflict. Anytime period longer than five minutes
cancels the abilities benefits and must be started again.
Special Hindrances
Required Abilities (1): A Bard must have an 11 or better in
Dexterity, Intelligence, and Personality.
Required Skills (1): Bards must purchase the Entertain,
Manipulate, and Athletics-climb skills at 1st level. With
the Entertainment skill the Bard must select at least two
specialty skills at rank 1 or higher.
Limited Attitudes (1): A Bard is limited to having the Anti-
Authority, Gallant, Just, Honorable, and Selfish Moral
Attitudes. Most are Bards are Gallant.
Secondary Profession: Arcanist
34
Skill Package: Athletics-climb, jump, throw; Acrobatics-
dodge, fall; Manipulate-prestidigitation; Deception-bluff;
Entertain-act, dance, juggle, musical instrument, sing;
Interact-charm, intimidate.
FX Package: Divination-know, Enchantment-charm, hinder,
suggest.
Signature Equipment: Juggling knives, lute, book of poems,
brightly colored cape, and rapier.
Cleric
Cleric and priest are two titles that were kicked
around a bit in other games as being the same. A cleric is a
functionary of a church and fulfills roles other than spell
casting. Many are scribes, some are envoys, and others are
managers of church business. Therefor a cleric is always a
priest, but a priest is not always a cleric.
Clerics are the clergy and sometimes soldiers of their
religions and churches, acting as bastions of their beliefs
and servants to philosophies of various alignments and/or
gods. Clerics are the most progressive type of Priest
presented here and are most common in PL2 and higher
settings. This is due primarily to their role in society and
the fact that larger kingdoms and/or nations usually also
occupy higher progress level regions. In these settings,
these large political bodies usually have a single or
dominate religion of which the Cleric is a member, the
result of which is a Priest whose focus is on the strength of
the religion as a state institution as well as that of the god
itself.
Clerics are generally Monotheistic, Polytheistic, Priests
of Good, or Priests of Balanced Forces. Few are Godmen as
their role is to advance a church or temple and its people
as a whole.
Secondary Profession: Believer
Skill Package: Knowledge-first aid, religious doctrine;
Resolve-mental resolve; Teach; Culture-etiquette;
Leadership-inspire.
FX Package: As per Believer careers choices
Signature Equipment: Holy symbol and holy text.
Entertainer
These diplomats represent talented individuals who
are either one-man shows or are members of large
companies or troupes. The Entertainer is a Rogue version
of the Bard career and is just as likely to pursue the quest
for Fame.
Secondary Profession: Rogue
Skill Package: Awareness-intuition; Creativity; Deception-
bluff; Entertainment; Interaction-charm, seduce.
Signature Equipment: Performing costume, musical
instrument.
Field Agent
These persons are leaders of missions for powerful
organizations. Responsible for security, tactical planning,
and command these persons are part leader and part
 Chapter 2: Careers
baby-sitter. In most cases the results of a mission or quest
are the sole responsibility of the agent and he is liable for
the actions of those ‘under his wing’.
In many ways the field agent acts as a motivator and
leader, but is expected to pull his weight as a fighter when
the going gets rough.
Secondary Profession: Rogue
Skill Package: Unarmed Attack; Ranged Weapons-
crossbow; Knowledge-read/write 3, deduce, first aid;
Law-law enforcement; Tactics; Administration-
management; Investigate-interrogate; Culture;
Interaction-interview, intimidate; Leadership-command.
Signature Equipment: Several thousand gold pieces in
credit.
Functionary
A Functionary is a person who is dedicated to making
sure that the organization they belong to works effectively
towards its goals. Sometimes workhorses and sometimes
leaders the Functionary will do whatever it takes to
achieve the goals of his allegiance.
Secondary Profession: Specialist
Skill Package: Administration-management; Investigate-
search; Business-large business; Law; Interaction-
interview.
Signature Equipment: Tools or writing instruments
Guide
The Guide is a person who is familiar with both the ‘lay
of the land’ and the inhabitants who dwell within. Often
sought to guide caravans and pilgrimages, the Guide’s
greatest skills are their ability to negotiate safe passage.
Secondary Profession: Rogue
Skill Package: Athletics-climb; Movement-trailblazing;
Navigation-surface navigation; Animal Handling;
Outdoors-fire building; Culture-etiquette.
Signature Equipment: Compass, maps of the area,
provisions.
Justice
This diplomat wanders the borders of kingdoms and
the reaches of civilization bringing law, order, and the will
of his organization with him. Justices are usually granted a
license to deal with situations as they see fit and can
exercise the law where none exists.
Secondary Profession: Warrior
Skill Package: Armor Optimization; Melee Weapons;
Ranged Weapons; Law-court procedures, law
enforcement; Administration-bureaucracy,
management; Leadership-command.
Signature Equipment: Plate armor, long sword, shield, crest
of the character’s organization.
35
Military Officer
Military officers are commanders in the field of war
using their tactical training where it is best suited. While
being capable fighters their greatest abilities lie in tactics
and leadership.
Secondary Profession: Warrior
Skill Package: Armor Optimization-heavy armor; Athletics-
joust; Melee Weapons-blades; Ranged Weapons-
crossbow; Tactics-infantry tactics; Administration-
bureaucracy; Leadership-command.
Signature Equipment: Chain mail, broad sword, shield,
lance, war horse, one NPC attendant.
Noble
Nobles are the inheritors of titles, land, and deeds that
have insured their wealth by name and birth. While many
rule in petty baronies some are in line of succession for
kingdoms and empires.
Nobles adventure for a variety of reasons. Some are
philanthropists, some seek to advance their kingdoms or
lands through war or exploration, while others are simply
bored and are looking for a thrill.
Secondary Profession: Warrior
Skill Package: Armor Optimization; Melee Weapons-blades;
Business-large business; Animal Handling-riding;
Culture-diplomacy, etiquette; Deception-bribe, gamble.
Signature Equipment: Quality mount, chain mail, long
sword or rapier.
Psychic
This diplomat supplements encounter skills with
psionic powers. Some of these persons are celebrated
prophets while other are wandering gypsies.
Secondary Profession: Mindwalker
Skill Package: Lore-psionic lore; Deception-bluff;
Interaction-bargain, interview.
FX Skills: ESP-empathy, mind read, precognition.
Signature Equipment: Tarot cards, rune dice, crystals.
Sea Captain
These Diplomats command ships and when on board
they are as kings. Their greatest challenges are
coordinating their crew in to an effective unit and to
maintain moral and discipline during long journeys.
Secondary Profession: Specialist
Skill Package: Melee Weapons; Rope Use; Vehicle
Operation-water craft; Business-small business;
Navigation-sea navigation; Tactics-sea tactics; Ship
Operation; Leadership-inspire.
Signature Equipment: Rapier, compass, spyglass.
 Chapter 2: Careers
Trader
Traders are small businessmen and independent
merchants who operate in every campaign. Dealing with
all sorts of persons a Trader needs a good assortment of
skills to deal with a variety of situations.
Secondary Profession: Specialist or Rogue
Skill Package: Ranged Weapons-crossbow; Business-small
business; Interaction-bargain.
Signature Equipment: Measuring scales, Crossbow, Wagon
or Small coastal ship in need of repairs.
Mindwalker Careers
Mindwalkers careers are primarily based on the list-1
bonus granted to a psionic discipline. As explained before,
a Psionic Adept gains this cost reduction to all broad and
specialty skills within a discipline. This means that a
Mindwalker who chooses the Clairsentient discipline gains
that benefit for the ESP, Psychic, and Sensory Manipulation
broad and specialty skills.
A universal benefit option applies to all of the career
option listed except for the Inseer. This benefit, and its
accompanying hindrance is as follows:
Special Benefit
Devotion (2): The Adept gains a –1 Situation Modifier to
the use of all specialty skills within any one broad skill of
choice. This bonus must apply to a broad skill in the
same discipline as that chosen by the player to receive
the list-1 bonus to cost.
Special Hindrance
Unfamiliar (2): All other psionic broad skills that are
outside of the Adept’s chosen discipline suffer a list+1
cost increase.
Each discipline has a possible title for a devotee as
shown on the table below. Within each discipline it is not
unheard of for Mindwalkers to further subdivide
themselves into devotees of specific broad skills. As a
discipline can be seen as a school of thought, conflicts can
arise between similar Psionic Adepts. A good example is a
Telepathic school where some students focus on Ego skills
while other, more nefarious students concentrate on
Manipulate skills.
Discipline Possible Title
Clairsentience Seer
Psychokinesis Kineticist
Psychometabolic Physical Adept
Psychoportive Porter
Telepathy Telepath
Inseer
“All Disciplines are the same. It is only a matter of
expression that makes them appear different to the
36
senses”. So say the words of Tsi Sun, the great Mindwalker
philosopher.
The Inseer is a Mindwalker who holds all disciplines of
psionic power as being equally important. Seeking
meditation first and relying on an impressive array of
psionic abilities to succeed, the Inseer is in some ways the
true Psionic Adept.
Special Benefits
Even Flow (1): Practicing a balancing act between powers
grants the Inseer the benefit of never needing to pay
more than 3 skill points for any Psionic Broad skill. This
benefit, however, does not effect the cost of the Specialty
skills.
Special Hindrances
Talent Requirements (1): The Inseer must start the game
as an Amazing talent and must spend no less then two-
thirds of his available broad skills on psionic broad
skills.
Secondary Profession: Specialist
Skill Package: Acrobatics-defensive martial arts; Medicine-
psychology; Awareness-intuition; Lore-psionic lore;
Psyche-psychic combat; Resolve-mental resolve; Teach-
psionic skills.
FX Package: An Inseer seeks to purchase broad skills from
as many different disciplines as possible to increase his
knowledge of psionics as a whole. Once this is done the
remainder of his skill point are usually spent to achieve
rank 1 in as many specialty skills as possible. This
removes the +1 penalty for broad skill use in many
areas and makes the Inseer a formidable and capable
opponent.
Rogue Careers
Rogues come in many different types. Some are
miserable thieves and thugs while others are honorable
agents on the side of law. The primary characteristic of a
Rogue is the ability to succeed alone.
Bounty Hunter
Similar to an assassin, the bounty hunters primary
concerns is the apprehension of a wanted man. Whether
that person is alive or dead is another issue. Bounty
hunters may work by contract only; similar to a hired
killer, but may not be so prone to actually killing each
quarry. Other may frequent taverns and jailhouses to
found out who is wanted and for how much.
Skill Package: Ranged Weapons-crossbow; Rope Use-bind;
Stealth-shadow; Investigate-interrogate, search, track;
Street Smart; Interaction-interview.
Signature Equipment: Crossbow, leather armor, one or two
known bounties.
 Chapter 2: Careers
Con Artist
This rogue loves shell games. Whether the game uses
three shells and a pea or large sums of money or goods
supposedly arriving on a late ship are no matter. This
rogue differs from a their in that the execution of a crime
or fraud is carried out right in front of the victim;
sometimes even with their permission. For this reason a
Con Artist needs a high Personality score. Having a high
Will is also beneficial.
Skill Package: Manipulation-pick pocket; Awareness-
intuition; Street Smart; Deception-bluff, bribe, gamble;
Entertain-fortune telling; Interaction-charm.
Signature Equipment: Formal clothes, deck of cards, fake
jewelry.
Corsair
Sea wolves, pirates, buccaneers, call them what you
will. The Corsair can fit any of those descriptions but they
may also work for the side of justice or the establishment.
Some started their careers as raiders and were then
offered an opportunity to stop the criminals they once
associated with. Others were free lance captains or naval
captains who realized they could make better pay looting
on the high seas.
Skill Package: Athletics-climb; Melee Weapons-blades;
Vehicle Op-sea vessel; Ship Op-sails, signaling; Tactics;
Street Smart.
Signature Equipment: Cutlass, Coaster or Cog, 5 bonus skill
points if the character has a peg-leg or a hook for a hand.
Explorer
Searching for ancient secrets, treasures, or just the
expanding man’s knowledge of the frontier the explorer
relies on survival skills to perform his job. Other skills like
Culture-diplomacy can also serve well.
Skill Package: Athletics-climb; Movement-swim,
trailblazing; Survival-survival training; Navigation-
surface navigation; Creativity-cartography.
Signature Equipment: Spyglass, paper and chalk for
drawing, excavation tools, leather armor, pack mule,
short sword, short bow.
Gambler
Fit the classic gunslinger model, the gambler likes high
stakes and high risks to challenge his skills. While they
often limit their activities to games of chance they also take
on bigger gambits as long as they feel they can win. As an
aside note this career works equally as well with the
Diplomat profession.
Skill Package: Ranged Weapons-pistol; Manipulate-pick
pocket; Street Smart-criminal elements; Deception-bluff,
gamble; Interaction-charm, seduce.
Signature Equipment: Starwheel pistol, deck of cards or
dice.
37
Investigator
“It takes a thief to catch a thief”. This rogue works for
the local law, applying his expert knowledge of
investigation to solve crimes and to arrest nefarious
organizations. Most of their investigations are local but
they sometimes stumble onto web of conspiracy that can
take them far and wide. Often limited by jurisdiction, they
must sometimes work undercover in other lands.
Skill Package: Ranged Weapons-pistol; Stealth-shadow;
Knowledge-deduce; Law-law enforcement; Creativity-
disguise; Investigate-search; Street Smart-street
knowledge.
Signature Equipment: Wheel lock pistol, magnifying glass,
lock pick set.
Outlaw
Outlaws represent brigands and bandits as well as the
good guys striking out against a corrupt lord. As their
name indicates they are criminals but they often fight laws
that they feel are not just. On the other hand many are
simply raider making the lives of traveling merchants
miserable.
Skill Package: Ranged Weapons-bows; Tactics; Outdoors-
set snares; Street Smart-criminal elements.
Signature Equipment: Short bow, knife, 100 meters of rope.
Scout
Similar to the Guide career for Diplomats, the Scout
applies his knowledge of trails and the land to assist the
movement of armies and to locate the enemy in the field.
Scouts are always in danger of being caught and most are
not allowed to return to their employeers.
Skill Package: Athletics-throw; Ranged Weapons-rifle;
Movement-swim, trailblazing; Stamina-endurance;
Survival-survival training; Animal Handling-riding;
Investigate-track; Knowledge-first aid.
Signature Equipment: Long rifle, compass, hand ax.
Smuggler
Whether by land or by sea these rogues peddle goods
that are illegal but that are in high demand. Smugglers
must be ready to fight when negotiations fails, or be ready
to flee.
Skill Package: Unarmed Attack; Vehicle Operation;
Business-illicit; Deception-bluff, bribe; Interaction-
bargain, taunt.
Signature Equipment: Small cog or horse-drawn cart, club,
legal goods with hidden compartments.
Spy
Spies are infiltrates whose sole purpose is to gather as
much information as they can and safely return to their
 Chapter 2: Careers
employers. As most clandestine knowledge is subject to
change once compromised the spy must also ensure that
his efforts go unnoticed.
Skill Package: Unarmed Attack; Athletics-climb, jump,
throw; Stealth-sneak; Investigate-interrogate;
Interaction-seduce.
Signature Equipment: Dose of poison, paper and ink for
notes.
Thief
Being burglars and housebreakers, few love thieves.
The quest for gold and treasure is only matched by their
thrill of the quest itself. They often pursue a job simply for
the challenge. As such the best thieves target the most
valuable of items as their targets.
Skill Package: Athletics-climb; Manipulate-lockpick,
set/disarm traps; Stealth-hide, sneak; Business-illicit;
Awareness-intuition.
Signature Equipment: Lock picks, dark suit, grappling hook
and rope.
Specialist Careers
The goal of a specialist is to explore a broad skill and
become the best at it. Focusing on their cost benefits for
many skills, the Specialist is the expert in many areas of
knowledge and practical application.
Alchemist
The Alchemist is a specialist that uses the Alchemy-
concocting skill like Adepts use spells – often. This
character supplements his income or his adventuring
career with a healthy dose of potions and other
concoctions to make ends meet. They often go one quests
to find rare and exotic ingredients or to uncover treasure
to supplement their research.
Skill Package: Crafting-gem cutting; Alchemy-concocting;
Business-small; Science-chemistry; Metaphysics;
Interaction-bargain.
Signature Equipment: Spellbook, Dagger, travelling kit for
taking samples, 3 concoctions of choice.
Apothecary
The Apothecary is similar to both a doctor and an
alchemist; dabbling in both arts. Their primary concern is
aiding the sick with poultices, salves, and ointments. In
addition many apothecaries run small businesses selling
concoctions to those in pain. They all specialize in
examining a person and then creating a remedy.
Skill Package: Knowledge-brewing, cooking, first aid;
Alchemy-concocting; Medicine-diagnostic; Agriculture-
gardening; Nature-herbalism.
Signature Equipment: Ordinary quality lab.
38
Crewman
These specialists fill the higher ranks on shipboard
crews. They know better than their fellow crewmen do
how to speed the ship along and keep things running
effectively. Often times the even serve as officers of lower
ranks and are responsible for navigation.
Skill Package: Rope use-secure; Vehicle Operation-water
craft; Navigation-surface navigation; Ship Operation-
sails, signaling, shipwright; Heavy Weapons-direct fire;
Awareness-perception.
Signature Equipment: Knife, rope, signaling whistle.
Doctor
Sought after to cure all manner of aliments the Doctor
is the next best thing to the Aid-heal spell. In addition to
those skills listed, many also take Medicine-surgery or
Animal Handling-veterinary healing.
Skill Package: Crafting-healer’s tools; Alchemy-concocting,
toxins; Medicine-diagnostics, medical knowledge,
treatment; Interaction-interview.
Signature Equipment: Healers bag, magnifying glass.
Engineer
Engineers are hired to build castles and temples,
expanding a kingdom or build one where none exists.
Often they must survey and area first and may hire other
to aid them should the local denizens prove unfriendly.
Skill Package: Construction; Demolitions-set explosives;
Engineering-aqueducts, fortifications; Science-physics;
Tinkering.
Signature Equipment: Surveying gear, machete (hand ax),
spyglass.
Pilot
Pilots represent higher progress level operators who
use airborne craft. Some are ace fighters while other run
cargo missions. Because one can never be sure of
tinkering completely having the Survival skill helps when
parachute works but the aircraft does not.
Skill Package: Vehicle Op-aircraft; Acrobatics-daredevil;
Ranged Weapons-pistol; Survival; Navigation-surface
navigation; Tinkering-repair.
Signature Equipment: Pilot goggles, parachute, starwheel
pistol, knife, survival gear.
Smith
Smiths are skilled with their hands and are master
craftsmen. The skills below represent a broad selection of
knowledge and many smiths concentrate on few skills than
this.
 Chapter 2: Careers
Skill Package: Construction-blacksmith, smelting; Crafting-
locksmith; Creativity-engraving.
Signature Equipment: Blacksmith tools, leather apron.
Tinker
Tinkers are usually associated with Gnomes and while
that is not untrue many campaigns include other races
with knowledge in this area. Tinkers are responsible for
inventions in any progress level and while they seem to fit
into a Progress Level 3 or higher environment they can be
used in lower ones as well. Consider that someone had to
invent scissors and the magnifying glass. That person was
probably a tinker.
Skill Package: Manipulate-set/disarm traps; Science-
physics; Tinkering-invention, juryrig, repair, tinker
knowledge; Creativity.
Signature Equipment: Tool box, tool harness.
Warrior Careers
Warriors come in many varieties. Most of these
characters have high Strength and Constitution scores.
Others also favor Dexterity and Intelligence as well.
Archer
The archer relies on his keen vision and long range to
wear the enemy down before melee is engaged. Archers
should have a decent Will score as well as an 11 or higher
in Dexterity.
Weapon Specialty: Ranged Weapons-bow
Skill Package: Melee Weapons; Crafting-bowyer/fletcher;
Awareness-perception; War Craft-bows.
Signature Equipment: Long bow, quiver of 30 arrow,
leather armor.
Brawler
Brawlers specialize in hand-to-hand fighting and
close-quarter battles. He’s a boxer, a street fighter, or
hired muscle – mean and strong. The brawler fights for
honor, money of just to survive.
Weapon Specialty: Unarmed Attack-brawl
Skill Package: Melee Weapons; Street Smart-criminal
elements; Deception; Interaction-intimidate.
Signature Equipment: Knife
Constable
This warrior is a soldier of the streets, enforcing the
law or his lords will in that city or land.
Weapon Specialty: Melee Weapons-bludgeon
Skill Package: Melee Weapons-bludgeon; Law-law
enforcement; Investigate; Street Smart.
Signature Equipment: Night stick (club), ropes for binding,
39
Dragoon
The Dragoon is a mounted rifleman who combines the
speed of a horse with the deadly accuracy of the caviler.
While still apart of a larger unit, often times a Dragoon
cavalry acts separately as a flanking unit and must be able
to think tactically and on the move.
Weapon Specialty: Ranged Weapons-rifle
Skill Package: Melee Weapons; Tactics-cavalry; Animal
Handling-riding.
Signature Equipment: Caviler, cavalry sword, war horse.
Duelist
Similar to a Gladiator, the Duelist fights his battles
man to man – in single combat. Preferring either the
rapier or the wheel lock pistol as weapons of choice this
warrior settles matters of honor with mortal stakes.
Weapon Specialty: Melee Weapons-blades or Ranged
Weapons-pistol
Skill Package: Stamina-resist pain; Tactics-melee tactics;
Interaction-charm, intimidate.
Signature Equipment: Rapier or wheel lock pistol, Formal
clothing.
Guard
These are warriors who protect a location or a person
from intrusion and harm. While combat skills are a must
the guard must also pay some attention to Awareness
skills. Investigate-search is also a good idea.
Weapon Specialty: Melee Weapons-polearms
Skill Package: Armor Op; Tactics-sentry tactics;
Awareness-perception; Culture-heraldry; Interaction-
intimidate.
Signature Equipment: Chain mail, pole arm.
Gladiator
Forced to fight for their lives, gladiators are grim
warriors seeking glory and fame or simple freedom. Some
seek glory in an arena or pit but most are slaves or
criminals fighting for their lives and for the glory of their
captors.
Weapon Specialty: Tactics-melee tactics
Skill Package: Armor Optimization-shields; Melee
Weapons; Unarmed Attack-brawl; Acrobatics-dodge;
Stamina-resist pain; Resolve-physical resolve.
Signature Equipment: If a free Gladiator – Cestus, leather
armor, whip, trident. If a slave – none.
Knight
Knights are charged by their lords to enforce the laws
of the land and to fight the kingdoms enemies. In exchange
most knights are afforded land and titles to compensate
them for their duties. While similar to both the Justice and
 Chapter 2: Careers
Constable careers, the Knight is also a soldier or officer and
fulfills a military role.
Weapon Specialty: Athletics-joust
Skill Package: Armor Optimization-heavy armor; Melee
Weapons; Tactics-cavalry; Animal Handling-riding;
Culture-heraldry, etiquette.
Signature Equipment: War horse, partial plate armor,
lance, mace, shield, flag standard.
Marine
Marines are shipboard fighters who off-load into
unfriendly ports or onto unfriendly ships. Marine tactics
involve the overwhelming of the enemy by sheer
firepower and force.
Weapon Specialty: Melee Weapons-blades or Heavy
Weapons-direct fire.
Skill Package: Unarmed Attack-brawl; Vehicle Operation-
water craft; Movement; Ship Op; Tactics-infantry.
Signature Equipment: Great ax, partial plate.
Martial Artist
An aesthetic that seeks fullness through physical
perfection, the Martial Artist is not a warrior to be taken
lightly. The Martial Artist usually lives by a code and value
system that is apart of his training. Some pursue the
maximum ranks they can afford in power martial arts
while other, more pacifistic warriors, prefer defensive
martial arts.
Weapon Specialty: Unarmed Attack-power martial arts
Skill Package: Athletics-jump; Melee Weapons; Acrobatics-
defensive martial arts, fall; Stamina-endurance, resist
pain; Awareness-intuition; Resolve-physical resolve.
Signature Equipment: Nunchaku, sandals.
Mercenary
A Mercenary is a soldier who sells his skills to the
highest bidder. The Mercenary needs every advantage he
can get. While dealing out damage is key, so is defense.
Don’t forget that before an assignment this character
usually must bargain for his pay as well. Some of these
warriors are solo acts, while other belong to guilds. The
latter case can involve an allegiance.
Weapon Specialty: Melee Weapons-blades
Skill Package: Armor Op-heavy armor; Unarmed Attack-
brawl; Ranged Weapons-bows; Stamina-endurance;
Movement; Survival; Interaction-bargain, intimidate.
Signature Equipment: Partial plate mail, great ax.
Partisan
The partisan represents revolutionaries, guerilla
fighters, terrorists, and the strong arm of political groups.
Skilled at remaining hidden until the time is right to strike
these underground warriors fight against who ever is in
power. Politically motivated groups are often homes for
40
rogues and diplomats. The Partisan is the warrior’s
contribution to the war of civil liberties.
The skills presented below are for a partisan operating
primarily in the wilderness. For more urban styled
characters replace the Survival and Outdoors skills with
Street Smart-criminal elements and Security-traps and
devices. The Demolitions skill only applies in campaigns
that allow smokepowder.
Weapon Specialty: Ranged Weapons-crossbow
Skill Package: Unarmed Attack; Survival-survival training;
Demolitions; Outdoors-set snares; War Craft-bows;
Interaction-intimidate
Signature Equipment: Crossbow, survival gear.
Soldier
The Soldier belongs to a standing military force. They
can serve in many capacities, even as officers.
Weapon Specialty: Melee Weapons-blades
Skill Package: Armor Optimization; Unarmed Attack;
Ranged Weapons; Stamina-endurance; Movement-
trailblazing; Tactics.
Signature Equipment: Broad sword, chain mail, shield.
Weaponeer
The weaponeer is an expert in the use of heavy and
team weapons. Found at key locations on a battlefield this
warrior loves big weapons. In infantry units they wield a
blunderbuss or even a light ballista. In defensive positions
they may command a catapult crew or shipboard weapons
as well.
Weapon Specialty: Heavy Weapons-direct fire or indirect
fire.
Skill Package: Demolitions; Tinkering-repair; Awareness-
perception.
Signature Equipment: Blunderbuss, chain mail.
Legends
Occasionally a character enters the scene that is above
the normal kin of mankind. These persons are called
Legends. Some are born of both man and god, some are
destined to perform some great event or deed, while
others are of a race that is from another dimension.
Regardless of origin the Legend character is by default a
‘mover and shaker’ despite his or her best efforts to avoid
attracting attention.
These characters are by all means optional. The
inclusion of this type of character changes the nature of the
campaign in a way that shifts a majority of the game focus
on that character. Before allowing this option ask the
other players if they mind being involved in this type of
campaign. Often times this character type works best in
single character games. However other players may also
wish to be a Legend as well. If this is the case then the
focus of the campaign should include them all.
 Chapter 2: Careers
Regardless of the type of Legend chosen, each has
several similar attributes as follows:
Achievement Benefits: A Legend may purchase
achievement benefits at one-half the listed cost rounded
up. The only exception to this is the removing of a flaw.
This remains normal.
Required Flaw: As a hindrance they must take the Powerful
Enemy flaw which provides no bonus skill points. This
flaw is usually set at the most extreme level however
Game Masters are free to custom fit it within their
campaign design.
In most cases the Legend character selects a race and a
profession normally. Any exceptions to this are included
in the descriptions below. Benefits and hindrances, perks,
and flaws can be purchased normally. Mutations should be
avoided as they may complicate the character’s description
and should only be allowed if they make sense.
Demigod
The Demigod is a product of a relationship between a
deity and a mortal man or woman. In the classic sense
most are human but other races can be used. The best
example of a demigod is Hercules, born of a mortal woman
and Zeus. The demigod is a superior specimen being born
of the divine and as such they enjoy several benefits.
Increased Abilities: A Demigod character starts the game
with 6 more points to distribute among his ability
scores. These bonus points can raise a score above the
racial maximum.
Longevity: Long-lived and in remarkable health, demigods
live on average twice as long as other members of their
species.
Luck of the Gods: The demigod gains a bonus last resort
point. This point recharges itself automatically every
adventure and need not be purchased.
Powerful Enemies: The enemies of the demigod usually
come from the same pantheon as his immortal parent.
Some can be deities that have been cast out of the fold,
and some may even be a jealous spouse. This being the
case the demigod can face some of the more powerful
beings in the game, sometimes with no warning at all.
Super Power FX: As befits the spawn of a deity, the
demigod has special powers. The character begins the
game with the ability to buy Super Power FX abilities as
detailed in that chapter in book 2. Powers that are
chosen should reflect the nature of the deity parent in
some way. Hercules gained his father’s strength. A sea-
god’s child may select Power Swimming while deity of
love may produce a child with Super Personality. There
is no fixed rule for this selection, only that the abilities
should reflect the parent gods attributes in some way.
Destined Hero
Born with a foretold quest, the destined hero has been
prophesied to perform some great act or deed that will
change the nature of the campaign as a whole. The
character may have been born to lead a revolution against
41
an unjust nobility or to expel the influence of powerful
beings like gods or outsiders.
While mortal and using the same rules that other
heroes do, the destined hero has some special benefits to
help him reach his goal. A good example of a destined hero
is King Arthur who was foretold to unite all of Britain.
Call on Fate: The destined hero can ‘Call on Fate’ as often as
he wishes without penalty. If a Critical Failure is rolled
then it is treated as a normal failure result. This check
also receives the –1 bonus stated below.
Clear Future: The future of the destined hero is easier to
see by use of FX abilities. Information gained through
these means, as well as through the use of mundane
skills like Metaphysics-astrology or prophesy, always
render clearer and more exact information than is usual
for the result generated.
Item of Power: At sometime during the hero’s career he
will learn of a weapon or item of great power that can
help him achieve his goal. Finding the weapon is usually
a quest unto itself and may be the first adventure the
hero undertakes. The item is always useful and never
has a curse or drawback that would hinder the
character’s destiny. Being the subject of a grand and
mission the item is never ‘run of the mill’.
Powerful Enemies: The destined hero’s enemies always
come from the force or effect the hero is destined to
overcome. Often times the leaders of the enemy force
will not tell subordinates about the hero for fear of
weakening moral however some issue warrants for the
hero’s capture or death, hiring every bounty hunter
willing to except the job.
Shroud of Destiny: When actively pursuing his goal, the
destined hero gains a –1 Situation Modifier to all skill
and feat checks. This benefit does not apply for activities
that are not directly related to the completion of the
character’s destiny.
Immortal
By a twist of fate or divine intervention, this hero
never ages. The hero aged normally at first, but after
reaching a young adult or mature age his aging ceased.
Others grow older but he does not. His children grow, age,
and die and generations pass.
Many immortal characters see their gift as a curse.
Wandering the earth watching all they knew and loved
pass into oblivion while they remain. Others revel in it and
use their gift to achieve their goals or simply flaunt their
uniqueness.
A good example of this type of character can be found
in the ‘Highlander’ movies.
Advanced Level: Unless the Game Master feels otherwise,
the immortal character has been around for sometime
and has by consequence a lot of experience. Immortals
add 10 to the average level of the campaign to determine
their starting level. This assumes that the immortal is
around for several hundred years and has accumulated
much knowledge.
 Chapter 2: Careers
Historical Witness: Having lived history the immortal
character is better able to recall lore from the past. This
benefit manifests as a –1 Situation Modifier to the Lore
or Knowledge-history skills as well as others that have a
historical context. For example the hero may know that
a kingdom attempted to settle an area long ago and that
the denizens of that area may have lore, knowledge, or
even fear of that ancient culture.
Mortal Resistance: Being immortal also makes the
character immune to certain effects that are deadly to
other, mortal characters. This type of character has a
Toughness of Good against all physical and energy
attacks as well as Hazards. In addition to this mortal
damage can be healed as if wound damage. Furthermore
when mortal damage is suffered the character does not
need to roll further checks to avoid additional mortal
damage.
Aging Immunity: Immortals are immune to attacks that
cause aging and similar effects. Spells that effect time,
like Alteration-continuance do have their normal effects
however.
Powerful Enemies: The selection of enemies for an
immortal character is far more flexible than for other
Legends. Literally any one could be an enemy. Having
been around a long time this character has had enough
time to create many enemies, some of whom are still
around.
Outsider
Outsider heroes are members of extra-dimensional
races that are somehow involved in the campaign world.
They may be trapped there, on some type of long-term
mission, or condemned to the mortal world for a period of
time as punishment. Regardless of the reason they are
here Outsiders stick out like a brick in a punch bowl.
Creating an Outsider character follows all of the
standard rules as regards character creation except for the
selection of race. In this case the character picks a race
form the Outsiders chapter in book 3. This character uses
those powers and attacks that are listed, but selects his
own ability scores and skills normally. Game Master's may
need to modify some scores as appropriate.
Powerful Enemies: Outsiders already have plenty of
natural enemies from opposing planes. Celestial
outsiders could have fiends hounding their tails.
Elemental outsiders may have enemies from opposing
elements. Some outsiders have journeyed to the prime
material plane to escape an angry god who can only
attack through its minions.
Tall Tale
This character is larger than life. The Tall Tale
character can be the most difficult to play and to control as
42
they can literally break the rules of reality. While
effectively a normal member of their species they may
differ in ways that are astounding. Imagine an elf as tall as
a frost giant, a man who is so charming that any woman he
meets instantly falls in love with him, or a person who can
speak with animals at will. A Tall Tale character does
readily fit the ideals for a Warrior profession but differing
campaign styles will have to dictate how they are used.
Adventures based around this type of character differ
from standard fantasy games in that they tend to be more
light-hearted. Quests and adventures should be humorous
and comical to some degree with the more dire nature of
some campaign settings being put on hold. Examples of
this type of character range from everyone like Baron
Manchusen, to Paul Bunyon, even to Dr Doolittle.
Defy Reality: The Tall Tale character can attempt to change
the laws of reality to overcome situations by merely
passing a Personality feat check. Game Masters can limit
the circumstances that call on this ability (with untimely
death being one of them) or may allow the character to
do so whenever he wishes. The spirit of this ability is
not to make spell effects more powerful or to cause more
damage. Instead it allows the character to fulfill the
status off being a Tall Tale in the first place. Examples
include riding canon balls or cyclones, creating a new
magic word that causes everyone to laugh
uncontrollably, or
Reoccurrence: Even after a Tall Tale’s demise they may
return if they are missed. In a way not unlike the
essence of spirits, the Tall Tale continues to live else
where even after death. If the Game Master desires they
may actually be summoned by elaborate rituals, critical
situations that require their presence, or even the
longing of a lonely child. May times this character does
become a Tall Tale until after his demise. I such a case
adventures could be built around those times that the
character ventures the world pursing his livelihood.
Trademark: Each Tall Tale character has a distinct
trademark ability. This ability can be a spell-like effect, a
Super Power FX ability, or something completely
different. It can be broad in scope and effect but it is
very rarely a form of attack. Usually no roll is required
of the character and the ability just happens when
conditions are right.
Powerful Enemies: The Tall Tale character can have any
number of powerful enemies but if this concept detracts
from the tone of the game dismiss it. One enemy that all
Tall Tales face is being forgotten by the public at large.
As the world changes, the Tall Tale can become obsolete
and his aid no longer needed.
 Chapter 3: Skills
All skills in this game follow the same core rules as It is good to be reminded of a good deal and this is
detailed in the Alternity Players Handbook. Skills in blue something players should be aware of. Heroes may be
cannot be used untrained; a player must first purchase a able to purchase some rank benefits early if the benefit
Broad skill before advancing in rank with any of its is identified as such. Skills that are designated with the
related specialty skills and so on. The Profession Codes  symbol may be purchased before the character
are a little different and are defined below. actually reaches the indicated rank. The cost for this is
the difference between the character’s current rank and
Profession Codes that required to gain the rank benefit normally. This
D = Diplomat difference is then multiplied by two. For example, a
R = Rogue character with rank 5 in brawl wants the rank 8
S = Specialist ‘increased damage’ benefit before reaching rank 8. The
W = Warrior difference between the ranks is 3, which becomes a cost
‘-‘ = Open of 6 skill points. Rank benefits that have the ⊗ symbol
next to them cannot be purchased early.
Every skill on the table has an entry in this book.
Those skills that remain unchanged from the Alternity Strength Skills Cost Pro. Page
Players Handbook entries are still mentioned; even if the
entry is brief. Rank benefits are given for all skills as a Armor Optimization 7 W 36
point of reference. Also game statistics are provided for Heavy Armor 3 W 36
reference as well and the entries include information from Shields 3 W 36
both the Alternity Players Handbook and the Alternity
Gamemaster's Guide. Athletics 3 - 36
Climb 2 - 37

Complex Skill Checks Jousting

Jump
3
1
W
-
37
37
When complex skill checks are used it is sometimes Throw 2 - 37
necessary to determine the overall quality of the (Specific) 1 - 37
complex skill check process itself. For this expansion of
the rules there are several skills which call for such a Construction 5 - 37
distinction. This rule is used to judge to overall quality Armory 3 W,S 38
of something made like a sword, a suit of armor, or a Blacksmith 2 S 38
brick wall. The DM is free to ignore this and consider Carpentry 2 S 38
any successfully made item of an equal value to those Smelting 5 S 38
presented in the rules. However, players may wish to Stonemasonry 2 S 38
make of this skill as it allows them to create better or Weaponry 3 W 38
more wondrous works. (specific) 1 - 39
The easiest way to determine the quality of a complex
skill check is by the result that occurs most often. If a Heavy Weapons 6 W 39
character needs to complete four checks and has two Direct Fire 4 W 39
Ordinary, one Good, and one Marginal success, then the Indirect Fire 4 W 39
final result is Ordinary. If two or more of the results are
equal use the lower quality result. There for if six Melee Weapons 6 W 39
successes are required and the character achieves two Blades 3 W 39
Good and two Ordinary results, the final quality of the Bludgeon 3 W 39
item is still ordinary. Oddly enough this system does Polearms 3 W 39
work in the favor of greater than Ordinary results due to Whip 2 W 39
the fact that Good and Amazing results lessen the total of
checks required. Unarmed Combat 5 - 40
Throughout these rules and additions this system will Brawl 3 W 40
be referred to from time to time. Weapons, armor, Power Martial Arts 5 W, R 40
poisons, tinkered devices, mine-shafts, and bridges
represent just a few of the products that can be effected Dexterity Skills Cost Pro. Page
by this rule.
Acrobatics 7 R 40
Daredevil 4 - 40
Purchasing Rank Benefits Defensive Martial Arts
Dodge
5
4
W, R
W, R
40
40
43
 Chapter 3: Skills
Fall 3 R 41 Endurance 4 W 46
Flight 2 - 41 Light Sleeping 4 W, R 46
Tightrope Walking 1 - 41 Resist Pain 4 W 47
Zero-Gravity Training 2 - 41 Slow Respiration 3 - 47
(specific) 1 - 41
Survival 5 W,R 47
Crafting 4 - 41 Survival Training 3 W,R 47
Bowyer 2 W,S 41
Gem Cutting 3 S 42 Intelligence Skills Cost Pro. Page
Gunsmith 2 W,S 42
Locksmith 3 R,S 42 Alchemy 7 S 47
Metalsmithing 3 S 43 Concocting 3 S 47
(specific) 1 - 43 Toxins 2 R, S 47

Manipulate 6 - 43 Business 4 D 48
Lock Pick 4 R 43 Illicit Business 3 D, R 48
Pick Pocket 4 R 43 Large Business 3 D 48
Prestidigitation 3 D 43 Small Business 3 D 48
Set/Disarm Traps 3 R, S 43
Demolitions 6 W,S 48
Ranged Weapons 7 W 44 Disarm 4 S 49
Automatic Weapon 3 W 44 Scratch-Built 4 S 49
Blow Gun 3 W 44 Set Explosives 3 W,S 49
Bow 4 W 44
Crossbow 3 W 44 Engineering 7 S 49
Pistol 3 W 44 Aqueducts 3 S 49
Rifle 3 W 44 Fortifications 3 S,W 49
Sling 4 W 44 Mining 2 S 50
Siege Works 4 S,W 50
Rope Use 3 - 44 Space Works 5 S 50
Bind 1 - 45
Secure 1 - 45 Knowledge 3 - 50
Deduce 2 - 50
Stealth 7 R 45 First Aid 2 - 50
Hide 4 R 45 Languages 1 - 50
Shadow 4 R 45 Read/Write 1 - 50
Sneak 5 R 45 (specific) 1 - 50
Somatic Concealment 3 R 45
Law 5 D, R 50
Vehicle Operation 4 S 45 Court Procedures 3 D 51
Air Vehicle 5 S 46 Law Enforcement 3 W, R 51
Land Vehicle 4 S 46 (specific law) 1 - 51
Space Vehicle 5 S 46
Spelljamming 2 S 46 Life Shaping 7 S 51
Water Vehicle 3 S 46 Creatures 5 S 51
Products 3 S 51
Constitution Skills Cost Pro. Page Mutate 4 S 51
Tissues 4 S 52
Movement 3 - 46
Race 2 - 46 Medicine 6 S 52
Swim 1 - 46 Diagnostics 3 S 52
Trailblazing 3 R 46 Forensics 3 S 52
Medical Knowledge 3 S 52
Stamina 3 - 46 Psychology 3 S 52
Surgery 5 S 52
Treatment 4 S 52

44
 Chapter 3: Skills
Metaphysics 5 - 53 Perception 2 - 58
Magical Theory 3 - 53
Prophesy 5 - 53 Creativity 4 - 58
(specific) 1 - 53 Cartography 1 - 58
Dreamscape 1 - 58
Nature 5 - 53 Engraving 1 - 58
Ecology 2 - 53 Forgery 1 - 58
Herbalism 4 S 53 Illusion Sculpting 1 - 59
Meteorology 2 - 53 Voice Mimicry 1 - 59
Writing 1 - 59
Navigation 6 S 53 (specific) 1 - 59
Phlo Navigation 3 S 54
Space Navigation 3 S 54 Investigate 7 R,S 59
Surface Navigation 3 S 54 Cryptography 3 R,S 59
Interrogate 4 R,W 59
Science 7 S 54 Read Lips 3 R 59
(specific) 3 S 54 Research 3 R, S 59
Search 4 R,S 59
Ship Operation 4 S 54 Track 4 R 59
Sails 3 S 54
Shipwright 4 S 54 Lore 3 - 60
Signaling 1 - 55 (specific) 1 - 60
(specific) 1 - 55
Outdoors 3 - 60
Tactics 6 S,W 55 Animal Noise 5 R 60
Cavalry Tactics 3 W 55 Hunting 3 W 60
Infantry Tactics 3 W 55 Fire Building 2 - 60
Melee Tactics 4 W 55 Fishing 3 - 60
Sentry Tactics 3 D, W 55 Set Snares 4 R 60
Space Tactics 3 S,W 55 (specific) 1 - 60
Vehicle Tactics 3 S,W 55
Psyche 6 - 61
Tinkering 7 S 56 Awaken 3 - 61
Invent 4 S 56 Psychic Combat 2 - 61
Juryrig 3 S 56
Fantasy Physics 3 S 57 Resolve 5 - 61
Repair 3 S 57 Mental Resolve 3 - 61
Tinker Knowledge 3 S 57 Physical Resolve 3 - 61

Will Cost Pro. Page Street Smart 5 R 61

Criminal Elements 3 R 62
Administration 4 D 57 Street Knowledge 3 R 62
Bureaucracy 3 D 57
Management 3 D 57 Teach 5 D,S 62
(specific) 3 D,S 62
Agriculture 3 - 57
Cash Crop 3 - 57 War Craft 5 W,R 62
Gardening 4 - 57 Bow Craft 2 W 62
Crude Armor 2 W 62
Animal Handling 3 - 57 Improvise Weapon 1 - 62
Animal Riding 1 - 57 Weapon Craft 2 W 62
Animal Training 1 - 57
Veterinary Healing 3 - 58 Personality Skills Cost Pro. Page
Awareness 3 - 58 Culture 5 D 62
Direction Sense 2 R 58 Diplomacy 3 D 63
Intuition 3 - 58 Etiquette (specific) 2 D 63
45
 Chapter 3: Skills
First Encounter 3 D 63 Feat Weight in Kilograms Modifier
Heraldry 2 D,W 63 Marginal Strength x 5 0
Religion (specific) 2 D 63 Slight Strength x 10 +1
Moderate Strength x 15 +2
Deception 5 D,R 63 Extreme Strength x 20 +3
Bluff 3 D,R 63
Bribe 3 D,R 63 Feats involving heavier weights require an Amazing
Gamble 3 D,R 64 success to achieve and inflict fatigue damage upon the
character. Factors other than the weight of the object
Entertainment 4 D,R 64 being lifted may also affect the situation die; for instance, a
Act 2 D,R 64 penalty if the object is slippery, or a bonus if the object has
Chant 2 D 64 handles or protrusions that make it easier to hold onto.
Dance 2 D,R 64
Fortune Telling 3 D,R 64
Juggling 3 D,R 64
Armor Optimization (Cost 7 – W)
Musical Instrument 2 D,R 64 Armor that's bulky, heavy, and cumbersome hinders
Sing 2 D,R 64 the character using it. This is reflected by a penalty to the
Ventriloquism 4 D,R 64 character's action check and the worsening of a character's
Dexterity resistance modifier. The Armor Optimization
Interaction 3 - 64 broad skill and its specialty skills help to alleviate these
Bargain 3 D,S 65 penalties. It should also be noted that the weight of armor
Charm 3 D,R 65 or shields, in addition to other equipment, can also apply
Interview 3 D,R 65 penalties based on the ‘encumbrance’ rules in the Alternity
Intimidate 3 W 65 Players Handbook.
Seduce 3 D,R 65 This skill functions basically the same as the ‘Armor
Taunt 2 - 65 Operation’ skill does in Alternity, however the use of
shields is now covered in its own specialty skill. When a
Leadership 4 - 65 character is using both armor and a shield each specialty
Command 4 D,W 65 skill handles its ability to remove action penalties
Inspire 4 D,W 65 separately. However, only the better of the two is used in
absorbing secondary damage. What this means is that if a
character had Heavy Armor at rank 2 and Shields at rank 6,
Strength Skills the character could absorb only 3 pints of secondary
damage, not 4.
Strength measures a hero's physical power. To
determine the result of an action involving Strength that Heavy Armor (Cost 3 - W)
isn't directly related to a skill, a hero makes a feat check. This skill functions exactly as the Combat Armor skill
does in Alternity with the exception of shields, which are
Breaking Things handled by the following specialty skill.
When a character simply smashes a barrier or
attempts to bend an iron bar it may not always be best to  Rank 2 – Shaking Off Stuns: Beginning at rank 2 the
record the damage inflicted. The table below offers a quick character automatically reduces secondary and primary
option for smashing and breaking things. stun damage by 1 point. This benefit is increased by 1
point for every even rank gained to a maximum of 6
Toughness Durability Modifier points of stun reduced at rank 12.
Ordinary Fragile 0  Ranks 4, 7, & 10 – Improved Use: At the indicated ranks
Good Average +1 the reduction to armors action penalty score increase to
Amazing High +3 2, 3, and 4 respectively. This benefit cannot be used to
render a step bonus.
Both toughness and durability are assessed and both
of them apply a cumulative modifier to the strength check. Shields (Cost 3 – W)
This specialty skill allows a hero to improve his ability
Lifting Things to effectively utilize a shield during combat by a gradual
Lifting a heavy object is one example of a Strength feat. process of learning to compensate for the weight and
The Game Master doesn't have to be specific when he awkwardness of the shield. A character with this skill at
declares a feat to be of a certain level of difficulty, but he ranks 1 to 3 is allowed to reduce the action check and
will use the following as a general rule:

46
 Chapter 3: Skills
Dexterity resistance modifier penalty associated with a
shield by 1 additional step. Distance Successes Time
For attacks, the shield is treated a Gauntlet (detailed in 1–30 m 2 1/minute
Chapter 4: Weapons and Armor) except that there is a +1 30–100 m 4 1/5 minutes
accuracy penalty applied. Shield rank benefits are detailed 100–1000 m 6 1/30 minutes
below. 1+ km 10+ 1/hour
 Rank 2 – Shaking Off Stuns: Beginning at rank 2 the
character automatically reduces secondary and primary If a hero gets a Critical Failure on a climb check, he
stun damage by 1 point. This benefit is increased by 1 loses his grip and falls (unless equipment prevents it). If
point for every even rank gained to a maximum of 6 he has any actions left in the round, he can attempt to
points of stun reduced at rank 12. regain his hold by getting an Ordinary success or better on
 Rank 4 - Reaction Parry: The character may use the a second climb check with a +1 penalty on top of any other
Reaction Parry benefit as given for Melee Weapons. modifiers that apply. If this attempt fails or if the hero has
 Ranks 4, 7, & 10 – Improved Use: At the indicated ranks no remaining actions, he falls. Damage from the fall is
the reduction to armors action penalty score increase to lessened if the hero makes a successful untrained
2, 3, and 4 respectively. This benefit cannot be used to Dexterity check or an Acrobatics–fall skill check.
render a step bonus.
⊗ Ranks 6 & 12 - Damage Absorption: Not only can a shield Climbing Modifiers
be used to absorb secondary damage, it can also be used Sheer surface +3
to absorb primary damage as well. At rank 6 the Icy or slippery surface +2
protective value of the shield is increased by +1, at rank Darkness +1
12 this is increased again to a maximum of +2. It is Wet surface +1
important to note that this applies to primary damage Surface with some footholds -1
only. Surface with many footholds -2
 Ranks 6 & 9 - Attack Bonus: At rank 6 the +1 penalty to Minimal climbing gear (gloves & -1
attacks using the shield is dropped. At rank 9 the sturdy shoes)
character can attack with the shield at a -1 Situation Partial climbing gear -2
Modifier. Full climbing gear -3

Athletics (Cost 3) Joust (Cost 3 – W)

While it may seem odd to envision the medieval man Using a lance is a deadly method of combat and while
participating in an organized sport, many ancient this skill is cheap, it also requires the use of the Animal
civilizations did. The Mayans and Aztecs had a host of Handling-riding skill. Jousting weapons do not gain the
events and the Greeks had the Olympic games. rank benefits of other weapons. Refer to the ‘Mounted
This broad skill provides a hero with the abilities of a Combat’ section in the Gamers in Action chapter for rules
natural athlete—a competent level of strength, grace, and on the use of a lance.
physical prowess. This skill is used to determine the
success of physical actions such as climbing a tree, jumping Jump (Cost 1)
over a large hole, or throwing an object at a target. In combat scenes, a hero can jump a certain number of
Players should use athletic specific specialty skills to meters in a phase, depending on the result of a skill check.
add flavor and color to their cultures. Another option is to There are 4 types of jumps: standing jump, running jump,
allow characters to use this skill for throwing specific vertical leap and vault. On any jumping attempt, a Critical
objects like knives, spears, darts, nets, and others as well. Failure result indicates that the hero trips and takes a hard
fall, suffering d6s. A Marginal result indicates that the hero
Climb (Cost 2) makes a leap of Ordinary distance but suffers d4s because
In combat scenes, a hero can climb a certain number of of a poor landing.
meters in a phase, depending on the result of a skill check:
Critical Failure, fall (if possible); Marginal, no progress; Jumping Table
Ordinary, 1 meter; Good, 2 meters; Amazing, 3 meters. Type of jump Ordinary Good Amazing
If the hero is climbing as part of a challenge scene, Standing jump 1m 2m 3m
don't bother to track how far he climbs with each skill Running jump 2m 4m 6m
check. Instead, assign a number of successes needed and Vertical leap 1m 1.5m 2m
establish a time frame for how often he can attempt the Vault -- see below --
checks. It's assumed that the hero is climbing continuously
throughout the challenge scene. The GM can assign A standing jump is performed from a stationary
additional modifiers for the difficulty of the climb, special starting position. A running jump requires at least 4
equipment, or weather conditions. meters of space for a running start before making the
47
 Chapter 3: Skills
jump. A vertical leap is made from a standing position; the
distance indicates how far above his head a character can
leap and reach. Vaulting is basically a vertical leap that is
enhanced by some form of assistance—either springing off
another object or using a vaulting pole. When called upon
to make a vault, a character may use either his Athletics–
jump skill or his Acrobatics skill (if he possesses it). If the
character has either skill, increase the distance noted
under vertical leap by 1 m. If the character uses a pole,
increase the distance by 2 m.
⊗ Increased Distance: As a hero increases his ranks in this
specialty skill, the distance that he can jump or leap also
increases. The running jump improves by 1 meter at
ranks 3, 6, 9, and 12; the standing jump improves by 1
meter at ranks 4, 7, and 10; and the vertical leap
improves by 1/2 meter at ranks 5, 8, and 11.
Throw (Cost 2)
The accuracy of a throw depends on the range and the
degree of success achieved on a skill check, as shown on
page 67 of the Alternity Players Handbook. Modifiers for
the throwing are shown on page 57 of the Alternity Players
Handbook and in chapter 4 of this book.
Athletics, Specific Skill (Cost 1)
A player, if he desires, can design and add an Athletics
specialty skill that fits into the concept he has for his
hero—for example, a specific sport or a physical fitness
regimen such as weightlifting or aerobics. How the skill
works in the campaign is left up to the GM.
Many applications of this skill can be used to replace
those feats normally related to a Strength Feat. Athletics-
Open Doors or Athletics-Throw Dagger are good examples.
Construction (Cost 5)
Construction is the creative use of brute force.
Splitting logs, cutting stone, shaping metals, and digging
into the earth are all apart of this skill. Using the
Construction skill involves a complex skill check, with a
situation modifier based on the conditions under which
the work is being done and a number of successes
required related to the complexity of the task at hand.
(Shaping a simple iron rod might be merely a Marginal
accomplishment, but shaping an ornate suit of plate armor
would be Amazing). How often a character can make a
check is based on what specialty skill he is using.
All construction tasks are difficult and time–
consuming, but they are also physically taxing. For every
skill check required the character must also roll a
Stamina–endurance check to determine the amount of
fatigue damage he suffers.
If the complex skill check ends in a Critical Failure
before the check is completed, whatever the character was
trying to produce is either scrapped or contains a fatal
flaw. On any other result, the result of the complex skill
check determines the price the character can expect for the
48
finished goods: Marginal, 1/2 the listed price; Ordinary,
listed price; Good, 5 times the listed price; Amazing, 10
times the listed price.
These skills can also be used to judge the quality of
materials and the time required for a job. Construction can
be used to ascertain the quality in the works of others as
well. The following modifiers apply to all Construction
skills.
Construction Modifiers
No tools +3
Minimal tools 0
Standard tools -1
Specialized tools -2
Darkness +3
Marginal or Ordinary light +1
Good light 0
No deadline -2
Reasonable deadline 0
Tight deadline +1
Unreasonable deadline +3
In the case of produced goods, the cost of materials
used by the character to create a finished object is equal to
one–third of the item’s listed price as shown in chapter 4
of this book. The following rank benefits are gained by all
specialty skills in this broad group.
⊗ Ranks 3, 6, 9, & 12 – Construction Mastery: As a hero
gains experience in a chosen specialty skill, the quality of
his work becomes higher and the value of his services go
up. At rank 3, the character can ask an extra 10% for his
work; at rank 6 he receives an extra 25%; at rank 9 he
receives an extra 50%; and at rank 12 he receives an
extra 100%.
⊗ Ranks 4, 8, & 12 - Increased Effect: As a hero gains ranks
in a specialty skill, he receives a situation die bonus for
dealing with less than ideal materials, tools, or
circumstances. At rank 4, the bonus is –1; at rank 8 it
improves to –2; and at rank 12 it becomes –3.
⊗ Ranks 5, 8, & 11 - Increased Fortitude: As a character
gains ranks in a specialty skill, he learns to compensate
for the energy–sapping nature of the tasks that he
performs. This results in an increase in the interval
between Stamina checks to determine fatigue damage.
At rank 5, the character needs to make a check every 30
minutes he spends laboring; the check is made once
every hour at rank 8; and every 2 hours at rank 11.
Armory (Cost 3 – S, W)
This skill can’t be used untrained.
This specialty skill allows a hero to make all types of
armor except for hide armor, given the proper materials
and facilities. With this skill, a hero is capable of crafting
helmets, shields, and various suits of armor.
It takes time, and a complex skill check, to produce a
piece of armor; the time is directly proportional to the
object's Action Penalty. Armor with an Action Penalty of 0
 Chapter 3: Skills
requires a Marginal complex skill check. Action Penalty of
+1, Ordinary. Action Penalty of +2, Good. Action Penalty
of +3 or more, Amazing. Each roll for the complex skill
check requires 1 week to accomplish. In the case of Plate
armor, the person for who the armor is intended must be
on-hand for fitting at least once a week. If not a +2 penalty
is applied to that check.
The result of the complex skill check determines the
amount of punishment a piece of armor can sustain before
it becomes damaged: Critical Failure, the armor is so much
scrap metal; Marginal, the armor appears normal, but
functions as if already damaged (-1 damage value per
category); Ordinary, the armor is damaged when the
character loses half his wound points or suffers any
amount of mortal damage; Good, the armor is damaged
when the hero loses all his wound points or suffers two or
more points of mortal damage; Amazing, the armor is
damaged when the character suffers three or more points
of mortal damage.
⊗ Rank 3 - Armor Repair: When a character reaches rank 3,
he can repair damaged armor and shields. Using this
rank benefit also requires a complex skill check. The
time it takes to repair a piece of armor is up to the
Gamemaster, but each check should take approximately
one to four hours, based on the severity of the damage.
The number of successes necessary to repair the armor
is also at the Gamemaster’s discretion, but should not be
more than one–half the armor owner’s durability rating.
A character may also repair magical armor as well.
Doing so imposes a base penalty of +1, 2, or 3 for the
magical quality however. This penalty is in addition to
all other modifiers associated with this use of the skill.
Blacksmith (Cost 2 – S)
This skill can’t be used untrained.
A character with this skill can craft most any iron
object short of true weapons. Nails, horseshoes, grappling
hooks, large rings, plowshares and the like can crafted
with this skill. This specialty skill allows a hero to craft
tools and implements out of iron. The blacksmith can craft
anything from nails to horseshoes to iron hoops out of iron
or iron alloys. A character requires a completely outfitted
forge to utilize this specialty skill.
The time it takes for the smith to craft an object is based
on its durability rating. The number of successes required
to complete the complex skill check is equal to the object's
durability rating. Each roll for the complex skill check
requires one day.
⊗ Rank 3 - Repair: When a character reaches rank 3, he can
repair damaged iron objects. Using this rank benefit
only requires a simple skill check. The time it takes to
repair an object is up to the Gamemaster, but each check
should take anywhere from one hour to one day based
on the severity of the damage. The number of successes
necessary to repair an object is also at the Gamemaster’s
discretion, but should not be more than one–half the
object’s durability rating.
49
Carpentry (Cost 2 – S)
This specialty is focused on woodworking. This skill
includes all functions of woodworking from cutting down
trees, cutting the trunks into usable lumbar, to the actual
building of a structure.
The complexity of a work is based on the durability of
each section of a structure even if there is but one section.
Each wall of a cabin or every ten meters of a stone wall are
good examples of sections while a tavern door or a border
around a well serve as good examples of single section
items.
In the case of wood-cutting a tree may require
anywhere from 3 to 6 successes to fell. Cutting wood into
boards requires success based on quantity and the size of
the trunks themselves.
⊗ Rank 3 - Repair: When a character reaches rank 3, he can
repair a damaged construction. Using this rank benefit
requires a complex skill check equal to one-half of the
damage per section. The time it takes to repair an object
is up to the Game Master, but each check should take
anywhere from one hour to one day based on the
severity of the damage.
Smelting (Cost 5 – S)
This skill can’t be used untrained.
Smelting is the art of super-heating iron or metallic
ore to a point that the metal can be separated from the
deposit. Feel free to assume that for each day spent
smelting metallic ore, it yields enough to craft one
durability point of a weapon or a piece of armor (or one
+1 of Action Penalty as you see fit). The quality of the ore,
as determined in the Mining skill under the Engineering
broad skill, establishes the base complexity for the
Smelting check as per the standard rules. Of course not all
ores are harder to smelt simply because they are more
rare. Make adjustments where you feel they are needed.
Modifiers for the type of metal being smelted can
range from –1 for soft metals to +1 for harder ones (like
iron) or even as high as +5 for Mithral or Adamantium.
The actual building a smelting forge requires this skill as a
base of knowledge and the Construction-blacksmith or the
Engineering broad skill for the roll.
Stonemasonry (Cost 2 – S)
This specialty skill allows a hero to cut solid rock for
use in construction and then to apply it to the building of a
structure. The stonecutter can craft bricks, lathes and
simple objects of stone. This specialty skill also covers the
breaking of rocks to be molded into bricks.
The time it takes for the stonecutter to craft an object is
based on its durability rating. The number of successes
necessary to complete the complex skill check is equal to
the object's durability rating. Each roll for the complex
skill check requires between ten minutes and six hours,
based on the size and complexity of the cut stone object.
The specifics are left at the Gamemaster’s discretion.
 Chapter 3: Skills
⊗ Rank 3 - Repair: When a character reaches rank 3, he can
repair a damaged stone construction. Using this rank
benefit only requires a simple skill check. The time it
takes to repair an object is up to the Gamemaster, but
each check should take anywhere from one hour to one
day based on the severity of the damage. The number of
successes necessary to repair an object is also at the
Gamemaster’s discretion, but should not be more than
one–half the object’s durability rating.
Weaponry (Cost 3 – W)
This skill can’t be used untrained.
This specialty skill allows a hero to perform the
arduous task of crafting metal weapons. The blade of a
sword, the head of a hammer, the links of a chain, and the
spike of spear are all objects that only a weaponsmith can
craft.
The time it takes for the smith to craft the weapon is
based on its durability rating. The number of successes
necessary for the complex skill check is equal to the
weapon's durability rating (which is equal to twice its
mass). Each roll for the complex skill check requires two
days. For weapons not composed entirely of metal assume
the durability to be one-half of the result as determined
above.
The result of the complex skill check determines the
quality of the finished weapon: Marginal, the weapon has a
single drawback; Ordinary, the weapon is normal; Good,
the weapon has one bonus; Amazing, the weapon has three
bonuses.
Marginal and exceptional weapons have penalties or
bonuses to any one of 5 categories. These categories are
Accuracy, Damage, Durability, Actions, and Range (if the
weapon can be thrown). The adjustments to each
individual category are listed on the following table:
Category Penalty Bonus
Accuracy +1 step –1 step
Damage –1 point +1 point
Durability –1 +1
Actions –1 +1
Range –10% +10%
These adjustments are not cumulative; each can only
be selected once by the smith crafting the weapon. A
Marginal weapon can only have a single penalty. Good
weapons have a single bonus and Amazing weapons have
three different bonuses.
⊗ Weapon Repair: When a character reaches rank 3, he can
repair damaged weapons. Using this rank benefit also
requires a complex skill check. The time it takes to
repair a weapon is up to the Gamemaster, but each check
should take approximately one to four hours, based on
the severity of the damage. The number of successes
necessary to repair the weapon is also at the
Gamemaster’s discretion, but should not be more than
one–half the weapon’s durability rating.
50
Magical weapons may also be repaired at this rank
as well. This imposes a base +1, 2, or 3 penalty to each
check however. This penalty is in addition to all other
modifiers associated with this use of the skill.
Construction, Specific Skill (Cost 1)
This skill can't be used untrained.
A player, if he desires, can design and add a specialty
skill that fits into the concept he has for his hero. This can
also be used for other construction specialty skills that are
specific like the making of one type of weapon (great
swords) or one type of armor (chain mail). How the skill
works in the campaign is left up to the GM.
⊗ Rank 3 - Repair: This rank benefit works the same as it
does for other specialty skills in this broad group. If the
skill mimics another, like weaponry, then those features
of this rank benefit also apply.
Heavy Weapons (Cost 6 – W)
Heavy Weapons are ranged weapons that have
sufficient mass to require strength to employ instead of
dexterity. Some of these weapons are heavier versions of
ranged weapons while others are smaller versions of siege
weapons. Chapter 4: Weapons and Armor goes into detail
about the various types of Heavy Weapons there are
available.
Direct Fire (Cost 4 – W)
This specialty skill allows the hero to improve his
proficiency with direct–fire heavy weapons. These
weapons work just like normal firearms, requiring the
user to aim them at a target. Direct–fire heavy weapons
include the Blunderbuss, the Arrow Gun, and the Light
Ballista. Rank benefits were not given in the Alternity
Players Handbook for direct fire weapons. Those
presented below may or may not be allowed based in the
Game Master’s decision.
⊗ Rank 3 – Distance Precision: The character suffers no
penalty for long range attacks.
 Rank 6 – Rate of Fire: If the weapon allows one attack per
action then the character may attempt a double-shot in
the same phase. This imposes a +1 penalty on the first
attack and a +2 on the second. For Direct Fire weapons
that require a reload per action this reload number is
reduced by one action.
Indirect Fire (Cost 4 – W)
This specialty skill allows the hero to improve his
proficiency with indirect–fire heavy weapons. These
weapons can fire over or around obstacles; they deliver an
area effect attack instead of an attack against a specific
target. Indirect fire weapons include the Greek fire
projector, mortars, and the light catapult.
 Chapter 3: Skills
⊗ Rank 3 – Distance Precision: The penalty for short range
is reduced to a +1 penalty instead of a +2.
 Rank 6 – Rate of Fire: If the weapon allows one attack per
action then the character may attempt a double-shot in
the same phase. This imposes a +1 penalty on the first
attack and a +2 on the second. For Indirect Fire
weapons that require a reload per action this reload
number is reduced by one action.
Melee Weapons (Cost 6 – W)
Melee weapons have been divided into four primary
categories. Blades and bludgeon are self-explanatory.
Polearms features weapons that generally require two
hands to use and are used in a thrusting or slashing
method of attack. Whip of course features the whip but
may also be used for similar ‘rope-like’ weapons.
Blades and Bludgeon (Cost 3 – W)
The rank benefits for both the blades and bludgeon
skills are as follows:
⊗ Rank 4, 8, & 12 - Resistance Modifier: +1 at rank 4, +2 at
rank 8, and +3 at rank 12.
 Rank 4 - Reaction Parry: Can parry before the character
has an action in the round.
 Rank 6 - Double-Strike: Can strike with the same twice in
a phase. Penalty is +1 and +2 per strike. Attacks can be
on the same or different targets.
 Rank 9 - Multistrike: Can strike three times in the same
phase. Penalties are +1, +2, and +3. Attacks can be on
the same or different targets.
Polearms (Cost 3 – W)
Polearms have the same rank benefits as do other
melee weapon specialty skills. In addition to this,
Polearms also have a reach bonus.
⊗ Reach Bonus: At rank 6 the reach of a pole arm can be
extended by one meter but it suffers a +1 penalty to
attacks when used in this fashion. At rank 9 the penalty
is removed and at rank 12 the polearms reach can be
extend one more meter. Reach and how it applies to
polearms is discussed in Chapter 4: Weapons and Armor.
Whip (Cost 2 – W)
Whips have been in use for a long time. The damage
they cause is not great, but a whip can be used to
intimidate others with a sharp and well placed crack. To
use this option, the whipping party must crack the whip in
front of the target and must also be in range to actually
cause damage. When the whip is used in this fashion the
degree of success determines a modifier to the targets
Resolve-mental resolve check. The modifiers are as
follows: Amazing +3, Good +2, Ordinary +1, Marginal 0,
and a Critical Failure indicates that no further intimidation
attempts may be made against that target for the
remainder of the scene in addition to any other calamity
that may exist. This intimidation does not cause abject
51
fear in the target but it does force him to stay his ground or
to move back.
Whips also have another ability that can be utilized in
combat. With a successful attack roll the player can
declare that the action is an ‘overpowering’ attack. The
same rules apply as well as any penalties to the
overpowered target. The only option that the character
can use however is the Takedown option. The character
may also use this option to disarm an opponent at a
distance. As with the Overpowering rules, a +1 penalty is
applied as well as a +1 penalty for use of this skill at the
broad or untrained level. Rank benefits for use of the whip
are applied at the following ranks.
 Ranks 4 & 8 - Intimidate Bonus: At rank 4 the wielder
automatically imposes a +1 penalty to any intimidate
checks with the whip. This penalty increases to a +2 at
rank 8.
⊗ Rank 4 - Increased Effect: At rank 4 the character, when
using the whip in an overpowering attempt, can perform
a Takedown without having to achieve the standard hold
(similar to Defensive Martial Arts).
 Ranks 5 & 10 - Called Shot Bonus: When the character
achieves rank 5 in this skill the whip can be used to
perform disarms and other called shots at a +2 penalty
instead of the standard +4. At rank 10, called shots and
disarms can be performed at no penalty.
Unarmed Combat (Cost 5)
This broad skill provides a hero with basic knowledge
and experience in hand–to–hand fighting. A hero trained
in Unarmed Attack has enough know–how to dish out
damage and protect himself in a street fight.
Brawl (Cost 3 – W)
Damage inflicted by a brawl attack is
1d4s/1d4+1s/1d4+2s. Any Strength modifiers the
character may have can increase this damage. The brawl
skill receives the following rank benefits:
 Ranks 4, 8, & 12 - Knockout: At the indicated ranks an
opponent suffers a +1, +2, or +3 penalty to their
Stamina-endurance check to resist a knockout caused by
an amazing hit.
 Rank 8 - Increased Damage: Damage increases to
d6s/d6+2s/d4w.
Power Martial Arts (Cost 5 – R, W)
This skill can’t be used untrained.
A hero with this skill enjoys improved damage on a
successful unarmed attack: d6s/d6+2s/d4w, plus any
Strength bonuses.
 Ranks 3, 6, 9, & 12 - Knockout: At the indicated ranks an
opponent suffers a +1, +2, +3, or +4 penalty to their
Stamina-endurance check to resist a knockout caused by
an amazing hit.
 Chapter 3: Skills
⊗ Ranks 4, 8, & 12 – Resistance Modifier: At the indicated
ranks the character’s Resistance Modifier increases to
+1, 2, and 3.
 Rank 5 – No Hands: At rank 5 the character can attack
even if his hands are cuffed, bound, or otherwise
unusable.
 Rank 7 - Increased Damage: The damage caused by an
attack increases to d6+2s/d4w/d4+2w.
Dexterity Skills
Dexterity measures a hero's agility, coordination, and
reflexes. To determine the result of an action involving
Dexterity that isn't directly related to a skill, a hero makes
a feat check. Grabbing the side of a building as the villain
throws you off the roof is one example of a Dexterity feat.
Acrobatics (Cost 7 – R)
This broad skill provides a hero with basic training in
acrobatics, including gymnastics, tumbling, vaulting,
rolling, dodging, balancing, high–risk activities, and falling
without incurring serious injury. This skill is used when a
hero wants to vault over a fence or other obstacle, dodge
out of the way of immediate danger, or try to land safely
after a fall.
Acrobatics can also be used to entertain. If the hero
chooses an acrobatics routine as his method of
entertainment, allow an Acrobatics check to provide a –1, –
2, or –3 bonus to an ensuing Entertainment skill check.
Daredevil (Cost 4)
This specialty skill enables a hero to improve his
ability to perform a high–risk activity. When the daredevil
skill is selected, the player must designate a single activity
as his chosen focus. The hero is free to purchase the
daredevil specialty skill multiple times, but each new
purchase must have a different focus.
The outcome of the daredevil attempt is determined by
a skill check.
On a Critical Failure, the attempted action fails and the
character could suffer stun or wound damage at the GM's
discretion. This outcome generally involves bad luck
concerning some aspect of the equipment being used—
scuba diving gear springs a leak, a parachute fails to open
properly, etc.
On a Failure, the attempted action doesn't succeed, but
the character does not necessarily suffer damage—a
parachutist goes drastically off course and lands a long
distance from his target, perhaps taking damage as well.
On an Ordinary success, the character is basically able to
perform the action—he can manipulate a hang glider so
that he stays aloft, but he has no control over his direction
of travel.
On a Good success, the character has limited control of
the action—he opens his parachute at just the right time,
52
and also is able to use it to maneuver so that he lands only
a short distance from his target.
On an Amazing success, everything goes right—he rides
the raft all the way through the rapids without damage to
himself or his equipment.
⊗ Ranks 4, 8, & 12 - Increased Proficiency: As a hero attains
higher ranks in the daredevil skill he becomes more
adept at surviving death defying feats; as such, the
character receives a situation die bonus when using the
daredevil skill. The bonus is –1 step at rank 4, –2 at rank
8, and –3 at rank 12.
Defensive Martial Arts (Cost 5 – R, W)
This skill can’t be used untrained.
Damage is d4s/d4+1s/d4+2s, plus any increase a
hero receives for his Strength score. In addition to causing
damage, this skill may enable a hero to knock an opponent
to the ground, forcing that opponent to spend an action to
regain his feet or else suffer a penalty to other actions he
may try. Defensive martial arts can also be useful in an
attempt to overpower an opponent, as described in
"Overpowering Options" in the Alternity Players
Handbook.
 Rank 2 - Block: When a character reaches rank 2 in this
skill, he can attempt to block or counter any unarmed
attack against him. Blocking requires that the character
make a defensive martial arts skill check and compare
his result to the attacker's result. The character who
blocks must achieve a success that's equal to or greater
than the attacker's success. If the defender succeeds,
then no damage is inflicted upon him by the blocked
attack. A character can only block in a phase when he
has an action available. Only one attack is countered,
and no other actions can be attempted in the same phase
in which a character attempts to block.
 Rank 4 - Reaction Block: When a character reaches rank
4, he can attempt to block whenever any unarmed attack
is directed against him.
⊗ Ranks 4, 8, & 12 - Resistance Modifier: The hero's
resistance modifier improves by +1 at rank 4, by +1
again at rank 8, and by +1 again at rank 12.
Dodge (Cost 4 – R, W)
One skill check (requiring an action) is made at the
beginning of the first phase in which the hero can act. The
result of that check is applied in that phase and lasts for all
subsequent phases in the round. Any additional actions a
hero takes in the round receive a +1 penalty as he ducks
and rolls to avoid injury.
Using dodge provides the following adjustments to a
hero's Strength or Dexterity resistance modifier, as is
appropriate for the situation: Critical Failure, –2 steps;
Failure, none; Ordinary, +1 step; Good, +2 steps; Amazing,
+3 steps. (This skill can't be combined with the parry or
block rank benefits described under Melee Weapons and
Acrobatics–defensive martial arts.)
 Chapter 3: Skills
This specialty skill can also be called on when the
character needs to ‘hit the deck’. A hero caught in the blast
radius of an area–effect weapon is allowed a dodge skill
check to attempt to reduce the damage by one grade
(Amazing to Good, Good to Ordinary, Ordinary to none).
 Rank 3 - Action Benefit: A hero can dodge and perform
an action in the same phase. The action is made with a
+2 penalty.
 Rank 7 - Reaction Dodge: When a hero achieves rank 7,
he can perform a reaction dodge, which allows him to
defend himself earlier in the round than his action check
calls for. In a round when a character makes a reaction
dodge, he can only dodge. All other actions are lost for
the round.
⊗ Ranks 4, 8, & 12 - Resistance Modifier: At higher ranks,
the dodge skill provides an improvement to a hero's
Dexterity resistance modifier, which makes it more
difficult for opponents to successfully attack the hero in
ranged combat. The hero's resistance modifier improves
by +1 at rank 4, by +1 again at rank 8, and by +1 again
at rank 12.
Fall (Cost 3 – R)
A character without the Acrobatics–fall specialty skill
makes a Dexterity feat check to determine the damage he
suffers when he falls. A character with the fall specialty
skill adds his rank in the specialty to his Acrobatics score
and uses that number to make the skill check, with a +d0
base situation die.
Flight (Cost 2)
This specialty skill can only be used by a character
with the flying ability, either innate or obtained through a
mutation, FX power, or by using some sort of apparatus
that serves as an extension of his body. A skill check is
called for when a hero tries an unusual maneuver, must fly
with particular precision, or needs to accomplish a task
while maintaining speed and direction.
⊗ Rank 3, 7, & 11 - Improved Glide: As a character
improves his flight skill, he increases his glide movement
rate cumulatively by +2 at ranks 3, 7, and 11.
⊗ Rank 4, 8, & 12 - Improved Flying: As a character
improves his flight skill, he increases his fly movement
rate cumulatively by +3 at ranks 4, 8, and 12.
Tightrope Walking (Cost 1)
This is a good example of the Acrobatics-specific skill
being put to good use. This skill works in manner similar
to that of the Athletics-climb skill with the exception that a
check is required for every three meters traversed.
Modifiers can include a penalty for the thickness of the
rope or a bonus of –2 if a balancing pole is used.
Combat on a rope requires a skill check for every
phase of fighting and incurs a +2 penalty. Note that the
skill check for tightrope walking is considered a second
action and no further actions save for balancing and
fighting (or using an FX power) should be allowed.
53
Zero–gravity Training (Cost 2)
This skill can't be used untrained.
This skill is appropriate for Spelljamming campaigns.
An untrained character has a +3 step penalty to the use of
any Strength– or Dexterity– based skills in zero gravity,
and a +1 step penalty in light gravity. Purchasing this skill
immediately reduces the zero–g penalty to +2 steps, and
eliminates the penalty for light gravity.
⊗ Ranks 4, 7, & 10 - Improved Training: For a hero with this
skill at rank 4, the zero–g penalty is reduced to +1 step,
and any actions attempted in light gravity receive a –1
step bonus. At rank 7 the zero–g penalty is eliminated,
and at rank 10 any physical actions attempted in zero–g
receive a –1 step bonus. (The bonus for light gravity
never improves beyond –1 step.)
Note: Creatures or characters who are able to fly naturally
and are without the zero–g training skill can function as
though they do have the skill at rank 1. If such a character
purchases this skill, penalties are reduced by 1 step and
bonuses are improved by the same amount.
Acrobatics, Specific Skill (Cost 1)
This skill can’t be used untrained.
The specific uses of Acrobatics can run an entire
gamut of abilities. Dodge Breath Weapon, Avoid Gaze
Attack, and Rappelling, are all possible examples as well as
other specific acrobatic feats.
Crafting (Cost 4)
This broad skill focuses on making things that require
a good deal of manual dexterity to create. With just the
broad skill a character can attempt to craft any allowed
item, but at a base +3 penalty. Turning the Crafting skill
into the basis of a career (or being able to produce work of
professional quality, if a character has another career)
requires that the character pursue a specialty skill in his
chosen field(s).
Using the Crafting skill involves a complex skill check,
with a situation modifier based on the conditions under
which the work is being done and a number of successes
required related to the complexity of the task at hand.
(Carving a simple stone ball might be merely a Marginal
accomplishment, but cutting a rough gem into a
multifaceted jewel would be Amazing).
Crafting almost always calls for a complex skill check.
In most cases the character is allowed a check per hour or
per day as determined by each individual specialty skill.
Any Failure roll during the complex skill check is
counted as a Marginal success. If the complex skill check
ends in a Critical Failure before the check is completed,
whatever the character was trying to produce is either
scrapped or contains a fatal flaw. On any other result, the
result of the complex skill check determines the price the
character can expect for the finished goods: Marginal, 1/2
 Chapter 3: Skills
the listed price; Ordinary, listed price; Good, 1.5 times the arrows)
listed price; Amazing, 2 times the listed price. For the sake Hand Crossbow Good (6 successes) 1/week
of simplicity, the cost of materials used by the character to Crossbow Ordinary (4 successes) 1/3 days
Heavy Crossbow Good (5 successes) 1/3 days
create an object is equal to one–third of the item’s listed
Repeating Crossbow Amazing (8 successes) 1/3 days
price. Automatic X-bow Amazing (10 success) 1/week
All crafts are difficult and time–consuming, but Short Bow Marginal (2 successes) 1/week
Crafting specialty skills are also extremely mentally Short Composite Bow Ordinary (3 successes) 1/week
draining. For every 1 hour spent using either the Crafting Long Bow Ordinary (4 successes) 1/week
broad skill or any of its specialty skills, the character must Long Composite Bow Good (5 successes) 1/week
attempt a Stamina–endurance check to determine the Elven Bow Amazing (8 successes) 1/week
amount of fatigue damage he suffers. All specialty skills in Strength Bow Good (6 successes) 1/week
this group grant the following rank benefits.
⊗ Ranks 3, 6, 9, & 12 – Improved Value: As a hero gains Automatic crossbows require the use of the Tinkering-
experience in his chosen Craft II specialty skill, the invent skill to craft unless the character comes from a late
quality of his goods becomes higher and the value of his Progress Level 4 society. Obtaining the components may
services go up. At rank 3, the character receives an extra require contacts or searching the market.
10% for his goods; at rank 6 he receives an extra 25%; at The result of the complex skill check determines the
rank 9 he receives an extra 50%; and at rank 12 he quality of the finished weapon: Marginal, the weapon has a
receives an extra 100%. single drawback; Ordinary, the weapon is normal; Good,
⊗ Ranks 4, 8, & 12 – Improved Skill: Rank benefits for any the weapon has one bonus; Amazing, the weapon has three
of these specialty skills grant a –1 Situation Modifier at bonuses.
rank 4, a –2 at rank 8, and a –3 at rank 12. It should also Marginal and exceptional weapons have penalties or
be said that the Creativity broad skill can be used to bonuses to any one of 5 categories. These categories are
greatly enhance this skill as well. Accuracy, Damage, Durability, Actions, and Range. The
⊗ Ranks 5, 8, & 11 – Reduced Drain: As a character gains adjustments to each individual category are listed on the
ranks in a Crafting specialty skill, he learns to following table:
compensate for the mentally draining nature of the tasks
that he performs. This results in an increase in the Category Penalty Bonus
interval between Stamina checks to determine fatigue Accuracy +1 step –1 step
damage. At rank 5, the character needs to make a check Damage –1 point +1 point
every 2 hours he spends laboring; every 3 hours at rank Durability –1 mortal +1 mortal
8; and every 4 hours at rank 11. Actions –1 +1
Range –10% +10%
Bowyer (Cost 2 – W, S) These adjustments are not cumulative; each can only
This skill can’t be used untrained.
be selected once by the bowyer crafting the weapon. A
This specialty skill allows a hero to make all types of
Marginal weapon can only have a single penalty. Good
bows, crossbows, and arrows given the proper materials
weapons have a single bonus and Amazing weapons have
and facilities (though items from higher Progress Levels
three different bonuses
may require other skills, Tinkering among them). With
this skill, a hero is capable of crafting bows of any size
(including crossbow stocks) and the various types of Gem Cutting (Cost 3 – S)
arrows. The character must purchase the mechanical This skill can’t be used untrained.
portions of a crossbow from a smith to be able complete a This specialty skill allows a hero to properly cut and
crossbow (or use another specialty skill to make them). polish gems bringing out a natural luster that gives them
The following rank benefit is gained at rank 2. their value. The time it takes for the smith to cut a gem is
⊗ Rank 2 - Fletchery: At rank 2, the character may also based on its expected value and quality as shown on the
make arrows or quarrels, if he has the proper materials table below.
on hand.
Type Value Complexity
Ornamental 50gp or less Simple
It takes time, and a complex skill check, to produce a stones
bow or crossbow. The following table shows the Marginal gems 100gp Marginal
complexity of each type of weapon as well as the intervals Ordinary gems 500gp Ordinary
that each check is made. Good gems 1000gp Good
Amazing gems 5000gp Amazing
Bowyer Crafting Time
Weapon Type Complex Skill Check Time Interval ⊗ Rank 4 - Increase Value: The character can give a gem
Arrows/Quarrels Marginal (per 20 1/day extra attention in the hope of raising its expected value.
54
 Chapter 3: Skills
By increasing the complexity of the complex skill check Accuracy +1 step –1 step
by one category (from Ordinary to Good, for example) Damage –1 point +1 point
and working with a +3 step penalty the character can Durability –1 mortal +1 mortal
increase the value of the gem he is cutting to the next Actions –1 +1
higher category. Using the previous example, a 500 gp Range –10% +10%
gem would be valued at up to 1000 gp. For Amazing
gems double the value. These adjustments are not cumulative; each can only
be selected once by the gunsmith crafting the weapon. A
Gunsmith (Cost 2 – S, W) Marginal weapon can only have a single penalty. Good
This skill can’t be used untrained. weapons have a single bonus and Amazing weapons have
This specialty skill is used to craft ranged weapons three different bonuses
that use gunpowder to propel a round of ammunition.
This skill includes the construction of the stock but also Locksmith (Cost 3 – R, S)
the assembly of the trigger mechanism and the barrel. This skill can’t be used untrained.
This skill covers both Ranged and Heavy Weapons that use This specialty skill allows a hero to craft locks. He may
gunpowder. Other items that use the specialty skills of also craft any other item that includes a locking
Heavy Weapons or Ranged Weapons not yet covered mechanism. The various locks that can be made depend
require either the Engineering-siege works, Tinkering- on their availability to the progress level in which the
invent, or a combination of Construction and/or Crafting character lives. The differing qualities of locks are
specific skills. described in Chapter 5: Goods and Services in this book.
As with other skills in this broad group, the character Crafting a simple key lock is simpler than crafting a
must procure the materials required from another crafter multi–tumbler combination lock. The number of successes
or make the parts with another Construction or Crafting necessary for the complex skill check is equal to the
skill. It takes time, and a complex skill check, to produce a object's quality rating plus one to five additional successes
firearm. The following table shows the complexity of each based on the penalty it applies to the Manipulate-lockpick
type of weapon as well as the intervals that each check is skill. Each roll for the complex skill check requires one
made. hour. This time frame assumes that all required materials
are at hand once the work begins.
Gunsmith Crafting Time ⊗ Repair: When a character reaches rank 3, he can repair
Weapon Type Complex Skill Check Time Interval damaged locks. Using this rank benefit also requires a
Ball Shot Marginal (per 20 rounds) 1/day complex skill check. The time it takes to repair a lock is
Mini-Ball Ordinary (per 10 rounds) 1/day up to the Gamemaster, but each check should take about
Arquebus Marginal (2 successes) 1 per day 10 to 30 minutes, based on the severity of the damage.
Blunderbuss Ordinary (3 successes) 1 per 3 days The number of successes necessary to repair the lock is
Carbine Amazing (10 successes) 1 per week
also at the Gamemaster’s discretion, but should not be
Caviler Good (6 successes) 1 per 3 days
Cylinder Rifle Good (7 successes) 1 per week more than one–half the lock’s durability rating.
Long Rifle Good (5 successes) 1 per 3 days
Musket Ordinary (4 successes) 1 per 3 days Metalsmithing (Cost 3 – S)
Ribald Good (5 successes) 1 per week This skill can't be used untrained.
Star Wheel Good (5 successes) 1 per 3 days This specialty skill allows a character to craft items
Six Gun Amazing (8 successes) 1 per week made from a particular soft (precious) metal. The smith
Tri-Gun Amazing (8 successes) 1/week
must specify the specific metal he has skill with; the metal
Wheel Lock Ordinary (3 successes) 1/day
must be a soft, malleable metal or a pre-smelted ingot.
Gold, silver, platinum, and any other such metals are
Other weapons not mentioned on this list require
suitable. The smith can craft any type of object, from the
other skills to manufacture. The result of the complex skill
mundane to the esoteric; his imagination and skills are the
check determines the quality of the finished weapon:
only limit.
Marginal, the weapon has a single drawback; Ordinary, the
The time it takes for the smith to craft an object is
weapon is normal; Good, the weapon has one bonus;
based on its durability rating and complexity. Crafting a
Amazing, the weapon has three bonuses.
gold bowl is simpler than crafting a silver brooch. The
Marginal and exceptional weapons have penalties or
number of successes necessary for the complex skill check
bonuses to any one of 5 categories. These categories are
is equal to the object's durability rating plus one to five
Accuracy, Damage, Durability, Actions, and Range. The
additional successes based on its complexity for an ornate
adjustments to each individual category are listed on the
object. Each roll for the complex skill check requires two
following table:
hours.
Category Penalty Bonus ⊗ Repair: When a character reaches rank 3, he can repair
damaged precious metal based objects. Using this rank
55
 Chapter 3: Skills
benefit also requires a complex skill check. The time it
takes to repair an object is up to the Gamemaster, but
each check should take about one to four hours, based
on the severity of the damage and the complexity of the
object. The number of successes necessary to repair the
object is also at the Gamemaster’s discretion, but should
not be more than one–half the object’s durability rating.
Crafting, Specific Skill (Cost 1)
This skill can't be used untrained.
A player can design a Crafting specialty skill that fits
into the concept he has for his hero. Leatherworking,
Pottery, Cobbling, and Sewing can belong to this group. It
should also be said that the manufacture of wands, rods,
and staves can also belong to this skill; particularly if the
character intends to create an FX item out of them.
Manipulation (Cost 6)
This broad skill improves a character’s manual
dexterity and control. This proficiency allows a hero to
attempt such actions as picking a pocket without being
noticed, performing a sleight–of–hand feat, picking a lock,
setting or removing mechanical traps, or doing anything
else that requires a steady hand, a sharp eye, and plenty of
coordination.
Lockpick (Cost 4 – R)
This specialty skill allows a hero to improve his
proficiency at opening locks. The skill is usually employed
with the assistance of tools of some kind, which provide a
situation die bonus depending on their quality.
Locks that can be affected by this skill include those
protecting doors, safes, as well as handcuffs and any other
physical locking mechanisms.
Almost always, the use of lockpick requires a complex
skill check. The situation die modifier is affected by the
quality of the lock, the quality of the tools (if any are used),
and any other external factors as determined by the Game
Master. How long the job takes depends on the complexity
of the lock and the results(s) of a character's lockpick skill
check(s). One check can be made in every phase during
which a hero has an action, unless the Game Master
dictates otherwise.
Pickpocket (Cost 4 – R)
This specialty skill allows a hero to improve his
proficiency at picking pockets or otherwise remove objects
from a person (or planting something on a person)
without that person noticing. The base situation die is
determined by the target's Will resistance modifier, plus
any additional penalties or bonuses.
On a Failure or a Critical Failure result, the pickpocket
slips up—he doesn't get what he was after and he is
noticed, either by the intended victim or someone else who
witnessed the attempt. In some cases, such as when the
target is unconscious and alone, the Game Master may
56
determine that a Failure result is not possible, and thus
any attempt results in at least a Marginal success.
Repeated attempts by one pickpocket against the same
target are possible, but the Game Master has the final say
on how often those attempts can be made, and he may
assign a penalty to the second and subsequent attempts.
Trying to pick someone's pocket successfully a number of
times in succession increases the chance that the character
will be spotted.
The degree of success on a pickpocket skill check has no
effect on the immediate result; whether the result was
Ordinary, Good, or Amazing, the character succeeded in
what he tried to do. But a result of Good or Amazing could
help to offset any penalty the Game Master might attach to
repeated attempts.
⊗ Ranks 3, 6, 9, & 12 - It Takes One to Know One: As a
character improves this specialty skill, he becomes more
familiar with the tricks of the trade, thus making it
harder for others to pickpocket him. At rank 3, the
benefit is a +1 penalty to the foe's attempt. At rank 6,
the penalty to the foe is +2 steps, at rank 9 the penalty
becomes +3 steps, and at rank 12 it is +4 steps.
Prestidigitation (Cost 3 – D)
This specialty skill allows a hero to become proficient
in stage magic, also known as prestidigitation. In addition
to entertaining others, the skill can also be used to slip
small objects out of sight. These are items that are in plain
view before a hero decides to use prestidigitation, such as
on a table, a shelf, or some other resting place, or even in
the hero's hand at the time the skill is put into play.
The base situation die is modified by the opponent's
Will resistance modifier, and possibly by other factors as
determined by the Game Master. On a Critical Failure, the
hero drops the item he is manipulating or otherwise
fumbles the task severely. On a Failure, the manipulation
of the item does take place, but the task is performed so
clumsily or slowly that anyone paying attention can see
what happened. On any success (Ordinary or better), the
trick or task is pulled off without a hitch.
This skill can also be used for minor feats of contortion
or escape, such as getting out of simple bonds, slipping out
of handcuffs or straitjackets, and similar stunts. Such tasks
are significantly more difficult than mere sleight–of–hand;
the hero suffers a +1 penalty for Good bonds (well–tied
ropes) or a +3 penalty for Amazing bonds (a chained
straitjacket).
⊗ Increased Proficiency: As a hero attains higher ranks in
this skill he becomes more adept at sleight–of–hand and
escaping complex restraints or bonds. As such, the
character receives a situation die bonus when using this
skill. The bonus is –1 step at rank 4, –2 at rank 8, and –3
at rank 12.
Set/Disarm Traps (Cost 3 – R, S)
This skill can be used to set, find, or disarm simple
traps activated by mechanical triggers, like snares,
 Chapter 3: Skills
tripwires, pressure plates, or shifting weights. Simple
traps can be described by the same criteria as a lock. Use
the standard modifiers and complexity ratings for a
complex skill check.
With ready-made materials a character can build
simple traps used in the medieval world with this skill. If
the parts of a trap have to be fabricated then Construction,
Crafting, or Tinkering may be needed to make them. In
any case, this skill is always required to actually set the
trap itself. The damage that the trap causes is determined
by the Game Master but the result of the skill check is used
to modify the Awareness check of the potential victim by
apply a +1 to a +4 penalty for a Marginal to an Amazing
result.
Marginal results indicate that the trap is set but that
something is either faulty in its design and it does not act
the way it should or that a –2 bonus is granted to anyone
to notice it. Critical Failures generally indicate that the
person setting the trap springs the trap on himself or
herself (ouch!).
This skill can also be used to detect traps and once
found, they may be disabled or reset in a different way. If
the trap contains highly complex components then the
Tinkering-juryrig skill may be needed. Also, if the trap has
any exploding or combustible parts the Demolitions-
disarm may be needed as well. In any case the complex
check needed to disarm or reset a trap is the same as
initially setting the trap in the first place however Game
Masters may feel free to shorten the times between checks
as they see fit. In addition to disarming simple
mechanisms, Manipulation can also be used to rig traps of
this sort. The degree of the hero's success in setting the
trap governs the quality rating for the next person to come
along and disarm it; the complexity depends on the
materials the character has to work with and the amount
of time he spends on it.
Of course, the hero must know of the trap's existence
before he can disarm or circumvent it. An Awareness–
perception or Investigate–search check is usually
necessary to spot the trigger or hazard before the
character stumbles into the trap. The detection check
receives a penalty based on the success achieved by the
character that set the trap: Marginal, +1 step; Ordinary,
+2; Good, +3; Amazing, +4. The degree of success in
setting the trap governs the complexity of the skill check
necessary for the hero to disarm it.
Ranged Weapons (Cost 7 – W)
As there is no distinction between primitive and
modern ranged weapons in this game, all such weapons
are usable by this broad skill. The different Progress
Levels, and the allowance of the Game Master, determine
what can and cannot be used.
Automatic Weapon (Cost 3 – W)
This specialty skill improves a character’s ability with
certain tinkered weapons that rely on a burst or automatic
57
mode of fire. While most such weapons can be used by
another specialty skill in this group, no rank benefits apply
unless they come from this skill.
 Rank 3 - Rock–n–Roll: When a hero attains rank 3 in this
specialty, he learns to change clips or ammo containers
more efficiently. The penalty for changing a clip and
firing in the same action is reduced to +1 step.
⊗ Rank 6 - Precision Shooting: When a hero reaches rank 6,
his situation die penalties for making an attacks with an
automatic weapon is reduced to 0, +1 step, and +2
steps.
⊗ Rank 9 - Extra Burst: When a hero attains rank 9, he
becomes able to get off 4 bursts of ammunition, instead
of 3, on every automatic fire attack. He receives a fourth
situation die, with a +3 penalty assigned to it. If the
automatic fire attack is directed against more than one
target (as is almost always the case), the recipient of this
extra burst must be specified before the dice are rolled.
(This benefit doesn't allow the hero to shoot at more
than 3 targets, however.) Firing this extra burst uses up
one additional burst from the weapon's clip.
Blowgun (Cost 3 – W)
Blowguns use the same modifiers for range as do
throwing weapons. However range is based on the user’s
constitution score, not strength. A blowgun can be loaded
and fired in the same action by any character. Blowguns
gain the following rank benefits.
⊗ Rank 3 – Distance Precision: The penalty for medium
range is removed and long range is improved by one
step.
 Rank 6 – Double Shot: The character can load and shot
two darts in the same phase. Doing so imposes a +1
penalty on the first shot and a +2 on the next.
Bow (Cost 4 – W)
This skill covers short bows, long bows, strength bows,
and any other variants like elven bows or composite
versions. Any bow can be loaded and fired in the same
action by any character. Bows gain the following rank
benefits.
⊗ Rank 3 – Distance Precision: The penalty for medium
range is removed and long range is improved by one
step.
 Rank 6 – Double Shot: The character can load and fire
two arrows in the same phase. Doing so imposes a +1
penalty on the first shot and a +2 on the next.
WA McHaffie Jr
Crossbow (Cost 3 – W)
This specialty skill covers the use of all crossbows
shown in chapter 4. The sole exception to this is the
Automatic Crossbow. A Game Master may allow that
weapon to be used with this skill, and at the same rank,
however the rank benefits would not be gained. In order
to use an Automatic Crossbow, or other similar weapon, to
its fullest capacity use the automatic weapons specialty
shown below.
 Chapter 3: Skills
It requires one action to load a crossbow and a
separate action to fire the weapon.
⊗ Rank 3 – Distance Precision: The penalty for medium
range is removed and long range is improved by one
step.
 Rank 6 – Rate of Fire: At rank 6 the character can load
and fire a quarrel in the same action. If the crossbow in
question is of the repeating variety then the Double-shot
benefit is gained instead.
Pistol (Cost 3 – W)
This specialty skill allows a hero to improve his
proficiency with pistols of varying types. Some of these
weapons, like the needle pistol, have automatic fire
capabilities. While they may be used with this skill no rank
benefits are gained. Refer to the automatic weapons skill
below for more information.
It requires one action to load a pistol and a separate
action to fire the weapon. If a specific type of pistol has
different features they will be noted in the weapons
description. If a hero wants to draw and fire his pistol in
the same phase, the action receives a +1 penalty instead of
the normal +2.
⊗ Rank 3 - Quick Draw: After a hero reaches rank 3, he can
perform a quick draw with his pistol. This allows him to
draw his weapon and fire it in the same phase without
the +1 penalty.
⊗ Rank 5 – Distance Precision: The penalty for medium
range is removed and long range is improved by one
step.
 Rank 6 – Rate of Fire: At rank 6 the character can load
and fire a round in the same action. If the pistol in
question has a multi-round capacity then the Double-
shot benefit can be used instead.
Rifle (Cost 3 – W)
This specialty skill allows a hero to improve his
proficiency with muskets and spell rifles alike of all types.
The hero must designate a specific weapon from this
category as the focus of his mastery. It requires two
actions to load a rifle and a separate action to fire it.
⊗ Rank 3 - Improved Aim: When a hero reaches rank 3 in
this specialty, he becomes able to hit a target with more
dependability. This improvement in accuracy translates
to a –1 bonus to the situation die for any rifle attack the
hero makes.
⊗ Rank 3 – Distance Precision: The penalty for medium
range is removed and long range is improved by one
step.
 Ranks 6 & 12 – Rate of Fire: At rank 6 the character can
load and fire a shot in the same action. At rank 12 the
character can load and fire a rifle in the same action. If
the rifle can fire multiple times before needing to be
reloaded then the Double Fire benefit may also apply.
Sling (Cost 4 – W)
58
With this skill the character can become skilled in the
use of this primitive but effective weapon. A sling can be
loaded and fired in the same action. Slings gain the
following rank benefits.
⊗ Rank 3 – Distance Precision: The penalty for medium
range is removed and long range is improved by one
step.
 Rank 6 – Double Shot: The character can load and fire a
sling twice in the same action. Doing so imposes a +1
penalty on the first shot and a +2 on the next.
Rope Use (Cost 3)
This skill is used when a character wishes to bind
something with a rope or length of cord. For simple knots,
like tying one’s shoelaces, no check is needed. However,
when trying to tie down a sail exposed to high wind, create
multi-purpose or very strong knots, securing a wild beast,
or hog tying a prisoner, a check is always called for.
Whether this skill uses a simple or complex skill check is
up to the Game Master as are any Situation Modifiers.
In some cases, skill checks may only be called for when
the knot is put to the ‘test’ so to speak, or when someone
else tries to undo the knot. Game Masters may also use the
‘Complex Skill Checks’ rule found earlier in this chapter to
determine the quality of a knot or binding which then
provides a modifier to later attempts in undoing them.
Undoing a knot or binding can be done in three ways:
a Strength Feat, Manipulate-prestidigitation, or Rope Use-
bind.
Because of the various uses of this skill Game Masters
may decide to place the broad skill use and the
advancement of the specialty skills under other broad
skills. Examples could include Manipulate, Athletics,
Acrobatics, Ship Operation, and the like. Including these
skills under another skill group must involve the use of
ropes to some degree. Therefor a character with Athletics-
rappelling or Acrobatics-tightrope walking may be allowed
to place the secure or bind specialty skills under those
broad skills or to at least apply their benefits and features
in those cases.
Bind (Cost 1)
This skill is used to tie and/or capture an opponent or
an animal. The knot or binding’s quality is determined
when the bound individual attempts to escape whether by
a Strength Feat check, the use of this skill itself, or by use of
the Manipulate-prestidigitation specialty skill.
Secure (Cost 1)
This is an improvement on a character’s ability to
securely tie down objects and to secure ropes for heavy-
duty use. Checks are called for when a knot is put to the
test under high winds or extreme
 Chapter 3: Skills
Stealth (Cost 7 – R)
This broad skill provides a hero with the ability to
hide, sneak, or otherwise move about without attracting
attention. The base situation die for a skill check is usually
altered by the opponent's Will resistance modifier, as well
as other conditions determined by the GM that may affect
the hero's ability to remain unnoticed or undetected.
How well a hero uses Stealth or any of its associated
specialties depends on the degree of success he achieves.
This success translates into a modifier that applies to an
observer's chance of noticing the hero with an Awareness–
perception, Awareness–intuition, or Investigate–search
skill check (depending on the particular Stealth skill being
employed).
If the hero's skill check results in a Critical Failure, the
hero is liable to be noticed despite his best efforts; the
observer's skill check is made with a –2 bonus. A Failure
result provides no modifier to the observer's skill check.
An Ordinary success gives the observer a +1 penalty;
Good, a +2 penalty; and Amazing, a +3 penalty.
Obviously, a Stealth skill can't be used if the hero is
presently in plain sight of his opponent, or if the hero is
emitting sounds or smells that can reach the opponent.
Before you can hide from someone, or follow him without
being seen, or sneak up on him, you first have to be in a
situation or a position where the observer can't
immediately see or otherwise detect you.
Hide (Cost 4 – R)
Hiding is the ability to stay unnoticed by keeping quiet,
by taking advantage of cover or darkness, and by
remaining totally still.
If a hero is alone when he hides, no modifier is applied
to his situation die. If there's someone around whom he's
trying to remain hidden from, then that character's Will
resistance modifier is applied to the situation die for the
hero's skill check. If more than one character attempts to
hide in the same place, a penalty ranging from +1 step to
+3 steps may be applied at the GM's discretion, depending
on the situation. A new hide check is required whenever
the hero does something to change the situation (move,
turn on a light, make noise, etc.).
Awareness–perception is the detection skill used by an
opponent who isn't actively searching for the hero;
Investigate–search is used if the opponent is specifically
looking for the hero in particular or any hidden foe in
general.
⊗ Rank 4 - Increased Effect: As a hero achieves higher
ranks in Stealth specialty skills, he becomes even more
difficult to detect. An Amazing result on his skill check
causes a +4 step penalty to be applied to the observer's
skill check; a Good success means a +3 step penalty; an
Ordinary success +2 steps, and a Marginal success +1
step. The outcome of a Critical Failure result does not
change.
59
Shadow (Cost 4 – R)
Shadowing is the ability to follow a target without
being noticed by that target. The target a hero is
shadowing provides a Will resistance modifier to the
hero's situation die. The skill used by the target to detect
the shadowing character is Awareness–intuition.
The hero must make a new shadow check every time
the situation changes (he moves closer, he does something
to attract attention, etc.)
⊗ Rank 5 - Increased Effect: As a hero achieves higher
ranks in Stealth specialty skills, he becomes even more
difficult to detect. An Amazing result on his skill check
causes a +4 step penalty to be applied to the observer's
skill check; a Good success means a +3 step penalty; an
Ordinary success +2 steps, and a Marginal success +1
step. The outcome of a Critical Failure result does not
change.
Sneak (Cost 5 – R)
Sneaking is the ability to move silently so as to avoid
being observed. While a hero is sneaking, he can move at
up to ½ of his walk movement rate. The skill used by an
observer to detect a sneaking hero is Awareness–
perception if the observer is expecting trouble, or
Awareness–intuition if he is not.
The hero must make a new sneak check in every round
during which he continues to use this Stealth skill.
In addition, if a hero should succeed in using the sneak
skill to get adjacent to an opponent (or to get within short
range, if the hero is using a ranged weapon), he can make
an attack in the same phase that the successful sneak took
place—and the hero receives a situation die bonus to that
attack, since he has surprised his opponent. The bonus is
determined by the level of success achieved: Ordinary, –1
step; Good, –2 steps; Amazing, –3 steps.
⊗ Rank 6 - Increased Effect: As a hero achieves higher
ranks in Stealth specialty skills, he becomes even more
difficult to detect. An Amazing result on his skill check
causes a +4 step penalty to be applied to the observer's
skill check; a Good success means a +3 step penalty; an
Ordinary success +2 steps, and a Marginal success +1
step. The outcome of a Critical Failure result does not
change.
Somatic Concealment (Cost 3 – R)
All FX abilities from the Arcane, Faith, and Shared
magic skill groups require a ‘ritual’ trapping. This means
that the spell caster must perform some type of physical
movement to cast a spell. This skill helps the caster to hide
these movements and gestures from others when they feel
it is appropriate.
The result of the skill check provides a +1, +2, or a +3
penalty to the perception checks of onlookers to prevent
them from noticing the casting. Marginal results offer no
penalty and Critical Failures provide those in view with a –
2 bonus. This skill can be very helpful in societies where
 Chapter 3: Skills
magic is not tolerated or in situations where the
anonymity of the spells origin is best left unknown.
At the DM’s option, this specialty skill can also be
placed under the Manipulate broad skill.
⊗ Rank 3 - Increased Effect: As a hero achieves higher
ranks in Stealth specialty skills, he becomes even more
difficult to detect. An Amazing result on his skill check
causes a +4 step penalty to be applied to the observer's
skill check; a Good success means a +3 step penalty; an
Ordinary success +2 steps, and a Marginal success +1
step. The outcome of a Critical Failure result does not
change.
Vehicle Operation (Cost 4 – S)
The use of vehicles in fantasy campaigns is not nearly
as common as with the standard Alternity game. Even still,
there are crafts that adventures will use to get around.
The most come type of vehicle in use are watercrafts. Land
crafts are rare as most persons travel on a horse or other
beast of burden. Aircraft are even rarer and may be
limited to unique vehicle of this type.
Rank benefits for the various uses of this skill are
common regardless of which specific type of vehicle is
being used. Those rank benefits are as follows.
⊗ Rank 3 – Maintain Control: The vehicle operator gains a -
2 Situation Modifier against losing control of his vehicle.
⊗ Ranks 4, 8, & 12 – Improved Proficiency: At the indicated
ranks the character gains a –1, 2, or 3 Situation Modifier
while controlling a vehicle.
⊗ Rank 6 – Moderate Maneuver: At this rank the character
can specialize in a Moderate maneuver. This maneuver
can be performed at no penalty.
⊗ Rank 9 – Vehicle Dodge: At this rank the vehicles
controller can provide a +1 increase to resist incoming
fire if at least some type of maneuver is attempted in the
same phase.
⊗ Rank 12 - Extreme Maneuver: At this rank the character
can specialize in an Extreme maneuver. This maneuver
can be performed at only a +1 penalty.
In addition to rank benefits characters can also
attempt to squeeze a little more speed out of their vehicles
by first stating that this is their intention and then by
rolling the appropriate skill check. A Good result allows
the vehicle to increase it’s speed by 10% for that phase
only while an Amazing result allows the crafts speed to be
increased by 30%. Ordinary results do not alter a vehicle’s
speed. While using this option, the craft cannot perform
any other type of maneuver.
Air Vehicle (Cost 5 – S)
This skill can't be used untrained
This specialty skill enables a hero to become trained in
the use of a specific type of air vehicle. If he wants to be
skilled in the operation of more than one type of air
vehicle, he must purchase and improve each specialty skill
60
separately.
Land Vehicle (Cost 4 – S)
This specialty skill enables a hero to become trained in
the use of a specific type of land vehicle. If he wants to be
skilled in the operation of more than one type of land
vehicle, he must purchase and improve each specialty skill
separately.
Space Vehicle (Cost 5 – S)
This skill can't be used untrained.
This specialty skill enables a hero to become trained in
the use of a specific type of space vehicle. If he wants to be
skilled in the operation of more than one type of space
vehicle, he must purchase and improve each specialty skill
separately.
This skill is also used to operate the helm of large,
multi-crewed space vessels. Other aspects of a space
vehicle may require the Ship Operation broad skill to
control.
Types of space vehicles are discussed in the
Spelljamming section of chapter 7 in this book.
Spelljamming (Cost 2 – S)
This specialty skill differs from the space vehicle skill
do to the use of a spelljamming helm; a special magical
item. The different types of ship systems that require this
skill is discussed in the ‘Spelljamming’ section of chapter 7
in this book.
Water Vehicle (Cost 3 – S)
The control of a sea vessel is an important part of this
skill however there is more to manning one of these larger
craft than merely holding on to the wheel and rudder.
Many of the ships mentioned on the table above also
require the Ship Operation skill to maneuver as well. This
skill is called in to action during phase by phase conflicts
or in avoiding immediate disasters where speed is critical.
Ship Operation-sail manipulation, described later, is used
to determine the ships speed over a long voyage.
Constitution Skills
Constitution measures a hero’s stamina, general
physical condition, and ability to absorb or withstand
physical trauma. Fighting off the effects of nausea after
being exposed to an unpleasant odor is an example of a
Constitution feat check.
Movement (Cost 3)
This broad skill allows a hero to increase the distance
he can travel in a given time, and also allows him to make a
journey less arduous on him and his companions. This
skill is used to determine the result of overland movement
and is improved with the trailblazing specialty skill below.
 Chapter 3: Skills
Race (Cost 2)
This skill can’t be used untrained
Purchasing this skill increases the character’s run rate
by 2 meters. This skill gains the following rank benefits.
⊗ Ranks 4, 7, & 12 – Increased Sprint: At the indicated
ranks the character’s sprint move rate increases by 2
meters.
⊗ Ranks 5 & 9 – Increased Run: The run rate improves by 2
more meters at ranks 5 and 9.
Swim (Cost 1)
Except to determine if a hero can tread water to avoid
drowning, this skill can’t be used untrained.
This skill is needed for a character to use his swim
move rate. In addition the character gains a –1 step bonus
to endurance checks for holding his breath.
 Ranks 4, 8, & 12 – Improved Breathing: The bonus to
breathing improves to –2, -3, and –4 at the indicated
ranks.
⊗ Ranks 4, 8, & 12 – Increased Speed: Both the easy swim
and swim move rates increase by 1 meter each at the
ranks indicated.
Trailblazing (Cost 3 – R)
This skill check is called for at the beginning of a day’s
travel. A Critical Failure causes the character and all
others following his path to suffer an additional +1 penalty
to fatigue checks associated with the trek. A failure offers
no help. An Ordinary to an Amazing result grants a 1, 2, or
3 step reduction of penalties involved in the travel. This
step reduction cannot be used to turn penalties into
bonuses; the best possible result would be negating a
penalty altogether.
Stamina (Cost 3)
Stamina is used to measure a character’s resistance to
dying after sustaining mortal damage and resisting fatigue.
This skill is also used to resist the effects of many spells,
primarily those that effect the hero’s body and his physical
state of being.
Endurance (Cost 4 – W)
Purchasing ranks in endurance allows the character to
better withstand the effects of damage. Endurance acts as
an improvement on the Stamina broad skill and takes that
skill’s place at rank 1 or higher.
Light Sleeping (Cost 4 – R, W)
This skill aids characters by allowing them a skill
check whenever they are sleeping and are approached by
some type of threat. A character’s Resistance Modifier for
a high Will score do not hinder a stealthy attacker however
any bonuses gained by Stealth-sneak can apply as
penalties to this skill. Neither perception nor intuition
may be used to aid this check. The Danger Sense perk can
be used, as it would normally aid the intuition skill.
61
If a success is generated, the quality of the result
grants the character the ability to wake up and take action.
In the phase that a threat is present an Ordinary check
allows for an Action Check at a +2 penalty, a Good a +1
penalty, and an Amazing check offers no penalty. A
Marginal result grants the threat a free surprise attack or
action that the character can not readily defend against. A
Critical Failure grants the threat a free surprise attack and
the first action taken by the sleeping character takes place
automatically in the Marginal phase of the next combat
round.
Resist Pain (Cost 4 – W)
This skill can’t be used untrained.
This skill allows a character to ignore some or all of
the penalties accumulated from excessive stun and
wounds as well as mortal damage. After the first penalty is
applied the character makes this check immediately
without spending an action. The skill removes 1, 2, or 3
steps of penalty based on its success and the bonus last for
the remainder of the scene. This skill has no effect on
fatigue damage.
Slow Respiration (Cost 3)
This skill is used by dwellers in the earth and by
Miners to extend the amount of breathable air they have in
emergency situations. When an air supply is limited or
contaminated, a person (or persons) can attempt a skill
check to increase the amount of good air remaining. First
the DM determines how much air is left (after a cave-in or
similar disaster) and then calls for all persons involved to
make a skill check. Each person rolls the skill check in any
order they see fit with the result of each check providing a
cumulative modifier for the check of one selected member
of the group (presumably the person with the best chance
of success). The results range from +3/+1/0/-1/-3 for a
Critical Failure to an Amazing success. The cumulative
situation modifier is then applied to the designated
character’s skill check with the following results to the
air’s quality:
Result Air Quality
Critical Failure Reduced by ¼
Marginal Reduced by ½
Ordinary No change
Good Prolonged by 50%
Amazing Prolonged by
100%
As an example, three characters are trapped in a
cave-in, two humans and a dwarf. The dwarf has this skill
at rank 3 so the group designates her as the final roll. The
first two characters roll a skill check each and both
produce Marginal results. This sums together to create a
+2 penalty to the dwarf’s skill check. Despite the
penalties, the dwarf achieves a Good result and the group
manages to extend their air-time by 50%. Leadership and
 Chapter 3: Skills
other relevant skills can also aid in the final result of this
skill.
As a final note, this skill offers no benefit if the
character(s) are underwater and it use assumes that the
character(s) can still breath.
Survival (Cost 5 – R, W)
This skill provides basic training in survival
techniques; finding shelter, procuring food and water, and
avoiding environmental hazards. Normally a check is
required each day. Skill check results: Failure, hero cannot
find the requirements of survival for that day; Ordinary,
the character finds enough shelter and food to survive for
one day; Good, the hero finds enough food and provisions
for himself and six others; Amazing, the character becomes
so familiar to the environment that survival is no longer a
factor unless the situation changes.
At the Game Master's option this skill can also grant a
–1 to a –3 step bonus to Stamina-endurance checks for
resisting hazardous conditions.
Survival Modifiers
Arctic Terrain +4
Arid or Wasteland +3
Mountainous +2
Swamp or Ocean +1
Forest or Grassland 0 Initially the character only knows how to fabricate
Dense Vegetation -1
Jungle -2
Small Settlement -1
Small city -2
Large city -3
Survival Training (Cost 3 – R, W)
This specialty skill improves a character’s ability to
survive in a specific type of terrain. Available terrain types
include those on the table above or others allowed by the
Game Master.
Intelligence Skills
Intelligence is important to all types of characters
because this determines how many skill points the
character starts with. Feats based on intelligence include
performing a mathematical problem in one’s head or
recalling specific details about an event or location. The
Game Master can base Situation Modifiers on the
complexity of the task itself or on how old the knowledge
is. Recalling an event that happened a year ago might
involve a +3 penalty while adding several numbers
together may involve no penalty at all.
Alchemy (Cost 7 – S)
This Broad skill can’t be used untrained.
Alchemy is the ability to concoct all manner of potions
and other chemical compounds as well as poisons. The use
62
of Alchemy always requires a lab and plenty of equipment
and ingredients. Alchemy always requires a complex skill
check. The complexity is based on the item itself and these
numbers are given in FX Items chapter in book 2 and in the
Mundane Concoctions appendix of this book. All Alchemy
skill checks are measured in days unless otherwise stated.
The Situation Modifier for each check is based on the
alchemist’s knowledge of the product being made and the
quality of the lab being used. If the concoction (or poison)
has been made successfully before then no Situation
Modifier is applied. If the alchemist knows or has the
recipe then a +1 Situation Modifier is used. If the
ingredients are known but not the recipe then a +2
penalty is imposed and a +3 penalty is used if the
alchemist has no information at all and is working from
scratch. Modifiers for a lab’s quality are detailed in
Chapter 5: Goods and Services but is also stated below for
convenience.
Laboratory Quality
Marginal +1
Ordinary 0
Good -1
Amazing -2
Concocting (Cost 3 – S)
non-magical mixtures. At first the alchemist can only make
medicines and other mundane substances but eventually
the use of concocting allows the character to make Elixirs
and Potions, Oils, Incense, Salves, Ointments, Dusts, and
Candles all of which are magical in nature. Rank benefits
are gained as follows:
⊗ Ranks 3, 6, 9, & 12 - Increased Batch: Medicines and
mundane substances can be made in bulk as described in
Mundane Concoctions appendix of this book. At rank 3
the size of the batch is increased by a +1 modifier to the
appropriate die involved. It is also increases by a +1
again at rank 6, rank 9, and a total of +4 at rank 12.
Magical concoctions cannot have their batch size
increased except by magical means.
 Rank 4 - Magical Concoctions: Starting at rank 4 a
character can begin to make one type of magical
concoction as described above (either potions, oils,
salves, etc.). For each rank beyond the fourth another
type of concoction can be added. The formula or recipe
for a specific alchemical mixture is an entirely separate
issue.
⊗ Ranks 4, 8, & 12 - Increased Effect: At rank 4 the
character gains a –1 Situation Modifier when using this
skill. This increases to a –2 at rank 8 and a –3 at rank 12.
Toxins (Cost 3 – R, S)
This specialty skill is dedicated to the manufacturing
of deadly toxins that can be used to hinder or kill
opponents. Each purchase of this specialty skill must be
specified for one type of poison as detailed in Chapter 8:
 Chapter 3: Skills
Gamers in Action. Other specific types of toxins are  Rank 10 - Combination Poisons: At rank10 the alchemist
discussed in the Mundane Concoctions appendix at the end can now make toxins that can be broken down in to
of this book. Possibilities include Necrotoxins, several components that when mixed (either in the air
Neurotoxins, Hemotoxins, Irritants, Paralytics, and Caustic or in the blood stream of a target) regain their lethality.
agents. One part of the poison could be introduced into a guest’s
Any toxin found or made has a strength which wineglass. The other component could be laced in the
provides a –3 to +3 Situation Modifier with this modifier wax of a candle used to light that guest’s bedchamber
being applied to the victim’s Endurance check. When any later that night.
toxin is made, the character first must state the intended
strength of the poison. This strength acts as the base While the Toxins skill is usual possessed by nefarious
Situation Modifier for the complex skill check used during types of persons, this skill can also make antidotes for
the alchemical process. Other factors used by any other poisons as well. All the skill checks, modifiers, and
Alchemy skill remain the same. Using the Final Result Rule laboratory requirements remain the same. However
found in the ‘Complex Skill Check’ section above, a antidotes usually have different ingredients and recipes so
Marginal success renders a –1 to the strength desired to a these must be acquired or learned separately.
minimum no less than –3. In the same vane a Good or
Amazing success grants a +1 to the toxins strength. Most
manufactured toxins found will be of Ordinary strength
Business (Cost 4 – D)
and will have no modifier. Business provides a character with the basic
Two other factors effect the strength of a poison as knowledge of production, distribution, supply and
well. These are the Onset Time and the attack Duration. demand, advertising, inventory, and business planning.
The Alternity Gamemaster's Guide gives further This broad skill is also used to appraise the value of goods
information on these two aspects and how they work in and their worth in the marketplace. A guideline for
the game. Generally speaking however, if a character business transactions can be referenced to the table below.
wants to better or worsen these effects then allow a
Situation Modifier ranging from –2 to +2 to be applied to Buying & Selling
the complex skill check using your own judgement about Skill Result Buying Selling
Crit. Failure 100% + (d20x10%) 100% - (d8x10%)
what is best for your game.
of cost of cost
While each type of poison has a specific effect, only Failure 100% + (d4x10%) of 100% - (d4x10%)
experience can allow the alchemist to concoct poisons of cost of cost
varying application. As this skill increases so does the Ordinary 100% - (d8x1%) of 100% + (d8x1%)
ways in which a specific poison can be used. Any toxin can cost of cost
be made to perform as either an Inhaled or Ingested Good 100% - (d20x1%) of 100% + (d20x1%)
method of delivery. Further uses are described below. cost of cost
⊗ Ranks 3, 6, 9, & 12 - Increased Batch: Medicines and Amazing 100% - (d4x10%) of 100% + (d4x10%)
mundane substances can be made in bulk as described in cost of cost
Mundane Concoctions appendix of this book. At rank 3
the size of the batch is increased by a +1 modifier to the ⊗ Ranks 4, 7, & 10 – Increased Effect: At the indicated ranks
appropriate die involved. It is also increases by a +1 the character receives a greater step bonus of –2, -3, and
again at rank 6, rank 9, and a total of +4 at rank 12. –4 while using that specialty skill.
Magical concoctions cannot have their batch size
increased except by magical means. Illicit Business (Cost 3 – D, R)
 Rank 4 - Insinuative Poisons: At rank 4 the toxin can be Illicit business covers the black market and
made to take effect when applied to a weapon blade or contraband goods. Extortion, smuggling, fencing stolen
other piercing device that causes at least one point of goods, and dealing with the black market are some of the
primary damage. trade practices this skill provides knowledge in. This skill
⊗ Ranks 4, 8, & 12 - Increased Effect: At rank 4 the is more often used by the upper-class criminal – the
character gains a –1 Situation Modifier when using this embezzler, the inside trader, the court spy, and so forth.
skill. This increases to a –2 at rank 8 and a –3 at rank 12. In addition, having this skill reduces penalties for
 Rank 8 - Contact Poisons: At rank 8 the character can attempting illegal transactions. When first purchased any
now fashion toxins that take effect merely upon contact illegal transaction is reduced by –1 step.
with exposed flesh or skin. To apply the toxin during When used for fencing goods the following table can
combat an Unarmed skill check with a –1 Situation be used to determine what the character is paid.
Modifier is allowed. These poisons are more rare than
other type not because of the rank needed to make them Fencing Returns
but due to the threat they pose to the user as well as the Result Return
victim (the toxin does not care whose skin it is on). Critical Failure 5% of value
63
 Chapter 3: Skills
Failure 10% of value Disarm (Cost 4 – S)
Ordinary 30% of value This specialty skill is an improvement of the
Good 50% of value character’s ability to render bombs, mines, and other
Amazing 80% of value explosives inoperable. A skill check is not required for a
character to disarm his own work. A check is required
when time is of the essence, if the explosive is of an
Large Business (Cost 3 – D) unusual make, or if it has been rigged with booby traps. A
This skill deals with business transactions between complex skill check is always called for except in the
large entities like countries, kingdoms, or nations. The simplest of cases.
scope of the skill determines ones skill in long-term
planning, the effects of export/import taxes, shipping Scratch-Built Explosives (Cost 4 – S)
costs, and the like. While this skill can generate larger This skill can’t be used untrained.
returns it often requires time, usually years, to realize a This skill lets a character attempt to build a home-
profit. made bomb from scratch or to tamper with other
explosive devices to make a demolitions charge. Using this
Small Business (Cost 3 – D) skill assumes the character has the proper tools. If not a
This skill deals with the management of a small +2 penalty is applied to the check.
merchant or entrepreneur who usually deals with a Making the device can take anywhere from a few
specific trade or product offering. Most businesses of this minutes to several hours. The length of time used can
scale work locally or within the range of several towns or provide a bonus or penalty to the check when the item is
cities. set in place and/or detonated.

Type of Device
Demolitions (Cost 6 – S, W) Skill Check Result Concussive Fragmentation Incendiary
This skill represents a persons knowledge of applying Critical Failure d4w d4+3m d6+2w
explosives to destroy specific targets in a specific manner. Failure Dud Dud Dud
This hero has working knowledge of handling explosives, Ordinary d6+2s d4+2w d4w
using fuses, and placing charges for maximum effect. This Good d8+2s d6+3w d4+2w
skill is also used in the manufacturing of weapons or Amazing d4w d4+3m d6+2w
devices that rely on gunpowder or explosives to create a
desired effect. On a Critical Failure the bomb explodes upon
While the concept of demolitions may seem out of completion of the creation process; injuring the maker.
place in a fantasy setting it is important to remember that The degree of success also indicates he complexity
where there are firearms there is gunpowder. And where required to disarm the device as well.
there is gunpowder, there are those who will use them in
large quantities and for devastating effect. In fact the use Set Explosives (Cost 3 – S, W)
of gunpowder may predate firearms as in the use of This skill improves a character’s ability to set
bamboo cannons by the Chinese. The types of possible manufactured explosives.
demolition gear available is discussed in chapter 5 of this
book. Engineering (Cost 7 – S)
When setting a charge a Failure result indicates that
This Broad skill can’t be used untrained.
the charge is a dud and will not detonate. A Critical Failure
Engineering is very similar to the Construction skill.
can indicate a premature detonation, depending on the
The difference is more a matter of complexity and size
type of explosive and the circumstances. If a hero wants to
than that of materials worked with. With Construction one
place a charge so that it won’t be easily found a complex
may make a door, but it requires Engineering to make a
skill check is needed. If the check succeeds at a Marginal
working drawbridge. Where Construction may make a
complexity then a +1 penalty applies to Awareness or
cart, Engineering is needed to make a siege tower.
Investigate-search checks used to uncover it. This penalty
Engineering feats require many workers and many
increases by +1 for each level of complexity passed to a
months to complete a project, but this skill provides some
maximum of +4 at Amazing. In addition to this if the check
the greatest works of mankind and their kin. Ancient
for placement also passes a Good complexity the
stone bridges that span mountain chasms, ziggurats for
detonation causes damage at one grade better. For
dead man-gods, dikes and canals that redirect rivers, and
completion of an Amazing complexity check the damage is
towers on mountains that point to the heavens.
two grades better.
Engineering requires a complex skill check. But many
of its applications are different than these other skills.
Engineering is the thinking process behind the actual
building of a project. In this sense it can be seen as being
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 Chapter 3: Skills
directly effected (and effecting) the Construction skill. A Agriculture 0
simple way to put it is that this skill cannot be used by Advanced Agriculture -1
itself in the building of a project. This skill’s purpose is to
observe the laws of physics so those incredible, and Work Force Skill
routinely difficult, feats of building can be accomplished. Untrained +3
All Engineering complex skill checks are measured in Construction Broad 0
months, weeks, or days as determined by the DM. Skill
When a character declares a work the DM should first Ranks 1 to 4 -1
request some type of drawing of what the project. Then Ranks 5 to 8 -2
divide the work into sections of durability (like the Ranks 9 to 12 -3
description of walls in ‘Property Damage’ found in Chapter
8: Gamers in Action). An engineer can manage a number Work Force Moral
of specific sections equal to his or her rank with a specialty Very Poor +3
skill, or one section in the case of having only the broad Poor +1
skill. In a best case scenario the engineer (or the Average 0
employer) will have a sufficient number of laborers per Good -1
section. If not then apply a +1 to a +4 Situation Modifier Very Good -3
for the building of that section or a –1 or –2 if plenty of
help is available. The moral of the workers is also Resources
important and Leadership as well as other Encounter skills Distant and Poor +4
(or the lack there of) can either increase or decrease the Distant and Good +2
base Situation Modifier of a section or the entire project. Near and Poor +1
The following rank benefits apply to each specialty skill Near and Good 0
listed below.
⊗ Ranks 4, 8, & 12 - Increased Effect: At the indicated ranks Aqueducts (Cost 3 – S)
the character gains a –1 Situation Modifier when using When water is some how involved in a building
this skill. This increases to a –2 at rank 8 and a –3 at project, this specialty skill is called into play. The
rank 12. aqueducts skill is also used if water provides power by the
force of its movement like that found in a river mill.
The table below shows the standard Situation WAM Jr
Modifiers used for any Engineering skill check. At least Fortifications (Cost 3 – S, W)
one modifier from each entry should be chosen, however This specialty skill is the most common skill of this
DMs are free to elaborate on them given the specific group as it covers all earth based works, bridges, buildings,
circumstances of a particular work. castle walls, and so on.

Engineering Modifiers Mining (Cost 2 – S)

Climate This skill can’t be used untrained.
Arctic +4 When a character starts a dig the Game Master asks
Sub-Arctic / Tropical +2 the character what they are looking for. Then the Game
Temperate 0 Master assigns a degree of quality to the request and rolls
a mining skill check. The result of this check can stand by
Geography itself or can be used to modify an Intelligence or
High Mountains +2 Personality Feat check as per the rules of skills aiding
Low Mountains +1 other skills.
Foothills 0 The quality of mined ores and other wealth of the
Plains -1 earth can be assumed to use the following grades of
quality: Marginal – granite, slate, or sand stone. Ordinary –
Ground Cover basalt, marble, semi-precious gems, salt, copper, tin, or
Jungle +4 iron. Good – gems, silver, and gold. Amazing –
Forest / Desert / +2 adamantine, platinum, diamonds, mithiral, and huge gems.
Swamp Of course all metals are ores that must be smelted and all
Scrub / Barren +1 other earthenware are uncut and require additional work.
Grassland 0 The length of a vein of a certain mineral is dependent
on the DM and continued mining checks. After a set time,
Work Force Society like a week, the character must roll again using the
Nomadic +4 aforementioned method but with a cumulative +1 penalty.
Primitive Agriculture +2 Any failure indicates that the vein runs out. Marginal
65
 Chapter 3: Skills
quality ores are possibly plentiful and may be assumed to
not run out if the DM allows.
This skill is also used to judge the quality of the
mineshaft and tunnels as well, determining how well the
mine can weather tremors, potential cave-ins and the like.
Siege Works (Cost 3 – S, W)
The primary use of Siege Works is in preparation for
war. This skill is used to build team weapons like catapults
and Greek fire projectors. As with other building skills, the
durability of the weapon system forms the base of the
complex skill check.
Space Works (Cost 5 – S)
This skill can’t be used untrained.
This skill is similar to the fortifications skill above
except that it deals with fantasy space instead. The
difficulty of using this skill involves the manipulation of
gravity planes.
Knowledge (Cost 3)
Use of this broad skill represents the character’s
ability to know a little bit about any particular subject. Use
of this broad skill is discussed on page 81 to 82 of the
Alternity Players Handbook. It should also be noted that
the quality of a library may aid or hinder a character’s
search for knowledge on a topic as described in chapter 5
of this book.
Deduce (Cost 2)
With this skill a character can hone his ability to use
reason and available clues to reach a logical conclusion.
This skill should only be used when the hero knows more
than the player, and the player is at a genuine loss as to
what to do. The skill should never replace good role-
playing.
⊗ Ranks 4, 8, & 12 – Resistance Modifier: At the indicated
ranks the deduce skill provides an improvement to a
hero’s Intelligence Resistance Modifier, which makes it
more difficult for opponents to use encounter skills to
deceive him. This bonus improves by +1 per rank
indicated.
First Aid (Cost 2)
This skill can’t be used untrained.
This skill represents a character’s knowledge in the
use of first aid techniques and the general use of healing
items. Situation Modifiers can apply as given for Medicine
skills below. First aid can be used for the following tasks:
Heal Stun Damage: A skill check restores 2, 3, or 4 stun
points. This only works on someone who is conscious.
Knockout Recovery: A successful skill check brings a
character back to consciousness and also recovers 1, 2,
or 3 stun points.
Heal Wound Damage: This use of the skill calls for a
complex skill check. The quality of the healing
66
equipment used determines the complexity: Ordinary, 8
successes needed; Good, 5 successes needed; Amazing, 2
successes needed. Upon completion of the check 1, 2, or
3 wound points are healed as determined by the quality
of the complex skill check itself, which is described at the
beginning of this chapter. A Critical Failure instead
inflicts 1 point of wound damage on the patient.
Dying: A successful check allows a character with mortal
damage to avoid making an endurance check at the end
of the current scene. This cannot heal mortal damage.
⊗ Ranks 4, 8, & 12 – Improved First Aid: At the indicated
ranks the character can reduce any penalties by 1, 2, or 3
steps.
Languages (Cost 1)
This skill can’t be used untrained.
Every hero begins with rank 3 in his native language.
Lower ranks indicate a crude familiarity with the tenets of
a language, allowing the character to understand simple
statements. At rank 1 the character suffers a +3 penalty
when attempting to communicate using the chosen
language.
A list of some of the more common languages is given
in chapter 1 of this book. You can add to this list to make
the use of this skill more important, or the Game Master
may assume that a universally common language is shared
by all but a few.
⊗ Ranks 2, 3, 6, 9, & 12- Improved Communication: At rank
2 the penalty is reduced to +1. At rank 3 no penalty
applies. At ranks 6, 9, and 12 a cumulative –1 step bonus
applies to the use of the language.
WAM Jr
Languages, Sign Language (Cost 1)
This skill can’t be used untrained.
Many forms of clandestine and intelligence related
activities call for a means for party members to
communicate silently. To use this skill both the character
sending a message and the receiver must first be able to
see each other and both must make a skill check to
understand what is being ‘said’. The sender’s skill check
result is used to modify the receiver’s skill check in the
same way that one skill can enhance another.
Read/Write (Cost 1)
This skill can’t be used untrained.
In Alternity it assumed that characters with the
Knowledge broad skill can also read and write as well as
being able to perform simple math. That is not the case in
most fantasy games. While a character with just the
Knowledge broad skill can be assumed to be able to read
signs and may even be able to scribe basic words he or she
could not effectively read or write a book.
Not being able to read and write can hinder a
character that is trying to research a piece of knowledge.
One might be able to gain a bonus while using a library to
 Chapter 3: Skills
acquire knowledge, but if the words are all confusing Court Procedures (Cost 3 – D)
garble then the library is useless. This specialty skill improves a character’s ability to
The modifiers for using this skill are the same as those argue a point of view in an official proceeding. This skill
for languages as detailed in the Alternity Player's can also be used to convince a court to post a bail. Modify
Handbook. Game Master’s should naturally assume that a the character's skill check by the severity of the crime and
character with this skill is able to read and write any consult the table below.
language he can speak. As such this skill does not need to WAM Jr
be specified for each separate language. Bond Hearing Results
Success Bond
Knowledge, Specific Skill (Cost 1) Critical Failure Incarcerated without bond
This skill can be used for skills that do not exist on the Failure High bail (5000gp or more)
list already. This specific skill usually deals with a specific Ordinary Moderate bail (1000gp or
academic discipline however it may cover hobbies or some more)
other form of special interest. This skill should replace Good Low bail (2,00gp)
skills already mentioned in the list and Game Masters may Amazing Released on own recognizance
need to arbitrate what specific skills can be taken in this
category.
Law Enforcement (Cost 3 – R, W)
Law (Cost 5 – D, R) This skill allows a character to pursue (or bend the
As the saying goes “Ignorance of the law is not an rules of) legal law enforcement activities. This skill
excuse”. This broad skill allows a character general expands the knowledge of how to perform an arrest or
knowledge of the legal systems in his native land. This other activity through legal means so that the character
skill makes it possible for a character to act as an advocate himself does nothing illegal; providing a case for the
in a court of law or to perform the basic duties of a law courts.
enforcement official. The scope of this skill can be very A successful skill can be used to convince local law
small and specific or large and encompassing many agents to take a person into custody. This skill can also be
nations or kingdoms. used to avoid arrest. Any success achieves this but the
The Law skill can be used as an encounter skill; table below modifies the skill check results.
changing the attitude of a person with whom the character
is interacting. More often this skill relies on a variation of Avoiding Arrest
the ‘Character vs. Character’ rule. In this case however one Crime Modifier
character rolls a check (the person pursuing a legal action) Minor violation -2 bonus
and this is responded to with a check by the other Misdemeanor none
character (the defendant). On a Critical Failure the Nonviolent felony +1 penalty
opposing lawyer gains a –3 step bonus to his check or the Violent felony +3 penalty
character losses the case immediately. A Failure grants a – Heinous felony +5 penalty
1. Good and Amazing checks imposes either a +1 or a +3
penalty. In the case of an Amazing check the Game Master
can rule that the character wins outright. This exchange Law, Specific (Cost 1)
continues until either character rolls a Critical Failure or This skill can’t be used untrained
Amazing result, or until the Game Master makes a This specific skill grants a character knowledge of a
judgement on the case. specific type of law (maritime law, trade law, hunting law,
Some key features of this skill include the following etc). This skill acts to grant a bonus to either of the
situations where the knowledge of Law comes in handy. previous specialty skills when used.
these features are usable by either specialty skill. ⊗ Ranks 3, 6, 9, & 12 – Increased Effect: At the indicated
Evidence: Characters who can justify their interest can use ranks the skill gains a –1 to a –4 step bonus when used
obtain access to official documents. to aid another Law skill.
Protection: With a successful check a character can
convince law officials to provide protection for someone
clearly in danger. Life Shaping (Cost 7 – S)
Warrant: Successful use of either specialty skill can allow a Persons who use this skill work with living material
character to get a warrant to arrest a specific individual the way a blacksmith forges iron. In a manner similar to
or search a private area. other skills, both FX and mundane, this skill is another
method of creating useful tools and equipment – just of a
different sort. Life shaped items are organic constructs
that are either living, products of living creatures, or
normal creatures that have been altered in some way.
67
 Chapter 3: Skills
While being similar to the concepts of breeding techniques,
this skill adds a touch of fantasy to the mix allowing for
some very unique, and unusual, life forms to be produced.
While this skill may seem odd to those who are
familiar with AD&D, there are several races that do make
use of it. The Elves of Wildspace use life shaping to create
many applications. These include their ships, Starfly
plants and trees, Gadabouts, Spirit Warriors, Bionoids, and
presumably the race known as the Insectare. Starfaring
humanoids, primarily the Orcs, also used this skill during
the Unhuman Wars to create the horrid Witchlight
Marauders and the Yitsan. The Scro have also shown
recent interest in life shaping as well. The best example
however is the Athasian Halflings during the Blue Age of
Dark Sun’s past. Another race, the Muyati, also uses this
skill in my own campaign called Wundragore.
Regardless of who uses the skill a Game Master may
need to consider it’s place in the game, especially if a
player wishes to have access to it. Life shaping is not an
act performed in an alchemist’s laboratory nor is it a short-
term process. In many applications it can take years
before a positive result is had. Often times the inclusion of
this skill simply indicates that life-shaped objects can be
purchased, or more likely encountered, in the campaign
and those that know the craft are rare individuals.
For the most part this skill tends to be culturally
specific, citing the examples above, and is rarely taught or
used outside of that culture. Exceptions do exist however
with other FX items, potions, and spells available, most
persons are reluctant to approach an unknown item
especially when it moves on it’s own.
There are four broad categories of the shaped life that
exist. These are creatures, products, mutates, and tissues
and each is represented by a separate specialty skill. The
creation process varies greatly as do the results of the use
of each specialty skill. Life shaped objects are fully
discussed in ‘The Life Shaped’ appendix of this book and
the ‘recipes’ for their creation are discussed there. It is a
good idea for a Game Master to pre-determine what types
of life shaped objects exists in the campaign especially if a
player wishes to make them.
WAM Jr
Creatures (Cost 5 – S)
This skill can’t be used untrained.
Creatures are living products that are ambulatory and
can perform a few select tasks. All creatures have a
Durability, Armor, and Toughness rating and all have some
level of skill as well as Ability Scores. Unless a creature is
made to think in abstract terms, they lack this ability. Most
are designed to perform a specific function and have no
instincts beyond these. The must also be cared for actively
as they lack the instincts to procure food and shelter on
their own.
Creatures include beasts of burden, guardians or
sentries, those that create an aesthetic sound or color, or
even those that produce other life shaped objects. The
latter is most often the first creature created as this allows
68
the shapers of life to create a wider variety of other objects
without the incurred costs as described in appendix 5.
Products (Cost 3 – S)
This skill can’t be used untrained.
All products come from creatures that are producers
of some type. Products are organic but they are not living
in the conventional sense; much the same as a door is to a
tree. Products include medicinal aids, weapons, tools, and
even poisons.
Mutates (Cost 4 – S)
This skill can’t be used untrained.
A mutate is a normal being that is subjected to the
science of life shaping. The result is a mutant character in
game terms. Some have standard mutant benefits and
hindrances while others have Super Power FX abilities. In
the Appendix 5 the description of mutates includes the
method of creating one, what races are and are not
allowed, and the modifiers that exist once the process is
complete.
If a player wishes to have a Super Hero styled
character then Game Masters may prefer to use this skill to
explain his or her origin.
Tissues (Cost 4 – S)
This skill can’t be used untrained.
Tissues are living life objects that act as symbiotic
partners to other living creatures. As such most all tissues
are grafts by design intended to physically merge with
another creature in an active or passive mode. Tissues
tend to be more popular than other life shaped objects as
they are more controllable than creatures but also have a
wide range of applications.
Medicine (Cost 6 – S)
Medical knowledge in the fantasy realms is fleeting at
best. While persons may explore the fields of medicine,
several of the specialty skills below are hampered by a
simply lack of secular knowledge on the subject at hand
and the poorer quality of medical equipment. Each
specialty skill is handled separately concerning these
changes. The following modifiers apply where applicable
to the Medicine specialty skills.
WAM Jr
Medicine skill modifiers
Patient is member of other +3
race
Patient is of same race 0
Combat Conditions +2
Patient Knocked-out +1
Patient dazed +1
Patient has mortal damage +1 per point
No medical items being used +3
Good quality or better healer’s -1
bag being used
 Chapter 3: Skills
Marginal Disease -1
Ordinary Disease 0 Psychology is used to ascertain the nature of a person
Good Disease +1
Amazing disease +2
Diagnostics (Cost 3 – S)
This skill functions similar to the forensics skill below
save that it deals with the living. A successful diagnostics
check also grants bonuses similar to that of forensics and
these bonuses may be used to enhance any FX skill that
deals with healing and repair of damaged flesh and tissue
by wounds or disease.
⊗ Ranks 3, 6, 9, & 12 – Increased Effect: At the indicated
ranks the skill gains a –1 to a –4 step bonus when this
skill is used.
Forensics (Cost 3 – S)
Forensics is the examination of deceased remains so
as to determine the causes of death and to study the make-
up of the sentient body. Forensics also has uses in criminal
cases and may be able to establish clues dealing with a
murder. An examination of a body follows the use of the
Investigate-search skill, which either lends a bonus or
penalty to the check. The search results grant a –1 bonus
for a Good search and a –3 bonus for an Amazing one. A
Marginal result with forensics reveals the obvious cause of
death. An Ordinary result identifies any indirect causes as
well. A Good success reveals any unexpected or subtle
cause of death, and an Amazing result reveal any carefully
and deliberately hidden cause of death as well.
Most practitioners of this vocation also have research
in mind. The anatomist’s lab is strewn with drawings and
the preserved samples of passed persons, which is usually
enough to make one edgy at best.
Forensics can also lend its bonuses (if any) to any
Necromancy or Black Magic skills that deals with the
arrangement and preparation of human or demi-human
remains. As such, any person who practices either art,
whether for good or ill, may be the focus of suspicion or a
scared and vengeful mob.
The bonuses to this skill are the same as found on
pages 84 and 85 of the Alternity Player's Handbook.
⊗ Ranks 3, 6, 9, & 12 – Increased Effect: At the indicated
ranks the skill gains a –1 to a –4 step bonus when this
skill is used.
Medical Knowledge (Cost 3 – S)
This specialty skill is the study of medicine and it’s
practical uses. Advancement in this skill describes how
versed a character is in the knowledge of medicine as a
whole.
⊗ Ranks 3, 6, 9, & 12 – Improved Treatment: At the
indicated ranks the skill gains a –1 to a –4 step bonus
when used to aid the use of the Medicine-treatment skill.
69
Psychology (Cost 3 – S)
and any characteristics of behavior that standout from the
normal range of emotions and habits. While not much help
in an active adventure, characters that have this skill use it
notice behavioral differences in companions. Therefor a
character that has become possessed or has been replaced
by an imposter may be identified as ‘acting strangely’ by a
character with this skill.
⊗ Ranks 3, 6, 9, & 12 – Increased Effect: At the indicated
ranks the skill gains a –1 to a –4 step bonus when this
skill is used.
⊗ Ranks 4, 8, & 12 – Profiling: At rank 4 the character can
build a profile of a person. A profile includes knowledge
of appearance, habits, mannerisms, history, state of
mind, and even belongings. Based on this profile a
character can make logical guesses about the persons
activities, next possible actions, or even enough
knowledge to aid other skills like Interaction or
Investigate when on that person.
This type of check is always complex with the
complexity being based on the amount of information at
hand. In addition the time between checks ranges from
10 Minutes, Hours, Days, and Weeks for Marginal to
Amazing complexities. Situation Modifiers vary based
on the situation and the Game Master’s judgement.
As the hero improves to rank 8 he gains a –1 step
bonus with this skill, which improves to a –2 at rank 12.
Surgery (Cost 5 – S)
This skill can’t be used untrained.
Surgery cannot be performed in combat. The
modifiers for this skill are Critical (+4 penalty) when
performed in poor lighting and with primitive or no tools
available. These conditions can improve but never beyond
a –1 step bonus (which would consider all factors being
favorable). A check is allowed per hour of surgery and
each degree of success heals 1 mortal or 2 wound points of
damage. On a Critical Failure, or after 3 Failures, the
patient’s condition worsens and suffers 1 point of mortal
damage and al successes up to that point are lost.
WAM Jr
Treatment (Cost 4 – S)
This skill can’t be used untrained.
Treatment can be used to perform all of the same
functions as the Knowledge-first aid skill with the
following exceptions:
Knockout Recovery: A successful skill check brings a
character back to consciousness and also recovers 2, 3,
or 4 stun points.
Heal Wound Damage: Upon completion of the check 2, 3,
or 4 wound points are healed as determined by the
quality of the complex skill check itself, which is
described at the beginning of this chapter.
Dying: A successful check allows a character with mortal
damage to avoid making an endurance check at the end
of the current scene. This skill also allows the patient to
 Chapter 3: Skills
make endurance checks once per day as opposed to once
per hour.
Treating Disease: The character can identify and treat a
patient with a disease. Modifiers and other factors are
discussed in the Alternity Gamemaster's Guide.
⊗ Ranks 3, 6, 9, & 12 – Improved Treatment: At the
indicated ranks the skill gains a –1 to a –4 step bonus
when using this skill.
Metaphysics (Cost 5)
Metaphysics is an in-depth study of the ‘hows’ and
‘whys’ of magical energy and the ways that it effects the
world around the character. It is the knowing of certain
magical laws like the ‘Rule of Threes’ and that a kiss from a
loved one can awaken an enchanted sleeper. While Lore-
spell lore can give the character information about a
particular effect, Metaphysics and its specialty skills can
allow a character to understand the very fabric of a fantasy
world. In many ways this skill acts as a fantasy version of
the Science broad skill, which concerns itself with the laws
of reality.
A good way to remember how this skill works is by
comparing it to the more ‘logical’ sciences of the day.
Engineering relies on physical laws, Nature on cause and
effect, Medicine on the flesh and mind, and Crafting on the
deftness of nimble fingers. Metaphysics deals with the
‘illogical’ and the magical side of things. If an tower
crumbles seek the advise of an engineer, but if the same
tower appears whole again the next day seek a person
with this skill.
Magic Theory (Cost 3)
The magic theory specialty skill is the pinnacle of
knowledge on the laws of magic. Increased knowledge of
this skill allows the character a greater understanding of
how magic shapes the world or even how to ‘out think’
magical traps and situations. This specialty skill works at
no penalty if dealing with a magic effect that the character
has at least to broad skill with. If some magical anomaly
lies outside of the character’s specific area of knowledge
then a +3 penalty is applied to the check.
Magic theory can also grant bonuses to Arcane Feats or
to Alchemy skill checks when used to concoct magical
substances related to the broad skill in the character has
specified this skill with. However it does not benefit the
actual casting of spells.
⊗ Ranks 3, 6, 9, & 12 – Improved Theory: At the indicated
ranks the skill gains a –1 to a –4 step bonus when using
this skill.
Prophesy (Cost 5)
This skill can’t be used untrained.
When strange things happen they sometimes happen
for a reason. This specialty skill focuses on finding the
hidden meanings behind unexplained events and in some
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cases can act as the Knowledge-Deduce skill when used in
this fashion.
Many metaphysical events are only pieces to a greater
puzzle. A holy item that mysteriously begins to bleed may
be the portent of some great disaster. However, after
much investigation, the character may find that the event
is actually an illusion perpetrated by spirits that the
community elders angered some time in the past.
Knowledge of local religions and the history of an area and
it’s denizens can be of great help to this skill as some
supernatural events have their origins in history.
Prophesy can also be used actively to determine the
course of fate for an individual, a group of people, or an
entire area or world. By using some manner of medium
(which is always required) to divine the future, such as a
deck of cards, knowledge of a person’s astrological sign,
the result of tossed dice, or the entrails of a fresh kill, the
character may learn another’s predestination.
While this second option may seem a bit like the
Entertain-fortune telling skill, it differs in that the methods
have withstood the test of time. However, fortune telling’s
one saving grace is that it almost always delivers good
news. Having the ability to divine the great plans of the
gods is not always advantageous or desired. Most
prophets tend to keep their findings to themselves. Also,
the information gained by this skill can also be cryptic and
not easily understood. The dice may portent of death, but
whose death? Everyone dies, don’t they? Let the players
figure it out.
Metaphysics, Specific Skill (Cost 1)
This skill can’t be used untrained.
An entry is provided here for players to develop other
uses of this broad skill that are not covered with the above
specialty skills. Examples can include the nature of other
planes of existence, the use of magic is applications like
Tinkering and Alchemy, or other knowledge not covered in
this list that has a magical element to it.
Nature (Cost 5)
This broad skill expresses a character’s knowledge of
the natural world. As a broad skill the character is familiar
with various flora and fauna as well as the weather and
natural events and disasters. The character also has a feel
of the balance of nature in an area as it competes with
civilization and the fantastic qualities of magic.
WAM Jr
Ecology (Cost 2)
 Chapter 3: Skills
This skill allows characters the ability to foresee minute and no greater than 10 minutes to perform the
damage to the environment and it’s inhabitants. This skill skill.
can identify to cause of some type of ecological disaster
and also provides knowledge on how to prevent such Navigation Modifiers
events in the future. Ecology also provides a very strong Combat conditions +4
understanding of plant and animal lore but more Hostile conditions +2
importantly, how the elements of nature interact. Calm conditions 0
Unexplored territory +4
Herbalism (Cost 4 – S) Partially explored +2
This skill can’t be used untrained. Explored territory 0
The art of herbal mixtures can be used in the Familiar territory -2
Knowledge-herbal lore skill. This skill is somewhat No equipment +4
different. Herbalism allows a character to create semi- Damage equipment +2
magical teas, incense, and salves from plants and roots Dependable equipment 0
found in the wild. This skill works exactly like the Alchemy Superior equipment -2
skill with the exception of a required lab. However, the
products of this skill are not of the same magnitude as For surface and nautical navigation
those that can be made with the Concocting specialty skill. only
The descriptions of herbal mixtures are given in the Darkness +3
Mundane Concoctions appendix of this book. Inclement weather +2
Rough terrain/turbulence +2
Meteorology (Cost 2)
Meteorology provides a character with a deeper Navigation skills are subject to rendering wrong
understanding of atmospheric conditions. This can include information. When a Critical Failure is rolled the character
many mythological creatures or events that are immediately rolls on the ‘Off Course Results’ table below to
supernatural, like Saint Elmo’s Fire. determine approximately how far off course he is.
At the DM’s option this skill can also be used to
enhance the chances of survival during furious storms or Off Course Results
the threat of hurricanes and tornadoes in ways similar to Critical Failure: Travel for d12+3 hours in random direction.
the Survival skill. Also, this skill can enlighten one on the Next check is made at a +2 penalty.
possible ways of harnessing such forces and may even Marginal result: Travel for d6+2 hours in random direction. A
allow a character to do greater harm to threats and +2 penalty applies to the next check unless d4
hours are spent to relocate the group.
monsters native to the sky and the powers of the weather.
Ordinary result: Travel for d4 hours in random direction.
However this skill cannot do this itself, and any attempt to Identifying position requires d20+10 minutes.
do so would be dangerous in the least. Good result: Travel for d20+3 minutes in random
Finally, as many portents and omens originate from direction. Identifying position requires d6+5
the sky, this skill can be used in ways similar to minutes.
Metaphysics-Prophesy if some supernatural event features Amazing result: Travel for d12 minutes in random direction.
the sky as its playground. Location is known as soon as that travel if
over.
“Red skies at night sailors delight, red skies in the
morning sailors take warning”. Phlo Navigation (Cost 3 – S)
-Anonymous This skill can’t be used untrained.
This skill concentrates on plotting courses in the
Navigation (Cost 6 – S) Phlogiston, an ocean of flammable gas that separates
Crystal Spheres. On any successful result the character
This skill involves the knowledge of plotting courses
navigate within sight of the target sphere.
for persons in many types of environments. This skill does
not include plotting a course for persons moving overland
on foot. That is a function of the Movement-trailblazing Space Navigation (Cost 3 – S)
skill. Navigation requires one skill check, which This skill can’t be used untrained.
determines the accuracy of the course plotted. The This skill is used in Wildspace, as in a Spelljamming
optimum time for using this skill is 5 minutes. Variations campaign. An Ordinary result indicates normal travel time
of this time frame range from a +1 penalty for each minute plus d4 time units. A Good result indicates travel time
less, or a –1 bonus for each additional minute. These with the normally expected arrival time. An Amazing
modifiers fall in a range of requiring no less than one result indicates that the course cuts travel time by one
time unit.

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 Chapter 3: Skills
Surface Navigation (Cost 3 – W)
This skill is the study of landmarks and stars to plot
courses and determine locations. An Ordinary result
indicates normal travel time plus d4 time units. A Good
result indicates travel time with the normally expected
arrival time. An Amazing result indicates that the course
cuts travel time by one time unit.
WAM Jr
Science (Cost 7 – S)
For a fantasy setting the approaches to knowledge can
vary greatly from those of the real world. In a fantasy
setting skills like Alchemy, Life Shaping, Metaphysics,
Medicine, and Tinkering replace the standard ‘science’
skills of the Alternity game system. Why? Well things just
work differently in the fantasy world. Up is not always up,
outer space does not necessarily kill you through pressure
(or lack there of), and the simple fact that magic exists
questions conventional learning of analytical principles.
Never the less some basic laws of reality exist and
there will always be those willing to learn them. The
Science broad skill teaches the basic principles of science
itself and the scientific method; which is the standard
method of forming a theory and the steps to establish a
fact. With just the broad skill a character can attempt to
research to garner knowledge from any Science specialty
skill with a base +3 penalty. Some of the more common
specialty skills are listed below and all of them gain the
following rank benefit.
⊗ Ranks 3, 6, 9, & 12 – Increased Effect: At the indicated
ranks the skill gains a –1 to a –4 step bonus when this
skill is used.
Science, Specific Skill (Cost 3 – S)
The following are examples of how this skill can be
improved upon. Game Master's and players should feel
free to add to this list.
Astronomy: The study of stars and celestial mechanics.
Biology: The study of the building blocks of life.
Botany – The study of plants, molds, and fungi.
Chemistry – The study of elemental reactions and how
such elements interact.
Linguistics – The study of language and how it is shaped.
Mutations – The study of mutations and how they
originate.
Planetology – The study of planetary ecology.
Physics – The science of energy and how it reacts as matter
vs. energy.
Psiology – The study of psionics.
Zoology – The study and classification of animals.
At the Game Masters option these specialty skills can
be used to aid other skills and even some FX abilities. The
most common examples are Alchemy, Nature, and
Tinkering however other may also apply.
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Ship Operation (Cost 4 – S)
While a person may know how to man a boat and
guide a small cog along a coast, it takes far more skill to
command and maneuver a massive galleon or clipper. This
skill represents the knowledge of sea and wind and how it
effects the movement and well being of these great ships.
What separates this skill from Vehicle Operation-
water craft is the use and knowledge of a galleon’s other
components primarily the sails. While Vehicle Operation-
water craft is used to man the helm in tactical maneuvers
this broad skill covers the other functions governing the
operation of a large sea-going craft. Other skills that aid in
the manning of such large crafts are Navigation-surface
navigation, Team Weapons, and Tactics-vehicle tactics.
While this skill focuses on terrestrial ships, it and the
specialty skills are also used for space-faring ships as well.
In this case the Ship Operation-specific skill comes into
play. How the specific skill works for such ships is detailed
in chapter 7 of this book in the ‘Spelljamming’ section.
Sails (Cost 3 – S)
Ships that have multiple sails require that those sails
be coordinated in their use to take full advantage of the
wind for the ships speed over long voyages and the ship’s
maneuverability in round by round action. All sea-going
vessels have a ‘Handling’ modifier assigned to them. For
ships with sails this number acts as a base and the result of
this skill modifies the ‘Handling’ score. A Critical Failure
imposes a +2 penalty and a Marginal result imposes a +1
penalty. An Ordinary check generated by those
manipulating the sails applies no modifier to the ‘Handling’
modifier while a Good results grants a –1 Situation
Modifier and an Amazing result a –2. When used in this
manner, the result of the skill check lasts for the remainder
of the round the check was made and the entire next
round.
When used for long voyages, the result of the skill
check can effect the vessel’s Cruise speed in the way that is
described in the Vehicle Operation skill above with the
exception that the bonus % increase effects the overall
voyage. This can work in tandem with Navigation results.
Shipwright (Cost 4 – S)
This skill can’t be used untrained.
Generally speaking the Engineering skill is the first
thing that comes to mind when one thinks of how one can
build a large sea-going vessel. While Game Masters are
free to use whatever system they are comfortable with, it
should be said that having an intimate understanding of
what a sailing ship requires is not necessarily common
knowledge imparted by the Engineering skill. Shipwright,
as a skill, is the shipbuilder’s best friend. While this can
aid or be aided by Engineering, this skill can stand alone in
the construction of a ship. All of the rules for Engineering,
as well as other building skills, apply to this skill as well.
 Chapter 3: Skills
Signaling (Cost 1)
This skill is basically a means of communication by use
of flags or banners (referred to as ‘semaphores’) between
two ships. Being similar in concept to Knowledge-sign
language, the characteristics of that skill are applied as
well as the rules concerning any language.
Ship Operation, Specific Skill (Cost 1)
This skill can’t be used untrained.
Not all ship-of-the-sea rely on sails. Some use oars and
crews of slaves while others use steam power and the like.
This entry can also be used for other shipboard functions
as the Game Master and player see fit.
WAM Jr
Tactics (Cost 6 – S, W)
Tactics provides a character with training in tactics
and tactical situations. A successful use of the skill
provides a penalty to the opponent’s next skill check. On a
Critical Failure the opponent sees through the plan and
receives a –1 step bonus to his next skill check. For an
Ordinary to an Amazing result a +1 to a +3 penalty
applies.
Tactics Modifiers
Skill user engaged in combat +1
Skill user observing combat 0 area for weak points to exploit. The quality of the
Familiar opponent -1
Unfamiliar opponent, known species +2
Unfamiliar opponent, unknown species +3
⊗ Ranks 4, 8, & 12 – Increased Effect: At the indicated ranks
a hero gains a –1, 2, or 3 step bonus to the use of a
Tactics specialty skill.
Cavalry Tactics (Cost 3 – W)
This specialty skill covers situations where the
primary element of a battle includes troops use animals as
mounts or a form of locomotion. This includes chariots,
mounted knights, or warriors mounted on griffons.
Infantry Tactics (Cost 3 – W)
This skill covers situations where the primary
component of a battle is individual troops.
Melee Tactics (Cost 4 – W)
Melee tactics offers the same benefits as other tactics
skills however it’s use is focused on individual combat as
in a gladiatorial or dueling style of fighting. In this case the
penalty can be applied to the opponent as normal or the
character may opt to use the modifier as a bonus to lessen
the penalty for making a called shot (+4 penalty base).
In the case of called shots the Intelligence Resistance
Modifier of the opponent does effect the outcome of this
skill check. When used repeatedly against the same
opponent, it is inevitable that the opponent will begin to
catch on to the fact that he or she is leaving oneself
73
vulnerable. To reflect this, the opponent’s Resistance
Modifier increases by +1 each time this skill is used
against him or her. Critical Failures indicate that the
character cannot use this skill against that opponent for
the remainder of that combat in addition to any other
penalties the Game Master might impose.
As a final note, this skill is useless in ranged combat or
in situations where the character is being fired on from a
distance. However a character can employ this skill
against multiple targets engaged at close range. In this
case the highest Resistance Modifier in the group applies
as the penalty.
Sentry Tactics (Cost 3 – D, W)
This skill replaces the Security-protection protocols
skill as found in the Alternity Player's Handbook. This skill
increases the character’s ability to secure an area or to find
weak points in observational security. It has two principal
uses:
Secure an Area: With proper time and cooperation a
character can increase the modifier for Awareness
checks by sentries on watch in the area. An Ordinary to
an Amazing result grants a –1 to a –3 step bonus to
Awareness checks. A Critical Failure imposes a +1
penalty.
Analyze Weak Points: The character can analyze a secure
security provides a penalty to the check. If no security is
present then there is no modifier. For a Marginal to an
Amazing result a +1 to a +4 penalty applies as
determined by the first optional use of this skill. The
degree of success achieved by the character grants a –1
to a –3 step bonus to the use of subsequent skills used to
exploit the weak points (primarily Stealth but others
may qualify).
Space Tactics (Cost 3 – S, W)
This specialty skill covers tactical situations involving
spaceships when they engage in combat.
Vehicle Tactics (Cost 3 – S, W)
This skill deals with troops mount on or in vehicles not
driven by animals or beasts of burden.
Tinkering (Cost 7 – S)
Tinkering takes the intellectual practicalities of the
Engineering skill and applies a touch of fantasy to create
some of the most bizarre and unique contraptions found.
While it may seem that this skill belongs solely in the
Tinker Age (Progress Level 4), this skill is actually the
catalyst of any technological development of any progress
level. For example a tinker invented fire, which took man
from being a naked ape to having a semi-civilized position.
In this sense Tinkering is Crafting for items of future
progress levels.
 Chapter 3: Skills
Another way of looking at it is that any building skill
was at first Tinkering. And as the technology became
better known and more wide spread, new broad and
specialty skills dealing with that technology were created.
While the Crafting-weaving allows a person the ability to
operate and even design a loom, someone had to invent
the device and the process. That person was a tinker.
WAM Jr
Tinkering Modifiers
No tools +3
Minimal tools 0 themselves, rent for the space required, and so on.
Standard toolkit -1
Specialized toolkit -2
Darkness +3
Marginal illumination +1
Ordinary illumination 0 cost alone.
Good illumination -1
No deadline -2
Reasonable deadline 0 After the dice are rolled the device will be either a
Tight deadline +1
Unreasonable deadline +3
When a character wishes to develop a new contraption
it is suggested that he follow the stages presented below.
Stage 1: Planning the design
Decide exactly what the machine is to do. It may have
more than one function, but it’s best to stick to machine
with a relatively simple function. The player must come
up with the basic principal that will is going to be used in
the design of the device as well as the power source. Then
the player needs to provide some type of drawing of the
finished product. This need not detail every nut and bolt,
but it should give a clear idea of what the device looks like
and how it’s part relate to another.
Stage 2: Determining whether it can work
The Game Master needs to decide whether or not he or
she will allow the device to function as designed. If, given
a healthy dose of imagination, it seems like a device might
work, then it will! On the other hand, this does not mean
that it can be built successfully. The Game Master is most
certainly allowed a level of subjectivity as to the manner in
which the device will impact the campaign.
Stage 3: Building the contraption
Now the Game Master needs to determine the nature
of the complex skill check that will be needed to build the
contraption. To this end the Game Master has two options.
The table for Complex Skill Checks provided in Chapter 4
of the Alternity Players Handbook can be used or for a
more in-depth approach, the tables in Appendix 1:
Tinkering can be used instead. For Situation Modifiers, the
table provided for Technical Science in the Alternity
Players Handbook should be used for either option given
above. If the device is multifunctional then several skill
checks may needed to build each of these elements.
74
The time required is also important. Each skill check
can be made once per day, week or even per month. This
is relative to the size of the item. If the device is Tiny or
Small in size then one check per day can be allowed. If the
item is Medium to Large then the checks should be made
weekly. Huge and large devices may require two weeks to
a month per check as the DM sees fit. Cost is another
factor that is best left to the DM and the player to work out.
Some important factors are paying any helpers, buying the
equipment to build the device, the device’s components
Determining the cost is another tool that the DM can use to
make a device possible or very difficult to build, however
since the device was accepted during Stage 2, it is not a
good idea to make a device totally impossible based on
Stage 4: Success or Failure
success or a failure. Successes work as planned, may have
a Marginal to an Amazing quality, and can proceed to the
next and final step. Failures may also come in differing
degrees of worthlessness. This is primarily a Failure or a
Critical Failure but several possibilities exist for each.
Failures are usually the result of three or Marginal results
during the building process.
When the third failure is rolled the project can be
dropped completely, started again from the beginning, or
the device can be scrapped for parts to reduce the cost of
another project if possible. Costs for restarting a project
are reduced by a percentage of the work that was
completed successfully where possible.
For example, a character needs 8 successes to build a
Dodamahicky. After succeeding with four checks the
character unfortunately rolls his third Marginal result. The
project can be started from the beginning at the same
number of success required, however since half of the
project was originally completed the cost to refit and
rebuild the device is also reduced by half.
Critical Failures are another matter entirely. The
device can either be ruined and unrecoverable or, if
weapons or explosive materials are used, someone could
be hurt or ‘attacked’ by the device. In any event, be
creative with this rule.
Stage 5: Filling in the Blanks
Once a design is successful and complete it is almost
ready for play. The final step is to breathe life into the
device by assigning it statistics. This includes Durability,
Toughness, Armor if any, Damage if possible, and other
game effects. The power source of the device is also a
consideration. How much fuel is consumed and how much
power does a ‘full tank’ provide the contraption. In
addition, how much does the fuel cost in the quantities
required? Finally, all devices that will be used by
characters require the use of some skill or feat check to
resolve it’s effectiveness. This is usual only one type of
 Chapter 3: Skills
check, but several may be required if the device has
different elements that perform different functions.
Stage 6: Maintenance
As a device is used and time passes by it will need
repairs. Small dents, worn cogs, loosened coils and the like
can all cause a contraption to eventually break down if not
taken care of. Maintaining a device usually has a price tag
attached and some parts may be exotic and hard to find.
The DM can assume that after a period of tie the device
must roll a Durability check or suffer the equivalent of
Fatigue damage only that any damage is applied to Stun
Damage instead. The Tinkering-Repair skill is used to
‘heal’ this damage caused as well as damage from other
sources such as combat or leaving the contraption out in
the rain.
Invent (Cost 4 – S)
This specialty skill is an improvement on a character’s
ability to create new inventions.
WAM Jr
Juryrig (Cost 3 – S)
Juryrig allows a character to quickly repair pieces of
damage equipment so that it may function even if only for
a short while. This skill uses the Tinkering Situation
Modifiers table above. The results of the check determine
how well the juryrigged item functions.
Critical Failure: The item becomes unusable and must be
fully repaired to be used.
Failure: The item cannot be used but another attempt can
be made.
Ordinary: The item can be used for d6+1 time units
however 3 more successes are required to fully repair it.
Good: The item can be used for 2d4+2 time units however
2 more successes are required to fully repair it.
Amazing: The item can be used for 3d4+2 time units
however 1 more successes is required to fully repair it.
⊗ Rank 6 – Improved Juryrig: At this rank an Ordinary
success is considered Good and a Good success is
considered Amazing. A natural Amazing result indicates
that the item is fully repaired.
Fantasy Physics (Cost 3 – S)
This skill can’t be used untrained.
This skill works in the same way as does the
Tinkering-invent skill with the difference being that if the
device being made includes some type of magical property
or reality bending ability, then this skill is used instead. It
is important to note that this specialty skill cannot be used
for mundane tasks or as a replacement for Tinkering-
invent. They must each be purchased and increased
separately.
75
Repair (Cost 3 – S)
Repair is used to fix damage items and tinkered
equipment. The standard modifiers apply and the Game
Master must assign the time units for the complex skill
check in hours, days, or weeks.
If the item has only stun damage then the complex skill
check is Ordinary. If it has wound damage then the
complex check is Good and if any mortal damage has been
suffered the check is Amazing in complexity.
The use of the skill assumes that replacement parts
are available. If not then they must be acquired or else
only the juryrig skill can be used.
Tinker Knowledge (Cost 3 – S)
This skill represents a character’s knowledge of
tinkering principles and the use of tools and other
tinkering aids.
⊗ Ranks 3, 6, 9, & 12 – Increased Effect: At the indicated
ranks the character gains a cumulative –1 step bonus to
the use of other Tinkering skills.
Will Skills
Will measures a character’s mental fortitude and
intuitive capacity. While often associated with mental
activities, Will also deals with some physical traits like
pressing on when his body is in less than perfect condition.
An example of a Will feat check would be a situation where
a character must stay awake all night, especially if he is to
remain motionless.
Administration (Cost 4 – D)
This skill indicates that a character knows the basic
forms and procedures required in running an office. The
skill demonstrates knowledge of scheduling, personnel
and equipment management, and any laws that may apply
to such endeavors.
This skill can be used as an encounter skill if used on
an official or functionary of some agency or group. The
skill can also be used to get results out of a bureaucratic
organization. This requires a complex skill check relative
to the organization’s size. Also a Situation Modifier can be
applied depending on how quickly the results are required
with one day applying a +3 penalty as a standard. The
final use of this skill can be used to hinder another’s effort
to get results. The check uses the same rules as above
however the result applies a penalty to the other
character’s skill check.
This broad skill also features several other uses that
available to both specialty skills.
Equipment Requisition: Characters with an allegiance to
an organization can use either specialty to requisition
equipment.
Records Access: The character can gain access to records
and legal documents. Real estate transactions, arrests,
building plans, and court transcripts can all be available.
 Chapter 3: Skills
Logging Claims: A character may find an area or land that
is not claimed by anyone or any kingdom. A skill check
can be used to secure that are or land in the character's
name.
Pardons & Passes: A character can request passes into or
out of other countries or to remain in other countries for
an extended time.
Weapons Permits: Carrying an illegal weapon is a quick
way to get on the wrong side of the law. By requesting
and obtaining a weapon permit, a character can carry a
normally suspect or illegal weapon without threat of
arrest (assuming that he keeps those papers on him).
Bureaucracy (Cost 3 – D)
This skill represents the characters increased ability to
speed up or slow down the workings of a system.
Management (Cost 3 – D)
This specialty skill represents the characters increased
ability to improve productivity and to manage resources.
Agriculture (Cost 3)
Some people are born with ‘green thumbs’ and other
just think they are because they grew something easy –
like zucchini or tomatoes. Anyone can put some seeds in
the ground and hope for the best, but it requires this skill
to ensure the survival of a plant, lessen the effects of
environmental damage, supply adequate irrigation, and
produce the highest yield. This skill can also judge the
quality of the soil in the area and provide ideas on how to
improve it.
WAM Jr
Cash Crop (Cost 3)
This specialty skill focuses on the growing of large
amounts of crops for the purpose marketing. Using this
skill in this fashion, use the modifiers for trading in the
Alternity Players Handbook to modify the crop’s value
based on the skill check results.
jumps, or performing other stunts and engaging in
mounted combat.
 Rank 3 – Trick Riding: This benefit allows the character
to direct his mount to jump fences, leap chasms, or move
backwards. On a Critical Failure the animal trips
(causing damage as an Extremely short fall) and on a
Failure the animal refuses to perform.
For horizontal leaps the animal gains 1, 2, or 3
meters to its jumping distance based on the success of
the skill. For jumping over obstacles the animal gains 1,
1.5, or 2 meters. For moving backwards an Ordinary
result means the animal backs up at one-half its walk
rate. On a Good result the animal backs up at its full
walk rate. With an Amazing check the animal backs up
at 1.5 times its walk rate.
The character can also use his mount for cover while
mounted. This grants a +1, 2, or 3 Resistance Modifier
to attacks made against him however this tactic does not
protect the animal in any way.
Animal Training (Cost 1)
This skill improves a character’s ability to train a
specific species of animal. To prepare an animal for
training requires a complex skill check and modifier as
shown on the table below. At least 4 hours a day must be
spent working with the animal and one check is allowed
once per week of continuos training. When this time is
complete the animal may be taught to perform tasks.
While the character may attempt to teach an animal task
before training them no task greater than Ordinary may be
taught.
Ordinary tasks include Attack, Come, Sit, Stay, Fetch,
Speak, and Quiet. A Good task can include a combination
of two Ordinary tasks or something more complex like
pushing a lever with a paw when directed. Amazing tasks
are just that – something that very few animals can do or
will do on command, such as running into a burning
building or retrieving a specific item that it must travel
some distance to obtain.

Gardening (Cost 3) Training Modifiers

Gardening is called for when one plants and maintains Modifier Complexity
small plots of land that contain delicate and/or flowering Herbivores:
plants. This skill also covers the planting and care of trees Alien +2 Amazing
as well. Domestic -1 Good
Wild +1 Amazing
Carnivores:
Animal Handling (Cost 3) Alien +5 Amazing
This skill represents the ability to work with animals, Domestic -2 Ordinary
both wild and domestic. With the broad skill the character Wild +4 Good
can attempt to train and ride a variety of animals.
Unfamiliar Animal +2
Animal Riding (Cost 1) Familiar Animal 0
This skill enables a character to improve his ability in Trained Animal:
riding a specific species of animal. A character with this Ordinary Task -1
skill can attempt racing over dangerous terrain, making Good Task +1
Amazing Task +3
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 Chapter 3: Skills
Untrained Animal:
Ordinary Task +1
Wild Animal:
Ordinary Task +3
A Game Master is at liberty to determine if an animal is
trainable or not. In order to be trained an animal must
have at least a rudimentary intelligence, but sentient or
self-aware creatures cannot be trained by this skill.
Veterinary Healing (Cost 3)
This skill can’t be used untrained.
The care of animals by use of this skill follows the
same rules as for the Medicine broad skill with the
exception of the patient itself. At rank 1 this skill functions
as Knowledge-first aid. At rank 4 it works as per the rules
for Medicine-treatment and at rank 8 as per Medicine-
surgery.
This skill covers all normal animals found in the
campaign. Supernatural or animals of non-mundane
origins require that this skill be purchased for that race
specifically.
Awareness (Cost 3)
Awareness is the ability of observation, perception,
and intuition. Awareness checks are described on pages
39 to 40 of the Alternity Gamemaster's Guide.
Direction Sense (Cost 2 – R)
Using the clock face as a guide, Direction Sense helps a
character determine which direction is 12 o’clock (the
intended direction of travel) or true north. An Ordinary
success tells the character the desired direction within two
clock positions to either side. A Good success is within one
clock position. And an Amazing success is dead on the
money. A Critical Failure indicates that the character
believes he or she knows where they are going, but they
are actually pointing in the wrong direction.
WAM Jr
Intuition (Cost 3)
This represents a character’s ability to detect things
that would not normally register to his senses.
Perception (Cost 2)
This skill increases a character’s ability to detect
things that could register to his senses.
Creativity (Cost 4)
This skill provides a character with training and talent
in a variety of creative endeavors. A character with this
skill has a well-developed sense for the aesthetically
pleasing, a facility to for communicating with the written
word, and the ability to convey and evoke powerful
emotions through a chosen medium. It also represents an
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eye for detail and the ability to express one’s imagination
to others.
Creativity usually requires a complex skill check to
complete. The complexity is based on the overall quality of
work desired (a four line poem may be a Marginal
complexity feat while a Shakespearean-quality sonnet
would be Amazing). All Creativity skills use the following
Situation Modifiers.
Creativity Modifiers
No deadline -2
Reasonable deadline 0
Tight deadline +1
Unreasonable deadline +3
Using only broad skill +4
Amazing tools/equipment -2
Good tools/equipment -1
Ordinary tools/equipment 0
Marginal tools/equipment +3
Cartography (Cost 1)
With GPS and computer software the art of map
making is made rather easy. For fantasy games (as well as
those that take place in earlier progress levels) making
correct and readable maps is not easy when pinpoint
accuracy is required. Cartography grants the character the
ability to draw maps that are easy to read, include all
pertinent information, and allow those reading it an easier
time in finding specific locations on the map.
Dreamscape (Cost 1)
Useful against nightmares and psionic invaders,
dreamscape is the ability to shape the landscape and
realties within one’s mind. When this skill is used the
character’s dream-self can escape when they would
normally be captured, create a confusing wash of colors
and images within one’s own mind to confuse telepathic
interlopers, or any other non-offensive ability that can be
imagined.
Regardless of how much color you to this skill or the
effects that it may have, the results of the skill check
remain the same. When used, the skill provides a
Resistance Modifier of +1 to +3 for an Ordinary to an
Amazing success. A Critical Failure indicates that the
defenses are not ‘solid’ and that the Resistance Modifier is
worsened by –2. More information on dreamscape is given
in the chapter on telepathic powers in book 2.
Engraving (Cost 1)
This specialty skill allows a hero to properly cut,
polish, and emboss objects with images and designs. This
has the effect of raising the object’s value. The engraver
can cut friezes, bas-reliefs and other designs to enhance
the beauty of an object.
The time it takes for an engraver to craft an image or
object is based on the complexity of the design he is
 Chapter 3: Skills
creating. The complexity of the check is completely up to Game Masters should be able to develop other useful
the Game Master, based on the player’s description of his specialty as well.
goal, but is never of less than Marginal complexity.
Investigate (Cost 7 – R, S)
Forgery (Cost 1) This skill represents a character with the ability
This skill allows a character to attempt to produce a systematically examine things through observation,
copy of some object or to create false documents. If an inquiry, and attention to detail. Unlike Awareness, which
item is to be forged then the appropriate materials must be handles the processing of immediate observations,
at hand. The rules for the Creativity broad skill apply Investigate takes time. In fact the more time spent the
normally. Persons examining a forgery can identify it as better the chances of success.
such with a successful Awareness-perception check at a
base +2 penalty.
⊗ Ranks 4, 8, & 12 – Increased Skill: At the indicated ranks
Investigate Modifiers
Fast investigation (1 time unit) +3
the character gains a –1 step bonus to forgery checks
Moderate investigation (2-3 time units) +1
and onlookers suffer an additional +1 penalty to spot
Careful investigation (4+ time units) -2
the fake. These bonus increase to +/- 2 at rank 8 and
Fresh investigation site -2
+/- 3 at rank 12.
Recent investigation site 0
Cold investigation site +2
Illusion Sculpting (Cost 1) Old investigation site +4
Illusions can be very life-like when employed by high- Character has a related skill:
ranking Wizards against low intelligence targets. Illusion ranks 1 to 4 -1
sculpting allows the spell caster to add greater clarity and ranks 5 to 8 -2
detail to any illusions created. When an illusion is cast, the ranks 9 to 12 -3
Intelligence Resistance Modifier is an applied penalty to Hidden or concealed clue +3
the effectiveness of the spell. Small clue +3
This skill, when successful, worsens the target’s Large clue -1
resistance due to the life like manner in which the illusion Character knows what he’s looking for -1
appears and moves. This modification ranges from a –1 to Tracking a single target 0
a –3 for an Ordinary to an Amazing result. Rules Tracking a group -2
concerning Illusion/Phantasm spells are given in Chapter Tracking on soft ground -1
2: Arcane Magic in Book 2. Tracking on hard ground +1
Tracking in an urban setting +3
Voice Mimicry (Cost 1)
While very entertaining, this skill can also have
deceitful applications as well if a character wishes to use Cryptography (Cost 3 – R, S)
this skill against another in hopes of fooling them. This skill can’t be used untrained.
Situation Modifiers include how familiar the character is This skill allows a character to encode and decode
with the voice, how well the person too whom the skill is secret languages and ciphers. Using the skill involves a
being used on is familiar with the voice, and conditions for complex skill check. A Marginal check would involve
sound that can hamper the victims ability to hear the voice letter-substitution and mathematical puzzles and apply a –
in the first place. In all other ways, this skill uses the same 2 step bonus to decode. Ordinary codes apply no modifier
rules as any other Entertainment skill. and include strings of words that are unique to the code;
WAM Jr not normal languages. Good codes apply a +1 step penalty
Writing (Cost 1) and are composed entirely of non-existent words and/or
In the absence of being physically present a character symbols. Amazing codes impose a +3 penalty and contain
can converse through a good piece of writing. Encounter in whole or in part letters and symbols that extra-planar in
skills may be used through the writing if desired and can origin.
have the same effects. Both the Creativity-writing and the At the Game Masters option the Knowledge-language
Encounter skill are rolled when the appropriate party (specific) and Science-linguistics can aid in cryptography.
reads the writing. The writing check applies a +4, +2, 0, -
1, or –2 modifier to the Encounter skill for a Critical Failure Interrogate (Cost 3 – R, W)
to an Amazing result. This skill represents the character’s ability to ask the
right questions in order to gain information. The target
Creativity, Specific Skill (Cost 1) character always gains the benefit of any Will Resistance
All of the specialty skills presented so far are examples Modifier. This skill covers the sort of interrogation that
of this specific skill being put to good use. Players and might be conducted by a seasoned bard, a constable, a
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 Chapter 3: Skills
barrister, or a trained torturer – anyone who asks tough
questions.
Read Lips (Cost 3 – R)
This skill can’t be used untrained.
Reading Lips is a useful talent that can be employed in
most circumstances where the character can actually see
the lips of the speaking person or persons. Any Failure
result indicates that the character cannot determine what
is being said. Ordinary results allow the character to
understand about one-half of what is said while Good and
Amazing results allow the character to understand most or
all of what is said. The skill can also be used in a complex
skill check if an entire conversation is being observed. The
overall degrees of success helps to determine what the
character learns but the results do not shorten the number
of checks required. In other words Good and Amazing
results do not cause the speaker(s) to speak faster.
WAM Jr
Research (Cost 3 – R, S)
This skill allows a character an ability similar to that
gained with the Knowledge-deduce skill. The difference is
that this skill seeks absolute proof and solid facts.
Generally, one check can be made per hour of research for
criminal investigations. Magical of scientific investigations
may only allow check once per week or month as the Game
Master’s discretion. If a character ha another skill that can
aid research, a step bonus of –1 can be gained for ranks 1
to 4, -2 for ranks 5 to 8, and a –3 for ranks 9 to 12.
⊗ Ranks 4, 8, & 12 – Increased Effect: At the indicated ranks
the character gains a cumulative –1 step bonus to the
use of this skill.
Search (Cost 4 – R, S)
This specialty skill enables a character to develop his
eye for detail and his ability to spot hidden objects. Search
is used when a character wants to look for clues in a
specific area, find a particular person or object in the area,
or hunt for important objects in as fast and systematic
fashion as possible.
Track (Cost 4 – R)
This skill improves a character’s ability to follow
another person, being, or vehicle based on the physical
signs it leaves in its wake. Tracking is performed at one-
half of the character's normal movement rate. A check can
be made at the end of every time unit as determined by the
Game Master.
On a Critical Failure the trail is lost. On a Failure result
the trail is lost but can be rediscovered with future skill
checks. Three Failures rolled during the course of the
attempt are treated as a Critical Failure. On an Ordinary
result the trail is found and can be followed for 2 time
units before another check is required. On Good and
Amazing results the trail can be followed for 3 or 4 time
units.
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Track can also be used to obscure a trail. Success
imposes a modifier as follows: Critical Failure, -3; Failure, -
1; Ordinary, +1; Good, +2; Amazing, +3.
When the character purchases this skill at rank 1, and
for each rank passed, the player can select a specific
terrain type. Tracking in this terrain grants a –1 step
bonus. Checks made while tracking outside of his terrain
are made at a +1 instead. Terrain types include forest,
desert, mountain, arctic, urban, or any other terrain
featured in a campaign.
Lore (Cost 3)
This broad skill is similar to Knowledge and the two
can provide very similar information. Lore is the
accumulation of campfire stories and tall tales to form a
theory or working description of something where as
Knowledge deals strictly with the facts and is far more
academic in application.
Lore also differs from Knowledge in that it is
expandable by the character’s experiences. When first
purchased a specific skill is based on the character’s home
campaign and the areas that he has traveled. As the
character grows so does his ability with lore. This means
that a character with the Lore-beast lore skill increases his
ability with the skill simply by experiencing beasts in other
lands. Therefor all rolls are for Lore specialty skills are
based on familiarity.
Lore, Specific Skill (Cost 1)
This skill can’t be used untrained.
This skill has many specific applications. Some of the
more common lore skills are listed below. Players and
Game Masters are encouraged to make their own.
Ancient Lore: This provides knowledge of the history in an
area or a location. Ancient kingdoms or groups are
covered by this skill. It may also apply to a certain ‘age’
in the campaign such the Age of Hope, or other similar
epoch.
Artifact Lore: This skill provides basic lore about special
FX items in the campaign as it relates to their histories.
While powers may be learned by use of the skill, this is
only accomplished by tales of how they were used and in
what capacity.
Beast Lore: This specific skill covers the nature of beasts
and monsters found in the character's travels. The
results of a skill check relate information about an
encountered beast or monster. If the character seeks
specific information (I wonder those tentacles can do?)
then modifiers to check can apply.
Earth Lore: This is knowledge and lore of the earth and its
denizens.
Genie Lore: This imparts knowledge of genies and their
society, as well as their relationship to mortals.
Local Lore: This specialty skill allows the character to
make checks about towns, villages, or cities that he has
visited or lived in. Information includes knowledge of
 Chapter 3: Skills
who is in power, where the criminal elements are, or
where to find the best mug of ale.
Spirit Lore: This skill covers the lore of spirits and how the
interact with the material world. Information about
spirits can include the powers expressed by various
types of spirits as well as their place in the grand scheme
of the cosmos.
Undead Lore: This skill deals with the undead and their
nature. A character with this skill can recall certain facts
about types of undead and what powers or weaknesses
they may possess.
Outdoors (Cost 3)
The Outdoors broad skill and its associated specialty
skills represent the character’s ability to utilize the natural
world in ways that enhance the Survival skill. In some
ways these skills are ’tricks of the trade’ when it comes to
survival, but for the most part they are used in a
recreational fashion.
These skills can aid in survival but they are generally
insufficient by themselves. While a character could hunt
for game to remove the need for sustenance, hunt does not
impart the ability to avoid environmental hazards or to
seek adequate shelter. At the Game Masters option
Outdoors skills can grant bonuses to Survival checks.
WAM Jr
Animal Noise (Cost 5 –R)
This skill can’t be used untrained.
Mimicking the natural sounds of an animal can have
many different uses. It can be used to lure a male or
female of the species to a certain location in hopes of
mating or simple curiosity. Several persons can employ it
as a warning signal or even a method of covert
communication, or one can attempt to garner numerous
drinks at the local tavern by impressing the locals.
The Intelligence Resistance Modifier of the target(s)
modifies the effectiveness of this skill. If a skill check
indicates a failure it is hard to say the noise does not go
unnoticed. At the very least the target(s) know that
something is not quite right with what they just heard.
The Nature-ecology skill as well as the Lore-beast lore and
any Animal Training specialty skill can detect the
fraudulent ‘call’ using the rules for ‘Character vs.
Character’ as found on page 63 of the Alternity Player's
Handbook.
Hunting (Cost 3 – W)
Very similar to the Stealth skill, hunting is the ability to
approach or remain hidden from animals so as to gain a
surprise attack. Each person in the hunting party beyond
the first imposes a +1 penalty to the success of the hunt.
The result of the check determines how close the hunter
gets to the prey. Ordinary 100m, Good 50m, Amazing 20m.
A simpler method may be to simply have the character roll
a skill check for a day’s hunt with the results determining
how much game was procured.
80
While it may seem tempting to use this skill in lieu of
Stealth the two are quite different. Hunting assumes that
the target is of Animal intelligence and more to the point,
hunting uses knowledge of the animal to achieve success.
Stealth skills rely on sheer agility and can be used against
intelligent targets.
Fire Building (Cost 2)
This skill represents a character’s ability to start fires
with only those materials available in the wild. This is a
complex skill check based on the present resources (the
Situation Modifier) and environment (the Complexity) the
fire is being started in. Using dry sticks in an arid climate
could require only three success with a –2 bonus while
doing the same after a long rain in the jungle might require
six success with a +2 penalty. One check should be
allowed every ten minutes.
Fishing (Cost 3)
Fishing allows for one check per hour. The result of
the check indicates the number of fish caught. 1d4-1 on an
Ordinary, 1d4 on a Good, and 1d4+1 on an Amazing.
Using a net provides a –1 Situation Modifier. Seasonal
locations, the equipment used can also provide modifiers.
Set Snares (Cost 4 – R)
This skill allows a character knowledge of small, useful
traps that can be used to procure game. A skill check is
rolled when game enters the trap. The animal’s
intelligence score provides a Resistance Modifier to
determine success however the animal is allowed an
Awareness check to notice and avoid the trap altogether.
Any success traps the creature but the degree of the
success determines for how long. A strength or dexterity
feat can be used by the trapped creature with an Ordinary
result providing no penalty, a Good result providing a +2
penalty, and an Amazing result providing a +4 penalty to
the feat check in question.
At the broad skill level up to rank 3, traps can be set
for tiny and small creatures. As the character improves in
rank the following benefits are gained.
 Rank 4 – Larger Snares: The character can set snares for
large sized creatures.
 Ranks 6 & 12 – Hidden Snares: A +1 penalty is applied to
the Awareness check of the target. A +2 penalty is
applied to the Awareness check of the target and an
additional +1 penalty is applied to any attempt to escape
the trap.
 Rank 8 – Improved Snares: The character can set snares
for intelligent creatures (like humans) or those of Huge
size or greater.
Outdoors, Specific Skill (Cost 1)
Many specific Outdoors skills can fill this entry.
Examples are Ice Fishing, Bear Hunting, mimicking the
sound of a specific type of animal, or starting fires in the
arctic.
 Chapter 3: Skills
Psyche (Cost 6)
Psyche is a powerful tool usable by any character.
With this broad skill and it’s two specialty skills, a
character can defend his mind against telepathic intruders,
certain spells, the possession attempts by Ego Weapons
and fiends, or from the residue of nightmares.
With just the broad skill the character gains the use of
an ‘Awake’ Persona instead of a ‘Latent’ one and may use
the psychic combat specialty skill at the broad skill level.
As a character progress in rank with the awaken specialty
skill, he or she can gain access to certain telepathic powers
and abilities as well.
This may seem out of balance in that this system
grants any character psionic powers without having
purchased or received the Psionic FX ability. This is not
the case. First the characters selection of powers is
limited, and secondly all such powers are usable only in
that character’s own mind. No character can use contact
or mind blast with just these skills. Never the less, Psyche
does open a path to a stronger more resilient mind. For
more information on a Persona and telepathy in general,
refer to the Telepathic Powers chapter in book 2.
Awaken (Cost 3)
This skill can’t be used untrained.
When this skill is purchased at rank 1, this specialty
skill allows access to Persona powers as if he had the
Persona broad skill. The character can also begin
purchasing Persona skills as long as their quality is no
greater than Ordinary. The skills under the Persona broad
skill that can be bought by the character are shown below.
Attack Modes: All except psionic blast.
Defense Modes: All.
Enhance Modes: All except ghost, snoop, and track.
 Rank 4 – Good Persona Skills: At rank 4 the character can
now purchase skills that are Good in quality.
 Rank 6 – Ego Skills: At rank 6 the character can purchase
the Ego broad skill and may buy any of the following
specialty skills.
External Ego Powers: None Allowed
Internal Ego Powers: conceal thoughts, intellect fortress,
mental barrier, and mind blank.
To use these skills the character gains one-half of his
or her Will in Psionic FX points and may purchase no
Ego skill above rank 6. At no time can a character that
does not also have the Psionic FX ability purchase the
Manipulate broad skill or any of its specialty skills. In
addition the FX points gained are not strong enough to
be used in other psionic applications. While this limits
their use it also means that these points cannot be
drained by psionic vampires or the like.
 Rank 12 – Amazing Persona Skills: At rank 12 the
character can purchase any Persona skill up to Amazing
in quality.
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WAM Jr
Psychic Combat (Cost 2)
This skill is the primary skill used by any Persona
engaged in a telepathic conflict. As a character’s ranks
increase so does the effectiveness of this skill as shown
below.
⊗ Ranks 4, 8, & 12 - Increased Effect: At the indicated ranks
the character gains a –1 Situation Modifier when using
this skill. This increases to a –2 at rank 8 and a –3 at
rank 12.
 Rank 4 – Telepathic Resistance: +1 Resistance Modifier
vs. telepathic attacks only.
 Rank 8 – Psionic Awareness: The character can sense
psionic usage as per Psionic Awareness perk
 Rank 12 – Psionic Identification: The character can
identify a specific person using psionics, and what power
is being used, if roll is made at +2 penalty.
Resolve (Cost 5)
This skill provides a character with inner strength of
will to defend against times of stress, physical pain, and to
resist mental intrusion or temptation.
Mental Resolve (Cost 3)
The higher a character's rank in mental resolve the
more resistant he is against emotional trauma, fear, panic,
madness, insanity, mind control, and mental powers.
Certain events can cause a character to roll a mental
resolve check. Such events include: death of a close friend,
severe injury to a friend or companion, deliberate displays
of violence and cruelty, unexpected betrayal, invasive
mental assault, or hideous and frightening monsters.
On a Critical Failure the character collapses in anguish
and cannot act, or flees, for 1d4 rounds. On a Failure result
the character freezes and losses one action. On an
Ordinary result the character can act normally but receives
a +1 penalty to all actions for one round. On Good and
Amazing results the character is unaffected.
⊗ Ranks 4, 8, & 12 – Resistance Modifier: At the indicated
ranks the character’s Will Resistance Modifier increases
by +1.
Physical Resolve (Cost 3)
Physical resolve is used to resist torture, to press on
though tired, or to bounce back from physical damage. It is
also used to resist certain Influential FX powers that effect
or change the character's physical being.
If a character is rendered unconscious he remains in
that state for the all of the round the knockout occurred
and all of the next round. After that a check can be made to
regain consciousness. Any success regains consciousness
with an Ordinary check recovering 2 stun points, a Good
recovering 4, and an Amazing recovering 6 stun points.
When all of a character's fatigue points are lost the
character can attempt to keep moving. On any failure the
character becomes unconscious. On an Ordinary result the
 Chapter 3: Skills
character can press on for 1 more time unit. On a Good Street Knowledge (Cost 3 – R)
result he can continue for 2 time units and on an Amazing This skill helps a character to improve his familiarity
he can press on for 3. At the end of this time exhaustion with a particular organization or local area. As such this
sets in and the character is unconscious until he rests. specialty skill be purchased separately for each element or
This skill also recovers fatigue damage. A character area. For example a character would have to purchase this
regains 1, 2, or 3 points for an Ordinary to an Amazing skill twice to have an improved ability with the Thieves
result. Checks are usually made at one hour intervals. Guild of Gilder city, and to acquaint himself with the
pecking order in a local Warriors Guild.
Street Smart (Cost 5 – R) This skill can also be used to enhance other skills like
This skill provides a character with general knowledge Investigate-track or Interaction skills. If the character
of the protocols of ‘the street’. This is the world of gangs, keeps his ear to the ground he may also pick up rumors
criminal organizations, and dealers in illegal goods. This and other ‘street’ information.
skill helps a character make contact and negotiate with
criminals of the lower class, or caste. Teach (Cost 5 – D, S)
Among other things, this skill helps a character to This skill represents a character's ability to instruct
locate illegal goods and services, get around the local law others in the use of skills belonging to the Open group. A
or government, and contact various groups - like a thieves skill check is required whenever a character wants to
guild. These skills are also apart of a special group of skills teach a skill to another character.
called Encounter skills, which are described under A character can only teach skills that he or she
Personality skills. possesses and the student must have enough skill points to
purchase the skill. If so the teacher can reduce the point
Street Smart Modifiers cost of a skill, as long as the modified cost is not lower than
Society has no law -3 1 point. The results of a skill check have the following
Society has Ordinary law 0 effects: Critical Failure, student doesn’t learn or improve
Society has Good law +2 the skill at this time; Failure, normal cost must be paid;
Society has Amazing law +3 Ordinary, student pays cost –1; Good, student pays cost –2;
Character belongs to similar group -1 Amazing, student pays cost –3.
Character belongs to same group -2 Only one skill can be taught at a time, only one skill
Character belongs to opposed +3 can be taught, and the student can gain only one rank of
group improvement. Also a teacher can only teach a specialty
Has local contact -1 skill up to one-half of his current rank I that skill.
Has Reputation perk -1
Has Infamy flaw +1 Teach Modifiers
Is an obvious stranger +1 Teaching a broad skill +2
Seeks Ordinary assistance -1 Teaching a specialty skill:
Seeks Good assistance +2 To rank 1, 2, or 3 0
Seeks Amazing assistance +4 To rank 4 +1
To rank 5 +2
The modifiers on the above table are cumulative To rank 6 +3
where applicable. If a character seeks an item of Amazing
scarcity in a city protected by Good law, the skill check For the specialty skill:
would carry a +6 penalty. Skill is in student’s profession -1
Street Smart can sometimes be used to enhance Skill is not in student’s profession +2
another skill. Skills like Interaction, Deception, Business,
or Stealth can receive a +2, 0, -1, -2, or –3 step bonus for a Teach, Specific Field (Cost 3 – D, S)
Critical Failure to an Amazing result. This skill can’t be used untrained.
WAM Jr This specialty skill expands a character's teaching
Criminal Elements (Cost 3 – R) ability. For each separate purchase of this skill the
This specialty skill helps a character make contact and character selects a profession and becomes able to teach
influence the reactions of those who are considered to skills associated with it in addition to those skills
apart of the underworld. Whenever a character wishes to belonging to the Open group.
contact and interact with these persons this skill in used. Aside from the Warrior, Rogue, Diplomat, and
This skill can enhance the Investigate, Deception, or Specialist professions a character may also select Arcane
Interaction skills when used on shady persons as teaching, Faith teaching, and Psionic teaching if he desires
described above. to also teach FX abilities as long as the student has the
ability to use abilities associated with that FX group.

82
 Chapter 3: Skills
War Craft (Cost 5 – R, W)
War Craft is a skill similar to both Survival and
Outdoors. The focus of this skill is the preparation of
armor and weapons from materials found in the wild and
from the bones of animals. In addition, this broad skill
includes a specialty skill that it focused on the
improvisation of weapons on the spur of the moment.
Most characters will prefer to have other skills like
Construction or Crafting to design their own weapons and
armor. And in truth both of those broad skills are superior
in the quality and variety of goods that can be made. While
War Craft has to outward appearance of being used
primarily by primitive or Stone Age persons, it can also be
used to great effect by those in survival situations; or for
those who do not have access to those other skills or
materials required to make weapons and armor of sturdier
material. Weapons and armor are described in the next
chapter of this book.
Bow Craft (Cost 2 – W)
By using this skill a character can make a short bow
and arrowheads of either stone or bone material. The
rules for this are the same as for the Crafting-bowyer skill
above. Other bows and crossbows are beyond the kin of
this skill however a Strength Bow may be allowed to be
made but the Complexity of such a task is increased to
Amazing.
Crude Armor (Cost 2 – W)
By the use of this skill a character can fashion a suit of
hide armor and may also make shields from hide, wood, or
even shell. The results of the skill check, when making
hide armor, can help to protect the armor from ‘disease’ as
such armor is not properly treated against rot. The quality
of the skill check (as determined by the rules for ‘Complex
Skill Checks’ above) grants the armor a modifier to its
Durability check to resist disease as follows: Marginal +2,
Ordinary 0, Good –2, Amazing –4. See Chapter 4: Weapons
and Armor for more detail on hide armor and Stone Age
shields.
Improvise Weapon (Cost 1)
Anyone can pick up a log and bash someone on the
head with it. However a skilled character can select a
weapon from the natural surroundings that has more
durability and more potential uses. This skill allows the
character to improvise a hand ax, a club, a staff, or dagger
from sticks, rocks, or branches with a successful check
result.
The quality of the result determines roughly how
many successful hits the weapon lands before a durability
check is called for. An Ordinary result allows for 2d6
blows to be landed, a Good check allows for 2d12+2
blows, and an Amazing result indicates that the
improvised weapon will not break under normal usage as
83
with other normally crafted weapons. When durability
checks are called for, use the rules given for such a case in
Chapter 4: Weapons and Armor.
WAM Jr
Weapon Craft (Cost 2 – W)
Weapon Craft allows a character to make any weapon
that is of the Stone Age. Higher Progress Level weapons
can be made but their accuracy and damage is
compromised by the lack of metal components. The rules
for making the weapon are the same as found in the
Construction-weaponry skill with the exception that a skill
check can be made per hour.
Personality Skills
Personality measures a character's interpersonal
ability and charisma. This ability and its skills are
extremely important as they are used in most
circumstances where interacting with others can be a
challenge. All Personality skills belong to a special group
call Encounter skills. A Personality feat check may be
called for to determine a supporting cast member’s initial
reaction to the character. A check may also be called for to
determine a character's general luck in a situation.
Culture (Cost 3 – D)
This skill helps a character to interact with cultures
that are different from his own. The use of this skill
assumes that the culture being related to is at least known
and understood by other to some degree. Completely alien
beings must be approached with the first encounter skill.
Use of this skill is almost always an encounter check.
Culture Modifiers
Simple concepts -1
Everyday concepts 0
Complex concepts +1
Etiquette ranks 3 – 5 -1
Etiquette ranks 6 – 8 -2
Etiquette ranks 9 – 11 -3
Etiquette rank 12 -4
Diplomacy (Cost 3 – D)
This specialty skill improves a character's ability to
negotiate and reach agreements with members of other
cultures. Interaction and its specialty skills are generally
used on members of a character's own culture, however a
Game Master may allow this skill to be used on those
persons as well. Depending on the nature of the issue to
be resolved, a simple or complex check may be called for.
The use of this skill is directly related to those cultures the
character has selected with the etiquette skill.
Etiquette, Specific Skill (Cost 2 – D)
This skill can’t be used untrained.
 Chapter 3: Skills
This skill improves a character's ability to interact
with members of a specific culture. As ranks increase the
character gains a stronger knowledge of the customs and
beliefs of that culture.
⊗ Ranks 3, 6, 9, & 12 – Increased Effect: At the indicated
ranks the use of this skill gains a cumulative –1 step
bonus.
First Encounter (Cost 3 – D)
This skill cannot be used untrained
This skill represents a character's ability to interact
with previously unknown or alien creatures that are
intelligent. In a game like this many such creatures can be
encountered per game session. Use of this skill always
requires a complex skill check and may takes weeks or
months to successfully complete. In some ways this skill
pioneers relations and cultural understanding when other
Culture skills are unusable.
Heraldry (Cost 2 – D, W)
The ability to recognize standards of enemies and
allies as well as being knowledgeable of the symbols used
by groups and persons to identify themselves can have
great value. This skill must specified for a geographic or
political region but the DM has the final say on how broad
the skill’s application can be.
Aside from being able to tell who is who and how
important they are, this skill can also allow a character to
create a code of arms or symbol that can be used to
increase the moral, respect, or even fear in others. When a
standard is designed it can have a Marginal to an Amazing
quality which renders a +1 to a –2 modifier to Encounter,
Authority, or Fame checks. These effects can be fleeting
particularly after a battle or some type of engagement in
which the strength and skill of the standards bearer can be
ascertained.
It however should go without saying that some
symbols can have a great, long lasting effect. The battle
standard of a Lich’s undead army may still frighten the
ancestors of those who fought such horrors. In today’s
world the wearing of a swastika will almost certainly invite
comment. In the same fashion symbols can inspire
courage and hope. British cavalry and troops have always
made a strong dedication to keeping their colors aloft, and
the monument of Iwo Jima where marines raise the Stars
and Stripes still inspires awe.
Religion (Cost 2 – D, W)
This skill can’t be used untrained.
In a game with so many gods and powers, characters
may find it useful to ascertain the various elements of a
given faith. Like the etiquette specialty skill a player must
specify a specific religion with the purchase of each
separate Religion skill. This specific religion can be an
entire pantheon or group of deities like Norse, Greek, or
Goblinoid, or a specific approach to religion such a
Shamanic worship or Primitive faiths and beliefs. In any
84
case this is as broad as the skill should be. Many religions
also share similar qualities and as such a character may be
allowed to make a skill check with a +3 penalty to
determine the aspects of other faiths with the DM’s
permission.
WAM Jr
Deception (Cost 5 – D, R)
This represents a character's ability to deceive others
in conversation and face-to-face interaction. While this
skill can affect the attitude of someone towards the
character, those shifts in attitude are not always long
lasting. This skill is modified by the target’s Intelligence
Resistance Modifier. The greater the level of success
achieved, the more convincing the deception appears.
Bluff (Cost 3 – D, R)
This skill increases a character's ability to lie, show
false bravado, or to mislead someone. Bluff is used to
determine the result of a character's trick, con, or lie. This
is the ability to make others believe something that isn’t
true.
On a Critical Failure the bluff is seen for what it is and
the target becomes hostile or combative. On a Failure the
character's patter is considered to be annoying and
condescending. On an Ordinary success the check
succeeds for the immediate scene however the target’s
attitude does not change. On a Good result the target’s
attitude towards the character improves by one grade for
d8+1 time units after which time he realizes that he was
tricked. An Amazing success improves the target’s attitude
by two grades and the effect lasts for d12+2 time units.
Bribe (Cost 3 – D, R)
Whenever a character wants to offer money, goods,
information, or services to get what he wants a bribe check
is called for. If the result of the skill check is a Critical
Failure the target’s attitude becomes Combative or Hostile.
On a Failure the bribe is refused but the character may try
again if he increases the value of the offer. On an Ordinary
the bribe is accepted however the target’s attitude towards
the character does not change. On a Good result the bribe
is accepted and the target’s attitude towards the character
is improved by one grade for 2d6 hours or until the
character does something to change the relationship. On
an Amazing result the bribe is accepted and the target’s
attitude towards the character is improved by two grades
for 4d6 hours or until the character does something to
change the relationship.
The size of the bribe offered may help the initial
attempt to succeed. The going rate for bribes varies widely
according to the situation but a guideline appears below.
Bribe Examples
Bribe Examples
10gp Low risk, minor infraction
50gp Low risk, ordinary infraction
 Chapter 3: Skills
200gp High risk, serious infraction
1000gp Grave risk, deadly infraction
Gamble (Cost 3 – D, R)
This skill improves a character's proficiency and luck
with games of chance. With each purchase of the specialty
skill the character selects a different game to be skilled in.
With a successful check the character can estimate odds,
determine if a game is rigged, count cards, spot a cheater
or another skilled gambler, and increase his odds at
winning.
Winning can be done honestly or by cheating. If the
character plays honestly, the winner in a gambling contest
is the person who rolls the highest success. In case of ties
to pot increases and rolls are made again. Of course a
character can ‘fold’ at anytime. The gambler receives a –2
step bonus if playing against an untrained opponent, no
bonus if the opponent has the Deception broad skill, or a
+2 penalty against an opponent who has a higher rank in
gamble then he does.
If a character decides to cheat the modifiers that apply
are –3, +1, and +3. While the chances against skilled
opponents are not as good the payoffs are higher, as are
the risks. On a Critical Failure the character is caught
cheating. On a Marginal result the character wins the pot.
If an Ordinary result is achieved the character also wins a
side bet equal to one-half the size of the pot. On a Good
success the side bet is equal to the pot and an Amazing
result increase the side bet to twice the amount of the pot.
Entertainment (Cost 4 – D, R)
This broad skill expresses a character's proficiency in
the performing arts. The greater the level of success the
character achieves, the more powerful the performance. A
Critical Failure indicates some form of bad luck occurs that
spoils the performance. An entertainer who only trying
show his audience a good time gains a –1 bonus to the
attempt. An entertainer out to make a name form himself
receives a +1 penalty. If the entertainer has an ulterior
motive, trying to shock or stun and audience or distracts
them from some occurrence, receives a +3 penalty instead.
Entertainment specialty can also be combined with
certain other skills to greater effect. Possible
combinations include act or dance with Interaction-
seduce, dance with Manipulate-pickpocket or Acrobatics,
sing with Interaction-taunt, and musical instrument with
Leadership-inspire.
⊗ Ranks 1, 4, 8, & 12 – Enhance Another Skill: A cumulative
–1 step bonus is gained to the use of another skill that is
used in concert with an Entertainment specialty skill.
All Entertainment skill checks are modified by a
target(s) Will Resistance Modifier, if any apply.
85
Act (Cost 2 – D, R)
This skill represents a talent in playing a part or
assuming a dramatic role. It also covers impersonation
and the skills of the stage. Act is intended to express a role
in the confines of a stage. Using the skill outside of these
controlled conditions usually carries a penalty.
 Rank 4 – Disguise: At rank 4 the character can use the act
skill to change his appearance or to even look like
someone else. Applying a disguise requires a complex
skill check with the complexity based on how effective
the character wishes the disguise to be. Awareness-
perception is used to determine is an onlooker can see
through the disguise. A +1 to a +3 penalty is applied for
an Ordinary to an Amazing quality disguise.
WAM Jr
Chant (Cost 2 – D)
Chant is very similar to the sing specialty skill save
that this skill is more attuned too meditative and repetitive
ritual vocalizations. Most ‘modern’ characters will not
make use of this skill as it is better related to the societies
of primitive man, however some groups like Monks or
Infantry marching units may also make use of this skill.
Because of it’s repetitiveness and ability to put those
involved in the chant into a trance like state, this skill can
apply a bonus to certain other skills. Labor or work
related skills can be enhanced like stonemasonry or
mining. With the DM’s approval some FX abilities that
have complex casting times may also benefit from this as
well. As a point of note, Calling on Fate (see Chapter 1),
the use of a Faith Feat (see Chapter 3 of book 2) or any FX
ability from the Spirit Magic broad skill group can always
benefit from the chant. Such modifications or bonuses are
the same as those for any Entertainment skill.
Dance (Cost 2 – D, R)
This skill represents an entertainer’s ability to follow
set steps or improvised movements to the rhythm of
music. The greater the success, the more inspiring the
dance.
Fortune Telling (Cost 3 – D, R)
Most people realize, to one degree or another, that
fortune telling and similar prognostications are false. Yet
even still people enthusiastically read their horoscopes
and know their zodiac sign by heart. The primary art of
this skill is telling people what they want to hear, and for
that service people will pay handsomely. This skill uses
the same rules as those for other Entertainment skills but
the DM, in a fit of creativity, may allow Amazing results to
actually have some real effect. Also, the Interaction-
interview skill can grant a bonus to the use of this skill as if
it were an Entertainment skill.
Juggling (Cost 3 – D, R)
Juggling several items before a crowd can be very
entertaining. The difficulty associated with such feats can
 Chapter 3: Skills
correspond directly to the amount of money one can earn
while making use of this skill. Situation Modifiers for this
skill increase in difficulty by the number of items being
juggled, whether the items are different than each other, or
if they are on fire. These modifiers usually range from +1
to +4 with the DM deciding upon a final number based on
these criteria.
The fine art of juggling has a few other applications
other than its entertainment value. First of all this skill can
be use instead of the Athletics-throw skill (however
strength still determines range) if desired. The juggler
may also attempt to catch objects thrown at him or her.
The base penalty for this is a +2 and like a parry, the
character must have a success of equal or greater value. If
not then the character takes damage as normal.
Musical Instrument (Cost 2 – D, R)
This skill can’t be used untrained.
Each purchase of this specialty skill must be specified
for a particular musical instrument.
Sing (Cost 2 – D, R)
This skill expresses the ability to carrying a note or
singing a song. A character with this specialty skill has a
strong and melodious voice with higher ranks improving
the caliber of a performance.
Ventriloquism (Cost 4 – D, R)
This skill can’t be used untrained.
This is the art of throwing one’s voice so as to make
others think that the character (or another person
entirely) is somewhere else, or the voice originates from a
source like a puppet or a container. The range for this feat
is no more than 3 meters but this can be increased by one
meter for rank that the character has with this specialty
skill.
A person subject to this skill can make an Awareness-
perception skill check to recognize a fraud. Critical
Failures are obvious while Ordinary to Amazing successes
impose a +1 to a +3 penalty to the detection attempt.
Interaction (Cost 3)
Interaction provides a character with the basic skills
required in relating to members of the same species or
culture. Aside from those modifiers listed on the table
below, a target’s Will Resistance Modifier can also apply a
penalty to all Interaction skills. It should be noted
however that neither Hostile nor Fanatic attitudes can be
altered by use these skills. On the other hand the effects of
attitude changes are longer lasting than those produced by
Deception or Entertainment skills.
WAM Jr
Interaction Modifiers
Target is different species +2
Target is different culture +2
Target/Character relationship:
86
Strangers +1
Known to each other 0
Acquainted -1
For the bargain skill only:
Opponent has no ranks in bargain -2
Opponent has ranks in bargain 0
Supply is low +2
Supply is moderate 0
Supply is high -1
Demand is low -2
Demand is moderate 0
Demand is high +2
Bargain (Cost 3 – D, S)
This skill represents the ability to make and close
deals of all kinds. It provides a character with the ability to
haggle, negotiate, and bluster his way through his way
through a deal. The greater the degree of success, the
better the deal turns out to be for the character making it.
Charm (Cost 3 – D, R)
This specialty represents a character's ability to
change the attitudes of those he interacts with. By
presenting himself in a friendly and likable manner he
seeks to charm others into giving up something, whether it
is actual goods or a change of attitude towards the
character. It is not necessary to use this skill on those that
already have Charmed or Fanatic attitudes towards the
character and the skill cannot be used on those with
Combative or Hostile attitudes. This leaves Neutral and
Friendly attitudes that can be effected by this skill.
Interview (Cost 3 – D, R)
This skill allows a character to get information from
another character. It differs from Investigate-interrogate
in the amount of aggressiveness applied; in fact many
targets do not realize they are even being ‘interviewed’.
Unlike interrogate however this skill cannot be used on
Hostile or Combative targets.
Intimidate (Cost 3 – W)
This skill allows the character to threaten another
character; forcing him to back down, reveal information, or
to cooperate due to fear. It’s not possible to intimidate a
Combative or Fanatic person. The degree of success
achieved the more cooperative the other character is.
Seduce (Cost 3 – D, R)
The seduce skill represents a character's ability to
entice or beguile another character through opening lines,
playful conversation, or intimate behavior. To seduce
another person is to manipulate their emotions through
planned exchanges.
The final goal of seduce is gain the other character's
trust or cooperation through romantic overtures. This
 Chapter 3: Skills
skill can only be used on those whose attitudes are
Friendly or better. To accomplish this an Ordinary result
or greater is required.
Seduction doesn’t last forever. If the target becomes
Charmed, the seduction works well enough that seduce
checks are only required once per week, in which the
character feigns a continued interest in the seduced party.
If the target becomes Fanatic the seduction works so well
that they fall in love with seducer.
Every time the seducer asks for a favor the seduced
character makes a Will feat check. A +1 penalty applies if
they are Charmed, and a +3 penalty applies if they are
Fanatic. If the Will feat check is passed their attitude shifts
one step towards Neutral. Once the seduced character's
attitude shifts to Friendly, he or she no longer behaves as
though seduced.
Taunt (Cost 2)
This skill represents the character's ability to trade
insults. A successful check can cause and opponent to
become rattled or even attempt an action he knows is
against his best interest. This skill has no effect on
Charmed or Fanatic persons.
On a Critical Failure the target uses the insult to fuel
his own rage, gaining a –2 step bonus to his next action.
On a Failure the taunt has no effect. On an Ordinary to an
Amazing success the target suffers a +1 to a +3 penalty to
their next action. In the case of an Amazing result the
target’s attitude shifts on step towards Combative.
Generally this skill can only be attempted on an individual
once per scene. Taunt is modified by the targets starting
attitude.
On a Critical Failure the leader confuses his followers,
who receive a +1 penalty instead. No further Leadership
checks can be made this scene.
On a Failure the followers receive no bonus, but the
leader may attempt another check in the next round.
On an Ordinary result as many as two followers
receive the bonus for the remainder of the current round
and all of the next round.
On a Good success as many as four followers can
receive the leadership bonus.
On an Amazing success as many as six followers can
receive the leadership bonus.
⊗ Ranks 4, 8, & 12 – Increased Effect: At the indicated ranks
the character gains a cumulative –1 step bonus to the
use of either specialty skill.
Command (Cost 4 – D, W)
This specialty skill improves a character's ability
command others as per the rules of the broad skill.
Inspire (Cost 4 – D, W)
This skill can’t be used untrained.
This skill represents the ability to command by
example. The skill is used basically in the same that
Interaction-charm is used. The one major difference is
that inspire can be used Hostile and Combative targets.
WM Jr

Taunt Modifiers
Target is Combative -2
Target is Hostile -1
Target is Neutral 0
Target is Friendly +1

Leadership (Cost 4)
This skill expresses a character's ability to coordinate
others into effective groups so that they perform better.
Only one character can assume the role of leader at a time.
Using the skill costs an action and provides a –1 step to
bonus to all actions performed in the remainder of the
current round and all of the next round. The skill check is
modified by the attitudes of the targets and any modifiers
shown on the table below.

Leadership Modifiers
Targets are use to being lead -2
Targets recognize leader’s authority 0
Targets don’t recognize leader’s authority +2

87
 Chapter 4: Weapons & Armor
One the most common tools that characters have to
deal with threats and enemies is their weapons and armor.
While skills and magic can save the day, having a trusty
weapon is usually a good idea. This chapter is divided into
to several groups, each detailing a different weapon group
as well as armor. There are Melee Weapons, Ranged
Weapons, and Heavy Weapons. Armor is described at the
end of the chapter.
Progress Levels
Weapons through the ages have changed a lot. While
each new age brings changes in weapons and armor, the
fantasy setting has a strange way of holding onto the past.
It should be no surprise to find characters with a variety of
Progress Level gear. A Warrior may have a Musket (PL3),
and a Hand Ax as back up (PL1). Similarly he may also
wear Leather Armor, Chain Mail, or a Leather Coat; all of
which may be normally available.
Each progress level adds a new concept in the way
that weapons are made and used. The progress levels
below are considered standard. This means that in the
‘normal’ course of time, these are the way in which
weapons and armor will evolve. This is not always the
case however. Some worlds may proceed from The Iron
Age straight into the Magic Age depending on
circumstances and common knowledge. Others may have
never had a Stone Age (a product of divine genesis) being
brought into the world with Middle Age technology.
Chapter 7: The Campaign will discuss these options in
more detail, but for now we will concentrate on weapons
and armor.
Progress Level 0: The Stone Age
Stone Age weapons are primarily made of bone, stone,
or wood. It should be said that not just any piece of timber
can serve as a club, staff, or spear. If a player uses some
part of his or her surroundings as a weapon, Stone Age
weapons are the models for their use. Stone Age weapons
are the most basic weapons that can be found. For rules
purposes a small tree branch that is used as a club must
make Durability check every time it is used to strike an
opponent. If it fails the check then it suffers the same
amount of damage caused to the target.
The art of making lasting Stone Age weapons is
accomplished with the War Craft-bow craft, weapon craft,
and crude armor skills. Armor from this progress level is
little more than the hides of animal roughly sewn together.
It may be possible that the protection offered by the armor
was discovered later, after it was used to keep the
primitives warm during Ice Age conditions.
Progress Level 1: The Iron Age
The discovery of iron and other metals greatly
enhances the quality of weapons. As agrarian societies
grow and people begin to specialize in lines of work, much
advancement becomes possible. The strongest force of
87
civilization in this type of progress level would be one that
is similar to the Roman Empire at its peak. This is also the
time period that heavy weapons make their presence
known (and felt).
Progress Level 2: The Middle Ages
The Middle Ages (or the Dark Ages as it is sometimes
called) features an increase in the knowledge of
metallurgy. As tall castle walls are built, larger more
dangerous siege equipment is invented. This age is the
height of grand and full-bodied armor as well. This is the
progress level most often identified with the standard
fantasy game world. AD&D campaigns like Greyhawk, the
Forgotten Realms, Dragon Lance, and Birthright all belong
to this age.
Progress Level 3: The Age of Gunpowder
The discovery of gunpowder and its application to
firearms changes the manner in which war is waged.
Heavy armor is now a liability in front of the gun.
However, melee weapon technology continues to increase
with the introduction the rapier, a thin but deadly weapon,
and the cavalryman’s saber; both of which favor fast
movement and mounted combat.
Progress Level 4: The Tinker Age
Miniaturization of gears and clockworks makes the
use of ‘tinkered’ weapons by an individual possible. While
firearm technology continues this age introduces the
Arrow Gun, a tinkered device that while being simple in
concept is deadly in application. Melee weapons
development still persists, but is usually a product of
support to the use of firearms, like the Bayonet.
Progress Level 5: The Age of Magic
This age represents the possibility that as a fantasy
setting grows and ages the knowledge of magic becomes
more common place. Alteration and Enchantment spells
allow for objects to possess long lasting charges without
the time consuming (and often expensive) process of
enchanting an item. While standard FX items can appear
in all progress levels, the wonders of this age are common
place and fairly easy to manufacture.
Weapons Rules
Before delving into the weapons and armor lists lets
take a moment to understand some common rules shared
by several types of weapons. These rules may apply to
some or all of the weapons that will be detailed later. For
now, review the rules and keep them in mind as you read
further.
Throwing a Weapon
Most melee weapons can be thrown. How effective
they are when this is done can be another story. The
 Chapter 4: Weapons & Armor
Range Modifiers table below presents a thrown weapon includes this information in its description. The reach
with one of three options. If the “Skill’ entry for the bonus allows the character an ‘attack area’ which is usually
weapon indicates the use of the Throw skill, then the two or three meters out from the character’s space.
weapon uses the throwing Situation Modifiers for the Individual weapons give their own details for this rule.
‘Designed for throwing’ entry found on page 57 of the
Alternity Player's Handbook. Otherwise the weapon is Range Modifiers
either a ‘Not for throwing’ or ‘Heavy’ weapon depending The table below sums the numerous range
on its type. Common sense should be used in this case. A modifiers for all types of weapons used in this game. Note
spear or a hand axe is normally ‘Not for throwing’ while a that ‘Heavy’ is for throwing large objects not for Heavy
lance or a long sword are ‘Heavy’. Weapons themselves.
This provides us with a rule that AD&D never did. Can
a character throw his long sword at an enemy? Yes! It Range Modifiers
may not have a rousing effect, but a character can do this Type Melee Short Medium Long
none the less. In accordance with the skills in chapter 4, a Direct Fire / Rifle +1 -1 0 +1
character could take the Athletics-Specific skill great ax Bow / Crossbow -1 -1 +1 +2
throwing if it is desired. Indirect Fire +4 +2 -2 0
Designed for Throwing -1 -1 +1 +2
Weapon Quality Not for Throwing +1 +1 +2 +3
Heavy, thrown +4 +4 N/A N/A
As mentioned in Chapter 3: Skills the results of a Pistol -1 -1 +1 +3
Crafting skill can determine the quality of a weapon in
several ways. To review these modifiers refer to the table The ‘Melee’ column indicates the use of ranged attacks
below. against an opponent that is within melee range that phase;
not a modifier for melee weapons themselves. Some
Category Penalty Bonus weapons may not be able to be used in this fashion (like
Accuracy +1 step –1 step catapults) as determined by the DM or stated in the rules
Damage –1 point +1 point for a weapon.
Durability –1 +1
Actions –1 +1
Range –10% +10%
Melee Weapons
These adjustments are not cumulative; each can only Melee weapons are described below in the order of the
be selected once by the smith crafting the weapon. A Progress Level in which they appear.
Marginal weapon has a single penalty. Good quality
weapons have a single bonus and Amazing weapons have PL 0: The Stone Age
three different bonuses. Stone Age weapons are simple in concept and form the
base for most other weapons used in higher progress
Hands levels.
‘Hands’ is presented as an optional rule that indicates
how many hands are required by the character to use the Club
weapon in question. Each weapon listed on the table for The club may very well be the first weapon ever used
Melee Weapons is given a number that indicates how by early man. In a pinch a table leg, belaying pin, branding
many hands (two at the most) are required to wield the iron, or other sturdy piece of wood can be used as a club.
weapon properly. Some weapons, like those of giants, If characters want to creative and arm a club with
require more ‘Hands’ to use. The Character Size table in spikes then use the statistics for a mace.
Chapter 1: Hero Creation gives details on how ‘Hands’ can
be modified for characters with differing mass. Dagger
All knives, stilettos, and other such weapons are
Melee Ranges and ‘Reach’ included in this category (except for the bayonet and the
Typically speaking, if a character can physically reach combat knife described later).
an opponent during a phase then they may attack that
person with a melee weapon. When hex or square grid Punch
maps are used however, a little more detail may be The punch is the basic unarmed attack available to a
needed. The general rule is that if the scale of the map is person who lacks claws or other natural weapons. While
one meter per space then a character can attack any doing the least amount of damage when compared to other
person within or adjacent to their space. melee weapons, they are free and can be used as often as
Polearms add an extra consideration to this rule in the character has actions.
that they have a reach bonus. Each weapon of this group
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 Chapter 4: Weapons & Armor
Quarter Staff
The simple but effective Quarter Staff remains a highly
popular weapon even into Progress Level 5 and above.
The accuracy of –1 step also makes the weapon very
appealing to those who do not express a desire to expand
their weapons training (like Arcane Adepts for example).
Spear
The spear grants a reach bonus of one meter outside of
the normal melee range allowed. Primitive spears are not
good throwing weapons but, if the DM allows, more
advanced spears can be allowed to use the modifiers for
‘Designed for throwing’ weapons.
PL 1: The Iron Age
The introduction of metal allows for a multitude of
arms and armor. The highlights of this age are gladiators
armed with short swords and wearing leather armor.
Cestus
This is the more dangerous brother of the Gauntlet.
The cestus is a favored gladiatorial weapon and the
damage it can cause is considerable for unarmed combat.
Because of their reputation, a person wearing cestus looks
like he wants to fight and they can attract unwanted
attention if worn casually.
Chain
The chain is a weapon that is about 2 meters or more
in length and has a weighted end. A chain can be used to
thrash a target causing the indicated damage, or it can be
used as a whip to intimidate or entangle opponents. Being
somewhat clumsier than a leather whip, intimidation
attempts are made at a +1 penalty, however their
increased weight a +1 penalty is applied to the first
attempt made by an overpowered target to free
themselves.
Gauntlet
This weapon is a metal sheath that fits over the
outside of the hand, providing slightly better damage in a
fistfight. Gauntlets are considered a natural part of suits of
plate mail armor.
Hand Ax
A tool that became a weapon, the hand ax consists of a
short wooden handle with a heavy, single-edged cutting
head. Primitive axes can be made from carving stone, but
the majority of axes at higher progress levels have metal
heads.
Lasso
The purpose of a lasso is to entangle a target or to
ensnare an object. The lasso uses all of the rules for the
whip (see Chapter 3: Skills) except that it does not cause
damage and only has the called shot/entangling options
89
available. Game Masters may decide that improved use of
a lasso requires the Athletics-specific skill. If so the lasso
should still gain the Called Shot and Increased Effect rank
benefits given for a whip.
A lasso is a ‘Designed for Throwing’ weapon.
Mace
A mace is a club with a blunt stone or iron head fitted
to one end. Some of these heads may be studded, flanged,
or spiked.
Net
The net, as a weapon, is a 3 to 4 meter circular net
with weights around the edges and a trailing rope used to
guide the net and pull it away. It is usually folded in such a
way that it twirls open when thrown. It is tossed with one
hand, while the other hand holds the guide rope.
A successful hit indicates that an opponent is trapped
any must try to break free with a Strength feat check. If
the attack was Good then an additional +1 penalty applies,
and if the attack was Amazing a +3 penalty applies
instead. A netted person losses one step to any strength or
dexterity Resistance Modifier they may have, even if this
provides a –1 step bonus to an attacker.
If a net is thrown and misses it is open and unfolded.
Refolding a net requires an action and using an unfolded
net imposes a +1 penalty to its use. Nets may also be used
to parry or perform certain called shots like disarm
normally with no undo penalties as long as they are folded.
A net is a ‘Designed for Throwing’ weapon.
Sickle
Favored among nature priests and Druids due to its
ties to agriculture, the Sickle is a farming tool that can be
used in times of war
Scourge
A Scourge is a short whip with several tails or thongs.
Each thong ahs metal barbs, broken glass, or other sharp
fragments along its length.
The scourge is often associated with torture and is
rarely used by heroes. Those that regularly use such
weapons are generally associated with organizations that
rely on torture or with religions that promote pain and
cruelty.
Short Sword
The short sword consists of a handle designed for one-
handed use and a blade that’s longer than a dagger’s. The
blade is pointed and used for thrusting.
Trident
Tridents have a reach of one meter, which is the same
as that for a spear. Tridents are not generally used for
combat as they are fishing tools (to which they add a –1
 Chapter 4: Weapons & Armor
bonus) but may find themselves on the battlefield in
coastal areas or in the hands of sea-going races.
Whip
The majority of the rules concerning a whip are in
Chapter 3: Skills. Whips also have a ‘reach’ that extends
out by one meter beyond the character’s melee space.
lance becomes a weapon of choice among knights.
Polearms also undergo many changes that allow them to
differ in use than the spear.
Broad Sword
The heavy, double-bladed broad sword features a
meter-long blade designed for both cutting and slashing.

PL 2: The Middle Ages

Having had several centuries to experiment, melee
weapons know grow large in size and lethalness. Also, the
Melee Weapons Table
Weapon Skill Acc Damage Actions Hands Hide Mass Cost
Progress Level 0: The Stone Age
Club Bludgeon 0 d4+1s/d4w/d4+1w 3 1 +1 2 1cp
Dagger Blades 0 d4w/d4+1w/d4+2w 4 1 +3 1 2gp
Punch Brawl 0 d4s/d4+1s/d4+2s 4 1 N/A N/A N/A
Quarter Staff Bludgeon -1 d4+1s/d4+3s/d6w 3 2 - 2 1sp
Spear Polearms 0 d4w/d4+2w/d4m 3 1 - 2 8sp
Progress Level 1: The Iron Age
Cestus Brawl 0 d6+1s/d4w/d4+2w 4 1 +1 1 1gp
Chain Whip +2 d6+1s/d4+1w/d6+1w 3 2 +1 3 5sp
Gauntlet Brawl 0 d4+1s/d4+2s/d4-1w 4 1 +3 1 5sp
Hand Ax Blades 0 d4+1w/d4+2w/d4+3w 3 1 +2 1 1gp
Lasso Throw +1 Special 1 2 +3 0.5 2sp
Mace Bludgeon 0 d6+1s/d4+1w/d6+1w 2 1 +1 2 8gp
Net Throw 0 None 1 2 +1 3 5gp
Sickle Blades +1 d4w/d4+1w/d4+2w 2 1 +2 1 6sp
Scourge Whip 0 d4+1s/d6+1s/d4+1w 2 1 +2 0.5 1gp
Short Sword Blades 0 d4w/d6w/d6+2w 3 1 +1 2 10gp
Trident Polearms 0 d4+1w/d6+1w/d4+1m 3 1 - 2 15gp
Whip Whip 0 d4s/d6s/d4w 2 1 +2 0.5 1sp
Progress Level 2: The Middle Ages
Broad Sword Blades 0 d4+2w / d6+2w / d4m 2 1 - 4 15gp
Flail Bludgeon +1 d6+2s / d4+2w / d6+2w 2 1 - 4 10gp
Great Ax Blades +1 d6+1w / d6+2w / d4+1m 2 2 - 5 5gp
Great Maul Bludgeon +1 d6+1s / d6w / d6+1w 2 2 - 5 2gp
Great Sword Blades +1 d6+2w / d8+3w / d4+1m 2 2 - 7 50gp
Lance Jousting +1 d4+2w / d4+4w / d6m 1 2 - 10 10gp
Long Sword Blades 0 d4+1w / d6+2w / d4+1m 3 1 - 4 15gp
Pole Arm Polearms +1 d6+1w / d4+3w / d4+1m 1 2 - 5 7gp
War Hammer Bludgeon 0 d6+1s / d4+1w / d6+1w 3 1 +1 2 2gp
Progress Level 3: The Age of Gunpowder
Cutlass Blades +1 d4+1w / d6+1w / d6+3w 3 1 +1 3 12gp
Rapier Blades -1 d4w / d4+1w / d4+2w 3 1 +2 1 15gp
Saber Blades 0 d4w / d4+2w / 2d4+1w 3 1 +1 2 17gp
Progress Level 4: The Tinker Age
Bayonet Blades +1 d4w / d4+2w / d4m 3 2 - 2 8gp
Blast Hammer Bludgeon +1 d6+1s / d6w / d6+1w 1 2 - 6 50gp
Cavalry Sword Blades 0 d4w / d4+2w / 2d4+1w 3 2 +1 2 30gp
Combat Knife Blades 0 d4+1w / d4+2w / d4+3w 4 1 +3 1 25gp
Progress Level 5: The Magic Age
Sheath Weapon Varies by type + ‘-1’ Varies by Type varies varies varies varies base x50

Flail attached by a chain to an iron rod, a spiked rod, or a spiked

The common threshing flail, modified for war, is a iron ball.
potent weapon. It consists of a sturdy wooden handle
Great Ax
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 Chapter 4: Weapons & Armor
This weapon consists of a stout wooden shaft, 2
meters long, with a curved, single-edged blade at one end.
It does impressive damage but takes two hands to wield.
Great Maul
A large and often clumsy weapon, the great maul
rarely finds use on the battlefield. This weapon consists of
a heavy wooden hammer that is iron bound for additional
support. Like a Great Ax, this weapon requires two hands
to wield properly.
Great Sword
Great swords include all types of large blades that
require a medium sized person to use two hands when
wielding. A Great Sword is similar in appearance to a
Broad Sword but is long, almost 2 meters.
Lance
The term ‘lance’ originally referred to spears wielded
by footmen and cavalry. It eventually referred on to
cavalry spears. Generally, the lance is a long shaft of tough
wood with an iron head in the shape of a laurel or willow
leaf, with cutting edges and a sharp point to penetrate
armor. The Lance is designed to be gripped close to one
end. A lance usually features a rest, an important part of
the lance that helps to absorb some the impact of a landed
blow and to help prevent dropping the lance all together.
Using a lance relies on the Athletics-joust skill and it is
used in tandem with Animal Handling-animal riding.
Lances use the combat rules for Mounted Combat as
described in Chapter 8: Gamers in Action of this book.
Some lances are also fitted with blunt ends for
tournaments where deadly and severe injury is not
desired. The blunted end lowers the wound damage to
stun damage, and mortal damage to wound damage.
Long Sword
This sword is a longer version of the broad sword and
may be more common than the broad sword in some
locations. Most long swords are designed for use with one
hand however some are made with a longer grip. These
swords are typically called Bastard swords and allow the
wielder to apply a +1 to damage when used two-handed
but the Actions allowed by the weapon becomes a 2
instead of 3.
Pole Arm
These long modifications to the common spear have a
reach of two meters beyond the normal melee space of a
character. The down side of this is that polearms cannot
be used on opponents who are within one meter of the
character. For this reason most soldiers who carry a pole
arm also have a dagger of short sword for back up. It
requires two hands to use a pole arm.
Polearms may also have other features that are
attributed to the variety of ‘heads’ that have been made for
91
them over the ages. Such options are discussed in the
Weapons Options section at the end of this chapter.
War Hammer
The war hammer is a descendent of the Lucerne
hammer, a type of pole arm, designed for use by a mounted
soldier. Since that time war hammers have grown in
popularity as a foot soldiers primary weapon. A typical
war hammer has a short, metal reinforced wood shaft and
a metal head. Must heads have a spiked tip, a blunt side,
and another spiked side opposite of the blunted head.
Some assumptions of a war hammer’s appearance
feature it as a solidly blunt weapon. If a player desires that
type of weapon, use the statistics for a Mace instead. War
hammer can also be used as tools and can even aid in
climbing or skills like Construction-carpentry.
PL 3: The Age of Gunpowder
With the introduction of firearms, melee weapons
begin to take a back seat in the arena of warfare.
Variations of the sword grow, while development of in
other personal arms slows down.
Cutlass
The weapon made famous by pirates, the cutlass
features a curved, single-edged blade with a heavy basket
hilt. If desired the basket hilt can be used as a Gauntlet.
Rapier
With the demise of armor on the battlefield, the rapier
came into use as the gentleman’s weapon of choice. A long,
straight sword with very little cutting power, the rapier is
primarily used as a thrusting weapon.
Saber
The favored hand-to-hand weapon of the cavalry, a
saber has a slightly curved, double-edged blade that gives
maximum slashing power.
PL 4: The Tinker Age
Tooling and increased technology allows for the
introduction of several types of melee weapons in an age
dominated by firearms and tinkered weapons.
Bayonet
Originally a dagger crudely attached to a fire arm’s
muzzle, the bayonet eventually becomes a standard
attachment. In effect, a bayonet turns a rifle into a spear.
Blast Hammer
Originally intended as a tool to blow open doors and
locks, the blast hammer is a maul with a shape-charged
explosive in the head. When the hammer lands a blow it
inflicts damage as a great maul, and then it detonates with
a force equal to that of a grenade except that there is no
area of effect. The quality of the attack result determines
 Chapter 4: Weapons & Armor
the damage for the explosion. Therefor a Good result does
good damage for both a great maul and a grenade. Critical
Failures with this weapon cause the head to explode as a
grenade normally does including the area of effect.
It goes without saying that this is a one-shot weapon.
Cavalry Sword
Historically designed by the British in 1908, this is a
perfect thrusting weapon. In ways similar to a lance, the
cavalry sword allows for the horse’s strength modifier for
damage to be used if it is higher than that of the mounted
soldier. This rule is described in Chapter 8: Gamers in
Action.
Combat Knife
Advanced tooling and knowledge of metallurgy allows
for a more durable and dangerous blade. Combat knives
typically have channels, teeth, and groves to maximize the
damage they cause when impaled into an opponent. In
essence, the combat knife is a dagger of good quality. The
tooling and crafting of the weapon considers that
advancements in crafting these weapons allow for the
automatic inclusion of the “Damage +1” weapon quality.
PL 5: The Age of Magic
While magical items have been apart of all previous
ages, Progress Level 5 represents the concept that the
creation of FX items is made routine and easy. Weapons
and armor from this age strongly resemble their standard
magical cousins as described at the end of this chapter and
in chapter 13 of book 2.
One of the abilities of weapons in this age is the use of
Invocation magic to create an energy version of a standard
arm. These weapons resemble a standard weapon of that
type except in the area of the handle; which is hollow.
Inside the handle are two gems empowered with magic
that when touch together, by activation of a button on the
handle, the weapon is enshrouded with a cloak of magical
energy. The net effect is that the weapon causes Energy
damage instead of Low Impact damage. In addition the
accuracy of the weapon improves by one step. These
factors are in addition to any Quality or Magnitude
bonuses a weapon may have (see Magic Weapons & Armor
at the end of this chapter).
The gems have enough power for 25 uses, and each
use provides 10 minutes of power. Even in a PL5
environment, these weapons are expensive. Multiply the
base cost of the weapon by 50 to determine their average
costs.
Sheath Weapon
The Sheath Weapon is a generic name for weapons
that use the details discussed above. Virtually any melee
weapon can be used in this manner unless the Game
Master feels otherwise. Ranged and Heavy Weapons do
not use these rules. They have PL5 weapons of their own.
92
Ranged Weapons
When you can attack your enemy from afar you reduce
the risk to yourself. Ranged weapons have been around
since the dawn of time and remain the most valuable of
weapons on the battlefield.
PL 0: The Stone Age
Primitive ranged weapons remain simple, but are
often commonly used even in higher progress levels. It
should come as no surprise that a culture’s police force
may use a modern bola, or slings to hurl explosive rounds
in combat.
Atlatl
Being nothing more than a short stick with an angled
handle and a grove along its length for an arrow or dart,
the atlatl is a simple but useful weapon. As the
predecessor to the bow, atlatls were probably the first
weapons to allow mankind to ‘reach out and touch
someone’. An atlatl uses the equivalent of a short bow’s
arrow for ammunition. Game Masters can make exception
where they deem they are needed.
Blowgun
An excellent hunter’s tool, blowguns find modern use
in the hands of assassins and bounty hunters. At all
progress levels, poisoned darts are preferred. As stated for
the Ranged Weapons-blowgun skill, range modifiers are
used for thrown weapons however range itself is based on
the users Constitution score instead of Strength. This is
derived from the rules governing ‘holding one’s breath’
and represents the endurance and power from a sharp
exhale.
Bola
The bola is a ranged weapon that operates much like a
lasso or a net in that the idea is capture prey by
entanglement. Use of a bola uses Overpowering rules and
the +1 accuracy modifier already considers the penalty for
and Overpowering attack. A successful hit forces the
target to make a Strength feat check to resist
entanglement. Good and Amazing results of a hit imposes
an additional +1 or +2 penalty to the feat check.
Regardless of whether a target is entangled or not, a
successful hit causes the indicated damage. A bola that is
held in hand can also be used to parry attacks or disarm
opponents normally.
Boomerang
Boomerangs are useful hunting tools in that they have
the special ability to arc and return to a point close to
where they were thrown. If a failure is the result of a
throw the character can immediately make another throw
skill check to attempt to catch the boomerang. The
boomerang will return in the next phase of the round, but
 Chapter 4: Weapons & Armor
it does require an action to catch the boomerang upon
return.
Rock, thrown
Perhaps the first missile weapon used, a thrown rock
is always the last resort but is usually a plentiful weapon.
Short Bow
This is a simple bow mad from a single piece of wood.
Even in higher progress levels, the short bow remains a
very common weapon for hunting.
Sling
This weapon is a simple looped strap in which a stone
is whirled and then let fly. Small stones originally serve as
ammunition, however at PL 1 and higher metal bullets are
used which increase the range by 10 meters per category.
PL 1: The Iron Age
Versions of Stone Age weapons remain however they
are fitted with iron or bronze heads. This age also
enhances older ranged weapons and adds a few unique
weapons as well.
Dart
Darts are small throwing weapons that can resemble
small knives or crossbow quarrels. The dart is quick,
makes an excellent throwing weapon, and is very easy to
throw in mass. If a character wants to throw two darts in
the same phase, then a +1 penalty is applied to first dart
and a +2 penalty to the second. Characters with 3 or 4
attacks may throw more darts however the penalties are
cumulative so that throwing four darts incurs a +1, +2,
+3, and +4 penalty for each dart thrown.
Elven Bow
Elven bows are culturally specific short bows that rely
on exact curves and meticulous detail to provide better
accuracy and damage. Elves do not generally sell these
weapons as a factor of their culture; they are more often
rewarded to friends and heroes. The price given generally
reflects a sale where an elf is not concerned.
Grenade, Fiery
This weapon is a small liquid container filled with a
mixture of pitch and Greek Fire that is lit before throwing.
When it hits the contents splash and combust providing for
a limit area of effect of 1/2/3 meters.
Though simple in nature, this grenade is used in future
Progress Levels by mobs and terrorists as they can be
mass-produced easily and at little cost.
Javelin
93
A light throwing spear, sometimes fashioned from
metal, the javelin is often used in hunting. Its balance and
mass make it an ideal throwing weapon, increasing the
wielder’s normal throwing range by 50 percent in each
category.
Strength Bow
A strength bow is made from hardwoods, which gives
a normal short bow a greater pull and released force. The
ranges for this bow use modifiers for bows but the
distances are determined by the user strength times 2 per
category. While this gives the weapon greater ranges for
strong persons, weaker shooters can find he strength bow
to difficult to utilize properly. A side effect of the bows
increased pull is that the user can add any bonuses for a
high strength score to the damage of the weapon.
The trick of having a high strength comes into play
when the bow must be strung. This is achieved by a
strength contest between the bow and the character using
the character vs. character rules. Most strength bows are
assumed to have a strength score of 11 but others may be
higher like the bow of Odysseus.
PL 2: The Middle Ages
Tinkering introduces a system of mechanisms that
allow for the birth of the crossbow. While the concept is
simple, it will act as a catalyst for future weapons that rely
on complex moving parts. This age is however dominated
by the long bow.
Crossbow
Consisting of a bow mounted crosswise on a wooden
or metal stock, the crossbow is fired much like a gun.
Although slower and clumsier than a lone bow, it out-
ranges the bow and has superior striking power.
It takes one action to load a crossbow, and one action
to fire it.
Harpoon
Primarily designed as a hunting weapon, the harpoon
can be used in times of defense. When successfully used
against a target, damage is determined normally. The
harpoon may also be used in melee if the character is
pressed. This use of the harpoon requires the Melee
Weapons-pole arm skill; and damage is treated as a spear.
When used to attack large game, the harpoon can be
especially deadly. After a successful hit, which causes at
least one point of primary damage, the target can make a
strength feat check to snap the line or be freed of the
harpoon. Doing so however inflicts an additional 1d4+1w
on the prey. After every failed strength feat check (Game
Masters can determine the intervals between checks) the
beast must also roll a Stamina-endurance check to resist
fatigue.
 Chapter 4: Weapons & Armor
Heavy Crossbow
While somewhat clumsier and slower than the
standard crossbow, this weapon does enjoy a much
greater range. As such, the heavy crossbow is a preferred
weapon for snipers and assassins.
Like the standard crossbow, it takes one action to load
the heavy crossbow and one action to fire it.
Long Bow
A famous weapon, the long bow actually exceeds many
firearms in range, accuracy, and rate of fire and does
nearly as much damage. The long bow remains a weapon
of choice long after the introduction of firearms.
Repeating Crossbow
A variation of the crossbow, this version features an
ammunition box mounted on top of the weapon and a pull-
bar that allows the weapon to loaded and fired in one
action. This feature however reduces the crossbows pull
so that both range and damage are reduced. Normally the
ammo box can hold 10 quarrels.
PL 3: The Age of Gunpowder
The introduction of firearms begins in this progress
level. The first weapon of this type is the Arquebus and is
later followed by better options. Some Game Masters may
feel that the Arquebus is the height of firearm technology
in his or her campaign.
Arquebus
The first firearm invented by man, the Arquebus is a
crude matchlock weapon that is best used in a volley of fire
instead of sniping.
Grenade, Powder
This grenade is a small metal ball or tube that is
packed tightly with gunpowder and includes a fuse. The
area of effect for the Powder Grenade is 2/4/6.
Hand Crossbow
Originally created by the Drow, this little weapon is
most effective when the tip of the quarrel is coated with
poison. The hand crossbow is placed at this progress level
in terms of human engineering and assumes that humans
and other surface dwellers develop the weapon later than
the Drow. This can be changed if the Game Master feels
that it is necessary.
Long Rifle
This firearm features a lengthened barrel and fires a
smaller shot. While accuracy and range are improved, the
damage is not as good.
Musket
The most overall successful weapon of the age, the
musket fires a large ball that deserves respect.
94
Wheel Lock
The Wheel Lock is little more than a hand held version
of the Arquebus. Being the first pistol sized use of a
firearm the wheel lock offers a Hide factor and is a good
weapon for short-range conflicts in the opening phases.
PL 4: The Tinker Age
Vast improvements on firearms take place during this
age. Tinkering and continued miniaturization of gears and
springs also makes wonders like the needle gun and the
automatic crossbow possible.
Automatic Crossbow
This marvel appears near the end of this age. The
auto-bow, as it is often called, is basically a smaller version
of the Arrow Gun. While the damage is less, this weapon
provides any common soldier the ability to establish a base
of fire and to use suppressive fire as well. As such, the
repeating crossbow allows for both burst and auto-fire
capabilities.
The weapon resembles a crossbow and is held the
same way. When the powerful spring is pulled back the
weapon has enough potential energy to fire 30 quarrels
before losing sufficient strength. The auto-bow features a
top mounted box with a cache of 30 quarrels.
Using the automatic crossbow requires the Ranged
Weapons-automatic weapon specialty skill. A character
may also use the crossbow skill instead but does not gain
the use of any rank benefits specifically for crossbows.
Range modifiers for an automatic crossbow are the as for
normal crossbows.
Carbine
The carbine is essentially a caviler with a rifled barrel
and a conical shot called a mini-ball. The range and
accuracy of this weapon combine into a deadly
combination, however this weapon remains rare and hard
to get until the end of this age.
Caviler
The caviler is an improvement on the musket and the
long rifle and is the most common firearm of this age.
Relatively light in weight, the caviler is a favored weapon
by mounted cavalry and usually accompanies the cavalry
sword.
Grenade, HE
As the demolition skill comes to full appreciation in
this Progress Level, it’s use as a weapon is only a matter of
time. The grenade featured here is a small canister made
of iron, which is then packed tight with gunpowder and
alchemical substances of an explosive nature. Often times
they are also filled with small slivers of iron of
blunderbuss shot.
 Chapter 4: Weapons & Armor
Early grenades may require a short fuse to be lit
before throwing. Later, more advanced models feature a
cap that when pulled off ignites an internal fuse that burns
quickly. The High Explosive Grenade has a 2/6/10 meter
area of effect.
weapon uses the Ranged Weapons-automatic weapon skill,
a character can use the pistol skill at his full rank.
However, no rank benefits for using a pistol apply while
using the needle gun. Range modifiers for a needle gun are
the same as for pistols.

Needle Gun
Little more than a glorified ‘rubber-band gun’, this
weapon is the smaller cousin in the Arrow-Gun and
Automatic Crossbow family. The needle gun only holds ten Star Wheel
needles and is therefor good for only one auto-fire attack As the caviler is an improvement on the Arquebus, so
or up to three bursts. Though the range of the weapon is the star wheel to the wheel lock. Sleek and far more
leaves little to be desired, many needle gun darts are accurate, the Star Wheel becomes a favorite officer’s side
tipped with poison. arm.
Nevertheless it is small and easy to use, and is often
favored by proper ladies over crude handguns. While this
Ranged Weapons Table
Weapon Skill Acc Range Damage Actions Mass Hide Cost
Progress Level 0: The Stone Age
Atlatl Throw +1 By STR x2 d4w / d4+1w / d4+2w 2 0.1 +2 1sp
Blowgun Blowgun +1 By CON d4-2w/d4-1w/d4w 3 0.1 +2
Bola Throw +1 By STR d4s/d4+2s/d4w 1 1 +1 2sp
Boomerang Throw 0 By STR d4s / d4+2s / d4w 1 0.1 +2 5sp
Rock, thrown Throw +1 By STR d4s/d4+1s/d4+2s 4 0.1 +4 -
Short Bow Bow +1 20/40/100 d4w / d4+2w / d4+3w 3 1 - 30gp
Sling Slings +1 10/20/60 d4s / d4+2s / d4w 2 0 +2 5cp
Progress Level 1: The Iron/Bronze Age
Dart Throw 0 By STR d4-1w / d4w / d4+1w 4 0.1 +3 5sp
Elven Bow Bow 0 30/75/150 d4w/d6w/d4m 3 1 - 100gp
Grenade, Fiery Throw +1 by STR d4w/d4+2w/d4+3w 1 0.5 +3 1gp
Javelin Throw 0 By STR x 50% d4w / d4+1w / d4+2w 1 1 - 5sp
Sling Staff Throw +2 10/20/50 d6s/d6+2s/d6w 1 3 - 2sp
Strength Bow Bow +1 By STR x 2 d4+1w / d6+1w / d4m 2 1 - 90gp
Progress Level 2: The Middle Ages
Crossbow Crossbow 0 50/100/250 d4+2w/d6+2w/d4+1m 1 2 +1 35gp
Harpoon Throw +1 By STR d4w / d6w / d4+1m 2 5 - 20gp
Heavy X-bow Crossbow +1 75/150/350 d4+2w / d8+1w / d6m 1 3 - 50gp
Long Bow Bow +1 40/80/200 d4+1w / d6+1w / d4m 2 1 - 75gp
Repeating X-bow Crossbow +1 40/80/150 d4+1w / d6+1w / d4m 2 4 - 750gp
Progress Level 3: The Age of Gunpowder
Arquebus Rifle +2 10/40/80 d6w/d6+2w/d6m 1 4 - 500gp
Hand X-bow Crossbow -1 4/8/16 d4-1w/d4w/d4+1w 3 1 +3 350gp
Grenade, Powder Throw +1 by STR d6+2s/d4w/d4+2w 1 0.5 +3 10gp
Long Rifle Rifle +1 30/60/150 d6w/d6+2w/d6m 1 5 - 800gp
Musket Rifle +2 20/40/100 d6+1w/d6+3w/d6+1m 1 4 - 900gp
Wheel Lock Pistol +2 4/8/16 d4+2w/d6+2w/d4+1m 2 2 +2 700gp
Progress Level 4: The Tinkering Age
Auto. X-bow Auto Wpn 0 50/100/250 d4+2w/ d6+2w / d4+1m 3 3 0 7500gp
Carbine Rifle -1 50/100/300 d4+2w/ d6+2w / d4+1m 3 3 - 5000gp
Caviler Rifle 0 40/80/240 d6w / d8+1w / d6m 2 4 - 1500gp
Grenade, HE Throw +1 by STR d4w / d4+2w / d6+2w 2 0.5 +3 25gp
Needle Gun Auto Wpn -1 1/2/4 d4-3w / d4-2w / d4-1w 3 0.5 +4 400gp
Star Wheel Pistol +1 4/10/40 d4+2w /d6+2w / d4+1m 3 2 +2 100gp
Progress Level 5: The Magic Age
Acid Bow Bows 0 30 / 60 / 90 Acid Splash 3 1 3000gp
Dragon Rifle Rifle -1 Varies by type Varies by type 3 3 - 7500gp
Energy Rifle Auto Wpn 0 50/100/150 d6w/d6+1w/d6+2w 3 4 - 8000gp
Grenade, Spell Throw +1 by STR Varies by type 1 0.5 +3 50gp
Mage Pistol Pistol -1 Varies by type Varies by type 4 1 +3 5000gp

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Rainbow Gun Pistol -1 20/40/80 Varies by type 4 1 +3 9000gp
Stinger Crossbow 0 50/100/250 d4+1w/d6+2w/d4+1m 3 2 +1 6000gp

PL 5: The Age of Magic
The infusion of magical and mechanical parts leads to
the cutting edge in magic age warfare. Must Progress
Level 5 weapons resemble wands in effect, and the two are
very similar. The advantages of Progress Level 5 weapons
is that they are far easier to manufacture, their use may
gain rank benefits for Ranged Weapons skills, and they are
generally more durable and harder to break. The most
common type of Progress Level 5 weapons are called ‘Spell
Weapons’. Even in a future setting, these weapons remain
expensive.
In the fantasy future, the manufacturing of these
weapons follows a relatively common methodology. By
charging two crystals with opposite versions of the same
spell and housing them in a reflective sphere, magical
energy is released when the crystals are touched together.
The resulting burst of magical energy is given only one
way out, down the reflective barrel of the weapon, which
then releases the spell. The mechanism of either the spell
pistol or rifle is found in the trigger apparatus which when
pulled back brings the two crystals into contact in a
scissors-like manner.
bowstring is released they touch, casting the acid arrow
spell, and uses those effects. The target must roll an
endurance check against the acid, the check is modified by
a +1 penalty for a Good hit and a +3 for an Amazing as per
the rules of the spell.
Dragon Rifle
This weapon actually describes an entire family of
magic arms that resemble a caviler or musket and are fired
in a similar manner. The Dragon Rifle is a versatile
weapon that allows for multiple types of spell gems to be
used in them; thus allowing for different types of magical
attack.
Regardless of the type, the spell gems are assumed to
be of rank 6 in ability should rank become and issue. If
rank benefits apply to a spell gem then this weapon has
enough strength for benefits of ranks 5 to 8. Range
modifiers for a Dragon Rifle remain the same for other
types of rifles. Unless stated otherwise, damage is En/O in
type.
The different types of spell gems commonly available
and what they can do is shown on the table below.

Spell gems, as they are often called have a limited Spell

number of charges that can be used until spent. The Gems Damage Range Resist
greater the power of the weapon, the less energy the gems Major
missile d6w/d6+1w/d6+2w 50/100/15 DEX
can provide. The table below shows the maximum number
0
of charges a weapon can have until spent.
Fire Ball Fire/Heat Hazard 50/100/15 CON
0
Ranks Weapon Type Charges Shout* 1d4+2s/2d4s/2d6s 25 meters P. resolve
1 to 4 Acid Bow, Mage Pistol 100 Acid
5 to 8 Dragon Rifle, Stinger, 50 Globe as Acid Immersion 60/120/18 CON
Rainbow Gun 0
Lightning
The most common applications of this type of weapon bolt d4+1w/d6+2w/d4+1m 50/100/15 DEX
are found in the Invocation broad skill with Magic Fire, Ice, 0
Lightning, and Magic Missile being the most common. Cone of
Spell weapons can make use of many magical powers of Cold** 1d6+1w/2d4w/2d6w 50 meters P. resolve
*Damage reflects the result of an Ordinary to a Critical Failure for
varying rank, but the rank often determines the size of the
the physical resolve check. The terminus of the shout is a 60
weapon needed. Ranks 1 through 4 can be used in the degree arc.
spell pistol, ranks 5 to 8 can be used in the spell rifle, and **Damage is based on the result of a physical resolve check for
rank 9 to 12 can only be used in the spell cannon which is Ordinary to Critical Failure results. The terminus of the cone is
described under Heavy Weapons. By default, assume that 20 meters wide.
a spell pistol houses magic at rank 3, rank 6 for rifles, and
rank 9 for cannons.
The effects of the spell when released are identical to the Energy Rifle
spell’s description. This also includes the method of This is a version of the Mage Pistol using Magic Missile
determining damage such as ‘Direct’ or ‘Accuracy’. It is also spell gems. The construction and design of the weapon is
possible for a spell to use a rank benefit like Chain Lightning specific and does not allow for other spell gems to be used
or Fireball. If this is the case, then only that option is with it.
normally available to that weapon. When the trigger is pulled a series of springs and
miniature wheels spin and turn, causing the spell gems to
Acid Bow strike each other in rapid succession. The result is the
This bow version of the spell weapon genre contains equivalent of burst and auto-fire capabilities and as such
the opposing gems in the grip of the bow. When the drawn
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 Chapter 4: Weapons & Armor
the Energy Rifle is the preferred ‘assault rifle’ of any age in Critical Failure to an Ordinary result a +3 to a +1
which it appears. penalty is applied to Action Checks made for the next 3
rounds. In addition all such persons must immediately
Grenade, Spell re-roll their Action Check and apply the result if it is
The Spell Grenade offers the use of area of effect magic worse than the one they have and if the phase has yet to
to the common soldier. The interior of the grenade has the pass.
spell gems mounted on a small spring-loaded pair of In addition to this all effected persons Sprint at their
scissors. When the safety pin is pulled the gems make Run rate, Run at their Walk rate, and Walk at one-half
contact when the grenade is sufficiently jarred or their Walk rate. Penalties for Sprint and Run movement
impacted. remain the same.
Throwing a spell grenade follows the same rule as for (Reference: Alteration-continuance)
other types of grenades. On the table below, the Area of
Effect column is in meters and imposes a +3 penalty for Fireball: When this grenade impacts a surface it releases a
those at amazing range (the first number), a +1 penalty at torrent of magical fire in a 6 meter radius area. All
Good range, and no penalty at the furthest range of effect. persons in the area must roll a Constitution feat check
The following table shows the more common uses of vs. a Fire Hazard. All those between 7 to 10 meters must
the Spell Greande. also roll a feat check vs. Heat. The effect is
Instantaneous but the blast can cause other fires if
Spell Gems Area of Effect Resist flammable material is in the area.
Binding 2/4/6 P. resolve (Reference: Invocation-magic fire, Magic Fire rank 5)
Black Tentacles 2/4/6 STR
Continuance 2/4/6 P. resolve Gray Mantle: This magical release causes all within 4
Fireball 2/4/6 CON meters of the effect to roll a Constitution feat check. For
Gray Mantle 2/4/6 CON an Ordinary to a Critical Failure result a one to three
Patterns 10 meters M. resolve step penalty is applied to all Strength, Dexterity, and
Magic Resistance modifiers for 3 combat rounds.
Reverse Gravity 6/12/20 DEX
The penalty to strength and dexterity apply only to
Vortex Special STR
living creatures, however the Magic Resistance penalty
Web Special Dodge
can apply to any creature or being except for Constructs.
Spell Grenade Types (Reference: Necromancy-gray mantle)
The grenade types shown below and on the table
above are some of the more common types of spell Patterns: This effect, when released, causes all beings with
grenades used. To be sure, many other spell options could in the area of effect to roll a Resolve-mental resolve
exist but they need to fall within the parameters of those check. Those that fail the check stand transfixed by the
described here. pattern and are unable to take other actions. Those that
pass the check are unaffected however they must leave
Binding: All persons within 4 meters of the magical release to area before the end of the next phase or they must roll
must pass a Resolve-physical resolve check or become a check again. The patterns remain for 4 combat rounds.
magically held in place and unable to move. This effect (Reference: Illusion/Phantasm-patterns)
lasts for 1d4-1 combat rounds (minimum of 1 round).
(Reference: Enchantment-binding) Reverse Gravity: When this spell effect is released the
gravity out to 6 meters is increase by three Gravity
Black Tentacles: When this grenade strikes solid ground places, 2 places out to 12 meters, and 1 place out to 20
1d4+1 tentacles rise from the ground and attack all meters. This accounts for the rules concerning GRAPH in
persons and beings within 4 meters. They may attack on Chapter 8: Gamers in Action. The effect lasts for 5
the next available Ordinary phase and have a Reaction combat rounds (one minute). Aside from being able to
score of Ordianry/2. apply a Resistance Modifier to the throw for having a
Each tentacle attacks with a score of 12 and causes high dexterity score, characters and beings have no
1d4s/1d6s/1d4w. After a successful hit the tentacle other defenses against this effect.
automatically causes the same damage, by constriction, (Reference: Alteration –reverse gravity)
each phase afterwards. To escape requires a Strength
feat check and a result equal to or greater than the Vortex: This spell release creates a 4 meter diameter
constricting attack. The tentacles remain for 2 combat cyclone of magic energy the randomly moves at a rate of
rounds. 16 meters per phase. Direction is determined randomly
(Reference: Conjuration-black tentacles) each phase (either by a d12 or another die for
appropriate for game maps) but always moves towards
Continuance: All persons within 3 meters of the magical a moving target of some type. All those in the path of the
release must roll a Resolve-physical resolve check. For a
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 Chapter 4: Weapons & Armor
cyclone are attacked with a score of 12 and suffer Shocking bolt d8s/d6w/d4w 30/60/9 DEX
1d4/1d4+2/1d6+2/2d4+1 points of damage for a 0
Marginal to an Amazing strike. Snowball d4-1w/d4w /d4+1w 30/60/9 DEX
Firepower of the attack is always ordinary but the 0
type of damage caused and the type of attack is *The damage shown for a meteor is for an area of 2/4/6 per an
exploding Grenade. Damage is Li/O
determined randomly. The type of damage inflicted is
random and is either Li (on a 1 or 2), Hi (on a 3 or 4), or
En (on a 5 or 6). The type of damage caused either Stun Rainbow Gun
on a 1, Wound on a 2, Mortal on a 3, or Fatigue on a 4. If This special Mage Pistol is constructed for the sole
a Critical Failure is generated when the vortex attacks it purpose of using the Conjuration-chromatic orb spell.
explodes in a Wild Surge which is described in Chapter Unlike other pistols of this type, this one has a variable
2: Arcane Magic in Book 2: FX. setting on the side of the weapon that is arced like a
The vortex remain in effect for 10 minutes or until it prismatic rainbow; indicating the various orb colors that
is released as a Wild Surge. can be used.
(Reference: Wild Magic -vortex)
Color
Setting Damage Effects Charges
Web: When this spell effect is released it covers an area no
White d4-1w /d4w/d4+1w Light 1
less than 24 square meters and is 2 meters thick Red d4-1w /d4w/d4+1w Heat 2
vertically. The area must have at least three solid walls Orange d4w /d4+1w/d4+2w Fire 3
or vertical objects that the web can attach to. Yellow d6w /d6+1w/d6+2w Blindness 6
When the web is released, those in the are who have Green d6w /d6+1w/d6+2w Irritant 7
an action, or the rank 7 ‘Reaction Dodge’ benefit may Turquoise d6+1w /d6+2w/d4m Magnetism 8
attempt an Acrobatics-dodge check. Those that succeed Blue d6+1w /d6+2w/d4m Paralysis 10
may move in an attempt to clear the are before the webs Violet Slowed Turn to stone 11
firmly settle in the terrain. Black Paralysis Mortal dmg. 12
Each 2 square meter section of webs has a durability
of 2 and has a toughness of Ordinary and an armor value The table presented is only a brief summary of each
of 1d4. Beings inside the webs who use weapons to cut orbs effect. For information see the Conjuration-chromatic
and remove them must first pass a Strength feat per orb spell in book 2 in the Arcane Magic chapter.
attack. The result of the feat check determines the best
result available for that attack in the same phase. Stinger
The webs are flammable and any open fire that The Stinger is a specialized crossbow designed to fire
contacts the webs will burn voraciously. The webs Lightning Bolts. The great benefit of this weapon is that its
remain for 10 minutes after which they disappear. specialized design allows it to retain the standard
(Reference: Conjuration -web) crossbow’s range.

Mage Pistol
The Mage Pistol is a versatile weapon that allows for
multiple types of spell gems to be used in them; thus
Heavy Weapons
Being the cousins of ranged weapons the use of these
allowing for different types of magical attack. Regardless arms is used based on the wielder’s strength rather than
of the type, the spell gems are assumed to be of rank 3 in dexterity. Heavy weapons begin in the Iron Age as huge
ability should rank become an issue. siege engines. In later ages technology allows military
If rank benefits apply to a spell gem then this weapon engineers to develop smaller, man-carried heavy weapons,
has only enough strength for benefits of ranks 1 to 4. and also makes the building of colossal versions of the
Range modifiers for a Mage Pistol remain the same for weapons as well.
other types of pistols. Unless stated otherwise, damage is Heavy weapons use the range modifiers for Direct and
En/O in type. Indirect as shown ‘Range Modifiers Table’ earlier in this
The different types of spell gems commonly available chapter. Many heavy weapons use the ‘Accuracy by Range’
and what they can do is shown on the table below. table found in the Alternity Players Handbook and also use
the scatter diagram for grenades for determining the
Spell Gems Damage Range Resist
Magic missile d4-1w/d4w/d4+1w 30/60/9 DEX
location of impact. These weapons are indicated by having
0 a value in parenthesis that appears before the range values
Magic fire Fire/Heat Hazard 6 meters CON for the weapon. This also indicates the minimum range in
Meteors* d6s/d4w/d6w 10/20/4 DEX which the weapon can be used against a target.
0
Prismatics Special 10 Dodge Weapon Teams
meters
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 Chapter 4: Weapons & Armor
Any of the heavy weapons mentioned below that have
a ‘1’ entry for actions require a number of persons to man
and reload the weapon equal to the reload number. This
means that while a Light Ballista only requires one person
to reload, a Heavy Ballista requires three. If the weapon
crew is less than that required, one more action is added to
the reload time. Therefor if a single man was reloading a
Heavy Ballista it would take him five actions to do so. If a
specific weapon has special or differing needs these will be
explained in the weapons entry.
If the Game Master desires a more flexible system can
be used for reloading team-oriented heavy weapons.
When it is time to reload each member of the team rolls a
Heavy Weapons skill check and modifies the result of one
key person in the group; either a leader or the person with
the best skill score.
An Ordinary to an Amazing result applies a –1 to a –3
step bonus. A Critical Failure applies a +2 penalty. The
modifiers are summed together and act as a base modifier
for the key person. It requires a complex skill check to
reload the weapon equal to the reload number. On check
is made per phase. A Critical Failure result has the same
effect as if generated while firing the weapon. In this
instance, and this instance only, a failure still counts as a
success, however each failure result applies a +1 penalty
to firing the weapon unless an equal number of actions are
used to realign and aim the weapon again.
Once the team’s modifier is determined it remains
unchanged for that scene unless it is re-determined later
on. Leadership can also apply a bonus to this skill check as
well.
Progress Level 1: The Iron Age
The first heavy weapons make their appearance. All of
them are team weapons with the exception of the Light
Ballista, which only requires one man to reload and fire.
Ballista, Heavy and Light
The ballista uses either poles drawn tight in between
twisted ropes or they use a large bow to fire a spear;
resembling a giant crossbow. While the damage is only
comparable to that of a spear the damage type is High
Impact; and the weapons range is superior to the Long
Bow.
How many actions it requires to reload is dependent
on the ballista’s size. It takes on action to load a Light
Ballista and three actions to load a Heavy Ballista. It
requires a separate action to fire the weapon.
Catapult, Arrow
An advancement on the scatter shot option for
catapults (see below), the arrow catapult is fantastic as an
anti-personnel weapon. When fired, an average fifty
arrows are launched in a tight pattern at a target area. The
damage listed considers an area of effect similar to that of
a grenade with the following ranges 2m/6m/12m. The
resistance modifier of the target(s) is applied to the attack
99
and if any individuals have a better Resistance Modifier
than their fellows, this modifier is applied to the control
die separately for determining damage for that individual.
Catapult, Heavy and Light
Invented by the Romans, the catapult can throw either
rocks or flaming shot. It major disadvantage is its
accuracy. Another disadvantage is that its range usually
bring it within the range of defenders as well and
historically many were destroyed before being able to
provide the fire power needed to take a fort or castle.
If flaming shot is used then damage is reduced by one
point per category, however structures, objects, and
persons struck must roll a feat check against Heat/Smoke
or Fire as determined by the Game Master. Catapults can
also fire scatter shot. This is basically a load of rocks, nails,
and other hard debris that can cover an area with
shrapnel. The damage caused is treated like a club but the
area of effect is like that of a grenade using the ‘Accuracy
by Range’ rules. It is also common practice to use
catapults to hurl flaming shot as well as lit barrels of
gunpowder into the enemy’s defenses.
It requires 2 actions to reload a light catapult and 4
actions to reload a heavy one. A separate action is needed
to fire the weapon.
Greek Fire Projector
Preferred for shipboard combat, this team weapon is
best used at very close range. The damage listed considers
an area of effect similar to other indirect fire weapons,
which is ‘2/4/6’. In addition to the damage caused, all
targets that are hit must also make a Constitution feat
check vs. Fire on the following phase or continue to burn
as per those rules.
It requires four liters (or roughly one gallon) of Greek
fire to use this weapon.
Another, non-lethal, option can be used with this
weapon. By using water instead of Greek fire, crowds and
riots can be brought under control with out seriously
injuring the populace. The damage for a ‘water cannon’ is
d6s/d6+2s/d6w and is Li/O in power.
It requires three actions to refill and prepare this
weapon and a separate action to attack with it.
Progress Level 2: The Middle Ages
While Ballista and Catapults remain in heavy use
during this period, other war machines also appear –
primarily the Bombard. The period also sees
improvements on existing heavy weapons and introduces
the Drill; and special type Ram, which is also called a Bore.
Ballista, Great
This monster requires a team of men to move and
even still it can only be moved over flat, open ground. It
takes five actions to load a Great Ballista. It requires a
separate action to fire the weapon.
 Chapter 4: Weapons & Armor
Bombard The following table presents the character with some more
The bombard is the first gunpowder weapon to be options.
used by mankind and arrives near the end of the Middle
Ages. Bulky and slow to reload, the bombard also has the Shot Type
characteristic of backfiring on both a 20 and a 19. Backfire PL Range Cost Damage
Bolt 4 3 / 6 / 12 25sp d6+1w/d8+2w/d6m
damage is 1d6 points of wound damage, is considered Grenade 4 10 / 30 / 180 150gp As per Grenade
En/O, and effects all in a 4-meter radius around the Harpoon 3 8 / 16 / 40 10gp d4w/d6w/d4+1m
bombard. Rock 0 6/12/30 - d4w/d4+1w/d4+2w
While the standard bombard shot does not explode, it *
does cause half of the damage generated to all targets out Salt 3 6 / 12 / 30 1cp d4-1w/d4w/d6+1w*
to 6 meters. It requires 10 charges of gunpowder to fire a Snare 3 8 / 20 / 40 2gp Special
bombard. Spike 3 8 / 30 / 60 1gp d4w/d6w/d4m*
Standard 3 6 / 12 / 30 1sp d4w/d6w/d4m*
* indicates that damage for short range is twice the amount rolled
Catapult, Great while long range is one-half.
Introduced to the west by the Crusaders this weapon
may have been in use by China as early as 300BC. There Shot Types
are two types of Great Catapult, or Trebuchet, being the  Bolt: Filling the entire barrel of the blunderbuss is the
traction and counterpoise versions. The force exerted by bolt shot. Heavy and short of range, this cylinder of
the weapon when it fires is too powerful to be supported steel is deadly when it hits. As an option this shot can
on wheels or in most castle battlements. For this reason be used as an indirect ranged attack. This relies on the
most great catapults are built in place on the battlefield indirect fire skill and increases the range to
and normally are not moved from their original location 10/50/100. However when used in this fashion an ‘on
without much labor. target’ result most be generated on the ‘Accuracy by
Range’ table as described in the Alternity Player's
Sweeper Handbook for damage to be caused.
This weapon is a specialized version of the ballista that  Grenade: Specifically designed for use in the
fires a length of chain or net into a body of soldiers. The blunderbuss, this warhead requires the use of the
Sweeper can hit any target out to 4 meters on either side of indirect fire skill.
the trajectory path. This weapon uses the indirect fire  Harpoon: Essentially a barbed rod, this shot is not as
rules for medium or long range but may be fired directly at dangerous as the bolt shot above but has a greater
short range granting a –1 bonus to the attack roll. If used range. This shot may also be used with the indirect
in this fashion however, it cannot hit targets at medium or fire skill which grants ranges of 12 / 60 / 120. The
long range as it falls to the ground at 20 meters. rules for determining a hit are the same those for the
bolt shot.
 Rock: This simply represents a handful of rocks
gathered and packed into the barrel of the weapon.
Progress Level 3: The Age of Gunpowder  Salt: The damage caused by salt shot is low but the
Use of gunpowder becomes prominent in this age. As pain that is caused by salt that gets under the skin can
muskets and wheel-lock pistols develop improvements are be very distracting. If the salt shot causes at least one
also made on the bombard. This age also introduces the point of wound damage then the target must make a
first personal Heavy Weapon called the Blunderbuss. Stamina-endurance check against the Irritant entry on
the poisons table found in chapter 3 of this book as
Blunderbuss well as the Alternity Gamemaster's Guide. Onset is
The early blunderbuss presents a character with a one round and the duration is one hour.
useful but cumbersome weapon. In a sense similar to a  Snare: This shot type allows a character the option of
shotgun, the Blunderbuss causes twice the damage at close firing a net at a target. When determining the
range but only one-half the damage at long range. The +2 accuracy of the shot, any person or object within 2
Accuracy modifier does consider that this weapon is at meters of the target is also captured in the net.
first a Matchlock firearm. It quickly changes over to the However this shot does have a minimum range of 2
Flintlock firing mechanism, granting only a +1 modifier, meters as the net requires a moment to expand.
before the end of this age. It requires two actions to  Spike: An improvement on the standard load, spike
properly load a blunderbuss, and a separate action to fire shot is better in every way except for cost.
the weapon.  Standard: Standard shot is a pack of small metal balls.
The blunderbuss’s entry on the Heavy Weapons table They are available in most societies where a
shows the range and damage for a Standard load of shot. Blunderbuss is common.

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 Chapter 4: Weapons & Armor
Cannon, Heavy It requires 10 charges of gunpowder to properly fire
This weapon begins a new era of warfare as this weapon.
gunpowder weapons take the lead in battlefield tactics.
While there is always room for improvement, the cannon Mortar
is hard to beat. Similar to the bombard, a cannon causes Relying completely on indirect fire rules, the mortar is
half of the damage generated out to 6 meters. It takes 4 a difficult weapon to aim. A +5 modifier is shown for the
actions to load a Heavy Cannon, and a separate action to weapon, however this only applies to first shot taken with
fire it. the weapon once it is placed in a new location. After the
It requires 15 charges of gunpowder to properly fire first round lands, the crew can then make adjustment to
this weapon. walk the weapons fire wherever needed. After the first
shot on a new battlefield the mortars accuracy changes to
Cannon, Light a +3. A mortar causes one-half of the damage generated
While being weaker in firepower than the larger out to 4 meters.
version, light cannons can be used in a 2-to-1 manner
when space and structure is considered. Because of this
allowance, light cannon are popular onboard naval vessels.
Like other gunpowder using team weapons, the light
cannon causes half of the damage generated out to 4
meters. It takes 2 actions to load a Light Cannon, and a
separate action to fire it.
Heavy Weapons Table
Weapon Skill Acc Range Damage Type #of A Reload* Mass Cost
Progress Level 1: The Iron Age
Ballista, Heavy Indirect +3 75/250/500 d8w/d8+2w/d6+1m Hi/O 1 3 150 600gp
Ballista, Light Indirect +2 50/200/500 d6w/d6+2w/d4+1m Hi/O 1 1 100 400gp
Catapult, Arrow Indirect +2 (25)50/125/25 d4+1w/d6+1w/d4m Li/O 1 3 150 500gp
0
Catapult, Heavy Indirect +4 (25)75/175/35 d4+1w/d6+1w/d4m Li/G 1 4 200 700gp
0
Catapult, Light Indirect +4 (25)50/125/25 d4+1w/d6+1w/d4m Hi/O 1 2 150 200gp
0
Greek Fire Projector Indirect +1 10/25/50 d6w/d6+3w/d8+3w En/O 1 3 100 800gp
Progress Level 2: The Middle Ages
Ballista, Great Indirect +4 100/250/700 d8w/d8+2w/d6+1m Hi/G 1 5 250 800gp
Bombard Direct +3 50/200/400 d8w/d8+2w/d6+1m Hi/G 1 5 500 5000gp
Catapult, Great Indirect +4 60/120/480 d4+2w/d6+2w/d4+1 Li/G 1 8 300 100gp
m
Sweeper Direct +1 20/40/80 d8s/2d6s/d8w Li/G 1 4 200 600gp
Progress Level 3: The Age of Gunpowder
Blunderbuss Direct +2 6/12/30 d4w/d6w/d4m Hi/O 2 2 6 400gp
Cannon, Heavy Indirect +2 75/350/900 d6w/d6+2w/d6+1m Hi/G 1 4 200 2000gp
Cannon, Light Indirect +2 50/300/750 d4w/d4+2w/d4+1m Hi/G 1 2 150 1500gp
Mortar Indirect +5 (30)50/75/150 d6w/d6+2w/d4+1m Hi/G 1 2 175 1200gp
Ribald Direct +3 10/40/80 d6w/d6+2w/d6m Hi/O 1 48(2x24) 100 700gp
Progress Level 4: The Tinker Age
Arrow Gun Direct +1 20/40/100 d4+1w/d6+1w/d6+3 Li/O 3 2(36) 15 700gp
w
Cannon, Boiler Direct +1 15/45/150 d4w/d6w/d4+1m Hi/O 1 3 150 2000gp
Cannon, Great Indirect +2 150/600/1500 d6w/d6+2w/d6m Hi/A 1 8 750 20,000gp
Cylinder Rifle Direct +1 30/60/150 d6w/d8+1w/d6m Hi/O 3 20(2x10) 8 1200gp
Fire Lance Indirect +2 30/60/150 d4w/d4+2w/d4m Li/O 2 3 10 800gp
Greek Fire Rifle Indirect +1 6/12/25 d6w/d6+3w/d8+3w En/O 2 1 6 900gp
Six Gun Direct +1 30/60/150 d6w/d6+2w/d6m Hi/O 2 12(2x6) 14 5000gp
Slag Gun Direct +1 20/80/400 d6w/d4m/d6m Hi/O 3 200(1x200 150 50,000gp
)
Tri-Gun Direct +1 40/80/240 d6w/d8+1w/d6m Hi/O 2 3(1x3) 10 1600gp
Progress Level 5: The Magic Age
Mage Cannon Direct -1 90/180/270 Varies by type Varies 2 2(25) 20 25,000gp
Nova Cannon Direct -1 150/300/750 d6+2w/d8+4w/d8+1 En/G 2 2 150 30,000gp
m
Nova Gun Direct -1 100/200/500 d6+1w/d8+2w/d6+1 En/G 2 1(10) 15 10,000gp
m

101
 Chapter 4: Weapons & Armor
Defining the Heavy Weapons Table
The table for Heavy Weapons has a few entries that
can vary among different weapons of this type and should
be explained.
Skill: If Tactics appears in this entry then it refers to a
weapon that is not used in personal combat, but rather a
weapon with a specialized use; like during a siege. The
Tactics broad skill can be used to determine success as
can the infantry tactics specialty skill. The Game Master
may also allow the use of the Engineering-siege works
skill as well.
Acc: The modifier is always given for a weapon being used
against an individual. If a large weapon is used to
repeatedly assault an area, building, or a mass of people
the modifier is improved by two steps. In no case can
this produce a modifier of –1 or better.
Range: If a number appears in parenthesis this indicates
the minimum effective range for the weapon.
Damage: Damage for heavy weapons that rely on the
Tactics skill cause their damage to structures only.
Type: This entry remains unchanged for all Heavy
Weapons.
#of A: If a ‘1’ appears in this entry then the weapon must
always be reloaded after each shot.
Reload: The first number presented indicates how many
actions are required to reload the weapon in question. If
a number appears in parenthesis then this number
indicates how many shots are loaded by the action. One
shot is the default and does not appear in the entry. If a
multiplier appears then this indicates the number of
separate actions required loading each shot. In these
cases the weapon can be fired before being fully loaded.
Mass: This is average mass of a weapon of this type.
Variations of the weapon, and those that use Heavy
Weapon Option can vary in mass.
Cost: This is average cost of a weapon of this type.
Variations of the weapon, and those that use Heavy
Weapon Option can vary in cost.
Ribald
A Ribald is a small cart upon which are a series of 12
to 24 musket barrels, all charged and ready. When a single
lever is pulled, or trigger released, all of the hammers
strike as one. The weapon shown considers the use
Matchlock mechanisms. Near the end of this age Flintlocks
can be used instead which betters the accuracy to a +2
instead.
The blast of the weapon has a conic area of effect.
Within 10 meters (short range) the shots can strike
anyone within 2 meters of the trajectory path. From 11 to
40 meters the shots have a spread of 3 meters, and from
41 to 80 meters the shots have a spread of 4 meters. The
size of the target generally determines how many shots
can strike him. Tiny and Small characters are usually only
attacked by one shot. Medium and Large targets may be
hit by up to three shots. Huge targets may be hit 6 shots,
and Gargantuan targets may be hit by 12 to 24 shots
102
depending on range. When the weapon is fired the Game
Master should count each shot that hits at a given range so
those further targets are not hit by spent rounds.
While this weapon only requires one man to fire all of
the barrels, it is a good idea to have a crew handy to reload
the weapon. It requires 2 actions to load each barrel for a
total 36 to 48 actions!
The most ominous version of this weapon appears in
the later days of Progress Level 4 where a Pepperbox
feature is used for each barrel and they can all be rotated
into firing position with a single, tandem action.
Progress Level 4: The Tinker Age
As the knowledge of tinkering grows heavy weapon
applications begin to exceed in variety. Firearms continue
to advance, but new breeds of weapons evolve that are
powered by other sources.
Arrow Gun
The Arrow Gun is a kinetic powered weapon that
operates by a system of gears and pulleys to rapidly draw
and fire a series of arrows. The earlier versions of the
weapon feature a crank that is turned to induce firing.
Later models are ‘pre-spun’ requiring only a trigger for
effect.
The Arrow Gun is one of the few weapons known that
has automatic firing capabilities. However this can be a
drawback as the weapon has only one mode of firing, full
automatic, and the rules that apply to such attacks. In all,
the Arrow Gun is similar in appearance to a crossbow but
would never be confused with one.
Despite all of the advantages that this weapon gives to
a soldier, the arrow gun is very cumbersome to carry and
fire. When the arrow gun is fired ‘from the hip’ a
+2/+4/+6 auto-fire penalty is incurred. This can be
overcome with a successful strength feat check but this
check must be made for each phase that the weapon is
fired in this manner. Normally this weapon is mounted
and the fore of the recoil is light enough to accommodate
many firing platforms.
Arrow Guns usually carry enough arrows for 4
automatic-mode attacks. It takes two actions to reload a
new ammo box. Improved versions feature continuous
feed mechanisms that allow the weapon to fire without
having to reload every fourth attack.
A nasty, and often used, option of the Arrow Gun is to
use Explosive tipped arrows as described later in this
chapter.
Cannon, Boiler
This weapon relies on steam to propel a harpoon or
spear at a target. Found mostly on whaling boats, the
weapon often uses a harpoon for deadly effect. If a
harpoon is used then the damage caused should consider
that weapon.
It requires only 2 actions to reload the Boiler Cannon,
and a separate action to fire it.
 Chapter 4: Weapons & Armor
Cannon, Great
The gunpowder revolution in the Age of Gunpowder
granted field commanders a more reliable cannon. At the
dawn of the Tinker Age the miniaturization of cannon is
halted long enough to produce this monster. If a lord can
overcome the 25 charges of gunpowder required to fire
the weapon and a solid earth platform to mount it on, a
battle can be resolved very quickly.
The impact of the cannon ball is so great that it causes
one-half of the inflicted damage out to 10 meters. It
requires eight actions to reload a Great Cannon, and a
separate action to fire it.
Cylinder Rifle
Being one of the first quick-loaded firearms, this
weapon contains all of its shot, wading, and powder in
cylinders along the barrel length. When the arming bolt is
pulled back, a portion of each component is loaded into the
barrel allowing for a more rapid rate of fire. The weapon
can be fired on every action the character has until the
rounds (10 in all) run out. However, it requires a total of
20 actions to fully arm the weapon again. Despite this, the
Cylinder Rifle can be fired before it has been fully loaded.
The downfall of this weapon is its dangerous ability to
backfire when the powder cylinder is nearly or completely
full. When a backfire is indicated during the weapons use
treat the damage caused as a demolition’s explosion using
those rules for powder charges given in Chapter 5: Goods
and Services.
Fire Lance
Siege warfare will never be the same again! The Fire
Lance resembles a large blunderbuss with a lengthened
barrel. The weapon uses special spears that have an
impact-detonating explosive charge housed in the
warhead. The damage listed is for the spearhead itself (if
it should happen to hit someone); the explosion is treated
as a grenade with the area of effect remaining the same.
While smaller and shorter ranged versions of this
projectile can be made for the blunderbuss the standard
Fire Lance round is to long and heavy to use with that
weapon.
It requires two charges of powder to deploy this
weapon effectively. Reloading a new ‘lance’, and charging
the gun requires 3 actions. A separate action is needed to
fire it.
Greek Fire Rifle
Composed of a set of high-pressure bellows,
waterproofed tubing, a rifle barrel, and a forward mounted
torch (usually oil soaked cork or pitch), this heavy weapon
can instill fear in even the best of troops. After the initial
damage is caused, the target on the following phase must
roll a Constitution feat to avoid further damage if the result
of the attack was better than Ordinary. When Good or
Amazing damage is caused, a failure on the targets feat
103
check means that the next lowest result for damage is
caused that phase. In the case of Amazing damage, the
target could suffer both Good and Ordinary damage as
well. When a successful feat check is passed no additional
damage is caused.
Greek Fire Rifle Configurations
As noted by its name, the Greek Fire rifle uses
flammable oil as its fuel source. In general there are three
manners in which a flame gunner can employ this. The
first is the standard type as detailed on the table above.
 Small Bellows: Using this version of the gun, the
soldier empties one liter of oil into the gun bellows for
later use.
 Large Bellows: Allowing for more oil to be pulled into
these larger bellow gives the gunner three liters
instead of only one. In addition to this, the gunner can
use all three uses as a burst fire. Large Bellows
increase the weapons mass to 10 and the Reload entry
changes from 1 to 1(1x3). The cost also rises to
1200gp.
 Oil Tank: Instead of pouring flasks of oil into the
bellows, this option gives the gunner a steady supply
of Greek fire oil strapped to his back in a barrel and
attached to the weapon by a water-proof hose. This
gives the soldier an average of 30 liters of the weapon
and both burst and auto-fire options are available.
While being a very popular option with leaders, many
soldiers are uneasy about having that much flammable
liquid on their backs. This option raises the weapons
total mass to 35 kilograms, increases the cost to
1800gp, and the reload entry reads as 3 (1x30). Of
course larger or smaller barrels can be used just
remember to adjust both mass and reload rates using
common ratios to determine their values.
Six Gun
The Six Gun is a Pepperbox configuration (see
Pepperbox under ‘Firearms Options’ below) based on the
caviler rifle. This gives the weapon six rotating barrels
allowing the gunner to fire six times before reloading. This
introduces the potential for several persons with these
weapons to lay down a volley of fire that is only matched
by soldiers with bows.
It requires 12 actions to fully reload the weapon.
However, it can be fired before being completely reloaded.
In this case two actions are needed to load each shot. A
separate action is required to fire the weapon.
Slag Gun
An application of steam power to the heavy weapons
genre produced this monster. While the gun itself is
relatively small, the boiler and loading rails make the
weapon system rather large. The gun is about one and
one-half meters long and stands a little under a meter tall.
The boiler weighs 30 to 50 kilograms and is attached to the
gun by tar sealed hoses of giant eel skin. The loading rails
 Chapter 4: Weapons & Armor
are 1-meter long enclosed chutes that provide the gun with
a continuous feed of ammunition. The ammunition used is
a bolt 10 centimeters in length and 1 centimeter in
diameter.
When the boiler is sufficiently heated a steam-release
valve is closed forcing the pressure through the barrel of
the gun. When the gunner depresses the firing bar the
bolts are individually forced into the barrel by a steam-
powered rotor. The weapon will continue to fire as long as
the firing bar is depressed.
As indicated on the table, the Slag Gun can fire 200
bolts under normal conditions (i.e. both loading rails are
fully loaded). However it is normal that another person
continues to load new bolts into the loading rails during
combat making the weapons rate of fire dependant only
the amount of bolts available. The Slag Gun can be used in
Fire, Burst, or Automatic modes of fire.
The Slag Gun cannot be carried in total except by Huge
creatures. However they are versatile enough to be used
on any platform and when compared to other heavy
weapons like the Ballista, they are easy to move. The Mass
entry for the weapon includes all those mentioned so far.
In most campaigns where this weapon is included,
their use is almost always limited to Military only (or the
lord who owns one) as the weapon’s destructive power is
great.
Tri-Gun
Featuring a special combination of rifle and heavy
barrels, the Tri-Gun is a ‘dungeons-busters’ best friend.
The two top barrels are cavilers while the bottom barrel is
a blunderbuss. The statistics given reflect the caviler
barrels only.
Progress Level 5: The Age of Magic
As with Ranged of weapons of this age, Heavy
Weapons begin to experiment with spell gems. The result
is some of the most deadly weapons a character can have
in the game.
As with other weapons that rely on spell gems, those
for Heavy Weapons have the following charges.
Weapon Type Charges
Nova Cannon/Gun 10
God Gun 25
God Gun
The God Gun is a heavy version of the Dragon Rifle.
Having a slightly longer and wider barrel, the weapon
allows for the powerful of spell gems. The table below
shows the more common gems used in a weapon of this
type.
Spell Gems Damage Range Resist
Deadly Missile d8w/d8+2w/d8+4w 100/200/30 DEX
0 Before treated leather was developed, hide armor
Leaping Flames Fire/Heat Hazard 90/180/270 CON
Power Word d4+2w/d6+2w/2d4w 90/180/270 p. resolve
104
Meteor Swarm 1d6s/1d4w/1d6w 80/160/240 DEX
Sheet Lightning d4+1w/d6+2w/d4+1 80/160/240 DEX
m
Ice Storm see below 100/200/30 CON
0
Each spell gem also gives an attack other qualities that
may not be covered on this table. The spell gem types and
the spells the are derived from as follows:
Deadly Missile: Invocation-magic missile, Rank 10
Leaping Flames: Invocation-magic fire, Rank 9
Power Word: Invocation-power word, Rank 9
Meteor Swarm: Invocation-meteors, Rank 8 (three meteors
are fired each time the weapon is fired. Aside from the
blast radius, this feature grants a bonus –1 step as if
burst fire mode.)
Sheet Lightning: Invocation-lightning, Rank 8
Ice Storm: Invocation-ice, Rank 10 (Damage caused is
3d4w/2d4w/1d6w/1d6s/1d4s for a Critical Failure to
an Amazing result and the damage is treated as Energy
with regards to armor.)
Nova Cannon
The Nova Cannon is a larger version of the Nova Gun
below. They only differ in damage caused and the ranges
of the weapon. Unlike other large weapons, only one man
is required to man a Nova Cannon.
Nova Gun
The nova rifle resembles a large Dragon Rifle. The
weapon can only use a special type of spell gem that allows
a temporary portal to the Quasi-Elemental Plane of
Radiance to be opened. The result is a blast of destructive
radiance that can devastate even the toughest of
opponents.
In addition to the blast itself, all person who are within
2 meters of the target also suffer damage of one category
less than the target itself. While being one the most
powerful weapons one can have, most lords can only
afford a few of them.
Armor
So far I have introduced you to a wide variety of useful
and sometimes lethal weapons. When such weapons are
brought to bear against a target, it is in the targets best
interest to be a good suit of armor.
PL 0: The Stone Age
Most Stone Age persons wear little if no clothing let
alone armor. Hide armor, presented below, probably came
about in an effort to keep warm with its protective
qualities being an after thought.
Hide Armor
stands alone as the primary source of protection for a
 Chapter 4: Weapons & Armor
primitive warrior. However being untreated, this armor
has the nasty habit of rotting. Every week (or day as the
DM sees fit) the armor must roll a Durability check against
disease. ‘Damage’ to the armor is handled as per those
rules and the rules for damaged armor in general. This
usually is not a problem for cave guys and gals since
hunting fresh game and replacing old armor is common
place anyway.
This type of armor may also include woven plant
fibers of thick vegetation or ropes and padding.
PL 1: The Iron Age
The introduction of treated leather allows for more
versatile armor options. As the age of organized warfare
begins, armor is in high demand.
is rated by the quality of initial and successive Overbearing
attacks against a target.
Chain Mail, Elven
The technology of elves with metallurgy is
extraordinary when it comes to small, flexible chain links.
Elves do not part with this armor easily and they may
mount raids to recover stolen or ill-gotten suits.
Helm
The center of the sensory organs is treated to extra
protection. A helm cannot be used with other armor if that
armor already contains an integral helmet or hood. A helm
may not provide significant protection, as determined by
the Game Master, if it is the only armor being worn.

Body Shield Leather Armor

Designed as both a companion and defense against the
spear, body shields provide excellent protection but are
cumbersome to use. This shield is too heavy to be used for
attacks and parries. On the positive side it not only grants
the listed protection modifiers it also provides a +1
Resistance Modifier against melee and ranged attacks if
defending against frontal attacks. Flank and rear attacks
retain the same modifiers.
The two most common uses of this shield are the body
shield/spear combination or an archer/shield bearer team.
Body Spikes
Body Spikes are an addition to an existing type of
protection or can be worn as spiked bands that cross the
chest, legs, and arms. In all cases they grant a +1 bonus to
defense against Low Impact attacks. While they impose no
Action Penalty they do have a mass of 2kg in any
configuration.
While they act as armor, body spikes can be used as
weapons during an Overbearing, unarmed combat. If they
are used successfully in an Overbearing attack they cause
d4w/d4+1w/d4+2w in damage in addition to other
effects generated by the Overbearing attack. This damage
Perhaps the cheapest and most common type of armor
available leather armor, despite its lower protective value
is popular in this age and in future ages as well.
Shield, Small
A small shield is usually round, about a half-meter in
diameter, and worn on the forearm of the secondary hand.
PL 2: The Middle Ages
As the knowledge of smelting and metal works
becomes more common place, armor evolves to the
splendor of the romantic ideal. Armor of this age also
becomes a symbol and sign of rank and status.
Chain Mail
This armor type includes various types of laminated,
scale, brigandine, splint and banded armor. Chain mail
provides excellent protection against low impact attacks.
The suit includes a coif to protect the head.

Armor Table
Type Li/Hi/En Skill AP Mass Cost Hide
Progress Level 0: The Stone Age
Hide d6-3/d4-3/d6-4 Armor Op. +1 10 N/A
Progress Level 1: The Iron Age
Body Shield +2/+1/+1 Shields +3 12 N/A
Body Spikes +1/0/0 None 0 1 +10gp N/A
Elven Chain d6-1/d6-4/d6-4 None 0 0 +4
Helm +1/0/0 Armor Op. +1 4 N/A
Leather d6-2/d6-4/d6-4 None 0 7 +2
Small Shield +1/0/0 Armor Op. +1 4 +1
Progress Level 2: The Middle Ages
Chain Mail d6-1/d6-4/d6-4 Armor Op. +1 15 +1
Medium Shield +2/+1/0 Shields +2 7 N/A

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 Chapter 4: Weapons & Armor
Plate Armor, Full d6+1/d6-3/d6-3 Heavy Armor +3 25 N/A
Plate Armor, Partial d6/d8-5/d6-4 Heavy Armor +2 20 +1
Progress Level 3: The Age of Gunpowder
Leather Coat 1d6-3/d4-3/d4-2 None 0 5 +3
Progress Level 4: The Tinker Age
Ballistic Chain d6-2/d6-2/d6-4 Armor Op. +1 15 +2
Ballistic Shield +2/+2/0 Shields +2 9 N/A
Ballistic Plate, Full d6/d6-1/d6-3 Heavy Armor +3 25 N/A
Ballistic Plate, Partial d6-1/d4-1/d6-3 Heavy Armor +2 20 +1
Kinetic Armor d4+3/d4-1/d4-2 Heavy Armor +4 75 N/A
Progress Level 5: The Age of Magic
Ceramic Plate d6-1/d6-4/d4 Heavy Armor +2 10 +1
Ceramic Shield +1/+1/+2 Shields +2 5 +1
Force Armor d6-1/d6-1/d6-1 None 0 1 +4
Force Shield +2/+2/+2 None 0 1 +4

giant spiders. These pads are then layered into pillows

Plate Armor, Full
Full plate armor is made from shaped and fitted metal
plates riveted and interlocked in such a way as to cover the
entire body. Gauntlets, boots, and a visored helmet are
included, as well as a layer of thick padding under the
armor.
Plate Armor, Partial
This armor combines a metal breastplate with either
chain or brigandine armor. A few metal plates protect vital
parts of the body, but not as many are used as in full plate
armor.
Shield, Medium
A medium shield is heavier than a small shield and is
usually a meter in diameter.
PL 3: The Age of Gunpowder
Aside from the leather coat there are no new armor
developments during this period of time. The advent of
the rifle on the battlefield actual makes the use of leather
armor more appealing.
Leather Coat
This long coat, made of boiled leather, is better than
nothing in a fight. It is even a fashionable wear in some
societies. The Leather Coat is also popular among
Arcanists, as the protection is relatively cheap and light of
weight.
PL 4: The Tinker Age
As science slowly catches up to gunpowder, newer
types of heavy armor reappear.
Ballistic Armor
Ballistic armor types (Chain mail, full plate, and partial
plate) are made from the original materials as previous
armor but are also fitted with woven pads of webbing from
beneath the normal armor types. To keep the armor from
being to cumbersome, some of the standard fittings and
pieces of the armor are lost.
The result is suit of armor that statistically conforms
to previous armor types but have an elevated protection
against high impact damage. On the downside this type of
protection generally has a lower rating against low impact
attacks and costs more.
Kinetic Armor
This suit of extremely cumbersome armor is an
oversized suit of plate mail that is lined with small gears
and actuators that help to compensate for the mass of the
armor. Using the same logic that applies to a modern ten-
speed bicycle, each movement made by the wearer is
multiplied by the series of gears. While this helps a bit the
armor is still heavy and awkward to use. The mass listed is
for the suit if it carried. When worn the gears and
actuators reduce the encumbrance to only 45 kilograms.
To perform any physical action other than attacking or
walking a Heavy Armor skill check is required. This
includes getting up if the armored person falls down. It is
impossible for the wearer to put this armor on by himself.
It requires the wearer and another person to assist, and
requires several minutes to don the suit.
PL 5: The Magic Age
As magical weapons begin to appear, so does
protection that can compensate against it. The use of a
dense form of semi-magical ceramic appears as does spell
gems empowered protection.
Ceramic Plate and Shield
By forging and casting super hard layers of ceramic,
steel, and anti-magical substances the first magical
resistant armor is born. Aside from the higher energy
rating given for the armor in its description, ceramic plate
also grants the armor’s wearer a bonus +/- 2 Resistance
Modifier when defending against any type of Attack or

106
 Chapter 4: Weapons & Armor
Influential spell. This benefit does not have any effect on Exploding Shot 3 25gp
psionics however. Grape Shot 4 7gp
Great Cannon shot 4 25gp
Force Armor and Shield Gunpowder, Heavy 3 15gp
Utilizing spell gem technology, Force armor and Gunpowder, Light 3 10gp
shields provide a practically weightless defense that is Gunpowder, Great 4 25gp
comparable to most other types of protection. Force
Armor is girdle or belt with a large buckle in the center. Firearms,
On the buckle is a button that when pushed produces the Ball Shot 3 2sp
‘Force Armor’ option from the Invocation-force field spell. Gunpowder, per shot 3 1gp
The Force Shield does the same, however it is installed in a Mini-Ball 4 5sp
bracer or gauntlet. Wading 3 1cp
Each time the buttons are pushed the force field
generated will last for 10 minutes, and uses a charge. Both Greek Fire, per shot 1 10gp
types of force protection have a maximum of 25 uses.
While no skill is required to utilize the protection to its Quarrels,
fullest value, having high ranks in either heavy armor or Hand Quarrel 4 1gp
shields do grant those benefits. Similarly a person with an High Explosive 4 3gp
active Force Armor can cause Gauntlet damage from a Standard Quarrel 2 1sp
punch and the Force Shield can be used in strike as a
normal shield. Sling,
Force protection of either type is visible, but is Sling Bullet 1 1sp
transparent. Colors range from blue to green to red, and Sling Stone 0 -
the protection may be featureless or fully detailed based
on who designed the devise. Sling Staff,
Sling Bullet 1 1sp
Sling Stone 0 -
Ammunition Stink Pot 1 3sp
The damage rating listed for most ranged and heavy Spell Gems,
weapons considers that a standard armament is being Heavy, Generic 5 50gp
used with that weapon. Below are the not only the cost for Heavy, Specific 5 150gp
such ammunition, but other types of ammunition as well. Pistol, Generic 5 25gp
Most importantly is the cost of the ammo and the Pistol, Specific 5 50gp
Progress Level in which is appears. Rifle, Generic 5 35gp
Rifle, Specific 5 75gp
Ammunition Type Progress Level Cost

Arrows,
Arrows
Armor Piercing 2 4cp Game Masters may allow a character to use the same
High Explosive 4 5gp type of arrows for differing types of bows if desired. Some
Incendiary 1 +1cp however may feel that Long Bows fire different arrows
Signal Arrow 2 5cp than other types of bows and may deem it necessary to
Standard Arrow 0 2cp apply some penalty if done so.

Ballista, Armor Piercing: Useable only with a Long Bow, this arrow
High Explosive 4 10gp features a heavy chiseled head on a meter long arrow.
Incendiary 1 7sp When damage is assessed for a successful hit, armor
Standard Bolt 1 5sp values are reduced by 1 point for Low Impact damage.

Catapult, High Explosive: Behind the head of this arrow is a small

Flaming Shot 1 5sp charge of gunpowder that is ignited by flint when the
Exploding Shot 2 5gp arrows head is depressed; usually by a successful hit.
Standard Shot 1 3sp The ensuing burst fires the arrow into the target with
more force than is usual for an arrow. The result is that
Cannon, the damage is defended against as if it were High Impact
Canister 3 5gp instead of Low Impact.
Cannon Ball 3 2gp
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 Chapter 4: Weapons & Armor
Incendiary: This arrowhead is rapped and soaked in pitch,
tar, or Greek Fire. After being lit the arrow causes a hit
target to also suffer 1d4-2 points of fire damage which is
En/O in type. These arrows can also set ablaze
flammable material.
Signal Arrow: This arrowhead is designed to whistle loudly
when fired. The sound is so loud that it can be heard a
kilometer away, barring other noise. They are often
used for communication and signaling during combat.
Ballista Shot
The standard ballista shot resembles a spear and may
even be used as such in melee. Below are other options
common to ballista shot.
High Explosive: Much larger than a High Explosive arrow
or quarrel, the HE shot for a Ballista has a more
devastating effect. Upon a successful hit damage is
determined normally. After this apply the damage of a
HE Grenade.
Incendiary: This ballista shot is rapped and soaked in pitch,
tar, or Greek Fire. After being lit the arrow causes a hit
target to also suffer 1d4-2 points of fire damage which is
En/O in type. These arrows can also set ablaze
flammable material.
Catapult Shot
The normal shot for a catapult is a shaped stone ball.
Other options are given below.
Exploding Shot: This type of shot is a hallow version of the
standard missile which is filled with gunpowder. Most
have a fuse, which is then lit, and the weapon is fired.
Barring a Critical Failure the shot explodes upon impact.
This explosion is equal to a bundle of dynamite (area of
effect: 2/4/8; Damage d8+4w/d8w/d12s). The damage
from the blast is considered Li/G. Normal damage from
the shots impact is also considered for an ‘on target’ hit.
Flaming Shot: If this shot hits a target that is not resistant
to fire then a durability check vs. Fire must be rolled.
Cannon Shot
The damage listed for cannons considers the use of a
metallic cannon ball. Other options are given below.
Canister: Canister shot effectively turns a cannon in to a
large blunderbuss. For game purposes range is halved,
the die used for damage is increased to the next higher
die, and the type of damage becomes Hi/O. Heavy and
light cannon would conform to the statistics.
Heavy Cannon d8w/d8+2w/d8+1m 40/175/45
0
Light Cannon d6w/d6+2w/d6+1m 25/150/37
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5
As with a blunderbuss, damage caused at short range
is doubled and damage at long range is halved. Canister
shot may considered as having a 10 meter area of effect
from the point of a strike which makes this weapon deadly
when used against troops marching or charging in line.
Exploding Shot: This type of shot is a hallow version of the
standard missile which is filled with gunpowder. Most
have a fuse, which is then lit, and the weapon is fired.
Barring a Critical Failure the shot explodes upon impact.
This explosion is equal to a bundle of dynamite (area of
effect: 2/4/8; Damage d8+4w/d8w/d12s). The damage
from the blast is considered Li/G. Normal damage from
the shots impact is also considered for an ‘on target’ hit.
Grape Shot: Grape shot is superior to Canister shot
mentioned above. This load of heavy iron balls allows
the cannon its normal range ands the type of damage
remains Good in firepower. The area of effect is tighter,
being only a 6 meter spread, and the damage is doubled
for short range and halved for long range.
Gunpowder: This entry simply shows the cost in
gunpowder for firing each type of cannon.
Firearm Shot
Information on firearm munitions is given in the next
section ‘Weapons Options’.
Gunpowder: The cost given reflects a single charge of
gunpowder required in firing a normal firearm. Some
firearms call for more than one charge to be used.
Wading: Wading is nothing more than a ‘filler’ used to pack
and contain the round and powder in the barrel of a
firearm. Wading is consists of a small square of cloth
made from moisture absorbing material and is a
required component during the reloading of a firearm. If
wading is not used a Critical Failure can be generated on
both a natural 20 or a 19 as the powder does not remain
compact enough to properly fire the weapon.
Wading is cheap and characters should be able to
improvise this component from their standard gear in a
pinch.
Greek Fire
Greek Fire is a mythical substance sought after for its
deadly ability to incinerate the enemy. The price shown on
the table reflects the cost for one liter of this substance.
The Greek Fire Rifle uses one liter normally, and the Greek
Fire Cannon uses 4 liters per shot.
Quarrels
 Chapter 4: Weapons & Armor
The Hand Quarrel is designed for use with the Hand the wielder may strike with basket hilt causing damage as
Crossbow. Standard Quarrels may be used with either a Gauntlet.
Medium or Heavy Corssbows. The inclusion of a basket hilt increases the value of the
weapon by 50%. It also increases the mass of the weapon
High Explosive: Similar to the High Explosive version of the by 0.5 kilograms.
arrow, this quarrel causes High Impact damage. Of the melee weapons presented in this chapter, the
following are suitable for this modification: Dagger, Mace,
Sling and Sling Staff Broad Sword, Cutlass, Rapier, Saber, Cavalry Sword, and
Sling ammunition is listed considering the use of sling any Sheath Weapon of these types.
stones. If sling bullets are used then add a +1 to damage.
Sling bullets, which are usually made of lead, also increase Composite Bows
the range of the standard sling to 15/30/75 and the Sling A Composite Bow is one that incorporates different
Staff to 15/30/60. materials in the bow, increasing the total strength. The net
result a 25% increase to each range category for the bow
Stink Pot: This ordinance is a clay vessel filled with in question. This modification doubles the cost of the bow
burning sulfur or quicklime. The range is not good, in question.
being only 10/20/40, but the payload breaks upon Generally speaking, only Short Bows and Long Bows
impact releasing an Irritant poison. All persons within 4 can have composite versions. Their ranges are shown
meters of the broken Stink Pot must resist the poison or below.
suffer immediate penalties. A Stink Pot will usually burn
for 1d4+1 combat rounds before it loses effectiveness. Composite Type Ranges Cost
Long Bow 50/100/250 150gp
Spell Gems Short Bow 25/50/125 60gp
Many ranged and heavy weapons of Progress Level 5
refer to the use of spell gems. The reference is plural Firearm Standards
because in order for a spell effect to be released from the Each type of firearm is defined primarily by three
weapon, two matching spell gems must make contact criteria. There is the manner of ignition, the barrel type,
inside the weapon. The method making spell gems is a and the type of ammunition that can be used. Each firearm
closely guarded secret but does involve a spell that splits described on the Ranged and Heavy Weapons tables
an existing spell into two versions, one ‘positive’ and one already has the information for each of these aspects built
‘negative’. When they make contact the spell is completed in to their statistics. If a player modifies a firearm then the
and released. following rules should be used. Considering the following,
Generic spell gems refer to effects that can be have no these options have already been applied to the weapons
optional settings or enhanced use for the weapon. Their present on the Ranged Weapons table.
benefit is that certain weapons like the Mage Pistol or the
Dragon Gun can use several different types by replacing Weapon Ignition Barrel Ammo
the spell gems. Arquebus Matchlock Crude Ball Shot
Specific versions require the use of a specific weapon Blunderbuss Matchlock Crude Special
Cylinder Rifle Flintlock Smooth Mini-Ball
as they have options that make non-generic. Weapons like
Carbine Breech Loaded Rifled Mini-Ball
the Rainbow Pistol, the Energy Rifle, and the Nova Gun fall Caviler Flintlock Smooth Mini-Ball
in this category. Fire Lance Flintlock Crude Special
Harpoon Gun Flintlock Crude Special
Long Rifle Flintlock Crude Ball Shot
Weapons Options Musket
Six Gun
Matchlock
Breech Loaded
Crude
Smooth
Ball Shot
Mini-Ball
The weapons presented on the tables above are Star Wheel Flintlock Smooth Ball Shot
generic in nature. The following section describes some Tri-Gun Flintlock Smooth Mini-Ball
basic options that can be used to modify these weapons Wheel Lock Matchlock Crude Ball Shot
into more useful of deadly forms.
Most of these options have some special quality the The Ignition Type refers to one of three options
impart to the weapon they modify, but almost all of them available. Matchlock weapons require a lit fuse to ignite
effect both the cost and mass of the weapon in question. the powder and require three actions to reload the
weapon. Flintlock weapons are a little more
Basket Hilts accommodating allowing for only two actions to reload.
A Basket Hilt offers a character a –1 step bonus when Breech Loaded firearms have a special feature in that the
attempting a parry, as such daggers with basket hilts are shot, powder, and wading is combined in a packet and is
often favored as an ‘off-hand’ weapon. In addition to this loaded into the rear of the barrel. Breech-loaded firearms

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 Chapter 4: Weapons & Armor
still use the flintlock mechanism. This allows for only one
action to reload. The above rules are primarily for rifles.
Pistols can be reloaded at a rate of one less action to a
minimum of zero actions required.
Barrel Types effect the Accuracy of the weapon being
used. Crude bore firearms have little if no specialized
methods for smoothing the barrel and incur a +2 penalty
to the firing of the weapon. Smooth bore weapons are
better but still impose a +1 penalty. Rifled barrels feature
a spiral groove inside the barrel that puts a spin on the
round and causes the weapon to have no penalty at all.
Ammunition Types effect range and can also have an
effect on the weapons Accuracy. Ball Shot has no effect on
either. A Mini-Ball increases the range by 25% and grants
a –1 bonus to Accuracy. Bullets (which are not detailed for
any weapon shown) grant a –1 bonus and increase range
by 50%. Neither mini-balls nor bullets can be used in
crude bore barrels and ball-shot cannot be used in a
breech-loaded weapon.
It is important to note that the firearms in use today
have qualities that are greater than the weapons presented
here. In addition, there are no Burst or Auto-Fire
capabilities described here as well. If DMs and players are
willing, those and other options (as well as those listed
below) are given in Appendix 2: Tinkering. But for the
standard version of the game, I assume that with magic
and other options available that firearms will evolve
differently in a fantasy environment than they have in the
real world.
Gunpowder
There are two types of explosive powder that are used
with firearms, Black Powder and Gunpowder. Both types
of powder use the same basic ingredients however
gunpowder receives a special process in its mixing called
‘Corning’. This step grants a more useable and moisture
resistant powder and also allows for breech-loaded
weapons and other possible applications.
Against the threat of moisture consider black powder
to have a Durability of 3 and gunpowder to have a
Durability of 6. Checks should be made as often as
necessary given the environment and damage should be
treated as an Acid Splash as found in Chapter 8: Gamers in
Action of this book.
For the purpose of easy rules, any type of powder can
be used in any type of firearm. The sole exception is that
black powder cannot be used in a breech loaded weapon.
The application of powder types used in the manufacture
of explosives is discussed in Chapter 5: Goods and Services.
Melee with Firearms
When a firearm is used for melee it must make a
durability check for each attack that hits. The damage
caused to the target is also caused to the firearm itself
including any modifiers for high strength. The
mechanisms and components for a firearm are not
designed for these purposes and this is an excellent way to
110
ruin a good gun. Damage caused in this fashion may be
fixed with either the Firearms or Tinkering-Repair skills.
Backfire Damage
Matchlock and flintlock weapons are notorious for
causing harm to the shooter when things go wrong. This is
simulated in this game with the Critical Failure. When this
result occurs while using a firearm, the backfire causes
1d4 points of wound damage to both the character and the
weapon itself. Because of the closeness of the weapon and
the way in which it is aimed and fired, the damage is
focused on the armor of the character’s head. In a similar
sense, the weapon’s armor, if any, does not apply (however
Toughness does). Damage caused to the weapon by a
backfire may be fixed with either the Firearms or
Tinkering-Repair skills.
If the DM allows another option may also be used for a
Critical Failure. If the character passes a Personality Feat
check then the backfire can be determined as a ‘Hang Fire’
instead. This means that the powder burns incorrectly or
is of poor enough quality that the round is not discharged
from the barrel. While this option saves the character
from backfire damage it does require that the weapon be
reloaded with an additional action.
As a final note, a breech-loaded firearm does not
backfire on a ‘20’. It jams instead. Correcting this problem
requires only one action.
Firearm Options
In addition to the standard models and their
possible upgrades, there are also several other options
useable by firearms. These are presented below and most
are limited to Progress Level 4 unless the DM feels
otherwise. Each of these options has modifiers to their
ease or difficulty in implementing, the details of which are
discussed in Appendix 2: Tinkering. Of the options
presented below the Combination Barrel and Scopes
options cannot be used with Pistols.
 Multiple Barrels: Up to two additional barrels can be
added to a firearm as long as they are of the same type
and model. While this allows the user to fire multiple
volleys before reloading, each barrel adds one-half on
the weapons mass to the total mass. Regardless of the
final mass of the weapon, its bulk makes it a Heavy
Weapon by definition. Each barrel also costs one-half
of the base cost for the weapon as well. Therefor a
firearm with two additional barrels weighs and costs
twice as much in both categories. The Tri-Gun on the
Heavy Weapons table is an example of this type of
weapon.
 Combination Barrels: This option is similar to the
multiple barrel option above except that it includes
barrel types that are different. Only one barrel can be
added to a firearm if it differs from the first. The most
common application of this is a Blunderbuss combined
with another type of rifle. As with the multiple barrel
 Chapter 4: Weapons & Armor
option above, this makes the firearm a Heavy Weapon.
Cost and mass are similarly modified excepting the
base costs of the firearms of which the barrels
originate.
 Pepperbox: An advancement on the barrel
combinations above, a Pepperbox is a series of like
barrels designed to rotate around a based so that they
may be fired by a common flintlock. This option
allows for up to six barrels to be combined on one gun.
The mass of the weapon, and cost, are determined by
the same criteria above. The Six Gun on the Heavy
Weapons table is an example of this type of weapon.
 Free-All Trigger: Useable with either the Multiple or
Combination Barrel options, a Free-All Trigger is an
additional trigger built into the firearm that allows all
of the triggers present to be released in one action.
This option increases the weapons cost by 25%. The
Tri-Gun on the Heavy Weapons table makes use of this
option.
 Quick Load Rods: While not being an actual
modification to a firearm itself, Quick Load Rods are
specially designed loading rods that allow a character
to place the shot, powder, and wading down the barrel
of the weapon in one action. This reduces the reload
time by one action however they cannot be used with
Breech Loaded firearms. It requires one minute to
prepare a QL Rod therefor most gunners carry several
in to battle. In a progress level 4 campaign, quick load
rods cost around 15 gold pieces each.
 Scopes: Scopes help in long range shooting by
reducing the long-range penalty by 1 point. However,
not just any scope can be placed a rifle and used as
such without first being sighted correctly. This is done
with a complex skill check using the Firearms-Rifle
skill and requires 3 successes with one being allowed
per. The medieval/fantasy scope utilizes two lenses
sealed together with strands of spider web to form the
crosshairs. The average scope costs 300 gold pieces.
 Melee Rigging: This option allows a Rifle to be used as
a club in melee combat without forcing it to make a
Durability check when it lands a blow. At Progress
Level 4 the rigging includes a mount for a bayonet.
Adding this option to a firearm increases it’s cost by
25%.
 Wide Breech: A Wide Breech allows the weapons
wielder to load more powder into a firearm than is
normally allowed. The net result is that the blast fires
the round with more force, which adds a +1 to the
damage. The down side of this is that the firearm will
backfire on either a 20 or 19 (or 20, 19, and 18 if the
wielder has the Bad Luck flaw). Designing a firearm
with a wide breech increases its cost by 25 gold pieces.
Heavy Weapon Options
As with other types of weapons, heavy weapons may
also be modified for greater effect. Some of the more
common options available are given below.
111
 Dual-Mount: increases accuarcy, must be used for two
bolts or no go. adds on step to reload. doubles the cost
of the weapon.
 Steam Fired: The force of steam is used to hurl the
object. The greater force generated in this manner
does not increase the range of the attack, but damage
is increased by a +1. The drawback to this is that the
weapon weighs 50% more, requires one more action
to reload, and the fire and water in the boiler must be
maintained at an operating level.
 Steam Powered: The most superior use of steam in
large weapons, this system utilizes the force of the
steam to power a series of mechanisms to fire and
reload a large weapon. This grants the weapon a +2
bonus to damage caused and range is increased by
25% per category. The flaws are the same as for the
Steam Fired option above except that this option
allows the weapon to be reloaded in half the time by
use of steam powered assistance.
 Explosive Powered: Some team weapons may follow
the designs as those used for firearms. While the
bombard and cannon fit this category (as possible
modifications to a catapult) the ballista may also make
use of this delivery system. The primary benefit
gained by doing so is that the weapon causes High
Impact but does use a lot of gunpowder to use.
 Tandem Systems: Allowing one man to fire multiple
weapons can be of great benefit. This modification
includes a series of gears, levers, and pulleys that
allow for one release mechanism to be used by the
weapons that are loaded and ready. Reloading the
weapons, however, is another story.
 Automatic Systems: A dream not realized until late in
the Tinker Age, this system is comprised of weighs,
springs, and the weapons natural power to reload
itself. When the weapon is fired, the force of the
release creates a chain reaction that quick ‘rewinds’
itself to its firing position. The only step remaining is
to place the shot into the weapon, however some
weapons also include this feature. The force
generated by this action is too much for a wooden
frame. As such, the frame must be made of metal
(preferably steel) and causes the weapon to weigh
twice as much as is normal. This option is not
available to weapons that use gunpowder like the
bombard or the cannon.
 Pulley Reload System: The forerunner of the automatic
system, pulley reloads include a block and tackle
combination that makes reloading easier by reducing
the force of the weapons ‘pull’. This option does not
increase the weight of the weapon and it reduces the
reload time by one-half. This option is not available to
bombards or cannon.
 Chapter 4: Weapons & Armor
Made for Throwing
Some weapons that are designated as ‘Not for
throwing’ can be made as ‘Designed for throwing’ if
desired. While this helps with range modifiers, it does
modify the damage by a –1 point if the weapon is used in
melee combat. This means that if a Hand Ax is made to be
‘Designed for throwing’ then standard damage applies if
the weapon is thrown, however the damage will be –1
point of damage per category if the Hand Ax is used in
melee.
Weapons that are ‘Heavy’ for the purposes of throwing
cannot usually be bettered in the terms of this rule.
Parrying/Disarming Blades
Bladed weapons like swords and daggers may have
Parrying/Disarming Blades attached to them. These
modifications grant a step bonus to parrying attempts
while using the blade and disarming attempts impose only
a +3 penalty instead of the usual +4.
This modification comes in two varieties: Fixed Blades
or Spring Blades. Fixed Blades can be introduced as early
as Progress Level 1, while Spring Blades generally do not
appear earlier than Progress Level 2. The cost for Fixed
Blades is a price increase of 10% of the weapons value;
while Spring Blades increase the price by 50%.
The primary difference between the two is that Fixed
Blades cannot be sheathed while Spring Blades can. Spring
Blades can also be used to surprise an opponent if
combined with a successful Tactics-melee tactics skill
check. In such a case the use of the blades during that
phase may grant a –2 step bonus to parrying or only a +2
penalty to a disarm check.
Of the weapons presented in this chapter the following
are suited for this modification: Dagger, Short Sword,
Broad Sword, Great Sword, Long Sword, and any Sheath
Weapons of these types.
Polearm Options
The entry for polearms on the melee weapons table
details the basic statistics for such a weapon. Historically
however, polearms had several other uses. For
simplicities sake a polearm can be used to make several
types of called shots with only a +2 penalty instead of the
usual +4. These maneuvers include specific attacks to
damage armor, or to pin an opponents weapon. They may
also be used to in an Overpowering attempt to unhorse a
mounted attacker or to pull someone to the ground.
Magical Weapons & Armor
Magical weapons, armor, and shields are all ranked by
their magnitude. The magnitude of the magic invested in
such gear allows it to be used to greater capacity than a
normal, mundane, piece of equipment. All magical gear
also has a quality. The general rule of thumb is that the
quality of the item must be at least equal to the power the
112
item is to hold. This reflects the rules involving a
permanent magical item. Temporary magical items, made
by the Enchantment-enchant item spell, do not have to
follow this rule but their power only lasts a short while.
The table below shows the qualities allowed for each level
of power.
Quality vs. Magnitude
Magnitude
Quality Ordinary Good Amazing
Ordinary Yes No No
Good Yes Yes No
Amazing Yes Yes Yes
The features of both quality and power are combined
in the statistics for the item. This means that an amazing
quality suit of plate mail retains those values for Quality
and also gains the benefits of being amazing in Magnitude
as well.
Magical Weapons
Magical weapons gain two primary features; a Skill
Bonus and the ability to Ignore Armor. The Skill Bonus
represents an increase in the wielder’s rank score with
that weapon. If the character is untrained, he first bonus
grants a broad skill level of use. If the wielder has only the
broad skill then the first bonus grants rank 1. If the new
rank would normal grant a rank benefit, like double-strike
or distance precision, then those benefits are also gained.
The Ignore Armor column shows the reduction to a
defender’s armor value. If, and only if, the target has no
armor value then this reduction acts as a point-for point
increase to damage. The Power of a magical weapons also
acts as its power rating in terms of toughness. Unless a
Game Master feels otherwise this should not upgrade
damage. High power should only downgrade Good or
Amazing toughness as standard.
Both apply to melee and thrown weapons however
when applied to heavy or ranged weapons not all of these
values apply. In these cases the weapon itself and the
ammunition used can differing power. Weapons (bows,
crossbows, ballista, and slings) gain only the benefit of the
Skill Bonus column. Ammunition types (arrows, quarrels,
sling stones, or bullets) use the Ignore Armor and the
Power columns only.
Magnitude Skill Bonus Ignore Armor
Ordinary +1 Rank -1
Good +3 Ranks -2
Amazing +5 Ranks -3
Magical Armor
The strength of magical armor is found primarily in its
ability to fend off secondary damage and the increase to
the armors base ratings. The Secondary Damage column
shows the decrease of secondary damage taken while the
armor is being worn. The Armor Value column details the
 Chapter 4: Weapons & Armor
modifier to the die roll for an armors protective value. The
Mass column shows the modifier for the armors mass
when worn. This does not effect the mass if the armor is
being carried or transported however. As with magical
weapons, magical armor must first be made of an equal or
greater quality to have an equal or lesser power.

Secondary Armor
Magnitude Damage Value Mass
O -1 +1 -25%
G -2 +2 -50%
A -3 +3 -100%

Magical Shields
Magical Shields gain bonuses in a manner similar to
magical armor. The columns below are self-explanatory.
It should be noted that shields, whether magical or not,
only benefit a character if they can actual be used to ward
off an attack. Attacks to unprotected flanks or the rear do
not offer protection from a shield. Of course the bonuses
granted a shield benefit a character’s overall armor values
as per the standard rules.

Secondary Armor
Magnitude Damage Value Mass
O -1 0 -25%
G -2 +1 -50%
A -3 +2 -100%

Magical Gear Values

While most persons who own a magical weapon or
suit of armor will not normally part with them there are
times when they may be put up for sale. The character
may be retiring, he may have several additional pieces of
magical gear that he doesn’t need, or he may need a lot of
money for some venture like building a castle.

Quality Value
Ordinary x100
Good x250
Amazing x500

The Value column shows the base modifier to the

weapon or armors cost. This is also modified by the
quality of the piece of gear as well. This number forms the
base of barter as most sales of this nature are not standard
market goods.

113