These rules are designed as a supplement to Green Ronin’s Modern Age.

These rules are public

domain and may be copied and distributed, a s long as our names remain here. The use of the
“Highlander” name and quotes from the film Highlander in these rules is not a challenge to the
ownership of the rights to the Highlander movie, nor of the ownership of the rights to the
Highlander television series by Rysher Entertainment.
Some parts of the text below were taken from < https://highlander.fandom.com/> and <
http://www.highlander.org/roleplaying/> by Hank Driskill and John Gavigan.

Immortals
“From the dawn of time we came, moving silently down through the centuries. Living many secret
lives, struggling to reach the time of the Gathering, when the few who remain will battle to the
last. No one has ever known we were among you...
...until now.”
- Juan Sánchez Villa-Lobos Ramírez, Highlander (1986)

Immortals are a group of beings that are immune to disease and stop aging after becoming
Immortal. They can live forever, and can only die if they are beheaded.
The origin of the Immortals is unknown. Immortals themselves do not know where they come
from, or for what purpose they exist. When asked by newly Immortal Connor MacLeod about
their origins, ancient immortal Ramírez answers, “Why does the sun come up? Or are the stars
just pinholes in the curtain of night, who knows?”
Centuries later, Connor MacLeod says, “We are the seeds of legend, but our true origins are
unknown. We simply are.” Connor’s student and clanmate Duncan MacLeod expresses the same
ignorance when he tells Caleb Cole, a fellow Immortal, “Whatever gods made you and me... made
us different. They're just having a little fun.”

The Game
The Game is the term used to the ongoing battle between Immortals who fight and behead each
other until only one of them remains. As Ramírez reminded Connor MacLeod, "If your head
comes away from your neck, it's over”. This concept of Immortals beheading each other to be the
last is summarized in the signature tag line known to all Immortals: "There can be only one."
As a result, Immortals who live long enough, develop strong fighting skills, usually passed from
teacher to student. Many Immortals can fight with all sorts of weapons like axes, sickles,
machetes, spears, but the most common is the sword. Consequently, Immortals are usually very
fond of their weapons, and almost always have them handy.
Immortals play the Game in accordance with their personalities. Some go head hunting full-time.
Others only fight when they are challenged, to defend their head. Immortals are free to play the
Game or not and some chose to "retire" for various reasons. Some retired Immortals chose to get
on with their lives without carrying a sword, but they are in particular danger of losing their heads.
A safe option for Immortals who wish to retire from the Game is to live on Holy Ground. This
provides safety from other immortals (but not necessarily from mortals).
The Rules
The Immortals do not live as a united people, but are scattered around the world and across
history. The only bond between them are the oral traditions called the Rules that are transmitted
from teacher to student. Where the Rules came from and who determined their scope is unknown.
The Rules are never enumerated, like a body of laws, but they are quoted according to the
circumstances. They are taught to new Immortals by Immortal mentors (see below). The main
Rules are:

• Engaging in combat on Holy Ground is forbidden

• Once a battle has begun, interference is not allowed.
• Combat is limited to one on one
• Only bladed weapons can be used (IE no ranged, explosive, or projectile weapons)
• In the end, there can be only one

The Rules also dictate that when one challenged another to combat, the two Immortals were
supposed to duel one-on-one. This does not always happen and battles may be unfair. Examples
of cheating include the group of Immortals who served under a more powerful, ancient, Immortal
mentor (very similarly to a cult structure). Other cheats may include modified weapons, the use
of poison or keeping a gun to slow down his adversaries.
If the Rules are interpreted strictly, once two Immortals begin dueling, no outside interference is
permitted, even to save a friend or innocent.

Holy Ground
“Holy ground, Highlander! Remember what Ramirez taught you!”
- The Kurgan, Highlander (1986)

The Rules forbid Immortals from fighting on holy ground. Holy ground is defined as any land or
building held sacred by any people or any culture. Examples of holy ground include; Native
American sacred lands, cathedrals, churches, chapels, cemeteries, monasteries, temples, and
mosques. The interpretation of this rule has changed as the centuries progressed. It is constantly
said by Immortals, “Even the most evil of us wouldn't desecrate Holy Ground.”
Mortals, however, are not bound by the Rules; the Hunters (see below) can behead Immortals in
holy ground. A practical result of this rule is that Immortals use holy ground as neutral territory
on which they can meet each other without risking losing their heads.

The Quickening
When an Immortal is beheaded, there is a powerful energy release from their body which is called
a Quickening. The Quickening is the receiving of all the power and knowledge another immortal
has obtained throughout his/her life. It is like the receiving of a sacrament or a massive orgasm.
The power of the Quickening is the equivalent to a major electrical storm hitting – windows
explode, lights short circuit, it is almost as if the victorious Immortal is in the center of a lightning
storm.
This energy is absorbed by the Immortal who triumphed. If an Immortal is beheaded and there is
no Immortal nearby to receive the Quickening (in an accident or if the beheader is a mortal, for
example), then the Quickening dissipates. An Immortal knows when a Quickening happens
nearby.

The Gathering and the Prize

Ancient Immortals describe the Gathering as “an irresistible pull towards a far away land, to
fight for the Prize.” The Gathering is the reunion of the last few Immortals left on Earth who then
fight each other until only one is left; this last one wins the Prize.
The very last Immortal still alive at the end of the Gathering wins the Prize. The nature of the
Prize is “ultimate power and knowledge”, but its details are actually unknown. It is believed by
occult-oriented Immortals that the Prize allows the Immortal to “be one with all living things”
and have “power beyond imagination.”
In which way the last Immortal uses the Prize depends on his personality. If that one is good, the
world will see a golden age. If evil, the world will fall into anarchy. A kind-hearted Immortal
could use this vast knowledge to help mankind to solve its environmental problems, for example.
Conversely, an evil one will have the power of all the Immortals who ever lived – Enough power
to rule this planet forever, making mankind suffer an eternity of darkness, from which it will
never recover. This makes the Game an ultimate battle of good and evil.

Becoming an Immortal
Immortals can be found in any time era and in any place around the world. They can be of any
race, ethnicity, or gender. Immortals are raised in the societies to which they were born or adopted
into, and often retain their personality, customs and habits most of their life.
Immortals carry within them the seed of their immortality which is triggered by a violent death.
After this they come back to life, fully healed. This is called the First Death. Without guidance,
many Immortals may feel their resurrection is a miracle or attribute it to otherworldly or other
supernatural powers (what is certainly a hit to Sanity and can lead to interesting disorders, such
as an immortal who believes to be an angel, god, or vampire).
Newborn Immortals are vulnerable because they do not know about the Game and they can get
beheaded before they learn what they are. The new Immortal usually does not learn about their
situation until they meet another Immortal willing to teach them. This Immortal is referred to as
the mentor or First Teacher. The First Teacher teaches the new Immortal the Rules of the Game,
how to use a sword and the tactics needed to win.
The First Teacher can become an important figure in an Immortal's life or it can be that teacher
and student eventually fight each other.
After their First Death, Immortals can theoretically live forever, but in practice, it depends on
their ability to defend their heads against an opponent. They do not age after their first death and
retain forever the appearance they had when they died for the first time.
A First Death happening too early in life can be a hindrance at playing the Game; an Immortal
who died for the first time at the age of twelve and will retain the body of a 12-year-old forever.
He will never appear mature to the world despite his countess decades of experience, and he will
never be big or strong enough to go to toe to toe with most immortals.
Immortals are sterile but except for that face, are usually the pictures of physical health.
The Buzz
After their First Death, Immortals can feel the Buzz – in short, being able to sense each other's
presence from a reasonable distance. The Buzz is something felt, not heard.
Pre-Immortals do not feel the Buzz, but Immortals can sense and identify pre-Immortals (though
the Buzz is faint and easy to miss). Pre-Immortals start triggering the Buzz in Immortals when
they are dying for the first time. Immortals who are not yet aware of the meaning of the Buzz
often experience it as a headache.
Temporarily dead Immortals do not trigger a Buzz.
Although the Buzz allows Immortals to sense one another, they seem unable to pinpoint where
the Buzz originates from. As a result, Immortals sometimes mistake mortals for their own kind
while the real Immortal remains hidden.

Life as an Immortal
For the most part, Immortals are very much like ordinary people, and most of them do the same
things as mortals. Some make a lot of money. Some become terrorists. Some become policemen
because they like to fight. Some become recluses who remove themselves from society and live
in isolation. Some become great lovers. Some become righters of wrongs. In short, they can
pursue the same interests a mortal could.
Immortals have much more time than mortals to mature their skills and usually try to blend in,
making sure that after twenty years or twenty-five years they leave the place they are and change
their identity, because they’re not getting older and people are going to start to notice." It is worth
noting that immortals are proficient, out of necessity, in changing their identities and creating or
otherwise securing the needed paperwork to blend into society e.g. birth certificate and school
records. When not proficient in these activities, Immortals usually secure professionals to do it
for them, paying handsomely.
Relationships between Immortals are like those of mortals. They have Immortal friends that they
like, they have Immortals that they don't like, except from time to time they fight. And from time
to time Immortals run into each other, after twenty years, fifty years or hundred years. Immortals
can be friends, enemies, lovers, teachers, students or they can avoid their kind. The only difference
is that they are supposed to play the Game, and trusting another Immortal can result in a severed
head.
Immortals rarely tell mortals about their immortality and even more rarely about the Game.
Relationships between Immortals and mortals are difficult because while mortals grow old and
die, Immortals remain the same. Additionally, there can never be any children of such a
relationship. Mortals still chose sometimes to live with Immortals.
Playing Immortals in Modern Age
“Ya talk funny, Nash... where ya from?”
“Lots of different places.”
- Garfield & Nash, Highlander (1986)

Game Modes
As described in Modern Age (p. 6 and p. 31), the GM should customize the game mode for a
game based on the Highlander movies and TV series. Each GM will have a different opinion on
the matter, but these are our recommendations and the reasoning behind them.
Basic Modes (Core Rulebook, p. 31).
Health: Gritty. No improvement after level 1. With very few specific exceptions, in both the
movies and TV series, mortals and immortals alike are as vulnerable to damage as you’d expect
any other person being. A single shot from even low-caliber guns drops powerful immortals as
well as it would any other person – except that they come back.
Toughness and Defense Advancement. Pulpy/Cinematic. +1 to Defense (but not Toughness)
at level 4 and every 4 levels after. This is a mix of the pulpy and cinematic advancements.
Immortals and skilled mortals in the Highlander setting have great defensive capacities, but they
are still vulnerable to damage.
Toughness Applies To: Gritty. Stun damage (all forms). Keeping with the ideas above,
Toughness can stop stun damage but not wound damage.
Resources: Pulpy. Replenish 1 lost Resources point each level, and GM awards. Except as a
story hook, money isn’t really an important factor in most stories involving Immortals. As beings
literally able to live forever, they have an easy time amassing and renewing resources from
investments and even “inheritances”.
For any other mode not described above, assume the game plays on Gritty Mode.

Character Creation
Creating an Immortal character follows the same steps described in the Modern Age Core
Rulebook (p. 10-11).
The biggest difference comes to the character Concept (Step 1); spend as much time here as
needed to get it right. Immortals are profoundly complex figures and playing one should make
the player ask deep questions about the character: Why have they survived? When were they born,
where have they been and what have they seen throughout the centuries?
For Abilities (Step 2), we strongly recommend the Buying Abilities option (p. 12).
For Backgrounds (Step 3), remember to tie it in with your concept. Is your background inherited
from your mortal days or did you actually developed it as an immortal?
When selecting a Drive (Step 5) remember to pick something that drives them and makes them
cling to life, rather than just let go. Immortals do not age, but without a will to survive they most
certainly will lose their head when a strong opponent comes calling for a duel.
When selecting equipment (Step 6), remember to take some extra time to think about your
Immortal’s weapon of choice on the fight for the Prize. The sword is the traditional weapon of an
immortal. The reasons for this are fairly simple – the sword is the oldest weapon with which you
could efficiently decapitate someone, and the first immortals would have used them. An immortal
will often have a weapon which he has used for many centuries. An immortal’s choice of weapon
helps define who they are. Also, how do you carry your weapon? In a long coat, like Connor, or
do you have some other method, perhaps?

Immortal Special Qualities

The Buzz: An Immortal can automatically sense another one in a 100-ft. radius. An Immortal can
sense when a Quickening happens in a 10-km radius. A Perception check (TN 13) might wield
additional information, like recognizing an Immortal met before or the identity of a deceased
Immortal during a Quickening (again, if met before). They do not automatically know the other
Immortal’s name or abilities, but they can know (Perception, TN 13) if the other Immortal is
weaker (two or more levels below), stronger (two or more levels above) or about at about the
same level of power.
The Quickening: When an Immortal beheads another, he immediately gains all of the deceased’s
power and knowledge. This grants the victor an immediate boost of experience equal to 200 XP
per level of the deceased Immortal. At the GM’s discretion the victor may also reassign one
Ability Focus to reflect knowledge gained from the duel or add a spell known by the defeated
Immortal.
Fast Healing: An Immortal heals 1 point of damage per turn, on the start of each of their turns,
unless reduced to 0 hit points (see below).
Temporary Death: An Immortal reduced to 0 hit points will die as any other character (Core
Rulebook, p. 40, Gritty Option). This overloads their fast healing ability, that stops working for
some time. In this state, the Immortal’s Fast Healing special quality is overloaded and stops
working for a time up from 1 minute to 1 hour, after which it resumes and heals the Immortal
normally, bringing the Immortal back to life once all hit points are restored. Any continuous form
of damage will prevent the Fast Healing quality from restarting, keeping the Immortal dead while
it lasts. In this condition the Immortal’s body does not decay or rot. If beheaded, the Immortal
permanently dies. The Immortal will also die if the body is completely destroyed by some kind
of massive damage (such as by disintegration or an atomic explosion).
An Immortal defeated in battle usually lingers in this state (often completely conscious, for being
successful in the Constitution check) while the opponent lines a coup de grace to take their head.
Timeless Body: After their first deaths, Immortals no longer takes ability score penalties (nor
bonuses) for aging and cannot be magically aged.

Equipment
Parry: Weapons grant a bonus to Parry equal to (3 - minimum Strength), with a maximum of +3.
So, parrying with a long sword (minimum Strength 1) gets a +2 bonus, while parrying with a
fencing sword (minimum Strength 0) gets a +3 bonus, while parrying with a two-handed sword
(minimum Strength 3) gains no bonus.

OTHER SUPERNATURAL CREATURES

Richie: “But we [immortals] exist. I mean, who’s to say there’s not other weird stuff out there
running around?”
MacLeod: “Richie, I’ve lived for four hundred years, I’ve never seen a werewolf, an elf, or a
vampire… Mind you I did hear there was a troll that lived underneath a bridge around here
somewhere.”
Richie: “Oh, very funny.”

Average Immortal Level by Age

Age Average Level Age Average Level

Up to 50 1st 500-750 11th
50-100 2nd 750-1000 12th
100-150 3rd 1000-1500 13th
150-200 4th 1500-2000 14th
200-250 5th 2000-2500 15th
250-300 6th 2500-3000 16th
300-350 7th 3000-3500 17th
350-400 8th 3500-4000 18th
400-450 9th 4000-4500 19th
450-500 10th 4500-5000 20th