The Book Of The Survivors

Transcript

THE BOOK OF THE SURVIVORS Rules for the Angel Fall Live-Action Role-Playing game These rules are adapted from the EXILE rules, created by Truax McFarland, as well as from modifications created by Bob and Deva Fagan for Prophecy I, with the permission of the authors. Bits also accrued from Prophecy II, Prophecy III, Covenant, and many other games. The original writers have our sincere and grateful thanks. 1 TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION RULES AND POLICIES CHARACTER CREATION VITALITY DEATH, DYING AND HEALING GIFTS AND FLAWS BACKGROUNDS DESERT FOREST GRASSLANDS MOUNTAINS JUNGLE SEASIDE WANDERERS OPEN SKILLS OPEN SKILLS: FIGHTING AND WEAPON SKILLS OPEN SKILLS: INFORMATION, OCCUPATION OPEN SKILLS: CRAFTING, GENERAL APOTHECARY, BREWER, FABRICATOR, SMITH, WORDCRAFTER DESCRIPTIONS HOUSE SKILLS THE HOUSE OF HEALING THE HOUSE OF JOINING THE HOUSE OF SHADOWS THE HOUSE OF RESTORATION THE HOUSE OF LEGENDS THE HOUSE OF SEEING THE HOUSE OF FOOLS THE HOUSE OF CONTEMPLATION GENERAL HOUSE SKILLS THE HOUSELESS THE NGUDJA (NU-JAH) COMBAT THE OTHER STUFF YOU NEED TO KNOW SAFETY CALLS AND EFFECTS THE COLOR YELLOW TRAPS & PHYSICAL CHALLENGES CHARACTER ADVANCEMENT & BETWEEN GAME ACTIONS PLAYER INFORMATION CAMPAIGN INFORMATION APPENDIX 2 INTRODUCTION In the Beginning was the End. Man had become like gods, flying among the skies, swimming below the seas. The Angels were jealous, and destruction rained down that Man should no more think to rival those above them. From the ashes people rose again. The gods were distant after the fall, but Saints guided the survivors. They built eight Houses out of the wreckage, and all people who live today are descended from those Houses. As the survivors multiplied, the Houses grew with them, from lodging to family to culture. Each House has a calling that centers around their Saint. Most people in a House are ordinary, following ordinary paths: farmer or farrier, blacksmith or baker. The initiates of each House, though, follow their Saint’s path and have gifts that others do not. Angels may walk among you, and many a woman or man has entertained angels unaware, but remember- the Angels are not your friends. Offer hospitality to every stranger, for the Angels are quick to feel slighted. Offer no violence unless you yourself are attacked, for the Angels are skilled at Vengeance and may extend their retribution to your companions, family, household and town. Speak secrets to no one not of your House, for Angels delight in using our secrets to destroy us. And remember: where the Angels have cast us down once, they can and will do so again if we stray from their Laws. Since the time of the Fall, Angels have decreed that the Survivors make a sacrifice to them every quarter century. In the beginning, with so few survivors, one in a hundred were offered up to the Angel’s Convergence. Now, it is one per thousand, but it remains the brightest and the best who are sent. Even the smallest, poorest town is expected to send at least one soul on this journey to a new wilderness chosen by the Angels. Those who survive the journey must clear the land of dangers and Taint, build a town, and serve at the Angel’s whim while they are tested for three years. At the end of the three years, the Angels claim who they will. Rarely are any of these souls heard from again, and their fates are a mystery. Among the chosen are always those who volunteer. People who wish to leave their birth House for another, people mad for adventure, people fleeing memories or expiating guilt- all can be found at a Convergence. Those who survive are never quite the same. Whether you were chosen or chose for yourself, whether you come in excitement or dread, you are here now. This Convergence is on the edge of a Forest, scrub brush leading into dark woods. The nearest tiny settlement- two farms and a tavern - is a day’s journey away, and those brave souls who came before you have barely begun to set up shelter and discover what dangers lie here. What will you find? Who will you become? And will you choose your future…or have it chosen for you? The World of Angel Fall Your ancestors were not bombed back to the Stone Age, but merely to the Dark Ages. Their world is not ours, although one can consider it an alternate version of ours, with a mix of cultures and technologies and traditions reduced to this: supernatural beings have taken away a thousand years of knowledge. No books survive from before the Fall, and only garbled histories. To be clear: the Angels of Angel Fall are not identified with the celestial beings of Christianity, Judaism, Islam, or any other real world religions, nor are the Saints fully analogous to the real world versions. A Different World Angel Fall Society is full of prejudices, but they differ from those faced today. Genetic mutations as extreme as a bird wing replacing a limb, a third eye, or extraneous tentacles occur and invoke visceral fear and revulsion. The Survivors’ laws of hospitality require that this revulsion be masked and politeness be maintained; Angels react far 3 more negatively. Those who treat people with marked dysmorphia as regular human beings are viewed as tenderhearted; some see this as behavior to emulate, while others see it as foolishness. Race, gender - binary or not - and sexual preferences between consenting adults, are considered irrelevant. There are no gender roles in the society, birth control is easily obtained and effective, and sexual violence is about as common as cannibalism, and viewed with the same uncomprehending horror. All people attending Angel Fall are invited to play characters of whatever gender - including nonbinary - that they are most comfortable with. If you identify with a specific gender but want to explore your affinity for another gender, you are welcome to do so as long as it is done with respect and sensitivity. Any disrespectful use of gender identity will result in the individual being asked to rework their character. People in Survivor society often wear necklaces with beads, stones, or a pendant inscribed with their pronoun of choice. This is completely voluntary, and is most common when biology fails to align with identity. What is Live Action Role Playing? Live Action Role Playing, or LARP as it is often called, is a form of art, recreation, and social gathering all rolled into one. LARP events are often referred to as Games, and may take place at an outdoor or indoor location, and may last a few hours or an entire weekend. The chosen physical location will represent a Setting, and a number of people known as Cast populate the setting with characters ranging from Penitents to brigands to monsters to wild beasts. Cast members will usually play several different Characters during an event. The actions of the Cast are guided by a number of interconnected Plots, which are written and directed by the Angel Fall Staff. A Player will create a single Character, with personality, desires, goals, motives, skills, etc., using this rulebook. The Player will then portray that Character, and interact within the world of the Setting. So while Cast Characters (sometimes called Non-Player Characters or NPCs) must for the most part follow a pre-written Plot, as directed by the Staff, the Player Characters (or PCs) are free to do what they will within the confines of the Rules. A good way to think about it is that the Game is like a sweeping epic novel, in which the Players are the main characters, while the Cast and Staff provide the opposing forces, setting, and side characters. In Angel Fall, we plan to run mostly weekend events at Ye Olde Commons, several times a year, for 3 years. The events will be part of an overall Campaign, with a main overarching Plotline that has a definite ending point. Depending on the actions of the Players, that ending point may be reached earlier or later. The Game revolves around “real” actions. What this means is that when you choose to do something you must actually do it. You won't merely “say” you are doing something and have it happen for you; you must actually do it. If you say “I climb up this wall”, all it means is that your character has just said that, which will get you some odd looks, but won’t save you from your enemies. There should be no need for you to ask other players out-of-game questions, such as “Do I recognize this?” or “What do I see?” These questions should be avoided. There may be a few cases where you will need to ask another player to clarify a situation, but these should be rare. You can do anything that you are capable of accomplishing without breaking the rules, endangering another player or yourself, disrupting the flow of game, calling a Hold, or damaging other people's property. There are some things you just can’t do, even if “realistically” your character could do them. The reasons for this are to avoid situations like the following: Player A: “Okay, I set the hut on fire. You guys must be roasting in there by now, come on out!” Player B: “Actually, I broke down the back wall and climbed up that tree.” 4 This sort of thing confuses the continuity of the game. Examples of things you cannot “say” you are doing include: cutting off limbs, breaking down doors, violation of another’s person, and burning items. There are also some reallife actions we would ask you to refrain from for your own safety, and the safety of others. This information can be found in the Rules and Policies section of the Rule Book. A few circumstances may require exceptions to these rules, in which case the term “Forsooth” will be used before the statement. Players can ONLY do this in specific instances relating to specific skills or prayers they may learn in game. What to Expect Angel Fall is a game intended for people who enjoy complex plot-lines, intense role-playing, and tough, meaningful fights. The person who will get the best experience out of Angel Fall is someone who attends regularly, is eager to role-play and get into plots, and enjoys challenges. While we expect that someone who comes occasionally or even just once can still have an enjoyable time, we intended this campaign as a series of episodes in a continuing plotline, thus it will be more meaningful to a person who can participate regularly. If you need someone else to lose to feel that you have won; if player versus player is your primary enjoyment in LARP; or if your biggest thrill is hoarding information and riches, this game may be frustrating for you. A Safer Space Triggers are things that cause an involuntary reaction of fear or physical symptoms in some people. On the lighter side, many people are triggered by snakes or spiders, and for most the experience of standing on a chair and screaming is almost funny afterward. For some people, even with these common phobias, it is never funny, and physical responses can include nausea, vomiting, dizziness, fainting, uncontrollable crying- a miserable experience. Sometimes objectively harmless things- a fake snake, say- will trigger the reaction as though it were the real thing. For survivors of violence and abuse, behavior that mimics past abuse can be triggering. Seeing someone else harmed, even just ‘in game’, or having one’s character in specific types of danger may bring back frightening and painful memories. Nearly everyone is triggered by something, and having a CHARACTER triggered can be wonderful role play. Having a PLAYER badly triggered, however, can ruin an event and even LARPing for that individual. If there is a trigger that is likely to make a player feel unsafe in an out of game way, we ask that you let a member of our senior staff know, before your first event if possible. This information will be kept confidential*, and you will be notified by a staff member if there is a module or other scenario that would be best avoided. If a major trauma has happened in your life- death of a loved one, for example- and you will be more vulnerable for an event or more, we encourage you to let us know, No situation is ever free of potential triggers, but no one should feel embarrassed to ask for trigger warnings. For many people, physical contact itself can be triggering. Remember that Angel Fall is a NO CONTACT game. If you wish to touch someone, even on the hand, you must ask each time. Some people may choose to give blanket permission for contact, but that should NEVER be assumed or requested. (As a frequent offender, your Director acknowledges that this is HARD to remember, particularly if you consider yourself harmless and completely nonthreatening. Work on it; it’s important.) A number of senior staff are mandated reporters. If you are a minor, or disabled, and are being harmed or exploited, we are required by law to report this. Similarly, if you have intentions of harming yourself, or someone else, we would also have to report that. 5 RULES AND POLICIES A Note on the Rules These Rules are meant as a guideline. It would be impossible to include every single detail on the possible interpretations of all rules. We ask that you follow the spirit of the rules and not be a “Rules Lawyer”. It is reasonable to ask questions, but if you are constantly demanding the clarification of minute points purely in the interest of “power”, the Staff may be forced to define the rules to such an extent it becomes unpleasant to play the game any longer. Remember, we are all here to have fun! SAFETY RULES These are the most important rules in this book. Follow them above all others, and at all times. No Running at Night The single greatest safety risk you face in live-action role-playing isn’t combat. It’s running over rough terrain, risking falling and bashing your brains out on a rock… especially in the dark. Always use caution when running. At night, NPCs will only pursue you at a fast, safe, walk. Try to avoid pursuing other players at night. No Excessive Combat Force When fighting with padded weapons, you must always pull your blows so as not to strike too hard. No blow should cause real pain. If you are struck by a blow that you think is too forceful, say “Excessive Force”. The hit doesn’t count. Everyone is different, so you will have to adjust to your opponent’s level of comfort. Blows that some players would hardly notice are quite unpleasant for others. No one should feel uncomfortable about calling “Excessive Force”. It doesn’t mean you are a wimp. You are actually helping the game by keeping things under control. If you feel a player is abusing this rule, smile, make nice, and inform Staff. No Targeting The Head or Groin Do not target the head or groin. If you do accidentally hit someone in the head or groin, one of you will likely need to call Caution or a Hold. Please be courteous and give the person who was hit a moment to recover, if they need it. Hits to the hands do not count. No Unsafe Weapons All weapons must be inspected by the staff before every event. For guidelines on weapon construction, consult the “Combat” section of the Rule Book. No Blocking Doors Blocking or holding a door with your body or furniture is not allowed. Do not try to physically force doors open. No Unattended Fire No unattended flames are allowed at any time. No combat may occur within 10 feet of an open flame. Please do not yell “Fire” unless there really is an out-of-game emergency. No Directed Light No lights with directed beams may be used, at all. You can modify flashlights and lanterns so that they aren’t “aimed” by adding a diffuser or film. Glow sticks are also safe and useful. No Recreational Drugs Including Alcohol, and No Real Weapons These are NEVER allowed. You will be instantly “disinvited” if you are found with these. This includes coming to an event “under the influence”. No Physical Contact Without Permission 6 No physical contact is allowed in game without the other player’s permission. No direct physical contact is allowed in combat AT ALL, and you should avoid getting within arm’s length, unless using a packet to “punch” someone. No Unsafe Stunts or Climbing Please do not climb trees or buildings, or jump out of windows. No Carrying Other People There may be instances during the course of the Angel Fall Campaign when your character will want to lift, drag, or carry another character. This is one instance where- although you might very well be capable of physically lifting or dragging a friend- we ask you not to. Instead say “I pick you up”, at which point the person you are ‘carrying’ should get up and move with you, slowly, as if you are carrying them. Both of you should move no faster than a slow walk while you are role-playing this action. We would rather see role-playing of this sort than have someone get hurt by picking up another person, or being dropped by another person. “Caution!” When you see a safety problem, call “Caution”. This is used for things such as someone about to back over a rock or into a tree. The caution creates a sort of mini-“Hold” (see below) during which you should be ignored by others, as should the person at risk. “Clarify?” When you did not hear or do not understand a spell or in-game effect, call “Clarify”. The person should explain what has happened or answer your question. This also creates a mini-“Hold” (see below) during which others should ignore both you and the person answering you. “HOLD! HOLD! HOLD!” In the case of major safety problems, injuries, or the like, call “Hold, hold, hold!”. All action stops within line of sight, and should start again only when the problem is resolved and a “Lay On” has been called. Do not call a Hold for ingame reasons (like someone not noticing the spell you hit them with). But do not hesitate to call a Hold when you think it might be needed, such as for real-life injuries. We would rather be safe than sorry! POLICIES Do Not Use Obscenities Swearing is poor role-playing, and upsetting to some people. If you feel the need for colorful language, practice using suitable in-game phrases, e.g. “Rabbits!” or “You misbegotten cur!” Do Not Cheat This should go without saying. The game is nothing if the players are not honorable – no matter how despicable their characters may be! Do Not Insult Others Out-of-Game In-game insults can be part of role-playing, but we should all respect one another out-of-game. Unpleasant, out-ofgame personal remarks, slurs on sex, race, religion, or sexual orientation are not acceptable. Treat members of the opposite sex with courtesy and respect. No one should be made uncomfortable out-of-game by what other people are saying at an event. If you feel another player is violating this policy, please contact a member of the Angel Fall Staff as soon as possible. NOTE: Many people are uncomfortable with prolonged hostile interactions even when they are in game. Please take a moment to discuss out of game your mutual comfort level if things may be moving in that direction. Do Not Litter Everything you bring to the camp should either leave with you or be placed in a suitable trash receptacle. 7 Smoke in Designated Areas ONLY Tobacco may be smoked in the parking lot area, which is out of game. Take your cigarette butts with you and deposit them in the trash. Do not throw cigarette butts on the ground! If we find that this is happening, smoking may be permanently banned from the game. Role Play! Angel Fall is about role playing. Not everyone likes to role play every minute of a game, but it’s very difficult to role play while someone else is blatantly out-of-character nearby. Being out-of-character while others are role playing is rude, and Staff may say something to you if you’re being disruptive of the game. If you need to have an out-ofcharacter discussion, we simply ask you to find a private place for it. Maintain Atmosphere Similar to the above consideration, it’s hard to enjoy the game atmosphere when out-of-game articles are strewn about. When outside your cabin stay in costume and keep the modern necessities out of sight. In your cabin you may do as you like, but the Cast will react to mundane possessions as though they were the foulest excrement, outof-costume people as though they were dressed in horrid rags, and out of character remarks as though they were the vilest of insults! Stay In Control Blatantly losing control of your actions or emotions (whether during combat or because you are unhappy with the outcome of an encounter) leads to dangerous situations and out-of-game offensiveness. If you feel like this is happening, just step back from the situation for a moment to settle down and remember it is just a game. You may certainly role play that your character has lost control, but even in that situation you must always keep safety first. No Spectators Live Action Role Playing isn’t a spectator sport. Spectators- be they friends, significant others, etc.- make people uncomfortable and disrupt play. If you have a visitor who would like to try the game, there is often room for people to play and Cast. Staff will find NPC roles suitable for those who are only interested in watching or role playing. But every person on the game site must be in-game and in-character. “Disinvitation” The Angel Fall game is run by its staff for their enjoyment, and that of the players. Everyone who attends a Angel Fall event, be they staff or player, does so by invitation. The invitation is an open one – anyone is welcome! However, if you are not fun to play with, because you are abusive, cheat, are discourteous, etc., then you will be issued a “disinvitation”. This will usually (but not always) be preceded by a warning. LARPing is about fun, and we are not interested in wasting time with people who cause problems. Someone disinvited from a previous Winged Throne game is automatically disinvited from Angel Fall. 8 CHARACTER CREATION “The mettle of a man is rarely obvious. His constitution is often fortuitous, even as his discretion borders on tempestuous. In all things, his enemy will be scurrilous. Therefore, live for thyself and for the betterment of thy fellow; fret not about tomorrow.” ~ Saint Gregor. Creating a character for Angel Fall involves several steps. You will have the opportunity to make many choices that will shape a unique and individualized character. You may change your character ONCE prior to the third game you attend if you find that you are dissatisfied with your choices. (If you attend the play test and choose to rework your character before the regular campaign, that does not count towards this limitation.) Included below each step is an ongoing example of a fictitious person building a sample character. Feel free to read these blurbs or ignore them. Most Angel Fall character creation will progress easiest in the following order: 1. Get a general idea of the character you want to play. Is she impetuous, the first into any trouble? Is he thoughtful and a bit timid? Do they like being around people all the time, or need time for introspection? Think of the most boring task you have ever done at a LARP or in real life. Think about what kind of character it would be fun to be even while doing that task. That’s the kind of character you want to play, whoever he, she or they turns out to be. All the other choices below are either to further define that character or to create hooks towards adventures. In general, the concept of having a more low-key game appeals to Reggie. She isn't much for combat, but gets a great deal of satisfaction in helping others. 2. Choose a House (optional). The world of Angel Fall centers around your connections, family, and- perhaps most of all- skills. Your choice of House (or not) will greatly influence these things. Houses available for player characters consist of Healing, Joining (Helping people and communities work together), Legends (Story and History), Restoration (Making the tainted land habitable again), Seeing (Knowing what is happening far away) and Shadows (Learning or finding or ‘acquiring’ what is hidden). Reggie thinks it over and decides that being Houseless isn’t for her. The idea of having an artifact is intriguing, and being a Healer sounds appealing. Since there’s only one way to do that, Reggie decides that the House of Healing is her first choice. 3. Choose Gifts and Flaws (optional). You are the best and brightest of the Survivors, which means you may have special abilities that most people do not. You also may have weaknesses that you have striven your whole life to overcome. Skill points are used to buy Advantages (at character creation or revising only) as well as Skills. Disadvantages (such as Houselessness) will give you extra character points to spend on Advantages and Skills. Reggie starts to price a few of the skills in the House of Healing, as well as some of the Gifts that would be useful, and quickly decides that a few Flaws would be a good idea. After pondering the concepts for a while, Reggie decides that being a Veteran character would be truly useful, and worth the Vitality loss. She also decides that playing a dysmorphic character sounds cool, and that committing to designing and wearing an intense costume isn’t a problem, but a draw. Once she decides to be Severely Dysmorphic, the rest of the character concept starts to fall into place: a dedicated Healer with little to lose, someone who will heal any comers, and thus is always accepted. 4. Choose a Background (and Town, if applicable). Your hometown adds flavor to your character and a common point between characters. It may also add certain skill quirks, advantages, and disadvantages as well as various points of in-game knowledge later in the campaign. While numerous towns are listed, you can also create your own. If you create your own town, that part of your character 9 history should be in SIX WEEKS before your first event to allow for changes if necessary. You may also attempt to propose a new Background Advantage/Disadvantage pair in the same time frame, but these quirks must (a) fit the flavor of the area, and (b) not be overpowered. The chance of a proposed Background Advantage/Disadvantage pair being rejected is relatively high. Staff also reserves the right to appropriate individual proposals, add them to the rulebook, and make them available to other characters. Survivors with the Ngudja flaw have a Background, but must specify a settlement situation well outside any of the listed towns, and must propose their own Advantage/Disadvantage pair if one is desired. Therefore, having your character in early if you decide to take the Ngudja “flaw” is an excellent idea. Survivors with the Houseless flaw have a Background, and can have a hometown if they wish (from which they have been cast out), but are not allowed an Advantage/Disadvantage pair for that background. After glancing through the backgrounds, inspiration strikes Reggie- her character is from the Jungle, and uses the rare and exotic plants that just seem to ‘turn up’ to craft special cures. But having to afford Foraging, a level or two of Apothecary, along with all the Healing rituals she wants, leads Reggie to also take the Pacifist Flaw. Then, since she’s not going to fight, inspiration hits as to what form her dysmorphia will take: she already has a pair of arm-length gloves that can be dyed green and sewn so as to limit the range of motion to two sets of fingers (the “live long and prosper sign”). She’ll wear a bald cap (coloring it green and drawing on scales), and using makeup and eyeliner to make patches of her face look like snakeskin. She decides her healer is from Fireflight, which sounds interesting, and has a Master Healer in residence. 5. Choose Skills. You will begin the game with 50 Skill Points. This number may be affected by choosing certain Gifts and Flaws. These Skill Points can be spent on any of the skills listed in this book. Some skills are available only to certain Houses, and there will be other “hidden” skills available only through in game means. See the “Skills” section of the Rule Book for more information on available skills, and the Appendix for a concise list of skill costs. Reggie has already chosen a few Gifts as well as a level of Research (Strange Cures), and two levels of Apothecary. Thanks to the Veteran Flaw, she is able to take many of the House of Healing skills, but not all. Reggie prioritizes Slow Poison and the rest of the Apprentice skills, so as to be a Journeyman level Healer, and also Cure Poison, since it fits her Background so well. 6. Create Rituals. If you choose to have House skills, you must describe your ritual for each skill. The rituals for most Houses should be deliberate, expansive, and at least a little flamboyant. It should be obvious to anyone standing within twenty feet of you, should they care to watch, that you are doing a ritual. See HOUSE SKILLS, below. Reggie makes a few notes on appropriate rituals for blood-letting and leeching, and wonders about appropriate props, deciding to email with questions in this area later. 7. Choose a Name. You may be tempted to take the name of a well-known character from a popular book or movie, but in general we suggest you avoid this. Many other players have read those same books and seen those same movies. To encounter a character with a well-known/unusual name may interrupt their Angel Fall mindset and take them out-of-game. Liking the sibilant “S” sound for a Jungle character with this particular dysmorphia, Reggie chooses Sargus Snakespitter for a character name. Reggie decides that Sargus is male, but it’s not something he identifies with very strongly. 8. Assemble a Costume. The Survivors come from the remnants of a multicultural society, and their clothing holds clues to that. Tunic and pants or hose, shalwar kameez, muumuu with kiekie, cheongsam, kanga and similar versatile, easy to make garments are common. Decorations from discarded remnants of technology are not uncommon, from the tabs of soda cans to fragments of circuitry. Leather and furs are used with homespun textiles. If your character has physiology distinct from Survivor “normal” human (dysmorphia), please submit your intended make-up along with your character. Staff is the final arbiter as to if your intended costuming fits your stated level of Flaw. 10 Reggie decides Sargus tends to dress in loose green robes over a red and blue shirt and trousers- a vivid Jungle color scheme that means he will always be visible/easy to find. She submits her costuming ideas, noting that she is willing to add slit pupiled contact lenses if necessary for it to qualify as Severe. She hears back within a week or so that Staff has approved the concept as “Severe Dysmorphia,” and that adding the contact lenses would push it up to the lower end of “Monstrous Dysmorphia” as a 20 point flaw. Reggie decides that this sounds like a great idea, and gets the contacts. 8. Write a Character History (Optional, but suggested). You will gain 5 additional Skill Points by writing and submitting a brief history of your character to the Angel Fall Staff. Your character history should contain personal information about your character’s exploits prior to the start of the Angel Fall Campaign. This might include information on your background, your family, your childhood, your enemies, what brought you to volunteer (or if you were pressured to come), etc. This information will remain confidential with the Staff, but will likely be used for Plot purposes. We ask that you keep your character history to 1,000 words, and listing key points at the beginning would be extremely helpful. Please do not include anything in your character history that gives you an unfair advantage in game. If you try to convince us that you have hundreds of followers who will come to the Convergence to protect and serve you, that you are next in line to head of your House, or that you have some secret familial wealth, power or ability, we will ask you to rewrite your history. Note that it is perfectly fine for the character to believe such delusions as long as the player does not. Character Histories are subject to approval by the Staff in order to ensure consistency in the game and setting. Furthermore, the Staff reserves the right to request alterations of names, places, and events to better fit a personal history into the overall plot. If such alteration is suggested, the Staff will make every effort to contact you prior to game start. Reggie decides that Sargus was almost exposed (left to die) as a child. If he’d been born into any other House but Healing or Joining, or been born into a far-outlying area, he might have been. Rather than make him bitter, it made him extremely cautious, and ultimately driven to gain enough Healing skill that he would be welcomed anywhere. Reggie decides that his Apothecary mentor, Sirtheen, was borderline abusive at times, but that others in his village of Fireflight were more supportive. In the same letter regarding the costume decision, Reggie is told by Staff that they would like to change the name of Sargus’ mentor to Abernathy Cromwell. What Reggie doesn’t realize (at least in-game) is that a fellow Jungle Background player, named Joseth, is the runaway groom-to-be of a Poisoner named Abernathy. The Staff may add to Sargus’ history that Abernathy was mourning a lost love. Staff would then alter Joseth’s history to add that his fiancé’ seemed to lead two different lives, but even in his attempt to lead a more respectable life was often cruel to apprentices. In this way, a single Cast member can be introduced as the villainous Abernathy, and entertain two players, rather than having to introduce a Jungle NPC for each player. 9. Changing your Character You may alter or completely change your starting character one time, prior to your third event, without losing earned skill points. However, after the third event you may not alter your character. You also may only have a single active Player Character at any given time. If you decide you no longer wish to play your character (after your third event) you must retire the character and create a new one from scratch. In general, retired characters may not be played again, except as NPCs in extraordinary circumstances. At some point late on Saturday of her first game, Reggie dropped her water mug for the third time. She made the decision that the gloves (and Monstrous Dysmorphia flaw) were not essential to her character concept. She continued to wear them for the rest of the weekend, but wrote Staff in her PEL that she was planning to alter Sargus’ costume requirements. She and Staff subsequently worked out a different costuming idea that allowed her to keep Monstrous Dysmorphia. 11 VITALITY “Wandering a wasted land, we called upon the distant Gods for aid; They answered our prayers, made us a unified people, strong in body and mind.” ~ Saint Karel. Over the centuries, Survivors have learned to combine mind and body into a whole; this flexibility has been crucial to their survival. Vitality Points represent both body and mind, representing the life force of the individual as “hit points” as well as powering skills. Characters start with 10 Vitality and gain 1 per event. While this maxes out at 15 working Vitality, extra points gained above this are banked as ‘death insurance’. Vitality is permanently lost when a character dies, as below: A first death costs one Vitality. A second death costs two Vitality. A third death costs three Vitality. ...and so forth. If a character, for example, is unlucky enough to die four times in their first event, they will be at zero (1+2+3+4=10) Vitality… and permanently dead. Those same deaths after six events would leave them with 10 starting plus 6 earned Vitality minus 10 for the four deaths, or 6 net Vitality. Of course, one more death will brings them to just 1 Vitality. DEATH, DYING AND HEALING The Survivors are a hearty bunch. As long as they are still conscious, they can generally heal themselves one Vitality point per minute of meditation. Meditation must be done stationary, with the eyes closed. (Purging a Maim is possible, but can only be done by someone who is otherwise fully healed, and takes ten minutes of meditation per limb.) Meditation can generally be accomplished anywhere… that’s Clean. There are places in the world that prevent such healing, and meditating in a Tainted area (green Environmental tags are visible) will inflict at least as much damage as a Survivor could heal. When a Survivor falls to zero working Vitality, they lose consciousness and become Unstable. At this point, without medical assistance, they will die- but not right away. A Survivor will remain Unstable for 5 minutes before slipping into the Critical State, which is even harder to Heal. A Survivor will stay Critical for another 5 minutes, at the end of which they become Dead. Anyone can learn the Staunch Wounds skill, which stops the count towards Critical (or Dead) while they actively role-play using it. Only healers can return an Unstable or Critical character to consciousness. If you end up Dead, other Survivors (if not your friends, then the Fools) will usually bring your body back to the House of Healing. If no one shows up to bring in your body by 5 minutes after the end of battle, or if you are uncomfortable for out of game reasons, you may go back to the House of Healing on your own with your fist to forehead signifying that you are not really there; a Fool eventually came to get you.) After a character reaches the House of Healing they will go through a ritual and return to life with reduced permanent Vitality. If a character does not have the Vitality to “pay for” a return, they are permanently dead. A return from that state would take unusual measures. There are rumors that some very powerful Healers may have a way of granting more time to someone whose body will no longer channel life force of their own, but no Healer has gone on record 12 describing the procedure. If you manage to go Unstable → Critical → Dead enough times to use all your Permanent Vitality, you should go to Ops. GIFTS AND FLAWS “I prefer to view our differences as strengths... as long as they don’t get in the way of doing what needs to be done.” ~ Saint Jane. Gifts and Flaws may only be chosen during character creation. They represent innate positive and negative aspects of your character, and can add depth and uniqueness. Gifts are purchased with Skill Points, which are fully described later in this book. Flaws give you additional Skill Points to spend, and so are listed with a plus value, such as +5 or +15. You may choose as many Gifts as you can afford, but you may choose only TWO Flaws, unless you can make an extremely compelling argument otherwise. The cost/gain in Skill Points is listed after the name of each Gift or Flaw. A character should assume that the points gained for ANY Flaw (taken at character creation) lost during the course of the campaign MUST be paid back. GIFTS Calm SP: 5 Your character is immune to the first Fear or Berserk attack of an encounter/fight. Does not cancel out any fears or phobias you have. Claws SP: 5 Prerequisites: Unblessed, Dysmorphia (10SP+), Weapon Training Your character’s dysmorphia includes non-retractable claws which can be used in combat. They are represented by red boffer daggers, with a total length of 18 inches or less. Such claws are NOT affected by Disarm nor Maim, and can be used to block as a weapon. However, they are subject to other Effects, such as Shatter. If a Clawed character wished to upgrade using one standard-length weapon and one Claw, they can pay the point difference (10SP), and announce that they are filing down the claws on their primary hand in order to upgrade to a Florentine fighting style. Courage SP: 10 Characters with Courage are completely immune to the Fear and Torment Effects. You may not take the Unreliable Flaw if you take the Courage Gift. If you have taken a Background with a phobia Disadvantage, Courage does NOT cancel it out (you are only afraid of that one thing). Hidden Gift SP: 5/10/15 A Hidden Gift will manifest itself sometime during the course of the campaign. It could be a gift not on the list. It may be random, or may be chosen by plot. You may choose to spend 5, 10 or 15 points on this with correspondingly more impressive results once it unveils itself. Your gift WILL come out within the first three events you play. Mysterious Benefactor SP: 10 Characters who have a Mysterious Benefactor will occasionally receive advice, aid, and possibly material support from an unknown person or persons who wish to help them for their own reasons. The Character will not be able to contact their Benefactor in person, though letters may be possible. The Benefactor is not necessarily reliable, and may be attempting to use the Character as a pawn to accomplish some nefarious goal. The Benefactor will not necessarily respond to specific requests. 13 Reliable SP: 10 You can resist any Fear or Berserk effect if others are counting on you AT THAT MOMENT. The people counting on you must be with you at the time and must have a pressing need for your help. You cannot take the Unreliable flaw if you have the Reliable Gift. Thrift SP: 5 Characters who have Thrift will start each event with a variable amount of extra food, supplies or ingots they have saved. Please remind the Staff at Check-In if you have this Gift. You may not take the Spendthrift Flaw if you have the Thrift gift. Toughness SP: 15 Characters with Toughness may spend one Vitality point to call “Resist” to the following effects: Maim, Critical, Knockout, Slay. Venerable SP: Special Venerable characters must role-play age and frailty, have one less Vitality, and have already died their first death (their first death in game will cost them two permanent Vitality.) They must wear makeup to make them appear aged, and learn new skills at twice the cost. However, they begin the game with 75 skill points. Vitality of the Young SP: 5/15/30 You were born with an exceptional pool of inner strength. For 5 SP, you begin with 1 extra Vitality. For 15 SP, you have 2 extra Vitality, and for 30 SP, you have 3 extra Vitality. Cannot be taken by Venerable Characters. Unblessed Hidden Gift SP: 5/10/15 This includes the flaws below, at the level you choose, but with unknown advantages that you will find out in game. Choose 5, 10 or 15 point hidden advantage level and also subtract the points from your chosen level of flaw- so a 15 point Gift with Severe Dysmorphia will be a net of zero SP. Unusual Circumstances SP: Special The resources required to make armor or full metal weapons are prohibitive. It will be theoretically possible, though incredibly difficult, to make armor and swords in game. For a person to have been entrusted with armor and/or weapons representing the wealth of their family, their town, or a portion of their region, is extraordinary. They would have spent a great deal of extra time training with it, and likely proved themselves in battle. Starting the game with hide armor (1 point, generally repairable through crafting) represents 10 SP of extra training time. Entering the Convergence with studded armor (2 points, repairable)- hide armor that has been impregnated with enough metal to absorb twice the damage of normal hide- costs 20 SP. Further, such an item would have only been entrusted to an extremely honest person- your character has the Honesty Flaw, but gets no points for it. If one starts the game with the Honesty Flaw, but gains armor, the points gained for the Honesty Flaw MUST be paid back when the armor is found). All-metal armor is almost unknown; only a true soldier- one of those very few Survivors who isn’t appalled by killing other sentient beings- would possess it. In addition to being an Honest person (as above), who has spent a huge portion of their life (30 SP) training in it, the soldier has already suffered a Death during training or the defense of the settlement, causing you to lose 1 permanent Vitality (and your next Death will cost 2 permanent Vitality). Any armor will require repair (Smith Crafting, Apprentice level or higher) after every battle in which it has absorbed damage, in order to be effective in absorbing damage in the next battle. 14 A sword in untrained hands is no better than a stick; it is unlikely an untrained person would possess one, and in the hands of an untrained bearer, swords will do only base 1 damage. Lastly, anyone who was allowed to leave their home with a sword has also trained with it to the point of their first Death. A sword represents the wealth of an entire town, and those few that exist are named with histories easily obtained from the House of Legends. Stealing a sword is a heinous crime, and would prompt others to recover the item and return it to its place of origin. A town that possesses a sword will bestow it on someone considered worthy, and upon that person’s death or incapacity it would return to the town to wait for the next worthy person to appear, years or centuries later. In summary, someone coming to the Convergence with full metal armor and a sword has suffered their first two Deaths (their first in game Death will cost them 3 Vitality), has dedicated at least 30 SP to it, and has a free Honesty Flaw. They are very likely trained in weapon use. They are basically viewed as a killing machine, but have impressed their community as a truly heroic figure. While there are whispered rumors that some such training places exist, one would need an incredibly convincing backstory to take both Vitality of the Young or Pacifist and Unusual Circumstances. You may not take both Bloodlust and Unusual Circumstances. Finally, one would certainly require the aid of a House to amass the materials or gain possession of armor more significant than hide, or a sword. As such, those who are Houseless may not come into game with a sword nor studded armor nor fully metal armor. As a final warning, it should be obvious that not only are armor and swords difficult to conceal, Angels are quite suspicious of them. FLAWS Blood-lust SP: +15 Characters with Blood-lust become a berserker as soon as they take damage, a condition which lasts the length of the combat. While in a blood-lust they will never take prisoners, and will always attack anyone, even an ally, who inflicts damage upon them. These characters will not retreat, negotiate, surrender, or otherwise stop the battle until they are dead, unconscious, immobile, or all opponents have fallen or run away. Note: actually killing sentient creatures, especially fellow Survivors, is societally frowned-upon. Your character is likely to have both societal repercussions and a short and bloody life, so make sure that is appealing to you before taking this flaw. This is NOT an excuse for unsafe fighting! Hidden Flaw SP: +5/+10/+15 A Hidden Flaw, worth 5, 10, or 15 SP, will manifest itself in the course of the game. This will be determined by the Staff, and may be a Flaw not on this list. It WILL come out within the first three events. Please note that the hidden flaw may range from extremely inconvenient to frequently disabling; if you are not up for extremely bad luck for your character, think twice. Honesty SP: +10 Characters who are honest do not lie, do not deceive, and do not break oaths. Houseless SP: Variable This is the most dire of flaws. Most Houseless Survivors are brigands, outlaws, bandits, pirates, and worse. They are homeless, wandering from town to town living on what they are given or can steal. You were almost certainly cast from a House for previous wrong doing, or you are the descendant of other Houseless. The Convergence is your only opportunity to gain a House of your own, and the chances of that are slim. You have no allies, no blessed relic, and no skills except Open Skills. You cannot count on anyone but yourself, to help or heal or feed you. 15 This flaw is worth -25 Points if you also have no dysmorphia, -30 Points if you have mild dysmorphia, and -35 Points for severe dysmorphia. This point value of this flaw drops if you are a Ngudja to -20 points for mild dysmorphia and -25 for severe dysmorphia (see Ngudja, below). All Houseless are assumed to be Unblessed and are obviously Unattuned; you cannot take either of those flaws if you are Houseless. As with all Flaws, if you lose the flaw (gain a House), you must pay back the points. Permanent encampments of Houseless would have to be small and well hidden in desolate locations far from other Survivors. Even other Houseless rarely trust each other enough to be willing to share destinies with people who might do something to get them all killed. If a single Houseless asks for help, they will be given food and perhaps a night’s shelter according to the laws of Hospitality. Awkwardly, even someone being robbed has the right to ask for this help, and must be given it by the brigands involved. Refusing or abusing hospitality is a crime punishable by death. Illiterate SP: +5/+10 For +5 points, you are semi-literate, and you must read everything slowly out loud and stumble over words of more than two syllables. For +10 points, you cannot read at all. Cannot be taken with the Flaw Ngudja. Ngudja may spend 5 points to be semi-literate, but otherwise are illiterate. Intemperate SP: +10 Every emotion you have is writ large, and you are passionate to a fault about what you believe. You cannot be subtle, tactful, or measured; you are a force of nature. If taken in conjunction with the Honesty flaw, which overlaps, the two together are worth only -15 points. Lame SP: +15 Characters who are Lame require a crutch or other aid in walking, and can never jump or run. They cannot take the following skills: Balance, Dexterity, Evade Trap, Flee, Tightrope, Two-Handed Weapon. Certain job skills would also be impossible for someone dependent on a crutch. Because your character is one of the best and brightest, you must be truly exceptional to make it to the Convergence with this flaw. Pacifist SP: +10 You are not capable of causing another being harm or pain. You may block blows, but if you harm any living thing, even by accident, you must fling that weapon away from you. Phobia SP: Variable Characters with a Phobia are horribly afraid of something relatively common in game, for example: fire, enclosed spaces, a common monster. The mere sight of the item in question causes the character to experience the Fear effect, even if he or she has the Courage Gift. The Angel Fall Staff must approve all Phobias and will assign points (5, -10, 15) based on how much of a challenge we feel that particular phobia will be. Spendthrift SP: +10 Characters who are Spendthrifts must spend or give away all money, components and supplies they find or earn by the end of each event You may keep actual objects, but nothing you ‘intend’ to use for something else. You may not give the money to your friends so that they can give it back to you at the next event! You may not take the Thrift Gift if you have the Spendthrift Flaw. Unblessed SP: +5/+10/+15 16 Your parent’s union was unblessed, either because they didn’t ask, or because the blessing was refused. There is a social stigma to this even if you appear to be perfectly normal, and that only worsens if you have dysmorphia as well. There may also be other consequences to you that are not immediately clear. Unmarried couples will routinely ask for and receive blessing on a pregnancy; there is no social stigma related to the marriage or lack thereof of one’s parents. Dysmorphic individuals from a blessed union are almost unknown. -5 points: a tiny abnormality that could be easily hidden or overlooked. -10 points: subtle abnormalities, such as eyes of different colors, misshapen ears or similar. -15 points: severe dysmorphia. People may question whether you are actually human, and people who don’t know you may attack on sight. You might have horns, or scales, or any mutation you wish to portray. Unattuned SP: +15 You have failed to successfully attune to an artifact of your birth House. You may not know ANY skills that require a relic to use. To fix this in game, you will need to pay back these points, and may have to undergo in game trials in learning to better understand attunement to that particular House. NOTE: if you can convince another House to accept you, you may be able to attune to one of their artifacts without paying back the starting cost of the flaw. Unreliable SP: +10 You may be cowardly, or perhaps you simply faint at the sight of blood. Whatever the cause, your friends can’t- or at least shouldn’t- depend on you in a fight or any perilous situation. Choose in what detrimental way you wish to play this flaw and specify your reaction (fainting, fleeing, screaming loudly and repeatedly in fear, etc.) in your character build, for Staff approval. Inattentive SP: +10 You are incapable of meditation for more than five minutes in an hour, and some skills will be impossible for you to learn because of that. Monstrous Dysmorphia SP: Variable, must be approved You are so altered that hardly anyone would consider you human, and depending on your concept and makeup/costume, some skills might be impossible. This is significantly worse than Severe Dysmorphia. If you want to design a character with this flaw, Staff will need to see both your character history/concept and a photo of the actual makeup and costume. This would be extremely challenging to wear day after day, event after event, but if you really love costuming, contact Staff. Ngudja SP: Variable This Flaw cannot be taken with Houselessness, Unattuned, or Unblessed- Ngudja are all these things, but their circumstances are wildly different. You do not have a House or a relic, but you do have a home and family, the dysmorphic barbarian tribe known as the Ngudja (Nu-jah). There are some skills they can teach you that none of the Houses understand. On the other hand, you will be considered a barbarian by Survivor society, making it even harder for them to accept you. All Ngudja are at least mildly dysmorphic- +20 for mild dysmorphia, +25 for severe dysmorphia. Ngudja may be semiliterate for 5 points (Gift, not Flaw), and are otherwise illiterate. Please note that consistent failure to role play a flaw will result in that flaw being mysteriously healed and replaced with either a loss of advantages or a less nebulous flaw. A NOTE ON DYSMORHIA 17 Angel Fall portrays an Ableist society, which is often horrifyingly prejudiced to the point of infant abandonment and death. Angel Fall the game, on the other hand, wants to provide an environment that is respectful and inclusive of people who are differently abled. In portraying dysmorphia, we want to avoid things that are commonly ‘real world’. Real life dysmorphia can be as simple as mismatched earlobes (me, and I’m kind of annoyed that I got that instead of mismatched eyes) or profound. You probably know someone with psoriasis or a port wine stain (birthmark). You may know someone who has had a cleft lip repair, or someone with a history of terrible burns. The situation we most want to avoid is someone seeing a portrayal of dysmorphia that looks like a mockery of themselves or their loved one. In choosing your makeup, try to be sensitive. Consider colors and deformities that are not present in real life. Green skin is fine. Animal and plant aspects are lovely. When in doubt, please talk to staff. The goal is not to be perfect; the goal is to be aware. How we play our characters is as important as what they look like: no one should be defined solely by disability. No human being is ever simply a joke. BACKGROUNDS “Once I know where you’re from, I can tell you why you’ve been.” ~ Saint Sigrun. The protagonists of Angel Fall all come from towns of under 5,000 people, according to the rules set down by the Angels. Some live within towns and some are rural, while small groups travel constantly. Climates within the lands range from desert, to near-arctic, to jungle, to temperate. Backgrounds consist of Desert, Forest, Grasslands, Jungle, Mountains, Seaside, and Wanderer. Wanderers may be from any House, although the House of Legends is most common, and will still have a birth town where they are registered. Each background presents several advantage and disadvantage pairings, of which you may optionally choose one. As far as what town you are from, you can pick from the ones in the rulebook, specify that you lived in a smaller town near one of those towns, or create your own. Town sizes are Large (approaching 5,000 people, likely to have a Master for each House present in the town), Medium (average 2-3,000) where some Houses may not have a Master, and Small (under a thousand) where generally few or no Houses will have Masters. People with the Houseless flaw may choose any Background, but will not have a home town. Likewise, if you are Ngudja, you can choose a Background, but must be from a primitive region outside a so-called ‘civilized’ area, likely hidden away; you should name your settlement if appropriate. DESERT With searing heat in the day, frost many nights, scarce water and scarcer rain, the desert seems like a poor place to live. Those who live there, however, would rarely choose anywhere else. The sky is so clear that the stars are unspeakable in their beauty, the sunsets are glorious, and there is a feeling of freedom here that even towns can’t restrain. When it does rain, flash floods lead to an unearthly spring, all the more precious because it may only come once or twice in a decade. 18 Towns spring up where there is enough water to support their populations. Buildings are usually stone and are often dug into the ground. Camels provide milk, meat, and transportation, and camel yogurt is popular. Giant lizards are common, and while dangerous may provide meat and incredibly tough hide. Dress in the deserts is usually flowing, with shalwar kameez common and head coverings essential. Some people prefer desert colors of dun and sand, while others choose the more fleeting desert colors- saffron and scarlet like the sunsets, or as multicolored as the rare desert spring. Jewelry is common, and the near-worthless gold finds a home here for its prettiness. The desert people love stories and turn hospitality into an art form, with any guest an excuse for everyone to try to outdo each other in providing food and entertainment. Flavors tend to be strong, as is the alcohol. Advantage/Disadvantage Pairings (OPTIONAL, choose one pairing only) #1 Lizards are everywhere in your homeland, and you have become very adept at dealing with them, possessing an increased knowledge of their strength and weaknesses. If you are ever in combat with a lizard, you are allowed to Swing one “2 Damage” per animal. However, in specializing in lizard removal, you began to feel actual panic towards snakes, and will avoid combat with them unless you are literally trapped in a room with them. If you are ever trapped, you will fight as if suffering the “Slow” effect, and see a Fool ASAP after the fight is over to see if this trauma had lasting effects. You may also take this background with lizards and snakes reversed. #2: Your outback upbringing has left you with an instinctive distrust of strangers. You would prefer not to go out on expeditions with people you haven’t gotten to know, and can even find yourself hesitating over the use of your skills in such situations. If you are ever on a module led by a stranger/someone you only just met (even a Fool), you will be quiet, withdraw, and must be prodded by your friends to use your skills. However, sometimes paranoia can pay off, and you get one free use of the Information skill Intuition, per game. Please inform the Fool “Desert Intuition.” #3: Your heart soars in open spaces and with freedom. Every time you go back outdoors after being cooped up inside for over an hour, you automatically regain 1 Vitality; no meditation required. On the other hand, you can’t abide being closed in, and begin to slowly suffer panicky feelings when underground. After fifteen minutes, others will begin to notice your increasing fear (role play stammering, starting with surprise, etc.) and if you are underground for more than 30 minutes, every skill you use will cost you double Vitality.) #4: You’re very good at ‘going without’, and can call “Resist” to the first called Vitality loss in a Survival situation (air going bad, tainted water, etc.). Unfortunately, the strong alcohol of your region- and indeed any alcohol- is not your friend. If you accidentally (or on purpose… ummm…) imbibe alcohol, immediately lose 3 Vitality and consult a Fool when possible as to lasting effects. #5: You’re fine with heat and hot weather, and you’ve gotten sun-burned so many times that you sometimes don’t notice burns that would incapacitate other Survivors. You may call “Resist” to the first instance of Heat damage you would normally have taken, each day, as your leathery skin protects you. However, your blood is pretty thin, and cold isn’t your friend; you’re one of those desert people that burrows down at night, complaining bitterly, and any cold damage hits you twice as hard. Forgotten Springs Size: Large (~4,000) Houses with Masters: All Houses represented only by Journeymen: None Principal Occupations: Artists, jewelers, camel herders, traders. The ruins near Forgotten Springs were empty for many generations before the Fall. It was only a bit over a century ago that it was found that a new oasis had sprung up, and a town soon followed. Now it is a thriving trading city with water enough to provide limited crops, stone walls scavenged from the ruins, and trading caravans passing through regularly. Tears (of the Damned) Size: Small (~100) Houses with Masters: None Houses represented only by Journeymen: All except Contemplation and Fools. 19 Principal Occupations: Salt mining Tears is located two day’s walk from the nearest town with an active well, and the residents never forget this. Every Household has enough food and water set aside at all times for that trek, and if a shipment is delayed, every single one of them packs up and leaves. The alternative is to risk a slow, lingering, dusty death in this Saint-forsaken place. Even dried grasses for the camels have to be imported. So why does anyone live here? The salt mines here are extensive, and an adult working hard for a few months can earn more than most could in a year elsewhere. The salt is traded even to areas that have modest salt mines of their own, as the quality of these is beyond compare. Children here grow up in Houses led by a single Journeyman, sometimes without even one apprentice, and take the scarcity of water for granted. Apprentices here who go on to other lands are horrified at the flagrant waste of water, and some have been shocked silent by the sight of a stream or a rain shower. Windtown Size: Medium (~1000) Houses with Masters: Healing, Joining Houses represented only by Journeymen: All others. Principal Occupations: Farming, Camel herding Windtown has a variety of small but deep wells that are accessed by windmills to irrigate fields of grain, small orchards, and coarse grassy areas where camels graze at will. Camels are branded at weaning and then collectively tended, with ownership determined solely by their brands. Good natured feuds are common, but these rarely turn ugly, and the House of Joining sorts out any disputes on ownership when this is in question. FOREST Forested areas range from old growth trees where the light rarely reaches the ground to scrub growth in areas previously damaged by Taint or on the edge of more barren climes. Scrub lands deal more with farming, while true forest gives rise to hunting, gathering, wood-working, and a small but steady trade in lumber. In many areas, houses are made of wood; sod houses and mud-calked stone or brick houses are more common elsewhere. The forest people tend to be quiet, willing to work in silence, although they do perk up with infrequent gatherings. It is said that the forest folk never say two words if one will do. While this is an exaggeration, the area is a poor fit for the more lively and outgoing. Clothing tends to be finely made in the more subdued colors of the forest, and leather is more frequent here than anywhere except the grasslands. Food tends to be heavy on nuts, fruit, and dairy and flesh from goats, who survive well on the more limited fodder. Advantage/Disadvantage Pairings #1: You love being around trees and vegetation, and will automatically regain 1 Vitality the first three times you touch a tree, each day; no meditation required. On the other hand, you can’t abide being closed in, and begin to slowly suffer panicky feelings when underground. After fifteen minutes, others will begin to notice your increasing fear (role play stammering, starting with surprise, etc.) and if you are underground for more than 30 minutes, every skill you use will cost you double Vitality.) #2: You are more adept than most at harvesting wood. If you have skills that allow you to use a BGA to Forage, please indicate that you are of the Forests. You are most likely to find wood/bark/leaves in addition to another item (or twice as much tree material, if that is what you are looking for; you may use one Foraging tag but mark down two units of a wood component). However, you tend to ignore much that is not from trees, and will generally be unsuccessful at deliberately searching for other things. 20 #3: You are less likely to get lost on the forest floor than people of other homelands, and will often be able to perfectly retrace your steps. If you are forced to flee in the woods due to Taint (combat in Tainted areas, etc.), you can ignore any new Tags that you pass by on your way back to a safe area, but you do still suffer the effects of any previously-encountered Tags that are still intact (this advantage CAN compensate for being trapped up against an Uncleaned area, but cannot be used to deliberately run into an area of Tags and grab an object or rescue a person). You are, however, not good with heights, and are unable to climb even into the second story of a building, let alone up a high mountain where you can see out or up into a tree, etc. #4: The other half of forest folk are great with heights. You will never suffer any ill effects from loss of balance due to heights, or have any issue at all climbing where you need to climb. You’re also fine with enclosed spaces and- under normal circumstances- will never suffer from claustrophobic-like effects. But in situations where a half-dozen (6) or more people are consistently “in your space” (i.e.: any module, any large gathering where you can’t get ~twenty feet away from everyone else/are in the same room), you start to get “antsy.” Role play increasing distraction after 10 minutes, and if you are still in a crowd and unable to gain some space after a half hour, all skill use costs double Vitality as you desperately (if discreetly) search for an escape route. #5: Even more so than many of your neighbors, you tend to be the “strong, silent type.” If you can go a half-hour awake but silent, your next skill use will take one less Vitality point. Many Healers and Cleaners from the Forest spend much of their time in silent prayers to the Saints because of this ability. Of course, if you are ever forced to explain something, tell a long tale, give evidence in a trial, etc.- any time you are forced to do much of the talking in a conversation- your concentration is seriously marred, and your next skill use will cost you double Vitality. Amberfall Size: Large (~ 3,900) Houses with Masters: Restoration, Healing, Joining, Legend, Fools. There is even a House of Contemplation. Houses represented only by Journeymen: Shadows, Seeing. Principal Occupations: Logging, wood-working, building supplies, hunting and gathering, some farming, herbal crafting. Amberfall is one of the largest, though diffusely-populated, towns. Medicinal herb-crafting, special (mostly pine) resin products like incense, and all manner of hardwood products made this region prosperous early on in expansion. Branchknell Size: Small (~ 70) Houses with Masters: none. Houses represented only by Journeymen: Restoration, Healing. Principal Occupations: Logging, subsistence farming, forest gathering (where safe). A newer town, Branchknell has been plagued by deaths in the deeper parts of the forest. People brave enough to move out in this direction speak of strange animals and dark shadows. The populace has petitioned numerous times for a Restoration Master to permanently relocate, but so far with no results. Kinderame Size: Medium (~1,800) Houses with Masters: Joining, Restoration Houses represented only by Journeymen: Healing, Seeing, Legend, Shadows, Fools (so far as anyone can figure out). There is no House of Contemplation here. Principal Occupations: Farming, hunting and gathering, wood working Kinderame is a town on the edge of the desert in scrub and wooded areas. It has been slowly reclaiming and planting parts of the desert that were dangerously toxic and has quadrupled in size over the past fifty years since its founding. GRASSLANDS The grasslands are vast and sweeping stretches, bordered by desert, forest or mountains. Trees grow poorly, and a child standing on an adult’s shoulders can almost always see for miles in every direction. The wild grasses that 21 grow are excellent fodder for cattle, and cattle are the main order of business throughout the many areas. Tanning, leather work, meat drying and cheese making are all large industries. In family ranches and small towns, people will often do all of these activities during the course of the year, while in larger towns, people may specialize. The grasslands make a marriage of practical and beautiful clothing. Leather is cheapest here, and is dyed into beautiful colors. Cloth is well woven and is more often a backdrop to show off the leather, but sometimes is intricately embroidered. Sheep are a distant second to cattle in number, but there is a healthy woolen industry as well as cloth woven from flax. Horses are rare, and tremendously valued. It is rumored that the House of Joining is consulted on proposed breedings. The people of the grasslands have incorporated these impressive beasts into not just their work, but also their society. Learning to ride, if one does, is a significant rite of passage. Grassland people tend to be fiercely independent from a young age, with more than their fair share of hotheads. Potentially deadly games on horseback are infrequent but popular. There are predators to hunt, but few food animals in these areas beyond the domesticated ones. Ranching is a dangerous but profitable business. Cattle have evolved increased toughness to survive attacks by predators, which unfortunately makes them harder to handle. Advantage/Disadvantage Pairings #1: You specialized in helping to cull sick or out-of-control animals, and are more knowledgeable about “grazer” anatomy than the average citizen. If you are ever in combat with a horse, cattle, etc., you are able to swing one “2 Damage” per animal. You have had enough exposure to grazers, however, that you have caught one or more diseases rampant among them, and are quite susceptible to additional exposure. During any grazer battle, if hit with an Affliction, you begin suffering its advanced effects immediately. Your morbid curiosity will also cause you to always search the corpses after a battle with grazers, and diseased animals may drop tags informing you as to which disease you have been exposed. You must visit the House of Healing ASAP. #2: Through frequent interaction you became very well-versed in grazer behavior, habits, and how to potentially capture them alive/possibly help tame them. However, you can’t bear to watch them be killed, no matter how violent or “wrong” their behavior, and will never fight them yourself. #3: In you, “hot-headed rebel Grasslander” gained new meaning. You worked tirelessly, by yourself, lifting heavy things in an effort to master your anger. This gives you the equivalent of the Feat of Strength skill for free (no SP). But you still have difficulty working with others- in fact you will never be able to use the skill “Rapport”, even if you have it- and must role play being impatient and prone to lose your temper when situations get difficult. #4: You have a special affinity for working with either cloth or leather, and gain an extra “Free Skill” template for Fabrication Crafting (starting with 4). Oddly enough, however, you’ve discovered that you have a horrible aversion to certain colors, patterns, or ways of combining materials; you will voice these concerns to anyone who appears even slightly interested… and sometimes to those who don’t. You should choose these aversions before game start and include them in your backstory. #5: Your heart soars in open spaces and with freedom. Every time you go back outdoors after being cooped up inside for over an hour, you automatically regain 1 Vitality; no meditation needed. On the other hand, you can’t abide being closed in, and begin to slowly suffer panicky feelings when underground. After fifteen minutes, others will begin to notice your increasing fear (role play stammering, starting with surprise, etc.) and if you are underground for more than 30 minutes, every skill you use will cost you double Vitality.) Ashton Size: Large (~4700) Houses with Masters: All Houses represented only by Journeymen: None Principal Occupations: Tanners, leatherworkers, ranchers, bone and horn carvers Ashton was settled within a generation of the End, when ash and rubble still lay thick over much of the land. There are modest ruins within a day’s walk. Inhabitants rely mostly on the ranching trade to supply their raw materials, and do a brisk trade with other regions for these goods. Beef is cheap here, seafood almost unknown. A central garden provides most of the town’s other food. A wall keeps out dingoes and more dangerous creatures. 22 Because the town is so close to the maximum size allowed by the Angels, all the nearby ranches are assigned market days to avoid the population accidentally exceeding 5000. Similarly, if births outnumber deaths in any given year, the same number of graduating Journeyman are expect to go elsewhere. Far Below Size: Medium (~ 2800) Houses with Masters: Healing, Joining, Seeing Houses represented only by Journeymen: All others Principal Occupations: Farming, raising cattle and horses Far Below sits south of a mountain range, and legend goes that the fertile area was first glimpsed from on high as the land ‘far below’. Crops grow exceptionally well here, and grains are the principal export. The House of Restoration declared this area free of taint two generations ago, and most journeymen of that House travel far from home to be useful at more than teaching. Rootstock Size: Small (~ 200) Houses with Masters: Restoration Houses represented only by Journeymen: Seeing, Legends, Healing. Principal Occupations: Limited farming, reclaiming the soil. Rootstock is a young town with only a few hundred acres cleansed of taint. Most of the town is House of Restoration, and most of these are active Faithful from the House working day after day to push back the taint. A few brave families have settled in for this long game, but it will be decades before Rootstock will be a thriving town. MOUNTAINS It is said that the mountain people are the happiest, because they always see their tasks as already half done. This optimism is necessary, as the mountains are harsh and unwelcoming, with winters that may last half the year. Farming is nearly impossible, with half-domesticated large horned mammals about as close as they come. Homes tend to be built inside of caves, and food must be carefully stored for the eternal winter. While trapping and hunting account for some of their livelihood, it is mining that provides the trade that makes survival possible and often profitable. The most valuable iron can be found here, along with copper, silver, and the largely disdained gold which is usually only mined when there is believed to be a vein of something better behind it. Mountain folk wear sturdy clothing of wool and leather, often ornamented in bone. They are masters of swearing and friendly insults, and delight in the most flowery curses imaginable. Using actual profanity is considered poor form, but “By my second cousin’s third testicle, your breath could knock a carrion eater dead!” is acceptable in their version of polite company. Advantage/Disadvantage Pairings #1: You’re very good at ‘going without’, and can call “Resist” to the first called Vitality loss in a Survival situation (air going bad, tainted water, etc.). Unfortunately, you’re not good with heat- any Vitality damage done by Heat will double for you, and if you end up trapped in a hot (>80 degrees F) room (module) or even can’t get inside on a hot, sunny day, role play the effects of slowly increasing delirium. #2: If there’s ‘metal in them thar hills’, you’ll find it; you’re more adept than most at locating metal ore… if it is to be found. If you have skills that allow you to use a BGA to Forage, please indicate what ore you are looking for in your BGA. Then again, you tend to ignore anything on the ground that is NOT immediately of interest, and will generally be unsuccessful at a deliberate attempt to find anything else, no matter how badly you need it. 23 #3: You are so successful at being casually insulting that you can sometimes drive an opponent to attack. This quirk must be role played to be effective, and the insults must be of a purely IN-GAME nature. When attempting to use this advantage IG, please slip in the fact that you are Mountainfolk before you begin your insults. If you manage to provoke an attack, you may swing one “2 Damage” blow against any creature in the party who was directly affected by your insults (PLEASE NOTE: This ability will be largely ineffective against unintelligent creatures). On the other hand, in developing your capacity to effectively taunt others, you developed an Achilles heel of sorts, two or more areas in which you do not handle criticism well. Please include these in your character history, and role play a similar loss of function if you are so taunted, up to and including attacking the person who insulted you. #4: You’re great with heights and will never suffer any ill effects from loss of balance due to heights, or have any issue at all climbing where you need to climb (you have the equivalent of a free “Balance” skill under these conditions). You’re also fine with enclosed spaces and- under normal circumstances- will never suffer from claustrophobic-like effects. But in situations where a half-dozen (6) or more people are consistently “in your space” (i.e.: any module, any large gathering where you can’t get ~twenty feet away from everyone else/are in the same room), you start to get “antsy.” Role play increasing distraction after 10 minutes, and if you are still in a crowd and unable to gain some space after a half hour, all skill use costs double Vitality as you desperately (if discreetly) search for an escape route. #5: You are a quintessential trapper, and of necessity have become knowledgeable about wildlife predators than the average citizen. If you are ever in combat with a cat-like or dog-like animal, you are able to swing one “2 Damage” per animal. You have had enough exposure to wildlife, however, that you have caught one or more diseases rampant among them, and are quite susceptible to additional exposure. During any battle with creatures that the Survivors never domesticated, if hit with an Affliction, you begin suffering its advanced effects immediately. Your morbid curiosity will also cause you to always search the corpses after a battle with wild animals, and diseased specimens may drop tags informing you as to which disease you have been exposed. You must visit the House of Healing ASAP. Deephold Size: Medium (~2,000) Houses with Masters: Healing, Joining, Seeing Houses represented only by Journeymen: All others, no permanent House of Contemplation Principal Occupations: Mining, weaving, tanning Deephold started from abandoned mines turned into homes by a few intrepid households, and the entire town can be accessed without every going outside- a very useful thing during the long winters. A few of the mines were reopened, and the town has had more luck than most in domesticating Long Horns. While milking them is tricky, some local cheeses are made, spring shearing gives a coarse wool, and the hides and meat of excess males and less domesticated females help to keep the community fed and clothed. Eagle’s Nest Size: Large (~ 3,900) Houses with Masters: All Houses represented only by Journeymen: None Principal Occupations: Mining Eagle’s Nest is built vertically into cliff side, with narrow paths all that stand between the homes and a sudden drop. Ropes are strung across the edges mostly as a reminder to children, and children are kept in harnesses for their first few years to avoid tragedy. Watching slightly older children and adults scramble up near vertical surfaces tends to make outsiders dizzy. Iron is- or was- so common here that water carries both the scent and color of rust, and Healers use a variety of methods to prevent poisoning in the population. Golddust Size: Small (~300) Houses with Masters: None Houses represented only by Journeymen: All except Legends, Contemplation, and Seeing, which are not currently represented here. There is a tiny House of Fools that hosts any members of those Houses should they visit. Excavation to make room for those Houses is slowly progressing. Principal Occupations: Smithing 24 The inauspiciously named Golddust was almost given up on as a town, as it’s mines are disappointingly nearly entirely gold and silver, with only a little more useful copper. One factor saved it: a volcanic vent that provides steady heat to the caves and a ready-made forge, and a cluster of springs in the caverns that provide water for smithing. With processing the gold and silver made easy and convenient, even these least useful metals can be profitable enough to keep the town going. Most local tools and fastenings are made of the bright metals, with only crucial items made of imported iron. JUNGLE If there were a fairyland of unimaginable treasures and unseen dangers, this would be it. The jungles have a thousand shades of green, a hundred of blue, a dozen just of scarlet. Inks, dyes, spices, rare wood and stone are all found here. Nearly every living thing is gorgeously colored, and nearly every living thing is poisonous. The rumor that Jungle folk are poisonous themselves, and so immune to these dangers, is mostly false. It has been noted that dysmorphia here is more likely to be brightly colored and beautiful than anywhere else, although the beauty does not reconcile the Jungle folk or other Survivors to the plain fact of the dysmorphia. Jungle folk tend to wear boots and gloves under clothing that fits their particular work. Town dwellers wear clothing more like the desert folk against the heat, while those who work in the jungles either wear more practical styles or, more often, bind up loose sleeves and trousers when heading out. Even in the towns it is common to encounter poisonous creatures, and a child here will kill a snake as quickly as a child elsewhere might swat a stinging fly. Towns tend to be clustered at the edges of the forest to enable trade, and the market in each town is the center point of day to day life. People here call out to each other across crowded spaces with no more self-consciousness than the birds above them, and noise and cheerfulness are the hallmark of their society. Advantage/Disadvantage Pairings #1: Lizards and snakes are everywhere in your homeland, and you have become very adept at dealing with them, possessing an increased knowledge of their strength and weaknesses. If you are ever in combat with a lizard or a snake, you are allowed to Swing one “2 Damage” per animal. You have, however, been bitten so many times that ‘normal’ Healing treatments no longer help you if you are poisoned, and you will succumb to poison much faster than many of your comrades. If a snake or lizard hits you with the Doom Effect, you will go straight to Critical (the Purify effect will not work on you). #2: You love being in and amongst trees and vegetation, and will automatically regain 1 Vitality the first three times you touch a tree, each day; no meditation required. On the other hand, you can’t abide being closed in, and begin to slowly suffer panicky feelings when underground. After fifteen minutes, others will begin to notice your increasing fear (role play stammering, starting with surprise, etc.) and if you are underground for more than 30 minutes, every skill you use will cost you double Vitality.) #3: You (generally) shrug off Poison; you may call a Resist to the first Doom effect of every weekend that hits you. Unfortunately, in the way of many Junglefolk, you have gotten cocky as a result, and will take double damage the first time, each weekend, that you are damaged by any animal (even an area effect). #4: Where mountainfolk are especially good at locating metals, you are very adept at finding the strange thing that you didn’t know you needed. When using a BGA to Forage, please indicate this advantage/disadvantage on your BGA. You will never be able to find a specific thing you are looking for, but one of these days, that odd thing you just couldn’t put down might save the day. Note: this Disadvantage negates the specificity of the House of Restoration’s version of Foraging. #5: You are vastly comfortable yelling out Information, and gathering information on the fly from unlikely sources. If your character has either of the skills Rumors or Information Gathering, ONE of these skills is enhanced (please note on your BGA that you have this Advantage/Disadvantage Jungle background). Of course, in many situations where keeping information close to your chest is most necessary, you often find yourself blurting out everything you know (create your own 50% mechanic- 25 choosing odds or evens and having a friend call a number, flipping a coin, etc., under which you will portray this disadvantage). You may not choose this pairing if you already possess the Intemperate Flaw. Fireflight Size: 2,500 (medium) Houses with Masters: All except Legends. There are permanent Houses of Contemplation and Fools here. Houses represented only by Journeymen: Legends Principal Occupations: Gathering, farming, curing meats The town of Fireflight gets its name from the fist-sized fireflies that swirl through in the evenings year round. They fortunately are one of the few jungle denizens that are harmless- unless eaten, as they are quite poisonous to humans. Residents practice a combination of hunter-gatherer techniques with intentional husbandry of the species they harvest, including protecting the eggs of those birds, snakes, and lizards they export as cured meat and reestablishing certain plants in areas where they are waning. They produce enough clothing for their own needs, but specialty foods are their primary export. Serenade Size: Large (~ 4,700) Houses with Masters: All Houses represented only by Journeymen: None Principal Occupations: Spices, pigments and dyes Serenade began as an unlikely artists’ community and grew from there. Everything here, however prosaic, is considered an art form. The marketplace is set with cobbled paths of brightly colored stones, street sweepers sing and dance at their work, and names of everything from foods to colors are as ornate as the surroundings. Food is described in the same way that poetry or painting might be, and it is difficult to find anything at all in the town that is strictly utilitarian. Because of the size of the population, overnight visitors must register to avoid inadvertently exceeding the limit. Trade caravans have schedules, and if arriving early may be directed to a smaller town to await their turn. Missing one’s appointed time is something between bad form and a tragedy, as a caravan might have to wait weeks for another opportunity. Tree House Size: Small (~ 430) Houses with Masters: Restoration Houses represented only by Journeymen: All others Principal Occupations: Spice bark gathering and processing Tree House is literally located in a trio of amazingly large trees with buildings built in among the branches, carefully below the three story limit set by the Angels. These are not spice bark trees themselves, but clusters of the aromatic trees surround the area. Because removing the bark can kill the trees, the community has developed sustainable harvesting techniques with the help of the House of Restoration. SEASIDE Seaside areas tend to be harsh and windswept; while quiet coves exist, those are generally too small and shallow to host a fishing fleet and village. While most villages raise chickens for eggs and flesh, domesticated mammals are extremely rare. Wild caught meat is common, but cheese, yogurt and dairy are rare. Clothing tends to be utilitarian, with few loose ends to get caught in nets or sails. Hair is usually bound back or braided, as are longer beards. While clothing is plain, they make up for that by singing nearly constantly. There is no shame among them for singing poorly, only for failing to sing. Rhythm songs for rowing, mending, weaving and similar tasks are common, 26 and there are songs for most elements of life, from courtship to disagreements. Songs made up on the spur of the moment are much appreciated. Advantage/Disadvantage Pairings #1: You are very good at centering yourself through music. You may resist all Fear effects so long as you are singing an impromptu song about what is going on and how you are singing to resist it. On the downside, you are easily lulled by music, and have to spend a Vitality to pull yourself free of a musical performance going on near you if a threat approaches. #2: You learned to fish well, and know the weak points of marine life. Any time you are in a fight with water dwellers you will get one 2 damage per creature per combat. Unfortunately, you are so accustomed to them that they recognize your patterns and can do you more harm as well. The first time per combat that you take damage from a water dweller, including area effect, take double damage. #3: You have studied your marine environment so well that you can often predict their reactions. When dealing with a water dweller who is not in combat you may call the Calm effect to them after one minute of role playing. Note: some creatures may be immune (or partially-immune) to this effect. The first use of this per encounter is free, but may be repeated as desired for one Vitality per use until either combat begins or you are out of Vitality. This empathy makes it impossible for you to harm water dwellers. #4: You are very adept at finding and identifying things from the sea. When foraging or trying to identify something you suspect may be from the sea, mention this advantage/disadvantage pair and you will be very successful in finding marine items. On the downside, you will often have no idea what something is if it isn’t marine, and will never be able to forage for specific items not related to the sea. #5: You’re more open-minded that many people, and spent enough time out on the water, that you know things about sea creatures that others don’t. You’ve seen Them, or you think you have. You think you may even have heard Them speaking. Most people think you’re insane. Maybe you are. Or maybe you know more about Them than the rest of your clan. The downside is, well, you may be insane. And you’ll insist that threats from the water are serious, to the point of running away from water creatures, if you can. Chowder Size: Medium (~ 2,200) Houses with Masters: Healing, Seeing Houses represented only by Journeymen: All others Principal Occupations: Shipping between other coastal towns and up the river, ship repair, sail making It is rumored that the name ‘Chowder’ was originally a joke, but by the time anyone tried to change it the name had stuck. Chowder is located at the mouth of a large river, and about half their fleet is designed for river use rather than open waters. This allows them to ferry wood from the South, hemp from Mashamba, and trade goods from several dozen towns, dealing in everything from spices to live animals. Perhaps a third of the town is employed daily in matters of local survival, while the remainder works either in shipping or in making more ships and sails. Kamale Size: Small (~380) Houses with Masters: None Houses represented only by Journeymen: Healing, Joining, Legends, Restoration. No Fools live here although some pass through and ‘visit’. There is no House of Contemplation or Shadows here. Principal Occupations: Fishing, shellfish, jewelry made from shells and coral Kamale is a ‘daughter’ settlement of the much larger Mashamba, a day’s walk to the East. It was begun only twelve years ago when Mashamba’s population came perilously close to the 5000 mark. It has other ‘sister’ settlements a little larger about a half day’s walk in either direction. Most trading goes through Mashamba although Fools will often be unexpected and slightly unreliable traders. 27 Mashamba Size: Large (~ 4,950) Houses with Masters: All Houses represented only by Journeymen: None Principal Occupations: Fishing, salt mining, net making, rope making, shipping salted fish, salt, hemp, finished rope, and nets. Mashamba is blessed with both plentiful salt deposits and inland fields of hemp that support a thriving industry in rope and nets all along the coast. Mashamba has what is reported to be the longest building among the Survivors, a low and narrow construction that serves as the rope weaving headquarters. Cutting a rope is next to heresy among those who live here, as a rope is never as strong once mended, and the work involved in making their signature rope is considerable. In Mashamba practice ropes of shorter lengths are used in many ceremonies, and cutting such a rope is a graphic sign that an agreement or marriage is at an end. Because Mashamba is so successful, they split off a daughter settlement about every ten years, and they are fast reaching the time when this will again be necessary. WANDERERS The wanderers travel everywhere in clusters of small family groups that often incorporate multiple houses. Wanderers are registered in their first town- where they were born or, if born on the road, where they visited first after the birth. Most wanderers are born to it, although groups will sometimes accept a restless young adult into their company. Dress tends to be varied with layers to match the different climates they cross. Wanderers tend to love mixing styles from the more settled areas, so desert kameez may be paired with a mountain jacket and a grasslands brimmed hat. Bright colors are favored, and the most extreme members can be mistaken as Fools by the inattentive. Speech tends to be direct and to the point; wanderers are usually impatient with flowery compliments or hidden meanings. Wanderers adapt easily to changing circumstances. While they usually prefer to eat with their fingers and belt knives, most are proficient with forks, spoons, and chopsticks. Most Wanderers possess the same Advantage: adaptability. Once per event, a character with the Wanderer background may use ANY Open Information/Occupation Skill. To claim this advantage, every Wanderer must choose a Disadvantage from one of the other Backgrounds, and Staff maintains the right to twist or warp this Disadvantage to balance the pairing, and to fit the character’s Backstory. Wanderers are still also free to suggest a unique Advantage/Disadvantage pairing, but this is the ONLY Background that will be ever be allowed the Adaptability Advantage. 28 SKILLS “What makes a person worthy lies not in who they know, but what they are. What makes a person good lies not in what they are, but what they do. And what makes a person a legend lies not in what they can do, but in whether or not they were willing to do it.” ~ Saint Imini. Skills are purchased using Skill Points. Each player starts with 50 Skill Points to spend when creating a character. This total may be increased or decreased by various Gifts and Flaws. Each skill is listed by name and by category. You may purchase skills from any category except House Skills, for which you may only buy skills according to your character’s House. Please remember to take into account any restrictions based on House, Gifts and Flaws when purchasing skills. Following the name of the skill are several important values that indicate the following characteristics: *: An asterisk following the skill name indicates the skill may be purchased multiple times. SP: This indicates the cost in Skill Points to purchase the skill. VP: This indicates the cost in Vitality Points to make one use of this skill. DVP: This indicates the cost in Dedicated Vitality Points to make use of the skill. It represents that the skill is always “turned on”, thus the vitality used to power it is permanently expended and may not be used for any other purpose. If loss of Vitality from deaths brings your available (non-dedicated) Vitality below 5 you may choose to lose the skill to regain the Vitality point(s). Vitality points above the 15 max cannot be used as dedicated vitality points. If you choose a skill with one or more DVPs, your max usable Vitality will go down even if you have excess Vitality saved for Death Insurance. Some skills have different ranks of expertise, represented by the numerals I, II, III. Purchasing the Rank II skill requires having the Rank I skill, and similarly purchasing the Rank III skill requires having the Rank II skill. You may purchase multiple levels of a skill at the same time if you have sufficient Skill Points. Unless stated otherwise under a particular skill, skills purchased once can be used at will providing you have any necessary Vitality to power them. This list does not include all skills you may encounter in game. There are many hidden skills in all areas that you will only be able to learn in game. See the Appendix for a concise chart of skills and costs as listed in this book. OPEN SKILLS: FIGHTING AND WEAPON SKILLS A NOTE ON WEAPON AND ARMOR USE Anyone can use melee weapons (base damage of 1) or wear armor without specific training. Weapons used in hunting are common, as are makeshift weapons like staffs, farm implements, or repurposed knives. Weapons specifically designed to fight intelligent prey- other humans or perhaps not- are extremely rare. A sword would represent enough iron to set a family up on a small farm, and sequestering it in a weapon is almost (but not quite) unthinkable. Hide armor is rare but can be made or bought in game with time and determination. Studded or mail armor is extremely rare, expensive but not completely unheard of. Plate armor might represent the wealth of a small village, or two. Items may be encountered in game that can be taken- they will have a yellow tag stating such. With advanced training, time, and resources, they may also be produced by Crafters. Please see the Unusual Background Gift for more information on beginning the game with armor and/or a sword. All armor will require repair (Smith Crafting Apprentice level or higher) after every battle in which it absorbed damage. Every sword will require sharpening between every combat to retain its damage bonus. 29 To use weapon SKILLS in game does require weapon training, explained below. Battlethirst SP: 5 VP: 0 Prerequisite: Weapon Training Characters with Battlethirst can fight on after wounds that would render them unconscious, if their enthusiasm for the fray is sufficient. They may, when reduced to zero HP, cry “Battlethirst!” The character may now continue to fight until they are reduced to a negative HP total equal to their full HP attribute. When this happens, or at the end of the battle, the character will immediately fall into a Critical state. . See the “Death & Dying” section of the Rule Book for more information on becoming Critical. Bow SP: 10 VP: 0 Most bows used by archers in the Angel Fall world have no visible strings. Archers use a boffer weapon made to resemble a bow. Arrows consist of birdseed packets. To fire an arrow, the archer aims the bow, then throws the packet. Arrows must be kept in a pouch and more than one may not be held ready at a time. Normal arrows may be retrieved and fired again. You may not use your Bow to block weapon blows without the Bow Block skill. If you do so, even accidentally, the Bow is Shattered. If one or both arms are incapacitated, you may not fire a Bow. The Bow itself may not be used offensively as a melee weapon. All bows and crossbows may not be fired more than once per 20 seconds, during which time the archer should choose an arrow, knock it, and aim for the best shot. Nerf and other foam missile bows and crossbows are allowed, but must be safe and look period to the world. They may not be magazine fed; in other words, each projectile must be manually loaded. Bow Block SP: 5 VP: 0 Characters with Bow Block may use their Bow to physically block other weapon blows. If you do not have this skill, and you use your Bow to block a weapon blow, the Bow will be Shattered. Note that this skill does not allow you to call the “Parry” effect. To block attacks with a bow in one hand and a weapon in the other requires the Two Weapons skill. Disarm SP: 10 VP: 1 Prerequisite: Weapon Training Causes victim to drop things held in the hand on the side struck; if struck in the torso may drop from either hand. Maim SP: 10 VP: 1 Prerequisite: Weapon Training Characters with Maim may use their melee (not missile or thrown) weapons to deliver the “Maim” effect. The character must have a weapon of his or her own with which to attack, must announce “Maim”, and must successfully strike his or her opponent. The effect must be called BEFORE the blow is made! Maim must strike a limb to be effective, and represents a debilitating blow. If you call “Maim” and fail to land a blow successfully or strike your opponent’s torso, your opponent will take no effect, but your Vitality will have been expended. Parry SP: 10 VP: 1 Prerequisite: Weapon Training Works to parry Maim or any normal damage shot. Note that it may be used to avoid a poisoned blade. Strike of Might SP: 10 VP: 1 Prerequisite: Weapon Training Characters with Strike of Might may use their melee (not missile or thrown) weapons to deliver the “3 Damage” effect. The skill represents a strike spiritually enhanced to be more powerful than normal. The character must have 30 a weapon of his or her own with which to attack, must announce “3 Damage”, and must successfully strike his or her opponent. If you call “3 Damage” and fail to land a blow successfully or strike your opponent’s weapon, your opponent will suffer no damage but your Vitality will have been expended. Sucker Punch SP: 5 VP: 1 Prerequisite: Weapon Training This skill simulates brawling with one’s fists. Characters with Sucker Punch may throw a seed packet at a foe and call the “Knockout” effect. The packet must strike your opponent’s torso, and must be thrown from within an arm’s length for the “punch” to be effective. Your opponent may dodge, or block it with a weapon or their hands. If it is blocked, fails to hit the torso, or misses entirely the Effect fails and the Vitality Point is wasted. Thrown Weapon I-II SP: 10/15 VP: 0 Level I allows use of a thrown weapon no more than 8” in length. Level II allows the use of thrown weapons up to 24 inches long. Two Weapons SP: 15 VP: 0 Prerequisite: Weapon Training Characters with the Two Weapons skill may use two hand-held weapons (not including Crossbows or weapons that normally require two hands to use) at one time. Only one weapon can be longsword length. Warcraft SP: 15 DVP: 2 Prerequisite: Weapon Training Characters with Warcraft are so proficient in the use of weapons that they routinely make attacks that others would have to use vitality to achieve. The character may call ONE Maim or Strike of Might against EACH opponent they face, provided they have already purchased the Maim and/or Strike of Might skill. Example: Therran is a skilled fighter who has the Maim skill, but not the Strike of Might skill. Each time she uses that skill she expends 1 Vitality Point. She learns Warcraft, and dedicates 2 Vitality Points to it. Now, she may use a Maim against each foe she fights, without expending any additional Vitality. If she learns the Strike of Might skill, she may choose to use a Maim OR a Strike of Might (not both) against each foe she fights. There are other hidden skills that can be used with Warcraft. Warcraft may be used with any weapon, but is not applicable initially for missile and thrown weapons as the applicable skills (that would, for example, allow the delivery of Maim with a Missile Weapons) are not starting skills and must be learned in game. Weapon Training SP: 10 VP: 0/1 This is a prerequisite to use fighting skills such as listed earlier in this chapter and indicates actual training in the use of melee weapons. Anyone may use a melee weapon without this skill, but cannot purchase skills. This skill also allows people to do “2 damage” blows, at will, for 1 vitality cost each; you can consider that you are well on your way to learning Strike of Might at this point of training, but have not quite gotten there yet. OPEN SKILLS: INFORMATION, OCCUPATION Any character may have learned a trade (usually common to the industries in their home town) in addition to their training in a House. The amount of time dedicated to it will impact how successfully it affects their income. Lore skills are taught by the House of Legends, but unlike other Houses, Legends will generally teach these skills (while not all their House secrets) to anyone who asks politely. Characters who are also members of the House of Legends can learn certain informational skills at a reduced cost, but any player may start game with any skill from the list provided, many of which will allow you to read associated tags. Additional skills may be learned in game. 31 Architecture SP: 5 (Legends: 3) VP: 0 This skill gives the ability to read unmarked gray Architecture tags. Someone trained in this skill may find certain types of secret doors and compartments, detect some types of traps, unsafe floors/ceilings, recent construction, and certain other structural information. NOTE: This skill may not give the same information that the House of Shadows version (Building Knowledge) will impart. Craftsmanship SP: 5 (Legends: 3) VP: 0 This skill gives the ability to read orange craft tags and so assess what type and level of crafting have gone into the making of an object. Some tags may only be readable by people who possess certain levels of the craft in question. Feat of Strength SP: 5 VP: 1+ (1 per use or as indicated on yellow tag) You may expend one vitality to fast walk or even run while "carrying" someone. Clarify that the player is willing to move at this pace before using this skill. You may also use this skill to spend one vitality to "carry" TWO people at the usual very slow walk. You may also expend one or more vitality as required to do special actions as indicated by yellow tags which may involve "forcing" open a door, lifting something extremely heavy, or something similar involving great strength. Holy Energy SP: 5 (Legends: 3) VP: 0 This skill gives the ability to read blue Faith tags, which can give information about what kinds of miracles have taken place in an area. Costs double for anyone not attuned to a relic (Houseless or Unattuned). Job Skill*: SP: 1 VP: 0 This skill simulates a certain degree of experience that a character has gained in a chosen type of mundane work. If handled creatively, having a Job Skill may help a character find work and earn money or accrue knowledge between events, and/or may have in-game plot significance. Some examples are Bartender, Charcoal Burner, Crier, Field Hand, Clerk, Ratcatcher, etc. You may take this skill multiple times for different Types of Jobs. This skill is not required for a character to be hired in game, but a character with related job experience is more likely to be hired than one without. Research: * SP: 5 (Legends: 3) VP: 0 This skill provides a character access to sources of information about a certain topic. May be taken multiple times at the same cost for different topics of information. Record a specific sub-topic or question in your BGA. Your answer- which may not be exactly what you were looking for, but will be on the general topic- will either be available as a ‘text’ at check in, or will come to you in game. Tracking SP: 5 (Legends: 3) VP: 0 This skill gives the ability to read Tracking tags (tags marked with a paw print) during events which may help the character note prior movements of people and animals through a place, and assessing good hiding places for prey animals. NOTE: This skill will never give additional mystical information as the House of Restoration version may. The following OPEN skills are also available for free in specific Houses: Balance SP: 5 VP: 1 per save In any situation where footing is uncertain- usually indicated by a card or a cast member- this skill can be used to prevent a fall. For example, in a situation where both feet must be in contact with a surface to prevent falling, 32 someone with this skill only needs one foot on the surface, and if that falls off may use a Vitality to ‘recover’ their balance. This skill can also- sometimes- negate a “Trip” effect (“Trip, No defense” and “Knockdown” being the exceptions). Free if you join the House of Shadows. Foraging SP: 5+5 progressive VP: 0 Only a Forager may flip over/read white Forager tags (generally 3x5 cards marked with a leaf or star symbol), or properly search an animal for a component (a business card-sized tag found on bodies). This process is indicative of an individual’s ability to correctly identify the component and safely/sustainably gather it (please read more under Crafting, below). When used as an "IG" skill, the player will be given 3 blank tags for the each level purchased. If used in a BGA, Foraging can sometimes allow a player to "find things"- usually random, but the more Tags used in a specific search for something, the more "focused” a search will be. Bill Blackstock has two levels (six uses) of Foraging. Between events he decides to look for a particular widget needed for an experiment/task and decides to use three of his six Forager tags in a BGA to try to find this particular rare component, reserving his remaining three tags to be used to collect things IG. Free (first level) if you join the House of Restoration (second level still costs 10 SP, third level 15 SP.) Intuition SP: 5 VP: 1 Before leaving with a Fool for a quest, module, or similar undertaking, you may state “Intuition”. You are likely to get back some strange and irrelevant tidbits along with a general sense of the danger level you are about to face. Free if you join the House of Seeing. Rapport SP: 5 VP: 2 per use for all Houses other than Joining Attuning to the Relic of a House changes one’s brain permanently, making it slightly harder to understand and cooperate with people Attuned to a different House, and to a lesser extent with those who are unattuned. Usually this is a trivial matter, but in certain higher-stakes situations, including Far Travel, Excavation, and Walkabout, these differences interfere with necessary energy, limiting the number of people who can participate. With Rapport, anyone from the House of Joining (including unattuned) or anyone outside the House who has taken the skill can lessen the disturbance of these differences. The use of this skill takes only a few seconds per person involved, but with this help a larger number of people can safely venture together without ill effects beyond the usual risks found everywhere. There are rumored to be other uses for this skill as well, which may be uncovered during game. When invited to head out on a mission of some kind, a Fool may specify the number of people who can be taken “unless someone coming has Rapport”, with the larger number then offered that can be accommodated if such a person is present. Fools, while quite mad, are usually not suicidal; they may refuse to guide a group without such a person (or persons) if the risks are great. Free if you are a member of the House of Joining. Rumors SP: 5 VP: 0 This skill provides a character with a random number of tidbits of useful, or not-so-useful information at the start of each event. This information represents rumors that the character has overheard between games. You cannot specify that you are seeking rumors on a particular topic, you get what you happen to get. Free if you join the House of Legends. Staunch Wound SP: 5 VP: 0 A character with this skill may role play applying pressure to a wound to stop the clock of a character who is unstable or critical. The clock stops only while pressure is applied and resumes from where it was left off as soon as it is stopped. Please ask the other player if they are comfortable being touched; if not, you may ‘apply pressure’ with your hands six inches from them. Unless you have discussed it previously with this player, plan to always apply 33 pressure to forearms. If a character whose wound is being staunched needs to be moved, another player must move them, while the person performing this skill also moves. Free if you join the House of Healing. OPEN SKILLS: CRAFTING Crafting skills appear more modest than faith skills, but will still prove useful in game. Crafting is open to anyone. Even the Houseless have found their lives enriched by the skills being passed from Crafting master to apprentice. There are five crafting paths: Apothecary, Brewer, Fabricator, Smith, and Wordcrafter. Much of Crafting is run by the honor system. You are responsible for your own props; do not gather ANY living material from the grounds of YOC. You may make any template you have and possess the necessary levels to use, so long as you possess the necessary components. Components may be gathered wherever they appear in-game, or- if you have the skill to gather certain specific components- you may come into a game session having already foraged some of them/be given them at check-in. These count against your total available components per level of Foraging, per game. In general, Plant components can be found out in the fields and forests of the settlement, and will be indicated by a White 3x5 card/tag clearly marked with a leaf stamp. Any person with the Foraging skill can flip over this card and identify the plant component that is available/growing nearby. There may be a writing implement attached to the tag; if so, you are required to record your collection of this component as a hash-mark on the hidden side of the tag. Any forager can recognize the evidence of other foragers having collected specimens, and also realizes that overcollection of a component can have dire consequences later on. When plant components are used as part of a recipe, they must be turned in at the Crafting station. VERY IMPORTANT: Unless one is specifically seeking a Tainted component, Foraging for Plant components should be done only in Cleansed areas. Components gathered in Tainted areas can render recipes/templates unusable, or produce undesirable side effects. If one of the components you are using was gathered in a Tainted area, please clearly mark your component tag with this information when turning it in at the Crafting station. Animal Components are a bit trickier to come by. Generally, players may be able to find some insect, etc. components, by tag, out in the grounds. Again, all Taint should be cleared from an area before these resources are gathered. Larger animal components, such as hides, will almost always require an animal to show up IG, be hunted/slain, and then searched. Removing the hide from an animal, draining it of a particular fluid, plucking its feathers/scales, or any other search, is understood to take a full minute count. Please role play whatever task you are doing as a Forager in this situation. If you are interrupted during this process, you will need to start over with a new minute count. At the end of one minute, the NPC will often give you the single component card representing the dose of blood, for example, that you have acquired (If they do not have cards for you, you can use blank cards to write down what you collected). If you also then decide to collect the hide, another minute count is required. A Forager can usually tell if the animal has enough blood/venom/skin for more than one component (you may ask the NPC). The animal component cards must be turned in at the Crafting station when the components are used. Mineral foraging is yet more difficult. In general, ore is very rare in Survivor lands, especially truly useful ore. If a Forager should be so lucky as to find a deposit of ore, there will be component cards present to indicate how many units of a particular metal may be Foraged (mined). The act of foraging useable ore units takes five minutes of uninterrupted role playing per unit. Again, these component cards must be turned in at the Crafting station when the Ore is utilized. The upside of careful foraging is that components rarely “go bad” or become unusable. Some few components may have an expiration listed on the “master” tag, and you are required to use them or destroy them within a certain time period. Most component collection assumes that- if you don’t immediately use them as “fresh ingredients”, you are treating them with an eye to storage (drying plants, curing hides, etc.). 34 After you have deposited the cards representing the components for your recipe, you can take a tag from the Crafting station, write out a description of your item, and attach it to your prop. If your Crafting process merely nets you another useable Component, that Component card may be available at the Crafting Station. If it is not, please fill out a blank card. Anyone may start with one or more levels in one or more crafts by spending the appropriate points, assuming that your character is old enough to have devoted a year per Craft per level with a minimum starting age of 14. Level one is Exposure to the Craft and gains you some basic skills and the ability to find raw materials as well as two Templates of a Basic level. One template can be learned, and/or one template may be taught, as a BGA after each event. You may ONLY teach and/or learn templates that you have the knowledge and experience to Craft (of your level). Reggie started game with Sargus as an Apprentice Apothecary. After the first event, she has one template in particular that several people are interested in learning from her. She arranges to teach it to them as the “Teaching” part of her Crafting BGA. Each of them mark her template as the one that they wish to learn between events. One person has a template that she wishes to learn, but it is Journeyman level. Since she won’t have the points to purchase the next level of Crafting, she decides not to learn a template this time. CRAFT LEVEL COSTS AND SKILLS (PER CRAFT) Basic Crafting SP: 5+5 Progressive VP: 0 Prerequisite: Foraging Beginning knowledge of any Craft assumes you know the skill Foraging, which includes being able to identify ingredients, avoid poisoning yourself, know how to preserve components, etc. You are able to work with Components without hurting yourself, and can turn them into very simple Substances (beginner-level templates). You start the Craft with 2 templates at this level. The available crafts skills are listed below. Note: While a character can purchase multiple Crafts, the cost of each craft is progressive. For example, a character may begin with the Basic Wordcrafter skill for 5 SP, and pursue it up to the Journeyman level. If that character then wished to purchase Smith, it would cost 10 SP, rather than 5, for the Basic Smith skill. Basic Template SP: 5 VP: 0 Prerequisite: Basic Crafting This skill may be purchased more than once. Each purchase provides an additional Basic template. Apprentice Crafting SP: 5 VP: 0 Prerequisite: Basic Crafting, Basic Template (purchased at least once, for a total of three templates) After a character gains a grounding in gathering components, and making simple Substances, they begin to learn how to refine components to make resources, and to make some elementary items. At this level, players are given 2 Apprentice-level Templates (player may indicate some ideas of what their character would prefer) which can include Refined Resources. Apprentice Template SP: 5 VP: 0 Prerequisite: Apprentice Crafting This skill may be purchased more than once. Each purchase provides an additional Apprentice template. Journeyman Crafting 35 SP: 10 VP: 0 Prerequisite: Apprentice Crafting, Apprentice Template (purchased at least twice, for a total of four templates) Once a Crafter can both form Substances and Refine Resources safely, as well as begin to recreate others’ items, they are taught more complicated assembly and allowed to begin experimenting to create new things. At this level, characters receive 2 Journeyman-level templates (player may indicate some ideas of what their character would prefer), and the ability to do 1 Personal Experimentation as a BGA; up to one more (two total) “Journeyman-Level Experimentations” can be purchased, for 5 skill points each. Journeyman Template SP: 5 VP: 0 Prerequisite: Journeyman Crafting This skill provides an additional Journeyman template. Journeyman Experimentation SP: 5 VP: 0 Prerequisite: Journeyman Crafting You may perform a second Journeyman-level Personal Experiment as a BGA. EXPERIMENTS All Journeymen and Masters have the ability to attempt to make at least one new recipe per game attended. These experiments, turned in with your BGAs, should detail what components you intend to use, the process you will use to combine them, and the intended outcome. You should have the components available to use, to be turned in at game end. Staff advises you to aim to use your experiments to create items in line with your level of experience in your Craft, as they are more likely to work. Trying a higher-level experiment can always grant you a template of lesser power, but templates created by Personal Experimentation will almost never end up at a higher level than the person creating them can actually make. Even if you somehow accidentally create such an item, you will not be able to recreate it or teach it until you are that level. Sargus plans an experiment to attempt to create a potion that will cure a disease that has been going around the Survivors. However, the power of this potion is deemed by Staff to be Master level. The potion Sargus ends up creating will help stave off the worst effects of the illness, as a sort of “Staunch Disease”, but it will not actually cure. Reggie, because she got her BGA in very early, has the option of accepting this template, or trying to re-work Sargus’ experiment. Some proposed templates will not work at all due to the nature of how the various crafts operate. Some may create side-effects, both hilarious and perilous. Staff will attempt to give you the chance to propose another template orparticularly if the time to the next event is short- may give you the closest approximation they can. APOTHECARY Apothecaries use natural herbs, mushrooms, etc. to craft medicinal or poisonous substances to aid their allies and harm their enemies. Raw Materials: Various plant segments (bark, roots, leaves, fruit, etc.) of various species, minerals, and animal components. Most components can be found naturally, however some are rarer. More powerful resources can occasionally be found in a limited amount, and some apothecaries can use them to make more powerful products. Refined Materials: Refined resources for apothecaries are templates they may have to alter and strengthen the substances they create. BREWER 36 Brewers create beverages that can have a range of effects. Although not as powerful as the apothecaries substances the effects can be spread out amongst a varying number of individuals. Raw Materials: Plant crops, as well as some other substances including honey, are made into a brew. Yeast, a fungus used in creating brews that can be obtained from the stomach of animals, or from the sap of birch trees, is also necessary to begin fermentation. Refined Materials: Mash- the mix of mashed crops and yeast. FABRICATOR Fabricators use resources from plants and animals to create interesting items, including clothing and some armor types. Every Fabricator of Apprentice level or higher, can fix normal wear and tear on armor (5 minute role play) made of hide or primarily of hide. Raw Materials: Hide, any skin of an animal that can be tanned to make leather. Can be gathered by role playing skinning the animal and being given or writing a component tag. Also Bone, taken the same way as hide, if available. Fiber, any sort of long grass or fiber used in making textiles. Can be gathered by harvesting any sort of long grass in the wild. This material can also be obtained by shearing wool bearing animals if you have a way to do so. There is also the possibility of salvaging Leather and Fabric by removing them from enemies; if this is possible, the NPC will have a component tag. Refined Materials: Leather, a tanned hide of an animal. Fabric, woven textiles of some sort of fiber or wool. Thread, string, and rope, created from fiber. SMITH Smiths are the only Crafters who usually learn the skill of smelting, and work ores into refined metals, and form metals into useful metal items, tools, and- in rare cases- weapons and armor. Every Smith of Apprentice level or higher, can fix normal wear and tear on armor (5 minute role play) made of metal or containing a significant amount of metal. They are the only Crafters who will ever be able to sharpen or repair a Sword. Raw Materials: Flux, a substance used to repair metal items by hammer welding. Ore, a raw form of metal found in nature refined to make workable metal through the process of smelting. Salvaged metal, taken from the items/weapons/armour of enemies (or friends) after a full minute search count, can also yield component tags for refined metal. Refined Materials: Bars, ingots, or disks of refined metal. WORDCRAFTER Wordsmiths are so skilled with words that they can share knowledge exactly, enabling their reader(s) to quickly, if temporarily, learn new information. They can also be quite skilled in mimicking the words of others. Some knowledge takes more time impart, some less, but wordsmiths generally are rather careful about recording their words. Often skilled wordsmiths work closely with the Houses of Legends, Contemplation, and Shadows. Because Angel Law disallows more than four copies of any one written document to exist, Wordsmiths often live on the dangerous edge. Raw Materials: Knowledge. Inks. Quills, twigs, bone, whatever can be used to craft writing implements. Materials to make paper, or another writing surface such as animal hide, birch bark, or cloth. None of these can hold ink for long unless refined. And wax to seal important documents. 37 Refined Materials: Paper, which much be made from fibers of various sorts. Vellum, made from scraped hides. A wax seal, which can be immediately applied to a finished document to seal it safely for later use. And inks made permanent, that will not fade off of prepared paper. HOUSE SKILLS Deanna met the Master’s eyes without flinching. “You know I have complete Faith in Saint Karel. The Saint knows it. I know it. So why am I, out of all my class, unable to heal?” Master Barix smiled sadly. “You hold onto your faith like a mantle child. It is not a lack of faith that holds you back. Your rituals are too…constrained.” Deanna flung up her hands in exasperation. “So the Saint won’t help me unless I do a ritual that a blind Angel could see at fifty paces? I have to flaunt myself instead of just concentrating my attention and Faith?” The Master shook his balding head. “Karel sees your Faith child, even now. But Karel also sees your pride. Did you think the Rituals are only between you and the Saint? They are a symbol to all, that you have given up much to have a closer relationship with the Saint, that the power you are granted is not commanded, but implored. It is for the good of your land and your patients that you commune with the Saint, and the price is higher for some than for others. Is it too high for you? Will you turn away now?” Deanna sighed and slowly lowered her hands. “It is not too high. I will try again.” Starting characters should describe their ritual(s) in their character build. In every House but Shadows, flamboyant, expansive, emphatic rituals are most likely to be approved; it is said that the Saints demand first your faith, and second your pride. For each new skill, a new ritual- or variant of your standard ritual- should be approved by the master of your House. Only characters who are members of the House indicated may purchase House-specific skills. Members of each House will have one free “open” basic skill, even if unattuned. Members of other Houses may also buy this free skill, if they wish. E.g. House of Healing: Staunch Wounds; House of Shadow: Balance, House of Seeing, Intuition, and so on. ALL House skills except the free Basic skills require Rituals (see below) and attunement to a House relic to use. Anyone accepted into a House, and successfully attuned to the relic of that House, will be given a prop of their relic at check-in of their first game. Do not lose your relic! You may paint or otherwise decorate your relic, thread it on a chain, ribbon, or something more decorative, hang other pieces around it, etc. but DO NOT tamper with the integrity of/open your relic. Every House member must possess knowledge of five Apprentice Level skills before being considered Journeyman level, and able to purchase Journeyman level skills. THE HOUSE OF HEALING Gavrol was in charge of the Infirmary when word of the landslide began to trickle in. He directed the apprentices to set up pallets of blankets on the floor and sent the only other Journeyman, Caris, out to check on the approaching numbers. Caris returned a few minutes later. “Gavrol, there are over twenty hurt, and-” Gavrol interrupted her. “We’re going to need Master Joleah then, or we’re going to lose people.” Caris shook her head. “She was there, and she’s one of the injured. She was badly hurt. I’m not sure if she’s going to make it.” Gavrol swore as he took off for the door, Caris a step behind him. “You’re going to need to call in everyone who is capable of it to staunch bleeding while you work on people.” “Me? What are you going to be doing?” Gavrol grimaced. “What’s necessary. If Master Joleah dies, a lot of other people are going to die too. You know only a Master can do the High Ritual.” 38 His relic clenched in one fist, Gavrol drew his knife with the other hand, knelt beside his fallen Master, and began to pray. Arms spread wide and face to the Heavens, he chanted… and drew his own blood, cutting himself multiple times. He placed the relic over his Master’s heart, then made a deep cut in his left elbow; the falling blood slowly seeping out to cover the older woman. He saw her eyes begin to flutter, and finally they opened just as he fell unconscious. The House of Healing follows Saint Karel, and deals with the physical health of their fellow Survivors. It is often called the most demanding of Houses, and yet every Convergence sees more attempting to join this House than to leave it. NOTE: all Healing Skills only affect others; a Healer can never use her skills to heal herself. If no other Healers are available, she must utilize meditation. Free Skill: Staunch Wound APPRENTICE SKILLS Awaken SP: 5 VP: 1 Removes all consciousness befuddling effects after one minute of role play. Diagnose SP: 5 VP: 0 Requires 15 seconds of role play and a minimal ritual. Tells state (Critical, Unconscious, or Unstable) and time left in current count. 15 seconds of role play, minimal ritual. Greater Diagnose SP: 5 VP: 0 Prerequisite: Diagnose Allows conscious or unconscious subject to tell the Healer all the information that could possibly be gleaned about his or her state, down to what creature made the wounds, when, and exactly how extensive they are, as well as all the information in basic Diagnose. 10 seconds of role play, minimal ritual. Heal SP: 5 VP: 0 Two minutes of role play with relic will heal the Unstable subject to 0 Vitality consciousness, at which point they may heal themselves normally. They are weak and unable to do more than sit up until they have recovered at least 1 Vitality. Purge Maim SP: 5 VP: 1 Prerequisite: Heal It is rare that a Survivor cannot fully heal themselves when conscious, but for those rare occasions, or when there is no time for the more lengthy usual method, this skill can be invaluable. After one minute of role play, the Maim effect is purged from one limb. Two or more healers could work simultaneously to heal multiple limbs. Quick Heal SP: 10 VP: 1 Prerequisite: Heal As Heal, above, but instant. Slow Doom SP: 5 VP: 1+ Prerequisite: Heal The effects of poison or taint in a person’s system will be halted for 5 minutes per point used. One minute role play although the poison halts as soon as the Ritual begins and time is calculated from the end of the Ritual. 39 JOURNEYMAN SKILLS Greater Heal SP: 10 VP: 0 Heals two points per minute without Vitality cost. Group Heal SP: 15 VP: 1 per person Prerequisite: Quick Heal One Healer may heal up to six people simultaneously with a one minute ritual. Each will gain one point, and consciousness if unconscious. Instant Clarity SP: 5 VP: 3 Prerequisite: Awaken As Awaken, above, but instant. Purge Doom SP: 10 VP: 2 Prerequisite: Slow Poison The effects of poison in a person’s system will be cured- call Purge effect- after a minute of role play during which the victim’s count is halted. If your ritual is interrupted, the victim’s count resumes, but 1 Vitality is still spent halting the poison and the poison is still active. Quick Greater Heal SP: 10 VP: 1 Prerequisite: Greater Heal As Greater Heal, above, but instant. Revive SP: 15 VP: All Prerequisite: Diagnose AND Heal After one minute of role play, the critically injured subject is brought to 0 point Vitality consciousness, and the healer is rendered unconscious. This will persist for 5 minutes, at which point she will awaken with 5 points of Vitality. THE HOUSE OF JOINING “Mel… What if she and Da just keep yelling? What happens then?” The older girl, half again as tall as her younger sister, deftly twisted her hips; the small hands fell from her waist. She went back to hanging laundry with a slight shrug. “Then… they’ll probably separate. Da will likely go back to live with Aunt Rose. It happens with Unblessed couples.” The older girl bit her lip, then turned her head to ensure Harmony couldn’t see her. She cleared her throat. “It happens all the time.” The smaller figure stood bereft, eyes filling with tears threatening to spill. “But… what about us?” Her older sister shrugged again, more forcefully, pinning up another damp shirt as if this day were exactly like any other. Only it wasn’t, and they both knew it now. “I… I expect we stay here.” To the child’s credit, Harmony absorbed this stoically, looking at the ground and blinking to stem the flow of tears. “Both of us? You won’t leave?” Melody blinked and turned, watching as her sister stood her ground. Inside the tiny house, the occasional item was still being broken and insults were still being screeched, flowing out of the infrequent windows. 40 “I’m going to Joining,” Melody suddenly proclaimed, hardly knowing when the decision had been made, only knowing that it was now true. “With the next Convergence.” The House of Joining is arguably one of the oldest Houses in existence. Saint Gregor was one of the earliest holy monks to rise to prominence due to his order’s ability to ensure- with the proper rites and prayers- successful relationships among the people. Blessed couples rarely separate, and their children are almost never cursed with dysmorphia. It is ironic that the House is also by far the most likely to take in a dysmorphic foundling. Free Skill: Rapport. APPRENTICE SKILLS Befriend SP: 10 VP: 1 Prerequisite: a Calmed Target Your holy aura is such that a devout word from you may win over creatures who have initially doubted your true intentions. Works better on intelligent creatures or fellow persons. Aid from creatures thus befriended is nearly certain, if it is within their capability. Note: if your true intentions are not friendly, this prayer can rebound on you in a spectacular fashion. After at least one minute of role playing you may call “Charm by voice” to your subject. Brainstorm SP: 10 VP: variable during event Your pure intentions to help your fellow beings cooperate enables them to think in tandem, to allow their thoughts to flow with increased fervour. Allows people from different Houses to use skills together to try to solve a problem or answer a question during BGAs, may have other Effects when used during planning sessions or during modules. The skill can only be used in non-combat situations and requires a time commitment. Unlikely to bring results during the same vent it is used. Please inform a Fool if it is used during game, the context of the question, and by how many people. Calm SP: 10 VP: 1 Prerequisite: Compromise Your prayers are so successful at bringing about order that they will instantly calm a target. May not work on particularly enraged individuals or non-sentient creatures. Point to or name the individual, and say “Forsooth, you are calmed.” Compromise SP: 5 VP: 1 per 5 minutes If two people at an impasse agree to have you moderate, you can keep both calm while they discuss their differences. Cost is 1 for the first five minutes and may be renewed until you either let it lapse or run out of Vitality to power it. “I understand that you’re both quite upset, but can we just talk about things for a bit?” Mel inquired dryly. Grant scowled, but nodded, and Tyra grunted her agreement. “This is about the horses you wanted to trade?” “Yes but that thief-” “Please take a breath, Tyra. .” Tyra took a deep breath. “Yes, but we’re having some disagreement about how to divide up the animals.” Determine Compatibility SP: 10 VP: 0 Requires BGA to use. Intense prayers will usually return a sign from the heavens that the union between two people may be blessed, signifying an ability to produce viable children. Less commonly used to determine what (if anything) is wrong with an Unblessed or Unattuned person, should that person seek aid. Also sometimes utilized to 41 assist House of Healing (requires Partnership). Occasionally used to find weak points in sanctioned enemies (such as Change creatures), but this use is considered a darker aspect of the House. Finding the Better Self SP: 5 VP: 1 With a five minute ritual, you may push aside another’s flaw for half hour or the duration of the next conflict, whichever is shorter. Works to free someone briefly of a flaw of Bloodlust, Honesty, Inattentive, Intemperate, or Unreliable. No one can be freed of the same flaw twice in the same day. Partnership SP: 5 VP: Variable With the blessings of this spell from a third party, two people from different Houses may attempt to combine an apprentice level miracle from each of their Houses into a commingled effect. This must be prepared by BGAs and then performed in the presence of a Fool. Effects may be unpredictable; it is possible that nothing will happen, and it is possible that the Vitality cost involved may drive one or both casters to the Unstable state. In extreme cases, even the supplicant for Partnership may take damage. If the combination goes off without killing anyone, those two people will retain the ability to work together in that same manner in the future, but any others trying to duplicate them will have to go through the same process with outcomes that may be different. Example: Commingling Diagnose (Healing) with Distant Glimpse (Seeing) might give you the sense of the physical health of someone far away. JOURNEYMAN SKILLS Greater Brainstorm SP: 10 VP: 0 Prerequisite: Brainstorm Like Brainstorm, but may be used during game in the presence of a Fool to determine an answer or solution by combining disparate skills. Greater Calm SP: 10 VP: 2 Prerequisite: Calm As Calm, but affects up to three people in close proximity to you, or up to five people if all are close and you know and can use their names. “Calm to Abby, Benji, Cori, and Desy.” Greater Partnership SP: 10 VP: Variable Prerequisite: Partnership Similar to Partnership, but can be used with Journeyman level miracles and can be used during the event. You beseech all the powers to allow your fellows to combine their strength and skills for greater effect. Two people from the same or different Houses will attempt to intertwine their prayers for a more specific or greater miracle. The supplicant will spend at least ten minutes in deep prayer which will include recording the two people who will be praying- neither of whom can be the supplicant- the miracles being sought, and the hoped for outcome. The Saints seem to be most receptive when these written prayers are given to a Fool. If the Saints smile on this attempt, a Fool will return with a suggestion for a time and a place. While these will often be quite ridiculous suggestions, it is wiser to humor the Fool. Fools may offer some advice, like “Well, it might kill you all,” or “You should be fine as long as you had breakfast,” but actual vitality costs only become clear when the ritual is performed. As a general rule, more ambitious outcomes are more likely to go horribly, horribly wrong and/or kill everyone present, while outcomes more within the scope of each individual miracle generally go off well. Ancestral Blessing SP: 15 42 VP: 1 In a five minute ritual a trait of one of the subject’s ancestors will be brought up repeatedly until it is temporarily bestowed on their descendant. Grants the Gift of one of the following (Courage, Reliable, Toughness) for one half hour or the duration of the next conflict, whichever is shorter. A recovery period of five minutes (minimum) is required after this supplication, before the next invocation can take place. Shut Up and Listen SP: 15 VP: 5 Prerequisite: Greater Calm. In a conflict that has not quite become violent, you may call out “By My Voice, Area Effect Calm,” and may repeat the call as needed as long as you keep talking and explaining to people why they shouldn’t be fighting. If you stop talking for more than a few moments the miracle ends, although the effect of the prior Calm(s) will still last 5 minutes. THE HOUSE OF SHADOWS Mangus sat in the hard chair outside the Master’s office, trying not to fidget. He’d been counting the months until he’d be fourteen for years, and now that the day was finally here he was more nervous than he wanted to admit. When the door finally opened, he stood quickly, then followed the Master’s gesture into the room. The office was lined with books, each the product of a year or more of work from some apprentice. He forced his gaze back to that of the stern woman facing him and lifted his chin a little. “Well, Mangus, you are quiet and quick, good with your hands and light on your feet. Some of your teachers speak well of you.” Master Lucia raised an eyebrow, but didn’t elaborate on what the others had said. “You’d be an acceptable candidate to apprentice, but there is concern that you don’t thoroughly understand the importance of keeping a secret.” “That’s-” Mangus swallowed his instinctive retort. He was good at secrets. He’d kept Zantril’s secret for over a year now, but he couldn’t share that without betraying the confidence. The Master regarded him, a small frown on her face. “You were going to say something?” “No, Master Lucia.” He kept his chin up even as he felt his dreams come crashing down around him. Master Lucia smiled. “I can see that Zantril was right about you.” She sat down in the padded chair behind her desk and pulled out a quill and parchment. “Here are your apprenticeship papers. You start tomorrow.” The House of Shadows follows Saint Sigrun, and deals with subtlety, secrets, and things that no one else wants to know. While all the other Houses deal in expansive rituals to perform their miracles, the House of Shadows saves such extravagance for penance after being seen performing any of theirs. It is said that nothing can be kept hidden from a Master of this House, and precious little even from their apprentices and journeymen. Free House Skill: Balance APPRENTICE SKILLS Building Knowledge SP: 10 VP: 0 This skill gives the ability to read all gray Architecture tags, including ones marked with an “S” This skill gives a basic ability to find certain types of secret doors and compartments, detect some types of traps, unsafe floors/ceilings, recent construction, and other structural information. NOTE: This skill may give slightly different information than Architecture will impart. Conceal SP: 10 VP: 1 to put into concealment, 0 to maintain Prerequisite: Reveal This skill allows the use of one or more fist sized yellow pouches that may be worn or carried and will conceal the contents from any except determined and trained eyes. Every time something is placed into a pouch of concealment 43 a vitality point is used, but it may be kept there indefinitely with no further cost. If taken out, even briefly, it must be actively concealed again. Evade Trap SP: 5 VP: 1 Prerequisite: Building Knowledge You may evade any trap unless you have previously lost mobility to either arms or legs from an ongoing effect. Open Lock SP: 5 VP: 1 or as per directions on lock You can open any lock, although time and Vitality cost will vary. Reveal SP: 5 VP: 1 Use of this skill will find anything of interest on a person without the Conceal ability. Things hidden by a Conceal are beyond the ability of this miracle to detect. When using this skill, state “Reveal: what of interest is on you at this time?” A conscious person must tell you the three most significant things they have on them but does not need to show you and is free to prevent you from taking anything as they are able. An unconscious person must hand over everything of interest not covered by a Conceal. Secret SP: 10 VP: 0 Between games you can learn 1) whether a particular person has a secret regarding a particular subject, 2) someone who has a secret regarding a subject, 3) the general subject area of a person’s secret if you know that they have a secret but not what it is, or 4) Clues to what a secret is if you already know person and general subject. For example, Lyndon knows that Lydia has been sneaking out at night, He may use this skill to learn details- perhaps who she is meeting or what it is regarding. If he knows that she is meeting Gareth to discuss politics within the House of Healing, he might be able to ‘overhear’ their actual conversation. The more you already know, the more useful this skill will be. JOURNEYMAN SKILLS Greater Balance SP: 10 VP: 1 per save You are so skilled and dexterous that you can save another person from falling without falling yourself. If someone within double arm’s length of you falls you may call “Got you!” to indicate that you have caught them in time. Please be sure to ask first out of game before any actual physical contact takes place, and even with permission this should be used to grab hands and arms only. Greater Reveal SP: 10 VP: 5 Prerequisite: Reveal A Greater Reveal will reveal something hidden by a Conceal. There may be things hidden beyond the ability of this miracle to detect. When using this skill, state “Greater Reveal: what of interest in on you at this time?” A conscious person must tell you EVERYTHING of in game significance they have and where it is located, while an unconscious person must hand over everything in game that they are carrying Misinformation SP: 10 VP: 0 Prerequisite: Secret As a BGA you may plant false or misleading information for others to find. The more specific you are with your intent and audience, the more successful you are likely to be. 44 Alibi SP: 10 VP: 1 per person who saw you Prerequisite: Secret When seen but not caught you can produce ‘proof’ that you could not have been the person seen. Speaking directly to your alibi you may ‘remind’ them ‘Forsooth, I was with you at Y place doing X during that time.” They will gain a hazy memory of this. Disarm Trap SP: 10 VP: 2 Prerequisite: Evade Trap You may disarm a trap so that neither you nor anyone else is harmed by it. Requires 5 minutes of role play. Reset Trap SP: 10 VP: 2 Prerequisite: Disarm Trap You may reset a trap that you have previously disarmed and may move portable traps up to ten feet before resetting them. Requires 5 minutes of role play. THE HOUSE OF RESTORATION Harmony eyed the stand of trees with distaste. Her stomach was roiling. Somewhere, under the fall of leaves, something was very, very ‘wrong’. “Sir,” the young Apprentice shuffled his feet uncertainly, grimacing “Are you alright?” Harmony grunted, teeth clenched against her gorge rising. “I’m fine. Begin here.” The young man swallowed hard and knelt. He reached inside himself, trying to find that quiet space that Saint Jane demanded of those who would use this most critical of Gifts. If his attention wandered, if he allowed the distress of his mentor to distract him, the ritual would fail, and Master Harmony might be further hurt. He couldn’t allow that... nor the bad report of his skills that would surely follow. Harmony stepped back from the trees a couple paces, giving her apprentice space... and time. To shift in impatience now was unthinkable, as unthinkable to her as actually allowing herself to vomit. She swallowed hard, and waited. Merrin moved his hands from his heart to the earth, and back again, a dance unique to his Gift. The Master had seldom seem Apprentices move as if they were dancing while doing the purification, but this young man had a great deal of power in his thin frame. She grudgingly approved of his efforts as her nausea slowly faded. When Merrin rose again to his feet, Harmony Felt almost nothing. Normal. “Well done, Merrin,” the Master managed a smile that made her apprentice nearly glow with pride. “Very well done. And now, the next place.” Merrin blinked, sighed, and nodded. People in the House of Restoration, beloved of Saint Jane the Beneficent, usually find that their path to prayer depends on their Sensitivity. While no Master in the House of Restoration will allow a “more than” or “better than” comparison between the two statuses, all allow that Sensitives tend to be rarer than Non-Sensitives (thank all the Saints, for the good of The Great Work). It is not uncommon for pairings – including romantic ones – between Sensitive and Cleaner to persist for the life of the partners, though some pairs, triads, and other groups shift and split as their interests (and feelings) change. A member of this House will almost always choose to become capable of Cleaning if they are not born Sensitive, though sometimes the attenuation process fails, resulting in someone whose prayers for the good of the land seem to fall on deaf ears. A Sensitive person is extremely susceptible to environmental toxicity. They will become increasingly ill as they get closer to the source of such contamination; others may suffer toxic effects in such places, but far later than someone who is Sensitive. Players who take the quality of “Sensitive” must role play increasing illness/nausea/skin shocks, etc. as you approach areas and read green environmental “S” tags. Only Sensitives may take the skill that enables 45 them to read green tags marked with an “S”, and only they suffer the Effects listed therein. Finally, people with this quality/skill are incapable of taking Cleansing Path skills. Most non-Sensitive members of House Restoration become Cleaners, discovering that (once attuned to House artifacts) they have a talent for cleansing places. They are less Sensitive to toxicity and have difficulty finding such places until they are very, very close. Thus they often take too much damage to use their skills before finding the areas, and work most efficiently when paired with a Sensitive. Environmental Tag sets include a yellow tag (general effect for all to read, including damage if appropriate), a blank green tag (anyone with Nature Awareness may read) and a green tag with a black “S” on it (for Sensitives). If players have no Sensitive with them, they should act as if they can’t see or sense anything wrong. When they move within ten feet of these tag sets, each person should read their appropriate tag and take the VP damage. They will then know that something is wrong and can move out of the vicinity of the tag set. A sensitive will know the tag set is there. They need take no damage unless they accidentally stumble within 10 feet of a tag set. If a Sensitive desires, he or she can voluntarily move within 10 feet of the tag set, and read/suffer the VP damage listed on the “S” tag. Only then can they point out the tag set to non-Sensitive people. They will only have a rough estimate of the level of Taint present. If they stumble within 10 feet of more than one tag set, they will only take damage from the highest-level tag, but may point out every tag set present to Cleaners. A wise Sensitive will then move out of range. Only if a Sensitive is present, and points out the tag set, may a Cleaner avoid taking VP damage once they decide to Clean an area. They should walk directly to the tag set, already gesticulating as they begin their ritual. Cleaners, in the middle of their ritual, are the ONLY players who can avoid taking damage in a Tainted area, and ONLY if their ritual culminates successfully without interruption. If they read the non-S tag and discover that the Level of Taint is too high for their skill or VP level, or are otherwise interrupted, Cleaners take the indicated damage. If they desire, they can begin the ritual all over again, including spending more of their own Vitality. An interrupted ritual counts against their limit per day. A Cleaner may also stumble into a Tainted area, but in that case they take the indicated VP damage on the blank green tag. They may role play eventually finding the place of greatest contagion (1 minute), and then (if they retain enough VP) start their ritual. It’s a much less efficient (but still ultimately effective) way to Clean. Upon successful completion of the ritual, however, the Cleaners’ ability allows them to remove environment tag sets. These can be deposited in the Crafting box. Reminder: No one may meditate within sight of a tag set; all must wait until after it has been removed. Cleaners may not meditate until AFTER their 10-minute recovery period has resolved. Free House Skill: Foraging APPRENTICE SKILLS: GENERAL Tracking (Restoration House version) SP: 10 VP: 0 Allows the reading of tags marked with a paw print during events. If the House of Restoration player spends at least an hour (cumulative) in wooded areas, they should inform a Fool of this fact (once per weekend). More information, plant or animal resources, or other effects may occur in game (though possibly not until check-in of the next event). Enhanced Survival SP: 10 VP: 0 Allows a longer journey for up to three people per person using this skill (counting self) to attempt to travel beyond the Settlement as a BGA. Note: success is not assured, and maximum travel is 10 miles per day so the time between events may limit destinations. 46 Improved Foraging SP: 10 VP: Special Prerequisite: Foraging Use of this skill causes someone to begin game exhausted (your normal maximum Vitality is reduced to half until breakfast begins on Saturday morning) but with extra resources that will turn up at check-in. Cannot be utilized at the same game as Specific Foraging. Specific Foraging SP: 10 VP: Special Prerequisite: Foraging Use of this skill causes someone to begin game exhausted (your normal maximum Vitality is reduced by half until breakfast begins on Saturday morning) but with one or more specific plant or animal resource(s) that will turn up at check-in (must be specified via BGA, be a general type of resource, or have previously been encountered IG). There may be a seasonal restriction on requests. Cannot be utilized at the same game as Improved Foraging. APPRENTICE SKILLS: SENSITIVE PATH Nature Sensitivity SP: 5 VP: 0 Prerequisite: Sensitive Path Allows reading of S-marked green nature tags Protecting Guide SP: 10 VP: 1 Prerequisite: Sensitive Path If a Sensitive with this skill is closest to a Taint tag, they may call out a warning to the rest of their group. As long as everyone moves away from visible tags, they will each ONLY take 1 point of vitality drain, even if the path of escape takes them within 10 feet of another tag. However, the Sensitive must read and take damage from EVERY tag within ten feet of their escape path. APPRENTICE SKILLS: CLEANSING PATH Nature Awareness SP: 5 VP: 0 Prerequisite: lack of Sensitive Path Allows reading of (non-marked) green nature tags Cleanse Level 1 SP: 5 VP: 1 Prerequisite: Cleansing Path AND Nature Awareness Allows the cleansing of one Level 1 Tainted tag with a ritual and 10 minutes of role play before removing tags. Apprentice Cleaners are limited to three uses of the Cleanse skill per day, while Journeymen are limited to five uses per day, and this skill cannot be used more often than once every 30 minutes. NOTE: An Apprentice or Journeyman Cleaner MUST use their own Vitality Points to use all Cleansing skills. Both may only clear one section every half hour. For ten minutes after performing their ritual and removing the tags, Cleaners must role play being violently ill, knocked out, inebriated, etc. (some variation of being incapacitated). They are not allowed to use any other Skills* in those ten minutes. Finally, areas must be cleansed in a stepwise fashion: tags MUST be removed in increasing order of magnitude (all Level 1 tags must be removed before any Level 2 tags, etc.). Areas may take a great deal of time to clean. Please report maxing out your use of this skill to a member of the House of Fools ASAP as there will more than likely be in-game consequences. Cleaning can be very dangerous. 47 Cleanse Level 2 SP: 10 VP: 2 Prerequisite: Cleanse Level 1 Allows cleansing of one level 2 Tainted tag with ritual. Requires 10 minutes of role play after removing tags. Requires all Level 1 tags within 100 feet to have already been cleared. JOURNEYMAN SKILLS: GENERAL Permaculture SP: 15 VP: Special Prerequisite: Improved Foraging AND Specific Foraging Allows someone to “permanently” dedicate a number of Vitality Points to upkeep on a section of land outside town. Will begin each game with extra resources, and can submit BGA requests as to desired plants and/or animals. Takes the place of the use of Improved or Specific Foraging but always gives better results and can combine effects (i.e.: more than normal return of a specific needed resource). Resources gained will be directly related to the land available to “claim” and the amount of Vitality dedicated. Enough lands must be Cleansed before use of this skill will be allowed. Vitality can be reclaimed with the use of another BGA in which the player “disconnects” from the land (this may have additional lasting effects). Forest Concealment SP: 15 VP: 2 Prerequisite: Nature Awareness OR Nature Sensitivity While in the woods and stationary, a player may hold their hand over their head, spirit-style, and remain unseen by other players/NPCs for as long as they do not move and do not speak. If they speak or move, they must spend additional Vitality to conceal themselves again. While hidden, they may NOT meditate, as their concentration is completely taken up by praying that they remain hidden. If someone intentionally or accidentally strikes them, they should call “Dodge”, since the swing was taken wildly and missed them. Improved Tracking SP: 10 VP: 0 Prerequisite: Tracking Once the player has spent at least two hours (cumulative) in wooded areas, they should inform a Fool of this fact, that they have Improved Tracking, and what specifically they have been looking for. More information, plant or animal resources, or other effects will occur IG. JOURNEYMAN SKILLS: SENSITIVE PATH Detect Taint SP: 10 VP: 0 A Sensitive is so aware of Taint that they can often detect traces of it on items and people. After a minute of role playing mild uneasiness or mild physical symptoms you may ask an NPC or player, “Detect Taint.” JOURNEYMAN SKILLS: CLEANSING PATH Cleanse Level 3 SP: 15 VP: 3 Prerequisite: Cleanse Level 2 Allows cleansing of one level 3 Tainted tag after ritual is completed. Requires 10 minutes of role play afterwards. Requires all Level 1 and 2 tags within 100 feet have already been cleared. Guardian Touch SP: 10 48 VP: 1 In a Sensitive/Cleansing partnership who have worked together for at least 30 minutes, the Cleaner may take the Sensitive’s damage as their own, spending that Vitality PLUS the Vitality cost of the miracle. Because of the extreme cost this is rarely used. *This is the only Skill that can be utilized at the same time as Cleaning. It is rumored in the House that there may be a way to spread this damage out among more Cleaners, and that successful triads and quads know the secret. THE HOUSE OF LEGENDS Naam didn’t look up until his sister covered the parchment in his hands with her own. “Hey!” “Hay is for horses,” Rissa retorted automatically. “How can you get lost in your stories when real life is happening all around you?” Naam gritted his teeth. “Stories are the realest thing there is. Just because they didn’t happen doesn’t mean they’re not true.” Rissa snorted but took her hands away. “Fine. Ignore real life for your truth.” She stalked to the door. Naam glanced down at his reading, sighed, then called after her. “Wait. Why did you want me?” Rissa snorted again. “Only real life. Only that your apprenticeship papers have arrived.” The House of Legends deals with stories of the past. While all contain a grain of truth, many contain a great deal of fancy as well. Acolytes of this House can soothe or inspire an audience, find the perfect example to persuade someone, and tell universal truths in hidden ways. They follow Saint Imini, who rewards those lore-seekers who value not only knowledge of history, but its creation. Free Skill: Rumors. APPRENTICE SKILLS A Calming Tale SP: 5 VP: 1 Your tales are so relaxing that you can take a restive- perhaps even antagonistic- audience, and calm them. Your audience, however, must not be engaged in active battle, nor shouting or obviously not paying attention. If they are paying attention to you, and you tell a minute’s worth of a tale, you may call “Area Effect Calm” to your listening audience members, at the same volume you used for the story. The Story of Hope SP: 5 VP: 3 Once per day you find it in yourself to tell a story of such inspiration that it can grant renewed faith to caregivers. Your tale must be told in the presence of at least one member of the House of Healing. It should last at least a minute (but may last longer) and should have a strong element of last minute change of fortune or respite. After ten seconds of story-telling, you may call – at the same volume as you are telling your entire tale- “Area Effect: all Unstable and Critical Counts pause while I am telling this story”. Once you have told the story you should call – again, at the same volume as you told the story- “Area Effect Reset Counts.” A Tale of Two Cities SP: 5 VP: 2 Prerequisite: Tracking Your story fortuitously sparks a connection between bits of information about the lands you have seen, and the lands you are currently residing in or traveling through. Any member of the House of Restoration who hears your tale takes your wisdom to heart. After at least a minute of story-telling, you may call “Forsooth: All members of Restoration ignore your next two points of Damage due to Taint.” An Illuminating Yarn SP: 5 VP: 2 49 You can tell stories that bring discernment and focus to members of the House of Seeing. You may not even know yourself what you are saying; this is one of the very few times a tale need not make ANY sense to you OR your audience, so long as it is delivered with utter conviction. After a minute of impassioned delivery, you may call “Forsooth: Aid is given to Read the Web or Query the Wind.” Inform a Fool when this is done. Serendipitous Anecdote SP: 10 VP: special Prerequisite: Intuition Once per event, you have the ability to relate the adventures of others to stir the hearts of your listeners. With mere words you can inspire a small group. The telling must last for at least two minutes and will take nearly all your Vitality. The story itself should have a strong element of courage and luck, unfolding at the exact moment of need. Once you have told the story you may call – at the same volume as you told the story, which should not be a shout – “Area Effect: Grant one Resist.” You will be left with barely enough Vital essence to function (VP 1), and will fall unconscious. A Rousing Tale SP: 10 VP: 4 Prerequisite: A Calming Tale Having learned how to calm an audience, you find it simplicity itself to invigorate your listeners. Twice per day, with two minutes of uninterrupted story-telling, you may call- at the same volume as your story was delivered“Area Effect Refresh.” Your audience does not need to meditate/close their eyes, but if your tale is interrupted for any reason (battle breaks out, etc.), your Vitality is wasted. The Truth Behind the Tale SP: 10 VP: 5 plus 5 minute ritual if used in game, 0 for BGA Every tall tale starts with a kernel of truth, and with meditation and prayer you may find this truth for yourself. Any story you have learned in game can be carefully recorded and given to a Fool, and then one (or several!) origins may be discovered. Even if used IG, results will most likely not be delivered until the next event. JOURNEYMAN SKILLS Bedtime Story SP: 15 VP: 4 Prerequisite: A Calming Tale You have it in you to tell a soporific tale so effective it will cause your listeners to become completely relaxed and eventually fall asleep, if they listen long enough. The first part of the tale should last at least one minute, and at the end you may call “Area Effect Calm.” The second part of the tale should also last at least one minute, and will conclude with the call “Area Effect Sleep.” Your tone should be subdued, no yelling, and your calls should come at the same volume as you told the story. NOTE: You may not tell another tale to keep a sleeping audience asleep, but must wait until they begin to awaken to start a new bedtime story if desired. Dumbfounding Fable SP: 15 VP: 5 Prerequisite: A Calming Tale AND A Rousing Tale If an attentive audience listens to at least one minute of your story-telling prowess, you can exert a great deal of effort at the end to shock them into silence. This is one of the few stories that may be told at an elevated volume, and the call may be likewise. “Area Effect Silence.” The Faerytale SP: 10 VP: 4 Prerequisite: The Story of Hope Once per day, you have it in you to spin yarns that cause your listeners to become lost in a fantasy of their own making, for a time. The telling must last for at least 1 minute. The story itself can be one you have heard elsewhere, one that you make up, or even a recounting of something that happened in game, but it should be exaggerated in 50 some fantastical way. Once you have told the story you may call – at the same volume as you told the story, which should not be a shout- “Area Effect Trance.” The Perfect Tale SP: 10 VP: 0 as BGA, 5 during an event (requires the presence of a member of the House of Fools) Prerequisite: The Story of Hope AND A Refreshing Tale If you are looking for the right story for a difficult time, this ritual will produce one. The story will be based in fact, but may be embroidered lavishly as all the best stories are. Sometimes you may get the bare bones and have to embellish on your own. Results may take until the next event. The Rest of the Story SP: 15 VP: 0 as BGA, 5 plus 5 minute ritual if used in game. Prerequisite: The Truth Behind the Tale Great stories often don’t contain all the answers, but there are often later, additional tales and endings that may contain some of them. After carefully recording a story learned in game and your unanswered questions, you may receive one or more answers if such do exist. Results may take until the next event. THE HOUSE OF SEEING Tereus rubbed his relic absently, then looked up to see Zuri pacing back and forth outside his door again. “I’ll let you know as soon as I hear anything,” he called, smiling. The woman had been there all day, and would likely stay until her boat left in the morning if he hadn’t received an answer to his prayer by then. Zuri came in and sank into a chair. “I should never have left her with the baby due, and then we had the damage to the rudder. What if something goes wrong?” Tereus shook his head, opening his mouth to answer, and then his relic warmed beneath his hand. He put it to the center of his forehead, chanting a prayer of acceptance as he closed his eyes. A few heartbeats later, he opened them again. “Abindi?” Zuri asked, twisting her hands. “She’s fine,” Tereus reassured her. “The two of you have a fine, healthy son.” The House of Seeing follows Saint Shem and deals in knowledge of that which is current but distant or relies on multiple variables. Is someone’s father still ill? Are the Southern passes still deep in snow? While occasionally there is overlap with the House of Shadows, most information gleaned through these miracles is not secret, merely too distant or complex to be rapidly learned. Free Skill: Intuition APPRENTICE SKILLS See the Hidden SP: 5 VP: 1 per minute In some circumstances, you can sense that something is hidden and then illuminate it. When in a dark module you may spend one vitality to query a Fool to determine whether you sense that your inner sight is needed. If yes, you may perform a one minute ritual, you may enhance your own vision and that of any close by companions, which is simulated with the use of a black light. (Staff will provide the black light if it is necessary,) You will continue to drain a vitality per minute until you call “I end my Sight”. There may be other uses in game. Distant Glimpse SP: 5 VP: 1 This will give a yes or no answer to a question that can be answered that way. If your query includes logical fallacies there is unlikely to be a reply. After a five minute ritual, the query should be written down and given to a fool. 51 Query the Winds SP: 10 VP: 2 Prerequisite: Distant Glimpse This will provide a short reply to a specific question. You must know three of Who, What, Where and How to get the fourth as a reply. Why is almost never answered with this prayer. There are certain other skills that may help with the acquisition of more complete knowledge, such as the aid of a Storyteller. Please note in the delivery of your query if you received such aid. All queries should be given to a Fool. Reading the Web SP: 5 VP: 1 If there are two apparently unrelated things that you have reason to believe are related, you may attempt to see where those things intersect. After an elaborate, 5 minute ritual you may inscribe your two disparate thingsincluding people or places- along with the grounds for your suspicion. If you are correct, you may learn one or more ways that the two entities overlap. There are certain other skills that may help with the acquisition of more complete knowledge, such as the aid of a Storyteller. Spreading the Word SP: 10 VP: 2 With preparation you may send a brief message to another Seer beyond the settlement. There is a seven word maximum. If performed in game the ritual must include inscribing the message on paper which is given to a Fool. It is said that the better you know the Seer you are trying to reach, the more likely this is to be successful. There are potential consequences, particularly if this skill is used lightly or to someone not well known to the sender. JOURNEYMAN SKILLS Greater Query SP: 15 VP: 2 Prerequisite: Query the Winds As with Query the Winds, but can give more detailed information as might be contained in a single sentence. The aid of a Storyteller may also be effective here. Concealing Pattern SP: 10 VP: 2 With an elaborate 5 minute ritual that must be centered around the object or person you are attempting to mask, you may make it harder for others to find information about this subject. Note that Shadow means are likely to be unaffected, but a member of House of Shadows might be able to help you there. Report use of this to a Fool. Glimpsing the Possible SP: 10 VP: 2 Before embarking on an Excavation or similar journey with a Fool for your guide, you may intone “We Glimpse the Possible, You and I.” You must tell the Fool one true thing and two false things about yourself or the others going. The Fool, in turn, will tell you three things about the journey, one of which is true and may be useful. Careful Preparation SP: 15 VP: 0 In your OWN BGA, specify that you are using this skill to prepare for your Excavation, Walk About, or Far Travel. On check in you will get the results of this preparation which will give you insight into who or what you should bring with you. Because this represents extremely time consuming research on your part, it can only be used on one BGA per event. Does not count towards BGA limits. Knowledge Must Survive SP: 10 VP: ALL Prerequisite: Spreading the Word 52 When all is lost, a dedicated Seer may make sure that Truth, at least, survives. Use of this miracle sends you to unstable, as you literally sacrifice yourself to spread what you have seen, heard, or otherwise learned. The information shared from this may be uncomfortably broad and deep, and there is no telling where it may be heard. Please inform a Fool that you have done this, especially if it results in your Death. THE HOUSE OF FOOLS “Serafina, don’t run away from me! Serafina, get back here!!” The young woman, skirts trailing, ran into the street, looking frantically right and left as she attempted to locate her fleeing offspring. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted a tiny golden head disappearing around the corner of the cottage, heading deeper into town. She cursed under her breath, finished pulling on shoes, and dashed after her daughter. It was nothing short of mystifying how fast her daughter could move. The woman began to yell the child’s name over and over, tears starting in her eyes. This was the third time since learning to walk that the toddler and somehow gotten out, and each time, she’d headed straight into the square. “SERAFINA!!!” the woman cried, looking wildly around the open space. A pair of sheep bleated in terror at her volume, running as far from her as their tethers allowed. A wandering dog began barking at her. The woman ignored them and went to the first door, fist raised to knock-when a hand caught her shoulder, spun her around, and a low, basso voice whispered “Shhhhhhhh.” The woman flinched and struck out instinctively; she missed the shorter man as he bent over backwards. His spine seemed made of malleable clay as he regained vertical, even as her open palm sailed by him. “Lady,” the short man in red and yellow motley croaked in a low voice, “Your fear is misplaced and your worry disgraced.” The man paused, then mumbled “Or perhaps the other way around.” He smiled oddly. The young woman’s eyes went wide and she stumbled back from the Fool, hands clasped in a silent prayer of gratitude that she had missed striking him. “Sir! My daughter is-” “Not in the well,” the Fool chuckled. “Nor under a spell. Nor in the dell. But she may, in fact, be where I can tell.” The woman blinked and bit her lip. “Please, Sir, where is she, if you know?” The Fool pointed. Just out of view from where the woman had entered the square, a pretty blond child was crawling out from under a doorstep, a bright blue ball clutched in her tiny fist. The woman cried out and ran for her daughter, scooping her up in her arms, swearing to the Angels that this time she’d lock the cottage door. She turned to express her gratitude and gaped, for the Fool- as they often did- had delivered his message, and disappeared himself. Most towns have them, and those that do not have seen them pass through. Flamboyantly dressed and quite mad, Fools wander through a world that seems to be quite a bit different from the real one. They almost never do harm, and usually seem defenseless, but it is extremely bad luck to strike one or even turn one away. Sometimes their odd words and phrases contain pieces of truth, and when they speak of that other reality only they can see they sometimes reveal things even House of Shadows have missed. Why they are driven mad is a subject of conjecture. It has been known to happen after a great loss... or sometimes a great gain. Rumor says that the awesome, terrible presence of one of the Saints can break even the strongest mind, and that some new Masters- on being brought into that sacred presence- emerge with their thoughts and memories scattered to don a Fool’s motley. They are under the direction of no Saint- or, perhaps, of all. NOTE: The House of Fools is not available at character creation. THE HOUSE OF CONTEMPLATION 53 “Jerika, I don’t know why you have brought me to this place. I don’t know what I have to offer you and the other Masters. I only know that I’m confused. Some parts of my training no longer make sense to me. The confusion began when you visited, and the questions only grew. I came here for your help…” The old Master smiled. Beyond years, beyond pride, the smile that Jerika turned on the Journeyman was serene and welcoming, full of promise. “This place is our happiest sadness, our most solemn joke. It’s made up of all our most reckless cares, our most courageous fears. And you are welcome inside because you have asked me the question to which you already know the answer.” Hutton began to cry, quietly. When Jerika snaked an arm around his shoulders and led him inside the House, he knew without a doubt he was finally home again. After a decade or a lifetime of Faith, some Journeymen and Masters of each of the Houses may seek out a more direct relationship with the Saints. If they are petitioned, or if their petition is granted, they leave their House, their family, and almost always the place they had lived in before. Each becomes a penitent, taking a vow of poverty and pacifism; for a year or more they may settle in a place or wander, experiencing life without the comfort of House and Relic. After that time they enter fully into the House, and have little more to do with the outside world except in offering comfort to the grieving and peace to the anxious. There are no ranks in this House except those of Penitent and Master, although all Penitents are treated with great respect. They continue to follow their own Saint, although they will sometimes invoke Saint Marja. NOTE: The House of Contemplation is not available at character creation. GENERAL HOUSE SKILLS There are some few skills that are taught by ALL Houses. These skills require attunement to a House icon or relic, but are not restricted to one particular House. Walkabout SP: 10 (20 if Unattuned) VP: 1 + 1 per every 2 additional people A Walkabout is a trip into the world of dreams and visions, the subconscious of all sentient life in one unpredictable melange. While generally only someone attuned to a relic may initiate a Walkabout, anyone may participate. Bodies are left behind on this voyage. Markers must be left for each person participating, and if a malignant force lay hands on that marker for 5 seconds unopposed they can leave a notation on top to indicate that a throat has been cut or similar damage done. While people on the Walkabout are not in physical danger from what they encounter, they must have the mental strength to recognize that any damage done in the vision is not real, or they may take mental damage commensurate with the physical. This is a good way to gain insight into questions, people, or places, but nothing done in the Walkabout will have real world results. Walkabouts take extensive preparation and will usually require a BGA. One Walkabout per event is free to arrange as a BGA, while additional ones will be charged normally. Walkabouts can be done without an attuned relic, but it is far more difficult. Skill point cost is double for those without a relic. Houseless people have no way to learn this skill before the start of game but may learn it at the double cost between games. The Ngudja have a very similar ritual which again costs double. Far Travel SP: 10 VP: 2 for up to ten people, then 1 per every 5 people above that. Far Travel also takes an attuned relic but can often occur with little or no preparation. Travelers have minimal control over where they may end up, but will always be able to return provided that they are alive to do so. Bodies may be brought back this way as well. Real objects and even people may be brought back with the travelers. If you 54 choose not to return when you have the chance you may be stranded at your destination until the following eventso choose wisely! A BGA may be attempted to go to a particular location. It has been found that a BGA combined between people from two or more Houses is more likely to be successful. The first BGA pertaining to this per event is free. Opportunities for Far Travel may be singular or multiple each event. Excavation SP: 10 VP: 2 for up to ten people, then 1 per every 5 people above that. Things have been found in the ruins near the new settlement, but an attuned relic is necessary to safely find and explore them. And ‘safe’ may be overstating things. There are multiple levels to the ruins; prior extensive preparation in the form of a BGA may get you back to a level you have experienced before, while a random opening may take you to any level at all. The first BGA for this skill is free after each event attended. THE HOUSELESS Houseless characters may have been exiled for their crimes, may have been born to those so exiled, or may have been exposed as infants for their dysmorphia and somehow survived. They may also have been born to parents who were left for dead as infants. Most Houseless are solitary, but there are some groups of varying size and strangeness. THE NGUDJA (NU-JAH) If you are of the Ngudja, three things are certain. You are dysmorphic- sometimes mildly, more often severely. You were either found as a dysmorphic baby left out to die, or you were born into this culture. And you have never entered even the smallest town before coming into this settlement. Your family are not pleased with this decision of yours, and you have no reason to expect a welcome here. Still, here you are, on the outskirts of a group of strangers living in buildings made of stone and wood, driven by something stronger than your own fear. The Ngudja tell stories of how they came to be, but these are varied and much more myth than history. A number of small bands, they have collected abandoned children for many decades now from the outskirts of poorer, smaller towns where they are more likely to be left out to die. Their customs are bizarre by Survivor standards, as are the customs of the Survivors to them. Their dress is haphazard, combining skins and leather with stolen or roughly woven cloth, and often an adult’s clothing will include patchwork from the blanket or garments they were wrapped in when left outside their town for predators or dehydration to kill. They eat with knives and fingers, laugh loudly, and have little concept of moderation. Interactions within their own people often include posturing that decides social status. Free Skill: Tracking This skill gives the ability to read Tracking tags (tags marked with a paw print) during events which may help the character note prior movements of people and animals through a place, and assessing good hiding places for prey animals. NOTE: This skill will never give additional in game mystical information as the House of Restoration version may. Accept the Taint SP: 10 VP: 0 Having grown up around the tainted lands, you have more tolerance than others. You will take one fewer point of damage every time damage from taint occurs. There are other effects in game, both positive and negative. Evade Trap 55 SP: 5 VP: 1 You may evade any trap unless you have previously lost mobility to either arms or legs from an ongoing effect. Face the Foe SP: 10 VP: Special By posturing in front of a foe for at least 20 seconds- whether or not battle has already been joined- you gain 5 temporary Vitality points. These are used first, and dissipate if not used within 5 minutes. If even 1 of them is used, when the battle is over you will fall unconscious for 5 minutes and then awake with your remaining normal Vitality intact. If you lose all of your Vitality during the battle, you fall as usual. Good of the Tribe SP: 10 VP: 2+ You may sacrifice your own Vitality to help another tribe member who is Unstable. This gives the fallen comrade a single point of Vitality, bringing them to consciousness and the ability to heal themselves. The first use of this skill in a day costs 2 Vitality, the second 3, the third 4, and so on. This resets with each new day. Inspire the Heart SP: 10 VP: 3 With a physical expression of your power and passion you can inspire others towards the same. At the end of two minutes of role play that may involve posturing, dance, or similar, you may call “Area Effect, Courage to Allies”. All allies within sound of your voice will be immune to Fear and Torment effects for 5 minutes from their first exposure to either. This dissipates if not used the same day. COMBAT All combat is conducted using padded weapons. These may be hand-held (swords, maces, etc.) or thrown weapons (daggers, etc.). All blows do 1 point of damage UNLESS your opponent calls an effect when striking you (such as “Maim” or “3 Damage”). Thus, if you are struck with a “Maim”, it will not cause any actual damage, only the Maim effect itself. WEAPON CONSTRUCTION If you have never constructed weapons for a LARP before, or require additional help, we advise you to contact the Angel Fall Staff prior to the event for additional assistance. Weapons should be securely constructed and not rattle. You should not be able to feel the edges of the pipe through the thrusting tip. Weapons (especially long ones) should not be “whippy”. Weapons are constructed using 5/8” wall pipe insulation, 1/2” x 3/4” diameter CPVC pipe, open cell foam, and duct tape. Weapons made of non-standard materials will be considered on a case-by-case basis. Be aware that you may not be able to use a non-standard weapon should you bring one to an event, so be prepared with a backup. Weapon Sizes Weapon Type Length Bow Between 30” and 50” (center grip) One Handed Weapon Between 24” and 42” (end grip) Small Weapon Less than 24” Staff Between 60” and 72” (center grip) Two Handed Weapon Between 42” and 72” (end grip) Thrown Weapon 1 Less than 8” Thrown Weapon 2 Less than 24” Melee Weapons (Includes One Handed Weapon, Small Weapon, Two Handed Weapon, and Staff) 56 Cut a length 3/4” diameter CPVC pipe to a length 4” shorter than the desired end length. File down the cut ends to ensure there are no sharp edges. Cap both ends of the pipe with duct tape. Cut a length 5/8” wall pipe insulation of an appropriate length to cover the pipe and extend at least 1” beyond the thrusting tip, while leaving whatever grip area exposed. Use duct tape to secure the foam in place at the grip. In the case of a staff with a center grip, you should use thin-walled pipe insulation to cover the grip area, for added safety. Pack the 1” deep hole at the tip(s) of the weapon with a small piece of rolled up pipe foam or open-cell foam, and secure it in place with a small amount of duct tape. Take a 2” cube of open-cell foam and attach it securely to the tip(s) of your weapon. You can trim the sides of the open-cell foam to a more cylindrical shape to match your weapon, but the end should remain blunt. If your weapon has a single thrusting tip, add a “pommel” to the other end. Cut a short length of pipe foam that will attach to the end of the grip, and extend 1” beyond. Pack the resulting 1” deep hole with a rolled up piece of pipe foam or open-cell foam, and secure in place with duct tape. Use foam to create any cross-guards, axe-heads, etc. on your weapon. You may not add any projections that might entangle or trap another player’s weapon in combat. Cover the entire weapon with duct tape. The tape should be applied length-wise along the weapon, and overlap slightly, so that all foam is covered. Do not loop or spiral the tape around the weapon. Poke several holes in the thrusting tip(s) of the weapon with a small knife, so that the foam will not become compacted when used. You may use soft leather, rope, cloth, or tennis racket grip to cover the exposed grip area of a melee weapon (but not on a thrown weapon). Thrown Weapons Thrown Weapons are constructed ONLY of foam and duct tape. No pipe should be used, and they may not be weighted. You may create thrown weapons to resemble small bladed weapons, or any other medieval European item that might conceivably serve the purpose (rocks, bottles, potatoes). Your thrown weapons may not have any points small enough that they might harm someone’s eye. You may never throw any weapon with a pipe core at an opponent. Bows Bows are constructed as per Melee Weapons. CPVC may be heated using very hot water or a stove or gas burner and bent carefully to create a proper “Bow” shape. The Bow may be entirely padded, or may have a center grip. Both ends of the Bow should be finished as if they were the thrusting tips of Melee weapons. Arrows should be constructed as per regular packets (see below) but with a 1/2” to 1” wide, 24” long streamer attached to the packet. PACKET CONSTRUCTION Normal-sized packets used for spells, etc. should be constructed by placing a spoonful of birdseed in the center of a 4-5” square of stretchable fabric, then securing the fabric with string or twine. A finished spell packet should fit in a film canister. The finished packet should have some “give” and not be so tightly packed that it would be painful when thrown at an opponent. Do not use rubber bands to secure your packets, as they may be harmful to wildlife should you lose them on the site. Do not fill your packets with anything other than birdseed. The birdseed should not contain any large or sharp seeds, such as sunflower seeds. Normal sized seed packets will also be used for the Sucker Punch skill. WHAT COUNTS? Judging when you have been hit by a foe is solely your responsibility, but you MUST at all times do so in as fair and scrupulous a manner as possible. Do Not Count 1. Any weapon blow that lands on the same body part as the immediately previous strike. This is called “machine gunning”. Before legally scoring another blow on the same part of the body, a foe must strike at another body part, or parry a blow. 2. A weapon blow that strikes only cloth or a dangling pouch, and passes through without contacting your body. 57 3. A weapon blow that is too hard 4. A weapon blow that overcomes your parry by force. 5. A weapon blow that strikes the head, groin, or hands. Do Count 1. Weapon blows that strike capes, backpacks, sheathed weapons and the like, IF they would have hit you had the item not been there. 2. Weapon blows that are very light. 3. Weapon blows that glance off your weapon and then hit you. NON-COMBATANTS There may be players at an event that for one reason or another cannot take part in combat with boffer weapons. These people are considered Non-Combatants, and will wear a prominent yellow armband. At night they will wear a yellow glow-stick. Do not attack these players with weapons! If you wish to strike someone down who is a noncombatant, simply go up to them, point your weapon at them within five feet, and state, “I strike you down.” The non-combatant will fall Unconscious. Non-combatants cannot wield weapons themselves, although they may cast spells and use other game skills. AND NOW, THE OTHER STUFF YOU NEED TO KNOW... SEARCHING & BEING SEARCHED Once you have defeated an enemy, you may wish to search the body for some reason. If you wish to search them, you should state, “I Search you.” The person being searched will hand over all in game valuables over the next 3060 seconds. Remember that Angel Fall has a NO TOUCH policy; do not physically search someone. Foragers have special role play, but in general their skill will take the full minute to affect the removal of the desired item. SAFETY CALLS These safety calls are the most important effects you, as a participant, must know. Caution: When you see that someone is in a situation which may cause a safety problem, call "Caution!" This is used for things such as when someone is about to back over a rock, into a tree, or over a fellow player. The Caution creates a sort of mini-"Hold" during which you should be ignored by others, as should the person at risk. Clarify: When you did not hear or do not understand a call or in-game effect, call "Clarify." The person should explain what has happened or answer your question. This also creates a mini-"Hold" during which others should ignore you, and the person answering you. Once this is resolved immediately resume game play. If a person cannot explain what the effect they performed did, it did not happen, and play continues. Excessive Force: When fighting with padded weapons, you must always pull your strikes so you do not strike too hard. No strike should cause real pain. If you are struck and you think is too forceful, say "Excessive Force." The hit DOES NOT COUNT! Everyone is different, so you will have to adjust to your opponent's level of comfort. Strikes that some players would hardly notice are quite unpleasant for others. No one should feel uncomfortable about calling "Excessive Force." 58 Hold-Hold-Hold / Play On: In the case of MAJOR safety problems, injuries, lost glasses during combat, and the like, call "Hold-Hold-Hold". If you hear “Hold-Hold-Hold”, feel free to repeat it yourself. ALL action stops within line of sight, and should start again only when the problem is resolved and "Play On" has been called by the person who initially called Hold. Do not call a hold for in-game reasons, like someone not noticing the effect you hit them with. This is what "Clarify" is intended for. Do not hesitate to call one when you think it might be needed, such as for reallife injuries. We would rather be safe than sorry! EFFECTS The following list describes the common effects one may encounter in the Angel Fall World. Flavor modifiers- for example, “Disarm by sneezing” are for role playing purposes and do not change whether you take an effect or not. Please note that a weapon blow that does an effect- whether Maim or Torment- does that rather than damage. Unless specified, all durations are 5 minutes. Afflict you with : You have received the indicated affliction. This effect may come on a small card as a result of a search. It will have no immediate effect. At your earliest convenience, you must travel to the Wall of Woe. This will be a pre-determined place in game and will contain a list of possible afflictions you could encounter, with descriptions of the effects of each and the required Cures. Read the description of (only!) your Affliction. If it is a progressive Affliction it will be clearly noted what effects happen during the first game, second game, etc. In this case, you should only read the appropriate one. Most Afflictions will have a Cure or Cures also listed. Your character will not know what Cure is needed, but you as a player must read it to know if the Cure is applied to you in game, you are no longer Afflicted. Unless your character already knew what the Cure was before being Afflicted, you cannot use it on yourself or others until you learn about it in game. Afflictions may include horrible wasting diseases, fiendish curses, madness, amnesia, possession, parasitic infestations, allergies, or addictions to obscure potions. An Affliction will last until cured, even if a character dies and returns to life. All Clear: The Game session is suspended, and you may safely go to bed (Friday or Saturday) or break game (Sunday). Awaken: Will remove the Charm, Sleep, Trance, and most Enslave effects. Battlethirst: When brought to Unstable (or Critical, if that bypasses Unstable) a character with this skill may rise again and fight normally as though at full Vitality until their Vitality is once again exhausted, OR five minutes have passed, OR the battle ends, whichever comes first. At that point they will fall down in the Critical state. Berserk: You are overcome with rage for 5 minutes and attack the nearest person, even if it is an ally, until rendered unable to do so, or the effect ends. Bestow : Gives person or object the effect or ability specified. Bind: Your arms are bound to your sides and you cannot use them for 5 minutes. Calm: Will remove the Berserk effect and soothe other heightened emotions. Carry: Someone with at least one free arm may proffer it to you to role play carrying you from one place to another. You may then walk slowly beside them, taking their arm if both of you are comfortable with that Charm: You become favorably inclined toward the caster for 5 minutes. You will not attack the caster unless attacked first by the caster, and will tend to go along with any reasonable suggestion he or she makes. You are NOT a mindless slave and will not give away possessions, attack friends, or betray a trust, etc. If you have no reason to dislike or distrust the caster you will retain a mild favorable impression of them until and unless something occurs to change that. 59 Compel : You are compelled to have one of six basic emotions overlaid: Anger, Disgust, Fear, Happiness, Sadness, Surprise. You choose how overwhelming the feeling is, but it must be obvious. It need not be completely unnatural levels of the given emotion. The emotion you are feeling mostly replaces whatever feeling you had prior to the compel effect. Critical: You immediately fall into a Critical state (see the “Death & Dying section of the Rule Book for more information on being Critical). If you are not Revived within 30 minutes, you will be Dead. Heal and Staunch Wounds will not affect your state. If this blow is delivered “by Weapon” it must strike the torso to take effect. # Brutal Simply indicates damage that can’t be blocked or parried. If you do block such an attack with a weapon or shield, you suffer the full damage. Assume if someone just calls “Brutal” that they have done 1 Damage. Brutal damage can be Dodged or Resisted, if you have the appropriate ability. # Damage: Indicates normal damage, which has no effect on a weapon, but cannot be purposefully blocked by a weapon. Damage Types can include: Heat, Cold, and Taint. Detect : If you fit the type or possess the item being detected, you must indicate this to the caster. A simple wave or statement of “Here” is sufficient. Diagnose: Tell the person who asked your current medical state and a rough sense of time remaining. For example: “Critical, nearly Dead.” Or “Unconscious, four Vitality left.” Or “Unstable, recently fallen.” Disarm: Your weapon falls from your hand. You must carefully throw it a few feet away, not drop it at your feet. Disengage: Move back ten feet if it is safe to do so. Dispel : Only that particular effect is removed. Drain: You are drained of one point of Vitality. Drained Vitality will remain lost until you die unless otherwise specified. Doom by : Unless this effect is purged within sixty seconds, you will become critical. You must role play feeling steadily sicker but may fight and perform skills normally during those sixty seconds. Enslave: You are a mindless automaton for 5 minutes. You are bound to serve the caster without question. You will even slay your friends if so ordered. Fear: You are terrified by the caster for 5 minutes. You may role play this as you think most appropriate for your character. You may choose to run, or not, but under no circumstances will you initiate combat with the caster. If you are attacked, you may fight back, badly. Forsooth: Whatever follows this is in game reality. May be combined with an effect, as in “Forsooth, the ground begins to shake! Area effect Trip! Heal/Heal #/Heal : A Heal returns all Vitality and Maim effects. Heal # returns only the specified number of Vitality points. Heal cures only the specified effect. Intuition: when stated to an NPC as per the skill you may receive insight into approaching events. Knockback: Only used with multiple damage. Damage dealt causes you to reel backward. Role play a hard hit and retreat as many LONG paces as the called Damage. Ex: You are hit, and the call is “Four Damage, Knockback!” or “Knockback 4!” You double over in agony, and stumble backward four long paces as if shoved off. NOTE: please glance behind you before you move for safety’s sake. ALSO NOTE: If the blow would naturally knock you into 60 another character, you can choose to stop at them if you both suffer the Trip Effect; the one who suffered the Knockback needs to call Trip on the person they hit. Knockout: You are unconscious for 5 minutes. If called in combat, only used with multiple damage. If taken in a combat setting, ignore damage that would take you to zero- you are simply Unconscious at 1 Vitality. Ex: You only have 3 Vitality left, and someone hits you with the call “5 Damage Knockout!” Lucky you- you were hit hard on purpose, but just with the intention of knocking you out. Maim: You lose the use of the target arm or leg. If no target is specified, you may choose which limb suffers the effect. If delivered by weapon, this will not have any effect if it strikes your torso. The Maim is permanent until specifically Healed. No Defense: Means the effect cannot be dodged, parried, resisted, etc. in any fashion. Nothing but a "No Effect" call will stop a "No Defense" attack that is successfully delivered. You can still use weapons to block or real life quickness (where applicable) to avoid a "No Defense" attack. Note: some very powerful creatures are immune to "No Defense". Pain: You suffer excruciating pain for 10 seconds. You must fall to the ground in agony, whimpering, crying, or screaming (unless physically unable to do so). You may still defend yourself with weapons. Paralyze: You cannot move any part of your body or speak for 5 minutes, but you are aware of what is going on around you. Pause Count: If not specified, pauses the count on both Unstable and Critical people. Pause Unstable, as in Staunching Wounds, pauses the count only for Unstable people. Purge : Indicates that the specified effect has been nullified. May have other uses in game. Quagmire: Role play wading through thick muck, one step per 3 seconds. Use of arms is not restricted. Generally the area affected will be clear, but may be tarped. Renew #: Restores the specified number of Vitality Points. Repel: You must stay at least 10 feet away from the caster, and may not attack him or her, for 5 minutes. If no type is specified, everyone is affected. This effect cannot be used to “drive back” targets; if the caster advances upon the target, the target may hold ground and attack. Reset Count: Will restart a person’s Unstable or Critical count back at zero, with the five minute count beginning again then. Revive: Will only affect someone who is Critical. Will restore you to consciousness at half your Vitality (rounded up). Reveal: finds hidden items in a yellow pouch or similar. Stated as part of a Search. Root: Your feet are rooted to the ground for five minutes. Search: When stated to an unconscious person, that person must turn over all in game items within 30-60 seconds EXCEPT hidden items in a yellow pouch. Silence: You are unable to speak or make any vocal noise for 5 minutes. (You may make in game calls such as weapon calls that do not require in game speech.) 61 Shatter: The target item is broken, possibly destroyed. Some items may be resistant to this effect, and some items may be Repairable. Slay: You are Dead (see the “Death & Dying” section of the Rule Book for more information on being Dead). If delivered by weapon, this will only affect you if you are hit in the torso. If delivered by packet it will affect you if it strikes anywhere, including your weapon. If delivered by Voice/Call, it always “hits” you. Sleep: You fall into a deep slumber for 5 minutes. The Awaken effect, or taking any physical damage, will release you, but moving you or shaking you will not. Slow: You move very slowly for five minutes. Speech does not have to be slowed down (although most people do speak slowly as well.) Taint # / Taint : you either take damage or suffer a specific effect from exposure to Taint. Trance: You have lost control of your body due to some mind-affecting effect. You cannot speak or move any part of your body. Unlike Paralyze, you are not aware of what is going on around you. While holding the same pose during Trance looks great, feel free to change your pose to something more comfortable if you feel the need. Any physical interaction, such as taking damage or being shaken, will free you. Trip: You fall to the ground. Either your chest or your back must touch the ground before you can get up again! If you are unable to fall due to physical limitations, or if the ground is unsuitably muddy or rocky, you are excused from actually falling, but you must role play being unbalanced and unable to do anything for a similar length of time. Can also be called after heavy damage in combat. Ex “Damage 3, Trip!” Damage dealt causes you to stumble back a couple paces, and then fall down. You should role play a bit of difficulty getting up. Torment: You must scream loudly once, and briefly role play mental anguish and horror. No physical damage is associated with this effect. Greater Torment: removes all but 1 Vitality and lasts 5 minutes during which time the subject is unaware of their surroundings and cannot be healed. If repeated within that span, subject falls unconscious and becomes Unstable. Defensive Effects Defensive effects are called when you are struck by a spell or attack to indicate that the effect was not taken, and why. Dodge: The blow or effect misses because you have moved out of the way and avoided it. No Effect: The particular blow or spell did nothing and never will. Not Taken: The effect was not taken, either because it did not hit or was not delivered properly. You may role play this instead of calling “Not Taken”. For example: “Hah! Your blow was mighty- too bad it missed! Parry: Effects delivered “By Weapon” or normal weapon blows are negated. This call indicates that the weapon strike did not land, and thus did not cause the desired effect and/or damage. You may only use this on blows affecting yourself. Resist: The particular blow or spell was ineffective, but it was an effort warding it off, and another one might succeed. Reflect: The particular effect bounced back and struck the attacker instead. A reflected effect cannot be reflected back again by the attacker. 62 Shield : You will resist the FIRST attack of the indicated type that would otherwise have affected you. When the Shield is used, you announce “Shield”. You may have only ONE shield on you at a time. Threshold: Some creatures may have damage resistance such that only extreme blows will affect them. Use of this call indicates that the damage done was not enough to get through this THE COLOR YELLOW Yellow, generally very bright, is the color of “Out-of-game” (OOG) in Angel Fall. Objects tied with a bright yellow band are not there. An area marked off by bright yellow rope is also out-of-game and may not be entered. People wearing a lot of yellow may also be considered as partly (or mostly) “not all there”. Please refrain from wearing yellow arm-bands or headbands as part of your costume, unless you are a non-combatant (see below). Yellow Armbands Simply wearing a Yellow Armband indicates that someone is a non-combatant for health and safety reasons. Do not physically attack them. If you should want to harm them, get within weapon reach and point your weapon at them, saying “I strike you down”. If you are a non-combatant and someone does this to you, you are now at zero Vitality and Unstable. If for any reason a character continues to “attack”, they may say “I strike you down again”, and you are now Critical. You may fall if it is physically safe and prudent to do so, otherwise slump with your head down. Yellow armbands should be lit with yellow glow sticks at night. Yellow X A Big Yellow X mark, usually on the door, indicates a building you just cannot get into. The building is still there, in game, but may not be entered. This may indicate a lock that cannot be picked or other sort of protection that cannot be thwarted. Generally this is used for the timing of events, areas that have been staged but require the presence of a Cast member to monitor. Yellow Cards/Squares A Yellow Card is a piece of yellow paper containing information that applies to all PCs and NPCs, unless there is an associated green tag specifically aimed at them/their abilities. It is used to describe effects that cannot be fully represented physically. For example, you may enter a room and find a stretch of floor covered with a tarp, with a yellow card on it stating “This floor is covered in brown goo. If you step onto it you will suffer the Trap effect”. You might enter a building and see a yellow card that states “It is extremely hot in this room. If you remain here longer than 10 minutes, you will suffer 1 Vitality Loss from Heat, and every 10 minutes thereafter.” Yellow Pouch Some characters have the ability to hide their stuff so effectively they can thwart a search. This ability is represented by a 4” by 6” yellow pouch. They may carry any in-game items in this pouch, so long as they fit completely within it. The pouch and its contents are considered so well hidden that they will never be found in a search of their person. Characters using this skill should still make an effort to keep the pouch out of view, but must carry it on them. Items in this pouch will register if an appropriate “Detect” effect is called. Yellow Cloak A person wearing a yellow cloak is not corporeally present. TRAPS AND PHYSICAL CHALLENGES VISUAL/TARPS: 63 “AIIEEEEE!” (Pits and Chasms) When the floor or ground is black (i.e. covered in black plastic or cloth) it indicates a deep pit or chasm. You must cross it by jumping, using stepping stones or a bridge, or by some applicable skill. Stepping-stones are usually brown or gray wood, foam, carpet or cardboard. If any part of your body touches the black floor, you have fallen in. There will generally be a yellow tag describing the depth of the pit, and there may also be a skill tag or tags. Many pit traps in Angel Fall are 10-20 feet, and will do 5 VP of damage. Players who have traversed or are in the process of traversing a pit can role play reaching down, jumping, and helping fallen characters out of a shallow pit. Some chasms, however, are thirty feet deep (or more) and will instantly send you to Critical. Should a player fall into a pit, they should remain on the black plastic and role play yelling from below if they are conscious, or lay on the black plastic on their back if they are unconscious. An able-bodied player possessing a rope may attach it to the floor, climb down, and recover your body. An able-bodied Healer may be able to go down into the pit and Heal a fallen player. For this reason, adventuring characters are encouraged to bring rope (Crafted, must have an IG tag) and potentially a Healer. “Why does the floor… move?” (other Flooring Problems) Sometimes there may be floor/tarp hazards that cause other effects. These could be called by Cast members, or could be detailed on Yellow Cards. Watch especially for Green tarps. “Was that wall always there?” (Vertical Surfaces/Walls) If a tarp is hanging vertically, it is generally a wall or hazard of some kind. Moving it may or may not be possible, and if possible, will almost always require the correct action. A yellow card will indicate if there are characteristics of the wall that may give information. There will likely also be one or more skill tags to give knowledgeable players needed information about the situation. “Is that tree glowing?” (Environmental Tag sets) These include a yellow tag (general effect for all to read, including damage if appropriate), a blank green tag (anyone with Nature Awareness may read) and a green tag with a black “S” on it (for Sensitives). If players have no Sensitive with them, they should act as if they can’t see or sense anything wrong. When they move within ten feet of these tag sets, each person should read their appropriate tag and take the VP damage. They will then know that something is wrong and can move out of the vicinity of the tag set. SOUNDS: “Did all of you hear that?” (Buzzers) Sometimes things are locked or closed for a reason. If you open something, or enter a room, and hear a buzzer go off, you have released explosive damage that reaches everyone who heard the buzzer, in the amount of 5 VP. This damage may have also destroyed things in the room, so be sure to read any tags on items. If the item specifies that hearing the buzzer destroyed an item, you must rip/destroy the tag. The moral? Proceed cautiously. “Oops.” (Poppers) Popper traps usually put off a tiny but distinct sound, and only affect the person who actually stepped on them; they represent tiny, localized explosions, and do 3 VP of damage. Try not to step on four of them at once. SCENT: “What’s that smell?” Sometimes while exploring, you may step into a space and encounter a strong sudden odor (and it is clearly not the lactose-intolerant player next to you). Look for a yellow card to explain what just happened to everyone who can smell the odor; you may have all just been poisoned, or infected, or - more rarely - something good may have happened to you. 64 TOUCH: “There’s Something Sticky On This.” Occasionally you might pick up an item, or touch a surface, and realize that something sticky smeared onto your hand. If you are not wearing gloves, this thin layer of petroleum jelly has contacted your skin. If there is no yellow tag explaining what you have touched, assume corrosive damage of 3 VP. TASTE: “That tastes funny…” Due to the possibility of food allergies, Angel Fall Staff will never slip unidentified foods into game. ALL IG food items will have one or two yellow tags on the dish. The tag marked “OOG” will describe what the prop is actually made of, so that you can be sure you (the person/player) can safely eat it. If there is an effect caused by eating a particular item, there will be a separate, folded-over yellow tag that describes what the food item did to your character. Read this tag ONLY if you eat the item. CHARACTER ADVANCEMENT & BETWEEN GAMES The Angel Fall Staff hopes that players will want to get the utmost possible out of the Angel Fall Epic. In order to do so, Players are encouraged to take advantage of some logistical policies that can benefit their character between events. All of these policies require paperwork, and most have a deadline of two weeks after each event that you attend. You can enhance your character by: Deciding how to spend earned Skill Points. Submitting a Post Event Worksheet. Submitting a Post Event Letter. Deciding how to spend Game Bucks. SKILL POINTS: Attending an Angel Fall Event will automatically earn your character 3 Skill Points. You may be awarded additional Skill Points for participation in particularly harrowing adventures. Submitting a PEL (Post Event Letter) will earn your character another 2 Skill Points. If you can show up early to help with set up for at least 1 hour you will receive one Skill Point. Staying after an event and helping to clean up will earn your character an additional 5 GB. If weather conditions are particularly negative, or few people stay, additional GB will likely be given for cleanup. Skill Points can be used to purchase any skill listed in this Rule Book, without requiring BGAs or finding a teacher. You may also use Skill Points purchase secret skills, once you have found them, know their cost, and begun your learning of them IG. Unspent Skill Points may be saved for later use. POST EVENT LETTERS: Post Event Letters must be submitted within 2 weeks after the event to earn Skill Points. However, Players who miss the deadline are still encouraged to turn in letters after that time as a reference and plot tool. 65 A Post Event Letter should include a description of your character’s adventures at the event, and any other relevant information you would like to include. Your Post Event Letters serve to keep the Angel Fall Staff informed of how things are going for their players, allow the Staff to react to your character’s actions, and overall increase your enjoyment of the game! GAME BUCKS: You can receive a varying number of Game Bucks for services you may provide the game, including prop creation and donation. These Game Bucks may be spent to gain various things, for example: 5 GB is worth 1 Skill Point.* 50 GB can “buy off” a 5 point flaw, 100 a 10 point flaw and 150 a fifteen point flaw. Note that this may involve an adventure to actually accomplish this goal. If the adventure fails, your GB have not been spent. 100 GB is worth a reprieve from permanent Death for a (willing) character of your choice. This will happen in the context of the game and will probably involve an adventure. A character can be brought back this way only once. *The yearly cap on Skill Points gained through Game Bucks is 20. This cap does NOT include Skill Points gained by event attendance, helping with cleanup, or submission of Post Event Letters. BETWEEN-GAME ACTIONS (BGAs): Your character earns 1 free BGA per event attended, that can only be used to affect action directly before the next event your character plans to attend (they can’t be “saved up.”) There are several skills that will give you a “free” BGA after an attended event (specifically to use them for your next event). If your character truly needs another BGA after an event, you can buy one additional BGA for 2 skill points or 10 GB. COMMUNICATION BETWEEN EVENTS: Players may IG-communicate freely with other current players between events; we ask that if someone has not yet been to an event, or is coming in, current players refrain from giving them spoilers of events going on in the game area, unless they are willing to use a BGA to send letters to that player. IG-Communication between the Angel Fall Staff and Cast will likewise be limited to BGA, if it occurs at all. On occasion, messages from cast characters may appear in newsletters or on public message boards, if the Staff approves it. Using a BGA, you may submit letters to the Staff that you would like to send to non-player characters between events. You must know a location to send the letter to. You will receive the response (if any) in game at a future event. The sooner such letters are received, the more likely they will garner a response. PLAYER INFORMATION A number of miscellaneous topics related to playing Angel Fall will be covered in this section, including what sorts of things you will need to bring with you, and out-of-game details regarding how events will be run. Specific information on the Event Site, including Site Rules and Directions, will be provided separately. Registration: All players (and Cast) must register for Angel Fall Events in advance. Since there are only a certain number of player spots available, the Staff must know ahead of time who is coming. You may register in advance and pay at the door; if you then fail to show up, however, you will no longer be allowed to register without payment. Arrival: When you arrive at the Camp, you will receive information on where to park, what cabins are available for Players to stay in, and where to unload your stuff. Please try to unpack your car and return it to the parking area as quickly as possible so that the in-game areas will be cleared of vehicles in time to start the game. 66 Late Arrivals & Early Departures: If you arrive late (after 9PM), please go to Operations and a Staff person will take care of your Check-In. Be advised that there may be some delay, depending on what else is going on at the time. If you know that you will be arriving late or leaving early, please let the Staff know in advance so that they can make arrangements and take it into account when scheduling plots. If you arrive after the start of game on Friday night, you will NOT be able to drive your car up to your cabin to unload!!! Likewise, if you are leaving early, you will have to carry your things from your cabin to your car on foot. NO CARS will be allowed in the game area during the event, except in emergency situations. Check-In: Once you have unloaded your car and parked it in the lot, you can check in. At Check-In you will receive your Character Card, any Registered Items turned in previously, and information and item tags acquired or created between events. Please bring any weapons to Check-In for safety inspection at every event, and any armor for evaluation. It is not required that you wear your costume for evaluation at Check-In, but Staff reserves the right to say something to you privately if they note obvious issues with your costuming (cell phone, sunglasses, uncovered sneakers, etc) at game start. Opening Meeting: There will be an opening, out-of-game meeting prior to the start of the event. The time and location for this meeting may vary, but will be obvious at Check-In. Game will begin directly or soon after the opening meeting, so you should come prepared and in costume. Hours of Play: Angel Fall hours of play are approximately 10PM Friday to 2AM Saturday, 9AM Saturday to 2AM Sunday, and 9AM Sunday to 12 Noon Sunday. A soft “all clear” will occur nightly at midnight; players will not be bothered in their cabins after midnight or before 10am, and no personal plot will happen after midnight without prior arrangement. Likewise major plots and battles will be scheduled before midnight in most cases. From midnight to 2AM there will be opportunities for combat and role play as staff and players are up to it. Some people get grumpy on insufficient sleep on both the cast and player side, and this allows for that while allowing the diehards (you know who you are!) to get every last minute out of your weekend. DUE TO THE MORE LIMITED TIME OF THE PLAYTEST, SOME PLOTS ARE LIKELY TO RUN AFTER MIDNIGHT ON FRIDAY AND SATURDAY NIGHTS. Closing Meeting: The end of game will be announced on Sunday afternoon, and will be followed by an out-of-game closing meeting. Check-Out will begin shortly after this meeting concludes. DURING THE PLAYTEST, END OF GAME WILL HAPPEN SATURDAY NIGHT, AND SUNDAY AFTER BREAKFAST WILL BE GENERAL DEBRIEFING. Cleanup: There will be a sign-up sheet for Cleanup at Check-Out, if you wish to help out and receive an extra skill point and potential Game Bucks. Between Events: Please see the “Character Advancement & Between Games” section of the Rulebook. CAMPAIGN INFORMATION This section contains information that your Character might reasonably know. GENERAL SETTING The Survivors of Angel Fall inhabit a continent referred to only as ‘Home’. It is vast by travel standards of the available technology; even where there are roads, it would take a woman or man on horseback two months to go from the furthest point north to the furthest point south, and slightly longer from the furthest point east to the furthest point west. There is no central government, but the laws passed down to the people by the Angels govern all life. No town may exceed 5,000 people lest disaster overtake it- and there are stories of towns who briefly crossed that number only to be hit with flood, fire, or plague. No buildings may be over 3 stories high- and because of the difficulty associated with such construction, no one has ever disobeyed that injunction that you know of. Each town is loosely governed by a council of the heads of the local Houses, and people identify with House first, home town second, and then loosely as fellow Survivors. Gender equality is a given, and discrimination based on 67 skin color or sexuality is unknown. Diverse permutations of family and relationship structure are accepted parts of society. Discrimination against dysmorphia and congenital disabilities, however, is widespread, although most people will turn away from such rather than taunting the afflicted. Houses operate as extended families, and marriage between Houses is forbidden, although friendships and romances across House lines are accepted. Children born to such a romance will be raised in one of the parental Houses, and occasionally this will cause some conflict that will require mediation by the House of Joining. Genealogies are well recorded to prevent inbreeding, and the Convergence four times a century allows for crosses as people are free to seek to change Houses then. Birth control is readily available and effective, and unwanted pregnancies are rare although not unknown. Foundlings are assumed to be from the House of Fools, and if not dysmorphic are readily adopted by whatever House finds them. Dysmorphic infants are adopted rather more reluctantly, and in more rural areas may be left out to die of exposure by their parents or community. This practice is strongly condemned by the House of Joining in particular. Only a handful of people within a House will choose to follow their Saint as their life’s work. The rest will be crafters, farmers, hunters, or fisherman, or follow similar mundane work. Those who do apprentice to their Saint often express interest as young as 7 years old, but cannot formally apprentice until age 14. Leaving an apprenticeship carries enough of a stigma that teens who do so are often encouraged to leave for another town where their history is not known. Whatever town a Survivor enters, they will be accepted into their own House there as family, and into any other House as a guest. Houseless people are not welcome in society, but if they present themselves to any home in a town they will be taken in and fed with strict politeness, if little warmth. People who choose not to reveal their House are treated the same way. The injunction to give hospitality is extremely strong in the society, and betraying such hospitality is one of the few crimes that may result in execution rather than Houselessness. ANGEL LAWS No town may have more than 5,000 inhabitants. No boat may have more than 4 oars or two sails, and none may travel out of sight of land. No buildings may be over 3 stories tall, nor may buildings be built on stilts or among trees taller than that height. No self-moving devices, including clocks, may be built. (Mills run by wind or water are not considered self-moving, as they require the force of nature to move.) No books or documents may ever have more than 4 copies in existence. SURVIVOR LAWS Give hospitality to all, even to sharing equally in your last bowl of food. Never kill a sentient except in defense of self or others; even then, if you caused potentially lethal harm and may render care to prevent death, you must do so. Share no secrets of your House with anyone not of that House, no matter how trusted or beloved. Keep the laws of the Angels even if it means your own life to do so, lest many suffer for your lapse. APPENDIX OPEN SKILLS: FIGHTING AND WEAPON SKILLS Battlethirst Bow Bow Block Disarm Maim Mindsharpen Parry 68 SP: 5 SP: 10 SP: 5 SP: 5 SP: 10 SP: 10 SP: 10 VP: 0 VP: 0 VP: 0 VP: 1 VP: 1 VP: 1 VP: 1 Prerequisite: Weapon Training Prerequisite: Weapon Training Prerequisite: Weapon Training Prerequisite: Weapon Training Prerequisite: Weapon Training Strike of Might Sucker Punch Thrown Weapon I Thrown Weapon II Two Weapons Warcraft Weapon Training SP: 10 SP: 5 SP: 10 SP: 15 SP: 12 SP: 15 SP: 10 VP: 1 VP: 1 VP: 0 VP: 0 VP: 0 DVP: 2 VP: 0 Prerequisite: Weapon Training Prerequisite: Weapon Training Prerequisite: Weapon Training Prerequisite: Weapon Training OPEN SKILLS: INFORMATION, OCCUPATION Architecture SP: 5 (Legends: 3) VP: 0 Craftsmanship SP: 5 (Legends: 3) VP: 0 Feat of Strength SP: 5 VP: 1+ Holy Energy SP: 5 (Legends: 3) VP: 0 Job Skill*: SP: 1 VP: 0 Research: * SP: 5 (Legends: 3) VP: 0 Tracking SP: 5 (Legends: 3) VP: 0 Balance SP: 5 VP: 1 per save Forager SP: 5+5 progressive VP: 0 Intuition SP: 5 VP: 1 Rapport SP: 5 VP: 2 per use for all Houses other than Joining Rumors SP: 5 VP: 0 Staunch Wound SP: 5 VP: 0 CRAFTING Basic Craft Skill Apprentice Craft Journeyman Craft SP: 5+5 progressive SP: 5 SP: 10 VP: 0 VP: 0 VP: 0 Prerequisite: Foraging Prerequisite: Basic Craft Skill, Ability to make 3 substances Prerequisite: Ability to make 4 Apprentice-level substances THE HOUSE OF HEALING Awaken SP: 5 Diagnose SP: 5 Greater Diagnose SP: 5 Heal SP: 5 Quick Heal SP: 10 Purge Maim SP: 5 Slow Poison SP: 5 Greater Heal SP: 10 Quick Greater Heal SP: 10 Revive SP: 15 Instant Clarity SP: 5 Cure Poison SP: 10 Group Heal SP: 15 VP: 1 VP: 0 VP: 0 VP: 0 VP: 1 VP: 1 VP: 1+ VP: 0 VP: 1 VP: All VP: 3 VP: 2 VP: Sp THE HOUSE OF JOINING Befriend SP: 10 Brainstorm SP: 10 Calm SP: 10 Compromise SP: 5 Deter. Compatibility SP: 10 Find. the Better Self SP: 5 Partnership SP: 5 Ancestral Blessing SP: 10 Greater Brainstorm SP: 10 Greater Calm SP: 10 VP: 1 Prerequisite: a Calmed Target VP: Sp VP: 1 Prerequisite: Compromise VP: 1/5 min VP: 0 Prerequisite: (generally) permission. VP: 1 VP: Sp. VP: 1 Prerequisite: Journeyman VP: 0 Prerequisite: Journeyman, Brainstorm VP: 2 Prerequisite: Journeyman, Calm 69 Prerequisite: Diagnose Prerequisite: Heal Prerequisite: Heal Prerequisite: Heal Prerequisite: Journeyman status Prerequisite: Journeyman, Greater Heal Prerequisite: Journeyman status, Diagnose, Heal Prerequisite: Journeyman status, Awaken Prerequisite: Journeyman status, Slow Poison Prerequisite: Journeyman status, Heal, Quick Heal Greater Partnership Shut Up and Listen SP: 10 SP: 10 VP: Sp Prerequisite: Journeyman, Partnership VP: 5 Prerequisite: Journeyman THE HOUSE OF SHADOWS Building Knowledge SP: 10 Conceal SP: 10 Evade Trap SP: 5 Open Lock SP: 5 Reveal SP: 5 Secret SP: 10 Alibi SP: 10 Disarm Trap SP: 10 Greater Balance SP: 10 Greater Reveal SP: 10 Misinformation SP: 10 Reset Trap SP: 10 THE HOUSE OF RESTORATION Enhanced Survival SP: 10 Improved Foraging SP: 10 Nature Awareness SP: 5 Specific Foraging SP: 10 Tracking, House SP: 10 Nature Sensitivity SP: 5 Protecting Guide SP: 10 Cleanse Level 1SP: 5 Cleanse Level 2SP: 10 Permaculture SP: 15 Forest Concealment SP: 15 Sensitivity Improved Tracking SP: 10 Detect Damage SP: 10 Cleanse Level 3SP: 15 Guardian Touch SP: 10 THE HOUSE OF LEGENDS A Calming Tale SP: 10 An Illuminating Yarn SP: 10 A Rousing Tale SP: 10 A Tale of Two Cities SP: 10 Serend. Anecdote SP: 15 The Story of Hope SP: 10 The Truth B. the Tale SP: 10 Bedtime Story SP: 10 The Dumb Fable SP: 10 The Faerytale SP: 10 The Perfect Tale SP: 10 Tale The Rest of the Story SP: 10 THE HOUSE OF SEEING Distant glimpse SP: 10 Query the Winds SP: 10 Reading the Web SP: 10 70 VP: 0 VP: Sp VP: 1 VP: Sp VP: 1 VP: 0 VP: Sp VP: 2 VP: Sp VP: 5 VP: 0 VP: 2 VP: 1 VP: 1 VP: 1 Prerequisite: Reveal Prerequisite: Building Knowledge Prerequisite: Journeyman, Secret Prerequisite: Journeyman, Evade Trap Prerequisite: Journeyman, Balance Prerequisite: Journeyman, Reveal Prerequisite: Journeyman, Secret Prerequisite: Journeyman, Disarm Trap VP: 0 VP: Sp Prerequisite: Foraging VP: 0 Prerequisite: lack of Sensitive Path VP: Sp Prerequisite: Foraging VP: 0 VP: 0 Prerequisite: Sensitive Path VP: 1 Prerequisite: Sensitive Path Prerequisite: Cleansing Path AND Nature Awareness Prerequisite: Cleanse Level 1 VP: Sp Prerequisite: Journeyman, Improved AND Specific Foraging VP: 2 Prerequisite: Journeyman, Nature Awareness OR Nature VP: 0 Prerequisite: Journeyman, Tracking VP: 0 Prerequisite: Journeyman, Sensitive Path Prerequisite: Journeyman, Cleanse Level 2 VP: 1 Prerequisite: Journeyman, Cleansing Path VP: 1 VP: 2 VP: 4 VP: 2 VP: Sp VP: 3 VP: Sp VP: 4 VP: 5 VP: 4 VP: Sp Prerequisite: an attentive audience Prerequisite: Journeyman, A Calming Tale Prerequisite: Journeyman, A Calming Tale, A Rousing Tale Prerequisite: Journeyman, The Story of Hope Prerequisite: Journeyman, The Story of Hope, A Refreshing VP: Sp Prerequisite: Journeyman, The Truth Behind the Tale VP: 1 VP: 2 VP: 1 Prerequisite: Distant glimpse Prerequisite: A Calming Tale Prerequisite: Tracking Prerequisite: Intuition See the Hidden Spreading the Word Concealing Pattern Greater Query Glimpsing the Poss. Careful Preparation Knowledge/Survive SP: 5 SP: 10 SP: 10 SP: 10 SP: 10 SP: 15 SP: 10 VP: 1 per minute VP: 1 VP: 2 Prerequisite: Journeyman VP: 2 Prerequisite: Journeyman, Query the Winds VP: 2 Prerequisite: Journeyman VP: 0 Prerequisite: Journeyman VP: All Prerequisite: Journeyman, Share/Word GENERAL HOUSE SKILLS Excavation SP: 10 VP: Sp Far Travel SP: 10 VP: Sp Walkabout SP: 10 (20 Houseless) VP: Sp THE NGUDJA (NU-JAH) Accept the Taint SP: 10 Evade Trap SP: 5 Face the Foe SP: 10 Good of the Tribe SP: 10 Inspire the Heart SP: 10 VP: 0 VP: 1 VP: Sp VP: Sp VP: 3 SAINT SUMMARY House of Contemplation- their original Saint (sometimes) or Saint Marja (female) House of Fools- none (or all?) House of Healing- Saint Karel (unaligned, use either gender) House of Joining- Saint Gregor (male) House of Legends- Saint Imini (unaligned, use either gender) House of Restoration- Saint Jane (female) House of Seeing- Saint Shem (female) House of Shadows- Saint Sigrun (male) 71