WOAD WARRIORS

It’s AD 51 and there are Romans everywhere! They’ve overrun most of the country, many of
the tribal of the land are already dressing up in togas and speaking bad Latin. The greatest
of the resistance fighters was just hauled off in chains to march behind a general’s chariot in
that dreadfully sunny, dry Rome, with its stuffy old gods, weird marble buildings, and the
horrible gurgling of its plumbing.

Now’s the time for a new set of heroes! The tribes are demoralized; some of them submit
passively to the yoke of Rome, while others distract themselves by pursuing old feuds and
other rivalries. If the Roman menace is to be driven from the Island of the Mighty, it should
be now, before more roads and cities are built, and the landscape vanishes forever underneath
the heels of the Legions. It is the time for feats of honor, for the clash of steel and the
smoke of burning Romans! It is time for…

the

WOAD WARRIORS
Guy Hoyle(c) 2004
Revised 7/25/2004

This campaign is set in ancient Britain (Prydain to the Celtic inhabitants, Britannia to the
Romans) immediately after the Romans invaded and conquered the land. Some of the tribes
have accepted the presence of the Legions in their lands, while others chafe under the yoke
of Roman rule, aching to join their free kinsmen in the West who have thus far evaded
conquest by the Boys from Italy. The Conquest wasn’t easy, though, for the tribes like
nothing more than a good fight. The most successful resistance leader thus far, though,
Caractacus, was betrayed into the hands of the Romans by Queen Cartimandua of the
Brigantes, who obviously needs a good come-uppance. Worn out after years of struggle, many
of the Celtic tribes of the land have given up the fight and thrown in with the Romans, or
submitted to them grudgingly. Some free tribes exist in the west of Prydain, where Roman
boots have never trod upon the land. Though some of these brave souls dream also of driving
Caesar’s Wheezers from Prydain’s shores, many of them want to hunker down and simply keep
the Italian Scallions from tracking mud into their kingdoms.

Can the tribes be united? Can the Romans be driven out? Can the cattle be saved? As a wise
rabbit once said, “Mmm.. could be!”

Acknowledgements

This game utilizes the free and elegant Risus rules designed and copyrighted 1993-2003 by S. John
Ross, available at http://www222.pair.com/sjohn/risus.htm . I have also used the snazzy Risus
Companion (see the Risus homepage for information on obtaining this chewy chunk of RPG goodness).

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I have also borrowed liberally and shamefully from S. John’s Uresius page(an adaptation of his
Uresia: Grave of Heaven RPG setting to the Risus system) at http://www.io.com/~sjohn/uresius.htm.

Instead of doing any real research into Celtic life, I relied mainly on two RPG supplements:

● GURPS Celtic Myth by Ken & Jo Walton, Steve Jackson Games © 1995
● Pagan Shore by John Carnahan, Chaosium © 1994

Any mistakes or misinterpretations are mine. Buy more of their stuff!

Character Creation

This setting pretty much follows the normal Risus character generation conventions, with some
additions and modifications.

● Take 10 6-sided dice

● Pick several clichés (from the Celtic Stock Clichés below, or make up some of your own with
the gamemaster’s approval)
● Distribute your 10 dice amongst your clichés (no more than 4 dice per cliché)
● If you take a hook, you get one more dice to use! (See hooks and Tales below.)
● If you take a Tale, you get another free dice! (See hooks and Tales below.)
● Decide whether you want to get Sidekicks and Shieldmates, Lucky Shots, or Questing Dice
(see below).
● Any cliche may be bought as a Double Pump cliche (Risus, p. 5), with the
gamemaster's permission. However, some cliches (marked as such below) are
required or recommended to be bought as Double Pump Cliches.

Risus Rescaled

Succumbing yet again to the urge to meddle in S. John’s domain, I have readjusted the
standard Target Numbers (TN) to reflect the wild, over-the –top action in this campaign,
which is comparable to an episode of Xena or a wild martial arts movie. Is there no end to
my audacity?

03: A cinch. A snap. A challenge for a Schmuck. Routine for a pro.

●

06: A challenge for a Professional.

●

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09: An Heroic challenge. For really inventive or tricky stunts.

●

12: A challenge for a Master. Nearly superhuman difficulty.

●

15: You've GOT to be Kidding. Actual superhuman difficulty.

So is this serious, or funny, or what?

The tone of the setting is intended to be humorous and tongue-in-cheek, treated about as seriously
as “Hogan’s Heroes” or the British comedy “’Allo, ‘Allo” (which were also about turning the tables on
your homeland’s invaders). It owes the most direct inspiration to the comic strip “Asterix the Gaul”,
which I know more by reputation than experience.

It’s not intended to be a very accurate portrayal of either the Celtic lifestyle or the Roman
conquest, either. I tried to avoid any confusing Celtic terms whenever possible. I don’t intend to
get bogged down in weighty explications of Celtic jurisprudence; I want some butt to kick and some
names to take, so there!

Celtic Names

Here’s a list of Celtic and gaelic names at http://www.lowchensaustralia.com/names/celtic.htm ., an

another at http://www.art-with-attitude.com/village/celtic_names.html . Again, I can’t vouch for
their accuracy, but your welcome to use them if you like. For some of the NPCs, I’ll be adopting an
Asterix-style of names based on puns: Statutorix, Anabolix, Funkadelix, etc. You’re welcome to
create a name that sounds appropriate to you.

Celtic Stock Cliches

● Athlete (excelling at sports, flexing muscles, win prizes)

● Bard (flatter your patrons, remember things that everybody else has forgotten,
improvise rapidly)
● Berserker (swell up and get really really hot, turn around inside your skin, killing
everything around you)*This can be a Double-Pump Cliché at the player's option*
● Bimbo (Available in both genders. Distracting, teasing, not teasing…)
● Blacksmith (bang on red-hot iron, make exquisite weapons and armor, bend horseshoes
in your bare hands to impress the ladies)
● Burly Lass (Carrying and/or combating livestock and/or drunken men)
● Cattle Raider (sneak onto neighbor’s land, steal cattle, ride quickly, look innocent)
● Charioteer (drive like a madman, treat horses like people, develop exit strategy)
● Clan Chieftain (support the king, plot against the king, plot and feud against the other
clan chiefs)
● Craftsman (make stuff, sell stuff, fix stuff)
● Druid (make cryptic pronouncements, answer questions with questions, unscrew the
inscrutable) *This is a Double-Pump Cliché*

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● Freedom Fighter (living in caves, striking unexpectedly, hating Romans)

● Gambler (taking risks, sizing up the odds, knowing when to hold ‘em, knowing when to
fold ‘em)
● Harper (strum for hours, know popular ballads, take requests)
● Healer (know useful herbs, make house calls, do healing dances and chants)
● Horseman (riding and training horses, treating them more like people than horses)
● Hunter (track and trap, know the area, know tree lore
● Jurist (speak eloquently, memorize tribal laws, render judgements)
● Kid (Being a sidekick to heroes, making friends with Giant Monsters)
● King (keep subjects happy, keep enemies away, watch out for tribal chieftains, keep
druids as far away as possible)
● Lecherous Hedonist (Leering, lusting, gorging, ogling, nose-bleeding, peeping)
● Man Chaser/Woman Chaser (Seducing, loving, running from irate mates/siblings/parents)
● Outdoorsman (Following tracks, building shelters, finding wild food)
● Poet (compose epics, flatter patrons, carry around loads of history and legend in your
head)
● Satirist (hurl insults, goad warriors into battle, know when to sneak away)
● Shapeshifter (look like something else, get stuck in another form) If you can change
into many forms at will, this is a Double Pump Cliché.
● Spearman (take your clothes off, paint yourself blue, run screaming into battle)
● Storyteller (spin yarns, spread gossip, yammer endlessly)
● Tribal Turncoat (betray tribesmen, pretend to hate Romans, pass information back to
Romans)
● Trickster (lie-crafting, tale-weaving, getting away with stuff)
● Warrior (fight like hell, avenge insults, behave in front of the king)
● Warrior Queen (staring down macho he-men,herding a bunch of drunk and horny brutes,
managing to get your own way)
● Willowy Lass (Being admired, being kidnapped, being rescued, being waited-on)
● Witch/Wizard (cast spells, be mysterious) This can be a Double Pump Cliché at the
player’s option

Hold on there! Stock clichés are just the beginning. Not only are many mundane tasks like farmer,
fisherman, potter, and the like left off, but there are many possible variations on the clichés above.
There are several ways to jazz ‘em up and develop your character even further. Here are some of
them right now!

Professions
The “occupations” above are just very basic ones. They can be varied and expanded in many
ways:

● Bards, storytellers, harpers, poets, jurists, and satirists all spend years learning tribal
history and law and how to perform well in front of an audience. They can be itinerant or
have a patron chieftain or king. Magically-gifted ones also tend to pick up a smattering of
tree lore, though they’re not as adept as the Druids.
● “Craftsmen” can be a whole range of occupations, but shoemakers, shieldmakers,

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leatherworkers, and jewelers are well-respected and tend to travel around a lot.
● Warriors, spearmen, charioteers, berserkers, and other types can find gainful employment in
a variety of ways. Stealing your neighbor’s cattle is a popular sport amongst all the tribes.
Since the coming of the Romans, many warriors have left their tribes to seek employment as
mercenaries, or take to the wild as bandits or resistance fighters. Some have even gone so
far as to join the Romans as native scouts or auxiliaries.

Race or Magical “Accidents”

All player characters in this campaign will be human, but sometimes they’ve got a wee bit of
something extra in their bloodline. Most of the great heroes of Prydain are descended from the
mound-dwelling Sídhe, and thus can be expected to possess a few extra powers and abilities. Others
have had contact with the Otherworld (such as eating or drinking some magical food that they were
forbidden to touch, or training with a spooky warrior-witch) that have given them such unique
abilities.

Look at the list below, and make a note of the one(s) you like on on your character sheet. Since
they’re not really worth a full-fledged cliché, just make sure one of your clichés mentions “Sídhe -
blooded” or whatever else is appropriate, and that will be the cliché you use this ability with. You’re
not restricted to these; with the gamemaster’s approval you can come up with something on your
own. Note that explaining how you got these abilities can help flesh out your Tale (see Hooks and
Tales)

● Superhuman endurance, so that you recover quickly from injuries or unconsciousness

● Superhuman vitality, in the form of enormous strength, or tirelessness, or you don’t have to
sleep
● Superhuman durability, being immune to the effects of weapons, or natural forces like fire or
falling
● Superhuman stealth, such as the ability to move soundlessly or blend into your surroundings,
or walk without leaving a trail
● The ability to speak with animals (often just a single type of animal, like horses or birds or
fish)
● The Spearman’s Invulnerability, immune to damage while fighting naked
● Unaging
● Tread where none may follow, such as upon the air or water or over treetops
●

Personal History
Sometimes adding a variation on “former” can add a level of depth to an otherwise ho-hum cliché.

● Former King (was he dethroned or did he leave voluntarily?)

● Defrocked Druid (maybe he betrayed his fellow druids to the Romans? Or violated some
sacred oath?)
● Retired Bard (is he incapacitated through age or injury? Did he suffer some heartbreak too
great to go on?)

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Degree of Dedication
The numbers don’t tell the whole story. Is your character committed to his chosen cliché, or does
his enthusiasm lag sometimes? Is his talent natural-born, or does it come with great difficulty?

● Part-time King (when he’s not too busy being a Struggling Bard)
● Struggling Bard (when he’s not a Part-Time King)
● Assistant Pig-keeper (who wants to be a mighty Warrior)
● Fanatical Frothing-Mouthed Berserker (is there any other kind?)
● Clan Champion

Social Class or Financial Means

Many cliches reflect the level of wealth or social standing that a character might enjoy. There
are many wandering poets, bards, warriors, craftsmen, blacksmiths,

● Generous and Popular King

● Stingy, Inhospitable King
● Well-Connected Bard
● Queen Gwenhwyvar’s Chief Judge
● Itinerant Smith

Gender
The Celtic world might seem overwhelmingly masculine from the perspective of the Stock Cliches,
but it doesn’t exclude women, either

● Warrior Queen
● Inscrutable Druidess
● Female Harper Disguised as a Man
● Blacksmith Babe

Demeanor
Attitude is often everything.

● Jolly, Happy Berserker

● Affable, People-Friendly Druid
● Careful, Timid Charioteer
● Love-struck Druid

Ham-Handed Reference
Even in Roman Britain, you might still run into some very familiar character types:

● William Shatner
● Rhyming Lawyer
● Gomer Pyle

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● Martha Stewart
● Red-Shirt Grunt Squad
● Used Chariot Salesman

Goals
Your character’s personal goals determine how his skills develop, and distinguish them from
characters with similar Cliches

● Eager Young Harper Lookin’ for Nookie

● Earnest Bard Out To Make His Reputation
● Self-Taught Satirist Out To Have His Revenge On Everybody Who Laughed At Him
● Brooding, Suicidal Charioteer Determined To Move On To The Next World In A Blaze Of
Glory

Self-Image
How does your character see himself? Do others see him the same way?

● Self-Loathing Roman Spy

● Mr. “Best Spearman In The Whole Kingdom”
● Gloomy Berserker Who Thinks He’s A Monster Unfit To Live

Subplots and Relationships

Cliches can involve other people and how they interact with the character.

● Handsome Young Swordsman Working His Way Through The Local Girls
● Nervous Bard On The Run From The King of the Trinovantes
● King Cunobelinus’ Favorite Charioteer

Problems
Some see them as problems; others see them as opportunities. This can often give your character an
unexpected twist or an advantage in odd situations.

● Enormously Obese Swordsman

● Stuttering Druid
● Blind Charioteer
● Debt-Ridden King

ADVANCED OPTIONS

Sidekicks and Shieldmates

This option appears in the Risus Companion, p. 54. Sidekicks and shieldmates are NPC
companions that could be a single person, or could be a grunt squad; they could be human, or they
might be a well-trained animal, an intelligent sword, a ghostly presence that assists you in times

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of trouble, . Just a few examples:

A Trusty Companion (3)

●

Your Loyal War-Hound (3)

●

Your War-Horse (2) who’s the Reincarnation of your Father (1)

●

A Band of Naked Spearwomen (2) and Part-Time Hurley Team (1)

●

Your Magic Sword That’s Always Trying To Start A Fight (3)

●

A Pack Of Wolves That Often Do Your Bidding (3)

●

Your New Charioteer (2) who is also Your Younger Sister Dressed As A Boy So You Won’t
Recognize Her (1)
●

A band of well-meaning bards and harpists that follow you around celebrating your exploits (3)

Lucky Shots and Questing Dice

These also appear in the Risus Companion (p. 50). Like Sidekicks and Shieldmates, you sacrifice a
dice during character creation and get some dice in return.

Lucky Shots
In Woad Warriors, you can use Lucky Shots to represent a character who is beloved of the gods,
crafty and resourceful, or just plain lucky. This is entirely appropriate for most Celtic heroes.

Questing Dice
Questing dice have several uses in Woad Warriors. If your personal Quest is to drive the Romans
out of Britain, then you can only use them in situations when Romans are involved (as judged by your
gamemaster). Many heroes have been obsessed with getting revenge, or getting a certain girl (which
often turns out tragically in Irish tales), so that kind of use of Questing Dice is appropriate, too.

One application of Questing Dice represents the favor your hero’s patron deity bestows upon you.
Buy Questing Dice normally, but your Quest is actually any situation that your patron deity would
have an interest in, and any kind of geas that the deity might impose upon you. See the “Prydannic
Gods” section for more information about the various spheres of interest for the Celtic Gods.

hooks and Tales

hooks are mandatory. Every Celtic hero had a geas or two, and some had many more than that. Your
hooks are worth one extra dice (only).

Tales are highly encouraged, too. The background of a character can give valuable information about

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relationships, origins, strengths and weaknesses, etc., that the character sheet does not. Plus, you
can earn an extra die to apply towards character creation! Write at least a paragraph to get the
extra die.

Geasa
A geas is a kind of taboo, set on an individual by supernatural forces or powerful individuals. Almost
every hero had them, and many had more than one. Geasa (the plural of geas) often tell you what
you must never do or always do, what you can or cannot eat, or how you will die. Some of them seem
prohibitive, and some seem trivial, but you break a geas at your peril; doom awaits those who break
them knowingly or unknowingly.

This type of geas can be used as a character’s hook, earning one extra die for character creation
purposes. The following are some sample Geasa that a character might possess. These are
suggestions only; the player may come up with others

Actions

● Cannot sacrifice a white pig

● Cannot travel counter-clockwise around the High King’s hall
● Cannot travel directly from X place to Y place
● Cannot travel outdoors on a Tuesday.
● Never refuse the requests of a sídhe woman
● Never refuse a challenge from a [tribe] member
● Never travel two miles in Prydannia without traveling one day north or south
● Never cross a creek or river by any means when it is raining
● Never refuse the demand of a man with one hand.
● Never use a sword
● Never ride lefthand-wise around the king’s dun.
● Never accept the word of a man from [tribe]
● Never fell a tree at Beltaine
● Never travel from [Place 1] directly to [Place 2] or [Place 3]
● Never injure a boar
● Never attack from behind
● Never fight facing the sun
● Never ride in a boat between Samhain and Imbolg
● Never travel righthandwise around the king’s dun
● Never vouch for a druid.
●

Clothing

● Must never remove boots

● Must never remove helmet
● Must keep head bare

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● Must keep feet bare

Strangers

● Must not give name to stranger

● Must ignore strangers until they touch him
● Must insult strangers
● Must attack strangers

Food

● Must not eat pig

● Never eat dog meat
● Never eat horseflesh
● Never eat salmon
● Must eat with door open
● Must not drink alsohol alone
● Must not eat alone
● Must not drink anything alone
● Must never drink milk

Foreknowledge of Death

● Can only be killed by a spear

● Can only be killed on a rainy day
● Can only be killed in the sunshine
● Can only be killed by a man in red armor
● Cannot be killed by sharp metal
● Cannot be killed by a man
● Can only be killed out of doors on a Tuesday by someone wearing red boots
● Can only be killed with own sword while in bed with own wife.
● Can only be killed halfway up a hill during a thunderstorm by a naked man carrying a 40-foot
spear made of solid gold.

Blacksmiths

● Must never work metal with your back to your forge

● Must light the forge before dawn
● Must make horseshoe every single day
● Must never make spearpoint

Bards (Harpers, Poets, Storytellers, etc.)

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Must always rise before the dawn

●

Cannot praise a man to his face

●

Must play the first song in the dun every day

●

Must not let anyone touch your harp

●

Must only sing sad songs

●

Must never refuse a riddle

●

Must answer a riddle every day

●

Must always make fun of people with big noses

●

Must always satirize his host

●

Must not make fun of old people

●

Must never praise a woman

Charioteer

● Must never yoke a black horse with a white

● Must take the same warrior to battle three times
● See also Warrior geasa

Druid

● Must not cast the same spell twice in the same day
● Cannot refuse a request for magical assistance
● May only use birch spells

Healer

● Must never refuse to heal anyone

● Must always amputate leg wounds
● Must not heal anyone between dawn and dusk

King or Clan Chieftain

● Must not refuse a request

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● Must not refuse a second request

● Must always have his feet in the lap of a virgin

Warriors (Spearman, etc.)

● Will be killed by a sword

● Will be killed by a spear
● Will be killed when wearing no clothes and wearing blue paint

How Do You Do What You Do So Well?

This isn’t another list of clichés; it’s a list of things you can DO with the clichés you’ve already got.
It also serves as a kind of guide to being a Celt, in case you’re not very familiar with the way Celts
behave. Most of these are pretty difficult, though spectacular.

Sample Heroic Feats

These are the things that bards sing about and makes the young, pretty maidens come a’runnin’. Not
all of these are from Celtic sources, but they have a similar “feel” to them. Any players, especially
those of a warlike profession, are encouraged to attempt to perform these feats (using the
appropriate clichés) and even make up your own.

● The Jumping a Chariot Over An Oak Tree feat

● The Javelin Feat (Throwing a javelin, then running and catching it before it hits the ground)
● The Ten-At-A-Blow Feat (Throwing a single spear through several men)
● The Feat of Ropes (Fighting on a tightrope)
● The Cat Feat (running up a tree)
● The Feat of Heads (snicking off several heads with a single stroke)
● The Fortunate Stroke (Cutting somebody in half (lengthwise!))
● The Apple Feat (juggling nine apples, with never more than one in a hand at a time)
● The Feat of the Stunning Shot) stunning several birds with one sling shot
● The Breath Feat (juggling apples with your breath)
● The Stroke of Precision (Calling a shot to a particular body part
● The Salmon Leap, jumping up in the air and striking from above with a spear, behind the
shield of your foe
● These feats are named in some of the legends but are not described in much detail:

❍ The Hero’s Scream

❍

The Thunder Feat

❍

The Feat of the Chariot Wheel Thrown On High

❍

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The Leap Over A Poisoned Stroke Feat

❍

The Noble Chariot-Fighter’s Crouch Feat

❍

The Feat of the Shield Rim

❍

The Trussing a Warrior on the Points of Spears Feat

Druidic Lore
The supernatural permeated the lives of the Celts. In particular, the Druids studied the lore of the
trees. Their wisdom was passed on through words both spoken and sung, never written.

● Render impartial legal judgements

● Ban men or groups of men from access to community and religion (the dreaded Glam Dicin)
● Discover and impose geasa
● Changing shape (yourself and others)
● Find and open gates to the Otherworld
● The secrets of the Ogham alphabet
● Enter ento a prophetic trance
● Summon up the ghost from a severed head
● Tree magic (see below)

Tree Magic
Much Celtic magic was based on knowledge of the properties of the 18 sacred “trees” (not all of
which were actually trees). Those who were steeped in tribal lore, poetry, and music such as poets,
jurists, bards, and druids, could often work this kind of magic, though a druid was expected to
master it. Rather than presenting an exhaustive list of spells and their descriptions, here is a brief
description of the types of spells each tree was associated with.

● Birch (love spells, illusions, simple creation, driving away evil spirits)
● Rowan (magical protection, protection from lightning, divining and divination, protection from
ghosts and demons)
● Alder (proof against water, controls the wind, free earth from water, color-dying, oracles and
resurrection)
● Willow (the feminine aspect, cold, death, the moon, female spellcasters)
● Ash (control over water, flight)
● Hawthorn (curses, bad luck, cleansing)
● Oak (earth, air, moving between worlds, augury)
● Holly (blessings, good luck, weather prediction, nimbomancy (clouds) )
● Hazel (truth, water, invisibility, wisdom, knowledge, information, the Otherworld)
● Vine/Bramble (intoxication, joy, control, madness, beasts, illusions, forgetfulness, sleep)
● Ivy (eloquence, language, divination)
● Reeds (mending, arrows, binding, reinforcement, food)
● Elder (healing, control over illness, healing teas and wines, healing plants, peaceful sleep)

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● Silver Fir (birth, enchantment, creation, shapeshifting)

● Gorse (magic, protection from magic)
● Heather (remove curse, protect from curses)
● Aspen (physical protection, shielding)
● Yew (death, weapons, destruction, poison)

PRYDANNIC GODS

God/Goddess Specialty Symbols, Manifestations Roman Equivalent Geas

& Totems
Agroná Battle The river Aeron in Wales Minerva Must always take a
Slaughter Bellona head in battle
Alator War Must always draw blood
in battle
Amathaon Agriculture Saturn Dedicate the first
harvest to Amathaon
Andarta Hunting Bear Artemis Sacrifice a bear to
Bear Andarta every Beltaine
Callisto
Andrasta War Hares Minerva Must sacrifice
prisoners after a
victory (if divine
Ravens assistance was used in
battle)

Arecurius
Arnemetia Water Never refuse to share
Streams a drink
Rivers
Seas
Belatucadros, War Stag antlers or horns Mars Sacrifice a horned
Belatucadnos animal to Belatucadros
"Bright Beautiful One" every Lugnasad

Belinus, Bel, Belenos The Sun Sheep Apollo Sacrifice cattle to

Sheep Cattle Belinus every Beltaine
Cattle Beltaine
Belisama Wife of Belinus Minerva Always light your forge
Light before dawn
Fire
Forge
Crafts
Borvo, Bormo, Bormannos Hot Springs Apollo Never refuse to share
“The Boiler” Healing a drink

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Braciaca War Minerva Never sheathe your

sword until you have
taken a life.
Bellona
Bran/Bron Revenge Raven Mars Always take an enemy’s
Prophecy head in battle if Bran’s
assistance is given.
Brigantia Life The rivers Braint and Brent Minerva Brigantii tribesmen
Knowledge Vesta must always spend
Wisdom Caelestis Brigantia Imbolg near a river
Home & Hearth
Flocks
Cattle
Britannia Goddess of Britain Britannia N/A
Camulos War Invincible sword Mars Always draw blood
before you sheathe
your sword
Boar
Cernenus
Cernunnos Lord of the Animals Horns or antlers Dis Pater Always sacrifice an
animal in Samhain
"Horned One" War Bag of grain

Underworld Ram-headed serpent

Wild nature Stag

Hunting The Wild Hunt

Cimialcinnus Roads, Paths
Cocidius War Silvanus Never abandon a hunt
Wild Nature before you have killed
Hunting your prey
Condatis War Never refuse to share
River a drink
Contrebus:
Coriotiacus
Coventina Healing Never refuse a request
Streams for healing
Baths
Damona Cows Always sacrifice a cow
Spouse of Borvo at beltaine
“The Divine Cow”
Donnos Lord of the Underworld Stallion Dis Pater Never go clockwise
Raven around a cairn
“The Brown One”

“The Dark One”

Emrys Light Always awake before
Dawn dawn
The Wind

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Epona Horsemanship Mare Epona

Psychopomp
“The Great Mare”
Esus Nature Axe Hermes Never touch a person
“Lord” Shepherds Stallion Dis Pater who has broken a geas
“Master” War Hound Mars
Underworld Salmon
Badger
Elk
Bull
Bear
Geofon Sea
Gobannos Smiths Vulcan Always light your forge
Forges before dawn
Fire
Craftsmen
Grannos Sun Apollo Never refuse a request
Healing Asclepius for healing
Ialonus
Latis
Lenumius
Lenus War Goose Never cross the path
of a goose on the way
to battle
Lyr Sea Horse Neptune Never ride on a horse
Shapechanging
Lugus Light and the Sun Salmon Apollo Never touch a person
Weather Badger Jupiter who has broken a geas
Elk
“The Shining One”
Bull
Bear
“King of the Gods”
Lugus Champion of the Gods Hound Never refuse a
challenge at a ford
”
Lugus Driver of the Sun Chariot Stallion Never travel after dark
Lugus Master of all arts Hound Mercury Never enter a fortress
Badger without announcing
yourself
Magusanis
Maponos Music Boar Apollo Never refuse a queen’s
Poetry request
Youth
"The Divine Child" Hunting
Matrona Mothers Juno
Fertility Demeter
Children Bona Dea
“The Divine Mother”
Mongons Hunting Never kill more than
one type of animal on a
hunt
“The Great Hunter”
Mullo Mules

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Nantosuelta Wife of Sucellus Horn of plenty Proserpina Never refuse a request

Fertility for food
Abundantia
Nemetona Sacred groves, healing Never refuse a request
springs for healing

Never refuse to share

a drink
Nodons Healing Silver hand Neptune Never touch a person
War Invincible sword Jupiter who has broken a geas
The Sun
“King of the Gods” Beauty
Apollo
Poetry
Writing
Sorcery
Weapons
The Sea
Ocelus Healing Mars Never refuse a request
War Apollo for healing to an enemy
Asclepius
Ogmios Champion of the Gods Old bald man Hercules Never refuse a request
Great Strength Lion skin to compose a poem
Poetry Chains connecting listeners’
Eloquence ears to his tongue
Guide of the Dead Ogham
Hound
Badger
Ratis Luck Never make plans
Rigonemeta, Rigonometis War Sacred groves Minerva Never participate in an
Sacred groves Diana ambush
Rosmerta Fire Two-bladed axe Ceres Never refuse a request
Warmth Vesta for food or fire
Abundance
Rudiobus Horses Neptune Equestor Always tend to your
horse’s hunger and
hurts before your own
Sataida
Setloceniua
Shoney Sea Neptune Never refuse to share
a drink
Sirona, Astronomy Abundantia Never refuse a request
Healing Bona Dea for healing
Fertility
Wife of Grannos
Sucellos Underworld Mallet or hammer Dis Pater Never wear any
Cauldron of resurrection Hercules clothing other than a
druid’s robes
“The Good Striker”
Sulis Healing Healing springs Minerva Never refuse a
Water challenge on the shores
Healing springs of a river
Taranos Thunder, Lightning, Wheel Jupiter Never leave a battle in
“The Thunderer” Storms Human sacrifice a chariot

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Teutates War Stallion Mars Never touch a person

“King of the world" Fertility Hound Jupiter who has broken a geas
“King of the battle” Wealth Salmon
Badger
Elk
Bull
Bear
Vellaunus War Mars Never leave battle
before blood has been
spilt
Vitiris War Mars Never wear clothing or
armor into battle

NOTES

God/Goddess: The name of the deity, plus any titles he might be known by. There are lots
of deities of war, healing, and water. There are also some deities I know nothing about.
Specialty: Some of the deity’s areas of interest. If you are dedicated to one of the
deities on this chart, you may ask for divine assistance when you are attempting to
perform an action associated with the deity or in a situation associated with the deity.
See “Questing Dice” under the Character generation rules.

Symbols, Manifestations and Totems: The ways the deity is portrayed by worshippers,
or manifestations of the deity in the world. If an animal is given, that is considered to be
a totem. This means that you can call upon the totem to shapechange into that totem
(expending a Questing Dice), but you cannot kill this creature unless it’s a sacrifice to the
deity.

Roman Equivalent: Many of these deities were seen as local versions of Roman gods by
the Romans. Celts from tribes which are friendly to the Romans might be able to fulfill
religious occupations to their tribal deities at an equivalent Roman temple.Some of these
equivalencies are guesses on my part, based on the following assumptions:

Any British god can be equated with one or more Roman gods;
any female war goddess could be equated with Minerva and Bellona, and any male one with Mars;
any male god of healing could be equated with Apollo and Asclepius;
any “kingly” god could be eqated with Jupiter;
any male god of the sea or horses could be equated with Neptune;
any male god of the Underworld could be equated with Dis Pater

I have also assigned a few Romans deities such as Bona Dea, Juno, Proserpina, Ceres,
Vesta, and some others wherever they seemed appropriate. In several cases I made up
some tribal deities because I wanted to have a patron deity for every tribe.
Geas: these geases must be taken by anyone who wants to have this deity as a patron.

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This does not count as a hook as the geasa ; you do not receive an additional dice when
creating the character.

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