LITTLE BUT FIERCE

A Simplified 5E Ruleset for Children of All Ages

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Starter Edition
Credits Contents
Lead Designer and Writer: DC Bradshaw Introduction .......................................................3
Cover Illustrator: Catarina Eusébio
Heroes 5
Playtesting and Feedback provided by:
Making Your Hero ..............................................5
Big People:
Penny Blake, Nicholas Bradshaw, Kin ......................................................................9
Steph Campbell, Cally Clarke, Thomas Clarke,
Classes .............................................................12
Catarina Eusébio, André Jaenisch, Peter Jung,
Michele Lombardi, Ian M., Lady Christine M.,

Leonor Macedo, Richard Oxenham, RubyQuinn,
Rushdin Samie, Amanda Sloan and the
#TTRPGFamily Twitter community!
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Talents ..............................................................20
Equipment .......................................................23
Spells ...............................................................27

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Little People:
Aaron, Andy, Arya, Elisabeth, Hazel, Jamie, Rules 71
Mary, Matilda Rolling Dice .....................................................71

Questing ..........................................................72
For more tabletop roleplaying content, visit
dcbradshaw.com/ttrpgs Fighting ...........................................................73

Storyteller’s Toolkit 79
e Having Fun ......................................................79

Running a Game ..............................................82

Creatures .........................................................87
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Magic Items ...................................................130

License 135
Hero Sheets 137
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Version 1.2: October 2022

Little but Fierce is ©2021 DC Bradshaw. All rights reserved.

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Reference to other copyrighted material in no way constitutes a challenge to the respective copyright
holders of that material.

Cover is original artwork by Catarina Eusébio (@aergiasart). Cover also includes stock artwork from
Vecteezy (vecteezy.com): White snow texture by Marina Gallud Carbonell. Additional stock artwork
Watercolor Painting Art Wash Watercolor Circles Transparent Background by clipart.info, licensed under
CC by 4.0.

Interior art includes stock artwork from Pixabay (pixabay.com): Background Scrapbooking Texture by
ractapopulous. Also used are icons from games-icons.net, licensed under CC by 3.0. Icons are creative
commons icons from the Noun Project (https://thenounproject.com): open book by Deemak Daksina,
d4, d6, d8, d10, d12 & d20 by Lonnie Tapscott and leaf by Abdul Wahhab.

Updated experience and encounter creation system inspired by mathematical analysis performed by
Gobelure on Morrus' Unofficial Tabletop RPG News forums. The suggested value of magic items makes
use of the Sane Magical Item Prices list compiled by Saidoro and found on Giant in the Playground
forums.

Introduction
Little but Fierce is a tabletop roleplaying game
that allows players to create their own heroes and
explore a fantasy world, completing quests and
defeating enemies as you do. It’s just a great big
game of make-believe that uses dice to help
decide what happens sometimes!
Does that sound like fun? Then keep reading…
Players and the Storyteller
Most of the people playing the game will be
players. Each player creates a hero that they will
play each game and they’ll slowly get more
powerful over time.
One person will be the Storyteller. Their job
requires a lot planning as they’ll be describing the
heroes’ world and controlling every other creature
the heroes meet along the way. When dice are
rolled, the Storyteller must also be the referee,
deciding what roll is needed for the heroes to e
succeed at something. It can be tough sometimes
but it’s also a lot of fun!
It’s always important to remember that everyone is
playing this game to have fun. The Storyteller
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might be controlling the creatures the heroes are
fighting or deciding where there are a traps in the
dungeon, but that doesn’t mean they’re the
enemy!
Roleplaying
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We mentioned that this is a “tabletop roleplaying
game”, so what does this mean? Well, in a lot of
tabletop games you'll move pieces around a board
and sometimes you're playing a character with a
name. In a roleplaying game, you don't just control
your hero, you get to pretend to be them.
What does that look like? Just imagine your hero,
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Jen, is going into a shop to buy a new axe. It could
go something like this:
You: “I’d like to go to a shop to buy an axe.”
Storyteller: “A small axe or a huge axe?”
You: “Small please.”
Storyteller: "That will cost 5 gold coins.”
You: “Great. Thanks.”
That’s perfectly fine but maybe a little boring.
Wouldn’t it be more fun to hear a bit more about
the world you're in? And wouldn't it be cool to
actually play out that conversation with you talking
as Jen and the Storyteller pretending to be the
shopkeeper?
Let's try that again…
You: “I’d like to go to a shop to buy an axe.”
Storyteller: “You walk down a dark and dirty
road until you see a small shop with a sign that
says ‘Wally’s Weapons’ above the door. Going
inside, it's full of all kinds of weapons. It's warm,
it smells a bit of oil and you can almost taste
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the metal in the air. There’s an orc standing
behind the counter.”
Storyteller (as Wally): “Morning, can I help
you?”
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You (as Jen): “Good day, sir. I’m one of heroes
who just defeated the dragon that attacked
your town. But I lost my axe in the fight and
need to buy a new one.”
Storyteller (as Wally): “Then you’ve come to
the right place! I sell lots of axes. Some small
and some HUGE! What do you fancy?”
You (as Jen): “A huge axe does sound fun but
I’m good with a small one, thanks.”
Storyteller: “He searches through a big
wooden chest and pulls out a shiny new axe
with a fancy gold hilt.”
Storyteller (as Wally): “This is one of my best
axes! It’ll cost you 5 gold coins. You want it?”
You (as Jen): “I just saved your town from a
dragon! Can’t you sell it to me for a bit less?”
Storyteller (as Wally): “Oh, go on then. Let's
say 3 gold coins.”
You (as Jen): “Deal.”
You: “I shake his hand, hand him the money
and leave with my shiny new axe.”
You’ll either be thinking this sounds awesome or
maybe it sounds a little scary. Well, don’t be
scared. Your Storyteller will be a friend or family
member and they want you to have fun! So if you
want, tell them you want to take it slowly with
roleplaying. There's nothing wrong with starting
with things a bit more like the first conversation
and slowly, as you get more comfortable, trying to
make it a bit more like the second one. Remember,
this is a game and games are about everyone
having fun!
Did you notice the bit where Jen tried to get the
axe cheaper? The Storyteller might let them have it
for less money just because they asked nicely. Or
they might have to roll some dice to see how nice
Jen was to Wally. You'll find out more about this
later.
LITTLE BUT FIERCE 3
Games and Campaigns This book is in three parts:
• Heroes: This part is for players and walks them
When we talk about a game of Little but Fierce,
step-by-step through how you make your hero.
we’re talking about one session on one day. A
They'll keep going back to this as they gain
game might be an entire quest from start to finish
experience and “level up”.
or it could be one part of a quest that the players
• Rules: This part explains the rules of the game,
will continue next time. We call a series of games
telling you when to roll dice and how things like
with the same heroes a campaign.
fighting work.
• Storyteller’s Toolkit: This part is mostly for
A game can be as long or short as the players and
Storytellers and is filled with useful hints for
Storyteller are happy to play. Just remember to
running games, as well as lots of creatures and
take breaks!

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magic items!
In the same way, a campaign can be as long or
You can either read the book yourself or nicely ask
short as you want. Maybe you want to play your
an adult or your Storyteller to read it for you and
heroes all the way from 1st level up to 10th level.

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explain what you need to know.
Or maybe a campaign is just one big story, ending
in a fight against the big bad (a bit like a movie or
Remember, it's always okay to ask for help,
a series of a TV show).
especially when you’re starting something new!

Dice
In this book, we’ll talk a lot about dice. The first
thing to know is that the word “die” just means
one dice. It’s a bit like mouse and mice. e Little but Fierce has many similarities to 5th
The other important thing is how we name the
dice. We always call a die a “d-something” where
“something” is the number of sides it has. So a d6
is the six-sided die that comes with most board
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games and a d10 is a ten-sided die.
Most of the dice you roll will be d10s. These are
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Note for 5th Edition players:
As you read this book, you will notice that
Edition and that’s because it’s based on that
framework, using the Open Gaming License.
However, you’ll also notice a lot of
differences from 5th Edition and these are
intentional. Little but Fierce is designed to be
a more streamlined and accessible version of
that system, so that means there are a lot of
changes to make this a better system for
children of all ages to enjoy.

Maybe this will be their stepping stone to

used for attack rolls, skill tests and resistance rolls.
playing 5th Edition or another system some
Don’t worry, all the rules will be explained as we go
day. Or maybe this will be their only
along!
experience with a tabletop roleplaying game.
Both are absolutely okay, just so long as
Each player should make sure they have at least
everyone’s having fun!
one d4, d6, d8, d10, d12 and d20 (but it never
hurts to have more lying around). The Storyteller
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will probably need a lot more…

What Now?
Hopefully that’s explained a little bit about what
Little but Fierce is all about. If you’re still reading
this, we hope you want to play a game! So what do
you do now?

4 LITTLE BUT FIERCE

 HEROES
The first part of this book gives you all the To find out more about each of these, please read
information you’ll need for making your hero. the Kin chapter. On your hero sheet, write down
any information about the kin you chose.

Making Your Hero 3. What Do They Do?

To make your hero in Little but Fierce, just follow
Now you need to choose what class your hero is. A
these seven steps. If you ever need help, just ask
hero’s class decides what training and powers they

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your Storyteller.
have.
At the end of this book are blank hero sheets for
Choose a class:
you to use, as well as two example ones to look at.
• Druid

1. What Are They Like?
The most important thing about a hero isn’t their
powers: it’s who they are as a person. This is really
important as you start to find your hero’s voice
when roleplaying conversations with the Storyteller
and other players.
So take some time to think about what your hero is
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going to be like and write down some notes on
your hero sheet. Remember, your hero might not
act or feel the same way you do! Here are some
questions to get you started:
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Right and Wrong:
• Are they nice to strangers?
• Do they normally follow the rules?
Happy and Sad:
• What hobbies do they enjoy?
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• Fighter
• Mage
• Thief
To find out more about each of these, please read
the Classes chapter. On your hero sheet, you will
write down any information about the class you
chose.
Level
Your hero has never been on a quest before and
starts at 1st level. As you complete quests, defeat
monsters and save the world, your character gets
experience.
When you have gained enough experience, your
Storyteller will tell you that you have “levelled up”
and become 2nd level. When this happens,
everything you do will improve and you might gain

• What really scares them? some new powers. The highest level you can be is
10th Level.
Hopes and Dreams:
• What do they want to do when they eventually To find out more about this, please read the
get old and stop questing? Levelling Up section at the end of this chapter.

Write down your answers on the second page of Health

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your hero sheet. Your health is how much damage you can take
before you are knocked out. Your class tells you
how much health you start with, but we can’t quite
2. What Are They?
figure this out until we know what your hero’s
Next you need to choose what kin your hero is.
toughness is, so we'll come back to this later.
This could be a human, like you or me, or a fantasy
kin like an elf or orc.
Training
Choose a kin: There will be some things your hero has always
found easy and other things they have had to
• Birdfolk • Gnome
practice for years to get good at.
• Dragonfolk • Goblin
• Dwarf • Hal ing
When you chose your class, it will have told you
• Elf • Human
about things you have training in. When you roll a
• Faun • Orc

LITTLE BUT FIERCE 5

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d10 to use most of these things, you get to add
your training bonus, which starts at +2 but gets
better as you level up.
For skills and resistances you are trained in, look at
your hero sheet and colour in the circle next to that
thing. That will remind us later that you have
training in them and you’ll get your training bonus.
If you’re not playing a thief, don’t worry about the
star next to the skills.
For weapons, tools and armour, just write them
down in the Other Training bit of your hero sheet:
• Training in weapons lets you add your training
bonus when you attack with them
• Training in tools gives you an extra bonus when
you use them
• Training in armour means you know how to safely
use that armour
You’ll find out more about all of these later on.
4. What Are They Good At?
Everyone is good at some things and not so good
these with four abilities:
Strength: How fit you are
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at others. In Little but Fierce, we keep track of
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Speed: How quick and sneaky you are
Smarts: How clever and wise you are
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Smiles: How friendly and fun you are
Each of these abilities will have a score given to
them. A score of +3 is normal and it means you’re
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okay at something. If your score is higher, like +6,
it means you’re really good at it. If your score is
lower, like +1, then it’s a weakness for now, but you
might get better later!
There are two different ways to work out the scores
for each of your abilities. Your Storyteller will tell
you how you’re going to do it in your game.
Easy Way: Choose Your Abilities
Just follow these four steps:
1. Choose one of your abilities and write +5 next
to it. This is the thing you’re great at!
6 LITTLE BUT FIERCE
2. Choose one other ability and write +4 next to
it. You’re pretty good at this too.
3. Choose another ability and write +1 next to it.
This is the ability you’re pretty bad at…
4. Write +3 next to the last ability. You’re not
good or bad at this, just okay.
Harder Way: Rolling for Abilities
Follow these three steps:
1. Roll five d6s and then get rid of the lowest one.
2. Take the numbers on your four dice. These will
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be your four abilities scores (so a roll of 4
means a score of +4).
3. Now choose which ability gets each of these
scores. That’s it!
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Once you have worked out your ability scores
(either the Easy Way or the Harder Way), choose
one ability and increase it by 1.
Resistances
Sometimes you will be asked to roll a d10 to resist
enemy magic, poisons or other nasty things.
Different things affect different abilities. Your
Storyteller will tell you which ability you are using
to protect yourself.
In the Resistances part of your hero sheet, there
are spaces for all four abilities. For each one, you
should write next to it the same number as that
ability score. If you have training in that resistance,
you will have already coloured in that “training
dot” and you should +2 to that resistance.
5. What Skills Have They Learned?
While your four abilities will be used a lot during
quests, each ability also has a few special skills that
go with them.
Strength
Fitness: Running, wheeling, jumping,
swimming and other physical activity
Toughness: Staying standing and
focused, even if you get hurt
Speed
Hiding: Moving quietly and making sure
others cannot see you
Stealing: Opening locks and carefully
taking things without others seeing
 Smarts
Finding: Spotting clues and being aware
of the world around you
Knowing: Remembering information that
you’ve read or been told about
Understanding: Knowing how someone
else is feeling
Smiles
Performing: Entertaining others with
your talents
Talking: Getting someone to do what
you want
For each of these skills, you should write next to
them the same number as the ability it belongs to.
If you have training in that skill, you will have
already coloured in that “training dot” and you
should +2 to that skill. e To find out more about each of these, please read
Example:
Marmaduke is a thief with a speed of +4.
When he picked his class, he got training in
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hiding. So the score for his hiding skill is +6
but his stealing skill is just +4.
Movement
A hero’s movement score tells you how far they
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can move in a “turn”.
Movement = 6
To find out more about movement and turns,
please read the Fighting chapter in the Rules part
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of this book.
Awareness
Your nding skill is important when you’re looking
for something or someone, but people sometimes
spot things without trying. This is your awareness
and there’s a space for it on your hero sheet.
Awareness = 5 + your nding
You’ll find out more about how your awareness is
used in the Rules part of this book.
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Health
When you chose your class, you found out how to
work out your starting health. Now you know what
your toughness score is, you can add that on and
fill out that box on your hero sheet. You can never
have more health than this number.
If you get hurt, you can normally heal in three
ways: taking a break, sleeping or being healed with
magic. You’ll find out more about these in the
Rules part of this book.
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Each time you level up, you become tougher and
your maximum health will also increase. To find out
more about this, please read the Levelling Up
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section.
6. What Stuff Do They Have?
You’ll have seen that your class gives you lots of
bits of starting equipment, including weapons,
armour and supplies needed for your quests.
the Equipment chapter of this book. On your hero
sheet, write down any information about the
equipment you’ve been given.
In the Equipment chapter you will also find a table
of random knick-knacks. Either roll on the table to
or come up with an idea of your own. Write this
down on your hero sheet and spend a few minutes
making up a story about where you found it!
Armour and Defence
You may have been given armour as part of your
equipment. Armour helps you avoid getting hit but
some people are so quick and sneaky that they
don’t need it!
When someone tries to attack you, your defence
score decides whether you get hit or not. When
you aren’t wearing any armour:
Defence = 5 + your speed
If you are wearing armour, your defence will
probably be higher than this. The Equipment
chapter tells you how to work out your defence
when wearing different kinds of armour.
Remember, if you don’t have training in some kind
of armour, you can’t wear it!
LITTLE BUT FIERCE 7
Weapons
There are two types of weapons that your hero
might have: close weapons (such as a sword) and
ranged weapons (such as a bow).
When you attack with a weapon, you roll a d10,
add your training bonus (if you are trained in that
weapon) and an ability score:
• Most close weapons use your strength score, but
some very light weapons let you use your speed
score instead.
Class Powers
Each class improves in different ways when they
level up, so keep checking your section of the
Classes chapter to find out what will happen next
time you do!
Starting Health Increases
When you level up, your starting health increases.
You roll a die (each class uses different dice), add
your toughness score and increase your starting
health by that much.

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• All ranged weapons use your speed score.
Ability and Skill Increases
The rules for fighting are explained in the Rules
Sometimes when you level up, you will also be
part of this book, but all you need to know is: if
allowed to increase an ability score by 1.

your roll plus your bonuses equals their defence
score or higher, you hit! If not, you miss.
7. What Are You Waiting For?
That’s it! You’ve made your hero. Let’s see what
happens next…
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Some important things to remember:
• You can never increase any ability to be higher
than +8 (but skills can go higher!).
• When you increase an ability by 1, any skills
related to that ability also increase by 1.
• If your toughness ever increases, your starting

Levelling Up
Over time, your heroes will gain experience. When
they have enough experience, they level up,
making them better at everything they do and
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maybe learning some new powers.
The table below shows how much experience you
need to get to each level:
Example:
Beanie is a 3rd-level fighter with a strength of
+6, fitness of +6 and toughness of +8. He
levels up and is allowed to increase one
ability. He chooses strength, which increases
to +7. His fitness then increases to +7 and
toughness to +9.

As his toughness has increased by 1 and he

Level Total Experience Needed
has become 4th level, his starting health
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1 0 increases by 4.

2 30

3 70

4 150
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5 275

6 425

7 600

8 800

9 1,000

10 1,200

8 LITTLE BUT FIERCE

Kin
This chapter tells you about all the different kin
you can choose for your hero. Each one is unique
and none are better or worse than any other.
For each, you’ll find some background information,
such as what they usually look like and how quickly
they grow up. You will also find information on the
traits they have, which are extra rules that make
your chosen kin special.
Dragonfolk
Dragonfolk are taller than most humans and are
covered in colourful scales. They grow quickly and
most are able to walk just a few hours after
hatching. As the children of ancient dragons,
dragonfolk are known both for their wisdom and
unstoppable power.
As a dragonfolk, you have these traits:

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Armoured Skin You can +1 to your defence.

Families of Many Kin As a small action on your turn, you

can breathe fire. Choose an enemy
The trait tables in this chapter assume that both of
up to 2 units away. Make an attack
a hero’s parents are of the same kin but that’s not

true for a lot of people. If you want to play a hero
who was adopted by other kin or one whose
parents are of different kin, you can “mix and
match” from two or more kin tables! If you do this,
you can get all the languages from your many kin.
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roll with 1d10 + your strength + your
Dragon’s
training bonus. If you roll their
Breath
defence or higher, the target takes
2d8 fire damage. You can’t do this
again until you have taken a break or
slept.

Dragon’s
You can’t be hurt by fire damage.
Example: Scales
Maisie’s mum is a dwarf and her dad is a
human. So she takes the Darkvision and
Hardy traits from the dwarf table and the
Talented trait from the human table.
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Languages

Colours of Dragon
You can speak, read and write
Common and Draconic.
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At home, her family speak Dwarvish and While red-scaled dragonfolk are the most
Human. She also understands Common. common, there are plenty of other colours of
dragon as well.

You can choose a different colour of dragonfolk if

Birdfolk you want. This changes:
Birdfolk look like a mixture of humans and birds, • The colour of your scales
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with giant wings coming out of their backs. They • The damage type your Dragon’s Breath trait
grow up quickly and don’t normally get as old as causes (see the table below)
most humans. They are trusted by wild birds who • The damage type your Dragon’s Scales trait
usually see them as wise grandparents. ignores (again, see the table below)

As a birdfolk, you have these traits: Colour Damage Type

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Feathered You can talk with any birds you meet Black Acid
Friends by whistling and chirping.
Blue Lightning
You increase your nding skill by 1.
Improved
You get this bonus even if you have Green Poison
Senses
training in finding.
White Cold
As a small action on your turn, you
can spread your wings, letting you
Wings
use your movement to fly. You can
also fly if you use the Dash action.

Birdfolk You can speak, read and write

Languages Common and Skyspeak.

LITTLE BUT FIERCE 9

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Dwarf
Dwarves are shorter (and usually a little bit wider)
than most humans and can get far older, often as
old as 350. They have a long history of mining for
gems and precious metals, as well as creating
beautiful weapons, armour, jewellery and artwork.
Faun
Faun are children of nature, with short horns and
long goat-like legs. They are similar in height to
humans and age at about the same speed. They
are known for their natural magical talents (with
some faun choosing to use it for mischief!).

As a dwarf, you have these traits: As a faun, you have these traits:

You can see perfectly in dim light, You can choose a simple helper spell
Darkvision
but not in total darkness. from the druid spell list, which you

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Nature’s Gift
can cast at any time. Please read the
Hardy You can’t be hurt by poison damage. Spells chapter for more information.
You increase your toughness skill by If you have to make a resistance roll
Sturdy 1. You get this bonus even if you

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against a spell, you can roll with
have training in toughness. Spell
good luck. Please read the Rolling
Resistance
Dice chapter in the Rules part of this
Dwarf You can speak, read and write
book for more information.
Languages Common and Dwarvish.
Spring in Your When you take the Jump action, you
Step can jump twice the usual distance.

Elf Faun You can speak, read and write

Languages Common and Fey.
Elves are usually slightly shorter and thinner than
most humans and have pointed ears. Unlike
humans, elves can get very old, sometimes as old
as 750, and are only treated as adults when they
turn 100. They are known for their understanding
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of nature and fairy magic, as well as their excellent Gnomes are one of the shorter kin, usually
hearing and eyesight. standing taller than halflings but shorter than
dwarves. They can get very old, sometimes as old
As an elf, you have these traits: as 500, and usually spend their lives exploring the
wonder of the world. They are children of magic,
You can see perfectly in dim light, with a natural skill for both using it and resisting
Darkvision
but not in total darkness. enemy spells.
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You can’t be charmed or put to As a gnome, you have these traits:

Forest Child
sleep by magic.
You can see perfectly in dim light,
You increase your nding skill by 1. Darkvision
Improved but not in total darkness.
You get this bonus even if you have
Senses
training in finding. You can choose a simple helper spell
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from the mage spell list, which you

You can speak, read and write Magical Spark
Elf Languages can cast at any time. Please read the
Common and Elvish.
Spells chapter for more information.

If you have to make a resistance roll

against a spell, you can roll with
Spell
good luck. Please read the Rolling
Resistance
Dice chapter in the Rules part of this
book for more information.

Gnome You can speak, read and write

Languages Common and Gnomish.

10 LITTLE BUT FIERCE

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 Goblin
Goblins look a bit like small orcs, with grey or
green skin, but they are usually thinner and less
muscly. They grow up quickly with even 12-year-
old goblins treated as adults and 50-year-goblins
thought of as old and wise. Many goblins live
underground, so they are known for their quick
thinking and skills at avoiding being seen.
As an goblin, you have these traits:
Human
Humans in Little but Fierce are the same as
humans in the real world: they come in all shapes,
sizes and skin colours.
As a human, you have these traits:
At the end of working out your
Extra Ability ability scores, you can increase two
Increase different ability scores by 1 (instead
of just one ability score).

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You can see perfectly in dim light,
Darkvision Practice You are trained in one extra skill of
but not in total darkness.
Makes Perfect your choice.
When you get a critical hit with a
Sneaky You get a general talent of your

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ranged weapon, you can roll one
Shooter Talented choice. Please read the Talents
extra damage die.
chapter for more information.
You increase your hiding skill by 1.
Unspottable You get this bonus even if you have Human You can speak, read and write
training in hiding. Languages Common and Human.

Goblin You can speak, read and write

Languages Common and Goblin.

Hal ing
Halflings are very short, usually half the height of
e Orcs are grey- or green-skinned with powerful
pl
most humans, but can get twice as old. They are
known as hard workers but also as people who
take the time to enjoy life, especially in cooking
and eating food.
As a halfling, you have these traits:
m
Orc
muscles and tusk-like teeth that stick out from their
jaws. Like goblins, they grow up quickly with even
12-year-old orcs treated as adults and 50-year-olds
treated with the highest respect because of their
age. Orcs are known for keeping going in even the
toughest situations, even when faced with great
danger.
As an orc, you have these traits:

Brave You can’t be scared by magic.

You can see perfectly in dim light,
Hardy You can’t be hurt by poison damage. Darkvision
but not in total darkness.
If you get a 1 on an attack roll, skill When you get a critical hit with a
test or resistance roll, you can roll Heavy Hitter close weapon, you can roll one extra
Lucky
the die again. You must keep your damage die.
new roll.
Sa

If you’re about to be knocked out,

Hal ing You can speak, read and write you instead stay awake on 1 health.
Languages Common and Halfling. Unstoppable
You can’t do this again until you
have slept.

You can speak, read and write

Orc Languages
Common and Orc.

LITTLE BUT FIERCE 11

fl
fl
Classes
This chapter tells you about all the different classes
you can choose for your hero. Some are better at
fighting; others at magic.
Druid
A druid has promised to protect the plants and
animals of the world and so nature has given them
powerful magic to do this. They can also turn into
animals, making them very dangerous in a fight.

The information for each class is split into a few Note: Your class table telling you about your
sections: powers and spells is at the top of the next page.

Class Table Health

This table tells which powers you get at each level.

e
At 1st level:
When you make your hero, you get all the powers
in the 1st level row.
Starting health = 8 + your toughness
Health

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This tells you how much health you start with at 1st Each time you level up, you can increase your
level and how much extra health you get each time starting health by 1d8 + your toughness.
you level up.
Training
Training You have training in this equipment:
Here you find out what your hero is trained in. It’s
split into two parts: Armour Light armour, shields
• Equipment: These are all the kinds of armour, e Clubs, daggers, darts, spears, staffs,
weapons and tools you are trained in. Write Weapons
slings, shortswords
these down in the Training part of your hero
sheet. Tools None
• Resistance and Skills: This is the ability you are
pl
better at defending against and the skills you are
trained in. For now, just colour in the “training You also have training in:
dot” on your hero sheet for each of these. The
Resistance Smarts
Making Your Hero chapter will explain how you
work out all the numbers that go with them. Skills Toughness, finding, knowing,
(choose one) understanding
Equipment
m

These are all the things your hero starts with. There
Equipment
may be a few different things you can choose from,
so take the time to think about what your hero You start with this equipment:
might need on their quests. • (a) a shield or (b) one simple weapon of your
choice
• (a) a shortsword or (b) one simple close weapon
Class Powers
of your choice
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This large section at the end explains each of the • Leather armour and a magical focus
class powers your hero will get as they level up • Everyday clothes and a travel pack filled with
towards 10th level. everything you need to go questing

Class Powers
As you level up, you get these powers:

Druidic
You have been taught the secret language only
known by druids. This is a spoken language but
also a way of leaving hidden messages using
patterns of dirt, sticks, flowers and other natural
things.

12 LITTLE BUT FIERCE

 Simple Spells Slots per Spell Grade
Spells
Level Class Powers Known G1 G2 G3 G4 G5

1st Druidic, Spellcasting 2 2 — — — —

2nd Animal Form, Class Talent 2 3 — — — —

3rd — 2 4 2 — — —

4th Ability Increase or General Talent, Animal Form 3 4 3 — — —

e
5th Improved Training 3 4 3 2 — —

6th Class Talent 3 4 3 3 — —

7th — 3 4 3 3 1 —

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8th Ability Increase or General Talent, Animal Form 3 4 3 3 2 —

9th Improved Training 3 4 3 3 3 1

10th Class Talent 4 4 3 3 3 2

Remember to ask your Storyteller about this any
time you talk to other druids or are trying to find
e you should choose which spells they are going to
something hidden in places they have been…
Spellcasting
As a druid, you do not use a spellbook but are
pl
given spells each day by nature. Please read the
Spells chapter for the list of druid spells and the
Fighting chapter in the Rules part of the book to
find out how you cast spells.
Simple Spells
Simple spells can be cast as many times as you like
m
on your hero sheet. Then, after your hero has slept,
prepare for that day. Colour in the dot next to the
spell on your hero sheet to remind you which ones
are prepared. You can always change which spells
you have prepared after your next sleep.
Using Spell Slots
Each day, a druid can only cast so many spells
before they have to sleep and get back their
magical energy. The amount of magical energy
they have each day is called their spell slots. The
class table above tells you how many spells slots

without using up any of your magical energy. You
start knowing two simple spells and will learn more
as you level up. See the Simple Spells Known
column in your class table.
Choice of Spells
All spells have a grade, with Grade 1 spells being
Sa
you have for each spell level. You start with two
Grade 1 spell slots, so each day you can cast two
Grade 1 spells.
As you level up, you’ll get higher level spell slots as
well. So, at 3rd level, you’ll get your first Grade 2
spell slot. You can use this for casting a Grade 2

the weakest and Grade 5 spells being the most
powerful.
Each morning, a druid will choose which spells
they can cast that day. They choose them from the
list of druid spells in the Spells chapter. The
number of spells you can have prepared is your
hero’s level + your smarts score. Write down this
number in the prepared spells box on your hero
sheet.
As there a lot of spells, it’s a good idea to write
down the names of the ones you use most often
spell or, if you’ve run out of Grade 1 spell slots, you
could use it for casting a Grade 1 spell instead.
Some weaker spells actually get better when you
cast them using higher level spell slots!
Spellcasting Ability
You use your smarts for casting spells, based on
your wisdom of understanding nature’s gifts.
The higher your smarts, the more powerful your
spells are and the harder it is for enemies to ignore
them.

LITTLE BUT FIERCE 13

We keep track of this with two numbers: (which will be the same number it was when you
changed into an animal).
Spell Attack Your training bonus + your smarts • You can’t do anything that doesn’t make sense in
your animal form. For example, you can’t cast
3 + your training bonus
Spell Force spells while you are a tiger because tigers can’t
+ your smarts
talk.

Write down both these numbers on your hero If you don’t drop to 0 health in your animal form,
sheet. Remember to keep them up-to-date if your you can stay that way for 1 hour for each level you
training bonus or smarts increase later on. have (for example, a 5th-level druid could stay in
their animal form for five hours). As a small action

e
Magical Focus on your turn, you can end this power early and
To cast spells, a druid must be holding an object instantly turn back into your normal form.
which is the focus of their power. It could be a
magic acorn, a carved wooden figure or something Class Talent

else that your hero cares about.
Animal Form
You can use a big action to turn yourself into an
animal you have seen before. After you have done
this twice, you can’t do it again until you have
taken a break or slept.
fil
You can choose a druid talent from the Talents
chapter.
Ability Increase or General Talent
You have a choice:
• Increase one of your ability scores by 1, or
• Choose a general talent from the Talents chapter

When you first get this power, you can only turn e Improved Training
into simple land animals, which are no more
Your training bonus increases from +2 to +3. This
powerful than Danger Level 2. As you level-up,
means that a few numbers on your hero sheet also
you can turn into more powerful animals:
increase:
• Weapon attacks you have training in
pl
Danger Levels
Your Level Other Rules • Your spell attack and spell force
Allowed
• Skills you have training in
2nd to 3rd 0 to 2 No Flight or Swim trait • Resistances you have training in

4th to 7th 0 to 3 No Flight trait

When you become 9th level, your training bonus
8th to 10th 0 to 4 — increases to +4.
m

Your Storyteller will show you which animals you

can turn into or you can read the Creatures
chapter in the Storyteller’s Toolkit part of this
book.

When you are in your animal form:

Sa

• All your equipment disappears and will return

when you turn back. You use the animal’s attacks
instead of your weapons.
• Your strength, speed, movement and defence
are replaced by the animal’s. If you have training
in any skills that use your strength or speed,
you’ll need to work out what your new skill scores
are.
• If the animal has any traits (including Flight or
Swim) you get those.
• You use the animal’s health instead of your own.
If the animal’s health becomes 0, this power ends
early and you go back to using your own health

14 LITTLE BUT FIERCE

Fighter Equipment
You start with this equipment:
When things go bad, a fighter uses their skills in
• (a) chain mail or (b) leather armour and a
battle to save the day. They are trained in many
longbow with arrows
different types of weapon and armour, so are
• (a) one advanced weapon of your choice and a
prepared for anything.
shield or (b) any two advanced weapons
• (a) a light crossbow with bolts or (b) two small
Level Class Powers axes
• Everyday clothes and a travel pack filled with
1st Fighting Style, Quick Recovery
everything you need to go questing
2nd Lightning Speed

e
3rd Class Talent
Class Powers
As you level up, you get these powers:
4th Ability Increase or General Talent
Fighting Style

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5th Extra Attack, Improved Training
You can choose one of these special ways of
6th Ability Increase or General Talent fighting:
7th Class Talent
You get +2 on all attack rolls with
Archer
8th Ability Increase or General Talent ranged weapons.

9th Improved Training, Unstoppable When you roll for damage with a
close weapon that needs both
10th Class Talent e Brute hands, you can roll again any 1s or
2s you get. You must keep your new
rolls.
Health
At 1st level: When you are using a shield, you
can use a small action to give a
pl
friend +2 to their defence until the
Starting health = 10 + your toughness Protector
start of your next turn. This bonus
ends early if one of you moves away
from the other.
Each time you level up, you can increase your
starting health by 1d10 + your toughness. While you are wearing armour, you
Tank
get an extra +1 to your defence.
m

Training
While you are using a close weapon
You have training in this equipment:
in one hand (and no other weapons),
Warrior
you get +1 to your weapon attack
Armour All armour, shields
rolls.
All simple weapons,
Weapons
all advanced weapons
Quick Recovery
Sa

Tools None You can use a small action to heal yourself 4 health
per level. For example, if you are 5th level, you
heal 20 health. You can’t do this again until you
You also have training in:
have taken a break or slept.
Resistance Strength
Lightning Speed
Skills Fitness, finding, toughness, When you use this power, you can make an extra
(choose one) understanding small action on your turn. Unlike normal, this extra
small action is allowed to be the same as a small
action you’ve already taken this turn. You can’t do
this again until you have taken a break or slept.

LITTLE BUT FIERCE 15

Class Talent Mage
You can choose a fighter talent from the Talents
A mage is a wizard or witch who spends years
chapter.
studying magic, slowly learning spells and copying
them into their spellbook. While they may seem
Ability Increase or General Talent weak at first, their power will quickly become
You have a choice: unstoppable.
• Increase one of your ability scores by 1, or
• Choose a general talent from the Talents chapter Note: Your class table telling you about your
powers and spells is at the top of the next page.
Improved Training

e
Your training bonus increases from +2 to +3. This Health
means that a few numbers on your hero sheet also At 1st level:
increase:
• Weapon attacks you have training in
Starting health = 6 + your toughness
• Your spell spell attack and spell force (if you can

fil
cast spells)
• Skills you have training in Each time you level up, you can increase your
• Resistances you have training in starting health by 1d6 + your toughness.

When you become 9th level, your training bonus Training

increases to +4.
You have training in this equipment:
Extra Attack e Armour None
When you use a small action to Attack, you can
make two weapon attacks instead of one. You can’t Daggers, darts, slings, staffs,
Weapons
use this to attack with two spells and it can’t be light crossbows
used again if you Attack with a Second Weapon. Tools None
pl
Unbeatable
You also have training in:
If you fail a resistance roll, you can use this power
to roll again. You must keep your new roll. You
Resistance Smarts
can’t do this again until you have slept.
Skills
Finding, knowing, understanding
(choose one)
m

Equipment
You start with this equipment:
• (a) a staff or (b) a dagger
• A spellbook and a magical focus
• Everyday clothes and a travel pack filled with
Sa

everything you need to go questing

Class Powers
As you level up, you get these powers:

Spellcasting
As a mage you have a spellbook which contains all
the spells you have been taught. Please read the
Spells chapter for the list of mage spells and the
Fighting chapter in the Rules part of the book to
find out how you cast spells.

16 LITTLE BUT FIERCE

 Simple Spells Slots per Spell Grade
Spells
Level Class Powers Known G1 G2 G3 G4 G5

1st Spellcasting, Magical Recovery 3 2 — — — —

2nd Class Talent 3 3 — — — —

3rd — 3 4 2 — — —

4th Ability Increase or General Talent 4 4 3 — — —

5th Improved Training 4 4 3 2 — —

e
6th Class Talent 4 4 3 3 — —

7th — 4 4 3 3 1 —

fil
8th Ability Increase or General Talent 4 4 3 3 2 —

9th Improved Training 4 4 3 3 3 1

10th Class Talent 5 4 3 3 3 2

Simple Spells
Simple spells can be cast as many times as you like
without using up any of your magical energy. You
e you have for each spell level. You start with two
start knowing three simple spells and will learn
more as you level up. See the Simple Spells Known
column in your class table.
Spellbook
pl
All spells have a grade, with Grade 1 spells being
the weakest and Grade 5 spells being the most
powerful.
You start with a spellbook with six Grade 1 mage
spells in it. Choose these from the list of mage
m
they have each day is called their spell slots. The
class table above tells you how many spells slots
Grade 1 spell slots, so each day you can cast two
Grade 1 spells.
As you level up, you’ll get higher level spell slots as
well. So, at 3rd level you’ll get your first Grade 2
spell slot. You can use this for casting a Grade 2
spell or, if you’ve run out of Grade 1 spell slots, you
could use it for casting a Grade 1 spell instead.
Some weaker spells actually get better when you
cast them using higher level spell slots!

spells in the Spells chapter. Spellcasting Ability

Each morning, a mage will prepare some of these
spells so they can cast them later that day. The
number of spells you can have prepared is your
hero’s level + your smarts score. Write down this
number in the prepared spells box on your hero
Sa
You use your smarts for casting spells, as you learn
your spells from years of careful study.
The higher your smarts, the more powerful your
spells are and the harder it is for enemies to ignore
them. We keep track of this with two numbers:

sheet.
After your hero has slept, you should choose which
spells they are going to prepare for that day.
Colour in the dot next to the spell on your hero
sheet to remind you which ones are prepared. You
can always change which spells you have prepared
after your next sleep.
Using Spell Slots
Each day, a mage can only cast so many spells
before they have to sleep and get back their
magical energy. The amount of magical energy
Spell Attack Your training bonus + your smarts
3 + your training bonus
Spell Force
+ your smarts
Write down both these numbers on your hero
sheet. Remember to keep them up-to-date if your
training bonus or smarts increase later on.
Magical Focus
To cast spells, a mage must be holding an object
which is the focus of their power. It could be a

LITTLE BUT FIERCE 17

gem, a small statue or something else that your
hero cares about.
Learning More Powerful Spells
Each time you level up, you can add two mage
spells of your choice to your spellbook. These
spells must be of a grade that you can cast.
Thief
Thieves are known for sneaking in the shadows;
getting things done without being seen. They are
excellent at fighting but, unlike fighters, most
thieves use their skills to dodge attacks instead of
trusting that armour will protect them.

You may also find spell scrolls during your quests, Sneak
Level Class Powers
which contain new spells that you can carefully Attack
copy into your spellbook. Each spell takes 2 hours

e
Expert Skills, Sneak Attack,
to copy. 1st 1d6
Thieves’ Code

Magical Recovery 2nd 1d6 Quick Thinking

Once per day, when you take a break, you can get

fil
3rd 2d6 Class Talent
back some of your magical energy. You can either:
• Get back your highest grade spell slot, or 4th 2d6 Ability Increase or General Talent
• Get back two spell slots of a lower grade
Duck and Dive,
5th 3d6
Improved Training
Class Talent
You can choose a mage talent from the Talents 6th 3d6 Expert Skills
chapter.
7th 4d6 Sidestep
Ability Increase or General Talent
You have a choice:
• Increase one of your ability scores by 1, or
e
• Choose a general talent from the Talents chapter
8th

9th

10th
4d6

5d6

5d6
Ability Increase or General Talent

Improved Training, Class Talent

Ability Increase or General Talent

pl
Improved Training
Your training bonus increases from +2 to +3. This Health
means that a few numbers on your hero sheet also At 1st level:
increase:
• Weapon attacks you have training in Starting health = 8 + your toughness
• Your spell spell attack and spell force
m

• Skills you have training in

• Resistances you have training in Each time you level up, you can increase your
starting health by 1d8 + your toughness.
When you become 9th level, your training bonus
increases to +4. Training
You have training in this equipment:
Sa

Armour All light armour

All simple weapons, longswords,

Weapons
shortswords

Tools Thieves’ tools

You also have training in:

Resistance Speed

Skills Fitness, hiding, finding, stealing,

(choose two) talking, understanding

18 LITTLE BUT FIERCE

Equipment
You start with this equipment:
• (a) a longsword or (b) a shortsword
• (a) a shortbow with arrows or (b) a shortsword
• Leather armour, two daggers and thieves’ tools
• Everyday clothes, a travel pack filled with
everything you need to go questing and a
burglar’s bag with some extra special supplies
Class Powers
As you level up, you get these powers:
Ability Increase or General Talent
You have a choice:
• Increase one of your ability scores by 1, or
• Choose a general talent from the Talents chapter
Duck and Dive
Once per turn, when an enemy that you can see
hits you with an attack, you can use this power to
only take half that damage (rounding down).
Improved Training

Expert Skills
Choose one of your skills you already have training
in and colour in the “expert star” for it on your
e
Your training bonus increases from +2 to +3. This
means that a few numbers on your hero sheet also
increase:
• Weapon attacks you have training in

fil
hero sheet. Your training bonus is doubled for this • Your spell spell attack and spell force (if you can
skill. cast spells)
• Skills you have training in
When you become 6th level, you can choose an • Resistances you have training in
extra skill to become an expert in.
When you become 9th level, your training bonus
Sneak Attack increases to +4.
Once per turn, you can roll extra damage dice
Sidestep
when you hit with a weapon attack.

You can only use this power if:

• You rolled your attack roll with good luck, or
e Sometimes your Storyteller will ask you for a speed
resistance roll to only take half damage from
something. With this power, a pass on your
resistance roll means you take no damage at all
pl
• The enemy you hit cannot see you, or
• One of your friends is standing next to the and a fail means you only take half the damage
enemy you hit (rounding down).

At 1st level, you cause an extra 1d6 normal

damage. The amount of extra damage dice you
get to roll increases as you level up. Remember to
m

read the Sneak Attack column in your class table

each time you do.

Thieves’ Code
You have been taught the secret code only known
by thieves. This includes code words, sign
language and marks that are hidden on buildings
Sa

to mark secret passages or hidden treasure.

Remember to ask your Storyteller about this any

time you talk to other thieves or are trying to find
something hidden in places they have been…

Quick Thinking
You can now Dash or Hide using a small action
(instead of a big action).

Class Talent
You can choose a thief talent from the Talents
chapter.

LITTLE BUT FIERCE 19

Talents
This chapter tells you about all the talents you can
choose for your hero as they level up. Each one
gives you new powers to help you in fighting,
solving puzzles or completing quests.
There are general talents which can taken by any
heroes and others are class talents that can only be
taken by heroes of that class.
Some talents can be picked more than once,
getting more powerful each time. The number of
dots (●) next to its name will quickly tell you how
many times you can take it.
General Talents
These talents can be taken by any hero.
Always Watching ●
You can increase your awareness by +5.
Also, you can now Search using a small action
(instead of a big action).
Expert Skills ●●●
e
Choose one of your skills you already have training
pl
in and colour in the “expert star” for it on your
hero sheet. Your training bonus is doubled for this
skill.
This talent can be picked more than once. Each
time you take it, you can choose an extra skill to be
an expert in.
m
Extra Training ●●●
You get extra training in your choice of skills,
weapons, armour or tools. Choose any two of
these:
• Skills: Any skill
Sa
• Weapons: All simple weapons or all advanced
weapons
• Armour: All light armour, all heavy armour or
shields
• Tools: A musical instrument or thieves’ tools
You can choose one thing from two different lists
(such as the stealing skill and all advanced
weapons) or two things from the same list (such as
all light armour and all heavy armour)
Make sure you colour in the “training dot” on your
hero sheet and change any numbers related to
them.
20 LITTLE BUT FIERCE
This talent can be picked more than once. Each
time you take it, you can choose another two
things from the lists to get training in.
Natural Luck ●
When you are about to make an attack roll, skill
test or resistance roll, you can use this talent to roll
with good luck (or to make a normal roll if your
Storyteller says you should be rolling with bad
luck).
e
You can’t do this again until you have taken a break
or slept.
fil
Shake It Off ●●●
When you get hurt, you can decrease the damage
taken by -2. This can mean you take no damage at
all.
This talent can be picked more than once:
• Second Time: You can decrease the damage
taken by -5.
• Third Time: You can decrease the damage taken
by -10.
Stagger ●●
When you hit an an enemy with a weapon attack,
you can use a small action to slow them down. If
you do, they can only move half their movement
(rounding up) in their next turn.
This talent can be picked more than once. If you
take it a second time, the enemy cannot move at
all in their next turn when you use this talent.
Weak Spot ●
When you are about to make an attack roll with a
weapon or spell, you can choose to -3 from your
roll. If you do this and hit, your attack causes +10
damage.
Class Talents
These talents can only be taken by specific classes.
Druid
These class talents can only be taken by druids.
Improved Animal Form ●●●
The Danger Level of any animals you turn into with
your Animal Form power can be 1 higher than
normal. For example, a 4th-level druid can usually
only choose an animal of Danger Level 0, 1, 2 or 3,
but with this talent they could also choose an
animal of Danger Level 4.
This talent can be picked more than once:
• Second Time: You can choose an animal with a
Danger Level that is 2 higher than normal.
• Third Time: You can choose an animal with a
Danger Level that is 3 higher than normal.
Natural Recovery ●
Once per day, when you take a break, you can get
back some of your magical energy. You can either:
• Get back your highest grade spell slot, or
• Get back two spell slots of a lower grade
Nature’s Immunity ●
You can’t be hurt by poison damage and cannot
get sick with illnesses.
Quick Change ●
You can now use your Animal Form ability using a
small action (instead of a big action) and can turn
back at any time in your turn (without using an
action at all).
Fighter
e have slept. After you have slept, you get back your
pl
These class talents can only be taken by fighters.
Champion’s Courage ●●●
Choose an ability: speed, smarts or smiles. You get
training in resistance rolls for that ability. This does
not replace your training in strength resistance rolls
m
that you got when you picked the fighter class.
This talent can be picked more than once. Each
time you take it, you can choose an extra ability to
get training in for those resistance rolls.
Extra Fighting Style ●●●
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You can choose an extra Fighting Style from the list
in the Fighter class. This does not replace the one
you chose at 1st level.
This talent can be picked more than once. Each
time you take it, you can choose an extra Fighting
Style.
Improved Critical ●
When you roll a 9 or 10 on a weapon attack roll, it
is a critical hit.
Spell-sword ●●●
You learn two simple spells of your choice from the
mage spell list. You also learn a Grade 1 change,
energy or protect spell.
Just like a mage, you use your smarts for casting
these spells:
Spell Attack Your training bonus + your smarts
3 + your training bonus
Spell Force
e
+ your smarts
This talent can be picked more than once:
• Second Time: You learn another Grade 1 spell
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and a Grade 2 spell. Both must be change,
energy or protect spells.
• Third Time: You learn another Grade 2 spell and
a Grade 3 spell. Both must be change, energy or
protect spells.
Every day you only have a small amount of magic
energy. Each of the Grade 1, 2 or 3 spells you learn
from this talent can only be cast once until you
magical energy and can cast them all again.
Mage
These class talents can only be taken by mages.
Boosted Spell ●●●
Choose a spell school: appear, change, control,
doom, energy, illusion, protect or truth.
Any time you cast a spell of this school that causes
damage, you can add your smarts to the total
damage caused.
This talent can be picked more than once. Each
time you take it, you can choose an extra school of
magic.
Fortune Teller ●
When you finish sleeping, roll two d10s and write
down the numbers rolled.
Later that day, when you or a friend you can see
makes an attack roll, skill test or resistance roll you
can use one of the numbers you wrote down
instead of their roll. Afterwards, cross out the
number you used.
Any numbers you don’t use are crossed out when
you next sleep.
LITTLE BUT FIERCE 21
Hypnosis ●
As a small action on your turn, you can try to
hypnotise someone next to you who can see and
hear you. They must make a smarts resistance roll
against your spell force. If they fail, they are
charmed by you until the end of your next turn.
They will not move on their turn or take any
actions.
During your next turn, if you are still next to them,
you can use another small action to continue
hypnotising them without them having to roll
again.
Once the hypnosis ends or if they pass their
resistance roll, you can’t do this again until you
have slept.
Multi-Spell ●●●
Choose a spell school: appear, change, control,
doom, energy, illusion, protect or truth.
If you cast a spell of this school that targets only
one creature, you can now target two creatures
big action (instead of a small action).
e
instead. If you do this, casting the spell will use a
If the spell lets you target more than one creature
pl
at higher levels or using higher grade spell slots,
this talent lets you choose one extra target.
This talent can be picked more than once. Each
time you take it, you can choose an extra target.
Not-So-Simple Spells ●
m
Many of your simple spells allow your enemy to
make a resistance roll and, if they do, they don’t
take any damage from your spell. With this talent,
if they pass their resistance roll they still take half
the spell’s damage (rounding down) but no other
effects.
Sa
Safety Bubbles ●
When you cast a spell that affects everyone in an
area, you can protect a number of friends from
accidentally getting hurt by your spell. Anyone you
protect won’t take any damage from your spell or
get any conditions that spell might cause (for
example, falling down or being stopped).
The friends you protect must be creatures you can
see and you can only protect as many of them as
your level. For example, if you are a 3rd-level
mage and four friends might get hit by your
burning hands spell, you can only protect three of
22 LITTLE BUT FIERCE
them (so you might want to aim it in a slightly
different direction!).
Thief
These class talents can only be taken by thieves.
Fast Hands ●
If you use your thieves’ tools with the Use
Something action, this is now only a small action
(instead of a big action). To find out more about
e
using your thieves’ tools, please read the
Equipment chapter of this book.
Master of Surprise ●
fil
If you attack an enemy who has not yet had a turn
in this fight, you can roll any attack rolls you make
with good luck.
Super Sneaky ●
If you move no more than half your movement in a
turn, any hiding rolls you make can be rolled with
good luck.
Trickster ●●●
You learn two simple spells of your choice from the
mage spell list. You also learn a Grade 1 control or
illusion spell.
Just like a mage, you use your smarts for casting
these spells:
Spell Attack Your training bonus + your smarts
3 + your training bonus
Spell Force
+ your smarts
This talent can be picked more than once:
• Second Time: You learn another Grade 1 spell
and a Grade 2 spell. Both must be control or
illusion spells.
• Third Time: You learn another Grade 2 spell and
a Grade 3 spell. Both must be control or illusion
spells.
Every day you only have a small amount of magic
energy. Each of the Grade 1, 2 or 3 spells you learn
from this talent can only be cast once until you
have slept. After you have slept, you get back your
magical energy and can cast them all again.
Equipment
This chapter tells you about the equipment you
can get to help you on your quests, including
weapons, armour and other useful things.
Money
In Little but Fierce, there are two sizes of coin:
gold coins (gc) and copper coins (cc) with 1 gold
coin worth the same as 100 copper coins.
Weapons
A hero’s choice of weapon says a lot about them.
Some like to carry the biggest blade they can and
others like something smaller and quicker. There
are also people who like to stay back and fire
arrows from a distance.
The information for each weapon is split into a few
sections:

e
Type
Weapons can be described as either close (such as
a sword) or ranged (such as a bow).
Armour

Normally, your defence is 5 + your speed (see the
Making Your Hero chapter). But if you’re wearing
armour, your defence will always be better that
that.
The information for each piece of armour is split
into a few sections:
Type e What this style of weapon is normally called.
There are two types of armour:
• Light Armour, which protects you a bit and still
lets you move quickly to dodge attacks.
• Heavy Armour, which is made to just be as
pl
tough as possible.
There are also shields, which give you a small
bonus to your defence while you’re holding them.
Name
What this style of armour is called.
m
fil
They can also be simple or advanced, which just
describes how tricky they are to use.
Together this gives you four types of weapon to
choose from: simple close, simple ranged,
advanced close and advanced ranged.
Name
If nothing here fits your character, you could take
the rules for one weapon and use it for something
else. So you could use the longsword rules for a
big hammer or the darts rules for ninja throwing
stars!
Cost
The price to buy a new weapon of this style.
Skill

Different weapons use different skills, which you

Cost add to your attack and damage rolls:
The price to buy a new suit of this armour. • Most close weapons use your strength score, but
some very light weapons let you use your speed
Defence score instead.
This is how you work out your defence while you’re • All ranged weapons use your speed score.
Sa

wearing this armour.

Damage
Name Cost Defence If you hit with this weapon, this says which dice you
roll to find out how much damage it causes.
Leather 10 gc 6 + your speed
Light All basic weapons cause normal damage. If you
Thick Fur 12 gc 7 + your speed
ever get a magic weapon, it might cause other
Chain Mail 75 gc 14 types of damage, like fire or cold.

Heavy Half Plate 750 gc 15 Features

Full Plate 1,500 gc 16 Some weapons have special features, which are
described below.
Shield Shield 10 gc +2

LITTLE BUT FIERCE 23

 Name Cost Ability Damage Features

Club 10 cc Strength 1d4

Dagger 2 gc Strength or Speed 1d4 Thrown (12 units)

Huge Club 20 cc Strength 1d8 Both hands

Simple Close
Small Axe 5 gc Strength 1d6 Thrown (24 units)

Spear 1 gc Strength 1d6 Switch (1d8), thrown (12 units)

Staff 20 cc Strength 1d6 Switch (1d8)

e
Darts 5 cc Speed 1d4 Range (12 units)

Both hands, range (64 units),

Light Crossbow 25 gc Speed 1d8
slow reload
Simple Ranged

fil
Shortbow 25 gc Speed 1d6 Both hands, range (64 units)

Sling 10 cc Speed 1d4 Range (24 units)

Huge Axe 30 gc Strength 1d12 Both hands

Huge Sword 50 gc Strength 2d6 Both hands

Advanced Close
Longsword 15 gc Strength 1d8 Switch (1d10)

Advanced Ranged
Shortsword

Heavy Crossbow
10 gc

50 gc
e Strength or Speed

Speed
1d6

1d10
Both hands, range (80 units),
slow reload
pl
Longbow 50 gc Speed 1d8 Both hands, range (120 units)

Weapon Features Switch

In the weapons table above, you’ll see that some This weapon will normally be held in one hand, but
weapons have special features. if you want, you can hold it in both hands to make
it more powerful when you attack. If you do this,
m

Both Hands
This weapon can only be used if held in both
hands. These weapons are very powerful but you
won’t be able to hold a shield or anything else in
your other hand while you use them.
Range
Sa
you use the damage dice in the brackets instead.
Thrown
This close weapon can be thrown as a ranged
weapon (using the same ability as normal) if things
get nasty. Just remember to pick it up afterwards!

Just like ranged weapons, these weapons will say

This is a ranged weapon and so it will say in
the furthest range of that weapon in brackets.
brackets the furthest distance you can fire it.

While ranged weapons need ammo to fire (like

arrows and bolts), this game assumes your hero Tools
always has enough with them, so you never have Most equipment can be used by anyone, but to
to keep track of how many arrows have (because use tools well you have to be trained in them.
that would be boring!).

Name Cost
Slow Reload
These weapons are quite slow to load more ammo Musical instrument of your choice 10 gc
into. Once you have attacked with these weapons,
you must use a small action to reload them. Thieves’ tools 25 gc

24 LITTLE BUT FIERCE

Musical Instruments Name Cost
Most heroes who are musicians will bring an
Chest 5 gc
instrument with them, for playing around the
campfire or entertaining strangers. Crowbar 2 gc

When buying a musical instrument (or get training Dried food (supply) 50 cc
in one), you must choose which instrument it is.
Everyday clothes 50 cc

If you have training in a musical instrument, any Fancy clothes 15 gc

performing test you make with it can be rolled with
good luck. First aid kit 5 gc

e
Fishing rod 1 gc
Thieves’ Tools
A set of thieves’ tools has everything a thief needs Glass bottle 2 gc
for making mischief, including lock picks, a small Grappling hook 2 gc

fil
mirror, a thin set of pliers and other useful tools.
Hammer and climbing spikes (supply) 1 gc
If you have training in thieves’ tools you can roll
Handcuffs 2 gc
with good luck when you:
• Make a stealing test to pick a lock, or Hand mirror 5 gc
• Make a finding test to set or disarm a trap
Hourglass 25 gc

Ladder (2 units long) 10 cc

Useful Supplies
equipment you can buy for your heroes. There
e
In this section you’ll find all other other pieces of

aren’t strict rules on how you can use them, so try

Lantern

Lock

Magical focus
50 cc

10 gc

10 gc
pl
to think creatively! Don’t forget, it’s always okay to
ask your Storyteller about an idea you’ve got (no Magnifying glass 100 gc
matter how silly you think it is).
Meal kit 20 cc
Where an item says “supply” in brackets, this Paper (supply) 20 cc
means that you get enough of them that you don’t
need to keep track of how many you’ve got left. Pen and ink (supply) 10 gc
m

Perfume (bottle) 5 gc
Name Cost
Rope (10 units long) 1 gc
Acid (bottle) 25 gc
Shoulder bag 1 cc
Backpack 2 gc
Sledgehammer 2 gc
Bag of small metal beads 1 gc
Sa

Spade 2 gc
Ball of string 1 cc
Tent (for one person) 1 gc
Barrel 2 gc
Tinderbox 50 cc
Bedroll 1 gc
Torches (supply) 5 cc
Bell 1 gc
Water flask 20 cc
Blanket 50 cc

Book 25 gc

Candles (supply) 5 cc

Chain (2 units long) 5 gc

LITTLE BUT FIERCE 25

 Packs see the Creatures chapter in the Storyteller’s
Toolkit part of this book.
Every hero has a travel pack that contains a lot of
useful supplies for questing. Some other classes
Name Movement Cost
also get extra bags filled with things that might be
useful to them. Dog (or other small animal) 8 units 25 gc

Elephant (or other large animal) 8 units 200 gc

Travel Pack
All heroes start with a travel pack, which is a large Horse (or other medium animal) 12 units 65 gc
backpack filled with:
• A comfy bedroll to sleep on
• A supply of dried food to eat on long journeys Land Vehicles

e
• A meal kit with a plate, a bowl, a cup, a knife, a
Riding an animal is fine for short journeys but it
fork and a spoon
requires you to pay attention at all times. For
• A rope (10 units long) which could be used for
longer journeys, people will often use a land
solving lots of problems

fil
vehicle that is pulled by animals, allowing most of
• A tent (for one person) to sleep outside in
the people inside to rest.
• A tinderbox for lighting camp fires
• A supply of torches which can be lit for travelling
Each land vehicle says the number of people that
at night or exploring dark dungeons
can be carried.
• A full water ask to drink from
There are no strict rules on how many animals are
If you lose this pack, you can replace it for 3 gc.
needed to pull a land vehicle (as it depends on
how many people are inside and what equipment
Burglar’s Bag

• A bag of small metal beads to make enemies

fall over
e
All thieves start with a burglar’s bag, which is a
small shoulder bag filled with:
they’ve brought with them) but it will usually be at
least two.

Name People Cost

pl
• A ball of string for building traps Cart 1-2 15 gc
• A crowbar to help force open locked doors
• A grappling hook to climb up tall buildings Snow sled 1-2 20 gc
• A hammer and climbing spikes to climb up Wagon 1-6 35 gc
mountains
m

If you lose this pack, you can replace it for 4 gc.

Animals and Vehicles
Most heroes will be happy to walk around town or
even to spend a few hours walking to a nearby
Sa
Water Vehicles
To travel by sea, you will need a boat or ship. If
you’re just travelling up a river, a simple rowboat
will be fine but for months of travel over dangerous
waters you’ll need something much bigger.

place. But to go further you will probably need to Like land vehicles, the table below says the
ride an animal or even buy a vehicle. number of people that can be carried. For
everything bigger than a rowboat, they need a lot
Animals of crew to row or work the sails!
The easiest way for a person to travel on a short
journey is on the back of an animal, usually a Name People Cost
horse. A smaller rider, such as a gnome or goblin,
Long ship 40-60 10,000 gc
may ride on a dog or wolf. If they have a lot of
money, they might ride on something fancier, like Rowboat 1-4 50 gc
an elephant.
Sailing ship 50-100 25,000 gc
The table below says the movement score for each
animal. If you want to see the full rules for them,

26 LITTLE BUT FIERCE

fl
Knick-Knacks
When you made your hero, you will have been
asked to choose or roll for a random knick-knack.
These trinkets aren’t worth a lot but your hero
should have a fond memory about where they got
them.
Roll a d20 and check the table below:
Roll Random Knick-Knack
1 A small gold statue of an animal
A ripped map to somewhere unknown but
2
half of it is missing
A pen which seems to make your
3 spells are the weakest and Grade 5 spells are the
handwriting a little bit neater
A colourful handkerchief with someone
4
else’s initials sewn into the corner
5 A coin with mysterious writing on the back
6 A ring that changes colour with your mood e
A compass that points to somewhere which
7 action.
definitely isn’t north
8 A wooden whistle that scares away birds
pl
9 A braid of hair that always smells like spring
10 A sea-shell that you can hear voices from
A fancy key that has the word “never”
11
carved into it
A mechanical bee that winds-up and flies
12
m
around you
13 A sealed letter that you’ve never opened
14 A mirror in which you always look happy
A receipt for making the best bread you’ve
15
ever tasted
Sa
A music box that plays a tune which you
16
know but you don’t know where it’s from
17 An ice cube that never melts
A huge animal tooth that you’re sure is
18
slowly getting bigger
A burned diary that is missing half of its
19
pages
A silver bell that rings on its own each time
20
you say a special word
Spells
This chapter tells you about all the different spells
available for classes that can cast magic.
Not all spellcasters can cast the same kinds of
spells as each other, so there are lists to let you
know which spells can be cast by which class.
The information for a spell is split into a few
sections:
e
Grade
A spell is either a simple spell which can be cast as
many times as you like without using up any of
fil
your magical energy or it has a grade. Grade 1
most powerful.
Type
Each spell is either an attack spell or a helper
spell. Attack spells are cast using the Attack action,
in just the same way you might swing a sword or
fire a bow. Helper spells are cast as their own
This means that, on a normal turn, you could use
both your small actions to cast an attack spell and
a helper spell if you wanted to.
You’ll find out more about these in the Rules part
of this book.
Magic School
Long ago, when magic was first discovered, wise
folk found out that there are eight different types
of magic, which they call the magic schools. These
are:
• Appear: these spells are used to create
something from nothing or to magically move
them from one place to another
• Change: these spells are used to turn one thing
into something else
• Control: these spells are used to make people
believe things or act differently
• Doom: these spells try to control the power of
life and death
• Energy: these spells are raw magical power,
which can be used to light up a room or fire an
enemy across one
• Illusion: these spells are used for hiding you or
confusing your enemies by making them see or
hear things that aren’t real
• Protect: these spells defend you against enemy
attacks
LITTLE BUT FIERCE 27
• Truth: these spells tell you things you didn’t spells can use the same ingredients again and
know before, including forgotten secrets and again but others completely use up the ingredients
looking into the future and you will need to buy more.

A spell’s school is normally just used to help

describe it but there are some powers and talents
Spell Lists
that only work with certain schools. This section tells you which spells can be used by
which classes.
Casting Time
Note: Your Storyteller will decide if you can take
Most spells can be cast with just a small action,
the get help spell.
making them very useful when fighting. Other

e
spells will be more useful when exploring the world
but take a lot longer to cast. Druid Spells
These are the spells that can be cast by druids:
When a spell’s casting time is given in minutes, it

fil
will also say in brackets how many rounds of Simple
fighting this would be. • Barbed Branch • Plant Craft
• Fixing • Poison Gas
Range • Flickering Flame • Stand Firm
The range tells you how far you can cast a spell • Get Help (see above) • Starburst
and will either be: • Guidance
• Caster, meaning the spell only does something
to the person casting it, Grade 1
• Touch, meaning the person casting the spell
must be next to the target and must actually
touch them with a hand, or
• A distance or area, which will be described in
e
units. Your Storyteller can tell you how far this is
•
•
•
•
Calm Animal
Charm
Cloud of Fireflies
Create or Destroy
•
•
•
•
Healing Word
Jump
See Magic
Spot Sickness
pl
Water • Talk to Animals
in metres or feet if you like.
• Fog Cloud • Tasty Berries
• Fresh Food and Drink • Thick Vines
Length
• Healing Touch • Thunder Blast
The length of a spell tells you how long it lasts and
will either be:
• Instant, meaning the spell happens in a flash and Grade 2
then it’s over, or • Animal Messenger • Heat Metal
m

• A length of time, which will be described in • Barkskin • Moonbeam

minutes, hours or days. • Boost Ability • Protection from Poison
• Cure • Rolling Flame
Just like casting time, when a spell’s length is given • Darkvision • Sneak in the Shade
in minutes, it will also say in brackets how many • Find Animal or Plant • Spiked Ground
rounds of fighting this would be. • Find Object • Spot Traps
Sa

• Flame Blade • Stop Person

During their turn, the person who casts as spell can • Gust of Wind
always choose to end a spell early (without using
any kind of action). Grade 3
• Daylight • Summon Animals
Ingredients • Dispel • Talk to Plants
Most spells are cast using a magical focus: the • Energy Shield • Walk on Water
special object the caster has which helps them • Hide in Stone • Wall of Air
control their power. But some spells are so • Lightning Strike • Water Breathing
powerful that they need special ingredients, which • Sleet Storm • Wildland
are often rare and expensive.

If a spell needs special ingredients, it will tell you

what they are and how much they cost. Some

28 LITTLE BUT FIERCE

Grade 4 Grade 2
• Change Shape • Ice Storm • Acid Arrow • Lock
• Confuse • Land of Illusion • Big Bang • Magic Mouth
• Control Water • Stone Shape • Blindness/Deafness • Magic Weapon
• Decay • Stoneskin • Blur • Mirror Image
• Find Creature • Summon Forest Folk • Darkness • Misty Step
• Freedom • Tame Animal • Darkvision • Read Minds
• Giant Bugs • Wall of Fire • Find Object • Rolling Flame
• Float • Rope Trick
Grade 5 • Forever Flame • Scorch
• Good Idea • See Invisibility

e
• Awaken • Spread Sickness
• Grow/Shrink • Spider Climb
• Biting Bugs • Summon Elemental
• Gust of Wind • Stop Person
• Bubble of Life • Travel by Tree
• Invisibility • Weakness
• Healing Wave • Vision
• Knock • Web
• Improved Cure • Wall of Stone

fil
• Second Chance • Wisdom of the Wild
Grade 3
• Curse • Remove Curse
Mage Spells • Dispel • Sending
These are the spells that can be learned and cast • Energy Shield • Sleet Storm
by mages: • Fear • Slow Down
• Fireball • Speed Up
Simple e • Fly • Spying Eye
• Ghost Rider • Stinking Cloud
• Acid Splash • Helping Hand
• Grand Illusion • Tiny Hut
• Cold Touch • Ice Blast
• Group Hypnosis • Translation
• Dancing Lights • Message
• Lightning Bolt • Triggered Spell
• Fire Bolt • Party Tricks
• Mirror Walk • Turn to Smoke
pl
• Fixing • Poison Gas
• Out of Sight • Vampire Touch
• Get Help (see above) • Shock
• Raise Skeleton • Water Breathing
• Glow • Simple Illusion
• Guided Strike • Starburst
Grade 4
Grade 1 • A Hero’s Best Friend • Land of Illusion
• Banish • Magic Door
• Alarm • Know Object
m

• Build • Moving Eye

• Burning Hands • Magic Armour
• Change Shape • Safe Zone
• Charm • Magic Missile
• Confuse • Secret Chest
• Colour Cloud • Quick Escape
• Control Water • Stone Shape
• Disguise • Secret Writing
• Decay • Stoneskin
• Feather Fall • See Magic
• Find Creature • Thrashing Tentacles
• Floating Disc • Shield
• Fire Shield • Unbreakable Bubble
Sa

• Fog Cloud • Sleep

• Ice Storm • Wall of Fire
• Grease • Summon Minion
• Improved Invisibility • Worst Nightmare
• Handy Helper • Thunder Blast
• Horrible Laugh • Understand
• Jump Languages Grade 5
• Change Memories • Move Things
• Cone of Cold • Stop Creature
• Create Materials • Summon Elemental
• Distract • Teleportation Circle
• Dream • Tunnel
• Improved Charm • Venom Cloud
• Legend • Vision
• Link Minds • Wall of Stone
• Mighty Hand

LITTLE BUT FIERCE 29