Arthur Lives!

Second Edition

By Jason Tondro
 Arthur Lives!
Second Edition
Writer Jason Tondro
Publisher Mike Lafferty
Cover Art Denise Jones
Interior Art Hannah Friederichs, Jon Gibbons, Denise
Jones, Michael Kucharski, Susan E. Meyer, Dan Smith
Graphic Design and Layout Kara Hamilton
Kickstart Coordinator Walt Robillard
Proofreading Kristen Perkins
The Fate Core font is © Evil Hat Productions, LLC and is used with permission.
The Four Actions icons were designed by Jeremy Keller.

Acknowledgements
To thank everyone who helped me make this book would be to thank
virtually every friend I have ever gamed with. And so: Thank you all.
I am also incredibly grateful for the support of my Kickstarter backers,
without whom this book would not exist. This includes many friends
and members of my family who will never play an RPG in their lives,
but who believe in me. I am deeply humbled by that.
My thanks, as always, to Chuck Rice, James Dawsey, and Mike Lafferty,
three publishers who put time and resources into this project.
And finally, I dedicate this one to my mum, who gave me my first book of Arthurian legend
so long ago I don’t even remember it. As far as I can tell, that book was always on my shelf.
Arthur Lives! Second Edition is © 2018 Fainting Goat Games. All rights reserved.
Arthur Lives!, Fainting Goat Games, and their associated logos are trademarks of Fainting Goat Games.
 Table of Contents
Introduction...........................3 Chapter 6:
What You Have Here..................................................3
Other Fate Material....................................................4 The Arthurian Age.............. 95
410, the Year Arthur Became King........................95
Chapter 1: 411, the Year Arthur’s Birth Was Revealed......... 98
412, the Year of the May Babies............................. 98
Creating Characters..............5 413, the Year the King and Queen Were
The Big Questions.......................................................5 Married..................................................................... 100
The Short Version.......................................................7
Characters Step by Step.............................................7 Chapter 7:
Name...............................................................................8
Aspects...........................................................................8 Running the Game............. 103
Skills..............................................................................10 The Traditional Campaign...................................103
Stunts and Refresh.....................................................11 Dials & Switches......................................................105
Plot Gallery................................................................ 107
Whedonisms.............................................................109
Chapter 2: Dreams & Prophecy.................................................112
Paths................................. 12 Alternative Campaigns...........................................114
Damosels, Enchanters, Knights, and Kings....... 13
Named Paths............................................................... 17 Chapter 8:
Chapter 3: The Setting........................ 118
The Secret History...................................................118
Skills and Stunts................ 43 The Round Table Conspiracy.............................. 124
Summary of Changes from Fate Core Rules.....43 Heaven, Hell, and Faerie....................................... 127
Archery - Willpower ..........................................44-54
Chapter 9:
Chapter 4: Allies and Adversaries........ 136
Extras...............................55 Scale.............................................................................137
Companion.................................................................56 Creature Features.....................................................137
Estate............................................................................. 57 Dressing the Beast....................................................137
Minion.......................................................................... 57 Incarnations.............................................................. 138
Organization............................................................... 57 Animals......................................................................146
Vehicle..........................................................................58 Earthly Perils.............................................................151
Across the Veil..........................................................166
Chapter 5: Heaven and Hell......................................................184

Magic & Enchantment......... 59 Bibliography....................... 192

Recognizing Arthur..................................................59 Primary Sources....................................................... 192
Alchemy.......................................................................62 Reference and Criticism........................................ 193
Echoes..........................................................................65 Websites..................................................................... 193
Enchantment.............................................................. 73 Fiction......................................................................... 193
Mechanics................................................................... 73 Comics........................................................................ 194
Occult............................................................................ 74 Other Arthurian or Fate RPGs............................. 194
Confidence.................................................................. 75
Willpower.................................................................... 75
The Magical Talents................................................. 75
Index................................. 196
Enchantment Stress and Consequences........... 90
Variations and Expansions..................................... 91
Sample Enchantment Consequences.................93

2
Introduction
Arthur Lives! is a roleplaying game of supernatural
adventure, conspiratorial intrigue, and occult mystery
using the Fate Core system. Heroes and villains from
Arthurian myth have been reincarnated, coming back
to life in the cinematic present. At first, these individu-
als don’t remember their former lives, but as they be-
gin to recognize each other, old feuds and tragic affairs
resurface. Why has the King returned now? Does
some unseen danger threaten? And even if the an-
swer is yes, will these legendary heroes be able to put
their old grievances aside long enough to oppose it?
Players in Arthur Lives! make characters who are,
secretly, these reincarnated figures from Arthurian
legend. In the traditional campaign set-up, the he-
roes are not aware of their former lives at the start of
play. Recognizing yourself, learning who you truly
are and the nature of your new existence, is one of
the first major turning points for your character. As
you grow in power and regain more of your mem-
ories of the first Arthurian Age, you may recover
some of the magical artifacts you once wielded,
you will meet old friends and family, and you will
be confronted with some of the same adversaries.
But these meetings seldom go as planned; friends
may turn out to be rivals or even enemies, and
an old nemesis may be your only ally. Slowly you
part the curtain that separates you from the truth
of your rebirth, and your quest for knowledge is
always hand-in-hand with a fight for survival.
There is room for great diversity when it comes
to heroic type, from action stars to academics.
Government agents, New Age philosophers, con-
men, university professors, bounty hunters, students,
Army vets, actors down on their luck, gamblers,
rogue cops, by-the-book cops and, yes, the oc-
casional medieval recreationist are all welcome.
Because all the characters are tied together by their
shared Arthurian heritage, you can even make a
character who would normally avoid adventure at
all costs and who has no training for such heroics,
but who is nevertheless drawn into stories relat-
ed to her former life. The race, gender, and social
class of your incarnation is up to you, the player;
Lancelot used to be a white French aristocrat, but
this time he may come back as an Israeli secret
agent, an African mother with two kids, or a beggar
on the streets of Chicago. Arthur has gone viral.
This is a supernatural world, full not only of vam-
pires, ghosts, and monsters under the bed, but with
relics, dangers, and spells from Arthurian legend
which have manifested as “echoes” in the 21st century.
Stories are painted with a broad palette: paranor-
mal mysteries (X-Files, Fringe), modern magic (The
Dresden Files, Harry Potter), supernatural thrillers
(Supernatural or True Blood), conspiracy theories
(Holy Blood, Holy Grail or Angels & Demons), the
rich vein of our own occult tradition (the Golden
Dawn, John Dee), and of course the many legends
of Arthur and his knights, that serve as inspiration
and initial outlines for player-driven stories with
unexpected outcomes and surprising twists.
For make no mistake, if Arthur and his knights
are living second lives, they are also empowered
to change their destiny. At its heart, Arthur Lives!
is really a story about second chances; given the
opportunity to learn from your mistakes, will you
choose to live this second life differently than the
one before? Can you do better? Or perhaps the real
lesson is that, in this life as much as the next one,
your mistakes are the only things that you can tru-
ly call yours. Perhaps we should focus less on the
do-over, and more on being true to ourselves.
It’s your call. But while you’re thinking, you’re going
to be shot at by hired assassins, pursued by Masonic
FBI agents and Templar wizards, stalked by the vam-
pire menace, hunted by chimera crawling across the
Faerie Veil and, ultimately, confronted by another ver-
sion of your own self – one who thinks she’s got more
right to live than you do. Arthur Lives! has its cerebral
moments, but they alternate with high-adrenaline
action in the Hollywood tradition. Do try to keep up.
What You Have
The book you are holding has everything you
need to make characters and GM adventures in
Arthur Lives! You’ll also need the Fate Core rules. It
has a special focus on what we might call “Season
1” of AL! The Arthurian characters spotlight-
ed in it, and the questions and problems which
the players are likely to face, are inspired by the
early years of Arthur’s reign, when he was strug-
gling to cement his position as High King.
The first six chapters are for players. Character
creation rules are first; AL! differs only slightly from
Fate Core when it comes to character creation, but
each player does choose a path—the Arthurian
character who has been reincarnated in the present.
Paths are detailed in Chapter 2. Ten characters from
Arthurian myth are singled out for special treatment;
you will recognize some of them, but others will be
surprises. AL!’s skill list, along with a selection of
stunts, make up Chapter 3. Chapter 4 is for Extras,
largely of the non-magical variety: companion char-
acters like squires, minions, organizations which
belong to particular PCs, and “estates,” buildings
or other locations which the players may use as
headquarters (a “New Camelot”, perhaps). Magic
and enchantment—the magic system by which
3
 magician characters cast spells—is Chapter 5.
Finally, there is a chronicle of important events in
the first few years of Arthur’s reign. This summary
of events should help you roleplay characters who
come from this key period in Arthur’s history.
The next few chapters are for GMs. They include a
great deal of information which PCs should discover
through play. That is not to say players cannot read
these chapters, but it does mean that players who
know their contents should work with the GM to
ensure that player knowledge does not “bleed over”
into character knowledge. In other words, you may
know how Arthur returned, but that does not mean
your character does. You may know what dwells on
the other side of the Faerie Veil, but your character is
likely to be ignorant, at least at first. Chapter 7 begins
with an overview of what might be considered the
“traditional” AL! campaign – how it starts, what the
big issues are, how the characters and stories develop
and where the milestones are. If AL! was an ongoing
television series, this book really only covers the first
season, when characters and conflicts are introduced.
Some questions are answered, but others remain
unrevealed. However, there are many other ways to
run AL!, and this chapter also includes advice and
options concerning them, including the choice of an
unusual historical period for your game or a change
in one of the essential ground rules for the campaign,
resulting in a very different experience. Chapter 8 is
about the world of Arthur Lives!, including a secret
history of the Arthurian Age, its waning, and the
reason for its return. The cosmology of the setting
is also described, including detail on Heaven, Hell,
and especially Faerie, the one “other world” which
heroes are likely to adventure in. There’s a rundown
of the Round Table Conspiracy, one of the “big bads”
for season one. A large “Allies and Antagonists”
chapter includes NPC incarnations, mortal threats
like FBI agents and conspiratorial assassins, animals
like bears and lions, Faerie creatures from across the
Veil, angels from Heaven, and demons from Hell.
Finally, we end with a bibliography of sourc-
es in fiction, film, gaming and elsewhere to
help inspire you in your own adventures.
4
Other Fate Material
The only resource you need to play Arthur Lives!,
other than the book you are holding, is Fate Core,
which is available in a “pay what you want” mod-
el from Evil Hat Productions (www.evilhat.com).
However, there are many additional Fate re-
sources out there which you might find useful. In
particular, the Dresden Files RPG, also sold by Evil
Hat, contains a wealth of NPCs, monsters, and sto-
ry ideas set in an urban fantasy environment very
compatible with Arthur Lives! The Dresden Files RPG
uses a previous version of Fate and its magic sys-
tem works very differently than enchantment, but
the compatibility between that book and this one is
very high. In fact, with all the Arthurian elements
that pop up in Harry’s life, it’s possible he is in an
Arthur Lives! campaign and doesn’t even know it.
The Fate System Toolkit includes rival mag-
ic systems. Look at Fate Accelerated Edition (FAE)
if you like the AL! setting and basic principles
but want to run a faster, less rules-intensive ses-
sion, perhaps for a convention or a pick-up game.
Spirit of the Century is great if you are running a
historical AL! campaign; see Chapter 7 for more
on this. Other Fate games published by third-par-
ty publishers provide more monsters, stunts, and
magic; Legends of Anglerre, a high fantasy RPG by
Cubicle 7, is especially handy in this regard.
 Chapter 1: Creating Characters

Chapter 1: Creating Characters

The Big Questions
Almost all player characters in Arthur Lives! will
be reincarnations of people who lived during the
fantastic and enchanted reign of King Arthur. There
can be exceptions: mundane individuals who aren’t
reincarnations but who are surrounded by those
who are. These exceptions can have an important
role in many stories, but by their rarity they prove
the rule. If you are making a character, choosing
your past life – your incarnation – is the first major
choice you are forced to make, and it will influence
your character for the rest of her gaming life.
In the world of Arthur Lives!, very few people know
why Arthur, his knights, his foes, and all the other
magical supporting cast of his myth have returned
from death. Instead, your character will be asking
questions like, “Why are we all here? Why have we
come back now?” The situation has been made more
complicated by the fact that there is more than one
incarnation of each Arthurian character. That is to
say, there is more than one Arthur reborn, more than
one Guinevere, more than one Merlin. How could
this be? How many other versions of you are there?
Is one of them more real than the others? Which one
of you is the right one? Your GM knows the answers
to these questions, but your character may not learn
the answers for some time. Asking and answering
these questions is a very important part of every
Arthur Lives! campaign, especially at the beginning.
In your character’s past life, she was a knight,
enchanter, queen, or other figure of Arthurian myth.
You may have been someone famous and well known
to us today – the Lady of the Lake, perhaps, or a great
knight like Sir Gawain – but you might have been a
minor character about whom we know very little.
Arthurian myth is filled with these supporting charac-
ters who appear in one or two episodes but who were
eclipsed in life by famous names like Lancelot and
Merlin. Your character might be one of these people,
like Sir Marrok (who was made into a werewolf by his
wife) or Sir Patrise (who went to a dinner party held in the character’s past life, and you have fewer re-
by the Queen only to be accidentally poisoned by an strictions on how your character’s story progresses
apple intended for Sir Gawain). When these minor from this point forward. The most extreme version
characters are reborn in the modern world, they get a of this strategy is to make a character who is never
new chance at heroism and an opportunity to escape mentioned at all in Arthurian legend, but who was
the shadow of Arthur’s famous knights. Because we nevertheless a resident of that magical time. After
know so little about these heroes, you have a blank all, there were many seats at the Round Table; not
canvas on which to paint; you can fill in the blanks all the knights who filled those seats are known to us
5
 Chapter 1: Creating Characters
today. Likewise, Arthur’s Britain had room for many
kings, sorcerers, and heroes whose exploits are now
forgotten. You can make those heroes live again.
Regardless of who you were before, your past life
has been a mystery to your character for most of her
life. In fact, she probably still does not know about
her previous life in Arthur’s world. Instead, she thinks
she is a perfectly ordinary person in a perfectly ordi-
nary world: the world outside our own window. But
in fact, magic and myth hides in the shadowy corners
of that 21st century world, and there are secrets under
every street. Modern magicians carefully work their
spells where no one else can see; supernatural be-
ings from Faerie slip over into our world and dis-
guise their monstrous shape in order to walk among
us unseen; horrifying stories of ghosts, vampires,
and other monsters in the closet are more real than
anyone would like to admit. Your character may have
some knowledge of the world’s hidden supernatu-
ral elements, especially if she has the Occult skill.
Although your character does not remember her
previous life, she nevertheless is surrounded by
things that seem familiar and which might remind
her of who she once was. After all, she is still the
same person, whether she remembers it or not, and
so she still has many of the same likes and dislikes.
An Arthurian damosel who preferred the rain to any
other kind of weather will still prefer the rain in the
21st century, and might even move to Seattle just to
get more of it. A knight famous for his pet lion might
decorate his home with art depicting those animals,
keep a big cat for a pet, or even work with lions at
the nearby zoo. Many modern incarnations will be
drawn to professions which resemble the ones they
had in their former lives, so that knights will often
be found among the ranks of law enforcement or
soldiers, while kings and queens continue their life’s
work as politicians, administrators, or corporate
executives. Incarnations often find that their current
family situation models that of their former life.
One of the most important things to happen to
your character is that moment in which she recog-
nizes herself – she suddenly realizes who she once
was, and that she is a reincarnation of that person in
the modern world. Recognition is guided more by
story than by rules, but there are some things which
we know for sure. A person cannot simply be told
she is a reincarnation; that is such a fantastic and
unreasonable argument that the mind of the incar-
nation instinctively recoils and rejects this truth.
After all, if someone tried to tell you that you were
King Arthur, why, that would be crazy! Instead, an
incarnation must be led to the truth; she must come
to the conclusion on her own through an emotional
realization. Often this involves a return to familiar
places, holding familiar objects, or contact with
6
seeming strangers who the incarnation has deep,
unexplained, emotional feelings for. One of the
best ways to stimulate an incarnation’s memory is
through re-enactment; when an incarnation finds
herself going through the same actions as her for-
mer self did in the Arthurian age, the whole body
can wake up at once with physical memories which
the mind has – until now – been blind to. (You can
read more about recognition in Chapter 5: Magic.)
Once an incarnation recognizes herself, some of
her former memory will return to her … but not
all. Different incarnations react differently to the
truth once it has been revealed. Some give up their
modern existence entirely, and abandon friends,
family, and job to devote themselves entirely to
the person they were before, who feels more “real”
despite the distance of time and myth. Other in-
carnations reject their Arthurian life and refuse to
answer to their former name, instead trying to hold
on to the normal world in which they live and love.
Often this struggle is made more difficult by the
presence of multiple, conflicting, relationships; if
an incarnation of Guinevere is already married in
21st century America, and then recognizes herself,
how does she reconcile her mundane husband with
Arthur, her former one? And what about Lancelot?
Over time, more of the incarnation’s original mem-
ory will return, but that time is seldom available,
since the world is a dangerous place and Arthur still
has many enemies. Some incarnations recognized
themselves years ago, and have been hard at work
since that time gathering allies, building resourc-
es, and organizing schemes for mysterious ends.
Not all these incarnations are friendly to Arthur,
and sometimes even apparent friends have hidden
goals and cross-purposes. Because there are mul-
tiple incarnations of many Arthurian characters,
these rivals are often brought into conflict with
one another. Each battles the others to determine
which is the “real” Arthur, Guinevere, or Merlin.
Sometimes these conflicts are physical, but just
as often they become conspiracies and plots too
elusive for any simple knight to overcome. No one
knows why there is more than one of each incar-
nation, but it has proven very difficult for them to
cooperate without trying to destroy one another.
These are the challenges that your character will
confront: Who are you, really? How will you come
to recognize yourself? When you do, how much will
you really remember of the world that came be-
fore, and will you embrace those memories or reject
them? Will you try to find those who were import-
ant to you in your first life and, even if you don’t,
what will you do when they find you? When you
find Arthur, will you side with him or against him?

The Short Version
Characters in Arthur Lives! are very simi-
lar to characters from Fate Core. You have an
extra aspect or two, and you generate those
aspects a little differently, but these definite-
ly qualify as tweaks, not a major overhaul.
You still begin with a high concept, but as you
do this you will also decide what your past life
was in the Arthurian Age. This is called your
path (for example: King Arthur, Sir Galahad) and
Chapter 2 is filled with suggestions for aspects,
stunts, extras and other character details which
might suit your path. Next, you choose your trou-
ble and a name (you’ll have two names, of course:
one from the past and another for the present).
Your past life may suggest a nemesis, a partic-
ular person for whom you held a special grudge.
Not every character feels this way, so don’t feel
obliged to select a nemesis, but in many cases the
choice is clear. You’ll generate another aspect to
describe your relationship to the nemesis, but
you won’t tag it often. Like your nemesis, it floats
out there, waiting for a good time to strike.
To determine your other aspects, describe a
past adventure of your character in the Arthurian
Age and a past connection with another player
character. Since you are a reincarnation of that
Arthurian character, you then come up with a
present adventure for your “second life” and a
present connection to a different player character.
All of this replaces the Fate Core “phase trio.” Each
of these elements add an aspect to your character,
so you will end up with six aspects in total, includ-
ing your high concept and trouble, seven if you
count Nemesis (which not everyone will have).
Just as in Fate Core, you select ten skills and at
least three stunts, and you begin with a base refresh
of 3. Stress and consequences are calculated in the
same manner as Fate Core. AL! has a slightly dif-
ferent skill list than Fate Core; you can read up on
all the skills, and see more stunts, in Chapter 3.
Finally, as you are making your character, you
will probably also be looking ahead to the mo-
ment of recognition, when the modern you realiz-
es that you are the reincarnation of an Arthurian
character. When that moment happens, your
character will gain some additional skills and
refresh, which you might use for stunts or ex-
tras. It’s wise to figure out what those additions
are now, so that you don’t have to put a break
on the action later, when recognition occurs.
Let’s get to the specifics.
Chapter 1: Creating Characters
Characters Step by Step
Before we walk through character creation, here are
some things to keep in mind.
Recognition, or,
Changing Things Later
Throughout this section, you will see references to
the fact that, when your modern character recognizes
herself as a reincarnated Arthurian, you will get to
add stuff to her sheet and potentially adjust the stuff
that is already there. Specifics on this can be found
in Chapter 5: Magic, but here’s a short summary.
Recognition is a major milestone for your character.
It is a transformative moment in which your char-
acter suddenly understands who she really is. Many
old memories come flooding back. You get to add
skills and stunts to your character. You also have the
chance to change an aspect or a stunt, and you can
spend some of your refresh on extras or more stunts.
When your character recognizes herself:
• You can change your high concept. (Frustrated
Stage Magician becomes Merlin the Stage Magician)
• Your skill cap rises to Superb (+5).
• You gain one skill at Great (+4), one at Good (+3),
one at Fair (+2) and one at Average (+1). If you are
using skill points, you get 10 points to spend.
• Your refresh rises by 2; you can spend these
points to buy new stunts or extras.
• And you can do one of the following things:
• Change another aspect.
• Change one stunt for another, or trade it in for
an extra.
• Swap two skills in value.
Recognition gives you a chance to add those
Arthurian skills which are necessary to your concept
but didn’t make any sense for your modern reincar-
nation or you just couldn’t afford to buy. The extra re-
fresh allow you to acquire the extras and stunts which
your character had in the legend. Some extras require
an aspect or even a high concept as part of their cost;
recognition gives you a chance to pay that cost.
The options that come with recognition are useful
in one other important way: they allow you to start
play in the modern world without a clear idea of who
you were in the Arthurian Age. You may not know
a lot about the legend, or you may simply prefer to
let the GM make that kind of decision. Maybe you’re
torn between Galahad and Guinevere. Because you
know this decision can be put off, you can just make
your character as she exists in the 21st century. When
recognition takes place, and you learn your former
life, you can change your high concept to suit and take
the skills and stunts you need to suit that concept.
7
 Chapter 1: Creating Characters
The best high concepts unite your past and
present life into one phrase, something like Once
and Future King (of Rock and Roll) or Lawyer of the
Lake. But if you’re stuck, just focus on the char-
acter as he or she exists in the present. After all,
your character probably doesn’t know he or she is
a reincarnation anyway; at least, not yet. You will
have a chance to adjust and add to your character
when recognition takes place, when your char-
acter learns the truth about his or her past life.
It’s perfectly all right to focus exclusive-
ly on your character’s present day life and put
off the Arthurian aspects of the character.
Gender, Nationality,
and Race
It may not seem so at first glance, but the charac-
ters of Arthurian myth are pretty diverse considering
the world they come from. That world is British, but
in that Britain you will find Scots (King Lot and his
five sons), Welshmen (Ryons and his brother Nero),
Cornishmen (Tristan and his uncle King Mark),
Irish (Isolde and her brother Marhaus), Frenchmen
(Lancelot, of course, and his family and foes), and
even Saracens (Palomides), Hungarians (Urre), and
Greeks (Sagramore). Arthur’s tales spread through-
out Europe and soon we had Italian and Spanish
knights; a couple of centuries later American authors
added characters like the Connecticut Yankee and
Prince Valiant. By the end of the 20th century, Mike
Barr and Brian Bolland gave us an African Gawain, a
Japanese samurai Sir Galahad, and a Lady Tristan!
This is all a long way of saying that Arthur may
have started out a straight, white, male Englishman,
but there’s no reason you have to do the same. As
Arthur’s tale has grown to include an environ-
mental aspect – renewing the Wasteland of our
Earth with the waters of the Holy Grail – Arthur
has become a truly universal figure, no longer
“English” at all. While it is helpful if your char-
acter can speak English (and communicate with
the other player characters), it doesn’t even have
to be his first language. Your Merlin may practice
voodoo in Haiti, Tibetan Buddhism, or Aboriginal
Dreamtime magic in New Zealand. Your Guinevere
may be Boston firefighter, an Indian tech support
specialist, or a Brazilian archaeologist. Characters
that were one gender can be reincarnated in
another – and this will cause a whole new set
of problems when the character tries to juggle
both of his (or is it her?) lives. You can be as con-
ventional as you like or as risky as you dare.
8
Name
If you’re making up an entirely new Arthurian—
which is perfectly fair, by the way—you’ll have to
come up with her Arthurian name as well as her mod-
ern reincarnation. Don’t worry too much about histor-
ical accuracy; some of these characters have pretty odd
names. What’s most important is that it sounds good
to you, and it’s not going to get confused with anyone
else. (Conan, Katniss and Aragorn are right out.)
Aspects
Your High Concept and Path
The first thing you will need is a “high concept”
for your character, an idea of who your character is.
Many players begin with an Arthurian character: “I
have dibs on Tristan.” That’s a perfectly good way
to start. Other players don’t know much about the
legend and benefit from suggestions and guidance.
To help both sorts of players, we’ve included paths.
A path is a collection of aspect advice, skills,
stunts, extras, and other information that detail
a character from the Arthurian Age. Four of the
paths are very broad: Damosel, King, Knight, and
Enchanter. With these “open” paths, you can mod-
el the vast majority of Arthurian characters, in-
cluding original creations (Brave, Brave Sir Robin)
and famous characters (Lancelot). More detailed
“named” paths have been created for ten charac-
ters from the legend; they include several well-
known Arthurians but also some lesser known
surprises. All the paths are detailed in Chapter 2.
If you want to play a particular Arthurian character
and don’t see the right named path, just use one of the
first four paths. That’s what they’re for. If you don’t
know anything about the legend, start with your high
concept and see if one of the paths fits. You may want
to play a character whose former life doesn’t fit any
path—a squire, for instance, or a holy hermit. That’s
fine. Paths don’t give you anything a regular Fate
character doesn’t have. They’re just guidelines and
suggestions. In other words, they’re entirely optional
and you don’t even need a path if you don’t want.
Trouble
Your character has a trouble, an obstacle that
makes life difficult. Your path will often suggest
a trouble: Guinevere’s jealousy, for instance, or
Pellinore’s obsessive nature. Characters in Arthur
Lives! don’t escape their troubles simply by dying; it’s
likely that whatever trouble you had in your first life
continues to plague you in the second. Characters
with difficult relationships in the Arthurian
Age end up with similar relationships today.

If you are stuck trying to figure out something
that encapsulates both sides of your character,
past and present, focus on the present. When
your character recognizes herself, you will get
a chance to change her trouble to something
that better represents her legendary baggage.
Example: Sonja has an idea for a reincarnation
of Arthur who is an Elvis impersonator. She takes
the high concept Once and Future King (of Rock and
Roll) and the trouble I Ain’t Nothin’ but a Hound-Dog,
naming the character Leonard “Lennie” Fontaine.
She sees Lennie as a womanizer, which is a real
problem for him because Lennie is married with
two kids. But he spends most of his time on the
road touring, and the road is a lonely place.
Past and Present
Fate Core details the “Phase Trio,” which is an im-
portant step in character creation wherein the players
describe the past adventures of their characters, build
connections between each other, and flesh out their
aspects. There are some very strong advantages to
this approach and Arthur Lives! does not make major
changes to it. But, because every AL! character has two
lives and (at least in the traditional game) does not
start play aware of his or her prior identity, this phase
of character creation is played out a little differently.
• Your Past Adventure: Describe an adventure your
character had in the Arthurian Age. Although
nothing stops you from using a famous adventure
already recorded for your character (The Sword in
the Stone, for example, or Gawain’s quest for the
Green Knight), it’s usually more fun to make up a
new tale, one which we haven’t heard before. From
this, you acquire one aspect.
• Past Connections: Hand your sheet to another
player who, in the Arthurian Age, got involved in
the adventure with you. Between the two of you,
figure out what that second character did in your
story and add an aspect that reflects it.
• Present Adventure: Now leave the Arthurian Age
behind and get into the shoes of your present-day
self. Describe a story of the modern era in which
your character was the star, and use it to create a
third aspect for your character. This is a good time
to focus on whatever skills, talents, or unique as-
sets your modern-day self has; after all, she doesn’t
know she’s an Arthurian reincarnated at the time
of this adventure.
• Present Connections: Hand your sheet to a sec-
ond player and elaborate or complicate the story
you just came up with. Working with that player,
add a final aspect to your sheet.
Chapter 1: Creating Characters
At the same time that you are handing your char-
acter to two other players, of course, other play-
ers are handing their sheet to you. So when this is
all over, you will have connections to a couple of
characters from the Arthurian Age and a couple
of connections to characters from the present.
But I Don’t Know
My Own Past!
Some of you will start play without having chosen
a path with a specific Arthurian identity. You can’t
do the Past Adventure and Past Connection part of
character creation, because your past is a mystery.
That’s fine. Just leave those aspects blank for
now. You can fill them in as you go. If anyone gives
you a hard time, tell them you are using the Quick
Character Creation rules from p. 57 of Fate Core.
Example: Sonja sees Lennie as over-the-top, and
she wants to focus on Arthur in his later years, a vet-
eran of many wars, rather than the young Boy King.
Turning to his past adventure, she makes up a story in
which Britain was plagued by a rebellion led by giants
who march on Camelot. In the climactic battle which
followed, Arthur leapt onto the shoulders of the King
of the Giants and, by yanking on his hair, steered
him like a battle-chariot, decimating the Giant’s own
ranks. She writes, I’ve Done Things You Wouldn’t Believe.
Now she hands her sheet to another player who
is developing an incarnation of Nimue. Nimue’s
player decides the only way to end the war with the
Giants was to pacify them with a fantastic feast, one
so magnificent and large that they would be forced
to acknowledge Arthur as the greatest of all kings.
There was a catch: only one animal could possibly
be large enough to feed all those giants, and that
was a monstrous boar which had died years before.
Nimue guided Arthur to Annwn, the horrifying land
of the dead, braving evil spirits and wicked Faeries
to capture the ghost boar and bring it back to the
world, where its magical pork-flesh fed an army
of giants. The journey would have driven a lesser
man mad, so Sonja writes, I Never Lose My Cool.
It’s time for Lennie’s adventure in the present.
He’s run afoul of organized crime a few times, and
in one case, he was performing at a local hotel
whose attractive female owner was being threat-
ened by the mob. Lennie tried to solve the problem
diplomatically, but one thing led to another and
he ended up in a fist fight and shoot out with the
mob boss and his flunkies at a strip joint down-
town. He gets the aspect I’ll Do Anything for a Fan.
9
 Chapter 1: Creating Characters
Finally, he needs a Present Connection. Sonja
turns to the player making Isolde, who in the 21st
century is a celebrated surgeon named Rose. She
decides Lennie’s hard life on the road caught up
with him after the shootout in the strip club, and he
collapsed with a heart attack, which brought him to
her emergency room. Rose discovered Lennie had a
tear in the walls of his heart and needed an immedi-
ate transplant. Naturally, it was at this moment that
the mobsters returned, taking the entire hospital
hostage in order to force an operation on their dy-
ing boss, suffering from Lennie’s gunshot wounds.
Over the course of a harrowing night, while Isolde
was performing surgery on the mob boss, Lennie
took them all out one at a time. But this meant he
was too late to save himself, and the transplant
heart had expired. Strangely, he felt fine. Isolde
once again examined his heart, and found that the
previous damage was gone, without explanation. It
was a miracle. Sonja writes Sometimes Prayer Is the
Best Choice You Can Make as Lennie’s final aspect.
Nemesis
Some incarnations have a nemesis—a particular
person or creature against whom they gain special
advantages. Often, your nemesis was responsible for
your death in the first Arthurian Age. Sometimes
your nemesis is someone you wanted or even tried
to kill, but you perished before you were able to
finish the job. Your nemesis may have killed some-
one close to you. Blood feuds were a famous and
very destructive force that worked against Camelot
from within. The first significant such feud was
between the sons of King Lot and King Pellinore,
who killed Lot. Once Pellinore was murdered,
Gawain and his brothers moved on to Lamorak
and Pellinore’s other family members. When their
own mother Morgause became Lamorak’s lover,
revenge won out over blood: Morgause was killed in
her bed. Your nemesis aspect helps represent these
long-standing grudges in Arthur Lives! games.
For named paths, your nemesis is already specified.
If you’re making a Knight, Damsel, King or Enchanter,
you will want to figure out who your nemesis might
be. Usually the person who killed you is a solid place
to start, but you may have made an enemy in your
younger adventuring days who made a more emo-
tional connection. Sometimes your nemesis might
be a group of people, such as a family. A rival is also
a potential nemesis; if you and another knight both
competed for the same woman, that knight may be
your nemesis, even if the two of you never actually
came to blows. Nemesis is a two-edged aspect; it gets
used against you as often as you use it, and you’re
not required to have one. But it’s pretty common.
10
You should craft your own aspect that embod-
ies the particular relationship you have with your
nemesis or the feelings you have towards him or
her. You’ll be able to invoke this aspect against
him, and it can be compelled against you by him,
but you aren’t obligated or compelled to attack
your nemesis. The grudge is a powerful one, but
old, and you can choose to bury the hatchet and
leave your nemesis alone if you so choose.
Example: Lennie’s nemesis is Mordred. Sonja writes
down I Brought You Into This World, I’ll Take You Out.
My Nemesis, My Self
Incarnations in Arthur Lives! have a peculiar
supernatural rivalry with other incarnations
of the same path. Because they’re reflections
of the same person, each instinctively knows
what the other is thinking, and they can even
sense each other’s presence in a vague “He’s
close, I can feel it” kind of way. There is an
emotional friction between rival incarnations
that makes it hard for them to work togeth-
er and that makes conflict all too likely.
This all sounds a lot like a nemesis, and
its very similar. But in game terms, it’s not
a function of your nemesis aspect. Instead,
it’s actually a special invocation or compel
of your high concept! Two rival incarnations
of Arthur, for example, can compel each
other’s high concept, or invoke their own, to
gain bonuses in combat against each other,
to sense each other’s presence, or to predict
what the other will do. A GM might com-
pel your high concept to make you mis-
trust—or even betray—a rival incarnation.
Not everyone has a nemesis, and if they
do, their nemesis aspect applies strict-
ly to that nemesis. But every incarnation’s
high concept can be invoked or compelled
in this way, should a rival incarnation of
the same path appear in your story.
Skills
When you’re happy with your aspects, it’s time
to select and rate your skills. The simplest way to
do this is to follow the process outlined in Fate
Core: you have a pyramid of ten skills, one of
which you are Great at (+4), two of which you are
Good at (+3), three of which you are Fair at (+2),
and the final four of which are Average (+1).
If you want to get more complicated, you can buy
your skills individually with 20 skill points. Spend one
skill point for every level of the skill; you cannot have
more skills at any given level than you have skills under
that level. So, if you have three skills at Average (+1),
you can have up to three skills at Fair (+2), but not four.
At character creation, no skill can be higher than
+4. If your GM is running a game in which the PCs
have already recognized themselves,
the skill cap will be +5 or higher.
 Chapter 1: Creating Characters

As you make your character, focus on his abilities in

the modern era. It might be fitting for your knight to Stress and Consequences
have Melee, Wilderness, or Athletics, but if his mod- Calculate your physical and mental stress boxes
ern-day incarnation is an accountant, you may feel exactly as you would in Fate Core, modifying the
it a stretch to write those skills on your sheet now, base two boxes with additional ones from Physique
before the character has recognized himself. That’s (for physical stress) or Willpower (for mental stress).
fine. Don’t force Arthurian skills onto your modern You have one minor, one major, and one severe
concept. You will have a chance later, when your consequence; this may be modified by stunts.
character recognizes herself, to add those skills. Example: Lennie’s Mediocre Willpower means
Example: Sonja sees Lennie as being rough- he still has only two mental stress boxes, but he
and-tumble, and a hard drinker who is phys- has three physical ones thanks to a Fair Physique.
ically impressive despite his age. We already He doesn’t have any additional consequences, but
know he can fight and shoot, and he can sing. he can reduce the severity of a consequence by
But his other real talent is making an emotion- spending a Fate point, thanks to Tough as Nails.
al connection with people. He’s charismatic
and likable. He starts with Great Performance,
Good Rapport and Brawl, Fair Physique and
Firearms and Empathy. He finishes off with Average
Intimidation, Athletics, Confidence and Contacts.
Sonja also knows Lennie is going to recognize him-
self as King Arthur pretty soon. She takes a few
minutes to figure out what skills that might bring,
and she settles on Great Melee, Good Leadership,
Fair Willpower, and Average Resources. Lennie
doesn’t have these skills yet, but he’ll get them.

Stunts and Refresh

Characters in Arthur Lives! start with three stunts
and a refresh of 3, just like characters in Fate Core. You
can use stunts or refresh to purchase extras, and you
can trade refresh for more stunts, but you can’t start
play with a refresh higher than 3 or lower than 1.
That refresh, and the additional 2 refresh that comes
from recognition, is there so that enchanters can buy
the magical talents they need, characters like Gawain
can buy their supernatural abilities, and characters
like Arthur can buy enchanted weapons. In addition,
the legendary feats of Arthurian characters suggest
a great many stunts, and Arthur Lives! preserves that
heroic tone with a slightly higher power level. These
are mythological characters come to life; they may
be a bit down on their luck, but they’re still legends.
Example: Lennie doesn’t have a lot of money; in
fact, his Resources start out at Mediocre. The Haggle
stunt will allow him to use his Rapport to buy stuff
that isn’t too expensive. Tough as Nails will give
Lennie more endurance in a fight. Looking at the
Rapport stunt Popular, Sonja invents the stunt Look,
it’s Elvis!, which allows Lennie to make a Fair (+2)
Performance check to place the aspect Elvis Fan on
someone he’s just met. This makes the person well
disposed towards Lennie, but he doesn’t get a free
invocation of it. This leaves Lennie with 3 refresh,
and Sonja expects she will need those points once
he recognizes himself as Arthur, so she stops there.

11
 Chapter 2: Paths
Chapter 2: Paths
Your Arthur Lives! character is a reincarnation of
an Arthurian figure; you decide who. Once you do,
that choice brings with it some suggestions, guide-
lines, and occasional rules. Collectively all of this
is known as your path. For most characters, your
path consists of some aspect advice, important
skills, and some potential stunts. A few charac-
ters have special extras including magical equip-
ment, supernatural powers, or mundane resources
like followers, companions, or a headquarters.
Each Arthur Lives! reincarnation has a path, and
once your character recognizes himself, his path will
never change. But until your character has recognized
himself as a reincarnation, your true nature is not
perfectly known. Although it is rare, it is possible for
a character’s former life to be “misdiagnosed.” As a
player, this means you can choose a different path
than you first intended. It is even possible to put off
the choice of path until the moment of recognition, if
you are not sure what path you want your character
to take. In cases like this, your character’s true self
12
did not change; you just have more accurate infor-
mation now than you did before. When you make a
character and leave his incarnation undecided, only
to eventually choose the path of Arthur, that doesn’t
mean your character chose to be a reincarnation of
Arthur. It means your character was always a reincar-
nation of Arthur; you just didn’t know it until now.
Characters who have recognized themselves and
are on a path are more powerful than those who are
not. Once you recognize yourself, you gain one new
skill at Great (+4), one at Good (+3), one at Fair (+2),
and one at Average (+1). (If your game is using skill
points, you gain 10 skill points instead). This is a
great time to select skills which make sense for your
past life—like Archery, Melee, or Wilderness—but
which would have been out of character for your
present life. Your refresh also goes up by 2, allow-
ing you to select stunts or extras that suit your path.
All of this counts as a Major Milestone, so you can
also rename your high concept. In fact, if your path
is not represented somehow in your high concept,

you should definitely rename it, because your path is
who you are. Because this is a Major Milestone, you
also have some flexibility to swap a couple of skills
around, rename another aspect, or change a stunt.
Damosels, Enchanters,
Knights and Kings
Your Arthur Lives! character could be a reincarna-
tion of anyone in the Arthurian legend. A short list of
ten characters has been given special rules, but there
are hundreds of potential incarnations—and that’s
not even including all the wholly original Arthurian
characters you might devise. You can simulate almost
all Arthurian characters with the four paths pre-
sented here: Damosel, Enchanter, Knight and King.
Knight
Knights were the elite warriors of the Arthurian
age, sworn vassals of kings and other lieges. Most
were of noble birth, though not necessarily of noble
character. Armed with the very best weapons, armor,
and mounts, they formed the core of any king’s army,
and the mounted charge of a knight was the ulti-
mate weapon on the battlefield. War was common in
Arthur’s early years, but soon the king brought peace
to Britain and his knights traveled the land dispensing
justice and helping those in need. When not adven-
turing, they kept in shape by participating in tourna-
ments filled with jousting and foot battles; knights
who won in these tournaments gained fame and glory,
not to mention wealthy prizes. Between tournaments,
war, and questing, knights saw to their castles and
estates or visited their lieges in court, where they were
expected to give advice, perform in courtly entertain-
ments, and bring glory to their lord. This lord is of key
importance because knights were part of the feudal
system, in which each knight (known as a vassal)
swore obedience to a superior (known as his liege).
There are many examples of knights in Arthurian
myth; characters like Tristan, Lancelot, Gareth,
or Mordred can all be created with this path.
This path is also suitable for less-famous knights
like Ector (Arthur’s foster father), Bedivere (who
threw Excalibur back into the lake after Arthur’s
last battle), or Tor (Pellinore’s bastard son).
Aspect Advice
If your past life is well-known or has a color-
ful name (Tristan of Lyonesse, The Green Knight, Sir
Breuse sans Pitie), it makes a perfectly serviceable
high concept; alternately, something like Resurrected
Knight or just Knight of the Round Table will probably
do everything you need it to do. Consider another
aspect that establishes some kind of specialty from
your past life; perhaps you were a Man of the Court or
Chapter 2: Paths
Master of the Lists or Giant-Killer or Hero of the Battle of
Badon Hill. Knights often have considerable resources
in the form of wealth, followers, and an expansive
estate. This can be represented with an aspect that de-
scribes your holdings, whatever they are: a Car Repair
Shop, Central Park Address, or a Historic Lighthouse.
Key Skills
Athletics is critical and Physique only slightly less
so. You’ll need a fighting skill or two: Firearms if you’re
a modern guy, Melee if you’re Old School, and Brawl
if you’re the type of knight who thinks with your fists.
Modern knights Drive instead of ride (but if you want
to ride, Athletics has you covered). Confidence rep-
resents your belief in honor, duty, and ties of fealty;
without it, you are a knight who has forsaken the
things knights stand for. You’ll use Provoke to chal-
lenge others. Many knights, especially those who
quested often or who grew up in the country, were
expert hunters and trackers with Wilderness skill.
Stunts
Knights excel at combat stunts, and there are
plenty in this book and Fate Core for you to pick
from. Consider Killing Stroke (Melee), Tough
as Nails (Physique), Provoke Violence (Provoke)
or a stunt that allows you to make weapon at-
tacks while driving or riding. If you don’t have
strong Willpower, consider a stunt that makes you
more resistant to fear, such as Indomitable.
Extras
Knights don’t usually need extras, but there
are plenty of exceptions including a squire, loyal
minions, a custom vehicle, or a prize stallion. All
of these avoid magic and are perfectly appropri-
ate for modern heroes. If enchantment is your
friend, arm yourself with a magic blade, a shield
that inspires you, or a ring to ward off evil magic.
Damosel
The women of Arthurian myth are resourceful non-
combatants. Many are skilled in intrigue and the so-
cial arena of court, while others are famous surgeons
known for their healing talents. True, many are best
known for being kidnapped, but even when at the
mercy of brigands they think quickly enough to leave
clues and help behind for those knights who ultimate-
ly rescue them. Most interesting are those ladies who
are found in the wilderness, in pavilions by the road,
or in remote castles, from where they issue quests to
knights and lead them into adventure. These maid-
ens always seem to recognize the knights they come
across and they are quite at ease in the wild, even if
they don’t do much fighting themselves. When their
knights fail to perform on the battlefield, damosels
13
 Chapter 2: Paths
know how to motivate them to success—whether
through loving inspiration or sharp-tongued humili-
ation. Not every damosel is benevolent, some are evil
and wicked, and a few are rumored to have magical
powers such as prophecy or the brewing of potions;
this can be represented with the magical talent of
Divination or the Potions extra (see the Enchantment
chapter for details on these extras). Chapter 7 has
advice for the use of Prophecy in the game.
Damosels are everywhere in Arthurian stories,
though we don’t always learn their names. When
Arthur triumphed in an early battle before meet-
ing Guinevere, he sought refuge at the castle of the
Lady Lyonors, who had lost her father in the same
battle; they got along so well that she bore him a son.
Elaine of Astolat, whom Tennyson immortalized as
the Lady of Shalott, was a damosel who observed
Lancelot from afar in a magic mirror before finally
dying out of unrequited love for him. Guinevere’s
malicious twin sister—also named Guinevere, and
boy was that confusing—was a particularly dangerous
damosel who even replaced her twin on the throne of
England and convinced Arthur she was the real thing!
Aspect Advice
It is an unfortunate fact that most of the women in
the Arthurian age—even very important ones—are
less than famous or, even worse, completely nameless.
So Elaine of Carbonek probably won’t get you very far
as a high concept, though Lady of Shalott will. While
it makes a lousy high concept (for various reasons),
consider an aspect that characterizes your relation-
ship with other Arthurians, like Percival’s Saintly Sister,
I Seduced Sir Lancelot or Guinevere’s Evil Twin. Social
connections are very important to a successful damo-
sel, and aspects like Extended Family, Everyone’s Best
Friend, or Ten Thousand Twitter Followers are a power-
ful way to reinforce that. Damosels are often healers
or physicians able to cure poison (Healing Hands);
others dabble in a supernatural power or two (My
Mother Was a Witch). As sexist as it sounds, physical
beauty was an important asset for many damosels
and worth representing as an aspect. Besides, there’s
nothing that says your damosel has to be reincar-
nated in the body of a woman. Fashion Sense, Cleans
up Good, or Hot Body all work just as well for a man.
Key Skills
Damosels have the most diverse skill set of any
path, but social power is key. Empathy, Rapport and
Contacts are the bread and butter for damosels.
Not every damosel is a nice girl, however; charac-
ters like Lynette “back-talk”, swapping out Rapport
for Provoke, sniping at enemy knights, and goad-
ing their own protectors into action with taunts and
insults. Use Confidence to put positive aspects on
your allies and to fuel stunts or extras based on faith
14
or love. Willpower helps you to resist fear and in-
timidation, even during the inevitable kidnapping
plot. Damosels are usually observant (Notice), rich
(Resources), and knowledgeable on all sorts of things
knights know nothing about (Education). Medical
skill (Education again, this time with a stunt), musical
talent (Performance) and a level of comfort traveling
in the wild (Wilderness) are all amply supported by
the source material. Those who dabble in potions
or the odd enchantment will need Occult. And, of
course, women who are in more progressive jobs
than the Arthurian age allowed may have combat
skills like Firearms, Athletics, Drive, or Brawl.
Stunts
Consider Mythic Vision (Empathy), Pattern
Recognition (Investigate) or some other way to
improve your ability to recognize Arthurian in-
carnations; this is a signature characteristic of
damosels in the Arthurian age, who always seem
to identify knights who come riding down the
road. Stunts that help you give support to your
allies will make you the most popular character
at the table: Confident in Victory (Confidence),
Sharp Tongue (Provoke), or Inspiring Beauty
(Rapport) are all new in Arthur Lives!; you can find
them in Chapter 3. When in doubt, stunts which
boost your primary skills—Empathy, Contacts,
and Rapport or Provoke—are always a safe bet.
Extras
Damosels run the gamut of extras. A surpris-
ing number of them have supernatural powers of
some sort, often easily represented with a single
magical talent like Divination, Healing, Refuge (for
servants of the Ladies of the Lake) or Summon &
Banish. The Potions extra gives you access to three
talents, but only when you put the magic into a
liquid that must be drunk or an ointment spread
onto a wound. Minions are another common extra
for damosels, representing servants and soldiers
bound to her by oaths of loyalty, friendship, or blood.
A brother or a special pet may be useful enough to
qualify as a companion. She may have an enchanted
item or two, like a magic mirror, knife, or ring.
Enchanter
Merlin, Morgan Le Fey, and the Ladies of the Lake
are the most famous of Arthurian magicians, but the
legends boast many individuals capable of working
magic to fantastic effect. There was more than one
way to learn magic in Arthurian Britain; for some,
magic power came from Hell, either through a famil-
ial tie (such as that of Merlin, whose father was a de-
mon) or through devil-worship. But other magicians,
like Morgan, learned their art through long study
and the reading of ancient books. Finally, characters

like the Ladies of the Lake seem to be heirs to oc-
cult traditions beyond ordinary human experience.
By crossing over into the land of Faerie, they came
into contact with magical beings, places, and powers
which they were somehow able to master. No matter
how an enchanter got his abilities, he could count on
being feared by ordinary mortals, who wisely rec-
ognized his power. Enchanters who lent their pow-
ers to kings were usually benevolent advisors who
could be relied upon to use their magic for good, but
there were many black magicians who tried to kill
or imprison their enemies through magic, and there
is also a tradition of evil queens who, working with
Morgan Le Fey in a kind of supernatural conspiracy,
tried to weave a web of black magic around all Britain.
Enchanters abound in the legend: When Merlin
traveled to the court of the French kings Ban and
Bors, he taught their advisor Gwenbaus much
about magic —magic which the new enchanter
then went on to use on behalf of his lords in their
war against their rival King Claudus. The Queen of
Norgales (Northern Wales) was considered a dan-
gerous sorceress, and cooperated with Morgan and
King Mark in various plots against Arthur. Morgan
herself, the most infamous sorceress in history,
can be represented with the enchanter path.
Aspect Advice
It is vital that your high concept establish your
nature as a magician: Lady of the Lake, Student
of Merlin, or Thoroughly Modern Morgan are all
solid examples, as are particular styles of magic
like Spellsinger or Technomancer. This will enable
you to select some starting magical talents. You
might use another aspect to clarify a magical spe-
cialty or some special source of power, like Friends
in the Faerie Court, I Talk to Angels, or Hellfire.
Skills
Occult, Confidence, and Willpower are your key
skills; see Chapter 5 for details on how they interact
and differ from each other. An enchanter whose
highest skill is Occult knows a large variety of spells,
has a lot of experience with magic, and has plenty of
tricks up his sleeve. An enchanter with Confidence
overwhelms his rivals and enemies through brute
magical force. And an enchanter who relies on
Willpower is a master of finesse and the precise
manipulation of magical energy. Otherwise, enchant-
ers usually have a good Education; Morgan herself
learned black magic in an abbey, from books. They
are often tricksters, concealing their powers or their
identity with Deceive or intimidating mortals with
Provoke. Because they are almost always highly
intelligent, they are often also perceptive (Notice)
or analytical (Investigate). Enchanters who spent
much of their former lives apart and alone may have
Stealth or Wilderness. An enchanter with combat
Chapter 2: Paths
skills is most likely to have picked up Firearms in his
second life, but Brawl makes an entertaining choice.
Stunts
Most of your refresh will be spent broaden-
ing your magical repertoire, but consider acquir-
ing a stunt which makes your best magical skill
even more useful. For example, if your best skill is
Occult, select a stunt which allows you to cast spells
faster by combining Occult with another skill in the
same action (Master Occultist); confident magi-
cians might craft a stunt which gives them a bonus
to Confidence when using a particular talent, such
as Glamour or Necromancy. An enchanter can’t be
good at everything, but you can become very effec-
tive indeed at a narrow specialty, if you choose.
You will not always be able to use your magic;
mundane witnesses complicate matters and you may
want to avoid enchantment stress and consequences.
A stunt or two giving you strong non-magical op-
tions will not go unused. I’ve Read about That
(Education), The Power of Deduction (Notice) or
Armor of Fear (Provoke, perhaps adjusted to affect
only attacks with Firearms) are all good examples.
Extras
You will not have enough refresh to purchase all
the extras you want; alas, this is the life of an en-
chanter. While it will be tempting to simply add
more talents to your list, a magical focus or a mun-
dane place of power can allow you to turn rare spells
into common ones, and to use them frequently
and reliably without accumulating stress. Ladies of
the Lake need Refuge and possibly Healing, Ward,
or Travel. Black magicians will have Necromancy,
Binding, and Summon & Banish. Witches make do
with Emotion and Blessings & Curses. If you are a
magician in the Merlin tradition, well, he used every
talent at one point or another, so you can pretty much
pick the ones you like best and call it a character.
King
The great nobles of Arthurian myth are skilled lead-
ers, veteran tacticians, and highly respected figures
treated with courtesy even by their foes. Every king
has a realm of his own, even if it is relatively small,
and this ensures the wealth not only of the king, but
also his extended family. At first, the kings of England,
Wales, Cornwall, Scotland, and Ireland answered to
no one, ruling their lands in complete autonomy. Over
the years, however, all eventually knelt before Arthur.
Some were conquered by force, but many more were
so impressed by his just, prosperous, and peaceful
rule that they joined him willingly. A very few kings
abandoned their homelands and became knights-
errant; for kings of this sort (such as Pellinore),
the path of the knight may be more suitable.
15
 Chapter 2: Paths
Kings appear in the legend as both allies and ad-
versaries. Among the former are King Ban and King
Bors, French brothers who lent critical aid to Arthur
in exchange for his own promise to help them—a
promise he failed to keep. King Ryons of Wales had
already defeated eleven kings when he decided to
make Arthur the twelfth; Balin and Balan captured
him in ambush and delivered him to Arthur in an
attempt to win a pardon. Perhaps the most com-
mon sort of story is that of Barant, the King of a
Hundred Knights, who first allied himself with Lot
in the revolt against Arthur’s rule, but then changed
his allegiance and joined Arthur’s cause after a
mysterious dream warned him of his own future.
Aspect Advice
Your high concept should establish whatever it is
you are king of: King Mark of Cornwall, The Boxcar King,
King of the Lanes. Ideally, this aspect will establish both
your domain and your authority over it, whatever it
might be. And, because this is Arthur Lives!, your do-
main could be thoroughly modern. CEO of Blackmun
Enterprises, Chairman of the Board, and (R-UT) are
all perfectly acceptable high concepts for a king.
Your other aspects should bolster your wealth
(Too Big to Fail), influence (I Make the Laws in This
Town), and years of experience (Old Dog, New
Tricks). A powerful connection like Weekly Golf
Game with the Governor or I Have the Vatican on
Speed-Dial are good examples of what differenti-
ates a King from a mere Knight or Damosel. Kings
with a spiritual role should represent that with
an aspect (Guardian of the Faith) while those who
are still capable warriors may want an aspect they
can use in physical conflicts (I’ve Still Got It).
Skills
Kings can be many things: pious, warlike, or re-
clusive, but they are always rich and influential.
Your most important skills are Resources, Contacts,
and Leadership. Kings who are loved have good
Rapport; those who are feared rely on Provoke
instead. Willpower and Confidence are appropri-
ate for all but weak and failed kings. Hunting was
a source of constant entertainment and distrac-
tion for kings; represent this with Wilderness. If
you won your throne by force, you probably have
Melee, Athletics, and Physique, though none of
these are as high as they were in your youth. (Of
course, if you’re a king who has recognized him-
self in a youthful body, you may have the benefit
of both experience and vigor!) Wicked kings like
Mark prioritize Deceive over other social skills, and
if your wife cheated on you—a sad likelihood—you
may have acquired Stealth, Notice, Investigate, or
Empathy in your attempts to prove her infidelity.
16
Stunts
Your stunts will generally do one of two things.
Either they will sharpen your key skills or they
will support your secondary emphasis, whatever
skill set you have chosen to focus on besides the
fact that you are a rich and powerful leader.
In the first basket are stunts like Command
(Leadership), Throne Room (Contacts) or
Money Talks (Resources). These stunts are de-
signed to heighten your influence over NPCs
and to support your fellow PCs with aspects or
die roll bonuses. You overcome your antagonists
by throwing money at them, by entangling
them in bureaucracy, or by wielding in-
struments of authority like the police. Use
your stunts to sharpen those knives.
The second basket is for stunts which sup-
port the skills you used to become a king in
the first place. If you’re a warrior-king, look at
stunts like Heavy Hitter (Melee) or Called Shot
(Firearms). Smooth-talking blue-bloods might
have Demagogue (Rapport) or Lie Whisperer
(Empathy) instead, and a spiritual king like Pellam
or one of the other guardians of the Grail might
have Armor of Faith (Confidence), Unimpeachable
Honor (Rapport), or I Am a Rock (Willpower).
Extras
Kings use extras to represent organizations they
head or a large body of obedient retainers, both of
which can consume as much refresh as you’re will-
ing to spend. When you do this, be sure to commu-
nicate with the GM and the other players, since no
one wants to be upstaged by your army of minions.
Instead, use your kingdom, whatever it is, to fa-
cilitate cool moments, to get past intermediate ob-
stacles on the way to the key scenes, and to get your
friends out of trouble when the dice turn against
them. Some kings are also guardians of magical
treasures, but these items do not necessarily need
to be purchased with extras since their use or pur-
pose is not always clear and the king usually keeps
them in a secure room anyway. Only a few kings
have magical abilities, but those that do often wield
the Healing talent, curing disease with a touch.
 Chapter 2: Paths

Named Paths had done the deed. Ector revealed that Merlin had
given you to him when you were but an infant; the
magician himself soon appeared to claim you were
the child of the last king, Uther Pendragon, and his
Arthur, the Once Queen, Igraine of Cornwall. Although you had drawn
the sword, not everyone accepted your claim to the
and Future King status of King of England. In particular, King Lot of
Scotland declared his intent to take the title by force.
Arthur’s reign over England was engineered by With Merlin’s constant help, you organized a gov-
Merlin, who arranged for the boy’s birth, took him ernment and re-staged the sword-drawing stunt a
from his parents, gave him to a foster family, then few times to persuade more lords of England to join
re-appeared when Arthur was (barely) old enough your cause. You were in the middle of a very closely
for him to stake his claim. Merlin didn’t really know fought war with Lot when you committed your great
what kind of king he was getting; Arthur was some- sin—you allowed yourself to be seduced by Lot’s wife,
thing of a wild card. What Merlin got was an idealistic Morgause. At the time, you had come to doubt the
and proud man who took his oaths of fealty story that you were Uther’s son and thus Morgause’s
seriously. He needed a lot of guidance at brother. It was only after Morgause had returned
first, and it was in his early days that he to Scotland that your mother, Igraine, emerged
made all his worst mistakes, but with from a convent and confirmed Merlin’s tale. Only
work he managed to bring peace and you and Morgause knew you had committed both
prosperity to all the British Isles. It adultery and incest. In a panic, warned by Merlin
all collapsed in the end, but while that your son would one day kill you, you ordered
it lasted Camelot was a magi- all the boy children born in May to be rounded
cal place in a magical time. up and drowned. Your orders were carried out
Arthur is a good warrior and, when Lot learned of it,
with access to potent magi- he renewed his war with
cal weapons and an array you. He never
of resources (reputation, learned that
wealth, followers) that Mordred was
can make life easier for not his son. With
everyone. He’s also at the help of Merlin, Kay,
the heart of many of the Balin, and Pellinore, you
most important per- killed Lot and his allies and
sonality conflicts in the claimed the crown. Soon after,
game, especially the love you married Guinevere, the daughter of
triangle with Guinevere and your ally Leodegrance of Cameliard.
Lancelot. It is difficult to Your wars continued, though you were
imagine a story in which always responding to the aggression of
Arthur’s player runs out others. When you refused to pay trib-
of roleplaying opportuni- ute to Rome, the Emperor rattled his
ties or has nothing to do. sabers. In return, you invaded the
Continent and were briefly Emperor
Your Past Life yourself. The Saxons were a constant
thorn until the battle of Badon Hill,
You grew up believing Sir
Ector, a country lord, was your when you succeeded in killing an
father and that Kay was your entire generation of their warriors.
older brother. You served him Your lords and barons extended
as squire and anticipated being your rule into Ireland and France.
knighted yourself one day when, Eventually all the major wars were
at a great tournament in London, over and a long peace—the Pax
you found yourself able to draw Arthuriana—settled over the land.
the sword from the stone. Your magnificent castle, Camelot,
You promptly gave it to became the magical capital of a
Kay, whose sword you magical land. Within its halls,
had run to fetch. Kay the Round Table embodied
claimed the sword at first, all that was just and good. By
but he soon admitted that you this time, most of your fighting

17
 Chapter 2: Paths
was over. You had become an administrator
and a dispenser of justice, the most famous, re-
spected, and influential man in the world.
Your knights—inspired by the examples of
Lancelot, Percival, Tristan, and Gawain—pursued
quests all over the land and brought exhilarating
stories back to your court. The greatest of these
quests was that for the Holy Grail, which appeared
in a vision to you and your court. The quest was
necessary—Balin’s Dolorous Stroke many years
before had put a wound in the world which only
the Grail could heal—but in many ways the Quest
for the Grail proved the beginning of the end for
your perfect society. Some of your greatest knights
never returned from it; many others were killed.
Your old sin would not be forgotten. Mordred, the
youngest of Morgause’s children, came to your court
and was made a knight. Soon his true nature was
revealed to him, and his personality turned cruel
and evil. Blood feuds—especially the one between
Morgause’s sons and the Pellinore clan—began tear-
ing your court apart. It was Mordred and his brother
Agravaine who eventually exposed the long affair
that Guinevere had been having with Lancelot, an
accusation that had been made many times in the
past but which the Queen had always been proven
innocent of. In Lancelot’s escape from the trap,
several knights were killed, adding to the crime.
You felt obligated to put Guinevere on trial. Before
she could be burnt, Lancelot arrived with a small
force to rescue her. More of your knights were
killed, notably Gareth and Gaheris. This prompted
Gawain—your greatest remaining supporter—to
swear vengeance on Lancelot. There seemed no op-
tion but to pursue Lancelot to France, where he had
holed up with many of your remaining knights, who
supported his side in the feud. Incredibly, Guinevere
returned to you and, even more incredible, you al-
lowed her to rule as Queen while you were in France.
Mordred tried to seize the throne in your ab-
sence but Guinevere outwitted him and fled to the
Tower of London, where Mordred could not get
her. You hurriedly packed up your army in France
and returned to England, where Mordred and his
many foreign allies met you in climactic battle on
Salisbury Plain. He was the last man of his army
to remain standing; you dealt each other mortal
blows. He died. You lingered long enough to order
Bedivere, one of your longest-serving knights, to
return Excalibur to the Lady of the Lake. Then four
queens, your half-sister Morgan le Fey among them,
arrived to bear you to Avalon, where your wounds
were to be healed. That’s the last you remember.
You believed that strength should be used to aid the
weak and powerless, not to impose tyranny. You were
generous to your allies and guests, slow to punish
those who were close to you, but proud and wrath-
ful once aroused. Because you had been raised the
18
second son of a country knight—and not the heir
apparent to a warlike king—you empathized with
the common people of your kingdom and preferred
peace to war. You were capable of great feats of
arms—such as the defeat of Sir Lamorak (credited
as the third best knight in the world) and the de-
feat of the Giant of Saint Michael’s Mount—but
as you aged, becoming more and more a symbol,
the heroic deeds of your knights eclipsed you.
There were women before Guinevere (the
Lady Lyonors, who bore you a son, and of course
Morgause) but none after. You loved her, though
you did not always appreciate her. Once, she was
kidnapped and replaced by an evil twin—it took
you more than a year to notice. You may not have
been the most observant king, but you were re-
lentless in the energetic pursuit of your desire to
bring peace, justice, and prosperity to the world.
Recognizing Arthur
Arthur is likely to be younger than some of the
other PCs, especially characters like Merlin, Nineve,
Kay, Balin, and Pellinore. He may be an orphan or
raised by someone other than his acknowledged
parents. As the Pendragon, he may have some con-
nection to dragons or drakes. He’s almost certain to
pull something (a crowbar, a baseball bat, whatever)
out of something immovable. There are some sug-
gestions the name Arthur may be related to Artus,
the Latin for “bear,” suggesting bear-like qualities,
or a Welsh word meaning “dark.” He is often de-
picted with red hair and may be in a leader position
of some sort (chairman of the board, quarterback).
Nemesis
Your nemesis is Mordred, your son by incest with
your sister Morgause. When Mordred was still in
the womb, God delivered you a dream warning you
of your sin and your eventual defeat at Mordred’s
hand. You repented and did public penance before
God, crawling up the steps of St. Stephen’s cathedral.
Consumed by shame and afraid for your own life,
you ordered all the boy children born in the month of
May to be put on a ship and drowned. Miraculously,
Mordred survived your plan and grew up ignorant of
his true father. When the truth was revealed to him
by a prophetic hermit, he became a cancer within
Camelot. Eventually he exposed the Queen’s long-
running love affair with Lancelot and you were humil-
iated before the entire kingdom. Lancelot’s resistance
to arrest led to the death of many excellent knights, in-
cluding two of Gawain’s younger brothers. When you
pursued Lancelot to France, Mordred tried to seize
the throne. You returned to battle him at Camlann
and killed him with Excalibur. It was too late. He had
already driven a spear through your body but, more
importantly, he’d already destroyed your dream.

Aspects, Skills,
Stunts and Extras
The fact that there are hundreds of different in-
terpretations of King Arthur is a fact which lies at
the heart of the Arthur Lives! mythology. Your chal-
lenge is not to make one version which encompasses
all of them but, instead, to pick one interpretation
and play the hell out of it. Are you The Boy King;
The Once and Future King; Rex Quondam, Rexque
Futurus; Arthur Pendragon, King of the Britons, or
just Artus the Bear? You might be The Last Roman,
Dux Bellorum, Artorius Rex, or even Rhiothamus.
Arthur has many Troubles to choose from, in-
cluding My Best Friends Betray Me, My Relatives
Want to Kill Me, or Inappropriate Romances. It must
be mentioned that he is a Baby-Killer, a fact for
which he feels Incredible Guilt and did public pen-
ance, suffering Divine Punishment. In some versions
of the story, Arthur himself is an aging, relatively
Impotent king who relies on his heroic knights for
everything. In others, he is so Proud and Greedy
that he tries to conquer the entire world and
dies for his hubris. He is sometimes Vengeful.
He has many virtues as well. He believes in Might
For Right and has The Common Touch. He’s a Giant-
Killer, No Chessboard King, ready and eager to ad-
venture himself. He is both Generous and Just and
everyone knew My Word Is My Bond. He is occasional-
ly plagued by Prophetic Dreams he doesn’t understand.
In some modern versions he was Tutored by Merlin,
who turned him into animals in order to give him
perspective on the world. He may be Fated or have A
Great Destiny. He may know I Didn’t Come Back Just to
Die Here. Or, he could just be Lucky or Hard to Kill.
If you want to wield a magic weapon, you will
probably need Melee or Firearms (and the Arthurian
stunt). Athletics and some Physique (Tough as Nails)
are fully in character for a man who once out-jousted
Sir Lamorak and who picked up a fully armed and ar-
mored Gawain before throwing the great knight over
the saddle-horn of his horse. An experienced Arthur
will have Leadership (Command), Contacts (Throne
Room), and Resources but it can be very rewarding
to slowly grow into these skills over the course of the
campaign. Empathy, Investigate (Attention to Detail)
and Education will help with dispensing justice. Use
Rapport (Demagogue, Popular, Unimpeachable
Honor) instead of Provoke. Strengthen your
knights and companions with Confident in Victory
(Confidence) and Stand Fast (Leadership). Here are
a few new stunts especially appropriate for Arthur:
Chapter 2: Paths
• Steel Cutter: You have a +2 on Physique
or Melee rolls when you are using a weap-
on to slice or cut through another ob-
ject, like chains, a tree, or a door.
• Giant Killer: You have a +2 on Athletics rolls
to defend against attacks from supernatu-
ral creatures of larger than human size.
• Conversion: You excel at turning enemies
into friends. You can spend a Fate point and
put a positive aspect on an enemy which rep-
resents his changing attitudes towards you,
such as Braver Than I Thought, He Really
Is King Arthur!, or Maybe He’s Right.
Arthur’s extras are legendary. He wields either
the Sword in the Stone or Excalibur, which prob-
ably began as a single sword but which now have
irreconcilable histories. He formed the Round
Table and is King of Camelot. His shield bears
upon it the Virgin Mary and serves as a source
of inspiration. He has a wealth of other trea-
sures, including a cloak of invisibility, a blood-
thirsty spear, a huge pet dog named Caball, and
more. All of these are described in Chapter 5. If
he runs an organization, he can buy that or min-
ions with extras, and if he has a squire, that young
man is almost certainly named Tom or Thomas.
Adventures with Arthur
• Arthur will often find himself at the center of
stories; it may be more challenging to tell stories
that take the spotlight off him. A good Arthur
story will focus on responsibility. For example,
he may be forced to choose between loyalty to
his allies and doing what is right. He may of-
fer protection to someone only to later be put
in a position that makes him regret that offer.
• Arthur has done terrible things, including in-
cest and the murder of hundreds of innocent
children. Now that he has been given a new life,
how does he feel about those crimes? Does he
still deserve to be punished, and if so, to whom
can he go for absolution? Is there a way for him
to “make up” for the sins of his former life?
• One common trope in modern retellings of
the Arthurian legend is the notion that Arthur
has to be educated or taught how to be king,
usually by Merlin but sometimes by his other
knights. It’s possible to structure many early
sessions of Arthur Lives! as lessons which teach
Arthur some virtue or principle which he will
require later in life. This is also a great way to
get the other PCs involved, as they will have
to decide amongst themselves what Arthur
needs to know and how he should learn it.
19
 Chapter 2: Paths
Balin the Savage,
the Knight with
Two Swords
One of the best warriors from the early years of
Arthur’s reign, Balin became known as the Knight
with Two Swords when he acquired a second blade
from a mysterious woman in Arthur’s court. Balin
was an extraordinarily deadly fighter, but was cursed
with bad luck. A series of rash decisions eventually
resulted not only in his death but in the Dolorous
Stroke and the creation of a Wasteland which would
only be cured years later by the Quest for the Holy
Grail. Balin is little known today, but it can be ar-
gued that Arthur would have died without Balin’s
help in a critical battle. In a modern setting, he pits
his twin swords against a new generation of foes,
living fast and furious before his inevitable death.
Unlike most other knight characters, Balin has
few ties to anyone or anything and his resources
are not particularly good. He lives by his wits,
surviving on plunder he has taken from his foes.
Balin is exclusively a warrior; his focus on fight-
ing with two swords makes him especially dan-
gerous in hand-to-hand combat. Balin’s curse
ensures his life will be a brief but brilliant one;
he is at his best when he ignores his impending
death and fights the good fight as long as he can.
Your Past Life
You got started on the wrong foot
in the early days of Arthur’s reign.
You were imprisoned half a year for
killing the cousin of the king of
Northumberland, but this
was in revenge for the
death of one of your
own brothers who
had been poisoned
20
by Nineve, the Lady of the Lake, so you considered
yourself wrongfully jailed. Arthur needed the sup-
port of everyone he could get in those days, and he
freed you and many other prisoners so that you might
join his army. You were free again but impoverished
and lingering at the court when a mysterious woman
claiming to be a servant of Nineve arrived wearing a
large, bulky sword which she said she could not take
off. In fact, no one could remove it unless that person
was the best knight the damosel could find. You alone
of all the knights present were able to draw the sword,
and even though she warned you it would bring
you only misery and death, you vowed to keep it.
As you were out putting on your armor, Nineve
herself arrived. This was too good to be believed,
since you had hunted her three years in an effort
to gain justice for your brother’s death, but you
had never been able to find her enchanted Faerie
home. Nineve had given Arthur Excalibur and
was now in Camelot to collect a favor in return:
she demanded either your head or the head of the
maiden with the sword. You emerged about this
time, brand new sword in hand, and swiftly de-
capitated her in front of Arthur and all his lords.
The King was furious, as he considered Nineve
to be under his protection. You tried to explain that
Nineve had killed many knights including your
brother, but Arthur banished you from the court.
Quickly getting on your horse, you were neverthe-
less followed by a prince of Ireland, Sir Lanceor,
who sought to gain favor in Arthur’s eyes by kill-
ing you. You fought Lanceor in a fair joust and slew
him. Lanceor’s girlfriend Colombe happened to see
the whole thing, and in grief she fell on Lanceor’s
sword. It was turning into a pretty bad day for you.
King Mark of Cornwall was passing by and
he found the dead bodies. He asked you your
name and your brother, Balan, who had finally
caught up with you, answered: “Sir . . . ye may
see he beareth two swords, thereby ye may
call him the Knight with the Two Swords.”
That’s how you gained your famous title.
You sought to regain Arthur’s favor, and so
you captured one of his earliest enemies, king
Ryons of Wales. Ryons had been leading an
army against the Boy King, and while his cap-
ture didn’t end the problem, it certainly helped.
When Ryons’ brother Nero took over the army
and began the Battle of Castle Terrabil, you
waited until things looked bad for
Arthur before leading a charge
out of the nearby forest and
helping to turn the tide. Some
say you killed king Lot, one of
Arthur’s most dangerous foes,
but in fact this is not true.
Nevertheless, Arthur pub-
licly regretted banishing you.

Unfortunately, you weren’t around to hear this.
Instead, you were pursuing an evil knight by the name
of Sir Garlon, who just happened to be invisible. You
killed him, but a boy was injured in the fighting and
while you lingered to see to him Garlon’s brother, king
Pellam, showed up. Now Garlon might have been a
villain, but Pellam was the Fisher King and one of
the most sacred people in England. When you tried
to defend yourself, your sword broke. (Your first one,
not the one you got off the maiden.) You fled and, in
a rush, grabbed a spear off the wall and threw it at
Pellam. Unfortunately (again) this spear turned out to
be the Spear of Longinus, which killed Christ on the
Cross. Putting the Holy Lance through the keeper of
the Holy Grail turned out to be the magical equivalent
of matter and anti-matter: your single blow leveled the
entire castle, created a Wasteland that instantly de-
stroyed three kingdoms, and tore a hole in the Faerie
Veil. This was called “The Dolorous Stroke” and it
has gone down in history as All Your Fault. Merlin
pulled you out of the wreckage of the castle three
days later.
You would think that tearing a magical hole in
reality (and destroying a good chunk of Britain in
the process) would have been the low point of your
career, but it got worse. On an adventure to an is-
land called Melliot you found yourself in a duel with
a mysterious knight clad head to toe in red armor.
The two of you mortally wounded each other be-
fore you realized this man was your brother, Balan.
(He hadn’t recognized you either, because you were
using a blank shield at the time and your face was
covered by your helmet.) Both you and your brother
died. After your death, the supernatural sword
you had claimed for your own was refurbished by
Merlin and given to Galahad, who used it to com-
plete the Grail Quest and heal the Dolorous Stroke.
In the end, you were a valorous and highly capable
knight who was true to his word and tried to do the
right thing. Nevertheless, you were doomed to a brief
life of unfortunate deeds. Perhaps this time around,
things will be better. Perhaps they will be even worse.
Recognizing Balin
An incarnation of Balin might be a loner or even an
outlaw. He may be in prison or recently released. He
may have a brother to whom he is particularly loyal.
He’ll probably be trained in fencing or the martial
arts, and he’ll be down on his luck. He may be try-
ing to work for an authority figure who doesn’t want
or appreciate the help. Because of Balin’s emphasis
on swords, he is one of the most likely incarna-
tions to be found in medieval recreation societies
or working at a “Medieval Times” dinner theater.
Perhaps he’s a fight choreographer or stuntman.
Chapter 2: Paths
Nemesis
Your nemesis is Nineve, a Lady of the Lake who killed
one of your brothers with a burning poison and who
came to Arthur’s court at Camelot to demand your
death from the King as payment for Excalibur. Taking
Nineve by surprise, you lopped off her head right in
front of Arthur, which got you exiled. You spent the rest
of your brief, cursed life trying to win back Arthur’s
favor, but you never regretted killing the Lady of the
Lake. After all, she would have done the same to you.
Aspects, Skills,
Stunts and Extras
Balin’s nicknames, The Knight with Two Swords
and Balin the Savage, make great high concepts, es-
pecially since his name is not well-known or rec-
ognized. (Savage, in this context, originally meant
“eager for battle,” but you can give it a more tradi-
tional meaning for savage if you want.) Either of these
concepts—a “savage” nature or Balin’s specialization
in two-weapon-fighting—make for useful additional
aspects. Balin Keeps His Word and appears In the
Nick of Time. He is often Rash, Stubborn, Bloodthirsty,
Looking for Approval or Judged Unfairly, and is prob-
ably Poor or Down on His Luck. He might be Witness to
a Double Murder. But this is not his biggest problem.
Balin’s Trouble is his curse. This curse can take many
forms, but the upshot is that he makes mistakes of judg-
ment and perception which result in tragedy. When
he challenges a mysterious man in a duel to the death,
that man just happens to be his brother. When he
chops off the head of the woman who killed his moth-
er, Arthur just happens to have been in debt to that
woman. When he grabs a weapon to defend himself,
that weapon turns out to be the Holy Lance and using
it destroys the land for miles around and opens a rift to
the Other Side. If you are going to play Balin, embrace
the curse, don’t try to downplay or minimize it. There
are hundreds of other knights who aren’t doomed to
accidentally do tragic things, but those aren’t the knight
you chose to play. Instead, make the curse central, and
play the heck out of it for as long as you live ... which
is probably not long. The specific form of the curse
is very negotiable; you might start with Doomed to
Hurt Those Close to Him, The Road to Hell is Paved with
Good Intentions, or It’s Not Healthy to Be My Friend.
Melee is Balin’s most important skill, though
Athletics and Physique are close behind. Other
knights might give up their swords for guns or fists,
but Balin’s focus on swords is right there in his title.
Other knights have secondary interests: Pellinore is
a hunter, Gawain a ladies-man, Tristan has his harp
and Lancelot’s good at everything, but Balin does one
thing really well, and what he does isn’t pretty. He’s
one of the most focused paths in Arthur Lives! Here
are a few new stunts especially appropriate for Balin:
21
 Chapter 2: Paths
• One for Each of You: When Balin makes Melee
attacks with swords against two different targets,
he inflicts +2 additional stress before dividing the
damage by two. Neither of the two resulting hits
can do more stress than the original damage roll.
• Wall of Steel: When Balin is using two
swords, he is +2 on Melee rolls per-
formed during a Full Defense.
• Feint: When Balin makes a Melee attack with a
sword and fails to overcome the target’s defense,
he can spend a Fate point to make a second attack
against the same target with his other sword.
Balin has access to The Sword of Adventure, a
magical weapon crafted by Nineve before Merlin
re-fashioned it after Balin’s death into a weapon
destined for the saintly Galahad. Incarnations of
Balin typically will not start with the sword, but
they can gain an echo of it in play. See Chapter 5 for
more on Balin’s sword. Balin has no other magical
powers and doesn’t even have the mundane re-
sources shared by other knights; he’s a loner who
lives without companions, an estate, or squire. Avoid
other extras and put your refresh in more stunts.
Adventures with Balin
• Balin might adventure to reclaim his magic
sword, the one he claimed from the maiden.
There might be an echo of it somewhere. He
may need to perform some kind of trial to get
it, as he did originally when he pulled it from
the scabbard around her waist. Alternately, the
sword may be waiting for Galahad, in whose
hands it may be the most powerful supernatu-
ral weapon in Arthurian myth. (See elsewhere
for more on echoes and Balin’s Sword.)
• The last time Balin saw Nineve she was ask-
ing Arthur to execute Balin as payback for the
gift of Excalibur. She’s not going to be happy
with Balin, and when you’re an enchantress and
Lady of the Lake you can make life pretty dif-
ficult for a simple swordsman like Balin. Balin
may find himself harassed by supernatural
creatures summoned from Faerie and sent to
kill him, or Nineve might get close to him with-
out ever letting him suspect her true identity.
• There was one person Balin could always
count on: his brother. Balan’s tragic death
at Balin’s hand may be even worse than the
Dolorous Stroke (at least as far as Balin is
concerned) because it is so much more per-
sonal. Balin might try to find his brother just
to apologize. Certainly, he could use a friend.
22
Does It Have To Be Swords?
You’re probably wondering if Balin has to carry
two swords. Could he use knives, baseball bats,
or even pistols instead? Of course he can. Swords
are only really essential if you have a high con-
cept like Knight with Two Swords. If you want
to specialize in a different form of two-weapon
fighting, just craft an aspect that supports it,
like Two-Gun Kid or Two-Fisted Brawler. But you
should probably use two somethings, or else
there’s not much reason to play Balin.
Gawain, Heir
to the Throne
Gawain is one of the most famous knights of the
Round Table and one of the few whom even those
unfamiliar with the legend will at least recognize
by name. While Lancelot was created by French
authors, Percival was primarily the topic of German
tales, and Tristan was Cornish, Gawain remains the
quintessential British knight, a trait borne out by his
close relationship to Arthur (he is both the King’s
oldest nephew and designated heir to the throne)
and his starring role in the tale of the Green Knight.
But as other knights crowded into the saga, Gawain’s
role changed, until he was no longer the courteous
exemplar of knightly virtues. Instead, he devolved
into an overly aggressive, even murderous, war-
rior whose lustful and bloodthirsty ways ensured
he would be a miserable failure in the Grail Quest.
Players of Gawain can stay true to the early version
of the character as a model knight and Arthur’s good
right hand, they can cleave to the later Gawain and
use his physical prowess for revenge and personal
gratification, or they can try to find some balance
of the two (perhaps in a Gawain who, seasoned by
his tragic death, seeks to atone for past misdeeds).
Incarnations of Gawain have a lot of connections to
family and friends; it seems Gawain either killed, was
related to, or was best friends with just about everyone
else in the Arthurian story. He is also remarkable for
his superhuman strength, which was said to increase
the higher the sun got in the sky. This ensures that
any incarnation of Gawain will be good in hand-to-
hand combat. Gawain also has access to supernatural
weapons and equipment, as well as a famous mount.
Finally, he was notable for his many romances with
women throughout the story; he was considered
a champion of women everywhere and had many
wives, but these relationships seldom lasted long.

Your Past Life
You were the eldest son and heir of king Lot of
Orkney and queen Morgause, who was herself the
daughter of Gorlois of Cornwall and Queen Igraine.
Thus, you were King Arthur’s nephew, and you were
first brought to court by your mother when—unbe-
knownst to you—she seduced him in an effort to force
a peace between your uncle and your father.
When the peace failed and your father went
to war against Arthur you were not quite
old enough to take the field. Your father
was killed by Pellinore, and although you
swore revenge, as a good son should,
you were nevertheless of divided loyalty.
You had seen Arthur’s court, and the
wisdom and justice of the king (so
close to your own age!) had
impressed you. When
Arthur announced his
marriage to Guinevere,
you convinced your mother to
bring you to Arthur’s court, where you
became one of the Boy King’s great-
est knights. Your other brothers would
soon follow you, acting first as your
own squires, then as knights themselves
For a time, you were the greatest
knight of Arthur’s court. You partici-
pated in heroic quests, and you were
instrumental in the war against Rome.
When Lancelot arrived at court, you
took his superior fighting skills in
stride and eventually came to love
him like a brother. More knights came
and your status slowly gave way to people
like Tristan, Pellinore, and Galahad, but
Arthur never wavered in his affection and
respect for you. He named you his heir,
and gave you Excalibur to wield on his
behalf. You were the last person to “see”
Merlin alive, though actually all you did
was hear his voice coming out from
the cave Nimue had sealed him into.
Your greatest adventure was your
rivalry with Sir Bertilak, the myste-
rious Green Knight, who came to
Arthur’s court and offered to let you
chop his head off if he would get the
chance for a return blow. You cleaved
Bertilak’s head off easily enough,
but he walked over and put it back
on his shoulders! The enchanted
Green Knight gave you a year to live,
but just before you were to
meet him in battle you
were lured into a test
Chapter 2: Paths
of your knightly virtue. By remaining true and not
yielding to the seductive temptations of Bertilak’s
bewitching wife, you proved your worth and Bertilak
spared you. By the time you returned to Camelot, you
had become a champion of all women everywhere,
and you were legendary for your courtly grace.
Many women and many battles followed, but your
long-promised vengeance finally came to pass: you
and your brothers murdered Pellinore. In this case,
loyalty to your family trumped your loyalty
to a fellow knight of the Round Table.
Later, your mother began a romance
with Pellinore’s son, Lamorak. With your
brothers, you snuck into her bedchamber
and cut off her head. Lamorak refused
to fight you and escaped alive, but you
and your brothers later cornered him
and overwhelmed him through sheer
numbers, killing him too. Your devo-
tion to Arthur—who warred with your
father but did not kill him—and
your willingness to kill Pellinore
and his family—who killed your
father in Arthur’s name—is a
complex puzzle that suggests
you might have felt guilty for your
father’s death, or perhaps displaced
your vengeance off of Arthur and
onto those who were easier for you
to hurt without consequence.
When the Holy Grail appeared,
you were the first to vow that you
would find it, but in fact your amo-
rous habits and battle-lust ensured
that you were an utter failure on the
Quest. You returned to Camelot as
your younger brothers were con-
spiring to catch Guinevere and
Lancelot in bed. When they did
and Lancelot escaped, your love for
your fellow knight led you to per-
suade Arthur not to go to war over
the matter—but when Lancelot’s
rescue of the Queen resulted in
the death of two of your brothers
your stance predictably reversed
and you led the charge into France.
But Lancelot was still your better on
the field, and each time you dueled
him he left you wounded but alive.
Finally, Mordred led a revolt back
in England and Arthur abandoned
France to return home. On your
deathbed you saw the error of
your ways and forgave Lancelot
for the death of your brothers.
23
 Chapter 2: Paths
Throughout your life you were brave, skilled in
battle, and good with the ladies. But the early dedi-
cation to the virtues of knighthood which served
you so well in your contest with the Green Knight
withered in the face of your need for revenge against
Pellinore and his family, and you clung stubbornly to
your wicked younger brothers even when they were
conspiring to bring down Arthur’s throne. You were
passionate and loyal, both to a fault, but from the
day of his wedding to the day of your death you were
someone Arthur could always turn to: next in line
to wear the crown, and the man who bore his arm.
Recognizing Gawain
You can expect Gawain to have a large family, and
to be responsible for that family in the absence of an
elder father figure. He may have many ex-girlfriends
or even children of his own. He may have a love/
hate relationship with his own mother. Gawain’s
shield is said to have sported a five-pointed star; this
may appear in jewelry or clothing worn by a mod-
ern incarnation. He liked apples so much that one
of Lamorak’s cousins tried to poison him with one,
knowing Gawain would eat it. In the Welsh stories
which influenced the Arthurian saga, Gawain is
represented by the character of Gwalchmai, which
may mean “Hawk of May.” Therefore, Gawain may be
associated with hawks or the month of May (also the
month in which he died). There is a belief that he may
be related to a solar deity, which explains his super-
natural strength linked to the location of the sun,
so he may live on the beach or otherwise be associ-
ated with a sun-worshipping culture or profession,
like astronomer, lifeguard, or solar panel installer.
As the original Knight of the Garter, Gawain is often
depicted with a green sash across his chest: a symbol
of humility and his obligation to serve women. Look
for Gawain to be wearing a green tie, belt, or garter.
Nemesis
You gain the benefits of Nemesis against Pellinore or
any member of his family (including not only incar-
nations like Lamorak and Percival, but also mundane
family members of Pellinore’s mortal reincarnation).
It was Pellinore who killed your father, King Lot, who
was Arthur’s great rival for the position of High King.
You never blamed Arthur for warring with Lot, but
you did blame Pellinore for dealing a mortal blow
in battle, and you and Gaheris murdered Pellinore
in cold blood ten years later. When you discovered
that your own mother had taken Pellinore’s son for a
lover, you and Gaheris murdered her too, in bed, but
Lamorak refused to fight you and escaped. Finally,
teaming up with all your brothers save Gareth, you
tracked Lamorak down, killed his horse, and ganged
up on him for three hours before Mordred finally
managed to stab this great knight in the back.
24
Aspects, Skills,
Stunts, and Extras
Gawain is a famous knight and his name makes a
perfectly good high concept, but he is also Arthur’s
Heir, King Lot’s Eldest Son, Prince of Orkney, a Knight
Errant and Ladies’ Man, the original Knight of the
Garter. In the older tales, Gawain is a Role Model,
but as other knights eclipsed him, he became the
Bad Example, the guy whose actions always re-
bounded negatively on himself and others. He
became Violent instead of valorous, a Seducer in-
stead of courtly lover, and eventually a Murderer.
His worst crimes stem from the blood feud which
is represented by his Nemesis trait, but perhaps
his Trouble can be best summed up by Family
First, King Second, Everyone Else a Distant Third.
Thanks to his mythical strength, Gawain should
have the highest Physique at the table, with Tough
as Nails, Take the Blow and Cut. Of course, other
action skills like Melee (Heavy Hitter, Killing
Stroke) and Athletics are always useful for knights,
but Gawain might have Brawl to take better ad-
vantage of his incredible strength. His countless
adventures, many romances, and big family is well
represented by Contacts (Extensive Family). Use
Provoke to represent Gawain the bully (Provoke
Violence; Okay, Fine!), and Deceive or Rapport
(Popular, Seduce) for seduction or romance, de-
pending on how sincere your version of Gawain is.
There is one extra Gawain must take.
Strength of the Sun
Reduce your refresh by 1. Every day your strength
increases as the sun grows higher in the sky, peaking
at noon and then decreasing until dusk. When the
sun is in the sky, you have a +3 on Physique rolls to lift
or break things and +1 to create advantages based on
grappling or wrestling. You have a +2 bonus to dam-
age with hand-to-hand attacks. At or before noon, you
can also invoke this aspect at the cost of a Fate point.
But after noon your strength begins to fade and this
aspect can be compelled against you as you weaken.
Although Gawain was the most famous knight
with this extra, it was not unique to him. Sir Ironside
had the same gift and Sir Marhaus appeared to grow
stronger as the sun went down instead of as it went up.
There are many other extras which Gawain might
possess. His famous horse, Gringolet, could be a com-
panion animal or a vehicle. He is a possible wielder
of Excalibur, which Arthur gave to him and which he
may have used in his final duels with Lancelot, and he
also had his own special sword. His shield was em-
blazoned with a pentangle, but in other versions had
the Virgin Mary upon its face or even on the inside,
where he could be inspired by the sight of her. See
Chapter 5 for more information on all these topics.

Adventures with Gawain
• Perhaps more than any other character in the
Arthurian saga, Gawain’s personal problems are
centered around issues of family. Some of his
family are near-perfect role models (Gareth),
while others have almost no redeeming features
(Agravaine). Yet he tries to remain loyal to all of
them. This forces him into some very difficult
situations—situations which inevitably force him
to choose between one family member or another.
• Gawain was also infamous for his vendetta against
Pellinore and the knight’s family. This hatred
even led Gawain to participate in the murder of
his own mother! Players of a Gawain incarnation
can count on confronting this vendetta head on;
will it be continued, or abandoned? And even if
he admits he was wrong in his former life, will
his victims be so quick to abandon revenge?
• As Arthur’s heir, Gawain could take a leading role
in many Arthur Lives! stories. He may be search-
ing for Arthur or be the agent of an Arthur who
is off-stage, either unwilling or unable to perform
heroic deeds himself. In campaigns without an
Arthur or Guinevere, Gawain makes a good leader
for the group, since he has a close connection to
the King, is known to have wielded Excalibur,
and has connections to many other characters in
the saga (be they enemies, friends, or family).
Guinevere,
High Queen and Lover
Arthur’s wife and Lancelot’s lover, Guinevere is
famous as a woman torn between responsibility and
passion. Loved by the greatest knight in the world,
she eventually came to return that love. But we really
know very little about how she regarded her own
husband. She was idolized and adored by the other
knights at court, especially Gawain and Kay, and
indeed everyone seems to have been at least a little in
love with her. This universal affection for the Queen
helped patch over quarrels, make peace with foes, and
keep the kingdom running smoothly even through
the Grail Quest—when many knights were killed.
It was only at the very end, when she and Lancelot
got careless and allowed the affair to be brought out
into the open (where Arthur could no longer ignore
it), that Guinevere truly failed as Queen. But that
was also when she was most honest with herself.
Incarnations of Guinevere excel at intellectual chal-
lenges and social activities, though neither of these
things preclude her from being an active warrior in
a century far more open to women in combat. She
makes an excellent alternative to Arthur in campaigns
Chapter 2: Paths
that do not have an Arthur player character; indeed,
without an Arthur or Lancelot around, Guinevere
may feel like she finally has a chance to shine and
forge her own destiny. If Arthur or Lancelot are
around, of course, Guinevere’s relationship with them
becomes key; will she pick one over the other, try to
balance both, or try to leave them both behind her.
Your Past Life
Your father was King Leodegrance of Cameliard,
but he was not faithful to your mother. On the same
night that you were conceived, Leodegrance slept
with the wife of his seneschal and engendered an-
other daughter. Magically, when she was born she
was identical in appearance to you, differentiated only
by a small crown-shaped birthmark on your back.
Perhaps because it was no longer possible to pretend
he was not the girl’s father, he even named both you
and your half-sister the same name: Guinevere.
You first met Arthur when he and his knights came
to the aid of your father, who was under attack by
King Ryons of Wales. Arthur was brave, handsome,
and young, not to mention revered by the many
knights who followed him. You were sixteen years
old; it was easy to fall in love then. In time, Ryons was
defeated and his army shattered. Arthur chose you
to be his queen and your father gladly consented; he
gave the Round Table as a wedding present, along
with all the knights that sat around it. As the daugh-
ter of a king, you had been well taught in the skills of
governance, and you became Arthur’s partner in rule.
Your youth, grace, generosity, intelligence, courtesy,
and beauty set the bar for courts throughout Britain.
But despite an energetic love life, you were unable
to give Arthur a child; Arthur never held this against
you (choosing his nephew Gawain as heir), but it was
the first strain on an otherwise storybook romance.
Much more serious was the return of your twin
half-sister. Conspiring with others, she arranged
to take your place at court, and with a love potion
convinced Arthur that you were the imposter, not she.
You fled with Lancelot—who had already proclaimed
his love for you but whom you had not yet come to
take seriously—and were protected by Gawain and
Kay, both of whom were especially devoted to you.
It wasn’t until your half-sister was struck down by a
divine curse that Arthur eventually came to his senses
and welcomed you back, but things were never quite
the same. You never really forgave him. It was not
long after that you were abducted by Sir Meliagrant,
a traitorous knight of the Round Table who was
infatuated with you. Kay and Lancelot fought over
the right to rescue you, but Lancelot eventually
triumphed and you were forced to admit that his
love for you might be more than a boyhood crush.
25
 Chapter 2: Paths
As the years passed, the love between you and
Lancelot grew and matured. Just as many men sought
your eye, so Lancelot was pursued by other women,
and you were always intensely jealous of them—so
much so that Lancelot was driven to mad grief by
your displeasure and fled the court. Nonetheless,
your stormy relationship eventually went from
semi-harmless flirtation to intimate encounters;
Arthur knew, but always turned a blind eye. In the
Grail Quest, Lancelot swore to break the affair off,
but instead when he returned to court the two of
you became more passionate—and reckless—than
ever. Two of Gawain’s younger brothers, Mordred
and Agravaine, conspired to catch you and
Lancelot in bed together. It wasn’t hard.
Lancelot killed many knights in his
escape and your husband, who you
believed willing to ignore the affair as
long as it didn’t put the realm in dan-
ger, ran out of patience and put you on
trial for adultery. He ordered you to
be executed, but Lancelot (predict-
ably) appeared and rescued you, again
killing many more knights in the process.
More of Gawain’s brothers died; although
he had once been one of your defenders,
Gawain now led the attack against your
lover. Weary of fighting, your marriage, and
your impossible situation, you chose not to
go with Lancelot, but you were not alone in
England for long before Mordred tried to
force himself onto you in order to claim the
throne. You pretended to agree to this, but
on the excuse that you had to do some shop-
ping to prepare for the wedding, you went
to London and promptly locked yourself
into the Tower. There you remained until
Arthur returned, fought Mordred, and
was mortally wounded. You went
into an abbey and took the holy
vows of a nun. Lancelot visited
you one last time but you
again refused to go with
him, urging him to for-
get you and take a wife.
Your royal status ensured
that you were soon ab-
bess, but in a few years
you died and Lancelot
came with his companions
to take your body for burial.
There’s no question that your
long affair with Lancelot was partly
responsible for the fall of the kingdom,
but with that exception you were very
nearly a perfect Queen. You were wise,
kind, generous with gifts and praise,
and a good administrator. When
danger threatened, you were clever
and resourceful. You were beloved
26
by everyone, from the common folk to the knights
who came to court and fell in love with you at first
sight. Indeed, you eventually had to create your own
order of knighthood just for all the knights who swore
themselves to your service. The Queen’s Knights bore
white shields and they were friendly rivals with the
Round Table, even though many knights were mem-
bers of both groups. For all the storybook qualities
of your marriage and reign as Queen, it is perhaps
perfectly ordinary that you should fall in love with
a devoted man ten years younger than you. What
made this tragic was the high position you occupied;
bound by duty to the realm yet
enslaved to the power of your
heart, you chose to love, no
matter the risk. You were will-
ing to pay the price for that
love, but in the end it was not
you alone who was forced to pay it.
Your affair brought down a kingdom,
even as it made you into a legend.
Recognizing
Guinevere
Guinevere had gray eyes, blonde
hair, and a pale complexion (indeed,
her Welsh name Gwynhyfar means
“white phantom”). She was the best
chess player in Arthur’s court, and
may be known for this skill in the
modern world. Of course, she was also
incapable of bearing children. She may
have a twin sister whom she hates,
and she inspires amorous atten-
tion (both wanted and unwanted)
in those around her. She was
known for a crown-shaped
birthmark on her back, which
might manifest as a tattoo.
Nemesis
Guinevere’s jealousy over Lancelot
was legendary, especially when it
came to Elaine of Carbonek, the
daughter of King Pellam the Fisher
King. Elaine twice tricked Lancelot
into sleeping with her by pretend-
ing she was the Queen. She became
the mother of Lancelot’s son, Galahad,
and Guinevere’s rage over the whole
business drove Lancelot mad on at least
one occasion. Elaine died in Carbonek
during the Grail Quest and Guinevere
eventually forgave Lancelot. Perhaps,
by the time she retreated to an ab-
bey, she had forgiven Elaine as well.

Aspects, Skills,
Stunts and Extras
Guinevere is famous enough that her name and
title (High Queen, Queen of all England) make for
a sound high concept, though that doesn’t keep
you from something more nuanced (CEO of Queen
Industries, Prom Queen, Born to be Queen). What’s
important is that her role as Queen is clear.
A complex woman, “Gwen” has her share of
Troubles, usually some variation of Jealous (Green-
Eyed Monster, Suspicious, Stay Away from My Man) or
Adulteress (Cheatin’ Heart, Monogamy Is So Old Fashioned,
Who I Want When I Want It). In some variations of the
story, Guinevere had numerous lovers, failed chastity
tests long before Lancelot came along, and may have
even been a co-conspirator with Mordred. Her other
great problem was the fact that she was constantly be-
ing kidnapped. This actually makes a poor Trouble for
a PC because it means Guinevere spends a lot of time
away from the other characters, but if your GM is fine
with it, you could represent this as Abducted ... Again,
Everyone’s Fighting for the Prize or Come and Get Me.
Everyone agrees she was Ravishing, The Most Beautiful
Woman in England. Her fantastic beauty meant most
men, including Gawain, Kay, and others, fell in Love
at First Sight. This created as many problems as it
solved. She was the Center of Attention at court but
also had a Head for Management. She could make
sworn enemies put down their quarrels, and was a
Peacemaker who was Good at Making Friends. Eager to
accompany Arthur in his wars, and unafraid when
abducted by the most ruthless men, she Never Lost
Her Cool and Never Let Them See Her Sweat. Some
interpretations make her a devout Christian, usu-
ally in contrast to the pagan worship of rivals like
Morgan; this can be represented with aspects like
Born Again, Evangelical, or Jesus Loves Me This I Know.
Rapport, Confidence, and Empathy are Guinevere’s
most important skills. She provides mental suc-
cor for those around her with Empathy, putting
their mental consequences into recovery and seeing
through lies and falsehoods. She can talk anyone
into anything, not through fast-talk and hustle but
through honest sincerity and compassion. And she
believes, fervently, in love or God or some combina-
tion of the two. In the Arthurian age she was fabu-
lously rich (Resources), though the contrast created
by a Guinevere who is down on her luck and strug-
gling to get by makes for some great stories. Clever,
perceptive, and capable, Guinevere makes good use
of Notice, Leadership, Education and Investigate.
If she has a combat skill, it is most likely to be
Firearms, something she picked up in her new life.
Guinevere’s Willpower was strong enough to re-
sist fear and intimidation, but not enough to keep
her from falling into affairs she had sworn off, so
this may be something best represented with a stunt
Chapter 2: Paths
like Indomitable (Fate Core 127). Re-title Armor
of Faith into I Am the Queen to allow Guinevere
to defend against hand-to-hand attacks with
Confidence until she is hurt. Other good stunts are
Inspiring Beauty (Rapport) Confident in Victory
(Confidence), Throne Room (Contacts), Covert Affair
(Deceive), and I Am a Rock (Willpower). Here are
a few new stunts especially appropriate to Guenevere
• Excellent Judge of Character: When Guinevere
rolls Empathy to read an aspect on someone she
has just met, she has a +2.
• Chess Master: +2 on Leadership rolls to
win games of strategy and tactics.
• Maker of Fashion: Guinevere has a +2 on
Resources rolls to create an aspect on herself re-
lated to fashionable clothing. Even if she gets it
from a second-hand store, on her it looks good.
Guinevere’s extras probably focus on her mortal
allies and resources. The best example is the Queen’s
Knights, a modern version of the order of knight-
hood sworn to her service in the Arthurian age.
Traditionally, this group was made up of younger
knights devoted to the Queen out of courtly love
as much as by rank and station. They bore white
shields. In groups without an Arthur or Kay,
Guinevere might use extras to create a headquar-
ters or organization which provides a home and
support infrastructure for the campaign. But she
should avoid magic or most enchanted items.
Adventures with Guinevere
• Players of Guinevere have some important ques-
tions to answer: did Guinevere love Arthur, or
just respect and admire him without passion?
(Or neither!) Does she regret the affair, and
will she act differently now that she has the
chance? GMs who want to make things easy
for Guinevere will introduce a Lancelot incar-
nation early, and leave Arthur off stage for a
while; by the time he shows up Guinevere will
have made up her mind and Arthur will be the
poorer for it. But if a GM wants to turn the emo-
tional screw, introduce Arthur early and portray
him in a sympathetic and admirable light. This
makes Guinevere’s decision hard, not easy.
• Campaigns without an Arthur can base them-
selves around Guinevere and her Queen’s Knights.
In this setup, the Queen is out to prove that she
can make it on her own, without Arthur, Lancelot,
or anyone else to support her. She may be an ac-
tive warrior, but will also have the allegiance of
knights sworn to her service. This concept can
even be introduced in games that have an Arthur
already: in this case, Guinevere becomes an NPC
who refuses Arthur’s advances (and her feelings
for him) out of a desire to avoid his shadow.
27
 Chapter 2: Paths
• If there is one type of story in which Guinevere
figures more than any other, it is the Abduction.
If Guinevere is an NPC, the story plays out much
as it always has, with Arthur and the knights
rescuing her. But if she is a player, Guinevere
can demonstrate her modern action movie
pedigree by freeing herself, thwarting the ex-
pectations of the audience and her captors.
Kay, Arthur’s
Older Brother
Sir Kay is one of the oldest characters in the
Arthurian saga, with a history that stretches back
to Welsh legends (where he is known as Cei). He
began as Arthur’s brother but was quickly assigned
the task of seneschal, one of the most highly-placed
posts in Arthur’s realm. From this position, he man-
aged much of the kingdom’s day-to-day business. But
he was always ready to defend the king, even in the
last days of Arthur’s reign. In the early tales, Kay was
considered one of Arthur’s greatest champions, but
as other knights were added to the legend—es-
pecially Gawain and Lancelot—Kay’s star was
eclipsed. Nevertheless, his presentation in
later retellings has kept true to his source
material in at least a couple of respects:
Kay is a sarcastic braggart (these days we’d
call him “snarky”), but his support
of Arthur is beyond question.
The contrast between Kay’s early
training as a knight and his later ca-
reer as an administrator creates an
opportunity for a very diverse char-
acter with a broad set of skills but
a lack of specialization. In
fact, in the old Welsh leg-
ends, Kay is remem-
bered as one of the
“Three Enchanter
Knights of
Britain” and he
has multiple
supernatural
powers, includ-
ing the ability to
swim underwa-
ter for nine days
straight, emit burn-
ing heat, and grow
as tall as a tree!
Players wishing to
represent this ver-
sion of Kay can use
extras to simulate
the fantastic abili-
ties of Welsh heroes.
28
Your Past Life
You were raised to inherit your father Sir Ector’s
title and estate. Arthur was your little brother
and served you as squire. But at a great tourna-
ment in London, Arthur drew the sword from the
stone ... and gave it to you! For a few minutes you
claimed the sword for your own, but it didn’t take
your father long to get the truth out of you. Before
you could get another word in, Ector had ac-
cepted Arthur as King of England and asked—as
a reward for raising Arthur from childhood—that
you be made Arthur’s seneschal (an office that re-
quired you to manage the operation of Arthur’s
court). Arthur agreed that you would fill this posi-
tion as long as you lived, and he kept his word.
In the early years you were Arthur’s greatest knight,
winning tournaments and proving instrumental
in the war against King Lot. But after the War with
Rome (during which you were a member of the king’s
bodyguard) and the War of Five Kings (two of whom
you killed in a single battle, earning you a seat at
the Round Table) your fighting skills dulled. Court
duties took up more and more of your time. You
proved yourself a very capable administrator, de-
manding but not cruel. Throughout it all, you kept
your sarcastic sense of humor. No one seemed to
realize how much work your job was. When things
were running smoothly, no one noticed, but when
something went wrong, you were always blamed.
When young aspiring knights came to
Arthur’s court seeking to prove themselves,
you were the person the king chose to joust
with them. A quick fight
would determine if the
contender had what
it took or was a
hopeless poser.
Unfortunately,
if you won
these fights you
earned no glo-
ry, and if you
lost you never
heard the end
of it. But when
Arthur took
young men
(like Gareth) in
for training, he
often assigned
them to you, and
you took pride
in your protégés,
who always turned
out to be great knights.
As Arthur’s older brother and
seneschal, you were in a position
of absolute trust, and you were never

jealous of your brother. Whenever Arthur would
send a small, select group of knights to perform
some special task, you were invariably included.
You were also very close to the Queen. Indeed, your
life-long working relationship with Guinevere de-
veloped into an intense devotion. Unsurprisingly,
there was a strong rivalry between you and Lancelot,
one in which you never seemed to get the up-
per hand. It was Guinevere, not you, who decided
your relationship with her would be platonic.
Your most memorable trait was your sharp tongue.
You were surly and foul-mouthed. You bullied other
knights, bragged constantly, and were quick with
insults and sarcasm. You often tried to take credit for
heroic deeds you did not do (like the Sword in the
Stone incident). But despite all this, your loyalty to
Arthur never wavered. You performed only one truly
evil act: Arthur’s illegitimate son, Loholt, killed a gi-
ant and, out of jealousy, you murdered him. Perhaps
it was this that prompted you to amend your ways
a little. When Lancelot put on your armor and trav-
eled across Britain defeating countless foes in your
name, your reputation soared, but you knew the
truth. When you got back to Camelot, you explained
to Arthur what had happened and insisted Lancelot
—your greatest rival—get the credit he deserved.
You may not have been the most famous knight
in the world, and you certainly weren’t the nic-
est, but you did your job without complaint and
when Arthur needed you, you were always there.
Recognizing Kay
Kay may be a duplicitous wisecracker, but he will
be loyal, especially to his brother. He may be some-
one’s right-hand man, like a platoon sergeant or an
executive vice-president. Other people will underes-
timate him, but he may be responsible for training
young people or keeping a large organization running
smoothly. He may be butler to a large estate, a “Big
Brother,” or a mentor figure. His early willingness
to lie to get ahead might manifest in a criminal past
which Kay is now trying to extricate himself from. His
loud mouth makes him a scrapper; he might even be a
stand-up comedian or someone who lives by his wit.
Nemesis
You were a foul-mouthed braggart who often came
out on the short end of a joust, but you didn’t bear
a grudge. Kay has no nemesis.
Aspects, Skills,
Stunts and Extras
There are two distinct ideas which should be
brought together in an ideal high concept for
Chapter 2: Paths
Kay: first, he is Arthur’s Foster Brother. Second,
he is Keeper of the Keys, the seneschal, the man
Arthur has put in charge of the castle of Camelot.
It may be impossible to get both these ideas
into a satisfying high concept, but there are ad-
ditional aspect slots to pick up the slack (Right-
hand Man, Big Brother, Master of My Domain)
Kay’s personality is surly, cynical and snarky; and
this, combined with his reputation as a Bully who
Can Dish It Out But Can’t Take It, is the source of
his Trouble. He is a Glory Hound and Not a People
Person. He’s also hopelessly in love with Guinevere,
but he’s hardly alone in this and it only matters if
Gwen is a recurring character. This is probably a
facet of Guinevere’s Trouble Men Are Always Fighting
over Me rather than something unique to Kay.
Another good use of Kay’s aspects is to reinforce
his effectiveness as a teacher and administrator. After
all, this is the man who made Gareth into one of
the greatest knights of the Round Table after a year
spent in the kitchens. He might be a Mr. Miyagi, a
Master of the Training Montage or just a Perfectionist.
Kay’s career moves through distinct phases, which
allows you to rationalize almost any skill choice. A
young Kay might be Arthur’s greatest warrior, with
combat skills like Firearms or Melee, Athletics, Drive,
and Physique. But a more seasoned Kay, master of
Camelot, sacrifices his fighting edge for Leadership,
Contacts, Notice, and Investigate. From his earliest ap-
pearances, he showed his willingness to Deceive and
his boasts, brags, and bullying are done with Provoke.
He might have Willpower, but after coming out on the
losing end of so many conflicts, his Confidence is low.
Use stunts to make Kay’s insulting demeanor into
something useful. Try Okay, Fine!, Troll, or Sharp
Tongue (Provoke), Cyber-Bully or Rumormonger
(Contacts). Make yourself superior when in a spe-
cific location using stunts like Security Specialist
(Burglary), Face in the Crowd (Stealth), Slush Fund
(Leadership), or Ear to the Ground (Contacts). Here
are a few new stunts especially appropriate for Kay:
• Weapon Cache: You hide weapons in your liv-
ing space, vehicle, and other regular haunts.
When you are in one of these places and
use Notice to create an aspect, you can in-
voke that aspect twice instead of once.
• Training Flashback: Once per session, you
can use Leadership to retroactively create an
aspect on someone who is under your author-
ity, such as a student, squire, or employee. The
new aspect directly applies to whatever current
problem that subordinate is facing, and you
taught them how to handle it between scenes.
• Master of the Kitchens: You have a +2
on Performance rolls to entertain com-
pany with excellent food and drink.
29
 Chapter 2: Paths
There are two kinds of extras which Kay requires.
First, Camelot may belong to Arthur in name, but
it’s Kay who keeps it running. If he is a character
in the game, whatever organization or estate he
chooses to create with an extra becomes an echo of
Camelot. See Chapter 5 for specific rules on echoes
of Camelot. Secondarily, Kay is one of the characters
most likely to have a squire or other companion:
an aspiring knight who has been put under Kay’s
authority for training and education. Needless to
say, Kay’s methods and expectations can be unusual
compared to those of traditional knights, but no one
can argue with his results. Less traditional versions
of Kay may have the outlandish supernatural pow-
ers mentioned elsewhere, but the magical talents
described in Enchantment won’t really cover these.
Work with the GM to figure out a refresh cost if you
want to grow as tall as a tree, go without breathing or
sleeping for days, or light fires by touch. (You might
start with the superpowers designed for Venture City,
available on the Evil Hat site as part of the Fate SRD).
Adventures with Kay
• If Arthur is in trouble, Kay is always going to be
the first man at his side. This means that any-
one who wants to hurt Arthur is going to have
to come up with a way to get rid of Kay first. Or,
even better, turn Arthur against his own brother,
possibly by framing Kay for some awful deed.
• Kay grew to love Guinevere, but both his brother
and Lancelot were in the way. This time, that
might not be so. If Kay can recognize Guinevere
before either of his other rivals do, he might fi-
nally be able to find the happiness he was denied
in his former life. Of course, he’d again have to
choose between family and personal happiness.
Or perhaps Guinevere will reject him yet again?
• In one tale, Kay is given a blood-red horse of
incredible speed. Once he recognizes himself,
Kay might try looking for that horse, which
could manifest as an echo of virtually any size
or shape. Try looking for cars named after
horses (Mustang, Charger, Colt, and so on).
Merlin the Magician
Merlin is the most famous magic-worker in
Western literature. He is the archetypal wizard: a
mysterious trickster traveling from place to place
issuing prophecies that no one understands until
they come true. He is something of a kingmaker—
it was he who arranged for Arthur to be raised in
secrecy by Ector, and he placed the sword in the
stone so that Arthur might draw it and claim the
crown. While Arthur struggled for acceptance by
30
rival lords, Merlin was his chief advisor and strate-
gist. Men feared him, but none dared disobey him.
Eventually he fell in love with the maiden named
Nimue, to whom he taught all his magic. But his
love was unrequited, and to be rid of him Nimue
imprisoned the great wizard in a cave for all time.
Incarnations of Merlin have prodigious magi-
cal gifts, and they also enjoy a famous reputation
as a powerful wizard and advisor to King Arthur.
Merlin can count on being welcome in Arthur’s
company even if he’s mistrusted by Arthur’s other
companions, and Merlin takes upon himself shady
dealings the King shouldn’t know about. When
Arthur does screw up, Merlin often takes the
blame himself to protect the king’s reputation.
Your Past Life
You were intended to be the Antichrist, and were
born to a virgin nun impregnated by the Devil him-
self, but God intervened to give you the power to
decide your own destiny. As a result, you inherited the
power to know all future events from your mother,
and the power to know the past from your father.
From the day of your birth you could speak perfect
English and you were covered in thick black hair.
Understandably, your mother was going to be burned
at the stake for witchcraft, but using your prophetic
gifts you revealed embarrassing facts about the judges,
who were so shamed that they let your mother go free.
Famous as “the boy without a father,” you were
captured by agents of King Vortigern, who had been
told by his court astrologers that only the blood of a
child without a father would save his crumbling castle
from collapse. Your prophecies at that castle saved
your life (you exposed the astrologers as frauds) and
made you a legend. About this time you slipped away
to study magic at the foot of Blaise, who began as your
master but became your biographer. His book col-
lecting your prophecies would go down in history.
Using a combination of magic and architectural
science, you moved the rocks of Stonehenge all the
way from Ireland to Britain and constructed them
in their current form, using them to mark the tomb
of Ambrosius Aurelianus, a Roman commander
whose leadership of the British Isles you supported
as advisor. The kings that followed sought out your
wisdom, though you tended to appear and disap-
pear without much warning. Eventually Uther
Pendragon asked for your help. He was infatuated
with Igraine of Cornwall, who was married to the
powerful duke Gorlois. Using your magic, you gave
Uther the appearance of the duke while also disguis-
ing yourself and Ulfius as two of Gorlois’ compan-
ions. While Uther’s army fought Gorlois in a night
battle, you, Ulfius, and Uther walked into Castle
Terrabil and Uther had his night with the duchess.

Gorlois died that very night and Uther soon took
Igraine as wife. As Uther agreed, you were given the
child that resulted from that magical night. You took
Arthur and gave him to Ector, a humble but honor-
able country knight, to be raised. You traveled the
world as Arthur grew up, expanding your knowledge
and spreading your reputation. When the time was
right, you set the sword in the stone and helped or-
ganize the great tournament that brought knights to
London from all over. When Arthur drew the sword,
you appeared to confirm that he was Uther’s son,
though for years no one believed you. It was assumed
that you had made Arthur, a naive bastard, into your
puppet ruler. Eventually Arthur’s mother emerged
from a convent and that largely settled the matter.
Throughout Arthur’s early battles—when he
fought to become High King against King Lot and
others —you were his best general. Your advice
turned the tide at the Battle of Carleon and, later,
you enchanted Lot to keep him from leading
reinforcements to Castle Terrabil until it was too
late to do any good. You helped Arthur choose a
wife and create the Round Table. You saved him
from King Pellinore (who would have killed him
in battle) and arranged for Nineve, the Lady
of the Lake, to give Arthur Excalibur.
Soon after Arthur’s coronation and mar-
riage, however, you fell in love with Nimue, a
maiden with great magical talent. You taught
her everything you knew in an attempt to
woo her, and took her with you
on a tour of the world, but she
never answered your love.
Since you would not give
up trying to persuade her,
she eventually used your
own spells to get rid of you,
imprisoning you inside a magic
cave where you entered a kind of
half-life. Neither living nor dead, you
were visited by occasional knights to
whom you prophesied, but you never
earned release from that cave. To this
day, you’re not entirely sure what
happened between then and now.
For your entire life you were an in-
veterate prankster, constantly adopt-
ing the shape of a beggar, a child, or
an animal just to test Arthur’s intelli-
gence. You were often critical of those
around you, and although you were
constantly rattling off prophecies, you
seldom bothered to explain them. You
came and went as you pleased, without
explanation. When you gave advice, you
expected it to be obeyed. Most people
hated and feared you. Some of your
awful reputation was not
Chapter 2: Paths
really your fault: Arthur’s most dishonorable acts (like
his decision to murder the May Babies in an effort
to kill Mordred) were often blamed on you, and you
accepted this in the name of preserving the kingdom.
Often you showed up at the scene of some awful
tragedy only after it was too late to avoid it—your
powers of foresight had already told you the outcome,
so you did not try to avert it. Instead, you appeared
afterwards to commemorate the people involved
and make sure their virtues were not forgotten. Not
everyone seemed to appreciate this point of view.
Why make Arthur king in the first place? It’s a fair
question. By Uther’s time you had seen three kings of
Britain; the ones that were good didn’t last, and the
ones that lasted weren’t good. You believed that what
Britain needed was a king who didn’t want to be king,
a king who knew what it meant to serve oth-
ers, a king who was in touch with what the
people needed, not adding to his own
glory. You had Arthur raised as
a squire because you hoped
it would teach him
humility. You
continued try-
ing to shape
Arthur into
your ideal ruler,
but he still had a long
way to go when Nimue
arrived and interrupted
your long-term
agenda. As
your life-
long project,
you could say that
Arthur could have turned out better. But he
also could have turned out a lot, lot worse.
Recognizing
Merlin
A merlin is a kind of falcon, so Merlin
might be associated with birds, hunt-
ing, or some business or enterprise
which uses the falcon as a symbol.
He may have black hair or some as-
sociation with devils, have a holy
person for a mother, or an evil
individual for a father. Merlin
may be a world-traveler, and
he is certain to have a power-
ful talent for magic, though
that talent may not be realized
yet. He may be something of
a conman, deceiving even his
friends with tricks and disguises.
He may be an influential mentor
31
 Chapter 2: Paths
or advisor, whose opinion is sought out by others.
Nemesis
Merlin has no nemesis. Although eventually
imprisoned underground by Nimue, he was in-
fatuated with her and powerless to resist her. His
other foes, such as Vortigern, lived and died before
Arthur was born and have not been reincarnated.
Aspects, Skills,
Stunts and Extras
Because so much has been written and said about
Merlin over the centuries, your task is not to define
him, but rather to select which version of him you
wish to play. Your high concept should clarify your
nature as a magician so you can begin with a few
free magical talents. Merlin the Magician is simple
but effective, but you could be a Legendary Wizard or
Court Magician. Merlin has many potential Troubles,
depending on the stories you want to tell. A Son of the
Devil and even a Potential Antichrist, he was Untrusted
by all save Arthur, sometimes even considered Mad.
Merlin is a Kingmaker, Royal Advisor and Tactician.
A Prophet and Master of Shapes, he is also a Trickster
and, in some versions, Spymaster. He is some-
times depicted as a teacher, Arthur’s Tutor, and
can be a Wise Old Man or the victim of a bizarre
condition in which he Lives Backwards, not aging
but instead “youthening,” resulting in a 21st cen-
tury Merlin who appears to be a Child Magus.
Occult is Merlin’s best skill. Confidence and
Willpower will also be useful, but not as required.
You won’t have enough skill points to cover all of the
great wizard’s abilities, and will instead work a bal-
ancing act using skills to make up for areas where
your magic is lacking (and vice versa). As the smart-
est man in the room, Merlin benefits from Education
(I’ve Read about That), Investigation (Attention to
Detail, Eavesdropper), and Notice (Body Language
Reader). His trickster nature makes him a good can-
didate for skills like Deceive (the One Person, Many
Faces stunt is perfect for Merlin), Burglary (Always a
Way Out) and Stealth (Slippery Target). If his appar-
ent foreknowledge is actually the result of spies and
informants, use Contacts (Ear to the Ground, Weight
of Reputation). The man who brought Stonehenge
from Ireland to southern Britain through machinery
alone, as depicted in the oldest Merlin stories, is a
master of Technology. He was both hated and feared,
so pick up Provoke (Armor of Fear). Leadership
reflects his years acting as the young Arthur’s best
general. About the only skills Merlin wouldn’t
have are Rapport, Physique, and combat skills.
Merlin demonstrated or was attributed every
magical talent in this book, but he was most known
32
for Divination. His book of prophecies was the
medieval version of a bestseller, long outliving
him; a Merlin incarnation without Divination is a
quack imposter. He appeared in various shapes to
both allies and enemies (Shapeshifting), and ac-
complished his most famous deed—the engender-
ing of Arthur—through the use of Glamour. He
taught Binding to Nimue so she could use it on him,
put Sir Pellinore to sleep with a gesture (Emotion),
was publicly known as a necromancer even though
he never spoke to the dead, and brought a French
army across the channel without boats (Travel).
As the constructor of Stonehenge, Merlin might
have a place of power here in the mortal world, in
contrast to the lake. He is the creator of numerous
magical weapons and devices, including the Dragon
Banner, the Bed of Madness, and Galahad’s Sword,
all of which can manifest as echoes. (See Chapter 5
for more on echoes.) Merlin is credited with teach-
ing many people magic, including the Ladies of the
Lake and men like Gwenbaus, so a companion is
perfectly in character for him. These apprentices
often turn out to be bad news, however, or at least
rivals of the great magician. Alternately, his com-
panion might be a modern Blaise, Merlin’s tutor
and foster-father, now biographer and scribe.
Adventures with Merlin
• Merlin is going to be looking for Arthur or
watching out for him once the king is found.
As Arthur’s chief magical guardian, he will
be the target for many supernatural foes. His
knowledge of the future will help lead Arthur
to other incarnations, and this is another good
reason for Arthur’s enemies to target Merlin.
• Any source of supernatural lore is going to
be a big temptation for Merlin and could be
used to draw him into adventure. He will seek
out supernatural items both for himself and
for his fellow knights, who might use them as
weapons. And whenever anything mysteri-
ous turns up, you can bet that Arthur and his
men will turn to Merlin for an explanation.
• Merlin’s habit of keeping secrets will often lead
to tension among the characters, who will all
suspect Merlin knows more than he is saying.
Merlin has shown himself willing to work with
some dangerous individuals whom Arthur might
not normally associate with, and his nefarious
reputation means that he is always under suspi-
cion. Gamemasters who want to bring in some of
Arthur’s villains as supporting cast may be able
to do so through Merlin, who might be willing to
meet with them and strike up deals that Arthur
would never permit were he to know about them.
 Chapter 2: Paths

Morgause, Queen, made war upon your father and killed him, taking
your mother as wife. At this time you were already in
Spy, and Mother your teens, and so you were pushed off into a politi-
cal marriage designed to solidify Uther’s reign and
Morgause is most famous as the mother of keep Britain at peace. You were married to Lot, King
Mordred, Arthur’s killer. She was not aware of her of Lothian, a self-made warlord who had conquered
incest with Arthur at the time, and in fact was act- much of Scotland. (Elaine was also married off, but
ing as a spy for her husband Lot, who was at war Morgan was too young and was sent to a nunnery.)
with Arthur for the title of High King. After Lot’s As the Queen of Lothian, you bore Lot four sons,
death Morgause took over rule of Lothian, and her all destined to be great knights: Gawain, Agravaine,
five sons (counting Mordred) all became Knights of Gaheris, and Gareth. You were in your thirties
the Round Table. Morgause is Morgan le Fey’s older when a boy of unknown lineage (but backed up by
sister. She was killed by her own sons when she took Merlin’s powerful magic) claimed the rank of High
Lot’s killer’s son, Lamorak, as her newest lover. King, a title your husband also coveted and was
As a hero in Arthur Lives!, Morgause presents a willing to take by force. War broke out, but when
wealth of character challenges. How does she feel Lothian was invaded by foreigners your husband
about her incest with Arthur? About the blood feud had to turn his attention to self-defense and he
that resulted in her death at the hands of her own sent you to Arthur’s court as an ambassador-spy.
sons? Morgause is abso- lutely fearless You, however, had your own agenda for this long
and makes an excellent visit to the court of the Boy King. You did not believe
character for anyone who as- the stories that Arthur was Uther’s son (and there-
sumes Arthurian women are fore your half-brother) and you were impressed with
all quiet wallflowers who Arthur’s generosity, sense of justice, and idealism.
live only to be rescued You sought peace between Arthur and Lot and
or seduced. In some you hatched a dangerous scheme to force
versions of the story, that peace. It was not hard to seduce Arthur
Morgause has magical (he was a virgin and you were a beautiful
powers like her sister queen) and you didn’t head back north
Morgan; you can rep- until you were sure you were with child.
resent these powers by When you got home, your husband
selecting magical talents welcomed you and within the
like Glamour, Summon year you gave birth to a son,
& Banish, or Emotion, at whom you named Mordred.
a cost of 1 refresh each. Your intent had been to
forge a union between the
Your lines of Lot and Arthur.
Mordred was Arthur’s child
Past Life in blood, but would be
You were the old- raised by Lot as his own.
est daughter of Duke Eventually you would
Gorlois of Cornwall and reveal Mordred’s true
the beautiful, devoted, parentage to Lot, but
Queen Igraine. You by that time Lot would
had two younger have come to love the
sisters: a quiet, oft- boy as he loved you, and
neglected middle Lot would be forced to
sister named Elaine, accept Mordred as his
and the young, son. According to your
haunted, littlest plan, neither Arthur nor
sister Morgan. King Lot would ever be High
Uther Pendragon King, but Mordred—
fell in love with their mutual heir—would
your mother, be and the inheritance
who refused to would pass peacefully,
have anything without war. It was a bold
to do with him. plan, one which hinged
In answer, Uther on your knowledge

33
 Chapter 2: Paths
that Lot was absolutely devoted to his family.
But fate conspired against you, and your scheme
to save Britain from war instead became a dag-
ger stabbing the kingdom from within.
Your mother Igraine emerged from a convent and
confirmed that Arthur was her son. Only you and
Arthur knew that you had committed incest on top
of adultery. Your horror and revulsion was largely
internalized; after all, Lot was away fighting invad-
ing Saxons and you still had a kingdom to run. Not
long after, agents of Arthur arrived at your court and
stole Mordred from you. Sometimes you wonder if
you let them do it. Soon you learned that all the boys
born that May had been collected—most people
were blaming Merlin. The May Babies vanished.
Your tears were half misery and half relief. But Lot
was furious with anger and returned to vigorous
war against Arthur, this time motivated by Arthur’s
crime against Lot’s own family. In a climactic battle
outside Castle Terrabil in Cornwall (the same castle
where your mother had hid from Uther, and where
Arthur had been conceived), Lot’s army was defeated
and your husband was killed by King Pellinore.
You were made a widow and though you came to
Arthur’s coronation with all four of your sons, you
left with only the youngest, Gareth, while the rest
remained with their uncle to be made knights. You
ruled Lothian alone and capably, avoiding atten-
tion and trouble, comfortable in the close protec-
tion of your brother the High King. Although in
your forties by this time, you took a young lover:
Sir Lamorak, one of the greatest knights of Arthur’s
realm. Unfortunately, he was also the son of Pellinore,
the man who had killed your husband. Your sons
already hated Lamorak and they took his romance
with you as an unforgivable insult. You always knew
your sons were passionate—like you —but you
had no idea how serious they were about the blood
feud with Pellinore’s family until it was too late.
Your sons invited you to visit them at a castle near
Camelot. Lamorak was nearby, serving Arthur, so the
two of you arranged a tryst and Lamorak found you
in your chambers. While you both were sleeping,
Gaheris slipped into the room and—to avenge the
dishonor you had inflicted upon him and his broth-
ers—cut off your head. Lamorak sprung up naked
in alarm, but Gaheris would not fight him. Arthur
exiled Gaheris, and Lamorak left Camelot on his
own, deep in grief over your death. Despite Arthur’s
best efforts he could never convince Lamorak to
return, and eventually your sons found him, cor-
nered him, and fought him four-on-one for three
hours before Mordred stabbed him in the back.
You were smart, passionate, and absolutely fear-
less, a fitting bride for one of Arthur’s greatest ri-
vals. You had committed sins, but you bore them
in private. You were known for your generosity
34
and courtliness, and even in your middle age were
considered one of the most beautiful women in
the kingdom. You were a queen, a mother, a de-
voted wife, a romantic lover, and a spy by turns.
You did as you pleased, and you died for it.
Recognizing Morgause
Since Morgause was a queen, she may be found
in a position of authority (CEO or a government
job). She will be generous, passionate, and beauti-
ful. Men may fight—or even murder—over her.
She may have a terrible sin in her past which she
suffers in silence. She may have a controversial
lover, someone whom others do not approve of. She
may have sons who are brave, wicked, or both. She
may be a spy or diplomat, be associated with “the
North” in some way, or be mistaken for an incarna-
tion of Morgan le Fey (a result of modern retell-
ings which often combine the two characters).
Nemesis
It is Morgause’s great tragedy that while she be-
came mother to some of the greatest knights of the
Round Table, those same sons committed awful
treason that included her own murder. They also
killed her lover, Lamorak, who had proven his devo-
tion and defended her in battle many times. Four of
Morgause’s sons—Gawain, Gaheris, Agravaine and
Mordred—count as her nemesis. Only Gareth, who
was not involved in any of these murders, is exempt.
Aspects, Skills,
Stunts and Extras
Morgause is Queen of the North, a Widowed Queen,
Queen of Orkney and Arthur’s Oldest Sister. In the
past, her Trouble was founded on her adultery and
incest. Today, she may have Done Terrible Things
or just have a Checkered Past. She was lusty and
strong-willed, taking men half her age as lovers;
this can be portrayed positively (Defies Convention)
or negatively (Shameless). She was Famous for Her
Beauty even when she was no longer young.
Morgause is absolutely fearless; represent this
with Willpower and stunts like Indomitable. She
wields her great beauty with Rapport, Deceive, and
stunts like Inspiring Beauty, Seduce, and Covert
Affairs. Use Empathy to discern the aspects of your
enemies and rivals. If she has a combat skill, it is
almost certainly Firearms. A widow queen from a
remote land, with stables, falcons, and hounds of
her own, she is comfortable in the Wilderness but
also has considerable Resources and experience
at Leadership. Her connections to so many impor-
tant Arthurian characters suggests Contacts and

the Extended Family stunt. She may have some
knowledge of the Occult, or a broad Education.
The fact that she is often mistaken for her sister
makes her an Elusive Incarnation. Here are a few
new stunts especially appropriate for Morgause:
• Cougar: You are +2 to seduce men noticeably
younger than yourself.
• Nerves of Steel: When you attempt some-
thing especially audacious or danger-
ous, you have a +2 to create an aspect on
yourself that helps you to succeed.
• Peer: You are good at sharing the troubles of oth-
ers who, like you, have high rank and station.
You can use Leadership as if it were Empathy
to put the mental consequences of others onto
recovery, but the character you are helping must
also have at least Average (+1) Leadership.
Strictly speaking, Morgause shouldn’t have any
extras beyond an organization or estate. However,
like many women in the Arthurian age, there is a
whiff of the enchantress about her. Represent this
with a magical talent like Glamour, Emotion, or
Summon & Banish, or just select the Potions extra.
Adventures with Morgause Your Past Life
The circumstances of your birth are unknown,
• Morgause is strong-willed and will have her own
goals. She may want to make amends for her
previous sin by finding Mordred and working to
contain the threat he poses. She may want to re-
unite with Lot or Lamorak. She may want to give
Gaheris a “stern talking to.” Throughout all this,
however, she has every reason to remain loyal to
Arthur and contribute to his overall mission.
• Morgause combines a passionate personality
with a secret crime; this makes it particularly
likely that she will suffer from dangerous en-
tanglements in her new life. She may find it
hard to leave her 21st century career in favor of
helping Arthur; she may have some enemies fol-
lowing her who make life difficult for her new
friends. Because she’s Morgause, she’ll probably
try to hide these problems as long as possible.
• Plenty of Arthur’s allies know how to fight, but
few will have the level of training in social skills
that Morgause can offer. This makes her uniquely
valuable as a “front” for Arthur’s circle, negotiat-
ing with authority figures and telling whatever
lies are necessary for Arthur to achieve his goals.
Fortunately, because she’s no longer restricted
to the life of a medieval queen, Morgause can
also take care of herself when words fail.
Chapter 2: Paths
Nimue, Student
and Betrayer
While many remember Nimue as the woman
who trapped Merlin under a stone, there’s consider-
able debate over her reasons for doing so. She may
have been afraid of him, or simply trying to get rid
of an unwanted suitor. In some versions of the story,
she continued to live in seclusion with Merlin, hap-
pily ever after. Regardless, she became the Lady
of the Lake in England and took over Merlin’s
role as advisor and magician to King Arthur.
Any incarnation of Nimue is a potent enchantress
trained in Merlin’s own skills, but her role as Lady of
the Lake also gives her access to the magical world of
Faerie. Unlike Nineve, who made bargains and used
her magic for personal gain, Nimue seems to have
honestly used her magic for the good of others and
without seeking payment in kind. This makes her one
of the few truly “good” magicians in Arthur’s realm,
and she naturally comes into conflict with “bad” ones
when she acts as Arthur’s advisor and court enchanter.
but you first appeared on the day of Arthur’s wed-
ding to Guinevere when both you and your dog were
kidnapped (by two different men, no less). This was
all part of a magical adventure, and eventually you
were rescued by Sir Pellinore; his son Tor rescued
your dog. But once you were brought back to Arthur’s
court, you immediately attracted the attention of
Merlin, who became besotted with you and vowed to
do anything you wanted if only you would love him.
Eager to learn magic at Merlin’s hand, you put off
the wizard’s amorous advances while simultane-
ously asking him to teach you sorcery. This he did,
and he even took you with him on his many travels
throughout Britain and the Continent, where you
met the Emperor of Rome (among others) and wit-
nessed many marvels. You spent some time with
him in a picturesque house on the shore of Lake
Nemi in Italy, and continued to learn more and more
magic from him. But you never forgot that Merlin
was the Devil’s son, and you never consented to
be his romantic partner. He continued to pursue
you relentlessly, and you could not get rid of him.
Eventually, at your wits end, you asked him to teach
you the very spell you would eventually use to im-
prison him. To this day you are not sure if he was
blinded by his infatuation with you, or if he knew
exactly what you were going to do and yet some-
how, mysteriously, taught you the spell anyway.
After enchanting Merlin in an underground
cave from which he could never escape, you re-
turned to Arthur’s court and saved the king from
35
 Chapter 2: Paths
more than one of Morgan le Fey’s murder attempts
(first when Morgan had one of her lovers, Accolon,
steal Excalibur and use it against Arthur, and then
later when Morgan sent a magical cloak to Arthur
that would have immolated the King had he put
it on). You did not linger at court, but returned to
your magical lake whenever you were not neces-
sary, coming forth at need and providing answers
to confusing mysteries much as Merlin had done.
You finally found your own lover when you came
across Sir Pelleas wandering lost on foot through
the forest. Pelleas had fallen for a damsel named
Ettard, who refused to love him in return. When
Gawain promised to help Pelleas woo Ettard, Gawain
instead slept with her himself. Pelleas found out
and went a bit mad, and that was when you found
him. Using your magic, you broke Pelleas’ love for
Ettard and won it for yourself, while at the same
time enchanting Ettard so that she would love
Pelleas (unrequited, of course). Ettard died for
the unreturned love of your husband, which—we
presume—is what you had in mind all along.
Pelleas was already an excellent knight when
you married him and he continued to be so in
the years that followed, but you used your
magic to ensure he never came to serious
harm. You stayed out of the Grail Quest
and the end of Arthur’s reign, presumably
holing up in the lake with your husband,
but you were one of the four women
who emerged to escort the mortally
wounded king to Avalon on the day of
his battle with Mordred. After your
passage to Avalon with him, your
whereabouts became unknown.
Recognizing
Nimue
Nimue’s former physical ap-
pearance is unknown, but her
current incarnations are likely
to be students of some sort, per-
haps someone who has suffered
sexual harassment in her academic
or professional career. She could be
associated with water in general
or lakes in particular. If she has
a pet, it is likely to be a dog.
36
Nemesis
You may not have hated him, but you did fear
him, and eventually you used his own magic to trap
him in a magical prison. Merlin is your nemesis.
Aspects, Skills,
Stunts and Extras
You are a Lady of the Lake and Merlin’s Student, a
Queen of Avalon who brought Arthur’s dying body
across the Veil to make him immortal. Unfortunately
you have a Spotty Memory when it comes to what hap-
pened after that time. You attracted Unrequited Love
Affairs which you Always Solve with Magic and you
were Over-Protective, at least of your husband.
You are a World Traveler, Quick Study,
and a Prodigy. By the time of the Grail
Quest, you had more or less Retired
and sometimes it seems you Only
Care about Yourself, especially since
you were willing to curse Ettard. In
the worst light, you are a Wicked
Seducer who stole Merlin’s magic.
As an enchantress, you will
need Occult, Confidence, and
Willpower in various proportion
depending on your preferred
style. Merlin’s tutelage explains
your Education. You seem
to have had some Empathy,
considering your ability to
discern Merlin’s motives and
the inner heart of Pelleas
and Ettard. Wilderness is
appropriate for a woman
who lived on a remote
island and often traveled
through the country-
side. Otherwise, Nimue’s
personal life is mysterious
enough to grant you great
latitude, and you have a lot
of room in your skill tree for
your 21st century life, making
Nimue a woman of two eras.

All the confusion over the various Ladies of
the Lake makes you a good candidate for the
Elusive Incarnation stunt. Here are a few new
stunts especially appropriate for Nimue:
• Flatterer: You have a +2 when you use Deceive to
overcome by flattering your target.
• Student/Teacher Flashback: Once a session,
you can spend a Fate point to describe a scene
that happened some time ago but which bears
directly on the problem you are facing right
now. In that scene, a teacher taught you how
to overcome exactly this problem, and you
do so now, earning an automatic success.
• Reclusive: You are +2 on Deceive rolls to
defend against Empathy checks which at-
tempt to discern your motives.
Your magical talents must include Refuge, unless
you want to be a Lake Lady without a Lake. As a pupil
of Merlin, you could demonstrate any or all talents,
but we saw you use Emotion when you wooed Pelleas
to your side and made Ettard fall in hopeless love
with him. You used Unseen Hand to strike Excalibur
from Accolon’s hand and Travel would account for
your ability to arrive at Camelot from the lake at a
moment’s notice. If you have an extra that isn’t magic-
related, it is probably a dog, your companion animal.
Adventures with Nimue
• Nimue may still be hounded by a Merlin who
is infatuated with her, or she may seek out
Merlin for magical training. Will he trust her?
Can she avoid him? A group with both Merlin
and Nimue in it is in for a tense rivalry as the
two “court magicians” vie for Arthur’s trust.
• Nimue accompanied Arthur into Avalon when he
was mortally wounded, but her memory of that
time has been lost. Can this memory be recov-
ered? It might shed light on Arthur’s reincarna-
tion, and begin to answer some of the many ques-
tions which Nimue’s own reincarnation poses.
• In her first life, Nimue married Pelleas and
kept him safe from harm, even if it meant
keeping him out of the Grail Quest. Where
is he now and will she still feel the same for
him? Since Pelleas is much less well-known
than Nimue herself, there will be fewer in-
carnations of him and possibly only one at
all. Could this lead to two or more Nimues at
odds with each other over Pelleas’ affection?
Chapter 2: Paths
Which Lady of the Lake is This?
The character of the Lady of the Lake may
have begun as a single person, but by the time
of Malory’s Morte d’Arthur there seem to be at
least three women with this title at different
points of the story. Arthur Lives! describes three
Ladies of the Lake instead of one for a number
of reasons, not least of which is the fact that it
can be impossible to reconcile all the conflicting
characteristics of the Lady unless she is divided
into three people.
The three Ladies of the Lake are:
• Nineve, the first Lady to appear in Malory.
Nineve is the Lady who gives Arthur his magical
sword Excalibur and who has her head chopped
off by Balin.
• Nimue, the Lady taught magic by Merlin. Nimue
was the object of Merlin’s obsessed devotion and
she eventually used her magic to imprison him.
Afterwards, she adopted a role similar to Merlin,
offering Arthur advice and occasional aid.
• Vivian is the French Lady of the Lake. She rescued
Lancelot and his brothers when they were children,
and raised them at her magical lake in France.
She eventually equipped Lancelot with magical
weapons and brought him to Camelot.
Only Nineve and Nimue are given Paths in this
book. Players who want to make an incarnation
of Vivian can use the Enchanter path until more
specific rules become available.
Nineve, Lady
of the Lake
Nineve was one of the Ladies of the Lake and she is
most famous for being the woman who gave Arthur
his famous sword, Excalibur. She is an enchantress
and a bearer of magic objects, but she is also the
supreme authority of her own realm, a magical oth-
erworld known as Avalon. Eventually, the wounded
Arthur would be taken to Avalon to heal from his
wounds and return to Britain, but Nineve did not live
to see that day. She was killed early in Arthur’s reign
as she tried to pursue her mysterious grudge against
the family of Sir Balin, the Knight with Two Swords.
As a character in Arthur Lives!, Nineve brings several
useful abilities to the table. First and foremost, she is
an enchantress, able to wield potent magical powers.
She can also create magical weapons which she might
give to her allies (for a price, of course). Her super-
natural refuge gives her a safe haven where she can
rest, recuperate, and strategize without fear of detec-
tion. But like many of the heroes of Arthurian legend,
her personality and motivations are far from spotless.
She is accused of many unethical acts, and not all of
those accusations can be false. In fact, there may be
only one difference between Nineve and the classic
“evil sorceress”—Nineve can be bargained with.
37
 Chapter 2: Paths

Your Past Life and Balan. Both left Northumberland and headed
south looking for you, but as long as you remained
Your story begins in Northumberland, the north- in your enchanted refuge of the lake, you were safe.
ernmost edge of England on the Scottish border. Unfortunately, the same could not be said for your
There you were born and grew up, a relative to the friends and family. Balin could not find you, so he
king of that land. You studied magic and enchant- found your own brother and killed him in “eye for
ment, and became the Lady of the Lake: governess an eye” fashion. The young King Arthur learned
of a Faerie realm across the Veil. From there, you led of the killing and had Balin thrown into prison.
a community of followers who practiced a blend of It was at about this time that the magician Merlin
pagan and Christian faith. Your lake was surrounded came to you. He asked you to make a sword for his
by mists that kept out all travelers, but it was possible protégé and you agreed. Soon after Arthur’s origi-
for those who knew the way to boat across the water nal magic weapon was broken in a duel with King
around Glastonbury and reach your magical home. Pellinore, you met both he and Merlin on the mist-
A woman sought you out. Her name is not recorded, shrouded shore of the lake. Walking across the water,
but we know her now as the Falsest Lady Living. She you retrieved Excalibur from one of your servants
had fallen in love with a man her brother did not who was holding it above the water (and across the
approve of, and her brother had slain him. Now the Faerie Veil). You warned Arthur, however, that the
Falsest Lady wanted revenge. sword was not free. You would
You agreed to help her, for eventually come to collect a
a price: she became your service from him. He agreed to
servant. Eventually you your terms. All was proceed-
crafted an enchanted ing according to your plan.
sword and scabbard for Soon thereafter, you
her. Once the sword was arrived at Camelot to
belted on, it could not demand Balin’s head
be removed by anyone in exchange for
except the most ca- Excalibur. As you ar-
pable knight in England. rived, you discovered
This knight would be that your luck was
fated to slay the Falsest improving: the Falsest
Lady’s brother, and Lady Living had
thus grant her revenge. shown up just before
Your former servant you, and you still
left to find this knight, owed her for the death
and as time passed and of your father. You
she failed to find the best gave Arthur a choice:
knight in England, she execute Balin or the Lady.
came to repent her choice. But Arthur, who was gather-
The large and heavy sword ing troops for war and needed
would not come off. She every hand, had just released
could find no rest nor peace Balin from prison, and killing
in her wandering. She began a woman in cold blood was
to hate you, and her desire too much for Arthur to agree
for revenge was now directed to. You were in the middle
towards you, not her brother. of reminding him about his
Somehow she arranged for promise when the strang-
your father to be killed. est thing happened: Balin
Meanwhile, your sta- emerged from the shadows,
tus and powers as a Lady fully armed and armored,
of the Lake gave you the and chopped off your head.
chance to settle some old Arthur was furious over
grudges of your own. A your death, since his in-
knight in your homeland of ability to repay you for
Northumberland had earned Excalibur became a stain
your enmity, so you killed on his honor. He exiled
him with a burning poison. Balin and gave you a lav-
Unfortunately for you, he had two ish funeral. Merlin, too late as usual, came to your
brothers, knights named Balin defense and explained all about the Falsest Lady
38

Living and how she had caused your father to die.
It’s true, your first loyalty was always to yourself,
and you used your status as the Lady of the Lake
and your magical skills for your own benefit. But the
same could be said of many, and unlike most you
always stuck to bargains you had made. But you also
expected others to do the same, and when they did
not, you had no pity for them. Few knew you and even
fewer understood you, but you seem to have gotten
along with Merlin best of those who got close to you.
You hold grudges and sometimes you can be cruel
and ruthless, but if a man respects you and sticks to
his word, you can be the best friend he’s ever had.
Recognizing Nineve
Nineve may be identified because of her reclusive
lifestyle—she may be a hermit or someone who has
isolated herself from the world for religious rea-
sons. She will be secretive about her true agenda
and may have a hidden past. Although imperious,
she will be up front about her business transac-
tions and may have a reputation as a deal-maker.
She may have an association with water—she could
be a lifeguard, a marine biologist, or a corporate
executive for a bottled water company. It’s a good
bet she has some sort of secret weapon which she
will offer to a potential ally when he needs it most.
Nemesis
Balin, and any member of his family (past or
present), is your nemesis. It’s not clear how the feud
began, but you poisoned his brother and he killed
your brother in revenge when he could not find you.
You gave Arthur his weapon just so that you could
later demand Balin’s death from the king, but as
luck would have it Balin got released from prison
and ambushed you, lopping your head off. Next
time he won’t find you so easy to sneak up on.
Aspects, Skills,
Stunts and Extras
Nineve is a Lady of the Lake and Maker of Excalibur.
At her core, she is a Deal-Maker who likes to Make
You an Offer You Can’t Refuse because Everything Has
a Price. Unfortunately, she also Carries a Grudge,
Always Looks out for Number One, and No Price Is Too
High. She expects everyone to stick to The Letter
of the Contract. Tennyson’s lines on the Lady of the
Lake are especially haunting. She is a beautiful
master of Subtle Magic, Surrounded by Mist and has
A Voice As of the Waters. She Dwells Down in a Deep.
Nineve specializes in the creation of magical items;
in addition to Occult, Confidence, and Willpower
(the skills of all magicians) she needs Technology,
Chapter 2: Paths
which she uses to physically craft the items she later
enchants. As the chief priestess for a hidden mystical
community, she might have Leadership. A business-
woman at heart, she benefits from Empathy (to learn
what her trading partners want) and Rapport (to
seal the deal). Wilderness makes sense for a woman
who lives on a remote island far from civilization,
especially one with a knowledge of animals and
plants. She benefits from stunts like Always Making
Useful Things (Technology), I’ve Read about That
(Education), Savvy Investor (Resources) or Ninja
Vanish (Stealth), but should avoid stunts which
improve her initiative or allow her to detect enemies.
After all, she was famously ambushed by Balin. The
confusion over the various Ladies of the Lake suggests
she may be an Elusive Incarnation (Stealth). Here are
a few new stunts especially appropriate for Nineve:
• Awe: When Nineve enters a scene for the
first time, she can spend a Fate point and
automatically create a situational aspect of
supernatural awe. She gets one free invoca-
tion of this aspect, but others must overcome
it before any physical conflict can begin.
• Boatsman: Nineve can use Drive to pilot water-
going vessels.
• Swordsmith: Nineve has a +2 to create as-
pects with Technology on any kind of blade,
from a knife to a razor to a greatsword.
As a Lady of the Lake, Nineve is expected to have
the Refuge magical talent. If she does not, she is a
Lady without a Lake, the pursuit of which becomes
an important goal for her. In the Arthurian age, she
also wielded the Emotion, Blessings & Curses, Travel,
and Weather talents. She has access to echoes of some
legendary enchanted items, including Excalibur and
its magical scabbard, which along with additional
items of her own creation she can then barter to
others to accomplish whatever goals she might have.
You might try to accomplish this with the Potions
extra, but that’s really for hedge wizards and witches,
beneath an enchantress of your stature. You might
have additional extras for loyal companions, minions,
an organization or estate, if you want mundane power
and not just Faeries who serve you in your refuge.
Adventuring with Nineve
• Working with Nineve means walking a fine
line. She may perform the occasional unsavory
act, but if you treat her fairly you can keep her
on your good side and at least be sure that her
ire will (usually) fall on your enemies. Because
she’s so demanding, Arthur and his allies may
have to work hard to keep her happy, but they’ll
also expect her to pull her weight and use her
potent magical abilities on their behalf.
39
 Chapter 2: Paths

• Nineve’s blood feud poses a problem for her in-
carnations. Will she still harbor a grudge? Will
she seek out incarnations of Balin and get revenge
for her death all those years ago? Perhaps she
should at least keep track of him, out of a sense
of self-preservation. The most interesting way to
go may be to put Nineve in Balin’s debt, or vice
versa, to force two apparent enemies to work to-
gether towards a common goal (at least for now).
• As a maker of supernatural weapons, Nineve
always has something valuable to offer. Once
word gets out of her ability, even Arthur’s en-
emies might try to contact her, hoping to ne-
gotiate fair deals for her workmanship. There’s
no reason she has to tell Arthur about these
offers, even if she should accept them. Nineve
may find herself working as something of a
double agent, passing information to both
Arthur and his enemies if the price is right.
Pellinore, Knight of
the Questing
up? Because the quest itself is worth doing, even if
mortal abilities fall forever short.
Incarnations of Pellinore can take almost any form,
but he will always be looking for something which
eludes him. He makes an excellent hunter and tracker,
and his fighting skills make him invaluable to Arthur.
Your Past Life
You come from a holy lineage of kings charged with
the guardianship of the Holy Grail. Your elder brother
Pellam inherited that sacred duty while you became
King of the Isles, a land off the western coast of Britain,
beyond Wales. But you are most famous for your
legendary quest for Glatisant, the Questing Beast.
The Beast was a demon with the head and neck of a
serpent, the body of a leopard, the haunches of a lion
and the feet of a stag. From its belly came the sound
of sixty hounds barking. You would chase the Beast
for a year at a time and you were in the middle of just
such a stint when, having just ridden your horse to
death, you encountered Arthur and took his horse
instead. The young king

Beast was eager to join you on

your quest but you told
Pellinore was prob- him that only you—or
ably the greatest knight your next of kin—
of Arthur’s early reign. could catch the Beast.
Older than the Boy King, You probably believed
he acted as Arthur’s cham- this to be true, due to
pion and advisor, taking on your holy lineage, but
the most important quests in fact the Questing
and counseling the king Beast would elude
on difficult decisions. He you for the rest of
earned this role by defeat- your life. It was later
ing Arthur himself in com- caught and killed
bat (breaking the Sword in by Sir Palomides,
the Stone in two!) and kill- a Saracen knight
ing Lot, Arthur’s chief rival of no relation to you.
for the title of High King. You also promised
But this was not what
Arthur—whose true
made Pellinore famous. He
was called “the Knight of identity you did not
the Strange Beast” because know—you would
he had sworn an oath to return one day and
catch and slay a bizarre give him the fight
demonic creature named he wanted. True to
Glatisant. Although he your word, you came
hunted the Beast a year back to that for-
at a time, Pellinore est and set up
never caught it. This, your pavilion,
more than any other challenging all
single characteristic, comers. At first
defines Pellinore’s Arthur sent a
character. He is a modern young knight
Don Quixote, forever chas- named Sir Griflet,
ing something he will never but you defeated
reach. Why doesn’t he give him easily. The king
40

himself soon followed and you fought a ferocious
battle. One of your mighty blows shattered the Sword
in the Stone, but Arthur would not relent; he grappled
you with enormous strength. You were forced to pull
his helmet off and you were about to kill him when
Merlin interfered and told you who you were fight-
ing. Now afraid that Arthur would order your death
out of revenge for his having lost the battle, you were
even more determined to kill him, but Merlin put
you to sleep with a spell. By the time you awoke,
Arthur was gone. You returned to your quest.
But later, at a critical moment, you lent your lance
to Arthur’s cause in his battle with Lot of Orkney
and eleven other kings who had allied against
Arthur. It was you and no other who killed King
Lot, and with this act you saved Arthur. When the
new High King created the Knights of the Round
Table, you were given the seat of honor as the best
knight living, and you kept that title until your
murder ten years later. Alas, the seeds of your
death would be sown in the victory over Lot.
You had other adventures. At the High King’s wed-
ding you undertook a quest to rescue Nimue, the
future Lady of the Lake. But in your single-minded-
ness (a trait that characterized you throughout your
life) you ignored the plight of another knight and his
lady. This turned tragic when you discovered that
lady was your own daughter Elaine, and she died
for your lack of help. But you remained by Arthur’s
side and served as something of an advisor, recom-
mending knights for the Round Table. Within ten
years of Arthur’s coronation, however, two of Lot’s
vengeful sons—Gawain and Gaheris, both knights
and kin to Arthur—cornered you and killed you.
You had many children, some of them outside of
marriage with women who roused your passion. Most
of them would prove to be instrumental figures in
Arthur’s reign. Your sons Lamorak, Percival, Aglovale
and Dornar (by your wife the Queen) became Knights
of the Round Table. Your bastard son Tor also rose
to that honor, though you had taken his mother, a
cowherd’s wife, “half by force.” Your eldest daughter
Elaine’s death has already been mentioned, but your
other daughter, Dindrane, led Percival and Galahad
to success in the Grail Quest before sacrificing her-
self at the Castle of the Leprous Lady. The blood
feud between your family and that of Lot’s would
continue, claiming many lives, including Lamorak’s.
You were the greatest knight of Arthur’s early reign
and were known for your obsessive focus on quest-
ing to the detriment of all other occupations. One
wonders how much time you actually spent govern-
ing your kingdom, the Isles, since you chased the
Questing Beast a year at a time and spent any inter-
vening periods at Arthur’s court. Perhaps it was your
time on the hunt that excited your passions and led to
Chapter 2: Paths
so many extramarital (and sometimes violent) liai-
sons. But it wasn’t your amorous indiscretions which
proved your death, nor even the demon Glatisant.
Someone had to kill Lot if Arthur was to become King
of Britain, and you chose to be that person. Perhaps
you knew you would die for it, perhaps you didn’t.
But even if you had been aware that Lot’s death sealed
your own fate, your choice would have been the same.
Recognizing Pellinore
Pellinore will always be obsessed with finding
something. He may be a book collector hunting rare
volumes, a bounty hunter chasing escaped felons, a
physicist working on the Unified Field Theory, or an
archaeologist recovering ancient artifacts from hid-
den tombs. He could be a detective or a Great White
Hunter who always brings’em back alive. Pellinore is
going to be comfortable working alone for extended
periods, though he’s willing to help others so long
as they don’t interfere too seriously with his obses-
sion. He may be older than other incarnations, with
many sons, and he may have powerful enemies
who are gunning for him. Since he was King of the
Isles, he may have some connection to an island
country or a business with “Island” in the name.
Nemesis
Your Questling, and Glatisant itself, is your nem-
esis. Keep reading for more information on your
quest and the form your questling might take.
Aspects, Skills,
Stunts and Extras
Pellinore was Knight of the Strange Beast or Knight of
the Questing Beast, King of the Isles and Arthur’s Early
Champion. He comes from the Grail Family. But he was
Obsessed and Lusty, leaving bastard sons and daugh-
ters all over Britain, at least once a Rapist. His pursuit
of the quest left him Tireless and he was an Expert
Jouster and Wise Counselor whom Arthur asked for
advice. Pellinore’s pursuit of the Questing Beast locks
him into a special destiny; see below for more details
on Glatisant and Questlings, the demons which every
incarnation of Pellinore hunts, in one form or another.
As a hunter, Pellinore’s chief skills are Wilderness,
Notice, Stealth and Investigate. Today he could be
hunting anything, however, so his best skill could be
Education, Technology, or just about anything else.
A great knight, he had excellent Melee and Athletics
in the Arthurian age, though since he was older
than other knights his Physique may have suffered.
Today, he may have Firearms instead of Melee, es-
pecially if his outdoor skills manifest as some kind
of army ranger, scout, or sniper. A loner by nature
41
 Chapter 2: Paths
who came from an earlier, violent Britain before the
civilizing trends of court life, he needs few social
skills and prioritizes Willpower over Confidence.
Depending on your skill selection, Pellinore might
benefit from stunts like Ambusher or Forest Ghost
(Wilderness), Sleep When You’re Dead (Willpower),
Sprinter or Hardcore Parkour (Athletics), Hard to
Shake or Pedal to the Metal (Drive), Killing Stroke
(Melee), The Power of Deduction (Investigate),
Called Shot, Demon Hunter, In the Crosshairs,
or Uncanny Accuracy (Firearms). Here are some
new stunts especially appropriate to Pellinore:
• Demonologist: You have a +2 on Occult rolls to
learn the aspects of demons.
• Single-Minded: You have a +2 on Willpower rolls
to overcome distractions.
• Woodsman: You are +2 on Stealth rolls made to
hide in the woods.
Pellinore needs no extras. While ostensibly a king,
he never seems to spend any time in his lands, so
he doesn’t need an estate or organization. He has
no magical powers or equipment. In the musical
Camelot, his pet sheepdog, who accompanies him in
the confusing quest for Glatisant, is named Horrid.
The Questing Beast
Every incarnation of Pellinore quests after some-
thing, but the form of that quest is up to you. By
selecting the object of your character’s quest, you
transform that object into a supernatural force
called a “Questling.” Questlings are demons re-
lated to Glatisant, the original Questing Beast.
Because Pellinore could be searching for virtually
anything, Questlings can take many forms, from
animals and criminals to paintings, rare coins,
or scientific processes like a cure for cancer.
A Questling can be caught or even killed, but
Pellinore’s quest will always remain, like a televi-
sion series which is perpetually renewed, season
after season. The flush of victory fades, Pellinore
becomes restless again, the attainment of the quest
seems not as significant as it first appeared (the
theory is proven wrong, the villain escapes or is
eclipsed by a greater villain), and Pellinore begins
to see signs that his goal is still out there, unrealized
but tantalizingly within reach. The untouchable
supernatural essence that made up the Questling
moves to inhabit the new object of Pellinore’s
quest, and in this way the Questling lives forever.
See Chapter 9 for more information on Questlings
and Glatisant, including example Questlings.
Example: Jackson Blake is an incarnation of
Pellinore and a bounty hunter who tracks down
felons on the run from the law. He has his sights
set on Zenith, a legendary serial killer. The act
42
of making Zenith the object of his quest makes
Zenith a Questling and Zenith gains supernatu-
ral characteristics from his newly demonic nature.
After a long investigation and some close calls,
Jackson and his allies succeed in capturing Zenith.
But the quest cannot end. The GM has several
options. Zenith might escape confinement, prompt-
ing Jackson to renew his hunt. Or Jackson’s player
might select a new target for his quest: a new out-
law is discovered whose crimes put Zenith’s to
shame. Zenith’s capture is irrelevant and forgot-
ten. Jackson sets out to capture this new crimi-
nal. The Questling that had been part of Zenith
leaves him and now infuses the new target.
Adventures with Pellinore
• In the traditional approach, Pellinore performs
his quest alone. He is often missing for long
periods, usually between the adventures that
make up the actual Arthur Lives! play sessions.
This style of play can be hard on Pellinore’s
player, since the character will have aspects he
seldom gets to use onstage. Nevertheless, be-
cause Pellinore is often working alone and away
from the other player characters, the GM can
use the quest to lay the groundwork for future
adventures. Perhaps Pellinore, while out on
the quest, discovers some evil which he cannot
take the time to investigate. When he returns
to Arthur’s side, he tells the king about it, and
the player group can investigate it together.
Pellinore’s long absences might make others sus-
picious of his loyalty, leading to surveillance or
interference which Pellinore must then elude.
• A more team-oriented approach would lead
Pellinore to accept help on his quest, or to pursue
his quest while still fighting alongside Arthur.
If Pellinore is seeking the magic spell to rid
the world of all vampires, a hint to the spell’s
location might be found in the lair of some
socialite witches who are using their magic to
curse their Fortune 500 rivals. Arthur and his
knights take care of the witches; Pellinore gets
one step closer to his goal. Everyone wins.
• Pellinore is at the heart of one of the most de-
structive blood feuds in the Arthurian saga.
He killed King Lot, whose sons avenged him
with the death not only of Pellinore himself,
but his son Lamorak, their mother Morgause,
and even some innocent victims who got
caught in the crossfire. Will Pellinore feel
threatened by new incarnations of Gawain and
his kin? Even if he chooses to forgive his kill-
ers, can he be sure they will do the same?

Chapter 3: Skills and Stunts
Skills in Arthur Lives! follow most of the regular rules
set forth in Chapter 5 of Fate Core System. The skill list
is a little larger, but player characters in AL! also have
more skill points. Some skills in Fate Core have been
split up: the Fight skill, for example, is represented by
Brawl and Melee. Other skills have simply been added.
Some skills have been renamed. In a couple of cases,
a particular application of a skill has been reassigned;
for example, riding a horse is part of the “Drive” skill
in Fate Core, but in AL! that aspect of Drive has been
reassigned to Athletics. In general, however, players
and GMs will find the skills described here pretty close
to the Core rules.
Stunts have been included for each of these skills,
but these are not comprehensive lists. Look to your
Path for some specific stunts which are relevant to
your character.
Chapter 3: Skills and Stunts
Summary of Changes
from Fate Core:
• The ability list is longer by seven. Some of these
are new (Leadership, Performance, Wilderness)
and some arise from splitting broad combat abili-
ties in ways that better represent the setting.
• Fighting has been split into Brawling (unarmed and
simple weapons such as knives, clubs and improvised)
and Melee (knightly weapons such as sword, axe,
mace, lance). Modern action heroes will have strong
Brawling; knights will discover they have good Melee.
• Shooting has been split into Firearms and Archery.
• Will has been split into Willpower (the passive,
defensive applications described in Core) and
Confidence, which has active, offensive applica-
tions especially for enchanters and faith-based
characters. A character with high Willpower but
43
 Chapter 3: Skills and Stunts
low Confidence doesn’t really believe in anything
but is very hard to break mentally. A character
with high Confidence but low Willpower is the
classic fanatic, throwing himself wholly into his
cause but easily broken if he fails.
• Lore has been divided into Occult (arcane and other
secret knowledge) and Education (everything else).
• Performance has been added; it covers not just per-
formance art (music, dance and acting) but also the
creation of art (painting, sculpture, writing).
• Wilderness has been added; it covers outdoor and
animal skills such as tracking, living in the wild, and
animal training.
• The riding application of the Drive ability has been
re-assigned to Athletics.
• Some abilities have been renamed for a modern
setting.
Archery
Archery measures your character’s ability to use
bows and crossbows.
There’s a long tradition of archers in the Robin
Hood mode, but archery was not a knightly skill;
while a knight might learn the basics of archery as
a boy, knights did their hunting with spears and
the bow was a peasant weapon. It is most suited to
squires, hunters, and mercenaries, or characters like
Tor who grew up among the peasant class before
eventually becoming knights. There is, for example,
a tradition of Italian mercenaries hired just for their
crossbows, weapons more powerful and technologi-
cally sophisticated than anything found in Britain.
In the modern era, just about anyone could have
a measure of skill with a bow. A cat burglar uses a
crossbow with an attached climbing line to get in and
out of impossible jobs. An assassin might use a silent
composite bow as his calling card. Bows can be hand-
fashioned and have a role in many survival stories
and, because an arrow can be set aflame or made to
carry an explosive “payload,” it even has some poten-
tial as a delivery system.
oOvercome: The most famous use of Archery in
an overcome action is the archery contest, in which
a succession of archers get their arrows closer and
closer to the target. Archery can also be used to over-
come obstacles through the use of climbing lines or
even the physical arrows themselves; at least one hero
has climbed a wall using arrows lodged firmly in the
stone! Use overcome to construct a primitive bow out
of gathered materials.
cCreate an Advantage: Arrows with customized
payloads, or even just set on fire, are great for creating
aspects like The House Is on Fire or Shock and Awe. An
arrow through a gunman’s hand will disarm him, and
an arrow to the leg will slow him down. Indeed, be-
cause bows are less lethal than guns, they’re arguably
44
better at creating advantages than attacking. This is a
great skill for heroes who like to win by virtue of good
planning, rather than superior firepower.
aAttack: Use Archery to make attacks with bows,
crossbows, and similar weapons such as a speargun.
dDefend: You won’t use Archery to defend. If you
want to provide cover for a friend who is caught in the
open, create an advantage.
(MORE) ARCHERY STUNTS
Most Shoot stunts work for Archery. Quick on the
Draw might seem out of place, but cinematic archers
are superhuman in their skill and reflexes.
• Never Too Close: You can use Archery to stab
someone in your zone with an arrow, making an
attack action opposed by Athletics or Brawl. The
arrow is Weapon:1.
• Chink in the Armor: You can roll an overcome
action with Archery to negate an enemy’s armor.
The rating of the armor opposes your archery
check, and you lose the benefit of this feat if your
next action isn’t used to attack the target of your
overcome action with Archery.
• Bow-Jutsu: You can use Archery to defend against
Melee or Brawl attacks, parrying blows with your
bow as if it were a staff.
Athletics
Athletics is unchanged from Fate Core and is just
as common in AL! campaigns as it is in other genres.
In AL!, Athletics also governs your character’s ability
to ride a horse; this is a change from Fate Core, which
uses Drive for this purpose.
Athletics is very much in character for knights, as
they do a lot of running, swimming and climbing.
The great sport of knights, however, is jousting and
Athletics is specifically the go-to skill related to that
activity. Jousting was difficult to master and depended
on skill more than physical strength or stamina; it
was therefore not uncommon for aging knights or
lords long past their physical prime to be considered
champion jousters.
oOvercome: In addition to all the traditional uses
for Athletics (climbing a tower, swimming a moat),
a routine joust can be settled as an overcome ac-
tion using Athletics. In the event you need to GM a
full-blown tournament, consider a quick contest to
eliminate most competitors, then a challenge using
multiple skills for the next few rounds, before a close-
up on the conflict between the two top champions.
cCreate an Advantage: You might use your
Athletics to pick the right lance or horse for the up-
coming contest, to discern a weakness in a rival’s tech-
nique, or to perform your joust in a way that makes
you look especially awesome.

aAttack: You won’t usually use Athletics to at-
tack, even in a joust. Opposed Athletics rolls will
determine a victor.
dDefend: In addition to using Athletics for all the
defensive actions you normally would, including op-
posing Brawl, Melee, Archery and Firearms attacks,
you will roll Athletics to defend against attempts to
create an advantage on you during a joust.
(MORE) ATHLETICS STUNTS
In addition to the Athletics stunts listed in Fate
Core, some additional stunts focus on the application
of Athletics to jousting.
• Good Arm: You can use Athletics instead of Brawl
to make attack actions when throwing any weap-
on, such as a knife, axe, or grenade.
• Knight of the Road: You can use Athletics to drive
a motorcycle.
• Full Tilt: You can use Athletics to make attacks
with a lance while riding.
Brawl
Brawl governs fighting without weapons, with
knives, or with improvised weapons such as bottles
and chairs. It includes traditional martial arts as well
as boxing or “bare knuckle brawling.” While Brawl is
usually used in hand-to-hand combat, it also includes
throwing knives, rocks, and other improvised weap-
ons. The Core skill Fight is largely divided between
Brawl and Melee.
Brawl is far more likely to be a skill learned by mod-
ern characters than by knights. While a knight might
get into a scuffle once in a while, such activity was
beneath him. Important issues were settled with duels
or jousts and unimportant issues should be ignored
or forgiven. Mercenaries, brigands, knights from the
uncivilized border regions, and cads like Mordred
(who famously stabbed Sir Lamorak in the back with
a dagger) will have it. Modern action heroes, however,
resort to brawling at almost every opportunity and,
bereft of weapons like swords, spears, and axes, a
modern action hero relies on his fists at least as often
as he relies on his gun.
oOvercome: You probably won’t be using Brawl
to overcome an obstacle. Martial arts tournaments
are an obvious exception, and if you’re looking for an
improvised weapon in a Scene, you could roll Brawl to
find something suitable.
cCreate an Advantage: Brawl is used to create
advantages in a physical conflict when you are using a
knife, an improvised weapon, or no weapon at all.
aAttack: This is the main use of Brawl. You’ll need
to be in the same zone as your target.
Chapter 3: Skills and Stunts
dDefend: You can usually use Brawl to defend
against other Brawl or Melee attacks, though fail-
ing to defend against an axe while using only your
bare hands is usually a good opportunity for some-
thing awful to happen. Brawl cannot defend against
Archery or Firearms; use Athletics for that.
BRAWL STUNTS
• Buck and a Quarter Staff: You can use Brawl with
a quarterstaff. Other weapons traditionally used
by the lower classes, such as nunchaku or even a
woodsman’s axe, could also be used in this way,
and would have their own stunts.
• Nothing Up My Sleeve: You are skilled at conceal-
ing fist-loads, daggers, hairpins, poison, and other
very small weapons in your hand, from where
they can be used by surprise on unexpecting foes.
Use Brawl instead of Stealth when creating an
advantage representing your hidden weapon, or
whenever you are rolling active opposition against
someone’s Notice.
• Hoist: You have a +2 bonus to Brawl when you are
grabbing someone and pulling them into your ve-
hicle or up onto your mount.
Burglary
The Burglary skill appears in Fate Core and there
are no changes to it here.
For modern characters, Burglary includes knowl-
edge and avoidance of all kinds of high-tech security
systems. While stealing isn’t on the resume of any rep-
utable knight, squires, peasants, nosy handmaidens,
or lovers who go to great lengths to conceal their af-
fairs may have some proficiency in this area. Burglary
is a great example of the specialist skill: something
most player groups won’t have access to, and may have
to acquire by reaching out to an NPC.
(MORE) BURGLARY STUNTS
• But I Don’t Want To Burgle: You never intended
to be a thief; you’re just good at it naturally! You
have a +2 bonus to Burglary whenever your use of
the skill is the direct result of a compel.
• Ham Burglar: Your theft grows more impressive
in the retelling. When you tell the story of your
larcenous deeds, you can create advantages on
your listeners or the entire scene, rolling Burglary
as it were Rapport.
• Thief of Hearts: You have a +2 bonus to overcome
when using Burglary to sneak in or out of some-
place where you are having an illicit affair.
45
 Chapter 3: Skills and Stunts
Confidence
Confidence measures how firmly you believe what-
ever it is you believe. It is crucial for religious charac-
ters and for enchanters, who must believe in magic in
order to work magic. Mundane heroes use Confidence
to create advantages on others, to create situation
aspects, and to win staring contests.
Confidence is the offensive side of the Core skill
Will, the defensive aspects of which fall under
the new skill Willpower. A character with high
Confidence but low Willpower is fanatical in his
beliefs but subservient to others and easily cowed; a
hero with low Confidence but high Willpower may
be a jaded cynic who doesn’t believe in anything, but
torture and intimidation are useless on him. This
describes a lot of the protagonists in action films.
Knights and kings tend to be pretty confident, large-
ly thanks to their distinguished position in society, but
really high Confidence shows true passion: Gawain’s
dedication to his family, to quests, and to revenge all
testify to his high Confidence. Confident damosels
use this skill to create aspects on their knights and
allies. Likewise, religious characters like Galahad,
Percival, and the various holy men of the Grail Quest
use Confidence to fuel stunts and sometimes extras.
Magicians like Merlin and the Ladies of the Lake use
Confidence to exert their will over others and to make
changes to the environment.
oOvercome: If your mental effort is focused on
someone or something else, external to you, that
is the realm of Confidence. The classic contest of
Confidence is a game of chicken; you and your enemy
are driving straight at each other, and someone is go-
ing to swerve or you will both collide. The stare-down,
either on its own or as a prelude to the quick-draw
contest, can also be resolved as a Confidence contest,
with the loser acquiring an aspect the winner can
invoke. If you want to attack a particularly gruesome,
horrifying, or supernatural foe, a Confidence check
is appropriate.
cCreate an Advantage: Confidence can be used to
create an advantage on individuals, who can be cowed
or inspired by your calm, cool demeanor. You might
even express your confidence in your friends by creat-
ing aspects like You Got This and passing them the free
invocation. Confidence can create situation aspects
which affect everyone present; this is a great way to
prepare for a conflict or shore up one which is start-
ing to go south.
aAttack: The classic “stare-down” is an attack
inflicting mental stress, causing the target to back
down or attack in a more direct manner. Magicians
and faith-based characters will also use Confidence
to make attacks in conjunction with their talents
or other extras.
dDefend: Confidence is not used to defend.
46
CONFIDENCE STUNTS
• Armor of Faith: You can defend against any physi-
cal attack using Confidence until you are hit and
take stress, after which your enemies perceive that
you are only human and can be killed like any
other man.
• Cool Hand Luke: Your incredible self-confidence
makes you a master of improvisation. You can
spend a Fate point to substitute Confidence for any
physical skill for one roll or exchange. Drive, Brawl,
and Firearms are all in, but Education and Occult
are out.
• Confident in Victory: When you create an aspect
on someone which represents your confidence in
them, that aspect has an additional free invocation.
Contacts
The Contacts skill appears in Fate Core and it
works just the same in AL! It is an especially use-
ful skill for kings and damosels. For kings, Contacts
can be a manifestation of royal status and power;
everyone wants to know the king and you can often
get the information you need just by summoning the
right person to your presence. In contrast, damosels
use Contacts as “soft power,” a network of broth-
ers, cousins, servants, and aspiring suitors who are
bound to you by loyalty, friendship, blood, obliga-
tion, or affection. In some representations of Merlin,
the old wizard couldn’t see the future at all, he just
had a really good spy network.
(MORE) CONTACTS STUNTS
• Cyber-Bully: You can use your Contacts skill to
make Provoke attacks on people who are in your
social network.
• Faerie Underground: +2 to overcome when you
are searching for a supernatural being living under-
cover here in the world.
• Extended Family: When you create an advantage
with Contacts, you can get an extra free invoke
from that advantage if the individual you describe
is related to you.
• Throne Room: When you use Contacts to find
someone, you can spend a Fate point and that
person will come to you, in person if possible, but
remotely if not.
Deceive
Lying is a very unchivalrous thing to do and, in
Arthurian romance, it’s one of the worst possible acts;
nevertheless, it happens all the time. Wicked charac-
ters like Mordred and Agravaine lie whenever it suits
them while magicians use deceit to trick an enemy
into doing something stupid or to conceal their own
 Chapter 3: Skills and Stunts

magic. In some versions of the myth, Merlin’s disguises
aren’t magic at all, just clever use of deception. Lovers
male and female Deceive to cover their affairs. Even
chivalrous knights Deceive when, before going into
battle, they conceal their identity behind an anony-
mous shield or don someone else’s armor in an attempt
to gain more valor. When Lancelot rescued Kay from
imprisonment, he stole Kay’s armor and rode away in
it, knowing that knights across Britain hated Kay and
would attack on sight. Meanwhile, Kay was left with
Lancelot’s armor and, once he put it on, no one dared
to hassle him. To Kay’s credit, once he got to Camelot,
he told the true story even as bandits and highwaymen
showed up claiming they had been beaten by “Kay.”
In Arthur Lives!, you can use Deceive to disguise your
appearance, but if you want to adopt the appearance of
a specific other person, you need a stunt.
(MORE) DECEIVE STUNTS
• Blank Shield: +2 to defend against actions made
to identify you.
• Master of Disguise: You can use Deceive to dis-
guise yourself as a specific individual. Spend a
Fate point to make Nameless NPCs unable to see
through this disguise for one scene. If the disguise
is physically damaged, it is no longer foolproof.
• Covert Affair: When you create an advantage to
make a cover story for one of your romantic affairs,
you and your partner each get one free invocation.
Drive
A stable of horses was a defining characteristic for
every knight, but in the 21st century, cars are king.
Drive is a key skill for characters who are incarna-
tions of knights. An Arthur Lives! game starring
also attack in the same exchange using another
skill such as Firearms or Melee. The attack is at -2.
• Pilot: Your Drive skill is expanded to include
planes and helicopters
Education
The Education skill governs most of what Fate Core
calls Lore, except for knowledge of magic, the super-
natural, conspiracies and the paranormal, which has
its own skill: Occult.
Education was pretty spotty in the Arthurian age; the
best scholars were scribes and monks, who seldom ad-
ventured. Magicians were usually learned; Gwenbaus
was a scribe in the French court before Merlin taught
him magic, and Morgan actually learned her magic
studying books in a nunnery! A good king might study
Roman law, economics, military strategy, agriculture, or
animal husbandry, but there were plenty of rulers who
relied on battle prowess alone. Damosels often had
the most time to read and could be experts in almost
any field. But by and large, characters with strong
Education will have acquired that in the 21st century
and this is one of the ways Incarnations contrast most
with their previous lives.
Specialized knowledge, such as that belonging to a
doctor or a hacker, is unlocked with stunts.
EDUCATION STUNTS
• Lawyer: Your specialized knowledge of the law far
exceeds the general knowledge possessed by most,
and you are licensed to practice law in your home
region. This is an example of specialized knowl-
edge that can be unlocked
with additional stunts.
l Linguist: You have

knights should have plenty of car chases, studied languages

highway shoot-outs, and other sensational enough that you can
vehicle action. Some cars are actually roll an overcome ac-
magical Echoes of legendary horses. tion to carry on a basic
See Chapter 4: Extras for detailed conversation with any-
rules on vehicles, and the rules for one you meet, with a
chases and for vehicles in the Fate difficulty based on the
System Toolkit provide addition- rarity of the language.
al options and guidelines. You can also translate
All vehicles are covered by Drive, but most char- written texts, given time.
acters can only drive cars, trucks, and maybe a l Tenure: You have a

motorcycle. Unusual vehicles—like tanks, trains, (more or less) permanent

helicopters, or planes—are unlocked with stunts. post in higher education,
Riding horses is not covered by this skill; use and can roll Education to
Athletics instead. create appropriate advan-
tages. For example, you
(MORE) DRIVE STUNTS might use this to acquire
• Iron Stallions: You can use Drive to make over- resources for field work,
come actions while riding a horse. to secure a sabbatical, or
• Road Warrior: When you are in a conflict and to throw your academic
driving a vehicle, you can take a Drive action and reputation around.

47
 Chapter 3: Skills and Stunts
Empathy
Characters in the Arthurian age spent a lot of time
trying to figure out who to trust, and generally failing
at it. This Core skill is most suited to damosel char-
acters, who excel at seeing through lies, who always
seem to know good knights from bad ones, and who
give comfort to those knights they choose to accom-
pany. Kings also find Empathy a very useful skill when
dispensing justice or taking the measure of courtiers,
messengers, and those asking for aid. In one version
of the myth, Excalibur has the power to “cleave truth
from falsehood.”
Empathy has an additional highly specialized func-
tion in Arthur Lives! It is the skill used to recognize
someone as an Arthurian incarnation. This is creating
an advantage; the difficulty is usually Good to Superb.
Sometimes the incarnation will already have a High
Concept which makes his identity clear, but if he him-
self doesn’t know who he is, you may have to come up
with an aspect that clarifies it
(MORE) EMPATHY STUNTS
• Mythic Vision: When you are trying to recognize
an Arthurian incarnation, you can spend a Fate
point to automatically succeed.
• I Know Your Heart: You can identify people you
know using Empathy instead of Notice. They may
be disguised, hidden, or even out of your sight,
but it doesn’t matter. You know who they are. You
can just tell
Firearms
Firearms is the skill for guns and grenades. Other
than its narrower focus, it’s exactly like the Core skill
Shoot. Use the Archery skill for bows and crossbows,
and if you’re throwing a knife or a bottle at someone’s
head, you’re Brawling.
A defining modern skill, characters from the
Arthurian age won’t be trained in Firearms, though
there’s nothing that prevents a knight from having
natural aptitude for it. Experience with guns comes
from reincarnation and, like the choice between
Brawl and Melee, a knight’s decision to use Firearms
sometimes illustrates that character’s decision to put
his modern life first and his past life second. Because
combat skills were largely restricted to men in the
Arthurian age, but this is not true in the modern era,
damosels, queens, and female enchanters with a com-
bat skill are most likely to have Firearms.
All of the stunts provided for Shoot are applica-
ble to Firearms
48
(MORE) FIREARMS STUNTS
• Demon Hunter: You are +2 to create an advantage
against any resident of Hell.
• Make My Day: When you have a big gun aimed
at someone, you can use Firearms to make at-
tacks that inflict mental stress, as if you were using
Provoke.
• In the Crosshairs: You can use Firearms to create
an advantage as if you were using the Notice skill,
but you have to be observing the target from afar
through a targeting scope.
Investigate
In the Arthurian age, skill in investigation was rare.
A king like Mark would hire spies to investigate for
him, but Arthur relied on Merlin to reveal secrets, and
other kings, like Ban and Bors, had their own diviners.
Holy men, who appeared to explain things during the
Grail Quest, had supernatural knowledge traced to
the divine. But in some versions of the myth, Merlin
didn’t have magic at all, and was really just a bril-
liant investigator.
For these reasons, characters with Investigate will
probably have it thanks to their modern lives and
careers. But the skill works just as it does in Fate Core.
(MORE) INVESTIGATE STUNTS
• Pattern Recognition: You can use Investigate
to recognize Arthurian incarnations by spotting
tell-tale physical signs and symbols. This uses the
create advantage action, as you learn their high
concept or other aspect.
• Spy Network: You can use Investigate as if it were
Contacts to create advantages representing your
web of informants and agents on the street.
• Gumshoe: You don’t need to roll to find a critical
clue. If a clue is necessary to solve the crime, the
GM should inform you that it is present. You auto-
matically find that clue at the cost of 1 Fate point.
Leadership
Arthur had his faults; depending on which version
of the tales you believe, he may have been reckless,
naive, bloodthirsty, or just not very bright. But most
everyone agrees that he was a great leader. Indeed,
leaders abound in the Arthurian age, from the Queen
herself to Lancelot, who in time came to command
the loyalty of virtually all of France, or Sir Kay, who
as seneschal was the man who kept Camelot running.
The condition of knighthood itself conveyed the man-
tle of leadership, as a knight was responsible for his
squires and other servants, often including an estate
and a large population of tenant farmers. Leadership
was usually reserved for knights, kings, and queens,

but Merlin—as always—was an exception; when
Arthur was young and inexperienced, he relied on
Merlin’s advice to win several key battles. One woman,
Avenable, disguised herself as a man and grew to be-
come the seneschal to the Emperor of Rome.
Leadership is a new skill for Arthur Lives! cam-
paigns. Leaders inspire others, they give commands
and expect to be obeyed, they know how to run teams
and large organizations, and are knowledgeable in
tactics and strategy. Leadership is found in sports, in
business, in the military, in police, and in administra-
tors, government officials, and bureaucrats.
In addition to the actions discussed here,
Leadership has uses if you are utilizing the Squad-
Based Action and Mass Combat rules found in the
Fate System Toolkit. In particular, use Leadership ac-
tions to do all the things described for the Operations
skill in Squad combat, and use Leadership instead
of Will when using Mass Combat. Battles between
armies may not seem especially likely for most Arthur
Lives! campaigns, but that likelihood increases as the
protagonists grow in power ... and as they go on to
discover enemies too horrifying to fight alone.
Characters with Leadership often have squire
companions or a personal guard of Nameless NPC
minions. These are important additions, but they are
represented with extras, not skills or stunts.
oOvercome: A quick contest of Leadership can be
used to resolve team-based athletic competitions as
well as military skirmishes or battles, even important
ones, before focusing in on a key conflict between the
protagonists and enemy champions. Use Leadership
to resolve games of strategy, to navigate a complex or
resistant bureaucracy, to get your organization over
a hurdle or through a dangerous time, or simply to
make a stranger obey your command.
cCreate an Advantage: Leadership is great for
creating situation aspects related to your inspiring
charisma (We Can Do It!) or your brilliant strategy (All
According to Plan). It can be used to figure out aspects
placed on the battlefield, or to see aspects created by
opposing leaders. You can use Leadership to put as-
pects on individuals through your force of personality
(There Is No I in TEAM), but it can’t usually be used to
read people. If you are running an organization, you
can use this action to detail specific individuals in that
group, like Bob in Accounting or Expert Sniper.
aAttack: Leadership is used to make attacks when
you are wielding an organization, a military unit, or
other large group. Note that your target might be a
single Very Large Monster like a giant or dragon. The
important thing is that your Leadership roll repre-
sents the coordinated action of a group rather than
individual effort.
dDefend: Likewise, Leadership can be used to
defend against attacks, but only if you are in charge
of a group, like a squad of soldiers, a corporation, or
a football team.
Chapter 3: Skills and Stunts
LEADERSHIP STUNTS
• Command: Your decisive commands motivate
and inspire. You can choose to spend a Fate point
when you give another character an order. If the
character does what you told him to do on his
next exchange, he gets a +3 on the action.
• Stand Fast: When someone under your command
is attacked with Provoke, you can roll Leadership
to defend. You can do this once per exchange.
• Heart of a Soldier: You can use Leadership to
determine what will motivate your underlings, as
if you were using Empathy to create an advantage
on them.
• Slush Fund: You can call upon your organization
for emergency funds. Roll Leadership as if it were
Resources to create an advantage representing
your new possession, but it has to be something
your organization could get, and technically
they’re the ones who own it.
Melee
Fate Core groups all close-quarters combat into
a single Fight skill, but AL! differentiates between
Brawling (fighting barehanded or with knives or
improvised weapons) and Melee, which specifically
governs the use of “knightly” weapons: the sword,
spear, axe, flail, lance, and anything else which you
can imagine a knight wielding in the Arthurian age.
Other rare or specialized weapons, like a whip or
quarterstaff, require their own stunts.
Obviously, knights and kings are the most likely
characters to have Melee. It would be highly unusual
for an enchanter or damosel to have experience with
Melee in their past life, but nothing prevents such a
character from demonstrating natural ability with a
sword, ability further refined during play.
Proficiency in Melee is rare enough among mod-
ern characters that someone who has it is probably
a stuntman, a fight choreographer, or part of a medi-
eval re-enactment group, but many martial art styles
practiced today include weapon use. Even so, Melee
is the skill most likely to be gained when an incarna-
tion recognizes himself and suddenly discovers he
can swing a sword.
Other than being focused on a specific class of
weaponry, Melee works just like Fight and all the ac-
tions and stunts for Fight apply to Melee.
MELEE STUNTS
• Lancer: When you are mounted on a horse, you
can roll Melee to attack with a lance and also roll
an Athletics action on the same exchange.
• More Reach: If you are in a conflict and your
weapon is longer than your opponent’s, you can
spend a Fate point to automatically go first.
49
 Chapter 3: Skills and Stunts
• Arthurian: When you are outnumbered (your
opponent is benefiting from the teamwork rules),
your defense rolls with Melee are +1. If you attack
two or more Nameless NPCs, you do an additional
stress on a hit.
Notice
Notice is a Core skill just as applicable in the mod-
ern era as it was in the Arthurian age, but knights
were not traditionally very observant. Balin failed to
recognize his own brother until both were dying of
mutually inflicted blows. Pellinore failed to recognize
his own daughter when she was in need by the side
of the road. Arthur himself failed to recognize when
Guinevere’s evil twin replaced her. Damosels, en-
chanters, and lovers were more proficient in Notice;
Guinevere recognized Lancelot from a scar on his
cheek, and when Tristan and Isolde met in the or-
chard to plan their adultery, it was Isolde who spotted
her husband hiding in a nearby tree.
All of the actions and stunts found in the Core rules
still apply for Notice
(MORE) NOTICE STUNTS
• Watching The Watchman: You’re good at notic-
ing when you’re being watched, and concealing
that knowledge from your observer. You have a
+1 to detect anyone observing you, and call roll
Notice as if it were Deceive to keep your knowl-
edge of that observation secret.
• Bold Escape: You are +2 to create an advantage
when you use Notice to find an escape route.
• That’ll Do: When you create an advantage to
Notice an improvised weapon, you get two invoca-
tions out of it instead of only one
Occult
Knowledge of magic, the supernatural, conspiracies,
and the paranormal is represented by the Occult skill,
while all other branches of knowledge are governed
by Education. While it is traditionally the province of
magicians and enchanters, the depiction of magic in
popular culture means just about anyone could know
what a mandrake root is, that silver works on were-
wolves but not on vampires, or that a ring of salt can
serve as a trap for spirits. Superstition, folklore, and
old wives’ tales are all facets of Occult.
Occult is a key skill for enchanters and magicians,
who measure their knowledge of spells, tricks, and
magical traditions with Occult. Many intelligent
Faeries, supernatural creatures, and most demons
will have it. In the Arthurian age, only wicked knights
and kings, and servants of the Devil, would associate
with the Occult, but priests, monks, and nuns could
easily learn it from books. Many damosels seemed
50
to have minor facility with magic even if they weren’t
enchantresses—enough Occult to brew up a potion or
escape to the Other Side.
In addition to the guidelines here, the rules for the
Lore skill in Fate Core include good advice for adju-
dicating Occult..
oOvercome: Use Occult when you need to an-
swer a question related to magic or the supernatural.
You might roll Occult to understand a spell wielded
by a rival magician or to decipher the magic words
required to activate a ley line or gateway to Faerie.
A contest of Occult could be used for enchanters to
measure each other’s skill, or even duel.
cCreate an Advantage: Occult is great for creating
advantages relating to magical practices and tech-
niques. For example, you might use astrology to cast
a horoscope for a character (The Stars Are Right) or
interpret an auspicious dream. Numerology can reveal
Your Name Means Victory and tarot cards might indi-
cate The Future Is Bright.
aAttack: Occult is not usually used to attack. Even
when you have a magical talent, direct magical attacks
usually roll Confidence instead.
dDefend: Occult might be used to defend against
magical spells or rituals, but this is unusual and un-
locked through extras or stunts.
See Chapter 6: Enchantment for details on how
Occult is used to work magic, including addition-
al Occult stunts.
OCCULT STUNTS
• Meet the Magus: You can use Occult like the
Contacts skill, to create advantages when you are
trying to locate an occult practitioner.
• Feng Shweet: When you enter a building you do not
know, you can spend a Fate point to find the magical
nexus in that building—the place where magic is
strongest and spells are easiest to cast. As long as you
are in that spot, you are +2 on Occult rolls.
• Parapsychologist: Your Occult has the veneer of
acceptability. You can use it like Rapport in over-
come actions which make a good impression on
someone you just met.
Performance
Performance is the skill of creating and performing
art—painting, writing, sculpture, music, theater, acting,
and less traditional art forms. It excels at appealing
to crowds or in creating tangible works of art that can
have impact on the story.
As Arthur, and especially Guinevere, led Britain out
of the dark ages and into a more courtly and civilized
time, it became expected for knights, lords, and ladies
to have at least some artistic skill, especially in music,
dance, or the composition of poetry. But art is promi-
nent in multiple tales of the Arthurian age; Isolde fell

in love with Tristan as he taught her the harp, Lancelot
created a monument to his love for the Queen on the
wall of his prison cell, and Morgan later showed this
mural to Arthur in a final, futile, attempt to force her
brother to admit the truth. Guinevere sent a shield
symbolizing her affair to Isolde, knowing only another
lover would be able to understand it. Sir Dinadan and
Dagonet, King Mark’s fool, were both famous for their
ability to tell jokes and satirical stories, usually at their
own peril. In some versions of the myth, Merlin and
the other enchanters of Britain are Celtic bards whose
magic and music are intertwined and codependent.
oOvercome: Use Performance to establish a
connection with an audience or prove your artistic
bona fides in a quick contest. Re-enactment is one
of the most effective ways to get an incarnation to
recognize himself and his past life, so after you’ve
figured out who he is for yourself with Empathy, use
Performance to remind him.
cCreate an Advantage: This is the most common
use of Performance, used both to create aspects that
represent objects of art (Haunting Sketch) and to cre-
ate situation aspects that affect an entire audience
(That’s the Dover High School Fight Song!). You might
rally a crowd with I Have a Dream, turn them against
your enemy when you Come Not to Praise Caesar but
to Bury Him, or woo the woman of your dreams with
Mad Dance Skills.
aAttack: Performance isn’t used to attack.
dDefend: Or defend.
PERFORMANCE STUNTS
• Piano Man: You use Performance to gener-
ate income. You can create advantages using
Performance that represent money you have ac-
quired during the performance of your art, such
as Tip Jar or Recording Contract.
• Fans: You can spend a Fate point to single out a
Nameless NPC in the scene. That NPC is a fan of
your work and positively disposed towards you.
• Method Actor: You can use Performance to imitate
specific individuals. This does not allow you to craft
a disguise that changes your appearance, but if
your audience doesn’t know the difference, you can
string them along, rolling Performance as Deceive.
• Dance-Off: You can use Perform to inflict harm on
a target, as if you were using Provoke. This is so-
cial damage, manifesting as public ridicule, shun-
ning, and shame. If your foe is immune to such
concerns, he is immune to the Dance Off. If he is
Taken Out, he probably flees the scene
Physique
While modern protagonists rely on Firearms, Brawl
and Athletics more than raw Physique, it goes without
saying that they’re usually also strong and physically
tough. Physique is a Core skill in Fate and you will
Chapter 3: Skills and Stunts
find excellent guidelines for using it on page 118 of the
Fate Core System.
For knights and warrior kings like Lot and Arthur,
who seldom relied on grappling or wrestling when
swords were at hand, Physique meant you could fight
longer without exhaustion and you could survive
otherwise mortal wounds. Gawain’s strength was
legendary and fantastic, but there were many lesser
examples. Physique was also seen in the enemies of
Arthur’s knights: Saxon chieftains and their warriors,
dragons, and giants
(MORE) PHYSIQUE STUNTS
• Intimidating Physique: You can use Physique to
make mental attacks based on fear.
• Cut: When your body is exposed, you can roll
Physique to make a good impression on anyone
who might be physically attracted to you, as if you
were rolling Rapport on an overcome action.
• Under the Table: You have a +2 on rolls made for
drinking contests
Provoke
Provoke is a Core skill and there are no additional
rules for it; for a culture like the Arthurian age which
prized courteous behavior, it’s amazing how common
this skill was.
Knights used it to create fear in their enemies and
to challenge rivals; Provoke is a great way to prompt
another knight into a duel or joust. Alternately,
if the point is to avoid a fight, Provoke can stress
a rival enough to make him back down. Social
conflict using Provoke could happen even at the
Round Table amongst men who had sworn never to
harm one another.
Shame and fear of humiliation was a great way to
motivate knights; at least one boasting knight was
challenged to sit in the Siege Perilous and did so, even
when he knew it would kill him. Sir Dinadan used
Provoke in Mark’s court, satirizing the wicked King
in front of his courtiers and earning Mark’s hatred
forever. Dame Lynette was infamous for her sharp
tongue and caustic personality; she was only the most
famous damosel to wield Provoke, but there were
many others who got their knights to do what was
necessary with taunts instead of pleas, and Guinevere
provoked Lancelot so badly when she found out he
had slept with another woman that he went mad and
fled to the forest. Magicians and enchantresses used
Provoke to frighten mortals; it usually worked.
(MORE) PROVOKE STUNTS
• Follow Through: You have a +2 when you use
Provoke to get someone to do something they
have already bragged about, even if they weren’t
serious or didn’t expect to have to do it.
51
 Chapter 3: Skills and Stunts
• Troll: You have a +2 when using Provoke to create
advantages on targets through the Internet.
• Sharp Tongue: When you create an aspect on a
target based on shaming him into good behavior,
you can invoke that aspect twice instead of once
Rapport
Courtly behavior and chivalrous conduct is based
on trust, good behavior, and good intention. As such,
it falls squarely under the purview of Rapport, which
should be a common skill in Arthur Lives! cam-
paigns. The rules for Rapport are on page 121 of the
Fate Core System.
Rapport may have been even more important in the
Arthurian age than it is in the 21st century. Kings and
lords use it to defend their reputation against smears
and gossip and to interact with their knights. Queens
and damosels use it to persuade knights on adven-
ture. Those women possessed of legendary beau-
ty—Guinevere, Isolde, Morgause—effectively wield
that beauty as Rapport. Even squires, peasants, and
servants use Rapport to interact with their superiors.
Knights with Rapport are known for their politeness
and “gentleness,” while those without are infamous
boors. And, if you’re Gawain, you have a reputation
as both, depending on who you ask. None of this, of
course, means that modern incarnations have to have
good Rapport, it only means that they did have it in
their former lives; they may have left noble inten-
tions and kind words behind for a jaded and cynical
modern demeanor.
(MORE) RAPPORT STUNTS
• Inspiring Beauty: You can make a Rapport roll to
create a positive aspect on a target without speak-
ing to them; the target of your roll must be attract-
ed to your gender and able to see you.
• Unimpeachable Honor: You are +2 on rolls to de-
fend against attempts to sully your reputation.
• Seduce: When you are using Rapport to facilitate
a sexual encounter, you can turn a boost from a tie
into a situation aspect
Resources
Wealth is important to most Arthur Lives! games, but
important is not the same as central. In a traditional
AL! game, wealth is abstracted through the Core
skill Resources.
Virtually all the protagonists of the Arthurian age
were rich; characters like Balin and Tor were notable
for their exception to this rule. For such knights,
poverty is a distinguishing feature. Of course, some
characters were more rich than others, and Arthur
and Guinevere were fantastically rich, able to bestow
fabulous gifts to all their knights and companions of
52
the Round Table, virtually without end. Knights were
often chasing damosels who stood to inherit large es-
tates. Wicked characters like King Mark, Mordred, or
Breuse sans Pitie were motivated by jealousy or ven-
geance, but never gold. Enchanters, whose interests
lay across the Other Side, were poor but didn’t care.
In the modern day, AL! protagonists won’t be as uni-
versally well-heeled. In fact, one of the best sources of
tension in an AL! campaign comes when characters
used to being lords of men find themselves in humble
conditions, just trying to pay the mortgage or stretch
financial aid a few more months. Modern incarna-
tions don’t seek money as an end, but sometimes they
sure miss not having it. Resources is one of the skills
most likely to rise during the course of a campaign
as incarnations recover long-buried treasure caches
and loot the accounts of their enemies, but there are
also increasing demands on that money as the heroes
build a headquarters, travel the globe, and sacrifice
their regular jobs in the name of saving the world.
(MORE) RESOURCES STUNTS
• Merchant of Death: You have a +2 on Resources
rolls to acquire weapons.
• Payoff Flashback: Once per session, you can
make a retroactive Resources roll that establishes
you previously bribed an NPC in a current scene.
• Rig the Game: You can use Resources in contests
of Leadership that pit your organization against
another. Instead of winning on strategy or tactics,
you just bribe low-ranking personnel in the op-
posing group to take the fall
Stealth
While Stealth is very common in modern settings
and in the cinematic adventures which AL! calls
home, most stealthy heroes will have acquired that
skill in their second lives rather than their first. Like
Firearms, Brawl, and Burglary, Stealth is a skill that
few protagonists in the Arthurian age could boast of.
The chief exceptions to this rule are sneaky cads
like Mordred, Mark, Agravaine, and Breuse sans Pitie.
It’s perfectly in character for these “gentlemen” to be
creeping around, eavesdropping on others, and gener-
ally being up to no good. But lovers are also good
candidates for Stealth: Tristan, Isolde, Lancelot, and
Guinevere spent plenty of time tip-toeing to and from
bedrooms in the dark.
What all this means is that Stealth is one of those
skills that puts incarnations into a tense spot. Are
you going to use your modern skills but violate your
legendary code of honor? Or is honor just a word,
something you’ve cast aside along with all the other
nonsense from a bygone age?

(MORE) STEALTH STUNTS
• Passing Notes in Class: You have a +2 when you
are using Stealth to covertly slip an object to an-
other person.
• Elusive Incarnation: When someone tries to iden-
tify you as an Arthurian incarnation, you can de-
fend with Stealth.
• Where Did He Get That? You can use Stealth to cre-
ate aspects that describe hand-to-hand weapons you
have concealed on your person as mundane objects.
Technology
Technology is the Fate Core skill Craft, renamed for
the 21st century. There are very few applications of
Technology which will be relevant to the Arthurian
age. Unless you are using one of the versions of
Merlin in which he “ages backwards,” and has lived
in reverse all the way from the modern era to the
medieval, Arthurian characters would have almost no
practical experience with what passes for machines in
their environment, and those machines are limited to
things like grain mills and siege engines.
Instead, incarnations will acquire Technology from
their new lives, and the decision to embrace that
technology or avoid it may represent a larger decision
on the part of the Arthurian character to forsake the
old ways in favor of the new. Not every character will
intellectualize this decision, though. Plenty of knights
will swap out their horse and sword for a car and a
gun without a second thought.
Note that some skills involve high tech equip-
ment, but that doesn’t always mean you need the
Technology skill. High-tech thieves with Burglary
have experience with security systems, FBI agents
with Investigate know how to use databases and
surveillance gear, and a doctor with Education and a
Surgeon stunt doesn’t need Technology to use medi-
cal equipment. Use Technology if you want breadth,
when the specialized knowledge that comes from
other skills is just not enough.
Chapter 3: Skills and Stunts
TECHNOLOGY STUNTS
• Retroactive Crafting: Once per session, you can
describe an item you have crafted off-stage and
have prepared for just this moment. You still need
to make any Technology rolls to make the item, but
the time involved has already passed, and you have
the item either on your person or within conve-
nient reach.
• Artificer: When you build something, the difficulty
is never made higher so that the item can be made
in some way magical; everything you make is auto-
matically able to be enchanted by default.
• Q: When you use Technology to create an advan-
tage on an object in your possession, you can give
it aspects which represent otherwise impossible
weaponization. For example, your watch may have
a Hidden Monofilament Garotte and your pen may be
a One Shot Micro Missile.
Wilderness
Wilderness is a new skill for Arthur Lives! and it de-
scribes your skill hunting, handling animals, surviving
in the wild, tracking people, and traveling overland.
This was a vital skill for many knights, who spent a
lifetime hunting for sport and to rid the land of dan-
gerous beasts. Pellinore, in particular, was a master
hunter, having dedicated his life to finding the de-
monic Questing Beast. The Green Knight was also an
expert hunter, bringing down a stag and a boar with
hounds while hosting Gawain at his castle. Kings and
lords entertain their guests with hunting, damosels
traveling with knights always seem to know their way
around the forest of adventure, and even queens prac-
tice the art of falconry, using well-trained birds of prey
to bring down small game. A magician like Merlin,
who forsakes the civilized company of others, will find
much use for Wilderness.
In the 21st century, Wilderness skill has gone from
ubiquitous to remarkable. Trackers, rangers, and
scouts have a unique skill which their allies rely upon
to avoid ambush, lay traps, and navigate. Soldiers
trained in the military are the most likely to have
Wilderness skill, but often this is just an advanced
form of the sort of home-grown knowledge acquired
in humble, rural conditions by those who hunt
their own food.
oOvercome: Roll Wilderness to follow tracks, to
find your way in the woods, to find safe food and wa-
ter, and find or build shelter.
cCreate an Advantage: You can use Wilderness to
control, tame, or train animals, placing aspects upon
them which you invoke later. This action can also be
used on the environment to create details that make
your work easier, like Fresh Snow or Dead-end Ravine.
53
 Chapter 3: Skills and Stunts

aAttack: Wilderness isn’t used to attack. The WILLPOWER STUNTS

traditional weapons of hunting are the rifle, the bow,
and the spear, which use Firearms, Archery, and • I Am a Rock: When you succeed with style on a
Melee respectively. Willpower roll to defend against Provoke or tor-
dDefend: You won’t use Wilderness to defend, ture, your indomitable Willpower actually demor-
though you might generate active opposition when alizes your enemy, inflicting +2 mental stress.
someone tries to track you. • Nerves of Steel: When you attempt something
especially audacious or dangerous, you have a +2
WILDERNESS STUNTS to create an aspect on yourself that helps you to
succeed.
• Ambusher: When you use Wilderness to create
situation aspects which set up an ambush, you • Sleep When You’re Dead: You can roll Willpower
can spend about an hour finding the ideal loca- instead of Physique on any roll to resist fatigue,
tion and spend a fate point. This allows you to roll exhaustion, or sleep deprivation
Wilderness and create one aspect for each shift
you make on the roll. You still only get a free invo-
cation of one of them.
• Longbow Hunter: You can use Wilderness to
make attack rolls with the longbow.
• Forest Ghost: You can use Wilderness as if it were
Stealth, rolling overcome actions as long as you
are in the woods.

Willpower
Fate Core uses a single skill, Will, to represent all
aspects of mental effort. AL! splits this skill in half.
While Confidence represents how strongly you
believe whatever it is you believe, Willpower is your
self-control. It is inward-focused, representing primar-
ily your ability to use mental effort on yourself. It has
all the defensive aspects of the Core skill Will and de-
termines your mental stress track. Those with strong
Willpower are resistant to bullying, fear, and torture
while those without Willpower are easily broken and
exhibit a lack of self-control. Magicians also use it to
represent finesse and fine control of magical power.
oOvercome: Use Willpower to overcome chal-
lenges through incredible self-control. You might
rely on Willpower to stay awake and alert on a long
shift of guard duty, to resist temptation by a succu-
bus, or to stay strong in the face of an addictive habit.
When confronted with something especially ter-
rifying or horrific, a Willpower roll is appropriate to
avoid running away.
cCreate an Advantage: When you’re creating as-
pects with Willpower, it will almost always be done on
yourself. Aspects like I Laugh at Danger or You’ll Have
to Do Better Than That help you resist fear and inter-
rogation, I Ain’t Got Time to Bleed can help mitigate a
consequence, while a 12-Step Program or remember-
ing A Woman Worth Fighting For can help with other
aspects of self-control and determination.
aAttack: You won’t usually use
Willpower to attack.
dDefend: Use Willpower to defend against mental
attacks made with Provoke and in mental contests
where you are attacked with Confidence..
54
 Chapter 4: Extras

Chapter 4: Extras
While the most obvious sort of extra for characters If you are making a magician, see Chapter 5 for
in an Arthur Lives! game is a magical weapon like rules on enchantment and for many examples of
Excalibur or the ability to cast magical spells, you magical weapons and tools which characters might
don’t need to be a magician or King Arthur to have acquire during play.
an extra. Extras can be used to represent all kinds of
things common to heroes, including a companion,
minions, an estate, vehicle, or organization.

55
 Chapter 4: Extras
Companion
Companions are NPCs who are closely bound to
your character through loyalty, affection, or some-
thing equally powerful. They are more competent and
individual than minions, but are designed to assist
you rather than supplant you (or your fellow players).
You can create a simple companion with only an as-
pect; this adds a moderate consequence to your sheet
and, when the consequence is inflicted, the compan-
ion is kidnapped or injured or otherwise out of the
story. This is a particularly good way to model plucky
romantic interests who have a habit of being captured
by evil knights, wicked enchanters, and the occasional
vampire looking to score. However, if you want a more
detailed NPC companion, you need an extra.
Reduce your refresh by 1. You do not need to have an
aspect related to your companion, but it’s a good idea.
Your companion will frequently get hurt, kidnapped,
or otherwise make your life difficult. You may as well
get a Fate point out of a compel when that happens.
Your companion has a high concept, a trouble, and
three additional aspects. He has one moderate con-
sequence you can use to absorb stress inflicted upon
yourself. He also has a single skill column which is
one shorter than your best skill. He has one stunt, or
you can give him a minor consequence.
In scenes, your companion assists you or someone
else you direct him to, adding +1 to the relevant skill
roll and using the rules for Teamwork. However, when
you are not around, your companion can act indepen-
dently of you. Of course, this also means he can get
captured when you aren’t around, but so it goes.
There are two special kinds of companions that are
worth additional notes:
• Students: Characters like Kay, Gawain, or Merlin
are often accompanied by a squire or apprentice
who is learning at the mentor’s hand. Students
work a little differently than ordinary compan-
ions. Their skill column starts out only Average
(+1). However, at the end of each scenario, either
the student’s skill column goes up by one or he
gets one stunt or extra, as if he had spent refresh
to purchase it. This continues until the student’s
skill column would go higher than the mentor or
the student would have more total refresh than
the mentor. At that point, the student leaves the
mentor to become an independent NPC and the
mentor can take a new student or spend the re-
fresh cost on something else.
• Animals: Some companions are actually mounts
or pets, like Gawain’s horse Gringolet or Yvain’s
pet lion. These companions will have limited
skill selection and won’t be allowed many places
because they are animals, but they may have an
additional stunt, natural weapons or armor, or an-
other minor consequence.
Dogs as Companions
Dogs have a long tradition in Arthurian literature
and medieval culture, and players may want to have a
56
dog companion. As usual, there are a couple of ways
to do this; a dependent animal, who is an extension of
your character sheet and over whom you have (more
or less) complete control, is simply an additional con-
sequence on your character sheet. When you want the
dog to do something, invoke the Aspect. Percy is an
example of this approach.
Percy
Percy (whose real name is Percival) is a happy and
healthy golden retriever. His life is made up of eat-
ing, playing with his soccer ball, and getting petted in
more or less equal measure. He loves to run and jump
and his loyalty to his master is without limit.
This aspect can be invoked to:
• Put any mental consequence on the road to recov-
ery. This requires an hour of playing with Percy.
• Force any disguised individual to reveal his or her
true identity. This even works on Glamour and
invisible creatures.
• Send Percy to find help when you are incapaci-
tated, imprisoned or helpless.
In addition, Percy gives his owner an additional
moderate consequence.
If you want your dog to be independent, and to act
even when you are unaware or Taken Out, then the
dog can be made as a Companion. Lower refresh by 1.
Gram is an example of this approach.
Gram
Gram is a pit bull rescued from a dogfighting ring.
He can attack on command, but is not violent by
nature and would happily spend the rest of his days
lounging in the sun on the back porch if his master’s
life of adventure only permitted it. Gram’s seen a lot
in his few years, and he’s not startled or surprised by
the fantastic and magical. This also means he doesn’t
really understand when he is in danger, which leads
him to get into trouble.
ASPECTS
Good Old Dog
Arena Wounds
Teamwork
No Fear
Vicious Snarl
SKILLS
Good (+3) Athletics
Fair (+2) Notice
Average (+1) Brawl and Provoke
STUNTS
The Nose Knows. Gram has a +2 on overcome
rolls based on scent.
CONSEQUENCES
One moderate

Estate
It’s not uncommon for characters to rent an apart-
ment, own a home, or have an office somewhere. But
sometimes you want more than that: You want to own
the office building, live in a secret subway tunnel, or
retreat to Camelot. When that happens, you need an
extra. Arthur Lives! characters often use an estate as a
headquarters.
If everyone is going to be using the estate, there’s no
refresh cost and all the players should work together
to describe its aspects and calculate its skills. However,
if you want to do all that yourself, you can. Reduce
your refresh by 1.
Your estate has a high concept, a trouble, and three
additional aspects. It has a single skill column as high
as the campaign skill cap. Select your skills from the
following list:
• Concealment: Use this skill if your estate is physi-
cally disguised as something else. It defends against
Notice. An estate with Concealment can be in a very
busy public location, but avoids being noticed.
• Enchantment: Your estate generates enchantment
every morning as a place of power. See Chapter 5
for details on places of power and enchantment.
• Hospital: You can roll this skill to put physical con-
sequences on the road to recovery. If you already
have someone who can do this, the Hospital helps
according to the rules for Teamwork.
• Library: You can use this skill as if it were
Education. If you already have Education, the
Library helps you according to the Teamwork rules.
• Luxury: This skill measures your estate’s comfort
and opulence. You can use this skill as if it were
Empathy to put mental consequences on the road
to recovery. Alternately, you can roll it to impress
guests, as if you were rolling Rapport.
• Resources: An estate’s resources skill does not
describe its wealth; instead, it is used to determine
if something you want (“Do we have any tranquil-
izers?”) can be found within the estate (“They’re in
the bathroom.”).
• Scale: Anything too small for a person to comfort-
ably live in is Scale 0. Apartments are Scale 1. Most
homes are Scale 2 and a mansion is Scale 3. Almost
anything else is Scale 4. Only the largest, most ex-
travagant of estates are Scale 5.
• Secrecy: This skill opposes attempts to find your
estate with Investigation. An estate with secrecy
is often in a remote location or otherwise hard to
find, but it is not disguised as anything other than
what it is. (Use Concealment for that.)
• Security: This skill defends against Burglary at-
tempts and can be used to roll Notice on zones
within the estate. If your Security skill is +3 or high-
er, you can use it to make Brawl or Firearms attacks
at your Security -2, representing security guards.
Chapter 4: Extras
• Structure: This skill represents the overall sturdi-
ness and toughness of your estate. It is used to de-
fend against Physique rolls. It grants Armor equal
to half its value, rounded up.
• Technology: This skill represents the sophistica-
tion of your estate’s electronics, as well as any me-
chanic tools.
If everyone is sharing the estate, it begins with
a number of stunts equal to the number of PCs.
Otherwise, it has 1 stunt. For instance, you may have
a vehicle garage that grants a +2 bonus on Technology
rolls to repair cars.
Your estate has no stress, but it does have a single
minor, moderate, and severe consequence. You can’t
usually use these consequences yourself; they repre-
sent damage done to the estate.
Minions
Minions represent a group of (mostly) nameless
and faceless NPCs who obey another character. Most
AL! heroes won’t need them, but some character
concepts—like a gang leader, platoon commander,
or football team captain—benefit from the option.
Generally speaking, you’ll see minions when they’re
used against you. If you want your own minions, you
need an extra.
Reduce your refresh by 1. Every scene, if you are in a
location where your minions are available to you, you
can summon them. Your minions take one of three
forms, and that form never changes:
• Option one: Nine Average (+1) Nameless NPCs.
They are armed with a single weapon.
• Option two: Six Fair (+2) Nameless NPCs armed
with a primary weapon and either light armor or
a backup weapon.
• Option three: Three Good (+3) Nameless NPCs
armed with a primary weapon, armor, and a back-
up weapon.
Your minions have no stress; one point of stress
takes out one minion. Their skills are probably some
combination of Firearms, Melee, Athletics, Physique,
and Brawl, but you may choose otherwise.
You can spend 1 additional refresh to give your min-
ions 1 stress box each or a stunt.
Organization
Some AL! campaigns are structured around a PC
organization, like a Law Office from Hell or a Mafia
Family, and often an aspect is all you need. But if your
organization is being used to thwart enemy groups, is
under attack, or is taking actions of its own, you may
want to build it as an extra.
If the entire player group is involved in the organi-
zation, no refresh cost is necessary. Everyone should
work together to decide the organization’s aspects,
57
 Chapter 4: Extras
skills, and stunts. However, if you want to build an or-
ganization that answers to you alone, you can do that.
Reduce your refresh by 1.
Your organization has a high concept, a trouble,
and three additional aspects. If everyone is building
the organization together, it has 1 stunt for every PC.
Otherwise, it has 1 stunt. It has a single skill column
equal to the skill cap for the campaign. Organizations
select their skills from a different list than characters:
• Agents: This is your organization’s attack skill,
used against other organizations.
• Aggression: This skill gives your organization
a Weapon value, increasing damage when it in-
flicts stress.
• Facilities: This is your organization’s defense skill,
used when other organizations attack it.
• Internal Affairs: This skill defends against at-
tempts to infiltrate your organization or root out
internal corruption.
• Records: Used to answer questions based on in-
formation stored in the organization’s files, not
unlike a character’s Education.
• Surveillance: This is your organization’s
Investigate skill, covering the acquisition of
information.
• Resilience: This skill counts as Armor for your
organization when it comes under stress.
• Resources: When you need to know if your orga-
nization has a particular item or piece of equip-
ment, roll this skill.
• Scale: An organization of Scale 0 has no full
time agents at all, just a couple of volunteer part-
timers. A Scale 1 organization is about a dozen
people. Scale 2 organizations describe small com-
panies, a police precinct, or a mafia family. Scale 3
organizations are big: an Army company, a major
business, or an NGO. All but the largest groups
can be described with Scale 4; this includes mul-
tinational corporations or an Army division. Only
the very largest organizations need to be Scale 5.
The organization has a single minor, moderate, and
severe consequence, but you can’t use them for your-
self, only for the organization itself when it comes
under attack.
You can spend additional refresh to give your orga-
nization more stunts or other qualities.
Vehicle
Basic rules for vehicles can be found in the Fate
System Toolkit. In brief, such vehicles have 3 aspects
and a minor consequence which can be used to turn
a Drive failure into a success. An intermediate vehicle
can be represented with a single aspect on your char-
acter sheet. But if you want a detailed vehicle, you
need an extra.
58
Reduce your refresh by 1. You might have an aspect
related to your vehicle, but this is not strictly required.
Do it if you can; your vehicle is going to get damaged
or stolen or otherwise put in peril, you may as well get
Fate points for it through compels.
Your vehicle has a high concept, a trouble, and
three other aspects. It has one minor and one moder-
ate consequence which can be used either to absorb
stress inflicted upon the car or to turn your failed
Drive rolls into ties or successes. Your vehicle has skill
points equal to twice the campaign’s current cap. A
vehicle’s skills are different than those for a character.
• Chassis: This skill measures your vehicle’s resil-
ience and general resistance to damage, granting
Armor equal to its value. Vehicles made of solid
steel will have a strong Chassis, while plastic cars,
motorcycles, and bikes will have low (sometimes
very low) Chassis. The maximum Chassis is 4.
• Handling: This skill measures your vehicle’s re-
sponsiveness and agility. A high Handling can
add +1 to your Drive rolls, as if you were using the
teamwork rules and your vehicle was an ally. A
low Handling acts as a ceiling to your Drive skill,
forcing you to roll at less than your best. There’s
no maximum to Handling, but there’s not much
reason to raise it by more than your own Drive +1.
• Power: This measures your vehicle’s speed and
engine size. You’ll use it in races, chases, and to
pull things. There’s no limit to Power. That doesn’t
mean your vehicle can have unlimited speed! Its
general speed is determined by the type of vehicle
it is; the Fate System Toolkit establishes a speed hi-
erarchy of Foot/Bike or Horse/Car or Motorcycle/
Helicopter/Airplane. You will roll Power in con-
tests against other vehicles in your own class.
• Scale: A vehicle with Scale 0 is too small for a
human being to sit in, though he can stand on it
(like a skateboard). If it’s big enough to sit on, but
not to sit in, it’s Scale 1 (anything about the size of
a motorcycle, basically). Most cars and trucks are
Scale 2. Tractor-trailer rigs and most helicopters
are Scale 3. A passenger jet is Scale 4. Anything of
Scale 5 is enormous, like an aircraft carrier.
You can spend additional refresh to give your ve-
hicle other qualities, such as additional consequences,
weapons, or stunts which add to your rolls in special
circumstances.

Chapter 5: Magic & Enchantment
The world of Arthur Lives! is a strange place filled
with magic and wonder. This chapter explores the
most common magic players will encounter, includ-
ing the act of recognition, when an incarnation real-
izes who he or she was in the Arthurian age. You will
find rules for the creation of alchemical elixirs—from
sleeping potions and love potions to insidious bleed-
ing poisons—and a long catalog of various echoes:
legendary items from the Arthurian age which
manifest in mundane 21st century objects and can
be sought after and reclaimed by player characters.
Finally, this chapter includes new rules for enchant-
ment, a unique magic system that simulates the magic
found in the medieval sources.
Recognizing Arthur
If there is one kind of magic which touches all
Arthur Lives! characters, it is the very act of their rein-
carnation. Sooner or later all these heroes and villains
Chapter 5: Magic & Enchantment
recognize themselves and begin to remember their
past lives. While Chapter 1 explained the basics of how
player characters recognize themselves, this section
is more general and of use to both players and GMs.
Here, you will learn the rules for recognizing people,
places, and objects during the game as well as how to
work recognition into your stories and adventures.
What is Recognition?
Recognition is the act of identifying a person, place,
or thing as a piece of Arthurian legend. Before a per-
son can recognize anyone or anything else, however,
he must recognize himself as a reincarnation from the
Arthurian age. This moment of recognition is harder
and more difficult than later acts of recognition; once
it has been completed, it becomes easier to see and
identify those elements of Arthurian myth which are
present in the 21st century.
59
 Chapter 5: Magic & Enchantment
Know Thyself
Arthurian incarnations are born, grow up, and live
as ordinary people. They don’t know who they once
were, and although they may have some of the same
desires, likes, and needs of their past life, and even
though their modern lives may have an uncanny re-
semblance to their former one, they do not consider
this necessarily strange or unusual. A reincarnation
of Yvain, Knight of the Lion, may like lions, but lots
of people like lions. That doesn’t have to mean any-
thing special.
But as Arthurian legend becomes more and more
pervasive in the 21st century world, strange things start
to happen, and eventually it becomes hard to avoid
contact with magic and enchantment. Incarnations
who have already learned the truth about themselves
are searching for others of their kind – sometimes to
help awaken them to the truth, sometimes to kill them
before they become a danger. Faerie creatures are slip-
ping over the Veil between worlds and blending in
with mortal society. Supernatural menaces unrelated
to Arthur are growing ever more bold. GMs will create
situations for their players in which their characters
come to recognize first themselves, then others.
If an incarnation is simply told that he is a reincarna-
tion of a legendary individual, the reaction is always
the same: an instinctive, gut-level, rejection and de-
nial of the truth. This may simply be because of the
implausible nature of the claim, but there seem to be
deep psychological, and even magical, forces at work.
The rational mind rejects the influence of magic and
denies it. Instead, if someone is to recognize his true
nature, he must somehow come to the conclusion him-
self. This can be tricky. And after the player characters
in your group have come to recognize themselves, they
will have many opportunities to try to help NPCs come
to the same conclusion. When you want to help recog-
nition along, there are three common strategies.
One method of prompting recognition is to sur-
round the person with familiar places, people, and
things. Most obviously, this could involve a trip to
England to walk through the same fields, castles, and
roads that the Arthurian character walked in a more
fantastic age. Surrounded by these familiar sights
and sounds, an incarnation will feel a strange haunt-
ing kind of memory, as if there was something he can
almost remember, but not quite. You don’t have to go
to England to find castles, cliffs, beaches, and forests,
however, and in most cases you won’t have the need or
time to. Even the children’s castle of a mini-golf course
can take on special meaning to a reincarnation, and a
ride on a horse and carriage through a big city’s down-
town can make a reincarnation pause and wonder.
A second method of prompting recognition, often
undertaken when time is short, is to confront the ig-
norant person with irrefutable evidence of magic in
60
the world. After all, if an aged Merlin changes into
a twelve year old boy right before your eyes, or the
Lady of the Lake leads you through elevator doors
to a mist-shrouded island, it is hard to deny that the
world is more amazing than you ever thought. But
convincing a person that magic is real and convincing
him that he is himself magical are two very different
things. Revealing the presence of magic is a good way
to get an incarnation’s attention, but it doesn’t do much
towards prompting recognition. For that to happen,
an incarnation still needs to be prompted by familiar
sights or experiences.
One of the most difficult (but also most effective)
ways of prompting recognition is through re-enact-
ment. In a re-enactment, the Arthurian incarnation
does not merely see or touch familiar things, he goes
through the same actions and events he went through
before, at first blind to their significance but then in-
creasingly self-aware. If you want an incarnation of
Arthur to recognize himself, have him pull a weapon
or tool (baseball bat, crowbar, hockey stick) out of
some solid object (dumpster, block of concrete, frozen
lake). If you want an incarnation of Lancelot to realize
his true self, get Guinevere to kiss him. Orchestrating
a re-enactment can require a lot of research, time, and
investment, but because it involves the whole body as
well as the mind, because the sensory stimulus is so
overwhelming, it is very effective at forcing individuals
to recognize themselves.
Game Mechanics
In the game, a character can only recognize him-
self if he has had his memory triggered by familiar
people, places, things, or events. In situations where
failure is as interesting as success, the player rolls
Willpower, typically against a Fantastic (+6) difficulty.
If the character succeeds on this action, he recognizes
his Arthurian self and immediately gains all the ben-
efits, including two refresh, four new skills (or 10 skill
points), and a major milestone. He immediately rec-
ognizes every Arthurian person, place, or thing that
he can clearly see at that moment. Also, his memories
return, or at least part of them. The character’s memo-
ries should return in proportion to the campaign; if
the campaign is just beginning, he can remember only
a few key moments and most of his life is blank. But if
he is near the end of the story, he has nearly full recall
of his past life. Some memories may remain blank,
however, such as events which took place across the
Faerie Veil and which might reveal Arthur’s fate after
his battle with Mordred. If myths and legends con-
tradict each other about an incarnation’s life, those
contradictions are often noticeable as “holes” in the
incarnation’s memory. When the GM decides what re-
ally happened and solves these contradictions to her
satisfaction, the character’s memories fill in.

The difficulty for a self-recognition roll with
Willpower is high. To reliably help another character
recognize himself, create aspects on him or the situation
which stimulate the memory and can be invoked for
bonuses to the die roll. As an example, if an incarnation
of Gawain is met by Arthur (his uncle) and Morgause
(his mother), he could invoke both his Heir to the Throne
and his Family Über Alles aspects. If Arthur’s player cre-
ates another aspect, something like I Loan You Excalibur,
he could tag that too, because Arthur often loaned
Excalibur to Gawain in the legends.
A re-enactment or the use of once-in-a-lifetime
memories can create an opportunity for more aspects or
just grant a bonus to the Willpower roll. To get this bo-
nus, characters should be reminded of events which are
literally unforgettable – their knighting ceremony, the
consummation of their love, their death, and other key
events. Arthur’s drawing of the Sword from the Stone is
the most famous such event, but each incarnation will
have such moments, drawn from the myth. Research is
key to a successful re-enactment.
GMs have one final option: don’t roll. When fail-
ure would be boring, or when player characters have
worked hard to stage the perfect re-enactment, recogni-
tion should happen. That’s the Fate way.
Recognizing Others
Once a player character has recognized himself, he
can begin recognizing other Arthurian characters and
things. These other things – which might be weapons
like Excalibur, animals like Gawain’s famous horse
Gringolet, or even places like Lancelot’s castle of
Joyous Garde – are known collectively as echoes. An
echo is like an incarnation, except that while an incar-
nation is always of an Arthurian character, an echo is
an object, creature, or place which has also been recre-
ated in the modern world. Like incarnations, there can
be multiple echoes of a single object. Every Arthur will
have his own Excalibur for example, each an echo of
the real thing. If there is a single, true, Excalibur which
is still around in the 21st century, no one has found it.
Characters use Empathy to recognize incarnations
and echoes, even echoes which are inanimate objects.
If they fail, they can try again when the incarnation or
echo does something which stimulates the memory
or which would seem familiar. Players who want to
be especially good at recognizing other incarnations
and echoes will want stunts like Mythic Vision or
Pattern Recognition. Characters that have recognized
themselves no longer have the intense psychological
barriers they once had, and if they are simply told an
incarnation’s true identity (or it is openly revealed),
they are not forced to reject and deny it as they once
did. If an incarnation reveals his true self, this is usu-
ally enough for others present to recognize him, but
a GM might call for an Empathy roll in the case of an
Elusive Incarnation or similar interesting wrinkle.
Chapter 5: Magic & Enchantment
If you are the GM, you will want to think about
moments of recognition before each session. If your
player characters have not yet recognized themselves,
you should plan for at least one recognition by a PC
every session until you’ve worked through everyone
at the table. Player groups are often very diverse, and
especially in a modern setting it can be hard to find
an explanation for a motley group of people to work
together. But when one or more of them has come
to recognize himself as a reincarnation of Arthurian
myth, suddenly there is a very strong reason to work
together: to awaken all the other incarnations in the
group, seek out more, and find answers to many im-
portant questions such as “How?” and “Why?” This
makes the GM’s job much, much easier.
For this reason, GMs should plan scenes which stim-
ulate the memory of player characters who have not
recognized themselves. Give each character his own
scene, if you can. After all, this is an important moment
for each character, and you want it to be memorable for
the player. There is no single way to force recognition;
some re-enactments are funny, some are terrifying,
some are tragic, and some romantic. The best way to
approach the topic is to tailor it to the player charac-
ter who will be on the receiving end. Once you have a
couple of player characters who have learned the truth,
they will begin trying to do the same thing to the other
player characters, leaving you free to work on compli-
cations, conflict, and the other threads of your story.
Once all your player characters have recognized
each other, they will keep an eye out for other incarna-
tions. When you introduce new Arthurian elements
into your ongoing story, remember that recognition
rolls (Empathy or something else) might take place
and plan for them. If you do not want the player char-
acters to recognize someone, conceal that person’s
identity, have him work through mortal intermediar-
ies, or give him an incarnation which is often confused
for others, such as Morgan, Morgause, or the Ladies
of the Lake. It is difficult but not impossible for an
antagonist to pretend to be an incarnation other than
her true one, but again this will require keeping the
character out of sight and off stage most of the time;
Elusive Incarnation helps, as do aspects which you
can compel with Fate points to keep the characters
guessing, even if the players know what is going on.
Be sure to include in your story incarnations who
have not yet recognized themselves. Each of these
characters poses a unique challenge to your players,
who must decide not only if they will try to lead the
character to the truth, but how. Arranging re-enact-
ments will require both historical and literary research
as well as planning and organization; once the recog-
nition takes place, you should know how the newly-
awakened character will react. There should always
be something unpredictable about the new incarna-
tion – something the players did not expect. Perhaps
the character refuses to give up his 21st century ties.
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Perhaps he sees past events in a new light and now
hates those he once loved. Perhaps he regrets the ac-
tions he took in his former life and now disavows
the very behavior which the players expect him to
perform. Perhaps the character has current problems
(Wanted by the Law, In Debt to the Mob, Schizophrenia)
which the player characters only learn about after it is
too late. Every newly-recognized incarnation is a sub-
plot which can make your overall story more complex
and interesting; do not dismiss these characters lightly.
Even those who die quickly and are written out of your
story should, through their death, have something
meaningful to say or do.
Alchemy
Many women in the Arthurian age were famed for
their skill at crafting potions. Some have other magical
powers, represented with additional extras, but this is
by no means universal. Alchemy has a magical aspect
to it, but the magic comes from nature and properties
inherent in the ingredients; no spell is cast and there is
no risk of exposure to the Other Side, as there is with
enchantment. But alchemical elixirs are very difficult
and time consuming to make.
Elixirs are crafted as challenges using multiple
skills, including Occult, Technology, Wilderness or
Resources to acquire rare ingredients, and more.
These challenges take a great deal of time, and al-
chemists will often leave an elixir “on the stove” for a
scene or more before coming back to finish.
To be an alchemist, reduce your refresh by 1. You
begin knowing alchemy recipes equal to your skill in
Occult, and may acquire more in play. Only recipes
common in the Arthurian age are provided here.
Elixirs are defined by a type, form, and potency.
• Elixir types include elixirs of sleep, love, calm,
healing, traditional poisons, and the insidious
bleeding poison.
• Elixirs come in various forms. A potion must be
ingested, which usually takes one action. It takes
effect one exchange after it is consumed. An oil
must be spread upon its surface, which takes at
least one action and sometimes more, depending
on the size of the area that needs to be covered.
Most oils work on contact while others are deliv-
ered through injury and are carried by the blood.
In either case, they take effect after one exchange.
A pastille is burnt, creating thick smoke. One ex-
change after it is lit, the smoke cloud fills the cur-
rent zone, where it remains in the absence of as-
pects like Gust of Wind or Strong Breezes. Anyone in
the cloud suffers its effects but, unlike other elixirs,
the effect ends if you leave the cloud. There are no
lasting effects.
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• Potency establishes the elixir’s value on the ladder,
from Mediocre (+0) to Legendary (+8). Potency is
used when the elixir takes effect.
Each combination of type and form is a separate
recipe (for example a sleeping potion or a healing oil),
but an alchemist who knows a given recipe can craft it
at any potency. The more potent an elixir is, the harder
its materials are to acquire and the more dangerous its
brewing process can be.
Alchemy Skill Challenges
Brewing an elixir is a skill challenge involving
Occult, Technology, either Wilderness or Resources,
and sometimes other skills. Before you can begin
the challenge, you must know the type, potency, and
form of the elixir you are trying to make and calcu-
late the difficulty for both the Occult and Technology
roll. Be sure to check the specific elixir notes listed
below; there may be increased difficulty or other
requirements.
First, you must acquire the ingredients. There
are generally two ways to do this: you can buy the
ingredients with Resources, or you can find them
yourself using Wilderness. Thanks to the 21st century
economy, eBay, and overnight shipping, acquiring
ingredients with Resources is very fast, but it is also
expensive. If you have the time, and you know where
to look, acquiring your ingredients with Wilderness is
much cheaper.
• If you’re using Resources: Find the difficulty of
your Occult and Technology rolls, based on the
elixir’s potency and form. Add one to the highest
of these two numbers. Attempt an overcome ac-
tion against this new difficulty. If you succeed, the
ingredients generally arrive within 24 hours. On a
success with style, they arrive within the hour. Tip
your couriers; they work hard.
• If you’re using Wilderness: Find the difficulty of
your Occult and Technology rolls, based on the
elixir’s potency and form. Subtract one from the
highest of these two numbers. Attempt an over-
come action against this new difficulty. You usually
need to spend a Scene at an appropriate place and
actually gather the ingredients yourself.
Next, you give the elixir potency. Roll an overcome
action with Occult; the difficulty is equal to the elixir’s
intended potency. It usually takes about three scenes
(or half a session) for this action to be completed,
though you don’t need to be physically present for
most of it. If you succeed with style, you complete this
action in a single scene.
Finally, you set the elixir’s form. Roll an overcome
action using Technology. A potion is difficulty +2, an
oil which works on injury is difficulty +4, one which
works on contact is +6, and a pastille is difficulty +8.
Again, it takes a few scenes (or about half a session)

for this final stage of the process to be completed.
You don’t usually need to be present for most of
the process. If you succeed with style, it’s ready in
a single scene.
Bleeding Poison
This insidious and dangerous poison prevents the
victim’s wounds from healing so that the victim con-
tinues to bleed until the poison is cured. Sir Urre is its
most famous victim and, by the time he was eventually
healed by Lancelot, hundreds of Round Table knights
had tried to help him. He was, by this time, being car-
ried around on a litter and was utterly incapable of
physical activity. After he was cured, he became one of
Lancelot’s most devoted followers.
Victims of the bleeding poison do not recover
from physical consequences in the normal way.
Compare the potency of the poison to the level of the
consequence.
• If the poison’s potency is equal to or higher than
the consequence, that consequence cannot begin
recovery without magical aid.
• If the poison’s potency is less than the conse-
quence, when the consequence would recover, it
instead is reduced by one step (from moderate to
minor, for example). Eventually, the consequence
will be reduced to a level equal to the potency of
the poison, whereupon it stops recovery.
Magic, such as the Healing magical talent, can still
put a victim’s consequences into recovery. If a victim of
the bleeding poison has all his physical consequences
in recovery, the effect of the poison ends, and he is
cured of it.
There is an antidote for the bleeding poison, but it
is exceptionally difficult to make. Anyone who knows
how to make any version of the bleeding poison knows
how to make this antidote, but raise the difficulty of
the Occult roll by 2. Antidotes for the bleeding poison
are usually potions, but can be made in any form. The
antidote removes the effects of any bleeding poison
of equal or lesser potency. If the poison has greater
potency, use a contest to determine if it works. An ef-
fective antidote does not put the victim’s physical con-
sequences into recovery, it just allows them to recover
using the normal means.
Calming Elixir
This elixir calms those who are lost to rage, anger, or
grief. It reduces the severity of mental consequences
and removes other emotional effects, including the ef-
fects of the Emotion magical talent and elixirs of love.
The victim of an elixir of calm is drained of all ex-
tremes of emotion and gains the aspect Supernatural
Calm, which can be compelled to prevent him from
taking violent or destructive action. Aggressive action
or stress gives the victim a chance to roll Willpower
Chapter 5: Magic & Enchantment
against the elixir’s potency, removing the aspect on
a success.
If the victim has any mental consequences that
represents emotional stress, and those consequences
have a value equal to or less than the potency of the
elixir, the consequences are reduced one step (minor
consequences are removed). If he is under the effects
of the Emotion magical talent, that magic ends unless
the enchanter has Confidence higher than the potency
of the elixir. An elixir of calm instantly ends the effect
of any elixir of love which has potency equal to or less
than the calming potion.
Healing Elixir
Healing elixirs reduce the severity of a wound but do
not eliminate it completely. They are also a powerful
cure for diseases and poisons.
Healing elixirs only work on consequences with a
value equal to or less than the elixir’s potency. If the
consequence is an injury, reduce it from severe to
moderate, or from moderate to minor. Healing elixirs
cannot eliminate a minor consequence, and no injury
which has already benefited from any kind of magi-
cal healing can benefit from a healing elixir (which
means you can’t use one twice on the same injury). If
the consequence represents disease or poison, it is in-
stantly and miraculously removed. If used on someone
suffering from a poison elixir, the healing elixir acts as
an antidote, curing the poison if the healing elixir has
equal or greater potency, or otherwise rolling a contest.
Healing elixirs can be made in pastille form, but the
healing effect only lasts as long as the cloud remains.
When those within leave it, or if the cloud fades, the
consequences return in their original severity.
Love Elixir
Isolde and Tristan are only the most famous victims
of love potions in Arthurian myth. These potions are
not always made for nefarious ends. In a world where
marriages were for politics more than for love, a po-
tion like this could make such a long-term relationship
bearable. Unfortunately, something always seemed to
go wrong, sending the potion to the wrong victim.
The maker of the elixir can specify one physical
characteristic for the target of the elixir’s love – for
example, “human being,” “male,” or “blonde” – but
no more than that. The victim of the elixir falls in
love with the first character he sees who fulfills this
condition, and marks off a minor, moderate, or other
consequence with a value equal to or more than the
potency of the elixir. The consequence’s aspect reflects
this new infatuation with an intensity proportionate
to its severity. A minor consequence might be just a
One Night Stand, but a moderate consequence might
be Infatuation and a severe consequence means I’ll Do
Anything for Love. The consequence can be recovered
naturally, usually through the Empathy skill. If you
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succeed with style on the Occult roll to create an elixir
of love, you can name any single individual, and who-
ever consumes the elixir will immediately fall in love
with that person.
Any alchemist who can make a love elixir also
knows how to make an antidote for it. The antidote
is usually a potion, but it can be crafted in any form.
Reduce the difficulty of the Occult roll by 2. Antidotes
automatically end the effect of a love elixir of equal
or lesser potency; if the elixir of love has a greater po-
tency, roll a contest.
You can alter the recipe of the elixir of love so that its
victim has no memory of the actions he takes while suf-
fering from it. Raise the difficulty of the Occult roll by 2.
Poison
A poison Takes Out whoever consumes it. This is
seldom lethal for PCs, but often lethal for NPCs. A
standard poison requires three exchanges to Take
Out its victim, who attempts an overcome action with
Physique when the poison affects him using a difficul-
ty equal to the poison’s potency. If the character loses,
subtract the number of shifts from the poison’s three
exchange delay; this can result in the poison taking in-
stant effect. If the character succeeds, add those shifts
to the poison’s delay. The victim has that long to find
an antidote, often by creating the appropriate aspect
with Notice. As with anything else, a player can always
concede to the poison, go down early, and negotiate a
non-lethal outcome.
Any alchemist who can make poison potions also
knows how to make poison antidotes. Antidotes are
easier to make than poisons and are always potions.
Reduce the difficulty of the Occult roll by 2. An anti-
dote automatically cures any poison it is specifically
designed for and also any poison with a potency equal
to or less than its own. Otherwise, roll a contest be-
tween the potency of the antidote and the potency of
the poison.
Sleeping Elixir
Some alchemists are capable of brewing sleeping
potions with magical effects that last for years or even
generations. The victim of such an elixir is Taken Out,
effectively unchanging for as long as the elixir lasts.
The maker of the elixir must set an “awaken condi-
tion” described by an aspect. If the awaken condition
occurs, the victim of the sleeping elixir wakes up, but
until that time the victim remains unconscious. The
most common awaken condition requires that the vic-
tim be woken only by The Best Knight in the World, True
Love’s First Kiss, Noble Blood, or some other qualifica-
tion. Whatever it is, the awaken condition becomes an
aspect placed on the sleeping victim. Any individual
who might fulfill the awaken condition can try to do
so, invoking the aspect. If the aspect is invoked, the
sleep ends and the victim awakens.
64
The sleeping elixir requires special considerations
in game; a PC who falls victim to the sleeping elixir
is unable to play the game. This is not fun, and a GM
should give careful consideration to its use.
• Don’t use it on PCs. Use it on NPCs, creating a
problem which the PCs must solve. They must fig-
ure out the awaken condition and then arrange for
it to happen. This creates story, rather than taking
it away.
• Use it on PCs who are leaving the game. When
one of your players joins the military, has a big
deadline at work, or suddenly finds a boyfriend,
you can use the sleeping elixir to put that charac-
ter on hold until the player returns. The awaken
condition may be discovered, but it seems to be
impossible to satisfy. The PC stays asleep until the
player returns.
• It can be used in the short term. A player should
never miss out on playing her character for an en-
tire session, but a partial session is often all right.
If an NPC alchemist uses the sleeping elixir as a
means to knock out a PC, only for the big villain to
wake her up a couple of scenes later, that’s all part
of the job.
• Let players use it on NPCs. The sleeping elixir
is a great alternative to death. It puts a villain
or rival on hold instead of removing them from
the story. It’s inevitable the character will return,
and because you’re the GM, you can arrange that
whenever the story requires. It’s usually good to
leave the NPC asleep for at least one full session.
Otherwise, the PCs feel cheated.
• Players can use it on other players. Even if the al-
chemist ensures that the awaken condition won’t
be satisfied (usually by making his ally the only
character who can fulfill it), you can always create
a new NPC to do it, allowing the PC to return to
the game.
• Encourage players to concede. Conceding usu-
ally means the character didn’t actually drink the
elixir, it only looked like he did. Perhaps he faked
it, or got just enough to fall unconscious but not
enough for the magic to take hold. Maybe it reacts
with the bad salami he had earlier in the day, and
he vomits the whole thing up onto the floor. This
can still take the character out of the scene with-
out taking him out of the entire session.
While the sleeping elixir would seem to be an in-
definite, perhaps even infinite, curse, it actually never
works out that way. Alchemists who can make the
sleeping elixir know that its magic only works because
the sleep is finite. No matter how rigorous or impos-
sible the awaken condition might seem to be, it is
inevitable that the victim will wake up. The only ques-
tion is: how long will it take for the awaken condition
to be fulfilled?

If the victim is a PC and isn’t leaving the game, the
awaken condition must be designed in such a way that
another PC qualifies and can awaken the victim. For
example, the awaken condition “kissed by the best
knight in the world” could be used if someone in the
game had that title. Of course, as the GM, you can al-
ways create new NPCs or aspects ensuring that a PC
wake from the elixir. The alchemist is never the person
who qualifies for the awaken condition; it is always
someone else.
The awaken condition should always be interpreted
as generously as possible. Surnames are a common
way of getting around tricky awaken events; for exam-
ple, a victim who can be awoken only by Noble Blood
could be rescued by a custodian named John P. Noble.
Similarly, despite being written down, the awaken con-
dition of a given elixir is actually an oral phenomenon;
this is important, because homonyms are a common
way of getting around pesky awaken conditions. To a
sleeping elixir, there is no difference between “knight”
and “night.”
Sleeping elixirs have a potency of +8. Unless he
concedes, the victim of the elixir rolls a contest of
Willpower against a Fair (+2) difficulty; he remains
awake and conscious for a number of actions equal
to the shifts of success. Once that time has gone by,
the victim falls into an enchanted slumber and is in a
state of suspended animation; he does not need to eat,
drink, or even breathe, nor does he age. However, he
can be wounded and even killed.
There is no known antidote for the sleeping po-
tion, but Occult can be used to determine the awaken
event aspect and whatever PC or NPCs might poten-
tially qualify.
Echoes
An echo is a special type of supernatural object,
creature, or place; like reincarnations, an echo is a
modern double or duplicate of a legendary source;
but in the case of the echo, the new form is weaker
than the original and temporary in nature. Excalibur,
Camelot, the Round Table, and the Holy Grail, along
with many other magical things and creatures, have
echoes in the 21st century. Each only appears under
certain conditions, and often these conditions require
the participation of particular incarnations. Once an
echo does appear, it remains in the game for a while
before fading. It usually leaves behind a mundane,
non-magical, object or animal.
Echoes make excellent objects of quest, temporary
rewards, and “secret weapons” which are used to tip
the balance in key conflicts. The presence of echoes
in the modern world suggests that the true and origi-
nal form of these supernatural objects and creatures
might return to existence just as Arthurian reincarna-
tions have, but as of yet none of these legendary things
Chapter 5: Magic & Enchantment
have been discovered. Only their faded echoes remain.
Echoes are described below with the following
guidelines:
Description: The echo’s origin, history, and powers
are given first.
Mechanics: The specific game effects of the echo are
given next.
Manifestation: An echo begins as an ordinary ob-
ject, but that object must fulfill certain require-
ments. Those requirements are given here. Often
a manifestation must be a weapon; if this is so, an
improvised weapon does qualify, and any echo
that manifests as an improvised weapon can be
used normally with the Brawl skill.
Arrival: This describes how the echo enters the
game. Sometimes an echo is crafted or created by
a character. In other situations, a character can
find an echo, or a player can reveal a seemingly-
ordinary object to be an echo.
Departure: Every echo fades and leaves the game. The
specific conditions of that fading are given here.
How Echoes Appear
There are three ways echoes appear in the game.
GM Choice: The GM places many echoes in the
story. In this case, the GM decides that a particular
object is actually an echo of a supernatural origi-
nal. The object can be recognized as an echo by
any incarnation who sees it (and who has recog-
nized himself ).
Player Character Creation: Some echoes, like
Excalibur and its scabbard, are crafted by particu-
lar incarnations. The requirements for this craft-
ing are given in the echo’s description. NPCs of the
proper incarnation could also craft these echoes,
giving the GM a way to introduce these items with-
out player character involvement.
Player Choice: Some echoes are placed by players,
not their characters. A player can decide that a
particular object is (and always has been) an echo
of a supernatural original. No one has noticed the
echo’s true nature until now. The player announces
his decision upon seeing the object and fulfilling
whatever other requirements the echo might have.
At that point, the echo can be recognized normally,
and often everyone who sees it will recognize it
instantly. This method of echo appearance is most
common for magical weapons or animals which are
especially associated with a particular incarnation.
In almost all cases, a player can only place a par-
ticular echo once in the entire life of his character,
so he should choose wisely. Since the GM controls
narrator characters, he can also place echoes of this
type, attaching them to appropriate incarnations
which are not player characters.
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Arthur’s Mantle
There are legends among the Welsh that speak of
thirteen great magical treasures found in the country
of Britain. One of these was in Arthur’s possession;
it was a cloak and hood which, when worn, made its
wearer invisible. Arthur is never recorded as having
used the cloak, but no one would know when he was
using it anyway, so this is not surprising. Nor do we
know where the cloak came from or what happened
to it. Perhaps it was stolen; Mordred or one of Arthur’s
many other enemies would have plenty of uses for it.
Mechanics: Anyone under Arthur’s Mantle gains
the aspect Invisible with one free invocation. He
can’t be seen, but Notice rolls related to hearing or
other senses can detect him. The mantle grants its
current user a moderate physical consequence.
Manifestation: Any long coat, cloak, blanket, or
piece of fabric which covers at least two thirds of
a standing man is a suitable manifestation for an
echo of Arthur’s mantle.
Arrival: The GM decides if a particular object is an
echo of Arthur’s mantle.
Departure: The mantle lasts until its moderate con-
sequence is used; when this happens, it is cut or
torn into two or more pieces and its magic instant-
ly fades, leaving behind only a mundane object.
Arthur’s Ship
Arthur’s ship is mentioned in the Welsh tales when
he uses it to sail to the underworld in search of a magic
cauldron of plenty. Three times Arthur’s ship carried
his knights across the Veil, but in the end only seven
men returned.
Curiously, there is some confusion over the ship’s
name. The legends call it “Pridwen,” but this was also
said to be the name of Arthur’s shield, which was dec-
orated with the image of the Virgin Mary. Considering
the name’s meaning (“fair face”), the shield seems
more appropriate.
Mechanics: Arthur’s Ship can cross the Veil into
Faerie and return. Someone on the ship must
spend a Fate point and, so long as the ship is
moving, the Veil will appear within five minutes.
Crossing the Veil itself is almost instantaneous.
Manifestation: Arthur’s Ship can manifest in any
vehicle.
Arrival: The GM places echoes of Arthur’s Ship.
Departure: Each echo of Arthur’s Ship lasts for
three trips to Faerie and back. After the third
voyage, its magic fades, leaving behind a mun-
dane vehicle.
The Bed of Madness
Soon after Balin and his brother Balan had killed
one another, Merlin arrived on the scene and
66
performed several marvels. Among them was the
creation of a magical bed which tormented all who
lay in it. Anyone who spent the night in the bed was
subjected to terrible mental anguish and was robbed
of his memory. Eventually, Lancelot, wearing a ring
made for him by one of the Ladies of the Lake, spent a
night in the bed. The ring was enchanted to break all
magic spells, and Lancelot survived the night in rela-
tive peace, retaining his memory.
Mechanics: The Bed of Madness acts like a charac-
ter, attacking anyone who lies down in it. The first
such attack is a grapple using the bed’s Fantastic
(+6) Physique as the bed leaps, bounces, and flies
about the room. The victim defends with his own
Physique and any stunt which applies to grappling
or wrestling can be used. If the victim fails to es-
cape, he cannot rise from the bed for eight hours,
during which time he is helpless and in intense
physical and mental torment. Those forced to re-
main in the bed must defend three times against
the bed’s Fantastic (+6) Provoke using Willpower.
Minor consequences inflicted by the bed generally
focus on Fatigue from a grueling night of struggle,
but Complete Memory Loss is the standard mod-
erate consequence and more damage results in
Madness.
Manifestation: The Bed of Madness can manifest
in anything used for sleeping: a bed, sleeping bag,
hammock, futon, or even an easy chair.
Arrival: Only Merlin can create the Bed of Madness.
He does this by acquiring a proper manifestation
and spending an evening in uninterrupted work.
Then he spends a Fate point and suffers a minor
consequence, usually reflecting exertion and lack
of sleep but possibly representing an enchantment
he suffers in the process of binding magical power
into the bed. Each incarnation of Merlin can only
create such an echo once.
Departure: The Bed of Madness lasts until it is
physically destroyed or until its occupant lasts the
entire night without suffering any stress. At that
moment the magic of the bed fades and only the
mundane manifestation remains. Victims who
escape the bed in its initial grapple do not cause it
to depart.
Caball
Arthur’s dog, Caball, was known to the Welsh, and
he comes down to us today through tales like that of
“Culhwch and Olwen”. In that story, Caball is part
of Arthur’s hunting party as the King pursues Twrch
Trwyth, a monstrous supernatural boar capable of
slaying many good knights. By the dog’s name (derived
from the Latin word for “horse”), we can presume that
Caball was exceptionally large even for his breed; it’s
likely that the original Caball was an Irish wolfhound

of a stature which suited his legendary master. Caball’s
final fate is unknown; he survived numerous hunts for
magical boars and stags and probably lived a long and
comfortable life fed scraps from the Round Table.
Mechanics: Caball is a companion; its master must
lower refresh by 1. He has the high concept Caball,
the Trouble Just a Dog, three additional aspects,
two minor and one moderate consequence, and a
single skill column as high as his owner’s highest
skill. He has a Scale one higher than a normal dog
of his breed.
Manifestation: An echo of Caball can manifest in
any living dog.
Arrival: The GM places echoes of Caball. He can
be recognized normally, but Caball will always
choose one player character to be his master.
Departure: An echo of Caball lasts until it can give
its life for its master. Caball will not allow his
master to be Taken Out in a lethal manner while
Caball himself still has consequences to use. He
will take the consequence himself, sparing his
master the lethal blow, and die.
Camelot
Arthur and his court traveled throughout Britain
and he stayed at many cities during his reign, but
the most famous was Camelot. Its precise location is
not known, and in fact at various points it may have
slipped over the Faerie Veil. It was situated along a riv-
er and was surrounded by forests and plains, including
a meadow where tournaments were held. Initial con-
struction was complete in time for Arthur’s wedding,
and the Round Table was installed here, though the
table was so large that a new building had to be con-
structed just for it. Camelot was both a city and a cas-
tle; its outer stone walls enclosed a growing metropolis
which included a great cathedral, St. Stephen’s. Kay, as
Arthur’s seneschal, was Camelot’s manager and gover-
nor. As the kingdom and the city grew, Kay became so
preoccupied with the estate that his fighting skills in-
evitably suffered. Even so, more than one Round Table
knight began as a squire in Kay’s kitchens.
Everyone was welcome in Camelot, and visitors did
not even have to give their name to receive hospitality,
though it was presumed that Arthur’s peace would be
observed. Those who insisted on performing violence
within the court were exiled from the King’s presence.
Damosels came here seeking help from the King,
knights arrived with bold challenges, and ambassa-
dors from foreign lands came with threats of war. The
King and Queen received visitors from magnificent
matching thrones of ivory and gold fashioned in the
shape of leopards and crocodiles. It was here that the
quest for the Holy Grail began, when the enchanted
cup appeared and Gawain first swore to seek it out.
But Camelot had its share of intrigue and deception,
Chapter 5: Magic & Enchantment
especially after the Grail Quest. It was in Camelot
that Guinevere and Lancelot were finally exposed as
lovers, forcing Lancelot to flee. Guinevere remained
behind through her trial, Lancelot’s attempted rescue,
and Arthur’s pursuit of him to France. When Mordred
tried to force her to marry him in a bid for the throne,
she pretended to agree and traveled to London, pre-
sumably to shop for wedding preparations. Instead,
she locked herself in the Tower and waited out the
rest of the war. In the years after Arthur’s death, King
Mark of Cornwall led an army to Camelot and reduced
it to ruins.
Mechanics: Kay must reduce his refresh by 1 (if no
one is playing Kay in your game, the GM might
allow Arthur, Guinevere, or someone else to
place Camelot instead). Camelot is an estate; see
Chapter 4 for more details on estates. It has the
Camelot high concept, a Trouble that describes im-
moral actions performed within its walls (Under
Cover of Darkness or Living in Sin), three additional
aspects, and a minor, moderate, and severe conse-
quence. It has a single skill column with a height
equal to the campaign’s current skill cap and a
number of stunts equal to the number of play-
ers+1. Camelot’s high concept can be invoked by
anyone within it to defend against fear, to create a
positive impression of awe or wonder, or to enforce
oaths sworn within it.
Manifestation: Camelot can manifest in any build-
ing that Kay has purchased with the estate extra.
Although Kay had to spend a point of refresh to
make this estate into Camelot, the estate itself
should not cost refresh because the entire group
will be using it. See Chapter 4: Extras and con-
struct the estate as one used by the group.
Arrival: Kay’s player places the echo of Camelot, and
he may do so only once. He must have an estate
and create the Camelot aspect using Resources
with a difficulty of Fantastic (+6). If he succeeds,
the building which is the manifestation for Kay’s
estate is revealed as the echo; any incarnation
within sight of it recognizes it instantly. If he fails,
he can try again in subsequent game sessions.
Departure: The echo of Camelot lasts until it is
Taken Out. Although the structure can be rebuilt,
it is never the same.
The Dragon Banner
The dragon banner was made by Merlin to be
Arthur’s battle standard, and Merlin carried it
throughout the King’s early battles. The banner de-
picted a red dragon; during battle the dragon would in
fact come to life and, perched on the metal shaft which
Merlin carried, breathe fire over Arthur’s foes. It was a
ghastly and terrifying weapon, and Merlin was much
feared because of it.
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Mechanics:
The banner is not a subtle weapon. It can be acti-
vated by anyone with a magician or enchanter high
concept who spends an action and a Fate point
while in physical contact with the banner. This
transforms part of the banner (its flag, screen, or
other visual field) into a fire dragon of a predeter-
mined strength and size (see below under Arrival).
The dragon is, more accurately, a fire-breathing
winged drake. It has only animal intelligence and
no magical powers other than flaming breath, but
it does have claws, nearly impenetrable scales,
and a ferocious bite. It cannot move on its own; it
hovers and uses its tail or body to remain coiled
around whatever remains of the banner (the
pole on which the flag was mounted, the frame
in which the picture was held, and so on). If this
object is moved, the dragon keeps pace, hovering
with its wings. Because the dragon is hovering,
the wielder does not need to carry the dragon’s
weight. The wielder of the banner can give or-
ders to the dragon using an action and can also
use an action to turn it back into an inanimate
object. Otherwise, the dragon remains active for
the scene or until it is Taken Out, at which point
it turns back into an inanimate object. If the fire
dragon has any skill higher than the wielder’s
Confidence, the wielder cannot control the drag-
on. It will not obey orders, will attack the nearest
creature (including the wielder), and will return to
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an inanimate state when either it or the original
wielder is Taken Out.
Manifestation: The dragon banner was originally
a long, narrow flag attached to a tall steel pole.
Modern echoes may also be flags, but they could
be anything which is designed to display an image:
a road sign, billboard, stadium screen, or even an
advertising blimp. Devices like a smartphone or
tablet will work, but are insufficient to summon
large dragons. An object that can be held in one
hand (iPad) can summon a dragon of Scale 0.
Two-handed objects (flag and flagpole) can
summon a dragon of Scale 1. An object which
is big enough to require multiple people to
carry (a wall-size plasma screen TV) can sum-
mon a dragon of Scale 2 and an object which
is essentially immobile (billboard) can sum-
mon a dragon of Scale 3. A Scale 4 dragon could
only be summoned through something like a
Jumb-o-tron, and there is no way to bring a Scale 5
dragon through the Veil.
Arrival: Only Merlin can create the dragon banner,
and each incarnation of Merlin can do so only
once. First, he must have a suitable object to act as
its manifestation. Then, he must spend one night
in uninterrupted work, at the end of which time
he spends a Fate point and suffers a moderate
consequence. This could be related to fatigue, but
might also be an enchantment which represents
a bargain or deal Merlin had to make in order to
complete the banner. The fire dragon itself might
injure him. The fire dragon which the banner
summons can have no skill higher than the cam-
paign’s current cap.
Departure: The dragon banner can be used in
a number of sessions equal to Merlin’s Occult.
When the last such session ends, the banner
catches on fire and burns up, leaving only ash.
Excalibur
Arthur’s most famous sword was made for him
by the Lady of the Lake and arranged for his use by
Merlin. To gain it, Arthur had to promise the Lady a
later favor, but she was murdered in his hall before
he could grant it. Arthur went on to use Excalibur in
many adventures and it became a symbol of his rule.
He occasionally lent it to Gawain, who was heir to the
throne. Arthur was wielding Excalibur when he met
Mordred in personal combat and sustained a mortal
wound. He ordered Bedivere, one of his oldest and
most trusted knights (and one of the few survivors
of that battle), to throw the sword back into a nearby
lake, but Bedivere found the sword too precious and
twice failed in his duty. At last he did as he was told,
and Excalibur was caught by a woman’s hand, taking
the sword back beneath the waters (and into Faerie).
Mechanics: The owner of Excalibur must have an

aspect which represents the weapon and must
lower refresh by 1. Excalibur ignores Armor:4. It
grants its wielder a +2 bonus on attacks. Its aspect
can be invoked to cut, break, or pierce any object,
to intimidate or create awe, and to compel some-
one to tell the truth.
Manifestation: An echo of Excalibur can only mani-
fest in a weapon or improvised weapon which is
made specifically for this purpose. It must be an
object of extraordinary quality. Nineve must either
make the object herself or supervise its construc-
tion, being present at all times.
Arrival: Only Nineve can make an echo of Excalibur,
and any given incarnation of her can only do so
once. First, she must have a suitable manifestation.
Then, she must spend a day in uninterrupted la-
bor, calling forth magic from across the Faerie Veil.
To complete the process, she spends a Fate point
and takes a moderate consequence, usually related
to fatigue or some bargain she made to empower
the weapon.
Departure: An echo of Excalibur lasts precisely as
long as Nineve wants it to. She can demand its
“return” at any time with a free action. When she
does so, no matter where she is or how much dis-
tance separates her from the echo she has made,
the echo loses all its magic and becomes a mun-
dane object while Nineve regains a Fate point and
removes one moderate or minor consequence. If
Nineve dies, any echo of Excalibur that she has
created fades immediately.
Excalibur’s Scabbard
When Nineve gave the young King Arthur his fa-
mous sword, she also gave him this scabbard, which
Merlin assured Arthur was twice as good as the sword.
So long as it was worn, Arthur’s wounds did not bleed.
He entrusted the scabbard to his sister Morgan, who
promptly replaced it with a forgery and gave the
original to one of her lovers, Accolon, in a plot to kill
Arthur. Nimue thwarted the scheme, but the scab-
bard was eventually hurled into the sea where it was
presumed to be lost forever. However, in one legend,
a fairy recovered it and gave it to Gawain for a crucial
battle. If true, Gawain must have lost it or given it
back, because he didn’t have it for his climactic duels
with Lancelot.
Mechanics: The owner of Excalibur’s scabbard must
reduce his refresh by 1. The scabbard makes a
significant change to the wearer’s stress track and
consequences. Whenever the wearer is attacked
with a physical attack, he can mark off more than
one box at a time from his stress track and can do
“partial damage” to a stress box or consequence.
For example, if Arthur is hit with a 2 point attack,
he could put those two points into his 3-hit stress
box and the box would not yet be checked off; it
Chapter 5: Magic & Enchantment
could still absorb 1 more stress. Or, he could put
those 2 stress into a moderate consequence, but
the consequence would not yet be marked off; it
could still absorb 2 more stress. The wearer of the
scabbard cannot use these special rules when suf-
fering mental stress or enchantment stress, though
“partial” consequences can still only absorb as
much stress as they have unmarked.
Manifestation: An echo of Excalibur’s scabbard can
manifest as a belt, jacket, holster, garter, pair of
suspenders, or any other article of clothing that
encircles a part of the body other than the feet,
hands, or head. The item must be of extraordinary
quality and made for this express purpose.
Arrival: Only Nineve can cause an echo of
Excalibur’s scabbard to appear. She must either
make it herself or supervise its construction
throughout the entire process. To complete the
process, she spends a Fate point and takes a minor
consequence, usually related to fatigue or some
bargain she was forced to make to complete the
enchantment.
Departure: As with Excalibur, Nineve can cause an
echo she has made to disappear at any time as a
free action. If she does, she regains a Fate point
and removes a minor consequence. If Nineve dies,
any echo of the scabbard which she has made
fades at once.
Galatine
Galatine was Gawain’s sword. Its origin is not record-
ed, but there are two likely possibilities. First, it may
have been in Gawain’s possession when he was grow-
ing to manhood in his father’s northern kingdom of
Lothian. It would have been an heirloom of the family,
or perhaps made specifically for Gawain and intended
for his knighthood. (Considering Gawain’s superhu-
man strength, it would seem wise to make a special
sword which could withstand his especially fierce
blows!) Alternately, Gawain might have received the
sword when he was knighted by Arthur himself short-
ly after the marriage to Guinevere. Although Gawain
was occasionally lent Excalibur, Galatine was the
sword he relied upon in all other occasions. No one
is certain what happened to it, but it might have been
buried with Gawain upon his death on the coast of
Britain after he received mortal wounds from Lancelot.
Mechanics: Galatine grants a +1 bonus to dam-
age when it is used. It is a magical weapon and
indestructible.
Manifestation: Any melee weapon, even an impro-
vised one, is a suitable manifestation for an echo
of Galatine.
Arrival: Only the GM can decide when an echo of
Galatine appears. An incarnation can then recog-
nize it normally.
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Departure: An echo of Galatine disappears when its
owner dies or when the echo itself is lost or stolen.
Gringolet
Gringolet was Gawain’s horse and the most famous
horse in Arthurian myth. There are contradictory tales
of his origin. In one version, he was bred in the stables
of the Grail Castle and given to Gawain by a duke. A
second version has Gawain winning him from a Saxon
chieftain. Finally, he may have been a Faerie creature,
gifted to the half-giant half-witch Escanor the Large, a
villain who hated Gawain and shared his supernatural
strength. Regardless of Gringolet’s origins, he was of-
ten stolen and Gawain had to recover him.
The name Gringolet translates as “white-hardy,”
creating the impression of a beautiful, white horse of
particular strength and stamina. Gawain covered the
horse with saddle and equipment of gold trimmed
in red cloth. One legend says it had red ears, a Faerie
trademark.
Mechanics: The owner of Gringolet must lower his
refresh by 1. Gringolet is a companion or vehicle—
depending on his manifestation—with two minor
consequences and one moderate one. He has the
high concept Gringolet, the Trouble Frequently
Stolen, three additional aspects, and a single skill
column equal to the current skill cap of the cam-
paign. If anyone other than Gawain drives or rides
Gringolet, his consequences are unavailable to
that character.
Manifestation: Gringolet can manifest as any mount
or vehicle which is predominantly white.
Arrival: Only Gawain’s player can place an echo of
Gringolet, and he can only do so once. He must be
in control of a suitable manifestation and spend a
Fate point, recognizing the echo instantly.
Departure: Gringolet departs at the end of any
scene in which all its consequences have been
marked off. The vehicle can be repaired but is
never the same. An animal must be put down.
The Holy Lance
The Holy Lance, also known as the Spear of Destiny,
the Spear of Vengeance, or the Lance of Longinus, is
one of the great relics of the Christian faith. Its original
form was that of a Roman pilum, a throwing spear of
the sort carried by the Roman legions. Longinus was,
according to tradition, the soldier tasked with guard-
ing Christ as he hung upon the cross; when the day
grew long and Christ had not yet perished, Longinus
helped the process along by stabbing Jesus in the side.
Miraculously, Christ’s blood turned to water as it ran
down the spear. Soon after, Christ died and the central
miracle of the Christian faith took place: the sins of
all the world were forgiven, the debt paid by Christ’s
martyrdom.
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Longinus, it is said, was cursed to wander the world
immortal until Christ’s return. His spear, as an instru-
ment of the world’s redemption and a tool of God’s
will, became a holy relic. It was retrieved by Joseph
of Arimathea, who brought it to England with the
Holy Grail, and in time it came into the care of the
Grail Kings in their fortress at Carbonek, the Grail
Castle. There it remained for many generations, until
Balin intruded into the castle in his search for Garlon,
the treacherous brother of Pellam, the Fisher King.
Balin killed Garlon, and Pellam was in pursuit of him
for this deed when Balin trespassed into the private
chambers of the castle. There, in a room decorated in
gold and hung with the finest curtains, he found an
enchanted spear. Since Balin had come into the castle
with only one of his swords and that weapon had
broken in battle with Pellam, Balin took up the spear
and used it to deal the king a crippling blow through
the groin. He returned the spear to its resting place
at once, but it was too late. Balin, who was no saint
himself, had wielded one of Christianity’s holiest relics
against its own divinely-appointed caretaker. This sin
was so great that it not only destroyed the Grail Castle,
it laid Pellam’s land waste for miles around and tore a
hole in the Faerie Veil, releasing waves of magic and
enchantment over Britain that worked both forward
and backward in time. This was the Dolorous Stroke.
Gawain was later tasked with recovering the spear,
and it was eventually returned to the castle. There,
Galahad used blood from the lance to cure Pellam,
repairing the damage done by Balin years before.
Pellam’s injuries finally healed and the wasteland was
restored to a place of plenty. The lance itself was then
lifted up to Heaven; perhaps God felt man could no
longer be trusted with it. But its echoes seem to have
surfaced throughout the centuries that followed. At
least two different versions of the lance have been on
exhibit in museums throughout the 20th century. One
of these was acquired by Nazi forces when Austria was
annexed by the Reich, and the relic was transferred to
Wewelsburg castle, where some say it was used in un-
holy rites designed to bring back King Arthur…
Mechanics: The wielder of the lance must take an
aspect that represents the weapon, such as The
Spear of Destiny, and reduce his refresh by 1. The
lance is a magical weapon. It ignores Armor:4.
When the lance inflicts stress, the wielder can
invoke this aspect to force the target to use
a consequence for some or all of that stress.
Consequences dealt by the lance cannot recover
without magical help such as a Healing elixir or
the magical talent Healing. An echo of the lance
can, however, also heal any consequences cre-
ated by any echo of the lance, using blood which
magically appears on the tip of the weapon. This
requires a Confidence roll to overcome a difficulty
equal to the value of the consequence being cured;
the consequence instantly vanishes or, in the case
of extreme consequences, is renamed.

Manifestation: The Holy Lance can only manifest in
a piercing weapon. Improvised weapons qualify.
Arrival: The GM places echoes of the Holy Lance.
Departure: The Holy Lance vanishes if its wielder
uses it to inflict a physical consequence on a virtu-
ous person, something the GM will usually need
to determine. When the lance vanishes, it does not
leave its manifestation behind; the entire object
disappears in a burst of divine light.
Pridwen
Arthur had an image of the Virgin Mary painted
on his shield so that he had ready inspiration when-
ever battle turned against him. He named it Pridwen,
which meant “fair face,” and used the shield for key
victories against the Saxons. Later, Sir Gawain, fa-
mous for his defense of women, was known to carry
an identical shield; presumably, Arthur gave it to his
nephew. No one knows the shield’s final fate, but if he
had it for his final battles against Sir Lancelot, Gawain
would eventually have been buried with it on the coast
of England.
Mechanics: Pridwen grants the aspect Fair Face to
whatever object it manifests in. Anyone touching
this object and able to see the woman depicted on it
can invoke the aspect and get a +2 on defense rolls.
This bonus lasts until the character loses a defense
roll or until the end of the scene, and cannot be re-
invoked by the same person in the same scene.
Manifestation: An echo of Pridwen can manifest
in any object which covers or protects something
else. Improvised shields like garbage can lids are
suitable manifestations, as are actual shields, but
Pridwen could also manifest as the hull of a ship,
the inside of a tank, an armored door, or the cover
of a locket.
Arrival: Any incarnation of Arthur or Gawain can at-
tempt to create an echo of Pridwen, but each char-
acter may do so only once. The character must at-
tach (or have attached; he does not need to do the
work himself ) the image of a woman to the inside
of the manifestation and create the Fair Face aspect
on the object using Confidence. If the action suc-
ceeds, the echo appears.
Departure: Pridwen’s magic fades instantly if the
image is removed from the manifestation or if the
object is broken.
Ron
Arthur’s spear is mentioned in Welsh tales, where
it is called Rhongomynyad (“cutting spear”). It was
described as “long, broad in the blade, and thirsty for
slaughter.” Ron’s origins are unclear, but it is said to
have been one of God’s gifts to Arthur.
Mechanics: Ron gives its wielder a +1 bonus to dam-
age and it has the aspect Long Range. If Ron is a
Chapter 5: Magic & Enchantment
thrown weapon, it magically returns to the hand
of the person who threw it at the beginning of that
character’s next turn. It has a moderate physical
consequence which its wielder can access.
Manifestation: Any thrown or ranged weapon (even
an improvised one) is a suitable manifestation for
an echo of Ron.
Arrival: The GM decides if a particular object is an
echo of Ron.
Departure: When Ron’s moderate physical conse-
quence is used, the weapon breaks or is lost; even
if repaired or regained, it has nevertheless lost all
supernatural properties and is once again a mun-
dane object.
The Round Table
The original Round Table was made by Merlin
in imitation of the table of the Last Supper. It was
used by Uther Pendragon, Arthur’s father, and was
large enough to seat 150 knights. When Uther died,
Guinevere’s father, Leodegrance of Cameliard, ac-
quired the table and later gave it to Arthur as a wed-
ding present along with one hundred knights. Arthur
slowly filled out the ranks of the table, selecting only
the best and most worthy knights. As each man was
added to the table, Merlin’s magic ensured that his
name would appear on his chair in golden letters. The
table survived Arthur and the fall of Camelot; tradi-
tion holds that it was preserved in Winchester Castle,
where Henry VIII had it reconditioned, but scholars
believe the Winchester table to be a forgery.
Mechanics: The Round Table is always represented
by an aspect, usually on the location where the
table is placed. Arthur can invoke the table’s aspect
no matter where he is, and he can spend a Fate
point and one action to make any other individual
a Knight of the Round Table, applying only to the
specific echo of the table which he has access to.
A Knight of the Round Table also gains the ability to
invoke the table wherever he is for as long as it is
manifested, and gains one free invocation of it when
he is officially dubbed by Arthur. The table’s aspect
grants a bonus to enforce justice, promote equality,
see through a lie, or tell a good story. It can also be
invoked to lend support to another knight of the
table who is in need. For example, Lancelot might
invoke the table’s aspect in order to rescue Kay from
imprisonment. The Knight of the Round Table aspect
is a title, and could theoretically be lost or taken
away by Arthur, but there is no precedent for this;
even known adulterers, murderers, and traitors
were never stripped of this title.
Manifestation: The Round Table always manifests
as a circular table, but it can be of any size and
material and could even be a naturally occurring
round object (like a stone or tree stump).
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Arrival: The GM decides if a particular object is an
echo of the Round Table. Once he does, the table
can be recognized normally. Each echo of the
Round Table can be used by only a single incarna-
tion of Arthur.
Departure: If Arthur is unable to sit down at his
table for an entire year, it loses all its supernatural
properties and becomes once again an ordinary
table. Any Knight of the Round Table who was a
member of that table loses the title.
The Sword in the Stone
The Sword in the Stone, also sometimes known as
Sequence, was originally placed in a block of stone
by Merlin. (No one knows where he got it, however.)
It was placed in a cathedral in London, where Arthur
found it when he went searching for a sword to give to
his brother Kay. A prophecy was written on the stone
which revealed that the sword could only be with-
drawn by the rightful king of England. Although many
knights tried to pull out the sword, only Arthur could
do it. He had to repeat this feat several times for the
lords of England, not all of whom were easily persuad-
ed. The sword also had a magical power: when drawn
in Arthur’s greatest need, the sword gave off a brilliant
light which blinded all his foes. This allowed Arthur
to escape death in his first great battle with King Lot.
The Sword in the Stone eventually broke in battle with
King Pellinore, and it was replaced by Excalibur.
Mechanics: When Arthur acquires the sword, he
must take an aspect to represent it. The sword is a
magical weapon. It has a moderate consequence
which only Arthur may use. Arthur has a +1 bonus
when attacking with it and a further +1 to damage.
Once in its life, Arthur may draw the sword as a
free action and freely invoke it to place the situ-
ation aspect Blinded on all enemies in the scene.
Allies of Arthur are immune. Each blinded foe
grants one free invocation of the aspect.
Manifestation: Any weapon or improvised weapon
can be used as a manifestation of the Sword in the
Stone.
Arrival: Only Arthur’s player can bring forth the
Sword in the Stone and each incarnation of Arthur
can only do so once. (Arthur does not need to have
recognized himself in order to do this. But since
the manifestation requires that a weapon be stuck
in another object, some GM assistance is likely.)
First, he must have a proper manifestation trapped
in an object. Then, Arthur must try to pull the
manifestation out and he must spend a Fate point.
This frees the manifestation from the object that
it was imprisoned in and turns the manifestation
into an echo of the Sword in the Stone.
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Departure: Arthur’s player can choose to use the
sword’s moderate consequence whenever the
user of the sword takes physical stress. The sword
breaks and cannot be repaired.
The Sword of Adventure
Balin’s magic sword, known also as the Sword of
Adventure, was made by Nineve, who also made
Excalibur and who seems to have cornered the magic
sword market for a while. The sword was made to help
the Falsest Lady Living get revenge on her brother,
who had killed her sweetheart. Since her brother was
a particularly good and valiant knight, he would not be
easy to kill, so Nineve made this sword to find a suitable
avenger – it could only be drawn from its scabbard by
the most capable knight in England. At the time, that
was Balin. But it took years for the Falsest Lady to find
him, and in that time she repented of her scheme. She
tried to convince Balin to give her back the sword (spar-
ing her brother), but he insisted on keeping it. Since he
had recently become impoverished by a stint in jail and
the sword was especially rich and handsome, his greed
is perhaps understandable. In any case, she warned
that he would use it to kill the man he loved most in the
world, but her words had no effect. Balin did, indeed,
later use this sword to kill his own brother, Balan, in a
single combat which also resulted in Balin’s death. No
one’s quite sure what happened to the Lady’s brother.
With Balin dead, Merlin arrived and refurbished
the sword. He set a new pommel into the weapon and
put it in a block of red marble enchanted to float down
the river Thames. Again, he had the sword and block
enchanted so that only “the best knight in the world”
could pull it out. Lancelot refused to try, Gawain and
Percival tried and failed. Galahad finally did the deed
and used the sword in his quest to heal the Fisher King
and achieve the Holy Grail. There is some evidence
Galahad sent the sword to his father upon his own
death, because Lancelot may have used it in his final
battles with Gawain (who was himself armed with
Excalibur).
Mechanics: The Sword of Adventure has two ver-
sions: a cursed one, when placed by Balin’s player,
and a blessed one, when placed by Galahad’s play-
er. In either case, the bearer must reduce refresh
by 1. It is a magical weapon that gives a +1 bonus to
attack rolls and an additional +1 to damage. Balin’s
sword grants an unusual ability: whenever Balin or
one of his allies in a conflict suffers a consequence,
Balin must add the value of the largest such con-
sequence to his next damaging attack with the
sword. Galahad’s sword has, instead, a +2 damage
bonus against demons and, once per conflict, its
wielder can spend a Fate point to force the target
to use a consequence to absorb stress. The Sword
of Adventure gives its bearer a moderate physical
consequence.

Manifestation: The Sword of Adventure can manifest
in any melee weapon, even an improvised one.
Arrival: Players of Balin and Galahad place echoes
of The Sword of Adventure. Any particular in-
carnation can do so only once. Balin must have a
proper manifestation in hand and be compelled
by a negative aspect, possibly his Trouble but po-
tentially an aspect created on him such as Vengeful
or Bloodthirsty. Galahad must do the same thing
but the compel must come from a positive aspect,
such as Charitable, Generous, or Honorable. When
Balin’s player does this, the sword is always the
cursed version. When Galahad’s player does it, it is
the blessed version.
Departure: The Sword of Adventure lasts until its
consequence is used, at which point the magic of
the sword fades, leaving only a mundane object.
Enchantment
Magic takes many forms, from hermetic thauma-
turgy to Kabbalah to Haitian voodoo, but the most
common form of magic seen in Arthurian myth is
enchantment. It is the casting of spells fueled by magic
from across the Faerie Veil. Enchantment is capable
of a wide array of magical effects and is almost impos-
sible to resist, but it ultimately cannot be controlled
and is dangerous to those who try to wield it.
Description
There is another world alongside ours, a world of
magic called Faerie or “The Other Side.” Faerie lies
across the Veil, an invisible curtain which could be
anywhere in our world and sometimes seems to be
everywhere. Enchanters like Merlin, Nimue, and
Morgan are magicians who cast spells fueled by the
Other Side, calling power across the Veil. As it erupts
into our world, that power is focused by the enchanter,
who shapes it into a specific effect. But Faerie is unpre-
dictable and strange; it resists control and breaks all
laws. Magicians in other traditions struggle to make
their spells work, but enchanters know the real danger
is getting magic to stop.
Enchantment:
The 30-Second Version
Don’t want to read all the rules? Use this short-
hand version:
Reduce Refresh by 1 to open up a magical talent,
such as Weather or Necromancy. Alternately, take a
high concept that makes your status as an enchanter
clear, and get a number of talents equal to your
Occult skill.
Chapter 5: Magic & Enchantment
Most spells are resolved as challenges taking 2-4
overcome actions. Describe what you want to do with
your talent and roll some combination of three skills:
• Occult is for magical knowledge or sensory-related
effects.
• Willpower is for internal effects or fine control and
manipulation.
• Confidence is for external effects, affecting other
people or the environment, and brute force.
Words of Power are special one-action spells with
very specific effects derived from each talent.
When you fail any Enchantment roll, you instead
succeed but generate 1 Enchantment Point (EP) for
each additional shift required for success. When the
spell is cast, the GM spends your EP to cause stress on
you or the environment.
Mechanics
Enchanters must reduce refresh by 1 and select a
magical talent. This can be done more than once.
Characters whose high concept establishes them as
enchanters—such as incarnations of Merlin, Morgan,
or the Ladies of the Lake—instead select a number of
talents equal to their Occult skill and can select more
at a cost of 1 refresh each.
The magical talents are:
• Binding: You can force creatures (usually animals,
Faeries, demons, or angels) to obey you. The great-
est binding spells enslave the victim or trap him in
a prison of your own devising.
• Blessings and Curses: You can place positive or
negative aspects on a target (individuals, objects,
or places), or remove those aspects.
• Dispel: Use your magic to oppose or remove the
magic of another magician.
• Divination: Your awareness of the influence
of magical forces allows you to answer specific
questions.
• Emotion: You can manipulate the emotions of
others, causing passion, sleep, or other effects.
Emotion magic is often channeled through music.
• Glamour: Glamour is the temporary alteration of
reality. It is a kind of illusion, but the illusions are
real for the duration of the magic. It is used to craft
disguises, to create advantages in battle, to add
drama to a scene, and more.
• Healing: A magician can hasten the natural heal-
ing process or perform miraculous cures, albeit at
great cost.
• Necromancy: Necromancers summon the spirits
of the dead, forcing them to answer questions, or
cause corpses to walk again.
• Refuge: You have access to a magical realm which
cannot be entered by ordinary means; you can
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practice magic in power and safety there, and it
makes a handy prison.
• Shapeshift: Many magicians are able to adopt
the form of a specific animal, but a few are able to
change their shape at will.
• Summon and Banish: You have the power to call
or dismiss animals, Faeries, or other supernatural
beings from the surrounding region or from across
the Veil.
• Travel: Supernatural travel is faster than ordinary
travel and skilled magicians can bring many allies
with them, crossing impassable terrain at great
speed.
• Unseen Hand: You can move objects without
touching them; the power of the Unseen Hand can
also be used to strike physical blows using only
magic.
• Ward: You can use your magic to protect people,
objects, or places.
• Weather: This is the calling or dismissal of fair or
inclement weather, including thunder and light-
ning storms.
Magic includes short, relatively easy Words of Power
and longer, more flexible, spells. Words of Power re-
quire only a single action and can be performed dur-
ing conflicts. They include useful combat magic like
the Word of Striking or the Word of Slumber, which
swiftly sends your enemy into a magical sleep. Spells
are challenges usually requiring several minutes and
requiring two to four actions using some combination
of Occult, Confidence, and Willpower. Necromancy,
for example, has a spell which causes the dead to walk.
Spells can be hurried if you are willing to accept high-
er difficulty, or if you have the right stunts. Each talent
lists the words and spells associated with it.
In all but rare cases, enchantment cannot fail. A
mortal who resists enchantment forces the magician to
unleash more and more magic from across the Veil in
order to overcome that resistance, but the victor is sel-
dom in doubt. When an enchanter tries to cast a spell
or use a Word of Power and his action fails, he instead
succeeds at a cost: he generates one Enchantment
Point (EP) for each shift required to turn his failed roll
into a success. This is not optional, and always turns
the failed roll into a success, not a tie or a success with
style. If the enchanter is working a spell, the EP add up
over each action until the spell is cast. Once the Word
or the spell takes effect, the GM takes the EP and uses
them to inflict stress on the enchanter or his environ-
ment, depending on what sort of failure generated the
EP in the first place.
• Failures of Occult inflict mental stress as Faerie
enters the enchanter’s mind and threatens to drive
him mad.
• Failures of Confidence inflict physical stress as
Faerie magic courses through the enchanter’s
74
body, making up for his lack of power with uncon-
trolled magic.
• Failures of Willpower inflict stress on the envi-
ronment, as the enchanter’s lack of control allows
the magic to spill across the Veil.
If there was more than one skill involved, the EP
come from multiple sources and the GM can pick from
any which apply.
Stress from EP affect an enchanter’s stress tracks
and consequences normally, but consequences from
enchantment take a special form: strange, linger-
ing, magical effects which make the enchanter’s life
difficult, hinder, or harm him. These enchantment
consequences can sometimes have beneficial, if un-
controlled, side effects.
Ties
We know what happens if you try to cast
an enchantment and fail: you acquire enough
Enchantment Points to turn your failure into a
success. That’s at least 2 EP. But what happens
if you tie?
Enchantments which tie should still succeed,
but at a minor cost. The exact nature of this cost
is left intentionally vague, in order to give GMs
some flexibility. You might decide the enchanter
just gains 1 EP and turns the tie into a success;
that’s perfectly fair. But something else could
happen: perhaps the spell succeeds, but it is de-
layed a round, attracts the attention of nearby
guards, or is noticed by magical enemies who
now scry on the enchanter from afar?
As long as the spell succeeds at a minor cost,
you’re good.
Occult
Occult governs an enchanter’s knowledge of specific
spells, magical traditions, supernatural creatures and
places (including Heaven, Hell, and Faerie), and all
the denizens therein. It also measures your ability to
sense and perceive magic. Magicians roll Occult when
they are casting a spell that requires them to sense
or perceive the flow of magic as they manipulate it,
when their knowledge of magic is matched against
another magician (Dispel or Ward), or when they are
calling upon beings from Heaven, Hell, or across the
Veil (Summon).
Enchanters with a magician high concept begin with
a number of magical talents equal to their Occult.
When an enchanter tries to work a spell with Occult
and fails, magic overwhelms his mind and his senses.
This can cause blindness or confusion, or it can cause
him to hear and see things which aren’t there, such as
hearing the blowing of Faerie horns or seeing people
no one else can see.
Here are some stunts based on Occult which en-
chanters might find useful:

• Sense Magic: Often called “the Sight.” This stunt
allows you to perceive magical effects with Notice
and Investigate; the nature of your perceptions is
idiosyncratic however, wildly variable by magi-
cian. Characters who have enchantment in their
high concept get Sense Magic for free.
• Astrology: When you work a spell, you can roll
Occult (once) to create an advantage during your
challenge as you work astrological names, sym-
bols, and terminology into your spell. This does
not take up your action for the exchange. Several
variants of this stunt exist, each tapping a different
magical tradition, such as Numerology or Sacred
Architecture.
• Master Occultist: Select one of your magical tal-
ents. When you work a spell using that talent, you
can roll Occult while also rolling another skill in
the challenge in the same exchange. You can do
this once per spell. You can select this stunt more
than once, picking a different talent each time.
• Enchanting Spell: When you inflict stress on
another character using magic, you can choose
to inflict enchantment consequences instead of
physical or mental consequences.
Confidence
Confidence measures a magician’s power to impose
his will on others (turning someone into a newt, for
example) and upon the environment (weather magic).
It also measures his magical “oomph” in situations
where power is more important than fine control. An
enchanter who fails while rolling Confidence is forced
to allow magic to pour through his body, making up
for his weakness with raw power. This can cause crip-
pling debilitations or strange physical effects, such as
the loss of your own shadow or a magical slumber.
Here are some Confidence stunts which magicians
may find helpful:
• Great Confidence: Select one of your magical tal-
ents. When you work a spell using that talent, you
can roll Confidence while also rolling another skill
in the challenge in the same exchange. You can do
this once per spell. You can select this stunt more
than once, picking a different talent each time.
• Confident Necromancer: You have a +2 on
Confidence rolls to work Necromancy, including
both spells and Words of Power. There are variants
of this stunt for each magical talent (Confident
Hand, Confident Weatherman, and so on).
Willpower
Willpower measures a magician’s precision, fi-
nesse, and control. Willpower is also important when
working magic upon yourself or when the magic is
Chapter 5: Magic & Enchantment
primarily internal. Shapeshifting, Travel Magic, and
Ward all rely heavily on Willpower, and Willpower is
your best defense against most magic. An enchanter
whose Willpower fails loses control of the magic as it
streams over from Faerie, resulting in an eruption of
magic upon the environment. This can take almost
any form, from the spontaneous transformation of ob-
jects to the arrival of Faerie creatures or an alteration
of the landscape.
Here are some Willpower stunts which a magician
may find helpful:
• Unshakeable Will: Select one of your magical tal-
ents. When you work a spell using that talent, you
can roll Willpower while also rolling another skill
in the challenge in the same exchange. You can do
this once per spell. You can select this stunt more
than once, picking a different talent each time.
• Master of Shapes: You have a +2 on Willpower
rolls to work Shapeshifting. There are variants
of this stunt for each magical talent that uses
Willpower.
The Magical Talents
Binding
Binding spells are most often used to force animals,
Faeries, or demons into obedience. However, they can
also be used to imprison or dominate the wills of spe-
cific individuals.
Merlin himself became the victim of a Binding spell
when he unsuccessfully wooed Nimue. She was afraid
of him because he was the Devil’s son, and he would
not go away or accept no for an answer. Because he
was enchanted, he gladly taught her all his magic, in-
cluding Binding magic, and she used that same power
to imprison him forever under a stone. Gwenbaus, a
French clerk taught magic by Merlin, bound an entire
gathering of knights and their ladies to dance perpetu-
ally, breaking only for food and necessary sleep. They
were eventually rescued by Lancelot, but not before
they had lost both their memories and their minds.
Binding Spell (Spell)
Over several minutes, you craft a powerful spell
which binds the victim to your will. As long as the
spell remains potent, the victim will continue to obey
you, but all the while he is silently, secretly, struggling
to resist. When he does, watch out.
Mechanics: Your control over the subject is repre-
sented by an aspect which acts a little bit like a
character. It has a Binding skill and a stress track.
The victim of your spell will periodically try to
break free of the binding using his Willpower,
while your aspect provides active opposition.
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When the victim wins the contest, he inflicts stress
on the aspect you have placed on him. Eventually,
he either gives up or inflicts more stress than it
has, Taking Out the spell.
The Challenge: Each step of the Binding spell takes
about a minute. If you have less time, the difficulty
goes up.
• Craft the Binding: Roll Willpower to create an
advantage, describing the aspect you are about to
place on the victim. The difficulty is equal to your
own Confidence. When you succeed, the aspect
gains a Binding skill equal to your Confidence. If
your victim is already bound by another binding
spell, you realize this and your spell fails, generat-
ing 1 EP. You will have to dispel the original bind-
ing spell before trying again.
• Bind the Crowd: This is an optional step. You can
extend the Binding to multiple victims, if they are
all present and they are all Nameless NPCs. Roll
Confidence. The difficulty is +3 for up to half a
dozen people, +6 for groups up to a couple of doz-
en, and +9 for groups up to about a hundred.
• Make It Tough: Roll Confidence and generate 1
EP. The aspect gains stress boxes equal to your
total.
• Make It Last: If you don’t take this step, the victim
can roll Willpower to break free every exchange.
Otherwise, roll Occult. The difficulty is +3 (Good)
for spells that allow resistance rolls every scene.
Increase the difficulty to Fantastic (+6) if the victim
can resist every session. If the victim can resist
only every scenario, the difficulty is +9.
Presuming you succeed, the victim gains the aspect
you have created. You may give him a command. On
his next action, he gets an immediate chance to break
the Binding, rolling Willpower against your aspect’s
Binding skill. Further attempts to damage the Binding
are restricted by your decisions during the “Make It
Last” step, above. As long as the aspect remains on
the victim, he will obey your commands to the best of
his ability.
However, if you order the victim to do something
which his aspects oppose, he can invoke that aspect for
an immediate chance to break the spell. He may even
have multiple aspects to invoke, boosting Willpower.
Supporting characters get a +2 on all attempts to break
a binding spell, and Named NPCs get a +4.
You have no intrinsic ability to know the status of
your binding spell. It can be damaged or even de-
stroyed without your knowledge.
Spell of Imprisonment
With a long ritual performed upon a helpless foe,
you call a fragment of the Other Side into the world
and shape it into a custom prison from which your en-
emy cannot escape.
76
Mechanics: Your imprisonment of the victim is
represented by a consequence which you create
and place on him; the severity of the consequence
determines the length of the imprisonment. This
spell can only be performed on a victim who is
willing or already helpless, usually after being
Taken Out. He is unharmed during the time of the
imprisonment, awake and able to act on things
within his prison, but nothing he does can affect
anything outside the prison.
The Challenge: A spell of imprisonment takes a
little time to complete. Each action requires about
a minute. Increase the difficulty if you are rushed.
• Craft the Prison: Use Willpower to create an
aspect that describes the imprisonment you are
about to inflict. A Minor consequence is Fair (+2)
difficulty, a moderate one is Great (+4), severe
is Fantastic (+6) and an extreme consequence is
Legendary (+8).
• Give It Permanence: Roll Confidence against the
same difficulty you used to Craft the Prison. Minor
consequences imprison the victim for a scene.
Major ones imprison him for the session. Severe
consequences keep him imprisoned for the dura-
tion of the scenario, and extreme consequences
keep the victim imprisoned until further notice.
• Make the Prison Hard to Get To: Roll Occult with
a difficulty of +2. The prison is in an out-of-the-
way place, but can be reached by most people. If
it is very hard to reach, raise the difficulty to +4. If
it can only be reached by magic, the difficulty is
+6. Mortal magicians cannot imprison people in
Heaven or Hell, but Faerie is an option. The dif-
ficulty is +8.
• Hide It: Now you must make the prison secret,
placing it somewhere out of sight. Roll Occult with
a difficulty of +2. The prison can be found with
Investigation or other skills. Increase the difficulty
to +4 if it is especially hard to find, and raise it to
+6 if it can only be detected through magic. If you
put the prison in Faerie, the difficulty is +8.
• Make It Hard to Break Open: Roll Confidence
with a difficulty of +2. Once the prison is found,
the prisoner can be released in a fairly simple,
straight-forward way. If freeing the prisoner re-
quires special skills or is especially hard, raise the
difficulty to +4. If he can be freed only with magic,
raise the difficulty to +6. And if the conditions by
which he can be freed appear to be impossible, the
difficulty is +8.
Presuming you succeed, the victim is imprisoned
for the duration you set. If he is released, the conse-
quence goes away or—in the case of an extreme conse-
quence—is renamed.

Word of Enslavement
(Word of Power)
With a commanding gesture and an authoritative
word, you dominate the will of a single person, forcing
him to obey you.
Mechanics: Use your Confidence as an attack gen-
erating mental stress. You generate 1 EP and the
victim defends with Willpower. If your roll would
fail, you instead succeed but generate 1 additional
EP for every required shift.
If the victim suffers a consequence, he falls
under your control and the new consequence
(Nobody’s Home, Yes My Master, Dominated) rep-
resents that. Each turn, he can roll Willpower
against passive opposition equal to your
Confidence to break free from the domination, but
you can invoke the consequence to increase the
opposition. If he succeeds on this contest, the con-
sequence is renamed to something like Haunted by
What I Done or He Was in My Head, and it begins
recovery. Regardless, when the scene ends, so does
your control.
If the victim would be Taken Out by the stress
your Word inflicts, he is instead still in the scene
but you control him until the scene’s end. If he
doesn’t have one already, give him an aspect that
represents your control.
If the victim concedes before receiving stress, he
falls under your control but the GM must clarify
what you can and cannot order him to do. For
example, he might fight his friends, but they will
only be captured or left for dead, not killed.
Controlled characters keep their physical stress
tracks but lose access to any unused consequence
slots. If they are attacked in a way that would cause
mental stress, you defend on their behalf and suf-
fer any stress they would suffer. If they would take
a consequence, they are instead Taken Out.
You must spend your action to give commands
to controlled characters, but the command can be
open ended and can be delivered to multiple char-
acters at once: “Kill them!” is traditional. The GM
may ask for Leadership rolls to get a controlled
character to do something he is strongly against
doing, but if the victim would have been Taken
Out by your Word, or if they conceded, this will
not be necessary.
Blessings and Curses
Divine blessings and ancient family curses are some
of the oldest forms of magic. In Arthur Lives!, this is
represented chiefly through aspects placed on a per-
son, an object, or a place. Blessings and curses cannot
be removed through the Dispel talent, but an enchant-
er knowledgeable in curses can try to break one.
Chapter 5: Magic & Enchantment
It was through this magic that Sir Marrok was
cursed to be a werewolf by his wife, and it was through
this magic that Garlon, the Fisher King’s brother, was
blessed with the power of invisibility.
Blessing or Curse (Spell)
You craft a vile curse or a benevolent blessing and
work it into a person, place, or object using magic, pa-
tience, and skill.
Mechanics: Blessings and curses are represented
with aspects, so decide what you want the aspect
to be.
The Challenge: Working a blessing or a curse takes
time. Each of the steps below takes about five min-
utes. If you are rushed, increase the difficulty.
• Unravel Current Magic: If the target is already the
victim of a blessing or a curse, you must unmake
it with your own magic before your own spell can
take effect. Roll Occult with the same difficulties
listed under “Craft It” but add +2 Difficulty if your
target is not present, and +4 if he is across the Veil.
You can’t unravel a blessing or a curse on someone
in Heaven or Hell. Your own roll can fail, but if you
succeed, the old spell ends. Generate 1 EP. If all
you wanted to do was break a curse or end a bless-
ing, you’re done.
• Craft It: Roll Occult. The difficulty is derived from
the aspect you are trying to create. A mild effect
like Good Luck or I’m Having a Bad Day can be eas-
ily brushed off; that’s Fair (+2). A moderate effect
is going to get noticed (Sweepstakes Winner), and
at least in the case of a curse, is going to take some
work to overcome; that’s Great (+4). A serious effect
makes your life miraculously better (I Can Walk!)
or a nightmare (Cancer Patient); it can be all but im-
possible to function with a curse of this level. That
is Fantastic (+6). Finally, a Legendary (+8) blessing
or curse can transform the target almost without
limit, including turning him into something awful
(Where Wolf? There Wolf! or You’re a Newt).
• Delayed Effect: This is optional. You can decide to
keep the blessing or the curse suspended for later
release. For example, you may create a short-dura-
tion curse which you intend to release when you
confront your enemy in person. Or, you can put
the blessing or curse in a potion to be drunk, or an
ointment to be spread. Roll Occult with difficulty
of Good (+3).
• Place It: Now you have to put the blessing or curse
on its subject. Roll Confidence. If your target is a
person and unwilling, he resists with Willpower
and your spell can fail. If your target is not physi-
cally present and you didn’t choose to delay the
spell’s effect, raise the difficulty by +2; raise this
modifier to +4 if you are casting across the Faerie
Veil. If your target is in Heaven or Hell, you can’t
affect them with this spell.
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• Make It Stick: This is optional. If you don’t at-
tempt it, the blessing or curse lasts for the rest of
the current scene. Otherwise, roll Confidence to
give the blessing or curse a duration. +4 opposition
will last for the session, +6 opposition lasts for the
scenario, +8 opposition lasts for the arc and +10
opposition lasts for the campaign.
If you succeeded with the challenge, your target ac-
quires your new aspect and whatever effect it brings.
You can easily sustain only one blessing or curse at
a time. Each active curse or blessing you have going
adds +2 to all opposition rolls when you try to cre-
ate another.
Dispel
Magic can break spells as well as make them. Dispel
has additional uses in battle where it can counterspell
rival magicians, and it can even negate or suspend the
working of powerful items.
The Dis-Spell (Spell)
Slowly and carefully, you find a weakness in another
magician’s spell and take the whole thing apart.
Mechanics: Dispelling another spell is a relatively
straightforward challenge, but it does take time.
Each action lasts about a minute. If you are
rushed, the difficulty goes up. You have to be in the
presence of the spell, where you can inspect it, in
order to dispel it.
Dispel cannot interfere with magical talents
which already include their own opposite power:
Blessings and Curses, for example, or Summon and
Banish. However, it can be used to disrupt most
other ongoing magical effects, including Binding,
Emotion magic, Glamour, Necromancy, Shapeshift,
Weather magic, and Wards.
The Challenge: Unlike ordinary enchantment, all of
the actions in this challenge can fail. Each action
generates 1 EP. If the caster of the original spell is
present when you try to dispel it, the opposition is
active. Otherwise, it’s passive.
• Figure It Out: Roll Occult to overcome a difficulty
equal to the caster’s Occult.
• Pull Some of It Loose: Roll Willpower to over-
come a difficulty equal to the caster’s Willpower.
• Apply Leverage: Roll Confidence to overcome a
difficulty equal to the caster’s Confidence.
If you succeed, the target spell ends.
Counterspell (Word of Power)
As another magician directs a spell, you raise a
hand in forceful gesture and use your own magic to
interfere.
• Special: You can use Counterspell against another
magical effect even if you don’t have the Dispel
78
talent, but you must have the magical talent you
are trying to Counterspell. In other words, if you
have Glamour you can Counterspell Glamour, but
not Necromancy.
Mechanics: Counterspell is an Occult contest; you
generate 1 EP and the magician you are trying
to counter gets active opposition. If your roll is
higher, the opposing magician can choose to gen-
erate EP equal to your shifts or allow his spell to
fail. If the opposing magician wins the contest, you
generate 1 EP and the original spell completes nor-
mally. If your contest is a tie, the spell is delayed or
suspended for one round.
You can try to Counterspell even when it’s not
your turn, but this generates an additional 2 EP.
Counterspell cannot itself be countered.
Revealing Word (Word of Power)
With a word and a gesture, you dispel the illusion
concealing a faerie creature’s true form, revealing its
actual appearance to everyone present.
Mechanics: Use this word to permanently dispel
a dressing placed upon a Faerie creature. See
Chapter 9 for more information on dressings. This
is a relatively simple and straight-forward process,
but it comes at a cost. The Revealing Word takes
one exchange and you generate Enchantment
Points equal to the Scale of the target creature. You
must be in the same scene as the creature and able
to see it. There’s no roll required; the Revealing
Word always works.
If multiple creatures have been dressed the same
(because they are all the same kind of creature and
were all dressed at the same time), and you are in
the same scene with them and can see them, you
can dispel all their dressings at the same time. Add
1 additional Enchantment Point for each addition-
al creature targeted in this way.
Divination
Strictly speaking, divination is the ability to com-
municate with a deity: God or one of the pagan deities.
However, in Arthur Lives! this magical talent is also
used to represent any kind of supernatural knowledge.
Magicians with divination simply know things.
Merlin is the most famous example of divination
magic. Because his father was the Devil, he was born
with absolute knowledge of everything in the past.
But because his mother was a virtuous nun devoted to
God, he also had knowledge of the future. He used this
knowledge to save his own life when, as a child, he was
found and almost sacrificed by King Vortigern.
There are many ways to perform divination rites,
from the reading of animal entrails to astrology, the
use of tarot cards, or the reading of tea leaves. Most

magicians will have one particular form of divination
which they prefer. Diviners understand that magic is
around us and working on us all the time; while the
stars or other guides may show us the future, just as
important is our ability to perceive and understand the
forces acting on us right now. If we could do that, we
could see our own futures more clearly.
Answer Question (Word of Power)
You know things. This Word of Power cannot be cho-
sen through a stunt. You have to have the Divination
talent to use it.
Mechanics: Divination begins with a question.
The difficulty of the question creates passive op-
position for an overcome action using Occult.
The difficulty is up to the GM, but here are some
guidelines.
• Average (+1): Almost everyone already
knows this.
• Fair (+2): Most people know this already.
• Good: (+3): Most people don’t know this.
• Great (+4): Only highly specialized experts
would know the answer.
• Superb (+5): Known only to a few mortals.
• Fantastic (+6): No one on Earth knows the
answer.
• Epic (+7): Only great powers in Heaven, Hell,
or Faerie know the answer.
• Legendary (+8): Only God knows the answer.
This difficulty presumes a simple yes-or-no answer,
or a cryptic response to a complex question. Long,
clear, detailed answers will be harder.
Unlike most Words of Power, Divination can be
made easier by creating advantages first. This is usu-
ally done with Occult, as you invoke astrology, read
tea leaves, or consult your ouija board. These actions
can take considerable time, depending on the form of
divination you are trying to use, but they aren’t strictly
speaking necessary. If you want, you can simply phrase
the question and answer it in a single action.
Also, unlike most enchantment, there is no auto-
matic success. Divination rolls fail or succeed nor-
mally and generate EP equal to the difficulty. If you
succeed with style, you get an especially clear or help-
ful answer.
Divination Stunt
• Dipsomancer: You drink and you know things.
If you are drunk while using Divination, you don’t
need to roll Occult to create an advantage, you
automatically have a +2 bonus. This is just one
example of the many forms of Divination possible,
and each can be replicated with its own stunt.
Chapter 5: Magic & Enchantment
Emotion
British enchanters are famous for their ability to
play on the emotions of others, inciting loyalty, pas-
sion, gladness, grief, or sleep, often through music.
Mechanically, Emotion magic allows the magician to
compel, modify, or create emotion-based aspects on
the target. It can also be used to compel a specific nar-
row set of responses in the target.
The most famous example of Emotion magic is the
love potion crafted for Isolde and intended for her
husband, King Mark. But instead, Tristan and Isolde
shared the potion on the journey back from Ireland,
and so their love affair began. Once, when Merlin
discovered King Pellinore about to kill Arthur in a
duel, the magician quickly put Pellinore into a mag-
ical sleep.
Emotion Magic (Spell)
The basic effect of Emotion magic is to compel one
of the target’s aspects, forcing him to act on that as-
pect. (The target gets a Fate point for the compel.) The
magician does not have control over the manner in
which the target acts or responds to stimulus, but by
careful stage-managing or suggestion can try to point
the target in a particular direction. Alternately, you
can place one of three aspects on the target: Happy
Enough to Laugh, Sad Enough to Cry, or Weary Enough to
Fall Asleep.
The Challenge: Emotion magic must be worked
upon someone in your presence. It takes a little
time, usually at least a minute for each action
in the challenge, but is very subtle. For this
reason, enchanters often conceal the magic in
music (Performance), carefully crafted speeches
(Leadership), or crafty lies (Deceive). Any of these
skills might be used to create an advantage while
working the spell, without any increase in difficul-
ty. Alternately, if your target is not around, you can
put the spell into a potion. Try not to lose it.
• Create the Aspect: This step is optional. Your tar-
get may be a Nameless NPC without aspects, or
you may be working on a group which is unlikely
to share the same aspect. If you want them to feel
it, you have to feel it too. Roll Willpower to create
an emotion-based aspect you want to put on them,
with a difficulty of +3. If you’re using one of the
three traditional aspects associated with Emotion
magic, you can skip this step.
• Alter an Aspect: Alternately, you may want to
change an aspect the target has, fine tuning it to
your needs. I Hate Asians might become I Hate
Everyone or Asians Must Die. This is advanced
Emotion magic. Roll Occult opposed by the tar-
get’s Willpower.
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 Chapter 5: Magic & Enchantment
• Compel It: Compel the aspect using Confidence,
opposed by the subject’s Willpower. If you win, the
target gets a Fate point for the compel. If you chose
one of the three traditional options, the target
becomes happy and laughs, sad and cries, or tired
and falls asleep. If you lose, your target still feels
the emotion but is not compelled to act on it. This
is an exception to the usual rules for Enchantment,
and you do not generate EP to turn your failure
into a success.
• Now the Rest: If you are using Emotion magic
on a group, roll Confidence. The difficulty is +2
for a small group of half a dozen people, +4 for a
couple dozen people, or +6 for a crowd of about a
hundred. If you’re using Emotion magic on every-
one in a stadium: +8. Using Emotion magic on a
group like this only works on Nameless NPCs with
a Willpower equal to or lower than the target of
your Confidence roll in the previous step.
• Make It Last: If you don’t perform this action, your
compel (and any aspect you created or modified)
lasts for only a single exchange. To make the ef-
fect last for the scene, roll Confidence against a
difficulty of +3. If you succeed with style, it lasts an
additional scene. Emotion magic is too fleeting to
last longer than that.
• Potions: You can place your spell into a potion.
Roll Occult with a difficulty of Good (+3).
Word of Slumber (Word of Power)
With a gesture, the target of your magic falls into a
temporary but supernatural sleep.
Mechanics: Use your Confidence to create an advan-
tage on a single character, something like You Are
Feeling Very Sleepy, Zzzz, or just Magical Slumber.
You generate 1 EP.
The target defends with Willpower. If you fail,
you instead generate 1 additional EP for every shift
required to turn your failure into a success. The
target character is now in a magical sleep from
which he can emerge with a successful overcome
action using Willpower against passive opposition
equal to your Confidence. You can invoke the as-
pect you created to raise that opposition by +2 for
one action. Regardless, the sleep ends at the end of
the scene.
Glamour
The ignorant and uninitiated think of glamour as a
kind of illusion, for it makes people appear in differ-
ent forms, creates warriors and monsters out of thin
air, and indeed can alter the very terrain on which we
stand. But this fails to account for one very important
fact: So long as the magic of the glamour endures,
the things it conjures are real. Glamour calls magic
from the Other Side which erupts into our world and
80
changes it; those changes are temporary, but while
they are here, the world is a different place. Glamour
is one of the most potent and most flexible weapons in
the arsenal of an enchanter, but when the magic fades,
so does its power. Someone slain by a glamour will be
alive again when the spell ends.
Morgan once used the power of Glamour to trans-
form herself and several soldiers into trees, eluding
pursuit by Arthur and his men. But the most famous
use of Glamour was Merlin’s spell of disguise, which
transformed Uther Pendragon into the semblance of
Duke Gorlois of Cornwall. At the same time, Merlin
changed his own appearance and that of Duke Ulfius
to that of two of Gorlois’s most trusted companions.
The glamour lasted for a night, during which Arthur
was conceived and the real Gorlois died in battle.
The spell was convincing enough to fool Igraine, the
Duke’s wife, even in intimacy.
Spell of Glamour (Spell)
By invoking the power of the Other Side, you temporar-
ily alter reality—transforming an object, turning it into
something else, or simply creating it out of thin air.
Mechanics: Spells of Glamour are performed as
challenges. First, decide what you want to create
or change and for how long you want the glamour
to last. This determines the difficulty for the chal-
lenge which follows. As with other enchantments,
if you fail a challenge, you instead generate 1 EP
for every shift necessary to turn your failure into a
success.
• Fair (+2): Cosmetic alteration of an individual;
create a small and ordinary object.
• Great (+4): Significant alterations of the target,
but it is still recognizable; create an anonymous
human-sized entity.
• Fantastic (+6): Major alterations; the target
might no longer be recognizable. Create some-
thing as big as a bear.
• Legendary (+8): Change one thing into another
completely different thing. Create something as
big as the biggest animal.
Modifiers: If your target is an entire zone, or a few
people in it, add +2 to the opposition. If your target
is an entire scene or a crowd of people, add +4 in-
stead. If your glamour has a supernatural power (a
flaming sword) add +2. If it has multiple such pow-
ers (a dragon) add +4.
The Challenge: Glamour can be created pretty
quickly. Each action in the challenge below takes
only a single exchange.
• If you are creating something out of nothing,
you must bring an object across the Veil from
Faerie to provide raw material. Straw, leaves, or
snow are common choices. Roll Occult to over-
come the difficulty you calculated above. If this
step is necessary, it must be done first.

• Create the shape of the glamour; you may be
transforming a mundane object or person,
or fashioning the shape out of whatever you
brought from Faerie. Roll Willpower; the diffi-
culty is the same.
• Fill the shapes you have created with power and
make them real. Roll Confidence; the difficulty is
the same.
• If you want the glamour to last for longer than one
action, roll Occult to establish a more long-lasting
link to the Other Side. The difficulty is +2 to make
the glamour last for a scene, +4 for the session, +6
for the scenario, +8 for the arc, or +10 for the entire
campaign. Apply the modifiers listed previously
for scale and supernatural powers as well.
Once you succeed, your glamour becomes “real” for
the duration of the spell. Each time you suffer a conse-
quence, this disturbs your concentration enough that
one of your glamours ends. If you are ever killed, all
your glamours immediately end. When your glamour
ends for any reason, any stress and consequences dealt
by it vanish. If someone is Taken Out by your glamour,
that individual recovers from that condition immedi-
ately. If your glamour kills someone, that individual
returns to life when the spell ends.
Example: Nancy Waterman is in her home alone
when FBI agents sent by the Masons break down her
door. She flees into the bathroom, figuring they will
find her in a few seconds. Her first impulse is to create
a tidal wave of water behind the door so that, when the
agents open it, they will be washed down the corridor
while she runs for the exit. But this will require her to
both create something out of nothing and establish a
duration, making her spell take 4 actions. She doesn’t
have that kind of time.
Instead, she decides to glamour a door out of the
house from her bathroom. Putting it in the shower
should work. This is a human-sized object, and putting
a door into a wall sounds Significant but not Major,
so the GM rules it as Great (+4) opposition. She won’t
have to create something out of nothing or extend the
duration, so the challenge will only take two actions.
First, she shapes the glamour using her Willpower
and rolls a +5. Success! The door begins to take shape
in the shower, appearing as a translucent image.
Outside, the agents arrive outside the door. On her
next turn, Nancy rolls Confidence to make the door
real. She rolls only a +4 and ties. The GM rules that
the door becomes real... But it’s stuck and won’t open!
Meanwhile, FBI agents pound on the bathroom door
and order her to open it. Desperately tugging at the
door, Nancy yells back, “Just a second! I’m in the show-
er!” She’s not lying.
On her next turn, Nancy gets the stuck door open.
She runs out as the FBI agents bash into the bathroom.
The door is actually still visible, but it vanishes before
they can move through it.
Chapter 5: Magic & Enchantment
Nancy didn’t fail any of her actions, so she didn’t
generate any Enchantment Points. But she’s still in
danger, and the agents are close behind.
Conjuring the Obedient Soldier
(Word of Power)
With a bold gesture and a spoken call, you create a
fully armed and armored warrior out of thin air. The
warrior will obey your commands until he is “killed”
or the scene ends, whereupon he (and all the injuries
he dealt) vanish as quickly as he came.
Mechanics: Soldiers created by this Word have a
single skill column which can be no higher than
your Confidence. To conjure him, roll an overcome
action using Occult with passive opposition equal
to the soldier’s best skill. This action generates 1 EP
and, if you fail, convert the failure to a success by
generating EP, according to the normal rules for
enchantment.
Your warrior’s highest skill is either Archery, Brawl,
Melee, or Firearms. Subsequent skills are Physique,
Athletics, Provoke, or additional combat skills. He has
a single 1-hit stress box. He is armed with one weapon
appropriate to his highest skill and Armor:1. He obeys
your commands and lasts for the scene or until de-
stroyed. If you succeed with style, you can choose to
either summon an identical pair of warriors, or you
can upgrade your single warrior’s armor and weapon
and give him a second 1-shift stress box.
Word of Blinding (Word of Power)
With a gesture, you invoke magic from across the
Veil to create a brilliant flash of light that blinds an en-
emy long enough for you to escape.
Mechanics: Use your Occult to create an advantage
such as I Can’t See!, Momentary Blindness or Bright
Light! Bright Light! The difficulty is equal to your
own Confidence. Add +2 difficulty to affect everyone
in a zone or +4 difficulty to affect everyone in the
scene, but the Word never affects you. If you fail,
generate enough EP to turn your roll into a success.
Other characters affected by the blindness can
roll overcome actions using Confidence to shake off
the blindness; they are passively opposed by your
Confidence, but you can invoke the aspect you created
to add +2 to this opposition.
Glamour Stunts
• Eternal Beauty: You have used Glamour to dis-
guise your age and ugliness. You always appear
young and beautiful. This does not count as “cast-
ing a spell on yourself,” so you can recover from
enchantment normally. There is a way to end your
spell, usually by being Taken Out or by breaking
an object like a mirror. If this happens, you are
revealed, but you can restore the spell next session.
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 Chapter 5: Magic & Enchantment
Healing
Healing magic is rare and potent; short of a divine
miracle, all a magician can typically do is hasten the
usual rate of recovery.
Sir Gareth was gravely wounded by a Faerie knight
summoned by Dame Lynette, who wanted to ensure
the young knight did not sleep with Lynette’s sister
until the lovers were married. When the time came
for Gareth to compete in a tournament for the sister’s
hand, Lynette used healing magic to repair Gareth’s
wounds, enabling him to fight.
All of the healing effects described here can be made
into ointments which can be preserved indefinitely
for later use but which only work on physical injury.
This is an Occult action with Fair (+2) difficulty. The
ointment must be spread over the wound, requiring at
least one action.
Mending Spell (Spell)
You can use magic to justify recovery from a conse-
quence. For physical injuries, this is usually some kind
of “laying on of hands.” For mental consequences, it
might involve a spell to remove confusion or to clear
your head. Although this is resolved with only a single
roll, it still takes more time than a Word of Power and
cannot be done in a conflict.
Mechanics: Roll Confidence with a difficulty of +2
for a minor consequence, +4 for moderate, and +6
for severe. Generate 1 EP. If you fail, generate 1 ad-
ditional EP for each shift necessary to turn your
roll into a success. The consequence can be re-
named and is now in the process of normal recov-
ery. It might get transformed into an enchantment.
Word of Hope (Word of Power)
You place your hand on a wound and mutter under
your breath; the target of your spell is reminded of
something worth living for, the memory of which is
suddenly bright and ever-present. Thus stirred, all
injures seem somehow less serious; the severity of
the consequence is reduced by one step, to a mini-
mum of minor.
Mechanics: Roll Confidence. If you are reducing a
moderate consequence to minor, the difficulty is
Fantastic (+6). If you are reducing a severe conse-
quence to moderate, the difficulty is Legendary
(+8). Generate 1 EP. If your roll fails, generate an
additional EP for each shift necessary to turn your
roll into a success. The consequence is renamed
and might turn into an enchantment.
82
Miraculous Word (Word of Power)
Use this to allow a character to rename an extreme
consequence. The aspect doesn’t go away! But the re-
cipient of the magic can rename it early, without wait-
ing for a major milestone.
Mechanics: Roll Confidence against a +10 difficulty.
Generate 1 EP, plus 1 more EP for every shift neces-
sary to turn a failed roll into a success. When the
recipient renames his extreme consequence, he
may end up with an enchantment instead.
Necromancy
Magic which deals with the spirits and bodies of the
dead is called Necromancy; it is a dark art and often
shunned even by those who acknowledge its useful-
ness. It has three basic uses: to speak to the spirits
of the dead, usually for advice or guidance; to make
a corpse walk; and to force those walking corpses to
obey the necromancer’s will.
Merlin was often called a necromancer, but the most
famous necromancer is the Witch of Endor, who sum-
moned up the spirit of the dead prophet Samuel on
the orders of Saul, King of Israel.
Questioning the Dead (Spell)
Like the Witch of Endor, you call up a dead spirit to
answer your questions.
The Challenge: Questioning the dead takes time.
Each action usually requires a few minutes. If you
have access to the spirit’s bodily remains, or are at
the scene of death, this is a good way to create ad-
vantages which make the spell easier to cast.
• Call It: First you must get the spirit’s attention.
This is an overcome action with Occult. If you’re
calling a random and anonymous shade or a will-
ing subject, the difficulty is Fair (+2). If you call a
spirit by name and it doesn’t want to come, it op-
poses you with Willpower and a +2 bonus.
• Make It Visible: Ordinarily, you can perceive the
spirit but no one else can. If you want to manipu-
late magic so as to make the spirit visible, roll
Willpower to overcome Good (+3) difficulty.
• Ask the Question: Some spirits will answer
questions voluntarily. If you have to force it, roll
Confidence opposed by the spirit’s Willpower.
• Have a Conversation: If you skip this step, the
spirit vanishes after a single response. If you want
it to linger, roll Confidence opposed by Willpower.
The GM may ask you to roll again, and the diffi-
culty will steadily increase.
As residents of the afterworld, spirits have super-
natural knowledge beyond their mortal lives. They re-
spond to one question, simply if the answer is simple
but cryptically if the answer is complex.

Spell of the Walking Dead
You make repeated bold gestures and call upon
the dead... or upon dark powers such as the Lords of
Annwn, the Unseelie Court, or the Devil himself. In
answer to your call, the dead rise.
The Challenge: It takes a little while to get your un-
dead army walking. Each action in the challenge
takes about five minutes. If you have less time, the
difficulty goes up.
• Establish a Link: If the corpse you are trying to
raise is not in your presence, you need to estab-
lish a connection to it. Roll Occult. The difficulty
is +2 for a body buried in a grave you are present
at. Raise the difficulty by +2 if it is somewhere
else in the world, or by +4 if it or you are across
the Veil; this presumes you can somehow ob-
serve the grave or corpse, by video or magic; if
you are “casting blind,” add another +2.
• Make It Walk: Roll Confidence with difficulty
+3. This will animate a Nameless NPC corpse
minion with Average (+1) Physique. For Fair
corpses, raise the difficulty by +3, and for Good
corpses raise it by +6 instead. Fill in the rest of its
single skill column with Brawl, Melee, Provoke,
Confidence, or Athletics.
• And Now the Rest: Make a Willpower roll with
difficulty equal to the number of corpses you are
calling. If you’re only calling one corpse, you can
skip this step.
• Black Magic: You can give your corpses an addi-
tional aspect. Roll Occult and the difficulty is +3.
Add +3 or +6 to give it one or two stress boxes.
• Make It Last: If you skip this step, the corpse
walks only so long as you devote all your atten-
tion to it. Otherwise, roll Confidence. A duration
for the scene is Fair (+2) difficulty, the session is
Great (+4) and the scenario is Fantastic (+6).
Animated corpses have the aspect Already Dead;
unless you used Black Magic, they have no stress
boxes. They are not mindless, but they will generally
obey the necromancer’s commands. In the absence
of other directions, they murder all living things. The
more skilled the corpse, the more intelligent it is and
the more able to communicate. If they get uppity, use
Command the Corpse.
Command the Corpse
(Word of Power)
You point at a walking corpse and command it to
obey you, perhaps invoking a higher power. Use this
spell to command any Nameless NPC corpse animated
through Necromancy.
Mechanics: Generate 1 EP. Roll Occult in an over-
come action opposed by the corpse’s Willpower
(which is probably +0). If you are trying to
Chapter 5: Magic & Enchantment
command all corpses in a zone, raise opposition by
+2, or by +4 if you are commanding all corpses in
a scene. If you want the corpse to obey you for the
duration of the scene, add +2, or add +4 instead for
the corpse to obey you for the rest of the session.
If your Occult roll fails, you instead generate 1
EP for each shift necessary to turn the failure into
a success. The corpse will do as you command, but
when unsupervised it will act according to its nat-
ural impulses—which usually means it tries to kill
any living thing it perceives. Enchantment points
accrued from Necromancy are particularly nasty
and tend to backfire on the enchanter.
If the corpse is already under the control of
someone else—usually another necromancer—
things change. Instead of the usual opposition, the
necromancer opposes your Occult roll with his
Confidence. Unlike other enchantments, you can
fail. And, of course, someone else can steal con-
trol of the corpses by successfully using this Word
upon them. If you want to prevent that, you’ll need
to supervise them or put a Ward on them.
Calling the Fiendish Corpse (Spell)
You perform a ritual over a dead body, taking at least
several minutes, making repeated bold physical ges-
tures, and loudly invoking the name of the deceased.
At the completion of the rite, black magic and the
spirit of the dead combine to bring a semblance of life.
Use this spell to animate a Named NPC of greater
power and intelligence than a walking corpse.
Fiendish corpses are touched by infernal powers: a de-
mon from Hell or a similar dark force from the Faerie
underworld. They remember the events of their life
but, regardless of their prior behavior, they are now
thoroughly and irrevocably evil.
The Challenge: Calling a fiendish corpse takes
time. Each action in this challenge takes about five
minutes, less if you are willing to rush it (raise the
difficulty).
• Establish a Link: If the corpse you are trying to
raise is not in your presence, you need to estab-
lish a connection to it. Roll Occult. The difficulty
is +2 for a body buried in a grave you are present
at. Raise the difficulty by +2 if it is somewhere
else in the world, or by +4 if it or you are across
the Veil; this presumes you are observing the
grave or corpse remotely, such as by video or
crystal ball. If you are casting blind, add another
+2 difficulty.
• First Skill Column: Roll Confidence with a dif-
ficulty equal to 2 + the number of skills in the
corpse’s smallest skill column.
• Additional Skill Columns: If the fiendish
corpse has more than one skill column (and
this is something your GM determines), roll
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 Chapter 5: Magic & Enchantment
Confidence again for each in ascending order.
Trying to animate a spirit with several high skill
columns can earn you an astonishing amount
of enchantment points and, being Necromancy,
this is especially bad.
• Animate It with an Evil Spirit: Roll Occult to
bind a demon into the corpse and give it a sem-
blance of life. Use the corpse’s highest skill as
passive opposition. You get a random demon
unless you know a particular demon’s name, in
which case it resists you with Willpower.
Once you succeed, the corpse rises. Fiendish corpses
are not under the necromancer’s control, but can be
bargained with, threatened, or appeased. The magic
which animates them does not naturally dissipate;
unless dispelled, the fiendish corpse remains until
destroyed.
Refuge
Some enchanters have access to a secret, mystical
domain. There, they can rest and recover from injury,
safe in the knowledge that they cannot be attacked or
even located by their enemies. A magician with this
talent has such a refuge and has control over the lim-
ited routes by which it can be accessed.
The Ladies of the Lake are the most famous wield-
ers of this talent. Each has her own Lake, though this
magical realm of safety and enchantment also has ac-
cess to Avalon, across the Faerie Veil. Morgan also cre-
ated a refuge for herself, the Vale of No Return, which
she used as a prison for her enemies. In some tales,
Merlin takes refuge in a crystal cave or even in the
tower Nimue built for him.
Your refuge exists in a magical space outside of the
mundane world, but it can be reached from the mun-
dane world through an entrance that you designate.
The entrance might be a door, a cave mouth, a lake
shore, or any other place in the mundane world. It
might be an object, such as an elevator or a phone
booth. Those who move through this entrance arrive
in a specific physical location in your refuge which
also provides an exit back to the world. These loca-
tions, both in the mundane world and in your refuge,
do not change. If you are ever trapped in your own
refuge, you can go to sleep and, when you awaken, you
are back in the world at the same place you were when
you went to your refuge in the first place.
Your refuge is similar to a character; it has aspects,
stunts, and skills (though its skills are different than
yours). Begin by giving it “refresh” equal to your
Confidence. Each day, your refuge generates enchant-
ment equal to this refresh. If you are in your refuge,
you can use this magic to make up for a failed roll
working a spell, using its points instead of generating
EP on a one-for-one basis.
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Your refuge has a number of aspects equal to your
Willpower. You select these aspects.
Your refuge has one skill column with a highest rank
equal to your Occult. Its best skill is always Size. Select
its other skills from the following list:
• Access: Your refuge has one entrance/exit for every
point in this skill. These entrances do not have to
lead from mundane places which are near each
other. You might, for example, have one entrance
lead from a Paris street corner and another from
the Great Barrier Reef. You may even choose to
have your entrance be on the Other Side, across
the Faerie Veil. If an entrance to your Refuge
should be destroyed (the cave collapses, the ward-
robe burned), you can replace it next scenario. If
your refuge does not have this skill, there’s no way
out of it, and the only way into it is the Word of
Vanishing. It makes an excellent prison.
• Awareness: If your refuge has this skill, you know
what goes on within it. Substitute Awareness for
Notice, and you can “see” anywhere in your refuge
at any time. You can specifically roll an overcome
action with Awareness whenever someone enters
your refuge, in order to detect them and know
their identity. Awareness may also substitute for
Empathy or Investigate in some situations.
• Dominance: Some enchanters control the use
of magic within their refuge. If you select the
Dominance skill, your refuge automatically tries
to counterspell any spell or Word of Command
used within it, if you are aware of that magic and
choose to oppose it. This doesn’t generate EP for
the refuge, but it can force the invading enchanter
to generate additional EP!
• Followers: Your refuge can be home to as many
people as you wish to live there and who can live
in comfort within its size, but this skill gives you
the support of loyal minions. Followers 1 gives
you a single group of 4 Average minions. Each
additional point in Followers allows you to either
increase their quality by 1 (to a maximum of Good)
or add another group of 4. Followers cannot leave
your refuge.
• Guardians: Guardians are special characters who
guard the entrances to your refuge. They can live
within the refuge or in a special “foyer” that lies
between your refuge and the world. Each en-
trance has its own foyer. A guardian has two skill
columns and a number of stunts equal to your
refuge’s Guardian skill. Guardians cannot leave the
entrance they guard.
• Resources: Your refuge can contain whatever
mundane objects you happen to need and which
make sense there, but if you want something fancy,
specific, or unusual, roll Resources. Objects native
to your refuge vanish if they leave it.

• Size: Measure the size of your refuge with this skill.
Mediocre (+0): The size of a closet.
Average (+1): The size of a bedroom.
Fair (+2): The size of an apartment.
Good (+3): The size of a house.
Great (+4): The size of a large estate.
Superb (+5): A city block or neighborhood.
Fantastic (+6): A city
Epic (+7): A huge city or a small state
Legendary (+8): A large state or small country
You decide the appearance of your refuge, but once
a given area is described it usually cannot change. As
your refuge grows, you may continue to describe each
new area as you choose. If you reach a major mile-
stone, you may completely redescribe your Refuge.
Each entrance to and exit from your refuge is either
open, closed, or conditional, and you can set different
states for an entrance and exit (which is open to all
who try to enter, but closed to all who try to leave, for
example). An open entrance or exit works for anyone
who passes through it. A closed one cannot be used
at all, not even by you. A conditional entrance or exit
works if those passing through it satisfy the conditions
which you have set for it. Such conditions must be, at
least in theory, able to be accomplished by an ordinary,
unskilled person and might include physical rituals
or acts. For example, you may have an entrance which
works only for someone who enters the elevator, press-
es the button for the top floor, and whistles “God Save
the Queen.” Your exit might work only for those who
have been true to their spouse. You could not, however,
require anyone passing through your entrance to play
Beethoven on the trumpet or Shapeshift, because an
ordinary unskilled person could not do these things.
“Only natural redheads” is not a valid condition since
it forever excludes most people, but take the word ‘nat-
ural’ out, and it works fine. Likewise, “Only someone
who has killed Ysbaddaden the Giant” excludes every-
one except one person and is an invalid condition, but,
“Only someone who has killed a giant,” is theoretically
possible—if highly unlikely—and would work.
Opening, closing, or changing a condition to your
refuge is something only you can do, using an over-
come action and the Occult skill, generating 1 EP.
The passive opposition is 1 to open or close but 5 to
change or remove a condition. If you are not physically
present at the entrance or exit, increase the opposi-
tion by 2. If your roll would fail, you instead succeed
but generate 1 additional EP for every shift you need
to succeed.
Word of Vanishing (Word of Power)
You vanish from the world and appear in your ref-
uge. The Word of Vanishing cannot be used to travel
from your refuge to the world!
Mechanics: Roll Occult to overcome an obstacle
and generate 1 EP. The base opposition is 3. Each
Chapter 5: Magic & Enchantment
individual you choose to bring with you increases
this opposition by 1, and they must be willing to go
or already Taken Out. If your roll fails, you instead
succeed but generate 1 additional EP for every re-
quired shift. You appear in your refuge at one of its
exits. If you succeed with style, you and your pas-
sengers appear anywhere you choose within your
refuge.
Word of Dismissal (Word of Power)
With a single word, you send someone in your ref-
uge back into the world.
Mechanics: You need to be in your refuge and in the
same scene as your target. Roll your Occult and
generate 1 EP. The target’s Willpower provides ac-
tive opposition. If you fail, you instead succeed but
generate 1 additional EP for every shift necessary
to make the roll into a success. The target returns
to the world as if he had moved through whatever
exit he arrived by. If you succeed with style, you
can move him through any of your exits, as you
choose.
Refuge Stunts
• Enchanting Refuge: When individuals suffer
consequences within your refuge, you can choose
to make them enchantment consequences instead
of physical or mental ones. These consequences
generally cannot be recovered as long as the target
is within your refuge.
Shapeshift
The Shapeshift magical talent allows a magician to
temporarily adopt a non-human, generally animal,
form. It is not used to disguise yourself as another
human being or as an object; use Glamour for that.
Likewise, it cannot allow the adoption of magical
forms without access to stunts.
When Merlin discovered that Sir Grisandoles, the
Seneschal to the Emperor of Rome, was actually Lady
Avenable, a woman in disguise, he used this talent to
turn into a stag and lure Avenable deep into the forest.
Shapeshifting comes in two varieties: in most cases,
a mortal can adopt only a single animal form, but they
do so naturally and without difficulty. Other enchant-
ers can adopt a variety of forms, but they must invite
magic from the Other Side to do so, with all the risks
that entails.
Regardless of the kind of shapeshifting you possess,
all your clothing and other belongings are left behind
when you change form. The shape you adopt must
be a naturally appearing example of its type, native to
the world. While in the new form, you may use your
new form’s skills or your own, whichever are higher,
with the exception of Physique, which is always lim-
ited to that of the new form. You gain your new form’s
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physical stress boxes, but retain your own mental
stress boxes and all consequences. You may not cast
spells or use Words of Power. Unless your chosen form
is an animal capable of imitating human speech, you
cannot speak. If you are Taken Out, you return to your
original form.
A Single Alternate Form (Stunt)
If you acquired the Shapeshift talent by reducing
your Refresh by 1, you can adopt a single alternate
form with skills no higher than your Willpower. It can-
not be larger in Scale than you. You do not need to cast
a spell to do this or even attempt an action.
Word of Shaping (Word of Power)
If you acquired the Shapeshift talent because you
have a high concept that makes you an enchanter, or if
you have another aspect that marks you as a master of
shapeshifting magic, you instead use Words of Power
to change form. To use these Words, each of which is
different, roll Willpower to create an aspect on your-
self. The creature’s highest skill sets the difficulty.
Add +2 to this difficulty for the power of flight, deadly
venom, or the ability to speak (like a parrot). Add its
Scale, any Weapon or Armor, and +1 for each stunt
the animal possesses. If you fail this roll, generate 1
EP for every shift you came up short, and the Word
instead succeeds. While in another shape, you cannot
recover from enchantment stress or consequences.
Every scene in which you appear in a shape other than
your usual mortal one, you generate 1 EP, all of which
go off when your spell ends. You can end the spell and
return to your normal shape at any time.
Shapeshift Stunts
• Speaking Shape: You can talk while in a form nor-
mally incapable of speech.
• Monstrous Shape: You can adopt shapes of great
size. If you are a magician using Shapeshift to
adopt multiple forms, this stunt allows you to
adopt monstrously large versions of ordinary ani-
mals (like a giant spider or a dog as big as a house).
If you are a shapeshifter with only one form, your
single form can be larger than Scale 1, but must
still be a natural animal (like a bear or a horse).
• Chimera: You can combine multiple animals into
a single shape. For example, you may adopt the
shape of a griffon, with a lion’s body but an eagle’s
head and wings.
• Faerie Shape: You can adopt the shapes of non-
intelligent Faerie creatures.
• Enchanting Shape: Select one shape; you can cast
spells in that shape. If the animal can speak, or
you have Speaking Shape, you can even use Words
of Power.
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• Retain Belongings: When you shapeshift, your
clothing and other possessions vanish. They reap-
pear when you return to human form.
Summon and Banish
This is the power to bring creatures (usually ani-
mals, Faeries, demons, or angels) to your side. “Called”
creatures come to you under their own power, usually
from the surrounding area. “Summoned” creatures,
however, appear instantly at your side. This magic can
also be used to send such creatures away, either under
their own power or by sending Faeries, angels, or de-
mons back home. This magic does not work on corps-
es or spirits of the dead; for that, use Necromancy.
Summoning magic does not give the magician control
over the target creature, though thinking beings can be
reasoned with.
Dame Lynette used Summoning magic in her adven-
ture with Sir Gareth. When Gareth tried to sleep with
Lynette’s sister before the pair were married, Lynette
summoned a Faerie knight to battle Gareth. Gareth
killed it but sustained serious wounds. Lynette just
gathered the pieces together and summoned another
on the next night.
Summoning (Spell)
You name a specific being or a generic type of crea-
ture and call it to you. If it exists in the world, it moves
towards you at its best speed. If it dwells across the
Veil, in Heaven, or in Hell, it must be forcibly brought
into the world. You have many options with a summon
spell; you might create a circle to contain the creature
before it arrives, you might bind it to your will, or you
might give it a mortal disguise.
The Challenge:
• Name it: Decide what you are calling or sum-
moning and roll Occult. If your target is a generic
creature of a particular type (“a Faerie knight” for
example), you have passive opposition equal to the
character’s best skill, you generate 1 EP, and the
spell can fail, unlike most enchantments. If you
are naming an individual, its Willpower provides
active opposition and a failure is instead turned
into a success by generating EP. In either case, add
the creature’s Scale to the difficulty (man-size crea-
tures are Scale 1). Note that if both you and your
target are in the world, you cannot summon it! It
can only be called.
• Duration: If you’re calling something, set the
length of time which the creature will be forced to
remain in the area. Roll Confidence with passive
opposition of +2 for the scene, +4 for the session
or +6 for the scenario. Summoned creatures work
differently; by default, a summoned creature is
just here permanently and it’s actually harder to
build an automatic banish into the summon. Your
passive opposition is +2. If, however, you want it

to vanish at the end of the scene, raise opposition
to +4. If you want it to vanish at the end of the ses-
sion, opposition is +6. If you want it to vanish at
the end of the scenario, opposition is +8.
• Summoning Circle: This step is optional. If you
are summoning something from Heaven, Hell, or
Faerie, you can prepare a summoning circle which
will contain the thing when it arrives. This can
take some time to prepare, but it takes one action
to activate. Roll Occult to create an advantage that
describes your trap, generating 1 EP. Your total is
an absolute barrier; if the creature you summon
has any skill higher than your total, it can leave the
circle. Otherwise, it cannot.
• Summon: If you choose to (or must) instantly
summon the creature, roll Confidence opposed
by the creature’s Willpower. If it is in Faerie, its
opposition rises by +2. If it is in Heaven, add +4.
Demons don’t bring a modifier; they want to be
summoned.
• Dress It: This step is optional. Do it if you want
to give the creature a realistic appearance when
it arrives. Roll Willpower to create an aspect; the
GM sets opposition based on the quality of your
disguise: a perfect human disguise is +8 and hu-
man disguises of inferior quality are at least +4.
Animal disguises are slightly easier (+2 or +3), and
the easiest of all is the shape of an inanimate ob-
ject (which brings limitations of its own). While
a primitive dressing can be done in a single ex-
change, even a mediocre one takes several minutes
and a good one can take hours to prepare.
• Bind It: This step is optional. If you have the
Binding talent, you can work a Binding spell on
the creature before you complete the Summon, so
it is bound on arrival.
There are two possible successful outcomes for the
spell: If you are calling, the creature you have called
is aware of your presence and is compelled to come to
you as fast as it can. The effect lasts for whatever dura-
tion you set. If that duration ends before the creature
arrives, well, you’re out of luck.
If you are summoning, the creature arrives instantly
from Heaven, Hell, or Faerie and is here to stay until
banished. If you created a summoning circle, dressed
the creature, or bound it, those conditions all apply.
Animals and other non-intelligent called beasts
obey your commands for the duration of the spell.
Intelligent creatures, however, are under no obligation
to obey you.
Word of Banishing (Word of Power)
You invoke your magical power to return a sum-
moned creature to Heaven, Hell, or Faerie. Alternately,
if you direct this Word at a called creature, you sever
the ties that bind it to this location.
Chapter 5: Magic & Enchantment
Mechanics: Use your Confidence to attack and gen-
erate 1 EP. If the creature you are trying to banish
is unintelligent, or intelligent and wants to be here,
it is your target and it resists with Willpower. If it
concedes or is Taken Out, it is banished, returning
to Heaven, Hell, or Faerie. If it was called, it flees
the area.
If the creature you are trying to banish is intel-
ligent, does not want to be here, and is here only
because someone else has summoned it, that
summoner is your target and he resists you with
Willpower. The summoner takes any mental stress
you inflict, and instead of taking a consequence, he
can choose to allow the creature to be banished.
Travel
Enchanters use the magic of the Other Side to move
rapidly and secretly across the land, walking Faerie
paths long forgotten. Travel magic is not instanta-
neous, but it does allow the magician and his allies to
reach otherwise inaccessible places.
Merlin used travel magic to bring the French kings,
Ban and Bors, along with all their knights and horses,
across the Channel in time to help Arthur at the battle
of Bedegraine.
Traveling Spell (Spell)
You can get to places you shouldn’t be able to and
faster than you should. You can even bring peo-
ple with you.
Mechanics: Begin by determining the distance you
want to go. This is a matter of scale. Then you must
satisfy the travel requirement and the secrecy re-
quirement. After these two conditions have been
fulfilled, enchantment takes you the rest of the way
to your destination.
• +0: Cross a town; go from one neighborhood to
another.
• +2: Cross a large city, or move from one city to a
nearby one.
• +4: Cross the state or a large geographical feature
like a desert, sea, or mountain range.
• +6: Cross an ocean.
• +8: Go anywhere in the world.
Add +2 difficulty if you want to bring up to half
a dozen people with you. Add +4 instead to bring
a few dozen people, +6 if you want to bring a
couple hundred, and +8 if you want to bring up to a
thousand.
The Travel Requirement: Travel magic does not
work instantly. Instead, the magician and anyone
traveling with him must move towards their des-
tination for a certain amount of time before the
magic takes them the rest of the way. If you are
crossing town (+0), this takes only a moment and
can actually be done during a scene. A magician
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could take a few steps west and be at the beach.
To cross a large city or move between nearby cit-
ies (+2), the travel requirement can be completed
between scenes. But to cross greater distances, one
full scene must be spent simply traveling in the
right direction. Magicians and their allies may use
any means of transportation to fulfill the travel
requirement, including airplanes, cars, horses, or
simply walking, but they must be moving closer to
the destination.
The Secrecy Requirement: Travel magic does not
work if you are being directly observed. Once the
travel requirement has been fulfilled, the magician
and his allies must break line of sight to all intel-
ligent observers. The magician might walk through
a door, around a corner, behind a tree or something
similar for the spell to complete. Even observers
unknown to the magician prevent the spell from
completing, possibly indicating to the magician
that he is being observed. Allies do not need to
break eye contact with each other, only with those
not traveling. Indirect observation, such as tele-
vision cameras or drone surveillance, does not
impede travel magic; such devices will be plagued
with static or distortion at the moment of spell
completion.
Once the travel and secrecy requirements are met,
the spell completes and the magician and any traveling
companions instantly move through Faerie to arrive
in an unobserved space as close to their destination as
possible. Any security measure more rigorous than an
unlocked door blocks progress, but water, impassible
terrain, or intervening space is not an obstacle.
The Action: Once the spell is complete, the enchant-
er rolls Willpower to overcome the difficulty he has
already calculated. The roll generates 1 EP, plus one
additional EP for each shift required to turn failure
into a success. This action does not actually take
any more time; the magic has been subtly worked
during the time of travel. Traveling companions do
not see any obvious sign of magic at all, other than
the sudden arrival at their destination.
Travel Stunts
• Keyless Entry: You can use Burglary to bypass se-
curity systems when you Travel. When your Travel
spell completes, the GM walks you through each
of the security systems which might force you to
stop and you can use skills to bypass them, one
at a time. None of these actions really take place,
however; they are a function of the spell. If you fail
to bypass security, your spell ends and you and all
traveling with you are outside that security in the
nearest unobserved space, as yet undetected.
• Now You See Me: You can complete the Secrecy
requirement even if you are being directly ob-
served. This only works for you.
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Unseen Hand
A magician can make objects move without touch-
ing them, controlling them from afar using only
gestures. Such spells can be used in battle, for con-
struction projects, or mere convenience.
Merlin used this power to bring the rocks of
Stonehenge from Ireland, setting them up in a ring
which also served as a memorial for the Kings of
Britain. Nimue used the power of the Unseen Hand
to strike Excalibur out of Accolon’s hand as he du-
eled Arthur.
The Unseen Hand (Spell)
With a series of gestures, you slowly move a large,
heavy object; if you want to hit someone, move a light
object for a moment, or pick up a sword and swing it
with magic, use the Word of Striking instead.
The Challenge:
• Pick It Up: Roll Confidence to grab the object with
your mind. The difficulty is +0 and you can exert
strength on it equivalent to Physique +0. For each
additional object, raise the difficulty by 1. Add the
object’s Scale; man-sized objects are Scale 1.
• Gather Power: To lift with the equivalent of Good
Physique, roll Confidence with a difficulty of +3.
This and the other Gather Power actions listed
here must be performed in order or not at all. You
can’t skip steps.
• Gather More Power: For supernatural strength,
the equivalent of Fantastic Physique, roll
Confidence with a difficulty of +6. The object you
are lifting gains Weapon:2.
• Gather Even More Power: For mythical strength,
roll Confidence with a difficulty of +12. The object
you are lifting gains Weapon:4.
• Duration: If you don’t extend the duration, the
spell lasts only so long as you devote all your at-
tention to it. Otherwise, roll Confidence against a
difficulty of +3. On a success, the spell lasts for the
scene, so you can set an object down and come
back to it later.
• Make It Self Sustaining: This is optional. You can
make the spell continue without your direct su-
pervision. Roll Occult with a difficulty of +2 if the
objects are frozen in place, or +4 if they have simple
instructions like, “Carry water from the well,” or,
“Sweep the floor.”
Once you succeed, you lift the object and can direct it
with Willpower rolls. These rolls can fail normally; you
are no longer casting a spell, you’re manipulating mag-
ic that has already been cast. Speed, accuracy, numbers,
weight, and fragility all contribute to the difficulty. Use
the difficulty number from the Pick It Up or Gather
Power actions, whichever is higher. If you’re attacking
with the object, your target defends with Athletics.

Word of Striking (Word of Power)
With a wave of your hand, you use magical force to
knock a weapon from an enemy’s hand, trip him up,
or simply batter him senseless. You can even make a
weapon rise up and attack by itself.
Mechanics: Use your Confidence or Willpower to
perform actions normally associated with other
skills. Hand-to-hand actions requiring Melee,
Physique, or Brawl are usually Confidence rolls,
while ranged actions with Archery or Firearms
are done with Willpower. Thrown objects are a
little tricky: if the object is small and light, de-
pending on accuracy or speed to be effective, roll
Willpower. If it is large and heavy, depending on
weight to crush a foe, roll Confidence. Using the
Word of Striking generates 1 EP.
While the Word of Striking is traditionally used to
make attack actions, nothing prevents you from creat-
ing an advantage instead (Disarmed) or overcoming an
obstacle (Pinned to the Ground). The opposing character
defends normally.
Resolve the action using the normal rules for what-
ever skill you are duplicating with magic. Your Word
of Striking can fail; this is an exception to the normal
rules for enchantment. If you succeed with style, you
can continue to wield your magical strength for two
additional actions without casting a spell or gain-
ing more EP.
Ward
You can use your magic to protect individuals or
places against rival magic.
Lancelot benefited from a magic ward created by
his benefactor and foster mother, Vivian, the Lady of
the Lake. She gave him a ring enchanted with a ward
that protected him from hostile magic. When Lancelot
slept on a cursed bed which had driven many other
men insane, he was unaffected by its power.
Spell of Warding (Spell)
Ward creates an aspect on the target. That aspect
also has a skill, Warding, which acts as a barrier to
all other magic, including your own. Wards are nor-
mally cast on a person but can also be put on a place
or portable object like a ring. Magic which targets the
warded individual fails unless the enchanter’s Occult
is higher than the ward’s Warding skill. If a magician’s
Occult is higher than the ward’s skill, his spells affect
the warded target normally, with their full force.
The target of the ward cannot recover from enchant-
ment stress or enchantment consequences as long
as your ward is in place. If you cast this spell on a
place, no one in that place can recover from enchant-
ment! (This explains why Merlin was seldom seen
at Camelot, which he had warded.) If your ward is
Chapter 5: Magic & Enchantment
targeted with Dispel, it resists with its Warding skill. If
it fails, the ward collapses.
The Challenge: Wards can be created quickly.
Each action in this challenge takes only a single
exchange.
• Create the Ward: Roll Willpower to create an
advantage like Warded or Protected by Power. The
opposition is +0 if you are placing the ward on a
person, +2 if it is on an easily removable object
(like a hat) or a single zone, +4 if it is on an object
that is hard to remove (a business suit) or +6 if
you are warding an entire scene.
• Strengthen It: Roll Confidence. The difficulty
is equal to your own Occult. If you succeed, the
ward gains a Warding skill at a level equal to
your Occult.
• Make It Last: If you don’t roll, the ward will
last for only a single exchange. Otherwise, roll
Confidence with opposition of +2 for a ward that
lasts the scene, +4 for a ward that lasts the ses-
sion, +6 for a ward that lasts for a scenario, +8
for a ward that lasts for the arc, or +10 for a ward
that will last for the entire campaign.
Presuming you succeed, spells cast by magicians
with Occult less than the ward’s Warding skill are re-
pelled harmlessly by the ward. If you chose to ward a
place, magic inferior to the Warding skill simply can-
not enter, but if it is greater than the ward, it enters
with its full force.
You can sustain one ward at full strength, but the
more wards you have up, the weaker they each be-
come. Reduce the Warding skill of each of your wards
by 2 if you have two up, by 4 if you have three up,
and so on.
Example: Christopher Starr knows a mob of walking
dead are on their way, and he wants to ward the club.
First, he creates the ward using his Guitar Wizard
stunt, which allows him to roll Performance instead of
Willpower in this case. He’s warding the entire club,
which is +6 opposition. His first roll is a +5, which
would fail, but he spends a Fate point to invoke Wizard
Prince. This boosts his total to +7, a success.
Next he must strengthen the ward. He rolls
Confidence against a +5 (his Occult) and gets a
+4, another failure. Running short of Fate points,
Christopher instead generates 2 EP to turn that into
a success.
Finally, he must make the ward last. Dawn is a long
way off, and Christopher decides to make the ward last
for the scenario. That’s +6 opposition and he rolls an-
other +4, generating another 3 EP.
The ward is created and the GM hits Christopher
with 5 mental stress. He marks off his 3-point mental
stress box and takes a minor consequence: during
his spell he called on the power of a Faerie Queen
who demanded a Fair skill (Contacts) in payment.
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Until he recovers, A Queen Has My Contacts List and
Christopher has Contacts +0. She’ll be texting his
friends all night; that ought to be interesting.
As long as Christopher is in the club, he cannot re-
cover the stress and consequences from enchantment.
However, the walking dead will only be able to enter
if the necromancer who created them has Occult of
6 or more.
Word of Concealment
(Word of Power)
With a subtle gesture, you mask your presence from
those around you. You are not invisible, but people
look away from you or fail to see you in even obvious
circumstances. If forced to confront your presence,
they forget you the moment you are gone. Your image
does not appear in mirrors or on cameras.
Mechanics: The Word of Concealment requires
great subtlety and control; use Willpower to create
an advantage on yourself. This generates 1 EP and
has passive opposition equal to your own Occult.
If you fail, turn the failure into a success by gener-
ating 1 EP for every necessary shift.
For a character to see you, he must overcome an ob-
stacle using Confidence with passive opposition equal
to your Occult. You can invoke your new aspect to
make that harder.
You can use the Word of Concealment to hide a
group of people, making the aspect into a situation as-
pect and placing it on the environment rather than on
yourself. This increases the difficulty by +2. Allies must
remain in your zone for the Word to conceal them.
Weather
Weather magic can call or remove clouds from the
sky, change the temperature, and even bring a storm.
This is represented with aspects placed on the scene.
If you are trying to remove an aspect placed on a scene
with weather magic, create a spell equal in power but
with the opposite effect.
Weather Spell (Spell)
You seize control of the clouds, the lightning, the
rain, and the thunder. You can make the weather do
just about anything. If you are strong enough, you
can even seize control of the weather from anoth-
er magician.
Mechanics: Weather magic allows you to place or
remove weather-related situation aspects. Decide
what aspect you want to create or remove. If you
are creating it, you can give it a “strength” no
higher than your Occult; when other characters
perform actions, the aspect can provide passive
opposition equal to the strength you set for it. If
you’re trying to remove a weather-related aspect,
the GM will set its strength.
90
The Challenge: It takes time to manipulate the
weather. Each action usually takes at least five
minutes, more if you are making drastic changes. If
you’re rushed, the difficulty of these actions goes up.
• Shape the weather you want, rolling Willpower
to control the air, temperature, humidity, and
pressure. The strength of the weather, decided
by the GM, provides passive opposition.
• Expand the weather you have created over an
area. Roll Confidence to overcome a difficulty
based on the size of the area you want to affect:
+0 for the entire scene, +2 for a neighborhood or
small town, +4 to affect the city, +6 if the city is
famously large, or +8 opposition if you want to
affect weather across the state.
• Make your weather last with an overcome action
using Confidence. The difficulty is Fair (+2) for
weather that ends at the end of this scene, Great
(+4) if you want the weather to last for the ses-
sion, or Fantastic (+6) if you want it to last for the
entire scenario.
As usual with enchantment, if you fail on a roll in
the challenge, you instead succeed but generate 1 EP
for every shift you need to turn the failure into a suc-
cess. Once you have completed the challenge, you cre-
ate the aspect with a free invocation.
Sometimes the weather you are trying to dispel isn’t
natural. If the aspect you want to get rid of was created
by weather magic, that magician’s Occult opposes you
in the first roll of the challenge. Unlike most enchant-
ment, you generate 1 EP, you can fail this roll and, if
you do, the challenge ends. But if you succeed, you can
continue to dispel or alter the weather by matching
the scale and duration of the aspect he created.
Enchantment Stress
and Consequences
When an enchantment goes off—either as a Word
of Power or a completed spell—any Enchantment
Points accumulated by the caster are dealt as stress.
Usually that stress is applied to the magician himself,
but in some cases it affects the environment instead.
Consequences from enchantment take special form,
as the enchanter is swept up in the power of his own
magic. Sometimes this manifests in a relatively straight
forward physical or mental condition, like Aged Before
My Time or Distracted by Faeries Only I Can See, but
sometimes the enchantment consequence involves
other beings or Faerie itself. You may end up Hunted
by a Faerie Knight or Plagued by Demons. If the con-
sequence is something that affects the environment
other than you, such as innocent bystanders suddenly
being replaced by Redcaps or a house fire gaining
sentience and a desire to burn things, the good news is
that this consequence is not applied to you; it’s on the
scene or the victims. The bad news speaks for itself.

Consequences have to be agreed upon by both play-
er and GM, and enchantment consequences are no
exception to that rule. But, because they represent the
inherent wildness of magic, they can take many forms
and you have a lot of flexibility when it comes time to
make one. The emphasis should always be on making
an interesting story and making the magic feel magi-
cal. As consequences, enchantments can be invoked
by others, and they will make the magician’s life dif-
ficult, though some enchantments can have beneficial
side effects which become frustrating mostly because
they cannot be controlled or turned off. Enchantments
fill a character’s consequence slots just like any other
consequence. Usually the Enchantment Points “go off”
either when the spell is cast or when its duration ends,
but if this would interfere with the current scene and
derail the plot, the GM can always hold them for later.
They’ll be fine. They’re not going anywhere ... yet.
Use Occult to begin the recovery process for en-
chantments. As usual, if you try to use it on yourself,
increase the difficulty by 2. Sometimes an enchant-
ment will require a specific condition to be satisfied
before it will recover or begin to recover. An enchanter
who has cast a spell on himself (such as a glamour dis-
guise or Shapeshift) cannot recover from enchantment
stress or put enchantment consequences on the road
to recovery so long as the spell is in effect. This is why
magicians seldom cast Blessings on themselves.
A long list of sample enchantment consequences are
provided on pages 93-94, but this list should be consid-
ered a starting point, not an authoritative catalog. Not
all are created equal; they are presented in approxi-
mate order of increasing gravity. A consequence which
would be crippling in some situations might be virtu-
ally harmless in others; Can Only Speak Faerie Tongues
is a serious handicap in Los Angeles, but in the Court
of Gloriana it is hardly noticeable! Enchantment
should always be unpredictable and strange; when a
player thinks he has the system figured out and is play-
ing it to his advantage is precisely when that system
should change.
Variations
and Expansions
Other Systems of Magic
The mechanics for magic presented in this chap-
ter can be used for magicians who are not enchant-
ers, with a few minor notes. Other forms of magic
might inflict simple stress on the caster, rather than
Enchantment Points. This stress can be physical or
mental. Some magical styles may require one kind or
the other. Some magic styles will incorporate a differ-
ent cost altogether and not inflict stress.
Other forms of magic should not require the ma-
gician to turn a failure into a success through the
Chapter 5: Magic & Enchantment
accumulation of additional stress. (This rule for
enchantment is really just a formalization of Fate’s
rule that a failure on an action can be interpreted as
“Success with a Major Cost.” But it makes it manda-
tory, which is distinctive to enchantment.)
Other styles of magic should generally avoid the
talents of Glamour, Travel, and Refuge, which are sig-
nature abilities of enchanters in Arthurian myth. They
may, however, include other talents not described in
this chapter.
The Fate System Toolkit has two spellcasting systems
of special use to AL! GMs. The Subtle Art is a great
extra for magicians in AL! who have no connection to
enchantment or the Other Side. These are men and
women practicing magic in the “real world.” They
believe their spells work, but the effects are so subtle
as to be unprovable. As magic increases in the world,
allow characters to use the “Combat Curses” and
“Magical Duels”. Magic will suddenly become de-
monstrably real. PCs are unlikely to use the Subtle Art
when they can be enchanters instead, but it’s a won-
derful way to differentiate an NPC magician.
Similarly, the Void Callers spellcasting system can
easily be re-skinned as Diabolism, bringing demons
and other denizens of Hell to Earth. Doom Points cre-
ate messes for PCs to clean up, and work similarly to
Enchantment Points. Again, it is unlikely that a PC is
going to wield the powers of Hell when he can use en-
chantment instead, but it’s certainly possible.
Ley Lines and
Places of Power
Ley lines, sacred places, and buildings constructed
with mystical architecture can supply raw magical
power an enchanter can use to facilitate spellcasting.
Ley lines are most common: these are invisible cur-
rents of magical energy which stream across the earth.
They can be detected with the Sight, but most magi-
cians rely on educated guesswork. A ley line generates
1 point of enchantment every day; an enchanter on
the line can tap this magic and use it to add a shift to
a failed roll without generating an EP. The point can
also be used to, for example, fuel a Word of Power.
Places of power generate more than 1 enchantment
or give special advantages, such as the ability to keep
a small reservoir of enchantment ready in case of
failure, bonus enchantment usable only for specific
talents, or generating more enchantment on specific
days, hours, or seasons. The ability to generate 2 en-
chantment is approximately equal to having an extra
Fate point, but enchanters will usually not be spend-
ing Refresh to buy places of power when they could
just have a Refuge or Estate instead.
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 Chapter 5: Magic & Enchantment
Magical Extras
Coven
You can push the stress or EP acquired from casting
spells onto willing allies who cooperate in the casting
with you. You must push all the stress from a single
roll onto a single ally or gang of minions. Stress be-
yond that required to Take Out the ally is inflicted on
you. Reduce your Refresh by 1.
Enchanting Potions
Some characters in Arthurian myth can craft magi-
cal potions but have no other talent for enchantment.
To represent these characters, reduce refresh by 1 and
take the extra “Enchanting Potions.” You have access to
the Emotion, Healing, and Blessings & Curses talents,
but can only use them if you put the magic into a po-
tion, as described in the rules for those talents.
Enchanting Potions is distinct from Alchemy, which
uses the natural magic of plants and other objects to
create supernatural effects without calling upon the
Other Side. A character probably needs only one or
the other.
Group Ritual
You can work together with others to cast spells
of greater power. You may use allies who grant you
a Teamwork bonus that you may delegate to Occult,
Willpower, or Confidence, as you choose. This bonus
can never be higher than your Leadership skill. All the
stress from casting the spell still goes to you. Reduce
your Refresh by 1.
92
Human Sacrifice
When casting a spell, you can push the resulting stress
or EP onto helpless individuals in your presence. You
must push all the stress from a single roll onto a single
victim or mob. Victims are usually Nameless NPCs
and so are Taken Out with a single point of stress, but
a Supporting NPC gets you a minor consequence and
some stress boxes for considerable more “oomph.” This
stress is not inflicted as enchantment, even if you are an
enchanter. Most victims die, but there are exceptions.
Any stress beyond that required to Take Out the sacrifice
is still inflicted upon you, as EP. Reduce your Refresh by 1.
Talisman
Enchanters sometimes keep a wand, staff, ring, amu-
let, or other trinket which they use as a focus for their
magic. Reduce Refresh by 1 to gain a +3 on the use of a
single magical talent, as long as the talisman is in your
possession. Alternately, you can split the bonus among
three different talents, +1 each.
Words of Power
For a character who only has access to Words of
Power and not to ordinary spells, lower refresh by 1 and
select 3 Words of Power which the character can use.
You can’t learn Shapeshifting or Divination in this way..
 Chapter 5: Magic & Enchantment

Sample Enchantment Consequences

One or both your eyes change to a distinctly inhuman color.
Your hair is transformed to something out of the ordinary, such as flame, leaves, or moss.
You are unable to tell a lie. You must tell the truth or be silent.
Only Faeries can understand your speech. You can understand others normally, and your written
language is unaffected.
Your contact with the Other Side has left you Winded for the duration of the enchantment (a minor
consequence).
Your magic has angered a Faerie Queen. Your knowledge of her displeasure leaves you Shaken for
the duration of the enchantment.
In payment for your magic, you have been forced to loan a part of yourself to a Faerie maiden.
Select one skill rated at Fair or better; your skill is reduced to Mediocre for the duration of the
enchantment.
Everyone forgets who you are the moment you leave their presence. This is an obstacle which only
Named NPCs can roll to overcome, with a difficulty equal to the number of Enchantment Points you
had.
Your eyes are turned to crystal orbs and all mortals who meet your gaze are subjected to the
obstacle I Can’t Look Away... with a strength equal to the number of Enchantment Points acquired.
You can cover your eyes, but you cannot turn off the effect.
As long as you are in contact with a computer, or any machine built after 1941 for that matter, it fails
to function.
As long as you are in contact with a machine built after 1712, it fails to function.
Your body is transformed into that of a combat-worthy animal such as a wolf, lion, or bear,
precisely as if you had used the Shapeshift talent.
Your body and all the clothes you are currently wearing become insubstantial and you are able to
move through objects as if you were a ghost. Your magical talents continue to affect the mundane
world, but your physical actions do not.
An inanimate object in your zone becomes animate, with a curious but non-aggressive disposition
and animal intelligence. It may have other powers suitable to its form.
Your body is transformed into a usually non-violent animal with modest or no combat abilities, such
as a snake, horse, or dog. The effect is just as if you had Shapeshifted.
Your body, but not your clothes or anything you carry, is invisible.
You gain a “never” prohibition which, if you violate it before the enchantment ends, will result
in your inescapable death. Examples include Never Eat Dinner with a Stranger, Never Ride in an
Airplane, Never Enter a Building Unless Invited.
Your shadow has been stolen by Faeries. Entities aware of magic and the supernatural mock you,
but ordinary people just know there is something deeply troubling about you. You may be able to
recover your shadow from the Faeries who stole it, but you will need needle and thread to reattach
it, and the more Enchantment Points you had, the harder it is to catch.
A large object in your scene, such as a car or house, becomes animate. It is possessed of enough
intelligence to be dangerous, and has an unfriendly disposition. It probably has additional powers,
and it doesn’t like you.
Animals are automatically unfriendly to you. Dogs bark constantly and all cats hiss violently. No
horse will let you ride. Birds decorate you with their droppings.
The only thing you can hear is the constant roar of Faerie trumpets. You are effectively deaf for the
duration of the enchantment.
You have attracted the attention of a capricious Faerie or minor demon with a skill pyramid two
lower than your highest skill. It can become invisible at will. The spirit does not mean you harm,
but thinks you are enormous fun. It will not go away, plays practical jokes on you, torments you
whenever possible, and enjoys drawing attention to you whenever your enemies are near. If the
spirit is killed, it returns the following sunset with its skill pyramid raised by one step.
Your contact with the Faerie Veil has left you Exhausted for the duration of the enchantment (a
moderate consequence).

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 Chapter 5: Magic & Enchantment

Sample Enchantment Consequences—continued

You are tormented by Faerie spirits which only you can see. As a result, in any action scene, you
lose your first turn and go last in all subsequent turns.
All people who see you consider you untrustworthy and strange.
You have become vulnerable to Faerie powers. If any Faerie uses a magical talent on you, you
oppose with Mediocre (+0).
You suffer the Curse of Merlin: The Narrator selects one NPC in the campaign, and you believe
everything this person does is good, just, and proper. No action will convince you otherwise. You
will do anything this character asks of you.
In payment for your magic, you have been forced to loan part of yourself to a Faerie Lord. Select
one of your skills rated Great (+4) or higher. Your skill becomes Mediocre (+0) for the duration of
the enchantment.
You suffer the Curse of the Leprous Lady: You contract a serious disease that leaves you sickened.
The disease can only be lifted by a specific individual whose identity you do not know, but you will
meet this person before the end of the next scenario and when you do, you will know that person
is your cure and how the cure can be affected. If that individual attempts to heal you, the disease is
cured instantly.
You can only understand the speech of Faeries, and only they can understand you. Written words
still function normally for you.
You will soon fall into a death-like sleep, during which you do not need to eat, sleep, or even breathe.
Until you willingly surrender to this sleep, or if you are forced to awaken, you can only shamble along
with halting steps. The sleep lasts until the enchantment ends.
You cannot use any magical talents until you perform a specific costly, difficult, or moderately
dangerous task. Examples include: donate two months’ salary, climb to the top of the Great
Pyramid, jump out of an airplane, swim with a shark, visit a war zone.
You cannot speak, read, or understand any language except those spoken by Faeries. Likewise, only
Faeries understand you, no matter what you try to say or write.
Your contact with the Faerie Veil has left you Completely Worn Out for the duration of the
enchantment (a severe consequence).
Animals attack you on sight.
You are struck blind by the things you have seen in Faerie.
You gain an “always” prohibition which results in your death if you break it before the enchantment
ends. Examples include: Always Bow to Women I Meet, Always Carry a Gun, Always Eat Only Fish.
You have earned the ire of a Faerie Knight, angel, or demon with a skill pyramid two steps higher
than your own. He is trying to kill you. If you defeat him, the enchantment ends early; otherwise,
you must outlast him.
Your body changes into that of a small and weak animal such as a mouse, frog, or sparrow, exactly
as if you had used Shapeshift.
All mortals consider you dangerous and evil as soon as they encounter you; they are automatically
hostile to you.
You cannot use any magical powers until you perform a specific, very difficult, and potentially
deadly task. Examples include: be elected to federal office, kneel before the Queen of Faerie, break
a wild horse.
One Named NPC, or a few Nameless NPCs, are whisked off to Faerie. They are replaced by Faeries,
and the more Enchantment Points you had, the more dangerous and capricious those Faeries are.
As long as you are in contact with a machine built after 1267, it fails to function.
Your spirit separates from your body. You are now invisible, insubstantial, and inaudible to living
things. If your mortal body dies, the condition is permanent.

94
 Chapter 6: The Arthurian Age

Chapter 6: The Arthurian Age

Not all GMs and players will have the will and the time to read Malory’s Morte d’Arthur, let alone all the addi-
tional sources which came before Malory and inspired him (like the Lancelot-Grail cycle) or which came after
and were inspired by him (like Tennyson’s Idylls of the King). It is also useful to have one common version of
Arthur’s reign to settle questions which arise from conflicting accounts and competing authors. A brief over-
view of Arthur’s reign is helpful but also readily available from online encyclopedia sites, while a summary de-
tailed enough to be useful to players of particular characters would be so long as to be a book of its own.
Accordingly, the chronology taken here takes a different approach: it offers a fairly close unpacking of the
earliest years in Arthur’s reign, when the Incarnations highlighted in this book first appear. It provides knowl-
edge that would be commonly known, not revealing secrets known to only a few. It resolves contradictions and
inconsistencies across the corpus to create a single agreed-upon sequence of historical events. This chronology
will be extended as Arthur Lives! and its story continues to grow. Game masters and players looking for more
information on Arthur’s reign are directed to the Bibliography.

410, the
Year Arthur
Became King
Although there were many mag-
ical events which happened prior,
and many great deeds done by
knights and queens who lived prior,
the Arthurian Age properly began
on Christmas in the year 409. It
was then when, by order of the
Archbishop of Canterbury (who
acted on the advice of Merlin),
the lords of Britain gathered in
London. King Uther, brother to
Pendragon who was king before he,
had been dead thirteen years and
in that time the island had been
torn by war and struggle as each
lord fortified his lands, gathered an
army, and made a bid for kingship.
Merlin had a plan to end that strife
and unite Britain, and Archbishop
Dubric was part of that plan.
When the knights of England
arrived in London they found the
Sword in the Stone in St. Paul’s
cathedral, decorated with the fa-
mous words:
Whoso pulleth oute this swerd of
this stone and anvyl is rightwys kynge
borne of all Englond.
Dubric, clearly treating the
Sword in the Stone as a holy relic
and an instrument of divine will,
allowed any knight who wanted
a try at the sword, then set up an
honor guard around it. None could
draw it, but the Archbishop assured
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 Chapter 6: The Arthurian Age
them that God would provide a proper king. The
knights, taking matters into their own hands, began
a great tournament to occur on New Year’s Day. The
winner, by proving himself the strongest on the field
of battle, would presumably be able to draw the sword
and claim divine right as king.
Everything was going smoothly and the tourna-
ment was in full swing when rumor began to spread
through the city that someone had drawn the sword.
The first to arrive on the scene was Sir Ector, an aging
but respected country lord; his elder son Kay, newly
knighted, bore the sword and initially claimed to have
drawn it. But paternal pressure and the prospect of
swearing on the Holy Bible persuaded Kay to con-
fess that it was, in fact, his fifteen-year-old brother
Arthur, still a squire, who had done the deed. Arthur
confessed and Ector had him replace the Sword, then
Ector and many other lords tried to draw it. All failed,
but again Arthur drew it effortlessly. It was at this
moment that Ector confessed that Arthur was not, in
fact, his son, but had been given to him as a boy by
Merlin, who had bid the knight to raise Arthur as his
own. Ector immediately swore his loyalty to a shocked
Arthur, and asked that when Arthur became king
that Kay be made his seneschal. This Arthur at once
agreed to do, vowing that no one else would hold that
office as long as both brothers lived.
Ector’s loyalty was clear, but the rest of the assem-
bled knights were not so sure. The Archbishop kept
the peace while barons who had not yet come to
London began to arrive; it was one thing to miss a
tournament, but a fifteen-year Boy King was some-
thing else altogether. On the 6th of January 410
(Twelfth Night), every knight and baron was given a
chance to draw the sword; none succeeded. When
Arthur drew it forth the barons were outraged at the
prospect of being governed by a beardless bastard.
Although Uther had, on his deathbed, named his
missing son Arthur as his heir, no one believed that
the boy Merlin had given over unto Ector was actually
this child. Arthur was, in other words, considered a
pretender – a fake Prince Arthur. Archbishop Dubric,
however, stood by the divine blessing of the Sword in
the Stone, and he set additional demonstrations for
February 2nd (or Candlemass), for Easter, and finally
at Pentecost (known also as Whitsunday, the holiday
fifty days after Easter). He also assigned an honor
guard to keep Arthur safe from assassination and
accident – among this initial guard was the young Sir
Kay and the older and more experienced knights Sirs
Ulfius, Baudwin, and Brastias.
At Pentecost, Arthur again drew the Sword when
none of the other assembled lords could, and al-
though they would gladly have put off any accession
of Arthur to the throne, by this time the common
people of England had found their voice. For the com-
moners loved Arthur, and were desperate for a king to
96
end the strife throughout Britain, and by this pressure
the lords were forced to kneel before Arthur. The boy
was made both knight and king; Archbishop Dubric
had used the last few months to prepare everything
for the coronation. Arthur’s first task was to resolve
many old disputes which dated back to the time of
Uther. He also appointed his first officers; in addi-
tion to Kay being made Senechal, Baudwin became
Constable, Ulfius was made Chamberlain, and Sir
Brastias became Warden of the North, for it was from
the north that Arthur expected trouble to come.
A feast was declared in Wales, at the city of Carleon
on the river Usk, and Arthur withdrew there with his
followers. Many of Arthur’s rivals, great lords who
had made themselves king of sections of England in
the wake of Uther’s death, came to the feast. Foremost
among them was King Lot of Orkney with five hun-
dred knights, but with him was King Uriens of Gore,
Nantres of Garloth, King Barant of Malahaut (who
was called the King of a Hundred Knights), the young
king of Scotland, and finally King Carados of the
Dolorous Tower, who was built like a giant and had
an army of some five thousand mounted men. At
first, Arthur was delighted to see them arrive; in his
youthful naiveté he presumed they had come to do
him homage and he sent them generous gifts. But
his gifts were returned, and Lot vowed that the only
present he would give Arthur would be a spear be-
tween the shoulders. The rival kings had come not
for homage but for war, and that quickly Arthur was
besieged in Carleon castle, where – with a far smaller
force of hand-picked knights – he holed up for some
fifteen days.
That was when Merlin arrived; this was his first ap-
pearance since Arthur had drawn the Sword from the
Stone, and the lords and knights trapped in Carleon
with Arthur demanded to know the truth of Arthur’s
parentage. After all, they were about to die for it, and
if Merlin’s story was not convincing it was not too late
to turn on Arthur and hand the Boy King over to Lot
for judgment. But Merlin gave a compelling tale, re-
assuring his audience that Arthur was not a bastard,
since Queen Igraine’s husband had been dead for a
good three hours (!) before Uther engendered Arthur
on her, and in any case had married her within two
weeks, so that Arthur was born in wedlock. That was
when Merlin had taken the boy for safekeeping and
delivered him to Ector. Arthur’s supporters were con-
vinced more by Merlin’s reputation than by his lack of
evidence, and they remained loyal, but it would take
more than a good story to break the siege. Turning
then to Arthur himself, Merlin reminded the boy that
if he was going to be king he had better start acting
like it. Lot and his fellow rebels could sense Arthur’s
fear, and morale within the castle was low. Arthur was
persuaded to ride out and parley with his enemies,
though he did wear a double thick shirt of mail just

for safety. With Kay and his other officers he boldly
assured Lot and the others that he would soon be
king of all England, Wales, Scotland, and Ireland, and
that it was not too late for Lot to surrender. Of course,
with a vastly superior army, Lot did no such thing, but
Arthur’s show of confidence did much to raise the mo-
rale of his own allies behind the walls.
The time had come for a sortie; Arthur gathered
three hundred of his best knights to lead the attack
and they rode out, attacking Lot’s supply stores, which
he had simply taken from the town surrounding
Carleon castle. Arthur and Kay were especially brave,
but Lot slew Arthur’s horse out from under him and
was about to kill the king when Arthur’s honor guard
found him and got him out. Arthur’s surprise attack
had enjoyed initial success but the numbers were just
too great; the tide was turning and he would soon be
possessed of the shortest reign in English history. At
this moment of greatest need, he did as Merlin in-
structed him: he drew forth the Sword in the Stone,
which he had kept sheathed until this moment. It
shone with a light so brilliant that it blinded all his
enemies, allowing Arthur’s forces to regroup. More
importantly, the light was seen by the common people
of the city of Carlon, who interpreted it as a sign of
God’s favor. The mob poured out of their homes and
hiding places and swarmed over Lot’s army, pulling
many of his knights from their horses and clubbing
them with cudgels. Lot, his army in disarray and the
siege broken, withdrew in good order. Arthur had
survived his first battle – but it was far from a glori-
ous victory.
Arthur needed allies, for already news of Lot’s
near-triumph had spread and convinced more rebels
to join his cause. On Merlin’s advice, he sent Ulfius
and Brastias to France, where they fought their way
to the court of King Ban of Benwick and King Bors of
Gaul. These two brothers were at war with one King
Claudus for the sovereignty of all France, but they
were willing to help Arthur provided he agreed to
do the same and help them defeat Claudus. To this,
Ulfius and Brastias agreed, and the French kings with
a token force of their household knights reached
England by the 1st of November, when Arthur hosted
them in London. A tournament was held in which
the French knights fought against the British, and
at the end of the day the prize was given to Kay, who
fought best of all men present, and also to Sir Lucan
(who was Arthur’s butler) and the newly-knighted Sir
Griflet, who was called “le Fise de Dieu” or the Son of
God. In the wake of the tournament, Arthur and his
new allies made plans with the help of Merlin, who
traveled to France with a token of King Ban and used
it – along with his own supernatural speed of travel –
to quickly muster thousands of French men at arms.
The six rebel kings from Carleon had by now been
reinforced by Duke Eustace of Cambenet, King Brand
Chapter 6: The Arthurian Age
of Strangore, King Clarence of Northumberland, King
Idres of Cornwall, King Cradelmas of Norgales, and
King Anguish of Ireland. Their army was enormous:
fifty thousand horsemen and an additional ten thou-
sand on foot. As they moved south, Arthur – accom-
panied by Ban and Bors – went north to intercept with
his own army of only twenty thousand. He met Merlin
in the forest of Bedegraine (which would later come
to be called “Sherwood”). The magician had already
arranged for the supernatural travel of some ten thou-
sand French horsemen across the English Channel
and he had hidden them in the forest by way of am-
bush. Then, perhaps using his magic and perhaps
relying on mundane scouts and spies, Merlin learned
that Lot had laid siege to the nearby Bedegraine
Castle, and he deduced the location of the rebel camp.
With this intelligence, he persuaded Arthur to make a
bold night attack.
Bedegraine was the first great battle of Arthur’s
reign. Lot and his allies had made a strong camp,
but no one was prepared for a night attack and the
initial casualties were horrendous, with Arthur re-
treating before an organized defense could be made.
By morning, Lot could see twenty thousand British
troops blocking the pass south through the forest; on
Merlin’s advice the French forces were still hiding in
ambush. Although a fifth of his army lay dead from
the night assault, Lot attacked at once and the fighting
was extremely fierce; Kay struck Lot down, but the
king was rescued by Barant, the King of a Hundred
Knights. Arthur himself killed Cradelmas of Norgales
and managed to reach Lot, wounding the man in the
shoulder, but Lot was too well protected by his many
allies for any duel to last for long. Knights on both
sides were tiring, and Lot decided to withdraw some
of his forces under Barant, Idres, Anguish, and Duke
Eustace to rest while the others held the line against
Arthur. That is when Ban and Bors sprung their trap,
falling upon Lot’s reserve while they rested. It was
not until Lot recognized Ban and Bors that he began
to seriously consider the day might not be his; it was
one thing to defeat a boy king and his wizard mentor,
but another thing indeed to win against the flower of
French chivalry. Nevertheless the fighting continued
throughout the day, with many casualties on both
sides, until by nightfall the eleven rebel kings had
retreated to a hill surrounded by a small river; there
they camped and both hosts rested.
Overnight Ban and Bors praised Lot and his al-
lies for their valorous fighting, though Arthur for
understandable reasons was focused solely on their
destruction. For his part, Lot drew up new plans with
his men: they would leave their footmen, who were
only slowing them down, behind to escape through
the woods, and they renewed their vows to stick close
to one another and not separate during the fighting.
With dawn Arthur, Ban, and Bors led an attack up
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the hill but they were eventually repulsed after heavy
fighting. When Merlin came to Arthur then it was not
to encourage more battle, but rather to scold the King
for too much bloodshed: of the sixty thousand men
the rebels had brought to battle, three-quarters were
already dead. Was Arthur so hungry for slaughter that
he had to kill those who remained? Further, Merlin
claimed, the northern lands of the rebels were even
now being invaded, and Lot and his allies would soon
withdraw. Insisting that Arthur could not win a victo-
ry that day, Merlin persuaded Arthur to step back and
allow Lot to escape.
411, the Year Arthur’s
Birth Was Revealed
A few months passed, and Arthur remained camped
in Bedegraine with his allies while Lot and the oth-
er rebels fled north to fend off a seaborne invasion.
Merlin visited his master Blaise – who was recording
the events of the Arthurian Age for future scholars –
and then returned to show Arthur where a great trea-
sure was buried in the forest. This treasure, along with
all the plunder from the Battle of Bedegraine, Arthur
gave to Ban and Bors, who distributed it among their
French men at arms. Arthur was in no rush to depart
the castle, for over the winter he had come to enjoy
the company of the lady Lyonors. The daughter of
Earl Sanam of Karadigan, who had died in the recent
battle, Lyonors had come to Bedegraine to reaffirm
oaths of homage to the young king. But the two had
quickly fallen for one another, and became close
enough that by February she was with child.
With Cradlemas dead, King Ryons rose to take the
throne of Norgales. Rather than attack Arthur directly,
he laid siege to Leodegrance in the land of Cameliard.
Leodegrance had been one of Uther’s strongest allies
when the king had still lived, and he had transferred
that fierce loyalty to Arthur, whom he accepted as
Uther’s son. When Arthur learned that one of his
friends was under attack, he marched with his French
allies and an army of twenty thousand to lift the
siege. It was there, at Cameliard, that Arthur first saw
Leodegrance’s daughter, Guinevere, and it is said he
loved her at once. Ryons retreated and was joined
by his brother Nero; the two men with their army of
Welshmen combined forces with the other rebel kings
under Lot. With armies scattered around Britain, the
rebels continued to hold Cornwall, Wales, and all the
North against Arthur, even as they fought off an inva-
sion from over the sea.
It was in the fall of this year that Morgause, Lot’s
queen, came to Arthur’s court as an ambassador and
spy. Arthur’s lusty demeanor had by now been noticed
by his rival, and Lot seemed confident that his beau-
tiful wife would get a good reception. She came with
four of her sons: the eldest, Gawain, was nearly ready
98
for knighthood himself, but Gaheris and Agravaine
were still too young and Gareth was but an infant.
Morgause was the eldest child of Queen Igraine, and
therefore if Merlin’s story was to be believed she was
Arthur’s half-sister. No one seemed to much believe
the story, however, and Arthur treated his rival’s
queen very richly indeed. She returned to Orkney
at the coming of winter, and the king seemed out of
sorts with her departure, thoughtful and moody. On
a hunting expedition he witnessed a demonic crea-
ture, the Questing Beast, and had his horse stolen by
the mysterious knight who hunted it (King Pellinore,
though it would be some time before anyone in
Arthur’s court learned his name).
Merlin, still hoping to unite the realm without fur-
ther armed conflict, decided to put to rest the question
of Arthur’s parentage. He arranged for Arthur to invite
Queen Igraine to come to Carleon from the abbey
where she had been living since Uther’s death. She
brought her beautiful daughter, Morgan le Fay (wife
of Uriens of Gore, one of the rebel kings) with her.
That night in the great hall, Merlin collected everyone
who had been involved in the story of Arthur’s birth
and childhood, including Ulfius and Sir Ector. With
Igraine to provide the missing pieces, the complete
story of how Uther came to Igraine in the shape of her
husband and sired a child, which was then handed
to Merlin and raised by Ector, came to light. Igraine
and Arthur embraced as mother and son. Thankful to
know that he really was the son of Uther Pendragon,
Arthur declared an eight-day feast in Igraine’s honor.
But some who were there said that in the king’s pri-
vate moments he was troubled by something which
he would not speak of.
412, the Year
of the May Babies
Igraine returned to her abbey and Morgan briefly
returned to the nunnery where she had spent her ado-
lescence (there to continue her study of necromancy).
But into Arthur’s court at Carleon rode a squire whose
master had been slain by a mysterious knight en-
camped at a well in the nearby woods. Young Griflet
prevailed upon the king to be given a chance to defeat
this intruder, but he was quickly defeated. (It was not
uncommon for young knights to lose to an elder man
at a joust, since while fighting on foot was primarily
a matter of strength and vitality, mastering the joust
required years of experience.) Griflet managed to re-
turn to Carleon with a terrible wound in his side, and
Arthur was furious both at himself for allowing Griflet
to go, and at the mysterious knight of the well who
had done such damage to one of Arthur’s favorites.
It was at this untimely moment that ambassadors
from Rome arrived. Twelve in number, they bore a
demand for tribute from Emperor Lucius of Rome,

who based his claim on Rome’s conquest of the is-
land centuries before. But Arthur was in no mood for
diplomacy; he grudgingly respected the neutrality of
the messengers, but in the same breath insisted that
the only tribute he might give would be “sharp spears
or sharp swords.” With this, the ambassadors with-
drew and Arthur, taking a squire for himself, rode off
to meet with the knight at the well personally. It was
just this sort of thing which, though rash, endeared
Arthur to his own knights. For it was not the habit of
kings to risk their lives in personal adventure as poor
knights did, and when Arthur proved that he was will-
ing to do everything he expected his own men to do,
they became all the more devoted to him.
The king did not return for three days, leading other
men of the court to ride out to the well to challenge
the knight there. Pellinore chased one of these knights
all the way back to Carleon and was waiting there
when Arthur finally returned, wounded but alive and
bearing a new sword: Excalibur, a gift from the Lady
of the Lake. He told the tale of how he had fought
with Pellinore at the well and his own blade had been
broken. Merlin’s timely arrival saved his life. Since
Pellinore had recently completed a year of questing,
he remained at Carleon to become one of Arthur’s
advisors and the most feared man at court – after all,
neither Arthur nor any of his men had been able to
best the masterful Pellinore in battle.
Although Arthur had forced Ryons to withdraw
from Cameliard the year before, the king of Norgales
had been busy in the meantime and sent a messenger
to Carleon to renew the promise of war. Ryons was fa-
mous for a cloak he wore which was trimmed with the
beards of twelve rival kings who had knelt before him;
Arthur’s beard would provide the final bit of trim. But
the seventeen-year-old monarch wittily replied that
he did not have enough of a beard yet to satisfy Ryons.
He vowed to make Ryons kneel before him or die.
In early June, Arthur made what came to be the
most controversial and hateful decree of his long
reign: he ordered that every male infant born in the
previous month be gathered together and brought to
him. At first, the lords of England presumed this was a
plan to make the children royal hostages. This would
ensure good behavior on the part of Arthur’s vassals.
Although harsh, such a decree had historical prece-
dent and was obeyed; Arthur’s messengers dutifully
collected the infants. However, this was not the king’s
intention. Instead, the May Babies were put on a ship
that was then sunk at sea. It was presumed that all
the children perished. This ghastly act of infanticide
was largely blamed on Merlin; few could believe that
Arthur would do such a thing on his own volition, but
all recognized that Merlin was Arthur’s chief coun-
selor. Lot and the other rebels had remained more or
Chapter 6: The Arthurian Age
less quiet for the last year, and there had been some
hope that with the clarification of Arthur’s legitimate
birth there might even be peace. But the May Babies
incident assured that war would follow, for Lot’s own
son Mordred, only weeks old, had been among those
slain. If before Lot had fought against Arthur out of
personal desire for power, and out of scorn for a bas-
tard child king, he now fought for family vengeance.
Word came to Carleon that Ryons had marched
forth from Wales and was pillaging the land. Arthur
called up all his lords and knights and ordered they
meet at the castle of Camelot. Construction on
Camelot had begun two years previous at Arthur’s
coronation and although work was not yet done, it
was more centrally located than Carleon and would
prove a better mustering point. In preparation for
war, Arthur issued a general pardon of prisoners who
were willing to take up arms in his cause. One of these
freed knights was Balin the Savage. Balin was thus
in the court when a strangely-garbed woman arrived
at Camelot. She wore a large sword in a belt around
her waist, and she claimed that it could not be drawn
save by the best knight in the world. Balin drew it, but
when she asked for the sword to be returned to her, he
refused and earned his sobriquet, “The Knight with
Two Swords.” (It was rare for a knight to carry two
swords since, if he did, it was considered fair for two
knights to fight him at the same time.)
At precisely this moment, the Lady of the Lake ar-
rived at Camelot and asked Arthur to make good on
the promise he had made when she had delivered
Excalibur to him. She asked for the death of either
Balin or the maiden with the sword. Arthur tried to
refuse, as both were under his protection, but before
any agreement could be reached Balin emerged and
decapitated Nineve. Arthur, furious at this insult to his
own honor, banished Balin and offered reward to any
knight who could kill him. Lanceor, prince of Ireland,
immediately attempted the deed. Not only did Balin
kill him, but when Lanceor’s betrothed found his
corpse on the road she used his sword to kill herself
too. Merlin prophesied that, for allowing the Lady
Colombe to die when Balin could have prevented her,
Balin was now doomed to inflict the Dolorous Stroke.
As the New Year approached, word came that Ryons
had invested his forces at the castle of Terrabil in
Cornwall, there to wait out the winter. Lot and his
alliance of rebel kings were poised to strike from the
north. Only king Mark, who had come to Camelot for
the winter and whose territory Ryons had also invad-
ed, was a potential ally, but “King Fox” – as Mark was
sometimes called – was notoriously untrustworthy.
The first Christmas in Camelot was a grim and
cheerless one.
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 Chapter 6: The Arthurian Age
413, the Year the
King and Queen
Were Married
When Arthur had gathered in Camelot all the
knights and men at arms that would answer his call,
he marched at once towards Castle Terrabil in Wales.
This was the same castle which his father had be-
sieged when Duke Gorlois refused to yield up his wife
Igraine, and now Ryons had made it his stronghold.
The year was early and winter gripped the island,
but Lot’s massive army was already on its way to link
up with Ryons. If Arthur could reach Terrabil first,
he might have an opportunity to fight Ryons alone.
He would have no chance if Ryons and Lot joined
forces. At the same time, Merlin sought out Balin and
Balan, who were anxious to win back Arthur’s favor
after the unpleasant business of the Lady of the Lake.
Ryons, it seemed, had a paramour, the Lady de Vance,
who was sequestered at Castle Tintagel not far from
Terrabil. Balin and Balan ambushed him on the way
to visit her and, killing many of his guard and routing
the rest, they captured Ryons. Merlin delivered him
promptly to Arthur’s camp, where he was treated hon-
orably, but Balin and Balan did not yet dare to rejoin
Arthur’s forces.
The next day Arthur arrayed his army and offered
battle to Nero, Ryons’ brother and the new command-
er of the Welsh forces. As the two armies clashed,
Merlin intercepted Lot, who was camped nearby.
Using his enchantments, Merlin lulled Lot into a kind
of waking dream, preventing him from rousing his
army and coming to help Nero. With the help of Balin
and Balan, his own brother Kay, and Sir Hervis de
Revel, Arthur defeated Nero before the castle walls.
Lot, waking from Merlin’s spell, saw that his chance
to overwhelm Arthur through sheer numbers had
slipped through his fingers, and he considered with-
drawing entirely, but his knights persuaded him that
victory was still likely (Arthur’s troops being weary
from fighting). Accordingly, Lot took the forefront of
the battle and led his army of allied kings in final con-
test against the man who had slain Lot’s infant son.
His feats of arms amazed all who saw him, but finally
Pellinore found him on the field, killing first his horse
and then Lot himself. At the death of their legendary
king, Orkney troops broke and ran. Many of the reb-
el kings were slain; the survivors – including Barant
of Malahaut and Uriens of Gore – bent the knee to
Arthur, whose claim to the throne of England was
now uncontested.
The King sought to do honor to his fallen foes, and
he had a mighty tomb constructed at the church of
Saint Stephen’s in Camelot. All the dead kings were
buried there, but Lot’s tomb was especially grand and
imposing, lit by magic tapers provided by Merlin.
100
Lot’s wife, Morgause, attended the funeral with her
four sons, as did Uriens, his wife Morgan le Fay, and
her young son Yvain. At this meeting, Arthur gave the
enchanted scabbard of Excalibur – which ensured
whoever wore it lost no blood – to his sister Morgan
for safe-keeping.
There was peace in the realm, and Balin at last came
before Arthur to be welcomed back to court. While
there, the king sent Balin on an errand to retrieve a
knight named Sir Herlews, but Herlews died while
under Balin’s protection, stabbed from behind by
the wicked and invisible knight Sir Garlon. Herlews
charged Balin to protect his paramour and Arthur had
the dead knight buried richly. But Balin continued
to be dogged both by ill luck and Sir Garlon – soon
after Balin befriended one Sir Peryne at a hermitage,
Garlon assassinated him too from behind. Balin con-
tinued on with Herlews’ damsel until they reached
the feared castle of the Leprous Lady. This woman,
cursed with a supernatural disease, could not be
cured of her condition without the use of a bowl full
of blood taken from the virgin daughter of a king.
Unfortunately, no one knew which daughter was
required, and the Lady’s knights forced Balin’s com-
panion to bleed till a silver dish was full. Unlike most
of the Leprous Lady’s victims, this damsel survived
and departed with Balin the following day. (The Lady,
however, remained uncured.)
Soon after, Balin got a lead on Garlon; King Pellam,
who was Garlon’s brother, had announced a great
feast at his castle of Carbonek. Garlon was sure to be
there, but only knights who were accompanied by
paramours or wives were allowed to attend; fortu-
nately, Herlew’s lady agreed to be Balin’s escort. They
rode some fifteen days and reached Carbonek just
as the feast began. Claiming that it was the custom
among his people never to go unarmed (he was from
Northumberland), Balin persuaded Pellam’s castle
staff to permit him one of his two swords. Garlon soon
found him and, confident in the security of a public
feast with many knights and guards, he taunted Balin,
urging him to sit down to table, “do what you came to
do,” and eat. Balin, weighing the certain impossibility
of escape from Carbonek against the unique opportu-
nity to catch Garlon when he was visible, retorted that
he would indeed “do what I came to do,” and he cut
off Garlon’s head.
Pellam was, predictably, outraged. Breaking Balin’s
sword with his own, he chased Balin through the
castle. Few know what happened next, but clearly
awesome magic was at work, for within a few minutes
the entire tower came crashing down to rubble and
all the land for three counties was laid waste. Many
innocents for miles around were simply struck dead.
The ruin was cataclysmic. The first one on the scene
was Merlin, three days later. It was he who rescued
Balin from the collapsed tower. Pellam was taken to

bed, where he would remain with a wound that did
not heal. Balin’s companion was killed in the collapse.
As he rode away on a horse loaned by Merlin, Balin’s
name was cursed by those who survived.
Balin’s last days were no less tragic. When he tried
to help a certain Sir Garnysh find his lady, Balin found
the woman abed with another man. Upon revealing
this to Garnysh, the heartbroken knight killed first
the two lovers and then himself, blaming Balin. Three
days later, Balin arrived at a mysterious castle on the
river with a nearby island. He was persuaded to fight
against a red knight who waited on the island, though
he was also given a blank shield to replace his own.
The two knights dealt grievous and mortal wounds
to one another before Balin and his brother Balan
recognized each other. They died and were buried;
Merlin provided the marker, built his magic bed, and
placed Balin’s sword in a floating block of marble for
safekeeping. So much for Sir Balin the Savage, Knight
with Two Swords.
Meanwhile, Arthur had been hounded by his lords
and knights to take a wife and secure the inheri-
tance of the kingdom. Pressed by Merlin to name the
woman he liked best, he named Guinevere, daughter
to Leodegrance of Cameliard. Along with some of
Arthur’s men, Merlin traveled to Cameliard to make
inquiries with Guinevere’s father, and Leodegrance
was very pleased by the news. He offered the Round
Table as dowry; this enormous table, capable of seat-
ing one hundred and fifty, once belonged to Uther.
Leodegrance would give it back to the family along
with a hundred knights to fill it. To fill the remaining
fifty seats at this elite table, Arthur turned to Merlin,
but the magician could compile a list of only twen-
ty-eight who were worthy. Archbishop Dubric blessed
the table and all the chairs, and each seat was deco-
rated with magical letters of gold that spelled out the
occupant’s name.
Of course the wedding and Guinevere’s coronation
called for a great feast, and to celebrate Arthur prom-
ised a gift to anyone who asked it. The most notable
of these requests came from a cowherd who claimed
that his son wished to be made a knight. This son, Tor,
looked nothing like his humble father and refused to
do simple work. Arthur made good on his promise,
though he was skeptical that Tor would amount to
much, till Merlin revealed that his father was none
other than king Pellinore, who in his pursuit of the
Questing Beast had fathered more than one bastard.
Merlin also led Pellinore to the place of honor at the
Round Table, naming him the greatest knight pres-
ent. This greatly aroused the anger and jealousy of
Gawain, who himself was knighted by Arthur at this
very feast, for Pellinore had killed Gawain’s father Lot.
This was when Gawain and Gaheris began to plot
Pellinore’s death.
Chapter 6: The Arthurian Age
As the feast was winding to its end, Merlin warned
of a coming adventure and in burst a white hart
chased by a white hunting dog and a large pack of ad-
ditional hounds, all in pursuit. After running around
the table the hart escaped, but one of the knights at
the table seized the white dog and rode away with it.
A damsel on a white horse arrived and, claiming that
the dog was hers, insisted Arthur retrieve it, but she
was also immediately abducted by another knight.
This, apparently, was the adventure Merlin had
warned about. Arthur dutifully assigned his knights
to the task: Gawain was sent to retrieve the hart, Tor
was commanded to bring back the stolen dog or the
knight who took it, and Pellinore was given the most
important task: the rescue of the damsel.
Although he had been given the inglorious task of
rescuing a dog, the most successful of these questers
would be the newly-knighted Tor. Promptly defeating
two knights who set on him without cause, sending
them back to Camelot as prisoners, and by this feat
earning the service of a loyal dwarf, he peacefully
retrieved the dog from the pavilion of a lady who had
claimed it. Sir Abellus, the knight who had stolen the
dog, had given it to his lady as a present, and when he
learned that Tor had taken it back Abellus followed
Tor in order to reclaim it. Tor defeated him but was
reluctant to kill a knight, offering mercy, but Abellus
would not yield. At this moment, with Tor uncertain
how to resolve his dilemma, a damsel arrived who was
an enemy of Abellus, and she pleaded with Tor to kill
the knight, claiming Abellus had murdered her broth-
er. Now, seeing the way the wind was blowing, Abellus
pleaded for mercy. But Tor, deciding that not only had
he already given Abellus a chance to surrender, but
also that he was honor bound to do as the lady com-
manded, cut off Abellus’ head. When Tor returned to
Camelot and recited everything he had done, the king
and his knights were very impressed with the young
man’s conduct, and Arthur rewarded him richly, for
Tor had until then been impoverished.
Gawain went after the hart with the help of his
younger brother Gaheris, who acted as his squire.
Along the way they resolved a dispute between two
brothers who were fighting each other for the right to
pursue the hart; neither was healthy enough to fight
Gawain so when he sent them along to Arthur’s court
they were forced to acquiesce. The tracks of the hart
led across a river where another knight waited; this
one Gawain killed in a fight that began on horseback
but ended on foot. The Orkney brothers, sensing they
were near their prey, released three greyhounds to
hunt the hart. These dogs followed their quarry to the
courtyard of a castle where they killed the hart, but
the animal’s owner, Sir Blamoure, had already slain
two of Gawain’s dogs by the time the brothers arrived.
A fight broke out, but Gawain was by far the stronger
and Blamoure begged for mercy. Gawain refused to
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give it, insisting on vengeance for the death of his two
hunting hounds. When Blamoure’s lady threw her-
self over her love, Gawain killed her by accident. For
this, he was much chided by Gaheris and Blamoure
was disconsolate with grief, but Gawain sent him
on to Camelot anyway to tell his story. Four knights
arrived that night, having heard of Gawain’s murder
of an innocent woman, and in fierce battle they over-
whelmed both brothers, shooting Gawain through the
arm with an arrow and taking them prisoner. Gawain
was able to prevail upon the knights’ ladies to release
him, on account of his family name and his connec-
tion to Arthur, but they forced him to wear the head
of the woman he had murdered around his neck as a
token of his shame. It was in this way that he arrived
back at Camelot, bearing the head of the white hart
but no glory.
But the worst fate of all was that of Pellinore.
Chasing the abducted damsel, Nimue, with his usual
obsessive vigor, he passed by a lady on the road who
called out for aid. Ignoring her plea, Pellinore soon
found that Nimue had been abducted by a knight
named Sir Outelake, and one of Nimue’s cousins –
Sir Meliot – was trying even now to win her back.
Pellinore interrupted the duel and revealed he was
commanded to bring Nimue back to Arthur’s court,
but Outelake killed his horse and Pellinore slew him
quickly in turn. Meliot knew better than to fight,
especially as he was already wounded, and he in-
stead hosted Pellinore at his pavilion, replaced his
102
horse, and took his promise to protect Nimue from
all harm on the way back to Camelot. Pellinore and
Nimue returned with a few mishaps along the way;
the lady fell and broke her arm at one point, and the
two overheard an assassination plot against Arthur
that involved poison to be delivered by someone very
close to the king. Worse, they came across the lady
whom Pellinore had spied at the start of his quest;
she was dead and her body savaged by wild beasts.
Pellinore was immediately struck by his failure; if he
had helped the woman she would still be alive. On
Nimue’s advice he brought her remains back to court,
where the queen shamed him openly. But the final
tragedy came when Merlin revealed that this damsel
who was slain for Pellinore’s inaction was his own
daughter, Elaine.
With the conclusion of these three quests, Arthur
inaugurated the Order of the Round Table, enjoining
his knights with the following vows: that they would
never do outrage or murder, always avoid treason, and
give mercy to those who ask it or else forfeit Arthur’s
protection forever. Always they were to do service to
ladies, damsels, gentlewomen, and widows, strength-
en them in their rights, and never take a woman by
force, on pain of death. Each man was charged never
to fight in an unjust quarrel, not for love of fighting
or for worldly goods. And this oath, the oath of the
Round Table, was repeated every year at Arthur’s
highest feast, Pentecost, on the fiftieth day after Easter.
 Chapter 7: Running the Game

Gamemaster Chapters
Chapter 7: Running the Game
The Traditional become very complicated. They find that they have
old relationships with both PCs and NPCs, some
Campaign of whom used to be friendly but many of whom
are trying to kill them. Typically, an incarnation of
Every Arthur Lives! campaign is different, with big Arthur, Guinevere, Merlin, or a famous knight like
issues crafted by your table in the first session, unique Gawain takes up nominal leadership of the PC group,
characters, and your particular vision as a GM. That though this leadership may often be questioned and
being said, there are certain basic assumptions which the leader figure relies heavily on the help of his or
combine to create a kind of “traditional narrative” for her fellows.
a new AL! campaign. Because
Fate is so flexible in terms of
character, setting, and theme,
virtually all of these assump-
tions are imposed on AL! by
the setting. We know that your
characters will be proactive, ca-
pable people leading dramatic
lives, for example, something
that is true of almost all Fate
games. But it’s also normal for
Arthur Lives! PCs to be working
class, blue-collar Joes; some-
thing the rules do not require.
Another important assumption
is that there are multiple in-
carnations of each Arthurian
character out in the world,
and the PCs are not the first to
recognize themselves. You can
throw these assumptions out
if you want a non-traditional
campaign, but what follows is a
walk-through of this traditional
Arthur Lives! campaign, touch-
ing on recurring themes: foes,
resources, the presence of the
supernatural, and the discovery
of other incarnations.
The typical AL! game starts
out with a handful of PCs, all
of whom are unaware of the
fact that they are incarnations
of Arthurian characters. Over
the first few game sessions, the
player characters all become
aware of who they really are.
In so doing, their lives quickly
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 Chapter 7: Running the Game
Simply because they are incarnations, the PCs have
acquired many foes from various factions, especial-
ly the Round Table Conspiracy (which includes the
Illuminati, Freemasons, Assassins and other secret
societies). We’ve made it into an aspect because it
makes a good “Big Issue” for your campaign. Other
incarnations who have already awoken, and are both
rich and powerful, make up the second big issue
in many campaigns; you can get specific with this
(see General Douglass’s KOTUS plot in Chapter 9)
or vague (Haunted by the Past), as your table prefers.
These adversary groups target the PCs from the shad-
ows and begin attacking them, quickly emphasizing
how important secrecy is to player character survival.
Each attack teaches the heroes more about the vari-
ous factions which exist in the world, their weapons
and strategies, and their goals. Many of the agents
who attack the PCs are defeated, killed, or otherwise
driven off and are never seen again, but a select few
escape and become recurring villains, often with spe-
cial rivalries directed towards one or another player
character. The first definitive conflict with the Round
Table makes for an excellent significant milestone and
sends both PCs and the Conspiracy back to sharpen
their knives for another confrontation down the road.
Eventually there comes a time when the heroes stop
running and take a stand. This is a significant mile-
stone in the Round Table Conspiracy plot, but it doesn’t
mean the end of that antagonist. The Table may be
bloodied, but it survives.
The characters do not know why they have been
reincarnated or how, and their ability to answer these
questions is almost entirely governed by the GM.
We’ll summarize this as another aspect, The Quest for
Answers. This isn’t a threat, exactly; it’s something your
proactive PCs must pursue themselves. But you might
add an aspect like this to specific scenarios or scenes,
creating a lever which players can then pull. You
could provide a knowledgeable NPC or simply give
the answers to a magician with Divination, but these
are the least interesting options. Instead, the PCs hack
coded files off the computers of their foes, discover
arcane tomes detailing Nazi rituals, and experience
mysterious dreams that suggest Arthur may have
come back at the time of the world’s greatest need.
Eventually, they learn the details of the Wewelsburg
Working, of the Four Queens and the Cauldron of
Annwn, of Arthur’s reincarnation in the middle ages,
and the Round Table’s efforts to keep Arthur dead
so that an age of reason might prevail over the age of
magic. There is probably a scenario that brings all
of this together, perhaps with a trip to Faerie or to
Germany. Once the PCs have learned everything they
can—the how but not the why—they have reached a
significant milestone in The Quest for Answers.
Players will want to make adjustments to their char-
acters. Perhaps there is an aspect that isn’t pulling
104
its weight, or a skill that was overlooked but the PC
should really have. Minor milestones give players a
chance to fix all these issues one step at a time. But,
in addition, your characters may quest for their old
belongings or be offered more power: Excalibur
could be presented to the party leader, or Elaine of
Carbonek could discover an alchemy database. Your
magicians may make some echoes on their own. Don’t
be too restricted by game mechanics when this hap-
pens; signature weapons linger in the campaign and
help make those incarnations distinct, while a new
extra can energize a player and make a dull character
interesting again. If Arthur hasn’t got the refresh to
buy Excalibur right away, and the rules say Elaine
can’t make a potion without the alchemy extra, let the
more interesting story happen. The players can always
pay for the new extra at the next milestone, removing
a stunt or aspect, as necessary. The player may have
second thoughts and decide not to take the new extra
after all. That’s fine; you got a good story out of it. Just
make sure the player knows that, by choosing not to
take the extra when he had the chance, he won’t be
getting any more freebies.
The protagonists will encounter—accidentally, as
subplots in other scenarios, or on purpose if they are
looking—other incarnations who are unaware of their
true nature. This confronts the players with a diffi-
cult decision: should they lead the NPC to recognize
himself, waking up old memories of the Arthurian
Age? Even if they can come to a consensus in this case,
the next incarnation they meet will have entirely dif-
ferent circumstances, prompting the debate all over
again. Perhaps the NPC is in imminent danger, and
waking her up is the only way to save her life. Perhaps
she is a former enemy of the heroes, and waking her
up brings great risk. Perhaps she has valuable skills
which the PCs could use, but recognizing herself
would ruin her personal life. Each incarnation’s situa-
tion is unique, and once the players decide to prompt
recognition, they still have to find a way to do the
deed, usually requiring research, social interaction,
and re-enactment.
In addition to their encounters with Arthurian
agents and the Round Table Conspiracy, the PCs will
frequently stumble across other elements of the su-
pernatural and the occult. Vampires dance the night
away at the city’s hottest club, werewolves prowl the
reservation, and ghosts haunt the old house on the
hilltop. Magic and enchantment leaks across the
Faerie Veil, leading to goblins, ogres, elves, and trolls
walking amongst mundane human beings, con-
cealed by magic or just a bulky coat and floppy hat.
Mortal sorcerers work magic for their own personal
gain, summoning Faeries from across the Veil or just
peddling spells to a black magic market. These su-
pernatural threats pose many dangers for ordinary
civilians who are caught up in things beyond their

understanding; it is up to the PCs to save these peo-
ple and drive the monsters back into the shadows.
Sometimes the “monsters” can be negotiated with,
and sometimes it’s the ordinary people who turn out
to be the villains of the story. These scenarios are not
related to the campaign’s primary plot but provide for
great distraction, allow room for subplots, and enable
the GM to change the stakes from session to session.
The heroes start out defending themselves on their
home turf—a big city such as Los Angeles, New York,
or Chicago—but as they discover more incarnations
around the world they soon become globe-hopping
adventurers. The group’s ability to travel might de-
pend on you, the GM, since the PCs might not be able
to afford expensive plane tickets, and they also have
weapons to smuggle aboard. This is where the one PC
with high Resources or the Travel talent can enable
new stories, ferrying the heroes from one place to
another. A helpful NPC might encourage the players
to follow leads wherever they go. As a result, they en-
counter Arthur in a multicultural setting: a Caribbean
Morgan le Fey, Illuminati plots in Amsterdam,
Parisian vampires, and the ghost of Rasputin in a
Moscow cellar. Depending on how much trouble the
players have gotten into, and how powerful their ene-
mies are, constant travel may become a necessity, not a
luxury. Similarly, the PCs probably don’t have enough
Resources to outfit a real headquarters. Unless one of
them is a king or a wealthy knight or damosel, they
have an ad hoc meeting place like a coffee shop, uni-
versity library, or family room in the suburbs.
Inevitably, the heroes encounter their first dupli-
cate incarnation, usually another incarnation of a PC.
Previously, the heroes assumed they were unique,
but the other incarnation is probably older and more
knowledgeable than the heroes. At best, he is a dan-
gerous rival, and at worst, he’s a predatory enemy. The
discovery that there are multiple Arthurs, Merlins,
and Lancelots in the world will prompt new ques-
tions, sending the heroes back to old contacts who
have known the truth all along but have kept these
secrets from the players out of self-centered motives.
This is probably part of The Quest for Answers plot, but
you may choose to emphasize it by letting it stand on
its own. The Who Am I? plot doesn’t resolve any time
soon, and can’t really resolve as long as there are mul-
tiple incarnations out there, but learning about them
for the first time makes a good significant milestone.
By this time your PCs have had a few significant
milestones. They began running from the Round
Table, but they’ve taken a stand and have had addi-
tional confrontations with them. They began igno-
rant of their own nature, but have since learned how
Arthur was reincarnated and how it all went wrong.
Their refresh may not have changed since recognition,
but they’ve gained at least a few skill points. While
they may not have added any new magical talents
Chapter 7: Running the Game
or extras, they have forged a large web of alliances
including other incarnations, beings out of Faerie,
and supernatural creatures who mean mortals no
(great) harm.
This is the time for a climactic story that ends the
first “season” of your campaign: a story which pits the
heroes against the best the Round Table Conspiracy has
to offer. Proactive players will already have a strategy
for taking the fight to the enemy, but you may have to
make the Conspiracy take the lead. Regardless, this
is a fight not only for survival, but for the symbol of
the Round Table itself. Will the heroes fail, and leave
the Conspiracy in possession of this great symbol of
unity, equality, and justice? Or will the heroes reclaim
the Table, sunder the Conspiracy into its component
factions, humble the enemy, and clear the way for
Arthur and his knights to consolidate in a strong
headquarters without fear of sudden ambush from
the shadows? This is major milestone which removes
the Round Table Conspiracy as a big issue. Soon there
will be newer, more dangerous and terrifying, forces
assaulting the world, and your heroes will be con-
fronted with even greater challenges—challenges that
do not come from our own shores, but from places far
off, alien, and strange.
Dials & Switches
Fate Core is designed to be customizable; it is a sys-
tem which can be dialed up or down to suit the genre
and the setting. AL! already moves some of these dials
by adding refresh and skill points to characters when
they recognize themselves. But there are other dials
and switches which need to be noted.
Weapons and Armor
AL! uses the rules for Weapon and Armor Ratings
described on p. 277 of Fate Core System and expanded
upon in the Fate System Toolkit.
Weapon 1: Knives, improvised weapons
Weapon 2: Most pistols, swords, axes
Weapon 3: Shotguns, big pistols, most rifles,
greatswords
Weapon 4: .50 rifles and machine guns
Armor 1: Concealed vest
Armor 2: Bulletproof vest
Armor 3: Military grade combat armor
Armor 4: Vehicles or science fiction
Weapons and armor can possess stunts or aspects.
The main difference is that a stunt always applies in a
given situation, while an aspect needs to be invoked,
either through a skill or a Fate point.
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 Chapter 7: Running the Game
Weapon and Armor Aspects
Accurate: This aspect can be invoked whenever the
shot is far or especially difficult.
Cheap: Weapons, armor, or any other piece of gear
can have this aspect, signifying that it is in poor
shape and prone to all kinds of problems like jams
or breakage.
Concealed: This aspect describes armor or a weapon
which is designed to be hidden and worn with ordi-
nary clothing.
The Vest Concession
One of the most well-known concessions in
action television is the sudden appearance of
a concealed vest. In a conflict resolution of this
type, a bad guy shoots our hero with a firearm.
The player concedes and appears to fall down
dead. The villain escapes. It’s only after the bad
guy is gone—possibly as another hero arrives,
traumatized over the first character’s death—
that the hero opens his eyes, rips open his shirt,
and mutters something about how it’s a good
thing he remembered to wear the concealed
vest today.
Note that, for the Vest Concession to work,
your character has to not wear a vest most of
the time. If we know your character is wearing a
vest, and he’s constantly getting the benefit of
Armor:1 from it, then it’s not a plausible narra-
tive when your character is shot, collapses, and
appears to die. In Fate, this is a good reason to
leave the vest at home most of the time, only
breaking out Armor when you are walking into a
firefight.
Weapon and Armor Stunts
Full Auto: This weapon is capable of fully automat-
ic fire. Use the rules for Affecting Multiple Targets on
pages 205-207 of Fate Core.
Longarm: This firearm is long and relatively un-
wieldy. It cannot be hidden in clothing and it cannot
be used to target enemies in your own zone.
Scattershot: This firearm only has its full Weapon
Rating if used against a target in your own zone.
Reduce Weapon by 1 for every zone of range.
Teamwork and Mobs
It is fairly common for Arthurian knights to be out-
numbered. When Lancelot was caught in bed with
the Queen, he single handedly fought off fourteen
knights. In one of the earliest written records, Arthur
is said to have killed 960 men in a single battle! In
Arthurian myth, Nameless NPCs just don’t count for
as much as a protagonist.
In Arthur Lives!, Nameless NPCs do not grant the
usual Teamwork bonus, described on p. 174 of
106
Fate Core. Each helper does not add +1 to the lead
character’s roll. Instead, use the table below to come
up with a bonus.
2-3 Helpers: +1 to the leader’s skill
4-6 Helpers: +2 to the leader’s skill
7-10 Helpers: +3 to the leader’s skill
11-15 Helpers: +4 to the leader’s skill
Note that this rule only applies to Nameless NPCs.
Other characters, especially PCs, still use the normal
rules for Teamwork. Each helper gives a +1 bonus to
the leader’s roll.
Quest Aspects
The Fate System Toolkit introduces the idea of Quest
Aspects, aspects crafted by the table and describing
a goal which unites everyone in the player group. As
you can imagine, this is especially appropriate to the
Arthurian Age, and some incarnations will bring it
forward into the 21st century by swearing new oaths to
pursue a quest. Gawain was especially famous for this;
it was Gawain who first swore to find the Holy Grail.
Of course, it was also Gawain who was the first to re-
turn a failure.
Quest aspects are actually created in character in
Arthur Lives! That is, they are not solely a game me-
chanic used to unite the players in a common goal. A
character in the story actually vows to complete the
quest, staking his name and reputation on it. Quests
are often given a duration when the vow is spoken, so
that a knight is not bound to it forever. The most com-
mon duration is a year or “a year and a day.” Gawain,
again, was obliged to show up at the Green Chapel
after one year.
Title Aspects
Characters in Arthurian myth sometimes fight over
specific titles, titles which we would represent on their
character sheet with an aspect. In the early years of
his reign, Arthur fought with Lot, Ryons, and their al-
lies over the title High King. The most popular title as-
pect was Best Knight in the World, an aspect fought over
by Balin, Lancelot, Tristan, Percival, Galahad, Gawain,
and others.
Often, a title aspect can only be claimed after a con-
flict, and when that conflict is over, the title is—tem-
porarily—bestowed upon the winner. He gets to keep
it and can invoke it, but anyone else can challenge
him for it and take it away. Sometimes a story event
will occur that shows the character is unworthy of the
title, and it will vanish without being taken by a rival.
You can invent new titles and put them in your
game for the PCs to fight over. Heir to the Throne,
Merlin’s Best Student and Rightful Owner of Excalibur are
all good examples.

Plot Gallery
One sign of a vibrant campaign setting is the abil-
ity to rattle off all the possible stories you might tell
in that setting. Over twenty such stories are provided
here to serve as examples and inspiration for your
own campaign. Some of them are very generic, be-
cause they could be reused many times with differ-
ent variations. Others are very specific, and are tied
to particular incarnations. They provide a good mix
of the sort of adventures which Arthur Lives! protago-
nists in their first season will experience as they fight
supernatural monsters in the shadows, encounter
old foes for the first time, stumble across the work-
ings of the Conspiracy, and help allies to recognize
themselves in the new Arthurian Age.
Awakening: The players identify an incarnation
who has not yet recognized herself. The players
must help her do so, then extricate her from her
mundane life. This will mean getting close to her
and arranging for events which remind her of her
Arthurian life, triggering her memory. Opposing
forces might be trying to recruit her first or elim-
inate her before recognition. She and her friends
and family might believe the players are obsessed
and dangerous stalkers, making the task more
difficult. Once she recognizes herself, old conflicts
with player incarnations re-surface and she will
be forced to choose between her two lives.
Big Brother: The players are detected by an old en-
emy incarnation who recognized himself long
ago and has spent the last several years pre-
paring for the new conflict. He is entrenched,
well-funded, supported by a small army of allies
and servants, and gunning for the heroes. First
they must figure out who their enemy is, then
play catch-up. Alternately, the enemy might be
another incarnation of a player, one who is out
to eliminate all rivals.
Test for Echo: Famous objects from the Arthurian
legend are also appearing in the modern world.
These are called “echoes” and one of the heroes
has reason to believe that a modern, hard-to-get
object is actually an echo of one of his signature
possessions. Gawain might realize that the auto-
mobile used by a famous race car driver is an echo
of his legendary horse, Gringolet. Lancelot might
recognize the ring on the Pope’s finger as an echo
of his own ring, which protected him from evil
magic. The item may be in use by a villain (mak-
ing this an action scenario) or by an otherwise
ignorant bystander (making this a heist scenario).
Either way, the player will have to persuade his
companions that the reward is worth the risk.
Chapter 7: Running the Game
Missing Time: The legend is not always clear on ev-
ery issue; important moments (like the manner of
a character’s death) may be contradictory or omit-
ted entirely. These moments manifest in an incar-
nation as a blank spot in her memory. But while
visiting an area she frequented in her first life, or
while handling an object which once belonged to
her, a player character begins to get hints of what
happened in her “missing time.” More answers
might be found by seeking out more such loca-
tions, locations which will have mysteries (and
guardians) of their own. The eventual resolution
of what happened in the past might lead to any-
thing from a brief narrative sequence to an entire
flashback adventure.
Necroscope: A player character is getting strange
visions in which he is hunted and killed in various
ways. He’s actually picking up on his other incar-
nations, who are being stalked and murdered by
a mundane (non-Arthurian) psychopath. The kill-
er’s psychic gifts have led him to see all the play-
er’s incarnations as the same person, and his psy-
chosis has led him to mistake that person for an
individual whom the killer resents (like an abusive
parent or the girl who rejected him). The players
need to find out what is going on, then track down
the killer before any more incarnations—includ-
ing the player!—are slain.
Siege Perilous: The PCs learn of an incarna-
tion of Balin who would make a valuable ally.
Unfortunately, he’s on death row and slated to be
executed within the week! The heroes must some-
how free him from prison.
Fire Sale: A supernatural antagonist from myth (a
giant, witch, or dragon, for example) is masquer-
ading as a human being and using her magical
might to amass power, influence, and wealth at
the expense of others. Once the heroes learn of
her existence, they cannot simply murder her, as
she is a very public figure. Instead, they must find
a way to put her out of business.
The Crystal Cave: One of the heroes accidental-
ly stumbles into Faerie, or into the remnant of
a magical refuge (an otherworldly space like
Avalon) now abandoned by its creator. Various
supernatural creatures hiding from mundane eyes
have moved in and won’t let the player leave. The
other characters must find their lost member and
retrieve him, dealing with the inhabitants (either
diplomatically or forcefully).
Round Table: The heroes come across an organized
and skilled group of mundane individuals (a hack-
er club, a street gang, an investment group) who
have modeled themselves on King Arthur and the
Round Table. They are prepared to believe the
hero’s outrageous claims about reincarnation and
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 Chapter 7: Running the Game
could contribute to the player’s current mission.
Even if the players refuse to recruit them, the
group butts in on whatever investigation is cur-
rently ongoing, possibly providing key assistance.
Are these erstwhile followers really cut out for the
life-or-death choices which confront the heroes
every day? Are they an aid or a liability? And what
if one of the group longs for his mundane life so
much that he is ready to cut a deal with Arthur’s
enemies, just for a chance at normalcy?
Left Behind: A person from a player character’s
mundane life (a family member, close friend, or
significant other) refuses to let go when the player
character walks away to join Arthur’s mission. He
follows the hero, gathering clues on her activities
and laying traps for Arthur, whom he considers
a cult leader that has brainwashed the player
character.
ERA: A female hero is abducted by a supernatural
menace, mundane villain, or antagonist organi-
zation, but the abduction does not go as expect-
ed. Perhaps Guinevere is a more active defender
of her own interests than she was in the myth.
Perhaps the abducted woman is actually the in-
carnation of a male knight, who retains all his
fighting prowess. Perhaps the kidnappers are not
truly evil, and need the abducted hero’s help in a
struggle with the real villains, who have already
approached the remaining player characters and
offered to help them rescue the “helpless victim.”
Underhand: Nineve, the Lady of the Lake, is craft-
ing a supernatural item to help Arthur out of his
current jam. Unfortunately, she needs a special
something to complete the item, and this thing
is in the hands of a rival power. While the other
heroes organize a raid, the rival power secretly ap-
proaches Nineve with the terms of a deal.
Gonzago: An influential political figure (perhaps
a former Secretary of State or one of the recent
spate of celebrity ambassadors) announces the
creation of a “Round Table” meant to resolve
Middle East tensions. It turns out this same figure
is part owner of something called “Pendragon
Exports” and has had an obsession with medieval
history ever since a life-changing event a few years
ago. Another incarnation? No, a trap laid by the
Round Table Conspiracy designed to flush the he-
roes out of hiding.
Omelet: Archeologists in China discover the largest
fossilized dinosaur egg yet. Merlin, however, rec-
ognizes it as a dragon egg, and it’s about to hatch.
Straight and Narrow: An apparently mundane
individual tempts the heroes with wealth, power,
or romance. The tempter is particularly well-po-
sitioned to solve whatever problem the heroes are
108
currently facing. If the players refuse the extended
temptation, their current investigation proves
extremely dangerous but winnable with courage
and fortitude. If they accept the temptation, the
apparently easy solution turns out to have ines-
capable consequences that lead to tragedy. In the
morning, the tempter—a demon in disguise—has
vanished, along with all trace of its existence.
Clarity: The heroes discover a mundane man who
has gone crazy after some traumatic life experi-
ence. Now he instantly recognizes all Arthurian
incarnations just by looking at them! Everyone
else thinks the man’s ravings about King Arthur
are part of his hallucinations, but the players
know the truth. By probing his past, they can un-
cover the trauma and help bring the man back to
sanity, though this will deprive him of his special
insight and deprive the heroes of a potentially
valuable ally. Meanwhile, forces related to the
secret trauma are also conspiring to “acquire” the
lunatic for themselves, or kill him.
A Winged Serpent, Argent: A player incarnation of
Morgause is sought out by her biological son, the
mundane child of her teenage years whom she
gave up for adoption. He shows no sign of being
an incarnation, but how can the heroes be sure?
He’s eager and wants to get to know his mother,
but he shows a willingness to compromise when it
comes to matters of honor and mercy. Can the he-
roes afford to dismiss him and let him find a new,
more amenable, mentor? Or can they convince
him to turn aside from the “practical” path of re-
morseless violence?
The Gripping Hand: In the middle of a conflict
with powerful foes, a player incarnation of
Pellinore discovers a clue to the location of the
Questing Beast. The data is time-sensitive and
if he delays the Beast will escape. But Arthur
may not survive his current dilemma without
Pellinore’s help. If Pellinore is not a player char-
acter, he begins stalking one of the heroes, con-
vinced that the hero has the clue he seeks.
Well of Souls: After defeating some supernatural
foe (a dangerous ghost, warlock, demon, or even
the Ubiquitous Vampire Menace), the heroes dis-
cover a portal to the underworld, where they en-
counter the souls of loved ones who have not been
incarnated (like Uther Pendragon, Duke Gorlois
of Cornwall, or the spirits of people related to the
player character’s mundane life). While staying in
the underworld is not without its dangers, the he-
roes may be able to gather clues as to the reason
for Arthur’s return.

Giant’s Dance: The media reports that several
of Stonehenge’s massive blocks have been dis-
turbed! Merlin knows that Stonehenge was the
site of burial for many of Arthur’s forebears, and
investigation reveals that their bones have been
removed. What possible purpose would someone
have for digging up the bones of Arthur’s uncles?
Tooth and Claw: A spate of violent animal attacks
leads the heroes to a clutch of shapechanging
killers. One of them turns out to be Sir Marrok,
a Knight of the Round Table who—according to
Malory—also happened to be a werewolf!
The Project: A mysterious individual, who denies
any official governmental position but who none-
theless seems able to go anywhere, acquire virtu-
ally anything, and who has access to Top Secret
government files, offers to help the heroes with
their ‘project’. He asks for nothing in return and
will pass info to the heroes even if they refuse his
help, threaten him, or physically injure him. Even
when the heroes come to hate him, he uses his
influence to get them out of trouble and cover up
any entanglements with the law.
Whedonisms
It is time for a couple of confessions from the au-
thor. When I pitch Arthur Lives! to my local gaming
group and other playtesters, I often describe it as
“my Joss Whedon game,” citing the creator of var-
ious fan-favorite projects such as Buffy the Vampire
Slayer, Angel, Firefly, and Dollhouse. My suggestion
that Arthur Lives! = Joss Whedon has usually been
received with enthusiasm, though recent accusa-
tions over his treatment of women are concerning.
But why would I say that in the first place, besides
the obvious marketing appeal? What is it about Joss
Whedon’s writing that is especially inspirational or
constructive when it comes to running AL? The an-
swers are many, and they can be very instructional
for GMs looking to improve their game.
The Seasonal Approach
Whedon’s television projects were divided up into
seasons, each with around two dozen episodes. Each
season was built around a few over-arcing themes,
usually including a specific antagonist who was at
the root of that season’s story. This technique is not
unique to Whedon, but he does use it, and it informs
so much else that goes on in these shows that it is
a good place to start. Think of your ongoing Arthur
Lives! campaign not as a novel, or even as an action
movie, but rather as episodes in a television show
lasting several seasons. Pick themes, ideas, and sym-
bols that you want to return to over and over again
in that first season, and establish a villain for the
Chapter 7: Running the Game
protagonists to struggle against. Even if the series
never makes it past season one, your final confron-
tation with that first villain will make for a satisfying
ending to the game.
The Arthur Lives! game has been built around this
seasonal structure, and it is deeply embedded in the
game’s basic concepts. The “seasons” of this “series”
roughly correspond to Arthur’s own career. First, he
has to discover who he really is, build his close cir-
cle of friends and family, and defend his right to be
king. This first phase of Arthur’s early life ends with
his marriage and the establishment of both Camelot
and the Round Table. In the same way, the first sea-
son focuses on low-level adventure and setting up
the protagonists. It is in many ways about the idea
of discovery: the heroes spend a lot of time learning
what the world is really like, how magic works, how
Arthur has returned, and so on. It is presumed that
during this first season the protagonists will be tak-
ing a fairly quiet approach to many problems; while
most adventures will end in a rousing action se-
quence, the heroes will not be publicly broadcasting
the fact that they are Arthurian reincarnations. In
other words, season one takes place in the shadows.
There are some scary, supernatural creeps out there,
and the heroes not only have to take them down
but do it in a way that doesn’t scare the straights.
The main adversary in this first season is the Round
Table Conspiracy. It is unlikely that every element
of the Conspiracy will be destroyed by the heroes—
indeed, that may not even be possible—but if the
Conspiracy itself can somehow be broken up into
its component parts, then Arthur can claim to have
defeated this imposter “Round Table” and taken the
image of the Table for himself.
This rough outline of story inspiration does not
preclude you from introducing whatever themes
and ideas you want to explore and your players are
interested in. If you want to focus your first season of
Arthur Lives! on betrayal, greed, the role of the media
in our lives, or our willingness to put up with unjust
rulers, you can do that. A plot outline seldom pre-
cludes you talking about whatever topic interests you
and your group. And this book doesn’t really try to
provide you with themes for your campaign, for the
simple reason that no one knows your group (and
what they enjoy) better than you do.
Future seasons of Arthur Lives! use Arthur’s first life
as further inspiration. Once he was King, Arthur had
to fight off a sustained invasion by foreign invaders.
By then, the arrival of great knights like Lancelot and
Tristan had begun to eclipse the King himself, not
only in personal heroism but as lovers and romantic
figures. The Quest for the Holy Grail sent the great
knights out into the world on a spiritual test which
almost all failed. Even after Lancelot and other
knights return, the decline of Camelot metastasizes
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 Chapter 7: Running the Game
into the Queen’s adultery, Arthur’s war with Lancelot
in France, and Mordred’s attempt to seize the throne.
It all ends with a cataclysmic battle not against out-
side foes, but against the product of Arthur’s own
sin and error. Somewhere in there is the Dolorous
Stroke, and Arthur leads an army into Europe and
defeats Rome, being crowned Emperor.
Keeping Your Head Down
Whedon’s heroes seldom want to be heroes. In fact,
they often just want to be left alone, go to school, or
do their job and get paid. They shun the spotlight.
However, they also have deep-rooted ethical codes.
They may not talk about it a lot, but their moral
compass points true north. Because of this, when
they are confronted with moral or ethical challeng-
es—which happens every week like clockwork—they
are obliged to step out of their normal lives and do
the right thing. This usually involves well-choreo-
graphed action.
Protagonists in Arthur Lives! will not look heroic
or talk heroic, and they will often do all they can to
avoid acting heroic. They will reject their past, and
try very hard to get on with an ordinary life. But
inevitably they will see someone in trouble, or they
will learn of some wrong which it is in their power to
prevent. A moment of hesitation will ensue, during
which the hero tries not to be a hero. He tries to just
walk on by, perhaps insisting this isn’t his problem.
But to walk on by would mean a violation of his mor-
al code, and that he cannot do. That’s usually when
the guns (or the swords, or the fists) come out.
Talk about this idea openly with your players.
Make it clear that just because they are playing
Arthurian knights, they do not have to be shining
examples of nobility and courtesy. On the outside,
their characters may even talk about letting the bad
guys win. That’s all fine. But when push comes to
shove, they do the right thing. That’s what makes
them heroes.
Empowered Women
This (or the sudden fatality of beloved characters)
may be Joss Whedon’s most famous characteristic as
a writer. He writes strong female characters. They
are often action heroes, though never without flaw.
Many have suffered through terrible tragedy, but
they never let their suffering define them. That is,
they are not victims. Even characters who seem to
be the very image of weak, pliant, pushed-around
and mousy women grow and mature into—or are
suddenly revealed to be—unstoppable engines of
butt-kicking might. It’s just a matter of time, and that
development is often central to the entire series.
110
In Arthur Lives! you see the idea of empowered
women in the many reincarnated Arthurian figures
who no longer need to obey the social expecta-
tions they endured in their former lives. Women in
Arthurian myth fall into broad categories of wife,
lover, evil sorceress, or nun, but modern AL! heroines
are not bound by these terms. They can be warriors,
leaders, and mothers all at the same time. Not all
gaming groups will have female players in them, but
those that do will welcome AL’s feminist sensibilities.
Complicating this notion is the gender confu-
sion of Arthur’s reincarnation. Female figures like
Guinevere or Morgause can be reincarnated as men,
and men like Merlin or Gawain can come back as
women. Not all groups will explore this aspect of the
game, but it remains in the GM’s toolkit as a way of
mixing things up and providing the unexpected.
Family vs. Hierarchy
In the worlds of Buffy, Angel, Firefly, and Dollhouse,
official hierarchy is contrasted with the emotional
bonds normally found among family. This family,
usually a surrogate family but including at least
some people who actually are related to one another,
is where the protagonists live. They quarrel often,
and don’t even like each other all that much, but
their familial bond is strong enough that, in the end,
it trumps all other disagreements. Even though the
heroes fight a lot, they stick together when it counts.
On the other side is the hierarchy, be it a law firm,
a master vampire and his slavish minions, or an in-
terplanetary government. These organizations are
oppressive and unhealthy. Free will is squashed,
rules are arbitrary and unexplained, and despite its
great size and vast resources the organization itself is
actually quite dysfunctional. Its bureaucratic policies
and procedures get in the way, while the protagonist
family operates under a more freeform and adapt-
able set of rules which make them harder to predict
and impossible to counter. Often there are organi-
zations which would seem to be allies of the pro-
tagonists—the order of Watchers, or the Dollhouse
staff—whose obedience to strict hierarchy and rules
makes them more of an obstacle to the heroes than
a resource. The more a group pays attention to rules
and regulations, the more likely it is that this group’s
activities will ultimately prove to be disastrous. The
more rebellious an antagonist gets, the more likely
that antagonist will ultimately prove to be an ally.
In Arthur Lives!, as in most roleplaying games, play-
ers will usually consult with one another and make
plans together, rather than relying on one person—
or off-stage NPCs—to make the decisions. This is not
to say there may not be a single protagonist who has
a “leader” role; indeed, any incarnation of Arthur,
 Chapter 7: Running the Game

Guinevere, or Merlin is very likely to have such a
role. But these characters should advise, listen, and
consult before making decisions, and there’s always
the possibility that another hero will take it upon
himself to disobey the leader—not simply out of
spite, but because it is what the hero thinks is right.
Often, that rebellious hero is proven to have been
correct. This is especially noteworthy in Arthur Lives!
because the Arthurian Age was a time of strict orga-
nizational hierarchy; every knight owed fealty to the
lord above him, and every lord was obliged to pro-
vide for his knights. Wives obeyed their husbands.
Sons obeyed their fathers. But in the modern setting
of the new Arthurian Age, the protagonists will rene-
gotiate those old relationships into something more
equal, relationships based on mutual respect and not
feudal tradition. Moreover, family relations are al-
ready built into the game setting; each hero will have
two families—one from his former life, and a second
21st century one that he is born into.
Sometimes the table wants to tell stories of wealth
and power. That’s fine, and totally in keeping with
the Arthurian Age. What you lose is a contrast be-
tween the Arthurian and modern age, a contrast
between past life and new that adds energy to many
stories. It’s important that wealth create stories, and
not be used to end them. And your goal as GM is
not to nullify what wealth a hero has, but to create
stories in which they need to use that wealth in order
to succeed. Occasional stories will remind the PCs
of the problems that money brings, and sometimes
they’ll have to give their wealth away in order to
maintain their moral code; for a real hero, that’s not
really a very difficult choice to make.

The Cost of Living

One of the things that makes Whedon’s heroes so
recognizable to us is that they aren’t immune to eco-
nomic pressures. Captain Picard may come from a
society without money, but the crew of Serenity can’t
fly if they don’t get paid. Buffy’s mother (and, later,
Buffy herself ) often worried about how the family
would get by. Cordelia never let Angel forget that
being a hero was not cheap, and one of the reasons
the transition to Wolfram and Hart was so tempting
was because the protagonists would be able to stop
worrying about cash flow.
Encourage your players to keep Resources low.
They might struggle to pay the bills, but they earn
satisfaction by saving innocent people from
bad things, by teaching the bad guy a lesson,
and by building stronger emotional bonds
with family and friends. (Not to mention
the occasional increase in refresh.) It’s
really a matter of effort and struggle;
the harder a hero has to work, the
more heroic he or she appears. A
little wealth is easy to work with,
but a character who can buy
anything he needs starts to
drift out of touch with the
setting, and a hero whose
life is a highway paved
with gold doesn’t have
to work as hard.
Thus, he appears
less heroic.

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 Chapter 7: Running the Game
The Cost of Victory
Whedon’s heroes usually win, but that win is never
easy and the more challenging the foe, the steeper
the price that must be paid. Often the heroes are
confronted with a choice: they must betray one per-
son in order to save another, sacrifice a part of them-
selves in order to help others, or lose someone dear
in order to save the world. They perform small evils
in order to perform great goods. The ultimate ex-
pression of this cost of victory is the sudden and un-
expected death of protagonists who, it was assumed,
had script immunity. Note that this cost of victory is
in addition to, not instead of, the usual challenges
which heroes face; besides paying a steep cost in
terms of personal honor, well-being, or friendships,
the heroes still have to beat the big bad in the face
with a shovel.
Fate, by design, has a low mortality rate. PC
death never happens accidentally. Players can al-
ways concede and, even when they don’t, the GM is
discouraged from killing their characters. But in a
good AL! campaign, a price must always be paid and
sometimes the ultimate victory requires the ultimate
price. Other stories should be constructed with a
kind of “Sophie’s Choice,” in which no outcome is
desirable, though one will be more “right” than oth-
ers. When a PC dies in Arthur Lives!, not even Merlin
or the Lady of the Lake can bring him back. At the
same time, when these deaths occur, they should
pave the way for victory (or pay for one which has
just occurred).
Be up front with your players about this aspect of
the game, so that they understand what they are in
for. This will also help prepare them for the inev-
itable moment when one of the player characters
suddenly dies, or when he must lie, cheat, or betray
the table in order to save the day and stop the big
bad. It is your task to make sure that these moments
of sacrifice, betrayal, and ethical compromise are
never extraneous or cheap; your task is not to make
the heroes hate one another or kill them off. Rather,
you must ensure suspense by dispensing with script
immunity and creating difficult choices which split
the group down the middle. When one hero decides
to take matters into his own hands, he is also the one
who pays the price. Thus, although the other heroes
may disagree with what he did, and be angry over his
deception, they also must admit that the price was
his to pay, and the decision his to make.
112
Dreams and Prophecy
Two nights before his battle with King Arthur,
the king of Malahaut (also known as the King of a
Hundred Knights) had an amazing dream:
That there blew a great wind which blew
down his castles and his towns, and after that
came a flood that bore it all away.
All those who heard of the King’s dream called it
a portent of the battle to come, and it was, but not
in the way Malahaut and his fellow rebels would
have liked: Arthur defeated him with the help of the
French kings Ban and Bors. The battle was inconclu-
sive, however, and the rebels withdrew to the north
to fend off another invasion and plan for the follow-
ing season. But Malahaut, perhaps persuaded by the
dream of Arthur’s victory which had come to him
that special night, did not join this second rebellion,
and in fact eventually allied with Arthur and became
a Knight of the Round Table.
Dreams of this sort are rare in the legends but not
unheard of, and when they do occur they appear to
be messages sent by divine providence. They do not
come solely to the mystic and the magician—indeed,
magicians like Merlin and Nimue seem to have oth-
er, more reliable, methods of acquiring information
through supernatural means. Enchanted dreams
are a kind of magic for the everyman, a means of the
divine speaking to mortals who would not otherwise
be able to hear.
The most famous dream of this type belongs
to Arthur.
He thought there was come into his land
griffons and serpents, and he thought they
burnt and slew all the people in the land; and
then he thought he fought with them and they
did him great harm and sorely wounded him,
but at the last he slew them.
This dream came to Arthur soon after the departure
of Morgause from his court; it warned of the mortal
sin of incest that he had committed with her and the
eventual consequences of Mordred’s birth. Note that
there was nothing Arthur could do to fix this sin, and
the dream is certainly not a warning. It is, rather, a
way of cluing in an ignorant character to the long-
term significance of the choices he has made. For
GMs, dreams of this sort are a foreshadowing tech-
nique—and a not-so-subtle way of nudging players in
a particular direction. Represent an important dream
with an aspect; there is no better way to alert a player
that his creepy dream was More Than Just a Dream.
Use dreams to alert players to Traitors in Your Midst,
to get them to Look Twice at people or clues they may
have disregarded after You Missed Something Important,
and to build up tension and suspense around the
most important turning points in your story.

Prophecies
In Arthurian myth, most prophecies come from
one of two sources. The first and most famous is the
character of Merlin. In fact, some of the most import-
ant authors in the Arthurian canon, like Geoffrey of
Monmouth, seem to have written about Merlin more
than about Arthur. Typically, authors depict Merlin
as living in a bygone era making prophecies which
are all about the times and events through which
the author of the book is living. Writers like Geoffrey
invented prophecies for Merlin which were, in effect,
political propaganda for rulers whom the authors
wanted to please. The other source for prophecy is
the hermit or holy man; most of these prophecies
appear during the Grail Quest, but GMs should feel
free to introduce such NPCs at any time. As different
as these two sources seem to be, they actually have a
common theme. Merlin’s knowledge of the past came
from his demonic father, but his knowledge of the
future was a gift from God, the same type of gift that
those hermits and holy men displayed. Ultimately, in
Arthurian myth, there is only one power with access
to future events, and that power is God. Whether or
not that remains true in your Arthur Lives! game is
up to you.
Merlin’s fame as a prophet was key to his character,
and if you have a Merlin incarnation in your cam-
paign he is the logical source of whatever prophecies
a GM might wish to include. Sometimes Merlin’s
prophecies were very important; for example, he
foretold that Either Arthur or Lot Must Die in battle
at Castle Terrabil and, since one of them had to go,
Merlin decided it would be Lot. The sorcerer used
his magic to enchant Lot and keep him from show-
ing up to battle on time; this allowed Arthur to de-
feat Nero safely before turning to handle Lot and his
men. But often Merlin’s prophecies seem frivolous or
trivial. When Balin killed Lanceor, prince of Ireland,
and Lanceor’s lady Colombe soon followed her be-
loved into death, Merlin commemorated the tomb
with a prophecy of Fateful Confrontation: one day
Lancelot and Tristan would fight at the site. As you
can see from these examples, aspects on a location
are a great way to represent prophecy.
Although Merlin’s prophecies were famous for
all coming true, they did not always come true in
Arthur’s lifetime, and some spoke of events which
we know very little about. This can be unsatisfy-
ing for those players who want every plot thread to
eventually be tied off, and throwing prophecy as-
pects around like candy contributes to aspect bloat,
so GMs will probably want to reserve prophecy for
important plot twists which are well-established
moments in a campaign’s overall outline. For ex-
ample, if you have planned for the PCs to come
into the possession of a once-haunted house which
Chapter 7: Running the Game
becomes their new base of operations, you can in-
troduce a prophecy by Merlin which speaks of the
“ghost-crowded hill, turned shining New Camelot.”
When the heroes find the haunted house they may
remember the prophecy, but more importantly
they will confidently take possession of the house
when they have cleared out all the spooks and spec-
ters, knowing that the place is a good New Camelot.
Your prophecies can speak as far into the future as
you have planned, but you probably want to keep
the prophecy vague so that you have some wiggle
room as the prophesied event nears. In particular,
you probably want to avoid mentioning any player
characters by name in your prophecies, since play-
ers have a habit of leaving games, changing charac-
ters, or otherwise not showing up when expected.
Instead, cloak individuals in objects of apparel,
allegorical description, or unusual titles. If your
prophecy refers to The Bear of England and not to a
particular individual, why, that description could be
used for virtually any incarnation. All you have to
do is put Arthur, Kay, or Galahad in a UCLA Bruins
jacket and your prophecy is working out fine. (In
fact, a shirtless hero might even qualify as “bare.”)
When it comes to game mechanics, you probably
won’t need anything more than aspects to repre-
sent prophecy. Merlin’s player can create prophecy
aspects using his high concept alone; others may
need a Prophetic Dreams or Visions From on High as-
pect. Interpreting another character’s visions using
your own Occult skill could enable the creation of
a prophecy aspect using no extras at all, just your
create advantage action. If you want to create a
new extra to represent prophecy, compare it to the
Divination talent. It should be comparatively useful,
but not overlap. The Necromancy talent can also
open the path to prophecy, if the necromancer sum-
mons up a dead spirit and asks it for knowledge of
the future. Note that, in both these cases, the GM is
going to have a lot of control over the prophecy’s lev-
el of detail and its ease of interpretation. This is by
design. While Fate normally makes aspect creation
a group activity, the GM knows the future in a way
players usually will not. Prophets and necromancers
who are not enchanters won’t generate Enchantment
Points; instead, just inflict mental stress.
If you’re the GM of an Arthur Lives! game, don’t
be shy about using prophecy. It is part of Arthurian
myth, and one weapon among many in your story-
telling arsenal. Start small, with a single prophecy
that reveals itself in the same session it was given
or the next. Keep it short and create an aspect for it.
The prophecy may not be clear when it is given, but
after the event unfolds and the aspect shows up on
a location, the prophecy will be proven true. In this
sense, prophecy is not really intended as an aid to
characters in the story; Arthurian characters seldom
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 Chapter 7: Running the Game
if ever understood prophecies spoken in their pres-
ence. Instead, the prophecy simply drifted through
the story until it finally came true, leading those
present to look back and exclaim, “Oh, so that’s what
Merlin meant all those years ago!” As a GM, you will
use prophecy to leave breadcrumbs for PCs to follow,
and to raise flags which tell the PCs they’ve arrived.
Alternative Campaigns
Ultimately, Arthur Lives! is a toolbox for the
Gamemaster and players, a mechanism which en-
ables you and your group to play whatever version of
the New Arthurian Age you care to create. The “tra-
ditional” Arthur Lives! campaign is set in the present,
allows multiple incarnations of each Arthurian char-
acter, and encourages other supernatural elements
so long as those elements do not take the spotlight
off of Arthurian myth. Each of these assumptions (or
all of them!) can be questioned.
There Can Be Only One
In this version of Arthur Lives! Arthur, Merlin,
Guinevere and the rest have been reincarnated, but
only once. If one of your players has chosen to play
Gawain, he or she is the only Gawain in the world.
If he dies, Gawain is dead.
This kind of story is, in many ways, much more
cinematic and true to the adventure fiction which
lies at the heart of an AL! campaign. It postulates a
setting in which your player group is the only player
group. The game already presumes that the more
milestones a character has, the more important they
will be and the more they will come to dominate
the campaign setting, but the option detailed here
makes the heroes vitally important from day one. A
lucky shot or one bad mistake can have tragic conse-
quences if it results in the death of a key protagonist.
Players and the GM can control much of this chaos,
ensuring that important characters do not die, but
every group suffers some amount of attrition when
individual players move away, find other hobbies, or
enlist in the military. This poses serious challenges
to the campaign’s story, challenges which are best
overcome when the GM and players work together
to find a suitable new direction.
Some changes are required to the setting’s ordi-
nary background; in particular, we must presume
that the Wewelsburg Working was far more effective
than first thought. The Nazis may have had the ac-
tual Grail (instead of a false one) and the real Holy
Lance. Several of the characters in this book are
incarnations; Narrators will probably need to revise
these characters if the characters are to be used, ef-
fectively “de-Arthuring” them. In a setting in which
the players are the only Arthurian incarnations
114
around, it is important to give the players as much
freedom of choice about incarnation as possible.
That means not using up fun and recognizable char-
acters like Gawain, the Lady of the Lake, or Arthur
by making them into NPCs. The players always get
first pick. Similarly, a GM may want to get some good
reference materials ready for Arthurian characters,
because he will not be able to reuse the famous ones
over and over. Instead of making yet another Morgan
le Fey incarnation, he will have to find other mag-
ic-workers from the myth who may be less famous
but still useful as an antagonist. This type of game
encourages a relatively small roster of supporting
and recurring characters who come back to thwart or
aid the players again and again.
Ultimately, this option is excellent for player
groups that have very little turnover, and for limit-
ed-run campaigns that will end long before they run
out of story ideas. If you want to run Arthur Lives! for
your local group, and you have a two or four session
story you want to run, and the heroes aren’t going
to meet any other incarnations, why not make them
all exclusive? Chances are, the player characters will
never know the difference anyway.
Historic-AL
In this option, the story is set in a dramatic and
exciting historical time period rather than in the
present. Fortunately for us, roleplaying has explored
historical settings for decades, and virtually every
setting you might want to use has been written about
in various games and expansions.
If you want to preserve an American take on
Arthur, one that still looks, feels, and plays like an
action movie or television series, look at American
genres like the pulps, the western, or noir. You can
find good inspiration in other authors who have al-
ready written Arthurian stories set in the past. The
novel Arthur, King sends a time-traveling Arthur to
England’s “darkest hour,” where he becomes a fight-
er pilot in the Battle of Britain. Chandler wrote a
Phillip Marlowe novel called Lady of the Lake. A little
research can provide interesting hooks for your plot.
Wild Bill Hickok had a testicle shot off in a gunfight;
was he the Fisher King of a western Wasteland?
The Marvel UK comic series Knights of Pendragon
put forth superheroes who were modern incarna-
tions of Galahad, Percival, Gawain, Guinevere, and
Merlin. They didn’t wear costumes, but their powers
came from a mystic Green Knight who looked a lot
like Cthulhu.
GMs who want to use history can go much farther
back and much farther afield, however. The secret
history of Arthur Lives! already gives some sugges-
tions of alternate settings. Perhaps the players take
on the great personages of Elizabeth’s court, with

the magician John Dee, the dashing Raleigh, even
the Queen herself as incarnations? A medieval set-
ting could use the War of the Roses or the Thirty
Years War as a background. A Victorian AL! might
combine the magic of the Golden Dawn, steampunk
sensitivities, and romantic adventure, using famous
characters from history and literature side by side in
the mode of League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. What
if Mordred allied with the Martians? This is roleplay-
ing in the Ken Hite “high weirdness” mode.
This points to one of the dangers of the historic
setting: the question of “How much to include?”
Historical settings already have a lot going on and
the GM should make some early decisions on the
breadth of the campaign’s scope. For example, if you
choose to make superheroic incarnations, are there
also other superheroes who are not derived from
Arthur? (Perhaps they are out there, but the player
characters seldom interact with them. We might call
this the Vertigo solution.) If you set your game in the
pulp era, are literary characters like Doc Savage,
the Shadow, and Fu Manchu out there, and do they
have any connection to Arthur? If your historical
time period is already cluttered with world-saving
adventurers and diabolical villains who
have nothing to do with Arthur, the
game ceases to really be about
Arthur and it becomes
more about the
historical
Chapter 7: Running the Game
genre in which the game is set. If you have a player
group which includes a Golden Dawn magician,
a talking ape from a lost city in South America, a
Consulting Detective, and a dashing zeppelin pi-
lot who just happens to also be a reincarnation of
Lancelot, only one of your players is really using this
book. But everyone is having a pretty good time.
AL3K
Instead of a step into the past, take a leap to the
future. An Arthur Lives! game blended with science
fiction gets you a science fantasy feel, where space
knights wield laser swords and alien worlds are
home to monstrous neo-dragons.
Many “return of the king” stories have been set in
the future during some world-threatening danger
that prompts Arthur’s awakening. Perhaps the best
of these is the justifiably famous Camelot 3000, writ-
ten by Mike Barr and drawn by Brian Bolland. That
book includes many elements which Arthur Lives!
readers will recognize, including incarnations who
have to somehow be convinced of their true nature, a
multinational cast that takes the Round Table out of
Britain, and the possibility of transgendered char-
acters like Barr’s memorable “Sir” Tristan. Other
takes on Arthurian SF include TSR’s Once and
Future King setting for the Amazing Engine line,
long out of print but available in digital form,
and the much more recent Corporia RPG by
Mark Plemmons.
As with historic Arthur, you will want to
decide how much of the story is based on
Arthur, and how much just coincidentally
happens to have Arthur in it. Because of
the tradition that Arthur will awaken
in the moment of England’s great-
est need, science fiction versions of
Arthur Lives! usually posit some
world-threatening danger like an
alien invasion, interstellar war, or
galactic disaster. Only the heroes
can save the Earth. This idea
combines well with the “There
Can Be Only One” option dis-
cussed above; Arthur is not
reincarnated in multiple
versions. Instead, the plots
and characters that would
usually be taken up with
Arthurian incarnations
are instead filled by
aliens, robots, and
psychic mutants who
have little, if any-
thing, to do with
Arthur. You may
115
 Chapter 7: Running the Game
decide to strip all the magic out of Arthur Lives! and
replace it with psionic powers, strange alien talents,
or cyberwear.
In many ways, the decision to set your Arthurian
game in the future actually does very little to deter-
mine what the game will ultimately be like. After
all, a far-future game could focus on the crew of
a single starship (Star Trek, Firefly), a war against
an evil Empire (Star Wars, Flash Gordon), “hard sci-
ence” exploration of other worlds (The Martian, Blue
Planet, or even 2001: A Space Odyssey), or social ques-
tions posed by new technology (Neuromancer, Blade
Runner, Corporia). These are all very different, but
very fun, games. The role of Arthur in any of them is
up to you.
Ignorant Arthur
Arthur Lives! presumes that the presence of Arthur
in the setting is overt. That is, it is something which
exists in character. The heroes can find out about
it; indeed, it is presumed they will. This need not
be so. Many authors have created tales in which the
protagonists have a great resemblance to Arthur,
and in which Arthurian themes are very strong, but
Arthur’s influence is never acknowledged or rec-
ognized by anyone in the story. In other words, the
Arthurian elements are all out of character.
In stories of this sort, the protagonists are all
friends, family, and rivals who work together. They
may make up a football team, a crime gang, a police
precinct, or a powerful corporation. Three of them
may be named Arthur, Lance, and Jenny. You can bet
that they will soon sit down at a round table. None
of these facts are ever noted or commented upon.
Instead, the heroes concern themselves with tense but
mundane challenges which face them in their daily
lives; the football team has to make it to the playoffs,
the mobsters have to turn a profit without betraying
their personal codes of honor, the cops chase a serial
killer, and the corporation deals with a hostile take-
over or some genetic engineering project run amok.
These tales work best with all the magic and en-
chantment removed from the setting. The GM never
has to answer the question “Are these characters re-
ally reincarnations of King Arthur?” because no one
in the setting will ever know. The player characters,
their allies, and foes are probably the only Arthurian
incarnations in the setting, so there is no need
for multiple versions of any one Arthurian hero.
However, if “Arthur” dies on an adventure or has to
be replaced, this is easily done. This, like all the oth-
er Arthurian themes in the story, is simply winked at;
no explanation is necessary.
Tales of the ignorant Arthur are typically very real,
and motivated by drama between the characters
rather than flashy special effects or fighting. They
116
work well for limited-run campaigns or for groups of
method actors. Sometimes an Ignorant Arthur game
can turn into a more traditional Arthur Lives! story by
the sudden revelation that all those Arthurian ele-
ments haven’t been just thematic coincidences.
Mythic Relations
If Arthur has come back to the world, why not
other heroes? Can Lancelot rub shoulders with
Hercules, Beowulf, and Sinbad? A traditional AL!
campaign keeps the focus on Arthurian myth, but
the only thing between you and a mythic smorgas-
bord is a lot of work.
The best reason to include other myths alongside
Arthur is to accommodate your players. Arthur Lives!
takes several important steps to make the game as
open as possible when it comes to character con-
cepts, but it is inevitable that someone in your group
will say, “I’m just not that into Arthur.” That player
may, however, enjoy Norse or Greek mythology, or
Asian legend, or Native American. You may want
to extend character options to include characters
from any myth, rather than just one. One strong
treatment of this idea is Matt Wagner’s Mage II: the
Hero Defined. In it, Kevin Matchstick, a reincarnated
Arthur, meets modern versions of Roland, Beowulf,
Cuchullain, Prester John, Hercules, and Coyote,
among others. In the end, his very nature as an
Arthurian incarnation is thrown into doubt. It turns
out he may be an incarnation of Gilgamesh instead
of, or in addition to, Arthur. Another good example
is the Hercules and Xena television shows, which
may have begun as Greek myth but ran farther and
farther afield as each season demanded more and
more new stories.
Mythic Arthur Lives! has the beneficial side effect
of throwing open the doors when it comes to adver-
saries and story ideas. A traditional campaign has no
hydras, no Valhalla, and no peaches of immortality,
but your game can have all these things and more.
The GM in a game of this sort is at the all-you-can-
eat mythology buffet. But because the menu is so
large, there’s no way that any single resource will
be able to do all the work for you. There have been
entire games written on Greek, Egyptian, or Norse
myth, for example. You will have some reading to
do. More importantly, by expanding the game to in-
clude all heroic myth, you de-emphasize the role of
Arthur. Only the most famous of Arthurian charac-
ters are going to make the cut in a game of this sort;
even significant heroes like Tristan, Gawain, and Kay
will lose out to the likes of Paul Bunyan, Hiawatha
and Baba Yaga. The game ceases to be about Arthur
in specific, and becomes about myth and heroes
in general.

Occam’s Razor
One of the assumptions about Arthur Lives! is that
the world is already a pretty mysterious and magical
place. There is an occult secret history here which
includes things like vampires, Templars, and the
paranormal. There’s a very good reason why this was
done: to broaden the scope of potential adversaries
and adventures. However, you may find all that stuff
distracting. You may not want to broaden the focus
to include non-Arthurian elements; you may want
to narrow the focus instead, so that the only thing
weird about the world is the fact that Arthur has
come back.
This is a long-standing principle of speculative
fiction, dating at least back to Wells and Verne. Each
of these authors would write a whole book based
on one change in the world around us: “What if a
man could go invisible?” “What if a man had built a
submarine?” The principle here is to include as few
variations from our normal world as possible, and
then to explore that single variation as thoroughly as
possible. Tim Powers is a contemporary science fic-
tion and fantasy author who writes in this vein, often
using Arthurian themes.
In an Occam’s Razor campaign, all magic has to
be connected to Arthur’s return. All magicians use
Chapter 7: Running the Game
enchantment; no other spellcasting extras are avail-
able. All other “magicians” are fakes and hoaxes,
perhaps using The Subtle Art from the Fate System
Toolkit. Vampires, ghosts, and psychic powers do
not exist unless they can be somehow rationalized
by connection to the Arthurian myth. There may
not even be a “Faerie” or, if it does exist, it has only
recently become open again. This option combines
well with “There Can Be Only One,” as a host of
competing Arthurian rivals is against the spirit of
Occam’s Razor.
An Occam’s Razor campaign encourages the play-
ers to learn all the secret rules of the setting, so they
can manipulate those rules to best effect. Because
everything magical in the world can ultimately be
traced back to Arthur’s return, the more the heroes
learn about the magic of Arthur, the more control
they gain over their own destiny. The heroes are
often confronted by adversaries who wield abili-
ties that seem to break the rules of what is possible
(“Wait, I thought there were no werewolves!”), but
hard work by the protagonists eventually uncovers
the link between the foe’s seemingly-unstoppable
weapons and the Arthurian truth that lies at the
heart of the campaign. (“There was a knight of the
Round Table who was a werewolf? No way!”)
 Chapter 8: The Setting

Chapter 8: The Setting

The Secret History
The “real history” of the world is almost
irrelevant now. It’s been written over by the
power of enchantment. But, for those who are
curious, it went something like this: In the 5th
century, in Britain, a charismatic warlord tried
picking up the pieces after Rome withdrew its
legions. Backed up by a select band of veteran
cavalry soldiers, he successfully repelled an
ad hoc invasion by Norsemen and led a raid
across the Channel into Gaul, where at the be-
hest of Rome’s Emperor he attacked an army
of Visigoths and was killed. That’s it. That’s the
entire story. If you sift through the stony rub-
ble, the stained parchment pages, and the iron-
strewn battlefields, that’s all you’ll find.
But those who were there remember some-
thing entirely different: A Britain filled with
magic and wonders, with giants and with drag-
ons, with necromancers and miracle-workers,
with adventure at every crossroad and castle.
There was an enchanted Britain that came and
then, just as mysteriously, somehow went, leav-
ing nothing behind. How that enchanted world
came to be, and how it vanished, is something
few remember and even fewer understand.
This is how it happened.

What Was
His name was Balin. He was a warrior of
Britain recently released from prison, where
he had been put for the killing of another man.
Poor and unlucky but well-meaning, Balin
quietly crashed a banquet being thrown by a
wealthy and highly respected though secretive
lord named Pellam. What no one, including
Balin, knew was that Pellam was the latest in a
long line of guardians of the Holy Grail. At the
banquet, Balin caught sight of Garlon, a known
murderer whose skill at avoiding capture had
earned him a reputation for being “invisible.”
Seizing the opportunity to stop an elusive out-
law, Balin killed Garlon. But Garlon, it turned
out, was Pellam’s younger brother. Pellam or-
dered his men to apprehend Balin; Balin ran,
trying to escape Pellam’s castle and reach the
woods to elude pursuit.
Instead, Balin found the chamber where the
Holy Lance was kept. The Lance, along with

118

the Grail, was a divine relic of incalculable occult im-
portance, but to Balin it was just a weapon. His own
crude iron sword broken, he seized the spear and
used it against Pellam. This proved disastrous, for by
wielding the Lance against the keeper of the Grail,
Balin performed a sinful magical act of world-shaking
importance. As symbols, the Lance represented the
power of the masculine, with the Grail embodying
the open and accepting womb of the feminine. Balin’s
act became a kind of occult rape, using one holy relic
against another. Completely unaware of the ramifica-
tions of what he was doing, Balin physically emascu-
lated Pellam by piercing his groin with the spear. But
the magic of this tragic wound was amplified on a cos-
mic scale; Balin’s thrust tore a gaping hole in the Faerie
Veil, the invisible barrier that separated the mundane
Earth from the uncontrolled magic of Faerie.
The power of enchantment poured through the
hole in the Veil, spilling over not just Pellam’s castle
but all of Britain and, eventually, the rest of the world.
Whatever it touched it transformed, and its powers
were not confined to the 5th century. Enchantment
began to work both backwards and forwards in time,
rewriting history and future events. What had been a
mundane, firelit, few decades in the history of Britain
became a fantastic age of heroes, monsters, treachery,
and true love that encompassed the entire known
world. A British warlord became first a Boy King and
then King Arthur; his seasoned veterans became
Knights of the Round Table. Some ships off the British
coast became an invasion by entire tribes of coloniz-
ing Saxons. A mission into Gaul to help Rome against
the Visigoths became a war against Rome that ended
with Arthur conquering the city and being crowned
Emperor. Through it all, the Holy Grail and the
Bleeding Lance continued. Pellam, the keeper of the
Grail, lay crippled and unable to move, waiting for his
mystic wound to be healed and scheming to make that
healing come to pass. Many knights came and tried
to cure him of his injuries, but it would take someone
without sin to repair the wounds Balin had dealt.
In time, Pellam’s backstage plotting paid off, and
that sinless person came to the Grail Castle. Galahad,
Lancelot’s son, succeeded in the Grail Quest and used
the blood at the tip of the Lance to cure Pellam’s injury.
The rift in the Faerie Veil closed. The enchantment of
Britain began to end, though it took years for all the
echoes to completely fade. Many of the best knights
were already dead. Others turned to infighting and
treason. Arthur’s son conspired against the throne.
Lancelot and Guinevere were revealed as adulterers.
Arthur put his own queen on trial and, when Lancelot
tried to rescue her, the King pursued his former best
friend to France. What was once glorious and awe-in-
spiring became confused and sordid. Mordred took
power and tried to force himself on the Queen, who
fled to the Tower of London. Arthur returned to give
Chapter 8: The Setting
battle. The two armies clashed at Camlann. Mordred
perished; Arthur was dealt a mortal, though not in-
stantly deadly, wound.
But there were some who were sad to see the en-
chantment end. Arthur had a tremendous capacity
to turn even his enemies into his friends, and chief
among these was his half-sister Morgan. Now she
and Nimue, who had been foes and rivals for many
years, hatched a desperate plan. The enchantment of
Britain had started with Balin and the Spear, but it had
resonated and centered around Arthur himself. So
long as he lived, there was a chance that enchantment
might return. And so they resolved to save the King,
and with him the magic of all mankind. They secured
the help of two others: Pellam’s wife the Queen of the
Wastelands, a saintly miracle-worker, and the sor-
ceress Queen of Norgales, who had conspired with
Morgan against Arthur on more than one occasion.
Together the four women intercepted Arthur as he lay
dying on the field of Camlann, and they sailed him
across the Faerie Veil to Avalon in a boat of their own
making. There, they hoped to heal his injuries and
restore both King and magic to the world. In Arthur’s
wake, the last echoes of the enchantment of Britain
faded: Lancelot and his allies hunted down Mordred’s
sons before themselves dying. Normality returned to
a mundane world. Magic faded, leaving behind it the
history of the world we know.
Who Remembers What Was?
There are only a few people who might remem-
ber the way things were before the Enchantment
of Britain: Balin and Pellam. Garlon will remember
things up to the point he gets his head chopped
off by Balin; he won’t remember the Dolorous
Stroke at all. It is also possible that original char-
acters created by your players at the table may
have been present at Pellam’s feast and seen
Balin use the Lance on the king. Merlin might
know, even though he was not present, but on
the other hand it would be nice to have a mystery
that Merlin can’t solve.
It’s up to you and your players to decide if any
of these individuals remember what was, before
the Dolorous Stroke and the Enchantment of
Britain transformed history into fantasy. It’s not
clear what practical use this knowledge would
be, but it does answer a question many players
and player characters might have: “Why is there
no evidence for the fantastic history I remember
from my first life?”
119
 Chapter 8: The Setting
Four Queens
The Four Queens had hoped to heal Arthur’s fatal
wound, but the injury was too grievous and beyond
their skill. As he perished, they placed his body in the
Cauldron of Annwn, a Faerie relic which had the pow-
er to return the dead to life. There, in the cauldron,
Arthur’s body slowly cooked as the queens debated
and made their plans. His soul was distilled out of
the corpse until the contents of the cauldron were an
enchanted stew. This magical feast embodied Arthur’s
spirit, his memories, and his link to the magic of the
world. But it could not be consumed by just anyone;
only the worthiest of mortal kings—a true heir to
Arthur—would suffice.
Time runs slowly in Faerie; when the queens re-
turned to Earth to seek this heir, they found centuries
had passed and the millennium had come and gone.
Nimue, Morgan, and their allies split up and went in
hidden guises among the great courts of Europe, but
not before securing new guardians for the cauldron.
By pretending that it was actually the Grail, they per-
suaded the Poor Knights of the Temple of Solomon
to watch over the precious vessel. The mission of the
queens was now twofold: first, to prepare for Arthur’s
return by reminding the world of his legend. To ac-
complish this they whispered in the ears of poets,
chroniclers, and storytellers, who listened and em-
broidered. Soon Arthur’s fame began to spread again,
and he was once more known as a model of chivalry
and proper behavior. Much that had been forgotten in
the loss of enchantment – the Round Table, Excalibur,
Lancelot and the rest – was recalled and written down.
When Arthur returned, he would not come not as a
beggar to a land that had forgotten him; he would be
hailed as a hero out of myth.
But the Four Queens had a second and more import-
ant goal: they needed a proper heir, someone whose
mortal body was a suitable receptacle for Arthur’s spir-
it. A proper host for Arthur would embody all the best
qualities of the age, and also have the power and posi-
tion to lead the world into a new Age of Enchantment.
Carefully they revealed themselves to great families
and crowned rulers, confessing some parts of their
plan. At first, not many listened or paid much heed.
But as years turned into centuries and Arthur’s fame
grew, passed from mouth to ear by generations of
authors, troubadours, and minnesingers, more of the
crowned heads of Europe began to covet the fame and
enchantment Arthur would bring. Beneath the tawdry
and typical warring and intrigues which had always
marked dynastic politics in this world, a secret shadow
war began: a fight for Arthur’s soul.
The first person to approach victory in this struggle
was England’s Edward III; there seems to have been
a certain “home field advantage.” But the vote of the
queens was split; Edward was valiant and influential,
120
a great king, but he was embroiled in endless war
in France. Were Arthur to return now, he would be
saddled with conflicts that looked not only unwin-
nable, but irreconcilable. Edward was furious when
he learned the verdict, but tried to make lemonade;
his plans for a new order of the Round Table were
changed and he founded the Knights of the Garter in-
stead. But the deadlock between the custodians of the
cauldron could not last forever; they had each tried to
spend as much time in Faerie as possible, but even so
the long reach of the years had slowly overcome them.
Morgan, Nimue, and the others were now old women.
Their magic was nearly spent. Desperation forced
them to come to agreement.
Over a century later, Henry VII had planned well
and even named his heir Arthur in order to stake
his claim. With the Wars of the Roses over, Henry’s
daughter married to the king of Scotland, and France
penned in by a Holy League with Italy, Germany,
Spain, and the Vatican, Henry had cleared the field.
He got the good news in 1497: his son had been chosen
to be Arthur reborn. In a Whitsun celebration, the
eleven year old prince was given a dark, bitter beer
drawn from the Cauldron of Annwn. Arthur’s spirit,
greatness, and enchantment began to settle into him.
King Arthur was returned at last, though he still had
some growing up to do. Morgan and the others kept a
discreet eye on the lad, but gradually came to realize
that it was all out of their hands now. Like Merlin had
centuries before, they had chosen their king more or
less at random. Now, all they could do was hope.
The news of Arthur’s return had not gone unnoticed
beyond Europe’s borders, however. In far off Cathay,
the Hongzhi Emperor was informed of the king’s re-
turn and found the news troubling. The only lifelong
celibate to sit on the throne of China, Hongzhi was ap-
palled by the amount of adultery, lechery, and morally
bankrupt behavior found in the first Arthurian age. If
this was what the world had to look forward to, it was a
poor destiny indeed. Swallowing his distaste, Hongzhi
contracted a foreigner to see to Prince Arthur’s death.
The assassin, a former voivode of Wallachia, had
been called “Son of the Dragon” in life, but had now
been cursed to rise as a monstrous undead. He was all
too happy to travel to England and exterminate this
“Pendragon” for Cathay gold; a little covert bloodlet-
ting and no one was the wiser. Arthur, Prince of Wales,
died only days after his wedding to Catherine of
Aragon at age fifteen.
Henry was devastated by the loss, but it was far
worse for Nimue, Morgan, and the other queens. All
they had done, a millennia of labor, had been dashed
in one bloodthirsty night. All their magic was exhaust-
ed, Arthur’s spirit was dead once more, and the hope
of a world unified by chivalry and enchantment was
dashed. When death finally came for the four ancient
crones, it was a mercy.

Rise of the Freemasons
It took less than a century for the thwarted plan
of Arthur’s return to be picked up and refurbished.
John Dee had traced his own lineage and that of his
monarch, Elizabeth I, to Arthur. Working with the
other members of Sir Walter Raleigh’s School of
Night, including Philip Sydney, Lord Strange, Henry
Percy (the Wizard Earl of Northumberland) and Kit
Marlowe, Dee and Elizabeth’s spymaster, Walsingham,
drew up plans of occult imperialism. The scheme
was elegant in its simplicity. The magic of Arthur’s
return was still out there, somewhere; all Dee had
to do was claim it. Symbolically arranging Elizabeth
and her courtiers in the positions of the Round Table
and reserving Merlin’s position for himself, Dee used
England’s slow domination of Renaissance Europe to
re-enact Arthur’s own rise to power. His ultimate goal
was the New Avalon across the Pacific Ocean. If his
political-ritual working was a success, a new Arthurian
Age would finally come with Elizabeth as its magi-
cal monarch.
But not everyone in the Queen’s court was on board
with Dee’s supernatural approach to empire. Francis
Bacon, Grand Master of the Freemasons, envisioned a
new world ruled not by magic and romance but by
reason, hard work, and the bonds of trade and
commerce. He lured Dee to the continent on
espionage missions to German courts, then
destroyed the political influence of the School
of Night. By the time Dee returned, his former
allies were dead or at each other’s throats and
Elizabeth – aging and feeling her own mortali-
ty – had no time for him. He was exiled to the
country and Bacon was enshrined in court
by King James.
Working behind the scenes to consoli-
date their influence in Europe and west
into the New World, the Freemasons’
highly effective lodge structure at-
tracted occultists and absorbed
other secret societies, including the
Knights Templar. But the re-in-
troduction of mysticism into the
Freemasons created tension
within the Order; John
Dee may have been
defeated but his
Rosicrucian philos-
ophy took root and
spread. The struggle
between these two
halves of Masonry
erupted into history
as the American
Revolution;
Washington,
Chapter 8: The Setting
Jefferson, Franklin, and the other Founding Fathers
broke off from European Masonry to form their own
nation founded on principles of science, reason, and
equality. This, for all practical purposes, became the
true Order of Freemasons. European Masonry as a
single organization ceased to exist; instead, its lodg-
es were now recruiting grounds for the Templars,
who still believed in the power of the Grail, and their
Rosicrucian allies, who continued to pursue enlighten-
ment through alchemical means. In Germany, profes-
sor Adam Weishaupt founded the Illuminati as an ally
organization to the American Freemasons. Together,
these two groups codified and continued to wage the
Entzauberung der Welt, the “disenchantment of the
world.” King Arthur, a vestige of a time of magic, chiv-
alry, and similar outdated romantic notions, was rele-
gated to the dustbin of history. There wasn’t a printing
of Malory’s Morte for two hundred years.
A New Grail Quest
In 1802 Thomas Jefferson’s spies revealed evidence
that a large fleet of Templars had survived the splin-
tering of the Order in the 14th century and may have
taken the Holy Grail across the Pacific to a safe
haven in northeastern America. Jefferson was
committed to Freemason ideals, but that
didn’t preclude him from interest in the
Grail. If the Grail had been taken to the
New World, Jefferson felt obliged to find it
and hide it so that the forces of rationality
and science would no longer be troubled
by fear of its discovery. Careful inves-
tigation revealed that the Templar
sailors had been ambushed and slain
by local Blackfeet, who may have tak-
en the Grail with them when they
relocated west beyond the Great
Lakes. The Louisiana Purchase
allowed Jefferson to buy the
land where the Grail and its
Blackfeet guardians were
thought to dwell, and he
enlisted his friend and
fellow Mason,
Meriwether
Lewis, to
lead an
expedition
there. On
paper, Lewis’s
task was sci-
entific ex-
ploration
and the
search
for a
121
 Chapter 8: The Setting
waterway to the Pacific, but even as Lewis departed,
Jefferson laid the foundation for a storehouse which
would conceal the Grail once Lewis had found it and
returned.
Lewis was a melancholy and emotional man, in-
tellectual and highly educated but prone to bouts
of depression. Forced to conceal the true agenda of
the expedition even from his partner, he broke off
from William Clark on the way home to make his
approach with destiny along the Marias River, near
the Canadian border in what is now Montana. The
Blackfeet aggressively defended the Grail, but Lewis
did catch a glimpse of the legendary chalice, and it
transformed his life forever. Returning to civilized
lands, he privately became a Grail Knight, recanting
his mission and his Masonic ideals.
Jefferson was furious at the treason and arranged
for Lewis’s murder, but the captain escaped at the last
minute and left a body behind to throw his pursuers
off the track. Fleeing to England, Lewis manufactured
a new identity for himself as the poet and lecturer
William Ashbless. In this identity, he quietly began to
preach the gospel of the Holy Grail and the return of
magic, enchantment, and romance. His influence saw
a renewed interest in Arthur’s myth, especially on the
part of Alfred Tennyson, whose Idylls of the King ignit-
ed a hunger for Arthur and the Round Table across
Europe and America. Suddenly a war the Masons
and their Illuminati allies thought they had long ago
won, a war for the heart and soul of mankind, was
re-opened.
As the turn of the century approached, industrialist,
imperialist, and Freemason Cecil Rhodes took the
forefront in the struggle for society’s future. His strate-
gy was modeled on that of John Dee: he would co-opt
the Arthurian myth and make it work for him. But
while Dee had hoped to use Arthurian magic to create
a new empire founded on Rosicrucian magic and the
power of myth, Rhodes wanted to steal Arthur’s legend
so that he could transform it. In 1891 he founded his
“Round Table movement,” or “Society of the Elect.”
This new Round Table was an organization of busi-
nessmen, military officers, and politicians; it included
not just Freemasons but representatives from other
secret societies as well, including the Illuminati, Swiss
bankers, and Assassins. A tiny but much-relied upon
band of Babbage engineers provided cryptographic
and computational support. Rhodes’ Round Table
brought together all the hidden movers behind mod-
ern society and organized them into several levels,
with a 12-seat inner circle which almost never met in
person but which, between them, governed all the
great nations of the world.
122
The Black Castle
The conspiratorial alliance that was the Round
Table masterminded human events throughout
the first few decades of the new century, including
the First World War. Forced into the shadows and
struggling to survive, the Templars fractured fur-
ther. One of these spinoffs was the Order of the Holy
Vehm, a group of “cultural anthropologists” based in
Germany who traced their lineage to secret vigilante
courts held in the Middle Ages. The Vehm’s descent
into runic magic, Nordic myth, and even Satanism
was covered over with a patina of academic research,
nationalism, and amateur folklore studies. In the eco-
nomic and social turmoil that consumed Germany
between the wars, they sharpened their tactics, re-
fined their philosophy, and tapped the great families
of Germany for sources of funding. The transforma-
tion into a political party – National Socialism – was
a natural one.
Hitler had little interest in the occult, other than
as a propaganda tool useful for marshalling pub-
lic will. But the Vehm’s legacy was preserved by
Heinrich Himmler, who absorbed the cult into his
black-clad SS and renamed it the Ahnenerbe (the
Ancestral Heritage Research and Teaching Society).
One of Hitler’s most powerful lieutenants, Himmler
funded expeditions which sent archeologists around
the globe, and he financed authors who built up a
radical new conception of the German race and na-
tion. Germany was conceived as the heartland of the
Aryans, who had once been a kind of superhuman
race possessed of physical perfection. These original
Aryans, of which Arthur and all his knights were
prime examples, had lost their potent purity thanks
to generations of interference by “lesser” races, but
the German people were their true inheritors. Even
as Hitler unleashed the Second World War, Himmler
worked with an Ahnenerbe cabal of rune magi-
cians, astrologers, mystic architects, anthropologists,
Satanists, and doctors on a plan to recapture the
Aryan greatness of the Arthurian Age.
Purchasing castle Wewelsburg near the Black
Forest, Himmler had the stone fortress restored and
re-designed to become the occult heart of Europe, a
new Grail Castle complete with Round Table cham-
ber and ritual architecture. The Ahnenerbe relocated
there and began instruction, indoctrinating more
researchers into their view of Aryan racial mysticism.
Otto Rahn, a writer and explorer, pursued what he
thought was the Holy Grail all the way to south-
ern France, but what the SS recovered soon after
his mysterious death was something else, a green
stone which had fallen from the sky and was said
to be inhabited by angelic spirits. The Holy Lance
was easier to obtain, since it was in a Viennese mu-
seum when Germany annexed Austria during the

Anschluss. The war began to turn against Hitler, but
work in Wewelsburg continued up to the very last
moment, since Himmler felt that if the Ahnenerbe’s
work could be completed, Germany’s armies would
be transformed from mere men to Arthurian-Aryan
superbeings.
Preparations were not yet complete when the
moment of truth came; Allied forces, tipped off by
the Vehm’s enemies in the Round Table movement,
were closing in on the castle. Himmler’s magicians
quickly assembled in Wewelsburg’s tower to attempt
the ritual and recall Arthur’s legacy from his van-
ished Age. Starting with their “Grail” (which they
had been unable to verify without Rahn) and the
“Spear of Destiny” (which was only one of several
relics competing for that claim), Nazi sorcerers added
black magic rites and Nordic rune lore, sealing the
deal with genuine human sacrifice. The mystic forces
gathered were awesome but misdirected, tainted by
Satanism and beyond control. The inhabitants of
the first Arthurian Age were indeed brought back to
the modern world, but they didn’t merge with the
German army to form a race of Aryan supermen.
Instead, disembodied and confused, they were both
blinded by the afterlife they had been torn from and
splintered by competing interpretations of their own
legendary selves.
Himmler had set out to resurrect King Arthur and
all his kind, but which King Arthur would that be,
precisely? Was he really the Aryan superman that
Nazi philosophy required him to be? Perhaps he was
a Welsh chieftain with magical powers and an army
of Faerie warriors. Or maybe he was a Sarmatian cav-
alry officer cut off from home. The British called him
a mighty war-leader who conquered Rome, but to the
French he was a weak king who relied on his knights
for deeds of valor. The power of enchantment en-
sured that no one version of Arthur was any more
real, any more true, than the others; ultimately, all of
them were based on imagination, wishful thinking,
and romance. And since no one Arthur was more
real than any other, the ritual in Wewelsburg brought
them all back – not only every knight, damsel, king,
and enchanter who had been caught up in Arthur’s
myth, but even multiple versions of those heroes
famous enough to earn contradictory legends. Each
competing version of Guinevere, Percival, Gawain,
and the others was its own fragment of a single soul
… and all those souls craved bodies in which to dwell.
Within hours of the ritual’s completion, the Allies
rolled into Wewelsburg to mop up, but those Vehm
who survived had already been driven insane. They
told tales of spectral warriors who whirled and
shrieked through the black castle of the false Grail,
searching hungrily for fleshly houses but unable to
assemble the pieces of their own shattered souls. The
relics of the Ahnenerbe were impounded and found
Chapter 8: The Setting
their way to anonymous Freemason warehouses.
The secret masters breathed a sigh of relief; they had
dodged the bullet. It seemed Arthur’s resurrection
had been prevented at the last moment.
But, in fact, it had succeeded.
Arthur Lives!
Slowly, over many years, Arthur and all those who
had been a part of his myth were reborn, reincarnated
in modern lives. Where there were competing no-
tions of a particular character, as with Arthur himself,
each conception was reincarnated into its own body.
Indeed, it seemed there were multiple versions of al-
most everyone; only the most obscure and unknown
heroes of the Arthurian Age escaped this fate. Not
all the reincarnations happened at once, nor was it
immediate. Some of these spiritual fragments floated
around for decades before finally finding a home. A
few early reincarnations grew, lived, and died never
knowing their true nature and were reborn yet again,
as if they were waiting around for something.
All the while, the Faerie Veil that separated the
world of the mundane from that of enchantment be-
gan to weaken, almost as if another Dolorous Stroke
had been unleashed … but there was no such wound
and no explanation could be found. The tide of mag-
ic began to rise. Faerie beings crept across the Veil
or were summoned here by newly-bold magicians;
dressed in human form, they hid in the shadowed
corners of human society and made their plans.
Arthurian incarnations began to remember their past
lives, recognizing themselves. The Grail, the Lance,
and all the other great relics of Arthurian myth were
gone, but their magic reappeared as supernatural
echoes which temporarily infused ordinary objects
with a glimmer of true power.
Through it all, the Freemasons, Illuminati, and other
secret societies that made up the Round Table mar-
shaled their forces and prepared for war. They were
not blind to the sudden rise of magic, and although
they did not understand its cause, they knew they were
under attack by a force unseen and as yet unorganized.
To these secret masters of the world, the return of
Arthur meant a relapse into archaic, unpredictable,
and romantic notions which threatened to undermine
centuries of progress towards rational civilization.
Arthur and his knights were waking up all around the
world, but even as they did time was running out – an-
cient enemies who had long conspired to keep King
Arthur asleep were even now loading their rifles and
lining up their shots.
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 Chapter 8: The Setting
The Ground Rules
Here are the specifics of Arthurian
reincarnation:
The souls of Arthur and everyone else from
the Arthurian Age were brought back to Earth
on March 31, 1945. No reincarnation predates this
event, and under natural circumstances a reincar-
nation would not be born until nine months later:
January 1 1946. It is possible some souls forced
their way into the bodies of unborn fetuses and
were born in late 1945, but these individuals
would have had two souls and a tortured exis-
tence. They’re almost certainly dead by now, 70
years later. Right?
Incarnations began to appear slowly and
gained in number as the decades went by, peak-
ing around 2000. The number of reincarnations
born since then has dropped off dramatically and
is approaching zero.
Only individuals who were alive during Arthur’s
reign as King returned. That means Uther, who
died a decade before Arthur drew the Sword
from the Stone, is out but his mother, Igraine,
who came to Camelot and met her son, is in.
Not everyone came back. The Wewelsburg
working brought back knights, magicians, da-
mosels, kings, and other people who participated
in Arthur’s story, interacted with him, or were af-
fected by him. The great majority of people alive
in the Arthurian Age—peasants and all kinds of
ordinary folk—are still dead.
In order to be brought back as an incarnation,
a character has to appear prior to March 31, 1945.
Fictional characters who appear prior to 1945, like
1937’s Prince Valiant, are fair game. But Sir Goose
Fat and Sir Kung Fu George, both of whom ap-
pear for the first time in 2017’s King Arthur: the
Legend of the Sword, are sadly out of contention.
Incarnations who are born after 1945 but die
might be reincarnated again (and again!) up to
the present. Most reincarnations have not done
this, however; for most, their current incarnation
is their only reincarnation.
124
The Round
Table Conspiracy
The Conspiracy, also known as the Round Table
Group or RTG, is one of the “Big Bads” in Arthur Lives!,
and deserves particular attention because it is the first
Big Bad the players are likely to encounter. The Round
Table Group has stolen Arthur’s symbol, and they
have been using it in a long-term agenda for world
domination for over a century. Your players are going
to have to decide how they feel about that and, even if
they are willing to leave the Conspiracy in peace, the
Conspiracy has plans for them.
Officially, the Group was formed in 1909 with the
aim of maintaining a common purpose and close
working relationship between Britain and its former
colonies. It briefly influenced global policy and hit its
high-water mark during the First World War. It still
exists, but has become entirely irrelevant. Its meetings,
its publications, and its sponsored activities are excus-
es for some of the world’s richest people to gather in
fabulous locales and spend obscene amounts of mon-
ey. They’re harmless.
The second origin of the Conspiracy is deeper, and
goes back decades further to Cecil Rhodes, the great
British imperialist and white supremacist who carved
a diamond-fueled nation out of South Africa. Rhodes’s
goal was to extend the British Empire over as much of
the world as possible, an end which he saw as human-
itarian and profitable for all concerned, and he found-
ed his “Society of the Elect” in 1889. It was renamed
the Round Table and, though he edited it out of his
public will in favor of the Rhodes Scholarship, secret
codicils established the structure and format of a con-
spiracy, based in England but embracing Americans
and Germans, which used the later “Round Table
Group” as cover.
The third origin of the Round Table is deeper still.
For the Round Table, under whatever name it is
called, is devoted to the rise of reason and order over
wild romance and capricious magic. It pursues this
transformation of the world through the spread of
capitalism and the advancement of science, and
the mastermind of its creation lived centuries
ago in the age of Queen Elizabeth and King
James. Francis Bacon was the head of
the Freemasons, Lord Chancellor of
England, and a polymath knowledge-
able in every field of human endeav-
or. He did not come up with the
phrase “British Empire”—he stole
it from his rival, the magician
John Dee—but once Dee was
gone, Bacon used his incredible
influence and vision to launch
the movement which, two and

a half centuries later, Rhodes would head. For Bacon,
the Conspiracy and the Freemasons were one and
the same, but by the 19th century, the split between
American and European Freemasonry and the rise of
the Illuminati forced Rhodes to create a Round Table
Group which had seats for several different conspira-
torial groups and secret societies. It is this alliance of
groups which exists today, owing its ideals to Bacon
but its structure to Rhodes.
While the composition of the Conspiracy has
changed over the decades, as various groups have
risen and fallen in influence or been supplanted by
new organizations, there are some constants. While
the Conspiracy is vast and includes countless agents
around the world—most of whom have no idea they
are agents of the Conspiracy—there actually is a
round wooden table at which the various factions of
the Conspiracy occasionally meet. There are, by tradi-
tion, twelve seats at this table, but there are more than
twelve factions. Secret societies struggle amongst each
other to gain enough influence for a seat at the table;
sometimes a group will be invited to send a represen-
tative, but it’s more common for an up-and-coming
faction to unseat a rival and take their place by right of
assassination. Every secret society and conspiratorial
movement which sits at the round table is, by defini-
tion, fabulously wealthy, influential in world affairs,
supported by a large and effective power structure, and
supportive of the Round Table’s broad goals: scientific
progress; global capitalism; the repression of magic,
mysticism, and irrationality; and the continuance of
the Round Table Conspiracy itself, a mechanism by
which world history is managed by an intellectual and
financial elite.
The Freemasons and Illuminati are the oldest,
most conservative, and probably still the most influ-
ential of the factions at the table. Each was present
when Rhodes formed the table in the 19th century,
and each still maintains two seats at the table. The
Freemasons dominate the United States, the world’s
only remaining super-power, and have fully infiltrated
its politics, legal system, military, and economy. The
formal United States is almost entirely a Freemason
creation and entity, with presidents, congressmen,
Supreme Court justices, and generals doing its will.
As usual, not all these individuals realize they are
tools in a conspiracy, but at the highest of echelons,
formal membership in the Freemasons is the rule,
not the exception. Recently, however, populist move-
ments inside the US and reaching across the politi-
cal spectrum, have inconvenienced the Freemason
operation. The Internet has made it possible for
scattered groups to organize, and resentment of every
governmental system and authority is higher than it
has been in a century. This has become something of
an embarrassment to the Freemasons, as they cannot
seem to control their own populace. Rogue elements,
Chapter 8: The Setting
possessed of great personal wealth or a large base of
popular support, unwilling to listen to logic and eager
to embrace an irrational world-view, have even begun
to threaten the Masonic lock on Washington and the
state governments.
The European branch of Freemasonry more or less
ceased to exist as an organization by the 18th centu-
ry, with the Illuminati taking its place. Rhodes was
himself a member of this group, and it remains the
best spokesman for his original goal: a single world-
wide government led by the British, Germans, and
Americans (whom Rhodes idealistically imagined
would one day rejoin the Empire). The Illuminati are
the “blue bloods” of the Round Table Group: ancient
aristocratic families with sophisticated tastes and
expensive pleasures who treat Europe as their own
private estate. Bloodlines, inheritance, and tradition
are important to the Illuminati, and their long con-
trol over stable European nations has allowed them
to pursue long-term projects out of reach of even the
Freemasons. This includes research and development
of psychic powers and the “third eye.” The Illuminati
consider it their responsibility to monitor and oppose
any resurgence of the Rosicrucians, a mystical society
with roots in Germany and England, as well as the
Vatican, still a bastion of superstition.
The Assassins, who trace their origin to the 11th
century and Alamut’s “Old Man of the Mountain,”
began as a sect of Islam. By the 21st century, however,
the Assassins are the world’s foremost murder-for-hire
organization, and although they continue to use reli-
gious and mystical language, especially as a means to
control recruits and even long-term agents, the group
is in fact entirely secular and focused on the accumu-
lation of profit and influence. Iran remains its primary
power base but many other smaller groups are part of
its power structure, with the international drug trade
providing a secondary income. The Assassins keep
their seat on the table through fear; it is widely under-
stood that no one in the world is safe from them, and
a seat on the table is the price they demand for your
continued existence. Every faction in the Conspiracy
can murder, and most try to take care of their own
dirty laundry, but when a problem becomes too big
for one faction to handle—or when a faction bungles
the job—the task falls to the Assassins, who are sure
to make the killing into an object lesson. The biggest
challenges facing the Assassins are the rise of ISIS (a
jihad movement whose fanaticism the Assassins find
difficult to control) and the Syndicate, which com-
petes with the Assassins in the field of global orga-
nized crime.
When Cecil Rhodes formed the Round Table Group,
he enlisted a small but select band of engineers and
mechanics to provide technical support. Supported by
the Conspiracy’s wealth and contacts, these engineers
developed the computer and microchip. In the 20th
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 Chapter 8: The Setting
century they were sometimes called the Network, but
of all the groups which sit at the table, this one has
seen the most change. Today, information is monop-
olized by a faction calling itself the Panopticon. The
Panopticon claims to be a merit-based organization
led by the greatest living computer geniuses; the truth
is they are very mysterious and the identity even of
their representative to the table is unknown. They have
infiltrated every major intelligence service on Earth
(even those previously managed by the Freemasons
and Illuminati) and claim that Anonymous and other
“hacker” groups are their tools, but this is not entirely
believed. The other factions use the Panopticon to
gather and interpret intelligence. Their goals include
not only fostering increased dependence on informa-
tion systems, but also an increased global surveillance.
The Syndicate is worldwide organized crime. It
evolved slowly in the 19th century, coalescing around
the Sicilian Mafia before expanding to the United
States a century later and, by the 21st century, shifting
its power base to Asia. It forced its way onto the table
in the 1950s. While the Syndicate is less sophisticated
than the Assassins when it comes to murder-for-hire,
their portfolio is far more diverse. Criminal mobs
within the Syndicate are allowed to war with and even
exterminate each other as part of the Syndicate’s belief
in “survival of the fittest” and advancement through
violence, and most mob bosses are not even aware that
the Syndicate exists, except as an urban myth.
The sixth group to join the table, during the 1970s oil
crisis, was an alliance of global energy giants. Known as
the Cartel, their symbol is a black hexagon. Their ar-
rival was a tacit admission of defeat by the Freemasons
and Illuminati, who had struggled to contain oil power
for over a century. The Cartel began as an alliance
of Venezuela with various Middle East oil nations,
but now boasts deep inroads into post-Soviet Russia,
Canada, and the United States. The Cartel finances
climate change science while simultaneously debunk-
ing it in the media; their R&D efforts are focused on
the discovery and exploitation of new energy sources,
including renewables, nuclear fusion, and theoreti-
cal energy sources on the bleeding edge of specula-
tive physics.
The Assassins, Panopticon, Syndicate, and Cartel
each have one seat at the table. The remaining four
seats are held by some of the world’s richest individuals
and families, nouveau rich who are looked down upon
by the other factions but who nevertheless must be
recognized simply because of the enormous influence
each could potentially wield. They are called “The
Ones,” because they represent no one but themselves,
they are representatives of the mythical 1%, and they all
act as if they are the Chosen One, destined to save the
world. The other factions use the Ones as levers and
votes-for-hire and find them useful, which is why they
are allowed to think themselves free and independent.
126
Just about anybody can show up as one of the Ones, as
long as they are among the world’s richest few people
and not already a part of a faction on the table. When
new groups force their way onto the table, it is at the
expense of the Ones.
As an antagonist for your players, the Conspiracy can
wear many faces. They are the mall employee who taps
your cellphone, the neighbor who brings you a cheese-
cake, and the drunk who crashes into your car when
you’re in the middle of a chase scene. Any authority fig-
ure, from the patrolman manning a speed trap to your
regional manager, could be one of Them. Most are
ignorant that they are part of a conspiracy; they think
their actions are their own idea, or they are following
instructions given to them by trusted friends or super-
visors. A few are deep cover operatives who know they
work for Someone, but it’s not the Someone they think.
Above them in the hierarchy are agents who belong to
the Illuminati, Cartel, or other faction, but they believe
these groups are at war with one another and would
never cooperate. Only the rarest of individuals, includ-
ing those who actually sit on the table but also some
inspired rogues at all levels of society, will know the
truth about the Conspiracy of conspiracies.
The Round Table Group uses subtlety and misdi-
rection when possible, but violence when necessary—
which usually means “when your players are tired of
misdirection and have missed the subtlety.” Any high-
tech weapon or armament is in their arsenal, from the
strap-on bomb and Improvised Explosive Device to the
F-35 stealth fighter. They have practically unlimited
access to mercenaries and hit-men, moderated mainly
by the threat of publicity and exposure; the best way to
avoid a Conspiracy assassin is to stay out of sight and
lie low, but the only way to keep them from sending a
platoon of hired guns after you is to stay in public plac-
es. Pick your poison.
Although the Conspiracy eschews magic and en-
chantment, they do have access to abilities beyond
those of mortal men. Science fiction hardware and
psychic talents are the Conspiracy’s ultimate weap-
ons. The former could include lifelike androids and
armed robots; humanoid battle frames, or “mecha”;
cybernetic implants and prosthetics; vehicles that can
drive, fly, and also go underwater; mundane objects
with concealed firearms or explosives; hidden space
stations and installations on the moon or Mars; clones,
genetically engineered creatures, or uplifted animals;
and computers capable of seizing control of any sys-
tem, breaking any encryption, or predicting the future.
General Douglass’s silver arm (Chapter 9: Antagonists)
is an example of this type of plot element. The Fate
System Toolkit will give you some ideas for cyberware
and additional gadgets.
Psychic abilities are more unpredictable, and it can
be challenging to distinguish them from magic. Mind-
reading and mental communication (“telepathy”), the

ability to move or break objects with your mind (“tele-
kinesis”), emotion or mind control, and a sixth sense
that allows you to know things otherwise unknowable
(“ESP”) form the foundation, but there are infinite
variations and applications of these key forces. For ex-
ample, a psychic might use mind control to compel by-
standers to always look away from him, giving himself
functional invisibility. More unusual powers include in-
stant teleportation of yourself or objects from one place
to another; the lighting, manipulation, or dowsing of
flames (“pyrokinesis”) or electricity (“electrokinesis”);
psychic interface with computers or online networks by
sight or from afar; the ability to find people or objects
simply by concentrating on them; or psychic “vampir-
ism,” which drains the strength or vitality of a victim
for your own benefit. You’ll need to describe these pow-
ers with aspects and stunts, but don’t worry about de-
fining them too narrowly. That’s not how they work in
fiction, where psychic talents have one or two rules and
otherwise seem to function as the plot requires. This
is especially true if you’re designing a power which an
NPC will have, but never a player character.
At the beginning of a traditional Arthur Lives! cam-
paign, the Round Table Conspiracy rules the world,
more or less. They’re not unchallenged, and they quar-
rel with themselves quite a lot. The world is messy and
there are always going to be parts which defy control.
But, by and large, the Conspiracy gets what it wants
and steers Earth’s billions of people where it wants
them to go. The player characters aren’t on their radar
at first, but Arthur should learn about them soon. They
are a wrong to be righted, and if the player characters
can throw a big enough wrench into their plans, they
might be able to break up the Table itself. If they can
do that, Arthur and whatever incarnations are at his
side can reclaim the Round Table for themselves.
The Conspiracy may still be out there, after such a
confrontation, broken into its component factions.
They’ll still be dangerous. But some of them will now
be potential allies, and since they’ll be fighting one an-
other again as well as Arthur, they’ll cease to be a cam-
paign-level threat.
Heaven, Hell,
and Faerie
There are realms beyond this world, and while
player characters may not visit all of them – or want
to! – they provide an endless source of story material.
Heroes schooled in occult lore or who wield magic of
one sort or another may have at least a surface under-
standing of the world’s mystic cosmology, but there
is much that remains uncertain. What we do know
is that there is a Heaven, there is a Hell, and there is
definitely another place far from the fields we know: a
place we call Faerie.
Chapter 8: The Setting
Heaven
God and his agents were active participants in the
Arthurian Age. From the earliest days of Arthur’s
reign, knights sought out wise hermits and holy men
for answers to difficult questions, and the Archbishop
of Canterbury had a hand in seeing Arthur crowned.
Arthur built a cathedral in Camelot called St.
Stephen’s, and he had the Virgin’s portrait painted
on his own shield to provide inspiration in battle.
When Arthur sinned by performing incest with his
sister, he was punished by God with eventual death
at the hand of his own son. (But because Arthur had
been ignorant of his sin, the punishment was put
off for decades, during which Arthur was able to do
much good.) Likewise, Balin’s refusal to save the life
of Colombe meant that, when he handled the Holy
Lance, he was judged unworthy and his blow resulted
in the Dolorous Stroke. The divine impact on Arthur’s
reign culminated in the Grail Quest, which was a test
not of martial strength and power but of moral char-
acter. Angels appeared with flaming swords in hand
and hermits stood ready to interpret every dream and
omen. Tellingly, all but three Round Table knights
failed in this quest.
Heroes may dream of going to Heaven, but if they
do, they won’t be returning. Those who walk in
Heaven – with notable exceptions – are never permit-
ted to return to Earth. Its landscape and geography
are unknown, but we know that the souls of virtuous
people eventually arrive there. The journey may take a
very long time. If an individual is unwilling or unable
to pass on, he may linger in the world as a spirit or suf-
fer time in Hell for the punishment of sin. For others,
such as Galahad, elevation to Heaven could happen
at a moment’s notice as soon as the divine mission is
accomplished.
God’s power can fuel many extras and aspects in an
Arthur Lives! campaign, though players and GMs will
have to work together to figure out the exact mechan-
ics of these powers. The magical talent Divination
might represent a holy person’s ability to see the
future or reveal secrets otherwise lost to men. The
Summon & Banish talent could be modified to call
angels to fight on a hero’s behalf. Instead of generating
Enchantment Points, inflict stress. You don’t even need
an extra for an ability like Prophetic Dreams; an aspect
is all you need. The Enochian magic of John Dee was
explicitly focused on speaking with and channeling
the power of angels, and Dee has a significant role in
the secret history of the setting. The language of an-
gels, Enochian, which he discovered, may be known
to those with Occult and used for communication or
Words of Power.
It is important to note that the God of Christians,
Jews, and Muslims is the same God. All are welcome in
Heaven, and all might call upon His power. There were
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 Chapter 8: The Setting
Muslim knights in the Arthurian Age who converted
to Christianity, but they were honorable men long
before they were Christian, and that is no less true in
modern Arthur Lives! campaigns. A character’s specific
religion is, in other words, less important than his con-
duct. Characters who do what is right even when the
path is hard and painful, and who avoid what is wrong
even when that is easiest, most “efficient,” or most
“practical,” will be treated favorably by divine agents
regardless of the individual’s religious faith. Those
who are selfish and cruel will be treated poorly, even if
they wear the badge of religious office. Every time your
character acts in an immoral or unethical way, God
knows about it. Hopefully, you at least got a Fate point
out of the compel.
Holy persons, saints, and angels may not appear
frequently in your story, but when they do they should
occupy the top of the supernatural food chain. They
can be outrun or out-witted, but a mortal cannot ex-
pect to defeat any but the least of them in battle. If the
hand of God should actually appear – a rare but not
unheard-of event – it does not roll dice. God’s will is
simply accomplished, leaving those present to wonder
as to His purpose. If a character compels an angel to
appear, and that angel proceeds to fail a defense roll
and be Taken Out, that angel has not been defeated—
it simply chose to depart. You do not need to provide
an explanation, for the heroes of the Arthurian Age
seldom understood God’s ways. The mysteries of the
divine are ineffable and mysterious, but there is no
higher power in the universe.
Hell
Infernal agents were even more common in the
Arthurian Age than divine ones. Often a knight of the
Round Table would escape a seductress or corrupt
abbot, or defeat a wicked knight in battle, only to learn
that the individual was actually a demon in disguise.
Merlin himself was the offspring of a devil (some even
say The Devil), a fact which was known throughout
Britain and which caused many to fear him. During
the Grail Quest, devils and their kind were seen with
more frequency and in greater numbers; because the
Grail Quest was a test of moral character rather than
skill at arms, the knights who triumphed against de-
mons were always those who were the most virtuous.
In this sense, demons were agents of the divine, pun-
ishing mortals for their frailty, wickedness, and sin.
Arthurian heroes do not travel to Hell, and most
would not want to. Created as a prison for the fallen
angels and as a place of punishment for wicked mor-
tals, it boasts the cruelest terrain imaginable, from
burning mountain peaks to frozen plains of cracking
ice, soot-filled skies and molten rivers. More import-
ant, it is populated by a seemingly infinite number of
128
devils and demons, more than enough to continue the
torture of evil souls while still sparing a few hunting
parties to track down mortal intruders. If any heroes
are so bold and foolish as to actually venture into
Hell, they are advised to remain on its outermost edge
where their presence is briefly tolerated. When mortal
visitors arrive at Hell’s limit, the souls of those known
to them are released for a time from their tortures so
they may appear before the visitors, prophecy, and
answer questions. This much the grace of God allows.
Getting even this close to Hell, however, is no task for
the faint-hearted. Natural passages to Hell are exceed-
ingly rare, and their tracks are obscured by myths and
legend. More common, but far more terrifying, are
manmade gates to Hell, typically only found in places
of great horror and sin: the site of mass murder, pos-
session, or human sacrifice.
Of course, there is another common way to go to
Hell. Those who die and who are especially wicked
do not linger on Earth or ascend to Heaven. Instead,
they go promptly to Hell, where they are subjected to
horrific psychic torture as punishment for their sins.
Although they are only incorporeal souls, they seem
to have a body, and the violence inflicted upon this
body is felt by the soul as pain. But it can never “kill”
them, and they are usually able to think and reflect on
the sins that got them into Hell in the first place. This
punishment is not done without cause; those who re-
pent their deeds are eventually allowed to move on. A
sincere repentance is more than just saying “I’m sorry,”
and imprisoned souls can remain in Hell for a long,
long time. Some sins are so wicked that there is no
forgiveness, and some sinners are so steeped in their
crime that they will never repent, so Hell has many
long-term tenants. But it also has many short-term
visitors who die with sins on their heads; rumor has
it that even Arthur himself spent some time here, and
the tale of Lancelot and Guinevere has brought many
adulterous lovers to a stint in Hell.
The ultimate authority in Hell is God, not Satan.
Satan’s role is a strange one, at once both prisoner and
instrument of divine will. He hates his master but is
too consumed by sin to repent. Instead, he struggles
futilely against divine justice, never succeeding. The
birth of Merlin is perhaps the best illustration of this
principle in action. Satan wanted an Antichrist to
bring about the end of the world, a world God made
and Satan hated. So he sent a devil to seduce a mortal.
But God ensured that the mother was an innocent
woman and so Merlin was born with the best of both
worlds: perfect knowledge of the past thanks to his
demonic parent, but perfect knowledge of the future
thanks to God. He was neither the Antichrist nor with-
out sin. He was, in other words, just like the rest of
us: able to rise or fall just as every other mortal does.
Satan’s plan came to naught, as always. The real drama

in the universe isn’t the struggle between God and the
Devil; the outcome of that conflict is always the same.
Mankind, however, is in doubt. Will they be good or
evil, virtuous or wicked? That question is asked every
moment of every day for every mortal on earth, and
the answer is never known until the very last moment.
You may have player characters who choose to draw
on Hell’s power during the game. Far more common
will be antagonists who are either demons or mor-
tal agents who have fallen into Satanism. Chapter
9: Allies & Adversaries has examples of witches and
black magicians. The magical talents Necromancy
and Summon & Banish allow a GM to introduce both
walking corpses and demons, especially when cou-
pled with stunts like Human Sacrifice or Coven. For
a diabolist whose power comes from Hell, not Faerie,
dispense with Enchantment Points and simply inflict
stress and consequences that represent increasing
damnation. Many demons and evil magicians can dis-
guise their appearance to create a beautiful form; you
can do this with a stunt, an aspect, or an ad hoc extra.
The Fate System Toolkit describes the Void-Callers, a
great magic system for evil magicians.
Satan-worshipping antagonists are mortal and will
have all of a mortal’s foibles and personal concerns.
They make good foes because their goals and actions,
while mad or petty, are still human. A neo-Nazi who
has convinced himself that “Satan was right” does not
need to have a direct line to a demon, or indeed have
any supernatural power at all. Armed with nothing
but fanaticism and a credit card, he could do immea-
surable harm to a great many innocent people. This
is likely to be the first contact your heroes will have
with the powers of Hell: ordinary people who have
turned to evil out of a desire for money, power, or
self-gratification.
Actual demons, however, appear in order
to test mortal heroes. These tests can take
nearly any form. Players are going to get
compelled to do wicked things and, if
they accept these compels, the de-
mon is victorious—demonstrating
its victory by hurting the hero or
someone close to him and then
departing. Situations like this
are exceptions to Fate’s
usual advice regard-
ing compels; if a play-
er is willing to fork
over hard-earned
Fate points to resist
a demon’s tempta-
tions, you should let
him. That willingness
to do good, to be self-
less, charitable, and
merciful, is exactly
Chapter 8: The Setting
what is being tested here. Besides, there are plenty
of other Troubles that have nothing to do with sinful
behavior. When a hero does resists temptation and
takes positive action, the demon is defeated and flees
or self-destructs. The point here is that demons do not
need to be fought in hand-to-hand combat. Simply
acting in a virtuous manner will keep the infernal at
bay, though it’s not always clear what “right” is, and a
knight must often persevere through extreme pain and
discomfort before the trial ends.
However, sometimes demons do pose physical dan-
ger. Demons are constantly wreaking havoc in the
mortal world, and it usually falls to mortal champions
to oppose them. Half-demon offspring are a common
example; they mature with supernatural speed and
possess great strength and stamina (among other pow-
ers). When God restrains his hand and allows ordinary
human beings to stand up to and defeat demons, he
is giving those mortals a chance to rise above fear and
weakness to become something greater. Characters
who have taken it upon themselves to protect innocent
people from harm must prove their dedication to that
philosophy by facing foes who are more than mortal.
Faerie
In contrast to Heaven and Hell, Faerie is a realm
which heroes of the Arthurian Age can expect to visit
– though coming back may be a bit more difficult! It
is an intensely magical place; indeed, everything na-
tive to it is to some extent magical. This has led some
to argue that Faerie is the source of magic. The con-
tention is difficult to prove, but in the end it may not
much matter. What does matter is that while heroes
can reach Faerie, have adventures in its
woodlands, and even hold
court with its mighty rul-
ers, they had better keep
their wits about
them.
Faerie
does
not
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 Chapter 8: The Setting

obey the same rules as the world we were born in, and
those who
Hollow Hills
ignore its peril will learn their folly only too late. Places of burial have sometimes provided entrance
to Faerie, specifically to the Faerie otherworld of
Parting the Veil Annwn. The most famous of these paths began as
burial mounds in Britain, home to Neolithic remains
While Heaven is somewhere above us, and Hell un-
and those of Anglo-Saxon chieftains. The British
doubtedly somewhere below, Faerie is always close by.
called these low earthen barrows “hollow hills,” and
It is just over the next hill or just out of sight of land.
they were entered by a single stone doorway in the
Faerie is separated from the mortal world by an invis-
side of the tomb. Those who entered found themselves
ible barrier known as “the Faerie Veil,” or simply the
in a similar tomb somewhere in Annwn, usually sur-
Veil. The Veil is permeable; anyone can walk across it.
rounded by the inhospitable dead. Such a journey was
In the time of Arthur’s reign it was possible to wander
not for the faint of heart. Indeed, only the most foolish
across the Veil without even knowing it. But with the
attempted it, and only the most brave survived.
waning of magic and the end of the Arthurian Age,
The connection between places of burial and
the Veil retreated so that none knew just where it lay.
Annwn remains today; actual hollow hills are rare,
There are, however, other ways to reach Faerie even if
but easier to find than ever thanks to GPS and Google
the Veil cannot be found.
Maps. Heroes seeking to find the Faerie otherworld
Stone Circles are advised to seek out tombs, open graves, or any-
where else that notable mortals have been laid to rest
The oldest and most well-documented method … but be careful on your way out.
of travel to Faerie is through stone circles, of which
Stonehenge in England is only the best example. Boats
Stone circles are often places of power that rest at the
Before every degree of the world was known to car-
confluence of ley lines; this means they are likely to
tographers and explorers, there was a long tradition
be watched or even lived in by supernatural guardians
that Faerie could be found by sailing beyond sight
such as witches, magicians, spirits, or Faerie creatures.
of land. The connection between water and Faerie is
It is difficult for aspiring travelers to approach such a
deep, profound, and mysterious. It was by this very
stone circle unobserved, and wise heroes will bring
means that Arthur himself was brought to Faerie by
gifts or bribes to secure passage through the circle.
the Four Queens.
Each stone circle has its own method of activation.
Those who seek to reach Faerie by water must lose
Often they are built to part the Veil on a particular
sight of all civilization or even landmarks. Deep fog
evening of the year or hour of the day. Others require
can suffice for those who sail rivers, lakes, or coastal
skill in Occult and the performance of a magical rite.
waters, but any sign of the familiar – including land or
Diligent research is key to learning the method of
stars – will prevent the crossing. The larger the crew,
activation for any given circle, and that may require
the more difficult it is to break contact with anything
seeking out dusty books or finding a living mortal who
familiar, so take as small a boat as possible and con-
has used the circle in the past. Those who dwell in or
sider leaving trained navigators at home. The actual
near stone circles usually know the method to activate
passage between worlds is marked by intense storms
them, so heroes who have no personal Occult skill can
which, more often than not, break the ship apart.
still reach Faerie if they have payment the guardians
Those fortunate enough to actually make the transit
will accept.
to Faerie and not simply wind up lost, shipwrecked, or
Stone circles send travelers to corresponding circles
dead, should see one of Faerie’s many western islands
in Faerie similar in appearance but in better repair.
or, if they traveled over rivers and lakes, the isle of
Thanks to the timelessness of Faerie, the memory
Avalon. Because arriving in Faerie by sea is the least
of previous travelers is always fresh in the minds of
expected means of travel, Faerie inhabitants are often
Faerie creatures, so mortals can expect a welcome of
surprised at the sight of mortals, whom they may nev-
some sort – perhaps from an ogre or troll who uses
er have encountered before. Travelers frequently wash
the circle as a reliable source of food, or from a with-
up on Faerie beaches with nothing but the clothes on
ered hag who shoos travelers out of her home and
their back, but the hospitality of Faeries can be exces-
on to Goblin Market. Faerie rulers in need of cham-
sive; handsome heroes can be welcomed, dressed, and
pions have even been known to post signs near well-
pampered only to find they are not allowed to leave.
known stone circles, directing mortals to the nearest
glass castle.

130

More on the Veil
For most of mortal history the Veil was a relatively
sturdy barrier. Occasionally a unicorn would stray
too far and end up in the mortal realm, or a traveling
storyteller would make an unwise camp too close to
the Veil and wake up in Elfland, but these were rare
exceptions. As a rule, creatures of Faerie stayed in
Faerie, and mortals remained here. That changed
with the Dolorous Stroke, a magical blow which sent
shockwaves throughout the mystic cosmos. The Stroke
rent a hole in the Veil and the enchantment that filled
Faerie spilled out over Britain. The immediate effect
was the destruction of three counties and the death
of many innocent people, but the long-term ramifica-
tions were far-reaching. Magic suffused Arthur’s realm
and his reign, enchanting the King himself, Britain,
and all who dwelt there. Faerie knights, monsters, and
castles slipped across the Veil into our world; knights
stumbled in and out of Faerie so frequently that the
Veil ceased to be a barrier in anything but name.
Arthur became known as “the King of Adventure” and
his very life was magical; these effects spread forward
and backward in time like ripples in a pool. History
was rewritten and made more amazing thereby.
Galahad’s successful achievement of the Grail Quest
allowed him to cure the Dolorous Stroke and repair
the Faerie Veil. Magic began to retreat from our world,
but the echoes left by the Stroke ensured that Arthur’s
reign did not collapse overnight. It took a few years for
the last effects of the Stroke to fade and for mundane
history to take hold again. The balance between the
mortal world and Faerie returned to its previous state.
There were occasional visitors from here and there,
and magic was fainter than it had been; it was once
again easy for all of us to pretend that magic was not
real, and Faeries were the stuff of make-believe and
children’s stories. Over the years the Veil retreated un-
til its location was unknown to all but a select few.
Recently, however, there are hints that the Veil may
have slipped forward again, and that it may be found
in our mortal world even by those who do not seek it.
No one has yet learned an explanation for this. Those
who seek the Veil are advised that it is seldom where
you expect it to be. The mortal folk who dwell near
it refuse to speak of it, for the nearness of that much
magic and enchantment has disturbed and frightened
them. But stories of missing persons, strange arrivals,
and lights or sounds which defy easy classification
are signposts that Faerie may be near. In ancient days
the Veil appeared only in forests, fields, and lakes, far
from cities and settled land, but in the centuries that
have passed many previously wild countries have been
tamed. Swamps have become cities, and woodlands
bulldozed into homes. The Veil could be anywhere.
Chapter 8: The Setting
If it can be found, the Veil makes for a very easy
travel method to Faerie. It can be crossed effortlessly,
though one is never quite sure where in Faerie one will
end up. Once in Faerie, the Veil is visible as a shim-
mering blue curtain, and it tends to remain in more
or less the same place thanks to the timeless nature of
Faerie itself. This means that getting back to mortal
lands is relatively easy; that’s good when a mortal is
trying to return to his family, but hazardous when a
Faerie denizen wants to come to Earth for a bout of
chaotic violence.
Far from the Fields We Know
The lands of Faerie are not well known or under-
stood by mortals, and few reliable maps of these
territories exist. For a time it was believed that all the
magical realms described by mortal cultures over the
centuries were each separate and distinct places, but
we have now come to understand that all these en-
chanted locales are contained within Faerie, though
they may not always be accessible to one another.
The magic of Faerie is visible in its supernatural
landscape: mountains are perilously tall and forebod-
ing, their cliffs sheer and sharp. Rivers are sparkling,
cold, and pure. Forests are thick, verdant, and home to
all sorts of amazing creatures. Indeed, all the animals
native to Faerie are in some way magical. They can
understand human speech and often talk themselves,
though there are always some poor mortal beasts
which have wandered into Faerie to be pitied by their
smarter and more self-aware kin.
Faerie is a timeless place; those who visit it now will
find it little changed from the Arthurian Age. Many of
its denizens are immortal, at least as long as they dwell
within Faerie’s borders, and they will remember trav-
elers from centuries past as if it was yesterday. Seasons
do come to Faerie, and those who dwell there remem-
ber a then that is in contrast to now, but the amount of
time which lay between these two concepts is a flexi-
ble, messy thing. While it is never safe to make broad
generalizations, most pilgrims from the mortal world
who come to Faerie and have adventures there return
to Earth to find that very little time has passed. (The
opposite is also sometimes true – travelers spend a
short time in Faerie and return to find months or years
have passed in the mortal realm – but this mechanic
is perhaps best reserved for GMs in special situations.
For example, when one of your players leaves the
game for a while and returns months later, perhaps
she has been wandering Faerie in the interim.)
Ley-lines and places of power are common in
Faerie, but the entire place is The Source of Magic, an
aspect that can be invoked by any enchanter trying to
cast a spell.
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 Chapter 8: The Setting
The Forest of Adventure
For many travelers, this is the first part of Faerie en-
countered. The Forest of Adventure is a vast and lush
forest criss-crossed by paths and dotted with stone
towers and hilltop castles. It is the province of Queene
Gloriana, but is populated by many Faerie monsters,
demons, and Amazon tribes which have no love for
her and which flaunt her rule. Accordingly, she enlists
the aid of courtiers and champions who go out into the
forest and mete out royal justice. Many small hamlets,
farms, and villages can be found within the Forest,
and some of Gloriana’s folk are magical beasts who
acknowledge her as Queene and Empress. The inhabi-
tants of the Forest of Adventure are likely to remember
Arthurian characters; their questing took place here
and the young Arthur himself was a special favorite
of the Queene. While this ensures that the Forest is
one of the safest places for incarnations to visit, it also
means that Gloriana’s subjects will expect Arthur’s
men to bring the Queene’s peace to the various giants,
fiends, and more monstrous creatures which make the
Forest their home.
Elfland
Elfland is a mountain-ringed domain that borders
the Faerie Veil. Centuries ago, its King expanded the
Veil large enough to swallow up the nearby mortal
village of Erl, which is now a bustling market town
visited by Faerie folk from all over. The King’s fabulous
glass castle overlooks Erl and a surrounding forest of
enchanted trees that protects Elfland from foes. The
King, whose magic power is so great that it is said he
controls the geography of Elfland itself, is also served
by a personal guard of elves in Faerie armor impervi-
ous to all mundane weaponry. Renowned for its ma-
jestic unicorn herds and Erl’s flocks of golden sheep,
Elfland is bordered by a dangerous swamp filled with
malicious will-o-wisps. Its countryside is prowled by
a particular breed of trolls: small, fur-covered, gob-
lin-like creatures possessed of great speed and a ca-
pricious sense of humor. Long-standing laws prohibit
troll entry into Erl, but this just forces the little crea-
tures to be more clever in their pranks.
Avalon
Arthur’s resting place for many mortal years, Avalon
is a forested island in the center of a broad glassy body
of water known simply as “The Lake.” The isle itself is
decorated with groves of apple trees and is a refuge for
a sect of priestesses both Faerie and mortal. A very few
desperate and forsaken women from around the world
have been allowed to find this haven over the years,
where they have found sisterhood and a new purpose
in life. It is here that the Ladies of the Lake are trained,
and it was here that the Four Queens tried to heal
Arthur of his mortal wound. When their efforts came
132
to naught, Arthur was preserved in the Cauldron of
Annwn until such a time as he could be reincarnated.
No queen or king would try to command the Ladies
of the Lake; their wisdom is revered throughout Faerie
and their isle is a place of pilgrimage for mortal and
Faerie alike. The women who dwell in Avalon rule
their own affairs; it is they who decide to accept new
women into the order, and they have even been known
to rescue male children of great destiny who were in
peril. Guests are welcome, but the discourteous are not
long tolerated and no violence is permitted on the isle.
Those who insist on bringing their troubles with them
find themselves overcome by spells of sleep and de-
posited back on the mainland. Those who try to cross
the Lake without the approval of the Ladies find their
boat surrounded by dense fog that makes navigation
impossible. When the traveler finds a shore, it could
be anywhere in Faerie or the mortal world.
Escaping from History
Time passes very slowly in Faerie; indeed,
sometimes it feels like time doesn’t pass at all.
That means people from Earth’s past who some-
how found themselves across the Veil could still
be there today, when Arthurian incarnations
go exploring Faerie and find them. Avalon, as
a haven for women who have fled the world of
men, is an especially good place to find such
refugees. Other mortals, who slid across the Veil
by accident, could be wandering the Forest of
Adventure. Maybe the eleven days of Agatha
Christie’s famous disappearance were spent in
Avalon; Amelia Earhart might be alive and well as
King Alberich’s consort.
Arden
The Forest of Arden is the domain of King Oberon
and Titania, his Queene. Smaller than the Forest of
Adventure, Arden is a more peaceful place where
the Faerie inhabitants are charged with maintaining
the natural order of things. By Oberon and Titania’s
decree, every mechanism of nature from the falling
of leaves to the placement of dew upon the morning
grass is managed by Faeries. This may be an effort
to keep these otherwise mischievous beings from
getting into too much trouble. If so, it is largely suc-
cessful, though there are always layabouts who shirk
their duty in favor of revels and idle entertainments.
Although no permanent settlements exist within
Arden, the forest is bordered by many towns and vil-
lages and is often crossed by pilgrims, so the Faeries
here have many opportunities to interfere in the lives
of others.
The rulers of Arden avoid political entanglements
with other Faerie realms, and the inhabitants here
have little knowledge of Arthur or his knights. Visitors

are likely to be treated with curiosity and possibly
made the butt of pranks until Oberon and Titania
learn of their presence. Mortals are not expected to
remain in Arden beyond sunrise, unless they are very
attractive or make for entertaining marks, in which
case their stay may be quite long indeed.
Western Isles
Located off the coast of Faerie, the Western Isles are
small self-contained domains each ruled by a different
Faerie lord. Because of their isolation from the rest of
Faerie, and the lack of traffic or commerce, customs
and inhabitants of the Western Isles can be exceeding-
ly strange. In these lands dwell people with the heads
of dogs, people whose faces are beneath their shoul-
ders, and people with one leg or one arm growing out
of their chest. The Western Isles are also said to be
possessed of incredible riches, though this is not nec-
essarily unique among Faerie realms, where gold and
jewels are so plentiful as to be commonplace.
Several of the Western Isles traveled back and forth
to the mortal realm during the Arthurian Age and
even after, leading them to be visited and even occa-
sionally ruled by men. The memory of these mortal
rulers is still fresh in the Western Isles, even if the men
themselves are long dead, and mortal travelers can be
viewed with great respect by the locals even as the new
rulers see them as dangerous rivals.
Goblin Market
The Great Goblin Market is a periodic event in
Faerie, the most fabulous marketplace in the realm.
It is never conducted in the same locale twice, and
between seasons all of Faerie is abuzz with efforts to
determine where the next market will be held. Faerie
merchants and craftsmen bring their wares from all
over, stone circles bustle with activity, and the Veil
thins so that you never know just who might turn up.
The Market always lasts for precisely twelve days, from
sunup to sundown, though plenty of haggling occurs
overnight in whatever inns or boarding houses are for-
tunate enough to be located nearby.
Travelers to Goblin Market have no common cur-
rency, and so every exchange is done in barter. The
potent magic of both buyers and sellers ensures that
almost anything can be negotiated at the Market, from
Napoleon’s pistols to a virgin’s modesty. Frequent vis-
itors have come to recognize and even befriend other
merchants, so that Goblin Market has become a com-
munity of friends who only see each other during the
twelve-day festival. No Faerie is too great or poor to
appear at Market, though some adopt false disguises
which fool no-one. Gloriana herself once attended in a
peacock-mask.
Chapter 8: The Setting
Annwn, the Otherworld
Annwn is the most terrifying part of Faerie. It is
the Faerie otherworld, a home to many restless souls
who have not yet passed on to Heaven or to Hell.
Many of the dead who have come to dwell here re-
fuse to acknowledge the existence of the divine, and
in their ignorant blindness they sentence themselves
to an eternity of unrest. Evil and malevolent Faeries
naturally gravitate to Annwn and make their home
there among the wraiths and walking corpses. Some
supernatural creatures from the mortal world find a
way into Faerie so that they can take refuge in Annwn;
vampires, ghouls, and cursed mortals dwell here in
hiding from mankind, feasting on herds of Faerie cat-
tle kept for just this purpose.
Bordered by a stinking, fog-ridden waterway and
towered over by awesome dark mountains, Annwn
is ruled by petty lords who revel in cruelty. Their
dwellings are fantastic and horrific castles guarded
by foreboding iron gates and built by magic: Castle
Revolving, the Castle of Glass, the Castle of Four
Towers, the Castle of Mead, and more. Early in
Arthur’s reign, he attempted a raid on Annwn in order
to secure a legendary cauldron that could bring back
the dead. Although the raid eventually succeeded,
three shiploads of Arthur’s men arrived on Annwn’s
shores and only seven knights returned. Annwn’s in-
habitants are not to be trifled with, and they show no
mercy. Arthurian incarnations who visit this land now
should not expect a kind welcome, for the memory of
the dead is long indeed and it is rumored that many of
Arthur’s original warriors are still prisoners in Annwn,
bound and tortured by its ghastly inhabitants in re-
venge for the lost cauldron.
Faerie Lords (and Ladies)
The inhabitants of Faerie are exceptionally diverse,
and include not only elves, goblins, giants, dragons,
and talking animals, but also fiends who have depart-
ed Hell and the occasional angelic servant on a mis-
sion. Towns and villages of otherwise-ordinary folk are
common here, generally minding their own business
and living their lives as they always have. There is at
least one city of the Amazons to be found within the
Forest of Adventure, and its fierce inhabitants rely on
captured men for manual labor and reproduction.
Because enchantment is so much a part of Faerie,
powerful sorcerers, witches, and court magicians are
all too common. Many monsters native to the mortal
world – werewolves, vampires, and restless spirits –
have found their way into Faerie and now reside there
permanently, avoiding the curious gaze of mortals.
There are many powerful lords among Faerie
kind, and the greatest of these kings and queenes
hold courts of their own. War between Faerie lords
is extremely rare, since the permanence of death
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 Chapter 8: The Setting
is something Faeries wish to avoid, but individual
knights who have sworn loyalty to one lord or another
frequently meet in personal combat along the track-
less paths that lead through Faerie woods, and in this
way the courts compete for pecking order, influence,
wealth and reputation.
Gloriana
Generally acknowledged as the most influential
of the Faerie monarchs, if not the most personally
powerful, Queene Gloriana’s realm centers on the
sprawling Forest of Adventure. Her magnificent city
of Troyvantium lies just beyond the forest’s borders
along a broad and shimmering river, and it is there
where she keeps her court of Faerie nobles, knights,
and damsels. Gloriana is widely revered for her gener-
osity, fairness, and sense of justice. She is gracious and
kind to all whom she considers friends, but when her
wrath is aroused she becomes fierce and tempestuous.
Beautiful and unmarried, she plays her many court-
iers against one another in competition for her favors,
and by this means keeps her court busy improving the
realm and the lives of her subjects.
Gloriana met Arthur shortly after he drew the sword
from the stone, before he was crowned king. During
this time, the handsome and young “Prince Arthur,” as
he was known, was Gloriana’s greatest champion. He
traveled throughout the Forest of Adventure lending
his aid to Gloriana’s questing knights, learning the vir-
tues of a good king, and acting as a role model for all
whom he encountered. But once Arthur was crowned,
his romance with lady Lyonors, as well as the need to
find a mortal wife and queen, soured his relationship
with Gloriana, who became fiercely jealous and re-
sented Arthur’s rejection. It is said that Gloriana quiet-
ly provided aid to the Four Queens when they sought
to bring Arthur back to life, but it is not certain what
reaction Arthur would have were he to personally
return to court. Virtuous knights and ladies, however,
can count on a welcome reception.
Oberon and Titania
This married Faerie couple is infamous for their
lovers’ quarrels, which spill over into thunderstorms,
freakish weather, and other bizarre phenomena
thanks to the relationship between fey and nature
within Arden forest. Both Queene Titania and King
Oberon are endlessly absorbed by mortals, and their
lusty habits have led both to take multiple lovers of
either gender on occasion. Inevitably one finds out
about the affair of the other, the two get to fighting,
then eventually make up, and peace is restored. In
the meantime, snow falls in Faerie spring and the sun
burns hot in winter.
The court of Arden has, in the past, abducted many
mortal children who struck its fancy. Stolen youths
were replaced with Faerie changelings who remained
134
behind until their patience ran out, then fled back
across the Veil. Some of these children grow to adult-
hood in Faerie and end up making a humble living in
Arden, their royal masters eventually tiring of them,
while others manage to escape back to the mortal
world and grow up to lead brief but inspired lives of
poetry, artistic expression, and song.
Titania is served by an order of priestesses modeled
on the Ladies of the Lake, and she is believed to be on
good relations with both them and the Amazons of the
Forest of Adventure. Oberon, for his part, relies heavily
on his chief courtier, Robin Goodfellow, whose travel
back and forth to the mortal realm has been frequent
enough to make him something of a local legend.
While the Faeries of the court of Arden enjoy mortals,
they have little respect for them – they seem quite
comfortable doing whatever they want with beautiful
men and women, whom they consider playthings and
momentary entertainments, somewhat better than fa-
vored housepets.
The King of Elfland
The King of Elfland is a distant and inscrutable
figure greatly feared for his intense magical might.
Although he holds court in his fabulous glass castle,
it is his daughter Lirazel and her mortal husband
Alveric who administer the day to day needs of the
realm. Their son, Prince Orion, busies himself with
hunting, an obsession which has driven out virtually
all other concerns.
Clad in stately robes, wearing a high crown, and pos-
sessed of an enormous white beard, the King seldom
leaves his tower and seems discomfited only when his
daughter leaves his sight. It is said his bride was a mor-
tal woman, but her name is unknown and she must
have died long ago. No one knows for sure. Since the
withdrawal of the Faerie Veil, the King has watched
events in the mortal realm with growing unease and
concern. He has long considered Earth and its peo-
ple a threat to him and his way of life, even if mortals
intend no direct harm. The introduction of time into
Elfland would mean the introduction of pain, suffer-
ing, and death, none of which the King would wel-
come, and he is actively seeking ways to preserve the
Veil and make it stronger against human intrusion.
Lirazel, who conducts the business of the kingdom in
her father’s name, finds the mutability of mortal life
fascinating, however, and has an endless appetite for
traveler’s tales, so the King keeps his concerns to him-
self even as his magical investigations lead his research
farther and farther afield.
Alberich
Alberich, King of the Dwarves, is a legendary
shapeshifter, craftsman, and magician. There is a
small but vocal minority of Faeries who claim that he
and Oberon of Arden are actually one and the same

creature, an allegation made possible by Alberich’s
reclusive ways, but the Dwarf King’s scorn for the
frivolous and unbecoming habits of Arden’s court
seems persuasive.
Certainly the most wealthy of all Faerie lords,
Alberich has come to resent mankind for its repeated
efforts to seize his treasure. Alberich’s seclusion may
be due to some kind of curse which has grown into
rampant paranoia. Regardless, those who attempt to
visit him in his mountain court are undoubtedly pre-
sumed to be spies and thieves. A long bout in one of
Alberich’s prisons is the usual result, and many mor-
tals have been trapped here in timeless Faerie dun-
geons for centuries of Earthly history.
Within Alberich’s mountain fortress, the engines
and hammers of the dwarves ring without cease, craft-
ing weapons, jewels, and other more arcane machines
the purpose of which few can guess. The craftsman-
ship of his court is revered throughout Faerie and his
baubles decorate the throats, wrists, and fingers of
every fashionable elvish lord and lady. The higher he
raises his prices, the more other Faeries seem willing
to pay, and this only increases Aberich’s scorn for
them. Privately, he considers all the other kings and
queenes of Faerie to be enslaved to him through bonds
of greed and avarice, worthy only of his contempt. He
may be right.
Mab
Queene Mab dwells on the outskirts of Faerie soci-
ety and she has little interaction with the other royal
courts. This is because she is so very busy, for Mab’s
domain is that of mortal dreams. She is the self-ap-
pointed monarch of these dreams, even though she
Chapter 8: The Setting
cannot hope to supervise all of them, even with the
aid of her large court of Faerie servants. With the
weakening of the Veil, Mab has redoubled her labors
and press-ganged many Faeries into her employ in an
effort to expand her domain into as many dreams as
possible. So far, it seems to be working, though she
must keep very strict discipline among her followers
and occasionally resort to ghastly punishment in order
to keep everyone in line.
Mab, who maintains a strict policy of neutrality to-
wards other realms such as Annwn, Arden, and the
Forest of Adventure, has a somewhat antagonistic
relationship to mortals, even though she relies upon
them for the nightly construction of her kingdom. She
seems to think them very unreliable tenants in her do-
main, as if at any time all the mortal world might sud-
denly wake up at once and her domain would cease to
exist. Her followers ensure that men and women have
many tantalizing dreams of wish-fulfillment in order
to keep them dreaming. This grants stability to Mab’s
realm, but has also increased the contempt which
Mab and her kind feel towards mortals who, after
all, usually wish for quite mundane and petty things.
The mortals who earn Mab’s respect are those who
dream awesome, majestic, and fantastic dreams. These
dreams bring new wonders to her kingdom and elicit
her own grudging admiration.
Merlin, who is said by some to have been made into
a dream during the time of his imprisonment, is ru-
mored to have had a relationship of some kind with
Mab, though the details are not known. Otherwise,
few of Arthur’s knights have ever knowingly met this
elusive Faerie mistress, though all have walked in her
kingdom on nightly excursions.
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 Chapter 9: Allies and Adversaries
Chapter 9: Allies and Adversaries
Threat Level
GMs need antagonists of varying power level,
suitable to groups and specific players of varying
ability. Sure, your table’s Gawain may have Melee
+5, Galatine, and inhuman strength, but Morgause,
sitting right next to him, has no combat ability high-
er than Brawl +1. Here’s a short list of all the adver-
saries in this book, organized by highest skill.
136
Skill
+1
Adversaries
Cops, Falcon, Snake
+2 Dogs, Enforcers, Federal Agents, Horse, Murder
of Crows, Redcap, Spider Brood, Stag, Suicide
Bomber, Vampire Minion, Walking Corpse, Wolves
+3 Bear, Blackcap, Bluecap, Lion, Magus, Salamander,
Security Officer, Shark, Shooter, Big Spider,
Vampire Spawn, Wild Boar, Witch
+4 Basilisk and Cockatrice, Small Dragon, Faerie
Damsel, Giant Boar, Hippogriff, Old Ned, Phoenix,
Huge Spider, Vampire Lieutenant, Werewolf, Worm,
Wyvern
+5 Black Magus, Cath Palug, Faerie Knight, Fiendish
Corpse, Large Dragon, Small Giant, Incubus and
Succubus, Manticore, Nathan Landis, Mr. Invisible,
Shannon Goodall, Sphinx, Unicorn, Master Vampire,
Big Worm
+6 Demon, Devil Spawn, Huge Dragon, Faerie Queene,
Giant, Griffin, Hiram Warren, Questling, Rialto, Troll,
Huge Worm, Yron Squire
+7 Demon Prince, Enormous Dragon, General Douglass,
Big Giant, Gretchen Schwan, Vampire Lord
+8 Angel, Mythical Dragon, Fairy Tale Giant, Glatisant,
Sophie Von Ribbentrop, Twrch Trwyth

Scale
Some of the creatures in this book are big.
Really big. Arthur Lives! uses Scale, discussed
in the Fate System Toolkit, to represent those sit-
uations in which size has significant effects
on play. Here’s the AL! Scale at a glance.
• Scale 0: Small as a Cat, or about 10 pounds. Infants
might be Scale 0, but most children are not.
• Scale 1: Man-size. All PCs will be Scale 1. If Scale
is not listed for an NPC in this book, it’s Scale 1.
• Scale 2: Big as a Bear, or about 1,000 pounds. Most
large quadrupeds, including horses, are Scale 2.
• Scale 3: Big as an Elephant or a T. Rex,
or about 10,000 pounds. This is for the
very largest of land-going beasts.
• Scale 4: Big as a Whale or an Apatosaurus,
or about 50 tons. We’re talking enor-
mous dragons or King Kong.
• Scale 5: Bigger than Anything that Ever Lived,
or about 500 tons. Have you heard that story
about a sea turtle mistaken for an island?
Since your protagonists will almost always be Scale 1,
Scale is mostly important when PCs have to fight
monsters like giants, dragons, and trolls, all of which
are pretty big. Give an NPC with Scale a +2 bonus
to Weapon and Armor for every step in Scale it has
over its opponents. So, if human PCs are fighting a
Scale 3 giant, that giant has Armor:4 and Weapon:4.
Creature Features
The NPCs here have aspects, skills, stunts and
extras. These last two have been grouped together as
“Creature Features.” These extras aren’t intended for
PCs to purchase and, indeed, their cost in refresh is not
calculated or listed. Because it doesn’t matter. NPCs
have whatever traits your story needs them to have.
Dressing the Beast
Most Faerie creatures have an unusual or fan-
tastic appearance, and this appearance makes it
difficult for these beings to move in mortal society.
When an enchanter summons such creatures across
the Faerie Veil, he can choose to “dress” them in a
new, less fantastic, appearance at the cost of some
of their physical abilities. These NPCs are referred
to as “dressed” and their disguise is a “dressing.”
Dressing a creature is time-consuming and exhaust-
ing, and the process is one of diminishing returns
(the more time spent, the smaller each improve-
ment is). Because of this, dressings can be broadly
divided into “quick and dirty” or “slow and sure.”
Chapter 9: Allies and Adversaries
Quick & Dirty
Faerie creatures subjected to a quick & dirty dressing
can barely pass as mundane, and their appearance
will still be freakish and unusual. They will have
odd colored skin, hair, and eyes, and their physical
proportions are off. They’re ugly. Wearing a long
coat or hoodie, they will still attract attention, but
they will not cause screams of terror. These crea-
tures will be accepted as humans, albeit scary ones.
Dressing a creature with a quick & dirty enchant-
ment takes several minutes, but it can be done
on multiple creatures of the same type all at the
same time. However, in these cases, the dressings
are all identical. So, for example, if you summon a
trio of trolls to do your bidding and dress them all
together in quick & dirty style, they all look exact-
ly alike. Dressing a creature quick & dirty inflicts
Enchantment Points on the enchanter equal to the
creature’s Scale; add 1 Enchantment Point for each
additional creature you’re dressing at the same time.
Dressing a Scale 0 creature can be done in an ex-
change, while Scale 1 creatures require a minute
or two. Dressing a Scale 2 creature requires about
an hour, and it takes several hours to dress a Scale
3 creature. Dressing a Scale 4 creature, even “quick
& dirty”, is a task of incredible difficulty requiring
about a day of constant enchantment. It’s not possible
for a mortal enchanter to dress anything Scale 5.
Slow & Sure
When your summoned Faerie is going to be
around a while and has to pass for human under
close inspection, you need to dress him in a more
convincing disguise. Faeries dressed by this meth-
od will be almost entirely ordinary in appearance.
They won’t need concealing clothing or the cover of
darkness to move in human society. However, there
will still be something unusual about them; perhaps
they have no eyebrows or other facial hair, or their
blood is an unusual color (like yellow or green).
Regardless, this is something which can be hidden.
A “slow & sure” dressing can’t be performed on
multiple creatures at once. It inflicts Enchantment
Points, and requires time, similar to the quick & dirty
method but as if the creature’s Scale was 2 higher.
That means a Scale 1 Faerie requires several hours
to dress and the enchanter generates 6 EP. No mor-
tal enchanter can use the slow & sure method on a
creature of Scale 3 or larger; it’s just too physically
taxing and trying results only in failure or death.
Even the slow & sure method cannot give a crea-
ture the appearance of a specific human being. If
an enchanter wants his summoned ally to have a
specific human appearance, he uses Glamour.
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 Chapter 9: Allies and Adversaries

Dressing Mechanics
Regardless of which kind of dressing is used, there
are some rules which apply. Magical senses pene-
trate dressings, and dressings can be broken with
the Revealing Word (see Dispel in Chapter 5). The
enchanter who created a dressing can remove it in a
single exchange as long as he can observe the crea-
ture he dressed, even remotely. A dressed creature
who takes a minor consequence may have its dressing
broken, revealing its true appearance; note that the
dressing does not grant an additional consequence,
losing it is just a common form of minor consequence.
Intelligent creatures can pass as human and so are
usually dressed as people. They become Scale 1 re-
gardless of their original size, lose any wings, tails, or
other appendages, and any extras or stunts dependent
on these limbs (such as flight or a tail attack). They
lose natural Weapons and Armor, but retain extras
like Inhuman Strength or Supernatural Toughness.
All their skills and aspects remain, though some
might apply only when the creature loses its dressing.
Unintelligent creatures — like wyverns, drakes,
and a basilisk — cannot convincingly pass as hu-
man even if given human form, so they are instead
dressed as animals or objects. (Note that a quick &
dirty dressing into an animal or object will result
in a bizarre looking animal or object.) To make the
disguise more effective, the dressing is usually sim-
ilar to the creature’s original shape, but this is not
always possible. A giant boar can be dressed as an
ordinary pig and a basilisk can look like a snake, but
a wyvern may have to make do with the shape of a
horse or a cow. Creatures can also be given the shape
of inanimate objects like cars, trees, or boulders. In
this shape, the creature has only limited control of its
own body. A dragon dressed as a car can roll under
its own power, open its doors, turn the stereo on or
off, or be driven, but it can’t walk or fly. Creatures of
this sort generally retain their Scale but lose oth-
er qualities like wings, tails, Weapons and Armor,
extras and stunts, just as dressed humanoids do.

Incarnations An educated man and West Point graduate,

General Scott Douglass
Main NPC
Scott Douglass is a hero of the Persian Gulf War;
along with his unit of elite commandos, he landed
behind enemy lines, sabotaging weapons and fuel
depots and assassinating key figures in the Republican
Guard. By the time the main armor broached the Iraqi
fortifications, the defenders were leaderless, out of
bullets, and out of gas. For his personal heroism and
valor, he was awarded the Silver Star; for crippling the
enemy so brilliantly he was promoted to Lt. Colonel.
Douglass first encountered Shakespeare’s Macbeth
while doing commando training with the SAS in
Britain. He instantly connected with the tale, and after
his return from Iraq he took his wife and young son
to Edinburgh, the setting of the play and the heart of
the medieval land of Lothian. There, he became the
hapless target of an IRA cell on the run. His son was
first abducted and then killed. In anguish, in the shad-
ow of Edinburgh’s great castle, and mourning his son,
Douglass recognized himself as Lot, king of Lothian
and Orkney. He never returned to his wife and filed
for divorce without explanation, allowing his fellow
officers and the media to blame the loss of his son.

138

Now aware of his true nature, and of his first
wife’s betrayal and incest with the young Arthur,
Douglass hates the Boy King for both engender-
ing Mordred in the first place and for trying to
kill the baby when the truth came out. The loss of
his other sons – Gawain, Agravaine, Gareth and
Gaheris – to the Round Table makes everything
even more painful. Douglass knows that if he had
beaten Arthur that day at Castle Terrabil, every-
thing would have been different. He would have
been High King, not that beardless bastard. And he
is certain he would have done a better job, too.
For over a decade now, Scott Douglass has planned
his rise to power. Long aware of secret alliances
within the military and the federal government,
he became a Freemason and began rising through
the degrees of that society, using his military and
Washington contacts to sabotage his rivals and grease
his own wheels. With a small army of soldiers fanat-
ically loyal to himself, he has assassinated a dozen
Arthurian incarnations in order to “clear the field.”
(Incarnations of Morgause, Arthur, and Pellinore
get special, personal, treatment.) Seven years ago
he went back to Iraq, and this time a suicide bomb-
er took his arm. Using his pull as one of the Round
Table’s inner circle, he got his limb replaced with a
deadly cybernetic prototype developed in Japan.
Now a general, Douglass has his sights set on the
presidential election. He intends to invite Shannon
Goodall, whom he has recognized as Guinevere but
who has not yet met him personally, to be his run-
ning mate. If his command of the military and “moral
values” vote is not enough to get him into the Oval
Office, threats of terminal violence will force the other
inner circle members to use their influence on his
behalf, rigging the election. Once he’s President, it will
be child’s play to arrange for martial law and a manu-
factured crisis which will extend his term indefinitely.
General Douglass’ plan to become KOTUS (King
of the United States) is an impending “big issue” for
the first season of your Arthur Lives! campaign. He’s
actively hunting several key incarnations and is easy to
introduce in this manner, but because he has so much
going on at once, it is also easy to allow the players
to fly under his radar for a while. Squads of faceless
army goons (and mercenaries hired to ensure deniabil-
ity) give you all the mobs you need, and his access to
vehicles and heavy weapons encourages high-energy
action and plenty of explosions. Adventures using
Douglass are an opportunity for you to be inspired by
all those films in the last decade which have made a
fetish out of the military, their equipment, and their
missions – stories begin with surveillance, infiltra-
tion, and flash/bang grenades, grow to machine guns,
helicopters, and Predator drones, and climax with
fighter jets, smart missiles, and a nuclear weapon.
Douglass’s goal is to master both the Round Table
conspiracy and the office of President at the same
Chapter 9: Allies and Adversaries
time; if he can do this, he believes he will supplant
Arthur as High King and effectively steal Arthur’s
legend. Whatever it is that has brought Arthur back
now – whatever foe is out there – Douglass is ab-
solutely prepared to fight it. But he’ll be damned if
he’ll let Arthur bullocks the whole thing up again.
The general is surrounded by allies with plenty of
firepower, but when the season finale comes he’s a
hand-to-hand fighter. His cybernetic arm hits with
inhuman force and he’s highly trained in its use, able
to grapple and choke his foe to death in seconds.
(The addition of the cybernetic limb is based on the
belief held by some that Lot may be derived from
the older Welsh character Ludd of the Silver Arm.)
Douglass is intended to be a villain just at the limit
of what a hero with Superb (+5) skills could duel;
in order to succeed, any player character is going to
need a good plan, the right weapon, plenty of Fate
points, and some help. But because a duel is so much
more satisfactory than a massive dogpile on Lot,
be sure to give the other player characters plenty
of soldiers or other foes to fight at the same time.
ASPECTS
Scottish King
It Should Have Been Me!
Big Bad Evil Guy
Military Training
The Silver Arm
SKILLS
Epic (+7) Brawl and Leadership
Fantastic (+6) Confidence, Contacts and Firearms
Superb (+5) Athletics, Investigate and Willpower
Great (+4) Physique, Stealth and Resources
Good (+3) Deceive, Provoke and Notice
Fair (+2) Drive, Education and Wilderness
Average (+1) Burglary, Occult and Technology
FEATURES
Choke. Once per scene, when Scott is grappling a
victim with the Silver Arm, he can spend a Fate point
to increase any inflicted consequence by one level.
Disarm. When Scott successfully disarms a foe
using Brawl, the resulting obstacle is 2 levels higher.
Tactical Genius. When Scott uses Leadership
to create an advantage for his men, he gets two
free invocations out of it, instead of just one.
The Silver Arm. Scott’s cybernetic arm punch-
es as a Weapon:3. He has a +3 bonus on rolls to
crush something, provided he can do so with
one hand. When grappling, he inflicts an ad-
ditional point of stress. The arm is invulnera-
ble to anything short of a magical weapon.
Smash and Grab. Scott can spend a Fate point to
make a simultaneous Physique roll to create an
advantage at the same time he makes a Brawling
attack, representing a successful grapple.
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 Chapter 9: Allies and Adversaries
Elite Minions. Scott commands a person-
al platoon of Good (+3) minions armed with
assault rifles, military combat armor, gre-
nades, heavy weaponry and vehicles.
STRESS
Physical: bbbb Mental: bbbb
CONSEQUENCES
Two minor, one moderate, one severe consequence.
GEAR
Besides the Silver Arm, Scott bears a pistol
and a knife. If he’s going into a firefight he’s almost
certainly wearing a bulletproof vest, but in pub-
lic he appears to be unarmored, but that’s just so
he can use the Vest Concession (see page 106).
Shannon “Starburst”
Goodall (R-UT)
Main NPC
Shannon Goodall is the daughter of a solidly
prosperous Mormon family. Brilliant, charismatic,
and disciplined, she attended Harvard Law on a full
scholarship and returned to Utah to start a family
and run for local political office. Since she has a birth
defect that prevents her from conceiving children,
she adopted a son (now age nine) and two daugh-
ters (ages six and fourteen). Stridently pro-life in her
political leanings, she won instant popularity among
Utah’s devoutly religious middle class, and these
voters propelled her to victory. On election night, a
local television journalist called her “the Queen of
Salt Lake City” and she instantly recognized herself.
The next few months prompted some soul-search-
ing in Shannon, who was unsure how to reconcile
her political life, her personal values, and her rein-
carnation as Britain’s legendary High Queen. She
continued to do her job and do it well, which got
her noticed by national Republicans who urged her
to a House run in 2014. She accepted the challenge
and quickly took a commanding lead thanks to her
stunning good looks, confident manner, and deep
knowledge on matters of business and the law. She
was invited to speak at the Republican National
Convention and was an instant hit both with reli-
giously conservative GOP loyalists and FOX News
pundits. One of them declared that, during her
speech, she sent “starbursts” through every television
screen in America; this earned her a new nickname.
Goodall may be the most visible Arthurian rein-
carnation alive today, and she is on television con-
stantly both at home and in Washington. When
young incarnations recognize themselves, Goodall is
likely to be one of the first incarnations they see. She
has been sought out by more than one incarnation
140
looking for purpose, and she has decided to give
them one. Using discreet funding creatively buried
by her accountants, she has organized and managed
small teams of Arthurian reincarnations and directed
them to investigate strange happenings, hunt down
supernatural menaces, and gather more of their own
kind. One of the youngest individuals in Congress,
she is a breathtaking blonde with deep blue eyes.
She has a weakness for especially fashionable cloth-
ing, and is seldom seen without high heel shoes.
GMs can use Shannon Goodall as a patron for PCs
who do not have an Arthur or Guinevere among
them. She keeps a balance between her former
and modern life, and has completely rationalized
her conservative political philosophy with her life
as the Queen; in particular, she believes that since
any unborn child could be another Arthurian in-
carnation (and thus a soldier in whatever war is
coming), her pro-life stance has become ever more
passionate. This has caused some friction among
her followers, but no bridges have yet been burned.
ASPECTS
Queen of Salt Lake City
Principles Over Facts
Harvard Law
Telegenic
Rising Star
SKILLS
Superb (+5) Confidence and Contacts
Great (+4) Leadership, Rapport and Willpower
Good (+3) Education, Investigate and Resources
Fair (+2) Athletics, Empathy and Notice
Average (+1) Firearms, Occult and Physique
FEATURES
Breathtaking Blonde. Shannon has a +2
on Rapport checks to make a good first im-
pression on a heterosexual man.
Don’t Touch the Queen. Shannon can use her
Confidence to defend against hand-to-hand attacks
as if it were Athletics, until she is hit for the first time.
Runner. Shannon has a +2 on Athletics
checks to flee the scene.
STRESS
Physical: bbb Mental: bbbb
CONSEQUENCES:
One minor, one moderate, and
one severe consequence.
GEAR
Shannon is a licensed gun owner and has a pistol for
close defense, a shotgun for hunting, a rifle for target
practice, and an assault rifle in case things go sour.

Mr. Invisible
Main NPC
No one knows the name he was born with; for the
last fifteen years he has been only “Mr. Invisible,” one
of the world’s most infamous hackers. He is believed
to come from Seattle or Portland, though the FBI and
his many amateur fans have never been able to con-
firm this. Those few who have been able to meet with
him personally describe him as a tall, thin, Caucasian
with a shaved head and many piercings and tattoos.
He smiles a lot, but the expression does not flatter his
face. His avatar online is a kind of negative version of
the Invisible Man: black bandages which outline a
wrapped human head adorned with white glasses.
For years, Invisible was a hero to the hacker com-
munity and something of an urban legend. He spe-
cialized in humiliating high-profile government and
corporate targets; although it was presumed he stole
enough to live on, he often donated huge sums of
digital currency to charity. But then, suddenly and
strangely, Invisible turned into a bad guy. No one
besides Invisible himself knows the truth: that in a
drug-amped frenzy one evening, he used his hacking
skills to kill a particularly officious cop by remote
control. When he murdered from afar, his victim never
catching sight of his face, Invisible recognized himself
as Sir Garlon, the Invisible Knight. The fact that he
had never even heard of Garlon before that moment
just made the realization all that more powerful.
Invisible claims to have rejected his past life, just
as he has rejected the one he was born with. He
heaps scorn on other incarnations and has designed
complex media search programs which scour the
internet for any lead on more of his kind. When he
finds them, he funnels the information to known
enemies such as the Illuminati or Freemasons. When
the targets of his ire are found dead or simply van-
ish, he basks in his superiority. In the meantime, his
previous Robin Hood ways have given in to personal
self-gratification and dangerous living. He travels
constantly, but always lingers in the seediest and most
criminal locales, where he picks up lovers of dubi-
ous discrimination and drugs of increasing variety.
For GMs, Mr. Invisible is the Mysterious Threat,
a foe whom the heroes don’t at first know about but
eventually come to suspect. He also represents the
Hired Hacker, an action movie stereotype; he could
find himself working for someone like Gretchen
Schwan, Rialto, or Hiram Warren. Players with an
incarnation of Balin, Pellinore, or any of their relatives
will have personal cause to learn more about Invisible.
Because Invisible hangs out in seedy environments,
heroes may come into contact with him in this man-
ner, never suspecting that he is the same mysterious
hacker who has been breaking into their system, eaves-
dropping on their communications, luring them into
FBI firefights, and tipping off foes to their activities.
Chapter 9: Allies and Adversaries
ASPECTS
The Invisible Knight
I Betray Everyone, Even Myself
Eyes Everywhere
Master Hacker
Streetwise
SKILLS
Superb (+5) Investigate and Technology
Great (+4) Deceive and Stealth
Good (+3) Notice and Resources
Fair (+2) Contacts, Education and Occult
Average (+1) Brawl, Rapport and Willpower
FEATURES
Already on File. When Invisible encounters a new
incarnation for the first time, he can spend a Fate
point to roll Investigate and immediately know
one of that individual’s aspects for every shift he
obtains. He still gets only one free invocation.
Friends in Low Places. Invisible’s Contacts
has a +2 bonus when used to reach low-
class and criminal individuals.
No Defense. Invisible has a +2 on Technology rolls
to overcome obstacles created by computer security.
Drug Tolerance. Invisible can spend a
Fate point to ignore the negative effects
of drugs for the duration of a scene.
I See You. Invisible can create advantages and
overcome obstacles on scenes and individuals
that he is only observing via live surveillance.
Invisible Knight. Spend a Fate point to turn
any successful physical attack into a miss.
STRESS
Physical: bb Mental: bbb
CONSEQUENCES
One minor, one moderate, and
one severe consequence.
GEAR
Invisible doesn’t carry weapons, preferring to
do his killing by remote. Instead, he has a cus-
tom-made smartphone, tablet, and laptop com-
puter which he can use to access any computer
with a wireless or cellular connection. His cloth-
ing is eclectic and stylish, often leaving his lean
torso and abdomen bare. His pockets are full of
whatever illegal drug he is trying out these days.
141
 Chapter 9: Allies and Adversaries
Old Ned, the Boxcar King
Main NPC
At the age of 70, Edward is one of the oldest in-
carnations in existence. He was born shortly af-
ter World War II to an Army vet and his wife who
had just moved to the suburbs. Ned’s father ed-
ucated himself on the GI Bill, and Ned grew up
with a quiet awe for his country and the men and
women who served it. In the 1960s he was draft-
ed into Vietnam, where his naiveté́ was shattered.
When he realized that an air strike he had called
in resulted in the destruction of a Vietnamese or-
phanage, he recognized himself as Arthur.
Ned did not quite know how to reconcile his first
life and his new. He returned to the US confused
and aimless. He never went back to his wife and
child, instead becoming a part of anti-war protests
in the capital and then hitching his way across
America. He lasted so long as a drifter and vagrant,
moving from one town to another by stealing rides
on trains, that he became something of an urban
legend, the “Boxcar King.” Eventually age forced
him to settle down. He’s currently standing around
a fire with a few of his homeless friends, warming
his fingers and wondering if tonight it’s gonna rain.
With his Mythic Vision, Ned has recognized many
incarnations over the years, though when he calls
them by name and talks about lives long gone ev-
eryone just thinks he is crazy. And, truth be told, he
might be a little crazy by now. He’s not met many
people that took him seriously, and some of those
that did have tried to kill him. He’s near the end of
his rope now, hungry and lean in his old camo-green
coat, but he’s become a positive influence on the
homeless community and the city at large. He set-
tles grievances, helps bring the seriously ill to the
attention of city personnel, shepherds his fellow
homeless away from dangerous neighborhoods, and
holds an annual “picnic” fifty days after Easter which
has been picked up by the city’s shelters and made
into an unofficial day of recognition for the plight
of the needy. He’s old, balding, and unwashed, but
he’s also wise, kind, and somehow tragically noble.
Ned is useful for AL! campaigns in which no one
is playing Arthur. He can serve as a contact for
players without dominating the game or giving or-
ders. His destitute social class and his protection of
the city’s impoverished and downtrodden makes
him a useful contrast to Representative Shannon
Goodall of Utah, an incarnation of Guinevere.
142
ASPECTS
The Boxcar King
Addled
On a Downward Slide
City Celebrity
I’ve Been Everywhere, Man
The Sword in the Stone
SKILLS
Great (+4) Empathy and Contacts
Good (+3) Leadership, Melee and Rapport
Fair (+2) Burglary, Confidence, Perform and Stealth
Average (+1) Education, Notice, Occult,
Wilderness and Willpower
FEATURES
Bridging the Gap. Ned can use Empathy to
overcome social obstacles related to class, for
example when he is trying to talk to or befriend
the rich and powerful (and recently bathed).
Gentle Wisdom. Once in a session, Ned can re-
duce someone’s mental consequence by talking
to them for a while and sharing some of his
life’s experience. He rolls Empathy against
an opposition of +2 for Minor Consequences,
+4 for Moderate, and +6 for Severe. Success
reduces the consequence by one step.
Mythic Vision. Ned can spend a Fate point to im-
mediately identify any incarnation within his sight.
Urban Living. Ned has a +2 on Wilderness
rolls when overcoming an obsta-
cle in an urban environment.
Sword in the Stone. Ned’s umbrella is an echo of
the Sword in the Stone. It is Weapon:1 and, when he
is using it, his Melee gets a +1 bonus. The hooked
handle of the umbrella gives him a +2 bonus
when creating an appropriate advantage, such as
Disarmed or Trip and Fall. He can use the Sword to
blind all enemies who are in the scene and with-
in line of sight, but he can only do this once.
STRESS
Physical: bb Mental: bbb
CONSEQUENCES:
One minor, one moderate, and
one severe consequence.
GEAR
Besides his umbrella, Ned wears a long coat
and cast-off clothing in poor repair.
 Chapter 9: Allies and Adversaries

Nancy Waterman
Supporting NPC
Nancy Waterman thinks she might be going crazy.
She was just an ordinary girl. Okay, a very pretty, very
lucky, girl. It was mostly her luck and her looks that
got her through an audition for the Los Angeles Lakers
cheerleading team, and she’s become a favorite of local
reporters who like her friendly, upbeat demeanor. But a
few months ago she started to get these strange dreams.
They were little things at first: a jump shot that she later
saw happen just as she had imagined it, a final score that
she predicted exactly. But then she dreamed that the for-
ward got a hamstring injury, and it happened that very
night. Nancy began to get afraid. She found a psychic
friend of hers and tried to get advice, but after a few days
she figured out the guy just wanted to get into her pants.
Now Nancy has begun to crack the books and do
some research on dream visions; she’s reading blindly
on just about every imaginable topic, but writing down
her visions has definitely helped her remember them,
and last week as she faded off to sleep she resolved
to dream about her mother … and it worked. She’s
starting to get used to the notion that there is more to
the world than she has ever imagined, and she likes
that idea. Her control over her dream-visions is rapidly
increasing. Now if only she could land an endorse-
ment contract or something; being a Laker Girl doesn’t
exactly put her in Gucci, and the bills are piling up.
Nancy has seen Arthur in movies and knows
that the Lady of the Lake is the woman who gave
Arthur his magic sword, but she has read little else
about the legend of which she is a part. Once she
recognizes herself, she gains the Refuge talent.
GMs could use Nancy in many ways at the same
SKILLS
time. Firstly, she is a person in need. Even the most
rookie incarnation will have information which would Good (+3) Athletics and Perform
greatly benefit Nancy and help her get her life back Fair (+2) Notice and Rapport
together. However, she is also an unrecognized incar- Average (+1) Occult and Stealth
nation, and that poses certain questions which the FEATURES
heroes will have to answer. Perhaps the heroes, attend-
ing a basketball game, recognize Waterman among the Good on Camera. Nancy has a +2 bonus to overcome
cheerleaders; now what do they do? A quick meeting obstacles with Rapport when she is being filmed.
with her will reveal that she does not know who she Cheerleader. Nancy has a +2 bonus to
is, nor who the heroes are. Will they stage her recog- Perform rolls when cheerleading.
nition? Even if she has not yet realized the truth, her STRESS
visions make her useful to the players and GM in an-
other way: as a way to introduce stories or plot compli- Physical: bb Mental: bb
cations. She might get a vision which sends the heroes CONSEQUENCES
off on an adventure, or which suggests a tragic end to One minor consequence
the current story (an ending the heroes must avert).
GEAR
ASPECTS
Cellphone, closets full of casual clothing, simple
Laker Girl lodging, pepper spray, stun gun, compact car.
Afraid of Her Own Powers
Smokin’ Hot
Fast Learner
Dream Visions

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 Chapter 9: Allies and Adversaries
Rialto
Main NPC
The fashion magnate known to the world as “Rialto”
was born Emma Timberland, the only daughter of a
rural North Dakota family. Tall for her age, she was
over six feet by her fourteenth birthday. It would have
been easy for a girl to feel self-conscious or awkward
in such a state, but Emma became a bully instead,
using her intimidating size and strength to get what
she wanted from those around her. Passing herself
off as a young woman five years older, she left her
home forever and reached Los Angeles, where she
became a struggling fashion model. Emma, now
known as Rialto, had an affinity for fur; fur made her
feel stronger, more self-confident, and this could be
seen in her photo sessions. She became known as a
model specializing in fur fashion, and she appeared
in of a number of magazines which weren’t afraid
of putting the controversial material on the cover.
Rialto began to recognize herself one evening when,
in a bit of foreplay, she shaved her boyfriend of the
week. Something about the experience gave her
goosebumps and she repeated the event many times
in the weeks to come, using every excuse to get her
hands on a razor. She shaved her pets (that was fun),
she shaved herself (not so much), and she took over
for hairdressers who called in sick. Her dreams of a
time long ago intensified, and finally one day, while
posing in front of eleven people wearing nothing but
a fur coat, it all came back to her. Before that moment,
she had never heard of King Ryons of North Wales,
but now she knew that – somehow – she was him.
Over the years that followed, Rialto ceased be-
ing a fashion model and became a designer. She
created her own company, Outré Fur, named af-
ter one of her former kingdoms in Wales. Her
money was invested in fur farms, mostly in China
and mostly illegal. Although her line was social-
ly borderline – fur was still unwelcome in many
markets – her canny and ruthless business strat-
egy made up for it. Outré Fur has shown a steady
profit, especially in nations like Russia, Japan,
and Canada where fur is a traditional garment.
The illegality of Rialto’s business, her natural incli-
nation for brutality, and her former life as a medieval
warlord, have combined to make her a woman who
takes what she wants regardless of morality or ethics.
She prefers to do business outside America, where
she can bully or bribe local officials into cooperating
with her cruel and inhumane fur farms. While she
keeps her eye out for other incarnations – and would
love to get revenge on those who ended her former
life – the only one she has yet found is her brother
Nero, whom she has since hired as her “security chief.”
She knows almost nothing about Arthur’s return.
144
Rialto is 6’8”, slender, with sharp, angular features.
Naturally pale, she keeps her hair mercilessly short
and dyed platinum blonde. Since she recognized
herself, she has become obsessed with strength and
fitness, leading to a powerful build which she keeps
under wraps in her ubiquitous white fur coat.
Rialto is an unsubtle villain. Everything about her is
direct, up front, and “in your face.” She uses a big club
to bash your head in; it doesn’t get much simpler than
that. Contrast her to hidden villains like Garlon or Lot.
She is designed for PCs whose best skills are +4 or +5.
King Ryons
Ryons, a giant of a man known as “Rhita Gawr”
among his native Welshmen, rose to become
King of Norgales after Arthur killed the previous
king at the Battle of Bedegraine Forest. Rather
than attack Arthur directly, Ryons tested his
new crown and its power by laying siege to
Leodegrance of Cameliard, one of Arthur’s most
vocal supporters. Arthur and the French kings,
Ban and Bors, relieved the siege, but Ryons
sufficiently impressed Lot and the other rebel
kings that they recruited him into their cause.
In his brief reign of northern Wales, Ryons
subjected many other lesser kings through a
combination of force, pressure, and ruthless-
ness. These defeated foes were left to see to
their own lands, but as a token of their subser-
vience to their new lord and master each was
required to shave off his beard for Ryons, who
used the beards to trim his best cloak. When
Ryons was strong enough, he threatened Arthur
with war and demanded his beard also; the
Boy King laughingly replied he did not have
enough of a beard yet to obey Ryons’ request.
Merlin saw to the defeat of Ryons personally.
His spy network informed him that Ryons had a
lover, the Lady de Vance, who was sequestered
at Tintagel castle not far from where Ryons’
army was encamped. Gathering the knights
Balin and Balan, Merlin arranged an ambush of
Ryons while the king was on his way to a ro-
mantic rendezvous. The delivery of Ryons to
Arthur’s camp helped get the luckless Balin back
into Arthur’s good graces. Nero, Ryons’ brother,
took command of the Welsh army, but he was
not as good a commander and the loss of the
king on the night before the battle demoralized
the host. Arthur triumphed after a stiff fight.
Little is known of Ryons after the night of
his capture, but it is said Arthur eventually
defeated him in single combat. His daughter
Britomart became a knight, adventured along-
side Arthur in Faerie’s Forest of Adventure,
and eventually wed Arthur’s half-brother.
For groups that welcome the direct confrontation,
the GM’s job is easy. Give the players a problem
which brings them into Rialto’s sights. PCs who
despise cruelty to animals will need little prompt-
ing. The PCs might even recognize her first, but
she should quickly follow suit. The defeated king is
going to want revenge on Arthur, Merlin, Balin and
Balan, and will cheerily threaten Guinevere or her
family as he did in the old days. Pretty soon Arthur

and his allies are shooting it out with Rialto’s min-
ions, then Nero with more minions, and finally the
boss herself – preferably in a suitably dramatic lo-
cation, like atop a building or out on an ice flow.
If such a simple plot outline bores your play-
ers, then you can use Rialto as a chance to let the
heroes demonstrate their guile. Her desire for re-
venge will be no less, but the heroes may wish to
shut her business down, humiliate her, or ruin her
financially rather than simply kill her. (After all,
the corpse of a wealthy fur magnate can create a
lot of problems.) In this case, the GM can set the
stage and let the players come up with a plan. Don’t
make Rialto any smarter than she is; sometimes
the heroes should be able to outwit their foes, and
Ryons makes a good candidate for such a story.
ASPECTS
Fighting Fashion Model
Bully
Giant Blood
Fur Makes Me Strong
World Traveler
SKILLS
Fantastic (+6) Melee and Physique
Super (+5) Athletics and Resources
Great (+4) Confidence and Contacts
Good (+3) Leadership and Provoke
Fair (+2) Perform and Rapport
Average (+1) Deceive and Willpower
FEATURES
Taller Than on Television. Rialto has a +2 bo-
nus when making attacks with Provoke against
someone she can physically stare down upon.
Fighting with Style. If Rialto makes a Melee
attack and succeeds with style, she can give
up the boost to instead create an advan-
tage such as Staggered or Intimidated.
Ryons’ Sword. The original version of this sword
was forged by Vulcan, Roman god of the forge, for
Hercules. Rialto’s is an echo of the original, man-
ifesting as an enormous two-handed club with
which she has killed everything from seals and
tigers to slow minions. It is a Weapon:4. If she is
killed or defeated in combat, the echo fades.
Fur Makes Me Strong. The original Ryons made
a cloak trimmed with the beards of eleven kings
he had defeated in battle. Rialto wears an echo of
the original: A coat of white tiger fur. So long as
she wears it, attempts to inflict mental stress on her
always fail unless the attack is magical in nature.
If she dies or is defeated in battle, the echo fades.
STRESS
Physical: bbbb Mental: bbb
Chapter 9: Allies and Adversaries
CONSEQUENCES
Two minor, one moderate and
one severe consequence.
GEAR
Rialto wears her fur coat everywhere and her
massive club is usually close at hand. She has
even employed minions to carry it around for her
like a golf caddy. Otherwise: skimpy European
clothing that would fit right in at a runway show.
She is always in impossibly-high heeled shoes
which further accentuate her imposing height.
The Lady de Vance
We know precious little about the Lady de
Vance, Ryons’s paramour. Merlin knew of the
romance and sent Balin and Balan to inter-
cept Ryons on his way to the castle Tintagel
in Cornwall, where the Lady was waiting. This
is an interesting coincidence because Tintagel
was the same place Igraine was waiting for
her husband Gorlois when Merlin enchanted
Uther with Gorlois’s appearance. Uther en-
tered the castle, Igraine thought he was her
husband, and Arthur was engendered.
Ryons was en route with a retinue of knights,
and so there’s no reason to think his romance
of the Lady de Vance was a secret. He was
unmarried, newly king of Norgales, and had an
impressive track record. After his capture by
Arthur, he even displays something of a sense
of humor. The Lady might have found it easy to
love him. And since he was in a position to ask
almost any eligible woman to be his wife, we
can presume that the Lady de Vance was either
astonishingly rich and possessed valuable land
and castles, or else Ryons actually loved her
and was courting her regardless of her wealth.
Ryons survives his encounter with Arthur,
unlike Lot, and it seems likely he reunited with
the Lady and they eventually married. Ryons has
a daughter, the female knight Britomart, but by
the time of her adulthood the Lady de Vance
is not present. Britomart, one of the heroes of
Spenser’s epic poem The Faerie Queene, even-
tually marries Arthegal, Arthur’s half-brother,
son of Igraine and Gorlois and full brother to
Morgause and Morgan le Fey. This would make
the Lady de Vance one of King Arthur’s rela-
tives, the mother-in-law of his half-brother.
Nathan Landis
Supporting NPC
Nathan Landis was working for a catering business
when he met Rialto, a prosperous fashion designer
specializing in fur. When she kept staring at him
during a photo shoot, he thought maybe she was inter-
ested in him, but the truth turned out to be something
else. Rialto kept Nathan in the dark about his true
identity until she could get him to Cornwall. Walking
in the shadow of Castle Terabil, the site of his death,
allowed Nathan to recognize himself; he was Nero,
brother to Ryons, and briefly King of North Wales.
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 Chapter 9: Allies and Adversaries
Since that time, Nathan has been content to let
Rialto call the shots. He acts as her trusted lieutenant
and does a lot of her dirty work, including intimi-
dation of local law enforcement and the smuggling
of fur and animals. Sometimes he gets nervous
over Rialto’s high profile; Nero prefers the sneaky
approach and he’d much rather use a gun than a
sword. Nevertheless, if Rialto says shoot, he’ll shoot.
The Nero of Arthurian legend is not to be confused
with the Roman Emperor of the same name. This
Nero was brother to King Ryons of Norgales. Ryons
was captured by the knights Balin and Balan, acting
on instructions from Merlin. On the day of the cli-
mactic battle with Arthur, Nero was forced to take
over his brother’s command. Nero fought bravely,
but ultimately he failed due to lack of reinforcement.
King Lot of Scotland was supposed to show up to
help, but Merlin enchanted him with a spell, allow-
ing Arthur to take Nero’s army apart piecemeal.
ASPECTS
Trusted Lieutenant
Born to Follow
King Ryons’ Brother
Sneaky
Gun Specialist
SKILLS
Superb (+5) Firearms and Stealth
Great (+4) Athletics and Burglary
Good (+3) Leadership and Physique
Fair (+2) Drive, Notice and Willpower
Average (+1) Brawl, Resources and Technology
FEATURES
Covering Fire. When Landis uses Firearms
to create an advantage on the scene, he can
invoke that advantage twice for free.
Quick on the Draw. Landis can use Firearms
instead of Notice to determine his initia-
tive, if shooting first is important.
Bullets Everywhere. Landis can spend a Fate
point to make a +2 Firearms attack against every
enemy in every zone adjacent to his own. His only
limitation is the number of bullets in the gun.
Security Team. Landis commands mobs
of Security Officer minions. He usually has
twice as many minions as there are PCs in
the scene, grouped into one or two mobs.
STRESS
Physical: bbb Mental: bbb
CONSEQUENCES
One minor consequence.
GEAR
In his role as chief of security, Landis wears a
concealed vest and carries a pistol. He much
prefers a submachine gun or assault rifle.
146
Animals
Arthurian myth is filled with stories of animals mun-
dane and magical. Boars and stags are hunted while
dogs and falcons are used in the hunt; lions ally them-
selves to worthy knights; ravens and wolves stalk the
battlefield. It may not seem like there’s much room for
animals in the urban scenarios which make up the heart
of Arthur Lives!, but the PCs will have extensive mem-
ories of animals from their first lives, and the sudden
appearance of an animal serves to highlight that past
life, bringing it forward into sharp contrast with the city.
When an animal walks, crawls, or flies on scene, it sig-
nals the unexpected arrival of the wild, of nature itself.
These NPC descriptions presume that the animal is
not a Companion or something as straight-forward as
an aspect on a location or someone’s character sheet.
If that’s all you need, you don’t need game mechanics.
If you’re in this chapter, it’s because you need your
animal for a conflict, and we’ve given them skills,
stunts, aspects and extras to accommodate that.
Bear
Nameless NPC, Scale 2
Bears generally avoid people, but it was not un-
common for knights to hunt them in the Arthurian
Age. They were also used for sport, being placed in a
makeshift arena with a bull and forced to fight to the
death. Today, our sensibilities regarding the humane
treatment of animals has evolved, creating an oppor-
tunity for PCs to reflect on the difference between
their first life and their second. A large, healthy bear
is usually Scale 2 but smaller ones are quite common.
ASPECTS
Not Your Average Bear
SKILLS
Good (+3) Physique
Fair (+2) Brawl and Wilderness
Average (+1) Athletics and Notice
FEATURES
Runner. The bear has a +2 on Athletics rolls to run
Bearclaw. The bear has Weapon:1
Bear Shirt. The bear has Armor:1
Roar. The bear can use Provoke to inflict mental
stress through fear on all creatures in its own zone or
one adjacent zone, and it has a +2 on rolls to do so.
Berserker Rage. The bear can go berserk once
per session. This lasts a number of exchanges
equal to its Physique. While berserk, the bear
can still receive stress and consequences, but if it
would be Taken Out, that condition does not ap-
ply until the berserker rage ends. During a ber-
serker rage, the bear has a +2 on Brawl attacks.
STRESS
Two stress boxes.

Boar
Nameless NPC
Wild boars were hunted by knights through-
out the forests of the Arthurian Age, typically
using special spears to hold the boar at bay as it
dies. They were, and are still, exceptionally dan-
gerous, with a vile temperament and tusks which
can inflict serious harm. Today, wild boars have
lost so much territory that they have begun to be
seen in cities. The largest boars are Scale 2.
ASPECTS
Razorback
Lethal When Cornered
SKILLS
Good (+3) Brawl
Fair (+2) Physique
Average (+1) Notice and Wilderness
FEATURES
Not Dead Yet. When a boar is Taken Out,
it can spend a Fate point to continue its at-
tack for one more exchange. If successful-
ly attacked again, before it has had its final
turn, it must spend another Fate point.
Tusks. A boar’s tusks count as Weapon:1
Hide. The boar has Armor:1
STRESS
One stress box.
Giant Boar
There are many tales of giant boars, hail-
ing from Faerie but roaming the world. Some
are violent and destructive, while others are
passive until they become the object of leg-
endary hunts. As the focus of a large hunting
party made up of PCs, the Giant Boar is a Main
NPC with a full stress track and set of conse-
quences. It is Scale 3, but can use the same
skills and stunts as an ordinary boar. The great-
est of these magical boars is Twrch Trwyth,
who is detailed elsewhere in this chapter.
Chapter 9: Allies and Adversaries
Hawk
Nameless NPC, Scale 0
These birds of prey are beautiful creatures with
keen eyesight, graceful flight, and a long tradition
as hunting animals. Knights and ladies alike kept
falcons, with the large gyrfalcon being most prized
and reserved for lords, while smaller breeds were for
their wives. Although the practice is much less com-
mon in the modern era, it is still found in Faerie.
Because falcons and hawks are so small (Scale
0), most human beings have Armor:2 against
their attacks and inflict +2 harm upon them.
ASPECTS
Hunting Hawk
SKILLS
Average (+1) Athletics, Notice, and Wilderness
FEATURES
On the Wing. Falcons and hawks have a +2
Athletics bonus to catch up to a target in a chase.
Hawkeye. +2 on Notice rolls to catch sudden movement.
STRESS
None
Horse
Nameless NPC, Scale 2
A knight without a horse is just a bloke with
a sword, unable to perform the key role of a
knight: crushing an enemy front line in a mount-
ed charge. The horse is, quite literally, what makes
a knight a knight, and a wise knight maintains
many horses of various sizes and specialties, some
for riding (palfrey), some for hunting or deliver-
ing messages (a courser), and some for carrying a
heavily armored warrior into battle (a destrier).
Hunting Horse
ASPECTS
Courser
SKILLS
Fair (+2) Athletics
Average (+1) Notice and Physique
FEATURES
Long Winded. A hunting horse has a +2 on
Physique rolls to resist fatigue and exhaustion.
Runner. A hunting horse has a +1 on
Athletics rolls to run or jump.
STRESS
One stress box.
147
 Chapter 9: Allies and Adversaries

Warhorse most noble of beasts, wield various supernatural

powers, and command respect from all other ani-
ASPECTS mals. The very largest of male lions can be consid-
Destrier ered Scale 2, giving them Armor:2 against player
characters and increasing their natural lethality.
SKILLS
ASPECTS
Fair (+2) Physique
Average (+1) Athletics, Brawl King of Beasts

FEATURES SKILLS
Long Winded. A warhorse has +2 on Physique Good (+3) Athletics and Physique
rolls to avoid fatigue and exhaustion. Fair (+2) Brawl and Wilderness
Fearless. The warhorse has a +2 on Willpower Average (+1) Provoke, Notice, and Stealth
rolls to remain calm when confronted with FEATURES
something it has never seen before. Stealth Hunter. Lions have a +2 bonus
STRESS to Stealth when they approach prey.
Two stress boxes. Jumper. Lions have a +2 bonus on Athletics
rolls to overcome while leaping.
Faerie Steeds Tooth and Claw. A full grown lion
is deadly with Weapon:2
Supporting NPC, Scale 2
Faerie stallions lead herds of wild horses, and STRESS
are highly prized as mounts by Faerie knights. Physical: bbbb Mental: bb
To tame one is a legendary feat for a mortal.
CONSEQUENCES
ASPECTS
One minor.
Faerie Charger
Proud
Fast as the Wind
I Know This Land
SKILLS
Good (+3) Athletics
Fair (+2) Leadership and Physique
Average (+1) Brawl, Notice and Wilderness
FEATURES
Runner. The Faerie charger has a
+2 on Athletics rolls to run.
Leaper. The Faerie charger has a
+2 on Athletics rolls to jump.
Tireless. The Faerie charger has a +2 on
Physique rolls to resist fatigue and exhaustion.
Faerie Resilience. The Faerie charger has Armor:1.
The Tongues of Men. The Faerie charger can un-
derstand, but not speak or read, human languages.
STRESS
Physical: bbb Mental: bb
CONSEQUENCES
One minor.

Lion
Supporting NPC
Lions have a long tradition in Arthurian litera-
ture, best demonstrated by Sir Yvain, the Knight
of the Lion. In legend and heraldry, they are the
148

Faerie Lions
Some lions native to Faerie are agents of
Heaven, empowered by their divine status
as King of Beasts. They are Merciful and will
not attack small animals, women, children,
the unarmed, or anyone else who prostrates
themselves to ask for mercy. They are Scale
2 and have dragons as a nemesis (Dragons
are the Devil), but are Afraid of Machines.
Ravens
Nameless NPCs, Scale 0
Heralds of misfortune and eaters of carrion, ravens
are another animal with ties to Arthurian legend; in
particular, Welsh characters like Yvain and Morgan
have been associated with them, and sometimes
they appear en masse as dangerous flocks capable
of feasting on knights. They make good targets for
Summoning magic because they are so common in
cities and can arrive swiftly from a great distance.
Treat a flock of ravens as a single NPC. Gather
multiple such flocks together into a mob of minions.
ASPECTS
An Unkindness of Ravens (or a Murder of Crows)
SKILLS
Fair (+2) Athletics
Average (+1) Brawl, Notice, and Provoke
FEATURES
Always Out of Reach. The ravens have a +2 bo-
nus to Athletics when using Full Defense.
Everywhere and Nowhere. The flock of ravens
ignore stress that targets a single bird at a time.
Attacks that affect an area (such as shotguns, ex-
plosives, or weather effects) affect them normally.
STRESS
None.
CONSEQUENCES
Each point of stress inflicted disperses one flock.
Chapter 9: Allies and Adversaries
Faerie Ravens
Ravens are associated with the Welsh un-
derworld and lurk in the skies of Annwn, eager
for mortal trespassers. They can see the future,
and occasionally reveal it to mortals to enjoy
the confusion and fear this causes. At least one
dragon kept flocks of man-eating ravens as
“squires.” Use the same skill list, but this rep-
resents a single Faerie Raven instead of a flock.
Add the Divination talent, Fair (+2) Deceive and
Occult, delete Everywhere and Nowhere, and
change the high concept to Bird of Ill Omen.
Shark
Supporting NPC, Scale 2
This is a big, man-eating shark of the sort best
seen in deathtraps, the deep ocean, and coast-
al communities celebrating the Fourth of July.
Because of Scale, big sharks like this one will
have Armor:2 against human-size characters.
ASPECTS
Shark Attack!
Feeding Frenzy
SKILLS
Good (+3) Brawling and Physique
Fair (+2) Athletics and Notice
Average (+1) Provoke and Wilderness
FEATURES
Blood in the Water. Sharks have a +2 on Notice
rolls when trying to locate prey by scent.
So Many Teeth. Sharks are dangerous
with natural Weapon:2, rising to Weapon:4
vs. player characters thanks to Scale.
STRESS
Physical: bbbb Mental: bb
CONSEQUENCES
One minor.
Snake
Nameless NPC, Scale 0
An individual snake can be scary, but when
snakes appear in scenarios, they are usual-
ly in large mobs. Magical serpents from Faerie,
or especially lethal mundane snakes, can pose
unique dangers even to experienced knights.
ASPECTS
Why’d It Have To Be Snakes?
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 Chapter 9: Allies and Adversaries
SKILLS
Average (+1) Brawl
FEATURES
Just a Scratch. When a snake ties on a Brawl attack,
it can sacrifice its boost to instead deliver its venom.
Reflexive Strike. Snakes have a +2 on
rolls to determine initiative order when
they are suddenly discovered.
Venom. A typical venomous snake is dangerous
but not lethal to a PC. Its venom inflicts a single
point of stress, but the snake can spend a Fate point
to force this stress to be taken as a consequence.
STRESS & CONSEQUENCES
None
Faerie Serpent
Snakes from Faerie are cunning and wicked
creatures with a Taint of the Infernal and the
trouble aspect Charmed by Music. Their poison
takes many forms, all magical: use the effect of
the poison, bleeding poison, or elixir of sleep
from the rules for alchemy in Chapter 5.
Stag
Nameless NPC
Hunted by knights for sport and by lesser men
for food, a well-fed stag weighs several hundred
pounds, can have a rack of antlers four feet across,
and is distinguished by a shaggy dark mane.
They flee from hunters, luring them away from
the rest of the herd, but can fight if they are cor-
nered or worn out. The largest stags are Scale 2,
as tall as some horses though of lighter build.
ASPECTS
Object of the Hunt
SKILLS
Fair (+2) Athletics and Wilderness
Average (+1) Brawl, Notice and Physique
FEATURES
Fight or Flight. A stag has a +2 bonus on
Athletics rolls to evade pursuit in a chase.
Antlers. When a stag bears mature ant-
lers, these count as Weapon:1
STRESS
One stress box.
150
Faerie Stags and White Stags
Magical stags hail from Faerie but can be
found in surprising places, having crossed the
Veil to take over leadership of mortal herds. They
hunt poisonous snakes; give them the nemesis
aspect Serpent Hunter, Fair (+2) Stealth, and
immunity to all poisons and venoms. A White
Stag is a mysterious Faerie creature which
appears to herald important events, to deliv-
er a silent warning, or to mark the boundary
of the Veil. They are Supporting NPCs with a
full stress track and one minor consequence.
Add Good (+3) Leadership and the high con-
cept Guardian of the Forest. They are not to be
hunted; those who harm one are often cursed.
Wolf
Nameless NPCs
Wolves in Arthurian myth are nocturnal
predators who work in groups to pick off care-
less travelers or foolish children. Found in
the wild, and aggressive enough to inflict se-
rious harm, they can be very dangerous.
ASPECTS
Pack Animal
SKILLS
Fair (+2) Athletics
Average (+1) Brawl and Notice
FEATURES
Stalk. Wolves have a +2 bonus to Stealth
when creeping up on intended prey.
Tracking Scent. A wolf can use
Notice to track by smell.
Natural Weapons. A wolf ’s bite and
claws add up to Weapon:1
STRESS & CONSEQUENCES
None. Each point of stress inflict-
ed takes out one wolf.
Dogs
In the 21st century, the animal PCs are most
likely to meet in a conflict is a guard dog or three.
Use the stats for wolves but replace Stalk with
Born to Run: A +1 bonus on Athletics rolls to run
or jump. Replace Pack Animal with Loyal Hound.
 Chapter 9: Allies and Adversaries

Earthly Perils Born in Mexico City and possessing a sharp intellect

Cops
Nameless NPC
Police are a common sight in America and are
frequently called when violence or other unusual
activity breaks out. Although they are usually as-
signed singly to a patrol vehicle, they can respond
to calls in force and backup will arrive with each
passing minute. Many large facilities, such as uni-
versities and government buildings, have full-time
police security. Police are not usually much threat
to heroic characters, but because they are basically
“good guys,” they pose a unique challenge. Players
fighting police are almost always doing something
wrong. It’s preferable to get away from the scene
as fast as possible, before the cops show up.
ASPECTS
Law Enforcer
Partner First
SKILLS
Average (+1) Athletics, Brawl, Drive,
Firearms, and Investigate
FEATURES
Respect the Badge. Cops have a +2 on Provoke
checks to create a situation aspect.
Stress & Consequences. Usually none.
Each point of damage takes out one cop.
GEAR
Bulletproof Vest, Pistol, Club, Radio,
Cuffs, Shotgun in the car
and a natural gift for medicine, he completed his
religious training in Rome and joined the Dominican
order while still a young man. Working under
other, more experienced, Dominicans, he came to
learn of the secret intrigues going on beneath the
surface of 20th century life. In the mid-60’s he first
came into contact with incarnations of Arthurian
figures, and he was involved in the earliest Vatican
discussions concerning this mystery and its mean-
ing. While other more scholarly priests and cardi-
nals remained in Rome to research the Arthurian
Age within the Vatican library, Alorda was singled
out to return to the field, observe these incarna-
tions, and make contact where it was prudent.
When he or his superiors in Rome learn of a possi-
ble Arthurian incarnation, Monsignor Alorda arrives
on the scene. His usual cover is as a veterinarian,
and he takes employment at an animal hospital or
shelter near to where his subject lives or works. Word
soon spreads that Alorda is a trained doctor willing
to help those hurt in street violence without asking
questions and without asking for money; considering
the rough-and-tumble lives of most incarnations,
this is often sufficient to bring them to Alorda’s door.

Doctor Alorda
Supporting NPC
With every occult and illuminated group probing the
mystery of Arthur’s return, it will come as no surprise
that the Vatican has made this investigation a priority.
In addition to the potentially world-changing impact
of the Holy Grail’s return, the Church has a long histo-
ry of partnership with Arthur, supporting his right to
rule but also chastising him when he needed instruc-
tion. (When Lancelot’s affair with the Queen was
revealed, the Pope pressured Arthur to take her back
and call off the war with France.) The current program
of research into Arthur’s reincarnation is conducted
out of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith,
the modern descendant of the original Inquisition,
with special agents granted the title of monsignor and
answering directly to His Holiness the Pope. Lawrence
Alorda, Dominican friar, is one of those agents.
Lawrence is an unassuming Hispanic in his sixties.

151
 Chapter 9: Allies and Adversaries
However, he is perfectly willing to insert himself
into an incarnation’s life in other ways. Churchgoing
heroes may find their regular priest suddenly re-
assigned, or be pleasantly surprised by the friend-
ly old man who has just moved in next door.
Once he makes contact with a possible incarnation,
Alorda observes the individual and tries to assess his
or her character. He offers practical but ethical advice
and maintains complete discretion. He sews up bullet
holes and stab wounds with grim humor. He can
provide pain medication and other pharmaceuticals,
but he prefers to deliver the medication himself so
that he knows it is not used in a cruel or inhumane
manner. Alorda tries to find common ground with
his subjects, and he seeks ways in which they can
work together towards common purpose. He firmly
believes that no man is perfect, himself included,
and he is far more likely to forgive another than
condemn. That said, Alorda also remains loyal to
basic concepts of human dignity and justice; heroes
who indulge in anti-social behavior such as murder,
torture, or even simple bullying will earn an appro-
priate level of condemnation from the monsignor.
Of course, Alorda is only part of a large machine
and he makes constant reports to his home office
in Rome. There, higher ranking members of the
Congregation advise the Pope, who has final au-
thority in all matters relating to Arthur’s return.
In any Arthur Lives! campaign, Monsignor Alorda
fills the role of Helpless Ally; his medical skills and
papal connections make him a potentially use-
ful resource for players, especially if they have no
doctor among them. However, he is utterly unable
to defend himself and has many enemies among
rival organizations such as the Masons, Illuminati,
or Assassins. He is friendly to the PCs, but also
monitoring their behavior, and if they are guilty
of chronic gross misconduct his superiors in the
Vatican will take action (perhaps resulting in the
arrival of an Inquisition hit squad). One way to use
that threat is for the heroes to temporarily appear
guilty of a crime which Alorda is obligated to report;
by the time he learns they are innocent, the Vatican
has already put a punishment in motion, and the
heroes must simultaneously survive a papal hit job
while trying to apprehend the true guilty party.
ASPECTS
Vatican Agent
Pacifist
Dominican Friar
Healing Hands
Cover Identity
Xavier, Black Lab
152
SKILLS
Great (+4) Confidence, Education, and Empathy
Good (+3) Occult, Rapport, and Technology
Fair (+2) Investigate, Resources, and Wilderness
Average (+1) Deceive, Notice, and Willpower
FEATURES
Doctor. Alorda can use his Education to put
physical consequences into recovery.
Improvised Instruments. Alorda can spend a
Fate point to locate improvised tools in the scene
which allow him to use Doctor at no penalty.
Alchemist. Alorda can make elixirs. He knows
the recipes for poison potions, calming pastilles,
potions of healing, and the bleeding poison.
STRESS
Physical: bb Mental: bbb
CONSEQUENCES
Two minor consequences (one being his dog, Xavier)
GEAR
Simple clothing, crucifix, rosaries, wal-
let, first aid kit, home with medical gear,
black Labrador named “Xavier”
Enforcer
Nameless NPC
Enforcers are heavily-armed soldiers in a crim-
inal enterprise such as a drug ring, armored
car robbery, or bank heist. These numbers can
also be used for terrorists (or criminals pos-
ing as terrorists in elaborate heist scenarios).
Gunplay, physical violence, and the threat of force
are the Enforcers’ forte. They are dangerous with
guns, knives, or their bare hands and will frequently
use Provoke to set up advantages on their targets.
ASPECTS
Strength in Numbers
SKILLS
Fair (+2) Firearms
Average (+1) Brawl, Provoke, Physique
FEATURES
Hail of Bullets. Enforcers have a +2 on
Provoke rolls to create an advantage provid-
ed they can fire their guns in the process.
STRESS
One stress box.
GEAR
Assault Rifle, pistol, knife. Smart enforcers wear
a bulletproof vest. Some will have a grenade.

Federal Agents
Nameless NPC
FBI agents, Federal Marshals, and other gov-
ernment agents are typically well-trained and
well-educated, smart, motivated, and physical-
ly capable. While certainly dangerous in a fire-
fight, they’re really dangerous when they get on
your tail and start unraveling all your secrets.
ASPECTS
Fed
Quantico Training
SKILLS
Fair (+2) Investigate
Average (+1) Athletics, Brawl, Education,
Firearms, Notice, Willpower
STRESS
One stress box.
GEAR
Pistol, a concealed vest or, if on a
raid, a bulletproof vest.
Gretchen Schwan
Main NPC
Gretchen (a nickname, only her parents called her
Margaret) was born in West Germany in the 1970s
and grew up very conscious of her country’s status
as a divided nation. She went to business school
in England, but while there was recruited into the
Illuminati by her boyfriend, whom she quickly out-
stripped in influence. He carried a grudge for years
until, after a clumsy attempt to have her killed in a
car accident, she decided he was too dangerous to
leave alive and she regretfully ordered his death.
After graduation, Gretchen was temporarily made
a junior supervisor in a remote German car factory,
where her training was intensified and she success-
fully opened her “third eye,” the key to her psychic
powers. Thus armed, and elevated to the rank of
Perfecti in the Order, she was re-assigned to a far
more glamorous and jet-setting position as “financial
consultant” to one of Germany’s leading conglomer-
ates. She now sits on the board of directors for several
different companies, none of which are entirely aware
of her status as Illuminati. Although she still has lunch
once a month with her superior in the Order, a well-
dressed man who speaks only Portuguese, Gretchen
is more or less free to pursue the Illuminati’s ends in
whatever way she sees fit. In particular, she spends
much of her time troubleshooting and gathering in-
telligence on potential threats (when she is not enjoy-
ing a night at the opera or one of her many lovers).
Chapter 9: Allies and Adversaries
Now in her late-thirties, Schwan is a petite bru-
nette who prefers Italian suits and shoes. Anything
she might require can be arranged through the
Order, and she knows how to contact Illuminati
agents in America, Europe, and Asia. In true Order
fashion, she never explains herself to her personal
staff, who nevertheless have noticed her mysterious
ability to appear and disappear at will, know what
someone is thinking, or persuade an individual
to do things they would never otherwise do. The
common rumor, only half-jest, is that she is some
kind of alien; the smart money is on the Greys, with
the Reptoids and Aryans at longshot 5-1 odds.
When Gretchen first stumbled across a man who
claimed to be Lancelot reborn, she thought it just
an unusual derangement. But as the months passed,
her increased mystical sensitivity alerted her to more
such individuals, and she pressed her superiors in
the Order for information. The vagueness of the
replies have somewhat alarmed Schwan; she has
begun to fear that the Order does not really know
what is going on. Accordingly, she is investigating
covertly on her own. When Mr. Invisible (whose
nature as an incarnation is utterly unknown to her)
finds possible signs of Arthurian involvement, he
passes that info along to Gretchen, and she jets to
the scene to make discreet inquiries. Thanks to
her psychic powers, few even remember her pres-
ence, let alone the nature of her investigation.
For players, Schwan is the Untrustworthy Ally. She
can provide information and occasional material
resources, but she always asks for something in return.
In addition, she is a way for you to make the heroes
aware of the Illuminati’s existence and, beyond them,
the Round Table conspiracy as a whole. While she is a
double agent, Gretchen’s actual loyalty is clear; so long
as she perceives Arthurian incarnations as scattered
and confused soldiers with no true leadership, she will
never doubt her Illuminati masters (whom she knows
to be both well-entrenched and well-informed). She
gives information and other material assistance to
Arthurian heroes not because she sympathizes with
them, but because she firmly believes they can do no
real harm and, therefore, make good dupes. If she
can collect enough firm evidence on Arthur’s return
and its greater ramifications, she hopes to use that
information to supplant her superior in the Order and
become one of the “secret masters” … whatever that is.
Schwan generally avoids violence through the use
of her psychic powers, and her third eye allows her
to escape most sticky situations. Enchanters and
others capable of perceiving supernatural effects
will see Gretchen’s third eye open on her forehead
whenever she is using her psychic abilities. The eye,
emitting golden light, is completely invisible to or-
dinary people, even those she is manipulating.
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 Chapter 9: Allies and Adversaries
ASPECTS
Illuminati Double Agent
Self-Indulgent
Third Eye Open
Corporate Board Member
Playing for Both Sides
SKILLS
Epic (+7) Confidence and Notice
Fantastic (+6) Contacts and Resources
Superb (+5) Deceive and Willpower
Great (+4) Empathy and Rapport
Good (+3) Education, Occult, and Investigation
Fair (+2) Firearms, Leadership, and Technology
Average (+1) Athletics, Drive, and Stealth
FEATURES
Not the Droids You’re Looking For. Gretchen can
influence the minds of others by speaking to them.
Use Confidence, opposed by the target’s Willpower.
On a success with style, she can influence nearby indi-
viduals with the same suggestion. This is not absolute
mind control; her instructions must be reasonable.
Read Thoughts. Gretchen can communicate by
thought with anyone she can see. If she wants
to read your mind against your will, she rolls
Confidence opposed by your Willpower. On a
success with style, you don’t know she is doing it.
Cloud Men’s Minds. Gretchen can spend a Fate
point to make a character unable to perceive her.
Create an obstacle using Confidence against the
target’s Willpower; as long as the obstacle is not
overcome, she is invisible to that character.
I Was Never Here. Gretchen can use Confidence to
erase any memory of interacting with her during the
current scene from one character. This is opposed by
Willpower. If she succeeds with style, the memory
is gone forever. Otherwise, it can be brought back to
the surface as an obstacle that others can remove.
Sense Magic. Gretchen can use Notice to
sense the presence of the supernatural.
Danger Sense. At the start of any physi-
cal conflict when Gretchen would normal-
ly be surprised, she can roll Notice to create
an advantage based on the fact that she’s not
as surprised as her enemy thinks she is.
STRESS
Physical: bb Mental: bbbb
CONSEQUENCES
Two minor, one major, and one severe consequence.
GEAR
Pistol, fashionable European clothing, limousine
and driver, smart phone, business cards, reading
glasses, and a swan-shaped lapel pin which dis-
rupts all surveillance equipment in the scene.
154
Hiram Warren
Main NPC
Hiram was indoctrinated into the global Masonic
conspiracy at the age of 13, when he joined Demolay
to play basketball. He found friendship there, and
his intelligence brought him to the attention of se-
nior Masons, who groomed him for a leadership
post. He was made a Mason proper at the age of 21,
by which time he was halfway through a criminal
justice degree at Princeton. Several law enforcement
agencies competed for his attention, but Masonic
influence ensured that the FBI’s offer was the most
lucrative. He did well in his training and was initial-
ly assigned to the Las Vegas office, where he came
to hate the desert and, especially, scorpions, one
of which found its way into his bed one evening.
Now in his fifties, Senior Agent Warren is officially
based in Washington at FBI Headquarters, but in truth
is a roving mastermind for the Freemasons and the
Round Table conspiracy. He has a small detachment
of agents who are personally loyal to him and who
will do virtually anything he commands, even if it
seems to violate the law or FBI regulations. With the
Bureau’s chief administrators all Masons or co-opted
by Masons, Warren has free license to pursue ene-
mies of the brotherhood and the Round Table. This
he does with grim enthusiasm, first investigating
targets and then branding them with accusations
of terrorism before apprehending them or forcing
a lethal shootout. If Hiram believes a target may
have useful information, he captures, interrogates,
and if necessary tortures the individual. If Hiram’s
traditional approach has a flaw, it is his belief that
information gained by torture is usually reliable.
Hiram has personal experience with the super-
natural, though he has no powers himself. A good
and loyal Freemason, he believes in a universe ruled
by order and reason, not romantic flights of fancy.
He’s caught vampires and staked them in the sun,
had haunted hotels burned to the ground, and once
rooted out a goblin infestation in the Phoenix sewer
system. He’s heard of people who are reincarna-
tions of Arthurian myth, but he considers them no
more dangerous than any other magical freak, and
he exterminates them without joy or pleasure.
In an Arthur Lives! campaign, Hiram Warren is an
example of the Recurring Antagonist. As a represen-
tative of federal law enforcement, albeit a corrupt
one who answers to his Freemason masters rather
than the law, he also represents a threat which must
be handled carefully and not with casual violence.
Introduce Warren after the heroes have had an ad-
venture which is noticed by the public; perhaps there
are bodies left behind after a warehouse firefight, or
the player characters are forced to draw weapons in
plain sight of bystanders. Agent Warren takes a special

interest in the case and begins to pursue it, gather-
ing whatever evidence the heroes leave behind and
conducting surveillance on any identifiable leads.
Once he has evidence of the supernatural, his interest
in the case peaks, as do the resources he is willing to
commit to it. If you want to give your players a change
of scenery, use Hiram to force them out of town and
on the road. Their own counter-investigation of Hiram
will reveal the threat posed by the Freemasons, and
further remind the heroes that they cannot simply go
to the police to solve their problems. In true action
movie fashion, only the heroes can set things right.
ASPECTS
Freemason Middle-Management
We Do This My Way
FBI Special Agent
Relentless
Magic Is for Fairy Tales
No Loose Ends
SKILLS
Fantastic (+6) Contacts, Investigate, and Willpower
Superb (+5) Confidence, Deceive, and Notice
Great (+4) Education, Firearms, and Leadership
Good (+3) Provoke, Resources, and Technology
Fair (+2) Burglary, Occult, and Stealth
Average (+1) Athletics, Brawl, and Drive
FEATURES
Masonic Connections. Warren can use Contacts
to establish that an NPC is a member of the
Freemasons. He does not get a free invoke of
the new aspect, but it lasts for the scene.
The Widow’s Son. Warren has a +2 on
rolls to create an advantage if he can
use Masonic connections to do it.
Torturer. Warren has a +2 bonus on Provoke
rolls to inflict mental stress, provided he has im-
plements of torture available. His preference is
the water board or other simulated drowning.
Goon Squad. Warren has a team of Federal Agent
minions, usually two mobs of two to six agents each.
STRESS
Physical: bb Mental: bbbb
CONSEQUENCES
Two minor, one major, one severe.
GEAR
Pistol, identification, Freemason ring, suit. On
a raid, he’s wearing a bulletproof vest. Hiram is
exactly the sort of character who would use the
Vest Concession to escape death. See page 106.
Chapter 9: Allies and Adversaries
Magus
The magus is a reclusive magic-worker whose
life has become consumed by his interest in the
occult. He is self-absorbed, not malevolent, and
makes a good contact for player character occult-
ists or those seeking magical advice. His magic is
subtle, and indeed it would be difficult to prove
to a neutral observer that it works at all. A magus
is not usually an enchanter; he takes stress from
casting spells and does not gain enchantment.
Simon Spelling
Supporting NPC
When you’re born with the name “Wordsworth,”
you’re bound to be a poet. Simon Spelling knew
he’d be a magician from the time he was six. As a
high school student, his eclectic reading showed
him that most magical practice was accompanied
by the use of hallucinogenic drugs; the inner city
neighborhood in which he lived gave him plenty
of opportunity to verify this theory. In his twenties,
he became something of an eclectic artist, work-
ing with paint, digital media, sculpture, music, or
writing by turns. In his thirties, his novels about a
practicing magician in 21st century Northampton,
which alternated between deep Hermetic theory and
detailed instruction for the performance of various
rituals, earned him a small following. Though his
books eventually went out of print, he’s been able
to keep them selling in the digital marketplace, and
in this manner he gets by. His needs are humble.
Now over 40, Simon has made a breakthrough
and is now performing rituals which, to his own
eye at least, work. In between bouts of work-
ing on his next novel (1,100 pages and counting),
he communes with angels, demons, and other
powers, smokes high-grade Amsterdam hash,
and answers occasional emails from fans.
Subtle Simon
Before his magic suddenly became more
demonstrably effective, Simon would have
been a practitioner of The Subtle Art; see The
Fate System Toolkit for that system.If you want
to emphasize multiple magic systems in your
campaign, he could still be using the Art. Simply
delete his talents listed below and use his Occult
to fill-in for The Subtle Art’s skill of Magic.
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 Chapter 9: Allies and Adversaries
ASPECTS
Born to be a Magician
Let’s Experiment
SKILLS
Good (+3) Occult
Fair (+2) Confidence, Perform
Average (+1) Education,
Investigate, Rapport, Willpower
FEATURES
The Stars Are Right. Simon has a +2 bonus to
Occult when creating astrology-based advantages.
Illegal Substances. Simon uses hallucinogens
and other drugs in his work. He has a +2 bonus
to Contacts when acquiring such materials.
Magical Talents. Simon can use Blessings
and Curses, Divination, and Ward.
Talisman. Simon’s talisman is an elaborately dec-
orated amulet he is seldom without. Wearing it,
he has a +2 to Occult when using Divination.
STRESS
Physical: bb Mental: bbb
CONSEQUENCES
One minor.
Black Magus
The black magician uses his powers for his own grat-
ification and to get revenge on his many enemies and
rivals. His relationship to mundane power is complex:
he may see it simply as a route to deeper magical
secrets, or his magic may be the instrument by which
he attains worldly power. A magus of this type makes
an excellent minor adversary; alone he is little threat,
but he commands obedience from mundane minions
as well as supernatural allies from Hell or Faerie.
Nigel Blackmun
Main NPC
Nigel Blackmun, a native Londoner, was the inventor
of the famous “Blacktop” series of home computers.
Leveraging that into a multi-million-dollar company, he
then sold to an even larger conglomerate, accepting a seat
on the board and a truly revolting salary. He is set for life.
But no amount of wealth, no human affection, no
number of fawning sycophants would be enough to
satiate Blackmun, whose true obsession is everlast-
ing life. The demons he summons have convinced
him that such a thing is possible, and they direct
him to occult rituals or legendary items of power
which, they suggest, shall finally grant him his long
sought boon. But the Devil is a liar, and Nigel is being
played for a fool; the errands his demonic “allies”
send him on always serve Hell’s purpose, and the
immortality he seeks is always over the next horizon.
156
Beyond Black
If you’re looking to emphasize multiple magic sys-
tems in your campaign, and you want an even darker
version of Nigel, give him the Voidcaller magic sys-
tem from the Fate System Toolkit instead of his listed
talents. Instead of the Lore skill, he uses Occult.
ASPECTS
Black Magician
I Will Live Forever!
Tall, Dark and Handsome
Slippery as an Eel
Tech Baron
SKILLS
Superb (+5) Resources
Great (+4) Occult and Technology
Good (+3) Confidence and Willpower
Fair (+2) Firearms, Provoke and Leadership
Average (+1) Deceive, Education and Physique
FEATURES
Chicks Dig the Accent. Nigel has a +2 bonus
on Deceive rolls to seduce American women.
Human Sacrifice. Nigel can push stress from spell-
casting onto helpless individuals in his presence.
Redshirt. When attacked, Nigel can choose
to spend a Fate point, forcing the attack-
er to target one of Nigel’s allies instead.
Magical Talents. Binding, Necromancy, Summon
& Banish, Unseen Hand
Talisman. Nigel’s talisman is a dagger; holding it,
he has +2 Confidence using Summon & Banish.
STRESS
Physical: bbb Mental: bbbb
CONSEQUENCES
One minor, one moderate, one severe.
GEAR
In addition to his sacrificial dagger (Weapon:1), Nigel
keeps a semi-automatic pistol (Weapon:2). He is
never without his smartphone, and has access to vir-
tually any other item of technology he might need.
Security Officers
Nameless NPCs
For well-armed and aggressive security forces,
use Cops. The men and women described here are

more about “soft power.” Their goal is defuse con-
flict as quietly and efficiently as possible, prefera-
bly before it has even occurred. Their weapons are
good looks and charm, not intimidation. When they
do fight, they’re more likely to put you in an arm
lock and walk you to the door than draw a gun.
ASPECTS
Clean & Quiet
SKILLS
Good (+3) Brawl and Notice
Fair (+2) Empathy and Rapport
Average (+1) Athletics and Firearms
FEATURES
Arm Lock. Security Officers can use Brawl to put
grappling aspects on a target, as if rolling Physique.
STRESS & CONSEQUENCES
None. Each point of damage takes
out one security officer.
GEAR
Concealed vest, pistol.
Shooter
Supporting NPC
This is the American curse: A solitary gunman
whose mind is broken, he takes out his frustrations on
the innocent around him. He may be a sniper wield-
ing a rifle from a concealed or hard-to-reach locale, or
he could be walking into a crowded building with an
assault weapon and a 100-round drum. He is almost
certainly a white male and his backpack contains more
firearms, grenades, improvised explosives, or all three.
ASPECTS
Lone Gunman
SKILLS
Good (+3) Firearms
Fair (+2) Confidence and Provoke
Average (+1) Burglary, Deceive, Education, Stealth
FEATURES
Well Prepared. The shooter has scouted out
one location in great detail as preparation for
his rampage, and he has a +2 when rolling
Firearms to create advantages on that location.
STRESS
Physical: bb Mental: bb
CONSEQUENCES
One minor.
GEAR
Sniper rifle or assault rifle, pistol, tear gas
grenades, gas mask, bulletproof vest.
Chapter 9: Allies and Adversaries
Sophie von Ribbentrop
Main NPC
The woman calling herself “Sophie von
Ribbentrop” is either one of the most import-
ant players in the global occult conspiracy or she
is a highly delusional paranoid-schizophrenic.
There remains a possibility that she is both.
She claims to have been born (the first time) in 1938
to Wallis Simpson, the future Duchess of Windsor,
who though already Edward VIII’s mistress had
also been carrying on a long affair with Joachim
von Ribbentrop. At the time Ribbentrop was Hitler’s
Ambassador to Britain, but he would later go on to
become Foreign Minister and survive the war, being
executed at Nuremberg for war crimes. In any case,
Sophie’s birth had to be hidden in order to preserve
her mother’s romance with the King, and so the
baby girl was foisted off on one of Wallis’ American
servants and raised in New England. At the age of
ten, Sophie received a letter from her father which
had been smuggled out of his prison cell, and it
was by this means that she learned her true heri-
tage. The letter had been carried by an agent of the
Kameradenwerk, an organization of Nazi survivors
organized by Colonel Ernst Rudel, the Luftwaffe’s
most decorated air ace, and Sophie accompanied
this messenger to Argentina, where she was ad-
opted by Otto Skorzeny, aka “Hitler’s Commando”
and “the most dangerous man in Europe.”
Beautiful, clever, and curious, Sophie made many
friends among the Nazi remnant and traveled fre-
quently throughout Europe and the Americas. She
was pampered by Eva Peron, who lavished her with
expensive gifts, and her adoptive father taught her
how to kill. Her interest in the occult led her to master
Guido von List’s Armanic rune magic which, after a
trip to Tibet, she combined with tantric theory to cre-
ate a unique system of sexual-yoga rune lore. Armed
with newfound magic power, she seized control of
the Fraternitas Saturnii (Brotherhood of Saturn), an
order of ritual magicians dedicated to Lucifer/Wotan
and the channeling of diabolic power from the as-
tral “Gate of Saturn.” By the 1970s, when her beloved
Otto died, she was not only one of the leaders of the
world Nazi movement but a talented magus of the
left-handed path with scores of fanatical followers.
On a lark she began to investigate time travel and the
possibility of “rewriting” the past; this led to involve-
ment in the Montauk project and temporary contact
with sailors trapped in the year 1943. Her curiosity led
her to sit in the highly dangerous Montauk chair, even
though she happened to be four months pregnant, and
the psychotropic chair stimulated her vril to over-
whelming levels. Briefly capable of nearly limitless
occult feats, she used the opportunity to transplant
her complete psyche into her own unborn fetus. Her
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body fell into a catatonic state but Montauk doctors
were able to sustain her long enough for a Caesarian
section to remove the baby once it was viable. Sophie
was “born” for the second time with a mature psyche
and complete awareness of her former life, but being
a child again caused her power structure to take some
hits. She lost track of the Montauk chair (and the copy
of it reputedly hidden somewhere along the Thames)
and spent the nineties building a new faction of Nazi
followers out of skinhead groups, the Aryan Nations,
and descendants of other Nazi leaders like herself.
Only her Brotherhood of Saturn power base remained
completely intact during her second childhood.
Sophie’s research into Nazi occultism led her to
records of the Wewelsburg Working and the testi-
monials of those who survived the experience. She
knows everything about Himmler’s intentions and the
results of the spell, including the rebirth of Arthur
and his knights into the modern world. While she
158
recognizes the magicians of the Ahnenerbe were
unable to control their own spell, she sees the re-
sult as a promising opportunity and something of a
miracle. She idolizes all Arthurian incarnations as
Aryan supermen, regardless of the bodies which their
souls may inhabit. That is, if Arthur’s soul inhabits
the body of a Jew, that person is no longer a Jew; the
power of the Aryan soul filters out any racial impu-
rities. And, since each Arthurian figure has been
brought back in multiple versions, the possibility
exists for a return of the Arthurian Age on a massive
scale: a global Aryanizing of the world’s people. To
Sophie, society stands at the brink of a Golden Age.
For GMs, Sophie von Ribbentrop is the Unwanted
Ally: a character with great resources and a desire to
help the heroes, but whose help they find distasteful
and wrong. She is best introduced in a quiet manner,
perhaps as a reliable and friendly astrologer, without
any sign of her Nazi affiliation or wild claims. Only af-
ter she has demonstrated her usefulness to the heroes
should the truth come out, and then the player charac-
ters soon find themselves in a situation which Sophie
could easily get them out of (perhaps some south-
of-the-border legal trouble, or occult interference by
a hidden lodge). In their search for the truth about
Wewelsburg, the Grail, and the Holy Lance, Sophie
has many of the answers – if the heroes can stomach
her presence. All the while, Sophie will volunteer her
aid with few strings attached, never asking as much as
her information is worth. She treats the heroes nicer
than they treat her and plays down her ruthless Nazi
ways out of consideration for heroic sensitivities she
does not share. When she lends aid, keep Sophie out
of combat; her omnicompetence is not intended to
overshadow the heroes. Instead, she provides intelli-
gence, resources, and roleplay opportunities between
action scenes. In all likelihood, most of the heroes will
reject her help. In that case, she becomes the Jilted
Lover who thwarts the heroes without killing them.
Like any good mastermind, Sophie has goals of
her own. She seeks the Montauk chair, a device
which boosts the psychic power of those who sit in
it, and which may have the ability to travel or see
through time. She believes the chair may be the
modern incarnation (and not just a mere echo) of
the Siege Perilous, and she hopes to use it to locate
all other incarnations around the world. She seeks
the “false grail” used in the Wewelsburg Working
(which she believes to be a fragment of Lucifer’s
soul). And, finally, she seeks to conceive an Arthurian
incarnation of her own; to this end, she will use all
her charm and grace on a handsome male hero.
Physically only 31, Sophie von Ribbentrop has the
soul of an octogenarian. Her hair is long and pale
gold, her eyes crystal blue. She has a petite athletic
figure maintained with a merciless workout regimen
and enhanced by select cosmetic surgery. She adapts

easily to any social situation and is something of a
cultural chameleon, leading a skinhead rally one
moment, before ditching her black leather uniform
for the designer gown of a runway gala that night. Her
Nazi connections are an unspoken open secret among
civilized company, who owe and fear her. She lavishes
praise and affection on those who please her, but is
cold as ice to those who insist on defying her wishes.
ASPECTS
Nazi Occultist
I Believe My Own Propaganda
Tantric-Armanen Runic Yoga
I’ve Had Two Lives
Brotherhood of Saturn
Otto Skorzeny Was Like a Father to Me
Capable of Anything
Social Chameleon
SKILLS
Legendary (+8) Confidence and Occult
Epic (+7) Resources and Willpower
Fantastic (+6) Contacts and Rapport
Superb (+5), Leadership and Perform
Great (+4) Athletics, Education, and Investigate
Good (+3) Deceive, Firearms, and Notice
Fair (+2) Provoke, Melee, Physique, and Stealth
Average (+1) Brawl, Drive, Empathy,
Wilderness, and Technology
FEATURES
Stirring Speeches. When Sophie uses
Performance to create an advantage related
to powerful oratory or motivating the troops,
she can invoke that aspect twice for free.
Nazi Redoubt. Sophie has a +2 on Contacts rolls
when she is working with Germans or Argentinians.
Fear, not Love. Sophie has a +2 to
Provoke her own Contacts.
Sense Magic. Sophie can sense the pres-
ence of the supernatural with Notice.
Talents. Sophie has access to Binding,
Blessings & Curses, Summon & Banish,
Unseen Hand, Ward and Weather, but only
under special circumstances. See below.
Tantric-Armanen Runic Yoga. Ribbentrop’s magi-
cal technique is, shall we say, unique. She prepares
spells by visualizing Armanen runes, invoking
them in a loud voice, and physically embodying
the runic combination through tantric yoga. This
can only be done during sex; practical consid-
erations limit preparation to one spell per five
minutes. The magically sensitive will perceive her
vivid tantric aura whenever she has spells stored.
In play, when Sophie would release a spell,
she rolls Occult to create an advantage; this new
advantage represents her prior working of mag-
ic during an intimate encounter previous to the
Chapter 9: Allies and Adversaries
current scene. The action is initially opposed at
+0 but this increases by +1 each time she does this.
When she fails one of these Occult rolls, she still
creates an advantage, but she has now used up all
the spells she was able to prepare during her last
sexual episode, and can work no more magic until
she can arrange a new sexual episode, after which
the opposition resets to +0. If Sophie cannot work
magic, she also loses the use of Sense Magic.
Once she has successfully created an aspect
(Demon Summoning, for example), she can then
invoke that aspect to cast an appropriate spell
using Binding, Blessings & Curses, Summon &
Banish, Unseen Hand, Ward or Weather. No stress
is expended casting the spell and, indeed, it takes
only one exchange to create the advantage and
release the spell, no matter how many times she
rolls, because all the stress and time was actually
expended during the previous sexual encounter.
STRESS
Physical: bbb Mental: bbbb
CONSEQUENCES
Three minor, one major, and one
severe consequence.
GEAR
Black leather trench coat and clothing, pistol, knife,
shades, smart phone. Ribbentrop can appear in any
outfit from an SS uniform to that of a rural farmer.
She can quickly gain access to any piece of military
or occult hardware she or the players might require.
Suicide Bomber
Nameless NPC
The bomber lives only to complete his mission and
fulfill his destiny. The archetypal suicide bomber is
motivated by fanaticism and has strong Confidence,
but some are motivated by poverty or threats.
ASPECTS
All I Want To Do Is Die
SKILLS
Fair (+2) Confidence
Average (+1) Contacts, Deceive,
Technology, Willpower
FEATURES
It’s a Bomb! The suicide bomber has a +2 to Provoke
when he reveals his bomb for the first time.
Bomb. The bomb is extremely lethal to Nameless
NPCs, but far less dangerous to player characters.
Should it explode, everyone in the zone takes 2
stress and everyone in the scene takes 1. NPCs Taken
Out in the zone of the bomb are dead, but those
outside the zone may only be seriously wounded.
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 Chapter 9: Allies and Adversaries
STRESS
Physical: b
GEAR
Note that if a bomber concedes in a conflict,
he cannot trigger his bomb as part of that con-
cession; blowing up is his primary goal, and
that’s what he sacrifices by conceding.
Vampires
Vampires have been entangled with Arthurian
incarnations since 1502, when Dracula himself slew
Arthur, Prince of Wales and heir to King Arthur’s
mystical legacy. Since then, many vampires have
known of “aged blood” — mortal victims of a
vampire’s hunger who somehow possess a spe-
cial taste indicative of past life or reincarnation
— but only a very few have known the truth.
The curse of the vampire takes many forms in
many lands. Sometimes it is passed on from hunter to
victim, sometimes it occurs spontaneously in wicked
and cursed folk, and sometimes it is passed on like a
family lineage. The distinguishing characteristic of the
vampire is a hunger, usually for blood but sometimes
for the psychic “life force” of the victim. In recent cen-
turies the vampire has been a handsome seducer who
uses courtship and sex to satiate his desires, but vam-
pires born in the medieval and classical era are usu-
ally monstrous carriers of plague. When female, the
vampire has a particular fondness for infant children.
In an Arthur Lives! campaign, Vampires have a spe-
cial role as villains of convenience. They are dangerous
enough to pose a threat even to well-armed knights
with supernatural aid, they can appear in great num-
ber in virtually any location around the globe, and
they prey on innocent mortals worthy of protection,
but vampires also have no real tie to the over-arcing
plots or themes of the game. In other words, when-
ever your game is stalling and you want to spice it
up with a little action, have some vampires kick the
door in. They are the Ubiquitous Vampire Menace.
Most vampires have Traditional Vampire Weaknesses.
Each round such a vampire is exposed to the sun,
it gets attacked with a +2 and cannot defend itself.
Objects blessed with the proper religious rite are a
Weapon:1; the vampire can usually try to avoid the
attack with Athletics, Brawling, or some other skill.
Individuals with faith in the divine can present to-
kens of their faith — holy symbols, the Eucharist,
and other objects — to make a mental attack on
the vampire using Confidence. This is opposed by
the vampire’s Willpower. When attacked by any
of these traditional vampire weaknesses (which
also include attacks with fire or a wooden stake
to the heart), the vampire’s Armor is ignored.
160
Vampire Minion
Nameless NPC
ASPECTS
Creature of the Night
Traditional Vampire Weaknesses
SKILLS
Fair (+2) Brawling, Confidence, and Provoke
Average (+1) Deceive, Physique, and Stealth
FEATURES
Inhuman Strength. A vampire minion has a
+3 on Physique checks to lift or break things,
a +1 when Grappling, and a +2 bonus to dam-
age when strength would be relevant.
Supernatural Toughness. A vampire minion has
natural Armor:2. Any attack which triggers tradi-
tional vampire weaknesses (holy water, the sun,
fire, a stake to the heart) ignores this Armor.
Sudden Strike. The vampire minion prefers to
surprise its opponent with its own supernatural
nature, then feed while the prey is momentarily
shocked. When targeting individuals who do not
know the minion is a vampire, the vampire can make
a Provoke roll and attack in the same exchange.
Hide in Plain Sight. A vampire minion can conceal
its vampiric features and pass for a mortal. Its fangs
and other monstrous characteristics become obvi-
ous when it feeds and whenever it is under stress.
STRESS
One stress box.
CONSEQUENCES
Use vampire spawn in mobs of three to six.
GEAR
Vampire minions are proud of their supernatural
powers and generally avoid weapons and armor.
Vampire Lieutenant
Master vampires tend to delegate the bulk of the
work to competent lieutenants, who in turn command
a gang of bloodthirsty minions. Lieutenants are over a
century old and can circumvent some of the tradition-
al vampire weaknesses, either through technology or
simple power. Deadly in battle, they usually have some
supernatural powers beyond mere strength, speed and
durability. Individually, a Vampire Lieutenant is a seri-
ous threat for a single hero, but if he’s fighting a group
of player characters he will need support from mobs of
minions and, even then, will be forced to flee or perish.
Nick Carboni
Nick was a good cop before his mistress turned
him into a slave. That was a few years ago, and now
Nick uses his position as a police detective to funnel

information, cover the tracks of vampire depreda-
tions in the city, and recruit cheap criminals into the
vampire gangs. He dresses in Hawaiian shirts, worn
jeans, sneakers and sunglasses with his police ID in
a lanyard around his neck and his gun in a shoul-
der holster. He’s still handsome, despite his mop of
thick, dark hair and permanently unshaven face.
ASPECTS
Vampire Cop
Traditional Vampire Weaknesses
What the Mistress Wants, the Mistress Gets
Solid Steel Heart
SKILLS
Great (+4) Athletics, Brawling, and Physique
Good (+3) Confidence, Provoke, and Stealth
Fair (+2) Deceive, Leadership, and Willpower
Average (+1) Contacts, Drive, Occult, and Firearms
FEATURES
Dirty Cop. Nick has a +2 bonus to Deceit
when he is using his status as a police de-
tective in an improper manner.
Fly. Nick can fly at twice the speed of a running man.
“Get’m, Boys”. When Nick uses his action to create an
advantage that represents teamwork, his vampire min-
ions get two free invocations of it instead of just one.
Inhuman Strength. Nick has a +3 on Physique checks
to lift or break things, a +1 when Grappling, and a +2
bonus to damage when strength would be relevant.
Supernatural Toughness. Nick has natural
Armor:2. Any attack which triggers tradition-
al vampire weaknesses (holy water, the sun,
fire, a stake to the heart) ignores this Armor.
Solid Steel Heart. Nick has had a steel plate insert-
ed into his chest over his heart. When someone
attempts to stake him from the front, he can spend
a Fate point to cause that attack to automatically
fail. He retains his immunity to being staked from
the front for the rest of the scene. Any attack that
ignores Armor ignores this extra with the exception
of staking. Nick can also use his Solid Steel Heart to
perform a variant of the Vest Concession; he falls
down, apparently dead, but later is revealed to
still be alive because of the plate in his chest. This
can only be done if the PCs don’t know about the
plate before he reveals it with this concession.
STRESS
Physical: bbbb Mental: bbbb
CONSEQUENCES
One minor.
GEAR
Pistol, ID, smokes, bulletproof vest and shotgun in car.
Chapter 9: Allies and Adversaries
Vampire Master
Master vampires traditionally date from the 15th
or 16th century. Their powers have continued to
grow, including not only the circumvention of var-
ious vampiric weaknesses but also various forms
of black magic from Weather to Shapeshift. Not
yet so old and wicked as to be physically mon-
strous, the master vampire enjoys the best of both
worlds, mingling in human society at the same time
that it commands a horde of vampire minions.
Lilac Mar, or “Carmilla”
Main NPC
“Girls are caterpillars while they live in the world, to
be finally butterflies when the summer comes; but in the
meantime they are grubs and larvae, don’t you see...”
Carmilla is one of the great vampires of the
world, the subject of a famous story by Le Fanu
which immortalized her forever. If records are to
be believed, she was once the Countess Mircalla
Karnstein of the Austrian province of Styria. She
died the night of her coming-out ball in 1698, killed
by a vampire whose needle-like teeth pierced her
breast. The identity of that original vampire is un-
known, but he or she was a suicide whose self-in-
flicted murder brought the vampiric curse.
Since the fall of her line, Carmilla has preyed upon
young women. Most she takes by force, draining them
of their blood and life in a single night. Some last a few
days more, telling of visitation by a ghost or report-
ing bizarre nightmares to which few give credence.
But once in a while Carmilla seems to fall in a kind
of love with a victim; she arranges to be in the close
company of her chosen prey for an extended period,
during which she befriends and seduces her with a
smoldering ardor, slowly claiming the girl’s life over
weeks or months of repeated intimate encounters.
Austrian officials report catching Carmilla in
her grave to deliver the customary beheading in
1849, but the curse of the vampire is not so easi-
ly ended. When moonlight shone down upon her
corpse, she rose again. Somewhat alarmed at her
fame in the wake of Le Fanu’s exposé, and fear-
ing pursuit by the noted vampire hunter Baron
Vordenburg, she fled to America. Carmilla makes
extensive use of mortal assistants and minions
who pose as her parents and personal staff.
Carmilla’s supernatural nature gives her both great
power and telltale weakness. Most obviously, she is
compelled to always use an anagram of her original
name, Mircalla. This is not a choice, but rather a
magical compulsion not unlike Dracula’s requirement
he be invited before crossing a threshold. Her current
identity is Lilac Mar, reclusive heir to an old world
fortune. (Because of her compulsion, she will never
introduce herself merely as Lilac, Lily, or Ms. Mar; she
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must always use every letter of her original name and
no more.) For more than a century, she was obliged
to spend at least a few hours of every evening in her
grave; she may have outgrown this, or simply had her
grave moved. She is cursed with a strange lethargy, a
supernatural fatigue which makes her appear slow
and tired at almost all times. She can rouse herself at
need, however, and can indeed move so fast that she
appears to simply vanish and reappear a short dis-
tance away. Like most vampires, she has phenomenal
personal strength and her touch can paralyze a limb
(which makes a good consequence). When caught
by surprise while feeding, she has been spotted in
the form of a black panther about five feet long; in
this diabolical form she can use black magic to bind
her victim to her, emotionally. When necessary, she
can even briefly adopt a ghost-like form which al-
lows her to enter locked rooms or escape pursuit.
Physically, the young Countess Karnstein is extraor-
dinarily beautiful with large, dark eyes, lustrous and
thick brown hair, a sweet voice, and a dark mole on her
throat; she appears to be in her late teens. She main-
tains a pulse by conscious effort and has complete
control over it, a fact she uses to simulate injury when
it suits her purpose. She has none of the paleness so
often seen in vampires, and can move freely under
the sun. Her cursed nature does manifest as a hatred
of religious ritual, objects, and people; characters
wielding religious objects can make mental attacks
on her using Confidence, opposed by her Willpower.
ASPECTS
The Countess Karnstein
Languor
Soft Kisses
Sudden Fury
SKILLS
Superb (+5) Brawling, Contacts, and Rapport
Great (+4) Deceive, Occult, and Willpower
Good (+3) Investigate, Resources, and Stealth
Fair (+2) Athletics, Notice, and Physique
Average (+1) Burglary, Education, and Empathy
FEATURES
Cat Form. Carmilla can adopt the form of a
large black predatory cat. In this form, she
cannot speak, but she can use Binding mag-
ic. She does not gain enchantment from
working magic, taking normal stress instead.
Unlike enchantment, her magic can fail.
Ghost Form. Carmilla can transform into an
insubstantial ghost. She is recognizable in
this shape, but can move through physical ob-
jects at will. Magical attacks still harm her.
Strange Ardour. Once Carmilla has seduced
and begun feeding from a young woman, her
relationship with that victim is represented by an
162
additional moderate consequence for Carmilla.
Numbing Touch. When Carmilla makes a
Brawling attack, she can spend a Fate point
to also place a 2-point obstacle on the target
which represents a paralyzed arm or leg.
Inhuman Strength. Carmilla has a +3 on
Physique checks to lift or break things, a +1
when Grappling, and a +2 bonus to dam-
age when strength would be relevant.
Supernatural Toughness.
Carmilla has natural Armor2.
Inhuman Speed. Carmilla has a +4 bonus when
determining initiative. She can move one zone
for free on every exchange. All her Athletics
checks are made at +1, or +2 if she is doing noth-
ing but moving. When she uses Stealth, she re-
duces the difficulty of opposition rolls by 2.
STRESS
Physical: bbb Mental: bbbb
CONSEQUENCES
One minor, one moderate (two if she has Strange
Ardour), and one severe consequence.
GEAR
Carmilla does not use or require mundane
equipment. She is probably dressed either
in expensive, custom-made, fashions which
suit her station or a filmy dressing gown.
Vampire Lord
The Vampire Lord is a largely cinematic creation:
A monstrous and terrifying being born in the Middle
Ages and possessed of fantastic powers, it is too
hideous to effectively pass among mortals and in-
stead sequesters itself in a lightless prison of its own
devising, pursuing long-term goals through master
vampires, lieutenants, and a faceless army of vam-
pire minions. Sometimes the vampire lord’s hunger
has grown so strong that it must feed on other vam-
pires, leading to strained alliances between mortal
heroes and ex-predators now turned into prey.
Rytgier
Main NPC
In the 8th century, Rytgier was a chief among the
Allemani, a pagan Germanic tribe living along the
Rhine. When Krakus, King of the Vandals, died and
left only his daughter on the throne, Rytgier sensed
weakness and invaded with a small army of fierce
and experienced warriors. At the sight of the Princess
Wanda, however, Rytgier was consumed with desire.
He offered to end his invasion if she would marry him,
but Wanda refused. Rytgier ordered a night attack
in an attempt to carry Wanda off, but she escaped
him in death, hurling herself into the Vistula river.

Torn by lust and rage, thwarted in his obsession but
refusing to relent, Rytgier chose to follow his desire
beyond the grave and took his own life. With this act,
he brought the curse of vampirism upon himself.
Thirteen centuries later, Rytgier is an utterly alien
and inhuman creature, tall, proud, pale and hairless.
His only real priority is his own continued existence,
and he will do anything to ensure it; he has a vast
power structure in Europe and America made up
of vampires and human slaves, but only his closest
servants know his identity and can boast of having
actually met him. There are few secrets of occult lore
unknown to him, but since all ambassadors who
succeed in reaching him are devoured, the major
secret societies now avoid him, which was the point.
Rytgier is old enough to have living memory of the
early Middle Ages, and though he never met Arthur
or his knights, he knew men that did and he has
not been blind to the effort to re-awaken the Once
and Future King. He learned of Vlad Tepes’s assas-
sination of Prince Arthur of England from Dracula’s
own mouth, and put together the clues of Arthur’s
return as his own servants and slaves fled the end
of Hitler’s Reich. In short, he knows much about
the incarnations which players will want to hear,
though if they have gotten close enough to Rytgier to
speak with him, they had better have something to
offer in return, lest he simply consume them. What
he wants to know more than anything is the reason
for Arthur’s return: Setting aside the petty dreams
of mad Germans in the War, Arthur’s destiny is to
return only when the world needs him most. So ...
what is that need? What enemy, what foe so danger-
ous that it brings back kings, knights, and enchant-
ers centuries dead, looms on the horizon? Rytgier’s
paranoia compels him to learn the answer to this
question. His own survival depends on it. He thinks
incarnations like the player characters know the
answer, and he thinks they’re hiding it from him.
ASPECTS
1,300-Year-Old Vampire
Self-Preservation Is All That Matters
Traditional Vampire Weaknesses
Paranoid
Always Hungry
Darkness Is My World
SKILLS
Epic (+7) Brawling and Physique
Fantastic (+6) Confidence and Willpower
Superb (+5) Provoke and Occult
Great (+4) Contacts and Resources
Good (+3) Athletics and Stealth
Fair (+2) Leadership and Notice
Average (+1) Deceive and Melee
Chapter 9: Allies and Adversaries
FEATURES
Two in One Blow. When Rytgier suc-
ceeds in a hand-to-hand attack against
multiple targets, add 2 to his effect before di-
viding that effect between the two foes.
Man-Bat. Rytgier can transform into a mon-
strous man-sized bat creature. In this form,
he can fly as fast as a car, and he gains nat-
ural Weapon:2 from claws and fangs.
Feast. If Rytgier succeeds in grappling a victim,
on his next turn he can spend a Fate point to Take
Out that victim, draining him or her of blood.
Black Magic. Rytgier can use the talents Binding,
Blessings & Curses, Necromancy, and Weather.
He does not gain enchantment points and does
not even suffer stress for working magic. However,
unlike enchantment, his magic can fail.
The Language of Wolves. Rytgier can command dogs
and wolves to do his bidding. Named NPCs which
qualify can oppose his Leadership with Willpower.
I Smell Your Blood. Rytgier can detect hid-
den or invisible living creatures by scent.
Supernatural Strength. Rytgier has a +6 on
Physique checks to lift or break things, a +2
when Grappling, and a +4 bonus to dam-
age when strength would be relevant.
Supernatural Toughness. Rytgier has nat-
ural Armor:2. If attacked by the traditional
vampire weaknesses, his armor is ignored.
Inhuman Speed. Rytgier has a +4 bonus when
determining initiative. He can move one zone
for free on every exchange. All his Athletics
checks are made at +1, or +2 if he is doing noth-
ing but moving. When he uses Stealth, he re-
duces the difficulty of opposition rolls by 2.
Darkness Is My World. Darkness is light
for Rytgier; in absolute darkness, he sees as
a mortal would by bright light. In bright-
ly lit situations, he is effectively blind.
STRESS
Physical: bbbb Mental: bbbb
CONSEQUENCES
Four minor, one moderate, one severe.
Walking Corpses
Nameless NPC
Corpses are animated by black magic. Usually
this is the work of a witch or black magus, but in-
fernal power can be unleashed on the world in
many ways. The walking dead are easy to outrun
or fool, and a knight can slaughter them by the
score, but they are so horrifying that ordinary folk
are helpless against them and die in gruesome
fashion. They obey orders without question.
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 Chapter 9: Allies and Adversaries
ASPECTS
Already Dead
Weakness: We’re Walking Here
SKILLS
Fair (+2) Physique
Average (+1) Brawl
FEATURES
Dead Flesh. Walking corpses have Armor:2.
It’s Like Talking to a Wall. Most mundane skills
of a social and mental nature (Provoke, for ex-
ample) simply don’t work on a corpse. If the ef-
fect is magical, however, it works normally.
STRESS
None
CONSEQUENCES
One minor consequence (usually a severed
limb which continues to move and fight).
GEAR
If corpses carry anything at all, it is prob-
ably an improvised Weapon:1
Armed and Armored
You may need corpses which have dwelt
for centuries in an ancient ruined castle, or
which have been armed by a clever necro-
mancer. Replace Brawl with Melee. They carry
axes or swords which are Weapon:2. Although
they wear ancient armor, it is no better than
their natural Armor:2, so can be ignored.
Werewolf
The Arthurian age has a few examples of the “gar-
wolf”: Bisclavret, Melion, and Marrok were all knights
who transformed into a wolf for a limited time. These
tales probably all had the same source, but for game
purposes it is better if they are distinct individuals.
Bisclavret was the victim of a curse which forced him
into wolf form for three days out of every week. He
could only transform back into human form if he was
in the presence of his clothing; when his wife stole
these and ran off with another man, Bisclavret was
trapped in wolf form. Melion was a knight of Arthur’s
who used a magic ring to turn into a wolf so that he
could hunt a Faerie stag for his wife. She touched him
with the ring to cause the transformation but then
abandoned him, again for another man. Years later,
both Melion and Bisclavret were befriended in wolf
form by the king, who could not help but notice their
noble demeanor. Eventually, the truth was discovered,
164
Melion was returned to normal with the ring, and
Bisclavret was presented with his clothes and a pri-
vate room to change in. As for Sir Marrok, we know
almost nothing about him except that he was a knight
of the Round Table and, again, his wife seems to have
been largely responsible for his transformation.
Modern myths of the werewolf have gone far afield,
influenced by Germanic and Scandinavian myths
as well as the folklore of the witch and the vampire.
Although he is born a “lycanthrope” or is a victim
of disease transmitted by bite, the modern werewolf
retains his character as a tragic, and sometimes even
noble, figure who struggles with his bestial, animal-
istic side in an effort to retain his humanity. In an
Arthur Lives! campaign, the role of the werewolf differs
from the vampire because they are, as a rule, more
sympathetic characters than vampires, and there is
a possibility they can be cured of their condition. If
that all sounds too warm and fuzzy for your table,
nothing prevents you from introducing a traditional
Gothic werewolf killing machine for a night of horror.
Garwolf
For a man who turns into a wolf, add the Garwolf
aspect and re-arrange the character’s skills to put
Brawl, Athletics, Notice, and Wilderness at the top
of his pyramid, cutting skills that cannot be used in
wolf form. Teeth and claws are Weapon:1. Replace
two of his stunts with the Stalk and Tracking
Scent stunts listed for the wolf in this chapter.
If time spent as a wolf is an uncontrollable curse,
such as that of Bisclavret, no other cost is necessary.
But if, like Sir Melion, the transformation can be
enabled through the use of a magic ring or other
object, reduce refresh by 1. The ring does not trans-
form when you turn into a wolf, so you will need to
hide it somewhere or give it to someone. Don’t lose it.
Luke, Werewolf
Supporting NPC
Luke is a man suffering from an awful curse. Three
days a month, when the moon is full, he loses control
of himself and transforms into a werewolf. During
these periods, he is a bloodthirsty monster with
barely a shred of humanity; when he awakens, Luke
has no memory of what he has done. He was born
with this condition, and learned of it from a video
recorded by his own father, who was also a werewolf.
If there is a cure for Luke’s condition, he does not
know it, and so he wanders the world trying to stay
one step ahead of law enforcement, the media, and
his past. Every month he locks himself in the sturdi-
est room he can find, but the monster often breaks
out. When it does, it inevitably tracks down wicked
locals Luke has met, killing them in an exceeding-
ly gory manner. Strangely, the monster never kills
innocent people or children. Sometimes, it almost

seems as if Luke is drawn to places and people which
need the monster, and he wonders if he has become
an instrument of fate or destiny, a champion to the
powerless. Then he wakes up naked in the woods,
learns of his latest murders, and flees to the next town.
ASPECTS
Tragic Werewolf
Don’t Make Me Angry
School of Hard Knocks
Practiced Liar
Country Boy
SKILLS
Great (+4) Brawling and Physique
Good (+3) Athletics, Wilderness, and Notice
Fair (+2) Burglary, Willpower, Empathy, and Rapport
Average (+1) Deceive, Education, Occult, and Stealth
FEATURES
Cut: Luke can roll Physique to make
a good impression on someone who
would be sexually attracted to him.
More Than Mortal. Luke has a +2 on Provoke rolls
to dissuade other people from messing with him.
Werewolf Form. When Luke is transformed,
he has Weapon:1 and Armor:3. Physical at-
tacks with silver ignore his armor.
Inhuman Strength. In werewolf form, Luke
has a +3 on Physique rolls to lift or break things,
+1 on rolls to grapple, and a +2 bonus to dam-
age when strength would be relevant.
Tracker. In werewolf form, Luke has a +2
to Notice things with scent and a +2 on
Wilderness rolls to track by smell.
Terror. When the werewolf first appears in a scene,
he can spend a Fate point to roll Physique as if it was
Provoke, intimidating all Nameless NPCs in the area.
Regeneration. No matter how seriously Luke is
injured, when he transforms back into human form,
all his physical injuries are healed. His clothes never
transform with him; he usually tears out of them.
STRESS
Physical: bbbb Mental: bbb
CONSEQUENCES
One minor.
Witch
Witchcraft has a long and complex tradition, but
in Arthurian legend the term is (unfairly) used to
refer to a particular sort of evil female enchanter. A
modern witch can take many forms, but those three
characteristics are presumed. Witches typically
operate independently, but can sometimes appear
in great number, pooling their magical powers.
Chapter 9: Allies and Adversaries
Hannah Potts
Supporting NPC
Hannah was lured into witchcraft by demons
who played on her frustrated professional life
and her resentment of authoritative men. She
lost her soul long ago, and is now something of
a pathetic figure, desperately trying to appease
her diabolic masters. Her sole comfort is her cat,
Ebony. To pay her bills, she sells love charms on
Etsy, enforcing them with Blessings & Curses.
ASPECTS
Kitchen Witch
Going to Hell
Hiding in Plain Sight
Witch’s Familiar
SKILLS
Good (+3) Occult
Fair (+2) Confidence, Willpower
Average (+1) Contacts, Deceive, Notice
FEATURES
Eternal Beauty. Hannah’s true appearance is
concealed by Glamour. She always appears as
a beautiful blonde in her early thirties. The
truth is, she’s a beautiful brunette in her ear-
ly forties, but she thinks she is hideous.
Magical Talents. Blessings & Curses, Glamour,
Necromancy, Summon & Banish.
Place of Power. Hannah’s kitchen gener-
ates 1 point of enchantment a day.
STRESS
Physical: bb Mental: bbb
CONSEQUENCES
One minor, one moderate (her familiar).
Hannah’s familiar, Ebony, does not have sta-
tistics of its own, instead allowing Hannah to
make skill rolls (such as Notice) when she is not
physically present. Hannah has a +1 bonus to
Confidence when casting spells, provided Ebony
is with her. If Hannah suffers her moderate con-
sequence, Ebony is Taken Out. You meanie.
A Coven of Witches
If you want to make a witch into a serious
threat, give her Leadership, the Group Ritual and
Coven stunts, and mobs of Nameless NPC witch-
es equal to her Leadership (Occult +2, Deceive
and Willpower +1, each has a single 1-hit stress
box). This will raise her effective Confidence and
Willpower, allowing her to Summon more danger-
ous demons and raise more dangerous corpses,
and she can allocate the stress to her mob.
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 Chapter 9: Allies and Adversaries
Across the Veil
Cath Palug
Supporting NPC, Scale 2
The Palug Cat is known to us from the fragmen-
tary poem “Arthur and the Porter,” which appears
in the Black Book of Carmarthen. The myth tells of
a legendary sow, Hen Wen, which stormed across
the British Isles dropping its monstrous offspring.
These included a wolf, an eagle, and a demonic cat
thrown out to sea by the swineherd who found it.
But the cat swam ashore and, wet and bedraggled,
was taken in by Palug and his family. They nursed it
with milk from their best cow, and the cat grew with
supernatural speed. Eventually it grew too hun-
gry to be sated by mere milk, and it began to prowl
the Welsh countryside. It slew one hundred and
eighty knights before Kay cornered it and killed it.
An echo of the Palug Cat will have been rescued
from drowning or a severe thunderstorm and it will
have been fed particularly unusual food: steroid-laced
milk, genetically engineered Frankenfood, or even
human flesh. Its fur turns black and its eyes begin to
glow even as it grows in size, until it is larger than a
horse. The Palug Cat is fearless and likes to play with
its food; it is too fast and fierce for anyone but a hero
to defeat it, but it can be lured by its favorite meal.
In order for the echo to fade, the Cat must be slain.
ASPECTS
Monstrous Man-Eating Cat
Plays with its Food
SKILLS
Superb (+5) Brawl and Physique
Great (+4) Athletics and Stealth
Good (+3) Provoke and Notice
Fair (+2) Confidence and Willpower
Average (+1) Deceit and Wilderness
FEATURES
Inhuman Speed. The Cat has a +1 on all Athletics
rolls and a +4 when determining initiative.
Demonic Visage. When someone sees the Cat for
the first time, the Cat can immediately roll Provoke
to create a fear-based advantage as a result of its ter-
rifying and unnatural appearance. The Cat does not
get a free invoke, but the aspect lasts for the scene.
Pounce. The Cat can spend a Fate point
to take a movement action and then a
Brawling action in the same turn.
Climbing and Jumping. Reduce barriers by 2
when the Cat is moving from one zone to another.
Balance. The Cat can roll at +2 to overcome
obstacles Athletics would be able to over-
come, without using an action to do so.
166
Claws of the Cat. The Cat’s claws are Weapon:2,
modified to Weapon:4 against Scale 1 heroes.
Fiendish Vigor. The Cat has one ad-
ditional minor consequence.
STRESS
Physical: bbbb Mental: bbb
CONSEQUENCES
Three minor consequences. Note that
the Cat’s Scale gives it natural Armor:2
against most player characters.
Dragons
Small dragons are not much bigger than a man;
even so, their steel-hard skin and fiery breath make
them more than a match for any ordinary knight. As
dragons age, they grow large, then huge, and then to
enormous, fairy-tale size. Eventually they become
threats to villages, towns, and entire kingdoms.
The Dragon of St. George
Supporting NPC
Although the legend of St. George specifically states
that the dragon was so large its body required four ox-
carts to haul away, when depicted in art the monster
is rather underwhelming in size. A dragon of this size
makes an excellent guard-monster for an enterprising
Black Magus or evil enchanter. It is very young, smart
for an animal, but a pale shadow of its future glory. It
relies on stealth, intimidation, and the sudden strike.
ASPECTS
It’s a Dragon!
Awkward Flier
Eats Two Sheep for Breakfast
SKILLS
Great (+4) Brawl
Good (+3) Physique and Confidence
Fair (+2) Notice and Stealth
Average (+1) Athletics, Wilderness, and Willpower
FEATURES
Cow. The dragon can use Confidence
to create advantages based on fear.
No Fear. The dragon can use Confidence to de-
fend against any fear effect, including Provoke.
Fiery Breath. The dragon can spend a Fate point
to attack at +3 against a single opponent in the
same zone, who defends with Athletics (charac-
ters with a shield can use Melee). If the dragon
hits, in addition to the damage inflicted, the tar-
get is given a difficulty 1 obstacle On Fire, which
attacks for three rounds or until it is overcome.

Inhuman Toughness. The dragon’s skin acts
as Armor:1 and it has an additional minor con-
sequence. However, a character with faith in
God can use Confidence to overcome a diffi-
culty 1 obstacle, negating the dragon’s Armor
for that character as long as the scene lasts.
Falling with Style. The dragon can only
fly for extended leaps; it has to land at
the end of its action each turn.
Natural Weapons. The dragon’s
claws and bite are Weapon:1.
STRESS
Physical: bbbb Mental: bbb
CONSEQUENCES
Two minor.
GEAR
Dressing: Small dragons aren’t smart enough
to pass as a human being; they can’t even talk.
Instead, they are dressed as big animals, with
crocodiles and alligators a traditional favorite.
The Monster in the Lake
Supporting NPC, Scale 2
Many towns in America have a legend about that
Monster in the Lake. They say it’s been around
since the 1800s. Supposedly, it attacked a report-
er. One guy’s been looking for it his whole life;
he has a cabin, right up there in the woods.
A dragon this size is about as big as a bear. It’s
as smart as a dumb person and can speak, though
it can still be tricked or outwitted by clever he-
roes. Its wings are developed and it can truly fly;
combined with its bulk and an increasingly le-
thal fire, this makes it extremely dangerous.
Chapter 9: Allies and Adversaries
ASPECTS
It’s a Dragon!
If It Bleeds, We Can Kill It
How Can Something So Big Move So Fast?
SKILLS
Superb (+5) Brawl
Great (+4) Physique and Confidence
Good (+3) Athletics and Wilderness
Fair (+2) Stealth and Willpower
Average (+1) Notice and Resources
FEATURES
Cow. The Monster in the Lake can use
Confidence to create advantages based on fear.
No Fear. The Monster in the Lake can
use Confidence to defend against any
fear effect, including Provoke.
Fiery Breath. The Monster in the Lake can spend a
Fate point to make a single attack at +4 against two
opponents in an adjacent zone, who defend individ-
ually with Athletics (characters with a shield can use
Melee). The dragon does not have an attack pen-
alty for splitting his Fiery Breath in this way. If the
dragon hits, in addition to the damage inflicted, the
targets are given a difficulty 2 obstacle On Fire, which
attacks for three rounds or until it is overcome.
Inhuman Toughness. The Monster in the Lake
has Armor:1, modified to Armor:3 against Scale 1
heroes. It has an additional minor consequence.
However, if illuminated by the light of the sun,
its armor is negated (even the Scale bonus).
Wings in the Water. The Monster in the
Lake can effectively “fly” underwater, using
Athletics and moving at increased speed.
Natural Weapons. The Monster in the
Lake’s claws and bite are Weapon:2.
STRESS
Physical: bbbb Mental: bbbb
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 Chapter 9: Allies and Adversaries
CONSEQUENCES
Three minor.
GEAR
Dressing: As written, the Monster in the Lake
isn’t dressed; it hides instead. Dragons of this size
are problematic for enchanters, as they are too
big to be easily concealed, but not smart enough
to make for a convincing human being. Some
magicians dress their dragons as the mentally ill,
chaining them in place or locking them up in a
lair where they act as the ultimate watch-dog. A
dragon of this size makes a plausible — if enor-
mous, scary, and very angry — horse, and in that
shape can be ridden by Faeries, black knights,
and witches. If Dressed into a Scale 1 shape, its
Fiery Breath targets only a single character.
Tombstone, aka Mr. Tooms
Main NPC, Scale 3
At this scale, a dragon really comes into its own.
It has lived for over a century. No longer “merely”
a monstrous killing machine immune to weap-
ons, the dragon has grown to dominate all it sur-
veys. In the air, it is a terrifying shadow that brings
death to its enemies. In its lair, it is death.
In 1890, years after silver had peaked and the
mines had both burned and flooded, two residents
of the once-flourishing town of Tombstone, Arizona
rode in claiming they had shot and killed a wound-
ed dragon with their Winchester rifles after a long
pursuit. For proof, they presented a nail taken from
its claw. Newspapermen tried to follow up, in the
hope of bringing tourists and hunters back to the
dying town, but there was no corpse. The cowboys
seemed honestly disappointed, and the journalists
wanted to sell papers, so they faked a photo. To no
one’s surprise, the Dragon Rush never materialized.
Tombstone, as he is now known in Faerie and
among his own kind, barely survived that encounter
and has nursed a grudge against humanity to this day.
He dreads the rifle which nearly killed him, and is
obsessed with finding it and securing it, lest it be used
against him again. To accomplish this, he has been
dressed as Gerald Tooms, a tall and intimidating mil-
lionaire of the American Southwest. His vintage collec-
tion of pistols and rifles is the largest in the state, but
he has yet to find the gun which haunts his dreams.
ASPECTS
He’s a Dragon!
Secretly Afraid of the Gun
Arizona Tycoon
I’m a Rancher; You’re the Cows
168
SKILLS
Fantastic (+6) Brawl and Firearms
Superb (+5) Confidence and Physique
Great (+4) Notice and Willpower
Good (+3) Resources and Wilderness
Fair (+2) Leadership and Occult
Average (+1) Deceit, Empathy, and Stealth
FEATURES
No Fear. Tombstone can use Confidence to defend
against any fear effect, including Provoke. However,
he cannot use this stunt to defend against the same
Winchester rifle which wounded him in 1890.
Cow. Tombstone can use Confidence
to create aspects based on fear.
Fiery Breath. Tooms can spend a Fate point to spit
fire at a single individual in an adjacent zone at +5. If
he hits, the victim has a difficulty 1 obstacle On Fire,
which attacks for three rounds or until it is over-
come. If in his natural form, Tombstone can attack
everyone in a zone in this manner, he can target any
zone on the map, and the obstacle is difficulty 3.
Supernatural Toughness. Tooms has Armor:2
and an additional moderate consequence. If in
his natural form, he has Armor:8 against Scale
1 characters. None of his Armor, even the ben-
efits of Scale, work if he is shot by the same
Winchester rifle which wounded him in 1890.
Tall Drink of Water. In his dressed shape,
Tombstone has a +2 on Rapport to make a
good impression on a human female.
Skin That Smokewagon. Tooms can
spend a Fate point to go first in any com-
bat in which he is wielding a firearm.
Natural Weapons. When in his natural form,
Tooms’s claws and bite are Weapon:3.
STRESS
Physical: bbbb Mental: bbbb
CONSEQUENCES
Two minor, two moderate, one severe.
GEAR
Tooms is seldom without a gun, usually an au-
thentic Peacemaker revolver (Weapon:3), a lever
action Winchester (Weapon:3) or a shotgun.
Dressing: Gerald Tooms is a tall, lanky man
who is mysteriously terrifying. He wears tai-
lored Western fashion including a vest, bolo
tie, hat, and boots. He has dark, brooding eyes
and his mustache is impeccably groomed.

Ddraig Goch,
the Red Dragon of Wales
Main NPC, Scale 4
Ddraig Goch, whose name is simply “The Red
Dragon” in Welsh, is the most important dragon in
Arthurian legend. It’s tale is long and includes many
famous incidents, but for centuries now it has dwelt
in Faerie, growing ever larger and ever hotter.
The first time Ddraig Goch found itself part of a
story told by men was during the reign of King Ludd.
Every year, on May Day, a terrible shriek would be
heard throughout the land. It was so horrifying and
awful that it caused every woman who heard it to
miscarry. But Ludd learned the source of the shriek:
the Red Dragon was fighting the White Dragon, and
each time Ddraig Goch was injured, it would let out
its bloodcurdling cry. To stop the fight, Ludd lured
the dragons — who were yet young — to a huge pit
filled with mead. They drank the mead and became
intoxicated, allowing Ludd to smother them in a
magical blanket and, from there, to imprison them in
a casket which was then buried deep under ground.
The casket and the blanket were not enough to
contain the two creatures, and their fight continued
deep under the earth until Vortigern decided to build
his tower over their prison. When the frequent trem-
ors kept bringing down the tower, the king consulted
his astrologers. They had no idea what was wrong,
but they weren’t going to tell Vortigern than; instead,
they gave him an impossible quest: sacrifice a boy
without a father on the castle foundations. To every-
one’s surprise, they found Merlin, who revealed the
Red and White Dragons and proved the astrologers
Chapter 9: Allies and Adversaries
were frauds. More important,
he explained the meaning be-
hind the two dragons: the Red
Dragon represented the native
people of Britain and the White
Dragon represented the invading
Saxons. Ddraig Goch eventual-
ly triumphed, killing the White
Dragon, which Merlin explained
foreshadowed the coming of
Arthur, who would repel the
Saxons from British shores.
This was only the beginning of
Merlin’s magical career, and by
secret paths he led Ddraig Goch
to safety across the Veil where
the great creature could recov-
er from its wounds. To honor
Ddraig Goch, Merlin crafted the
Dragon Banner, which could
come to life and breathe fire upon
Arthur’s foes. But Ddraig Goch
himself never returned to the
mortal world and, after Merlin vanished, no one in
Camelot knew where it rested. The people of Wales
kept the red dragon for their flag even after Merlin’s
magic was spent. Somewhere along the line, Ddraig
Goch sired an heir, the Gold Dragon, which became
the symbol of Owen Glendower, the Wizard Earl, a
necromancer and commander of elemental spirits.
The Red Dragon is not just a huge, terrifying,
fire-breathing creature with an inscrutable, alien
mind. It’s also a symbol: a representation of its cho-
sen people and the land where those people live. In
the days of King Ludd, those people were the Welsh
and that land was Wales, but even in Vortigern’s day
Ddraig Goch’s symbol had grown so that he repre-
sented all the people of the British Isles in their war
against the invading Saxons. Now over a thousand
years later, the Red Dragon’s symbol has continued
to grow until its “home” is now the entire world of
Earth, and all of humanity is its chosen people. But
the Ddraig Goch is stuck in Faerie, restless and exiled
from its home. It has made a lair in the mountains
of Elfland, but wise faeries avoid it, for its temper is
short and its manner unpredictable. It longs for the
familiar air of Earthen skies, for the feel of real stone
beneath its feet. Merlin has not visited for so very long,
but thanks to the timelessness of Faerie, to the Ddraig
Goch the memory of Merlin is as green as yesterday.
The Red Dragon can understand human speech,
but cannot itself talk. It would be a mistake to project
human desires and thoughts onto such a creature,
as the Dragon is a creature ruled by imperatives and
instinct, but it wants to go home. And there’s a reason
it wants to go home: because it can sense that some-
thing is coming. There’s an invader on the horizon,
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 Chapter 9: Allies and Adversaries
something more dangerous than a petty army or even
a horde of Saxon longships. The fire of the drag-
on boils in its chest, eager for battle, but as long as
Ddraig Goch is stuck in Faerie, its rage is frustrated.
In this state, it might be visited by magi-
cians or by Arthur and his knights, but deal-
ing with the Red Dragon is playing with fire.
ASPECTS
It’s The Dragon!
The Invader Is My Nemesis
Symbol of Arthurian Myth
Misses Home
Inhuman Thoughts
I Remember Merlin
SKILLS
Epic (+7) Brawl
Fantastic (+6) Physique
Superb (+5) Confidence
Great (+4) Notice and Provoke
Good (+3) Willpower and Athletics
Fair (+2) Wilderness and Stealth
Average (+1) Empathy and Occult
FEATURES
No Fear. Ddraig Goch can use Confidence to de-
fend against any fear effect, including Provoke.
Terrifying. Ddraig Goch has a +2 when creat-
ing advantages with Provoke based on fear.
Fiery Breath. Ddraig Goch can spend a Fate
point to fill entire zones with fire. These zones
must form a line, but the line can extend across
the map. Everyone in these zones is attacked
with a +6. If the attack hits, the character also
gains a difficulty 4 obstacle On Fire, which at-
tacks for three rounds or until it is overcome.
Mythic Toughness. Ddraig Goch has Armor:3 and
an additional minor and moderate consequence.
He loses this armor against magical weapons.
Natural Weapons. Ddraig Goch’s
bite and claws are Weapon:4.
Shapeshifter. Ddraig Goch can adopt the shape
of any animal in a single exchange. While in an-
imal form, he gains a Trouble aspect related to
the animal’s psychology or habits (for example, if
he turns into a pig, he might become a Glutton).
Supernatural Senses. Ddraig Goch can
see in complete darkness, hear the heart-
beat of anyone within a zone, and smell
the presence of anyone in the scene.
Baleful Gaze. Ddraig Goch’s eyes emit a bright
and ghostly light; when it focuses its gaze upon
someone, that person can become enchanted. To
simulate this, Ddraig Goch makes an attack using
Confidence; this is resisted with Willpower and the
damage is mental stress. Consequences represent
confusion, stupefaction, or an enchanted state in
170
which the subject loses all memory and knowledge
of its own skills. Taken Out characters just pass out.
Tail Lash. Ddraig Goch can use his action to make a
Brawl attack against everyone in one adjacent zone.
STRESS
Physical: bbbb Mental: bbbb
CONSEQUENCES
Three minor, two moderate, one severe.
Worms & Drakes
There are many lesser kinds of dragon which
resemble their greater cousins but do not have
the same level of intelligence. If the monster is
serpentine in shape, with short or no legs and
moves low to the ground, or is quite large, it
is usually called a worm. The word “drake” is
used for relatively small (Scale 1-2) and fast
reptilian beasts which resemble carnivorous
dinosaurs. Regardless of their name, worms
and drakes are only as smart as clever animals,
and this makes them much easier to predict
and destroy. They are usually Supporting NPCs,
found as guardians, weapons of the primary
antagonist, or temporary obstacles. Remove the
dragon’s Cow stunt and any skills which repre-
sent intelligence, such as Education or Occult.
Drakes cannot fly, but worms sometimes can.
Breathing fire is rare but not unheard of. Like
dragons, worms and drakes are unique crea-
tures which should be given a crafted back-
ground, aspects, and a special weakness.
Ettercaps
“Ettercap” is an old word for spider; it is used here
to denote those particular breeds of Faerie spider
which grow to enormous size. At their smallest, such
spiders appear in stories as groups of Nameless NPCs,
chasing civilians or attacking heroes in a carpet of
legs and fangs. Larger spiders are individual threats,
and the greatest such creatures are fully intelligent,
can speak, and stalk their prey with patient cunning.
Spiders pose a unique story opportunity because
they do not eat their prey at once. Instead, victims
are wrapped in cocoons and hung in a web larder
for later. This allows heroes to rescue fallen com-
rades or innocent victims. Ancient treasures, long
thought lost, can be found on the dried husks of a
spider’s prey. Even a pocketknife, pried from the
bloodless corpse of a former victim, can prom-
ise escape for a struggling player character.
Spider Brood
Nameless NPCs, Scale 0
The young spawn of Faerie spiders have bod-
ies about the size of a basketball, though their legs
extend their diameter to over a yard. Individually,
they are not nearly as threatening as they look,

though their venom can paralyze a man if deliv-
ered in large numbers. Their bodies are fragile and
they can still be crushed by a well-swung hardback,
but most people are too busy running to try.
ASPECTS
Creepy Crawly
Venom
The Spider’s Web
SKILLS
Fair (+2) Athletics
Average (+1) Brawl and Stealth
FEATURES
Spider Climb. Spiders can use Athletics
to climb perpendicular surfaces and even
crawl on the ceiling, albeit at half speed.
STRESS & CONSEQUENCES
None. Use spiders of this size in mobs; each
hit inflicted on the mob kills one spider.
Stress inflicted by the spider’s Brawl attacks rep-
resent venom injected by bites and stings. This
venom paralyzes; it does not kill. Characters
Taken Out by a spider are typically awake but
unable to move. Spiders cannot spin a web fast
enough to influence an action scene, but if they
have had time to prepare, they can invoke The
Spider’s Web to create a difficulty 1 obstacle.
GEAR
Dressing: Spiders as big as a dog are monstrous
but typically too numerous to be individually
dressed. Instead, enchanters rely on the natural
stealth and speed of these creatures to avoid detec-
tion. Look for ettercaps to be hidden in shopping
bags, luggage, and the trunk of the bad guy’s car.
Big Spider
Supporting NPC, Scale 1
Adult ettercaps weigh over a hundred pounds.
They still don’t have much strength; their limbs
are too fragile. But their venom is more dangerous
and their speed and stealth makes them excel-
lent hunters, especially of unwitting mortals who
are sure that rustling outside must be a raccoon.
They understand human speech but cannot talk.
ASPECTS
Creepy Crawly
Venom
Spider’s Web
SKILLS
Good (+3) Athletics
Fair (+2) Brawl and Stealth
Average (+1) Provoke and Notice
Chapter 9: Allies and Adversaries
FEATURES
Spider Climb. Spiders can use Athletics
to climb perpendicular surfaces and even
crawl on the ceiling, albeit at half speed.
Poisoned! Once per scene, the Big Spider can
spend a fate point to poison a character it has just
successfully hit with Brawl. For three exchanges,
the character is attacked on each of his actions
by a +3 poison attack, opposed by Physique.
Urban Hunter. When Dressed and in
a human form, a spider can make se-
duction attempts using Stealth.
STRESS
Physical: bb Mental: bb
CONSEQUENCES
One minor.
Stress inflicted by the spider’s Brawl attacks rep-
resent venom injected by bites and stings. This
venom paralyzes; it does not kill. Characters
Taken Out by a spider are typically awake, but
unable to move. Spiders cannot spin a web fast
enough to influence an action scene, but if they
have had time to prepare, they can invoke The
Spider’s Web to create a difficulty 2 obstacle.
FEATURES
Dressing: Adult ettercaps are dressed as young
women, mute but often surprisingly attrac-
tive. They retain their ability to climb walls,
though their human form gives them a freak-
ish appearance when doing so. Their venom
can be detected by the stench of their breath,
often concealed with cigarettes or mints.
Huge Spider
Main NPC, Scale 2
The eldest ettercaps are ancient and bloated, big as a
car and hideous even to Faeries. Their thirst cannot be
sated, and their power has grown so that few mortals
can withstand their poison. Moreover, their fiendish
intelligence manifests in speech: a sibilant, high-
pitched chitter that betrays their desperate cravings.
The Widow of Eastcheap
The Widow crawled across the Veil years ago, a
thrall to her unabated hunger. She found her way
to the city, claiming a dilapidated manor from its
aging master. (His valet was her next meal). She
tried to restrain herself, but it took only a feeding
or two before the neighborhood was frightened
and her supply of victims dried up. Now she takes
work from witches and other Faerie creatures who
pay her off with nosy reporters and slow children.
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 Chapter 9: Allies and Adversaries
ASPECTS
Giant Ettercap
Bloated
Creepy Crawly
Venom
Spider’s Web
Come into My Parlor
SKILLS
Great (+4) Brawl
Good (+3) Provoke, Leadership, and Stealth
Fair (+2) Athletics, Deceit, and Notice
Average (+1) Confidence, Physique, and Willpower
FEATURES
Spider Climb. The Widow can use Athletics
to climb perpendicular surfaces and even
crawl on the ceiling, albeit at half speed.
Poisoned! Once per scene, the Widow can spend
a Fate point to poison a character she has just
successfully hit with Brawl. For three exchanges,
the character is attacked on each of his actions
by a +4 poison attack, opposed by Physique.
My Babies. In addition to countless spiders
only as big as your palm, the Widow is accom-
panied by three mobs of four Spider Brood.
How About a Nice Sweater? A victim Taken Out
by the Widow is quickly wrapped up in a cocoon.
Breaking through it is a difficulty 3 obstacle.
STRESS
Physical: bbb Mental: bbb
CONSEQUENCES
One minor, major, severe.
Stress inflicted by the Widow’s Brawl attacks rep-
resent venom injected by bites and stings. This
venom paralyzes; it does not kill. Characters
Taken Out by the Widow are in a confused stu-
por, wrapped up and unable to move. If the action
takes place in the Widow’s home, she can invoke
The Spider’s Web to create a difficulty 3 obstacle.
GEAR
Dressing: The Widow has been dressed to appear as
a withered old crone in a black dress. Her skin-and-
bones appearance testifies to her inner hunger, not
the fat mass of her true shape. She carries knitting
needles, and her fingers never stop working them,
drawing thread from a basket between her feet.
Faeries
Faeries are supernatural beings native to the land
of Faerie. They are related to elves, and are similar
enough in appearance and mannerisms to be often
confused with them, but a Faerie is more innately
magical than a mere elf: graceful and beautiful but
172
more fragile and ephemeral than human beings.
They are immortal so long as they dwell in Faerie,
where change is unwelcome and time moves slow-
ly if at all, but upon traveling to Earth they begin
to age at the normal rate. Most have very little ex-
perience of Earth; the young and foolish are often
curious about mortal affairs, but painful exposure
to human tragedy quickly educates them and sends
them searching for home. They don’t always find it.
Faerie culture is similar to that of the High Middle
Ages, but Faeries have remembered much that
mortals have forgotten. At the same time, they are
whimsical and have a keenly developed sense of
fun. They appreciate sensual pleasures, nature, and
wild things, and will gladly pass a fortnight singing
songs or watching the seasons turn. They often look
down on mortals as something to be pitied, and treat
human beings as one might treat an adorable pet.
A Faerie’s ability to hide and avoid notice is so
keen that it verges on the supernatural, and it is
said that they are the ones who taught the beasts
of Faerie how to speak. A character with a Faerie
high concept has access to the following:
• If you are in a place with any cover or concealment,
spend a Fate point to vanish for one exchange.
• Speak with animals. If you want to use
a skill on an animal, such as Rapport
or Empathy, spend a Fate point.
• See in the dark as if it were day.
Faerie Damsel
Supporting NPC, Scale 1
Faerie Damsels are encountered most often by
knights errant, who unknowingly cross over the
Veil and find themselves in an adventure. The typ-
ical Faerie Damsel has a serious problem which
she cannot handle alone: her sister has been tak-
en captive by a troll, a dragon has settled into her
village, she has lost a family heirloom to a coven of
witches, and so on. She always seems to know who
the hero is when he stumbles across her, and his
arrival is a sign of providence at work. She offers
him the adventure, certain that – as he is a hero – he
will accept. Other Faerie Damsels are the daughters
of kings or are experts in a particular sort of mag-
ic. They sometimes know very little of the mortal
world, and can be tricked or seduced into coming
across the Veil, whereupon they discover that Earth
– while fascinating and endlessly changing – is
plagued by time and a messy lack of perfection.
It is very easy for these tales to end in tragedy.
GMs should feel free to swap out particular
skills and feats to make a Damsel tailor-made
to a particular story. The Damsel presented
here is a master singer and harpist; she may be
the object of a Giant’s attention, or just eager to
match her skills against a mortal musician.
 Chapter 9: Allies and Adversaries

ASPECTS intelligence. A Faerie Knight typically charges into

Faerie Harper battle with his lance. If the foe falls from the saddle,
My Music Has No Rival the Knight dismounts himself and draws his sword.
I Know Who You Are ASPECTS
SKILLS Knight of Faerie
Great (+4) Performance and Rapport He’s So Pretty
Good (+3) Contacts and Occult Timeless Practice
Fair (+2) Resources and Willpower Faerie Steed
Average (+1) Empathy and Wilderness SKILLS
FEATURES Superb (+5) Melee
Musical Interlude. The Faerie Damsel can Great (+4) Athletics
use Performance instead of Empathy to help Good (+3) Physique
others recover from mental consequences. Fair (+2) Confidence and Notice
Emotion Magic. The Faerie Damsel can Average (+1) Brawl and Willpower
use the Emotion magical talent, generat- FEATURES
ing Enchantment Points in the process.
Flawless Posture. The Faerie Knight
Healing Herbs. The Damsel can use Occult to
has a +2 on Athletics tests to ride.
help others recover from physical consequences.
Expert Jouster. The Knight has a +2
Faerie Knight on overcome actions to joust.
Supporting NPC, Scale 1 STRESS
By and large, Faeries are peaceful folk with far more Physical: bbbb Mental: bbb
interest in partying and revelry than war. But Faerie
courts are far from defenseless, and each individual CONSEQUENCES
King or Queene will be well protected by knights in One minor.
gleaming silver armor who bear featherlight lanc- GEAR
es and swords as keen as the crescent moon. The
timelessness of Faerie ensures that these knights Silver sword (Weapon:3), silver mail (Armor:2)
never lose their fighting edge, despite the fact that and a lance (Weapon:2). He rides a Faerie Steed.
their skills are seldom called upon. Nevertheless, Dressing: Faeries don’t need dressing; their natural
travelers through Faerie can expect to find knights form is that of beautiful and young human beings.
of this sort camped out at crossroads waiting for any They typically have elfish characteristics, including
other knight to come by, so that a joust can ensue. high, arched eyebrows, narrow faces, pale skin and
Faerie Knights fight honorably and are models of hair, and even pointed ears. Time does mark them,
courteous behavior. They are, if anything, even more but most flee back across the Veil at the first such sign.
serious about their behavior than mortal knights. The Knight of the Moon
Their weapons and armor are all supernatural, but
they lose this property if removed from Faerie. They Once there was a knight of Elfland who tired of
ride Faerie chargers of great speed, strength, and the unchanging beauty far from the fields we know.
Taking up his silver sword
and mounting his Faerie
charger, he went in search of
the thing called Time, and
in this way after long adven-
ture he crossed the Faerie
Veil and never after heard
the trumpets of Elfland. It
so happened he came to the
fields we know when the
crescent moon was high in
the sky, and as he sat there
upon his magnificent stallion,
the stars smoldering against
the pitch-dark sky, he saw
the moon growing less and

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 Chapter 9: Allies and Adversaries
less, though mortal eyes perceived this not. And it
was by this that he knew he had found Time at last.
The Knight of the Moon is no longer naive, and
has adopted mortal ways as best a knight of Elfland
can. Time has touched him, bringing crow’s feet to
the corners of his eyes and turning his golden hair
almost white. So far, the lure of mortal pleasures
— the thrum of a gearshift in his gloved hand, the
babble of the paparazzi, photos of a far-off galaxy
caught by glass floating in the dark of space — have
kept him here, but sometimes he can feel pain in
his hand and in his chest. He remembers the joys
of Elfland, and he wonders if it is already too late.
ASPECTS
Faerie Knight
Proud
I’ve Learned Change
Shield of the Moon
Dwarf Squire
SKILLS
Superb (+5) Melee
Great (+4) Athletics and Resources
Good (+3) Confidence, Provoke, and Physique
Fair (+2) Contacts, Notice, Occult, and Wilderness
Average (+1) Brawl, Empathy, Leadership,
Performance, and Willpower
FEATURES
Don’t Buy It If You Can’t Handle It. The Knight
of the Moon can use Resources to drive cars
(making overcome actions), provided those
cars require at least Resources +4 to buy.
I Have A Shot. The Knight of the Moon can
use Notice to make attack rolls with a pistol.
Knight of the Road. The Knight of the Moon can use
Athletics to make overcome actions with a motorcycle.
The Knight has a little person for a squire, a fellow
faerie the Knight refers to as his “dwarf.” The dwarf
has no significant combat ability but can help his
master in a pinch. He mostly runs errands, allowing
the Knight to roll skills without leaving his home.
The dwarf can be Taken Out as a moderate conse-
quence. What the dwarf thinks of human society,
where he is not called a dwarf, is known only to him.
The Knight of the Moon wields a Faerie sword
(Weapon:3) which has been enchanted by Glamour
to appear as a big, silver, semi-automatic pistol
(still Weapon:3). Note that anyone shot with the
pistol while it is glamoured will return to life if or
when the glamour is dispelled and the pistol be-
comes once again a sword. He wears silver Armor:2,
light as fish scales, under a custom Italian suit. If
he wishes, he can unveil the Shield of the Moon,
an actual shield which allows him to negate any
174
single attack by spending a Fate point. The shield’s
face moves through the moon’s phases; once in
the scene, the full moon appears upon it and the
Knight may blind a single foe in his zone. This
creates a difficulty 5 obstacle opposed by Notice.
In Faerie, he rode a Faerie stallion, but in the
mortal world the stallion has been exchanged for
an Italian sports car. His shield is in the trunk.
STRESS
Physical: bbbb Mental: bbb
CONSEQUENCES
One minor, two moderate (includ-
ing the dwarf ), one severe.
Faerie Queene
Supporting NPC, Scale 1
The Forest of Adventure and its rival realms are
governed by Faerie sorceresses of terrible beau-
ty and power. Each maintains an elaborate court
filled with courtiers, knights, entertainers, and fab-
ulous beasts. Some of these courts are bright and
alluring while others are haunted and foreboding,
but regardless of the trappings which surround
her, the Faerie Queene is not to be trifled with.
Queens tend to be sticklers for points of courtesy
and honor. They expect to be treated like royalty, but
this does not mean they are stupid or dull. Indeed,
they are often the most brilliant creature at court,
deftly maneuvering through intrigues and rivalries
while insisting on a steady stream of unique and
distracting entertainments to while away the end-
less time. They seem to know everything there is
to know, even about the mortal realm, which they
often see as a distinct threat even when they also
adore mortal champions. Queens are used to getting
what they want, and sometimes what they want is
a handsome mortal hero for their bed. In these sit-
uations, there’s often little the hapless mortal can
do besides run for the Veil and not look back.
The Queene portrayed here is Maeve, Queen of
Elphame, a Scottish faerieland. She is a master of
many magics, but her favorite is to disguise her-
self as an innocent girl. In this form, she indulges
herself by sneaking out of court and into the for-
est, hoping to eavesdrop on common gossip or
put wandering knights to the uttermost test. She
is attuned to a power 6 font of power, the location
of which is one of her dearest secrets. (It is prob-
ably either in her court, a hidden grove, or a ring
of standing stones.) By spending a Fate point, she
gains 6 points she may distribute among all the die
rolls required for one spell or Word of Power.

Maeve
ASPECTS
Queen of Elphame
You Dare Defy Me?
Font of Power
Otherworldly Beauty
SKILLS
Fantastic (+6) Occult and Rapport
Superb (+5) Contacts and Resources
Great (+4) Intimidation and Leadership
Good (+3) Deceit and Willpower
Fair (+2) Confidence, Education, and Empathy
Average (+1) Notice, Performance, and Stealth
FEATURES
Glamour Disguise. Maeve can use magic to dis-
guise herself as a young mortal woman, prefera-
bly poor and in need of both food and shelter.
Magical Talents. Maeve is an enchantress and can
use the Binding, Divination, Emotion, Glamour,
Shapeshifting, Travel and Ward talents.
Good Listener. Maeve has a +2 when cre-
ating advantages based on something
she learned by eavesdropping.
STRESS
Physical: bb Mental: bbbb
CONSEQUENCES
One minor consequence.
GEAR
Maeve does not carry weapons beyond, per-
haps, a long and thin dagger. But she can
produce magical trinkets and gewgaws es-
sentially at will, usually as bribes to strang-
ers or as focuses for her enchantments.
Giant
Giants were among the first settlers of the British
Isles, migrating across the Veil and settling in Cornwall
before Duke Gorlois drove them into the high moun-
tains. Savage and wild, arming themselves with trees
and rocks and wearing animal hide for clothing,
they preyed on men and their livestock while ravish-
ing mortal women. Arthur himself killed one on St.
Michael’s Mount in one of his earliest adventures, and
their Chief, Ybaddaden, perished not long after his
daughter Olwen married Culwch. Giants were still
numerous in the days of King Mark, and many fought
for the Saxons against Arthur, but in time they were
all but wiped out. As the Age of Enchantment ended,
the few who remained took refuge in Faerie, where
it is said entire cities of their kind can still be found.
Chapter 9: Allies and Adversaries
Giants have remarkable diversity and can be lanky
and swift, fat and plodding, heavily bearded, or
covered in scales by turns. Some possess two heads
or an extra arm. In the past, they were barbaric wild
men with no knowledge of machines or crafting,
but there are giants in Faerie who live simple rustic
lives much like mortals do, if on a grander scale.
Small(ish) Giant
Nameless NPC, Scale 2
Despite being twice the height of a man, giants
of this size serve mostly as obstacles for knights
to overcome, probably in numbers. They are best
used in small mobs of about three individuals (that
+1 gang-up bonus will make up for their -1 penal-
ty attacking Scale 1 heroes); their stress tracks and
single consequence slot makes them extremely
durable for mobs, but they will still go down quickly
before any warrior brave enough to assail them.
ASPECTS
Tall as the Roof
Savage
SKILLS
Superb (+5) Physique
Great (+4) Brawl
Good (+3) Provoke
Fair (+2) Athletics
Average (+1) Willpower
FEATURES
Inhuman Strength. A small giant has a +3 bonus
on Physique rolls to lift or break things and +2
damage whenever their strength would be rele-
vant (such as grappling or brawling attacks).
STRESS
Physical: bb Mental: b
CONSEQUENCES
One minor.
GEAR
A small giant such as this carries a club about the
size of a man, which he wields as a Weapon:1 be-
fore adding +2 damage for Scale and +2 Inhuman
Strength. They wear no armor, but have natu-
ral Armor:2 against Scale 1 player characters.
Dressing: Dressing a giant is sort of a pointless task,
since they become just very big men, stripping them
of their most useful quality. They retain Inhuman
Strength, however. Giants dressed in human form
take pleasure in simple things: clothes that fit, chairs
that don’t break, and pistols with usable triggers.
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 Chapter 9: Allies and Adversaries
Giant
Supporting NPC, Scale 3
Now we’re talking. At this scale, a Giant gains
something of an identity. He has mannerisms and
a motivation besides wild cruelty. Specifically, that
motivation is his empty stomach, which is best filled
by a man-pot-pie, and his cruel lust for human
women, which quickly spells their gory death.
ASPECTS
Tall as the Tallest Tree
‘Twas Beauty That Killed the Beast
You’re Stock for My Cookpot
SKILLS
Fantastic (+6) Physique
Superb (+5) Brawl
Great (+4) Provoke
Good (+3) Athletics
Fair (+2) Notice
Average (+1) Willpower
FEATURES
I Smell the Blood of an English-Man. Giants have
a +2 on Notice rolls to detect people by scent. As
a side benefit, the giant sense of smell is so re-
fined they can use it to identify nation of origin.
Supernatural Strength. Giants get a +6 bonus
on Physique rolls to lift or break things, and +4
damage whenever their strength would be rele-
vant (such as grappling or brawling attacks).
STRESS
Physical: bbbb Mental: bbbb
CONSEQUENCES
Two minor.
GEAR
Giants carry stoutly-made and iron-shod clubs
for Weapon:2, with a total +8 damage bonus after
Scale and Supernatural Strength. They wear no
armor, but have natural Armor:4 due to Scale.
Dressing. There are stories of a Giant who fell
in love with a mortal woman and had himself
dressed just so she could survive his affection.
It’s just ridiculous enough to be true. And, even
at (barely) human size, a Giant such as this one
wields immense strength, making him the perfect
lieutenant enforcer for a powerful magician.
Big Giant
Main NPC, Scale 4
A giant this large is big enough that player charac-
ters will scamper over his tabletop like mice, hiding
under salt shakers and coffee mugs. But once caught,
he can still see them and talk to them, albeit with
difficulty. In other words, this is about as big as a giant
176
can get and still be a character instead of a force of
nature. There’s very little which player characters have
to offer giants this big; a pile of gold is only a spoon-
ful to him. On the other hand, enterprising thieves
who can make off with a Giant’s treasure will be rich
beyond measure, possibly without even being noticed.
Fum the Giant
Fum has a simple life. He lives in a humble lit-
tle cottage atop a distant mountain peak which
he refers to affectionately as “my front porch.”
He built that cottage with the Silverleaf Forest
(gosh that was a pretty forest) and fashioned his
silverware from the Lost Mine of King Alberich,
which is how it became the Lost Mine. But life
in the cottage can be lonely. All the good girl-gi-
ants are taken. Fum tried reading to pass the
time, but even after turning the Golden Sands of
Summersun Island into a pair of bifocals, it was no
use. That was when he discovered Books on Tape.
No one’s quite sure how this marvel of modern
technology came to Fum’s cottage, but he is hooked,
and we mean hooked. Steven King, Eric Lustbader,
Clive Cussler, even those legal dramas by what’s-
his-name. Fum may not understand everything, but
he knows passion and pathos when he hears it. He’s
trained a giant-size flea to push the Play button.
But Fum has a problem. He’s run out of books.
The batteries on his player are low. Oh, if only some
enterprising Little Person would come by, perhaps
lost from a storm or cast across the Faerie Veil by a
necromancer with anger-management issues. Oh,
what he wouldn’t give for another Ludlum novel,
or even Kellerman, or — the golden goose he dare
only dream of — the end of the Game of Thrones
series, which surely must be finished by now.
ASPECTS
A Well-Read Giant
You’re All So Tiny
My Home Is My Castle
SKILLS
Epic (+7) Physique
Fantastic (+6) Provoke
Superb (+5) Brawl
Great (+4) Willpower
Good (+3) Athletics
Fair (+2) Confidence
Average (+1) Notice
FEATURES
Legendary Strength. Fum has a +9 bo-
nus on Physique rolls to lift or break
things as well as a +6 damage bonus (mod-
ified to +12 against Scale 1 heroes).
 Chapter 9: Allies and Adversaries

STRESS GEAR
Physical: bbbb Mental: bbbb A Fairy-Tale Giant wouldn’t need a weapon unless
he was fighting something even larger, a prospect
CONSEQUENCES
difficult to envision. Technically, he has Armor:8
Two minor. against player characters thanks to Scale, but in
GEAR practice there’s nothing in Faerie that can harm
him short of the greatest of Dragons, and in that
There are no weapons large enough for Fum. case the wisest thing to do is get out of the way.
He uses an open hand and the ever-reliable Dressing: You’d never be able to get enough
foot-stomp. He wears no armor, but has nat- magic to dress a Fairy-Tale Giant, let alone sum-
ural Armor:6 against Scale 1 characters. mon him in the first place. He’s too big.
Dressing: Giants this big don’t come to the
mortal world voluntarily, and they’re too
large to be summoned. Your players will have Griffon
to go to Faerie if they want to see Fum. Supporting NPC, Scale 2
The griffon is a wild and majestic creature, a
Fairy-Tale Giant magical denizen of Faerie and one of the masters
Nameless NPC, Scale 5 of that land’s wilderness. Combining the qualities
A Giant this big has outgrown his ability to interact of the lion and the eagle, it is master of all beasts
with player characters. He towers above the landscape. which walk and fly, and it has all the intelligence of
Houses look like matchboxes; people are ants. In your a mortal man. It can never be tamed, but will — on
story, he exists as either the ultimate threat (“He’s great occasion — allow a deserving mortal to briefly
coming this way!”) or as a random, fanciful rescue ride it into battle or on a mission of great import.
(“Why is our boat flying?”) which serves to tell the Griffons are exceedingly strong and can carry off
players they’re in Faerie, far from the fields we know. a horse in their talons. They have dwelt in Faerie for
ASPECTS centuries but were occasionally spotted on Earth
in the Middle Ages, with their talons and eggs sal-
The Mountain That Walks vaged for the making of goblets while their ribs
We’re Like Ants to Him were fashioned into longbows. Griffon feathers
SKILLS were used in a medicinal potion to cure the blind.
Legendary (+8) Physique ASPECTS
Epic (+7) Provoke King of Beasts Who Walk or Fly
Fantastic (+6) Willpower The Pride of a Lion and as Haughty as Eagles
Superb (+5) Confidence Stronger Than Oxen
Great (+4) Brawl
Good (+3) Notice SKILLS
Fair (+2) Athletics Fantastic (+6) Athletics
Average (+1) Occult Superb (+5) Physique and Willpower
FEATURES Great (+4) Brawl and Empathy
Good (+3) Confidence and Provoke
Mythic Strength. A Fairy-Tale Giant has +12 Fair (+2) Notice and Wilderness
on rolls to lift or break things and a +8 dam- Average (+1) Occult and Rapport
age bonus when his strength is relevant, mod-
ified to +16 against Scale 1 characters. FEATURES
The Big Picture. A Fairy-Tale Giant can Beak and Claws. The griffon’s lion claws and
spend a Fate point to ignore any ob- eagle beak give it natural Weapon:1, modi-
stacle or attack less than Scale 5. fied to Weapon:3 against Scale 1 heroes.
Irresistible Force. A Fairy-Tale Giant can spend a Inhuman Strength. The griffon has a +3 bo-
Fate point to destroy anything less than Scale 5. nus on rolls to lift or break things, a +1 on
STRESS rolls to grapple, and a +2 bonus to dam-
age when its strength would be relevant.
Physical: bb Mental: bb Winged Flight. The griffon has ea-
CONSEQUENCES gle wings and can fly as fast as a bird.
Three minor. Command Animals. The griffon’s speech can be
understood by any animal who walks on the ground
or flies in the air, but not human beings. Likewise,
the griffon can understand all these animals.
177
 Chapter 9: Allies and Adversaries
STRESS
Physical: bbbb Mental: bbbb
CONSEQUENCES
Three minor. The griffon has natural
Armor:2 against Scale 1 characters.
GEAR
Dressing: A griffon can be summoned from Faerie
and dressed in the shape of a mortal. While they
lose their wings and thus the power of flight, they
gain human speech and a newfound ability to in-
teract with mortals, an exchange which is valuable
for a short time if not forever. A griffon makes an
excellent patron for a group of player characters who
know only that their large-eyed benefactor has a
love of birds and of flight, and brooks no argument.
Hippogriff
Supporting NPC, Scale 2
The hippogriff is the magical offspring of a griffon
and a horse, which is especially rare because horses
are the common prey of griffons. They hatch from
eggs, but an egg which is not tended by its parent can
still hatch years later if it can be found and properly
cared for, giving birth to a strong hybrid creature.
Horse blood makes the hippogriff more tractable and
trainable than its high-flying relative, but they have
none of the intelligence of a griffon and are essen-
tially brave and clever animals. They make excel-
lent mounts, and were tamed and ridden by both
Duke Astolfo of England and Lord Juss of Faerie.
ASPECTS
Horse-Eagle
Still Just an Animal
SKILLS
Great (+4) Athletics
Good (+3) Confidence and Physique
Fair (+2) Brawl and Notice
Average (+1) Wilderness and Willpower
FEATURES
Winged Flight. The hippogriff has ea-
gle’s wings and can fly as fast as a bird.
Fast as Lightning. A hippogriff can spend a Fate
point to move anywhere in the scene as an action.
Beak and Talon. A hippogriff’s eagle beak
and talons give it natural Weapon:1, ad-
justed to Weapon:3 for scale.
As Fearless as Its Master. Whenever anyone tries
to put an obstacle or create an advantage on the
hippogriff based on fear, its master can defend for it.
178
STRESS
Physical: bbbb Mental: bbb
CONSEQUENCES
One minor. Note that the hippogriff has nat-
ural Armor:2 against Scale 1 characters.
GEAR
Dressing: A hippogriff can be dressed as a horse, but
of course cannot fly without wings. When treated
well, it can endure this hardship, but it will be thank-
ful when the glamour is lifted and it can soar once
more. If left unattended in horse shape, it grows de-
pressed and anxious, frustrated at its inability to fly.
Manticore
Supporting NPC, Scale 2
The manticore is one of the oldest of the magi-
cal beasts, first spotted in Persia some twenty five
centuries ago when it crept out of deep tunnels and
Faerie caverns in search of its favorite prey: man.
When Alexander began to conquer the East, manti-
cores ravaged his armies whenever he left the roads
and tried to cross country. In its natural form, the
manticore has the body of a lion, a human face with
blue eyes and three rows of sharp teeth, and a long
tail tipped with sharp barbs which can be hurled or
thrown like javelins. Most are a shade of red and their
call is a weird, chilling howl like a flute and a trum-
pet. Manticores are fiendishly wicked, with all the
intelligence of a man but still wild and fierce. Violent
couplings over the centuries have produced manti-
cores with demonic or dragon blood, so that some
have horns, venom, the tails of scorpions, or wings.
The manticore is not a natural shape-changer, but
long centuries spent among Earthly society while
dressed in human form has given it the reputation
of a “man-tiger” and it has continued to hunt here
even when the Faerie Veil was far, far away. In ad-
dition to their reputations as wild and violent crea-
tures, they are sometimes symbols of fraud, usury,
and tyranny. Their love of deep places in the earth
has led some immigrants from Faerie to co-opt the
mining industry, a position which gives them easy
access to exploitable workers, poor safety regula-
tions, and a convenient place to dispose of bodies.
The manticore makes an excellent adversary in an
episode of Arthur Lives!, especially when the GM
wants a session that has no connection to the Big
Issues of reincarnation. They mingle easily with
human kind, are unambiguously predatory and evil,
and can shed their disguise for a climactic battle. In
their true shape, they gain the benefits of Scale.

The manticore provided here is a generic
Supporting NPC useful as a lieutenant, magical
guardian, or secondary obstacle. If you want to
make him the primary antagonist for the session,
make him a Main NPC, flesh out his personality,
and add some appropriate aspects and skills.
ASPECTS
Man-Eater
Ferocity
Lives Beneath the Earth
SKILLS
Superb (+5) Brawl and Physique
Great (+4) Athletics and Notice
Good (+3) Confidence and Wilderness
Fair (+2) Provoke and Stealth
Average (+1) Deceive, Occult, and Willpower
FEATURES
Unearthly Howl. The manticore has a
+2 on rolls to create an advantage with
Provoke when it can howl; the aspect it cre-
ates must represent fear or confusion.
Tail Slash. When the manticore is in hand-to-hand
combat, it can spend a Fate point to make a bite
attack while also creating an advantage with its tail
barbs. These actions must target different people.
Three Rows of Teeth. The manticore’s fantastic
mouth appears human but can open wide enough
to bite off a limb. It is equipped with three rows of
teeth, one inside the other, turning the creature’s
throat into a meat grinder when it really gets going.
Its bite is Weapon:2 before modifiers for Scale.
Tail Barbs. The manticore’s tail is tipped with spines
about a foot long. They can be used in hand-to-
hand combat, attacking with Brawl, or hurled at a
single target. They are Weapon:1 and, unlike the
manticore’s other attacks, do not benefit from Scale.
Beastly Hide. The manticore has natu-
ral Armor:1, modified to Armor:3 against
human characters due to Scale.
STRESS
Physical: bbbb Mental: bbb
CONSEQUENCES
Two minor.
GEAR
Dressing: A dressed manticore loses his natural
armor, weapons, and size. His mouth retains its
magical ability to open to horrifying size, exposing
his three rows of serrated teeth. Because they are
fully intelligent, a manticore adapts well to human
shape and society; some use an amulet or other
token to adopt human shape, returning to their
natural form to hunt and eliminate pesky PCs.
Chapter 9: Allies and Adversaries
Manticore Variants
Manticores can have other physical features,
usually thanks to a demonic or draconic parent.
Dragon Wings: The manticore can fly
4 zones (equal to its Athletics) in one ex-
change without needing to roll Athletics.
Scorpion Tail: These variations on the man-
ticore cannot hurl their tail barbs. Instead,
their thicker scorpion tail is Weapon:2, ben-
efits from Scale, and inflicts a deadly poison.
Victims roll Physique against the manticore’s
Physique each round for three rounds, tak-
ing stress for every shift of failure.
Redcaps
The realms of Faerie are home to countless tribes,
nations, and breeds of Faerie-kind. They call them-
selves by many names: hobs, nobs, brownies, bog-
garts, goblins, and more. It is from the ranks of these
creatures that Unseelie Queens and Lords, their cruel
magicians and wicked knights, gather armies and
plundering bands. These Faerie warriors are issued
traditional headwear which, when dipped in the blood
of their victims, gives them the name “Redcaps.”
Redcaps are chosen for their propensity for vio-
lence and some basic physical competence. They are
about the size of a man, though some are dwarfish in
size and others hulking. Indeed; their appearance is
almost impossible to generalize, except to say that they
have the same basic features as a man, albeit exag-
gerated or caricatured. Redcaps can be fat or scraw-
ny, leering or squint-eyed, furry or green-skinned,
with fangs, tusks, horns, or all of the above. One
thing is sure: They are eager to bash your brains in.
Seasoned knights can battle redcaps by the score,
but even one can be terrifying to an ordinary per-
son, who knows only that there is something deep-
ly wrong with the creepy guy in the beret, staring
out of the corner and fingering a baseball bat.
Redcap
Nameless NPC, Scale 1
ASPECTS
Reckless Violence
Hob-Nailed Boots
SKILLS
Fair (+2) Melee
Average (+1) Deceit and Physique
FEATURES
Run, You Maggots! Redcaps get a +2 bonus
to overcome when rolling Athletics to run.
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 Chapter 9: Allies and Adversaries
Boot to the Head. Redcaps have a +2 bonus to create
an advantage when using their hobnail boots.
STRESS & CONSEQUENCES
Redcaps usually have no stress boxes or con-
sequences; each point of stress inflicted caus-
es one Redcap to be Taken Out. However,
especially when appearing singly or in pairs,
they may have a single 1-hit stress box.
GEAR
In Faerie, Redcaps are armed with one Weapon:2,
typically a crooked sword, vicious axe, or spear.
They wear hobnail boots which are an im-
provised Weapon:1 but which they wield with
Melee. Once Dressed, they might carry a base-
ball bat with rusty nails or a long knife (which
is only Weapon:1). Particularly well-financed
and organized Redcaps will be provided a hel-
met and ill-fitting Armor:1 by their masters.
Dressing: Redcaps are dressed to appear as
ugly men wearing caps, hats, or berets of the
appropriate color. They stow their weapons in
shopping bags, though the handles still stick
out, and wear rain ponchos or long olive drab
coats. Their boots appear as oversized cleats.
Bluecaps
Bluecaps specialize in the use of fire; they
anoint their caps with a blue Faerie-flame that
burns cleanly without fuel. In Faerie, they are
armed with a torch of this blue fire; by blow-
ing on the torch and succeeding on a +3 roll
opposed by Athletics, they can strike a target
in an adjacent zone with the difficulty 2 obsta-
cle I’m on Fire, which attacks for three rounds
or until overcome. Dressed, they prefer blow-
torches (Weapon:3 Short Ranged) and flame-
throwers (Weapon:4 Sticky) but will settle for
a lighter and an aerosol can in a pinch (identi-
cal to their usual torches in function but only
usable on targets in the Bluecap’s own zone).
Blackcap
Nameless NPC, Scale 1
Blackcaps are the elite of the order, exchanging their
usual headwear and noisy iron shoes for the color
of death. They are the most likely to be armored.
ASPECTS
Sir, Yes Sir
Faerie Ninjas
SKILLS
Good (+3) Melee
Fair (+2) Physique and Provoke
Average (+1) Athletics, Brawl, and Stealth
180
FEATURES
You Forgot To Look Up. Blackcaps have
a +2 to overcome when using Stealth, pro-
vided they are above their target.
Boo!. Blackcaps have a +2 to cre-
ate advantage with Provoke on the same
round they emerge from stealth.
STRESS
Blackcaps each have two 1-hit stress-boxes.
GEAR
Dressing: hey have been known to car-
ry guns and wear uniforms.
Troll
Supporting NPC, Scale 2
Although not as big as giants, trolls are in many
ways more dangerous, being invulnerable to weapons
and possessing the strength of thirty men. Like most
denizens of Faerie, they vary widely in appearance
and physical characteristics. Some have tough green
scales for skin, but most look more or less like mon-
strously ugly human beings. They are inherently
cruel and vicious, and although they are generally
dumb and stupid, they have a wicked cunning when
it comes to inflicting harm on mankind. Mountains
and caves are their natural home; some legends
trace their origins to Cain, and like him they are
eternal outcasts, simultaneously exiled from, long-
ing for, and hating all civilized society. But they are
not solitary creatures, instead forming small family
units. While they can survive on mutton, beef, and
horseflesh, their appetite for man is insatiable and
a troll will bite off a man’s head given the chance.
ASPECTS
Strength of Thirty Men
Children of Cain
Skin Like Stone
SKILLS
Fantastic (+6) Physique
Superb (+5) Brawl
Great (+4) Provoke
Good (+3) Willpower and Wilderness
Fair (+2) Athletics and Stealth
Average (+1) Notice and Occult
FEATURES
Pickers and Grinders. A troll’s claws and
teeth are natural Weapon:1, modified up to
Weapon:3 against Scale 1 characters.
Supernatural Strength. A troll has +6 on
Physique rolls to lift or break something. They
have a +2 to Physique when grappling and
add +4 to damage with hand-to-hand attacks

(making their teeth and claws Weapon:5 or, if
they have the benefit of Scale, Weapon:7).
Skin like Stone. Trollflesh cannot be pierced by
mundane weapons, and their bones are as hard
as stone. They don’t take stress or consequenc-
es from weapons. A shotgun blast may force
a troll backwards, but it won’t really hurt him.
Traditionally, heroes have had to wrestle with trolls
to defeat them, but a magic weapon can injure
them. They’ll still have Armor:2 from Scale.
STRESS
Physical: bbbb
CONSEQUENCES
Two minor.
GEAR
Dressing: Trolls are strong enough to break a
man in half, are immune to bullets, and smart
enough to follow orders. In short, they make
excellent enforcers and thugs for a powerful en-
chanter. When dressed — usually as big, very
ugly, men — they are Scale 1 and lose their claws.
Most are armed with simple Brawl weapons such
as knives and bats, but trolls love guns even when
they make terrible marksmen. They take well to
human life, which they have always coveted, by
wearing clothes and trying to blend in, but their
hatred for man and their taste for human flesh
ensures their disguise is never very convincing.
Troll-Wife
Troll mothers, wives, and daughters are
more or less identical to their male kin, but
lack Supernatural Strength and make up
for this by the use of weapons, usually a
good skinning knife (Weapon:1). They might
be smaller (Scale 1). Some know magic.
Twrch Trwyth
Supporting NPC, Scale 3
Twrch Trwyth was once an Irish king, but he was
magically transformed into a monstrous boar; Arthur’s
hunt of Twrch Trwyth is the dominant episode in the
Welsh tale of Culhwch and Olwen. Culhwch wished to
marry Olwen, the beautiful daughter of the hideous
Chief Giant Ysbaddaden. Before the giant would grant
permission for the wedding, however, he demanded
Culhwch perform a host of impossible tasks, one of
which was recovering a set of golden shaving im-
plements from the fur of Twrch Trwyth. Culhwch
asked Arthur for help, and the king and his retinue of
amazing warriors performed the tasks, culminating
Chapter 9: Allies and Adversaries
in the chase of the boar. But Twrch Trwyth was no
simple beast; not only did it still possess all the in-
telligence and battle cunning of its mortal life, it
was demonically large and powerful. Even its piglets
were capable of killing Arthur’s knights, and the
boar itself was never slain, only chased into the sea.
The golden scissors, comb, and razor were, howev-
er, retrieved and Arthur made good on his oath.
An echo of Twrch Trwyth might begin as simply a
very large pig, but as enchantment and evil coalesced
around it, it would grow beyond any explanation. After
breaking free of whatever enclosure it is kept in and
spawning with every sow it can reach, it will rampage
across the countryside killing all in its path. In the first
Arthurian Age, there was no way to ultimately kill the
creature and it could only be driven off; modern day
protagonists may be able to arrange something cat-
aclysmically lethal to end the boar’s menace forever.
However, Twrch Trwyth is best used as a threat which
cannot be physically defeated, and which can only be
avoided, endured, or aimed at a slower enemy. An echo
of Twrch Trwyth is always wearing some object or me-
mento: a wreath of flowers made by the little girl who
was its owner, a tracking tag delivered by scientists,
or that blue ribbon the pig earned in the local state
fair. Removing the object causes the echo to fade, and
Twrch Trwyth is once again simply a very large pig.
ASPECTS
Magical, Monstrous Boar
All but Invulnerable
Fast and Furious
SKILLS
Legendary (+8) Physique
Epic (+7) Brawl
Fantastic (+6) Willpower
Superb (+5) Intimidation
Great (+4) Athletics
Good (+3) Confidence
Fair (+2) Leadership
Average (+1) Notice
FEATURES
Shrug It Off. Twrch Trwyth can use Physique
to defend against physical attacks.
Mythic Toughness. Twrch Trwyth has natural
Armor:3 (modified to Armor:7 against Scale 1 he-
roes) and three additional minor consequences.
Inhuman Speed. Twrch Trwyth has a +4 bo-
nus to determine initiative, he can move
one additional zone for free on each of his
turns, has a +1 bonus to all Athletics rolls,
or a +2 if he uses his action to move.
Razor Sharp Tusks. Twrch Trwyth’s
tusks are natural Weapon:2, modified to
Weapon:6 against Scale 1 heroes, not includ-
ing the benefit from Inhuman Strength.
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 Chapter 9: Allies and Adversaries
Inhuman Strength. Twrch Trwyth has a +3
bonus on rolls to lift or break something, a +1
bonus on rolls to grapple, and a 2-point bo-
nus to damage when strength is relevant. With
Scale, his tusks are effectively Weapon:8.
Shake of the Head. Twrch Trwyth can spend a Fate
point to make a +2 attack against every enemy in his
own zone, opposed with Athletics. If successful, the
targets are thrown back one zone and take stress.
Inhuman Strength and Scale adds to this damage.
STRESS
Physical: bbbb Mental: bbbb
CONSEQUENCES
Seven minor consequences.
Piglets
Nameless NPC, Scale 2
Twrch Trwyth’s piglets are giant boars,
as many as your story requires. They fight
as gangs of very powerful minions.
ASPECTS
Fiendish Spawn of a Fiendish Sire
Angry Mob
SKILLS
Great (+4) Brawl
Good (+3) Physique
Fair (+2) Willpower
Average (+1) Athletics
FEATURES
Big Ole Tusks. The piglets have natural
Weapon:1, modified to Weapon:3 for Scale.
Very Tough. The piglets have natural Armor:2,
modified to Armor:4 against Scale 1 heroes.
Inhuman Speed. Piglets can keep up with their
sire. Each has a +4 bonus to determine initiative,
can move one additional zone for free on each
of its turns, and has a +1 bonus to all Athletics
rolls, or a +2 if it uses an action to move.
Dying Blow. When a piglet is Taken Out, if
can spend a Fate point to make an immediate
Brawling attack on a single foe in its zone.
STRESS & CONSEQUENCES
Each piglet has three one-hit stress boxes.
182
Unicorn
Minor NPC, Scale 2
Evidence suggests that unicorns began as earthly
creatures who retreated into Faerie after global flood-
ing and the encroachment of man. Regardless, they
are now thoroughly magical, though they occasionally
wander back across the Veil in search of flowers to eat.
Although they share many physical characteristics
with horses, they are thinking creatures who move
and carry themselves in a manner unlike any horse.
Proud and untamed, they are fierce if cornered and
can easily kill an entire hunting party, wielding their
horn with deadly precision. They can, however, be
lured by innocence and sexual purity, which they find
irresistible; traditionally this means virgin women, but
at least one unicorn fell in love with a young man.
ASPECTS
Lord of the Forests
Drawn to Innocence
SKILLS
Superb (+5) Athletics and Melee
Great (+4) Physique and Wilderness
Good (+3) Notice and Stealth
Fair (+2) Confidence and Empathy
Average (+1) Occult and Willpower
FEATURES
Flashing Horn. The unicorn can fight with its
horn as if it were a sword or lance, using Melee.
It counts as Weapon:1, modified for Scale.
Tireless in the Chase. A unicorn has a +2 on rolls
to elude pursuit or resist fatigue from running.
Pure. The unicorn can spend a Fate point
to purify any poison or cure any poisoned
wound, touching it with its horn.
Unbound. The unicorn has a +2 on rolls
to escape from bonds or confinement.
Drawn to Innocence. A unicorn can spend 1
Fate point to automatically detect sexual inexpe-
rience in any relevant characters in its scene.
STRESS
Physical: bbbb Mental: bbb
CONSEQUENCES
One minor.
GEAR
Dressing: A unicorn dressed as a mortal has lost
his defining characteristic, and they react poorly to
this state, their keen intelligence and solemn deter-
mination often falling into bewildered confusion
or furious wrath. They are beautiful when dressed
however: slight and graceful or tall and imposing,
with pale skin, large dark eyes, and flowing white
hair which shines in moonlight and starlight.

Wyvern
Supporting NPC, Scale 2
The wyvern is a draconic creature with wings
and two legs. It is of only animal intelligence, but is
unusual in that it can appear in flocks of up to six
and thus might be encountered in large numbers. A
healthy and mature wyvern is bigger than a horse,
and they make especially flashy and impressive
mounts for black knights, half-demons, and other
Main NPCs. Some are poisonous or breathe fire.
ASPECTS
Winged Beast
Brother to Dragons
SKILLS
Great (+4) Physique
Good (+3) Athletics
Fair (+2) Brawling
Average (+1) Wilderness
FEATURES
Pounce. The wyvern can spend a Fate point
to land on a foe from the air, both attacking
it and creating an advantage like Pinned.
Wings. The wyvern can travel 3 zones in one
turn without needing to roll Athletics.
Scaly Hide. The wyvern has scaled skin like a
dragon, giving it Armor:2 before considering Scale.
Sharp Claws and Big Teeth. The wyvern’s
hooked claws and draconic jaws are
Weapon:1 before accounting for Scale.
STRESS
Physical: bbbb Mental: bb
CONSEQUENCES
One minor.
GEAR
Dressing: A dressed wyvern loses its wings, which is
the primary reason for summoning one in the first
place. Nevertheless, some antagonists and villains
dress a wyvern as a horse simply to keep it close
among human company, and at least one black magi-
cian succeeded in dressing his wyvern as a sports car.
Yron Squire
Supporting NPC, Scale 1
The yron squire was a magically animated suit
of armor named “Talus,” given to Sir Arthegal, the
son of Uriens and Igraine. (Arthegal was, therefore,
Arthur’s half-brother and a full brother to Morgause
and Morgan.) Arthegal styled himself the Knight
of Justice and Talus was intended to be his magical
squire, helping the knight mete justice throughout
the Forest of Adventure. Unfortunately, Talus had a
Chapter 9: Allies and Adversaries
The Wyvern Variations
Some wyvern are venomous. If this applies to
their bite, the victim suffers three consecutive
Physique contests on the turns after it is bitten,
suffering damage equal to any shifts the wyvern
achieves. Sometimes the wyvern has poisonous
breath, sickening all who dare to fight it. This
is also a contest of Physique rolled as soon as
the wyvern is in the same zone, placing a Black
Breath aspect on the target. The aspect lasts for
the scene and can be invoked twice for free. If the
wyvern can breathe fire, it attacks with Physique
against all enemies in one adjacent zone.
penchant for going to extremes, and Arthegal was
slow to bring the magical yron squire to heel. Once,
when a woman fell to her knees and begged Arthegal
for mercy, Talus dragged the woman through the
mud, cut off her hands and feet, and finally threw
her over a cliff. Talus was many things, but merci-
ful was not one of his traits. Eventually, Arthegal’s
paramour Britomart – a knight in her own right –
demonstrated a better ability to keep Talus under
control, and the squire was thereafter more obedient.
An yron squire is nearly invulnerable to harm. Unlike
most animated suits of armor, he can think for himself
and even speak. He runs faster than a horse, can batter
down stone walls, and tracks mortals down with the
efficacy of a bloodhound. When not confronted by
an issue of justice, an yron squire is content to follow
along in silence, but any violence against its person
will be met with overwhelming lethal force and a
storm of carnage unless it can be ordered to stop. Only
someone with the right to command the squire can
make it obey (such as the person to whom it has been
given), and even then the master must roll Confidence
opposed by the squire’s Willpower. If the roll fails,
the squire does as its merciless mind thinks best.
GMs may find yron squires useful not just as
antagonists, but as problematic allies for play-
er character knights. A story involving an yron
squire dwells on the theme of control and the
proper response to insult. They also make use-
ful allies for evil enchanters to summon.
ASPECTS
Power Without Mercy
Iron Bound by Magic
SKILLS
Fantastic (+6) Brawling
Superb (+5) Physique
Great (+4) Athletics
Good (+3) Willpower
Fair (+2) Provoke
Average (+1) Notice
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 Chapter 9: Allies and Adversaries

FEATURES weakness is its mortal vessel, the corporeal body with

Inhuman Speed. The squire can move which it conceals its true form. In its natural state, the
an additional zone for free on its turn. All angel is a being of pure spirit. In this state, angels can
Athletics rolls have a +1 bonus, raised to +2 change their own gender and, if Raphael is to be be-
if the squire is using its action to move. lieved, even have sex by merging their spiritual selves.
Supernatural Strength. The squire has a Angels tend to be single minded; they obey a
+6 on rolls to lift or break things and a +2 divine plan which human beings cannot perceive
when grappling. It adds 4 to inflicted dam- and which angels see no need to explain. Wise PCs
age if it can bring its strength to bear. step back and let the angel perform its mission,
Mythic Toughness. The squire has natu- then clean up the aftermath. Unfortunate PCs
ral Armor:3 against all physical stress and don’t know they are dealing with an angel until
three additional minor consequences. it’s too late and the flaming sword has come out.
Implacable. The squire can spend a Fate This particular angel is named in Milton’s
point to reduce stress inflicted upon it by 2. epic poem and is more benevolent and sympa-
Track. The squire can use Notice thetic to man than some of its brethren. More
to track specific individuals. potent and famous angels could be of higher
rank (+9), while Michael himself might be +10.
STRESS
Physical: bbbb Mental: bbb Uzziel
CONSEQUENCES Supporting NPC
Four minor consequences. ASPECTS
“Strength of God”
Heaven and Hell Nemesis: Any Demon
Stick to the Plan
Never Apologize, Never Explain
Angel It’s Only Flesh
Angels were a common sight during the Grail Quest SKILLS
but rarely seen otherwise, and when they did appear Legendary (+8) Confidence
they were invincible in Epic (+7) Melee
battle. When a knight Fantastic (+6) Willpower
fought an angel, he Superb (+5) Brawl and Physique
was doing something
Great (+4) Occult and Perform
wrong, and he was in-
evitably rewarded with Good (+3) Athletics and Education
serious injury. Later, Fair (+2) Empathy and Investigate
knights like Galahad Average (+1) Notice and Rapport
would receive hom- FEATURES
age from angels who
recognized spiritual Celestial Music. Uzziel has a +2 on Perform
purity and divine will. rolls to create an advantage while singing.
However, Heaven does Armor of Faith. Uzziel can defend against
have agents and mes- Firearms attacks with Confidence until he
sengers here on Earth takes stress, whereupon his enemies real-
pursuing missions and ize his vessel can be hurt and “killed.”
priorities which have Hunter of Evil. Uzziel has a +2 on Investigate rolls to
nothing to do with the overcome when he is tracking demonic influence.
Arthurian Age, and it Being of Spirit. An angel can move back and
is in this context which forth between its corporeal vessel and a body of
PCs are most likely pure spirit, in which form it is invisible, imma-
to encounter them. terial, can travel anywhere in the world instant-
Regardless of the angel’s ly, and can move between Heaven and Earth. If
outward appearance — the angel’s physical vessel is destroyed, it can-
and it is often disguised not return to Earth in a new one until dawn.
as a common man or Shelter. An angel can protect a mortal be-
woman of humble ing from harm. It selects one person or ani-
status — an angel is a mal and uses its action to shelter the target,
warrior imbued with who can take no stress for that exchange. An
divine might. Its only angel can use this power in spirit form.

184

Visions. Angels can appear to mortals as
a waking vision or in a dream. The angel
can use this power on any mortal anywhere
in the world and can be in spirit form.
Supernatural Strength. In corporeal form,
Uzziel has a +6 on rolls to lift or break
things, a +2 on rolls to grapple, and in-
flicts +4 harm in hand-to-hand attacks.
Supernatural Toughness. In corpore-
al form, Uzziel has natural Armor:2 and
two additional minor consequences.
Flaming Brand. In corporeal form, Uzziel
can summon a flaming sword at will. The
sword is a supernatural Weapon:4.
STRESS
Physical: bbbb Mental: bbbb
CONSEQUENCES
Five minor
Basilisk and Cockatrice
Nameless NPC, Scale 0
The basilisk and its relative the cockatrice are
diabolical creatures, aberrations from the natural
world whose inherent wrongness is expressed by a
poisonous venom so dangerous and deadly that it
kills without touch. The creatures are not intelligent
but are exceedingly lethal, and are sometimes used
as guardian animals by especially canny and pow-
erful black magicians, evil Faeries, and witches.
The basilisk is a serpent, the egg of which has
been hatched by a rooster. The cockatrice is its op-
posite: a malignant egg laid unnaturally by a rooster
and hatched by a toad. The cockatrice has a roost-
er’s body but a serpentine tail and scaly skin. The
basilisk is most notable for the white markings on
its head which resemble a crown, a feature which
earned it its nickname as the King of Serpents. In
both cases, the egg is generated by diabolical influ-
ence. Whereas mortals are sometimes preyed upon
by succubi and incubi, spawning half-demon chil-
dren who grow to terrorize mankind, the basilisk and
the cockatrice fill the same role in a different arena.
They are Hell’s agents in the animal kingdom.
Both creatures kill with a glance, and their gaze is
lethal. They can attempt to poison anyone who attacks
them, simply by looking at them. During their turn,
they can use their own actions to focus their gaze on
one creature. In both cases, the potential victim rolls
Willpower to avoid the gaze, while the basilisk or
cockatrice rolls Confidence. If the monster wins, the
target is afflicted with poison which kills him in three
exchanges. Alchemists know of an antidote to basilisk
venom, but without this cure, the victim is certain to
die. The deadly gaze of these creatures is so potent
that animals sicken and plants wither; this is often
the best clue that a basilisk or cockatrice is nearby.
Chapter 9: Allies and Adversaries
Cockatrice
For a cockatrice, replace King of the Serpents
with Demonic Rooster. Eliminate Command
Snakes. The cockatrice is a clumsy flier, but
can make extended leaps of about one zone.
The basilisk and cockatrice is not the sort of mon-
ster an AL! protagonist is likely to face often. They
are best used in rare circumstances, perhaps after
the heroes have received prophetic dreams or cryp-
tic clues warning of the danger. If you are using one
in a scenario, consider adding an NPC “redshirt” to
the PC group. Killing the NPC gives the players a
warning as to what is happening, and they can use
Fate points to ensure quick victory. After all, these
creatures are small and relatively easy to kill, provid-
ed you are fast enough to strike without being seen.
Each of them also has a natural enemy in nature;
weasels are immune to basilisk venom and attack
with the benefits of a nemesis aspect. Roosters, in
turn, enjoy the same benefits against a cockatrice.
Basilisk
ASPECTS
King of the Serpents
Unnatural Spawn
The Deadliest Venom
SKILLS
Great (+4) Confidence
Good (+3) Notice
Fair (+2) Stealth
Average (+1) Athletics
FEATURES
Command Snakes. The basilisk can spend a Fate
point to issue a single command to all snakes
present in the scene. If the snake is a Supporting
or Main NPC, it resists with Willpower.
STRESS
None.
CONSEQUENCES
A single point of stress Takes Out
a basilisk or cockatrice.
GEAR
Dressing: Dressing a basilisk or cockatrice — usu-
ally as a simple snake or chicken — is an espe-
cially dangerous assassination weapon, since the
creature loses its venomous gaze so long as it is in
disguise. Removing the glamour suddenly reveals
the monster’s true nature, usually to deadly effect.
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 Chapter 9: Allies and Adversaries
Demon
In the Arthurian Age
it was rare for knights
to battle demons, but
that is not to say that
demons did not ap-
pear. Rather, demons
became quite common
during the Grail Quest,
and fighting them
was entirely useless.
Demons appeared
in the quest in or-
der to trick or tempt
knights, usually into
performing violence or
else giving in to desire
or greed. Knights who
resisted these tempta-
tions saw the demons
suddenly revealed and
vanquished. The only pro-
tagonists who actively battled demons
with weapons were holy knights like Galahad, and
their victory — while assured — was dependent
on faith and virtue, not their swords or even skill.
In a modern AL! game, demons can retain their
role as spiritual testers while also embracing their
use as obstacles which must be physically confronted
and overcome. Shows like Buffy the Vampire Slayer or
Supernatural, along with countless films, have made
the concept of “fighting demons” so ubiquitous as to
be virtually commonplace. In the first season of Arthur
Lives!, the demons PCs encounter probably aren’t
here for the PCs. There is no Grail Quest, no tests
which separate the worthy knights from the unworthy.
Instead, the PCs run into demons who are already
here on Earth, who may have been here for some time,
and which are pursuing their own evil goals without
much knowledge or interest in resurrected Arthurians.
The demon presented here might be summoned by
a black magus or coven of witches. He has a legendary
pedigree, having been mentioned in Dante’s Inferno
as one of the Malebranche (“Evil Claws”) enforcing
the 8th circle of Hell. This is where sinners of graft are
found: anyone who has used his position in society to
reap material or other rewards. Politicians who thrive
on bribes and gifts from lobbyists, hedge fund manag-
ers, anyone who gets “a little something” from those
beneath him simply for doing his job, all find their
way to Malebolge in the 8th circle, and they make
excellent victims for a demon of this sort. Physically,
the Malebranche are winged demons with claws and
tails; they wield long forks which they use to keep sin-
ners trapped in punishing pools of boiling tar. They
are rude, crude, and vulgar in the extreme (when you
186
portray one in your game, imag-
ine an updated version of Michael
Keeton’s Beetlejuice) and talk a good
game, but are easily cowed and will
flee if they lose the advantage. This
particular example maintains his
human disguise with a hooked
prosthetic hand instead of a fork.
The natural form of a demon
is an intangible, invisible body of
pure spirit. Such a demon can travel
anywhere in the world instant-
ly and move between Hell and
Earth. But the act of summoning
a demon gives it a physical vessel
which, while strong and resilient,
is not immune to harm. Although
they can theoretically be de-
stroyed, demons remain among
the most dangerous foes any
Arthur Lives! PC might face. The
greatest of rank-and-file demons
might be Legendary (+8) while demon
princes are even more terrifying (+9).
Barbariccia
Supporting NPC
ASPECTS
Dante’s Demons
Argumentative
Cowardly
Soldier of Hell
The Claw!
SKILLS
Epic (+7) Melee
Fantastic (+6) Provoke
Superb (+5) Athletics
Great (+4) Physique
Good (+3) Brawl
Fair (+2) Deceive
Average (+1) Notice and Stealth
FEATURES
By Hook or by Crook. A Malebranche
uses Melee to wield its fork, even if the fork
has been given the shape of an improvised
weapon (such as a prosthetic hook).
Canny Fighter. Barbariccia has a +2 on Melee
rolls to create an advantage with its fork,
such as Disarmed or Pinned to the Wall.
Provoke Graft. In the appropriate non-combat
situation, a Malebranche can use Provoke to in-
cite a mortal to graft, which is to betray another
person by extortion, blackmail, or bribery. To do
this, the demon attacks with Provoke, inflicting
mental stress. If the victim suffers a consequence,

he does what the demon urges him to do.
Shoplifting from a convenience store might be
minor, accepting a bribe from a corrupt subcon-
tractor is moderate, while extorting money from
a family in need of your medical skills is major.
Being of Spirit. A demon can abandon its phys-
ical form at will, becoming a being of pure spirit.
In this shape, it is intangible, invisible, can travel
anywhere in the world instantly, and travel be-
tween Hell and Earth. A demon cannot adopt
spirit form when exposed to the direct light of
the sun and, if in spirit form when exposed to the
sun, is instantly returned to Hell until nightfall.
Visions. A demon can appear to mortals as
a waking vision or in a dream. The demon
can use this power on any mortal anywhere
in the world and can be in spirit form.
Vessel. Barbariccia’s corporeal form can change
back and forth between its true, demonic, ap-
pearance and that of a middle-aged well-beard-
ed corporate lobbyist for the coal industry
who has a prosthetic hook for a hand.
Inhuman Strength. In corporeal form,
Barbariccia has a +3 bonus on rolls to lift or
break things, a +1 on rolls to grapple, and in-
flicts +2 harm in hand-to-hand combat.
Supernatural Toughness. In corporeal form,
Barbariccia has natural Armor:2 and two addi-
tional minor consequences. Virtuous characters
who call on God can attempt a Confidence roll
against a difficulty of +2; the first character in
the conflict who succeeds on the test can ignore
the demon’s armor for the rest of the scene.
Darkness Visible. A demon can see
perfectly in any darkness.
Winged. In its true demonic form, a Malebranche
has dragon-like wings which allow it to fly.
STRESS
Physical: bbbb Mental: bb
CONSEQUENCES
Three minor
GEAR
Prosthetic Claw (Weapon:1) which, when in full
demon form, is a long fork (Weapon:2) that can even
be thrown. The claw is a supernatural weapon.
Devil Spawn
Supporting NPC
The women preyed upon by incubi have an awful,
tragic future in store, for their offspring are tainted
by the devil. Once born, they grow with supernatural
swiftness and are taller than most men within only a
few short months. Misshapen and deformed, they are
covered in thick black hair. Sometimes the mother
Chapter 9: Allies and Adversaries
is able to abandon the child, but never kill it, for the
women are victims of a terrible curse that makes them
blind to the monster’s inhumanity and wicked nature.
Because of their hideous appearance, devil spawn
usually retreat from society and are found in the rural
countryside, the alleys of an abandoned downtown,
closed factories, and sewer tunnels. But they are not
stupid, and their infernal heritage makes them a
natural leader to the wicked, cruel, and desperate.
It is not uncommon to find one surrounded by a
small gang of redcaps, walking corpses, or Satanists
who serve it and are in awe of its power. Such a foe
might be better armed and equipped than the exam-
ple below; in that case, swap out Brawl for Melee.
The devil spawn depicted here is a monster, a
tough but relatively straight-forward foe that makes
a good obstacle or fight scene, without being the real
brains behind the scenario. In special circumstanc-
es, demonic children can appear human or have the
ability to adopt a pleasing form. More intelligent,
patient, and adaptable than their hideous cousins,
these half-demons make good primary antago-
nists for your AL! scenarios and are especially good
rivals for incarnations of Merlin, who was saved
from this fate only through divine intervention.
ASPECTS
Son of a Demon
Misshapen Monstrosity
Enormous Appetites
Avoids the Sun
Evil Underlings
SKILLS
Fantastic (+6) Physique
Superb (+5) Brawl
Great (+4) Provoke
Good (+3) Willpower
Fair (+2) Occult
Average (+1) Notice and Stealth
FEATURES
Take the Blow. The devil spawn can defend against
hand-to-hand physical attacks using Physique,
but always takes 1 point of stress on a tie.
Darkness Visible. The devil spawn can
see perfectly in any darkness.
Supernatural Strength. Devil spawn are far
stronger than any mortal. They have a +6
on Physique rolls to lift or break something,
a +2 on Physique rolls to grapple, and in-
flict +4 harm with hand-to-hand attacks.
Supernatural Toughness. Devil spawn have
Armor:2 and two additional minor consequenc-
es. The first PC who makes an appeal to God and
succeeds in a Confidence roll against a difficulty of
+2 ignores this armor for the duration of the scene.
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 Chapter 9: Allies and Adversaries
Immune to Bullets. The devil spawn can spend
1 Fate point to defend against all firearm attacks
with Physique for the duration of the conflict.
Minions. Give the devil spawn gangs of red-
caps, walking corpses, or human NPCs.
STRESS
Physical: bbbb Mental: bbbb
CONSEQUENCES
Four minor.
GEAR
Baseball bat (Improvised Weapon:1), long
trench coat with hood, massive boots.
Fiendish Corpse
The Fiendish Corpse was once a named NPC,
infamous for his wickedness and cruelty. He walks
again through a combination of necromancy and the
powers of Hell. Though he remembers his past life
and is in some sense the same person, there is also
something demonic about him, and he hates all life.
Simon Cruz
Supporting NPC
In the early ‘90s, Simon Cruz was a drug kingpin
with a marijuana network based in Mexico but which
crawled over the Texas and Arizona borders. After
killing two tourists from Michigan, he was caught
and tried on federal murder charges. At his trial, a
long list of his alleged activities in Mexico, includ-
ing several more murders for which he had been
neither charged nor convicted, was shown to the
jury, who sentenced him to death. He spent about
eight years awaiting execution by lethal injection.
That should have been the end for him, but a black
magus looking for a lieutenant retrieved Cruz’s soul
from Hell and put it in the body of a sacrificial victim.
For the last two years, Cruz has been tearing his way
across Mexico and the American Southwest. There is
no crime or offense which he will not casually perform.
Indeed, in his fiendish wickedness, he can now perform
no good deed. Everything he touches turns to evil.
ASPECTS
Drug Kingpin
Executed Murderer
Dead
Animated by a Demon
SKILLS
Superb (+5) Physique
Great (+4) Firearms
Good (+3) Confidence and Willpower
Fair (+2) Brawl and Provoke
Average (+1) Leadership and Occult
188
FEATURES
List of Crimes. Cruz has a +2 bonus to create an
advantage with Provoke if he gets the chance to rattle
off his long list of murders and other atrocities.
Drug Trade. Cruz has a +2 to overcome
with Contacts when the person he is try-
ing to call upon is part of the illegal drug
trade, as either a provider or customer.
Fiendish Might. Cruz can spend a Fate
point to shake off the effect of a spell af-
ter it has already affected him.
Bros. Cruz’s two mobs of Walking Corpses are
seldom far away. If they are lost in battle, he
can replenish them with the newly dead.
STRESS
Physical: bbbb Mental: bbbb
CONSEQUENCES
Two minor consequences.
GEAR
Always a pistol and knife. Unless moving about
in public and trying to keep a low-profile, Cruz
will also have a shotgun or assault rifle.
Dressing: Simon Cruz is a corpse. The only rea-
son he hasn’t rotted away to a skeleton is because
of the black magic which animates him. Glamour
makes him appear as a clean-shaven Latino with
black hair, thick eyebrows, and an unsettling grin.
Incubus and Succubus
Supporting NPC
Some of the most well-known demons in Hell, the
incubus (“lie above”) and succubus (“lie beneath”) are
actually the same creature capable of changing its
gender at will. As a succubus, the demon visits men at
night, “riding” them, collecting their seed, and leaving
them with only confused and dream-like memories
of the experience. Thus armed, the demon changes
to male form, finds a vulnerable woman, and engen-
ders a demonic spawn through seduction or rape.
Succubi and incubi are frequently summoned by
witches and black magi who seek to satisfy their
own lust. Over time, this binds the mortal closer to
Hell and makes it easier for the demon to manip-
ulate its “master”; the succubus usually puts up a
show of struggle while actually welcoming such a
relationship. The demon presented here is just such
a summoned agent, gathering information on the
PCs while serving as its master’s eyes and ears. It
cannot touch any chaste mortal, a definition which
includes not only those who have avoided all sex, but
also those who are loyal to their married spouse.
Before introducing an incubus to your game, con-
sider where your table draws the line at depictions
of sex or violence. Both the succubus and incubus

are symbols of rape, and are not to be treated ca-
sually in game. While they make useful agents of
your primary antagonist, their sexual attention is
best focused on NPCs whom the PCs can protect
and defend. At the same time, the transgender el-
ements of Arthur Lives! create interesting story op-
portunities with these demons. When a queen or
damosel is reincarnated as a man, or a knight finds
himself reborn in a woman’s body, a succubus is
uniquely able to adopt whichever shape the PC
finds both most attractive and most problematic.
ASPECTS
Demon of Lust
Repelled by Chastity
I Know What You Like
Lover, Not a Fighter
SKILLS
Superb (+5) Deceive and Provoke
Great (+4) Confidence and Occult
Good (+3) Investigate and Perform
Fair (+2) Contacts and Stealth
Average (+1) Athletics and Physique
FEATURES
Seducer. An incubus can use Deceive to se-
duce someone, instead of Rapport.
Sexy Lies. An incubus has a +2 when using Deceive
to create advantages related to seduction.
Can’t Con a Con-Man. An Incubus can de-
fend against lies using Deceive.
Rapist. In appropriate non-combat situations, the
incubus can use Deceive to inflict mental stress on
a target. A Taken Out condition usually results in
non-consensual sex. This should not be the outcome
when the succubus’s target concedes, however.
One Person, Many Faces. When an incubus meets
someone for the first time, it can spend a Fate point to
declare it has met that person before, in another guise.
Shape Shifter. The incubus can adopt any hu-
man shape at will, as long as it is attractive.
When it changes its appearance, it can also
change its clothes, but it cannot adopt Armor.
Being of Spirit. The incubus can abandon its
physical form at will, becoming a being of pure
spirit. In this shape, it is intangible, invisible, can
travel anywhere in the world instantly, and move
between Hell and Earth. An incubus cannot adopt
spirit form when exposed to the direct light of
the sun and, if in spirit form when exposed to the
sun, is instantly returned to Hell until nightfall.
Darkness Visible. The demon can
see perfectly in any darkness.
Inhuman Strength. In mortal form, an in-
cubus has a +3 bonus on rolls to lift or break
something, a +1 on rolls to grapple, and in-
flicts +2 harm with hand-to-hand attacks.
Chapter 9: Allies and Adversaries
Inhuman Toughness. In mortal form,
an incubus has natural Armor:1 and ad-
ditional minor consequence.
STRESS
Physical: bbb Mental: bb
CONSEQUENCES
Two minor
Questing Beast
The Questing Beast was Glatisant, a demon with
the forequarters of a leopard and the rear quarters
of a lion, the head and neck of a serpent, and the
hooves of a stag. From its belly came the sound of
sixty hounds barking; this noise would still only when
the creature paused to drink. The noise Glatisant
made ensured that it was easy to follow, but its great
speed and elusiveness made it impossible to catch.
In origin it was an abomination: the offspring of a
mortal woman and a creature of Hell. This woman
lusted after her brother and made a bargain with a
devil in order to procure her brother’s love in return.
She slept with the devil in order to seal the contract,
but the creature, true to its nature, betrayed her and
convinced her to publicly accuse her brother of rape.
Her father had his son eaten by dogs as punishment,
but the innocent man prophesied before his death that
his wicked sister would give birth to a creature whose
belly would echo the sound of the hounds which
fought over the corpse. The Questing Beast is the
result of incestuous desire and demonic bargaining.
It’s likely the beast first appeared along the west-
ern coast of Britain, because it was King Pellinore
of the Isles who first pursued it and who made the
creature his own personal nemesis. Pellinore insist-
ed that only he or a member of his distinguished
family – already tasked with keeping the Holy Grail
and the Holy Lance – could catch and kill Glatisant,
but it is not clear whether he actually believed this
or if he simply did not want any other knight horn-
ing in on his quest. Pellinore would typically spend
a year at a time hunting the beast, then take some
time off to visit Camelot and Arthur before hitting
the questing trail once more. Glatisant became a
symbol of Questing itself, and this is how it got its
popular name. Prior to that, Pellinore had simply
been called “the Knight with the Strange Beast.”
Although modern authors have sought to recast
Glatisant as benevolent and even something of a
lovesick beast who lures Pellinore on, not out of
an evil nature, but out of affection, the roots of the
myth are clear on its demonic origin. As a demon,
Glatisant lured a good knight and king away from his
proper duty; Pellinore neglected his people and his
lands, and his constant questing led him to a great
deal of immoral behavior. He had bastards all over
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 Chapter 9: Allies and Adversaries
England, more than he himself knew about, and his
obsession over the pursuit of Glatisant led him first
to take Arthur’s horse and then later to fight Arthur
in mortal combat. If not for the arrival of Merlin,
Pellinore would have slain the Boy King. Pellinore
was a mighty warrior whose defeat of Lot sealed
Arthur’s rise to power, and Arthur benefited much
from Pellinore’s advice and counsel, but Pellinore’s
obsession with questing led to many misdeeds. To
put it more plainly: Pellinore did not fail to catch the
Beast because of his sins, it was his choice to pur-
sue the Beast that led to the sins in the first place.
The right thing to do was to never chase the Beast.
After Pellinore’s death at the hands of the Orkney
clan, the Muslim knight Sir Palomides took up
the quest of Glatisant, but he had no better luck
than Pellinore did. Eventually, after converting
to Christianity and securing the help of the Grail
Knights Percival and Galahad, the three knights
succeeded in driving the beast into a lake and killing
it. Since Percival was Pellinore’s nephew, it’s pos-
sible Pellinore was right after all: Glatisant could
only be killed by a member of the Grail family.
Questlings
A Questling can take almost any form, depending
on the sort of quest which an incarnation of Pellinore
happens to be pursuing. Each incarnation of Pellinore
makes this decision independently, it does not change
for the life of the incarnation, and it defines the shape
of the Questling which that incarnation will hunt.
The possible forms a Questling might take are
infinite. An individual incarnation of Pellinore might
search for a thing (the Ark of the Covenant, Aristotle’s
book on Comedy, the wreck of the Lusitania), a person
(a long-lost father, the leader of Al Qaeda, or “the
man who killed my wife”) or even a concept or idea
(Unified Field Theory, the Great American Novel, the
ultimate martial art style). Regardless of the nature of
Pellinore’s quest, a demon arises from Hell to merge
with the object of that quest. Thus, a Questling is born.
When a Questling arises, it makes that particular
quest harder to attain. Because a Questling can take
infinite forms, it is not possible to provide game sta-
tistics for every possible Questling. Instead, Questling
is an aspect that is applied to a creature, thing, or
concept, which gains skills, stunts and extras as if
it were a character. The Questling remains in its
current form until the quest is somehow achieved.
At that moment, the Questling flees from its “host”
and migrates to a new one, which becomes the new
Questling. An incarnation of Pellinore can find the
man who killed his wife, he can find the Ark of the
Covenant, and he can perfect the ultimate martial
art, but as soon as he does so the Questling chang-
es form and the quest must begin all over again.
190
Each Questling should be carefully crafted by the
GM. After all, it is the chief antagonist for any player
incarnation of Pellinore, and the player should have
significant input into the shape that the Questling
will take. If the Questling is a traditional antago-
nist — someone he can fight and defeat — Pellinore
should succeed in defeating the Questling at least
once, so that the escape of the Questling (and the
ultimate frustration of the quest) can be made explicit
in the campaign. Sometimes the quest is for a spe-
cific physical object which, while not able to defend
itself, is nevertheless hidden and possibly protect-
ed by guardians or traps. The best method here is
to simply ensure that, instead of finding the object
of quest, Pellinore instead finds another clue to the
object’s actual location. Each step along the journey
promises to be the end of the rainbow, but the pot of
gold remains elusive. When the quest becomes boring
for the player, the GM can create traps and guardians
which represent the Questling’s demonic influence.
The object is found, but the Questling has fled to a
new, even more priceless or sought after, object.
Here are some guidelines for coming up
with game statistics for Questlings:
• Main NPC: The Questling is constructed as a Main
NPC, even if it is an inanimate object (Leonardo’s
Lost Painting) or idea (Cure for Cancer). It addition
to its Questling aspect, it has five other aspects.
• Skills: The Questling has skills, though those
skills might not be from the same list as PCs if it
has an unusual form. For example, a tradition-
al bad guy can have Athletics and Melee, but
if Pellinore is a firefighter and his Questling is
The Big Fire, it may have skills like Burn, Choke,
Spread, Conceal, and Frighten. Regardless,
its highest skill is 2 higher than Pellinore’s.
• Refresh: The Questling does not have refresh like
a PC, but it can buy stunts and extras equivalent to
Pellinore. Again, construct its stunts and extras to
suit its form. The ideal Questling fights Pellinore
on the knight’s chosen terms, but is so good that
Pellinore cannot match it without Fate points.
• Gaining in Power: As Pellinore gains re-
fresh and as his skill cap goes up, the same
increases apply to the Questling.
• The Questling Aspect: The Questling has a
nemesis aspect that applies to one incarnation
of Pellinore, but no one else.
Saint
Especially virtuous people sometimes return
to Earth after their death as agents of the divine.
Because they were human, they can identify with
and relate to mortals in a way angels simply can’t.
At any given time, anywhere in the world, some-
one sick or suffering is asking for help from a ven-
erated saint, a long-dead but honored relative, or

spiritual patron. In Arthur Lives!, all of the beings
thus called upon can be categorized as “saints.”
A saint is typically sent to Earth for a specific
task and is given a corporeal vessel which dupli-
cates the appearance the saint had in life. Their
traditional powers are wise guidance, healing, and
the exorcism of demons, but their curses are fu-
eled by the power of the divine and can include
everything from the infliction of disease or boils
to the sudden strike of a pillar of celestial flame.
Saints make useful plot devices for GMs, espe-
cially as a way to introduce some advice, interpret a
vision, or reward a good deed that might otherwise
go unnoticed. They are not as powerful as angels,
and can be threatened by demons or potent faeries,
prompting PCs to come to their aid. The Arthurian
Age was filled with holy men and hermits who wield-
ed divine magic; they can be modeled with these
game stats, though particularly powerful saints may
have Superb (+5) or even Fantastic (+6) skills.
Don Bosco, Patron
Saint of Magicians
Over ten years ago, an Italian priest presented Pope
John Paul II with a magic wand which had previous-
ly belonged to Saint Giovanni Bosco. “Don Bosco,”
as he was known, had famously used stage illusions
to teach the Gospel to children and young people.
Presented with the wand and told his story, the Pope
dubbed Bosco the Patron Saint of Magicians.
In life, Don Bosco was a selfless educator beloved
by the poor and the young. He combined reason,
kindness, and faith, and encouraged the open dis-
play of Christian love as a way to build self-esteem
among disadvantaged youth. His religious acts
included fun, music, and games, and his youthful
passion for stage magic led him to use illusion to
illustrate lessons from the Gospel. Visited by prophet-
ic dreams in life, providence led him to missionary
work in Argentina among the native Patagonians.
He is a relatively young saint, having been canon-
ized in 1934, less than fifty years after his death.
Sightings of Don Bosco are on the rise, though few
who see him recognize the genial street illusionist in
the long coat as a Catholic saint. While Saint Bosco’s
official purview is limited to the mundane practice
of stage magic and illusion, he can see the return
of enchantment in the world and has taken it upon
himself to look out for virtuous enchanters and real
magicians as well. Whenever the Veil is near, Bosco
is often either on his way or just departing, having
given wise counsel to aspiring magicians who ar-
en’t aware of the real danger which true magic en-
tails. When a magus gets in too deep, works a spell
he can’t control, or lets his passion for the Other
Side overwhelm his better nature, Saint Bosco is
there. And when the deserving seek to use magic
for good, Saint Bosco’s hand is on their shoulder.
Chapter 9: Allies and Adversaries
ASPECTS
Patron Saint of Magicians
There Are Things I’m Forbidden To Do
Mortal No More
Teacher of Youth
Prophetic Dreams
Trickster
SKILLS
Great (+4) Confidence and Rapport
Good (+3) Education, Perform and Willpower
Fair (+2) Empathy, Investigate and Occult
Average (+1) Contacts, Deceive, Notice and Wilderness
FEATURES
Street Magic. Bosco has a +2 on Perform
rolls to create an advantage on a group
when he is performing magic.
Good with Kids. Bosco has a +2 on Rapport rolls
to overcome when he is talking to a young boy.
Fearless. Bosco has a +2 on Willpower
rolls to resist fear and intimidation.
Magical Talents. Saint Bosco has the magical
talents of Blessings & Curses, Dispel, Divination,
Healing, Travel, Unseen Hand, and Ward. As with
enchantment, his spells always succeed, but instead
of generating EP, he takes mental and physical
stress. He can only work magic in corporeal form.
Divine Magic. Bosco has a personal reser-
voir of 5 stress which he may use to offset
the stress from working magic; this reservoir
resets at the beginning of each day.
Disembodied Spirit. Bosco’s natural form is
now a disembodied soul, in which form he
is invisible and intangible. In this form, he
can instantly travel anywhere in the world
and move between Heaven and Earth.
Vessel. Saint Bosco must be assigned a corpo-
real body by heavenly powers above his pay
grade; he cannot change form on his own. Such
a body resembles the one he had when alive. If
it is destroyed, all his magic ends, he returns to
Heaven, and he must petition for a new vessel.
Visitation. Saint Bosco can appear to mortals
either as a waking vision or in a dream. He can
do this from anywhere on Earth or in Heaven.
Tongues of Man. Bosco can speak
all human languages.
STRESS
Physical: bb Mental: bbbb
CONSEQUENCES
One minor
GEAR
Magic wand which gives him a +1 on Willpower
rolls whenever he is working magic.
191
 Chapter 9: Allies and Adversaries
Bibliography
The catalog of Arthurian literature, even just
“Return of the King” stories set in the mod-
ern era, is far too long to reproduce here. Only
those which came up in the course of writ-
ing this book are mentioned, but further delv-
ing by the curious will be well rewarded.
Primary Sources
Le Morte d’Arthur. Not many people know this, but
there are actually two versions of Malory’s definitive
treatment of the Arthur story. The first, the “theatri-
cal release” if you will, was edited by William Caxton
and is the only version we knew about until compar-
atively recently. But in 1934 we found the Winchester
Manuscript, a “Director’s Cut” which seems to be
closer to what Malory actually wrote. Caxton ed-
ited Malory to create a single long tale which was
sometimes contradictory and often meandering.
The Winchester Manuscript wasn’t one single book,
but rather twelve different Arthurian stories written
independently. It is this version of Malory that lies
at the root of Arthur Lives! and it’s the version I rec-
ommend. If nothing else, it helps a GM see the many
different protagonists of Arthur’s court as rival player
characters, each with their own story. AL! GMs do
not need to read Malory; after all, the game is set in
the present. But if you want to know more about all
the characters, you are going to have to get beyond
Wikipedia and read the darn book for yourself. Get
the Norton Critical Edition, ISBN 0393974642.
Chretien de Troyes. Chretien was the French poet who
created the character of Lancelot as well as the Holy
Grail. He wrote five Arthurian tales, the last of which is
not complete. All of his protagonists – Percival, Owain,
Lancelot, and more – are a bit beyond the scope of
AL’s “season one,” but they beg inclusion in future
material. You can find a 2005 English translation pub-
lished by Penguin for a very affordable price. Chretien
rewards those who take the time to read him; the fact
that he was writing for a French princess invests his
work with a proto-feminist tone that is a good antidote
to some of the macho clichés of fantasy literature.
The Lancelot-Grail. Also known as the “Vulgate”
edition of the Arthur legend, the term “Lancelot-
Grail” refers to a large collection of French works
which predate Malory and which he used as sources
for his own project. Most of us can’t afford copies of
the Lancelot-Grail; the paperback editions (edited
by Norris Lacy) is a 10-volume set that goes for $300.
However, your university library should be able to
get you a copy through interlibrary loan. Why both-
er? The Lancelot-Grail has a lot more magic and
political intrigue in it; Malory cut out a lot of that
192
stuff for his version. Also, many relatively minor
characters in Malory have greatly expanded roles
in the Lancelot-Grail. For example, most of Balin’s
story in Arthur Lives! comes from the Lancelot-Grail.
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Modern authors
have turned the Green Knight into a symbol of nature
and the environment, but in the original he’s just an
enthusiastic hunter with a hot wife. The poem is not
long, it’s great fun, and anyone playing an incarnation
of Gawain will be grateful you looked it up. For senti-
mental reasons, read the translation by J.R.R. Tolkien.
The Faerie Queene. Spenser’s six-book epic poem is
little read nowadays, and few people even recognize it
as Arthurian literature despite Prince Arthur’s signifi-
cant role in the tale. There’s no question, Faerie Queene
is not for the faint of heart. However, Spenser expands
upon the world of Arthur’s early life, using recog-
nized characters like Ryons and Merlin while adding
many new ones – like Arthegal, Talus, and the peer-
less Britomart. Some of his characters and creations
appear in this book, and the rest demand inclusion
in the evolving story that is Arthur Lives! The Penguin
Classics single-volume paperback will do you fine.
The Mabinogion. Welsh myth is an excellent source
for GMs because of the high level of magic and
adventure found in it. It’s a swell antidote for any
fear that a game about Arthur is going to be boring.
Penguin books has a perfectly serviceable and low-
cost edition. Only “Culhwch and Olwen” is explic-
itly Arthurian, but any of the tales can be mined
for stories, characters, and magical McGuffins.
The Romance of Arthur, New Expanded Edition. This
is an anthology of Arthurian primary sources, trans-
lated for those of us who don’t read Latin, Old French,
or Medieval German. Here you can read just about
every mention of Arthur in the historical records,
the Welsh Triads, and other poems and stories writ-
ten before Malory. Why? Because these texts all give
alternate versions of the characters you recognize
from Malory, and that is all grist for the adventure
mill. Besides, why rely on another author to tell you
what happened in the Arthurian Age when you can
read the original versions and decide for yourself?
Edited by James Wilhelm and published by Garland.
Idylls of the King. Tennyson is responsible for mak-
ing King Arthur popular again after centuries in
which no one bothered to read about him. Tennyson
also wanted to “sanitize” Arthur, eliminating many
of the moral gray areas around the King’s behav-
ior in order to make him a better role model for
England’s rulers at the time that Tennyson wrote.
Even though 21st century readers (and gamers) are
going to want that moral ambiguity back, his poetry
is both haunting and catchy. Tennyson will get more
play in future Arthur Lives! seasons; his versions of
Gareth and the Lady of the Lake are especially mem-
orable. Again, there’s an affordable Penguin version.
A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Shakespeare

never wrote about King Arthur, but he did write
about faeries. If you plan on taking your heroes
to the court of Oberon and Titania, you really
ought to let those two speak for themselves.
The King of Elfland’s Daughter. Few people read Lord
Dunsany any more, but he was a fantasy author in
the pre-Tolkien mode and his vision of Faerie was
enormously influential on modern fantasists like
Neil Gaiman. In fact, Gaiman wrote the introduc-
tion for the 1999 Del Rey Impact edition of the nov-
el. Dunsany is the source for AL’s emphasis on the
timelessness of Faerie, the specifics of the Veil, and
for certain characters who dwell beyond its borders.
Reference and
Criticism
The Arthurian Companion. Phyllis Ann Karr wrote
this encyclopedia of Arthurian characters, objects,
and places in cooperation with Greg Stafford of
Pendragon fame. She has firm opinions on the various
characters (loves Kay, hates Merlin) but she’s up front
about them and writes with a funny, clever, feminist
voice. Karr is a wonderful reference guide to the myth,
especially when coupled with Christopher Bruce’s
Arthurian Name Dictionary (see Websites, below).
The Arthurian Handbook. This textbook for an
Arthurian literature class, written by Norris Lacy,
Geoffrey Ashe, and Debra Mancoff, is better than
most and provides a great overview of the myth, the
historical sources, and its modern interpretations
over the years. Read this book and The Romance of
Arthur, above, and you’ll know as much or more about
King Arthur as most modern Arthurian authors.
Suppressed Transmissions. Ken Hite – game de-
signer, GM, and inventor of the “high weirdness”
campaign – wrote these essays for Steve Jackson’s
Pyramid magazine. They were eventually collected
in two volumes which touch on bizarre conspir-
acies, occult mysteries, and mash-ups of wildly
different campaign types. Entertaining, intellectu-
ally stimulating, and laugh-out-loud funny, Hite
touched on Arthur several times in both books.
Also, his bibliography is to die for, though harder
to use as the years go by. Hite’s influence on Arthur
Lives! is most visible in the Secret History chapter.
Chapter 9: Allies and Adversaries
Websites
The Camelot Project at www.lib.rochester.edu/
camelot. Hosted by the University of Rochester,
the Camelot Project is a massive online database
of Arthurian tales, images, analysis and commen-
tary. Many of us have gotten in the habit of doing
our research online now, and avoiding the purchase
of books. If I’m talking about you, this is where
you should go when you have questions about the
myth. There’s a search function; you’ll be all right.
Christopher Bruce’s Arthurian Name Dictionary,
published by Garland, is prohibitively expensive. But
Bruce has given his blessing to casual readers and the
entire text of his amazing reference work is online. It is
an index to everyone in Arthurian legend, and every AL!
player should use it to come up with character ideas.
http://www.nightbringer.se/arthurian.html
Fiction
The Acts of King Arthur and His Noble Knights. John
Updike’s favorite book was Malory, and at one point in
his career he tried to write a modern translation of the
original. He started to get bored, and his translation
became looser and looser, and better and better. The
book was never finished, but was published anyway.
It’s useful to us now because Updike works hard to
make the characters’ motivations and actions realistic.
He’s not writing a fantasy; this is a book about real
people. Since most players also want their characters
and games to feel real – even if there are fire breathing
dragons about – Updike can be really educational.
Arthur, King. A pretty good example of a “Return
of the King” story, this novel has a time-traveling
Arthur arriving in World War II London. He be-
comes a fighter pilot and participates in the Battle
of Britain. This is just the sort of thing player char-
acters like to do, and Arthur, King has a certain cin-
ematic feel to it which Fate players will recognize.
The Once and Future King. T.H. White is satirizing
Arthurian legend more than honoring it, but his
version of the myth has proven extremely influen-
tial in how later generations have viewed the main
characters of Wart, Lance, and Jenny. White is the
origin of the idea that Merlin taught Arthur by trans-
forming him into various animals, that Merlin “aged
backwards” in time, and that the Questing Beast was
actually hopelessly in love with Pellinore. The musical
Camelot and Disney’s The Sword in the Stone are both
based on White. There is one very good reason to look
to White, however: he integrates Robin Hood into
the Arthurian legend, making Robin and his Merry
Men characters in the novel’s first book. If you want
to do the same, check out The Once and Future King.
193
 Chapter 9: Allies and Adversaries
Knight Life. Peter David wrote this entertain-
ing novel of a modern King Arthur who wakes
up in New York City and runs for mayor. David’s
book is very much in the vein of White; his Merlin
has “aged backwards” until he now appears to
be a young child. Knight Life has two sequels.
Stardust. Written by Neil Gaiman and illustrated
by Charles Vess, the comic is out of print and was
replaced by an illustrated novel. The story of a mor-
tal man and the magical creature he only eventually
comes to realize he loves, Stardust is a wonderfully
episodic travelogue through Faerie. Gaiman is heav-
ily indebted to Lord Dunsany and Shakespeare, and
doesn’t bother to hide it, but also creates characters
and amazing plot twists as only he can. The film
is entertaining, but substantially rewritten, and it
fails to capture much of the subtlety of the novel.
Besides, you’d be missing out on all that lovely art.
Comics
Camelot 3000. Mike Barr and Brian Bolland created
the definitive comic book version of the “Return of
the King” story way back in 1988, a twelve-issue series
which is still in print and very accessible. Narrators
running a science fiction version of Arthur Lives! must
read this book, if only to be sure you don’t walk in the
exact same footsteps when you do your own game.
Camelot 3000 is one of the strongest influences on AL!,
including not only the theme of the “second chance”
but also concepts like incarnation, recognition, a
multinational cast, and questions of gender identity.
Mage: The Hero Discovered. Matt Wagner’s Mage is
the archetypal “urban Arthur” comic series. Kevin
Matchstick does not even realize he is the Pendragon
reborn until the series is almost over, but Arthurian
elements swirl throughout, including incarnations of
both Merlin and the Lady of the Lake. This is where I
got the mechanics for “dressing” Faeries from beyond
the Veil. Wagner’s sequel series, Mage II: The Hero
Defined, adds Morgan le Fey as well as heroes from
many other myths. GMs who want to mix Arthur up
with Hercules, Beowulf, and other cultures will want
to read it; the rest of us can probably pass, as the series
became increasingly less about Arthur and more auto-
biographical. The third volume has been announced.
The Knights of Pendragon, #1-18. The first volume of
this Marvel UK series, written by Dan Abnett and
John Tomlinson with art by Gary Erskine and Andy
Lanning, is a surprisingly good template for mod-
ern magical adventure in the Arthurian mode. It’s
also a rich horror story, with a Green Knight who
looks more like Cthulhu than Sean Connery, and
an environmental theme so important to the pub-
lishers that the comic was printed on special envi-
ronmentally friendly paper. Avoid the second series,
which has superheroes in a more traditional mode.
194
Most of the Knights of Pendragon are card-carrying
members of the trenchcoat brigade, and their mag-
ic is as mysterious to them as it should be to us.
The Invisibles. Grant Morrison’s masterpiece of occult
conspiracy, pop cool, and kung fu action isn’t just a
great template for modern magic roleplaying, it is
also explicitly Arthurian. You may also want Patrick
Neighly and Kereth Cowe-Spigai’s annotations to
the complex and information-rich series, Anarchy for
the Masses: The Disinformation Guide to the Invisibles.
Other Arthurian
or Fate RPGs
Pendragon. Greg Stafford’s Pendragon is the one true
Arthurian RPG, of which all others are but shadows.
Over its long print history, Pendragon has delved into
virtually all aspects of Arthurian Britain, including
books on Ireland, Scotland, and Wales, as well as
rules for Arthurian magic and adaptations of count-
less legends both great and small. Recent editions
presents Stafford’s definitive Pendragon campaign,
tracing the lives of your PCs throughout Arthur’s
entire reign. When I had to decide between two or
more competing versions of Arthur’s myth, it was
always nice to remember that another GM already
had to make that decision and he had probably read
more than I did. While I often ended up choosing
differently than he, his perspective was always en-
lightening. Play Pendragon. It’s a wonderful game.
The Dresden Files RPG and Dresden Accelerated. The
original Dresden Files RPG was a key source for
Arthur Lives!, especially when it came to developing
the “three skill” magic system. AL! was also designed
to be compatible with the Dresden RPG, so you could
use characters and monsters from it in your game.
Dresden Accelerated is the newest iteration of the
RPG, but was too new to be an influence on this book.
Camelot Trigger, by Rob Wieland, is part of Evil
Hat’s Fate Worlds: Worlds in Shadow. It’s a “Return of
the King” story in mecha, which is a handy way of
differentiating it from other SF treatments of Arthur’s
return. If you want to run Arthur Lives! in an anime-in-
spired far future setting, this book is the way to go.
Knights of Invasion, another Fate world, this
time by Richard Bellingham. Knights of Invasion
is about a fantasy kingdom invaded by aliens, so
it has a certain Camelot 3000 vibe to it. It’s filled
with innovative Fate system hacks designed to
handle everything from a knight’s mounts and ar-
mor to his retainers and tournaments. This makes
it a useful toolbox of mechanical ideas for your
AL! campaign, even if you don’t use the story.
Corporia is one of the newer games on this list,
and it’s by Mark Plemmons and published by
Brabblemark. Corporia is Arthurian urban fantasy in
a corporate-run future inspired by Torchwood, Angel,
 Chapter 9: Allies and Adversaries

and Shadowrun. The corporate structure gives the

PCs a clear boss and missions every session. There’s
magic and monsters, but also energy weapons and
cybernetic enhancement. Lancelot has been reincar-
nated and Merlin is a super-computer. The system
is simple and the game well-supported with many
adventures, all of which means it’s a trove of stories
and stuff for you to port into your Fate campaign.
Legends of Excalibur True20: Arthurian Adventures.
Legends, written by Charles Rice and published
by RPGObjects, is a sourcebook for playing in the
Arthurian setting. Because it focuses on setting over
mechanics, it is a rich resource for the Arthurian
Age. In particular, it includes a complete over-
view of Arthur’s life and reign, detailing the role
of many supporting characters which I have not
yet gotten to describe. Chuck’s take on the vari-
ous Arthurian characters is heavily influenced by
Tennyson; I can’t blame him, as Tennyson is much
easier to read than 700 year old middle English,
but that’s not the route I took when it came time
to write about the characters of Arthurian myth.
Because of this authorial difference, some of the
characters in Legends may seem to have little in com-
mon with their AL! counterparts beyond a name.
GURPS Camelot. This sourcebook for GURPS
3rd edition presents both historical and myth-
ic versions of Arthur’s reign. It is most useful to
GMs for its maps and historical overview, and
because it has game statistics for various magic
items, monsters, and NPCs. Other useful books in
the GURPS canon – which is extremely large and
diverse – include GURPS Celtic Myth (Ken and Jo
Walton) and GURPS Illuminati (Nigel Findley).
Relics & Rituals: Excalibur. Published by Sword &
Sorcery Studios (a White Wolf imprint), R&R:E blends
3rd edition D&D with Arthurian myth to create a
Camelot populated by orcs, dwarves, elves, and hal-
flings. It’s valuable to AL! GMs as a toolbox of potential
powers, stunts, treasures, monsters, and antagonists.

195
 Index
Arthur Lives Index
A B
Abellus, Sir...................................................................101
Accolon.........................................................36, 37, 69, 88
Age of Enchantment..........................................120, 175
Aglovale, Sir.................................................................. 41
Agravaine, Sir.............18, 25, 26, 33, 34, 46, 52, 98, 139
Ahnenerbe.................................................... 122-123, 158
Alberich, King of the Dwarves........................134-135
alchemy.................................................................... 62-65
Alorda, Monsignor Doctor Lawrence............ 151-152
Alveric........................................................................... 134
Amazons........................................................132, 133, 134
Ambrosius, King..........................................................30
Ambusher (stunt)........................................................54
angels..................................................................... 184-185
Anguish, King............................................................... 97
animals..................................................................146-149
Annwn...........................................................................133
Anonymous (organization)..................................... 126
Answer Question (word of power).......................... 79
Archery (skill)...............................................................44
Arden (forest)........................................................132-133
Argentina...............................................................157, 191
Armor of Faith (stunt)................................................46
Arthegal........................................................ 145, 183, 192
Arthur, King..............................................................17-19
Arthur, King (book)............................................ 114, 193
Arthur, Prince of Wales............................................ 120
Arthurian (stunt).........................................................50
Arthurian Age.......................................................95-102
Arthur’s Mantle (echo)...............................................66
Arthur’s Ship (echo)....................................................66
Ashbless, William.......................................................122
Assassins (secret society)...................................125-126
Astrology (stunt).......................................................... 75
Athletics (skill)........................................................ 44-45
“Arthur and the Porter”............................................ 166
Artificer (stunt)............................................................. 53
Aryans......................................................122-123, 153, 158
Avalon............................................................................132
Avenable..................................................................49, 85
Awe (stunt)..................................................................... 39
196
Bacon, Francis...............................................121, 124-125
Badon Hill (battle).................................................. 13, 17
Balan, Sir..........................................16, 20-22, 38, 66, 72,
100-101, 144, 145, 146
Balin, Sir................................................................... 20-22
Ban, King...........................15, 16, 48, 87, 97-98, 112, 144
Barant, King of a Hundred Knights.............16, 96-97,
100, 112
Barbariccia (demon).......................................... 186-187
basilisks.........................................................................185
Baudwin, Sir.................................................................96
bears.............................................................................. 146
Bed of Madness (echo)...............................................66
Bedegraine................................................ 87, 97-98, 144
Bedivere, Sir.......................................................13, 18, 68
Bertilak..............................................see Green Knight
Binding (magical talent)....................................... 75-77
Binding Spell...........................................................75-76
Bisclavret...................................................................... 164
Black Book of Carmarthen..................................... 166
black magicians..........................................................156
Blackcaps (faeries).....................................................180
Blackfeet (tribe).................................................... 121-122
Blackmun, Nigel.........................................................156
Blaise.................................................................. 30, 32, 98
Blamoure, Sir....................................................... 101-102
Blank Shield (stunt).................................................... 47
Bleeding Poison (elixir).............................................. 63
Blessings and Curses (magical talent)..............77-78
Blessing or Curse (spell).......................................77-78
Bluecaps (faeries)......................................................180
boars...............................................................................147
Boatsman (stunt).......................................................... 39
Bold Escape (stunt).....................................................50
Bors, King..........................15, 16, 48, 87, 97-98, 112, 144
Bow-Jutsu (stunt).........................................................44
Brand, King.............................................................96, 97
Brastias, Sir.............................................................. 96-97
Brawl (skill)...................................................................45
Breuse sans Pitie.....................................................13, 52
Britomart.............................................. 144, 145, 183, 192
Buck and a Quarter Staff (stunt).............................45
Burglary (skill)..............................................................45
But I Don’t Want To Burgle (stunt).........................45

C D
Caball (dog)............................................................. 66-67
Calling the Fiendish Corpse (spell).................. 83-84
Calming Elixir.............................................................. 63
Cameliard............................... 17, 25, 71, 98, 99, 101, 144
Camelot.......................................................................... 67
Camelot (musical)............................................... 42, 193
Camelot 3000 (comic)....................................... 115, 194
Camelot Trigger (game)........................................... 194
Camlann (battle)................................................... 18, 119
Carados, King...............................................................96
Carbonek.......................................... 14, 26, 70, 100, 104
Carboni, Nick...................................................... 160-161
Carleon............................................................... 31, 96-99
Carmilla.................................................................161-162
Cartel (secret society)............................................... 126
Cath Palug (Palug Cat)............................................. 166
Cauldron of Annwn.................................. 104, 120, 132
Chess Master (stunt)................................................... 27
Chimera (stunt)............................................................86
Chink in the Armor (stunt).......................................44
Chretien de Troyes.................................................... 192
Clarence, King.............................................................. 97
Clark, William.............................................................122
Claudus, King..........................................................15, 97
cockatrice......................................................................185
Colombe....................................................20, 99, 113, 127
Command (stunt)........................................................49
Command the Corpse (word of power)................83
Companion (extra)...................................................... 56
Confidence (skill)........................................................46
Confident in Victory (stunt).....................................46
Confident Necromancer (stunt).............................. 75
Congregation for the
Doctrine of the Faith...................................... 151-152
Conjuring the Obedient Soldier
(word of power)....................................................... 81
consequences................................................................. 11
Contacts (skill)..............................................................46
Conversion (stunt)....................................................... 19
cops................................................................................. 151
Corporia (game).....................................115-116, 194-195
Cool Hand Luke (stunt).............................................46
Cougar (stunt)............................................................... 35
Counterspell (word of power).................................. 78
Coven (extra).................................................................92
Covert Affair (stunt).................................................... 47
Cradelmas, King.......................................................... 97
Cruz, Simon (fiendish corpse)............................... 188
“Culhwch and Olwen”.................................66, 181, 192
Cut (stunt).......................................................................51
Cyber-Bully (stunt).....................................................46
Index
Dagonet...........................................................................51
Damosel (Path).........................................................13-14
Dance-Off (stunt)..........................................................51
David, Peter................................................................. 194
Deceive (skill)......................................................... 46-47
DeMolay (organization)........................................... 154
Demon Hunter (stunt)...............................................48
demons..................................................................186-190
Demonologist (stunt).................................................42
Devil, The............................................................. 128-129
devil spawn (half-demon)................................ 187-188
Dinadan, Sir...................................................................51
Dindrane........................................................................ 41
Dipsomancer (stunt)................................................... 79
Dispel (magical talent)....................................... 78, 138
Dis-Spell........................................................................ 78
Divination.................................................................78-79
dogs............................................................................... 150
Dolorous Stroke....................................................99-101
Dominicans........................................................... 151-152
Don Bosco, Patron Saint of Magicians.................191
Douglass, General Scott...................................138-140
Dornar, Sir..................................................................... 41
Dracula.................................................. 120, 160, 161, 163
Dragon Banner (echo).......................................... 67-68
Dragon of St George.......................................... 166-167
dragons..................................................................166-170
Ddraig Goch, the Red Dragon of Wales.......169-170
dreams.................................................................... 112-114
dressing (of faeries).............................................137-138
Drive (skill).................................................................... 47
Dubric, Archbishop............................... 95-96, 101, 127
“dwarfs” (little people)...................................... 101, 174
dwarves (faeries).......................................... 134-135, 195
echoes........................................................................65-73
E
Ector, Sir......................................13, 17, 28, 30, 31, 96, 98
Edinburgh....................................................................138
Education (skill)........................................................... 47
Edward III.................................................................... 120
Edward VIII.................................................................157
Elaine (Arthur’s sister)............................................... 33
Elaine (Pellinore’s daughter)............................ 41, 102
Elaine of Astolat.......................................................... 14
Elaine of Carbonek....................................... 14, 26, 102
Elfland...........................................................................132
Elizabeth I..................................................... 114, 121, 124
Elusive Incarnation (stunt)....................................... 53
Emotion (magical talent).....................................79-80
197
 Index
Emotion Magic (spell)..........................................79-80
Empathy (skill).............................................................48
Enchanter (Path)......................................................14-15
Enchanting Potions (extra).......................................92
Enchanting Refuge (stunt)........................................85
Enchanting Shape (stunt).........................................86
Enchanting Spell (stunt)........................................... 75
enchantment............................................................73-94
enchantment consequences...............................90-94
Enchantment Points (EP)..................................... 73-74
enforcers.......................................................................152
Enochian.......................................................................127
Entzauberung der Welt
(disenchantment of the world)............................... 121
Erl (village)...................................................................132
Escanor the Large........................................................70
Estate (extra)................................................................. 57
Eternal Beauty (stunt)................................................ 81
Ettard.........................................................................36-37
ettercaps................................................................ 170-172
Eustace, Duke............................................................... 97
Excalibur..................................................................68-69
Excalibur’s Scabbard..................................................69
Excellent Judge of Character (stunt)...................... 27
Extended Family (stunt)............................................46
Extras.........................................................................55-58
F Good Arm (stunt)........................................................45
Faerie (place)........................................................ 119-120
Faerie Damsel.......................................................172-173
Faerie Knights...................................................... 173-174
Faerie Queene (NPC).......................................... 174-175
Faerie Queene (book)........................................145, 192
Faerie Shape (stunt)....................................................86
Faerie Steed................................................................. 148
Faerie Veil..............................................................130-131
Faeries.....................................................................172-175
Faerie Underground (stunt)......................................46
falcons............................................................................147
Falsest Lady Living..............................20, 38-39, 72, 99
Fans (stunt).....................................................................51
federal agents...............................................................153
Feint (stunt)................................................................... 22
Feng Shweet (stunt)....................................................50
Fiendish Corpse (NPC)............................................ 188
Firearms (skill).............................................................48
Fisher King..................................... 21, 26, 70, 72, 77, 114
Flatterer (stunt)............................................................ 37
Follow Through (stunt)...............................................51
Fontaine, Lennie................................................. 9-10, 11
Forest Ghost (stunt)....................................................54
Forest of Adventure...................................................132
Fraternitas Saturnii
(Brotherhood of Saturn)................................157-158
198
Freemasons.......................................................... 124-126
Full Auto (weapon stunt).........................................106
Full Tilt (stunt).............................................................45
Fum the Giant......................................................176-177
G
Gaheris, Sir..........18, 24, 33, 34, 35, 41, 98, 101-102, 139
Gaiman, Neil........................................................193, 194
Galahad, Sir.............................7, 8, 21, 22, 23, 26, 32, 41,
46, 70, 72-73, 106, 113, 114, 119, 127, 131, 184, 186, 190
Galatine (echo).......................................................69-70
Gareth, Sir..................................13, 18, 24, 25, 28, 29, 33,
34, 82, 86, 98, 139, 192
Garlon, Sir...................................................................100
Garnysh, Sir.................................................................101
Gaul...................................................................97, 118, 119
Gawain, Sir...............................................................22-25
Geoffrey of Monmouth............................................. 113
giants....................................................................... 175-177
Giant Killer (stunt)...................................................... 19
Glamour (magical talent).................................... 80-81
Glastonbury..................................................................38
Glendower, Owen...................................................... 169
Gloriana, Queene...................................................... 134
Goblin Market.....................................................130, 133
God..........................................................................127-129
Goodall, Shannon (R-UT).......................................140
Goose Fat, Sir.............................................................. 124
Gorlois..................................... 23, 30-31, 33, 80, 145, 175
Grail Castle..................................................... 70, 119, 122
Grail Quest.............. 21, 22, 25, 26, 36, 37, 41, 46, 48, 67,
112, 119, 121-122, 127, 128, 131, 184, 186
Grail Knight........................................................ 122, 190
Gram (dog).................................................................... 56
Great Confidence (stunt)........................................... 75
Green Chapel.............................................................106
Green Knight................... 9, 22, 23, 24, 53, 114, 192, 194
Greys (aliens)...............................................................153
griffons....................................................................177-178
Griflet, Sir......................................................... 40, 97, 98
Gringolet (horse)................................24, 56, 61, 70, 107
Group Ritual (extra)....................................................92
Guinevere, Queen..................................................25-28
Gumshoe (stunt)..........................................................48
Gwalchmai....................................................................24
Gwenbaus..................................................... 15, 32, 47, 75
Gwynhyfar.....................................................................26

H K
Ham Burglar (stunt)....................................................45
hawks.............................................................................147
Healing (magical talent)............................................82
Healing Elixir............................................................... 63
Heart of a Soldier (stunt)...........................................49
Heaven....................................................................127-128
Hell......................................................................... 128-129
Hen Wen...................................................................... 166
Herlews, Sir.................................................................100
Hervis de Revel, Sir...................................................100
high concept (aspect).................................................7-9
hippogriffs....................................................................178
Hoist (stunt)..................................................................45
Holy Grail..........8, 18, 20-21, 23, 40, 65, 67, 70, 72, 106,
109, 118, 119, 121-123, 151, 189, 192
Holy Lance...............................................................70-71
horses..................................................................... 147-148
Human Sacrifice (extra).............................................92
I Lady de Vance..............................................100, 144-145
I Am A Rock (stunt)....................................................54
I Know Your Heart (stunt).........................................48
Idres, King..................................................................... 97
Idylls of the King..........................................95, 122, 192
Igraine, Queen.....................17, 23, 30-31, 33, 34, 80, 96,
98, 100, 124, 145, 183
Illuminati...............................................................125-126
In The Crosshairs (stunt)..........................................48
incarnations.................................................................5-6
incubus (demon).................................................188-189
Inferno (book)............................................................ 186
Inspiring Beauty (stunt)............................................. 52
Intimidating Physique (stunt)...................................51
Investigate (skill)..........................................................48
Invisibles (comic)....................................................... 194
Iron Stallions (stunt)................................................... 47
Ironside, Sir...................................................................24
ISIS.................................................................................125
Islam........................................................ 125, 127-128, 190
Isolde..............................................8, 10, 50-51, 52, 63, 79
J Longbow Hunter (stunt)............................................54
James I, King........................................................ 121, 124
Jefferson, Thomas............................................... 121-122
Joseph of Arimathea...................................................70
Index
Kameradenwerk.........................................................157
Karr, Phyllis Ann.........................................................193
Kay, Sir...................................................................... 28-30
Keyless Entry (stunt)...................................................88
King (path).................................................................15-16
King of Elfland........................................................... 134
King of Elfland’s Daughter......................................193
Knight (path)..................................................................13
Knights of Pendragon (comic)......................... 114, 194
Knights of Invasion (game)..................................... 194
Knights of the Garter..........................................24, 120
Knight of the Moon (faerie).............................. 173-174
Knight of the Road (stunt)........................................45
Knights of the Round Table................................ 71-72
KOTUS (King of the United States)......................139
Kung Fu George, Sir................................................. 124
L
Lady of Shalott.......................... see Elaine of Astolat
Lady of the Lake.................................................... 35-40
Lamorak, Sir.......10, 18, 19, 23-24, 33-34, 35, 41, 42, 45
Lancelot, Sir...................................3, 5, 6, 8, 13-14, 17-18,
21, 22, 23, 24, 25-27, 28-29, 37, 47, 48, 50, 51, 52, 60,
61, 63, 66, 67, 69, 71, 72, 75, 89, 95, 105, 106, 107,
109-110, 113, 115, 116, 119, 120, 128, 151, 153, 192, 193
Lancelot-Grail cycle............................................ 95, 192
Lanceor, Sir..................................................... 20, 99, 113
Lancer (stunt)................................................................49
Landis, Nathan.................................................... 145-146
Lawyer (stunt)............................................................... 47
Leadership (skill)...................................................48-49
Leodegrance, King......................17, 25, 71, 98, 101, 144
Leprous Lady..................................................41, 94, 100
ley lines........................................................................... 91
Lewis, Meriweather............................................ 121-122
Linguist (stunt)............................................................. 47
lions........................................................................148-149
Lirazel........................................................................... 134
Loholt, Sir......................................................................29
Longarm (weapon stunt).........................................106
Longinus.................................................................. 21, 70
Lot, King.................................................................96-100
Lothian....................................................... 33, 34, 69, 138
Love Elixir............................................................... 63-64
Lucan the Butler, Sir................................................... 97
Lucifer.....................................................see Devil, The
Ludd of the Silver Arm.....................................139, 169
Luke (werewolf ).................................................. 164-165
Lynette, Dame............................................ 14, 51, 82, 86
Lyonors........................................................14, 18, 98, 134
199
 Index
M N
Mab, Queene...............................................................135
Mabinogion................................................................. 192
Maeve, Queene of Elphame............................. 174-175
Mafia............................................................................. 126
Mage (comic)........................................................ 116, 194
magus (NPC).........................................................155-156
Make My Day (stunt)..................................................48
Maker of Fashion (stunt)........................................... 27
Malebranche (demons)..................................... 186-187
Malory, Sir Thomas................37, 95, 109, 121, 192, 193
manticores.............................................................178-179
Marhaus, Sir.............................................................8, 24
Marias River.................................................................122
Mark, King..........8, 15, 16, 20, 48, 51, 52, 67, 79, 99, 175
Marrok, Sir.................................................................. 164
Master Occultist (stunt)............................................. 75
Master of Disguise (stunt)......................................... 47
Master of Shapes (stunt)............................................ 75
Master of the Kitchens (stunt).................................29
May Babies..............................................................98-99
Meet The Magus (stunt)............................................50
Melee (skill).............................................................49-50
Meliagrant, Sir.............................................................. 25
Melion, Sir................................................................... 164
Meliot, Sir.................................................................... 102
Mending Spell..............................................................82
Merchant of Death (stunt)........................................ 52
Merlin....................................................................... 30-32
Method Actor (stunt)...................................................51
milestones.............................................................104-105
Minions (extra)............................................................. 57
Miraculous Word.........................................................82
Monster in the Lake (dragon).......................... 167-168
Monstrous Shape (stunt)...........................................86
Montauk Chair.....................................................157-158
Mordred, Sir..........................10, 13, 17, 18, 23, 24, 26, 27,
31, 33-34, 35, 36, 45, 46, 52, 60, 66, 67, 68, 99, 110,
113, 115, 119, 139
More Reach (stunt).....................................................49
Morgan le Fey....................... 14-15, 18, 27, 33, 34, 36, 47,
51, 61, 69, 73, 80, 84, 98, 100, 105, 114, 119-120,
145, 149, 183, 194
Morgause..................................................................33-35
Mr. Invisible.................................................................141
Mythic Vision (stunt)..................................................48
200
nemesis (aspect)........................................................... 10
Nantres, King................................................................96
Nazis........................................................................122-123
Necromancy (magical talent)............................. 82-84
Nero........................................................................144-146
Nerves of Steel..............................................................54
Never Too Close (stunt).............................................44
Nimue........................................................................ 35-37
Nineve....................................................................... 37-40
Norgales....................................... 15, 97-99, 119, 144-146
Northampton...............................................................155
Nothing Up My Sleeve (stunt).................................45
Notice (skill)..................................................................50
Now You See Me (stunt).............................................88
O
Oberon, King.............................................................. 134
Occult (skill)..................................................................50
Old Ned, the Boxcar King....................................... 142
Once and Future King (book).................................193
Once and Future King (game)................................. 115
One for Each of You (stunt)...................................... 22
Order of the Holy Vehm....................................122-123
Organization (extra)...............................................57-58
Orion, Prince............................................................... 134
Outelake, Sir............................................................... 102
P
Palomides, Sir.................................................. 8, 40, 190
Panopticon (secret society)...............................125-126
Parapsychologist (stunt)............................................50
Passing Notes in Class (stunt).................................. 53
paths...........................................................................12-42
Patrise, Sir........................................................................ 5
Pattern Recognition (stunt).......................................48
Payoff Flashback (stunt)............................................. 52
Peer (stunt).................................................................... 35
Pellam, King.........................................................100-101
Pelleas, Sir............................................................... 36, 37
Pellinore, King........................................................40-42
Pendragon (game)...................................................... 194
Peron, Eva.....................................................................157
Peryne, Sir...................................................................100
Pendragon, King.......................................................... 95
Pentecost........................................................96, 102, 142
Percival, Sir...................... 18, 22, 24, 41, 46, 72, 123, 190
Percy (dog)..................................................................... 56
Percy, Henry................................................................. 121
Perfecti (rank)..............................................................153
Performance (skill).................................................50-51

Physique (skill)..............................................................51
Piano Man (stunt).........................................................51
Pilot (stunt).................................................................... 47
places of power............................................................. 91
plot gallery...........................................................107-109
Poison (elixir)................................................................64
Potts, Hannah..............................................................165
Powers, Tim.................................................................. 117
Pridwen...........................................................................71
Prince Valiant.......................................................... 8, 124
prophecy................................................................ 112-114
Provoke (skill).......................................................... 51-52
psychic powers........................ 107, 115, 117, 125, 126-127,
153-154, 158, 161
Q Security Officers (NPC)......................................156-157
Q (stunt)......................................................................... 53
Queen of Norgales........................................ 15, 119-120
Queen of the Wastelands................................. 119-120
Queen’s Knights..................................................... 26, 27
Quest Aspects.............................................................106
Questing Beast (Glatisant)...............................189-190
Questioning the Dead (spell)...................................82
Questlings....................................................................190
R Sir Gawain and the Green Knight ....................... 192
Rahn, Otto.............................................................122-123
Raleigh, Sir Walter.............................................. 115, 121
Rapport (skill)............................................................... 52
ravens............................................................................ 149
Reclusive (stunt)........................................................... 37
recognition.............................................................. 59-62
Redcaps.................................................................179-180
refresh.............................................................................. 11
Refuge (magical talent)........................................ 84-85
Resources (skill)........................................................... 52
Retain Belongings (stunt)..........................................86
Retroactive Crafting (stunt)...................................... 53
Revealing Word............................................................ 78
Rhodes, Cecil................................................122, 124-126
Rialto......................................................................144-146
Rice, Charles................................................................195
Ribbentrop, Joachim von.........................................157
Ribbentrop, Sophie von.....................................157-159
Rig the Game (stunt)................................................... 52
Road Warrior (stunt).................................................. 47
Robin Goodfellow (Puck)........................................ 134
Ron (echo)......................................................................71
Rosicrucians.................................................. 121, 122, 125
Round Table............................................................ 71-72
Round Table Conspiracy...................................124-127
Ryons, King.......................................................... 144-145
Rytgier (vampire).................................................162-163
Index
S
Sagramore, Sir................................................................8
saints...................................................................... 190-191
Salisbury Plain............................................................. 18
Sanam, Earl...................................................................98
Satan..................................................................see Devil
Satanism......................................... 122-123, 129, 157, 187
Scale........................................................................137-138
Scattershot (weapon stunt).....................................106
School of Night........................................................... 121
Schwan, Gretchen...............................................153-154
seasonal approach..............................................109-110
Seattle........................................................................6, 141
“secret masters”................................................... 123, 153
Seduce (stunt)............................................................... 52
Sequence (sword).................see Sword in the Stone
Sense Magic (stunt)..................................................... 75
Shapeshift (magical talent)................................. 85-86
sharks............................................................................ 149
Sharp Tongue (stunt).................................................. 52
shooter (NPC)..............................................................157
Siege Perilous................................................ 51, 107, 158
Simpson, Wallis..........................................................157
Single-Minded (stunt)................................................42
Skorzeny, Otto.............................................................157
skills.......................................................................... 43-54
Sleep When You’re Dead (stunt).............................54
Sleeping Elixir........................................................ 64-65
Slush Fund (stunt).......................................................49
snakes....................................................................149-150
Speaking Shape (stunt)..............................................86
Spell of Glamour................................................... 80-81
Spell of Imprisonment............................................... 76
Spell of the Walking Dead........................................83
Spell of Warding....................................................89-90
Spelling, Simon....................................................155-156
spiders.................................................................... 170-172
Spy Network (stunt)....................................................48
stags............................................................................... 150
Stand Fast (stunt).........................................................49
Starr, Christopher.................................................89-90
Stealth (skill)............................................................52-53
Steel Cutter (stunt)...................................................... 19
Stonehenge...................................... 30, 32, 88, 109, 130
Strange, Lord............................................................... 121
Strength of the Sun (extra)........................................24
stress................................................................................. 11
Student/Teacher Flashback (stunt)........................ 37
Stunts........................................................................ 43-54
Subtle Art........................................................ 91, 117, 155
succubus (demon)..............................................188-189
suicide bomber (NPC).......................................159-160
201
 Index
Summon and Banish (magical talent)............. 86-87
Summoning (spell)................................................ 86-87
Sword in the Stone (Sequence)................................ 72
Sword of Adventure............................................... 72-73
Swordsmith (stunt)...................................................... 39
Sidney, Sir Philip........................................................ 121
Syndicate (secret society)................................. 125, 126
T Vivian.............................................................................. 37
Talisman (extra)...........................................................92
teamwork.....................................................................106
Technology (skill)........................................................ 53
Templars..............................................3, 117, 120, 121-122
Tennyson, Alfred Lord............ 14, 39, 95, 122, 192, 195
Tenure (stunt)............................................................... 47
Terrabil (castle)......20, 30-31, 34, 99-100, 113, 139, 145
That’ll Do (stunt).........................................................50
“The Ones”.................................................................. 126
Thief of Hearts (stunt)................................................45
Throne Room (stunt)..................................................46
Tintagel.........................................................100, 144-145
Titania, Queene......................................................... 134
title aspects..................................................................106
Tombstone (dragon)................................................. 168
Tor, Sir............................................. 13, 35, 41, 44, 52, 101
Tower of London.................................................. 18, 119
Training Flashback (stunt)........................................29
Travel (magical talent).......................................... 87-88
Traveling Spell....................................................... 87-88
Tristan, Sir.........................8, 13, 18, 21, 22, 23, 50, 51, 52,
63, 79, 106, 109, 113, 115, 116
Troll (stunt).................................................................... 52
trolls....................................................................... 180-181
trouble (aspect).......................................................... 8-9
Troyvantium (city)..................................................... 134
Twrch Trwyth.......................................................181-182
U Willpower (skill)..........................................................54
Ulfius............................................................30, 80, 96-98
Under the Table (stunt)..............................................51
unicorns......................................................... 131, 132, 182
Unimpeachable Honor (stunt)................................ 52
Unshakeable Will (stunt).......................................... 75
Unseen Hand (magical talent)...........................88-89
Unseen Hand (spell)...................................................88
Uriens, King........................................... 96, 98, 100, 183
Urre, Sir......................................................................8, 63
Uther, King..................................17, 30-31, 33, 34, 71, 80,
95, 96, 98, 101, 109, 124, 145
Uzziel (angel)....................................................... 184-185
Vale of No Return........................................................84
202
V
vampires................................................................160-163
Vatican.....................................................120, 125, 151-152
Vehicle (extra)...............................................................58
Vest Concession.........................................................106
Vietnam War.............................................................. 142
Visigoths................................................................118, 119
Void Callers.................................................... 91, 129, 156
Vordenburg, Baron.....................................................161
Vortigern, King.........................................30, 32, 78, 169
W
walking corpses................................................... 163-164
Wall of Steel (stunt)..................................................... 22
Walsingham................................................................. 121
War of the Roses................................................. 115, 120
Ward (magical talent)...........................................89-90
Warren, Hiram.....................................................154-155
Wasteland....................................... 8, 20, 21, 70, 114, 119
Watching the Watchmen (stunt).............................50
Waterman, Nancy...................................................... 143
Weapon Caché (stunt)................................................29
Weapons and Armor.........................................105-106
Weather (magical talent).......................................... 90
Weather Spell.............................................................. 90
Weishaupt, Adam....................................................... 121
werewolves........................................................... 164-165
Western Isles................................................................133
Wewelsburg...........................................................122-123
Whedon, Joss....................................................... 109-112
Where Did He Get That? (Stunt)............................ 53
Widow of Eastcheap (ettercap)........................ 171-172
Wild Bill Hickok.........................................................114
Wilderness (skill)....................................................53-54
will-o-wisps..................................................................132
Winchester (castle).......................................................71
Winchester (manuscript)........................................ 192
witches....................................................15, 30, 39, 42, 70,
(Witch of Endor) ....................................................165
wolves........................................................................... 150
Woodsman (stunt).......................................................42
Words of Power....................................................... 73-91
wyverns.........................................................................183
Y
Yron Squire (Talus)............................................. 183-184
Ysbaddaden, Chief Giant....................................85, 181
Yvain................................................. 56, 60, 100, 148, 149

Appendix I:
Open Game License
Version 1.0a
The following text is the property of Wizards of
the Coast, Inc. and is Copyright 2000 Wizards of
the Coast, Inc (“Wizards”). All Rights Reserved.
1. Definitions: (a)”Contributors” means the copyright
and/or trademark owners who have contributed
Open Game Content; (b)”Derivative Material” means
copyrighted material including derivative works and
translations (including into other computer languages),
potation, modification, correction, addition, exten-
sion, upgrade, improvement, compilation, abridg-
ment or other form in which an existing work may
be recast, transformed or adapted; (c) “Distribute”
means to reproduce, license, rent, lease, sell, broad-
cast, publicly display, transmit or otherwise distribute;
(d)”Open Game Content” means the game mechanic
and includes the methods, procedures, processes and
routines to the extent such content does not embody
the Product Identity and is an enhancement over the
prior art and any additional content clearly identi-
fied as Open Game Content by the Contributor, and
means any work covered by this License, including
translations and derivative works under copyright law,
but specifically excludes Product Identity. (e) “Product
Identity” means product and product line names, logos
and identifying marks including trade dress; artifacts;
creatures characters; stories, storylines, plots, themat-
ic elements, dialogue, incidents, language, artwork,
symbols, designs, depictions, likenesses, formats, poses,
concepts, themes and graphic, photographic and other
visual or audio representations; names and descrip-
tions of characters, spells, enchantments, personalities,
teams, personas, likenesses and special abilities; places,
locations, environments, creatures, equipment, magical
or supernatural abilities or effects, logos, symbols, or
graphic designs; and any other trademark or registered
trademark clearly identified as Product identity by the
owner of the Product Identity, and which specifically
excludes the Open Game Content; (f ) “Trademark”
means the logos, names, mark, sign, motto, designs
that are used by a Contributor to identify itself or its
products or the associated products contributed to
the Open Game License by the Contributor (g) “Use”,
“Used” or “Using” means to use, Distribute, copy,
edit, format, modify, translate and otherwise create
Derivative Material of Open Game Content. (h) “You” or
“Your” means the licensee in terms of this agreement.
2. The License: This License applies to any Open Game
Content that contains a notice indicating that the
Open Game Content may only be Used under and
in terms of this License. You must affix such a notice
to any Open Game Content that you Use. No terms
Index
may be added to or subtracted from this License
except as described by the License itself. No other
terms or conditions may be applied to any Open
Game Content distributed using this License.
3. Offer and Acceptance: By Using the Open
Game Content You indicate Your accep-
tance of the terms of this License.
4. Grant and Consideration: In consideration for
agreeing to use this License, the Contributors
grant You a perpetual, worldwide, royalty-free,
non-exclusive license with the exact terms of
this License to Use, the Open Game Content.
5. Representation of Authority to Contribute: If You
are contributing original material as Open Game
Content, You represent that Your Contributions are
Your original creation and/or You have sufficient
rights to grant the rights conveyed by this License.
6. Notice of License Copyright: You must update the
COPYRIGHT NOTICE portion of this License to
include the exact text of the COPYRIGHT NOTICE
of any Open Game Content You are copying,
modifying or distributing, and You must add the
title, the copyright date, and the copyright hold-
er’s name to the COPYRIGHT NOTICE of any
original Open Game Content you Distribute.
7. Use of Product Identity: You agree not to Use any
Product Identity, including as an indication as to
compatibility, except as expressly licensed in another,
independent Agreement with the owner of each ele-
ment of that Product Identity. You agree not to indicate
compatibility or co-adaptability with any Trademark
or Registered Trademark in conjunction with a work
containing Open Game Content except as expressly
licensed in another, independent Agreement with the
owner of such Trademark or Registered Trademark.
The use of any Product Identity in Open Game Content
does not constitute a challenge to the ownership of that
Product Identity. The owner of any Product Identity
used in Open Game Content shall retain all rights,
title and interest in and to that Product Identity.
8. Identification: If you distribute Open Game Content
You must clearly indicate which portions of the work
that you are distributing are Open Game Content.
9. Updating the License: Wizards or its designated
Agents may publish updated versions of this License.
You may use any authorized version of this License to
copy, modify and distribute any Open Game Content
originally distributed under any version of this License.
10. Copy of this License: You MUST include a
copy of this License with every copy of the
Open Game Content You Distribute.
203
 Index

11. Use of Contributor Credits: You may not mar-

ket or advertise the Open Game Content using the
name of any Contributor unless You have writ-
ten permission from the Contributor to do so.
12. Inability to Comply: If it is impossible for You to com-
ply with any of the terms of this License with respect to
some or all of the Open Game Content due to statute,
judicial order, or governmental regulation then You
may not Use any Open Game Material so affected.
13. Termination: This License will terminate auto-
matically if You fail to comply with all terms here-
in and fail to cure such breach within 30 days of
becoming aware of the breach. All sublicenses
shall survive the termination of this License.
14. Reformation: If any provision of this License is held
to be unenforceable, such provision shall be reformed
only to the extent necessary to make it enforceable.

COPYRIGHT NOTICE
Open Game License v 1.0 Copyright
2000, Wizards of the Coast, Inc.
Fate Core System and Fate Accelerated Edition © 2013
by Evil Hat Productions, LLC. Developed, authored,
and edited by Leonard Balsera, Brian Engard, Jeremy
Keller, Ryan Macklin, Mike Olson, Clark Valentine,
Amanda Valentine, Fred Hicks, and Rob Donoghue
Fate System Toolkit © 2013 by Evil Hat Productions,
LLC. Developed, authored, and edited by Robert
Donoghue, Brian Engard, Brennan Taylor, Mike Olson,
Mark Diaz Truman, Fred Hicks, and Matthew Gandy.
Arthur Lives! 2nd Edition Copyright 2017 by Fainting Goat
Games; Developed, authored and edited by Jason Tondro.
In accordance with the Open Game License
Section 8 “Identification” the following designate
Open Game Content and Product Identity:

OPEN GAME CONTENT

The contents of this document are declared
Open Game Content except for the portions spe-
cifically declared as Product Identity.

PRODUCT IDENTITY
All artwork, logos, symbols, designs, depictions, illustra-
tions, maps and cartography, likenesses, and other graphics,
unless specifically identified as Open Game Content. Any el-
ements of the proprietary setting, including but not limited
to capitalized names, organization names, characters, histor-
ic events, and organizations; any and all stories, storylines,
plots, thematic elements, documents within the game
worlds, quotes from characters or documents, and dialogue.

204
Long Live the King!
Arthur, Guinevere, Merlin, and the knights of the Round
Table have been reincarnated in the 21st century—many
times over. You play one of these characters, or another
Arthurian of your own invention, struggling to survive
against ancient conspiracies, supernatural horrors, and
otherworldly forces from across the Faerie veil.
Explore a secret history thousands of years old. Come
to the aid of mortals menaced by sinister forces. Contend
with alternative versions of yourself—other Arthurs
and Gawains who may think you’re an impostor! Enjoy
the thrills of a modern Arthurian setting, designed by
someone who is both an experienced game designer—
and a recognized expert on King Arthur.
Arthur Lives, Second Edition is a complete rewrite of Jason
Tondro’s original game, adapted to Fate Core. It includes a
robust magic system called Enchantment that mirrors the
magic found in Arthurian legend, as well as character creation
rules, a bestiary of fantastic monsters, rival reincarnations,
extensive game mastering advice,
the secret history of the Arthurian
ages, and magical treasures for
heroes to rediscover in the modern
world—including Excalibur, the
Round Table, even Camelot itself!
$44.95
Arthur Lives! Second Edition is © 2018 Fainting Goat Games. All rights reserved.
You will need a copy of
Arthur Lives!, Fainting Goat Games, and their associated logos are trademarks of Fainting Goat Games. Fate Core to use this book.