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CC Quick Start Guide LIGHT 0623
CC Quick Start Guide LIGHT 0623
PUBLICATION
Quickstart
Guide
QUICKSTART
GUIDE
CREDITS
COHORS CTHULHU CREATED Editing Interior Artwork Artists Project Management
BY CHRIS BIRCH Christine Crabb Anatole Arakelian, Chris Shepperson, James Barry
Lead Design Adrian Sanchez, Björn Barends,
Graphic Design Danny Spitz, Edouard Groult, Production Management
Nathan Dowdell Mark Raynor Peter Grochulski
Justin Usher, Thibault Ollier,
Other Design/Development Art Direction Glynn Seal Technical Assistance
Matt Goetz Ricardo Amato John Houlihan, Nick Brown,
Proofreading
Writing Allan Smith
Logo Design Erin Willard
Douglas Seacat, Matt Goetz Chris Webb
COMPANY
Modiphius Entertainment
Chief Creative Officer Senior 3D Designers Scheduling and Design Assistant Tool Makers
Chris Birch Joana Abbott, Justin Talsma Luke Gill, David Hextall
Domingo Díaz Fermín, Customer Service and
Chief Operations Officer Chris ‘Chrispy’ Peacey 2d20 Developer
Rita Birch Nathan Dowdell Accounts Manager
Senior 3D Plastics Designer Lloyd Gyan
Managing Director Colin Grayson RPG Design Assistants
Cameron Dicks Andy Douthwaite, Jess Gibbs Events Manager
3D Designers Gregoire Boisbelaud
Head of Brand Ben de Bosdari, Sean Bullough Senior Project Manager Community Manager
Samantha Webb Gavin Dady April Hill
Lead Graphic Designer
Head of Development Michal E. Cross Project Managers Translations and Publishing Manager
Sophie Williams Daniel Lade, Ben Maunder, Matt Timm
Graphic Designers Haralampos Tsakiris
Head of Creative Services Stephanie Toro, Chris Webb, Distribution and
Jon Webb Mark Whittington, Leigh Woosey Operations Manager Key Accounts Manager
John Wilson Gary Moore
Creative Coordinator Audio and Video Producer
Kieran Street Factory Manager Sales Account Manager
Steve Daldry Matt Vann-Hinton
Martin Jones
Financial Controller Editor
Luc Woolfenden Senior Production Operatives Marketing Manager
Bryce Johnston Ben O’Brien
Drew Cox, Warwick Voyzey
Logistics and Production Manager Development Coordinator
Peter Grochulski Lead Production Operative Marketing Coordinator
Jason Enos Shaun Hocking
Anthony Morris
Art Directors Games Designer Brand Manager
Rocío Martín Pérez, Ariel Orea James Hewitt Production Operatives Chris Shepperson
Thomas Bull, Rebecca Cartwright,
Studio Coordinator Developers Louis Hartley-Edwards, Jake Pink, Customer Support Representative
Rocío Martín Pérez Jono Green, Ethan Heywood Jake Skinner-Guy, Miles Turner Chris Dann
Photographer QA Testers Assembly Team Webstore Manager
Fátima Martín Pérez Samantha Laydon, Nathan Perry Elaine Elizabeth Hughes, Apinya Ramakomud
Lead 3D Designer Nichola Jones Bookkeeper
Community and Design Assistant Valya Mkrtchyan
Jonny La Trobe-Lewis Dominic Westerland
Playtesters
Ross Thurston III, Daniel Atson, Thomas Brandick, Will Mcshire, Grace Cripps, Brad Bell, Fen Baker, Stefan-Matthias Aust,
Florian Hollauer, Joerg Sterner, Carlos “Malky” Cabrero, Kazemi, Tack, Jeffrey Weist, Bri Mears, Christian Douven, Paul Kießhauer,
Astrid Knobling-Sterner, Nacho “Iggy” Buey, Liam McCormack, Philip Schadegg, David McNair, Wendy McNair,
Eva Karl-Rueckert, Ricardo “Dacosta” Sanz, Diego Felipe, Patrick, Atli, Lee Parker, Garrett Crowe, Mari Kozlowski,
Roland Steiner, Cameron Stall, Raquel “Raky” Miguel, Dave Sanderson, Graeme McIntosh, Ryan Walsh, Artimus Killian,
David Almgren, Mario Nordqvist, Raúl “Tanke” Turón, Oliver Mayes, Dave Hancock, Mark Ferguson, Eben Tuff,
Thomas Karlsson, Peter Karlsson, Pilar “Becaria Miskatonic” Paz, Mathew Bryan, Tegan Mannino, Alasdair Price, Karl Rodriguez,
Ryan Gale, Michael John Lusty Smith, Lorena Claveria, Ana Garcia, Wes Odom, Chris Fougere, Amy Lee Rodriguez, Arlen Walker,
Joseph Gagnon, Stephen Mask, Juan Carlos Barreno, Anita Fougere, Anthony Giberson, Darren Green, Joe Arnaud, Seiji Kato,
Björn Sonerud, Marc-André Durand, Germán Cantabrana, Trevor Giberson, Junior Blais, Heather Carolan, Paul Carolan,
Frédéric Lauzon, Benoit Gervais, Leonardo Overleo Paixao, Benjamin Chee, Helena Chee, Marc Brown, Liam Carolan,
Eric Knowles, Alasdair Price, Jose Tzmisce Luis, Daniel Danzin Murta, Tyrone Callaghan-Jones, Steve Bond, Bobby Molloy, John Cross, Sean Ahern,
Eben Tuff, Merk, William C Bargo Jr, Rafael Kender Navarro, Ralph Plowman, Niall Boyd, Paul McDonough, Dave Walker,
Lynette Bargo, Will Norman Bargo, Luciano Souza, Frederico Albano, Liam Boyd, Alex Tokarczyk, Lars Adrian Sztucki, Chris F. Willoughby.
Laura McLanster, Andrew Yildirim, Thomas Henschel, Roger Ellingham, Hermes, Jens, Daniel, Markus, Matthias,
Jasmine Yildirim, Noah Smithieer, Iain Bell, Jen Parr, Amy Williams, Daniel Atson, Ingolf Schäfer,
Modiphius Entertainment Ltd. Cohors Cthulhu and all characters, underlying game systems and
39 Harwood Rd, mechanics are copyright works © 2023 of Modiphius Entertainment Ltd.
All rights reserved. “Cohors Cthulhu”™, “Modiphius”®, “2d20”™ and the
London SW6 4QP, United Kingdom Cohors Cthulhu and Modiphius logos are trade marks or registered
info@modiphius.com www.modiphius.net trade marks of Modiphius Entertainment Ltd.
Modiphius Entertainment
Product Number: MUH0860101 Any trademarked names are used in a fictional manner; no infringement
ISBN: 978-1-80281-098-1 is intended. This is a work of fiction. Any similarity with actual people
and events, past or present, is purely coincidental and unintentional
All Rights Reserved, except the Modiphius Logo except for those people and events described in an historical context.
which is Modiphius Entertainment Ltd. Any unauthorised use of copyrighted material is illegal.
2
QUICKSTART
RULES
Characters..................................................................................... 12
Skill Tests........................................................................................ 13
Momentum...................................................................................... 17
Magic................................................................................................. 28
Chapter 1
Chapter 1 - Welcome to Cohors Cthulhu!
WELCOME TO
COHORS CTHULHU!
Prepare to delve into a roleplaying game of cosmic horror and epic adventure set within the hidden wars fought in the shadows of the
Roman Empire and its surroundings. Most players are probably familiar with other roleplaying games, but if you are not, have no fear.
The Cohors Cthulhu Roleplaying Game is designed to be an easy entry point and can be played and run by those who have limited or no
experience with these sorts of games.
At its heart, a roleplaying game is a cooperative storytelling characters called player characters (PCs, sometimes also referred
experience between (usually) one person who is presenting to as heroes). Cohors Cthulhu lives in the world of Against the Gods
the story and arbitrating gameplay, called the gamemaster, or Themselves, like other 2d20 System titles including Achtung! Cthulhu.
GM, and one or more (ideally three to four) other people, the Players of Achtung! Cthulhu will notice many similarities between
players, who participate in the story by taking control of various these two titles, but there are also some significant differences.
4
What Is Cohors Cthulhu?
Cohors Cthulhu is a setting for Lovecraftian horror placed against a Other entities prowl the shadows. Ancient, godlike beings
backdrop of epic heroism, intrigue, and strife during the height of slumber beneath the oceans and in lost ruins, sending dreams
the early Roman Empire. to their cults; Deep Ones demand sacrifices from coastal villages
and conduct raids along the waterways. Mi-Go, dangerous
Amid a war-torn and fractious world in which Roman legionaries visitors from other stars, have sent expeditions into the
bent on conquest face off against barbarian warriors protecting mountains to plunder Earth’s resources and perform horrific
their tribes, players take on the roles of diverse heroes from experiments on its peoples. Nightmarish creatures and ancient
regions across the empire: Germania, Gaul, Britannia, Aegyptus, beings of incalculable power stalk the periphery of civilization,
Assyria, Greece, Hispania, and even eternal Rome itself. Arising seeking living things upon which to feast… or worse.
from a wide array of backgrounds, they battle baleful horrors
facing all of humanity. Whether the fight was forced on them or There is a reason why humanity is coveted by entities that can
they chose this path, it requires putting aside allegiances and swallow entire stars: their limitless potential threatens even the
prejudices, and making friends of former enemies. gods. It falls to the heroes to achieve that potential: by plundering
forgotten ruins, seeking out strange allies, entering into dubious
This fight also requires confronting peril to gather remnants pacts, and exploring untamed forests where malign cultists
of forgotten magic, most often preserved by priests of prowl—all to empower themselves against the Mythos. They may
jealous and competing gods. But fickle as humanity’s gods find weapons such as Atlantean relics, become transformed by
may be, they are sometimes the only recourse against those Hyperborean armories, or earn the blessings of more benevolent
from beyond the stars. Nyarlathotep, the God of a Thousand gods. Ordinary mortals can aspire to rise as demigods and make
Forms, has unleashed myriad schemes to subvert once- a stand against the impending cataclysm. It remains to be seen if
sacred cults across Rome, Germania, and beyond. In the they can surmount these heights, or if they will instead fall to the
shadows lurk powerful, corrupted survivors of Atlantis, malevolent forces seeking to corrupt their aspirations.
their minds twisted by Sarthothus, the Shattered God,
whose alien intellect has infected the Atlantean relics upon The stories of this era will take their place among humanity’s
which the Atlanteans’ power relies. most epic tales. What part will your heroes play in them?
5
Chapter 2
Chapter 2 - Factions of the Hidden Wars
FACTIONS OF THE
HIDDEN WARS
Several major secret players dominate the strange and unnatural conflicts taking place in Cohors Cthulhu. Each of these groups has very
different goals, agendas, and methods.
Humanity
The various nations and communities of humanity together comprise the least cohesive faction, but an important one, as people
invariably get caught up in the machinations of greater powers. Humanity’s major groups are factions in their own right, such as the
Roman Empire, the many Germanic and Celtic tribes, Aegyptus, Parthia, Numidia, and other nations on Rome’s periphery. These groups
are embroiled in various conflicts, some orchestrated to advance the schemes of more nefarious powers.
Some humans are unwitting pawns wielded by more powerful Others seek deeper answers. Some wield occult knowledge as
beings, either recruited unknowingly or enticed by temptations Mystics, gaining powers mortals cannot ordinarily control. Many
or promises. Others enter these conflicts of their own initiative, of those who acquire such knowledge bind themselves in pacts to
having some degree of exposure to and knowledge of the the Elder Gods, powerful ancient beings who may take the guise
hidden world, perhaps having glimpsed aspects of the conflict of more familiar divinities.
between ancient gods. Those who take an active role in these
battles have formed a number of secret societies.
Maeren can be ruthless and cruel, quite willing to accept Maeren relies on her Temperari to extend her will and advance
tremendous losses, though her overall aim is to preserve life her agendas in the world. She possesses a wealth of esoteric lore
and order. Humanity is a means to an end, and individual lives and has access to relics and artifacts that can bestow tremendous
matter little to her. Few of those who serve her know her well, capabilities on her chosen heroes, though at a price. She tests the
only benefiting from her insight, guidance, and the unusual gifts abilities of those she intends to recruit before bestowing such
she provides to arm them against enemies no mortals could gifts, and to those who earn her trust she assigns vital missions.
otherwise hope to oppose. She once took on the guise of Athena
to arm heroes of ancient Greece, a task she has resumed amid the
Hidden Wars around Rome.
6
The Fingers Dawn
Chapter 2
of
The Fingers of Dawn is a secretive and influential cabal that seeks to elevate its own heroes. This group is headquartered in Rome but
has branches across the empire, including ones in certain frontier towns. Like the Temperari, this faction actively seeks skilled and
exceptional individuals to recruit as agents. It has the means to unlock their potential and to arm them to survive battles against their
rivals or Mythos threats. Under the guise of a cult serving Aurora, the Goddess of Dawn, this group has largely benevolent goals.
The members of the Fingers of Dawn are aware of Mythos threats outsiders as muscle or informants. But they place a particular
in the Hidden Wars and actively oppose them, seeing themselves priority on recruiting Atlantean descendants. They believe it
as protectors of humanity. They are willing to work with and is vital to collect information about occult matters, especially
recruit agents of any background or faith and often employ Mythos threats.
7
Mythos Cults
Chapter 2 - Factions of the Hidden Wars
On the opposite side of the Hidden Wars are the Outer Gods. These vast, void-born beings of fathomless power dwell beyond the reach of
Earth, but even their slumbering echoes are enough to stir discord and delusion among humankind.
Cults devoted to the Outer Gods and the lesser Great Old CULT OF MORMO
Ones are proxies through which the Outer Gods keep a hand The insidious Cult of Mormo infests northern Germania but has
in the Hidden Wars. The Outer Gods consider many of their offshoots and tendrils in multiple other regions. It is perhaps
worshippers beneath their notice, sacrificing and slaying the most active and aggressive of Mythos cults active in the
them as readily as they do their adversaries. Yet the leaders of Cohors era. It has entered into significant alliances with other
such cults may be mentally subverted by or receive indirect powerful and dangerous entities and represents one of the most
mystical guidance from their horrific patrons, or voluntarily immediate and pressing threats to both unaligned Germanic
enter into binding pacts with them, becoming transformed and tribes and Rome itself.
empowered to fulfill their plans. Even without such “blessings,”
the people enticed to join these cults actively seek to awaken, Mormo is a corruptive and otherworldly fertility god, one whose
appease, or gain the approval of their patrons. cults have attacked and subsumed more traditional fertility
religions across the ancient world. In addition to Mormo, this god
Not all of these cults are composed of human members. Deep is known by names and epithets including Black Goat of the Woods
Ones, who worship Father Dagon and Mother Hydra, emerge with a Thousand Young, All-Mother, Mighty Mother, and Lord of the
from the sea to do the bidding of their progenitors. The Deep Woods. Mormo often allies with Nyarlathotep, and their influence
Ones oppose the efforts of the Atlanteans. Other strange beings, has considerable overlap.
like the Mi-Go, may have their own reasons for worshipping
various Mythos powers.
Atlantean Remnants
Atlantis thrived thousands of years before the founding of Rome, exerting a widespread if now largely forgotten influence on the
world. Its shadow is felt in the legacy of its descendants and a rare few long-lived survivors who witnessed its fall firsthand. Atlantis
was corrupted from within, its leaders infected by an insidious force inhabiting their relics of power. This resulted in a civil war that
obliterated their entire island. A small number of Atlanteans survived to flee, taking with them what they could.
A handful managed to extend their lives through occult means Not every descendant of Atlantis is so powerful or immortal.
to achieve near immortality, accruing considerable power. A far greater number live as regular people, ignorant of their
Over thousands of years, most of these longest-lived Atlanteans ancestry. Some possess genetic markers enabling them to wield
became corrupted; very few remain whose minds are free of Atlantean relics and unlock their full capabilities. The majority
the insidious whispers of the Outer Gods. Not all of the most are oblivious to the Hidden Wars but are valuable to those who
powerful corrupted Atlanteans are original survivors, however. know their potential.
Some are descendants who have stumbled upon or inherited
their forebears’ relics. Wearing identities that are convenient to
their current circumstances and goals—sometimes the guises
of great heroes, other times those of gods—they have wormed
their way into various societies, orchestrating myriad plots from
behind the scenes.
8
Chapter 2 - Factions of the Hidden Wars
9
Chapter 3
Chapter 3 - Quickstart Rules
QUICKSTART RULES
Joining the Hidden Wars
Late in the second century CE (AD), the frontier areas of Germania on the fringes of Roman control have become a fulcrum of violence
between various supernatural forces and those they target or who are brave enough to stand against them. Heroes rise from all cultures
and walks of life, having witnessed things better left unseen or motivated by the loss of loved ones or friends to fight these living
nightmares. Given the scope of the threat, strange alliances between such heroes are a matter of necessity, as old prejudices and feuds
must be put aside to defend humanity. Secretive groups such as the Temperari and Fingers of Dawn seek such heroes and recruit them,
while other clusters of heroes band together as a result of circumstance or shared enemies.
Among the most pressing threats on the wild frontier is a of the shattered Outer God Sarthothus, urging him to ever-
recent alliance between the sinister Cult of Mormo and a more-violent excesses. Even apart from these foes, the fringes
berserker chief named Herjan. The Cult of Mormo, a far-flung of Germania and Rome are subject to other unnatural perils,
Mythos faith with sects across the ancient world, serves an such as Mi-Go resource harvesters, cults devoted to malevolent
Outer God who adopts the guises of local fertility gods. In slumbering gods, and intrusions from the Dreamlands.
truth, she is a mother of monsters. Herjan is a particularly
brutal and long-lived descendant of Atlantis who was born It falls to those with the knowledge and courage to confront such
among the Germanic tribes, has risen to dominate many horrors to preserve some semblance of security and rationality for
subordinate chiefs, and believes himself to be a living avatar of everyone else. Epic threats create equally epic stories.
Wodan. His mind has been invaded by the intrusive whispers
10
Before You Start
i
Twenty-sided dice, also known i
Six-sided dice, or d6s, can be used instead of Challenge Dice.
as d20s, are used for resolving Consult the Challenge Dice Result table, for each six-sided die
skill tests. You will usually roll face’s equivalent Challenge Die result.
two twenty-sided dice, or 2d20,
but as many as 5d20 can be i
Tokens for keeping track of Momentum and Threat (covered
rolled at once. later). You will need six tokens for Momentum and a dozen
for Threat; it helps if they are two different colors.
i
Challenge Dice are special
six-sided dice primarily used i
Paper, pens, and pencils for making notes and drawing maps.
for inflicting points of stress
and damage effects [ ].
You’ll need at least six for your
CHALLENGE DICE
players to share. Challenge
Dice are denoted in the text If you don’t have special Challenge Dice available, you
by the symbol . Each can use normal six-sided dice instead; treat any roll of a 3 or 4
Challenge Die has four as blank, and any roll of a 5 or a 6 as an effect [ ].
possible roll results:
CHALLENGE DICE RESULT
• A blank side, indicating a score of 0 D6 ROLL CHALLENGE DICE ROLL RESULT
1 [ ] 1
• One gladius [ ], indicating a score of 1
2 [ ] 2
4 – 0
• An effect [ ], indicating a score of 1 plus a damage effect 5 1, plus damage effect
[ ]
(see Damage Effects, page 26)
6 [ ] 1, plus damage effect
Players also have the option to purchase additional d20s for their rolls by giving the gamemaster Threat points, but this comes
at a risk. Threat represents everything that can go wrong in an adventure. It is a resource the gamemaster can use to make the
characters’ lives interesting if they push their luck!
11
Characters
Chapter 3 - Quickstart Rules
Each player character in Cohors Cthulhu is defined by six attributes, which embody the character’s physical and mental abilities,
and twelve skills, which define their expertise in certain fields. Each player character also has two or more focuses, which give them
specialization within a skill.
Coordination is a measure of a character’s fine motor skills, Observation incorporates a character’s awareness and their
accuracy, and sense of timing. ability to glean information from their surroundings.
Gravitas, in larger amounts, makes characters good orators and Persuasion represents a character’s ability to influence others
ideal leaders, ones who easily command authority and respect or through a mixture of speech and body language.
persuade with a few well-chosen words.
Resilience encompasses a character’s ability to resist and recover
Insight represents a character’s perception, instincts, and ability from physical and mental debilities including injury, pain,
to comprehend the world around them. fatigue, and mental distress.
Reason encompasses the ability to apply logic, intellect, and Stealth covers a character’s ability to conceal themself, move
learned facts to a situation. unseen and unheard, blend into a crowd, and hide objects on
their person.
Will reflects a character’s sense of self, mental strength, and
self-discipline. Survival encompasses a character’s knowledge of how to live
and operate in the wilderness without the comforts offered by
SKILLS civilization.
12
Skill Tests
MAKING A SKILL TEST 4. Each die that rolls equal to or less than the target
number scores a single success.
A skill test involves a single attribute and skill, as well as a focus
if one is applicable, and is made by rolling two or more d20s.
• If the character has a focus that applies, each die that
rolls equal to or less than their ranks in the skill used is a
1. The gamemaster chooses which attribute and skill are
critical success, generating two successes instead of one.
appropriate for the test, sometimes in conjunction with
or after a negotiation with a player. They also determine
• If the character does not have a focus that applies, each die
whether the character has any applicable focuses. Add
that rolls a 1 is a critical success, generating two successes
together the attribute and skill chosen: this is the target
instead of one.
number for each d20.
“Amalthea, you came, thank the gods. Can you help him?” The blacksmith looked pensive.
“I will try.” She ignored the man’s convulsions to seek the cause of his torment. Only a bite from the most
venomous snakes of her homeland could trigger something like this, and that was near impossible in these climes.
Sweat sprayed from his brow and his eyes rolled back into his head. He howled, teeth gnashing, as she drew closer.
“You two, sit on his chest and legs. Penrod, hold his head. Beware his teeth, he will bite you if he can. You would
not want that.” She reached into her bag.
The two burly assistants subdued Ekkehard under their combined weight and as the blacksmith Penrod grasped his
temples, the hunter howled again. In a trice, Amalthea had emptied the vial down his throat and clamped his jaw
shut with strong, skillful fingers. A few moments and his struggles began to subside and he became quiescent.
Efficiently, she cut away the fabric of Ekkehard’s shirt and then disposed of the cloth. There was nothing obvious
on chest or arms, so they rolled him over. There, between the backbone and the kidneys, she found what she had
sought and dreaded.
His flesh was torn, rent, raised in a foul blue-black welt with ragged necrotic edges. As she peered closer she could
see the telltale spines, embedded like teeth in his flesh. Tendrils of blackness crept gossamer-like along his veins.
It was a miracle he was not dead already, or had not begun the transformation, but he was a strong man, and his
body was fighting back. There was hope yet.
13
OPPOSED TESTS TRUTHS
Chapter 3 - Quickstart Rules
At times, a character attempts to beat an opponent. These A truth is a single word or short phrase that describes a significant
situations call for an opposed test. On an opposed test, an fact or aspect about its subject. Truths define what is and what
active character attempts to perform an action, while a isn’t possible, and whether skill tests are easier or harder to pass. If
reactive character tries to resist them. Both characters usually a truth stops being important, or ceases to be true, it is no longer
attempt a skill test with a base difficulty of 1. The outcome of a truth. Truths come in a variety of types, such as personal truths,
the opposed test depends on each character’s results. location truths, and scene truths.
i Active Character Passes, Reactive Character Fails: The active In rules terms, if the truth applies to an action, it does one of
character achieves their goal, and their test is successful. the following:
14
COMPLICATIONS SUCCESS AT A COST
2 19-20
3 18-20
4 17-20
5 16-20
15
IMPROVING THE ODDS i Fortune: Players may spend a single Fortune point (see
Chapter 3 - Quickstart Rules
Fortune, page 18) before making a skill test to set one d20 in the
Cohors Cthulhu provides players with several ways to improve
dice pool to an automatic result of 1, generating two successes
their chances of success by obtaining additional d20s to roll on a
automatically before they roll the rest of the
skill test:
dice pool.
16
Momentum
The players’ Momentum pool cannot contain more than 6 BONUS MOMENTUM
Momentum at any time. Some situations, items, and talents grant a character bonus
Momentum. This is added to the amount of Momentum
At the end of each scene, the GM removes 1 point of generated by a successful skill test. Sometimes a rule specifies that
Momentum from the players’ Momentum pool. bonus Momentum can only be used in a specific way, such as to
buy dice or obtain information.
i Buy d20s: Before rolling for a skill test (but after the at least one turn of their own. Both player characters and
gamemaster sets its difficulty), a player may buy up to three non-player characters may use Keep the Initiative (NPCs
more d20s for their dice pool. The cost increases for each spend 2 Threat instead of 2 Momentum to do so).
die purchased: the first d20 costs 1 Momentum, the second
costs 2 Momentum, and the third costs 3 Momentum. No i Obtain Information: A player may ask the gamemaster
more than 5d20s can be rolled on a skill test. a single question about the scene per Momentum spent.
The GM must answer truthfully but doesn’t have to give
i Confidence: Each Momentum you spend on this option complete information, and the question must be related to
after you pass a skill test adds +1 to your character’s Morale a skill test the player just passed.
resistance until the start of their next turn. You may spend
a maximum of 3 Momentum on this option, for a total of +3 i Reduce Time: A player can spend Momentum to reduce
Morale resistance. the time it takes their character to complete the activity
represented by a skill test they just passed. The reduction
i Create a Truth: A player can spend 2 Momentum to in time is determined by the gamemaster, and the player
establish a new truth in the scene (see Truths, page 14) can vary the amount of Momentum they spend, depending
or to change or remove a truth currently in play. The on how quickly they want their character to complete the
truth created must relate to a skill test they just passed, skill test.
and it must be something that would result from their
character’s actions.
17
THREAT i Truths: The gamemaster may change or create a truth by
Chapter 3 - Quickstart Rules
18
Here are some common ways players can benefit when spending action during the same turn. Outside of an action scene,
19
Action Conflict
Chapter 3 - Quickstart Rules
and
Action scenes in Cohors Cthulhu embrace its mythic, legendary nature. Whether a hero is chasing adversaries through the wilderness,
clashing with another champion, or going toe-to-toe with the might of a Mythos menace, they require quick decision-making skills and
razor-sharp reflexes.
ZONES AND DISTANCES The gamemaster chooses a single character to start the action
To visualize an action scene, it’s important to keep track of the scene. This is usually a player character unless there is a good
locations of participating characters. Tracking a character can reason for an NPC to start first.
simply be a matter of description—an enemy might be “on the
watchtower” or “standing at the gate.” The gamemaster might also The order of play alternates between PCs and NPCs until everyone
use a map or sketch to depict various areas within a scene, using has had a turn. The side whose turn it is chooses which of their
pencil or miniatures to indicate characters’ positions. characters acts on that turn.
The use of zones can help further delineate distances without Once all characters on both sides have taken a turn, the PCs’
making a group track everything to the precise inch. In combat, group Momentum pool loses 1 Momentum. The action passes to
movement and distance ranges are measured using the following a character on whichever side did not take the last turn, and the
zone categories—one state and four ranges: whole process begins again for the next round.
20
then play proceeds normally. If the triggering event does not
Major Actions
21
REACTIONS i Brace: When the character is targeted by a melee attack but
Chapter 3 - Quickstart Rules
before the dice pool is rolled, they ready their shield or set
In addition to taking a major and minor action during their turn,
themself to receive the charge. They use their reaction to
a character may be able to respond to other characters’ actions
add +1 to the difficulty of the attacker’s first melee attack
outside of their turn. A character may attempt one reaction each
and to gain +1 Morale resistance (see Resistance, page 26)
round, as long as it is not during their turn. Reactions each have
until the start of their next turn. When a character Braces,
a specific circumstance or condition that triggers their use. One
they cannot move out of their current zone until the start
reaction is available to all characters, and characters may gain
of their next turn.
other reactions from talents or other special abilities:
Each Momentum spent adds +1 to the attack’s damage , before the player rolls their attack’s
Bonus Damage 1
. A maximum of 3 Momentum may be spent on this option, for a total of +3 .
The character gains bonus d20s on their next skill test. The first die costs 1 Momentum, the second
Buy d20s 1, 2, or 3
costs 2 Momentum, and the third costs 3 Momentum.
Each Momentum spent adds +1 to the character’s Morale resistance until the end of the scene. A
Confidence 1 maximum of 3 Momentum may be spent on this option, for a total of +3 Morale resistance. (See
Resistance, page 26.)
The player may establish a new truth in the scene (see Truths, page 14) or change or remove a truth
Create a Truth 2 currently in play. The truth created must relate to the skill test they just passed, and it must be
something that would result from the character’s actions.
After taking a turn in an action scene, instead of handing the action to the opposing side, you
may choose to use Keep the Initiative by spending 2 Momentum and then handing the action
Keep the to another character on your own side. Once one side has opted to Keep the Initiative, nobody
2
Initiative on that side may do so again until the opposition has taken at least one turn of their own. Both
player characters and non-player characters may use Keep the Initiative (NPCs spend 2 Threat
instead of 2 Momentum to do so).
Minor Action 1 The character may take one additional minor action this turn.
The player may ask the gamemaster a single question about the scene per Momentum spent.
Obtain
1 The GM must answer truthfully but doesn’t have to give complete information, and the question
Information
must be related to a skill test the player just passed.
An additional target within Reach of the primary target is also affected by the attack, suffering
Secondary Target 2
the full results of the attack.
22
Attacks, Damage, and Injuries
23
REMOVING STRESS Once a character has sustained 3 injuries, in any combination,
Chapter 3 - Quickstart Rules
i
The character suffers 5 or more stress from a single attack after If a dying or irrational character suffers another physical or
reduction for resistance. mental injury, they are no longer playable.
i
The character’s stress track becomes filled.
i
The character already had a full stress track and suffers
further stress.
24
REACH AND GUARD REACH, GUARD, AND
Surprise Attack
25
RESISTANCE DAMAGE EFFECTS
Chapter 3 - Quickstart Rules
Resistance comes in two forms: persistent and conditional. Armor Rolling an effect [ ] on a Challenge Die, or a 5 or 6 on a
and Courage resistance are persistent in that they are worn by or conventional die (see Challenge Dice Result table, page 11), deals
innate to a character, while Cover and Morale resistance come an additional 1 stress and triggers all the damage effects of the
from sources external to the character. Resistance reduces the relevant weapon or attack.
points of stress a character receives from an attack.
On a character sheet or NPC profile, each weapon or attack lists its
i
Against physical attacks, a character gets persistent resist- damage effects (if any) at the end of its entry. The damage effects
ance from Armor and conditional resistance from Cover. available in Cohors Cthulhu are summarized here. Some of the
Armor is either worn, like a legionary’s lorica segmentata, damage effect names are followed by an X, which is replaced by a
or is natural, like a Deep One’s toughened skin. Cover comes number, depending on the weapon or attack.
from terrain or obstacles, like a sturdy earthworks emplace-
ment or a brick wall. i Area: The attack hits one additional target within Close range
of its initial target for every effect [ ] rolled. Secondary
i
Against mental attacks, a character applies resistance from targets suffer the attack’s full effects.
Courage and Morale. Courage represents a character’s confi-
dence and discipline, while Morale is the certainty that comes i Drain: The target suffers 1 fatigue for each effect [ ] rolled.
from being inspired or encouraged by others.
i Intense: If the attack inflicts an injury and an effect [ ] is
rolled, the attack inflicts an additional injury.
26
Chapter 3 - Quickstart Rules
WEAPON QUALITIES i Parrying: When the weapon’s wielder makes an opposed test
when targeted by a melee attack, they may re-roll a single d20
The following weapon qualities alter the way a weapon
on their test. This does not stack if the character has multiple
functions: some alter it in positive ways, others by applying
Parrying weapons.
restrictions or limitations.
27
Magic
Chapter 3 - Quickstart Rules
Magic in Cohors Cthulhu is the practice of Mystics, such as certain scholars, priests, and seekers of forbidden knowledge. It can also be
used by especially gifted individuals who can shape and harness arcane forces that are sometimes far beyond their comprehension or,
indeed, control.
The practice of magic is divided into two disciplines. The first is POWER
battlefield magic, shorter-term enchantments of instant effect All spellcasters have a power rating — often simply called power—
and brief duration—spells, curses, hexes, charms, and blessings— which is a crucial element of unleashing spells, performing
which are used primarily in combat and out in the field, away rituals, and turning words and actions into meaningful outcomes.
from the controlled conditions necessary for lengthier rites. This power rating appears on a spellcaster’s character sheet or
NPC profile. It indicates the number of Challenge Dice rolled
The second discipline, ritualistic magic, is longer in form, more when the character casts a spell or performs part of a ritual.
complicated, and more intricate; it is also immensely more
powerful. This is the magic that characters use to communicate
with, and summon, supernatural alien beings and malevolent
forces previously unknown to this world; to travel between the
planes of existence; or to effect permanent and lasting change on
the mortal plane.
LEARNING MAGIC
A character can learn magic in three ways, two of which are
available in these Quickstart Rules.
TRADITIONAL
A traditional spellcaster has spent much of their life learning a
magical tradition — the Runic and Oracular magical traditions
are two examples. Magical traditions, also called occult traditions,
PREPARING BATTLEFIELD
are passed down through the generations and take many years of
SPELLS
study to master.
To cast a spell, a spellcaster must first prepare their mantle with
the spells they wish to bind to it. A mantle is a significant item
Traditional spellcasters use Insight to cast spells and perform
such as a wand, staff, or runestone that a spellcaster uses to “store”
rituals, and most have the Mystic archetype. They may use spells
bound spells. This allows them to unleash the power of those
only from their own magical tradition, and they begin with three
spells quickly and without elaborate rituals.
spells from the spellbook of that tradition.
28
CASTING A BATTLEFIELD All battlefield spells have a cost when cast. This cost takes the
The attribute used for the skill test to cast a spell depends on
the type of spellcaster the character is: traditional spellcasters
use Insight, and research spellcasters use Reason. The skill a
spellcaster uses to cast a spell and the difficulty of the skill test
they make to cast it are detailed in the spell’s profile.
The ritual would be exacting, dangerous, a threat to her familiar’s life, perhaps even to her own. It was an undertaking
which placed both body and soul in jeopardy.
Candles were lit, cleansing herbs and incense burned, and a smoky pall hung over the dimly-lit room. She began
to focus, clearing her mind, preparing her body for the ordeal ahead. Now she took her staff and called softly.
“Ophidia, Ophidio, come, it is time.”
A lithe, sinuous form detached itself from the shadows, entwining itself around the base of the wood. It curled
its way up the haft like a wisp of smoke. The Greeks knew this as the Asklepion, or staff of Aesculapius, but this
was no mere divining rod. it was a living thing, a caduceus, a form of sympathetic magic far older than even the
Greeks guessed, a power which was ancient long before Atlantis fell.
Sweat ran a river down her back, the veins on her arms and neck like cords as she struggled to bend the ritual to
her will. Ekkehard was fighting hard too, restraints digging into his flesh. He had near bitten through the strap
in his contortions.
Ophidio-Ophidia laboured intensely, drawing out the venom drop by drop, their cojoined body filtering and
purifying, healing the flesh, bolstering the ka. Yet the poison was foul, spiteful, resisting even this most potent
of rituals, infecting his spirit as well as body. Despite their combined efforts, it still coursed through him and he
was growing weaker, losing the will to resist.
Now was the time. Carefully she took the mushroom’s gills from the pan and delicately placed them in a clean
linen cloth. Ekkehard spasmed, his body growing taut, as if his bones would thrust themselves out of his skin, and
as he shook, she took the bag and squeezed, letting the spores flow through the cloth and into the open wound.
She held her breath, willing the balm to do its work before his spark of life was extinguished, but for long moments
nothing happened. The fungal oil seemed to dissipate, the poison flaring again. Then slowly, its hold began to
weaken. inch by inch the veins cleared, the skin lightened, the fungus’s essence working with Ophidio-Ophidia,
purging, healing, chasing the shadow away.
She slumped, leaning heavily on the caduceus, feeling as feeble as an old crone, weary beyond words, weary beyond
imagining. She looked to Ekkehard and saw his flesh return to a healthy white-pink, knitting and renewing itself
around a newly formed and quite livid scar. Ophidio-Ophidia detached themselves from the caduceus and curled
around her neck, hissing softly, a song of renewal and hope, whispering the eternal charm of the healer.
29
SPELL AND RITUAL DAMAGE RESISTING MAGIC
Chapter 3 - Quickstart Rules
Not all spells and rituals deal damage to their target (though Although magic is a potent and dangerous force, it is not
most deal damage to their spellcaster). Of those that do deal all-powerful. Sometimes, a spellcaster must overcome their target’s
damage to their target, some deal physical damage, inflicting innate willpower and ego to ensure that a spell takes effect.
stress that is reduced by Armor and Cover resistance, and some
deal mental damage, inflicting stress that is reduced by Courage In other words, certain spells give their targets the chance to
and Morale resistance. The type of damage a spell or ritual inflicts is resist. The skill test to cast such a spell is an opposed test. The
specified in its spell effect or ritual outcome description, respectively. caster uses their spellcasting attribute and the spell’s skill. The
resisting target uses the attribute and skill specified in the spell’s
If a character successfully casts a spell or ritual that deals damage Difficulty section. Both tests use the spell’s difficulty. See Opposed
, resolve the damage using these steps: Tests, page 14, for more information.
2 19-20 18-20
MOMENTUM SPENDS
IN MAGIC 3 18-20 17-20
Skilled practitioners of magic wield their spells with deftness
and precision, leveraging their skill and knowledge to achieve 4 17-20 16-20
heightened results. Some spell descriptions specify ways to use
Momentum generated during casting. In addition, spellcasters 5+ 16-20 15-20
can spend Momentum on the following spell-related options:
30
ADVENTURE -
RUDE AWAKENING
Introduction.................................................................31
Synopsis.............................................................................. 32
Scene one: The Survivors........................................34
Scene Two: Exploring the Village..................... 39
Scene Three: Gislin’s Farmstead........................... 52
Scene Four: Master of Dreams............................. 58
31
Chapter 4
Chapter 4 - Rude Awakening (Adventure)
RUDE AWAKENING
Introduction
This Quickstart Adventure for Cohors Cthulhu begins in media res. The group has just endured an unexpected attack upon the caravan
it joined on the way to the frontier town of Laurium. The player characters discover that they are (nearly) the only survivors, and in the
aftermath, they have a chance to investigate the sinister mystery behind the random assault.
32
Synopsis
This isolation is not entirely natural. Near to the village is a well envious of his elder’s position and desired that power for
that is a site of ancient tragedy and fell deeds where the walls of himself. Despising what he saw as Gislin’s weakness, Ingolf
reality have rubbed thin. The Dreamlands are closer to Lupford performed a forbidden ritual, attracting the attention of
than most are aware, and because of that it is a place where Laogoth-Ur. Ingolf gave this being a portal into the world
nightmares fester. People who were not born here find this place through the body and mind of Gislin, condemning his brother
unsettling and do not feel inclined to stay. to an unending nightmare. Gislin has become a puppet, used as
a figurehead for a debauched cult that serves Ingolf’s ambitions.
A farmstead built near the ancient well has long been held by Ingolf’s actions have upset the old balance, and druden have
one of Lupford’s wealthiest families, inheritors of unnatural begun to proliferate in the village. The Dreamlands press ever
fortune built on betrayal and bloodshed. Many generations closer, casting a dark shadow over Lupford and its inhabitants as
ago, the family entered into an unholy pact with a being named druden seek more victims and new ways to feast.
Laogoth-Ur, binding themselves to creatures of nightmare they
could summon in exchange for providing access to victims. Some Ingolf’s rationality has begun to slip, and he has created a cult
Germanic Mystics know these creatures as druden, wild spirits with himself at its head. He has encouraged his followers to
born from the oily seas of the Dreamlands near the shores of summon additional druden, which they no longer control.
Oriab, each hungry to feast on the fears of mortals. These ghostly Ingolf ignores and is indifferent to the harm he has unleashed.
apparitions can possess those who are sleeping and control
them, their victims watching their deeds in a nightmare that The people of Lupford do not understand what has been
does not end when they wake. Previous heads of the family made happening and think themselves accursed, a fear that seems
use of bonded druden to gain power by threatening enemies or justified. Sometimes the destructive impulses awakened by
eliminating rivals, ensuring their supremacy in the village. the druden spread like a disease from one person to the next,
amassing a dangerous mob. One such mob is responsible for the
The family’s current heir, Gislin, was born with potent mystical violence at the outset of this adventure.
potential but found this ancestral pact abhorrent. He intended
to defy his obligations and break the chain. Unfortunately, You begin this adventure with 2 points of Threat for each
he revealed his plans to his younger brother, Ingolf, who was player.
33
Scene One: The Survivors
Chapter 4 - Rude Awakening (Adventure)
A Chaotic Tumult
When everyone is ready, read the following aloud, paraphrasing as needed:
A short time ago, you joined a small caravan for a journey to the town of Laurium, having heard these frontier roads to be
perilous and seeing the benefit of mutual protection. Other than your group, the caravan included two wagons laden with an
assortment of tradable provisions owned by a trio of merchants, each escorted by hired guards. The caravan was led by a Roman
named Caius Vagennius Velus, who took on the role of caravan master.
After a damp morning with a light rain, the spring day had warmed up and become an almost enjoyable afternoon as you
traveled along the rutted road until, on entering a denser stretch of woods, everything around you became a frenzied tumult.
There had been no warning of an imminent attack, no shouted demands by what you had assumed must be bandits—just
incoherent screams and roars as the caravan was beset. A dozen enraged people spilled from the shadows, weapons in hand,
their eyes wild and bloodshot as they lashed out at anyone they could reach. The drivers of the two wagons were pulled down
and brutally clubbed even as the few mercenaries protecting the merchants drew their weapons and joined the melee.
It was settled in a quick flurry of hacking blows, grunts of pain, and bodies falling to the muddied soil. You are among the few
survivors. You can hear hasty footfalls as most of the surviving attackers flee between the trees as suddenly as they first arrived.
You and the other survivors are scattered in disarray across a wide area around the wagons, both of which have been damaged
in the fight, with wheels shattered. The mules that had pulled them are either slain or have run off in panic, leaving their
burdens behind. The bodies of many of your former traveling companions and several of the attackers are bleeding out on the
ground everywhere you look.
You did not have time to take concerted action during the battle; each of you responded according to your instincts and nature, some
of you drawing weapons to fight, others seeking cover or trying to withdraw to relative safety. Several of you suffered minor scrapes
and bruises in the clash.
As you take stock, you realize that one desperate melee is still underway. Caius Vagennius Velus, the caravan master, is locked in
a deadly clinch with a burly man in a stained tunic. A bloodied, short blade is in the attacker’s right hand, which Caius has seized
to try to keep the weapon away from himself. You can see a deep rent in the caravan master’s side, his tunic now sopped with an
alarming amount of blood. He has already been stabbed at least once, and his strength is waning.
Talk to each player about their positions relative to the wagons tests by +1 (at your discretion) until they are treated (see Injuries,
and one another, what they would have tried to do during the page 24, and Complication Ranges, page 15).
fight, and their current conditions. Since there is immediate
peril, the characters won’t have the chance to talk yet; however,
as the players figure out the PCs’ positions, you can encourage
Scene Objectives
each to describe their character to the other players.
The objectives for this scene are:
Half or more of the PCs, including any whose player says they
would have actively engaged the attackers, will have acquired i
Save the life of the caravan master.
the personal truth Scrapes and Bruises (see Truths, page 14). This
represents painful and distracting but superficial trauma. If you i
Gather clues regarding the unexpected attackers.
want to be more colorful, assign PCs specific affected body parts as
an added parenthetical, such as (Head Gash), (Bruised Arm), or i
Discern the direction from which the attackers
(Glancing Shoulder Blow). As with regular injuries, these truths originated, and give chase.
can increase the complication range of an affected character’s skill
34
Chapter 4 - Rude Awakening (Adventure)
Seeing Caravan Master Caius locked in a life-and-death struggle It’s worth noting that everyone in the scene can be considered
with the last remaining attacker triggers an immediate abridged to be in the same zone with regard to distances (see Zones and
action scene in which the PCs have a chance to intervene. The Distances, page 20). This means that each PC can quickly move to
scene is split into rounds and turns (see Rounds and Turns, page within Reach of the attacker even if they started farther away than
20). Each round, every character in the scene takes a turn. On their the other PCs.
turn, a character may perform a major action and a minor action
(see Actions in Combat, page 20). PCs and NPCs alternate until Use the Dream-Frenzied Villager profile, page 37, for the attacker,
everyone has taken a turn, and then a new round begins. who (if he is not immediately incapacitated) can further injure
the caravan master after the first PC’s turn, cutting him with his
In this case, select a PC to go first, preferably the one closest knife. (Note that Caius does not have an NPC profile, so handle the
to the two struggling NPCs. Alternatively, you could ask the effects of attacks upon him narratively during this scene.) If you
players what their characters are going to do and allow the did not spend 2 Threat to create the Held Hostage truth earlier,
first who expresses a desire to act to go first, regardless of you could do so now, describing the villager trying to move the
their proximity. Some PCs may have ranged weapons they caravan master into harm’s way. After the villager strikes, each of
could fire, though doing so would put the caravan master the remaining PCs can take their turn—followed by the start of
in peril if they miss. You may spend 2 Threat to create the the next round and the first PC’s second turn—before the villager
Held Hostage truth for the scene to increase the difficulty gets another chance to deal further damage. This is a good time to
of any action against the caravan master’s attacker by +1 (see explain the use of Momentum, if the players have accumulated
Threat, page 18). any (see Momentum, page 17).
35
Who Lives and Who Dies Who Are the Attackers?
Chapter 4 - Rude Awakening (Adventure)
Since the villager is greatly outnumbered by the PCs, he is likely This last attacker, should his life be saved, is not in any
to be quickly dispatched, though Caius, the caravan master, had condition for an extended conversation, but he is able
already suffered serious injuries and is in bad shape regardless. answer a few brief questions. You can encourage players to
His exact state can vary depending on the difficulty the PCs have make tests using Gravitas + Persuasion or other relevant
in neutralizing the villager; if the villager manages to act twice, skills to help them become familiar with those types of
Caius should be very close to death, and he should not survive a tests, though these should be easy (with a difficulty of 0;
third strike. see Difficulty Zero Tests, page 14), as the villager is not being
intentionally evasive. If a PC is suspicious and wants to
If Caius receives a fatal blow, he lives just long enough to mumble determine whether the villager is lying or being deceptive,
a few last words to the nearest PC between bouts of coughing up the PC’s player can make an Insight + Persuasion test with
blood—“Village of Lupford… Get help…”—and he points north. a difficulty of 1; if they succeed on the test, they learn he
seems sincere.
Even if Caius does not immediately expire, he is still dying (see
Injuries, page 24) and needs to be stabilized (see Major Actions, i
The attacker is a Germanic villager and farmer named
page 21). One or more PCs may want to tend to his wounds. A Walthram, who has lived in the village of Lupford his entire
character who has the Medicine skill with a Field Treatment life and has served in its militia.
or Surgery focus can attempt to provide medical attention by
making a Coordination + Medicine test with a difficulty of 2 if i
Walthram has no memory of the attack or any idea why it
Caius took a single strike after the scene began, or a difficulty happened. He has no animosity toward the caravan master or
of 3 if he took two. One additional player could attempt to anyone else present.
assist (see Improving the Odds, page 16), rolling 1d20 with a
target number of their own PC’s Coordination + Medicine. i
If Walthram catches sight of the bodies of any of his fellow
If they succeed, they give the character they are assisting one attackers, he seems shocked and dismayed, identifying
success, provided that character scores at least one success them as other civilians from Lupford. Among the slain are
themself. Assisting players never roll more than 1d20. several farmers, a cobbler, the young adult offspring of a
local cattleman, and a blacksmith’s apprentice.
If the test to provide medical attention succeeds, Caius
becomes stabilized: he is no longer at immediate risk of dying, After answering a few questions, Walthram—who sees the bodies
but he remains defeated (see Injuries, page 24) and must be now if he didn’t earlier—is overcome with shock and grief. He
helped to do anything, including walking elsewhere. Describe mumbles, “It’s that damned curse…” before passing out from
his wounds as still being quite bad and at risk of opening stress and blood loss. He does not rouse again until after he is
again. He needs to be taken somewhere warm, dry, and returned to the village.
indoors, and to be further tended. Even a knowledgeable PC
with the proper equipment, such as medicus’s tools, can only Even if Walthram perishes of his injuries before the PCs
do so much while out in the open. learn his identity, they have a chance to inspect the fallen
and can learn several facts in the process. Encourage the
Having been stabilized, Caius is able to speak a little more, though players to make use of appropriate tests to examine their
it is still a strain. He mentions that the PCs might be able to find surroundings, such as an Insight + Observation or Reason
some help at the nearby village of Lupford. He can guide them in + Observation test with a difficulty of 1, though it is not
the right direction, though the PCs might find other reasons to difficult to gain the following information. This is a good
head toward Lupford if they investigate their surroundings. time to inform players that they can spend Momentum on
the Momentum option Obtain Information (see Common
Unless the PCs decide to prevent it, the villager who attacked the Uses for Momentum, page 17).
caravan master perishes of his own injuries shortly after being
defeated. The difficulty of the test to stabilize him starts at 3 and i
The slain attackers, eight in number, are a mix of genders, and
increases if he does not receive swift intervention. There is no they do not appear to be attired like Germanic warriors ready
need to suggest that the PCs try to save his life, but you should for battle. They are wearing the typical clothes one would
give them the opportunity to do so if they decide to attempt it on expect to see on Germanic villagers.
their own initiative.
36
i
The weapons the attackers employed are an assortment of or Reason + Academia test with a difficulty of 3. PCs with a
Special Rules
Truth Hit and Run: After a dream-frenzied villager makes a
i
Nightmare-Deluded Warrior successful surprise attack (see Surprise Attack, page 25), they
may spend 1 Threat to move within Close range of their target
from that attack. The dream-frenzied villager may do this even
Attributes if they moved this turn.
Agility 8 Gravitas 6
Brawn 9 Insight 7
Coordination 8 Reason 9
Will 7
37
The Mess Left Behind Going off the Rails
Chapter 4 - Rude Awakening (Adventure)
As they prepare to leave the attack site, PCs may express concerns
about leaving behind dead bodies or about the safety of the
Player characters can be unpredictable and obstinate.
broken wagons’ contents. Some may wish to “check the bodies for
Even if you make numerous hints regarding Lupford,
valuables” (loot), which is a viable choice. If the PCs linger to assist
they might decide to avoid the village, particularly
any wounded or to secure the trade goods, Caius (if he survived)
if they were unable or unwilling to stabilize Caravan
urges them to hurry, insisting he will worry about the wagons
Master Caius. If they insist on proceeding to Laurium
later. The sundries in the wagons are bulky, heavy, and not worth
instead, there are other ways to steer them back. In
much in quantities that would be easy to carry on foot.
Laurium, you could have a significant NPC approach
them: Legate Argus Attia Druses, who oversees
Each of the three slain merchants has a pouch hidden on their
Laurium’s Roman garrison, or Penrod, a prominent
person. Each pouch contains a modest volume of coinage
blacksmith with strong connections to the local
worth approximately 100 denarii (1 or 2 aurei along with
Germanic community, could ask them to check into
dozens of denarii and sesterces). The bodyguards each have a
rumors of troubling occurrences in the isolated village
dozen denarii in coins on their person, along with weapons
of Lupford. By this point, the village is in even worse
and a few other bits of personal gear. Caius complains about
shape. More people have died, the cult has grown
looting if he witnesses it, but he is in no condition to stop the
stronger, and Gislin has succumbed even more deeply
PCs. The slain villagers are not carrying much of value.
to his possession by Laogoth-Ur. An elder, Miltrude, has
barricaded herself in her hall, but if the PCs convince
If Caius, Walthram, or both accompany the PCs to Lupford, the
her they are trying to help, they can persuade her to
PCs must assist or carry them due to their injuries.
open it up and can proceed with the adventure as
before, albeit in an even tenser atmosphere.
Remember to remove 1 point of Momentum from the players’
Momentum pool as the scene ends.
38
Scene Two: Exploring the Village
I t’s close to nightfall before you reach the village. The narrow
trail cutting through the forest, hemmed in with dark
pines, opens onto the outskirts of a Germanic settlement,
Failing this test is not critical, but it leaves Miltrude in an
unpleasant and irritable mood. Regardless, she reluctantly offers
the PCs a place inside her hall, where any wounded with them
its thatched huts and buildings built close together within can be settled and made more comfortable.
the long shadows of the surrounding forest. In cleared
areas stand small and squalid farms, no bigger than can The hall proves to be a combination of living and meeting
feed a single family, many looking overgrown and poorly space. It contains a long table; a low, banked fire; a variety of
tended. Scrawny cattle and goats peer at you balefully before implements and tools for cooking, butchering, and skinning;
lowering their heads to chew on the sparse vegetation. The and unkempt nests of bedding and rough blankets in the far
huts on the periphery are dark and quiet. corners. The shadowed interior is thick with a variety of smells,
as some of her domesticated cattle are kept here at night or
A few sullen workers are tilling the fields, struggling with when the weather takes a turn.
heavy plows, while others are lugging bulging sacks into
barns or onto rickety wagons, almost deliberate in ignoring
their surroundings.
39
Miltrude offers the group meager food and drink, then This is what Miltrude can tell the PCs:
Chapter 4 - Rude Awakening (Adventure)
40
Chapter 4 - Rude Awakening (Adventure)
mention having heard similar information from Farrier
Miltrude and the Cult
Alafrid, she agrees with his assessment of Gislin, but not of
Miltrude knows more than she is willing to talk about initially, as
Ingolf, whom she favors.) The change in Gislin’s demeanor was
she believes the cult that meets at the farmstead outside of town
very recent, within the last few months, but Miltrude suspects
is somehow responsible for the village’s woes. She holds Gislin,
he was feigning kindness for years while making more
the farmstead’s inheritor, responsible but does not bring him up
insidious plans in secret.
unless the PCs find out about him elsewhere and return to ask
questions. When the PCs have learned enough from talking to
other villagers to ask about him by name (see Interacting with the
i
Gislin’s ancestors are said to have consorted with unnatural
spirits and from them learned to invoke curses and perform
Locals, page 42), she reluctantly admits he is likely connected to
other unsavory magic.
the town’s curse and gives the PCs directions to his farmstead.
Once on the topic, she asks the PCs to help and implies that
solving the town’s problems may require finding a permanent
i
Regarding Ingolf, Gislin’s younger brother, she says he was
the smarter one in the family but was always quiet and shy.
solution to Gislin. If the PCs set out to investigate him, she
He seemed more interested in religion than anything else,
closes and bars her door after they leave to protect herself from
and he used to ask her questions about the gods. She hasn’t
retaliation.
seen him in months. “Wouldn’t be the first time someone was
murdered by his own kin.”
Once the PCs ask about Gislin or his cult, Miltrude can offer the
following additional information:
i
Gislin has attracted a significant number of followers, and this
group has become more cultlike with each passing day.
i
Gislin’s family has been living in the region for many
generations, and each heir has seemed crueler and more
vindictive than the last. She had thought Gislin himself
i
Miltrude is increasingly certain that Gislin’s cult is behind the
curse afflicting the town, but she does not know how they are
might be different, as he used to be a friendly soul when he
managing this.
was younger, but “clearly, I was wrong,” she says. (If the PCs
41
INTERACTING WITH THE LOCALS
Chapter 4 - Rude Awakening (Adventure)
The people of Lupford are suspicious of outsiders even in the best The Farrier (B)
of circumstances, and recent deaths and acts of random violence Not far down the main path from Miltrude’s hall is a small abode
have made them even more insular than usual. Most think of stocked with the necessary implements for shoeing horses.
themselves as accursed by the gods and undergoing punishment Alafrid, the village farrier, can be found here wrestling with the
for the transgressions of their ancestors. foot of an older mare. Though he’s only in his early forties, he
looks haggard and put-upon. Like other villagers, he is initially
Many villagers have lost friends or family members. Given all wary of the PCs, but if they describe the attack to him, he may
that has happened, they are less easily shocked by tales of strange become more vocal. He knows something strange is afoot.
doings and react with almost stoic disregard to news of the
recent carnage. Many are listless and absent-minded, having been His dialog can be handled with roleplaying, or the PCs can
plagued by too many sleepless nights, haunted by nightmares, attempt a Gravitas + Persuasion test with a difficulty of 3 to
and weighed down by the unnatural pall that lingers over the get him to open up. The most pertinent tale he can relate hints
village. Their placid lack of alarm is connected to how closely this at some guilt about a violent act, resulting in some reticence.
area has drifted to the Dreamlands. In some ways, daily life has
become a nightmare. “So you’ve heard of the nightmares plaguing our village? I wish
i
I could say differently, but they’re all true. Not a fortnight ago I
The PCs have some leeway in interacting with the locals. dreamt of… some violence happening to my apprentice while
Encounters here are flexible and can be handled in any order we were working. I awoke to the sound of my terrified horses
or even avoided if the PCs are eager to press on and head to and found myself standing in my own shop, with no memory
Gislin’s farmstead. In terms of pacing, after they have one or two of how I got there. There were spatters of blood on the bench
conversations, the tension should be ramped up (see Hostile Village and things knocked over. Deither was nowhere to be found.
Encounters, page 45). A special hostile encounter can occur if the I don’t know exactly what happened, but I fear he came to
PCs decide to accept Miltrude’s hospitality and rest for the night some harm. I hope he left of his own accord, but I worry maybe
(see Sleepwalker, page 47). the nightmare was true.” He shakes his head and says, “Poor
Deither. He was a good lad. Besides the occasional dropped tool
or crookedly hammered nail, he was a fine apprentice.”
42
i
In relating his dream, Alafrid is leaving out some details,
Heilwig’s House (F)
i
If asked about Gislin, Alafrid becomes wistful. “You know, I
always liked him when he was younger. Didn’t seem like the
rest of his family. Responsible and thoughtful. More cheerful
than his brother, Ingolf. But I guess you can’t tell how people
will turn out. That family has never honored the gods. Said to
dabble in hexes and fell magic.”
i
If the topic of magic, curses, or Mystics is discussed, Alafrid
snaps his fingers at a sudden thought and says, “You know,
there’s another suspicious person around here, one I’ve
wondered might be connected to all this. Named Heilwig.
Older woman, lives by herself on the edge of town, claims to
be a seer, brews up smelly concoctions. Some people go to her
If a PC isn’t squeamish and wants to investigate Heilwig’s body
to have fortunes read.”
more closely, passing a Reason + Medicine test with a difficulty of
1 means they determine she met a violent end, perhaps strangled.
Walthram’s House (C) Anyone who carefully checks the hut can make an Insight +
The PCs are unlikely to have any reason to inspect this hut unless Observation test with a difficulty of 2; success means they learn
they rescued Walthram during the initial attack and Miltrude some interesting things:
told them where he lives. His place is in disarray: clothing and
tools lie scattered about, along with the remnants of unfinished i
The shutters on one window have been broken off, and some
meals left out to spoil. A small adjoining plot of farmland looks of the nearby items seem in disarray, so perhaps an intruder
poorly tended, and a quick inspection reveals what appears to be came through the window.
three recently dug and filled graves. They contain the bodies of
Walthram’s wife and children, each slain with a bladed weapon. i
Near Heilwig’s body, scratched into the surface of a table
where she clearly used to grind herbs using a mortar and
After they find the graves, the PCs hear cawing from above. pestle, are the shapes of three Germanic runes.
Watching them from atop Walthram’s house is a strangely bloated
crow, its eyes possessing an unnerving alertness. But if they seek i
A small stash of coins, shells, polished stones, and minor
to do anything to it, it flaps off out of sight and disappears. baubles—perhaps received in trade for her work—lies tucked
behind several pots on a shelf above her table.
43
Mystics of the Runic tradition immediately recognize the runes
Too Scared to Sleep
Chapter 4 - Rude Awakening (Adventure)
A
and new beginnings)
s you round one of the nearby huts, you come upon
a pair of villagers. One of them looks disheveled and
3. Eihwaz: Yew (associated with death, transformation, and
nervous, his eyes bloodshot and his lower lids dark and
sometimes higher understanding)
swollen. The other is a woman with a hand on his arm; she
looks as though she’s trying to calm him down and perhaps
It’s unlikely the PCs will get much use out of the runes. Heilwig
guide him back toward his home.
scratched them into the table while mulling over the curse
afflicting the town. She had begun to suspect that something
“You need to sleep, Atesso!” she says. “You’re run ragged and
supernatural and wrong involving the brothers was occurring
making no sense!”
at the Gislin estate.
Atesso pulls away. “No! I’m not sleeping! That’s when they
Other Kin of the Slain come for you! Every dream I’ve had lately, he’s there. Waiting.
The PCs may run into other locals connected to the caravan’s If you know what’s good for you, you’ll stay awake as well.
attackers, such as the village smith, a woman named Sigune, Now leave me be!” He shakes off her hand and storms off.
whose apprentice was among the fallen. The slain attackers’ kin
and coworkers are mournful but not particularly shocked to The woman notices your group, frowns, and sets off at a fast
learn of what happened, and they do not confront the PCs with pace, headed in a different direction.
hostility. They suggest that their loved ones were not prone to
violence, but that perhaps “the frenzy” had taken them.
Like everyone in town, Heilwig had not been sleeping well. This was particularly frustrating as, prior to the pall
falling over Lupford, she had considered dreams her ally, seeking within them hints and answers to the problems
brought to her by townsfolk seeking her aid. She sat awake at her desk for long hours, brooding and pondering the
town’s curse, gripping an awl in a trembling hand and scraping the desk’s surface in her frustration. The runes
she scrawled came to her unbidden, and with them thoughts of Gislin, Ingolf, and their entire accursed bloodline.
They were at the root of this, she felt certain.
Sighing defeat at last, she stood from her chair with a groan and made her way to the bed, extinguishing her candle.
She would search in dreams again. See if she could find any ally there. Exhausted as she was, she fell asleep at once,
plunging deeply into a welcoming oblivion. She did not stir as something landed on her windowsill: a birdlike
creature, which scraped at the shutters with peculiar strength and then hopped through the opening. Its dark eyes
were fixated on the sleeping woman. Then its form shifted and changed, becoming almost human. Pale hands reached
for her wrinkled throat.
44
The woman is named Perra, and both she and Atesso are local
HOSTILE VILLAGE
Furtive Survivors Depending on how the PCs handle the situation, they may be
Not every participant in the caravan ambush was killed; a few able to cow or scare off the cultists without fighting. These cultists
came to their senses shortly after the initial attack and fled home. report back to their headquarters with information about the
These include the farmers Alwine and Reimar and a cattleman’s PCs, but it takes some time for the cult to decide what to do
apprentice named Gunthard. The PCs might encounter them about the group. Ingolf will prefer to strike at them indirectly, via
when they investigate the village. druden and intermediaries, until they come knocking. Cultists
encountered subsequently might recognize the PCs.
Survivors display evidence of having been in a recent scuffle:
they have torn clothing as well as scrapes and bruises similar If combat is engaged, then when the three cultists see they are
to those of several PCs. If PCs confront them, they start in outnumbered, two of them attempt to flee to get reinforcements
recognition and stammer apologies but then try to end the and report on the PCs. It is up to the PCs whether to try to stop
conversation. If PCs question them more closely, they insist them. If the PCs succeed in defeating the cultists, they can
they have no idea what happened or why. Each had thought contact Miltrude to ask her to detain them or deal with their
they were in a nightmare and had expected to wake in their own bodies. She is not happy about this, but she calls upon several
bed, but instead found themself amid the carnage and then fled loyal farmers for assistance. She also immediately insists that the
back to Lupford. If pressed about their recollections of the night PCs handle Gislin as soon as possible to prevent retaliation. This
before the attack, they may remember a scuttling noise and the prompts Miltrude to provide more information on the cult if
feeling of a presence in the room as they drifted off to sleep. she hasn’t already.
45
Chapter 4 - Rude Awakening (Adventure)
Will 8 rule does not need to apply to every cultist. For some, it can
apply only when they are directly protecting the cult leader or
the leader’s compound.)
Forewarned Is Forearmed
Cultists encountering the PCs and returning to Gislin’s
farmstead to report on them is not necessarily a huge obstacle,
just a complication. Ingolf is not entirely rational and is both
preoccupied with his occult rites and overconfident in his
power over the village. He does not expect a few meddling
outsiders to be much of a threat. Nevertheless, this affects the
behavior of the other cultists. The truth Wary Cultists is in
effect for the rest of the adventure, reducing the Threat cost of
adding reinforcements when the PCs fight the cultists by 1 (see
Threat, page 18). It can have other consequences as well, such as
increasing the likelihood of inconvenient sentries or patrols
showing up. If this truth is active and the PCs do not quickly
decide to move on the farmstead, the cultists could send people
to harass additional villagers, including possibly Miltrude (who
bars her door but is besieged).
46
While the PCs slept, a drude entered a nearby hut and entered
Random Violence (2 Threat)
T
When Miltrude rouses, she recognizes the attacker as a man
he hall has enough room for each of you to claim your
named Wieland and pleads with the PCs not to kill him. If the
own space to sleep in, though there is not enough
PCs endeavor to comply, their attacks result in only superficial
bedding for everyone, and most of you must suffice with
injuries. If Wieland’s stress track fills and he is struck again, he
curling up on the straw-covered floor of pounded earth. It is
returns to his senses and stops attacking the PCs. Like previous
at least warm in here, sheltered from the rising winds you
attackers, he has little memory of what has occurred. He knows
hear shrieking outside.
only that he fell into a deep slumber and experienced a nightmare
in which Miltrude’s home had been occupied by fiends, whom he
Despite the less-than-ideal accommodations, you fall asleep
felt driven to destroy.
with ease, plunging quickly into a series of strangely vivid but
troubling dreams. In one of these, you relive the earlier attack
If the PCs rush to Wieland’s hut after he returns to his senses,
on the wagon trail, but this time you find yourself moving too
they have the chance to spot a furtive creature that looks
slowly to block blows, while your own fingers feel numb and
like a slightly misshapen squirrel. It darts through a hole
clumsy, dropping weapons while your legs give out beneath you.
gnawed in the wall and flees. This is the transformed drude
that invaded Wieland’s dreams. Ordinarily, the drude would
After this familiar scene, the dream changes tenor as the trapped vanish too quickly for the PCs to catch them and would head
mind of Gislin intrudes upon the PCs’ sleep, having been drawn to back to Gislin’s farmstead. However, if a quick-thinking PC
new dreamers in the vicinity. It is a brief but unsettling intrusion. acts decisively, you could allow the PC to prevent the drude’s
escape, in which case the drude takes on a vaguely human
Read or paraphrase the following aloud: guise and fights (see Drude profile, page 49). Once the drude
is defeated, characters with a Religion focus or a Germanic
47
Chapter 4 - Rude Awakening (Adventure)
Will 11 battle without armor and with minimal clothing to show their
fearlessness and rattle their opponents’ morale. They add +1
Courage resistance (included above) and can use their Courage
to defend against both physical and mental stress.
48
Chapter 4 - Rude Awakening (Adventure)
Drude Skills and Focuses
Fighting 1, Observation 3 (Instincts), Persuasion 2, Resilience 1,
Trooper NPC Stealth 2, Survival 1 (Tracking)
Druden are a particularly evil and malicious form of spirit
that can lurk within nightmares and mold them, making Stress 6 Injuries 1
them exceptionally terrifying. Germanic folktales describe
Armor 0 Courage 1
druden as shapeshifting goblins from the underworld who
feed on fear and delight in nothing more than causing
torment. They take on the shape of an animal or person,
Weapons and Attacks
infiltrate a home under cover of darkness, and metamorphose
Drudenfuss: (Melee Weapons), Reach 1, 4 Intense, Stun
into their true form. Then, they perch by the bedside or upon
the chest of a sleeper, invading their dreams and transforming Glimpse of Nightmares: (Mental Attack), Close range, 3
them into nightmares. Once they know their victim’s fears, Piercing 2
they can take limited control of their body—especially if their
target is an innocent who has not engaged in violence or Special Rules
war—and use it to commit seemingly random acts of simple Fearsome 2: The drude inspires fear. They can make mental
violence. When retreating after their foul deeds, or when attacks with +2 bonus damage and the Piercing 2 damage
lurking in search of new prey, they prefer to assume an animal effect (included above). In addition, the first time a character
or human shape. sees the drude, they must immediately pass a Will + Resilience
test with a difficulty of 2 or suffer mental damage as if from that
More knowledgeable Mystics know that druden are connected mental attack.
to the Dreamlands and are spawned by elder powers who draw
strength from the sort of deep dread found only in nightmares. Feed upon Fear: Whenever a character within Medium range
Where druden work their mischief, the boundary between the of a drude suffers a mental injury, they generate 2 Threat for the
waking and sleeping worlds becomes thin. GM’s Threat pool.
The true appearance of a drude is that of a spectral and Shapeshifter: By spending 3 Threat, a drude can assume the
disquieting humanoid whose body seems spun of spiderwebs form of a common animal or human. Noticing something
that gleam in the moonlight. Their faceless head features a single is unnatural or wrong with the drude’s disguise requires
dark, reflective orb where their eyes should be. More often they passing an Insight + Observation test with a difficulty of 4. If
are seen in animal form, though there is always something a character who succeeds has encountered druden before in
slightly misshapen or peculiar about their appearance, if similar forms, they can recognize the drude’s nature. Druden
examined closely. usually revert to their true form to attack.
49
Chapter 4 - Rude Awakening (Adventure)
The Sleepwalker encounter could be made more frightening and compelling if one of the PCs becomes the sleepwalker instead of
a village neighbor. It is not ordinarily possible for a drude to take control of a PC during their sleep, but with the affected player’s
permission, this can be ignored for this scene. See Limitations on GM Control over Player Characters for related rules. This alteration is
only recommended if you are an experienced GM and believe the players are comfortable with intragroup conflict.
If you plan to do this, be sure to speak to the selected player before the game to ask if they would be willing to play this out when the
time comes. You can discuss the scene in general terms, indicating it will include an attack on other PCs while the player’s character
is sleepwalking. In their nightmare, they will not see the other PCs but will instead see them as some other dangerous threat. Suggest
how the character should behave and establish the conditions in which they will revert to normal. If the player isn’t comfortable
with this, use the suggested NPC instead.
After the fight, allow the affected PC to quickly remove any stress gained during the encounter before continuing with the
adventure. In this version of the encounter, the other PCs may have the chance to see a transformed drude in the hall where they
have been sleeping, in the guise of a bird or rodent; the drude attempts to flee by flying or scurrying away as soon as the PC breaks
from the nightmare.
Certain spells and supernatural abilities let the GM take control of a PC for a duration during which they do the bidding of an
adversary instead of determining their own actions. This does not give the GM carte blanche over the PC’s actions. Loss of control
over one’s person can be an intensely difficult subject for players who have endured similar loss of control in the real world; take
care to ensure that the player of a targeted PC is comfortable with the areas of control one of these powers has before using it
on that PC. In particular, the target of such powers cannot be compelled to take any action that would be immediately harmful
to them or that involves any sexual element, even mild flirtation. Most commonly, such powers should be utilized for narrow,
specific actions, such as attacking a nearby ally or otherwise hindering the PC group in the context of a battle.
At some point, the PCs will have heard enough to determine Berserkers, pages 37 and 48) instead of additional cultists
that Gislin’s farmstead is at the center of these strange (Cultist Protectors, page 46). If the PCs approach Gislin’s
doings, and they might be aware a cult has sprung up and is farmstead during the day instead of the night, you can increase
in possession of the place. If a character has been particularly the difficulty of Stealth-based tests and the number of active
diligent in taking care of wounded NPCs or has shown cultists outside the farmstead.
particular concern for other involuntary victims of the druden,
award them a Fortune point. Remember to remove 1 point of Momentum from the players’
Momentum pool (if it has any) as the scene ends. Tell your
The PCs need to determine how they intend to approach players that the next scene has started and they may remove
Gislin’s farmstead and discuss any precautions they wish any stress their characters have accumulated.
to take. If it is still the same day they arrived in Lupford,
night should be falling soon (if it hasn’t already), which can
facilitate a stealthy approach. However, this could also make
it more likely that druden are already at work haunting the
dreams of sleepers. This allows you to spend Threat to bring
in reinforcements (see Threat, page 18) that are possessed
villagers (Dream-Frenzied Villagers and Dream-Frenzied
50
Chapter 4 - Rude Awakening (Adventure)
51
Scene Three: Gislin’s Farmstead (D)
Chapter 4 - Rude Awakening
A light rain will have started as the PCs head toward Gislin’s
i
Gain entry to the manor.
farmstead, making the atmosphere drearier and slightly impairing
visibility. This Light Rain truth may not affect their actions much
i
Enter the cellars leading to the tunnels below the
if the PCs approach under cover of darkness at night, but during
farmstead.
the day, it increases the difficulty of Insight + Observation and
Reason + Observation tests by +1 while they are outside. The
Scene Truth muddy conditions also make it easier for both PCs and their
adversaries to track targets, reducing the difficulty of related
Insight + Survival tests by 1 (the Tracking focus applies). The Light
This scene has the following truth:
Rain truth could also come into play in other ways, such as by
creating slippery conditions for attempts to climb trees or walls.
i
Light Rain
Additionally, the PCs might find creative ways to use this truth to
their advantage. For further information, see Truths, page 14.
52
HOME IS WHERE THE to use. You can use complications to make the tests more
53
THE BARN Any of the animals here could be shapechanged druden, though
Chapter 4 - Rude Awakening
most should be what they seem. Other druden can descend from
Read the following aloud, paraphrasing as needed:
the loft (initially in the shape of crows) or enter from outside.
If you use this as a meaningful attack instead of a jump scare,
S
deploy as many attacking druden as there are PCs. They are not
everal domesticated animals populate this barn,
especially concerned about self-preservation; they will re-form in
including a half-dozen cattle, four pigs, and seven goats,
the Dreamlands if dispatched.
penned in different areas. The pens also contain a variety
of implements for feeding and caring for these creatures, as
If the PCs have already engaged in several fights or faced druden,
well as some rusted farming tools, including an old plow
you can omit this combat. While they are frightening, regular
gathering dust near the door. A nearby ladder leads up to a
druden are most dangerous when harnessing the nightmares
small loft for the dry storage of hay.
of sleepers and are less formidable in direct combat. It might be
enough tension to have the PCs sneak up on and subdue one or two
Your eye is drawn to a bloodstained section, with a low
cultists who are feeding the animals or readying one for butchering.
table set aside for butchery against the far wall. The unused
remains of a recent carcass are piled in the corner, gathering
a swarm of flies. The smell of animals and manure mixes The Loft
with the distinct tang of spilled blood. Looking at the animals If a PC decides to investigate the loft, they may learn some crucial
here, you get a strange feeling that something isn’t entirely clues. At first glance, it seems nothing is amiss: just piles of hay and
right about them. They stand still and glassy-eyed, making bird droppings. Climbing all the way up to look around gives a PC the
fewer noises than you would expect, staring at you listlessly. chance to hear a muffled sob and find an emaciated figure curled up
in a ball, huddled in the far corner and half covered in hay.
If the PCs have not directly encountered any druden yet, this
i
Occasional meaningless and fearful babbling: “No!” “I can’t
sleep, but I must.” “Am I awake?” “Stay back! I know what you are.”
may be a good time to reveal them (use the Drude profile, page
“The crows, it’s the crows. They watch me. They peck at my dreams.”
49). The attack should be staged to heighten the disquiet of
“It is so cold there, along the shores of the black lake.”
what might be a PC’s first direct brush with overtly supernatural
creatures. If the PCs split up to investigate parts of the barn or
are distracted by subduing a cultist here, druden can attack one
i
Showing Eckbert kindness and giving him something to eat
allows him to calm down briefly and prompts additional
who is isolated, preferably starting with a non-combat-oriented
phrases, though he still does not answer questions directly
character. As an added “trap,” a drude could urge a slumbering
and seems not to hear the PCs. It is as though he is having a
and dreaming animal to strike with horns or hooves during the
conversation with himself. “It is the brothers who spawn these
druden attack, perhaps blindsiding their target. This takes the
nightmares.” “Two brothers born in the wrong order. An invitation for
form of a situational truth, Frenzied Animals, which increases
jealousy and betrayal.” “Gislin is gone, though his body walks. I have
test difficulties during the fight.
54
seen him in my nightmares, lost like I am.” “If freed, maybe he would Intruders coming through the main entrance must talk
Multiple cultists are always present here: as many as eight in the This is one way to accelerate the adventure, jumping straight
day or half that at night, engaged variously in eating, drinking, to Scene Four. It results in a brief conversation with the
talking, praying, or serving as an audience for the extortion or possessed Gislin, who is arrogant, condescending, and
questioning of villagers who have been dragged here. Ordinarily threatening. Ingolf is enraged at the intrusion and soon
the possessed Gislin would supervise such audiences, but at the interrupts the conversation, launching an attack. Romilda
moment he is with Ingolf in the tunnels below, where a ritual joins the fray, but the PCs get to avoid facing the manor’s
is underway. The brothers have been scarce for days, leaving other cultists.
the cult to Ingolf’s primary lieutenant, who handles extorting
villagers in his stead. This is a heavyset and powerfully built On a failed test, Romilda refuses the PCs’ request and
woman named Romilda, whom the other cultists fear and threatens them with violence if they do not leave at once.
obey. She is fanatically loyal to Ingolf, having been raised as a They can either fight the cultists in the main hall or withdraw
bodyguard for his family. At his direction, she helped subdue and choose another course of action.
Gislin for the rite that resulted in Gislin’s current predicament.
55
Sleeping Areas
Chapter 4 - Rude Awakening
56
If the PCs descend the stairs to the cellar, read or paraphrase the Each PC suffers 2[CD] mental damage from a mental attack. This
A
stress track. This damage is intended primarily to give the players
lit torch gutters by a thick door at the bottom of the
a sense of foreboding and urgency. They have entered an area rife
steps. The door opens onto a musty cellar, which is dimly
with dangerous supernatural energies, affected by the rites Ingolf
illuminated by a lit brazier set into the far wall. Adjacent
and the possessed Gislin have been performing.
to the brazier is a crude opening into a shadowy tunnel.
The cellar’s poor condition reflects that of the manor, and
Allow a character with a Religion focus to attempt an Insight +
it appears to have been rarely used for its original purpose.
Academia test with a difficulty of 2 (the Religion focus applies).
You see broken casks that may once have held wine or other
On a success, they sense that some significant supernatural event
liquids, and a couple of sacks of mealy lumps that might have
is happening nearby, possibly an unholy ritual that has reached a
been potatoes.
key threshold.
57
Scene Four: Master Dreams
Chapter 4 - Rude Awakening
of
There are no hostile encounters in the tunnels, but you
Scene Objectives can increase the tension with jump scares or descriptive
embellishments reinforcing the foreboding and unnatural
The objectives for this scene are: atmosphere of this place. As the PCs enter one portion of
the tunnel, their torch might gutter low, its flames changing
i
Get to the ritual chamber. to a green hue just as a swarm of large insects scurries
before them, disappearing into holes along the wall. Several
i
Interfere with the ritual before it is completed. PCs might experience audible or visual hallucinations,
such as a whispered voice speaking an unknown tongue in
i
Make a choice about what to do with the brothers. their ear, only for the listener to turn and see no one there.
Or their own long shadows cast by the torch might seem to
shift and change into something monstrous before their
ENTERING THE NIGHTMARE eyes. The tunnel might seem to stretch to infinity such that
their walking has taken them nowhere. Another PC might
The tunnels below the farmstead are not extensive;
feel an itching sensation and think the skin on their left
regardless of which entrance the PCs use, the passages
arm and hand has become scaled, but when they scratch at
descend with just a couple twists and turns to a central
it, realize their skin is normal. Aspects of nightmares have
chamber, where the brothers are engaged in a baleful ritual.
begun to encroach on reality here. Suggest to the PCs that it
From this main chamber, tunnels connect to the cellar in
is hard not to wonder whether they are awake or asleep.
the manor; to a ladder that leads up to a trapdoor in the
barn (which is time consuming and noisy to open from
Soon they reach the thick door to the ritual chamber, and
below, if the PCs did not come from that direction, as it has
they hear muffled, rhythmic chanting beyond. The air has
a heavy bench sitting on top of it); and, starting at the other
grown noticeably colder, the PCs’ breath forming a visible
side of the ritual chamber, to a natural cave opening onto
mist. The door’s surface feels slick with some thin, slimy layer.
the bank of a dried-up stream closer to the village. The rock
It is stuck fast and initially resists opening. It is not locked
walls of this place and the odd turns and bends suggest
but is imperfectly built; the strange temperatures provoked
some portions of the tunnels may have been natural, though
by rituals here have warped the wood, so it rests askew on
clear evidence of tool marks indicates where they were
its hinges. Passing a simple Brawn + Athletics test with a
expanded and where effort was made to smooth the path
difficulty of 1 suffices to force it, though this requires enough
and buttress the ceiling. Unless the PCs bring a light, the
effort that the person performing the test stumbles into the
tunnels are pitch dark until they near the ritual chamber,
room as the door flies open, making their entrance obvious.
which is closed behind a thick door but emits light from a
crack beneath.
Ingolf crept through the tunnels below their home, a route well familiar despite having been forbidden. His brother
avoided this place, eschewed just as he had his birthright, but he was still careful. He was about to commit an act his
forebears would have deemed sacrilege. He imagined their spirits around him, balefully watching on, disapproving.
He reached the chamber of the buried well and, with effort, pushed aside the thick wooden planks laid across its
yawning opening. He set his candles in place around its perimeter and began to speak profane prayers while he sliced
open his palm and let drops of his blood fall within. “Laogoth-Ur, I call to you, in Oriab across the waters. Come
to me, your true inheritor. I would bargain with you.”
58
THE RITUAL CHAMBER If the PCs witnessed Gislin manifesting in their dreams while
59
As this battle is engaged, you can put to use any Threat you You can also use Threat to perform other actions during this
have pooled. You can use Threat in the same way players use scene, such as summoning reinforcements (see Threat, page 18):
Momentum (see Momentum, page 17). The following may be
particularly useful: i
2 Threat summons three more cultist protectors or druden
as Trooper NPC reinforcements (normally, 1 Threat summons
i
2 Threat lets you Keep the Initiative, allowing an NPC to act one Trooper NPC; this scenario increases that ratio slightly).
immediately after another one does. They enter through the doorway behind the brothers. (See the
Cultist Protector and Drude profiles, pages 46 and 49.)
i
1 Threat generates a truth that is beneficial to the cultists, such
as a swirling cloud of Strange Mist that obscures Ingolf or
Gislin, increasing the difficulty of all ranged attacks directed
at them by +1.
60
Chapter 4 - Rude Awakening
Ingolf, the Dream Master Detestable Sleep: Will + Persuasion, difficulty 2, cost 5
Drain and each effect [ ] rolled on the cost generates 1 Threat
Toughened NPC
Ingolf was once nothing more than the jealous younger son of Duration: Instant
a particularly fortunate Germanic family in Lupford, but as a
youth he discovered the occult traditions of his ancestors and Spell Effect: Control spell. A single creature within Medium
aspired to gain this power for himself. Despite his efforts, the range takes power +1 mental damage with the Persistent
mystic arts eluded him. He eventually learned that initiation 5 damage effect. If the target would otherwise suffer 1 or more
into his family traditions would only be bestowed upon the heir injuries from this spell—either from its initial damage or from
to the line, his brother Gislin, who then had the gall to refuse the Persistent damage—they instead fall into an immediate and
this gift. Ingolf did not accept his destiny and went to great deep slumber (they do not suffer any injuries); on the target’s
lengths to contact the source of his family’s power, a creature next turn, the spellcaster spawns a drude (page 49) in the same
of nightmares named Laogoth-Ur. Ingolf hatched a selfish zone as the target.
scheme to take his brother’s place, offering his mind, body, and
soul to Laogoth-Ur. At the time of the events described herein, Momentum
Ingolf has yet to complete the rites to fully awaken his stolen iFor 2 Momentum, both the initial damage and the
Persistent damage gain the Piercing 1 effect.
power, but he has been augmented beyond his previous limits,
iFor every 2 Momentum spent, the spell affects one
becoming a dangerous adversary and formidable sorcerer. additional target.
Power: 5
Momentum
iFor 2 Momentum, increase the difficulty of all tests to resist
Stress 15 Injuries 2 the spell’s effects.
Armor 3 Courage 3 iFor 1 Momentum, increase the damage the spell inflicts by
+1 per Momentum spent.
Weapons and Armor i
For 2 Momentum, add the Piercing 1 damage effect.
Special Rules
Duration: Instant
Menacing: Ingolf’s mere presence is an ill omen. When he first
appears in a scene, he generates 1 Threat for the GM’s Threat pool.
Spell Effect: Attack spell. All enemies within Close range suffer
power +1 mental damage with the Piercing 1 and Vicious
Spells and Rituals
damage effects.
Ingolf is a spellcaster who uses Will to cast spells. He knows the
following spells from the spellbook of the Sleeper of N’kai.
Momentum
iFor 2 Momentum, add the Persistent 4 damage effect; the
Persistent damage also has the Stun damage effect.
61
THE FINAL Meanwhile, Ingolf is finishing preparing the urn for the last
Chapter 4 - Rude Awakening
CONFRONTATION stage of the ritual. He intends to pour the blood of his slain
brother into the urn, tip his body into the well, and then
Mystic characters who pass an Insight + Observation test with a
drink the blood to inherit Gislin’s legacy. Ingolf finishes
difficulty of 3 (the Instincts focus applies) observe wispy tendrils
preparing the urn in two rounds, during which he uses his
of mystical energy leading out of the well to both Gislin and
minor action to move to an area with cover. He attempts to
Ingolf. (Later, when Laogoth-Ur rises from the well, the tendrils
shield the urn from any attacks.
can be seen to connect that entity to the brothers.)
62
Chapter 4 - Rude Awakening
Laogoth-Ur Weapons and Armor
Drudenfuss: (Melee Weapons), Reach 1, 5 Intense, Stun
Toughened NPC
Glimpse of Nightmares: (Mental Attack), Close range, 6
Laogoth-Ur is an ancient spirit who escaped from the dreams
Piercing 3
of a long-extinct species circling a star far from Earth. They are
a parasitic entity that feasts on nightmares and are particularly
Special Rules
nourished by fear, panic, and despair. One of the eldest
Fearsome 3: Laogoth-Ur inspires fear. They can make mental
inhabitants of the Oily Sea and known to haunt the shores of
attacks with +3 bonus damage and the Piercing 3 damage
Oriab, Laogoth-Ur is credited as the parent of all druden. This
effect (included above). In addition, the first time a character
entity should have expired long ago but survives by sealing
sees Laogoth-Ur, the character must immediately pass a Will +
pacts with greedy occultists who are heedless of the harm
Resilience test with a difficulty of 3 or suffer mental damage as if
their schemes inflict. These arrangements are self-consuming,
from that mental attack.
as Laogoth-Ur eventually banishes the soul of each such
supplicant to the Dreamlands, devours their mind, and then Feed upon Fear: Whenever a character within Medium range of
possesses the hollowed-out body in order to walk among their Laogoth-Ur suffers a mental injury, they generate 2 Threat for the
adoring cultists. Wherever Laogoth-Ur enters the waking world, GM’s Threat pool.
they bring druden and other nightmare creatures.
Shapeshifter: By spending 3 Threat, Laogoth-Ur can assume
the form of a common animal or human. Noticing something
Truths
is unnatural or wrong with Laogoth-Ur’s disguise requires
i
Inhabitant of the Oily Sea
passing an Insight + Observation test with a difficulty of 4. If a
i
Shapeshifting Dream Demon
character who succeeds has encountered druden or Laogoth-Ur
Attributes before in similar forms, they can recognize Laogoth-Ur’s nature.
Agility 9 Gravitas 10 Laogoth-Ur usually reverts to their true form to attack.
“ Best not to rely on miracles. The gods’ve got their hands full
and smile on those who look to their own. But sometimes, if I
ask nicely, I can borrow a bit of their power.”
– Egino, Who Sees the Hidden - Germanic Priest of Tiwaz
63
Chapter 4 - Rude Awakening
64
CONCLUSION Allow any occultists or Mystics in the PC group to grasp that Gislin
65
Chapter 5
Chapter 5 - Pregenerated Characters
PREGENERATED
PLAYER CHARACTERS
Egino, Who Sees the as an elder of his tribe and has been involved in a number
Hidden (he) of important meetings regarding its well-being. Recent
years have been difficult for his people, as their villages
Germanic Priest of Tiwaz (Mystic) have been afflicted with some sort of curse, which Egino has
Born of the Bructeri tribe, Egino is a true holy man who been desperate but so far unable to solve. He suspects some
reveres many Germanic gods but is especially devoted to nefarious cult might be behind this misfortune.
Tiwaz, known to some as Tyr. Egino is an older man, in his
late fifties, and has served his people for his entire life, being Though he might have been more physically formidable in his
descended from a noted lineage famed for its memorable youth, Egino has since become a somewhat frail older man,
Mystics, including Egino’s father. Egino has been recognized one who is not particularly well suited for battle or strife.
Nevertheless, he has true mystical power achieved through
prayers to his gods and the power of runecraft. Exhibiting a
noble demeanor and being both well-spoken and persuasive,
Egino has been able to solve most of the challenges facing him
with the help of his quick wit and silver tongue. Versed in some
of the healing arts, he has spent time easing the suffering of
others, earning him more friends than enemies. He has come
to the Laurium region hoping to find allies and information
that might prevent the doom of his people.
Truths
i
Germanic Tribe (Bructeri)
i
Child of Greatness
i
Tribal Elder (Politician)
i
I Have a Secret
Attributes
Agility 6 Gravitas 11
Brawn 6 Insight 10
Coordination 7 Reason 10
Will 11
66
Background: Politician
Talents
Cool under Pressure (Medicine): When the situation gets tough, you take a deep breath and get the job done. When you make
a Medicine-based test, you may spend a Fortune point to automatically pass that skill test, but you generate no Momentum.
Envy and Attention: You hold considerable status in society, and while that comes with numerous benefits, it can cause
challenges and complications to arise as well. You cannot move around unnoticed easily, and those who wish to see your
downfall or to usurp your position conspire against you. The GM begins each adventure with +2 additional Threat to represent
these potential problems. This talent cannot be retrained unless you lose your position as a member of the Noble caste.
Gods Guide You: Witnessing the actions of fate and the gods in everything, you can guide the hands of your comrades
toward the ordained order. You are a spellcaster (see Magic, page 28). Additionally, once per round as a reaction, you can
generate 2 Threat for the GM’s Threat pool to assist an ally when that ally takes an Attack major action or makes a Reason +
Academia test.
Silver Tongued: You’re blessed with a silver tongue, allowing you to influence people to adopt your views quickly and
effectively. When you attempt to sway someone to your way of thinking or haggle over the price of an item, you reduce the
difficulty of your Persuasion-based test by 1.
Unyielding: You are made of sterner stuff than most. You increase your maximum stress by +3 (included above).
67
Spells
Chapter 5 - Pregenerated Characters
Bounty of Baldr
This powerful Runic shield is associated with Algiz, the rune of protection, and draws on the power of Baldr, most beloved of all
the Æsir. The rune seems to cloak its targets in mystical armor, giving them immunity from most harm: accurate shots narrowly
miss their mark, damage dissipates, and the efficacy of malign forces greatly diminishes under this rune’s protective influence.
Skill: Resilience Spell Effect: Ward spell. While this spell remains in effect, any
attacks against the spellcaster or any of the spellcaster’s allies
Difficulty: 2
within Close range of the caster increase in difficulty by +2.
Cost: 3 Drain
Momentum
Duration: A number of rounds equal to the spellcaster’s
power rating
i
All affected characters gain +X Cover resistance, where X is
the amount of Momentum spent.
Curse of Loki
The prince of tricksters is an appropriate patron for the spellseer. The spellseer draws upon Nauthiz, the rune of shadow, to sow
confusion and dread in an enemy’s ranks. Any enemy unit, character, or creature afflicted by the Curse of Loki is plagued by terrifying
visions of giants and monsters, of fell creatures and foul entities from the icy wastes, sent to bewilder, mislead, and demoralize them.
Skill: Persuasion Flawed: A flawed version of this spell affects all creatures
within range, not just all enemies. Note: flawed spells are not
Difficulty: 2
covered in the Quickstart Rules and Adventure.
Cost: 5 Drain; in addition, each damage effect [ ] rolled
Momentum
on the cost generates 1 Threat for the GM’s Threat pool
i
For 2 Momentum, add the Persistent 6 damage effect to the
Duration: Instant damage.
Ravens of Wodan
Weaving the symbol of the rune Ansuz, the spellseer invokes the powers of the Allfather: Wodan, the hanged god, lord of battle,
and consort of Frigg, who sends his twin ravens, Huginn and Muninn, to fortify his allies with the spirit of the brave warriors
battling eternally in Valhalla. Allies who channel the Ravens of Wodan become resistant to fear and terror. They fight with
greater determination, vigor, and valor, performing heroic deeds upon the battlefield.
Difficulty: 2
i
For 2 Momentum, each affected allied target inflicts +2
damage on all melee attacks they make.
Cost: 4 Drain, Piercing 1
68
Akusaa (she) Akusaa is polite and well-spoken, though prone to conversing
Attributes
Agility 6 Gravitas 9
Brawn 6 Insight 11
Coordination 9 Reason 11
Will 10
Stress 11
Injuries 3
Armor 0 Courage 2
Caste: Outcast
Resources: 0
Background: Scholar
69
Chapter 5 - Pregenerated Characters
Talents
Applied Knowledge: The knowledge you have accumulated gives you bursts of insight to deal with unexpected challenges.
Once per scene, you may use Academia in place of another skill when you make a skill test, and you count as having an
appropriate focus for that test.
Fade Away: Once per scene as a minor action, you can generate 2 Threat for the GM’s Threat pool to slip from sight. If you do
so, you cannot be the target of an attack (other than attacks with the Area damage effect) until the start of your next turn.
If you are behind heavy cover (such as a large tree trunk or short stone wall) when you use this talent, you do not need to
generate Threat.
Foreboding Survival: Every so often, it feels like you narrowly avoid disaster thanks to an unknown guiding hand. How you
avoid these fates is unknown, but bad luck seems to befall those around you. Once per session when you are dealt an injury,
you may generate 3 Threat for the GM’s Threat pool in order to avoid suffering that injury. At the GM’s discretion, you may
receive opportunities to avoid other misfortune as well in exchange for generating 3 Threat.
Vero Nihil Verius: You have a keen eye that can spot the truth of a matter. Whenever you make a skill test to detect danger
or hidden enemies, reduce the difficulty by 1.
Writ in Stone: Your homeland is known for its long history, some of which is etched into stone on the faces of ancient walls.
When you make an Academia-based test to recall a bit of relevant history or lore, you can re-roll any dice that fail to produce
a success.
Weapons
Cudgel: (Melee Weapons), Reach 2, 3 Stun
70
Cossus Atrius Thamugadus Cossus is young but has seen some real action and has
Attributes
Agility 9 Gravitas 7
Brawn 11 Insight 10
Coordination 9 Reason 7
Will 8
Stress 15
Injuries 4
Armor 5 Courage 0
Caste: Plebian
Resources: 2
71
Chapter 5 - Pregenerated Characters
Talents
Alea Lacta Est (“The die is cast”): Once per scene when an NPC suffers a complication, you can use this talent to increase the
Threat cost to cancel the complication to 4 Threat.
Iron Hide: You possess great fortitude and can bear horrible injuries without showing it. For the purpose of increasing your
complication range, you ignore the first injury suffered. In addition, you are defeated after suffering 4 injuries instead of 3.
Legionary Training: You may re-roll one d20 on any Fighting-based test you make with a spear, gladius, or pilum, though
the second result stands.
Skin of Your Teeth: You have a knack for (just barely) avoiding the worst injuries. Once per scene, you may spend a Fortune
point when you are dealt an injury, in order to avoid suffering that injury.
72
Gerfrid (she) While she does not like to talk about it, Gerfrid has been
Attributes
Agility 8 Gravitas 7
Brawn 8 Insight 11
Coordination 9 Reason 7
Will 8
Stress 10
Injuries 3
Armor 2 Courage 6
Caste: Freedman
Resources: 2
Background: Nomadic
73
Chapter 5 - Pregenerated Characters
Talents
Eye for Weakness: You are able to spot vulnerabilities in your quarry’s defenses, natural or otherwise. When you spend
Momentum to Obtain Information (ask the GM a question; see Common Uses for Momentum, page 17) in order to study a
creature or enemy, until the end of the scene, your attacks targeting that creature gain the Piercing 1 damage effect or deal
+1 if your weapon already has the Piercing effect.
Keen Eyed: Your eyesight is as sharp as an eagle’s. The increased difficulty of Perception checks for zones beyond Close is
reduced by 1, and you can increase the effective range of your ranged weapons by one zone, to a maximum of Extreme range.
Numb to the Horrors: For some reason, blood, death, and violence don’t affect you mentally. You increase your Courage
resistance by +6, but you cannot add any other source of Courage resistance. You may re-roll 1d20 on any skill test to
determine whether you gain a mental scar. Note: Mental scars are not covered in the Quickstart Rules. However, others find
your distant manner off-putting, increasing the complication range of all Persuasion-based tests you make by +1.
Woodwise: When you are in the woodlands of Germania, the number of successes required for any test you make to find
food or shelter, to navigate, or to travel in the forest is reduced by 1. This can even reduce tests to a difficulty of 0, usually an
automatic success.
74
Herodion (he) quite willing to take advantage of situations to ensure his
Attributes
Agility 9 Gravitas 10
Brawn 9 Insight 8
Coordination 9 Reason 8
Will 8
Stress 11
Injuries 3
Armor 1 Courage 0
Caste: Plebian
Resources: 2
Background: Urchin
75
Chapter 5 - Pregenerated Characters
Talents
Bizarre Insight: Your mind often shows you glimpses of things you couldn’t otherwise know. Once per scene, you may
generate 1 Threat for the GM’s Threat pool to Obtain Information (ask the GM a question; see Common Uses for Momentum,
page 17) without succeeding on a skill test.
Et Tu?: You know the best method of attack is with an open hand in front and a dagger clenched behind your back. When
you have made a successful Persuasion-based skill test to influence or deceive an enemy during a scene, if you make a
successful surprise attack against them (see Surprise Attack, page 25), you may roll +1 on that attack for every effect
[ ]; effects [ ] rolled on these additional dice do not themselves produce additional .
Practiced Listener: Your homeland is rife with the great thinkers of the age, each with their own unique perspective on truth.
Hearing their words in the streets of Greece and at the forum has given you a keen mind for insight. When performing an
Insight-based test to determine the honesty of someone speaking, you may re-roll each d20 that fails to result in a success.
Suspicious: You are suspicious of everything and everyone. You treat every suspicious character (or suspect thicket of
brambles) like they might be a threat to your life. In the first round of combat, any hostile character who targets you with an
attack before your turn increases the difficulty of their action by +1.
Weapons
Dagger: (Melee Weapons), Reach 1, 3 Piercing 1, Hidden,
Subtle
76
Verodu (they, she, he) but Verodu is happy in their own skin, and feels no particular
Stress 12
Injuries 3
Armor 4 Courage 1
Caste: Outcast
Resources: 0
Background: Criminal
77
Chapter 5 - Pregenerated Characters
Talents
Call of the Reef: Your strange inheritance lets you move within the water as though born to it. You reduce the difficulty of
Athletics-based tests to swim by 1, to a minimum of 0. Additionally, you can stay underwater for prolonged periods of time,
up to ten minutes, without suffering any adverse effects.
Cunning Fighter: When you fight, you use every dirty trick at your disposal, from throwing sand in your opponent’s eyes
to kicking them in the mentula. When an enemy attempts a melee attack against you and fails to inflict any stress, they
lose their Guard (see Reach and Guard, page 25) on your next attack against them. If your next attack targeting that enemy is
successful, the attack inflicts a number of extra equal to your Athletics skill.
Fade Away: Once per scene as a minor action, you can generate 2 Threat for the GM’s Threat pool in order to slip from sight.
You cannot be the target of an attack (other than attacks with the Area damage effect) until the start of your next turn. If you
are in heavy cover (such as a large tree trunk or short stone wall) when you use this talent, you do not need to generate Threat.
Low Profile: When you gain Cover resistance, increase the total resistance gained by +1.
Undergoing All Dangers: Some claim that the people of Gaul burn down their own homes prior to migration to destroy
any hope of returning home, compelling them to face every hardship. You begin the game with +1 Courage resistance
(included above).
“I go where the waters and laden purses take me. They are
the current that keeps this vessel afloat. Besides, in my
trade, it’s a good idea to keep moving.”
– Verodu - Gaulish Smuggler and Bandit
78
Chapter 6
• Assistance: One or more players roll a single d20 each, using a • Roll Challenge Dice indicated by weapon or attack. Number
target number of their own attribute + skill. Each success is added of gladii [ ] + effects [ ] rolled = stress dealt.
to the main skill test’s successes, provided that test scores at least • Determine Resistance: Total Armor + Cover resistance for
one success. physical attacks, or Courage + Morale resistance for mental
• Momentum: Players may buy up to three additional d20s. The first attacks. Reduce stress received by that amount.
costs 1 Momentum, the second 2, the third 3. • Inflict Stress: Add remaining stress to target’s stress track and
• Threat: Players add to the GM’s Threat pool to buy up to three check for injuries (see Injuries, page 24).
additional d20s. The first d20 adds 1 Threat, the second 2, the third 3. • Inflict Effects: Effect [ ] results rolled trigger weapon or
• Fortune: Players spend a Fortune point to set 1d20 to a 1 instead of attack’s damage effects (see Damage Effects, page 26).
rolling it, generating two automatic successes.
• Talents: Some talents grant bonus d20s in specific circumstances. Injuries (page 24)
These still count toward the d20 purchase maximum. A character sustains an injury if :
• They suffer 5 or more stress from a single attack after reduction
Opposed Tests (page 14) for resistance.
Each of the two players makes a skill test with a base difficulty of 1. • Their stress track becomes filled.
• They have a full stress track and suffer further stress.
• Active Character Succeeds, Reactive Character Fails: Only the
active character achieves their goal. If two or more of these circumstances occur at the same time, they
• Active Character Fails, Reactive Character Succeeds: Only the may sustain multiple injuries.
reactive character achieves their goal (of resisting the active
character). Some tests have an additional benefit for this character. Conflict Momentum Spends (page 22)
• Both Characters Fail: The active character fails, and the reactive
In addition to Common Uses for Momentum the following are
character gains no additional benefit.
• Both Characters Succeed: The skill test with the higher available in combat:
Momentum wins. That character achieves their goal but loses 1 • Bonus Damage: Each Momentum spent adds +1 to attack’s
Momentum for each Momentum their opponent scored. Loser damage before player rolls . Maximum of +3 .
cannot spend Momentum. In a tie, active character wins but loses • Confidence: Each Momentum spent adds +1 Morale resistance until
all Momentum generated. start of character’s next turn. Maximum of +3.
• Minor Action: For 1 Momentum, character may take one additional
Common Uses for Momentum (page 17) minor action during their turn.
• Buy d20s: Before a skill test, buy bonus d20s for that test. The first • Secondary Target: For 2 Momentum, an additional target within
d20 costs 1 Momentum, the second 2, the third 3. Reach of primary target is also affected by attack, suffering its
• Create a Truth: For 2 Momentum, establish, create, or remove a full effects.
truth. The truth must relate to the skill test the character just passed.
79
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CLASSIC PULP WW2 OCCULT ADVENTURE
SCAN ME
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Raise a Gladius
Against the Gods!
Cohors Cthulhu is a roleplaying game of Lovecraftian cosmic
horror set against a backdrop of epic heroism, intrigue, and strife
during the height of the Roman Empire. This Quickstart Guide
has everything you need to plunge into this world and experience
its struggles firsthand, featuring an abridged summary of its
2d20 System rules and six pre-generated PC characters ready to
experience the included adventure.
Far from the Eternal City, deep in the forests of a hostile frontier, unravel
the mystery of a village overcome by nightmares its people are forced to
reenact on the waking world. Without the support of a Roman column,
cast into a strange land, will you survive with your sanity intact? Only
those with strength, cunning, and ambition dare enter the woods to
confront this... Rude Awakening.
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