ii

CREDITS
Artifacts & Adventure: Modern-Day Treasure Hunters. Beta v1.0.0

Questions? Comments? Typos? Please contact me at my email or blog.

Email: offbrandgandalf@gmail.com
Blog: https://offbrandgandalf.wordpress.com

Writing & Layout

Jayme Antrim

(Credit to Richard Woolcock for a great deal of the “Full Rules” text.)

Playtesting
Angelina, Kyle

Legalese
Artifacts & Adventure: Modern-Day Treasure Hunters © 2022 Jayme Antrim.
All rights reserved.
Based on Tricube Tales by Richard Woolcock
(https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/294202/Tricube-Tales)
The full text (but not any of the artwork) of the “Core Rules” and “Full
Rules” sections (pages 2-17), and only those sections, are covered under a
CC BY 3.0 license.
Tricube dice symbol on cover by Lorc, available from https://game-
icons.net under the CC BY 3.0 license
Some artwork (cover art) © 2015 Dean Spencer, used with
permission. All rights reserved.
Publisher’s Choice Quality Stock Art © Rick Hershey / Fat Goblin
Games.
Six Sided Dice Font From Vulpinoid Studios.

Special Thanks
Thanks to Richard Woolcock for creating Tricube Tales, sharing it with the
world, and for answering all my questions.

Thanks to Angelina F. for making spreadsheets fun and for putting the “D” in
G.O.L.D.

Thanks to Jake A. for offering advice, opinions, and for coming up with
cunning.
 iii

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction ................................................................................................... 1
Game System ............................................................................................ 1
Requirements ............................................................................................ 1
A Note on d66 Tables ............................................................................... 1
Core Rules ...................................................................................................... 2
Character Creation .................................................................................... 2
Resolving Challenges................................................................................ 2
Karma and Resolve ................................................................................... 3
Running the Game ..................................................................................... 3
Full Rules........................................................................................................ 4
Character Creation .................................................................................... 4
Archetype............................................................................................... 4
Perks ...................................................................................................... 4
Quirks ..................................................................................................... 4
Karma & Resolve ................................................................................... 4
Gear ........................................................................................................ 5
Advancement ........................................................................................ 5
Challenges ................................................................................................. 5
Failure & Success.................................................................................. 5
Narrate the Outcome ............................................................................ 6
Defeat & Afflictions ............................................................................... 6
Recovery ................................................................................................ 7
Opposed Challenges ............................................................................. 7
NPC Confrontations .............................................................................. 7
Combat ...................................................................................................... 7
NPCs as Challenges ............................................................................. 7
Resolution .............................................................................................. 7
Example of Combat .............................................................................. 8
Full Combat ........................................................................................... 8
iv
Defeating Opponents ............................................................................ 9
Trappings............................................................................................... 9
Power Levels ......................................................................................... 9
Example Bestiary .................................................................................. 9
Archetypes ............................................................................................... 10
Examples ............................................................................................. 10
Combat Styles ..................................................................................... 11
Context is Important ........................................................................... 11
Perks ........................................................................................................ 11
A Deeper Look ..................................................................................... 12
Another Perspective ........................................................................... 12
Related Knowledge ............................................................................. 12
Assisting Allies .................................................................................... 13
Stacking Perks .................................................................................... 13
Quirks ....................................................................................................... 13
Complications ..................................................................................... 13
Fear .......................................................................................................... 13
Mounts & Minions ................................................................................... 14
Sieges & Battles ...................................................................................... 14
Indirect Battles .................................................................................... 14
Curses ...................................................................................................... 14
Removing Afflictions .......................................................................... 15
Gradual Decline ................................................................................... 15
Travel Montages ..................................................................................... 15
Chase Scenes .......................................................................................... 16
Quick Chase ........................................................................................ 16
Full Chase ............................................................................................ 17
Vehicles ................................................................................................... 17
Vehicles as Characters ....................................................................... 17
GM Advice .................................................................................................... 18
Session Zero ............................................................................................ 18
Safety Tools............................................................................................. 18
 v
Lines and veils ..................................................................................... 18
The X-Card System ............................................................................. 19
Pause for a Second ............................................................................. 19
Focus the Spotlight ................................................................................. 19
Adventure Design ........................................................................................ 20
Goal, Obstacle, Location, Deadline ........................................................ 20
Deadlines ............................................................................................. 20
Fill-in-the-Blank Scenario Design............................................................ 20
Railroads and Plotlines ........................................................................... 21
NPCs (Non-Player Characters) ................................................................... 22
The LAWs of NPCs.................................................................................. 22
NPC Motivations ..................................................................................... 22
Personality Affects Motivation .......................................................... 22
Tie Motivations to the PCs ................................................................. 23
Creating Memorable NPCs ..................................................................... 23
Portraying NPC Voices ........................................................................... 23
NPC Appearance Table........................................................................... 25
NPC Personality Table ............................................................................ 25
NPC Profession Table............................................................................. 26
Artifacts, Relics, & Treasure ....................................................................... 27
AB Object (Warfare) Table..................................................................... 28
CD Object (Mundane) Table .................................................................. 28
EF Object (Art/Decoration) Table ......................................................... 29
Object Material Table.............................................................................. 29
Object Descriptor Table .......................................................................... 30
Magical Properties Table........................................................................ 31
Historical Figures Table .......................................................................... 32
Exotic Locations .......................................................................................... 33
Describing Locations .............................................................................. 33
Avoid Second-Person Narration......................................................... 33
The Power of Names .............................................................................. 33
Historical City Table ................................................................................ 34
vi
Urban Location Table .............................................................................. 35
Wilderness Feature Table ....................................................................... 35
The Adventure Site ...................................................................................... 36
Ruins/Temple/Tomb Feature Table ...................................................... 36
Puzzles ......................................................................................................... 37
Environmental Puzzles ....................................................................... 37
Traps ............................................................................................................ 39
Temptation, Trigger & Teeth .............................................................. 39
Trap Table................................................................................................ 39
Appendix N, for Inspiration ......................................................................... 40
 1

INTRODUCTION
In Artifacts & Adventure, players take on the role of modern-day treasure
hunters who seek out lost and stolen relics, returning them to their rightful
owners. Some treasure hunters work for profit, others for a sense of
discovery, or simply because they believe recovering relics is the right thing to
do. Treasure hunting is a life of danger, excitement, and globe-trotting
adventure. While set in the real world, it’s not uncommon for adventures to
veer off into the fantastic, when the legends surrounding the power of these
artifacts prove to be true.

Game System
Artifacts & Adventure is a rules light tabletop roleplaying game. Players
portray a single treasure hunter or player character (PC), except for the game
moderator (GM) who creates scenarios, challenges, and portrays all the non-
player characters (NPCs).
Players roll up to three six-sided dice (“3d6”) to overcome challenges
with a difficulty of 4-6. If one or more dice meet or beat the difficulty, the
player’s character succeeds.
Artifacts & Adventure can double as a system-neutral toolkit. Use the
random tables to roll up NPCs, locations, fantastic artifacts, and even full
adventure scenarios for use with your system of choice.

Requirements
Each player needs 3d6, a pen or pencil, and scrap paper to write down the
one-sentence description that makes up their character sheet. They’ll also
need a way to track three points of karma and three points of resolve, either
using tokens—coins, candies, etc.—or just keep track of it on paper.
Artifacts & Adventure is an entirely self-contained game, based
heavily on Richard Woolcock’s Tricube Tales. No other books are required to
play, but for expanded rules and genre options, seek out the original Tricube
Tales and all its wonderful one-page settings.

A Note on d66 Tables

Throughout this book you’ll find “d66” tables with 36 entries. Roll 2d6 and
assign one d6 the “ones” place and the other the “tens” place. If you roll a 2
and a 6, look for table entry BF. If a result has two options, like River/Spring,
pick a favorite or roll a third dice to break the tie. On 1-3 take the first option,
on 4-6 take the second.
2

CORE RULES
Everything you need to play Artifacts & Adventure on two pages.

Character Creation
Each player creates a character as follows:
1. Choose a Trait.
Agile (used for reflexes, dexterity, stealth, and ranged combat), Brawny
(covers strength, vitality, athletics, and melee combat), or Cunning (covers
smarts, charm, alertness, and mental/social combat).
2. Select a Concept.
Concepts are often a profession, but can include other descriptors. Create
your own or pick one: Archeologist, interpreter, author, pilot, socialite,
mercenary, thief.
3. Pick a Perk.
Perks represent special talents, skills, professions, weapons, items, etc. You
begin with one perk of your choice. Create your own or pick one: Charming,
trusty machete, perceptive, wealthy, quick reflexes, scholar of the occult.
4. Select a Quirk.
Quirks represent hindrances, handicaps, and negative personality traits that
can make life difficult for the character. You begin with one quirk of your
choice, or pick one: Arrogant, poor eyesight, terrible liar, cowardly, bad
temper, greedy, clumsy.
5. Grab 3 karma tokens and 3 resolve tokens.
6. Make up a name, and introduce yourself to the group (e.g., “I’m
Nevada James, a brawny archeologist with a trusty whip who is afraid
of snakes.”)

Resolving Challenges
If a player attempts something risky, they roll 1-3 six-sided dice and must
equal or beat a difficulty of 4-6 on at least one die. Succeed on multiple dice
for an exceptional success (narrate an additional benefit). Rolling “1” on all
dice is a critical failure (introduce a complication to the scene).
The GM picks a trait and assigns a difficulty of 4-6 for each challenge
(most should be difficulty 5). Combat challenges use effort tokens—remove 1
effort token for each die that succeeds.
Players usually roll 2 dice, but roll 3 dice if the challenge matches their
trait. If a challenge falls completely outside the scope of their concept (e.g., a
hunter demolishing a bridge), they lose 1 die—even if the challenge matches
their trait.
 3
Karma and Resolve
Each player has 3 karma and 3 resolve. Spend 1 karma after rolling to reduce
the difficulty by 1, if you can justify how your perk helps you. Recover 1 karma
if you increase the difficulty by 1 before rolling, narrating how your quirk
hinders you.
If you use a quirk and succeed at the challenge, you may recover 1
resolve instead of 1 karma. For dangerous actions (such as combat), failure
costs 1 resolve (or 2 on a critical failure).
If a PC runs out of resolve, they are eliminated from the scene—but
death is primarily a narrative conceit, and the PC usually returns later at full
resolve.

Running the Game

The GM should describe the opening scene, react to the players’ decisions,
and assign the traits and difficulties for challenges. Offer players karma in
return for complications based on their quirks!
The players should make all the rolls, narrate the outcome of their
actions, and drive the story forward whenever possible. They can also spend
1 karma to influence the story or discover a clue through their perk, at the
GM’s discretion. If a challenge is potentially deadly (i.e., running out of
resolve results in death), the player should be warned before they roll.
And that’s all you need to play Artifacts & Adventure!
4

FULL RULES
Character Creation
To create a character, choose a name, an archetype, a perk and a quirk. If it
makes things easier, you can even write out the character as a descriptive
sentence, such as “a brawny soldier-of-fortune with a knockout punch and a
weakness for games of chance” or “an agile journalist with an eye for detail
and a habit of saying the wrong thing.”
Just make sure your character fits the genre and setting!

ARCHETYPE
A character’s archetype consists of a trait (agile, brawny, or cunning)
combined with a concept (often a profession, but can also include other
descriptors).
Examples: Brawny archeologist, cunning interpreter, cunning author,
agile pilot, cunning socialite, brawny mercenary, agile thief.

PERKS
Perks represent special talents, abilities, skills, arcane items, professions, etc.
You begin with one perk of your choice.
Examples: Charming, trusty machete, perceptive, wealthy, quick
reflexes, scholar of the occult.

QUIRKS
Quirks represent hindrances, handicaps, and negative personality traits that
can make life difficult for the character. You begin with one quirk of your
choice.
Examples: Arrogant, poor eyesight, terrible liar, cowardly, bad temper,
greedy, clumsy.

KARMA & RESOLVE

Karma represents luck and providence, while resolve represents tenacity,
spirit, health, and determination.
Players begin each session with three karma tokens and three resolve
tokens. These can be recovered during play, but can never exceed the
character’s starting quota for the session.
 5
GEAR
Gear is considered a narrative tool, used to justify a character’s capabilities
rather than give bonuses. Players can describe their gear for flavor purposes,
but they are usually assumed to have whatever is needed for their archetype
and perks.
If you want your character to own an exceptional or arcane item that
provides significant benefits, take it as a perk.

ADVANCEMENT
Characters generally advance every 1-3 sessions, at the GM’s discretion,
based on the desired length of the campaign.
When your character advances, add a new perk or quirk of your
choice—or else convert an existing affliction into a quirk! This represents an
ability, foible, or item your character has discovered or developed during the
story.
Every second advance may be used to increase either your karma or
resolve by one token (up to a maximum of six each) instead of adding a perk
or quirk.

Challenges
Gameplay involves overcoming various challenges, each with a difficulty of 4-
6 (easy, standard, or hard). Most should be difficulty 5, but the GM may
decide that some challenges are easier or harder.
Players roll 1-3d6 depending on their archetype. If a die equals or
exceeds the difficulty, they succeed—if not, they fail. If they equal or exceed
the difficulty on 2-3 dice, it’s an exceptional success.
If the player rolls “1” on all of their dice, the result is a critical failure,
and this is always very bad—the GM should come up with a particularly
interesting complication to introduce to the scene!
Some challenges require extra effort to overcome. This is represented
using effort tokens; each die to equal or beat the difficulty removes a token,
and the challenge is defeated once all the tokens are gone. PCs can usually
work together to overcome such a challenge, and it will require several rolls;
failing any of these rolls will have consequences.

FAILURE & SUCCESS

A challenge has four possible outcomes: exceptional success, normal
success, normal failure, or critical failure.
These results are relative to both the character and the situation, as
decided by the GM, and neither the worst-case nor the best-case outcomes
should be so extreme that they require suspension of disbelief. A master thief
would never believably fail to pick a simple lock, but it might take her longer
6
than expected, or lead to a complication. Likewise, an unarmed scholar
couldn’t defeat a dozen elite warriors in melee combat—at best, he might
make a clean escape.
If someone is attempting to translate an ancient magical text, and
they have absolutely no background in magic or the language used, then even
an exceptional success will probably provide them less information than a
scholar would obtain on a normal failure!
However, there must always be some price for failure—otherwise, the
players shouldn’t be rolling! This price is usually obvious—the character might
be spotted while trying to sneak past a guard, miss in combat, or fail to climb
a tree. The GM could also remove one of the PC’s resolve tokens, or perhaps
introduce a complication to the scene.
A critical failure is always very bad, no matter how skilled the
character, and often represents a stroke of bad luck. If the character would
lose one resolve on a normal failure, they should lose two resolve on a critical
failure.

NARRATE THE OUTCOME

Don’t simply announce that a character has failed—describe the
consequences of their failure, and try to explain what does happen rather
than what doesn’t. Instead of saying the character “critically fails to pick a
lock,” describe how the tip of the tool snaps off inside the lock. Don’t just say
that the character “fails to dodge the attack”—describe how the foe lunges at
them and slams a fist into their jaw.

DEFEAT & AFFLICTIONS

Characters are defeated when they run out of resolve, and the victor (player
or GM) decides their victim’s fate.
Defeated characters gain an affliction appropriate to the situation,
such as a broken arm, a phobia, a bruised ego, etc. They recover all of their
resolve, but are usually unable to actively participate in the remainder of the
scene—they might be unconscious on the ground, fleeing in terror, or just too
injured to continue.
Afflictions are described by the victor and are treated as temporary
quirks (or permanent quirks if caused by a critical failure), except the GM
decides when to apply them. A PC with more than three afflictions is retired
from play, although they can be brought back if one or more of their
afflictions are cured.
Death is a matter of narrative. While a player might decide to kill their
foe in combat by giving them a fatal affliction, the GM should always warn
players if a challenge could result in death.
 7
RECOVERY
Certain afflictions (e.g., “fleeing in fear”) are removed automatically at the
end of a scene, but others may last hours, days, or longer, at the GM’s
discretion. A PC with a suitable perk can spend karma to cure an affliction
(e.g., “regeneration” to heal a wound)—but permanent afflictions cost
permanent karma (unless converted into quirks using advances).

OPPOSED CHALLENGES
Most challenges consist of PCs working together against external threats,
but on occasion, they may wish to oppose each other. If this occurs, both
players roll as normal, but each should treat the other’s highest die roll as the
difficulty of their own challenge (i.e., highest roll wins).
On a tie, the player who matched the difficulty with the most dice
achieves a normal success (e.g., 4, 4, 4 is a normal success against 4, 4, 3 or
4, 3, 3). Should the players each roll the same number of matching dice, try to
interpret the result in a way that favors both sides equally.
If both players roll a critical failure, then each suffers a terrible
outcome.

NPC CONFRONTATIONS
There may also be situations where two NPCs have a direct confrontation
with each other, rather than against PCs. The GM can usually just decide the
outcome, but if an unpredictable result is desired, ask the players to roll for
the NPCs.

Combat
Combat and other conflicts can easily be resolved as regular challenges, but
if you prefer to have a turn-by-turn exchange of attacks, use these guidelines.

NPCS AS CHALLENGES
The GM assigns foes a difficulty of 4-6, based on their power relative to the
PC. Most enemies should be difficulty 5.
Each foe also has one or more effort tokens to represent their resolve.
If you have a group of similar enemies, such as a gang of henchmen, treat
them as a single challenge with extra effort tokens.

RESOLUTION
Turn order should follow the narrative where possible, and players make all
the rolls—they roll to attack on their turn, and to defend on their enemy’s turn.
8
As a general rule, players should only make one defense roll each
turn. If they are facing multiple foes, make them roll against the most
dangerous attacker.

EXAMPLE OF COMBAT
A brawny mercenary and agile archeologist encounter a group of rival
smugglers while exploring some ancient ruins.
GM: Four smugglers ready their pistols, while two big hired muscles
draw machetes. You can attack first if you use ranged attacks. Standard
difficulty; you need 5+ to hit.
Archeologist: I shoot! [Rolls 5, 3, 2]—one smuggler drops dead, my
bullet lodged in their throat!
Mercenary: My machete was drawn since the day I was born. I charge
the hired muscle!
GM: Okay, but first both of you roll to evade the smuggler’s gunshots,
standard difficulty.
Archeologist: [Rolls 1, 6, 5]—I easily dodge aside.
Mercenary: [Rolls 3, 5]—A bullet deflects off the tip of my machete,
and I carry on charging.
GM: Okay, you rush the hired muscle. Make your attack, standard
difficulty.
Mercenary: [Rolls 4, 2, 4]—I use my “favors close combat” perk to
reduce the difficulty to 4—exceptional success! I slice them both to ribbons.
Archeologist: New turn? [Rolls 5, 4, 4]—I will use my “marksman”
perk—another exceptional success, not to brag—and kill the three remaining
smugglers with one bullet!
GM: Wow (laughing) it’s lucky they all lined up for that shot. Now, as
the sound of the gunshots fade, echoing through the ruins, you hear a distant
roar…

FULL COMBAT
If the you prefer more involved action set pieces and extended combat
scenes, you might wish to assign your NPCs traits and ranks.
Traits: Foes can have one or more traits: Agile, brawny and cunning
increase the difficulty of challenges against them that use those traits;
clumsy, weak or stupid reduce the difficulty. Shooting an “agile and weak”
henchmen is difficulty 6, for example, while hitting them in melee is difficulty
4.
Ranks: PCs start at rank 1, increasing their rank every 4th advance
(i.e., at 4, 8, 12, 16 and 20), to a maximum of rank 6. NPCs also have a rank,
chosen by the GM. When facing someone of higher rank, increase your
challenge difficulties by 1 (even if this takes them above 6). Against a foe of
 9
lower rank, reduce them by 1. For opponents 3+ ranks higher or lower, use the
“Power Levels” combat rule (page 9).

DEFEATING OPPONENTS
As a quick rule of thumb, most opponents require a number of effort tokens
equal to their rank to defeat (1 by default). A “boss” should require double
that number, and may also be one rank higher than their lesser kin—these
fearsome foes can represent major antagonists, or the “Big Bad” at the end of
an adventure, and the GM should use them sparingly.

TRAPPINGS
The GM must also make common sense judgment calls. A non-magical
sword is unlikely to cause any damage to an iron golem, no matter how
skilled the person wielding it, whereas a flaming torch would probably destroy
an animated scarecrow in one hit. Equally, the types of attack a foe can make
depends on their gear and implied capabilities—a bodyguard armed with a
baton can only make melee attacks, but if they had a spear they could choose
to throw it, and of course, an opponent armed with a magical artifact could
make mental attacks using the relic.

POWER LEVELS
In a worst case “Pandora’s Box” type scenario,” a recently released demigod
could easily overpower a normal human. Similarly, an ancient vampire lord or
cursed werewolf would outmatch a mere mortal.
In most cases, these scenarios can be handled using relative
interpretations of success and failure, assigning afflictions appropriate to the
character and story. A treasure hunter in possession of a relic that makes
them invulnerable might not be harmed by bullets, but ricochets could still kill
their friends and innocent bystanders, resulting in a loss of resolve. Running
out of resolve would still lead to defeat—perhaps they receive a “humiliation”
or “despair” affliction, as the henchmen escape from the shootout, leaving
the poor treasure hunter to deal with the angry bystanders or a funeral for a
friend.
In other cases, a foe might simply be no threat at all. In this case,
there is no need to roll, just narrate the outcome.

EXAMPLE BESTIARY
Bear: Rank 2. Brawny.
Citizen: Rank 1.
Cult Leader: Rank 3. Cunning and clumsy.
Dragon: Rank 5. Brawny and cunning.
Golem: Rank 3. Brawny and stupid.
10
Goon: Rank 1. Agile and stupid.
Hacker: Rank 1. Cunning and clumsy.
Henchmen: Rank 1. Strong and stupid.
Martial Artist: Rank 2. Brawny.
Mastermind: Rank 3. Cunning and weak.
Mercenary: Rank 2. Agile.
Mummy Sorcerer: Rank 4. Cunning.
Mummy: Rank 3. Clumsy.
Ogre: Rank 2. Brawny and stupid.
Skeleton: Rank 1. Stupid.
Swarm of Bugs: Rank 1. Agile and stupid.
Vampire: Rank 3. Agile.
Vengeful Spirit: Rank 2.
Villain’s Bodyguard: Rank 2. Brawny and stupid.
Wolf: Rank 1.
Yeti: Rank 2. Brawny.
Zombie: Rank 1. Clumsy and stupid.

Archetypes
A character’s archetype consists of a trait (agile, brawny, or cunning)
combined with a concept (usually a profession), and this combination
determines how many dice they roll for challenges.
Agile characters roll 3d6 for anything related to quickness, dexterity,
reflexes, or stealth. They also roll 3d6 for ranged combat (but see “Combat
Styles”).
Brawny characters roll 3d6 for any challenges based on strength,
toughness, stamina, or athletics. They also roll 3d6 for melee combat (but
see “Combat Styles”).
Cunning characters roll 3d6 when they perform challenges related to
charisma, intellect, willpower, or perception. They also roll 3d6 for mental
combat (but see “Combat Styles”).
When characters lack the appropriate trait for a challenge, they only
roll 2d6. If a particular challenge requires special knowledge that falls outside
the scope of their concept and perks, then reduce the number of dice they roll
by one.

EXAMPLES
A brawny bodyguard rolls 3d6 to swing a punch, 2d6 to throw a knife, and 1d6
to pick a lock. An agile thief rolls 3d6 to sneak silently through the jungle, 2d6
to spot a hidden enemy, and 1d6 to negotiate a hostage situation. A cunning
interpreter rolls 3d6 to translate an ancient scroll, 2d6 to climb a rope, and
1d6 to shoot a sniper rifle in combat.
 11
COMBAT STYLES
A character’s preferred combat style (i.e., melee, ranged or mental) is usually
based on their trait. However, this can also be changed if another style better
suits the character concept. For example, an agile thief might prefer melee
weapons, and a cunning gunslinger would most likely use ranged weapons.
The character’s combat style must be chosen during character
creation, and it cannot be changed later.
Note: Mental combat includes persuasion, intimidation, harnessing
the power of magical artifacts, etc.

CONTEXT IS IMPORTANT
Cunning characters generally roll 3d6 for social challenges, but that doesn’t
mean they’re always better at them.
A cunning hacker normally rolls 3d6, but courting a supermodel falls
outside the scope of their concept, so they’d only roll 2d6 in such a situation.
Perhaps they also have a “terrible flirt” quirk—if so, that might well increase
the difficulty of the challenge, or add a complication.
An agile grifter normally rolls 2d6, but courting a supermodel is well
within the scope of his concept, so they wouldn’t lose a die—and they might
have a “charming” perk, which could reduce the difficulty of the challenge.
They could even spend a karma token to describe the supermodel becoming
infatuated with him.
But of course, the grifter would roll 1d6 to persuade a jilted husband
to give him a break, and the cunning hacker would roll 3d6 to convince the
supermodel that they’ve been sent to repair her studio’s computer system.

Perks
Characters with a relevant perk can ask the GM for insight or clues about one
particular situation, receive a temporary benefit (such as special gear or aid
from an NPC), overcome obstacles that would generally be impossible for
other people (such as using their wings to fly onto a rooftop), and so on.
The exact benefits and uses of a perk are always at the GM’s
discretion, but a broadly defined perk has a wider scope, therefore a more
narrowly defined perk (including any perk that is particularly niche for the
setting) should have more impact when it does come into play.
If a player wants to use their perk to significantly impact the story,
they must spend a karma token to do so.
Karma can also be spent to reduce the difficulty of a challenge by 1—
make this decision after rolling, and make sure you narrate how the perk
gives you an edge. No more than one karma may be spent in this way for
each challenge.
12
A DEEPER LOOK
If you want to do something that regular people couldn’t even attempt, but
which your perk really should allow you to do automatically, you must spend
a karma token. For example, using “access to police records” to look up
background information on a rival treasure hunter, or perhaps “investigative
intuition” to glean insight on a mysterious socialite whose offer seems too
good to be true.
If you want to do something that isn’t normally possible, but which
your perk should allow you to at least attempt, you don’t need to spend any
karma, but you must still roll. For example using your “dead languages” to
communicate with lost tribe of people.
If a perk allows you to automatically bypass a challenge while others
have to roll, you must spend a karma token. For example, using “trusty whip”
to swing over a river that everyone else needs to swim across, or throwing
lots of money at a problem because you’re “filthy rich.”
If the challenge is usually possible for everyone, you can still describe
how you use your perk to increase the odds, and may later spend karma to
retroactively reduce the difficulty. For example, using your “parkour skills” to
leap between rooftops, while everyone else has to cross the gap on plank of
wood.
If you only use a perk to add flavor to the scene (e.g., overcoming a
challenge through occult knowledge that others could just as easily
overcome through skill), you don’t need to spend any karma. For example,
you might activate a nearby totem to shoot fire at an opponent, while another
character shoots a combat rifle; the difference is just a matter of narrative.

ANOTHER PERSPECTIVE
Always try to think of perks in terms of overcoming challenges. Players only
roll if it’s important to the story, but if they can use a perk to automatically
succeed without rolling, it costs karma. Likewise, it costs karma to reduce the
difficulty of a challenge—but if a perk gives no other benefit, then it doesn’t
cost any karma.
If a player has no karma, the GM may offer them a complication
instead.

RELATED KNOWLEDGE
Perks generally imply lesser knowledge in any related field. For example, a
“car mechanic” would also have some degree of general mechanical
knowledge—they might not know much about aircraft, for example, but they’d
still have a far better chance of fixing one than someone with no mechanical
skills. Similarly, someone with a “fencing master” perk could apply their
 13
martial expertise to other combat situations, a “surgeon” perk also implies
general medical training, and so on.

ASSISTING ALLIES
Players can also use perks to assist their friends and allies. For example, a
“combat surgeon” might spend karma to remove a wound affliction from an
injured friend, while a “smooth talker” might spend karma to help an awkward
companion, reducing the difficulty of a social-based challenge.
Assisting someone doesn’t change the standard expenditure limit of
one karma per challenge; if you spend karma to aid an ally, they cannot also
spend their own karma to reduce the difficulty further.

STACKING PERKS
Although it isn’t possible to spend more than one karma per challenge, a PC
can still use multiple perks at once—success and failure are relative to the
character’s competencies, so the GM should take all applicable perks into
account.
Likewise, just as the impact of a perk depends on how narrowly
defined it is, multiple relevant perks should also have more impact than a
single perk.

Quirks
Players must declare their intent to use a quirk before rolling for a challenge.
They should describe their character’s actions in a way that incorporates the
quirk, and then increase the challenge difficulty by 1 (this can take it above 6).
Players usually recover one karma for using their quirk, but if they
succeed at the challenge roll, they may recover one resolve instead (if they
wish). Only one quirk can be used for each challenge.

COMPLICATIONS
The GM can also offer players karma in exchange for a complication. Should
the player accept this offer, use their quirks for inspiration—the professor
with “bad eyes” may have overlooked a major clue, while the “mean” thug
may have insulted the wrong person.
Of course, complications can also be based on the situation, or
perhaps even archetypes or perks. But when possible, try to tie them to a
character’s quirks.

Fear
A frequent staple of horror stories, fear should be treated the same way as
other challenges: cunning characters should roll 3d6, while other characters
14
roll 2d6, and individuals without prior experience or exposure to the particular
source of fear (as indicated by their concept and perks) reduce the number of
dice they roll by one. Failure on a fear challenge results in the loss of one
resolve token—if the character loses all resolve, they generally flee the scene,
or receive an appropriate form of mental trauma.

Mounts & Minions

Lost treasures aren’t always accessible by vehicle, you need a little good old-
fashioned horsepower. And sometimes treasure hunters don’t fight alone,
they have allies. These helpers can generally be abstracted away much like
gear—either handle them as background flavor, describing their actions as
part of your challenge rolls, or treat them as a perk if you would like them to
provide a mechanical benefit.

Sieges & Battles

Sometimes, combat takes place between huge groups of people rather than
individuals, each side maintaining its own pool of tokens. The PC leader uses
cunning challenges to control their forces and eliminate all of the opposing
side’s tokens, with the GM assigning a difficulty to attack or defend based on
the relative power and tactical advantages of the two armies.
Individual PCs can make a difference in such conflicts, but the risks
are great. These heroes can eliminate tokens from the opposing army, but if
they fail their defensive challenge rolls, they lose their own resolve tokens.

INDIRECT BATTLES
This approach can also be used for other scenarios, such as a legal battle
between two businesses, turf wars between gangs, cyber warfare between
nation states or high-tech organizations, etc.
As always, individuals can contribute their efforts, but the risks will be
high.

Curses
When someone is defeated, they gain an affliction. Should a PC be defeated
by a supernatural creature’s infectious bite or claws, the GM can assign an
appropriate affliction, such as “lycanthropy,” “zombie virus,” “vampirism,” etc.
Unlike quirks, which are activated by the player, the GM can decide
when and how afflictions are used during play. A newly infected werewolf has
no control over their transformation or the carnage they cause—but they
could later convert their affliction into a quirk, as they learn to control their
condition.
 15
Likewise, afflictions give no benefits, but a player can later take
supernatural perks such as “preternatural strength” or “rending claws.” If the
PC takes a broad perk encompassing a range of abilities, they should also
pick a limitation—for example, a “werewolf gifts” perk might only apply if the
character first shapeshifts into their wolfman form.

REMOVING AFFLICTIONS
If an affliction isn’t permanent, the GM might offer a story-based way to
remove it—perhaps slaying the vampire who bit them reverses their condition,
or there’s a cure for the zombie virus. Permanent afflictions can also be
removed, but this costs permanent karma.
More drastic solutions might also be permitted, such as converting a
“zombie virus” affliction into an “amputated leg” quirk (at the usual cost of an
advance).

GRADUAL DECLINE
Some conditions offer no benefits at all. While many novels and TV shows
depict supernatural creatures as sapient beings, others portray them as
mindless beasts driven by rage, instinct, and hunger.
Such infections may take the form of a slow decline—victims of a
zombie bite might survive hours or even days before they eventually
succumb. The GM could even use future afflictions to represent a character’s
gradual transformation.

Travel Montages
Travel montages create a sense of fun, low stakes adventure. Use them when
reaching the destination is all but guaranteed. (Run high stakes scenes like a
storm at sea or navigating a minefield as you would any other challenge.)
Think of them as the part of the movie where the heroes fly to distant lands,
illustrated by a red dot moving across the globe.
Go around the table and ask each player to narrate one event that
took place during the journey. It could be something fun, a wonderful sight, or
just a memorable incident of character development.
Travel montages are a chance for characters to roleplay and get
creative, imagining fantastic events along the way. While they might want to
roll challenges just for fun, the idea isn’t to wear them down so they arrive at
their destination half-dead. On rare occasions you might decide there’s some
lasting effect. Maybe they got a critical failure talking to the ship captain,
accidentally insulting him, so they had to sleep in the hull and arrived to town
sick, losing one resolve.
Montages can also be used for short treks from the city to a research
station high in the hills. A lot can happen in a three-hour hike uphill. Did they
16
spot any wildlife, or interesting scenery? Feel free to incorporate their
answers into the adventure. If someone spotted a tiger in the distance, load
that kitty into Chekov’s gun and have it show up later, perhaps mauling a
minor goon for a memorable moment.
And don’t forget urban montages. While navigating a crowded city,
one PC might stop to haggle for a new pair of binoculars, another might grab
some much-needed stop at an espresso cafe, or stop to drop a few coins into
the fiddle case of a busker.
Example travel montage moment:
GM: Okay, what did Hektor get up to during the walk through the
jungle?
Hektor: I sat down to dump rocks out of my boots and a monkey ran
up and stole my camera! Can I try to get it back?
GM: (Laughs) sure. Monkeys are pretty quick, so that’s an Agile 5
Challenge.
Hektor: 5,6,2. Exceptional success! I snatch the camera strap with
lightning quick reflexes. The poor monkey gets hauled back like a dog on a
leash and drops the camera! Better luck next time, monkey.
Grant everyone a minute or so for their own personal vignette and
then move on to the next player, until everyone has had a chance to step into
the spotlight.

Chase Scenes
There are two ways to handle chase scenes: Quick and Full Chases.

QUICK CHASE
The opponents are assigned a pool of effort tokens (usually three, depending
on how long you want the scene to last). As the scene unfolds, the driver (or
pilot) must roll to overcome various challenges. On a successful roll, remove
an effort token. On a failure, the pilot loses a point of resolve.
During quick chase scenes, the rest of the players do not roll, but they
can help by assisting (page 13) and spending karma on perks to reduce the
difficulty of the driver’s rolls. (For example, an agile mercenary could use his
quick-draw perk to shoot at an enemy’s windows, making it easier for the
driver to attempt to ram them off the road.)
Pros: Fast-paced, Places the spotlight squarely on the driver to give
them a chance to shine.
Cons: The rest of the players won’t have as much to do. Not suited for
complex action set pieces.
 17
FULL CHASE
A full chase is treated more like combat, with everyone getting a chance to
act. (For even more elaborate chase mechanics see “Vehicles as Characters”
below.)
The enemy is assigned a pool of effort tokens—either a single pool to
represent the combined enemy forces and their vehicles, or individual effort
for each. Players take turns contributing however they like, whether it’s by
driving the vehicle, shooting out the enemy’s tires, referencing maps to find
shortcuts, calling the enemy over the radio to psych them out, etc.
If a player overcomes the challenge, the (targeted) enemy loses a
point of effort. If the player fails, they lose a point of resolve.
Pros: All players are fully involved. Suitable for big drawn-out action
set pieces.
Cons: The more people contribute, the more the pace slows down,
which can really cut into the sense of speed.

Vehicles
Whether you’re a racecar driver, light aircraft pilot, or the self-proclaimed
captain of the lifeboat, all vehicles can be handled in a similar way.
The easiest approach is to treat them like mundane gear, or as perks
if they’re particularly powerful. But if the vehicles are a major part of the
setting, they can instead be built like characters.

VEHICLES AS CHARACTERS
Major vehicles start with a concept (but not a trait), a perk and a quirk. They
do not have any karma, but they begin with three resolve tokens, and can
advance at the GM’s discretion.
The driver (or pilot) makes challenge rolls using their own trait, but
they can utilize their vehicle’s concept, perks, and quirks as if they were their
own.
Use the “Power Levels” rule (page 9) for combat between vehicles of
significantly different strength—such as a tugboat against a battleship.
18

GM ADVICE
There’s plenty of GM advice scattered throughout this book. Here’s some
essential stuff that didn’t really fit anywhere else.

Session Zero
Before you run your first session, it helps to get everyone on the same page.
That way, you’ll spot problems before the game begins. Here a few
suggestions to get your own Session Zero checklist started.
• Explain what kind of a game you’d like to run. Give an idea of the tone
(comedic or serious?) and general theme.
• Go over any house rules.
• Explain the character creation process. Optionally, have everyone
create characters together.
• Talk about the schedule. Is this a one shot, a regular game with a set
date, or a semi-hopefully-ongoing-whenever deal?
• Discuss how you’ll handle absent players. Will their PCs be controlled
by the GM, other players, or fade out of the story?
• Touch on any key reoccurring factions or NPCs the party might
regularly run across.
• Is anything banned at the table? Alcohol, phones, messy foods, poorly
trained attack dogs, etc.
• Ask each player: What are you looking forward to the most?

Safety Tools
“The short and simple definition of a lady or a
gentleman is someone who always tries to make
sure the people around him or her are as
comfortable as possible.”
— Troy, Blast from the Past (1999)
Safety tools are a way to make sure everyone’s comfortable at the table, and
that no one is surprised by content they didn’t sign up for. The two most
popular forms of safety tools are lines and veils and the X-card system.

LINES AND VEILS

Lines and veils are ways to set boundaries before the game begins. During
Session Zero, everyone writes down two lists:
Lines: Content that shouldn’t appear in the game under any
circumstances.
 19
Veils: Content that is OK if handled “off screen” and not mentioned in
much detail.
Once the list is compiled, keep it handy when designing scenarios.
Note that not everyone is comfortable sharing their personal limits, which
makes the next technique even more important.

THE X-CARD SYSTEM

Originally designed for use with physical cards, the X-Card is a way to alert
the GM know that you’re uncomfortable without having to blurt out all the
details in front of everyone.

PAUSE FOR A SECOND

Mike Shea uses a modified version of the X-Card system, where players say
the phrase, “Let’s pause for a second.” This lets the GM know that the player
is uncomfortable with the material, not just their character.
Whether you use physical X-Cards or tell players to say ‘pause for a
second,” remember this speech:
“Hey if anything happens during the game that makes you – not your
character – uncomfortable, just let me know right away. Text me if you have
to. We’ll pause and work things out together.”

Focus the Spotlight

Some players are shy or quiet, others wait for things that never happen.
Here’s a few ways to quickly make someone’s day.
• In the words of Matt Click, “Call out your players.” Instead of asking
what everyone wants to do, direct the question to a single player,
preferably one who has said and done the least. “What does Rick think
about this situation? What does he want to do about it?” Now the
focus is clearly on Rick’s player. If they can’t think of anything, don’t
pressure them, just ask the next person in line.
• At the end of the adventure, give everyone a moment in the spotlight.
Ask each player how their character would like to celebrate, what they
plan to do next, or just hand them the microphone and let them goof
around for a minute. (I learned this trick from Alex A. It ends the night
on a high note, and is some of the most fun I’ve had as a player.)
20

ADVENTURE DESIGN
Goal, Obstacle, Location, Deadline
If you want to write a good adventure, go for the gold. That’s G.O.L.D., the
four essential elements of an enjoyable scenario.
Goal. Usually the treasure you’re hunting, and why it needs to be
found.
Obstacle. What’s stopping you. Anything from maniacal villains to
natural disasters to red tape.
Location. The deathtrap tomb, the cargo plane crashed deep in the
jungle, the crime boss’ mansion, etc.
Deadline. The ticking clock, the race against time. The reason there’s
no time to spare.
For the goal, see Artifacts, Relics, & Treasure (page 27). For the
obstacle, roll up a villainous NPC (page 25). Pick an Exotic Location (page
34), and finally come up with a Deadline (see below).

DEADLINES
Deadlines are an essential yet easily overlooked part of adventure design.
Without a ticking clock, there’s no sense of urgency. That’s why so many
stories and movies involve a race against time. The deadline always depends
on the scenario, but here are a few suggestions to get you started:
• An old friend has been framed for a serious crime and needs an
artifact to clear their name.
• War threatens to break out over the adventure site, threatening the
artifact and surrounding lands.
• A family member has been kidnapped. The only way to save them is
to retrieve an artifact from a dangerous location.
• An ally borrowed money from the wrong people and needs to retrieve
a stolen family heirloom to pay them back.
• Indigenous people will be forced from their homeland unless they can
prove their claim to the land with an ancient relic.
• A hopeless romantic must prove his royal heritage before his beloved
is forced to marry another.
• And of course, “Evil cult will use the artifact to summon an ancient evil
at the light of the full moon… tomorrow.”

Fill-in-the-Blank Scenario Design

Much like you can describe a PC in a single sentence, you can sketch out an
adventure with the following:
 21
The treasure hunters must travel to ________________ and retrieve the
________________ before the ______________ while dealing with
__________________________________________.

Railroads and Plotlines

“Unlearn what you have learned.”
— Some little green guy, I think? I forget.
One of the most difficult things for new GMs to wrap their heads around is
the idea that they don’t need to know what will happen. In fact, “knowing”
what will happen is a recipe for disaster, as players will always try things the
GM could never have predicted.
Your job isn’t to write a story. Your job is to craft an initial scenario,
with a clear goal, and populate the world with colorful characters,
breathtaking locations, danger, excitement, and shiny treasure. After that, it’s
up to the players to decide how they’ll actually engage that stuff, skipping
some elements, killing others, and somehow arriving at the “final boss”
before they discovered the front entrance.
So don’t think of scenario design as setting up a domino line,
expecting the players to knock down one after the other in the correct order.
Think of it as setting up a pool table. You can arrange the balls however you
like. But once the game begins, all bets are off. One player might decide to
build a little ramp, so the balls fly over the corner pocket. Another somehow
convinces the 8-Ball it’s really a cube, and thus incapable of rolling. The third
gets bored and lights the table on fire. Somehow, in the end, it all works out
for the best, because the players were free to attempt every crazy idea that
popped into their heads. And you got to delight in every surprise, instead of
growing increasingly frustrated that they didn’t follow some predetermined
order of events.
Imagine a scenario as a bay of water with dozens of little islands.
Those islands are NPCs, locations, treasures, big action set pieces, etc. It’s
your job to detail all those islands to the best of your ability. But you have no
control over which island the PCs will sail to next, whether they’ll stop and
fight sea monsters or sail past them without noticing.
22

NPCS (NON-PLAYER CHARACTERS)

The LAWs of NPCs
As the GM, it’s your job to fill the world with memorable characters. While it’s
possible to write page after page of description and backstory, all you really
need are three, maybe four elements: How the NPC looks, how they act, what
they want, and, optionally, one or two secrets. You can easily fit an entire NPC
on an index card.
Example NPC: Jack Devlin
Look: Aviator hat. Bushy mustache. Quick to smile. Short but sturdy.
Act: Wants his friends in on the latest scheme. Offended that they
don’t trust him.
Want: Respect and recognition from his fellow pilots.
Secret: Afraid of water. Business isn’t as successful as he claims.
Use the tables in this book to quickly sketch out an NPC. For looks,
see the NPC Appearance table (page 25). For how they act, see the NPC
Personality (page 25). For Wants, see NPC Motivations below. And as for
secrets? I’m sorry, I just can’t tell you.

NPC Motivations
“Every character should want something, even if it
is only a glass of water.”
—Kurt Vonnegut, Bagombo Snuff Box
NPC motivations should be clear, at least to the GM. Once you know what a
character wants, it’s much easier to improvise dialog and respond to the
players’ actions. After all, a guard who wants to get home to his wife will react
much differently than a guard who wants to protect his boss at any cost, or a
guard who just wants to make a quick buck.

PERSONALITY AFFECTS MOTIVATION

Let’s say an academic’s sister went missing on a jungle expedition. A brave
academic might, “Want to help find their sister, even if it puts themselves at
risk.” But a cowardly academic might, “Want their sister returned as quietly
and with as little fuss as possible.” Knowing which you’re dealing with will
greatly affect how you portray the NPC. Both of them want their sister out of
the jungle, but one is willing to plunge headfirst into danger, while the other
might even omit key details to protect their own reputation.
 23
TIE MOTIVATIONS TO THE PCS
Whenever possible, tie major NPC motivations to the party. In other words,
the villain doesn’t just want the sacred falcon statue, they need the party to
get it for them. (This can lead to those classic scenes where the heroes
emerge from the death temple, only to be confronted by the armed villain.
“Ah, so nice of you to bring me the treasure...”)
On the other hand, maybe it was never really about getting the statue,
but getting to it first, and proving once and for all that they are the superior
treasure hunter. Either way, tying their motivation to the party makes it
personal.

Creating Memorable NPCs

Players tend to remember bold, simple NPCs. Subtlety is harder to convey
and can be mistaken for the GM acting too much like themselves. It’s better
to go big. Pick a personality and profession and push them both to their
logical extreme. Make the paranoid librarian jump at every cough. Have the
inquisitive journalist ask so many rude questions they can’t help but get
themselves into trouble. Often just a personality and profession are enough.
When I say “pretentious hacker,” you probably have a good idea where to go
with the character.
Embrace cliché. Even better, kitbash two clichés together. Nothing
sticks in players’ heads quite like incongruity—characteristics that clash with
one another. A priest who swears like a pirate, or a deeply religious pirate
captain are hard to forget, as are a businessman who ignores important
meetings to play with a train set, or a train conductor who won’t stop
pestering the party with stock tips.

Portraying NPC Voices

Not everyone is a professional voice actor. Luckily, fancy voicework isn’t
necessary, as long as you portray NPCs through other means. Yes, you can
raise your voice and literally pound the table. Or you can describe it to your
players: “Sebastian’s face turns red with anger. He slams his fist on the table
and shouts, ‘Never!’.” (Just don’t go overboard. A little narration goes a long
way.)
24
Accents aren’t necessary, or even recommended. Instead, convey
personality by slightly altering the speed and pitch of your regular speaking
voice. A crime boss might speak slowly, with the leisurely tone of someone
who can afford hired muscle. A paranoid professor speaks in hurried, hushed
tones. A magic statue bellows warnings to all who enter its sacred tomb.
You’ll be surprised how much you can alter your voice just by speaking slower
or faster, by lazily drawing out words or clipping them off with your teeth, all
without attempting a single terrible French accent.
 25
NPC Appearance Table
d66 NPC Appearance d66 NPC Appearance
AA Acne/Acne scars DA Heavy perfume
AB Athletic/Ripped DB High cheekbones
AC Bald/Balding DC Ill-dressed for weather
AD Beard/Goatee DD Immaculate/Muddy
AE Broken/Crooked nose DE Missing/Gold tooth
AF Bundled up DF Mustache
BA Bushy eyebrows EA Obvious wig/Toupee
BB Curly hair EB Old/Recent Scars
BC Delicate/Mousey EC Outlandish clothing
BD Elegant Clothing ED Priceless Jewelry
BE Eye patch/Missing eye EE Pudgy/Heavyset
BF Eyeglasses/Shades EF Small lawyer hands
CA Facial-scars FA Tattooed face/Body
CB Freckles FB Threadbare clothing
CC Gaunt/Skeletal FC Trashy makeup
CD Gloriously white teeth FD Tribal/Warpaint
CE Gray hair/White streak FE Visibly ill/Haggard
CF Habitually squints FF Wheelchair/Cane

NPC Personality Table

d66 NPC Personality d66 NPC Personality
AA Alert/Paranoid DA Vain/Self-Absorbed
AB Aristocratic/Dignified DB Nervous/Anxious
AC Arrogant/Cocky DC Obnoxious
AD Blunt DD Observant
AE Brainy/Clever DE Persuasive
AF Cautious/Responsible DF Pessimistic
BA Charming EA Pretentious
BB Cowardly EB Professional
BC Crabby/Surly EC Reckless/Unreliable
BD Cynical/Jaded ED Religious/Fanatical
BE Deceitful/Devious EE Responsible
BF Flirtatious/Seductive EF Romantic
CA Forgetful/Disorganized FA Sarcastic
CB Gabby/Excitable FB Scheming
CC Gloomy/Miserable FC Sneaky
CD Heartless FD Suspicious
CE Impatient FE Tough/Brave
CF Inquisitive FF Vengeful
26
NPC Profession Table
d66 NPC Profession d66 NPC Profession
AA Actor/Model DA Imports and exports
AB Archeologist DB Librarian/Researcher
AC Art collector DC Linguist
AD Artist/Sculptor DD Mayor/Village elder
AE Attorney/Judge DE Mercenary/Bodyguard
AF Author/Journalist DF Museum Curator
BA Big game hunter EA Octopus wrangler
BB Bounty hunter EB Pilot/Driver
BC Businessman EC Police/Detective
BD Captain/Sailor ED Politician
BE Clairvoyant/Seer EE Priest/Shaman
BF Criminal/Thief EF Smuggler/Spy
CA Dancer/Singer FA Socialite
CB Doctor/Healer FB Royalty
CC Explorer/Guide FC Soldier/Warrior
CD Farmer FD Taxi/Rickshaw driver
CE Hacker/Techie FE Warlord/General
CF Historian/Scholar FF Zookeeper/Veterinarian
 27

ARTIFACTS, RELICS, & TREASURE

Needless to say, treasure is key to a good treasure hunting adventure. To
design a tempting artifact, you need three things:
Form: What does it look like? What is it made of?
History: What are its historical connections?
Power: What legendary power is it rumored to possess?
Form is easy, thanks to the random tables below. Roll up an object
(page 28-29), and give it either a material, descriptor, or both (pages 29-30).
Next, roll on the historical figure table (page 32) or locate the location
tables (pages 34-35).
Finally, use the magical properties table (page 31). You can roll twice
and combine the results. (“The staff was said to heal the sick, but could also
cause disease. Perhaps it depends on who wields it.”)
As always, use the results for inspiration. Reroll anything that does
not make sense.
28
AB Object (Warfare) Table
d66 Object (Warfare) d66 Object (Warfare)
AA Arrow DA Hatchet
AB Battle-axe DB Helm
AC Blowgun DC Iron fan
AD Bow DD Javelin
AE Bracer DE Lance
AF Brass knuckles DF Mace
BA Breastplate EA Musket
BB Broadsword EB Polearm
BC Buckler EC Quarterstaff
BD Canon ED Rapier
BE Chainmail EE Scimitar
BF Chariot EF Scythe
CA Crossbow FA Shield
CB Cutlass FB Spear
CC Dagger FC Sword
CD Dueling pistol FD Trebuchet
CE Gauntlets FE Trident
CF Greatsword FF Warhammer

CD Object (Mundane) Table

d66 Object (Mundane) d66 Object (Mundane)
AA Anvil DA Eyeglasses
AB Bag DB Gloves
AC Belt/Girdle DC Hat
AD Book/Tome DD Horseshoe
AE Bottle DE Hourglass
AF Bowl/Plate DF Key
BA Brazier EA Lamp/Lantern
BB Bucket EB Map
BC Candle EC Mortar and pestle
BD Cape/Cloak ED Mushroom
BE Carpet/Rug EE Pipe
BF Cauldron EF Robe
CA Chalice FA Scroll
CB Chalice/Goblet FB Sickle
CC Clock/Pocket watch FC Staff
CD Diary/Journal FD Sundial
CE Dress FE Tablet
CF Fan FF Throne
 29
EF Object (Art/Decoration) Table
d66 Object (Art/Decoration) d66 Object (Art/Decoration)
AA Amulet/Medallion DA Music/Jewelry box
AB Bracelet DB Ocarina/Flute
AC Brooch DC Orb/Sphere
AD Cowbell DD Painting/Portrait
AE Crown DE Poem
AF Deck of cards/Game DF Religious symbol
BA Doll EA Ring
BB Drum EB Rune stones
BC Flower EC Sand Painting
BD Gem ED Sarcophagus
BE Horn EE Scepter
BF Ice Sculpture EF Statue: Animal
CA Idol/Figurine FA Statue: Human
CB Jewel FB Statue: Supernatural
CC Literature/Novel FC Tapestry
CD Lute FD Totem
CE Mask FE Vase
CF Mirror FF Wand

Object Material Table

d66 Object Material d66 Object Material
AA Abalone DA Leather
AB Alabaster DB Limestone
AC Bone DC Marble
AD Brass DD Meteorite
AE Bronze DE Mud
AF Ceramic DF Oak
BA Clay EA Obsidian
BB Copper EB Pearl
BC Crystal EC Petrified Wood
BD Diamond ED Pewter
BE Emerald EE Ruby
BF Fur EF Sandstone
CA Glass FA Silver
CB Gold FB Soapstone
CC Granite FC Vines
CD Ice FD Wicker
CE Ivory FE Wood
CF Jade FF Wool
30
Object Descriptor Table
d66 Object Descriptor d66 Object Descriptor
AA Bloody DA Monstrous
AB Broken DB Muddy
AC Corroded DC Musical
AD Cursed DD Obscene
AE Damaged DE Opulent
AF Dirty DF Painted
BA Diseased EA Psychedelic
BB Fragrant EB Radiant
BC Frozen EC Rune-covered
BD Glittering ED Rusty
BE Grim EE Sacrilegious
BF Holy EF Scorched
CA Hypnotic FA Sealed
CB Iridescent FB Spectral
CC Loathsome FC Spiked
CD Lush FD Unholy
CE Majestic FE Warped
CF Moldy FF Weird
 31
Magical Properties Table
Artifacts usually have some legendary power. (Whether or not the legends are
true is up to you.) You can also use these magical powers for supernatural
opponents, like a vengeful mummy sorcerer.
d66 Magical Property d66 Magical Property
AA Astral projection DA Good fortune
AB Bad fortune DB Heal wounds
AC Banish evil DC Immortality
AD Become beautiful DD Make a musical barrier
AE Cause disease DE Make owner invincible
AF Conjure fire DF Make something grow
BA Conjure food/water EA Make something shrink
BB Conjure ice EB Protection from elements
BC Control weather EC Raise/Control the dead
BD Control minds ED Read minds
BE Control/Speak to animals EE See into the future
BF Control/Speak to plants EF See into the past
CA Create illusion FA Shapeshift
CB Cure disease FB Shoot lightning
CC Curse owner FC Summon demons/devils
CD Drain lifeforce FD Summon spirits
CE Enter the dreamworld FE Teleport instantly
CF Fly/Levitate FF Wish someone harm/dead
32

Historical Figures Table

Incorporating historical figures into the story lends an air of credibility. But try
to be considerate—these were actual people. If you want to attach an evil
artifact to a more sympathetic figure, you could always say that they once
encountered the relic and often told the tale. In other words, don’t make Elvis
Presley a secret necromancer.
d66 Historical Figures d66 Historical Figures
AA Ada Lovelace DA Hatshepsut
AB Afonso Henriques DB Henry VIII
AC Alexander the Great DC Ivan the Terrible
AD Ashoka DD Julius Caesar
AE Attila DE King Solomon
AF Benjamin Franklin DF Kublai Khan
BA Blackbeard EA Mansa Musa
BB Boudica EB Nefertiti
BC Casanova EC Nicholas Flamel
BD Catherine the Great ED Nostradamus
BE Chandragupta Maurya EE Nzinga Mbande
BF Charlemagne EF Oda Nobunaga
CA Cleopatra FA Qin Shi Huang
CB Elvis Presley FB Queen Elizabeth I
CC Emperor Montezuma II FC Timur
CD Genghis Khan FD Tutankhamun
CE Hannibal FE Vlad the Impaler
CF Harry Houdini FF William the Conqueror
Another option is to draw from mythological figures: Zeus, King
Arthur, Isokelekel, etc. Because, “Robin Hood once stole this very artifact!” is
a hell of a way to draw the players in.
 33

EXOTIC LOCATIONS
Traveling to exotic locations is half the fun of a game like this. You want the
players to feel swept into a grand adventure.

Describing Locations
Don’t go overboard with narration. Limit yourself to 2-3 sentences. Write them
in the form of bullet points, similar to the LAWs of NPCs (page 22). If you’re
not sure where to begin, here’s a good rule of thumb.
1. Start with a brief overall description of the area, including any obvious
sources of danger.
2. Mention a couple cool, minor, or sensory details to help set the scene.
3. End on one major detail, the “point of the scene,” something that all
but dares the players to act.
Example of efficient, three-sentence description:
• A bridge leads to the majestic jade palace, which glows faintly in the
dark of the cavern.
• Seagulls circle overhead, dive into the underground sea, and surface
with strange looking fish.
• At the far end of the bridge, a lone guard stands motionless, as if
waiting for you to cross.
At fifty words, that’s probably pushing it. Any more and players might
start to lose focus, or become annoyed they can’t interact with the world.
Remember: The goal is to paint a picture, not lock everyone into a cutscene.

AVOID SECOND-PERSON NARRATION

Telling players how a scene makes their PCs think or feel is a recipe for
disaster. For one, it’s lazy writing. “The graveyard makes you scared!” For
another, it invites players to interrupt with corrections. “Um, I come from a
family of gravediggers, remember?” Now you’re thrown off, the player is
annoyed, and no one is happy. The answer is to narrate in the third-person,
like you would in a novel or short story.
Examples of Good (OK, decent?) and Bad description.
• Bad: The wind sends shivers down your spine.
• Bad: Your knees tremble at the sight of the scary graveyard!
• Good: A chill wind cuts through the courtyard.
• Good: A low mist clings to the ground of the moonlit graveyard.

The Power of Names

Author Mike Shea is an encyclopedia of good GM advice, but one of his best
tips involves naming locations. Once you give a location a name, it takes on a
34
life of its own. No one wants to be thrown into a dungeon, but being thrown
into the Dungeon of the Rising Tide is so much worse. It raises certain
questions, like, “Rising tide of what?” Why, rats, of course! And that’s how
locations go from meh to memorable. When designing an adventure, try to
give a name to every key location, even if it’s one you’ll keep to yourself.

Historical City Table

The following cities don’t just sound exotic—I mean, unless you happen to live
there—they were chosen for their rich history.
d66 Historical City d66 Historical City
AA Boston, USA DA Bangkok, Thailand
AB Montréal, Canada DB Bali, Indonesia
AC New Orleans, USA DC Delhi, India
AD San Francisco, USA DD Kathmandu, Nepal
AE St. Augustine, USA DE Kyoto, Japan
AF Washington D.C., USA DF Shanghai, China
BA Athens, Greece EA Buenos Aires, Argentina
BB Barcelona, Spain EB Caracas, Venezuela
BC Berlin, Germany EC Cartagena, Columbia
BD Budapest, Hungary ED Quito, Ecuador
BE London, UK EE Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
BF St. Petersburg, Russia EF Veracruz, Mexico
CA Abu Dhabi, UAE FA Algiers, Algeria
CB Baghdad, Iraq FB Antananarivo, Madagascar
CC Cairo, Egypt FC Cape Town, South Africa
CD Damascus, Syria FD Lagos, Nigeria
CE Istanbul, Turkey FE Marrakesh, Morocco
CF Jerusalem, Israel FF Mogadishu, Somalia
Protip: When in doubt, namedrop Helsinki.
 35
Urban Location Table
d66 Urban Location d66 Urban Location
AA Antique shop DA Movie studio/Backlot
AB Bar/Pub DB Museum
AC Bookshop DC Nightclub/Cabaret
AD Botanical garden/Park DD Office
AE Carnival/Festival DE Opera house/Ballroom
AF Casino/Gambling den DF Pawn shop
BA Cathedral/Temple EA Pier/Shipyard
BB Cinema/Drive-in theater EB Police station/Courthouse
BC Farm EC Pool hall/Snooker club
BD Golf course ED Public library
BE Government building EE Raceway/Horse races
BF Grocery outlet EF Red-light district
CA Hamburger store/Chips FA Restaurant/Diner
CB Hotel/Motel FB Suburbs
CC Jewelry shop FC Subway/Bus terminal
CD Mansion FD Trailer park
CE Marketplace/Flea market FE Warehouse
CF Military academy/Barracks FF Wrestling arena

Wilderness Feature Table

d66 Wilderness Feature d66 Wilderness Feature
AA Abandoned campsite DA Lonely grave
AB Ancient statue DB Lumber Mill
AC Ancient village ruins DC Mine/Mining camp
AD Animal tracks/Signs DD Misty valley
AE Burial mounds DE Oasis
AF Cave behind waterfall DF Oilfield
BA Cavern entrance EA Orchard/Farm
BB Circle of boulders EB Outpost/Fortress
BC Circle of mushrooms EC Predator’s den
BD Cliff/Crag ED Religious site
BE Crashed airplane EE River/Spring
BF Dinosaur bones EF Rope bridge over chasm
CA Dry river bed FA Ruined monastery
CB Gorge/Ravine FB Rusty vehicle
CC Grove of trees FC Small village
CD Hollow tree FD Standing stones
CE Lake/Pond FE Tunnel into a mountain
CF Lighthouse FF Waterhole
36
THE ADVENTURE SITE
The adventure site is the area surrounding the treasure. It’s the uncharted
island that Pirate King once used to store his booty, the trap-filled burial
chamber housing a sinister relic, the ancient crater containing traces of a
meteor that holds unimaginable power.
Adventure sites tend to be remote, dangerous, or otherwise
inaccessible. They guard the artifact if not by design, then by their very
nature. Recently uncovered lost civilizations make great adventure sites. But
if an artifact has fallen into the wrong hands, the relic might be located in the
fortified headquarters of a relic-craving cult leader, or the private estate of a
twisted treasure hunter. Even an ordinary museum might suffice, if properly
guarded against theft.
Try to foreshadow the adventure site. Plant seeds of the fantastic. If
the artifact is held in the fabled city of Shangri-La, drop a few hints along the
way about a “paradise in the mountains.” By the time the PCs set foot on the
adventure site, it should feel like their journey is complete, and that they’ve
now entered the end game.

Ruins/Temple/Tomb Feature Table

d66 Ruins Feature d66 Ruins Feature
AA Altar DA Meditation den
AB Arena DB Narrow passageway
AC Armory DC Portrait/Painting
AD Barracks DD Recent footprints
AE Bedroom DE Ruined bridge
AF Burial chamber DF Sconces/More sconces
BA Cistern/Reservoir EA Shrine/Sanctum
BB Columns/Pillars EB Stalactites/Stalagmites
BC Dining hall EC Statue/Idol
BD Dungeon/Oubliette ED Storage room
BE Entryway/Vestibule EE Tapestry/Curtains
BF Fresco EF Theater
CA Gallery FA Throne room
CB Guard room FB Torture chamber
CC Human remains FC Training room
CD Kitchen FD Trophy room
CE Laboratory FE Vault
CF Library FF Well
 37
PUZZLES
“The only way to win is not to play.”
— Joshua, War Games
I know what you’re thinking: You’ve got this book, and now you can’t wait to
stump your friends with an awesome, multi-stage puzzle, one involving
refracted moon beams and colored gems and maybe even that five-gallon
water jug puzzle from Die Hard With A Vengeance.
For the love of all that is good and decent in this world: Stop!
Puzzles look great in the movies, but movies are as scripted as pro
wrestling. There was never any doubt that Indiana Jones would quickly figure
out how to use the Staff of Ra. With videogames, another interactive medium,
there’s no such guarantee. Game designers have learned to start handing out
hints moments after the player begins bashing their head against a puzzle—if
not outright offering the full solution.
Roleplaying game puzzles traditionally come in two forms: Those that
challenge the PCs, and those that challenge the players.
A PC puzzle is easy to handle in Artifacts & Adventure. The GM
describes the situation and assigns a trait and difficulty (usually Cunning 5 or
6). The most cunning PC rolls, and on a success, they solve the puzzle. It’s…
nice enough, but not exactly memorable.
Puzzles that challenge players are the other kind, the kind best
forgotten. These are your chess piece puzzles, your logic puzzles, your
Sudoku puzzles. Even if your roleplaying group is comprised of members of
the “Nothing but Sudoku Club,” it’s never a good idea to stop a roleplaying
game mid-session to hand out Sudoku puzzles. (And even if that were the
case, why are you playing this game? Your club is literally called “Nothing But
Sudoku”! You should be ashamed.)

ENVIRONMENTAL PUZZLES
The good news is, there is a third type of puzzle. One that challenges and
delights both players and PCs. It’s sometimes known as an environmental,
natural, or organic puzzle.
Example environmental puzzle:
“The entrance to the Temple of Amphisbaena sits on an island in the
middle of a shimmering green oasis. Upon closer inspection, the water isn’t
shimmering so much as slithering. The entrance to the temple is surrounded
on all sides by thirty feet of emerald serpents.”
How are they supposed to get in there?! Here’s the secret: There’s no
set solution. The players will mull it over and eventually settle on something.
As long as it makes sense, the GM assigns a trait and difficulty, and that’s
that. The players will feel like they came up with a solution—because that’s
38
literally what they did—and the GM gets to experience a fun bit of emergent
storytelling.
One final suggestion: Even though the GM shouldn’t decide on a
single solution, it helps if they consider how they would solve the puzzle. That
way, if players can’t think of anything, you can drop hints or offer up your own
personal solution. (“Well, your guide mentions snakes have a natural fear of
fire…”)
Here are a few examples of environmental puzzles:
• In a crumbling apartment, the rusted spiral staircase has collapsed.
How will they reach the upper floor?
• A creaking rope bridge looks like it was made sometime shortly after
rope was invented. How to get across?
• An artifact is surrounded on all sides by bulbous mushrooms which
threaten to release toxic spores at the slightest touch.
Once you get comfortable with environmental puzzles, you’ll see more
and more opportunities to require a bit of lateral thinking. Sussing out a
spy in a cocktail party without revealing your identity? Oh yeah, that’s a
puzzle.
 39

TRAPS
Traps are an iconic part of treasure hunting. Heck, look at the cover of this
book! That’s why it’s important to put a bit of thought into your traps, to make
them fun for your players to deal with.
Chris McDowall, author of Electric Bastionland, has some great advice
for designing traps: the deadlier the trap, the more obvious it should be. That
way, players can skip the tedious “tap everything with a ten-foot pole” routine,
secure in the knowledge that if there are any death traps ahead, there’ll be at
least some clue.
A surprise death trap builds no tension or suspense. One minute you
step on a stone panel, same as any other, the next you’re flying through the
air. Or bits of you at least.
By clearly signaling danger, you not only prevent overly-cautious
players from slowing the game to a crawl, you ratchet up the suspense and
tension. Yes, this room has weird holes in the walls. Yes, there’s a human
skeleton on the floor. Yes, it’s got a half dozen big holes punched through its
bones. What are you gonna do about it?

TEMPTATION, TRIGGER & TEETH

Construct traps out of three elements: Temptation, Trigger & Teeth.
Temptation: What lures treasure hunters to their demise.
Trigger: What the PCs must do to set off the trap.
Teeth: How the trap intends to kill you, if all goes well.
You can make the traps as deadly as you like. Perhaps the boulder just
glances off the PC, even on a failed roll, so they only lose one resolve.

Trap Table
d6 Temptation d6 Trigger d6 Teeth
A Artifact A Pressure plate A Crushing walls
B Gold/Gems B Tripwire B Poison gas
C Hostage C Visual detection C Animals/Insects
D Weapons D Sound activated D Darts/Spears
E Food/water E Body heat E Boulder
F Illusion F Magic runes F Explosion
40

APPENDIX N, FOR INSPIRATION

There are plenty of games designed for running 1930s pulp-style adventures.
This isn’t one of them. Artifacts & Adventure is focused more on the present,
when PCs can rely on drones, satellite phones, and night-vision goggles.
That’s not to say there’s no room for swinging across a chasm on a rope, but
this game tries to take inspiration from the media that Indiana Jones inspired,
rather than the 1930s serials that inspired Indiana Jones.
Below are some good examples of more recent treasure hunting
adventures, set roughly 1990 and onward.
• Uncharted series (2007–) [Videogames]
• Tomb Raider series (1996–) [Videogames]
• Relic Hunter (1999–2002) [TV series]
• Adventure Inc. (2002–2003) [TV series]
• The Librarian: Quest for The Spear (2004), The Librarian: Return to King
Solomon’s Mines (2006), The Librarian: Curse of the Judas Chalice
(2008) [TV movies]
• Congo (1995) [Film]
• The Rundown (2003) [Film]
• Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (2001), Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of
Life (2003), Tomb Raider (2018) [Film]
• Sahara (2005) [Film]
• National Treasure (2004), National Treasure: Book of Secrets (2007)
[Film]
Special mention goes to Romancing the Stone (1984), Big Trouble in Little
China (1984), The Adventures of Tintin (2011), and the original Mummy trilogy
with Brendan Fraser. None of which quite fit the bill, but all of which are
awesome and worth tracking down immediately!

END OF PUBLIC BETA DOCUMENT

Questions? Comments? Typos? Please contact me at my email or blog.
Email: offbrandgandalf@gmail.com
Blog: https://offbrandgandalf.wordpress.com

Thank you!

Jayme