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Panache RPG

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    PanacheIntroductionFirst things first, Panache assumes a fair degree of familiarity with the swashbuckling genre, particularlythat presented in the cinema by Hollywood. It also makes the assumption that you, dear reader, arefamiliar with the overall concept of role-playing games and how to run and play them.

    The rules presented here are focussed on providing game mechanics to run a game set in the period ofthe Three Musketeers and some fairly broad brush strokes information on that period. Panache assumes agame set in 1625 in France.

    Panache is organised into a series of chapters and to play the game, read from the start through to theend, simple really.

    What you need

    At least two ten-sided dice.Imagination.

    Two or more people.

    Glossary

    GM:The Games Master, responsible for setting the scene and controlling the game.Player: A player in a game run by a GM.Character: A character controlled by a player.NPC: A non-player character, which is a character controlled by the GM.Wounds: Significant injuries to a character which may ultimately result in incapacitation or even death.

    Session: A game session is a period of roughly three to fours of play (real time).

    Credits

    Writing, Design and Development:Jonathan ClarkePlay testers: Dave Stark, Chris Plaice, Paul and Sarah MellorProof-reading: Alison Ross2009 Jonathan Clarke. All Rights Reserved. This game is protected under the copyright laws of the

    United Kingdom. Any reproduction or unauthorised use of the material herein is prohibited without theexpress written permission of Jonathan Clarke. All images used in this work are public domain.

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    BackgroundPanache is set in 1625 (the same year as the Dumas novel, the Three Musketeers). The King is Louis XIII,the Queen is Anne of Austria and his chief advisor is Cardinal Richelieu. Characters can be from one of

    three backgrounds:Gentlemen Adventurers

    The characters are gentlemen (or perhaps not) adventurers who are out to make their name and fortuneby performing daring deeds. This type of play allows the most free-form style as the characters can findthemselves in just about any situation the GMwishes.

    Musketeers

    The characters are all members of the KingsMusketeers (the Royal Guard), often opposed bythe Cardinals Musketeers (the Cardinals Guard).

    This form of play is more structured than theGentlemen Adventurers as the charactersultimately answer to the Captain of the Guard.

    Character Creation andDevelopment

    Steps in charactergeneration

    1. Determine Social Rank

    2. Determine Homeland3. Choose a Name4. Determine Age5. Determine an Advantage6. Determine a Disadvantage7. Allocate Scores to Attributes8. Determine Re-rolls9. Choose Edges10. Choose Equipment

    Social Rank

    There are six broad social ranks in France of the 17th century:

    Criminals: Wanted or Convicted Criminals, the lowest class in society. Peasant: Those who generally toil in the fields or hold down other unskilled jobs. Freemen:The vast majority of people in France, including small holding farmers, artisans and

    craftsmen. Gentry: The landowning classes and rich merchants or other important people (such as

    magistrates, senior bureaucrats, lawyers, doctors and so on). Nobility: Members of the Nobility. Royalty: Members of the royal family.

    Roll d100 for each character. On a roll of doubles the character is a member of the Nobility, otherwisethey are one of the Gentry. Noble characters are assumed to be younger sons or daughters who have notyet inherited their full title and estates. Nobles can be assumed to be of the Chevalier rank (knights).

    Characters may opt to be Freemen if they wish. This gives them a +5 to one Attribute of their choice butbear in mind the social implications of being of lower rank than most other player characters andimportant NPC's.

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    Home

    Roll d100 (or choose) to determine whereabouts your character comes from. This doesn't have any gamefunction but just adds some more depth to your character.

    01-03 le-de-France 52-53 Limousin

    04-05 Berry 54-55 Foix06-07 Orlanais 56-57 Auvergne08-10 Normandy 58-60 Barn11-13 Languedoc 61-63 Alsace14-15 Lyonnais 64-65 Artois16-18 Dauphin 66-68 Roussillon19-20 Champagne 69-71 Flanders and Hainaut21-22 Aunis 72-74 Franche-Comt23-24 Saintonge 75-77 Lorraine25-26 Poitou 78-79 Corsica27-29 Guyenne and Gascony 80-81 Nivernais30-31 Burgundy 82-83 Comtat Venaissin, a Papal fief32-33 Picardy 84-85 Imperial Free City of Mulhouse34-35 Anjou 86-87 Savoy, a Sardinian fief

    36-38 Provence 88-89 Nice, a Sardinian fief39-40 Angoumois 90-91 Montbliard, a fief of Wrttemberg41-42 Bourbonnais 92-94 Trois-vchs43-44 Marche 95-97 Other State (roll d10)

    1. A German State (roll d5)1. Rhine-Palatinate2. Bavaria3. Brandenburg4. Saxony5. Other German State

    2. An Italian State (roll d5)1. Venice2. Genoa3. Florence4. Papal State

    5. Other Italian State or Kingdom3. Spain4. England5. Scotland6. Ireland7. Denmark8. Norway9. Sweden10. Portugal

    45-47 Brittany 98-99 Other European State (roll d10)1. Austria2. Dutch Republic3. Spanish Netherlands4. Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth5. Moldova6. Transylvania

    7. Wallachia8. Switzerland9. Crimea10. Russia

    48-49 Maine 00 Other Non-European Region (roll d10)1. North America2. Central America (and the Caribbean)3. South America4. North Africa5. Equatorial Africa6. Far East7. Middle East8. India9. Indonesia10. Other (choose)

    50-51 Touraine

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    Characters who are not from France and who are members of the Musketeers can be assumed to beoperating under some special dispensation such as being a mercenary or having performed some suitablydaring deed to have earned the right to be a Musketeer.

    Name

    Choose a name which reflects your social class. In normal polite usage, a person's name is precededby an honourific:

    Monsieur, for males. Madame, for married, divorced or widowed females Mademoiselle, for an unmarried female

    It is normally impolite to address people by their given name unless one is a family member, a friend or awork colleague. Also it is considered somewhat impolite to address someone as Monsieur X: a mereMonsieuris in order, when not referring to the person as a third party.

    Monsieur/Madame given name family name is by far the most polite form of address and is generallyreserved for the most solemn occasions. Monsieur/Madame family name or given name family name ispolite and used in normal formal occasions. Formally, a married or widowed woman can be called by thegiven name of her husband (Madame (given name of husband) family name or Madame veuve (given

    name of husband) family name).Almost all noble titles are of the form : for instance, Louis, ducd'Orlans ("Louis, duke of Orlans"), or simply Louis d'Orlans.

    Some example names to get you started:

    Male Female

    Adolphe VignonAdolphe-Jacques DuboisAlfred CaillardAlphonse PourcelAnselme DevilleAudric Auvray

    Aurelien BabinAurelien DaumierBlaise JosseCsar TisonChretien LachanceChretien OlivierDaniel DuclosEdouard LaurentFlorian MauriceFlorian RiviereFrdric MorjuetGhislain RobichaudGiraud BarthlmyHerbert Lessard

    Jacques PoirierJacques-Isidore DaladierJean-Jacques BellangerJean-Jacques ComeauxJean-Jacques Leblanc

    Jean-Jacques SimardJean-Jacques-FlorentArnoux

    Jean-Jacques-GermainLizot

    Jean-Jacques-Perceval

    DavidJean-Louis AlliaumeJean-Louis DesnoyersJean-Louis-JromePoincar

    Joel LemaitreJoseph-Jules AdamoJoseph-Marie-Guy VronJoseph-Maximilien LatourLouis DoucetLouis PerochLuc ChrtienMartin GarnierNarcisse-Jacques Adamo

    Nicolas-Louis OuvrardNoel DelageNoel FerrandRaoul BellangerSamuel-Louis DevilleSebastien GuyonValery ChastelValery ChatalVincent Laurent

    Alice LefevreBlandine MeunierColombe BernardEdith LabrousseElisabeth FeuilletteElise-Elisabeth Jacqueme

    Emilianne LaffitteEuphmie GrellierGalate DelormeGalate Devere

    Jeanne-Elisabeth DufourJeanne-ElisabethToussaintJeanne-MichelineBergeron

    Josphine GauthierJulie-Josphine NasonJustine FleuetteLouise BeaumontLouise Evrard

    Louise GarbeLouise-Hlne BellecLouise-JosphinePoincarLouise-Rene PelayLouise-Thrse JourdainLucie BaudetLucille Vaillant

    Margot DenisMargot-Hlne MoreauMarguerite-ElisabethGallaisMarie MtisseMarie Michaud

    Marie-Cybele ComeauxMarie-Elisabeth BlondetMarie-Josphine DavidMarie-Thrse ClavetMarie-Thrse GrenierMariette CloquetMarine DechesnePatricia GuillemotPaulette-ThrseChrtienRgine JacqueminSolange RabaudStphanie-Hlne

    Thibodeau

    Suzanne TheriaultSybille BlancThrse BeaumontThrse BoisselThrse ComeauxThrse LavalleVivienne BlondelZphyrine Mnard

    Age

    Choose or roll d10+16 for your age, if you roll a ten roll again and add on. Characters over 40 have a -10to Prowess and +10 to Perspicacity. Those over 60 have a -20 to Prowess and +20 to Perspicacity.

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    Advantage

    Roll d10 to determine your Advantage at random.1. Wealthy: The character has great wealth from some source. They have a large disposable

    income and one or more estates plus townhouses etc.. By default characters are assumed to have

    a reasonable income, appropriate to their social rank, this means that you are really ridiculouslywealthy. It usually indicates money made from trade and/or very clever investments of some kind.A character with this advantage need never worry about money. They can buy estates in thecountry, ships etc.. but doing so does still take a while.. they don't carry vast amounts of cashround with them.

    2.3. Titled: If you're not already a Noble you become a Noble. If

    you're a Noble you become a distant member of the Royalfamily (such as the son of a duke).

    4. Contact:The character has a significant contact. Thehigher ranking the contact the less often they will help.Contacts will also generally expect a favour for a favour. Rolld10 to determine who your contact is:1. A minister

    2. A spy3. A criminal kingpin4. A powerful member of the nobility5. A Senior Military officer6. An important magistrate7. A wealthy merchant8. A powerful churchman9. A powerful banker10. A wealthy landowner

    And d5 again to determine why they are a contact1. They are a relative.2. You saved their life, or the life of someone close to

    them.3. They employed you at some time.

    4. You have been in business together at some time.5. You know some secret of theirs.5. Favour: Someone of great power and/or influence owes the

    character a single massive favour. The player should agreewith the GM why they are owed the favour. They can call inthe favour, but having done so, it is gone. Determine whoowes you the favour and why they owe it using the samemethod as for contacts. Unlike a Contact calling in a Favour does not cost you anything, but oncecalled in it is gone for good.

    6. Membership: The character is a member in good standing of some Order or Club and can counton the assistance of fellow members. Choose your Club or Order when you take this Advantage.Gentry can be members of Clubs only. Nobles can be members of Clubs or Noble Orders.1. Clubs include (roll d5):

    1. L'epee du grand henri

    2. Fellows of St.George3. Bishops Club4. The Black Cross5. The Boars Head.

    2. Noble Orders require a character to be a Noble (roll d5):1. Chevaliers de la Reine2. Chevaliers du Prince3. Knights of the Holy City.4. Knights of the Dagger5. Chevaliers-Royal.

    7. Heirloom Weapon: You have a family weapon of very high quality which gives +10 to yourcombat rolls when wielded.

    8. Reputation: You have a very public reputation and are often recognised. Roll d5 to determinewhether your reputation is good or bad. On a 1-4 it is good, on a 6 it is bad. A character with a

    good reputation is lauded and feted by nearly everyone, one with a bad reputation is feared andrespected by nearly everyone.

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    9. Extra Edge: The character begins play with one extra Edge.10. Extra Re-roll: The character begins play with one more re-roll than normal for their Panache.11. Knack:You have a useful knack. Roll d10:

    1. Sense of Direction: You always know where north is and can retrace your footsteps.2. Time Sense: You always know what time it is.3. Night Vision:You can see remarkably well in the dark. In anything short of pitch darkness

    you can see fine.4. Herbal Salve: You know how to make up a herbal salve which quickly heals wounds. This lets

    you and your allies wounds heal at twice the normal rate.5. Double Jointed: You can slip most bindings easily and squeeze through very small gaps.6. High Pain Threshold: You have a remarkably high pain threshold. This is good for party

    tricks, ignoring torture (it just doesn't work on you) and you can also ignore wound penalties(if using the appropriate optional rule).

    7. Robust Constitution: You've never been sick in your life. In effect, you are immune todisease.

    8. Perfect Memory:You never forget something you have seen or read.9. Striking Looks:You are gifted with striking looks, a real head-turner. It is up to you to

    interpret this, you could be stunningly beautiful, hideously ugly or have some very unusualfeature (such as being an albino).

    10. Superb Voice: You have a superb natural singing voice.

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    Disadvantage

    Each characters gets to choose one Disadvantage (roll d10 if you want one randomly). As a good rule ofthumb roleplaying a Disadvantage well in a session is worth an extra experience point.

    1. Sworn Vengeance: The character has sworn to avenge some wrong done to them or their

    family/friends. Agree with the GM what the wrong was, and who did it. To make things interestingthe target of the vengeance should be powerful and the player may not know exactly who theyare pursuing.. forcing them to work through a succession of middle men to reach their final target.Roll d10 to determine who your enemy is:1. A minister2. A spy3. A criminal kingpin4. A powerful member of the nobility5. A Senior Military officer6. An important magistrate7. A wealthy merchant8. A powerful churchman9. A powerful banker10. A wealthy landowner

    The another d5 to determine why you have sworn vengeance.1. Raped one of your family members2. Killed one of your family members (directly or indirectly)3. Ripped you off in a business deal4. Humiliated one of your family members resulting in great disgrace5. Defeated you in an important contest by cheating

    2. Obsession:The character has some personal obsession. Roll d5:1. Duelist: The character is a hot blooded duellist, always looking to prove themselves in battle.2. Compulsive Gambler: The character is a compulsive gambler.3. Religious Fanatic: The character is a religious fanatic who is sent into a frothing rage by

    blasphemies.4. Don Juan:The character is obsessed with the opposite sex.5. Code of Honour:The character will not break the rules. They let a downed opponent stand,

    never fight dirty, won't lie etc...

    3. Blackmailed: The character is being blackmailed by someone who periodically forces thecharacter to do things for them. Agree with the GM who the blackmailer is and what they areusing for the blackmail. Choose or roll a d10 for who:1. Cardinal Richelieu2. The English Crown3. A Criminal Kingpin4. A Rich Merchant5. The Medici's6. The Danish7. An important Magistrate8. Agents of the Holy Roman Empire9. An important nobleman/lady10. A powerful churchman

    Then roll d5 or choose for what is being used to blackmail you:

    1. A sexual indiscretion.2. An illegitimate child3. A crime you committed but are not suspected of4. Consorting with a foreign power5. A sordid affair

    4. Secret Loyalty: The character is secretly loyal to someone. They will receive orders from thatperson and, in turn, that person will protect them to some degree. Choose or roll a d10:1. Cardinal Richelieu2. The English Crown3. A Criminal Kingpin4. The French Queen5. The Spanish King6. The Medici's7. The Holy Roman Emperor

    8. The Pope9. The Russian Tsar

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    10. The Danish King5. Secret Identity:The character is actually someone else entirely. A common secret identity

    would be a woman who is pretending to be a man or perhaps an agent of a foreign powermasquerading as a native. Choose or roll d5:1. A woman disguised as a man (or vice versa).2. An agent of a foreign power (typically England or Spain).

    3. A wanted criminal.4. A deserter.5. A political dissident

    6. Gay:The character is attracted to members of their own sex.7. Debt: The character owes someone a great debt. They are expected to help that person in minor

    ways but eventually that person will call in the debt and they will have to repay it (usually byperforming some very dangerous and/or illegal act).

    8. Alcoholic: The character has a drink problem.9. Disability: The character suffers from a disability. Roll d5 to determine the nature of the disability

    1. Short Sighted: The character finds it hard to see at a distance. Take a -10 on all rolls wheredistance is an issue (such as ranged attacks and perception rolls).

    2. Hard of Hearing: The character is slightly deaf. Take a -10 on all rolls where hearing is amajor issue.

    3. Lame: The character is a little lame. They can move normally but cannot sprint.

    4. Hook: The character has lost their off-hand and uses a hook or other prosthetic instead. Theycan use the hand/hook normally but can't do anything requiring fine manipulation with it(including pulling a trigger). A hook counts as a proper offhand weapon in melee. A prosthetichand or similar counts as an improvised offhand weapon (if you use it to get the re-rollassume the prosthetic is damaged during the combat, just like any other improvised weapon).

    5. Scarred: The character has nasty facial scarring. This gives a +10 on rolls to intimidatepeople or to romance ladies who like that sort of thing, but a -10 on rolls to persuade or charmmost other people.

    Then d5 again to determine the origin of the disability:1. War wound2. Childhood accident3. Congenital problem4. Duelling injury5. Accident in adulthood

    10. Phobia: The character is absolutely terrified of something. If they encounter that something theymust spend a re-roll or flee from it or, if unable to flee, they are paralysed and unable to doanything. Roll d10 to determine what the character is terrified of:1. Water (hydrophobia)2. Heights (acrophobia)3. Enclosed spaces (claustrophobia)4. Darkness (Achluophobia)5. Thunder and Lightning (Astraphobia)6. Snakes (Ophidiophobia)7. Blood (Hemophobia)8. Pain (Agliophobia)9. Spiders (Arachnophobia)10. Something else (choose)

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    Attributes

    Divide 120pts between your three Attributes.

    Panache: Flamboyance, social skills, courage, focus.. a characters all round social skills

    and bravado/willpower. Panache also gives you re-rolls to use in play, encouragingreckless and flamboyant behaviour as you can always re-roll if something goes wrong. Perspicacity: Wisdom, perception, intelligence, education, logic, intuition.. a characters all round

    intellectual capacity. Perspicacity gives you talents, activities which are you particular able at. Prowess: Strength, speed, fitness, agility.. a characters all round physical ability.

    Score Meaning

    10 Abysmal

    20 Poor

    30 Average

    40 Good (one of the best in a town)

    50 Very Good (one of the best in the region)60 Remarkable (one of the best in a country)

    70 Exceptional (one of the best in the world)

    Re-rolls

    Each character gets a number of re-rolls per game session equal to the tens value of their Panacheattribute score (which should encourage a bit of flamboyant risk taking). You can use a re-roll to re-roll aroll you just made. You must keep the new roll.

    Edges

    Player characters begin with a number of Edges equal to the tens value of their Perspicacity. Whenundertaking the activity associated with one of the characters Edges you may roll the dice as normal thendeclare which dice is tens after rolling (this is known as flip-flopping). You can choose or random roll(d10) your Edges. No more than half of your Edges (rounded up) can come from List A.

    List A1. Brawling: Fighting with bare hands (including grappling) or simple improvised weapons such as

    broken bottles, cudgels, brass knuckles and so forth (I.e Small weapons only). You can flip-flopdefense rolls against melee and thrown attacks whilst armed with improvised weapons anddefense rolls against unarmed attacks when unarmed.

    2. Fencing: Fighting with swords, daggers and knives. This is the scientific art of swordplay,focussing on skill and technique. Types of sword include rapier, sabre, cutlass, longsword andbuckler (Small and Medium blades). You can use this talent to flip-flop defense rolls against meleeattacks and thrown weapons when armed with a fencing weapon (representing parrying thrownattacks) but not against bows or guns.

    3. Fighting: Fighting with military weapons (such as greatswords, shields, halberds, maces, axesand so forth). These are always Medium or Large weapons. You can use this talent to flip-flopdefense rolls against melee attacks and thrown weapons when wielding a Fighting weapon.

    4. Marksmanship: Shooting guns of all types and bows.5. Maneuver: Athletics, Acrobatics, Climbing, Dodging, Stealth. You can use this talent to flip-flop

    defense rolls against all attacks (representing dodging).6. Perception: Perception is used to notice things in the environment.7. Persuasion: Getting people to do what you want by seduction, reasoning and emotional appeal.8. Intimidation: Getting people to do what you want by using threats, including physical threats,

    blackmail and so on. Also includes interrogation and torture.9. Willpower: Used to maintain self-control and to resist persuasion and intimidation attempts by

    others.10. Physique: Used to flip-flop rolls for feats of strength, for grappling rolls, to resist the effects of

    asphyxiation, poisons, drugs, diseases, fatigue and drink.

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    List B1. Thievery: Lockpick, pick pocket, disguise, imitate, safe crack, forgery, tradecraft- deception is

    the ability to perform criminal actions and to operate without being detected by the law/state.The tradecraft speciality is all about things like dead letter drops, using false identities and so on.This is more about knowing what to do so as not to draw attention to yourselves and not to leavetrails which others can use Investigate to follow.

    2. Riding: Riding horses and other mounts, also caring for them.3. Tailoring: Leatherworking, weaving, sewing and other related crafts4. Medicine: First aid, diagnostics, surgery, pharmacology5. Investigation: Finding things out by listening to gossip, researching in libraries, extrapolating

    data and forensics.6. Woodcraft: Surviving and operating in the wilds. Though this is called woodcraft it applies to all

    temperate environments (such as fields and forests). This includes hunting, snaring, trapping,tracking, foraging, shelter building and so on.

    7. Seamanship: Sailing ships, navigation, crewing ships.. basically everything related to ships andboats.

    8. Smithing: Working with metals.9. Trade: Running a business, evaluating the value of things and so on.10. Carpentry: An edge in matters of working with wood.

    List C1. History: A detailed knowledge of Historical events and personalities.2. Natural Philosophy: Science.3. Mathematics: Mathematics (including book-keeping and accounting).4. Law: A knowledge of the law.5. Geography: A detailed knowledge of places.6. Streetwise: An edge in matters of low society and the criminal fraternity.7. Etiquette: An edge in matters of high society, mores and customs.8. Art: An edge in the production and understanding of works of art (including paintings, sculptures

    and the like).9. Performance: Acting, play instruments, painting.10. Philosophy: A deep understanding of philosophy and metaphysics.

    Assets and Equipment

    Panache is all about swashbuckling and high adventure, not counting the pennies. Assume that acharacter has a sufficient income to live according to his class:

    Freemen have nothing more than the clothes they are wearing and any tools of their trade. Gentry have lodgings in Paris (or wherever the game is set) and a decent quality home in the

    countryside or another town. They can afford decent quality clothes and accoutrements and caneat and drink well. Likewise, they can easily access regular equipment as needed.

    Noble characters are better off, typically having a town house, country estate, fine qualityclothing and accoutrements, eating the best foods and drinking the best wines. Nobles may beassumed to have one or two servants (who won't generally get involved during games) and mayequip themselves with high quality equipment. On the downside, a Noble is expected to behave ina fashion befitting their station, whereas a member of the lower classes has more leeway in howthey act.

    Characters can begin with whatever equipment their player feels appropriate to their character concept(with the GM having the final say over what is reasonable).

    Experience

    The GM awards experience points (XP) during and at the end of a game session. At the end of a sessionyou can spend XP to increase Attribute scores, 1 XP gives +1 to one attribute.

    If that increases your Perspicacity to or over the next multiple of ten you also gain a new Edge of yourchoice and if your Panache is increased similarly you gain an extra re-roll.

    Experience Awards

    It's up to the GM to decide how to award XP but the following guidelines are a pretty good place to start:

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    1XP for taking part in the game. 1XP for each cool stunt or clever strategem in the game. 1XP for each witty remark, stylish act or anything else which reinforces the swashbuckling feel to

    the game. 1XP for successfully defeating an opponent or challenge. 1XP for achieving the scenario's aim (ie. winning).

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    Game Mechanics

    Basic Tasks

    The basic mechanism for resolving actions in play is the Attribute test. Attribute tests should onlygenerally be made when the character is faced by a Challenging task. Easy and routine tasks should notnormally trigger tests.

    To make a test roll 1d100 and compare to the score of the Attribute which you are rolling against.

    A roll the Attribute score and doubles is a critical failure. A roll of 00 is always an automatic failure (and may be a critical failure if your Attribute

    is 100 or less).

    In the note above the term attribute means the attribute score after all modifiers have been applied toit.

    Opposed Tasks

    If the task is being opposed by another character bothcharacters roll and the one who succeeds with the highest rollwins... excepting that critical success always beats a normalsuccess which beats a failure.

    If one fails and the other succeeds the one whosucceeded wins. If both fail neither wins.

    Very Challenging Tasks

    When attempting a Very Challenging task an ODD rollautomatically fails.

    Attributes over 100

    If a character is rolling against an Attribute over 100 theyshould roll normally and then add Attribute score-100 to theirroll. Attributes over 100 are referred to as ExceptionalAttributes.

    For example, if you rolled 80 against an Attribute of 120 youractual roll would be 100 (80+120-100).

    Influencing People

    In general attempts to sway someone's opinions should be resolved with Panache vs. Panache. Acharacter who is successfully influenced is not compelled to obey, but should definitely have their attitudeshifted in favour of the person who influenced them.

    If a player character is successfully influenced and the player doesn't play that influence appropriately theGM should probably consider not awarding them any more re-rolls during the session (at least until theydo start playing the influence).

    If you score a critical success vs. a success or success vs. failure your influence attempt is much moreeffective and even more so if you win by three levels (i.e. critical success versus failure).

    Social Rank in Play

    Social Rank is important in France of the period. Characters should automatically tend to defer to

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    characters of higher social rank. Unless common-sense says otherwise, characters of higher rank trying toinfluence those of lower rank (e.g. Noble vs. Gentry) may re-roll their roll but they must keep the newresult.

    Conflict

    Conflict occurs when two or more characters engage in some kind of contest. Conflict is resolved throughan opposed attribute roll. There are three kinds of Conflict:

    Panache: Resolved with opposed Panache rolls. Examples of Panache conflicts could be musicalor artistic contests, exchanges of witty banter and repartee, insults and satires, boasts, seductionattempts and so on.

    Perspicacity: Resolved with opposed Perspicacity rolls. Examples of Perspicacity conflicts couldinvolve characters setting each other Perspicacity problems to solve, debates, constructingPerspicacity strategies, tricking someone, trying to solve one anothers plans and so on.

    Prowess: Resolved with opposed Prowess rolls. Examples of Prowess conflicts could be wrestlingcontests, running contests, sporting contests or fights.

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    CombatSometimes, okay, quite often, characters may wish to or have to resort to violence to achieve their aims,be they staying alive or succeeding at their appointed aims.

    Combat Rounds

    Each combat round is divided into two phases; Engaged Actions and Unengaged Actions. All Engagedcharacters resolve their turns first, followed by all Unengaged characters. Note that characters who beginthe round Engaged can become Unengaged, letting them act in both phases of the round.

    Engaged Actions

    All hostile characters who are within 3yds or less ofeach other are considered Engaged. They all makeProwess rolls to determine who wins each fight. The

    character with the highest successful roll wins. Thewinner of the fight may opt to do one of the following(decide which before you roll):

    Wound: Inflict damage on your opponentbased on your weapon type.

    Disarm: Cause your opponent to drop aweapon of your choice.

    Subdue: Force your opponent to make aProwess roll or be knocked out cold for tenminutes.

    Pin: See detailed rules later. Unbalance: Cause your opponent to miss

    their next turn. They cannot make a combat

    roll if engaged at the start of the next round. Feint: If you win the next round upgrade

    normal hits to critical hits and critical hits toinstant kills.

    Maneuver: Move yourself and your opponentup to 5m (staying engaged).

    Disengage: Let's the character act in theUnengaged phase this round (so they couldopt to move away, draw a weapon etc..).

    Unengaged Actions

    Characters who are not within 3yds of an enemy may take an Unengaged action. Unengaged actions aretaken in order of the character with the highest Panache first, working downwards. You may opt to wait

    and perform your action later after seeing what lower Panache characters do first. An unengaged action issomething which can reasonably be achieved in around 5 seconds or less (the length of a combat round).Examples of actions include:

    Move Prowess yards. Reload a weapon Move Prowess feet Ready a ranged weapon to use (such as drawing it from a holster or unslinging from your back) Shoot a ranged weapon Aim a ranged weapon Moveby: If a character wishes to move past an opponent but to do must move within 3yards

    (engagement distance) have them make a Prowess roll. If they succeed no problem, if they failthey must end their movement next to the opponent and will start the next round engaged.

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    Fleeing

    An engaged character doesn't have to make a combat roll. They can opt to forego their roll.. leaving themin a vulnerable position. If they survive the engagement they can then take a disengaged action (such assprinting away).

    Guns in Engagements

    You can't shoot/fire a Ranged weapon when engaged. You can either strike with the weapon as a club(typically doing Small Blunt damage) or, if you win the engagement, disengage and then shoot in theunengaged action phase.

    Ranged Attacks

    Make a Prowess roll to hit. To account for the greater number of variables which effect ranged shots (suchas distance, target movement, cover and so on), unaimed ranged attacks are considered to be VeryChallenging, so ODD rolls to hit automatically miss if you didn't Aim at the target in theprevious round.

    All weapons have a range code:

    Close: Close range weapons are for melee combat. You can throw them up to Short range, butobviously lose them in the process.

    Short: Short range weapons can reach out to 10 yards. Medium: Medium range weapons can reach out to 30 yards. Long: Long range weapons can reach out to 100 yards.

    Weapons (must be a Shield or Small Weapon/Item)

    If you are wielding something in your offhand (such as a dagger, buckler, cloak or hat) you may re-roll anattack or defense roll.. but you must take the new result. If it was an attack a successful re-rolled hit isstruck with the offhand item.

    If you are wielding two ranged weapons (such as a brace of pistols) you can still re-roll as above, firingyour offhand weapon after the primary weapon.

    Critical Success

    A critically successful attack (successful roll of doubles) inflicts double damage.

    A critically successful defense (successful roll of doubles) does not use up your next turn.

    Instant Kills

    If you succeed with a roll exactly equal to what you need to hit (i.e. equal to your attribute +/- anymodifiers) you instantly kill your target. The precise details are up to the GM but usually involve an exactstrike to a vital point. Examples might be:

    Stabbing your opponent in the heart or throat. Cut open a major artery. Crush their skull with a Blunt blow.

    As an optional rule, the GM may allow player characters to spend a re-roll to turn an Instant Kill into acritical hit.

    Surprise

    If a character attacks their target and has complete surprise roll to hit normally but upgrade the resultone step, so a normal hit becomes a Critical Hit and a Critical Hit becomes an Instant Kill.

    Getting complete surprise usually requires either a Prowess roll to sneak up on a foe or a sniper shot fromLong range.

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    Wounds

    If a character is hit by an attack they take a wound. The wounds value is calculated from the successfulattack roll, as follows:

    Small weapon attacks inflict damage equal to the sum of the dice of the attack roll, called S

    damage. One handed weapon attacks inflict damage equal to the product of the dice of the roll (multiply

    them together), called P damage. Two-handed weapon attacks inflict damage equal to the roll, called R damage.

    Wound Effects

    If the sum of a characters Wounds exceeds their Prowess they are rendered unconscious. If it exceedstheir Prowess+Panache they are dead.

    Mortal Wounds

    A character who has taken a single Wound of value greater than their Prowess is mortally wounded andwill die in one hour if said wound is not halved with First Aid.

    First Aid

    A character can attempt first aid on a wounded character. Make one Perspicacity roll for each wound to betreated.

    A successful Perspicacity roll halves the value of the wound, a critical success quarters it. Oncesuccessfully treated a wound cannot be reduced further except by natural healing.

    Natural Healing

    Each of a characters wound reduces in value by the tens value of their Prowess attribute every morning,representing the benefits of natural healing. Note that all your wounds heal simultaneously.

    Critical Failures in Combat

    Some suggested effects of critical failures in combat are noted below. They are numbered 1-10 so you canroll a d10 for a random result if you wish:

    1. Hit nearest ally instead.2. Hit nearest innocent bystander within range instead.3. Drop weapon: Unengaged action to recover it.4. Fall Prone: No action next round.5. Break weapon: Pretty self-explanatory.. a high quality weapon can be assumed to just be dropped.6. Overextend: Opponent has +30 to hit you next turn.7. Give ground: You are forced to retreat away from your opponent (typically losing a few meters).8. Strain Self: You strain yourself (in a minor way) and are treated as Fatigued for the rest of the

    scene.

    9. Over exertion: Treat as though you'd just majorly exerted yourself (see the Fatigue rules).10. Make something entertaining up...

    If you are fighting in very inclement conditions (such as being on ice, in mud, fighting in the rain and soon) you may wish to rule that any failure is treated as a critical failure.

    Stunts

    By default characters are assumed to be being sensible when fighting. As an alternative, a charactermay instead make their action a Stunt.. being something cinematic, risky and/or over the top.

    In game terms, a stunt is always associated with a roll. If you succeed it becomes a critical success (or acritical success becomes an instant kill in combat). If you fail it becomes a critical failure.. so you eithersucceed spectacularly or make an absolute mess of what you are attempting.

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    Combat Spot Rules

    Breaking Things

    A character can kick open a typical door or burst through a thin wall with a Prowess roll. A reinforced dooror medium thickness wall requires a Very Challenging Prowess roll. Anything heavier cannot be burstthrough by sheer strength.

    A battering ram or similar device lets you break through a typical door or thin wall automatically as asingle action. It needs a Prowess roll to get through a reinforced door or medium thickness wall and a VeryChallenging roll to burst through an iron door or thin stone wall.

    A character with a sharp weapon can typically hack or bash their way through anything short of iron orstone in a few rounds. This includes chests, padlocks and so on. Iron or Stone walls can be defeated with asledgehammer or pick, though this will typically take tens of minutes or even hours depending on thethickness of the barrier.

    In practical terms a character who bursts through using Prowess alone will normally have surprise onanyone on the other side. One using a weapon will not have the advantage of surprise and anyone inside

    may have time to flee before the door/wall is broken through.

    Coup de Grace

    A character who has been incapacitated or immobilised can be dispatched by an enemy as a singleunengaged action (i.e. you cannot inflict a coup de grace whilst in combat still).

    Mounted Combat

    A character on horseback may re-roll their melee combat rolls against unmounted opponents but theymust keep the new result.

    PinningIf you opt to pin an opponent having won a round of combat you have managed to get them into aneffective clinch, lock or hold of some kind. You both roll as normal on the next and subsequent rounds butyou automatically win the round if you're opponent fails to get a critical success. If you win you can:

    Continue or End the Pin and Crush: Inflict damage on your opponent equal to the tens valueof your Prowess but ignore armour.

    Continue or End the Pin and Disarm: Cause your opponent to drop a weapon of your choice. Continue or End the Pin and Subdue: Force your opponent to make a Prowess roll or be

    knocked out. Continue or End the Pin and Maneuver: Move yourself and your opponent up to 5m

    (staying engaged). End the Pin and Unbalance: Cause your opponent to miss their next turn. They cannot make a

    combat roll if engaged at the start of the next round. End the Pin and Disengage: Let's the character act in the Unengaged phase this

    round (so they could opt to move away, draw a weapon etc..).

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    One against Many

    The outnumbered character makes one combat roll. Every opponent is rolling against the one combat roll.The outnumbered character can only win against one opponent, if they defeat multiple opponents theyonly get to strike/grapple etc.. one. The exception to this is that they can only Disengage if they beat

    every opponent.

    Weapons and Armour

    Weapon Codes

    Weapons are usually described by a name and a three letter code; XY

    X: Damage Code (H for Highest dice, S for Sum, P for Product, R for Roll) Y: Range (C for Close, S for Short, M for Medium L for Long)

    A (2h) after the weapons name means that the weapon needs two hands to wield.

    Melee Weapons

    Weapon Damage Range Examples

    Brass Knuckles S C* Concealable

    Dagger S C* Concealable

    Knife S C* Concealable

    Club S C*

    Sword P C*

    Axe P C*

    Mace P C*

    Maul (2h) R C*

    Spear (2h) P M*

    Great Axe (2h) R C*

    Halberd (2h) R C*

    Great Sword (2h) R C*

    Quarter Staff (2h) P C* Can re-roll combat roll

    *The weapon can be thrown at targets at Short range but is obviously lost in the process.**The weapon is a thrown weapon, at Short range or longer it is lost in the process.

    Ranged Weapons

    Weapon Damage Range Examples

    Pepperbox P S Concealable, 4 actions between shots to reload

    Pistol P M 4 actions between shots to reload

    Three Barrelled Pistol P M Three shots, 4 actions to reload each barrel, Unusual*

    Bow (2h) P L Can fire every turn

    Crossbow (2h) P L 2 Actions to reload between shots

    Carbine (2h) R M 2 Actions to reload between shots, Can fire 1h but then cannotAim

    Musket (2h) R L 2 Actions to reload between shots*Unusual weapons are hard to acquire and usually prohibitively expensive (typically ten times the normal

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    price for a similar weapon).

    Artillery and other heavier ranged weapons shouldn't really feature in Panache games but, for reference,have ranges of several hundred yards and inflict twice or more the damage of a Large ranged weapon(i.e. damage equals the roll to hit multiplied by two or more).

    Explosives

    Such as hand grenades. The GM should roll d100 for everyone near to the grenade when itdetonates. Anyone who is wearing Heavy armour or who is sheltered from the blast in someway takes a wound equal to the lowest dice read as tens and highest as units (e.g. if you rolled48 you'd take a 48pt wound). Anyone else nearby takes damage equal to the highest dice astens and lowest as units (e.g. if you rolled 48 you'd take 84 damage!). Grenades need oneunengaged action to light and one to throw, then can be assumed to explode at the start ofyour next turn.

    Armour

    Armour is defined as Light or Heavy:

    Light armour reduces the damage from missile (but not guns) and melee attacks one step (e.g. aMedium weapon inflicts Small weapon damage against a Lightly armoured opponent). A character in Light armour cannot swim but is otherwise unimpeded.

    Heavy armour reduces the damage from all attacks (including guns) by one step (e.g. a Mediumweapon inflicts Small weapon damage against a Heavily armoured opponent). A character in Heavy armour cannot swim and has their Move reduced to Prowess feet, rather

    than the normal yards.

    Light armour includes things like mail vests. Heavy armour includes back and breastplates. Large Shieldscount as Light armour but only against attacks from the characters front.

    Note that the wearing of armour is acceptable in battles but definitely not acceptable in duels or othertrials of honour. It is normal for both combatants in a duel to be required to bare their breasts todemonstrate that they are not wearing a mail shirt.

    Improvised Weapons

    Improvised Weapons are good for one complete combat then can be considered broken and useless.Improvised weapons have a * after their description code.

    Some common examples:

    Beer Mug SC*

    Bottle SC*

    Broken Bottle SC*

    Chair (2h) PC*Pitchfork (2h) RC*

    Shovel (2h) PC*

    Felling Axe (2h) RC*

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    Other Rules

    NPC's

    Non-player characters fall into two different categories; Major and Minor.

    Major NPC's

    Major NPC's are constructed in the same way as playercharacters and use all the same rules. Major NPC's arecharacters who are important to the story, such asmajor antagonists or interests.

    Minor NPC's

    Minor NPC's are extra's, characters who have nosignificant role in the adventure beyond acting asopposition or providing background colour. Minor NPC'sare generally described by a single number which isused for all tasks:

    Dice Type NPC Quality

    20 Poor

    30 Average

    40 Good

    50 Excellent

    60 Exceptional

    In addition, Minor NPC's do not get any re-rolls fromtheir Panache score or Edges from their Perspicacity.

    Animals

    Animals may occasionally come into play. Animals donot have a Panache score and, like Minor NPC's, haveno Edges or Re-rolls. Their Perspicacity score is onlyused for perception type tasks, otherwise they operate on instinct. Larger animals tend to havenaturalattacks which count as weapons and often have some degree of inherent armour, to represent their sizeand toughness. Some common animals include:

    Type Prowess Perspicacity Damage Armour

    Wild Boar 40 60 P

    Large Dog 40 80 S

    Big Cat 70 50 R

    Bear 80 50 R -1 vs. All Attacks

    Drink and Drugs

    A character who imbibes drink or drugs must make a Prowess roll after every third drink, where a drink is:

    A mug of beer, ale, watered wine or cider

    A glass of wine or brandy A shot of spirits

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    A few puffs of opium A single joint

    If they fail the roll they have become drunk/inebriated and are treated as Fatigued. A second failuremeans they pass out for eight hours, waking fully refreshed.

    Fatigue

    Each time a character majorly exerts themselves they should make a Prowess roll. A success means theyare okay, a failure means that all EVEN rolls automatically fail until they get a good nights sleep (so VeryChallenging rolls automatically fail when Fatigued). If they are already Fatigued due to a previously failedroll they collapse from exhaustion, waking in eight hours fully refreshed. Examples of major exertions:

    Emptying a treasure chamber Searching a small house properly An hours hard labour or running A days ride or march Fleeing a foe who chases you Fighting in a battle Swimming a turbulent river Climbing a tall cliff

    Poison

    A character who is poisoned should make a Prowess roll after a set period has elapsed. They will realisethey have been poisoned roughly way through the set period and, from that point, are treated asFatigued until they die or survive.

    A failure means that the character has succumbed to the poison and dies shortly after. If a character withthe Medicine edge treats the character before the time elapses they may flip-flop the original Prowess roll,significantly increasing the chances of survival.

    The period depends on the poison. Strong poisons require a Very Challenging roll to succeed.

    Fast Acting Poison: roll after one minute. Medium Acting Poison: roll after one hour. Slow Acting Poison: roll after one day.

    Disease

    Diseases are best treated as poisons but their period is usually a week (for fast acting diseases) or amonth (for most other diseases).

    Falling

    Roll d100 for a character who falls from some height (not just jumping down from a wall). If they fall ontoa broken or dangerous surface they take damage equal to the dice roll, highest dice read as tens. If theyfall onto a normal surface they take damage equal to the dice roll, lowest dice read as tens.

    A conscious character can make a Prowess roll (Maneuver Edge applies) to try and minimise the damage,halving the wound value if successful. If you fall onto a soft surface halve the damage taken again.

    Asphyxiating

    A character who is asphyxiating (no oxygen, such as drowning, in a avaccuum or in a smoke filled room)needs to make a Prowess roll at the end of every round in which they exert themselves (if they are notexerting themselves let them roll after every minute instead). Once they fail a roll they are at -10 to allactions until they get air again. They continue rolling and if they fail a second time they pass out and willbe irrecoverably brain damaged within 4 minutes then dead within 6 minutes (before the 4 minuteswindows elapses a successful Perspicacity roll by another character can restore consciousness, one tryonly per character though).

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    Burning

    Something which can burn a character (such as an acid, electricity or flames) has a damage code. Just rolld100 at the start of every round in which the character is in contact with the burning thing andcalculate damage from that roll. Armour reduces the damage code as normal.

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    Adventure SeedsThe following section is a list of various basic ideas for adventures, expressed as single lines.

    1. A mentor of one of the characters is kidnapped. The characters must rescue them.

    2. A lover of one of the characters is kidnapped. The characters must rescue them.3. A friend of one of the characters is kidnapped. The characters must rescue them.4. A relative of one of the characters is kidnapped. The characters must rescue them.5. The characters are sent to capture someone and bring them back.6. The characters are sent to assassinate someone.7. The characters must protect someone from harm for a set period of time.8. The characters must protect something from harm for a set period of time.9. The characters are sent to steal something and return it.10. The characters are sent to recover something which has been stolen and return it.11. The characters are draw into a plot between nobles and must work out how to extricate

    themselves without offending either side.12. The characters are sent to destroy somewhere.13. The characters are sent to destroy something.14. The characters must uncover a specific piece of information and report back.

    15. The characters must uncover a traitor or spy.16. The characters must solve a crime.17. The characters have been accused of a crime and must solve the crime to prove themselves

    innocent.18. The characters have been framed and must prove their innocence.19. The characters have been framed and are being blackmailed into performing a task for someone.

    They must prove their innocence and turn the tables on their blackmailer.20. One of the characters wishes to woo someone and must fetch a number of gifts to win that

    persons affections.21. One of the characters has offended someone and must perform one or more tasks by way of

    apology.22. The characters must organise the defense against a superior attacking force.23. The characters must organise an attack to take a place held by a superior force.24. The characters must successfully undertake a dangerous journey.

    25. The characters honour has been besmirched by someone and they must take action to regaintheir lost honour.26. The honour of an organisation the character belongs to (such as the Musketeers) has been

    besmirched by someone and they must take action to regain their lost honour.27. The honour of one of the characters relatives has been besmirched by someone and they must

    take action to regain their lost honour.28. The honour of one of the characters mentors has been besmirched by someone and they must

    take action to regain their lost honour.

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    Historical Background

    The Geography

    Some key facts about France:

    The population is approximately 20 million people. 2/3rds of the country is mountainous or hilly, with three major mountain ranges; the Alps (south

    eastern france), Vosges (eastern france) and Pyrenees (south western france). The north and west is dominated by mostly flat plains or gently rolling hills. The southern (mediterranean coast) has hot, dry summers and mild winters. France is primarily rural with the majority of the population living in rural areas (i.e. villages and

    small towns). Most cities have populations of less than 50,000 and towns are less than 5,000. Paris has a

    population of 200,000.

    The Provinces

    France is broken down into 40 provinces, listed below. In brackets after each provinces name is it'sprovincial capital. Cities in bold had provincial "parlements" or "conseils souverains". The presence of aparlement or conseils souverains generally indicates a relatively more important province.

    1. le-de-France (Paris)2. Berry (Bourges)3. Orlanais (Orlans)4. Normandy (Rouen)5. Languedoc (Toulouse)6. Lyonnais (Lyon)7. Dauphin (Grenoble)8. Champagne (Troyes)9. Aunis (La Rochelle)10. Saintonge (Saintes)

    11. Poitou (Poitiers)12. Guyenne and Gascony (Bordeaux)13. Burgundy (Dijon)14. Picardy (Amiens)15. Anjou (Angers)16. Provence (Aix-en-Provence)17. Angoumois (Angoulme)18. Bourbonnais (Moulins)19. Marche (Guret)20. Brittany (Rennes)21. Maine (Le Mans)22. Touraine (Tours)23. Limousin (Limoges)24. Foix (Foix)

    25. Auvergne (Clermont-Ferrand)26. Barn (Pau)27. Alsace (Strasbourg, cons. souv. in Colmar)28. Artois (Arras)29. Roussillon (Perpignan)30. Flanders and Hainaut (Lille, parlement in Douai)31. Franche-Comt (Besanon)32. Lorraine (Nancy)33. Corsica (off map, Ajaccio, cons. souv. in Bastia)34. Nivernais (Nevers)35. Comtat Venaissin, a Papal fief36. Imperial Free City of Mulhouse37. Savoy, a Sardinian fief38. Nice, a Sardinian fief

    39. Montbliard, a fief of Wrttemberg40. Trois-vchs (Metz, Toul and Verdun).

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    The map below shows the relative positions of the above provinces.

    The Thirty Years WarThe background to the game is the thirty years war (1618-1648), one of Europes most devastatingconflicts. We won't go into great detail about the war here, if you'd like to find out more there are plentyof excellent books and websites on the subject. From a game point of view the following things can besaid about the war in 1625:

    The war is largely a religious war, a war between Protestants and Catholics both within andwithout the Holy Roman Empire (under the Habsburgs).

    The war rages across what will become modern Germany. In 1625 the Protestant kingdoms of the Dutch, Danish, Rhine-Palatinate and English are actively

    fighting the Catholic Holy Roman Empire and the Bavarians. The Catholic kingdoms of Spain, thePapacy and Poland are indirectly supporting the Holy Roman Empire.

    The Catholic kingdom of France is remaining neutral and does not join the war until 1636 but isinvolved in the extensive politics and plots washing across europe in relation to the war. France's

    involvement is not religious, it is because it views the Spanish and Holy Roman Empire as overlypowerful neighbours.

    Two major factions in the war were the Catholic League and the Protestant Union. Major membersof the League included the Holy Roman Empire, numerous German states And Bavaria. Majorunion members included France, Sweden, the Rhine-Palatinate and Denmark.

    Italy comprises roughly 41 separate city states and small independent kingdoms. Germany comprises 225 separate city states.. the majority of which are under the authority of

    the Holy Roman Empire.

    The Three Musketeers

    Many of the characters who appear in The Three Musketeers were real people who are depictedreasonably accurately in the novel, although Dumas did take fictional liberties with their actions. KingLouis XIII, Anne of Austria, and Cardinal Richelieu were important people during the period of the novel.

    Monsieur de Treville and Richelieu really were enemies in fact, in 1642, de Treville was part of a plot toassassinate the Cardinal. Richelieu did have his own personal company of guards, who did have a fierce

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    rivalry with the Musketeers. The tension between France and England, and the ensuing war in which theGuards and Musketeers fought, was an historical fact.

    Louis XIII (1601 1643) ruled France from 1610 until his death, but the real ruler for much of that timewas his domineering mother, Marie de' Medici. In 1617, he arranged the assassination of her minister,Concino Concini, forcing her into retirement. In 1622, he and she were reconciled, however, and in 1624,

    he allowed her protg, Cardinal Richelieu, to run the government as chief minister. When his motherurged him to remove Richelieu from power in 1630, Louis, who believed Richelieu was on his side, sent hismother into exile instead. As in Dumas's book, Louis was melancholy and not very bright when it came todealing with people, and he was happy to have the Cardinal do the work of ruling for him.

    Richelieu strengthened the authority of the king and centralized government control. He also lessened thepower of the nobility in favor of the king and suppressed the Huguenots, a Protestant faction, who werehumbled by the siege of La Rochelle, which is described (albeit unrealistically) in the book.

    D'Artagnan's character was based on Charles de Batz-Castelmore, who was from Gascony and had thetitle Sieur d'Artagnan through his mother's family. He left his home province in 1640 (the novel has himleaving home in 1625). He served as a Musketeer under Cardinal Mazarin and King Louis XIV (not, as inthe book, their predecessors Cardinal Richelieu and King Louis XIII) and had a distinguished career. Hedied in 1673 while fighting at the siege of Maestricht.

    In addition, Porthos, Aramis, and Athos were based on real people. Porthos was really Isaac de Porthos,

    who was a member of Captain des Essart's company of the King's Guards until 1643. After 1643, heserved as a Musketeer with d'Artagnan. Aramis's character was based on Henry d'Aramitz, who was arelative of Monsieur de Treville, and became a Musketeer in 1640. Athos was really Seigner d'Athos etd'Auteville and was also a relative of de Treville's. He was a Musketeer and died in 1643, apparently as theresult of a duel.

    The main exception to Dumas's use of real people as bases for his characters is "Milady," or Lady deWinter. She was a creation of Dumas's, and it is interesting that she dominates the second half of thebook, more than any of the "real" historical characters do.

    Some key concepts:

    Medicine is in its infancy and still consists mostly of the use of herbs and other traditionalmedicines, many of which are more harmful than no treatment at all. No one knows that germsand viruses exist, and antibiotics, vaccines, and painkillers are unknown. People who are injured in

    duels, wars, or other combats often die from infections. King Louis XIII and Cardinal Richelieu consolidate royal power, decrease the power of the nobles,

    and begin suppression of Protestants.

    Flintlock firearms are developed in the early 1600s, but swords are still important in combat.

    D'Artagnan- The central character of the novel, d'Artagnan is a young, impoverished Gascon noblemanwho comes to make his fortune in Paris. He is brave, noble, ambitious, crafty, and intelligent. Like anyRomantic hero, he is driven by love and ruled by chivalry, but occasionally prone to fall into amoralbehavior.

    Athos- The most important of the Three Musketeers, Athos is something of a father figure to d'Artagnan.He is older than his comrades, although still a young man. Athos is distinguished in every way--intellect,appearance, bravery, swordsmanship--yet he is tortured by a deep melancholy, the source of which noone knows.

    Aramis- A young Musketeer, one of the great Three. Aramis is a handsome young man, quiet andsomewhat foppish. He constantly protests that he is only temporarily in the Musketeers, and that any daynow he will return to the Church to pursue his true calling. Aramis has a mysterious mistress, Madame deChevreuse, a high noblewoman, whose existence and identity he tries to keep from his friends.

    Porthos- Porthos, the third of the Three Musketeers, is loud, brash, and self-important. He is extremelyvain, and enjoys outfitting himself handsomely; but for all that, he is a valiant fighter and a courageousfriend. His mistress is Madame Coquenard, the wife of a wealthy attorney.

    Lady de Winter- A mysterious, beautiful, dangerous, and ultimately evil Cardinalist agent. D'Artagnanbecomes obsessed with her, but eventually she and the Musketeers become fierce adversaries. Miladyhas a secret, and she kills anyone who finds it out--her left shoulder is branded with the Fleur-de-Lis, amark put on the worst criminals.

    Madame Bonacieux- Wife of Monsieur Bonacieux and lady-in-waiting for Queen Anne. MadameBonacieux is loyal to the Queen through and through. D'Artagnan falls in love with her, and in doing so

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    gets involved in the Queen's secret affairs.

    Monsieur Bonacieux- D'Artagnan's landlord, and Madame Bonacieux's husband. He originally comes tod'Artagnan for help when Madame Bonacieux is kidnapped, but after a private audience with the Cardinal,turns on his wife and becomes a Cardinalist agent.

    Monsieur de Treville- The head of the King's Musketeers. Monsieur de Treville is an honorable and

    distinguished gentleman, and close friend to the King. He treats all his Musketeers as his sons, and is animportant figure of support for the young d'Artagnan. He is a rival of Cardinal Richelieu for favor andinfluence with the King.

    King Louis XIII- King of France. Louis XIII is not much of a ruler, and is dominated by his advisors, mostnotably Cardinal Richelieu, the most powerful man in France. He is a petulant and petty person, and thosearound him who are most successful are those who have learned to manipulate his pettiness.

    Cardinal Richelieu- The King's most influential advisor, Richelieu is the most powerful and importantman in France. He is furiously self-absorbed, but also an extremely effective leader of the state. Richelieuworks hard to maintain the reputation and power of the king, since this is the stock on which his ownstatus is based.

    Queen Anne- Queen of France. Anne is Spanish, and her loyalties are divided between her Spanishheritage, her position as Queen of France, and her love for George Villiers, the Duke of Buckingham. The

    King does not trust her, or particularly like her, and the Cardinal hates her. Anne leads an unhappy life inthe court.

    George Villiers, the Duke of Buckingham- Favorite and Minister of War for King Charles I of England.Buckingham is the perfect English gentleman, handsome, witty, brave, wealthy, and powerful. He isdesperately in love with Anne of Austria, who, more reservedly, returns his affections. Throughout thenovel, Buckingham's only motivation is to see and please Anne.

    Lord de Winter- Lady de Winter's brother-in-law. Lord de Winter is a foppish gentlemen, not given tointrigue or action, but he rises to the occasion when more is demanded of him toward the end of thenovel.

    Comte de Rochefort- The Cardinal's private spy, a dangerous man.

    Comte de Wardes- A Cardinalist agent; Milady is in love with him.

    Kitty- Milady's maid; she falls in love with d'Artagnan.

    John Felton- A British Naval Officer, ward of Lord de Winter; a Protestant.

    Planchet- D'Artagnan's manservant. A very intelligent, reliable, somewhat brave man.

    Grimaud- Athos' manservant. Athos has trained him to communicate in hand-signals, to minimizespeech.

    Mousqueton- Porthos's manservant. Like his master, he enjoys the finer things in life.

    Bazin- Aramis's manservant. He wants nothing so much as for his master to enter the Church.

    Madame de Coquenard- Porthos's mistress, the wife of a wealthy attorney. She dotes on Porthos, livingfor his affection. Porthos keeps her identity secret from his friends, telling them his mistress is a Duchess.

    Madame de Chevreuse- Aramis's secret mistress, and a close personal friend of the Queen. Madame deChevreuse is banished from Paris because the King, goaded by the Cardinal, suspects her of aiding theQueen in her personal and political intrigues.

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    Panache Character SheetName Normal Wounds

    Age

    Social Rank Homeland

    Advantage Fatigued?

    Secret XP

    Panache Re-rolls

    Perspicacity Expertises

    Prowess

    Notes

    Armour None

    Light -1 step Missiles andMelee

    No Swim

    Heavy -1 Step all Attacks No Swim, Move is Prowess feet

    Weapon DMG RANGE Notes

    Unarmed H C

    Sword P C*

    Dagger S C* Offhand: May Re-roll Combat Roll

    Pistol P M 4rds to reload

    Halberd (2h) R C*


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