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Tenocha Heroic Adventures

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HEROIC ADVENTURES TENOCHA
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Page 1: Tenocha Heroic Adventures

HEROIC ADVENTURES

TENOCHA

Page 2: Tenocha Heroic Adventures

TENOCHA: HEROIC ADVENTURES contains rules for roleplaying in the setting described in Tenocha: Setting Guide. That document is required to make full sense of the material contained here; it can be downloaded from DrivethruRPG.

WHAT THIS IS

3 THE RULES SECTION goes over actions and dice rolls in the rules system.

11 THE CHARACTERS SECTION gives the options and traits for your characters.

21 THE RESOURCES SECTION gives details on threats, mapping tools, and magical powers.

CONTENTS

THIS IS A LIVING DOCUMENT. It might be updated every week for a month at some point; it might sit dormant for a few years.

THERE'S MORE THAN THIS. Searching for Levi Kornelsen (that's me) on DriveThruRPG will yield other game work, much of which is influenced by or connected to this in different ways. If you're interested in keeping up with me as I make things, search for me on Google+; that's my main channel.

THE CHARACTERS ( + - 0 ) are drawn from the Fate Core font. The Fate Core font is © Evil Hat Productions, LLC and is used with permission. The Four Actions icons were designed by Jeremy Keller.

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RULES

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STARTING UP

THE GAME ENGINE used here is fairly light. These rules are built to assist a flexible Guide, rather than being all-encompassing, and to handle combat and action scenes with the same level of attention.

YOU WILL NEED to assemble a few things to play:

♦ Some players, to take on the characters. If you're reading this page by yourself, congratulations! You're the Guide; you play the world. If you don't know how that part works, zip back to Drivethru and download Fundamentals Of Tabletop Roleplaying.

♦ Print the reference sheets in this document, for reference. You can cut these into cards, with backing and sleeves for them, if desired.

♦ Acquire fudge dice! At least four, and four per player is best.

♦ Get tokens. Squashy glass beads, that kind of thing. Lots and lots of tokens; twenty per player isn't too many.

AT THE TABLE, here's how the Guide setup will look:

♦ A set of reference sheets out in front of you.

♦ A big bowl of tokens, somewhere you can grab from (and usually where players can too).

♦ Your notes on the situation the characters are in.

♦ A mostly-blank map in the middle of the table (and a somewhat less blank one in your notes). The map in the middle of the table can easily be made of place cards laid out in a grid, or it can be a piece of gridded or hex-gridded paper.

♦ Possibly a map in the middle of the table, or a few of them for different scales and sites.

AS THE GUIDE, you'll also want to help the players through their set-up, so it's important to know all the rules about characters as well, and have them available to show to the players.

THE PLAYER SETUP looks like this:

♦ A character sheet, filled out according to the character section (or a prebuilt character).

♦ A copy of the action and condition reference sheets; each player needs their own condition sheet, but action reference sheets can be shared.

♦ The reference sheet for any powers they have – their attuned element, rituals, whatever they have.

♦ Dice and tokens in easy reach.

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MOST OF THE RULES are “player-facing”, and reading through them may give the impression that all the action is on the player end. This isn't at all true – it's just that the Guide doesn't follow rules. The Guide makes and amends rules.

When monsters get their 'turn' in fights, the Guide doesn't make fighting rolls – rather, the Guide decides which monsters force players to make fighting rolls against them. And it's all like that.

The Guide, just decides. What kind of encounter goes here? Who does the monster attack? Should the players roll for something, or does it just succeed or fail outright? Is there treasure in the tomb under the shrine? All these are Guide calls. If the Guide wants some randomness, that's perfectly fine; that's a decision the Guide can make (and it's on them if it goes right or wrong).

The Guide can change any rule, at any time. The most common change to make is to decide that the preset stakes for a given action aren't all that well suited to the current situation, and to change them. Adding and replacing dangers, and throwing in opportunities, is part of what a Guide does in almost every roleplaying game. Do not be intimidated by the stakes being written out for easy reference.

The Guide can also invent new rules entirely and import rules from elsewhere, and so on – for a few simple examples of rules ready to be imported, take a look through Mechanisms for Tabletop Roleplaying.

THE GUIDE AND RULES

DUPLICATE THREATS by laying cards face-down in a line right beside the threat and noting “these are all this guy”.

USE TOKENS to track whatever you need a quick mechanism for. Villagers in peril, hours left before the enemies arrive, whatever you'd like to put into focus.

INTRODUCE NEW STAKES into rolls when you want to, both as bad things that can be bought off by spending -, and good ones to gain with +.

GIVE A BONUS DIE to add in to a roll if the characters have a good plan or preparations that would give them an edge.

GO WHERE THE RULES DON'T. The two basic “social” actions are both for dealing with groups; roleplay the one-on-one encounters. The threats are interesting combat encounters, but they're hardly the only things to meet in the forest. Combat can be fun, but puzzles are too, and they don't need rolls or cards at all to dig into and have fun with. Having a lot of colourful fiddly bits around is quite nice, but don't get too distracted by them. They're around to make those parts of play fun and quick, not to become the whole game.

GUIDE ADVICE

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HERE ARE THE STEPS for making a dice roll:

♦ Read over the action on the reference sheet.

♦ Check if the Guide is modifying the elements given – the requirements, the stakes of the roll, any of that.

♦ Declare if you are acting normally, boldly, or cautiously.

♦ Roll four fudge dice. If you're acting boldly, immediately reroll all the 0 and - die results. If you're acting cautiously, reroll the 0 and + results. If acting normally, don't reroll anything.

♦ “Spend” the die that came up + and - to buy improvements to the outcome (see the stakes, to the right).

EACH ACTION comes with a description, going over what the action is and the what is involved in making it happen. Core to this are “the stakes”...

AUTOMATIC stakes are things that always happen when the action is attempted, regardless of rolls or other actions. These are listed with an exclamation mark.

DANGERS are bad things that happen if the character doesn't prevent them. If you don't spend a - die to stop a danger, it happens. These are listed with a minus sign.

OPPORTUNITIES are the good things that the characters can make happen. To make an opportunity happen, spend + die; if you don't buy one, it doesn't happen. These are listed with a plus sign.

ROLLING DICE

THE STAKES

Page 7: Tenocha Heroic Adventures

You cover one measure of distance. Keep a tally of distance covered; the Guide will state how many are needed to get where you're going.

EVADERoll to evade if you try to move through a dangerous area or past threats.

An item carried is snagged, tangled, or lost; the Guide decides what.

An enemy on the way hits you or a hazard on the scene affects you.

You cover more distance; add one more to your total tally per die spent this way.

Your current tokens on Focused are reset, setting you at 1 Focused; this happens first.

FOCUSRoll to pray when you engage in meditative exercise for the first time of a given day.

You spend a great deal of energy focusing; +1 Weary.

You feel the fleeting touch of the dark beyond the world as you meditate; +1 Shaken.

You focus. +1 Focused per die spent in this way.

You cover one measure of distance. Keep a tally of distance covered; the Guide will state how many are needed to get where you're going.

SNEAKRoll to sneak when trying to sneak through an area.

You make noise! Searching foes find you. Alert foes will start searching (unless busy). Awake but oblivious foes become alert.

You're visible; anyone that's alert or searching will spot you.

You propose your plan, and can't roll to advocate for it again today.

ADVOCATERoll to advocate when you try to convince a group of a stated plan.

Your plan is unclear; someone who agrees will change their mind later.

Your plan bother someone; that person becomes hostile to it.

You are convincing. Each die spent this way improves overall attitude to the plan one 'step' of:

Hostile, Agitated, Dubious,Wavering, Bargaining, Reluctant,Compliant, Supportive, Enthusiastic.

VOLLEYRoll to volley when you're engaged in or dodging from ranged combat. If you have no ranged weapon, you're throwing rocks (1 wound each). You can declare “I'm not shooting” before rolling.

You use up a token worth of ammunition (ignore this if you're not shooting, or throwing rocks).

You are hit by all ranged attacks made by foes; cancel one per die.

You hit a target! Your weapon sets effect; it may allow multiple dice.

You sprint across the area, closing the gap to an attacker.

You cover one measure of distance, such as a 'space' on a gridded map.

TRAVELRoll to travel when you take a half-day to journey.

Put two tokens on the weary aspect. Avoiding this danger costs one die per weariness cancelled.

You make noise and leave a trail; enemies can follow you.

You move an added measure for each die spent to do so.

You help a fellow-traveller; they can roll and spend another die.

ACTIONS

BRAWLRoll to brawl when you are caught up in a fight.

You are hit by all attacks made by the foe; cancel one per die. If fighting several foes at once, foes after the first attack only once each.

You're stuck in the fight, and can't move away on your next turn.

You hit a foe and deal wounds as for your weapon; one wound if unarmed.

You perform the trick allowed by your weapon, if armed. You can often spend multiple dice on this.

REVELRoll to revel when you socialize with a large group over an hour or more.

Put two tokens on the weary aspect. Avoiding this danger costs one die per weariness cancelled.

You make someone angry, chosen by the Guide. One die to cancel this means you choose who. Two dice can be spent to annoy nobody.

You steer the conversation. Ask the Guide one question per die spent on this; they'll tell you what most revellers say, and if any seem dishonest or suspect about it.

You cover more distance; add one more to your total tally per die spent this way.

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CONDITIONS

HUNGRY

At the end of any day away from ready foodstuffs, put a token on this unless you use up provisions.

If you already have a token on it, and would place another, take a wound instead. While you have this aspect, you cannot heal wounds.

Use one provisions to clear this token, or do so freely after a night somewhere you are fed.

SHAKEN

This condition is inflicted by attacks and hazards that are frightening.

While there are tokens on this condition, you must roll cautiously.

Remove one token from it after each such roll, and one each hour.

WEARY

If you are carrying more than three items when you travel, add a token to it, in addition to other weariness from travel.

If there are seven tokens on it, any further tokens that would be put on it become wounds instead.

Remove two tokens from this each full night of rest.

WOUNDED

Each token here is “one wound”.

If you have 7-9 wounds, you are seriously injured; roll one less die.

If you have 10+ wounds, you are down and only sometimes awake; at most, you can crawl slowly.

Remove one token from this each full night of rest.

BOUND

If there are tokens on this condition, then when you would take a turn, you may either skip that turn and remove a token from it, or take weariness equal to the tokens on it and then act. If you act while bound, roll one less die per token on any roll required.

BURNING

If there are tokens on this condition, then when you would take a turn, you may either skip that turn and remove a token from it, or take wounds equal to the tokens on it and then act. If you act while burning, roll one less die on any roll required.

CURSED

Tokens here indicate bad luck; while there are tokens here, you must act either cautiously or boldly. When doing so, do not reroll 0 results; only + and - results.

Remove one token each day.

FOCUSED

Tokens here indicate mental focus achieved through meditation, as well as magical energies gathered in and held. These energies can be sensed by magical entities, unless you are one of the Pure.

You can spend a token here to gain an added die on any roll; do this before rolling.

Characters with elemental and ritual abilities can spend these tokens in additional ways.

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THE MAIN MAP in the setting guide gives an overall view of Tenocha as a whole; when travelling, the Guide need only decide on how many measures of distance exist between cities and areas (about twelve measures gives a trip long enough to be worth making a few stops along the way).

MAPS

AREA MAPS make room for tactical conflicts. On such a map, divide the area into “zones”, with a character able to move from one zone to the next as their turn if they wish. So, on the map to the right, a character in can move to , then , and so on. Volleying between zones remains possible, though a character in could easily declare that they were staying out of the line of fire from anywhere but , and anyone on a rooftop could step out of sight of the ground. A wind-affinity character could short-circuit the whole run from the ground up with a great leap, and cutting the bridge at could turn it into a ladder running from to .

FLOOR PLANS showing the interior of buildings and areas can also be broken into zones, most often into rooms and halls. Extensive, combat-oriented plans can act as dungeons, entire adventures unto themselves.

FOR MORE OPTIONS on action on maps and scenery, take a look at the Action Scenery article in Mechanisms For Tabletop Roleplaying and the contents of Dungeons For Tabletop Roleplaying (both as pay what you want titles from drivethruRPG).

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CONDITIONS AND ITEMS are pretty straightforward to just read through once rolls and actions are understood. A couple of things that might not be obvious on those sheets:

♦ When a player takes two wounds or gets +2 Burning, they add two tokens to the wounded or burning condition, respectively.

♦ If it seems like a character or place should get a second copy of a condition, they don't – if tokens are being added, add them to the existing pile.

♦ On items, the number in the orange circle is the usual cost to buy that item, measured in treasure tokens.

MISCELLANEA

TAKING TURNS is referenced fairly often, as the thing you do when there's a fight. The assumed method for taking turns goes like this:

♦ The things opposed to the characters act; each gets a turn in whatever order the Guide likes, which it might or might not use to force a character to make a roll.

♦ The characters and any Guide-played friends they have act; each gets a turn in whatever order they like, or just going around the table, which they can use to make rolls or do other things.

♦ Then the opposition goes again, and so on.

♦ Sometimes the players go first.

ARTIFACTS AND LEGACIES are treated as 'plot devices' rather than as hard-and-fast rules items. If the Guide wishes to change this, allowing player manipulation and creation of artifacts, dragonbone and rituals are the rules items that can be most easily linked to such rules.

IF CHARACTER ADVANCEMENT is desired, the Guide can allow this by having each player choose a single action at the end of the first, third, sixth, and tenth sessions (a different action each time). The character becomes skillful at that action; when they make a roll for it, spending a focus allows them to buy + or - directly, rather than buying an added die.

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CHARACTERS

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A CHARACTER is a fictional person, represented in the game rules as a series of traits. Start by picking out the traits you'd like to use, and then flesh out the character with further details.

Not all the important choices about your character are represented by traits. There aren't any game rules relating to the three gender roles (man, woman, arha), and so no trait is given. Decide on these parts of your character in whatever way best suits you.

If you would like to play a character with some feature or challenge that really ought to have a few rules applied, talk with the Guide about what that would entail. A character who lost a hand in a heroic battle might deserve both the benefit of a good reputation and the challenges of being one-handed (though not all challenges come with benefits, of course). The Guide may disallow any such feature if needed (and may well disallow purely beneficial features simply because they are such).

You will select traits of five types: One Kith trait, one Culture trait, one Age trait, one Class trait, and a number of Vocation traits based on your Age. Once these are chosen, you'll equip your character and flesh out their other fictional pieces.

BUILDING CHARACTER

KEEP IN MIND as you go through this section that this document is meant to work side-by-side with the setting guide for Tenocha; if you haven't already gone through the setting guide, you'll find significant gaps in the general character information given here.

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Kith:

TENOCHA: CHARACTER RECORD

Rules Note:

Culture:

Age:

Class:

Vocation:

Name:

Vocation:

Items & Tokens:

Trait:

History:

Page 14: Tenocha Heroic Adventures

PUREThe bulk of the population, the pure are baseline humanity. Despite the complimentary name, very few pure are in the upper class.

When you focus, you gain two added tokens on that condition. Also, you can have tokens on the focused condition without alerting dragons and diabolicals to your presence, or risking magical concerns, since the magical energy of your will is not mingled with draconic magic.

SULLIEDThose with dragon blood who were not ritually quickened, sullied have scales, and may have fangs, horns, and claws. Most are lower class or outcast; many are of 'scandalous' birth.

When you fight unarmed, you deal two damage per hit, and have this 'weapon trick':

QUICKENEDThose with dragon blood who were ensorcelled before birth, quickened have elemental powers. Most are petty and upper class.

Choose Wind, Frost or Flame as your affinity.

You can spend tokens from the Focused condition to create the effects associated with that element; take the reference sheet for that affinity.

CHOOSE A KITH TRAIT

You hit again (though less strongly) with your off-hand, a bite, kick, or gore. This deals one damage per die used.

Page 15: Tenocha Heroic Adventures

CHOOSE A CULTURE TRAIT

CIVILRaised in a city or terrace-farm, you are familiar with the manners and values of civil society.

You gain - to spend as if it were a die rolled when you revel or advocate.

FRINGERaised on an especially isolated farm or watch-fort, you understand the land more, but polite society less.

You gain + to spend as if it were a die rolled when you revel or travel.

DARKBORNRaised as a slave to dragons on the islands of the Reach, Tenochan society is not native to you.

You gain + to spend as if it were a die rolled when you travel or focus.

Page 16: Tenocha Heroic Adventures

YOUTHA 'youth' is between about the the ages of 8 and 15. As a youth, you are expected to work at the same level as anyone in your social class, but most of your working time is actually spent studying and as a light-duty assistant.

You may have chosen a gender role, but it is not yet recognized. You will formally become a chosen gender at adulthood.

You do not choose a vocation trait.

You gain + to spend as if it were a die rolled when you sneak or evade.

ADULTThis is the “default” this document is written to assume. As an adult, all the rules and benefits normally available apply to you; there are no special rules.

ELDERElderly people are respected by Tenochans; you will generally be treated with the respect due to someone one social class “better” than you actually have, and will receive a stipend of One Treasure weekly to cover your needs, in addition to any earned from work. Elderly upper-class people are the strongest voices in every house.

Any time you take weariness or wounds, take one extra (if you take weariness and it changes to wounds, don't add the extra a second time).

You choose two vocation traits.

CHOOSE AN AGE TRAIT

Page 17: Tenocha Heroic Adventures

OUTCASTYou have no clan or house; you may be a new Darkborn rescue working to join one, or have been cast out of one.

You will only be given work as part of an attempt to join a house and clan, and will not be paid; room and board only. Your job title will be the lowest possible.

You have no clan duties; there will be no enquiry if you are harmed or killed.

LOWER CLASSYou have a clan and house, but your position in it is not significant.

You can ask for any kind of work, and your clan won't be stingy with transfers, but always at a menial level; your spendable earnings will be One Treasure a week.

Your primary clan duty outside work is to avoid embarrassing the clan, keep your head down, and cause no incidents.

PETTY CLASSYou are respected in your clan and house, and live decently.

You can work for the clan in a skilled or supervisory role, or you may be in business in association with your house. Your spendable earnings will be Two Treasure a week.

You are expected to make your clan and house look good in public; to be clean, courteous, and civil at all times.

If Darkborn, you must be an adult to be petty class.

UPPER CLASSYou are a leader in your clan and house, and live well.

You are expected to be “working for the clan and house” in everything you do, and will receive a stipend of Three Treasure a week towards this.

If you embarrass your clan or house, you may very well be cast out, sent away, or killed; even if politics aren't your vocation, you're in them.

If Darkborn, you must be an elder to be upper class.

CHOOSE A CLASS TRAIT

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MARTIALYou stand ready to risk your life and to fight. You might be a guard, a troubleshooter for nasty situations, a raider, or a clan assassin. You practice dishing out damage on a regular basis, and it shows when things get dangerous.

You gain + to spend as if it were a die rolled when you brawl.

MYSTICALYou study ritual and perform rituals for a living. Most mystics have a place or a mobile group (such as a raiding crew) they work with, doing auguries and wardings there, but some rotate from one to another, or are sent where the clan needs.

You can spend focus to empower rituals; get a copy of that reference sheet. If the Guide allows, you can alternately be a diabolist, using that sheet.

POLITICALYou deal heavily in public opinion, for good or ill. You might have an authority position in your clan if your other traits are “respectable”, or might serve as an agitator, aide, satirist of enemies, or professional instigator for your clan if your other traits are low-status.

You gain + to spend as if it were a die rolled when you advocate.

LABOURYou do long days of work on behalf of clan and house. This might not be physical labour; you might be a records-keeper or sell things at market just as easily as you might be a porter or crafter. Whatever the case, you are used to hard work and recover quickly from such exertion.

Each night of rest, discard two additional tokens from the weary condition.

VOCATION TRAITS

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NAMES are detailed in the setting guide, but a quick reference is given below. Choose a prefix, a midsection, and a suffix for your proper name, and then shorten and scramble it as desired to give the shorter “use name” that your friends and close relations call you by most often.

NAME, GENDER, AND DETAILS

OTHER DETAILS you may wish to decide include: Deciding specifically where you were born; which city or area, or how far into the dragon reach. If the Guide isn't expecting everyone to play as part of the same clan and house, you may want to talk with them about describing those. Your character will likely have family – even if they're darkborn, they likely weren't rescued alone. Your character will most likely have a current work arrangement, may have one or more love interests, may have children and grandchildren.

GENDER ROLES are also described in more detail in the setting guide. Your character will be recognized as a man, a woman, or an arha, as well as having whatever physiology they do.

As an aside here: In terms of physiology, intersex births are rare but exist among Pure and Quickened, just as they do with real humans. Among the Sullied, about one in twenty show some kind of variation from the human binary male-female division, though such variations are mainly fully neuter (no sex organs at all) and towards reptilian arrangements – there have been Sullied-Sullied pairings that resulted in egg-laying.

Nak-Ten-Kal-Ilk-Tal-

-opi--aka--ocha--ota--ixi-

-lat-tan-co-pa-vath

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EQUIPPING YOUR CHARACTER

MACE

This is a close combat weapon, and deals three wounds on a hit. The special trick for this weapon:

YOU HAVE TO SPEND; these are tokens of treasure; keep any that you do not spend. In addition to the items listed specifically, you may want to upgrade your lifestyle (as shown below) – these lifestyle costs are monthly.

You strike your enemy for two wounds - a second hit, if you are already hitting normally. You can buy this option only once.

4 BOW

This is a ranged weapon, and deals two wounds on a hit. The special trick for this weapon:

Spend an ammunition and strike your foe for two wounds - a second hit, if hitting normally already. Buy this only once.

4

SPEARS

A ranged or close combat weapon doing two wounds. It is thrown; you must use up ammunition at range, and if it's all gone, so is the weapon. The trick (close combat):

You or one person you pick (fighting the target foe) is not stuck in the fight, and can move away on your (or their) turn.

2/Ammo HATCHETS

A ranged or close combat weapon doing two wounds. It is thrown; you must use up ammunition at range, and if it's all gone, so is the weapon. The trick (ranged combat):

Spend an ammunition and strike your foe for two wounds - a second hit, if hitting normally already. Buy this only once.

1/Ammo

LOW LIFESTYLE. You have a room in the rickety upper floors of your house, and poor clothes. If lower class or better, you get this free so long as you are working.

1

PETTY LIFESTYLE. You have a couple of rooms in the stone-build floors of your house, decent clothes, some cosmetics. If petty-class or more and working, this costs per month.

2

HIGH LIFESTYLE. You have a suite on the ground floor of your house, including a small personal patio just a step up from the house courtyard. Your clothes are bright and you have a variety of cosmetics. If upper-class and working, this costs per month.

3

NO LIFESTYLE. Your clothes are ragged; you might be homeless, or have a sleeping-mat in the house of the clan you are trying to join. Outcasts mainly live like this.

-

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ITEMS

This is a roll of paper with a ward inscribed; it can thus be activated by a ritualist just by spending focus. When active, the location of a ward scroll can be sensed by those it affects, and most such beings will spare no effort to mob and kill the holder and destroy the scroll if they believe they can do so.

Each friendly crow is treated as one “ammunition” for this item. Trained crows help you up to the limit of their understanding. They can also be flown in combat as a ranged weapon. They do two wounds on a hit; using up ammunition means they have been hurt or killed, and are out of action.

Tokens for this item represent dragonbone; these tokens may be sold for treasure; dragon bones are high-value low-weight money. If tokens are added to bring the total above ten, divide the tokens between two bones items. If there are none, the item is used up.

Tokens for this item represent the total foodstuffs. If tokens are added to bring the total above five, divide the tokens between two provisions items. If there are none, the item is used up.

At the end of a day out of town, when you would otherwise take the hungry aspect, you may discard a token from this stock instead.

Tokens for this item represent the total value; these tokens may be spent to purchase items. If tokens are added to bring the total above ten, divide the tokens between two treasure items. If there are none, the item is used up.

Tokens for this item represent the total special ink in a stone pot. The pot can hold up to five tokens of ink. When the pot is empty, you can keep or discard this item, as you like.

TREASURE -PROVISIONS 1/5 TokensBONES 5/Token

CROWS 1/Token FROST SHARD -ARMOUR 7WARD SCROLL 1

When you take wounds from an attack, you may convert one of those wounds to one weariness instead.

This is a close combat weapon, and deals two wounds on a hit. The special trick for this weapon:

You snap off the blade of this weapon in your foe's body; you must be hitting normally. The target is treated as if they were burning at 2 tokens; time spent removing this is time withdrawing the fragments. You can buy this option only once, and it destroys the weapon.

WARD INK 1/Token

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RESOURCES

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RITUALS

QUICKEN

This ritual, taking a full day and three focus, is performed over an embryo. This is the mother in the case of mammals, or over a dormant dragon egg. Use of it allows the embryo to develop fire, frost, or wind elemental affinity (the ritualist's choice) if it is capable of retaining them. In the case of humans, the embryo must be dragon-blooded. In the case of a dragon egg, this brings the egg to life; an unquickened dragon egg is dormant until this is done. Other eggs can be rendered receptive to this ritual with a transfusion of fresh dragon blood into the egg, but this most often kills the embryo. Dragons can extend this rite to the elements of spark and thorn. Some dragons shapechange into mammals other than humans, interbreeding and creating bestial lineages of Sullied and Quickened, though breeding these has never yet succeeded.

REFOCUS

You perform a ritual of meditation or cleansing, requiring about an hour. At the end of this ritual, all participants (including yourself) may roll to focus even if they have already done so that day. A given character can benefit from this ritual only once per day.

WARD

Using two focus, one ward ink, and an hour, you write or improve a ward in an area. Any diabolical within five paces of the ward is treated as burning 1 while in the area. You can reinforce this ward by performing the ritual repeatedly, adding another point of value to the ward each time. These points of warding fade at a rate of one per week.

3

-

2

AUGUR

You perform a ritual over a person, in an attempt to delve their future and catch some glimpse of it. When you do so, the Guide will describe a single visionary instant – a glimpse of “what will happen if nothing changes”. These auguries are deeply unreliable and often negated; the mere act of looking at the future changes it to some degree.

2

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SMOKE DANCE

You can draw forth the 'smoke of your own blood', restoring yourself, and then use it as a weapon against others. Spend as much focus as you wish; you exhale a twisting wisp of black smoke that coils around your hand or weapon. If you have weariness when you use this power, you discard one weariness per focus spent. Any foe you strike with your hand or that melee weapon takes one burning in addition to all other effects of the strike; this occurs as many times as they number of charge you spent. The burning effect in this case is heat and harm in the blood and body of the target.

CONFLAGRATION

Spending three focus, you inflict an intense burst of heat on an area about the size of a courtyard centred on (but not affecting) you. All characters and creatures in the area take one burning; flammable items in the area catch fire as a result.

FLAME SOUL

Vastly extending the effect of Phoenix Touch, you spend two focus to channel the essential nature of fire through your body. Your skin becomes blazing hot, and small flames hover in your palms and mouth, which do you no harm. While this is in effect, you are immune to heat and fire. You deal one wound and one burning with unarmed attacks, and can strike multiple times for + each as your trick. Small fires ignite where you walk. This effect lasts for one combat or scene.

PHOENIX TOUCH

You summon up fire around one of your hands; it becomes a weapon which deals one wounded and one burning on a hit, and one further burning with a +, as a weapon trick (you can buy this repeatedly). You can start fires with a touch while this effect is in place; if lasts for one combat or scene.

FLAME AFFINITY

3

12

1+

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GALE 2For two focus, you cause a wind to blast through an area briefly; this can be used narratively, throwing objects flying or helping another character leap as per wind soul (though they won't be able to use it naturally enough to help them evade or sneak).

ARROW SPRITE

When using a bow or throwing spears, you can speed them through the air. On a hit, you can spend one focus to add two to the damage done by that hit. You can do this once per hit at range.

WIND LEAP

You can channel the nature of air through yourself, though it lasts only an instant. When making a sneak or evade roll, if a powerful jump would help, you can gain one + per focus you spend, and may do so after rolling the dice. In narrative terms, each focus spent lets you leap about twice your own height.

GUSTS

While you have focus, you can volley without a ranged weapon, directing bursts of wind. You don't deal wounds directly on a hit; instead, you throw your target a few feet. This will deal a wound if you bash the target into something, or possibly many wounds if you throw the target off a precipice or the like. If you would use ammunition, you use focus instead.

WIND AFFINITY

2

21

2-

21+

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FROST AFFINITY

COLD SNAP 2For two focus, you cause an area up to the size of a courtyard to suddenly chill and freeze. If there is open water in the area, it freezes solidly enough to walk on – though it will begin melting immediately unless it is cold in the area naturally. If anyone is in the area, and is not in cold weather gear, they take two weariness. Anyone in water up to their ankles takes one Bound. If it's up to their waist, they take two Bound. If higher, they may take three or more, as the Guide prefers.

ICE SHARDS -While you have focus, you can volley without a ranged weapon, flinging shards of ice. These deal two wounds on a hit; as a trick, you hit an added target for two wounds (and can hit as many as you like, in a spray). If you would use ammunition, you use focus instead.

FROST SOUL 2Spending two focus, you channel the essential nature of ice through your body; your skin becomes ice cold, and hardens. While this is in effect, you are immune to cold and frost, and are treated as wearing armour even if you are not. This lasts for a single combat or scene.

SHARD DAGGER 1You spend one focus to call into being a heavy shards of magical ice; this item lasts for about an hour, and then collapses and melts. See the item for details.

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DIABOLISM

FLESH-REAVING

You spend one focus and bleed out with the terrible liquid energy of Tartarus from your pores, giving you lashes of glowing light that cluster near you to strike at your enemies. This is a weapon, usable at short ranges and in brawling, which deals two damage. When it does damage, as the special trick for it, you can also reabsorb the light and the torn flesh, healing yourself of one wound. If it is not re-absorbed, it lasts up to a fight or a scene.

1

TARTARAN CIRCLE

By spending one focus and using one ward ink, you create a Tartaran circle. Any Diabolical summoned as a within such a circle treats the entire area outside the area as warded (at one token). If the circle is broken, this doesn't dispel the effect – it means everywhere is hostile to that summons. A diabolical can overcome this by reaving more flash than was sacrificed to it originally. Most of the cults aiming to trap and torment diabolicals into service draw multiple layers of circles around a site; these combine for cumulative effect.

1

WARD-EATING

If you are in a warded area, you can spend a few moments (your turn, in a fight) absorbing that energy. You heal one damage or weariness while weakening the ward by one, and are unaffected by the ward this round as well.

-

SACRIFICE

You write the name of a diabolical on a subject (using one ward ink) and then carve out some part of their body, spending focus as you do. The diabolical named, if it is outside reality, takes possession of that body part, and the liquid energies of Tartarus spill into the air around it, creating a new Reaver. This Reaver has maximum starting health equal to the number of focus you spend, but can improve this and grow by reaving flesh and assimilating it over several minutes. Reavers can speak and weave flesh, changing and rebuilding creatures as the mood strikes them. However, they are naturally jealous and hostile; they must be offered flesh or trapped and tormented before they will even offer help – and even then, they lie and betray often and easily.

1+

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THREATS are presented here for Guide use, and have a few components to look at:

♦ Some notes on special rules, which are given in pretty plain language.

♦ A big red dot, with a number in it. This is the “maximum health” of the threat. When a threat takes wounds, put the tokens right onto it instead of on a condition. When the tokens hit this number or higher, the threat is defeated, downed, or killed.

♦ After health, attacks are listed. These are each given a name, the aspect they add to or inflict (and how much, if so), and whether they are close combat (brawl) or ranged (volley) attacks.

FLEDGLINGWIND LIND

A young dragon with wind powers; treat it as having five focus. If flying, it can only be engaged at range.

12

STRIKE+3 Wounded

Brawl

BITE+1 Wounded

Brawl

LORDLINGTHORN DRAKE

A grown dragon with plant powers; improvise as needed, and treat it as having ten focus. If flying, it can only be engaged at range.

25

VINELASH+3 Bound

Volley

STRIKE+3 Wounded

Brawl

SOVEREIGNSPARK DRAKE

SOARLINGFROST WYRM

A young dragon with frost abilities; treat it as having seven focus. If flying, a dragon can only be engaged at range.

16

STRIKE+3 Wounded

Brawl

ICE SHARD+2 Wounded

Volley

THREATS

An ancient dragon with lightning powers – improvise as needed, and treat it as having unlimited focus. If flying, a dragon can only be engaged at range.

40

STRIKE+6 Wounded

Brawl

BOLT+4 WoundedBrawl / Volley

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MUSHUSSU

A fully-manifest diabolical, brutal and fearsome to see.

24

ENERGY LASH+2 Weary, +2 Shaken

Brawl / Volley

BODY SWARM

Failed diabolical manifestations; any direct hit on a body swarm is reduced to dealing one wound, unless it affects an areas. Attacks that can target multiple foes can target the same swarm repeatedly.

9

ASSAIL+2 Wounded

Brawl

CLUTCH+2 Bound

Brawl

DIABOLIST

Most frost quickened will effectively have two focus; they can thus reave and heal twice, and strike after that.

8

REAVE / STRIKE+2 Wounded

Brawl

SHOOT+2 Wounded

Volley

SULLIED BRAWLER

REAVER

Unformed diabolicals seeking flesh; when a Reaver deals wounds, it can also heal an equal number of wounds, if it is injured.

15

FLAY+1 Wounded

Brawl

LIFESAP+2 Weary

Brawl / Volley

SACRIFICED

Mutilated and maddened, sacrificed will rush at and batter at anyone who is not one of them.

7

CLAW+1 Wounded

Brawl

CLAW+1 Wounded

Brawl

FROST QUICKENED

Most frost quickened will effectively have two focus, and use one every other volley of shards at range.

9

STRIKE+2 Wounded

Brawl

ICE SHARD+2 Wounded

Volley

COMMON WARRIOR

In ranged combats, a common warrior will run out of ammunition after about three rounds.

9

STAB+3 Wounded

Brawl

SPEAR THROW+2 Wounded

Volley

CLAW+4 Wounded

Brawl

LIFESAP+2 Weary

Brawl / Volley

Fighting with mace and claws, this is an elite warrior.

13

CLAW+1 Wounded

Brawl

STRIKE+2 Wounded

Brawl

CLAW+1 Wounded

Brawl

CLAW+1 Wounded

Brawl


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