CONTENTSChapter 1 Introduction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Features Of The Rules. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3What Youll Need To Play. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4What This Book Contains. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4An Example Of Play. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Chapter 2 Characters. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6Generating A Character Step 1. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6Generating A Character Step 2. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7Generating A Character Step 3. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8Generating A Character Step 4. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11Generating A Character Step 5. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12Character Generation Summary. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Chapter 3 Skills. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13The Basic Skill Test. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13Difficulty. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14When the GM Should Apply Difficulty Modifiers 14Opposed Skill Tests. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16Very High Skills. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17Assistance. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17Skill Descriptions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Chapter 4 Equipment. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22In-game Economics. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22Close Combat Weapons. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23Ranged Weapons. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24Armour. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25General Items. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25Animals & Transportation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

Chapter 5 Combat. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27Summary Of Combat. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28Movement Actions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28Standard Actions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29Close Combat Attacks. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30Reactions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31Two Weapon Use. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32Close Combat Skills Greater Than 100%. . . . . . . 32Ranged Weapons. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32Damage. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33Major Wounds. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34Mounted Combat. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34Unarmed Combat. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34Grappling. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

Chapter 6 Innate Magic. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36Magic Points. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36Learning Innate Magic Casting. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36Learning Innate Magic Spells. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36Casting Spells. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37Spell Traits. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37Innate Magic Spell List. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

Chapter 7 Sorcery. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44Learning Sorcery. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44Casting Sorcery Spells. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44Corruption. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45Spell Traits & Descriptions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46Sorcery Spell List. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

Chapter 8 Adventures & Quests. . . . . . . . 52A Typical Game Part 1. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52A Typical Game Part 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52A Typical Game Part 3. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53Improvement Points. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53Fate Points. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53Opportunities For Further Adventures. . . . . . . . . 54Campaigns. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54Improving Characters. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54Improving Outside Of Adventures. . . . . . . . . . . . 55Situational Rules. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55Travel. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55Illumination & Darkness. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56Fatigue. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56Exposure, Starvation, and Thirst. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57Healing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57Encumbrance. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57Falling. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58Suffocation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58Fire & Heat. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58Poison. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58Disease. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59Inanimate Objects. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60

Chapter 9 Creatures. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61Using The Monster List. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61The Horde Rule. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61Treasure & Magic Items. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62The Monster List. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63Beastlings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64Demons. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64Dire Beasts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65Dragons. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66Fellgrim. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66Giant Spiders. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67Great Eagles. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68Orcs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68Sorcerers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69Spirits. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69Trolls. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70Vampires. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70Walking Dead. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71Werewolves. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71Wildlings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72The Animal List. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73

Open Game Licence. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74

Author: Kristian RichardsCover Art: Kristian Richards

Interior Art: Kristian RichardsThe Age Of Shadow - Version 0.93 - October 2010

All artwork copyright Kristian Richards 2010

Note that The Age Of Shadow uses the OpenQuestDevelopers Kit by D101 games (which in turn usesMongoose Publishings RuneQuest System ResourceDocument).In addition the entire text portion of this book is releasedunder the Open Gaming Licence (OGL).

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CHAPTER 1INTRODUCTION

Welcome to a world of adventure!Beastlings! Gilmr spat the word out as

though it pained him to do so. He could seethem more clearly now, perhaps half a dozenof the vile creatures, gathered close togetheraround a small fire pit at the centre of theclearing. Amongst them stood a large brutishfigure with a broad back and long sinewyarms that hung down past its knees. In the dimlight of the fire its face took on an almostdemonic form as it barked out orders to someof the shorter, bowlegged, figures.

I have never known them venture so farsouth. whispered Elmriel, his sister, from alittle way behind. Perhaps it would be wiserto turn back?

Anthar stood nearby, silently shaking hishead in disagreement. Unlike his travellingcompanions, he was no elf, and the men of hishousehold had already suffered much at thehands of the enemy. Even from here the foulstench of the beastly creatures was vaguelyperceptible, and the thought of themjourneying freely in these lands pained himgrievously.

so what happens next?If this were a novel we would be reading

what the author intends to happen next to ourgroup of heroes. Perhaps Anthar and his twoelven companions charged into the camp withweapons drawn and slew the creatures withlittle effort; or maybe the elves persuadedAnthar that now was not the best time for himto seek his revenge, and the trio went on tofind an alternate route to their destination (andto whatever peril may await them there). Butyou are not passively reading this in a book -you are sat around a table with some of yourfriends, each of whom has taken on the role ofGilmr, Elmriel and Anthar, while anotherfriend (who is the appointed Games Master)has been describing the creatures and theircamp to you all.

so what do I do now?Whatever happens next is for you to decide.

If Anthar is your character (i.e. your alter egowithin the game) then maybe you do decide todraw your sword and charge the largest brutewith little regard for your own safety, ormaybe you and the other players decide to fitarrows to your bows and fire a volley at thesmaller creatures first. Its entirely up to you.You can tell the Games Master whatever youwant based upon what you know aboutAnthars abilities and personality, and thenyou and the Games Master narrate the result ofyour decision - often making a dice roll todetermine how successful your actions are(this is explained later). Play then continues,with more decisions, rewards and risks, untilthe adventure comes to its natural conclusion.

what is this game about?It is worth noting that The Age Of Shadow

is a roleplaying game based upon theOpenQuest system by Newt Newport(available from www.d101games.co.uk). Assuch, The Age Of Shadow is a game of fantasyadventure - a game that takes place in theimagination of its players, in a world wheremonsters exist and magic is quite real. Theplayers can take on the roles of brave warriors,crafty thieves, noble elves, or any other type offantasy character.

As mentioned above, the game requires anumber of players to take on the role of thestorys protagonists (called Player Charactersor PCs for short), and one player to act as akind of impartial referee to play out the rolesof the other characters and monsters that thePCs interact with (called the Games Master orGM for short).

These roles are explained in a little moredetail below:

Players: The game will usually consist ofaround 5 players, four of whom will take onthe role of a single character known as aPlayer Character. This character becomes thatplayers alter ego within the fantasy world andhas a set of numbers that describe theirabilities (which are written down on acharacter sheet). Otherwise they exist only inthe imagination of the player and come to life

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during the game (though you may find somekind of counter or miniature to represent yourcharacter useful at times - though it is notabsolutely necessary).

Games Master: The Games Master is theplayer who is in charge of running the fantasyworld and the Non-Player Characters (NPCs)that the players encounter during theiradventures. Typically the GM describes thescene that the PCs find themselves in -including details of the location, thenon-player characters, and anything else that isrelevant. The players then take turns indescribing their characters actions (makingany relevant dice rolls that the GM deemsnecessary) and the GM informs them of theresults of their actions (see the example at theend of this chapter to see how the game plays).

Features Of The RulesThe Setting

For the most part this book concentrates onthe rules aspect of fantasy role-playing anddoes not concern itself much with the settingin which the player characters find themselves(though a small map can be found at the end ofthe book to help get you started). However, thedefault rules do assume a few common fantasyarchetypes, such as the existence of a DarkLord (or lords), and the presence of elves,men, fantastical creatures, and so on.

Flexible Character Creation& Advancement

In this game you decide what your characterwill be like and choose the skills, weapons andmagic that they are proficient in. As thecharacter grows during play the player chooseswhich areas the character should advance in.At no point does the character get tied down toa set path determined by the boundaries of apredefined character type or class.

Percentile RollsThe core game mechanic is the percentile

roll. The characters chance to succeed at anygiven task is expressed as a percentage. Forexample Anthars chance to hit with his Sword

is 55%. This is then rolled on a d100: two tensided dice of different colours thrown togetherwith one acting as the tens value and theother as the units. The dice determinewhether the character succeeds in combat andeither hits an opponent or not.

SimplicityWhile other d100 roleplaying games modify

the chance of success by adding a 10% hereand taking a 5% away there, The Age OfShadow avoids some of this complexity. If aroll is modified then it is by adding ameaningful modifier, such as 25% or even50%. Not only does this remove the amount offiddly additions and subtractions players haveto do, but it means that when modifiers areapplied to dice rolls they have a meaningfuland significant effect on play.

Other d100 roleplaying games may also aska player to roll not once but twice to attemptsome tasks. As far as possible The Age OfShadow tries to keep dice rolling down to abare minimum, so that the system stays in thebackground and the players and Games Mastercan enjoy their roleplaying.

Risky And Dangerous CombatWeapon and armour rules are kept to a

minimum to preserve the games goal ofkeeping things simple. The game models aworld where combat is always a risk andcharacters face grievous (and sometimespermanent) damage if they take the violentoption.

Two Approaches To MagicIn The Age Of Shadow there are two magic

systems - innate magic and sorcery.

Innate Magic: This is the most basic type ofmagic, and the ability to wield it is derivedfrom the inherent power contained within theindividual. As far as player characters go, onlyelves (or those of elven lineage) are able toobtain spells of this kind.

Sorcery: Sorcery on the other hand, is themagic which draws upon the very fabric of theworld itself. However, the default settingassumes that the entire world (at least in part)contains a portion of the Dark Lords essence -

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as he put forth much of his own power into it -so that no corner has gone unmarred.Therefore, sorcery spells are potentially themost powerful and the most flexible form ofmagic, but dabbling in the art is both perilousand time consuming - demanding extensivestudy and understanding.

What Youll Need To PlayA set of polyhedral dice: These can be

obtained from online suppliers or your localgame store. As well as the familiar six sideddice that come with most board games, youwill need dice with four, eight, ten, twelve,and twenty sides. Dice are referred to as d(x)in the rules, where (x) is the number of sidesof the dice. For example d10 refers to a tensided dice

The most commonly used dice in game ared100s. These are not actually one hundredsided dice, but two d10s that are rolledtogether. Therefore, before the dice are rolledyou must state which will be the tens die andwhich will be units (note that some dice arealready numbered in this manner).

For example, if you are using a blue d10 forthe tens and a red d10 for the units and thengo on to roll a result of a two on the blue dieand a five on the red die, your d100 resultwould be 25.

d20 d12 d10 d10 d8 d6 d4(tens) (units)

Paper: Youll need paper for note taking,drawing maps and any other quick explanatorypictures or diagrams that either the players orthe Games Master want to draw to helpdescribe what is going on during the game.You can also find a character sheet at the backof the book that you will need to print out foreach player character.

Time: Game play usually happens insessions of three to four hours. Sessions cantake more or less time usually determined bysuch factors as the players concentration and

enjoyment, coming to a natural end of theadventure, or reaching a climactic cliff hangerwhere play can be picked up again quicklyafter a short recap at the next session.

Some friends: Roleplaying games areinherently social, so you need at least twoplayers; one to play the heroes of the story andthe other to be the Games Master. Moreplayers can be added, and the usual number isfour to six players and one Games Master.Any more than six players and it becomesdifficult for the Games Master to get round thetable to find out what each player wants to do.

Imagination: The Age Of Shadow takesplace in the imagination of the players andGames Master. Although miniatures andbattlemats (available online and at gamesstores), can be used to help the playersvisualise the action (which may be especiallyuseful during combat situations), at the end ofthe day the game stands or falls on how muchthe players and Games Master use the powerof their imagination to fuel the story they areco-creating.

What This Book ContainsIn addition to this introduction the book

contains the following chapters.

Characters: This chapter gives rules andadvice on how to create your character, whichis your alter ego in the fantasy world.

Skills: This chapter details the skills that yourcharacter will use to perform tasks and actions.It gives rules on how skills are used in varioustypes of situations.

Equipment: The tools of your characterstrade. All the weapons, armour, and otherpieces of equipment your character will needare found here.

Combat: Hand to hand, missile, and unarmedcombat is the meat of this chapter.

Innate Magic: This chapter details the basicrules as to how innate magic works within thegame. It also lists all the available spells fromthat system.

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Sorcery: This chapter deals with an advancedtype of magic known as sorcery.

Adventures And Quests: This chaptercontains a number of situational rules thatcover most of the hazards that a character mayencounter during their adventures - such aspoison, disease, falling, fatigue, andencumbrance. Also practical advice for playerson what to expect on an adventure, how toimprove their characters, and what theircharacters can do in-between adventures.

Creatures: A selection of the some commoncreatures and monsters that inhabit the fantasyworld. This chapter is for the GMs eyes onlyand concludes with a listing of creatures withfull game rules and statistics.

An Example Of PlayThe following example shows how a game

might develop if applied to the opening text inthis chapter. Youll get to see how the gameprogresses as a conversation between theplayers and the Games Master (with theoccasional dice roll thrown in where the actionis less than clear). Dont worry how thenumbers are worked out at this stage (or howthe rules actually work), as all that will beexplained later in this book.

For now, all thats important is that John isthe GM and three of his friends are eachplaying as one of the PCs. Gary is playingGilmr (a young Elf), Emily is playing Elmriel(Gilmrs elder sister), and Andrew is playingAnthar (a reckless human warrior).

John: OK, so at the end of the last session youwere journeying though a dark wooded areawhen you came upon a band of beastlings thathad made their camp in a small clearing. Whatwould you like to do?Andrew: Anthar draws his sword and lookseager for battle.Emily: Elmriel fits an arrow to her bow andwhispers I still think it would be wiser to tryand find another way around them.Gary: Gilmr unslings his shield and readieshis sword. Then he whispers I agree withAnthar we cannot allow these foul creaturesto roam at will through these lands.

Emily: Since it looks like Elmriel is outvoted2 to 1, I guess well be attacking the monsters.OK then, Elmriel will nod to her brother andthen target the largest creature and be ready tofire as soon as Anthar and Gilmr make theirmove.John: OK, what are Gilmr and Antharactually doing at this moment in time?Andrew: Anthar will try to sneak toward theedge of the clearing - just as far as the edge ofthe trees.Gary: So will Gilmr.John: OK, both of you need to make adeception roll to avoid being spotted.Andrew: I rolled a 56 and I only have a scoreof 30 so I failed. It looks like Anthar stepson an old branch and it makes a loud crackingnoise as he approaches.Gary: I rolled a 23 and I have a score of 44, soI make it.John: Not necessarily, let me make aperception roll for the beastlings. Well, I got a93 for the smaller ones, so they are completelyoblivious to both of you, but I rolled a 13 fortheir large captain, which is easily a pass forhim.Gary: But I rolled higher so he didntnotice me right?John: Thats right Gilmrs approach goesunnoticed, but the bestial-looking captain doeshear the loud crack when Anthar steps on thebranch, and looking up he easily spots Antharas he darts between the trees. Andrew: Well there goes the element ofsurprise.John: Right then. As soon as the thing seesyou it lets out a bloodcurdling roar and beginsto bark out orders to its comrades as it reachesdown to pick up its huge axe.Emily: OK, Ill assume that things arent quitegoing according to plan, so Elmriel will cursequietly under her breath and fire her arrow atthe brute.John: OK, make your roll

Of course, this is just a brief example ofhow a combat situation might arise during thecourse of the game (and judging by thisexample, our heroes may have bitten off alittle more than they can chew).

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CHAPTER 2CHARACTERS

What Is A Player Character?A character is your representation in the

game - your eyes, ears, touch, taste, and smellin the imaginary world that you and yourfellow players create.

On the one hand the character is acollection of numbers which describe his orher characteristics, skills, and magic spells -all of which are written down on a charactersheet. This chapter will explain how youcreate these numbers in a process known asCharacter Generation.

But thats only half of what a character is.The other half exists mainly in the imaginationof the player, with perhaps some quick noteson the character sheet. This half is thepersonality of the character and otherintangibles such as goals and past history.These are the things that you cant express incold hard numbers, which really bring thecharacter to life and give the player guidelineson how the character acts and thinks.

Character GenerationThe process of creating a character is

known as Character Generation. In The AgeOf Shadow character generation is a simplefive step process - and at each step the playermakes decisions about what their character isgoing to be like at the beginning of the game(which is usually while they are still a youngadult, or maybe at a particular turning point intheir lives).

Generating A Character Step 1- Characteristics -

These are the primary building blocks ofthe character. All characters and creatureshave seven characteristics which give the basicinformation about the characters physical,mental, and spiritual capabilities. As well asbeing useful indicators of how to roleplay thecharacter (see below) they are the scores thatskills are initially based upon.

The seven characteristics are:

Strength (STR): Strength is a measure of acharacters brute force. It affects the amount ofdamage he deals, what weapons he can wieldeffectively, how much he can lift, and so on.

Constitution (CON): This is a measure of thecharacters health. Constitution affects howmuch damage he can sustain in combat, aswell as his general resistance to disease andother illnesses.

Dexterity (DEX): Dexterity represents acharacters agility, co-ordination, and speed ofreaction. It aids him in many physical actions,including combat.

Size (SIZ): This is an indication of thecharacters mass and (like strength &constitution) can affect the amount of damagea character can deal, and also how well he canabsorb damage.

Intelligence (INT): This is a charactersability to think around problems, analyseinformation, and memorise instructions.Intelligence is a very useful characteristic forcharacters interested in becomingaccomplished spellcasters.

Power (POW): Perhaps the most abstractcharacteristic, power is a measure of thecharacters life force and the strength of hiswillpower.

Charisma (CHA): This quantifies acharacters attractiveness and leadershipqualities.

Generating CharacteristicsIn The Age Of Shadow most PCs will start

with characteristics that fall within the rangeof 6-18. Each of these characteristics isgenerated randomly by rolling a number ofsix-sided dice (d6s) and totalling the result. Insome cases this total is also modified byadding a further +6 or +3 to the result (seetable 2.1). In addition to this it is also worthnoting that players are always allowed tore-roll any dice that give a result of 1.

But before any rolls are made you will firstneed to decide upon the race of your character,as this will affect the amount of dice you willbe required to roll.

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In line with OpenQuests stance on keepingthings simple (OpenQuest being the rulesetthat The Age Of Shadow is based upon) theplayers may choose to play either a human, anelf, or a dwarf (i.e. no attempt has been madeto divide these three races into furthersubtypes or different cultures with regard totheir starting characteristics). However, it maybe beneficial for new players, or players notfamiliar with the setting in which they will beplaying, to begin their first few games withhuman characters.

Once you have decided which race youwould like to play, you should then consulttable 2.1 (shown below) to obtain the numberof dice you need to roll for each of yourcharacteristics (as well as any modificationsyou might need to make to the totals).

Note that all dice rolls of 1 are re-rolled.2d6+32d6+63d6CHA

3d62d6+63d6POW2d6+62d6+62d6+6INT1d6+62d6+62d6+6SIZ2d6+32d6+63d6DEX3d6+62d6+63d6CON2d6+63d63d6STRDwarfElfHuman

Table 2.1 Characteristics

These totals should then be added to yourcharacter sheet.

Using Characteristics In RoleplayingAs well as being numbers that are used to

calculate the skills and attributes that influencethe dice rolls during the game, characteristicscan also be used to give rough ideas as to whatthe character is like. For example, the averagehuman PC will have scores of around 13, so acharacter with strength of 17 will be of aboveaverage strength and posses a toned physique.A character with a charisma of 7 on the otherhand is well below average - perhaps beingshy or obnoxious and socially inept.

Characters with a few low characteristicsmay at first glance look undesirable, onaccount of how base skills are affected, butactually they present good opportunities forroleplaying the flaws of the character, and maymake the character more interesting as a result.

However, if any players are genuinelyunhappy with the characteristics they haverolled, then they should be allowed to re-rollthe entire batch again (so long as the GMagrees).

Generating A Character Step 2- Attributes -

Attributes are a set of secondary scores thatdefine the characters potential to do and takephysical damage, and the amount of magicalenergy available to the character. Attributesare determined from the characterscharacteristic scores.

Damage Modifier (DM): The damagemodifier applies whenever the character uses amelee or thrown weapon. It is calculated byadding the characters strength and sizetogether (since bigger, stronger, charactersdeal out more damage than smaller, weakercharacters). The damage modifier is calculatedby consulting table 2.2 below.

+1d6Every additional 15+4d676-90+3d661-75+2d646-60+1d631-45+1d426-30

+016-25-1d411-15-1d61-10

Damage ModifierTotal of STR & SIZTable 2.2 Damage Modifier Table

Hit Points (HP): These determine how muchdamage the character can sustain beforereaching unconsciousness or death. Hit pointsequal size plus constitution divided by 2(rounded up).

Major Wound Level: When the charactertakes this amount of damage in one go, theysuffer a major wound. Major wounds areinjuries (such as a severed limb, brokenribcage, or broken skull), which may renderthe character unconscious immediately andleave permanent affects if not healed bypowerful magic. Major wound level is equal tototal hit points divided by two (rounded up).

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Magic Points (MP): These are used toactivate any spells the character knows. Thecharacters starting magic points will be equalto the characters POW.

Corruption Level: This is a measure of howmuch the character has been affected bysorcerous spells and items (corruption iscovered in the sorcery section). All charactersbegin the game with a corruption level of zero.

Movement Rate: This is the amount in metresthat a character can move in a five secondcombat round. Human and elf characters havea movement rate of 14 metres. Dwarves have amovement rate of 10 metres.

Generating A Character Step 3- Skills -

Skills are things that the character can do.They represent very specific areas of expertise,and when they are used in play the player rollsd100 and compares the result to their skill. Aroll equal to or less than the skill percentageusually indicates that the skill has been usedsuccessfully. For example, Gilmr has a Dodgeskill of 54%, which means that in combat hehas to roll 54 or under on d100 to avoid theincoming blows of his opponent.

What The Numbers MeanTable 2.3 (below) translates the skill

percentage into a real world description ofthe level of expertise.

The acknowledged best inthat skill, and regularlyperforms the seeminglyimpossible in extremelydifficult conditions.

Master100%+

A local expert with in theskill, who can perform itunder most conditionswith ease and elegance.

Expert76-99%

Someone who regularlyuses the skill as part oftheir everyday life.

Veteran51-75%

Someone who is learningthe skill.Apprentice26-50%

Someone with virtually noexperience with the skill.Novice0-25%

DescriptionExpertiseSkillTable 2.3 Skill Levels

Looking at the above table you can see thatGilmr, with his Dodge of 54%, is quiteproficient in the skill, having an expertise levelof veteran (probably learned from his previousexperiences on the battlefield).

Skill ListsThe following tables list all the skills that

every character possesses and the character-istics used to determine the skills base score.The tables also give each skill a briefdescription of what the skill does, but a moredetailed description is given in the skillschapter.

Skills are grouped into the followingcategories for easy reference:

Practical Skills: These skills measure thecharacters ability of performing a variety ofeveryday and specialist tasks.

Knowledge Skills: These skills measure theintellectual skills of the character.

Resistances: These are skills that get thecharacter out of harms way.

Combat Skills: These skills measure thecharacters skills in physical violence.

Magic Skills: These skills cover either castingmagic or knowledge of magical practices.

Note that some skills, such as Lore (Type),Language (Other), etc. have a descriptor inbrackets after the main skill name. Thisdenotes that at time of points allocation theplayer must decide what type or other is.For example Language (Other) could beLanguage (Elvish).

Practical SkillsThese skills allow the character to do things

in the game - with Athletics, Influence, andPerception being called upon reasonablyfrequently. Also, if your characters concept isthat of a rogue then Deception, Mechanisms,and Streetwise deserve some points. If you seeyour character as a dwarven craftsman thenCraft and Engineering are skills to increase. Ifyour character has a background ofentertaining people, Performance is a skill topick. If your character concept is any form ofmerchant then Trade is a must buy.

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- 8 -

This skill is used bymerchants / traders tovalue and sell goods.

INT+10Trade

How well thecharacter operates ina city environment.Finding informationand navigating thecity streets arecovered by this skill.

POW+CHAStreetwise

This skill covers theuse of ships andboats.

DEX+INTSailing

Used when tryingtricky manoeuvreswhen riding animalssuch as horses,camels and evenmore fantastic beastssuch as giant eagles.

DEX+POWRiding

Acting, playinginstruments, dancing,and singing are allcovered by this skill.

CHA+10Performance

Used to spot hiddenobjects and smalldetails in the PCsenvironment.

INT+POWPerception

Locks and anythingwith complex movingparts are covered bythis skill.

DEX+INTMechanisms

This is used when thecharacter wants topersuade another todo something againsttheir normal interests.

CHA+10Influence

Healing wounds andtreating disease usingfirst aid and surgery.

INT+10Healing

Large constructionsand siege engines arecovered by this skill.

INT+10Engineering

This skill coversvehicles such as cartsand wagons.

DEX+INTDriving

Stealth, hiding andpicking pockets areall handled here.

DEX+INTDeception

This skill allows youto make things suchas pots, weapons, andbuildings.

INT+10Craft

Measures the PCsability at running,lifting, jumping, andclimbing.

STR+DEXAthletics

DescriptionBaseSkillTable 2.4 Practical Skills Knowledge Skills

Knowledge skills are good for charactersthat are sages or scholars (i.e. those who maketheir living from obscure information thatother people do not have the time to learn).Culture (Other) and Language (Other) are alsouseful to characters whose abilities revolvearound communications.

A note on the default languagesElvish - the noble speech of the Elves and thus thecommon speech of the civilised world (note allcharacters gain an additional +20 bonus to thislanguage).High Elvish - the ancient tongue of the Elves(remembered now only as a language of lore).Dwarvish - the secret language of the Dwarves.Mannish - the language spoken in the houses of men.Bestial - the harsh sounding speech of the enemy(not usually known by the free peoples). Bestial hasno written form.

Other types ofspecialist knowledgeskills, such as Lore(Herbalist) or Lore(Heraldry), that arenot covered by any ofthe above.

INTLore(Type)

Recognising / caringfor animals andplants, predicting theweather, geology, orsurvival in the naturalworld.

INT+10NatureLore

How fluent acharacter is atspeaking a foreignlanguage.

INTLanguage(Other)

How fluent a PC is atspeaking their ownlanguage. A score of80 or more is neededto have the ability toread and write.

INT+40Language(Own)

What a characterknows about thehistory, politics andgeography of aforeign land.

INTCulture(Other)

What a PC knowsabout the history,politics, geography,etc. of their own landand society.

INT+10Culture(Own)

DescriptionBaseSkillTable 2.5 Knowledge Skills

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ResistancesIts worth putting the majority of your

points into Dodge if you are going down theroute of the warrior with your character. If youare thinking more of a magic using characterPersistence is probably more appropriate.Resilience is good for hardy characters thatcan shrug off disease and stay conscious whenthey take damage.

This is a measure of acharacters healthand their ability tosurvive exposure,hunger and thirst. Itis also their chance toresist the effects ofdiseases.

CON+POWResilience

This is a measure ofyour characters will-power and resistanceagainst hostile magic.It is also rolled toresist attempts toinfluence the charac-ter against their will.

POW+10Persistence

Gets you out of theway of physicalthreats, such as anincoming axe ordragon breath.

DEX+10Dodge

DescriptionBaseSkillTable 2.6 Resistances

Combat SkillsIt goes without saying that all these skills

are appropriate for characters who want to bewarriors. A few points however in either Closeor Unarmed Combat are useful even fornon-combative characters since these skillscan be used for self-defence.

A characters skillwith natural weaponssuch as bite, fist,kick, grapple andclaws.

STR+DEXUnarmedCombat

A characters skillwith missile andthrown weapons.

DEX+INTRangedCombat

A characters skillwith melee weapons,such as swords, axes,spears, and shields.

STR+DEXCloseCombat

DescriptionBaseSkillTable 2.7 Combat Skills

Magic SkillsMagic is explained later in this book, but

for now all you need note is that that there aretwo magic skills that relate to the two differenttypes of magic.

Used with Sorcery.This skill is used tocast and manipulatesorcery spells. Forthe non-magician it isyour chance to usetalismans, scrolls, orother sorcery items.

INTSorceryCasting

Used with innatemagic. This skillallows you to usebasic personal magic.

POW X 3InnateCasting

DescriptionBaseSkillTable 2.8 Magic Skills

Calculating SkillsFor each skill calculate the starting value

(i.e. the base score) from the calculationprovided (e.g. when calculating your CloseCombat skill add your STR and DEX scorestogether). Then write this value down on thecharacter sheet next to the relevant skill.

Once that is completed you may thendistribute additional points between theseskills (see below), with a limit of no more than30 points to be allocated to any one skill.

During character generation the player getsa pool of points to spend on each group ofskills. These are as follows:

Practical Skills: 75 points.

Knowledge Skills: 50 points.

Resistances: 50 points.

Combat Skills: 50 points.Magic Skills: None.

Note that, for ease of use, these additionalpoints are also shown on the character sheet(in the top left corner of each category).

Optional RuleGMs may allow players to trade some of their skillpoints for extra background points. The firstbackground point gained this way will cost thecharacter 10 skill points, the second will cost 20points, the third 30 points, and so on (so 3 extrabackground points will cost a total of 60 skill points).

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- 10 -

Generating A Character Step 4- Additional Points & Abilities -

Starting characters also begin play with anumber of background points, fate points, andspecial abilities - the number of which isdependant on their race. Each of theseadditional points and abilities are explained inmore detail below.

Background PointsBackground points work in a similar

fashion to improvement points (improvementpoints are explained later in this book), exceptthat characters are allowed to use these pointsduring character creation to further customisetheir characters. The number of backgroundpoints available to your character will dependupon his or her race, as shown below:

Humans: The race of men receive 3 back-ground points.

Elves: Elvish folk each receive 1 backgroundpoint.

Dwarves: All dwarves receive 2 backgroundpoints.

The manner in which these points may bespent is shown in table 2.9 below.

*Note that players that choose these options areallowed to choose a single spell from those listed inthe magic chapters of this book. More details on howmagic works will be discussed in those particularchapters, but for now it is worth noting that acharacter will be required to make a casting testwhenever they attempt to cast such a spell (i.e. ad100 roll made against their relevant skill), and thateach spell will require the caster to spend a numberof their magic points in order for it to take effect(note that this cost is doubled for elvish-bloodedhumans casting innate magic spells).

An extra 500 BV worth of equipment(humans only)2 points

An extra 500 BV worth of equipment(elves and dwarves only)1 point

Learn a sorcerous spell*2 points

Learn an innate spell* (elves orhumans with elven lineage only)

1 point /magnitude

Elven lineage (humans only)2 points+1 to any characteristic3 points+1d4 to any two skills1 point+2d4 to any one skill1 point

ImprovementCostTable 2.9 Background Points

Special AbilitiesThe characters race may also bestow the

character with a few minor special abilities asdetailed below:

Humans: The race of men have no specialabilities.

Elves: Elvish folk have night-sight*, areimmune to non-magical diseases, and gain a+25% bonus to Persistence tests made againstthe fear effect of Fearsome I creatures.

Dwarves: All dwarves have night-sight*, theyalso gain a +25% bonus to fatigue checks andignore overloading penalties.

*This ability allows the character to treatpartial darkness as illuminated, and darknessas only partial darkness. More information onillumination can be found on page 56.

See page 63.

See pages 56-58.

Fate PointsEvery starting character (except for elves -

see below) begins play with two fate points.These fate points are what distinguishes theplayer characters from the normal stay-at-home type folk. They allow a player to:

y Re-roll any failed dice roll.y Downgrade a major wound to a normal

wound. The character still takes the fulldamage they would normally to their hitpoints, but they do not suffer the messyeffects of a major wound.

y Avoid character death. If the characters hitpoints are reduced to zero or less, instead ofdying the character is merely unconscious.The character remains in such a state untilthe combat is over at which point theyawaken with one hit point.

Once fate points are spent they are gone.The Games Master awards fate points at theend of the game session for moments ofoutstanding heroic play.

However, elves (due to their fate being tiedto that of the world) begin the game with asingle fate point. In addition, they may neverhave more than one fate point at any time.

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Generating A Character Step 5- Finishing Off The Character -

By this stage all the hard decisions onmaking your character are over. All thatremains is to note down a few numbers on thecharacter sheet and ponder about thecharacters background and motives.

AgeHuman characters start out at any age

between 18 and 28. To randomly determinethis, roll 2d6 and add 16. For dwarvencharacters this number should be doubled(resulting in an age between 36 and 56), andelves should multiply the result by 10 (givingan age range of 180 to 280).

EquipmentEach character typically starts off with

some valuables and the tools of their trade.These include:

y Leather armoury Daggery Backpacky Two weeks worth of travelling provisionsy Flint and tindery Waterskiny Either a two-handed weapon or a one-

handed weapon and a shield or a rangedweapon (including ammunition)

y 6d6 x 10 BV* of additional goods*Each item of equipment in this game hasbeen allocated a particular Barter Value (BV).The figure generated here represents the max.BV worth of additional goods that the playermay begin the game with. More on bartervalues can be found in the equipment chapter.

Background, Appearance, and PersonalityA background is useful not only to give the

character a history before the game starts butalso as a way of noting all the intangibleelements of the characters personality.

Even if you dont create a fully written upbackground it is worth making a mental noteof what the character is like as a person androughly what their background is previous toplay, as well as visualising what they actuallylook like.

Character Generation Summaryy Choose a race and roll characteristics.y Note your characters damage modifier.y Calculate hit points, major wound level,

and magic points.y Note your characters corruption level and

movement rate.y Total the starting value (i.e. base score) of

each of your characters skills.y Spend the relevant amount of points on

each group of skills.y Check how many background points your

character has, and spend them accordingly.y Note any special abilities.y Note the number of fate points that your

character receives.y Work out your characters age.y Give your character a name and detail as

much (or as little) of his or her backgroundas you wish.

y Work out your characters startingequipment.

36-56180-28018-28Age

212FatePoints

213BgroundPoints

Night-sight

+25 to fat-igue tests

Ignore alloverloadingpenalties.

Night-sight

Immune toall naturaldiseases

+25 to Fear-some I tests.

N/ASpecialAbilities

10m14m14mMovementRate

- MISCELLANEOUS -+1d631-45+1d426-30

+016-25Damage ModifierTotal of STR & SIZ

- TYPICAL DAMAGE MODIFIERS -Note that all rolls of 1 are re-rolled

2d6+32d6+63d6CHA3d62d6+63d6POW

2d6+62d6+62d6+6INT1d6+62d6+62d6+6SIZ2d6+32d6+63d6DEX3d6+62d6+63d6CON2d6+63d63d6STR

DwarvesElvesHumans- CHARACTERISTICS -

Character Creation Summary

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CHAPTER 3SKILLS

Characters use skills to get things done inthe game. When the outcome of an action is indoubt the Games Master will ask the player tomake a skill test against the relevant skill tosee if his character is successful.

For example:

John: Anthar comes to a large and very deepravine. Far below he can hear water rushingalong the bottom of the ravine, and in front ofhim is the remains of a rope bridge that hasbeen deliberately broken.

Andrew: How far across is it?

John: About four metres.

Andrew: OK, Anthar is going to take arunning jump across the ravine.

John: Give me an Athletics skill test, sincethat covers jumping. You do realise that ifAnthar fails hes facing a very nasty fall?

Andrew: Yeah, Anthar works that out, butdecides to worry about that when and if ithappens. Anthars Athletics is 50%.

Andrew then rolls a d100 and his blue die(tens) comes up 3 and his red die (units) comesup 4.

Andrew: 34 a success. Anthar takes a runningjump across the ravine and is now on the otherside, whats there?

This chapter describes when and how tomake skill tests, how to modify skillsdepending on the conditions the test is madeunder, and how to judge tests where twocharacters are competing against each other.

This is followed by a list of all the skillsthat are used in the game.

Characters that are considered masters intheir fields of expertise can have skills above100%. How The Age Of Shadow managesthese very high skills is explained later in thischapter.

The Basic Skill TestTo make a skill test the player first

describes what his character is doing. Thenthey roll a d100 and compare this to therelevant skills score. If the dice roll is equal toor less than the skills score, the attempt issuccessful. If the total is greater than theskills score, then it has failed. The GamesMaster then describes the result of thecharacters success or failure.

Under normal conditions a skill test isasked for when the character is placed on thespot and has to make a successful action underpressure.

However, if the character has lots of time,has the tools of his trade, and is in asufficiently relaxed environment and state ofmind, he completes the task to the best of hisability.

For example, an apprentice potter (Craft30%) will, day in day out, produce a couple ofpots of passable quality while working at hismasters workshop. Of course work beyondthe skill of this character is still out of theirreach, unless the player decides to take thechance with the dice and ask for a skill test. Toillustrate this, let us assume that the samecharacter would like to make an artistic pieceof pottery for a grand celebration that is beingheld later in the month. Knowing full well thathis normal work will definitely not be up toscratch, the player decides to roll the dice inthe hope that he can produce something of thestandard that he desires.

Critical SuccessesIf the dice roll on a skill test is equal to or

less than 10% of the modified skill, then acritical success is achieved.

A critical success has an outcome that farexceeds the expectation of the player when theoriginal skill test was made. Its the bestpossible result based upon the players originalstatement of intent.

The actual result of a critical success duringa skill test is largely up to the Games Master -thought in most cases it will achieve one of thefollowing results:

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y The task is completed sooner.y The task is completed to a higher degree of

expertise than normal.

y The task is completed with lan and style,generally impressing witnesses.

y The character gains additional informationor insight into the task thanks to theirbrilliance.

For example, when Anthar is jumping thechasm, his Athletics skill is 50% and thereforehis chance of getting a critical is 5. If Andrewrolls a 5 or less then Anthar has jumped with acritical success and the Games Master rulesthat Anthar easily jumps the chasm with gracethat allows him to carry on running withouthaving to pause to catch his breath.

FumblesWhenever a skill test results in a roll of 00,

i.e. the two d10s both come up 0, then theplayer has rolled 100 rather than zero. Thecharacter has fumbled the roll.

A fumble is the worst imaginable outcomeof the skill test based upon the playersoriginal description of what their characterwas planning to do when the skill test wascalled for.

The actual result of a fumble is largely upto the Games Master to decide. It normallyresults in one of the following mishaps:

y The task takes twice as long to finish and isstill a failure.

y The task produces a useless result thatactually makes further actions moredifficult.

y The task fails spectacularly, opening thecharacter up to derision and scorn fromwitnesses.

y The character becomes impeded or evenharmed by his failure.

Conversely if Andrew rolls 00, Anthar notonly fails to make the jump over the chasm butgoes plunging down the ravine head first.

There are specific critical success andfumble results for weapon skill tests in combatand magical casting skill tests, which aredescribed in the relevant chapters.

DifficultyDifficulty modifiers (shown in table 3.1

below) are temporarily applied to the skill forthe duration of the test only. A penalty willmake the test harder while a bonus makes iteasier. Modifiers are applied before the diceare rolled.

The character suffers aserious set back that maymake success beyondtheir reach.

-50%Hard

The PC is significantlyhindered in their chanceof success.

-25%Difficult

The skill is unmodifiedsince normal conditionsapply.

+0%Normal

The task is simpler thanusual and while successis still by no meanscertain, the character hasa boost to their chance ofsuccess as a result.

+25%Simple

The task is much easierthan usual and thecharacter should have analmost certain chance ofsuccess.

+50%Easy

What the modifiermeans

SkillModifierDifficulty

Table 3.1 Difficulty Modifiers

Impossible Success & Automatic FailureAny skill which is modified to 0 or less will

automatically fail when tested. Roll diceanyway, since the character can still fumble.

Any skill which is modified to 100% orgreater will automatically succeed whentested. Roll the dice anyway since thecharacter can still critical (10% of themodified skill) or fumble if the player rolls a00.

When The GM ShouldApply Difficulty Modifiers

Modifiers should only be applied when theyhave a significant effect on the characterschance of success. They should not be doledout for every skill test, since this cheapenstheir dramatic effect. Only apply a modifier

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when it is important and brings something tothe story. Resist the urge to hand out +10%here and take -5% there. These little modifiersdont add much to the players chance ofsuccess and bring needless fiddly addition andsubtraction into play - breaking the playersimmersion in the game.

Broadly speaking there are three areaswhere the Games Master should modify theplayers skill before a skill test. The GamesMaster should consider all three areas anddecide which of them provides the decidingfactor, and only apply the modifier based onthat. For example if the player has roleplayedhis character to the hilt, while influencing aguardsman in the pouring rain, it is theroleplaying for which the Games Masterawards a +50% bonus and not the rain, whichwould have dampened the enthusiasm of theguardsman to -25%. So only the +50% appliesto the players roll. The three areas are:

y As a result of the task being intrinsicallyeasy or difficult.

y As a result of planning.y As a result of good roleplaying.

As A Result Of The Task BeingIntrinsically Easy Or Difficult

Some things are just naturally easier orharder to do than others. For example,climbing a steep cliff with natural hand holdsand with the proper equipment (e.g. ropes andiron spikes) is an unmodified task. Doing thesame climb in the pouring rain, makes itdifficult (-25% to the skill) and if the characterhas also forgotten his ropes and spikes thenthis makes it hard (-50% to the skill).

In comparison, climbing a cliff where thereare numerous ledges, and where the charactercan rest and actually walk up the cliff inplaces becomes an easy (+50%) skill test.

As A Result Of PlanningThe players have outlined how their

character prepares to perform a task well inadvance. If their plan is a sound and good oneyou should make the skill test easy.Conversely, if the players have given nothought as to how their characters approach a

complex task which really does requirepreparation and planning, then make theresulting skill test hard.

For example, let us assume that severalgroups are preparing to head out into aparticular part of the wilderness where foodand water are hard to come by. The GamesMaster has decided in advance to ask theplayers to make Nature Lore skill tests, to seehow their characters fare in this unforgivingenvironment.

The first group spend an extra couple ofdays planning and preparing for the trip. Theyacquire more than adequate supplies andequipment, along with the extra beasts ofburden to carry them. They also manage totrack down an old guide (a survivor from aprevious foray into the area). The GamesMaster awards them a +50% (easy) modifier totheir survival roll.

The second group makes the traditionalpreparations for the journey. They ensure theyhave enough supplies, but no back up mountsor proper travelling clothing. In this case theGames Master does not modify their survivalroll on account of their preparation.

The third and final group decide to simplyride out on the horses they arrived on, withoutreplenishing supplies. The Games Mastermakes their survival roll appropriately hard(-50%) as a result of their rashness.

As A Result Of Good RoleplayingThis usually happens for skills that involve

some form of communication - like Influence.When the player describes the action of theircharacter then the exchange between theircharacter and the non-player character(s) beinginfluenced may be roleplayed out. If the playerwas entertaining, kept in character, and addedto the fun of the game, the Games Master mayaward them a +25 or +50% bonus.

In exceptional circumstances, where theplayer was outstanding in their portrayal oftheir character (or maybe even took the time toprepare a few elvish phrases before the gamefor just such an occasion) the Games Mastermay decide to waive the necessity for the skilltest completely.

Remember good storytelling always comesbefore any dice rolling!

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Opposed Skill TestsOpposed skill tests are made by characters

who are in direct competition with each other.Both characters make the skill tests as normal,rolling 1d100 and attempting to roll equal to orunder their skill.

One Character SucceedsIf one character succeeds their skill test and

the other fails, then the successful characterhas won the opposed skill test.

Both Characters SucceedIf both characters succeed then whoever

rolled the highest in their skill test wins theopposed test. However, if one character rolls acritical, while the other rolls an ordinarysuccess, then the character that rolled thecritical (which is regarded as a higher level ofsuccess) wins.

Both Characters FailWhoever rolled the lowest in their skill test

wins the opposed test.

For example, let us assume that Elmriel ismaking her way along a wide mountain passwhen she comes upon a small group ofcarousing wildlings. As of yet, the wildlingsseem to be completely unaware of the elf asshe watches them from the cover of a largeboulder. Elmriel, knowing full well that shewould be no match for them on her own,decides to try and sneak past them, using thecover of a small line of trees that grow uponone side of the valley.

The Games Master calls for a Deceptionskill test from Elmriel, since this skill dealswith sneaking (note Elmriels Deception skill

is 39%). Simultaneously the Games Mastermakes a Perception skill test for the wildlings(these particular wildlings have a Perceptionof 45%). Fortunately for Emily (Elmrielsplayer), the Games Master decides that due tothe their condition (they have been carousingfor some time after all), it will be difficult forthem to spot anything (-25%), which meanstheir Perception is now 20% for the purpose ofthis test.

Once the rolls are made, both Emily and theDM compare their results some examples ofwhich are shown below:

y If Emily rolls a 3 she gets a critical successand Elmriel manages to slip past them,regardless of whether they succeed or not.The only way the wildlings could possiblynotice her is if they rolled a critical too.

y If Emily rolls a success (but not a critical)and the wildlings fail their roll, thenElmriel succeeds again.

y If Emily rolls a failure and the wildlings rolla success, then they spot a shape moving inthe trees and head over to investigate.

y If Emily rolls a 15 and succeeds, and so dothe wildlings who roll a 9, then sinceElmriel both succeeded and made thehighest roll she wins (and once again goesunnoticed). Perhaps one of the wildlingsthought he heard something for a briefmoment, but he thinks little of it.

y However, if Emily rolls a 65 and thewildlings roll a 75, then even though bothfail, Elmriel wins again because she rolledthe lower of the two. In this instance maybeElmriel caught her foot on an old tree rootand stumbled into view for a brief second -but the wildlings are so lost in their ownbusiness that they are completely oblivious.

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Both FumbleOpponent WinsOpponent WinsOpponent WinsFumblePlayer WinsLowest Roll WinsOpponent WinsOpponent WinsFailurePlayer WinsPlayer WinsHighest Roll WinsOpponent WinsSuccessPlayer WinsPlayer WinsPlayer WinsHighest Roll WinsCritical

FumbleFailureSuccessCriticalPlayer / OpponentTable 3.2 Opposed Skill Test Results

Very High SkillsCharacters with skills over 100% are

considered masters in their fields and undernormal circumstances do not fail and quiteoften perform tasks that are consideredimpossible by normal people.

Very High Skills and Opposed TestsIn opposed skill tests characters with skills

over 100% are already considered to havesucceeded. Therefore, to be beaten hisopponent needs to score a critical success. Ofcourse the master may also roll a critical, inwhich case the highest roll wins.

For example, Belegorn is a master archerwith a Ranged Combat skill of 120%. IfGilmr (who has a Ranged Combat skill of40%) foolishly decided to challenge him to anarchery contest, then Gilmr will automaticallylose unless he himself rolls a critical success(4% or lower).

AssistanceCharacters will often have the opportunity

to help each other during various skill tests. Ifone or more characters can assist and make asignificant contribution then the skill test isone level easier. On rare occasions theassistance will make the skill test two levelseasier (GMs discretion). The assistingcharacter or characters must have theappropriate helping skill at a suitable leveldetermined by the Games Master. How highthis needs to be is usually dependent on thedifficulty of the test. In most cases as long asthe assisting character has a skill of at leastapprentice level (i.e. more than 25%) thenthey can help.

For example, let us assume that Anthar istrying to force open an old door. If Gilmr withan Athletics of 50% decides to help him,Andrew would then add +25% to AntharsAthletics skill for the purpose of this test.

Skill DescriptionsWhat follows is a full list of all the skills in

alphabetical order.

Athletics (DEX+STR)This broad skill covers a range of athletic

activities useful to adventuring characters -including climbing, jumping, and swimming.

Acrobatics: This allows a character toperform a variety of gymnastic and balancingtasks such as tumbling, walking a tightrope, orkeeping balance on a narrow or unstable ledge.The character can move at half his normalspeed across an unstable surface withoutpenalty. To move at a normal rate requires anacrobatics test. A successful acrobatics testwill also halve the damage suffered fromfalling.

Brute Force: Brute force is a particularapplication of Athletics that relies purely onpower, with no finesse involved. Brute forcebasically involves pushing, lifting, ordragging.

Climbing: Given enough hand and footholds,a character can climb any surface givenenough time without the need for a test. Undernormal circumstances a character can climb ordescend one quarter of their movement percombat round (see chapter 5 for more details).A character can double the rate of his climb ordescent by making a hard Athletics test.

Jumping: In general, a successful Athleticstest allows a character to jump up to twice hisown height horizontally or up to half his ownheight vertically - as long as he has at leastfour metres to run first. If he is making astanding jump these distances are halved.Penalties for jumping Athletics tests can beaccrued by trying to jump further. Acumulative -25% penalty is bestowed forevery extra metre the character is trying tojump. If this penalty reduces the skill below0% the jump is impossible - even on a critical.

Swimming: Characters normally swim at halftheir usual movement. Athletics tests are onlyrequired when conditions are less than ideal -swimming while heavily encumbered or instrong currents for example.

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Close Combat (DEX+STR)This skill deals with the art of hitting things

and defending yourself with melee weaponssuch as swords, clubs, spears, polearms, andshields.

Craft (INT+10)The Craft skill is actually several separate

skills grouped under a single heading. Itmeasures the characters ability to make andrepair items. The following list is by no meansexhaustive:

Armourer, baker, basket weaver,blacksmith, bowyer, brewer, butcher, candlemaker, carpenter, cartographer, cobbler,cooper, fletcher, joiner, leatherworker, mason,painter, potter, sculptor, smith, tailor, weaponsmith, weaver.

As a very rough guide it takes one day per50 BV to produce an item. The base BV of theitem in materials needed is 50% of the listedfinished BV.

Culture (Own) (INT+10) / (Other) (INT)Each Culture skill is used to provide

information about the common world view ofthat group of people (or creatures). Thisincludes history, politics, weather cycles,geography, superstitions, and popularmythology.

Culture (Own) is the world view of thepeople that the character is born into. All otherforeign or alien cultures are Culture (other).

Deception (DEX +INT)Deception tests are opposed by the

Perception skill and are modified according tothe situation. Deception covers the arts of:

Disguise: used to change a charactersappearance and adopt a different outwardpersona.

Sleight: used to hide or take objects, withoutdrawing undue attention.

Stealth: used whenever a character attempts topersonally evade detection by anothercharacter. This usually happens when acharacter either tries to move quietly past anenemy, hide from one, or performs acombination of both.

Dodge (DEX+10)The Dodge skill is used to avoid incoming

objects that are swung or thrown at thecharacter. The Dodge skill is normally usedwhen a character attempts to dodge anincoming blow in combat or a physical hazardthat can be avoided - such as falling masonry.

Driving (DEX+INT)If a character is driving a wagon, chariot, or

similar vehicle at not more than walking paceacross flat terrain, a Driving skill test willnever be required. Skill tests are requiredwhen a character wants to do something out ofthe ordinary with a vehicle - such as traversetreacherous terrain, jump obstacles, and so on.

Engineering (INT+10)This skill is used to design, build, activate,

repair, sabotage, or disassemble largemechanisms or constructions such as siegemachines, city gates/drawbridges, mine-shafts,sailing ships, and so forth.

Healing (INT+10)Using this skill without access to a first aid

kit incurs a -50 penalty. Each use of theHealing skill generally takes a few minutes toperform. Both characters must remainstationary and may not use standard actions orreactions while this occurs or they will lose thebenefits of the healing.

The use of Healing requires suitablemedical equipment such as bandages or salvesor appropriate improvised alternatives. Typicaltypes of injuries or ailments that may betreated are listed below:

Unconsciousness: A successful Healing testcan revive a character from unconsciousness,though drugged patients may inflict a penaltyon the Healing test.

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Minor Injury: A successful Healing test on aminor injury will heal 1d6 hit points.

Stabilise Major Wound: A successfulHealing test on a major wound will not restorethe lost hit points. This Healing merelystabilises the patient enough so that they willnot die of blood loss.

Curing Diseases: A successful Healing testallows a diseased patient to add a bonus to hisnext opposed Resilience versus diseasePotency test to resist the disease. The bonus isequal to the healers Healing skill divided by10 (i.e. the critical success range).

Curing Poisons: A successful Healing testallows a poisoned patient to attempt a secondopposed Resilience versus poison Potency test.The patient gains a bonus to his Resilienceskill equal to the healers Healing skill dividedby 10 (i.e. the critical success range).

Surgery: Other than magical healing,successful surgery is the only way that acharacter can recover from a major wound.Once a successful Healing test has been madeto quench the bleeding of a major wound, afurther Healing test can attempt to set brokenbones, stitch together rent flesh and restore thewound location so that it is on the road torecovery. As long as the Healing test is asuccess, the stricken character gains one hitpoint and will begin to heal as normal.

Influence (CHA+10)

This is the art of verbally persuadinganother character to do what you want.Characters can use both logical and oremotional arguments. If successful in anopposed skill test, the characters audience istemporarily swayed in favour of thecharacters argument. In time they mayunderstand that they were fast talked,bamboozled, or hoodwinked and theirjudgement clouded, but in the short term theygo along with what the character suggests.Influence can never be used to get a characterto act against their instinct for self-preservation.

Influence skill tests are normally opposedby the Perception, Persistence, or Influenceskill. They are further modified by how much

a character is trying to change an opponentsmind. Influence skill tests are often modifiedby how well the player roleplays the exchange(see When The GM Should Apply DifficultyModifiers on p14).

Influence tests are either applied toindividuals - where each character rollsindividually against the influencer, or againstcrowds - were one roll is made to resist basedupon an average Persistence for the entirecrowd.

Innate Casting (POW X 3)This skill represents the characters ability

to cast innate magic spells. It also representstheir knowledge about innate magic and therough ability to recognise magic items.

Language (Own) (INT+40) / (Other) (INT)

The Language skill is actually severalseparate skills grouped under a single heading.Language (Elvish), Language (Dwarvish), andLanguage (Bestial) for example are allindividual skills.

Every character with a Language skill of50% or more is fluent in that language,although they are likely to have an accent if itis not their native tongue. A score in aLanguage skill of 80% or more will mean thecharacter can also read and write in thatlanguage.

The default languages are as follows:

Elvish: The language of the Elves. Elvish isthe common speech of the civilised world, andas such every character gains an additional+20 bonus to this skill (even if it is their ownlanguage).

High Elvish: This is the ancient tongue of theElves. It is rarely used nowadays and remainsonly as a language of lore.

Dwarvish: This is the secret language of theDwarves. As such few non-dwarves have evermastered it.

Mannish: The language of Men.

Bestial: Being the language of the enemy, fewof the free peoples have ever learned it. It is acrude and guttural tongue with no writtenform.

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Lore (INT)The Lore skill is actually an umbrella term

for several different skills, each of which mustbe improved separately.

Each Lore skill defines an area ofknowledge for the character and skill tests aremade whenever a player wants to see if hischaracter knows something about the subjectat hand.

The range of possible Lores is only limitedby a players imagination. A list of potentialstudy areas of Lore is listed here:

Alchemy, art, astronomy, gambling,geography, heraldry, law, logistics, militarytactics, philosophy, poisons.

Mechanisms (DEX+INT)Usually, a character will simply make a

Mechanisms test in order to succeed atassembling or disassembling a device (withappropriate bonuses or penalties decided uponby the Games Master). If a device has beendesigned to specifically resist attempts atdisassembly, the Mechanisms test becomesopposed by the Mechanisms skill of thecharacter that created it.

Mechanisms is also used for picking a lockor disassembling a trap. This usually takes atleast one minute (12 combat rounds) toperform, whereas larger or particularlycomplex devices will take longer.

Nature Lore (INT+10)Broadly speaking this Lore deals with the

characters knowledge of the natural world. Itcan be broken into five specialist areas.

Animal: This covers the ability to recognisean animal, know its feeding habits, breedingcycle, habitats, and so on. A character with askill of at least 50% may try to domesticate awild animal, making a skill test after every fullweek of training. If the character also has aRiding skill of at least 50% and the animal iscapable of being ridden, he may train theanimal to ride during this period. Thecharacter may later train the animal not topanic in battle and to strike at his enemies.This takes a further period of training, with thecharacter making a skill test at the end of eachweek to succeed.

Plant: A character can identify plants in thewild, discover good places to grow crops,decide which plants are edible, and whatunusual properties they may possess.

Mineral: This skill allows the character toidentify precious metals and stones, detectfault lines, and other dangerous features in therock.

Survival: One Survival test will be requiredevery day that a character lacks either food,water or a safe place to sleep. Successindicates the character manages to findwhatever he is lacking - failure means he willgo without - which, over several days, couldresult in very serious consequences. Survivaltests are not used when the character is in avillage or town. Survival also covers trackingin the wilderness. With this skill a charactercan locate the tracks of a specific creature andfollow them. A test must be made to locate thetrail and then again every ten minutes they arebeing followed.

Weather: The character can predict changesin the weather.

Perception (INT+POW)The Perception skill is used to represent the

five senses of the character when detectingobjects or other characters. For example, acommon use of the Perception skill is as astraight skill test to detect hidden objects in aroom, or as an opposed test to detect a hiddencharacter.

Performance (CHA+10)A successful test with this skill will result

in the audience or partner being pleased by thecharacters performance. This skill coversacting, composing poetry, dancing, singing,readings, and playing an instrument.

Persistence (POW+10)This skill represents a characters mental

willpower. Persistence is used to resist theeffects of magic, and often against anothercharacters attempt to use the Influence skillagainst them.

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Ranged Combat (DEX+INT)This skill covers the use of missile

weapons, such as bows, thrown spears, andthrown daggers. It is covered in more detail inthe combat chapter.

Resilience (CON+POW)This is a measure of how physically tough a

character is. The higher a charactersResilience, the more likely he is to handleadverse physical conditions - such asweathering a vicious sandstorm, surviving in adrought, or overcoming the effects of poisonor disease.

Riding (DEX+POW)If a character is riding a creature with the

help of saddle and stirrups at not more than awalking pace across flat terrain, then a Ridingtest will never be required. Tests are requiredwhen a character wants to do something out ofthe ordinary with a mount - such as traversetreacherous terrain, jump obstacles, ridebareback, and so on.

Sailing (DEX+INT)This covers small waterborne craft

propelled manually by oars or paddles(commonly known as boats), and larger craftpowered by sail or rows of oars. Travellingacross calm water does not usually require askill test but adverse conditions such ascurrents and bad weather can bestow penalties.

Sorcery Casting (INT)This skill covers not only the successful

casting of sorcery spells which the casterknows, but also the ability to manipulate theeffects, range and duration of those spells.This skill also allows the use of magic itemswith stored spells (commonly called matrices)and scrolls with sorcery spells written onthem. It can also be used to represent thecharacters knowledge of sorcery and itsworks.

Streetwise (CHA+POW)Streetwise allows a character to find fences

for stolen goods, black markets, and generalinformation. Such uses of Streetwise normallyrequire a minimum of 1d4 hours. Streetwisealso covers following people down crowdedcity streets without them noticing you.

Trade (INT+10)This skill is primarily used when characters

trade, barter, or otherwise negotiate over thesale of goods. In such transactions a successfulopposed test using the Trade of the buyerversus the Trade of the seller is needed for thebuyer to get the best deal. If the buyer winsthey get a discount (-10% for a success, -25%for a critical). If the seller wins the BV thatthey can trade the item for increases by +10%for a success and +25% for a critical. If theopponent fumbles their roll double theincrease or decrease.

The Trade skill also enables the character todetermine the value placed on something byothers (i.e. to estimate its market value).Particularly common or obscure objects mightgive a bonus or penalty to the skill test.Success will allow a character to guess theaverage barter value of the object, normallyguessing accurately to within 10% of its actualvalue.

Unarmed Combat (DEX+STR)This skill covers the use of natural attacks.

For humans this is punching, kicking, andgrappling. Non-human characters may alsohave bite, horns, claw, and tail attacks.

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CHAPTER 4EQUIPMENT

Fantasy roleplaying games can be thoughtof as a form of co-operative improvisedtheatre. You could think of the players as theactors and the Games Master as the directorand production team providing the stage andscenery, a huge big budget supporting cast,and every prop that the actors could possiblyneed. This chapter deals with the props - theequipment that the player characters will beusing.

In-game EconomicsThese rules do not give detailed rules for

trading and fantasy world economics.Although dry economic markets are unlikelyto feature heavily in adventure stories, theexploits of daring and wily merchantadventurers may arise. The following sectionoutlines how to approach such stories usingThe Age Of Shadow.

Opportunities For Merchant Based GamesSome players will feel inclined to create

colourful and flamboyant merchant charactersand weave stories around their previous trademissions, creating drama and tension on theirtrade negotiations and deals. This is great andis to be encouraged. Opposed Trade tests canbe used to handle the outcome of such actionswhere it is less than clear cut, and the ebb andflow of the characters finances acts as anindicator of success (see the Trade skilldescription on p21). The more martially andmagically inclined characters can providesupport and have their moments in thespotlight too on these mercantile adventures,taking on bands of wildling raiders whoattempt to disrupt the trafficking of dwarvengoods into elven lands for example.

Merchant characters also make greatinformation gatherers, since they tend to havegood social skills. Often this goes on under thecover of trading in the market, gatheringgossip from the locals, or sorting out a new

trade deal with a noble family (which is alegitimate way of finding information aboutsuch people).

Availability Of GoodsThe equipment lists serve as game tools to

allow players to quickly and easily gainequipment for their characters. Generallyspeaking, the complete range of goods listed atthe quoted barter values is only going to beavailable in larger settlements with organisedmarkets and the like. In less prosperoussettlements there might be a smaller rangeavailable, sometimes at higher costs. In ruralareas only local produce and a small amount oflocally crafted goods will be available fortrade.

Barter ValueBartering, in one form or another, is the

main method of exchanging goods in The AgeOf Shadow. However, in the spirit of keepingthings simple (and also to give the GM abaseline to work from) each item of equipmentin this chapter has been allocated a particularBarter Value as an indication of its worth (ina similar way that most other roleplayinggames would assign them a monetary cost).Therefore, we can see that something like alongsword (BV 150) could be traded for fivesheep (BV 30 each) without much trouble.

However, during their adventures it isunlikely that the player characters will wish tobe accompanied by livestock and other bulkytrade goods, so it is entirely plausible for themto be carrying around a certain amount ofsmall (yet desirable) items in the form ofgolden trinkets, precious gems, jewellery, etc.,to be used in a similar fashion to hard cash. Itis not necessary to note all these individualitems on the players character sheet, as asimple note of the total BV worth of suchtrinkets will suffice.

ConsequencesThe main thing to remember is that with

any item of equipment there are consequencesin their use as well as benefits. The mostobvious consequence is encumbrance. Aheavily armoured and equipped character will

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be slowed, unable to use skills as effectively,and will become fatigued more easily.

A less obvious effect is that an obviouslywealthy character might become the target forboth minor and major theft (from theopportunistic thief to the more organisedbandit group). In addition, a charactersobvious wealth (or lack thereof) might havesocial consequences.

The Equipment ListsThe remainder of this chapter is given over

to the equipment lists. These provide the bartervalue of each item and detail any game effects.Where appropriate, they also give an encumbr-ance value (ENC) for the item in question.This is a value which rates both the weight andhow physically unwieldy an item is.

Close Combat WeaponsAll close combat weapons use the Close

Combat skill. Each close combat weapon ischaracterised by the following qualities:

Damage Dice: The damage the weapon dealson a successful attack.

Type: This shows whether the weapon isone-handed, two-handed, or whether anyspecial rules apply (see notes below).

STR/DEX: The minimum STR and DEXscores needed to easily wield this weapon. Ifeither of the characteristics are below theseminimums, a -25% penalty is applied to acharacters skill when attacking and parryingwith this weapon.

ENC: The weapons encumbrance. Theweight and bulk of the weapon.

Size: Normal weapons are rated in thefollowing size categories: Light, Medium andHeavy. Weapons need to be of the samecategory or larger to block all damage. If thedefending weapon is one category less theyblock half damage. If two categories less theycannot block the damage.

BV: The items barter value. This is how muchthe item is worth in relation to other tradablegoods.

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*Note that when a character fights with no weapons he uses his Unarmed skill.120Medium29/91d81HWar Hammer

----/-1d3-Unarmed*100Medium15/51d61HShortsword20Medium25/51d6Set / Flex / RangeShortspear

150Heavy29/-1d6-Shield (large)50Medium1-/-1d4-Shield (small)

150Medium29/91d81HScimitar20Medium25/91d82HQuarterstaff

200Heavy39/91d8LSPolearm200Heavy413/52d82HMilitary Flail120Medium29/91d8FlexMace150Medium29/91d81HLongsword30Medium29/51d8Set / FlexLongspear

150Heavy311/91d10Set / FlexLance20Light15/91d61H / RangeHatchet

300Heavy413/92d82HGreatsword200Heavy413/52d82HGreat Hammer200Heavy413/52d82HGreat Axe20Light--/-1d41H / RangeDagger20Light15/91d6FlexClub

120Medium29/91d81HBattle-axe250Medium213/91d8FlexBastard Sword120Medium29/91d81HBall & Chain

BVSizeENCSTR/DEXDamageDiceTypeWeapon

Table 4.1 Close Combat Weapons

Notes On Close Combat Weapon TypesSet: This weapon may be set against a charge.

Range: This weapon suffers no penalty whenthrown.

LS: This weapon may be used as a longspear.If used as a longspear it may be set againstcharges. However, the wielder must state atthe start of combat how it is being wielded andmust take a change stance action to alter itsusage.

Flex: This weapon can be used two-handed.When used in two hands it gains +1 damageand can be used by someone with a strength 2less than that listed.

1H: This weapon must be used one-handed.

2H: This weapon must be used two-handed.

Note that improvised and primitive weapons,such as a stone hatchet, stone spear, or aconvenient log picked up and used as a club,do the same damage as the base weapon 1.

Ranged WeaponsEach ranged weapon is characterised by the

following properties: Type: This shows whether the weapon inone-handed, two-handed, or whether anyspecial rules apply (see notes opposite).

Damage Dice: The damage the weapon dealson a successful attack.

Range: This is the effective range of theweapon. A target within the weapons range

may be attacked without penalty. A targetwithin double the weapons range may beattacked, but the attackers effective Rangedskill is halved (before other modifiers areapplied). Attacks against targets beyonddouble the weapons range will automaticallyfail.

Load: This shows how many actions arerequired to either load or reload the weapon inquestion.

STR/DEX: The minimum STR and DEXscores needed to easily wield this weapon. Ifeither of the Characteristics are below theseminimums, a -25% penalty is applied to acharacters skill when attacking and parryingwith this weapon.

ENC: The weapons encumbrance. Theweight and bulk of the weapon.

BV: The items barter value. This is how muchthe item is worth in relation to other tradablegoods.

Notes On Ranged Weapon Types1H: This weapon is a one-handed weapon.

2H: This weapon must have two hands free tobe used effectively unless otherwise specified.A buckler can be strapped to the forearm butcannot be used whilst wielding or shooting thisweapon.

Close: This weapon suffers no penalty whenused in close combat.

Thrown: A character can use his/her damagemodifier with this weapon.

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If you are using a battlemat it is recommended that you use a scale of 2m per square/hex.Note that on a battlemat with squares you should count diagonal distances as 3m.

50--/5-5m1d3CloseWhip5--/9150m1d61HSling

2025/9-STR x 2m1d6Close / ThrownShortspear7519/9175m1d82HShortbow

150113/91150m1d102HLongbow2015/9-STR x 2m1d6ThrownJavelin-15/5-STR x m1d4ThrownImprovised

201-/9-STR x m1d6Close / ThrownHatchet15--/9-STR x m1d4ThrownDart20--/9-STR x m1d4Close / ThrownDagger

BVENCSTR/DEXLoadRangeDamageDiceTypeWeapon

Table 4.2 Ranged Weapons

Using Ranged Weapons In Close CombatIf a ranged weapon is used in close combat

it is treated as an improvised weapon - doingdamage equal to its closest hand-to-handequivalent if that is less than its rangedweapon damage.

ArmourEach piece of armour is characterised by

the following qualities:

AP: How many armour points this type ofarmour provides.

ENC: The armours encumbrance (i.e. theweight and bulk of the armour).

500+2+1Upgrades3,00075Mail Hauberk1,50074Scale Armour1,00053Ring Armour50032LeatherBVENCAPArmour

Table 4.3 Armour Types

Armour DescriptionsLeather: Either padded leather, boiled andstiffened leather, or linen armour.

Ring Armour: Metal rings sown onto apadded leather shirt.

Scale Armour: Metal scales sown onto apadded leather shirt.

Mail Hauberk: A shirt of linked chain rings.

Upgrades: Helms, greaves, gauntlets, etc.

Effects Of SIZ On ArmourArmour made for creatures of SIZ 1 to 5

will have its BV and ENC halved from thatshown. Similarly, creatures of SIZ 21 orhigher will double the BV and ENC.

General ItemsWhat follows is a fairly comprehensive list

of miscellaneous adventuring items and theirbarter value.

451Writing kit1Waterskin5-Trail rations, 1 day-Torch251Spade-Sling bullets (10)1Slingbag302Scythe -Sack, small1Sack, large102Rope, 10m2-Quiver 11Pole, 3m-Papyrus, sheet11Oil, flask

702Musical instrument351Mining pick75-Lock picks101Lantern 24Ladder, 3m1-Hammer5-Grappling hook2-Food & drink, superior (1 day)-Food & drink, average (1 day)-Food & drink, poor (1 day)-Flint & tinder 151Fishing kit2-Fish hook

25-First aid kit251Crowbar752Craft tools601Codex251Climbing kit402Chain, 2 metres-Candle, 1 hour2-Bottle, glass

151Block & tackle11Bedroll51Backpack1-Arrows (10)

BVENCItemTable 4.4 General Items

Backpack: It can hold 20 ENC of equipment.

Block & Tackle: Adds +25% to Mechanismstests to make or disarm large traps and makesEngineering tests possible in somecircumstances. It requires at least 10m of ropeto function.

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Candle: A candle illuminates a one metreradius and burns for one hour. Any windstronger than a slight breeze will extinguish it.

Climbing Kit: A climbing kit provides abonus of +25% to any Athletics skill testsmade to climb.