The deadly peril and heroic adventure of Arcallis using the fast, furious, and fun rules of Savage Worlds!
Character Creation
Archetypes
Races
- Drow - 1d6 AGL (+2), Darkvision (+1), Ambidextrous (+2), Notice 1d6 (+1), Outsider (-1), Light Sensitivity (-1), Males: x2 Spirit at creation (-2), Females: Arrogant (-2)
- Dwarf - 1D6 VIG (+2), +2 vs all Hazards (+2), +1 TOU (+2), Low-light Vision (+1), Pace 5 (-1)
- Wood Elf - 1d6 AGL (+2), Acrobat (+2), Low-light Vision (+1), Immune to Disease (+1)
- Goblin - AGL 1d6 (+2), Tougness +1 (+2), Extraction Edge (+2), Low-light Vision (+1), Light Sensitive (-1), Size -1 (-2), x2 STR at creation (-2)
- High Elf - AB: (Fae Powers) (+2), Immune to Disease (+1)
- Pech (Halfling/Ellwynn) - 1d6 SPR (Spirited) (+2), Luck (Fortunate) (+2), Throwing 1d6 (+1), Stealth 1d6 (+1), Size -1 (Small) (-2), x2 STR at creation (-2)
- Pech (Gnome) -
- Pech (Faen) -
- Orc - 1d6 STR (+2), Tougness +1 (+2), Endurance (+2 Vigor rolls vs. hazards) (+1), Low-light Vision (+1), Light Sensitive (-1), Outsider (-1), x2 Smarts at creation (-2)
- Shadar-kai -
Skills
Skill List
- Athletics (STR) (was Climbing, Riding & Swimming skills) - climbing, swimming, jumping, rowing, long-distance running, lifting, riding, hiking
- Deception (SMT) (was Taunt skill) - guile, blather, con games, innuendo, appear innocent
- Fighting (AGL) - includes hurling thrown weapons out to medium range
- Healing (SMT)
- Insight (SPR) - detect lies, evaluate opponent, detect influence, pick up on innuendo
- Intimidation (SPR) -
- Investigation (SMT) (includes aspects of Streetwise) - gather information, estimate sums, evaluation, research, search, survelliance
- Linguistics (SMT) - default level (1d4-2) represents knowledge of a single language (your native language), each additional die doubles the number of known languages; so 2 at 1d4, 4 at 1d6, 8 at 1d8, 16 at 1d10, 32 at 1d12, etc. Also allows recognizing accents & dialects, recognizing unknown languages, and deciphering unknown languages/books
- Perception (SMT) (was Notice and Tracking)
- Persuasion (SPR) (includes aspects of Streetwise) -
- Ranged (AGL) (was Shooting & Throwing skills) - bow, crossbow, thrown, blackpowder (large thrown weapons like spears, axes, and the like can use Fighting, lobbed weapons, like grenades, can use Athletics)
- Sleight-of-Hand (AGL) (was Lockpicking) -
- Stealth (AGL) -
- Survival (SMT) (includes aspects of Tracking) -
- Technology (SMT) (was Repair, includes aspects of Lockpicking) -
Arcane Skills
- Faith (SPR) - by diety, traditions, rituals, tenets
- Spellcasting (SMT) - colleges
Knowledge Skills
General skills take a -2 when applied to specific areas while specific skills take a -2 when applied to areas outside their focus. Craft skills can be used to build things while trade skills are used to earn a living.
- Administration (SMT) - running a household, business, or other resource
- Animal Handling (SMT) - command, train, sense disposition, calm animal
- Arcana (SMT) - specific knowledge of spells, the history of magick, magick theory, constructs, elementals and beasts
- Battle (SMT) - Leadership, tactics, strategy, logistics
- Commerce (SMT) - general appraisal, sums, accounting, running a business
- Craft (Specific) (SMT) - Carving (bone objects), Carpentry (wood objects), Chemistry (chemical objects, like gunpowder and explosives), Cooking (food), Inscription (documents, including books and paintings), Metalworking (metal objects), Pharmacy (medical supplies and poisons), Pottery (clay and ceramic objects), Stonecutting (stone objects), Tailoring (cloth and leather objects)
- Elemental Chaos Lore (SMT) - specific knowledge of the elemental chaos; its history, geography, customs, politics, inhabitants, elementals, fey and primals
- Faerie Lore (SMT) - specific knowledge of the feywild, its history, geography, politics, customs, inhabitants, and fey
- Far Realm Lore (SMT) - (forbidden lore) specific knowledge of the Far Realms, inhabitants, oozes, and horrors (such knowledge is often corrosive to sanity)
- History (SMT) - knowledge of the past
- Infernal Lore (SMT) - (forbidden lore) specific knowledge of Malfeas; its history, geography, customs, politics, inhabitants, demons
- Knowledge (general/specific) (SMT) - Engineering, Math, History, Geography, Magick Theory, Philosophy, Religion
- Law (SMT) - general knowledge of precedents and court procedures
- Legends & Lore (SMT - From common folklore to knowledge of myths and fantastic creatures and places
- Medicine (SMT) - critical wounds, poison, disease, long term care, surgery
- Nature (SMT) - general knowledge of flora, fauna, plants and animals
- Occultism (SMT) - general knowledge of magical phenomena, horrors, undead, spirits, outsiders, fey,
- Planar Lore (SMT) - general knowledge of the planes (Elemental Chaos, Far Realms, Feywild, Shadowfell, Spirit Realms) and their history and theory, geography and inhabitants (fey, elementals, horrors, outsiders, spirits, undead)
- Religion (general/specifc) (SMT) - general knowledge of religions (or a specific religion), the specific spirit realm or realms in general (astral sea), its history, customs, politics, geography, undead, outsiders and spirits
- Shadowfell Lore (SMT) - specific knowledge of the Shadowfell (ethereal) and Underworld, their history, geography, politics, customs, inhabitants, spirits, and undead
- Trade (specific) (SMT) - Carpentry, Brewer, Bard, Troubadour, Gambler, Sailor, Teamster
Common Knowledge
Characters receive a number of "interests" equal to their Smarts die. Some suggested interests:
- Alignment - You may have only one, but it may be a combination
- Language - You may choose additional languages to speak; you are literate in all languages you speak unless you are Illiterate or choose not to be. This interest may only be taken a number of times equal to half your SMT die
- Studies - something you have taken the time to learn about such as a nation, a culture, a people, a religion, a monster, a game, a musical instrument, an adversary, or other area of study (you recieve a +2 to Common Knowledge rolls about the subject, a +1 CHA to anyone sharing your interest, and a +1 to related skill checks)
- Additional Backgrounds - you may pick additional background interests to represent a unique upbringing
In addition, characters receive (five) background interests based on Childhood Environ, Social Background, Cultural Background, Area Knowledge, and Vocational Training. Pick one from each of:
- Environment: Urban, Rural, Wilderness (Wildling or Nomadic), Underdark, Fey, or other specific environ (gives basic survival techniques, allows blending in with locals, knowledge of local flora & fauna)
- Social Background: Nobility, Criminal, Folk, Religious, Arcane, Academic, Professional (etiquette, customs, events, recognition, and blending)
- Culture (specific): Tribal (Rural/Wilderness), Barbaric (U/R/W), Nomadic (R/W), Civilized (U/R/W) (local customs, laws, native language (accent/dialect), events, news, recognition, and blending)
- Area: specific region (travel, shortcuts, politics, personages, events, news)
- Vocational Training: job or vocation for which the character was trained (adventurer is not acceptable)
Hinderances
Players may take as many or few actual hindrances as they like, no points are actually recieved for them. When a hindrance comes up in play, through roleplaying or game mechanic, the player pool recieves a benny. This is similiar to the way complications work in Mutants & Masterminds. Basically, the advantage of roleplaying/mechanical effect is gaining an in play benefit rather then the front-loaded nature of hindrances as per the core rules.
Edges
Advancement
Experience needed is muliplied by 100 (so 500 exp per advance). I am not a fan of systems that use single digit intergers for leveling as the rewards are so small it is hard to differentiate them.
Gear
The gear section from Fantasy Craft is used for all pricing and items.
- Superior weapons are +1 dmg and have +1 wounds to break (x2 cost)
- Armor-piercing - AP 1 (x1.5 cost)
- Bleed - (x1.5 cost)
- Keen - raise gives 1d8 (x1.5 cost)
- Cold Iron - brittle (breaks on CF), x2 cost
- Silvered Weapons - x3 cost
Game Rules
Bennies
A Benny is spent to draw a chip from the fate pot. A player's starting Bennies are his maximum held Bennies pool. Earned Bennies go to a central pot which only pays out when the pot holds at least an amount equal to the total number of players and a Bennie was just earned. To take a Bennie from the pot when it pays out, players must have fewer then their maximum pool. Players may spend Bennies immediately when the pot pays out to deplete their pool.
Bennies in the pot are saved between sessions but not those held.
Fate Chips
I am using the fate chip rules from Deadlands with the addition of black chips, which go in front of the players and are used against them like reverse Legend chips. The amount of black chips is based on the threat level of the adventure (as per Fantasycraft)
Game Master Bennies
The GM draws fate chips equal to the # of players at the start of a session and draws another for each red chip the players spend. The GM does not hold or track Bennies except for WC's under his control. If the GM desires to spend a Benny or activate a complication, he places it in the player pool.
Combat
Raises on Combat Rolls
- One Raise (+4) is +1d6
- Two Raises (+8) is +1d8
- Three Raises (+12) is +1d10
- Four Raises (+16) is +1d12
Applying Damage
When applying damage, raises are based on 4 + Size/2(d), not the standard +4.
Situational Combat Rules
Tricks & Tests
When a character chooses to perform a Trick or Test of Will, they have two options as listed below and must choose one before rolling the dice.
Tricks:
Distract - This works as written in the main rulebook, causing -2 Parry and Shaken on a raise to the target.
Confuse - This inflicts a -2 penalty on the target's attack rolls on the next round, and -4 on a raise (Note: this only affects attack rolls, not all actions).
Tests of Will: Intimidate/Taunt
Cow/Enrage - This works as written in the main rulebook, granting a +2 to the next action against target and Shaking the target on a raise.
Rattle/Belittle - Target suffers a -2 to their next Trait roll, and is Shaken on a raise.
Healing
Natural healing rolls are made daily, after five successes/raises are accumulated, the character heals one wound.
Situational Rules
Setting Rules
- Born A Hero - at character creation, players may ignore the Rank qualifications for an Edge but must meet all other requirements as usual
- High Adventure - players may spend a bennie to gain a one time use of an Edge for which they meet all but the Trait requirements
- No Power Points (for some magic) - as per pg 95 of SWD
- Glory - as per page 99 of the Hellfrost Player Guide (more the Renown system from Fantasycraft
- Heroic Duo (parties of 2) - Common Bond Edge (free), Heroic Healing (free healing roll (unmodified) after combat)
- Lone Wolf (solo player) - +1 Benny Pool, Gang-up Bonus halved (down), Really Heroic Healing (as Heroic Healing, but 1 on a fail, 2 success, and 3 with a raise)
- Extreme Actions - when incapacitated, dead, or dying: Avenge me!; Last Breath; The Curse of the Dying Man
- Extra Effort - once per round, as a free action, declare Extra Effort to gain one of the following benefits: gain a +1 bonus to an action; ignore one level of MAP; retry an action that requires it; gain a +1 step to STR, SPD, or a Power's effect; Gain a single use Alternate Effect; make an immediate and additional resistance against an on-going effect. On the following round (or after the action is resolved) gain a fatigue level
- Shake-it-off - a Benny may be used to buy off fatigue levels 1:1 as well as the Shaken condition
- Tough Wild Cards - all wound penalties are shifted down one (so 0/-1/-2) and all Wild Cards are treated as having Hard-to-Kill
- Tragic Heroes - all PCs spend an additional 6 points
Powers
Spellcasters who suffer backlash are not limited by rank requirements of spells, however, for each rank they are short, add one to the base number to suffer a backlash on the arcane die.
Trappings
An arcane caster receives a number of trappings (each a version of a given spell or a small cantrip) equal to Arcana/2 + Spellcasting Skill/2 + # known Powers. Additional versions of spells can be bought, created, or found.
New & Modified Powers
- Cantrips - (1 PP per application, Duration (if applicable): 1PP/(round/minute)). Simple spells bought as trappings. Examples:
- Arcane Mark: Inscribes a personal rune on an object or creature (visible or invisible).
- Awaken: Wake up target as if slapped.
- Bleed: Cause a stabilized creature to resume dying.
- Blossom: Lets flowers blossom.
- Detect Magic: Detects spells and magic items within 60 ft.
- Detect Poison: Detects poison in one creature or small object.
- Divining Rod: Find water.
- Ignite: Start a fire when materials are there.
- Know Direction: You discern north.
- Light: Object shines like a torch.
- Mage Hand: 5-pound telekinesis.
- Mage Hand: 5-pound telekinesis.
- Mending: Makes minor repairs on an object.
- Message: Whisper conversation at distance.
- Open/Close: Opens or closes small or light things.
- Prestidigitation: Performs minor tricks.
- Purify Food and Drink: Purifies 1 cu. ft./level of food or water.
- Putrefy Food and Drink: Spoils food and drink.
- Stabilize: Cause a dying creature to stabilize.
- Damage Field - Works as per Supers Companion (2d6 damage to all targets adjacent at the end of your move). Reduced cost: 3/2.
- Quickness - Reduces MAP by 2. Does not give two full actions. Reduced cost 3/2.
Game Mastering
Character Types
Standard Characters:
- Mook - any hit/Shake Incapacitates (no dmg roll)
- Minion - standard rules
- Henchman - three wounds
Special Characters
- Expert - wild die, no bennies, 1 wound
- Lieutenant - wild die, no bennies, 3 wounds
- Wild Card - standard rules