"You ready to become Count Drindall's newest supply of cannon fodder? -- Oh, don't look so startled, I'm kidding. The count takes great care of his retainers."
"I suppose I should introduce myself. The name's Finn Winters. I'm Count Drindall's right hand man. It's my job to talk to all the hopeful new recruits like yourself. You any good at fighting? Alchemy? Just really handy with a pitchfork? Good. If you can fight, the Count has room for you. He's trying to pick up as many warriors as he can before they all get drafted to fight the Mitan Empire.
"I can't say the job is easy, but it pays well. You get lodging and full access to the castle armoury, and in return you complete any assignment the Chief may give you. Fighting criminals, treasure hunting, collecting rent, it's all fair game.
"Sound good? Great. Just sign these papers and meet me here tomorrow. I'll be escorting you and the other new recruits to Castle Drindall."
Drostan
World Map
Region Map
The age of swords and shields, of knights and dragons isn't over quite yet. Guns are uncommon, and not the best weapon around. Instead, those seeking glory and loot will train themselves in the art of combat, and seek to buy the best quality Kismet they can, hoping for a place with one of the wealthy nobles always in need of more retainers.
The kingdom of Drostan lies to the south of the Dank Mountains, guarding the only pass to the Plains of Elkore. Trade through the pass has not only made Drostan wealthy, but also made it a target for the Mitan Empire lying to the south.
It would take approximately 3 days to traverse the length of the Kingdom by taking the main highway. If you are a government official and have access to the military transport portals, you could travel instantaneously to your destination, saving time and lowering the chance that you'll meet a group of highwaymen.
Kismet
If you are seeking power in exchange for little risk, look no further then the alchemists. They can give you Kismet, special abilities beyond an ordinary person's dreams. Each kismet is specially crafted with it's user in mind by men who have studied the science for years. Kismet are amazing abilities, but you must keep in mind that once you have bought one, you will never be rid of it as long as you live.
Kismets are special abilities that cost no pool points to use. However, for every Kismet you have, you gain another crit fail on your dice rolls. For example, Thomas the Wandering Swordsman has a kismet that allows him to shoot fire blasts. Every time he rolls for any action, if he rolls a 1, it's a regular critical fail. If he rolls a 2, it counts as a crit fail for his Kismet, and it will malfunction. Now, say Thomas gets another kismet that lets him teleport. If he rolls a 2 his Fireblasts will malfunction, and if he rolls a 3 his Teleportation will act out. This applies to any action requiring a dice roll, not just one where he was using his kismet.
Shop
Drostan has a currency made up of Copper, Silver, and Gold coins, each worth 100 of the last. Even though the Count supplies your basic needs, there are some things you may want to invest extra in to get high quality items. This is a list of common items and the usual price. Armour can usually be bought for the same price as weapons in the matching category.
Character Creation
All of Count Drindall's retainers are equipped with: A water canteen, a cloak (1 asset to stealth in wilderness settings), a uniform, a 50ft coil of rope, a pistol (6d, heavy weapon, 200ft range, takes one turn to reload, one-handed)
Follow the regular creation rules listed in the Subcypher Ruleset In addition, each player may choose one Kismet, or receive 6 extra XP.
A Kismet costs 6 XP. If you want a Kismet that is free to use without any extra crit fails, you can fork out an extra 12 XP to have it stabilized.
When deciding on a Kismet, try to stick to a single ability that can be described in a single sentence or short paragraph. And note that the more powerful and versatile your ability is, the more horribly wrong it can fail, and the failure route is entirely in the hands of the merciless GM. Ultimately, the GM has final say on if an ability is appropriate, and will help you balance and translate it into gameplay terms.
Since you’ll be playing common mercenaries rather than epic heroes, your characters will find things that are monstrous, terrible, and unsettling. Fear defense will be a core mechanic. A fear check is an intellect-based defense roll, augmented by the Discipline skill. If a fear check is failed, your next action must be to flee, take cover, or a similar defensive move approved by the GM. If your failure is critical, your character will panic and their next action will be controlled by the GM.
The wealthy kingdom of Drostan is home to many intelligent, landholding creatures other than humans. If you would like to spend some XP on becoming a minotaur or a troll, talk to me in #gowers and we'll see what we can figure out.
Character Template
Name:
Skills:
Might Pool (0) Edge (0):
Speed Pool (0) Edge (0) :
Intellect Pool (0) Edge (0) :
Recovery Rolls (1d6 1): 1A ( ) 10M ( ) 1H ( ) 10H ( )
Effort Cap: 1
Experience: 0
Kismet:
Equipment:
Stash:
Bio:
Post your character in the Character Sheets thread, and remember to update your character sheet after each session. You don't want to lose track of your equipment and XP.