Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay, 4th Edition by Mors Rattus

So, this book doesn't have the greatest organizational setup

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay, 4th Edition

So, this book doesn't have the greatest organizational setup. It starts out with a brief introduction and pictorial tour of the Empire, which runs like 15 pages of giant, good-ass pictures. Then we get a cursive-font letter to a minor noble exiled to the Border Princedom by his father, informing him that the exile is lifted and his father is dying and wants to meet him, with the letter's writer, a Gray Wizard using the pseudonym Magister Alanna Grumman, as his bodyguard and teacher, because the noble knows literally nothing and was exiled for being an idiot and studied southern stuff under a Tilean, but knows shit-all about the Empire. So she gives a brief overview of the setting, which will get much more detail later in the book. Pretty much none is new to us, and the spattering of blood on the final page suggests she never made it. (It does however include the fun note that, as the son and heir of a lord of the Reikland, the letter's recipient cannot be tried in a normal court, and indeed only by his father or the High Lord Steward of the Reikland. So that's...nice. Also, I should note, the art is extremely good and has a lot of diversity and utterly ridiculous outfits.

We are then dumped straight into character creation. This is a seven-step process. In any section where you can do some random rolling or make the choice yourself, taking randomness will earn you a small dollop of extra XP. By the end, even if you go full random, you will have enough XP to maybe get a single Talent, Stat advance or raise a few Skills by a point or two, so it's not a huge deal. First up: Species.

The playable species this time around are Human, Halfling, Dwarf, High Elf and Wood Elf, with both elves having only a 1% chance each, compared to 4% for Halfling or Dwarf and 90% for Human. If you roll randomly, you get 20 XP. I'll make an example character. I roll...23.

Human
XP: 20

We are then treated to one-page profiles on each species. All Humans are assumed to be Reiklanders for the core. Humans are the most widespread and numerous of the civilized species in the Old World, thriving everywhere on the continent, from Estalia to Kislev. At the heart of the empire is the Reikland, the richest and most cosmopolitan of all the Imperial regions. Reiklanders tend to see it as their divine right to rule over the Empire (in a larger sense, anyway, with the Reikland dominating Imperial politics), because Sigmar was himself a Reiklander before he became a god. Temples and shrines to Sigmar are ubiquitous, and most Reiklanders are devout believers in Sigmar and his message of unity and empire. They tend to be more friendly, open and optimistic than other humans, because hey, when your homeland is the birthplace of a god, surely the god looks out for you, right? They are often seen by others as arrogant, meddlesome and overbearing, with a tendency to shove themselves into anything, whether their help is wanted or not. While they tend to be somewhat more affluent and pushy than other Humans, they are otherwise pretty similar. They, like Humans in general, have had more fall to the corruption of the Ruinous Powers than any other species, which may be why the elder species tend to be somewhat concerned over the meteoric rise of Humanity.


Dwarfs, or Dawi, as they know themselves, are gruff, stubborn and mostly live in mountain fortresses, called Holds. However, most large towns in the Reikland (and certainly Altdorf) have Dwarf populations. They tend to band together, forming Dwarf districts or neighborhoods wherever they end up. Many Reikland Dwarfs are descended from those driven out of fallen Holds centuries ago, and tend to still consider themselves Dwarves of the Gray Mountains, even if they've never so much as seen a mountain. Dwarf culture deeply respects craft and artifice, especially stonework, smithing and engineering. They love gold and jewels, seeking them out deep within the earth, but even beyond these material things they venerate their elders and their ancestors, with entire religions built around important ancestors. Dwarfs cannot perform magic, but their runesmiths can carve artifacts with mystic runes to harness it. Some of their more ingenious clockwork or steam-driven machines may be mistaken for magic by simple folk, however. Dwarfs are a squat species, with thick and muscular limbs and broad torsos. They tend to have heavy features and thick hair, with hair length being a mark of pride and status. Elaborate braids are common, as are adornments showing rank. A dwarf that is shaved suffers terrible shame. Dwarves have long memories, and their pride makes them bear grudges against those who shame or dishonor or insult them - grudges that are said to last beyond death, kept alive by the ancestors. Once a dwarf declares you a friend - no easy feat, that - it is an absolute bond, as much as their grudges are. While the Dwarves do not live so long as the reputedly immortal Elves, they can live for several centuries, and it is said by some that if a Dwarf has a purpose, they will not die unless struck down in battle, simply on the strength of their convictions. A sidebar notes that many Dwarfs have the Animosity (Elves) Talent, and that if a PC has that in a mixed party the GM should probably rule that it doesn't apply between party members, to avoid unhelpful tensions.


Next time: Halflings and both flavors of Elf.

Athel Loren Elves Are Playable, Really

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay, 4th Edition - Athel Loren Elves Are Playable, Really

Halflings are easily found across Reikland, working in service industries and having an entire district in Altdrof, Haffenstadt, which contains hundreds of Halfling families packed tight in their homes, supporting a massive network of restaurants, taverns, pipeweed dealers and food stalls. They're frequently seen in Reikland villages, often employed on farms or inns. They are highly communal, usually preferring to live in close-knit family groups and shared homes - even shared beds - with dozens of friends and relatives. Halflings are extremely communal by nature, sharing all property among their families and each member contributing what they can, which leaves them with some issues understanding the concepts of private space and private ownership. They are notoriously interested in bloodlines and lineage, and many clans can trace their ancestry back centuries to the founding of the Mootland, their self-governed Imperial province. The Elder of the Moot, at the moment Hisme Stoutheart, is guardian of the Haffenlyver, an ancient and heavily embroidered scroll that details the prime bloodlines of the clans - the greatest treasure the Halflings have, according to rumor. Halflings are often found with Ogres, who tend to respect them for some reason despite the Ogrish appetite and tendency to eat anything they have nearby. Ogre labor gangs are usually run by Halfling gaffers, and Ogre mercenary groups usually have a Halfling chef. Halflings, physically, tend to be short, rosy-cheeked and beardless - indeed, they resemble Human children quite a bit, which is only reinforced by their cheerful and sunny demeanors. They are well known for their massive appetites (for food, yes, but really anything at all) and their complete lack of concern for personal space, social boundaries and, some say, property rights, which tends to get them in trouble for theft.


High Elves are...relatively common, anyway, on the rivers of Reikland. Altdorf and Nuln both have notable districts for High Elf merchants who ship goods through Marienburg to the sea. They are the most commonly seen High Elves in Reikland, along with diplomats and their entourage and support stuff. They hold themselves aloof, and most humans find the long-lived Elves alien. Most in Reikland believe them to be the most beautiful species and the most arrogant, and they are a deeply passionate, emotional people. They are tall, slender creatures with delicate and pointed ears. Most also have long hair and melodious voices, and while they look frail, they can be shockingly strong, agile and dextrous. There are very few gender differences between Elves, which often confuses Humans that meet them. The High Elves name themselves Asur and come from Ulthuan, a magical island in the western sea. They are a proud species that boasts of being among the oldest civilizations, and tend to have a lot of disdain for Dwarfs due to their history of conflict. Since abandoning the Old World after the War of the Beard, the Asur have suffered from 'kinstrife,' as they refer to their civil war, though they do not discuss it openly with any outsiders. It has been going on for a thousand years, and it means that elves from northern Ulthuan tend to be much more hardened and practical - and ruthless - than their southern cousins. High Elf society is built on ritual and discipline in an effort to keep their raging emotions in check and focus their minds. However, despite this, they revel in adventure, and the name 'Sea Elf' is often used for those Asur who spend their time off Ulthuan's shores for any reason but fighting, often being much more cheerful than the grim Asur warriors that come with them. (And seriously, Elves and their emotions are nutty. Elves have no middle ground - they feel every emotion as strongly as possible, which is kind of the core of why they're so fucked up.)


Wood Elves are quite rare in Reikland. In the ending stages of the War of the Beard, most Elves fled the Old World, but some remained, withdrawing to the depths of magical forests that they still live in. Three thousand years of isolation, hardship and war followed, and these Elves, the Wood Elves, became very, very different than the High Elves they once were. Their life is focused on nature, and their society mixes easily with the forest spirits. They are isolationist separatists who hide their homelansd with powerful illusions and other magics. On the rare times they leave their homes, it is generally for war - and as often with the other civilized peoples as dark forces, which tends to make most Old Worlders see them as capricious and dangerous fae beings. There are two main communities seen in Reikland and the rest of the Empire - the Asrai of Athel Loren (in Bretonnia) and the Eonir of Laurelon Forest (in Nordland). The Asrai are ruthless xenophobes, secretive Elves that rarely leave their woods. However, one decade ago, their prophetess Naith foresaw the possible destruction of the forest of Athel Loren, and the King and Queen of the Wood sent forth tattooed kinbands of Wood Elves to hunt down the enemies of the wood in order to prevent this. They are sometimes led by spellspingers, who call on the mystic paths of the Worldroot to transport themselves to distant forests, primeval lands not yet consumed by men or Chaos. Sometimes, other members of the kinbands will find common cause with other Old Worlders and work with them for a time against a greater evil. The Queen of Laurelorn, on the other hand, has set the Eonir on a different path, and most recently sent a large delegation to make camp in the forests of the Amber Hills south of Altdorf. They are there to observe Human politics that concern Laurelorn and the other mystic forests, and to intervene if required. The Queen considers this a temporary solution - but the meaning of 'temporary' is very different when you live for upwards of a thousand years. Thus, there is a growing Wood Elf presence in the Reikland, mostly Eonir traveling for their own mysterious purposes and typically surviving as hunters or entertainers when they need support. The Eonir are far more like High Elves in culture than the Asrai, though neither has much use for modern civilization, which they see as a threat to their forests. The Eonir are just more likely to use diplomacy, manipulation and politics to protect Laurelorn, while the Asrai are hillbilly ninjas that like to ambush people and terrify them.


Next time: Class and Career

Careerism

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay, 4th Edition - Careerism

So! Now that races are down, it's time for Class and Career. Class is kind of a broad archetyp, of which there are eight, and each Class has eight Careers within it. Basically, Class is used for a few mechanics but is much less important than Career proper. There are three ways to generate this. First, roll a d100 on your species table to see what your Career is. Humans have access to all of them except Slayer, Dwarfs and Halflings can get most of them, and the High and especially Wood Elves have the least options, though the Elf options are all pretty high-status ones. If you just roll once and take what you get, you get 50 XP. Roll 3 times and take the one you like best, you get 25 XP. Just pick one, no XP.

We roll...28.
Human Advisor
XP: 70

Advisors are a Courtier Career. The eight Classes are:
Academics, who are nerds. They start out low-Status for the most part, but can become quite high Status eventually. These are the Apothecary, Engineer, Lawyer, Nun, Physician, Priest, Scholar and Wizard.
Burghers, who are your general law-abiding people of the Empire, mostly middle class. These are the Agitator, Artisan, Beggar, Investigator, Merchant, Rat Catcher, Townsman and Watchman.
Courtiers are rulers or specialist servants to rulers. They have higher Status than most other careers. They are the Advisor, Artist, Duellist, Envoy, Noble, Servant, Spy and Warden.
Peasants are your rural village people, all low Status though sometimes locally influential. They are the Bailiff, Hedge Witch, Herbalist, Hunter, Miner, Mystic, Scout and Villager.
Rangers are travelers who make a living on the road. Most are low Status but some can raise high. These are the Bounty Hunter, Coachman, Entertainer, Flagellant, Messenger, Pedlar, Road Warden and Witch Hunter.
Riverfolk are those that work the waters and rivers of the land, usually comfortable but lower Status. These are the Boatman, Huffer, Riverwarden, Riverwoman, Seaman, Smuggler, Stevedore and Wrecker.
Rogues are criminals or unsavory sorts. They are low Status but can be quite wealthy. These are the Bawd, Charlatan, Fence, Grave Robber, Outlaw, Thief, Racketeer and Witch.
Warriors are trained fighters of some sort. They range wildly in Status. These are the Cavalryman, Guard, Knight, Pit Fighter, Protagonist, Soldier, Slayer and Warrior Priest.

There's a sidebar saying that it is not at all broken to, say, make a Wood Elf Flagellant - it's just not a career path that Wood Elves usually take for various reasons. If you want to play a race/career combo that is not technically allowed, just talk to your GM and work out a story for it. We get the details on Careers next chapter. Instead, we jump straight to Attributes! These are the same as in 2e. Humans and Halflings are mostly balanced against each other - Humans get 2d10+20 to all stats, Halflingms get +10 to a few and +30 to a few more but also get fewer Wounds because they're small, Dwarfs are slightly above average, with +30 and +40 to a few stats and +10 to only 2, but have shitty Fate, and Elves get +30 or +40 to a lot of stats, but have shitty Fate and Resilience, and will also be fucked in the downtime rules, which are...quite a ways into the book. So they pay a premium for having insanely good stats.

There are three kinds of attribute generation. You can roll 2d10 down the line and add your racial bonus. If so, you get 50 XP. If you rearrange them to stats as you choose, you get 25 XP. If you are unhappy with your rolls at all, you can choose to reroll and swap around or to use point buy - either way, you get no XP. Point boy is simple - you have 100 points to spend, and any stat has a minimum of 4 and max of 18 before you add your racial bonus. We'll go full random all the way here.

Human Advisor
WS 25, BS 34, S 36, T 31, I 24, A 36, D 36, Int 29, WP 31, Fel 26
Wounds: 12
XP: 120

Could be better. Just to cover what the stats are briefly:
Weapon Skill (WS): Skill at hitting in any form of melee combat.
Ballistic Skill (BS): The same but ranged attacks.
Strength (S): Damage in melee, lifting ability, swimming, climbing.
Toughness (T): Physical resistance. Helps survive combat damage, harsh conditions or poison.
Initiative (I): Reaction time. Determines combat order and helps with intuition and perception.
Agility (Ag): Athleticism. Running, riding, hiding, dodging.
Dexterity (Dex): Fine manual tasks, like playing instruments, crafting, sleight of hand and so on.
Intelligence (Int): Analysis and understanding. Helps with healing, evaluating, knowledge and magic.
Willpower (WP): Strength of mind. Helps resist influence, coercion, fear and so on. Also important for magic.
Fellowship (Fel): Charisma and social pleasantness.

Your Characteristic Bonus is often referred to - it's the tens place of any stat. Then you have three other important stats. Wounds, which for most characters is Strength Bonus + (Toughness Bonus*2) + Willpower Bonus. Halflings do not add Strength Bonus, because they all have the Small Talent. Fate is...Fate, like in 2e. Resilience is similar, but instead of resisting death, it prevents mutations, for the most part. Fate gives Fortune points, Resilience gives Resolve points. We'll explain those later. Humans start with a base of Fate 2, Resilience 1. Dwarves and Halflings get Fate 0, Resilieince 2. Elves get 0 and 0. Then each race has 2-3 points to spend raising both values - 3 for Halflings and Humans, 2 for Elves and Dwarves. We'll just set both stats to 3.

Human Advisor
WS 25, BS 34, S 36, T 31, I 24, A 36, D 36, Int 29, WP 31, Fel 26
Wounds: 12, Fate 3, Fortune 3, Resilience 3, Resolve 3, Movement 4
XP: 120

You get starting Fortune equal to your Fate, starting Resolve equal to your Resilience. You als get Movement, determined entirely by your species. Humans are 4, the short species are 3, Elves are 5. From here, you pick a Motivation - a simple word or phrase that sums up the character's basic nature, like 'Thrillseeker' or 'Rebel' or 'Protect the weak.' Doing stuff involving your Motivation helps regain spent Resolve. Having gotten this, you now look ahead to your Career's statbox. Three of its stats will be marked with a symbol but a plain background. You have 5 Advances to spend on these three stats only; each Advance raises the associated stat by 1, and the number of Advances in each stat must be tracked, because it determines the XP costs of later Advances. For ADvisors, these three stats are Toughness, Initiative and Agility.

Human Advisor
WS 25, BS 34, S 36, T 33 (+2A), I 25 (+1A), A 38 (+2A), D 36, Int 29, WP 31, Fel 26
Wounds: 12, Fate 3, Fortune 3, Resilience 3, Resolve 3, Movement 4
XP: 120

Next time: Skills and Talents

Highly Skilled

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay, 4th Edition - Highly Skilled

Skills! You put Advances in Skills; Basic Skills have a base value of their associated stat, while Advanced Skills just can't be rolled until you have at least 1 Advance in them. Your rating in a skill is the associated stat plus any Advances you have in the Skill. Also, everyone is assumed to be fluent in Reikspiel and therefore need not spend any skill points on that. (Likewise, anyone from a foreign land is assumed to fluently speak their native tongue.) You never have to make a roll to speak Reikspiel or your native language, ever. (If your game takes place outside the Empire, replace Reikspiel with the local language.)

First, you assign your species-derived Skills and Talents. For Skills, you select 3 off the species list to have at 5 Advances, and 3 more to have at 3. Then you get all of your species talents; if there is a choice offered, you get one of the Talents in that choice. So, for Reiklander Humans, the skills they can choose from are Animal Care, Charm, Cool, Evaluate, Gossip, Haggle, Language (Bretonnian), Language (Wastelander), Leadership, Lore (Reikland), Melee (Basic) and Ranged (Bow). An easy way to make this fit any Human is to swap out Lore (Reikland) for Lore (Appropriate Area), and then swap the two Languages to two appropriate foreign languages they might know if those two aren't to your liking. The Reiklander talents are Doomed, Savvy or Suave, and 3 randomly rolled Talents off the random talent table.

Dwarfs get access to Consume Alcohol, Cool, Endurance, Entertain (Storytelling), Evaluate, Intimidate, Language (Khazalid), Lore (Dwarfs), Lore (Geology), Lore (Metallurgy), Melee (Basic) and Trade (pick any single trade). Their Talents are Magic Resistance, Night Vision, Read/Write or Relentless, Resolute or Strong-Minded, and Sturdy. (Presumably if you're from a dwarf Hold, you speak Khazalid as your native language and it's there for Reikish Dwarfs. ...or, given the stuff in the other entries, they forgot the rule they institute later in the Language skill description.)
Halflings get access to Charm, Consume Alcohol, Dodge, Gamble, Haggle, Intuition, Language (Mootish), Lore (Reikland), Perception, Sleight of Hand, Stealth, Trade (Cook). I'm surprised they don't get Lore (Moot) as an option; likely an oversight. Their Talents are Acute Sense (Taste), Night Vision, Resistance (Chaos), Small and two randomly rolled Talents.
High Elves get access to Cool, Entertain (Sing), Evaluate, Language (Eltharin), Leadership, MeleE (Basic), Navigation, Perception, Play (any one instrument), Ranged (Bow), Sail and Swim. Their Talents are Acute Sense (Sight), Coolheaded or Savvy, Night Vision, Second Sight or Sixth Sense, and Read/Write.
Wood Elves get access to Athletics, Climb, Endurance, Entertain (Sing), Intimidate, Language (Eltharin), Melee (Basic), Outdoor Survival, Perception, Ranged (Bow), Stealth (Rural) and Track. Their Talents are Acute Sense (Sight), Hardy or Second Sight, Night Vision, Read/Write or Very Resilient and Rover.

So, rolling for our character...
Human Advisor
WS 30, BS 34, S 36, T 38 (+2A), I 25 (+1A), A 38 (+2A), D 36, Int 34, WP 31, Fel 26
Wounds: 15, Fate 3, Fortune 3, Resilience 3, Resolve 3, Movement 4
Skills: Charm 5, Gossip 3, Haggle 3, Leadership 5, Lore (Reikland) 5, Ranged (Bow) 3
Talents: Doomed, Savvy, Warrior Born, Very Resilient, Hardy
XP: 120

From here, we then get 40 Advances to spend on the eight Skills we get access to via our Career, though we can't put more than 10 Advances into any single Skill. (The game notes that this is enough to put every Career Skill at 5 Advances, which is a requirement for completing a Career.) We also get 1 of the 4 Career Talents we have access to.

Human Advisor (Tier 1: Aide)
WS 30, BS 34, S 36, T 38 (+2A), I 25 (+1A), A 38 (+2A), D 36, Int 34, WP 31, Fel 26
Wounds: 15, Fate 3, Fortune 3, Resilience 3, Resolve 3, Movement 4
Skills: Bribery 5, Charm 5, Consume Alcohol 5, Endurance 5, Gossip 8, Haggle 3, Language (Classical) 5, Leadership 5, Lore (Politics) 8, Lore (Reikland) 5, Perception 5, Ranged (Bow) 3
Talents: Doomed, Savvy, Warrior Born, Very Resilient, Hardy, Read/Write
XP: 120

You may be wondering why Lore (Politics) is bolded. That's because it is the Skill rolled by an Advisor when trying to make money during downtime. Next, Trappings! You begin the game with all Trappings of your Class and Career, and cash based on your Career's status. Status is defined by a Tier and a number. The Tiers are Brass, Silver and Gold, and the number generally ranges from 1 to 5. Brass Status gives 2d10 brass pennies per level, Silver Status gives 1d10 silver shillings per level, and Gold status gives 1 gold crown per level. E: Also, you can spend your cash to buy any gear you can afford.

Human Advisor (Tier 1: Aide, Status Silver 2)
WS 30, BS 34, S 36, T 38 (+2A), I 25 (+1A), A 38 (+2A), D 36, Int 34, WP 31, Fel 26
Wounds: 15, Fate 3, Fortune 3, Resilience 3, Resolve 3, Movement 4
Skills: Bribery 5, Charm 5, Consume Alcohol 5, Endurance 5, Gossip 8, Haggle 3, Language (Classical) 5, Leadership 5, Lore (Politics) 8, Lore (Reikland) 5, Perception 5, Ranged (Bow) 3
Talents: Doomed, Savvy, Warrior Born, Very Resilient, Hardy, Read/Write
Trappings: Courtly Garb, Dagger, Pouch (Tweezers, Ear Pick, Comb), Writing Kit, 7 silver shillings
XP: 120

From here we just need a name. Human names are typically real-world ones, with Imperials usually Germanic, Wastelanders usually Dutch or Belgian, and Bretonnians loosely medieval French. (Tileans are Spanish and Estalians are Italian, or possibly the other way around.) Human surnames are typically German and based on your occupation, or that of a parent or grandparent, though a notable hysical trait might be a surname...which can then confuse the rather literal-minded Dwarfs, who may not understand why a short person uses the name Lang, 'tall'. (The reason is because Grandpa was the tall one.)

Dwarf names are a forename, surname and clan name. Forenames are usually short and sturdy, and tend to be Norse or just kind of weird fantasy gutteral, like Dimzad or Hudrun or SNorri, or may be Khazalid words, like Baragaz ('cannon mouth') or Durak ('hard'). So basically make up whatever you want. Surnames are usually based on who raised you, and will be their name plus a suffix - -sdottir, -snev, -sniz, or -sson, which respectively are 'daughter of', 'nephew of', 'niece of' and 'son of.' As Dwarfs age, they may change their surname in practice to a nickname given to them by consensus of their clan or friends. It is considered dishonorable to grant a nickname that is not representative of the dwarf. While the nickname may be in Khazalid, most Dwarfs translate them to Reikspiel so humans can understand them. Stuff like 'Axebringer' or 'Ironbraid' or whatever. Dwarf clan names are all Khazalid, and every Dwarf has one unless they have abandoned Dwarf tradition entirely...which some do. Clan Name is rarely used outside Dwarf society. Reikland clans tend to have softer-sounding names than Grey Mountain clans, but they're all Khazalid and usually based on a founding ancestor's nickname.

Elves never admit to having surnames - just a forename and an epithet used with foreigners, which is considered the much preferable method, as otherwise they have to explain how elf Kindreds, Kinbands and Houses work and who has the time to do that for mere Humans? Forenames are in Eltharin, and generally incomprehensible to outsiders, as the language typically relies on much more than syllables to convey meaning. Therefore, the game has provided an Elf Name Generator table, to come up with two components of the name, and a third ending component that varies between High and Wood Elf dialects. High Elf epithets are usually based on character traits or physical appearance, such as Emberfell, Fireborn, Goldenhair or Spellsign, while Wood Elf epithets typically reference nature, such as Fleetriver, Shadowstalker, Treeshaper or Windrunner. Names off the table include Dordiafin (High Elf), Morsordda (Wood Elf), and my favorite, Mormarmor (High Elf).

Halfling names are a given name and a clan name, and sometimes a middle name to help avoid confusion among families. Forenames are typically huge and grand, but rarely used outside of official documents. Instead, they usually prefer a dimunitve nickname - though such a name may be entirely unrelated to their formal name at times, and based instead on looks or achievements. Halflings are very proud of their achievements, and some elders will answer only to Gaffer or Guv or Nan rather than their actual names. Many Human names have become 'traditional' Halfling names if they were considered to sound grand enough, like Maximilian or Hieronymous. Halfling clan names are almost exclusively based on food, drink, geographical features or personal characteristics of ancestors. Halflings that share a surname are invariably related, and usually know exactly how. Humans, who have a tendency to share surnames while being unrelated, often confuses Halflings, who may assume that one Schmidt is related to all other Schmidts.

We also get charts to roll on for age, hair color, eye color and height.

Next time: Ambitions

Boys, Be Ambitious

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

WFRP 4e - Boys, Be Ambitious

So, having made a character, we have only a few steps left. First, we need to choose a Short-Term Ambition and a Long-Term Ambition. You can swap these between sessions. Short-Term Ambitions are immediate goals, things you expect to achieve within the next few weeks or so, maybe sooner. They typically take 2-3 sessions to complete. This is stuff like ruining a rival's reputation, avenging a fallen friend or befriending a specific person. Long-Term Ambitions may take months or years to finish, and may never be achieved at all, but motivate you to keep going and working. Stuff like 'own your own inn' or 'build your village into a town' or 'purge the Colleges of Elven influence.' Ambitions may, optionally, be kept secret from other PCs.

When you achieve a short term Ambition, you get 50 XP and pick a new one at the end of the session. If you achieve a long term Ambition, you choose - either get 500 XP and pick a new one, or retire your PC to an NPC, with half their XP going to your next character. Not a fan of the second one, personally. I would also give the XP bonus to the entire party, maintain parity, because while 50-100 XP isn't much, 500 XP is - and even the small 50 XP boosts add up after a while. So let everyone have parity after chargen. (I am totally unconcerned with the chargen XP bonus because it is negligible and one-off.)

Besides your personal Ambitions, the party also gets Ambitions. Short-Term Party Ambitions are similar in scope to personal ones but are group goals. Outwit a rival group and steal a job from them, hunt down the killer of a party ally, impress the party's patron with success at a mission. Long-Term Party Ambitions are the same as personal ones, but for the group. Eradicate a specific Empire-wide Chaos cult, build a castle, have the party earn the Imperial Cross for bravery. Whenever the party's short-term Ambition is met, everyone gets 50 XP. Whenever the party's long-term ambition is met, each PC gets to choose between 500 XP or the retirement option and making a new character at half XP. I seriously have no idea why the game thinks half XP is a good idea - character tiers are still pretty stark in their benefits and power.

The game then provides a series of ten questions to help you get an idea of what your character is like.
1. Where are you from?
2. What is your family like?
3. What was your childhood like?
4. Why did you leave home?
5. Who are your best friends?
6. What is your greatest desire?
7. What are your best and worst memories?
8. What are your religious beliefs?
9. To whom, or what, are you loyal?
10. Why are you adventuring?
Optionally, based on your answers, the GM may allow you to take Psychology traits like Love, Camaraderie, Hatred, Animosity or Fear towards specific people or families based on your background.

From here, you get to spend XP! During chargen, XP can only be spent on your career's three noted stats, 8 skills and 4 talents. There's a chart that shows how much XP an Advance costs, but in chargen you will not have more than, at maximum, 10 in anything. So: 0-5 Advances in a stat means each Advance you buy costs 25, and for skills, 10. 6-10 Advances already in the stat or skill means it costs 30 XP per stat or 15 per skill. 11-15 Advances already in means 40 per stat, 20 per skill. This keeps going at increasing costs, which really only start to get notable around 26-30 Advances for stats (90 XP per Advance then!) or 36-40 Advances for skills (110 XP oer). Talents cost 100 XP, plus 100 XP per time you've already purchased that specific Talent. There are reasons to repurchase Talents, though, and going hard on one that's in your specialty can be pretty terrifying. If this weren't chargen, leaving a Career that is completed would cost 100 XP, and leaving an incomplete Career would cost 200 XP.

And that's chargen! Took a while, but we're done and moving into the Classes and Careers chapter. The only real notable mechanics of Class are that you get different starting Trappings from your Class, and each Class has access to different unique downtime activities, called Endeavors. We'll get to those eventually. Each Career has four tiers of increasing power. At each tier, you also unlock a new stat that you are able to spend Advances on while you're in the Career, and new Skilsl you can spend Advances on while you're in the Career. You can buy Advances in stuff that your Career doesn't have access to, but it costs double and the GM may require you to find a teacher. You can't purchase out-of-career Talents normally but there are downtime activities that can get around that.

To complete and master a career, you need to meet some requirements. For a tier 1 career, you need 5 Advances in all of your Career's available stats and eight of its skills, plus at least 1 Talent from that tier. (Note: when you advance in tier, you lose access to being able to learn the previous tier's talents.) At tier 2, you need 10 Advances in those instead, 15 at tier 3, and 20 at tier 4. You don't ever need to advance in tier, however, and can choose not to. It costs 100 XP to go up a tier once a Career has been completed, or 200 XP if you haven't completed the Career. You are not required to gain the new tier's trappings - rather, you're going to pick those up during downtime when you advance because now you have a new job. The GM may allow you to skip tiers based on in-game events.

If you want to change Careers entirely, you can spend 100 XP to move into the first tier of any career of your Class if you've completed your career, or 200 XP if you haven't. A different Class's Career costs an extra 100. If the GM allows it, you can instead enter the Career at the same tier as the one you are leaving, as long as you've completed the one you're leaving. (There are limitations - you can't easily jump into Wizard at upper levels because the lower-tier Talents are actually required to make the class work.) It is also possible to change careers during downtime via endeavors; well get to those rules eventually.

Each tier has a different Status, and you can modify Status with some Talents. The GM may also give Status bonuses or penalties based on in-game events. Status matters for more than just money. You get a +10 bonus to Charm tests against those of a lower Status tier, and -10 penalty against those of a higher Status tier. (With the exception of begging, which reverses the penalty.) Intimidate also gets a +10 bonus against lower Status tiers, but no penalty against higher ones. Gossip gets a -10 penalty when dealing with any difference in Status tiers. Leadership gets a +10 bonus per Status tier you are above the target. There's a sidebar the GM can roll on to see if a specific NPC cares about status, with 20% chance of not caring, a 20% chance of getting double bonuses and penalties, and a 60% chance of normal rules interaction.

To maintain your Status you do have to keep up a minimum standard of living, but the rules for that are in the equipment chapter. If you don't keep up your Status, you begin to lose it over time, first having your number go down (so from Silver 3 to Silver 2, say) and, when that hits 0, dropping to the next lowest tier at 5 and so on. You cannot go below Brass 0. Status is used to earn money, primarily. Any time you have a week to spare and are in an area where you can sell your services or otherwise do your job, you can make a test at +20 with your career's earning skill to get cash similar to your starting cash.

Next time: Careers

Scholarly Pursuits

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

WFRP 4e - Scholarly Pursuits

First up, the Academic Careers! Apothecary can be taken by any species except Wood Elves. They are chemists, pharmacists and medicine-sellers. Some are drug dealers of various kinds, while others work in more legal pursuits. Either way, rare ingredients are expensive, so Apothecaries are often short on cash and supplies and must often head out to the wilderness to gather ingredients if they want them cheap. Many take on temporary jobs on expeditions, working with mercenary bands or even joining the military as a medic for some extra coin. The Physician's Guild has caused most towns to outlaw Apothecaries from practice of medicine directly, but they can be quite skilled healers and are very good at identifying strange and unusual substances. It is overall a crafting- and academics-oriented healer that can end up quite helpful to everyone else by producing poisons and drugs.


Tier 1 Apothecaries are Apothercary's Apprentices, Brass 3 . They're good at T, Dex and Int, and get Consume Alcohol, Heal, Language (Classical), Lore (Chemistry), Lore (Medicine), Lore (Plants), Trade (Apothecary) and Trade (Poisoner). Their available Talents are Concoct, Craftsman (Apothecary), Etiquette (Scholar) and Read/Write. Concoct gives you a free downtime activity for potion crafting without need for a workshop and gives you a bonus to Lore (Apothecary) tests. I think it may mean Trade, not Lore, but hey. Craftsman gives a bonus to the specified Trade skill and adds it to the last of Career Skills for any Career you're in. If it already was part of that Career, you get a 5 XP discount to buying Advances for it. Etiquette gives a bonus to Charm and Gossip with the specified social group and makes it so you never seem out of place with them. Read/Write is literacy.
Tier 2 is Apothecary, Silver 1, and adds Haggle, Lore (Science), Gossip, Language (Guilder) and Perception, plus Fel to stats. Its talents are Criminal, Dealmaker, Etiquette (Guilder) and Pharmacist. Criminal lets you earn extra money but makes anyone without it consider you to be lower Status than them. Dealmaker gives a bonus to Haggle and gives a 10% bonus to price (always in your favor) when buying or selling products. Pharmacist gives a bonus to Trade (Apothecary) and lets you reverse any failed Trade (Apothecary) test if that'd make it succeed. (Reversing is flipping the ones and tens place.)
Tier 3 is Master Apothecary, Silver 3, and adds Intuition, Leadership, Research and Secret Signs (Guilder), and I to stats. The Talents are Bookish, Master Tradesman (Apothecary), Resistance (Poison) and Savvy. Bookish gives a bonus to Research and lets you reverse any failed Research test if that'd make it succeed. Master Tradesman gives a bonus to extended Trade tests for the associated Trade, and reduces the SL required for those tests. (SLs are Success Levels. We'll get to how that works.) Resistance gives a bonus to all tests to resist whatever it gives resistance to, and makes you automatically succeed on the first such test each session. Savvy is +5 base Int.
Tier 4 is Apothecary-General, Gold 1, and adds Intimidate and Ride (Horse), and WP to stats. Its Talents are Acute Sense (Taste), Coolheaded, Master Tradesman (Poisoner) and Savant (Apothecary). Acute Sense gives a bonus to Perception tests with the relevant sense and lets you detect stuff with that sense that would normally be imperceptible, like telling the difference between two kegs of ale by the same brewer or hearing a mouse breathing inside a wall. Coolheaded is +5 base WP. Savant gives a bonus to the associated Lore - so in this case it should probably be Medicine or Chemistry, not Apothecary - and lets you automatically know one fact per purchase about any relevant thing without having to make any rolls.

Engineer can be taken by Dwarfs, Halflings and Humans. They build machines and devices, and most are well-educated. Dwarfs study at the Dwarf Engineers Guild, while Humans and Halflings are either self-taught or learn at the Imperial Engineers' School in Altdorf. Dwarfs tend to be much more hidebound, traditional and reliable than the more innovative Humans and Halflings. Engineers are well-paid either in mining or the army as siege engineers and sappers, and masters are often found leading construction projects or even testing experimental Imperial public works or weapons. Some Engineers go traveling to investigate ancient and often abandoned Holds in search of lost Dwarf devices and secrets, many of them stolen and misused by Goblins or Skaven. Others are fascinated by the stone sky bridges made by the ancient Dwarfs, sometimes stretching for miles without coming down. This is a crafting class that also gets some excellent gun skills, making them able to hold their own in combat if allowed to hang back.


Tier 1 Engineers are Student Engineers, Brass 4. They're good at BS, Dex and Int, and get Consume Alcohol, Cool, Endurance, Language (Classical), Lore (Engineer), Perception, Ranged (Blackpowder) and Trade (Engineer). Their Talents are Artistic, Gunner, Read/Write and Tinker. Artistic gives a bonus to Trade (Artist), adds it to all Careers you enter (or gives it a discount if you already have access to it) and lets you produce precise and accurate sketches as long as you have time and paper. Gunner lets you reload Blackpowder weapons faster. Tinker gives a bonus to Trade tests to fix broken goods, and lets you count any non-magical Trade skill as Basic when making repairs, so you can fix anything even if you lack the skill for it.
Tier 2 is Engineer, Silver 2. They add Drive, Dodge, Navigation, Ranged (Engineering), Research and Language (Guilder), plus I as a stat. Their Talents are Craftsman (Engineer), Etiquette (Guilder), Marksman and Orientation. Marksman is +5 base BS, and Orientation gives a bonus to Navigation tests and you always know where north is.
Tier 3 is Master Engineer, Silver 3. They add Language (Khazalid), Leadership, Ride (Horse) and Secret Signs (Guilder), plus T as a stat. Their Talents are Etiquette (Scholar), Master Tradesman (Engineer), Sniper and Super Numerate. Sniper gives a bonus to Ranged tests at Long to Extreme range, and reduces the penalties for Long or Extreme range. Super Numerate gives a bonus to Evaluate and Gamble tests, and allows you to perform calculations in your head equivalent to a simple calculator at all times.
Tier 4 is Chartered Engineer, Gold 2. They add Language (Any) and Lore (Any), plus WP as a stat. Their Talents are Magnum Opus, Rapid Reload, Savant (Engineering) and Unshakeable. Magnum Opus gives you a single unique and unrivalled work in your field per purchase which is very impressive, gives bonuses to tests based on the GM's whim, and sells for at least ten times the normal value of such an item. Rapid Reload reduces reload speed for all ranged weapons. Unshakeable gives a bonus to Cool tests to resist Blackpowder-induced panic, and you only need to make them if wounded by such a weapon, not just if shot at.

Lawyer can be taken by anyone but Wood Elves. They give advice, interpret law and argue in court. They're often specialists in an area, and most are wealthy, connected and educated by birth, though some rise from poor beginnings. The lawyers of the Cults of Verena and Sigmar are especially respected. Lawyers also often work as mediators and settle informal disputes cheaper than the courts do, a practice commonly used by Halflings. Others work for criminals to keep them safe from the law. At the upper end, those given the rank of Barrister are the only ones allowed in the higher courts of appeal and are extremely expensive. Lawyers are often beloved by adventurers for their knack for getting the team out of trouble, using obscure laws and loopholes to avoid or solve issues, and tying up civilized foes in legal red tape - often more difficult to deal with than, say, rope. They are almost entirely a social and knowledge-based career, but Blather is handy in combat.


Tier 1 Lawyers are Student Lawyers, Brass 4. They're good at I, Dex and Int, and get Consume Alcohol, Endurance, Haggle, Language (Classical), Lore (Law), Lore (Theology), Perception and Research. Their Talents are Blather, Etiquette (Scholar), Read/Write and Speedreader. Blather gives bonuses to Charm tests to Blather. Basically you talk very quickly about nonsense and inconsequence, rolling against the target's Int. Success causes the Stunned condition as they stare at you dumbfounded and try to figure out what you said, though their condition ends early if you stop talking. You can usually only use it once per scene per target, though. Speedreader gives bonuses to Research and Language tests involving reading, and lets you reverse failed Research tests if this would make you succeed. Also it lets you read real fast in combat if, for some reason, this is ever relevant. (The book admits it probably won't be.)
Tier 2 is Lawyer, Silver 3. They add Bribery, Charm, Gossip, Intuition, Language (Guilder) and Secret Signs (Guilder), plus Fel as a stat. Their Talents are Argumentative, Criminal, Etiquette (Guilder) and Suave. Argumentative gives a bonus to Charm when arguing or debating, and allows you to, when rolling Charm to debate, choose either to use the SL you rolled or treat your 1s place digit as your SL, whichever is better. (SL rules come in like...two chapters?) Suave is +5 base Fel.
Tier 3 is Barrister, Gold 1. They add Art (Writing), Entertain (Speeches), Intimidate and Lore (Any), plus WP is a stat. Their Talents are Bookish, Cat-tongued, Impassioned Zeal and Savvy. Cat-tongued gives a bonus to Charm when lying, and listeners don't get to oppose your Charm with Intuition to tell if you're being dishonest. Impassioned Zeal gives a bonus to Charm when speaking about your cause, and doubles your Fel for purpose of telling how many people you can influence via public speaking when talking about your cause. (Your cause can be anything you truly believe in and hold dear.)
Tier 4 is Judge, Gold 2. They add Cool and...Lore (Any) again? Whoops. Also, T as a stat. Their Talents are Commanding Presence, Kingpin, Savant (Law) and Wealthy. (Also their trappings include an ostentatious wig.) Commanding Presence gives a bonus to Leadership tests and those of lower Status than you cannot resist your Leadership rolls with their WP as long as they are not in fact your direct enemies. Kingpin lets you ignore the normal Status loss of the Criminal talent. Wealthy gives you +1 gold crown per purchase when you calculate earnings during downtime.

Next time: Nuns, Physicians, Priests

Religious Workers

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

WFRP 4e - Religious Workers

Nun is Human-only; no other species does religion the same way. Nuns (and Monks, this class can do them, too - they just randomly assigned gender to any class that'd have a gendered name) are members of religious orders and typically live cloistered away. Most get up quite early, pray, toil in the fields, tend the sick and work on preserving manuscripts and so on. However, some take vows of pilgrimage or oaths to serve communities and move amonst the people to tend to their needs. This career also covers holy hermits and guardians of shrines. Many Nuns learn valuable trades like brewing or calligraphy, and Abbesses use these trades to attract donations and patronage. Leaders of particularly large or martial orders can become quite influential in their cult and the ruling classes, too. Nuns are often sent out to discover or destroy secrets the religious orders are interested in, or to deal with prophecies, or to make pilgrimages...and then there's all the itinerant religous folks who just wander the world. This is mostly a social class, though they get access to blessings and invocations so they can do holy magic, and they're reasonably good at knowledge and medicine, too. They aren't great fighters but do at least get Melee as a skill eventually.


Tier 1 Nuns are Novitiates, Brass 1, and are good at Dex, Int and Fel. They get Art (Calligraphy), Cool, Endurance, Entertain (Storyteller), Gossip, Heal, Lore (Theology) and Pray. Their Talents are Bless (Any), Stone Soup, Panhandle and Read/Write. Bless is simple - pick your god. You can use their Blessings. More on those in the Magic chapter. Stone Soup gives a bonus to Endurance tests to resist hunger, and lets you survive on half the normal food a person needs without penalty. Also you only need to test for starvation every 3 days, not 2, if you're starving. Panhandle gives a bonus to Charm tests for begging, and lets you make said tests every half hour rather than every hour.
Tier 2 is Nun, Brass 4. They add Charm, Melee (Any), Research, Trade (Brewer), Trade (Herbalist) and Trade (Vintner), plus WP as a stat. Their Talents are Etiquette (Cultists), Field Dressing, Holy Visions and Invoke (Any). Field Dressing gives a bonus to Heal when used in combat, and lets you reverse Heal tests when using Bandages if this would make you succeed, but if you do, you can't get more than +1 total SL. Holy Visions gives a bonus to Intuition tests while on holy ground, and you always know when you're on holy ground, and you can make Intuition tests to receive holy visions (albeit obscure and via the paradigm of your cult or belief system) to learn about the significant past events of the local area while on holy ground. Invoke gives you access to a single Miracle of your god, and the ability to buy Miracles of your god at the cost of 100 XP per Miracle you already know. You can never learn Petty Magic or Arcane Magic Talents while you know this.
Tier 3 is Abbess, Silver 2. They add Leadership, Lore (Local), Lore (Politics) and Perception, as well as I as a stat. Their Talents are Resistance (Any), Robust, Savant (Theology) and Stout-hearted. Robust reduces all incoming damage by 1 per purchase, even if it can't normally be reduced, to a minimum of 1. Stout-hearted gives a bonus to Cool tests to remove the Broken condition and lets you make such a test at the end of each of your Turns as well as at the end of the Round.
Tier 4 is Prioress General, Silver 5. They add Language (Any) and Lore (Any), as well as T as a stat. Their Talents are Commanding Presence, Iron Will, Pure Soul and Strong-minded. Iron Will gives a bonus to Cool tests to oppose Intimidate, and you never suffer Fear or have to stop talking due to Intimidate. Pure Soul lets you take extra Corruption Points equal to your purchases before you have to make a test to see if you are corrupted. Strong-minded gives you bonus Resolve points equal to your purchases.

Physician can be taken by any species but Wood Elf. It's all about studying and curing illness and healing wounds. While many healing arts date back to ancient Elven practices, formal medical science is quite new and rather distrusted. Studying from cadavers is forbidden due to necromancy and safeguards laid down by the Cult of Morr, which makes it hard to learn anatomy, and many swindlers sell fake cure-alls that may even cause actual harm. Physicians study at university or under a Guild Physician, and most cheap surgery is done unofficially by informal barber-surgeons. Trained doctors are much in demand in the armies, and the most famous can cater exclusively to the wealthy and powerful. Of course, Guild fees are notoriously ruinous, which can make newer Physicians with no real customer base seek alternative revenue streams to pay their dues, or they may go out hunting for foreign remedies and treatments. Others prefer to use adventuring as an excuse to study anatomy up close and personal. Physicians are mainly healers, but if they pick up Melee from somewhere they can be surprisingly survivable due to learning Strike to Stun and Strike to Injure. Unfortunately, they don't learn it natively.


Tier 1 Physicians are Physician's Apprentices, Brass 4. They are good at Dex, Int and WP, and get Bribery, Cool, Drive, Endurance, Gossip, Heal, Perception and Sleight of Hand. Their Talents are Bookish, Field Dressing, Read/Write and Strike to Stun. Strike to Stun gives a bonus to Melee when Striking to Stun, removes the called shot penalty for targeting the head when using a melee weapon with the Pummel Quality, and causes you to treat all improvised weapons as having the Pummel Quality.
Tier 2 is Physician, Silver 3. They add Charm, Haggle, Language (Guilder), Lore (Anatomy), Lore (Medicine) and Trade (Barber), as well as Fel as a stat. Their Talents are Coolheaded, Criminal, Etiquette (Guilder) and Surgery. Surgery gives a bonus to Heal tests outside of combat, lets you treat any Critical Wound that requires Surgery, and can resolve internal issues with an extended Heal test, though this will also cause Wounds and Bleeding conditions, so it can kill if you aren't careful, and the patient must make an Endurance test to avoid infection.
Tier 3 is Doktor, Silver 5. They add Consume Alcohol, Intimidate, Leadership and research, plus I as a stat. Their Talents are Etiquette (Scholars), Resistance (Disease), Savvy and Strike to Injure. Strike to Injure deals extra Wounds equal to your purchases when you deal a Critical Wound.
Tier 4 is Court Physician, Gold 1. They add Lore (Noble) and Perform (Dancing), and Agi as a stat. Their Talents are Etiquette (Nobles), Nimble Fingered, Savant (Medicine) and Strong-Minded. Nimble Fingered is +5 base Dex.

Priest is Human-only. Priests tend to the faithful of the Old World, sometimes assigned to a temple but sometimes wandering the land to reach those who can't or won't attend temple. High Priests lead entire temples and help direct the Cult of their god. They and the Lectors above them are often called on by rulers as advisors and are often active in politics. Priests often have many duties related to their god, too. Some temple Priests make a point of looking for excuses to adventure because they get bored at home, or may seek out answers to problems of their flock. Some High Priests hate the paperwork so badly that they often take extended pilgrimages just to get away from it. So how do they differ from Nuns? Priests get more aggression and direct social, less crafting and trade work.


Tier 1 Priests are Initiates, Brass 2. They are good at T, Agi and WP, and get Athletics, Cool, Endurance, Intuition, Lore (Theology), Perception, Pray and Research. Their Talents are Bless (Any), Holy Visions, Read/Write and Suave.
Tier 2 is Priest, Silver 1. They add Charm, Entertain (Storytelling), Gossip, Heal, Intimidate and Melee (Basic), as well as Fel as a stat. Their Talents are Blather, Bookish, Etiquette (Cultists) and Invoke (Any).
Tier 3 is High Priest, Gold 1. They add Art (Writing), Entertain (Speeches), Leadership and Lore (Heraldry), plus Int as a stat. Their Talents are Acute Sense (Any), Hatred (Any), Impassioned Zeal and Strong-minded. Hatred gives a bonus to WP tests to resist the hated group, and you get the Hatred Psychology towards that group, such as Beastmen, Greenskins, Monsters, Outlaws or whatever.
Tier 4 is Lector, Gold 2. They add Language (Any) and Lore (Politics), plus I as a stat. Their Talents are Master Orator, Pure Soul, Resistance (Any) and Savant (Theology). Master Orator gives you a bonus to Charm when public speaking for a crowd.

Next time: Scholar, Wizard, Agitator

Wizzing It Up

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

WFRP 4e - Wizzing It Up

Scholar is for all species. Scholars typically study at some institution of learning, especially the university at Altdorf. Most specialize in one or two subjects, and many only learn just enough to make a livable career of it or have something neat to talk about at parties. Poor Scholars often work as scribes or note-takers, as most citizens of the Empire cannot read or write. Others tutor the rich. The best of them are invited to join universities, delivering lectures to hundreds. Dwarfs and Elves are less likely to work for Imperial institutions, though they may hunt through the Empire in search of knowledge. Scholars often go adventuring to gain funds for their research, or to seek out lost tomes and secrets. Others are hired on to help out with relevant knowledge. Scholars have easy access to a lot of Lores, making them very handy exposition and knowledge sources, and they're pretty okay socially. Just...keep them away from combat.


Tier 1 Scholars are Students, Brass 3. They get good T, Int and WP, and have Consume Alcohol, Entertain (Storytelling), Gamble, Gossip, Haggle, Language (Classical), Lore (Any) and Research. Their Trappings, incidentally, always include Alcohol and Opinions, among other things. Their Talents are Carouser, Read/Write, Savvy and Super Numerate. Carouser gives a bonus to Charm and Gossip at parties, and Consume Alcohol at all times, and lets you reverse a failed Consume Alcohol test if that'd make it succeed.
Tier 2 is Scholar, Silver 2. They add Art (Writing), Intuition, Language (Any), Lore (Any), Perception and Trade (Any), plus I as a stat. Their Talents are Bookish, Etiquette (Scholars), Speedreader and Suave.
Tier 3 is Fellow, Silver 5. They add Entertain (Lecture), Intimidate, Language (Any) and Lore (Any). Their Talents are Linguistics, Public Speaker, Savant (Any) and Tower of Memories. Linguistics gives a bonus to all Language tests, and lets you treat any Language as a Basic Skill after a month of exposure to it and an Int test, which you can attempt once per month. (This doesn't work for Language (Magick).) Public Speaker lets you influence vastly larger numbers of people when using Charm for public speaking, depending on how many times you purchase it - ranging from five times more than normal (at 1 purchase) to 'any and everyone that can hear you' (at 9 purchases). Tower of Memories lets you perfectly recall any sequence of facts or figures no longer than your Int score without rolling, with a roll required for more than that but not a hard one. You may recall one such sequence per purchase. And given how big a Scholar's Int is likely to be, this is along the lines of 'I skim through the tome and memorize the entire ritual in seconds.'
Tier 4 is Professor, Gold 1. They add Entertain (Rhetoric) and Lore (Any). Their Talents are Magnum Opus, Master Orator, Savant (Any) and Sharp. Sharp is +5 base I.

Wizard is only for Humans and Elves. Wizards channel the Winds of Magic. To legally do magic in the Empire, a Human must follow the Articles of Imperial Magic and belong to one of the Eight Colleges in Altdorf. Once graduated, they study and practice the art of magic which, by law, they may only use outside of the Colleges in defense of their own life or against foes of the Empire. In practice, most Wizards ignore this unless a Witch Hunter is looking. Many Wizards serve in the armies, though they are usually treated with cautious suspicion. Many adventure to pay their tuition or dues, seeking their fortune as best they can, or seeking out relics and lore. They are actively encouraged to fight any monsters troubling the populace by the Colleges. Wizards are weak to start out, but quickly become extremely potent due to their magical spells, and get some decent melee training. They are, however, quite fragile outside of the two Orders allowed to wear any kind of armor at all.


Tier 1 Wizards are Apprentices. They get good WS, Int and WP, and have Channeling (Any Colour), Dodge, Intuition, Language (Magick), Lore (Magic), Melee (Basic), Melee (Polearm) and Perception. Their Talents are Aethyric Attunement, Petty Magic, Read/Write and Second Sight. Aethyric Attunement gives a bonus to Channel tests and prevents Miscasts when you roll doubles on a successful Channel test. Petty Magic gives you Petty Spells equal to your WP bonus, and the ability to buy more Petty Spells with XP, starting at 50 XP but going up the more spells you learn. Second Sight gives a bonus to any test to detect the Winds of Magic, and grants you the Sight, which is detailed in the Magic chapter.
Tier 2 is Wizard, Silver 3. They add Charm, Cool, Gossip, Intimidate, LanguagE (Battle) and Language (Any), plus Agi as a stat. Their Talents are Arcane Magic (Any), Detect Artefact, Fast Hands and Sixth Sense. Arcane Magic gives you access to a Lore, which you may now learn spells from wth XP, starting at 100 XP per spell and going up the more you leanr. You may not learn the Bless or Invoke Talents while you have this. I...don't believe you start with any spells by default, but the Magic chapter might overrule that. Detect Artefact gives a bonus to Intuition tests to detect artefacts, and you can make such tests when you touch things. If you succeed while touching a magic item, you know it's magic, and each SL gives oyu one specific rule it follows, if it has any such rules. You can normally use this only once per object touched. Fast Hands gives a bonus to Sleight of Hand and to Melee (Brawling) tests to touch people (but not damage them), and no one gets passive Perception tests to spot you using Sleight of Hand - they have to actively be looking to oppose your tests. Also, you get a +10 bonus to Melee (Brawlign) checks just to touch people per purchase. Sixth Sense gives a bonus to Intuition tests involing the Sixth Sense, which most ly happen when the GM secretly rolls them while you walk into danger; success tells you that you are in danger before it happens, and allows you to ignore Surprise.
Tier 3 is Master Wizard, Gold 1. They add Animal Care, Evaluate, Lore (Warfare), and Ride (Horse), plus I as a stat. Their Talents are Dual Wielder, Instinctive Diction, Magical Sense and Menacing. Dual Wielder gives a bonus to Melee or Ranged when attacking with two weapons and lets you make two-weapon attacks in one action, which...are complicated and not hugely worth it unless you spec for it but can theoretically do some really nasty damage. Instinctive Diction gives a bonus to Language (Magick) tests when casting, and prevents Miscasts from doubles on successful Language (Magick) tests. Very, very good and useful. Magical Sense gives a bonus to Intuition tests to detect casters, and lets you make Intuition checks when you meet people to tell if they are spellcasters and sometimes what they focus on. Menacing gives a very large bonus to Intimidate tests - as written, it basically gives twice the bonus of normal SL-bonus-granting Talents.
Tier 4 is Wizard Lord, Gold 2. They add Language (Any) and Lore (Any), plus Fel as a stat. Their Talents are Combat Aware, Frightening, Iron Will and War Wizard. Combat Aware gives a bonus to Perception tests during combat and lets you make a Perception test to ignore Surprise. Frightening gives you a Fear Rating equal to your number of purchases which you can switch on and off at will. War Wizard lets you freely cast one spell with Casting Number of 5 or less on your Turn without actually using an action, though if you do you can't cast a spell as your actual action that Turn.

That takes us out of Academics and into Burghers! Agitator is available to Dwarfs, Halflings and Humans. They are lobbyists, of a sort, using paint, public protest and speeches to muster the sympathy of the people and gain their support. However, they must be wary to avoid the attention of those interested in maintaining the status quo - or at least avoiding their inquiries. The most dangerous Agitators are able to destabilise noble rulers, towns or even entire provinces. They nail signs to things or distribute leaflets, though often they run into the problem of illiteracy. Religious Agitators serve as street preachers shouting about the gods and living off donations and the support of other zealots, and those who last long enough often earn the support of the powerful seeking change - albeit in secret. Agitators travel often in search of crowds or to avoid arrest. They may end up leaders of motley crews of adventurers, pushing them to fight for some greater cause. Altdorf is especially well known for its massive fogs and its massive riots, possibly due to its status as the capital of the Empire, or possibly due to the presence of the Grey College during the Grey Wind Ulgu to the city. Whatever the reason, whenever the fog rols in from the Altdorf Flats, mobs seem to gather in the streets and shout or break things. The Agitator is very much a social class, though it also gets some halfway decent brawling skills eventually and can be quite sneaky.


Tier 1 Agitators are Pamphleteers, Brass 1. They are good at BS, Int and Fel, and get Art (Writing), Bribery, Charm, Consume Alcohol, Gossip, Haggle, Lore (Politics) and Trade (Printing). Their Talents are Blather, Gregarious, Panhandle and Read/Write. Gregarious gives a bonus to Gossip tests with travellers, and lets you reverse a failed Gossip test if it would allow you to succeed.
Tier 2 is Agitator, Brass 2. It adds Cool, Dodge, Entertain (Storytelling), Gamble, Intuition and Leadership, plus Agi as a stat. The Talents are Alley Cat, Argumentative, Impassioned Zeal and Public Speaker. Alley Cat gives a bonus to Stealth (Urban), and lets you reverse failed Stealth (Urban) tests if doing so would let you succeed.
Tier 3 is Rabble Rouser, Brass 3. It adds Athletics, Intimidate, Melee (Brawling) - well, they say Melee (Fist) but they mean Melee (Brawling) - and Perception, plus WS as a stat. The Talents are Cat-tongued, Dirty Fighting, Flee! and Step Aside. Dirty Fighting gives a bonus to Melee (Brawling) and increases your damage while using Melee (Brawling) if you don't mind it breaking any and all formal rules of boxing or dueling. Flee! gives a bonus to Athletics when Fleeing, and increases your Movement by 1 when Fleeing. Step Aside gives a bonus to Dodge tests, and when you successfully Dodge an incoming attack, you may move up to 2 yards and no longer count as Engaged, but none of your opponents get a free attack on you while you do it. This is extremely good for anyone who doesn't want to be in melee.
Tier 4 is Demagogue, Brass 5. They add Lore (Heraldry) and Ride (Horse), plus I as a stat. Also their Trappings include an Impressive Hat. Their Talents are Etiquette (Any), Master Orator, Schemer and Suave. Schemer gives a bonus to Int tests used as part of the Talent, and once per session you can ask the GM any one question about a political situation or web of socail connections; they make the aforementioned Int test secretly and give you answers based on your SL.

Next time: Artisan, Beggar, Investigator

Burger Meister

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

WFRP 4e - Burger Meister

Artisan is for all species. Artisans are crafters, making...well, just about any kind of good. Bakers, chandlers, smiths, shipwrights. The larger towns and cities of the Empire have guilds to prevent fraud, because an Artisan's entire income can be put in jeopardy by unskilled competition selling cheap, bad goods. Guild Artisans have strict quality standards, and failing to meet them will get you blackballed and forbidden to practice locally. Artisans also do repairs and maintenance for all manner of things - war machines, ships, siege defenses, finished goods. Artisans in training are often sent traveling to practice under various masters, and the pressure to be perfect often drives young Artisans to take vacations or seek out less stifling work. Dwarf craft guilds rarely admit Humans, and by Imperial tradition Dwarfs are permitted to practice their craft without belonging to a guild. This can bring conflict, as the guilds rarely like skilled competition. Halflings often join Human guilds if allowed, and will usually allow Humans into their own guilds. Elves do not have guilds, and while they could certainly join a guild, most would never lower themselves enough to do so. Artisans craft stuff, but their real talent is simply that they're going to be really strong and tough, with good social skills. They don't get combat tricks but are going to be pretty good at a lot of Basic Skills by default.


Tier 1 Artisans are Apprentice Artisans, Brass 2. They are good at S, T and Dex, and have Athletics, Cool, Consume Alcohol, Dodge, Endurance, Evaluate, Stealth (Urban) and Trade (Any). Their Talents are Artistic, Craftsman (Any), Strong Back and Very Strong. Craftsman gives a bonus to a single selected Trade skill and adds it to the list of skills for any Career you enter, or gives a discount if it's already there. Strong Back gives a bonus to Row and Swim, and also to any opposed Strength tests, and increases the amount of Encumbrance you can handle. Very Strong is +5 base S.
Tier 2 is Artisan, Silver 1. It adds Charm, Haggle, Lore (Local), Gossip, Language (Guilder) and Perception, plus Fel as a stat. The Talents are Dealmaker, Etiquette (Guilder), Nimble Fingered and Sturdy. Sturdy gives a bonus to S tests when lifting, and greatly increases the amount of Encumbrance you can handle.
Tier 3 is Master Artisan, Silver 3. It adds Intuition, Leadership, Research and Secret Signs (Guilder), plus WP as a stat. The Talents are Acute Sense (Taste or Touch), Master Tradesman (Any), Read/Write and Tinker.
Tier 4 is Guildmaster, Gold 1. It adds Bribery and Intimidate, plus Int as a stat. The Talents are Briber, Magnum Opus, Public Speaker and Schemer. Briber gives a bonus to Bribery tests and reduces the cost of bribes.

Beggar is only for the Dwarf, Halfling and Human. Beggars rely on the generosity of strangers and what they scavenge or annoy out of people. The law does not protect them, and the watch usually has no sympathy. They often end up on the street as orphans, in and out of the Mercy Houses all their lives. Once they master the basic panhandling and scrounging skills, they learn to use disguises and ploys for sympathy to increase their earnings. Not all are destitute - some just have truly awful jobs - bonepicking, ragselling, gong farming. (I have no idea what a gong farmer is.) Of course, on the plus side, anything is an improvement for a Beggar. They will eagerly head on adventure for a chance at cash, as long as they're not being used as mere fodder. Those that can't afford a proper porter might hire them to carry things, and their street savvy is often useful. Plus, if it goes bad...well, it's not hard to go back to begging. Beggars are sneaky and physically skilled, with some good criminally-inclined social skills.


Tier 1 Beggars are Paupers, Brass 0. They have good T, Agi and Fel. They have Athletics, Charm, Consume Alcohol, Cool, Dodge, Endurance, Intuition and Stealth (Urban). Their Talents are Panhandle, Resistance (Disease), Stone Soup and Very Resilient. Very Resilient is +5 base T.
Tier 2 is Beggar, Brass 2. They add Entertain (Acting), Entertain (Any), Gossip, Haggle, Perception and Sleight of Hand, plus WP as a stat. Their Talents are Alley Cat, Beneath Notice, Criminal and Etiquette (Criminals). Beneath Notice gives a bonus to Stealth when in plain sight and causes anyone of higher Status tier to ignore you unless your presence becomes inappropriate, and causes anyone of higher Status tier not to gain Advantage for striking or wounding you in combat.
Tier 3 is Master Beggar, Brass 4. They add Charm Animal, Leadership, Lore (Local) and Secret Signs (Vagabond), plus WS as a stat. Their Talents are Blather, Dirty Fighting, Hardy and Step Aside. Hardy gives you extra Wounds equal to your T Bonus. (And adds more Wounds if that goes up, so it basically changes your Wounds formula to have TB*2+Purchases instead of TB*2.)
Tier 4 is Beggar King, Silver 2. They add Bribery and Intimidate, plus I as a stat. Their Talents are Cat-tongued, Fearless (Watchmen), Kingpin and Suave. Fearless gives a bonus to resist the selected enemy type's Intimidate, Fear and Terror, nad lets you ignore any of those they cause if you pass a Cool test at +20%.

Investigators are anyone but Wood Elves. Most of them track thieves, missing persons and killers, though some are researchers and journalists or even blackmailers. They learn to track footprints, interrogate people and use deductive reasoning...and also how to break into places. Secular ones tend to operate on the very edge of the law or work for the guards of a Merchant House, but religious investigators are often members of the Cults of Sigmar or Verena and are held to a higher ethical standard. Experienced Investigators sometimes put on an air of sophistication to make themselves seem more credible, claiming observation skills that can't be taught or learned. Certainly the top detectives of fame and fortune have to be relentless self-promoters to make it that far. Investigators are sometimes hired to solve mysteries too dangerous to tackle alone and will bring on adventurers to help, and often these just lead to more mysteries that must be solved. Thus, an adventuring party is often steady employment, as long as they can find someone to pay the crew for what they're learning. They are sneaky, social and smart but have poor combat skills.


Tier 1 Investigators are Sleuths, Silver 1. They have good I, Agi and Int, and get Charm, Climb, Cool, Gossip, Intuition, Perception, Stealth (Urban) and Track. Their Talents are Alley Cat, Beneath Notice, Read/Write and Sharp.
Tier 2 is Investigator, Silver 2. They add Consume Alcohol, Dodge, Lore (Law), Melee (Brawling), Pick Lock and Sleight of Hand, plus Fel as a stat. Their Talents are Etiquette (Any), Savvy, Shadow and Tenacious. Shadow gives a bonus to any test involving Shadowing, and lets you use the Shadowing rules without requiring a Combined Test - you just use the higher of your Perception or Stealth skill. Tenacious gives a bonus to Endurance tests to endure hardships, and doubles the length of time that successful Endurance tests allow you to endure. Hardships for this purpose include prolonged riding, exposure, rituals and similar adversity.
Tier 3 is Master Investigator, Silver 3. They add Bribery, Evaluate, Leadership and Lore (Any), plus Dex as a stat. Their Talents are Bookish, Break and Enter, Sixth Sense and Suave. Break and Enter gives a bonus to Melee when forcing or breaking inanimate objects and gives you bonus damage against inanimate objects.
Tier 4 is Detective, Silver 5. They add Intimidate and Lore (Any), plus WP as a stat. The Talents are Acute Sense (Any), Savant (Any), Speedreader and Tower of Memories.

Next time: Merchant, Rat Catcher, Townsman

A Small But Vicious Dog

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

WFRP 4e - A Small But Vicious Dog

Merchants can be anyone but Wood Elves. They trade in stuff - mostly simple goods that are easy to ship, but the ambitious aim for exotic stuff like gromril or spices. Higher profits, but the routes are long and need good foreign contacts. Merchants can't sell in most towns without paying dues to the Merchants' Guilds, which are quite powerful and rival many noble courts in influence. Local commerce is easier, handled by small traders who move things between villages. Traders can join guilds by apprenticing under a master Merchant as a junior partner, and potent Merchant Princes will own offices and warehouses in many cities, holding the same status as minor nobles. Others branch out into banking and moneylending. Merchants often feel a kinship with adventurers, often hiring them as guards. Adventurers are adaptable and enterprising, after all, a good investment as partners in your company. Merchants have excellent social skills and get both Blather and the ability to raise WS natively, so they're not terrible fighters even though they get few fighting Talents or Skills.


Tier 1 Merchants are Traders, Silver 2. They get good WS, Agi and Fel, and have Animal Care, Bribery, Charm, Consume Alcohol, Drive, Gamble, Gossip and Haggle. Their Talents are Blather, Dealmaker, Read/Write and Suave.
Tier 2 is Merchant, Silver 5. They add Evaluate, Intuition, Language (Any), Language (Guilder), Lore (Local) and Perception, plus Int as a stat. Their Talents are Briber, Embezzle, Etiquette (Guilder) and Savvy. Embezzle gives a bonus to Int tests for Embezzling, and allows you to make an opposed Int test whenever you use the Earning mechanics, either in play or downtime, as long as you have an employer to skim off of. If you win, you skim off extra cash without being detected. If the employer wins by 6+ SLs, you get the cash but are detected. Any other result means you don't get a chance to skim.
Tier 3 is Master Merchant, Gold 1. They add Cool, Language (Classical), Navigation and Secret Signs (Guilder), plus I as a stat. Their Talents are Cat-tongued, Etiquette (Any), Numismatics and Sharp. Numismatics gives a bonus to Evaluate tests to determine coin value, and lets you judge most coins without even requiring a roll. Plus, you can identify forged coins with a simple Evaluate test rather than an opposed one against the forger's SL.
Tier 4 is Merchant Prince, Gold 3. They add Lore (Any) and Intimidate, plus WP as a stat. Their Talents are Iron Will, Luck, Schemer and Wealthy. Luck gives you bonus Fortune Points equal to your purchases.

Rat Catchers can be Dwarf, Halfling or Human. They patrol every town or city, for the Empire is full of scraps and foulness, and with it, rats. Many, many rats. Rat Catchers kill the rats, clearing their nests and delving into the sewers, which are hopelessly infested. Most Rat Catchers adopt a stray puppy while still in training, raising it as a ratter. The best Rat Catchers are hired as sewer jacks by towns, hunting giant rats and other nastiness below. On rare occasions, rats have overrun entire towns, reclaimed from them only with the help of the best exterminators. Rat Catchers move between towns when the rats get too big, too smart or too Skaven, or when competition gets too rough. On such journeys, they often work with adventurers looking for a streetwise fighter willing to go where normal people won't. They are some of the few Imperials who tend to be aware of the existence of the Skaven, though because the Skaven frequently murder those that openly spread rumors of their existence, Rat Catchers tend to deny that they exist and may even use their professional abilities to discredit such rumors. Rat Catchers are solid fighters and sneaks, and they have the dog. The dog is great.


I had to share this.


Tier 1 Rat Catchers are Rat Hunters, Brass 3. They are good at WS, BS and WP, and get Athletics, Animal Training (Dog), Charm Animal, Consume Alcohol, Endurance, Melee (Basic), Ranged (Sling), and Stealth (Underground or Urban). They also get, yes, the Small But Vicious Dog as a Trapping. Their Talents are Night Vision, Resistance (Disease), Strike Mighty Blow and Strike to Stun. Night Vision gives a bonus to Perception tests in low light and allows you to see clearly out to 20 yards per purchase if there's any light at all, and consider light sources to extend out 20 yards further per purchase. Strike Mighty Blow gives bonus melee damage.
Tier 2 is Rat Catcher, Silver 1. They add Animal Care, Gossip, Haggle, Lore (Poison), Perception and Set Trap, plus T as a stat. Their Talents are Enclosed Fighter, Etiquette (Guilder), Fearless (Rats) and Very Resilient. Enclosed Fighter gives a bonus to Dodge in enclosed environs and lets you ignore any penalties to Melee caused by confined spaces, as well as letting you use Dodge even when it'd normally not be allowed due to lack of space.
Tier 3 is Sewer Jack, Silver 2. They add Climb, Cool, Dodge and Ranged (Crossbow Pistol), which should just be Ranged (Crossbow), plus I as a stat. Their Talents are Hardy, Stout-hearted, Strong Legs and Tunnel Rat. Strong Legs gives a bonus to any Athletics tests involving leaping. Tunnel Rat gives a bonus to Stealth tests while underground and prevents anyone underground from making a passive Perception test to oppose your Stealth - they have to be actively looking for hidden people.
Tier 4 is Exterminator, Silver 3. They add Leadership and Track, plus S as a stat. They get Fearless (Skaven), Menacing, Robust and Strong-minded. Also, their Trappings include a Large and Vicious Dog.

Townsman is for anyone but Wood Elves. It's kind of a generic catch-all worker career - innkeeps, bankers, clerks, street hawkers, ostlers, shopkeeps, and so on. Pay varies, some get commissions, others have fixed salaries. Promotion isn't usually a thing, though ambitious Townsmen might eventually own a business. The most successful of them usually end up overseeing civic matters on a town council, and Burgomeisters, the most important civic leaders, have roughly the same social status as a Guildmaster or Merchant Prince. They are the growing middle class of the Empire, and usually have the free time to take a day or two off each week to adventure. Some even build up savings to have time to take vacations and go further out than that allows. It isn't rare, after all, for citizens to go on pilgrimages for a few weeks or months, and skilled workers are always in demand, so there's little worry they won't have a job to come back to. Townsmen are decent at a lot of stuff but don't really excel at anything except social.


Tier 1 Townsmen are Clerks, Silver 1. They get good Agi, Int and Fel, and have Charm, Climb, Consume Alcohol, Drive, Dodge, Gamble, Gossip and Haggle. Their Talents are Alley Cat, Beneath Notice, Etiquette (Servants) and Sturdy.
Tier 2 is Townsman, Silver 2. They add Bribery, Evaluate, Intuition, Lore (Local), Melee (Brawling) and Play (Any), plus I as a stat. Their Talents are Dealmaker, Embezzle, Etiquette (any) and Gregarious.
Tier 3 is Town Councillor, Silver 5. They add Cool, Lore (Law), Perception and Research, plus Dex as a stat. Their Talents are Briber, Public Speaker, Read/Write and Supportive. Supportive gives a bonus to all social tests to influence a superior and, when successfully rolling to socially influence those of higher Status tier, allows you to choose to use either your rolled SL or your ones die as your SL.
Tier 4 is Burgomeister, Gold 1. They add Lore (Politics) and Intimidate, plus WP as a stat. Their Talents are Commanding Presence, Master Orator, Schemer and Suave.

Next time: Watchman, Advisor, Artist

Remember, Everyone Here Starts With An Ear Pick

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

WFRP 4e - Remember, Everyone Here Starts With An Ear Pick

Watchmen can be anyone but Wood Elves. They are employed by authority to patrol the streets, and most are generally well-meaning peacekeepers. Few of them actually know anything about the laws they enforce, and corruption is rampant. Many Watchmen enlist purely to have the authority to hurt people that anger them or to support their local gang. Some earn triple their actual wages in bribes. Only a few towns and cities actually have professional Watchmen who are taught to understand the law. Instead, the Emperor's Peace is usually maintained by local army forces on the walls, guard gates and street patrols, who just obey orders. Not all Watchmen are crooked, but even the moral ones usually get jaded fast by the corruption inherent to the current system. By joining adventurers, they can fight for actual justice (sometimes) and at least work on their own terms. Their street experience makes them decent fighters in a small party and having a cop can make a team of adventurers seem more legitimate. They are good fighters with decent social skills.


Tier 1 Watchmen are Watch Recruits, Brass 3. They get good WS, S and Fel, and have Athletics, Climb, Consume Alcohol, Dodge, Endurance, Gamble, Melee (Any) and Perception. Their Talents are Drilled, Hardy, Strike to Stun and Tenacious. Drilled gives a bonus to Melee tests when next to an ally that also has it, and if an enemy would cause you to lose Advantage while you're next to an ally with Drilled, you keep 1 Advantage per purchase.
Tier 2 is Watchman, Silver 1. They add Charm, Cool, Gossip, Intimidate, Intuition and Lore (Local), plus WP as a stat. Their Talents are Break and Enter, Criminal, Night Vision and Sprinter. Sprinter gives a bonus to Athletics tests about Running, and gives you +1 Movement when Running.
Tier 3 is Watch Sergeant, Silver 3. They add Entertain (Storytelling), Haggle, Leadership and Lore (Law), plus I as a stat. Their Talents are Disarm, Etiquette (Soldiers), Fearless (Criminals) and Nose for Trouble. Disarm gives a bonus to Melee tests made as part of using it and allows you to take an action to make an opposed Melee test against a target. If you win, their weapon is hurled a few feet away, and if you win by enough, you can decide which way it goes or can even just grab it and wield it yourself if you have a free hand. It's no good if they're unarmed or bigger Size than you, though. Nose for Trouble gives a bonus to any test to spot troublemakers, and lets you make an Intuition test at will to tell if anyone nearby is trying to cause trouble or harm you, even if you'd normally not be allowed to make a test for some reason. (Generally, this test is going to be Opposed by anyone who is trying to conceal their hostility, but the GM can roll that in secret.) If you spot troublemakers who start combat, you may ignore any Surprised conditions they'd normally cause.
Tier 4 is Watch Captain, Gold 1. They add Lore (Politics) and Ride (Horse), plus Int as a stat. Their Talents are Public Speaker, Robust, Kingpin and Schemer.

This takes us to the Courtier careers! Advisors can be anyone. They...advise people. They tend to be well educated in politics and the local social conditions, and have access to confidential and private information. While many are born to the job, others actively seek patronage as a path to power. Some young royals pick their childhood or school friends for it, trusting them over all others because they'll speak truth to power. Years at court or serving lesser nobles does open a path to greater power, and many Advisors end up not serving nobles but others such as criminals, warlords, merchants, guilds or cults. If there's something weird going on in their master's domain, an Advisor is usually going to be the one asked to investigate it, which often gets them into trouble. At the upper levels, they may have their own staff to rely on to take care of their office while they're away on leave, and Advisors are able to approach people across all classes of society easily, as they are expected to poke their noses into things and ask questions on behalf of their master anyway. They are an excellent social career with decent academic knowledge, though they don't do much else.


Tier 1 Advisors are Aides, Silver 2. They're good at T, I and Agi, and have Bribery, Consume Alcohol, Endurance, Gossip, Haggle, Language (Classical), Lore (Politics) and Perception. Their Talents are Beneath Notice, Etiquette (Any), Gregarious and Read/Write.
Tier 2 is Advisor, Silver 4. They add Charm, Cool, Evaluate, Gamble, Intuition and Lore (Local), plus Fel as a stat. Their Talents are Blather, Criminal, Schemer and Supportive.
Tier 3 is Counsellor, Gold 1. They add Entertain (Storytelling), Leadership, Language (Any) and Lore (Any), plus Int as a stat. Their Talents are Argumentative, Briber, Carouser and Cat-tongued.
Tier 4 is Chancellor, Gold 3. They add Lore (Heraldry) and Ride (Horse), plus WP as a stat. Their Talents are Commanding Presence, Embezzle, Kingpin and Suave.

Artists can be anyone. They use their artistic talents to create things of beauty - painting, sculpture, written works and so on. The best attract wealthy patrons, and some become teachers at art schools, attracting even wealthier benefactors to their salons. However, most Artists spend their lives without patrons, trying to prove their value and usually unappreciated. They make ends meet doing political cartoons and satirical art, sketching suspects for the watchmen, writing social commentary or even becoming forgers. Getting a patron isn't easy, so many Artists travel around looking for them. Even those that can support themselves often travel the world in search of inspiration, and those hired for religious art must often travel long distances to distant temples and abbeys. Artists are focused on social, knowledge and crafting skills.


Tier 1 Arists are Apprentice Artists, Silver 1. They are good at S, I and Dex, and have Art (Any), Cool, Consume Alcohol, Evaluate, Endurance, Gossip, Perception and Stealth (Urban). Their Talents are Artistic, Sharp, Strong Back and Tenacious.
Tier 2 is Artist, Silver 3. They add Climb, Gamble, Haggle, Intuition, Language (Classical), Sleight of Hand and Trade (Art Supplies), plus Fel as a stat. Their Talents are Carouser, Criminal, Gregarious and Nimble Fingered.
Tier 3 is Master Artist, Silver 5. They add Charm, Leadership, Lore (Art) and Lore (Heraldry), plus WP as a skill. Their Talents are Acute Sense (Any), Dealmaker, Etiquette (Any) and Nose for Trouble.
Tier 4 is Maestro, Gold 2. They add Research and Ride (Horse), plus Int as a stat. Their Talents are Ambidextrous, Kingpin, Magnum Opus and Read/Write. Ambidextrous reduces the penalty for using your off hand alone on tests to -10, from -20, or to 0 with two purchases.

Next time: Duellist, Envoy, Noble

Swashbuckling Is Still Mechanically Supported

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

WFRP 4e - Swashbuckling Is Still Mechanically Supported

Duellists can be Dwarfs, High Elves or Humans. They are, technically, mercenaries - they fight on behalf of other people, generally. They settle matters of honor between people and groups, or for the courts, as representation of either accused or accuser in trial by combat. For some, it's for love of fighting, the beauty of the blade dance. Learning to fence is dangerous, and some apprentices get crippled or scarred for life. Those who live long enough to master it, though, can aspire to great fame and to become teachers of the blade in their own right, or become Judicial Champions that fight duels on behalf of noble courts and entire governments. Some modern Duellists, particularly in Altdorf, favor pistols, which older ones tend to see as both foolhardy and dishonorable. Duellists of any skill level often travel the Empire in search of worthy foes to bolster their reputations or to find excellent teachers to learn from. They especially love to study foreign techniques and claim them. Some Duellists also make a living as more common hired blades in a pinch. Most Dwarfs have little interest in fencing or the fripperies of the modern duelling scene, they do have long traditions of disputes settled by single combat, and these Duellists too will travel far to better their skills. Duellists are great fighters with few other skills, and suffer from being fragile - they get Cool and eventually native WP raising to help resist mental stuff, but never get native T raising, so they have to pay for it with special training costs during downtime.


Tier 1 Duellists are Fencers, Silver 3. They get good WS, I and Agi, and have Athletics, Dodge, Endurance, Heal, Intuition, Language (Classical), Melee (Any) and Perception. Their Talents are Beat Blade, Distract, Feint and Step Aside. Beat Blade gives a bonus to Melee when using the Talent, and lets you make an unopposed Melee test as an action to reduce the target's Advantage by striking their weapon. It can't be used on unarmed targets or against targets of greater Size. Distract gives a bonus to Athletics tests to use the Talent, and lets you use your normal Move to instead make an opposed Athletics test against the target's Cool. If you win, they can't gain Advantage until the end of next Round. Feint gives a bonus to Melee (Fencing) tests to use the Talent, and lets you take an action to make an Opposed Melee (Fencing) test against the target's Melee. If you win and then attack them again before the end of the next Round, you can add the SL of your Feint to that attack roll's SL. (So basically, you get to take the results of your one attack and bank them for your next, to make one very big and damaging attack.)
Tier 2 is Duellist, Silver 5. They add Charm, Cool, Gamble, Melee (Parry) (which actually covers the Main Gauche and Swordbreaker weapons), Ranged (Blackpowder) and Trade (Gunsmith), plus BS as a stat. Their Talents are Combat Reflexes, Etiquette (Any), Fast Shot and Reversal. Combat Reflexes gives you +10 to Initiative per purchase for the sole purpose of determining when you act in combat. Fast Shot gives a bonus to Ranged when using the Talent, and lets you fire a loaded ranged weapon outside of normal turn order before anyone else gets to do anything, but uses up both your action and your movement for your normal turn. Reversal gives a bonus to Melee when defending and it lets you choose, when you win an Opposed Melee test, to forgo any damage you would normally do and, instead of gaining 1 Advantage, steal all of your foe's current Advantage.
Tier 3 is Duelmaster, Gold 1. They add Intimidate, Leadership, Melee (Basic) and Perform (Acrobatics), plus S as a stat. Their Talents are Ambidextrous, Disarm, Dual Wielder and Riposte. Riposte gives a bonus to Melee when defending and, if your weapon has the Fast Quality, then once per round per purchase, you may deal damage on a successful defense as if you had been the one attacking.
Tier 4 is Judicial Champion, Gold 3. They add Lore (Law) and Melee (Any), plus WP as a stat. Their Talents are Combat Master, Menacing, Reaction Strike and Strike to Injure. Combat Master causes you to count as one more person per purchase for determining if you are outnumbered (and therefore would take penalties). This is much better than it sounds. Reaction Strike gives a bonus to Initiative tests made as part of the talent, and whenever you get Charged, you can make an Initiative test to get a free attack on the Charger outside of nurmal turn order, using your primary hand. You can use this once per round per purchase, but once per Charge.

Envoys can be anyone. They're negotiators and diplomats, agents of...well, someone, often the Empire, a noble, a foreign nation or a merchant house. This kind of career is very risky because of all the intrigues, and they must be very careful. First, they tend to serve as heralds helping diplomats in figuring out the minutiae of contracts and deals, or working to represent lesser guilds, merchants and so on before they build up the reputation enough to find better clientele. Some work for mercenary companies, helping to find jobs that bring profit at minimum risk. They travel often as part of their job, meeting people from all walks of life and gathering contacts anywhere they can. Sometimes they even have to get their hands dirty to make sure their master's wishes get made real. If failure doesn't kill them, it can also put them on the run and in need of protection. Envoys are primarily social and not good at fighting, but they tend to be good at surviving a fight and can Blather.


Tier 1 Envoys are Heralds, Silver 2. They get good T, Agi and Fel, and have Athletics, Charm, Drive, Dodge, Endurance, Intuition, Ride (Horse) and Row. Their Talents are Blather, Etiquette (Nobles), Read/Write and Suave.
Tier 2 is Envoy, Silver 4. They add Art (Writing), Bribe, Cool, Gossip, Haggle and Lore (Politics), plus Int as a stat. Their Talents are Attractive, Cat-tongued, Etiquette (Any) and Seasoned Traveller. Attractive gives a bonus to Charm tests to influence anyone attracted to you, and when you make a successful Charm test against them, you can choose to use your rolled SL or the ones digit of your roll. Seasoned Traveller gives a bonus to any Lore test about local detail and adds Lore (Local) to any Career you are in or gives a discount if you had it already, and each time it's in your Career you can take it for a different area - Reikland, Ubersreik, Altdorf, whatever - and still get the discount.
Tier 3 is Diplomat, Gold 2. They add Intimidate, Language (Any), Leadership and Navigation, plus I as a stat. Their Talents are Carouser, Dealmaker, Gregarious and Schemer.
Tier 4 is Ambassador, Gold 5. They add Language (Any) and Lore (Any), plus WP as a stat. Their Talents are Briber, Commanding Presence, Noble Blood and Savvy. Noble Blood gives a bonus to any test that is influenced by Status, and you are considered to be of higher Status than anyone who doesn't have the Talent, no matter what. If they do, you compare Status as normal.

Nobles can be anyone except Halflings. They are highborn, given the right to rule, make law and dispense justice just by blood. They often inherit vast wealth and land, but only those in the direct succession can expect true power. Many work their entire lives to consolidate wealth and power via business, conquest or politics, and those that lack in inheritance must make their own way, often as commissioned officers in the army or in service to a god. It is also common to find them working for other Nobles, more powerful ones, such as daughters being sent to be royal handmaidens. Nobles often adventure to serve their families or advance their own station. Others do it out of boredom, or to expand their options due to being low on the succession line and with few other prospects. The GM may disallow the Noble career due to its vast temporal power and wealth. Nobles mix social and combat skills, leaning towards the former.


Tier 1 Nobles are Scions, Gold 1. They have good WS, I and Dex, and get Bribery, Consume Alcohol, Gamble, Intimidate, Leadership, Lore (Heraldry), Melee (Fencing) and Play (Any). Their Talents are Etiquette (Nobles), Luck, Noble Blood and Read/Write.
Tier 2 is Noble, Gold 3. They add Charm, Gossip, Language (Classical), Lore (Local), Ride (Horse) and Melee (Parry), plus Fel as a stat. Their Talents are Attractive, Briber, Carouser and Suave.
Tier 3 is Magnate, Gold 5. They add Language (Any), Intuition, Lore (Politics) and Perception, plus Int as a stat. Their Talents are Coolheaded, Dealmaker, Public Speaker and Schemer.
Tier 4 is Noble Lord, Gold 7. They add Lore (Any) and Track, plus WP as a stat. Their Talents are Commanding Presence, Iron Will, Warleader and Wealthy. Warleader (or War Leader, the book can't decide) gives a bonus to Leadership tests during war, and any subordinate that can see you can add your purchases in it to their SL for one WP test per Round, not stacking with any other person that has it.

Next time: Servant, Spy and Warden

Living To Serve

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

WFRP 4e - Living To Serve

Servant is for Dwarfs, Halflings and Humans. Most Servants are former peasants who are quite happy to not be working in the fields. They learn how to act in high society, along iwth the work of cleaning, cooking, buttling and grooming. They get paid with room, board and a wage, but their actual quality of life varies highly depending on how their master treats them. Experience Servants may become personal attendants or even stewards, managing vast swathes of domestic affairs for their employer. Servants working for royalty are often of noble blood rather than peasants, too. Servants may go adventuring bacuse their employer is traveling or adventuring with them, and bored young nobles may treat their Servants as friends rather than staff, being the only normal people they have access to. They may even send their Servants out to adventure so they can live vicariously through the stories they bring back. Favored Servants may even be given duties that force them onto adventures. Servants are sneaky types with a good selection of social and exploration skills.


Tier 1 Servants are Menials, Silver 1. They get good S, T and Agi, and have Athletics, Climb, Drive, Dodge, Endurance, Intuition, Perception and Stealth (Any). Their Talents are Beneath Notice, Strong Back, Strong-minded and Sturdy.
Tier 2 is Servant, Silver 3. They add Animal Care, Consume Alcohol, Evaluate, Gamble, Gossip and Haggle, plus I as a stat. Their Talents are Etiquette (Servants), Shadow, Tenacious and Well-prepared. Well-prepared lets you, once per session per purchase, pull out any Encrumbrance 0 item out of your backpack when it is needed, as long as you could feasibly have gotten it recently and it doesn't stretch credibility too far. A bottle of spirits, a whistle, whatever. You must then deduct the cost for the item from your cahs on hand, having clearly spent it earlier.
Tier 3 is Attendant, Silver 5. They add Charm, Cool, Intimidate and Lore (Local), plus Int as a stat. Their Talents are Embezzle, Resistance (Poison), Suave, and Supportive.
Tier 4 is Steward, Gold 1. They add Leadership and Melee (Basic), plus Fel as a stat. Their Talents are Etiquette (Any), Numismatics, Read/Write and Savvy.

Spy is for everyone. They are brave or foolish people whose job is to secretly gather information for clients. They are an asset to anyone in power that wants knowledge of specific things, and they often take months or even years to cultivate an identity that no one will notice but which has ties to key people or groups. Their work is risky - if caught, they're usually tortured for some time before being allowed to die. The best of them earn a lot of money, but getting out safely is never easy. They try to avoid attention, so they are rarely known by their reputations, except perhaps in the sense that people remember the results of their work without a name to attach them to. They are found across the Old World, working for many people and groups. Their investigations easily get them caught up in all kinds of plots, forcing them to flee when they get burned. They often use their talents to evade capture, and joining a group of heroic adventurers to hide has brought many Spies into the world of adventure. Spies are sneaky, social and decentl if not great at fighting.


Tier 1 Spies are Informers, Brass 3. They get good Agi, WP and Fel. They get Bribery, Charm, Cool, Gamble, Gossip, Haggle, Perception and Stealth (Any). Their Talents are Blather, Carouser, Gregarious and Shadow.
Tier 2 is Spy, Silver 3. They add Climb, Entertain (Acting), Intuition, Melee (Basic), Secret Signs (Any) and Sleight of Hand, plus WS as a stat. Their Talents are Etiquette (Any), Lip Reading, Read/Write and Secret Identity. Lip Reading gives a bonus to Perception tests to read lips, and lets you make a Perception test to understand anything said by someone whose unobstructed lower face you can see, regardless of distance. Secret Identity gives a bonus to Entertain (Acting) tests to support your secret identities. For each purchase, you select one Career, and as long as you are dressed appropriately you can use that Career's Status instead of oyur own for modifying social tests, and can ignore the Criminal talent while in these identities. However, you must make Entertain (Acting) tests when you meet people that may be able to tell you're lying.
Tier 3 is Agent, Gold 1. They add Animal Care, Animal Training (Pigeon), Language (Any) and Leadership, plus I as a stat. Their Talents are Attractive, Cat-tongued, Master of Disguise and Mimic. Master of Disguise gives a bonus to Entertain (Acting) tests when being someone else and lets you make a disguise without need of a Disguise Kit. Mimic gives a bonus to Entertain (Acting) tests where accents matter, and lets you make an Initiative test to perfectly replicate any accent you've been exposed to for at least one day. You can attempt the test once a day. Once you succeed, you retain the ability to mimic the accent forever and are completely unable to be detected as faking it, even by a local.
Tier 4 is Spymaster, Gold 4. They add Lore (Any) and Research, plus Int as a stat. Their Talents are Briber, Schemer, Suave and Tower of Memories.

Wardens can be anything but Wood Elves. They care for and maintain their employer's holdings. Failure to improve or at least maintain a status quo is usually a problem for them, and multiple Wardens may work for a single employer on a single estate. Their work can include upkeep and maintenance, overseeing hunting grounds or caring for a rarely used home. They may watch over cropland, forests or lakes, and those working for the rich and powerful are often quite powerful themselves. They rarely travel unless their duties require it, but they still need to regularly patrol the properties they oversee. Between jobs, they may work as guides or hunters, which can lead them to adventure. Those who are fired may also bear a grudge and even sell information to the enemies of their old masters. Wardens possess a mix of social, survival and (minor) combat skills.


Tier 1 Wardens are Custodians, Silver 1. They are good at S, T and WP, and have Athletics, Charm Animal, Consume Alcohol, Cool, Endurance, Intuition, Lore (Local) and Perception. Their Talents are Menacing, Night Vision, Sharp and Strike to Stun.
Tier 2 is Warden, Silver 3. They add Animal Care, Melee (Basic), Outdoor Survival, Ranged (Bow), Ride (Horse) and Swim, plus WS as a stat. Their Talents are Animal Affinity, Etiquette (Servants), Strider (Any) and Rover. Animal Affinity gives a bonus to Charm Animal tests and also causes any creature with the Bestial trait that hasn't been trained to be belligerent to automatically be calm and unaggressive in your presence unless they have a reason not to be, like pain, hyperaggressive nature or having young nearby. (Hyperaggression is there because Bestial is a trait had by things like Squigs and Jabberslythes.) Strider gives a bonus to Athletics tests to cross the chosen terrain; you pick a specific terrain type and ignore all movement penalties when crossing over or through it. Rover gives a bonus to Stealth tests in Rural areas, and when doing so, bystanders don't get passive Perception checks to oppose you - they have to be actively on the lookout.
Tier 3 is Seneschal, Gold 1. They add Bribery, Charm, Gossip and Leadership, plus Fel as a stat. Their Talents are Embezzle, Numismatics, Read/Write and Supportive.
Tier 4 is Governor, Gold 3. They add Evaluate and Language (Any), plus Int as a stat. Their Talents are Commanding Presence, Etiquette (Any), Savant (Local) and Suave.

Next time: Bailiff, Hedge Witch, Herbalist

The Peasantry

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

WFRP 4e - The Peasantry

We are now into the rural Peasant careers! Bailiffs can be Dwarf, Halfling or Human. They are primarily tax collectors for nobles and general enactors of noble will in rural areas. Some are respected and upstanding, while others are mere bullies, enforcing the lord's rights with threats and violence. As they advance, they become reeves, with broader power and responsibility. Reeves are tasked to maintain order and keep the borders, resolving any disputes with neighbors. They often get appointed magistrates when respected enough, and some of those are of the Cult of Verena as lay members. Most, however, do not require her blind Justice, as their work is largely arbitration of petty disputes between locals over livestock and farms. Most Bailiffs have a surprising degree of autonomy, which gives them plenty of time and chance for pursuing their own interests or hiring others. Because many also have large areas in which their authority extends, they are frequently sent out by their employers to handle local problems, which can drag them into adventures. Bailiffs have a good mix of basic combat skills and social skills, plus some sneakery and exploration.


Tier 1 Bailiffs are Tax Collectors, Silver 1. They have good WS, I and WP, plus Cool, Dodge, Endurance, Gossip, Haggle, Intimidate, Melee and Perception. Which Melee is not specified, so I guess Melee (Any) or (Basic) is most likely. Their Talents are Embezzle, Numismatics, Strong Back and Tenacious.
Tier 2 is Bailiff, Silver 5. They add Bribery, Charm, Evaluate, Intuition, Leadership and Lore (Local), plus Fel as a stat. Their Talents are Break and Enter, Criminal, Public Speaking and Strike to Stun.
Tier 3 is Reeve, Gold 1. They add Animal Care, Lore (Heraldry), Navigation and Ride (Horse), plus Agi as a stat. Their Talents are Kingpin, Menacing, Nose for Trouble and Read/Write.
Tier 4 is Magistrate, Gold 3. They add Language (Classical) and Lore (Any), plus Int as a stat. Their Talents are Commanding Presence, Iron Will, Savvy and Schemer.

Hedge Witch is Human-only. Hedge Witch is the term used by Witch Hunters to refer to any illegal spellcaster, but in the pst it referred to respected members of the community that used ancient magics. The decades of persecution of non-Collegiate magic have taken their toll, however, and now the surviving Hedge Witches exist in hiding in the quiet parts of the world, in smoky huts and hovels on the boundary of the wild places. Most are solitary folk for protection, but the locals are often aware of their talents. Their knowledge of how to ward off evil may be secret, but their herbalism, midwifery and healing talents are sought in times of need. They are also often the first line of defense against supernatural troubles, which can get them into all kinds of adventure. They also often head out traveling when Witch Hunters show up, to be away from danger in favor of other, less dangerous danger. They are known by many names, but their goal is the same - preserve the ancient ways from destruction. They have little love lost for the Colleges, knowing that any child lost to them will never return to the community, instead being pressed into service in distant wars. When possible, they go out of their way to hide children with the gift for magic from passing Wizards, though sometimes they will give one up - perhaps as a spy or a sacrifice. They mix exploration and healing skills with Hedge Magic, which is...unique, and we'll look at the power of the Lore when we get into the magic chapter. IMO they are the better off of the two non-Wizard arcane caster careers. Overall I'd still stick with Wizard, though.


Tier 1 Hedge Witches are Hedge Apprentices, Brass 3 . They are good at T, I and Dex, and have Channeling, presumably Channeling (Hedgecraft) but it doesn't specify, Endurance, Intuition, Language (Magick), Lore (Folklore), Lore (Herbs), Outdoor Survival and Perception. Their Talents are Fast Hands, Petty Magic, Rover and Strider (Woodlands).
Tier 2 is Hedge Witch, Brass 2. They add Cool, Gossip, Heal, Lore (Local), Trade (Charms) and Trade (Herbalist), plus Int as a stat. Their Talents are Aethyric Attunement, Animal Affinity, Arcane Magic (Hedgecraft) and Sixth Sense.
Tier 3 is Hedge Master, Brass 3. They add Haggle, Lore (Genealogy), Lore (Magic) and Lore (Spirits), plus Fel as a stat. Their Talents are Craftsman (Herbalist), Magical Sense, Pure Soul and Resistance (Disease).
Tier 4 is Hedgewise, Brass 5. They add Intimidate and Pray, plus WP as a stat. Their Talents are Acute Sense (Any), Master Craftsman (Herbalist), Night Vision and Strong-minded.

Herbalists can be anyone but Dwarfs. Because apothecary medicine is so expensive and not generally available in rural areas, they rely on Herbalists instead, who use the healing power of plants. Most Herbalist lore is passed down verbally, and so names for diseases and their treatments vary from village to village. The most experienced, however, are called in when no one has any idea what's going on or why a disease isn't going away. Much of an Herbalist's time is dedicated to visiting the sick, diagnosing them and searching for herbs. Some also work darker trades, making and selling drugs or poisons. While it is an inaccurate stereotype, it's a frequent joke in the trade that Halfling Herbalists tend to be only interested in pipeweed and wyrdroot. An Herbalist's knowledge of drugs and potions makes them welcome in any mercenary band, and Herbalist apprentices are often sent out in search of rare ingredients when particularly dangerous diseases strike. Wood Elf Herbalists are legendary for their knowledge, and in the Grey Mountains they say that Shallya went to Athel Loren to learn their lore when Ranald was dying of a disease she couldn't cure. High Elf Herbalists, on the other hand, follow the teachings of Lileath the Maiden, and it is said thaT Marienburg has an Elven library recording the medicinal use of every plant in the Old World, though no Human has ever been allowed in. The career is good at exploration and healing, with some social skills.


Tier 1 Herbalists are Herb Gatherers, Brass 2. They are good at T, I and Agi, plus Charm Animal, Climb, Endurance, Lore (Herbs), Outdoor Survival, Perception, Swim and Trade (Herbalist). Their Talents are Acute Sense (Taste), Orientation, Rover and Strider (Any).
Tier 2 is Herbalist, Brass 4. They add Consume Alcohol, Cool, Gossip, Haggle, Heal and Lore (Local), plus Dex as a stat. Their Talents are Dealmaker, Nimble Fingered, Sharp and Sturdy.
Tier 3 is Herb Master, Silver 1. They add Intuition, Leadership, Lore (Medicine) and Trade (Poisons), plus Fel as a stat. Their Talents are Craftsman (Herbalist), Field Dressing, Hardy and Savvy.
Tier 4 is Herbwise, Silver 3. They add Drive and Navigation, plus Int as a stat. Their Talents are Concoct, Master Tradesman (Herbalist), Resistance (Poison) and Savant (Herbs).

Next time: Hunter, Miner, Mystic

On The Hunt

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

WFRP 4e - On The Hunt

Hunters can be anyone. In Hochland, the locals have a deep hunting heritage, and 'Taal's Bounty' is a frequent greeting for them - and Hunters in general. Many in the Empire hunt for fun, as a job or out of necessity, and many of these Hunters become poachers when times are tough. Very skilled ones might be employed by a noble as a huntmaster, which gives them access to excellent weapons, horses and falcons. Elves and Dwarfs, meanwhile, tend not to care about Human political boundaries and may well go deep into Imperial lands in pursuit of a choice prize. The Wood Elves' Wild Hunt is spoken of in the Grey Mountains to scare children - and for good reason, for if their lands are encroached on, the Wood Elves are quick to hunt the intruders as well. It is common for poachers to lose two fingers as a punishment, and many who are in danger of this will go on the run rather than lose their ability to draw a bow, taking their chances in the woods or on the road. In the villages of Suden Vorbergland, the Hunters are being driven back by increasing farmland and nobles reserving wild lands for sport. The Army's always looking to hire skilled Hunters, too, as support for their forces as archers or scouts. Hunters mix exploration skills with excellent ranged combat skills.


Tier 1 Hunters are Trappers, Brass 2. They have good S, T and Dex, and have Charm Animal, Climb, Endurance, Lore (Beasts), Outdoor Survival, Perception, Ranged (Bow) and Set Trap. Their Talents are Hardy, Rover, Strider (Any) and Trapper. Trapper gives a bonus to Perception tests to spot traps and to Set Trap, and you can passively make Perception tests to spot traps automatically without having to actively look for them.
Tier 2 is Hunter, Brass 4. They add Cool, Intuition, Melee (Basic), Ranged (Sling), Secret Signs (Hunter) and Stealth (Rural), plus BS as a stat. Their Talents are Accurate Shot, Fast Shot, Hunter's Eye and Marksman. Accurate Shot causes extra damage with ranged weapons. Hunter's Eye gives a bonus to any test to trail or catch game, and when traveling through lands that have animals in them, you are assumed to automatically hunt enough game to feed yourself and (purchases) others as long as you have the time and equipment to do so, on top of any normal foraging. Marksman gives +5 base BS.
Tier 3 is Tracker, Silver 1. It adds Navigation, Ride (Horse), Swim and Track, plus I as a stat. Its Talents are Acute Sense (Any), Deadeye Shot, Fearless (Animals) and Sharpshooter. Deadeye Shot lets you just straight up choose your hit location with ranged weapons instead of it being based on your attack roll reversed. Sharpshooter eliminates any penalties to Ranged tests based on the size of your target. (IE, you can hit tiny things just as easily as normal things.)
Tier 4 is Huntsmaster, Silver 3. You add Animal Care and Animal Training (Any), plus Int as a stat. Its Talents are Fearless (Monsters), Robust, Sniper and Sure Shot. Sure Shot lets you ignore Armor Points with ranged weapons based on your purchases.

Miners are Dwarf, Halfling or Human. They are often prospectors tempted by tales of gold in the Skaag Hills - but the work is dangerous, and is done in dark tunnels far below the earth. Miners quickly learn to build supports and assess ores for their value, as well as to handle unexpected dangers like explosive gas or tribes of Greenskins. They are notoriously tough in both body and mind, and typically work on commission, with a license granted by the local lord in exchange for a cut of the finds. Some nobles actually have their fortune built on mining, and employ criminals or debtors in their mines. In theory, quarrying open stone above ground is safer, but accidents are still common and Beastmen seem to enjoy attacking the quarries. Many independent Miners end up in trouble due to underground Goblins or monsters, and some find that hunting such creatures is actually more lucrative than slaving away for the mine owner. Prospectors hunting for good land also have plenty of chances to be dragged into trouble. For Dwarfs, mining is an occupation for any social class, and Miners are considered extremely skilled artisans, deeply respected. Dwarfs have a keen sense of stone and seem to be drawn to valuable ore seams, with a near sixth sense for when a passage needs shoring up. Some clans are so proud of their mining skill that they march to war armed with picks instead of axes. Miners have excellent exploration skills and decent melee combat skills, especially because they tend to be strong as shit and very tough, plus brave as hell. Also, they can blow things up.


Tier 1 is Prospector, Brass 2. They have good S, T and WP, and have Cool, Endurance, Intuition, Lore (Local), Melee (Two-Handed), Outdoor Survival, Perception and Swim. Their Talents are Rover, Strider (Rocky), Sturdy and Tenacious.
Tier 2 is Miner, Brass 4. They add Climb, Consume Alcohol, Evaluate, Melee (Basic), Secret Signs (Miner) and Trade (Explosives), plus WS as a stat. Their Talents are Night Vision, Strike Mighty Blow, Strong Back and Very Strong.
Tier 3 is Master Miner, Brass 5. They add Gossip, Lore (Geology), Stealth (Underground) and Trade (Engineer), plus I as a stat. Their Talents are Careful Strike, Craftsman (Explosives), Tinker and Tunnel Rat. Careful Strike lets you modify your hit location result on any attack up or down by up to 10 per purchase.
Tier 4 is Mine Foreman, Silver 4. They add Charm and Leadership, plus Fel as a stat. Their Talents are Argumentative, Strong-minded, Embezzle and Read/Write.

Mystics can be Human or Wood Elf. What they are is people that tell the future. Wandering Strigany caravans aren't rare in the Reikland, and locals often come to them for fortunetelling, charms and love potions. Most Mystics are merely perceptive, intuitive sorts who can tell their customer's hopes and fears and will give readings just specific enough to be believable. They must be careful and walk a fine line to avoid accusations of trickery, heresy and witchcraft, after all. Not all, though - a good amount do in fact have mystical abilities of some kind, though rarely full-on sorcery. Mystics may be palmists or card readers - both common with the Strigany - while Wood Elf Mystics more often interpret signs and symbols of nature or dreams. Many cults have their own skilled seers and sages giving prophesies of the future as best they can, too. Mystics may end up seeking a life of adventure because their insights bring them into the crosshairs of priests or witch hunters, or may be driven to do so by their dreams and visions. It's not exactly hard for them to give up a settled life no matter what, though - theirs isn't a trade bound to a place. Mystics are primarily social, but have access to several more magical Talents, and at the uppermost levels can get backdoor access to Petty Magic, assorted spells and a small subset of Celestial magic. I don't consider them a full-on caster class, though, because their magic is limited and comes only at tier 3. Witch! gives them access to a wide array of potential spells, though, once they can get it.


Tier 1 Mystics are Fortune Tellers, Brass 1. They have good I, Dex and Fel, and have Charm, Entertain (Fortune Telling), Dodge, Gossip, Haggle, Intuition, Perception and Sleight of Hand. Their Talents are Attractive, Luck, Second Sight and Suave.
Tier 2 is Mystic, Brass 2. They add Bribery, Cool, Entertain (Prophecy), Evaluate, Intimidate and Lore (Astrology), plus WP as a stat. Their Talents are Detect Artefact, Holy Visions, Sixth Sense and Well-Prepared.
Tier 3 is Sage, Brass 3. They add Charm Animal, Entertain (Storytelling), Language (Any) and Trade (Writing), plus Agi as a stat. Their Talents are Nose for Trouble, Petty Magic, Read/Write and Witch!. Witch! adds Language (Magick) as a skill to any Career you enter, and if it's already part of it you get a discount. Also, you may spend 1 Resilience to manifest and permanently learn any spell from any Arcane Lore, once per purchase.
Tier 4 is Seer, Brass 4. They add Lore (Prophecy) and Channelling (Azyr), plus Int as a stat. Their Talents are Arcane Magic (Celestial), though they are strictly limited in which spells they can take from it, Magical Sense, Menacing and Strong-minded.

Next time: Scout, Villager, Bounty Hunter

Scouting Ahead

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

WFRP 4e - Scouting Ahead

Scouts can be anyone. Because maps are rare and most people in the Empire can't read anyway, knowledge of local terrain is very valuable for travellers. Scouts are experts in finding safe passage through the wild lands of the Empire, and are often hired as local guides to avoid danger, share local gossip and show the best places to forage. The best Scouts are barely seen by their employers as they explore ahead and find dangers to avoid. While most keep to lands they know, some specialize in navigating unmapped areas, or even in heading out on expeditions to make better maps. Most Scouts avoid handling the dangers they find themselves, leaving that to better-armed allies or just avoiding them entirely. Scouts are obviously valuable to an adventuring crew, especially one heading into the wilds for the first time. They may be asked to stay on after being hired, though many retain the aloof manner of a loner even as they help protect the group or spot ambushes. Scouts are primarily exploration skills, with only a basic ability at ranged combat. You want to shoot stuff, go Hunter; a Scout is a survival skill master, though.


Tier 1 Scouts are Guides, Brass 3. They have good T, I and Agi, and have Charm Animal, Climb, Endurance, Gossip, Lore (Local), Melee (Basic), Outdoor Survival and Perception. Their Talents are Orientation, Rover, Sharp and Strider (Any).
Tier 2 is Scout, Brass 5. They add Athletics, Navigation, Ranged (Bow), Ride (Horse), Stealth (Rural) and Track, plus BS as a stat. Their Talents are Combat Aware, Night Vision, Nose for Trouble and Seasoned Traveller.
Tier 3 is Pathfinder, Silver 1. They add Animal Care, Haggle, Secret Signs (Hunter) and Swim, plus Int as a stat. Their Talents are Acute Sense (Sight), Sixth Sense, Strong Legs and Very Resilient.
Tier 4 is Explorer, Silver 5. They add Language (Any) and Trade (Cartographer), plus Dex as a stat. Their Talents are Hardy, Linguistics, Savant (Local) and Tenacious.

Villagers are Dwarf, Halfling or Human. They farm and otherwise produce goods out in rural areas, and make up the majority of the Empire's population. They are charcoal burners, woodsmen, millers, herders and more. Most villages are ruled by a noble family, with their day-to-day life overseen by a bailiff. Village life is also usually managed by a council of local tradesmen and famers, led by a village elder with significant local influence. Villagers sometimes find their pastoral lives extremely boring and look for any chance to go live the adventure tales they hear from passing traders or Strigany. In winter, when the fields are fallow and the food is scarce, many also head to the cities for work, and some end up never coming back, caught up in adventure and mischief. The Villager gets basic melee combat, social and craft skills and a nice assortment of handy survival Talents but doesn't really specialize in much.


Tier 1 is Peasant, Brass 2. They are good at S, T and Agi, and have Animal Care, Athletics, Consume Alcohol, Endurance, Gossip, Melee (Brawling), Lore (Local) and Outdoor Survival. Their Talents are Rover, Strong Back, Strong-minded and Stone Soup.
Tier 2 is Villager, Brass 3. They add Drive, Entertain (Storytelling), Haggle, Melee (Basic) and Trade (Any), plus WS as a stat. Their Talents are Animal Affinity, Hardy, Tenacious and Very Strong.
Tier 3 is Councillor, Brass 4. They add Bribery, Charm, Intimidate and Leadership, plus Fel as a stat. Their Talents are Craftsman (Any), Dealmaker, Stout-hearted and Very Resilient.
Tier 4 is Village Elder, Silver 2. They add Intuition and Lore (History), plus Int as a stat. Their Talents are Master Tradesman (Any), Nimble Fingered, Public Speaker and Savant (Local).

Into the Ranger careers! Bounty Hunters can be anyone. They track down and capture fugitives or outlaws for money. Most are appointed by provincial courts and get warrant papers that let them seize or sometimes even kill their targets legally. Some are motivated by justice, but most are in it for the rewards. Most begin as simple thief-takers, retrieving stolen goods until they can establish a reputation and find more permanent work for a noble house, guild or cult, or start up their own bounty hunting group. Bounty Hunters often end up stumbling into adventure just via doing their job, and because they're often independent, they find it easy to turn towards doing whatever is currently happening instead of bounty hunting. Their broad skillset is also very helpful for adventuring groups, and it's not that rare for them to hire on fulltime. They mix combat, social and exploration skills.


Tier 1 is Thief-taker, Silver 1. They are good at WS, T and Agi, and get Bribery, Charm, Gossip, Haggle, Intuition, Melee (Basic), Outdoor Survival and Perception. Their Talents are Break and Enter, Shadow, Strike to Stun and Suave.
Tier 2 is Bounty Hunter, Silver 3. They add Athletics, Endurance, Intimidate, Ranged (Crossbow), Ranged (Entangling) and Track, plus BS as a stat. Their Talents are Marksman, Relentless, Seasoned Traveller and Strong Back. Relentless lets you Disengage while keeping a bit of Advantage, and lets you Disengage even when you have lower Advantage than your foe.
Tier 3 is Master Bounty Hunter, Silver 5. They add Animal Care, Climb, Ride (Horse) and Swim, plus S as a stat. Their Talents are Accurate Shot, Careful Strike, Dual Wielder and Sprinter.
Tier 4 is Bounty Hunter General, Gold 1. They add Drive and Lore (Law), plus Int as a stat. Their Talents are Deadeye Shot, Fearless (Bounties), Hardy and Sure Shot.

Next time: Coachman, Entertainer, Flagellant

Hitting Yourself With Whips Is The Secret Of True Combat Murder

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

WFRP 4e - Hitting Yourself With Whips Is The Secret Of True Combat Murder

Coachmen can be Dwarfs, Halflings or Humans. For most, coaches are the only real way to get between towns, given the dangers inherent in travel. The wild places are full of Beastmen, Bandits and more, but despite that, Coachmen make it possible for even peasants to travel! The coaching companies relentlessly pursue speed, to better evade danger, and their employees have a reputation for ruthlessness and distrust of other travellers on the road. They typically begin their careers as Postilions, who read the lead horse of the team. Some Coachmen deliver mail rather than passengers, or work exclusively for a noble they chaffeur, or drive cabs or merchant wagons, or even the omnibuses of the cities that move citizens around, or even become getaway drivers. A good Coachman is always in demand for rough, dangerous or straight up illegal jobs. They often take breaks in winter to do other things, as the cross-country coaching lines are severely reduced during that season, but jobs are never scarce come spring - the coaching companies always need good drivers. The Coachman is an able combatant and has good social skills.


Tier 1 is Postilion, Silver 1. They get good BS, T and WP, and have Animal Care, Charm Animal, Climb, Drive, Endurance, Perception, Ranged (Entangling) and Ride (Horse). Their Talents are Animal Affinity, Seasoned Traveller, Trick Riding and Tenacious. Trick Riding gives a bonus to Dodge tests on horseback and Ride (Horse), and lets you use any Perform skills freely while on horseback as well as removing any penalty to Dodge for being on horseback. Also, when mounted, you can take your Move at the start of the Round instead of on your Turn. (This edition has actual rules for being mounted!)
Tier 2 is Coachman, Silver 2. They add Consume Alcohol, Gossip, Intuition, Lore (Local), Navigation and Ranged (Blackpowder), plus Agi as a stat. Their Talents are Coolheaded, Crack the Whip, Gunner and Strong-Minded. Crack the Whip gives a bonus to Drive and Ride tests when Fleeing or Running, and gives any animal you control +1 Movement when Fleeing or Running if you have a whip.
Tier 3 is Coach Master, Silver 3. They add Animal Training (Horse), Intimidation, Language (any) and Lore (Routes), plus WS as a stat. Their Talents are Accurate Shot, Dealmaker, Fearless (Outlaws) and Nose for Trouble.
Tier 4 is Route Master, Silver 5. They add Charm and Leadership, plus I as a stat. Their Talents are Fearless (Beastmen), Marksman, Orientation and Rapid Reload.

Entertainers can be anyone. They are found all over the place, and many wander Reikland to earn their keep. Some work out of a specific theatre, some work by themselves on street corners or travelling, some are part of a troupe. The worst are essentially just travelling beggars, while the best are called on by kings and princes. It's a hard life, and no one tolerates a poor act, often running them out of town and throwing spoiled vegetables. The most common Entertainers are the jesters, singers, actors, musicians, acrobats, dancers and jugglers - crowd-pleasers that everyone loves. However, more obscure and stranger acts can easily exist. Entertainers are basically adventurers by default - both travel often, after all, and the call of the crowd is like an adventure already. Given they live on the edges of respectable society, they also get into a lot of trouble. They are largely social skills with a smattering of sneak and some minor combat ability.


Tier 1 is Busker, Brass 3. They have good Agi, Dex and Fel, and get Athletics, Charm, Entertain (Any), Gossip, Haggle, Perform (Any), Play (Any) and Sleight of Hand. Their Talents are Attractive, Mimic, Public Speaking and Suave.
Tier 2 is Entertainer, Brass 5. They add Entertain (Any), Ride (Any), Melee (Basic), Perform (Any), Play (Any) and Ranged (Throwing), plus WS as a stat. Their Talents are Contortionist, Jump Up, Sharpshooter and Trick Riding. Contortionist gives a bonus to Perform and Agi tests where contorting helps, and lets you bend your body in many seemingly unnatural ways, which help you out whenever the GM says they do (possibly requiring an Agi test). Jump Up lets you make an Agi test to immediately stand up whenever you gain a Prone condition, often with a modifier based on the Str of whatever knocked you down compared to your T.
Tier 3 is Troubadour, Silver 3. They add Animal Care, Animal Training (Any), Art (Writing) and Language (Any), plus BS as a stat. Their Talents are Blather, Master of Disguise, Perfect Pitch and Read/Write. Perfect Pitch gives a bonus to Entertain (Sing), and any Langage skill using tonal languages, such as Eltharin, Cathayan or Magick. You also add Entertain (Sing) to your skill list for all Careers, with a discount if it already had it.
Tier 4 is Troupe Leader, Gold 1. They add Drive and Leadership, plus T as a stat. Their Talents are Dealmaker, Etiquette (Any), Seasoned Traveller and Sharp.

Flagellants are Human-only. They are Sigmarites who believe that forgiveness requires their struggle, pain and obedience. They travel the land, flogging themselves in penance for their own sins and those of others. They are utterly determined to serve Sigmar until the world's end, which they are pretty sure is soon. It is expected that good people will welcome, feed and help them in their quest. They often wander in large groups, guided by a Prophet of Doom that interprets the will of Sigmar for them. Some follow after armies, entering battle frenzies to fight without regard for their own safety. Others wander alone, certain they can best serve by righting whatever wrongs Sigmar puts in their path. It is, thus, very easy for them to wander into an adventure, especially if foes of Sigmar are involved. They rely entirely on the honest people of the Empire to support them, doing no actual work besides, y'know, whipping themselves and beating up evil. Their skillset is combat and survival. They are pretty dang good at both, being one of the only careers with native Frenzy access now that Frenzy doesn't suck.


Tier 1 is Zealot, Brass 0. They are good at WS, S and T, and have Dodge, Endurance, Heal, Intimidate, Intuition, Lore (Sigmar), Melee (Flail) and Outdoor Survival. Their Talents are Berserk Charge, Frenzy, Read/Write and Stone Soup. Berserk Charge gives a bonus to Melee in Rounds when you Charge, and gives bonus Melee damage when you Charge. Frenzy allows you to use the Frenzy rules.
Tier 2 is Flagellant, Brass 0. They add Art (Icons), Athletics, Cool, Language (Classical), Lore (The Empire) and Ranged (Sling), plus WP as a stat. Their Talents are Hardy, Hatred (Heretics), Flagellant and Implacable. Flagellant gives a bonus to any test to resist the Ruinous Powers, and requires that you spend half an hour every day maintaining a number of Wounds on your body equal to your purchases, but until you sleep next after that, you can enter Frenzy immediately without testing if you have the Frenzy Talent, and the Frenzy Talent is added to the list for any Career you are in. If you ever fail to flagellate on a given day, or if your flagellant wounds are healed, you cannot spend Resilience or Resolve until you flagellate again. And you are, of course, a Flagellant Flagellant with Flagellant. Implacable allows you to ignore the Wound loss from one Bleeding Condition per purchase.
Tier 3 is Penitent, Brass 0. They add Charm, Language (Any), Lore (Theology) and Perception, plus I as a stat. Their Talents are Field Dressing, Furious Assault, Menacing and Seasoned Traveller. Furious Assault gives a bonus to Melee when making extra attacks (but not your first normal attack per Round) and, once per Round, if you hit an enemy in close combat, you may immediately spend your Move or 1 Advantage to make an extra attack.
Tier 4 is Prophet of Doom, Brass 0. They add Entertain (Speeches) and Leadership, plus Fel as a stat. Their Talents are Battle Rage, Fearless (Heretics), Frightening and Impassioned Zeal. Battle Rage gives a bonus to Melee tests when Frenzied and allows you end your Frenzy early by making a Cool test at the end of a Round.

Next time: Messenger, Pedlar, Road Warden

BURN THE WITCH

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

WFRP 4e - BURN THE WITCH

Witch Hunters must be Human. They are feared and respected across the Empire, with wide leeway in the performance of their duties. Those duties are to hunt the Old World and judge illegal witches and those who harbor them, typically armed with silvered blades and a brace of pistols. Most Witch Hunters are Sigmarites and belong to the Cult of Sigmar, but secular Witch Hunters do exist and are sometimes employed in the provinces. They are effectively specialized bounty hunters, though. The Colleges of Magic also employ their own Witch HGunters, the Magisters Vigilant, who hunt rogue wizards, necromancers and daemonologists, and tend to be trained wizards themselves, the logic being that it's best to set a witch to catch a witch. Witch Hunters don't do anything except adventure, crossing the entire Empire in search of rogue sorcerers. They show up wherever the foul influence of unsanctioned magic does, and they hunt it down. The bigger the reputation they get, the more terrible the foes they are set upon. The game notes that it is probably not a good idea to have a Witch or Hedge Witch and a Witch Hunter in the same party without some OOC negotiations to prevent major, game-killing conflict. Witch Hunters are excellent fighters with pretty good knowledge and intimidation skills.


Tier 1 is Interrogator, Silver 1. They are good at WS, T and WP, and have Charm, Consume Alcohol, Heal, Intimidate, Intuition, Lore (Torture), Melee (Fist Brawling) and Perception. Their Talents are Coolheaded, Menacing, Read/Write and Resolute. Resolute gives a bonus to your SB when Charging.
Tier 2 is Witch Hunter, Silver 3. They add Cool, Dodge, Gossip, Lore (Witches), Ranged (Any) and Ride (Horse, plus BS as a stat. Also their Trappings include the hat. Their Talents are Dual Wielder, Marksman, Seasoned Traveller and Shadow.
Tier 3 is Inquisitor, Silver 5. They add Endurance, Leadership, Lore (Law), and Lore (Local), plus Fel as a stat. Their Talents are Fearless (Witches), Nose for Trouble, Relentless and Strong-minded.
Tier 4 is Witchfinder General, Gold 1. They add Lore (Chaos) and Lore (Politics), plus Int as a stat. Their Talents are Frightening, Iron Will, Magical Sense and Pure Soul.

Boatmen casn be anything but Wood Elves. They manage the boats and barges of the Empire, moving goods along the rivers and canals in shallow-drafted vessels. The barge masters are expert river sailors with exhaustive knowledge of the rivers, and while simple boat-hands do whatever job is given them, they quickly learn the ropes and advance. Boatmen work for merchant barges, owned by their cvrew or captain, or by larger Merchant Houses. Many also serve as ferrymen along the rivers or run rivertaxis in large towns, sail pleasure ships or otherwise pilot vessels for others. Boatmen rarely need to seek out adventure - adventure lives on the rivers. Boats are needed by just about anyone, and so a Boatman can easily be present whenever adventure starts. The boat may even make an excellent base of operations for an adventuring party. Boatmen rarely have to worry about going anywhere if there's a river nearby, and even if they leave the river, they usually can have their fellow crewmen take care of the ship while they're away. Boatmen are decent if not great fighters with good exploration and decent social skills.


Tier 1 is Boat-hand, Silver 1. They are good at S, T and Agi, and have Consume Alcohol, Dodge, Endurance, Gossip, Melee (Basic), Row, Sail and Swim. Their Talents are Dirty Fighting, Fisherman, Strong Back and Strong Swimmer. Strong Swimmer gives a bonus to Swim tests and adds your purchases to your TB for purposes of holding your breath.
Tier 2 is Boatman, Silver 2. They add Athletics, Entertain (Storytelling), Haggle, Intuition, Lore (Riverways) and Perception, plus I as a stat. Their Talents are Etiquette (Guilder), Seasoned Traveller, Very Strong and Waterman. Waterman gives a bonus to Sail tests for river vessels, and allows you to ignore any penalties on all Tests while onboard a barge that are caused by rolling waters, swaying vessels, unsure footing and so on. Also, you count as two boatmen for purposes of crew required to pilot a river vessel.
Tier 3 is Bargeswain, Silver 3. It adds Climb, Entertain (Singing), Heal and Trade (Boatbuilding), plus Dex as a stat. Its Talents are Dealmaker, Embezzle, Nose for Trouble and Strike Mighty Blow.
Tier 4 is Barge Master, Silver 5. It adds Leadership and Navigation, plus Int as a stat. Its Talents are Menacing, Orientation, Pilot and Public Speaker. Pilot gives a bonus to Row and Sail tests when in unsure or dangerous waters, and if you fail such a Test, you can reverse the result if it'd be successful, but if you do, you cannot get more than 1 SL.

Huffers are Dwarfs, Halflings or Humans. They are specialized river guides who know one or a few local river systems extremely well. Huffers are commonly found near dangerous river stretches, and may be paid quite well for what many think is easy work. Others see it as cheap, given the alternative: risk of lost cargo. Many Huffers specialize in just one stretch of notorious water, while others focus on the periods of the year that the water is worst in. Others have broad knowledge and will work a boat for its entire vessel, serving as a navigator, especially for merchant ships with valuable cargo. Huffers are experts for hire, often working for wealthy patrons or brought in as specialists on voyages of discovery. Even when heading into the unknown, their broad knowledge of river conditions and river sailing are very useful, and they are able to travel much of the year due to the highly regional and seasonal nature of their work. This makes it easy for them to join adventurers for a time, then go back to huffing if the job doesn't suit their needs. Huffers get decent combat and social skills as well as, y'know, the boat skills.


Tier 1 is Riverguide, Brass 4. They're good at WS, T and I, and they have Consume Alcohol, Gossip, Intuition, Lore (Local), Lore (Riverways), Perception, Row and Swim. Their Talents are Fisherman, Night Vision, Orientation and Waterman.
Tier 2 is Huffer, Silver 1. They add Charm, Cool, Entertain (Storytelling), Language (Any), Melee (Basic) and Navigation, plus WP as a stat. Their Talents are Dealmaker, Etiquette (Guilder), Nose for Trouble and River Guide. River Guide gives a bonus to any Lore test about river matters, and you never need to test for passing through dangerous waters until the Difficulty is -10 or worse - any easier test you automatically pass. Further, if you have the appropriate Lore (Local) skill, you just don't have to make tests to navigate dangerous waters in that area, period.
Tier 3 is Pilot, Silver 3. They add Haggle, Intimidate, Lore (Local) and Lore (Wrecks), plus Int as a stat. Their Talents are Acute SensE (Sight), Pilot, Sea Legs and Very Strong. Sea Legs gives a bonus to all tests taken to resist Sea Sickness, and you don't even have to make such tests under normal travel conditions - just during storms or magically caused Sea Sickness. Even then, you ignore any penalties on these tests.
Tier 4 is Master Pilot, Silver 5. They add Leadership and Sail, plus Fel as a stat. Their Talents are Sixth Sense, Sharp, Strong Swimmer and Tenacious.

Next time: Riverwarden, Riverwoman, Seaman

Not Peddlers, Pedlars

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

WFRP 4e - Not Peddlers, Pedlars

Messengers can be anyone. When standard postal service (ie, 'hand it to a coach going in the right direction') is too unsecure or slow, people go to the Messengers. Several companies provider courier services at express speed, competing to be the fastest and safest for message delivery. Most Messengers take their jobs deadly seriously, guarding their packages with their lives if need be. Some courier companies work with coaching houses to allow for easy horse swaps and therefore top speed delivery. In cities, runners are employed to carry messages within city limits, and most larger settlements will host competitions and races to celebrate the fastest of them, with winners earning prizes and lucrative delivery contracts. Messengers often work the military, nobles, large merchant groups or even criminal gangs that want to maintain the privacy of their communications. The information within such messages is usually sensitive and can easily lead to adventure if intercepted - or even if delivered properly. The easiest way for anyone to get that information, at that, is to waylay the Messenger, which is adventure in itself. At that point, if it's lost, the Messenger's duty is to work to recover it by any means possible. Messengers are usually freelancers rather than permanent employees, paid per delivery, and so it's easy enough for them to drop everything and then return to work later. Messengers are good at exploration and if not at winning fights, at least at getting through them intact.


Tier 1 is Runner, Brass 3. They're good at T, I and Agi, and have Athletics, Climb, Dodge, Endurance, Gossip, Navigation, Perception and Melee (Brawling). Their Talents are Flee!, Fleet Footed, Sprinter and Step Aside. Fleet Footed is +1 Movement.
Tier 2 is Messenger, Silver 1. They add Animal Care, Charm, Cool, Lore (Local), Melee (Basic) and Ride (Horse), plus WS as a stat. Their Talents are Crack the Whip, Criminal, Orientation and Seasoned Traveller.
Tier 3 is Courier, Silver 3. They add Charm Animal, Bribery, Consume Alcohol and Outdoor Survival, plus WP as a stat. Their Talents are Nose for Trouble, Relentless, Tenacious and Trick Riding.
Tier 4 is Courier-Captain, Silver 5. They add Intimidate and Leadership, plus Fel as a stat. Their Talents are Dealmaker, Hatred (Outlaws), Kingpin and Very Resilient.

Pedlars can be Dwarfs, Humans or Halflings. They are traveling merchants of a sort, selling miscellaneous crap, sharpening knives, mending clothes, tinkering - really, just about anything that needs doing but not a dedicated trade. They're basically walking general stores, selling hair pins or ribbons or other small luxuries easily available in larger towns. Even the most suspicious tend to welcome a Pedlar, because everyone loves pretty baubles and knickknacks. Some also serve as de facto messengers and town criers, bringing around the local news in the quiet areas in exchange for room and board. Some Pedlars prefer to keep market stalls due to the dangers of the road, and some make a living selling relics along pilgrimage routes. Ambitious Pedlars often get into adventure after hearing tales of profit in far-off lands. They're self-reliant sorts, easily able to pick and move, and find it easy to get into towns and strongholds with few questions asked, because they're so ubuquitous. Pedlars are all about exploration, social and sneaking, with a smattering of craft skill. They do not fight at all.


Tier 1 is Vagabond, Brass 1. They get good T, Dex and WP, and have Charm, Endurance, Entertain (Storytelling), Gossip, Haggle, Intuition, Outdoor Survival and Stealth (Rural or Urban). Their Talents are Fisherman, Flee!, Rover and Tinker. Fisherman gives a bonus to any test involving fishing and, assuming you have access to a large enough body of water, you are automatically assumed to fish up enough to feed yourself and a number of others based on your purchases, assuming you have time to spend at least an hour or so fishing. This is on top of normal foraging.
Tier 2 is Pedlar, Brass 4. They add Animal Care, Charm Animal, Consume Alcohol, Evaluate, Ride (Horse) and Trade (Tinker), plus Fel as a stat. Their Talents are Dealmaker, Orientation, Seasoned Traveller and Strong Back.
Tier 3 is Master Pedlar, Silver 1. They add Drive, Intimidate, Language (Any) and Perception, plus I as a stat. Their Talents are Numismatics, Sharo, Sturdy, Well-Prepared and Very Resilient.
Tier 4 is Wandering Trader, Silver 3. They add Lore (Local) and Lore (Geography), plus Int as a stat. Their Talents are Cat-tongued, Strong-minded, Suave and Tenacious.

Road Wardens can be Halfling or Human. They are the Empire's system of protectors of the highways, fighting off bandits, Greenskins, Beastmen and anything else that threatens travellers. They are supported by tolls, which they usually end up collecting personally. The best and most successful are well-respected and beloved, often with free stays at any inn in their territory. Main-road Road Wardens are usually Army soldiers patrolling during peacetime, and so are well-trained and have sexy uniforms. Less-travelled roads have to make do with the local equivalents, who occasionally take advantage of their lack of supervision to gouge travellers. Some prefer to sit in their fortified toll stations rather than actually patrol, but they have to at least keep the roads nice enough that people will actually give up their coin. Road Wardens often run into adventure just by doing their job. Anything bad happening out in the country is, after all, usually near a road, and so they have to go deal with it. If they then follow up and stay involved, well, that's part of the job. Might even earn some extra pay - even if it means going way, way off-route. Road Wardens do good combat and exploration, decent social.


Tier 1 is Toll Keeper, Brass 5. They're good at BS, T and I, and have Bribery, Consume Alcohol, Gamble, Gossip, Haggle, Melee (Basic), Perception and Ranged (Crossbow). Their Talents are Coolheaded, Embezzle, Marksman and Numismatics.
Tier 2 is Road Warden, Silver 2. They add Animal Care, Endurance, Intimidate, Intuition, Outdoor Survival and Ride (Horse), plus WS as a stat. Their Talents are Crack the Whip, Criminal, Roughrider and Seasoned Traveller. Roughrider gives a bonus to Ride (Horse) in combat and allows you to have your mount take an Action in combat as well as a Move, without needing a Ride test, assuming you have the appropriate Ride skill.
Tier 3 is Road Sergeant, Silver 4. They add Athletics, Charm, Leadership and Ranged (Blackpowder), plus Fel as a stat. Their Talents are Etiquette (Soldiers), Fearless (Outlaws), Hatred (Any) and Nose for Trouble.
Tier 4 is Road Captain, Gold 1. They add Lore (Empire) and Navigation, plus Int as a stat. Their Talents are Combat Aware, Commanding Presence, Kingpin and Public Speaker.

Next time: Witch Hunter, Boatman and Huffer ERROR, TIME TRAVEL HAPPENED

RIVER COPS

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

WFRP 4e - RIVER COPS

Riverwardens are Halflings or Humans. They are the members of the Imperial River Patrol, the river cops. They have a reputation for being harassing thugs as much as for actually stopping crime, but most riverside inns or villages set some dock space aside for them on the basis that if they weren't around, worse criminals would be. The Riverwardens are hugely overworked and tend to focus on the worst crimes, with lesser ones being assigned spot fines. On the major trade rivers, they maintain larger vessels crewed by their Shipswords, who are trained to handle problems like Trolls or Greenskins. Some Riverwardens rarely get out on the water, instead manning the outposts that overlook strategically important areas of river, while others work high-speed riverboats by night to stop smugglers. Their biggest vessels are essentially fully equipped warships, covered in cannon and mortars. River Wardens get up to plenty of adventure just doing their jobs, but even without that, they can easily head out on trips. River Warden shifts are a month long and you don't go off duty at all, but once they're over, you have months off to do whatever you need to do without question. Riverwardens mix combat skills and social skills, with a few exploration skills focused on the water.


Tier 1 is River Recruit, Silver 1. They are good at BS, S and Fel, and have Athletics, Dodge, Endurance, Melee (Basic), Perception, Row, Sail and Swim. Their Talents are Strong Swimmer, Strong Back, Very Strong and Waterman.
Tier 2 is Riverwarden, Silver 2. They add Bribery, Charm, Intimidate, Gossip, Lore (Riverways) and Ranged (Blackpowder), plus WS as a stat. Their Talents are Criminal, Gunner, Fisherman and Seasoned Traveller.
Tier 3 is Shipsword, Silver 4. They add Climb, Cool, Intuition and Leadership, plus I as a stat. Their Talents are Fearless (Wreckers), Hatred (Any), Pilot and Sea Legs.
Tier 4 is Shipsword Master, Gold 1. They add Lore (Law) and Navigation, plus Int as a stat. Their Talents are Commanding Presence, Kingpin, Menacing and Orientation.

Riverwomen are Dwarfs, Halflings or Humans. They're the folks that live along the rivers and make their living from them. The river banks are densely populated, and between them and the marshes, plenty of people live off fishing, trading, dredging and ensuring everyone else has plenty of eels, shellfish, fish and so on to eat. They tend to be more open, diverse and friendly than other villagers, as they meet often with travellers on the rivers. Riverwomen are at home anywhere there's water, and because of their diverse skills, they're pretty much able to drop everything with the confidence that there'll be a job to come home to if needed. They are well-placed to learn a lot of stuff, especially about river crimes, and may well have criminal contacts, which can be very handy. Riverwomen are mostly exploration skills but get some decent if not amazing combat.


Tier 1 is Greenfish, Brass 2. They are good at T, Agi and Dex, and have Athletics, Consume Alcohol, Dodge, Endurance, Gossip, Outdoor Survival, Row and Swim. Their Talents are Fisherman, Gregarious, Strider (Marshes) and Strong Swimmer.
Tier 2 is Riverwoman, Brass 3. They add Gamble, Lore (Local), Lore (Riverways), Ranged (Entangling), Ranged (Throwing) and Set Trap, plus WS as a stat. Their Talents are Craftsman (Boatbuilder), Rover, Strong Back and Waterman.
Tier 3 is Riverwise, Brass 5. They add Charm, Intuition, Melee (Polearm) and Perception, plus I as a stat. Their Talents are Savant (Riverways), Stout-hearted, Tenacious and Very Strong.
Tier 4 is River Elder, Silver 2. They add Entertain (Storytelling) and Lore (Folklore), plus Fel as a stat. Their Talents are Master Craftsman (Boatbuilder), Public Speaker, Sharp and Strong-minded.

Seamen can be anyone but Wood Elves. They are your career sailors on the high seas or the River Reik, typically for the Imperial Navy or one of the merchant houses. Reikland may not have a coastline, see, but the Reik is more than wide and deep enough for most ocean-going vessels to comfortably sail it. The Imperial First Fleet that patrols it rarely actually sees open sea, mostly because the taxes for warships to pass through Marienburg are exorbitant. It is very easy for a Seaman to find work on just about any vessel, and some work to travel the world, paying their way with labor. Others work out of the Missions, buildings run by the Imperial Navy to provide for their staff. Obviously, it is extremely easy for a Seaman to get involved in anything, especially if ships are present. Seamen mix exploration, social and combat skills.


Tier 1 is Landsman, Silver 1. They're good at Agi, Dex and Fel, and have Climb, Consume Alcohol, Gamble, Gossip, Row, Melee (Brawling), Sail and Swim. Their Talents are Fisherman, Strider (Coastal), Strong Back and Strong Swimmer.
Tier 2 is Seaman, Silver 3. They add Athletics, Dodge, Endurance, Entertain (Singing), Language (Any) and Melee (Basic), plus WS as a stat. Their Talents are Catfall, Sea Legs, Seasoned Traveller and Strong Legs. Catfall gives a bonus to Athletics tests when falling and, when you fall, you can make an Athletics test to reduce the distance fallen for damage purposes.
Tier 3 is Boatswain, Silver 5. They add Cool, Leadership, Perception, and Trade (Carpenter), plus I as a stat. Their Talents are Old Salt, Strike Mighty Blow, Tenacious and Very Strong. Old Salt gives a bonus to Sail tests on any seaworthy vessel and lets you ignore any negative modifiers to tests at sea based on weather, rolling ships and so on, plus you count as two seamen for purposes of minimum crew required to pilot a sea vessel.
Tier 4 is Ship's Master, Gold 2. They add Charm and Navigation, plus Int as a stat. Their Talents are Orientation, Pilot, Public Speaking and Savvy.

Next time: Smuggler, Stevedore, Wrecker

Break Things

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

WFRP 4e - Break Things

Smugglers can be anyone but Wood Elves. They are, essentially, shippers that attempt to avoid at least the legal taxes on goods, if not necessarily the bandits or protection rackets. They tend to see themselves as charitable - their work means everyone has more coin. The merchants who pay less tax, the bribed Riverwardens, the customers who pay lower prices, and more. It takes experience and creativity to circumvent all the bailiffs, customs officials, taxmen and bandits, of course, but hey! Risk is business. Smugglers come in all shapes and sizes, and they'll work for just about anyone. Some deal in illegal goods, though the punishment for such crimes is much harsher than a simple burned finger or smuggler's brand. Smugglers prefer to avoid adventure, but it doesn't avoid them. All kinds of things can go wrong on a run, and even when they don't, the next job is always right there, luring you in. Smuggling runs could be entire adventures. It's also usually easy for them to leave their post for a while to go a-touring because...well, smugglers will always be needed, and their ingenuity and eye for detail makes them a valuable addition to any party. They are primarily sneaks and social, with only basic combat skills.


Tier 1 is River Runner, Brass 2. They are good at Agi, Dex and WP, and have Athletics, Bribery, Cool, Consume Alcohol, Row, Sail, Stealth (Rural or Urban) and Swim. Their Talents are Criminal, Fisherman, Strider (Marshes) and Strong Back.
Tier 2 is Smuggler, Brass 3. They add Haggle, Charm, Gossip, Lore (Local), Melee (Basic), Perception and Secret Signs (Smuggler), plus I as a stat. Their Talents are Dealmaker, Etiquette (Criminals), Waterman and Very Strong.
Tier 3 is Master Smuggler, Brass 5. They add Evaluate, Intimidate, Intuition and Lore (Riverways), plus Int as a stat. Their Talents are Briber, Fearless (Riverwardens), Pilot and Strong Swimmer.
Tier 4 is Smuggler King, Silver 2. They add Language (Any) and Leadership, plus Fel as a stat. Their Talents are Kingpin, Savvy, Strider (Coastal) and Sea Legs.

Stevedores are Dwarfs, Halflings or Humans. They are the loaders and unloaders of vessels, generally members of the Stevedore Guilds, which have effectively total control over many docksides and wharfs. In larger towns, stevedore gangs may even violently compete for control. Stevedores might work by themselves in small villages or as part of a city gang, or may even just be part of a criminal gang that happens to move cargo on the side. Some of them are even just used as enforcers making sure the rest of the crew keeps working. Because the Stevedore gangs are pretty much their own law, they often get into trouble with each other and criminals. They fight hard for every foot of riverbank they control, and sometimes that means having to go out and deal with problems. Stevedores are a mix of combat, social and sneaking skills.


Tier 1 is Dockhand, Brass 3. They're good at WS, T and I, and get Athletics, Climb, Consume Alcohol, Dodge, Endurance, Gossip, Melee (Basic) and Swim. Their Talents are Dirty Fighting, Strong Back, Sturdy and Very Strong.
Tier 2 is Stevedore, Silver 1. They add Bribery, Entertain (Storytelling), Gamble, Intimidate, Perception and Stealth (Urban), plus S as a stat. Their Talents are Criminal, Etiquette (Guilders), Strong Legs and Tenacious.
Tier 3 is Foreman, Silver 3. They add Cool, Evaluate, Intuition and Leadership, plus WP as a stat. Their Talents are Dealmaker, Embezzle, Etiquette (Criminals) and Public Speaking.
Tier 4 is Dock Master, Silver 5. They add Charm and Lore (Taxes), plus Int as a stat. Their Talents are Kingpin, Menacing, Numismatics and Read/Write.

Wreckers are Dwarfs, Humans or Wood Elves. See, sometimes a vessel capsizes and the goods float downriver and someone lucky pulls them out of the water. And sometimes, well, sometimes people help the vessel capsize. That'd be the Wreckers. They lay traps and send bad signals, luring the unwary boats onto sand banks and rocks, then loot the vessels. Some pride themselves on clever traps and making wrecks seem accidental, while other Wreckers board ships by force and hurl the crew overboard, becoming good at spotting underarmed ships with good cargo. They must move constantly to avoid arrest for piracy, of course. A good wrecking is an adventure, as is avoiding the cops...and whoever you just pissed off by stealing from. And for Wreckers that get embroiled in adventure, well, it's pretty easy for a pirate to just leave their old life behind anyway and come back to it later. Wreckers are good combat and sneaking.


Tier 1 is Cargo Scavenger, Brass 2. They're good at WS, S and I, plus Climb, Consume Alcohol, Dodge, Endurance, Row, Melee (Basic), Outdoor Survival and Swim. Their Talents are Break and Enter, Criminal, Fisherman and Strong Back.
Tier 2 is Wrecker, Brass 3. They add Bribery, Cool, Intuition, Navigation, Perception and Set Traps, plus WP as a stat. Their Talents are Flee!, Rover, Strong Swimmer and Tenacious.
Tier 3 is River Pirate, Brass 5. They add Gossip, Intimidate, Ranged (Crossbow) and Stealth (Rural), plus BS as a stat. Their Talents are Dirty Fighting, Etiquette (Criminals), Menacing and Waterman.
Tier 4 is Wrecker Captain, Silver 2. They add Leadership and Lore (Riverways), plus Fel as a stat. Their Talents are Furious Assault, In-fighter, Pilot and Warrior Born. In-fighter gives a bonus to Melee when in-fighting or to enter in-fighting, and it eliminates all penalties for fighting a foe with a longer weapon than you. It also gives a you a +10 bonus to hit if you use the optional rules for in-fighting. Warrior Born is +5 base WS.

Next time: Bawd, Charlatan, Fence

Hello Mine Name Is Heinrich the Medieval Fantasy Drug Dealer

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

WFRP 4e - Hello Mine Name Is Heinrich the Medieval Fantasy Drug Dealer

Into the Rogues! Bawds can be Halfling, High Elf or Human. They are the people who get you illegal or immoral services. While many object to such things in Human and Dwarf society, both Halflings and High Elves fail to understand what problems they have with drugs, brothels and other vice. Bawds are drug dealers, dancers, hustlers, artist's models, camp followers selling vice and madams, among other things. The leaders among these people can make significant sums in their little empires of crime, selling various forms of access, safety and vice to criminals and more savoery clients alike. Bawds in urban areas sometimes go travelling to flee plague or persecution, which is all too common in Sigmarite areas. Others follow entertainers around and travel as a living, making it easy for them to hook up with adventurers. Those with a patron may also just have a lot of free time when not acquiring whatever unsavory things said patron desires. They are almost purely a social career.


Tier 1 is Hustler, Brass 1. They're good at Agi, Dex and Fel, and have Bribery, Charm, Consume Alcohol, Entertain (Any), Gamble, Gossip, Haggle and Intimidate. Their Talents are Attractive, Alley Cat, Blather and Gregarious.
Tier 2 is Bawd, Brass 3. They add Dodge, Endurance, Intuition, Lore (Local), Melee (Basic) and Perception, plus I as a stat. Their Talents are Ambidexterous, Carouser, Criminal and Resistance (Disease).
Tier 3 is Procurer, Silver 1. They add Cool, Evaluate, Language (Any) and Lore (Law), plus WP as a stat. Their Talents are Dealmaker, Embezzle, Etiquette (Any) and Suave.
Tier 4 is Ringleader, Silver 3. They add Leadership and Lore (Heraldrdy), plus Int as a stat. Their Talents are Briber, Kingpin, Numismatics and Savvy.

Charlatans can be Halfling, High Elf or Human. They are professional liars and con artists. That's their deal. Even the highest ranked people can fall prey to a Charlatan, and most of them are not just excellent liars but entirely amoral. They swindle, con, gamble and cheat to prey on the gullible. Halflings often work with a small number of family members to run their cons, while High Elves slumming it as Charlatans treat it all as one big game to play and usually aren't motivated by profit so much as proving themselves superior to Humans. To avoid suspicion, most Charlatans travel frequently, though they usually won't tell their fellow adventuring companions that they're con artists. They're more than able to pursue side interests even if they do, however - no matter where you go, there's always someone waiting for you to take their money. Charlatans mix mostly social skills with some sneaking.


Tier 1 is Swindler, Brass 3. They have good I, Dex and Fel, and have Bribery, Consume Alcohol, Charm, Entertain (Storytelling), Gamble, Gossip, Haggle and Sleight of Hand. Their Talents are Cardsharp, Diceman, Etiquette (Any) and Luck. Cardsharp gives a bonus to Gamble and Sleight of Hand tests when playing card games and, when you use either while playing cards, lets you use either your rolled SL or your ones digit as your SL, and if for some reason you're playing real cards to represent the game, you may receive extra cards based on your purchases, then discard down to the appropriate hand size before each round of play. Diceman is the same for dice games, but you get to roll extra dice based on your purchases and choose the best results instead if you're using real dice games.
Tier 2 is Charlatan, Brass 5. They add Cool, Dodge, Entertain (Acting), Evaluate, Intuition and Perception, plus WP as a stat. Their Talents are Blather, Criminal, Fast Hands and Secret Identity.
Tier 3 is Con Artist, Silver 2. They add Language (Thief), Lore (Heraldry), Pick Lock and Secret Signs (Thief), plus Agi as a stat. Their Talents are Attractive, Cat-tongued, Dealmaker and Read/Write.
Tier 4 is Scoundrel, Silver 4. They add Lore (Genealogy) and Research, plus Int as a stat. Their Talents are Gregarious, Master of Disguise, Nose for Trouble and Suave.

Fences are Dwarfs, Halflings or Humans. They buy and sell illegal goods, typically from criminals to people who aren't. They often operate as pawnbrokers, importers or other legitimate merchants, while others stay mobile and deal only in things they can carry. Some deal instead in information - particularly illicit or forbidden information. Some move goods across the Empire - stolen art, for example, is usually easier to unload in a different city. They are often the first that people come to when trying to find and acquire high profile stolen goods, and some even take commissions, connecting clients with thieves. The search for a buyer or need to escape can drive many Fences to travel and, thus, adventure. They also often have to move goods around, and some become adventurers as a way to make a name for themselves in the local underworld by dealing with competition or just proving they're skilled. While they are mostly social they get some crafting and basic combat ability.


Tier 1 is Broker, Silver 1. They get good I, Agi and Fel, plus Charm, Consume Alcohol, Dodge, Evaluate, Gamble, Gossip, Haggle and Melee (Basic). Their Talents are Alley Cat, Cardsharp, Dealmaker and Gregarious.
Tier 2 is Fence, Silver 2. They add Cool, Intimidate, Intuition, Perception, Secret Signs (Thief) and Trade (Engraver), plus Dex as a stat. Their Talents are Criminal, Etiquette (Criminals), Numismatics and Savvy.
Tier 3 is Master Fence, Silver 3. They add Bribery, Entertain (Storytelling), Lore (Art) and Lore (Local), plus Int as a stat. Their Talents are Kingpin, Strike to Stun, Suave and Super Numerate.
Tier 4 is Black Marketeer, Silver 4. They add Lore (Heraldry) and Research, plus WP as a stat. Their Talents are Dirty Fighting, Iron Will, Menacing and Briber.

Next time: Grave Robber, Outlaw, Racketeer

RESURRECTIONISTS

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

WFRP 4e - RESURRECTIONISTS

Grave Robbers can be Halflings or Humans. The body trade is fairly lucrative - universities and doctors always need fresh cadavers to study on but it's illegal for them to buy them. So criminals supply them! The Grave Robbers also tend to steal any valuables left with the corpse in the Gardens of Morr, because why wouldn't you? Now, the work is obvious and illegal and sacrilege, so it's done under cover of darkness. Sometimes they even cut out the 'dead people' part and just kidnap beggars or other street people. The more experienced often decided not to deal with the legal problems associated with the recent dead and instead head for ancient tombs and ruins, preferring instead to deal with undead or bandits, which you can legally hit with a shovel, like a cop. Some successful ones even become hailed as heroic treasure hunters, selling what they retrieve to be displayed by the wealthy. It's even said that the wealth of one of the many Knightly Orders came from its founders plundering foreign tombs. Grave Robbers are easy adventurers, especially if the cops discover their activities and they need to leave town in a hurry. They are sometimes called on by antiquarians who need their expert skills to help excavate tombs, and sometimes feel compelled to hunt down necromancers, on the basis that it is not good business to have people animating their product. Grave Robbers have good combat and sneaky skills, plus decent social stuff.


Tier 1 is Body Snatcher, Brass 2. They're good at S, I and WP, and have Climb, Cool, Dodge, Endurance, Gossip, Intuition, Perception and Stealth (Any). Their Talents are Alley Cat, Criminal, Flee! and Strong Back.
Tier 2 is Grave Robber, Brass 3. They add Bribery, Endurance, Evaluate, Haggle, Lore (Medicine) and Melee (Basic), plus WS as a stat. Their Talents are Break and Enter, Night Vision, Resistance (Disease) and Very Strong.
Tier 3 is Tomb Robber, Silver 1. They add Drive, Lore (History), Pick Lock and Set Trap, plus Dex as a stat. Their Talents are Read/Write, Strike Mighty Blow, Tenacious and Tunnel Rat.
Tier 4 is Treasure Hunter, Silver 5. They add Navigation and Trade (Engineer), plus Int as a stat. Their Talents are Fearless (Undead), Sixth Sense, Strong-minded and Trapper.

Outlaws can be anyone. They prey on the roads of the Old World, leading dangerous lives where they hunt for vulnerable travellers and caravans. Most don't see themselves as criminals, but as the oppressed seeking to live freely. Many Wood Elf Outlaws especially see themselves this way, pushing back against Human encroachment on their forests with drastic action - more drastic even than most Wood Elves. Praticularly clever or brutal Outlaws may form bands or even unite several Outlaw groups under one banner as a Bandit King. No one likes these people, especially because Outlaws rarely care who they rob. Some, though, claim to protect the common people and focus their theft on greedy nobles in exchange for food, information and safety given by the local people. Not all Outlaws are wild killers, though, and many can be reasoned with if you're careful. An Outlaw may agree to serve as a guide to an devneturing band or even to protect them, especially if they're trying to stop evil within the domain of the Outlaw or their friends. Individual Outlaws tend to find it easy to join an adventuring group, though their infamy may require them to disguise themselves anywhere that an open warrant exists on them. Outlaws are explorers, combatants and sneaks.


Tier 1 is Brigand, Brass 1. They're good at WS, S and T, and get Athletics, Consume Alcohol, Cool, Endurance, Gamble, Intimidate, Melee (Basic) and Outdoor Survival. Their Talents are Combat Aware, Criminal, Rover and Flee!.
Tier 2 is Outlaw, Brass 2. They add Dodge, Heal, Lore (Local), Perception, Ranged (Bow) and Stealth (Rural), plus BS as a stat. Their Talents are Dirty Fighting, Marksman, Strike to Stun and Trapper.
Tier 3 is Outlaw Chief, Brass 4. They add Gossip, Intuition, Leadership and Ride (Horse), plus I as a stat. Their Talents are Rapid Reload, Roughrider, Menacing and Very Resilient.
Tier 4 is Bandit King, Silver 2. They add Charm and Lore (Empire), plus Fel as a stat. Their Talents are Deadeye Shot, Fearless (Road Wardens), Iron Will and Robust.

Racketeers can be Dwarfs, Halflings or Humans. They are extortionists that run protection rackets or similar 'services.' If their fees aren't paid, well, their victims are put at considerable risk...by the Racketeers and their gangs. They'll bribe or intimidate local authority when they can, and they're not above killing or worse. The start out working as thugs to collect debts of all kinds, especially those by loan sharks. The more organized their schemes get, the larger the groups of Racketeers do. They're organized, and while the smaller rackets are run by just gangs with limited territory, the largest can span cities or even provinces. Racketeers are pretty much always willing to use threats and violence, which makes them valuable in a party because they are good at fighting. They may take their business on the road to expand their territory or seek out now opportunities, and given the competitive nature of the racket, even the most powerful may end up deposed and forced to hide or flee, perhaps seeking employment with some advnetuerers they can use to reestablish themselves. Racketeers are fighters with some social and sneaky abilities. Very similar to Outlaws, actually, but with better social skills and less ranged combat or rural survival.


Tier 1 is Thug, Brass 3. They are good at WS, S and T, and get Consume Alcohol, Cool, Dodge, Endurance, Intimidate, Lore (Local), Melee (Brawling) and Stealth (Urban). Their Talents are Criminal, Etiquette (Criminals), Menacing and Strike Mighty Blow.
Tier 2 is Racketeer, Brass 5. They add Bribery, Charm, Evaluate, Gossip, Language (Estalian or Tilean) and Melee (Basic), plus Fel as a stat. Their Talents are Embezzle, Street Dirty Fighting, Strike to Stun and Warrior Born.
Tier 3 is Gang Boss, Silver 3. They add Intuition, Leadership, Perception and Ranged (Crossbow), plus WP as a stat. Their Talents are Fearless (Watchmen), Iron Will, Resistance (Poison) and Robust.
Tier 4 is Crime Lord, Silver 5. They add Lore (Law) and Lore (Politics), plus Int as a stat. Their Talents are Commanding Presence, Kingpin, Frightening and Wealthy.

Next time: Thief, Witch, Cavalryman

The Magic Class You Really Don't Want To Be

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

WFRP 4e - The Magic Class You Really Don't Want To Be

Thieves can be Dwarfs, Halflings or Humans. They aren't violent people by nature. They are greedy, though - they steal from others to live, and generally hate the idea of honest work. They typically organize themselves into gangs working with other criminals to further their wealth and, ideally, have someone who can actually break legs around if needed. Thse gangs often get into feuds that last years or even decades. The lowest Thieves target individual peoples, picking their pockets or waylaying them in alleys. Others avoid confrontations by breaking into homes and businesses to steal valuables. The more ambitious Thief cases a target for days, even weeks - sometimes going so far as to infiltrate it beforehand to get a lay of the land, or owrking with other professionals to organize massive heists. Thieves that run into law trouble must hide or flee, so many of them are on the run, and sometimes the stuff they steal seems to be so valuable or potent that it draws trouble to them like a magnet. Plus, their talents are extremely useful to adventurers, and a reliable Thief can expect to be paid well for the work. They have excellent criminal sneaking, and...well, they can do a combat, but don't ask for much.


Tier 1 is Prowler, Brass 1. They are good at I, Agi and WP, and have Athletics, Climb, Cool, Dodge, Endurance, Intuition, Perception and Stealth (Urban). Their Talents are Alley Cat, Criminal, Flee! and Strike to Stun.
Tier 2 is Thief, Brass 3. They add Evaluate, Gossip, Lore (Local), Pick Lock, Secret Signs (Thief) and Sleight of Hand, plus Dex as a stat. Their Talents are Break and Enter, Etiquette (Criminals), Fast Hands and Shadow.
Tier 3 is Master Thief, Brass 5. They add Bribery, Gamble, Intimidate and Ranged (Crossbow), plus S as a stat. Their Talents are Night Vision, Nimble Fingered, Step Aside and Trapper.
Tier 4 is Cat Burglar, Silver 3. They add Charm and Set Trap, plus Fel as a stat. Their Talents are Catfall, Scale Sheer Surface, Strong Legs and Wealthy. Scale Sheer Surface gives a bonus to Climb tests, lets you climb even seemingly impossible surfaces like sheer marble, ice shelves, plastered walls and so on, and lets you ignore any penalties to Climb that are based on the difficulty of the surface.

Witches are Human. By law, any with the talent for magic must be trained at the Colleges. Witches are those who refuse to accept this. They risk madness and damnation, for their magic burns through them untaught, and they rarely understand the true nature of what they dabble in. Others embrace their growing power, accepting it with all the risks entailed. Witches come in all sorts, as magic doesn't follow any notable pattern. Some are friendly, benign types that just want freedom, while others are nobles that refuse to accept their fate for fear of losing their inheritance, and others are just too terrified of themselves to not run. Whatever the case, few Witches will admit their ture nature for fear of being burned by the overzealous Sigmarites. A Witch leads a very dangerous life, and while some can pass themselves off as trained wizards, their dfeception is easily seen through by anyone that knows about magic. Bands of adventurers, however, are often happy to take them in as long as they're useful and have no dealings with the Dark Gods, especially if the adventurers lack strong faith or morals. While unlicensed witchcraft is highly illegal and carries penalty of death by fire, most wizards had a brief experience as unlicensed Witches before joining the Colleges, and so a Witch, if discovered, can submit to the authorities and survive, training in the Colleges between adventures and becoming a trained wizard. Or not. (Do it. Seriously.) The reason why you should is that Witches...aren't that good. They trade in a lot of magical talent (and the valuable bonuses for having a proper Lore) for some sneaking and social skills, as they don't get a full Lore - instead, they get Witch! and the Witchcraft Lore, which is not great. Also it takes them for-fucking-ever to get Aethyric Attunement, which is a very important magic Talent.


Tier 1 is Hexer, Brass 1. They're good at WS, T and WP, and have Channeling, Cool, Endurance, Gossip, Intimidate, Language (Magick), Sleight of Hand and Stealth (Rural). Their Talents are Criminal, Instinctive Diction, Menacing and Petty Magic.
Tier 2 is Witch, Brass 2. They add Charm Animal, Dodge, Intuition, Melee (Polearm), Perception and Trade (Herbalist), plus I as a stat. Their Talents are Arcane Magic (Witchery), Attractive, Sixth Sense and Witch!.
Tier 3 is Wyrd, Brass 3. They add Bribery, Charm, Haggle and Lore (Dark Magic), plus Fel as a stat. Their Talents are Animal AFfinity, Fast Hands, Frightening and Magical Sense.
Tier 4 is Warlock, Brass 5. They add Lore (Daemonology) and Lore (Magic), plus Int as a stat. Their Talents are Aethyric Attunement, Luck, Strong-minded and Very Resilient.

Last up, Warriors! Cavalrymen can be High Elf, Human or Wood Elf. They come in many forms - pistoliers, outriders, demilancers, horse archers, the works. Cavalrymen are used for strategic advantage - scouting, raiding, harassment of enemy lines, defending foragers, hit-and-run attacks. They are fast, versatile and stylish. Lightly armored cavalry are usede by most armies, including cult forces and less formal groups like mercenaries. Bretonnian armies make heavy use of them, and Wood Elf Gladeriders are some of the most terrifying light cavalry in the world. A currently enlisted Cavalryman is going to have trouble dropping everything to go pursue adventure without permission from their senior officers or going AWOL. However, they might be ordered to investigate matters of import, and mercenary Cavalrymen have a lot more flexibility about going out to do random shit. Cavalrymen mix exploration and combat skills, with social skills coming in later.


Tier 1 is Horseman, Silver 2. They're good at WS, S and Agi, and have Animal Care, Charm Animal, Endurance, Language (Battle), Melee (Basic), Outdoor Survival, Perception and Ride (Horse). Their Talents are Combat Aware, Crack the Whip, Lightning Reflexes and Roughrider. Lightning Reflexes is +5 base Agi.
Tier 2 is Cavalryman, Silver 4. They add Charm, Consume Alcohol, Cool, Gossip, Melee (Cavalry) and Ranged (Blackpowder), plus BS as a stat. Their Talents are Etiquette (Soldiers), Gunner, Seasoned Traveller and Trick Riding.
Tier 3 is Cavalry Sergeant, Gold 1. They add Intimidate, Intuition, Leadership and Lore (Warfare), plus I as a stat. Their Talents are Combat Reflexes, Fast Shot, Hatred (Any) and Warleader.
Tier 4 is Cavalry Officer, Gold 2. They add Gamble and Lore (Heraldry), plus Fel as a stat. Their Talents arE Accurate Shot, Inspiring, Reaction Strike and Robust. Inspiring gives a bonus to Leadership during war and greatly expands how many people you can influence via Leadership while at war based on your purchases.

Next time: Guard, Knight, Pit Fighter

War Times

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

WFRP 4e - War Times

Guards can be anyone. They keep things safe by standing next to them and, in the one instant it matters, springing into action and preventing bad things. The best of them are paid quite well and trusted to guard the highest people and most valuable objects. But Guards? They're everywhere. They're at the Imperial palace, they bounce at bars, they're the grave wardens on Morr's Gardens that stop thieves. Merchants often hire them to defend stock, and some say that Guards working as bodyguards have it best, for being able to partake of the life of their charge. Guards can find just about any kind of adventure when their guarding is compromised. They ofte want to follow up and investigate those who bested them, after all, and get back whatever was taken. This often drags them into adventure. They may also be hired to defend people or things on expeditions. Guards have good combat skills and some social skill.


Tier 1 is Sentry, Silver 1. They get good WS, T and Agi, and have Consume Alcohol, Endurance, Entertain (Storytelling), Gamble, Gossip, Intuition, Melee (Basic) and Perception. Their Talents are Diceman, Etiquette (Servants), Strike to Stun and Tenacious.
Tier 2 is Guard, Silver 2. They add Athletics, Cool, Dodge, Intimidate, Melee (Polearm) and Ranged (Bow), plus I as a stat. Their Talents are Relentless, Reversal, Shieldsman and Strike Mighty Blow. Shieldsman gives a bonus to any test to defend with a shield, and allows you gain Advantage when you fail the opposed test while defending with a shield based on your purchases.
Tier 3 is Honor Guard, Silver 4. They add Heal, Language (Battle), Lore (Etiquette) and Melee (Two-Handed), plus S as a stat. Their Talents are Fearless (Intruders), Jump Up, Stout-hearted and Unshakeable.
Tier 4 is Guard Officer, Silver 5. They add Leadership and Lorre (Warfare), plus Int as a stat. Their Talents are Combat Master, Furious Assault, Iron Will and Robust.

Knights can be High Elves, Humans or Wood Elves. They are heavy cavalry, and many believe them the finest warriors in the Old World. Even alone, they can be a one-man army. Many Knightly Orders exist in the Empire, including the Reiksguard, the White Wolves, the Knights Panther and the Knights Griffon, all with their own storied histories. Most Imperial Knights belong to secular orders, largely because training heavy lancers is too expensive for most nobles, and the templar orders dedicated to specific gods tend to be somewhat more independent. There are also an unknown number of free-lances, mercenary knights and disgraced or fallen knights, all of whom sell their strength to the highest bidder. Knights may end up adventuring on behalf of their Order or be called on by nobles to guard a wandering heir. Templars have a responsibility to go out and serve their god's will. All of these are good reason to go adventuring. As for free-lances, well, adventuring is kind of their default existence. Knights are excellent fighters who eventually get some decent social.


Tier 1 is Squite, Silver 3. They have good S, I and Agi, and have Athletics, Animal Care, Charm Animal, Heal, Lore (Heraldry), Melee (Cavalry), Ride (Horse) and Trade (Farrier). Their Talents are Etiquette (Any), Roughrider, Sturdy and Warrior Born.
Tier 2 is Knight, Silver 5. They add Cool, Dodge, Endurance, Intimidate, Language (Battle) and Melee (Any), plus WS as a stat. Their Talents are Menacing, Seasoned Traveller, Shieldsman and STrike Mighty Blow.
Tier 3 is First Knight, Gold 2. They add Charm, Consume Alcohol, Leadership and Lore (Warfare), plus WP as a stat. Their Talents are Fearless (Any), Stout-hearted, Unshakeable and Warleader.
Tier 4 is Knight of the Inner Circle, Gold 4. They add Lore (Any) and Secret Signs (Knightly Order), plus Fel as a stat. Their Talents are Disarm, Inspiring, Iron Will and Strike to Injure.

Pit Fighters can be anyone. Fights are popular entertainment, and in the cities, organized fights happen nightly. There's a lot of money to be made off spectators and gamblers, after all. Winners earn coin and fame, while losers are hurt or even killed. Because pit fighting is officially frowned on, the fights are usually run by criminals and the rich must slum it to watch, though they enjoy doing so most of the time. The Tilean gladiators are the most famous pit fighters, but the chain-fighters of Marienburg and bear-wrestlers of Kislev are nearly as famed. Pugilists and wrestlers work travelling fairs or challenge the public to survive three minutes in the ring with them, but just about any fighting style could be used by a Pit Fighter. Most end up in the sport because they have a talent for violence and a need for cash. Some would love to stop and work at better things, and so they often end up joining adventuring parties, especially since their work is hardly steady in the first place, though it's certianly not hard to find. They get great fighting skills and eventually get a bit of social.


Tier 1 is Pugilist, Brass 4. They get good WS, S and T, and have Athletics, Cool, Dodge, Endurance, Gamble, Intimidate, Melee (Any) and Melee (Brawling). Their Talents are Dirty Fighter, In-fighter, Iron Jaw and Reversal. Iron Jaw gives a bonus to Endurance tests to resist Stunned, and whenever you gain one or more Stunned conditions, you can make an immediate Endurance test to resist taking them.
Tier 2 is Pit Fighter, Silver 2. They add Haggle, Intuition, Melee (Basic), Melee (Flail or Two-Handed), Perception and Ranged (Entangling), plus I as a stat. Their Talents are Ambidextrous, Combat Reflexes, Dual Wielder and Shieldsman.
Tier 3 is Pit Champion, Silver 5. They add Consume Alcohol, Gossip, Lore (Anatomy) and Perform (Fight). Their Talents are Combat Master, Disarm, Menacing and Robust.
Tier 4 is Pit Legend, Gold 2. They add Charm and Ranged (Any), plus Fel as a stat. Their Talents are Frightening, Furious Assault, Implacable and Reaction Strike.

Next time: Protagonist, Slayer, Soldier, Warrior Priest

Career Enders

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

WFRP 4e - Career Enders

Protagonists can be Dwarfs, High Elves or Humans. They are thugs for hire, muscle you bring on to scare, hurt or even kill people. They live and die by their bad reputations, brutes and bullies with little qualms about roughing folks up. Some have a code about what they will or won't do, but others don't. Some are just folks who like to pick fights and figure out of if they can make money from it later. In theory, they're always up for an adventure because, well, they like to fight. They will usually expect to be paid, however, and them joining up without asking for payment is a very personal thing for any given Protagonist. Protagonists are almost purely fighters. Their big weakness is that they get no native WP raising and they don't get to raise Cool until Tier 3 natively, so they're less brave than most.


Tier 1 is Braggart, Brass 2. They get good WS, T and Agi, plus Athletics, Dodge, Endurance, Entertain (Taunt), Gossip, Haggle, Intimidate and Melee (Any). Their Taletnts are In-fighter, Dirty Fighting, Menacing and Warrior Born.
Tier 2 is Protagonist, Silver 1. They add Bribery, Charm, Intuition, Melee (Basic), Perception and Ride (Horse), plus I as a stat. Their Talents are Combat Reflexes, Criminal, Reversal and Strike to Stun.
Tier 3 is Hitman, Silver 4. They add Climb, Cool, Navigation and Ranged (Thrown), plus BS as a stat. Their Talents are Careful Strike, Disarm, Marksman and Relentless.
Tier 4 is Assassin, Gold 1. They add Entertain (Acting) and Ranged (Crossbow), plus Fel as a stat. Their Talents are Accurate Shot, Ambidextrous, Furious Assault and Strike to Injure.

Slayers are always Dwarfs. When a Dwarf suffers an unacceptable shame and loss of honor, they take up the Slayer's Oath and the path of the ancestral god of warriors, Grimnir. They cover themselves in tattoos, shave the sides of their head, dye the hair that's life bright orange and spike it with animal grease, then set out, axe in hand, to find a glorious death. Slayers wander the Old World hunting the greatest beasts. Because of their shame, many suffer from depression, and drown their sorrows in food, alcohol and drugs. The more they surfive, the more dangerous and mad they become, hunting ever deadlier foes in the hopes of finding the one that can kill them. Until their fall in battle, all a Slayer does is adventure. They may take on the occasional odd job to make beer money or finance their travels, but they seek death all the way. Slayers had lives and careers before they became Slayers, though, so there is usually more to them than just being a Dwarf with a death wish. The book makes a note that being a Slayer is a unique experience because you want to die. Embrace it. Seek out a mighty doom and die well. Slayers are extremely good at fighting. Extremely good.


Tier 1 is Troll Slayer, Brass 2. They get good WS, S and WP, plus Consume Alcohol, Cool, Dodge, Endurance, Gamble, Heal, Lore (Trolls) and Melee (Basic). Their Talents are Dual Wielder, Fearless (Everything), Frenzy and Slayer. Slayer lets you use your opponent's TB in place of your SB to determine damage, if it's higher. This is determined before any factors that would modify Strength or SB. Further, if the target is larger than you and you cause a Critical, you multiply all melee damage you deal by the number of steps larger than you the target is on the chart, after all modifiers are applied.
Tier 2 is Giant Slayer, Brass 2. They add Evaluate, Intimidate, Language (Battle), Lore (Giants), Melee (Two-handed) and Outdoor Survival, plus T as a stat. Their Talents are Hardy, Implacable, Menacing and Reversal.
Tier 3 is Dragon Slayer, Brass 2. They add Entertain (Storytelling), Lore (Dragons), Perception and Ranged (Thrown), plus Agi as a stat. Their TAlents are Ambidextrous, Furious Assault, Relentless and Robust.
Tier 4 is Daemon Slayer, Brass 2. They add Intuition and Lore (Chaos), plus I as a stat. Their Talents are Combat Master, Frightening, Strike Mighty Blow and Very Strong.

Soldiers can be anyone. They serve in armies to fight. After the Great War Against Chaos, Emperor Magnus the Pious ordered that all provinces should maintain a standing army, so there's plenty of Soldiers out there. They are rarely encouraged to think for themselves, and are famously fatalist and stoic about the fact that they may well be ordered to die. They may be arhcers, crossbowmen, halberdiers, handgunners, swordsmen or spearmen - and that's just in the Empire. Dwarfs use units like Hammerers or Thunderers, while the Elves are generally archers are spearmens. Soldiers may also be found as mercenaries, local militias, private armies, cult forces or other such things. They have little free time, but they do have some. Outside campaigning seasons, many are goven extended leave, and officers may order them off to investigate weird shit in their unit's territory. Some see this is as an excellent way of training their men on the cheap, after all. Non-human Soldiers will often be in the Empire on missions that are adventures in themselves. Soldiers fight. They get some minor social but mostly they just fight.


Tier 1 is Recruit, Silver 1. They have good WS, T and WP, plus Athletics, Climb, Cool, Dodge, Endurance, Language (Battle), Melee (Basic) and Play (Drum or Fife). Their Talents are Diceman, Marksman, Strong Back and Warrior Born.
Tier 2 is Soldier, Silver 3. They add Consume Alcohol, Hamble, Gossip, Melee (Any), Ranged (Any) and Outdoor Survival, plus BS as a stat. Their Talents are Drilled, Etiquette (Soldiers), Rapid Reload and Shieldsman.
Tier 3 is Sergeant, Silver 5. They add Heal, Intuition, Leadership and Perception, plus I as a stat. Their Talents are Combat Aware, Enclosed Fighter, Unshakeable and Warleader.
Tier 4 is Officer, Gold 1. They add Lore (Warfare) and Navigation, plus Fel as a stat. Their Talents are Inspiring, Public Speaking, Seasoned Traveller and Stout-hearted.

Warrior Priests are all Human. Some cults of the Empire do train their clerics for war, and in Reikland, these are most commonly the Warrior Priests of Sigmar. Most armies of the Empire have a few of these hammer-wielding priests, but they aren't the only ones. Myrmidia, Ulric, Taal and Morr all have their own Warrior Priests and ideas about how war should be done. Away from battle, they also work to minister ot the soldiers and ensure high morale and discipline. Some orders of Warrior Priests take oaths to wander the Empire, seking out and defeating heresy and evil where they find it. Others prefer to lead armies rather than join them. While many stay with an army, some do missionary work or otherwise wander the Empire, which makes them natural adventurers. Of course, they may need permission from their cult or commander to do so. Warrior Priests mix combat skills and social skills, plus prayer access.


Tier 1 is Novitiate, Brass 2. They get good WS, T and WP, plus Cool, Dodge, Endurance, Heal, Leadership, Lore (Theology), Melee (Any) and Pray. Their Talents are Bless (Any), Etiquette (Cultists), Read/WRite and Strong-minded.
Tier 2 is Warrior Priest, Silver 2. They add Charm, Entertain (Speeches), Intimidate, Language (Battle), Melee (Any) and Ranged (Any), plus S as a stat. Their Talents are Dual Wielder, Inspiring, Invoke (Any) and Seasoned Traveller.
Tier 3 is Priest Sergeant, Silver 3. They add Animal Care, Intuition, Perception and Ride (Horse), plus I as a stat. Their Talents are Combat Aware, Holy Visions, Pure Soul and Stout-hearted.
Tier 4 is Priest Captain, Silver 4. They add Consume Alcohol and Lore (Warfare), plus Fel as a stat. Their Talents are Fearless (Any), Furious Assault, Holy Hatred and Warleader. Holy Hatred causes Miracles to deal extra damage per purchase.

Next time: Skills and Talents

Skilled Actors

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

WFRP 4e - Skilled Actors

Skills a pretty simple - add your number of Advances in a skill to its relevant stat, and that's what your rolling under. Basic Skills are the ones you can make rolls with even if you don't even have any Advances in it; these are: Art, Athletics, Bribery, Charm, Charm Animal, Climb, Cool, Consume Alcohol, Dodge, Drive, Endurance, Entertain, Gamble, Gossip, Haggle, Intimidate, Intuition, Leadership, Melee, Navigation, Outdoor Survival, Perception, Ride, Row and Stealth. You can male rolls with those even if you do not have them! The Advanced Skills, ie, everything else, you cannot. A sidebar notes that most skills may have applications in combat to help gain Advantage, but that you can be creative and use ones that aren't listed. This is pretty handy for noncombatant characters - spending a turn or two to hang back and build Advantage is going to make you much more valuable in a fight when you don't naturally have good WS or BS and don't have any combat skills.

Animal Care, if you have it at all, lets you keep animals healthy without a roll, and can make tests to identify and resolve problems, like figuring out of an animal is sick or uncomfortable and why, healing animals with veterinary care, stop animals from bleeding or making them look pretty. In combat, you might use it to appraise enemy animals or mounted foes and get a +10 bonus based on your knowledge of animal behavior and the possible problems that animal is having, like a loose tack or an old wound. However, it can't give more than +10 to hit per animal, no matter how many rolls you make.

Animal Training, on the other hand, requires you to specify which animal you're specialized in training. It lets you identify what an animal can be trained for and to train said animals. In combat, you can use it against a relevant animal's WP to try and intimidate it, causing Fear against that animal until the end of your next turn and, while you do, using Animal Training instead of Melee to defend against the fearful animal. The GM may even allow you to attack with it to order the animal around.

Art gets penalties if you don't have appropriate tools, and it makes art. It has little combat use assuming you don't find a way to gain Advantage somehow with it. It also requires you to pick what art you specialize in when you buy it.

Athletics is your running and jumping skill, and also helps you do combat movement, more on which in the combat chapter.

Bribery helps you judge how likely someone is to take a bribe and how to offer it. A test tells you if the target can be bribed and you get to play a 20-questions game to determine the amount required - basically, you name a total, the GM tells you if it's higher, lower or equal to the required, and you only get a limited number of guesses based on your roll. In combat you can attempt to use this to stop a fight, but at a -20 penalty and also you obviously need to have the cash on hand and speak the appropriate language.

Channelling is another specialized skill...sort of. Wizards specialize in a single Wind, but Witches and Hedge Witches apparently get to take it entirely ungrouped. More on this in the Magic chapter. The entire thing runs on Magic rules, after all.

Charm makes people like you. A simple Charm test against Cool lets you influence a number of people based on your roll. In combat it is only likely to work if the target's already willing to listen to you, but can be used as a defense skill against single targets likely to do so, or to try and keep a group of people from targeting you, at least until you fail a roll. It can also be used for public speaking, to sway entire groups, who oppose with an average Willpower of, generally, 35. You can also use it for begging to get small amounts of cash.

Charm Animal is similar but it's used on animals, and animals are generally going to always be a viable target to charm out of attacking you briefly, but not permanently.

Climb lets you climb stuff; if you have even one Advance you can automatically climb any reasonably small height. Anything else runs on the climbing-in-combat rules. Including large enough opponents. More in the combat chapter on this.

Consume Alcohol determines how fucked up you get when you drink; each drink is a test and failure gives -10 penalties to several stats, to a max of -30 cumulatively. Enough failures force you to roll on the Stinking Drunk table to see what happens, with a 20% chance of getting a huge Cool bonus due to drunken bravery, a 20% chance of ignoring any Prejudice or Animosity you might have, a 20% chance of making you extremely useless in combat (because you can only move or take an action, not both, in any round), a 20% chance to get Animosity (Everyone) while drunk and a 20% chance to wake up the next day hungover and amnesiac, with the GM and the other players telling you what the fuck you did. Also you might be poisoned. Because this era's water isn't very clean, this might come up more often than you'd think. Also, if you avoid drinking for a while you can sober up with Consume Alcohol rolls. You can spend Resolve to ignore the effects of being drunk until the end of the next round, as a note.

Cool is a vitally important skill now that not everyone gets to raise Willpower. It is used to resist most social skills, along with just about any effect that would make you do something you don't want to do. It is also the main skill that controls Psychology traits. Basically, Cool is hugely important to not panicking and fleeing when monsters happen.

Next time: Skills That Begin With D

Leaders of Men

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

WFRP 4e - Leaders of Men

Leadership is primarily used to order people around during chaotic situations. They may be resisted if you aren't actually supposed to be in charge, or if your orders are very difficult. In combat, it can be used to give a bonus to Psychology tests to your subordinates, or to move Advantage off yourself and onto an ally. This is super good.

Lore needs specializations. Having a Lore means you don't need to make rolls for broad access to relevant facts. Specific, less-known stuff needs rolls. In combat, the main use of Lore is to gain Advantage when the area you know about is relevant.

Melee needs specializations. If you lack the appropriate specialization, the penalty varies based on what weapon you're trying to use, more on that later. Besides that, it's combat.

Navigation lets you find your way in the wilds with landmarks, the stars or maps. As long as you have the skill at all, you have a rough idea of where you are at all times and can find your way between major landmarks without a roll. Rolls are needed if you're disoriented or far off-track. It's also used for long journeys, but not combat.

Outdoor Survival is your skill for foraging, hunting, fishing, building fires and so on, as well as predicting the weather and finding beast spoors. It's rolled when camping to get sustenance and shelter, and can be used in combat to gain Advantage while in the wilderness. Set Trap can also be used for foraging, and Lore (Herbalism) to find medical herbs.

Perception notices stuff with your senses. Very useful in general. In combat it can be rolled to notice important but non-obvious details about the environment and opponents, according to the GM's whim.

Perform needs specializations. It entertains people! In combat, you might use various Perform skills to distract people and gain Advantage, or might use Perform (Acrobatics) in place of Dodge sometimes. Perform (Firebreathing) is a skill, incidentally, noted to be useful as a potential weapon if you have the gear to use it.

Pick Lock...does what it says.

Play is like Perform, but with instruments.

Pray is used to call on the gods. Most of its rules are in the religion and magic sections. In combat, though, you might use Pray to meditate and clear your mind in combat, gaining Advantage, or can be used in place of Intimidate against those that fear your god.

Ranged needs specializations. If you lack it, same penalty stuff as Melee, IE, it's in the gear chapter, or the combat chapter.

Research is about getting information out of libraries and so on and cannot actually be used unless you're literate. If you are and have the skill, however, then no roll is needed to get info out of a well-maintained library, given enough time. Specific, obscure info or rushing it will take rolls. It has no combat uses.

Ride needs specializations for what animal you can ride. Rolls are mainly needed when doing dangerous or non-normal riding, or riding in combat, so long as you have even one Advance. If mounted, you use the steed's Movement in place of your own, and use Ride to make it do any athletic stuff instead of Athletics. Long journeys also may require Ride tests. Mounted combat is in the combat chapter.

Row is about...rowing boats. It is typically rolled only when racing, doing dangerous stuff or otherwise performing unusual feats of rowing, so long as you have the skill at all.

Next time: Skills That Begin With S

This Update Brought To You By The Letters S and T

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

WFRP 4e - This Update Brought To You By The Letters S and T

Sail requires a specialization, and it is for operation of a sailing vessel, including all the knotwork, steering and so on that goes into it. As long as the ship has sufficient crew, it'll only require a roll for when you're pushing it or doing dangerous stuff, so long as you have the skill. If you have at least one form of Sail, all Sail specializations become basic skills for you. You can also use it to roll for tying people up.

Secret Signs requires a specialization. It's about how to leave and interpret specific coded messages and markings, and is rarely actually rolled. Mostly you either have it or don't, with rolls only if the signs are disturbed or worn, or you're pressed for time while leaving them. Most messages are going to be simple, no more than three words. The primary codes it's used for are those of the Gray Order (most of which are perceptible only to wizards and known only to Grey Wizards, used to highlight safe houses, dangerous spots, areas where wizards unwelcome and so on), Guilder (used by the guilds, mostly individual to specific guilds and used to identify stuff important to those guilds), Ranger (used by woodsmen, mostly to mark territory, point out danger or show safe paths), Scout (used by military scouts to note foraging areas, supply routes and dangers), Thief (used to show hiding spots, safehouses, patrolled areas and so on) and Vagabond (hobo code).

Set Trap is used both to set and disarm traps of all kinds. Rolls are typically needed only under pressure or time constraints, or for especially complex traps.

Sleight of Hand is used to pick pockets, palm things and do street magic. You can also roll it to cheat at games of chance. It isn't super useful in combat but you can get creative, I'm sure.

Stealth requires a specialization. It is for creeping and hiding. You use it to avoid notice and shadow people, though you also require Perception for that. Stealth is used in combat to set up ambushes or to sneakily flank foes. More in the combat chapter on that.

Swim is swimming. If you have any ranks, you are assumed to be able to swim freely without a roll, rolling only in dangerous situations. It is used in combat if you're in the water, where it takes the place of any Athletics use for movement.

Track is used to follow trails left by the passage of others. Perception covers the easy stuff, like footprints in snow. Track is for harder stuff, or for hiding your trail.
It has no real combat use.

Trade needs a specialization. It's your ability to make things or provide services, plus your knowledge about said trade. If you have the skill, you don't need to roll for most relevant tasks, so long as you have the tools and resources needed. Rolls are for when you don't, or when you're working under time pressure, or when you're trying to make something high quality. You can also use it as a Lore skill for facts related to the specific trade. Most Trade skills have no use in combat, but it is certainly possible that a Trade might be situationally relevant and useful to gain Advantage or identify potential weapons - say, Apothecary in an apothecary's shop to ID which potions will be good to throw at people.

That brings us into Talents! Most Talents can be taken multiple times, capped by one of your stat bonuses. Some can only be taken once, some have no cap. Most will also provide a bonus to specific tests, which takes the form of +1 SL per purchase on any successful roll of the tests involved. Specifically successful rolls - these make you succeed better, they don't prevent failure. Then the Talent also does whatever it says it does. Most Talents are provided by going to the appropriate class and learning them that way, but you can pay a large sum of money during downtime plus extra XP to learn Talents that aren't in-class for you, if you can find a teacher.

I will not go over most of these, except to note that Dual Wielding works thusly:
When you have two weapons and the Dual Wielder Talent, you can make an attack with both weapons. First you roll to hit with your main hand weapon. If you miss, you're fucked, both weapons miss. If you hit, it deals damage as normal, you resolve it, and you then reverse the attack roll to get your attack roll with the offhand weapon, modifying your Melee as required for the off-hand penalty. The defender gets to make a second roll to defend against this attack, and if you hit, you deal damage as normal.

The exception to this is if you rolled a critical hit, which means both the tens and ones digit were identical. If this happens, you instead use the roll on the crit table as the roll for the second attack.

So why, you ask, would you ever not double attack? Well, if you use the double attack, your defensive rolls get -10 until the start of your next turn, and you don't gain Advantage from a double attack unless both attacks land.

The only really notable Talent that is not native to any class is probably Chaos Magic (Lore), which gives you a single Chaos spell from the selected Chaos Lore, plus a Corruption point. It is notable in that it never increases in cost no matter how many times you take it, though.

...oh, and Doomed, which you get by being Human, and which sucks. If you die in a situation related to your Doom, your next PC begins with half as much XP as your old PC had. Greeeeat. I have modified it in my game so that if you have it, have 0 Fate and are in a situation related to your Doom, you can reverse any roll if that'd make it succeed, as you either embrace the fact that your time has come or become terrified and fight to survive extra hard. Very potent but it will almost never come up.

Next time: How am rules work

Surprisingly Simple

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

WFRP 4e - Surprisingly Simple

I'm not gonna patronize y'all, you know how dice work in wFRP. D100, roll under your stat or stat plus skill advances. Binary success/fail is a Simple Test - all it cares about is if you succeeded. Incidentally, by default, 96-100 is always a failure and 01-05 is always a success. You are free to modify that, says a sidebar. (Another sidebar says all rules can and should be modified if it's more fun for your table, but not to confuse fun with never failing.) Some notable mechanical terms we should remember: doubles, which is when the 10s digit and 1s digit are the same number, and reverse, which is swapping the tens and ones digits.

We also get an excellent flowchart about when to roll dice, and when to go for a Simple Test vs a Dramatic Test. A Dramatic Test cares about how much you succeed or fail by, and we'll get into it in a moment.



The game also has an excellent sidebar on social rules - be nice to new and inexperienced players, respect boundaries and topics people do not want to deal with in the game without requiring them to justify themselves, don't have fun at other people's expense, discuss what is and is not good manners at the table, make sure everyone is involved, don't be needlessly awkward or split parties for no reason (it slows play), don't start rules arguments at the table and leave discussions of bad rules calls for after the game, and make sure to mentor and be age-appropriate if there's young er players, among other things.

Now, Dramatic Tests! This is where SLs come in. you make your roll, see if you succeed or fail. Then you take the 10s digit of your roll and subtract it from the tens digit of the target stat or stat+skill you were rolling against, after all modifiers. The higher the SL, the better you do. Optionally, for every full 10 points over 100 that the stat or skill was, you get +1 SL on a success. 6 SLs or more is pretty much legendary - you succeed perfectly, as well as it is possible to do, with extra luck and fortune thrown in. 4-5 SLs is 'Yes, and...' territory - you succeed better than expectations. 2-3 is solid success - you get what you wanted. 0-1 SLs is 'yes, but...' territory - you get what you wanted, but imperfectly or with side effects you didn't want. -1 to 0 is 'no, but...' - you fail, but some of what you wanted happens. -2 to -3 is 'no' - you fail. -4 to -5 is impressive failure - 'no, and...' territory. You screw up, and stuff gets worse on top of that. -6 or less is amazing failure, everything goes badly in the worst possible way.

Optionally, if you don't want to spend time calculating SLs, you can just take the 10s digit of any successful roll as its SL. It screws with the probabilities some but it's fine for just keeping things moving. Failure calculates SL the normal way, because otherwise you will get fucked up bad by any failure.

Also of note, if you roll 01-05, you get +1 SL or your rolled SL, whichever is better, and 96-100 means -1 SL or your rolled SL, whichever is worse. It will usually be your rolled SL in both cases, but they did account for the outliers. Optionally, you may also import the Critical rules from the Combat section - any test that rolls doubles is a Critical, either very very good or very very bad.

Modifiers are the same as in 2e, - +10, +20, -10, -20, etc. You will rarely see modifiers worse than -30, but it's possible if things get nasty enough. Opposed tests are also pretty similar - you roll, someone else rolls, and whoever has the better SL wins. If there's a tie, the GM may either declare a stalemate and nothing happens, or you reroll both tests.

Extended Tests are required sometimes, and basically this is a series of Dramatic Tests in which you add the SLs you get from each test together. If the total SLs ever go below zero, the test fails and you have to start over if this is possible. Optionally, any success adds at least 1 SL, and any failure removes at least 1 SL, even though an SL of 0 is possible on both rolls.

Can you help people make tests? Yes! Provided:
1. You have at least 1 Advance in the skill being rolled.
2. You are close enough to the person making the roll.
3. It isn't a roll to resist disease, poison, fear, hazards or anything else the GM rules is inappropriate for assistance.
4. There aren't already too many people helping; you can't have more assistants than the approprate stat bonus.
Each helper gives a +10 modifier.

Some rolls will be 'combined' tests - that is, you take the single roll and compare it to two different skils, with mixed success and failure if you don't pass or fail both. This is used when two skills are both very important for the job, and is done because having to pass two tests in a row for a single task actually significantly reduces your odds of succeeding overall if you have to do two rolls compared to one.

Next time: Combat

Combative

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

WFRP 4e - Combative

Combat takes place in Rounds, in which each character has a single Turn. On their Turn, a character can make a Move and an Action. Turns are taken in Initiative order. By default, this is just highest I to lowest I, with Agi breaking ties. The game gives three options for if you want rolled Initiative order, though.
1. Make Initiative tests, go in SL order.
2. Go in order of I+1d10
3. Go in order of IB+AB+1d10
You can roll every round or just once. Up to you.

Occasionally, characters will be taken by surprise. This may be due to someone hiding via Stealth, using sneaky tactics to take advantage of fog or darkness, using distractions like loud noises of crowds, the defenders being particularly unwary and unready, or any other reason that you can come up with. If there is any chance that the ambushers will be spotted, the GM will allow an opposed Stealth vs Perception test, using the worst Stealth among the ambushers, with any defenders that fail gaining the Surprised condition. Even if there's no chance of spotting them, Talents like Combat Aware can give a chance to avoid this. If you are Surprised, you can spend 1 Resolve point to prevent the condition. We'll get to what conditions do what later.

On your turn, you can take your Move and Action in whatever order you like. Your Move is used...well, mostly just to move around, with your Movement score giving an idea of how far you can go in a single turn. Reaching some places may require a Climb or Athletics test. If you are not already engaged, you may use your Move to Charge a foe, entering close combat and gaining +1 Advantage. This is what Charging does now - it builds Advantage. Your Action is doing something. You might attack or step back to gauge the situation for a moment, say. You declare what you do, the GM tells you if a test is needed, you roll if required, stuff happens. Occasionally, you will want to do stuff that won't be enough to be an Action - shouting a warning, drawing a weapon, drinking a potion. The GM may decide whether or not these take up an Action in the circumstances, but a general guide is that if it requires a roll, it's probably a full Action, while if not, it might be doable as a Free Action and be able to be done freely.

So, what can you do as Actions? First, you can act defensively. Choose a skill you're going to use defensively. Until the start of your next turn, you get +20 to defensive tests using that skill. That's your action.
Second, attacking. This is going to be very common. For a Melee attack, you roll Melee against (usually) the target's Melee or Dodge (though any skill the GM allows as usable can be a defensive skill), and whoever gets the better SL wins. If you win, you get +1 Advantage and hit. If they win, they get +1 Advantage, you miss and your Action is over. For a Ranged attack, you usually roll Ranged and are unopposed; if you succeed, +1 Advantage and you hit. If you fail, you miss. If you double on a success, that's a Critical. If you double on a failure, that's a Fumble. (As a note, you can get a Critical on defense and therefore get a free hit on, if you're using Melee as your defense.) Whenever, as a note, you are attacked or attack someone in melee, you are considered Engaged which may alter how some rules interact with you. If neither of you attack the other for a full Round, you are no longer Engaged.

Once you hit, you determine hit location by reversing your attack roll and comparing it to the hit location table for your target. (Human-shaped targets have a different one than most monsters.) You then deal damage based on your weapon's Damage rating plus your SLs, subtracting the opponent's TB plus armor points for that location. For melee, your SB is usually a major component of your damage, while ranged attacks usually have more weapon-based damage. Damage reduces Wounds, to a minimum of 1 Wound - even the best armor cannot reduce damage below 1. If this reduces the foe to 0 Wounds or lower, they lose no further Wounds beyond 0 but instead take a Critical Wound and the Prone Condition.

Criticals with Ranged or Melee cause a Critical Wound even when Melee is being used as a defense. Fumbles force you to roll on the Oops table to see how you fuck up, which ranges from 'take some minor damage' to 'hit a random ally' to 'lose your next action' to 'suffer a Torn Muscle critical' to 'lose your Move/Action next round' and more. It's bad! Don't do that! Especially don't do it if you have a Blackpowder, Engineering or Explosive weapon. Guns are extremely good but they also explode on even-numbered fumbles.

Ranged attacks differ from Melee attacks in a few important ways. First, they've got more fixed damage. Second, you can't oppose them unless you have a sufficiently large shield or are at point blank range. With a large enough shield you may attempt to parry with the shield, and at point blank range you can dodge, or even parry if you're engaged with your attacker. Ranged attacks cannot be made while engaged except by weapons with the Pistol Quality. Ranged attacks also get easier if you're attacking a larger target, or if you're shooting at a group of people and don't care which one you hit.

Other major bonuses in combat: Outnumber foes by at least two to one, shooting at short range, shooting after spending an unrolled action to aim, attacking an Engaged foe from the side or back, attacking prone targets. All of these will improve your odds of hitting. Notable penalties: shooting small targets, attacking while in mud, bad terrain or heavy weather, attacking while prone or underneath the target, attacking into cover, making called shots for specific hit locations, fighting in enclosed spaces with large weapons, shooting on a round where you move, fighting in the dark, using your off hand, shooting into melee and having to avoid hitting a specific target. Avoid having to do these. Being outnumbered is especially bad - it causes you to lose 1 Advantage every round even if everything goes perfectly.

Unarmed combat mostly works the same as any melee combat, except that when you attack, you can declare that you are instead aiming to begin grappling. If you hit, you and your foe are now Grappling and the opponent gets the Entangled condition. If you start your turn while Grappling and have higher Advantage, you can freely break the grapple if you want and move away without being Engaged. Otherwise, your action must be an Opposed Strength test. If you win, you can deal damage that ignores armor, increase the foe's Entangled conditions, or remove Entangled from yourself. If you lose, the opponent gains Advantage and you do nothing. Anyone outside the grapple has a bonus to hit either target, with a bigger bonus to hit the one with lower Advantage. Optionally, the GM may allow you to use other skills during a Grapple, but if you screw up you gain more Entangled because you weren't focusing properly.

Mounted combat! For your move, you use your mount's Movement for all purposes and roll Ride for any movement-related tests. Any melee attack while mounted that targets someone smaller than your mount gets a bonus. Anyone rolling to hit a mounted target may choose to hit rider or mount, but suffers a penalty in melee if smaller than the mount. A mount that does not have the Skittish trait can act as a combatant, getting its own Action to attack Engaged targets. On any turn you charge while mounted, you may calculate damage using the Strength and Size rules of your mount. While mounted, you get a penalty to any use of Dodge unless you have the Trick Riding Talent. Also, because mounts are bigger than most characters, they may cause Fear or Terror, or may gain other benefits based on size, which is explained in the monster section.

Next time: Advantage and Movement

I Have The Advantage

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

WFRP 4e - I Have The Advantage

So, Advantage. Advantage is extremely powerful, and the game knows it, providing options to cap it, either at a character's IB or just some arbitrary agreed on number. This is because for every point of Advantage you have, you get +10 to all "appropriate" combat and Psychology tests. Which is...basically all of them. You can gain Advantage by:
1. Attacking a Surprised foe (+1)
2. Charging (+1)
3. Using a skill to assess the area and find a tactical advantage (+1, often capped by a specific stat bonus as to how many points can be gained that way)
4. Defeating an important NPC (+1, or +2 for a party nemesis)
5. Winning an opposed test in combat (+1)
6. Wounding a foe without an opposed test (+1)
Plus any Talents that can gain it.

You lose all Advantage (barring Talents that let you keep some) if:
1. You lose an opposed test in combat
2. You lose any Wounds
3. You suffer any conditions
4. Combat ends
You lose one Advantage if:
1. You have gained no Advantage this round
2. You end the Round outnumbered by your Engaged foes
Some skills and Talents can transfer or drain Advantage, too, and you can expend Advantage to Disengage, which we'll get to momentarily.

Movement tracking can be granular on a grid, or it can be abstract, with 1 Movement roughly equivalent to two yards or so. Your walk speed is this double your Movement in yards, and your run speed is quadruple it. Charging uses your Run speed to determine range, but you can't charge at any foe that is within your base Movement in yards. Too close. Disengaging is how you get out of being Engaged in melee if your foe won't helpfully stop swinging. First, if you have more Advantage than your foe, you have a superior position and may choose to drop your Advantage to 0 to disengage freely. If you have less than or equal to your foe's Advantage, you will need to make an opposed Dodge test against their Melee. If you succeed, you gain 1 Advantage and disengage freely. If you fail, your foe gains 1 Advantage and you are still Engaged.

If you cannot otherwise escape, you can always Flee - just turn your back and run. Often, this may be involuntary due to magic or Terror. If you flee, your foe immediately gains 1 Advantage and gets a free swing at you, which is not opposed - you can't parry with your back - and gets +20 to hit because you're tossing caution to the wind and running. If you are hit, they gain 1 Advantage and you must make a Cool test to not get the Broken condition. After that you get to run freely away from them, either way. You may also, while disengaged, spend your action to sprint, making an Athletics test and moving a distance based on your run speed and your roll.

Climbing usually doesn't require a roll, unless it's difficult or we care how long it takes. Ladders take no roll but you move at half normal speed on them or other easily climbed surfaces. Any faster requires a test. If both of your hands are free, you can climb any surface with handholds by making a test, again moving at half speed if you succeed.

Jumping, either with Athletics or Perform (Acrobatics), is usually just a simple test - either you do it or you don't. SL matters only if we care how high or far you went specifically. You can move up to your Movement in feet in a jump without rolling - going further than that takes a test, which is easier if you have space to do a runup. Falling damage is 1d10, plus 3 per yard fallen. TB reduces it but Armor does not. You can reduce fall damage to 0. If you take more than your TB in fall damage wounds, you gain the Prone condition upon landing.

For chase scenes, there are a few more rules. The GM will assign a number based on the lead the pursued has - from 1 ('almost in reach') to 8 ('almost beyond pursuit entirely'). Everyone involved then makes a test for movement - usually Drive, Ride or Athletics. The lowest SL among the pursued is compared to the highest among the pursuers. The difference is added to the lead distance if the pursued won, or subtracted if the pursuer did. If the distance hits 0 or less, the pursuers catch the slowest member of the quarry. The rest of the pursued may then choose to abandon that person and keep fleeing, or stop to fight. If the abandoned isn't a priority target, it's likely the pursuers will keep chasing, maybe leaving someone behind to guard them. If the lead distance gets to 10 or higher, the pursuers lose their quarry entirely. Otherwise, you keep going with rolls. In any pursuit where some characters have higher Movement than others, they get bonus SL equal to the difference in Movement stats between them and the person with lowest Movement.

The GM can make this more chaotic if they wish by introducing two optional rules. First, whoever has the highest SL may choose to introduce an Obstacle - perhaps a pile of barrels in the path or perhaps someone calling out to help. They choose one other person in the chase and give them a -1 SL penalty next round as they have to find a way to deal with the Obstacle. Second, the GM can introduce environmental shifts that change what's rolled - maybe an Athletics test for round 1 for just chasing, but a Leadership or Intimidate test round 2 to get past a guard station, or a Climb test to parkour up a building.

Next time: Conditions

Conditioning

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

WFRP 4e - Conditioning

Conditions are all bad. All of them. You do not want them. Fortunately, you can remove any Condition by spending Resolve points, more on which soon. This allows PCs to better control their own lives even though these conditions can be crippling. The Conditions are Ablaze, Bleeding, Blinded, Broken, Deafened, Entangled, Fatigued, Poison, Prone, Stunned, Surprised and Unconscious. Unless explicitly noted, they stack with themselves - if you have Bleeding 3 times, you get its effects 3 times. Same with Blinded. However, if you have penalties from two different Conditions, only the highest one applies - they don't stack with each other, just themselves.

Ablaze means you are on fire. You typically only gain it if you're flammable, but some magic can set you on fire even if you're not. When you are Ablaze, you suffer 1d10 Wounds, reduced by TB and APs to a minimum of 1. Every additional Ablaze gives +1 damage to the roll. You can remove Ablaze with Athletics tests to put yourself out, with modifiers based on the circumstances.

Bleeding means you have a nasty bleed going. You lose 1 Wound at the end of each Round, ignoring all modifiers. Also, you get -10 to any tests to resist Festering Wounds, Minor Infection or Blood Rot. If you hit 0 Wounds, you stop taking damage but immediately gain the Unconscious condition, and you have a (10*number of Bleeding)% chance of dying at the end of each round. Until your Bleeding is removed you cannot regain consciousness. Bleeding can be removed with Heal tests or any magical effect that heals Wounds. Once you lose all Bleeding, you gain one Fatigued condition.

Blinded is what it says. You get -10 to all tests involving sight, and anyone attacking you in close combat gets +10 to hit you. You lose one Blinded condition every other round.

Broken means you are panicked and/or convinced you are going to die. On your turn, your Move and Action must be used to flee as fast as possible until you find a good hiding spot out of sight of any foe, at which point you are allowed to use skills to hide. You also get -10 to any test not involving running or hiding. If you are Engaged, you can't get rid of Broken. If you aren't, you can make a Cool test at the end of each round to remove Broken conditions. If you spend a full round hiding, out of sight of any foe, you remove 1 Broken automatically, as well. Once all Broken conditions are removed, you gain one Fatigued condition.

Deafened does what it says. You get -10 to all tests involving hearing, and any foe attacking in close combat from the flank or rear gets an additional +10 to hit you. Again, no stacking, just duration. One Deafened condition is removed every other round, though often there's still tinnitus.

Entangled means you're wrapped up or otherwise have your movements restricted. You can't Move, and any actions involving movement of any kind gets -10, including grappling. For your action, you may can remove Entangled via an Opposed Strength test against whatever is entangling you.

Fatigued means you're tired or stressed. You get -10 to all tests. Getting rid of Fatigued usually requires rest or magic, though if it's caused by being overencumbered, you can get rid of it by just dropping things.

Poisoned means you're poisoned. At the end of each round, you lose 1 Wound, ignoring all modifiers. You have -10 to all tests. If you reach 0 Wounds while Poisoned, you can't be healed of Wounds until all Poisoned conditions are removed. If you fall Unconscious while Poisoned, you must make an Endurance check every (TB) rounds or else you die. At the end of each round you get an Endurance test to remove Poisoned, and it can also be removed with Heal. When all Poisoned conditions are removed, you gain 1 Fatigued Condition.

Prone: You're fallen over. On your turn, you can only use your Move to stand up or to crawl half your Movement in yards. At 0 Wounds, you cannot stand up. You get -20 to all tests involving movement, and anyone trying to hit you in melee gets +20. Prone doesn't stack - you either are Prone or you're not. You lose Prone by standing up.

Stunned means you're disoriented, confused or otherwise stunned. You cannot take an Action on your turn, and Move only at half speed. You can defend yourself normally on any opposed test, except for with Language (Magick). You get -10 to all tests. If you have any Stunned conditions, anyone attacking you in melee gets +1 Advantage before rolling to attack. At the end of each round you can make an Endurance test to remove Stunned. Once all Stunned conditions are removed, you gain 1 Fatigued condition.

Surprised means you got caught unready to fight. You cannot take an Action or Move on your turn and cannot defend yourself in opposed tests. Anyone trying to hit you in melee gets +20. At the end of each round, or after the first attempt to attack you, you lose Surprised. You cannot have multiple Surprised conditions - like Prone, it's a binary. You either are or are not.

Unconscious means you're KOed or asleep. You can't do anything on your turn and have no awareness of your surroundings. Any melee attack targeting you hits automatically on the location of their choice with an automatic roll of 01 that also causes a Critical Wound - or, if the GM prefers, just kills. Anby ranged attacks do the same if done at point blank range. Unconscious is binary - you either are or not, it doesn't stack. Recovery depends on why you're Unconscious. If you spend a Resolve point to remove it but do not fix the cause, you gain it again at the end of the round. When you lose Unconscious, you gain Prone and Fatigued.

Now, let's talk about Fate, Fortume. Resilience and Resolve. You get a pool of Fortune points equal to your Fate, and a pool of Resolve points equal to your Resilience. NPCs very rarely have either one unless they are a very notable NPC that will recur and probably cause problems for everyone. So, Fate. Fate represents your destiny, and Fortune your luck. You may spend Fortune to do one of three things:
1. Reroll a failed test.
2. Add +1 SL to a test after rolling.
3. At the start of the round, choose when you are going to act in that round regardless of Initiative order.

You can spend permanent Fate to do one of two things:
1. When you would die, you instead get knocked out, left for dead or otherwise removed from the action of the scene. You will survive, period, no matter what, but may not take part in the encounter any further.
2. You prevent all effects of a single attack or source of damage. The damage just doesn't happen, through some extraordinary coincidence. You may continue to act in the scene, but that also means you can still die in the scene.

You regain all Fortune at the start of each session, up to your current Fate. Some encounters may also give you Fortune, or remove it. The GM can give you a Fate Point for acts of extreme heroism, bravery and self-sacrifice, and generally this will only happen at the successful end of an important adventure. Fate doesn't come back easily.

Resilience represents your drive and determination to overcome and survive, no matter what. Resolve is your willpower, spent to push past minor obstacles. Resilience serves as your cap on Resolve, just as Fate does on Fortune. You can spend Resolve to do one of three things:
1. Become immune to Psychology until the end of hte round.
2. Ignore all modifiers from all Critical Wounds until the end of the next round.
3. Remove one Condition. If you use this to remove Prone, you also regain 1 Wound.

Permanent Resilience can be spent to do one of two things:
1. When you roll a mutation, you do not mutate or lose any Corruption points; nothing happens instead.
2. When you roll a test, you may choose to set the number you roll instead. In an Opposed Test, you always win by at least 1 SL if you do this, even if you normally wouldn't. You can choose to do this after rolling and failing a test.

You regain Resolve when you act in accordance with your Motivation. Whenever you feel you have done so, you can ask the GM to let you recover 1 or more Resolve. The GM may give you a point of Resilience when you perform an act of extreme importance to your Motivation, but this is extremely rare - their example is that, after many adventures, a PC manages to get a new temple to Sigmar financed in their home village, by herself.

Next time: Injuries

You Wound Me

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

WFRP 4e - You Wound Me

Wounds are pretty obvious - you take damage, you reduce your Wounds. If you lose all of your Wounds, you become Prone and cannot stand up until you have at least 1 Wound. If you remain at 0 Wounds for (TB) Rounds, you become Unconscious and cannot wake up until you heal at least 1 Wound. If you would be taken to negative Wounds by any damage, you instead suffer a Critical Wound, though if the negative HP you would be at is lower than your TB - so say your TB is 5 and you'd be taken to -3 - you get -20 on the Critical Table roll. You can never actually enter negative Wounds - 0 is as low as you go.

Critical Wounds suck! Don't get them! They are caused primarily by Critical Hits and by taking more Wounds than you have remaining. Every Critical Wound causes a lasting penalty that will remain until it is healed. You may choose to pull your blows, perhaps due to sparring, in which case you fight as normal but ignore any Critical Wounds you would cause. You must declare you're pulling your blows before rolling, however. If you are Unconscious and have 0 Wounds, you die if your total number of Critical Wounds exceeds your TB unless one of them is healed somehow before the end of the round. Also, if you are Unconscious, anyone attacking you can choose to just flat kill you if they want - but if there's anyone else to fight, they usually won't, because that's wasting time dealing with a noncombatant. Also, certain Critical Wounds just cause instant death. (The GM may also choose to have NPCs just die or instantly be KO'd if they hit 0 Wounds, to make things go faster. This can even be just applied to mook-type NPCs that no one cares much about. It should never be used for PCs or important NPCs, we are told.)

As in 2e, each hit location has its own crit table. Crits cause additional Wound loss, though in doing so they can never trigger a second Critical Wound, and an additional effect. Some also provide a small buff once healed if you're lucky, but that is extremely rare. For the head, this is Dramatic Injury - you take 1 additional Wound and Bleeding 1, but when it heals the scar is very impressive so you get +1 SL to appropriate Social tests. You can only get that bonus once, though. All crit tables have a 1% chance of instant death. The game recommends having someone with at least the Heal skill around to help take care of Critical Wounds. Conditions caused by crits are easy enough to solve, but some will also cause lasting stuff - broken bones, torn muscles or limb amputation.

Broken Bones are either Minor or Major. A Minor Broken Bone causes whatever hit location it's in to become unusable until it heals - for Arm or Leg hits, you function as if you had a Severed Arm or Leg except it, y'know, can heal, but it is too painful to use right now and may need binding. For Head hits, you are down to a liquid diet and get -30 to all Language tests. For Body hits, you get -30 to Strength and Agility and halve your Move rate. A fracture like this will heal naturally in 30+1d10 days, with an Endurance test at the end to ensure it has set well; if you fail, you get a permanent -5 to all Agility tests (for Arm), a permanent -5 Agility (for Body or Leg) or a permanent -5 to all spoken Language tests (for Head). A Heal test in the first week of having the fracture can prevent the Endurance test from being needed at all, as long as the area remains bound and held in place. If the binding is undone, a second Heal test is needed within a day to retain the benefits by rebinding.

A Major Broken Bone is badly broken and splintered or at an angle that will require medical aid. The Hit Location is unusable as per above, but healing takes 10 more days, the tests required are harder and any penalties for failed tests are -10 instead of -5.

Torn Muscles are also either Minor or Major. A Minor Torn Muscle is a sprain or tear that is very painful and impairs you. You get -10 to all tests involving the Hit Location, and if it's a Leg hit, you also halve your Movement. Muscle tears heal in (30-TB) days, with a Heal test reducing the time required. A Major Torn Muscle involves damaged tendons, and is identical but the penalty is -20 instead of -10. After a Major Torn Muscle heals, it becomes a Minor Torn Muscle. Major Torn Muscles also cannot have their time to heal reduced by Heal tests.

Amputations are, uh, worse. Whenever you take a Critical Wound that causes an Amputation, you must immediately pass an Endurance test or become Prone, and possibly Stunned or Unconscious. To heal properly from an Amputation requires surgery, and until you get it, 1 Wound cannot be healed.
Arm: As per Hand, but you also can't strap a shield to the arm because it's not there.
Ear: -5 to all Fellowship tests per ear when your lost ears are visible, and -20 to hearing-based Perception tests if you lose both ears.
Eye: -5 to all Fellowship tests per eye when your lost eyes are visible, and -30 to all tests influenced by sight if you lose both eyes.
Fingers: Any relevant failed test about grip becomes a Fumble if your ones digit is less than or equal to the number of fingers you have lost, and you get -5 to all tests using the hand in question per finger lost. If you lose 4 or more fingers, use the Hand rules.
Foot: Halve your Move speed, and you get -20 to all tests involving mobility. You probably can't walk if you lose both. Find someone to carry you.
Hand: -20 to all tests that rely on having both hands, and you can't wield two-handed weapons, though your injured arm can still have a shield strapped to it. If your lost hand is your primary hand, you still get the offhand penalty (-20) to all Melee tests using your offhand. You can buy the penalty off at 100 XP per -5 bought off. If you lose both hands, you're kind of fucked.
Leg: As per Foot, but you can't use the Dodge skill at all.
Nose: -20 Fellowship, and you get -30 to all tests involving your sense of smell.
Teeth: -1 Fellowship per 2 teeth lost. If you lose more than half of your teeth (16 for Humans, 18 for Elves, 20 for Dwarves and Halflings), it takes you twice as long to eat things and some foods will become pretty much impossible to eat.
Toes: -1 Agility and WS per toe lost.
Tongue: You fail all Language tests involving speaking automatically, and cannot speak even if the test would not be rolled.

Without medical attention, you make an Endurance test once a day after a good sleep to heal TB Wounds, plus extra based on your SL. For every day in which you take it easy and don't do anything strenuous, you heal an additional TB Wounds. If you want more healing, you need to be treated via the Heal skill, or will need bandages, a poultice or other healing gear. There is no penalty for doing stuff will wounded, though, and you can still heal wounds normally while you have Critical Wounds. However, a Critical Wound is not considered healed until all associated Conditions are removed and all non-permanent modifiers are resolved. Medical attention, for the purposes of Critical Wounds that require it, includes treatment via Heal, use of a bandage or poultice or other healing item, or use of magic that heals Wounds. Critical Wouns that require Surgery lock up 1 Wound until treated. Treatment requires a Heal test per the Surgery talent, and note that Surgery can be very dangerous if you don't have a lot of Wounds left.

Other damage...you can, if prepared, hold your breath for TB*10 seconds at a time, no roll needed. After that, you might start to suffocate or drown. If you didn't have time to hold your breath, you just start drowning immediately. Each round in which you suffocate or drown, you lose 1 Wound. If you hit 0 Wounds, you immediately become Unconscious and will die after TB Rounds of further suffocation or drowning.

Exposure! Every 4 hours in a difficult environment, like a hot desert or an area with sub-zero temperatures, requires an Endurance test. Extreme environments reduce this to every 2 hours. For cold areas, your first failure gives -10 BS, Agi and Dex. Your second gives -10 to all the other stats. Your third and subsequent failures cause 1d10 damage that ignores armor (but not TB), to a minimum of 1. If you hit 0 Wounds, you become Unconscious immediately. Some gear can provide bonuses to these tests. Fro heat, first failure costs -10 to Int and WP and a Fatigued condition, the second gives -10 to all other stats and another Fatigued condition, and the third and subsequent failures deal 1d10 Wounds, ignoring Armor but not TB, to a minimum of 1. Stripping off heavy gear will cancel out a single failed test.

Deprivation! Endurance tests to withstand hunger and thirst get a cumulative -10 penalty per test until you get food and water, and while you are so deprived, you cannot recover Wounds or get rid of the Fatigued condition naturally. Without water, you must make an Endurance test every day. The first failure causes -10 Int, WP and Fel, and with the next and all subsequent failures reducing all stats by -10 and causing 1d10 Wounds that ignore armor but not TB, to a minimum of 1. Without food, you must make an Endurance test every 2 days, with the first failure causing -10 S and T, and the second and all subsequent failures causing -10 to all other stats and 1d10 Wounds that ignore Armor, to a minimum of 1.

Now, let's talk about Corruption. Corruption represents the slow slip of your soul to the Dark Gods of Chaos. There are two main ways to gain Corruption - dark deals and corrupting influence. Dark Deals happen when you fail a test, then either spend a Fortune point and fail again, or have no Fortune to spend. You may choose to take 1 Corruption to reroll any test, even if it's already been rerolled. The player always controls this, not the GM, who can at best suggest it. The GM may also choose, if you take a Dark Deal, to cause a miscast effect to happen off one of the miscast tables, to represent the malign influence of Chaos on the world. Or not! That's optional.

Corrupting Influence is caused by exposure to places, people or things tainted by Chaos, or situations beloved by the Dark Gods. If you encounter something the GM decides is a corrupting influence, you make a Cool or Endurance check, chosen by the GM. Physical influences usually resist via Endurance, spiritual with Cool. The stronger the influence, the better a roll you'll need to avoid all of the Corruption.

Minor Influences are relatively trivial; if you fail the test, you gain 1 Corruption. This is stuff like witnessing a Lesser Daemon, making contact with a Mutant, Warpstone or Chaos-tainted artifact, giving in to despair, rage, excess or the need to "change your lot," which...doesn't make a lot of sense to me, but sure, being near Warpstone, or prolonged exposure to Chaos worshippers, Chaos Cult temples, Skaven, mutant lairs or similar.

Moderate Influences are a danger to all souls. If you fail the test, you get 2 Corruption, and if you pass but only have 0-1 SLs, you get 1 Corruption. This is stuff like witnessing multiple Daemons at once, contact with a Daemon, Warpstone or profane artifact, embracing despair, rage, excess or the desire to become someone new (???), prolonged exposure to refined Warpstone, or brief exposure to a Dhar-heavy environment, such as a Necromancer or Chaos Sorcerer's lair.

Major Influences are terrifying forces not usually worth facing directly. If you fail the test, you get 3 Corruption, if you pass but have only 0-1 SLs, you get 2, and if you pass but only have 2-3 SLs, you get 1 Corruption. This is stuff like witnessing a Greater Daemon, having prolonged contact with a Daemon, Warpstone or profane artifact, making a deal with a Daemon, consuming refined Warpstone or prolonged exposure to a Dhar-steeped environment.

If you ever gain more Corruption than your WPB+TB, you must make an Endurance test. If you succeed, you hold off the Corruptiobn but will need to test the next time you gain it. If you fail, you mutate in either mind or body. You lose Corruption equal to your WPB, then roll to see what kind of mutation you get, and which mutation of that kind. If you ever have more physical mutations than your TB or more mental mutations than your WPB, you fall to Chaos and become an NPC. Physical Mutations tend to be very hard to hide but usually have an upside of some kind or at least not much of a downside, while Mental Mutations are easy to hide but almost entirely negative.

There are two ways to drain off Corruption without mutating. First, Dark Whispers. The GM may offer you a chance to lose 1 Corruption in exchange for the darkness within you twisting your action. You always get to choose. If you agree, you lose the Corruption point, but the GM narrates what happens - maybe you let an enemy escape, maybe you accidentally shoot an ally, maybe you fall asleep on watch. If you refuse, you keep your Corruption and do what you want.

Second, Absolution. You can scrub the taint of Chaos from your soul. The GM determines what counts, but it's never easy. Cleansing a profane Chaos temple may allow you to remove Corruption, but be careful of being tainted by it while you're there. Completing a holy pilgrimage and receiving the blessing of a high priest at the end of a long, arduous journey might work. Destroying an unholy artifact or otherwise rendering it safe and foiling the scheme of a Dark God could do it. Joining a Holy Order and dedicating your life to fighting a Chaos God could work. The GM decides how much Corruption is lost this way.

Next time: Diseases

The Cauldron of Nurgle

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

WFRP 4e - The Cauldron of Nurgle

Diseases are a pretty long list, but there is a helpful sidebar that says to be sure to moderate your usage of them based on your group. Some groups like diseases as part of the Warhammer world, while others prefer them only on special occasions involving Nurgle and/or the Skaven. And some hate them! This is because, well, a disease can take a character out of action for quite a while, and that's not very fun. The game acknowledges this and warns GMs to be careful about how they use diseases, because everyone having fun is the top priority.

Diseases have several traits - Contraction, which is how you get it, Incubation, how long before it develops symptons, Duration, how long it lasts, Symptoms, which is which symptoms it grants, and then Permanent, which is if it has any permanent effects on your character - a trait only the worst diseases have. A lot of diseases are surprisingly easy to not contract if you're lucky and have good Endurance, at least, but they can be extremely nasty. You can pretty easily build a Disease yourself by deciding how you get it, how long it lasts, and then pick from the list of Symptoms.

The Black Plague is said to have appeared centuries ago due to a massive swarming of rats, and at that time it killed 90% of the Empire. Unexplained outbreaks still occur today, and the Cult of Shallya has dedicated itself to eradicatin the disease anywhere it shows up, calling on ancient laws and rights granted to the Cult which allow them to quarantine any outbreak area until the disease is contained and, if not stopped, at least all the bodies are disposed of. You get the Plague by hanging out in areas with infected fleas or by being in contact with infected bodily fluids, and while it's a +20 Endurance test, it's made every hour or portion thereof. Incubation is a mere 1d10 minutes, and the Plague lasts 3d10 days. Its sympomts are Buboes, Blight (Moderate), Fever, Gangrene and Malaise.
Blood Rot is a disease of the blood itself. The accepted cure is to leech the rot, but some doktors prefer small incisions around the neck to free the contaminated blood, and have their patients consume large amounts of healthy blood to replace it. Without some form of treatment, Blood Rot is almost always deadly. It is usually contracted as a result of another disease or due to a Critical Wound. It has no incubation period, has a duration of 1d10 days and causes Blight, Fever (Severe) and Malaise.
The Bloody Flux is a problem the Empire has never been able to deal with, and is widely believed to be a divine curse on the impious. It causes forcible and frequent diahrrea, and is endemic in the armed forces, where it is said to kill more than any enemy does. Typical cures usually involve eating blood pudding to replace lost humours, corking, and rubbing fats on your ass to make it hurt less. It is contracted by eating an infected material and failing a +40 Endurance test, incubates for 2d10 days and lasts 1d10 days. It causes Flux (Severe), Lingering (Challenging), Fever, Malaise and Nausea.
Festering Wound is a nasty infection of a cut or abrasion, and many superstitions exist about how to best treat such problems. Poultices of leaves and dung, the skin of toads or dove feathers are common, as is rubbing the wound with good soil. Most physicians hate these ideas and prefer more scientific remedies, such as the gall of a black ox mixed with the patient's urine and some sea salt, which you rub into the wound. You can tell it's working by the screams! It is largely caused either by wounds inflicted by creatures with the Infected trait, or by progression of a Minor Infection. It incubates 1d10 days (or instantly, if developed from another disease) and lasts 1d10 days, causing Fever, Lingering (Challenging), Malaise and Wounded.
The Galloping Trots are caused by bad food preparation, and while most claim Halfling food doesn't cause it, many who eat infected Altdorf pies disagree. It's caused by eating infected material, incubates for 1d10 hours, lasts 1d10 days, and causes Flux (Moderate), Malaise and Nausea.
Itching Pox is pretty much an annual disease. It's relatively mild but causes itchy and unsightly blisters across the body. It rarely has lasting complications, at least, and most temples of Shallya will have a paste on hand that will relieve the itching. It is caused by exposure to the infected or their coughs and sneezes. It incubates for 1d10 days, lasts 1d10+7 days, and causes Coughs and Sneezes and Pox. Its permanent effect is that once you've had it, you can never catch it again.
Minor Infection is any of many diseases that cause a wound's healing to slow, as well as make the area hot and swollen. Most will heal on their own, but some can get very bad indeed. They are caused by failing a (very easy) Endurance check after any combat where you get a Critical Wound. They incubate for 1d10 days, last 1d10 days, and cause Lingering (Easy), Malaise and Wounded.
Packer's Pox is a common affliction of hunters, furriers and traders, as it is contracted from sheep and cattle, and their byproducts, as well as the already infected. It starts as small, itchy rash, then spreads in pink, depressed blisters across the body, mostly the torso and arms. It isn't the worst pox but is one of the longest-lasting, and it can kill. It's caused by failure of a moderate Endurance test after contact with infected beasts or materials, incubates for 1d10 days and lasts 5d10 days. It causes Lingering (Challenging) and Pox.
Ratte Fever is spread by rodents, causing inflamed rashes and ulcerations, then a fever and spasms. It is rarely fatal but is quite debilitating and takes a long time to recover from. Common remedies include self-flagellation in Altdorf, or smearing yourself in goat cheese mixed with Kislevite ice-peppers in Talabheim. In larger towns or cities, it is also called Pie Fever due to many meat pies using potentially infected rat meat in place of more expensive ingredients. It is caused by failing an Endurance test after combat with rodents (including Skaven) with the Infected trait, or an easier one after eating an infected source. It incubates for 3d10+5 days and lasts 3d10+10 days, causing Convulsions, Fever, Lingering (Average), Malaise, Pox and Wounded.

Symptoms!
Blight: You are dying. You need to make a +60 Endurance test every day or die. If Moderate, the test is +40, and if Severe, it's +20. This symptom cannot be treated.
Buboes: You have big ol' swellings of the lymph nodes, usually on the groin, neck or armpits. They are super gross and may bleed or seep pus. Some believe they contain tiny Daemons of Nurgle. You get -10 to all physical tests and, if they are visible or smellable, all Fellowship tests. A successful Heal test with the Surgery talent may lance the buboes and remove the penalties. However, if it fails, you gain Festering Wound. You must also make an Endurance test at -10 each day or the buboes will return.
Convulsions: You spasm or shake periodically. You get -10 to all physical tests. If moderate, it is -20. If severe, you can't do anything and basically have to be tied down to avoid injuring yourself. Rare herbs or alchemical mixtures may lessen this symptom for one day, reducing Severe to Moderate and Moderate to normal. This can be done by anyone with Trade (Apothecary) and the right ingredients (which cost 10s or more per dose). The final medicine, if purchased, is Rare availablity and costs 1GC per dose, and is real about 80% of the time.
Coughs and Sneezes: Anyone near you is exposed to your disease and must test to avoid contraction of it once per hour (or portion thereof) of exposure. This symptom cannot be treated.
Fever: You have a high temperature, sweat and look sick. You get -10 to all physical and Fellowship tests. If severe, you have the Unconscious condition, though you may spend Resolve to become conscious for a few minutes at a time. Most common remedies have only a 10% chance of reducing a fever. Heal tests only let you know how long the fever will last. Cures range wildly in price, and if genuine, they will remove the symptoms of a normal Fever but not a Severe Fever, if you pass an Endurance test.
Flux: Diarrhea. You must take any chance you can get to go shit your intestines out, but this is left to roleplaying rather than mechanics, except for the note that, once per session at any point, the GM may declare you've got the shits and have TB rounds to relieve yourself, or else you're going whether you want to or not. If Moderate, the GM can do this twice per session, and if Severe, three times and you also take 1 Wound when it happens. Only 10% of cures sold by apothecaries and herbalists are real, and costs vary in the brass and silver range. If genuine, they prevent the symptom for TB hours.
Gangrene: Your flesh is blackening and dying. Determine what hit location is infected. If Body, you do not suffer this symptom. Lucky you! If Head, your nose is affected. If Arms, your fingers. If Leg, your feet. Each day you must roll a +20 Endurance test to prevent it from getting worse. If you fail more than TB times, the infected location becomes utterly useless, as per the Amputation rules. For as long as you have Gangrene, you get -10 to all Fellowship tests and have the Wounded symptom, and have the Blight symptom if you didn't already until the area is amputated, even if the disease that caused the Gangrene is cured. Amputation is the only effective treatment.
Lingering: After the disease's duration ends, you must make an Endurance test with modifier determined by the Lingering's rating. If you fail by 0 SLs, the disease lasts 1d10 more days. If you get -2 SLs, you develop Festering Wound. If by -6 SLs, you develop Blood Rot. Cures rarely cost more than a shilling, but have only a 10% chance of actually being genuine. If it is, you do not need to make the Endurance test for Lingering, if taken on a day determined by a Heal test.
Malaise: You feel crappy. You gain a Fatigued condition that can't be removed while you're sick. Medicine ranges from the brass to silver range and has a 75% chance of being real; if it is, you can make an Endurance test to ignore the symptom for one day.
Nausea means you're prone to vomiting if you move too fast. Whenever you fail a test involving movement, you vomit, gaining the Stunned condition due to dry heaves or repeated vomiting. Remedies are Common availability and have a 60% chance of being real, costing around 30p. If real, they allow an Endurance test to ignore the symptom for TB hours.
Pox is inflamed swellings, pustules, rashes, or itchy spots. You get -10 to Fellowship tests and must roleplay the scratching. A +20 Cool test is required to avoid scratching for a time, and another when the Pox ends to see if you got scarred. If you fail, reverse the dice to find what hit location got scarred. If it was the head, you lose 1 Fel permanently. Pox remedies are very common, and larger temples of Shallya will usually provide cream for free, though they do expect donations. Apothecaries sell a week's worth for about 6-7p, with a 90% chance of being real. The cream causes the Cool test to avoid scratching to be at +60, but is usually gross-looking.
Wounded means you have an open wound that, due to infection, is not healing right. For each Wounded symptom, you can't heal 1 Wound, and it instead stays open and possibly seeps pus. Each day you must make a +20 Endurance test or gain Festering Wound if you don't already have it. A daily Heal test keeps the wound clean and obviates the need for the Endurance test.

Now, Psychology! Whenever you are exposed to a Psychological trait, you may make a Cool test, usually at the start of each round, with modifiers set by the GM. Any success lasts until the end of the encounter, though more tests may be needed if circumstances change. If you pass, you are not gsubject to the worst parts of Psychological Trait for the rest of the encounter - so if you have Animosity (Elves), passing the Cool test means you can go the scene without starting shit unless you want to.

Animosity (Target) means you dislike the target, usually a group of people or creatures, like Beastmen or Nobles or Gottlanders. Whenever you encounter this group, you must make a Psychology Test. If you pass, you only get -20 to Fel tests towards them but may act normally. If you fail, you suffer Animosity. While subject to Animosity, at the end of each subsequent round, you may choose to make a new Psychology Test to end Animosity. It also ends if the specified group is no longer in your vision (or, if they are, are pacified), or you gain Stunned or Unconscious, or you become subject to another Psychology. While subject to Animosity, you must either socially attack (via insults and so on) or physically attack the offending group, and get +1 SL on any attempts to socially or mentally attack the group, such as by Intimidate. Fear and Terror override Animosity.
Fear (Rating) is, technically, a trait that inflicts Fear in others. The value is the SLs required on an extended Cool test to resist the Fear. You can test each round until you beat it. Until you do, you are subject to Fear. While subject to Fear, you get -1 SL on all tests to affect the source of the Fear, and must make a Cool test to move closer to it. If it comes closer to you, you must make a Cool test to not gain a Broken condition.
Frenzy lets you make a WP test to become subject to Frenzy. While subject to Frenzy, you are immune to all other Psychology, and will not flee or retreat for any reason. You must move at your full rate towards the nearest enemy you can see in order to attack them. The only actions you're usually able to make are melee attacks or Athletics tests to get closer faster. You get a free Melee attack each round. You get +1 SB. You remain subject to Frenzy until all foes you can see are pacified, or you gain Stunned or Unconscious. After your Frenzy ends, you immediately gain a Fatigued condition.
Hatred (Target) is like Animosity but even moreso. You will never willingly socially interact with the chosen group or thing. When you encounter them, you must make a Psychology test. If you fail, you are subject to Hatred, though at the end of any subsequent round you may choose to make another Psychology Test to end Hatred if you want. Hatred naturally ends when all of the specified group you can see are dead or gone, or you gain Unconscious. While subject to Hatred, you must attempt to destroy the hated group by the fastest and most deadly means possible. You get +1 SL on all combat actions against the specified group, and are immune to Fear and Intimidate caused by the specified group, though not Terror. (This is why getting Hatred is a talent.)
Prejudice (Target) is like Animosity but less so. You must make a Psychology test when you encounter the specified group, and if you pass, you only get -10 to Fell tests towards them but may act normally. If you fail, you are subject to Prejudice, and may choose to make another Psychology Test at the end of each subsequent round to end Prejudice. Prejudice naturally ends when all members of the specified group that you can see are gone, or you gain a Stunned or Unconscious condition, or you become subject to another Psychology. While subject to Prejudice, you must loudly insult the specified target.
Terror (Rating) is like Fear, but moreso. When you first encounter a creature that causes Terror, you must make a Cool test. If you pass, you're fine. If you fail, you gain (Rating) Broken conditions, plus the number of negative SLs on your roll. After Terror is resolved, the creature still causes Fear equal to its Terror rating.

There are also guidelines on how to make custom Psychology Traits. Generally, Psychology will give a bonus or penalty of 1 SL, immunity to specific Psychology, require you to do or not do certain things, and/or give Conditions. Their examples include Camaraderie (Group), which gives +1 SL to defend or support the specified group, Love (Person), which requires you to aid the person if they're threatened but gives immunity to Fear and Intimidation while defending them as well as +1 SL while doing so, or Phobia (Thing) which causes you to treat the specified thing as if it has Fear 1.

Next time: Downtime

Making Money In Your Spare Time

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

WFRP 4e - Making Money In Your Spare Time

This entire chapter is, technically, optional rules. A sidebar says so - you can remove it from the game and nothing will break. But they wanted to give a system for more structured downtime activity, to help do things like explain where the fuck your characters get their money and do stuff when not actively going out and adventuring - a job that will usually keep them extremely busy for a short period and then leave them with several weeks of nothing to do. So, once an adventure ends, you determine how many weeks pass until the next one begins. Once you do that, you roll on the Random Events table - I believe for each party member, as most of the events will only affect one, though some can affect all.

The Events table contains stuff that is usually in the 3 to 4% band of probability per event, ranging from:
15-18: Oi! You spilled my pint!: A petty argument in the local area has developed into a feud - the GM decides who you offended and how. This person will not pass up an opportunity for petty revenge, probably during the next adventure...
53-56: Malicious Malady: The Bloody Flux passes through town. Make an Easy (+40) Toughness test. On a success, the Flux passes by. On a failure, you and the Washers Guild are soon to know each other very well. Contract the Bloody Flux.
74-76: Pestilential Pet: One of your animals falls ill; make a Challenging (+0) Animal Care test. If successful, your beast pulls through. If not, the unfortunate creature dies. If you have no animals, you are troubled by ill omens of the GM's creation.
83-85: Sticky Fingers: Your purse is cut! You lose half the money you ended the last adventure with.
98-00: Unusual Mercenaries: One or more rare mercenaries turn up in a nearby settlement looking for work: a Tilean Duellist of great repute, the so-called Birdmen of Catrazza, unemployed Ogres under the command of a Halfling captain, or other unlikely bands. The mercenaries will gladly train any character in any martial Skills or Talents, at a 20% reduction in costs, should the characters undertake a Training or Unusual Learning Endeavor. Additionally, any characters undertaking a Combat Training Endeavor gain a +20 bonus to any relevant test.

Some of the events are good, some bad. Some of them just don't do much. In my game, we had stuff like the tax collector showing up and taking some of everyone's cash, or the party wizard accidentally pissing off a Witch Hunter. We also got one that increased income for Rogue-class characters, but had no Rogue classes in the party. Anyway, once events are determined, each party member gets Endeavors equal to the amount of weeks of downtime, to a maximum of 3. Once you have spent all of your Endeavors, all money left over from the last adventure is gone. All of it. Just...gone. You spent it on drinks, gambling, repair work, debts and taxes. Up to you how, but it's all gone. If you want to keep some of it, you'll want to perform a Banking Endeavor during the downtime!

If you are in Tier 3 or 4 of a Career, you must spend at least one Endeavor on the Income Endeavor, or else you revert to the tier below the one you're on. This has no XP cost - you just drop to the tier below and lose access to the Talents, new skills and new stat that your old Tier had, along with its old Status. You do, however, retain any stuff you spend XP on, at least. You're gonna have to pay XP again to get back to your old Tier, though.

If you are an Elf and have 3 Endeavors available, one of those Endeavors must be spent doing Elf things. This has no benefits whatsoever. You just spend one of your Endeavors on being an elf. Writing up reports for your bosses at home, socializing with any other Elves around, preening, getting high, whatever. This is your Elf Tax. And yes it stacks with the last one if you're a ranking Elf. This is price of having gigantic stats and all the other Elfy benefits. (Plus, I mean, Income's a good Endeavor anyway.)

General Endeavors can be undertaken by anyone.
Animal Training: You spend your time training one of your animals. Make an Animal Training test at +20. If you succeed, add one more skill to your animal from its species' Trained possibilities.
Banking: You either invest or hide your money. Investing is possible only for Silver or Gold-status characters. You choose a number between 1 and 10; this is your interest rate. The next time you perform a Banking endeavor, your funds grow according to the interest. However, you must roll a d100; if you roll under your interest rate, the bank lost all your money on whatever it was invested in. The GM is instructed in a sidebar to try and make some kind of story out of this - maybe you can get it back from bank robbers, or maybe you now own a haunted mansion on the edge of town that the bank was sure would be the next big tourst attraction. You must perform a second Banking Endeavor to withdraw your cash. Hiding your cash is something anyone can do. It won't earn interest, and you can withdraw it without an Endeavor, but each time you do it, there's a 10% chance that someone finds your stash and takes it. Withdrawn funds, either way, will be available to you after all your cash is taken away - so, at the start of your next adventure.
Changing Career: You change jobs. If you have completed your current Career (per the rules at the start) and the GM agrees, you may move to any Career (at any tier) that fits your character's current story for free. If you haven't completed it, it costs 100 XP. The time spent represents the work making introductions, bribing folks, getting permits and licenses, advertising and so on.
Commission: You hire someone to make or acquire something for you. This is primarily used to get Exotic-rarity goods, which otherwise are not sold anywhere. You find someone who can make or get it, perform the Endeavor, spend the required funds, and the item will arrive after your next adventure. You may commission only one Exotic item per Endeavor. If you don't know where a good source is, you need to do the Consult an Expert Endeavor first.
Consult an Expert: You find and consult with an expert, usually to facilitate another Endeavor. First, you must find the expert with a Gossip test, with modifiers based on the size of the local settlement. Succeed, and you find your expert. Fail, you get the loudest self-proclaimed specialist in the area, but the GM can freely vary their usefulness and accuracy - up or down. Once you have an expert(?) on hand, you then have to convince them to help you, which might just be a Charm test or modest donation, or might require committing to a future Favor. What kind of info you get depends on what you wanted to know and the expert's background. On top of whatever you learn, you get the Expert Reroll, which lets you reroll a single test related to the lore you learned and must be used before the end of the next adventure. (Favors, as a note, are Minor, Major or Significant. Minor can be paid back with an Endeavor spend or a few hours of work, Major require either an adventure or 2+ Endeavors depending on what it is but will always be risky or time-consuming, and Significant require an adventure and will probably involve risking your life or major violence.)
Crafting: You make a thing. You must have appropriate trade tools, raw materials and access to a workshop; raw materials generally cost a quarter of the price of what you want to make and must be purchased first, at an Availability set by the GM. The GM may raise or lower this price as they see fit. Then you must make an Extended Trade test, with a modifier based on how rare the item you want to make is. The SLs needed are set by the GM based on the cost of the item, raised or lowered by the Qualities or Flaws you build into it - each Flaw halves the SLs needed, and each Quality is +5 SLs after the halving is done.
Income lets you do your job - you roll a skill based on your Career, and then based on the result you earn money based on your Status, possibly halved if you failed. The cash arrives at the start of your next adventure, so it isn't wiped out by downtime.
Invent! is like Crafting, but it lets you make up new items that don't exist, like pigeon bombs or repeating pistols. The Endeavor requries a Trade (Engineer) test to draw up the blueprints, and gives a bonus to your Crafting or Commission Endeavor to actually make your bullshit thing.
Training lets you train in a skill or stat that is not native to your career. This allows you o pay for it at your normal XP rate, but you must also pay the tutor cash. Training for Basic skills or any stat costs (XP cost)+1d10p. Double this for Advanced skills. Most skills you are assumed to easily find a tutor for, especially in a large city such as Altdorf, but particularly unusual skills may require you to Consult an Expert first to find a teacher - typically, this is stuff like lockpicking or those Lore skills that either require a university or are forbidden. Tutors in the forbidden Lores are almost certain to demand far more than normal for their fee - probably a Significant Favor on top of any cash you have to spend.
Unusual Learning lets you pick up Talents that are not native to your Career. It is not, however, successful every time - it is possible to pay out the XP and the cash and fail anyway. You may only learn with an appropriate tutor - not a problem in most big cities, but obscure Talents or backwater towns may require you to Consult an Expert first. Once you find a tutor, you must pay 2d10s per 100 XP it costs to get the Talent. Once you pay this and the XP, you make a test at -20 using the stat or skill most relevant ot hte Talent, as determined by the GM. Succeed and you learn the Talent. If not, you’re out the cash and XP but your next attempt at learning the Talent this way gets a +10 modifier (cumulatively per failed attempt).

Class Endeavors are primarily usable by certain classes, and tend to be simpler and more specific than General ones. Anyone can attempt a Class Endeavor, but if you aren’t the specified Class, all tests get one degree harder - so a test normally at -10 is at -20, for example.
Combat Training is for Rangers and Warriors. You train to keep your fighting skills sharp when it matters. You make a test using a Melee or Ranged skill. If you succeed, you may reverse one test of the rolled skill during your next adventure. You can do this multiple times, to get multiple uses.
Foment Dissent is for Burghers and Peasants. You talk to the locals, involv yourself and work to piss people off at some specific person, group or institution. This takes 2 Endeavors rather than 1, but if you are an Agitator it also counts as an Income Endeavor. You first make a Gossip test at +20 to understand the area, then a Charm test with modifiers based on how unpopular the target is - +40 if they already hate the guy, -20 if they love ‘em, say. If you fail either test, the Endeavor fails. If you succeed, then during your next adventure you can make a Charm test to rally a rioting mob against the target, with difficulty based on how well-planned the mob must be. Success means you gather enough angry people to confront the target, throw rotting vegetables and shout a lot. A lot of SLs may lead to lynch mobs or even attempted burnings. Failure means the people don’t want to riot, and failure by a lot may mean that the target becomes aware of your attempts. Once you have a mob, though, you can try to rally them against a different target during the adventure - but it will be more difficult to do, with a difficulty modifier two steps higher.
The Latest News is for Rangers and Riverfolk. You make a Gossip test, gaining one interesting rumor per success, plus one per SL. If you fail really badly, you get something false but you are convinced it is true.
Reputation is for Academics, Burghers and Courtiers. You spend money to elevate your Status. You may spend money equal to your maximum possible earned Income and make a test of your earning skill for your career to raise your Standing (the number part of your Status) by 1 for the next adventure. If you get 6 or more SLs, it goes up by 2 instead. If you get -6 SLs or worse, you get -1 Standing instead.
Research Lore is for Academics. You seek out greater knowledge on a specific subject, like the site of a battle, a historic event or a person. You must have access to an appropriate repository of lore. You make a Lore test at +20 with the appropriate Lore; if you lack an appropriate Lore but are literate, you can instead make an Int test at -10. Success gives one piece of interesting, useufl or hidden knowledge on the subject, +1 per SL. If you fail real badly, you learn something false but are convinced it is true.
Study a Mark is for Rogues. You use it to...well, observe a target and find potential advantages for crime. You can study a merchant to better impersonate them, or case a building to figure out the guard schedule and layout. You make a Perception test. If you succeed, you may reverse one test related to your mark during the next adventure. You can do this multiple times to get multiple reversals. Further, the GM will give you information about the mark based on your SL. (Or lie to you, if it’s a bad SL.)

Next time: Religion

Gods Honest

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

WFRP 4e - Gods Honest

The Old World is, in general, an exceptionally religious place. Ranking priests tend to be wealthy and powerful as well, and most villages have a priest of their own (who is not nearly as wealthy or as powerful). Several faiths also support the templar orders of warrior-priests that answer to the head of their faith rather than any noble, which can cause political problems. In the Empire, the gods worshipped are broadly split into three categories: the Old Gods, the Classical Gods, and the Provincial Gods. Also Sigmar, who is none of them and stands apart.

The Old Gods are those deities worshipped in the time when the Empire was forest land wandered by barbarian tribes. Many were patron to one or more tribes, and to this day some of them are still associated with the old areas that were the hunting grounds of those ancient peoples. While few will say it aloud, most Imperial citizens consider the Old Gods to be the true deities of the Empire, with the Classical Gods as newcomers (relatively speaking). Over time, five gods have risen above all others of the Old Gods, and are now the dominant Old God cults throughout the Empire - Ulric, Taal, Rhya, Manaan and Morr. War, nature, fertility, the seas and death.

The Classical Gods spread from the south, in Tilea, Estalia and the Borderlands, largely due to trade and merchants. Their worship is most popular in urbanized areas, and some nobles and townsfolk see them as more sophisticated than the Old Gods, though few would dare say so aloud. The most widespread of the Classical God cults in the Empire are those of Verena, Myrmidia, Shallya and Ranald - wisdom, strategy, mercy and trickery. While the worship of the God of Murder, Khaine, is also Classical, his cult is extremely illegal pretty much everywhere.

The Provincial Gods are the patron gods of various provinces, towns, rivers, forests, crafts and so on. They form complex pantheons out of local legends and myths, and while they frequently have small cults, few of those cults have much real influence outside their specific area. There are exceptions, however, most notably Handrich, the God of Trade, who stands head and shoulders over any other Provincial God and has a huge presence among the merchant class of the Empire, which is ever-growing. The primary Provincial Gods of the Reikland are:
Bogenauer, god of the River Bogen, who is worshipped by boatmen, merchants and the people of the city of Bogenhafen, home to his single temple (which has no fulltime priests). He does have a number of shrines along the Bogen, though. He prefers offerings of coins, reed sheaves and rolled stones.
Borchbach, god of Rhetoric, worshipped by agitators, politicians and lawyers. Altdorf is home to several shrines and two full temples to him. He accepts offerings of written speeches, acorns and quills.
Clio, goddess of History, worshipped by scholars. Altdorf University has an attached temple to her that is quite large. She accepts as offerings ancient artifacts, peaches and carvings.
Dyrath, goddess of Women, worshipped by women. She has no temples, but her cult maintains a secret presence throughout the peoples of the Hagercrybs. She prefers offerings of fruit, honey and menses.
Grandfather Reik, god of the River Reik, worshipped by merchants, bargemen and fishers. He has no formal cult but his shrines are all over the river. He prefers offerings of beer, eels and silver.
Katya, goddess of Disarming Beauty, worshipped by bawds, the lonely and lovers. Her temples are found in the Vorbergland and usually double as brothels. She prefers offerings of coins, jewellery and clothing.

Sigmar founded the empire two thousand years ago. Legend states that he conquered innumerable foes of unthinkable power against impossible odds. He ruled for exactly fifty years, then abdicated and headed east, reportedly to return his warhammer, Ghal-Maraz, to its creators, the Dwarfs. He was never seen again. Not long after, oracles and prophets proclaimed his ascension to godhood, given divine power by the god Ulric before the entire pantheon of old and new gods. Today, his cult has spread to such an extent that its leader, the Grand Theogonist, is arguably more powerful than the Emperor himself at times.

A handful of other pantheons have made their way into the Reikland, largely those of other species. Some scholars claim their gods are merely aspects of other deities, worshipped under other names. For the Reikland, the most notable are probably Grungni, Dwarf God of Mining and Dwarf Pride, Isha, Elf Goddess of Fertility and Nature (and mother of all Elves) and Esmerelda, Halfling Goddess of Hearth, Home and Family. The Chaos Gods are also worthy of note. They are, after all, the greatest threat to the Old World. Their worship by the lost and damned is secret but pervasive, with dark cults on all levels of society. Khorne, God of Rage, Nurgle, God of Despair, Tzeentch, God of Ambition, and Slaanesh, God of Excess. Few dare whisper their names, for they have much dark power.

There are many cults of the gods in the Old World, most dedicated to appeasing or appealing to a single god and promoting their ideals. Cult leaders are often influential in local or regional politics, sometimes even national. They are not just representatives of the god, after all, but command hundreds of lesser priests, even thousands at times. Most larger cults are split into orders, which often operate out of major holy sites or temples. Each order focuses on a different aspect of the god's concerns and beliefs, and range from monastic groups to templar orders of knights to priestly orders to attend to communities to mendicant orders of wandering friars. Each order is organized differently, but all serve the head of their cult, not the local nobles. Holy sites tend to be associated with a god's legendary deeds in mythic times, and most are home to a temple, abbey or chapterhouse of the cult. Some older or less known sites may have only a shrine or unattended chapel, though. Cult buildings are typically highly decorative, often with scenes from the cult mythology, and vary wildly in size and layout. Some have lots of wealth, especially in rich towns or cities, and may support upwards of dozens of people, including lay crafters, guards or servants, while smaller ones may be run by a mere handful of stuff, helped by local volunteers. In villages, it's normal to just have the one priest. Shrines and chapels are even smaller and more modest, usually no more than the size of a single-room home. They rarely have a full-time priest, though they may be attended to by a nearby temple or a wandering priest that travels between shrines and villages. In the absence of a priest, the locals pray unsupervised, leave small offerings and maintain the shrine. GMs may choose to allow prayers to the gods to work for non-Blessed characters; if so, the base odds are 1% on a secret roll for the god to notice your prayer, though the GM may increase that if you have the Pray skill. While the gods do answer prayers, they don't grant wishes - their assistance may not be in any form you expect, though they will help you achieve a goal important to the god, likely by providing a bonus to a test or a single use of a skill or prayer that you otherwise could not.

While the Empire has hundreds of gods, only ten are considered of national importance, each worshipped by cults that span the entire Empire and each given a special position by Emperor Magnus the Pious about 200 years ago. When he rebuilt the Empire after the Great War Against Chaos, he saw that religious schisms and civil wars were a huge problem, and to prevent it, he created the Grand Conclave, a meeting of the primary cults of the Empire every five years to air grievances and find resolutions, with the emperor serving as chair. While it was controversial at the time, the Conclave is now fully accepted. Representatives of Manaan, Morr, Myrmidia, Ranald (well, sort of), Rhya, Shallya, Sigmar, Taal, Ulric and Verena are allowed to attend. The Cult of Handrich is currently lobbying for a seat, but at present those ten are the Grand Conclave cults and the most important in the Empire.

Next time: Cult Overviews

Water Lord

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

WFRP 4e - Water Lord

Manaan, God of the Sea is most powerful in Marienburg and the Wasteland. The head of his cult is the Matriarch of the Sea, and his primary orders are the Order of the Albatress and Order of the Mariner. His greatest festivals are the Equinoxes, and his most popular holy books are The 1000 Shanties, Tales of the Albatross and Liber Manaan. His common symbols are the five-tined crown, the wave and the anchor. He is technically speaking the god of the seas, the oceans and the Wasteland, and his worshippers are primarily sailors, fishers and merchants. His preferred offerings are fish, gems and gold. Manaan is the volatile son of Taal and Rhya, capricious and wild. He is the King of the Sea, Master of the Maelstroms and the Summoner of Storms. He is known for his dark moods and erratic temper, and so his cult is needed more than ever, to keep the god appeased. He is usually depicted as a gigantic man with a black beard, seaweed in his hair and a five-pointed black iron crown on his brow. He is said to live at the bottom of the sea, with the rise and fall of his chest making the tides and waves, gathering the great monsters of the deep to his court.

Coastal communities across the Old World worship Manaan, wherever people make their living from the sea or are close enough for a storm or flood to strike. Even those who know little of him will throw a coin or treasure into the water before a sea voyage, in hopes of a smooth crossing. The Cult actually has many orders, most of them monastic orders tasked to guard isolated and sacred islands. The Order of the Albatross is the largest of Manaan's orders, made of his temple priests across the Old World, as well as those who bless vessels by serving on them. Often accompanying them is the Order of the Mariner, Manaan's templar-marines (who also serve as sworn protectors of Marienburg). Clerics of Manaan usually wear robes of dark green-blue or blue-grey, trimmed with a white wave pattern.

Temples to Manaan can be found in all coastal towns and cities, as well as any river port that seagoing vessels can reach. The high temple is in Marienburg, and is open to the tides. The Matriarch of the Sea leads the Order of the Albatross from there, and while she is theoretically in charge of the entire cult, in practice most priests are as mercurial as their god and quite stubborn, so her control is somewhat limited. The cult also maintains monasteries and abbeys on isolated islands, mostly dedicated to the many saints of Manaan. When Manaan demands penance, it usually takes the form of hazardous ocean-going pilgrimages, tests of sailing skill or expeditions against his foes, most notably the heretical cult of Stromfels, God of Pirates, Wreckers and Sharks.


Morr, God of Death, is most powerful in Luccini in Tilea. The head of his cult is the Custode del Portale, and his primary orders are the Order of the Shroud, the Order of the Black Guard and the Order of the Augurs. His major festivals are Hexensnacht and Geheimisnacht, and his most popular holy books are The Book of Doorways, Libro Dei Morti and Threnodies of the Raven. His most common symbols are portals, ravens and black roses. He is the god of death, dreams and Ostermark, and his worshippers are primarily undertakers, mourners, undead hunters and mystics. His favored offerings are silver coins, incense and candles. Morr is an urbane and cultured god, King of the Underworld and husband to Verena. He sends forth his divine ravens to guide the dead to the Portal, a great pillared gateway between the mortal and divine realms. He then leads each dead soul from there to its final rest - either his Underworld or the afterlife of another god. He is usually portrayed as a tall, dark man of aristocratic mien, brooding and intense.

Outside of Ostermark (where Morr is considered especially important), few actually want to attract his attention, and so normally only the bereaved and mourning pray to the God of Death. However, the desperate and brave may pray for dreams of what will come, though it is rare that Morr divulges anything not associated with death. The Order of the Shroud is the main power in the cult, directly commanding all the other orders and the Guild of Mourners, who oversee burials and graves. The Black Guard support them as the main templar order of the cult, tasked to guard Morr's temples and hunt the Undead. The Order of Augurs is small, but it is very important, for its foretellings guide the cult leadership, and it organizes the Order of Doomsayers, the wandering priests that tour the land and perform Doomings for all Human children at the age of ten. Every ten years, the cult of Morr brings all of them together in a grand convocation at Luccini, where a city-wide festival is held and the future of the cult is discussed. Morr's clerics wear plain, hooded black robes with no adornment or trimmings.

Temples of Morr lie within the Gardens of Morr, huge graveyards covered in black roses that bloom year-round and which rarely see much use outside funeral services. Most temples are plain, dark structures of stone, distinguished by huge doorways with heavy lintels, representing Morr's Portal. The doors are always open, for the doors of death are likewise. Inside, Morr's temples are bare and unadorned, with any furniture and equipment kept in storage until needed for services. Shrines to Morr also take the form of a gateway, usually two plain pillars and a lintel. Sometimes, one pillar will be white marble and the other black basalt. Morr's penances typically involve hunting down Necromancers or Undead, or finding and restoring tombs and burial sites or holy sites fallen to disuse. He also sometimes requires his servants to stop the followers of Khaine from performing their dark deeds.


Next time: Strategy and Trickery

War Mistress

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

WFRP 4e - War Mistress

Myrmidia, Goddess of Strategy, is most powerful in Magritta, in Estalia. The head of her cult is La Aguila Ultima, and her primary orders are the Order of the Eagle, the Order of the Righteous Spear and the Order of the Blazing Sun. She has no major festivals in the Empire, and her most popular holy books are Bellona Myrmidia, Bellum Strategia and The Book of War. Her common holy symbols are the spear behind a shield, the eagle and the sun. She is the goddess of Estalia, Tilea and strategic warfare, and is worshipped by Estalians, Tileans and strategists. Her favored offerings are spears, shields, vows of duty and trophies. In the Empire, she is worshipped as the Goddess of Strategy and Scientific Warfare, daughter of Verena and Morr; in the south, she is much more, patron of both the Estalian Kingdoms and Tilean City-States, where she is worshipped fanatically. As a result, she has the largest cult in the Old World, for all that it has only a limited presence in the Empire. She is usually depicted as a tall, muscular woman, always armed and wearing archaic, southern clothing, usually with bronze skin. She is known to be calm and honorable in all matters, and her followers attempt to emulate this.

Myrmidia is called on by generals for insight to win with minimal losses and by soldiers for the skill to defeat foes quickly and honorably in battle. Her cult is growing steadily in the armies of the Empire, particularly in Reikland, Averland and Wissenland. In the Empire, she has three major orders of significance. The Order of the Eagle cares for her temples and their communities, led by the Nuln-based 'Eagle of the North,' the most powerful Myrmidian priest north of the Vaults. The Order of the Righteous Spear are templars, and each temple to Myrmidia has a chapterhouse for them, commanded by the local high priest. The Order of the Blazing Sun is a second templar order, the eldest Myrmidian group in the Empire, and operates independently of the Order of the Eagle. Myrmidia's priests typically wear blue cowls over white robes with red edging, with her symbol sewn into the left breast or worn as a clasp.

Myrmidia's holy sites are primarily in Estalia and Tilea, associated with her campaigns across these lands when she manifested in mortal form over 2000 years ago. In the Empire, with her much lesser presence, her temples exist only in major towns and cities, with only a single monastic order, the Monastery of the Black Maiden in Wissenland. Her temples are usually in Tilean or Estalian style, with domed roofs and square or rectangular halls, usually carved on the exterior with reliefs of battle scenes or weapons and shields. Her shrines take the form of tiny temples, statues of Myrmidia or free-standing sculptures of stacked weapons and armor. Her holy sites are also known for scandalous images of the goddess and her saints, often naked but for scarves around their waists, which many Sigmarites consider unacceptably obscene. Myrmidia's penances are typically military in nature - defeat an enemy champion in single combat, train a group of peasants and lead them in defense of their village, or protect pilgrimage routes to holy sites.


Ranald, God of Trickery, has no official seat of power nor any official head of their cult, though rumors persist of a cult leader marked by ten crosses. Their primary orders are the Crosses, the Brotherhood and the Crooked Fingers. Their major festival is the Day of Folly, and their popular holy books are The Riddles Ten, Midnight and the Black Cat, and The Great Joke. Their common holy symbols are crossed fingers, cats and magpies. They are the god of trickery, thieves, luck and the poor, worshipped by all manner of rogues, gamblers and poor people. Their favored offerings are dice, cards, coins and food. Myth holds that Ranald was once mortal, a gentle thief that robbed the rich and gave to the poor. This charmed Shallya so that she fell in love, and one day she discovered Ranald dying to the touch of the Fly Lord Nurgle. Unable to accept this, she gave Ranald a drink from her holy chalice, giving him eternal life. It was all a trick, however, faked by Ranald, and Ranald laughed and gleefully danced into the heavens as a new god. While Ranald is generally portrayed as dapper and Human, always smiling, there is no consistency on height, weight, skin color or even gender, though in the Empire Ranald is most commonly depicted as male. They're more trickster than criminal, and they are said to love deflating pride with clever ruses.

Ranald is commonly a patron to thieves and rogues, but also gamblers, liars, merchants, tricksters and the poor and downtrodden. General perception is that Ranald's cult is a disorganized group of thieves and charlatans, but it's more coordinated than it first appears, split into three main orders. The Crosses are the most publically acceptable, a priesthood that oversees Ranald's gambling dens and uses the profits to administer to the poor. The Brotherhood is more secretive, but mostly a secret society of merchants who use their business interests to profit and to bring down the pompous and greedy. The last and most widespread is the Crooked Fingers, publically disavowed by the cult because it consists of liars, thieves and rogues. Most distrust them deeply. There is no conventional garb to distinguish Ranald's priests, though they almost always work cross patterns into their clothes somewhere, sometimes as a repeating pattern.

Ranald has no formal temple organization, though the cult does maintain apparently unconnected gambling dens in most towns and cities. Small shrines are found in the headquarters of many gangs and merchant houses, and on the street corners in many poorer districts of cities. These last are usually maintained by informal clubs that operate both as social and religious groups, usually led by one of the Crooked Fingers. Shrines are rarely elaborate, often merely a smiling statue with fingers crossed behind their back or a crude depiction of a cat or magpie that appears to be smiling. Ranald's penances typically involve breaking into places to recover precious items or to leave a token of your presence. Humiliating the oppressors of the poor is also a common penance, such as framing a brutal Watch leader for some insane crime or locking him in his own cells. Ranald also often sends even cultists they like on a 'Pilgrimage of Fingers,' a set of tasks to prove skill and loyalty. (In case you're wondering: the book's writeup refuses to gender Ranald at all, except in the noting that the Empire tends to portray them as male.)


Next time: Fertility and Mercy

Life Without Pain

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

WFRP 4e - Life Without Pain

Rhya, Goddess of Fertility, has no official seat of power nor a cult head. She has no major orders. Her greatest festival is the Summer Solstice, but the equinoxes are also celebrated. She has no holy books but many oral traditions, and her common holy symbols are the sheaf of wheat, the fruit and the spiral. Rhya is the goddess of fertility, life and summer, often worshipped by farmers, herbalists and midwives, and her favored offerings are the first reapings of the field, fruit and wheat. She is widely known as the Earth Mother and She Who Sustains Life, and while she is wife of Taal, myths portray her as having sex with many gods and goddesses, having children with many of them. She is usually shown as a tall, beautiful woman covered in leaves and fruit. Her statues are generally nude, pregnant and surrounded by kids. Many theologians say Rhya is tied to the prehistoric Old Faith, a cult of ancient farmers and hunters who lived off the land long before the Empire. The Old Faith is still found in secluded communities to this day.

Rural folk across the Empire venerate Rhya as the provider of crops. Women make up most of her cult, and most midwives at least pay lip service to Rhya's Wisdom, the set of oral traditions of Rhya related to childbirth. While she is not openly worshipped in most urban areas, with townspeople often turning to Shallya instead, her name is frequently tied to Taal's, and she is well known amongst the people. As her cult has no great temples, holy books or relics, many scholars believe her worship is declining or even dead. Her many cultists mostly just snicker and shrug if asked about this. Rhya's cult has no fixed garment or garb, though green is very common, as is accessorizing with plants, flowers or herbs. Rhyan priests often dress far too revealingly for Sigmarite tastes, which has caused friction because the cult of Rhya doctrinally holds that giving in to prudishness is tantamount to calling Slaanesh into your life, as it treats desire as forbidden. Sigmarites inevitably and invariably disagree, treating abstinence and resistance to temptation as a better way to fight the Prince of Excess than indulging in simple pleasures.

Rhya has no major temples, but many ancient sites exist dedicated to her, and oghams, or standing stones, are centers of cult worship. Some are still used for their original celebratory purpose on the equinoxes. Shrines typically take the form of simple statues, often covered in offerings of food and drink. Older ones are often standing stones marked in spiral patterns. Rhya's penances involve replanting devastated areas, helping broken households and maintaining sacred groves. They also are commonly ordered to protect helpless families, which can put them at odds with local lords, bailiffs and cops.


Shallya, Goddess of Mercy, is actually based out of Couronne in Bretonnia, with the cult led by the Grande Matriarch. Her primary orders are the Order of the Bleeding Heart and the Order of the Chalice. She has no major festivals, and her major holy texts are The Book of Suffering, Livre des Larmes and The Testament of Pergunda. Her common holy symbols are the white dove, the key and the heart with a drop of blood. She is the goddess of mercy, compassion and healing, prayed to by the poor, physicians, the sick and abused women. Her favored offerings are food, medicine and coins. She is the daughter of Morr and Verena, sister to Myrmidia, and she is usually portrayed as a young, beautiful maiden constantly weeping for the pain of the world. It is said that her compassion is infinite and boundless, and some myths, such as her tricking by Ranald or her capture by Manann, make her seem trusting to the point of foolishness. Her cultists say that her mercy is for all, without judgment, and that true foolishness is in judging who is worthy of grace and who isn't.

Most tend to believe Shallya's cult is all healers and physicians, but they also include many who work to alleviate other kinds of suffering - they run orphanages, asylums and refuges, and some of her cultists go out in search of the lost and missing on behalf of their families. The Order of the Bleeding Heart makes up most of the cult, maintaining the temples, hospices, mercy houses and other holy sites of Shallya. The Order of the Chalice is much smaller, and is a mendicant order tasked to cleanse the influence of the Fly Lord, Nurgle, curing and fighting the worst plagues wherever they may appear. Cultists of Shallya wear white robes, usually hooded, with a bleeding heart emblem on the left breast.

The high temple of the cult is in Couronne, built atop a famous healing spring. Locals say the magic waters were once poured from the selfsame chalice used by Shallya to grant Ranald immortality, and which they claim is the Holy Grail of the Lady, the patron goddess of Bretonnia. Whatever the truth, Couronne is definitely a pilgrimage hotspot, especially for the sick. Every town or city of any note has a temple to Shallya, and most smaller settlements have at least a shrine to her. Temples are usually a courtyard with the temple complex on one side and an infirmary ward on the other, all in the southern style. Larger temples often have subsidiary chapels endowed by major local families and are often connected to hospitals. Shrines are usually simple, often doves or hearts of Shallya in stone, or simple statues that weep due to small fountains. Shallya's penances always involve helping the sick, poor or downtrodden, and may involve going to tend to a plague-stricken village, heal the war wounded, or patrol pilgrimage routes to help sick pilgrims complete their journeys.


Next time: Empire and Wild Land

SIGMAR SIGMAR SIGMAR (taal)

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WFRP 4e - SIGMAR SIGMAR SIGMAR (taal)

Sigmar, God of the Empire, is biggest in Altdorf and the Reikland, and his cult is led by the Grand Theogonist. His main orders are the Order of the Anvil, the Order of the Cleansing Flame, the Order of the Silver Hammer and the Order of the Torch. His biggest festival is Sigmarday, on the 28th of Sigmarzeit. His major holy books are The Book of Sigmar, Deus Sigmar and The Geistbuch. His most common holy symbols are Ghal-maraz (his warhammer), the twin-tailed comet and the griffon. Sigmar is the god of the Empire in general and Reikland specifically, and is worshipped by most Imperials. His favored offerings are hammers, coins and food. He is the patron god of the Empire and his cult is very much dominant. Because he was once Emperor, his worship is inextricably tied to politics, and three of the cult's highest ranking members are directly involved in the election of the emperor. Legend has it that 2500 years ago, Sigmar's birth was heralded by a twin-tailed comet, and he was the first son of the chief of the Umberogen tribe. As he grew, he was given the mystic warhammer Ghal-maraz, Skull-splitter, by the Dwarfs in honor of his saving of King Kurgan Ironbeard from the Greenskins. Sigmar allied with the Dwarfs and, with their combined forces, defeated the Greenskin hordes. He was crowned the first emperor of the Human tribes he united, and after 50 years of excellent rule, he mysteriously vanished, only to ascend as a god, crowned by his patron in life, Ulric.

Most people of the Empire at least pay lip service to Sigmar, and in the more devout lands, like Reikland, worship is an unquestioned part of daily life. Weekly 'throngs' are held to preach the lessons of Sigmar, and many attend temple training as local militia, confess their sins and purify their souls with the advice of local priests, to be more like the God-King Sigmar. The largest of Sigmar's many orders is the Order of the Torch, which is made up of community priests. Others include the Order of the Cleansing Flame, made of inquisitors and witch hunters, the Order of the Silver Hammer, which is warrior-priests and...more witch hunters, and the Order of the Anvil, a monastic order dedicated to preserving the history and laws of Sigmar. Besides the priestly orders, there are many templar orders, most famously the Knights of Sigmar's Blood, the fanatic Knights of the Fiery Heart and the militarized Knights Griffon. The size of the cult means that there's no single uniform or vestments, and they come in many colors, cuts and styles based on local traditions.

Every Imperial city, town and village has a temple to Sigmar. The Grand Cathedral of Altdorf is staffed by hundreds of priests and lay workers, and is guarded by two different templar orders. Village chapels, on the other hand, may receive weekly visits from a traveling priest that serves several small settlements. Shrines are present in most homes, and wayshrines are all over the major highways, usually marked by the sign of the hammer or the comet. Sigmarite penance often involves destroying Chaos cells or exposing corruption, treason and Chaos within the Imperial hierarchy. It can also involve building or rebuilding local communities to promote unity and national strength.


Taal, God of the Wild, has his seat of power in Talabheim in the Talabecland, and his cult's head is the Hierarch. His major orders are the Order of the Antler and the Longshanks. His greatest festival is the Spring Equinox, but the other equinoxes are also celebrated. His major holy books are The Book of Green, Rites of the Ancient Grove and the Tome of Summer's Path. His common holy symbols are antlers, the oak and the stone axe. He is the god of the wilds, spring, the Talabecland, animals and wild places. He is primarily worshipped by herders, foresters and rural people, and his favored offerings are land left wild, the first kill of a hunt and animals in general. Taal is husband to Rhya and father to Manaan, and his worshippers say he is King of the Gods, though not all other cults agree. His realm is nature, in all its forms, from the river to the mountain, from the great bear to the tiny insect. He is portrayed as an immense, powerful, virile man with wild, long hair and great antlers, and he is known for his mercurial mood and his need to hunt.

The rural people of the Old World venerate Taal, and any who makes a living in the wild places takes care not to offend the god. He is the patron of the Talabeclanders, and his cult holds great sway there on all levels of society. They have many small orders dedicated to specific holy sites and groves, but two main orders lead the cult. The Order of the Antler are the priesthood in general, who teach Taal's ways and protect the wild lands from intrusion. They are extremely powerful in Talabecland, and their forest temples are usually community hubs. The Longshanks are a mix of warrior priests and templars who wander the land, cleansing Taal's wilds of corruption and making sure the rural communities do not upset Father Taal.

Taal's temples are generally small and rustic, made of wood and rough stone in a way that has not changed in centuries. They usually exist near a natural place of wonder, like a waterfall, a swirling pool or a mountain, and often they have an attached sweat lodge. The high temple in Talabheim is a bit of an anomaly, as it appears more like a well-maintained (if wild) garden, with services held under the rowan trees each week. Officially, the cult is led by the Hierarch, but he spends most of his time in the groves of Taalgrunhaar Forest rather than leading. Shrines to Taal are barely structures, and some are merely old, sacred trees with offerings at their bases. Caves, forest groves and other natural sites are often used as shrines, though they're usually only able to be found by locals or devout followers of Taal. Penances of Taal tend to involve clearing out diseased or mutant monsters from the wilds, replanting sacred trees or maintaining important groves. They may also involve mountain climbing to leave stones at cairns or clearing out waterfall obstructions. The task always involves having to survive in the wilds.


Next time: War and Wisdom

WAAAAAAR

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

WFRP 4e - WAAAAAAR

Ulric, God of War, has his cult based out of Middenheim in Middenland, with the Ar-Ulric as his cult leader. His primary orders are the Order of the Howling Wolf and the Order of the Knights of the White Wolf. His great festivals are Campaign Start, Hochwinter and Campaign End. His most popular holy books are Liber Lupus, Teutognengeschichte and The Ulric Creed. His common holy symbols are the white wolf, the stylized U and the claw. He is the god of war, winter, wolves and Middenland, and is mostly worshipped by warriors and Middenlanders. His favored offerings are weapons, trophies, ale and wolf skins. He is brother to Taal and, if you ask an Ulrican, the King of the Gods, though not all other cults agree. He is generally portrayed as a huge, bearded barbarian wearing a white wolf pelt as a cloak and bearing a war-axe named Blitzbeil. He is a distant, harsh and unforgiving god who expects his cultists to survive by individual skill and strength. He hates weakness, cowardice and trickery, and he favors the direct approach in all things.

Ulric's cult is strongest in the northern parts of the Empire, especially the Middenland...and especially especially the city of Middenheim, with its gigantic high temple. The god is seen as patron of the city, and it is the heart of the cult. Elsewhere, he is largely the god of warriors and soldiers. Devout Ulricans can be spotted by their long hair and beards, as most choose not to cut it in an attempt to emulate their god. The cult has only the two orders. The Howling Wolves are the priesthood, while the White Wolves are the templars. The Howling Wolves are not especially popular outside Middenland and Nordland, as they are seen as too coarse for the modern Empire. The Knights of the White Wolf, however, are extremely popular and are easily the largest knightly order in the entire Empire as well as the oldest templar order in the entire Old World. The priests wear black robes with the emblem of the howling white wolf on the chest. Wolf pelts worn across the shoulders are also common, as are fur trimmings. (The book does not mention the oath of celibacy forced on the Ulricans, but I suspect it's not gone - just saved for a larger book. Likewise, the sexism of the Middenland Ulricans is not mentioned.)

Ulric's high temple is in Middenheim, and the Ar-Ulric, literally 'son of Ulric,' holds immense temporal and spiritual power there. The Flame of Ulric burns at the back of the high temple, an ever-burning silver flame (quote, 'argent') granted by Ulric to his people. The Flame is the end point of several pilgrimage routes, and all Middenland Ulricans are expected to bathe in its cold light at least once. Smaller temples exist in every city and town of any real size, but the northern ones are much bigger and grander. Chapels and shrines are found in forts and barracks across the Old World. Temples tend to resemble fortified keeps, built square and with only small, high windows for lighting. Each keeps an ever-burning fire in a circular hearth, constantly stocked with wood to keep the flame alive. Behind the fire, usually on the rear wall, there will be a statue of Ulric enthroned, often flanked by a pair of wolves. Shrines have a similar appearance but smaller, with a lamp in place of the fire and statues only a few feet tall at best. Ulric's penances are always tests of strength, courage and skill in battle. Slaying monsters or clearing out outlaws or Beastmen are typical penances.


Verena, Goddess of Wisdom, has no seat of power nor cult head. She does have several major orders, though - the Order of Scalebearers, the Order of Lorekeepers, the Order of Mysteries and the Order of Everlasting Light. Her big festival is the Year Blessing, and her most popular holy books are Canticum Verena, Eulogium Verena and The Book of Swords. Her common symbols are the scales of justice, the owl and the downward-pointing sword. She is the goddess of justice, learning and wisdom, worshipped by scribes, lawyers and scholars, and her favored offerings are books, knowledge and just acts. She is wife to Morr and mother of Myrmidia and Shallya. She is usually shown as a tall and classically beautiful woman carrying a sword and a set of scales. She is the patron of justice, not law, and is focuses on fairness over the letter of the law, opposing tyranny and oppression as much as she opposes crime.

Verena is very popular in the Old World, especially in the south. Her cult and followers include lawyers, scholars and magistrates, plus several wizards of the Colleges, especially of the Grey and Light Orders. There is no rigid hierarchy; it is said that Verena leads the cult personally, with no mortal intermediary required because truth is self-evident and needs no interpretation. Temple priests of the Order of Lorekeepers are tasked with preserving knowledge and communicating it to the people. They spend a lot of time in correspondence with each other, filling vast pages with information and news. The Order of Scalebearers are equally influential, serving as judges, arbiters and negotiators due to their impartiality and total mastery of the law. The Order of Mysteries is smaller and more obscure, made of warrior priests that seek out lost and forgotten lore, no matter where it is. The Knights of Everlasting Light are Verena's templars, famous for their sword skill, fairness and legendarily bad luck. Verena's cultists typically wear robes of plain and pure white, symbolic of pure truth and impartiality.

Temples to Verena exist in most cities and large towns, usually in administrative or university districts. Most libraries and courthouses have a shrine to her, and scholars and lawyers often keep small shrines in their homes. Temples typically have colonaded facades bearing low reliefs carved in symbols of the goddess or allegorical figures of learning. Within will always be a statue of Verena, usually seated, with a book in her lap, scales in her left hand and her right resting on the hilt of a sword. Smaller rooms will lead off from the main hub for a library and priestly chambers. All temples have at least one meeting room, where negotiations may be held under the eyes of Verena. Her penances typically involve recovering or preserving knowledge, righting an injustice or resolving a dispute. Her cultists may be sent to recover lost books of lore or to mediate difficult arguments, anything from farm boundary disputes to the politics of two nations on the brink of war.


Next time: The gods of the other species.

How To Priest It Up As A Non-Human

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

WFRP 4e - How To Priest It Up As A Non-Human

The Dwarfs worship their ancient ancestors, valuing tradition over all else. While the Time of the Ancestor Gods may have been thousands of years ago, the Dwarfs maintain records of it in their ancient Holds, and many names echo from that era to create a broad pantheon of inter-related figures. Three, however, stand out over all the others, three Ancestor Gods of extreme import, known to all Dwarfs as the progenitors of the Dwarf species as a whole. Besides the three below, Dwarfs also revere the founders of local clans as guardian ancestors.
Grimnir is the Ancester God of Warriors and Courage, worshipped by soldiers and Slayers. His favored offerings are axes, gold jewellery and resolved grudges. He has a high temple in Karaz-a-Karak and the largest Slayer Cult temple is in Karak Hadrin. Grimnir is brother to Grungni and co-husband to Valaya.
Grungni is the Ancester God of Mining, Metalworking and Stoneworking, worshipped by artisans and miners. He favors offerings of fine stone or metal workings, or mail armor. His high temple is in Karak Azul. He is brother to Grimnir and co-husband to Valaya.
Valaya is the Ancester Goddess of Brewing, Hearth and Healing, worshipped by artisans, scholars and physicians. Her favored offerings are beer, shields and food. Her high temple is in Karaz-a-Karak, and she is wife to both Grimnir and Grungi.

Dwarf priests do not use the Priest, Nun or Warrior-Priest careers. Dwarfs have a very different relationship with their gods, and those that dedicate themselves to an ancestor cult do so by emulating the gods rather than worshipping or appeasing them the way Humans do. Because of this, to play a Dwarf priest of an ancestor god, you just choose an appropriate career to emulate the god; for example, a priest of Grimnir might be a Slayer and a member of the Cult of the Slayer, or might be a Soldier.

The Elven gods were worshipped by the Elves long before most species even existed as they do now. They have an extensive pantheon, with different deities held as important by the Wood or High Elves. Loosely speaking, though, there are two groups of gods: the Cadai and the Cytharai. The Cadai rule over the heavens, with strong connections to their worshippers. They help directly when and where they can. The Cytharai are the selfish rulers of the underworld, caring little even for the Elves. Standing apart are the unaligned gods, most prominently Morai-Heg the Crone. The High Elves primarily revere the Cadai with sophisticated and organized priesthoods dedicated to their teachings. They appease the Cytharai only when necessary, but ban the active worship of any of them except Mathlann, who may be worshipped by sailors. Their myths name Asuryan as the King of the Gods, able to pass judgment on all. The Wood Elves take a more balanced approach, with temples and shrines to all gods, Cadai or Cytharai, that impact their lives. Because of their close ties to the woods and forests, the Wood Elves revere Isha the Mother and Kurnous the Hunter over all other gods, and rumors abound that these two gods have a direct hand in Wood Elf business. Some theologians, mainly Elven ones, claim that the deities of other pantheons are merely different aspects of the true, Elven gods.

The Cadai are:
Asuryan, god of All Creation, the Heavens and Phoenixes, worshipped by rulers, judges and lawyers. He prefers offerings of white feathers, masks and white crystal. He is the Creator, king of the gods, who made and separated the mortal and divine realms.
Isha, god of Fertility and Life, worshipped by rural Elves. She prefers offerings of food, tears and green crystal. She is the Mother, wife of Kurnous and creator of the Elves.
Kurnous, god of Animals, Wild Places and Hunting, worshipped by hunters, woodsmen and those that work with animals. He prefers offerings of animals, the blood of enemies and amber crystals. He is the King of the Wild Hunt, Lord of Beasts and husband of Isha. He created all animals.
Hoeth, god of Wisdom, Knowledge and Teaching, worshipped by scholars, wizards and perfectionists. He prefers offerings of tomes, swords and yellow crystals. He is the Lord of Wisdom, who elevated the Elves to sentience.
The Cytharai are:
Atharti, goddess of Pleasure, Seduction, Snakes and the Mind, worshipped by hedonists, bawds and those ruled by emotion. She prefers offerings of snakes, gems and pale pink crystal. She is the Lady of Desire, who unlocked the emotions of the Elves after they were created. The High Elves ban her worship.
Khaine, god of War, Bloodshed and Violence, worshipped by warriors and soldiers. He prefers offerings of blood, weapons and red crystal. He is known as the Bloody-Handed.
Mathlann, god of Oceans, worshipped by sailors and seafolk. He prefers offerings of gold, fish and turquoise crystal. He is the Lord of the Deeps, with no real love for any land-dwellers, even Elves.
The Unaligned mainly refers to:
Morai-Heg, goddess of Death, Fate and Crows, worshipped only by the bereaved. Her favored offerings are bones, black feathers and black crystal. She is the Crone, and few worship her for fear of attracting her attention.

While both the High and Wood Elves have priesthoods for their gods, they do not use the Priest, Nun or Warrior Priest careers because their gods do not grant blessings or miracles in the same way Human gods do. The Elves believe the gods do not manifest this way. Rather, they see magic as a gift from the gods. Because of this, an Elven priest is best represented by the Wizard career, taking an appropriate Lore to the god as your magic. A priest of Kurnous would use the Lore of Beasts, say, while Isha's priest might use the Lore of Life, and Asuryan's the Lore of Light or Fire.

Some say that Halflings are more superstitious than religious, and certainly their major gods bear out this assertion. Most Halfling deities have to do with the hearth and home, food, earthy matters, herbs and day to day life. They are practical gods, not philosophical ones, and Halflings have a saying: "Deep thoughts butter no parsnips." Halflings do show respect to certain Human gods - primarily Sigmar, Taal and Rhya - but it's mostly out of conflict avoidance rather than devotion.
Esmerelda is the goddess of Hearth, Home and Hospitality, and just about all Halflings strive to emulate her. She prefers offerings of food, fire and comfort, and is known as the Many-Times Grandmother.
Hyacinth is the goddess of Childbirth, Fertility and Sex, worshipped by midwives, pregnant women and revellers. She prefers offerings of boiled water and palliative herbs. She is known to have a fondness for twins and triplets, which often occur in Halfling births.
Josias is the god of Farming and Domesticated Animals, worshipped by farmers, herders and gardeners. He prefers offerings of crops, food and especially thick soups. He is known as the Faithful, and both works and rests quite hard.
Quinsberry is the god of Knowledge, Ancestry and Tradition, worshipped by scholars. He prefers offerings of tapestries, books and gold. It is said that he has a library containing the exact and complete bloodlines and complete history of every Halfling.

Halflings don't really have priests and certainly don't build temples. (They still have temples, because Humans and particularly Sigmarites seem happy to build them for the Halflings, who largely use them as community centers.) They tend to consider that anyone has better things to do than be priestly. They respect the gods, sure, and do maintain shrines in case they need to chat, but no one makes a job out of talking to a single god. They find the idea of exclusivity that way very odd. If a particular god must be appeased, the task is left to a local elder to do what's needed for the community, often after consulting with relevant peers and experts.

And, of course, there's the Chaos Gods, the Ruinous Powers. They are the main existential threat to the world, but even with that, much about them is a mystery. Merely seeking knowledge of them is punishable by death without permission from the Cult of Sigmar, and getting that permission opens you to intensive scrutiny. Even then, it is seldom granted. Most people believe the Ruinous Powers are punishment for sin, and therefore all people should behave within social norms expressed by the divine cults. Indulging in violence, lust, slovenliness or unseemly curiosity corrupts both the individual and the community with Chaos, attracting evil forces. The average person does not actually know the names of the Chaos Gods, but rather their euphemistic titles - the Blood God, the Plague or Fly Lord, the Lord of Change and the Prince of Pain and Excess. Even the most learned can only really guess at the motives of the Ruinous Powers, or even if they have motives beyond their primal impulses. It appears that the Ruinous Powers have competing factions of servants dedicated to different aspects, and they fight each other as much as anything else. On the rare occasions when they cooperate, though, as in the Great War Against Chaos 200 years ago, the world shakes under their power. Some claim that Chaos God cults have infiltrated the Empire heavily, but most dismiss the idea as nonsense. After all, who would be fool enough to worship one of those things?

Next time: Prayer

How Am Pray

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

WFRP 4e - How Am Pray

Only a very small number of the faithful, even among priests, can actually actively appeal to their deity for intervention in the form of miracles. Those who can call on such feats are known by many names - the Living Saints, Gods' Servants, the Hallowed, Divine Wills, Anointed Ones. In the Empire, they are typically called Blessed as a title - so you might see Sister Anna, Blessed by Sigmar, or Blessed Anna, or Blessed Anna, Sister of Sigmar, to refer to a nun who can call on Sigmar's grace to have her prayers answered. To become Blessed, well, you take one or more of the Bless or Invoke Talents. Those who have Bless can call on their god's Blessings, minor manifestations of divine will, while those with Invoke can call on powerful Miracles of their god.

Calling on a Blessing or Miracle requires a spoken prayer by the Blessed, which is then empowered by the god. To do this, you must make a Pray test. Success means the thing happens, with a higher SL giving better effects. If you fail, the prayer is spoken but the god doesn't respond for whatever reason. If you roll a Fumble, you offend your god and need to roll on the Wrath of the Gods table. To invoke a Blessing or Miracle, you must be able to actually say it. Further, any given Blessing or Miracle can only be active once, so if you have given out a Blessing, you can't use that same Blessing again until the first one ends. Also, multiple uses of the same prayer by multiple Blessed do not stack. If you get given Blessing of Finesse twice, you still only get its effects once.

The Blessed are carefully watched by their gods, and therefore can earn their disfavor more easily than your average lay worshipper. This is mechanically represented by Sin Points. If a Blessed violates any of their cult's strictures, they gain 1+ Sin Points (depending on how bad the GM thought the violation was). Every time you gain Sin Points, they are added to your running total. There is no cap. The more points you have, the worse shit gets for you when your god gets mad at you. There's a sidebar saying that Sin Points should almost never by given in more than 3 at once. They then examine Myrmidia's command to respect prisoners of war. Denying a prisoner a drink of water when they ask might be 1 Sin Point, beating a prisoner would be 2, and torturing or killing a helpless prisoner would easily be 3. GMs are told to warn new players when they are about to commit an infraction, so they can rethink. Whenever you make a Pray test, if the ones die is less than or equal to your current Sin Point total, you suffer the Wrath of the Gods even if it's not a fumble. GMs may allow PCs to complete arduous pilgrimages or make significant efforts for their cult and then make a Pray test to remove Sin Points. Such a roll does still risk Wrath. Otherwise, the only way to remove Sin Points is Wrath.

When you roll on the Wrath table, you get +10 to your roll per Sin Point you have. After the roll and result, you lose 1 Sin Point, to a minimum of 0. The table is a percentile table in (mostly) bands of 5%, ranging from 01-05 to 151+. Examples:
06-10: Think Over Your Deeds: Any successful Pray test you make for the next week can't get more than 0 SLs.
26-30: You Do Not Understand My Intent: For the next 1d10+Sin Points hours, you get -10 to any skills associated with your deity, as determined by the GM.
41-45: Your Cause Is Unworthy: Your targets become Prone. Any Blessings or Miracles of your god targeting them automatically fail for the next 1d10+Sin Points days.
88: Daemonic Interference: The Dark Gods intercept your plea. 1d10 Lesser Daemons appear within 2d10 yards of your position and attack the nearest targets.
89-95: Fear My Wrath: Gain 1+Sin Points Broken conditions.
96-100: Go On Penance: You must go on a Penance.
126-130: Thunderbolts and Lightning: Your god smites you. You drop to 0 Wounds if you had more and gain the Ablaze condition.
141-145: Prove Your Worth: A Divine Servant of your god appears within 1d100 yards and attacks, intervenes, berates or similar based on the nature of your god.
151+: Called to Account: Your god grabs you and pulls you to them to face judgment. If you have a Fate Point, spend it to be returned to a place of the GM's choosing and suffer the effects of I Cast You Out (your god abandons you, you lose Bless and Invoke and all Pray Advances, and all cultists of your god can automatically tell, giving -30 to all tests to interact with them and removal of any bonus that'd give you beter than -30). If you don't have a Fate Point, you just never come back.

If you roll a result requiring a Penance, the GM picks a suitable one based on your deity and your recent misdeeds, or lets you pick one. Penances are usually relayed by visions of divine inspiration or even direct contact with your god, but may come from a Divine Servant or your cult. Divine Servants are usually saints, dead worshippers of importance or animals holy to the god; they're basically the holy equivalent of Daemons and can be built by taking anything out of the bestiary and modifying it to be more divine.

Next time: Blessings and Miracles

Bless You

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

WFRP 4e - Bless You

Blessings are divided up by cult - each god has access to six Blessings. Optionally the GM may give out Sin Points for using the same Blessing or Miracle over and over in the same scene on the same target but that's dumb and bad because Sin Points are a big fuckin' deal. For every +2 SLs you get on the Pray check for a Blessing, you get to do one of: increase the range by 6 yards, increase the number of targets by 1, or increase the duration by 6 Rounds. Instant-duration Blessings may not have their duration increased. Also, you can take the same option multiple times. Blessings are mostly subtle, largely imperceptible to anyone without the Holy Visions Talent, and easily blamed on just good luck. (Thus, it is very hard to tell a priest who can use Blessings from one who can't.) Miracles are more overt manifestations of divine will. Blessings will have different IC names based on the cult you belong to. Feel free to be creative. I should also note - both Bless and Invoke give you, as far as I can tell, all of your god's Blessings and Miracles at once. Which, I think, is why the punishment for sin is so much nastier than wizard miscasts - you get a lot of power out the gate.

Blessings
Blessing of Battle: One target within 6 yards gets +10 WS for 6 Rounds. (Manann, Myrmidia, Sigmar, Taal, Ulric)
Blessing of Breath: As above but the target does not need to breathe and cannot suffocate instead. (Manann, Morr, Rhya, Shallya, Taal)
Blessing of Charisma: As above but +10 Fel instead. (Ranald)
Blessing of Conscience: As above, but the target must make a +20 WP test to break any of your god's Strictures instead. If they fail, they are overcome with shame and don't do it. (Myrmidia, Ranald, Rhya, Shallya, Taal, Verena)
Blessing of Courage: As above, but +10 WP instead. (Manann, Morr, Myrmidia, Sigmar, Ulric, Verena)
Blessing of Finesse: As above, but +10 Dex instead. (Ranald)
Blessing of Fortune: As above, but your target's next failed test within 6 Rounds may be rerolled. The reroll stands, even if it's worse. (Morr, Myrmidia, Ranald, Verena)
Blessing of Grace: As above, but +10 Agi. (Rhya)
Blessing of Hardiness: As above, but +10 T. (Manann, Sigmar, Taal, Ulric)
Blessing of Healing: One target you touch heals 1 Wound. (Rhya, Shallya)
Blessing of The Hunt: As above, but +10 BS. (Taal)
Blessing of Might: As above, but +10 S. (Sigmar, Ulric)
Blessing of Protection: As above, but enemies must make a +20 WP test to attack your target for 6 Rounds due to massive shame. If they fail, they must choose a different target or Action entirely. (Myrmidia, Ranald, Rhya, Shallya)
Blessing of Recuperation: One target you touch has the duration of one disease they suffer from reduced by 1 day. You may use this only once per instance of a disease per person. (Rhya, Shallya)
Blessing of Righteousness: As above, but the target's weapon counts as Magical for 6 Rounds. (Morr, Myrmidia, Sigmar, Verena)
Blessing of Savagery: As above, but your target's next time causing a Critical Wound within 6 rounds rolls twice and takes the best result. (Manaan, Taal, Ulric)
Blessing of Tenacity: You remove one Condition from one target within 6 yards. (Manaan, Morr, Shallya, Ulric)
Blessing of Wisdom: As above, but +10 Int. (Morr, Verena)
Blessing of Wit: As above, but +10 I. (Ranald, Verena)

Miracles are major manifestations. They are awe-inspiring and obviously supernatural. Each god has a different list. For every 2 SLs on the Pray test, you can add range, duration or targets equal to the initial base value (so if a Miracle's range is 50 yards, you can add 50 yards per 2 SLs). Miracles with a Range and Target of 'you' can never target anyone but the user, ever. Miracles with an instant duration cannot be extended. Some Miracles may have other options.

Manann
Becalm: 1 sailing vessel you can see within IB miles has the wind stolen from its sails for an hour. Even in stormy weather, no winds blow within (Initiative) yards around it, and if the ship moves by any means, the calm area moves with it.
Drowned Man's Face: You call on Manann to drown 1 foe within Fel yards. For FelB rounds, their lungs fill with saltwater continuously and their hair floats as if submerged. They gain a Fatigued condition and are subject to the Drowning rules while the Miracle is in effect. When it ends, they must make an Endurance test at -20 or become Prone.
Fair Winds: 1 sailing vessel you can see within IB miles has favorable winds for an hour. It moves at top speed regardless of the weather, tides and current, and all tests made to steer it get +10.
Manann's Bounty: You call on Manann for sustenance. You touch a body of water and call forth enough fish to feed 1 person (or 2, at sea). For every 2 SLs, you may feed another person.
Sea Legs: 1 target within Fel yards is immediately drenched in seawater, reeling as if on a rolling deck for FelB Rounds. For as long as this lasts, their hair is whipped as if by wind, and spray lashes at their skin. They gain one each of Blinded, Deafened and Fatigued conditions, and must make an Agi test at +20 to use their Move. If they fail, they become Prone.
Waterwalk: You can walk on any body of water more than 10 yards wide as if it was solid ground for FelB minutes. (Anything smaller is too far from Manann's realm to reach his notice.)

Morr
Death Mask: For FelB rounds, your visage takes on the mien of death, giving you Fear 1.
Destroy Undead: A black fire ripples forth from your body in a perfect circle FelB yards in radius (or diameter, it's not clear). All creatures with the Undead trait in this area lose 1d10 Wounds, ignoring TB and AP. Any Undead destroyed by this can never be raised by Necromancy again under normal conditions. For every +2 SL, you may increase the AOE by another +FelB yards.
Dooming: You gain a vision of 1 target you touch's Doom, almost always related to their actual death. This can only ever be used on a character once, after which they may buy Doomed as if it were a Career Talent.
Last Rites: You chant over 1 corpse within 1 yard. The soul of the dead person is sent into Morr's Portal, and the cadaver may never be targeted by Necromantic spells. If this targets a foe that has both the Undead and Construct traits, the foe is destroyed.
Portal's Threshold: You draw a line up to 8 yards long on the ground while chanting. A shadowy, indistinct portal forms over the line to the croaking of ravens. Creatures with the Undead trait must make a WP test to cross the line, and creatures with both Undead and Construct traits just can't do it. This lasts until dawn.
Stay Morr's Hand: You touch the eyes of someone close to death and ask Morr to guide but not take their soul. The target must be willing and have 0 Wounds left. For FelB hours, the target becomes Unconscious but will not deteriorate due to disease, critical wounds, poison, or any other similar cause. This ends early if appropriate healing is provided, or if you perform last rites. If you perform last rites, which takes about a minute, the target's soul will pass through Morr's Portal immediately and the corpse will never be able to be targeted by Necromancy.

Myrmidia
Blazing Sun: You call on Myrmidia to scourge the field of dishonorable foes, and flash with golden light. Any non-Myrmidian looking in your direction gets 1 Blinded condition. For every 2 SLs, they get an additional +1 Blinded.
Eagle's Eye: You call on Myrmidia to send you a Divine Servant of knowledge of foes. A spectral Eagle manifests within Fel yards and flies into the sky. It looks exactly like and has all the abilities of a normal eagle, but can neither physically affect the world nor be harmed in any way. For FelB rounds, you can see through its eyes and control its movement, surveying the field and spying on foes. Your vision is excellent but you do not have access to any of your own sense-enhancing Talents, such as Night Vision, and you cannot see through your own eyes.
Fury's Call: IntB allies within Fel yards gain Hatred towards anyone engaging them in combat for FelB Rounds.
Inspiring: IntB allies within Fel yards gain +1 Drilled Talent for FelB rounds.
Shield of Myrmidia: IntB allies within Fel yards gain +1 AP to all locations for FelB Rounds as gossamer strands of light ward off enemy blows.
Spear of Myrmidia: If you are wielding a spear, for FelB rounds it gains the Impact Quality and counts as Magical.

Ranald
An Invitation: You speak one of Ranald's riddles about portals and if they exist while closed. 1 door, window or hatch within 1 yard has 1 method of securing it undone - a lock unlocks, a latch unlatches, a rope unties, etc. For every 2 SLs, you may undo one more method of securing the target.
Cat's EYes: You ask Ranald if anything exists that cannot be seen, and a Divine Servant appears in the form of a cat within Fel yards as an answer. It looks like and has all abilities of a normal cat, but cannot be harmed in any way. For FelB Rounds, you perceive everything the cat does, and control its movements. Your senses are as sharp as a cat's, but you have no access to any of your own sense-enhancing Talents. For the duration, you cannot perceive anything with your own senses.
Ranald's Grace: You touch 1 target, calling on the riddles of reality. The target gets +10 A, +10 Stealth and +1 Catfall Talent for AB Rounds.
Rich Man, Poor Man, Beggar Man, Thief: You smile and ask what, exactly, wealth is. 1 target within 1 yard is affected for FelB minutes. For each target affected, pick one: their purse appears empty, their purse appears full, their clothes appear cheap and unremarkable, their clothes appear reach and finely made, a single valuable item they have is impossible to perceive. For every 2 SLs you may choose an additional effect for 1 target.
Stay Lucky: You cross your fingers and ask what, exactly, luck is. You get +1 Fortune point. For every 2 SLs, you get an extra +1 Fortune point, which can take you over your normal cap. You may not use this again until you hit 0 Fortune points.
You Ain't Seen Me, Right?: You speak a riddle about the reality of that which is not perceived. 1 target within Fel yards may pass unnoticed and unremarked for FelB Rounds, so long as they do nothing to draw attention (such as touching someone, attacking, calling out to someone, casting a spell or making a loud noise). You may only use this if no one is looking directly at you while you do.

Rhya
Rhya's Children: You touch the earth and chant a prayer appealing to Rhya for understanding. You may use this only outdoors and outside settlements. You sense the presence of all sentient creatures within Fel yards for FelB Rounds. Every 2 SLs extends the area by another Fel yards.
Rhya's Harvest: You chant to Rhya, calling forth edible fruit, fungi and vegetables from a point you touch for one Round. For each Round this isactive, you grow enough to feed 1 person. The type of food depends on where you are - mushrooms in a cave, say, or fruits and vegetables in a field.
Rhya's Shelter: You sing a Rhyan hymn of safety. This may only be used outdoors and outside settlements. You find a perfect natural shelter to camp for the night. It is protected from natural wind and rain, and it lasts as long as you remain camped. It is big enough for 1 person, plus 1 more per 2 SLs. When you break camp, the shelter can never be rediscovered again, as if it only existed via Rhya's will. (Which it did.)
Rhya's Succor: You cant Rhya's song of health. FelB allies within Fel yards have 1 Condition removed. If this removes all of their Conditions, they feel as refreshed as if they had just had a good night's sleep and get +10 to any tests on their next Turn.
Rhya's Touch: You touch 1 injured or diseased target and sing prayers. Choose one: They heal FelB wounds or are cured of 1 natural disease. For every 2 SLs you may choose another, and can choose the same effect multiple times. It takes 10 minutes for the effects to manifest, and if interrupted, the Miracle must be attempted again.
Rhya's Union: You touch two targets, blessing their union of souls. For FelB hours, as long as it is biologically possible, the couple will conceive a child if they have sex. (Or possibly if they don't - it just says they'll conceive a child, but given the duration it only makes sense if they, y'know, do a fuck. Personally I'd allow it to do biologically impossible stuff to let gay folks conceive a child but that could get weird.)

Next time: Shallya, Sigmar, Taal, Ulric and Verena

It's A Miracle

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

WFRP 4e - It's A Miracle

Shallya
Anchorite's Endurance: 1 target in Fel yards feels no pain and suffers no penalties caused by Conditions for FelB Rounds.
Balm to a Wounded Mind: You touch 1 target and call on Shallya to calm their mind. For FelB minutes, all Psychology traits are removed, and after the duration ends, the targets enter deep, restful sleep until next sunrise or until disturbed. Unwilling targets may make a Cool test to resist sleep.
Bitter Catharsis: You touch 1 target and call forth to Shallya, drawing 1 poison or disease out of the target and into you, purging it from them entirely. For every 2 SLs you may purge another disease or poison. For each poison or disease purged, you take 1d10-FelB Wounds, not reduced by TB or APs.
Martyr: You pray about Shallya's need to take on the pain of the world. Any Damage taken by 1 target within Fel yards is instead taken by you for FelB Rounds. If you take any Damage this way, your TB is doubled for purposes of calculating how many Wounds you lose.
Shallya's Tears: You appeal to Shallya to spare 1 target you touch, weeping freely. You pray for (10-FelB) Rounds, at which point the target is healed of 1 Critical Wound, plus 1 per 2 SLs. If your prayer is interrupted, there is no benefit. This cannot reattach amputated parts.
Unblemished Innocence: You touch 1 target and beg Shallya to rid them of corruption. They lose 1 Corrupton Point, plus 1 per 2 SLs. However, if you Fumble while invoking this, the Chaos Gods notice and you and the target both gain 1d10 Corruption on top of the other effects. You must use this within one hour of your target gaining a Corruption Point.

Sigmar
Beacon of Righteous Virtue: You bellow prayers in the name of Sigmar. All allies in your line of sight instantly remove all Broken conditions and gain Fearless (Everything) for FelB rounds, as long as they remain in your line of sight. Any Greenskins within your line of sight are subject to Fear 1 towards you.
Heed Not the Witch: You call on Sigmar to protect against Chaos and magic. Any spells targeting anyone or any location within FelB yards for the next FelB Rounds has a -20 penalty on the Language (Magick) test to cast it, on top of any other penalties. For every 2 SL, you may increase the AOE by FelB yards.
Sigmar's Fiery Hammer: If you are wielding a warhammer, for FelB Rounds it is Magical, deals +FelB Damage and any target struck gains 1 Ablaze Condition and becomes Prone.
Soulfire: You call on Sigmar to smite the foes of the Empire. Holy fire explodes from your body out to FelB yards. Anyone within range takes 1d10 Wounds, ignoring TB and APs. Targets with the Undead or Daemon traits also gain 1 Ablaze Condition. For every 2 SLs, you may increase the AOE by +FelB yards, or cause an extra +2 Damage to Greenskins, Undead or servants of the Ruinous Powers.
Twin-Tailed Comet: You invoke Sigmar to smite your foes. A twin-tailed comet plummets from the sky to strike a point within line of sight and Fel yards of you. Everything within FelB yards of the point of impact suffers 1d10+SL Damage, ignoring TB and APs, and gains 1 Ablaze condition. The target location must be outdoors, and can only target those Sigmar would deem enemies.
Vanquish the Unrighteous: FelB allies within Fel yards of you gain Hatred (Greenskins, Undead and any associated with Chaos) for FelB rounds.

Taal
Animal Instincts: You chant about Taal's great senses and call on him for aid. 1 target you touch gains +1 Acute Sense (Your choice) Talent and, if they rest, automatically awaken if any threats come within I yards, for FelB hours.
King of the Wild: You chant a prayer, calling forth 1 wild animal appropriate to the area. It appears within Fel yards and obeys your wishes for FelB Rounds.
Leaping Stag: You chant to Taal, gaining his favor. You get +1 Movement and +1 Strong Legs Talent for FelB Rounds, and for the duration you automatically pass all Athletics tests to jump with at least 0 SL; if you roll lower, you increase the SLs to success at 0 SLs.
Lord of the Hunt: You call on Taal to guide to in a hunt against an animal you have seen or a person you know. For FelB hours, you cannot lose their trail except by magical means. If your quarry enters a settlement, their trail ends at its borders. You get +10 to all tests regarding your quarry for the duration as well.
Tooth and Claw: You call on Taal for the might of nature. You gain the Bite (SB+3) and Weapon (SB+4) Traits as if you were a monster for FelB Rounds. These attacks are Magical.
Tanglefoot: You call on Taal to protect the wild places, selecting a point within Fel yards. Roots, vines and creepers spring up, giving all targets within FelB yards of the point 1 Entangled Condition. For every 2 SLs, you may increase the AOE around the point by FelB yards or inflict an extra Entangled Condition. Tanglefoot has S equal to your WP for purposes of breaking free.

Ulric
Hoarfrost's Chill: You scream angry prayers to Ulric. Your eyes gain a steely blue glint and the air around you becomes unnaturally cold. For FelB rounds, you have Fear 1 towards all foes, and anyone within Fel yards of you loses 1 Advantage at the start of each Round from the cold.
Howl of the Wolf: You howl for Ulric's aid. He sends you a Divine Servant in the form of a White Wolf that appears within Fel yards, and which fights your foes for FelB rounds before returning to Ulric's Hunting Grounds with a spectral howl. White Wolves have the stats of a Wolf, but with the Frenzy, Magical and Size (Large) traits.
Ulric's Fury: 1 target within Fel yards gains the Frenzy psychology for FelB Rounds.
Pelt of the Winter Wolf: You bellow to Ulric, touching 1 target. While they still feel pain and discomfort from cold and wintry weather, they take no mechanical penalties from it.
The Snow King's Judgement: You call on Ulric to show his hate for the weak, cowardly and deceitful. 1 target within Fel yards takes 1d10 Wounds, ignoring TB and APs. If the GM rules the target is not weak, cowardly or deceitful at all, you suffer the effects instead.
Winter's Bite: You roar prayers about Blitzbeil, the axe of Ulric. If you are wielding an axe, for FelB rounds it is Magical, causes +SL Damage, and any living being struck by it must make an Endurance test or gain a Stunned condition. Anyone hit by it also loses any Bleeding conditions as their blood freezes, and your attacks cannot cause Bleeding conditions for the duration.

Verena
As Verena Is My Witness: You call on Verena to witness your truth. For FelB rounds, as long as you speak only truth, any who hear you will believe you speak truly. They may not agree with your conclusions, but they know you aren't lying.
Blind Justice: You pray about Verena's great preceptions that always find the truth. For FelB rounds, you may make a Simple Perception test to see through spells and miracles that involve illusion or misdirection, unopposed. You may also make an Intuition test at +20 to tell if anyone speaking to you is lying. (It won't tell you if they're just wrong, only if they believe they are lying.)
Shackles of Truth: You pray to Verena to lay judgment on a suspected criminal. If 1 target within Fel yards committed a crime and claims they didn't, they gain an Entangled condition that cannot be removed for FelB rounds. If you have falsely accused them, you gain 1 Sin Point must immediately roll on the Wrath of the Gods table.
Sword of Justice: You pray to Verena to guide your blade. If you wield a sword, for FelB rounds it is Magical and ignores APs, and any foe struck by it that the GM determines is a criminal must make an Endurance test at +20 or gain an Unconscious condition that lasts at least FelB Rounds. If any crime is perpetrated on such unconscious foes, you gain 1 Sin Point per crime.
Truth Will Out: You pray to Verena to reveal the truth. You may ask 1 target within FelB yards a single question. It will be immediately answered truthfully and fully. The target may resist with a Cool test at +20; if they succeed, they may refuse to answer entirely. If they get +2 SLs, they may withhold minor information or refuse to answer. If they get +4 SLs, they may withhold significant information or refuse to answer. If they get +6 SLs, they may lie outright. You know if they resist successfully, but gain no specific knowledge of any deceit or proof of dishonesty.
Wisdom of the Owl: You call on Verena for wisdom. You get +20 to all Int tests for FelB Rounds, and your pupils dilate widely, making your gaze piercing and unsettling. For the duration, you also get +1 Menacing and Acute Sense (Sight) Talents.

Next time: It's maaaaaagic

Magic Power

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

WFRP 4e - Magic Power

Magic scares the Empire. It is not entirely illegal these days, but it's close. Technically, being an unlicensed witch isn't illegal, if you never do magic. What's illegal is doing magic without a license. Your options are to get a license, don't do magic or don't get caught. Even licensed Magisters are feared and avoided by the common people, who have a superstitious dread of nearly any magic. It is seen as unnatural, and its darker side is notorious - the hexes of witchcraft, the raising of the dead, Daemonology. Even when practiced "properly," magic is trouble - it's unstable and even the best wizard can lose focus and cause dangerous accidents.

Imperial scholars derive all knowledge of magic from the Elves, who explained to them that all magic comes from the Aethyr. This is, they said, an infinite dimension that is the spawning ground of all daemons and spirits, which exists beyond the physical world. They taught that in the far north, a huge wound was torn in the world that leads into the Aethyr, bleeding raw magic. These energies, known as the Winds of Magic, blow through the world and gather and swirl, permeating the land and its inhabitants. It is the Winds that are called on to perform magic. As what the nature of magic and the Aethyr is, that's a matter of constant debate. Some say it's like the backstage of a theatre, the mechanisms and props responsible for the world we see. Others say it's like math and have many diagrams. No one has a theory that doesn't have a ton of exceptions to it that are relatively easily found.

As the Winds enter the mortal realm in a single mass of power, they splinter and separate into what the Colleges have defined as eight discrete Winds, referred to be color, which each have their own character and ability. The Elves agree, as they teach the same eight Winds individually before their sorcerers may move on to greater magics. Only a small percentage of Humans can perceive the Winds at all, and even fewer can control them. Most Elves are sensitive to the Winds, and many can perceive them even if they never learn magic. This is commonly known as Second Sight, or the Sight. Dwarfs do not much like magic, possibly due to their partial immunity to it, and there are no known Dwarf wizards. Halflings as a species are largely indifferent to magic, except when it's fun to watch.

As a condition of their teaching, the Elves dictated that any Human spellcaster should only use a single Wind of Magic. They said that while it was possible to use spells that drew on multiple Winds, doing so was extremely risky for such a feeble and easily corrupted race as Humans. The Colleges, while less condescending, agree that specializing in a single color of magic is a good idea. Some witches consider the College's limitations on magic use insane, a clear attempt by the Elves to keep the greatest magic for themselves. (Which...probably isn't entirely false, even if it also is definitely not correct.) Drawing on the power of multiple Winds, however, is very risky, even if it is a quick route to power. Many witches have proven unable to resist the temptations, known as Dark Magic, and must be brought down by the Witch Hunters. Others say that magic is not so easily categorized, and many different kinds of 'wizard' or 'witch' can be found in the Old World, with some apparently doing magic entirely outside the Imperial color theory, such as the Ice Witches of Kislev, or the shamans found among some other species like the Greenskins. There is no Imperial answer for how this works; most wizards just refuse to think much about it.

While the Winds are always blowing through everything, they are largely harmless until harnessed via the Language of Magick. It is not clearly understood why, but certain sounds spoken by those attuned to magic cause the Winds to answer. The Colleges teach a complex language known as the lingua praestantia as the basis of their spells, originally taught to them by the Elves. While it is extremely difficult to correctly pronounce, it is still a simplification of Anoqeyan, the language Elves use to shape their own greatest magics. Magisters and Elves are not alone in the knowledge of the language, though - many magical creatures, including Spirits and Daemons, speak its complex forms, and many witches seem to have an instinctive understanding of it.

Each of the Winds of magic has an associated Lore, as the body of spells and knowledge about it are known. Each of the eight Colleges is dedicated to study of a single Lore, with the buildings the College is made of designed to focus the associated Wind to allow for safer teaching.
The Lore of Light is related to Hysh, the White Wind. It is considered to be the most difficult Wind to perceive and manipulate, even with the Sight, as it appears quite diffuse. It is, however, less unpredictable than the other Winds. Hysh is associated with patience, intelligence and purity. The Hierophants of the Light Order are well known for their discipline, knowledge and dedicated fight against Chaos. The Lore of Light contains some extremely potent spells, including blinding rays of light, or spells to banish Daemons or the Undead. More gentle applications can be used to heal or to clarify the mind.
The Lore of Metal is related to Chamon, the Gold Wind. It is dense and heavy to the Sight, sinking into the earth and coalescing within denser metals such as lead and gold. The Alchemists of the Gold Order have a reputation for being relatively prosaic for wizards, and many are just as interested in physics and chemistry as magic itself. The Lore of Metal often involves transmuting or altering metal, and can be used to corrode or melt armor and weapons, weight down foes with suddenly heavy armor or enchant weapons to great effect.
The Lore of Life is related to Ghyran, the Jade Wind. It is a free-flowing Wind associated with growth, fertility and nourishment. To the Sight, it looks like a light rain, falling to the ground and pooling in swirls and eddies. It sinks into the soil and is drawn into the roots of plants, where it goes on to nourish all life. The Druids of the Jade Order often prefer to live away from cities, surrounded by nature. The Lore of Life usually involves healing and rejuvenation of all kinds - plant and animal. It can be used offensively as well, calling on wicked brambles and vines.
The Lore of Heavens is related to Azyr, the Blue Wind. It cascades through the world and the heavens like a charged cloud. Astromancers of the Celestial Order are known for their calm and contemplative nature, using Azyr to scry on the future via the stars. The Lore of Heavens manipulates fate, throws up protective barriers and curses foes with terrible luck. In battle, it can also call on the elemental forces of lightning or even the shooting stars called down fromn the skies.
The Lore of Shadows is related to Ulgu, the Grey Wind. To the Sight, it is a thick fog, pooling where intrigue and deceit occur, rising in storms and tempests when conflict happens. The Grey Guardians of the Grey Order are secretive, given to uncertain loyalties, but well known for their wisdom and skill in negotiation, so they are often called on for diplomacy. The Lore of Shadows can mask and obfuscate, disorienting foes. In battle, it can be used to call forth shadow tendrils that pierce hearts even through the best armor, which it never touches.
The Lore of Death is related to Shyish, the Purple Wind. It gathers in places of death - battlefields, the Gardens of Morr, execution sites. It blows strongest during times of transition, and wizards of the Amethyst Order often work their greatest rites in the time before dawn or during sunset. Shyish relates to time and mortality, but is distinct from illegal Necromancy, which wields the dark power of Dhar. The Amethyst Order, like Morr's cult, is a tireless foe of necromancy, in fact. The Lore of Death can, however, resemble Necromancy to the untrained, for it drains foes of life, spreads fear and can speak to the spirits of the dead.
The Lore of Fire is related to Aqshy, the Red Wind. It is a hot, searing Wind drawn to brashness, courage and zeal, as well as physical heat. The Pyromancers of the Bright Order are bold, hot-tempered sorts, famously good battle mages. Many spells of the Lore of Fire are offensive, calling up great atttacks of flame or igniting swordblades. Even their non-offensive powers, such as crude healing spells, are destructive in nature, though they excel at inspiring allies to courage and loyalty.
The Lore of Beasts is related to Ghur, the Amber Wind. It is a cold, primal force associated with the wilds and the beasts. To the Sight, Ghur blows weakly in tame and settled areas, which may be why the Shamans of the Amber Order usually live as hermits, away from other Humans. The Lore of Beasts can speak to animals and command them into battle, as well as shapeshift into animal forms.

The Elves are long-lived and have minds more attuned to the ways of magic, and so High Elves usually train in more than one Wind, sometimes all eight, as part of their apprenticeship. The most promising move on to study High Magic, Qhaysh, which blends multiple Winds together into a coruscating power. This magic is quite impressive and fiendishly difficult, and Elves claim Humanity could never master it or even learn it. The Wood Elves also use multiple Winds, though their Spellsingers typically focus on the Jade and Amber Winds. The most potent usually go on to study High Magic as the High Elves do, or turn to Dark Magic, which is a foul mixing of the Winds that can be terrifyingly destructive.

Dark Magic, Dhar, is a blending of the Winds, but in a much less safe manner than Qhaysh. This makes it easier, but vastly more dangerous, and is usually done only by evil sorcerers, Necromancers and Daemon summoners. They get a lot of raw power, but terrible side effects. Few can channel Dhar for long without being corrupted and warped into unnatural mind and body. To the Sight, it is a stagnant mire, pooling in places of evil and corruption - Beastman herdstones, Chaos idols, places where great workings of many different Winds happened. It is so dense and potent that it can actually coalesce into physical matter - warpstone.

Warpstone is a lump of pure, physical magic. It is obviously unnatural, for it hurts the eyes to look upon and mutates anything that stays close too long. While its shape varies, it often has hard, flint-like facets and radiates a sickly green. It is the stuff of Chaos made real, and its mere presence is corrupting. Close contact risks disease, madness and mutation, and ingesting the stuff in any quantity causes catastrophic warping. However, the world has many ambitious idiots who know that it is also a potent source of power for magic. Chaos cultists and the Skaven do not hesitate in its use - they see it as a gift from their dark gods.

In more rural areas, far from the Colleges' influence, older forms of magic are still practiced, even though they are illegal and carry a penalty of death. There are many, many forms of this magic, but the two most common Lores by far (among Humans, anyway) are Hedgecraft and Witchcraft.
Hedgecraft is usually done by people who live quiet lives on the fringes, serving their local communities. Their magic usually concerns the liminal space between the material and the world of spirit, and often focuses on folklore, spirits and nature, plus ways to help people. Once, Hedgecraft was common in the Empire, but 200 years of persecution since the Colleges were founded has mostly wiped it out.
Witchcraft is not inherently malicious nor tied to Chaos, but has a reputation for evil and unpleasantness, which it frankly deserves. It is typically self-taught, often wields Dhar, and its users generally lack the discipline and knowledge of the Magisters, putting them at great risk of corruption. Also it mostly involves cursing people. This means witches that use it often end up as bitter, spiteful people with evil in their hearts.

Next time: Actual rules content.

How Am Spelling

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

WFRP 4e - How Am Spelling

There are four types of spell, mechanically: Petty, Arcane, Lore and Chaos. Petty spells are basic tricks that use almost no magic at all. Arcane spells are sort of generic spells that any wizard can learn through any Lore (including Chaos Lores). Lore spells are those only usable through a specific Lore. Chaos spells are those usable only by Chaos Lores and which are Very Bad and No Good At All. Also, as a note, just because a spell is in your grimoire does not mean you know it. To memorize a spell and thus be able to cast it without your grimoire open to it, you need to pay some amount of XP determined by the Talent you're using to learn it. Once a spell is memorized, you know it permanently and can cast it at any time.

Casting a spell is a Language (Magick) test. If you succeed, you then compare your SLs to the Casting Number (CN) of the spell. If you are equal or greater than the CN, the spell happens. If not, nothing happens. If you roll a Critical while casting, the Winds flare dangerously high; unless you have the Instinctive Diction Talent, you suffer a roll on the Minor Miscast table. However, no matter what, you also choose one benefit:
1. If the spell does damage, it also causes a Critical Wound.
2. No matter what your SL or the CN of the spell, it is cast successfully, but can be Dispelled.
3. If you had enough SLs to cast the spell, it cannot be Dispelled.

If you Fumble on a casting roll, you suffer a roll on the Minor Miscast table. Also worth noting is that any Language (Magick) or Channeling test in the vicinity of a Corrupting Influence is dangerous - you suffer a Minor Miscast roll if the ones digit of your roll is an 8. If you already had a Minor Miscast for some reason, it instead upgrades to a Major Miscast.
Minor Miscasts are stuff like:
01-05: Witchsign: The next living creature born within a mile is mutated.
16-20: Soulwax: Your ears instantly clog with thick wax. Gain 1 Deafened condition, which cannot be removed until someone cleans out your earwax with a Heal test.
46-50: Wayward Garb: Your clothes move on their own. Gain 1 Entangled condition with a Strength of 5*(1d10) to resist.
51-55: Curse of Temperance: All alcohol within 1d100 yards goes bad, tasting bitter and foul.
86-90: Double Trouble: The effect of the spell goes off again elsewhere within 1d10 miles. The GM should make this have interesting consequences.
96-00: Cascading Chaos: Roll again on the Major Miscast table.

Major Miscasts are stuff like;
01-05: Ghostly Voices: All within WP yards hear dark, seductive whispers from the Realm of Chaos. All sentient creatures in that range must make Cool test or gain 1 Corruption Point.
16-20: Death Walker: For the next 1d10 hours, any plant life near you withers and dies.
46-50: Limb Frozen: One randomly determined limb is frozen in place for 1d10 hours. For that duration, treat it as useless, as if it had been Amputated.
51-55: Darkling Sight: You lose the Second Sight Talent and get -20 to all Channeling tests for 1d10 hours.
86-90: Hellish Stench: You smell awful for 1d10 hours, gaining the Distracting trait and, likely, the hatred of anyone with a sense of smell.
96-00: Aethyric Feedback: Everyone within WPB yards of you, friend or foe, takes 1d10 Wounds, ignoring TB and APs, and becomes Prone. If there are no targets in range, the magic cannot vent, and so your head explodes and you die.

If you successfully cast a spell, it remains in effect for its entire duration unless Dispelled; you can't end it early unless you Dispel it. You can use spells you haven't memorized with XP, if they are in your grimoire and they belong to a Lore you have. Wizards often trade spells for favors. However, casting from a grimoire doubles the spell's CN. Some spells are magic missiles, which deal damage. When they hit, you find hit location by reversing the casting test, and the damage is the spell's listed Damage plus your WPB and the SLs of your casting test. TB and APs apply as normal, by default. Some Lores change this. Some spells require you to touch the target. If in combat or the target is unwilling, this requires a Melee (Brawling) test opposed by their Melee or Dodge after you successfully roll a casting test. If you do this and the spell was a magic missile, you use the touch test rather than the casting test to determine hit location.

Spellcasters can channel their magic via ingredients appropriate to the Lore. This offers a certain protection against Miscasts as the ingredient absorbs the worst of the backlash. If you use an ingredient while casting, any Major Miscast becomes a Minor Miscast and any Minor Miscast is eliminated. However, the ingredient is destroyed no matter what, even if you don't get a Miscast at all. For Arcane and Lore spells, ingredients cost (Spell's CN)s. Whenever you buy one, mark what spell it's for on your equipment list - ingredients are for specific spells, not entire Lores. The game lists sample ingredients at the start of each Lore's spell list; you can freely improvise within those themes. (Arcane Spells are, again, always considered part of whatever Lore you have.)

All spells involve a spoken component, so if you can't speak, you can't cast, and if your voice is somehow inhibited, you get a penalty according to the GM's whim. The Language of Magick must also be spoken or sung clearly and loudly, so spells aren't subtle in almost any case. The higher the CN is, generally speaking, the louder you have to be. You may only have a given spell active once - if you want to cast that spell again, you must wait for it to end or be Dispelled before you can cast it once more. Spells that provide bonuses do not stack with each other, and neither do spells that provide penalties. Only the best bonus and the worst penalty apply in any given case. Also, you must be able to see your target to cast a spell on them. Advantage does apply to casting tests, but not to Channeling tests. If you cast a spell on someone who has already had a spell of the same Lore cast on them this round, you get +1 Advantage from the Winds assisting you.

Channeling tests are required only for certain spells, which require more magic than is naturally found in the ambient flow of the Winds. This can be quite dangerous, but the spells that require it are powerful. Channeling tests are always Extended. When your SL reaches the CN of the spell, you have enough magic and may cast the spell (via the normal casting rules) on the next Round, treating its CN as 0. If the casting fails, you suffer a Minor Miscast as the gathered magic breaks free of your Aethyric grip and escapes. If you roll a critical while Channeling, you gain enough magic to cast the spell next Round regardless of your SLs; however, unless you have the Aethyric Attunement talent, you suffer a Minor Miscast due to the dangerously high concentration of magic. Channeling is also very dangerous, and so Fumbles occur not only on any failed test with a double, but also any failed test with a 0 in the ones digit. Fumbles cause a Major Miscast. If anything distracts you while Channeling, such as loud noises, flashing lights or so on, you must make a Cool test at -20 or else you suffer a Minor Miscast and lose all gathered SLs.

The reason that Magisters dress in the traditional colors of their Wind is that it helps attract the appropriate magic. All casting and Channeling tests while wearing inappropriate garb get -1 SL. Metal and leather armor also repel most Winds, causing -1 SL to such tests per AP on the most protected location. Casters with the Arcane Magic (Metal) talent ignore penalties from metal armor, while those with Arcane Magic (Beasts) ignore penalties from leather.

If a spell targets you, or a point you can see within WP yards, you may attempt to oppose its casting test with your own Language (Magick) test to chant a counterspell. If you win, you Dispel the incoming spell. If you lose, it goes off as normal using its rolled SLs. You may only attempt to Dispel one spell per round. If a spell has a non-instant, persistent effect, you may attempt to Dispel it while it's active. This is an extended Language (Magick) test; once you get SLs equal to the spell's CN, you Dispel it and it ends. Multiple casters can attempt to Dispel the same spell, but roll seperately. If they have the same Lore, however, they may instead use an Assisted Test together.

Warpstone is extremely potent, but extremely dangerous to use - or even carry. If you use Warpstone, double your SLs on any casting or Channeling tests, but Warpstone is a Corrupting Influence, so it does cause all the problems of casting near one.

Oh, and there are rules for Elves learning multiple Lores now. Specifically, an Elf may learn up to (WPB) different Lores. However, it is not easy and takes time. You cannot buy a new Arcane Magic Talent until you have at least 20 Advances in your last Lore's Channeling skill and at least 8 memorized spells from your last Lore. Any wizard can pick a single Dark Lore in addition to their normal Lore, if they're dumb enough to do so and can find a teacher or grimoire for it. If you begin play with a grimoire, incidentally, it will contain however many spells the GM says your master saw fit to scribe for you. Some are more generous than others; however, 4 is the usual minimum, and 8 the usual maximum. While you don't have those spells memorized, once you get your Lore you can cast them out of the grimoire.

Next time: Spells

Never Believe It's Not So

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

WFRP 4e - Never Believe It's Not So

First off, spells are like blessings and miracles in that if you cast them with extra SL over the CN required, you can boost them. For every 2 SLs over you go, you can add an additional Range, Area of Effect, Duration or Target in multiples of the initial value of the spell. IE, a spell that has a base range of 5 yards adds 5 yards every time you add Range. Self-targeting spells can never have their range or target changed, touch-range spells can't have their range extended, and instant spells can't have their duration extended. You can pick the same option more than once. Some spells have their own options. Also, worth keeping in mind: high CNs are very hard to hit! The only real you're going to do it is by spending rounds channeling - there is effectively no other way to hit CNs higher than 6 for most characters.

Petty Magic, called cantrips by the Colleges, use tiny amounts of whatever Winds are available, and once you enter a College, you rarely learn new ones. They are the magical tricks you naturally pick up when the spark of magic awakens within you. This generally happens around puberty, and almost always by the age of 25. They're usually the first sign that you have magic. Elves consider the use of Petty magic just part of growing up, and those that seem interested are given proper schooling. For Humans, if they avoid lynching, it means they're likely to be picked up by a Magister as an apprentice and sent to the Colleges, after which they should never use Petty Magic again. Most wizards still do, of course. They are technically legally classed as witchcraft and therefore are illegal to perform; the Colleges turn a blind eye to it because some of them are just really useful. Witch Hunters do not always do so. Petty spells have no formal codifications, so you can name yours whatever you want. Petty Spells do not count as being from a Lore.

Petty Spells
Animal Friend (CN 0): For one hour, 1 creature within 1 yard that is smaller than you and has the Bestial trait trusts you completely and considers you a friend.
Bearings (CN 0): You sense the flow of magic from its source, instantly determining which way is North.
Dazzle (CN 0): 1 target you touch gains 1 Blinded Condition, and 1 Blinded Condition at the start of each round for WPB Rounds.
Careful Step (CN 0): For WP minutes, no organic matter you step on is damaged in any way, springing back to its original position when you move. Those trying to pursue you in rural areas get -30 to Track tests while this is active.
Conserve (CN 0): You preserve up to a day's worth of rations within 1 yard for WPB days. During this time, they will not rot, get mold or go stale, though external forces such as fire can harm them and they can still get wet or poisoned.
Dart (CN 0): You fire a +0 Damage magic missile at 1 target within WP yards.
Drain (CN 0): You touch 1 target, draining their life as +0 Damage magic missile that ignores APs. You then heal 1 Wound.
Eavesdrop (CN 0): You can hear what 1 target within WP yards is saying for IB minutes, as if you were standing right next to them.
Gust (CN 0): You create a brief gust of wind within WP yards, strong enough to blow out a candle, slam an open door or blow a few papers around.
Light (CN 0): You create a light equivalent to a torch, glowing from your hand, staff or other part of your person, for WP minutes. While this is active, you may make a Channeling test at +20 to increase the light to lantern strength or decrease it to candle strength.
Magic Flame (CN 0): A small flame flickers to life in the palm of your hand for WPB Rounds. It will not burn you but does emit heat and sets flammable things on fire. It's a lighter, basically.
Marsh Lights (CN 0): You create IntB flickering magical lights within WP yards, resembling torches or hooded lanterns. They last for WP minutes, and you may control their movements as long as they remain in your line of sight by spending an Action to make a +20 Channeling test. Success lets you move them in any direction. They move continually in a straight line at a walking pace, passing through any solid material in their path harmlessly, unless you roll again to change their direction.
Murmured Whispers (CN 0): You cast your voice to a point within WP yards, regardless of line of sight, for WPB Rounds. Your voice sounsd from that point for the duration, audible to anyone in earshot.
Open Lock (CN 0): 1 non-magical lock you touch opens.
Produce Small Animal (CN 0): You reach into a bag, pocket or hat, or under a rock, bush or burrow, etc. You pull out a single small animal of a type you'd expect in the vicinity, like a rabbit, dove or rat. If there are no appropriate local animals, nothing happens. The animal acts as is normal for it; you have no control over its temperament.
Protection from Rain (CN 0): You remain dry for TB hours, regardless of the weather and precipitation. This will work on snow, sleet, hail or any other water falling from the sky, but not standing water.
Purify Water (CN 0): You purify all water within 1 receptacle (such as a flask or stein) within 1 yard. All non-magical impurities, like poison or contaminants, are removed, leaving it clean, crisp and potable. If the vessel held another liquid that is mostly water, such as ale or wine, that is also purified, rendering it delicious, pure and non-alcoholic water. (This is a fairly big deal in a setting where most water is not safe.)
Rot (CN 0): You cause 1 fist-sized volume of organic material within 1 yard to immediately rot. Foods perish, clothes crumble, leather shrivels (and loses 1 AP on a single hit location) and so on, as determined by the GM.
Sleep (CN 0): 1 target you touch falls asleep for WPB Rounds. If they were Prone, they become Unconscious, remaining so for the duration or until awakened by loud noises or being jostled, which awakens them instantly. If they were sitting or standing, they become Prone but awaken immediately. If the targets are not resisting and are suitably tired, they will, when the spell ends, pass into deep, restful slumber.
Spring (CN 0): You touch the ground, drawing forth 1 pint of water per Round, for WPB Rounds or until you get IB pints, whichever comes first.
Shock (CN 0): You touch 1 target, giving them 1 Stunned Condition.
Sly Hands (CN 0): For WBP rounds, you may teleport small objects, no bigger than your fist, from about your person into your hand.
Sounds (CN 0): You create small noises within WP yards. They are quiet, indistinct noises that sound as if they come from a specific location within range, regardless of line of sight, and last for WPB Rounds. They may sound like something specfic, such as footsteps or animal howls, but nothing so distinct as to convey a message. You may control the sounds during the duration with a +20 Channeling test, with success allowing you to move them to another point within range or to make them louder or quieter.
Twitch (CN 0): You cause 1 object within WPB yards to move slightly. It might fall from a shelf, or a book might slam shut. If someone is holding the object, they must make a Dex test at +20 or drop it.
Warning (CN 0): You channel magic into 1 object within 1 yard, noticing immediately if it has been poisoned or trapped.

Arcane Spells are common formations of magic. How they actually manifest depends on which Lore you have. Someone with Arcane Magic (Fire) may cast Drop by making something overheat, while Arcane Magic (Shadows) might make it just insubstantial enough to slip through someone's fingers. Arcane Spells are considered to belong to every Lore - including Hedgecraft, Witchcraft, Dark Magic lores and Chaos Lores. They get all the benefits of Lore spells, and you can only share and teach them with people that have the same Lore as you. Some of them allow you to make WP tests when they would end to extend them an extra Round, marked with a +. The names of each spell can be customized for your lore as you please.

Arcane Spells
Aethyric Armor (CN 2): For WPB+ Rounds, all of your hit locations get +1 AP.
Aethyric Arms (CN 2): You create a weapon in any shape you desire, using any Melee skill you desire, with Damage of your WPB. It lasts for WPB+ Rounds and counts as Magical.
Arrow Shield (CN 3): For WPB+ Rounds, any missiles containing organic matter, such as arrows with wooden shafts, that pass within an AOE of WPB yards of you are automatically destroyed, dealing no damage to their targets. Inorganic missiles such as throwing knives or bullets are unaffected.
Blast (CN 4): You target an AOE of WPB yards on a point within WP yards. Anyone in the area suffers a +3 Damage magic missile due to the magical blast.
Bolt (CN 4): 1 target within WP yards suffers a +4 Damage magic missile.
Breath (CN 6): You immediately make a Breath attack out to 1 yard, as if you had spent 2 Advantage activating the Breath creature trait. This is a magic missile with +TB Damage; the GM decides what type of Breath attack best fits your Lore.
Bridge (CN 4): You conjure a bridge of magical energy within WP yards, with a maximum length and breadth of WPB yards, for WPB+ Rounds. For every 2 SLs, you may increase length or breadth by WPB yards.
Chain Attack (CN 6): You fire a +4 Damage magic missile at 1 target within WP yards. If it drops them to 0 Wounds, it leaps to another target within WP yards of both you and the initial target, repeating the same Damage. It may leap up to WPB times, +1 per 2 SLs.
Corrosive Blood (CN 4): You gain the Corrosive Blood creature trait for WPB Rounds.
Dark Vision (CN 1): You gain the Dark Vision creature trait for WPB Rounds.
Distracting (CN 4): You gain the Distracting creature trait for WPB Rounds.
Dome (CN 7): You make a dome of magical energy that blocks attacks for WPB Rounds. Anyone within an AOE of WPB yards gains the Ward (6+) creature trait against any ranged or magical attacks coming from outside the dome. Those within can attack out of the dome normally, and anyone can move through the dome safely.
Drop (CN 1): You channel magic into 1 object being held by 1 target in WP yards. This can be anything - rope, a sword, someone's hand. Unless they make a Dex test, they let go of it. For every 2 SLs, you can give them cumulative -10 to the test.
Entangle (CN 3): You entrap 1 target within WP yards, wrapping them in something suitable to your Lore. They gain 1 Entangled condition with Strength equal to your Int. For every +2 SLs, you may give 1 additional Entangled condition. This lasts until all Entangled conditions are removed.
Fearsome (CN 3): You gain Fear 1 for WPB Rounds. For every +3 SLs, you may increase your Fear rating by 1.
Flight (CN 8): You gain the Flight (Agility) creature trait for WPB+ Rounds.
Magic Shield (CN 4): You get +WBP SLs to any Dispel attempts you make for WPB Rounds.
Move Object (CN 4): You magically grab 1 nonsentient object within WP yards, moving it by your will alone (with S equal to your WP) for 1 Round. You may move it up to WPB yards per round, and anyone attempting to impede the thing's movement must contest your WP with their S. For every +2 SLs you may increase the distance per round by WPB yards.
Mundane Aura (CN 4): For WPB minutes, you appear entirely mundane to the Magical Sense Talent and any other means of detecting magic. While this is active, you cannot cast any other spells. This ends immediately if you make a Channeling test.
Push (CN 6): All living creatures within WPB yards of you are shoved WPB yards back and become Prone. If this slams them into a wall or other large obstacle, they take (yards travelled) Damage. For every +2 SLs, you may shove all targets back another WPB yards.
Teleport (CN 5): You teleport up to WPB yards, ignoring any obstacles or dangers in between. For every 2 SLs, you may increase your max travel distance by WPB yards.
Terrifying (CN 7): You gain the Terror 1 creature trait for WPB Rounds.
Ward (CN 5): You gain the Ward (9+) Creature Trait for WPB Rounds.

Lore of Beasts spells wield the Amber Wind, Ghur. Whenever you cast a Lore of Beasts spell, you may choose to gain the Fear 1 creature trait for 1d10 Rounds. Also, you can wear leather armor. Common ingredients incorporate animal fur, bone or pelts wrapped in sinew and daubed with blood runes, scrimshawed claws, dried organs, featheres dipped in rare humors, as well as excrement, urine or other excretions.
Amber Talens (CN 6): For WPB Rounds, your unarmed attacks made with Melee (Brawling) are Magical and have Damage equal to your WPB, and whenever they cause any Wound loss the target also suffers +1 Bleeding condition.
Beast Form (CN 5): You warp your body into an animal form, selected from any of the Beasts of Reikland in the Bestiary, for WP minutes. You use all of its standard traits, and for every 2 SLs you may include 1 Optional Trait. While in Beast Form, you appear as a normal version of that creature with amber and brown coloring. You cannot speak, which means you can neither cast spells nor Dispel. (Notable good combat forms: bears, boars, sufficiently large giant spiders, sufficiently large snakes, wolves. Especially if you grab some of their nastier Optional Traits, like Enormous on a snake or bear or Frenzy on a boar or wolf.)
Beast Master (CN 10): Your breath and eyes shine with amber, and you convince 1 creature with the Bestial trait within WPB yards that you are its pack master for WPB days. It will fight to the death defending you, and will follow your instructions. It instinctively understands any simple instructions. If the spell ends by any means, the creature will retain enough residual respect and fear not to attack you unless compelled to, though it may still attack your allies. (Note: some truly insane shit has the Bestial trait.)
Beast Tongue (CN 3): For WP minutes, you may speak to any creature with the Bestial trait and be undertood. Your words emerge in the form of snarls, hisses and roars based on what you're talking to. While they are not compelled to answer or obey you, most will be curious enough to at least hear you out. For the duration, you get +20 to all Charm Animal and Animal Training tests, but may not speak any language except that of the beasts. You may communicate with other beings only via gestures or Language (Battle), and for the duration you can neither cast spells nor Dispel, as you can't speak Language (Magick).
Flock of Doom (CN 8): You call down a murder of crows (or similar birds) to a point within WP yards to attack your foes for WPB Rounds. Anyone within WPB yards of the point who does not have the Arcane Magic (Beasts) Talent is attacked, suffering a +7 Damage hit at the end of each Round for the duration. As an Action, you may make a Charm Animal test at +20 ot move the flock to another point within range. Anyone within the AOE also gains +1 Blinded condition while in it.
Hunter's Hide (CN 6): For WPB tounds, you cloak yourself in Ghur, getting +20 Toughness and the Acute Sense (Smell) Talent as well as the Dark Vision and Fear 1 creature traits.
The Amber Spear (CN 8): You fire a massive spear of pure Ghur in a straight line WP yards long. It is a Damage +12 magic missile that strikes the first creature in the line, ignoring APs from armor made of fur or leather. If the target suffers any Wounds, they also get +1 Bleeding condition, after which the spear continues on its path, striking each target along that line in turn, but for -1 Damage each time. If the spear fails to cause any Wounds, it stops and the spell is over. Any target after the first may reduce the damage the Amber Spear causes to 0 via TB and APs rather than taking the normal minimum of 1.
Wyssan's Wildform (CN 8): You surrender yourself to savage fury for WPB Rounds, gaining the Arboreal, Armor 2, Belligerent, Big, Bite (SB+1), Fear 1, Fury, Magical and Weapon (SB+2) creature traits. For the duration, you cannot use any Language or Lore skills whatsoever.

Lore of Death spells wield the Purple Wind, Shyish. You may cause any living target affected by a Lore of Death spell you cast to gain +1 Fatigued condition. A target can only have a single Fatigued condition from this at any one time - so you can't just keep stacking them on someone. Common ingredients incorporate the bones of sentient creatures, the trappings of death (such as coffin wood or nails, embalming fluids, hourglasses, silver coins or gravce dirt), often preserved and engraved. Purple gemstones and materials are also used, as are purple flowers, especially roses.
Caress of Laniph (CN 7): Your hand appears withed and skeletal as you touch 1 target. This is a +6 Damage magic missile that ignores TB and APs. For every 2 Wounds caused, you may heal 1 Wound.
Dying Words (CN 6): You touch 1 body of a person that died within the last day, calling its soul back briefly. For WPB Rounds, you may communicate with them, though the soul can do nothing but talk. It is not compelled to answer you, but dead souls never lie.
Purple Pall of Shyish (CN 9): Purple strands of magic wrap around you for WPB Rounds, granting +WPB APs on all locations and the Fear 1 creature trait. For every +2 SLs, you may increase the Fear rating by 1.
Sanctify (CN 10): You create a magic circle along the ground you touch, warding it with Shyish, with an AOE of WPB yards out form you. It lasts for WP minutes, and creatures with the Undead trait cannot enter or leave the circle.
Scythe of Shyish (CN 6): You conjure a mystic scythe for WPB Rounds. It is wielded with the Melee (Polarm) skill, acting as a normal scythe with Damage (WPB+3). Enemies with the Undead trait cannot gain Advantage while engaged with you for the duration. It does not appear to be Magical, though, which I think might be an error.
Soul Vortex (CN 8): You hurl a ball of purple flame at a point within WP yards, where it erupts in an AOE of WPB yards, swirling with ghostly, gaping faces. Targets within the AOE gain +1 Broken condition. Targets with the Undead trait suffer a Damage +10 magic missile that ignores TB And APs.
Steal Life (CN 7): You send strands of purple mist at 1 target within WP yards, who wastes away when struck. This is a +6 Damage magic missile that ignores APs and also causes +1 Fatigued condition. Further, you remove all Fatigued conditions you currently have, and may heal yourself up to half the Wounds the target suffers, rounding up.
Swift Passing (CN 6): You touch 1 mortally wounded target, who must have no more than 0 Wounds and at least 2 Critical Wounds. They die, and may never be raised as Undead.

Next time: Fire, Heavens, Metal, Life

Why Is Everyone On Fire

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

WFRP 4e - Why Is Everyone On Fire

Lore of Fire spells draw on the Bright Wind, Aqshy, and they are...not subtle. Ever. You may choose to inlict +1 Ablaze condition on anyone targeted by spells of the Lore of Fire, unless they also have the Arcane Magic (Fire) Talent. Further, every Ablaze condition within WBP yards gives +10 to any attempts to Channel or cast Lore of Fire spells. Ingredients tend to be either extremely flammble ones immolated during casting, such as coil, oil, fats and woods, or things immune to fire, such as iron keys, carved parts of fire grate or small oven stones.
Aqshy's Aegis (CN 5): You wrap yourself in a cloak of Aqshy for WPB Rounds, making you totally immune to damage from non-magical fire, including monstrous breath attacks, and you ignore any Ablaze conditions you would receive. You also get the Ward (9+) creature trait against magical fire attacks for the duration - including spells from the Lore of Fire.
Cauterise (CN 4): 1 target you touch heals 1d10 Wounds and loses all Bleeding conditions, and any remaining wounds will not become infected. However, targets withine the Arcane Magic (Fire) talent must make a Cool test or scream in agony. If they fail by -6 or more SLs, they become Unconscious for 1d10 hours and are permanently scarred.
Crown of Flame (CN 9): You grow a fiery crown for WBP Rounds. For the duration, you have the Fear 1 trait and +1 War Leader talent, and you get +10 on all tests to channel or cast Lore of Fire spells. For every +2 SLs, you may increase your Fear value by 1 or take War Leader one more time.
Flaming Hearts (CN 8): You call forth fiery passion, targeting a point within WP yards. All allies within an AOE of WPB yards of that point lose all Broken and Fatigued conditions, and for WPB rounds they get +1 Drilled, Fearless and Stout-hearted Talents.
Firewall (CN 6): You call forth a wall of flame within WP yards for WPB Rounds. It is WPB yards wide ande 1 yard deep. For every +2 SLs, you may extend its length another +WPB yards. Anyone crossing the firewall suffers a +(WPB) Damage magic missile and gains 1 Ablaze condition.
Great Fires of U'Zhul (CN 10): You hurl an immense fiery blast at 1 target within wP yards. This is a Damage +10 magic missile that ignores APs and causes +2 Ablaze conditions and Prone. Anyone within an AOE of WPB yards of the target suffers a Damage +5 hit that ignores APs and must make a Dodge test or gain +1 Ablaze condition. For WPB yards after that, anyone that is in the AOE at the start of a round suffers 1d10+6 Damage that ignnores APS and gains +1 Ablaze condition as the fires continue to burn.
Flaming Sword of Rhuin (CN 8): You wreath 1 sword within WP yards in magical flame for WPB Rounds. For the duration, the weapon has Damage +6 and the Impact Quality, and anyone struck by it gains +1 Ablaze condition. Any wielder that does not have the Arcane Magic (Fire) Talent that fumbles an attack with the blade also gains +1 Ablaze condition.
Purge (CN 10): You call forth intense flame to burn away the taint and corruption in AOE of WPB yards centered on a target point within WP yards. Anything flammable is set on fire and any creatures in the area get +SL Ablaze conditions. For WPB rounds, any Corrupting Influence in the area, such as Dhar, warpstone or Chaos-tainted objects, will smolder and blacken, starting to burn. You may maintain the spell for subsequent rounds with a Channeling test. The GM determines how long it takes to destroy a specific Corrupting Influence, but as a rough guide, an acorn of warpstone or a minor Chaos-tainted object may take (10-WPB) Rounds, minimum 1, a fist-sized chunk of Warpstone or more potent Chaos-tainted object takes double. A powerful Chaos Artifact may take hours or longer.

Lore of Heavens spells draw on the Blue Wind, Azyr. Lore of Heavens spells that cause Damage ignore APS from metal armor, and arc to all other targets in 2 yards that do not have the Arcane Magic (Heavens) talent, dealing damage as a +WPB Damage magic missile. Seers can get to access to Arcane Magic (Heavens), but unless they become Wizards, they can only learn Fate's Fickle Fingers, Starcrossed and the Portents of Amul - no other spells, even Arcane spells. Common ingredients include astronomical instruments, charts, lenses or symbols, along with those associated with augury, such as animal innards, mirrors, glass balls or bird tongues. Wind-based spells may use wings or feathers, while electricity-based ones commonly use slivers of carved metal.
Ceruluan Shield (CN 7): You encase yourself in an electrical shield for WPB rounds, gaining +SL APs to all locations against melee attacks. If attacked by metal weapons, like a dagger, sword, or metal-tipped spear, the attacker takes +WPB Damage.
Comet of Casandora (CN 10): You call forth to the heavens, calling down a comet to target one point within I yards. At the end of the round, you must make a Perception test. For every +1 SL, you may move the point of impact IB yards. For every -SL, the GM will move the point of impact IB yards in a random direction. Next Round, the comet strikes, hitting everyone within an AOE IB yards of the point of impact with a Damage +12 magic missile and causing +1 Ablaze condition and Prone.
Fate's Fickle Fingers (CN 6): All allies within an AOE of IB yards, centered on you, except those with the Arcane Magic (Heavens) talent, pool their Fortune Points for WPB Rounds. Anyone who is part of the pool may draw on it, first come, first served. When the spell ends, all remaining Fortune Points are reallocated as fairly as possible, with you deciding who is shafted if it can't be totally equal.
Starcrossed (CN 7): Pick 1 target foe within WP yards. For IB rounds, you may spend Fortune Points to force them to reroll tests.
T'Essla's Arc (CN 7): You fire a bolt of lightning at 1 target within WP yards, as a Damage +10 magic missile that causes +1 Blinded condition.
The First Portent of Amul (CN 3): You gain +1 Fortune Point, +1 more per +2 SLs. After IB Rounds, any unused points granted this way are lost.
The Second Portent of Amul (CN 6): You gain +SL Fortune Points, +1 per +2 SLs. After IB rounds, any unused points granted this way are lost.
The Third Portent of Amul (CN 12): You get +1 Fate Point. If you do not spend it by the end of IB Rounds, it is lost.

Lore of Metal spells draw on the Gold Wind, Chamon., and tend to be accompanied by golden light, heat and extreme danger for anyone who's wearing metal and fighting the Gold Wizard. Damage from Lore of Metal spells ignores APs from metal armor and get bonus Damage equal to the APs of metal rmor that are worn on any hit location struck. Further, you can wear metal armor. Ingredients commonly include heavy metals of any type, usually inlaid and carved intricately, or are related to objects of the forge, such as bellows marked with formulae, inscribed anvil chunks or furnace fragments.
Crucible of Chamon (CN 7): You channel power into 1 target non-magical metal object within WPB yards, such as a weapon or piece of armor. It melts, dropping to the floor and cooling near-instantly. If held, the item is dropped. If worn, the wearer suffers a Damage +WPB magic missile that ignores TB. The object is destroyed, but the metal retains its base value and is perfectly usable by a smith.
Enchant Weapon (CN 6): You encase 1 non-magical weapon you touch with bands of Chamon, strengthening it for WPB Rounds. For the duration, it is Magical, gets +wPB to its Damage and gains the Unbreakable Quality. For every +3 SLs, you may add 1 Quality or remove 1 Flaw for the duration.
Feather of Lead (CN 5): You call on the weight of density on a target point within WP yards. For WPB Rounds, everyone in an AOE of WPB yards around that point is either Encumbered or not Encumbered, period, no matter what - you choose which one is applied to everyone.
Fool's Gold (CN 4): You touch 1 non-magical metal object, altering its alchemical nature. For WP minutes, all metal in the object becomes gold - true, transformed gold, not an illusion. This can ruin good weapons, make armor too heavy, or turn lead coins into gold ones temporarily, with any spot effects left to the GM to figure out mechanically.
Forge of Chamon (CN 9): You alter the quality of 1 target metal item within WPB yards. For WP minutes, it gains 1 Quality of your choice or loses 1 Flaw of your choice. For every +2 SLs, you may add another Quality or remove another Flaw.
Glittering Robe (CN 5): You create a whirling field of Chamon around yourself for TB Rounds. For the duration, you gain the Ward (9+) creature trait agianst all attacks and spells that target you. Any hit you successfully prevent this way increases the Ward's effectiveness by 1, to a max of Ward (3+).
Mutable Metal (CN 5): You touch 1 non-magical object made of metal, warming it. For WPB Rounds, you may bend and mangle it with a Strength test at +20, or may make more complex alterations with a relevant Trade test at +20, using only your hands.
Transmutation of Chamon (CN 12): You call forth the power from metals worn by your foes and the earth. You target one point within WP yards, turning the flesh of all targets within an AOE of WPB yards of that point into metal very briefly. This is a Damage +WPB magic missile that ignores TB and causes +1 Blinded, Deafened and Stunned conditions, all of which cannot be removed for WPB Rounds. All affected targets get +1 AP to all locations due to the gold wrapped around their bodies, but also suffer from suffocation. If they die while the spell is still going, they are permanently locked in a shell of base metal.

Lore of Life spells draw on the Jade Wind, Ghyran, and tend to involve green light and natural phenomena given supernatural power. You get +10 to casting and channeling rolls in rural or wilderness environments. Any living targets of Arcane spells from the Lore of Life lose all Fatigued and Bleeding conditions after any other effects are applies. Targets with the Undead trait take +WPB Damage that ignores TB and APs whenever affected by any Lore of Life spell. Ingredients commonly involve rare seeds or nuts, the humours of sentient creatures, rare tree saps, fertile loam, spring waters and various plants or small animals.
Barkskin (CN 3): 1 target you touch gains skin hard and rough as tree bark for WPB Rounds, getting +2 TB but -10 to Agility and Dexterity.
Earthblood (CN 6): You must be in direct contact with the earth to use this, such as standing barefoot on it. For WPB Rounds, any creatures in direct contact with the earth within an AOE of WPB yards, centered on you, heal WPB Wounds at the start of each Round.
Earthpool (CN 8): You vanish into the ground in a torrent of Ghyran. You appear at the start of the next Round at any point within WP yards, erupting violently from the earth. For every +2 SLs you may increase the distance you travel by WP yards. Any enemies engaged by you when you reappear gain the Surprised condition. This does not allow you to move through solid stone, but does allow you to move through water.
Fat of the Land (CN 4): 1 target you touch need not eat or drink for WPB days. They do, however, explicitly still poop and piss, but it's bright green.
Forest of Thorns (CN 6): You target a patch of earth within wP yards, which can be quite small. An immense knot of spiked vines and brambles bursts forth from it to cover an AOE of WPB yards centered on the point for WPB rounds. While this is active, anyone attempting to traverse the AOE on foot without having the Arcane Magic (Life) talent must make an Agility test at -20 or get +1 Bleeding condition and +1 Entangled condition, with Strength equal to your WP. When the spell ends, the growth remains but loses its supernatural properties - it's just normal brambles and vines.
Lie of the Land (CN 5): You touch the earth and let your senses flow through it. After communing for 1 full minute, you receive a detailed mental map of the landscape within IB miles, shjowing all natural features (such as land, forest and rivers) but not any settlements, except in the form of cleared terrain or dug trenches. Every range increase with SLs increases the time taken communing by 1 minute.
Lifebloom (CN 8): You flood a blighted or desolate are with Ghur, targeting a dry riverbed, well, field or blighted animal within WPB yards. The target bursts back to life. A dry river flows, a dry or polluted well is clean and resh, a field, vineyard or orchard bursts to life, with all crops immediately reaching full ripeness, and a sick of unproductive animal becomes healthy, productive and free of disease.
Regenerate (CN 6): 1 target you touch gains the Regenerate creature trait for WPB rounds, which is probably the most efficient single-target combat healing in the game.

Lore of Light spells wield the White Wind, Hysh, and usually involve blinding white light or waves of radiant purity. You may choose to inflict +1 Blinded condition on the targets of Lore of Light spells unless they have the Arcane Magic (Light) talent. Further, any target of a Lore of Light spell with the Daemonic or Undead traits suffers an additional hit of +IntB Damage, ignoring TB and APs. Ingredients usually involve holy artifacts or things associated with holy places, as well as crystals, glass, pyramidions and small statues, carved with sacred symbols, snakes or moral tales. White candles, silver carvings and bleached paper are also common.
Banishment (CN 12): You send out a cleansing halo of magic, affected all creatures within an AOE of WPB yards centered on you whose T is lower than your WP. Targets with the Undead or Daemonic traits gain the Unstable trait. If they already had it, they drop to 0 Wounds.
Blinding Light (CN 5): You emit a blinding flash that extends out WP yards. Anyone in range that is looking at you and doesn't have the Arcane Magic (Light) talent gets +SL Blinded conditions.
Clarity of Thought (CN 6): 1 target you touch has their mind calmed for Int minutes. For the duration, they ignore all negative modifiers on their throught process, whether from conditions, mental mutations. Psychology or any other source.
Daemonbane (CN 10): You call forth a blast of Hysh against 1 target within WPB yards. Your casting test is opposed by the target's WP. If you win, you utterly obliterate a target with the Daemonic trait in a flash of blinding light, returning it to to whence it came. If you successfully banish a Daemon this way, anyone looking at your target that does not have the Arcane Magic (Light) talent gets +SLs Blinded conditions.
Healing Light (CN 9): You heal 1 target within WPB yards of IntB+WPB Wounds. They glow with a bright, cleansing light, equivalent to a campfire, and if they pass an Endurance test at -20, they lose 1 Corruption Point that they gained within the last half hour.
Net of Amyntok (CN 8): You cast forth a delicate net over the mind of 1 target within IntB yards. They get +1 Stunned condition that cannot be removed for IntB Rounds. To recover from the condition after, they must test Int instead of Endurance. Targets with the Bestial trait are immune.
Pha's Protection (CN 10): You call forth an aura of pure light, extending out in an AOE of WPB yards centered on you for WPB Rounds. Any creature with the Undead or Daemonic traits, with mutations or with more Corruption than their WPB+TB combined cannot enter the AOE. Any already within the AOE gain the Broken condition until they leave. Anyone within the AOE may not gain Corruption Points for the duration.
Speed of Thought (CN 8): You get +20 Int and I for WPB Rounds.

Lore of Shadows spells wield the Grey Wind, Ulgu, are subtle and sly, and they can be merely muttered stealthily rather than having to be obviously chanted. Their spells typically involve shadows and smoke or insubstantiality. Any Lore of Shadows spells that cause Damage ignore any non-magical APs. Ingredients often include anything used to hide, shroud or conceal, such as cosmetics, perfumes, scarfs, glasses, mirrors or wigs. Items involved in professions of wisdom or intrigue are also common, such as diplomatic symbols, symbols of rank and blades, the ultimate expression of power.
Choking Shadows (CN 6): You wrap Ulgu tendrils around the neck of 1 foe within WPB yards. For WPB rounds, assuming they need to breathe, they get +1 Fatigued condition, cannot talk and are subject to suffocation.
Doppelganger (CN 10): You assume the appearance of another humanoid creature with whom you are familiar for IntB minutes. You automatically fool anyone without the Second Sight talent, though they may note that some of your mannerisms are somewhat off. Those with Second Sight must make a Perception test at -10 to notice your disguise, and they still can't see through the spell unless they Dispel it.
Illusion (CN 8): You create an illusory image centered on a point within WP yards that covers an AOE of IB yards, showing any image you choose. It automatically fools anyone without the Second Sight talent, and those with that must make a PErception test at -10 to notice. Even if they do, they can't see through it unless they Dispel it. By default the illusion is static. As an Action during the duration, you may make a Channeling test for -20 to make it move for the Round.
Mindslip (CN 6): You call forth Ulgu in the mind of 1 target within 1 yard, erasing all prior memory of you for WP minutes. Once the spell ends, the target must make a +20 Int test, or the memory loss is permanent until Dispelled.
Mystifying Miasma (CN 6): You call forth a mass of mist and shadow, making an AOE of WPB yards centered on a point within WP yards for WPB Rounds. Anyone within the AOE that doesn't have the ARcane Magic (Shadows) talent gets +1 Blinded, Deafened and Fatigued conditions, which last for the duration. Anyone affected that attempts to move must make a Perception test or become Prone. If the spell is Dispelled, anyone affected must make an Initiative test at +40 ot gain +1 Stunned condition.
Shadowsteed (CN 6): You all forth a shadowy steed within WPB yards of you. Its unnatural flesh is black as midnight and it appears at times to be both solid and insubstantial. It uses the stats of a riding horse and lasts until the next sunrise. When out of sunlight, the steed gains the Dark Vision. Ethereal, Magical, Painless, Stealthy, Stride, Fear 1 and Ward (9+) creature traits. It can be ridden even while insubstantial, and any rider with Arcane Magic (Shadow) gets +20 to related Ride tests. Any rider without gets -20 to related Ride tests. Shadowsteeds never tire and need no rest, but at the first rays of dawn they melt away into mist. Anyone still riding them when the spell ends or when it is Dispelled suffers falling damage.
Shadowstep (CN 8): You create a shadowy portal of Ulgu, disappearing and reappearing at any other point within wP yards. Any enemies Engaged by you when you vanish or reappear gain the Surprised condition.
Shroud of Invisibility (CN 8): You wrap 1 target you touch in Ulgu. For WPB rounds, they are invisible and imperceptible to all mundane vision, automatically fooling anyone without Second Sight. Those with the Second Sight talent must make a Perception test to notice someone is nearby, and even then they can't get a precise location unless they Dispel this. However, the target remains perceptible to other senses, and the spell automatically ends if they draw attention to themself, such as by making loud noises or attacking someone.

Next time: Witchcraft

I Got Better

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

WFRP 4e - I Got Better

Lore of Hedgecraft is seen by its users as a gift from the gods, and they name themselves the Blessed Few. Due to their ancient traditions and ingrained beliefs, their spells cannot becase without ingredients, period. However, they do get the effects of using their ingredients...and more important, their ingredients are much, much easier to get than Color Magic ingredients. They are typically herbas and plants, easily found on the fringes of settlements. You can find them with a foraging test using Lore (Herbalism), or you can buy them for 5p apiece. Ingredients are easily sourced, then prepared to exacting standards - stuff like the wings of a dragonfly killed with a silver pin, the rods of a poplar polished with beeswax on a specific day, or bones buried under a hedgerow for a month in winter. (Remember: Arcane spells can be taken as Lore of Hedgecraft spells, so these aren't all they have.)
Goodwill (CN 0): You create an AOE of FelB yards, centered on you, which encourages friendliness and good cher for WPB Rounds. All Fellowship tests made within the AOE get +10, and Animosity and Hatred Psychologies have no effect in the AOE.
Mirkride (CN 0): You project your spirit from your form, into the Hedge, the space between material and spirit worlds, for WPB minutes. For the duration, you stand apart from the world, able to witness it invisibly but unable to affect it in any way. You can move through any physical impediments and can walk through non-magical obstacles at will. Your body remains in place, immobile and insensate, for the duration. At the end of the spell, you are yanked back into it automatically. If your body is killed while you're gone, however, your spirit is trapped in the Hedge to wander eternally.
Nepenthe (CN 0): You speak words of power over a premade potion of herbs, transforming it with a touch. If drunk within WPB Rounds, the drinker may choose to completely forget a single individual permanently.
Nostrum (CN 0): You speak words of power over a premade potion of herbs, transforming it with a touch. If drunk within WPB Rounds, the drinker heals WPB Wounds and is cured of one disease, plus one more disease per +2 SLs. This is probably the easiest multi-wound healing in the game, but the cost is Witch Hunters.
Part the Branches (CN 0): For WP minutes, your pupils dilate and you are able to see into the Spirit world, perceiving invisible beings, spirits and Daemons, even if they are noted as impossible to see.
Protective Charm (CN 0): You imbue a charm with a spell of protection with a touch. For WPB days, anyone bearing the charm gains the Magic Resistance Talent. IF they already have it, the charm does nothing.

Lore of Witchcraft spells grab whatever winds happen to be around, making it pretty pure Dhar magic. Each time a spell of the Lore of Witchcraft rolls on the Miscast tabkesm the caster gets 1 Corruption Point on top of normal results. You may inflict 1 Bleeding Condition on anyone targeted by a Lore of Witchcraft spell. Lastly, unless you use an ingredient, you always have to roll on the Minor Miscast table when casting or channeling Lore of Witchcraft spells, and ingredients provide no benefit if you roll a normal Miscast. Fortunately, ingredients of the Lore of Witchcraft are extremely cheap - they cost (Spell's CN)p, not shillings, and can be found with a foraging roll using Outdoor Survival. Ingredients are usually a disgusting mix of animal body parts harvested from living animals, herbs and gross leavings. Lizard eyes, dog toes and donkey gizzard are common, among others.
Blight (CN 14): You target one well, field or domestic animal within WPB yards. A blighted well becomes brackish and stagnant. A blighted field's crops rot overnight. A blighted animal sickens, produces nothing of value and will die in (10-SLs) days.
Creeping Menace (CN 6): You summon a swarm of slithering, creeping creatures to harass one target within WP yards for WPB Rounds. All targets affected are immediately engaged by a swarm of Giant Rats, Giant Spiders or Snakes, using the standard profiles for such creat ures but with the Swarm trait. On your action, you may make a Charm Animal test to direct one or more swarms to attack a different target. When the spell ends, any remaining swarms disappear into shadow.
Curse of Crippling Pain (CN 10): You stab a crude representation (a doll or puppet), targeting 1 person within WP yards. Choose a hit location to curse with pain for WPB Rounds. If leg, the leg is treated as if Amputated, and if the target was running, they become Prone and take falling damage. If arm, the arm is treated as if Amputated, and anything held in that hand is dropped. If body, the target gains +1 Fatigued condition from agony and must make an Endurance test at -20 or become Prone. If Head, the target gains +1 Stunned condition and must make an Endurance test at +20 or become Unconscious for the duration. While the spell is active, you may make a Channeling test as an Action to restab the doll and select a different location.
Curse of Ill Fortune (CN 8): The ingredient for this spell must be something belonging to the target or from their body. You target 1 person within WPB miles. For WPB days, the target suffers bad luck in the form of all kinds of minor narrative inconvenience and -10 to all tests after all other modifiers, and they cannot spend Fortune points.
Haunting Horror (CN 8): You touch a single location, such as a house or clearing, causing all within the cursed location to suffer haunting dreams and waking nightmares for WP days. Those who enter the area during the duration are unnerved by eerie sensations, flitting shadows and whispered voices on the edge of hearing. Unless they have the Arcane Magic (Witchcraft) talent, they get +1 Fatigued condition, and must make a Cool test or gain another +1 Fatigued and +1 Broken condition, both of which are only removed by leaving the location.
The Evil Eye (CN 6): You lock eyes with a single target that must be looking at you, within WP yards. You make an opposed Intimidate test against their Cool, adding any SLs from your casting roll to the result. The target gets +1 Fatigued condition per +2 SLs by which you win. If you win by 6+ SLs, they also gain +1 Broken condition.

Lore of Daemonology is a Dark Magic lore, and therefore any caster can grab it on top of their normal Arcane Magic lore. It is focused on summoning, binding and controlling Daemons, and is extremely dangerous to the soul, putting it at dark risk of the Ruinous Powers and their influence. And yeah, it's Dhar.
Destroy Lesser Daemon (CN 6): You target one Daemon within WP rounds, tearing at the Dhar that holds their form together and drawing it back into yourself. A target with the Daemonic trait and lower WP than you suffers WPB Wounds, ignoring TB and APs, and you increase one stat of your choice by +10 for WPB Rounds.
Detect Daemon (CN 4): You automatically know if there is a manifested Daemon within WP yards, whether it's summoned, bound in an artifact, possessing someone or otherwise.
Manifest Lesser Daemon (CN 8): You channel a flow of Dhar, briefly tearing a hole in the flow of reality. A Lesser Daemon immedilatey manifests for WPB Rounds, within WPB yards of you. You perform a Channel (Dhar) test against its WP, and if you win, it will obey one command you issue (which it takes as literally as possible), then vanish. (If the Duration ends before it completes the command, it vanishes anyway.) If you fail, it attacks you. Lesser Daemons have two examples in the back of the book - a Bloodletter and a Daemonette.
Octagram (CN 10): You create an octagram on the floor, marked with unholy symbols, no more than WPB yards across. For wP minutes, anything with the Daemonic trait cannot enter or leave the octagram uniless their WP is more than twice yours.

Lore of Necromancy is a Dark Magic lore as well. It is focused on mastering death and immortality.
Raise Dead (CN 8): You channel a flow of Dhar into the earth within wP yards. SL+1 Skeletons claw forth from area of WPB yards around the target point at the end of the Round, organized as you prefer within the AOE. They start Prone. They are entirely under your control and can perform simple commands. At sunrise, if you die or if you become Unconscious, the spell ends and the summoned Skeletons collapse. For every +2 SLs, you may summon another SL Skeletons.
Reanimate (CN 8): You target a number of dead bodies within an AOE of WPB yards around a point within wP yards. You raise WPB+SL bodies as Zombies or Skeletons (depending on how intact they are). They start Prone, and are entirely under your control, able to obey simple commands. At sunrise, if you die or if you become Unconscious, the spell ends and the corpses fall dead once more. For every +2 SLs, you may raise an extra WPB+SL Skeletons or Zombies. (The reason to do Raise Dead over this is that you need bodies on hand for this.)
Screaming Skull (CN 8): You shriek high-pitched words, calling forth a large black skull covered in green-purple flame, which flies fowards for WP yards, screaming and cackling. It moves in a straight line, following the counters of the land and passing through any obstacles in its way. It is a Damgae +WPB magic missile affected only targets without the Undead trait. Anyone who takes Wounds from it must make a Cool test or get +1 Broken condition.
Vanhel's Call (CN 6): You call forth a complex flow of Dhar into up to IntB Undead targets within WP yards. Each Undead target gains your choice of a free Move or Action, though all must receive the same thing, the moment the spell is cast. For every +2 SLs, you may target an extra IntB Undead.

Chaos Magic has three Lores - Khorne does not like magic and offers no Lore of his own. The core book only provides one spell for each of the three primary Chaos Lores, to add flavor to Chaos Cultists on top of Arcane Spells and Lore of Daemonology.
Lore of Nurgle spreads disease and filth by mixing the excesses of the Jade Wind with corruption.
Stream of Corruption (CN 9): Your mouth distends horribly and you vomit forth a stream of filth. Make a Breaht attack as if you had spent 2 Advantage to activate the Breath trait. It is a Damage +TB magic missile that ignores APs and has the Corruption and Poison traits of Breath. If any target takes more than their TB in Wounds, they must make an Endurance test or contract Blood Rot. For every +2 SLs, you may increase Damage by +2.
Lore of Slaanesh brings torture and excess, mixing Amethyst, Gold and Jade Winds into a perverse and twisted whole.
Acquiescence (CN 5): You target one person within WP yards. For WPB Rounds, they are dropped to 10 I if that is higher than their current I, as their mind turns inwards. For the duration, on their Turn, their movement is randomized by the GM as they bemoan life and lewdly tell all what should have been. They can only perform an Action if they make a Cool test; if they fail, they are too busy bemoaned what might have been.
Lore of Tzeentch focuses on bringing change and can be quite powerful due to Tzeentch's master of Magic, Treachery and Lies. It draws heavily on Grey, Amethyst and Bright Winds.
Treason of Tzeentch (CN 6): You target one person within WP yards, channeling treachery into their mind. For WPB Rounds, they can no longer use Talents or Skills when making skill tests, rolling only against unmodified stats.

Next time: The GM Section

GM Advice: Actually Present

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

WFRP 4e - GM Advice: Actually Present

This chapter explains that the biggest, most important thing that the GM does is make sure everyone, including the GM, is having fun. Make sure everyone gets autonomy and spotlight time, tell a fun story, move things along if people are getting bored. Describe the world, and understand both the rules and how to change what you do and don't need based on your group's style. Make sure you know about what's going on in your world and adventures, and encourage everyone else to play well by giving them chances to participate. Remind players that rules discussions are outside the game itself, and that having fun with the game is more important.

The chapter provides some advice from Cubicle 7:

• Get to know this book well.
  
• Give the players what they want from the game without ruining your own plans.
  
• Make sure new groups of characters have reasons to be adventuring together.
  
• Consider how to handle or bypass content a player might not find to their taste.
  
• Bookmark sections you'll be referring to often, like the magic chapter if a wizard is in the group.
  
• Be aware of plot devices and how to use them to good effect.
  
• Ensure the challenges you set your players are achievable and that any enemies that need to be defeated can be.
  
• Intersperse some light relief into horror-heavy games.
  
• Decide which parts of the adventure should be easy and quickly resolved, and which should be most dramatic and challenging.
  
• What parts of the adventure need to be successful to make the story satisfying, and how will you ensure this happens without making players feel too railroaded?
  
• When it comes to the results of tests, be firm but fair.
  
• Be ready to make a big deal of players using or gaining Fate or Resilience points.
  
• Make a list of descriptive phrases appropriate to an adventure, to help handle improvised scenes.
  
• If in doubt, err on the side of fun.
  
• Give characters challenges that require improvisation or creative thinking.
  
• You can't detail everyone, but a single feature like an accent, tic or catchphrase can help make them memorable.

It also gives a list of simple rules reminders, and a note that if PCs refuse to defend themselves for fear of rolling fumbles, you should treat them as Helpless, because that's dumb. (I'd say you should just go 'that's dumb, Frank, roll your dang defense.')

We then get a section on travel, and the dangers of travel. Reikland's roads are generally crude but reliable, with routes between major cities being patrolled and well-maintained. Far-flung roads, however, may be little more than a muddy track, and most roads have tolls to pay for maintenance. There is an extensive coach network in Reikland, and the busiest routes iwll have several coaches per day. The Coaching Houses are fiercely competiative, so the prices are generally reasonable and the coaches generally reliabile - around 2p/mile inside the coach, or half that for an outside seat on the roof or at the front. Roadside inns are usually placed for the convenience of the Coaching Houses, and so foot journeys run the risk of not reaching an inn before nightfall, especially off major routes. River travel is usually straightforward, even relaxing, if you can find a boat heading where you want to go. Dedicated passenger barges travel only between the major towns and cities, but a good bribe can get them to drop you off along the way. Getting to a more obscure location usually means hitching a ride on a cargo ship, which isn't easy if you have too many people.

Prices listed for travel don't includ meals, lodgings or animal care, though coaches and passenger boats will typically include those as package deals for longer trips. Cargo barge costs are generally individually haggled with the bargemaster, and you may even be able to travel free if you're willing to work and actually know what you're doing. High-class travel exists and is expected by nobles, and may cost many, many times more - often ten times more at the least. Opulent passenger vessels move between the great cities, most famously the Emperor Luitpold, a riverboat on the Talabec that moves between Altdorf and Talabheim.

Movement speed is in (lowest Movement among the party) mph on foot, and a party can be assumed to travel six hourz a day without Endurance tests, factoring in rest stps, bathroom breaks and normal topography. To go further or faster, you must take a Fatigued condition if you fail the Endurance test, with more conditions if Encumbered. It is good, we are told, to throw in a few events on any given travel, to show off different aspects of the Old World and give a change of pace. An intrigue-focused game might benefit from a clearly defined good vs evil fight in a Beastman attack, or a bleak session might be improved by meeting a traveling circus. Burned-out caravans from the circus later on might be a good way to make an antagonist's actions suddenly personal, and travel events can be excellent foreshadowing. You can come up with your own, and either decide they happen when you say so, or some GMs roll a d10 each day and have an event happen if they roll an 8 (for the 8-point mark of Chaos). Others like one event per journey of a day or more. Printed adventures will have suggested events and travel times, and they give a 1d10 random events table here that assumes one event per journey, with stuff like 'nothing much happens' or 'you meet some interesting people or a neat location' or 'you find something usefully relevant to the adventure,' or 'suddenly, thieves'.

There's a table that suggests how much XP to award during sessions, depending on how well the party did during the session, if they got in the spirit of things, and if it's the end of an adventure or major arc. Fate and Resilience wards are, we are told, meant to be rare and special. You might earn one Fate point at the end of a long adventure or campaign of great importance, while a character achieving a major personal milestone could get Resilience. Printed adventures will have spots marked for Fate awards and, more rarely, REsilience ones. (Rarely because those are more personal.)

Next time: The Reikland

Welcome To Not Germany

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

WFRP 4e - Welcome To Not Germany

The Reikland sits in the shadows of the southern Grey Mountains, the lowlands almost entirely forested but for the cleared regions around the many prosperous towns and villages of the province. While it has no coastline, the River Reik, the largest in all the Old World, forms most of the twisting eastern and othern provincial boarder, and is so wide and deep that an entire navy and merchant marine is dedicated to it. Most of the land near the Reik is waterlogged and marshy, with long stretches of bog and swamp, the largest of which is the Grootscher Marsh that forms the border with the Wasteland in the west. Inland, the land heads into the Skaag Hills and the Hagercrybs, two forested and very hilly regions full of isolated areas largely untouched by Humanity. The forests eventually give way in the south to the Grey Mountains that form the natural border with Bretonnia and open up to the central foothills and grassland of the Vorgbergland.

Reikland is a rugged province, its forests broken by crags, peaks and rocky ridges, many of them topped by ruins of castle or watchtower from prior eras when war was more prevalent. Above them are the minor mountains of the haunted Hagercrybs and the Skaag Hills in central and northern Reikland, whose heavily fortified mines produce much of the province's wealth in recent years. In the south, the trees thin out to plains and foothills in fertile Vorgbergland, between the Reikwald forest and the Grey Mountains, which offer wealth and danger equally. The Grey Mountains are immense, forbidding peaks full of ancient tunnels and broken skybridges, dating back to the period when Dwarfs ruled the area. That time is long past, and only a handful of clans remain to deend their ancestral holds, having recently reclaimed Karak Azgaraz as one of the two largest dwarfholds of the region, the other being high Karak Ziflin. The tunnels and mountains are overrun by Orcs, Goblins, Trolls, Skaven and worse. While this means that they are very dangerous, many say the fallen holds are home to treasures long lost, and so the greedy and desperate are drawn in like moths to flame. Few survive.

Along the edge of the mountains, southern Reikland has many mines seeking the vast mineral wealth of the range. These are protected by watchtowers and fortresses against attack from the mountains, each surrounded by rubble from older, failed fortifications.The spine of the Grey Mountains reaches so high that it is all but impassable, an impenetrable wall between the Reikland and the duchies of Bretonnia in the southeast. There are but two reliable passes - the Axe-Bite pass, well-guarded by the fortress Helmgart and Monfort, and the winding Grey Lady Pass from Ubersreik to Parravon. Both are heavily patrolled and taxed, so some poor merchants and smugglers hire mountain guides to seek out lesser passes like the Crooked Corridor and Durak Way - not a great idea if you can avoid it.

The Hagercrybs are mist-shrouded foothills that run through the center of the province, extending from the Princedom of Altdorf all the way to Ubersreik, and so heavily forested that no road crosses them east to west, requiring long journeys around them. They are largely populated by sheep and shepherds, but the historians say they were once the sacred burial grounds of the Unberogen tribe of Sigmar Himself. Several ancient cairns can be seen rising from clearings in the highlands, some of them marked by huge menhirs. Perhaps due to this, the Hagercrybs have a dark reputation for being haunted, and few will stray in too deepyl in the woods. It is said that those who do find thick fogs rising out of ancient barrows, calling forth with moans of the dead. Locally, this is nervously dismissed as the ravings of drunk shepherds, as the alternative is believing in stories of ancient kings, thirstiny for living blood. The lords of the Hagercrybs ignore such tales and often order mines sunk into the hillsides in search of minerals. Most such mines fail, their miners vanishing without trace, but a handful succeed beyond wildest imagination, bringing much wealth to the region.

The Skaag Hills in the west of the River Bogen run along the southern bank of the Reik until they hit the forests of the Duchy of Gorland. N ear their center, the Reikwald recedes from the crags, and layers of rock rise up to form the Prie Ridge. One road crosses the gentler slopes of the Skaags, headinng from Trosreut and the Castle Grauenberg, making its way through to Holthausen, but with many minor tracks and tarils in the area, most of them starting life as goat tracks. Once, the Skaags were full of small, rich mines of silver and iron. Most have been played out over the centuries, their settlements abandoned and reclaimed by the forests. Locals now approach these ruins with caution, as they are said to be infested by hunters, outlaws and more sinister folk.

Between the forests of the Reikwald and the mountain peaks of the Grey range is the hilly Vorbergland, known for its fertile valleys, grasslands and plains. The productive areas around Bohrn, Ubersreik, Stimmigen and Dunkelberg are known lukely as the Suden Vorbergland, the most heavily cultivated region in the province. It is full of flourishing towns, villages, farms and vineyards, often called Ranald's Garden for the sheer quantities of wine produced and exported. The western areas of the Vorgbergland are plagued by Greenskin attacks from the mountains and are more sparsely populated as a result, serving largely as wild land for animals and monsters from the peaks. The local baronies and duchies are, however, popular vacation spots for game hunters and scouring grounds for the natural historians of the Imperial Zoo seeking out rare creatures for capture, though only the foolhardy come hunting without heavy guard and clever guides.

The mighty peak of Drachenberg soars high over the central Vorbergland, its base wrapped by the river Bogen. The Drachenberg is easily spotted for miles around, and whenever trouble comes, the folk of the town of Wheberg turn their gaze towards it and make the two-tailed sign of Sigmar to ward off eivl, for the mountain has an evil reputation. Its name is, after all, the Dragon Peak, and it has long been a favored lair of the great dragons and other monstrous beasts like the Basilisks, Wyverns and Manticores. The Red Dragon Caledair, the Scythe of Fire, once made her lair in caves near the mountain peak, hunting across the Vorbergland for countless generations. She has not been seen in over a century, but none can say surely if she is really gone or if she merely sleeps. The mountain is treacherous, with steep sides that prevent climbing and no easy routes to the summit. While trees clog its foothills, they are rare on the high slopes and the topsoil is loose, sending many climbers to their deaths. Despite this, the brave and stupid still make the climb, seeking out the treasures that may have been left by ancient dragons.

The Reikwald forest covers almost all of the non-Vorbergland parts of Reikland, thinning out only around the Skaags or where the towns and villages have cleared regions along the Reik and its tributaries. Most travellers prefer the relative safety of the river to the more uncertain roads, and the Reikwald is a favored lair of outcasts, cutthroats and the lawless. While all of the major routes are patrolled by the road wardens, their numbers are too few to cover the long roads entirely, and it is not uncommong for coaches to be attacked and robbed. Most of the open clearings or ruins have been used by outlaws or Beastman herds as lairs, and forays to clear out these regions by the Reikland State Army are not rare. In most areas, the Reikwald is not so overgrown as to block out sunlight, but its depths are often gloomy and foggy, especially on the marshier stretches of the Reik. Scholars say that before the Empire was born, the Unberogen tribe of Humans ranged the forest alongside older tribes whose names are lost. Rings of carved standing stones, called oghams, are still found from this era, mostly overgrown and impossible to spot without a guide. Isolated communities that still follow ancient, pre-Sigmar ways are said to hold these sites as sacred. College wizards believe that terrible battles were once fought over these ancient sites, and it is not uncommon for richer magisters to fund expeditions into the depths of the Reikwald seeking the secrets of the mystic stones.

South of Altdorf is a stand of pine that frows from the southern face of the Amber Hills and spills into the Reikwald. This is known as bloodpine for its deep maroon color, and bloodpine lumber from the so-called Bloodpine Woods is gfreatly desired by the craftsmen and artisands of Altdorf, used to make exquisitely carved furniture for the wealthy markets of Marienburg and Nuln. Recently, bloodpine has been hard to get, as the Woods are plagued by the Spiderclaw tribe of Forest Goblins, who have managed to tame some Giant Spiders. Few now work the wood for fear of being taken by the goblins or vanishing in the mists. This has driven the price of bloodpine through the roof, which has pissed off many buyers, some of whom have taken to hiring mercenaries to clear out the Goblins in the belief that this will be cheaper than to pay so much more for a filing cabinet.

The far southeast of Reikland, near the Stirland border, sees the Reikwald thin out as it approaches Nuln upriver. This area is locally referred to as the Grissenwald, a woodland of distorted trees and twisted undergrowth, said to be swarming with Beastmen, Witches and feral mutant tribes. Because of this, local woodsmen travel only in groups and refuse to stay outdoors after nightfall. It is common to find reward offerings posted on roadside trees, offering cash for retrieval of missing family and friends in the deep woods.

Next time: The Rivers

Life On The Water

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

WFRP 4e - Life On The Water

The Reikland's mercantile ambitions have led the nobles and merchant houses to invest heavily in their rivers, of which there are many, and extensive canals have been planned and built by Altdorf's best engineers. These have had a huge impact, moving goods faster than they ever have before, but they also need costly maintenance and protection. To ensure that wreckers and pirates have minimal impact, the road wardens, guards and riverwardens are employed as needed, but they're often little better than the actual criminals. The Reik carries more traffic than all of the other rivers - indeed, more than all other rivers in the Old World combined. It drains not only through the Reikland, but most of the Empire and beyond. By the time it hits Reikland, it's so wide that it often seems more lake than river, so it's impossible to bridge using normal engineering. As it approaches Altdorf to meet the Talabec, both rivers split into a vast and complex channel network that spreads outwards to form the Altdorf Flats. Many of the the thinner tributaries here are bridgeable, so that Altdorf becomes a natural trade centre as the only place the Reik can be crossed on foot for hundreds of miles. This is the single thing that has always ensured Altdorf's total military and financial dominance of the region. Beyond the Flats, the boggy rivers reconverge and the Reik heads west to the sea. By then, it is so wide that the opposite bank is sometimes invisible in the mists, and so deep that even the largest sea vessel can navigate it safely. Warships of the Imperial Navy, some large enough that their crew outnumbers the population of smaller towns, are often built along the river out of Reiksport, a deep-water harbor on Altdorf's shores. Rocky islands are common in this final stretch, most secured by ancient fortresses, ruled by river pirates or entirely abandoned save for old smugglers' coves.

The people of Bogenhafen say that their patron god, Bogenauer, is responsible for the financially blessed state of the River Bogen. It is a placid river by Reikland standards, clear and smooth, not too fast, and easily allowed traffic upriver as well as down. Its depth allows for larger river vessels from the Reik to travel safely all the way to Bogenhafen, and while its source is deep in the chilly Grey Mountains, it turns warm as it flows through Vorbergland, causing heavy mist on its banks. Most evenings are foggy along the Bogen, often thick enough to block vision, and so thieves and smugglers often make use of it.

Grunberg Canal is a recent addition to the Reikland's waters, commissioned by Emperor Luitpold III as part of his dowry to the Baron of Grunberg. It was finished in 2506 and has been used heavily ever since. It bypasses the treacherous Reiker Marshes by Castle Reikguard, and so now it brings much of the River Teufel's barges into Altdorf. The canal walls protect the tollhouse at its southern end, and any barge passing through must pay a tax based on its length. Lines are common at dawn and dusk, but otherwise it is only infrequently used. At the north end is the lock-keeper's house, on the outskirts of Prieze, which doubles as a barracks and stables for the twelve road wardens that patrol the canal road and help barges. Typically their 'help' is in the form of impromptu protection taxes, which if not paid leave the barge open to an attack by bandits. Which, naturally, always happens.

The River Teufel flows down from the mountains into Ubersreik, then north to the Reik via Auerswald and Grunberg. Its waters have a distinct red hue due to iron deposits in the mud and the silt, though storytellers say it is due to the endless wars between the mountain Dwarfs and the Goblins staining the river with blood. A great deal of rain feeds the river and makes it overflow regularly, especially in spring. Inns are usually built high to avoid the floodwaters and are quite common along the Teufel, along with bandits - not a surprise, since most of the river is in the Reikwald. Road wardens patrol the banks regularly and are not fond of loiterers.

The Vorgbergland Canals are an engineering marvel, built on the funds of the former Archduke of Upper Teufel and the merchant houses of Nuln and Marienburg. They are the pride of southern Reikland, bringing trade from Wissenland and back. There are five canals connecting five major Reik tributaries, and the system links Nuln to Carroburg, allowing the merchants to skip Altdorf and its high taxes entirely. The Dwarfs of Karak Azgaraz have recently sent delegations to the Suden Vorgbergland demanding the canals be closed due to old treaties being broken by "unacceptably large display of shoddy workmanship." This has caused a massive uproar in the Imperial School of Engineers, who see the steam locks and water pumps as a new height in Human engineering.

Weissbruck Canal links the Bogen and the Reik, bypassing Carroburg and therefore Middenland taxes. It sees constant traffic due to Altdorf trade, and requires only one toll, paid upon entry at either end. The canal is 25 feet wide and has frequent berthing points and inns along its length. The locals don't discuss it often with strangers, but there are many unusual stories about the canal. Supposedly, the Dwarfs that designed it found pre-Unberogen artifacts when they dug the canal, and things haven't been right ever since. Some say that if the smaller of the two moons, Morrsleib, is full, then you can take the canal north and end up somewhere that isn't the Reik. No one is sure where, and few generally test it.

While northern Middenland has more famous marshes, like the Furdienst, Midden Marshes and Shadensumpf, Reikland's rivers leave the land no drier and no less full of fens and mires. The largest of these is Grootscher Marsh, spreading on both banks of the Reik. It extends fifty miles into both Reikland and Middenland from the Wasteland border and is usually seen as cursed, due being the site of one of the Empire's most famous defeats in the last century - the Battle of Grootscher Marsh, in which the Wasteland secured independence from the Empire. Nowadays, it's mostly a foul-smelled wetland full of noisy birds and River Trolls. In the lean years, when they cannot find sufficient meat, the Trolls grow hunger and, according to rumor, slip into the Reik to kidnap people. Being sent to clear out the Grootscher is one of the worst punishment details the Reikland army has, and even the best soldiers hesitate to enter. Travelers occasionaly mention the sound of strange, ominous horns in the fogs of the marsh, and the locals note that Trolls don't use horns. Then they quickly change the subject. The area has also recently been discovered to contain three rare species of Wastelander fungus, once thought only to grow in Cursed Marsh near Marienburg. Daemon's Tand, Rood Puffball and Dodeshors Polypore have all been sighted in Grootschers Marsh, and the merchant Klaes Adaans of Oberseert has begun hiring brave souls to go pick mushrooms, which has attracted not only River Trolls looking for food but Goblins trying to capture the Trolls. Klaes doesn't especially care and never tells his hired hands about it - all he wants is the valuable fungus.

The Altdorf Flats form between the Reik and Talabec as they split around Altdorf, wide wetlands full of rushes and reeds, notorious for the River Troll infestations of its bogs. They lie twenty miles west of Altdorf. They are crassed by six main roads, each wth several stone bridges, some of which are Dwarf-made and date back to Sigmar's age. The roads are always busy with coaches and merchant caravans, so they're heavily patroled by the road wardens. The waterways are also known to be home to many smugglers, so the riverwardens are also frequently spotted in the marshes, driving back criminals and monsters.

Reiker Marshes lies between Reiker Heights and the Hohesesienen Hills between the Reik and the Teufel. They are notoriously treacherous, and inexperienced ship pilots often run aground in the shallow waters. While tattered flags and rotting signs mark the worst areas, they're nowhere near sufficient, and local huffers are constantly in need to guide boats through for a reasonable price. Most work out of the towns of Prieze and Babenborn on the Reik, and a few in Buxhead on the Teufel. The waters are most dangerous in the five mile stretch where the rivers meet, known as Leopold's Folly after an emperor that repeatedly tried and failed to dredge the area and make it safe for larger ships. Wise captains avoid the area entirely and pay tolls to pass through Grunberg Canal.

Uhland Bogs is a wide peatland in the south of the County of the West March, pierced by the river Westerfluss, which forms the natural border between the Wasteland and Reikland. Huge peat towers cut from the bog are found in the villages nearby, dried and used to fuel local fires in winter or sold downriver. In the southwest are a number of ancient carved stones in the bog, which draw Rhya's cultists and those of older deities to worship during the equinoxes. One group of stones, called the Crowstones, has a foul reputation, and the bog near them is permanently black. Locals warn never to go near those stones on the festivals of Geheimistag of Hexenstag, for the say crows gather in impossibly huge numbers, while unspeakable monsters arise from the bog to terrorize the living.

Next time: Reikland Timeline

History of the Reikland

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

WFRP 4e - History of the Reikland

This is our timeline! It's a timeline solely of the province of the Reikland, but by default that also makes it a timeline of a lot of the Empire.
C. -500 IC: The Unberogen tribe settles the area later to become Altdorf and begins to fortify. The area will be sacked multiple times by Beastmen Orcs, Goblins and so on. However, the site is strategically important as the confluence of the Reik and Talabec Rivers, and conquest and trade both bring prosperity. Soon, the fortified town becomes known as Reichsdorf, "the rich village." Over time, this will become Reikdorf, with the area around called Reikland.
-30: A twin-tailed comet streaks through the sky, heralding the birth of Sigmar, son of Chief Bjorn of the Unberogen tribe in Reikdorf. A crazed warband of Orcs follows it to Sigmar's birthplace, and his mother, Griselda, dies in the attack. Sigmar is left with a life-long hatred of the Greenskins.
-15: A merchant caravan from Karaz-a-Karak is ambushed by Orcs, who take King Kurgan Ironbeard prisoner. Sigmar rescues the king and is named dawonger, Dwarf-friend. He is given the king's greatest heirloom, the warhammer Ghal-Maraz.
-8: Chief Bjorn dies. Sigmar becomes chief of the Unberogen.
-7: Sigmar realizes that the threat of the Greenskins is too much to fight for his tribe alone. He begins a campaign to bring all nearby Humans under his rule.
-2: Sigmar binds twelve Human tribes under his rule after years of war, allying with several more.
-1: The First Battle of Black Pass occurs. The largest Greenskin horde ever seen in the world is defeated by an alliance of Dwarfs and Humans led by High Chief Sigmar and King Kurgan, ending the centuries of Goblin Wars.
0 IC: Sigmar is crowned emperor of the twelve tribes. The Empire is born. The Dwarf Runesmith Alaric the Mad is hired to produce twelve runeswords, one for each chief, as symbol of office and thanks for their sacrifices.
1: The First War Against Chaos occurs. The Empire comes under attack by Morkar the Uniter, Everchosen of Chaos. The war is short but desperate. Morkar is slain by Sigmar in a day-long battle that, legend says, split the earth and rent the sky.
c. 2: Sigmar titles the 12 chiefs his 'counts,' which modern scholars believe derives from the Classical word comes, 'companions,' for they were his battle-companions against the Greenskins and the Chaos tribes.
c. 7: Sigmar kills the Necromancer Morath and seizes the Crown of Sorcery. He recognizes its evil power and locks it away beneath Reikdorf.
11: The Battle of Drakenmoor occurs. The Great Enchanter Constant Drachenfels leads a Greenskin army against the capital, suffering his first defeat in his entire life. This loss will haunt him long after his reformation in several centuries.
15: The Battle of the River Reik occurs. Nagash, Lord of Undeath, leads an Undead horde in an attempt to claim the Crown of Sorcery. The Undead nearly overwhelm the Reiklander army and their Dwarf allies, but Sigmar eventually destroys Nagash, causing the Undead army to disintegrate.
50: Sigmar vanishes. To avoid the destruction of the Empire, the chiefs eventually agree to elect one of their own number as Emperor, selecting Siegrich of the Asoborn tribe. Thus, they become the Elector Counts, each swearing to be companion and protector of the Emperor.
51: Emperor Siegrich I dies in a hunting accident. After one month of chaos, Prince Hedrich of the Unberogens becomes Emperor Hedrich I, returning the seat of Empire to Reikdorf.
69: Johann Helstrum arrives in Reikdorf, claiming to have holy visions involving Sigmar. He preaches that he witnessed Sigmar's Ascension. The Unberogens believe him, as they loved Sigmar so much.
73: Johann Helstrum builds the first Temple of Sigmar. He becomes the first Grand Theogonist as well as the first man to recognize the divinity of Sigmar.
c. 100: Emperor Hedrich I recevies the twelve runeblades made by Alaric the Mad, commissioned a century earlier. Each of these Runefangs is a unique weapon of great power, and they are passed out among the tribal chiefs. In time, they become the symbols of the Elector Counts.
246: The High Temple of Sigmar is completed in Reikdorf, serving as the center for the burgeoning Cult of Sigmar. This leads to open conflict with the cults of Ulric and Taal.
990: Emperor Ludwig I, the Fat, grants the Grand Theogonist a vote to select the next Emperor. Some Elector Counts and cults object to this blatant favoritism, but Ludwig is more interested in the banquets prepared for him by the Sigmarites in Reikdorf.
1000: As celebration of the thousand year anniversary of Sigmar's crowning, a new High Temple is completed in Reikdorf. It is the largest temple built in the entire Empire so far, cementing the cult's power as chief faith of the Reikland. Emperor Ludwig I renames the city Altdorf as a demonstration of the capital's age and importance.
1053-1115: The reign of Boris Goldgather. Emperor Boris I proves to be both unpopular and ridiculously corrupt, with his rule remembered for extremely high taxes, weak leadership and complete neglect of the military.
1106-1110: Beastmen and other vile monsters emerge from the Drakenwald forest, sacking towns and forts across Drakwald Province. When the final heir of the Drakwald throne is slain in battle with a Bestigor of immense size, Emperor Boris I places the Drakwald Runefang in his palace at Altdorf. Publically, he claims he will pass on the Runefang when a suitable heir is found. Privately, he has no such plans.
1111-1115: The Black Plague sweeps through Reikland, killing 90% of the population and debilitating half of the survivors. Skaven erupt from beneath the Empire to attack. When Boris I dies of plague in 1115, no replacement is prepared.
1115-1124: The Rat Wars. Skaven systematically enslave the Empire's remaining population, effectively wiping out all Human life in Drakwald Province. Elector Count Mandred of Middenland attempts a desperate defense with the aid of Elves from Laurelorn Forest. He succeeds, driving the Skaven below ground once more. The surviving three elector bloodlines elect Mandred Emperor.
1152-1359: The Age of Wars. Emperor Mandred II is assassinated by the Skaven in 1152, and the Elector Counts cannot agree on a successor out of fear of invasion by rivals. The interregnum lasts over two centuries. The Princes of Reikland rule over the province as civil war erupts in the Empire.
1359-1547: The Time of Two Emperors. In an attempt to end the bloodshed, the Electors meet in Altdorf, eventually agreeing on Elector Count Wilhelm of Stirland as Emperor by a majority of one. Elector Countess Ottila of Talabecland becomes outraged and declares herself Empress without a vote, supported by the Cults of Taal and Ulric. She outlaws the Cult of Sigmar in Talabecland, which remains in force for almost 1000 years. The civil wars escalate.
1421: Shipbuilding becomes prominent in the natural harbor of Reiksport in Altdorf. Reikland vessels fill the Reik.
1489: The Prince of Reikland formally commissions a navy due to fears of ships from Talabheim, Carroburg, Nuln and Marienburg. Several low bridges are built across the Reik and Talabec in an attempt to reduce these cities' influence by blocking ships and controlling trade.
1547-1979: The Time of Three Emperors. Sigmarites attempt but botch an assassination after the Electors refuse to back their choice of Emperor. The Elector Count of Middenland denounces the elections as a sham and declares himself Emperor with the support of the Cult of Ulric, which has recently broken away from the Talabecland Emperor. There are now three seated Emperors - the Electoral Emperor supported by the Cult of Sigmar, the Ottilian Emperor supported by the Cult of Taal and the Wolf Emperor supported by the Cult of Ulric. The civil wars intensify again.
C. 1450-1550: Knights return with great wealth from the crusades in Araby, founding new orders and chapterhouses across the Reikland. They also fund the first Altdorf temple of Myrmidia, sponsored by the newly made Knights of the Blazing Sun.
1681: The Night of the Restless Dead occurs. The dead stir in the Gardens of Morr, and corpses rise to sow terror. Entire towns are overrun before dawn sends the dead back to their graves.
1707-1712: The WAAAGH! Gorbad and the First Siege of Altdorf occur. Orc Warboss Gorbad Ironclaw takes advantage of the civil wars and invades with a horde of Greenskins, destroying the Grand Province of Solland, sacking Nuln and most of Wissenland and sweeping through Reikland, razing one in three settlements before eventually breaking against Altdorf's walls. Electoral Emperor Sigismund IV is slain.
1940: The Poisoned Feast occurs. The Great Enchanter, Constant Drachenfels, invites the Electoral Emperor Carolus II and his entire imperial court to a feast at Castle Drachenfels. The guests are all poisoned and paralysed, then starved to death, a banquet set before them. Several important noble lines are wiped out, Reikland is destabilized and the Electoral Emperors are placed under threat.
1979-2303: The Dark Ages. Countess Magritta of Westerland is elected Empress, but the Cult of Sigmar refuses to crown her - or any Elector Count. The Electoral Emperors have no voted emperor. The electoral system collapses entirely, and most provinces are left to deal with only themselves. Petty warlords invent and claim titles on a whim.
2010-2146: The Vampire Wars. The Empire has collapsed into thousands of factions, and the Vampire Lords of Sylvania exploit it. Three major wars result as three different vampire counts attempt to destroy the Empire. Each time, they are driven back by a mixture of unlikely alliance, desperate plans and clever strategies.
2051: The Second Siege of Altdorf occurs. Vampire lord Vlad von Carstein is destroyed, and his wife Isabella commits suicide. Their armies splinter and factionalize, ending the First Vampire Wars.
2100: The Battle of Four Armies is inconclusive, ending in multiple assassination attempts by treacherous former allies in the Empire's forces. It is decided that an emperor must be elected. Elector Count Helmut is the most popular candidate until he is revealed as a zombie thrall of Konrad von Carstein, the vampire lord the alliance was meant to defeat. All plans for elections are abandoned.
2135: The Third Siege of Altdorf occurs. Vampire lord Mannfred von Carstein launches a surprise winter attack on Altdorf after a summer of civil conflicts. He is driven back after the Grand Theogonist uses a forbidden spell to break his necromancy.
2203: A rift into the Realms of Chaos opens at Castle Drachenfels, annihilating almost every living soul between Bogenhafen and Ubersreik. After a week, it closes as mysteriously as it opened.
2302-2304: The Great War Against Chaos. Asavar Kul, Everchosen of Chaos, leads a massive horde to Kislev, laying waste to everything in his path. Magnus von Bildhofen, a young noble of Nuln, claims inspiration from Sigmar and rallies the fractured Empire into an army to relieve the Kislevites. He defeats Asavar Kul at the Gates of Kislev, alongside Kislevite, Dwarf and Elven forces.
2304-2369: The reign of Emperor Magnus the Pious. Magnus von Bildhofen is elected Emperor Magnus I, the first truly elected emperor representing all Grand Provinces in nearly a thousand years. He initiates massive reforms to end corruption, creating laws to limit the powers of the nobles, cults, guilds and more. He founds several new institutions, including the formal creation of the Empire State Armies, the Imperial Navy and the Colleges of Magic in Altdorf, legalizing magic for the first time ever in the Empire.
2308-2310: The Third Parravon War. The Bretonnians of the Duchy of Parravon invade the Reikland via the Grey Lady Pass, claiming that military escalation in Ubersreik due to the new State Army breaks an ancient treaty. They are driven back and Parravon is quickly besieged within a year. Eventually, after a year of skirmishes and a lot of shouting, the King of Bretonnia offers a treaty to Emperor Magnus I, ending the war.
2402-2405: The Fourth Parravon War. The Bretonnians of Parravon invade again. Ubersreik is sieged twice but does not fall. Emperor Dieter IV brokers peace by offering a vast sum of money to the Parravonese to retreat, drawing much criticism.
2415: The Night of a Thousand Arcane Duels occurs. The Eight Colleges go to war with each other, razing much of Altdorf and killing six of eight Patriarchs. The Cult of Sigmar pressures the Prince of Altdorf and Emperor Dieter IV to lock the Colleges down; they do, executing many mages. Legal magic use is ended, and many survivors flee the Colleges never to return.
2420-2424: WAAAGH! Grom!. The Goblin Warboss Grom the Paunch leads a horde of Greenskins to assault the Empire, sacking much of Reikland before heading west to the sea, undefeated, and heading out on ships. The lack of mages and suspension of the Colleges is blamed for the repeated military defeats.
2429: Westerland purchases its independence from the Empire via a bribe to Emperor Dieter IV, reforming itself as the Wasteland, with Marienburg as its capital. The Elector Counts invoke anti-corruption laws set in place by Emperor Magnus I to depose Dieter. He is replaced by Grand Prince Wilhelm of House Holswig-Schliestein of the Reikland, Emperor Wilhelm III. The current ruling dynasty still descended from Emperor Wilhelm III. Shortly after, the Battle of Grootscher Marsh occurs as Wilhelm is pressured to respond to the Wasteland's secession. He attempts to invade Marienburg, meeting Wastelander forces at the Marsh outside Siert. The Empire is routed by the Marienburg navy, along with mercenaries, trained militia and the Wasteland's High Elf allies, who supply mages. Wilhelm begrudgingly recognizes the Wasteland's independence but refuses to ratify it with a formal treaty. Marienburg accepts this and draws the new border at Siert.
2430: Emperor Wilhelm III reinstates the Colleges of Magic out of anger at the State Army's inability to handle the Elven mages and Wastelander navy. He also invests significantly in Reikport shipbuilding.
2431: The Great Fire of Altdorf occurs. The newly reinstated Bright College accidentally sets the city ablaze due to a misfired spell. Many lobby to suspend the Colleges again, but he decides to keep them open, even though many buildings have been lost. He does, however, grant greater oversight from the Cult of Sigmar.
2453: The Fourth Siege of Altdorf occurs. The Liche King Arkhan the Black invades Reikland with an apparently endless swarm of zombies, heading for Altdorf. Once the siege begins, Arkhan breaks into the High Temple of Sigmar and steals the Liber Mortis from its vaults. Minutes later, after he escapes, his army collapses, leaving thousands of bodies rotting outside Altdorf.
2480: In Drachenfels Castle, Constant Drachenfels is slain a second time by Crown Prince Ostwald von Konigswald of Ostland.
2483: Emperor Luitpold III signs treaties with the Wasteland to allow warships of the Imperial Navy to pass through Marienburg. The Reiklanders may now reach the high seas for the first time since the secession, albeit at exceptionally high tolls.
2502: Emperor Luitpold III dies in his sleep. In a close vote, his son Karl-Franz is selected as his successor, crowned Emperor Karl-Franz I in the High Temple of Sigmar in Altdorf.
2505: The playwright Detlef Seirk is hired by Imperial appointment to stage a play in Castle Drachenfels for the Emperor and the gathered nobles of the Empire. It goes extremely wrong.
2508: The Doomfire Dragon Malathrax the Mighty attacks the Vorbergland, razing many villages and seizing much livestock, before it is driven north to the Hagercrybs. After months of pursuit and the deaths of the entire Knightly Order of the Ebon Sword, the dragon is finally slain by Imperial Huntsmarshal Markus Wulfhart with three arrows through the heart.

Next time: Politics.

How Am Reikland

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

WFRP 4e - How Am Reikland

Reikland sees itself as a progressive and civilized province, well apart from the backwards barbarians in the rest of the Empire. The province is ruled by its Elector Count, officially the Grand Prince of the Reikland; the Grand part is to say he's an elector for the next emperor when the current one dies. The Grand Prince's land is divided up into many individual fiefs of different dukes, counts, margraves, high priests, abbots and so on. These fiefs are collectively the Reikland Estates, most of which have had the same family in charge for many, many generations. The Grand Prince's decrees are largely ratified by the Reikland Diet, a body made of the lords of the Reikland Estates. However, some powers were received for the Prince in the Imperial Reforms of Magnus the Pious 200 years ago, such as the right to summon and command the State Army, the raising of emergency taxes in a crisis, the right to authorize new coin and the right to call a High Lord Steward's Court, if a powerful noble is charged with a crime. Most day-to-day provincial business is managed not by the Grand Prince, however, but the Reikland Council, comprised of ten High Lords. The Council meets weekly in the Wilhelm Chamber of Altdorf's Volkshalle, though it is rare for more than six of them to show up in any given week, and practically unheard of for the Grand Prince to attend personally.

The Ten High Lords are each appointed by the Grand Prince, and while most will never meet them, their agents are everywhere.
The High Lord of the Chair is the advisor of the Grand Prince and official leader of the Reikland Council when the Grand Prince is not present. The current one is Graf Archibold von Lilahalle, a stoic man who was given the position after he was greatly wounded saving Emperor Luitpold III from an assassin. His lingering and painful injuries keep him confined to a steam-powered wheelchair. (The wise do not note the pun in his presence.)
The High Lord Steward is the only person legally allowed to judge a crime committed by a lord of a Reikland Estate. Because the High Lord Steward's Court is rarely called, as most lords are simply too powerful to prosecute, it is largely a ceremonial position. Despite this, the High Lord Steward is in theory the most senior of the High Lords and often stands in for the Grand Prince when he is unable or unwilling to attend court. Currenlty, the position is held by Archduke Adelbert von Bogenberg, who is a quiet man with little legal experience but a deep understanding of the motivations of people. Because the Grand Prince's time is largely taken with matters of the Empire, the Archduke is the de facto ruler of the Reikland much of the time, despite Graf Archibold's best efforts.
The High Lord Treasurer is responsible for Reikland's treasury and for revenues. It is a very important position, always held by a close ally of the Grand Prince. Currently, it is held by the genius, if aged, Grafina Elena von Midwald, a dear friend of the former grand prince, who is well known for her outspoken love of wine and men.
The High Lord Ambassador organizes the Reikland's foreign relations and the Altdorf Black Chamber, the infamous spies of the province. Currently he is Graf Liepmund Holzkrug, an intense and ambitious man whose family have long been rivals of House Holswig-Schliestein. He is vindictive, ruthless and adores hunting.
The High Lord Judge is the last voice in Reiklander Law, which differs significantly from overall Imperial Law. Currently she is also the Supreme Law Lord of the Empire, Lector Agatha von Borhn of Verena. She is extremely experienced in all legal matters and is widely held is one of the most intelligent people in the entire Empire, particularly by those who have bribed her.
The High Lord Chancellor is the spiritual advisor to the crown and also oversees the Reikland Chancery and Silver Seal. Currently, she is High Priestess Halma Habermann of Sigmar, who is a large, robust woman with pale skin, rosy cheeks and thick limbs. While she is quite charming and easy to approach, she is very outspoken against the Colleges of Magic, and there are constant rumors about the atrocities she saw during her service with the Order of the Silver Hammer.
The High Lord Chamberlain runs the Palace of Altdorf and the Volkshall. This makes her exceptionally influential, as she controls where most high-level imperial politics happen. Currently, she is Duchess Elze von Skaag, a very thing woman with exceptional planning and negotiation skills. Publically, she supports Emperor Karl-Franz completely. Her husband, Duke Alardus von Skaag, is reported to be uqite frustrated that she lives in Altdorf and not Skaagerdorf with him, while she seems to enjoy it and can be found most nights drinking happily in many bars across the city with her bodyguards.
The High Lord Reiksmarshal leads the armies of Reikland and ensures that each State Regiment is raised, finances and available as needed. Currently, he is the veteran commander Duke Kurt Helborg, friend and tutor to the Grand Prince, Emperor Karl-Franz. Helborg is said to be the finest sowrdsman in the Empire, and he is rarely available to sit on the council due to his military commitments, which he quite appreciates.
The High Lord Constable is the ultimate authority on heraldry and genealogy in the Reikland. Currently, she is Grafina Materilla von Achern, who has absolutely no interest in her actual job but a huge interest in political intrigue. She has made the most of her relatively unimportant osition, chairing several private councils for the Grand Prince, and it is hard for most to reconcile her bubbly, maternal demeanor with her reputation for being the most ruthless woman in the province.
The High Lord Admiral oversees the Admiralty of the Reik and, by extension, the entire Reikland Navy. Currently, he is Sea Lord Adalmann von Hopfberg. He is extremely senile and has been living in the Great Hospice for fifteen years, leaving the Admiralty to run itself without his influence or action.

The Reikland Diet meets as needed in the Holzkrug Chamber of the Altdorf Volkshall, and their job is to look over any decrees of the Grand Prince in his duties as Grand Prince (rather than Emperor) and either pass them or return them to the crown with possible amendments. As most lords of the Reikland Estates lack the time to attend personally, they typically send favored children, spouses, relatives or other minions in their place, though very important decrees often bring the worried lords across the province in personally. Due to the sheer number of agents that Karl-Franz has influencing the Diet, though, most votes are a mere formality. The Reikland Estates themselves are all run by vassals of the Grand Prince. They are permitted to do as they wish in their lands, parcelling out sub-fiefs as they desire, though the creation of new hereditary titles requires approval of the Diet and the Grand Prince. Each estate has a range of legal and military obligations, but they are universally required to build and maintain at least one regiment for the State Army, usually used in peacetime as watchmen, wardens or guards. Most Reikland Estates are run feudally, and many vassals hold titles that have been hereditary for centuries. We get a visual representation of the Barony of Bohrn as a sample Estate, run by Baroness Agetta out of the town of Siedlung. She has three hereditary vassals, the Baron Markham of Siebbach, Countess OSterhild of Kaltenwald and Baron Balzter of Ettlindal, and three non-herditary vassals she has appointed, the Wardens Fabian of Ort and Luethold of Koff, and the Castellan Fronika of Neumarkt. The hereditary vassals have, combined, seven vassals of their own. The Baroness does not personally attend the Diet, relying instead on her younger sister, Lector Agatha von Bohrn, to keep track of it for her, as Agatha is already in Altdorf as part of both the Imperial Council of State and the Reikland Council as well as being a Lector of Verena.

The Reikland is one of the most populous of the Imperial grand provinces. However, great swathes of it remain wild, forested and largely untouched by Humans. While these woods are relatively safe compared to other parts of the Empire, they are still home to many monsters. So, even after 2500 years of expansion, most Reikland settlements remain along the Reik and its tributaries, an while some may not have roads, they are connected by the river. It's only in the Vorbergland that rural settlements may spread freely, connected by excellent roads and canals.

Altdorf sits at the center, the largest and richest city in the entire Empire, with a number of satellite towns that act as centers of trade or manufacture. A growing number of these are freistadt, free towns, granted charter to run themselves, usually via a council of burgomeisters, with little to no interference from local nobles. Emperor Karl-Franz I lives in Altdorf, which serves as both Reikland and Imperial capital. It is always expanded and growing, with new immigrants showing up daily, and constant building projects to grow the city, its bridge network and its many engineering marvels. It is a city of steam-powered bridges, islands and tenements, with many, many people. Because it draws in people from the entire Known World, it is shockingly cosmopolitan, full of people of all ranks, species and backgrounds. Even wizards are relatively ocmmon sight and rarely get more hostility than a muttered blessing. Visitors are always shocked that the city has a large Elf quarter near the Reiksport, founded by High Elf merchant princes coming up form Marienburg over a century ago. The alliance with the Dwarfs has stood isnce the time of Sigmar, so many Dwarf clans also live in tight-knit Altdorf communities, some of them having worked on the city's stonework for generations. They refuse to ever claim Altdorf as their home, of course, being stubborn Dwarfs. There's even a thriving Halfling population, largely dealing in fine food and ale in the many hostels of Altdorf, often guarded by the city's fairly sizeable Ogre population. Even stranger beasts call the city home - most fanastically, the monsters and animals of the Imperial Zoo, which include the Abomination of Stirland and the Drakwald Gibberbeast, displayed in cages for public amusement.

Altdorf isn't all good, though. It is famously smelly, known locally as the Great Reek. In the summer, the stench coming off the Altdorf Flats is so potent that many of the wealthy flee to country estates or to the palaces of Grenstadt in Averland. The smell does little to ease the local citizens, either, and Altdorf's mobs of peasants are infamously vocal and prone to rioting over literally anything, especially taxes. Even seemingly trivial acts of local burgomeisters or nobles can spark a riot, but the fact that many of the protests are actually quite fair doesn't make the crown any less active in quashing any rebellions that take to the streets. On the other hand, Altdorf is a center of learning, where the wealthy send their children to study at the University of Altdorf. Grades and academic potential rarely meet up there; those who are poor but clever instead find themselves at the High Temple of Verena, which always has use for those of sound mind. The famous Engineers' School, founded by Tilean genius Leonardo de Miragliano, is also here, devising ever newer and more inventive ways to kill people. It has had to be rebuilt over a dozen times since its founding.

Most significantly, Altdorf is home to the Colleges since 200 years ago and the reign of Magnus the Pious. They are guided by the principles and precepts laid own by the Elf Loremaster Teclis, charged with training the magically gifted to channel their power for the Empire. Rumors of the warping influence of such potent magic gathered by so many wizards in such close proximity are constant, and allegedly the streets themselves have been twisted, with certain college buildings said to be hidden from view from all those who lack the witchsight. Most citizens don't believe this talk, of course. Altdorf is alos home to the Cult of Sigmar, who stand as a guardian against rogue mages. The city has more Sigmarite temples and holy sites than all other Imperial cities combined.

Next time: Non-Altdorf Places.

Technically Alphabetical

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

WFRP 4e - Technically Alphabetical

Auerswald is a lively town at the meeting of the Teufel, Tranig and Ober rivers, making it one of the busiest and best-patrolled areas in the Reikland. The locals are strong-willed and charming, rarely causing offense no matter how hard they negotiate. The local graf, Ferdinand von Wallenstein, leaves the town to its council of burgomeisters, preferring to spend most of his time in his palaces in Altdorf and Nuln. His uncle, Lord Adelbert von Wallenstein, is a grizzled old warrior who spends much of his time hunting Goblins and bandits in the Reikwald to the east of town. Much of the town is built on thick stilts over the Teufel's floodplains, as it floods often. The town's buildings are connected by a labyrinth of ramps, bridges and rope ladders, and outsiders easily get lost. More than one drunk has fallen to their death off the high stilts. In recent years, there's rumors of an organized gang of blackmailers and con artists operating out of the town, but not witness has ever survived long enough to testify.

Bogenhafen is the largest and most profitable of all the market towns in Vorbergland. Its its at the heart of the Reikland, serving as a crossroads, equidistant between Altdorf and Monfort and therefore a crucial stop on the main trade route with Bretonnia. Goods from Bretonnia and all the Empire are traded for local lumber, wool and metals from the Grey Mountains. The town is in Graf Wilhelm von Saponatheim's duchy, but he is happy to let the local council, largely Merchants', Stevedores' and Teamsters' Guild members, run things as long as he gets his tax. As goods come north are transferred onto barges from wagons, the warehouses are always full of fine wine and cheese. The locals are quite proud of their town, especially its well-maintained sewers, built by the Masons' Guild. Local criminals love the sewers, because smugglers have found them an excellent way to avoid the tariffs and fees of the town. The watch often hires interested and concerned citizens to sweep the sewers for miscreants...though as with much of the Empire, they're hardly the only danger under Bogenhafen.

Diesdorf lies between Altdorf and Nuln, and serves as a hub for corn production villages, much of it sent downriver to the capital. The reliance on a single crop does mean that if a blight kills the corn, Diesdorf may follow it. However, those that vist often conclude that the real expert of the town is faith. Magnus the Pious once gave a powerful speech there, with folk traveling far and wide to hear it. Ever since, it has been a major pilgrimage site for Sigmarites, and on holy days the town's population often doubles. Despite its relatively small size, it has many temples and shrines to Sigmar, and most families there have at least one member in the clergy.

Dunkelberg is the most southern Reikland trade town, set across several hills on the banks of the Grissen. The older, richer parts are high on the hills to give the nobles and wealthy merchants a commanding view of the area. Despite its growth, travelers often comment on its rustic feel, wiht regular markets clogging the streets. Livestock, local produce and several wines come in from the local villages, and hand-crafted goods from across the Suden Vorgbergland. The town is surrounded by 'bleachfields,' where linen is dyed white by being hung in the sun as crops grow around them. The nearness to the mountains and Graugrissen forest mean Goblin raids are common, and while the wealthier parts of town are fortified with a stone wall, the rest is not. The poorest citizens have learned not to grow too attached to anything or anyone. There are many, many orphans in Dunkelberg, due to the Goblins, diseases and so on. The local duke has established several orphanages to provide them shelter, and to earn their keep he sets the children to work in the bleachfields. Visitors are often shocked to see an orphan labor force, but the callous disregard that the wealthy have for them is perhaps even worse. Sister Alella, a local Shallyan priestess, has been concerned aobut their welfre, even claiming that a number of children have vanished suspiciously, and she'd love to get some help finding out what's actually going on.

Eilhart is famed among wine-lovers across the Old World for production of the grapes and wine that share its name. Eilhart is said to be one of the best white wines of the Reikland, famoous not only for its light and crisp taste but its mild hangovers no matter how much you drink...if you believe the locals, anyway. Recently, it has also grown in fame for its sharp and acidic beers using local grain and hops. Thus, Eilhart is a popular cruise destination for riverboats, with drinkers coming to the town to sample its many wares. Some say that the high number of visiting Bretonnians, drawn by the wine, may be the reason for the recent beer enthusiasm among the locals.

Grunberg is downriver from several major trade towns, but its real industry is riverboat manufacturing. The town's boatyards are never quiet, as they keep the merchant marine afloat. The fields to the southeast appear peaceful and rich, but the locals call them the Battle Plains. It was there, long ago, that the Orc Warlord Gorbad Ironclaw was stalled. Uniquely in all of Imperial military history, the Battle of Grunberg was almost entirely fought with cavalry on both sides, and this has made the area a site of interest for archaeologists and graverobbers looking for debris in the old battlefield.

Holthusen is a major stop on the route between Eilhart and Marienburg, set on the River Schilder. It is primarily a wine and beer town - and more specifically, wine and beer barrels. The coopers of Holthusen are famous for their barrels, especially the Holthusen Hogshead, which is said to be stout enough to withstand a direct cannon hit and leave the drink within unscathed. Most of the vintners and brewers of the western Vorbergland use Holthusen barrels, and many age their stock in specialized Holthusen warehouses sunk deep into the ground. The town is enclosed in rings of palisades, and the locals are often on edge. Bandits are rare, but wild Beastmen from the Reikwald often attack the town without warning. Many believe they want the wine, but some fear it's blood they're after. Whatever the case, the locals have taken to living barrels of cheap wine on the outskirts of the forest in the hopes that the Beastmen will take them and leave. Witch Hunters will likely not be pleased to learn of this. In a clearing a few miles away is a unique tree, a large pine that is perpetually frozen all year. The Rime Tree, as it is called, never melts, and ice and snow fall from it constnatly. It is freezing cold to the touch and even the strongest axe blow can barely crack the ice on its trunk. The site is claimed as holy by the Cult of Ulric and is the end of several pilgrimage routes to the south. For the more arcane sorts, the icy bark is useful and valuable for its magical properties, but the Ulricans do not generally appreciate wizards poking around, which makes harvesting it very risky. Lord Magister Shclotter of the Bright Order will pay heavily for anyone who can get the bark he can't.

Kemperbad is an ancient town, a Grand Freistadt famous for its brandy. While it is part of the Reikland, it lies on the east bank of the Reik and has often been fought over and ruled by Talabecland, Stirland and Reikland, changing hands over and over. Since gaining its charter for self-rule in 1066 from Boris Goldgather, it has been a Freistadt run by the local council. Its prime location and ability to impose and retain its own tax has made Kemperbad very, very rich. Because of this, the merchants there are legendarily ostentatious and gaudy in their dress, wearing clothing so expensive it could bankrupt some families. The local nobles often envy the town's wealth and some send agents to destabilize it.

Schadelheim sits near the Grootscher Marsh at the meeting of the Reik and the Mos, a lucrative position on the Marienburg trade route. It has many inns and barge berths, and ferries frequently move travelers between both rivers, serving as a hub for the marshland communities. South of the town centre is an ancient temple of Morr, which has been there since perhaps even before the town. Because of this, many locals have a very strong affinity for Morr - rarely seen in the Empire outside Ostermark, and very unusual for the Reikland. The local Sigmarites would love to change the town's faith and have many ideas on how to do it.

Schilderheim suts at the meeting of the Schilder and the Reik and is a very important trade town. It's also home to many, many kinds of wildfowl, especially wading birds. Most notably, it is home to the red crane, a sedentary bird found mostly on the Reik that is known to use heavy stones to crack open clams. While the town prospers already, the local merchants and burgomeisters have higher aspirations. They want the wealth of Altdorf and Marienburg. The local stevedores have started raising the prices - very unpopular, and causing some civil unrest now. To avoid the fee, many mechants have begun to bypass the stevedores entirely, doing their business on the river itself by swapping entire barges. Merchant houses connected to this practice have had their wharves burned, warehouses raided and barges sunk, though obviously the Stevedores claim it has nothing to do with them. The Merchants' Guild will pay heavily to anyone that can prove the Stevedores are lying.

Next time: Stimmigen and Beyond

Apples to Apples

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

WFRP 4e - Apples to Apples

Stimmigen sits right on the major bridge over the Ober, and that plus its access to the Vorbergland canals ensure it is a bustling trade town, one of the busiest in the Suden Vorbergland. It is famous for its orchards, the source of Reikland's most famous apple, the sweet-but-tart Ernwald. The Ernwald apple grows only around Stimmigen; all attempts to grow it elsewhere have failed. This brings in plenty of curious plant experts, but also plenty of Halflings, who love the Ernwald for its use in pies, pastries and crumbles, along with cider. Their works can be found in local inns, especially during Pie Week, which is celebrated by all inhabitents of Stimmigen, not just the Halflings.

Ubersreik sits at the mouth of the Grey Lady Pass, one of the two major routes into Bretonnia. As a result, it regularly sees merchants from across the Old World, and is guarded by the mighty Black Rock fortress. It has a long and steady association with the Grey Mountain Dwarf clans, and uniquely in the Empire, it has Dwarf representatives on the town council. One of its more spectacular constructions, the bridge over the Teufel, was made by Dwarfs in the time of Magnus the Pious, and it is widely seen as one of the most impressive feats of engineering in the entire Reikland, connecting the trade road that runs from Bogenhafen on to Dunkelberg and Nuln. While Ubersreik deals in all kinds of trade, it is most famous for Dwarf metalwork. They promise a more exhaustive detailing in the WFRP Starter Set.

Weissbruck was originally just a fishing village on the Bogen, but has grown over the past century into a bustling trade port between Bogenhafen and Altdorf, largely thanks to the efforts of its ruling family, the Grubers, who have been capitalizing on the rich coal and iron deposits in the nearby Skaag Hills. They were even able to commission a team of Dwarf engineers in 2462, building a canal that rapidly accelerated the towns' growth. The mine output has been slowing, but trade's only increased. Despite the wealth of the Grubers, Weissbruck still feels like a mining town, with the dockworkers and miners maintaining an uneasy peace never far from the threat of violence. As the mines peter out, more and more miners come down from the hills, forming a growing population of strong, angry and unemployed people with little to do but drink.

Wheburg is the first town in the Grey Mountains if you head from Helmgart to Bogenhafen. Its proximity to the fortress Helmgart ensures it sees regular passage of troops, and it has a large barracks for visiting soldiers. As they have often had to survive the worst mountain weather as well as frequent attacks by Orcs, Goblins and monsters from the Drachenberg, most visitors are in a mood to celebrate when they arrive. Wheburg is famous for its hospitality as a result, and the locals are said to be the friendliest in all Reikland...for a price. The streets are full of taverns, inns, brothels and casinos, plus plenty of drug dealers. While brawls and minor crime are common, things rarely get too out of hand due to the sheer number of soldiers on hand at any time to disperse the rowdy. (Excepting when said rowdy folks are soldiers themselves.) Spending time in Wheburg before marriage is seen as a rite of passage among wealthy Reiklanders, and it is now a common saying that what happens in Wheburg stays in Wheburg.

The Grey Mountains are guarded by a series of fortresses, built and rebuilt over and over to defend against marauding Greenskins, Trolls, Undead and Bretonnians. The Reik is also guarded by many forts, but those are largely relics of the past, when the other grand provinces were threats and enemies. Only a few key strategic river fortresses remain, vastly outnumbered by castle ruins in grave disrepair.

Blackstone Tower guards one of the lesser Grey Mountain passes, the Crooked Corridor, a narrow gorge near the Wasteland. It's useless to most merchants, far too tight for horses or wagons, and dangerous due to steep cliffs and perches that can easily send a traveler plummeting to their doom. It is entirely impassable in winter and not that much better in other times, and for a long time only the local goatherds knew of it. Then a series of Greenskin raids drew it to official attention. Several decades back, Emperor Mattheus II ordered the construction of the fort to watch over the Corridor. Nine years later, Blackstone Tower was completed, named for the local dark stone used to build it. The high position means Imperial sharpshooters have an excellent perch to fire from, but it was not to be. A minor oversight in the planning stages of Blackstone caused it to be built on land belonging to the Dwarfs of Karak Ziflin, and the Emperor chose to cede the tower to them to avoid upsetting them, over the complaints of the Margrave of Geetburg, whose funds helped build the tower. Today, the Dwarfs allow a limited garrison to occupy the tower alongside their own forces, which have largely rebuilt Blackstone entirely. The Reiklanders rarely enjoy working under Dwarf leadership, and the Dwarfs are always belittling the Human stonework they haven't yet replaced, so the Tower is something of a powder keg waiting to explode.

Steirlich Manor sits atop a ridge in the Hagercrybs in the Duchy of Grauwerk. It is an ancient holding of the von Bruner family, currently ruled by Graf Steirlich, whose name and that of the manor are both drawn from an ancestor given the land by Emperor Mandred Ratslayer in 1138. Graf Steirlich is ambitious and ruthless, though well liked by his peasantry for his focus on rooting out bandits and other dangers. There are, however, rumors that he is too eager to investigate unnatural events, as dark tales of corruption haunt the von Bruner line. The dark, handsome Graf is always looking for those of stout heart and strong will to help him keep the peace, of course, so few mention such rumors aloud.

Helmgart guards Axe Bite Pass, one of the two main entries to Bretonnia. It dates back to times when Bretonnia was not the staunch ally it is today, and while Helmgart's ramparts no longer host aging skulls in elaborate helmets, they're still in the basement. The soldiers are now more likely to be called on to patrol the pass, protect merchants and travellers from Greenskins and fight bandits. The keep was carved into the mountainside long ago by the Dwarfs, with three tiers of stone wall dominating the granite mountain and giving excellent view of the road below. Next to it is an immense stone wall broken only by a single tunnel between two sheer mountainsides, the only route to Bretonnia in the area. A number of legendary regiments are called on to guard Helmgart, most famously Mackensen's Marauders, a Reiklander State Regiment of gunners known for deadly accuracy, which is only helped by Axe Bite's total lack of cover. The road leads on to Bogenhafen and then Altdorf. Helmgart is equal parts citadel and trade town, given its position. Bretonnian merchants deal in wine, fine fabrics, weapons and armor, while their Reiklander friends move those goods south. The local Dwarf clans also show up to sell ingots of silver, lead and iron along with rare Dwarf-made metalwork. Helmgart Marketplatz is always bustling with deals and with thieves.

The Stone is a promontory on a Reik island near Essel. It has a small, insignificant jetty and a path up the promontory, but no one heads up to the fort at the top. Captains avoid the island and give it a wide berth, with the more superstitious offering up sacrifices of salt and steel to Grandfather Reik for safe passage. There are no pennants on the battlements, but occasionally the gleam of a helmet shows that it is still manned. Most do not realize it, but the Stone is actually a secure prison for dangerous criminals that cannot, for political reasons, just be killed. Some have powerful friends or are nobles whose crimes would, if publically acknowledged, shame the good families of Reikland. Others are political hostages for good behavior. A few just know too much, kept alive in case their secrets are required. No one particularly asks how they are treated in the Stone - no one wants to know.

Next time: Holy sites and ruins.

Holy Shit

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

WFRP 4e - Holy Shit

Most villages in the Reikland lie very close to towns for protection and trade, except in the Suden Vorbergland. A quirk of Reikland law dating back several centuries is that a village is defined as 'any small settlement including a Temple of Sigmar,' while a hamlet is that but without the temple, and usually they end up rather smaller. Besides the hamlets and villages, however, there are a currently uncounted number of monasteries, abbeys, temples and other holy sites. Most are not far from settled areas for protection, but particularly well-fortified ones could pop up literally anywhere, for various historical or religious reasons.

The Monastery of the Holy Word lies deep in the Reikwald, west of Altdorf, far from any road. It is tended to by the Sigmarite Order of the Anvil, who keep the laws of the Cult of Sigmar and maintain its history and practice. There, they maintain the Order's greatest treasure - the Testaments of Sigmar. They were collected not long after Sigmar's abdication as a gathering of written memories of those who knew Sigmar Heldenhammer before his ascension. They are believed to be the most accurate collection of the things Sigmar actually said and did in life, and therefore the holiest of works. The Order does not normally accept visitors, but the Monastery of the Holy Word is not normal. Penitents seeking out obscure details of the foundation of the Law of Sigmar travel from across the Empire to meet with the monks. Nobles and wealthy merchants who have repeatedly shown devotion to the cult may be given leave to take pilgrimage to the Monastery. While they may not read or touch the original Testaments (no one is), being given leave to gaze on a page or two is considered one of the highest, most priceless sacred honors.

Rottfurt is a settlement along the Teufel whose name is spoken only in whispered, reverential tones by the scholars and mages of the Empire. While it is mostly a village of shepherds, making wool and mutton, it also produces the famous and expensive parchment known as Rottfurt Silver. This parchment has a faint sheen to it, takes ink very well and resists fading far longer than normal. As a result, the thick-wooled sheep of the village are given every comfort and are its pride and joy. They eat the luscious grass of the Hammastrat Heights and are permitted to wander as they please by day. The shepherds work as part of a rotating militia, protecting the flocks at all costs. Of late, however, some of the sheep have begun to go missing. The guards find themselves falling asleep on watch despite their best efforts, and when they wake, one more sheep is gone. What began as a minor frustration is now an obsession for the locals, with countless and often insane theories as to what is actually going on.

Worlin is a small fishing hamlet, almost impossible to see from the river. It's surrounded by rocky islets and promontories, plus thousands of trees. These, the Willows of Worlin, line the Reik for miles around the village, and no one has any particular need or desire for their lumber. A lot of trade moves past Worlin; almost none of it stops there. Why is this notable? Because on the festival of Sonnstill, the hamlet circle - that is, the council of elders - gather to "water the Willows." This is a ceremony of dancing, feasting, singing, and the kidnapping of a virile stranger and slitting his throat, splashing the blood over the thirsty roots of the Queen Willow to quench her thirst for one more year. If the ceremony is completed, the Queen is pleased. The hamlet remains safe from the creatures of the wood for one more year. If the ceremony is interrupted, the Queen Willow awakes and summons her children, calling forth scores of Beastmen to slaughter all. Outsiders rarely know this, of course, when the knife is put to their throat.

Zahnstadt is an isolated village, often called the last village of the Vorbergland. Certainly beyond it the hills grow barren and rise up to the Grey Mountains. Zahnstadt sits on the bank of the Mos, in a deep and dark valley. Even in the height of summer, the village has sunlight for but an hour or two at midday due to the high cliffs around it. In winter it sees no sun at all, just an eerie twilight and darkness. Despite this, the locals are known for their sunny dispositions and cheer, which many outsiders find offputting and forced. Every house is a garish mix of bright colors, often clashing ones. Its small inn, the Wayward Sun, is famous for never letting its hearthfire go out and for its many cheerful songs, sung deep into the night. It is forced, of course, because ever since the Third Vampire Wars, they've been under the sway of vampires. Janos von Carstein deserted his lord Mannfred's armies and, after weeks of evading Mannfred's minions, he discovered Zahnstadt and its eternal darkness, realizing it'd be the perfect hiding spot. Now, some 300 years later, he still lives there - and has become bold. He sleeps under the Wayward Sun in an ostentatious velvet-lined coffin, rising each evening to 'hold court' out of the inn, forcing the enthralled locals to sing happy songs of Sylvania. Both the Witch Hunters and and the pawns of recently revived Mannfred von Carstein have heard rumors of Zahnstadt's vampire. The Hunters want to investigate the truth; Mannfred wants his wayward son captured and dragged before him. They are likely to slam headfirst into each other.

There are plenty of ruins in the Reikland, between the ancient history of the land and the destruction of the Great War Against Chaos. The Darkstone Ring is one ruin best ignored. The wise do not go near it. It is a place of power, north of Blutroch, near the Altdorf-Bogenhafen road. At nightfall, the six stones, each carved suggestively, glow a wan green, getting brighter with the waxing of Morrslieb. At the center of the ring is a slab of unidentifiable stone, stained with the blood of innocents over millenia. However, despite the ring's evil reputation, travelers seem drawn to it by legends of mystical power and lost artifacts of terrible strength. Not even the frequent sights of Beastmen and cultists, particularly around Geheimisnacht, seems to deter these brave fools.

Castle Drachenfels is a seven-towered ruin, each tower covered in windows meant to appear like eyes. This is (was?) the lair of Constant Drachenfels, the Great Enchanter. He is an ancient sorcerer, mythically potent, already old and powerful when he was first defeated in the time of Sigmar. He has returned several times to haunt the Gray Mountains with his necromancy and daemonology, and while the ruins appear to be inactive now, rumors say they are less abandoned than they look.

Helspire looms over Axe Bite Pass, carved from the living mountains and inlaid with the bones of the dead. It looks long abandoned and still, but on nights of occult significance, terrible lights blaze on its battlements, casting eerie shadows over the pass. On those nights, the truth is revealed - Helspire is a citadel of the Undead, and skeletal knights spill forth to scour the mountainside on either side of the border. Little is known of the Helspire itself, for none living can say they have seen its interior nor know who commands it. Some say it is home to a cabal of necromancers, or a vampire, or even a terrible Liche. It is said to be full of riches from across the Old World, yet none dare seek it and return alive - or if they do, they never speak of it.

The Lorlay is an imposing rock formation jutting from the Reik, around 40 miles downstream of the Grissenwald. The river is fast and deep there, and despite the relatively narrow channels, no crossing has ever been built successfully. Legends speak of a beautiful Elven maiden who swims the waters by dawn and dusk, and the Lorlay has become a popular site for Taalite stag parties before marriage, with a shocking number of classy inns around it. Tales of the singing water maiden are especially common among the river sailors.

The Singing Stones lay west of Schadelheim in a deep valley. They are an ancient dolmen, old beyond any guess, set in a spiral around a central set of pillars capped with a huge slab - a sort of titanic altar. From the ground it is pretty much impossible to spot the pattern of the stones, especially with all the trees and bushes that have sprung up among them. When a west wind blows in from the Wasteland, the stones produce a high, eerie keening that can be heard for miles. Some locals say listening to their song can give insight into problems or wisdom, but others say this is heresy and that nothing but trouble comes from such ungodly power. These people tend to be rather violent about preventing such heresies.

Next time: Equipment

How Am Coin

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

WFRP 4e - How Am Coin

You get your starting trappings free, and during chargen you may freely purchase anything you can afford; after chargen, availability of a lot of gear becomes much more limited. But before we learn about that, we need to discuss money. The Empire's coinage is most commonly minited in its three main denominations - brass pennies, silver shillings and gold crowns. A coin usually weighs around an ounce, and its value is determined by weight and material, such that even a foreign coin can be valued easily with scales, albeit with some suspicion. Other coins exist within the Empire; however, for OOC convenience, the game deals exclusively in values based on the three main denominations. 12 brass pennies make a shilling, and 20 silver shillings make a crown. So 240p make 1GC. (Well, the game's abbraviations are GC, / for shillings and d for pence. This makes no sense to me except GC so I use s and p because what the hell?)

Cost of living is broadly speaking tied to your status tier; at Brass tier, you're likely spending pence on food and clothing, and going over that makes your peers think you're putting on heirs and need to be called out. So it's pretty easy to maintain Brass status. Silver Status means you're spending shillings on food and clothing by and large - pence maybe for beer money, gold for major purchases, but your main currency is the shilling. Gold status means you're eating luxuries, sleeping on satin, and stand out due to expensive clothes. You rarely use anything smaller than a crown. If the GM really needs hard numbers, you need to pay half your status in coins per day to maintain appearances - so for Silver 4, 2s per day. Personally I feel this is pointless to track.

Gold Crowns are also known as Marks, Karls and Gelt. Silver shillings are called Bob, Shimmies and Mucks. Pence are also known as Pfennigs, Clanks and Shrapnel. Coinage standards do not derive from Altdorf. It's the capital, yes, but coinage standards have historically been out of Nuln. Nuln was the historic capital of the Empire until the restoration of the Altdorf throne by the House Holswig-Schliestein a century ago, and a lot of Imperial institutions are still Nuln-based. The Nuln Standard governs all coin weights and metallurgy, though not stamp imagery, which can vary heavily by province. Coins are, unsurprisingly, taken advantage of criminally in a number of ways. The game details two main options that PC rogues may well wish to look into. First up, counterfeiting. Reikland is full of coins from other lands, but are generally wary of scams. A successful Evaluate test will usually detect a counterfeit coin by checking weight and hardness. Actually making them is harder. It takes an Art (Engraving) test to make a good stamping die, then a Trade (Blacksmith) test to strike the coins, generally with an assistant's help. While including a higher concentration of precious metal makes counterfeits harder to spot and gives penalties to the Evaluate test, it also costs more. However, using less than a fifth of normal value makes it very easy to spot a fake. Clipping is the practice of clipping or shaving slivers of metal off the coin. It is largely done by shopkeeps and tollkeepers who have access to large amounts of money, and the filings are then melted down and sold to jewellers, counterfeiters or fences. Clipped coins are detected by Evaluate, with a bonus based on how much has been trimmed.

So, when you go to market, how do you know what's available? Well, all Trappings have an Availability - Common, Scarce, Rare or Exotic. Common items are always available no matter what - if there's a market in the Empire, they have this item. Period. Scarce and Rare items are not - you have to make a test based on settlement size. A village will have a 30% chance of having any given Scarce item, and a 15% chance of any given Rare item. Towns have a 60% Scarce change and 30% Rare. Cities have 90% Scarce chance and 45% Rare. Exotic items are never openly available. To get them, you need to commission someone to acquire one or make it yourself. If you fail a Scarce or Rare Availability test, you can either go to a new settlement and reroll, or you can, if in a town or city, wait a week and roll again once the new goods have arrived. The GM determines how many of an item are available, but broadly speaking, villages only have one of anything, towns have 1d10 items, cities have as many as the GM thinks are appropriate. Double this for Common, halve for Rare (rounding up).

Imperials love haggling. When making a deal for an item, there's two main skills - Evaluate and Haggle. Evaluate can identify the quality of an item, the value of a set of coins, spot counterfeits and so on. An Evaluate roll will also estimate the average price of any Rare or Exotic item to within +/-10%. (Everyone knows the average prices of more common goods.) Haggle is generally an opposed test with the Haggle of the other side of the deal. It's expected, and most prices have a slight markup as a result. Successful Haggle tests for a buyer reduces the price by 10%, or up to 20% with the Dealmaker talent or 6+ SLs. Bad failures of a lot of SLs usually mean the seller doesn't trust your coins. The GM may, as a note, overrule normal Availability - a village that makes boats probably has boats on hand even if they normally wouldn't, and Availability can get a +10-20% boost if you are an especially diligent hunter, have the Merchant or Fence career, or spend an entire day making Gossip tests and scouring the markets.

Selling your goods is handled broadly the same way. Availability is still checked - this time to find a buyer for whatever you have on hand. (Yes, this means that Exotic goods are hard to offload - most people have no need for them.) You then bargain as normal. Sale prices are, by default, base half the normal price for the item due to being secondhand. If you are a Fence or Merchant and you put in some Gossip time, you might be able to find a buyer for up to 80% of the base value, but that's up to the GM. Successful haggling will mark up the deal by up to 10-20% as above. If you cannot find a buyer, you can halve the price. Each halving increases the item's effective Availability by 1 step. So an Exotic good is normally worth half its purchase value but has no buyers. Dropping to a quarter purchase value increases it to Rare chance of having a buyer.

The game also has barter rules. Basically the way these work is you divide up the goods you want to barter into their Availability ratings, then take the value of each of those divided groups and add them up. Then boost or diminish group values by comparative rarity. Then trade in units of broadly equal value, using the Haggle and Evaluate rules as normal. It's...complicated but there's a helpful table so that you don;t need to do a ton of work at least.

Items can have Qualities or Flaws. For each Quality an item has, double its price and make it one step less Available. For each Flaw, halve the price and make it one step more Available (unless it is Exotic; that remains Exotic). If the GM rules that the town has relevant craft guilds, Flaws make an item less Available rather than more, and the first Quality does not reduce Availability. Prices are still modified. Some Qualities and Flaws are unique to Weapons or to Armor, but all items can have the following:
Qualities
Durable: The item is made of strong materials. It can take +(number of Durables) Damage before it gets any penalties and against any instant breakage effect such as Trap Blade, roll 1d10. On a 9+, it survives intact. Obviously, this can be taken multiple times. Each time you take the Quality, reduce the number required on the d10 roll by 1.
Fine: The item is very pretty. This can be taken multiple times. The more it is taken, the more beautiful and high-status the item seems.
Lightweight: The item takes up -1 Encumbrance point from normal.
Practical: The item is made with utility in mind. Any failed test with this item gets +1 SL. If this is on armor, instead reduce any penalties for wearing the armor by one level (IE, from -30 to -20).
Flaws
Ugly: It is ugly. It may attract negative attention, and relevant Fellowship tests may get -10.
Shoddy: The item is badly made. On any failed test that rolls a double, it breaks. If it is armor, it breaks if the hit location it protects receives a Critical Hit.
Unreliable: The item isn't very functional. Any failed test gets -1 SL. If it is armor, any penalties it causes are doubled.
Bulky: It's clumsy. This cannot be put on any small trinket. Increase Encumbrace by +1. Clothes and armor are Encumbrance 1 even when worn, and cause double Fatigue penalties.

So how's Encumbrance work? All items have a Encumbrance points (Enc) from 0 to 3. 0 is easy to carry, 3 is extremely big. You may carry a total of (SB+TB) Enc without penalty. Knives, coins or jewelry are usually Enc 0, swords, mandolins and bags are Enc 1, greatswords, tents and backpacks are Enc 2, and halberds, casks and huge sacks are Enc 3. 200 coins is about Enc 1. Some large items may have 4+ Enc, such as kegs or saddlebags. You can only carry one of these at a time, and it likely takes up both your hands. Draft animals ignore the normal formula for what they can carry, but instead have a limit in their description. A single Human-sized passenger is assumed to weight 10 Enc, modified as necessary for especially small or especially large people. Any worn item, such as most clothes, jewellery or armor, have their Enc dropped by 1, to a minimum of 0.

What happens if you go over your Encumbrance limit? You are slowed and likely fatigued, which stacks with any penalties from armor. Whenever you are Overburdened and need to take a Fatigued condition for any reason besides Encumbrance, you get an extra +1 Fatigued. If you are Overburdened by up to double your limit, you get -1 Movement (min. 3), -10 Agility and +1 Travel Fatigue. Up to triple limit, you get -2 Movement (min. 2), -20 Agility (min. Agility 10) and +2 Travel Fatigue. More than that and you are incapable of movement. Penalties apply immediately, and can be removed only by dropping stuff. Travel Fatigue causes that many Fatigued Conditions at the end of each day's travel and can only be removed via rest.

Next time: Weapons

How Am Sword

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

WFRP 4e - How Am Sword

So, weapons! We have several weapon groups represented, first for melee. Basic covers Hand Weapons, Improvised Weapons, Daggers, Knives and all three kinds of Shield - bucklers, normal and large shields. All are Common except Improvised Weapon, which you can't actually buy.
Hand Weapons are your basic weapon, and deal +SB+4 Damage at Average reach, Enc 1. They cost 1GC, so don't lose yours if you have one. They can be basically any one-handed weapon that has no special traits.
Improvised Weapons are anything you pick up and hit people with that is not meant to be a weapon. By default, they do +SB+1 Damage and are Undamaging, with variable Enc and Reach.
Daggers deal +SB+2 damage at Very Short reach, Enc 0. They cost 16s.
Knives are identical to Improvised Weapons, but cost 8s and have Very Short reach and Enc 0. If you're fighting someone with a pocket knife, just grab a chair.
Bucklers deal +SB+1 damage at Personal reach, Enc 0. They have Shield 1, Defensive and Undamaging and cost 18s2p.
Shields deal +SB+2 damage at Very Short reach, Enc 1. They have Shield 2, Defensive and Undamaging and cost 2GC.
Large shields deal +SB+3 damage at Very Short reach, Enc 3. They have Shield 3, Defensive and Undamaging and cost 3GC.

Cavalry weapons are meant to be wielded while mounted. If you wield a two-handed Cavalry weapon while on foot, use Melee (Two-Handed) for it. One-handed Cavalry weapons cannot normally be used on foot.
Cavalry Hammers are two-handed, deal +SB+5 Damage, have Pummel and are Scarce, with Enc 3 and Long reach. They cost 3GC.
Lances deal +SB+6 Damage, have Impact and Impale and are Rare, with Enc 3 and Very Long reach. They cost 1GC. When used in any round you have not Charged, they are treated instead as improvised weapons.

Fencing
Foils deal +SB+3 Damage, have Fast, Impale, Precise and Undamaging and are Scarce, with Enc 1 and Medium reach. They cost 5GC.
Rapiers deal +SB+4 Damage, have Fast and Impale and are Scarce, with Enc 1 and Long reach. They cost 5GC.

Brawling isn't just fists!
Unarmed is +SB+0 Damage, Undamaging and free. No Enc, Personal reach.
Knuckledusters are +SB+2 Damage, Common and Enc 0, Personal reach. They cost 2s6p.

Flails gain the Dangerous flaw when used unskilled, on top of losing all Qualities.
Grain Flails deal +SB+3, have Distract, Imprecise and Wrap and are Common, with Enc 1 and Average reach. They cost 10s.
Flails deal +SB+5, have Distract and Wrap and are Scarce, with Enc 1 and Average Reach. They cost 2GC.
Military flails are two-handed, deal +SB+6, have Distract, Impact, Tiring and Wrap and are Rare, with Enc 2 and Long reach. They cost 3GC.

Parry can always be used with any one-handed weapon with the Defensive quality, on top of specific Parry weapons, and weapons using Melee (Parry) suffer no offhand penalty when opposing incoming attacks.
Main gauche deal +SB+2, have Defensive and are Rare, with Enc 0 and Very Short reach. They cost 1GC.
Swordbreakers deal +SB+3, have Defensive and Trap-blade and are Scarce, with Short reach. They cost 1GC2s6p.

Polearms are all two-handed. They all deal +SB+4.
Halberds have Defensive, Hack and Impale and are Common, with Enc 3 and Long reach. They cost 2GC.
Spears have Impale and are Common, with Enc 2 and Very Long reach. They cost 15s.
Pikes have Impale and are Rare, with Enc 4 and Massive reach. They cost 18s.
Quarter staffs have Defensive and Pummel and are Common, with Enc 2 and Long reach. They cost 3s. (In case you've noticed, this is probably the cheapest way to get decent damage!)

Two-Handed are, well, all two-handed. All are Enc 3.
Bastard swords deal +SB+5, are Damaging and Defensive and are Scarce, with Long reach. They cost 8GC.
Great axes deal +SB+6, are Hack, Impact and Tiring and are Scarce, with Long reach. They cost 4GC.
Picks deal +SB+5, are Damaging and Impale and are Common, with Average reach. They cost 8s. (Another great pick.)
Warhammers deal +SB+6, are Damaging and Pummel and are Common, with Average reach. They cost 3GC.
Zweihanders deal +SB+5, are Damaging and Hack and are Scarce, with Long reach. They cost 10GC.

Before I go into Ranged weapons, I'm going to cover the Qualities and Flaws so you have some context.
Qualities
Accurate: While you wield this weapon, you get +10 on any test to fire it.
Blackpowder: Anyone targeted by this weapon must make a Cool test at +20 or gain a Broken condition, even on a miss.
Blast (Rating): Anyone within (Rating) yards of the struck target point take SLs+Weapon Damage and suffer any Conditions the weapon inflicts.
Damaging: When you cause a successful hit while wielding this, you may use the better SL between your rolled SLs and the ones die of your roll. Undamaging overrides this and removes it.
Defensive: If you are wielding this, you get +1 SL on any Melee test when you use it to oppose an incoming attack.
Distract: When you would cause Damage with this, you may instead force the opponent back 1 yard per SL by which you won the opposed test.
Entangle: When you cause a successful hit while wielding this, the target gains an Entangled condition with Strength equal to your Strength. While Entangling a foe this way, you cannot otherwise use this weapon to hit. You may end the Entangled condition on the foe at will.
Fast: While wielding this, you may ignore your normal Initiative sequence to attack with it whenever you want, and all Melee tests to defend against this weapon get -10 unless the weapon defending is also Fast. If two people have a Fast weapon, they go in initiative order relative to each other if they wish to act simultaneously. Slow overrides this and removes it.
Hack: When you cause a successful hit while wielding this, you deal 1 Damage to a struck piece of armor or shield as well as wounding the target. (I believe this means if your roll succeeds, if they successfully parry with a shield, you damage the shield.)
Impact: When you cause a successful hit while wielding this, add the ones digit of your attack roll to its Damage. Undamaging overrides and removes this.
Impale: When wielding this, you cause a Critical Hit on any successful attack roll ending in a 0 as well as on doubles. If this is from a ranged attack, the projectile also lodges in the target's body and requires a Heal test to remove and, if a bullet, surgery. You can't heal 1 Wound per projectile lodged in your body.
Penetrating: Non-metal APs are ignored, and 1 AP of all other armor is ignored.
Pistol: This ranged weapon can be used in close combat.
Pummel: When you cause a successful Head hit while wielding this, you may make a Strength test against the target's Endurance. If you win, they gain 1 Stunned condition.
Precise: You get +1 SL on any successful test to attack with this weapon.
Repeater (Rating): Your weapon holds (Rating) shots, reloading automatically when fired until you use up all (Rating) shots. After that it must be reloaded as normal.
Shield (Rating): If you use this weapon to oppose an incoming attack, you count as having (Rating) APs on all hit locations. If the Rating is 2+, this weapon may oppose incoming missile shots in your line of sight.
Trap-blade: If you score a Critical while defending with this weapon against a bladed weapon, you may choose to trap it instead of causing a Critical Hit. If you do, make an opposed Strength test, adding your SLs from the Melee test. If you succeed, your opponent drops their weapon. If you get 6+ SLs, their weapon breaks unless it has the Unbreakable quality.
Unbreakable This weapon will never break, corrodoe or lose its edge in nearly any circumstance.
Wrap: Melee tests opposed attacks made with this get -1 SL, as the weapon wraps around or over the weapon or shield.
Flaws
Dangerous: Any failed test that has a 9 in either place of the roll causes a Fumble.
Imprecise: You get -1 SL when using this weapon to attack. The weapon may never have Precise.
Reload (Rating): Reloading this weapon requires an extended Ranged test with the appropriate weapon group, aiming for (Rating) SLs. If interrupted, you must start from scratch.
Slow: When using this weapon, you always go last in the round, regardless of Initiative order. Any attempt to defend against attacks from this weapon gets +1 SL.
Tiring: This weapon loses Impact and Damaging on any turn in which you do not Charge.
Undamaging: Double all APs against this weapon, and it can have its damage reduced to 0 on a hit.

What that reach stuff was was about how big the weapon is. Personal is your body. Very Short is under a foot, Short is up to 2 feet, Average up to 3, Long up to 6, Very Long up to 10 and may Engage foes out to 4 yards rather than 2, Massive is over 10 and can Engage foes out to 6 yards rather than 2. Optionally, if your weapon is longer than your foe's, they get -10 to hit you. However, as your action, you can make an opposed Melee test to step inside the enemy's weapon length. The winner decides if the combat is normal or in-fighting. During in-fighting, any weapon with reach longer than Short is considered an improvised weapon.

Next time: Ranged Weapons

How Am Gun

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

WFRP 4e - How Am Gun

Ranged weapons apply traits both from the weapon and its ammunition, which can be a bit confusing. Most ammo doesn't change much, though.

Blackpowder weapons all have the Blackpowder and Damaging qualities. Any Engineering weapon may be used with Ranged (Blackpowder), but retains all Flaws while losing all Qualities if you do.
Blunderbusses are two-handed, Damage +8, Blast 3, Dangerous and Reload 2 and are Scarce, with Enc 1 and Range 20. They cost 2GC.
Hochland long rifles are two-handed, Damage +9, Accurate, Precise and Reload 4 and are Exotic, with Enc 3 and Range 100. They cost 100GC.
Handguns are two-handed, Damage +9, Dangerous, Reload 3 and are Scarce, with Enc 2 and Range 50. They cost 4GC.
Pistols are Damage +8, Pistol, Reload 1 and are Rare, with Enc 0 and Range 20. They cost 8GC.
Ammo
Bullets and powder give +1 Damage, Impale and Penetrating and are Common, with Enc 0. They cost 3s3p per 12.
Improvised shot and powder halves weapon range and is Common, with Enc 0. It costs 3p per shot but can only be used by Blunderbusses.
Small shot and powder gives Blast +1 and is Common, with Enc 0. It costs 3s3p per 12 but can only be used by blunderbusses.

Bow weapon are all two-handed.
Elf bows are +SB+4, Damaging and Precise and are Exotic, with Enc 2 and Range 150. They cost 10GC.
Longbows are +SB+4 and Damaging and are Scarce, with Enc 3 and Range 100. They cost 5GC.
Bows are +SB+3 and are Common, with Enc 2 and Range 50. They cost 4GC.
Shortbows are +SB+2 and are Common, with Enc 1 and Range 20. They cost 3GC.
Ammo
Arrows give Impale and are Common, with Enc 0. They cost 5s per 12.
Elf arrows give +1 Damage, Range +50, Accurate, Impale and Penetrating and are Exotic, with Enc 0. They cost 6s per arrow.

Crossbows can be used without training, like melee weapons. However, like melee wepaons, they lose all Qualities but retain all Flaws if so.
Crossbow Pistols are Damage +7 and Pistol and are Scarce, with Enc 0 and Range 10. They cost 6GC.
Heavy crossbows are two-handed, Damage +9, Damaging and Reload 2 and are Rare, with Enc 3 and Range 100. They cost 7GC.
Crossbows are two-handed, Damage +9 and Reload 1 and are Common, with Enc 2 and Range 60. They cost 5GC.
Ammo
Bolts give Impale and are Common, with Enc 0. They cost 5s per 12.

Engineering weapons all have the Blackpowder and Damaging qualities. Ranged (Engineering) can be used freely with any Blackpowder or Explosive weapons without penalty. They use the same ammo as Blackpowder.
Repeater handguns are two-handed, Damage +9, Dangerous, Reload 5 and Repeater 4 and are Rare, with Enc 3 and Range 30. They cost 10GC.
Repeater pistols are Damage +8, Dangerous, Repeater, Reload 4, Repeater 4 and are RAre, with Enc 1 and Range 10. They cost 15GC.

Entangling weapons don't use range bands - they just go out to their listed range and then stop.
Lassos deal no damage, are Entangle and are Common, with Enc 0 and Range (SB*2). They cost 6s.
Whips are Damage +SB+2 and Entangle and are Common, with Enc0 and Range 6. They cost 5s.

Explosives
Bombs are Damage +12, Blast 5, Dangerous and Impact and are Rare. They are Enc 0 and Range SB. They cost 3GC.
Incendiaries deal no Damage but cause all targets to get 1+SL Ablaze Conditions, are Blast 4 and Dangerous and are Scarce. They are Enc 0 and Range SB. They cost 1GC.

Sling
Slings are Damage +6 and are Common, with Enc 0 and Range 60. They cost 1s.
Staff slings are two-handed, Damage +7 and are Scarce, with Enc 2 and Range 100. They cost 4s.
Ammo
Lead bullets give +1 Damage, Range -10 and Pummel and are Common. They cost 4p per 12.
Stone bullets give Pummel and are Common. They cost 2p per 12.

Throwing weapons can be used without training, like melee weapons. However, like melee wepaons, they lose all Qualities but retain all Flaws if so.
Bolas are Damage +SB and Entangle and are Rare, with Enc 0 and Range (SB*3). They cost 10s.
Darts are Damage +SB+1 and Impale and are Scarce, with Enc 0 and Range (SB*2). They cost 2s.
Javelins are Damage +SB+3 and Impale and are Scarce, with Enc 1 and Range (SB*3). They cost 10s6p.
Rocks are Damage +SB and are Common, with Enc 1 and Range (SB*3). They are free.
Throwing axes are Damage +SB+3 and Hack and are "Average" which I assume is Common or Scarce, with Enc 1 and Range (SB*2). They cost 1GC.
Throwing knives are Damage +SB+2 and are Common, with Enc 0 and Range (SB*2). They cost 18s.

Range bands are simple - Point Blank is out to (Range/10), Short is out to (Range/2), Medium is out to Range, Long is out to (Range*2) and Extreme is out to (Range*3), with each range providing modifiers except Medium.

Next time: Armor

How Am Armor

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

WFRP 4e - How Am Armor

First up, armor damage. Armor is only damaged in two circumstances: a special ability that does it, like Hack, or a Critical Wound is deflected. More on that momentarily. When armor takes 1 Damage, you reduce the APs of that piece of armor by 1. So, what is deflection? Any time you would suffer a Critical Wound on a location protected by armor, you may choose to ignore the Critical Wound by taking 1 point of armor damage to that piece of armor, before taking Wounds. (So you're gonna take 1 more point of Damage, but hey! No crit.) Repairing armor costs 10% of the armor's base price per AP; you can do it yourself with an appropriate trade skill and tools...and, for plate, a workshop.

Soft Leather can be worn without penalty under any other armor. So do that!
Leather Jacks give 1 AP to Arms and Body, are Enc 1 and Common. They cost 12s.
Leather Jerkins give 1 AP to Body, are Enc 1 and Common. They cost 10s.
Leather Leggings give 1 AP to Legs, are Enc 1 and Common. They cost 14s.
Leather Skullcaps give 1 AP to Head, are Enc 0 and Common. They cost 8s.

Boiled Leather
Breastplates give 2 APs to Body, have Weakpoints, Enc 2 and Scarce. They cost 18s.

Mail gives -10 to Stealth per piece.
Mail Chausses give 2 APs to Legs, are Flexible, Enc 3 and Scarce. They cost 2GC.
Mail Coats give 2 APs to Arms and Body, are Flexible, Enc 3 and Common. They cost 3GC.
Mail Coifs give 2 APs to Head, -10 to Perception, are Flexible, Partial, Enc 2 and Scarce. They cost 1GC.
Mail Shirts give 2 APs to Body, are Flexible, Enc 2 and Scarce. They cost 2GC.

Plate gives -10 to Stealth per piece.
Breastplates give 2 APs tp Body, are Impenetrable, Weakpoints, Enc 3 and Scarce. They cost 10GC
Open Helms give 2 APs to Head, -10 to Perception, Partial, Enc 1 and Common. They cost 2GC.
Bracers give 2 APs to Arms, Impenetrable, Weakpoints, Enc 3 and Rare. They cost 8GC.
Plate Leggings give 2 APs to Legs, another -10 to Stealth, Impenetrable, Weakpoints, Enc 3 and Rare. They cost 10GC.
Helms give 2 APs to Head, -20 to Perception, Impenetrable, Weakpoints, Enc 2 and Rare. They cost 3GC.

Armor also has Qualities and Flaws.
Qualities
Flexible: You can wear this under a layer of non-Flexible armor, stacking their benefits.
Impenetrable: Critical Wounds against this location caused by odd numbers are ignored.
Flaws
Partial: Opponents rolling an even number to hit or a Critical Hit against this location ignore this armor's APs.
Weakpoints: Weapons with Impale that score a Critical ignore this armor's APs.

Other gear has prices. Containers have Encumbrance and also a limit on the Encumbrance that can be put in them in case you care about that. Coats are required to avoid cold exposure penalties. We also get Bugman's XXXXXX Ale. A pint of Bugman's counts as 4 points of normal ale for intoxication purposes, but gives immunity to Fear for 1d10 hours. Bugman's! We also get tool kits, and a note that while most tools are Improvised Weapons, the GM may allow heavy or sharp tools like a crowbar or sickle to count as a Hand Weapon. Legal documents, books, workshops, animals - chickens are hella cheap, btw, you can own a lot of chickens. We also get info on how much encumbrance any given animal can carry. Your average draught horse can handle 20, a mule can do 14. Riding horses get 16.

Drugs and poisons are interesting in that drugs are actually a neat tradeoff most of the time. Poisons are also quite nasty, but mostly Exotic.
Black Lotus is Exotic, 20GC, and meant to go on blades. Victims that take at least 1 Wound from a sap-coated blade take 2 Poisoned conditions, resisted with Endurance at -10.
Heartkill is Exotic, 40GC and is the venom of an Amphisbaena (a sort of rare two-headed snake) and a Jabberslythe. When ingested, it costs 4 Poisoned conditions, resisted with Endurance at -10.
Mad Cap Mushrooms are Exotic, 5GC and the stuff that Goblin fanatics eat before battle. They give +10 Strength, +4 Wounds and give the Frenzy Talent. When the effect ends, you take 1d10 Wounds and non-Greenskins must make an Endurance test or get a Minor Infection. They last while chewed and for 2d10 minutes after that.
Mandrake Root is Rare, 1GC and an addictive deliriant. Users must make a WP test each round to do anything, get only a Move or an Action, and halve their Movement. However, they get +20 to Cool tests. It lasts while chewed plus 1d10*10 minutes.
Moonflower is Scarce, 5GC and is a moss grown on leaves exclusively in Laurelorn, used by Elves to treat the Black Plague. It gives +30 to any associated tests for Elves to resist Black Plague and that's it. Anyone else can inhale its vapors and make a Willpower test at -30. Fail, you become Unconscious. Pass, you get +20 to Cool tests and 1 Fatigued condition. It is often used as an anaesthetic by expensive doctors. It lasts 1d10+5 hours.
Ranald's Delight is Scarce, 18s and an addictive stimulant made from sulfur, mercury and some other stuff. Inhaling it gives +1 Movement and +10 WS, S, T and Agi for 3 hours, after which you get -2 Movement and -20 WS, S, T and Agi for 21 hours.
Spit is Rare, 1GC5s and extracted from Chameleoleeches as a hallucinogen that causes visions of hings you deeply desire. Upon exposure, you must make a Toughness test at -30 or be lost a fully real fantasy left to the GM to handle. The effects last for 1d10 minutes.
Weirdroot is Rare, 4s and a common street drug, chewed for euphoria and hallucinations, which some say is connected to the Winds of Magic. It gives +10 to Toughness and WP tests, but -10 to Agility, Initiative and Intelligence tests for as long as you chew it, plus 1d10*10 minutes after.

Medicines!
Digestive Tonic is Common, 3s, and gives +20 to tests to recover from stomach ailments, such as the Galloping Trots or Bloody Flux.
Earth Root is Scarce, 5GC, and ingested to negate the effects of Buboes caused by Black Plague, though there's still visible swelling, and gives +10 to all tests related to the disease. You need 1 dose per day.
Faxtoryll is Exotic, 15s, and is smeared on a wound to remove all Bleeding conditions without a test. You need 1 dose per Critical Wound.
Healing Draughts are Scarce, 10s and, if you have more than 0 Wounds, give you +TB Wounds immediately. 1 dose per encounter.
Healing Poultices are Common, 12s and are made from animal dung and urine mixed with common herbs. Any Critical Wound treated with a Healing Poultice will not suffer Minor Infections.
Nightshade is Rare, 3GC and consuming a dose causes you to make an Endurance test or fall into a deep sleep after 2-3 hours, lasting 1d10+4 hours.
Salwort is Common, 12s and, when held under the nose, removes 1 Stunned condition. 1 dose per encounter.
Vitality Draughts are Scarce, 18s and remove all Fatigued conditions instantly.

Prosthetics! Most don't do much that's useful, but the following do:
False Legs are Scarce, Enc 2 and let you ignore 1 point of Movement loss due to the missing part, and let you spend XP to regain the other point and more XP to be able to Dodge again, as long as you have your false leg. They cost 16s.
Gilded Noses are Scarce and let you ignore the Fellowship loss for having no nose. They cost 18s and are usually actually made of wood or ceramic. They cost 18s.
Hooks are Commonm, Enc 1 and let you spend XP to buy off the penalties for not having two hands. Also, they count as Daggers in combat. They cost 3s4p.
Engineering Marvels are Exotic, Enc 1 and let you entirely ignore whatever they replace - ear, hand, arm or leg. If you ever take a Critical Wound to the marvel, however, it breaks down and must be repaired at 10% of base cost at least. They cost 20GC.
Wooden Teeth are Rare, cost 10s and let you ignore all penalties for lost teeth.

Next time: Bestiary

How Am Bear

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

WFRP 4e - How Am Bear

The Bestiary chapter notes that it is providing generic examples, and that you, the GM, are encouraged to customize them - add skills or talents, even use the Career system for truly terrifying foes. However, the fastest way to make NPC foes is to just toss on Creature Traits. Each entry has one or more standard Traits, that all examples of that critter will have, and a list of Optional Traits, which are the most common ones to toss on as variants. You can, of course, ignore them and give any traits you want. We also get a discussion of hit locations. For anything like, horse-size or smaller, it's usually easy to adapt - arms become forelegs or wings or whatever. Some things require special ones, though, so we get new tables for snakes and spiders. For any creature 2 steps larger than you or more, you just hit the location closest to you, or pick one in line of sight to shoot. If a hit location has no critical table, use the one for Arms. Also, any creature is assumed to have Afraid, Animosity, Armor, Big, Brute, Clever, Cunning, Elite, Fast, Hardy, Leader, Prejudice, Tough or Weapon as Optional Traits, in addition to their normal list.

We start off with generic species statblocks for PC species. They're exactly what you'd expect from the PC starting stats. Humans get Prejudice (Pick One) by default and Elves get Animosity (Pick One) by default, though. Then we get Ogres. Ogres are large, brutish and violent creatures, driven largely by hunger. They aren't particularly smart, and default to finding food by...well, hitting things or otherwise using their strength. They come from far eastern lands, but are common in the Old World because they love to travel, hunting for new things to eat. As they pass through on their decades-long culinary excursions, they work hard to integrate into the societies they visit, wearing local clothes and following local customs as best they can, to better be able to get food. For reasons no one knows, Halflings and Ogres get on especially well. Most Halfling clan elders have Ogre bodyguards, and it's said that the Elder of the Moot rarely goes anywhere without his friend Zorarth Legbiter, an Ogre who's been in the Empire nearly a century. Many Ogre mercenary groups employ Halfling cooks, too. However, the relationship sometimes breaks down, as when Golgfag Maneater, captain of Golgfag's Maneaters, employed a small clan of Halflings to feed him and his regiment, but then realized the cooks tasted better than the actual food. Ogres are strong and tough, with not much ranged combat ability, speed or delicacy, and they're not very smart or charismatic, but they are very hard to kill. By default, they have Armor 1, Hungry, Prejudice (Thin People), Night Vision, Size (Large) and Weapon+8, with optional Belligerent, Infected or Tracker.


Then we get a pair of Human NPCs as examples. First is Black Bella, Human Brigand. Her full name is Bethilda, and her husband was killed when Beastmen raided the village Reikherz. Four months later, she was evicted from her home for failure to pay rent, and in desperation, she turned to her cousin Alwin, a wanted outlaw. After some persuasion, she joined his band to harass the Karstadt-Sieglund road and was shocked to find how fun robbery was. Now, she has a reputation as Black Bella, brutal and ruthless, and Alwin is actually quite worried about it. She has Animosity (The Rich, Beastmen), Arboreal, Armor (Light 2), Prejudice (Bailiffs, Lawyers), Ranged +8 (50), Brute, Hardy and Weapon+8. She's got decent attack skills, good strength and toughness, average speed, but poor agility and grace, and only average social and mental stats.

Pol Dankels, Human Witch, grew up thinking he'd follow his parents, inheriting the Blessed Bertham's Bakery of Tahme. However, on his 23rd birthday, the very day his wife found out he'd been cheating on her with her sister, got angry and tried to leave with their children, something in him snapped. Witnesses claim his eyes glowed yellow and terrible orange flame erupted from his hands. Pol just knew the world turned red as the bakery burned. That'd be seven months ago. Ever since, Pol has been on the road with his three kids ever since, fleeing the Witch Hunters and his wife's agents. He refuses to be caught - his children need him. He is Cunning, Clever, Prejudice (Sigmarites), Spellcaster (Witch), Tough and Weapon+5, with poor physical stats besides Toughness and Initiative, but amazing Intelligence and pretty good WP and Fel.

On to the Beasts of the Reikland! These are the things Amber Wizards can turn into. Bears are typically solitary, shy creatures becoming aggressive only when intruders threaten their young or they are wounded. When food is scarce, they may approach unprotected settlements and travelers, however, especially those careless with their provisions. Bears have Armor 1, Bestial, Bite+9, Night Vision, Size (Large), Skittish, Stride and Weapon+8 by default. Optionally, they may have Hungry, Infected, Infestation, Size (Enormous), Territorial, Trained (Broken, Entertain, War). For maximum combat ability as a wizard, you want to add on the Trained (War) trait to help mitigate Skittish and Territorial to mitigate the downsides of Bestial. (Or ask your GM to let you not gain the psychological weaknesses of animals, which is what those end up being.) Size (Enormous) is excellent, Infestation is handy. Infected isn't useful in the short term, and Hungry is a weakness, so avoid those. Bears are just pretty good combatants for animals, though their WS leaves a little to be desired, and their WP is abysmal. (Several of the universal optional traits are also handy, in general, for any form.)

Boars are reclusive creatures, but when cornered will fight with sharp tusks and terrible tenacity. While most are only five to six feet long, some grow to great size, with the largest being prized by Orcs as mounts. Boars get Armor 1, Bestial, Horns (Tusks), Night Vision, Skittish, Stride and Weapon+6. Optionally they may have Belligerent, Frenzy, Infected, Infestation, Size (Large), Territorial and Trained (Broken, Magic, Mount, War). Trained (Magic) and Trained (War) together eliminate the problems of Skiottish, Territorial and Frenzy both help eliminate the issues of Bestial and are good in general, and size is always good. The main weaknesses of the Boar are only average stats and even worse WP than the bear.

Dogs are bred for all kinds of stuff. While lapdogs are rarely a threat to anything but dignity, others can be quite formidable. Dogs are by default Bestial, Night Vision, Skittish, Size (Small), Stride and Weapon+5. Optionally they get Armor 1, Frenzy, Infected, Size (Little to Average), Territorial, Tracker, or Trained (Broken, Entertain, Fetch, Guard, Magic, War). I'd rule that the Ratcatcher's dog begins with Trained (Broken) and (War) by default. Dogs are...well, they're not great, with below average stats all around except for I and Ag, low Wounds and abysmal WP. However, they make a good combat minion, and at larger sizes can be scarier because they're tougher, especially if you get them Guard training to deal with their Bestial downsides or Fetch training to be useful in other ways. Magic training is also handy if you have a wizard, so they don't get terrified every time a spell is cast.

Giant Rats are everywhere, especially in cities and towns. The more densely people live, the more rats you get. Many are diseased, and while they're usually small, they can become monstrously large. Altdorf has reports of rats the size of Humans - or bigger. Giant Rats are by default Bestial, Infected, Night Vision, Size (Small), Skittish, Stride and Weapon+4. Optionally they are Armor 1, Disease (Ratte Fever or Black Plague), Size (Little to Average), Swarm and Trained (War). Rats are about on par with dogs.

Giant Spiders are mostly found in forests and caves, but you can really just find them anywhere if you're unlucky, even attics and cellars. Most trap their prey with webs, then inject them with venom. While most are no bigger than a large rat, some become immense. Forest Goblins often capture the bigger ones for mounts. Giant Spiders are by default Bestial, Night Vision, Size (Little), Wallcrawler, Web 40 and Weapon+3. Optionally they are Armor 1, Arboreal, Bite, Size (Little to Enormous), Swarm, Venom (Average) and Trained (Broken, Guard, Magic, Mount and WaR). Giant Spiders are pretty average at everything, but low Strength, Toughness and Initiative. Also they're dumb as rocks. They're not great WP, but better than a lot of animals. Being the stupidest animal so far actually helps them as an Amber Wizard form - they don't start with Skittish, so that's one weakness they lack. You can counteract Bestial's big flaw with Trained (Guard), and being able to hit Size (Enormous) fixes their terrifyingly small wound pool. Swarm is an interesting trait, too.

Next time: Horses, pigeons and beyond!

Mister Ed

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

WFRP 4e - Mister Ed

Horses, like dogs, are bred for many jobs, ranging from speed to combat to labor. They're so useful that horse trading is a highly competitive job, almost a sport. Unscrupulous horse copers, as salesmen are known, often paint up and file down the teeth of older horses or stuff rags up their noses to soak up mucus, making them appear younger and more lively. Caveat emptor and all that. Horses are actually pretty okay, though their WS isn't great and neither is their I. Or Int, WP or Fel. But, y'know, animals. By default they are Bestial, Size (Large), Skittish, Stride and Weapon+7. Optionally, they may have Armor or Trained (Broken, Drive, Entertain, Magic, Mount, War). Mount and Drive are both likely to be common, followed by War. Magic's a useful one but rare.

Pigeons are bred largely to be messengers. Recently, however, they have become famous for carrying a deadlier cargo - engineers have begun using the little birds as deployment for explosives, with varying degrees of success. They have absolutely awful stats except for Ag, but...pigeons. They are Bestial, Fly 100, Size (Tiny), Skittish and Weapon+0. Optionally they may have Size (Small) or Trained (Broken, Home).

Snakes are found everywhere, especially forests. Most are harmless creatures, but some have deadly venom or constrict victims to death, and like many Old World animals, can grow to truly terrifying sizes, like the immense Fen Worm. Snakes actually are pretty good - they have good WS by animal standards, pretty good stats in general, with only one under 25 - Int. They're morons. They have by default Armor 1, Bestial, Cold-blooded, Fast, Size (Small) and Weapon+5. Optionally they may have Constrictor, Size (Tiny to Enormous), Swamp-strider, Swarm or Venom (Very Easy to Very Hard). The main thing you need to improve as an Amber Wizard is size. That'll get their Wounds out of the pit. Everything else is just gravy. Very nice gravy. Can't do much about Bestial's weaknesses, though.

Wolves typically hunt in packs and have a reputation for tenacity, chasing prey for miles without rest. Several species are found in the Reikland, like the Giant Wolves that are captured by Goblins as guards or mounts. Wolves are slightly above average at everything but Int and WP, so that's nice! Their Traits are Armor 1, Bestial, Night Vision, Skittish, Stride, Tracker and Weapon+6. Optionally they can have Frenzy, Size (Large), Territorial or Trained (Broken, Drive, Fetch, Guard, Magic, Mount, War). Same advice in general about Skittish and Bestial, and getting Frenzy access is pretty good. A solid pick, if suffering the same low WP as a lot of animals.

Then we have the Monstrous Beasts of the Reikland! These are still animals, but bigger, nastier and more magical ones. Basilisks are solitary, elusive reptiles with eight legs. They are said to be one of the most ancients creations of Chaos, filled with such spite and venom that the very ground they walk on is poisoned. Their bite is also poisonous, but the most terrifying is their petrifying gaze. Basilisks are rarely seen these days but very dangerous. Their glands are valuable to wizards and alchemists, so some hunters chase down rumors of the creatures in the wild parts of the Vorbergland. Few return alive. Basilisks have excellent stats except for I, Ag, Int and WP, and are very tough. They have Armor 2, Bestial, Bite+9, Cold-blooded, Immunity (Poison), Night Vision, Petrifying Gaze, Size (Enormous), Stride, Tail+8, Venom and Weapon+9. Optionally they may have Mutant or Territorial.

Bog Octopuses (or, as I call them, bogtopi) are found in shallow water, usually in marshes or swamps. They sit perfectly still, waiting for prey and sensing them by vibration, then erupt upwards to grab and drown their victims. They tend to be a mottled green and brown, perfectly camouflaged for bogs, with only their immense eyes betraying their presence. Most have tentacles some twenty feet long or so, with a body around six feet, but there are tales of those twice that size or more, especially if given a ready supply of food. Bogtopi are insanely strong and tough, but dumb and low Initiative. They have Amphibious, Bestial, Constrictor, Size (Large), Stealthy, Swamp-strider and 8 instances of Tentacles+9. Optionally they may have Size (Enormous to Monstrous) or Territorial. Y'know, in case Str 80 wasn't enough.

Cave Squigs are large, roundish fungoid critters that live underground in dank, dark caves. They are mostly mouth and sharp teeth, and goblins love them for their useful skin and hide, and also as guards and pets. (They aren't actually tameable, mind you.) Cave Squigs are very scary fighters, with their main weakness being that they're not super tough and have low I and WP. Oh, and being dumb as rocks. They are Bestial, Bounce, Infected, Night Vision and Weapon+9. Optionally they can be Aquatic, Breath (Acid or Gas), Dark Vision, Frenzy, Fury, Horns, or Size (Tiny to Enormous).

Demigryphs have the head of an eagle and the body of a big cat. They are powerful, noble beasts that roam the forests and grasslands of the Empire, generally far from Human settlements. Captive demigryphs are used by the knightly orders of the Empire as war mounts. Unlike larger monstrous mounts, which are usually taken in youth or bred in captivity, capturing a fully grown demigryph is a rite of passage for some orders. They do not have wings. They do have excellent stats, though they're not very smart and have only average animal-level WP. They have Armor 1, Bestial, Bite+9, Night Vision, Size (Large), Stride and Weapon+9. Optionally they can have Trained (Broken, Drive, Guard, Mount, War). Basically they're a straight upgrade from a horse, but not significantly harder to deal with.

Dragons ruled the sky long, long before even the Elder Races came. While today's dragons are mere shadows of their ancient ancestors, they are still some of the most potent creatures known to exist, and the few surviving elder dragons are even larger and more formidable, albeit rarely roused from slumber. Adventurers that anger a dragon should run. Really. The only stats they're bad at are Ag, Fel and Dex, and frankly, when your Wounds are in the triple digits, you don't need to dodge, and you don't have to be charming. Their default Traits are Armor 5, Bite+10, Breath+15 (Various), Flight 80, Night Vision, Size (Enormous), Tail+9 and Weapon+10. Optionally they may have Arboreal, Immunity (Any), Infestation, Magical, Mental Corruption, Mutation, Size (Monstrous), Spellcaster (Various), Swamp-strider, Trained (Mount), Undead and Venom.

Fenbeasts are raised by spellcasters out of the marshes and bogs, and appear to be largely mindless automata animated by magic. They are vaguely humanoid creations of mud, bones, branches and slime, and it takes a lot of magic to maintain one. Occasionally they will be raised by Jade Wizards as bodyguards or to fulfill some task that needs brute strength or mindless killing ability. Sometimes they spawn independently in stagnant pools where the flow of magic has been corrupted. The Jade College is said to maintain a score or so of the things as drudges and servants to senior magisters, maintained by the channeling of magic by dozens of apprentices. Fenbeasts are pretty strong and tough, but slow and clumsy. They have Construct, Dark Vision, Die Hard, Infected, Regenerate, Size (Large), Stupidity, Swamp-strider, Unstable and Weapon+8. Optionally they may have Frenzy, Hungry, Infestation or Territorial. (Despite not actually having WP.)

Next time: Wait, these are mentioned?

The Most Obscure Thing In The Book

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

WFRP 4e - The Most Obscure Thing In The Book

Fimir. Fimir are secretive, one-eyed lizard-creatures that hide in the depths of swamps and bogs in the western Reikland. They hate sunlight and typically appear only at dawn and dusk or under fog cover to kidnap victims for "mysterious, loathsome purposes" which is probably the least gross interpretation of Fimir in the entire history of Warhammer. Witches reckless or desperate enough to work with Daemons have sometimes been known to seek out the Fimir for their knowledge of summoning and controlling such beings, and it is up for debate whether dealing with Chaos or Fimir is riskier. Fimir are matriarchal, with the leader of each clan being a powerful witch called a Meargh. She is always aided by lesser spellcasters, called Dirach. The rest of the clan are the lowest caste, Shearls, or the warrior caste, Fimm, who have bony, spiky knobs on their tails to break bones with. Fimir are average to above average at most things except BS, Ag, Dex and Fel, which they're not great at. By default they have Armor 2, Cold-blooded, Night Vision, Size (Large), Swamp-strider and Weapon+8. Optionally they have Tail+7 or Spellcaster (Daemonology).


Giants are solitary beings that generally shun civilization. Most live in remote, high places around the Empire, living in caves or forgotten ruins far from smaller folk, though they may come down to the foothills for food. Giants have a reputation for ferocity and belligerence, in part because of their immense size, their tendency to eat cattle and the fact that Greenskins like to enslave them and force them to fight. In truth, most giants are gentle beings, if prone to tantrums and very protective of their privacy, and are not necessarily hostile to others. Because they are so long-lived, some say they hoard ancient lore, but most tend to not be especially lucid, and definitely more interested in drinking than history. Giants aren't especially accurate, but very strong and tough. Also not very bright or brave, most of the time. But, y'know, actually killing one is going to take a while. They have Armor 1, Night Vision, Size (Enormous), Stride, Tough and Weapon+10. They may have Bestial, Breath (Drunken Vomit), Hungry, Infected, Infestation, Size (Monstrous) or Stupid.

Griffons have the upper body and wings of an eagle and the lower body of a great cat, making them an elegant and regal beast of noble bearing. They live high in the mountains of the Empire and while they are swift, efficient killers, they are not prone to the indiscriminate rages of Manticores or Hippogryphs. Perhaps due to this, they are extremely popular in the Empire in heraldry and iconography, serving as a symbol of the Empire itself. They are one of the most intelligent of wild beasts, and if captured at a young age and trained correctly, they can be very loyal, able to anticipate and master many commands. They are so highly sought that hunters regularly die seeking their eggs to sell. The most renowned in the Reikland is Deathclaw, who lives in the Imperial Zoo when not serving as the mount and pet of Emperor Karl-Franz himself, who is said to have hatched the griffon personally...which has led to no small number of lewd political cartoons. Griffons are extremely good at basically everything they are capable of doing and therefore are the mount of choice if you can manage to get one. They have Armor 1, Bestial, Bite+9, Flight 80, Night Vision, Size (Enormous) and Weapon+9. Optionally they can get Trained (Broken, Guard, Magic, Mount, War).

Hydras are a many-headed reptile with a massive body and a maze of necks and fire-breathing heads. Also they bite. They are shockingly stealthy and tenacious for such a large beast, and will stalk their prey for miles. However, they also tend to be somewhat impatient once they get hungry and will charge, roaring, at anything they think they can take. They're big and strong and tough, if not especially clever or high-Initiative. They have Armor 3, Bestial, Breath+10 (Fire), Constrictor, Night Vision, Regeneration, Size (Enormous), Stealthy, Stride, Tracker and Weapon+9. Optionally they are Belligerent, Territorial or Venom.

Jabberslythes are ancient Chaos creatures that lurk in the deepest and darkest forests. They are a maddening mix of toad, sludge-drake and insect, full of a corrosive black blood that spurts from even the smallest cut. Even looking upon one risks madness, though no one is quite sure why, and the maddened antics of those who succumb make them easy prey. It has a sticky tongue it can shoot out to grab meals, and it moves in a strange, rolling gait that is surprisingly fast. It has wings, but they are far too small to allow for flight. Jabberslythes are basically good at whatever they want to do, as long as they don't have to think about it. They're dumb, not especially agile and not great at WP. They have Armor 3, Bestial, Bite+9, Bounce, Corrosive Blood, Distracting, Infected, Night Vision, Size (Enormous), Tail+8, Tongue Attack+5 (12), Venom and Weapon+9. Optionally they are Mutant or Territorial.

Manticores are thankfully rare creatures - thankfully, because they are ferocious beyond measure and almost compelled to clear their territory of any competing predator with extreme brutality. It's easy to tell, most of the time, that you're in Manticore territory. They decorate it by leaving the corpses of their fellow predators all over the place. They have the head and body of a twisted and corrupted great cat, though at times with a face that appears almost Human, the wings of a bat and a barbed tail. They're very good at fighting and have universally excellent stats, except mentally. They're dumb and only somewhat brave. They have Armor 2, Bestial, Bite+9, Flight 80, Size (Enormous), Tail+8, Territorial, Venom and Weapon+9. Optionally they may have Hatred (Predators), Mutant or Trained (Broken, Magic, Mount).


Pegasi are beautiful white horses with swan-like wings of great size. They are nearly inexhaustible flyers that move in great flying herds in the mountains, apparently enjoyin aerial acrobatics on the thermals. They are obvious to most as good mounts, and many try to catch a Pegasus to ride. However, the beasts are very clever and some say they will only allow themselves to be caught if they feel like it, which has led to many fanciful and romantic legends that insist only the worthy or virtuous may be chosen by the Pegasi. A Pegasus is basically like a horse but better in every respect, including not being Skittish or Bestial, though that last may be a typo. It has Flight 100, Size (Large), Stride and Weapon+7, and may have Trained (Broken, Magic, Mount, War).


Next time: ORC ORC ORC

Waaaagh?

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

WFRP 4e - Waaaagh?

Trolls are disgusting, foul beasts found all over the Old World. They quickly adapt to their surroundings and come in a variety of types or breeds, but all are big and bulky. They're stupid and typically ruled by their instinct for food, but also like to hoard things and often fill their lairs with useful or valuable objects, along with the remains of their meals. While there are many Troll varieties, they are all idiots, they all regenerate and are hard to kill, and they are all able to vomit up their last meal as an acrid, bilious defense mechanism over a shocking distance, though they hate doing it because it leaves them very hungry. The most notable Reikland variants are Chaos Trolls, which have mutations 'gifted' them by the Dark Gods and are often enslaved by Beastmen or Chaos warbands due to the perceived favor of Chaos, River Trolls, which live in marshes along the Reik, are quite common and tend to pretend to be flotsam or clumps of weed until they can ambush people, and Stone Trolls, found in the mountains, with a rough, stone-like skin and armored plates that help them blend and protect them in their cave lairs. Trolls aren't super accurate but are super strong and tough. They're clumsy and stupid, but they hit like a train. They have Armor 2, Bite+8, Die Hard, Infected, Regenerate, Size (Large), Stupid, Tough, Vomit and Weapon+9. Optionally they may be Aquatic, Bestial, Frenzy, Hungry, Infestation, Magic Resistance, Mutation, Night Vision, Painless, Stealth or Swamp-strider.


Wyverns, while often mistaken for dragons by the uneducated, are very much not dragons. There are at best superficial similarities. Wyverns are smelly, awful morons, cowards and scavengers with poor eyesight that prefer to prey on the defenseless, largely sheep and goats, while avoiding combat whenever they can. They are not generally very territorial, and if their hunting grounds get invaded by anything they cannot easily defeat they will usually just go somewhere else. They are still giant, strong, dangerous threats whose main weakness is being dumb, though. They have Armor 2, Bestial, Flight 90, Size (Enormous), Venom and Weapon+10. Optionally they may have Breath (Venom), Horns, Mount, Tail+9 or Trained (Broken, Guard, Magic, Mount, War)

The Greenskin Hordes! They're the scourge of civilization, constantly heading out to raid people, fight each other, do the whole shebang. Orcs are belligerent, brutal and practically immune to pain. They are muscular, hulking things with broad shoulders and a tendency to ignore little problems like missing arms if it means a good fight. They love fighting more than anything else, and when they have no one to fight, they'll fight each other. They aren't as numerous as Goblins, but they are bigger and tougher, and they're plenty loud about it. Orcs can become very large, and the bigger they are, the stronger, tougher and more aggressive they are, and therefore the more powerful within what passes for Orc society. Some Orcs ride boars into battle, which can be terrifying to see. Orcs are pretty much better than humans at all fighting-related stuff, but tend to be lower Initiative, clumsier, dumber and less charismatic. They have Armor 3, Belligerent, Die Hard, Infected, Night Vision and Weapon+8, plus optionally Painless, Ranged+8 (50) or Size (Large).


Goblins are small, spiteful, quick and clever, with a deep and powerful instinct for survival. While they are cowards, they will happily band together if it'll make them overwhelming in terms of numbers. Goblins often join Orc armies, not always by choice, and will grab any spoils of war they can while avoiding as much of the actual fighting as possible. Goblins are basically like Humans, but better at BS, worse at WS, more cowardly and less charismatic. They have Animosity, Armor 1, Afraid (Elves), Infected, Night Vision and Weapon+7, plus optionally Arboreal, Hatred (Dwarfs), Night Vision, Ranged+7 (25) or Venom.


Snotlings are basically small, humanoid, green, disgusting puppies. They're scavengers and natural mimics who just like to pick up shiny stuff or bones, or to copy whatever they see. If forced to fight by Goblins or Orcs, they mostly just overwhelm foes with sheer numbers, throwing any manner of gross shit, from poisonous fungi to poop, at foes. They're small, weak, dumb and surprisingly brave but easily killed. They are Bestial, Infected, Night Vision, Size (Small) and Weapon+4, and optionally Swarm, Trained (Broken, Fetch, Guard) or Venom.

The restless dead! The Undead are animate corpses, given unholy life by Necromancy. Skeletons are the fleshless bones of the dead, reanimated as a mockery of life. Those who died and were not laid to rest in the rituals prescribed by Morr may be called back in this form by sufficiently powerful necromancers. Skeletons are totally mindless and will fight until smashed to bits. They are not brave, because they feel no fear. They can't die, because they are not alive. They're not actually good at much, but are reasonably tough and never run away or feel pain. They have Armor 2, Construct, Dark Vision, Fear 2, Painless, Undead, Unstable and Weapon+7, plus optionally Corruption (Minor), Infected or Territorial. Not that Territorial actually, uh, does anything for them. Optionally there is a rule that they take -1 Damage from any weapon without the Pummel trait.


Next time: Dead People

Undying

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

WFRP 4e - Undying

Zombies are similar to Skeletons, but they're recently dead enough to still have fleshy bits, albeit diseased and maggot-ridden. Their flesh tends to slough off as they fight, releasing horrific smells that can turn the stomachs of even hardened soldiers. Like Skeletons, their primary power is that they're scary and feel no pain. They're absolutely terrible fighters, slow and can't do much but soak hits, otherwise. They have Construct, Dark Vision, Fear 2, Painless, Undead, Unstable and Weapon+7, and optionally Armor, Corruption (Minor), Diseased, Distracting, Infected, Infestation or Territorial, which again doesn't do shit for them.

Dire Wolves are zombie giant wolves. They have glowing eyes, tattered flesh and so on. They roam the night on behalf of their necromancer masters, and in Reikland they are said to rise on their own to roam the Hagercrybs when Morrslieb is full, hunting for prey to sate a hunger that they can never actually stop, for they are cursed with a desire for flesh and a heightened sense of smell for blood. They are actually quite tough and have decent stats. You're not going to outrun them, either. They have Armor 1, Construct, Dark Vision, Fear 2, Size (Large), Stride, Tracker, Undead, Unstable, Weapon+6. Optionally they can have Corruption (Minor), Distracting, Infected, Painless and Territorial. I'm not sure why Painless is optional, and again, Territorial is useless without Bestial.

Crypt Ghouls are ugly, stooping humanoids with sallow, filth-coated skin and sharp teeth to tear flesh. They are drawn to Shyish and Dhar energies, which in practice means they are found around graveyards, crypts and battlefields. They're pretty tough and strong. They're almost anti-charismatic, and not super bright or brave, however. They also aren't actually Undead! They're just usually in the same places. They have Bite+5, Infected, Night Vision and Weapon+6, plus optionally Bestial, Painless and Venom.

Varghulfs are, technically, Vampires. Most Vampires balance their need for blood with a desire to maintain some semblance of decorum and Humanity. They play at aristocracy, often. Some give up on being Human entirely, however, embracing their inner beast. These are the Vhargulfs, savage and wild creatures devoid of lies, actively seeking animal gratification. They take the form of giant, bloated creatures that resemble bats, basking in their hunger for blood. They're actually very good at basically anything they might want to do, but they're dumb. They have Armor 1, Bestial, Bite+8, Fear 4, Dark Vision, Hatred (Living), Hungry, Regeneration, Size (Large), Terror 3, Undead, Vampiric and Weapon+9. Optionally they can have Corruption (Minor), Flight, Frenzy, Fury, Territorial or Tracker.

Cairn Wraiths are powerful spirits, often the ghostly remnants of aspiring necromancers that sought eternal life. In life they had strong will, and in death that evil will drives them to a terrible vengeance on the living. Many of these Wraiths haunt the misty cairns of the Hagercrybs and other parts of the Empire. They're not significantly better at most things than a Human, but they're Ethereal and Terror 3 and that makes them very dangerous. They have Chill Grasp, Dark Vision, Ethereal, Terror 3, Undead, Unstable and Weapon+9. Optionally they c may have Bestial, Champion, Painless or Territorial.

Tomb Banshees are the spectral remnants of once-potent witches who died steeped in Dhar energies, but weren't necromancers. They are tormented eternally by loss and bitterness, a driving void within that pushes them to release terrible, soul-shaking howls that can drive listeners insane or even kill them. Again, they're not actually better than most Humans at doing things (except WP, which they're quite good at) but their special traits are what make them dangerous. They have Dark Vision, Ethereal, Ghostly Howl, Terror 3, Undead, Unstable and Weapon+7. Optionally they may have Bestial, Flight, Fury, Painless or Territorial.

Vampires believe themselves the rulers of the night. Many can pass for Human, and some do so for long periods among mortals. Despite their outward appearance, however, they are Undead and, rather than mortal hungers, they crave blood. All Vampires of the Old World ultimately descend from the ancient bloodlines that originated millenia ago, far to the south. Many are very, very proud of their heritage and the traditions that come with it. Vampires of different lines are often bitter rivals, though they're smart enough to work together when they come up against a greater foe. Vampires have excellent stats. 40's as low as they go. They get Bite+8, Night Vision, Undead, Vampiric and Weapon+9. Optionally they may have Bestial, Champion, Corruption (Minor), Dark Vision, Die Hard, Distracting, Fear, Flight, Frenzy, Fury, Hungry, Mental Corruption, Painless, Petrifying Gaze, Regeneration, Spellcasting (Death or Necromancy), Tracker or Wall Crawler.

Ghosts are the spirits of the tormented dead, those who died with unfinished business. They, like Skeletons or Zombies, can be called on by necromancers or Vampires to serve, or may just haunt sufficiently Dhar-infused areas. In some cases, particularly driven spirits may even force their way out of the Realm of Morr to pursue their business, though this always quickly draws Morrite attention or that of the Amethyst Order. When summoned by necromancy, Ghosts often swarm together in mighty Spirit Hosts that plunge through foes, spreading fear and chaos. They're, as with most spirits, not actually better at things than any given Human and often worse, but their traits are nasty. Dark Vision, Ethereal, Fear 2, Undead, Unstable, Weapon+6. Optionally, they can have Bestial, Fury, Hatred, Swarm or Territorial.

Now we enter the servants of Chaos. The mere mention of Chaos can make the superstitious flee or make the sign of the hammer, but while all fear Beastmen and Chaos warriors, the true danger lies in the hidden cultists, corrupt nobles and the misunderstandings about Mutants that lead to offering them up to Beastmen or Chaos tribes rather than killing them mercifully or finding a better way. We start out with Beastmen, grotesque mixes of beast and Human, who consider themselves the true children of Chaos, blessed by the Dark Gods over all others. Their herds stalk the forests, worshipping at profane, shit-covered altars.

Gors are your common Beastman, found in nearly every Old World forest. They vary wildly in appearance but all mix Human and bestial traits, often with the head and legs of a goat and the torso and arms of a Human. The only universal feature of all Gors, however, are large horns. The bigger the better, as horn size is related to status among the Beastmen, and distinguishes them from Ungor and Turnskins. The largest of the Gors are known as Bestigors. Gors are physically superior to most Humans, but often clumsier and dumber. They have Arboreal, Armor 1, Fury, Horns+6, Night Vision and Weapon+7. Optionally they may have Armor 2, Corruption (Minor), Disease (Packer's Pox), Infected, Infestation, Mutation, Size (Large) or Spellcaster (Beasts)

Next time: Not Gors

Goat Men

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

WFRP 4e - Goat Men

Ungors are those Beastmen with extremely short or even vestigial horns, barely considered Beastmen at all by their compatriots. Hence 'Ungor.' Some even have Human-like faces, which makes them decent infiltrators but also heaivly ridiculed by their fellows. Ungors are extremely poorly treated by normal Gors, and are often stunted or malnourished, at least compared to the larger Gors, which leaves them bitter and eager to take out their rage and jealousy on anyone they can. Ungors are about on par with a Human or even slightly below. They are Arboreal, Night Vision and Weapon+6, and optionally Armor 1, Corruption (Minor), Disease (Packer's Pox), Infected, Infestation, Mutation, Ranged+7 (25) or Size (Small).

Minotaurs are huge, bull-like Beastmen that tower over even the largest Bestigor. Herds that have large numbers of Minotaurs see themselves as deeply blessed by the Dark Gods. The lesser Beastmen tend to congregate around Minotaurs, which bring courage to their lesser brethren. Minotaurs are even better at fighting than Gors are, though they're not very good at ranged combat; they don't really need to be. They have Horns+9, Hungry, Night Vision, Size (Large) and Weapon+9. Optionally, they can have Arboreal, Belligerent, Corruption (Minor), Disease (Packer's Pox), Fury, Infected, Infestation or Mutation.

Bray-Shaman are Beastmen born with the innate power to wield Chaos Magic, often quite well. They are unique among their kind in that they never have to fight others of their herd - no one would dare to harm a Bray-Shaman, for they speak the will of the Dark Gods. They're on par with Gors for most things, but have excellent WP, too. They are Arboreal, Corruption (Minor), Fury, Horns+6, Night Vision, Spellcaster (Beasts, Any Chaos, Death or Shadow), Weapon+7. Optionally they may have Disease (Packer's Pox), Infected, Infestation, Mutation or Size (Large).

Then you've got cultists and the lost. Humans that lurk within the Empire but are tainted by Chaos. Mutants are a tragedy, warped by the influence of Chaos. It can happen for no reason, to anyone at all - even babies. When this happens, many parents cannot bring themselves to kill the children, as the Empire teaches them they should, but instead abandon the infants in the woods, either to die or be taken in by Mutant or Beastman tribes. No matter how innocent a Mutant may be, the Empire treats them as terrifying pariahs and corrupt foes, and most end up falling either to the service of the Dark Gods out of bitterness at their abandonment...or suicide. They are statistically identical to normal Humans, except with Corruption (Minor), Mutation and Weapon+7. They may have any Trait.

Cultists see Chaos as something to pursue, to command or serve. It seems logical, even inevitable. Some particularly devout followers of Chaos cults are given 'gifts' by the Dark Gods - mutations that will get them killed if the Witch Hunters learn of them, generally. Again, statistically the same as Humans, but they have Weapon+6. They may have Armor 1, Corruption (Minor), Mutation or Spellcaster (Chaos).

Chaos Warriors are huge, hulking brutes in armor, covered in spikes and dark symbols. They are very clearly no longer Human. Nothing remains of their life before - they exist only to serve their dark patron. Most Chaos Warriors are marauders from the north, but a select few Imperial cultists may be granted the prize of Chaos Armor by their gods, earning great power, but never able to remove their armor again while they still live. Because few warriors are either as skilled or as well-protected, they can live a surprisingly long time despite this. They are warriors on par with a Minotaur - IE, very good at whatever they want to do, except maybe BS. They have Armored 5, Champion, Corruption (Minor) and Weapon+8. Optionally, Belligerent, Disease, Distracting, Frenzy, Mental Corruption, Mutation or Spellcaster (Chaos). Interestingly, they chose different art than normal - instead of Standard Issue Purple Spikyman, they went with a Nurglite Warrior, who is mostly naked and heavily mutated, with thick flesh and tentacles instead of purple armor, with a spiky helmet, shoulder piece and gauntlet.


Daemons are next - the Gibbering Hosts of Chaos. They are blasphemous horrors from the Realms of Chaos, not native to the world, and serve as the will of the Dark Gods made physical. In Reikland, they tend to appear only if summoned by cultists of the Ruinous Powers. They tend not to remain long, as a result - the material world hates their existence - but the problems they can cause are so great that none who meet them ever forget the experience. Most Daemons serve one of the Chaos Gods specifically, but some are simply beasts of the Aethyr, mindless destruction given form without will. The game gives two Lesser Daemons and two Daemon Princes, saying they're examples and you can easily put a Daemon together with traits.

Bloodletters of Khorne stalk the battlefields, taking skulls and lives for the Blood God. They have needle-like teeth, sharper than daggers, and monstrous horned heads. Their skin is blood red and hard as forged brass. Each wields a Hellblade, a wicked weapon born in gore, wielded with total abandon. The Bloodletters seek nothing but the joy of slaughter. They are very skilled fighters and pretty dang tough, with extremely high WP, Armor 5, Champion, Claws, Corruption (Moderate), Daemonic 8+, Fear 3, Frenzy, Horns+8, Painless, Unstable and Weapon+9.

Daemonettes of Slaanesh are servants of the Prince of Pain and Pleasure, simultaneously beautiful and horrifying to behold. They have an unearthly allure that defies all sense and logic, rendering their foes unable to resist them with their profane, monstrous sensuality. They have pale skin and large, jet-black eyes, along with flowing, unnaturally colored hair. Instead of hands, they have crab claws. They tend to have mixed sexual characteristics, neither and both male and female. They are actually more accurate fighters than Bloodletters, if more fragile and with less WP. They have Champion, Corruption (Moderate), Daemonic 8+, Distracting, Fear 2, Night Vision, Unstable and Weapon+9.

Next time: Hellish Princes

RATS

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

WFRP 4e - RATS

Daemon Princes are the ultimage goal of Chaos' champions - apotheosis and ascension to the heights of power, eternal service to the Ruinous Powers as a Daemon Prince. They are terrible figures of power which even the greatest heroes would tremble to face. We get stats for two; writeups for neither besides a name. Feel free to imagine them however you like.

Slenderthigh Whiptongue, Daemon Prince of Slaanesh, has M 6, WS 95, BS 110, S 115, T 120, I 100, Ag 95, Dex 40, Int 70, WP 85, Fel 85 and 86 Wounds. Stats over 100 are equivalent to a 100 but get extra SLs, incidentally, and still fail on a 95-00 roll. It has Armor 1, Champion, Corruption (Major), Daemonic 8+, Distracting, Horns+15, Night Vision, Size (Large), Spellcaster (Slaanesh), Terror 3, Unstable and Weapon+16.

Fr'hough Mournbreath, Daemon Prince of Nurgle, has M 4, WS 70, BS 35, S 120, T 150, I 50, Ag 20, Dex 30, Int 85, WP 120, Fel 50 and 108 Wounds. It has Armor 4, Breath+12 (Corrosion), Corruption (Major), Daemonic 7+, Dark Vision, Disease (Itching Pox), Horns+14, Infected, Infested, Size (Large), Spellcaster (Nurgle), Terror 3, Unstable, Weapon+15.

Anyway! Skaven. Skaven are an evil and malevolent species of ratmen that live underground. They live a foul existence in the sewers and tunnels under the cities of the Empire, so rarely seen that those who do usually dismiss them as Beastmen or Mutants. Few suspect the existence of the Underempire, with its tunnels stretching even beyond the Old World. Skaven exist under every city in the Old World, their society built on the backs of slave labor from captives across the Old World. Many shady Humans support this network, supplying slaves or warpstone in exchange for various favors and knowledge provided by the vast Skaven spy network. The Skaven are fully aware of the delicate space they inhabit in the shadows of other societies, and so they protect their secrecy by any means necessary. Those who are fool enough to openly discuss the Skaven and their complex civilization under the feet of Humanity may well be found dead in the gutter, victim of some unlikely accident.


Clanrats are the majority of the Skaven population, coming from one of the many and complex Skaven clans that are always bickering, backstabbing, plotting and warring against each other. They typically follow orders of higher-status Skaven, but are always looking for a chacne to find a better position, usually via betrayal. They typically wear mouldering leather and filthy cloth, with scraps of tarnished and rusty metal as makeshift armor. They are often sent to serve as scouts or raiders for goods, warpstone or slaves. They're broadly on par with a Human, but faster, more cowardly and less charismatic. They have Armor 2, Infected, Night Vision and Weapon+7, and optionally Disease (Ratte Fever), Mutation, Skittish, Stealthy or Tracker.

Stormvermin are the elite warriors of the Skaven, larger, stronger, tougher and more disciplined. They are the core of any major Skaven assault and serve as bodyguards to important Skaven. They are typically both well-armed and well-armored, using their clan's favored weapon combination. They're better than the average Human at most things, especially WS and Ag. They're still not super brave and aren't charismatic, though. They have Armor 4, Infected, Night Vision and Weapon+8, and optionally Disease (Ratte Fever), Mutation or Tracker.

Rat Ogres are immense, hulking brutes, bred in the dark of the Underempire by the packmasters of Clan Moulder. They're idiots, but when driven by a good Skaven master, they are both fearless and unrelenting in a fight. They are rarely, if ever, seen on their own, and are often accompanied by Grey Seers or other major Skaven, working as bodyguards and minions. They are actually not very accurate, which is good because they're quite strong, decently fast and...well, dumb as a post. They have Armor 1, Infected, Night Vision, Size (Large), Stupid and Weapon+9. Optionally, they have Corruption (Minor), Dark Vision, Disease (Ratte Fever), Infestation, Mutation, Tail+8, Tracker or Trained (Broken, Guard, Mount, War). Yes, you can - well, a Grey Seer can ride a Rat Ogre.

Now, let's talk Traits.
Afraid (Target): The creature is Afraid of the target per the Psychology rules.
Amphibious: The creature gets +AgB to the SL of all Swim tests and moves at full Movement in water.
Arboreal: When in a woodland, the creature gets +AgB to the SL of all Climb and Stealth tests.
Animosity (Target): The creature suffers Animosity towards the target per the Psychology rules.
Armor (Rating): It has the rating APs on all locations.
Belligerent: As long as the creature has more Advantage than its opponent, it is immune to Psychology.
Bestial: The creature can neither speak nor think rationally. It avoids fire and, if struck by it, gains +1 Broken condition. It may only use Dodge as a defense. If it loses more than half its Wounds, it will attempt to flee unless protecting its young or it is cornered, or it has the Territorial trait. If any of these are true, it instead enters Frenzy. It has no Fel.
Big: The creature is large for its species, getting +10 S, +10 T and -5 Ag.
Bite (Rating): On its turn, the creature may spend 1 Advantage to make a free attack, with Damage of (Rating) - which already has SB calculated in, for the premade critters.
Blessed (Various): The creature is Blessed and may use Blessings of the relevant god.
Bounce: The creature can bounce high or otherwise make surprisingly high jumps. When Charging or Running, it doubles its Movement and may ignore intervening terrain and characters by going over them.
Breath (Rating) (Type): On its turn, the creature may spend 2 Advantage to activate its breath as a free attack. Select 1 target within 20+TB yards; all characters within SB of that target get hit, along with all characters between the creature and the target. The creature makes a BS test against the Dodge of all targets. Any targets that fail take Damage of (Rating), and apply the breath type's rules. Cold causes 1 Stunned condition per 5 full Wounds, minimum 1. Corrosion causes 1 damage to all armor and weapons of the affected targets. Fire ignores APs and causes 1 Ablaze condition. Electricity ignores APs and causes 1 Stunned condition. Poison ignores APs and causes 1 Poisoned condition. Smoke fills the area with smoke, blocking line of sight for TB Rounds. The creature is, in all cases, immune to its breath, and the breath attack is Magical.
Brute: The creature is a heavy, brutish example of its kind. It gets -1 Movement, -10 Ag, +10 S and +10 T.
Champion: The creature is an extremely skilled warrior. If it wins an opposed test when defending in melee combat, it may cause Damage as if it was the attacker.
Chill Grasp: The creature may spend its Action and 2 Advantage to attempt a WS test against a target's Melee or Dodge. If it wins, the target takes 1d10+SL Wounds, ignoring all TB and APs. This attack is Magical.
Clever: The creature is particularly intelligent. It gets +20 Int and +10 I.
Cold-blooded: The creature may reverse all failed WP tests if this would make them succeed.
Constrictor: Any successful hit the creature makes gives an Entangled condition, and the creature may choose to enter a Grapple.
Construct: The creature has no Int, WP or Fel, and never needs to test them. If no wizard controls it and it has no Territorial trait, the creature wanders aimlessly, following ambient magic. For purposes of calculated Wounds, it uses SB whenever WPB would be used. All of its attacks are Magical. (I guess this is why Undead can be Territorial; I'd forgotten that particular rule of Construct.)
Corrosive Blood: Every time the creature is wounded, its blood splashes on all Engaged targets, causing 1d10 Wounds (modified by TB and APs) to a minimum of 1.
Corrupted (Strength): The creature is tainted by Chaos or Dhar and counts as a Corrupting Influence of corresponding strength.
Cunning: The creature is cunning. It gets +10 Fel, Int and I.
Dark Vision: The creature may see in darkness as if it were daylight.
Daemonic (Rating): The creature is made of raw magic and unholy ichor. It needs no food, water or air. All its attacks are Magical. After it takes any blow, roll 1d10. If the roll equals or exceeds the Rating, the blow does nothing, even on a critical. If the creature hits 0 Wounds, it immediately returns to the Realms of Chaos and is removed from play.
Die Hard: The creature may heal from any Critical Wound short of immediate death, given some reattaching of parts and time. Even death can be 'healed' if the appropriate body parts, such as a head, are reattached. If death occurs and all parts are in place, the creature may make an Endurance test at the start of every round; it if gets an SL of 6+, it returns to life with 1 Wound.
Disease (Type): The creature carries the named disease and can pass it on as per normal contraction.
Distracting: The creature confuses or distracts foes with some trait or appearance. All living targets within TB yards of it get -20 to all tests; this does not stack no matter how many Distracting foes are there.
Elite: The creature is a veteran. It gets +20 WS, BS and WP.
Ethereal: The creature is insubstantial and can only be harmed by Magical attacks.
Fast: The creature is fast. It gets +1 Movement and +10 Ag.
Fear (Rating): The creature causes Fear (Rating).
Flight (Rating): As a Move, the creature can fly (Rating) yards. In flight, it ignores all terrain, obstacles or characters in the way. At tne end of its move, it must either land or continue flying. It may use this Move to Charge. If it starts its turn flying, it must choose to fly for its Move. If it cannot, it falls. When targeting it, horizontal disance is normal, but if flying, range is increased by 1 step - Long becomes Extreme Range, say. When flying, it gets -20 to all tests to make ranged attacks due to the need to move constantly.
Frenzy: The creature can Frenzy.
Fury: The creature may spend all of its Advantage, minimum 1, to become subject to Hatred (Foes in Close Combat). If it has at least 3 Advantage, it may instead expend all Advantage to enter Frenzy.

Next time: Traits that begin with G.

Traitor

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

WFRP 4e - Traitor

More Traits!
Ghostly Howl: On its turn, the creature may spend all of its Advantage (minimum 2) to make a free attack using a hideous scream. All living targets within I yards get +3 Deafened conditions and take 1d10 Wounds, ignoring TB and APs. They must also make an Endurance test at +20 or get +1 Broken condition.
Hardy: The creature is tough. it gets +TB Wounds before any Size modifiers.
Hatred (Target): The creature is subject to Hatred towards the target.
Horns (Rating) (Feature): The creature has horns or some other feature that is sharp and pointy; if not horns, it'll be noted. When the creature gains Advantage from Charging, it can make a free attack using the Horns, performed as normal, with the Rating used to calculate Damage. The SB is already included in prewritten entries.
Hungry: If the creature kills or incapacitates a living foe or encounters a fresh body, it must make a WP test at +20 to not stop and feast for a turn, losing its next Action and Move.
Immunity (Type): The creature is completely immune to the specified type of damage, such as fire, poison, magic or electricity. It ignores all Damage from that, even Critical Wounds.
Immunity to Psychology: The creature ignores the Psychology rules.
Infected: Whenever the creature causes a living foe to lose Wounds, the foe must make an Endurance test at +40 or get Festering Wound.
Infestation: Due to biting fleas or similar, all foes get -10 to hit the creature in melee.
Leader: The creature is a natural leader. It gets +10 Fel and WP. This cannot be applied to Bestial creatures.
Magical: All of the creature's attacks are Magical.
Magic Resistance (Rating): The SLs of any spell targeting the creature are reduced by (Rating).
Mental Corruption: The creature has a random mental mutation.
Miracles (Various): The creature can perform Miracles of the specified deity.
Mutation: The creature has a random physical mutation.
Night Vision: The creature has the Night Vision Talent.
Painless: The creature feels no pain. It ignores any penalties from Critical Wounds short of Amputation, though it suffers the extra damage and Conditions as normal.
Petrifying Gaze: As an Action, the creature may spend all its Advantage (minimum 1) to unleash its gaze. It rolls BS against the target's I, adding 1 SL per Advantage spent. The opponent gains 1 Stunned per 2 SLs by which the creature wins; if the creature wins by at least 6 SLs, the target turns permanently to stone. If the target is a spellcaster, they may oppose with Language (Magick) instead of Initiative by casting counterspells.
Prejudice (Target): The creature is subject to Prejudice against the target.
Ranged (Rating) (Range): The creature has a ranged weapon or attack, dealing Damage of (Rating) and with Range of (Range).
Rear: As a Move, the creature may make a Stomp attack if it is larger than the target. (Stomp attacks are detailed in Size.)
Regenerate: At the start of each round, if the creature has more than 0 Wounds, it heals 1d10 Wounds. If it has 0 Wounds, it rolls 1d10; on an 8+, it heals 1 Wound. If it ever rolls a 10 on either Regeneration roll, it heals 1 Critical Wound and all penalties or Conditions associated with it. Critical Wounds and Wounds caused by fire may never be regenerated.

Size is complex enough to need its own explanation. There are seven steps of Size. Tiny (mice, pigeons), Little (cats, babies), Small (giant rats, Halflings, Human children), Average (Dwarfs, Elfs, Humans), Large (horses, Ogres), Enormous (Griffons, Manticores) and Monstrous (Dragons, Giants). To increase the size of a creature that's pre-statted, give it +10 S and T and -5 Ag per step increased. Reverse to shrink it. When fighting enemies, if a creature is larger, all of its weapons gain Damaging if one step larger or Impact if two steps or more larger. Creatures multiply any rolled Damage by the number of steps between them and their target after all other modifiers. Any successful strike of a smaller creature activates the Deathblow rule, even if the target survives (IE, the creature can move into the target's space and attack another target, up to WSB times). If the creature is smaller than its target, it gets +10 to hit. I'm not sure if this applies to PCs - it'd mean that most PCs can wipe the floor with small foes, but there aren't that many of those. Halflings are like triple fucked against most creatures, though, in melee! Because this isn't the only rules. Those defending against attacks from larger targets get -2 SLs per step smaller they are when using Melee to oppose.

Further, if a creature seems aggressive, it causes Fear in any smaller targets and Terror in any targets 2+ steps smaller, with rating of either equal to the difference in size steps. This means, again, Halflings suffer Terror against horses. Creatures larger than their foes ignore any need to Disengage in melee combat - they can just step away. Creatures at least 2 sizes larger than their foes win all opposed Strength checks automatically, and creatures only one step larger win unless their opponent rolls a Critical, in which case normal rules apply. Further, any creature larger than its opponent can spend 1 Advantage on its turn to make a free attack Stomp by kicking or bashing downwards, with Damage +(SB). Size also changes wound calculations. Tiny creatures have 1 Wound, Little have (TB) Wounds, Small and Average we know, Large get (SB+(TB*2)+WPB)*2, Enormous get double that, and Monstrous get double that.

Back to normally-sized Traits.
Skittish: The creature is scared by loud noises and magic. If either happens, it gets +3 Broken conditions.
Spellcaster (Various): The creature can cast spells from the specified Lore.
Stealthy: The creature gets +AgB to the SL of all Stealth tests.
Stride: The creature has a long stride. Multiple Movement by 1.5 when Running.
Stupid: The creature's an idiot. If near any allies without Stupid, the creature acts normally as they guide it. Otherwise, it must make an Int test at +40 at the start of each round or lose both its Move and Action due to confusion and idiocy.
Swamp=strider: The creature suffers no Movement penalties for boggy ground.
Swarm: The creature is actually a group of identical creatures acting as one. They count as one creature that is immune to Psychology and may ignore Engaged rules when using its Move. If the swarm ever successfully strikes a foe, it uses the Deathblow rules even if it does not kill the opponent. All opponents engaged with a Swarm lose 1 Wound automatically at the end of every Round. The Swarm has 5 times the normal number of Wounds for its type and +10 WS. Any attempts to shoot the Swarm get a +40 bonus.
Tail (Rating): On its turn, the creature may spend 1 Advantage to make a free attack with its tail, with Damage +(Rating), which already has SB calculated in for premades. If the target is smaller Size and takes any damage, they also become Prone.
# Tentacles (Rating): The creature has the specified number of tentacles, gaining one free attack per tentacle each round, using Damage +(Rating), which already has SB calculated in for premades. If a tentacle causes any damage, it also causes +1 Entangled condition and begins Grappling the target. If a tentacle is Grappling, its free attack is used for the Grapple rather than the creature's normal Action.
Territorial: The creature will fight to the death to defend an area, but will not normally pursue fleeing foes.
Terror (Rating): The creature causes Terror (Rating).

Trained is another fairly complex one. You can come up with your own Trained skills, but basically, whatever skills the creature has will be in the brackets of Trained (Whatever). The ones that exist by default:
Broken: The creature may ignore Bestial and gets +2d10 Fel.
Drive: The creature can pull a cart or coach or similar.
Entertain: The creature can entertain people. It gives +10 to appropriate Entertain, Perform or Play tests.
Fetch: The creature can fetch objects.
Guard: The creature is trained to guard a place, gaining Territorial.
Home: The creature is trained to return home if lost or released.
Magic: The creature ignores Skittish for purposes of dealing with magic.
Mount: The creature will allow itself to be ridden, though dangerous or belligerent mounts require the specific Ride skill for their species to attempt riding.
War: The creature gets +10 WS and ignores Skittish for purposes of dealing with loud noises.

Back to traits!
Tongue Attack (Rating) (Range): On its turn, the creature can spend 1 Advantage to make a free attack with its tongue. This is a ranged attack with Damage +(Rating) and Range (Range). If it hits, the enemy gains +1 Entangled condition and, if smaller size, is dragged towards the creature into Engaged range. The creature may then choose to either release the target and perform a Free Attack with its Weapon trait, or to keep the target wrapped up and start a Grapple.
Tough: The creature is tough. It gets +10 T and WP.
Tracker: The creature gets +IB to the SL of all Track tests.
Undead: The creature need not eat, drink or breathe, is not alive and is vulnerable to Undead-targeting stuff.
Unstable: The creature's form is mainted with magics inherently unstable in the material world. Whenever it ends a Round Engaged with a foe with higher Advantage, it loses Wounds equal to the difference in Advantage. If it ever reaches 0 Wounds, the magics fail and it 'dies.'
Vampiric: The creature drinks blood. Whenever the creature performs a successful Bite attack against an appropriate foe, it heals Wounds equal to the Wounds the foe loses. It can heal by no means other than this blood-drinking.
Venom (Difficulty): When the creature causes Wounds, the opponent must make an Endurance test or gain the Poisoned condition. If no difficulty is listed, assume it is Challenging (IE, no bonus or penalty).
Vomit: On its turn, the creature may spend 3 Advantage to vomit forth a stream of filth as a free attack, choosing 1 target within TB yards. All targets within 2 yards of the chosen target get hit. It makes a BS test against Dodge for all affected targets. All targets hit take +(TB+4) Damage and +1 Stunned condition, and all of their armor and weapons take 1 Damage. (When weapons take damage, they get -1 to their Damage rating each time. If their rating hits +0, or +SB+0, the weapon is now an Improvised Weapon; if an Improvised Weapon is damaged, it becomes useless.)
Ward (Rating): Whenever the creature is struck, roll 1d10. If it is greater than or equal to the Ward rating, the attack does nothing, even on a Critical.
Wallcrawler: The creature can effortlessly walk on any surface, wall or ceiling. It moves at full Movement along such surfaces and automatically passes all Climb tests.
Weapon (Rating): The creature has a melee weapon or attack, dealing Damage +(Rating), which has SB already figured in for premades. Usually this will be SB+4, for a Hand Weapon.
Web (Rating): Whenever the create successfully hits, it creates webbing, causing +1 Entangled condition with Strength of (Rating).

The End