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ENCOUNTER Copyright 2011 Michael ChumakWritten by Michael Chumak

Photography by David Bunting, Michael Chumak, Paul Friel, spaceodissey, tinyfrogletNo portion of this book can be reproduced without express written consent from the copyright

holder.

3Contents

1. CONTENTS

1. Contents............................................32. Basic rules .........................................52.1 Dice ............................................52.2 Scores ..........................................52.3 Players ........................................52.4 Game master ...............................52.5 Characters ................................. 62.6 Character sheet .......................... 62.7 Company .................................... 62.8 Setting........................................ 72.9 Abilities ..................................... 72.10 Skills .......................................... 72.11 Tests .......................................... 73. Advanced rules ............................... 103.1 Spirit ......................................... 103.2 Ability damage .......................... 103.3 Restoring abilities ...................... 123.4 Attacking a character .................133.5 Casting a spell ........................... 143.6 Fear........................................... 173.7 Combat ..................................... 183.8 Weapons and armour ................ 213.9 Alcohol ...................................... 224. Skills ................................................ 234.1 Acrobatics ................................. 234.2 Animal care ............................... 234.3 Athletics .................................... 234.4 Astronomy ................................ 234.5 Botany ....................................... 234.6 Brewing .................................... 234.7 Climbing ...................................244.8 First aid ....................................244.9 History .....................................244.10 Intimidation ..............................244.11 Lock picking ..............................244.12 Magic ........................................ 254.13 Mathematics ............................. 254.14 Mechanics ................................. 254.15 Melee weapons .......................... 25

4.16 Music ........................................ 254.17 Ranged weapons ........................ 254.18 Rhetoric ..................................... 254.19 Sailing .......................................264.20 Sleight of hand ..........................264.21 Smithing....................................274.22 Spotting .....................................274.23 Stoneworking ............................274.24 Swimming .................................274.25 Tracking ...................................274.26 Woodworking ...........................274.27 Zoology .....................................275. Spells ...............................................285.1 Red chroma................................285.2 Green chroma ............................285.3 Blue chroma ..............................285.4 Cyan chroma .............................285.5 Magenta chroma ........................295.6 Yellow chroma ..........................295.7 White chroma ...........................296. Creating a character .......................307. Setting ............................................. 317.1 Demons ......................................317.2 Knights-hexer ............................ 327.3 Oracle ....................................... 338. Nations............................................348.1 Khammenid Sultanate ...............348.2 Kingdom of Prede ......................368.3 Lydean City-states ....................388.4 Swaryag Hetmanate ................ 409. Sapient species ................................439.1 Bolg ...........................................439.2 Flitterbrand ...............................459.3 Jotun ........................................ 4610. Sample characters ......................... 4810.1 Fighter ..................................... 4810.2 Mage ........................................ 4810.3 Merchant ..................................4910.4 Rogue ........................................49

4Contents

11. Character sheet ...............................50

5Basic rules Game master

2. BASIC RULES

2.1 DICEENCOUNTER uses six-sided dice

exclusively. Any reference to a die or dice will imply this type of dice.

A number in square brackets repre-sents the result of a roll. The following para-graph gives an example of this notation. Its paragraph style will be used to represent ex-amples in the rest of the book.

A player rolls two dice. The results are [2] and [5].

2.2 SCORESThe rules for ENCOUNTER will

refer to three scores; they are: ability score, skill score and target score.

An ability score is a number between zero (0) and five (5) that indicates the level of a characters ability. A score of one (1) represents the exhaustion of a characters physical or mental capacity; a high score represents a character who has a natural or acquired aptitude for physical or intellectual work.

A skill score is a number between zero (o) and four (4) that indicates the level of a characters skill. A score of zero represents a character who is unfamiliar with the skill; a high score represents a character who has, through practice, learning or both, achieved some degree of finesse with the skill.

Section 1.11 will describe the meaning of a target score.

2.3 PLAYERSA person participating in a game of

ENCOUNTER will be referred to as a play-er.

Normally, a player will take control of a single character and describe her pres-ence in the game. The game master is an ex-ception her role is described in section 1.4.

2.4 GAME MASTEROne of the players must take on the

role of a story teller; ENCOUNTER will refer to her as the game master.

The game master sets up the scenes for the players and populates them with non-player characters. It is up to her to de-termine and describe the way the world re-sponds to the player characters actions.

The game masters ruling is final; the players should not subject it to debate. If the game master has made a mistake when ap-plying a rule, a player is encouraged to in-form her of it. However, the game master is free to change the rules to deliver a better gaming experience.

The game master should limit the time available to player characters to com-plete a main goal. This will make the game more challenging for the player characters by discouraging frequent rest for the sake of recuperation and rewarding planning and action.

The order to which the player characters belong has obtained in-formation regarding a meeting be-tween leaders of two feuding reli-gious sects. The meeting will take

6Basic rules Company

place in a week. The heads of the order plan to assassinate one of the leaders. They hope that the assas-sination may be made to look as a provocation by the sect of the sur-viving leader and drive both sects to further hostilities.

The player characters have seven days to design and execute a plan to assassinate the targeted leader.

2.5 CHARACTERSThere are two types of characters in

ENCOUNTER. They are player characters and non-player characters.

A player character is a character who is controlled by a player. A non-player char-acter is a character who is controlled by the game master.

Players should be aware of the pres-ence of law enforcement in settlements. If a crime is committed in a civilised commu-nity, it will be investigated. Player charac-ters do not act outside of the justice system. Even a company of veterans is likely to be overcome by a squad of the city watch. If a player character does break the law, the company should consider making an effort to conceal their involvement and look for ways of evading punishment.

2.6 CHARACTER SHEETA character sheet consists of one or

more pages and reflects the characters abili-ties, skills, inventory and other characteris-tics.

An example of a character sheet can be found in section 11. Players are advised to print a copy of their player characters char-acter sheet and keep it updated during each gaming session.

2.7 COMPANYA group of player characters travel-

ling together is referred to as a company.It is possible to play ENCOUNTER

with a company of one. In this case, it be-comes a one on one game between the game master and the player.

The fragile nature of characters in ENCOUNTER may mean that a player character will likely fail to complete a cam-paign on her own. The game master may introduce non-player characters to assist the player character throughout the campaign. Alternatively, the game master may allow the player to control multiple player char-acters.

If a player cannot make it to a gam-ing session, there are a number of ways the game master can address her absence in the game. The most common way is to keep the player character whose player is absent in the background, shift attention away from her and reduce her actions throughout the session to a minimum. She may be left to

mind the pack animals, lag behind to protect the company from a rear attack or simply display complete inefficiency in her actions.

7Basic rules Tests

2.8 SETTINGThis book includes a setting for

games of ENCOUNTER. The setting will be referred to as Edelay, the fictional planet where the main events take place.

The players can use the rules to play a game set in any other setting should they wish to do so.

2.9 ABILITIESAbilities represent a characters phys-

ical and intellectual characteristics.There are three abilities; they are:

cunning, health and willpower.

2.9.a CunningCunning represents the characters

ability to manipulate people through decep-tion and persuasion;

2.9.b HealthHealth represents the characters abil-

ity to endure physical hardship, her strength and reflexes;

2.9.c WillpowerWillpower represents the characters

ability to concentrate on a task and ignore distractions.

2.10 SKILLSA skill represents a characters exper-

tise in some field. A skill score cannot drop below zero

(0) or rise above four (4). A skill score of one (1) can be used to describe beginner skill level; two (2) intermediate; three (3) ad-vanced; four (4) expert.

2.11 TESTSIf a character wishes to perform an ac-

tion that has a chance of failure, she must pass a test to succeed. Her player will deter-mine whether the character is successful by

rolling roll one or more dice and comparing the results to the target score.

Each test uses at least one die; addi-tional dice are added depending on skills and special circumstances.

If the character has a skill that is rel-evant to the test, her player should add the number of dice equal to her skill score for the relevant skill to the roll.

Gumbrell is a beginner astronomer he has an astronomy skill score of one (1). He attempts to determine the direction of north by studying the stars at night. His player will roll two dice one that is rolled for every test and another for Gum-brells astronomy score of one (1).

A target score is the score of the abil-ity relevant to the test. The game master should indicate which ability is relevant to the test.

The game master tells Gumbrells player that the ability relevant to the astronomy test is cunning. Gumbrells cunning score is four (4); his player must roll four (4) or lower on either of the two dice to succeed in finding north by looking at stars.

Where a skill is applicable to a test, ENCOUNTER will state the relevant abil-ity and skill using the following format: ability/skill.

In the previous example, instead of writing out the relevant ability (cunning) and skill (astronomy) separately, ENCOUNTER would refer to a cunning/astronomy test.

It should be noted that any character may attempt any test regardless of her skill.

8Basic rules Tests

Gumbrell attempts to identify the runes on a sword.

The game master indicates that to successfully identify the runes, Gumbrell must pass a cunning/his-tory test.

Gumbrells history score is zero (0). His player will roll one die for the purpose of this test.

When a player rolls one or more dice, each die that shows a result equal to or lower than the target score will be referred to as a winner; each die that shows a result greater than the target score will be referred to as a dud.

Gumbrell wants to convince a prince to lend him a company of the crowns soldiers to repel a group of bandits.

The game master indicates that Gumbrell must pass a cunning/rhetoric test in order to perform a task. Gumbrells cunning score is four (4). Gumbrells rhetoric score is two (2).

Gumbrells player rolls three dice; the results are [3], [4] and [6]. Two of the results are equal to or less than, and the third is greater than the target score Gumbrells player is said to have rolled two winners and one dud.

Performing a complex action may re-quire two or more winners for a character to succeed at it. The need for multiple winners will prevent a character who does not have the relevant skill from successfully perform-ing a task.

Gumbrell tries to open a door, but finds it locked. He retrieves a lock pick and a torsion wrench from his backpack and attempts to pick the lock.

Gumbrell will need to pass a will-power/lock picking test to succeed. His willpower score is two (2); his lock picking skill score is zero (0). His player should normally roll one die for this test and compare the re-sult to Gumbrells willpower score.

However, the game master rules that successfully picking the lock would require at least two winners.

9Basic rules Tests

It is not possible for Gumbrell to roll two winners using only one die. Gumbrell attempts to pick the lock, but soon realises that he is not skilled enough to succeed.

2.11.a Opposed testsThe game master may allow a charac-

ter to oppose another characters action. If an action is opposed by another character, both players involved must roll a test. This test will be referred to as an opposed test.

Gumbrell has succeeded in per-suading the prince to lend him a company of soldiers. However, he thinks that the number of soldiers the prince has committed is not enough to destroy the bandits; he attempts to persuade the prince to send more.

The princes advisor steps in to argue against Gumbrells request. The game master indicates that the advisor will oppose Gumbrells test.

Both characters will roll a cun-ning/rhetoric test each.

Gumbrells player will once again roll three dice. The advisors cun-ning score is four (4); his rhetoric score is three (3). The game master will roll four dice; her target score will be four (4).

Gumbrells player scores two win-ners; the game master four.

The advisor succeeds in dissuad-ing the prince from committing any more soldiers to Gumbrells cause.

If one of the players rolls more win-ners than the other, her character will pass

the opposed test; her opponent will fail the opposed test. If both players roll the same number of winners, they disregard the draw and immediately roll the dice again.

Gumbrell chases after a thief.

The game master lets Gumbrells player know that the chase triggers an opposed health/athletics test.

Gumbrells health score is four (4); the thiefs two (2). Gumbrells athletics score is one (1); the thiefs three (3).

Gumbrells player rolls two dice; her target score is four (4). The game master rolls four dice; her target score is two (2).

Gumbrells player scores one win-ner; the game master three. Gum-brell has failed the opposed test; the thief has passed the opposed test.

The thief increases the distance be-tween himself and Gumbrell.

2.11.b AdvantageIn some situations the game master

may award a character involved in a test one or more additional dice for the purpose of the test.

Some of the more common examples of this rule may occur if a character is out-numbered in a fight, or there is a significant difference in size between two characters engaged in combat.

A relevant example is given in section 3.7.f.

10Advanced rules Ability damage

3. ADVANCED RULES

will restore the number of player characters spirits to equal that player characters will-power score.

In the previous example, Mosleigh had two spirits at her disposal. She used one spirit to re-roll one of the dice used in a cunning/tracking test. She will now have only one spirit left to use until she rests.

Mosleigh breaks camp and rests for eight hours. When she wakes up provided her sleep was uninter-rupted she will have two spirits once again.

Resting for less than eight hours or in-terrupted sleep will yield half as many spir-its as the player characters willpower score, rounded up. Resting cannot increase the number of a player characters spirits above that player characters willpower score.

Mosleigh has previously used one spirit. Her willpower score is two (2). She has one (1) spirit at her disposal.

She rests in a camp. An ambush interrupts her sleep. Upon waking up, Mosleighs player adds one (1) spirit half of Mosleighs willpow-er score to her spirits.

3.2 ABILITY DAMAGEThe game master may reduce a char-

acters ability score for failing a test. The

3.1 SPIRITEach day, a player character can re-

roll a number of dice equal to her willpower score. These re-rolls are referred to as spirits they represent the player characters dedi-cation to a cause, her drive to succeed.

Mosleigh attempts to track down a young prince in a forest.

Her player rolls a cunning/track-ing test.

Mosleighs cunning score is four (4); her tracking score is one (1). Her willpower score is two (2), meaning that the number of spirits she will receive each day is also two (2).

The dice roll results in [6] and [6] two duds. The game mas-ter informs Mosleighs player that Mosleigh has lost the princes tracks and will need to spend some time searching for them. However, Mosleighs player decides to use one of Mosleighs spirits; she tells the game master as much and re-rolls one of the two dice that origi-nally resulted in a dud.

The result of the new roll is [2] a success. Mosleigh succeeds in fol-lowing the princes tracks after all.

Once a player character has used a spirit to re-roll a die, it cannot be reused until she has rested. Resting for eight hours

11Advanced rules Ability damage

reduction in an ability score is referred to as ability damage. This reduction is not ir-reversible; a player should not remove the original score from the character sheet.

Mosleigh attacks an opponent and fails the opposed test. Her health score is reduced by one (1) point. She later applies a medicinal salve to the wound; the application of the salve restores one (1) point to Mos-leighs health score.

Cunning and willpower scores can-not drop below one (1) point. If an event that would reduce either one of these scores to zero (0) occurs, the reduction will be ig-nored.

A series of frightening events has drained Mosleighs willpower score; it is currently one (1).

Another frightening occurrence triggers willpower ability damage. However, Mosleighs willpower score is already at its minimum of one (1). The ability damage is therefore ignored.

Health can drop to a score of zero (0). Section 3.2.a) describes the effects of having a health score of zero (0).

3.2.a DyingIf a characters health score is reduced

to one, she is said to be dying. If a dying character must take a health test while in this state, she will take a willpower test in-stead.

Mosleigh has fallen into a pit-fall trap. The fall has reduced her health score to one (1) point; she no longer has the strength to climb out of the trap and seek help. Instead, she must will her body to obey her. Whereas normally climbing would trigger a health test, in this case, Mosleigh must pass a willpower test to succeed.

If a dying character fails a willpower test that she took instead of a health test, she will die.

Mosleighs player has failed the willpower test; Mosleighs arms and legs can no longer propel her up the wall. She falls unconscious and dies at the bottom of the pitfall trap.

The game master should not apply the dying rule to all non-player characters. A minor non-player characters health score

12Advanced rules Restoring abilities

can be reduced to zero (0) without implicat-ing her willpower score.

Mosleigh has reduced a thugs health score to one (1). The thug is not a minor non-player character his death has little impact on the story; he is therefore not considered to be dying at a health score of one (1). He will not roll a willpower test instead of a health test should he receive another wound. Instead he will die outright.

3.3 RESTORING ABILITIES

3.3.a RestingIf a character has suffered ability

damage, the reduced ability may often be re-stored by resting.

A character may rest up to eight (8) hours per day.

If a character has suffered from ability damage to one or more of her ability scores, resting will have a chance of restoring one (1) point to each of the damaged abilities. If she rests for eight (8) hours uninterrupted, one (1) point should be restored to each of the characters damaged abilities.

Mosleigh has been wounded in bat-tle. She breaks camp and decides to rest for eight hours.

When Mosleigh wakes up, one (1) point will be restored to her health score.

If the characters rest is interrupted, her player will roll the willpower test. If she passes the test, one (1) point should be restored to each of the characters damaged abilities.

Mosleigh breaks camp again the following evening. She hopes to

rest for the full eight hours to re-store another point to her health ability score.

A fever keeps Mosleigh awake and restless for some time during the night. Her player will have to roll a willpower test and score a winner to restore ability damage because Mosleighs sleep was interrupted.

She rolls the die and scores a win-ner one (1) point is restored to Mosleighs health score.

The game master should limit the number of times a player character may rest during a day. A player character should not be able to rest for the full eight (8) hours no more than once a day, or attempt to do so no more than twice a day.

3.3.b TriumphPassing a test restores one (1) point to

a characters willpower score. This rule is referred to as triumph. Triumph represents the satisfaction a character will gain by beat-ing a challenge.

The effect of triumph does not stack with resting only one (1) point can be re-stored to a characters willpower score after resting.

Mosleigh has suffered some will-power damage earlier on.

She breaks camp in the evening and rests until morning. Her sleep is interrupted during the night. Her player rolls a willpower test trig-gered by interrupted rest. The roll results in one winner one (1) point is restored to Mosleighs willpower score due to resting.

A second point will not be restored due to triumph, because a single

13Advanced rules Attacking a character

test cannot trigger both resting and triumph effects.

3.4 ATTACKING A CHARACTER

3.4.a Using a melee weaponIf the attacker uses a melee weapon,

the target can choose to oppose the attack, triggering an opposed test. The relevant ability and skill for both characters should be health/melee weapons.

The flitterbrand attacks Mosleigh. Mosleigh tries to defend herself, triggering an opposed test.

Her health score is two (2); Mos-leighs is four (4); her melee weap-ons skill is two (2); Mosleighs is one (1). The flitterbrands player the game master, in this case rolls three dice; Mosleighs two. The flitterbrand scores [2], [2] and [6]; Mosleigh [3] and [5].

Two of the flitterbrands dice have scored a result that is equal to or lower than her health score; she has two winners. Only one of Mos-leighs results is equal to or lower than his health score; she has one winner.

The flitterbrand scores more win-ners than Mosleigh. She passes the opposed test; Mosleigh fails it.

3.4.b Using a ranged weaponIf the attacker uses a ranged weapon,

the target cannot oppose the test. The rel-evant ability and skill for the attacker should be willpower/ranged weapons.

The sound of fighting attracts an-other flitterbrand from the cave.

She carries a blowgun and a quiver of darts.

During her turn, the blowgunner attacks Mosleigh. A blowgun is a ranged weapon. The blowgunners willpower score is three (3). Her ranged weapons skill score is three (3). The dungeon master rolls four dice. The results are [1], [2], [3] and [5]. Three of the dice show a result that is equal to or lower than the blowgunners willpower score. The blowgunner passes the test with three winners.

3.4.c WoundsFailing an opposed test triggered by

a melee attack or being the target of a suc-cessful ranged attack should be punished by reducing the health score by one (1) point.

In each of the two previous exam-ples, Mosleighs health score should have been reduced by one (1) point.

3.4.d Piercing attacksIf a character passes a test triggered by

an attack and at least one of her dice scores a [1], the attack will be piercing. The effect of a piercing attack relates to armour and weapons; it will be addressed in section ***.

Mosleigh attacks the blowgunner and passes the opposed test. Her dice came up with the following results: [1] and [3]. The attack is piercing.

3.4.e DodgingA character may choose to oppose a

melee attack using a health/acrobatics test. If she passes the test, she will dodge the at-

14Advanced rules Casting a spell

tack. Neither she, nor the attacking charac-ter, will suffer any ability damage.

Mosleigh attacks a thief using a sword. The thief attempts to evade the attack.

Mosleighs player rolls a health/melee weapons test; the thiefs player opposes the test by rolling a health/acrobatics test.

Mosleighs player scores one (1) winner; the thiefs two (2). The thief passes the opposed test. He tumbles out of the way of Mos-leighs sword. Neither he nor Mos-leigh suffer ability damage as a re-sult of the test.

3.4.f OnslaughtIf a character passes the health/me-

lee weapons test with three (3) more win-ners than her opponent, she performs an onslaught.

If a character has performed an on-slaught, and provided her opponent is still alive, her player should immediately roll a second health/melee weapons roll. Her characters opponent may choose to either oppose it using a health/acrobatics roll or not at all.

3.4.g Disarming blowIf a character passes the health/melee

weapons test with four (4) or more winners than her opponent, she performs a disarm-ing blow.

If a character performs a disarming blow, her opponent immediately drops her weapon to the ground. She may choose to spend one action to pick the weapon up dur-ing her turn.

A character who has performed a dis-arming blow may choose to immediately follow it up with an onslaught.

3.5 CASTING A SPELLA magician in ENCOUNTER trans-

forms the rays of light emitted by the star Sedna into magic spells. To do so, she first refracts the magical light through a prism.

Only a mana stone possesses the properties that will allow it to act as a prism for the magical light. The prism will reduce

the light to its primary colours. A magician can then work with these colours to produce a simple spell, or attempt to combine them into one of the secondary colours or white to produce a more complex spell.

In order to control the magic cap-tured by the mana stone, a mage must enter a trance. Her thought patterns will trigger signals in her brain that interact with the chroma. Chroma thus activated allows the mage to use it to create spells.

Attempting to cast a spell should trig-ger a willpower/magic test.

15Advanced rules Casting a spell

3.5.a ChromaThe examples in this section ignore

the rules of magic zones introduced in sec-tion 3.5.b).

A colour of magic is called a chroma. There are seven chromas. They are: red, green, blue, cyan, magenta, yellow and white. Red, green and blue are known as the primary chromas; cyan, magenta and yellow as secondary chromas.

Secondary chromas are produced by combining two primary chromas. Combin-ing red and green primary chromas produces yellow secondary chroma; red and blue pro-duce magenta; green and blue produce cyan.

White chroma is produced by com-bining all three primary chromas.

If a character wishes to transform a primary chroma into a spell, her player will need to roll one winner.

Mosleigh wishes to cast a pyroki-nesis spell and direct it at a flitter-brand.

A pyrokinesis spell requires the use of a primary colour of magic (red); Mosleighs player needs to roll at least one winner to successfully cast it.

The game master indicates that Mosleighs player must roll a will-power/magic test. Mosleighs will-power score is two (2); her magic skill score is also two (2).

Mosleighs player rolls three dice and compares the results to Mos-leighs willpower score. The results are: [2], [2] and [4] two winners. Mosleighs player must remove one mana stone from Mosleighs inven-tory it is destroyed in the process of channelling the magical light.

Mosleigh successfully captures the necessary amount of red colour of magic from the light of Sedna, transforms it into a pyrokinesis spell and directs it at the flitter-brand.

If a character wishes to transform a secondary chroma into a spell, her player will need to roll two (2) winners.

A group of bowmen assails Mos-leigh. Mosleigh wishes to cast a force field spell to protect herself from their arrows.

A force field spell requires the use of a secondary colour of magic (yel-low); Mosleighs player needs to roll at least two winners to success-fully cast it.

If Mosleigh passes the test, two (2) mana stones will be removed from her inventory and destroyed.

If a character wishes to transform the white chroma into a spell, her player will need to roll three (3) winners.

Mosleigh seeks to escape from the flitterbrands by casting a teleporta-tion spell. This spell would trans-port her to another location instan-taneously.

The teleportation spell involves combining all three primary col-ours into white. Mosleighs player would need to roll three (3) win-ners to successfully cast this spell.

If Mosleigh passes the test, three (3) mana stones will be removed from her inventory and destroyed.

16Advanced rules Casting a spell

3.5.b Magic zonesSedna is circumpolar - an observer can

always see it above the north pole of Ede-lay. The further away a character travels from the north pole, the more difficult she will find it to cast a spell. Only incident rays from the star will reach the southern hemi-sphere.

A character in the north frigid zone will receive direct rays of light from Sedna. She will not need to roll any additional win-ners to successfully cast a spell.

Mosleigh finds herself in Yoghol, an area of icebergs in the north frigid zone. She stands before a castle made of ice. A wall of ice blocks the entrance. Mosleigh de-cides to cast a pyrokinesis spell to blast her way through the wall.

A pyrokinesis spell requires the use of a primary chroma (red); Mos-leighs player will therefore need to roll one winner to successfully cast the spell; no additional winners will be required for attempting to cast the spell in the north frigid zone.

A character in the north temperate zone will receive mostly direct rays of light from Sedna. She will need to roll one (1) ad-ditional winner to successfully cast a spell.

Mosleigh serves as a rower on a merchant ship which is currently travelling through a sea in the north temperate zone. A lindworm breaks free from its chains and bursts out of the ships hold. Mos-leigh decides to cast a cloak of fear spell to frighten the creatureoff.

A secondary chroma (magenta) is required to cast a cloak of fear spell; Mosleighs player will there-fore need to roll three winners to

successfully cast the spell two for the use of a secondary chroma and one for attempting to cast the spell in the north temperate zone.

A character in the tropical zone will receive mostly incident rays of light from Sedna. She will need to roll two (2) addi-tional winners to successfully cast a spell.

Mosleigh is struggling through the jungles of the tropical zone. She steps on a snake in the underbrush. The snake bites her, injecting her with poison. Mosleigh attempts to cast the healing spell to neutralise the effects of the poison.

The healing spell requires the use of a primary chroma (green); Mos-leighs player will therefore need to roll three winners to success-fully cast the spell one for the use of a primary chroma and two for attempting to cast the spell in the tropical zone.

A character in one of the south sub-tropical zones will receive incident rays of light from Sedna. She will need to roll three (3) additional winners to successfully cast a spell.

Mosleigh is stranded on a deserted island in one of the southern sub-tropical zones. She wishes to cast a teleportation spell to transport her-self off the island.

Casting teleportation requires white chroma; Mosleighs player will therefore need to roll six (6) winners to successfully cast the spell three (3) for the use of the white chroma and three (3) for at-tempting to cast the spell in a south subtropical zone.

17Advanced rules Fear

It is not possible to roll more than five winners in ENCOUNTER; Mosleigh will not be able to cast teleportation in the south subtropi-cal zone.

3.5.c Mana stonesAn opaque blue stone, a mana stone, is

the only object known to transform chroma into spells. Each spell requires one or more mana stones to be cast. Once a mana stone has served its purpose, it crumbles into dust.

If a character succeeds in casting a spell, one mana stone in the characters pos-session must be destroyed for each winner required to cast that spell.

Mosleigh attempts to cast a healing spell while in the north temperate zone. The spell requires the use of a primary chroma; Mosleighs player will therefore need to roll two (2)

winners for Mosleigh to success-fully cast it.

Mosleighs player rolls three (3) winners enough for Mosleigh to cast the healing spell. Mosleigh must now remove two mana stones from her possession to cast the spell; the mana stones are destroyed in the process of transforming chroma into the spell.

3.6 FEARA game master may ask the player to

roll a willpower test before the players char-acter can perform an action that the game master considers frightening. This test is re-ferred to as a fear test. If the character passes the fear test, she can attempt to perform the frightening action. If she fails the fear test, she will refuse to attempt the action.

18Advanced rules Combat

Mosleigh suffers from a fear of social interaction. She must pass a willpower test, also referred to as a fear test under these circumstances, before attending a festival in the town square.

If a character fails a fear test, she will be able to attempt to pass it again.

Each time a character fails a fear test her willpower score will be reduced by one (1) point.

Mosleigh fails the fear test and re-fuses to join in the festivities. Her willpower score is reduced by one (1) point. She attempts to steady her nerves and approach the revel-lers. Her player rolls another will-power test and fails; Mosleighs willpower score is again reduced by one (1) point.

If a character whose willpower score is currently one (1) fails a fear test, she should panic and flee from the source of her fear.

Mosleigh stays in the common area of the inn, sulking in solitude.

Suddenly a large group of festival celebrants enters the room. Their presence aggravates Mosleighs fear of crowds; the game master in-dicates that her player should roll a fear test.

Mosleigh fails the fear test. How-ever, her willpower score is already at one (1) point; it cannot be reduced any further. Anxiety overpowers Mosleigh she abandons her drink and flees for her room.

3.7 COMBATCombat in ENCOUNTER is split

into rounds. Each character will take a turn during the round. Once each character has taken a turn in the round, a new round will begin.

The character with the most points in the cunning ability score will normally take her turn first. If two or more characters are tied, the game master should decide which character will take her turn first.

Mosleigh attempts to sneak up on a flitterbrand sentry. Her foot brushes a rock; the sound alerts the flitterbrand of Mosleighs ap-proach. The first round of combat begins.

Mosleighs cunning score is four (4); the flitterbrands two (2). Mosleigh will take her turn first, the flitterbrand second.

If a character does not see an attack coming, she is said to be the target of a sur-prise attack. If the combat is initiated by a surprise attack, the first turn should be awarded to the attacker regardless of the cunning score. The target of a surprise at-tack cannot oppose the test using any abil-ity/skill combination other than health/acrobatics.

Mosleigh overpowers the sentry, ties him up and hides him from plain sight. As she approaches the entrance to the flitterbrand cave, a second sentry successfully sneaks up on her and attacks.

The second flitterbrands cunning score is three (3), which is lower than Mosleighs. However, Mos-leigh does not expect the attack. The flitterbrand will take her turn

19Advanced rules Combat

first; Mosleigh will take hers sec-ond.

The order of turns decided at the be-ginning of the combat should be followed through to the end of the combat. If a new character enters the fray, her turn should be the last in the round.

The following are the most common actions that a character may perform during her turn in a combat round: Attacking a character; Casting a spell; Using a skill; Using an object; Moving.

If a character has performed a full movement, she will become a moving tar-get for the rest of the round; a character who wishes to shoot her using a ranged weapon later in the same round should have to roll one (1) additional winner to succeed.

Mosleigh decides to flee from the flitterbrands.

Mosleighs player announces that Mosleigh will run for the woods. Mosleigh cannot attempt any other action this turn other than running.

The flitterbrand blowgunner takes the next turn. She decides to at-tempt to shoot Mosleigh using the blowgun.

The flitterbrands player the game master in this case will need to roll an additional winner to successfully hit Mosleigh, because Mosleigh is a moving target.

3.7.a Nominal movementEach action listed above can follow

nominal movement.Nominal movement refers to several

steps a character may take to bring her into

contact with some nearby object. The extent of nominal movement should not exceed two or three metres. The game master may prohibit a move if she feels that it exceeds the extent of nominal movement.

3.7.b Repeating an actionA character may repeat an action

which required a test. This represents a character who has trained in a skill enough to become very quick and efficient in using that skill.

If a character wishes to repeat an ac-tion which required a test, her player must roll one die less than she did previously. This represents the rush with which the character is repeating the action.

Mosleigh attacks a thief. Her play-er rolls an opposed health/melee weapons test passes. Mosleighs health score is four (4); her me-lee weapons score is one (1). The thiefs health score is three (3); his melee weapons score is zero (0).

Mosleighs player rolls two dice. The results are [3] and [4] two winners. The game master rolls one die for the thief. The result is [1] one winner. Mosleigh passes the test.

Mosleighs player decides to repeat the attack. This time, she rolls one die because she is repeating an ac-tion.

A character may repeat an action which required a test more than once. Each time she repeats the action, her player will roll one die less. She may not repeat an ac-tion which required a test if previously her player rolled only one die for the purpose of that test.

20Advanced rules Combat

In the previous example, Mosleigh has repeated an attack. Her player rolled one (1) die instead of two (2) for the purpose of the repeated test.

Mosleigh is unable to repeat the at-tack a second time, because the first time that she repeated it, her player rolled one (1) die.

If a character repeats an action which required an opposed test, her opponents player must likewise roll one die less for the purpose of the repeated test. If the subtrac-tion of one (1) die from the opponents roll means that the opponents player will not roll any dice at all, the opponent will roll one (1) die regardless.

In the previous two examples, Mos-leigh has repeated an attack on the thief. Her player rolls one (1) die instead of two (2) because the at-tack is a repeated action. The game master rolls one (1) die for the thief again, because the rules prevent the opponents player from not rolling any dice at all.

If a character repeats an action which required an opposed test, her opponent must use the same ability/skill combination that she used for the previous test.

In the previous examples, Mosleigh has repeated an attack on the thief. The thiefs player cannot choose to oppose the repeated test with any other ability/skill combination than the one she chose for the ini-tial opposed test. In this case, it is health/melee weapons.

3.7.c Size and numbersThe game master should give an ad-

vantage to a character who, together with her allies, outnumbers her opponent in com-

bat, or is significantly larger than her oppo-nent.

Mosleigh walks through a forest clearing at night. Three bandits spring from the shadows and at-tack. Two of the thugs are human, one a jotun. Mosleigh attacks the jotun.

The jotuns melee weapons score is two (2). However, the thugs out-number Mosleigh three to one; the game master rules that the jotun will roll three (3) additional dice for the purpose of the opposed test triggered by the attack one for each additional character engaged in combat with Mosleigh and one because the jotun stands twice as tall as Mosleigh.

The size of a character contributing to the outnumbering effect but not directly participating in the opposed test should not affect the number of dice rolled by either characters involved in the opposed test.

Mosleigh attacks one of the human thugs. The second human and the jotun are still flanking her.

The game master decides that the human thug will roll two additional dice one for each additional char-acter outnumbering his opponent. No additional dice will be rolled due to the jotuns superior size be-cause the jotun does not participate in the opposed test directly.

The advantage granted to a charac-ter due to outnumbering should not exceed three (3) additional dice.

21Advanced rules Weapons and armour

3.8 WEAPONS AND ARMOURThere are two types of weapons in

ENCOUNTER; they are: melee weapons and ranged weapons. A character who is not armed by either of those types of weapons is said to be unarmed.

There are two types of armour in EN-COUNTER; they are: mail and plate.

3.8.a Mail armourIf a character wears a mail armour, an

attack by an unarmed character or a charac-ter who is armed with a ranged weapon will not affect her unless it is piercing; an attack by a character armed with a melee weapon will affect her regardless of whether it is piercing or not.

Mosleigh stumbles into a clearing. A knight and his squire spot her and prepare to attack.

The squire, wishing to impress his sire, rushes to attack Mosleigh. The first round of combat begins. The squires cunning score is one (1); Mosleighs is four (4). Mos-leigh will take her turn first.

The squires health score is two (2); his melee weapons skill score is zero (0). Mosleighs health score is four (4); her melee weapons skill score is one (1).

The squire is wearing a mail hau-berk. Mosleigh carries a sword.

The game master, who controls the knight and his squire, will roll one die; Mosleighs player will roll two dice.

The game master scores a [3] one dud; Mosleighs player scores [2] and [3] two winners.

Neither of the Mosleighs winners are piercing. If she was unarmed, or used a bow to shoot the squire from a distance, the attack would be stopped by the squires mail ar-mour.

However, Mosleigh is armed with a sword; the blade cuts through the hauberk. The squires health score is reduced by one (1) point.

3.8.b Plate armourIf a character wears a plate armour,

any attack will not affect her unless it is piercing.

Mosleigh has managed to rout the squire. She will now attack the knight.

The knights health score is three (3). Her melee weapons score is two (2). She wears a coat of plate armour.

Mosleighs player rolls [3] and [4] two winners; the game master [1], [4] and [6] one winner.

Mosleighs attack is not piercing the knights plate armour deflects her sword. Neither character pass-es the opposed test.

3.8.c Swimming in armourA character cannot swim in armour.If an armoured character falls into

deep water, she will begin to drown unless she discards her armour. Her player should roll a willpower test. If successful, the char-acter will stay calm and remove her armour. If she fails the test, she will panic and begin to drown.

Mosleigh attempts to cross a rope bridge while wearing a mail hau-

22Advanced rules Alcohol

berk. The bridge has suffered some damage previously and collapses under Mosleighs weight. Mosleigh falls into the river down below and begins to drown.

Before attempting a swimming test to swim to the shore, Mosleighs player must roll a willpower test. She scores a winner Mosleigh succeeds in removing the mail hau-berk and may now attempt to swim over to the shore

If a character has panicked and is drowning, another character may help her remove the armour underwater. The helping character should pass a health/swimming test to successfully remove the drowning characters armour.

Mosleighs mail-clad companion also lands in the water nearby. Her player rolls the willpower test and fails; her character panics and can-not remove the mail she begins to drown.

Mosleigh, who has by now dis-carded her mail hauberk, has spot-ted her companion and dives to help her out. The game master indicates that Mosleigh must pass a health/swimming test to successfully re-move the other characters armour.

Mosleighs player passes the test; Mosleigh removes the armour and both she and her companion may now attempt to swim to the shore.

3.9 ALCOHOLImbibing an alcoholic beverage should

trigger a health test. Each time a character fails the health test triggered by imbibing an

alcoholic beverage, her cunning score will be reduced by one (1) point.

Resting will restore the cunning score points lost in this manner.

Mosleigh wants to procure some in-formation from a patron at an inn.

A quick conversation reveals that the patron is alert and insightful. Mosleigh decides that should she attempt to use rhetoric on him, she will likely fail. Instead she orders them both a round of drinks, hop-ing that the alcohol will reduce the patrons cunning score.

23Skills Brewing

4. SKILLS

standing of their movement across the celes-tial sphere.

If a character wishes to identify north by studying stars, she should roll a test using cunning ability and astronomy skill. If the night sky is clear, one winner should be suf-ficient to successfully do so; if there is some cloud cover and only some stars are visible, the character should need two winners.

4.5 BOTANYBotany governs the characters knowl-

edge of plants and their properties.Identifying a plant in the characters

native environment should require one (1) winner; identifying its properties should re-quire two (2) winners.

Identifying a plant in an unfamiliar environment should require two (2) win-ners; identifying its properties should re-quire three (3) winners.

Preparing an extract from one or more plants should require three (3) win-ners. It should only be possible to do once the character has identified the properties of each type of plant involved in preparing the extract.

4.6 BREWINGBrewing governs the characters un-

derstanding of the process of preparing an alcoholic beverage.

The number of winners indicates the volume of beverage produced by passing a brew test.

4.1 ACROBATICSAcrobatics governs the characters

balance and flexibility.An attempt to sneak without alerting

any characters in the vicinity should trigger a willpower/acrobatics test.

A health/acrobatics test can be used to oppose a melee weapons test. If successful, the character who used the acrobatics skill dodges the attack and remains unharmed; no harm is caused to either the attacking or the defending character.

If a character succeeds in sneaking up on another character and initiates an attack, her target can oppose the test only with a health/acrobatics test.

If a characters mount attempts to dis-lodge her, she must pass a health/acrobatics test to avoid being thrown to ground.

4.2 ANIMAL CAREAnimal care governs the act of domes-

ticating and training an animal.If a character wishes to calm or do-

mesticate an animal, she should have to pass a willpower/animal care test.

4.3 ATHLETICSAthletics reflects the characters run-

ning and jumping training.Running and jumping may trigger a

health/athletics test.

4.4 ASTRONOMYAstronomy governs the characters

familiarity with celestial objects and under-

24Skills Lock picking

4.7 CLIMBINGClimbing reflects the characters ap-

titude for climbing vertical or near-vertical surfaces.

An attempt to climb a tree should trig-ger a health/climbing test and require one (1) winner; climbing a cliff should require two (2) or more winners.

4.8 FIRST AIDFirst aid governs the characters skill

in providing first aid to a wounded charac-ter.

First aid can only be provided im-mediately after combat. Each character can attempt to provide first aid to another char-acter only once. Multiple characters can at-tempt to provide first aid to a single charac-ter.

4.9 HISTORYHistory reflects the characters knowl-

edge of events, persons and objects that played a role in the history of Edelay.

If a character wishes to identify the period, maker or properties of some artefact, she should have to pass a cunning/history test.

4.10 INTIMIDATIONIntimidation reflects the characters

ability to use her appearance and words to intimidate another character into doing something.

An attempt to intimidate a character should trigger a health/intimidation test.

4.11 LOCK PICKINGLock picking governs the characters

knowledge of a locks mechanism and abil-

25Skills Rhetoric

health/melee weapons test. The target may choose to oppose the test by also rolling a health/melee weapons test, or an acrobat-ics/health test.

Section 3.7 addresses combat in fur-ther detail.

4.16 MUSICMusic governs the act of reading mu-

sic and playing a musical instrument to en-tertain an audience.

The player must pick which instru-ment her character is skilled in and write it in parentheses next to the music skill on her character sheet. She should choose from the following musical instruments: Fiddle Flute Lute Percussion Reed Voice

4.17 RANGED WEAPONSRanged weapons governs the use of a

ranged weapon to hit a distant target.An attempt to hit a target using a

ranged weapon should trigger a willpower/ranged weapons test.

A stationary human-sized target standing upright up to seventy-five metres from the shooter should require one (1) win-ner. A smaller target, a target that is further away from the shooter or a moving target would require two (2) or more winners to hit. An archer should not be able to hit a target that is more than two hundred metres away.

Section 3.7 addresses combat in fur-ther detail.

4.18 RHETORICRhetoric represents the characters

knowledge of a specific language and her

ity to spring a lock open using a set of lock picks and a torsion wrench.

If a character wishes to pick a lock using a lock pick and a torsion wrench, she should have to roll a willpower/lock picking test. The number of winners required to pick the lock should depend on the complexity of the lock; a crude lock should require one (1) winner to pick; a regular lock two (2) win-ners; a complex lock three (3) winners.

4.12 MAGICMagic governs the act of casting a

spell using chroma.The number of winners required de-

pends on the characters geographical posi-tion and the complexity of the spell she is attempting to cast.

4.13 MATHEMATICSMathematics governs the characters

knowledge of algebra and geometry.If a character wishes to find signs of

fraud in a set of bookkeeping records, she should have to roll a cunning/mathemat-ics test. The number of winners required to detect fraud should equal the number of winners that the character who produced the documents rolled when perpetrating the fraud.

4.14 MECHANICSMechanics governs the characters un-

derstanding of various mechanisms.If a character wishes to set or disarm

a trap, she should have to pass a cunning/mechanics test.

4.15 MELEE WEAPONSMelee weapons governs the charac-

ters aptitude for the use of melee weapons.An attempt to hit another charac-

ter using a melee weapon should trigger a

26Skills Sleight of hand

A score of three (3) indicates a charac-ter who wields the specified language with ease.

An attempt to persuade a character to adopt a certain opinion should trigger a cun-ning/rhetoric test. An outrageous request may require multiple winners for the char-acter to succeed.

4.19 SAILINGSailing reflects the characters knowl-

edge of the workings of a ship.Steering a ship through a storm should

require a cunning/sailing test.

4.20 SLEIGHT OF HANDSleight of hand governs the act of

picking another characters pocket or plant-ing an item into their possession.

Attempting to pick a characters pocket or plant an item into their possession should trigger a cunning/sleight of hand test. The target character may oppose this test by rolling a willpower/spot test.

ability to affect another character by using that language.

A character whose rhetoric score is zero (0) cannot read, write or speak using the specified language.

A character who grew up without any exposure to others, or is deaf mute, would likely have a rhetoric score of zero (0).

A rhetoric score of one (1) indicates that the character can speak using the speci-fied language. She does not know the lan-guage sufficiently to write compound or complex sentences. She will often write words out the way they sound unaware of proper grammar.

A young child or a foreigner would likely have a rhetoric score of one (1).

A score of two (2) indicates that the character can read and write and talk using the specified language. She may make a mis-take when writing a complex sentence or word.

A native character who lives in the ru-ral area would likely have a rhetoric score of two (2).

27Skills Zoology

4.21 SMITHINGSmithing governs the characters apti-

tude for working with metal.An attempt to smith an object should

trigger a health/smithing test.Smithing a simple tool should require

two (2) winners.Smithing a complex tool, an item of

cutlery, a toy or a weapon should require three (3) winners.

Smithing a mail armour should re-quire four (4) winners.

Smithing a plate armour should re-quire five (5) winners.

4.22 SPOTTINGSpotting governs the characters alert-

ness.An attempt to spot a sleight of hand,

a creature in camouflage or a hidden button or a trap should trigger a willpower/spotting test.

4.23 STONEWORKINGStoneworking governs the acts of en-

graving and processing stone into blocks, cutlery, figurines and other objects.

4.24 SWIMMINGSwimming governs the characters

ability to move through water and stay afloat.

An attempt to swim through a body of water should trigger a health/swimming test.

Crossing a calm pond should require two (2) winners; a river three (3); a river with a fast current four (4).

4.25 TRACKINGTracking governs the characters abil-

ity to follow tracks and to cover her own.

If a character wishes to follow a set of tracks, she should have to pass a cunning/tracking test.

The number of winners required de-pends on the condition of the tracks and the environment. Tracking another character through thick undergrowth or during rain may require two (2) or more winners.

4.26 WOODWORKINGWoodworking governs the act of pro-

cessing wood into arrows, cutlery, furniture and other objects.

4.27 ZOOLOGYZoology governs the characters

knowledge of animals and their behaviours.Identifying a rare animal in the char-

acters native environment should require one (1) winner; identifying its behaviour should require two (2) winners.

Identifying an animal in an unfamil-iar environment should require two (2) or, if the animal is rare, three (3) winners; identi-fying its behaviour should require three (3) or, if the animal is rare, four (4) winners.

Identifying an animal by its tracks should require two (2) winners if the animal is native to an environment familiar to the character; three (3) if the animal is native to an environment unfamiliar to the character.

28Spells Cyan chroma

5. SPELLS

5.3 BLUE CHROMABlue chroma can be used to amplify

mental processes and affect the physical world by thought.

5.3.a TelekinesisBy casting the telekinesis spell, the

caster will move an object using thought alone.

A character may easily lift and move objects via telekinesis that are light enough for her to carry in person. If, however, the object is too heavy for her to lift by hand, or lies farther than ten (10) metres from her, the game master should indicate that one or more additional winners are required to pass the channelling test.

5.4 CYAN CHROMACyan chroma combines the properties

of blue and green chromas.

5.4.a TelepathyBy casting the telepathy spell, the

caster will subject herself to thoughts and images that are on the targets mind.

The caster may read a characters mind with ease if the target is unaware of the spell. If the target is aware of the spell, she may choose to oppose it using a will-power/magic test. If she is unsuccessful, she will be able to repeat the test every half an hour.

The caster who succeeds in casting te-lepathy may break the spell off at will.

A spell is the product of chroma. Each type of chroma allows the magician to ma-nipulate a different aspect of the laws of na-ture.

5.1 RED CHROMARed chroma can be used to generate

heat.

5.1.a PyrokinesisBy casting the pyrokinesis spell, the

caster will shoot a beam of scorching heat at a target.

If the caster succeeds in casting the spell, a target characters health score will be reduced by one (1).

If the target character or object is doused in water or covered in inflammable material, the caster should need an addition-al winner for the spell to have an effect on it.

5.2 GREEN CHROMAGreen chroma can be used to improve

the functions of an organism.

5.2.a HealingBy casting the healing spell, the caster

will heal herself or another wounded char-acter.

If the number of winners rolled in the willpower/magic test is equal to or greater than the health score lost as a result of abil-ity damage, the spell will restore one (1) point to the target characters health score.

29Spells White chroma

5.5 MAGENTA CHROMAMagenta chroma combines the prop-

erties of red and blue chromas.

5.5.a Cloak of fearBy casting cloak of fear, the caster will

appear frightening to all characters in the vi-cinity.

Attacking the caster who has suc-ceeded in casting the cloak of fear spell is a frightening action. The spell lasts until one or more of the following events occur: The caster decides to cancel the spell; The caster attacks a character; The caster is attacked by a character using a melee weapon.

5.6 YELLOW CHRO-MA

Yellow chroma com-bines the properties of red and green chromas.

5.6.a Force fieldBy casting force

field, the caster will create a barrier to either wall off an area or envelop her in a protective shell.

A caster encased in a force field enjoys a de-gree of protection similar to plate armour. Regard-less of the type of armour the caster is wearing, an at-tacker will have to roll one additional [1] to penetrate the force field.

The spell lasts until one or more of the follow-ing events occur: The caster decides to cancel the spell; The caster is wound-ed while under the protec-tion of the force field.

5.7 WHITE CHROMAWhie chroma combines the properties

of all three primary chromas.

5.7.a TeleportationBy casting teleportation, the caster

will move himself and people around him to another place in the world instantaneously.

For each additional character that the caster wants to teleport with her, her player must roll one (1) additional winner.

30Creating a character White chroma

During character creation, a player character has a score of two (2) in each one of her three abilities. Her player has a fur-ther four (4) points to distribute between her ability scores; she must not raise any one of her characters scores above four (4) points.

A player decides that her player character, Cutty, will be a healthy and cunning, but cowardly thief. She puts two (2) points into Cut-tys health and cunning scores each. Cutty will begin the game with a cunning score of four (4), a health score of four (4) and a willpower score of two (2).

The player must now distribute ten (10) points between her characters skill scores. She must not increase the score of any skill above two (2) points.

Section 4. lists and describes all skills available to characters in ENCOUNTER. Players may not find some of the skills giv-en in this section useful. They may wish to focus their skill choices on those skills that would be used more frequently dur-ing a campaign. Should the company come across a point in the campaign that calls for a more mundane skill, like woodworking, the player characters may seek out a non-player character who specialises in such a skill.

Cuttys player distributes the ten (10) points among Cuttys skills in the following manner:

One point (1) is allocated to Cut-tys acrobatics skill; Cutty has had

her share of rooftop chases and has developed her balance.

One point (1) is allocated to Cut-tys athletics skill; Cutty is a de-cent runner.

One point (1) is allocated to Cut-tys climbing skill; Cutty often has to climb house walls and fences.

One point (1) is allocated to Cut-tys lock picking skill; Cutty knows how to pick a lock, even though it may take her some time to succeed.

One point (1) is allocated to Cuttys rhetoric skill; Cutty knows how to talk herself out of some degree of trouble.

Two points (2) are allocated to Cuttys sleight of hand skill; Cutty has survived through her childhood by picking pockets on the streets.

Two points (2) are allocated to Cuttys spotting skill; Cutty is al-ways on the lookout for guards.

One point (1) is allocated to Cuttys swimming skill; Cutty has learnt how to swim in a lake as a child.

6. CREATING A CHARACTER

31Setting Demons

If the players and the game master de-cide to play ENCOUNTER using the set-ting provided in this book, each player char-acter will belong to a secret order known as the knights-hexer. The prophetic dreams of an oracle give the order its purpose. These visions tell of demons who parade as gods and goddesses.

7.1 DEMONSThe characters walk the surface of

the planet Edelay. Edelay in turn orbits one of the suns caught up in the spiral of the

Queenslock Galaxy. Two moons orbit the planet; the player characters will know the closest to be Masherak, the farthest Ver-hin. The moons drive the tides of Edelay into a frenzy.

There are an infinite number of uni-verses; each one exhibits different laws of nature. Living beings adapt to the laws of nature that govern their own world should they somehow find themselves in an alien universe, they could die under the influence of that universes laws of nature. The gravi-tational pull of a terrestrial body that ac-commodates native life in one universe may

7. SETTING

32Setting Knights-hexer

crush a creature or an object from another universe.

It is rare though not impossible for a creature to leave its native universe. Sen-tient species will use the term demon to describe a creature that inhabits a universe other than their own. Unless the demon can somehow alter the natural laws of the uni-verse, she should not attempt to travel to a universe without first ensuring her safety.

Having no means of travelling to another planet within their own universe, some demons will seek expansion into an-other universe instead. Some have devel-oped means of communicating with crea-tures living in another universe. They may attempt to manipulate the inhabitants of another world to alter the laws of nature so as to make the world suitable for their life, destroying the natives in the process.

A number of demonic civilisations are vying for the obedience of Edelays sapient species. If one of them succeeds in changing the environment on Edelay and invading the planet, the others will lose their chance to do so.

The means of communicating with the peoples of Edelay available to demons are limited. A demon may appear and speak to a person in a dream. She can further alter the physical word in Edelay, but, limited by her ability and the resources available to her, may only do so to a small extent.

The demons have found the perfect application for their powers they use their influence to establish themselves as deities. The churches across Edelay do the bidding of demons, oblivious to the nature or the agenda of their patrons. The clergy pursues greater numbers of followers and calls for the extermination of other religions those spawned by demons from a rival universe.

An alteration of laws of nature is pos-sible only through the use what the inhabit-ants of Edelay know as magic. In order to use magic, the clergy requires mana stones, which capture and channel magical energy

present in the rays of light emitted by the star Sedna. Every church therefore demands that its followers search the planet for mana stones. The clergy may go as far as crusad-ing against another church to seize the ri-vals mana stone supplies.

Mana stones originate from Verhin one of Edelays two moons. Several cen-turies ago, an asteroid collided with Ver-hin. The impact sent meteors plummeting towards Edelay. The remnant meteorites ended up scattered across the continent of Ossyria. As a result, the cults of various de-mons focus on securing their dominion in Ossyria.

A single organisation holds the knowledge of the demonic masquerade and opposes the invasion.

7.2 KNIGHTS-HEXERThe order of knights-hexer is a secret

organisation, a militant group of assassins, spies and terrorists who use whatever means necessary to prevent a demonic invasion. A woman who calls herself the Oracle guides the knights-hexer she is the source of the orders insight into the nature of the worlds religions.

The order of knights-hexer numbers approximately three hundred members; one hundred of them reside in the orders head-quarters in Cyril. Of the three hundred, ap-proximately twenty form the inner circle of the order. All members of the inner circle re-side in Cyril. Their responsibilities consist of approval and induction of new members, distribution of duties among existing mem-bers and consideration of events that affect the order and its goals.

Only the worlds survival justifies the means that the knights-hexer will employ. The orders agents have assassinated mis-sionaries, sunk pilgrim ships, provoked sec-tarian division and massacred cultists.

33Setting Oracle

7.3 ORACLEThe order of knights-hexer began

with a prophetic vision. The woman who delivered the prophecy the Oracle ap-pears old and frail. She does not speak un-less she is delivering a prophecy. She labours to articulate her visions, pausing for breath after every few words.

Ellosh, a fourteen-year-old girl, at-tends to the Oracles needs. She stays at her side and acts as a scribe. Ellosh has recorded every vision the Oracle had since the in-ception of the order. The knights store the scrolls that she has penned in a vault. All members of the order have unrestricted ac-cess to the vault should they wish to exam-ine the past prophecies.

It is believed that when the Oracle dies, Ellosh will take her place. The teenager has already had her first vision.

The clergy controls the mobs; should the Oracles visions be told in public, any church would burn her at stake as a blas-phemer. The order does not have enough members to protect the Oracle in case of ex-posure.

34Nations Khammenid Sultanate

The order of knights-hexer operates within four nations. They are the Kham-menid Sultanate, the Kingdom of Prede, the Lydean City-states and the Swaryag Hetm-anate. Other nations of Edelay do not have access to mana stones and therefore have lit-tle use for demons.

8.1 KHAMMENID SULTANATE

8.1.a AreaThe Kingdom of Prede lays claim to

approximately 1 580 000 square kilometres of land. Approximately 10% of the land is ar-able; 55% desert or mountainous; 10% for-est and woodland; and 25% meadows and pastures.

8.1.b PopulationThe Khammenid Sultanate claims

approximately 12 200 000 persons as its sub-jects.

8.1.c Settlements Table 1 describes the settlements of

the Khammenid Sultanate.

8.1.d Fortifications Table 2 describes the fortifications

present on the territory of the Khammenid Sultanate.

8.1.e CapitalThe centre of the nations power is the

city of Sarkhoum.

8.1.f SocietyThe Khammenid people have retained

the caste system of the Antegean Emirate. Each citizen of the Sultanate belongs to one of the following five castes: the Pramessides, the Upper Assembly, the Lower Assembly, the baseborn and the dregs. The Prames-sides, the Upper Assembly and the Lower Assembly are collectively referred to as the Assembly.

The Pramessides represent the priest-hood of the Khammenid Sultanate. After the migration from the Antegean Emirate, they have managed to hold onto their status de-spite the efforts of the Sultan. Pramessides alone can assume the position of priests or priestesses in the Sultanate.

Member of the Upper Assembly form the aristocracy of the Sultanate. Khamme-nid law permits them to drink alcohol and forbids their enslavement.

8. NATIONS

Table 1: Settlements of the Khammenid Sultanate.

35Nations Khammenid Sultanate

Antegean wizards have come to adapt to the unfavourable angle of incidence of rays emitted by Sedna in the Caliphate. They developed the solar furnace to make up for the low saturation of Sednas light which had, until then, limited their magical power.

A solar furnace consists of mirrors ar-ranged in a square and propped up at an angle to collect and focus light into a point in the centre of the square. A wizard who stands inside the solar furnace has a significantly larger dose of magic light to work with.

A character who attempts to cast a spell inside a solar furnace will require one less winner to pass the test. Being in a solar furnace cannot reduce the number of win-ners required to pass a magic test below zero (0).

8.1.g LawThe Khammenid law treats a criminal

in accordance to social class. The Assembly holds itself largely above the law, while the baseborn and the dregs fill the slave pens to atone for their crimes.

8.1.h MilitaryForeign mercenaries and soldiers re-

cruited among slaves usually form the Sul-tans personal guard. Regular troops consist of professional soldiers who can, for the most part, trace their ancestry to the war-riors of the Antegean Caliphate. The bulk of the army, however, consists of volunteers motivated by religion.

Infantry crossbowmen and mount-ed spearmen play the dominant role in the Khammenid army. Archers may sometimes dip their bolts and arrows in snake poison.

People born to the Lower Assembly can also partake of alcoholic drinks; they do not however enjoy states protection from enslavement. Should the courts find a mem-ber of the Upper Assembly guilty of a crime, they may prescribe enslavement by the vic-tim of the crime as punishment.

The baseborn form the third broad category of classes in the Khammenid Sul-tanate. The law prohibits a baseborn from drinking alcohol intoxication is a luxury reserved for the upper class. A baseborn may face slavery as punishment for breaking the law or crossing the boundaries of permissi-ble within the class system of the Sultanate. Unlike the dregs, a baseborn is allowed to touch a member of a higher caste.

The dregs scrape against the bottom of the Khammenid caste system. A dreg is untouchable she must not touch, let alone address without first being addressed, a member of the Assembly. She cannot drink alcohol and, in case of being found guilty in a trial, will likely become a slave to her ac-cuser.

The Khammenid Sultanate has plucked the crown of a regional superpower since its arrival at the shores. Both its mili-tary and technological advances soar above other nations of the continent, though so far the Khammenids have made no effort to conquer their neighbours.

There are relatively few cities in the Sultanate, mostly focussed in the northeast. The people who live in the cities look down on the southerners. Their sense of entitle-ment stems from the military presence in the region the bulk of the Khammenid army resides in the north.

Table 2: Fortifications of the Khammenid Sultanate.

36Nations Kingdom of Prede

The cavalry will often throw javelins at the enemy before engaging in melee. An elite core of cataphracts heavy cavalry holds the respect of soldiers both with the Sultan-ate and without.

Military wage hinges on the soldiers ancestry. A soldier who can trace her family tree to Antegean citizens will receive more money for her service in the army. Only one with such ancestry may serve as a cata-phract.

8.1.i ReligionThe people of the Khammenid Sultan-

ate worship the eight gods and goddesses of the Antegean Caliphate. Together, the dei-ties are referred to as the Ogdoad. Each pair serves to represent the male and the female aspects of one of four concepts tied to the be-ginning of the universe. The four concepts are void, darkness, chaos and invisibility.

Seeing the chokehold that the clergy keeps on the state in the Antegean Emir-ate, the Sultan of the Khammenid Sultan-ate has committed to isolating the affairs of the state from the influence of religion. To please the citizens of the Sultanate, most of the old rituals remain in practice, including those that permeate the world of Khamme-nid politics; but behind the doors of the Pal-ace, a priests word warrants the same merit as those of any other.

The secular nature of the rule ham-strings the demons of the Ogdoad. Their machinations spawn prophets among the populace, those who accuse the Sultan of blasphemy.

8.2 KINGDOM OF PREDE

8.2.a AreaThe Kingdom of Prede lays claim to

approximately 670 000 square kilometres of land. Approximately 40% of the land is ara-ble; 10% desert or mountainous; 30% for-est and woodland; and 20% meadows and pastures.

8.2.b PopulationThe Kingdom of Prede claims approx-

imately 20 800 000 persons as its subjects.

8.2.c Settlements Table 3 describes the settlements of

the Kingdom of Prede.

8.2.d Fortifications Table 4 describes the fortifications

present on the territory of the Kingdom of Prede.

8.2.e CapitalThe centre of the nations power is the

city of Olbre Sotten.

8.2.f SocietyThe kingdom of Prede has laid the

foundation of feudalism in Edelay. Its so-ciety polarises its subjects into two social classes the aristocratic gentry and the com-moners.

The king governs as the head of the state. Over time, his position has deterio-rated from one of absolute power to that of a figurehead. Major decisions concerning the state, such as changes to its legislature and matters of diplomacy require the Kings

Table 3: Settlements of the Kingdom of Prede.

37Nations Kingdom of Prede

consent; however, the nature of this consent has become a formality. Real power rests in the hands of the gentry.

The authority of the kings consort, the queen, traditionally extends no further than the walls of the royal castle. Her role has changed since the birth of the kingdom history bears witness to several queens who have held the reins of the country in the absence, sometimes corroborated by the consort herself, of a king.

The three concepts of peers, vassals and fiefs form the core of the social struc-ture in the kingdom. A peer is a noble who owns land. She may grant the possession of her land to a vassal. The land so transferred is known as a fief. In exchange for the use of the fief and protection, the vassal will pro-vide goods or services to the peer her lord or lady. Often the nature of the services is militaristic the vassal pledges to fight for the peers cause for up to six months per year.

The relationship between a peer and her vassal permeates Predan society. It be-gins with the king, who divvies the kingdom into fiefs and appoints his vassals. The vas-sals in turn demand vassalage from the citi-zens on their land. There is a greater degree of complexity involved in the feudal struc-ture; many peers become vassals to other peers and may even serve as vassals to more than one lord or lady.

From time to time, a commoner will save up enough money to buy out the rights to a piece of land from her lord and become a yeoman. Often, the yeoman will buy her own shop premises or farm to avoid paying dues to her lord.

8.2.g LawThe law in Prede consists of Dooms.

A Doom represents an offence codified un-der Predan law. It also prescribes a punish-ment for committing the offence.

The king is responsible for issuing Dooms.

The punishment detailed in a Doom often involves a sum of money payable to the royal treasury by the perpetrator. Its se-verity depends on the perpetrators social standing. A peasant will suffer a more se-vere punishment than a member of the gen-try for committing the same crime.

The most frequent punishment for a crime is execution.

The jurisdiction of the official Dooms breaks down beyond the walls of the capi-tal. Noble barons hold enough wealth and military power to bribe or intimidate the courts. Assassination and abduction for gain is commonplace among the aristocracy.

Peasants and lesser gentry can no longer rely on the justice system for protec-tion. They must turn to the barons instead, pledging to wear their patrons livery and serve in her army in times of conflict. Their patron in turn promises to protect their lands and rights from bandits and other barons.

The law demands that all mana stones be submitted to the Hetman. Only the high-est-ranking members of the cult of the All-mother abbots and cardinals have access to the states reserve of mana stones. How-ever, renegade barons often withhold any mana stones in their possession for their own benefit. A wizard may tender her alle-giance to a baron and receive a small cache of mana stones to fuel her magic.

Table 4: Fortifications of the Kingdom of Prede.

38Nations Lydean City-states

8.2.h MilitaryTo fill the ranks of the Predan army,

the Predan king enters into a written inden-tured contract with a captain. Under the terms of the contract, the captain promises to serve the kingdom as one of its many mil-itary leaders. She must provide an agreed number of soldiers at a place of assembly at some date. The contract must set out the nature and the duration of the service, the privileges extended to soldiers under the captains command and the payment. The payment is made up front using a promis-sory note.

The captain sub-contracts soldiers. It is her responsibility to negotiate the terms of the indentured contract with the king, collect the money on the promissory note and reimburse the sub-contracted soldiers.

The most powerful captains emerge from the nobility; their wealth and status permit them to raise large contingents. In order to satisfy the kings requests in due time, many such nobles retain a permanent force. Their sub-contractors receive a life annuity in exchange for lifelong service.

A barons army consists of a personal bodyguard, hired mercenaries, professional soldiers and peasants under her protection. The bodyguard consists of knights, family members and sometimes a wizard. Mounted men-at-arms, including knights, normally dismount for combat. Foot soldiers include archers, crossbowmen and halberdiers. Mer-cenary troops often number Lydean pike-men and Swaryag heavy infantry among their ranks.

8.2.i ReligionThe kingdom of Prede recognises a

single deity as a true divine the goddess Allmother. Those who worship the All-mother brand themselves as her Children. They make up approximately nine tenths of Predan population.

The order knows the identity of the Allmother. She is in fact a sexless demon,

Hurhu. Creatures of her kind call them-selves Cthaar. The Children have come to refer to them as angels.

There is an unsettling aspect to the cult of the Allmother. The Cthaar have found a way to possess the Children. The possession is only possible as a result of a magic spell known to some of the priests among the Children. It allows a Cthaar to take over the victims mind and warp the body in its own image. The transformation never succeeds in its entirety. If the host survives the transformation, its body will resemble a hybrid, half-human, half-Cthaar. It may sprout a malformed wing or devel-op talons. The Children have named these possessed Chosen and revere them. The cult of the Allmother praises as martyrs the many that die during possession, their bod-ies mangled and useless.

The Predan countryside teems with magicians, often at odds with the local pop-ulace. The cult of the Allmother supports a regiment of inquisitors militant Children dedicated to the capture of sorcerers. Mem-bers of the inquisition have earned notori-ety for their penchant for rousing a mob and directing it against anyone they suspect of causing trouble in the area.

8.3 LYDEAN CITY-STATES

8.3.a AreaThe Lydean city-states lay claim to

approximately 300 000 square kilometres of land. Approximately 35% of the land is ara-ble; 20% desert or mountainous; 25% for-est and woodland; and 20% meadows and pastures.

8.3.b PopulationThe Lydean city-states claim approxi-

mately 11 500 000 persons as their subjects.

39Nations Lydean City-states

plaintiff can go to the court and have the of-fender proclaimed an outlaw.

Killing an outlaw does not constitute an offense the killer cannot be punished by the court.

The right to collect the fine from the offender is transferable. If the victim cannot collect the fine from the offender, she may sell the right to do so to a third party an enforcer.

The price of the right to be reimbursed must factor in the chance of failing to collect the fine for reasons outside of the enforcers control.

Anyone can offer to become an en-forcer. For a transfer of the right to be reim-bursed to occur, the plaintiff signs a contract with the enforcer. Only one person can hold the right to collect the fine. The offender can request to see the paper identifying the plaintiff or the enforcer as the holder of the right to be reimbursed before paying the fine.

If a murder is committed and the plaintiff deems the fine insufficient, she, or a member of her commune may kill the of-fender or a member of the offenders coali-tion in revenge. The fines for the original and the revenge killings will cancel each other out.

If the offender cannot afford to pay the fine, she may become the plaintiffs thrall. A thrall is considered personal prop-erty a slave; she will work for the plaintiff until she pays off her debt. The court dic-tates the interest rate that will apply to the fine.

8.3.c Settlements Table 5 describes the settlements of

the Lydean City-states.

8.3.d Fortifications Table 6 describes the fortifications

present on the territory of the Lydean City-states.

8.3.e CapitalThe centre of the factions power is

the city of Alleyne.

8.3.f SocietyThe Lydean city-states consist of sev-

eral city-states, each an independent com-munity with its own government.

The political power in a city-state no longer belongs to nobility. The feudal land-owners have never held much regard among the communes; as a result of a number of revolts orchestrated by Lydean guilds, they had to forfeit their holdings. Their lands paved the way for the expansion of the cit-ies into the countryside. The nobles either sought refuge in Lydean towns and cities, or fled the city-states. Some attempted to retake their lost holdings only to find that they could not outbid the guilds for merce-nary loyalties.

8.3.g LawUnder Lydean law, if a person be-

comes a victim of a crime, she can go to the court. If the court finds in her favour, the plaintiff will negotiate a fine to be paid by the offender. Once the sum is settled upon, the offender must pay it within a fortnight. If the fine is not paid by the due date, the

Table 5: Settlements of the Lydean City-states.

40Nations Swaryag Hetmanate

A bank or the members of the offend-ers coalition may offer to extend credit to the offender to cover a fine.

8.3.h MilitaryThe majority of Lydean military con-

sists of irregular troops; mercenary bands from all over the continent come to work for the city-states. Men and women from the mountains in the north of the country come down to peddle their services to the highest bidder.

There is always a risk of betrayal where mercenaries are concerned. Before usurping the political power in Photia, Mel-chior Veir served the city-states as a merce-nary commander. After defeating the Pho-tian troops on behalf of his contractor, Veir and his regiment refused to vacate the city. He remains in power to this day.

The guilds make sure to contract dif-ferent companies to prevent collusion and betrayal. The poorer citizens form a militia to further deter raiding and looting by oppor-tun