Blood and Bronze Core Rules
Blood and Bronze Core Rules
Blood and Bronze Core Rules
I: Book of Rules
Concept by
Johan NORDINGE
Artwork
Rich LONGMORE • Interior
Sam PERKINS-HARBIN • Map
Adam MOORE • Cover
(c) each artist, respectively. Used herein under license
Game design by
Olav NYGÅRD • Johan NORDINGE
With
Gustaf BROWALL • Jocke ANDERSSON • Mike BERGAMOTTE
Christoffer LINDAHL • Emil THUNSTRÖM
Thanks to
Danuta LINDKRANTZ • Johan FAGERLIN
Måns BROMAN • Max RAVEN • Anders HEDSTRÖM MACE
Special Thanks to
Christian MEHRSTAM
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Chapter I -
INTRODUCTION
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6 CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION Contents
Imagine that you are an adventurer: a cunning
rogue, a hardened mercenary or a farseer wise INTRODUCTION 6
in the ways of the stars. Before you lies a world What is Blood & Bronze? 7
rife with adventure and intrigue, wicked men Rules Summary 9
and evil fiends. For this world is not like ours: it THE WORLD OF BLOOD & BRONZE 12
is still young, untamed and shrouded in myster- Cultures 14
ies. It is a world of Blood & Bronze. Sippar 15
THE ADVENTURERS 18
To the north, the snow-capped ridges of the
Improving Your Character 19
Zagros Mountains rise like a dragon’s spine,
The Mercenary 20
home to savage tribes and ravenous beasts but
The Rogue 22
rich in copper and gems. Gaze west or south,
The Mystic 24
and you will see vast deserts of raging sands and
The Desert Farer 26
barren stone where nomad tribes make trade
The Courtesan 28
with strange civilizations beyond the edge of
The Seer 30
the world. To the southeast, a labyrinthine delta
WEAPONS & GOODS 36
of sudden lakes and shallow canals carries mer-
Encumbrance 36
chants’ rafts and the pirates that prey on them;
Currencies and Barter 36
and beyond are bogs and disease-ridden marsh-
Common goods 37
lands where strange creatures crawl and slither.
War Gear 38
At the heart of this world lies a barren stretch Qualities and Characteristics 39
of hard soil circumscribed by twin rivers: Tigris Lotus Powder 40
to the north, violent and cold, and its southern Bone Salt 41
sister Euphrates, feverish and slow. RULES 44
Abilities 44
Across this land great cities are strewn, like
Skill Tests 45
gems of ancient allure. Of them, Sippar is the
Saving Throws 45
adamant. Situated where the eastern steppe
Altering the Outcome 46
meets the great western deserts and the two
Zones 47
rivers turn to approach each other before once
Rounds 47
again pursuing their separate paths, Sippar
Combat and Damage 48
commands all trade between the wealthy Sum-
Other Sources of Damage 49
er kingdoms and their western neighbors. Here
Armor 49
people gather, seeking refuge from beasts and
Endurance Loss 50
enemies behind massive walls or solace from
Rest and Recovery 51
the scorching sun under the many-colored tarps
BASIC SKILLS 54
of the bazaars. Here, people bow down in the
Beyond the Basic Skills 57
shade of the ziggurats and tremor in awe of its
REFEREE'S SECTION 60
sacred rulers.
Adventures 62
...But not you, for you are an adventurer. Driv- The Reavers’ Fort 62
en by an urge for power, by curiosity or avarice, Wilderness adventures 64
you and your band of likes travel this world, Expanding the World 64
seeking fame, gold and adventure. Misfortunes 65
The Great Barrens of Karkal 66
This is the game of these adventures.
NPCs 68
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INTRODUCTION 7
THE REFEREE
What is Blood & Bronze? One of you will assume the role of referee. As
Blood & Bronze is a game of shared imagina- the referee, your goal is to make up and portray
tion. In this game, you and your friends assume a fantastical world, fill it with peril and wonder,
the roles of adventurers, exploring a Bronze Age strange civilizations and sinister secrets to un-
world in search of power and riches. Using your cover. As the referee, you do four things:
1
creativity, this book and some dice, you embark
You set the scene and make up things
on mysterious quests, fight savage monsters and
about the world and its inhabitants.
unravel the plots of wicked queens and kings.
You are the ears and the eyes of the adventurers;
For this savage time is a time of strife, but also a
telling them where they are, who else is there
time of wonder. Here, anyhting you can dream
and what it looks, smells, sounds and feels like
of can happen.
at the place.
2
THE PLAYERS
You play the part of all the NPCs or
As a player, you have control over one adven-
Non-Player Characters. NPCs are the
turer (sometimes refered to as a player char-
characters and creatures the adventurers en-
acter or PC for short). This adventurer is your
counter. You champion their actions, saying
alter ego in the game. Your goal is to explore
what they say, do and look like.You roll dice for
the unknown, conquer its treasures and advance
them when needed, and keep track of damage
your character in power, influence and wealth.
and items—just like players do for their adven-
Playing Blood & Bronze, you do chiefly three
turers.
things:
2
the outcome of the adventurers’ actions
You roll dice and take notes. You roll
using the setup, common sense, your imagina-
dice to see whether your character suc-
tion and the rules described herein. You make
ceeds or fails in her undertakings. You record
up new rules when no written rules apply, or
changes on your character sheet when she gath-
alter them when they fit poorly or run counter
ers wealth, uses up arrows or suffer damage. As
to your intuition.
the adventure proceeds, you might also want
to draw maps and record names to keep track
of the different locales and NPCs that you en-
counter.
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8 CHAPTER I
THE GENRE OF HIGH ADVENTURE of what might happen during a session of the
In everyday life, people have a firm sense of game—places to explore, characters and mon-
what can and cannot happen. In a fictional world sters to encounter, treasures and vile plots to
of sorcery and high adventure this not obviously discover and so on. You will find more infor-
the case. There are no naturally occurring regu- mation on adventure setups at the end of this
larities to infer laws from. Instead, the intuition booklet.
of what can and cannot happen come from the
If you are a player, you will need a character
rules and the genre.
sheet to record information about your adven-
Blood & Bronze draws its inspiration from turer: her name and appearance, her skills and
the peplum genre of films, as well as authors unique feats, her equipment and so on.You will
writing in the same vein. For players new to also need some pencils.
Blood & Bronze, good starting point is Cabiria
As in any game, chance plays a part in Blood
(1914). Spawning the peplum genre, the film
& Bronze. When the outcome of an action is
features many of its key elements: daring adven-
uncertain, you will roll one or more dice to
ture set in a vaguely historical epoch, spectacu-
determine what happens next. Blood & Bronze
lar feats of strength, fantastic scenery, evil gods
uses both ordinary six-sided dice and polyhe-
and rulers, grimness and humor. The Thief of
dral dice with four, eight, ten, twelve and twen-
Bagdad (1924) is also highly recommended, as
ty sides. 2d8+1 means two eight-sided dice and
it is set in the same area—albeit not time—as
one added to their total; whereas 1d6 means a
Blood & Bronze.
six-sided die.
For books, similar sensibilities can be found
For ten-sided dice 0 (zero) should be inter-
in Clark Ashton Smith’s short stories set in
preted as 10. For a d100 (or hundred-faceted
Zothique, Hyperborea and Poseidonis as well
die), roll two ten sided dice and treat the first
as Robert E Howard’s Conan-stories or in
as “tens” and the other as “singulars”. Rolling
Salammbó by Gustave Flaubert.
two six-sided dice in similar fashion is refered
When adjudicating outcomes, stipulating new to as a d66, even though only 36 outcomes are
rules and designing setups for adventures, the possible.
referee is advised to use such films and stories
The game runs smoother if you have several six
as reference.
sided dice, preferably more than five.
TO PLAY THE GAME, YOU NEED...
Remember that you can always substitute a
Three or more friends to play with.
larger die for a smaller (for instance, you can
Basic knowledge of the setting: it is Mes- roll a d20 instead of a d8, rerolling all numbers
opotamia during a mythical bronze age. There outside of the relevant range).
are monsters, demons and treacherous gods and
Depending on your preference, you may also
you are either playing an adventurer searching
like some visual aids: paper to draw maps
riches and power, or the referee that describes
on; dominoes, building blocks or matchboxes
that world and plays those monsters.
to represent geographical features; war-game
Basic understanding of the rules. Read terrain or dioramas; and miniatures, pawns or
them or have someone explain them to you. tokens of varying hues to represent the adven-
turers and NPCs.
If you are the referee, you will need an ad-
venture setup. This setup can be bought or
downloaded from the internet or it can be of
your own design. The setup is a sketchy outline
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INTRODUCTION 9
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Chapter II -
The WORLD of
BLOOD & BRONZE
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12 CHAPTER II
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THE WORLD OF BLOOD & BRONZE 13
Among the most powerful Anunnaki are Enlil, A CATACLYSMIC FLOOD BROUGHT THE
god of thunder and growth; Ishtar, goddess of WORLD TO ITS KNEES
war and love; Ereshkigal, goddess of the pas- Not a hundred years ago, the world was rav-
sage and ruler of the underworlds; and Ea, lord aged by a cataclysmic flood. Sent by the gods
of the watery depths. Under the scorching sun as a punishment for trespasses unknown, this
where your adventures start, Shamash is lord. black deluge dramatically changed the face of
the earth. New mountains rose, old crumbled
Most cities are built around one or more dei-
to sand. Rivers altered their course and fertile
ties, who reside in awe-inspiring pyramid-tem-
soil became desert. Foul beasts awoke in the
ples called ziggurats. These majestic buildings
depths and crawled up to the surface.
demonstrate the power of the rulers and their
gods to intruders and commoners alike., while Now the flood has subsided and the Anunnaki
also serving as strongholds confining their have once more withdrawn in secluded slum-
weird and dismal inhabitants. ber. But the world is still suffering the after-
math. Some cities are rebuilt; others wither
SHAMASH IS GOD OVER THE DESERT
down under the relentless wear of the gale.
Shamash is the tutelary deity of Sippar; his triple
Meanwhile in the deserts, the ruins of elder
ziggurats looming over its squat houses, marble
tribes were revealed by the raging waves. In
palaces and mud-brick walls. Even the narrow
their dank pits, vile creatures lurk like toads
minarets and princely spires are dwarfed by
waiting for the monsoon to come again.
their titanic presence; gleaming with gold, ivo-
ry and hellish fires as the day passes. A TIME OF ADVENTURES
This is a time of hardship and tribulation, but
Shamash is the burning justice, lord of the sun
also the dawning of a new era. Reckless or
and keeper of the seals. He is hideous to be-
brave, mankind has again begun exploring the
hold: thin but towering and perpetually smol-
unfamiliar lands that now surrounds her. Old
dered by a terrible fire that melts his divine
trade routes are cleared, new one discovered.
skin to reveal lumps of purple flesh and black
Forgetful of the flood, rivalling rulers has once
silver bones. Bound by decree to never lift his
more begun to hoard power and wealth; seek-
face to the heavens, he rarely leaves his citadels
ing to outmaneuver each other while keeping
but employ sorceries to work machinations and
their gods sated.
spy upon the outside world. To escape his eyes,
superstitious folk take great pains to walk in the The world is dangerous and wicked, but it holds
shade and to never discuss private matters with- unimaginable riches of gold, electrum and lapis
out leaving a bowl of water to evaporate, as an lazuli. Queer artifacts of unthinkable might and
offering to his thirst. power; treasures waiting to be seized by those
brave or foolish enough.You are one of them, an
It is said that none can meet his gaze without
adventurer, and this is your age.
bursting into flames, but madmen and zealots
claim that his features can be grasped by staring
into the sun. The retainers that soothe him with
musk and balms made from hashish and gold-
leaf are all blind, however, and when mortals
are summoned before him he always bears a
golden mask. Only the four judges know, but
they never mention such matters to anyone
else.
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14 CHAPTER II
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THE WORLD OF BLOOD & BRONZE 15
SUMERIANS
The sumerian culture—wealthy and wise, an-
Sippar
cient and degenerate—is dominating in the Your adventures start in Sippar, a bustling trade
southeastern plains and marshlands. One of the town situated where the eastern grasslands give
oldest people, their advances in science, art and way to the sandy wastes of the west and the
philosophy far surpasses those of their neigh- muddy swamps rise to greet the grey hills of the
boring cultures. Some even claim that it was north. Not fully under the control of the Sumer
their inquiries into the stars that provoked the kingdoms, not yet subjugated by the marching
flood. The Sumerians are currently in decline, Akkadian empire of the west, Sippar enjoys the
challenged on all frontiers. privileged position of wealth and influence that
only control over trade routes can give.
Sumerians are towering people: tall and broad,
with thick features. Their skin is olive and their To outsiders, Sippar is famous for its merchants
thick hair borders on blue. Sumerian men let and notaries, but also its smugglers and tem-
their curly beards grow long, and both women plars in service of the Sun.
and men wears ribbons in their hair.
The people of Sippar are of varying stock and
PERIPHERAL CULTURES eclectic in culture. Most speak Akkadian and
Beyond the wet Edin grassland of the Sumer Sumer with the same ease and distinct accent;
kingdoms live the Elamites. They are a dusky most are equally oblivious to the customs and
people of elegant features, known for both their traditions of both. Instead, the city is ruled by
beauty and their skills as seafarers. four magnificent judges who interpret the heav-
enly will and enforce a strict and labyrinthine
The reed-folk, or unclean-eaters, are mer-
system of laws differentiating between nobles,
chants and river pirates hailing from the Isin
templars, beast-folk, citizens of the northern
delta and the great reed forests downstream.
and southern city, guests, foreigners as well as
Almost as tall as their Sumerian neighbors, the
slaves by contract, birth or conquest.
reed folk are much skinnier and speak a dialect
more akin to the Akkadian tongue. They eat ser- Even for those with no petitions or trespasses
pents and shellfish and obey few of the taboos to be arbitered, the judges holds power over life
of other people. Their only large settlement is and death as they control the distribution of wa-
Isin, whose reed-houses have lent the people its ter from the underground qanats that provide
name. to most of the city.
Strong and broad, the Kassites are war- Looming over Sippar are the three great Zig-
rior-tribes from the north east. Long confined gurats of the Sun, where Shamash resides. This
by the inhospitable Zagros range and the savag- tremendous precense is the ultimate reason for
es that inhabit them, the repeated wars between the city's independence, but also for the judges
the people of the Rivers and the Kuti have made power. Only they are allowed to enter these sa-
the Kassites bold, occasionally performing cred houses, and each only once a year. At the
mounted raids into the riverlands. summer solstice they congregate with the god
over five days. During that time all courts are
On the western fringes of the Akkadian Em-
closed and slaves and citizens join in festivities
pire lives the turquoise eyed Hittites. Once
while the barû-priests divine the future in the
nomadic, the massive push from the Akkadian
blood of sacred victims and in the entrails of
army have forced the majority of them to settle
murdered men.
down in stone strongholds and swear allegiance
to the God Emperor to avoid annihilation.
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Chapter III -
The PLAYER
CHARACTERS
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18 CHAPTER III
THE ADVENTURERS
To start playing, each player must first create
6 Choose a class skill. Each character has
an array of special abilities or skills, unique
to her class. At the beginning of the game, you
an adventurer. The adventurer is your alter
get to choose one or more as detailed by your
ego, the fictional person whom you will portray
class description.
when playing the game.
CREATING YOUR ADVENTURER
7 Record endurance thresholds. Your
1
character’s endurance shows how many
Roll ability scores. For each ability,
items she can carry without fatigue and much
roll two six-sided dice. These scores are
damage she can sustain without serious injuries.
used for many things, most importantly in
Write down her starting endurance on your
saving throws. Reroll all double-ones, so that
character sheet.
each ability ranges from 3 to 12. In addition,
you may change positions between two scores
rolled. Record them on your character sheet. 8 Record starting equipment. A charac-
ter start her adventures with equipment
2
appropriate to her class. Record it on your
Determine ability ratings. Ability rat-
character sheet. If you accept all starting equip-
ings are used in most actions, and are de-
ment, any further burden will cause her one
rived from the ability score. To determine your
point of fatigue per three items' overweight.
character’s ability ratings, consult the table be-
Equipment marked (*) are non-encumbebring.
low.
1
BACKGROUNDS
Accountant
what her family still does. Backgrounds are 2 Architect
used by the referee to determine what a charac- 3 Barber or wig-maker
ter knows and is able to craft. If you want your
4 Basket maker
character to have a background, roll once on
the background chart (opposite). 5 Beggar
4
6 Boatsman / -woman
Choose a character class. There are six
classes in Blood & Bronze: Mercenary, 7 Brewer
Rogue, Mystic, Desert Farer, Courtesan and 8 Bricklayer / canal builder
Seer. Choose whichever appeals to you, based 9 Courier
on your fancies or the background rolled.
10 Dancer or Musician
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THE ADVENTURERS 19
COVENANTS
Improving Your Character Some monsters, gods and suzerains can present
During your adventures, your character will ac- your character with the opportunity to enter
quire wealth and treasures. Offering her wealth into a covenant. A covenant is a bond of alle-
to a god, temple or ruler, your character can in- giance where your character swears fealty to a
crease her rank and gain new abilities: become master, who grants her access to unique abilities
stronger and more powerful, learn new skills or and powers in return for loyalty and tithe. You
gain mastery of old. will encounter these masters and their cove-
nants over the course of your adventures, bar-
Your character’s rank is a measure of her stand-
gain with them and swear allegiance to them—
ing within her class, culture or community.
or betray them—when you deem it wise.
When you start playing, your character has a
class rank of one but no other ranks. By of- When an adventurer enters into a covenant, she
fering wealth to the Queen of No Court, your must offer wealth or sacrifices to the master of
character can increase her class rank to gain that allegiance. How much—and what—de-
new skill as described by her class. pends on the master, so you should not swear
allegiance lightly. In return, your character
THE QUEEN OF NO COURT
gets a covenant rank which can be increased
Ninlil is the patron deity of adventurers and
much like class ranks.
caravan-folk, of shipwrecks and graverobbers
and runaways. She is the goddess of desert TRIBUTE
flowers, dead ends and caprice and is known If a character serves more than one master, she
by many names but her own: the Treader, the is expected to pay tribute each time she in-
Queen of no Court or Lady Misfortune. creases her ranks. The amount demanded de-
pends on the jealousy of the master and increas-
Of royal blood and fabled beauty, she was sto-
es with the character’s rank.
len from the island paradise of Dilmun as a
bride to Enlil. She refused his embrace and was If your adventurer refuses to pay tribute, you
cursed to never find peace before cowing to his must check for wrath. Roll a six sided die: if
will. Since then she wanders endlessly through the score is lower than or equal to the corre-
the wild, aiding or tricking others at her own sponding rank, the master forgives the trespass;
whims. otherwise the master will smite you character
for her infidelity. On a six, you always provoke
Travelers raise cairns at dangerous passages to
its anger.
pay her respect or ward off her bad luck, leav-
ing treasures or offerings inside. If the players When your character has provoked the wrath of
choose to do so, any sufficiently large offering her master, cross out that rank but don’t erase
will gain them an increase in class rank as per it: the number will indicate the magnitude of
the chart below. the master’s wrath.
1 0 (Starting rank)
2 10 / 600
3 12 / 720
4 14 / 840
5 16 / 960
6 18 / 1080
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20 CHAPTER III
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THE ADVENTURERS 21
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22 CHAPTER III
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THE ADVENTURERS 23
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24 CHAPTER III
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THE ADVENTURERS 25
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26 CHAPTER III
A nomad, braving the sands at the edge of the world. 1 Kabiti Zeri
2 Ahheshu Sumakin
Weapons: A bone waraxe: dmg 1d10, 2-hand- 3 Loth Jasher
ed, wt 4. A leather slingshot*: dmg 1d4, mis-
4 Nadin Zerex
sile: reach 1. A Leather cap: armor 2, wt 2.
5 Yourian Tukul
Or: Two obsidian spears: dmg 1d6, (thrown: 6 Melucc Job
reach 1). An elliptic hide shield: armor 1, de-
fense 2, wt 4. 7 Ezra Awan
8 Randh Nodius
Equipment: a colored cloak*, a waterskin (3
9 Shi-Ulgi Azul
uses; wt 3), a small pouch of myrrh*, a neck-
lace with wooden beads*, dates and bread for 10 Tzannata Malim
five days (wt 5), two fowls tied to a stick (wt
2), a tortoise-shell lute, a small urn of olive oil, # GUISE
a lodestone*, a leather wanderer’s sack (makes
four items count as one) 1 Hazy Burning eyes
2 Weathered Pale eyes
Endurance: 14
3 Dreamlike Glaring eyes
Starting encumbrance: 15/15 (see below) 4 Ghostly Small eyes
Skills and ranks: Characters begin at rank 1. 5 Tanned Squinting eyes
When creating a Desert Farer, you get swift 6 Furrowed Beautiful eyes
and curious constitution as free class skills. 7 Thin Smiling eyes
In addition you may choose a class skill from
8 Skewed Wide eyes
the list below.
9 Eerie Piercing eyes
When your character increases her Desert Far- 10 Majestic Sad eyes
er class rank, choose an additional class skill.
DESERT FARER CLASS SKILLS
Swift: Increase your Vigor score by 2. If appro-
priate, adjust your ability rating accordingly.
curious constitution: for encumbrance pur-
poses, you may add your class rank to your
maximum endurance. As a starting character
you add 1, enabling you to carry up to 15 items
without fatigue. However, the Desert Farer
suffers more from overload than other charac-
ters, gaining one point of fatigue per two excess
items carried (rounded up) instead of the nor-
mal three.
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THE ADVENTURERS 27
ADDITIONAL CLASS SKILLS Pathfinder: You know paths and passages un-
Mirage: Under the midday sun, the Desert Far- known to most. If you choose to use these trails
er begins to diffuse as if she wasn’t really there. when travelling through a zone, test Sense at
During these hours, the character is as hard to the beginning of your journey. For each 5+,
discern as common folks are in twilight and may choose one:
hide just as easily using the normal Conceal/
+ You may travel one hexagon more per day
Disguise skill. The effect lasts until you step out
than the terrain would normally allow
of the light or until you make yourself known.
+ You may travel without leaving a trace
Tongues: You have a keen ear for languag- + You may negate the effects of a failed travel
es. When spending a day listening to people test for you or a companion.
speaking a language that you don’t understand,
If you fail the test, the trail you sought has been
check Lore. On a hit, you learn enough to com-
washed away by wind or floods, or has been
municate with them. For each additional day
compromised and is no longer safe for travel.
you spend studying this tongue, you may modi-
fy your roll by +/-1. Sleepwalker: You can rest while performing
monotonous tasks. During an uneventful day
The desert farer can keep this spontaneous flu-
or night, you may perform a number of actions
ency in a number of languages equal her Lore
requiring skill tests, ability checks or similar
rating or Class rank, whichever is higher. Be-
equal to your class rank while recovering as if
yond that, once this ability is used to learn a
taking an extended rest. However, you still can-
new language, the previous language is lost and
not treat your own wounds.
must be relearned.
Strange cunning:You have seen so many things
Expert traveler: When using the haste/tra-
it is like you lived a hundred lives in a thou-
verse move to travel, you may forfeit your skill
sand different places. Once per month you can
test and instead gain an automatic success.
draw upon these bits of knowledge to perform
Specialist: When examining an old or strange actions that are normally reserved for another
object, test Craft. For each 5+, choose one: class. Roll a four-sided die: 1) Mercenary, 2)
Rogue, 3) Mystic, 4) Seer.
+ You know who last possessed the object
+ You know who created the object Choose any one elective skill, spell or sorcery
+ You know what is wrong with the object from that class, or any two specialisations if a
and how it can be mended Mercenary. For as long as you like, you may use
+ You know what it was used for or where it this ability as would a first-rank character of
was used that class. However, you must still obey other
+ You know a place where you can sell it for restrictions, such as the use of bone salt for sor-
great profit. ceries or lotus powder for spells.
Survival instincts: Chose a favored terrain Once you use a Desert Farer skill, this tempo-
type: desert, hills, mountains, swamps, rivers, rary knowledge begins to fade and is complete-
forests or another. In this terrain, your expe- ly lost at nightfall. Only after a full month has
rience and instincts grants you a reroll to all passed, can it be regained—or another ability
saving throws. In addition, you are never sur- gained—as per the procedure above.
prised by monsters or foes common to these
landscapes.
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28 CHAPTER III
An vagrant entertainer, using beauty and wits to go 1 Yalcin the Pale Flame
where others cannot 2 Eitan Stars' Beloved
3 Tara the Summer’s Cry
Abilities: You may reroll one ability score, us-
4 Amanak Lamenter of Duzum
ing three dice and keeping the two best. If nec-
essary, recalculate the ability rating using the 5 Eli Enlil's Glory
table on p. 18. 6 Erduann of the Dusk
Weapons: A thin bronze rapier: dmg 1d6. A 7 Sashanna the Manifold
thick saffron-colored robe: armor 1. 8 Yana Ninlil’s leman
9 Delia of the Firstborn Sun
Equipment: Fine garments*, cedar perfume*, a
theater mask, a marrowbone flute, a jade neck- 10 Nehuru the Spirit whistler
lace*, a small ceramic lamp, incense*, a bronze
mirror, a pouch of ocher dye, a jar of wine (2 # GUISE
uses, wt 2) and three drinking straws, honey
cakes. 1 Noble Emerald eyes
2 Lanky Almond eyes
Endurance: 10
3 Pleasant Diamond eyes
Starting encumbrance: 10/10 4 Queer Amber eyes
Skills and ranks: Characters begin at rank 1. 5 Corpulent Amethyst eyes
When creating a Courtesan, you get favors as 6 Handsome Jet eyes
a free class skill. In addition, you may choose a 7 Dream-like Jade eyes
class skill from the list below.
8 Voluptuous Opalescent eyes
When your character increases her Courtesan 9 Boyish Zircon eyes
class rank, choose an additional class skill. 10 Proud Olivine eyes
COURTESAN CLASS SKILLS
Favors: You start with 3d100 shekels worth in
favors to collect. The favors are non-transferra-
ble and cannot be used to increase class ranks,
but can otherwise be used for anything you and
the referee agree upon.
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THE ADVENTURERS 29
ADDITIONAL COURTESAN CLASS SKILLS Lip reading: If you can see a person moving her
Allure: Exposing your true and unchecked lips, you can hear what she says no matter how
beauty—by shedding your clothes, baring your low her voice. This ability doesn’t give you the
soul, performing an act of sad desperation or ability to understand foreign tongues; it does,
undiluted joy—you are considered proficient however, allow you to understand any cues that
in all actions relying on charm or charisma and the tone of a voice would normally give off,
may add or subtract one to any one die in skill such as being upset, fearful or excited.
tests and saving throws. In addition, all charac-
Soothing touch: When you treat someone’s
ters and creatures seeing you must check Lore
wounds during a rest, they recover an addition-
or be unable to harm you until you cover, they
al d4 endurance with each of your successes.
revert their eyes or until you do something vio-
lent or aggressive against them. Beast call: You can give perfect imitations of
the call, cries, songs and croaking of animals.
Reminiscence: Your presence carries the spec-
When imitating an animal or beast you have
ter of yesteryears, bringing memories to the
seen and heard, test Guile. For each 5+, you
bereft and sentimentality to the nostalgic.
may give a perfect imitation of a single beast.
When you exercise your power over someone
All animals and characters unaware of its true
yearning, test Guile. On a 5+, you remind her
origins will respond to it as if real. A lions roar,
of someone she knew. For each additional 5+,
for example, will unsettle cattle and scare quar-
you may convince her of a “memory” that you
ries and children, attract other lions to mate or
share.
fight for territory as well as vultures hoping for
Dream speaker: At midnight, you can inquire spoils, but leave monsters unaffected.
people in their sleep. When you whisper to
Theatrics: You are a master of schemes and
someone sleeping, test Guile. For each 5+, she
tricks. When you willfully expose yourself to
must give you the truthful answer to a question.
harm, check Guile twice. If either is successful,
The person remembers the conversation only
you suffer only half the harm, if both are you
vaguely, like one would a dream.
suffer none. Regardless of your rolls, the harm
Aura: Your actions are infectious; your compa- seems real to everyone watching.
ny feels your sadness when you weep, your joy
For your theatrics to work, you must exert
when you smile; your terror when you tremble.
some control over the damage, for example by
When you focus your feelings, whether sincere
quaffing the poison yourself or instructing what
or not, test Might. For each 5+, you may al-
cup to be used, instructing your executioner
ter the mood of a character or creature in your
from which angle to strike or what weapon to
presence. The target won’t necessary associate
use, choosing what cliff to jump from or similar.
the mood with you, but it lasts only as long as
she is with or around you.
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30 CHAPTER III
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THE ADVENTURERS 31
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rating score ability
player GUILE
name
LORE
appearance
MIGHT
equipment background
weapons dmg. reach wt.
Burden scarred.
Total Fatigue
18 maimed. Lower all
other ability scores by -1.
dead. Perform one
last action.
conditions heals
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skill roll effect
Manipulate Each 5+ grants you an influence over someone: spend it to have her
(Guile) reroll a die when acting against your wish.
Disguise/Conceal Each 5+ grants you an influence: spend it to have someone reroll a die
(Guile) when searching for that which you have concealed.
Expert Knowledge Each 5+ lets you remember or deduce something that others are
(Lore) unaware of: ask the referee a question relevant to your knowledge.
Advise Each 5+ lets you grant someone a reroll on the condition that she
(Lore) heeds your advice.
Search Each 5+ lets you find something hidden or easily missed: ask the
(Senses) referee any one question about the object of your search.
Assess Each 5+ lets you see through someone: ask the referee (or player)
(Senses) anything. If you act on this information, you gain a reroll.
Make Say what you seek to create. The referee sets delimitations: quality, time,
(Craft) material or similar. Each 5+ lets you double or halve any one of them.
Treat Wounds Each 5+ lets you grant your patient a recovery die if resting:
(Craft) 1d6 for short rests, 1d10 for extended.
Hurl/Shoot On a 5+ you hit your mark if in reach: target may check Senses to catch
(Vigor) or evade. Each additional 5+ adjusts reach by +1 and saves by +/-1.
Haste/Traverse Each 5+ lets you either: traverse a zone without misfortunes,
(Vigor) get hold of something in the current zone, or bring someone with you.
Use Force State your demand: your target must accept or suffer damage.
(Might) Each 5+ equals 1 die damage as per weapon.
Guard/Defend Each 5+ grants an influence: spend it to reroll damage taken or make
(Might) yourself the target of an action intended for someone else in your zone.
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Chapter IV -
WEAPONS &
EQUIPMENT
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36 CHAPTER IV
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WEAPONS & GOODS 37
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38 CHAPTER IV
War Gear
WEAPON DMG SPECIAL COST
Small weapons d4 wt 0 25 s
Punch, Bite, Strangle-hold… d4 wt 0; no crit -
Awl d4 wt 0; backstab (+1d8) 70 s
Lead dart d4 wt1/3; thrown 30 s
Slingshot d4 wt 0; missile: reach 1 50 s
Basic weapons d6 100 s
Staff, Rock, Clay tablet… d6 no crit -
Cudgel d6 no crit; bludgeon (1d4) 300 s
Meteorite dagger d6 iron 400 s
Khopesh d6+1 300 s
Duck-billed axe d6 versatile (d8) 160 s
Javelin d6 thrown 120 s
Bow d6 2-handed; missile: reach 2 250 s
Great weapons d10 wt 4; 2-handed 250 s
Mace d8+1 wt 4 300 s
Tall spear d8 wt 4; piercing +2 350 s
Crescent axe d10 wt 3; guard breaking 700 s
Obsidian warclub d10 wt 6; bludgeon (1d8) 500 s
Great bow d10 wt 4; missile: reach 4 700 s
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WEAPONS & GOODS 39
Qualities and Characteristics Whenever you roll the highest number possible
on a damage dice (4 on a d4, 6 on a d6 and so
Most of the time, your imagination and cre- on) you deal critical damage: roll another dam-
ativity will suffice to determine how an item age die and add it to the total.
can be used. However, some items have special
Defense: When equipped, this item reduces all
rules to govern their usage, called qualities.
damage with the number indicated. For exam-
Below is a list covering common qualities and
ple, if your character has a shield with defense 3
their meaning.
and is hit twice for 7 and 9 damage the effect of
LIST OF QUALITIES both attacks are reduced by 3 points, leaving 4
2-handed: this weapon must be wielded with and 6 damage respectively.
both hands.
Guard breaking: Shields are ineffective against
Armor: this item can be used to negate the this weapon.
effect of an attack. When you do, roll a twen-
Missile: This ranged weapon requires sling-bul-
ty-sided die under or equal to its armor score.
lets, arrows or similar. Fired using the shoot
On a miss, the armor is destroyed. On a 20,
skill, missile weapons deal one damage die per
the armor both breaks and is useless against the
success. In addition, missile weapons still deal
attack.
half damage when evaded.
Backstab: when attacking an opponent who is
No crit—no critical damage: This weapon
unprepared, pre-occupied of unaware of your
doesn’t allow you to roll additional dice when
presence, you deal extra damage as indicated by
you score maximum damage.
the weapon.
Piercing: opponent must add this number to
Bludgeon: upon impact, this weapon deals one
her armor check.
or more dice of temporary exhaustion in ad-
dition to any physical damage. For example, a Reach: This weapon can be used against op-
weapon with the bludgeon (1d6) quality deals ponents in another zone on the battlefield. A
a six-sided die points of temporary exhaus- weapon with reach 1 can be used against oppo-
tion; a weapon with bludgeon (1d12) deals nents in an adjacent zone; reach 2 can be used
a twelve-sided die. A player can recover half against opponents two zones away and so on.
her character’s temporary exhaustion during a
Versatile: though normally a one-hand weap-
short rest, on the condition that the remaining
on, you can use this weapon with two hands to
part is transformed to normal exhaustion.
deal more damage or gain another bonus as in-
Unless otherwise noted, all NPCs are consid- dicated by the weapon.
ered fully burdened and at fatigue 0.
Wt (X)—weight: For encumbrance purposes,
Cost: The amount of shekels your character this piece of equipment counts as X items. A
must pay to acquire it. weight 3 item counts as three pieces of equip-
ment; a weight 1/3 item counts as one third.
dmg—damage die: When you deal damage
using this weapon, roll damage dice to de- Thrown: This weapon is designed to be flung,
termine how much. 1d6 means you roll one hurled or thrown. Hurled using the namesake
six-sided die, 2d4 means you roll two four sided skill, weapons with the thrown quality deal one
dice and sum them. For each point of damage damage die per success. However, the target
dealt, your opponent’s current endurance is may evade or catch it by checking Senses.
lowered by one.
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40 CHAPTER IV
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WEAPONS & GOODS 41
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Chapter V -
RULES of
the GAME
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44 CHAPTER V
RULES VIGOR
Vigor is used for running, leaping, swimming,
In this chapter, you will find all the rules needed
scaling and traveling the world, as well as hurl-
for playing Blood & Bronze.
ing objects and shooting bows. Two basic skills
Abilities are associated with Vigor: haste/traverse and
hurl/shoot. With a success on the basic Vigor
In Blood & Bronze, all characters have six dif-
skills, you are allowed to move your adventurer
ferent abilities measuring how apt they are
or send a projectile across a zone (see p. 47).
at various tasks. The six abilities are presented
below. MIGHT
Might is used for destroying objects and attack-
GUILE
ing or threatening people, as well as for thwart-
Guile is used for tricking and charming as well
ing their attempts. Two basic skills are associat-
as sneaking and hiding. Two basic skills are asso-
ed with Might: use force and guard/defend.
ciated with Guile: manipulate and disguise/
With a success on the basic Might skills, you
conceal. With a success on the basic guile
may impose your will on someone or thwart
skills, you get influence which allows you to af-
her actions. If you impose your will, the target
fect the outcome of someone else’s actions by
suffers damage if she refuses (see p. 48).
having them reroll a die.
ABILITY SCORES & RATINGS
LORE
Two numbers are associated with each ability:
Lore is used for knowledge and deduction, as
the ability score and the ability rating.
well as for devising plans and thinking on your
feet. Two basic skills are associated with Lore: Ability scores normally ranges from 3 to 12,
expert knowledge and advise. With a suc- though they can reach as high as 18. When mak-
cess on the basic Lore skills, you—or your ing a saving throw, you try to roll equal to or
allies—gain some helpful insights from your under this score with a twenty-sided die.
character’s wisdom.
The ability rating is derived from the ability
SENSES score, using the chart below. It commonly rang-
Senses is used for careful observations and es from 1 to 4, but can reach up to six. The abil-
scrutiny, as well as empathy and instincts. Two ity rating indicates the number of six-sided dice
basic skills are associated with Senses: search you roll during skill tests.
and assess. With a success on the basic Senses
If your character’s ability scores change during
skills, you find something hidden or see through
the game, consult the conversion chart and re-
someone’s lies.
calculate her ability ratings if appropriate.
CRAFT
Craft is used for creating and altering things, as
well as mending them and curing others. Two
basic skills are associated with Craft: make ABILITY SCORE ABILITY RATING
and treat wounds. With a success on the ba-
sic Craft skills, you get to create or alter the 3-5: 1
state of something using certain guidelines. If 6-8: 2
you create or tamper with an object, the refer- 9-11: 3
ee will set up delimitations for you: things you
need, time and so on. If you treat someone’s 12-14: 4
ailments or wounds, the delimitations will be 15-17: 5
described by the condition you wish to cure. 18: 6
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RULES 45
1
move or not.
Decide which ability to use. The skill
description will tell you which; if you are MAKING A SAVING THROW
unsure, ask the referee.
1 Decide the appropriate ability score
2
to check against. The referee describes
Roll dice. Roll a number of six-sided dice
the hazard and determines an appropriate abil-
equal to the relevant ability rating.
ity.
4
Otherwise, her instincts and experience saves
Determine the outcome. The skill will
her.
give mechanical consequences, like deal-
ing more damage. Exactly what happens is de- On the roll of a 1, your character always evades;
termined by your action and the referee. on a 20, she always fails.
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46 CHAPTER V
PROFICIENCIES
Altering the Outcome Some characters, like rogues and those under
Many skills and actions gives you the opportuni- the influence of bone salt, may have one or
ty to swing the balance to your favor by altering more proficiencies. Whenever your character
the outcome of a skill test, saving throw or oth- does something where this proficiency would
er die roll. Below is a list of the most common reasonably be an asset—as would deciphering
ways to alter a character’s chances of success. a text for a character with proficiency as scribe
or accountant—you may modify a die rolled
REROLLS
during a skill test or ability check by +/-1, for
Some skills, like assess and advise, let you aid
example making a 4 into a 5 and thus a success.
your comrades by granting them rerolls. Un-
less the skill says otherwise (as with influence) OTHER CIRCUMSTANCES
the character’s player chooses what die or dice If you devise a cunning plan, if circumstances
to reroll, thus increasing her chances of success. are to your advantage or if you advocate your
cause well, the referee may grant you an addi-
INFLUENCE
tional die for your skill test.
Skills like manipulate and conceal gives you in-
fluence over another characters actions. This For example, if you try to persuade someone
means that you can hinder her efforts by mak- (using the manipulation skill) and you give
ing her reroll one or more dice. In contrast to compelling reasons for her to trust you, the ref-
regular rerolls, your influence lets you decide eree might allow you an extra die. If your words
which dice and when your target must reroll. are moving enough, the referee might even de-
This way, you can radically lower her chances cide that the NPC is convinced, letting you skip
of success. the skill test altogether. The reverse is also true:
if a NPC is trying to persuade your character,
MODIFICATIONS
you are free to decide that the words ring so
Skills like hurl and shoot lets you modify the
true that the attempt succeeds without a skill
outcome of a die roll. This means that you may
test on the GMs part.
add or reduce a number of pips from the die.
For example a modification of +/-2 would al- On the other hand, if you say something real-
low you to alter a roll of 8 to either 10 or 6. ly thoughtless or provoking the referee might
remove a die or even decide that the character
Whether to add to or subtract from the die roll
stops listening to you...
(thus making it more or less difficult) is entirely
up to you. However, you must decide before the
check is made.
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RULES 47
Zones Rounds
To keep track of where your adventurer is, Most of the time, the game will flow just like
where her adversary stands and where the trea- a normal conversation. First the referee sets
sure is hidden, Blood & Bronze uses zones. A a scene. Then you and your fellow players de-
zone is a smaller or larger portion of the world, scribe what your characters do, taking turns
characterized by a certain surrounding, circum- talking and listening, asking questions, com-
stance or scenery. When traveling from Sippar menting and chatting. The referee responds by
to Eshnunna, the barren plains, the crossing of telling what happens around you—what other
river Tigris and the Diyalat Vale are all zones. In characters or creatures do, what they say, how
the city, a zone can be a neighborhood, a land- the scenery changes. Sometimes you will roll
mark building, a town square or the catacombs dice, sometimes the referee does and once it is
below. And inside a large mansion, each room resolved you go back to taking turns talking.
would be a zone. Zones scale with your actions.
At times, however, it may be important to know
On the battlefield, zones can be anywhere who does what, when. Maybe you face a treat
you fight: a narrow ledge, a lookout tower, a so dire that your life depends on whether you
copse of cypresses, a dry riverbed, a pond or or the opponent acts first. Or maybe there are
a rope swinging from the gallows. As the bat- dozens of things happening simultaneously. In
tlefield changes, so do its zones: when a giant these cases, you use rounds to structure the ac-
serpent tries to swallow your character whole, tion. A round is a segment of time, just long
its mouth may become a new zone. enough or short enough for each character to
do something. During a frantic combat, a round
To keep track of zones and the characters’
might be a few heartbeats, while during a jour-
positions, it is handy to use maps. A map can
ney across the shifting sands it might be several
be drawn in detail, like a “real” map, or con-
days. Rounds scale with your actions. The es-
sist of circled words with lines showing their
sence of the round is just this: everybody gets
connections like a mindmap. The referee can
an opportunity to act and react. That is why it
also create three-dimensional scenarios using
is called a round.
miniatures and war-game terrain—or by using
dominoes, books, boxes and soda cans as terrain INITIATIVE
and pawns or chess-pieces in lieu of miniatures. To decide which side gets to act first, you may
However, zones work equally well if they are roll for initiative at the beginning of a com-
purely in your shared imagination. bat, chase or other hectic scene. For the initia-
tive roll, the referee rolls a die for the NPCs
RULERS AND GRIDS
and one of the players rolls a die for the party.
If your group favors using rulers for measuring
Whichever side rolls highest gets to act first.
distance or counting squares or hexagons on a
On a tie, you roll again or face a simultaneous
battle-grid, assume a zone to equal four units.
pandemonium.
Thus, any character can move up to four units
freely (as it would be considered moving within SURPRISE
a zone or crossing from just shy of its “border” If one or more characters are surprised, their
into the next), and four additional units for each players forfeit their turn during the first round.
success with the haste/traverse skill. Suitable Starting with the second round, they once more
units would be inches, centimeters, squares or act according to their initiative.
finger-widths depending on scale and prefer-
ences.
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48 CHAPTER V
DAMAGE DICE
Combat and Damage A character suffers damage when something
The world of Blood & Bronze is a perilous harmful happens to her: as the effect of a skill
place. The wilderness is home to savage beasts, or action or because of environmental hazards
cutthroats and vile monsters, while the cities such as traps, falls, fires, poisons and so on.
house evil rulers, sinister gods and their lackeys.
To determine the amount of damage suffered,
Death is an ever present threat to all, including
the assailant player (or referee for NPCs and
your character. In this section, you will find the
environmental hazards) rolls damage dice. For
rules covering damage, death and recovery.
willed attacks, the number of damage dice in-
MELEE flicted equals the number of successes rolled,
A character can attack in melee any other char- whereas the size of the damage dice depends
acter in her zone, making use of the use force on the weapon used. Damage dice common-
skill. The skill allows for all-out attacks with the ly range from four-sided for small weapons to
intent to murder, as well as attempts to disarm, twelve-sided for massive. For environmental
subdue, crush, trip, be-hand and so forth. The hazards, spells an similar, both the number of
target chooses whether to accept the outcome dice and their size are determined by the rules,
or to suffer damage instead. If no options but adventure setup, or referee.
death are given by the assailant player, the target
CRITICAL HITS
might be given a chance to plead for her life at
If you roll the highest possible number on a
the referee's discretion.
damage die (a 4 on a d4, a 6 on a d6, an 8 on
RANGED ATTACKS a d8 and so on), you may roll another die and
A character can attack opponents not in her add it to the total. This is called a critical hit. If
zone, making use of the Hurl or Shoot skill. The your second roll also maxes, you get to roll a
target must be within reach of the weapon used: third and so on.
a successful skill test amounts to naught if the
Note that improvised weapons and (human)
projectile falls short of its target.
natural weapons don’t normally inflict critical
Ranged attacks normally grants their target a hits. These weapons are tagged with “no crit” in
chance to evade by checking Senses. Thrown the equipment lists.
weapons deal no damage if evaded and might
FLANKING BONUS
even be caught in the flight if the player so
Attacking an opponent who is already engaged
chooses. Bows and other missile weapons on
in battle with someone else, you gain a flank-
the other hand, being smaller and more difficult
ing bonus equal to the number of allies who
to evade, still deal half damage when evaded.
fight her. The flanking bonus is added to the
CALLED SHOTS damage dealt. So, if three allies fight a single
A character can choose to suspend the reso- opponent, all gain a +2 flanking bonus to the
lution of her ranged attack, instead making a damage they deal.
called shot. To do so, the player specifies both a
TWO WEAPONS
target and a zone during her turn but makes no
Any character can fight with a weapon in each
skill test until the end of the target's next turn.
hand, altering between them as necessity de-
If the targeted character is still in the same zone
mands. Unless otherwise noted by a skill or
at that point, a successful attacks deals an addi-
similar, fighting with two weapons neither
tional damage die. If not, damage is reduced by
grants two attacks nor increased damage. How-
one die per zone the character has moved.
ever, the character so doing suffers no penalties
when using her off-hand weapon.
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RULES 49
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50 CHAPTER V
LAST ACTIONS
Endurance Loss Once you let your character die from her
The higher your characters’ endurance, the wounds she may immediately perform a last
more damage and hardships she can withstand. action, momentarily ignoring her incapacita-
Each time your character suffers a point of tion. After that, she’s dead. Make a new charac-
damage, you lower her current endurance ter. The referee will let your new character join
by one. Leave maximum endurance unchanged the adventure at first opportunity.
as this indicates your character’s potential for
ENCUMBRANCE & FATIGUE
recovery.
Endurance isn’t used only for keeping track of
INCAPACITATED damage; it also determines how many items a
When your adventurer’s endurance reaches character can carry without being overbur-
zero, she is incapacitated. An incapacitat- dened. For each three item in excess of her
ed character cannot do anything, except wail, maximum endurance, rounded up, she suffers
moan or twitch in agony and pain. one point of fatigue.
Once incapacitated, a character must be cared Fatigue lowers all ability scores, making saving
for during one or more extended rests to re- throws more likely to fail. Each point of fatigue
cuperate. The character remains incapacitated lowers all ability scores by one. Ratings and skill
until restored to full endurance. tests are unaffected, however, leaving active
rolls equally likely to succeed as normal.
INJURED
At -3 endurance, your character is injured. EXHAUSTION
When this happens, you must immediately Blunt weapons, swimming or difficult condi-
choose a permanent consequence of the dam- tions may cause exhaustion. Each point of ex-
age: haustion is considered as one item, for purposes
of calculating fatigue.
+ scarred.Your character will forever bear
scars to remind her of this defeat. Unless otherwise noted, NPCs are considered
fully equipped. Any exhaustion they suffer re-
+ maimed. All of your character’s ability
sults directly in fatigue.
scores are reduced by -1.
WEARINESS
+ dead.Your character cannot be saved.
Should your character's fatigue reduce one or
However, she may immediately perform a
more of her ability scores to one, she is weary.
last action ignoring her incapacitated status.
A weary character is on the brink of collapsing.
Regardless of your choice, your character is out If she suffers even a single point of damage she
of action for the remainder of the combat. Like will pass out and become incapacitated. In ad-
with incapacitated characters, injured charac- dition, any further burdens will require a Vigor
ters can only recover during extended rests. test as if traversing difficult terrain. Failure on
such a roll will also result in the character col-
DEATH
lapsing from strain.
The permanent consequences of injuries are
listed on your character sheet. As a default, you The referee should assume that a collapsing
can only choose each consequence once for character drops all excess load. Since fatigue is
your character. This means that, if not sooner, recalculated each extended rest, the character
the third time your character becomes injured will normally recover and come to after a single
she will die. nights rest.
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RULES 51
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Chapter VI -
The BASIC
SKILLS
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54 CHAPTER VI
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BASIC SKILLS 55
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56 CHAPTER VI
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BASIC SKILLS 57
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Chapter VII –
REFEREE'S
SECTION
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60 CHAPTER VII
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REFEREE'S SECTION 61
Take notes. Note the important NPCs and Act out your NPCs. Give them names, agen-
locations that the players encounter, the major das, personalities, dialects and mannerisms.
events that transpire and so on. This makes it When the PCs interact with them, you portray
easy to reference or reincorporate them in fu- them as vividly as you can. A simple trick is to
ture sessions. If you use a calendar, you can easily give every NPC a stand-out feature—a boom-
keep log and note potential trajectories import- ing voice, a nervous tick, a volatile temper or
ant to the game: the five murderers-in-disguise similar—or to base them on characters from
will arrive in eight days’ time, the flood season books or tv shows that you are familiar with.
begins in two months, or similar.
Consider what your key NPCs are doing
Show the passage of time. Whenever the when the PCs aren’t around. Think about
adventurers return to a place they have been their agendas and what they have done to ad-
before, show its subtle or abrupt changes: an vance them. Also, think about their interactions
acquaintance is absent or avoids them, a custom with the PCs. Consider if any of them is plot-
is changed or suddenly enforced, a tax is levied ting revenge, setting up traps or ambushes, hir-
or an old one discontinued, a new garment or ing mercenaries to hunt the adventurers down.
food is in fashion, power has been usurped or is
Offer more interaction than constant
consolidated. Avoid the status quo.
bloodshed. Use the reaction chart (p. 68)
Address the characters, not the players. Say to determine outlooks, but remember that no
“Amadjal, what do you do?” not “Evelyn, what sentient creature will want to die if they can
does your character do?” negotiate a truce, and only the most corrupt
will prefer to kill over gaining wealth or other
Provide things for the players to interact
rewards.
with. If the characters do nothing, or just do
mundane things, it could be a sign that the play- See the rules as guidelines, not as set in
ers are at a loss—either having too little to do stone. Feel free to expand, omit or change
or too much to choose from. Address this by them as to better suit your game.
narrowing their choices, either by introducing
When makings rulings on the fly, agree
something that begs for interaction—a thief
on a probability before rolling dice. Nei-
stealing from them, a soldier picking a fight or
ther you, nor the players, should roll dice when
similar—or by highlighting some of their pos-
there is only one reasonable outcome.
sibilities—for example stealing the sage's trea-
sure or seeing the heavenly house at Nippur. When stakes are high, roll all dice openly.
This way, your players will know that, for weal
Give all players the same opportunities
or woe, you didn’t alter the outcome.
to act. If some players are louder or hogs the
spotlight, address the silent ones either directly Improvise. The key skill of any good referee
or through your NPCs. For example, you could is the ability to quickly fill in the blanks with
say “The old woman comes up to you, clearly his or her own imagination. When improvising,
spooked. She has something urgent to tell you”. start with common sense and your own experi-
Alternatively, have one character noticing thing ences. What would you expect to find in a city?
that the others don’t. Say “while the others are How would you react if someone threatened
occupied with haggling for axes, you notice that your life? How difficult would it be to you to
the vendor’s child is talking to someone you do the task that the players propose? Second,
never seen before, and they are whispering and follow your associations. If the adventurers en-
pointing in your direction. What do you do?” ter an uncharted desert, what do you associate
with that? Borrow from books, films, comics
and your own experiences.
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# DESCRIPTION
1 Disused chamber. Some stray goats. A secret passage leading to room [d8].
2 A natural cave. Soot and flaking paint on the walls, bones of small animals on the floor.
3 Private quarters. Nearest passage can only be opened by operating a machine or contrap-
tion in room [d8].
4 Dining room. Fine but maltreated furniture. A trapdoor leading to a lower floor or level.
5 Ill-kept watchtower. Nearest passage is blocked by rubble or similar.
A hole in the ceiling, leading to a higher floor or level.
6 Toilet. 10% chance of being occupied by a reaver.
Reaver: pwr 3, save 9, end 12. Unarmed (dmg 1d4; no crit).
7 Beast Pen. 1d6 guard dogs bark loudly when noticing the PCs, drawing the attention of
anyone in adjacent rooms.
Guard dogs: pwr 1, save 4, end 6. Teeth (dmg 1d6).
8 Crumbled tower. A deep pit trap: first to enter must check Vigor or suffer 1d8 damage. In
addition, she lands on a lower level.
9 Treasure room. A golden treasure, worth 400 s. A blood red gem, slightly cold to the
touch, worth 320 s. Spices and perfume. Fine fabrics, now eaten by moths.
10 Guardroom. 1d6+1 reavers, alert. Will arrange ambush if they notice the PCs intrusion.
A gem worth 200 s.
Guards: pwr 2, save 7, end 15. Shields (def 2), spears (dmg 1d6), and daggers (dmg 1d4).
11 Armory. A spear trap: first to enter must check Senses, on a miss she suffers 1d8 damage;
on a hit the spear misses her but the second-in-line must check or suffer damage.
1d6 weapons, 1d20 arrows and a broken shield with a toad painted on it.
12 Courtyard. A broken cart. Two meager donkeys, resting during daytime. A shallow pit
trap: first to enter must check Vigor or suffer 1d6 damage.
13 Bedroom. Clothes and linen. 1d20 shekels, game pieces. 50% chance of reavers (1d6)
50% chance of sleeping.
Reavers: pwr 3, save 9, end 14. Helmets (armor 2), clubs and maces (dmg 1d8).
14 Former banquet hall, now housing a large wooden cage. 1d6 prisoners.
Prisoners: pwr 2, save 5, end 5. Naked and unarmed (dmg 1d4; no crit).
15 Storage Food for 1d100 days. 1d6 barrels of wine.
16 Kitchen. 1d6 slaves preparing meals.
Slaves: pwr 2, save 5, end 8. Improvised weapons (dmg 1d6; no crit).
17 Prison cells. 2d4 reavers.
Reavers: pwr 3, save 9, end 14. Helmets (armor 2), clubs and maces (dmg 1d8).
18 Torture chamber. A veteran mercenary: En-nanna the many-scarred
pwr 4, save 13, end 16. Bronze scale (armor 6), a crescent axe (dmg 1d10).
19 Infirmary. 1d6 bandits wounded during a recent raid, are recovering or slowly dying from
infected wounds: pwr 1, save 5, end 4. Daggers (dmg 1d4).
20 Throne room. Broken sandstone throne. Mystic: Gorgath the mist-eyed.
pwr 4, save 14, end 12. Bronze helmet (armor 2), a silver khopesh (dmg 1d6; versatile
1d8; worth 300 s). Knows 1d4 lotus spells and carries 5 doses of lotus powder.
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66 CHAPTER VII
7
tlement of hog-farmers an hour’s travel away,
The site of a recent battle. 2d10 measly
and Amala will allow the adventurers to follow
amorites led by Ezial are scavenging the
them there to eat and rest if treated with cour-
battleground. If the PCs spend a day searching
tesy.
as well, they will find a bone crown but the
Bathing women (14): pwr 2, save 7, end 10. amorites will become hostile if they notice; de-
Crude tools (dmg 1d6; no crit). manding that it is given over to them.
Amala: pwr 2 (+Guile), save 10, end 6. Small Amorites (2d10): pwr 2, save 8, end 8. Bronze
axe (dmg 1d6). javelins (dmg 1d6; thrown: reach 1).
8
Prisoners (99): pwr 2, save 6, end 6. Naked
A group of ragged men have sought
and unarmed (dmg 1d4; no crit).
shelter amongst some large boulders.
Soldiers (74) : pwr 2, save 7, end 16. Armor, They are escaped slaves from Sippar, and will lie
shields (armor 6; def 2) and spears (dmg 1d8). as best they can to avoid being caught. They will
prefer to assassinate the PCs in their sleep over
Prince Uddut: pwr 2 (–Might), save 8, end 8.
going back into slavery, but are helpful if treated
Naked and unarmed (dmg d4; no crit).
well. Should the slaves be brought back, they
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10
Gobo: pwr 2 (+Lore –Might), save 6, end 16.
The adventurers are hailed by a
Bronze dagger (dmg 1d6).
dozen toll-collectors, expecting
a tenth in tax for all goods they are car- Khemal the Fair: pwr 2 (+Guile –Vigor),
rying. The toll collectors are led by Farrak, a save 8, end 12. Armor 7, mace (dmg 1d8).
14
corrupt notary secretly keeping half of the col-
In the middle of the desert, a city
lected wealth from his masters in Sippar.
of tents has sprung up. Here, a
Toll collectors (12): pwr 2 (+Guile –Vigor), drunken revelry is held to the deafening sounds
save 6, end 12. Armor 6, spears (dmg 1d8). of countless cicadas. The ecstatic festivities
culminates in an ancient ritual—led by Tuol
Farrak: pwr 3, save 7, end 6. Armor 7, bronze
Aham, a copper skinned priest from Borsip-
mace (dmg 1d8).
pa—where two teenage boys are sacrificed to
12
ing the skies like fingers of a dying
An oasis, where the male sage
man, a fiery red Lamasu hunts.
Dinah has set up camp. Dinah is
searching for the carcass of a great crawler god Haragal the Lamasu: pwr 4/4 (+Vigor), save
that collapsed onto the earth at the end of the 14, end 60. Thick fur (armor 5). Attacks with
second era according to myth. old man’s teeth (dmg 1d6+2; piercing +2) or
lion claws (dmg 1d10; roll twice and choose
Dinah: pwr 2 (+2 Lore), save 8, end 18. Sim-
highest). Outruns a horse and can fly.
ple robe and wooden staff (dmg 1d4). Knows
1d4 lotus spells and carries an equal amount of
lotus powder. 16 The Reavers’ Fort, or roll twice and
combine.
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68 CHAPTER VII
CREATING NPCS
NPCs To create new NPCs, use your imagination,
Non-player characters—or NPCs for short— import them from legends or books or model
are all the characters, monsters and creatures them after those presented above. To quickly
inhabiting the world of Blood & Bronze, ex- create new NPCs on the fly, do as follows:
cept for the adventurers. NPCs differ from the
First, decide what it is. Give it a suitable name
adventures in three chief ways.
and appearance. Sample names are given for
First, NPCs are run by you—the referee—and each class, pick one or make up your own.
not the players. You decide what they do, what
Second, decide its power level. A creature’s
they say and how they look, you roll dice for
power level determines how many dice you roll
them and so on. When portraying your NPC,
for it during skill tests. Use the chance-of-suc-
you should alter your voice and manners to re-
cess table on p. 46 for reference, keeping in
flect their personalities.
mind that a power level of 2 roughly equals a
Second, NPCs don’t normally have abilities. starting character.
Instead, they have two unified values—power
Ancient or powerful creatures may have more
(pwr) and save—corresponding to their abil-
than one power level, meaning that they have
ity rating and ability score respectively. Some
more than one action each round. The first ac-
NPCs may have a strength and/or a weakness. If
tion is resolved using the first power level, the
so, add/remove 1 die for skill tests and modify
second using the second and so on.
ability checks with power level.
If you want, you can also give the NPC a
Third, for NPCs you are advised to interpret
strength, a weakness or both.
a failed armor check (higher than the armor
rating with a twenty-sided die) as if the blow Third, determine saves. Roll one six-sided die
pierced the armor for full damage, to allow for per power level, adjusting for strengths and
shorter and more intense combats. weaknesses if applicable, and keep half (round-
ed up). These are the creature’s saves. If an NPC
REACTION ROLLS
has pwr 2 (+Vigor –Lore) you would roll one
When the PCs encounter a creature or char-
dice to determine its Lore save; three dice and
acter by a chance encounter, you should roll
discard the lowest for its Vigor save and two
2d6 to determine the creature’s reaction. This
dice, keeping only the best, for all other saves.
is called a reaction roll. The reaction roll en-
sures that not every encounter results in blood- If you are math-savvy, you could also multiply
shed, but also that there may be treacherous the NPCs power level by three to get an ap-
hearts even in civilized locales. Of course, cer- proximate result.
tain creatures or characters can have motives or
Fourth, set endurance. To quickly determine an
dispositions that already dictates their behavior.
NPCs total endurance, roll a number of ten-sid-
Use common sense.
ed dice equal to the creature’s power level (or
levels, if more than one). This is how much
2D6 REACTION damage the creature can bear before dying.
2-3 Murderous Fifth, decide its armor and weapons. Choose
4-5 Hostile from the weapon list, or use it as reference. The
6-8 Suspicious “no crit when unarmed”-rule doesn’t apply to
beasts. As a rule of thumb, an ordinary creature
9-10 Curious
deals 1d6 damage, a large 1d8, an extraordinary
11-12 Cordial 1d10, while a truly monstrous deals 1d12.
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