D6xd6 - Expanded Edition.pdf

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D6xD6 Role-Playing Game EXPANDED EDITION

by

Lester Smith

Copyright © 2015 by Popcorn Press Individual settings copyright of their respective authors identified in those chapters D6×D6 Game Design: Lester Smith Cover and Graphic Design: Katheryn Smith Consulting: Jennifer Smith Editing: Dale A. Donovan Project Evangelist: Christopher Reed Proofreading: Winifred Lewis Typesetting: Ralph Faraday Play-Testing: James R. Brooks, Aramas Brooks, Travis Clay, Keith Darron, Katie Davis, Tammie Davis, Julian DeLaRosa, Raymond Deppen, Tim Deppen, Dale Donovan, Danielle Donovan, Henry Dunsirn, Ralph Faraday, Marty Forbeck, Matt Forbeck, Ernie Givens, Richard Hayden, Raymond Heatherly, Mark Hoskins, Amelia Iliff, Bob Iliff, Nick Karbasi, Nick Karbassi, Aimee Kelsey, Chase Kelsey, Doug Kilmer, Drew Kilmer, Aaron Klein, Ted Kocot, Matthew Bryan Laube, Kevin Lemens, Andy Magnusson, Kyle Mayhugh, Scott McClenaghan, Steven Muhow, Stephanie Newbrough, Scott Nickell, Christine Niles, Douglas Niles, Christopher Reed, Daniel Retzloff, Candace Smith, Tim Ryan, Jennifer Smith, Karalyn Smith, Katheryn Smith, Chris Stegner, Stephen D. Sullivan, Lora Tangman, John F. Watson, Alex Williamson, David Wolfe All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. Requests for permission to make copies of any part of the work should be emailed to [email protected] or mailed to Popcorn Press at the address listed on www.PopcornPress.com.

Publication of the D6×D6™ role-playing game was made possible by these generous Kickstarter backers. Castle Perilous Games & Books Chimera Hobby Shop Colosseum Games 207 W Main St, Carbondale, IL 62901, 808C W. Wisconsin Ave., Appleton, WI 5719 75th St. Kenosha, WI 53142-3603 castleperilous.com 54914, chimerahobby.com colosseumgamesofwi.com Peter D. Adkison AichEssEm Aaron Alberg Jens Alfke Aljen Lee Alley Peter Amthor George Anderson Nathalie Andersson Ulf “McWolfe” Andersson J. Andrichak IV Robert Andruszko David Annandale Ant Shea Antoinette Jiima Arunsone KS Augustin Henrik Augustsson David B Phillip Bailey Paul Baker Richard T. Balsley Gunnar Bangsmoen Blake Baranowski Paul Barkley Charles Andrew Bates David Bates B-Boogy P-A Beaulieu Rob Beck ron beck Lucas Bell Lucas “Atmo” Leonardo Vieira Belo Michael “PsychoticDreamer” Bentley Andreas Bergdal Doug Berigan Mark Bibler Jesse Billet Thomas Biskup Paul Bissett Jason L Blair Fredrik Blom David Blood Peter Bogdasarian Bogwoppit Shane Boone Trevor Ray Brady Tom Brandt Steve Braun Thomas Bybjerg Brock Zach Brown Jochen Bünnagel Kimberly Burgess Al “Hero Antagonist” Burney Burning Yeti Studios David Buswell-Wible Cody Butler Lexie C. Shawn Casey John Card II Chris campos G s candy Jens Carlberg ccoffeegod Camilla Chalcraft Jonathan Chamberlin Jamie Chambers Jonathan S. Chance Jason Chapman Julio Cheeva Chavez Andrew Cherry Walter H Chie W. Chinworawathana CHIPPYMUM Casper Entzelmann Christoffersen Casey C Clark Vincent L. Cleaver Nick Clements James Close John Cmar

Eric Coates Peter Cobcroft John Cochrane colin Koa Connely Paris Conte Tom Cook Charles Crowe Josh Cunningham Bruce Curd James W. Curnalia Tim Czarnecki Raven Daegmorgan Damon Michael David Jr John “Dead Parrot” Davis Justin S. Davis Susan Davis Trath Davrol Travis Dean Brad Devlin Michael B. DeZearn Vincent Diakuw Doc-T Rob Donoghue Javier Dorta John Dossa Tom Dowd Michael Draper Dana Dreher D-Rock Dsnake1 CA DuChane Dave “JustDave” Dupuis Karl J. Dyback Brett Easterbrook Rod “Shroudmaster” Edwards Simon Early Dave & Jazz Eisinger Terance Eldred Troy Ellis Robert N. Emerson Joe England Jesse Ephraim Zachary F. Adam Faber Ralph Faraday Heath “The Antipodean d20” Farnden Shannon Farrell Mark James Featherston feltk Norm Fenlason Francesco Ferrini Marcelo Figueroa Franklin Joel Fischoff fishnjeeps Jose “The Hoser” Fitchett Joe Fitts Anthony Florea Claes Florvik Matt Forbeck Mark Francis Jennifer Fuss Alex Fux John Gabriel Roman “Chuky” Gabriel Esteban Osorio Gallardo Edward B. Games Robert Garitta Jacob, Natasha, Lilly, and Simon Germany Spencer Linwood Gerowe Michael J Gibson Carl L Gilchrist Michael Gircys Evil Ernie Givens Randy Gladish Shawn Goff Paul Golds Deane Goodwin Glen Green

Dave “Ferret” Griffin Alexander “Guddha” Gudenau J Guenther Ryan H. Andrew Hale Kairam Ahmed Hamdan Bob Hanks Maniac von Hannover spielt! Jason Hardy David Harrison Joshua Harrison Josh Hatch William Hay Richard Hayden Phil Heaton Kate Heffer JHG Hendriks Robin Hermansson Itzel Ariana Ruelas Hernández Sergio Hernández Kris, Elizabeth, Lina, & Jenny Herzog Hesy Dan Higdon Tom Hillenbrand sam hing David Hinojosa James D Hoag Henrik Høeg Janice Hofer Peter “Poit” van den Hooren George Hope Mark Hoskins Andrea Hosth Hsieh, Wei-Hua Jason Huls Chad Humphrey Pete Hurley John “Shadowcat” Ickes Robert W. Iliff Infini-Grid.com Erik Ingersen Bert Isla Volker Jacobsen Kurt Jaegers Jennell Jaquays Mike Jarvis Phillip Jenné JimTo JoeyR Mattias Johansson Seth Johnson Johny Chris Jones M Alexander Jurkat steve k John Kane Kanishiro Nick Karbassi Jonas Karlsson Jeremy Kear Dan Keller Brad Kelley Chase Kelsey Ryan Kent KFC Doug Kilmer Dr. Grant Kinsley Sean Kintz Corbett Kirkley Boyd Kleen Aaron Klein Karl Knutson Ted Kocot Fred Koning Scott koon Thomas Krømke Greg Krywusha Frederik Kühl Isawa Kumo Jake Kuska Justin Kutch

John Paul Kwan Jeremy LaMastus Sean Lambert (sum1els) Landon Paul Latham Matt Laube Helder Lavigne Frank Laycock Emily Leathers Y. K. Lee Andy Leighton Jon Leitheusser Thaddeus Lemelle II Alexandre Lemos Stefan Leonhardt Doug Levandowski R K Lewis Daniel Ley Mark Leymaster of Grammarye Lifeform Entertainment, LLC Abe “Volcano” Limpo Oliver Lind Nicole Lindroos 林立人 Lin Liren Billy Littlepage Ryan Lockwood Cora Loft Michael Long Rick Loomis Wendy Lord Arkane Loste Alexander Lucard Justin Ludeman Russ Luzetski Derek Lynch Constantine M. Adam “IAmMarauder” Madden Jeremy Mahr Charlie A Main Manu Marc Margelli Paolo Marino Vlamir Marques Kevin J. “Womzilla” Maroney John “wolfman” Mason Mikey Mason MasterAlex Andrea Martinelli Adrian J. Mayer Mark McBride Scott McClenaghan Ron McClung T. Mike McCurley Anna McDuff Chad McGee David McGuire Jonathan McHugh Tucker McKinnon Meemer Markus Mergard Curt Meyer Jason Mical Chris Miles Adam Miller Brent Millis Frederic Moll Monroepiper Ivo de Mooij Andreas Monitzer Owen Meldrim Moore David Moorehead Aaron Morgan Chris Mortika M.P. Travis Mueller Will Munoz Daniel Murphy Geoffrey Muspratt Fabiano Neme Craig Neumeier

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Kristofor Newman Nick Nix David A. Nolan Ryan Northcott Jun Omachi Mark the Encaffeinated ONE Santiago Martinez Vara Ortiz Barry Osser Lisa Padol Lawrence “senilelarry” Parrish Raffaele Passarelli Stelio Passaris JP Patterson Stuart Patterson Teppo Pennanen Mark Perneta Don Perrin Frank Perrin Eric “Rex” Petersen Sheldon Pfeifer Michael “Maikeruu” Pierno Chuck Pint Marcin Piwek Porkbelly Port Andy Pratt Twila Oxley Price Tyrone “tiggertq” Queensborough Rob Quinton Role Playing Public Radio Anthony Randell Random Wookie Carl Rauscher Christopher Reed Tom Reed Sean K Reynolds Joshua V. Rice Peter Risby roaet Vern Roberts Carly Robertson Daniel & Trista Robichaud Gerald Robinson Jim Roederer Rodney Rossow Adam W. Roy runester Jason Russell Tim Ryan Daniel Sacdpraseuth Chris ‘Pepsiman’ Saguisag Steven Salter Jubayl of Sandpoint Caleb Zoe Sanderson Michael “Mammut” Sauer Steven Saus Michael Sandlin Patrick SAYET John van Schaik Karl Schmidt Mark A. Schmidt Jason “Jadasc” Schneiderman Brian Schoner Uwe Schumacher Jim Sensenbrenner Jeffery A. Sergent Severian ShadowCub Ben Sharratt Aaron J. Shelton Sean Sherman Shervyn Felipe ShingoWatanabw HANATAKA Shinya Mark Shocklee Shan Simpson Christopher Steven Sims Rob Skutinsky Derek Smith Karalyn Smith “Filkertom” Tom Smith

North Coast Roleplaying 1846 Broadway, Eureka, CA 95501 Chris Snyder Trip Space-Parasite Paul Speizman SRaO Stan! Dan Steinmetz Ruben Steins Steve Bill Stilson Ben Stones Storyception Games LB Stouder Jr. Dominique Zeylion A. Suchaire Stephen D. Sullivan J Sumner, Jr. Gerald Sunkin Estara Swanberg TadK Jason Taylor Lewis D Terry thatraja TheSFReader Thorfinn Tait erik tenkar David Terhune Scott Thorne W. Schaffer Tolliver Tony Troskoski Brian Trotter Jade Tucker Turk Miika Turtiainen For Tybald UESM Oscar Ulloa Erich Vereen Robin Verhoef Jae Walker Steven D Warble Steven Ward Wargamermike Richard J Watkins Alan “DjinnJah” Watson John F. Watson M. Watters Justin Wawrzonek Eddy Webb Travis Webber Che “UbiquitousRat” Webster Andreas Welch JS Wells Tim van der Weyden Dennis Wheeler (dinosaur) Mark Whitbeck Adam Josiah White Scott G White Tom Whiteley Ken Whitman Levi Whitney Stefan Wilken Ben R Williams Chris G. Williams Mitch A. Williams Colin Wilson Steve Winter David Wolfe Jonathan L. Wolff Woobie, Destroyer of Worlds Randy Woods Jeff Worley Justin Wyant Kyle Wynter Jeffrey Yagar Graydon L. Yoder III yukimoda Frank “general nonsense” Zazanis Konrad Zielinski Mark Ziff Marko Žilić Sander van Zuidam Joshua Zusme

CONTENTS Preface Introduction Dice and Tasks Dice Rolls & Focus Number Task Difficulty Levels Dice: An Aside Character Creation Occupations Basic Skills Conflict and Damage Combat Time Round Sequence Combat Distances Damage Ratings Defenses Optional Rules Rest and Healing Recovery Options Medical Equipment Character Growth Gaining & Spending Experience The Game Host Sources of Adventure Preparing an Adventure Enemies Equipment & Vehicles Running Sessions & Campaigns Final Thoughts Settings L’Académie des Arcanes Special Rules: Magical Formula & Schools The World of The Ancient Denizens: The Ancient & The Fallen Sample Adventure: Interview with (Another) Vampire The World of Athena Voltaire Special Rules: MacGuffins Sample Adventure: The Devil’s Sea The Baker Street Irregulars Sample Adventure: Another Greek Tragedy The World of Big Trouble in Little Canton Special Rules: Pressure Points & Motivations Sample Adventure: It Will Never Die Blood Type Special Rules: Effects of Blood Types Sample Adventure: “Mene, Mene, Tekel, Upharsin” The Code Breakers World Special Rules: Cyberspace Distances & Actions Sample Adventure: Into the Hornet’s Nest A Cowboy on Mars Earthling & Shalbatanan Occupations Sample Adventure: Heroes Of Argon The World of Critical Dawn Denizens: Terran & Croatoan Sample Adventure: A Little Bird Told Me The World of the Dark Angel Special Rules: Bloodink, Flight, & Seraphic Magic Sample Adventure: The Threads of Dusk

-1-3-4-4-5-6-8-9- 11 - 13 - 13 - 13 - 14 - 14 - 16 - 17 - 18 - 18 - 18 - 19 - 19 - 20 - 20 - 20 - 22 - 28 - 31 - 33 - 34 - 35 - 36 - 41 - 42 - 45 - 47 - 49 - 50 - 53 - 56 - 59 - 60 - 62 - 65 - 66 - 69 - 71 - 74 - 75 - 77 - 78 - 81 - 83 - 85 - 87 - 89 - 90 - 93 -

Dark Fagara: Age of the Orc - 95 Special Rules: Fagaran Magics - 97 Sample Adventure: The Temple of Sir Valdar - 100 The World of Eolan - 101 Special Rule: Dark Secret - 105 Sample Adventure: Chemical 52 - 105 The World of Esfah - 107 Special Rules: Adapting Dragon Dice - 108 Sample Adventure: Trail of the Dragonsword - 110 The World of Fear the Light - 113 Skills: Vampiric - 114 Special Rules: Age, Abilities, & Weaknesses - 114 Sample Adventure: Vampires on Ice - 115 The World of Gargoyle Knight - 119 Skills: Of Gargoyles - 120 Special Rules: Gargoyle Strengths & Weaknesses - 120 Sample Adventure: Blood from Stone - 121 Ghost of a Chance - 125 Skills: Ghostly Powers - 125 Special Rules: Ghosts & the Real World - 126 Sample Adventure: The Tragic Schoolbus - 128 The World of Jessie Shimmer - 131 Modern Magical Occupations, Skills, & Special Rules - 131 Sample Adventure: Dinner With Rufus - 135 Khitus—The World of Dragon Kings - 137 Special Rules: Sorcery’s Wrath, Harmonious Magic, Distant Gods, & Iron Virus - 138 Sample Adventure: The Krikis Wanderer - 141 The World of Peter and the Monsters - 143 Sample Adventure: Peter And The Scarecrows - 147 The World of The Psionic Pentalogy - 149 Skills: Psionic Powers - 150 Special Rules: Psionic Experience, Sensing, & Vulnerabilities - 152 Sample Adventure: Mr. X’s School for Gifted Youth - 153 The World of The Seventh Crown - 155 Skills: Divine & Magical - 157 Special Rules: Crowns of Leadership - 157 Sample Adventure: A Dark Ship Sails - 160 The World of Shotguns & Sorcery - 161 Special Rules: Spells, Races, & Magical Drugs - 162 Sample Adventure: The Dragon’s Claw - 166 The Empires of Steam & Rust - 167 Skills: Psionic & Magical - 168 Sample Adventure: Of Rats and Rust - 171 The World of The Touchstone - 173 Background: The Worlds & Spaces - 173 Skills: Psychic Talents - 176 Denizens: Ionoth & Others - 178 The World of the Watershed - 179 Special Rules: Water, Aura, & Darkblood - 180 Sample Adventure: Toxic Valley - 182 The World of Zero - 185 Skills: Psychic & Other - 186 Equipment: Weapons of the Hive - 188 Sample Adventure: Severance Package - 190 Appendix: Bonus Characters - 191 -

D6XD6 ™ RPG

PREFACE The story of how the D6×D6™ role-playing game (RPG) came to be is a series of happy accidents. HAPPY ACCIDENT #1 was in January of 1997, when Archangel Entertainment asked me to work with artist Steve Stone on a roleplaying game based on his artwork. The result was Zero, an underground, telepathic dystopia ruled by an eternal, body-swapping queen. (This was well before the Borg queen of Star Trek: Next Generation, by the way.) HAPPY ACCIDENT #2 was a challenge at the time, by another Archangel game designer, Tony Lee, to design an RPG with as few attributes as possible. Tony suggested Body and Mind. I wanted to “one-down” that and came up with a single attribute: Focus. The Zero RPG would be my first experiment with that mechanic. HAPPY ACCIDENT #3 was meeting author Bill Bodden a few years later, and him saying how much he had liked Zero and wished there were a new edition. That encouragement got me cogitating. The thing was, I already had a different role-playing project planned. Since about 1999, I’d been working on a d13 horror game. (See d13rpg.com.) But with a full-time job in educational publishing, involvement in the Wisconsin Fellowship of Poets, and a family, it wasn’t easy finding time to write something long.

Turns out I did. So it was time to experiment with publishing a role-playing game. I wrestled with my desire to finish the d13 game, balancing it against time available, and against a desire to revisit the Focus system. The latter was less of a commitment in pages, so it won (for now). I stripped the game mechanics down to barest bones and began writing from ground up, keeping things as trim as possible, incorporating a few innovations, and making something adaptable to any genre. In July of 2013, I tried it out at Quincon with a setting called “Ghost of a Chance,” and the feedback was extremely encouraging! So I began listing all the settings I’d need to create for a good multi-genre book, and figuring out how to schedule the writing. HAPPY ACCIDENT #5 was when Doug Niles asked if Popcorn Press would like to

HAPPY ACCIDENT #4 was the opening of DriveThruCards.com in 2013. It allowed me to apply a burgeoning knowledge of electronic publishing and print-on-demand books to game design. I’d already designed rules for several poker-deck games; DriveThruCards allowed me to publish illustrated versions. So 2013 became the year of Kickstarting card games, promoting them online and at conventions, and discovering if a former professional game designer still had any fans.

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LESTER SMITH publish his Watershed trilogy in ebook format. Reading the first novel, I was so impressed with its inventiveness that I asked Doug, “Can I use this as a fantasy setting for the D6×D6 game?” (Why reinvent the wheel, right?) Doug readily agreed. With that, something clicked in my head, and I wondered, “How many other authors might be willing to have their worlds represented in this project?” I started making a list of writers whose works I admired—authors I know, and those I didn’t. Many of my friends had works they were happy to have represented. That was great! But the real turning point was writing a carefully crafted letter to four complete strangers: Adrian Howell, Andrea K. Höst, Matthew Bryan Laube, and Hanna Peach. Howell’s Psionic Pentalogy had not only kept me up at night reading past my bedtime, it also filled a niche for a modern psionic setting. Höst’s Touchstone trilogy had left me breathless with its visualization of alien worlds and cultures, as well as its strong characters. Laube’s The Ancient series was such a powerhouse of horror action that I had waited anxiously for each new release. And Peach’s Dark Angel series both touched a nerve in my Biblical background and my fondness for a good love story. I sent off those emails and waited, hoping against hope that one of them might say yes. Happily, they all did! And that gave me encouragement to contact more authors. As the list of acceptances grew, the task became easier. It’s one thing to say, “I’m starting a new role-playing game,” and quite another to add, “A couple dozen other authors are already on board.” HAPPY ACCIDENT #6 involved a playtest session with Doug Niles and Steve Sullivan at the Alliterates’ Wisconsin watering hole. (The Alliterates is a group of authors, spawned in the days of TSR, who meet monthly for dinner, drinks, and discussion—originally in

Lake Geneva, now in Seattle and elsewhere as well.) As luck would have it, in packing light for the session, I’d forgotten to bring along the notebook I normally used for character sheets. The only paper I had available was Popcorn Press business cards, so we used the back for character stats, et voilà, the D6×D6 RPG business-card character sheets now standard for the game were born. HAPPY ACCIDENT #7 was sort of an inevitable result of #5. It was realizing what a great cross-pollination opportunity this project had become. Not only would it benefit from a wealth of worlds, each bringing its own twists and additions to the core rules, it would also cross-promote each author’s work. In effect, this D6×D6 RPG is not only an opportunity for me to get involved again in role-playing publishing, it is also a venue for acting as the ultimate fan—pointing friends to noteworthy novels, comics, and videos, sharing things that bring me joy. All of which is to say that working on this project has been tons o’ fun! And that joy promises to continue well into the future. As I prepare this preface, plans are falling into place for more settings in the coming years, and for expanded visits to specific settings—such as a full book devoted to exploring the world of the Watershed trilogy, and several other such titles. Samples of specialty “doubledice” (a d6 inside a d6) landed on my desk just today. Plans for mobile apps are being worked out. A distribution deal is in the offing. And by the time you read this, the d6xd6.com Web site should include wording for open licensing and for affiliate possibilities. Thank you for helping to make this possible. Whether by offering words of encouragement online or at conventions over the years, or backing one of Popcorn Press’s Kickstarter projects, or purchasing this book, or simply visiting our Web site, you have played a part in bringing this game to life. And that is much appreciated.

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Sincerely, Lester Smith

D6XD6 ™ RPG

INTRODUCTION

Chances are if you’re reading this, you’re already familiar with the topic of tabletop roleplaying games. But just in case you’re not, let’s cover a few basic ideas. This sort of role-playing is a form of collective storytelling. Most often, it’s a social gathering rather than online. Each player invents a character to portray in a fictional tale; one player―whom we’ll call the Game Host―portrays all the villains and extras and adjudicates the game rules. Those rules involve some definitions of character abilities and a way of rolling dice to simulate the uncertainty of characters’ success at their efforts. Some role-playing games are massive tomes, with countless expansions to cover all sorts of situations, to add new character and creature types, to define new types of equipment or magic spells. Other games are “rules light,” serving merely as a springboard for the players’ imaginations.

These D6×D6™ role-playing game rules lie somewhere in the middle. They are designed with three purposes in mind:  To create distinctive characters quickly;  To provide fun, simple dice mechanics that cover a wide range of skills and action situations―including, if you like, combat using miniature figures;  To serve as the backbone for countless adventure settings, from high fantasy to gritty modern to other, quirky worlds. As the author of these rules, I’ve had considerable professional experience in game publishing. I’ve also long been a fan of what was once considered “small press” but has since evolved into print-on-demand (POD) publishing. These D6×D6 rules draw equally on my professional experience and love of innovation. Welcome to the many worlds of the D6×D6 role-playing game!

The “Fantasy Battle” photo by Rhea C. is licensed under CC BY ND-2.0 and has been cropped for focus.

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LESTER SMITH

DICE AND TASKS

Some things a character wants to do are easy: cross a street, climb a ladder, or dial a phone number. For these, a player simply makes a declaration and the Game Host okays it. Others are more difficult or uncertain: jump from the path of an onrushing truck, climb an icy cliff face, or crack a safe’s combination. For these, a player must roll dice and compare the results to the character’s abilities. The Game Host may apply special modifiers for more difficult tasks, time-consuming ones, and so on. This chapter explains those rules.

DICE ROLLS Dice rolls in this game use two standard sixsided dice. Multiply the result of one die by the other to generate a total between 1 and 36.

FOCUS NUMBER Every dice roll in the game is compared to a character’s Focus number, which is that character’s total number of primary abilities. (See the “Character Creation” chapter.) The more abilities a character is familiar with, the

higher this number, which affects the character’s chance of success at attempted tasks. Ability rolls fall into three categories: FOCUSED: For abilities the character is familiar with, roll the Focus number or higher to succeed. Exceptionally high rolls can add bonus levels of success. (See the Conflict and Damage chapter for examples of bonus effects.)  0–9 points above the Focus number is one Success Level;  10–19 points above is two Success Levels;  20–29 points above is three Success Levels;  30 or more points above is four Success Levels. UNFOCUSED: For abilities the character is newly learning, or which were practiced but have grown rusty, roll less than or equal to the Focus number to succeed. Additionally, exceptionally low rolls can add a bonus level of success.  0–4 points below is one Success Level;  5 or more points below is two Success Levels.

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D6XD6 ™ RPG UNFAMILIAR: For abilities the character never possessed, roll less than the Focus number to succeed. (For dramatic purposes, these D6×D6 rules allow characters to attempt skills they do not possess, though success is much more difficult.)

range of difficulties, the Game Host can declare a die penalty of 1 to 3 points before dice are rolled.

DIFFICULTY RATINGS

ROLLING VS. OCCUPATION

DIFFICULTY

A character’s occupation is a sort of “super skill” representing a body of related knowledges and abilities. (See the Occupations chapter for a fuller definition.) For task rolls, occupation is treated as a Focused ability.

Average:

No penalty

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2

ROLLING VS. A SKILL

Impossible:

3

Besides an occupation, characters each have a list of skills to round out their abilities. (See the Basic Skills chapter for a fuller definition.) The exact skills available will vary from setting to setting. For task rolls, skills fall into Focused, Unfocused, and Unfamiliar categories, as explained above.

REACTIVE ROLLING VS. AN ATTRIBUTE Characters each also possess four innate attributes that further define them: Brawn, Grace, Will, and Wits. Each character has one attribute treated as Focused, two as Unfocused, and one as Unfamiliar. (See the Character Creation chapter.) While occupations and skills are rolled for as active abilities, an attribute check is rolled only as a reaction to a situation. EXAMPLE: Spotting a trap in ancient tomb might call for a roll versus an occupation of Archaeologist or of Tomb Robber. Disarming that trap might involve one of those occupations or the Lockpicking skill. If the trap is triggered, however, the Game Host may allow a roll versus Grace or Wits to avoid it (or to reduce the damage). Similarly, a Game Host may allow a Will roll to avoid a vampire’s mesmeric gaze, or a Brawn roll to avoid the poisonous effects of tainted food.

TASK DIFFICULTY LEVELS Not every task is equally easy or difficult. A school locker is easier to break into than a bank vault. Lifting a bookshelf off someone is easier than doing the same with a car. Patching a simple cut is easier than treating a large-caliber bullet wound. To represent this

MODIFIER

This penalty always applies to the higher die result of the d6×d6 roll and applies before the dice are multiplied. For Focused attempts, the penalty is subtracted from the die roll; for Unfocused and Unfamiliar attempts, it is added. EXAMPLES: The Game Host declares a 2point penalty on a Focused skill, and the d6×d6 dice results are 4 and 5. This adjusts the higher die down to a 3, so instead of a final effect of 20 (4×5), the effect is 12 (4×3). If the penalty were applied to an Unfocused or Unfamiliar skill, the higher die would be adjusted upward from a 5 to a 7, for a final effect of 28 (4×7).

POST-ROLL PENALTIES Some things―such as wounds and armor―slow characters and make them slightly less effective. These penalties apply to the roll result after the dice are multiplied. (See the Conflict and Damage chapter for details.) EXAMPLE: A character with two levels of damage, who achieves a Focused roll of 6×4, would reduce the 24 result to a 22. For an Unfocused or Unfamiliar roll of 3×2, that character would increase the result from 6 to 8.

DRAMATIC EXERTION At the beginning of every adventure session, characters each receive 6 Drama Points to use for storytelling effect. One or more of these points can be spent on any dice roll to help with its success. After the dice are rolled for a character’s action and the results seen, any player may spend up to 3 Drama Points to add or subtract from one of the dice before they are multiplied.

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LESTER SMITH Each point spent changes the target die’s result by one. Each player may affect only one die, and each die can receive a maximum of 3 points. Usually, Drama Points are spent by the player whose character is performing the action. However, they may be spent by another player’s character instead, as direct assistance or simple encouragement. EXAMPLE: A character is trying to bulls-eye a swamp cat from a moving sand speeder. The character has Shooting as a Focused skill and possesses a Focus rating of 7; the Game Host decides the task is Formidable (a moving vehicle and a small target) and applies a 2-point penalty. The player rolls a 2 and a 5, and the 5 is adjusted downward to 3, for a result of 6 (2×3). This would barely miss, since it’s less than the character’s Focus of 7. However, the player really wants the character to succeed, so the player spends one Drama Point and chooses to apply it to the lower die, bringing that up to a 3. With a 3×3 result, the character scores a 9, well above the Focus rating.

MINIMUMS AND MAXIMUMS The minimum result of d6×d6 is 0 and the maximum is 36. (Some settings may impose a “Special Rule” to supersede this. See the Settings chapter.)

COOPERATIVE TASKS Characters may wish to cooperate on a task: lift a heavy table to barricade a door, persuade a murder suspect to confess, lure a gorgosaurus into a trap, etc. In game terms, the involved players each roll for their own character, and the Success Levels are totaled. NOTE: If timing is an issue (as during combat, see the Conflict and Damage chapter), the combined action takes place at the lowest rolled result. (“Wait. Wait. Let me get a good grip. Okay, go!”)

EXTENDED TASKS Some tasks, such as running a race, translating an ancient tome, or defusing a bomb, are not the work of an instant. In game terms, these require an accumulation of Success Levels. The Game Host may declare, for example, that finishing a race requires 20 Success Levels. The

first character to accumulate that many Success Levels crosses the finish line first. In the case of defusing a bomb, the Game Host might say the character must accumulate five Success Levels before the timer reaches zero.

UNCERTAIN TASKS Not every situation in life has a yes/no answer. A police officer might be trying to discern, for instance, whether a suspect is telling the truth. Although training and psychology can do a lot in this regard, sometimes a character must act without being absolutely sure. The D6×D6 rules simulate this by having the character’s player roll 1d6 and the Game Host roll the other 1d6 in secret. Based on the result of the visible die, the player has some idea of success or failure, but is not certain of the outcome. NOTE: In the case of Uncertain tasks, penalties for Difficulty levels and bonuses for Drama Points are applied to the visible die, regardless of whether it is the high or low die.

DICE: AN ASIDE It’s our opinion that dice ought to clack together in your hand. This means rolling at least two at a time (no single d20 attack rolls in this game). Rolls should also have some excitement, which rules out the dry, linear nature of percentile dice. These D6×D6 rules rely on two standard 6sided dice, with the result of one die multiplied by the result of the other. This generates a quasi-logarithmic scale from 1 to 36, as shown in the graphics on the next page. The Roman numerals show the number of ways each total can be rolled of 36 possible dice combinations. (Example: A 4 can result from a 1×4, a 4×1, or a 2×2.) Notice that a Focus rating of 6 to 10 is optimal for most characters. A 6 yields a 72% base chance of success on a Focused ability, with three possible bonus Success Levels (at 16, 30, and 36). It yields a 39% chance of success with Unfocused abilities, and 28% with Unfamiliar abilities. It allows a possible bonus Success Level for Unfocused abilities on a roll of 1 (a roughly 3% chance).

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D6XD6 ™ RPG D6×D6

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A 7 yields a 61% base chance of success on a Focused roll, with bonus Success Levels at 18 and 30. It yields a nearly 39% chance of success on both Unfocused and Unfamiliar rolls—as well as a bonus Success Level for Unfocused rolls of 1 or 2 (an 8% chance). An 8 yields the same 61% base chance of success on a Focused roll as a 7, with bonus Success Levels at 18 and 30. It yields a 44% chance of success on Unfocused rolls, and an almost 39% chance on Unfamiliar ones—as well as a bonus Success Level on Unfocused rolls of 3 or less (a 14% chance). A 9 yields a roughly 56% base chance of success on a Focused roll, with bonus Success

Levels at 20 and 30. It yields a 47% chance of success on Unfocused rolls, and a 44% chance on Unfamiliar ones—as well as a bonus Success Level on Unfocused rolls of 4 or less (a 22% chance). The reason for 10 being the maximum Focus rating is that it is the break-even point for Focused and Unfocused abilities, making a character a true jack–of–all–trades. Focused and Unfocused rolls are even at a roughly 53% chance of success; Unfamiliar have a 47% chance. A 10 also provides bonus Success Levels for Focused rolls at 20 and 30, and a bonus Success Level on Unfocused rolls of 5 or less (a nearly 28% chance).

“Crow Peak summit. Chugach Mountains, Alaska” photo by Paxson Woelber is licensed under CC BY 2.0 and has been edited for contrast.

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LESTER SMITH

CHARACTER CREATION To create a character for any D6×D6 setting, follow these seven steps. 1. NAME: Choose something appropriate to the setting and your character conception. (Although Name is listed first, you may prefer to decide it last, to fit your other choices. You may also choose to use the name randomizer at d6xd6.com/names.) 2. GENDER: Choose a gender for your character―any gender you wish. (Some settings may even include alien genders or genderless options such as “Robot.”) 3. AGE: Decide on an appropriate age for your character. In some cases, the Game Host may specify a particular range. Otherwise it’s entirely up to you. 4. ATTRIBUTES: Attributes serve as ratings to roll against when occupation and skills do not apply. Choose one of the following to be your character’s primary (Focused) attribute and circle it. Choose another to be your character’s weakness (Unfamiliar) and draw a line through it. The remaining attributes are neither strengths nor weaknesses (Unfocused).  BRAWN is your character’s strength and stamina.  GRACE is your character’s overall agility and dexterity.  WILL is your character’s self-control and strength of personality.  WITS is your character’s intelligence and mental quickness. 5. OCCUPATION: In effect, your character’s occupation serves as a super-skill, identifying the field of knowledge the character is most familiar with. Choose something appropriate to the setting you are playing in. Your Game Host may provide a list of possible careers to choose from; the Game Host always has final say as to what careers are appropriate and what they can accomplish in the setting. (See the Occupations chapter for more insights.)

6. SKILLS: Every setting chapter will list 15 to 20 skills that are most important to that milieu. In some cases, they are skills unique to that setting―such as the supernatural powers in “Ghost of a Chance.” Choose up to 9 of these skills for your character, remembering that the more you choose, the higher the character’s Focus number. This has an effect on the character’s chance to succeed with any particular skill, as explained in the Dice and Tasks chapter. Also choose 3 skills from the setting list or from the Basic Skills chapter as Unfocused abilities―things your character is learning or once knew but is currently rusty at. 7. FOCUS: Total your number of Focus skills, then add 1 point for your occupation. The total is your character’s Focus rating. Minimum is 2 (your occupation and 1 skill); maximum is 10 (your occupation and 9 skills).

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D6XD6 ™ RPG

OCCUPATIONS

“All work is honorable. Always do your best, because someone is watching.” —Colin Powell In the D6×D6 game, your character can have any occupation you can imagine for the setting your Game Host has chosen. As a spur to your imagination, this chapter describes a dozen broad categories of occupations found in pretty much every civilization. The specifics of what each can do depends upon the individual, the culture, and the level of technology. Whether you use these general categories as a springboard or conceive of something on your own, your goal is to bring your character to life and give the Game Host enough to work with for making task decisions.

ARTISAN: An artisan is someone with a skilled trade. That is to say, the main difference between an artisan and a laborer (see below) is one of formal training or apprenticeship. Examples: Architect, Blacksmith, Brewmaster, Carpenter, Glassblower. COUNSELOR: Everyone needs a good listener from time to time. The more advanced a civilization, the more likely it is to have people whose career is just that. Examples: Advice Columnist, Bartender, Geisha, Jester, Priest, Psychologist.

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LESTER SMITH HEALER: Not all the difference between a Stone Age shaman and a modern physician is the tools, but equipment certainly makes a big difference. That, and scientific knowledge. (Better to take your chances with a 21st century physician who has lost her medical kit than a Stone Age shaman who has found it.) Examples: Anesthesiologist, Chiropractor, Dentist, Neurosurgeon, Stone Age Shaman. LABORER: Throughout history, someone has had to do the heavy lifting. This sort of work requires little skill, other than perhaps a tolerance for tedium and/or pain. Examples: Factory Worker, Field Hand, School Janitor, Wal*Mart Greeter. LEADER: Whether duly elected or reigning by terror, a leader makes the big decisions for a civilization. Of course, as War and Peace points out, those decisions are largely constrained by the nature of the civilization itself. Examples: Baronet, Chieftain, King, Mayor, School Principal, Senator. MERCHANT: Only the earliest, simplest societies could survive without some form of money. And with money comes long-distance trade, advertising, insurance, and banking. Further, new monetary inventions are constantly being developed, a tribute to humanity’s fascination with wealth. Examples: Banker, Insurance Adjuster, Marketing Manager, Salesperson, Store Owner. OUTCAST: Civilization is based on order. While some people profit from that order, others survive by subverting it through crime. Still others have no choice but to dwell on the fringes as the homeless, the transient, or the fugitive. Examples: Beggars, Grifters, Gypsies, Hackers, Smugglers, Thieves. PEACEKEEPER: While leaders make the laws, someone must enforce them. While merchants accumulate wealth, someone must protect it for them. These peacekeepers risk life and limb to maintain (or restore) order.

Examples: Armed Forces Personnel, Police Officer, Private Detective, Spy. PERFORMER: Without the arts, a civilization is little more than an ant colony. Performers offer entertainment, while also exploring and conveying a society’s myths and mores. Examples: Actor, Football Quarterback, Game Designer, Musician, Painter, Puppet Master, Sculptor. SCHOLAR: When humankind transitioned from a hunter/gatherer existence to an agrarian society, one of the first benefits was being able to maintain a class of scholar priests. Over the centuries, secular and religious studies separated, and countless fields of study and research developed. Examples: Chemistry Professor, Marxist Literary Theorist, Necromancer, Pharmaceutical Researcher. SERVANT: Without butlers, cooks, drivers, and scullery maids to take care of mundane chores, the movers and shakers of the world would have no time to move and shake. High society depends upon this serving class. Examples: Butler, Cook, Driver, Scullery Maid. STUDENT: The occupation of young people is learning. Sometimes this gives them ready familiarity with obscure bits of knowledge that most adults have forgotten―such as quadratic equations and the diameter of Pluto―or trivia of comic-book storylines. Examples: Grade School, Middle School, High School, Undergrad with a Fine Arts Major, Tech School Student for Web Design, Doctoral Student of Narratology in the Kennedy Presidency. Use one of the example occupations above or invent your own. Consider how your character became involved in that occupation, and what the character likes most and least about it. The more fully you can envision your character in the occupation, the better you’ll be able to play the character in the game.

The “offerings” photo by Istolethetv is licensed under CC BY 2.0.

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D6XD6 ™ RPG

BASIC SKILLS

For modern settings, the following skills will supplement occupations to round out characters’ abilities. Other settings may use some of these skills but not others, or add new ones. Keep in mind that an occupation may cover one or more of these skills without a player specifically listing them. For example, a race-car driver could drive an auto without specifically owning the Vehicle: Auto skill. Even an auto mechanic would likely know how to drive. Similarly, a medical doctor could perform First Aid without listing it, just as a sniper would not need a separate Shooting skill. Also, players may suggest other specialized skills to further distinguish their characters, with the Game Host’s approval. For instance, while one character might have an occupation of paratrooper, another might request Skydiving as a skill, even though it isn’t listed in this chapter.

ATHLETICS: For purposes of these rules, this term includes running, jumping, and feats of balance by a physically fit person. As an occupation, an athlete would fall under Performer and would mean professional-level abilities. Sample occupations include pro sports player, body builder, Olympic decathlete, triathlon runner, or personal trainer. BARGAINING: From finding the best value online to haggling in an Old World marketplace, to negotiating contractual details, this skill covers them all. Occupations involving this skill include retailer, lawyer, and arbitrator. COMPUTERS: This is basic computer operation, perhaps with some secrets such as hot keys and taskbar manipulation. Computer Programmer, Repair, and Hacker are occupations with much deeper knowledge.

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LESTER SMITH FIRST AID: More than applying bandages, but less than a medical occupation, the First Aid skill is useful for treating dangerous wounds on the job, in the woods, and in combat. Sample occupations involving this skill include emergency medical technician and combat medic. LOCKPICKING: Although not that common in the real world, this skill shows up a lot in fiction, making it a virtual necessity on this list. Occupations such as locksmith and burglar would include the ability without needing the specific skill. MARTIAL ARTS: Anybody can brawl. (In game terms, use your choice of Brawn or Grace.) But martial artists benefit from specific training in hand-to-hand combat. Depending upon the setting, this may mean boxing, sword fighting, wrestling, or something different. Shooting and throwing are separate skills, below. Sample occupations involving this skill include Olympic wrestler, fencer, boxer, etc.

SECOND LANGUAGE: A character with this skill has some fluency with the second language but still speaks it with a noticeable accent and has difficulty reading technical documents. True fluency requires either that the character grew up speaking both his or her native language and the second one, or that the character is a translator (Scholar) by occupation. Note: This skill can be purchased more than once to represent multiple languages. SHOOTING: This is training with a one- or two-handed firearm; it is also part of many occupations—often with weapons unavailable to civilians. Occupations such as soldier, law enforcement, and bodyguard all involve the Shooting skill. SNEAKING: Using cover to move and avoiding making noise can be useful in many situations. That is why this skill is also part of many clandestine occupations, such as cat burglar and ninja.

NAVIGATION: Finding one’s way across country using a map, a compass, the stars, and/or basic clues of nature requires some training. This knowledge is also part of many outdoorsy occupations. More advanced, longdistance navigation is part of piloting aircraft, naval ships, starships, etc.

SWIMMING: At its most basic, this is a skill of how not to drown in water, and maybe even move across it. Depending upon the historical setting, an occupation such as sailor might include knowledge of swimming (though some cultures viewed it as just delaying an inevitable death).

PERSUASION: More than natural wits, this is the ability to lie or reason convincingly. Many influential or nefarious occupations include the ability as well.

THROWING: To accurately (and forcefully) project something by hand takes much skill and practice. Occupations with this ability could range from baseball pitcher to ninja.

PICKPOCKETING: Perhaps more common in the real world than Lockpicking (above), picking pockets is still a relatively rare skill. It is, however, a part of the stage magician’s and street thief’s repertoire.

TRACKING: This is the ability to follow a creature by the evidence it left behind. Many occupations possess this skill, from hunter to forest ranger to private investigator.

RIDE ANIMAL: Unlike mechanical devices, which just need basic maintenance, riding animals have personalities and feelings. To ride one effectively means knowing how to get along with and care for it. Occupations that involve this knowledge would include cowboy, jockey, and circus trainer.

VEHICLE: This is the basic operating skill for cars, motorcycles, and motorboats (each is a separate skill, as with Second Language, above). Stunt driving, racing, semi-truck driving, construction equipment, aircraft piloting, and spacecraft piloting are all occupations involving this skill.

“One Giant Leap” by Charlie Marshall is licensed under CC BY 2.0. Armor and sword added in edit.

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D6XD6 ™ RPG

CONFLICT AND DAMAGE

“The greatest victory is that which requires no battle.” —Sun Tzu, The Art of War Sun Tzu’s advice aside, sometimes one must accept less than the greatest victory. When combat is inevitable in a D6×D6 adventure, the following rules apply.

COMBAT TIME Combat in the D6×D6 rules is designed to be fast and furious:  Each combat round represents 2 seconds of real time.  During each round, a character can perform one action.  Some special actions may require more than one round to complete.

ROUND SEQUENCE To determine what happens when, each round begins with declaration, followed by dice rolling and resolution. 1. The Game Host secretly decides what actions the enemy forces intend. 2. The Game Host asks the players one at a time what action their character intends. (Decisions must be made quickly. If a player pauses too long, the Game Host may declare, “Your character hesitates this round and takes no action.”) 3. The players all roll their dice.

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LESTER SMITH 4. The Game Host rolls all the enemy forces’ dice together and assigns them. 5. Actions then take place, starting at 36 and counting downward to 0. Notice that your dice roll each turn determines not only whether your character succeeds, but how well, and how quickly. Successful Focused actions tend to happen sooner than Unfocused and Unfamiliar ones.

COMBAT DISTANCES Concepts of distance and movement in these D6×D6 rules are relatively simple, and are playable either abstractly or by use of miniatures.

RANGES For purposes of personal combat, combat distances fall into five ranges: 1. BRAWLING: Within 2 meters. Characters within this range can strike one another barehanded or with handheld weapons such as clubs and swords. It is generally not an effective range for throwing or shooting. (The Game Host may make an exception for short firearms such as pistols and sawed-off shotguns.) 2. THROWING: Up to 20 meters away. Characters within this range can attack with thrown rocks, spears, shuriken, throwing knives, throwing axes, etc. They can also use shooting weapons or Viewing attacks (see below). 3. SHOOTING: Up to 200 meters away. Characters within this range can use bows, firearms, lasers, and such, as well as Viewing attacks (see below). 4. VIEWING: Up to 2 km distant. Specially trained snipers with long-range rifles can reliably hit at about 1.5 km; these rules round up to 2 km for the sake of convenience. Characters within this range can also attack with magic spells or psychic powers, if the game setting includes those. 5. LOST: Beyond 2 km in distance, a target is effectively out of sight. Still, a trained forward observer within sight of the target can call in remote fire upon it

(mortars, aerial bombing, etc.). The accuracy of such attacks is limited by the Focus of the forward observer or the attacker, whichever is lower. Note: For combat on US soil, in Liberia, and in Myanmar, use yards instead of meters, and round off 2 km to 1 mile.

MOVEMENT ACTIONS During a round of combat, a character can freely move up to 2 meters and still take an action (or vice versa). To move more than 2 meters requires a Movement action. The player uses the Athletics skill or an appropriate occupation. Each level of success adds 2 meters to the character’s movement. While a Movement action starts at the character’s rolled number in the round sequence, it is considered to progress through the rest of the round. So the Game Host will decide whether any enemies along the way have a chance to attack the character as planned.

ATTACK ACTIONS Attacking an opponent is an action. To attack, a character must be within range of the target, as determined by the type of weapon used. (See Weapons, below.) Drawing a weapon is considered a free action, as is reloading.

DAMAGE RATINGS Human characters in these D6×D6 rules can suffer six levels of damage: Graze, Stun, Hit, Wound, Knockout, or Kill. Each of those terms represents a different degree on a sliding scale of damage. GRAZE: This is the most basic level of damage―a punch or kick, a bruise or abrasion. A Grazed character suffers a 1-point penalty to all dice rolls. (E.g. for Focused rolls, a result of 8 becomes 7; for Unfocused or Unfamiliar rolls, an 8 becomes a 9.) STUN: This is a more serious level of damage―a breathtaking gut punch, a dazing blow to the head, or even just a stinging cut. A Stunned character suffers a 2-point penalty to all dice rolls.

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D6XD6 ™ RPG HIT: This is a solidly landed attack―a bruising blow, a deep cut, or even a flesh wound from a gunshot. A Hit character suffers a 3-point penalty to all dice rolls. WOUND: This level of damage indicates cracked or broken bones, serious cuts or gunshots, and so on. A Wounded character suffers a 4-point penalty to all dice rolls.

minutes. (Exactly how long is the Game Host’s call, based on the circumstances.)

ACCUMULATING DAMAGE Damage levels in combat follow two rules: Add and Supersede.

KNOCKOUT: This level of damage renders a character unconscious.

ADDED DAMAGE: A successful attack that causes less than its target’s current damage (Grazed, Stunned, Hit, etc.) increases the target’s damage by one stage. (A Hit character who receives a Graze is now Wounded.)

KILL: A character who suffers this level of damage is unconscious and dying. Unless treatment is given to reduce the damage, or to at least stabilize the character, the character will perish within roughly three to five

SUPERSEDED DAMAGE: A successful attack that causes more than its target’s current damage becomes the target’s new damage. (A Grazed character who receives a Stun is now Stunned.)

WEAPON

DAMAGE TYPE

COMMENTS

Brawling Attacks

Attack: Brawn, Grace, Martial Arts, or Combat career / Defense: Brawn, Grace, Martial Arts, or Combat career

Fist or foot

Graze

Club, skillet, chair

Stun

Small blade

Hit

Spear

Hit

Requires Martial Arts skill or Combat career.

Large blade, two blades

Wound

Requires Martial Arts skill or Combat career.

Throwing Attacks

Attack: Throwing, Martial Arts, or Combat career / Defense: Grace or Wits

Taser (no skill needed)

Knockout

Stone

Graze

Throwing blade

Hit

Spear

Wound

Shooting Attacks

Attack: Shooting, or Combat career / Defense: Brawn or Will

Small bow or sling

Stun

Small pistol

Stun

Bow, crossbow

Hit

Large pistol

Hit

Shotgun

Stun

Increase damage one level at Throw range, two levels at Brawl range

Rifle

Wound

2-point attack penalty at Brawl range

Hand laser

Wound

If Kill results, a successful Brawn or Will check reduces it to Knockout.

Unusable at Brawl range

Unusable at Brawl range

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LESTER SMITH

WEAPON TYPES Different weapons have different default damage ratings, as shown on the previous table. If an attacker rolls bonus levels of success, each bonus Success Level increases the damage done by one step. (Note: A Kill increases to a Kill+1, a Kill+2, and so on, making defense more difficult.) Some settings may provide additional weapons or further details.

DEFENSES To keep combat moving quickly, most D6×D6 settings treat defense as an automatic rating, based on a character attribute or protective clothing.

REACTIVE DEFENSE Innate abilities and training alike help to avoid damage or to resist its effects. In the D6×D6 game, each attack type or weapon type lists the occupation, skill, or attributes that can defend against it. If a target character has Focused any of the listed defenses for that attack, the character reduces the damage by a single step (Graze becomes a miss, a Stun becomes a ARMOR CATEGORY

Graze, etc.). In most settings, a character cannot reduce damage more than one step in this way.

PASSIVE DEFENSE While reactive defense helps either to avoid being hit or to withstand damage, armor helps to either absorb or deflect damage. The armor table below lists reduction to damage based on the type worn. This rating is used instead of the wearer’s reactive defense; it does not add to it. Note also that armor imposes a slight penalty on its wearer’s actions: Use the character’s armor rating to adjust the calculated result of all rolls that character makes. (E.g. A character wearing a Kevlar jacket would subtract 2 points from all Focus rolls―meaning a roll of 5×6 would result in 28 instead of 30.) DRAMATIC DEFENSE Players may spend any number of Drama Points to reduce an attack on their characters on a one-to-one basis. (One Drama Point reduces a Hit to a Stun; two reduce a Hit to a Graze; three reduce a Hit to a miss.) Dramatic Defense can be used in addition to Reactive or Passive Defense.

DAMAGE / DICE PENALTY

EXAMPLES

Light

1

Leather coat; small shield

Medium

2

Kevlar jacket; Roman cuirass & helmet

Heavy

3

Military ballistic vest & helmet; plate mail

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D6XD6 ™ RPG OPTIONAL RULES While the above rules cover most combat situations, the Game Host may include any or all of the following rules for special situations. to punch an alien, but the creature teleports SECOND WIND away before the blow lands.) In such cases, the Even in the heat of combat, it can help to take a Game Host may allow a character to choose a moment to catch your breath. In game terms, a different target for the same action―at one character who has not suffered a Knockout or Success Level less than the dice result. If this Kill can spend an action once per combat to reduction drops the Success Levels below one recover from damage. If either Brawn or Will is level, that character’s action is lost. a Focused attribute, the character recovers two AIMED ATTACKS damage levels; otherwise the character recovers one damage level. A character who spends consecutive rounds preparing an attack may add to its effect. When HELD ACTIONS the attack occurs, if the roll is successful, each Sometimes a character may want to delay round spent aiming adds one level to the taking an action until another character has damage dealt. If the roll fails, however, the acted. The character with the higher dice roll rounds spent aiming are simply wasted. determines whether his or her action occurs EXCEPTIONAL ATTACKS immediately before or immediately after the action of the other characters. A character who achieves more than one Success Level with an attack may choose to Example 1: The character wants to leap split those successes among several targets onto the running board of a getaway car that is rather than apply them all on one target. (A coming for her. She holds her action until just character using a Small Pistol with a Shooting after the driver’s action (which is when the car skill and a Focus of 5, on a roll of 25 could hit arrives at the spot desired by the driver), and one target for a Wound, or three targets for a then makes the leap. Stun each, or one target for a Hit and another Example 2: The character is waiting for an for a Stun, for example.) Note that bonus alien carnivore to attack her (and expose itself) Success Levels gained from Aimed attacks (see before she shoots it. She shoots just as it above) also may be split this way. reveals itself, before it attacks. COMBAT TEAM COMBINED ACTIONS Just as the Game Host rolls all dice for the As explained in the Dice and Tasks chapter, enemy forces and then chooses where to characters can combine their efforts on a single assign them, players may pool their dice in task. When timing is an issue―moving a heavy order to apportion them to best effect. To do table to barricade a door, for example―the this, those players must choose as team leader action takes place on the lowest roll. When a character with tactical experience (such as a timing is not an issue―holding an already Peacekeeper occupation; see the Occupations barricaded door against an onslaught of chapter). That character’s player then rolls all zombies, for instance―the action is considered their dice together and assigns them to each to last the whole round, from 36 to 0. character for best effect. While this strategy can be very effective, MISSED ACTIONS players are never obligated to join the team or Sometimes players may roll successfully, only to to remain in it from turn to turn. If they do have their characters’ actions countered by a join, however, they are obligated to use the faster action. (For example, a character intends dice assigned to them that turn. “060702-F-5964B-111” photo by The U.S. Army is licensed under CC BY 2.0.

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LESTER SMITH

REST AND HEALING

Any good story, like any good roller coaster, intersperses periods of high action with recovery. The Game Host can choose from several options for recuperation.

RECOVERY OPTIONS ABSTRACT HEALING: Whenever characters have at least several hours of down time between encounters to recuperate, they heal entirely. DRAMATIC HEALING: At the end of each game day, each characters’ damage improves by one level. Additionally, characters may benefit from the optional Second Wind rule in the Conflict and Damage chapter. “REALISTIC” HEALING: Whenever characters spend 24 hours resting under successful medical care (a roll against the First Aid skill or a medical occupation), they automatically recover from one level of damage. Without medical care, Killed

characters die; others recover one level per week of rest. Note that Killed characters cannot treat themselves; though other damaged characters can (with the appropriate dice penalties for their damage levels). Note: Bonus Success Levels on a medical-care roll speed healing to 12 hours (one bonus Success Level), 8 hours (two bonus Success Levels), or 6 hours (three Bonus Success levels)―at which time a new roll can be made.

MEDICAL EQUIPMENT The rules above assume appropriate medical supplies are available.  For poor equipment, the Game Host may apply a penalty to dice rolls for medical care.  For exceptional equipment, the Game Host may apply bonus Success Levels to successful healing rolls.

“Pixie Dreams” photo by psyberartist is licensed under CC BY 2.0 and has been edited.

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D6XD6 ™ RPG

CHARACTER GROWTH While these D6×D6 rules were originally designed for quick games at conventions and other such one-shot settings, they can easily support full-fledged campaigns.

GAINING EXPERIENCE Gaining experience in the D6×D6 game is simple: As mentioned in the Dice and Tasks chapter, a character begins each session with 6 Drama Points to use during play. At the end of each game session, each 3 unspent Drama Points become 1 point of Experience. Note: Up to 2 Drama Points can be carried over to the next adventure session. This prevents characters from losing points when they don’t have enough to convert to Experience. (It also means a character may begin a session with up to 8 Drama Points— the 6 usual plus 2 carried over.)

SPENDING EXPERIENCE A character may spend an Experience Point to do any one of the following:  Change a skill from Unfamiliar to Unfocused (meaning the character is beginning to train for that skill);  Change a skill from Unfocused to Focused (gaining mastery―to the maximum of 9 Focused skills);  Change a skill from Focused to Unfocused (letting it become rusty);  Add a + to a Focused skill, to a maximum of 3 +s. Note: Any skill can receive only one Experience effect after each game session. (For example, a skill cannot be raised from Unfamiliar to Unfocused to Focused after a single session. Nor could it go from Unfocused to Focused and also gain a +.)

PLUSSED SKILLS A Focused or Unfocused skill with a + gains an automatic bonus Success Level whenever

that skill is rolled successfully. For each additional +, the skill gains an additional bonus Success Level. Note: Pluses remain with a skill that lapses from Focused to Unfocused or returns to Focused. (“Rusty” doesn’t mean “novice.” Hence the expression, “It’s like riding a bike; you never really forget how.”)

IMPROVING OCCUPATION The easiest way to improve occupational effectiveness is to become more focused— changing skills from Focused to Unfocused. The less time devoted to other interests, the more characters can concentrate on nuances of their occupation. Another, more costly but more permanent improvement is for characters to “plus” their occupation. To accomplish this, at session’s end a character may convert 6 unspent Drama Points to a single + on occupation. As with plussed skills, an occupation can have a maximum of 3 plusses, and each adds a bonus Success Level to successful dice rolls for that occupation.

“1907 Cubs World Series Championship Medal” photo by Dan Gaken is licensed under CC BY 2.0 and has been cropped.

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LESTER SMITH

THE GAME HOST

At its core, the Game Host’s job is largely the same as any other host’s: to make sure guests have the best time possible. And just as there are certain rules and tricks for hosting a successful party, the tips in this chapter will help you to host a successful adventure session.

SOURCES OF ADVENTURE Often, role-players are inspired by the plot or setting of a novel or a movie. They want to face a similar situation and discover how their actions would affect events. Or they simply want to experience the action firsthand. This is why the D6×D6 rules represent such a range of settings. With this set of guidelines, players can adventure in any of their favorite worlds of film and fiction. And the plots in those worlds can serve as inspiration for the Game Host.

PREPARING AN ADVENTURE To prepare for play, a Game Host need only 1. choose a setting; 2. decide on a plot; 3. flesh things out using the guidelines below.

I. CHOOSING A SETTING Maybe you’ve recently read one of the books covered in a setting chapter of the D6×D6 game, and you’d like to introduce your friends to the concept. Maybe you’ve just finished watching a movie that inspired an idea for a great villain. Or maybe you just know that your players are fans of 1930s pulp adventure. Any one of those things can be a reason for choosing a setting.

II. DECIDING ON A PLOT With your main idea in mind, it’s time to lay out a plot. Note, however, that plotting an

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D6XD6 ™ RPG adventure doesn’t mean deciding ahead of time everything that will happen. Even professional authors say they’re often unsure how things will turn out until their characters actually enter a scene. That’s even more the case in a roleplaying session, where different people control different characters. When we talk of deciding on a plot, then, we really mean A. establishing a specific threat; B. predicting how that plot would unfold if the players’ characters never interfered; and C. imagining ways the heroes could become aware of the unfolding threat. Once the heroes begin responding to the plot, it responds to them in turn, and we have our adventure session!

the heroes are often the sort who keep feelers out for possible villainous activities. In horror genres, someone the heroes know personally may run afoul of the threat and either ask for help or perish in a suspicious fashion (often both). In fantasy settings, the heroes may be troubleshooters or adventurers for hire. In super-powered campaigns, a villain may actually send a challenge (perhaps intending to do away with the heroes). Let the conventions of your genre be your guide, but also consider the personalities of your heroes, and of your players. The more you can personalize these hooks that draw your heroes in, the more your players will be invested in the story, and the more satisfying your adventure will be overall.

A. ESTABLISHING THE THREAT: Whether it’s an asteroid tumbling toward the Earth, a dragon plundering a town, an infestation of zombies, or a gangster demanding protection money, the threat is the central problem to be resolved in an adventure. Once that threat is dealt with, the adventure is concluded (although loose ends may lead to a new, related threat later). Many threats involve more than a single enemy. For purposes of the D6×D6 rules, enemies fall into four main categories: beasts, minions, villains, and monsters. See the Enemies section later in this chapter for details of each.

You’ll notice that in our example adventure synopsis for each setting chapter, we follow a linear, three-act formula. ACT ONE introduces the heroes to the threat in some way, getting them involved. If the heroes don’t already know one another, this act also serves as an introduction that brings the group together. ACT TWO presents a series of escalating problems, ratcheting up the tension while also revealing more information the heroes may need. ACT THREE opens with the climactic challenge, brings about its resolution, and provides any rewards the heroes may have earned. Depending on the grimness of the setting, it may also focus on losses the heroes have suffered. We recommend you follow a similar format, at least for your first few adventures. As you gain experience, and as your players provide more and more inventive responses, you may become comfortable straying from this linear plan, extemporizing your threat’s reaction to the heroes’ actions as well. To paraphrase German military strategist Helmuth von Moltke, no Game Host’s plan survives contact with the players. The foes you portray will need to revise their plot in response to your heroes’ actions. Note: For mystery settings in particular, you can make the world seem more open-ended by

B. PROJECTING EVENTS: Once you have your threat in mind, imagine what would happen if the heroes never became aware of it. Sketch out a timeline. What order of actions will the threat pursue? If the threat involves more than one enemy, which subordinates will be involved in each step? As people fall victim to the threat, what actions would they or their friends take in response? At what point might the authorities become alerted, and how would they respond? What about the news media? How will the threat deal with each of these reactions? C. INVOLVING THE HEROES: Different settings have different conventions for drawing its heroes into the action. In mystery genres,

III. FLESHING THINGS OUT

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LESTER SMITH plotting out multiple threats ahead of time, dropping clues from each, and letting your heroes decide which clues to follow up on. As the group theorizes what they suspect is happening from clues they’ve gathered, they’ll likely give you ideas you hadn’t considered before, enriching the game even more. This sort of approach gives the players the greatest sense of freedom, while still allowing you to be prepared ahead of time.

ENEMIES As mentioned above, the D6×D6 rules categorize the living threats heroes face as beasts, minions, villains, or monsters. Each is detailed here, but let’s open with a word about impersonal natural threats. Earlier, we mentioned the threat of an asteroid tumbling toward Earth. Other such threats include avalanches, volcanic eruptions, hurricanes, outbreaks of disease, and nuclear disasters. Any of these things can serve as the major danger in an adventure, but without an intelligent agency behind them, they do not offer a satisfying threat. Imagine, for example, that your heroes are caught in an avalanche on a mountainside. Assuming they survive, they may feel some sense of accomplishment. But consider how much deeper that feeling would be if a villain abandoned them on that mountainside to die of exposure, or even triggered the avalanche itself! Now not only have they survived, they have thwarted the villain’s plans—they have overcome! So even in the case of an asteroid tumbling toward Earth, give your heroes some inimical agent to defeat, whether a treacherous corporate CEO who provides them with substandard equipment, or a jealous enemy who wants them to perish in the course of their mission. Your players will become that much more involved in the story.

BEASTS These are natural creatures that can pose a danger to the heroes. To design a beast, adapt the usual character creation rules as follows: NAME: Unless it is someone’s pet, it’s unlikely to have a name.

GENDER: A beast’s gender often dictates the creature’s behavior (for example, a female black widow spider eats the male after mating). For some beasts, however, gender may not be immediately obvious to the observer. AGE: In most cases, a beast’s age will not matter in an adventure. If it does, use the terms Young, Mature, or Old instead of actual years. ATTRIBUTES: As per regular characters, circle one attribute and cross out one, to indicate a beast’s strongest and weakest aspects. For some beasts, you may circle or cross out multiple attributes. OCCUPATION: The type of beast—snake, polar bear, turkey buzzard—is its occupation. It defines most of the beast’s capabilities. SKILLS: Most of a beast’s abilities are directly related to its nature (its “occupation”). The skills list serves two purposes: (1) it allows you to generate the Focus number you wish for the creature, and (2) for trainable beasts such as dogs, it provides a space for tricks specific to that individual beast. Also, Unfocused skills provide a place to give the creature deadly attacks that succeed only occasionally. FOCUS: Most beasts have a low Focus rating, a 2, 3, or 4. Fortunately, in combat, their attack range is usually limited to Brawling, and most would prefer to avoid combat completely and escape instead. NOTES: Beasts come in all sizes and varieties. To adapt these rules for different types, consider the following adjustments. LIFE: Small, fragile creatures can survive less harm than humans can. Some are killed with a mere Graze result, some with Stun, and so on. Other, larger beasts can survive more damage than humans can. To reflect this, allow them to accumulate two or more Graze results before proceeding with the usual damage track. SPEED: Some beasts are exceptionally fast. To represent this, you might either give them more than one action per round (with the usual two meters of free movement each time), or add 1 to 3 points to their lower die roll each round. If you allow more than one action in a round, roll each action with a separate pair of dice (few

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D6XD6 ™ RPG beasts are crafty enough to coordinate their attacks for best effect). TOUGHNESS: Many beasts have thick hides or fur to protect against injury. Consider giving them an armor bonus—typically without a dice penalty. Be sure to apply this armor bonus before taking into account size and fragility (as described under Life above). NUMBER: Some beasts are solitary; others travel in packs. Take care to balance your beasts’ numbers and abilities with those of your heroes.

SAMPLE BEASTS RAT: Name, Gender, and Age unimportant. Attributes: Grace Focused; Brawn Unfamiliar. Skills: Focused Bite, Claw, Dig, Evade; Unfocused Climb. Focus: 5. Life: Stun kills. Speed: 2 actions. Toughness: N/A. Number: Typically a dozen. POISONOUS SNAKE: Name, Gender, and Age unimportant. Attributes: Grace Focused; Brawn Unfamiliar. Skills: Focused Bite, Flee; Unfocused Poison (treat as Graze damage, accumulating for two or more rounds, depending on lethality). Focus: 3. Life: Stun kills. Speed: 3 actions. Toughness: N/A. Number: Typically 1.

Focused; Wits Unfamiliar. Skills: Focused Bite, Trample; Unfocused None. Focus: 3. Life: Graze ×5. Speed: normal. Toughness: 2. Number: Typically 1 to 6.

MINIONS These are servants or henchmen of the main enemy. They come in two types: thugs and lieutenants.

THUGS

These are rank-and-file enemies. Relatively unskilled, they rely on their numbers to create a threat. Follow these character creation guidelines: NAME doesn’t usually matter; GENDER is whatever seems appropriate for the setting; and AGE is most often simply adult. ATTRIBUTES tend to Focus on Brawn, with Wits rated Unfamiliar. OCCUPATION tends to fall under Outcast, though some may be Servants.

DOG: Name, Gender, and Age—ask owner. Attributes: Any Focused; Any Unfamiliar. Skills: Focused Bite, Hold, Track, Sneak, Run, Leap; Unfocused any number of Tricks. Focus: 7. Life: Dependent on breed (from Hit kills to normal Kill). Speed: 2 actions. Toughness: 1. Number: 1 or more; can coordinate attacks. TIGER: Name, Gender, and Age unimportant. Attributes: Grace and Brawn Focused; None Unfamiliar. Skills: Focused Bite, Claw, Run; Unfocused None. Focus: 4. Life: normal. Speed: 2 actions. Toughness: 1. Number: Typically 1. HIPPOPOTAMUS: Name, Gender, and Age unimportant. Attributes: Brawn

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LESTER SMITH SKILLS focus on noncombat abilities such as persuade and sneak. Thugs’ combat skills are usually Unfocused, which means that even when they succeed, it is late in a combat round and limited to only one or two Success Levels. (Brawling is the exception, given their usual Brawn Focus.) FOCUS rating is usually 8 or 9. EQUIPMENT generally includes small, easily concealed weapons (things that coincidentally do less damage). Thugs are not generally armored. Other equipment is left to the Game Host’s judgment, as needed. Note 1: Dice for unsupervised thugs are rolled all together, and the Game Host then pairs the highest result with the lowest, nexthighest with next-lowest, and so on. This tends to average the results, making for lots of failed actions and few, if any, bonus Success Levels. Note 2: The Game Host can increase one or more thugs’ effectiveness slightly by adding a plus or two to a combat skill, allowing them armor, and/or giving them a Focused combat skill. Without someone to guide them, however, even these are generally wasted, given the usual dice rules for thugs.

GUNSEL: Name: Unimportant. Gender: Dependent on the setting. Age: Adult to middle aged. Attributes: Grace Focused; Wits or Will Unfamiliar. Skills: Focused Carjack, Intimidate, Pistol, Shotgun, Sneak, Steal, Streetwise, Torture; Unfocused Bookkeeping, Drive, Tire Iron. Focus: 9.

SAMPLE THUGS

EQUIPMENT may be anything the Game Host desires. Many lieutenant minions specialize in combat weapons.

GANGBANGER: Name: Unimportant. Gender: Dependent on the setting. Age: Young and ignorant. Attributes: Brawn or Grace Focused; Both Wits and Will Unfamiliar. Skills: Focused Carjack, Chug, Doin’ the Dozens, Graffiti, Roll Joints, Shoplift, Streetwise, Swagger; Unfocused Switchblade, Tire Iron, Zip Gun. Focus: 9. BLADE: Name: Unimportant. Gender: Dependent on the setting. Age: Young. Attributes: Grace Focused; Wits Unfamiliar. Skills: Focused Carjack, Chug, Graffiti, Shoplift, Streetwise, Swagger, Switchblade; Unfocused First Aid, Pistol, Tire Iron. Focus: 8. BRUISER: Name: Unimportant. Gender: Dependent on the setting. Age: Young to adult. Attributes: Brawn Focused; Wits Unfamiliar. Skills: Focused Carjack, Chug, Intimidate, Steal, Streetwise, Tire Iron; Unfocused Drive, First Aid, Shotgun. Focus: 7.

LIEUTENANTS These are a greater threat than thugs. Follow these character creation guidelines: NAME, GENDER, and AGE can be whatever the Game Host wishes. While lieutenants may not come to the heroes’ attention immediately, they may become important during the course of play. ATTRIBUTES are Focused, Unfocused, and Unfamiliar, usually following the rules for players’ characters. The Game Host may choose to change this for particularly experienced lieutenants, however. OCCUPATION tends to fall under Outcast or Peacekeeper. SKILLS often focus on combat specialties. FOCUS rating is usually 6 or 7.

Note 1: Dice for all minions—when a lieutenant is guiding their actions—are rolled together and then matched as the Game Host sees fit. Generally this means highest dice are matched to highest and lowest to lowest, then each pair is assigned to a foe for best effect. Often, lieutenants will take the best results for themselves, assign failures to less important thugs, and reserve the lowest results for thugs using ranged weapons from cover. Depending on the circumstances, the heroes may not immediately recognize which figure is a lieutenant (especially if the thugs have some means of secret communication: radio headsets, hand signals, psychic connection, etc.). Once any lieutenants are incapacitated, however, the remaining minions will revert to the thug dice rules explained above.

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D6XD6 ™ RPG Note 2: The one ability separating

heroes from lieutenants is that lieutenants have no Drama Points to spend. With a large enough group of thugs, however, lieutenants’ ability to assign dice makes them formidable opponents, especially early in a battle. As the number of minions falls, however, a lieutenant’s threat falters as the dice pool reduces.

SAMPLE LIEUTENANTS RIGHT-HAND MAN: Name: Brutus, Igor, Jasper, Jeeves, etc. Gender: Dependent on the villainous master. Age: Adult to middle aged. Attributes: Will Focused; Any other Unfamiliar. Skills: Focused Fetch, Intimidate, Sneak, Streetwise, Toady, Torture; Unfocused Bookkeeping, Vehicle (Auto, Boat, and/or Plane). Focus: 7. TEAM LEADER: Name: Major, Captain, Lieutenant, Sergeant, Corporal. Gender: Dependent on the villainous master. Age: Adult. Attributes: Wits Focused; No Unfamiliar. Skills: Focused Command, Explosives, Martial Arts, Shoot, Throw; Unfocused Torture, Vehicle (Auto, Boat, and/or Plane). Focus: 6.

VILLAINS These are human or humanoid enemies with abilities on a level with the heroes, and a few other advantages. Villains serve as the motivators behind most plots the heroes will face. A villain is created using the rules in Chapter 4 and may well have one or more skills normally unavailable to the setting (borrowed from a different setting). Like the players’ characters, a villain does have Drama Points to spend in an adventure. (See the Dice and Tasks chapter.) A particularly dangerous villain may even have more than 6 Drama Points. Most villains have no combat skills, or very few. (That’s what they employ minions for.) NAME is often something invented by a villain to impress or strike fear into the hearts of victims.

GENDER can be whatever the Game Host chooses. AGE can vary considerably. Some villains are tragically young, others old and bitter; some are unnaturally ancient. Specific years may not matter, but the Game Host should choose an age that somehow enhances the villain’s impact on the story. ATTRIBUTES for a villain often follow the guidelines for players’ characters: Most villains will have one attribute circled and one crossed out, to indicate strongest and weakest ratings. However, the Game Host may choose to break the rules by assigning more than one strength or weakness, or none at all. OCCUPATION for many villains will fall under the same sorts of categories as the heroes. However, some may have an unusual or even

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LESTER SMITH unique occupation such as “Sapient computer” or “Living mummy.” The Game Host should choose something that reflects the villain’s relation to the threat of the adventure and that provides that villain with any needed abilities. SKILLS for villains may include combat-specific abilities, but many villains prefer to let their minions do the fighting. Even villains without specific combat skills may have a strategic and tactical sense allowing them to direct their minions in combat (often part of their occupation rather than a specific skill), though many rely on lieutenants even for that. Give your villain whatever skills seem appropriate, but rely on occupation for most rolls. FOCUS for most villains reflects a sense of purpose bordering on mania. A rating of 2 or 3 is not unreasonable, though a Focus as high as 6 is also possible. EQUIPMENT for many villains is specialized, including weapons smaller and more powerful than usual for the setting. Part of the benefit of defeating a villain may be capturing that equipment and pressing it into service against later threats.

Note 1: Dice rules for villains are similar to those for lieutenants.

Note 2: In addition to generally being able to

choose the best results from their minions’ pool of dice, villains can also use Drama Points just as heroes can. For a particularly dangerous villain, the Game Host may even allow two or three times the number of Drama Points available to a single hero, especially if that villain does not have great numbers of minions.

SAMPLE VILLAINS EVIL PRIESTESS: Name: Maladonna. Gender: Female. Age: Ancient. Attributes: Wits Focused; Brawn Unfamiliar. Skills: Focused Arcane Magic, Open Dimensional Portal, Second Language (Atlantean), Summon Dread God; Unfocused Athane, Javelin, Short Bow. Special Abilities: Protective Sphere (magical armor), Steal Life (one damage level per round), Withering Touch (two damage levels per round). Focus: 5.

MONOMANIAC: Name: Marcel the Merciless. Gender: Male. Age: Middle aged. Attributes: Wits Focused; Brawn Unfamiliar. Skills: Focused Arcane Science, Computers, Persuasion, Second Language (French), Second Language (Russian); Unfocused Command, Shoot, Vehicle (any appropriate). Special Abilities: Construct Doomsday Device, Hypnotism. Focus: 6. SERIAL KILLER: Name: Unknown. Gender: Male. Age: Adult. Attributes: Wits Focused; Any Unfamiliar. Skills: Focused Set Traps, Shooting, Throwing, Tracking; Unfocused Explosives, History, Martial Arts, Small Talk, Torture. Special Abilities: Signature Weapon +1 damage level. Focus: 5.

MONSTERS These are creatures that break the natural laws of whatever setting they occupy, presenting an incredible danger to the heroes and their world. NAME: A monster’s name is often given to it by its victims as a term describing its origins, its history, or the danger it represents. GENDER, AGE, and ATTRIBUTES: The concept of gender may or may not apply to a monster. Likewise, its age may range from eternal to mere seconds of existence. Monsters may or may not have character attributes of Brawn, Grace, Will, or Wits. Even those with attributes may, like villains, have more than one Focused. Other monsters are simply too large or otherworldly for such attributes to apply. OCCUPATION: The very nature of a monster is its occupation—elder god, dragon, kaiju, global AI, sentient slime, etc. SKILLS: A monster’s skills tend to be special abilities outside the normal bonds of the setting—Cause Madness, Gaze Of Disintegration, Deadly Radiation, Turn Invisible, Telepathic Control, etc. By choosing which abilities are part of its “occupation,” which are Focused skills, and which are Unfocused skills, the Game Host can affect how deadly effective an ability is. (A monster with a fatal Unfocused skill will give heroes something to worry about, while not ensuring their demise.)

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D6XD6 ™ RPG FOCUS: Monsters can have a Focus rating ranging from a minimum of 2 to a maximum of 10. EQUIPMENT: Few monsters depend on equipment of any sort. Even their attacks and defenses tend to be an innate part of their nature. Note: By adjusting Focus, damage ratings, innate protection, number of attacks, and Drama Points, the Game Host can create a wide range of monsters.

SAMPLE MONSTERS ALIEN PREDATOR: Name: N/A. Gender: N/A. Age: N/A. Attributes: Grace and Brawn Focused; None Unfamiliar. Skills: Focused Athletics, Brawling, Spelunking; Unfocused Technology Operation. Special Abilities: two actions per round; claws damage as two blades; bite does Kill damage; chitinous shell counts as Medium armor with no dice penalty; any damage received of Wound level or more sprays adjacent characters with caustic blood, causing Stun damage; can hold breath for up to 10 minutes submerged or in vacuum. Focus: 4. DREAD GOD: Name: The Unspeakable. Gender: Any. Age: Ancient. Attributes: Will and Brawn Focused; Grace Unfamiliar. Skills: Focused Dimension Walk, Dream Speak, Time Dilation, Unravel Reality, Vocal Possess, Vocal Smite; Unfocused None. Special Abilities: Ethereality means only blessed or six-dimensional weapons can strike it, and only every sixth strike affects it; Kill damage dispels it but does not destroy it; Time Dilation allows it to act 1d6 times each round (each action rolled separately); its shout (Vocal Smite) causes either physical or psychic damage (at its choice) as if a shotgun; its whisper (Vocal Possess) can control a single target within Throwing range for a number of rounds equal to The Unspeakable’s Will successes minus the target’s Will successes. Focus: 7. MUTANT CROCODILE: Name: Big Yeller. Gender: Female. Age: N/A. Attributes: Brawn

Focused (Grace also Focused in water); Wits Unfamiliar. Skills: Focused Bite, Claw, Spit, Swim, Tail Strike; Unfocused Leap, Run. Special abilities: Its hide acts as Heavy armor with no dice penalty; its bite does Kill damage; its tail strike does Wound damage to all targets within Throwing range; its claws can strike twice per round and do Hit damage each time; its spit can strike at Throwing range and does Graze damage each round it is in contact with bare flesh; in water its movement rate is double normal (four meters freely per round, and an additional four meters per Success Level on a Swimming roll). Focus: 6.

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LESTER SMITH RADIOACTIVE BLOB: Name: Tonkiki. Gender: N/A. Age: Ancient. Attributes: Brawn Focused; Wits Unfamiliar. Skills: Focused Climb, Hide, Slither, Strike, Track; Unfocused Telepathy (emotion only). Focus: 6. Special Abilities: Its radioactive nature causes automatic Graze damage to anyone within Brawling range each round; it can extend pseudopods to strike at Throwing range, allowing 1d6/2 attacks per round (each rolled separately); if it acts before a target at Brawling range, it engulfs that target, causing acid Hit damage in addition to the radiation damage; it can be damaged only by fire; a freezing environment renders it immobile (by lowering its Focus rating one point each round until zero, which does correspondingly make its Focus rolls more desperately effective each round until that point).

EXTRAS Besides the heroes created by your players and the enemies you invent for them, a role-playing world is populated by secondary characters representing the heroes’ friends and acquaintances, and any other bystanders not directly involved in the plot. You don’t need stats for all these people; even those closest to the heroes can often serve as just a name and general description. If some extras end up appearing in recurring roles, because the heroes revisit them, you can generate game stats for them later, as a TV writer might for an unexpectedly popular secondary character in a series.

EQUIPMENT So far we’ve covered setting, plot, and characters (the heroes, their enemies, and any extras). Obviously, those characters will also often use tools. Basic weapons are discussed in the Conflict and Damage chapter, because so much of fictional conflict involves combat. You can treat other types of equipment as either assisting in success (giving a dice bonus on task rolls), or adding to effect (whether treated as bonus Success Levels or a specified result). For example, a first-aid kit might give a character a dice bonus of 1 or 2 points when treating an injury, or a futuristic medical bay might add a bonus level of healing to a doctor’s successful roll, or even allow a slain

character to be resurrected. (“Klaatu barada nikto.”) Your choice among those options will be influenced by the setting, time period, character expertise, and so on.

VEHICLES Vehicles are a special category of equipment, even though they’re still basically props in an adventure. We’ll discuss them separately here, however, for reasons of scale—specifically (1) movement, (2) protection, and (3) armament. We’ll also take a moment to briefly discuss chases. (Note that some settings, in which vehicles play a major role, may supersede these general guidelines with more specific rules.)

MOVEMENT The main benefit of a vehicle is speed. Even something as slow as an ox cart lends speed over long distances, whether in terms of allowing a character to move more material than by toting it one trip at a time, or by avoiding the exhaustion of a long walk. Of course, a skateboard, bicycle, motorcycle, or jet pack increases that speed even more. The main sacrifice of speed is maneuverability. Which is to say that moving objects don’t just have speed, they have velocity—a vector. Changing a vector’s direction requires energy, and the greater the speed, the more energy required to change: turning an ox cart is relatively simple; turning a surface vehicle (land or sea) requires an arc; turning a jet pack requires thrust. Mass also plays a role, of course: turning a battleship requires much more energy than turning a jet ski traveling at the same speed. As Game Host, your job will be to translate speed in terms of combat rounds, generally allowing a vehicle’s operator to cover more than the standard two meters of foot travel. Additionally, you will have to decide how quickly a vehicle can turn.

PROTECTION Most vehicles are more durable than the human body (exceptions being Daedalus’ wings and early WWI planes). Unless a vehicle encloses its occupants, however, that protection doesn’t much matter.

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D6XD6 ™ RPG Which is to say, an opponent on a motorcycle may move faster than one on foot, but a single attack can equally damage either. Successfully hitting the faster target may be more difficult, but the damage may actually be greater, whether from the added impact of the attack or from impact with the ground after a crash. On the other hand, by partially enclosing its occupants, a carriage, car, speedboat, or light plane protects them with both (a) cover and (b) concealment. Cover acts as armor, reducing the damage of an attack; concealment acts as a penalty to an attack roll, making a target more difficult to be seen and be hit. As Game Host, your job will be to translate both a vehicle’s speed and protection to cover and concealment. A fast vehicle may impose a dice penalty on attacks by both its occupants and any figures targeting them. It may also add a dice penalty on incoming attacks by partially covering its occupants, effectively making them smaller targets. And it may additionally reduce damage of successful attacks by acting as armor. So far, we’ve focused on attacks using standard weapons involving figures in vehicles or to target vehicle occupants. The trouble is, some vehicles, such as armored personnel carriers (APCs) provide enough cover and concealment to be virtually impervious to handheld weapons. While some specialty handheld weapons have been developed for use against them—such as the bazooka of WWII, or the later LAW (Light Anti-Tank Weapon) rocket—their effectiveness is limited partly because, while aiming, the user remains vulnerable to weapons fire from the vehicle itself. More typically then, anti-vehicle weapons are mounted on other vehicles. This is where issues of scale escalate. For purposes of this game, combat involving vehicles can be divided into the following scales.

COMBAT VEHICLE SCALE: This covers battle conditions where armored ground, water, air, or space vehicles are involved. Use the same damage and armor rules as in the Conflict and Damage chapter, but treat them as an order of magnitude higher. Combat vehicle armor is rated as None, Light (1 point), Medium (2 points), or Heavy (3 points). Handheld weapons that score anything less than a Kill result against an unarmored vehicle cause no damage to it. Handheld weapons that score a Kill or higher against an unarmored vehicle cause Graze damage to it and no more. Each level of armor above None subtracts a level of damage from personal weapons that hit the vehicle. (A personal weapon would need a Kill +3 to even Graze a heavily armored vehicle.) Note that an anti-personnel weapon (such as a heavy machine gun) mounted on a vehicle is treated as a handheld weapon for these rules. As Graze damage accumulates against a vehicle, the vehicle suffers the same sort of dice penalties as described in the Conflict and Damage chapter. The Game Host should translate these results as damaging a tire, breaking a tread, holing a radiator, rendering an anti-personnel weapon useless, or damaging vehicle crew, depending on the scene. Combat vehicle weapons are rated as doing Graze, Stun, Hit, Wound, Knockout, or Kill damage against other vehicles, depending on the size and nature of the specific weapon. A combat vehicle weapon that hits a character treats a Graze as a Kill. Personal armor does not reduce this damage, and though immediate medical treatment may save the character’s life, the result is generally permanent maiming. A combat vehicle weapon that scores higher than a Graze against a character destroys that target.

PERSONAL SCALE: Most combat situations in the game will fall into this category and can be handled with the rules in the Conflict and Damage chapter. Where day-to-day vehicles are involved, the Game Host will have to adjust attacks for speed, maneuverability, cover, and concealment, as described above.

GRAND COMBAT VEHICLE SCALE: For battleships on sea or in space, raise the damage scale another stage. Individual characters are incapable of damaging such vehicles, and if weapons of such vehicles somehow target a character, the result of a successful strike is obliteration.

ARMAMENT

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LESTER SMITH EXAMPLE VEHICLES TYPE

ACCEL.*

MANEUV.

SPEED*

COVER

CONCEAL†

Foot

Athletics×2

Athletics

Beast

Brawn×2

Wagon

ARMAMENT

10

—

—

Personal

Grace

20–50

—

—

Personal

Brawn×1

Vehicle

10–30

0–1

0–1

Personal

Skateboard

Athletics×1

Athletics

10–20

—

—

Personal

Bicycle

Athletics×2

Athletics

30–50

—

—

Personal

Motorcycle

Vehicle×5

Vehicle

90

—

1–2‡

Personal

Auto

Vehicle×3–10

Vehicle

50–200

0–2

1–2

Personal

APC

Vehicle×2–5

Vehicle

30–60

1–2

3

HMG, Lt AT

Tank

Vehicle×2–4

Vehicle

25–45

2–3

3

HMG, Hvy AT

Canoe

Brawn×1

Vehicle

3–5

—

1

Personal

Jet Ski

Vehicle×3–5

Vehicle

50–80

—

1–2‡

Personal

Sailboat

Vehicle×1–5

Vehicle

20–45

0–1

0–2

Personal

Motorboat

Vehicle×2–6

Vehicle

20–60

0–2

0–2

Personal, HMG

Jet Pack

Vehicle×3

Vehicle

45

—

0–1‡

Personal

Light Aircraft

Vehicle×5–10

Vehicle

50–400

0–1

1–2

Personal, HMG

Fighter jet

Vehicle×100–400

Vehicle

1000–4000

1–2

2–3

HMG, Missile

Starfighter

Vehicle×500–4k

Vehicle

50k–400k

2–3

2–3

Photon Cannon

*Meters per combat round; †Occupant protection only; ‡Against hand weapons, due to speed.

Smaller combat vehicles damage grand combat vehicles—and are damaged by them— using similar rules to the step up from personal scale to combat vehicle scale. Of course, the Game Host will also need to portray dramatic effects such as the vacuum of space, the impact of flying vehicles falling from great height or at great speed, the pressure of ocean water, and so on.

CHASE SCENES Where vehicles are involved, chases often ensue. Chases may also take place on foot, of course. For chase scenes, speed and maneuverability remain crucial concerns.

FOOT CHASES In a flat-out race over a straight distance, have contestants make skill rolls versus Athletics. Obviously, the character who first accumulates enough Success Levels to cover the distance first wins. If one character has Brawn Focused, you might allow that character a 1-point bonus on a die for sheer power. Likewise, if a hero has Brawn marked as Unfamiliar, you might impose a 1-point penalty on a die for frailty. When one character is chasing another over open ground, determine how distant from each other they are at the beginning, and again have

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D6XD6 ™ RPG each make Athletics skill rolls. The chase continues until either the trailing character narrows the gap to nothing or the fleeing character gains enough distance to escape (into a crowd, over a fence, or whatever suits the scene). Again, Brawn might be allowed to give a 1-point bonus or penalty to the rolls. When one character is chasing another through rough terrain or down crowded city streets, where maneuverability becomes more important, apply a bonus or penalty for Grace instead. You might also rate each figure’s knowledge of the specific terrain as Focused, Unfocused, or Unfamiliar, and have them roll versus that instead of Athletics.

VEHICLE CHASES In a flat-out vehicle race over a straight distance, have each operator roll against Vehicle skill. If one vehicle is clearly more powerful than the other, give that operator bonus Success Levels (instead of a dice modifier). When one vehicle is chasing another over open ground, determine how distant they are from each other at the beginning, and again have each operator make Vehicle skill rolls (with possible bonus Success Levels for vehicle power). The chase continues until either the fleeing vehicle escapes somehow or one vehicle gives up (possibly due to damage, running out of fuel, etc.). When one vehicle is chasing another through terrain where maneuverability becomes paramount, the operators still roll against Vehicle skill, but give the more maneuverable vehicle (if any) one or more bonus Success Levels each time. Again, you might also rate each figure’s knowledge of the specific terrain as Focused, Unfocused, or Unfamiliar, and have them roll versus that instead of Vehicle.

RUNNING A SESSION Most of what you’ve read so far involves translating story into game mechanics and translating dice rolls back into story effects. But your most important job will be making sure everyone has the best time possible (yourself included). Here are a few tips for accomplishing that.

GIVE EVERYONE EQUAL ATTENTION It’s a simple fact that some people are more outgoing than others. In a role-playing session, some people will speak more, get more excited, and draw more attention to themselves than other players will. That’s only natural. If you’re not careful, however, some quieter players may feel left out. A great way of balancing things is to make sure you frequently go in sequence around the table, asking questions or inviting responses. This is especially important during action scenes. Start with the player immediately to your left, then move to the next in line, and the next, until you’ve gone all around the table. Next time, start with the player immediately to your right, and go one person at a time the other way around the table. As you practice this, it will become easier. Note: During action scenes, where turn sequence becomes essential, it can help to count by tens: “Anyone in the 30s? My villain has a 36”; followed by “Anyone in the 20s? One enemy has a 24”; then, “Anyone in the teens? I have a thug acting at 18, and another at 12”; and finally, “Anyone in the tens? I have two acting at a 4, and one at a 2.”

VALUE ROLE-PLAYING AND STORYTELLING EQUALLY Some people like to portray their characters like actors on stage, taking on accents, speaking in actual dialog, gesturing in character, possibly even dressing the part. That’s great. Other people prefer to describe what their characters are doing like novelists writing a scene, and that’s great, too. Encourage your players to do whichever they prefer. Again, the point is for everyone to have a good time. Remember, it’s a role-playing session, not a board game. Chess is fine, with its fixed, clearcut rules. But no one pretends that it feels like actually being a king, queen, knight, or such. Children playing cops-and-robbers in the backyard is fine, too, but no one expects a definitive answer to the “Bang, I got you,” “No, you missed!” debate. A role-playing game should be neither about arguing fine points of rules, nor about ignoring

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LESTER SMITH dice rolls. It’s about portraying a story with the improvisational assistance of random numbers measured against a few statistics. For the D6×D6 rules to work best, make sure to set Task difficulties and/or declare your Game Host characters’ actions first, then have the heroes declare their actions, then have everyone roll dice, and finally, translate those results. Stick with that procedure, and you’ll best balance rules and story.

RUNNING A CAMPAIGN An ongoing, episodic campaign can be an amazing experience, cherished from session to session and building lasting memories. To give your campaign the best chance of success, keep the following things in mind.

PLAN IT LIKE A WEDDING The best wedding planners know not to put some people together at the same table. By the same token, not all friends get along together equally well. A one-time party can handle pretty much anyone, and they come and go as they please. For a longstanding campaign, however, you’ll need to pick and choose who to invite. Start with just a few, and consult with them before adding anyone else.

COMMIT TO THE GAME Again, a one-time session is a fine thing, and these rules handle adventures like that well. But if you want a campaign, everyone has to be committed to it. Find the best time and place for everyone to meet, and stick with it. Another way to enhance commitment to the game is to involve the players beforehand. Ask them for input. For example, if you want to run a Space Opera campaign set a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, describe some basics of the setting to them and ask the players what they like about it, what they don’t like, and what kind of heroes can they seem themselves playing.

START EACH SESSION WITH A RECAP Hosting a game can be a lot of work. Let others share part of that work by having your players give you a recap of the previous session. Not only will this most quickly get them involved, it also lets you know what they

most enjoyed and best remember about the story so far, so that you can provide more of the same. And during their recap, their commentary and guesswork about events may spark ideas you hadn’t considered before. Your plots will be the richer for it.

FOLLOW YOUR PLAYERS’ LEAD By this, we mean adapting your game session to the recap described above. But also recognize that sometimes people just need to let off some steam after a hard week of real life. So if you have a deep mystery planned, but your players are simply spoiling for a fight, why not indulge them? Your planned mystery can probably hold until the next session. Perhaps as a result of the fight scene the heroes gain additional clues, contacts, or insight into the upcoming mystery.

CONSIDER AWARDING BONUS EXPERIENCE POINTS Some role-playing games are designed to award specific points for monsters killed and treasure gained. In effect, players compete with one another for those points. Other role-playing games leave it to the person running the game to award points based on how impressed she or he is with specific character actions. The D6×D6 game is designed to make experience a personal decision of each player, to avoid either of those problems. Players who use Drama Points during play gain the immediate benefit of those points; players who save those points for Experience later gain a more long-term effect. Of course, the threats presented in your adventures will have much to say about how necessary Drama Points are to character survival. One option to consider is to present the players with one or two Experience Points as a group, and then let them decide how to award them, based on who sacrificed the most, needs the most help, role-played the best, or succeeded at some daring ploy that advanced the story in an awesome way. A good way to do this is by secret ballot, with players each writing down names of two people they think most deserving. As Game Host, you can then tally those results and award the points to the winner.

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D6XD6 ™ RPG ENJOY YOURSELF AS WELL A role-playing game isn’t just about the players. It’s about the Game Host having fun, too. With experience, you’ll gain the best balance of mechanics and story. But don’t be afraid to trade off Game Host duties with someone else from time to time. Simply playing a character for a few sessions is a great break from the duties of being a Game Host.

FINAL THOUGHTS So far, we’ve worked to prepare you for your coming adventure. We’ve explained how the D6×D6 game came about; we’ve introduced you to the basics of tabletop role-playing; and we’ve covered the unique nature of dice mechanics that multiply a pair of six-sided dice, with difficulty modifiers, Drama Points, and bonus Success Levels. We’ve walked you through one of the quickest, most flexible character-generation systems in existence, then went into a bit more depth about occupations and skills. We’ve explained how to handle action and combat, how characters can heal afterward, and how they can benefit from experience. We’ve advised you on preparing adventures, casting them, and equipping your cast, as well as running extended campaigns. Don’t think of this as an ending, however. Rather, this is a turning point. What follows are example settings that build upon this foundational work, taking it in new directions. Each shows you ways that these core rules can be adapted to suit specific needs. In the next four settings, you’ll find adaptations for psychic skills, for horrific mutant abilities, for supernatural powers, and for elemental fantasy magic. Later settings and expansion books will show other twists and turns these basic

rules can take to fit countless worlds—from horror to humor, from high fantasy to hard science fiction. Feel free to mix, match, and adapt those expanded rules as suits your needs. And use them as examples to build your own. We’d love to see what you come up with! Besides visiting the www.d6xd6.com Web site, you can always contact us with comments, suggestions, questions, and requests at www.popcornpress.com, where you can find the latest news about our books and other projects. Or talk to us at a game convention some time. We look forward to hearing from you. —Lester Smith

“Jump” photo by brett jordan is licensed under CC BY 2.0. “Flying Polyp” illustration by Dagonweb is licensed under CC BY 3.0.

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LESTER SMITH

SETTINGS

Setting chapters expand on the D6×D6 rules by providing places to adventure and new twists on the game mechanics. Many are based on popular novels or other creative works. (Visit d6xd6.com for an ongoing list.) Each setting chapter follows the outline on this page.

BACKGROUND This section summarizes the setting for those new to it, identifying source material where Game Hosts and players can learn more.

OCCUPATIONS Some settings involve unique occupations (wizard, space navigator, demigod), or twists on them particular to the world. SKILLS For many settings, the default list in the Basic Skills chapter will serve. For others, added skills (dimensional folding, resurrection, xenopharmacology) may be called for.

SPECIAL RULES Any new rules not covered by occupation or skills are covered in this section.

EQUIPMENT While the D6×D6 rules list basic modern equipment, including combat gear, some settings may feature more specific items.

DENIZENS Beasts, minions, villains, monsters, and extras needed for a setting are found in this section.

SAMPLE ADVENTURE Most setting chapters provide a three-act plot to help the Game Host usher players into that world. Players should stop reading the setting at that point, to avoid spoiling any surprises for themselves!

ADVENTURE SEEDS Short adventure suggestions follow the sample adventure, to further spark the Game Host’s imagination.

CAMPAIGN IDEAS This section presents any final words the setting author may have for maintaining a long-term series of adventures in the world.

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D6XD6 ™ RPG

L’ACADÉMIE DES ARCANES Lester Smith In a world secretly threatened by fée magic, one nation dares to guard the doorway between realms and police the supernatural. Do you have what it takes to join them, as a member of L’Académie des Arcanes?

BACKGROUND The history of France has been long and convoluted. Its secret history even more so. Stone tools found in the region place early humans there nearly two million years ago. Between 400,000 BC to 40,000 BC, Neanderthals dwelt in the land. They were followed by the ancestors of modern humans, who left the world’s oldest representational art, the 32,000-yearold Chauvet cave paintings. By 1,000 BC, Greeks, Romans, and Carthaginians had established colonies along the Mediterranean coast, each leaving their influence on the evolving French identity. By 50 BC the entire region became part of the Roman Empire, but druidinspired raids by Germanic Franks eventually broke Rome’s hold, and in the late 400s AD, the Frankish king Clovis I ruled most of the area. Frankish rule continued under the empire of Charlemagne, from which emerged the medieval Kingdom of France. From the late 800s until the early 1800s, a series of monarchies and dynasties rose and fell in France, as royal houses vied for control. During the last 300 years of this period, a tortuous system of dynastic rule and favor currying known as L’Ancien Régime brought the nation to the height of its power, leading to colonization of Western Africa, much of the Americas, and Southeast Asia. Eventually, however, a peasant revolt guided by a few independence-minded leaders led much of the aristocracy to the guillotine and established

a republican democracy. What is less well known, though hinted at in French fairy tales, is the truly inhuman nature of the old French aristocracy. Steeped in magical forces since the Stone Age, France had proven impossible for external empires to hold, for it contained numerous portals to the world of the fée. The most humanseeming of those beings were also the most magically powerful, ruling over the multitudinous other creatures of their realm. Through the French portals, they came to seek mastery over the mortal world as well. Fortunately for humankind, some members of our race were able to learn the ways of magic and oppose the fairy lords. (Some, such as the infamous Morgan La Fey, even bore a bit of fée blood in their veins, from fairy ancestors who had consorted with

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LESTER SMITH humans.) Thus began the legendary enmity between wizards and fée folk, which culminated in the French Revolution. During the Reign of Terror, a convocation of wizards in Paris—scholars known as Les Sept (The Seven)—managed to suppress fairy magic long enough for the guillotine to do its deadly work and largely rid the land of its alien rulers. Their work did not go unopposed. Maximilien Robespierre, a fée changeling, infiltrated the Revolution and nearly succeeded in seizing ultimate power for himself, before the guillotine claimed his head. And his student Napoleon, through a mix of political cunning and fée magic, even managed to reconquer all the lands Charlemagne had once held, then turned the democratic revolution on its ear, crowning himself the new Holy Roman Emperor. Even when temporarily defeated by Britain, Prussia, and Russia—each bolstered by wizardly machinations of Les Sept—and banished to the isle of Elba, Napoleon employed his magic to escape, and to charm the very Republican soldiers set to guard him. Les Sept were forced to act again, this time suppressing Napoleon’s magic altogether, to utterly defeat France’s last emperor. With the Republic now on sounder footing, Les Sept set about warding the Earth from further fée incursion. Guided by their Hermetic master, Eliphas Levi, they inscribed an enormous pentagram of invisible ley lines across France itself, with points near Lille, Toulon, Quimper, SaintLouis, and Bayone, and centered on a small castle near La Châtre. Here, at the Château de Sarzay, they anchored the one remaining portal of any size between our world and the fée realm, and they established in secret L’Acédemie des Arcanes to forever guard it. Not that temporary breaches between the worlds don’t occur elsewhere on Earth. Students from L’Acédemie des Arcanes are often called upon to travel to remote regions of our world, to surreptitiously hunt down magical threats that have escaped the fée world, and to either execute them or drag them back in cold-iron chains to the school itself for magical deportation. That this work must be done clandestinely makes it doubly dangerous.

OCCUPATIONS

Characters involved with the academy can choose a magical profession (one of the six main schools) or any other occupation appropriate to a college (from administrator to security to janitor).

SKILLS All skills from Basic Skills chapter are appropriate. Also, characters at the academy (even those with non-magical occupations) can learn individual spells from any number of schools as skills. (Characters with a magical occupation can cast spells of their own school—and invent new spells—without treating them as individual skills.) As with other settings, the maximum number of Focused skills (including spells) is nine. Starting characters may also have up to three Unfocused skills (including spells) as usual; and spells, like other skills, can benefit from Experience Points. Spells cannot be used as Unfamiliar skills, however.

SPECIAL RULES L’Académie des Arcanes teaches six schools of magic—alchemy, conjuration, elementalism, illusion, necromancy, and sorcery—each headed by a member of Les Sept. (Those schools are detailed below. A seventh, “master” school— hermeticism—is also briefly described.) Each branch of magic is an occupation with its own approach to the arcane arts, its own advantages, and its own limitations. Within those parameters, a character can create any sort of magical effect imaginable, at a cost in Success Levels (see “The Formula” below). To reduce this cost, each school employs its own unique rituals and materials known as “anchors.”

THE FORMULA Magic changes reality. The more extreme the change, the more difficult a spell. In game terms, a character must achieve a number of Success Levels for a spell to succeed. (Spells may be rolled as Extended Tasks but—except for alchemy and hermetics—not as Cooperative Tasks. See the Dice and Tasks chapter.) The number of Success Levels is based on the following formula, rounding up: SL = D × C × S × R ÷ A

Not all characters need be directly involved with the academy. Those outside it can have any imaginable modern occupation.

Success Levels = Duration × Consequence × Size × Range ÷ Anchors

Values for the four multipliers are defined in the following table:

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D6XD6 ™ RPG MULTIPLIER

DURATION

CONSEQUENCE

SIZE

RANGE

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Instant 1 minute 1 hour 1 day 1 month 1 year and a day 100 years and a day

Mental Physical Graze Stun Hit Wound Knockout

Fist Goblin Human Horse Elephant Dragon Leviathan

Touch Brawling Throwing Shooting Viewing Global Extradimensional

Notes: Instant is either immediate or equates to one combat turn. Beast, Thug, and Lieutenant signify abilities as defined in the Game Host chapter; Character indicates abilities equivalent to a hero or a villain; and Monster grants some preternatural ability as well. Mental can be either emotional (affecting Will) or intellectual (affecting Wits). Physical implies a non-damaging effect such as shape-change. Dragon is the size of a small house or sailing vessel; Leviathan is the size of a castle or large ship. Touch affects the caster or a target by touch; Brawling does not require touch. Global involves any one spot on Earth known to the caster; Extradimensional involves a spot known to the caster anywhere in time or space.

THE SCHOOLS ALCHEMY is the infusion of magic into potions. (Legend has it that in ages past, an alchemical item known as the Philosopher’s Stone could even transform lead to gold and grant immortality. But if that item ever existed, it does no longer.) Potions can be used by anyone and are frequently sold to non-alchemists. Anchors for alchemy include ingredients (herbs and such), equipment (cauldrons, ladles, distilling tubes), and preparation (heating, stirring, incantations). DIVISOR INGREDIENTS 1 2 3

Common Uncommon Rare

EQUIPMENT

PREPARATION

Common Precious Priceless

Simple (an hour) Complex (a day) Painstaking (a fortnight)

Notes: Rare ingredients typically require some sort of mission to gather, and Priceless equipment is usually locked up in the school’s vaults or jealously guarded by the wealthy and powerful. Preparation time (which must be undisturbed by anything but sleep) is how often a task roll can be made to accumulate Success Levels toward completing the spell. Alchemists can cooperate to combine their Success Levels, but any bonus Success Levels beyond the intended number are wasted, and a single failed roll ruins the potion.

EXAMPLE POTIONS Healing: Healing potions come in many strengths; this example instantly heals three levels of damage in a human-sized imbiber. SL2 = D1 × C5 × S3 × R1 ÷ A (2 × 2 × 2) Charm: Often sold as a “love” potion, this simple elixir makes a human-sized creature who imbibes it utterly devoted to the giver for one minute. How the user employs that time will determine consequences after the potion wears off. SL3 = D2 × C1 × S3 × R1 ÷ A (1 × 1 × 2)

Sleeping: This traditional fairy tale potion puts a human-sized target to sleep for 100 years and a day—unless magically woken. SL6 = D7 × C7 × S3 × R1 ÷ A (3 × 3 × 3) Invulnerability: The name is a bit of an exaggeration; this potion merely allows a humansized imbiber to ignore any damage less than Wound for a full day. SL9 = D4 × C6 × S3 × R1 ÷ A (2 × 2 × 2) CONJURATION allows mages to summon objects or creatures through temporary portals between our world and the fée realm. It is sometimes disparagingly called “demonism,” especially when used to summon and bind genii to service, but these fée spirits are forces of magic, not fallen angels. Because the summoned object or creature already exists, with its own capabilities, Consequence is not included in conjuration calculations. Conjuration always involves incantation, which creates a contract between the conjurer and the thing summoned. Anchors of this incantation are name, purpose, and payment. DIVISOR

NAME

PURPOSE

PAYMENT

1 2 3

General Specific True

Aid Goal Assignment

Release Immunity Boon

Notes: General means any of a class of things, such as “tiger”; Specific means one item in particular; True means a specific item for which the caster knows the secret name granted by the universe. Aid means general assistance; Goal means help to achieve an objective; Assignment means a specific task for the thing summoned. Release means the summoned thing returns to its origin when the spell ends; Immunity means release and the item can never be summoned again by the caster; Boon means release and the caster owes the summoned item a favor (such as a new gem added to the scabbard of a summoned sword, or a future service performed for a summoned creature).

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LESTER SMITH EXAMPLE CONJURATIONS Conjure Item: This spell summons for one minute, from anywhere on Earth, any specific item designed for one-handed use, at the cost of an owed boon. SL1 = D2 × S1 × R6 ÷ A (2 × 2 × 3) Summon Genius: This spell can summon a specific creature from the fée realm, for one minute, to perform a single task for the caster. The caster need not know the being’s true name but can never summon that specific creature again. SL4 = D2 × S3 × R7 ÷ A (2 × 3 × 2) Beckon Friend: This spell allows a one-time summoning for an hour, from anywhere on Earth, someone whose true name the caster knows. SL6 = D3 × S3 × R6 ÷ A (3 × 3 × 1) ELEMENTALISM magic focuses on the four classical Greek elements: earth, air, fire, and water. Each student chooses one of those elements to be Focused; its opposite is considered Unfamiliar (which means the elementalist cannot cast spells of that type), and the remaining two are treated as Unfocused. Earth opposes air; fire opposes water. The anchors for this school are unusual: (1) Because its magic draws upon universal elements, all spell costs are halved; and (2) the Size of an effect is dependent on local quantity, so it is not included in the equation. Size does, however, affect the time required to cast a spell: Subtract the caster’s Success Levels from the Size multiplier, and consult the Duration column. Example: A caster with 3 Success Levels would need a day (and a lake or river) to raise a Leviathan-sized flood. EXAMPLE ELEMENTAL SPELLS Fist —of Stone: The caster’s hand turns to stone (usable as a club); —of Air: The caster produces a ball of fresh air; —of Flame: The caster produces a ball of fire (which can strike and ignite one object within Throwing range); —of Water: The caster produces a double handful of fresh water. SL1 = D1 × C2 × R1 ÷ A (2) Meld —with Earth: The caster can pass through solid materials at walking speed; —with Air: The caster can travel through air in any direction, as if swimming; —with Fire: The caster can pass through flames unharmed; —with Water: The caster can travel through water at walking speed without breathing or suffering effects of pressure. SL2 = D2 × C2 × R1 ÷ A (2)

Shield —of Earth: The ground rises as a personal shield, blocking sight and damage from one direction; —of Air: A tiny whirlwind reduces the damage of all ranged attacks against the caster by one level per spell Success Level; —of Flame: A circle of flame surrounds the caster, causing one level of damage per spell Success Level to things that touch it; —of Water: A wave strikes all within the caster’s Brawling range, interrupting their next action and forcing a Grace check to avoid falling prone. SL2 = D1 × C2 × R2 ÷ A (2) Elemental Assistant: The caster conjures a goblinsized creature of earth (gnome), air (sylph), fire (salamander), or water (undine), which serves as a companion and aide. If conjured for a day or longer (by increasing spell duration cost) the being must spend 6 hours of every 24 resting immersed in its native element. SL3 = D3 × C2 × R1 ÷ A (2) HERMETICISM is the highly ritualized magic by which Les Sept can achieve miraculous effects (such as the pentagram sealing off the fée world). Though it is not an occupational option, characters may learn an Actuate Hermetics spell, allowing use of hermetic constructs—such as communication and travel via existing ley lines. Specific effects and Success Levels required are left to the Game Host’s discretion on a caseby-case basis. The Game Host is also invited to use hermeticism as a catch-all for any sort of magical effect needed for an adventure. ILLUSION is the very heart of magic, its masters argue. They believe that all of existence is merely a well-sustained illusion, and that any being of sufficient skill and will could create its own reality. Fortunately for our world, illusion magic is impermanent and often insubstantial. By choosing the level of seeming consistency and authenticity, illusionists can reduce the cost of their spells. DIVISOR

CONSISTENCY

AUTHENTICITY

1 2 3 4 5

Solid Grainy Translucent Transparent Two-dimensional

Detectable to all five senses All but taste Sight, sound, & touch Sight & sound One sense (caster’s choice)

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D6XD6 ™ RPG EXAMPLE ILLUSIONS Passenger Parrot: This ghostly bird appears at a specified location to deliver a spoken message, then disappears. SL1 = D2 × C1 × S1 × R6 ÷ A (3 × 4) Fairy Food: More than one mortal has dined sumptuously at a fée table, only to wake famished. In a pinch, a serving of Fairy Food can keep a person going; but repeated use can result in sudden death by starvation when the spells wear off. SL3 = D3 × C1 × S1 × R1 ÷ A (1 × 1) Bogus Beast: This illusory guard dog appears at the caster’s side and protects its creator for one minute. Being illusory, it cannot be killed (though it appears to take damage), and any damage it inflicts disappears when the illusion ends. Attributes: Grace Focused; Wits Unfamiliar. Skills: Focused bite (base Graze damage, per the spell formula), hold, track, sneak, run, leap; Unfocused any number of tricks. Focus: 7. Speed: 2 actions. SL4 = D2 × C3 × S2 × R1 ÷ A (1 × 3) Sham Shelter: This small illusory tent offers protection from the weather, and a bit of privacy. SL4 = D4 × C2 × S3 × R1 ÷ A (2 × 3) Formula for a larger, more detailed “Sham Chateau”: SL8 = D4 × C2 × S6 × R1 ÷ A (2 × 3). NECROMANCY is often characterized as “The Dark Arts,” just as “goth” is often mistakenly equated with “emo.” It is true that necromancers commune with the dead, which many people find distasteful. But necromancers revere the dead for their wisdom and their otherworldly insights. Anchors for this school involve both blood and personal sacrifice. The divisor for blood sacrifice is equivalent to the Size modifier from the spell formula table. (For example, sacrificing a horse or bull would give a divisor of 4). The divisor for a personal sacrifice is outlined in the table below. (These sacrifices are forever lost to the caster.) DIVISOR

PERSONAL SACRIFICE

1 2 3 4

A simple memory (e.g. this morning’s breakfast) A vivid memory (e.g. a double rainbow) An intimate memory (e.g. a first kiss) A day of physical possession

EXAMPLE NECROMANCIES Invoke Spirit: This spell raises a spirit of the dead to counsel the necromancer for one minute.

Normally, casters rely upon spirits they know and trust. When information must be gained from an unfamiliar spirit, a further sacrifice may be negotiated. SL1 = D2 × C1 × S1 × R1 ÷ A (2 × 1) Astral Travel: With this spell, the caster’s consciousness can travel the shadow realm of the dead, to view any place on earth for one minute. Unless the caster is intimately familiar with the location to be viewed, a dead spirit must first be invoked and negotiated with to act as guide. SL3 = D2 × C1 × S1 × R6 ÷ A (2 × 2) Summon Familiar: This spell allows the caster to bind a spirit into a small living animal, to serve as a personal assistant for a year and a day. Because of their personal bond, the caster and familiar can communicate thoughts and senses telepathically. But if the familiar is slain, the caster suffers Knockout damage, which can be healed only by time—one level per month. SL4 = D6 × C2 × S1 × R1 ÷ A (1 × 3) Reanimate Corpse: This spell infuses a soul into a dead body, allowing it to rise and serve the caster. The body continues to decay, however, and once all muscle tissue is gone, animation is no longer possible. On the other hand, the body is impervious to pain and suffers no dice penalties from wounds in combat. SL6 = D4 × C2 × S3 × R1 ÷ A (1 × 4) SORCERY is the ability to charm living creatures, and even to change their forms. A sorcerer may use this shape-changing ability to transform an enemy into a pig, or to personally change into a hawk, a wolf, or some other shape. For shape-changing, conservation of mass requires sorcery to make up or aborb any difference in Size, so this part of the magical equation involves the difference between shapes (to a minimum multiplier of 1). For charms, Size is excluded from the formula. The weakness of sorcery is that it always requires a Will test. Charming or shape-changing another creature involves an opposed Will test. If the sorcerer scores higher than the victim, the spell succeeds; a tie means the spell fails; and if the victim scores higher, the spell affects the caster instead. Because of this danger, the Success Level cost of all sorcery spells is half normal. The only anchor for sorcery spells is an item related to the target, as shown in the table below.

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LESTER SMITH DIVISOR

RELATED ITEM

1 2 3 4

Meeting eyes, or telepathic contact Dead cells from the target (often hair) A prized possession from the target Living cells from the target (often blood)

EXAMPLE SORCERIES Charm: With a touch, a gaze, and a test of Wills, the caster gains the target’s favor (a positive emotional reaction) for one minute. SL1 = D2 × C1 × R1 ÷ A (2 × 1) Shapeshift: For a day, the caster changes to any animal—from eagle (goblin-sized) to horse—or assumes the appearance of another person. A hair, feather, or claw from the target is needed, and a simple Will test. SL2 = D4 × C2 × S1 × R1 ÷ A (2 × 2) Transform: Using a person’s living blood, with a touch and an opposed Will test, the caster turns that target to a crow, a cat, or a similarly sized animal for a year and a day. SL3 = D6 × C2 × S2 × R1 ÷ A (2 × 4)

MAGICAL BALANCE Magic is fluid and tends toward balance. In game terms, if a player devises a spell that seems too powerful, the Game Host is free to adjust its effect or cost. In story terms, Les Sept constantly police magic use. Anyone abusing its power will run afoul of them and their many servants. Conversely, if a desired effect seems too expensive, the player and Game Host can negotiate added restrictions to justify a lower cost.

EQUIPMENT Any item appropriate to modern Earth or earlier is suitable for this setting. Items from mythology or fairy tales also can be justified under the umbrella of hermetic magic.

DENIZENS This list focuses on beings from French mythology. Many creatures from other mythologies can be imported from other D6×D6 settings.

BEASTS OF GÉVAUDAN are wolves large as a lion, armored in magical boar’s hide. Attributes: Grace and Brawn Focused; none Unfamiliar. Skills: Focused bite, claw, run; Unfocused none. Focus: 4. Life: Graze × 3. Speed: 2 actions. Toughness: 3. Number: Typically 1. DAMES BLANCHES are fée ladies who haunt bridges and paths, demanding a tribute (usually a dance or a courtly bow). They are masters of sorcery. GARGOUILLE is a water dragon that once plagued the river Seine, terrorizing boats and causing floods. Attributes: Brawn and Grace Focused; Will Unfamiliar. Skills: Focused bite, claw, elementalism (water), navigation, swimming. Special abilities: Its hide acts as heavy vehicle armor with no dice penalty; its bite does vehicle Kill damage; its claws strike twice per round and do normal Kill damage; in water its base movement rate is 8 meters. Focus: 6. MORGAN LE FAY is the most infamous of fée, despite her human ancestry. Like a trickster god, she may aid heroes or hinder them. Some tales say she is half sister to King Arthur, others his lover. A former apprentice to Merlin, she is a master hermeticist. OBERON is the current King of the Fairies. Rumor has it that he is also the son of Morgan le Faye and Julius Caesar. Oberon is unrivaled as an illusionist and sorcerer, by which he holds his crown. WOODWOSE are savage creatures of human shape but bearlike size, covered with a thick pelt of hair, who dwell in deep woods. Attributes: Brawn Focused; Wits Unfamiliar. Skills: Focused athletics, bite (Wound), camouflage, club (Wound), elementalism (earth); Unfocused none. Focus: 5. Life: normal. Speed: normal. Toughness: 1. Number: Typically 1.

ADVENTURE & CAMPAIGN IDEAS Give any legend from anywhere in the world a fée spin, then send the heroes to sort it out. PALE BANYAN: A British aristocrat is wasting away from a mysterious malady. Will the heroes discover in time that his banyan tree transplanted from Guam hosts a Taotao Mo’na (ancestor spirit). THE NEW BEAST OF BRAY ROAD: Legend has it a supernatural beast slaughters farm animals in Southern Wisconsin. Now people are dying, too. Has some new fée beast slain the old one?

CREDITS DESIGN: Lester Smith. EDITING: Dale A. Donovan. PROOFREADING: Winifred Lewis. LAYOUT: Ralph Faraday. COVER: K8 Smith, with “Premade BG 32 a” photo by Brenda Clarke, “Vatican: Guards and Pope’s Guests” photo by Zheng, “Love those cobble stoned streets!” photo by shankar s, and “Baldcypress (Taxodium distichum) in Heron Pond in Cache River State Natural Area” photo by Miguel Vieira, all licensed under CC BY 2.0 and edited.

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D6XD6 ™ RPG

THE WORLD OF THE ANCIENT Matthew Bryan Laube

Every few hundred years, seven ancient demons known as the Fallen return to wreak havoc on the earth. This time, they’ve woken in Newark, New Jersey. But so has their nemesis, the Ancient, an eccentric resurrected demon hunter named Joseph Miller.

BACKGROUND The Fallen have sought time and again to enslave the world, with the help of their offspring, the Cursed. Bent to the Fallen’s will and twisted in body, these once-normal humans are the basis of legends from vampires to werewolves, from trolls to succubi, and more. While the Fallen live, the Cursed are bound to them and draw power from them. But when the Fallen are vanquished, their offspring live on, regaining their human will, yet retaining some small part of the Fallen’s power. Some liberated Cursed work against their creators’ return. Others attempt to resurrect the Fallen and bend them to their own will. In each age, when the Fallen return, so does their enemy, the Ancient. Armed with his knowledge of these demons, the Ancient recruits the best human warriors—or the most readily available—to aid in his struggle.

OCCUPATIONS While this setting can be played in any age or locale, the novels are set in modern New Jersey, where any modern occupation is possible for players’ characters. (There’s nothing saying a short-order cook couldn’t single-handedly stop Hell’s legions.) Still some occupations may be better prepared than others, or more likely drawn into the fray. Police officers and federal agents are good candidates, as are doctors, EMTs, and possibly “outcast” occupations such as computer hackers.

With the Game Host’s approval, players might also choose one of the Cursed as an “occupation,” or even possibly one of the Fallen themselves. (See “Denizens” below.) But be wary: With great power comes great visibility.

SKILLS These skills supplement the Basic Skills chapter. CHARM: Fallen and vampires can Charm humans, and sometimes even other Cursed. A successful Charm can make its target forget an

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LESTER SMITH encounter, follow the charmer into battle, or eat broccoli. Charm cannot force victims to harm themselves or commit crimes against their nature. Characters can resist Charm by exceeding its Success Levels on a Will roll. CURSE: Fallen can Curse a human, creating a new vampire or werewolf hourly. This requires time to take hold, so the newly Cursed have no supernatural powers and may revolt against their master using the “resist Charm” rules above. Antibiotics can also counter a Curse if used within four hours. Within the first hour, they negate the Curse entirely; within the next three hours, they break the Fallen’s mental control but leave the victim physically transformed. DEMON LORE: Even humans can be versed in demon lore. This skill helps characters to spot disguised Fallen and Cursed among the general populace and gives insight into their weaknesses. (All Fallen have this knowledge as part of their “occupation.”) FEED: Demons and vampires can feed on humans to heal themselves. This is a combined grapple and bite, rolled like a Fist attack (see the Conflict and Damage chapter). For each level of damage done, the attacker recovers one level of damage. FLIGHT: Most of the Fallen are winged in demon form and can fly. Distance is 4 meters per Success Level with a Brawn (straight flight) or Grace (maneuverability) roll. REGENERATE: A conscious Fallen or Cursed character with this skill Focused automatically recovers from one level of damage each round as a free action. With the skill Unfocused, the character can instead perform a Second Wind action (see the Conflict and Damage chapter) more than once each combat. SHAPESHIFT: Werewolves and demons can transform from human to a more powerful combat form. Three Success Levels are required to complete the change, during which time the transformer can take no other action. SIGHT: This very rare gift allows people to track the Fallen and Cursed by the residue of their aura. Only the Ancient and a very few old Cursed possess the Sight. TRANSFORM: The Fallen and vampires use this skill for minor physical changes to pass

unnoticed in a crowd. It is limited to changes in hair color, eye color, and skin pigmentation, and to 10% changes in height or weight. Each Success Level allows one such adjustment.

SPECIAL RULES Two special rules apply to this setting.

HOW TO KILL A MONSTER While both the Fallen and the Cursed have specific weaknesses, they are resistant to other types of damage.  Successful attacks using a Fallen’s or vampire’s weakness gain 2 bonus Success Levels against it; all other attacks are reduced by 2 Success Levels.  Successful attacks using a werewolf’s weakness gain 1 bonus Success Level against it; all other attacks are reduced by 1 Success Level.

PLUSSED AND MINUSED ATTRIBUTES Each plus next to an attribute (Brawn, Grace, Will, or Wits) shifts that attribute one step upward from its normal rating (Unfamiliar to Unfocused, Unfocused to Focused); each minus shifts it one step downward instead. Each plus on a Focused attribute adds a Success Level to its use; any minus on an Unfamiliar attribute subtracts a Success Level (making success impossible). The Game Host may also apply these pluses or minuses to any rule for which they seem reasonable. For example, a Wits plus might add a level of Reactive Defense against a Throwing attack, while a Grace minus would subtract a level, and a Wits plus might add a Success Level to a Bargaining skill roll.

DENIZENS Besides normal humans, the world of The Ancient is peopled by the following creatures.

THE ANCIENT The Ancient is humankind’s protector and crazy uncle. Like the Fallen, his spirit possesses the body of another human, though never an unwilling one. As an immortal, while he can be slain, he is immediately reborn in another body as long as any Fallen survive. His many useful abilities are offset with a few limitations.

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D6XD6 ™ RPG Abilities: Grace++; Will++. Focused Charm, Demon Lore, Regenerate, Sight. Limitations: The Ancient cannot grasp modern technology skills. This means he cannot operate computers or motor vehicles, and any attacks he makes with modern weapons are limited to Unfocused. Mantle of the Ancient: If the Ancient is killed, the hero physically nearest him may assume his powers, as long as any Fallen remain alive. This hero becomes the Ancient and gains all his powers and limitations.

THE SEVEN FALLEN Are they rebel angels, ancient Babylonian spirits born to torment humankind, aliens from another dimension? Whatever their origin, they are bent on conquering the earth. As with the Ancient, each of the Fallen inhabits one body at a time. (Unlike the Ancient, a Fallen who is slain doesn’t immediately return.) The Fallen takes on some of the personality, memories, and skills of the person whose body it possesses. However, a Fallen’s Focused skills are set by its own nature; any skills of its host become permanently Unfocused (though any pluses are retained). Fallen have a weakness to fire and electricity. LILITH: THE MOTHER OF MONSTERS Lilith is renowned not for her might but for her great intellect. Her plots and schemes are legendary, and she has been responsible for destroying many Kingdoms of Man without revealing an inch of her scaled skin. Lilith always takes possession of a female host. Likes: Long walks through the graveyard, seducing kings, scheming evil schemes. Dislikes: Humankind, the color pink. Demonic Appearance: Black-scaled, winged female humanoid with a flat nose, needle-like teeth, and long fingers. Attributes: Will++ (in demon form); Wits++. Skills: Focused Charm, Curse, Feed, Flight, Transform, Chill: The queen of the Fallen can automatically absorb the heat energy of all living beings within Throwing range, slowing their movement to half, and imposing a 1-point penalty on their task rolls. As an action, she can focus this Chill on a single target, instantly immobilizing the victim and causing damage

with a base Stun rating. The target can use Brawn or Will as a Passive Defense (see the Conflict and Damage chapter). Focus: 7 ASMODAI: FIRE DRAGON The king of the Fallen is known for his polite manners and calm demeanor. Oh yes, he’ll burn down your village and rip your arms off, but in such a polite, proper way you might forgive him. His control of other Fallen is mostly through flattery, but do not mistake that for weakness. His thirst for destruction and lust for world domination know no equal. Asmodai always takes possession of a male host. Likes: Abducting virgins, fire, power, manners. Dislikes: Rudeness, punk rock music. Demonic Appearance: Human-sized (though large) crimson dragon. Attributes: Will++ (in demon form). Skill: Focused Charm, Curse, Feed, Flight, Transform, Fire Breath: Once every 30 rounds (one minute), Asmodai can spit flaming saliva as a Throwing attack with a Base damage of Wound on the first round. A target hit by this attack automatically suffers continued flame damage each round thereafter at one level less. Metal armor protects on the first round only; other armor offers continuing protection. Focus: 7 AMON: RAGE DEMON Amon is a force of implacable fury. Always impatient to cause harm, Amon cannot be trusted to do anything but fight and kill. Darkness is Amon’s domain, and the demon uses this to hinder its enemies. Amon will take possession of either a male or female host, whichever is most easily available. Likes: War, smashing things. Dislikes: Peace, anger management. Demonic Appearance: A broad-chested, powerfully built, black-scaled humanoid with a bull’s head and hooved feet. Abilities: Brawn++ (in demon form). Skills: Charm, Curse, Feed, Flight, Transform, Blind: Amon can generate darkness, negating nearby light sources and reducing vision for all humans or Cursed in the vicinity. All attack rolls (except Amon’s) suffer a 2-point penalty. Blind does not work in direct daylight, however. Focus: 7 URA: PLAGUE DEMON An artist of death, Ura likes to take its time in cleansing the earth of the human scourge. Ura exists to spreading disease and misery. Unlike the

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LESTER SMITH other Fallen, it has no real lust for power or blood, viewing death as its own reward. Ura takes either male or female form. Likes: Causing slow, lingering death. Dislikes: Experiencing a slow lingering death. Demonic Appearance: A filthy humanoid figure, raggedly “cloaked” in long greasy hair, with insect pincers in place of hands. Abilities: Will++ (in demon form). Skills: Charm, Curse, Feed, Flight, Transform, Disease: Ura’s mere touch invokes sickness. A successful Will roll by the victim limits the effect to a nasty cold. Failing this Will roll, the victim suffers an incapacitating disease (Game Host’s choice) that lasts while Ura is alive and in the region. Focus: 7 ASHAKKU: MIND DEMON Ashakku is a master manipulator who enjoys using others to do his dirty work. Brilliant but lazy, he avoids interacting with other Fallen unless he can use them for some grand scheme. He does respect Lilith though, as they employ common techniques. Ashakku generally takes male form. Likes: Weakminded fools. Dislikes: Pretty much everything else. Demonic Appearance: A

bloated, insectoid figure like a human-sized tick walking upright. Abilities: Wits+++ (in demon form). Skills: Charm, Curse, Feed, Flight, Transform, Illusion: Ashakku can cloud and confuse human minds. With this power, he can hide from view or make humans “see” things that are not there. While there is no limit to the number of illusions he can create, a successful Wits roll allows characters to see through them. Focus: 7 GALLU: WIND DEMON Though physically the smallest of the Fallen, Gallu is by far the loudest. Her cry can alternately lure sailors to their deaths or level a building. Vain and cruel, Gallu longs to create an army of worshipful Cursed. She always takes a female host. Likes: Luring men to their death, pop music. Dislikes: The Ancient, losing. Demonic Appearance: A beautiful, blackscaled woman with bat wings and long, braided hair that moves with a sinuous will of its own. Abilities: Grace++ (in demon form). Skills: Charm, Curse, Feed, Flight, Transform, Scream: This banshee cry can stun or even slay. The skill has a base damage of Stun. Everyone in Shooting range is affected, though a successful Will or Brawn roll can reduce the damage. (Armor does not protect.) Unless Gallu’s scream is stopped, it automatically continues, increasing one level in intensity each round. Once it reaches Kill, the Scream takes on “Vehicle Weapon” scale (see the Game Host chapter), still growing. In this way, it can destroy even buildings of concrete and steel. The only way to interrupt the Scream is to damage Gallu, in which case she cannot Scream for a number of rounds equal to the levels of damage suffered. Focus: 7 MARDUK, MULTI-HEADED DEMON Marduk is a band of Demons in one body, consisting of four serpentine necks and heads. (As such, it can never be played as a hero.) Physically the mightiest of the Fallen, in demon form it grows to the size of a two-story house. All four heads must be Killed to slay it, or it will regenerate even decapitated parts. Likes/Dislikes:

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D6XD6 ™ RPG None Marduk’s personalities can agree on. Demonic Appearance: Four huge black serpent heads and necks joined at the middle, each serving as a limb or a head for the whole. Abilities: Brawn++++ (in demon form). Skills: Feed, Transform. Focus: 3

THE CURSED The Cursed come in many shapes and sizes, but all share some powers and weaknesses. Those freed from the Fallen’s mastery can be either heroes or enemies. Their original human occupation remains their main “skill” (though landing a job in their new form may be tough), and they may know any typically human skills. Each must also possess the skills listed for its type (whether Focused or Unfocused). VAMPIRE These minor demons can be nearly as dangerous as the Fallen themselves. They share the Fallen’s strong resistance to damage other than their weakness, have the ability to Charm, and can Feed to instantly repair damage. Abilities: Brawn+. Required Skills: Charm, Feed, Transform. Weaknesses: Fire, Electricity WEREWOLF These powerful shape-shifters can still pass for human (in poor lighting), although after transforming once, they never completely regain their original human form. They are often used by the Fallen as foot soldiers. Abilities: Brawn+ (Human); Brawn++ (Transformed); Wits– (Transformed). Required Skills: Regenerate, Transform. Weakness: Electricity

EXTRAS Heroes may also encounter these creatures. CURSED HUMAN These fresh conscripts have been Cursed but not yet transformed. (See the Curse skill above.) They are each controlled by the specific Fallen that Cursed them. Until their four-hour window has closed, their abilities are as normal humans. DEMON BEASTS These are Cursed animals. They bear some resemblance to Werewolves and share their attribute adjustments, required skills, and weaknesses. Entirely loyal to the Fallen, they die immediately when their creator is slain.

ZOMBIES Shambling corpses animated by the Fallen, these reanimated dead are slow, weak, and fragile, but they can be dangerous in groups. THE INFINITUS This powerful organization of free vampires is working to resurrect the Fallen (to draw on their power) and control them (to remain free themselves). They own many large shell companies and even government members. THE DISCIPLES A small group of Cursed working with the Catholic Church, their end goals are hidden, but they fight to keep Infinitus in check, as well as help the Ancient against the Fallen.

SAMPLE ADVENTURE: INTERVIEW WITH (ANOTHER) VAMPIRE Following the events of Ancient Revelations, the captured bodies of the Fallen have gone missing. Not trusting his own government, FBI Agent Ted Takahashi takes a band of agents fresh out of the academy to investigate.

SCENE I: THEFT Takahashi assembles the team at a secret location he calls “Warehouse 14.” He explains that the Fallen were sealed in five crates labeled “Bright Steel” in this very building. Last night the crates vanished, and he thinks the Infinitus might be involved. The heroes are to track down Abraham, a free vampire, and ask for clues to the Infinitus’ local stronghold. Abraham is known to frequent scenic downtown Newark, particularly the old Stanley Theater on Orange Street. Allow the heroes time to get acquainted, do any research that inspires them, and formulate a plan.

SCENE II: ARSON The heroes arrive to find the theater on fire. Sounds of battle lead them to an alley where Abraham is fighting two other vampires. He is too badly wounded to defend himself further. If the heroes rescue him, he reveals that his “playmates” were from the Infinitus. Although he was not aware of the crates’ theft, he does know of an Infinitus outpost at an abandoned mall. Abraham will not accompany the heroes, explaining he must feed to recover from his wounds, something he refuses to do in front of witnesses.

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LESTER SMITH SCENE III: MAYHEM AND MURDER The mall is a massive two-story building that has been closed down for two years. It is currently under lease to Always Sparkle in Sunshine Corp, because vampires have a poor sense of humor. Although the stores are closed and empty of product, signs remain for “Sears”, “Macy’s”, and, of course, “Orange Julius.” A Best Buy on one side has been converted to a first-floor office. The entire second floor has been converted into an open space with clear plastic walls facing outward. The heroes may prepare however they see fit—sneaking, getting a warrant, or rushing in with guns blazing. What they encounter is best divided into “Creatures” and “Events.” CREATURES Three sets of three human employees patrol the mall. They are evenly spread through the facility, so only one team can be engaged at a time, unless the heroes split up. The guards are equipped with handguns, fine suits, and a powerful dislike of federal officers. Two vampires are in the office section doing paperwork. Vampires love paperwork. Six human scientists are in the old food court, which has been converted to a lab. They have developed a way to Curse lab animals (including kittens and puppies leftover from a former pet store), turning them into fluffy, super cute, fleshcraving monsters. Because they have not devised a way of controlling the creatures, the scientists seem destined to become monster food. If the heroes arrive before then, the scientists will not resist arrest. Dozens of demonic puppies, kitties, hamsters, budgies, and even goldfish line the second floor in cages. If released, these Demon Beasts will hunt down the scientists that created them, unless distracted by chew toys first (or anything they perceive as chew toys). They will not attack the heroes except to defend themselves. EVENTS When the heroes first enter, no alarm has been triggered. Once they engage any group of

guards, the other guards and the vampires come running. If the vampires are slain or the scientists are found, someone triggers an alarm and an autodestruct sequence. The Orange Julius holds a powerful bomb with a timer set for five minutes. The heroes can learn of it from any scientist or vampire. One minute into the countdown, the Demon Beasts’ cages open automatically. Examining office paperwork or questioning scientists or vampires, the heroes learn that Infinitus did not steal the Fallen’s remains. Their own lab samples date back to the 1500’s. If the building is destroyed, a search of the wreckage reveals the remains of this demon. If the heroes return to search the ruins of the Stanley Theater, they find part of a single crate with the label “Bright Steel.”

ADVENTURE SEEDS The Pack: A motorcycle gang of werewolves has recently been causing trouble in South Jersey. FBI agents are called in to investigate. A Vampire, a Werewolf, and the Ancient Walk into a Bar: Joseph Miller and friends investigate a series of violent murders in a small college town. At a local bar, they find a vampire and a werewolf waiting for them. Spring Break from Hell: The Fallen are back!—this time during spring break in Miami Beach. They are raising an army of drunk undead college students to conquer the world.

CAMPAIGN IDEAS The rise of the Fallen serves as a good campaign start, sweeping regular humans up into the action, perhaps even changing them. As Fallen are defeated, the campaign can turn to a search for any remaining demons, bringing the heroes into contact with the free Cursed, both good and evil. Late in the campaign, the heroes may turn their attention to preparing an “unwelcoming party” for the next incursion of the Fallen. Such a campaign can even span centuries.

CREDITS

DESIGN: Matthew Bryan Laube. DEVELOPMENT: Lester Smith. EDITING: Dale A. Donovan. COVER ILLUSTRATION: Mauro Balcazar. MARDUK ILLUSTRATION: K8 Smith. PROOFREADING: Winifred Lewis. LAYOUT: Ralph Faraday. “Homs!!!” photo by Freedom House is licensed under CC BY 2.0 and has been edited.

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D6XD6 ™ RPG

THE WORLD OF

ATHENA VOLTAIRE Steve Bryant

The Athena Voltaire graphic novel series follows the adventures of a globetrotting aviatrix as she takes on Nazis, monsters, and the occult. In this setting chapter, you’ll be able to save the world in your own 1930s adventures!

BACKGROUND Earth: The mid-1930s. As tensions among world powers escalate to the inevitability of World War II, another war already rages between the forces of white and black magic. Adolph Hitler’s belief in the occult has led him to send his agents—members of the Thule Society—to every corner of the globe in an effort to acquire mystical artifacts that can aid him in his quest for world domination. At the heart of his quest is Agharta, the mythical capitol city of the Hollow Earth, whose twisted denizens, the Vril, possess powers and artifacts that blend science and the supernatural. With the power of the Vril behind him, Hitler would be unstoppable. Standing against the Vril is the Brotherhood of Shambalha, a society of mystics sworn to prevent the power of Agharta from being unleashed. For unknown reasons, the Brotherhood is prevented from directly challenging the Vril and the forces that seek them. Instead, they utilize people from all walks of life to act in their stead. Your character is one of these proxies.

OCCUPATIONS Much of what distinguishes Athena Voltaire from other pulp adventurers is the aviatrix’s backstory. The daughter of a stage magician,

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LESTER SMITH Athena picked up many valuable skills while assisting in her family’s act, and in the circuses, Wild West shows, and barnstorming air shows that her family toured with. Her talents serve her well, enabling her to get clients out of many a precarious scenario. This backstory also provides many of her adventuring companions. There are still the usual archeologists, scientists, and soldiers-of-fortune who need air transport in and out of exotic locales, but Athena’s history allows for a variety of colorful traveling companions, ranging from stage magicians, grifters, cowboys, actors, and more. Any one of these characters could be the lead in equally entertaining adventures—as your own hero will demonstrate. Choose from the following occupations for your hero.

ACTOR/ACTRESS Don’t let the good looks fool you. Lon Chaney was the Man of 1000 Faces, Ralph Faulkner trained many actors in the art of swordsmanship, and Johnny Weissmuller was a former Olympic athlete…what hidden abilities does your actor possess?

AVIATOR/AVIATRIX With the advent of air travel, explorers and treasure hunters can traverse the globe in search of whatever MacGuffin they desire. And a pilot that can lend a hand when it all hits the fan is worth his weight in gold. CAPTAIN Sometimes the best way to get where you’re going is by sea. The captain (or Cap’n) is to ships and submarines what the aviator is to planes and zeppelins.

DILETTANTE Bruce Wayne, Lamont Cranston, Lord Greystoke, and other pulp heroes have used their unlimited monetary resources to right wrongs, fight evil, or seek fortune and glory.

GOVERNMENT AGENT From an S.I.S. agent in His Majesty’s Secret Service to a G-Man working for J. Edgar Hoover, the Government Agent is on the case.

GRIFTER There’s always a scam to run, a pocket to pick, or just a bald-faced lie to tell. The mark never

sees it coming, either. And for grifters with vision, running the long con or coordinating an elaborate heist can make for a big payday.

MYSTIC/MEDIUM From tarot reading, speaking with the dead, seeing spirits and more, the mystic is privy to secrets from beyond the pale. Or maybe it’s just a grifter running an exceptionally long con. The choice of how to play this occupation is yours.

OCCULTIST Ancient texts in dead languages and mysterious glyphs that guard abandoned tombs— someone needs to translate them—not to mention being versed in the mythologies of multiple cultures, understanding local customs, or just recognizing a significant artifact or two. The occultist is just the person for the job.

PIRATE The South China Sea is full of adventure—and Malay Pirates rule the waters! Not every pirate is the rape-and-pillaging type, though. Some are simple sailors who take on an occasional smuggling job over earning an honest buck.

POLICE OFFICER Whether in uniform or plain clothes, they protect and serve—even when they’re pulled into the weird world of the supernatural.

PRIVATE DETECTIVE From hardboiled private dicks like Sam Spade to bantering dilettantes like Nick and Nora Charles, it doesn’t matter—the private detective is on the case. SCIENTIST Archeologists unearthing ancient civilizations, anthropologists steeped in esoteric cultures, physicists working to split the atom, cryptozoologists exploring mysterious creatures, and more—scientists peel back the veil of the pulp universe.

SERVANT OF FAITH Like the occultist, priests, reverends, pastors, ministers, monks, imams, pandits, and rabbis are a great source of esoteric knowledge, ancient information, and even mysterious rituals sometimes.

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D6XD6 ™ RPG

SOLDIER OF FORTUNE When someone needs a hired gun, the soldier of fortune is there. It doesn’t matter where the training comes from—the merchant marine, the French Foreign Legion, or even former soldiers and government agents—what matters is that the soldier of fortune has got your back.

STAGE MAGICIAN From simple sleight of hand to elaborate escapes, the stage magician always has something up the sleeve.

WILD WEST PERFORMER Sharpshooters, trick riders, knife throwers, or all of the above—the Wild West performer has seen better days before all the performing opportunities dried up. But the vista for adventure remains wide open.

SKILLS All skills from the Basic Skills chapter apply.

SPECIAL RULES Paranormal powers from other D6×D6 settings can be imported into this setting, if desired.

MACGUFFINS A MacGuffin (sometimes referred to as a McGuffin or a Maguffin) is a term coined by

film director Alfred Hitchcock to refer to a plot device that drives a story’s narrative. A MacGuffin can be an object, a person, or even a goal, and its specific nature is typically unimportant to the overall plot. It serves the purpose to motivate the characters to action. THE MACGUFFIN AS AN OBJECT: Within the context of the world of Athena Voltaire, this is the most common use of the term. The Ark of the Covenant, the Maltese Falcon, and the Rocketeer’s jetpack are all examples of MacGuffins as objects. These objects must be found—or, at the very least, kept out of the hands of the bad guys. THE MACGUFFIN AS A PERSON: Sometimes, it all comes down to a daring rescue, revenge, or self-defense. Private Ryan in Saving Private Ryan, or Ethan Edwards’ niece in The Searchers are great examples of living MacGuffin rescue stories. Colonel Kurtz from Apocalypse Now or Bill from Kill Bill demonstrate how the MacGuffin can be used as a revenge motif. Unmasking the killer in movies like Clue or Scream show how finding a live MacGuffin is an act of self-preservation. THE MACGUFFIN AS A GOAL: This is generally the loosest of the uses of MacGuffin. Sure, getting out of French Morocco is the

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LESTER SMITH goal in Casablanca, but one could also extrapolate “finding the Ark of the Covenant” and “saving Private Ryan” into the MacGuffin as a goal, rather than an object or person. More often than not, if the word MacGuffin is used in relation to the world of Athena Voltaire, it will be in reference to an object or a person.

EQUIPMENT

possess the ability to reason, and they operate only in their own interest. Treat them as humans with all attributes Focused, a base damage of Stun, the ability to command bats, wolves, and even weak-willed humans. Garlic and holy symbols repel them; holy water and sunlight Wounds them.

SKELETON WARRIORS

Any equipment appropriate to a 1930s setting is appropriate to the world of Athena Voltaire.

DENIZENS The following creatures share the world of Athena Voltaire with the players’ characters.

These mindless drones sometimes guard ruins or hidden Vril items. Treat them as humans with Grace Focused, Brawn Unfamiliar, a Focus number of 9, and immunity to the normal dice penalties for taking damage.

SAMPLE ADVENTURE: THE DEVIL’S SEA

ZOMBIE Reanimated corpses, Zombies don’t have the power to infect humans with zombieism, but they’re relentless combatants. Treat them as humans with Brawn and Will Focused, Grace and Wits Unfamiliar, no skills, a Focus number of 8, and an immunity to the normal dice penalties of taking damage.

NAGA Usually enslaved by the Vril as guardians of access points to the Hollow Earth, these creatures are fierce warriors. A Naga is a fourarmed humanoid with the lower body of a snake. Treat them as humans, but with two coordinated attacks each round.

YETI Fiercely loyal to the Brotherhood of Shambalha, Yetis are the natural enemies of Nagas. Treat them as humans with 1 point of natural armor (without a dice penalty and brawling attacks with a base damage of Stun.

WEREWOLVES Not aligned with the Vril or the Brotherhood of Shambalha, werewolves are primal creatures that attack both good and evil characters. Treat them when transformed as savage humans with Brawn Focused, Wits Unfamiliar, a base damage of Hit, and the ability to heal from one damage level each round, except from silver weapons.

VAMPIRES Like werewolves, vampires aren’t a part of the war between the Vril and the Brotherhood of Shambalha. Unlike werewolves, vampires

In which a deadly dull job turns simply deadly.

ACT I: THE FOUR-EYED TURTLE The heroes have been hired to escort cryptozoologist Ivan Sanderson to an unnamed island about 100 km south of Tokyo. Unknown to the group, the region is colloquially referred to as the Devil’s Sea—a portion of the Pacific that experiences phenomena similar to the Bermuda Triangle, including ghost ships, USOs, lapses in time, and electronic-equipment malfunctions. The team’s journey and arrival are uneventful, with no hints of strange phenomena. Sanderson is searching for the Sacalia Bealei, also known as Beal's Four-Eyed Turtle, a species of turtle in the family Geoemydidae. Sacalia Bealei doesn’t actually have four eyes; the creature earned that nickname for the two white spots on the back of his head. It’s dull work, and the group will likely find it boring. However, they were hired for a “puddle-jumping milk run.” By comparison, that would be an exciting adventure. The heroes’ boredom proves short-lived as Doctor Sanderson mysteriously disappears.

ACT II: DANGEROUS JOURNEYS There should be tracks and other indicators where Sanderson was taken (by a large party). Tracking Sanderson will lead the heroes through a series of perils: CROCODILES: A rickety rope bridge spans a crocodile-infested river. Heroes failing an Athletics

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D6XD6 ™ RPG roll fall into the water and must defeat crocodiles on their way to safety. CAVE CREATURES: Passing a beachside cave, the heroes encounter 1–6 Japanese Spider-Crabs. SpiderCrabs can grow in size to 12 feet across. Usually gentle (despite their appearance), these Spider-Crabs attack the characters. Possibly, something has driven them from their habitat. NAZI BEACHHEAD: A small party of Nazis has established a beachhead. The heroes must quietly dispatch them before they can alert their superiors. After defeating the Nazis on the beach, the characters discover a Chinese junk on the horizon and a couple of speedboats moored nearby. Night is falling.

ACT III: DEVIL’S SEA DWELLER Doctor Sanderson has been taken hostage by a Thule Society team exploring a different cryptozoological phenomena in the region. The Nazis are using the Chinese junk, immune to the mechanical failures that are frequent in the region, for their base of operations. The backstory for the Nazi mission can be revealed either by the heroes eavesdropping when they arrive on the junk, or piecemeal from evidence they find lying around (papers in an officer’s quarters, etc.), or even through Sanderson himself, once he is rescued. The Nazis have been sent here because the Third Reich has lost four vessels in The Devil’s Sea (the Nazis use that term). Until recently, they didn’t know whether it was due to the strange phenomena associated with the area, or to something else. One of their reconnaissance missions found a camera, unharmed, floating among the flotsam and jetsam of the last lost ship. The photographs it yielded brought them to the unnamed island. Through Sanderson, the Nazis, or by their own discovery, the heroes see a group of blurry black-and-white photographs. The

photos depict a blurry, massive figure destroying a Nazi ship and terrorizing its crew. Also recovered in the wreckage, embedded in a fragment of the ship’s hull, was a long, thick claw. The Nazis are in the Devil’s Sea because they feel that whatever creature did that much damage must be utilized by the Reich. Throughout the time the heroes are aboard the junk, they hear and feel explosions deep below the surface of the water. The Nazis have been dropping explosives in an effort to draw the creature out. (As Game Host, use the explosions to create a sense of dread and foreboding as the characters sneak around the ship.) The heroes—with or without Sanderson— are startled by a fearsome roar. Heading

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LESTER SMITH toward the alarm, they come face to face with the creature. It stands over the remains of two, maybe three, Nazis—when you’re just dealing with body parts, it’s hard to get a good count of how many people they used to be. The creature stands ten feet tall, with lizardlike features, huge claws, and sharp teeth. Guns and knives won’t harm it, but fire will drive it away. A good explosion will either kill it or send it back to the depths. After defeating the monster and, presumably, the Nazis, the heroes and Sanderson can travel back home however they initially arrived at the island, without any ill effects of the Devil’s Sea.

ADVENTURE SEEDS SÉANCE: A member of the team is contacted by an acquaintance who believes she was scammed by a spiritualist. The team goes undercover to investigate the charlatan and is surprised to learn that the medium is on the level and dealing with powerful forces. Among the spiritualist’s possessions is a powerful MacGuffin. The heroes must acquire it from the spiritualist—by force, purchase, or deceit—before a team of Thule Society Nazis operating stateside do. THE LOCAL WARLORD: At an oasis in Egypt, a seemingly innocuous exchange between one of the team and a beautiful woman raises the ire of her husband—a local warlord. DOUBLE-CROSS DELIVERY: The team is hired to locate and retrieve a MacGuffin for a Hong Kong businessman. The mission itself goes easier than planned, but when the characters return to Hong Kong to deliver the object and collect their fee, they’re doublecrossed. Their client, a power broker with both government and underworld connections, has used his influence with local law enforcement to turn the hero team into Public Enemy #1. Can the characters evade mobsters and local law enforcement long enough to clear their names—or at least get out of Hong Kong alive? MISTAKEN IDENTITY: An actor associate of a member of the team is mistaken for a famous

occultist and kidnapped by Nazi agents. The heroes have to rescue him or her. Alternately, if a member of the team is an actor, she or he can be kidnapped. The player will have to vamp for time until the team comes to the rescue. TONG WAR: While dining in New York City’s Chinatown, the heroes are alarmed to hear gunfire, screams, and a battle royale coming from the back of the restaurant. The team reaches the kitchen in time to witness a brutal gangland slaying as Chinese gangsters kill the entire kitchen and wait staff—except one. A beautiful waitress, injured in the attack, tells the characters that an underworld Tong has stolen an heirloom from her family and pleads with the group to get it back. As the characters proceed, they learn that the waitress is actually a powerful sorcerer and the leader of a rival Tong. And the family heirloom? A powerful mystical artifact that the tongs have been fighting over for a century. MURDER MOST FOUL: One of the heroes—a performer or aviator—is contacted by a member of his former troupe. The members of the troupe are being murdered one by one, and only the character and his contact remain alive! The heroes travel to the home of the contact, who is murdered soon after. The murderer is (1) a vampire who was murdered by members of the troupe years ago, after a tryst with a member, or (2) a Thule agent, seeking a mystical heirloom that the contact possessed, and later unleashes a supernatural menace the heroes and Nazis must defeat together.

CAMPAIGN IDEAS An extended adventure, sending the heroes all over the globe for a collection of MacGuffins (lost volumes from the Library of Alexandria, a mystical set of swords from the Crusades, fragments of an ancient stone tablet, etc.) that, when combined or collected, form a powerful supernatural weapon. Pit the characters against a competing team of adventurers, Nazis, Malay pirates, and more.

CREDITS DESIGN: Steve Bryant. DEVELOPMENT: Lester Smith. EDITING: Dale A. Donovan. ILLUSTRATIONS: Steve Bryant. PROOFREADING: Winifred Lewis. LAYOUT: Ralph Faraday.

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THE BAKER STREET IRREGULARS J. Robert King, author of The Shadow of Reichenbach Falls Adventure on the streets of old London Town, giving aid to the greatest detective who ever lived— Sherlock Holmes. The master sleuth knows the criminal mind like no other, but he can be in only one place at a time. That’s where you come in. Holmes employs a ragtag group of street urchins for a shilling a day plus expenses, with a guinea for any who discover a vital clue. He calls his eyes and ears the Baker Street Irregulars.

BACKGROUND In his memoir A Study in Scarlet, Dr. John Watson gives the following description of his first encounter with the Irregulars: “What on earth is this?” I cried, for at this moment there came the pattering of many steps in the hall and on the stairs, accompanied by audible expressions of disgust upon the part of our landlady. “It’s the Baker Street division of the detective police force,” said my companion, gravely; and as he spoke there rushed into the room half a dozen of the dirtiest and most ragged street Arabs that ever I clapped eyes on. “’Tention!” cried Holmes, in a sharp tone, and the six dirty little scoundrels stood in a line like so many disreputable statuettes. “In future you shall send up Wiggins alone to report, and the rest of you must wait in the street. Have you found it, Wiggins?” “No, sir, we hain’t,” said one of the youths. “I hardly expected you would. You must keep on until you do. Here are your wages.” He handed each of them a shilling. “Now, off you go, and come back with a better report next time.”

He waved his hand, and they scampered away downstairs like so many rats, and we heard their shrill voices next moment in the street. “There’s more work to be got out of one of those little beggars than out of a dozen of the force,” Holmes remarked. “The mere sight of an official-looking person seals men’s lips. These youngsters, however, go everywhere and hear everything. They are as sharp as needles, too; all they want is organisation.”

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LESTER SMITH HISTORICAL BACKGROUND The stories of Sherlock Holmes span the 1890s through the early 1900s. Under Queen Victoria and King Edward, the British Empire is at the height of its powers. The empire includes more than 450 million people, one quarter of the Earth’s population, with key colonies and territories in Canada, South Africa, Iraq, India, and Australia. Britain’s maritime dominance makes it the policing force of the world during the Pax Britannica, and its economic dominance makes it the richest and most formidable nation prior to the rise of the United States in the 20th century.

LONDON The ancient Roman city of Londinium has become the capital of the world, and the London of Holmes’s time is a mixture of two millennia of history and modern innovation. The city centers on the Thames River, with the governmental and banking centers on its north banks and the arts and common districts to the south. A number of bridges span the great river, the most famous of which are the Tower Bridge (near the Tower of London) and the Westminster Bridge (near the Houses of Parliament). Numerous parks provided green space for Londoners, among them Hyde Park, Regent’s Park, St. James Park, and Victoria Park.

TECHNOLOGY The world is in the throes of a humanistic optimism about technology and the fruits of the Industrial Revolution, which started in the British Midlands. Coal and steam power dominate, and gas lamps fill the streets. Electricity is known but not widely used. Telegraphs are commonplace. Photography is well established, but motion pictures come later. Automobiles are beginning to be used in the later period, but most transportation takes place via train, horse-drawn carriage, boat, or foot traffic.

OCCUPATIONS Play as Wiggins—the gawky, scarecrow leader of band—or as any of the other rapscallions. Some Irregulars hold honest, if menial, positions, which not only gives them a bit of income, but also useful abilities for their adventures, as well as a ready excuse to be out and about in the city.

HAWKERS These youths sell newspapers, matches, tickets, apples, salves, flowers, toys, watches, and other goods gotten legally or semi-legally. LABORERS Whether blacking boots, washing windows, cleaning chimneys, mucking stalls, carrying luggage, or sweeping pavements, laborers keep London in operation.

APPRENTICES Some Irregulars are learning a trade, working for blacksmiths, tanners, glassblowers, carpenters, millers, shopkeepers, tailors, and others in the city.

ASSISTANTS These characters aid gentlefolk with their messages, horses, carriages, bustles, canes, picnic baskets, and other accouterments of high society.

PERFORMERS Some entertain the masses with juggling, acrobatics, puppetry, ventriloquism, card tricks, side-show acts, and innumerable other diversions. Other Irregulars make their livings in less-than-legal ways.

THIEVES A few pick pockets, burgle warehouses, snatch produce, crack safes, steal horses, rob carriages, roll drunks, and otherwise prey on the unsuspecting.

SCAM ARTISTS A step up from thieves, scam artists pawn forgeries, counterfeit money, collect for false charities, panhandle, sell false relics, tell fortunes, run séances, and otherwise shake down people for cash.

GAMBLERS Whether holding craps games, handicapping horses, running rackets, holding cockfights, keeping betting books, or counting cards, these youths game the system to survive.

TOUGHS Holmes sometimes employs those who run street gangs, work as body guards or bouncers, extort money for protection, rough up those who don’t pay debts, and otherwise act as muscle.

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SCAMPS Some urchins eat out of rubbish bins, sneak into theaters, hop rails, pose as reputable citizens, and otherwise get by without paying. Players should feel free to adopt any of these means of making a living or others not mentioned here. The uniting factor for all Irregulars is that they be minors (under the age of 18) and that they make a hardscrabble living on the streets.

SKILLS Baker Street Irregulars can take any of the following from the Basic Skills chapter: Athletics, Bargaining, First Aid, Lockpicking, Martial Arts, Navigation, Persuasion, Pickpocketing, Ride Animal, Second Language, Shooting, Sneaking, Swimming, Throwing, and Tracking. Characters may also possess the Literacy skill (reading and writing), depending on their level of schooling.

SPECIAL RULES: MAGIC No magic exists within the canonical stories of Sherlock Holmes. Indeed, Holmes uses science, reason, and rationality to put the lie to semimagical phenomena such as the ghostly Hound of the Baskervilles. However, Doyle himself

became a committed spiritualist later in life, conducting séances and seeking mystical answers beyond the grave. As a result, other writers have introduced elements of mysticism and magic into Sherlockian adventures, much to the dismay of purists. The Game Host can decide if such elements are allowed in a given campaign and adopt magic rules from other setting chapters as appropriate.

DENIZENS: KEY CHARACTERS As adjunct sleuths, the Baker Street Irregulars report to Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson at their upstairs flat at 221B Baker Street. To reach the flat, the Irregulars must inquire with Mrs. Hudson, who lives downstairs and is landlady to the crime-fighting pair.

MRS. HUDSON A middle-aged woman who seeks to run a tidy establishment, despite the odd hours, disreputable visitors, chronic squalor, and foul-smelling experiments of her famous tenant, Mrs. Hudson puts up with Holmes with long-suffering grace because she stands in awe of his abilities, he treats her well, he pays her well, and she privately adores him.

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LESTER SMITH SHERLOCK HOLMES Holmes is an amateur detective who works as a consultant for Scotland Yard. He does not charge for his services, though he may accept rewards offered him by grateful family members or official agencies. In 1890, he is approximately 40 years old. He is well-versed in many arcane areas of study, all related to solving crimes, though he maintains ignorance of general knowledge (such as that the earth revolves around the sun), jealous of the mental space such trivial matters occupy in his mind. Holmes plays the violin well, often improvising tunes, smokes pipes and cigars, and is said to be addicted to cocaine. Holmes’s methods of deduction are decades ahead of his time:  Analyzing footprints to determine the height, weight, strength, and physical condition of a perpetrator  Performing thread analysis to link articles of clothing to crime scenes  Inspecting blood, mud, ash, and other trace pieces of evidence to deduce all manner of facts  Disguising himself to work undercover  Profiling criminal minds using an encyclopedic knowledge of past crimes

DR. JOHN WATSON Watson is a medical doctor who served in the British Army during the Second Anglo-Afghan war. In the Battle of Maiwand in 1880, he suffered a bullet wound to the shoulder and subsequently developed enteric fever, which ended his military career. He returned to London to become a flatmate and eventual friend of Sherlock Holmes. In the 1890s, he is approximately 40 years old. Watson is a surgeon, well skilled in medical arts, as well as an accomplished brawler. Though often amazed by his companion’s deductions, Watson is no intellectual slouch. Nor is he a bumbling coward—but rather a courageous, bright, and stalwart companion.

INSPECTOR LESTRADE The most prominent Scotland Yard detective during Holmes’s time, Lestrade is described as a “little sallow rat-faced dark-eyed fellow” and “a lean, ferret-like man, furtive and sly-looking.” Lestrade’s detective work is unimaginative and often wrong, but he readily takes credit for the

sleuthing that Holmes and Watson do to solve his cases.

PROFESSOR JAMES MORIARTY This criminal mastermind appears first in “The Final Problem,” in which Holmes describes him thus: “He is the Napoleon of crime, Watson. He is the organizer of half that is evil and of nearly all that is undetected in this great city. He is a genius, a philosopher, an abstract thinker. He has a brain of the first order. He sits motionless, like a spider in the center of its web, but that web has a thousand radiations, and he knows well every quiver of each of them. He does little himself. He only plans. But his agents are numerous and splendidly organized. Is there a crime to be done, a paper to be abstracted, we will say, a house to be rifled, a man to be removed—the word is passed to the Professor, the matter is organized and carried out. The agent may be caught. In that case money is found for his bail or his defence. But the central power which uses the agent is never caught—never so much as suspected. This was the organization which I deduced, Watson, and which I devoted my whole energy to exposing and breaking up.”

SAMPLE ADVENTURE: ANOTHER GREEK TRAGEDY In which our stalwart band find fakery at the British National Gallery.

ACT I: ARTFUL DODGING On a signal from Holmes, Wiggins gathers the Irregulars and leads them to 221B Baker Street, where they discover that they must stake out the National Gallery art museum. Wiggins asks if there has been a break-in, and Holmes replies, “No, but there is about to be.” That night, the Irregulars catch two thugs breaking into the National Gallery and apprehend them before they can steal anything. They proudly drag the perpetrators before Holmes and Watson, who thank them and give them each a guinea, but tell them the crime is not done and they must continue their vigilance. Upon returning to the National Gallery, the Irregulars discover that a whole room of friezes from the Parthenon has been vandalized. They wonder how this could have happened because the thugs hadn’t gotten into the museum proper and the door had been secured by

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D6XD6 ™ RPG

NATIONAL GALLERY KEY North Vestibule, Early Italian Schools: I. Tuscan School (15th and 16th centuries). II. Sienese School, &c. III. Tuscan School. IV. Lombard School. V. Ferrarese and Bolognese Schools. VI. Umbrian School, &c. VII. Venetian and Brescian Schools. VIII. Paduan and Early Venetian Schools. IX. Later Venetian School. X. Flemish School. XI. Early Dutch and Flemish Schools. XII. Dutch and Flemish Schools. XIII. Flemish School. XIV. Spanish School. XV. German Schools. XVI. French School. XVII. French School. XVIII. British School. XIX. Old British School. XX. British School. XXI. British School. XXII. Turner Collection. Octagonal Hall: Miscellaneous; East Vestibule: British School; West Vestibule: Italian School.

a special unit from Scotland Yard before the Irregulars left. A message from Holmes tells them they must keep watch for more criminals to make a try at the compromised door.

ACT II: FRIEZE! The Irregulars continue to stake out the Gallery, but the unit from Scotland Yard has the museum locked tight. The Irregulars learn that Greek Ambassador Apollo Gregopolis is planning a visit the next day to survey the damage and to call for the friezes to be returned to their rightful owners—the Greek government. When the Irregulars get close enough, though, they can hear that the supposed Scotland Yard officers are speaking to each other in Greek. One scamp sees the false guards bringing heavy cases into the museum. Infiltrating the museum, Irregulars see that the cases are filled with dynamite, which the guards are lacing throughout the stonework and wiring to explode. The Irregulars are about to rush off to report their findings to Holmes when the Greek ambassador and his entourage arrive.

ACT III: FORGING AHEAD The Irregulars must act quickly, creating diversions to prevent Ambassador Gregopolis, his entourage, and the international press from filling the hall. They must also try to incapacitate the false guards, which are a Greek terrorist cell intent on killing everyone in the room and sparking a Greco-English war. Only after the Irregulars foil the plot do Holmes and Watson arrive. They are mobbed by reporters, who assume the great detective is the one who saved the day. He says the real praise belongs to a group of shadowy crime fighters who must remain anonymous. Back at 221B Baker Street, Holmes pays the Irregulars equal shares of the £1,000 reward the National Gallery has provided. He then gives them their next assignment.…

ADVENTURE IDEAS The works of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle provide a plethora of ready adventures, chiefly in the short stories published first in The Strand Magazine and afterward gathered in these volumes:

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LESTER SMITH  The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes  The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes  The Return of Sherlock Holmes  His Last Bow  The Casebook of Sherlock Holmes The four novels also provide useful material, though their complexity and length make them challenging to adapt for short roleplaying sessions. These works are ideal, however, for long, detailed campaigns. To make the adventures work in novel format, Doyle removes Holmes from the center of each book. If the great detective had stayed present, he would have solved the crimes too quickly. Game Hosts should take a cue from this fact. Successful adventures cannot center on Holmes and Watson because players will have very little meaningful contribution. Instead, Holmes and Watson should enlist the aid of the Irregulars to gather clues, but the players must go beyond their initial directives to piece the clues together, solve the crimes themselves, and present their work to the detectives afterward.

have one of the perpetrators start as a confidante of the players.

CAMPAIGN IDEAS

5. DECIDE WHAT PERPETRATORS WILL DO AFTER THE CRIME. Some simply return to their daily lives, hoping to avoid detection. More challenging villains actively work to stymie investigations and perhaps to kill investigators. Obviously, the latter type of criminals make for more exciting adventures in which players must match wits with determined foes and must beat them at their own game with a clock ticking all the while.

Game Hosts can also create original adventures by following these five steps: 1. CHOOSE A CRIME. Choose from the vast array of offenses: murder, assassination, kidnapping, blackmail, burglary, robbery, treason, espionage, fraud, racketeering, smuggling, human trafficking, terrorism, and so on. 2. DECIDE WHO COMMITTED THE ACT. Create a single villain, a partnership, or a conspiracy, and give each perpetrator a name, a physical description, and a background. If you have more than one villain, consider having the players slowly discover that the crime was committed by more than one person, an unfolding realization that heightens the suspense. You might even

3. GIVE EACH PERPETRATOR A MOTIVE. Explore why the main villain did what he or she did, often to gain something: money, drugs, power, position, revenge, security, fame, conquest. Consider why other villains contributed, often for very different reasons: fear, loyalty, lust, delusion, or even boredom. These motives will drive the actions of the villains and will often cause them to work at cross purposes as their plot unravels. 4.

DECIDE COMMITTED.

HOW

THE

CRIME

WAS

Determine exact locations, times, and methods. These details create the clues that Irregulars will discover to solve the mystery. Also decide what the villains did to cover up their actions: hiding bodies, creating false clues, establishing alibis and cover stories, creating diversions, paying off investigators, providing false testimony, and so on. These actions create other clues that players must sift through to discover the truth.

ADDITIONAL NOTES Arthur Conan Doyle’s many Sherlock Holmes stories can be found in the public domain at Gutenberg.org, among other places. For detailed street maps of 1890s London, visit the Wikimedia Commons at Wikimedia.org.

CREDITS DESIGN: J. Robert King EDITING: Lester Smith & Dale A. Donovan. COVER ILLUSTRATION: K8 Smith. PROOFREADING: Winifred Lewis. LAYOUT: Ralph Faraday. “Fleet Street” photo by James Valentine, Wikimedia Commons, is in the US public domain. “1911 Britannica - National Gallery” map, Wikimedia Commons, is in the US public domain.

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D6XD6 ™ RPG

THE WORLD OF

BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CANTON Jason Daniel Myers Nothing ever happens in Ohio. Nothing good anyway. But the big, bad stuff? Happens. Every. Day.

BACKGROUND Strange things skulk the city of Canton. Ancient Snake Gods run the strip clubs. Mouseanthropes infest the city dump. Ghouls consume us, and only the Amish have the faith to fight them. As evil reaches to tear out the heart of it all, who will stand against the coming darkness? You? Who are you? And how long has it been since the veil was torn from your eyes? Are you SHAWNEE, remnants of a people decimated during the westward expansion and only now trickling back to your homeland? Are you one of the CHURCH PEOPLE who spills supernatural blood on Saturday night and teaches Sunday school the next morning? Do you work for the OHIO TOURISM BUREAU, busting heads, cleaning clocks, and sweeping the mess under the rug to protect life, liberty, and the tourist trade, though not necessarily in that order? Are you of the Amish, the PLAIN PEOPLE, a black hat defending the old ways with the power of light? Are you a RECEIVER, a schizophrenic, an artist, an electric kool-aid acid tester, tuned in, whether you want to be or not, to the ripples that predators leave in the pond of your city when they emerge to feed? Are you a SAFETY NET, a social worker, a beat cop, a runner of late-night support meetings,

the first and sometimes only to notice when the weakest of the herd are being culled? Are you a FRINGER, a biker, a stripper, a thief, a dealer who plays both sides, an original gangster who suddenly finds yourself up against something bigger and badder, or an anarchist who’ll fight all comers no matter who, or what, they are? Are you an ARCANE, a broker of knowledge, a bookworm, a lawyer, a museum curator, a historian, a collector of rare objects? Or do you suck?

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LESTER SMITH Answer the question! Are you a SUCKER? Because a vampire with a heart of gold has an empty stomach, and a frog who carries a scorpion on his back winds up dead more often than not. So if you suck, you’d best say so right now, so we can part ways before I’m obliged to kill you. Okay, then. Follow me. Let’s get into trouble. Sincere as Death, —Geezer Hammond

OCCUPATIONS Choose something suited to any of the highlighted categories in the Background section, or any modern-era suggestions in the D6×D6 Occupations chapter. With the exception of an employee of the Ohio Tourism Bureau, you can invent additional types suited to each of the categories above. For example, a Receiver might as easily be a fortune teller or medium. One of the Plain People, on the other hand, is not likely to be a computer hacker.

SKILLS Anything from the Basic Skills chapter is fair game, though Persuasion may be of particular interest (as explained in the Special Rules below). Additionally the following skills apply specifically to the world of Big Trouble in Little Canton: COMMUNITY: Available to Shawnee, Church People, the Plain People, and Safety Net characters, this skill represents the ability of people with roots and connections to draw on those for assistance, assets, or information. Exactly what assistance is available is up to the Game Host, depending on the current situation, what a player asks for, and the number of Success Levels rolled. COMPANY RESOURCES: Similar to the above, but available to Ohio Tourism Bureau employees only, this represents possible equipment, information, and assistance at the disposal of an agent of the OTB. MAGNETISM: This skill is available for Suckers only. It acts as Persuasion on people with no supernatural blood, though each roll is treated as if a Drama Point were spent on it. PROTECTION: This skill is available to the Plain People only. It may be rolled to reduce the

damage of a Brawling range attack or mental assault by a supernatural enemy. It can be used for either personal defense or defense of a companion within Brawling range, though if that companion’s Motivations (see Special Rules) are known to be less than honorable, skill roll drops a category (Focused becoming Unfocused, and Unfocused becoming Unfamiliar). QUICKNESS: This skill, for Suckers only, allows the character to move 10 times the normal movement rate. The Sucker can move 20 meters as a free action, or take a Quickness action and move that distance plus an additional 20 meters per Success Level rolled. RECEIVE: This skill, for Receivers only, allows the character to acquire an extrasensory insight. It is not at the beck and call of the character, however. Instead, the Game Host can call for a roll at any time and take control of the character for a number of rounds equal to the Success Levels gained, using this to deliver cues that advance the adventure. The form of guidance depends largely upon the type of character but may include spirit writing, sleepwalking, sudden clairvoyance, or even (in extreme cases) astral projection. SPIRITUAL GUIDANCE: In some ways similar to the Receive skill, Spiritual Guidance is available to Shawnee, Church People, the Plain People, or any character with a religious occupation. Less dramatic than Receive, it delivers insights as gut instincts or convictions of faith. It may also be called upon voluntarily by the character through prayer, in which case the Game Host makes the character’s skill roll in secret and lies if the roll is a failure.

SPECIAL RULES During character creation, players must determine the following: HOW THE VEIL WAS LIFTED FROM MY EYES: This is a brief summation of the character’s first encounter with the supernatural. PRESSURE POINT: This is something for which the character will forsake Primary, Secondary, and Tertiary Motivations (see below). The Game Host is invited to make judicious use of this to properly motivate players and enhance the story. Pressure Points could include but are not limited to: family members, friends, job security, and dangerous or shameful secrets.

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D6XD6 ™ RPG MOTIVATIONS: Noted in each character’s description as PM (Primary Motivation), SM (Secondary Motivation), and TM (Tertiary Motivation), these help to promote role-playing and intra-party friction. Motivations could include but are not limited to protecting the innocent, protecting one’s own, acquiring power or money, selfpreservation, pleasure, justice, thrillseeking, destroying evil, or even a specific political, religious, or philosophical ideology. In any given scenario, characters will not act against their TM unless it is overridden by their SM, will not act against their SM unless it is overridden by their PM, and will not act against their PM unless their Pressure Point is brought into play. Ideally, the Game Host should keep a record of each character’s Motivations and Pressure Points, while players will keep those things a closely guarded secret from each other.

APPLYING MOTIVATIONS Interest in and focus on these rules will vary from group to group, but here are a few suggestions for their use. When it seems a player is ignoring an applicable motivation (or pressure point), the Game Host can pass notes or call for a quick private chat. This could result in the player either clarifying a description (from “pleasure” to “sexual pleasure,” for example) or assuring the Game Host that the character is merely waiting for an opportune moment to act on the motivation. If a player wishes to take an action the Game Host believes is against a character’s motivations, the character must make a successful Will roll. The difficulty rating for this roll is Average for TM, Difficult for SM, and Formidable for PM. Characters who know (or correctly suspect) another character’s motivations may gain free Drama Points on rolls to Persuade that character: 1 point for TM, 2 for SM, and 3 for PM. Before the roll, the player of the character affected can appeal to the Game Host to role-play the situation rather than leaving it to the whims of

the dice. In such cases, the character must convince the Game Host that the Motivation is properly satisfied. Note: While some players might chafe at not always having absolute control of their character, that which is pleasant or convenient is not necessarily interesting.

SKILL-BASED MOTIVATIONS Characters with the following skills must take the following as either their PM (for Focused skills) or SM (for Unfocused skills). COMMUNITY: “Protecting my community.” COMPANY RESOURCES: “Preserving the public’s ignorance of the supernatural.” Additionally, if the character brings Company Resources to bear on a particular supernatural problem, “Preserving the public’s ignorance…” becomes the character’s PM, pushing other Motivations one tier lower, for as long as the

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LESTER SMITH especially if no great action is occurring. An idle Sucker is a hungry Sucker.)

EQUIPMENT In most cases, equipment described in the D6×D6 core rules will serve. The Game Host is welcome to introduce other items inspired by the Big Trouble in Little Canton fiction or other settings. While supernatural weapons and items do exist, they should be used sparingly so as to not disrupt the suspense and balance of the game world.

DENIZENS The background section of this chapter and the following sample adventure provide examples of creatures currently infesting Canton, Ohio. Again, the Game Host is pointed to the Big Trouble in Little Canton fiction for more ideas.

SAMPLE ADVENTURE: IT WILL NEVER DIE Game Host specifies (likely as long as that particular supernatural problem could be seen as a threat to Ohio’s tourism industry). PROTECTION: “Protecting the innocent.” RECEIVE: Choose either “Solving the riddle” or “Making it stop.” SPIRITUAL GUIDANCE: The applicable spiritual ideology is the character’s Motivation.

HUNGER MOTIVATION If at any point, a Sucker has 4 or fewer Drama Points remaining, “Sating hunger” temporarily becomes that character’s SM, pushing other motivations one tier lower. If a Sucker has 2 or fewer Drama Points remaining, “Sating hunger” temporarily becomes the PM. Once fed, the hunger is abated for the rest of the adventure session. (For adventure sessions representing many days of activity, the Game Host is free to apply the Hunger Motivation rule whenever it seems appropriate—

In which the characters are sent on some rather esoteric errands.

ACT I: AN OLD DEBT The characters all arrive at the Canton Club, each having received a similar letter: It was my pleasure some time ago to assist you in extricating yourself from a particularly unfortunate circumstance, for which I received no monetary reward. Instead, I asked for a favor, to be repaid at a time of my choosing. That time is now. Do as I ask, and you may consider your debt paid. Thank you in advance for your efforts and discretion in this matter. Yours, Ms. Carol Christmas, Esq. (An illustration of Ms. Christmas, Esq. can be found in the appendix of the D6×D6 rules.) Meeting at the club, the characters receive further written instruction to retrieve the following items:

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D6XD6 ™ RPG  A hand crank from the McKinley Memorial.  A horn from the “Special Collections” area of The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame  A needle from Molly Stark Hospital They are not given any particular order in which to accomplish these tasks. To prepare, the Game Host is advised to do a Web (and image) search of each location, and to refer to them for scene setting, location building, and logistical questions.

ACT II: RUNNING ERRANDS Visiting the various locations on their list, the characters encounter the following. THE MCKINLEY MEMORIAL: Inside a central monument is a double sarcophagus, encircled by manicured grounds, surrounded by an extensive cemetery. Exploration during the day reveals little, though inside the central monument the characters may hear strains of a dissonant melody with an uneven cadence, as might come from a music box, though they’ll be unable to find a source. If they somehow manage to open the massive sarcophagi, they’ll find them both to be empty. Visiting after dusk requires evading or subduing local security. Inside the chamber of the monument at night, the characters find, sitting on the marble floor, a young girl, operating the crank of a large music box. Her name is Katie, she is 145 years old, and she will reveal as much if asked. She is also a ghoul, with PM: Eat flesh and SM: Keep toy. She’s polite, is well-spoken, and will wait until someone is close up before trying to eat his face off. If at any time Katie feels threatened, she will call for Mommy, also a ghoul. Mommy has a PM: Eat flesh and Pressure Point: Protect child. If at any time Mommy feels threated, she will call out “Mac!” and he will appear. He’ll also appear if there is a noisy physical confrontation. Mac is a ghoul with a PM: Keep it secret, an SM: Eat flesh, and a Pressure Point: Protect family. If there is an extended physical confrontation, lackey ghouls will show up. The less diplomatic the players are, the more ghouls: enough to chase characters off the premises or eat the obstinate. GHOULS: Gender: Any. Age: NA. Attributes: Brawn Focused; Wits Unfamiliar. Occupation: Ghoul. Skills: Focused Sneaking, Tracking; Unfocused Athletics, Persuasion, Throwing. Special Abilities: Immune to all damage but fire. Focus: 3.

THE ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME: The following is not to be read to the players, but to give the Game Host the setting thumbnail. Elvis is alive and well, and he resides at Cleveland’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Okay, so maybe “alive” isn’t the proper term, but if you are there near closing, and know someone who can direct you down a dark corridor marked “Special Collections”, you might witness a jam session to end all jam sessions: Morrison, Cobain, Paul McCartney (the original one), and a host of others make the kind of music you’d die to hear. And you probably will. See, they like an audience, but they don’t like publicity. Your parents and grandparents always said it was the devil’s music. Turns out they were right. Your Pal, Geezer Alan Freed is keeper of “Special Collections,” and the characters find him nearby, holding what resembles an ornate metal ear horn up to his ear, listening as if he can hear the whole universe through it. He has PM: Keep the horn. While physically unable keep strong characters from taking the horn, if he knows they want it, he will pretend to consider and meantime casually ask them if they’d like to be guided to “Special Collections.” The characters hear strains of some extraordinary rock music, and if they don’t take the bait, they will have to pass a Will roll to resist. Characters failing the roll are compelled to see “Special Collections” regardless of group consensus. The rock musicians in this area have PM: No publicity and SM: Eternal encore. Threats to the characters can be esoteric hypnotic siren-call stuff and/or knock-down drag-out brawls with these infernal rock legends. UNDEAD ROCKERS: Gender: Any. Age: NA. Attributes: Grace Focused; Wits Unfamiliar. Occupation: Musician. Skills: Focused Athletics, Bargaining, Martial Arts, Persuasion; Unfocused Lockpicking, Pickpocketing, Throwing. Special Abilities: Hypnotic riff causes victims to pause for one round per Success Level, minus Will Success Rolls by the victim. Focus: 5. MOLLY STARK HOSPITAL: This sanitarium, its grounds wormed with utility and access tunnels, has been shuttered for 20 years. There is nothing left but abandoned equipment. And ghosts.

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LESTER SMITH Threats to characters who trespass include local law enforcement, possible collapse of abandoned structures, and ghosts. Those exploring further into the sanitarium are assaulted by vivid hallucinations of being force-fed pills, injected with drugs, and strapped to beds with restraints; also, of visits by creatures so horrific as to be unidentifiable as anything in particular, and Apocalyptic visions of the unnatural rotting of everything they know and everyone they love. Cassie Armour is a wraith with PM: Revenge, SM: Keep the needle, and TM: Communicate. Her method of communication is entirely through unpleasant hallucinations, however. In life, Cassie was a Receiver, understandably diagnosed as schizophrenic. The more she tried to warn those around her of the unseen predatory threats to body and soul, the more she was considered a danger to herself and others. For most staff members treating her, any cruelty was unintentional, though she grew more unpredictable, desperate and ragingly violent. There was one however: a doctor. No, not a doctor. A thing disguised as a doctor. He…it realized that she knew what it was, and it took a special interest in her case, supervising unorthodox treatments. Any attempts to forcibly take the needle from her unleash poltergeist and hallucinogenic assaults which the characters will be unable to overcome. The “doctor,” retired, is still around, and if the characters find him and become her instrument of revenge, she will give them the needle. “DOCTOR”: Gender: Male. Age: Elderly. Attributes: Wits Focused; Brawn Unfamiliar. Occupation: Possessed doctor. Skills: Focused Bargaining, Persuasion, Second Language: Latin, Vehicle: Auto; Unfocused Shooting, Sneaking, Throwing. Special Abilities: None. Focus: 5. PM: Hide true nature. SM: Cause pain. Notes: Has 3 Drama Points.

ACT III: RESOLUTION When the items are returned to the Canton Club, Ms. Christmas reveals that they are the final missing parts of a most peculiar gramophone. It turns out that she is in possession of “Special Collections”

recordings that no ordinary technology will play. The characters risked their lives because Ms. Christmas wanted to listen to the infernal jam sessions without gambling her own.

ADVENTURE SEEDS GRIST FROM THE MILLER: Elliott Miller runs a survivors of supernatural encounters support group, usually at the Stark County Public Library. Where better to get the lowdown on local horrors? TOURIST TRAPS: While in northeast Ohio, don’t forget to visit Grimms Bridge, Canton’s Hercules Engine Factory, and Hell Town. MOTHER MAY I? Mother Goose Land had been closed for years, but a community revival project stirred up the long dormant grounds, and reality in that area is twisting upside out and inside down. Why did Mother Goose Land close down in the first place; what is the nursery rhyme and reason to the strange occurrences; who is Mother Goose; and what does he (yes, he) want??

CAMPAIGN IDEAS Ideally, any campaign in this setting should be built around the characters your players create, and their Pressure Points and Motivations. Start by asking: what the characters want, and why. Then ask what the enemies want, and why. The answers should not only bring characters into conflict with enemies, but player characters into conflict with one another, enemies into conflict with other enemies, and characters into alliances with enemies. Campaigns in which players occasionally work at cross purposes are admittedly more challenging to run and to play, but the Game Host is encouraged to push as far into this territory as is comfortable, using Pressure Points and Motivations to nudge characters out of harmony and into moral compromises, shifting loyalties, alliances of convenience, and intra-party discord and duplicity. Finally, as in the sample adventure, feel free to create situations in which a straight-up fight with enemies is a losing proposition; and which reward a willingness to bargain, persuade, subvert, extort, outwit, seduce, compromise, or befriend.

CREDITS DESIGN: Jason Daniel Myers, BigTroubleInLittleCanton.org. DEVELOPMENT: Lester Smith. EDITING: Dale A. Donovan. PROOFREADING: Winifred Lewis. LAYOUT: Ralph Faraday. COVER ILLUSTRATION: Jared Myers. OTHER ILLUSTRATIONS: Scott Myers.

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D6XD6 ™ RPG

BLOOD TYPE J.A. & K8 Smith When a biotech company’s virus reaches the general populace, horrific results ensue, based on each person’s blood type. Your characters must learn to survive their particular blood-borne curse in this postApocalyptic world.

BACKGROUND Located in the Idaho panhandle, Sandpoint is a small city with a big heart. Its population, as of the 2010 census, was 7,365 souls. It lies on the northwestern shore of Idaho’s largest lake, the 45-mile-long Lake Pend Oreille, and is surrounded by the Seikirk, Cabinet, and Bitteroot mountain ranges. It is the county seat for Bonner County; is home to Idaho’s only railroad stop, the Sandpoint Amtrak Station; and is the site of Idaho’s largest ski lodge, the Schweitzer Mountain Resort. In 2011, Rand McNally and USA Today named Sandpoint the nation’s “Most Beautiful Small Town.” Sandpoint’s economy is based on forest products, tourism, recreation, and light manufacturing, along with some governmental support. Famous businesses based in Sandpoint include Lifehouse, a national salad-dressing manufacturer; Coldwater Creek, an apparel marketer; Percussionaire, a medical instrumentation business; the Pend D’Oreille Winery, a nationally recognized vintner; Quest Aircraft, manufacturer of the Kodiak 10-seat turbo aircraft; and most recently, SMART Industries (Smith Medical Advancement Research Technologies). But that’s all in the past now. Yesterday, SMART announced that a government-

contracted virus research project somehow breached its labs and put the city’s population at risk. SMART security forces began rounding up Sandpoint’s citizens and treating them with an antigen. Today, National Guard and Reservists have arrived to help deal with the crisis. The streets are filled with armed, uniformed figures and some lab workers in sealed biohazard suits. Many of your neighbors have not returned from

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LESTER SMITH yesterday’s clinic visit. And you’re not feeling so well yourself. Welcome to the future, where your fate is dictated by your blood type.

OCCUPATIONS Characters in the Blood Type setting can be of any modern occupation that would have them employed in or visiting Sandpoint, Idaho.

SKILLS The default skill list of the Basic Skills chapter serves here.

SPECIAL RULES Blood and flesh play critical roles in this setting.

EFFECTS OF BLOOD TYPES Each character’s blood type determines that character’s fate from the virus or its vaccine. (SMART Industries is not currently forthcoming about what exactly causes the mutations, if they even know.) It is recommended that players design characters matching their own actual blood type (though this is not a strict rule). O– IMMUNE: Characters with the O– blood type are immune to the virus and its vaccine. It does not affect them in any way. O+ PUREBLOOD: Characters with the O+ blood type suffer fatal hemorrhage if infected with the virus or the vaccine. A– OR B– LEECH: The virus causes characters with an A– or B– blood type to develop slightly sharper senses than normal humans: add a + to their Wits attribute. Unfortunately, the virus also gives them a blood thirst. It burns a liter of their blood daily, which they must replenish by drinking that amount of untainted blood, animal or human. Unlike Vampire characters (see below), leech characters do not develop inhuman fangs. AB– VAMPIRE: In characters with the AB– blood type, the virus leads to much sharper senses than is normal for humans, especially their sight and hearing; add 2 +s to the Wits attribute and a + to Grace. However, this also makes them sensitive to sudden bright lights

and loud noises. Their blood thirst is such that their bodies burn a liter of blood every six hours. Their canine teeth are noticeably long and sharp. These characters have a bonus ability of psychically communicating with and calming Berserker Zombie (AB+) characters. On a successful Focused roll, a Vampire can connect with a single Berserker. By concentrating on this connection (suffering a 1-point penalty to subsequent action rolls), the Vampire can maintain this connection and communicate one word each round. If psychically connected to more than one Berserker (acquiring a 1-point die penalty for each), Vampires can project the same word to them all. Often that word is “Calm,” preventing the Berserkers from becoming frenzied and attacking their own companions. A+ OR B+ ZOMBIE: In these characters, the virus leads to slightly sharper senses than normal for humans, and a much higher strength; add a + to Wits and 2 +s to Brawn. Unfortunately, the virus also requires a kilogram of raw, untainted meat every four hours, or the Zombie begins to suffer damage as the virus attacks the character’s own body. AB+ BERSERKER: Characters with the AB+ blood type are the most tragically affected by the virus. They must eat a kilogram of raw, untainted meat every hour to feed the virus, or suffer damage as it breaks down their own tissues. As eating machines, they are much faster and stronger than a normal human; add 2 +s to both Grace and Brawn. When they are frenzied (see Starvation and Frenzy below), these ratings are temporarily doubled. HH-OH BLOOD BEAST: Because their blood never fully developed into any of the usual blood types, characters with the Bombay phenotype (only 0.0004% of the world’s population) assimilate the virus fully, becoming a new sort of creature altogether. Extremely cunning, intelligent, and fast hunters, they gain 2 +s each to Grace, Wits, and Will. Their extremely acute senses allow them to see well in all but total darkness, to scent their prey from a kilometer away, and to hear at twice normal human distance. This also means that they are very sensitive to

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D6XD6 ™ RPG bright lights (being unable to withstand even normal daylight) and loud noises (especially very sudden, unexpected ones). Their bite is infectious (passing the virus on to others), and their claws do damage like a Small Blade. Although they do not have to drink blood or eat raw meat to sate their virus, they have a definite taste for both and will gorge themselves on whenever at all possible

FEEDING AND “BURNING” BLOOD The human stomach can normally hold about a liter of contents, but it can be stretched to contain at least four times that amount. For purposes of these rules, a kilo of meat and a liter of blood are treated as roughly the same volume. Characters with a Brawn Focus can hold an extra liter in their stomachs; each + on Brawn also adds a liter of capacity. In addition to Drama Points, infected characters (any of the A, B, or AB combinations) can “burn” the blood or meat they subsist on, to add a bonus to their dice rolls. Each liter/kilo burned is treated as a Drama Point for this purpose, and the normal Drama Point rules apply. Unfortunately, their preoccupation with blood and flesh is a distraction from their ability to learn and improve (as laid out in the Character Growth chapter). Each Experience Point costs them 4 Drama Points instead of 3, and they must spend 8 Drama Points instead of 6 to “plus” their occupation.

Will roll is rated Difficult.) A frenzied character will attack the nearest source of blood or flesh—including their friends and loved ones if nothing else is available. They can hold no more, at which point they regain volition. If infected characters cannot eat for some reason, they suffer one level of damage per feeding period passed until they are dead. (Leeches will suffer one level per day, Vampires one level every six hours, Zombies one level every four hours, and Berserkers one level each hour.) If they can eat before dying, they recover this damage at the same rate, burning one liter/kilo per level recovered.

STARVATION AND FRENZY

PLUSSED ATTRIBUTES

As they begin to starve (once their stomachs are empty of the necessary blood or meat) virus-infected characters must pass a Will roll to avoid frenzy. (For Berserker characters, this

In general, each + makes an attribute one step more “Focused” than usual. For each + beyond Focused, the character gains an extra level when that attribute serves as a passive

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LESTER SMITH

defense (see Conflict and Damage chapter). Additionally, each + beyond Focused adds an extra level to any successful task roll for which the Game Host agrees that attribute could legitimately be applied. Example: Della Marchan has the rare HHOH blood type, making her a Blood Beast. Before the virus, she had Brawn Unfamiliar, Grace Focused, Will Unfocused, and Wits Unfocused. The virus has boosted those attributes with 2 +s each to Grace, Wits, and Will, making her new attribute ratings Brawn Unfamiliar, Grace Focused++, Will Focused+, and Wits Focused+. Against brawling attacks, Della’s enhanced Grace gives her three levels of passive defense. Against throwing attacks, her Grace and Wits combined give her five levels of passive defense. Against shooting attacks, her Will gives her two levels of passive defense. Additionally, Della can apply her two Grace pluses to skills such as Athletics, Lockpicking, and even Martial Arts. She can apply her single Wits plus to skill rolls such as Navigation and Persuasion. The Game Host might also agree to let her single Will plus apply to Bargaining rolls.

EQUIPMENT Besides the equipment normally available in a modern setting, SMART Industries personnel have access to advanced technology.

CHEMICAL SNIFFER This kit is similar in appearance to a Geiger counter and can track the scent trace of any

virus-infected person as well as any bloodhound. People with O blood types are undetectable to it, however.

COMPUTERIZED SCOPE This item can be mounted on any shooting weapon, giving its user a dice bonus of 1. It can be used even in total darkness (though its light makes the user’s face visible to others). It is powered by two standard AAA batteries and has the lifespan of a standard pen light.

LASER RIFLE This shooting weapon has a damage rating of Kill and an integrated electronic laser-guided targeting system giving its user a dice bonus of 2, and an effective range of 300 meters (rather than the standard 200). It can fire 6 shots per charge (7 with the targeting system turned off) and can be recharged at any standard wall outlet, at 10 minutes per shot.

NUTRIENT INJECTOR Each of these aerosol-powered injectors contains nutrients equivalent to two liters/kilos of blood/meat to fend off the starvation and frenzy effects of the virus. The injectors come six to a pack, and each pack fits in a standard clothing pocket.

DENIZENS Besides facing mutated civilians like themselves, the heroes may also encounter trained security forces, military personnel, or even technologically modified SMART Industries Troops.

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D6XD6 ™ RPG CIVILIAN POLICE OR GUARD Name: Any. Gender: Any. Age: Adult. Attributes: Wits or Will Focused; Grace Unfamiliar. Skills: Focused Persuasion, Shooting, Sneaking, Vehicle: Auto; Unfocused Bureaucracy, Computer, Persuasion. Special Abilities: None. Focus: 5. Notes: Equipped with pistol, baton, and handcuffs.

MILITARY QUARANTINE POLICE Name: Any. Gender: Any. Age: Adult. Attributes: Brawn or Will Focused; Grace or Wits Unfamiliar. Skills: Focused Athletics, Martial Arts, Navigation, Quarantine Protocol, Shooting, Throwing; Unfocused Computer, First Aid, Vehicle: HUMVEE or APC. Special Abilities: none. Focus: 7. Notes: Equipped with standard military small arms and combat knife, personal radio, gas and smoke grenades, light armor, MOPP gear (chemical mask and suit).

SMART TROOPER Name: N/A. Gender: Any. Age: Adult. Attributes: Brawn Focused+; Grace Focused; Wits and Will Unfamiliar. Skills: Focused Athletics, Martial Arts, Second Language: English (native Eastern European or Asian), Shooting, Tracking, Vehicle: Auto; Unfocused Computer, Navigation, Swimming. Special Abilities: Telepathically linked, Regeneration (1 level per Round). Focus: 9. Notes: Equipped with scoped rifle or laser rifle, machete, medium or heavy armor. Smell of chemicals and decaying flesh; dissolve to sludge when slain.

SMART SCIENTIST Name: Any. Gender: Any. Age: Adult to elderly. Attributes: Wits Focused; Brawn Unfamiliar.

Skills: Focused Computer, First Aid, Second Language: English (native European or Asian language); Unfocused Martial Arts, Persuasion, Sneaking. Special Abilities: None. Focus: 5. Notes: Equipment may include antivirus injectors, testing kit, advanced medical kit, fortified blood packs to feed Vampires, stun gun (like a taser— see the Conflict and Damage chapter—but shooting range, or laser pistol (rarely).

SAMPLE ADVENTURE: “MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN” This adventure introduces players to the first days of SMART Industries’ biological-warfare containment breach.

ACT I: GENESIS Begin by asking the players to describe what their characters are each doing on day one, when the news of the outbreak is released and they receive orders to report for inoculation. Use this as an opportunity to gather the heroes in the face of a common threat to the public health. Adapt exact events to the heroes’

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LESTER SMITH specific blood types, in particular sending any O+ characters home uninjected, as healthcare personnel let slip that previously inoculated people of that blood type are falling seriously ill. End the scene by describing how the heroes with A, B, AB, or HH-OH blood types go home feeling queasy and feverish.

ACT II: REVELATIONS On day two, SMART Industries personnel begin locking down the town and rounding up its citizens for quarantine (and eventual experimentation). Most businesses are closed due to employees calling in sick; only a few hotels, restaurants, convenience stores, and such remain open with skeleton staffs. As the heroes watch, SMART scientists and guards work their way through the town street by street, knocking on doors, breaking them down if no response is forthcoming. Residents are ushered outside, questioned, sorted into separate groups (by blood type), and hauled away in military-style trucks driven by National Guard members and Reservists. Bodies of the already dead are unceremoniously piled atop flatbed trucks and hauled away. Most fatalities are the elderly or otherwise frail, but some are clearly victims of savage attacks. Citizens who resist SMART’s personnel are either tasered senseless, beaten into submission, or summarily executed. This last happens when someone with AB+ blood type succumbs to virus-induced frenzy and rampages, attacking people, flipping cars single-handedly, and committing other acts of destruction. Give the heroes time to observe the unraveling of their world and to come up with a plan to avoid capture. If they hide, have them found by one or two straggling guards, to provide an opportunity for them to test their

new-found strengths—and the accompanying hunger. (Nothing bonds a group like fighting off SMART’s biochemically enhanced guards, then killing and eating a stray dog together to fend off a virus-induced blood frenzy.)

ACT III: EXODUS Although it is theoretically possible for the heroes to establish a safe house someplace in town, their best bet is to escape into the wilderness. Someone in the group may know of a remote cabin they can use. Provide one or two more brushes with security forces, then run a climactic roadblock encounter at the edge of town before the heroes make their escape.

ADVENTURE SEEDS RESCUE MISSION: Not everyone the heroes know and love made it out of Sandpoint during the initial exodus. The heroes decide to return to rescue someone being held in the town jail. SUPPLY RUN: The heroes are low on ammunition, medicine, or just their favorite beverage and must infiltrate the town for new stock. EXPOSURE: An investigative reporter wants to leak word of SMART Industries’ crimes to the world at large. Proof is needed, however, which means the heroes must steal documentation from SMART’s offices and escape with it.

CAMPAIGN IDEAS One of the best directions for a Blood Type campaign is an ongoing struggle to rescue Sandpoint from SMART Industries’ stranglehold and restore its former glory. Think Resident Evil meets Red Dawn.

CREDITS DESIGN: J. A. Smith & K8 Smith. DEVELOPMENT: Lester Smith. EDITING: Dale A. Donovan. ILLUSTRATIONS: K8 Smith. PROOFREADING: Winifred Lewis. LAYOUT: Ralph Faraday. “Zombie Walk 2012 - SP” photo by Gianluca Ramalho Misiti is licensed under CC BY 2.0 and has been edited. “Zombie” photo by Kevin Dooley is licensed under CC BY 2.0 and has been edited.

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D6XD6 ™ RPG

THE CODE BREAKERS WORLD Colin F. Barnes

Humans, transhumans, and artificial intelligences battle for survival and supremacy in the post-Apocalyptic future of the Code Breakers novels.

BACKGROUND It’s 2153, and a great cataclysm has turned the earth into a barren wasteland. There is only one city remaining: City Earth, a domed metropolis run by the supposedly benevolent organization, the Family. With just one million souls remaining, all working and living in this hyper-connected city, there is little room for individualism. Only a few survivors remain from the days before the Cataclysm, and the Family quickly quashes rumors of anything at all existing outside the dome. But even inside City Earth, some roads, alleys, and buildings remain off the grid. It’s within these cracks that the renegades are found; individuals who seek to disrupt the Family’s operations and break away from the connected society that has become the norm. To make matters worse, to maintain optimal conditions for the city, the population is subject to a death lottery. Citizens are each connected to the grid by their AIA: Artificial Intelligence Assistant—a chip embedded into everyone’s brains. This is the ultimate in personal computing; it monitors the person’s health, manages their memory, provides instant messaging, and of course, delivers the good (or bad) news on the death lottery results. If you’re unlucky enough to “win” the DLottery, there really are only two choices: accept your fate and enjoy the last seven days

of your life, knowing your sacrifice will allow a newborn to enter the world, or disconnect from the grid and become an outlaw, a rogue. Few choose the second option. The Family, from their close-earth-orbiting space station, have developed ways of finding, and eradicating, those who disconnect. To willingly give up your life in City Earth and live in the shadows isn’t something taken lightly.

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LESTER SMITH To disconnect, you’re not just giving up life on the grid; you’re giving up everything it means to be a City Earth citizen: no more access to your friends and family; no employment, no health care, and no essentials such as food and water. You’re entirely reliant on your own skills. Within the shadows, there are rogues and outlaws who seek to find the truth behind the Cataclysm; the truth of what’s outside of the dome in the abandoned lands. Rumors exist that there are indeed ways out of the dome, but what awaits the disconnected could be far worse than the hyperconnected world of City Earth. Most choose the comfort of death at the hands of the D-Lottery. Only the bravest, the most driven, or the insane dare to find their way out of the dome and learn the terrible secrets that await them in the Abandoned Lands.

OCCUPATIONS This setting offers a number of specific occupations to supplement the general descriptions in the Occupations chapter. Each can learn the special skills noted.

TECHXORCIST In the world of Code Breakers, coding is a true art form. In the hands of the right user, coding can help defeat and contain both viruses and daemons (malicious software that seeks to invade AIAs and divert resources for its own ulterior motives). A Techxorcist understands computer architecture, can create defensive and offensive software programs on the fly, and can—given time—crack even the toughest of firewalls. Special Skills Options: Binary Blast, Code Safe.

BIO-ENGINEER While techxorcists and hackers are adept with computers and code, some people prefer the melding of machine and flesh. Bio-engineers augment their physical form or those of other people with mechanical and electronic additions. What they may lose in humanity, they gain in added abilities and senses. Bio-engineer characters may discover one-of-a-kind enhancements in their adventures, but their stock in trade involves the following skills.

Special Skills Options: Augment, Extra-Sense.

TRANSCENDENT These beings look like humans, sound like humans, and act like humans, but they don’t actually like humans. Transcendents are a fringe science, unstable and not fully perfected. They run on software routines instead of human emotions and thought processes. Like bio-engineers, what they lose in humanity, they make up for in enhanced abilities: they can interface with computer systems natively and communicate directly with binary entities. They also don’t die as such; they just get rebooted into new Transcendent bodies. Special Skills Options: Reboot, Enhanced Combat. HACKER More generalists than the techxorcists, hackers are rogues who make their living writing viruses and software cracks for credits. They’re agile and flexible, dealing in the shadows and taking on any job available, whether that is running illicit software, hardware, or drugs. Hackers are quick-thinking rebels who rail against authority and live on society’s edges. Special Skills Options: Criminal Broker, Code Break.

SYS ADMIN Cemprom is the largest company in City Earth and operates the myriad networks that keep the city running and the one million AIAs interconnected. Sys admins are responsible for maintaining and fixing network and mainframe problems. They’re highly logical and methodical, and they excel at network defense. Sys admins are in high demand in City Earth, and with their Family-backed education, they benefit from a higher status than hackers or even techxorcists. Players who want to play a spy-like character with the skills and attributes to infiltrate legitimate organizations will enjoy the role of sys admin—if they can game the system and stay hidden within plain sight of the Family’s network. Special Skills Options: While sys admins have none of the special skills listed below, they are innate masters of bureaucracy and computer use.

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D6XD6 ™ RPG

SKILLS Characters in the Code Breakers setting can choose anything from the Basic Skills chapter. In addition, these setting-specific skills are designed for various occupations above.

AUGMENT This skill allows bio-engineers to create and install cyborg parts in living beings. In game terms, a character with this skill can turn another character’s Drama Points to Experience Points and spend them during an adventure, instead of between adventure sessions. (See the Character Growth chapter.) The augmenter must contribute at least one Drama Point to the mix (and can contribute more). This skill can also improve the boosted ability by more than one step at once (if enough Experience Points are available). Augmenting a skill from Unfamiliar to Unfocused, or from Unfocused to Focused, requires 5 Success Levels. To “plus” a skill requires those 5 Success Levels plus 5 times the number of pluses that will result. (Example: Adding a second plus to a skill requires 15 Success Levels.) Each augmentation roll spent to accumulate these Success Levels causes Graze

damage to the subject. Healing skill rolls can help to repair this damage as it is caused. Bio-engineers can even augment themselves, but having someone else do so is usually quicker and less complicated (as damage penalties impair self-augmentation rolls).

BINARY BLAST Once connected to a computer system or integrated chip system, techxorcists can convert their consciousness to pure binary form, overloading systems processors. This is treated as an attack on the system, with a base damage of Stun. The Game Host will decide what defenses (if any) the system may possess. CODE BREAK When you need someone to break into a computer system, and you can’t afford a techxorcist, a hacker is the next best thing, and in some situations is actually the better choice. Whereas the techxorcist has brute force ability, the hacker is wily and clever and can often find more subtle ways to break into a system. In effect, code breaking is similar to the lockpicking skill, though electronically in cyberspace instead of in physical reality.

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LESTER SMITH CODE SAFE As destructive as techxorcists can be to systems, they can also provide the complete opposite: the ability to wrap code in a protective shell, keeping it safe from malicious software. This is especially useful if characters need to transport electronic data and keep it hidden from hackers and sys admins. Each Success Level gained with this skill creates a 1-point penalty to skills intended to hack into the protected data, or even notice its existence. Maintaining this code shell is distracting, however, imposing a 1-point penalty on the techxorcist’s other activities.

CRIMINAL BROKER Rogues are people-persons; they know the ins and outs of negotiating with fellow rogues. This skill operates like the basic bargaining skill, but in more specialized circumstances. Criminal brokers are familiar with the customs and lingo of underground transactions and are sensitive to nuances of new encounters. One Success Level is all it takes to conclude a deal with this skill, though often owing a favor in exchange. Two Success Levels achieve a clean purchase with no strings attached; Three Success Levels gain a bargain price. Four Success Levels conclude the deal and leave the seller somehow in the broker’s debt—whether from gratitude (a new friendship) or under duress (such as a subject of blackmail). ENHANCED COMBAT Because transcendents are artificial lifeforms, they benefit from enhanced speed and strength. Using this skill as an action, a transcendent gains tactical insights into the current combat situation. Each Success Level with this skill grants the user the equivalent of 2 Drama Points, usable for that combat only. EXTRA-SENSE Besides boosting skills with bionic parts, bioengineers can create extra senses by melding technology and flesh. These allow characters to “see” farther along the electromagnetic spectrum, making them especially useful for black ops. Each of the following senses can be added separately: infrared light, ultraviolet light, radio waves, or magnetic fields. Each requires 10 Success Levels to be implanted, with rolls performed at 10minute intervals, and each roll inflicts Graze damage on the subject. A single failed roll during

surgery means the subject’s body permanently rejects this implantation (though another may be attempted after the subject fully heals).

REBOOT Upon suffering enough damage to reach Kill level, transcendents can reboot their systems to “resurrect” at Graze level. In doing so, however, they lose some of their human subroutines and become more machinelike. Each time a transcendent reboots, she or he must succeed at a Will roll to avoid spending the rest of the combat scene as a wanton killing machine, attacking anything that moves. Keep track of the number of reboots on the character’s sheet. Each becomes a penalty to the total of this Will roll. Additionally, the player should portray the character as progressively less emotive.

SPECIAL RULES Conflict in the Code Breakers novels takes place both in the physical world and in cyberspace. In general, the rules in the Conflict and Damage chapter apply, but at a heightened pace, as explained below.

CYBERSPACE DISTANCES Apply the normal ranges of Brawling, Throwing, Shooting, Viewing, and Lost, but without a strict scale of meters. Characters may change distance by one band per action. Range adds these difficulty modifiers to skill rolls against a target in cyberspace: Brawling 0 points; Throwing 1 point; Shooting 2 points; and Viewing 3 points. Actions other than movement cannot be taken at Lost range. Characters who move to Lost range remain aware of one another during that round and may pursue. Those who begin a round at Lost range escape and lose this awareness.

CYBERSPACE ACTIONS Each combat round in the physical world comprises two actions in cyberspace. For simplicity’s sake, have characters in cyberspace declare and roll two actions each round. (Movement actions are rolled only for purposes of turn sequence, not for distance.)

EQUIPMENT Code Breakers is a post-Apocalyptic setting where outside of the dome most everyday items are no

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D6XD6 ™ RPG longer available. During the devastating Third World War and the resulting Cataclysm that the Family brought to the planet, almost every square mile of the world suffered. There are no mass-produced vehicles or technology available outside the dome. Even within the dome, citizens have no real weapons—only the City Earth security has access, making weapons procurement a task for outlaws and rogues. Within the dome, however, characters will find retail units supplying most of common day-to-day items such as utensils, tools, food, and clothing. Outside the dome, in the Abandoned Lands, there are only items that have been salvaged by the few survivors, or items crafted from materials found and/or stolen from City Earth. Within camps and towns of the Abandoned Lands, characters will find traders and dealers who can, for a hefty price of BINS (Binary Currency Units), supply a range of weapons (energy, electronic, melee, and projectile), computers, hack slates, and ration packs.

DENIZENS Earth has changed considerably since the nukes and EMPs of the Cataclysm fell. The planet is nearly barren of flora and fauna. Few animals survive in the wild beyond insects and a handful of snakes and spiders. Even in the camp towns, the only animals are a few pigs and cows. City Earth produces synthetic meat, as large-scale farming is no longer an option. Adventurers will, however, encounter a variety of humans, and semi-humans, both inside and out of the dome. Inside are one million souls that make up City Earth’s citizenship. These are cloned and created at the Family’s whim. Protecting the City’s ecosystem are ruthless security forces who wield stun batons (treat as tasers limited to Brawling range—see the Conflict and Damage chapter) and will not hesitate to use them on anyone who doesn’t obey their commands. But worse than security guards are the sys admins and board members of the various

business organizations. They rule the city in the Family’s name, and hold absolute power over the City’s networks and other resources. Characters seeking to accomplish something in the dome that falls outside their assigned duties will find themselves facing off against these formidable foes. Outside the dome, heroes will encounter a range of survivors—from simple hardscrabble villagers to gangsters, bandits, and military warlords. Some may be potentially friendly; others shoot first and ask questions after. What all have in common is a desperate struggle to stay alive in this harsh environment, under the watchful orbital eye of the Family’s paranoid security forces. If the heroes are to endure as well, they must be ever vigilant and successfully barter for the basic necessities of food, water, and shelter.

SAMPLE ADVENTURE: INTO THE HORNET’S NEST A terrible weapon lies hidden beneath the very feet of an implacable foe. Our heroes must somehow disable it to save City Earth and the scattered towns of the Abandoned Lands.

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LESTER SMITH ACT I: A HIDDEN DOOM A hacker reports to the heroes that a forgotten EMP missile of terrible power lies hidden in the Abandoned Lands. Worse, it resides in a silo deep beneath a bunker of Red Widows, a cult of female “freedom fighters” sworn to rid the earth of all cybertech, in retaliation for having lost their fathers, sons, and husbands in the wars that led to the Cataclysm. If the Red Widows discover this device, they will surely launch it, utterly destroying cyberspace, as well as rendering all bionic implants on the planet useless. Attacking the Red Widows directly would be costly in lives, and it wouldn’t guarantee they’d not find and launch the device. Infiltration seems the only option, but only females have any chance of doing so, and only if all bionic enhancements are kept secret in the process. The hacker knows someone who can transfer the consciousness of any male party members into female transcendent clones. So disguised, they can join the Red Widows and search for the secret missile silo.

ACT II: IN THE WIDOWS’ WEB The heroes convince the Red Widows to take them in as new recruits. In down time between duty shifts and raids on nearby settlements, they search the base and eventually find the silo. But its passageways are salted with “old school” security measures such as nerve gas, flame throwers, laser grids, airlocks, and even spiked pit traps, all controlled by the AI in the missile, unconnected to any external grid.

ACT III: HELLFIRE AND DAMNATION Just as computer experts in the group connect with the AI and begin to disable it, the Red Widows realize that their new recruits are missing. They discover the hidden silo and attack. While some heroes delay them (perhaps pressing the silo’s own defenses into service), others must set the missile’s nuclear payload to meltdown or explode here underground, where its effects will be less widespread.

With the countdown started, the heroes’ only escape option is to somehow reconnect with earth’s cyberspace and abandon their bodies here, to return to their own (or new ones) awaiting them.

ADVENTURE SEEDS SEVEN DAYS TO LIVE: The heroes find themselves “winners” of the D-Lottery and have just seven days to live, unless they can find a way inside Cemprom’s inner sanctum and hack into the mainframe. Their only other hope is to go offline and find a way out of City Earth. ABANDONED LANDS RUN: Somewhere in the barren desert of the Abandoned Lands a bunker holds a functional server from before the Cataclysm. The heroes will have to search for the bunker and compete with a variety of rogues also seeking this artifact. CRACK THE CODE: Within City Earth resides a man known as The Wizard, a techxorcist of unusual skill. Thus far, he has managed to evade the Family’s attentions. Now City Earth is under attack by a seemingly sentient virus intent on controlling the AIA network. The one hope of defeating this daemon is to find The Wizard and assist him in cracking the virus before it manages to possess all of City Earth’s citizenry.

CAMPAIGN IDEAS Campaigns within the Code Breakers series may begin inside the dome of City Earth and break out to the wider world. Or they may begin outside the dome, in the Abandoned Lands, as a struggle among factions, or even an attempt to breach or infiltrate the dome. In either case, the Family’s facilities in near-Earth orbit may become a target. As a third alternative, characters might begin as members of a secret military installation hidden within the earth, masked somehow in orbit, or even on the moon. The one thing connecting all these locales, of course, is the vastness of cyberspace, where a wealth of information resides for the taking.

CREDITS

DESIGN: Colin F. Barnes. DEVELOPMENT: Lester Smith. EDITING: Dale A. Donovan. COVER ILLUSTRATION: Colin F. Barnes. CITY EARTH ILLUSTRATION: K8 Smith. PROOFREADING: Winifred Lewis. LAYOUT: Ralph Faraday. “Dark Magic” photo by Jim Donnelly is licensed under CC BY 2.0.

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D6XD6 ™ RPG

A COWBOY ON MARS When Edgar Rice Burroughs published his first tale in 1912, Under the Moons of Mars, the genre of scientific planetary romance was born. Also known as sword-and-planet tales, these stories of swashbuckling heroes facing outrageous danger and finding true love on exotic, alien worlds quickly became immensely popular. With this setting chapter, you can find your own adventure as A Cowboy on Mars!

Steve Winter

BACKGROUND In the 1860s, the American West was still a vast wilderness, untraveled by any but roaming natives, ranchers, prospectors, and far-flung settlers. The nearest town was three days away, and the nearest law twice as far. By the 1880s, the end of the frontier is in sight. Steel rails cross the continent, and more are added every year; the bison are all but wiped out, forcing the native tribes onto reservations; towns pop up everywhere, and territories clamor to become states. It’s getting so an honest cowhand can’t find a watering hole without having to see some greenhorn’s chimney smoke smudging the skyline. But elsewhere in the Solar System, there’s a place where uninhabited wilderness stretches to every horizon; where swords and super-science clash on equal footing; where waning civilization barely holds its own against bands of savage nomads; and where exceptional heroes can still carve their way to eternal glory! We Earthlings know this planet as Mars, but its native inhabitants call it Shalbatana. Their civilization scaled the heights of culture and science before Earthlings settled into villages, and the great empires of Shalbatana were already declining when Egypt raised the first pyramids. Now Shalbatana’s globe-circling canals are dry for most of the year, and the immense plains they

irrigated are barren. The towers of abandoned cities are crumbling to ruin, half buried under drifting sand and strangling tendrils of kharr-weed. Few travel those wastes, for fear of wild beasts and even wilder ptoacs, the savage, six-limbed giants that wage constant war against the other races of Mars. The atmosphere has grown as thin as civilization’s hold on survival. Only a handful of cities endure, thanks to devoted soldiers and a few brilliant scientists who maintain the nowincomprehensible engines of their ancestors. The greatest of these cities is Argon; it stands as a bastion of stability amid the warring chaos of Mars. Behind it all lurk the Naru, skillfully manipulating princes, savages, and scientists from the shadows.

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LESTER SMITH Who they are and what they want is the deepest mystery of a planet steeped in unknowns. Most know them only as bogeymen, but the Naru are much more, and much more dangerous, than that. Mars exerts a powerful pull on the imagination of Earthlings. A lucky few stumble onto the hidden gateways between worlds, or are lured to them by the Naru, and are inexplicably transported to the baffling, decaying, amazing world of Shalbatana.

EARTHLING OCCUPATIONS These occupations assume that most players will choose displaced Earthmen as characters. Most of them have Martian equivalents, for those who choose to play natives of Shalbatana instead. Players are free to devise their own, unique occupations or to choose one from the D6×D6 core rules, with the Game Host’s permission.

CAVALRYMAN Your job was patrolling the vast expanse of the West on horseback, leading a troop of cavalry against bandits, renegade natives, or raiders from south of the border. As an officer and a gentleman, you are an excellent rider and swordsman. The Martian equivalent is vaart-rider.

COWBOY You wandered the West footloose and care-free, working your way from ranch to ranch, calling no place your home and no person your master. Now, fences and fancy back-East ranch owners make life tough. You’re an expert rider and animal handler, and you know how to take care of yourself in the rough. No Martian equivalent exists.

LAWMAN Just a few years ago, you were the only law in this territory. Now every town has a sheriff, a citizens’ committee, and a passel of lawyers. You’re good with a gun and your fists, you can track as well as any native, and you understand how outlaws think. The Martian equivalent is enforcer.

NOBLE SAVAGE Just a generation ago, your people were unchallenged in the plains, mountains, or deserts you called home. Now the wild game is gone, roads and fences criss-cross the prairie, and more settlers arrive every day. You’re an expert hunter and can survive in any wilderness, but the wilderness is disappearing. The Martian equivalent is ptoac (one of the rare specimens who respects and works with humans).

OUTLAW Pickings used to be easy on the frontier, with more banks, trains, and remote mines than there were lawmen. Now telegraph lines and newspapers make it almost impossible to evade posses and keep your face off wanted posters. The Martian equivalent is exile.

SHALBATANAN OCCUPATIONS Besides Martian equivalents of the occupations above, Shalbatana has two unique occupations. Only natives of the Red Planet can choose these.

ROYALTY

ENGINEER Progress is inevitable, even in the Wild West. Wherever civilization goes, it needs surveyors, bridge-builders, architects, steam engineers, and other specialists who understand science and machinery. The Martian equivalent is technostician.

Martian politics are a paradox. The great cities practice democracy in most ways, and the voices of citizens are always heard, yet they’re ruled by councils of dukes, barons, and other aristocrats who serve hereditary kings, queens, princes, and princesses. You are such a prince or princess, not yet ascended to power (or not first in line for the throne). If you would rule well, you must first taste all that Shalbatanan life and adventure has to offer.

GUNFIGHTER

SKY-SKIMMER PILOT

Plenty of townsfolk look down on your profession and say you’re no better than a common killer, but they never say it to your face. If you’ve done things with a gun you’re not proud of, at least you were well paid for them. The fact that you’re still around testifies to your skill as a shootist. The Martian equivalent is duellist.

Few of Shalbatana’s scientific advances can rival the graceful and swift sky-skimmers. Great cities of old measured their grandeur in the size and magnificence of their fleets, but the knowledge to build these vessels is lost to time. Those remaining are carefully tended by technosticians. Sky-skimmer captains and pilots rank among a city’s most celebrated heroes.

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D6XD6 ™ RPG SKILLS The standard skills from the D6×D6 core rules are perfectly suited to use on Shalbatana, with the few modifications listed here.

COMPUTER This skill is available only to Martians and is not part of any occupation. It applies to radiumpowered calculating engines that fill entire buildings. Each city has one such engine, to operate the city’s complex infrastructure and to aid military and civil planning. Not even the highest tiers of the Logarithmic Order entirely understand the innards of the calculating engines, so operating one is part art, part science, and part religion.

DIPLOMACY Diplomacy is an important art on Shalbatana, where caste-conscious nobles and proud warriors are quick to take offense and where honor is defended with the sword and the pistol. The Diplomacy skill has more to do with understanding and observing the minute complexities of social interaction between castes and species than with communication between nations—but it covers that, too.

FAST DRAW This is is a limited but potentially lifesaving skill. A character with this skill doubles his or her attack roll on the first round of a fight to determine when she or he attacks. This bonus affects only when the attack occurs; the original roll is used for every other purpose.

SCIENCE In this setting, the Science skill is a catch-all for advanced learning in math, science, repair, and engineering. This skill comes automatically with the engineer and technostician occupations. Other characters who want to do more than basic arithmetic or be able to operate and repair machines that are more complex and less familiar than a revolver should take the skill.

SECOND LANGUAGE This skill is crucial to Earthlings newly arrived on Mars. Fortunately, Shalbatanan languages are more logical and intuitive than their Earth counterparts. Most Earthlings can pick up the rudiments of Shalbatanan after a few days of immersion. This basic understanding ranks as an Unfamiliar skill. It

lets characters understand most of what’s said to them and to speak simple, two- to four-word sentences. Partial fluency can be attained with a week’s practice; at that point, it can be considered an Unfocused skill. A character who’s fluent (Focused skill) in one Martian language is conversant (Unfocused) in all of them, because they all spring from a common root.

SPECIAL RULES While Earth and Shalbatana have similarities, the differences are what make the transition interesting—and jarring.

GATES BETWEEN WORLDS No Earthling can travel between Earth and Mars at will. The trip is made via ancient gates constructed by the Naru eons ago. No more than a dozen of these gates exist on Earth, and they’re hidden in remote caves, steep-sided canyons, waterfalls, and mountaintops. For unknown reasons, the American West has more of them than anywhere else in the world. Only a few people can pass through a gateway at a time, and gates cycle open and shut at random. Whatever a character is wearing or carrying comes through the portal, too. For example, a cowboy who lucked onto a bigenough portal could ride his horse through. The Naru remember the locations of most (but not all) portals and have the power to activate or deactivate them at a touch.

LOWER GRAVITY Thanks to the planet’s lower gravity, Earthlings acclimated to Mars gain a bonus Success Level on all rolls related to running, leaping, or lifting. Unfortunately, this does not apply to Earthlings freshly arrived on Shalbatana, who must adapt to the strange conditions of their new home. A newly arrived Earthling makes all physical rolls as Unfocused. This penalty disappears when the character manages to score two Success Levels with the particular skill or ability. For example, although a newly arrived cavalryman might be an expert swordsman on Earth, his first attacks in the thin air and unfamiliar gravity of Mars are Unfocused. Chances are, when he first squares off against a murderous ptoac, his first lunge is clumsy and wide, a clean miss. Let’s say a lucky second attack produces two successes and wipes out

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LESTER SMITH

the new-arrival penalty for swordfighting. The snickering ptoac is in for a big surprise! This penalty provides comic relief, but more importantly, it places Earthlings at a disadvantage in their first encounters with native Martians, making them easier to capture. In traditional sword-andplanet stories, most new arrivals from Earth spend their first nights in captivity. Don’t be shy about sticking with a classic. The penalty isn’t meant to burden players with an agonizing adaptation process. After they’ve spent a few days on Shalbatana, it’s fine to reduce the requirement to a single Success Level or just rescind it across the board.

EQUIPMENT Fading super-science is everywhere on Shalbatana. Still, much of what heroes encounter day-to-day will be exotic in shape but familiar in use.

WEAPONS All weapons listed in the Conflict and Damage chapter are available, but perhaps in different form. SMALL AND LARGE BLADES are ubiquitous. Most Martians use them skillfully. TASERS (called stingers) and SHOTGUNS (called belchers) are used only by the Naru and by

villainous henchmen. No person of quality would wield such dishonorable weapons. BOWS are a curiosity. Even the most savage ptoacs are armed with captured isotope pistols and rifles. PISTOLS and RIFLES are common, but they are longer and heavier than Earth weapons. Martian guns fire bullets made from unstable barium isotopes at muzzle velocities unimaginable on Earth. Six-shooters and lever-action rifles brought from Earth function normally on Mars, but the only way to get ammo for them is to find a technostician who’ll manufacture it by hand. Earth weapons also draw attention because of their strange appearance and primitive operating principles. HAND LASERS (Θ-rays, or theta-ray guns) are used only by the Naru and by major scientific villains. They won’t operate for anyone else.

SKY-SKIMMERS These graceful, flying boats operate on combatvehicle scale. A standard sky-skimmer is 100 feet long and 30 feet wide; mounts one to six isotope cannons that inflict Hits on combat vehicles; has armor value 1; and carries a flight crew of 12 plus 20 marines. Other characteristics are identical to a motorboat (albeit one with radium-powered engines).

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D6XD6 ™ RPG Sky-skimmers come in many sizes and designs, and each city has its favored model. They can’t be built shorter than 20 feet or longer than 300 feet.

Focus: 4. Gear: Stinger or Θ-ray, other miraculous devices needed to further the plot.

DENIZENS

Besides the intelligent races described above, Shalbatana is also home to many exotic animals and one particularly dangerous type of plant life. RHUNOG are lumbering, six-legged beasts of burden, capable of surprising bursts of speed. Name, Gender, and Age unimportant. Attributes: Brawn Focused; Grace Unfamiliar. Skills: Focused Trample; Unfocused Charge. Focus: 2. Life: Graze ×5. Speed: Normal. Toughness: 2. Number: Typically a dozen. QUADOW are huge, featherless flying lizards, sometimes trained as mounts. Name, Gender, and Age unimportant. Attributes: Grace Focused; Wits Unfamiliar. Skills: Focused Claw, Climb, Swoop; Unfocused Snatch in Flight. Focus: 4. Life: Graze ×2. Speed: 2 actions. Toughness: N/A. Number: Typically 6. STROTHYL are catlike hunters of the wastelands, as large as ponies. Name, Gender, and Age unimportant. Attributes: Grace Focused; Will Unfamiliar. Skills: Focused Bite, Claw, Hide, Leap; Unfocused None. Focus: 5. Life: Graze ×2. Speed: 2 actions. Toughness: N/A. Number: Typically a pair. VAART are quick, two-legged creatures favored as mounts. Name, Gender, and Age unimportant. Attributes: Grace Focused; Will Unfamiliar. Skills: Focused Bite, Charge, Dodge, Leap; Unfocused Arrive When Needed. Focus: 5. Life: Stun kills. Speed: N/A. Toughness: N/A. Number: Any. KHARR-WEED is a strangling vine that thrives in ruins and oases. Name, Gender, and Age unimportant. Attributes: Grace Focused; Brawn, Will, and Wits Unfamiliar. Skills: Focused Grab, Sneaking; Unfocused Pickpocketing, Strangle. Focus: 3. Life: Wound kills. Speed: Normal. Toughness: N/A. Number: 1 to 6.

Shalbatana is home to several intelligent species.

HUMANS No more than a handful of Earthlings are ever on Shalbatana at one time. Most Martians have never seen one. They usually assume a human is just a strange-looking Martian from a distant city.

MARTIANS The most numerous are the city Martians, who closely resemble humans, aside from their wide range of skin tones. Coloration indicates a Martian’s home city; those from Argon are grayblue. Bright coloration indicates a person of high caste or nobility, while pale skin indicates a lower caste. Every Martian noble has the Swordfighting and Shooting skill, and most middle-class Martians have the Martial Arts skill. Otherwise, they’re identical to humans in the D6×D6 core rules.

PTOACS A ptoac is a nine-foot-tall, four-armed, locust-like berserker. They wander the wastelands in tribes of 20 to 200 warriors, sheltering in ancient cities and launching deadly raids against each other and isolated cities. Name: Thrakk, Brillg, Tars, Jattra, etc. Gender and Age unimportant. Attributes: Brawn Focused; Wits Unfamiliar. Occupation: Ptoac. Skills: Focused Martial Arts, Riding, Shooting, Survival; Unfocused Berserk Rage. Focus: 5. Special Abilities: 2 attacks per turn with swords and daggers, or 4 when berserk. Gear: Isotope rifle, 2 large swords, daggers, lance, rhunog.

NARU The Naru use alien technology to give themselves whatever appearance they choose. Their true shape resembles a multi-hued, crablike braincase suspended beneath six triple-jointed legs, with two spindly arms. Although their powers arise solely from super-science, they can create effects identical to psionic abilities from any D6×D6 settings of the Game Host’s choosing. Name, Gender, and Age unfathomable. Attributes: Wits and Will Focused; Brawn Unfamiliar. Occupation: Villainous Manipulator. Skills: Focused Disguise, Persuasion, Super-science; Unfocused Shooting.

FLORA AND FAUNA

SAMPLE ADVENTURE: HEROES OF ARGON The adventure begins with characters passing through a gateway to Mars. If your heroes will willingly step into the unknown, it can be a shimmering portal in some remote locale. If they’re cautious types, make it a plain cave entrance or a crumbling doorway in an abandoned adobe mission, with no other visible sign.

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LESTER SMITH ACT I: A HIGHER PLAIN The heroes experience a few moments of disorientation after passing through the gate, then find themselves on an unfamiliar, arid plain. Before they get their bearings, they’re attacked by a pack of howling strothyls. A nearby structure offers the likeliest defense; they can fight off the creatures from there with minimal casualties. The “structure” is actually a crashed skyskimmer. Inside are the corpses of several blueskinned people in strange uniforms; all have died from large-caliber gunshot wounds. Unidentifiable tracks lead away from the flyer (ptoacs riding rhunogs) and across a rocky ridge about four miles away. From the ridge, a ruined city can be seen; the tracks lead to it.

ACT II: BY LIGHT OF SILVERY MOONS A ptoac clan is encamped in the ruins (6 warriors, 14 noncombatants, 15 rhunogs). The ptoacs have three blue-skinned prisoners. They don’t keep careful watch, but the prisoners are always guarded by at least one warrior or noncombatant. If the heroes sneak in, release the prisoners, and sneak out again at night, they could reach the downed sky-skimmer by dawn. If the heroes approach the camp openly, they’ll be attacked and captured if possible. Prisoners are tormented for a while, then ransomed back to Argon. If the heroes attack the camp or are noticed as intruders, the ptoacs respond quickly. They’re excellent tacticians. The city is large and mazelike. The heroes and any rescued prisoners can hide in the city for 24 hours before ptoacs track them down. They’ll have no food and only what water they steal from the ptoacs or find in sheltered cisterns. ACT III: NOBLE ARGON The prisoners are two high-ranking officers and a noble technostician of Argon named Ruta Rau. They were repairing a pump that feeds an aqueduct to Argon when ptoacs crept up and attacked. At least one of the prisoners should be a potential love interest for one of the heroes.

Rau can finish repairs to the pump in about four hours with everyone’s help. After that, the officers need another two hours to get the skyskimmer airborn again. The ptoacs launch attacks three times during this period. Back in Argon, the characters are hailed as heroes if they bring Ruta Rau home safely and helped repair the pump.

ADVENTURE SEEDS Sabotage: Agents of the Naru intend to sabotage Argon’s calculating engine. The heroes are enlisted to protect the vital machine and track down the conspirators. The Prophet: The normally feuding tribes of ptoacs are forming alliances under the influence of a mysterious prophet. United, they’d become far more dangerous. The “prophet” is a fellow Earthling—a villainous Prussian officer who intends to rule Shalbatana. It’s a Trap!: The heroes are enlisted to accompany a mission delivering a vital repair part to the allied city of Astatine. It’s a trap, of course; the rulers of Astatine hope to capture an Argonian sky-skimmer and sell it to a rival city. The Leviathan: Cult activity is spreading through the lowest castes in Argon. There’s talk of awakening Yautorr, a legendary leviathan that resides deep inside Shalbatana. The heroes must go undercover to defuse the threat.

CAMPAIGN IDEAS Sword-and-planet stories are easy to find in free online libraries and used bookstores. A typical tale is chock-full of inspiration for adventures. Most of them follow the same plot: a hero’s friends, loved one, or city are threatened; in the course of saving the day, the hero discovers something amazing about his or her new home, reveals that villainy runs deeper than anyone imagined, uncovers lost secrets of science, proves that civilization is stronger than savagery, and falls hopelessly in love. Stick close to that formula and you can’t go wrong.

CREDITS DESIGN: Steve Winter. DEVELOPMENT: Lester Smith. EDITING: Dale A. Donovan. PROOFREADING: Winifred Lewis. LAYOUT: Ralph Faraday. COVER DESIGN & FOOD FIGHT: K8 Smith, with “Sky & Moons” by Tony Hayes, “White Desert, Egypt” photo by Vyacheslav Argenberg, “Martian City” by Herminio Nieves, “Cowboy” photo by Moyan Brenn, and “Dead Cowboy” photo by Joseph Novak, all licensed under CC BY 2.0 and edited.

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D6XD6 ™ RPG

THE WORLD OF CRITICAL DAWN Colin F. Barnes & Darren Wearmouth

An archaeological discovery at the lost colony of Roanoke awakens an alien race long buried and hidden since the dawn of time. As the invaders set about enslaving and even harvesting humans while terraforming the planet, some people collude with the aliens, while others fight a desperate resistance.

BACKGROUND Forty years after the Croatoan invasion, the Earth has changed. Human civilization has been destroyed, wiped out in mere hours by superior alien technology. Of those people who survived, most are now raised as food or laborers for the Croatoans. Some have joined forces with the aliens, as overseers of their farms. A few others, too young to remember the invasion itself, have been duped into serving as technicians inside alien harvesting machines. And a very, very few exist outside Croatoan control as survivalists or guerrilla fighters. The Earth itself is being terraformed to suit the aliens. A brief ice age killed off much of the planet’s native flora and fauna, to make way for the “root.” This plant is the heart of Croatoan existence. It is a food, an energy source, and—depending on its preparation—a medicine or a recreational drug. The root is so potent that humans who ingest it gain enhanced strength and stave off the effects of aging. But there’s a price to pay. The root is taking over the environment. It chokes out natural wildlife and turns rivers and ponds to sludge. It is even casting an orange haze throughout the planet’s atmosphere, slowly turning the air itself unbreathable to native species. Humankind will have to somehow defeat the Croatoans—and soon—if they’re to save the planet, and themselves.

OCCUPATIONS Occupations in this setting are limited. With the natural ecosystem’s survival threatened and alien domination nearly complete, there isn’t any call for artists, newscasters, scholars, or other present-day vocations. Instead players should either choose from the setting-specific occupations listed below, or suggest to the Game Host new ones in keeping with the setting.

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LESTER SMITH GUERILLA FIGHTER Guerrilla fighters are humans who survived the initial Croatoan invasion and somehow managed to carve out an existence outside Croatoan control. Now, they have chosen to go on the offensive. With improvised explosives and other traps, they cripple the harvesting machines, slowing root harvesting. They stalk and assassinate alien hunters and engineers who dare to walk the Earth as if it were their own. Guerrillas live to fight, hoping to one day restore humankind as the rightful rulers of Earth. They can use nearly any weapon they find, have learned to craft their own, and know how to create and set explosives. They are not above using the alien root for enhanced strength, speed, and stamina, though this can lead to reckless behavior in battle.

OTHER OCCUPATIONS

HARVESTER A harvester is a person bred and trained for one reason only—to harvest the Earth for root. Born under the direction of the Croatoans, but having since escaped their role within the great harvesting machines, Harvester characters are adept at machine operation, teamwork, concentration, and self-discipline. They are hardy, intelligent individuals who can turn their hands to problems easily and have a natural affinity with driving and operating Croatoan machinery.

Knowing how to find food in the wild, especially in an environment ever more tainted by the Croatoan root, is an important survival skill. Survivalists have this knowledge as part of their occupation.

SCIENTIST The Critical Dawn setting has many roles for scientists. Some are those who either chose or were forced to work for the Croatoans. These are anthropologists, microbiologists, and figures of authority from all fields of science. Others managed to escape the Croatoans and are now protected by guerillas or survivalists. They work to build better weapons and to research the alien technology in order to find weaknesses. Scientists use their knowledge and quick wits to aid in humanity’s struggle.

SURVIVALIST Not everyone was enslaved in the alien’s new world order. Some who lived on the fringes of civilization survived the war and the Croatoan-induced ice age. These survivalists now specialize in hunting, tracking, and killing Croatoans. They’re resourceful, using their skills of foraging and crafting to find items left behind and make useful weapons, tools, and shelter. Survivalists can branch into weapons use, food preparation, and hunting and tracking.

Other roles players might explore as occupations include engineers, farmers, gang leaders, healers, mechanics, priests, and scholars.

SKILLS Besides those listed in the Basic Skills chapter, characters may know the following skills.

ALIEN MACHINERY Characters with this skill are familiar enough with Croatoan symbols and equipment to operate their machines. This includes vehicls as well as lab equipment. Harvester characters and scientists have this ability as part of their occupation.

FORAGING

IMPROVISED EXPLOSIVES Characters with this skill can concoct a wide range of explosives from “household chemicals” when those can be found. Such characters can also salvage and repair old police and military explosives (flash-bang grenades, C4, etc.). Guerrilla fighter characters have this ability as part of their occupation. SNIPING This skill is more than just the ability to shoot. It includes knowledge of how and where to lie in wait for prey (native or alien), how to account for wind and for projectile behavior, how to salvage and repair firearms from the past, and even how to adapt weapons to a variety of scavenged ammunition. To use the Sniping skill, a character must also possess the Shooting skill. The lower of the two skill ratings is used for all Sniping rolls. When not in combat, a sniper can use any shooting weapon at twice normal Shooting range; with a high-powered firearm and scope, the character can shoot even to the limits of Viewing range.

SPECIAL RULES Although Croatoan technology outstrips human science, allowing the aliens to hibernate underground for millennia, emerging to conquer the planet in mere hours, there is nothing preternatural about the creatures or their machines. Their

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D6XD6 ™ RPG civilization is simply more advanced and unified than ours, their vehicles and weaponry more powerful, durable, and swift. Consequently, no special rules are needed for this setting. Game Hosts can extrapolate Croatoan gear from the basic rules, with bonuses to damage, protection, and speed. The one exception involves use of the alien root, as explained under Equipment, below.

EQUIPMENT Most items available to characters in the Critical Dawn setting are leftovers from early 21st century human civilization. Unfortunately, much of it is broken or deteriorated, and energy is a problem for electrical items and equipment that requires fuel. In the ruins of major cities, a very few well-hidden facilities nurse electrical generators with dwindling stocks of petroleum fuel. Some especially well-shielded nuclear-powered shelters may even yet exist. As long as such locations keep to themselves, the Croatoans are not much concerned. If one does come to the aliens’ attention, their mothership will drop a few advanced bunker-busting bombs to deal with it.

BASIC EQUIPMENT Given this situation, characters will have access to basic hand tools and improvised melee weapons. Firearms are also fairly common—from private stocks, police weapon lockers, and the ruins of military posts—though ammunition is scarcer. The Croatoan-established farms—where turncoat humans raise other people as cattle and slaves for the aliens, and where alien root harvesters are based—are equipped with a mix of human and alien gear, including computers, firearms, farm machinery, clothes, food and water, and preserved books, videos, and games for the entertainment of the human overseers.

CROATOAN EQUIPMENT During the course of an adventure, heroes may also defeat individual Croatoans and acquire their gear. Examples include hoverbikes (effectively antigravity motorcycles), energy pistols, and (in the possession of specialized hunter Croatoans) energy grenades, energy rifles, and electronically enhanced armor. (Croatoan body armor follows the basic armor rules, but with one point less of a penalty to the wearer, and adding a one-point Task Difficulty to Throwing and Shooting attacks against the wearer, due to its electronic camouflage.)

THE ROOT Characters have easy access to the Croatoan root. Ingesting it daily staves off the effects of aging (which is how many survivalists and guerilla fighters have endured the decades since the alien invasion). Dosing an ill or wounded victim with root adds a 1-point die bonus to healing rolls. Consuming root just before combat makes the user more alert. After rolling the dice for any action, the player may adjust either die up or down one point. This imposes a strain on the body, however, inflicting a Graze wound each time (which can be healed only by rest). To flee combat while under the influence of the root, the character must succeed at a Difficult roll against the Will attribute. (This roll cannot be modified, other than by Drama Points.)

DENIZENS Earth’s inhabitants, post invasion, include some native wildlife, humans from before the ice age and after, and various types of Croatoans.

NATIVE LIFE Earth has suffered terribly at the hands of the Croatoans, making native wildlife scarce. Still, the wilderness harbors native birds, rabbits, foxes, hares, coyotes, deer, boar, and some freshwater and saltwater fish. Insects and arachnids have fared better, especially poisonous varieties.

HUMAN BEINGS In terms of other people, dotted around the world in small pockets are groups of fellow survivors. These have a range of motivations, some friendly towards outsiders, others immediately hostile as they seek to protect what little sanctuary that they’ve found for themselves. Humans bred by the aliens are clones created after the ice age, and thus have little knowledge of what the world was like before the invasion.

CROATOANS While all Croatoans have bulbous eyes and leathery gray skin, they vary greatly in size and attributes, to suit various different roles. OPERATORS: These small (human child sized) aliens are bred to operate harvesters, shuttles, and loaders. They are weak and short-lived but work tirelessly. They aren’t outwardly aggressive and would rather avoid conflict wherever possible. These are the drone workers of Croatoan society.

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LESTER SMITH

Name: Unpronounceable. Gender: NA. Age: Adult. Attributes: Will Focused; Brawn Unfamiliar. Skills: Focused Computers, Navigation, Vehicle (harvester, hoverbike, shuttle, or loader); Unfocused Athletics, First Aid, Second Language (something human), Sneaking. Focus: 4. Notes: Attacks against these fragile Croatoans do an extra level of damage. ENGINEERS: Slightly larger than operators, engineers specialize in testing soil for root placement, as well as working on changing Earth’s atmosphere to better suit the aliens. Although they’re not strong in combat, they will defend themselves and will report any free human activity to their superiors. They’re capable of using firearms but aren’t usually armed, as soldiers often accompany them. Name: Unpronounceable. Gender: NA. Age: Adult. Attributes: Wits Focused; Will or Brawn Unfamiliar. Skills: Focused Computers, Lockpicking; Unfocused Martial Arts, Throwing, Vehicle (loader). Focus: 3. Notes: Can press their tools into service as a small blade or a taser. SOLDIERS: These are standard Croatoan “grunts.” Standing taller and broader than the average human, Croatoan soldiers aren’t blessed with a lot of brainpower. Their job is to serve and protect their alien brethren. They’re armored and proficient in use with both melee and ballistic weapons. They rarely fight alone, preferring to operate in squads of three or more.

Name: Unpronounceable. Gender: NA. Age: Adult. Attributes: Brawn Focused; Wits Unfamiliar. Skills: Focused Athletics, Martial Arts, Shooting; Unfocused First Aid (Croatoan), Sneaking, Throwing. Focus: 3. Notes: Light Croatoan armor (see Equipment, above) and energy rifle (with a base damage of Knockout). OVERSEER: These are the real bad guys, large turtle-like aliens who rarely visit the surface. They prefer to stay within their secure mothership, hovering above the Earth’s surface. They run the show; managing teams of engineers and soldiers remotely. They’re large and physically powerful, and unless their heads are removed from their bodies (no easy feat), they’re essentially immortal. (No game stats are provided, as these Croatoans merely command, never take direct action.) HUNTERS: These lone wolf Croatoans exist solely to hunt humans. (Think Predator.) They are big and fast, can move stealthily, and have more weapons than Rambo. If you spot one, it’s time to run. Name: Unpronounceable. Gender: NA. Age: Adult. Attributes: Brawn Focused; None Unfamiliar. Skills: Focused Athletics, Martial Arts, Navigation, Shooting, Sneaking, Sniping, Throwing, Tracking, Vehicle (hoverbike); Unfocused Computers, First Aid (Croatoan), Vehicle (shuttle). Focus: 10. Notes: Heavy Croatoan armor (see Equipment, above), energy grenades (Kill damage at Brawling range, Knockout at Throwing range), energy sniper rifle (base Knockout damage).

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D6XD6 ™ RPG SAMPLE ADVENTURE: A LITTLE BIRD TOLD ME In which the heroes go to hell and back just to listen in on a conversation.

ACT I: SPARROW While foraging for food near a Croatoan farm, the heroes come across a well-fed young woman in a spotless white lab coat, waiting nervously in the woods. Checking the area, the heroes determine that she is alone, apparently waiting for them. When approached, she introduces herself as Krissy Demick, a scientist working at the farm as part of a team devoted to genetically modifying human “cattle” to survive higher concentrations of Croatoan atmosphere. Having overheard reports of human raiders in the area (the heroes), she has decided to defect and aid their cause. Before leaving the facility, however, she wants to plant a bugging device in the communication computer the farm manager uses daily to report to the Croatoan mothership. For that purpose, she needs a specially prepared circuit board. She can’t steal it from farm supplies, which are carefully monitored. So she needs the heroes to acquire one elsewhere and deliver it to her. Questioned closely, she reveals that the farm manager—a human named Rodolfo Jasperse—has been pressing her for sexual favors, and has threatened to trump up spying charges if she doesn’t comply. If convicted, she would be butchered as meat for the Croatoans. So she has decided to actually become a spy and help the resistance. The heroes should be able to learn a lot by eavesdropping on Jasperse’ reports, and if it ends up with him being butchered instead, so much the better. ACT II: BAD EGGS The circuit board Dr. Demick needs is unusual enough that the heroes will have to make a trip to the ruins of a city to find one. It also requires specialized modification—she provides them with a schematic, but they may have to search out an electronics specialist to do the work. Meanwhile, she is prepared to return to the farm, to stall the manager’s advances (or even submit to them), while the heroes retrieve the item. This part of the adventure begins with several days of travel through wilderness, during which the group may encounter traps set by other bands

of survivors, scattered Croatoan patrols, and even severe storms that force the heroes to hole up for awhile. The point is to convey the inexorable passing of time as Dr. Demick suffers an unknown fate back at the farm. When the heroes at last reach the city ruins, they find them occupied by vicious gangs of humans led by brutal warlords. Depending on the abilities and personalities of the heroes, the group may resort to infiltration, bribery, or even trial by combat to acquire the item they have come for. This part of the adventure can be a great opportunity to establish contacts that the group may find of use later in a campaign. With the circuit board in hand, the heroes face a return trip similar to their earlier trek through the wilderness. Again, several days pass before they return to the vicinity of the farm.

ACT III: NIGHTINGALES Upon returning to the locale of the farm, the heroes may wait for Dr. Demick to contact them. It proves to be a fruitless passage of time. The doctor does not come. If the group scouts closer to the farm, they eventually see her now disheveled and haggard form pass from a trailer (the manager’s home and office) to a Quonset hut (the lab) each morning and trudge back each evening. To rescue the doctor, the heroes must stage a raid on the farm. It is staffed by the manager, a number of human farmhands equal to the heroes, three human scientists (including Dr. Demick), a pair of Croatoan operators, one Croatoan engineer, and a number of Croatoan soldiers equal to the heroes. The Croatoan soldiers gather wherever they perceive the greatest threat. (Clever heroes can create a diversion with pyrotechnics or explosives to draw them away from the actual attack.) The Croatoan operators and engineers will follow the soldiers to watch, while staying behind cover for safety. The manager has no control over the Croatoans. But he will take the human farmhands as a personal bodyguard to investigate the trouble, leaving the scientists to guard the lab. At first opportunity, Dr. Demick will break away to seek out the heroes. Though she has been physically and emotionally abused during their absence, she refuses to leave until the circuit board has been installed. If necessary, she will even sacrifice her life as a diversion, to keep the manager from his trailer while someone installs the bugging device.

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LESTER SMITH Assuming they are careful not to be spotted, the heroes can plant the circuit board and escape in the confusion. What they learn from eavesdropping on the manager’s communications is left to the Game Host’s discretion, but they will at least hear several days of his pleading and toadying to his alien overlords, in an effort to save himself from the slaughterhouse. DR. KRISSY DEMICK. Gender: Female. Age: Adult. Attributes: Wits Focused; Brawn Unfamiliar. Occupation: Biologist. Skills: Focused Persuasion, Second Language (French); Unfocused Alien Machinery, Computers, First Aid, Shooting, Sneaking. Focus: 3. RODOLFO JASPERSE. Gender: Male. Age: Middle aged. Attributes: Wits Focused; Grace Unfamilar. Occupation: Farm Manager. Skills: Focused Bargaining, Lockpicking, Persuasion, Shooting, Sneaking; Unfocused Alien Machinery, Computers, Throwing, Tracking, Vehicle (Auto). Focus: 6. Notes: Owns a large pistol (Magnum .44) from before the invasion and has a large stockpile of ammunition in his trailer. FARMHANDS. Gender: Any. Age: Adult. Attributes: Brawn Focused; Wits Unfamilar. Occupation: Farmhand. Skills: Focused Athletics, Foraging, Swimming, Vehicle (Tractor); Unfocused First Aid, Navigation, Shooting. Focus: 5. Notes: Each carries a small blade (pocketknife) and a small pistol (revolver) with exactly five bullets. SCIENTISTS. Gender: Male. Age: Middle aged. Attributes: Wits Focused; Grace Unfocused. Occupation: Biologist or Chemist. Skills: Focused First Aid, Improvised Explosives, Persuasion, Second Language (German or Latin), Vehicle (Auto); Unfocused Alien Machinery, Computers, Foraging, Navigation, Shooting. Focus: 6. Notes: Each has been temporarily issued a small pistol (revolver) with exactly five bullets.

ADVENTURE SEEDS & CAMPAIGN IDEAS In the Critical Dawn setting, our Earth is at the cusp of irreversible climate change designed to make it a

new home for the Croatoans, while allowing humans to survive as a slave race. Adventures in this setting are driven by a tension between short-term and longterm survival and freedom. In the shortest term, characters must hunt, scavenge, and raid simply to maintain their existence. The Game Host can set adventures in the ruins of human cities and in wilderness areas, encountering wildlife, pockets of other human survivors, and even some paramilitary remnants. As their own survival becomes more secure, heroes may turn toward harassing Croatoan operations designed to increase root planting, or toward raiding Croatoan farms to gain equipment and free human “cattle.” This strategy can swell the numbers of guerillas, but it also increases demands for supplies. This will also bring the heroes ever more to the attention of the Croatoan overlords, who will send soldiers and hunters to deal with them. During this part of a campaign, a succession of ever more capable Croatoans will seek them out. Human traitors may arise as well, bought with promises of safety, status, or even “immortality.” As the heroes rack up Croatoan kills and capture Croatoan arms, their own ability to strike back against the aliens will improve. A campaign can continue indefinitely this way, maintaining something of a stalemate between the heroes and the invaders. The only permanent solution, however, is destruction for one side or the other. Specifically, the heroes will need to destroy the Croatoan mothership to secure humankind’s future. Nuclear missiles launched during the early hours of the war were insufficient for the task. The heroes will have to somehow infiltrate the mothership itself with a weapon capable of destroying the aliens. Even accomplishing this leaves the problem of rooting out alien encampments on the planet and restoring (as much as possible) the original climate. Given that the Croatoans managed to hide belowground for millennia before emerging, an ongoing campaign to eradicate them could take much time. In the end, however, the heroes will be remembered forever as the saviors of humankind.

CREDITS DESIGN: Colin F. Barnes. DEVELOPMENT: Lester Smith. EDITING: Dale A. Donovan. COVER ILLUSTRATION: Colin F. Barnes. PROOFREADING: Winifred Lewis. LAYOUT: Ralph Faraday. SKY BIKE: K8 Smith, with “Sechura Desert” photo by A. Duarte, “Panorama de Playa de Tijuana” photo by gakusei 88, and “Cassytha Foliformis” & “Cassytha Filiformis” photos by David Eickhoff, all licensed under CC BY 2.0 and edited.

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D6XD6 ™ RPG

THE WORLD OF THE DARK ANGEL Hanna Peach In the Dark Angel urban fantasy series, young seraphim fight a secret war on Earth at the command of elder archangels against the denizens of Hell. With strength, speed, combat training, and the elemental blood magic tattooed on their bodies, they face demonic blades forged from meteorites and hellish magic. With this setting chapter, you can find your own destiny in this ancient struggle as angel, demon, or human.

BACKGROUND Two thousand years ago, the gates between Earth, Heaven, and Hell were locked. Earthbound with no way home, angels built hidden cities across the globe, where they still live today, ruled by elders in a class-based society. Rogues, angels who’ve been cast out or who have defected from the seraphim cities, have formed small Sanctuaries, democratic communities located around the globe. The elderruled and these rogues do not normally mix, apart from at illicit night races testing their powers of flight and survival. But they aren’t the only inhuman beings roaming Earth: demons enter by possessing mortals’ bodies. With swords and magic, these sides battle for the souls of humankind in this Dark Angel setting. But bear in mind…not all angels are “good,” and not all demons are “bad.”

OCCUPATIONS Are you angel, demon, or human? If angel, are you castus—born with a single innate magic ability— or warrior—born without innate magic but fierce in battle. CASTUS characters each possess a single magical ability that is as much a part of them as the very

blood in their veins. (See the Special Rules.) This is, in effect, their occupation. WARRIORS are fighters by occupation, masters of hand-to-hand and blade combat. NOTE: All angel characters—castus and warrior alike—are able to use the magic of bloodink tattoos. (See the Special Rules.) DEMONS tend to hold criminal or black-market occupations. They cannot use bloodink magic. HUMAN characters can have any modern occupation. They cannot use bloodink magic.

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LESTER SMITH SKILLS

MAGIC ABILITIES

From the Basic Skills chapter, Bargaining, First Aid, Lockpicking, Navigation, Persuasion, Pickpocketing, and Tracking apply. In addition, characters may learn the following skills. BLOCK MIND MAGIC: Those with this skill can block or reduce the effects of DreamWalker and MemorySong magics used against them. RIDDLE: Seraphim have a fondness for riddles and puzzles, and they often work them into both instructional tales and magical wards. Consequently, characters with this skill have an advantage at angelic gatherings as well as when facing many types of angelic security measures.

SPECIAL RULES Angels and demons in this setting possess certain special abilities, as well as special vulnerabilities.

BLOODINK A very few angels have the inherent ability to convert angel blood to an ink that retains its magical nature. Any angel bearing a tattoo of this bloodink can utilize its magic—although doing so consumes the ink (causing the tattoo to disappear). Each bloodink tattoo is enough for four Success Levels with that magic, as detailed under each magic type below. (A character who achieves multiple Success Levels on a roll can decide whether to use them all at once or choose a lesser effect to conserve the ink.) While demons and humans cannot use bloodink, some trade it on the black market for other items or for information. NOTE: Warrior angels start the game with two bloodink tattoos of their choosing. Any other bloodink must be either given by command of an angel elder, bought from an authorized store in an angel city, acquired on the black market, or stolen.

FLIGHT All angels can fly, although they do not actually possess wings. Castus fly at twice human movement rating (see the Conflict and Damage chapter); warrior angels at three times human movement. Although many demons are winged in their natural state in Hell, only those with AirWhisperer magic can fly while possessing a human body on Earth.

Both castus and demons possess one innate magical skill listed below. Demons also possess DeathTouch magic, the ability to draw life force from a person by direct touch. Note that magic use is taxing: each roll for an innate magical ability automatically inflicts Graze damage on the user. Bloodink use and DeathTouch are exceptions to this rule. Also note that unlike skills, these magical abilities cannot be used at Unfamiliar rank. AIRWHISPERER allows a character to manipulate the atmosphere. Once Success Level generates enough wind to cushion a fall; two Success Levels can lift the user off the ground at normal human movement speed; three Success Levels can carry the user to Throwing range; and four Success Levels can whisk the user at hurricane speed to Shooting range. (See Combat Distances in the Conflict and Damage chapter.) Other effects of this wind are left to the player and the Game Host to decide, given the specific circumstances. Characters can also use this magic as a sensory ability, detecting shapes within ten meters per Success Level rolled, even around corners. ALCHEMY is the ability to able to turn items with simple molecular structures into other simple substances (such as iron into gold, or water into wine). Each Success Level converts one kilogram or liter of material. By combining rolls successively or working together, one or more alchemists can convert an impressive amount of material (changing a large bronze statue to lighter aluminum, for example). ANIMALE allows its user to to communicate with animals and includes the ability to call upon the assistance of animals nearby. Each Animale character has a particular affinity with one genus of animal. Any task roll involving that genus gains an extra Success Level (meaning that even a failed roll becomes a minimal success). DEATHTOUCH is the demonic ability to drain life by touch of skin to skin. Each Success Level inflicts one level of damage on the victim and reduces the demon’s current damage by one level. DREAMWALKER is the ability to induce sleep by touch and to intrude upon dreams. One Success Level puts the target to sleep. Each added Success Level allows the user to gain one

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D6XD6 ™ RPG secret from the dreamer’s subconscious or to implant one strong impression. The exact secret gained, or the exact effect of the impression implanted, is left to the Game Host’s discretion. EARTHSIFTER is a magical affinity for rock and soil. It allows the user, through physical contact, to sense other creatures in contact with the earth, even in complete darkness and through solid stone. The range for this sense is based upon the Success Levels achieved, from Brawling, to Throwing, Shooting, or Viewing. (See the Conflict and Damage chapter.) Characters with this ability can also use it to shift the ground, opening cracks and creating holes. A single Success Level can open a gravesized hole in soft earth or shift a human-sized boulder. Two or more Success Levels can be translated to the equivalent order of magnitude on the Richter scale. The effect is centered on the user, and the range is Brawling by default. To extend this, divide the Success Levels by the range band to calculate order of magnitude. Example: Four Success Levels reaching to Throwing range would be a Richter magnitude of 2. EarthSifter characters can combine rolls successively or work together to extend Success Levels for devastating, wide-ranging effects. However, not only is this fatiguing, it also puts them at the hazardous epicenter, and it potentially exposes the supernatural war. FIRETWIRLER characters can manipulate flame. They can touch it without being burned, summon it from thin air, and even use it as a Throwing attack. A single Success Level allows them to instantly summon a handful of fire, which they can maintain by concentration (imposing a 1point Task Difficulty penalty on all other rolls— such as Throwing). As a Throwing attack, this flame does damage as a Throwing Blade (see the Conflict and Damage chapter), with two added benefits: (1) the damage level is boosted both by the Success Level of the FireTwirler roll and the Success Level of the Throwing roll; and (2) the flame continues burning, automatically adding Graze damage every round until it burns out. The number of rounds it burns equals the number of Success Levels of the FireTwirler and Throwing rolls combined. Other effects of FireTwirler magic are left to the player and Game Host to negotiate, but

common uses are to make a flame leap up, to snuff a small fire, or to ignite flammable materials. GIFTKEEPER is the rarest of all magics. Its user may “drain” another character’s magic (within five meters distance) or even “borrow” and use that magic. The number of Success Levels rolled with GiftKeeper magic is the number of times the borrowed magic can be used in the current scene. Note: To reflect the rarity and power of the GiftKeeper ability, any character with this magic receives only 3 Drama Points at the beginning of an adventure session, instead of the usual 6. MEMORYSONG is the ability to add, alter, or remove memories by direct touch. This magic is often used to wipe a memory from the mind of a mortal who has witnessed a supernatural activity. Each Success Level rolled allows a single scene to be removed from memory or added. The result is most effective when a memory is removed and replaced (requiring two Success Levels). Additional Success Levels increase the task difficulty of attempts by other magic or by psychiatry to recover a stolen memory or determine the falsehood of an implanted one. MIRAGEWEAVER allows its users to create a false image, even invisibility, around themselves. This mirage lasts for as long as the caster concentrates on it. In the case of seeming invisiblility, the thing hidden must remain motionless. Each Success Level gained allows an extra mirage to be created or an extra figure to be hidden within Brawling range. If someone touches the mirage or a hidden figure, the magic is dispelled. WATERBEARER characters have an affinity for water, allowing them to sense the general size, shape, and depth of a body of water, and even detect objects floating upon it or within its depths. A single Success Level provides this information within Throwing range; each additional Success Level increases the range by one band, to a maximum of 20 kilometers. The number of objects detected is five times the Success Level rolled, with largest objects detected first. WaterBearer magic also allows characters to move and breathe as freely and quickly in water as they can by foot or when flying. Characters with this ability can also shape water as if handling snow, to juggle balls of water, create temporary sculptures, and so on. This shape remains for as long as they concentrate upon it.

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LESTER SMITH EQUIPMENT

Finally, this ability allows its user to draw water from the very air, generating one liter per Success Level. The Game Host may alter this amount based on environmental circumstances.

SERAPHIC HEALING All angelic characters have an innate regenerative power. In game terms, while most characters in this setting use the Dramatic Healing rates explained in the Rest and Healing chapter, angels recover one level per minute of rest instead of one level per day.

THE TABOO Whether due to the forbiddance of the powers that be, or simply the resistance of the mortal mind, any obvious supernatural power use in the presence of normal humans is automatically reduced by one Success Level.

While human characters may use any modern equipment, angels and demons default to blades for combat: swords, daggers, and even shuriken. BLACK STONE WEAPONS: Damage done by weapons forged from an otherworldly material called Black Stone voids the Seraphic Healing ability. This metal fell to Earth in ages past and was crafted into a few famous statues and monuments, where it remains hidden in plain view. Only a few demons know of this deadly material’s existence—for now. MAGIC-INFUSED BLADES: Some rare blades are enchanted with magic. For example, a shuriken might be infused with DreamWalker magic to deliver both a Hit level of damage and put the victim to sleep. Creating such a blade requires the cooperation of both a character possessing Alchemy magic and a character with the magic to be infused. Bloodink will not serve for this purpose. Enchanting a blade requires a full day of concentrated work by both characters, followed by a single skill roll by each. The least successful roll determines the number of Success Levels of magic infused in the weapon. These Success Levels can then be spent in a way similar to those of a bloodink tattoo.

DENIZENS The supernatural war of the Dark Angel setting takes place in the modern world, primarily in cities. Besides angels, demons, and common mortals, two other types of people bear mentioning, as well as a few special locales.

THE OSTRACIZED The supernatural war touches the lives of people other than those directly involved. STREET PIRATES are mortals who have learned of the supernatural war, and who live off the grid of human civilization. They dwell in a network of sewers under every major city and are adept at

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D6XD6 ™ RPG urban survival skills. Under the right circumstances, these people may assist players’ characters, but they’ll always want something of value in return. Using supernatural powers in their presence does not invoke the Taboo, though seraphim elders still forbid it. HALF’IES is a slang term for people of mixed blood, whether human-angel, human-demon, or (worse) angel-demon hybrids. These people are extremely rare, not only because such couplings are forbidden, but also because conception occurs only if the parents are truly in love.

UNIQUE LOCALES The settings described here serve as examples for others to be invented by the players or Game Host. ARADALE is a rogue Sanctuary within an old mental asylum in Germany—complete with secret dungeons, barred windows, and old torture rooms. CASTLE SPERANZA is another rogue Sanctuary, hidden in an abandoned Scottish castle. With its winding corridors, secret passageways, and more rooms than you can count (some not of this world), visitors must be careful to avoid becoming lost. MICHAELEA is an elder-ruled city nestled on the side of a mountain in a remote forest of the Czech Republic. Its buildings are constructed within the very branches of the largest, oldest trees. PURGATORY is a supernatural bar and pleasure house, with doors opening from both Hell and Earth (from any Number 13 address of any city street). Those who visit can exit only through the door they entered, preventing the establishment’s use as a portal between planes. A protective charm prevents any violence within Purgatory, which makes this a perfect neutral meeting ground. URIELOS is another elder-ruled city, this one clinging to the jagged coast of Italy, with buildings dug into the rock, to help weather storms.

SAMPLE ADVENTURE: THE THREADS OF DUSK In which a band of heroes must infiltrate a chamber under Urielos to gain a poison antidote.

ACT I: A POISONING A friend of the heroes has been stabbed with a knife dipped in an obscure demonic poison. He

now lies in a coma and is slowly slipping away. Our heroes must find an antidote! A bit of investigation and negotiation reveals that instructions for concocting one are contained in the Threads of Dusk, an ancient scroll hidden away in a chamber deep under Urielos. For this adventure, the characters should not be angelic residents of Urielos. Rogue angels and demons are good choices, though citizens of Urielos could be appropriate if “tainted” by a secret friendship with outsiders. The point is that warriors protecting Urielos will attack the group on sight. Whether thanks to rogues who have defected from Urielos, or from some other inside information (perhaps someone who wants something else brought back from inside the walls), the heroes can learn the layout of the city. Urielos itself is guarded by warrior angels. The surrounding land is monitored by EarthSifters and Animales, the coastal approaches by WaterBearers and AirWhisperers. The heroes are also told that the chamber’s entrance is sealed by a puzzle requiring Alchemy to solve. Give the group time to connect, gather this information, sort out plans, and collect any items required to execute their mission.

ACT II: INFILTRATING URIELOS Getting to the library itself involves three stages. THE BORDERS: If approaching by sea, the heroes will face WaterBearer and AirWhisperer guards—a totlal of one guard per hero. If approaching by land, they will face a like number of EarthSifter and Animale guards. The heroes must either disable or sneak past these angels. THE STREETS: Once inside the city, the heroes must avoid detection to reach the library. Depending upon their success at sneaking and navigating the city streets, the Game Host should have one or more pairs of warrior angels pass from time to time. The heroes must either overcome them quickly and quietly, or evade them by hiding. One option is to slip into a nearby castus residence until the guards pass. If the owner discovers the heroes, they may have a quick fight on their hands; the Game Host can decide appropriate abilities for the resident. After this encounter, the path to the library is clear. THE LIBRARY: The heroes must choose who among them will pick the library lock. That hero

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LESTER SMITH must accumulate six Lockpicking Success Levels to open it. Each round, the Game Host should roll a die; if the result is less than the number of rounds currently spent, the group is spotted by a pair of patrolling warriors. After six total rolls, of course, another pair automatically arrives each round, so it is in the heroes’ best interests to get the door open quickly. If necessary, they can then bar it from the inside to delay further attacks.

ACT III: THE THREADS OF DUSK Inside, the heroes face three challenges. THE ALCHEMIST’S PUZZLE: This puzzle is carved into the chamber door. To solve it, our heroes must achieve four Alchemy Success Levels in a single round. If relying on bloodink, they may well run out before accomplishing this, in which case they’ll be forced to flee and return later with more (perhaps stolen from a nearby shop). During this attempt to solve the puzzle, the Game Host can again use the roll of a single die each round to add the threat of guards discovering the group (or breaking the barred library door, if the heroes were already discovered). Once the puzzle is solved, the portal opens to reveal a dark tunnel into the bedrock of the city. RIDDLE ME THIS: Inside the tunnel, the group is faced with a series of riddles, one per hero. Any characters who fail at their riddle temporarily lose either Flight (if an angel) or DeathTouch (if a demon) until they leave the library. THE ICE DEMON: The tunnel opens into an icy cavern, icicles protruding from the ceiling and floors. This chamber is prison to enormous ice demon, trapped on Earth when the gates of Heaven and Hell closed, and forced to stand guard for his hated seraphim enemies. He stands four meters tall and is nearly as broad, his heavily muscled body covered with glittering spikes of ice. If the heroes battle this demon, he proves to be a formidable foe. (See his description below.) If they instead negotiate, he agrees to let them search the Threads of Dusk for their antidote, if they agree to free him to return to Hell.

To guarantee their word, the heroes must each give him a single drop of their blood, which he freezes on his tongue. If they betray him, he can use this link to freeze their hearts at any distance, slaying them. ICE DEMON: Name: Unknown. Gender: Male. Age: Eternal. Attributes: Brawn and Grace Focused; Wits Unfamiliar. Skills: Focused Athletics, Persuasion, Second Language: Seraphic, Throwing, Tracking; Unfocused Martial Arts. Special Abilities: Combat Demon (his Brawling range attacks can use either Brawn or Martial Arts, declared after his roll—which means he always succeeds); Exceptional Strength (all his attacks do an extra level of damage); IceMaster (treat as FireTwirler, but with Ice instead of Fire and no concentration penalty); Frost Armor (three levels of protection with no penalty). Focus: 6.

EPILOGUE Once our heroes have their antidote recipe, escaping the city is little trouble. They will not be pursued beyond its walls.

ADVENTURE SEEDS SHOPPING TRIP: Acquiring the ingredients needed for the antidote can be its own adventure. Examples might include the heart of a ghost orchid found only in the remote Scottish Highlands, the canine tooth of a snow leopard, and the song of a demon-angel hybrid. HEART OF ICE: Arranging the ice demon’s release is another adventure, with its own time pressures. Once the archangels of Urielos discover his treachery, they are sure to destroy him, and before that happens he vows to take his revenge on the heroes. Through his link with their blood, he whispers this message in their nightly dreams.

CAMPAIGN IDEAS As the ideas above show, finding information to survive or prevail in the endless supernatural war, or protecting a loved one, give ample material for an ongoing Dark Angel campaign.

CREDITS DESIGN: Hanna Peach. DEVELOPMENT: Lester Smith. EDITING: Dale A. Donovan. PROOFREADING: Winifred Lewis. LAYOUT: Ralph Faraday. COVER ILLUSTRATION: Hanna Peach. ALLEY ANGEL: K8 Smith, with “Where is Batman?” by Miguel Ángel Arroyo Ortega, licensed under CC BY 2.0.

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D6XD6 ™ RPG

DARK FAGARA: AGE OF THE ORC John F. Watson The world of Fagara has fallen to the orcs and their kindred. Humankind has been driven underground or into the wastelands. Elves and dwarves have been hunted to near extinction. Some few dwarves, elves, and humans are kept as slaves of the Orcish Empire. It is a dark age. Will you face it as conqueror or conquered?

BACKGROUND Fagara was once a beautiful and lush world. Dwarves, elves, humans, and many other races dwelt peacefully and separately on the surface, while the orcs—all but forgotten undergound—awaited their chance, building massive armies. When at last they struck, civilizations were leveled in hours. Surviving dwarves, elves, and humans formed an alliance and counterattacked in Fagara’s northern mountains. Despite their best efforts, the orcish war machine ground on. Captives of any real threat were slain, and the rest were enslaved. The world had fallen to the orcs. Over a thousand years have passed since the orcs seized control, and the world itself has changed. Clouds obscure the sun, allowing little light to fall. Many say this is a boon granted to the orcs by their god, Nexus. Whatever the reason, even nature has had to adapt to survive. Trees are now tall and spare, reaching up to the weak sunlight that filters through the clouds. Most other vegetation is thin and gray. Furred creatures are uncommon, replaced by enormous insects and poisonous reptiles. While remnants of ancient architecture remain, it is fronted or surmounted by cruder, sturdier orcish structures. Where once grace and beauty flourished, ugliness and savagery abide.

THE LAND Fagara’s geography is dominated by a massive continent called Rilar, surrounded by many smaller islands. Rilar’s landscape is very diverse, descending from the great Northern Mountains through desert foothills into the central lowlands and ending in the rocky reaches of the Southern Jut. Both the northern and southern stretches of Rilar are cold, each being within about five hundred kilometers of the polar caps.

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LESTER SMITH Orcs rule Fagara, with many of the traditionally uncommon races walking the world freely. It is not unusual for an adventurer to see ogres, goblins, or other savage races while traveling the Chiefdoms. While dwarves, elves and humans still exist, the majority of them are now slaves. A small group of them (descendents of the Alliance) remains free in the inhospitable Northern Mountains. They call themselves the Sword of Ventrus. Life for a slave to the orcs is harsh and short, filled with manual labor—blacksmithing, mining, plowing, and soldiering. Even the soldiers remain slaves, serving violent masters. Not that members of the Sword of Ventrus have an easier life than their enslaved brethren. The Northern Mountains are nearly the most hostile environment on Fagara. It is impossible to grow crops there; the native vegetation is inedible; and game is rare. For sheer survival, raiding parties must make guerrilla strikes on the orcish lands below. Often these raiders never return. As a result, it’s not uncommon for people here to simply die of starvation. The Sword of Ventrus has never been over five hundred strong. The rest of Fagara is divided into seven orcish chiefdoms. A Grand Chief (a title taken by the strongest) rules over each chiefdom. Below the Grand Chief are as many as twenty warchiefs, with several lesser chiefs reporting to each. This makes up the hierarchy of each chiefdom. Like the Grand Chief, the title of warchief is seized by power, though these lesser leaders change more frequently.

The chiefdom extends from the western border of the Two-Deaths to the western shores of Rilar. AXE SHAKER: Led by an ogre, this chiefdom lies in the southeastern corner of Rilar, between the Dark Howler and Bent Tusks chiefdoms. SKULL BREAKERS: The Skull Breakers Chiefdom is actually the grouping of islands off of the coast of Rilar. These orcs are expert sailors and fishers.

THE SEVEN CHIEFDOMS

This skill allows characters to sense hidden danger. When they would normally lose a turn from surprise (as in an ambush), they may roll this skill instead and choose an action when their number comes up. Their Alertness roll serves as the roll for that action, though the skill must match the Alertness level (Focused or Unfocused). Assassins, hunters, raiders, and scouts may use their occupation instead of Alertness.

Each orcish chiefdom occupies a different portion of Fagara. STONE BONE: The Stone Bone lands are in the cold North. These orcs often fight the Resistance. TWO-DEATHS: The Two-Deaths are led by an orcish witch who is also a high priest of Nexus. Surrounded by the other chiefdoms, these orcs claim the central lands of Rilar. DARK HOWLER: On the eastern border of the Two-Deaths, the Dark Howler Chiefdom spans to the eastern shores of Rilar. BENT TUSKS: Like the northern chiefdom, the Bent Tusks live in cold lands, but they call the South their home. DEMON EATERS: These orcs earned their name by being known as the fiercest warriors on Fagara.

OCCUPATIONS The most common occupations in Dark Fagara include archer, alchemist, assassin, berserker, gladiator, hunter, priest, raider, sailor, scout, warrior, witch, and wizard. Other occupations are possible with the approval of the Game Host.

SKILLS From the Basic Skills chapter, the following are available in this setting: Athletics, Bargaining, First Aid, Lockpicking, Martial Arts, Navigation, Persuasion, Pickpocketing, Ride Animal, Second Language, Shooting, Sneaking, Swimming, Throwing, and Tracking. Note: All characters must speak Orcish. Orcs do so natively. Others must choose Second Language: Orcish as an Unfocused skill at minimum. In addition, characters may choose any of the following skills: Alertness, Frenzy, Intimidation, and Magic (Ancient, Blood Alchemy, Savage, or Spiritual—each a separate skill).

ALERTNESS

FRENZY This skill can be used once per combat to reduce dice penaties from damage (as well as from armor worn). Each Success Level negates two points of penalty for the duration of the combat, whether damage is suffered before or after this roll. Frenzied characters cannot leave combat until no enemies remain. Berserkers may roll using their occupation instead of this skill.

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D6XD6 ™ RPG INTIMIDATION While the Bargaining skill is useful for purchasing or trading, and Persuasion is appropriate for diplomacy or negotiation, the Intimidation skill simply cows its target into submission. Unfortunately, the effects last only as long as the target remains fearful, and betrayal is not an uncommon result once the threat is out of sight.

MAGIC Four categories of magic exist: Ancient, Blood Alchemy, Savage, and Spiritual. See the Special Rules for an explanation of how to use each skill.

SPECIAL RULES To cast spells, characters must have a Magic skill.  Characters with a magical occupation such as alchemist, priest, witch, or wizard can possess Magic skills at Focused or Unfocused level.  Those with other occupations can never raise their Magic skills beyond Unfocused.  Magic cannot be used as an Unfamiliar skill. Simple spells, such as creating a potion to cure an upset stomach, lighting a candle, or blessing water, require no roll and automatically succeed. To cast a more difficult spell, the magic user must achieve a number of Success Levels equal to the spell level (shown in parentheses after the spell name). A caster may accumulate these by multiple rolls, but if any roll fails, the spell fails and all accumulated Success Levels are lost. A spell occurs immediately on the roll that achieves or exceeds its cost; it cannot be delayed to add more Success Levels. Because Fagaran magic is solitary, casters cannot cooperate on a spell. Sample spells are listed below, but many more wait to be discovered on Fagara.

ANCIENT MAGIC Ancient magic is used exclusively by those slaves or Sword of Ventrus warriors who recall the old spells of dwarves, elves, and humans. ARCANE BALL (1): This globe of arcane energy deals Hit damage to one target within Throwing range. Extra Success Levels increase the damage. BARRIER (1): This spell creates a protective glow around caster that acts as Light armor, with no dice penalty. It lasts for an entire combat scene. Extra Success Levels increase the degree of protection.

PUSH OR PULL (1): This spell moves an object within sight, and weighing no more than 15 kg, up to 10 meters horizontally per Success Level. FLIGHT (2): The caster can fly up to two meters per round in any direction, for as long as concentration is maintained (which allows no other action). Extra Success Levels may either multiply the distance or move additional people, as the caster wishes. HALT (2): The target is stopped in its tracks for one round (though it may take other actions). Extra Success Levels increase the duration. SPEAK (2): The caster can understand and fluently speak any foreign language for a number of minutes equal to the actual dice roll. THUNDER (3): This explosion of sound deals Wound damage to all within Throwing range of the caster (who typically casts a Barrier spell first for self protection). Extra Success Levels increase the damage. TRAVEL (3): The caster instantly moves up to 200 meters. Each extra Success Level can transport an extra person. SECOND SELF (4): This spell creates a mirror image of one enemy of the caster’s choice, with all that enemy’s combat abilities, to fight as the caster’s champion. This being exists until defeated or no enemies remain. If cast in a single round by spell users working together, each bonus Success Level creates an extra champion. WALL (4): The caster creates an impervious magic wall up to 20 meters tall and wide that lasts for one entire round. Each extra Success Level adds one round to the duration. ARCANE STORM (5): This summons a cyclone of magical energy that deals Wound damage to all within Shooting range of the caster. Those within Brawling range are in the calm eye of the storm. The storm lasts for one round. Each bonus Success Level increases its damage by one step. Armor and such protects from this effect.

BLOOD ALCHEMY This skill of concocting magical potions was devised by goblin mages. Making a potion requires a day per spell level, at the end of which time the mage adds each day’s Success Levels together to determine the potion’s strength. Anyone can use a potion, but potions go stale after about a week.

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LESTER SMITH TONIC (1): This potion removes any negative status effects from its drinker. Each bonus Success Level makes an extra dose. BEAST EYES (1): The drinker of this potion can see in darkness up to 20 meters. Each extra Success Level adds another 20 meters. POISON (1): The drinker instantly suffers Hit damage. Each extra Success Level adds another round of damage. BLOOD MEAL (1): The drinker doesn't need food or water for one day per Success Level. FIRE BREATH (2): The drinker exhales flame that deals Hit damage to one target within Throwing range. Each extra Success Level continues the fire breath an additional round. BALM (2): This potion instantly heals one level of damage, even if the victim was recently killed (within the past minute). Each extra Success Level heals an extra level of damage, and multiple Balm potions can be used on the same person. BRUTAL BLADE (2): This potion enchants a non-magical weapon, increasing its damage rating one level for two combat rounds. Each extra Success Level increases the duration one round. BRUTE (3): The drinker’s bare-handed attacks gain two levels of damage for one turn. Each extra Success Level increases the duration one turn. QUICK (3): The drinker may take two actions during the next turn; the player declares both at once, rolls dice for each, and matches those dice as she or he wishes. Each extra Success Level in the potion extends the effects by one turn. IRON SKIN (4): The drinker gains three levels of protection from damage for two turns. Each extra Success Level extends the duration one turn. ACID (4): This spell creates two separate potions that when combined can eat through almost any substance. In combat terms, the compound deals Wound damage. Each extra Success Level increases the damage by one level. BLOOD ELIXIR (5): This potion is like a super version of Balm, plus a blessing. It heals all damage, even if the victim was recently killed (within the past hour) and grants the user a Drama Point for his or her next action. Each extra Success Level adds an additional Drama Point.

SAVAGE MAGIC This magic is favored by orc shamans.

TOUGHNESS (1): The caster’s skin acts as Light armor, with no dice penalty, for the entire combat scene. Each extra Success Level increases the protection one step. STRENGTH (1): The caster’s Brawn becomes Focused for one day. HURL (1): The caster can mentally throw an object of up to 100 kg up to 10 meters. Each extra Success Level doubles the range. (Though useful for moving obstacles, this spell is too imprecise for attacking.) SHOUT (2): The caster utters a thunderous shout, and all in Shooting range must succeed at a Will roll or lose their next action. LEAP (2): The caster can leap up to 10 meters per Success Level in any direction. CLAWS (2): The caster sprouts claws that do damage as a Small Blade for one turn. Each extra Success Level increases the damage level or the duration—caster’s choice. SLAM (3): The caster strikes the ground, and all in contact with it within Brawling range suffer Stun damage. Armor does not protect against this effect. Each extra Success Level increases the damage by one level. RUN (3): The caster triples his movement for two turns. Extra Success Levels increase the duration by one turn. BEAST FORM (4): For the next four turns, the caster turns into a massive beast, with Brawn and Grace Focused and Will and Wits Unfocused, gains a tough hide like Medium armor with no dice penalty, and can make unarmed attacks with a Hit damage rating. Each added Success Level increases the duration by one turn. SMASH (4): This spell acts like Slam (above), but affects all within Throwing range. BONE HORDE (5): The caster summons foes she or he has slain in combat. Each Success Level brings five skeletons to fight for the caster. (Attributes: Grace Focused; Will Unfamiliar. Skills: Focused Martial Arts, Throwing. Focus: 3. Notes: Small Blade or Spear and Light armor.)

SPIRITUAL MAGIC This magic taps into the power of the caster’s favored deity to achieve blessings or curses. HEAL (1): Each Success Level instantly heals one level of damage. The victim must still be living.

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D6XD6 ™ RPG PEACE (1): This spell makes a hostile target feel favorable to the caster for the current encounter. INSPIRE (1): This spell gives the target a bonus Drama Point on his or her next action. Each extra Success Level increases the duration by one action. DIVINE KNOWLEDGE (2): This spell adds one plus to one skill for one action. Each added Success Level grants another plus. DIVINE PROTECTOR (2): This spell summons a supernatural servant for one turn. The spell is often used in combat. Each extra Success Level increases the duration by one turn. (Attributes: All Focused. Skills: Focused Athletics, Magic: Spiritual, Martial Arts, Second Language: Any, Shooting, Throwing. Focus: 6. Notes: Spear, Large Bow, and Medium armor, with no dice penalty.) CURSE THE FAITHLESS (2): This spell can target anyone within Viewing range. It gives that target a one-point task penalty on all rolls for one turn. Each extra Success Level increases the duration by one turn. REGENERATE (3): The target regrows a lost limb. Extra Success Levels offer no added effect. WEATHER (3): This spell changes the current weather to whatever the caster wishes for one day. HEALING AURA (4): This spell acts as a Heal spell (see above) but affects all within Throwing range of the caster. Note that its basic healing rating is four levels, plus one per extra Success Level. Additionally, it can even heal those recently killed (within the past minute). DESTINY (4): This spell grants an automatic Drama Point to the next action of each person within Brawling range of the caster. Each extra Success Level grants the targets an added Drama Point to that action. VIVIFY (5): This spell completely heals one recently dead creature—killed within one day. Each bonus Success Level extends that time by a day.

EQUIPMENT Equipment on the world of Dark Fagara is medieval at best, though generally rough (in keeping with orcish temperament). A few ancient works of elven or dwarven design remain, prized as spoils of war more than for intrinsic beauty. Some few ancient magical items also turn up on occasion, though these are quickly claimed by local chieftains. (Abilities are left to the Game Host’s

discretion.) Heroes who find such things must surrender them or defend them with their lives.

DENIZENS Fagara is home to the following races and deities.

THE RACES ORCS: The brutal orcs are fascinated with war. Their Brawn gives two levels of Passive Defense if Focused, one if Unfocused. (See the Conflict and Damage chapter.) HALF-ORCS: These bastard offspring of orcs and their slaves have the freedom of their orcish parent but can also master Ancient Magic. GOBLINS: These creatures have advanced more than most after the great war. Masters of Blood Alchemy, they gain a bonus Success Level using it. OGRES: Large and powerful, ogres are brutes. They often hire out as mercenaries, but some have risen to positions of power in the chiefdoms. Their toughness reduces the damage of attacks against them by one level, but their large size makes them easier to hit (lending attackers a three-point bonus to dice totals). DWARVES: The Dwarves have fared the best of the slave races. Tough and resilient, they secretly maintain their racial tongue and clan ties despite orcish law to the contrary. Their toughness is similar to an ogre’s (see above). ELVES: Having been hunted to near extinction, elves are now prized slaves, a shame their elders call “The Burden.” They are generally used for servitude in a master’s house rather than for heavy labor. Those who know Ancient Magic gain a bonus Success Level when using it. HUMANS: Of all the slave races, humans have been the most brutalized. Few have any memory of their native tongues or cultures. Less durable than dwarves, less exotic than elves, and less longlived than either, most are used as pack animals. A few are trained as foot soldiers or gladiators. OTHER RACES: Other slave races sometimes found on Fagara include angel-blooded, gnomes, and halflings. Among the conquerors are some few bugbears, demon-blooded, and hobgoblins.

THE DEITIES NEXUS: Nexus, God of Magic, is now the most powerful deity on Fagara. There are many rumors

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LESTER SMITH about his origin. The orcs worship him as the highest of their gods. CERNUNNOS: Once a god of nature and balance, Cernunnos has been corrupted into a god of wastelands and death. GRUG-GRUG: Former leader of the orcish pantheon, Grug-Grug is a god of battle, strength, and order through tyranny. MORGAN-UR: This lesser goddess of chaos and war still has a strong following among the orcs. She is at odds with Grug-Grug. VENTRUS: Once the most powerful deity on Fagara, Ventrus represents justice and valor— ideals now nearly extinct. He is worshipped only in secret, by slaves, and by the Sword of Ventrus. SAPPHIRA ARK: Formerly an elven goddess of healing, Sapphira Ark has been claimed by all who practice Spiritual Magic. MINOR DEITIES: Nearly forgotten, these include Burb Steelhands (God of Smiths), Jackal (God of Trickery), Neros (God of Undeath), Sheriss (Goddess of Rivers), Trax Von (God of Travelers), and Whisper (Goddess of Lies).

SAMPLE ADVENTURE: THE TEMPLE OF SIR VALDAR In which an ancient shrine to Ventrus is unearthed.

ACT I: EARTHQUAKE A literally earth-shaking battle in the Bent Tusks Chiefdom has breached a buried temple to Ventrus. Seeking treasures, a large group of orcs and slaves was dispatched to loot it. Days later, a lone human survivor emerged, utterly insane. Word has spread, and the heroes travel to try their luck. For orcs, looting a temple to Ventrus will bring glory. For Sword of Ventrus guerillas, it could mean an edge in their fight for freedom. ACT II: DESCENT INTO MADNESS Within the outer halls of the temple, the heroes encounter other parties of tomb robbers who do not hesitate to attack, regardless of race. Descending into the catacombs, the heroes also face many traps, mostly mechanical, but a few

magical. (The Game Host should devise encounters and traps that test the party’s abilities without exhausting their resources.)

ACT III: SELF REFLECTION The heroes’ descent culminates in a chamber containing a single item, an enormous silver mirror framed in gold and gems, and decorated with an inscription in a forgotten human tongue. (Sword of Ventrus characters may be able to read the words “Self Reflection Is the Secret to Success.”) As the party examines it, their mirror images step out and attack. These guardians match the heroes’ abilities in every way. Each time the players declare their actions, the Game Host should have their mirror images choose something similar, though dice rolls will determine the exact order of actions as usual. Any damage done to the mirror images affects the heroes instead, and vice versa. The only way to best the guardians is to offer no resistance, allowing their own attacks to defeat them.

ADVENTURE SEEDS THE ENEMY WITHIN: The great Warchief Hurg Dwarfeater has been assassinated. His followers have evidence that the Resistance has somehow infiltrated the city. You must root them out and destroy them. THE SEVEN DEFENDERS: A Two-Deaths farm town on the Demon Eaters border hasn’t sent its taxed goods in two months. Investigating, you find it has suffered raids by Demon Eaters bandits. You’ve arrived just in time for another. A DISGUISED FOE: A Skull Breakers island is home to a new cult, and the local chief seems helpless. When your band of slave warriors is sent to deal with it, you find a new priesthood of Sapphira Ark. Will you destroy the priests or break join their cause?

CAMPAIGN IDEAS Rulers quickly rise and fall on Fagara. Characters with bold hearts can earn glory and elevate their status, becoming heroes of renown, or even seizing a chieftainship of their own.

CREDITS

DESIGN: John F. Watson. DEVELOPMENT: Lester Smith. EDITING: Dale A. Donovan. PROOFREADING: Winifred Lewis. LAYOUT: Ralph Faraday. COVER: K8 Smith, with “Hafod Estate Cave” by Jonny White, licensed under CC BY 2.0.

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D6XD6 ™ RPG

THE WORLD OF EOLAN Jason Huls Explore the ancient ruins of Eolan, search for lost technology, and test your mettle in this deadly far-future setting!

BACKGROUND Eolan is a dying world. Ancient wars blistered the ecosystem. Who fought them and why are two of the many questions lost in the cinders of time. Vast ruins stand like gravestones in the desolate landscape, a reminder that Eolan once enjoyed a more prosperous age. Nok Tiris (knock-teer-iss) is one of the last known points of civilization. It is a city of triage and repurposing, a wheel of timeworn factories and urban sprawl. Citizenship carries the promise of protection and opportunity, though most struggle to meet their basic needs. Citizens are microchipped and categorized. Every facet of life is regulated…for the good of the city. Nok Tiris can survive only through loyalty and cooperation. Most understand and happily comply. Those who do not are swiftly reeducated. Bio-engineered humanoid drones are created by the thousands to keep the city running. Born to serve, they are assigned both the most important jobs and those unsuitable for human citizens. Drones live in massive dormitories, hibernate in pods, and consume bland nutrient paste. They do not question authority. In the wasteland, scavenger tribes battle over the city’s scraps. The Outlanders are acquainted with violence and starvation early in life. Those who survive grow into dangerous warriors. They hunt the burned lands for anything of trade value, and a good citizen wants nothing to do with those born on the wrong side of the wall.

The Temple of Nok Tiris rises from the center of the city like a dark stalagmite. It is a marvel of architecture soaring thousands of feet into the air. Its off-shooting spires are larger than most other buildings. The Temple is by far the oldest structure in Nok Tiris. A half-inquisitor, half-mad scientist order called the Templars have made their home among the twisting corridors and sweeping archways. They ruthlessly enforce the law and experiment with ancient technology. Above it all, an unseen collective known as the Consortium rules Nok Tiris from the shadows. Its members speak only to the High Templar Council. Little else is known about these

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LESTER SMITH enigmatic rulers. Citizens are taught to love the Nok Tiris sigil as the face of the Consortium. It is the protector, the parent, and the soul of Nok Tiris. It is light and reason, the dispenser of truth. They say the Consortium sees all, but a few are willing to put that saying to the test. Pockets of free thinkers gather in basements and back alleys. They argue that the current system is unsustainable, that the abuse of resources will end life on Eolan. They say fault lies with the Temple. Those who dare to whisper such heresy must be very careful. Eolan is in a dark age. It needs heroes to bring it into the light. Do you dare to become one?

SEVEN THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT EOLAN Bear these facts in mind as you explore Eolan. 1. THE CLIMATE IS BRUTAL. Walking the streets of Nok Tiris at midday is like strolling through an oven. The climate is characterized by searing, throat-cracking heat. Midday temperatures can soar to 50˚ C (120˚ F). Night averages 25˚ C (75˚ F). Late shifts are coveted, especially for those who work outside. While great effort goes toward cooling the Temple and the privileged Inner Wheel district, the shoddier districts are often left to roast when the climate control fails. Nok Tiris receives only six inches of precipitation annually, and when it rains, the city goes to great lengths to collect as much as possible. Underground moisture farms and massive recycling operations supply most of the city’s water. In short, Nok Tiris is a desert flower struggling to bloom in a furnace. 2. NOK TIRIS SUPPORTS AROUND 2 MILLION HUMANS, DRONES, AND BOTS. The city is divided into many districts and is ringed by a great wall 200 feet high. A vast, deep canyon called the Rift borders the city to the east. Nok Tiris is the whole world for its citizens. Most live their entire lives without ever venturing beyond the wall. Human citizens are the most plentiful. Adults are assigned an occupation based on their aptitudes, and only through hard work can they repay the Consortium for its kindness and protection. While humans may be the Consortium’s children, drones are the most trusted with positions regarding information and security. This is because their loyalty is hardwired. These beings are manufactured by a secret process to fill gaps in society. They stand watch along the wall and between districts, repair data systems, and do

anything else that is required. Specialized enforcer drones stamp out dissident activity. These chipped-up gladiators are trained in all manner of combat. No human has ever singlehandedly defeated an enforcer in battle. With a few exceptions, the bots that exist are mostly in disrepair. They are holdovers from a different time. Bots are viewed as tools, and during the great wars much of the knowledge needed to build and maintain them was lost. 3. A RIGID, TOTALITARIAN POWER STRUCTURE MAINTAINS ORDER. “The Consortium sees all” is a mantra people truly believe. The Consortium presides over Nok Tiris with godlike status. Citizens and drones take part in daily devotionals meant to reinforce the core concept of obedience. By all accounts, the Consortium has been in power for generations, causing some to privately wonder who or what it is. No one dares ask aloud. The Temple’s Templars have a wide array of responsibilities, ranging from law enforcement to spiritual guidance. In legal matters they are judge, jury, and executioner. Mostly executioner. A sly and deadly lot, in deep parts of the Temple, they experiment with nanotechnology, altering their minds and bodies during strange rituals. In game terms, Templar powers resemble psychic abilities. 4. SURVIVAL IS THE MOTIVATING PRINCIPLE OF SOCIETY. Nok Tiris’s religious and political ideology is based on survival. Food shortages and dwindling natural resources make the struggle for existence a never-ending chore. That is why the Temple insists everything must be regulated and everyone must remain loyal. A single selfish citizen could upset the balance. 5. EOLAN IS A WORLD OF UNEVEN TECHNOLOGIES. In Nok Tiris one finds everything from a patchy, augmented-reality version of the Internet called the Infogrid to stone tools, airships to pack animals, energy weapons to crude shivs. Salvagers embark on expeditions to far-off ruins and occasionally discover artifacts. These are confiscated by the Temple. High technology of the past is shunned by most citizens. They believe it to be the reason the planet was scorched, a view reinforced by the powers that be. One of the Templar’s most guarded secrets is the nanotechnology used to alter and imbue themselves with powers. 6. MOST HISTORY HAS BEEN FORGOTTEN OR ERASED. Citizens are encouraged to focus on the

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D6XD6 ™ RPG present and the quality of their work. They have a vague idea that thousands of years ago humans traveled among the stars, and that Eolan was not humanity’s first home. However, these legends always end in undefined doom and suffering. Two distinct historical records exist regarding the planet. The first belongs to the citizens. It is a carefully constructed narrative called the Origin, a story meant to answer basic questions of life in a brief, sanitized way. This propaganda serves as a foundation for “right thought.” It is a recipe of half-truths, misinformation, and outright lies. The second account is an ongoing mission of historical archaeology dedicated to uncovering the truth behind humankind’s arrival on Eolan. A special Templar sect guides this research, and all discoveries filter up to the High Council. Most Templars know more than the average citizen, but not even they have a full grasp of human history on the planet. If a truly accurate record exists, it is hidden with the Consortium. 7. OTHER CITIES EXIST ON EOLAN. However, they are outside the scope of life for citizens of Nok Tiris. The distance is simply too great. Caravans have made the arduous journey to sell exotic wares in the market district, but those visits are rare. These foreigners are heavily scrutinized, and the Templars generally judge them to be distasteful characters. Caravans have become less frequent over the past few years, leaving some merchants in Nok Tiris to wonder if the outside world is drying up around them.

OCCUPATIONS All citizens must have an occupation that serves Nok Tiris. In some cases a career may reflect what a character’s life has become but not necessarily what he or she does for the city. Below are 10 common categories players may choose from. There are no combat-based occupations, because teaching citizens to use weaponry is strictly forbidden. Careers other than these are possible with Game Host approval. FUNCTIONARY: This class fits most citizens in Nok Tiris. Humans are often forced into physical-labor positions since drones have taken over most management roles. Functionary examples include moisture farmer, miner, fireman, and construction worker. Players may find hidden benefits depending on the actual job

they choose. For example, moisture farmers always know where to find water, which is the most valuable resource on Eolan. GEAR DOC: Nok Tiris always has something in need of repair. Gear Docs are engineers and technicians. They may be called upon to retroengineer found tech, fix a medical device, or plan the demolition of slums. Gear Docs can also be vehicle mechanics or weapon smiths. Others may fix robots or dream of building a better airship. This is a class of makers, with access to a wide array of tools. HEALER: Healers in Nok Tiris come in a number of forms. Doctors work at Io Tower, the major medical center in the immaculate Inner Wheel District. They are also stationed in satellite hospitals throughout the city. A healer might be a paramedic, rushing to the scene of an accident in a hover vehicle. Some healers specialize in drone repair, since their biology is very similar to humans. This class is dedicated to providing care and a better quality of life for others. INFORMATIONIST: This class has knowledge at its fingertips. Mountains of information move across the Infogrid every second. Someone has to make sure it serves Nok Tiris properly. Informationists often work closely with Central, the city’s motherbrain A.I. They might be part of the Task Function, assigning lifelong careers to children. They may distribute propaganda, revise history, or control the flow of water. Many city functions depend on the work of Informationists. This occupation has access to personal files, maps and databases, and even few restricted databases. Not that anyone would look. That would be wrong.… MERCHANT: The Market District is the one place where rules can be bent; as long as they are not broken, the Templars are tolerant. Merchants know how to keep them happy. This is a class of deal makers, shop owners, and fixers that know how to get things for people. They enjoy a taste of power that is unfamiliar and a bit frightening to the other classes. PILOT: Pilots can fly a variety of craft, from blimp-like airships to advanced vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) vessels. Some fly paramedic hoverships, some transport cargo from one district to another, and others join Temple-funded salvager crews and explore the skies over the wasteland. Above the daily hustle and Infogrid

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LESTER SMITH

chatter, pilots enjoy a unique view. It’s quieter in the sky, and that gives a person time to think.… ROGUE: No matter how rigidly controlled a society, some people will always operate outside the rules. By choice or necessity, they routinely commit acts that could land them in the Temple. Consider the woman who steals food for her family because she can’t afford to buy it, or the local thief who started small and learned how the streets work. Most rogues are from the poorest districts and are already wanted for some crime. Citizenship is supposed to guarantee survival; rogues are just determined not to slip through the cracks. SALVAGER: This rare class of wanderers see more than the average citizen ever will. Most citizens are terrified at the idea of this job. Salvagers risk their lives to map out and plunder the wasteland on behalf of the Temple. Crews are typically sent over the wall in airships. It is beyond dangerous, but despite the savage tribes and horrors lurking in the deep, salvagers find a sere beauty in the wasteland. This occupation tends to have a disturbing sense of adventure, and the Templars are determined to put it to good use. SCIENTIST: Scientists are constantly busy with new projects assigned by the Temple. Sometimes a poor, frightened scientist is sent out to identify ruins. Others work on new water-purification techniques, new drone development, or radiation resistance drugs. Scientists are heavily scrutinized due to their knowledge and often serve under a drone. Recently, research assignments have grown stranger. Some involve living creatures. Scientists record data and report it to the Temple

for consideration. They are not authorized to implement or share their findings. TEMPLE HENCHMAN: It is said that the Temple has eyes and ears everywhere. Temple henchmen are those organs. Dedicated to ensuring Nok Tiris doesn’t come apart at the seams, some patrol the districts like unarmed police, alerting the Templars when they spot possible criminal activity (or maybe someone who just looks suspicious). Others receive special assignments and work undercover to ferret out dissidents. While this gains such characters boons from the Temple, it often causes moral dilemmas, and for this reason Temple henchmen tend to have short careers.

SKILLS From the Basic Skills chapter, these apply without adaptation: Athletics, Bargaining, First Aid, Lockpicking, Navigation, Persuasion, Pickpocketing, Second Language, Shooting, Sneaking, Swimming, Tracking, and Vehicle.

ALTERED SKILLS A few basic skills are modified for this setting. Combat skills (Martial Arts, Shooting, and Throwing) are generally forbidden, so players must determine where their characters learned these, and how they acquired any weapons. Computers involves both basic operation and familiarity with the Infogrid, Nok Tiris’s augmented-reality internet. Systems knowledge and programming are usually reserved for drones. Ride Animal is the ability to command and care for Eolan’s reptilian and insectoid pack animals.

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D6XD6 ™ RPG ADDED SKILLS The following skills supplement Eolan occupations. Artistry: You sing, act, dance, etc. to entertain or educate. The Temple frowns upon frivolous arts, so you must be careful where and how you perform. Bureaucracy: This familiarity with the shifting political structure and red tape of Nok Tiris also covers knowledge of different city agencies and law. Craft: Building and repairing anything from simple machines to homemade weapons. In a city of finite resources, it pays to be a builder. Lore: The body of knowledge about Eolan is ever changing. Some have a deeper understanding of history and how things are connected. Science: This understanding of basic principles of physical and life sciences could help a character to purify water or build a bomb. Streetwise: The skill to acquire goods, services, and information from the streets of Nok Tiris requires a finger on the pulse of the Outer Wheel districts. Subterfuge: Bluffing, concealment, evasion, and all manner of deceit can sometimes achieve a goal. Survival: The ability to hunt, trap, and build fires relates mostly to the wasteland, but characters may find uses for it in the city as well.

SPECIAL RULE: DARK SECRET Every citizen has a little (or big) something that could result in trouble with the Temple if it came to light. Roll 2d6 on the following table, or choose one, or make up your own. 2. MURDERER. You killed someone and got away with it. Was the death accidental? 3. BOOKWORM. You can read. How? Who taught you? 4. HOARDER. You have a small stockpile of food and water. Maybe it’s just for you or other people in your district. 5. PROTECTOR. You have a hidden weapon. Why would you need such a thing? 6. TECHIE. Somehow you stumbled across a piece of tech. You don’t know what it does but you haven’t reported it. 7. SYMPATHIZER. You have an outlander friend. How could you befriend a savage? 8. WANDERER. For some reason you briefly left the city and didn’t get caught. 9. LOVER. You have an unsanctioned romance with another citizen, or an outlander.

10. CLERICAL ERROR. You were somehow assigned the wrong occupation. It’s better than what you trained for, so you kept quiet. 11. HISTORIAN. You have a grasp of Eolan’s actual history, and you’ve written it down. 12. REBEL. You are a new member of an underground sect.

EQUIPMENT & DENIZENS See the Background, Occupations, and Skills sections for insights into Eolan gear and creatures.

SAMPLE ADVENTURE: CHEMICAL 52 In which loyal citizens receive an unwelcome fate.

ACT I: ROOM 4707 Lodging for most people in Nok Tiris is assigned on a random, rotating basis, sometimes weekly, sometimes daily. The characters find themselves assigned to room 4707, on the 47th floor of a 60story dormitory in one of the city’s poorest districts. It is little more than four concrete walls with dirty bunks, dented personal lockers, and a two-way infoscreen. They arrive after a grueling day’s work and a tasteless dinner in the common room. There is one more bunk than characters, and a corresponding locker, sealed. The group has a brief time to get to know one another before the evening prayer of allegiance to Nok Tiris interrupts from speakers across the city. After that, a final occupant enters their quarters— a sickly, elderly man with a satchel over his shoulder. Though his clothes are tattered, his overall good hygiene may tip off the group that he’s not all he seems. Then, ripping the wiring from the infoscreen, he says that if they want to survive the next 12 hours, they must listen to him. He introduces himself as Tannor Galven, a chemist from the Inner Wheel. Formerly a designer of food preservatives, he was recently promoted against his will to chemical weapons. Now he is dying and wants to do one last good deed. He explains that a Templar named Ushod supervised his latest project—Chemical 52, an agent found deep in the wasteland. It is a mutagen, possibly responsible for the horrors roaming outside the city. Tannor has learned how to control it, and Ushod insists on beginning human trials. The characters have been chosen as expendables.

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LESTER SMITH Tannor wants to help. He snuck Chemical 52 to a merchant named Ablek in Market District. The group must retrieve it and take it to Rust Ward, a neighborhood of ancient, abandoned factories. There they will meet Jesanta, a friend prepared to dispose of it. Tannor is too ill for the mission. In fact he never intends to leave the room. Security is on its way to collect Tannor and the characters, and he plans to set off a bomb hidden in his locker, providing a distraction for the group’s escape, and taking the secrets of Chemical 52 to his death. As a reward for their efforts, Jesanta will reboot the group’s ID chips, giving them new identities. In the meantime, Tannor has cobbled together an ID scrambler that will make them untraceable until dawn. As he works, building alarms go off—security drones are on the way. Tannor hands the group a hand-drawn map and activates the timer of the locker bomb. Possible escape routes include taking an elevator—or shaft—to ground level and dodging through the streets, or escaping to a connected building via the sky bridges found every 10 levels, and from there fleeing on foot or boarding a train. The Game Host should keep the party paranoid, pointing out more security drones, suspiciouslooking people, nearby vid screens, and surveillance bots, as they move toward Market District.

ACT II: MARKET DISTRICT Market District never sleeps. It is run on a barter system, since Nok Tiris has no currency. If the party keeps a low profile, they reach Ablek’s shop without incident. This merchant is doing well: goods and trinkets cover his walls. He recognizes the group instantly but seems nervous, moves slowly, and asks lots of questions. When pressed, he leads the party to the basement. In the corner is a safe with no obvious lock or handle. Characters may recognize this as an electronic safe secured through the Infogrid. The door opens upstairs, and Ablek draws a plasma pistol (Hand Laser) on the group. He says Tannor was a fool, and that Chemical 52 should be in the hands of those with the wisdom to control it—the Templars. As he speaks, two thugs in his employ come downstairs wielding clubs. The party must defeat Ablek’s thugs and open the safe. They can either hack it via the Infogrid or force Ablek to

open it. Inside is a heavy security case containing Chemical 52. The electronic lock cannot be opened without the tools of a very sophisticated workshop. As the party leaves, a black Templar dirigible arrives at the end of the block, dropping patrol drones down rappelling lines. From the other end strides a figure in dark nanoarmor and bearing an enormous energy sword: an enforcer drone. It is time to flee! Behind, the group hears the sudden pulse of plasma rifles, the throbbing of the energy sword, and citizens screaming in terror and pain.

ACT III: RUST WARD Rust Ward is a maze of abandoned factories, some unused for centuries. Even with Tannor’s map, it isn’t easy for the group to find their destination. Patrol drones, the Templar ship, and the enforcer are all combing the area, so the characters will need to move stealthily. The meeting place is in a centuries-old system of towers. Many of their walls are gone, exposing a rusted skeletal structure of beams and catwalks. The map says Jesanta is on level 26. Arriving there, the group first notes a small scout ship, parked just inside a collapsed wall that offers a breathtaking view of Nok Tiris. Jesanta emerges from the shadows with a rifle trained on the party. Her many tribal tattoos reveal her to be an outlander. Jesanta is all business. She plans to deliver Chemical 52 to a renegade scientist in the wasteland who will dispose of it. Taking the case, she tells the group one problem remains: she has one less ID profile than there are characters. Unfortunately, if even one member is captured, the Templars can sift that person’s thoughts and learn everything that has transpired. Jesanta leaves the group to come up with their own solution. With dawn approaching, time is short.

ADVENTURE SEEDS REEDUCATION: As members of a rebel group, the heroes must kidnap a drone for reprogramming. DEADLY SALVAGE: The group is assigned to a salvage mission—at a site even Outlanders avoid. JUST THE FACTS: Templars round up the group for questioning about a missing friend, accused of an unlikely crime. Can they find and warn him?

CREDITS DESIGN: Jason Huls. DEVELOPMENT: Lester Smith. EDITING: Dale A. Donovan. PROOFREADING: Winifred Lewis. COVER ILLUSTRATION: Lorenz Hideyoshi Ruwwe. SUNSET ILLUSTRATION: Christian Hecker. LAYOUT: Ralph Faraday.

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D6XD6 ™ RPG

THE WORLD OF ESFAH Dragon Dice In 1995, TSR’s Dragon Dice game won the Origins Award for Best Fantasy or Science-Fiction Board Game. I’m pleased to have been lead designer on that project. What’s more, when Wizards of the Coast purchased TSR and decided to cease its publication, a group of fans formed SFR, Inc. to purchase the rights and keep it in print. They’ve done a marvelous job polishing and expanding it ever since. With this chapter, you can adventure in Dragon Dice’s world of Esfah, using actual dice from the collectible battle game! —Lester Smith

BACKGROUND Esfah is a young world, seething with the raw magical elements of Earth, Air, Fire, and Water. It is also a world at war, long waged between the elder races of Coral Elves and Dwarves on the side of the goddess Nature, and the upstart races of Goblins and Fire Elves on the side of the Death god. Caught in the middle, though generally fighting for the good, are the Amazons. The terrible Undead have also risen, along with new races created by Nature and Death in this struggle for supremacy. It is into this contentious time that your character has been born. (More details about Esfah and its creatures can easily be found online to expand upon this setting. Visit d6xd6.com/DragonDice, where you’ll find links to each of the races in this chapter.)

OCCUPATIONS Common occupations for adventurers in this world include soldier (foot or cavalry), archer, mage (battle or scholar), hunter or tracker, ruffian

(street thief or burglar), healer (magical or surgeon), spy, and traveling musician. Any number of other vocations are also possible—see the D6×D6 Occupations chapter for inspiration.

SKILLS From the Basic Skills chapter, Athletics, Bargaining, First Aid, Lockpicking, Martial Arts, Navigation, Persuasion, Pickpocketing, Ride Animal, Shooting, Sneaking, Swimming, Throwing, and Tracking apply. Three other skills receive special treatment in this setting. LANGUAGES: Each race on Esfah has its own native language; there is no “common tongue.” Characters may learn the languages of other races.

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LESTER SMITH Each magical element also has its own language. Consequently, most races can speak three tongues—their native one and (even if haltingly) those of their two racial elements. LITERACY: The ability to read is not widespread. Only characters with a scholarly occupation or with the Literacy or Magic skill can read and write the languages they know. MAGIC: Like Language, this skill can be taken more than once. Each time a hero chooses this skill, that character selects one of the five elements—Earth, Air, Fire, Water, or Death. Characters must choose an element that matches their racial abilities. When successfully casting magic in terrain with a preponderance of the matching element, characters other than Amazons gain an extra Success Level. Characters with a Focused skill in only one element may use their other racial element as Unfocused magic. Characters with no magic skill may use their racial elements as Unfamiliar magic. Amazons with Focused or Unfocused magic can speak the language of that element.

SPECIAL RULES The following rules translate Dragon Dice creatures and dice into D6×D6 terms.

DICE AND FOCUS NUMBER Although this setting can be played with standard six-sided dice, it is best represented with a d8 terrain die and a d4 rare magic item from the Dragon Dice battle game. (Treat the special symbol on the magic-item die as a “4.”) This gives a range of 1–32 instead of the standard 1–36, so characters have a maximum Focus rating of 8 instead of 10. Choose up to 7 Focus skills during character creation instead of the usual 9.

CREATURES AND DRAGON DICE RARITY

Most dice in the Dragon Dice game fall into Common, Uncommon, and Rare categories, with increasing toughness and abilities. For D6×D6 purposes, the Game Host can rate Common creatures as thugs, Uncommon as lieutenants, and Rare as villains (see the D6×D6 Game Host chapter), reducing Focus number one point for the d4×d8 option.

Players can use dice rarity as an indication of their characters’ Occupation +s: Common 0; Uncommon 1; and Rare 2. (Players should start with Common dice and promote to Uncommon and Rare as their characters improve.) The Game Host and players alike should use the Dragon Dice symbols on a creature’s dice as a guide to its skills. Optional: A creature’s die (and any item dice the creature carries) can be rolled with the d8 and d4, and applicable symbols added to the result after multiplication (even beyond the usual minimum of 1 and maximum of 32). Example: A roll of 3 footprints would add to an Athletics roll of 4×6 for a result of 27.

MINIMUMS AND MAXIMUMS Unlike in the standard D6xD6 game rules, dice rolls have no minimum or maximum, and Success Levels can progress beyond three. This allows high-level spells to be generated more quickly. (See Spellcasting below.)

CHARACTER RACES The following Dragon Dice races are usual for D6×D6 heroes. Note that characters from the long-lived Coral Elf and Dwarf races may list age as “Young,” “Mature,” or “Ancient” rather than a specific number. AMAZONS: Human warriors, primarily though not exclusively female, capable of learning any magical element, though without a terrain bonus. CORAL ELVES: One of two original races of Esfah, masters of Air and Water magic. Most at home in coastal lands. DWARVES: One of two original races of Esfah, masters of Earth and Fire magic. Most at home in volcanic mountain ranges. FERAL: Brought to life by Nature to help battle the Undead, these half-beast peoples come in all types and are aligned with Air and Earth magic. They are most at home in highland forests. Some can fly, some swim, some burrow, depending on their animal type. Some have a thick hide equivalent to light armor (with no penalty). Most have claws equivalent to a Small Blade. Exact effects are left to the Game Host and the player.

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D6XD6 ™ RPG TREEFOLK: Brought to life by Nature to help battle the Undead, Treefolk are a conjoined pairing of tree and water spirits. Aligned to Earth and Water magic, they are most at home in wet forest lands. Their barklike skin is equivalent to light armor (with no penalty). Their limbs hit like clubs. Treefolk with the Throwing skill have a relatively endless supply of “throwing blades” (twigs or thorns) and can use their own branches as “spears.” Those with the Shooting skill carry bows made of branches and vines and can use their own branches as a relatively endless ammunition supply.

SPELLCASTING Simple elemental spells—digging a small hole, summoning a cooling breeze, creating a candle flame, freshening a canteen, killing a weed—can be accomplished with a single Success Level. Such things add flavor and move a story along. More powerful magic that causes or cures damage can be adapted from the battlefield spell lists of the Dragon Dice game:  Treat the listed spell point cost as a number of Success Levels that must be achieved.  Characters may spend multiple turns generating Success Levels to cast a spell; they may also decide at any point to release Success Levels currently generated to cast a lower-cost spell. Example: A Feral mage might intend to cast the Dragon Dice spell “Lightning Strike,” gain four Success Levels on the roll, and either hold those for the next turn—hoping to roll at least two more—or release them immediately as a “Wind Walk” spell.  Characters can cooperate to cast spells, adding their Success Levels together for release at the time of the lowest roll.  Once cast, a spell effect can be maintained indefinitely if one of its casters concentrates

    

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on it. This applies a 1-point penalty per spell to other rolls by that character (see the D6×D6 Dice and Tasks chapter). Instead of affecting a “target terrain,” spells affect a single target figure. Each extra Success Level can either extend the spell to an adjacent target figure or increase the damage by one level. Spells that hinder a target’s rolls apply as a penalty after dice are multiplied. Spells that cause damage have a base rating of Hit. (See the D6×D6 Conflict and Damage chapter.) Spells that add protection add a base armor rating of one level. (See the D6×D6 Conflict and Damage chapter.)

LESTER SMITH  Spells that “return a unit from DUA” heal all of a target’s damage. Note: Remember that in this world, a summoned dragon is uncontrolled and will attack whatever draws its attention—usually the largest creature first.

EQUIPMENT Any items appropriate to a high-fantasy world are thematically appropriate to the Dragon Dice setting. In particular, the Game Host is encouraged to use magic items represented by dice in the Dragon Dice game as inspiration.

and became their own masters. They have an affinity for both Fire and Water magic and make their homes in outlands with hot springs. SWAMPSTALKERS: A mutated race of serpent creatures, Swampstalkers are aligned with Death and Water magic, though they no longer serve the god of Death. They are most at home in swamplands. UNDEAD: Raised from the slain warriors of other races and pressed into Death’s service, the Undead have an affinity for Death magic, and they have no homeland other than the corpse-strewn battlefields of the world.

MONSTERS

DENIZENS The following creatures share the world of Esfah but are not typical players’ characters.

HUMANOID RACES With the exception of the Eldarim, the humanoid races listed below were raised by Death in mockery of Nature’s children. ELDARIM: Rare heroes with a mastery of dragons, the Eldarim lead solitary lives away from other creatures. Like dragons, most are aligned with different magical elements. The most powerful of all are the Dragonlords, masters of all elements. FIREWALKERS: Drawn to Esfah by the chaos of battle, these elemental creatures fight on any side for the sheer joy of it. They have an affinity for Air and Fire magic. FROSTWINGS: Created by the god of Death, these creatures proved uncommitted to the war. Frostwings have some affinity for Air and Death magic but gain no terrain bonus for either. They are most at home in icy realms. GOBLINS: The first race Death raised to fight the ancient Coral Elves and the Dwarves, Goblins have an affinity for Death and Earth magic and prefer swampy terrains. LAVA ELVES: Following the Goblins, Death created Lava Elves as a mockery of the noble Coral Elves. They have an affinity for Death and Fire magic and dwell within the hearts of volcanic highlands, in direct competition with the Dwarves. SCALDERS: Twisted by Death from their fey folk origins, Scalders eventually threw off Death’s reins

Esfah is home to countless monstrous beings. DRAGONS: These elemental creatures are summoned up from the terrain of battle sites as a desperate measure against an enemy, after which they rampage about. (For an example dragon, see the sample adventure.) OTHER MONSTERS: Each race has a subset of “monsters” sometimes pressed into service, from the Leviathan of the Coral Elves to Minor Death of the Undead. The Game Host is invited to adapt the abilities of those specific dice to these role-play rules.

SAMPLE ADVENTURE: TRAIL OF THE DRAGONSWORD In which our heroes, resting from war, must make a treacherous journey to deliver an evil artifact into the safekeeping of a Coral Elf monastery.

ACT I: A BOLT FROM THE BLUE Following the Battle of Wolverton, the Dwarven king Boralan set aside the highland valley of Benéfictoram as a refuge for veterans of all Nature-allied races. The valley shelters ample woodland and pasture for any who would choose to make a home here. It is now dotted with hamlets, small farms, smithies, and breweries. The players’ characters are either residents of or visitors to this valley. Let the players explain their heroes’ presence and establish who knows whom. The adventure begins with the most solitary hero. One day, from a clear blue sky, a blinding flash of light and deafening clap of thunder drop

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D6XD6 ™ RPG a torn and bloodied Dragonlord at the hero’s feet. Clutching an ebony black sword longer than he is tall, the Dragonlord whispers, “Deliver this to the Monastery of Èlasmiél,” and, “Beware Maladruke!” then dies. Coral Elves or scholars may recognize the victim as a Dragonlord. They may also know that Èlasmiél is a Coral Elf city on the eastern coast, three days distant by hard journey down a Dwarven road and through a Swampstalker-infested fen. The sword is crafted of elemental Death and withers whatever it touches. It is too large and heavy for most humanoids to lift alone. The heroes must devise a plan for handling it. Maladruke is a death dragon from whom the sword was stolen. (See his description below.) Its power calls to him. Give the heroes time to connect with one another and sort out plans.

ACT II: A PERILOUS PATH Along the route to Èlasmiél, the heroes will encounter a series of challenges. GOBLIN AMBUSH: The heroes pass the entrance of a Dwarven mine in which a group of Goblins lies in ambush (a number equal to the heroes). These thugs (see the D6×D6 Game Host chapter) have no leader; they attack with thrown stones. Heroes failing a Wits roll are caught by surprise. After the battle, three slain Dwarven miners are found in the mine. HALLS OF THE DEAD: Nearing the mountain’s foot, the heroes discover a Dwarven town at another mining site. The inhabitants all lie dead in the street —torn and withered—slaughtered by Maladruke. Cautious heroes may pass the town without being noticed. Otherwise, Maladruke attacks from the sky. Escape into the mine is an option, but eventually the heroes will be shadowed and attacked by a band of Undead—Skeletons,

Wraiths, and Zombies, led by a single Ghast. They outnumber the heroes by 50% and can see in the dark. They may lure the heroes to a cavern littered with the bones, where the Ghast’s Death magic is enhanced. Once the Ghast is defeated, the rest flee. FEN OF THE SWAMPSTALKERS: This mine connects with a series of caverns, where a stream leads out of the mountain into a fen. (The original mountain trail also leads to this bog.) A muddy path winds between quagmires, pools of brackish water, thickets of tall grasses, and stands of tangleroot trees. Along the way a

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LESTER SMITH a tribe of Swampstalkers in service to Maladruke lies in ambush. Bog Runners, Sprayers, Strikers, and Warmongers, led by a Swamp Wizard, outnumber the heroes two-toone. The Swamp Wizard hides and guides their attack in their hissing tongue (the foliage and mists making him Impossible to spot). If pressed, he will cast Reanimate Dead to bring a buried Swamp Giant to life. This series of events should leave the heroes worn and depleted.

ACT III. THE MONASTERY OF ÈLASMIÉL Leaving the fens, the heroes spy the seaside city of Èlasmiél. Coral Elf Horsemen, Knights, and Eagle Knights patrol the area. As the heroes proceed, Maladruke attacks. Their only hope is to make a dash for the city while a dozen Coral Elves swarm the dragon. Reaching the city gates requires 20 movement Success Levels (per hero) before the dragon slays the Coral Elf patrol. After a round of facing the dragon’s four brawling attacks, the patrol falls back to use ranged weapons and magic, so Maladruke can attack only one defender per round. Some heroes might either help the Coral Elves or cast spells to speed the sword bearers along. The Game Host can narrate Maladruke’s battle with the Coral Elves without detailed statistics for those defenders. Each Knockout or Kill the dragon scores drives one Coral Elf Eagle Knight from the sky or destroys a Coral Elf defender on the ground. Attacks with lesser damage simply rain debris across the sands. Coral Elf attacks against the dragon have little chance of penetrating his armor, but their harassment keeps him occupied. Once the sword is inside the city, the dragon flies back to the Swampstalkers’ fen with a cry of frustrated rage. The heroes are celebrated for delivering the sword and offered a place to stay until the dragon can be dealt with more permanently. MALADRUKE THE DEATH DRAGON: Maladruke is a monster (see the D6×D6 Game Host chapter), with a Focus of 2. His

“occupation” is Death Dragon, giving Death magic with four pluses, and Death Breath, which does Kill damage to a single figure at Shooting range. His movement rating is 10 meters per round by air or on foot. His size makes Throwing range Brawling range for him. His Focused skill is Martial Arts, with up to four attacks per round; his paws do Hit damage, his tail Knockout, and his jaws Wound. His Unfocused skills are Tracking (up to Viewing range), and Coral Elf and Dwarf languages. He has four levels of natural armor with no dice penalties. He can spend 13 Drama Points per session, though only one Experience Point per session. His death sword doubles his magic Success Levels and has a damage rating of Kill plus two.

ADVENTURE SEEDS THE DEATH FROM WITHIN: Some evil has infiltrated the city, bringing death to its leaders’ bedchambers night after night. Our heroes must find this assassin and bring the terror to an end. THE SORROW OF HIGH GUARD PASS: Local Dwarven law states that upon a regent’s demise, his or her tomb must be forsaken for a year, allowing the spirit privacy to enter the afterlife. When Queen Neda dies inspecting High Guard Pass, this leaves a border open to Lava Elf invasion. The heroes must negotiate this delicate situation. FURY OF THE FROSTWINGS: Normally insular, the Frostwings of the Northern Reaches have been striking into peaceful Amazon farmlands. Can the heroes discover what has them at arms before the Amazons retaliate in all-out war?

CAMPAIGN IDEAS In a world so much at war, the heroes can serve as emissaries, ambassadors, spies, and assassins, shaping Esfah’s history. As their skills and reputation grow, they may eventually be invited to study the ways of the Eldarim.

CREDITS

DRAGON DICE™ game copyright SFR, Inc. Used by permission. SETTING DESIGN: Lester Smith.

EDITING: Dale A. Donovan. ILLUSTRATIONS: Jeremy McHugh. PROOFREADING: Winifred Lewis. LAYOUT: Ralph Faraday.

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D6XD6 ™ RPG

THE WORLD OF FEAR THE LIGHT William Massa

Who murdered Dracula? Over the centuries, many have tried to kill the Count. All have failed. Until now…

BACKGROUND In the novel Fear the Light, the vampire spawn of Dracula gather at their master's estate to solve the mystery of his murder. But as a new day dawns, a voice cries out and another creature of the night is slain. Trapped, the sun burning bright outside, these apex predators realize they have met their match—a diabolical killer who plans on picking them off one by one. As their numbers dwindle, a dark suspicion grows—could the killer be hiding in plain sight? Vampires do not play well together at the best of times, and with their personal survival at stake and a possible traitor in their midst, alliances form and break with each new attack. This is the basic premise of the Fear the Light novel and a common idea of adventures set in this world. Take vampire mythology and give it a new spin—making the monsters the victims, the hunters the hunted.

OCCUPATIONS In the world of Fear the Light, vampires follow the classic tradition of Bram Stoker’s novel Dracula. That is to say, all players’ characters were human once, but they have become blood-thirsty monsters as a result of being chosen and turned by an existing vampire. By default, it is assumed that they were cursed this way by Dracula himself. For only a powerful will and an ancient thirst for companionship can allow a vampire to bring its victim back to life—or more accurately, unlife.

As former humans, then, characters in this setting can have had any occupation suited to the time period of their creation. For Dracula’s offspring, this means any year from the 16th to 20th centuries. Players are welcome to choose earlier time periods by inventing a different “sire,” or later times as the offspring of Dracula’s own children. (See the Fear the Light novel for examples.) The human occupation chosen will dictate a character’s understanding of the living world, and

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LESTER SMITH much of that vampire’s ability to interact with the world. It may also determine what wealth and other resources the character may have accumulated, if any. The time period in which a vampire was created also determines its fashion sense and manner of speech. While all vampires can mimic the styles of the times in which they currently reside, they are also creatures of habit, and in private revert to their original patterns of speech and behavior.

SKILLS Vampires can possess any of the skills in the Basic Skills chapter that suit their original time period. While they can learn new human skills at Unfocused level, they cannot Focus any they did not know in life. They can, however, learn and master the following supernatural skills with age. (Note: These skills cannot be used if Unfamiliar.) BAT FORM: A vampire of at least four centuries in age can learn to shape-shift into a large bat. The number of Success Levels rolled determines the number of hours the shape can be retained. COMMAND ANIMALS: A vampire of at least two centuries in age can learn to telepathically control rats, bats, and even wolves. The number of creatures controlled is roughly equal in mass to the vampire itself. By controlling an alpha wolf, the vampire can lead the rest of the pack as well. COMMAND ELEMENTS: A vampire of at least six centuries in age can affect the classic elements of earth, air, fire, and water, causing local earth tremors, summoning windstorms and lightning, creating or snuffing torch-sized flames, or causing storms. Exact effects are left to the Game Host’s discretion, based on local conditions and number of Success Levels rolled. MESMERIZE: Even newly created vampires can learn to hypnotize their victims by simple eye contact. Compare the vampire’s Success Levels with this skill equal to the victim’s Success Levels with a Will roll: If the Will results are higher, the victim avoids being controlled; if tied, the victim is paralyzed; if the Mesmerize results are higher, the vampire can control the victim’s actions for a number of rounds equal to the difference in Success Levels. MIST FORM: A vampire of at least five centuries in age can learn to dissolve its body into mist and

drift slowly in any direction, even through narrow crevices. The number of Success Levels rolled determines the number of minutes the vampire can retain this shape. REGENERATION: This is a required skill for all vampires. With it, even newly created vampires can heal themselves by drinking human blood. Each liter consumed heals one level of damage, and a vampire may drink one liter per round per Success Level rolled with this skill. (An adult human possesses roughly five liters of blood and is in danger of death after losing just two liters.) TELEPATHY: A vampire of at least one century in age can transmit thoughts at any distance to a person from whom it has drunk blood. The number of words communicated is equal to the number of Success Levels rolled with this skill. WOLF FORM: A vampire of at least three centuries in age can learn to shape-shift into wolf form. The number of Success Levels rolled determines the number of hours the vampire can retain the shape.

SPECIAL RULES Vampires in this setting are also subject to the following benefits and detriments. AGE: Whatever the physical age of the person when slain and resurrected as a vampire, that remains the character’s seeming age for the rest of its existence. Some vampires are cursed to spend eternity as mere children, while others are wrinkled and spotted with age. Either of these can create psychological issues that affect the way a vampire is treated by others—or wants to be treated. A very young person that has become a vampire might be treated like a child by “adult” vampires, even though that child could be centuries older. Or a young-looking vampire might insist on being coddled like a child. Similarly, an elderly-looking vampire might demand respect for his apparent age, despite being a relatively new vampire. These habits of life are ingrained in the vampire. Note: Whatever a vampire’s apparent mortal age, all possess an adult human’s physical and mental abilities during daytime hours, and superhuman levels of those abilities during nighttime hours. At night, a vampire gains a 1point bonus to all Focused dice roll totals for each century of age—to a maximum of 30 points.

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D6XD6 ™ RPG ANTI-PHOTOGENIC: For reasons that defy logic and physics, the faces of vampires appear as a blur in mirrors or photographs. BLOOD BOOST: Vampires may enhance their abilities by spending human blood they have consumed. Each liter spent acts as a Drama Point. BLOOD CAPACITY: Fully fed, a vampire can possess a maximum of six liters of blood. BLOOD THIRST: For each four hours of wakefulness, a vampire’s body uses one liter of blood simply to survive. Sleeping uses blood at half this rate, which is one reason vampires sleep through the daylight hours (lethargy being the other). For each hour a vampire spends empty of blood, it suffers one level of damage; at Knockout level, it enters a state of suspended animation. Note: While a vampire can survive on animal blood, only human blood applies for the Regeneration skill and for Blood Boost effects. ENHANCED SENSES: The classic five senses of sight, hearing, scent, taste, and touch are heightened for vampires. Vampires may make a Focused roll against any to pick out local details a normal human might miss. Each Success Level provides one such sensory detail, decided by the Game Host. VULNERABILITIES: All vampires are allergic to garlic. While in its presence, they suffer a 1-point difficulty modifier to all tasks. A stake through the heart paralyzes a vampire. Each round of physical contact with a holy item or of exposure to sunlight causes one level of damage per century of a vampire’s age. Unlike other injury (see the Conflict and Damage chapter), the vampire accumulates the full amount each round—meaning a 200-year-old vampire would be Stunned on round one, Wounded on round two, and Killed on round three. Vampires younger than a century merely accumulate a 1-point difficulty modifier each round as a burning sensation.

EQUIPMENT Equipment in a Fear the Light adventure is limited only by the era and the characters’ resources.

DENIZENS While the Fear the Light setting assumes only vampires and humans as characters, other supernatural creatures can be imported from other settings. (In particular, see the “World of Gargoyle Knight” setting.)

SAMPLE ADVENTURE: VAMPIRES ON ICE In which a group of vampires, strangers to one another, share a murderous ski holiday.

ACT I: A LAST RESORT This adventure is intended for a group of vampires who have never met, and who find themselves

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LESTER SMITH together under mysterious circumstances. It can, however, be played with a group that has previously encountered one another, or even one that has banded together for some reason. Open the adventure by inviting your players to describe why their characters have decided to visit a remote ski lodge. (“We plan to slaughter everyone 30 Days of Night style” is not option; that would be a different adventure.) You can place this resort anywhere you wish in the world, or even let the players suggest locations, as long as it is more than a single night’s walk from the nearest urban center. (The vampires should not be able to simply leave once the trouble begins.) Invite the players to describe their arrival at the resort—including any special care they take to avoid sunlight. Unless they are new vampires, arriving at night will likely be a requirement, though other options are possible: such as being delivered directly to their rooms as luggage. Ask them to indicate any special accommodations they may have worked out with the resort staff while making reservations. Vampires tend to have better financial resources than the living, whether through long years of investment, or from simply being able to rob their victims and escape. As Game Host, your main goal during this act is to get the players so involved in describing their characters’ choices and activities that they never question why they’ve taken a ski holiday in the first place. Let them interact with the night staff, mingle with those guests who stay up late, and experience the beauty of the chill, moonlit, snow-covered slopes and trees among which the resort is located. Note: You might consider running this act for each player individually, perhaps by phone or Internet chat, especially if their characters have not met. Then, when everyone is gathered for your usual session, start with act 2, and have the characters meet as they investigate.

ACT II: WAKE-UP CALL Retiring to their rooms for their first day of sleep, most of the characters suffer unusual nightmares, full of bloodshed, fire, and destruction. When the characters wake at sundown, they smell the residue of smoke and blood, as well as the scent of fresh snow, and they each find that their room has no electrical power or heat.

Investigating, they discover that the resort has suffered some sort of attack. The building has many broken windows and doors, as well as some fire damage. Wind and snow from a growing blizzard invade through these breaches. The resort is dark and without electrical power, and the phones are all dead—as is the security system, including security cameras in the lobby, offices, and hallways. Worse, the entire staff has been slaughtered, their torn and bloody bodies lying all about. (Inspection reveals teeth and claw marks, likely the work of one or more vampires.) Nearly all the guests remain alive, having been out and about on the slopes during the day. With night and the growing blizzard driving them indoors, most are now in an utter panic. One or two brave souls might step forward to offer platitudes about staying calm and making survival plans, but not even they have any real ideas beyond boarding up the broken windows, building a fire in the lobby fireplace for heat, and waiting out the storm. If the characters venture out into the blizzard, they discover that the generator shack has been utterly destroyed, its timbers now a pile of glowing embers in which the blackened remains of the generator can be seen. The garage has also been attacked—though not burned. While its fuel pump remains intact, its few cars, solitary bus, and even snowmobiles are all disabled, their wires and hoses slashed. The resort’s basement does hold a decadesold backup generator, though it is not connected to the power system. An old short-wave radio can also be found, though it will require power (and knowledge) to operate. Plenty of food, drink, and blankets are available.

ACT III: CHECK-OUT TIME Assuming the vampires get the generator running—likely through the agency of a more modern human—the short-wave radio can be used to contact authorities. After questioning the radio operator for details about the attack, these authorities tell everyone to sit tight, stay together, and wait out the storm, when emergency services can arrive. Power also means the security cameras come back online. If anyone checks the footage from the time of the attack, they see the staff members

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D6XD6 ™ RPG being slaughtered by figures moving inhumanly fast, although the faces of the attackers are strangely blurred. The characters will recognize themselves as these attackers by their clothing, general physique, and movement. At that moment, a previously unrecognized fog will lift from their minds: While they do not remember the attacks themselves, all the vampires suddenly realize that the very idea to visit this resort was an external compulsion. Something very ancient and powerful has been playing with their minds. With a last telepathically whispered chuckle, it leaves them. In the distance, the sirens of police and emergency vehicles can be heard approaching. The final curtain is falling on this particular play. How the characters prepare for the arrival of the authorities, and what they do with their new knowledge, can open the door to an entire campaign.

ADVENTURE SEEDS URBAN JUNGLE FIGHTER: Vampires are being hunted and slain in an urban environment, and the characters must band together to track the killer. This scenario could play like a mashup of the movies Se7en and Blade. The killer who targets vampires one by one, employing high-tech booby-traps. In addition to facing physical dangers, the characters must play detective to learn what is motivating the killer. Is this a disgruntled vampire, some sort of vampire half-breed, or just a group of exceptionally dedicated hunters (perhaps descendants of the legendary Van Helsing)? MAD DOGS AND ENGLISHMEN: In this scenario inspired by Fritz Lang’s classic film M, an ancient vampire (Dracula perhaps) has gone mad and is ramping up his kills in London to such a degree that the authorities might learn of the existence of vampires. It’s up to the players’ characters to stop this ancient vampire before their ability to operate within the shadows is fully compromised.

THE FUGITIVES: The notion that Dracula has returned could be flipped on its head. Maybe Dracula survived an assassination attempt and is now hunting all his offspring (and other vampires) as a mass retaliation. The characters will have to work together to survive Dracula’s armies of monsters and servants while tracking the true assassin and clearing their names. BLACK LAB: The characters awaken and discover that they are captives in a high-tech installation. Breaking out, they come to realize that their escape was engineered. Someone is testing their abilities and studying their fight for survival. MASTER OF CEREMONIES: A group of human vampire aficionados has retrieved Dracula’s remains, in hopes of resurrecting him and being rewarded with eternal life. But Dracula’s offspring refuse to see him used this way (partly because they never want the old bastard to

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LESTER SMITH return). This adventure could be played as either vampires trying to retrieve the body or humans trying to survive the assault, and it could play out something like the movie Assault on Precinct 13. BLOOD WAR: Waking from a long slumber into the future, the vampire characters find themselves no longer the stuff of myths, but instead the last surviving bloodsuckers hunted by humans armed with futuristic tech. To save themselves, and the vampire race, they must wage a guerilla war against their human oppressors.

CAMPAIGN IDEAS While the murder of Dracula can be a strong introduction to the setting and serve as a solid reason to gather vampires in one location, nothing says Dracula has to be part of the mix, nor does every adventure have to take place in a single location (although a contained environment does pump up the tension and suspense). The key component is to create a scenario where vampires find themselves out of their element and now must fend for their immortal lives. To further this goal, the Game Host should consider three main elements.

1. THE MYSTERY Danger is part of a vampire’s existence, and nothing says danger like a threat from the unknown. The Game Host should decide on a mysterious figure who wishes one or more of the characters harm, prepare the primary threat, and put the plan into motion. (The Game Host might even recruit one of the players as the secret mastermind behind it all.) 2. THE CHALLENGES As soon as our vampires arrive at the location, they begin to encounter both challenges and corresponding clues. The location can be designed in the fashion of a classic fantasy dungeon, stocked with enemies and traps, but with hints to the primary threat instead of gold as rewards.

Example threats include the burning sun outside, assaults by vampire hunters armed with holy items and automatic weapons, swinging blade traps or acid sprays, rooms with barely shaded windows set to spill sunlight into the room, and more. The key is to keep the vampires on their toes at all times, always watching for the next trap to spring.

3. THE TICKING CLOCK It is important to keep the players conscious of the passage of time. As vampires, their characters are weaker during the daylight hours, and—unless very young—unable to venture outside. Survival until the comparative safety of nightfall becomes a main goal. And while young vampires might be tempted to abandon their elders to their fate, all it takes is a few well-placed snipers to remind them of their own vulnerability. That, and any threat of retaliation or offer of favors that the elder vampires might promise should the characters survive. FINAL THOUGHTS The setting of the novel includes a sprawling yet isolated property peopled with distrustful “frenemies” and salted with clues, puzzles, and booby traps. The Game Host can adapt this formula in many different ways, as shown in the sample adventure and adventure seeds above. In addition, the Game Host might consider the following contained settings for adventures.     

Abandoned amusement park or fun house Cruise ship Deserted island High tech home/smart house Sealed bio-dome

Finally, variety can be achieved by modifying the geography and weather (such as locating a castle high in the mountains during a terrible storm, or setting an underground laboratory deep within a jungle).

CREDITS DESIGN: William Massa. DEVELOPMENT: Lester Smith. EDITING: Dale A. Donovan. PROOFREADING: Winifred Lewis. LAYOUT: Ralph Faraday. COVER ILLUSTRATION: William Massa, Keri Knutson, & Jun Ares; Vampire image © 2013 under license of istockphoto; Cross image © 2013 under license of 123rf and Sergii Denysov. VAMPIRE PORTRAITS: K8 Smith; with edits of “The Golden Cowboy” by Luke Hayfield & “Main St., Calico, before the fire of 1883” by Orange County Archives, both licensed under CC BY 2.0.

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D6XD6 ™ RPG

THE WORLD OF GARGOYLE KNIGHT William Massa

In the novel Gargoyle Knight, a Celtic king awakens from fifteen centuries as a stone gargoyle to find modern New York threatened by an ancient evil. Human by day and gargoyle by night, he must again hunt the evil druid who brought this curse upon him, to save the world from demonic enslavement. This chapter lets you join that battle as a half-gargoyle protector or a modern-day defender.

BACKGROUND IRELAND, A.D. 500. The peace is maintained across the kingdom of Kirkland by an elite band of warriors led by Prince Artan. When Artan’s evil brother, the warrior-druid Cael, murders the king, the kingdom is plunged into civil war. Artan’s warriors prevail over Cael’s insurgency, and the warrior-druid is banished from the kingdom. Humiliated, he makes a pact with the one-eyed demon Balor, ruler of the Otherworld. Balor gives Cael his eye, a ruby of incredible magical power. With the Eye of Balor, Cael creates an army of Fomor, winged humanoids of solid stone. He then allows himself to be bitten by one of the monsters and transforms into a hybrid creature, half man, half Fomor: a gargoyle. Artan and his warriors face this evil horde on the battlefield but are unable to prevail against them. Defeat seems inevitable unless Artan and his men can shatter the Eye of Balor with the magical Blade of Kings. To get close enough to Cael to complete his mission, Artan and his knights are forced to make a terrible sacrifice—they drink gargoyle blood, and through this essence of Balor become winged monsters themselves. By day they are men, but by night they transform into gargoyles. In this form, the brave knights shatter the Eye of Balor. But victory comes at a cruel price, as

both Cael’s army and Artan’s knights turn to stone statues. Fifteen hundred years later, the two halves of the Eye of Balor are reunited, awakening both forces in their scattered locations across the globe. The struggle resumes, as Balor prepares to conquer the world.

OCCUPATIONS Characters in this setting can be either reawakened gargoyle knights or modern people

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LESTER SMITH an Unfocused skill, something they absorbed in their stony sleep as modern civilization grew up around them.

GARGOYLE SKILLS

who join the struggle against Cael and his Fomor servants, for if Cael manages to return the Eye to his demonic lord Balor, a Celtic Hell will be unleashed upon the modern age. Human characters can have any occupation, though police and emergency personnel are most likely to find themselves responding to Fomor attacks, and archaeologists may be drawn into the action due to their knowledge of history, ancient languages, and artifacts. During daylight hours, Artan’s knights have an occupation of warrior or something similar; the exact term is left to each player and the Game Host. At night, their occupation becomes gargoyle, with abilities described under Special Rules below.

SKILLS

Modern human characters can possess any of the skills listed in the Basic Skills chapter. It may be helpful if one or more possess Second Language: Gaelic, to allow speech with the awakened gargoyle knights. Characters who are gargoyle knights may know any of the following skills: Athletics, Bargaining, First Aid (an ancient version involving binding wounds and using medicinal herbs), Lockpicking, Martial Arts, Navigation, Persuasion, Pickpocketing, Ride Animal, Second Language: something suitably ancient, Shooting (bow), Sneaking, Swimming, Throwing, Tracking. They may also possess one modern language as

Gargoyle skills include Enhanced Strength, Flight, and Heightened Senses. By default, these are treated as Unfocused skills, but players may choose to Focus one or more (either during character creation or through experience) to heighten their effectiveness. (See the Character Creation and the Character Growth chapters.) ENHANCED STRENGTH: The blood of Balor increases a gargoyle knight’s strength tremendously. In game terms, a normal human can easily lift 20 kg (about 40 lbs), plus 20 kg per Success Level with a Brawn roll, for a maximum of about 100 kg (roughly 200 lbs). Gargoyle knights in human form can lift twice the amount of a normal human, and in gargoyle form they raise this to 10 times the amount. This vigor also adds to the damage they do attacking with fist, foot, or blunt objects. If this skill is Focused, in human form they add one level of damage to successful attacks of this sort; in gargoyle form they add three levels. If the skill is Unfocused, they receive no damage bonus in human form, and the gargoyle bonus is reduced to two levels. FLIGHT: All gargoyle knights sprout wings after dark and can fly. Standard speed is three meters per round as a free movement. Each Success Level on a Flight skill roll adds another three meters to this movement. HEIGHTENED SENSES: In gargoyle form, Artan’s knights are able to see into the infrared spectrum. This gives them the ability to see, track prey, and do battle in the dark. Humans and other mammals are very easy to see this way up to Shooting range. The gargoyle knights themselves radiate much less body heat and are viewable this way only as far as Throwing range. Gargoyle form also grants the knights roughly twice human hearing, giving them a 1-point bonus on any listening rolls the Game Host calls for.

SPECIAL RULES Artan’s gargoyle knights have one additional special ability, and two special restrictions, due to the blood of Balor in their veins.

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D6XD6 ™ RPG GARGOYLE TOUGHNESS In gargoyle form, the stony skin of Artan’s knights acts as Heavy armor; in human form, they retain some of this protection, equivalent to Light armor. This toughness also includes the matching armor penalties to dice totals. (See the Conflict and Damage chapter.)

BALOR’S COMMAND The very demon blood that gives the gargoyle knights their powers also binds them to the demon Balor. Through it, he calls to them, ever seeking to bend them to his will. Each night, when a gargoyle knight transforms, that character must succeed at a Will roll to avoid succumbing to the blood’s demonic nature. (Characters may spend their own Drama Points on this roll, to the usual maximum of 3, but they may not receive Drama Points from other heroes for assistance.) Failing this roll, the character falls under Balor’s command for the night and is used to search for the Eye. At dawn, the character returns to consciousness with no memory of what transpired through the evening. Because of this danger, gargoyle knights tend to find solitary spots to undergo this nightly transformation, in order to avoid injuring or killing the very people they seek to protect.

CURSE OF STONE Becoming a gargoyle knight is a personal sacrifice. When the Eye of Balor is whole, you are dedicated to finding and shattering it. When it is shattered, your spirit is imprisoned within a body turned to unliving stone. This leaves no time for love, friends, family, or the other pleasures of human existence. A gargoyle knight is an eternal protector, subject to the whims of fate and the endless lust of Balor to rule the mortal world.

EQUIPMENT Any modern equipment described in the D6×D6 rules is appropriate for this setting. However, gargoyle knights themselves have no working knowledge of modern technology such as electrical devices, gas-powered (or even steampowered) vehicles, or gunpowder weapons. In gargoyle form they don’t have much use for equipment anyway. While the setting also allows for mystical items—such as Balor’s Eye—each is a unique

object with its own inherent properties, to be determined by the Game Host. Objects like these can serve as hooks for individual adventures. Any that survive to fall into the heroes’ hands should be low powered or of limited uses, not the sort of things to change the shape of human history.

DENIZENS The modern world of Garygoyle Knight is peopled primarily by human beings. The demon Balor serves as an example of an otherworldly, supernatural creature seeking to invade our dimension. While other such beings may well exist, they do not freely walk our world. While the Fomor and the gargoyle knights permanently reside in our world, they are inanimate stone statuary most of the time, only dimly aware of the passage of time around them. Their existence does, however, hint at the possibility of other supernatural creatures, from vampires (as in “The World of Fear the Light”) to werewolves, mummies, ghosts, fae folk, and more. The Game Host may import any of these from other D6xD6 setting chapters, or invent new ones, and use their supernatural presence as a trigger to awaken the gargoyle knights and possibly the Fomor. Of course, during their adventures, the heroes might well encounter hazardous natural animals, or supernaturally enhanced ones. NOTE: Fomor have all the gargoyle skills and abilities of Artan’s knights, but they never shift to human form. Fomor always Focus Brawn.

SAMPLE ADVENTURE: BLOOD FROM STONE The German village of Kirschdorf is a pretty little hamlet with a quaint history. In the village square stand two stone statues: one a short, balding man with a mad grin, the other a gargoyle looming just behind, as if prepared to pounce on him. Legend has it that the man was an alchemist and warlock who was sentenced to be burned for his crimes. According to the tale, as he was taken to the stake, he swallowed a potion from a tiny vial hidden in a hem of his clothing, and as the flames rose around him, he turned to stone. Awestruck and fearful, the village elders left him standing in the square from that day forward,

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LESTER SMITH though they also imported a gargoyle with supposed magical properties to stand guard over him. And so the two have remained for hundreds of years, while the town has bustled around them.

ACT I: AWAKENING This adventure assumes that heroes are either present-day villagers of Kirschdorf, tourists visiting the town, scholars come to study the statues, or possibly even a gargoyle knight—the very one “standing guard” over the alchemist. The heroes do not have to know one another. The adventure begins with the heroes gathering early in the morning to view the statues for their own individual reasons, before the town awakens and its streets become crowded. When the heroes reach the square, they discover that the alchemist statue has gone missing in the night. Only the gargoyle statue remains, seeming to glare at the empty space before it. Then, as the heroes watch, the gargoyle statue begins to move and shift, turning to human form in the growing light of day. This gargoyle knight has only a dim, dreamlike sense of what has transpired over the centuries spent standing here. The character has absorbed a smattering of modern German in that time (treat this as a free Unfocused Second Language), but speaks nothing else but ancient Gaelic, so unless all the heroes speak German, someone will have to translate for the group. (Take a moment to work out how everyone communicates. This helps to bond the heroes and adds some flavor to play.) The gargoyle knight vaguely recalls the alchemist leaving during night. The alchemist seemed to simply shake off his immobility, take a few moments to breathe in the night air, and then walk away. With the alchemist’s awakening, the gargoyle knight began to feel the first tingling of returning consciousness. The warming light of a new day completed the transformation.

ACT II: VENGEANCE True to the legend, the alchemist escaped execution by swallowing an elixir. This potion was concocted from the blood of a Fomor, turning the alchemist to immobile stone. Now its effects have finally worn off, having lasted much longer than he expected, and he is free to walk the earth again.

During the hours since his awakening, the alchemist has quietly fled to a cave in the woods, its entrance cleverly hidden from discovery all these centuries. He paused only to murder a local farm family and rob their house for supplies. He spared one teenaged boy, whom he abducted for use in his alchemical pursuits. The alchemist intends to wreak vengeance upon the entire village for his centuries-old death sentence. To accomplish this, he will use a few remaining drops of Fomor blood hidden in his cave to transform the abducted boy into a gargoyle, then milk that creature’s blood for yet more potions. With these, he plans to make more gargoyle servants of the young and helpless, then turn his gargoyles loose on the town one night, when his forces are large enough. The alchemist goes about this slowly and cautiously, but because he has no knowledge of modern telecommunications, he doesn’t realizehow quickly the news of the attacks spread. He is completely unaware of the use of television, radio, or the Internet, for example. And his understanding of modern transportation is also limited only to the few vehicles he sees on the road at night whenever he conducts a raid. During this act of the adventure, the alchemist and his growing band of servants attack one remote home every other evening, abducting one person each time and murdering the rest. He spends the nights between attacks converting each new abductee to another gargoyle slave. The heroes learn of each attack in news reports the day after. Any investigation they undertake will have to avoid suspicion from local authorities, who quickly become desperate to make an arrest. If the heroes come to the authorities’ attention, they will he held for questioning (which could be awkward if one of them transforms to a gargoyle each evening).

ACT III: MASSACRE The adventure can come to a head in one of three ways: (1) If the heroes concentrate on watching for new nightly attacks, they may be able to interrupt the alchemist during one of them; (2) if they manage to track him to his lair, a battle will take place there; or (3) if they are unable

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to locate him, he will eventually attack the village itself once he believes his army is large enough. In either of the former cases, by defeating the alchemist and his gargoyles, the heroes will be able to prevent the supernatural from becoming public knowledge. In the third case, however, the village will suffer terrible damage in a pitched battle between an army of gargoyles on one side, and modern police and military equipment on the other. Unprepared for such modern firepower, the alchemist is doomed to fail. He does, however, have another stone potion prepared. So the town may regain its famed alchemist statue in the end—if it doesn’t end up confiscated by the government for study.

ADVENTURE SEEDS MADNESS UNLEASHED: A thief breaks into a museum where a gargoyle statue is held and somehow becomes infected with the gargoyle blood. He soon begins to transform at night and stalk the city on a winged crime spree. Mad with the power of Balor’s blood, he grows ever more violent. As the body count rises, and some few

survivors become gargoyles themselves, it’s up to a few cops and archeologists to track the winged killer and put a stop to his rampage. GARGOYLE SLAYER: A wealthy big-game hunter has discovered the secret of the Fomor and has managed to bring one to life on a remote island, to hunt it for sport. However, the thing quickly overcame its captors and broke loose. It is headed back to Ireland to unearth many of its long-buried brethren, and is leaving a path of destruction along the way. The heroes must intercept it and keep it from raising an uncontrolled Fomor army. BLACK OPS: A government-sponsored scientist is intent on studying and replicating the powers of the gargoyle knights. His team has managed to locate one and has strongarmed an archaeologist or occult historian into bringing the thing to life, deep in an underground lab. The players take the roles of the captive gargoyle knight and a few government defectors who believe this experimentation is inhumane. To escape, they will have to find their way out of this secure facility while fighting off a team of power-suited soldiers capable of flight.

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LESTER SMITH POISONED: This adventure seed can introduce the Gargoyle Knight theme into any other modern setting. A villain discovers how to awaken and enslave a Fomor, and uses the creature to attack the heroes. One or more of the characters are bitten and infected with the gargoyle curse. While holding at bay the call of the blood (see Balor’s Command under the Special Rules), the heroes must track down the villain and discover how to put the Fomor back to sleep and reverse their own curse—if that is even possible. THE CURE: This adventure is intended for a group of modern characters. While preventing Cael from resurrecting Balor, one of the gargoyle knights fell in love with a modern human. Just before the Curse of Stone claimed King Artan once again, he specifically sanctioned this “retirement,” if the knight’s new friends can find a cure rumored to be inscribed in the stone of a forgotten Incan temple. The group must somehow maintain a low profile while investigating its location, traveling there with the stone statue of their friend, and unlocking the secret of the cure.

CAMPAIGN IDEAS CAEL REBORN: Tormented by his demonic master, the spirit of the druid Cael constantly seeks ways to return to earth and restore the Eye of Balor. This can be a recurring reason for adventures in this setting, taking place at different locales around the globe. Cael’s spirit might even find ways to travel through time and attack at different points in history, causing one or more gargoyle knights to wake once in modern days, then centuries earlier in ancient Rome or China, then again centuries later on a Martian colony, and so on. Wherever their stone forms might be transported for display can serve as a setting for Cael’s return.

Cael’s means of returning can also vary. The restoration of the Eye of Balor reanimates his stone body, but that doesn’t have to be his only access to the mortal realm. His powerful mind might also possess the body of a scholar studying Celtic artifacts, for example. This would leave him physically more vulnerable than usual, but also more difficult to locate, until the heroes discover his new identity. As an alternative, Cael could reincarnate in the body of some offspring he spawned during one of his sojourns on earth. This offspring could possess some of the gargoyle abilities of his—or her—father, at the Game Host’s discretion. ARMAGEDDON ARRIVES: While the default story of this setting involves a recurring plot for supernatural conquest, mostly behind the scenes of modern life, one campaign possibility is all-out supernatural war, involving more than one inhuman faction. Vampires and their offspring, for example, are unlikely to welcome the demon Balor as earth’s new master; they like the world and their role in it as things are. In a post-Apocalyptic age falling under the command of Balor, his Fomor servants, his half-human druid commander Cael, and possibly some minor demons working with them, human military forces and gargoyle knights could find vampires fighting on their side— whether openly or behind the scenes. ALIEN INVADERS: This twist on the Armageddon idea sees the gargoyle knights awakened as humanity’s last line of defense against the threat of invasion from another planet. (Think Gargoyle Knight meets War of the Worlds.) Whether reanimated in a desperate occult ritual, through some military experiment, or even by the alliens’ own super-science, the gargoyle knights could face the invaders in the alien environment of their own vessels.

CREDITS DESIGN: William Massa. DEVELOPMENT: Lester Smith. EDITING: Dale A. Donovan. PROOFREADING: Winifred Lewis. LAYOUT: Ralph Faraday. COVER ILLUSTRATION: William Massa & Jun Ares, istockphoto by gettyimages. OTHER ILLUSTRATIONS: K8 Smith, edited from “Nights Gargoyle” by Mark Bennett and “IMG_4743” by Brian Jeffery Beggerly, both licensed under CC BY 2.0.

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GHOST OF A CHANCE Lester Smith Adventure as the spirits of people who have died before their appointed time.

BACKGROUND Ghost stories and supernatural tales have long been with us, but the late 1800s and early 1900s saw a rise of spiritualism in the Western hemisphere, perhaps as a reaction to the mechanistic advances of the Industrial Age. Mediums, spirit boards, divination through Tarot cards, and ectoplasm became household terms. Many of the wealthy, powerful, and famous— from Arthur Conan Doyle to Nancy Reagan—became obsessed with a “spirit world” that surrounds and permeates our own. The Ghost of a Chance setting plays on those beliefs, reflecting popular fiction and film from Carnaki the Ghost Finder (contemporary with Sherlock Holmes), to Ghostbusters, to The Sixth Sense (and many, many others*). While the Ghost of a Chance setting is written with a serious tone, you can easily enough play it for comedy instead. The setting also assumes a relatively modern time period, from the Victorian era to 21st century, but stories in other ages are also possible. An adventure might even include ghosts from different time periods.

OCCUPATIONS In this setting, occupation is whatever the character was employed as before death.

SKILLS Besides those listed in Basic Skills chapter, ghosts may choose from the following supernatural skills. The numbers after each skill indicate effects of varying Success Levels on a d6×d6 roll.

ANIMATE DEAD This power is a sort of “puppetry” with corpses. 1. Animate your own corpse; 2. Animate someone else’s corpse; 3. Animate a number of corpses equal to your Success Levels; 4. Animate the remains of any formerly living creature (including fossilized bones).

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LESTER SMITH APPEAR Become visible in a reflective surface or a flame for 1. one second; 2. ten seconds; 3. one minute; 4. ten minutes.

DECAY Cause organic material to rot at your touch. 1. spoil food; 2. mildew and weaken objects of wood; 3. drain life (Graze damage); rot living flesh (Stun damage).

DEMATERIALIZE Allows a ghost to pass through a physical object, or makes a physical object partially ectoplasmic, allowing it to be manipulated by ghosts. 1. one kilo; 2. 10 kilos; 3. 100 kilos; 4. 1,000 kilos. DREAM WALK Enter the dream of a sleeping person for 1. one second; 2. ten seconds; 3. one minute; 4. one hour.

large animal; 4. a human being. (A person may make a Will roll to shake off possession when in danger or coerced to commit an evil act.)

PUSH Cause an object to move horizontally as if carried. 1. a few centimeters; 2. a meter; 3. a few meters; 4. as a thrown object.

SPEAK TO LIVING Whisper one audible word per Success Level.

STENCH Create an odor 1. of sour milk; 2. of rotten eggs; 3. of vomit or feces; 4. of days-old corpses.

WAIL Cause an indistinct sound of 1. moaning; 2. quiet weeping; 3. loud sobbing; 4. shrieking laughter.

WILL-O-WISPS Create light and heat. 1. of a firefly; 2. of a flickering candle; 3. of a torch; 4. of a bonfire.

WRITE

GLOOM Create local darkness. 1. dim a room; 2. make a room pitch black; 3. summon clouds; 4. cause a thunderstorm.

HALLUCINATE Make a conscious person see a vision 1. an instant; 2. one second; 3. ten seconds; 4. one minute.

KNOCK Create an audible sound. 1. a tap; 2. a short series of thumps; 3. a loud banging; 4. a wallrattling boom.

LEVITATE Cause an object to rise vertically as if lifted. 1. a few centimeters; 2. a meter; 3. a few meters; 4. violently up to ten meters.

MANIPULATE Interact with electrical or mechanical objects for one round per Success Level. 1. drain the energy from electrical devices in a room; 2. manipulate an electrical or mechanical speaker; 3. manipulate the sound and image of a TV, computer screen, or camera; 4. possess and operate a mechanical device. POSSESS Enter and control a living creature for one night. 1. a small animal; 2. a medium animal; 3. a

Scrawl a number of letters equal to your dice roll. 1. on steamed or frosty glass; 2. in vaporous ectoplasm; 3. in dripping blood; 4. scratched as if with a knife. (Level 4 can cause Graze damage against living creatures.)

SPECIAL RULES Ghostly existence has different conditions and challenges from those experienced by living souls.

CAUSE OF DEATH As part of character creation, players should each declare how their character died. Ghosts tend to display the wounds of their death in the afterlife. Additionally, cause of death will often give the Game Host ways for involving the characters in an adventure.

GHOSTS AND REALITY Ghosts’ ectoplasmic bodies are unable to directly affect the material world. The material world, on the other hand is all too solid for ghosts. Other than by use of the Dematerialize skill, ghosts cannot manipulate physical objects nor walk through walls. Ghosts struck by physical objects do take damage. The merest touch of daylight evaporates ghosts until night returns. For this reason,

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D6XD6 ™ RPG most Ghost of a Chance adventures begin at sunset and end (or are suspended) at sunrise. Typically, wherever a ghost appears at the very beginning of an adventure is where that ghost reappears each night at sundown. Ghosts can work around this restriction by either possessing a physical creature during the day or by hiding within a light-proof object or space.

GHOSTLY MOVEMENT Although ghosts can walk (or glide) similar to their living pace, they can also instantaneously appear at any spot they can clearly see. (So while they may not be able to open a door to leave a house, they can easily exit at any uncovered window.) In some cases, the Game Host may allow characters to roll for success passing through a translucent barrier, or even appear at a spot they can clearly envision in their mind’s eye (a very familiar room, for example).

GHOSTLY COMMUNICATION Unlike the living, ghosts do not speak via sound waves and language. Instead, they communicate thought to thought. While this allows ghosts of any time or culture to easily “talk” with one another, it raises difficulty communicating with mortals. Simply put, ghosts do not remember living languages. Only by use of the Speak to Living or the Write skills can they gropingly communicate a few words or letters of mortal language. The Dream Walk skill allows a ghost to communicate thought-to-thought with a living being, though how well that message may be recalled when the living recipient awakens is uncertain. More often, what remains in the living brain is an image, a mood, or a desire.

THE GHOSTLY REALM While most Ghost of a Chance adventures involve ghostly interactions with the physical

world, and haunting (intentional or not) of the living, the afterlife is also host to many terrible supernatural creatures of mythology and imagination. Often an adventure will involve averting a supernatural threat to the living world (as in the example adventure, below).

EQUIPMENT Equipment isn’t of much use in the afterlife. That having been said, ghosts tend to appear in the clothes they died in and possess ectoplasmic replicas of items precious to them in life. To affect the real world, however, ghosts must find a way to make do with items in their current environment.

DENIZENS Much of the enjoyment of playing dead people is in haunting the living, especially the guilty. For this reason, most Ghost of a Chance adventures take place in the material

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LESTER SMITH world, where living creatures of all types can be found. The players’ characters are not the only supernatural beings haunting this world, however. Other ghosts may be encountered, as well as any sort of creature of legend. The heroes may also find themselves facing higher powers—both angels and demons. Beings such as these straddle the boundary between the natural and supernatural worlds, making them less vulnerable to ghostly powers.

SAMPLE ADVENTURE: THE TRAGIC SCHOOLBUS This adventure is intended for six souls who have died tragically on the same night at different spots around the US. Their deaths are spaced an hour apart, from midnight to 6 a.m.: the first in New Orleans, LA; the second in Thompson’s Harbor State Park, MI; the third in Shamrock, TX; the fourth in Lexington, NC; the fifth in Watertown, SD; and the sixth again in New Orleans. Together, these locations form an inverted pentagram on the US map, with each point roughly 666 miles from the St. Louis Arch at the center. During character creation, as your players each describe their heroes’ lives, pair them to these locales as seems fitting. For instance a lumberjack might best fit the Michigan locale, a musician New Orleans, and so on. If your group has fewer than five characters, you can fill in the missing slots with helpless Game Hostrun “extras.” If your group has more six players, the bonus deaths can take place all together at 6 a.m. in St. Louis, as tourists if nothing else. Let all the players invent their heroes’ cause of death, as usual, but as you listen, consider ways in which another person might have contrived those deaths. With this accomplished, you are ready to start the adventure.

ACT I: ANOTHER ONE RIDES THE BUS Begin with the player of the first New Orleans victim. Describe each character’s moment of death as the player presented it, but work in a shadowy figure who shows up at the final moment with an athane (a ritual dagger), dips it in the hero’s blood, and traces it onto a map.

Then tell the player, “Your vision fades to black, and you dream you are on a school bus, during the day, with a rowdy group of middle schoolers. The bus stops, and the driver says, ‘Everyone needs to settle down before I can open the door.’ Through the right-side windows, you see the St. Louis arch. Suddenly, the bus lurches from an impact on its left, throwing children violently from their seats! You hear screaming, and the dream fades. You wake up after dark, in an empty school bus, with the distant chiming of a clock counting midnight.” Allow the player a little time to react, explore, and ask questions. This is a great opportunity to introduce a new player to the game by letting the character discover firsthand that ghosts cannot affect the bus itself (can’t budge doors, windows, or even the radio mike), but that staring outside and wishing to be there means instant transport. Before the other players have time to grow bored, though, say, “The clock strikes one,” and turn to the second player. Describe that character’s death, the mysterious figure using the athane to inscribe the hero’s blood on a map, and the same dream. This time, however, it lasts a few seconds longer, allowing the character to turn and discover that a fuel truck has collided with the bus. Fuel is spilling everywhere, and the truck driver looks stunned. He pulls out a cigarette…and the dream fades. The character joins the first on a bus, at night, as a distant clock chimes “One.” Introduce each character this way, at “Two,” “Three,” and so on, allowing them some time to introduce themselves and explore a bit before each new ghost arrives. With each new ghost, the dream runs a few seconds longer:  At “Two,” the truck driver lights a match;  At “Three” his eyes grow vacant, and he tosses the match out his window;  At “Four” the spilled fuel erupts in flames;  At “Five” flame envelopes the bus, and the children begin to burn;  At “Six” their flaming souls fill the space beneath the archway, creating a portal through which demons begin to enter the living world.

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ACT II: MISSOURI LOVES COMPANY With that nightmare hanging over them, the heroes have roughly an hour before sunup to begin searching for answers. Some of this information may have been discovered during Act I, if any of the heroes specifically sought it out. Sunup interrupts their investigation, of course, but sundown will find them all reappearing on the bus, with a full night to explore further. Exploring the bus itself, the characters may notice that it is the same as in their dream— same bus number (13), same license plate, and so on—though completely undamaged. If the dream is of a real event, obviously that event has not yet happened. In a metal emergency medical kit under the driver’s seat is a copy of the map pictured above (though without the numbers in black). Players may recognize the points of the pentagram as matching the locales of their characters’ deaths. The bus is parked in a lot with many others. All bear Missouri license plates.

At one end of the lot is a one-story building that serves as the bus company’s office. At the other end of the lot is a garage capable of holding two buses for repair, with all the appropriate tools. One bus sits inside, hood open, its engine partially disassembled, with parts carefully arranged on drop cloths on the cement around it. Exploring the office building reveals a wall calendar with a Friday circled and marked “Gosling Middle School Field Trip, Arch, Bus 13.” If the heroes find this calendar on the first night of the adventure, the Thursday before the field trip remains uncrossed. On the second night of their appearance, that Thursday is crossed off as well. If the heroes explore further afield, they find themselves wandering the streets of Creve Coeur, MO, a St. Louis suburb of roughly 18,000 people, with many mid- to late-20th century homes. Most businesses are closed during the night while ghosts are up and about. By this point, the heroes will likely have figured out that their deaths were sacrifices

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LESTER SMITH leading up to the larger sacrifice of a busload of middle schoolers. To stop the latter event, they will need to ensure that this particular bus does not make that trip. Most likely they will come up with plenty of ideas for preventing it.

ACT III: LAST STOP Assuming the heroes stopped the field trip from happening, they will have prevented the St. Louis Arch from becoming a 63-story-tall gateway to Hell. Not everyone is happy about that, of course. At sundown on the Friday night of the thwarted field trip, the heroes find themselves again on the bus. But this time they have company. The figure with the athane and map stands outside the bus, chanting a ceremony. He has marked the windows and doors with the characters’ blood, preventing them from exiting by “normal” ghostly movement. After the heroes appear, he begins spraying the bus with fuel from the bus company’s pump, intending to set it alight and offer their spirits as an appeasement to his hellish masters. The heroes will have to use their ghostly powers to best effect—and quickly—to defeat him, or find themselves on a bus ride to Hell! THE CONDUCTOR: Name: N/A. Gender: Male. Age: Adult. Attributes: Will Focused; Grace Unfamiliar. Skills: Focused Gloom, Open Dimensional Portal (Ritual), Possess, Second Language (Hellish), Summon Ghosts; Unfocused Athane, Vehicle: Bus, Computer. Special Abilities: Protective Sphere (magical light armor); Teleport (2 meters). Focus: 5.

ADVENTURE SEEDS WILL TO LIVE: One of the heroes was murdered before signing a new will. Who was behind the murder, and can the spirit sign post mortem? DEATH HOUSE: The heroes find themselves bound to their own decaying bodies. Can they break the curse before being “buried undead” forever? ALL DOGS GO TO HEAVEN: One of the heroes has died at home, in a remote locale, with only a beloved pet. Can the ghosts find the dog a new home, before it dies of grief (or eats its former master)?

CAMPAIGN IDEAS Although the sample adventure provides a unified reason behind the heroes’ deaths, this needn’t always be the case. Adventures can spawn from investigating each character’s death as a separate mystery, or from resolving unfinished business with a loved one.

*ADDITIONAL INSPIRATION Other recommendations include The Uninvited (1944), Carnival of Souls (1962), The Changeling (1980), Beetlejuice (1988), The Lady in White (1988), Ghost (1990), The Frighteners (1996), Stir of Echoes (1999), The Others (2001), Death of a Ghost Hunter (2007), Haunter (2013), and R.I.P.D (2013), among others. Also check out the “Haunted Attic,” home of the Lost Souls RPG.

CREDITS DESIGN: Lester Smith. EDITING: Dale A. Donovan. ILLUSTRATIONS: K8 Smith. PROOFREADING: Winifred Lewis. LAYOUT: Ralph Faraday. “Hammond's Map of the US” photo by Sue Clark is licensed under CC BY 2.0 and has been edited. “martyrdom of saint cecilia” photo by Xuan Che is licensed under CC BY 2.0 and has been edited.

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THE WORLD OF JESSIE SHIMMER Lucy A. Snyder In Spellbent, Shotgun Sorceress, Switchblade Goddess, and Devils’ Field, author Lucy A. Snyder presents the perilous adventures of witch-in-training Jessie Shimmer, who travels to hell and back to rescue her lover and mentor, Cooper Marron—while facing demons and vengeful deities alike.

BACKGROUND Sorceress Jessie Shimmer lives on a modern Earth in which magic is hidden just below the surface of everyday society. Beings known as the Virtus Regnum enforce ancient laws that keep Talents—the world’s sorcerers, witches, and wizards—from taking over the mundane world. Meanwhile, Talents (under the guidance of their local Governing Circles) quietly protect humanity from the things that go bump in the night. Jessie’s world is filled with secret portals to pocket dimensions, most of those being hells created by devils such as Goads (see Denizens below), but some the work of demigods and other dark entities who walk the Earth and look upon humanity as mainly a delicious snack food.

OCCUPATIONS Characters—whether they are Talents, familiars, mundane citizens, demihumans, or magical creatures— all have an occupation, legal or illegal. Mundane (non-magical) characters can be anything you’d find in the modern world (see the Occupations chapter). If others need to operate in the human world to survive, they’ll work a job in which they can best pass as human, or they’ll work in a demimonde in which their nonhuman natures either don’t matter or are esteemed. The fairy

world exists in parallel to the human/Talent world, and fae mostly stick to their own realm. Talents have their own neighborhoods, bars, restaurants, and shops that are enchanted to make them invisible or repellent to mundanes. Some Talents refuse to go out in mundane human society at all, but others (particularly

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LESTER SMITH beginners from mundane families) lead double lives, working a job for money while studying or practicing magic at night. Some talents have familiars; a familiar could potentially be a player’s character (see Special Rules below). Some types of magic to choose from include the following: ALCHEMY: This magical science focuses on transmuting substances from one element into another. Many alchemists also study mundane chemistry and physics. AMOROMANCY: Also known as “passion weavers,” practitioners of this magic take energy from a person engaged in something that she or he truly loves— dancing, singing, art, sex, music, etc.—and redirect that energy into a spell. The type of spell depends on how much energy the amoromancer can absorb and his or her skill in using the energy. This art is a kissing cousin to ubiquemancy, and some amoromancers use ubiquemancy and vice versa. Amoromancers who mainly use sexual energy are known as erotomancers. NECROMANCY*: In polite society, death magic practitioners typically identify themselves as sorcerers and sorceresses, since necromancers are outlawed by the Virtus Regnum. Not for the faint of heart or the strong of morals. SANTERIA*: This Afro-Catholic magic system is based on invoking the assistance of saints such as Santa Muerte, the saint of death. SORCERY*: This is a darker, more morally questionable (though not illegal) brand of thaumaturgy (see below). Beware the sorcerer’s refrigerator: that’s not rice in the takeout container! THAUMATURGY: This is traditional magic based on memorized spells, use of magical items, potion brewing, etc. Most Talents who identify as wizards are thaumaturges. UBIQUEMANCY: Sometimes dismissed as “Babblers” by Talents unfamiliar or secretly envious of the art, ubiquemancers find the magic in everyday objects and mundane substances and invoke it through a spur-of-themoment chant in a lost or primal language. There is no spell memorization; this art relies on instinct, improvisation, and imagination to focus ambient magical energies. A truly talented ubiquemancer could use a feather to cast a spell for flight, or a thread from a frayed cuff to cast a magical binding incantation.

VODUN*: This is traditional Afro-Carribean magic based on invoking the assistance of loas and other spirits. WITCHCRAFT*: This traditional folk magic focuses on creating potions and charms with magic herbs and other natural ingredients, and on invoking the assistance of spirits. Many healers practice white witchcraft, following the motto: “Do what thou wilt, and harm none.” But the motto of dark witches and warlocks is more simply: “Do what thou wilt.” *The Virtus Regnum and most local Governing Circles take a dim view of any magical craft that veers into outright necromancy. (See Special Rules below.)

SKILLS All characters in this setting can choose from the default skill list in the Basic Skills chapter. Talents can also choose from the following magical skills, tuned to whichever magical system they study (see Occupations above). To be used, however, these skills must be ranked as either Focused or Unfocused. None can be used if ranked Unfamiliar. Note also that familiars can also know these skills so as to telepathically assist their masters in using them. ANIMAL CONTROL: Now that you’ve summoned all those cats, you might as well make them weed your garden. ARCANA: “Why, I believe those are the handprints of a coin goblin, Malargentus dammit, and this explains why money keeps jamming in the soda machine downstairs.…” DIMENSIONAL ARCHITECTURE: The craft of making something much bigger on the inside. DIMENSIONAL TRAVEL: Clever wizards can find secret portals to cross vast distances in an instant. Even cleverer wizards know how to make them. DIVINATION: This is magic for people who enjoy spoilers. ENCHANTMENT: This is the craft of imbuing objects with special properties. Make that Hitachi wand extra-magical! FIRE CONTROL: Who needs a light? Who needs a fireball? HEALING: With potions, poultices, and prayers, a basic healer can set a broken arm, but a master can cure someone suffering from lycanthropy.

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D6XD6 ™ RPG ICE CONTROL: Ice-producing wizards are popular at every cocktail party. ILLUSION: That fire-breathing dragon isn’t real, but the screaming townsfolk don’t know that! MAGICAL LANGUAGE: Taking Latin in high school was way more useful that you ever imagined! PLANT CONTROL: Weed killer is for mundanes. So is fertilizer. POTION BREWING: The craft of brewing potions and liquors imbued with magical properties. Note: Love Potion #9 is illegal in many places. RESURRECTION: You missed Grandma so much that you brought her back to life. Now you’re a fugitive from the Virtus Regnum, and Grandma has a taste for human blood.… SUMMONING: A high-level summoning could bring a Virtus; a low-level summoning might bring the neighborhood cats. TELEPATHY: Texting is for mundanes. TRANSMUTATION: Turn lead into gold, wood into steel, tree leaves into paper money. Unfortunately, unless you’re a master, the effects are temporary.… (For permanent transformation, see an alchemist.) WEATHER CONTROL: Rain, rain, go away! ZOMBIFICATION: Morals, schmorals, who doesn’t want to raise an undead army?

SPECIAL RULES Given how deeply magic permeates the world of Jessie Shimmer, and how widely it is adapted on the spot to particular needs, a list of specific spells and effects cannot do the setting justice. Instead, players should suggest magical effects characters wish to accomplish, based on their choice of occupation, skills, and current desire. The Game Host should then decide task difficulty, Success Levels needed, and actual effect. In other words, magic in this setting should be role-played more than “gamed.” Let the descriptions in this chapter and the events in the novels spur your magical creativity. With that in mind, here are further details about familiars, ubiquimancers, and forbidden magic.

FAMILIARS Some familiars are simply animals who bond with a witch or wizard and can serve as his or her eyes

and ears. Other familiars are Talents whose spirits have been bound to animal bodies as punishment for some infraction, and who serve their sentences as magical servants. While laws ensure humane treatment of these servants, some Talents object to such slavery and refuse to take familiars. Other Talents take familiars not realizing what (or who) they might be getting. Talented familiars have limited magical abilities while bound to their animal bodies, but they have full access to their own memories, and they can provide magical instruction and advice to the Talent they’re serving. The Game Host can use a familiar to offer tips to players who need a little nudge to get on the right path. Familiars communicate with their masters via telepathy, which works best in line of sight. Talents and familiars who have been together at least a year can communicate at longer distances (a mile per year of association), even out of line of sight. Any animal of reasonable size can serve as a familiar, but the most common are cats, dogs, birds of prey, rats, ferrets, snakes, parrots, rabbits, bears, wolves, etc. Players whose characters have a familiar must discuss with the Game Host what form it possesses, how it is cared for, and generally how it suits the character’s lifestyle—especially in an urban setting. Familiars can fight or flee using the physical abilities of their animal form.

UBIQUEMANCERS Because ubiquemancy does not involve formal spell memorization, ubiquemancers are limited mostly by their ability to control magic in general and their own imaginations. That said, the more often a ubiquemancer succeeds at a particular magical task, the better she or he gets at it. Complexity and power matter: It’s easier to create a spark than a massive fireball, or to paralyze a cockroach instead of a huge dragon.

FORBIDDEN MAGIC Though Talents are forbidden from revealing magic to the public at large; some Talents are hired to discreetly perform beneficial magic for mundanes. Wealthy persons or communities in the know may secretly employ Talents to bring rain for crops, to heal an otherwise incurable disease, and so on, and local Governing Circles tend to turn a blind eye to this. If a spell goes awry, special agents are deployed to repair the damage, wipe the memories of mundane witnesses, and arrest the perpetrator.

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LESTER SMITH certainly violate local governing circle laws, and intentionally sacrificing a child would bring the Virtus Regnum to execute the necromancer. All forbidden magic runs the risk of detection. This risk increases with the severity of the infraction, as decided by the Game Host.

EQUIPMENT Any items appropriate to the modern world are appropriate, as are any imaginable magical items, as long as these aren’t used around mundanes.

DENIZENS

Talents are also forbidden from creating items that would wreak havoc in mundane communities, such as brewing and selling love potions at the local high school, using divination to win in casinos or the stock market, spending illusory money in shops, using invisibility to shoplift, etc. Because most towns have a magical Governing Circle, rebellious wizards and witches prefer to live out in the woods beyond their reach. However, even backwoods witches are subject to Virtus Regnum oversight. The Regnum gets involved when magical mayhem threatens a large mundane population. They also always investigate any case of grand necromancy. While resurrecting or zombifying animals is frowned upon, it would not attract the attention of the Regnum unless a sorcerer, say, zombified an entire wolf pack and used it to terrorize the locals. But resurrecting or zombifying humans always counts as grand necromancy. Similarly, while a spell requiring the sacrifice of a single bird would be seen as distasteful, stealing and slaughtering pets for magic would

While dealing with the schemes of other Talents, characters may run afoul of the following beings. GOAD: Trans-dimensional, paindevouring devils, each goad weaves a private hell in a pocket dimension to capture souls and torment them for sustenance. Goads set invisible portals to snare the unwary. In appearance, they are huge formless masses with hearts of burning magma. GOVERNING CIRCLE: Membership in some Governing Circles is through democratic election. In others, it’s an inherited role, and members are treated as nobility. In all circles, members tend to come from the most powerful families. GOVERNING CIRCLE AGENTS: These Talents are equivalent to plain-clothes police or sheriff’s deputies, though tasked with enforcing local magical laws. Some agents are helpful; others are bullies. VIRTUS: Virtii are powerful trans-dimensional beings devoted to the Virtus Regnum. Some Talents liken them to angels, but the Virtii are merely concerned with rules and order and have little interest in protecting humanity. A Virtus generally appears as a huge, floating orrery of crystalline eyes orbiting a glowing magma heart. Virtii can cast spells, but they generally attack with plasma pseudopods that whip out from their heart at great speed; a touch of one could instantly vaporize an object as large as an automobile. Virtii can also glow bright as a sun, blinding anyone in the vicinity. They can create their own portals at

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D6XD6 ™ RPG will, frequently causing storms as they tear open holes in the sky to converge on a fugitive. Squaring off against a Virtus is pretty much guaranteed suicide; fleeing one is merely a temporary stay of execution; and even attempting to reason with one is difficult, like debating shades of morality with a holy computer. VIRTUS REGNUM AGENTS: These human Talents work for the Regnum and are the equivalent of federal agents in Jessie Shimmer’s world. They’re authorized to kill any Talent they believe is threatening a mundane population. WUTGANGER: A Wutganger is a spirit of mindless pain, rage, and hate. Each is created when a strong Talented soul has been tormented so terribly and for so long in a hell that it breaks. To escape utter destruction, the sane, rational part of the soul divests all its capacity for evil and destruction into a lesser fragment. This fragment becomes a Wutganger. If it escapes from its hell into the real world, it can cause tremendous damage, projecting violent hate into the minds of all creatures in its vicinity. Battling a Wutganger is not a simple matter of physical or magical prowess. Usually the best that can be hoped for is to escape its hell if facing it there, or to trick it into returning if encountered in our world. Some few very brave Talents have, however, destroyed a Wutganger by confronting it with the memory of its own creation, while avoiding succumbing to its madness themselves.

directions to his house out in the swampy pines, the group is on its way. If the characters use a GPS, it ends their path about a mile before Boudreaux’s house. They’ll have to park and walk, using their own skills to find it. Once they’re close, the scent of carrion leads them the rest of the way. Crossing the low rock wall that marks Boudreaux’s property line (about a quarter mile from the house), Talents or familiars might notice (on a Difficult Will roll) that a magic-damping field prevents spell use, though enchanted items work just fine. Portable phones don’t work either. Inside this border, the air is hushed and smells strongly of rot. If characters search for traps, they find nothing. Finally a run-down two-story house with double wraparound porches dripping with Spanish moss comes into view. As they approach, a tall man in a tattered dress shirt and tactical pants emerges and waits for them. He appears unarmed. Coming closer, the group finds that he his hair is a filthy, gray-streaked blond mane, his long beard is turning to dreadlocks, and beneath it they spot a stained clerical collar. He doesn’t seem to have showered in months. Brother Hiram identifies himself and demands their purpose on the property. If they ask after Boudreaux, he says the man is busy. If they mention Madame Devereaux, he spits “That Hoodoo witch?” and accuses the group of witchcraft.

SAMPLE ADVENTURE: DINNER WITH RUFUS

Suddenly, there’s an ominous rustling of leaves, and zombies—three per hero—emerge from hiding places in the ground. Brother Hiram orders them to “Grab them witches and get ’em down!” and the zombies obey. Small familiars will flee into the woods—“Goin’ for help, boss!”—while larger ones stay and fight. (See the stats for Brother Hiram and the zombies at adventure’s end.) The zombies wrestle the heroes to the ground and disarm them. To simulate this tussle, allow the players to each make their choice of a Brawn or Grace roll for their character. Meanwhile, the Game Host should make a group Brawn roll for the zombies—plus a Will roll for Brother Hiram—pair those dice for best effect, and then distribute three zombies to each character. Any hero who acts before all three zombies attacking him or her, and who also scores more Success Levels than those three zombies do together, is

On a mission to the South, the heroes tangle with an undead preacher and his zombie clan.

ACT I: TRAVELING SOUTH The bad news is a werewolf bit one of the heroes! Come the next full moon, the curse will take hold. The good news is they know a Vodun priestess who can cure the bite before then: Madame Devereaux. So they road trip to her magnolia-shaded ranch house on the bayou. She says that for the ritual, she’ll needs her statuette of Marinette, the patron loa of shapeshifters, but she lent it to Boudreaux Metier a few months ago, when a wererat bit one of his coon hounds. She hasn’t heard from him since. With

ACT II: MUD WRESTLING

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LESTER SMITH free to flee. Otherwise the hero is subdued. Any free heroes who choose to stay and help their friends must go through the process again, this time facing not only their three attackers but also any zombies who failed their own previous roll. Chances are there won’t be a third round. Characters who flee can hide out of sight in the brush, awaiting a chance to help. Captured characters are dragged to a nearby shed, and their arms are tied to heavy wooden crosspieces about six feet long. They are then forced to their feet and down a muddy path to a nearby lake. (Captured familiars are left tied up in the shed, where they remain in telepathic contact with their masters.) Near the shore, the group passes through a gate in Boudreax’s property-line wall (which they may realize means outside the spell-damping field). At the lakeside, the heroes are hoisted onto posts adorned with hooks for the wooden crosspieces, where their feet dangling inches above the water. Then Brother Hiram rings a big brass bell and hollers, “Rufus! Suppertime, boy!”

ACT III: RUFUS A low grinding across the water. It sounds like a huge crypt slab being dragged across the hollow marble floor of a mausoleum. The captives smell the sharp rankness of reptile, and what seems an enormous half-submerged tree trunk drifts toward them on the water. It soon reveals itself to be a monstrously huge gator, easily twenty feet long, with a maw of jagged teeth the size of steak knives. From its milky eyes and tattered hide, the heroes realize that this gator has been zombiefied. At this point, the werewolf-bitten hero’s adrenaline kicks in, starting the curse early! The transformation tears through the ropes binding the hero. Startled, Brother Hiram runs away, with his zombies lurching after, leaving the heroes to Rufus. Rufus is tough to beat (see below), but he won’t leave the lake, and he stays only as long as there’s “easy meat” hanging from a post. With one character already free (the werewolf) to keep him occupied, and spells available again, that shouldn’t be for long. Once Rufus leaves, the werewolf

regains his or her senses and transforms back. Returning to Boudreax’s house, the group discovers that Brother Hiram and his zombies are nowhere around. They find the statuette in an attic room, along with some other items of potential use (at the Game Host’s discretion). BROTHER HIRAM: Gender: Male. Age: 40s. Attributes: Will Focused; Grace Unfamilar. Occupation: Necromancer. Skills: Focused Animal Control, Persuasion, Resurrection, Sneaking, Summoning, Vehicle: Auto; Unfocused Arcana, Potion Brewing, Telepathy (with undead). Special Abilities: Undead, can’t be killed by anything short of decapitation or total incineration. Focus: 7. ZOMBIES: Gender: Any. Age: Any. Attributes: Brawn Focused; Wits Unfamiliar. Occupation: Zombie. Skills: Focused Athletics, Sneaking; Unfocused Throwing, Tracking. Special Abilities: Destroyed only by decapitation, incineration, or dismemberment. Focus: 3. Notes: Dismembered parts remain animated for an hour. RUFUS: Gender: NA. Age: NA. Attributes: Brawn Focused; Wits Unfamiliar. Occupation: Undead Gator. Skills: Focused Swimming; Unfocused Sneaking. Special Abilities: Destroyed only by decapitation, incineration, or dismemberment. Jaws do Wound damage; tail does Hit damage. Focus: 2. Notes: Dismembered parts remain animated for an hour.

ADVENTURE SEEDS GET FLUFFY: Bessie Sagecroft’s beloved dragon Fluffy has gone missing. Your source says that cultists downtown have captured and plan to sacrifice the dragon. DEVILS’ FOOD CAKE: People keep disappearing near the 4th Street Bridge. Turns out an enormous Goad has laid a trap there. Find the entrance and defeat the Goad in its hell.

CAMPAIGN IDEAS In a world of gods, monsters, magic and mayhem, the possibilities for campaigns are endless. Take a look at the various Jessie Shimmer novels for plenty of campaign and adventure ideas.

CREDITS DESIGN: Lucy A. Snyder. DEVELOPMENT: Lester Smith. EDITING: Dale A. Donovan. COVER ILLUSTRATION: Dan Dos Santos. NECROMANCER ILLUSTRATION: K8 Smith. PROOFREADING: Winifred Lewis. LAYOUT: Ralph Faraday.

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D6XD6 ™ RPG

KHITUS—THE WORLD OF

DRAGON KINGS Timothy Brown

In 2013, I decided to take a variety of fantasy role-playing concepts that had been floating around in my head and commit them to paper. With the help of Kickstarter, Dragon Kings was born. Khitus is a game world in its infancy, adapted here to D6×D6 RPG rules. —Timothy Brown

BACKGROUND Khitus is a world in steep decline, where once-magnificent nations are now blown over with the dust of a dying landscape. The beneficent Dragon Kings once watched over them all as caretakers of a glorious and prosperous age, but these magical creatures have inexplicably vanished, allowing men’s darker natures to emerge as wars, plunder, and despotism. Krikis insects and Cold Skin lizards are ascendant, newly awakened to intelligence, demanding their place on the world stage. Interlopers from without, terrible Dragon King Pretenders, oversee the wanton plunder of Khitus from their Black Fortress. Your characters are the new heroes that the world so desperately needs.

OCCUPATIONS Common occupations for adventurers in this world include soldier (foot or either thakal or swafa cavalry), usually as part of a city or caravan guard; mage (each belonging to a magic college with its unique methodology for mitigating magic’s ire); hunter or tracker, traveling entertainer (nyutu jugglers); priest (advocating either for the return of the absent

Dragon Kings or for the ancient animalistic gods as new deities); or apostle (psionic and mundane followers of the Prophet). Any number of other vocations are also possible— see the Occupations chapter for inspiration.

SKILLS From the Basic Skills chapter, Athletics, Bargaining, First Aid, Lockpicking, Martial Arts, Navigation, Persuasion, Pickpocketing, Ride Animal, Shooting, Sneaking, Swimming,

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LESTER SMITH Throwing, and Tracking apply. Four other skills receive special treatment in this setting.

LANGUAGES Human languages on Khitus are divided by tribal groups, and each principal non-human race has its own language. There is no “common tongue.”  Human Attan Group: Attan-Prajal-Chindi
  Human Makad Group: Makad-Nordran  Pachyesh Group: Pachyesh-Watish  Independent Languages: Penaian, Oritahl (Cold Skin), Krikish (Insect)

LITERACY The ability to read is not widespread. Only characters with a scholarly occupation or with the Literacy or Magic skill can read and write the languages they know.

MAGIC Although full spell lists are beyond the scope of this chapter, any level-based fantasy magic system can be imported into this setting by using the following guidelines:  treating spell level as required Success Levels to cast the spell;  converting any spell duration to twosecond combat rounds;  compare any spell damage effects to the default weapon ratings in the Conflict and Damage chapter. Magic on Khitus does not want to be disturbed, however. Unmitigated, it unleashes its wrath against an offending wizard, his loved ones, or his community (making sorcery the “orphan’s trade,” as no one wishes to be associated with a wizard). That wrath takes the form of sickness and pain, plague and famine, and all manner of misfortunes.

PSIONICS The “magic that is not magic” is a forgotten art on Khitus, only recently reawakened by the mysterious Prophet, a desert wanderer delivering two things: a message of universal brotherhood and love, and an awakening of dormant psionic ability in some people in his presence. Those who are awakened slowly discover the untapped powers of their own

minds for the manipulation of the material world and the minds and attitudes of others, making them ideal apostles for the Prophet to further wander the world spreading his message of peace in otherwise troubled times. Psionic skills and effects can be imported from other D6×D6 setting chapters.

SPECIAL RULES Magical backlash, the intervention of gods, and a mysterious “iron virus” all play a role in life on Khitus.

SORCERY’S WRATH Each time a wizard casts a high-level spell, he must roll for its basic success. Any spell failure brings on Sorcery’s Wrath, directed against the caster, his loved ones, or his community. Afflictions may be personal or regionalized. Roll d6×d6 and consult the following list: 1–3: 4–5: 6, 8: 9: 10: 12: 15: 16, 18: 24: 25: 30: 36:

Physical Irritation Pain Non-debilitating Sickness Sores and Lesions Phobias or Hallucinations Depression or Nightmares Rage Forgetfulness Physically Wretched Stressed Infestations Aging

Regional afflictions occur over a wide area (in a radius of a mile or more). Their effects are beyond the scope of game mechanics and are better served through role-playing. MANIPULATING THE WRATH: A wizard who has prepared for it may try to redirect the Sorcery’s Wrath to another individual. The individual must be someone within the wizard’s circle of personal relationships (whether it’s a true relationship or not). Manipulating Sorcery’s Wrath is not without risk, however, as a failed attempt often redoubles its effects against the caster. To change the focus of Sorcery’s Wrath, the wizard must succeed at a Will roll. Failure means both the wizard and a target chosen by the Game Host suffer from a misfortune.

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D6XD6 ™ RPG MISFORTUNES: Regardless of the target, the result of intentionally redirecting Sorcery’s Wrath produces one of the misfortunes listed above. These are best handled through role-playing and Game Host discretion. Misfortunes are subtle and occur at random and inexplicable times, leaving the wizard to contemplate if it was Sorcery’s Wrath or just bad luck.

HARMONIOUS MAGIC Magical spells are enhanced by musical contributions from nearby chanters, singers, and musicians. The quality of that performance directly contributes to the success of the spell and enhances its effect and duration. Should a ritual fail, all participants, including the lead caster suffer from Sorcery’s Wrath.

DISTANT GODS The ancient animalistic gods seek new power upon Khitus through new clergy. Those clergy can ask for sorcerous power from their deity, but in a time of crisis that connection may be unavailable. Roll 1d6; on a 1 or 2 the god is too distant to be reached and the magic is not delivered, but on a 6 the deity delivers far more power than is requested, overpowering the spell in a manner determined by the player and Game Host, based upon the situation.

IRON VIRUS This affliction affects only iron and steel objects. Any time an iron or steel item comes within 10 feet of another item infested with the Iron Virus, there is a chance of the infestation spreading to the untainted object. Roll 1d6x1d6; on a result of 30 or 36 the untainted object contracts the virus. If an item comes into physical contact with an afflicted object (such as when an untainted shield blocks a tainted sword in combat), the chance increases to a result of 12 or higher.

Once the taint has spread, the item starts to deteriorate. Each day, the item loses 1d6% of metallic rigidity until it reaches zero, at which point it is utterly useless.

EQUIPMENT Any items appropriate to a pulp fantasy world are appropriate to the Dragon Kings setting. Iron and steel items are rare and valuable, owing to the Iron Virus. Water and food are especially scarce in the desert regions.

DENIZENS The following creatures share the world of Khitus but are not typical players’ characters.

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LESTER SMITH HUMAN FACTIONS Each faction is unique in character, membership, and details, but on the surface each can be generalized as follows: Bev al-Khim: Mysterious pale-skinned agents and brokers Boneshards: Deadly assassins scarred by hidden weapons Dramidge: A magic college of isolated wizards devoted to dragons Gare Attessa: The omnipresent Chroniclers, royal advisers and watchers Kuad Ahir: The Awakened, followers of the Prophet Merchants: From peddlers to caravan masters, the world’s traders Nyutu: The All-Seeing, transient entertainers with unique mental powers Qath Manhir: Equivocally honorable brigands and enforcers Raetann: Bureaucratic Water Guild, emergent challengers to power Rakar: A magic college, the Cozeners, keepers of slave decoys Shadazim: Right Minders, new clergy of the ancient gods Trakeen: The Faithful, worshipers of the departed Dragon Kings Yenfansa: Feared and little-understood Devil’s Children, the White Eyes

RACES & TRIBES While there are many unique details and facts about each race, here are the common stereotypes associated with each race or tribe. Attites: Human negotiators and peacemakers Chindi: Human matriarchal traders and warriors on the fringes of the known world Cold Skins/Oritahl: Lizard men of the swamps with growing awareness Krikis: Bug men that hoard bright lode Makadan: Human warrior culture and source of many Khitan mercenaries Nordor: Human barbarian stone carvers from the frigid north Pachyaur: Elephantaurs of the equator

Penmai: Daring acrobatic humanoids with prehensile tails Prajalu: Short, stocky humans feared as poison makers and child stealers Watu: Slaver elephantaurs

BESTIARY Heroes may also encounter these creatures. Azurat (Blue Watcher): Tiny aquatic mind benders prized by wizards Daragkon (Khitan Dragon): The wild counterparts of the long-departed Dragon Kings, including Daragk’gael (Wind Dragons), Daragk’huck (Coal Dragons), Daragk’ralsh (Mud Dragons), Daragk’reg (Rock Dragons), and Daragk’ulnar (Bone Dragons) Elephant & Colossadant: Beasts of burden for the Pachyaur and humans alike Fullet (Water Runner): Small desert lizards hunted for their water Huckratha (Coal Crab): Wasteland terrors bearing infectious toxins Jaladam: Demonic soldiers from a longforgotten war Kardillo: Ravenous predators Lu’urat (Ghost Snake): Domesticated dungeon lurkers Manju: Large meaty rodents Maradoch: Pestilence-bearing pack dwellers of the Whitebone Wastes Matakata: Massive dragon turtles Masachnat (Hypno-Spider): Dreaded bewilderers Peer’urat (Screaming Cobra): Deafening serpents Regelth (Stone Worm) & Regelthex (Greater Stone Worm): Unchallenged rulers of the deep sands Sanid: Avian partners of the Penmai peoples Swafa: Swift, two-legged lizard mounts Tabahk (Thorn Lizard): Cunning savannah lizards Thakal: The common Khitan beast of burden Uludur: Prized water-purifying creatures Ulweppa (Blood Crawler): Blood-seeking desert serpents

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D6XD6 ™ RPG Urshev: Furry northland beasts Xursha (Constrictor): Mancrushing snakes Yethawar (Sonic Beetle): Tonegenerating beetles prized by wizards Yulugh: Community devastating burrowers

SAMPLE ADVENTURE: THE KRIKIS WANDERER The distant Hivelands spawn uncounted Krikis warriors, insectmen who have waged wars against human cities and armies in the distant north. They are frightening and mysterious, the stuff of fables and children’s stories; few in the southern regions of the Old Kingdoms have ever seen one. Unknown to most, the Krikis homelands contain a vast store of Ganshyer, an otherworldly metal immune to the dreaded Iron Virus plaguing the tools and arsenals of humans everywhere. A chance encounter with a wandering Krikis puts the characters into a situation where they must face their fears, prejudices, and greed.

ACT I: A PERILOUS JOURNEY The characters begin as mercenary hirelings on a caravan making its way across the southern deserts between the crumbling cities of Teleris and Syradar along the edge of the Nuth Desert. The ragged, creaking wagons, the half-starved thakal beasts that pull them, and the meager cargo of rotting vegetables and hemp are owned by one Drezh Nacka, a caravan master down to his last coins, on the edge of financial ruin. All he’s paying is rations and a promised share of the profits at Syradar, still many days distant. A handful of starving bandits and desert beasts have challenged the caravan’s progress; a few such encounters start the adventure on the open desert. One evening a carapaced, spear-bearing warrior presents itself, adorned in colorful ribbons, dragging a tarped sledge with its belongings. “Krikis!” one grizzled caravan

guard announces. In halting human tongue, the insect man offers to trade for food, water, and joint passage through the desert. Drezh Nacka agrees readily, a treacherous gleam in his eyes.

ACT II: BARTER ‘NEATH THE STARS The Krikis will not enter the caravan or its camp, but tosses out his tarp upon the ground outside it and squats nearby; Drezh brings the characters along to barter there. Language is a barrier. The Krikis gets across its name (which is almost impossible to pronounce, so Drezh call him “Two Clicks”), that it means no harm, and that it wants to trade. The Krikis puts forth a handful of gemstones and bits of metal, trinkets of carved wooden jewelry, and a near empty water skin that it keeps pointing to. The characters can engage in barter, but Drezh

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LESTER SMITH holds back on trading any water, despite the insect’s clear desire to obtain some. Eventually, the Krikis draws forth a jagged chunk of black metal that catches Drezh’s interest. Characters with desert knowledge identify it as Ganshyer, and this piece is worth a fortune. Drezh offers very little for it though, and Two Clicks refuses to give it up so cheaply. The transaction concludes with an exchange of trinkets only, and the Krikis departs into the dark desert. The characters may wish to track it or trade separately.

ACT III: RULES OF THE KNIFE Drezh returns to his caravan’s camp and assembles his guards to pursue the Krikis into the desert to kill it and take the valuable chunk of raw Ganshyer. There are three other guards besides the heroes. If the characters refuse to participate, they can remain behind; Drezh and the others never return from their venture into the desert. If the characters accompany the caravan master, they eventually track Two Clicks to where it waits in a prepared position, easily defended. Should they help the Krikis escape from Drezh, it is grateful and rewards them with a smaller piece of Ganshyer. The Krikis is a worthy fighter, fully the equal of a trained human warrior. It can leap, cricketlike, high into the air, over the heads of opponents to attack again quickly from behind. It has picked a position near soft sands and jagged boulders that are difficult to maneuver around. Two Clicks is a “bright-minded” Krikis eager to learn about the human southlands. It is a potent ally and companion that would willingly travel with the characters. It is an oddity in the region of the Old Kingdoms. Ultimately, it will learn more of the human language, of human ways and customs, and return to its Hivelands to share that with its brethren.

ADVENTURE SEEDS New Followers for the Panther God: Shadazim of Jaythe, the ancient panther god, finds it easy to gather followers. In these

desperate times, the rabble seek guidance and assurance of a better future. In fact, it becomes far easier to gather followers than it is to feed or keep them. The Shadazim must prove he speaks for Jaythe by feeding and sheltering his believers and further by direct demonstrations of godly power, which are often easier said than done. A Transaction of the Pale: On Khitus, a character may become a captive for any number of reasons—captured during a marauder raid, sold off by a desperate family, betrayed by a rival and imprisoned. The Bev alKhim, pale-skinned brokers in league with the equatorial Dragon King Pretenders, trade in both goods and flesh. They purchase the characters in the southlands and move them in caravans to the northeast, where they find ready markets among the elephantine Pachyaur, especially their Watu people. The heroes must escape or suffer months or years beneath the yokes of inhuman taskmasters. Imposter: While the characters are guiding an apostle of the mysterious Prophet across the New Dune Wasteland, he is killed by a savage huckratha lurking among the dunes. But at their destination, one of the heroes is quickly mistaken for the apostle, greeted as a friend, and taken into a prince’s confidence. Confessing may cost them their lives, but continuing the charade may be just as dangerous, as the apostle’s psionic powers were part and parcel to his making the trip in the first place.

CAMPAIGN IDEAS The many Khitan tribes, factions, and races vie for control of a world of dwindling resources. Wherever they touch upon one another, conflict follows. Trust does not come easy in these days when each group seeks to fill the power vacuum. Characters may ally themselves with one group entirely, ultimately pitting themselves against all others in the long-term struggle to dominate the world.

CREDITS DESIGN: Timothy B. Brown. DEVELOPMENT: Lester Smith. EDITING: Dale A. Donovan. ILLUSTRATIONS: Brom, Thomas Denmark, & Thomas M. Baxa. PROOFREADING: Winifred Lewis. LAYOUT: Ralph Faraday.

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D6XD6 ™ RPG

THE WORLD OF

PETER AND THE MONSTERS Darren Pillsbury

The Peter and the Monsters novels tell of the many spooky adventures of young Peter Normal. Like many stories for young people, they are equally fun for adults—and in this case, a great setting for role-playing, too!

BACKGROUND When ten-year-old Peter Normal moved into his grandfather’s creepy old mansion, bad, baaaad things started to happen. His family is under a centuries-old curse that attracts supernatural creatures and evil forces. Peter and his friends Dill and Gwen, with the guidance of Grandfather, must continually battle these threats that pop up in their sleepy little town of Duskerville.

OCCUPATIONS A good way to role-play in the Peter and the Monsters setting is to choose one of the main characters from the novels. (See the Denizens section below.) If you prefer to create your own character, choose an occupation that fits the setting: a student (Peter’s classmate), a teacher, a school janitor, or perhaps a tutor at the library or a part-time employee at a local shop. It’s important to choose something without much responsibility, partly because that’s scarier, but also to allow enough free time to investigate the odd goings on surrounding Peter and his family.

SKILLS From the Basic Skills chapter, Athletics, First Aid, Lockpicking, Martial Arts, Navigation, Persuasion,

Ride Animal, Shooting (slingshot, BB gun, or maybe a hunting rifle), Sneaking, Swimming, Throwing (rocks, soda bottles, etc.), and Tracking. Languages can include introductory French, German, or Spanish, and perhaps a bit of Latin or something else related to the supernatural and occult studies.

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SPECIAL RULES If the Game Host allows magic or psychic powers for a character with supernatural knowledge, these can be imported from other D6×D6 settings. They should be limited to a single ability per character, however. The curse on Peter’s family is such that anyone who relies too heavily on the supernatural in this setting inevitably becomes a threat to the town of Duskerville instead of its salvation.

EQUIPMENT For the heroes, any items appropriate to the real world are fine—with Game Host approval (no high explosives or automatic weapons, please). The characters will also encounter many items of paranormal fantasy—for instance, one novel tells of a mirror used by the Carnival of Evil, which could suck out children’s souls and store them in a hall of mirrors, allowing the villains to live virtually forever by absorbing their victims’ life energies. Obviously, it is the heroes’ job to destroy such things (maybe after turning them on their owners).

DENIZENS Creatures in this setting can be categorized as main characters, secondary characters, and monsters.

MAIN CHARACTERS As mentioned above, players may assume the role of one of these main characters, or they may

create their own. If playing these main characters, it is recommended that players swap roles from adventure to adventure. PETER NORMAL: Gender: Male. Age: 10. Attributes: Wits Focused; Brawn Unfamiliar. Occupation: Student. Skills: Focused Athletics, First Aid, Martial Arts (ninja skills; see Notes), Sneaking, Swimming, Throwing; Unfocused Navigation, Shooting (BB gun), Tracking. Special Abilities: Blessing bestowed by the Winnapotakan Indian tribe upon his ancestors, diminishing bodily harm (counts as Light armor with no dice penalty), and allowing him to change any die’s result to a 6 once per game session. Focus: 7. Notes: Peter learned his ninja skills from Master Hiraki (see below), including mastery of the hanbo (a three-foot staff) and the bokken (a wooden training sword). DILL BODINSKY: Gender: Male. Age: 10. Attributes: Wits Focused; Will Unfocused. Occupation: Student. Skills: Focused Athletics, Bargaining, Lockpicking, Persuasion, Pickpocketing, Sneaking, Swimming, Throwing; Unfocused Computers, First Aid, Vehicle: Auto. Special Abilities: Turns into a werewolf on the three nights of the full moon each month—which changes his Focused Attribute to Brawn, increases his hand attack damage by one level, gives him protection as Light armor (with no dice penalty). He automatically heals one damage level per turn, even in human form. Dill has an enchanted locket with a moon rock that also allows him to change at will; “Aperio” opens the locket, and “Claudo” closes it. Focus: 9. Notes: Peter’s friend and next-door neighbor, Dill is a laid-back scamp whose curiosity often gets him, and Peter, into trouble. GWENDOLYN “GWEN” WAINWRIGHT: Gender: Female. Age: 10. Attributes: Grace Focused; Brawn Unfocused. Occupation: Student. Skills: Focused Athletics, First Aid, Persuasion, Shooting, Tracking; Unfocused Computers, Martial Arts, Navigation. Special Abilities: Marksmanship, giving her an extra Success Level on all Shooting rolls. Focus: 6. Notes: Despite the supernatural threats against him, this young Goth girl has become Peter’s fast friend. SEAMUS FLANNAGAN: Gender: Male. Age: 70s. Attributes: Wits Focused; Grace Unfocused. Occupation: Occult scholar. Skills: Focused Bargaining, First Aid, Navigation, Shooting (shotgun), Tracking, Vehicle: Auto (pickup

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D6XD6 ™ RPG truck); Unfocused Lockpicking, Martial Arts, Persuasion, Sneaking. Special Abilities: Master of languages (including Latin, ancient Greek, ancient Hebrew, Native American Winnapatokan, and at least a dozen more); Millionaire (but his money is cursed and can be spent safely only to defeat and cover up supernatural outbreaks). Focus: 7. Notes: Peter’s cranky, secretive grandfather. PETER’S DOPPELGANGER, A.K.A. DARK PETER: Stats: Identical to Peter’s. Notes: This character started off as a villainous incarnation of Peter’s dark side. He has since become a mischievous ally. Dark Peter resides in “The Dark Place,” a normally repressed part of Peter’s psyche, but he can be summoned at will. He knows everything Peter knows, can read his thoughts, and can see and hear what Peter does. Any damage inflicted on Dark Peter is felt by Peter, and vice versa. If one were to die, so would the other.

SECONDARY CHARACTERS The Game Host can use these characters to lend the heroes a hand, or to complicate things, whenever an adventure merits it. MELISSA NORMAL: Gender: Female. Age: 30s. Attributes: Wits Focused; Brawn Unfamilar. Occupation: Charterton University legal assistant; Peter’s mom. Skills: Focused Bargaining, Computers, First Aid, Vehicle: Auto; Unfocused Athletics, Navigation, Persuasion. Special Abilities: None. Focus: 5. Notes: Peter’s mom knows nothing about the supernatural legacy of her ancestors. She has moved with Peter and his sister from California to her father’s house out of financial desperation. BETH NORMAL: Gender: Female. Age: 3. Attributes: Will Focused; Brawn Unfamiliar. Occupation: Toddler. Skills: Focused Persuasion, Sneaking; Unfocused Athletics, Bargaining, Lockpicking. Special Abilities: None. Focus: 4. Notes: Peter’s sister is frozen at age 3, mentally and physically, by an unintended trip to Fairieland, when she was swapped for a changeling. HIRAKI: Gender: Male. Age: Adult. Attributes: Will Focused; None Unfamiliar. Occupation: Ninja Master. Skills: Athletics, First Aid, Lockpicking, Martial Arts, Second Language: English (native Japanese), Sneaking, Swimming, Throwing, Tracking; Unfocused Bargaining, Navigation, Persuasion, Pickpocketing, Shooting. Special Abilities: Precise strike, giving two bonus Success

Levels on all attacks. Focus: 10. Notes: Peter’s ninja mentor generally refuses to engage in battle, insisting Peter must best his enemies on his own. SHERIFF GUNDERSON: Gender: Male. Age: 60s. Attributes: Will Focused; Grace Unfamilar. Occupation: Sheriff. Skills: Focused Navigation, Persuasion, Ride Animal: Horse, Shooting, Swimming, Vehicle: Auto; Unfocused Athletics, Bargaining, Computers, Throwing, Tracking. Special Abilities: None. Focus: 7. Notes: Gunderson is an affable, reasonable man dedicated to maintaining Duskerville’s peaceful nature. DEPUTY JENKINS: Gender: Male. Age: 30s. Attributes: Grace Focused; Will Unfamiliar. Occupation: Deputy. Skills: Focused Athletics, Martial Arts, Shooting, Swimming, Vehicle: Auto; Unfocused Computers, First Aid, Sneaking. Special Abilities: None. Focus: 6. Notes: Jenkins is an impetuous and hot-tempered jerk with a power complex who often makes Peter’s life miserable. WINNAPOTAKANS: Gender: Any. Age: Any. Attributes: Varied. Occupation: Varied. Skills: Any. Special Abilities: None. Focus: Varied. Notes: The original inhabitants of the Duskerville region, they cursed Peter’s ancestor, Amos Flannagan, for a massacre in the 18th century. Now his descendents are a magnet for supernatural threats. YANAWA AND THE ELVES: Gender: Any. Age: NA. Attributes: Grace Focused; Brawn Unfamiliar. Occupation: Elf. Skills: Focused Athletics, Persuasuion, Shooting, Sneaking, Swimming, Throwing, Tracking; Unfocused Bargaining, First

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Aid, Navigation. Special Abilities: Yanawa, the chief, can generate shocking magical bolts. Focus: 8. Notes: These small, green creatures with yellow eyes and large, pointed ears live in Fairieland, where they are allies of Peter. Their language is similar to Winnapotakan. Other Fairieland races include brownies (troublemakers, but with healing properties in their saliva), trolls (which are also shapeshifters), gnomes, pixies, and changelings.

VILLAINS Given the sheer number of Peter and the Monsters novels, it isn’t possible to list here every villain Peter and his friends have faced. The following have been chosen as some of the most unusual. Though many of them died in the novels, there is no reason they can’t be resurrected for a game. CHANGELING: Stats: See Beth Normal, above. Notes: This troll baby from Fairieland was swapped for Beth Normal for a time. While not truly evil, it is certainly troublesome. It can shapeshift into anything the size of a toddler. It has claws and fangs and moves with speed and agility of a small dog, though even on walls and ceilings. The touch of iron or steel causes it pain. GINGERBREAD MEN: Gender: NA. Age: NA. Attributes: Will Focused; Brawn Unfamiliar. Occupation: Gingerbread man. Skills: Focused Athletics, Martial Arts, Sneaking; Unfocused Lockpicking, Pickpocketing, Throwing, Tracking. Special Abilities: Groupthink lets them use the Combat Team rule (see the Conflict and Damage chapter). Focus: 4. Notes: Created by a spell from a black-magic book, they are six inches tall and have

hooks and pins baked into their hands. Given a well-stocked kitchen, they are capable of making more of their kind. Their small size makes them weak and fragile (Stun damage kills them), but they are also quick and quiet. KINDERMORD: Gender: NA. Age: NA. Attributes: Will Focused; Wits Unfamiliar. Occupation: Monster. Skills: Focused Athletics, Martial Arts, Sneaking, Swimming, Tracking; Unfocused Navigation, Throwing. Special Abilities: Create fog. Bark-like skin, giving it Medium armor (including the normal dice penalty). Focus: 6. Notes: A living wooden monster, about 10 feet tall, the kindermord is vaguely human shaped, though headless, with spindly limbs, and with mouths in the palms of its hands. It appears in a mist of fog and abducts children. The mouths continually recite Goethe’s poem “Der Erlkonig.” MAGICAL MONKEYS: Gender: Any. Age: NA. Attributes: Grace Focused; Brawn Unfamiliar. Occupation: Pest. Skills: Focused Athletics, Pickpocketing, Sneaking, Throwing; Unfocused Lockpicking, Swimming, Tracking. Special Abilities: None. Focus: 5. Notes: Summoned out of an enchanted top hat, which holds about 5,000 of them in some astral plane, these capuchin monkeys are controlled by anyone with the right music. If killed, they disappear in a puff of smoke, returning to their magical dimension. SWAMP MONSTER: Gender: Any. Age: NA. Attributes: Brawn Focused; Wits Unfamilar. Occupation: Amphibious monster. Skills: Focused Athletics, Navigation, Sneaking, Swimming; Unfocused None. Special Abilities: Its skin acts as Light armor (with no dice penalty), and its size allows it to suffer Graze three times before accumulating further damage. Focus: 5. Notes: This 20-foot long, amphibious monster has red eyes that poke out of water when it stalks prey and a frog-like tongue that stretches 30 feet, ending in poisonous barbs that cause unconsciousness. A small scratch can put an adult human out for two to three hours. It stores its victims in lairs beneath lake banks. THE TODENHORNS: A.k.a. the Dead Men. Gender: NA. Age: NA. Attributes: Brawn and Grace Focused; None Unfamiliar. Occupation: Undead monster. Skills: Focused Athletics, Sneaking; Unfocused Lockpicking, Martial Arts, Navigation. Special Abilities: See Notes. Focus: 3. Notes: The first monsters Peter ever encountered, the todenhorns

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D6XD6 ™ RPG are dead bodies burned to a crisp, making them so lightweight that they can easily climb walls. Most conventional weapons do not affect them, simply leaving more holes in their already dead bodies. Only crushing or dismemberment destroys them.

SAMPLE ADVENTURE:

PETER AND THE SCARECROWS This adventure is written with Peter, Dill, and Gwen in mind, though players are welcome to substitute their own characters.

ACT I: THE FIRST ENCOUNTER While visiting a local cornfield maze on a school trip near Halloween, Peter’s class is split into small groups and challenged to find their way through. The first group to find their way out will get extra credit on their report cards. No sooner do Peter, Dill, and Gwen separate from the others than something begins stealthily following them through the corn. Suddenly a scarecrow leaps out at them and attacks! Without weapons (this is a school trip after all), they are forced to flee, and with quick running and clever navigation, they escape the maze. Naturally, no adults believe their story. The next day, however, a townsperson is found strangled in the maze, with bunches of straw and rags of rotten cloth around the body. Deputy Jenkins investigates, questioning all the children who went on the class trip. Of course, when he gets to the Peter and friends, he gives them a hard time. If they tell him the truth about the scarecrow attack, he accuses them of lying to make his job more difficult. On the other hand, if they don’t tell him everything, he senses they are holding something back, and he threatens to get even with them somehow. Eventually, the children are released with a stern warning to keep away from the corn maze and to mind their own business. ACT II: THE MYSTERY Doing some sleuthing, Peter, Dill, and Gwen find that the rags and straw were never collected for evidence. When they inspect the rags, they discover a tag from a thrift store in town. At just this moment, the scarecrow attacks again, but its legs are in tatters (that’s where the rags are from) so it propels itself on its arms, dragging its lower body, strewing more straw behind. The thing is

fragile, and it can’t decide on a single hero to attack, so they should be able to overcome it without much trouble. (See the scarecrow description at the end of this adventure.) Following up the lead to the thrift shop, the group learns from its proprietor that Fallon (Peter’s evil step-great-uncle, who owns Hidden Books, a used bookshop with a secret black-magic section) has been buying ragged old clothes lately. When the heroes try to get information from Fallon, he denies knowing anything. As the group leaves Hidden Books, however, a classmate who lives on a farm near the corn maze stops them to say he’s been seeing weird lights from a neighboring farm at night. “It’s the Curwen place,” he says. Before he can tell them more, though, his mother calls him to her car, saying they have more errands to run and no time to dawdle. If the heroes visit the Curwen farm, they find that old man Curwen seems quite insane. He quotes passages of creepy poetry, telling the group that it was written by H. P. Lovecraft, a “visionary writer” who knew lots and lots about Cthulhu, Nyarlathotep, Yog-Sothoth and other Great Old Ones. Then he shows them some canning jars full of glowing goop, and says it’s the souls of people who tried to rob him. He tells the group that if they don’t get off his property right now, he’ll add their souls to his collection. He says he has business to prepare for this evening and can’t afford to waste any more time on them.

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LESTER SMITH If the group is foolish enough to attack him, he hollers for help, and a farmhand with a shotgun comes to defend him. Curwen grabs a rusty old saber from the mantle and waves it at them. If necessary, the Game Host should remind the players that the heroes are children, and that facing two armed adults is not only suicide, but also not the way Peter, Dill, and Gwen would act. Returning home, if Peter and crew ask Grandfather about H. P. Lovecraft, he tells them the man knew too much about the occult and should have kept his mouth shut. But he agrees that something fishy seems to be going on. He warns the children to stay out of it, though.

ACT III: THE CONFRONTATION That night, when Peter, Gwen, and Dill sneak to the farm, they don’t notice Grandfather following them. Arriving, they find a strange mist and flickering green lights filling the corn maze. An eerie murmur can be heard, almost like someone talking and gargling at the same time. Following the sound, they discover Old Man Curwen and his field hand conducting a ritual inside a circle of scarecrows on poles. As the children approach, the scarecrows all come to life and bow down before the farmer. Continuing his chant, Old Man Curwen suddenly points to his field hand, and the scarecrows attack the man. They drag him, screaming, into the corn, where his cries abruptly cease. As the scarecrows return, Grandfather’s voice is suddenly heard, chanting in that same gargling language. A few of the scarecrows begin attacking the others, obviously now under his command. The farmer chants louder, and while some of the scarecrows continue to fight, others begin searching through the corn for this intruder. Peter and his friends have not yet been discovered, and the players can use this in many ways to tip the balance of the battle. They might ambush and attack individual scarecrows to even the odds, lead a group of them away from Grandfather to buy him more time, ambush them in a barn, put farm machinery to work, or even set fire to the cornfield. In the last case, the

heroes should have to defend themselves against at least one burning scarecrow, though taking refuge in a nearby pond can solve that problem. When all the scarecrows are destroyed, Peter and his friends discover that Old Man Curwen managed to escape in the confusion. His glowing canning jars are missing too. For his own part, Grandfather refuses to talk about the evening. As an epilogue, Peter might discover the glowing canning jars stored in Grandfather’s cellar. There might even be an extra one.… SCARECROWS: Gender: NA. Age: NA. Attributes: Brawn Focused; Wits Unfamiliar. Occupation: Scarecrow. Skills: Focused Sneaking, Tracking; Unfocused Athletics, Throwing. Special Abilities: Lack of nerves means no dice penalties from damage. Focus: 4. Notes: Individually, scarecrows are too lightweight to be much of a threat to adults. In groups, though, they can swarm and suffocate or strangle a victim.

ADVENTURE SEEDS MURDERMAIDS: A murder victim’s remains are discovered on the beach. It turns out that a family of grotesque cannibals live in a cave by the sea on Grandfather’s property. TOOTH UNFAIRIES: A kid from school tells about a rogue tooth fairy that knocked out both his front teeth. Peter and company discover that the boy’s house is infested with mean little flying psychopaths escaped from Fairieworld. YOMI-NO-KUNI: On a flight to Japan for more ninja training, Peter and friends are attacked by evil ninjas disguised as passengers. The plane crashes in Yomi-no-Kuni, the Japanese land of the dead, where the group must face myhological monsters and escape an undead samurai.

CAMPAIGN IDEAS Endless adventures are possible in this setting, with monsters from countless cultures. See the novels for further examples, and for details about Duskerville, Grandfather’s mysterious mansion, the nearby Shadow Hills Asylum for the Criminally Insane, Fairieland, Mirrorworld, and more.

CREDITS DESIGN: Darren Pillsbury. DEVELOPMENT: Lester Smith. EDITING: Dale A. Donovan. ILLUSTRATIONS: Darren Pillsbury. PROOFREADING: Winifred Lewis. LAYOUT: Ralph Faraday.

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D6XD6 ™ RPG

THE WORLD OF

THE PSIONIC PENTALOGY Adrian Howell

In the Psionic Pentalogy, an adolescent boy begins to discover his fledgling telekinetic powers, and finds himself thrust unexpectedly into a hidden psychic war.

BACKGROUND On present-day Earth, a centuriesold war is being waged between secret paranormal societies. The largest of these psionic factions is the Angels, who seek to bring order to the world of humans by taking control. But they are kept in check by the second largest faction, the Guardians, who believe in keeping the world of psionics and humans apart. Other, smaller factions struggle to survive and remain neutral even as a paramilitary force known as the Wolves hunts down psionics for use in medical experimentation, while a cult religion, the God-slayers, believing psionics to be demons in human form, seeks to exterminate them.

OCCUPATIONS Whether human or psionic, characters can have any occupation available in the modern world. Additionally, each psionic faction has its fighter class. The Guardians have their Knights, which are divided into Lancer Knights who fight other psionic factions and Raven Knights who specialize in combating human threats. The Angels’ psionic fighters are known as Seraphim. On the human side are the Wolves, a small band of special-ops

soldiers who work for the government, and the God-slayers who, though not as well-trained, use modern weapons and suicidal determination to rid the world of “lesser gods.”

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LESTER SMITH SKILLS All skills from the Basic Skills chapter apply, and will be important for both psionic and nonpsionic occupations. In addition, several psionic powers and two non-psionic skills may be selected, as detailed below. Psionic powers fall into three basic categories: Destroyer, Controller, and Independent. A player may choose up to five powers during character creation, dividing them as desired between Focused and Unfocused. Once Focused, a power cannot become Unfocused, though Unfocused powers can later be promoted to Focused with experience. Unlike other skills, Unfamiliar psionic powers cannot be used and cannot be learned by experience. Note that although psionics usually don’t gain their powers until they are 18 years old, their powers are predetermined at birth. As such, one might allow chance to dictate a character’s powers. (A good way is to write each on a card, shuffle, and draw 1–5 at random.) For more about psionic experience, see the Special Rules section of this chapter.

DESTROYER POWERS PYROID (PYROKINESIST): Pyroids can create and throw fireballs or shoot jets of flame at their targets. (Treat as a Throwing Blade.) They can also rapidly increase the burn-rate of an existing fire. SPARK (ELECTROKINESIST): Sparks can create or manipulate electricity. Some can only drive current through direct contact, while others can throw thunderbolts from their hands. (Treat as a Throwing Blade.) Powerful sparks can cause static-electric surges in a target object (or person) at Throwing range. TELEKINETIC (TELEKINESIST): Telekinetics can move or levitate matter, but target objects should be fairly close and small enough to physically lift. Powerful telekinetics can, by levitating themselves, fly for short distances. Telekinetics can also shoot their energy in the form of “blasts,” hitting objects beyond their usual telekinetic range with enough force to cause significant damage. (Treat as a Small Pistol.)

CONTROLLER POWERS BERSERKER: When hit by a berserker mind blast, the victim suffers a sharp, incapacitating headache, followed by uncontrollable rage,

causing the person to “go berserk.” Many do not survive this power’s effect, not caring what injuries they suffer during the rage. DELVER: Delvers can read a subject’s current thoughts (not to be confused with memories). Delving can be done at Throwing range, but line of sight is required. DREAMWEAVER: This is the ability to create and overwrite a person’s dreams. Dreamweavers can work only with people who are asleep, but can lock onto a person’s mind and feed dreams and nightmares from many kilometers away. MIND-WRITER: By touch, mind-writers can implant, alter, or delete memories of up to two weeks old. In doing so, they can glimpse a subject’s memories but cannot accurately read them. Also, they cannot read current thoughts. PEACEMAKER: This is the ability to negate a subject’s emotions, making the person highly susceptible to suggestion. Powerful peacemakers can counter the second effect of the berserker power. Peacemakers usually require direct eye contact with their targets. PUPPETEER: By temporarily taking control of a person’s body, puppeteers can turn friend into foe. Many puppeteers can work their powers from a distance of 50 meters or more.

INDEPENDENT POWERS AQUARIAN: Aquarians (a.k.a. “Fish”) can breathe underwater, and many can use their power without much concentration and stay submerged indefinitely. FINDER: This ability provides a sense of distance, direction, and strength of others’ psionic powers. Many finders can locate individual powers at distances exceeding 1,000 kilometers. However, this range is greatly reduced when the target is in motion, underground, or drained (see Metal Draining under Special Rules). GRAVITON: This is the ability to increase gravitational pull, thereby adding weight. (Each Succcess Level boosts gravity’s effect by 50 percent.) Unlike light-foots, many gravitons can use their power on other objects, but line of sight is necessary. HEALER: This ability accelerates recovery from cuts, bruises, and burns. Healers need to be very close to their subjects to use their powers, and they cannot cure diseases. Nor can they heal themselves (see Metal Draining in the Special Rules below).

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HIDER: This is the ability to conceal one’s psionic power from detection by psionic findersHiders can hide their own powers and the powers of psionics in their immediate vicinity, or they can create house-sized hiding fields that remain stationary over chosen areas. Powerful hiders can lend other psionics personal hiding protection, allowing them to travel undetected for several days, even away from the hider’s vicinity. LIGHT-FOOT: With this ability, psionics can counter gravitational pull, thereby reducing their own weight. (Each Success Level reduces the pull of gravity by 20 percent.) Some light-foots can jump over houses and even walk on water. PHANTOM: Phantoms can turn their own bodies and anything they are touching (within reasonable size) invisible for several hours at a time. However, any sudden movement, collision, or impact can instantly remove the cloak. Phantoms rarely cloak their own eyes, because light must hit their retinas for them to see. SHAPE-SHIFTER: Shape-shifters can temporarily assume the physical form of other people. They cannot shift into animals or inanimate objects, and must work within approximately 10% of

total body mass, meaning that an adult cannot shift into the form of a child. TELEPATH: Telepaths can speak into people’s minds at distances of up to a kilometer. Some can target only one mind at a time. Others can speak to groups. Telepathy can travel through walls, but more concentration is needed and range is reduced. TELEPORTER: Teleporters can instantaneously move through space, traveling up to 30 meters in a single jump. Powerful teleporters can jump through solid objects, but line of sight is usually required in order to avoid messy accidents. WINDMASTER: Windmasters can control air movement to create small tornados, suck the air out of a victim’s lungs, or even tear apart trees and houses. (Exact effects are left to the Game Host’s discretion, based on Success Levels.)

NON-PSIONIC SKILLS MENTAL BLOCKING: This ability reduces the effects of controller powers or blocks them completely. When controllers try to use their powers on people with mental blocking training, the character with the highest Success Levels wins; a tie means the struggle continues.

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INTERROGATION TACTICS: In short, this is the use of torture, which is commonly employed by most factions when extracting information from captives. Torture is an effective method of reducing Mental Blocking ability, making it easier for psionic interrogators to delve a subject’s thoughts.

SPECIAL RULES PSIONIC EXPERIENCE: Unlike other skills, Unfocused psionic powers may gain pluses. The cost is 3 Drama Points per plus, and more than one may be gained at a time. Other types of psionic experience can be more costly. To move an Unfocused skill to Focused, or to plus a Focused skill, costs 3 Drama Points plus the number of plusses on the skill. Example 1: Moving Healer+ from Unfocused to Focused costs 4 Drama Points. Example 2: Adding a plus to Focused Spark++ costs 5 Drama Points. PASSIVE FINDING: All psionics have some ability to sense the distance and strength of some powers in their immediate vicinity. Unlike finders, however, they cannot accurately tell direction, and can sense only powers similar to their own. Thus, destroyers can sense only other destroyers, controllers only other controllers, and independent powers only the exact same power. METAL DRAINING: Being surrounded by metal can noticeably weaken psionic powers, and direct

contact with a metal object can negate the powers completely. If psionics are injured, even the iron in their own blood, once outside and touching their skin, can significantly weaken their powers. As such, healers cannot heal their own open wounds, and in psionic combat, whoever bleeds first usually loses. AUGMENTATION AND POWER BALANCE: All forms of psionic power can temporarily augment physical strength, but psionics must learn “power balance” so that their muscles aren’t overly dependent on their powers. Some psionics with poor power balance, when drained by metal, become physically weakened to the point that they can’t even walk. Proficiency level in power balance should be part of any psionic character’s background. DANGERS OF MIND CONTROL: While peacemaking and dreamweaving are mostly harmless, mind-writing, delving, and puppeteering run a small risk of permanent damage to the target’s brain, while berserking is particularly hazardous. These risks are much higher when controller powers are used on children and senior citizens, and attempting to block psionic control also is more dangerous than accepting it.

EQUIPMENT Most modern-day equipment can be used in this setting, but certain technologies are absent, namely Kevlar armor, projectile Taser weapons, smartphones, and high-speed Internet. Wolves

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D6XD6 ™ RPG have access to high-level military tech, while God-slayers are armed with civilian variants. Even psionic fighters often rely on a combination of their powers and modern weapons, as firearms are just as effective in combat as psionic powers.

DENIZENS The only races in this world are humans and psionics. And though psionics do engage in criminal activities just as much as humans, there are no outright “bad guy groups” in the interfaction conflict: each side believes that it is fighting for the greater good.

SAMPLE ADVENTURE: MR. X’S SCHOOL FOR GIFTED YOUTH This adventure assumes that the players’ characters are either unaware of the secret psionic war or are a small group currently trying to quietly exist “off the radar” in a small town. They can be of any faction, as long as their current goal is to remain unnoticed by other factions in the war.

ACT I: TALENT SCOUTS While out and about buying groceries, banking, or otherwise taking care of the business of maintaining a seemingly normal existence, the characters learn of a talent contest scheduled to be held in town next week. Rather than a public show, this will be a private review by representatives of an anonymous benefactor who seeks to provide the best and brightest youths with scholarships to various universities and arts schools. The town is abuzz with excitement, as parents and children alike discuss how best to prepare. Local politicians and civic organizations take the opportunity to promote the community by giving interviews with regional news agencies. The characters find themselves questioned by friendly townspeople about any special talents their own young relatives and friends might have. In all, it is an uncomfortable time for anyone hoping to remain inconspicuous. If they investigate this mysterious benefactor, the characters learn that he is well hidden from discovery, though the schools mentioned report having received scholarships in his name. Pressing further invites questions in return, concerning what the characters’ interest is in this information and how they intend to use it.

During the course of the next week, as the talent scouting takes place, those tested remain surprisingly close-mouthed about the process, citing non-disclosure forms and not wanting to spoil their chances for a scholarship. Through careful questioning, the characters can learn, however, that the competition involves not just talent demonstrations, but also thorough medical examinations, and even neurological scans during yoga and Zen meditation.

ACT II: WAITING BY THE PHONE With the testing ended, the townsfolk await news of the results. Weeks pass with no news, a month, and then another. Local authorities are unable to contact testing representatives to learn anything. It seems as if the benefactor’s organization has simply disappeared from the face of the earth. The townsfolk go through the classic five stages of grieving: First denying any problem (with patience, news will come); then angrily denouncing the secretive person who raised their children’s hopes only to dash them so cruelly; then bargaining for alternative sources of funding, and offering tax breaks to any businesses that might help; then slipping into a general depression that such an opportunity has come and gone; and finally accepting the situation and moving on as if it had never happened. If possible, the Game Host should provide this act as background to a series of other adventures, allowing the town’s grieving to play out over time, and stretching out the heroes’ discomfort about it.

ACT III: OPERATION PIED PIPER Finally, however, when the townsfolk come to accept their situation and let their guard down, a military-style nighttime raid befalls the town. The raiders attack homes and steal children, leaving any defenders wounded or dead. Depending on their reaction, the characters may take part in the town’s defense, though doing so could betray whatever powers or training they may have been hiding. During this action, they might also kill or capture one or more of the invaders, and learn from them exactly what faction in the psionic war is behind the attack. As Game Host, you can choose to reveal the attackers as either the characters’ worst enemies,

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LESTER SMITH or as a well-funded group that is sympathetic to the characters’ goals. What the characters decide to do next—remain in town as its secret defenders, follow the invaders and lead a retaliatory or rescue operation, or follow them and ask to join forces— is ultimately your players’ decision.

ADVENTURE SEEDS A GUARDIAN MISSION: A small-town psionic settlement belonging to the Guardian faction sends a distress call to their ruling Council, stating that they are being attacked by unknown forces. When reinforcements are sent, they find that the settlement leader has gone missing along with his entire family, but no one in the settlement can seem to remember the attack itself. By order of the New Haven Council of the Guardians, a team of psionic investigators must find out what happened here and try to save the kidnapped family. AN ANGEL MISSION: One Angel settlement has grown in population to the point that the leadership has decided to split it into two in order to keep the size small enough not to attract unwanted attention from Wolves and other aggressors. Thus, half of the psionic families here will move to another town and set up a new settlement there. A team of Angels, including civilians and Seraphim, are tasked with choosing the new location and organizing the exodus. But this must be done stealthily, avoiding prying eyes and interference from the Guardians and other factions. Failure could jeopardize the lives of more than fifty Angel families. A WOLF MISSION: A psionic serial killer, formerly a member of the Meridian faction, is on the loose in the city, and the body count is rising. A team of Wolves is sent to the Dog’s Gate, a neutral-ground bar and restaurant where they hope to speak with Meridian representatives and gain information about their target. When they arrive, they discover that both the Guardians and the Angels have also begun investigations into this serial killing. As long as the killer is stopped,

it doesn’t matter who gets to him first, but the real problem is what happens if all three teams arrive at the same time. A GOD-SLAYER MISSION: An anonymous tip has put the God-slayers in a position where they might be able to take out an entire psionic gathering due to take place in a week’s time at a secluded location in the city. But can this tip be trusted? The lesser gods are tricky and without morals, so the Slayer team must first carefully confirm the validity of their information or risk walking into an ambush. But time is of the essence, and even if the tip can be trusted, it will still take a concentrated effort to vanquish this gathering of evil.

CAMPAIGN IDEAS Campaigns in the Psionic Pentalogy setting can be about conquest, about maintaining the status quo, or about vengeance. ANGEL-BASED CAMPAIGNS in particular tend to be about defeating or absorbing other psionic groups, conquering the world, and establishing a psionic mastery of the world for the good of all humankind. WOLF-BASED CAMPAIGNS have a similar theme, with the primary goal of capturing psionics and delivering them to research facilities, in order to learn to either emulate or neutralize their powers. GUARDIAN-BASED CAMPAIGNS tend to be about preserving individual freedoms, which means maintaining the status quo. GOD-SLAYER CAMPAIGNS are focused on destroying all psionics as blasphemous affronts to the true faith (whatever brand of faith that may be for the particular God-slayer group). INDEPENDENT CAMPAIGNS may have a primary purpose of simply remaining free, with a secondary purpose of avenging the capture, torture, or the death of loved ones.

FINAL COMMENTS Any of these campaigns can shift focus, of course, as characters grow and develop new perspectives about their psionic-war-torn world.

CREDITS DESIGN: Adrian Howell. DEVELOPMENT: Lester Smith. EDITING: Dale A. Donovan. COVER: Pintado. PROOFREADING: Winifred Lewis. LAYOUT: Ralph Faraday. “SHATTER” & “SPARK” ILLOS: K8 Smith, edited from “Sad Girl Looks Through Broken Windows Glass” by

Steven Depolo, “IMG_11815_Shuishalian” by Mark Kao, & “Floater” by linspiration777, all licensed under CC BY 2.0.

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D6XD6 ™ RPG

THE WORLD OF

THE SEVENTH CROWN Bryan Steele

The high-fantasy setting of The Seventh Crown places your heroes in a time of epic change, in a world defined not by borders or territories, but by the ironclad control of a few magical crowns.

BACKGROUND Seventh Crown takes place on the highly magical continent of Kanis, a fantastical place that was once home to the Audaran Dynasty, a powerful dwarven empire. This alliance of dwarves, gnomes, elves, halflings, and men was shattered by an invasion of an ogre armada magically controlled and unified by a devilish ogre mage named Mael. Mael, the Allslord King of Ogres, turned ten thousand chaotic monsters into a fighting army through the use of his magical helm—the Dominion Cowl. With its power, Mael landed a hundred mighty warships upon Kanis’s shores and directed them in a year-long assault on the Audaran Dynasty. The onslaught the ogres brought upon Kanis forced the dynasty’s dwarven king, Ghufor IX, to spend nearly all the royal treasury hiring the mighty silver dragon Xantemax and his brethren from the southern islands. These scaly mercenaries did their best to help stem the tide of ogres from the West, but the Ogre War would eventually claim the lives of tens of thousands—including the dwarven king and Xantemax before it came to an end at the walls of Diamor, the capital. At that battle, when things looked bleakest, divine influence aimed a lucky ballista bolt into the Allslord’s magical helm. The impact killed the ogre

king and shattered the Dominion Cowl into seven pieces, sundering his army of ogres, orcs, and goblins back into their normal anarchy. The Ogre War ended, but the Audaran Dynasty was wounded deeply, and it fell into chaos. This power vacuum would never be repaired, due to the discovery of the Dominion Cowl’s still-powerful broken pieces. The six pieces of Mael’s artifact were discovered to have a power to influence their bearer’s own race, akin to the command the

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LESTER SMITH Allslord had over his ogre army. The six golden chunks found at Diamor were forged into the six known Crowns of Leadership, ensuring that Kanis would never again see a single governing peace. The bearer of each Crown forms a magical bond with every being that shares his or her racial lineage, creating six kingdoms defined not by borders, territory, or religion. These six Crowns are what binds a kingdom together under the will of the rulers, but the power struggles between them can change with an action as simple as one race losing its Crown to another. One kingdom loses its cohesion and collective will…and another rises up and is formed. The six Crowns of Leadership, the laws and edicts of their bearers, and the eternal search for the mythic seventh Crown are what drive the people of Kanis. Will you serve your own ruler willingly, or fight against the influence of the Crowns?

THE KANISI PANTHEON The primary gods and goddesses of Kanis claim worshippers with a multitude of lifestyles, which further shapes the world. CASTIONNE: Goddess of protection, defense, and shield of the hearth; also Rhyfaa’s god-wife. FOESLEN: God of thieves, muggers, and cutthroats. LATTOX: Storm god, master of weather and watchman of sailing vessels. NULAN: Goddess of knowledge and learning; the “grandmother of magic.” RHYFAA: Powerful god of vengeance, justice, and righteous war; also Castionne’s god-husband. THE SHADES: Demonic entities worshipped by a secret cult. THORNRELL: Treelike god of growth, life, and healing. WILD ONES: Nature spirits universally worshipped by the fey and druids. WRAX: Orcish god of war, chaos, and bloodshed. ZOH’L: Goddess of Death; the gatekeeper to the afterlife.

OCCUPATIONS While the Occupations chapter covers many of the common folk in Seventh Crown, adventurers may find the following options of more interest.

ARCANIST: Magic is both strong and prevalent in Kanis, and many folk can wield the aether of arcane magic. Whether learned through studious tutoring, born from a mystical heritage, or infused with powers from otherworldly masters, many partake of magic. Examples: Cultist Sorcerer, Draconic Magi, Halfling Culinary Caster, University Wizard. CLERGY: The many gods of Kanis are a strong influence upon the land. Their many servants live throughout society, doing their holy (or unholy) works for the populace in a variety of ways based on the teachings of their faiths. Examples: Rhyfaan Crusaders, Nulani Learners, Wraxan Berserkers, Black Path Cultists, Final Rest Paladins. SOLDIER: The conflicts of Kanis are so widespread and random that those of the martial persuasion are a necessity. Training to cross blades for glory, loyalty, and coin, countless Kanisi are ready to do battle for their community, allies, or Crown. Examples: Merchant Marine Corsairs, Dwarven Mountain Guard, Soldiers of the Road, Dragonborn Pirates, Mercenaries. URBANITE: Many of Kanis’s cities are massive structures surviving from the Dynastic Age, putting thousands of peoples in urban settings. Life moves at an increased pace inside their walls, and many opportunities exist for those willing to pursue a living there. Examples: Street Thieves, Bards, Con Artistes, Smugglers. WILDER: Much of Kanis remains untamed wilderness, and a large number of its inhabitants make their livings amongst the predators, prey, and monsters left unchecked in the world. They help make the journeys between populated areas survivable—or perhaps more dangerous. Examples: Northland Barbarians, Wild Druids, Farsteader Rangers, Frontiersmen.

SKILLS From the Basic Skills chapter, Athletics, Bargaining, First Aid, Lockpicking, Martial Arts, Navigation, Persuasion, Pickpocketing, Ride Animal, Second Language, Shooting, Sneaking, Swimming, Throwing, and Tracking are suitable. Heroes in the Seventh Crown setting may also choose from the following list.

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D6XD6 ™ RPG ARCANA: There is much beyond the scope and understanding of the common mind, but some have learned these facets. This skill includes the identification of monstrous beings, of magic in use, and of potential otherworldly entities. DIVINE BLESSINGS: The gods of Kanis work minor miracles through the hands of their clergy and devout followers. These blessings vary from god to god, and include magical healing, protection and divination spells, and other rituals. How these skills work through their servants is primarily dependent on the deity in question. DIVINE WRATHS: Just as the Kanisi gods bring aid and guidance to the world through their faithful, they also can call down ferocious fury with which their followers can smite their foes. Columns of fire, lightning from the heavens, and life-stealing nimbuses of dark energy are some of the terrible powers they can funnel through their priests and paladins. DRACONIC GIFT: The dragons of Kanis primarily live on the southern islands, but they have been intermingling with the Kanisi for eons. This has left many marks of the draconic on some sorcerers and, of course, an entire species: the dragonborn. This skill covers the use of gifts from that bloodline; especially calling up gouts of flame, acid, or freezing cold from within their scaly gullets. FEY MAGIC: Ancient magics of nature and the wild, the otherworldly fey granted mortal beings many magical spells and incantations. Shaping living wood, calling up elemental servants, and controlling animal life are just some of the common uses. ILLUSIONS: A branch of magic that alters or fools the senses, illusion is a favorite of tricksters and cultists. From basic chicanery to the obfuscation of sinister activities, the use of illusions is nothing less than raw deception given form. NECROMANCY: As long as there has been magic, some mortals try to use it to control the balance of life and death. Necromancy is the magical command of death energy. Animating dead flesh, sucking vitality from the living, or speaking with those who have passed beyond; these dark spells do that and much more. RESISTANCE: The Crowns of Leadership affect the free will and decisions of their kingdoms from many miles away (see Special Rules below),

but not everyone is happy about being a part of their king or queen’s loyal following. This skill is used to force aside the influence of the Crowns, and is a practice of fierce personal willpower. SHAPESHIFT: The most loyal servants of the Wild Ones, Kanisi Druids, can assume the physical shape of the continent’s wild animals. This skill is not only the ability to understand and magically take these shapes, but also the way to use their new forms’ many gifts. WAR WIZARDRY: Whether trained by the University or self-taught through mystic backgrounds, the use of magic to hurl fireballs, conjure massive elemental warriors, and enhance the abilities of allied soldiers is well known. Any calling of arcane power to aid in conflict is collectively war wizardry. WITCHCRAFT: Summoning demons, brewing foul tinctures, and putting horrid curses and hexes on their foes; these are the powers that warlocks and witches traffic in.

SPECIAL RULES MAGIC: While a full spell list is beyond the scope of this chapter, level-based systems can be adapted to this setting by assigning spells to the skills above, treating spell level as required Success Levels, and adapting duration and effect to the D6xD6 Conflict and Damage chapter rules. THE CROWNS: What most sets Kanis apart from other high-fantasy realms is the powerful influence the Crowns of Leadership have upon the races of the wearers. The laws, wills and edicts made by the kings and queens are felt like mental tugs; the closer the Crown is to the person in question, the stronger the influence is. The following table shows the Difficulty Rating of Resistance skill rolls, based on how near the commanding Crown the person is located. (Bonuses noted for great distance are applied to the high die before multiplying.) DISTANCE (MILES)

DIFFICULTY

200+

2-point bonus

101–200

1-bonus

11–100

Average

1–10

Formidable

Less than 1

Impossible

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LESTER SMITH The six current bearers of the Crowns of Leadership and a few of their normal edicts follow. HER MAJESTY, JILLIAN MAE CATERINE, QUEEN OF MEN • No human-controlled territory can forbid halfling travelers. They must be allowed to visit freely for a period of time no shorter than three days; beyond that time is dependent on the local authorities. • A host who feeds you a meal and shares his drink in his home or business is not to be harmed until sunrise of the following day. • The gods are allies to mankind; no harm can come to public shrines or temples. VORRILAR DYSORL, ELVEN KING BENEATH • Any elf who requests hospitality in the home of another elf cannot be turned away; break the hospitality given and suffer at the hands of the homeowner. • Elves can be slave owners, but never enslaved. • Shed no blood during a wedding of elves. KING RAGMORUND, LORD OF DWARVES • Dwarves must never mistreat a gnome that has committed no crime against them. • No dwarf can refuse to fill the mug of a wounded soldier, no matter the cost. • An ogre head, still fresh with flesh, can be traded to any dwarven merchant for its silver weight in trade. KING AHRGRUK MANFOE, HIGH WARLORD OF ORCS • An honorable challenge in combat must be accepted if made by any of orcish blood, and denied if made by any of elven blood. • Never accept surrender from an unwounded foe. • Keep the spoils from what you kill. VENERABLE KYYLIGAR, THE DRAGON KING • Dragon shall not kill dragon. • A dragon’s lair is sanctuary. None may enter, save the King, without permission. • A dragon shall keep its promises and oaths; the honor of all dragons is marred by the failings of any. MATRIARCH HHALENAE, GRANDEST OF KOBOLDS • Dragons are the enemy and their dragonborn servants cannot be trusted. • Peace purchased with food or drink is peace well purchased. • Goblins are the enemy; do not tolerate their presence.

EQUIPMENT The world of Seventh Crown setting is a highfantasy setting with a touch of a medieval flair. Swords, armor, shields, and all your common adventuring fare should be available. Magical versions of weapons, armor, and equipment are also common, with some enchantments being as simple as a ring giving off light in the dark, an edge that never dulls, or possibly a shield that reflects spells away from it. Gunpowder has not been invented in this world, however.

DENIZENS A host of monsters threaten the lives of adventurers and common folk alike on the continent of Kanis, ranging from vicious goblins and orcs, horrid undead abominations, and mythic beasts such as hydras and manticores. The wilds are filled with terrible things that spring from myth and legend. Humanoid races of Kanis include: DWARVES: Proud and stout, these people recall their days at the head of the Dynasty. A dwarf never forgets, and always stands by his word. ELVES: Split into two camps, the light-skinned surface elves are devoted to magic and artistry, while the charcoal-hued dark elves from the Great Beneath strive to conquer the surface world through trickery and deceit. HALFLINGS: Nomadic folk full of life, mirth, and adventure, they travel in family caravans that cross the continent in search of wonder. HUMANS: The lifeblood of labor, shipping and commerce across all of Kanis, humans are omnipresent, but not omnipotent. DRAGONBORN: The ancient pawns of their draconic forefathers, these people are often sailors, pirates, and sellswords devoted to coin and glory. GNOMES: These diminutive scholars and tinkers willingly serve the dwarves as a way to prove their mathematic Great Equation, which will earn them rulership of the world—eventually. HALF-ELVES & HALF-ORCS: The interbreeding of men with other species creates numerous spawn that find themselves unfortunately torn between the power of two Crowns.

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LESTER SMITH SAMPLE ADVENTURE: A DARK SHIP SAILS

ADVENTURE SEEDS

This adventure introduces heroes to several denizens of the world of Seventh Crown.

ACT I: THE DOCKS AT NIGHT The heroes are enjoying a night out at the pubs of Dusk Landing, a major shipping port, when they hear screams along the wharves. A dozen or more shambling undead have been spotted, seemingly searching for something out to sea and attacking anyone in their way. After dispatching the zombies, the heroes learn that similar events have been happening as of late: always undead, always by the water’s edge. They need to investigate further if the docks of Dusk Landing will ever be safe again.

ACT II: HELPING THE WATCH Learning of the heroes’ actions, the Magistrate’s Watch contact the party and request that they help patrol the area to see if they can turn up why this keeps happening. A few street thugs and a wharf drunk will report the following if bribed, intimidated, or coerced: the walking dead roam all the way to pier nine at the end and wait there until a long, black ship crewed by dark creatures comes and lets them board. Then the ship departs into the night fog again, taking along with it any living beings that the zombies can restrain.

ACT III: THE BLACK YACHT Once they learn of the pattern of undead at pier nine, the heroes can set an ambush for the next group of shamblers and wait for the black ship. This ship, a mysterious northern vessel crewed by silent undead dragonborn and half-orc zombies, will come to the pier to bring the undead on board and battle the heroes if they are at the pier. If the heroes overcome the horrible crew, who are not intelligent but instead act out of some kind of necromantic programming, they find a small chest of age-tarnished Dynastic Era gold coins: and a recent map leading to an island far off the southwest coast that is not on any known map. What could that possibly lead to?

A multitude of plots, schemes, and hooks can give a group of adventurers reason to band together and strive for the common good. GOBLINS SQUABBLIN’: A bitter guerrilla war rages between the goblins of Gobtown and the Queen of Kobolds in Derrow Fields that could escalate at any moment. BLACK AND BRASS: A black dragon named Kazuluzak has taken up hidden residence in the Spyne, and wants to find suitable, well-paid pawns to make moves against King Kyyligar the Brass to take his Crown. BLADES OF VENOM: Luola, the gnomish Smuggling Queen of XeSon, needs able bodies to take dark, poisoned weapons to the assassins of the human nobles of the Von Juhn Clan. CRIMSON SWATH: A vicious crimson dragonborn pirate captain, Sanguir Rex, is raiding up and down the Dunwater coast, and the trading companies need help to protect their shipments. ORCS AND ELVES: The King of Orcs is on the warpath, and despite all the people in his way, he has eyes for the elven Glades. DRAWN TO DEATH: Uncontrolled undead are migrating southwest for some unknown reason, and even some sentient undead claim to feel this pull: similar to that of a Crown of Leadership.

CAMPAIGN IDEAS So much is at stake in Seventh Crown that cannot possibly be contained in a few plotlines, and a great deal of the moving and shaking of Kanis is due to the six Crowns, the hundreds of thousands of lives they control, and the potential for finding the missing seventh Crown of Leadership. The search for this lost piece of legendry could be an epic campaign indeed! For more in depth information on the growing Seventh Crown world, head over to facebook.com/seventhcrownrpg and join the setting community for details!

CREDITS DESIGN: Bryan Steele. EDITING: Lester Smith & Dale A. Donovan. COVER ILLUSTRATION: Heath Foley. KANIS MAP: Tim Toolen. PROOFREADING: Winifred Lewis. LAYOUT: Ralph Faraday.

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D6XD6 ™ RPG

THE WORLD OF

SHOTGUNS & SORCERY Matt Forbeck

Noir sensibilities and firearms technology meet epic fantasy in the Shotguns & Sorcery novels and stories. This setting chapter allows you to visit that world as a hero of your own design. Also be sure to check out the full Shotguns & Sorcery roleplaying game from Outland Entertainment.

BACKGROUND Shotguns & Sorcery is set in Dragon City, a grim and gritty fantasy metropolis built on top of and inside of a walled-off mountain and ruled over by an ancient dragon known as the Dragon Emperor. Legions of zombies scratch at the stones of the Great Circle every hour of the night, trying to tear down the wall for their mysterious necromantic commander, the Ruler of the Dead. Inside the wall, people work and scheme to find an edge and get ahead in the city’s dark alleys and on its magically lit streets. Green-skinned folk squat down in Goblintown, stacked right up against the wall, where they can hear the moaning of the dead all night long. Above them, the rest of the citizens live in neighborhoods of their own, each stratified by their residents’ longevity and social standing, which makes for the kind of barriers no hack on an enchanted carpet can fly you past. Robbing the ruins that lay outside the Great Circle is illegal, but it’s also the best way for people with questionable talents and rune-laced shotguns to keep the gold flowing. And most days it beats selling dragon essence to the addicts who use it to fuel their magics, or hiring out as muscle for the

dwarven gangs. As long as you keep your nose clean and give a wide berth to the Imperial Guard, there’s a fortune to be made in Dragon City. Just hope you live long enough to enjoy it. Note: Elements described here are set before the events in the three Shotguns & Sorcery novels: Hard Times in Dragon City, Bad Times in Dragon City, and End Times in Dragon City.

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LESTER SMITH OCCUPATIONS Shotguns & Sorcery is set in a large city filled with tens of thousands of people. Heroes can have just about any kind of occupation they like, as long as it fits with the setting. That said, there are a few occupations that work best in most Shotguns & Sorcery games. Note that there are no religious figures in Shotguns & Sorcery—no clerics of any kind. While the citizens of Dragon City have their rituals, they owe their allegiance to the Dragon Emperor himself, whose power rivals that of any god. ADVENTURER: Some people are either brave or stupid enough to venture out past the Great Circle. On a rare occasion, they have a license from the Imperial Dragon’s Guard, but most often they just sneak out to illegally plunder nearby ruins or tombs, seeking riches and magics they can claim as their own. They often band together in groups with complementary skills and agree to split equally any treasure found. ARMORER: The people of Dragon City don’t wear much armor, because bullets do a damn fine job of poking right through most types—unless it’s enchanted. But armor’s even less effective against enchanted guns loaded with enchanted ammunition. Armorers are wizards who specialize in crafting such magical weapons. CRIMINAL: Not everyone in Dragon City can make an honest living. Many dwarves, for instance, are affiliated in some way with the organized-crime rings that run the Stronghold. The green-skinned people who dwell in Goblintown often can’t find legitimate work and hire out as enforcers. Still others deal in illegal booze like dragonfire or— worse yet—drugs like dragon essence. GUARD: The Imperial Dragon’s Guard serves as the city’s police force and military. Only elves are allowed to be part of the guard proper. Other races are permitted to join the Imperial Dragon’s Auxiliary Guard instead and are relegated to patrolling the parts of town lower than the Stronghold Gates. INVESTIGATOR: Investigators are people who make a habit of sticking their noses in where they don’t belong. This gets them into all sorts of trouble, since Dragon City is a place filled with lots of secrets folk would rather keep private. But this nosiness also allows them to do the most good.

WIZARD: All official wizards in Dragon City are educated at the Academy of Arcane Apprenticeship. Those who do well graduate and become Academy teachers themselves. Those who do even better make a fortune and build their own places in the nearby Wizards Way.

SKILLS Most skills listed in the Basic Skills chapter can be used in Shotguns & Sorcery without alteration. The Computers skill doesn’t exist, of course. A few others need a bit more explanation. LANGUAGES: The people of Dragon City all speak a common tongue. Elves and dwarves also speak an elder language, but almost no one uses it, except for on formal occasions. LITERACY: Most people in Dragon City can read just fine—or at least enough to get by. MAGIC: A character with an Unfocused skill in Magic can cast cantrips (minor spells) that serve more as effects than attacks. This includes things like filling a cup of coffee, producing a bit of light, or figuring out a direction. A character with a Focused Magic skill can cast ritual spells. These are more complex and often take far more time, but they have far more powerful effects. Such characters can also cast a number of fast spells per day, equal to 10 minus their Focus number. (Fast spells take a single action and can be cast in one round.) When they run out of fast spells to cast, they must get at least six hours of sleep to recharge their abilities. Or they can cheat and use magical drugs. (See the Special Rules below.)

SPECIAL RULES The following rules apply to Shotguns & Sorcery adventures.

SPELLS While a full spell list is beyond the scope of this chapter, players and the Game Host can adapt supernatural powers and abilities from other D6×D6 settings, treating them as arcane magics. Any level-based spell system can also be adapted to this setting by treating spell level as number of Success Levels needed to cast the spell, by adjusting casting time and spell duration to D6×D6 combat rounds, and by comparing other effects to the core rules. The World of Esfah setting chapter provides an example of importing

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an outside spell list into this game, and it could easily serve the Shotguns & Sorcery setting.

protects the city from the zombie hordes roaming outside.

RACES

MAGICAL DRUGS

Each character must be of one of a number of different fantasy races. In order of social standing (from greatest to least), these include elves, dwarves, gnomes, halflings, humans, orcs, and goblins. The higher the race’s social standing, the higher its members live on the mountain. ELVES live in the Elven Reaches, just below the Dragon’s Spire—the Dragon Emperor’s lair at the mountain’s summit. DWARVES live in the Stronghold, which goes deep into the mountain’s roots as well. GNOMES live in Gnometown. HALFLINGS live in the Big Burrow. HUMANS live Downtown (though they tend to mix with other neighborhoods more than any other race). ORCS and GOBLINS live in Goblintown, right up against the Great Circle, the massive wall that

Drugs that enhance magical abilities are illegal and grounds for the Imperial Dragon’s Guard to arrest people and throw them in the Garret, an impregnable prison high atop a secondary peak. All sorts of these drugs exist, but the two most famous are dragonfire and dragon essence. DRAGONFIRE is a diluted form of dragon essence that’s distilled into an alcoholic base. When decanted into a glass, it glows with a blue flame that doesn’t produce heat or burn anything. A shot of dragonfire gives a wizard the ability to cast another fast spell that day. Unfortunately, to get the spell to work, you must make a hazard roll with two dice. If you get double 1s, the spell fails and the character loses the ability to cast spells for the rest of the day. For each additional shot consumed, add one to the number of doubles that can cause a problem. For example, after three shots, the wizard’s spell would

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fail on double 1s, 2s, or 3s. This functions all the way up to six shots. Waiting an hour lowers this hazard roll one step. DRAGON ESSENCE is sheer power in powdered form. It can be snorted or mixed into a drink or food, but hardcore users prefer to smoke it in a hookah. One dose of dragon essence cuts a spell’s casting time by ninety percent. It also makes the user useless after the spell is cast, until getting at least six hours of rest.

EQUIPMENT Technology in Dragon City often features a distinct magical aspect. While society has evolved to fit the flavor of the Roaring Twenties in the USA, technology itself sits at late 19th-century levels. Citizens have weapons like shotguns, pistols, and rifles, but the power of electricity is not well understood. In most cases, if magic can make an acceptable substitute, it fills a need that technology might otherwise have managed. Enchanted glowglobes light the streets, for instance, rather than gas lamps or electric lights. Flying carpets take the place of cars, and magical levitation replaces elevators. Dragon City has a distinct lack of horses and farm animals. Such beasts just eat too much and

make too much of a mess, and most of them are unsuited to the city’s streets and the unusual angles and grades the mountain requires. Much of the food in Dragon City is generated via magic. Some of it comes from high-altitude farms located outside the Great Circle, places too remote to be bothered by the undead, but this can’t always provide a stable supply. Other food is imported via airship. ENCHANTED WEAPONS: Characters may acquire enchanted weapons during their adventures, things like rune-covered shotguns or enchanted shells. In general, an enchanted weapon bumps the weapon’s regular damage up by one step. Basic enchanted ammunition bumps the damage up a step too. Thus a character using enchanted ammunition in an enchanted firearm gets an advantage of two steps up. Some special enchanted ammunition can have a spell effect associated with it rather than a damage bump. This can do things like freeze a struck target or ignite it. ARMOR: Few people in Dragon City wear armor. Some do wear clothes enchanted for protection. Enchantment increases an item’s armor rating without adding to its bulk. Enchanted clothing, for example, protects as Light armor, while an enchanted leather coat protects as Medium armor.

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Members of the Imperial Dragon’s Guard are the exception to the no-armor rule. They often wear some kind of obvious protection while on the job, although this is usually in the form of enchanted Medium armor, which protects as Heavy armor.

DENIZENS The following notables bear mentioning. THE DRAGON EMPEROR rules over Dragon City with a clawed and mailed fist. He does not speak directly to others but instead communicates via magic with an elf known as the Voice. The Voice remains with the Dragon Emperor at all times, and on the rare occasion during which the ruler of Dragon City leaves his home in the Dragon’s Spire, the Voice rides in a basket worn around the Dragon Emperor’s neck. The Voice wears a flaming cloak that renders him immune to the Dragon Emperor’s intense heat. THE RULER OF THE DEAD has never been seen inside Dragon City. An ancient necromancer, she has controlled the hordes of zombies that roam the lands outside of the Great Circle since before the wall’s creation. Her location is a tightly held secret, but even if someone were to learn where she was, that person would have to battle through thousands of undead monsters to reach her.

THE BLACK HAND is a band of black-clad orcish assassins employed by the Ruler of the Dead. Though they rarely make an appearance inside the Great Circle, they are legendary for slaughtering any who cross their path. ZOMBIES numbered in the tens of thousands roam the lands outside of Dragon City, which stands as the last known holdout of the living on the continent. Anyone who ventures outside of the city must deal with this ever-present threat. Despite having been deceased for countless years, these magically preserved horrors remain strong as ever. MAX GIBSON washed out of wizarding and decided to try his hand at adventuring. After losing his best friend to the zombies, he hung it up. These days he hires himself out as a private investigator and does what he can to forget how he got to this point. He lives in an apartment in the Big Burrow, right above the Barrel Rider restaurant, and spends most nights Downtown at his favorite bar, the Quill. BELLE took up adventuring with Max and the rest of his motley crew of half-cocked heroes through sheer boredom with her long, languid life in the Elven Heights—much to her parents’ dismay. She’s since worked her way back into their good graces, but only by cutting off any

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LESTER SMITH contact with her old friends. She now spends her days trying to convince herself that she won’t miss all those short-timers when they’re gone. MOIRA is a Halfling who had everything she wanted as a child—except relief from her tedium. To cure that, she took up as an adventurer with Max Gibson, who used to frequent her parents restaurant, the Barrel Rider. She’s since developed an addiction to dragon essence, which she deals in social circles higher than her own.

SAMPLE ADVENTURE: THE DRAGON’S CLAW Welcome, heroes, to the dark side of Dragon City.

ACT I: THE RAID The heroes are relaxing in their favorite Downtown bar, the Quill, which is owned by exadventurer Max Gibson. A runt of a goblin named Gret approaches and offers to sell them a magical artifact known as the Dragon’s Claw, which is reputed to grant wishes. She would use it herself, but she doesn’t think she’s clever enough to manage it without horrible repercussions. Before the heroes can respond, the Imperial Dragon’s Guard raids the place, led by an icecold elf captain named Yabair. Gret manages to slip away by leaping out of a high window. Questioning the heroes, the guards use a spell to detect any illicit magic on their captives. They discover a small black shard of something they identify as concentrated dragon essence, perhaps shed by the Dragon Emperor himself. With some fast talking, the heroes can convince the guards to let them go—after the dragon essence is confiscated. Yabair warns them that Gret would be better off turning herself in. The guard will treat her better than others who might find her. ACT II: DOWN TO GOBLINTOWN With some poking around, the heroes discover that Gret lives in one of the worst slums in Goblintown. Venturing there means facing crowded lanes full of pickpockets, thieves, and ruffians, so the heroes will need to put on their own best bully-boy faces to pass unmolested.

When they arrive to talk with Gret or collect her, she comes racing out to beg them for help. A gang of orcs led by a one-eyed troll is after her treasure, and they’re intent on fighting for it. It’s time for the heroes to show what they’re made of.

ACT III: DUST UP No matter how the previous encounter shakes out, Yabair shows up with a squad of guards before things go too far sideways. The troll and orcs do their best to escape, leaving the heroes to deal with the guards. Fortunately, Yabair doesn’t bear any particular ill will toward the characters. He reveals that Gret is a con artist he’s been after for months, and the troll and orcs are in on the scam. Yabair used the heroes to track her for him and flush out her compatriots. The Dragon’s Claw itself is an utter fake. The heroes can keep the prop claw as a memento if they want it. If they press for some kind of reward, Yabair rolls his eyes and tells them he might not suspect them instantly of the next crime he hears they’ve committed—if they’re lucky.

ADVENTURE SEEDS THE MAP: An old adventurer offers the heroes a map to the Tomb of Kings, a legendary place where former rulers were buried before the zombies came. Verifying its accuracy may prove fatal. AN OFFER YOU CAN’T REFUSE: The heroes come to the attention of the Brecht family, the most notorious of the dwarven crime syndicates. These dwarves can make powerful allies—and even worse enemies. LOOT DROP: The heroes stumble across a sack of gold coins and a sack of dragon essence in an alley full of bodies. Surely someone must be looking for this missing loot!

CAMPAIGNS For more information about playing in the world of Shotguns & Sorcery, check out the tabletop roleplaying game from Outland Entertainment. With the guidelines provided in this chapter, you can adapt that material to the D6×D6 RPG, or use the Cypher System in that game book.

CREDITS

DESIGN: Matt Forbeck. EDITING: Lester Smith & Dale A. Donovan. PROOFREADING: Winifred Lewis. LAYOUT: Ralph Faraday. NOVEL COVER DESIGN: Matt Forbeck. OTHER ILLUSTRATIONS: Jeremy Mohler.

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THE EMPIRES OF STEAM & RUST Stephen D. Sullivan & Robert E. Vardeman The world of Steam & Rust is a steampunk fantasy setting involving the inter-dimensional collision of a world similar to our own at the start of the 20th century—the world of Steam—and a world rife with entropy and decay—the world of Rust. Players take the roles of archeologists, explorers, treasure hunters, scientist–inventors, military men, spies, or similar adventurous characters from the world of Steam. (The world of Rust remains largely unknown and unexplored at this point.) Because the world is a very wide place, this setting chapter focuses on Russia. Step into a world that smells of oil and wood smoke, of gunpowder and ozone, of lush forests and unspoiled seas, of fresh–baked goods and drying herbs. It’s a world filled with locomotives and airships, with spies and military conquest, with exploration and adventure!

BACKGROUND The year is 1915. The world is similar to our own, but not quite the same. Here, the Wright Brothers never left their bicycle shop and never flew at Kitty Hawk. There is great talk of heavier-than-air flight, but dirigible airships are cheap and fast. Railways span most countries, and even many continents. Automobiles crowd city streets and venture ever farther down unpaved country roads (though the horse has not yet been entirely banished to the farm). New triumphs of science and technology are revealed almost daily. This miraculous new world is powered by steam.

THE EMPIRES OF STEAM In North America, Teddy Roosevelt is president of the United States. The American Expeditionary

Force (AEF) took northern Mexico away, but the territory has not been officially annexed to the United States. Africa remains a continent of poverty and is largely unexplored. In Europe, France and England continue to squabble, but major war is brewing between Russia and Prussia. Russia is governed by Czarina Alexandra, advised by Rasputin. The Russian Revolution was crushed, Kerensky exiled, and Lenin killed. To show Russia’s strength after Czar

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LESTER SMITH Nicholas’ death, the country struggled to expand. Russia has annexed all the Scandinavian countries and is pressing downward across the Baltic, inflaming relations with Prussia. Russia still owns Alaska and has a colony in the Farallones, off the coast of San Francisco. In England, Queen Victoria is still on the throne––and looking younger every year. (Speculation is that this is because of something from the World of Rust.) Albert is dead, and the queen has taken a series of younger lovers. In France, simmering discontent to bring back the monarchy is rampant. China is still under dynastic rule. In 1416, Chinese adventurers explored the west coast of North America but did not colonize it. Instead, they pushed southward and established an alliance with the the Aztec empire against the Spanish. Chinese trade is brisk along the west coast of South America. China has colonized Hawaii. The eastern portion of South America is still split between the Portuguese and the Spanish. Japan never underwent the Meiji restoration. The Tokugawa Shogunate still rules but has turned isolationist. Southeast Asia remains in constant turmoil. Australia is something of a mystery. The Chinese have tried to invade repeatedly and were always turned back by unusual weaponry. Trade missions have been similarly rebuffed.

THE EMPIRE OF RUST The greatest threat to the Empires of Steam are portals to the Empire of Rust. “Black holes” appear in various sizes at various times throughout the Steam world. Some holes are tiny and let through nothing more than weird insects. Others are large enough to swallow a zeppelin. These holes inexplicably first appeared 20 years ago and have the amazing property of providing instant transport across the Earth: enter on one side of a hole and exit miles away. There has been no controlling where the holes appear or where they lead. Some holes are obvious to the public, being huge and near large cities, others have been kept secret for clandestine uses by both government and private operatives. Over the years, this “instantaneous” transport through the holes has slowly taken longer, as if the fronts and backs of the holes are stretching apart. Now, going through a hole sometimes not

only takes a considerable time, but passengers moving across the void report seeing things through the dark, misty sides of the “passage”— distant, indistinct objects. Some even report glimpsing ruined cities filled with grim people moving about as if preparing for war. A super lifting gas has been siphoned off from the interiors of some holes—dark gas to go with the dark matter and dark energy of that shadow world. Atmospheric testing of samples from the world of Rust has revealed a variety of exotic gasses, but a paucity of pure oxygen. Exploration through the membrane to survey the Empire of Rust is possible. Trips in the other direction also occur, letting the dark seep into the Steam world and corrupt both people and things.

OCCUPATIONS Occupations in the world of Steam & Rust are largely the same as those in the early 20th century Earth. Common professions for players’ characters include: Archeologist, Aviator (Zeppelin Pilot), Carnival Fortune Teller (not a real psychic), Escape Artist, Explorer, Inventor, Magician (stage magic), Mechanic, Medical Doctor or Nurse, Military Service Person, Priest or Cleric, Reporter, Paleontologist, Photographer, Scientist of some type, Ship’s Captain, Spy or Assassin, Thief or Burglar. Naturally there are also artist, musicians, laborers, cooks, and all the other types of people that make the world go ’round. Additionally, some characters may have mystical or psychic powers, or even skill with magic. Such weird talents are the exception, not the rule, and are usually be combined with other professions—a witch-spy, for instance. Nevertheless, some do endeavor to make a living solely from their paranormal gifts, though the world views such people with skepticism, suspicion, and fear.

SKILLS Most skills used in this setting are those common to early 20th century Earth and can be chosen from the Basic Skills chapter. Additionally, the following mystical skills can be learned as either psionic or magical abilities. Each approach employs these skills in a slightly different way. Both allow Success Levels to be accumulated over multiple rolls.

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D6XD6 ™ RPG ESP/MIND READING: Basic success with this skill discerns feelings. Greater success can reveal images, specific thoughts, and even future plans. Note that subconscious thoughts are seldom as specific as a diary or day planner. Usually they are revealed as a series of images and emotions. For example:  One Success Level: Rasputin is angry about something but masking it well.  Two Success Levels: Rasputin wants to do you harm.  Three Success Levels: Rasputin intends to kill you.  Four Success Levels: Rasputin plans to poison you tonight at dinner. PREMONITION/FORTUNE TELLING: Basic success provides vague hints about future events. Greater success can reveal specific images or events in the near future; details growing vaguer as the skill reaches farther into the future. MESMERISM/SPELLBINDING: Basic success allows a willing subject to be hypnotized, so that forgotten or repressed memories can be explored. Greater success allows persuasion of less willing subjects, or even total command—subjecting their will to the will of the mesmerist, as if they were a puppet. PSYCHOMETRY/OBJECT READING: Basic success reveals a single, simple fact about an object (or person) being touched. Greater success reveals more specific and useful facts, even the current location of a related object (or person) being sought. Note that people who are physically touched may resist being read. (In game terms, they may make a Will roll and subtract any Success Levels from Success Level rolled with this skill.) TELEPATHY/THOUGHT PROJECTION: With this ability, a person can send a thought to anyone within sight, or to a known friend (or enemy) at any distance. Each Success Level can project up to five words. WEIRD SCIENCE/ENCHANTMENT: Unlike the skills above, this involves not just mental or spiritual energy, but also assembly of oddly charged gear or concoction of elixers and potions. Given a well-stocked laboratory or workshop, a character with this skill can devise gizmos and elixers to solve an unusual problem, cure a supernatural disease, or lend a temporary boost to normal abilities.

SPECIAL RULES With the exception of the Weird Science/Enchantment skill, using psionics or magic expends life energy. Psionics act quickly, allowing a skill roll every combat round, which means it also accumulates damage quickly. In game terms, each roll imposes Stun damage on the user. Magic acts more slowly, relying upon ritual to draw life energy from those in the area. The caster can make a skill roll once each ten minutes, and the Stun damage for that roll can then be assigned to anyone directly involved in the ritual (the caster, an assistant, or even a sacrificial victim).

EQUIPMENT Equipment in the world of Steam is similar to that found on early 20th century Earth—though often powered by steam. A steam rifle, for example, functions in much the same manner—and does the same damage—as a gunpowder rifle. Common transportation technologies seen in the Empires of Steam & Rust include zeppelins, locomotives, and motorcars. Communication is by telephone, radio, and telegraph. Media include books, magazines, newspapers, and silent films.

DENIZENS The following people and organizations are key players in the Russia of Empires of Steam & Rust. Use them to add flavor to your games, to launch adventures, and to keep the heroes on track (through inspiration, subtle aid, or even fear).

RUSSIAN PERSONAGES OF NOTE CZARINA ALEXANDRA Empress—Supreme Ruler of All Russia Age: 43 (born 6 June 1872); Children: Olga— Age: 20 (b. Nov. 1895); Tatiana—Age: 18 (b. May–June 1897); Maria—Age: 16 (b. June 1899); Anastasia—Age: 14 (b. June 1901); Alexi—Age: Deceased at 11 of hemophilia (b. 12 Aug. 1904) Since the death of the Czar and of her son Alexi during conflict with the Bolsheviks, Alexandra has become increasingly obsessed with protecting her children—and her country. She became convinced that her only chance to stay in power was to take aggressive, expansionist policies toward Eastern Europe and the Scandinavian states.

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LESTER SMITH the wake of Czar Nicholas’ death, this charismatic mystic has become the top advisor to the Czarina (and some say her lover as well). Before the Czar’s death, he was criticized by many, but since the Czarina rose to the throne, few dare oppose him. “The Mad Monk” is in charge of the Fifth Section (State Security), a job that—under his watch—involves not only spying and counterintelligence, but also a reliance on mysticism and magic to achieve its ends. Powers & Abilities: Rasputin is powerful in the mystic arts. He is a master of Mesmerism with great influence over the “weak minded” (and some say, the Czarina). He claims his powers come from God but is also said to believe that by giving in to sin, sin loses its power over one’s soul. Women and alcohol top his list of preferred vices. He is also renowned for his constitution, and is (perhaps) immune to poison.

Though powerful and charming, Alexandra also suffers a paranoia encouraged by Rasputin, seeing plots everywhere against her, her family, and the state. This has led to an expansion of security, special police, and secret service forces. Powers & Abilities: Her Imperial Highness is the most powerful person in Russia. She is smart and strong willed, though she can be swayed by her children or Rasputin. GRIGORI RASPUTIN Personal Advisor to the Czarina, Supreme Head of State Security, Overseer of the Fifth Section Age: 46 (born January 1869) Rumors and speculation surround Rasputin, but few know what is actually true about him. In

CAPTAIN PAVLINA VIKTOROVNA IVANOVA Top Russian Agent of the Fifth Section—Witch Age: 31; Hair: Auburn; Eyes: Gray Pavilna Viktorovna Ivanova is one of the Czarina’s top agents: smart; deadly with bare hands, blades, or guns; and gifted in the mystic arts— able to ensorcel an opponent or kill with spells or potions/poisons. She is ruthless, willing to use sex and all other means at her disposal to accomplish her goals. Her good looks and charisma are just two more weapons in her arsenal. She can also see the future on some occasions, which further increases her effectiveness. She is totally loyal to the Czarina and Rasputin. Powers & Abilities: Lina is an accomplished fencer and a crack shot. She is a witch trained in Mind Reading, Fortune Telling, Object Reading and numerous less well-known forms of ritual magic. She uses these powers in her investigations and to further the causes of the state. She carries a 7-shot Nagant service revolver and a knife suitable for throwing.

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D6XD6 ™ RPG LIEUTENANT PYOTR GREGOROV Ivanova’s Aide/Driver Age: 28; Hair: Brown; Eyes: Blue Pyotr is Lina’s devoted aide and second-incommand. He has been with her for years. He is tall, lean, dark haired, and muscular. He is skilled in combat and arms, but has no talent for the mystic arts or anything beyond a usual military toughness and efficiency. He trusts Lina implicitly and will do anything she asks. He carries a 7–shot Nagant service revolver and a long–bladed knife.

RUSSIAN SUPPORTING CHARACTERS CAPTAIN FELIKS ANDREYEV Captain of the Airship Suvalov 2, Andreyev is a short, distinguished-looking man with closecropped white hair and a beard. He and Lina had a brief, casual affair. MAJOR GENERAL LEONID BEPOV One of Lina’s superiors, and a top-ranking officer in the Fifth Section, he’s officious and brusque, but somewhat afraid of her (though he lusts after her as well). He’s even more afraid of Rasputin. He will gladly kick other people’s asses, though. AIRMAN MARYA KOVROVA Marya is a steward aboard the Suvalov 2 under the command of Captain Andreyev.

SAMPLE ADVENTURE: OF RATS AND RUST In which the heroes become pest-control experts.

ACT I: WAREHOUSE MASSACRE The heroes are contacted by the Fifth Section for a special assignment. Some may already be working spies; others may be hired on a contract basis; and some might be offered amnesty for previous actions by taking on this job. The Game Host can decide how much of a scare to give the heroes by choosing whether to deliver the assignment through a minor official, a more important officer such as General Bepov, super– agent Lena Ivanova, or even Rasputin himself. The group learns that they are to investigate the mysterious slaughter of personnel at a storage warehouse on the docks in Sevastopol (on the Crimean Peninsula). Other, more experienced agents are wrapped up in more important missions

at the moment, leaving the investigation to this group. Their contact intimates that if they do well, they will be compensated accordingly. The group is transported via train or airship to Sevastopol, where they discover that the dockside warehouse has been cordoned off by the police, pending the heroes’ investigation. The police will help as asked, short of actually entering the warehouse; they’re afraid. Inside, the heroes find a dozen corpses, all mangled and chewed as by some animals—perhaps a wild dog pack. If the heroes inspect the warehouse thoroughly, they discover several strange, deteriorated circles the size of trashcan lids in the walls and floors.

ACT II: RATS IN THE WALLS During their search, the heroes are ambushed by several giant rats—each the size of a German Shepherd—one rat per hero. (See their stats at the adventure’s end.) When only one or two rats remain, they flee through a dimensional hole that opens in a wall or floor. This hole shuts behind them, leaving another trashcan-lid sized circle of decay. The rats do not travel far through these holes; alert heroes may hear or see them just outside the warehouse or find their tracks outside. If so, the characters may follow them to a big cargo ship in a remote part of the docks. If not, the characters will have another chance tomorrow, and the day after, and so on, when more rats attack other warehouses in the area. ACT III: PLAGUE SHIP When the group finally locates the cargo ship, it appears abandoned. Closer inspection reveals a number of human guards—one per hero. These guards fight to the death to prevent the group’s entry. (See their stats at the adventure’s end.) Inside the ship, the heroes encounter Doctor Pinkus Villard, a Prussian agent looking to cause chaos in Russia. If the group has been stealthy, they will find him at work in his lab; otherwise he will be hidden away, waiting to ambush them with more giant rats. Dr. Villard has developed a formula for producing these monsters, using elements drawn from the Rust World. He does not know how they create the black holes through which they travel, but he does have a special “silent” whistle for summoning them to his aid. He uses the Telepathy skill to control them with command words (which

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LESTER SMITH means they benefit from the Combat Team rule in the Conflict and Damage chapter). The doctor can command up to seven rats (his Focus number) per round as a free action. His whistle is designed to call this number. Unless truly desperate, he will not summon more at once. If pressed, however, he can summon up many more to cover his escape, but their actions will no longer be under his control. Rats appear the round after being summoned. Because passing through the oxygen-depleted Rust dimension leaves them short of breath, they can take no action on the round they appear. While the heroes are occupied with his rats, Dr. Villard attempts to recover from his cabin the materials he has gathered so far while spying in Sevastopol. If pursued, he flees to the ship’s hold, which is filled to the ceiling with caged giant rats. At this point, his first priority is to set his creations loose upon Sevastopol. Failing that, he will try to escape himself. Failing that, he will try to destroy the notes of his experiments. If the heroes fail to stop the giant rats from invading Sevastopol, they will be in big trouble with the Fifth Section—assuming they survive the giant rats themselves. If they instead stop the rat plague, they will be well rewarded—perhaps even promoted. Capturing Villard alive, or recovering his notes, results in even more reward. Any characters infected with the wasting disease (see below) will be cured in the Fifth Section’s secret hospital—though this may also involve some uncomfortable experimentation. GIANT RUST RAT: Name, gender, and age: NA. Attributes: Grace Focused; Will Unfamiliar. Skills: Focused Bite, Track, Sneak, Run, Leap; Unfocused None. Focus: 6. Life: Wound kills. Speed: 2 actions. Toughness: 1. Number: 1 or more. Special: Their bite inflicts a supernatural wasting disease: Every 24 hours the victim must succeed at a Brawn or Will roll or suffer a 1-point penalty to all dice rolls. This penalty is cumulative, and when it equals the victim’s Focus number, that character falls into a coma. (Weird Science or Enchantment can treat this disease per the Realistic Healing rules in the Rest

and Healing chapter, replacing First Aid skill or medical occupation, and treating the victim’s dice penalty as damage level. When the penalty is reduced to zero, the character is fully healed.) PRUSSIAN GUARDS: Name: Choose from Ansus, Bertulis, Cilus, Dowid, Ensil, Gils, Jowalis, Kristup, Labrenz, Mertin, Tanius, Willus. Gender: Male. Age: Adult. Attributes: Brawn Focused; Wits Unfamiliar. Skills: Focused Crowbar, Gamble, Intimidate, Pistol, Shotgun, Steal, Torture; Unfocused Sneaking, Swimming, Throwing. Focus: 8. DR. PINKUS VILLARD: Occupation: Scientist-Spy. Gender: Male. Age: Middle aged. Attributes: Wits Focused; Brawn Unfamiliar. Skills: Focused Persuasion, Second Language: Russian (native German), Shooting, Sneaking, Telepathy, Weird Science; Unfocused First Aid, Lockpicking, Navigation, Swimming. Special abilities: Silent whistle to summon Giant Rust Rats. Focus: 7.

ADVENTURE SEED RUST ANARCHISTS ATTACK: A series of bombings rocks the city. It is assumed that the bombings are caused by the enemies of the Russian state. Is their goal the royal family, Rasputin, or someone else? The bombs are powered by energy from the world of Rust and leave decay and chaos in their wake. The heroes must find the source and stop the bombings.

CAMPAIGN IDEAS Campaigns in the Empires of Steam & Rust can range out of Russia, across Europe and the rest of the world. There are plenty of unknown areas to explore. Political powers vie for supremacy all across the globe. The heroes can take sides or get caught between factions. They can create new inventions and protect them from spies; rescue kidnapped diplomats; try to assassinate prime ministers; seek forgotten treasures; and try to plumb the secrets of the ancients. Their adventures could take them from pole to pole, and from the stratosphere to the bottom of the sea, and even into the world of Rust.

CREDITS DESIGN: Stephen D. Sullivan. DEVELOPMENT: Lester Smith. EDITING: Dale A. Donovan. COVER DESIGNS: Stephen D. Sullivan & Robert E. Vardeman. PROOFREADING: Winifred Lewis. LAYOUT: Ralph Faraday.

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THE WORLD OF THE TOUCHSTONE Andrea K Höst

In the Touchstone Trilogy, a young woman wanders through a dimensional gate onto an alien world, where humans use nanotech and psionics in a desperate war threatening all of existence.

BACKGROUND The primary threat of this setting involves gates torn open between dimensions, allowing creatures known as Ionoth to attack human worlds. In response, an alliance of planets has been formed, training Setari (psychic warriors) to seek a way to undo the pressure on the dimensional walls. Breaches and attacks have grown ever more frequent, with no solution in view, until young Cassandra Devlin stumbles through a dimensional rift from Earth and shifts the balance. For Cassandra is a Touchstone—a rare psychic enhancer, and something even more—if the Setari can keep her alive long enough to explore her abilities.

THE WORLDS Adventures in this setting involve a group of colonized worlds unknown to Earth, banded together for defense against the Ionoth. MUINA: This original human home world is only slightly larger than Earth, but it has a far larger amount of habitable land, with only one land-locked salt sea, few deserts, and many large freshwater lakes. Its seasonal cycle is similar to Earth’s, and many of the plants and animals clearly share ancestor species. The people of Muina—now scattered to other planets—are genetically identical to those of Earth and display traits suggesting they once had similar racial groups. Muina’s original ruling class, the Lantar, had a clan-based political structure, each occupying a different region of the planet, coming together as necessary to make planetary-level decisions. Their

technology drew strongly on the sheer creative power of the Ena. Following the fracturing of the spaces, Muina was flooded by Ionoth, and its people forced to flee. They left behind in Nearspace enormous protectors, the ddura, but these have been unable to clear the planet of Ionoth incursions. For this reason and others, Muina has long been off limits to humans. TARE: Upon first arriving on this stormy planet, refugee Muinans were forced to live underground to escape the savage elements. Today, Tarens use a highly resilient “whitestone” to build durable, mostly windowless cities on the planet’s few

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LESTER SMITH landmasses. Taren technology long ago surpassed Earth’s, and their nanites and interconnecting computers ensure health and endless entertainment for all. Living space is, however, at a premium in this ordered meritocracy. KOLAR: This large planet has very little axial tilt, giving it no seasonal cycle, but instead distinct climate zones. With the equator hot and sere, only the regions near the poles are habitable, the poles themselves remaining in permanent twilight. Kolar is divided into two separate countries, the North, a democracy, and the South, a monarchy. Before Taren contact was made, only the South was inhabited. The colonization and democratization of the North occurred as a result of leaps forward in technology, due to Taren trade. NURI: The people of this small but pleasantly habitable moon retain a hierarchical clan culture similar to Muina’s. They believe that interplanetary travel via the Ena increases the pressure that is tearing gates into Realspace. Their technology level is preindustrial, and they actively resist Taren overtures, though they retain a better understanding of ancient Muinan technology than Tarens do. OTHER WORLDS: Numerous other worlds have been settled by Muinan refugees. Some, such as Channa, have recently been discovered by Tarens, while others—like snowy Solaria—are known only due to strays from those worlds.

THE SPACES These worlds (and all others) exist within a larger reality comprised of Realspace and the Ena (containing Nearspace, Fela, and Deepspace). Setari can walk these spaces and pilot ships bearing passengers through them. Important features of the spaces include pillars, the aether, gates, and rifts. REALSPACE is “our” dimension—the physical universe. The walls between Realspace and the Ena are usually firmly sealed—the only exception being planetary rifts and a very small number of intermittent “natural” gates that seem to form directly between planets (although these actually skip imperceptibly through Deepspace). THE ENA is the name for everywhere that is not Realspace, covering several different dimensions formed by “the stuff of the mind.” Although the Ena can resemble Realspace, there are a number of important differences. Temperature in the Ena is always lower than that of the real world, and

compliance with physical laws is sketchy at best. The atmosphere is usually breathable, but that may be simply because travelers through the Ena believe they can breathe. NEARSPACE is the area of the Ena that immediately surrounds a living world. Like an imperfect imprint, it reflects the adjacent Realspace, but without its vitality. Some segments of Nearspace fail to take on substance, resembling a sketch that has not yet been colored in. Observation over time, however, shows that these incomplete sections shift about. A room with one wall incomplete may, the next time it is visited, have all its walls but be missing a roof. FELA (fragments or bubbles usually simply referred to as “spaces”) are the main source of Ionoth in the Ena. Ranging in size from small rooms to vast valleys or plains, these are basically free-floating bubbles of reality. The most common theory is that Fela slough off from Nearspace when events occur in Realspace to capture the thoughts and feelings of its residents: cataclysms, battles, even family gatherings on perfect summer afternoons. It is widely believed that the shared stories of a world can generate Fela, creating spaces based on worlds that never existed. Fela can connect to one another, to Realspace, and even to Deepspace. They either simply thin out toward the edges, or they have boundaries defined by physical barriers. If it’s a space that “thins out,” you'll usually end up in Deepspace if you keep walking toward the edges. Fela have “persistent states.” Although alterations can be made to a space—or its Ionoth inhabitants may die or leave—after a period of time ranging from days to weeks, the entire space will “reset”—all changes wiped away and all Ionoth regenerated, with no memory of the intervening time. The position of Fela in the Ena is as variable as their internal state is constant. There is always minor movement, a slow, grand drift, and over a period of decades positions will shift enough that gates between Fela break and reform. In the short term, however, the relative position of these spaces allow the links between them to remain stable. Exceptions are rotational spaces and unstable spaces. Rotational spaces shift in tandem with the rest of the wash of spaces, but they “spin” as they do so, causing their connections to other spaces to constantly break and realign. Unstable spaces

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D6XD6 ™ RPG move ahead or even against the tide, relocating periodically. Travel through a rotational or unstable space is one of the most dangerous paths a Setari can take. DEEPSPACE is the rawest of the Ena, a pearly white nothingness unshaped by living minds. It is linked to Realspace via planetary rifts, and it can be used as a quick method of interplanetary travel—if the traveler can successfully navigate the odd geography of the place. THE PILLARS were constructed by the rulers of Muina, and they partially stabilize the region of Deepspace around a planet, making travel to nearby planets easier. Pillars are always located in a Fela space open to Deepspace. The tearing of gates between Nearspace and Realspace began after the Pillars were activated, and it is a primary goal of the Taren and Kolaren Setari to locate and study these Pillars. AETHER is the concentrated substance of the Ena, manifesting as a glowing mist. It collects around Deepspace rifts and is “cycled” through the Pillars and certain villages on Muina (known as “pattern-roof” villages). The purpose of the cycling is to further concentrate the Aether, increasing its efficacy as a power source, and also to imprint the Aether with a default purpose to heal and support the people of Muina, while killing or driving away Ionoth—particularly the variety known as “stickies.” During the disaster that dispersed the people of Muina, the recognition built into refined Aether misfunctioned and began to view the Muinans as Ionoth invaders, attacking them on a cellular level, causing unconsciousness after not more than five minutes’ exposure, and death after a handful of hours. This poses an almost insurmountable challenge to exploration of the Pillars (particularly as they exist only in an Aether-filled vacuum). Each control platform at a pattern-roof village can imprint “native” status on a person, but only those with Ena manipulation abilities and “security clearance” (or the ability to override a platform’s programming) can initiate this process. Once Aether accepts individuals as Muinan, it attempts to heal any damage to them and drive out invasive Ionoth. This healing is experienced as a comfortable warmth, but overexposure leads to unconsciousness which (due to the continual healing stimulation) itself requires recovery sleep.

GATES are a means of instant access between dimensions. They are not visible in Realspace without the Gate Sight skill, though they can be clearly seen by anyone within the Ena. A gate is an open door between worlds, with a faint energy membrane, a resistance that can be felt when it is entered. This barrier blocks passage of insects, dust, and such—but cannot hold back, for instance, a stream of water. Gates between Nearspace and Realspace generally remain in location but gradually increase in size (or form anew) as a consequence of the unnatural pressure on the Ena near Muina. Gates between Fela do not usually alter, but frequently realign as Fela shift. Gate Sight is invaluable for estimating how long a gate will remain aligned, and Ena Manipulation can briefly “lock” a gate in place. The duration of the lock depends on current pressures on the alignment. Additionally, gates can be widened or steadied with Ena Manipulation. RIFTS exist around all planets. Each planet has a single large rift into Deepspace, creating a “Bermuda Triangle” of lost vessels. Rifts are usually huge, large enough for multiple craft to fit through—or a massive Ionoth. Note: The Ena is like an Escher drawing without the lines, with up and down and “floors” a fluid concept, and little visual guidance as to what is where. Only the planetary rifts are clearly visible in the Ena, and—like a sliver of a mirror—they can be easily missed if you are looking at them side-on. To make navigation even more complex, these rifts shift about as if they were the holes in a fishing net submerged in a tide. An incautious traveler is in danger of stumbling through the wrong rift—or simply losing track of the right one. Add to this the Deepspace Ionoth, and accumulations of airless Aether, and traveling Deepspace becomes an enormous challenge.

OCCUPATIONS While any human occupation is technically possible in this setting, adventures center on the Setari. These psychics train from childhood to enter the Ena—to investigate the Pillars and to kill any hostile Ionoth encountered, preventing them from invading Realspace. On Muina, the original Setari were the personal guards of clan rulers, chosen from those

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who had reached the pinnacle of physical and mental training. Nuri has retained some sense of this word; their Setari are technically the personal army of their ruler. When Tare and Kolar formed the defensive body KOTIS, they retained only the sense of “elite defender.”

SKILLS Characters with the Setari occupation are automatically masters of martial arts and are knowledgeable about the spaces and their features. They may also learn psychic skills (referred to among the Setari as “talents”) from the list below (as well as skills from the Basic Skills chapter). Some have a single Focused psychic talent, a few rare ones as many as ten, though few have more than three. IMPROVING TALENTS: The Drama Point cost for improving a psychic talent equals the number

of currently Focused talents +2. (Example: A character with three Focused talents would have to spend 5 Drama Points to boost one of those talents with a + or to move a new talent from Unfamiliar to Unfocused, or from Unfocused to Focused.) Additionally…  once a talent is Focused, it cannot become Unfocused; and  unlike other skills, Unfamiliar talents cannot be used at all. BOOSTING TALENTS: Several factors can temporarily increase a talent’s power. Certain rooms can boost (or dampen) talents, and interface gear (see Equipment) doubles their strength. “Ena focus” (gained by physical contact with a Touchstone) can also double a talent’s strength. “Ena overdrive” (gained by physical contact with a Touchstone fully connected to the Ena) can triple a talent’s strength, but any energy cost penalties listed become actual damage levels. ADDITIVE TALENTS: The talent descriptions provide in italics the game effects of Success Levels. Talents labeled as Additive can increase their effect by building Success Levels round upon round. Usually this buildup is evident (e.g. a light breeze growing to a howling wind), but users may choose instead to build Success Levels silently and release them all at once. FORMING TEAMS: When forming a Setari team, it is crucial to include Focused Gate Sight, Path Sight, and Ena Manipulation talents. Combat Sight is also recommended. Other talents are chosen to focus on combat, exploration, or a balance of those.

ELEMENTAL TALENTS FIRE: Fire users have the greatest need for control. Because fire spreads easily, even young fire talents can cause considerable damage, so early training focuses on snuffing flames. The fire talent can reach to Throwing range with a base damage of Graze and sets flammable items ablaze. Additive. ICE: This talent is greatly affected by the amount of local moisture. In a wet environment, an ice

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D6XD6 ™ RPG talent has enormous strength. In a desert, while it is still possible to form ice, more Success Levels are needed for a lesser result. The ice talent can be used to create structures (such as bridging a gap) or to slow an opponent (imposing a 1-point penalty per ice Success Level on opponent dice totals). Additive. LIGHT: Light manifests in a form determined by the user’s personality—either as a hand weapon (Small Blade rating) or a projectile (Small Pistol rating). LIGHTNING: This dramatic talent is both startling and damaging. Success Levels determine the distance at which lightning can strike, as well as the effect. Treat as an attack with a base damage of Hit at Brawling range, subtracting one Success Level for each range more distant. SONICS: A sound talent can project a whisper to a single target at a distance or release a deafening blast. Rate as a Shotgun attack, though “Additive” if held and released all at once. WATER: This talent manipulates the surface tension of water to shape it as desired. Water talent can part water, create a bubble of air, or generate a current or whirlpool. Each Success Level manipulates one cubic meter of water. The Game Host will decide specific effects based on the amount and the user’s intent. Additive. WIND: This talent manipulates air to create currents from breezes to full-blown windstorms. Each Success Level changes local wind speed by up to 10 kph, in either a straight line or a vortex, as the user wishes. Additive. Note: Cyclones range from 60–100 kph.

GENERATIVE TALENTS ENA MANIPULATION: While this talent allows the user to shape the stuff of the Ena, it is commonly used to lock or stabilize gates. It can also be used in minor ways in Realspace. Additive. ILLUSION: This talent can create images of objects, creatures, and even small environments. An illusion of “absence” can hide the user from sight—even Combat Sight if used without hostile intent. If a viewer’s Wits or Combat Sight Success Levels exceed the talent’s Success Levels, the illusion is broken. Additive.

LOCOMOTION TALENTS LEVITATION: This talent makes an object weightless, then controls the direction in which it floats. The dice result times the Success Levels is the number of kilos moved. (Example: A roll of 20 with a Focus of 10 could move 40 kilos—20×2 Success Levels.) SPEED: The speed talent affects both reaction time and movement. Each Success Level adds 1 meter

to the user’s normal movement rate and increases dice results for purposes of turn sequence only. At the end of the encounter, however, the user suffers exhaustion equal to those Success Levels. This exhaustion is treated like “Damage” for purposes of dice penalties and healing time but causes no actual wounds. TELEKINESIS: Telekinetics spend their early training picking up eggs and other fragile items; unlike levitation, telekinesis generates an external force on the lifted object. Use the levitation formula, but divide by movement in meters. (Example: The roll above could move 40 kilos 1 meter, or 20 kilos 2 meters, or 10 kilos 4 meters, etc.) Attacks with telekinesis are limited to small objects and do damage as a thrown stone. TELEPORTATION: Setari with this skill can transport instantly to any place they have seen (or can view in a current image). This can be a dangerous talent, as a location may have changed since the last time it was seen. A single Success Level transports the user; each extra Success Level includes an extra person who is being touched.

SIGHT TALENTS COMBAT SIGHT: This talent detects “hostile intent” in the immediate area. It is useful for gauging the attitudes of unknown Ionoth and for anticipating imminent attacks. Each Success Level provides one tactical clue from the Game Host. GATE SIGHT: This talent is the only way to judge the status of gates between spaces, or to see gates from within Realspace. PATH SIGHT: The accuracy of path sight is affected by distance to and familiarity with the item/object/place sought. While it is easy to trace someone familiar who has recently passed by, tracking a vaguely described object at great distance is difficult. Specific task difficulty is left to the Game Host. PLACE SIGHT: Perhaps the most complex sight, place sight is triggered by emotional and thought impressions left in the residual Ena of a place (including Realspace). The user might see “joy” as great splashes of bright color, or note curling whirls of daydream, or feel that the ground below has turned to a sucking mud of despair. SIGHT SIGHT: The rarest and most elusive of sight talents, it is a “knowing” that transcends simple description. Its users are often driven by a “need” to understand what they see. This talent gives the Game Host permission, though no obligation, to deliver any insights she or he wishes during an adventure.

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LESTER SMITH SYMBOL SIGHT: Symbol Sight is the “Google Translate” of psychic talents, but it works best on single symbols studied over time. Results of this talent are left to the Game Host’s discretion.

EQUIPMENT Standard gear for Setari on duty is as follows: INTERFACE: Though this personal communication device cannot reach through dimensional gates, it allows Setari squad members to communicate— making silent discussion and tactical arrangements possible. It also carries an encyclopedic store of information about the spaces, Ionoth, and other data. NANOSUIT: A nanosuit is not only armor and weapon, it can adopt many useful forms, from swim fins to digging tool. Each is controlled by a command module built into its harness. Acts as light armor with no dice penalty, and can shape to any handheld Brawling range weapon. MEDICAL KIT: This emergency care kit contains an adaptive nanite antiseptic, wound sealant spray, and a small amount of antivenin. BREATHERS: Small breathers are designed for underwater work, clip the nose shut, and are held in the mouth. A larger breather has an expandable face mask for gaseous attacks. WEAPONS: Kolar and Nuri only recently adopted Taren nanosuits, so Nuran Setari commonly carry twin blades and Kolarens other compact weapons.

DENIZENS IONOTH: Most denizens of the Ena originate in the Fela as memory imprints of Realspace creatures—whether experiences or nightmares. Fela Ionoth are generally unaware of their dream state. They go through the motions of life, stopping only to react to the intrusion of travelers. DEEPSPACE IONOTH: Some Ionoth generate spontaneously in Deepspace and prowl the Ena, preying on other Ionoth—and any living creatures they find. Deepspace Ionoth are usually the pearlescent white of their native environment. The most common are swoops (large pterodactyls) and stilts (four-legged and tall as a five-story building, with an undercarriage maw fringed with tentacles).

ROAMING IONOTH: While all Deepspace Ionoth roam between spaces and, potentially, into Nearspace and Realspace, inhabitants of Fela spaces may also roam—whether from becoming aware of gates, feeling some need to hunt, or forced by events to leave their home space. MASSIVES: Some Ionoth can be of truly phenomenal size—as big as skyscrapers—and actively seek living creatures to consume. Originating in Deepspace, they wander randomly, sometimes entering Realspace through a rift, or through the Fela and Nearspace, if they are physically able to pass through connecting gates. They are often accompanied by smaller “escort” Ionoth, most commonly swoops. DDURA: These artificial massives were created by Muinans to combat the disaster there. They hunt and kill anything they identify as Ionoth. Resembling glowing auroras, they are enormous but travel easily through even the smallest Fela spaces. STICKIES: The parasitic “stickies” are Ionoth with a phasic ability allowing them to live and grow inside living creatures, feeding off mental energy. A person infected with a stickie will experience general malaise and suffer increasing mood swings, often culminating in a psychotic break. Stickies reproduce asexually, and a single infected person can be the source of a massive outbreak. Excellent at shielding their presence, stickies are rarely detectable by Sight talents, challenging even advanced scanners. They are usually removed using sonics, although some other phasic Ionoth do prey on them.

ADVENTURE SEEDS ESCAPEE: A stray from an unknown planet reports being captured and studied by Ionoth in a lab. The team must investigate this unusual behavior. FIELD TRIP: While escorting trainees on their first foray into the Ena, the team is ambushed by warlike Ionoth. What tipped off these attackers? GHOST FLEET: Humanoid Ionoth have begun repairing vessels lost in the rifts to enter Realspace. Someone must sabotage their “dry-dock.”

CREDITS DESIGN: Andrea K Höst. DEVELOPMENT: Lester Smith. EDITING: Dale A. Donovan. COVER ILLUSTRATION: Andrea K Höst. PROOFREADING: Winifred Lewis. LAYOUT: Ralph Faraday. “STILT”: K8 Smith, from “One Day on the Organ Pipes” by Stefan Karpiniec, licensed under CC BY 2.0.

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THE WORLD OF THE WATERSHED Douglas Niles Erected by the gods, the Watershed divides the lands of men, magic, and evil, protecting each from the others and separating water from Aura from Darkblood. A thousand years ago, the Sleepstealer, god of evil, invaded the realm of men with his minions, only to suffer defeat by combined forces of humans and Faerine. Ever since, servants of the Darkblood have plotted to return. Are you one who is destined to stand against them?

BACKGROUND The Watershed is the setting for three epic novels of high fantasy: A Breach in the Watershed; Darkenheight; and War of Three Waters. The world is divided by mountains into three realms, each nourished by a different liquid. Dalethica, home to humans, has rivers, lakes, and precipitation of normal, mundane water. Faerine, the smallest realm, is where magical Aura flows. The third land, Duloth-Trol, is the realm of Darkblood, toxic to most, but a necessary foundation of life for the monsters and villainous overlords who inhabit that black desert.

OCCUPATIONS Adventurers’ occupations vary based on race and realm. Since the monsters of Duloth-Trol serve as antagonists in the setting, this list focuses on those of Dalethica and Faerine.

DALETHICA Occupations for humans, the residents of Dalethica, cover the gamut found in a medieval (nonmagical) setting. Beyond the mundane— farmer, teamster, woodcutter, miner, fisher, hunter, sailor, blacksmith, carpenter, mason, actor, merchant, weaver, baker, butcher, etc.—

some apt occupations for adventurers include soldier, archer, equestrian, scout, knight, acrobat, assassin, mountaineer, bard, scribe, and cleric.

FAERINE The two Faerine races best suited for adventure are diggers and sylves. (See the Denizens section for physical descriptions.) DIGGERS are primarily invested in mining, smelting and forging, stone-carving, masonry and building, and military occupations.

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LESTER SMITH SYLVES can be skilled carpenters, foresters, ecologists, botanists, and architects. They can also pursue military occupations.

SKILLS From the Basic Skills chapter, Athletics, Bargaining, First Aid, Lockpicking, Navigation, Persuasion, Pickpocketing, Ride Animal, Second Language (Dalethican, Faerinish, and Dulothian) Sneaking, Swimming, Throwing, and Tracking are appropriate for this setting. Other skills specific to the Watershed include the following. COMBAT SKILLS: Other than Throwing, combat skills in this setting are more specialized than those in the Basic Skills chapter. Characters may know Knifeplay, Swordplay, Archery, Polearms, Axeplay, and Crushing Weapons. MOUNTAINEERING: This skill covers navigating and surviving the hazardous slopes of the snowcovered mountains that divide the continent. A character with this skill also knows the use and care of mountaineering equipment such as ropes, pitons, ice axes, and cold-weather clothing. SAILING: In the world of the Watershed, operating and maintaining sailing vessels along the waterways and coastlines is a valuable skill. Sailing also includes knowledge of navigation. LITERACY: Dalethica and Faerine have different languages and alphabets, so literacy in one does not automatically translate to the other. (Creatures of Duloth-Trol do not bother with literacy.) SCHOLARSHIP: This skill includes a detailed knowledge of history, and of the many nations, cultures, and regions throughout the Watershed. MAGIC: Some sylves, diggers, and other creatures of Faerine can employ Aura for specific magical effects. (See the Special Rules below.) Similarly, some creatures of Duloth-Trol can create magical effects with Darkblood. Humans have no magical knowledge.

SPECIAL RULES The three waters of the Watershed affect the very nature of the lands in which they flow.

WATER Water is, of course, the stuff of life to the creatures of Dalethica. It is also a means of transport along the region’s many rivers and lakes, as well as along its seacoast.

Like humans, creatures of Faerine can drink normal water if they encounter it. However, water is poisonous to creatures of Duloth-Trol. Not only is its touch fatal to them, they cannot even cross a bridge spanning normal water.

AURA In Faerine, Aura does more than simply quench thirst, it also nourishes and heals. If necessary, a creature of Faerine can survive indefinitely on nothing else. And for those with magical skill, Aura can be used to create illusions, to scrye, and even for transport. HEALING: A single sip of pure Aura instantly heals one level of damage. For game groups using the Rest and Healing chapter’s Dramatic Healing or “Realistic” Healing rules, drinking one’s fill allows a character a Second Wind task roll with a bonus modifier of 2 points. ILLUSION: Aura magic users can shape the moisture in the air to create mirages and disguise terrain. The effect centers on the Aura user, and each Success Level either expands the area (from Brawling, to Throwing, to Shooting, to Viewing) or adds a Task Difficulty modifier to rolls to see through the illusion using Will or Wits. (Natives of Faerine receive a 1-point bonus to the roll.) SCRYING: With a pool of Aura to gaze into, a magic user can view actions distant in time and space. A single Success Level can reveal a current action within the realm of Faerine. Further Success Levels can scrye into other realms as well as into the past or future. (In game terms, the Game Host may either describe a scene that reveals one or more secrets to the hero, or set a number of Success Levels needed to gain desired knowledge. Scryers may accumulate these Success Levels turn by turn or by working together, but a single failed roll means the vision is obscured and the information lost.) TRANSPORT: By boiling Aura to vapor, Faerine magic users can create temporary cloudships for travel, or lift materials for towering constructions. The speed and duration of this transport is left to the Game Host to decide on a case by case basis.

DARKBLOOD For creatures of Dalethica and Faerine, Darkblood is deathly poisonous. Even a trickle of Darkblood in a stream of normal water sickens those who drink from it. (Aura and Darkblood explode on contact, as explained later.)

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D6XD6 ™ RPG For the monstrous creatures of Duloth-Trol, however, Darkblood nourishes and heals. And those properly skilled can use Darkblood to cast lightning, to create Tarclouds for transport, and even to transform and disguise themselves. NOURISHMENT: The sustaining and healing effects of Darkblood for denizens of Duloth-Trol are identical to those of Aura for those of Faerine. LIGHTNING: Through the Darkblood in their veins, magic users can cast lightning from their hands. (The damage is as for a Shotgun in the Conflict and Damage chapter.) Each casting weakens the magic user however, causing the equivalent of Graze damage. TRANSFORMATION: Magic users of sufficient skill can use Darkblood to change their shape and size. Initiating this change requires at least three Success Levels in a single roll. Transforming into a smaller creature means shedding mass— “sweating” away Darkblood. Transforming into a more massive creature requires absorption of an equivalent amount of Darkblood. With this skill, and ready Darkblood, a magic user can shrink to as small as a toad or grow as large as a drackan, also gaining all physical abilities of the new shape. TRANSPORT: Like Auraclouds, Tarclouds of Darkblood vapor can serve as airships. These Tarclouds have the added ability of shooting bolts of lightning that do vehicle-scale Graze damage (see the Game Host chapter). Each bolt fired by a Tarcloud reduces that cloud’s size and duration (at the Game Host’s discretion). Some few magic users can use Darkblood pools or Tarclouds as teleportation portals. This requires four Success Levels in a single roll, and the distance is effectively unlimited, though the destination must be a Darkblood pool wellknown to the magic user.

MIXED WATERS Normal water dilutes Aura and Darkblood, weakening their effect. Aura and Darkblood explode on contact. Mixing a single liter of each is equivalent to igniting four sticks of dynamite. (Exact story effects are left to the Game Host.) The only place where all three waters combine is as ice on the Glimmercrown, the very pinnacle of the Watershed. See the novels for examples of the magical effects possible with this mixture.

EQUIPMENT Equipment in both Dalethica and Faerine is equivalent to that of Medieval Earth. In DuluthTrol, it is more in keeping with Bronze Age Earth.

DENIZENS For game purposes, the creatures of the Watershed are divided into three main categories.

CHARACTER RACES HUMANS inhabit a number of nations scattered across Dalethica. Some differences in human appearance, occupations, and language accent depend on their region of origin. DIGGERS are dwarves: short, stocky miners who tend toward irascibility. The largest digger city is Shalemont, but diggers dwell in towns and villages throughout Faerine’s midlevel mountains and hills. SYLVES are the elf-like antithesis of diggers: tall, graceful, and serene, cherishing their woodlands, pools, and gardens. Their great city is Spendorial, on the shores of Faerine’s greatest lake. They also have many settlements in lowlands and forests. TWISSELS are found throughout Faerine. Small and slight, they can fly under the power of their butterfly-like wings. They are the finest singers in the Watershed and can sometimes exert a nearly hypnotic effect with the beauty of their song. Twissels can also turn invisible, although this requires concentration (imposing a 2-point task penalty on all dice rolls). GIGANTS are humanoids that attain a height of three to four meters. Though not terribly smart (they cannot have Wits Focused), gigants are marvelously strong (gaining a bonus Success Level on any roll involving Brawn). They live in clans in some of the highest mountains of Faerine and are stubborn about change and suspicious of all outsiders. SARTORS are lusty, playful creatures of the woodlands, with lower bodies and legs resembling goats, while their upper portions are humanoid. They can run at great speed (four meters per round instead of the normal two), and can wield a variety of weapons in battle, in which they prove themselves to be savage, exultant warriors.

OTHER DALETHICAN AND FAERINE CREATURES DRACKANS are flying serpents of Faerine who often hibernate for decades. They prefer lives of

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solitude and isolation. Types of drackan are differentiated by green scales and brown scales. SNOW LIONS are great, maned cats that live in the highest mountains near the Glimmercrown. GUARDIANS are charged with guarding the borders of the three realms. Two types exist: High Guardians are intelligent humanoids who dwell on the high ridges dividing the realms. Larger than human, their bodies appear to be made of gray slate. They communicate telepathically. Deep Guardians are armored behemoths with gaping maws and steely claws that can excavate through the densest of rock. They live underground and interrupt any excavations that violate the sanctity of the Watershed.

shape (though not size) to disguise themselves, and the most intelligent can learn foreign tongues—albeit with a lisping, sibilant accent. TERRIONS are flying creatures resembling great, winged dinosaurs. They have sharp, rending beaks and two sturdy hind legs tipped by powerful talons. Terrion skin is reflective and shimmery, making the creatures very difficult to see from the ground below. LORD MINIONS are the “generals” of the Sleepstealer’s armies. Only three survive his failed invasion from a millennium ago: Nicodareus, the Eye of Dassadec; Phalthak, the Fang of Dassadec; and Reaper, the Talon of Dassadec. (See the novels for more information.)

MINIONS OF DASSADEC, THE SLEEPSTEALER All the minions of Dassadec must regularly consume Darkblood to survive. KROAKS are the brawny, brutish foot soldiers of Dassadec’s army. They possess weapons skills, generally with blades, though some are trained as archers, and others wield pikes and spears. BRUTOX are bigger than kroaks and bully their underlings mercilessly. Brutox emit sparks from their finger talons when they are angry or suspicious. They are prone to using crushing weapons and whips. STALKERS are intelligent humanoids with snakelike heads and serpentine limbs and tails. Their bite is mildly poisonous. Stalkers can change

SAMPLE ADVENTURE: TOXIC VALLEY In which intrepid Dalethicans and Faerines unite to locate a band of the Sleepstealer’s minions who have been stranded far from Duloth-Trol.

ACT I: MEETING ON THE MOUNTAIN This adventure occurs in a region of low mountains along the border between Faerine and Dalethica. The heroes can be humans or Faerine, but those races begin the adventure as separate parties, separated by a high but climbable ridge. Each hero should select at least one combat skill and can be girded with Light armor.

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D6XD6 ™ RPG Rumors of strange incursions have driven both groups to explore these barren hills. In Dalethica, people have seen monstrous creatures wandering the wilderness. In Faerine, a gigant has been found slain, his body torn by terrible claws. INITIAL DISCOVERY: What the heroes first encounter depends upon their race. Humans encounter a frail, elderly hermit who promises, in a sibilant lisp, to lead them to bandits who have been preying on travelers. Starting toward the high country, he directs the characters into a narrow ravine and an ambush. The Game Host can allow suspicious characters to roll against Wits or Scholarship to determine that the hermit is a stalker. The creature will reveal its true form if attacked. In reptilian form the stalker attempts to flee toward the ridge crest, following the bed of the ravine if possible. Six kroaks (three on each side) lie hidden atop the bluffs. One kroak in each group has Throwing skill; all have a Focus of 6. If they can spring an ambush, they bombard the characters with rocks and then slide down the steep slope to attack with swords. If the heroes discover the kroaks first, these minions will attempt to flee higher into the hills. Faerines discover a blood trail leading upward from the body of a slain gigant. As they proceed higher, night falls, and they discover the body of a second dead gigant (the source of the blood trail). They also observe the sparking illumination of several hulking creatures approaching from below. This is a party of three brutox and ten kroaks. The minions close in slowly but will attack if the heroes don’t beat a hasty retreat toward the high country. If the heroes try to diverge from the ascent, they are harassed by four terrions who attack relentlessly and quickly draw more kroaks and brutox, forcing the heroes back into the climb. JOINING FORCES: Once the Faerines and humans reach the crest of the ridge, they will see each other, and have trapped between them the remainder of the six kroaks and one stalker that initially encountered the humans. After this fight, the two groups of heroes can make introductions and share their stories. The ridge is devoid of trees and greenery; but a nearby glade just a little lower than the crest does offer some shelter, and a green swath of grass leads downward (into Faerine.) There the heroes will find a square stone structure within the grove of trees. This roofless building has one door, and

one window in the opposite wall. The skeletons of two sylvan warriors, one weaponless, the other clutching a broken sword, lie just outside the door. THE WELLHOUSE: Within the structure is a small, spring-fed pool of Aura. Loose rocks are piled in one corner of the building, and a pile of dry wood has been stacked along one of the walls. The rock pile conceals a keen sylvan sword and a quiver of 10 arrows, all of exceptional quality. Each of these weapons increases the damage inflicted on a hit by one level—i.e. a Graze becomes a Stun, and so forth. Also hidden in the rock pile is an empty clay jug. A character with Literacy skill (in Faerine) can read the term “Auracloud” engraved on the jar. Any sylve will also recognize a carved hieroglyph as a symbol for “fire.” Meanwhile, more minions close in, a brutox leading five kroaks along the crest of the ridge from either direction, joining the party that chased the Faerines up to the ridge, and a similar group coming from the Dalethica. Each group attacks upon arrival. The Game Host should keep the action moving, without overwhelming the characters. If two or more monsters from one group are slain, they will withdraw to await the arrival of the next group of reinforcements. The wellhouse makes a decent fortress: two characters can use swords or axes to fight at the doorway and the window, which is large enough for a kroak, but not a brutox, to crawl through.

ACT II: AURAFLIGHT The jug is enchanted, capable of generating an Auracloud. If filled with Aura (from the spring) and then set into a hot fire for half an hour, the Aura will turn to steam and rise to form a small Auracloud that grows large enough to support all the heroes. They can climb onto the cloud from the top of the wellhouse, or by a rope dangled from above. When the jar is empty, the cloud drifts—but not exactly with the wind. Instead, it moves steadily westward, following the Watershed’s crest as the low mountains rise to become more formidable. Four terrions attack the characters on the cloud, until these creatures are killed or wounded so badly they can no longer fly. THE VALLEY OF DARKBLOOD: The cloud disperses after about 24 hours, sinking into a bowlshaped vale; characters must be lowered by rope or jump about three meters down to the ground.

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LESTER SMITH The rocky terrain inside the bowl is slick, and darkened as if by a spray of dirty oil. This black coating is Darkblood—diluted enough that it is not toxic, but it still irritates exposed skin. One part of the valley is obscured by a grayish mist. The valley wall does not quite surround it; on the southern side (toward Faerine) there is a notch in the surrounding wall so that liquid could flow out. The notch leads to a sheer cliff dropping 50 meters to a more gradual downward slope. Any character with mining experience will notice partially concealed entrances to four mines in the rocky walls near the base of the bowl, three on the western side and one to the east. The middle mine to the west looks to be significantly newer than the other three. The mist comes from a spring of Aura that trickles a short way and evaporates from contact with the Darkblood. The spring is located up the slope, above the western mines. Soon, kroaks and brutox (two of each) appear at the rim of the valley. They make their way down the steep sides to attack. More of the monsters, arriving in small groups, show up and begin to make their way down. If two or more of the minions are killed, the survivors will take cover and wait for reinforcements.

ACT III: THE DARK POOL This valley has been polluted by the collapse of a Tarcloud that drifted from Duloth-Trol; all the minions in this area are the survivors, and are living off on the limited supply of Darkblood they were able to channel into the new mine when the cloud collapsed. Each of the three old mines is now guarded by a Deep Guardian, lurking about 30 meters in from the entrance. The creatures remain in place, and fight to prevent the heroes from proceeding deeper into the mine. Each will not pursue if the heroes withdraw. These three mines are dead ends. Only the newest mine is not blocked by a guardian. It extends straight into the mountain with a slight downward incline. A channel 15 centimeters wide runs down the middle of the floor. About 50 meters in, the tunnel widens into a five-meter-square room. Two kroaks and a stalker,

all with swords, are on sentry duty here. If they hear the heroes coming, the kroaks will meet them with drawn swords while the stalker runs deeper into the mine. (The tunnel continues past the room.) Finally the tunnel terminates in a round chamber 20 meters across. In the center is a circular pool of Darkblood three meters wide. Two brutox are in the room; each has a club and a whip. In battle, they attempt to wrap the lash around an opponent, and drag that victim into the toxic pool. The stalker sentry, if it survived, will also be here to join the fight. If a hero throws a bottle or other vial of Aura into the pool, a sharp explosion results, Stunning or even Wounding those creatures close by. The only way to destroy the pool, however, is to channel the Aura from the valley spring into the shaft and the pool of Darkblood. A digger or experienced miner can easily excavate this channel.

ADVENTURE SEEDS MOUNTAIN HEIR: When a noble’s mountainclimbing expedition in Halverica does not return on schedule, a reward is offered for his rescue. SERVANTS OF NIGHTMARE: Human pirates terrorize coastal realms, hauling prisoners aboard their ships. The raiders prove to be agents of the Sleepstealer; the captives to be sacrificed in a ritual that strengthens one of his elite legions. FEVER FURY: A drackan awakens from hibernation and drinks, discovering too late that its rejuvenating pool has been polluted by an infusion of Darkblood. The beast goes mad and launches attacks against human and Faerines alike.

CAMPAIGN IDEAS Besides their own political machinations and internecine wars, Dalethica and Faerine are continually lusted after by the Sleepstealer’s minions, who seek a foothold through subversion, assassination, and infiltration. Sadly, human memory is short, and old stories quickly fade to legend. Heroes who stumble upon a plot will be hard pressed to convince others of the danger, while themselves being targeted for death.

CREDITS DESIGN: Douglas Niles. DEVELOPMENT: Lester Smith. EDITING: Dale A. Donovan. COVER & ILLUSTRATION: K8 Smith. PROOFREADING: Winifred Lewis. LAYOUT: Ralph Faraday.

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THE WORLD OF ZERO Steve Stone In 1997, Archangel Entertainment hired me to design Zero, a roleplaying game world based on the artwork of Steve Stone. This chapter boils that setting down to its essence. —Lester Smith

BACKGROUND It’s the best of all possible worlds. Or so you’ve been taught. Everyone telepathically conjoined in one immense, contented family, hunkered down in a world of caverns and warrens, maintaining centuries-old machinery to keep the hive alive. But you’ve always felt a niggling sense of being different. While everyone around you basks in “The Equanimity,” a sea of psychic satisfaction, complacent in their togetherness, you’ve subconsciously felt less-than-perfect-happiness. Your nascent self-awareness has made you a truly creative troubleshooter, but it has also caused you discomfort. And today, it’s about to get you terminated. Queen Zero cannot abide malcontents. She has already birthed and programmed your replacement. You’ve been ejected from the hive mind, and Human Resources is on its way to recycle your body. Happy birthday! And welcome to the rest of your short, miserable life.

OCCUPATIONS Unlike other D6×D6 game settings, the World of Zero has only five occupations: Archivist, Drone, Healer, Technician, and Warrior.

ARCHIVISTS are keepers of ancient information—computer librarians, if you will. With millennia of knowledge cataloged, if they do not know something, they know how to look it up. Tall and reedy, they exist on a diet designed to maintain their enormous brains. Archivist characters must Focus Wits. DRONES are general-purpose workers, with no specialization. Highly adaptable, these characters treat all abilities as either Focused as Unfocused. They have no Unfamiliar attributes or skills.

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LESTER SMITH HEALERS are the biological experts of the hive. They are responsible for maintaining life and health, for grafting body parts and machinery in useful combinations, and for recycling organic material. Soft and rotund, they are the only reproductively fertile members of the hive, as an emergency backup in case of mechanized birthing facility failure. Healer characters must Focus Will. TECHNICIANS are the machine experts of the hive. They are equally adept in mechanical and electrical engineering. Small and wiry, they are designed to fit in tight places when hard-toreach machinery requires repair. Technician characters must Focus Grace. WARRIORS are the defenders of the hive, patrolling its outermost tunnels, where savage, mutated animal life yet survives. Large and bulky, they are mechanically enhanced with grafted armor (one point of subdermal mesh) and weaponry (see Equipment below). Their bodies and gear require constant maintenance by healers and technicians to remain in fighting condition. Warrior characters must Focus Brawn.

SKILLS From the Basic Skills chapter, Athletics, Computers, First Aid, Navigation, Shooting, Sneaking, Swimming, Throwing, Tracking, and Vehicle apply. Others are unknown to this world (though the heroes’ explorations may later expose them to new skills). Also, characters may choose any of the following skills. COMBAT PSIONICS: This is the ability to use the combat effects of the psychic abilities listed below. Rolls are made versus the specific psychic ability being used. ELECTRONICS: This skill involves building and repairing electrical equipment. When combined with Computers skill, it includes programming ability. HYDROPONICS: This is used to raise food in this underground environment that possesses no natural light or soil. MECHANICS: This skill involves building and repairing mechanical equipment—including most weapons and ammunition.

TELEGNOSIS: This is literally “knowledge at a distance” whether in time or space. It is sometimes referred to as clairvoyance, and it ranges from a hunch at low levels to virtual prophecy at higher levels. In game terms, each Success Level from a Telegnosis roll gains the character one insightful bit of information from the Game Host, who chooses exactly what to reveal. COMBAT TELEGNOSIS: This gives its user an insight into an enemy’s weaknesses. Each Success Level with Combat Telegnosis gives the user a 1-point bonus on attack and defense against one specific enemy for the duration of one battle. TELEKINESIS: Sometimes called psychokinesis, this is the ability to move objects by the power of thought. Multiply the exact dice roll by the number of Success Levels to determine the possible combination of kilos and meters moved in a game round. Example: A character with Focused Telekinesis and a Focus rating of 6, whose roll is 18, would score a 36 (18 × 2 Success Levels). With that roll, the character could move 36 kilos 1 meter, or 1 kilo 36 meters, or 4 kilos 9 meters, or any other combination up to 36. COMBAT TELEKINESIS: This allows the character to strike a target with loose objects in the vicinity. Use the Small Pistol rating from the Conflict and Damage chapter as a basis for damage and range. TELEPATHY: This is, of course, the ability to communicate mind to mind. Because the heroes originated in Queen Zero’s hive, they are able to communicate by projecting thoughts to one another. (As explained under Special Rules, below, players must choose Telepathy as either a Focused or Unfocused skill for their characters.) Eavesdropping on unprojected thoughts, on the other hand, requires a skill roll. If the “listener” is successful, the target is allowed a Wits roll to recognize the intrusion. If the target’s Success Levels equal or exceed those of the listener, the target becomes aware of being scanned and is allowed a Will roll to guard thoughts from being overheard. If Success Levels for this roll also equal or exceed the original Telepathy roll, the thoughts are

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D6XD6 ™ RPG guarded. (The Game Host may also allow a character to make an Uncertain Task roll—see the Dice and Tasks chapter—using Will to guard thoughts before entering a situation.) Guarding thoughts requires concentration, which imposes a 1-point penalty on any other dice rolls the target makes. COMBAT TELEPATHY: This involves projecting doubts or other distracting thoughts into a target’s mind. For each Success Level the telepath gains, the target must hesitate for one round and can take no action other than attempting to shake off the effects with a Will roll. Each Success Level on this Will roll reduces the number of rounds lost by one. TELEPORTATION: This skill is the ability to move from one location to another instantaneously. In the World of Zero setting, the number of Success Levels on a roll determines the distance that can be traveled, in terms of combat ranges: 1. Throwing; 2. Shooting; 3. Viewing; 4. Lost. Teleporting another person (or object of equivalent mass) makes the task one step more difficult. Each additional person teleported imposes another step of difficulty. The teleporter must physically touch the object to be teleported, and all travel together. Example: A character could transport itself and two additional people as a Formidable task (see the Dice and Tasks chapter). COMBAT TELEPORTATION: This allows a character to rapidly “blink” into and out of existence, which makes that character more difficult to target. Each Success Level the teleporting character gains on the roll adds one level of difficulty to attack rolls against it. The power requires an action to activate, however. It also requires concentration to maintain, which means the teleporter treats all other task rolls as one point more difficult than usual. TELERGY: This skill is the ability to affect another person’s thoughts or emotions. The

target is allowed a Will roll to resist, and Success Levels are compared. If the Will Success Levels are higher, the target is unaffected; if the Success Levels are tied, neither character can take any other action that round; if the Telergy Success Levels are higher, the telergist controls the target for one round per excess Success Level. Example: If a telergist achieves three Success Levels versus a target who achieves one Will Success Level, the telergist controls that target for two rounds. Note that a telergist cannot force its victim to attack itself, though the victim could be forced to attack its companions. COMBAT TELERGY: This allows its user to cause damage to a living target by slowing its heart and reducing blood flow to its brain. Base damage for this attack is Graze, and each Success Level increases that damage by one step. As an action, the victim may attempt

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LESTER SMITH a Brawn roll to resist the effect, with each Success Level reducing the damage one step.

SPECIAL RULES NAMES for hive members consists of an occupation and a four-digit number: “Warrior 3414,” for example. After choosing your character’s occupation, roll a six-sided die four times to generate the digits. GENDER doesn’t much matter for characters other than Healers. Choose one if you wish, or simply mark this spot “N/A” on the character sheet, and remember to refer to your character as “it.” AGE is either Immature, Adult, or (rarely) Elderly. Years since birth are not recorded. LANGUAGES are unheard of (literally) in Queen Zero’s hive. All players must choose Telepathy for their characters as either a Focused or Unfocused skill. Only Archivists are aware of the existence of spoken languages as a primitive form of communication.

EQUIPMENT The equipment in Queen Zero’s realm is an odd mix of the very archaic (though carefully maintained) and high tech. Vehicles are scarce—most travel being on foot or via the Teleport skill—but weapons are readily available for Warriors; and other odd devices can be found, or looted after battles.

VEHICLES Those few vehicles that do exist are primarily slow, treaded trucks for hauling ore, or heavily armored versions for troop transport. Some few one- or two-person flying craft or underwater vessels are sometimes seen.

WEAPONS Queen Zero’s security forces have stockpiled weapons from every era. Heroes might encounter any of the weapons listed in the Conflict and Damage chapter, as well as the following. Note that many Warriors have had a forearm surgically removed and a two-handed weapon mounted in its place, in order to operate the weapon one-handed. Some Warriors even have both forearms replaced

with two-handed weapons, allowing them to attack twice per round (roll four dice and assign two to each arm's attack). For mundane tasks such as reloading, feeding themselves, and so on, they either rely on Healers and Techs or develop extraordinary Telekinesis. BLASTER: This Large Pistol fires a particle beam that can hit targets up to Viewing range. Unfortunately, the beam is diffused by dust or mist. (The Game Host will determine damage reduction based on level of obscurity.) FLAMER: This Throwing-range weapon can attack two adjacent targets, with a base damage of Hit against each on the round it strikes. Each following round, the flame causes automatic damage at one level less. Example: If a Warrior wielding a flamer strikes with two Success Levels, damage is Wound on the first Round, Hit on the second, Stun on the third, Graze on the fourth, and None on the fifth, at which point the fire dies.) NEURAL WHIP: This retractable Throwingrange weapon does Stun damage, ignoring most armor. As long as at least two of its metal studs can touch bare flesh, the electrical circuit completes. It is especially useful against naturally armored creatures such as cave crocodiles. POWER BLADE: Whether a chainsaw, an electrified sword, vibro-blade, or an electrically rigidified monofilament wire, this two-hand weapon does Wound damage and ignores one level of armor. PULSE CANNON: This spinning multi-barreled Blaster causes Kill damage on a successful attack against living creatures. It also counts as an anti-vehicle weapon with a Graze damage rating. After three shots, it must be recharged with a new battery pack.

SPECIAL EQUIPMENT The heroes may come across special equipment such as the following during their adventures. BIOHAZARD SUIT: This bulky clothing protects the wearer in any hazardous environment. It acts as four levels of armor against all but psychic damage and contains a one-hour oxygen supply. Any physical activities suffer a two-point difficulty modifier, however.

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D6XD6 ™ RPG BOOSTER DRUG: An adrenaline derivative, this injector gives the user a 2-point bonus on all dice rolls for 15 minutes, then causes automatic Hit damage as withdrawal. CHAMELEON SUIT: A full-body suit with computerized light sensors and matching light emitters, this clothing mimics the wearer’s environment, giving a 3-point bonus to Sneaking rolls. It must be recharged after an hour of use. IRE: This biomechanical infrared eye, permanently implanted in an eye socket, allows the user to see heat as if it were visible light.

DENIZENS Queen Zero has survived millennia by body-swapping at least once each generation. She keeps a specially prepared Drone on hand at all times in case of emergency. As psychic mother to the hive, she can see through anyone’s eyes and draw upon any skill with an effective Focus rating of 0. The chance of the heroes meeting her in person is virtually nil, though she might confront them through a telergically controlled surrogate. CYBERKILLERS: They are Queen Zero’s personal guard. Gender: Female. Age: Adult. Attributes: Will Focused; None Unfamiliar. Occupation: Assassin. Skills: Focused Combat Psionics, Shooting, Sneaking, Throwing, and Tracking; Unfocused all psychic skills. Focus: 6. Notes: Cyberkillers wear form-fitting reactive armor that provides 3 levels of protection and acts as a Chameleon Suit. Each member also carries a Pulse Cannon. But their signature equipment is a Psi Lens helmet treating all psychic skills as Focused and conferring these special Combat Psionics abilities: TELEKINESIS—PYROKINESIS: 1 Success Level causes a flammable item to smolder; 2 causes them to ignite; 3 makes metal blisteringly hot; 4 causes it to melt. Against living creatures, the

power’s base damage is Hit. Armor does not protect the target, though defensive Success Levels with Telekinesis can. TELEPATHY—PSI BLAST: This psychic “shout” has a base Stun damage. Armor does not protect the target, though defensive Success Levels with Telepathy can. TELEPORTATION–WRACK: This attack pulls the target apart, doing a base damage of Wound. Armor does offer protection, as do defensive Success Levels with Teleportation. THE FIVE and THE FORTY: They are hive members of each occupation, possessing a singledigit name (such as Drone 1 through Drone 9). The 1s personally attend the queen; the remainder serve as their agents in the hive. Gender: Female. Age: Adult. Attributes, Occupation, and Skills: Varied. Focus: Identical to name.

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LESTER SMITH THE MULTI-DIGITS: They are hive members of each occupation in descending order, roughly 450 members with two-digit names, 4,500 with three-digit names, and 45,000 at the heroes’ level. They can be of any gender and age. In general, their Focus ratings are roughly twice the number of digits in their names (so most four-digit-named characters have a Focus of about 8). CAVE CREATURES: These are mutated animals that survived some long-forgotten planetary cataclysm. They survive outside the hive, raiding it for food or from sheer rage. Their exact natures are left to the Game Host.

SAMPLE ADVENTURE: SEVERANCE PACKAGE

providing the opportunity to steal a vehicle to ramp up the chase.

ACT III: COMPANY STORE As the climax to this adventure, a Cyberkiller arrives. She begins clearing a path to the heroes by slaying anyone else in her way— using Pyrokinesis and Wrack in a display of wanton destruction. If the heroes somehow defeat this Cyberkiller, more appear to take her place. Queen Zero cannot allow independent beings to remain within the hive. If the heroes flee, they are pursued only to the edges of the hive, where light and power fall behind. The queen assumes they will perish without further pursuit.

ADVENTURE SEEDS

In which the heroes are evicted from the hive.

ACT I: TERMINATION Begin by asking the players to describe what their characters are doing on a typical day in The Equanimity. As they become involved in this description, interrupt them with a mental command to report for duty at a new location. They arrive as strangers to one another, in an abandoned chamber none have visited before, somewhere near the center of the hive. Suddenly, their connection to the hive mind is dropped, and a Warrior teleports into the room and begins attacking. Each combat round, another Warrior teleports in, to a maximum of one enemy per hero. Let the heroes begin to bond in mutual defense against this threat.

ACT II: EXIT THE BUILDING If the heroes defeat their attackers, they hear the approach of many more hive members in the corridors outside. Remaining here is clearly suicide. Or the heroes may already have chosen to flee the arriving Warriors. In either case, a chase scene ensues through heavily occupied regions, punctuated with Drone ambushes, locked bulkhead doors a Technician must open, other obstructions an Archivist must find a path around, and so on. Consider

MILK RUN: The heroes find themselves running low on food, medicine, battery packs, or ammunition. They must plot a series of raids on the hive to resupply. HERE THERE BE MONSTERS: Weary of an ever-vigilant existence on the outskirts of the hive, the heroes discover a promising new cavern—seemingly unoccupied. To move there, however, they must investigate why it is empty. LIBRARY DAY: The heroes discover an impressive piece of equipment in need of repair (perhaps even a starship). An Archivist recalls plans in the hive’s computer library, and a Technician knows where parts might be stolen or manufactured.

CAMPAIGN IDEAS Surviving their forced retirement thus far, the heroes explore ever farther afield, eventually finding themselves on the planet’s surface. This ravaged wasteland is home to small enclaves of civilization, some being descendants of people who previously escaped Queen Zero, others descendants of forgotten nations, or even former members of star-faring races. The heroes may shape the destiny of this world, with supplies taken from Queen Zero.

CREDITS

ZERO © Steve Stone. Used by permission. SETTING TEXT © Lester Smith. EDITING: Dale A. Donovan. ILLUSTRATIONS: Steve Stone. PROOFREADING: Winifred Lewis. LAYOUT: Ralph Faraday.

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APPENDIX: BONUS CHARACTERS

The following characters were provided by Kickstarter backers of the D6×D6 game.

“Ms. Carol Christmas, Esq.” illustration by Lenka Šimečková for Big Trouble in Little Canton

ARNOLD ALBERT. Gender:: Male. Age: 38 Attributes: Wits Focused; Will Unfamiliar. Occupation: Marine Biologist. Skills: Focused Computers, Navigation, Persuasion, Swimming, Tracking, Vehicle: One-man Submersible; Unfocused Persuasion, First Aid, Second Language: Latin. Focus: 7. Notes: Arnold works aboard a timetraveling bioresearch flotilla capturing and cataloging prehistoric deep-sea predators. —Jun Omachi BANISTERMAN. Gender: Male. Age: Adult. Attributes: Wits Focused; Will Unfamiliar. Occupation: Technician. Skills: Steady Thinker, Methodical Worker, Vehicle: Rundown Jet Ski. Focus: 4. —Ben Sharratt TREVOR BRADY. Gender:: Male. Age: 21 Attributes: Will Focused; Brawn Unfamiliar. Occupation: Rigger. Skills: Focused Computers, Reasoning, Partying, Second Language: Sarcasm; Unfocused Social Skills, Dancing. Focus: 5. Notes: A hopeless romantic, Trevor spends his days marveling at the small things in life. He is a fan of horror stories. —Trevor Ray Brady GOFFREDO DI BUGLIONE. Gender: Male. Age: 40 Attributes: Wits Focused; Brawn Unfamiliar. Occupation: Scholar. Skills: Focused Persuasion, Shooting, Sense Motive, Dodge, Second Language:

English, Magic Knowledge; Unfocused Tracking, Ride Animal, Swimming. Focus: 7. Notes: Goffredo lives in Itlay during the 21st century and has a great knowledge of magic that leverages to help the world to preserve the balance. —Francesco Ferrini AUSK BROKEN TUSK. Gender: Male. Age: 24. Attributes: Brawn Focused; Will Unfamiliar. Occupation: Warrior. Skills: Focused Athletics, First Aid, Frenzy, Martial Arts, Ride Animal, Tracking; Unfocused Navigation, Sneaking, Throwing. Focus: 6. Notes: Ausk is a fast rising young Chief on the world of Fagara. —John F. Watson NATHAN CAPSHAW. Gender: Male. Age: Mid 30s. Attributes: Grace Focused; Wits Unfamiliar. Occupation: Soldier (Monster Hunter). Skills: Focused Athletics, Persuasion, Second Language: Spanish, Sneaking, Tracking, Vehicle: Auto; Unfocused Computers. Focus: 7. Notes: Capshaw retired early from the US Army with a mental disability because he swore he saw monsters. He learned not to talk about them. Now he hunts them, looking for help wherever he can find any. —W. Schaffer Tolliver KOA CONNELY. Gender: Female. Age: 17. Attributes: Will Focused; Brawn Unfamiliar. Occupation: Student. Skills: Arts, Music, Second Language: French, Second Language: Russian. Focus: 5. Notes: Avid reader and fan of the Touchstone novel series. —Anonymous CHGUCK. Gender: Male. Age: Adult. Attributes: Brawn Focused, Wits Unfamiliar. Occupation: Outcast. Skills: Focused Luck. Focus: 2. Notes: Bumbles his way through encounters that should have killed him without a scratch. —Chuck Pint, for Esfah, the World of Dragon Dice MARQUES CEDA. Gender: Female. Age: 36. Attributes: Will Focused; Brawn Unfamiliar. Occupation: Record Store Owner. Skills: Focused Spiritual Knowledge (Yoruban), Spiritual Divinity (Yoruban), Mythology, Persuasion, Martial Arts (Machete Fighting), Sneaking; Unfocused Spiritual Knowledge (Ashanti), Computers, Throwing. Focus: 6. Notes: Marques lives in 21st Haitian immigrant who migrated to New Orleans. He is motivated by a thirst for power and revenge against a family enemy who has denied his mother entry to Orun Rere (Heaven). —Scott McClenaghan JASPER CONROY. Gender:: Male. Age: 58. Attributes: Wits Focused; Grace Unfamiliar. Occupation: Librarian. Skills: Focused Pulp Literature, Crime Historian, Photography, Intuition, Cigar expert, ; Unfocused Sneaking, Throwing, Bravery. Focus: 6. Notes: Jasper is a single man in contemporary times. He fancies himself a librarian Columbo and that any crime can be solved if enough of pieces can be uncover. Unfortunately he rarely has the courage needed to uncover those pieces. —David Wolfe RACKO “THE REBORN” CYBILL. Gender:: Male Age: 33. Race: Human Attributes: Wits Focused Brawn Unfamiliar Occupation: Battle Control Wizard Skills: Focused: Magic (Conjunction); Magic (Evocation); Craft (Rod and Staff); Knowledge; Ride Animal Unfocused: Sword Fight, Tracking, Battle Control. Focus: 5 Notes: Racko the Reborn is a mighty wizard. He was selfies and saw every other being as mere pawns for him to use for the greatest personal gain. However, 50 years ago he was captured by Sun Elves, locked away in the cage, he starved himself to death, as he had long ago

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LESTER SMITH prepared a clone to serve as a new vessel for his soul, should he ever die. However, the journey to rebirth changed the mighty wizard, and he now strives to right the wrongs of his previous life and stand as a vigil against darkness and corruption. —Stefan Wilken AERIM DARKLIGHTER. Gender: Male. Age: 38. Attributes: Will Focused; Grace Unfamiliar. Occupation: Tech Engineer. Skills: Focused Martial Arts, Computers, Tracking (geocaching), Second Language: Dutch, Vehicle: Honda Shadow; Unfocused Navigation, Sneaking, Throwing. Focus: 9. Notes: Aerim lives in a commune where feudal Japanese rules apply. It’s an open community, so wondering the world is an option. a two-month visit each year is mandatory though. —John van Schaik AXYS DENYED. Gender: Male. Age: Adult Attributes: Wits Focused; Grace Unfamiliar. Occupation: Hacker. Skills: Focused Bargaining, Computers, Lockpicking, Persuasion, Vehicle: Motorcycle; Unfocused Shooting, Sneaking. Focus: 6. Notes: Axys Denyed has a penchant for vintage Ducati motorcycles and old cyberpunk pulp novels. —J Sumner, Jr. DICE COMMANDER PRIME. Gender: Male. Age: 40. Attributes: Will Focused; Brawn Unfamiliar. Occupation: Scholar. Skills: Focused Bargaining, Computers, Persuasion, Second Language: Esperanto. Unfocused First Aid, Navigation, Sneaking. Focus: 5. —Mike DeZearn MORGRIM DIMZAD. Gender:: Male Age: 132. Race: Dwarf Attributes: Wits Focused Grace Unfamiliar. Occupation: Battlepriest of Moradin Skills: Focused Martial Arts (Morningstar), First Aid, Persuasion, Magic (Earth); Unfocused Lockpicking, Sneaking, Swimming. Focus: 5. Notes: Morgrim Dimzad was a dwarf priest of forgotten times, serving the dwarven Church of Moradin. He was known for his courage and was always at front in the heat of battle, wearing his full plate armour and swinging his Morningstar. He was also very wise and was even said to know everything. —Casper Entzelmann Christoffersen MOOSE FARELY. Gender:: Male. Age: Adult Attributes: Wits Focused; Grace Unfamiliar. Occupation: Information Broker. Skills: Focused Computers, Vehicle: Auto; Unfocused Shooting, Throwing. Focus: 3. Notes: Moose was a company commander in the US Army before retiring. He now provides rapid-response background and research information through the network to ghost/monster hunters. —Norm Fenlason TYRONE FETTERS. Gender: Male. Age: Adult. Attributes: Grace Focused; Brawn Unfamiliar. Occupation: Peacekeeper. Skills: Focused Persuasion, Pickpocketing, Sneaking, Tracking; Unfocused First Aid, Martial Arts. Focus: 7. Notes: Tyrone had previously just worked for whoever could pay him, getting the information or item needed, but now he knows there’s consequences and he’s only working for the “good guys.” —Russ Luzetski GORKO GALGENSTRICK. Race: Dwarf. Gender: Male. Age: Adult. Attributes: Brawn Focused; Will Unfamiliar. Occupation: Thief. Skills: Focused Melee Combat, Mountaineering, Mining, Appraisal; Unfocused Tracking, Swimming. Focus: 7. Notes: Gorko is a roughand-tumble rogue torn between fascination and hate for all things magical. He loves bashing up opposition with his two-handed sword. —Thomas Biskup AMANDA “RED ANGEL” GEISLER. Gender: Female. Age: 35. Attributes: Will Focused; Brawl Unfamiliar. Occupation: First Response Technician. Skills: Focused Athletics, Bargaining, Computers, Lockpicking, Persuasion, Vehicle: Auto, Vehicle: Motorcycle. Focus: 8. —Kris Herzog MICHAEL GIBSON. Gender: Male. Age: Adult. Attributes: Will Focused; Grace Unfamiliar. Occupation: Politician/MC. Skills: Focused Bargaining, Persuasion, Computers, Pickpocketing, Navigation, Vehicle: Auto; Unfocused Athletics, Lockpicking, Ride Animal. Focus: 7. Notes: Michael rides the line between model citizen and con artist, but always for his interpretation of the “greater good.” —Michael J Gibson ISABEL GOTHMAROTHMAGOGGOGOTH. Gender: Female. Age: Adult. Attributes: Will Focused; Brawn Unfamiliar. Occupation: Rogue Sorceress. Skills: Focused Arcane Lore, Alchemy, Witchcraft,

Herbalism, Fencing, Archery, Sneaking; Unfocused Brawling, Lockpicking, Acting. Focus: 8. Notes: Isabel has travelled across many planes and hundreds of worlds in search of the vast wealth and the ultimate power she craves and enthusiastically hoards. —Jeremy Kear GROAN. Male. Age: 41 Attributes: Wits Focused; Brawn Unfamiliar. Occupation: Hermit Sage. Skills: Focused Computers, Persuasion, Shooting, Vehicle: Auto (20th-21st century); Unfocused Bargaining, First Aid, Second Language: German. Focus: 5. Notes: Groan lives atop a small mountain from where he dispenses his wisdom to those who seek it, and sometimes to those who don't. His life is mostly solitary since at the bottom of the mountain there are annoying trolls. Despite this he does sometimes go out and adventure with his friends. —Jonathan L. Wolff MONGO HAKALA. Gender: Male. Age: Adult. Attributes: Strength Focused; Wits Unfamiliar. Occupation: Russian Mobster. Skills: Focused Firearms, Computers, First Aid, Martial Arts, Second Language: Russian, Vehicle: Fusion Powered Ford Mustang; Unfocused Navigation, Sneaking, Throwing. Focus: 7. Notes: Mongo lives in a 22nd century Martian colony, is a “button man” for the local Russian mob and has a secret fascination with Jane Austen novels. —Adam W. Roy MARV HALLOWSTONE. Gender: Male. Age: 30. Attributes: Brawn Focused; Will Unfamiliar. Occupation: Blacksmith. Skills: Focused Martial Arts, Shooting, Throwing, Tracking, Persuasion, First Aid. Unfocused Computers, Ride Animal, Sneaking. Focus: 7 Notes: Marv has a large amount of rage built up and is out for revenge for the death of his girlfriend. —Garrett Hayes KAIRAM AHMED HAMDAN. Gender: Male. Age: Adult. Attributes: Brawn Focused; Wits Unfamiliar. Occupation: Former Saudi Emergency Force official. Skills: Focused Second Language: English, Navigation, Tracking, Dematerialize, Possession, Write, Will o’ Wisps, Dream Walk, Appear; Unfocused Computer, Vehicle: Auto, Ride Animal. Focus 10. Equipment: Ectoplasmic sniper rifle with night vision scope, Technika Destroyer Black-ops suit. Notes: Born 1956, Mecca. Joined Saudi Emergency Force, 1978. Married a colonel’s daughter, 1981. Daughter Dinazade disappeared, 2000 (18th birthday). Kairam followed her to Dubai to a slaver, Robin, a djinn. Leading a night raid, Kairam was ambushed and killed by a trio of ghouls. —Kairam Ahmed Hamdan, for Ghost of a Chance LASERACID. Gender:: Male. Age: 30 Attributes: Battle Ready; Unmatched Wits. Occupation: Nightclub Owner. Skills: People Skills, Computers, Katana Training, Martial Arts. Second Language: Russian, Vehicle: Pontiac Trans-Am; Notes: Laseracid owns the most high class chain of night clubs in the USA, loves sports cars and swords, and is a well-known ladies man. —Dan Steinmetz DASH HARRISON. Gender: Male. Age: 24 Attributes: Grace Focused; Brawn Unfamiliar. Occupation: Gunslinger. Skills: Focused Shooting, Bargaining, Persuasion; Unfocused Ride Animal, Sneaking, Second Language: Latin. Focus: 4. Notes: Dash, with his loyal dog Sammy, aimlessly wanders the world to become the fastest gunslinger in history. —Lee Alley KITHLYRAE “KIT KAT” KATCHJNE. Gender: Female. Age: Young Adult. Attributes: Grace+ Focused; Brawn Unfamiliar. Occupation: Spacecraft Engineer. Skills: Focused Bargaining, Computers: Advanced Technology, Empathy: Machines, Persuasion, Second Language: Human), Sneaking; Unfocused Lockpicking, Navigation, Tracking. Focus: 7. Notes: Kit is a half-blood human with feline features and a prehensile tail. She comes from a planet of noncombative empaths. Outcast as a half-breed with a “technology fixation,” Kit was mostly raised in a human colony. —K8 Smith FREDDY LOE. Gender: Male. Age: 42. Attributes: Wits Focused; Brawn Unfamiliar. Occupation: Band Manager/Promoter. Skills: Focused Bargaining, First Aid, Sneaking, Pickpocketing; Unfocused Athletics, Ride Animal, Swimming. Focus: 5. Notes: Freddy currently manages a Heavy Metal band by the name of WyrmTongue. —Robert W. Iliff KIMBERLY LOKIDOTTIR. Gender: Female. Age: 41. Attributes: Wits Focused; Brawn Unfamiliar. Occupation: Psychic Mecha Pilot. Skills: Focused Vehicle: Mecha, Computers, Navigation, Vehicle: Starship,

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D6XD6 ™ RPG Psychic Combat, Psychic Senses; Unfocused First Aid, Persuasion, Shooting. Focus: 7. Notes: Kimmie is a 31st Century explorer. Whether flying a starship, piloting mecha, or journeying beyond the five senses, she lives for the experience. —Kimberly Burgess KATHERINE MARDELL. Gender:: Female. Age: 24 (Apparently. Actually she’s 49 but doesn’t look it). Attributes: Grace Focused; Brawn Unfamiliar. Occupation: Vampire. Skills: Athletics, Martial Arts (Streetfighting), Persuade (Charm), Shapeshift (Bat, Wolf), Sneaking. Focus: 6. Katherine is a modern-day vampire, living on the fringes of society along the south coast of England. She and a small number of her kind survive by attempting to blend in with the human populace, avoiding the attention of the authorities and the Church of England’s witch hunters. Katherine still adopts the late 80s blend of Goth and hippie style clothing she was wearing back in the late 1980s when her human existence ended, favoring long skirts coupled with motorcycle jackets and knee-high boots. —Mike Jarvis MAYA MIKULSKI. Gender: Female. Age: 37. Attributes: Will Focused; Brawn Unfamiliar. Occupation: Physician. Skills: Focused Investigation, Martial Arts, Second Language: English, Vehicle: Car, Magic: Restoration, Magic: Energy; Unfocused Acrobatics, Sneaking, Magic: Movement. Focus: 7. Notes: Maya is a doctor turned into monster hunter by a set of unforeseen events. She lives in late 20's of XXI century in alternative reality where magic is commonplace and monsters are real danger. —Jiima Arunsone ONO. Race: Dwarf. Gender:: Male. Age: Adult. Attributes: Brawn Focused; Wits Unfamiliar. Occupation: Warrior. Skills: Focused Martial Weapons, Martial Arts, Second Language: Common; Unfocused Sneaking, Magic. Focus: 4. Notes: Ono isn’t…smart, but he is strong and quite good at breaking things. Oddly enough, somehow he’s learned a few simple spells along the way, they rarely work quite like he expects however. He has little patience for long, elaborate planning, as he is the more the “charge in and hit it with me axe” kind of Dwarf. —Mark James Featherston Patty Papanopolis. Gender: Female. Age: Adult. Attributes: Grace Focused; Brawn Unfamiliar. Occupation: Children’s TV Host (Patty Pancakes). Skills: Focused Bargaining, Lockpicking, Shooting, Sneaking, Swimming; Unfocused Athletics, First Aid, Vehicle: Auto. Focus: 6. Notes: Tends to take drastic action when spooked. —Christopher Reed GERALD ROBINSON. Gender:: Male. Age: Adult. Attributes: Wits Focused; Grace Unfamiliar. Occupation: Sales. Skills: Focused Bargaining, Computers, Persuasion, Swimming. Second Language: Klingon, Vehicle: Auto. Focus: 7. —Gerald Robinson RUMPUS THE MEATY. Race: Feral (wild boar) Gender: Female. Age: 82 Attributes: Brawn Focused; Wits Unfamiliar. Occupation: Warrior. Skills: Focused Athletics, Martial Arts, Shooting, Tracking, Throwing, Navigation; Unfocused Second Language: Undead, Sneaking, Swimming, Magic: Earth. Focus: 7. Notes: Rumpus wears light leather armor and wields her mother’s Spear of Spearing, which has no special value and is just an ordinary spear…with an extraordinary name! —Christopher Reed, for the World of Esfah ROSBEN RUNDERBOUGH. Race: Halfling. Gender:: Male Age: Adult. Attributes: Grace Focused; Brawn Unfamiliar. Occupation: Adventurer/Explorer. Skills: Focused Athletics, Literacy, Lockpicking, Navigation, Persuasion, Pickpocketing, Sneaking, Swimming, Tracking; Unfocused: Martial Arts (Escaping), Shooting, Throwing Focus: 10 Notes: Jack of all trades, master of none (or all, if you ask Rosben). Curiosity and high spirits are his two defining traits. He is too curious to ever be afraid, finding every new creature and new thing very fascinating. In one of his many run-ins with magic, he was fused with a bottomless bag—a true advantage, if you ask Rosben, as that allows him to carry a “small” sample of the previously mentioned fascinating items with him, without worrying about such boring issues as size and weight. Many times has he pulled from the pocket a wondrous item that has helped him and his companions out of peril. Quite as often, that that peril was caused by something else from his

pocket. That Rosben is still alive is a wonder, but Lady Luck seems to always smile upon him when it really counts. He has seen the inside of a dragon and found his way out. Rosben believes he is so blessed because of his good soul. And while he seldom sees any problem in “borrowing” other people’s belongings, he truly is always ready to help anyone in need (whether they want his help or not). Rosben is always on the move, seeking new discoveries, typically joining up with a group of fellow travelers deep in trouble (which he may or may not have partially caused). The only time he sits still is to write his experiences and observations in The Big Books on Everything Worth Knowing, by Rosben Runderbough. —Thomas Bybjerg Brock CHRIS SAGUISAG. Gender: Male. Age: Adult. Attributes: Wit Focused; Brawn Unfamiliar. Occupation: Network Systems Administrator. Skills: Focused Bargaining, Computers, First Aid, Navigation, Persuation, Vehicle: Auto; Unfocused Athletics, Shooting, Throwing. Focus: 7. Notes: Chris was working in his everyday job at the Judicial Council of California, until oneday he was swept up into a world of adventure. —Chris “Pepsiman” Saguisag ANTONIO SANTINO. Gender:: Male. Age: 28. Attributes: Brawn Focused; Grace Unfamiliar. Occupation: Private Investigator (Tracking). Skills: Focused Athletics, First Aid, Martial Arts, Persuasion, Shooting, Sneaking, Vehicle: Auto; Unfocused Bargaining, Lockpicking, Second Language: Italian. Focus: 8. Notes: Tony is a former professional boxer who has become a PI in 1980’s California. —Jeff Mowen BALO SHANDOR. Gender:: Male Age: Adult Race: Human Attributes: Brawn Focused; Will Unfamiliar. Occupation: Mercenary Skills: Focused: Athletics; Bargaining; Navigation; Shooting Unfocused: First Aid, Tracking, Ride Animal Focus: 5 Notes: Balo’s weapon of choice is a gargantuan two-handed hammer that seems way to large for a human to wield. While he goes about his life selling his services, it is not always the biggest coin that get him; rather he lets his adventurer’s heart guide his hammer and seeks the pay that seems the most exciting. —Frederik Kühl SOERINTH. Gender:: Male Age: 28 Attributes: Wits Focused; Brawn Unfamiliar. Occupation: Military (munitions). Skills: Focused Explosives, Gamer, Devil’s Own Luck, Shooting, Survivor. Notes: Known lecher with a weakness for women. —Cody Butler “TATTLE” TAYLOR. Gender:: Female. Age: 19. Race: Human Attributes: Wits Focused; Brawn Unfamiliar. Occupation: Thief. Skills: Focused Computers, Cold-Reading, Psychology, Persuasion; Unfocused Vehicle: Auto, Tracking, Bargaining. Focus: 5. Notes: Taylor is a 20th century professional thief, burglar, and heist planner. She uses her impressive talents for reading people and figuring out their secrets to climb the ladder of the criminal underground. —Henrik Høeg ZEPHRAS THUNDERFIST. Gender:: Male. Race: Dwarf (Vagha). Age: 60. Attibutes: Brawn Focused; Grace Unfamiliar. Occupation: Warlord (Battlefield Commander). Skills: Unarmed Combat, Athletics, Survival, Persuasion, Toughness. —Steve Braun CLEM VANDEL. Gender: Male. Age: Adult. Attributes: Wits Focused, Brawn Unfamiliar Occupation: Chef. Skills: Martial Arts, Second Language: Gaelic, Vehicle: Auto, Computers Focus: 5. Notes: Clem is an Irish chef with an interest in the strange and unexplained who has a knack for finding trouble. —Jeremy LaMastus ALYNNA VERBINE. Gender: Female. Age: Appears 40-something. Attributes: Wits Focused; Grace Unfamiliar. Occupation: Artisan Inventor (makes unusual, attractive, very useful things). Skills: Focused Bargaining, Persuasion, Tinkering, Crafting, First Aid, Second Language: English; Unfocused Martial Arts, Vehicle: Auto, Vehicle: Light Aircraft, Lock Picking. Focus: 7. Notes: Alynna is that quirky aunt that everyone doesn't realize that they have, until she just shows up for the first time. She always seems a bit anachronistically out of sync with her time and place, arriving with a large handbag filled with useful and attractive gimmicks, tools, toys, and tinkered wonders. —Jennell Jaquays

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LESTER SMITH

“The Pale Viscount” illustration by Lenka Šimečková THE PALE VISCOUNT. Gender: Androgynous Age: Indeterminate Adult Attributes: Will Focused; Brawn Unfamiliar. Occupation: Keeper of Secrets Skills: Focused Sneaking, Persuasion, Tracking, Edged Weapons; Unfocused Appear When Needed Focus: 6. Notes: The Pale Viscount serves one of human-beings’ basest desires: to prove one possesses private, valuable knowledge by divulging it to another person. Clients pay the Viscount richly to keep their secrets safe from enemies, their own unreliable memories, and the indifference of time. Implicit in this payment is a vow that if ever the Viscount while walking the world learns a secret he keeps is divulged, he slays the one who uttered it, and the one that person had it from, and so on back to the original offender. Sometimes clients return to the Viscount to be reminded of their secrets, which requires a second fee. The Viscount prefers shadow and silence, speaking in a vaguely medieval Italian accent only as necessary to complete his work. —Tim Ryan VICTORIA VON VICKERY. Gender: Female. Age: About 30. Attributes: Grace Focused; Brawn Unfamiliar. Occupation: Artist. Skills: Focused Chisel, Knife, Painting, Persuasion; Unfocused Embroidery, Equestrian, ANCHALUK BEASTLYPOET CHIPPYMUM LORD DONSKI

DAVE “JUSTDAVE” DUPUIS, BARBARIAN JERUSALEM JONES JOHNY

Gentility. Focus: 5. Notes: Victoria is the daughter of a 16th century artist who failed to deliver on a royal commission and sold her into an aristocratic marriage to avoid prison. Unlike a fairytale princess, she thoroughly resents her fate. Using skills she learned unlawfully at her father’s feet, she subtly ridicules polite society through the very art they pay to possess. She takes portrait commissions through the agency of a male apprentice (her secret lover). He sketches each courtly model in person, and she finishes the painting in private, relying upon her own clandestine observation of the subject at aristocratic fêtes. These paintings by a “secretive master” are in such demand that subjects forgive any less-thanflattering details as simple evidence of the painter’s genius. Victoria employs the funds from these commissions to hire spies, thieves, and assassins against the aristocracy she so despises. —Jennifer Smith “WRENCH” WALKER. Gender:: Male Age: 31 Attributes: Wits Focused; Will Unfamiliar. Occupation: Mechanic. Skills: Focused Juggling, Boxing, Mime; Unfocused Sneaking, Sleight-of-Hand. Focus: 4. Notes: “Wrench” grew up in a Depression-era traveling carnival and works a day job in an auto factory. He moonlights as a clown whenever the circus comes to town. —John Card II LIN WEN-WU. Gender: Male. Age: 35. Attributes: Wits Focused; Brawn Unfamiliar. Occupation: Super Spy. Skills: Computers. Martial Arts, Persuasion. Pick Pocketing, Sneaking, Shooting, Second Language: Italian. Focus: 8. Notes: A Taiwanese Super-Spy warrior-poet, like Jet Li meets Roger Moore, a HUGE Film/Anime buff (loves Hong Kong Jet Li and Jackie Chan Films, Roger Moore's James Bond Films and “Heartwarming Friendship Anime like K-ON! and Angel Beats”) when not on the mission/job. —林立人 Lin Liren WILFRED THE WIZARD. Gender: Male. Age: Ancient. Attributes: Will Focused; Brawn Unfamiliar. Occupation: Illusionist+++. Skills: Focused Persuasion+++; Unfocused Bargaining+, First Aid+, Magic: Aquatic+, Magic: Pyrotechnics+, Navigation+, Pickpocketing+, Ride Animal, Second Language: High Elvish++, Shooting, Sneaking+, Swimming, Throwing+, Tracking. Focus: 2. Notes: Wilfred began his magical studies early in life and pursued a well-rounded adventuring career before developing a total devotion to illusion. Beginning with small conjurings, he proceeded to triggered images such as faces that warn intruders away, then to fully interactive illusory companions, and finally to seemingly solid creations lasting a century and a day. Hiding his ancient body in a protected location, he has projected his mind into such an illusion and wanders the world, taking on whatever shape is needed for the task currently facing him (which obviates the need for other skills). He has come to believe that all of existence is an illusion dreamed into being by the gods, and that with sufficient will, a truly inventive and dedicated person might join them. —Ralph Faraday CENDRA XALCERC. Gender: Female. Age: Adult. Attributes: Grace Focused; Will Unfamiliar. Occupation: Peacekeeper. Skills: Martial Arts, Persuasion, Athletics. Focus: 4. Notes: Damage and abilities are greater when character uses a drug; health is affected if character does not have access to drugs. Cendra Xalcerc is a spy on an interstellar ambassadorial hub world, working for the Qolari Diplomatic Corps. —KS Augustin GLEN IVEY. Gender:: Male. Age: Adult. Attributes: Wits Focused; Grace Unfamiliar. Occupation: Engineer (any kind) —Glen Ivey

ADDITIONAL NAMES MALCUM BENVENUTI, INVESTIGATOR NOHR, HEALER/THIEF PLASMUS MAGUS

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EVAN MATUA REX PETERSEN SECOND CHANCE SIR. SIROCCO

STAN NERO STEELGRAVE TADK TENKAR