Altus Adventum

Demo Release

Copywrite (c) 2003 Sacrosanct Games

Written By: Roderic Waibel

Artwork By: Robert Robinson
(c) Robert Robisnon

Larry Elmore
(c) Elmore Productions
 Preface
First off, let me express my thanks to you for your interest in this game.

Altus Adventum is a traditional fantasy RPG that takes place on the planet of Azorath, focusing on the continent of Algerian.
For those familiar with RPGs, Altus Adventum will be an easy game to pick up and play right away. For those that are new to the genre,
welcome to role-playing and I’m sure you’ll find this system easy to learn and fun to play.
Altus Adventum uses the InertiaX ™ game system for the meat of the game mechanics. The system is designed to speed up
the mechanics of game play while not sacrificing realism or detail. The game is designed to allow a full range of options to a player,
from a non-linear character occupation generation system, to a spell combination system that is only limited by the imagination of the
player. This demo will cover only the very basics of the rules, and does not do the system justice for the amount of options and flexibility
available to you. To include all of those options would make this demo unrealisically long; the demo will only give you a taste of the
basics.
Possibly the most valuable part of this great system is that during the majority of the combat phase, there is no math involved!
Gone are the days when you wait for someone to add up modifier after modifier just to see the result. With the InertiaX ™ system, you
simply compare the number appearing on one dice with another. It’s that simple!

What’s included in the demo?

This demo includes all the basics that you need to run a short adventure. There are basic combat rules, skill descriptions, basic
magic rules, a few ready-to-play characters, and a good list of wondrous treasures.
It is strongly recommended that only the GM (game master) read through this entire demo. Players are encouraged to only
familiarize themselves with the game mechanics and the character they choose to play. There are several surprises in the adventure itself
that would be ruined from an overly curious player. Players: Do not read past the Rules section!

What’s in the full game?

The full rules encyclopedia includes many more options for the players. There are detailed rules involving special combat
maneuvers such as charging or power attacks, critical hits, encumbrance, poison and disease, fatigue, and many other combat related
optional rules. The speed point system is also included in the main rules, offering a greater realism to the combat phase.
The skill system is much more expansive and detailed, allowing the character a great degree of customization. Tying in with the
skill system is the XP (experience point) award system. As your character adventures and overcomes challenges, they may be awarded
XP points that they use to get better at skills, or learn new skills. You, as the player, decide what skills you want to use your XP points
on, unlike this demo in which advancement is predetermined.
The magic system also includes the three other main forms of magic in addition to Rune magic: Totem, Channeling, and
Mental. Each of these styles are unique in their invocation and powers. The magic spell list is also much expanded over the list here.
A guild system is also in the core rules, allowing characters to specialize as warriors, knights, wizards, paladins, rogues,
assassins, druids, and many more occupations of they so choose to do so.
Also included is an expansive list of monsters (over 100!) in the Bestiary section, along with many different kinds of arcane and
magical items that one may encounter in their adventures.
Those are just some of the key items that are found in the core rules that are not included in this demo. This booklet is simply
scratching the surface of all the wonders to be discovered in the core rules.

Very Brief Overview of Algerian

Algerian is a large continent on the planet of Azorath. When the humans first crashed on this planet, Algerian was the first
landmass that they were able to find and establish a colony. Not long after establishing this colony, they discovered strange and
wondrous creatures inhabiting the land. They also discovered that magic existed here. Losing all of their technology in the crash, the
humans embraced this magic.
The humans also found themselves changing physically. The combination of radiation saturation from their crashed spacecraft
with magical influences transformed these humans into the various humanoid species that are found throughout the game. After a
hundred years or so, the large colony could no longer exist in peace. The many humanoid species fought and argued amongst themselves
until they decided to branch out into the continent to establish their own colonies.
The game takes place several hundred years after this exodus, and the surviving humanoid races have now become well
established nations to their own right.

Roderic Waibel
 Table of Contents

Preface.............................................................pg 3
Table of Contents............................................pg 4
Common Terms..............................................pg 5
Rules...................................... ...................pgs 6-9
Rune Magic........................... ... ..............pgs 9-10
Investation, Demo Adventure......... ......pgs 11-16
Ready-to-play character, Helmut..... ............pg 17
Ready-to-play character, Rashanti.... ...........pg 18
Ready-to-play chracter, Darigmar..... ..........pg 19
Ready-to-play chracter, Choi............. ..........pg 20
Ready-to-play chracter, Alexander................pg 21
Player’s map of Brookshire................. .........pg 22
GM’s map of the tomb.................... .............pg 23

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 Common Terms
Species: The humanoid species of the character. Also referred does not need to ever roll for success.
to as ‘race’. Either human, elf, dwarf, or gnome. After skills you will find your character’s equipment.
This includes any weapons and armor that your character
Dice Pool (DP): The allocation of dice in which you will use has, as well as money and other miscellaneous adventuring
when attacking (ADP) and defending (DDP). equipment. After each weapon will be the ratins of the weapon
when it is used. For instance, if you have a sword with an ADP
Damage Rating Level (DRL): The power level of the weapon of 5 and a DRL of 7 listed after it, then those are levels in which
being used. A weapon with a higher DRL has a greater chance you would reference the chart when using the weapon.
of inflicting a more severe wound. After equipment will be any special powers that the
character may have. This includes species abilities or rune
Money: Only a single form of currency is used in Altus spells that the character knows.
Adventum: gold. This is used to purchase everything in the The last thing you will find is a brief history of the
game. character. This includes where they came from, how the know
the other characters, etc. Personalities and likes and dislikes are
Actions: Some creatures get more than one action per their all up to the player using the character.
turn in combat. This is the number they are allowed to use.

1d4,1d6,1d8,1d10,1d12,1d20,1d100: Abbreviation for the

amount and type of dice you would roll. For example, 4d8
would mean roll the 8-sided dice 4 times and tally the result.

Round: The time span it takes for all parties involved in

combat to resolve their actions.

Turn: The time segment of a round in which a character will

perform their action.

RPG: Short for role-playing game.

GM: Abbreviation for game master. The man in charge. The

one responsible for running a great campaign. The hand of
death. The almighty. Often susceptible to bribes. ;o)

Player: The name of the player controlling the character.

Character: The name of the fictional character that the player

is controlling during the game.

Character Description Explanations

You may notice that in the Ready-to-play Characters
section there are several abbreviations and attributes listed. So
what do these numbers mean?
The first thing listed are the character’s attributes.
These core attributes are strength, agility, endurance, intellect,
and luck. Each attribute has a rating between 1 and 100, with
a description of what effect that score has. In the core rules
encyclopedia, you would roll for these scores as you generate
your character, but with the pre-generated characters, they are
determined for you.
Next you will see what skills the character knows, and
the percentage chance of success that character has when trying
to use that skills. I.e., if your character has a hunting 55% as
one of their skills, they would roll the percentage dice, and if
the roll is 55 or lower, the skill would be a success. Note that
some skills don’t have a percentage, such as novice blades.
This simply means that your character has learned the skill and
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 Rules
Pilan’s eyes stung as a mixture of sweat and blood round? Each participant in combat will roll 1d20 for each
seeped into them. Through his blurred vision he tried to focus round. The individual who rolled the lowest number will go
on the three goblin attackers, who circled him with malicious first, and so on, until the person who rolled highest will go last.
glee. Once everyone is done performing their action, the round starts
The young man had just been accepted into the over again. In those situations where two or more parties go on
Shorlorn Warrior’s Guild, and to prove himself, he was sent to the same turn, the actions will happen simultaneously, and any
scout a rumored goblin camp. Only now did he realize he was a damage suffered will take place at the end of the turn, at the
fool to try to do it himself. Pride was always his weakest trait.. same time.
As the goblins continued their slow circle, cackling
and giggling with an evil glee, Pilan shifted himself into a What can you do during your turn?
defensive stance. Even though he was outnumbered three to Your character can do many different actions during
one, and wounded to boot, the goblins knew enough to be wary his turn. These include attacking, moving, fleeing, casting a
of a human in a full mail suit, brandishing a large, ornate battle spell, using an item, or using a skill.
mace. In some cases, a high level character and some
Seconds passed as if they were hours, the entire time creatures have more than one action per round. In this case,
both parties cautiously eyed each other, searching for any both actions will go during the same turn.
advantage.
Suddenly Pilan’s labored breathing caused him to lose Attacking- the most common action, this is where the character
focus for a brief moment. Just a second, but that was enough will attempt to attack and wound the target creature.
for the impatient goblins.
All three of the creatures lunged at the human like Moving- Any character can move their movement rate during
rabid animals, rusty and pitted swords raised for a fatal blow. their turn. A character may move ¼ of their movement rate and
Unfortunately for the goblins, Pilan was no inexperienced fool still perform an action, if they desire, or visa versa.
that the goblins were used to ambushing. With amazing grace
and speed for one who was clad entirely in heavy mail, Pilan Fleeing- If a character is engaged in melee combat, and it is
deftly dodged the first goblin. In the same fluid movement, the not going well, the character can flee. The character can move
new warrior swung his mace in a high arc, bringing down upon at twice their agility score away from the combat, but any
one of the vile creatures. The goblin immediately fell to the opponent they were in combat with will get a free attack on the
ground in a lifeless heap, its head crushed like a melon. character.
The third goblin lunged and slashed with its sword,
which clumsily deflected off Pilan’s armor. Not stopping his Casting a Spell- Similar to an attack, the character may decide
momentum, the warrior continued his spin and sank his mace to cast a spell during his action.
into the side of the third goblin. A sickening crunch could be
heard as the goblin also fell to the ground, ribs smashed. Use an Item or Skill- Character’s may also have to option of
As Pilan turned to face the first goblin that he dodged, using an item or skill during their action.
he could see the cowardly creature fleeing into the dark wood.
“Heh.” He thought to himself. “These creatures Hitting an Opponent and Dice Pools
weren’t so bad af…” So how do you know if you hit your opponent in
Pilan’s statement was cut short by several sharp pains combat? Every participant in combat will have a dice pool.
penetrating his back. He fell to his knees, making a half turn to The attacker will use their attacking dice pool, and the defender
see what had hit him. As he glanced behind him, he saw three will use their defensive dice pool, naturally. Both parties
more goblins with bows, ready to launch another volley into his will roll all of the dice in their pool, and will then compare
body. His last thought before the next set of arrows hit was that their highest dice against each other. If the attacker has the
pride had always been his greatest weakness. higher number, then the attack succeeds; if the defender has
the highest number, then the attack fails. If both the highest
Combat is an integral part of most role-playing games. numbers are equal, then the next highest numbers in each of
In Altus Adventum, it is also very important, as by succeeding the pools is used. If these numbers are equal, then the process
in combat, characters gain experience, and thus gain levels and continues until either one number is higher, or one party runs
gain in power. Detailed below are all the aspects of the combat out of dice to use. If both parties have the same number of dice
system. It’s relatively easy to learn, but there will be math skills in their pool, and all numbers are the same, then the defender
involved. will win by default.
Combat is broken down into two time frames, a round Throughout this manual, you will encounter two types
and a turn. A round is the time it takes for all participants to of phrases that affect the dice pool. One phrase is adding a
resolve their actions. A turn is the actual time segment in which bonus or penalty shift to the dice pool level. This means that a
an individual is performing their action. +1 shift to the DP would mean instead of a DP level of 4, you
So how do you figure out who goes first during a would use a DP level of 5. The other phrase is adding a certain
6
die type to your dice pool. This means that if your character Minor
DRL Level Moderate Deep Severe
gains a +d8 to your dice pool, you add an additional 8-sided
1 1-18 19 20 -
dice to your pool. Note that maximum dice pool level is 25.
2 1-16 17-19 20 -
3 1-15 16-18 19-20 -
Dice Pool Chart: 4 1-15 16-17 18-19 20
5 1-14 15-17 18-19 20

DP Lvl Dice DP Lvl Dice 6 1-13 14-16 17-18 19-20

7 1-12 13-15 16-18 19-20
1 1d4 14 2d12+1d10
8 1-11 12-14 15-17 18-20
2 2d4 15 2d12+2d10+2d8 9 1-10 11-13 14-16 17-20
3 1d6+1d4 16 1d20+1d10 10 1-9 10-12 13-15 16-20
11 1-8 9-11 12-15 16-20
4 2d6 17 1d20+2d12
12 1-7 8-10 11-14 15-20
5 2d6+1d4 18 1d20+2d12+2d10 13 1-6 7-9 10-13 14-20
6 1d8+1d6 19 2d20 14 1-5 6-8 9-12 13-20

7 2d8 20 2d20+2d12 15 1-4 5-7 8-12 13-20

16 1-3 4-7 8-11 12-20
8 2d8+1d6 21 2d20+2d12+2d10
17 1-2 3-6 7-10 11-20
9 1d10+1d8 22 3d20 18 1 2-5 6-10 11-20
10 1d10+2d8+1d6 23 3d20+2d12 19 1 2-4 5-9 10-20
20 1 2-3 4-8 9-20
11 2d10+2d8 24 4d20
21 - 1 2-7 8-20
12 1d12+2d10 25 5d20 22 - 1 2-6 7-20
13 1d12+2d10+2d8 23 - 1 2-5 6-20
24 - - 1-4 5-20
Figuring Damage 25 - - 1-2 3-20

So how much damage, if any, is taken by the

target? First off, you must have hit your target, as
described above. Taking Damage
Damage is calculated by using an Damage So how much damage can your character take before
Rating Level, or DRL score. Each form of attack has dying? The InertiaX system used in Altus Adventum specializes
a base DRL score assigned to it, and you would add in a damage severity system, as opposed to the traditional hit
any modifiers (for strength or magical weapons for point system used in many other role-playing games. This
system is separated by severity into: minor, moderate, deep,
example) to this base score (note: this step is usually
and severe wounds. How much of each wound type a character
done before any combat takes place, and rarely can take is rated on a damage absorption (DA) level. Each
changes). character will use this damage absorption level to keep track of
Once you have determined your overall DRL their wounds. This chart will look like this on your character
with a weapon, you would reference the Damage sheet:
Rating Level Chart to see what wound you would
inflict by the number rolled on a d20. It is strongly Minor: 2 Moderate: 2 Deep: 1 Severe: 0
suggested that you note the final DRL level next to /
each of your character’s weapons for easy reference.
When you have successfully hit your This chart means that your character can take 2 minor
opponent, you then roll a d20 and reference that wounds, 2 moderate, 1 deep, and 0 severe hits before dying. In
number with the chart below. the above example, the character has taken one minor wound
already.
Here’s the tricky part. At first glance, it seems that
your character would perish when all categories have the tally
marks equal the DA level for that particular wound. This isn’t
a very realistic way to handle damage, as it doesn’t make sense
to have you character continue to take severe hits, but as long
as they have an open slot under the surface category, they will
continue to live.
7
 Instead, this is how you will correctly use the DA
chart. Whenever you take a wound, you place a tally mark in Damage Absorption Level Chart
that category. Once you have placed more tally marks then you DA level Minor Moderate Deep Severe
have wounds available, you would instead place a tally mark
in the next highest category. I.e., say you can take 2 moderate 1 2 1 0 0
wounds; then on the 3rd and subsequent moderate hits that your 2 2 2 0 0
character takes, you would place a tally mark under the deep 3 3 2 0 0
category, as the moderate category is already full.
4 3 2 1 0
If you cannot go any higher in the categories, then your
character will perish. For example, let’s say your character can 5 3 3 1 0
take 1 severe wound and 2 deep wounds. During a fierce battle, 6 3 3 2 0
your character takes a severe wound and two deep wounds. The 7 3 3 2 1
next severe or deep wound will kill your character (since the 3rd
deep wound would automatically be a severe wound). 8 3 3 3 1
Please note that this means your character can die 9 4 3 3 2
from a lesser wound if that wound puts them into a category 10 5 4 4 2
that they do not have any more tally marks left. Let’s say your
character takes a deep wound, leaving that category at 0. Your Resting and Healing
character then takes 3 moderate wounds, and you only have 2 Any type of wound can be healed through natural
slots for tally marks under that category. Since you’ve reached resting. The main drawback for this is the amount of time it
3, you would add the third mark under Deep. However, since takes for the body to heal the wounds. First, a character must
this would give you 2 total marks under Deep, and you don’t be in a comfortable environment for their body to heal, such as
have any available slots in either deep or severe, your character a bed. A character trying to rest by sleeping on uneven ground
would die. with no padding will not heal any of their wounds.
If a character is resting in a comfortable environment,
Damage Absorption they will heal at a following rate (note that 1 day = 24 hours):

Ok, I got it so far, but how much damage can my

character take? Reference the below chart to determine the Wound Type Rest time needed
damage absorption level that your character will start with, Minor All wounds healed after 4 hours
based upon your endurance score. Moderate 1 wound healed after 8 hours
Deep 1 wound healed after 1 day
Severe 1 wound healed after 2d6 days

Critical Hits
Occasionally in battle, an attack may inflict a wound
that is much more severe than what would normally be rolled.
This often happens when a weapon finds a weak point in armor,
or the attacker is much more skilled then the defender. In this
case, the attack would qualify as a critical hit.
In order for an attack to be considered a critical strike,
the attacker must have beaten the defender’s dice pool by five
or more. I.e., if the highest dice in the attacker’s ADP is a 12,
and the highest dice in the defender’s DDP is a 4 ( a difference
> 5), then the attack would be a critical hit.
If a strike qualifies as a critical strike, then the target
would suffer one additional wound. For instance, if you
succeeded in scoring a critical hit and rolled a deep wound for
damage, the target would instead suffer 2 deep wounds instead
of just one.

Example of Combat Round

So far there’s been quite a bit of information to keep
up with and sort out. But don’t dismay, for after a few practice
8
runs, the system will seem like second nature. Most of your of effect and each orc has a DDP of 2d6. All parties roll their
figuring out is done at set intervals and changes very rarely. The dice pools; the mage rolls a 6, 4, and 2, and the orcs roll a 3,4;
actual combat round actually goes by pretty fast. a 6,5; and a 5,1. The mage compares his 6 to the highest dice
Let’s use the below example of a combat round to help in all of the orcs pools. He beats the first and third orc right
explain the system. For ease of play, we will be using only the off, and he ties the second orc. The mage then compares his
basic rules, and none of the optional rules. 4 against the orc’s 5, and loses, so the second orc is the only
orc to avoid most of the damage. The mage then rolls his DRL
Combatants: pool for the spell to determine what type of wound each of the
Marcus- armed with a broad sword, ADP: 5 DRL: 9. orcs will receive, and sees that his spell will inflict a moderate
Wearing a mail suit (DP: 5) and a medium shield (DP: +2) for wound. The first and the third orc will each suffer this wound,
a final DDP of 7. but since the second orc beat the ADP, he doesn’t suffer any
Minor: 2 Moderate: 2 Deep: 1 Severe: 1 wound. (Two categories below a moderate wound equal no
wound.)
Ogre- armed with a huge club, ADP: 5 DRL: 11.
Wearing thick hide for a DDP of 5.
Mnr: 3 Mod: 3 Deep: 2 Svr: 1 Rune Magic
Both parties roll for initiative; Marcus rolls a 4, and Rune magic is one of the most versatile and
the ogre rolls a 9 plus a modifier of +6 for a total initiative of 15. studied forms of magic in the Realms. The possibilities and
Marcus attacks first. Both parties then roll their dice pools; combinations are literally endless when a creative player and
ADP for Marcus, and DDP for the defending ogre. Marcus rolls GM are involved.
a 5,3, and 2. The ogre rolls a 4,4, and 3. They compare the Runes are separated into elemental categories of fire,
highest dice on each of their pools, and see that the attack hits, water, air, earth, and life. These individual runes are then either
since Marcus’s 5 beat the ogre’s 4. Damage is now rolled. used by themselves, or most often, in conjunction with other
Marcus rolls a d20 for a DRL of 8, getting a 12; a runes to create a magical effect.
moderate wound to the ogre, and the GM places a tally mark One of the most beneficial aspects of rune magic is
under that category. that there is no limit to the amount of spells a mage may cast,
Now it’s the ogre’s turn, and it is irate after sustaining other than level limitations. The main drawback to rune magic
a hit. Both parties again roll their pools. The ogre rolls a 6, 3, is that it is very time consuming to cast, which gives the caster
and a 2. Marcus defends rolling a 1 and a 1. The ogre’s 6 beats a +1 penalty for every three spell levels of difficulty to their
Marcus’s 1, so the attack hits. initiative roll if engaged in combat. Thus, a mage casting a
The ogre then rolls for damage with its great club. The level 9 rune spell will suffer a +3 penalty to their initiative.
ogre rolls an 18 on the d20, and with a DRL of 11, he inflicts Rune magic is also unique in that there are no real
a severe wound to Marcus. However, since the attack was a set affects that the magic will invoke. A rune mage creates
critical hit, one additional severe wound is suffered by Marcus. more powerful spells by placing together various combinations
Marcus cannot take more than one severe hit, so he is of basic runes. This gives the player a tremendous amount
crushed like a grape. The moral here: don’t attack ogres unless of flexibility, but should be discussed between the players
and GM beforehand in order to reduce any discrepancies of
you’ve got some serious firepower.
interpretation.
As stated earlier, runes are also categorized into
permanent, and instant. An instant rune is a spell that has
Magic in Combat
an instant effect that does not last longer than one round. A
Magic spells in combat are done very much the same
permanent rune spell is any spell that has an effect with no set
as other attacks. The caster will roll their dice pool against the
ending time.
defender’s defense dice pool. The main difference in offensive
Rune spell level difficulty is determined by adding up
spells vs. standard combat is that each particular spell may have
all of the individual rune difficulty levels. Thus, a mage casting
a unique base dice pool level assigned to it.
a rune spell that involves two level 1 and one level 3 rune, will
Areas of effect spells also have a special rule to them.
have an overall spell level of 5.
First, the caster will roll their ADP pool once, and compare that
Unless otherwise noted, all rune spells used in combat
against the DDP’s of all creatures in the area of effect. Thus,
will have an ADP of 3 for level 1-5 spells, an ADP of 5 for level
the highest dice in the caster’s ADP will be compared against
6-10 spells, an ADP of 7 for level 11-15 spells, an ADP of 9 for
the highest dice of each creature. Any creature that is within
level 16-20 spells, an ADP of 12 for level 21-30 spells, and a
the area of effect who beats the caster in pool comparisons, will
base ADP of 15 for any spell higher than level 30.
only suffer a wound two categories less than what the caster
rolls for damage.
Example of Rune combinations:
For example, a mage is casting a minor blizzard spell
A mage combines a spark, breeze, and burst rune to
with an ADP of 2d8+1d6. There are three orcs within the area
9
send a burning rune out towards a target at a movement rate it to burst in a 5’ radius, afflicting all within the area of effect
of 30, up to 100 feet away. When the rune gets to its target, it with the effects of the other runes involved.
explodes in a 5’ radius of flame. All creatures in that radius will
have to defend against an ADP of 3, or suffer damage of an DRL Nature’s Touch (earth-perm) lvl 3
of 4. The three runes involved give the total spell a difficulty of When this rune is drawn upon a creature, they will
level 4, with a +2 penalty towards the caster’s initiative. have their natural healing rate doubled as long as the runes
are intact. These are sensitive runes, and may loose their
A professional caster wants to combine a spell focus effectiveness from simple blurring if the creature sweats a great
rune (lvl 10), icicle (lvl 4), and gust (lvl 6) rune to create a deal, is washed, wrestled, etc.
spell of level 20 difficulty (+6 initiative penalty). The icicle will
travel towards its target at a rate of 50 up to 100 yards away, Moisten (water-perm) lvl 3
shattering on impact with an ADP of 9. If the icicle hits, it will Whatever object, up to 1 pound, has this rune drawn
inflict damage equal to an DRL of 10. upon it, will begin to feel as though it was drenched in water.
This rune will not fill containers, but will make the container
A novice combines a spark rune with an illuminate itself seem wet.
rune for a spell that has a difficulty of level 2, and creates a
rune spell on the ground that emits both light and heat. Open (earth-instant) lvl 3
This rune will cause any locked container or door to
Rune Descriptions: become unlocked once drawn on the container or door.

Spark (fire-instant) lvl 1 Lock (earth-perm) lvl 3

This basic fire rune, when drawn in the air, begins to The opposite of Open, this rune will lock any container
appear as if it is alight. The flame is generally 6” in height, and or door once the rune is inscribed. The rune will last until the
can be grasped by the caster to be used to set things alight, or if object is opened.
used in combat, inflict damage with an DRL of 4.

Breeze (air-instant) lvl 1

This spell creates a force of air that travels away from
the caster at a movement rate of 30, up to a distance of 100 feet.
This rush of air is enough to blow out small sources of flame,
such as a candle or torch, but not enough for a campfire.

Illuminate (fire-perm) lvl 1

This rune, when drawn upon an object, begins to
illuminate with an magical light that will as bright as a lit torch.
This rune lasts one day, or until erased. It emits not heat.

Protection (air-perm) lvl 2

In order for this rune spell to be effective, the caster
must create a large circle of these runes. The circle must be
complete, and takes an average of 1 hour per 10’ radius of
the circle to create. Once completed, any creature that passes
through this circle will set off an audible alarm.

Bloodsign (life-perm) lvl 2

This power is invoked when the caster draws the rune
upon a weapon using a creature’s blood. Once the rune is
complete, the weapon will receive a +1 bonus to it’s base DRL
and the wielder’s ADP whenever it is used against the species of
the blood type used. This rune will last for 2d6 combat rounds
before wear and tear make the rune unusable.

Caster’s Mark (life-perm) lvl 2

This rune can be drawn on any object, and will remain
invisible until the original caster wills the rune to become
visible. This rune will last indefinitely until ruined or drawn
over.

Burst (air-instant) lvl 2

This spell will cause any other rune(s) combined with
10
 Infestation! The Adventure
This demo adventure is designed to help you jump The mayor of Brookshire, Garan Oakfeld, has sent
right in and get a feel for the way the game plays out. It is a petition to the king in Shorlorn City for a garrison of troops, but
generic dungeon crawl hack-and-slash style of game. It is not so far no reply has been received. Time is running out for the
designed as a long running campaign, but a creative GM may village, and they fear that unless they can harvest their crops,
be able to turn it into one if they are so inclined. It is strongly they will not have enough food for the winter.
recommended that at least four of the ready-to-play characters The game starts with the band of adventures making
are used. Any less and the adventure may be too difficult their way north after hearing rumors of lost treasure near the
without the GM toning it down. Frozen Lands. Cold rain has been falling all day, drenching
Those familiar with role-playing games may notice the miserable party and chilling them to the bone. As nightfall
that once the combat system becomes comfortable, the combat approaches, the small party of rag-tag adventures can see the
resolution phase of the game will be resolved much faster than lights of a small village a few miles ahead in a shallow valley.
other rpgs. This allows greater participation from the players, It is here that they are suddenly ambushed!
as there is less wait time for their turn.
Included at the back of this booklet are a few handouts Seeing the dim lights of the village ahead, your group
for both the players and the GM. The map of Brookshire decides to trudge on through the cold rain and rapidly
and the individual ready-to-play characters are for use by the dimming light. Thoughts of a warm roast and a cold ale
players, while the dungeon map is for the GM’s eyes only. motivate you all, and you pick up your pace a little.
The following sections with this font type contains Suddenly you are stopped in your tracks as several
information that is to be read to the players. Areas that are arrows whiz by overhead. You barely are able to gather
not in this font is private knowledge of the GM, and is up to your senses when you hear the shriek of a goblin war cry
their discretion if they want to disclose this to the players. coming from the darkness on either side of you. Leaping
It is also strongly recommended that the GM read through out from the bushes are a few goblins, rushing your group
this entire adventure before starting the game, familiarizing armed with crude short swords. You can also seem to make
themselves with the adventure. out the shapes of a few more goblin archers in the dim light.

GM’s Note: This information is secret to only the GM and The goblins have the following statistics: ADP: 2 DRL: 4
the player who has chosen to play Choi. Choi actually has a DDP: 2. Three are armed with short swords and two others are
secret history that he would like to keep from the players. He armed with short bows and stone arrows. They are all wearing
is employed by a tribe of orcs to investigate the defenses of tattered and rotted hard leather armor.
Brookshire and if possible, eliminate the goblin threat with as
many villager casualties as possible. Choi will not be paid until DA of the goblins:
he reports back to the orc tribe located 20 miles to the north of Goblin # Minor Moderate Deep Severe
Brookshire with the required information. His pay for the job 1 2- 1- 0- 0-
is 150 gold. Once he has reported back, the orcs will launch a
2 2- 1- 0- 0-
raid to destroy the village.
The player who is playing Choi has complete freedom 3 2- 2- 0- 0-
of choice. Choi can either follow through with the plan, surely 4 2- 1- 1- 0-
to be seen as a traitor in the eyes of his party members, or he 5 2- 1- 0- 0-
can decide to betray the orcs and warn the party of the plans.
If he does this, he will be hunted by the orc tribe until one side Each goblin carries 1d4 gold on their persons. If the
is dead. How the player decides they want to handle this is party searches them, they will also see that each goblin wears a
completely up to them, and they may even be creative enough to signet ring with the head of a wolf embossed on it. If the party
figure out other alternatives. kills all three swordsmen, the other two archers will flee into the
darkness. The archers themselves are about 50 feet or so away
Background from the road, one on either side. They will attempt to shoot the
It is the late fall in the village of Brookshire. Overcast strongest looking party member.
skies and chill mornings have become commonplace, with When the party reaches the village, they will notice
drizzling, cold rain almost a daily occurrence. Brookshire is that there is almost no one on the streets, but the tavern is fairly
a small farming community located in the northern border of easy to locate. If some of the party members are injured, they
Shorlorn, nestled in the rolling hills near the Horde Lands. will be approached by someone in the tavern and asked what
Being located on the outreaches of the country has brought happened. If the party tells them they were attacked in a goblin
its share of marauding bandits from time to time, but recently ambush, the villagers will express their sympathy, and advise
goblin raids picked up in frequency dramatically. These raids the party of the situation. A local priest skilled in the mental
have also increased from the occasional abduction of livestock, magic arts will also offer to heal the party of any wounds. They
to the outright killing of villagers who have left the protection will then be advised to see the mayor the next morning, and will
of the village to tender to their farms or herds. give directions. If the party mentions the signet ring, they will
11
be advised to bring this up with the mayor as well. ambushed by a goblin patrol. A smart group of players may
If the party decides to rent a room here, it will cost want to capture a goblin and interrogate the location of it’s lair.
them 1 gold coin per night that they stay, but breakfast will be If successful, they may be able to find the tomb within the next
included. 4 or so hours.
If there is a goblin ambush, there will be 1d4+1 goblins
As you enter the village, you are quick to notice that there involved. Each goblin wears tattered hard leather and is armed
doesn’t seem to be anyone in the streets. All of the houses with a pitted short sword. Each goblin also wears a wolf signet
are locked and shuttered tight, but you are able to locate ring and carries 1d4 gold.
the Bucking
. Ram Inn relatively easy
As you enter the inn, you notice the unusual looks Goblin# Minor Moderate Deep Severe
that you get from all of the humans here. It’s not everyday 1 2- 0- 0- 0-
that they see other humanoids, let alone ones in the shape
2 2- 1- 0- 0-
your party is in.
3 3- 2- 0- 0-
The Adventure Begins 4 2- 1- 0- 0-
The next morning when the players meet the mayor, 5 2- 1- 0- 0-
he will explain to them the situation and the lack of help that
they’ve received from Shorlorn City. He will bequeath the The Tomb!
party to aid his small village. He cannot offer more than 25
gold per person as a reward, but will allow the group free room As you crest the hill, you can see a small stone
and board for the rest of their days if they help them exterminate building protruding from the valley floor like a sore on the
this goblin infestation. face of the earth. The colorful autumn colors turn a sickly
Garan cannot provide a map to the goblin’s lair, but gray around the decayed stone building, the rotted wooden
rumors have them somewhere northwest of the village. Garan door hanging precariously on its rusted hinges.
will urge the characters to leave with much haste, as he doesn’t As you near the building, you notice several small
think that the village will last much longer. humanoid tracks at the entrance which you must conclude to
be goblin tracks.
Goblin Lair
The tomb itself is a small 10’ cube of old stone. The
The goblin lair lies deep within an old tomb complex roof is made up of decayed and rotten pine planks with huge
about 13 miles to the northwest of Brookshire. The entrance to gaps allowing sun and rain alike to enter the small room. When
the underground tomb is only marked by a small stone building, the party opens the door, they will see that in the center of the
with stairs leading down into the depths of the tomb itself. This room is a stairway down into the depths of the underground
building sits at the bottom of a small, but deep valley with hills tomb itself.
on each side. This makes spotting the building from a distance You will notice on the map of the tomb that the
near impossible. rooms are numbered. Each room number will have it’s own
Depending on how long per day the character’s description below. Also on the map are several traps as defined
search for the building, it will take them 1d4+2 days to find the by the map legend. There are three types of trap: pit, pressure
tomb. Each night there is a 45% chance that the party will be plate, and spiked pit. As each character moves over an area

12
where there is a trap, they must roll the percentage dice. If the using a sword or dagger
number is lower or equal to their luck score, they managed to -medium armor: the ability to wear heavier armor such
avoid the trap and the next person in line will have to roll. If the as chain mail and medium shields.
player rolls higher than their luck score, the trap will be sprung.
If the players state that their characters are taking extra time to Choi:
look for traps, then they all will roll the percentage dice again, -adept blades: +1 to his DRL and +2 to his ADP when
this time against their intellect score. A successful roll means using a sword or dagger
they have detected the trap and can avoid it. A failed roll means -adept thrown missile: +1 to his DRL and +2 to ADP
that they were unable to detect the trap and then must make a when using a thrown missile
luck check to avoid triggering it. -sneak attack: if he successfully attacks from behind
without being detected, +3 to his ADP and +5 to his DRL for
Pit Trap: This pit is 10 feet deep. Any character falling into this that attack only.
pit must make another luck check. Those that fail will suffer
a deep wound. Those that are successful will suffer a minor Alexander:
wound. -fortitude: +1 do his DA level.
-adept blades: +1 to his DRL and +2 to his ADP when
Pressure Plate: Once this trap is triggered, several darts will using a sword or dagger
shoot from each side of the wall. Any creature in the line of -medium armor: the ability to wear heavier armor such
fire where the trap was triggered will have to defend against an as chain mail and medium shields.
ADP of 5. If they are unsuccessful, they will suffer 1d4 minor
wounds from the various darts.

Spiked Pit Trap: Similar to the pit trap, this trap is lined with 1: Entrance
sharp spikes on the floor. If the character triggering this trap
fails their luck check, then they will suffer a severe wound. As you descend down the stairs, your torchlight
If they are successful, then they will suffer only a moderate reflects on fairly well cut stone walls, and small plums of
wound. ancient dust raise into the air with each step you take. The
stairs descend approximately 50 feet down into the depths
Advancement at last! of the earth before ending in a large room about 30’x40’
in size. Piles of loose rubble litter the south end of the
At some point midway through the tomb, preferably room, and you can see an exit on the east wall just past the
at a good resting point such as room #2 or #9 where the party rubble.
can rest uninterrupted, feel free to give the player’s their first
taste of advancement. It is highly recommended that this There is nothing of interest in this room, other than
advancement take place after the character’s have had several many goblin tracks in the dust. Keep in mind, however, the pit
opportunities at combat. trap just inside the hallway outside of this room.
When you decide to grant character advancement,
give each player the choice of what they want to advance in. 2: Storage Room
Listed below, each character will have a few areas where they
can choose to advance in. Give the players each option for As you enter this small 20’x20’ room, a foul stench
their character, and let them choose one item from the list. In overwhelms your senses. Stacked along the east wall are
addition to the player’s choice, each character will increase in several barrels containing some sort of rancid liquid.
all of their skills by 10%. In the official rules, there are many,
many more options to choose from. This is the storeroom for the goblins, and is where they
keep their ale. It is technically drinkable by the party, but tastes
Helmut: horrid and very well may make them sick. Each party member
-fortitude: +1 do his DA level. who decides to take a drink must make an endurance check.
-adept axe: +1 to his DRL and +2 to his ADP when Those that fail cannot keep the foul liquid down and will vomit.
using an axe/club Those that succeed will enjoy a permanent +1 bonus to their
-medium armor: the ability to wear heavier armor such DA level. This bonus is one time only; multiple bonuses cannot
as chain mail and medium shields. be achieved by continued drinking.

Rashanti: 3: Caskets
-adept rune: now able to cast rune spells up to level 10
-adept thrown missile: +1 to her DRL and +2 to her The doorway opens into a large 70’x50’ room filled
ADP with thrown missiles with stone caskets. Your attention is immediately drawn to
group of goblins in this room, who are not pleased to see you
Darigmar: in their lair. They draw daggers and spring to the attack!
-fortitude: +1 do his DA level.
-adept blades: +1 to his DRL and +2 to his ADP when There are four goblins here, armed with daggers and
13
wearing tattered remnants of various clothing items (ADP: 2 As you enter this room, you attention is immediately
DDP: 1 DRL: 4). Each goblin wears the wolf signet ring, and drawn to the four goblins here and the large rabid dog they
carries 1d4 gold. keep. As they see you, they instantly draw their weapons
and attack!
Goblins:
Goblin # Minor Moderate Deep Severe Each of the four goblins here are guards for the rooms
beyond, and are better equipped. They each wear studded
1 2- 1- 0- 0-
leather and attack with relatively well made short swords (ADP:
2 1- 1- 0- 0-
3 DDP: 4 DRL: 5) The mangy dog appears to be some sort
3 2- 2- 0- 0- of wild beast as white froth foams from it’s mouth. It will
4 2- 2- 0- 0- instantly leap at the lead character (ADP: 3 DDP: 2 DRL: 5)

This room is the converted sleeping quarters of the goblins, and Goblins
each casket will contain bedding material. If the party searches Goblin # Minor Moderate Deep Severe
each coffin thoroughly, they will find 22 gold in one of them 1 2- 1- 0- 0-
underneath the bedding.
2 1- 1- 0- 0-

4: “Bad Place” 3 2- 2- 0- 0-
4 2- 2- 0- 0-
As you open the door to this room, the door pushes
a swath of dust in it’s wake. It doesn’t appear that anyone, Wild Dog
or anything, has been in this room in quite some time. Mnr: 3- Mod:2- Deep: 1- Svr: 0-
Several coffins are in this room; all seem untouched
and are covered with thick dust. Each goblin carries 2d4 gold as well as the signet ring.
The studded leather is wearable by gnomes and has a base DDP
This room has been avoided by the goblins, as they of 4.
think it’s haunted. They have every right to believe that too. After the battle, the party will notice the corpse of
If the any member of the party disturbs a coffin, several of what appears to be a human that had died from several bite
the coffins will immediately have the lids flung off as ancient wounds lying on the floor.
skeletal warriors will rise to defend their resting place.
There are five skeletons, who are armed with nothing 6: Prison
but skeletal fingers that act as claws (ADP: 3 DDP: 2 DRL:
4). These are mindless creatures that will attack until destroyed. The door opens up into a fairly large room with a
Luckily for the party, any attack that is successful from an axe horrendous stench. Various torture devices and chains hang
or club will inflict a wound one category above what was rolled. from the walls of this room, and a few remains of humans in
Thus, a moderate hit would instead be a deep hit to a skeleton. various stages of decay lay on the floor.
Standing along one of the walls, apparently
Skeletons: adjusting a torture device, is one of the largest goblins you
Skel # Minor Moderate Deep Severe have seen. This misshapen creature wears a chain mail
1 2- 2- 1- 0- tunic, and as he sees you enter, he grabs a red-hot iron
2 2- 2- 0- 0-
crowbar and prepares himself for combat.
3 1- 1- 1- 0-
This prison guard is actually a goblin marauder (ADP:
4 2- 1- 1- 0- 4 DDP: 5 DRL: 6), a larger species of goblin normally found
5 3- 2- 0- 0- deep in the Dragonspire Mountains. The chain mail he wears
is large enough for a human, and has a base DDP of 5. He also
wears the wolf signet ring and carries 2d8 gold.
If the party searches the caskets and the skeletons, they
will find the following: Prison Guard:
-A ring that grants its wearer a +1 DRL to all weapons Mnr: 3- Mod:2- Deep: 1- Svr: 0-
used.
-4 applications of salve of healing. Each application If the party searches the room, they will find nothing
will instantly heal any one wound. else of value except instruments of torture and death. The
-An ancient scroll with the following rune spells: open stench and reek of decay will normally force the character’s out
(lvl 3. will open any non-magically locked door or lock) and of this room.
icicle (lvl 4. creates a shard of ice with an DRL of 8. It will
shatter on the first successful hit). 7: Common Room

5: Guard Room This door opens into a fairly large room, with a small group
of goblins here playing various games of bones and dice.
14
As soon as they see you, they rush to the attack! If the party spends more than just a few moments in
this room rummaging through the crates, several large rats will
There are five goblins here, all armed with short scamper forth from under the crates and rubble and attack.
swords and tattered leather armor (ADP: 2 DDP: 2 DRL: 5).
They each wear the wolf signet ring and carry 1d4 gold. Rats
Rat # Minor Moderate Deep Severe
Goblin# Minor Moderate Deep Severe 1 1- 0- 0- 0-
1 2- 0- 0- 0- 2 2- 0- 0- 0-
2 2- 1- 0- 0- 3 1- 1- 0- 0-
3 3- 2- 0- 0- 4 2- 0- 0- 0-
4 2- 1- 0- 0- 5 1- 1- 0- 0-
5 2- 1- 0- 0-

10: Goblin Chief’s Lair

8: Treasure Room:
This room appears to be a large worshipping
As you try to open this door, you notice that it is temple to the tomb. The large square room has a giant
locked. pentagram drawn in some reddish liquid scrawled upon the
floor, a basin of water in one corner, and a large stone alter
The party may either break the door down (attracting at the far end.
any nearby goblins), pick the lock, or if the scroll has been As you enter the room, you also see a large, brutish
found, open it with a spell. Once the door is open, the players goblin behind the alter who appears very angry at your
see: presence. He immediately screams a war cry and his huge
mongrel dog leaps to attack!
Your eyes are instantly locked on the small pile of
gold and chests in the north side of this small room. This is the goblin chief Qurtzog and his personal pet.
He is a very large goblin, standing almost 5 feet tall. He wears
If any of the character’s enter this room, they will a worn, but serviceable suit of chain mail, and wields a huge
immediately be attacked by the treasure guardian. This creature two-handed axe.
appears as a giant 4’ tall bat with large eagle-like claws (ADP:
5 DDP: 4 DRL: 6). The treasure guardian will get a surprise Qurtzog: ADP: 5 DDP: 6 DRL: 10
attack on one of the characters without retaliation. After the Mnr 3: Mod 3: Deep 2: Svr 2:
surprise attack, initiative would be rolled for a new round.

Treasure Guardian ADP: 4 DDP: 3 DRL: 5

Mnr: 3- Mod:3- Deep: 1- Svr: 0- Mnr 3: Mod 2: Deep 1: Svr 1:

If the party searches the room, they will find two small
wooden chests that hold 75 and 128 gold respectively. One of If the party searches the room after defeating Qurtzog
the chests also has 2 small opals worth 50 gold each. The other and his dog, they will find 532 gold in a coffin at the north end
chest has a necklace that will grant its wearer an additional +1 of the room. Qurtzog also wears a jeweled ring worth 75 gold
to their DDP level. There is also 193 gold littering the floor of and a solid gold wolf’s head signet ring worth 55 gold. His
this room, as well as a glimmering small shield hanging on one chain mail is wearable by anyone between 4 feet and 6 feet tall,
wall. This shield is slightly magical, and has a base DDP of 3. but is not magical. His large axe Elfsplitter is magical, however.
It has a base DRL of 10 and the wielder will gain a bonus +1 to
their ADP when attacking elves with the weapon.
9: Storage Area:
11: Spider’s Lair
The door opens into a good sized room filled with
crates and various barrels. The far wall across the room As you enter this room, you immediately notice the
seems to have collapsed into a heap of rubble. thick cobwebs covering the far end of the room where the
wall seems to have collapsed into a heap of rubble. Laying
The crates and barrels in this room contain moldy hard atop the rubble is the corpse of a man-sized humanoid
cheese and dried meat. The cheese is safe to eat, but eating the wearing tattered studded leather armor and disintegrating
meat will cause nausea and sickness to anyone who eats it. clothing. The corpse itself is decomposed almost to the
skeletal state, and the right hand still grasps a sword. The
sword draws your interest as it seems to be in immaculate
15
condition whereas the rest of this poor souls belongings as the power attack and charge attack, as well rules for siege
have fallen apart. In fact, you can almost make out a ruby weaponry.
shining from the hilt of the sword. Also included in the core rules are over 100 creatures
in the beastiary, from the weaker goblin to the all-powerful
As soon as one of the party members enters the room, arch-demon to the facinating dragon.
a giant spider will fall from the ceiling and attack them.

The Spider: ADP: 4 DDP: 4 DRL: 4

Mnr 3: Mod 3: Deep 0: Svr 0:

If the spider successfully bites a character, they must

make a luck check or suffer the effects of the spider’s poison.
If the character is successful, they will suffer the wound type
as rolled by the spider’s DRL. If the character fails their luck
check, then the wound type suffered will be one category higher
than what was rolled.
If the characters defeat the spider, the only item of
value in the room is the broad sword. The sword has the name
Hallowed Reaver etched on it’s blade in elvish, and does in fact
have a ruby set in it’s pommel. The ruby is worth 500 gold, but
if it’s removed, the sword will lose it’s magical enchantments.
Regardless of who wields the sword, it will give the
wielder a +1 bonus to their ADP, and it has a base DRL of
9. In the hands of an elf, however, and the sword’s greater
power comes forth. If wielded by an elf, the sword will
glow an eerie red color when within 50 yards of a goblin or
orc. The sword can also glow a brighter red (equivalent to a
torch) upon command as well. The most powerful magic of
the sword, however, is its massive damage it can inflict upon
creatures of the undead, such as skeletons or zombies. When
used against these creatures, any wound inflicted by the sword
will automatically be raised by one category. Thus, a moderate
wound would instead be a deep wound.

Demo Complete!

Congratulations! You’ve just finished the brief demo

for Altus Adventum! The official adventure ends here, but with
a creative group of players, you can expand the other areas only
briefly mentioned in the demo, such as the shadowy past of
Choi.
If you’ve enjoyed this demo, then I strongly encourage
you to acquire the full rules of the game. This demo only covers
the most basic of options; the full rules allows much greater
flexibility and realism, as well as many options for the Game
Master and player alike. You can create your own characters to
partake on heroic adventures, joining a specialized guild if they
so choose (or even running a guild if ambitions run that high!)
Intrigued by magic? The full rules not only cover
the Rune magic hinted here in much greater detail, but Totem,
Channeling, and Mental magic styles are also included, as well
as rules for creating your own magical and arcane items.
Another major difference is that when your characters
have been awarded enough experience, you can choose what
skills that they learn from a huge choice, as opposed to the few
options in the demo.
In addition to the basic combat rules here, inlcuded
in the core rules are also more advanced combat options, such

16
 Ready-To-Play Characters
Helmut Grumsfeir
Dwarf

Strength: 76 +1 DRL
Agility: 43 -1 DP
Endurance: 88 8 DA
Intellect: 47 6 skills
Luck: 43

DA chart:
Minor: 3 Mod: 3 Deep: 3 Severe: 1

Skills: language, human

Novice axe/club
Light armorkjj
Novice shield
First aid-24% (if successful, one wound of choice is
reduced by one severity level.)
Light sleeper

Weapons: Mace (ADP: 2 DRL: 8)

Armor: Hard leather
Small shield
Small helmet DDP: 5
Money: 8 gold
Equipment: pack
Bedroll
Tunic, trousers, belt and boots
Small sack
7 days rations
2 waterskins
5 bandages
small bowl
heavy hooded cloak
Special Abilities: night vision

Background: Helmut comes from the mountain halls of Spire

Mountain. Known for his ability for pain tolerance, Helmut
was initially drafted into the militia, but his fumbling and lack
of coordination soon had him discharged.
Determined to prove his fellow dwarves wrong,
Helmut set out on his own to gain experience and build a name
for himself. It wasn’t long before he met his other companions
who were under siege by a small group of goblin raiders.
Brandishing his mace, Helmut charged down the ravine, red
hair blowing in the wind as he charged the goblins. He and the
group he helped have been friends ever since.

17
 Ready-To-Play Characters
Rashanti the Mystic attacked by a band of orc and ogre bandits. She was hit from
behind and pretended to be unconscious while the rest of her
Elf
village was killed and plundered.
She stayed in her feign death state for hours well into
Strength: 41 no modifier
the night, fearful of moving. Eventually she passed out and was
Agility: 87 +2 DP
found by Darigmar, who was drawn to the slaughter site by the
Endurance: 38 4 DA
trails of smoke wafting into the air the next morning.
Intellect: 67 6 skills
Darigmar was able to revive her out of her state of
Luck: 46
shock, and vowed to protect her as a companion.
DA Chart:
Minor: 3 Mod: 2 Deep: 1 Severe: 0

Skills: Associate Degree (+1 ADP and +1 DRL to all rune

spells)
Read Magic 67%
Novice Rune (can cast up to level 5 rune spells)
Novice Thrown Missile
Navigation 67%

Weapons: 4 throwing daggers (ADP: 5 DA: 4)

Armor: Robes (DDP: 3)
Equipment:
Pack
7 days rations
spell book
2 waterskins
6 torches
flint and steel box
blanket
hooded cloak
belt and boots
50’ twine
1 flask/oil

Special Abilities: Infra-red vision

Rune Spells: Spark

Breeze
Illuminate
Bloodsign
Nature’s Touch

Background:
Rashanti originally comes from one of the nomadic
elven tribes from the Wild Plains. Her village was a relatively
small village numbering no more than 30 or so tribesmen.
From the time she was a little girl, the chieftain knew
she had a special aptitude for learning, and placed her under
the tutelage of the village shaman. She was often teased by the
other village children, but her quick wit and quicker reflexes
often kept her out of trouble.
It was these attributes that ended up saving her life.
Several weeks ago, just after her 17th birthday, her village was
18
 Ready-To-Play Characters
Darigmar
Human

Strength: 76 +1 DRL
Agility: 55 +0 DP
Endurance: 78 7 DA
Intellect: 56 6 skills
Luck: 39

DA Chart:
Minor: 3 Mod: 3 Deep: 2 Severe: 1

Skills: Novice Polearm

Light Armor
First Aid (28%, reduce bandaged wound by one
category)
Rope Use (27%. Basic use automatic, lasso attempts
require a check)
Novice Bow
Novice Blades

Weapons: Halberd (ADP: 3 DRL: 10)

Saber (ADP: 3 DRL: 7)
Small Crossbow (ADP: 3 DRL: 7)
24 bolts
Armor: padded armor
Small helm (DDP: 3)
Money: 7 gold
Equipment:
Pack
10 bandages
50’ rope
6 torches
flint and steel box
7 days rations
3 waterskins
bedroll
hooded cloak
tunic, trousers, belt and boots

Background: Darigmar originally hails from the country of

Shorlorn, where he has a lineage of knighthood running strong
in his family. Being fairly young, he has yet to prove himself
worth of joining the knighthood, and thus has set out in the
world to earn his reputation.
Darigmar holds strong moral values and thinks of
himself as a knight without the armor. He believes in honor and
justice, and protecting the weak. It is this reason why he feels
that he should be the protector of Rashanti, and has a strong
hatred for orcs and ogres.

19
 Ready-To-Play Characters
Choi Li Kim
Dwarf

Strength: 51 no modifier
Agility: 61 +1 DP
Endurance: 52 DA: 5
Intellect: 77 7 skills
Luck: 69

DA chart:
Minor: 3 Mod: 3 Deep: 1 Severe: 0

Skills: language, human

Hiding (31%, remains hidden from sight)
Silent Walk (31%, doesn’t make a sound while
moving)
Lock Picking (31%)
Light armor
Novice blades
Novice thrown weapons
Weapons: Rapier (ADP: 4 DRL: 5 +1 DDP when wielded)
4 throwing daggers (ADP: 4 DRL: 4)
Armor: soft leather (DDP: 3 or 4 with rapier)
Money: 13 gold
Special Abilities: night vision
Equipment:
Pack
2 small sacks
50’ twine
hooded cloak
tunic, trousers, belt and boots
gloves
7 days rations
lockpicks
2 flasks/water
1 flask/oil
blanket

Background:
Choi’s background remains a mysterious one that he
hasn’t even offered up to his companions. What is known is
that he hails from the foothills near Spire Mountain, possibly
from a large dwarven city there. He met Darigmar and Rashanti
in a crowded tavern near one of the border towns, and after
overhearing how Darigmar is in search of glory, he approached
them with a proposition of great treasure and glory to be found
near the northern lands.

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 Ready-To-Play Characters
Alexander Krozny
species can also be great warriors.
Gnome He met the others in the same tavern that Choi offered
his proposition. Seeing this as an opportunity to further his oath,
Strength: 36 -1 DRL Alexander jumped at the opportunity.
Agility: 71 +1 DP
Endurance: 56 DA: 5
Intellect: 81 9 skills
Luck: 88

DA Chart:
Minor: 3 Mod: 3 Deep: 1 Severe: 0

Skills: language, human

Language, goblin
Novice blades
Novice bow
Light armor
Novice shield
First Aid (41%, bandaged wound is reduced by one
category)
Climbing (36%)
Weapon Specialty (short sword. +1 DRL)

Weapons: short sword (ADP: 4 DRL: 5)

Short bow (ADP: 4)
20 bodkin arrows (+1 ADP DRL: 5)
20 broadleaf arrows (DRL: 7)
Armor: hard leather
Small shield (DDP: 5)

Money: 10 gold
Equipment:
Pack
2 small pouches
7 days rations
2 flasks/water
bedroll
blanket
hooded cloak
tunic, trousers, belt, and boots
5 bandages
journal
inkwell and pen
3 candles
flint and steel box
2 torches

Background:
Alexander is originally from one of the larger gnomish
cities in The Moors. He has always been fascinated by the art
of warfare, much to the chagrin of his family, who is almost
entirely employed in the magical career field. Like most
gnomes, Alexander has the potential to learn the magical arts,
but he has taken an oath to prove that the smaller humanoid
21
 Player’s Map

The Village of Brookshire

22
 GM’s Map

The Goblin Lair

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