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Verhängnisnacht: The End of Days

It’s the end of an era and your doom is at hand. Your hated foes have infiltrated the city from below; even now set the watchtowers and barracks aflame while the city sleeps. If there is to be any chance, you must run the gauntlet of the streets and ring the alarum bell, rousing the city to battle.

Playing the Game

Saving Throws

If you have a) the right tools b) plenty of time, and c) no distractions, you just do it. Else, roll equal or under the appropriate Ability Score to pass. A 1 is always a pass, 20 is always a fail.

Looking around doesn’t need a saving throw, I’ll honestly describe whatever you can see. You’re welcome to ask follow-up questions; I’ll either tell you, or say what you need to do to find out. (It’s boring if you walk right into an ambush or death-trap without warning, so unless your character is distracted or you decide to just blunder into the darkness, I’ll warn you first.)

Luck Throw

Where a saving throw isn’t appropriate but some kind of roll is, you make a luck roll (1d6). A 1 is a very bad result; a 6 is a very good result; a 4 is somewhere in between.

Attacking

Roll the die noted by your weapon, and cause this much damage to your target. If the target has armour (d), ignore this much damage from the attack. Attacks can be enhanced (2d6 damage) or impaired (d3 damage) depending on the situation.

Damage

Damage comes off your HP score. Excess damage comes off your STR. When you take STR loss, take a STR save or suffer Critical Damage. Critical Damage will, at the least, leave you unconscious and bleeding out. Nastier enemies may kill you outright.

Damaging enemies works the same way as damaging PCs, except critical damage is always fatal.

Spells

Spells (~) are like any other weapon or ability, except they’re temperamental if over-used. Casting the same spell twice or more requires a short rest or a successful WIL check. A failure invites WIL loss, the eye of the gods, or worse.

Ammo

After dealing maximum damage with a ranged weapon, you run out of ammo. Ammo can be found in lock-boxes or similar around the city. When you find one, make a luck roll; a 1 means it’s empty, a 4 means it’s locked, a 6 means it’s unlocked and there’s enough for everyone.

Ability Score Loss

At 0 STR you die. At 0 DEX you’re paralysed. At 0 WIL you go catatonic or crazy, an easy mark for deadly things and dark gods.

Recovery

Taking a short rest (five minutes of peace and quiet) restores lost HP, but no ability scores. Taking a long rest of (a week or more, in safety) restores everything short of missing limbs or PTSD.

Potions

Drinking a healing potion only takes a second and restores your HP. Drinking a potion of Str, Dex or Wil increases the score by 10 (maximum 20) for maybe a minute.

Bresslau-Wroclaw.Nuremburg

Rolling your character

Choose your kin: longshank, manling, or stoneheart. Roll 3d6 for each of Strength, Dexterity and Willpower. Cross-reference your kin with your highest stat to see your starting equipment.

d##LongshanksManlingsStonehearts
3-91hp
Arcane blast (d10)~
Sense nearby evil Staff (d6)
Fine robes
4hp
Greatsword (d8)
Repeater Pistol (d6)
Holy book
City map
Whetstone
6hp
Grudgeraker Shotgun (d8)
Brace of Pistols (d8)
Fire oil (d6, firey)
Can smell ammo
10-111hp
Longbow (d8)
Acid arrows
Potion of strength
Sword (d8)
4hp
Hochland Longrifle (d8)
Hatchet (d6)
Animal trap
Small flute
Kindling
6hp
Handgun (d8)
Boltcutters
Can smell gold
Treasure map
Bugle
12-131hp
Bow (d6)
Ether
Dagger (d6)
Potion of dexterity
1hp
Halfling
Cleaver (d6)
Hotpot helmet (d)
Shortbow (d6)
Bandages
Aromatic Spices
Dead rabbit
Grease
6hp
Crossbow (d8)
Bomb (d12)
Hatchet (d6)
Clockmaker’s kit
Nasty scars
14-152hp
Sword & Dagger (d8)
Throwing Knife (d6)
Caltrops
Immune to poison
Missing eye
4hp
Duelling rapier (d6)
Brace of Pistols (d8)
Badge of office
Manacles
Small but vicious dog (d6)
5hp
Mattock (d6)
Bomb (d12)
Hard Hat (d)
Lantern
Cask of strong ale
16-172hp
Axe (d6)
Falcon (d6)
Net
3hp
Morningstar (d8)
Bell
Prophesies of doom
5hp
Hammer (d6)
Shield (d)
Drakefire pistol (d6, firey)
Cigars
182hp
Glaive (d8)
Scalemail (d)
20ft rope
Ship’s warrant
Untrustworthy
3hp
Fireball (d12, firey)~
Hidden dagger (d4)
Heretical tattoo
5hp
Giant axe (d10)
Spare axe (d6)
Other spare axe (d6)
Never quiet
Death wish

Rolling monsters

While everyone’s rolling their characters, agree who or what your hated foe is: cunning rat-things, tentacled monstrosities, the living dead, or something else. Don’t overthink this, keep it to something everyone will get. Whatever you choose, it (and its followers) are flooding from the city sewers to kill the cityfolk while they sleep.

When you (the GM) need a monster on the fly, roll 3d6 for it’s Strength and 2d6 for its HP. Cross reference the strength with hp to see the monster’s tactics and abilities (if any). Equip and describe as you see fit, using what it is as a guide.

STR/HP2 – 67 – 910 – 12
3 – 6Overwhelm them
(Appears in great numbers)
Drive them apart
(Charge amongst them)
Tempt into danger
(Lots of loot)
7 – 12Steer them into trouble
(Blind them)
Make one a target
(Curse or confuse one)
Entrap one
(Webbing, glue etc.)
13 – 15Break them up
(Poison the ground)
Summon more
(Hornblower, annoyance)
Big and scary
(Attacks from any range)
16 – 18Rip one to shreds
(Pin one to the ground)
Be in the way
(Vicious if alarmed)
Hard to kill
Immune (to fire, ice, blades, etc.)